Author's Note: If you wish to comment on my story, either positively or negatively, don't hesitate to contact me at [email protected]. Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
Blood on the Moon
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Part Two: Terror Stalks The Night
Rating: PG-13
Molly's sudden and unexpected question about Sailor Moon caught Serena so badly off-guard she nearly fell off the bed.
Ever since Serena first became a Sailor Scout, she never worried about anyone discovering her secret identity because, as Luna explained so long ago, her powers disguised her true appearance (and that of the other Scouts) from the rest of the world. Serena was extremely grateful for that, not wanting the added complication in her already chaotic life of everyone knowing she was Sailor Moon. But now, it had all come apart. Frightened, Serena wracked her brain for a way out. She settled on denial.
"M-me? Sailor Moon? That's ridiculous, Moll!" she said with a nervous, high pitched laugh. "Whatever gave you that nutty idea? I can't even get to school on time, or keep my grades up, never mind be a superhero!"
"Damn you, Serena! Don't screw around with me! Not now!" a furious Molly yelled. "I know the truth about you! Known it for years! Why didn't you tell me?"
Serena didn't know what to do. She now opted to lie. "I---I don't know what you're talking about."
"Fine! Have it your way! If you're gonna play games with me, then get out of my house and never come back!"
Molly's harsh words hit Serena like a blow to her stomach, leaving her reeling. "Molly, you can't mean that! I'm your best friend!"
"Wrong! You're a stranger! A best friend wouldn't hide anything from me and then lie about it! Especially something like this! Get out!"
Serena, deeply hurt, considered her options. But, in the end, there was only one thing she could do. Taking a deep breath, she stood up, walked to the center of the room and opened her brooch. "You're right, Moll. It's time I came clean to you. MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
Molly covered her eyes as Serena's body was bathed in blinding, silvery light that filled the entire room. An instant later, a solemn Sailor Moon stood before her.
"There. Happy?" Moon asked, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.
Molly, her eyes wide from wonder nodded. "Uh-huh."
"I'm thrilled. How long have you known about this?"
"Ever since before Nephlyte died. I remember when you came to warn me about him, how you said he was wrong for me, that he was evil, and not even human. As far as I knew, you never met him, so how would you know what Nephlyte was like....unless you fought him as Sailor Moon. At first I didn't want to believe it, that you of all people were a superhero, but, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it to be true."
Moon sighed as she walked back to the bed and sat next to Molly. "Okay, if you knew who I was, why did you say something to me sooner?"
"Why? I was a wreck! The man I loved with all my heart had been killed! I couldn't function after that to save my life! Your secret identity just fell through the cracks," Molly explained bitterly. "It took months to pull myself back together before I could start living again. It was only then that I remembered what I discovered about you."
In spite of herself, Moon chuckled. "I should've known you'd figure it out. You always were pretty smart. Smarter than me."
"For all the good it did me. For three years I respected your privacy and hoped that you'd eventually reveal the truth. But you never did. Why?"
"For God's sake, Moll! How can you ask me that?" snapped Moon. "You've seen how dangerous my life is! Every time I wear this suit, I run the risk of dying in it! Sooner or later, my luck's gonna run out and I'll wind up dead! The last thing I want is to take someone down with me! I don't want you, or my family becoming targets should an enemy learn my identity and strike at me through the people I love. I'd rather die than let that happen!"
Molly sighed. "I can understand that. Still, it's been hell for me. Whenever you went into action, I wondered if I'd ever see you again. I've lost so much in my life, my dad who died when I was young, Nephlyte, and now Roy. But losing you would be the worst loss of all. You mean the world to me, Serena. I'd trust you with my life, yet, you never trusted me with your secret. That's what hurts the most."
Moon, thoroughly ashamed, nodded. "Hiding the truth was pretty selfish of me. Look, Moll, I'm sorry about that, I really am. But I was so scared that all the death and violence in my life would ruin yours. I have enough blood on my hands as it is. I don't want yours on them as well. Enough about me. What about you? What will you do now that Roy's...gone?"
