Candy's Sweet Tooth

The Two Shadows

Slowly, everything seemed to fall into place. Osvaldo Bertolini stopped, hands on the barrel of the gun. Sweet Tooth still held it also, but pulled his hands away as Bertolini fell. His eyes stayed facing the way they had, and slowly Candy came into focus. She was uneven and dangerously swaying from side to side, and a gun was trapped tightly between her hands.

Sweet Tooth lurched forward and caught her arms before she fell, then laced them around his neck. She leaned heavily on him, still quite delirious. 'I did it,' Candy mumbled quietly, her eyes and body beginning to slip.

Sweet Tooth hoisted her into his arms before she could hit the ground, then slightly struggled as he lowered her into the chair behind the desk.

He looked over her arms to make sure his father hadn't hurt her, but his anger began to rise as he saw a small red dot between her forearm and upper arm. She'd been drugged, clearly the only way to get her to cooperate.

If only I'd kept my bastard of a father alive a little longer, I'd have killed him much slower. That pig deserves... Oh but wait, boy. You've done worse things to her- what do you deserve?

His own mind was warped in a hundred ways, but never had he thought himself worse than those he attempted to fight back against. He believed that they didn't deserve any mercy- not because they opposed him, but because no one had a good enough reason.

Some were moulded into their life like Candy and himself, some were born in their ways but chose not to change like Osvaldo, some had a tragic incident that severely swayed them to the safety of evil, but then there were monsters like his father. Sweet Tooth was sickened at the thought that his father knew exactly what he was getting into, but still decided to follow the criminal path. Not only did the doc ruin his own life, but he ruined his son's as well.

Sweet Tooth looked down at the finally still body that lay at his feet. Three or so litres of blood had spilled onto the hardwood floors, slipping between the cracks. He kicked his so-called father's foot, then walked over to Candy's father.

'Osvaldo and Harold. You two deserve to be thrown out with the garbage,' Sweet Tooth spat their names in disgust, 'nothing- nothing will excuse you.'

He then turned to Candy as she once again tried to wake. She looked small and weak in the large chair, more so than any time she had before. Candy finally sat up, still dazed, but breathing.

'He... hee...' she struggled, clumsily smiling and falling back against the back of the couch. He moved swiftly to her side, trying to hear what she wanted to say. Candy opened her eyes as best she could, then grinned. 'What's the matter, ST? Don't ya know laughter when ya hear it?'

Sweet Tooth smirked and pulled her up to her feet, holding Candy around the waist as she stood at his side. 'Let's get out of here, Dove.'

She looked back at the two crumpled bodies on the floor, then tilted her head at Sweet Tooth. 'Are we gettin' Red?'

He paused. He'd forgotten. But as he realised where Candy was looking, he noticed she'd almost forgotten them too. Only one thing was playing around his mind. Sweet Tooth finally had a plan to free himself from the Bat- permanently. 'Of course.'


He reached into his pocket and produced what looked like a remote control. Sweet Tooth pressed it into the palm of Candy's hand, her face lighting up as she pressed the button. The maniacal giggle he had come to know and even adore rang through the building, as did several loud explosions. Screaming soon followed, then shouts of joy. But no sirens.

Sweet Tooth quickly looked at Candy, most of the effects of the drug having worn off. She was concerned, but light filled the window behind them. 'They sent the Bat.'