XI. Seven Deadly Sins: Envy
Since it's been over a year since I've written one of these parts, let me paraphrase the previous parts so you don't have to reread them:
- Seven of the HetaSquad girls- Taylor, Shelby, Hope, Annalise, Dreamz, Sammi, and Thaovy- are possessed by Dream Jumpers, which will kill them and damn them to Hell if they aren't saved
- Romano, America, Canada, Japan, Prussia, China, Seborga, Jenna, and New Zealand enter the mindscape to save them. They are equipped with one healing potion for each girl
- The first three Dream Jumper battles went fine, with Taylor possessed by Lust, Shelby possessed by Glutton, and Hope possessed by Greed.
- Annalise (as Sloth) injured Japan so badly that Annalise's healing potion had to be split between the two of them. But a split potion was not enough, so they were returned home
- Dreamz (as Wrath) hurt Hope badly in her battle. Since Hope had already been given her healing potion, she could not stay in the mindscape. Canada returned to wake Hope up in the real world.
_____________________
"You know," Alfred started as he stared up at the ceiling they just fell through, "it's getting to the point where we have to ask ourselves... are Thaovy and Sammi worth falling through more floors?"
China glared. "Would you be saying that if Shelby was one of the girls still possessed, aru?"
America paused, and glanced at Shelby, who shrugged. "I think she would understand."
"Guys, hush it." Jenna warned. "If my predictions are correct again, this is Envy. The second worse sin of the seven deadly sins."
"Isn't Envy the same thing as jealousy?" Taylor inquired. "Honestly, these sins are all so... common. Who doesn't feel envious? Who doesn't get angry? Who doesn't feel lazy?"
"It's not so much committing the sins, I think." Seborga stated. "It's when you let it consume you life. Take pride, for example. It's okay to feel pride when you accomplish something. But... it's not okay to be so prideful that you believe you can do no wrong."
"Yeah, that sums it up pretty well." Jenna nodded. "Good job, Sebastian."
"Thanks, I lived with Vatican before." Seborga smiled.
"Guys," Mexico whispered, before pointing ahead, "there she is."
Standing the distance, facing a wall lined with pictures, was Sammi. Expect this Sammi was skin and bones. Her long, black hair, usually sheen with life, was dull, dry, and knotted. Her skin was a sickly porcelain, and when she reached out her arms to adjust one of the pictures, it was skin and bone. In fact, you could see every rib through her green jumpsuit she wore.
China pushed himself forward. "Sammi?"
Sammi turned, facing the group with wide, glowing green eyes. She smiled lovingly. "My friends! You've come to visit me. How sweet." She paused, turning to the wall. "Come look at these pictures. You may find yourselves on here." She smiled, touching a framed imagine of her and the rest of the HetaSquad posing in front of the world meeting building. "I have so many friends." She smiled.
"Sammi." China continued forward. "You need to stop this and come home. You are so sick, aru. It's going to take weeks to build your strength back up."
Sammi stopped, her eyes narrowing. "I'm not leaving." Her eyes looked Yào up and down. "You're... Just trying to steal my friends."
"What? No, you can keep your friends. I don't want them. I just want you to be well again." China urged.
Sammi scowled. "No, you want them all to yourself! But I worked hard for my friends. And if you spend time with them, then I'll lose them to you!" She paused, her eyes traveling around the group behind China. "You do have so many more than me... that's not fair."
Before China could offer a rebuttal, Sammi shook her head. "I hate to fight fire with fire, but you can't have more friends than me. You've left me no choice." She hissed. The ground begun to rumble under their feet, and the group looked down in horror as the green floor splintered under them. From the cracks burst three mangy looking wolves, their teeth bared as they snarled and leapt into the group. Shrieks and screams emitted as they tried to scramble away, but each wolf managed to sink their stinking teeth into a panicked victim, before their bodies collapsed, becoming a hollow furred shell.
Prussia, Romano, and Jenna watched in horror the veins nearest the wound began to glow a sickly green color, and the glow continued traveling through their veins until it reached their brains. They convulsed for a brief second, before stopping. When they stopped, they looked at the rest of the group with empty green eyes.
"Jenna?'" Juan stepped forward tentatively. "Are you okay?"
