Chapter Text
“We can end this. No more murders, no more curse, no more...pain. We can save Shadyside. Tonight.”
For five whole glorious minutes, Ziggy Berman completely believed her big sister.
The curse was supposed to last until body and hand reunite. Alice found the hand. The body was buried underneath the Hanging Tree. Together, they would reunite Sarah Fier's lost hand with her body.
The curse would end.
And Ziggy…she doesn’t know what possesses her, but she pulls the ancient hand towards herself. And then her nose bleeds.
And the witch appears, furious and screaming.
And now Cindy was fetching a shovel, Alice was twisting and inspecting her bandaged ankle and Ziggy was...fidgeting.
"The witch looked really angry…" Ziggy's leg bounced anxiously as she waited for Cindy's return.
“Yeah?” Alice glowered, still focused on her ankle. "I'm pretty pissed off at the witch too."
Ziggy rolled her eyes.
The difference between Sarah Fier and Alice being pissed was one of them cursed an entire town for three hundred years. And then chose and possessed the town's residents to make them kill.
“What's to stop the witch from possessing all of us like Tommy?" Ziggy expressed her worry. “Now that we have her hand.”
"Nurse Lane attacked Slater in the afternoon. That means she must've seen his name on the wall in the morning. Even before that,” Alice theorized. “And Tommy attacked Arn—” she stopped to take a shuddering breath.. “He attacked us at night. Kept complaining about headaches before that. We would have plenty of time."
"Before we snap?" Ziggy muttered glumly.
Alice shrugged. "Feel free to kill me if I suddenly lose my mind."
Ziggy rubbed her arm and mumbled. "Yeah likewise."
That seemed to tear Alice’s attention away from her ankle. “Uh…no absolutely not likewise—What are you talking about?”
“What?” Ziggy blinked confused.
“I can kick your ass with two broken ankles and my hands tied behind my back. Cindy can do it with her eyes closed.”
Ziggy rolled her eyes.
“You get your ass possessed, you get tied up and locked in a closet or trunk of a car. Cindy and I end the curse, you get de-possessed. If not, then we’ll get someone to perform an exorcism. Some good, pure soul who also happens to be a priest.”
“You mean like…a Sunnyvale Priest?” Who happens to be from the Goode family as well, along with the Sheriff and the Mayor? “Priest Goode?”
Alice chortled, almost toppling off the Mess Hall bench. “The Goode family are the biggest dicks on the planet. You’re better off with Nurse Lane or the Slater family praying over your possessed ass.”
Ziggy refrained from blurting I kissed a Goode and I liked it. And not all Goodes and Sunnyvalers are dicks, you know. "You know Billy Barker was way younger than me and he still managed to kill his entire family?"
"They were all sleeping. I'm wide awake. Also do you really want me to have that conversation with Cindy?”
“What conversation?” Ziggy asked wryly.
“Hey Cindy, your little sister was acting like a crazy possessed bitch. So I killed her. So when do we bury the hand and end the curse?"
Ziggy huffed. “Fine.”
Alice hummed satisfied.
"And what if it’s Cindy the witch decides to possess? What then?" As hard she tried, Ziggy couldn’t hide the fear at the possibility.
It took awhile for Alice to speak. "I'd say…watch her feet because your sister caused a cave in with one kick. Then knock her out with a frying pan and tie her up and put her in a closet until we get rid of the witch. Sounds like a good plan?”
“Not really.” She didn't want to hurt Cindy. They've already hurt each other enough. But she may not have a choice.
"I'll take care of Cindy. Don't worry about that."
Ziggy pinned her with a disbelieving look. "Like all the times she took care of you by kicking your ass and pinning you beneath her?"
"Oh please!" Alice scoffed. "I let her win. Every time."
"Sure you did."
"I did," Alice insisted. "My favorite plan is still the one where we break the curse and live happily ever after. But no harm in expecting things to go to shit. We wouldn't be Shadysiders if we started hoping for the good stuff."
"But…” Ziggy trailed off, eyes dropping to the blood slowly trickling down Alice's nose. “Your nose.”
"Not again," Alice grumbled and pushed herself away from the table, away from the witch’s hand. "Once was enough."
"You bled on the hand too?” Ziggy looked surprised. "You saw the witch too?"
“Not the witch." Alice hastily wiped the blood with the back of her fingers. "And not the hand."
"Then?"
"Something which looked like your worst nightmare's worst nightmare turned into this massive lump of black flesh, beating like an actual fucking heart. And had like a million flies on it.”
“Eww!” Ziggy wrinkled her nose in absolute revulsion, feeling goosebumps all over her body just imagining it. "Why would you…even touch something like that? Why?"
“Because it can talk and I swear it was calling out my name.”
Jesus Christ!
Every hair on Ziggy’s body rose.
“But lesson learned. Don’t touch or bleed on things which you find in the witch’s cave.”
“Oh great. I’m glad. Thank you very much for the nightmares,” Ziggy remarked sarcastically before curiosity took over. "So what did you see after you touched it?"
