Chapter Text
Professor Henry Hidgens stood on the second floor of the Lakeside Mall, holding a megaphone he stole from one of the local cops. “Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Our great town of Hatchetfield is proud to announce that we are officially starting preparations for this year’s annual Honey Festival!”
The crowd below cheered a little. “Ladies, prepare for a day full of festivities. This will be your time to show Hatchetfield what you’ve got! And you gentlemen, cheer on all of our fellow Nighthawks.”
Emma Perkins, who was seated at a table in the Cinnabon with Paul Matthews and Grace Chasity, hung her head. “Oh, God, no.”
“Um, who is this?” Grace asked.
“Professor Hidgens, my kooky, reclusive biology professor.”
“Okay?”
“If he notices me, I’m fucked.”
“Just get under the table,” Grace suggested. “I’ll hide you.”
Emma hesitated, giving Professor Hidgens enough time to make another announcement. “I have an inkling that may spice up everyone’s interest. The second and third place contenders get a lead part in my new musical! And don’t shy away from the spotlight, because my presence casts one large shadow. You know what I’m talking about, Emma!”
“Oh dear.”
“Too late,” Emma groaned, finally crawling under the table.
Professor Hidgens descended the stairs and made his way to the Cinnabon, placing his blazer on a chair at Emma’s table. “Hello, Emma. I see you’ve picked up your old habit of hiding under tables.”
“Leave her alone,” Grace scolded. “She doesn’t wanna be embarrassed by you.”
“Oh, my, such a strong young lady. I can see you getting a part in my new show, no Honey Festival needed!”
Tom Houston entered the Cinnabon at the first sign of a commotion. “Is everything okay here?”
“I’m not an attention seeker like you! I’m by no means that proud!”
“Actually, Grace, why don’t you compete in the Honey Festival? It’ll take your mind off of some things,” Emma encouraged, crawling out from under the table. “And Professor, you know some things just never change. Um, I should probably get going. I mean, I still have homework to do, and I need sleep before my shift at Beanies tomorrow.”
“Homework, Emma? You haven’t seemed to care much until now.”
“Well, Professor-” Emma bumps into Tom as she tries to get away. “Oh, shit. This just got worse.”
“Hello to you, too, Emma,” Tom groaned.
“Well, as I was saying, Professor, despite me not doing all of my homework, I’m still your favorite student, all because I bought you groceries,” Emma rambled.
“A favor I could never repay, thank you.”
Emma turned back to Tom. “So, um, how are you?”
“Fine.”
“So, back to Linda Monroe…” Grace piped up.
“You’re still stuck on that bitch? Geez, Grace, it’s not that big of a deal,” Emma said.
“Linda hates everybody, including her godawful kids,” Tom confirmed.
“Then why are you defending her?” Grace pointed at Emma.
“What are you talking about?” Tom asked.
“Grace, sweetie, um, nobody’s trying to defend Linda Monroe by any means. We just don’t want things to get overly violent,” Emma replied. “I’m not letting a nice girl like you go to jail for murder!”
Grace was fuming, though. “No! Nobody with that sort of attitude deserves to live! It would be God’s will if she died!”
Emma rolled her eyes a bit at that statement. “Grace, hun, it’ll be okay. Just calm down, breathe, and tomorrow I’ll talk to someone about maybe getting you a therapist.” Preferably a Christian one who recognizes thou shalt not murder, she added in her thoughts. “Just promise me you won’t kill anyone until then.”
“I won’t kill anyone! I promise!” Grace started crying then.
“Okay, great. No need for that Black Book then.”
Hidgens perked up at the title. “The Black Book? Who told you about that?”
“You know about it too?” It was hard to tell if Grace was excited or scared by this revelation, as tears were still streaming down her face.
“Oh, shit. My crazy professor knows about the most evil book in existence?” Emma knew this could not be good, but she could not have predicted how bad it was gonna be.
