Just a Happy Ending

Unfounded Roller-Coaster

The first thing Henry registered was soreness. Just a dull, throbbing soreness, acute behind his eyes. He blinked them open slowly, and his stomach flipped when he realized his situation.

He was lying, prone and shirtless, strapped down to a table by his wrists and ankles. A gag muffled any attempts at speech. To his right was a small table, on which lay a collection of crude, sharp-looking knives. And a large jar. On his left, a chain hung from the wall, attached to a pair of manacles that clamped around-

Sammy!

"Smmph!"

The inkling shifted slightly from his limp sitting position. His hands were hung above his head and his ankle twisted at an unnatural angle. His eyes blinked open, glowing softly in the dimly lit room. "Henry? You're awake. Good."

Henry's eyes narrowed with worry. Sammy sounded tired and weak. Henry mumbled a noise he hoped sounded inquisitive.

Sammy thumped his head against the wall, huffing a groan, "Me? 'm fine. 's not like some crazy woman slashed open my side again and did nothing to help my broken ankle." He chuckled weakly. "W-we really got ourselves in trouble this time, h-huh, old man?"

He sounded delirious.

"I hope you two are comfortable."

Henry's head snapped to the other side of the room, fixing the tainted angel with a defiant glare. He heard Sammy whimper.

Alice just chuckled to herself, "I will admit, I was going to carve you both open right away, but then I won't have a treat for that dumb dog. Or my pet." She crouched in front of Sammy and touched a finger to his nose, "How's a girl to decide what to do?"

Sammy flinched as she flicked her finger.

"Disgusting," she mumbled, sauntering over to Henry. "As for you," the angel mused with a finger to her lip, "I don't care to know what you are or where you're from. All I know is that gold heart of yours is valuable," she walked her fingers up his chest, each "step" with each word, "And I'm gonna have fun opening my present." She tapped his nose once, smiling evilly.

"Susie."

Alice's face turned into a grimace. She slowly turned toward Sammy. "What did you just call me?"

"Susie. That's your name. S-Susie Campbell. You were Alice's first voice actress. Y-you brought her to life for the first time."

Two strides, and Alice stood over Sammy, hauling him to his feet by the straps of his overalls. She hissed in his face, "Say that once more, inkling? I want to know why I'm suddenly so compelled to slit your throat."

Henry grunted and writhed, trying to distract her and tell Sammy not to say anything.

Alice dumped Sammy back down, "Keep quiet!" she commanded Henry.

Sammy straightened as best he could and stared up at Alice, "Please, S-.... You don't have to do this. Henry's ink could work on you without having to kill him."

Alice growled at Sammy but didn't say anything. He continued, "It's on his hands. He can help you! You don't have to resort to murder!"

"And what makes you say I shouldn't?"

"Because that's not the Susie I loved."

Silence.

Alice took a step back, those words shaking her mind. She turned and covered her face, slightly curling in on herself.

"Susie," Sammy's gold eyes bent with a pleading worry, "please. I know some of you has to still be there. You're not a murderous psychopath. You are an angel, one whose wings were wrongfully clipped."

Poetic. Henry smiled under the gag.

Alice's hands slowly lowered and she turned toward Sammy again. Sammy took it as a sign to keep going. "Susie, I remember you were one of the very few people who could make me smile. Every time you were in my studio, the place felt brighter. Every time you sang, I felt giddy, caught up in your voice and the music."

Alice took a careful step toward him.

"Your scars don't define you. Yes, you were a lovely dame, but the looks were never the most important to me. I cared about your humanity, your soul, you as a person."

She crouched in front of him, a blank, unreadable expression on her face.

Sammy smiled at her. "Susie, please believe me. Stop this. Let us go. I'm certain Henry would be willing to give you what you want."

Alice reached up, hovering her fingers around Sammy's face. "Say that name again?"

Sammy smiled, "Susie. Susie Campbe-AUKGHHH!!!"

Henry twisted and thrashed, growling at the angel to get off his friend!

Alice had shoved one hand into Sammy's mouth, clawing at his tongue, while the other hand gripped the front of his throat. She leaned in close to his ear, disregarding his strangled coughs and pained struggles. "You know. I almost believed you. I almost felt like that name had meaning. Then I remember I was lied to, taken advantage of, and left all alone because you suddenly had eyes on that other 'dame'. I should have known better than to trust a friend."

Sammy gagged, his heels slipping on the floorboards as he tried to twist out of Alice's merciless grip.

"I know Henry will help me," she whispered, "because I will make sure of it. I'll carve him open and rip out his gold heart, very, very slowly while you watch. And then, when your will is broken, maybe I can have you swear your loyalty to a new goddess and resume your proper, diminutive role as a servant."

Henry grunted and managed to pull hard enough to make the table give a loud thunk.

Alice paid him no mind, but let go of Sammy anyway. She let him cough and gasp a few times before seizing his face and shoving his head against the wall. "And to punish you for saying that name..." she flattened the fingers of her other hand and swiftly drove them into Sammy's throat.

Sammy bent over, choking and trembling.

Alice calmly stood and clenched her fists a few times. "Wholly revolting."

She turned to Henry, smiling like a devil.