Three Sins

As Ned came barreling down the hallway toward the back of the group of would-be killers, Rob fought back the urge to facepalm. The rugby player never seemed to have patience anymore and that bottomless stomach of his was an almost constant thorn in his sides during his planning. Perhaps devouring their former friends would finally sate Ned's appetite for a time. Charity was, as usual, not paying much attention to the chaos that would be erupting in a matter of seconds and was sizing up Layla in a way that Rob had grown quite familiar with over the past few nights. "Damnit Ned, I told you to wait!"

"No waiting. Eat them!" Ned charged right for Violet, though Barnaby was quick to step in the way and stop Ned in his tracks. The former demon husk of his dead twin certainly had the strength of his father, though it likely wouldn't help against Ned's teeth. Violet was pulling something out of her bag when Janet punched her in the face. It didn't look like it did any significant damage, but Rob had to stifle a laugh. Standing before himself and Charity and they have time to squabble among themselves. They are ignoring you. You are nothing to them. Rob grit his teeth as he started moving forward, Charity turning in his direction with a raised eyebrow and a predatory smirk. Rob wasn't sure whether she wanted to fight the team or go somewhere else and strip his armor off, but he had no time for the latter. As he went to tell her off, Rob noticed Imogen moving her hands in a specific way, holding a rock. He didn't know whether or not she was trying to blind everyone so that the group could spring the trap or just hurt Charity. They were fools to underestimate him either way.

"Sun" Charity's eyes widened as she dove past him under a thick tarp that he had brought for just this eventuality.

Imogen had just finished her incantation and suddenly everything was white. "Okay, Barnaby hold Ned down! Rob, listen to me." Rob switched on the black out glasses that he had made for just this occasion. If it was normal sunlight he would barely be able to see, but with Imogen's light a few meters from him, he could see everything clearly. "Rob, we are your friends! I have known you for years. I would never hurt you!" Rob felt a twinge of guilt inside him. She sounded so sincere. Imogen always lies. "Please, Rob you're being controlled by something. You have to fight it off." Controlled? He felt entirely in control. She's trying to confuse you. It's a distraction. Be wary of the others. Rob saw Layla move up toward him, mostly blind but still closing in.

"You won't catch me off guard with that." The railgun fired, and Imogen never saw the shot coming. The stake dug strait through her chest and out her back with a burst of gore. The light died as she lost concentration on the spell. She fell to her knees coughing blood and staring at him with wide eyes. Layla blinked as the light faded and turned to regard her girlfriend in shock. Imogen's features softened again. "It's alright Rob. I don't blame you for it. We haven't been the best friends we could for you. Please…you have to...fight…it" Imogen's eyes faded as she hit the ground, blood beginning to pool under her. Rob was struck by that. Why would she keep up the façade to the end? Why was his vision cloudy? Did she cast some last-ditch blindness spell?

Suddenly he had a pair of hands fisting themselves through his armor and over the shirt he wore under it. Layla was in front of his face-plate, tears freely running down her face. "Wrath, Robert! You are possessed by Wrath. It's why your so angry right now. Please, you have to understand!" Wrath? Everything has been irritating him lately. Maybe. She has a hold of you. She is going to take that dagger in her pocket and kill you with it!

Rob brought his arm up to break Layla's grip and then threw her several meters back "Shut up!" Layla caught herself looking a bit stunned. It seemed she finally noticed he wasn't weak anymore. As Layla moved to intercept him again, he gripped the staff harder as he lifted his arm. He would kill her just like he killed Imogen. Imogen. He had shot the first real friend he had ever had. He shot her in the chest and now she was laying in a pool of her slowly cooling blood, likely dead. Rob grabbed his head. Layla was closing in, but Charity intercepted her. The slayers were fighting now. At least Charity can handle a demon possessed Slayer. Wait, Charity is also demon possessed. He planned this whole thing because Layla was a demon possessed. Why was he working with Charity?

She is on your side. You can trust her. She tried to kill me any number of times. Why can't I think straight? You only killed one of them. You have more enemies.

No, I don't. The only enemy I had was Charity. Now she's on my side. I wouldn't work with a Vampire to kill my friends.

They aren't your friends.