“Of course I’ve heard of it! Every regular worker at the Starlight Theater has heard of it. I always thought it was just a legend, but now I know it’s real. My theory may actually be true.”
“What theory, Professor?”
Grace looked like she was deep in thought. “I remember this one timeline where everyone became musical zombies. Another timeline resulted in a Black Friday time loop or something.”
“Grace, how do you know about these timelines? It’s kind of freaking me out,” Emma questioned.
“I don’t know. I just do.”
Hidgens finally responded to Emma. “My theory involves a meteor hitting the Starlight Theater and bringing world peace.”
“How can a single meteor bring world peace, Professor?”
“Individuals will always have issues, but one can unite all in a singular voice!” The cryptic message sent shivers down Emma’s spine.
Up in the Black and White, Pokey looked down on this alternate universe. “Oh, I’d love to do it again, Professor, believe me.”
“Oh, yes, brother! I would love to watch it. The entertainment would be great!” Blinky spoke up, waiting for the puppet show to begin.
“I already control one universe. Making a new performance in another world would be even better.”
“And I’ll watch it, make sure nobody’s naughty and tries to fight it.”
Wiggly emerged, eyes glowing an eerie yellow in the endless black. “I shall send them the book. Let them summon us! Hehehehic!” With a snap of his fingers, the book went flying.
The Black Book landed on Tom’s head, knocking him out. This version of Tom had to suffer for Tom’s resistance at Black Friday.
“It’s real!” Hidgens exclaimed as Grace picked up the book.
“I’ve been wanting this book! It’s mine now!” Grace snarled.
“Grace, bring us world peace!”
“Guys, what’s going on?” Emma asked, simultaneously confused and scared.
“Unification!” Hidgens answered.
“No! I’m using it to kill Linda, not for your desire for peace. It’s God’s will. He sent me the book. You’re crazy if you think I’d wanna be some mindless singing zombie!”
“Grace, no!” Emma yelled, causing Grace to drop the book.
“It’s inevitable!” Hidgens scooped in and snatched up the book like a hungry fox snatching up a rabbit. “Pokotho! I summon thee!”
“All of you, stop! Professor, please!”
“You can’t stop him now!”
As Hidgens uttered those words, Pokotho appeared in front of the group. He didn’t appear quite the way anybody was expecting. There in front of them stood Paul, but not the way he normally looked. His normally blue eyes glowed quite abnormally. Instead of his usual dark brown suit, he was decked out completely in blue.
Emma shuddered at the sight, checking to make sure that her Paul was still there. He was, just sitting quietly at the table, too confused and afraid to get involved. But for whatever reason, Emma was unable to see him. She turned back to the figure in front of her.
“Paul? Paul? Are you okay?”
“It’s me, Emma.”
Hidgens couldn’t contain his excitement. “The star of the show has arrived! Our apotheosis begins!”
Emma wasn’t listening, too focused on the monster that stood before her. “No… No, your eyes are blue, but not that blue! You aren’t Paul!”
Grace pulls out a knife and brandishes it at Pokey. Hidgens looks down at her with disappointment, as if she should already know what he’s about to say. “A knife can’t stop him. Nothing can.”
The entity in Paul’s body spoke up, addressing the whole room. “The apotheosis is upon you.”
Emma screamed, letting loose a river of tears. Grace took her arm. “Emma, we need to go, now!”
Pokey looked over at poor Emma. “Em, it’s me. Don’t you recognize me?”
“Emma, don’t cry. You won’t feel a thing. Let him show you,” Hidgens told her.
Emma yet again ignored Hidgens. “No, no, no. You’re wearing his skin! It’s not really him…”
“Emma, we have to go! Please!” Grace shouted.
Pokey smiled down at Emma. “I can be Paul for you.”
“You can play the part, but you’ll never truly be him!” Emma argued back.
Pokey had enough. “Very well then.”
The other people in the mall started singing, their eyes glowing the same blue as the entity in Paul’s body.
“Emma, we have to go now! C’mon!” Grace tried to pull Emma away, but she wasn’t moving.