Jenna's brows furrowed, and her gaze travelled across the remaining HetaSquad. Shelby, Taylor, and Dreamz exchanged uneasy glances. "You... You guys never include me anymore!" She cried angrily. "This is the first time I've been invited out anywhere in months, and you all had to ruin it by getting possessed. AND YOU EVEN LEFT ME OUT OF THAT!" She shrieked, lurching forward at them.
Mexico blocked the attack, grabbing Jenna wrists and holding her back. "Jenna, please, snap out of it!"
"She can't." Sammi smiled. "She's mine."
Cooper watched the events unfolding nervously, before he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He glanced to his left to see Prussia was standing there menacingly, staring right at him.
"You." Prussia hissed. "You're trying to steal my girlfriend."
Cooper's mouth fell open. "I'm sorry?"
Prussia snarled. "You can't play dumb with me, asshole. You are, you're damned brother is- MY DAMNED BROTHER IS! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD." He shouted, before shaking his head, his hands forming fists. "But they're not here. So you'll have to PAY FOR ALL THREE OF YOU!" Prussia rushed at New Zealand.
"No!" America gasped, blocking his younger brother and nailing Prussia with a right hook to the jaw. The albino staggered back, but recovered quickly, throwing a punch back at Alfred.
"Guys, we need to focus on the real task at hand!" Seborga urged, when suddenly, he felt a fist connect to his cheek. He staggered sideways, looking over in shock as Romano loomed over him, seething. "Lovino?" Seborga whispered.
Romano sneered at him. "You sweet act isn't fooling me, ginger snap. It makes me sick." He hissed, practically shaking. "You and Feliciano are always playing that card, and the rest of those stupid bastards fall right into your fucking trap. I'm so sick of being picked over because of you two- ESPECIALLY YOU, CAUSE YOU'RE NOT EVEN A REAL COUNTRY!" He screamed, his tanned skin turning a bright red.
Seborga glared. "We'll see how real I am when you feel my fist on your face, asshole!" He yelled, taking a shot at Romano.
China looked around at everything taking place, and he felt truly alone. Gilbert, Lovino, and Jenna were all possessed. Alfred, Sebastian, and Juan were busy fending off the prior three, and the other girls and Cooper were all being targeted. It was just Yào and Sammi, which was terrifying, because the last couple Dream Jumpers had been a team effort to take down.
"Aw, you look lost, Kindness." Sammi stated in a mocking tone. "I must admit, I do enjoy taking what you cherish away from you."
China glared. "Why? Because you could never gain any of it by yourself?"
Sammi looked taken back for a moment, before she glared. "I did earn it. I took it from you!"
"Earning is where you work hard for something. I worked hard for my friends, for them to fight for me without persuasion. You earned nothing, you were only envious of what I had and wanted it for yourself." He huffed. "You're nothing but Greed reincarnated."
Sammi's skin began to spouting fine, green patches of fur as she snarled at Yào, revealing sharpened canines. "I'll rip your spine out, old man."
China held out his hand, and a large cast iron pan materialized into his grip. "Do you know how many times that's been done to me over the centuries? You're gonna have to come up with something more original than that, Envy."
Sammi roared, and the transformation went into full swing. Within moments she was towering over China, with silky green fur encasing her body. Her ears were pointed and turned forward, her nails sharpened into dark claws. She easily tripled in size, towering the size of the Wrath Dream Jumper. Despite the canine form she was taking on, leathery wings patched with fur ripped through her jumpsuit and stretched out behind her, flexing powerfully. She screamed a horrible shriek, launching herself at China.
China spun around and kicked high, hitting Sammi directly in the jaw. She staggered back, looking dazed, and Yào took advantage, coming at her again with the iron pot. Sammi yelled, catching the cast iron in his grasp and squeezing it, warping the metal like it was a warmed ball of dough. "It that the best you can do, old man?" She asked in a deep, booming voice as she pulled China towards her.
Yào kept his composure, before jabbing his hands forwards into her eye sockets, moving with so much force that his fingers penetrated the thin membrane of the eyes. Once his hands were inside, he pulled back, ripping the eyes out with his hands.