Of course they are! This is what they were saying. You're in my head, forcing me to kill my friends.

You had the potential, I just coaxed you along.

Liar!

You already said I am in your head. If you are so certain that you don't have it in you, why haven't you thrown me off yet

Because I need your power for a few more minutes. Rob dropped the hand from his helmet, metal creaking as he dislodged the gauntlet from the furrows it had dug into his helmet. He looked around the room. Ned was leaning over Violet, trying to bite her. Barnaby was leaning against a wall holding his bleeding side that had a piece torn out of it while Janet was over by Im… Violet gave Ned a good kick in the face before Barnaby tackled him off of her. Layla was barely standing, a stake wound in her side and one of her arms looked broken. Charity had a busted lip and deep cuts on her arms, but it seems she was able to keep the blade from doing too much damage.

What are you going to do, boy?

Sin. Rob moved up to Charity as she finally disarmed Layla and knocked her to the ground. Charity tossed the knife haphazardly over her shoulder, where it inbedded itself in a thick, metal table to the handle.

Charity turned to look at him. "Now how am I supposed to look at that pretty face of yours if you keep your armor on, Rob?"

Rob entered a code into his suit and the armor compacted itself. "Better?" His voice sounded off even to him.

Charity's grin fell for a moment. "What's the matter my little Bear? Your crying."

Rob smiled, tears flowing freely. "Yes, I am" Charity's reflex speed was amazing. She almost managed to plunge the stake into his heart before he broke her neck with a twist. Her body crumpled to the floor, unmoving except her eyes. "I'm sorry Charity, but I think it is time for Katherine to get a turn driving." He moved toward the others. "Barnaby, I have him. Go seal Charity so you can figure out how to re-ensoul her."

What are you doing? They are our allies. You are betraying our oldest allies!

Wouldn't be the first time. Barnaby was slow on the update, so Rob grabbed Ned out from the scrum he was in with Barnaby and threw him against the wall. As Ned was shaking his head from a magic effect Violet had cast on him, Rob slammed his forearm against his throat, holding him in place. Wrath, Gluttony, and Lust. It makes so much sense now.

Barnaby turned to look at him. "Rob, are you back to normal" At his nod, Barnaby stood up. "We need to break Ned out of it like your were."

Rob looked at him, ignoring Ned's indignant struggles and snapping. "I have it handled. Please, go help Katherine."

Janet (the traitor, Enough!) was looking between him and Charity. "Why? Why should we help her? She killed my parents Rob. You promised me revenge."

Rob felt the thrill of imagining Janet stabbing Charity with a stake and her turning to dust, which turned to images of him stabbing Janet, which turned to an image of Imogen on the floor. The thrill died as he turned to her. "Katherine has been trapped in her own body as that vampire has destroyed countless people. She is trapped, just like you were, except she has been trapped for years. If you want revenge, then imagine the vampire who murdered your family will forever be trapped unable to do anything inside her own body."

Janet stared at him for a moment, hands still covered in HER blood. "Okay. Barnaby, what do we do?" Barnaby started Janet and Violet in on the chanting while Violet began carving the sealing runes on Charity's body with the razor sharp blade and Layla slowly staggered over to Im-

Ned growled at him snapping his teeth. "Like, let me go, Rob. I'm so hungry. I'm like wasting away."

Robert turned to Ned "Ned, you are my friend and probably the one friend who wasn't hiding anything from me the past week. You are a strong and capable man and inside a very good person. I will help you pick up the pieces from this. You are being controlled by something ancient and evil, but you are stronger than it. I know you are. Please fight it."

You are banishing them for a millennium! Shattering them into dust on the wind! You think this makes up for what you did to your friends. The slayer may be broken without the witch, but she will kill you for it. You killed-



Shut up!

Ned stared up at him with his normal orange eyes for a moment before the orange glow faded. "Rob, like, I don't know what's happening. I, I can't feel anything. I'm scared." Rob could see the glow slowly enveloping his eyes, his whole body was glowing. 'Ned' was dying. Soon it would be nothing but 'Gluttony'.

"You don't have to be afraid. I will save you." Rob pressed the end of the railgun to Ned's head.

