Love Conquers All _The Sequel_

Chapter Ten - Return

Tex's POV:

It's been exactly one week since I left my gang and Mary became a killer. She has been on a nonstop murdering spree and I'm sure she's somewhere in China now, making clones by the dozens. She's converted almost all of the world, just like she said she was going to, and all by hand, just like she said she was going to. It's an addiction.

And here I am, sitting alone, wasting idly by, without a gang. It's not too bad though... I mean, at least they're dead. If they were still alive, I'd probably be laughingstock.

I rest on the plush leather couch, tapping my feet and passing time in this massive, empty mansion.

There's no one I can call and talk to or anything. Anyone I've ever known is Mary now, I'm sure she's almost done with recreating the entire population of the world into herself.

I can't tell if she's doing it just because she loves herself so much... She says it's because Michael can't love anyone else but, um, he's dead. I don't see what the point is.

And truthfully, everything is just so boring now that there's no one in the world.

This whole thing kind of defeats the purpose of life... I always thought I was gonna go out and impact others, and fall in love, and get a job, but it's just emptiness. And I have nothing to do.

I begin to pace around, waving my arms and dancing just a little bit. I decide to call Mary since there's no one else, as I've already said.

I dial her number, hoping she'll pick up.

She does.

"What?" She asks, sounding out of breath.

"Uh, I just- I was wondering, um... What's up?" The words tumble out of my mouth in a bent string of incoherent mumbles.

"Can't talk," she says, and the phone moves away from her mouth for a second as her words become quieter. "I've almost done it - I'm in the last little town cloning the last bit of people and then that's the end! Peace out, bub."

She hangs up.

So in a couple of hours, everyone in the world will be dead besides Mary and me. I sigh, a bored, lonely frown stretching across my cheeks.

Everything is now nothing. I wish I had never agreed to this, and for a moment I regret ever coming to Neverland. I yearn for my previously normal life, even though I barely remember it. I struggle to attain an image of my mom or dad but nothing comes up, which causes me to sigh again.

"I'm so BORED!" I scream, and it echoes through the halls of the house.

I might as well sleep. There's nothing else I can do anyways.

So I plop back down on the couch, close my eyes, and drift away.

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Mary's POV:

With a wild grin plastered across my lips, I look down at the knife in my hand, smeared with goop. My old self would've been so disgusted at this version of me, but I can barely think of my old self with so much adrenaline pumping through my veins.

I have just killed the last human being on earth. Well, besides Tex. I might have to do something about that...

I quickly turn them into a clone, and that's it. Everything's done. And I feel so accomplished I'm close to exploding.

The victory rushing within me dies down a bit when I think about what to do now. Revive Michael, obviously, but how? This task is so intimidating to me because I am completely unaware of how to achieve it.

On my flight home, I search my mind for possible solutions. As I pass over oceans and forests I am suddenly aware of how empty everything is now... And that's just the way I wanted it.

I'm conflicted on whether or not I should kill Tex. He's my closest friend, actually, my only friend, and can I really live with a bunch of clones of myself all the way up until Michael is alive again? I dismiss the subject as I arrive at Neverland.

I fly into the window of my room, exhausted. I go to use the bathroom before telling Tex I'm back.

When I see my reflection I have to try really, really hard not to scream. Not only am I covered in the blood of a million victims but... I'm... I look extremely old...

A few grey hairs are popping out of my scalp and my face holds a few wrinkles, crows feet around my eyes and frown lines around my mouth. Not only do I look older appearance-wise, but my eyes look so much more worn and tired... I look like I'm in my forties! Tears start to well up in my eyes and my cheeks turn red. What happened to the pretty teenage girl I was last week? What happened?

I know what happened.

I became a murderer. I must've aged somehow because of it. Maybe the fact that I'm immortal messed with my timeline, and now I just look old. I'm old. I'm old. I'm gonna try to remedy it for now, and I guess I'll just have to embrace it.

Before going downstairs to greet Tex, I shower, dye the grey hairs on my head, and apply makeup to my face. It eases the age a bit. I still look so... Different. It's haunting. I don't look as bad as I did a little while ago, drenched in blood with frizzy hair and a sweaty face. I actually look alright, I think. I'm still unhappy with it though, it's unfair. Just because I kill a few people...

I call Tex.

"Hello?" He sounds hopeful.

"Tex, I'm back home. But, uh... I thought I should warn you: I've aged, a lot. I guess killing people messed with my immortality and... I don't know I just look really old now. So... Don't be too surprised when I come downstairs."

"Okay," he says, and I hang up. I leave my room to go find him.

When he sees me, his brows furrow into his nose, and he squints, tilting his head.

"Whoa," he mumbles, looking at the wrinkles around my face. "You don't look bad, just... Really different," he states. A lie, obviously. Lying isn't gonna help if he wants to stay alive.

I stuff down my anger and say, "Anyways I'm back. You and me are the only normal humans left on the earth."

"Besides Michael," he says, "but he's dead."

"Not for long," I answer. "Not for long."