As the blood curdling scream shot through the air, the others were still occupied with Prussia, Jenna, and Romano. Romano had his brother pinned with his knee, as he reached up and summoned her huge ax. Prussia had gotten a good shot on Alfred, causing him to KO, and he now had New Zealand by the neck, lifting him off his feet as the albino pushed into his trachea, trying to choke him to death. Juan had had a good grip on Jenna, until she kneed him in the vital region. Now her and the remaining HetaSquad were in a full on brawl, and unfortunately for the three of them, Jenna was much stronger now, and had Taylor in a headlock as she fought off Shelby and Dreamz. China was alone in his battle with Sammi. But he needed to have that healing potion at the ready.
"Shelby!" China yelled.
"Wha- oh my fucking GOD YOU GOUGED HER EYES OUT?" She demanded, leaving Dreamz glare at Shelby as she backed away from Jenna, leaving Dreamz to be the only one wrestling with Jenna to free Taylor.
"Stop screaming and grab me a potion from Jenna!" China shouted back, easily avoiding Sammi's now aimless strikes.
Shelby muttered an imitation of China speaking around her breath, before she turned to Jenna. "You're gonna have to forgive me for this later." She stated, before backing up and sprinting at Jenna, tackling her to the ground, and unfortunately, taking Taylor down with her.
Dreamz cheered. "HELL YEAH WORLD STAR!"
Shelby got on top of Jenna and pinned her head and back down with her knee, freeing her hands to grab the bags of potions hooked to her belt. Taylor managed to escape as Jenna grip loosened in an attempt to fight off Shelby, and as Shelby left, Taylor and Dreamz worked together to keep Jenna pinned.
Shelby ran to China. "I'm ready."
"Do you know the incantations that's needed to remove the Dream Jumper?" China inquired, summoning a slim, curved sword to finish the job.
"Um, does it look like I speak Latin?" Shelby asked, looking at China in disbelief.
"Well, you're going to have to try something, aru. Cooper is a bit occupied right now." China stated.
"Ugh, okay, I can try." Shelby muttered.
China nodded in appreciation, before leaping forward, dodging a couple of arm swipes from Sammi, before plunging the sword deep into her abandon. The girl gasped, and as the sword was drawn out, a pool of blood began pooling at her feet as she collapsed.
China raced forward to be at Sammi's side as Shelby kneeled by her head.
"You pass judgement so quickly." Envy growled, probably to China, but because she no longer had eyes, no one could tell. "You act like it's wrong for us to crave friends, crave recognition, crave others respect. But if you would stop being so damn critical, you would see that this is just human nature. Not a sin."
"It's a sin in abundance, aru." China countered. "And I'm pretty confident possessing others is taking things too far."
"Shhhh, I have to concentrate." Shelby hissed, before closing her eyes and whispering, "Kindess will always win over Envy, because God said so, we are children of God. So fuck off."
China glared, "What was that supposed to be?"
"My incantation. I told you I couldn't speak Latin." Shelby said defiantly.
"Well English is not going to-" China stopped reprimanding Shelby when a firework of green exploded from Sammi's chest, producing a sparking green fireball. As it exited Sammi's chest and disappeared, Prussia, Jenna, and Romano's eyes returned back to normal, and they blinked.
Prussia released New Zealand, looking at him in disbelief. "I... what. What happened? I..." He watched guilty as Cooper rubbed his bruised neck. "I'm... sorry."
Jenna instantly stopped struggling with Dreamz and Taylor, and they got off of her. She sat herself up, looking in a daze. "What... happened?"
Romano looked down at his little brother, and glanced up his ax, his eyes widened as he registered what was occurring. He threw the ax away, scrambling off Sebastian and practically lifting him off the ground. "Stai bene, fratello?" He asked in shaky voice.
Sebastian smiled slightly, patting Romano on the shoulder. "Sto bene. Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."
As the commotion was settling, Shelby had finished pouring the healing potion in a now normal Sammi's mouth. Her eyes scarred over, healed, and refilled with fluid, while her abdomen stitched itself together. She blinked rapidly, wiping her blood covered face, sitting up in horror. "Oh my god, what happened?"
"You tried to kill me and you possessed Gilbert, Jenna, and Lovino to kill the rest of us." China shrugged. "But everything's okay now."
"Oh, okay... I guess." Sammi said shakily, eyeing China's blood covered hands.
The floor began to crack beneath Taylor's feet, and she swallowed. "Well, it looks like we're on to the last one."
Sebastian nodded, looking nervous. "Thaovy... as pride."
And with that, the floor gave in beneath them.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top