Molly shook her head. "I don't know. It hurts so much to have found happiness after Nephlyte's death, only to have it snatched away from me again. It was going to be different this time, I just knew it would. Roy and I were made for each other, now, it's gone. All gone. It's like I'm destined to be alone in this world."
Moon smiled and took Molly into her arms. "No, you're not. Trust me, I know a thing or two about destiny. Remind me one day to tell you about mine. I swear you'll never be alone as long as there's breath in my body. Like I said before, I'll always be here for you. I love you, Molly."
Molly, feeling at peace for the first time all day returned Moon's smile. "And I love you, Serena. By the way, speaking of swearing, where'd you learn to curse like that?"
Moon gasped, her cheeks suddenly red as her boots. "You...you heard me bawl out Haruna?"
"Loud and clear, girlfriend. Since you're in the public eye as a superhero, you can't be using such vulgar language. It might have a harmful affect on impressionable young minds like mine," joked Molly.
"So sue me. It comes from hanging around Sailor Jupiter who curses like, well, a sailor! She's a bad influence on me!"
And the girls, one human, the other superhuman enjoyed a much needed laugh as they basked in the warm glow of friendship.
Akira Mifune totally lacked anything even remotely resembling an imagination, thus making him the perfect candidate to work the graveyard shift at the City Morgue.
For twelve years, Mifune, who enjoyed being up after dark worked diligently at the one place few people hated being at in broad daylight, surrounded by the dead. Mifune scoffed at his co-workers, calling them foolish, saying that too vivid an imagination always led to false fears that frightened full grown men like children.
To Mifune, he found the night shift relaxing, allowing him plenty of opportunity to read books on world history or catch up on current events in the daily paper as he was this evening, reading about the so-called "Deep Throat Killer". Mifune chuckled at the story, thinking the press to be overreacting as they normally did to sell papers.
Just then, he heard a strange banging from behind him. Mifune turned at the sound, muffled, but discernible. It came from the back. Where the bodies were kept. Mifune dismissed the sound, remembering that there was construction work on a new parking garage going on next door and, on some occasions, the work went on through the night. Just as Mifune returned to his paper, he heard the sound again, much louder this time and he couldn't help but place the sound from inside this building.
With a scowl on his face, Mifune put down his paper, stood up from the desk and picked up a nearby flashlight. He grew angry as this had the feel of a prank his co-workers would pull on him every now and then, raising a ruckus in the hope of frightening him. But, their tricks never worked, and they tried for years. At first, it was harmless, now it annoyed him. Mifune headed to the back as the banging sound, like a sledgehammer on steel grew louder and stronger. Mifune was now furious. At nearly five in the morning after an uneventful night, he didn't need this aggravation. He vowed to report this incident to his superior when he arrived later.
When Mifune burst into the back and turned on the lights, he gasped at the sight before him. At the far end of the huge room, lined on both sides with refrigerated storage lockers, the door to one had been smashed almost completely off its hinges. Curious, Mifune carefully approached the locker and his eyes widened. The inside of the door had been dented in a dozen places, as if by someone's fists. The hand Mifune held the flashlight in began to shake as he flicked it on and flashed it inside the locker. He cried out at what he saw.
The locker was empty. All that remained was a empty coroner's bag. The body that was in the bag was gone.
"No. This can't be," Mifune whispered. "This has to be a joke."
Suddenly, the lights went off and Mifune heard an eerie hissing sound. He spun around and saw a shape near the door shambling slowly towards him. Mifune shined the light on the shape and screamed for dear life. Mifune's lack of imagination left him unprepared for the horror before his eyes. An instant later, the horror sprang on him.
The shape that used to be a human being shambled naked out of the morgue and into the cool, early morning air. But the shape was no longer capable of feeling anything, save for the awful thirst that tied its belly in knots. He satisfied the thirst as best he could, but it was still present. In the dim recesses of its mind, the shape faintly heard a voice in its head, ordering him to head down the street, keeping to the shadows. It obeyed.
After walking for several blocks, its mind filled with voices, and his thirst, the shape stopped at the mouth of an alley then entered. The shape walked a few paces then stopped when it saw the Dark Man appear from out of the darkness. The Dark Man carried a trenchcoat and a pair of dark pants over one arm as he studied the thing that used to be a man. A wry smile played across his thin, bloodless lips.