"All the Shadyside Killers and their victims since 1666," Alice revealed warily as she eased herself back on the bench. "And maybe a couple of ghost kids with their eyes gouged out."
"Jesus. That sounds like–"
"Good Pastor Cyrus Miller’s handiwork? Yeah." Alice carefully picked up the hand, slid it back in Cindy's bag and shut the flap. "The Mess Hall used to be the Meeting House where he—did the deed. And this is also the place where Sarah Fier emerged with her severed hand.”
No wonder Ziggy felt happy to skip meals, but couldn't never understand why. "What else did you see?"
Alice absentmindedly picked on a faded scratch on the table. Ziggy could make out CB+AH inside a heart. "Nothing," she said quickly, too quickly, and didn't look her in the eye. "The shit's already traumatizing enough for one lifetime."
“Alice c’mon, what did you see?”
"We're ending the curse. Don't worry about it,” Alice said, glancing briefly over at Tommy’s body on the kitchen floor, the sack still covering his head. “So it's not gonna happen. He can't hurt us. Any of us. We’re going to be fine.”
Not going to happen? Does that mean Alice saw the future? Their future?
“Atleast you didn't run around screaming and break your ankle after you saw the witch. So that's good?" Alice gave Ziggy a bright smile which she didn't return. "Come on, cheer up. We're breaking the curse.” Alice clapped a hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of her dark musings. “We're breaking the curse. Do you know what that means?"
That once Shadyside was free of the darkness, maybe, just maybe she and Cindy could have their Mom back. Maybe they wouldn't lose their house. Maybe all those failed grades over the years on her report card would magically turn into As.
Maybe she could win the lottery.
Alice barked a laugh after she expressed the last two possibilities out loud. "We're breaking a curse not performing a miracle. God, I haven't opened a text book since I was twelve. I wouldn't even know where to start."
"Cindy can help you study. She will probably be happy too," Ziggy suggested making Alice raise an eyebrow. “Yeah my sister's pretty smart if you haven't noticed,” Ziggy stated proudly.
"Oh I noticed.” A smile tugged at Alice’s lips. “She recognized the witch's mark from Mary's diary and figured out it was a map and got us out of the caves."
And then she emerged out of those caves and saved Ziggy's life.
Alice gestured to her bandaged ankle. "And she's a real miracle worker too. Has got the best healing hands in the state of Ohio."
"What are you guys talking about?"
"Nothing," Alice and Ziggy simultaneously answered like small school children caught with their hands in a cookie jar full of money.
“Uh-huh...” A shovel wielding Cindy studied the two curiously before handing a trowel to Ziggy. “Okay. Let’s go.”
"Uh…" Alice frowned, her puzzled gaze darting back and forth between the shovel in Cindy's hand and the trowel in Ziggy's hand. "What? I have to use my hands?"
"No. You’re staying right here."
"Come on, I can hop just fine,” Alice claimed and even demonstrated by hobbling towards the entrance of the kitchen without falling flat on her face.
Cindy's gaze dropped to Alice's ankle, eyeing it with a critical look. "Do you want your leg to be amputated? Because that’s what’s going to happen, Alice."
Alice rolled her eyes. "It won't. I’m…partially cured. You worked a miracle, snitch."
"A sanitary pad and a polo shirt is hardly a miracle! You need to stay off your leg. You need new bandages, antibiotics, stitches, a cast—"
"Don’t forget a long shower, a goodnight’s sleep and lots of weed."
Cindy glared at her. “Proper medical attention! Which means you're staying." Cindy's tone made no room for argument. "End of story."
"Alright fine," Alice finally relented, crossing her arms. “I’ll stay.”
“Good,” Cindy sighed in relief and satisfaction.
However there was a wicked gleam in Alice's eyes. "Didn’t know you cared so much about my ankle, snitch.”
Cindy's cheeks flushed furiously, but she cleared her throat. "Uh…The cops should all be on their way here soon so..."
Alice’s amused expression fell. "Guess we're gonna have to answer for what happened here…" A pained look pinched her features. “Shit. How many did we lose?”
“Jeremy, Sean, Jesse, Rod, Stacey,” Ziggy recited the names, chest tightening in pain. “Gary.”
“Arnie and Tommy,” Cindy also added, her features contorting in devastation. “All Shadysiders.”
“Yeah, the witch doesn’t go after Sunnyvalers,” Ziggy revealed, lowering her gaze. “Just us.”
The Mess Hall suddenly fell silent. When Ziggy lifted her head, she found her sister and Alice gaping at her.
“What did you say?” Alice asked breathlessly.
"Uh…in the Science and Nature cabin, Tommy, he just ignored Nick and came after me.”
"Nick?" Cindy reminded Ziggy of a bloodhound who got the whiff of a fox. “Nick Goode?”
“Yeah.” Ziggy replied, not liking the unspoken question: what were you doing with Nick Goode in the Science and Nature Cabin?
Alice chuckled darkly. "So let me get this straight, Tommy split Arnie's head in half. He decapitated Gary. He hurt all those kids. But he ignored Nick Goode?"