“What? You don’t want to be united?” Pokey asked.
Emma felt her knees give out from under her, and she collapsed to the floor with a peal of sobs. “Go ahead without me, Grace.”
“I don’t want you to die,” Grace murmured.
But Emma could already feel the Apotheosis taking effect on her. “It’s too late, Grace. Go, before I have to kill you myself.”
The real Paul decided it was time to fight back. “Come with me. Don’t let him control you!” He helped Emma up, holding her as tight as he could, and she saw him.
“Paul, kiss me before I die.” Emma’s eyes fluttered closed.
“We just keep running into each other, don’t we, Paul?” The mall patrons echoed the phrase, which sent chills down Paul’s spine.
He somehow managed to block out any fear he was feeling, if only to keep Emma calm. “You’re not gonna die, Emma.” He kissed her, following her request. “Sit tight. I have some business to attend to.”
He stood, turning to face the Lord in Black wearing his skin. It was a weird feeling, seeing basically himself. “You want me, so leave the others alone!”
Emma’s eyes closed completely, and her body slumped over onto the floor, lifeless.
Pokey glared at Paul. “I was summoned, I arrived. And this time I’ll win again.”
Grace was livid. “I only wanted you to kill Linda, dang it!”
“I will. I’ll kill her and everyone.” Pokey’s smile twisted wickedly, and Paul stumbled back a bit. He couldn’t imagine ever smiling like that, and yet he saw what he would look like if he ever did.
Emma’s eyes opened, glowing a bright, deep blue. Pokey’s grin twisted further.
Grace noticed it happening. “Please, I’ll do anything for you to stop it!”
“Oh, don’t worry. You’re next.”
Paul was still struggling to process some of what had been said. “A-again? I don’t know what you are, but I know how to stop you. Ted says it all the time: ‘Take out the head, the whole thing goes down.’”
Pokey laughed. “Let’s see you try.”
“Grace, get out of here! If I don’t make it, warn the others!”
Pokey stopped Grace in her tracks as she began to feel the Apotheosis set in on her. She shook it off. Paul knew the situation was getting desperate, and he had to act fast.
He dashed at the Infected Mirror version of him, throwing a punch to his ribs. “Leave Emma alone!”
Pokey stopped smiling at that point. “Fuck off.” Paul could feel a tune stirring somewhere deep within him now. “It’s inevitable for all of you.”
Grace tried to stab Pokey in the side, but nothing happened. “You can’t kill a god, Grace.”
Paul stood his ground. “You can try all you want, but you won’t win.” It was then that the first note escaped him. “Never!” He had accidentally let it out.
“Just let it out,” Pokey sang back.
Grace covered her ears, trying to block out the singing. “I won’t sing!”
“You’ll sing or die!” Pokey snarled.
“I’m not gonna be a part of your twisted musical!”
“How do you know that?” Pokey’s voice was surprisingly calm considering how defiant Grace was being.
Paul was really starting to struggle now. “Give me Emma back, you- you- you better show me your hands, show me those jazz hands!”
“Exactly, Paul. Sing for me.”
Paul felt an immense pain in his stomach. He doubled over, and blue shit came tumbling from his mouth. “I won’t let you win.” His words were getting weaker now, sounding far less convincing.
“I have an entire world that lost to me and is now my personal musical. You better check your resources. You’re already letting me win, Paul. Don’t you see?”
“You’re shit out of luck. I can’t beat you, but I know what can.” Having witnessed everything quietly from the table, Paul recognized the Black Book and what was inside it. And so, as weak and tired as he was, he forced himself to leap, grabbing the book. He had to invoke a name. “Wiggog Y’rath!”
“Seriously? Bring my brother into this?”
Wiggly appeared behind Pokey, and his voice caused the entity to jump. “Hello, Pokey, you nasty boy. It seems we have contradictory requests. What should I do? Battle my brother or help him?”
“Are you seriously going to battle me, Wiggly? We’re brothers! We stick together, don’t we?”
