When You Wish Upon A Star...

J. R. Anthony

 

Chapter IV

Halloween Horror

 

They met at Karen's the next day, both with plenty of ideas of what Lellwey might have in store for them and whoever else was invited to the Halloween party. Jordan came equipped with a pad and paper for writing down what they would need.

"I think he's trying to trap us in the opposite sex, but still as ourselves." Jordan suggested.

"But how would he do it?" Karen asked.

"I dunno,...release a gas made of condensed potion?"

"You have a really creative mind. You know that." she told him, raising an eyebrow. His ideas were totally out of the blue to her. He remained oblivious to plans of her own. She hadn't in fact listened to all of the tape. After five minutes, she peeled it off, thinking that she could re-learn all of it herself, then planted the headphones back on when she heard quick footsteps outside.

 

As doomsday night approached, both Karen and Jordan were worried of what awaited their arrival at Murray's Mystics. They were bowed in by the old shopkeep, and led through a pair of colossal silver gates leading to a small café-style area by a stage set up for a type of musical performance. As the night progressed they learned that it was a karaoke stage, when what they thought was a speaker turned into a television.

"Well planned. What d'you suppose he's got for us next?" Karen asked.

"I don't know, but I really like that girl's costume. Whoo!" he exclaimed, Karen slapping him across the face. The girl in question was dressed as Batgirl, wearing skintight clothing. The old man took the stage as treats were served to the guests.

"Greetings to all! I have invited you all here, for a purpose you see." he began, as the area was filled with a green light, the only white light being the spotlight on him. "I am now jogging your memories to those times I helped you out. I only ask one simple thing in return." he said, reaching behind his head. "Your souls!" he hissed, as he pulled on something on his neck, and pulled his face off to reveal,...a she-devil. "Holy shit!" Jordan yelled, overturning a table and crouching behind it. "Karen,...how come you're not being affected?" he asked, watching as wave after wave of people were knocked to the ground, soul-less, and cold.

"I took off the headphones after he left, why?" she asked.

"I love you." he said, wrapping his arms around her neck and kissing her. Just then the table erupted into flame, sending the two cowering by the gates. The she-devil was glaring at them with evil intent, making Karen shiver.

"So, thought you'd outsmart Lellwey, didn't ya!? Well guess what! You're going to pay double!" she said, taking Karen hostage, and bringing her to the stage, cutting a rope holding a sand weight over her. "So, what'll it be, Jordan!?" she hissed, choking Karen with one arm as she held the rope with the other. "Your girlfriend? Or your life!?" she snapped, motioning for two guards dressed as ninjas to surround Jordan.

 

It was intense. If he chose to live, what would become of Karen? If he chose to save her, what would become of himself? He had absolutely no way out. This is where I come in. I had been sneaking along the back wall to escape when that demon beast emerged from inside the shopkeeper's body. I was invited to the party as a friend by Karen. How could I say no? Anyway, with the current situation I tried to get Jordan's attention.

"And as for you! You worthless maggot!" she yelled turning to me and blasting me with a fireball. I fell against the stone wall, the wind knocked out of me, as Jordan looked on. "You've got yet another choice boy, your girlfriend, your comrade, or yourself?"

"Jordan! Don't worry about me, save yourself!" Karen called, giving me a hopeless look, that said quite plainly 'sorry, but it'll be easier this way'.

"No! Karen, I can't live without you!" he called to her.

"The clock is ticking young fool! Who will it be?" she said, holding a hand out to myself and Karen. He calculated the outcomes in his mind. Could he live without Karen? Could Karen live without him? Could he sacrifice a friend and not feel guilty? It was a loss/loss situation.

"Nobody. Kill us all," he said, sinking to his knees ," if you can!" he rose and hit both the guards, dumbfounded by the sudden reaction. I ducked out of the way and ran towards the she-devil as she sprinted to the stage to finish off Karen. What followed still haunts me to this very day. In fact the following action is why I can be telling you this story now.

 

Jordan jumped on-stage and took hold of a microphone stand, lowering it to a jousting position as he charged the demon. She was knocked backwards and Karen, thankful for Jordan's courage, raced off-stage to help me. I had fainted from the realisation that one of us would die tonight. She helped me to my feet, and woke me slowly.