"Welcome back to the living. Or should I say, the unliving," he said. The Dark Man then threw the trenchcoat and pants to the shape. "Put them on. We can't have you attracting a crowd. Did you drink?"
The shape nodded. "Yes. I did," it said in a croak.
"Only enough to slake your thirst as I instructed?"
The shape nodded again.
"Excellent. Only I can be allowed the divine right of converting others to my eternal flock. As I did you," said The Dark Man, looking pleased with himself. "Unlike the olden times, our activities will not go unnoticed for long in this sterile, modern age of cable television, cellular phones and the Internet. Information moves at tremendous speeds, unheard of even by the likes of I. We must be extremely careful about recruitment into our ranks. At least until the time of the rebirth. Do you understand?"
The shape, now dressed in the pants and coat nodded.
"Hardly Beau Brummel, but it will do." The Dark Man then pulled a photograph from out of his breast pocket and showed it to the shape. "Now, onto other business. You still remember who this is, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. Molly," croaked the thing that used to be Roy Carlton.
"Very good. Now think, did you bed her?"
The thing shook his head. "No, I did not."
The Dark Man's lips parted in a smile, revealing fangs like that of a wolf. He turned his head to the east where ribbons of red appeared in the sky, heralding the arrival of dawn. "Excellent. Tomorrow night, we will pay your friend a visit. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"I would," said the thing, displaying his own fangs.
Serena felt invigorated and full of energy when she woke up later that morning. She felt as if this would be a day when absolutely nothing would go wrong. Everything was all right between her and Molly, even better, she hadn't heard from Haruna after she cursed her out yesterday. With a huge smile on her face, she bounced out of bed.
"Good morning, Luna! Isn't this just a wonderful day?" she asked.
"Indeed it is. You look like you just won the lottery," said the cat. "May I ask what's made you so merry this morning?"
"Oh, nothing much. I simply told Molly I was Sailor Moon," Serena replied matter-of-factly.
Luna's face took on a look of sheer horror. "You did WHAT? Serena! How could you?"
Serena laughed at Luna's expression. "Chill out. It's no big deal. Turns out Molly's known about me for the last three years. She just never let on until yesterday. So, I showed her my working clothes. That's all."
Luna was incredulous. "That's all? Good heavens! That's enough! Did you tell her about the others? About me?"
"Nope. Look, Molly's kept my identity safe this long, so I can trust her not to blab about it to the world."
Luna eyed Serena warily. "Are you sure?"
Serena nodded, her expression one of rock solid certainty. "Absolutely. Molly's my best friend. I trust her with my life. If you'll excuse me, gotta hit the shower. I might even have time for a leisurely breakfast. Wow! I've never felt so terrific! I should've done this long ago!"
Luna sighed as Serena left the room. "And to think I worried about her emotional well being yesterday. Now she's back to being a ditz!"
After a pleasant breakfast with her mother, Serena flitted into the living room where she found her younger brother, Sammy watching an early morning sports highlight show. Whistling a happy tune, she snatched the remote out of Sammy's hand and changed to the local news station.
"Hey! I was watching that, meatball head!" Sammy complained.
"Don't have a cow, doofus. I won't be long," said Serena, plopping down next to the scowling Sammy on the couch. "Dad left early with the paper, and I wanna check the weather before I leave. Riding that scooter of mine in the rain isn't a whole lot of fun."
As Serena watched, the anchorman, his face lined and grim appeared on the screen. "This just in. The Deep Throat Killer has struck again. This time at the City Morgue. This makes the ninth such murder this month, and the second in as many nights. Details to follow."
Hearing that report drained all the color from Serena's face. Suddenly, her good mood vanished and she felt a terrible chill that ran the length of her spine as a feeling of doom cast a long shadow over her. She couldn't explain that feeling, but it felt dangerously wrong to her. Serena
dropped the remote and dashed for the stairs.
"Dork!" grumbled Sammy, switching back to the sports show.
Nearly in a panic, Serena bounded up the stairs and burst into her room, startling Luna who had just nodded off on the dresser.