“That depends, little brother. Will you play nice?”
“They summoned me!”
“And they have summoned me. Now will you play nice, or will you make this harder on yourself?”
“They wanted the Apotheosis, so they get it.”
Paul finally moved from his spot. “Grace, get out of here. This isn’t safe for you!”
“I have a knife. I can defend myself!”
Wiggly ignored Grace’s aggressive comment and walked over to Paul. “You summoned me, yes, fwiendy-wend? What do you want me to do? Just a warning, it will come at a price.”
“I have a knife, so back off!”
“A knife against a god? Grace, you’re insane!” Paul could feel the panic rising in his chest. He had to move fast.
One of the infected moved to catch Grace, trying to infect her so she’d stop screaming.
“Grace!”
“Pokey, you’d better hurry, because the second Paul tells me what to do, you’re getting put on the naughty step for the next little while. And I think Blinky would agree you deserve it.”
“I want you to save Hatchetfield! I’ll do whatever I can to repay you.”
“I just wanna play with my little puppets, Wiggly.”
“Pokey, he gave me very clear instructions. Release Hatchetfield now, then you can go infect Cllivesdale or some shit.”
“Fuck Clivesdale! They don’t care about it, which ruins the fun of possession.”
“Well, if you could control your little puppets without having to be them, things would be easier for all of us. Take this world, but leave Hatchetfield alone or else.”
But one more person had been infected during the conversation. “Paaauuulll,” Grace called out in a sing-songy voice.
“No! Grace, stay back! You aren’t you. He’s controlling you!”
Pokey grinned. It was inevitable. As long as he was there, more people would be infected. He didn’t even have to intend it. The Apotheosis was upon them, and Wiggly could do nothing about it.
“Release your puppets, take the rest of the world, and I won’t send you with Webby.”
“It still won’t be complete,” Pokey groaned.
Wiggly was getting quite fed up with the conversation. “I don’t care about your collection. I rule the Black and White, and now I rule this version of Hatchetfield. If you don’t like it, then go sit with Webby, the stupid bitch.”
“I can’t believe this. They’re arguing over this like it’s a toy,” Paul muttered. “Grace, come on, if you can shake it off, we’ve gotta get out of here!”
Grace blinked a bit, trying to fight off the infection. “Now? But why?”
“I don’t want to watch two otherworldly beings argue. I just want Emma to be safe.”
Pokey turned to Paul before he got the chance to leave. “I’ll take over another universe for now, but I will be back.”
Wiggly lunged at Pokey’s throat. What was weird was that Paul could also feel the choking sensation. He didn’t like that feeling.
“You won’t come here again. I’ll make sure of that.”
“Hidgens said he wanted the Apotheosis, and I brought it. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.”
Paul and Grace took off running outside, but Paul couldn’t help but turn back. “I don’t know what I was thinking. We left Emma in there!”
“She’s already infected! We can’t save her!”
“Paauuull, cooomme heeere!” Emma’s voice carried through the mall and straight into Paul’s heart. She was finally moving, awake and potentially alive.
“Emma! I have to go get her!” Paul felt butterflies in his stomach at the sound of her voice.
“No! She’s already infected, Paul!”
“You fought it off, why can’t Emma?”
“Paul…” Emma started singing then. “You tied up my heart, you tied me down.”
“We have to go!”
“No! I have to save her!”
“Do you wanna get infected, too?”
“I can save her, Grace!” That much Paul was sure of, or at least, he wanted to be sure of it.
Pokey watched as his greatest puppet sang, but before he could give her any encouragement, he sensed another presence. “Blinky’s here, Wiggly.”
“Hello, brothers! Isn’t this fun? I’ve been watching.”
“Hehehehic! Blinky hates you more than I do. I might not be able to kill you, but release these people and you’ll be allowed to keep your pretty little voice.”
Emma continued singing, a siren’s call luring in her victim. “Now break me open with your love and mercy.”