"Andrew! Andrew, are you all right?" she cried, her face blackened from the burning tables and chairs surrounding us, now collapsed into piles of ash.

"I,...I'm, f-fine." I responded groggily, trying to support my weight with my own feet as she was struggling to hold me up.

 

On-stage, Jordan and the monster had taken opposite sides of the stage and whatever they could reach for a weapon. Jordan was down in a football position, while the she-devil stood upright, glaring with her cold, red eyes.

"You have disrupted my plans for the last time! You insolent little bastard!" she cursed, the very volume of which rang off the walls.

"Look who's talking! I'd feel pretty low if I'd loured innocent people into a group just to kill them all!" Jordan yelled back.

"You deserved it you self-centered twirp! Your little wish was completely self-centered. You never once consulted your girlfriend before switching bodies did you? Never asked her if she'd be okay with it! That's why I loathe all you male rats! You're all the same!" she screeched.

"You're heartless! Brainwashing people only to take their souls! Not caring whether they're innocent!" he said, charging her again, but he was knocked back to his place with the aid of a television to the face. He wiped the blood from his face, revealing that he had a cut above his right eye, and three cuts on his left cheek, as well as a gash in his forehead, all containing bits of shattered glass.

 

Karen helped me walk to the stage, as I jelly-leg walked my way to help Jordan. He was holding up well on his own.

"Ah, I almost forgot!" the creature cackled, forcing Karen and I against the wall, tearing bars from the gates to pin us into place. "If you take another strike at me, I'll bring all the lightling I can muster upon them, frying them instantly." she said, snapping her finger impatiently.

"Have it your way." he said, taking a run at her. She raised her hands, gathering many bolts on her hands, and threw them towards us. I closed my eyes, waiting for death. But it didn't come. I head something fall to the floor, and opened my eyes to see Jordan, lying still on the floor, and the creature, with a microphone stand through her middle. The bars clanged to the floor as I stumbled, half-running to Jordan's side.

"Jordan! Wake up! Jordan, it's me! Andrew! Wake up, for God's sake!" I cried, sitting him up and holding him with my left arm. Karen screamed at the sight, falling to her knees, her face in her hands. I tried again and again, but sadly, I realized my worst fear. Jordan would never wake. He would never see the light of day again. I dragged him over as I went to comfort Karen. She sobbed into my shoulder, not daring to look again at the frozen face of determination that would be the final hours of her only boyfriend's life.

"Why did he sacrifice himself for me!?" she cried, lying across his body.

"He loved you too much to watch you die." I replied, patting her shoulder gently. "There is still hope,...but it won't be the same."

"What do you mean?" she asked wiping the tears away.

"Didn't you tell me about a machine that turns people into bodysuits?" I asked, rising to my feet.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with this?" she questioned.

"I could turn Jordan into a bodysuit, and become him full time." I said. She looked at me with terror, then admiration, then nervousness.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"If it comforts you, I'll do anything at all." I replied.

 

She showed me into the room containing the costu-matic. I picked up Jordan's body, and slid it hrough the machine, watching his body snake out at the other end, which was completely gross to say the least. I asked, Karen to leave as I stripped down, and stepped into Jordan's body. I called her when I had it all the way on, and she looked at me with love.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, cuddling up with me.

"Karen, I've learned a lot today. I've learned that you're never selfish if you've got courage, and heart." I put my arm around her, and walked out intot he world as Jordan. The good thing about stepping into a formerly living bodysuit, is that every memory, every bit of information, everything about that person's life, is transferred into your brain, and your memory.

 

It's been exactly a year since that terror-filled night. I've become exactly like Jordan in every way, and Karen's forgotten that I was formerly Andrew. Today, we mourn the death of a friend, a hero, and a savior. He was selfless i his actions, and passionate in his love for friends family and more. His soul lives on as an echo on the wind. And in our hearts, he thrives, protecting those who he sees as not his friends, or his girldfriend, but his family. And it's hard to feel that kind of pain, but as long as those who've passed still live with us, and live within us, we can still trust their protection. So I ask of you, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, etc. one simple request: do not forget those who have touched our lives. Though they may be gone physically, they still carry on the will to watch us from above, advise us from the heart, teach us from the memory, and laugh with us in spirit. And may they once again rejoin the living as not lost souls, but found friends.

 

THE END

  

  

  

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