"For Pity's sake, Serena! What's wrong?" Luna demanded.
Serena ignored the cat as she picked up her phone and punched a button on her speed dial panel. After a few rings, it was answered.
"Good morning. Anderson residence," came back the voice of Amy.
"Amy? Serena! Have you heard the news? Another person was killed last night! Just like Roy!"
"I know. I just heard about it on the radio. It's terrible!"
"And then some. But I think it's worse than that. Much worse!"
There was a pregnant pause on the other end before Amy spoke. "You mean the Negaverse? But that doesn't make sense! These killings don't fit the pattern of anything Beryl's henchmen, Ann and Alan, Rubius, the Sisters, Emerald or any other lunatics from there have done in the past!"
"So what? Nephlyte falling in love with Molly didn't fit any pattern either, but he did!" Serena argued. "Call it a hunch, Amy, but this smells of something a lot more sinister than just some whacko on a murder spree. And there's only one way to find out for sure!"
"A fire reading?"
"You got it! Alert everyone for a meeting at the temple after school!"
"Raye won't like this, Serena. Not on such short notice. You know she needs time to meditate before she performs a divination."
"I don't give a damn what she likes!" Serena roared. "If time's a problem for Raye, tell her to cut classes or stay home! But I want her ready to go this afternoon! No delays! No excuses! You understand?"
"Perfectly."
"Good. See you later." And Serena hung up.
Luna stared at Serena in abject shock. Half an hour ago, she was Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, now she was Captain Kirk. "Serena! What is it? What's going on?"
"Trouble, Luna. Really serious trouble I think. What kind, I don't know. But we'll find out this afternoon," Serena replied.
"I don't believe this! You made me skip classes to prepare a fire reading, just to find out about some loony serial killer?" yelled a furious Raye Hino that afternoon. Amy, Lita, Mina, Luna and Artemis had gathered at the Cherry Hill Temple on Serena's orders. None of the girls were happy about the impromptu meeting as they all had plans for after school, but Raye, dressed in her robes as a Shinto Priestess was livid.
"There's nothing loony about this situation, Raye. Something's wrong. I can feel it," Serena replied in a curt tone. "Considering how empathic you allegedly are, I'm surprised you haven't picked up on it already. We have to find out what this is all about."
"And you think it might have something to do with Roy's murder?" asked Lita Monroe. Now almost six feet tall with a well muscled physique that made most boys at school jealous after she became a workout fanatic, Lita was more intimidating a presence than ever. If anything, the brown haired amazon actually frightened people at times. She found that bothered her considerably, it even hurt her feelings. "How so?"
"I'm not sure. That's what we're here to find out."
"That sounds shaky, 'Rena," said Mina Spencer. A year ago, with no explanation, she began wearing overly flashy clothes, such as the low cut halter top, tight denim miniskirt, fishnet stockings and spike heeled sandals she sported along with excessive makeup and loud jewelry. She looked more like a streetwalker than a schoolgirl "Tragic as the murders are, I don't know if this qualifies as Scout business."
"I'm forced to agree," said Artemis, the white cat who was Mina's guardian, and was puzzled like the others by her drastic and garish change in fashion. "We could be wasting our time."
"Exactly what I said!" growled Raye. "I swear, Serena, if this is a wild goose chase, I'll kick your rear end all over these grounds!"
Serena, unafraid, stared down Raye. "If I'm wrong about this, and I sincerely hope that I am, I'll gladly bend over for you. But for right now, I'm giving you an order, Raye! Shut up and start the reading!"
Raye fumed. For years, she relentlessly scolded Serena about her immaturity, her endless whining, her blatant cowardice and her reluctance to be the strong willed, take charge leader the Sailor Scouts needed her to be in their war against evil. To that end, Raye pushed, prodded and bullied Serena, almost mercilessly at times, whatever it took to whip her into shape. Raye always rationalized that what she did was ultimately for Serena's own good, because of the potential she had to be a great warrior. But, now that Serena had finally become the tough, no nonsense leader Raye demanded, she found she didn't like the monster she had created.
"I think I liked you better when you were a silly, whiny little wimp," she grumbled.