Ned was glowing, but his eyes were still Ned. A single tear passed down his face and he grinned with his vicious maw. "Do…it…"

Rob was reminded of when he shot Baktarby. He imagined at this distance he was as bloody as Violet was after that incident. His limbs were shaking, and he felt his stomach twist, but he didn't move his eyes away. There was a burst of orange light that almost bowled him over. The force of it spun him around to see his friends looking at him. Barnaby was staring at him with his mouth agape. Janet was already moving toward him with Violet right behind her, looking very uncomfortable. and Layla was sitting by Imogen. Someone had rolled her over to perform CPR, but Rob could calculate the amount of blood around her. She was gone. He had killed his first real friend. She was pouring her heart out to him and he shot her dead. He felt cold, Janet's voice sounded a million miles away.

Janet shook him trying to avoid looking at Ned's body behind him. "Rob. Robert please look at me. I need to know your okay."

Now she cares. She brought them here, told Layla and the others of your plans. She betrayed you, goading Layla and the others to come after you. She is the reason Imogen is dead.

No! I am the reason Imogen is dead. Her blood is on my hands by your provoking! Rob felt his inner fury course through his body, waking his cold limbs. He would not be coerced into hurting any more of his friends. He looked down at Janet, who was crying and holding onto his arm like it was a lifeline.

Violet looked at him looking very uncomfortable. "Um, Rob your eyes are still, well, red. I think you need to remember that we are all friends now and uh…" Violet stopped. Her eyes glazed over and suddenly she stuck out at him. "You slept with the dead girl but you wouldn't sleep with me!" As sudden as the moment came it ended and Violet was staring at her hand in abject horror. Janet screamed as Rob looked down at his chest. The blade that Violet was using to carve runes into Charity was now lodged in his chest.

As soon as he noticed the blade, the pain hit. His body crumpled back against the wall, away form Ned's body. Barnaby shouted and ran over, pulling out his phone. Rob could see Layla scramble to get up her face white with terror. Rob felt himself crumple into the wall and onto the floor coughing and tasting copper. It was almost poetic how the blade had hit him in the same place his bolt had struck Imogen. You're dying boy. The pain was horrible, but he could still breathe. He could still talk. Imogen had given her life to try and break him from his possession. He wouldn't let her down by not saying his proper goodbyes. "Violet?" Violet was sitting on the ground staring at her bloody hand, which still held the knife. At her name she stared at him and he was surprised there was tears in her eyes "Violet, no one will blame you for this. I saw it in your eyes. You were forced to do it, likely because of me. Don't worry, I don't blame you." Violet seemed to get what he was doing and moved slightly toward him but stopped and looked down. She had been around long enough to know a mortal wound when she saw one.

Janet was holding a piece of cloth against his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Rob, please stop talking. You need to stay strong until EMS gets here. Please Rob, just stay still."

Robert lifted his arm up to clasp her hands in his as she held the cloth to his chest. "I am sorry we never got to try that dating thing my brother says is fun." Janet started shaking. "You never betrayed me." He coughed again, it hurt, but it seemed to be fading. That wasn't a good sign. "Barnaby"

Barnaby was one the phone demanding the EMS get there faster, near hysterics. "No, Rob. You don't get to do the last goodbye stuff because your not dying!"

"Barnaby, please.."

"No, you will be fine. You will.."

"ENOUGH BARNABY!" Rob's yell was accompanied by a bloody coughing fit. His vision was foggy when he stopped, but he did notice that Layla was on his other side holding his arm tightly tears flowing freely. He had to make this quick. "Barnaby, this is going to break Dad. You need to be there for him. Don't let him slip into a dark place like I did." He held Barnaby's gaze for a moment before Barnaby nodded continuously, shaking and unable to form words. Rob looked to Layla. "Layla"

Layla buried her face in his shoulder shaking. "No. Rob. Please. Not you too."

Rob let the tears flow as he held onto Janet for support. "This isn't your fault. These sins are mine to bear. Thank you for bringing me into this world. Without you, I never would have found my brother or Janet. I'm sorry…" There was more to say. He wanted to continue, but his vision was too dark, the sound of blood pounding in his ears was drowning everything out. His chest spasmed with coughs but he could barely feel them. Then the pounding stopped.