“Emma! We can help you!” Paul took off running back into the mall.
“Fine, I’ll let them go.”
But Emma kept singing. “Paul, I’m sorry, you lost.”
“Paul…” Grace couldn’t even think of anything more to say. Paul stopped in his tracks.
“Paul, I’m sorry, you lost your way.”
“No, Emma, we won! Everyone else is back to normal.” Paul tried to comfort Emma, but she didn’t seem to be listening.
“What if I told you I made it, and this is the life that I chose?”
“Emma, this isn’t you,” Grace whispered.
“There, Paul. I freed Hatchetfield for you, but Emma’s been away for so long she doesn’t quite get the same treatment. Hehehehic!”
“Would you even believe it, Paul? Do you believe in ghosts?”
“I did tell you, it was going to come with a price. Hehehehic!”
“What if I told you a story that settled all the dust? I’m still the girl you trust. It’s inevitable for us.”
Paul felt sick to his stomach. He was losing the girl he loved more than anything in the world. “NO! YOU TRICKED ME! I TRUSTED YOU AND YOU TRICKED ME!”
Pokey grinned, the same twisted smile Paul hated seeing on his own face. “How do you feel knowing it’s your own fault, Paul?”
Emma pulled Paul into the dance, and he struggled desperately against her forceful grip. “Before I had no ambition, but now my life is a song,” she continued singing.
“Please, Emma, I know you’re in there.”
“Don’t you want to see me happy? Is that so tragically wro-oh-oh-ong? What if the only choice is you have to sing to survive? We must go on with the show. It’s inevitable-”
Paul grabbed Emma’s shoulders, staring into her new blue eyes. He pictured her typical brown eyes, knowing every last detail of them. “I love you, Emma. I hope you can hear that.”
“To know what I want now! Paul, I want you to join the party!”
“I love you so much.” He leaned in and kissed her, no longer caring about the consequences. When he pulled back, Emma looked up at him with one blue eye and one brown eye.
Emma could feel herself starting to fight back for a moment. “Are you… going to… tip me?”
Pokey glared at Emma’s resistance. “There must be a price to pay for a deal with the Lords in Black.”
Paul could already feel himself slipping. “Look at the fun… we’re having already.”
“I found my calling… You can… do the… same… now.”
“There has to be a price for a deal, right?” Pokey asked Wiggly.
“Put your love to lyrics and you’re playing the game now.” Paul had stopped fighting. He saw Emma fighting and knew it was worth it.
“It’s all there is and all there ever was.” And all there ever will be, Emma thought.
“Dear brother, this is the price. Both cannot be whole without the other, and they cannot stop the singing. It’s torture for one who hates singing and torture for the other who hates to see her lover in pain.” Wiggly grinned at his twisted creations. “It’s the perfect prison.”
“The perfect price,” Pokey responded.
“Emma! Won’t you free up your heart, Em? Just give me your lovin’, girl!”
“And we’ll survive the Hive.” Emma hoped the words were true, but she didn’t believe it.
“You can’t,” Pokey told her. “It’s your price now.”
“If you give me your hands, give me your jazz hands. Give ‘em here and you’ll end up in love.”
“Give me your hands, give me your jazz hands, or I might be inclined-”
“To plant my seed! Our kids will be freed!” Paul was confused. Why was he singing about kids? If they did have kids, would the Apotheosis pass down to them?
Kids? What is this dork thinking? “Our happiness is guaranteed if we just give ‘em one last show stopping number.”
“With Emma front and center, our family’s inevitable!” Yet again, what was happening with the family thing? Paul would have broken out laughing at the awkwardness of the situation if he could have.
“What if I told you a story, how our world became peaceful and just?” Emma tried to distract herself from the awkwardness by convincing herself that her world was now at peace, but again, she didn’t believe it.
“We were inevitable.”
“Inevitable.”
“Inevitable!” Paul finally broke free long enough to speak to Emma one last time. “We will be forever and always inevitable.”