"Sorry to disappoint you. That Serena is dead and buried. And you killed her," Serena snarled, her voice thick with bitterness.
"Enough bickering! Let's get on with it!" said an annoyed Amy.
Raye forced herself to calm down so she could focus on the task at hand. Sitting before the fire while the others sat quietly behind her, Raye took several deep breaths to purge herself of any turbulent emotions that could disrupt her concentration and render the reading useless. Raye focused on the fire, crackling before her, pulsating like a living thing, she opened her mind and unlocked the vast psychic powers she possessed. Powers that enabled her to foretell the future and, in her capacity with the Scouts, search out evil. With her eyes closed, Raye began to chant.
"O' sacred flame, I seek your guidance. There is evil lurking in the city. Evil that steals lives in terrible ways. Show us your vision, I beseech you! Show us the face of the monster who kills without mercy!"
As Raye chanted and the girls and familiars looked on, something began to swirl in the flames, something indistinct at first, but it slowly began to take shape, coalescing into the form of what looked to be a man, a tall man with long brown hair and dressed all in black. The girls frowned. The face of the man looked oddly familiar to them. Although the girls had seen Raye conjure visions from the sacred fire many times before, it always left them spellbound. Even Amy who's world was grounded in science instead of religious mysticism was amazed, though she could never bring herself to admit that, not even in private.
As the vision in the flame became clearer, Raye suddenly let out a loud gasp and threw her raven maned head back, startling everyone. Then, as the girls watched in puzzlement, the young priestess, her face bathed in sweat thrashed about and went into bizarre convulsions, punching, clawing at the air, almost as if she was in some sort of desperate struggle, all the while whispering, "No, don't! Let me go!" Then, clutching at her throat, Raye cut loose with a ear piercing, blood curdling scream.
Before Raye's scream died, Serena bolted to her side while the others instinctively pulled out their transformation pens, ready to become the Scouts at a moment's notice.
"Raye? What happened?" asked Serena, cradling Raye who shivered as if freezing. Her skin was ice cold, despite being closest to the fire, her face deathly pale while her eyes were wide from mindless horror. Serena was shocked. Raye Hino, Sailor Mars, bold, strong, arrogant, and, most of all, unflinchingly courageous was terrified. "Raye! What did you see?"
"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God," whispered Raye, clutching for dear life to Serena like a drowning man to a life preserver, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I saw him. Dear God, I saw him! Serena, you were right! How could I have been so blind?"
"Blind? About what? What was it you saw?" asked Luna, never having seen Raye so frightened before.
"I saw evil, Luna! Monstrous, terrible evil! It was like nothing I've ever seen before, not even from the Negaverse! This fiend, this demon, he lives for blood! His thirst for it is insatiable!" Raye paused to shudder and she held Serena tighter. "He was so powerful, he actually sensed my presence on the psychic plane! He overwhelmed me, trapped me, sank his claws into my soul and tried to devour me! If I hadn't broken contact when I did, he would've destroyed my mind, and the shock would've killed me!"
The raw implication in Raye's words hit the girls and familiars like a sledgehammer to the gut. But for Serena, it was much worse as the guilt from her stubborn pursuit of the truth nearly cost Raye her life. "Oh, Raye! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she cried, hugging her friend.
"Guys, I'm worried. No, make that scared stiff," said a stunned Mina. "What on earth could possibly do that to Raye?"
"I don't know. But I'm afraid it might not be of this earth," answered Amy, feeling fear lick at the corners of her own psyche.
"I wouldn't be surprised. Well, here's something else to chew on. If that...maniac we saw in the fire is the Deep Throat Killer, and he's as powerful as Raye says, what'll he do for an encore?" Lita wondered.
As the girls knelt by Raye to comfort her, no one wanted to answer Lita's question. They were all afraid to.
The Dark Man awakened angry. For the first time in so very long, his rest had been disturbed, and that untimely intrusion could well have ended his existence. That was new to him, and something he did not like.