"He ignored Sheila too,” Ziggy couldn’t help the defensiveness in her voice. “In the outhouse, but killed Gary and…well then came after me."
“That doesn’t make sense,” Alice said.
"The witch hates Shadysiders. So she goes after Shadysiders,” Ziggy concluded. “That’s why we’re all cursed.”
"Yeah, I know, but when I touched that… thing in the caves, the kind of rage and anger I felt…it shouldn't pick and choose who gets hurt and play favorites. Just burn the whole world down. Shadyside, Sunnyvale, anyone that gets in its way."
"So what are you saying?"
Alice narrowed her eyes. "Maybe we need to ask Nick Goode and all the Sunnyvalers what’s going on…What makes them so damn fucking special that fire wouldn’t touch them or their precious town.”
“We will,” Cindy said determinedly, gripping the shovel. “After we break the curse.”
Alice wordlessly nodded.
And Ziggy didn't know where the thought came from but she couldn't help, but wonder out loud. "If we break the curse tonight…do you guys think there’s a chance people could come back? Who were killed? Or were possessed?”
Cindy and Alice exchanged the same bewildered look.
Ziggy shook her head and looked down at the trowel in her hand. "Never mind. Stupid question."
"It's not stupid, Ziggy," Cindy murmured softly. "I.. I don't know, but I hope so. I really really hope so.” Cindy's gaze briefly flicked towards Mary’s open diary on the table. “Mary spent her whole life trying to end the curse. She deserves to see Ruby. Atleast once."
"The woman also deserves a hero parade and a hundred medals," Alice added gruffly.
That Ziggy could agree with.
“Tommy…” Cindy bit her trembling lip. “Tommy didn't deserve what happened to him."
"And the rest of the killers too," Alice spoke up for the others who were long gone. "They were all good, innocent people. Probably better than everyone in this room. And the witch turned them into monsters. Made them kill their friends. Even families."
"I don't know if breaking the curse would change the past,” Cindy began. “But atleast we can make a different future. For Nurse Lane. For all the families who lost someone today.”
“For Arnie and Tommy,” Alice said solemnly. "For everyone in Shadyside.”
Cindy nodded tightly. "For Shadyside," she echoed before glancing towards Ziggy.
Ziggy nodded and gave a small smile. "For Shadyside."
As they all stood together, filled with burning grit and determination to end the curse, to change their destinies, for the first time in years, Ziggy felt it. The tendrils of hope. Hope which increased tenth fold when Cindy glanced her way and smiled, making her heart feel lighter and yet at the same time, bigger.
“I won't let anything pull us apart again. You hear me?”
Maybe her mother would never stop drinking. Maybe tomorrow she and Cindy might get evicted from their house without a dime in their names. Maybe Alice and Cindy could start another fight which could last for another six years.
But the knowledge of having Cindy—the real Cindy, her sister back and steadfastly on her side made Ziggy feel anything and everything was possible.
Instead of a future filled with a lifetime of bitterness, anger, pain, loneliness, drinking and dying after Cindy leaves Shadyside, Ziggy sees a future where—like Dad minus a young teenage girl—Cindy leaves Shadyside and goes to college. But she comes back. For Ziggy's birthday, for Christmas and other holidays, for the break between semesters, special occasions…Cindy is there for every one of them.
Ziggy also sees Cindy, teaching her how to drive as they tear through the roads of Shadyside and Sunnyvale. While roaring around the neighborhood, they toss toilet paper at Sheila’s fancy mansion. Alice is there too, laughing and cheering her on and flipping off Sunnyvalers.
Well maybe not all Sunnyvalers.
Not the boy who helped her Carrie Sheila with bugs. And saved her from Tommy’s axe. The boy who loved spiders, Stephen King and the weird girl from Shadyside. The one who promised her a book club once this was all over. A Judy Blume book club. And a world full of possibiliti—
"Alice!!"
Just like that, all her dreams, hopes—the whole future, crashed and shattered with Cindy’s wail and a fatal swing of an axe.
And now…
"What do you want, Sarah Fier?!” Face streaked with dirt, hands smeared with Alice’s blood, her eyes puffy and bloodshot, Cindy screamed, her words shrill and deafening, the definition of rage, desperation and insanity. “What do you want?!”
Ziggy swallowed thickly, clutching the strap of Cindy's bag.
Stupid stupid. They were so stupid. She was so stupid. To hope for a happy ending. For herself. For Cindy.
For Alice.
“You want this?!” Cindy brandished the witch’s skeleton hand. “You can have it!” Her voice broke and a lump lodged itself in Ziggy's throat. “Just let my sister live!”
Ziggy bit her wobbling lip, wanting to cover her ears against the desperate pleading of her sister.
"Just let my sister live!”
No.
Just let me die, Ziggy prayed to every Higher Power for a heart attack, to just crumple and drop dead before the killers reached her and Cindy. Please, just kill me now.
Because if Ziggy lived, she would have to watch her sister die.