As he dressed in his private chamber, he tried to place the face of the person who dared invade his subconscious. The Dark Man had nothing tangible to go on as the intrusion lasted only a second after his powerful mental defenses snared the invader whom he then tried to kill on the psychic plane. However, he did recall that his prey had been a dark haired young woman who, through sheer force of will managed to escaped his bonds. But just barely. Another few moments and he would have destroyed her. The fact that she broke into his mind at all, and then escaped infuriated him.
After donning his coat, The Dark Man, his mood still foul strode into the huge outer chamber where his acolytes, over seventy in all dropped to one knee before him in the darkened room. In a separate area, four young women, garbed in white sat in a circle. They bowed their heads to him.
The Dark Man studied the faces of his followers, male, female, young, old, of all races and nationalities. They were creatures like himself, but nowhere near as old, or as powerful. He needed numbers for his objective, and his most recent converts brought him what he desired. That thought helped to soothe his anger.
"My children, the time has arrived. Soon, after so many decades, my grand plan will come at last to fruition, granting us power beyond our wildest dreams, power that will make us the rulers of this planet," said the Dark Man in a strident, forceful voice. "Tonight, I will add the final link, the last convert, and our flock will be complete. From there will begin our ascension to glory!"
The Dark Man's creatures, save for the four women in white smiled and nodded, the expressions on their pallor filled faces one of delight, even rapture. He then turned to the thing that used to be Roy Carlton and beckoned him with a gloved finger.
"You will take me to this young woman, now," said The Dark Man to his newest acolyte, showing it the photo of Molly. "She will make our congregation complete and begin our holy mission in earnest."
The thing nodded in compliance. "As you command, my lord."
"Will you relax, Serena? I'm fine," said Molly over the phone while she busied herself painting her toenails. "Besides, as long as I've got you-know-who at my beck and call, I have nothing to worry about."
"Ha, ha, ha! Very funny!" came back Serena's less then amused voice. "Just do you-know-who a favor and stay home tonight. Okay?"
"Don't worry! As soon as I finish my pedicure, I'm off for bed. We've got that big History test in the morning you know." Molly then heard a sound at her window, like that of gravel hitting the glass. "Uh, oh. Sounds like I've got company. Probably Melvin. He never stops pestering me. Hang on a minute, will ya?"
"Sure."
Molly put down the phone and went to her window. When she looked outside, she gasped in shock at what she saw. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, but the sight was still there. Standing across the street from her bedroom window was Roy. Or what looked like Roy.
"No. It can't be," Molly whispered.
"Moll? Molly? What is it?"
Ignoring Serena, Molly, he heart pounding in her chest threw on some clothes and ran from the room.
"Molly! MOLLY!"
Stealthily going down the stairs to avoid waking her mother who went to bed early, Molly threw open the front door and ran outside where she saw the figure standing across the street. Breaking into a run, Molly dashed over to the other side and threw herself into the figure's arms.
"Oh, Roy! You're alive! You're alive!" Molly cried, tears of joy pouring from her eyes. She then looked up at him. He smiled. "I'm so glad to see you! But how? That report I saw on the news yesterday..."
"Mistaken identity, Moll. I'm glad to see you too," said the thing that used to be Roy. The Dark Man ordered the creature to clean himself up, put on fresh clothes and at least attempt to look normal. "C'mon. There's someone I want you to meet."
"Who?"
"You'll see."
Taking Molly by the hand, the thing led her down the street and to a nearby city park. Molly was puzzled, but too happy to really care. Already, she looked forward to resuming all the good times she had with Roy. Once they arrived, the shape said, "She's here."
From behind a tree, The Dark Man emerged. A hungry smile on his lips. Even from a distance, he found Molly to be beautiful. She would be perfect for his plans. Then, Molly surprised him.
"It can't be! Nephlyte! It's you, my darling! It's you!" she cried, running headlong into The Dark Man's arms. Arching an eyebrow out of curiosity, he couldn't understand why this girl who had never seen him before had accepted him so readily, or why she called him by that strange name. "Oh, God! I never thought I'd see you again!"
"Ahh, yes. I am, er, pleased to, uh, see you too, Molly," the Dark Man stammered. Obviously this deluded young girl has mistaken me for a past lover, he thought. So he played along, thinking it would make her conversion all the easier. "Let me look at you, my sweet."
Cupping Molly's tear streaked face in his hands, The Dark Man stared deeply into her eyes. Almost instantly, Molly felt herself drown in the inky black depths of his eyes. Her knees were rubbery and her head spun as she drifted on the edge of unconsciousness. Yet, at that moment, Molly had never felt happier in her entire life. The two men who won her heart, especially her very first love had returned. Then, something at the very back of her mind rebelled, screaming: NO! This was impossible! Nephlyte's dead! Murdered by Zoicite's creatures! Roy's dead! Butchered by the Deep Throat Killer! How could not just one, but both of her former lovers come back from the grave? How? HOW?
"No. Can't be," she whispered, feeling herself grow weaker as she continued to stare into the Dark Man's eyes. Molly, now began to feel deep dread. "Oh, Nephlyte, want to believe....it's you, my love. But....I saw you die....felt you die. Please....can't bear....to remember. Hurts....too much!"
"Then, dear Molly, allow me to remove your pain. Once and for all," said the Dark Man, parting his lips to reveal glistening white fangs, hunger raging in his eyes.
Molly, nearly unconscious gasped at seeing the fangs and the horrifying look of evil on the face of the man she desperately wanted to believe was Nephlyte. Only then did she realize she had made a horrible mistake. Her mind, assailed by fear unlike anything she had known before, Molly tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth, she tried to flee, but her legs were powerless, her strength useless as she was held in a grip of steel. All she could do was stare as the Dark Man plunged his fangs deep into Molly's throat. Standing nearby, an expression of anger crossed the face of the thing that used to be Roy. Then, it vanished.
At first, Molly felt enormous, white hot pain as her throat was savagely torn open, yet, she still couldn't scream. Then, the pain slowly subsided to a pounding throb, then a dull ache, and finally, nothing. The new sensation Molly felt was one of comforting warmth, despite the terrible sucking and gulping sounds she heard, from where the sounds came from she couldn't fathom. Then, a smile curled Molly's lips as the soothing, pleasurable warmth, like that of being in a hot bath spread throughout every inch of her body, the sensation was pleasing, even erotic to her. Inexplicably, Molly wrapped her arms around the Dark Man and held him tight as she moaned from pleasure. As the gulping sounds continued, Molly felt very sleepy. The tiny voice in the back of her mind shrieked at Molly that she was dying, that her life was being ruthlessly sucked away, yet, she didn't listen. Wouldn't listen. The only thing that mattered was that she was with her beloved Nephlyte again, and everything would be all right. Now and forever.
When Molly wouldn't answer the phone, Serena feared the worst. Transforming into Sailor Moon, she leaped out of her second story bedroom window and hit the ground running for Molly's house before a puzzled Luna could react. Covering the two mile distance in barely a minute with her super speed, praying all the while that nothing was wrong, Moon gasped at seeing the front door ajar.
"Molly!" she shouted. "Where are you?"
Moon dashed across the street where she noticed two sets of footprints in the grass. One set was small, barefoot. Molly. The other set, large, wearing shoes. The prints then headed off towards the park.
"Molly!" cried a panicked Moon, following the footprints. Arriving in the park, Moon looked around her, frantically calling Molly's name. Then, several feet away, Moon saw a figure slumped against the base of a tree. With slow, faltering steps, the Sailor Scout leader approached the figure. A hysterical gasp escaped Moon's lips when she saw that the figure on the ground was Molly. She was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, but it was impossible to discern that the shirt was white because it was almost completely soaked with blood from a badly gashed throat. Moon, her mind on the verge of shutting down tried to ignore the ghastly wound, and, most of all, the bizarre smile on Molly's lips, but she couldn't. It was a smile that looked to be one almost of....happiness.
"Oh, no. Please, God, no," Moon whispered, overpowered by the sheer horror of the moment. Whimpering like a baby, Moon fell to her knees before Molly and held her dead friend close to her breast, staining her uniform with Molly's blood. Rocking back and forth, tears cascading down her cheeks in rivers, Moon's world exploded in heart shattering grief.
"MOLLLL-LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
Next: Funeral For A Friend