Ozzie woke up groggily at the sounds of girls giggling and chattering amongst themselves and hands shaking him awake while dragging off the blanket. One of them went to pull the curtains open and let the light in, making Ozzie groan as the blinding shine stung his eyes.
“What the dilly…? What time is it…?” Ozzie mumbled as he tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.
“It’s time for your wedding, silly!” Khora and Kincaid spoke simultaneously just like Rouge and Rodeo. “C’mon, get up, get up. We’re gonna help you get ready to be the beautiful blushing bride!”
“I thought…I thought the wedding should be after one week…It’s only, what, three days?” Ozzie looked about and was almost glad that Thrax was not sleeping with him, or they would’ve found that they have broken the tradition.
“Do not underestimate the power of the viruses, darling,” Nooka said as she pulled Ozzie by the arm to make him get out of bed. “With a little elbow grease and contribution from everyone, we got everything set in no time flat.”
“Settings, backgrounds, clothes, dinner reception, you name it, we’ve done it all, sweetie,” Harriette, Flazen’s daughter, chimed in. “All we need now is you and the ol’ bugger to complete the piece!”
“Where are your parents?” Ozzie asked while allowing himself to be manhandled by the girls, noticing that it was only the Sisterhood’s girls and the female young relatives he remembered seeing during the bachelorette party.
“Oh, they’re all getting ready for the main event,” Amrita, Trixy’s daughter, replied with a gleeful shrug. “They’re letting us young ones do the gussy up for you and the dumbass. C’mon, chop chop, Jonesy! This is the most important day of your life!”
--:--
“1…2…3…HEAVE-HO!!!”
Thrax yelped as he felt a flying sensation by the yank of his bed sheets before landing on the floor with a loud thud. Loud guffaws and whoops and sounds of high-fives were heard as Thrax groaned, trying to get back on his feet. The first thing he saw was Drix standing a foot away from him chuckling quietly, only to stop and back away a little when Thrax looked up and glared venomously at him with his bloodshot yellow eyes.
“Son of a bitch!” Thrax swore. “What the fuck are you asses doing?!”
“Getting your ass offa bed, that’s what, wimp!” Klepta said, throwing a pillow at the older virus.
“Wake up, idiot!” Kurt shouted as he pulled off the blanket tangled around Thrax’s body caused by the sudden pull. “Rise and shine! It’s your big day today!”
“What in the world…?” Thrax massaged his temple, still trying to get around figuring out what the heck were his brothers waking him up when he barely slept for a few hours after an almost all-nighter with his beloved last night and also his slight hangover from the bachelor party boozing.
“Have you forgotten, Thrax?” Drix asked as he tried to help the virus up on his feet, only to be pushed away by him irritably. “It’s your wedding day today. Time to get ready for your big day.”
“My wedding don’t happen till a week later, cold pill. You got your little school boy schedule right or somethin’?”
“Everything is all ready, you wacko!” Rouge and Rodeo rammed a pillow simultaneously at Thrax’s head. “Those old geezers got everythin’ worked out! Top speed, as a matter of fact, for their lil’ ‘Baby Thrax’ and our lil’ Jonesy’s wedding. Spoiled little brat as usual,” they rolled their eyes at that statement, “Figures.”
“They’re setting up the venue right now, so,” Hershey grabbed Thrax by the collar and kicked the virus into the bathroom, “get your ass in there and clean up. You got a T4 cell to marry!”
--:--
Everyone spoke in hushed tones as they slowly filled up the Amberstone Chapel, the most famous wedding chapel in this rat city located at the left side of the heart, discussing about today’s event. The chapel was a sight to behold as it displayed the result of hard work and cooperation put together by all the family members to make this occasion possible. Every hand and back of the seats was decorated with white and red flowers and pinkish-white ribbons and on the ceiling was littered with white and pink balloons with a bit of laces dangling fashionably in the air. Light shone through the stained glass of every chapel window that was decorated with white and pink little ribbons tied in a bow, illuminating the decors even more. The standard red carpet was laid across the room from the entrance of the chapel towards the altar. The altar itself was also equally prepped with flowers and ribbons, and certain areas were decorated with cellular satin sheets of soft colours, with Father Macross dressed in his religious attire at the ready for the grand occasion which was about to come. The seats were filled with Thrax’s side of the family, since Ozzie was an orphan and had no family members to attend the occasion, but none of them seemed to mind the lack of the cell’s side of the family. They were all dressed in the nines and were rather excited to find out how their new Black Death family member was going to look like in Majah’s custom-made wedding attire, and they even had someone from the family being their personal cameraman and photographer to capture the wondrous moment.
Thrax drew in a breath, holding it in for a while before letting it out silently, trying as hard as he could to release his tension along with it. The rude awakening he got was all he needed to be reminded that once this was over and done with, Ozzie was officially going to be his lawful wedded mate. Somehow, the thought of going through the ceremony gave him butterflies in the stomach and he, for the first time in his fearless life as a Red Death virus, actually felt a slight bit of trepidation as to what was to come. Standing there wearing a slightly modernized version of a black traditional Ukrainian wedding dress suit worn way back during the Black Death ancestors’ timeline, the virus scratched a non-existent itch and tugged a little at the slightly constricting collar around his neck. He was rather surprised—and a little pissed—when the boys showed him what he had to wear for the wedding, and thought they were playing a prank on him to humiliate him, but Cox confirmed it to the virus that this was what Majah made for his holy matrimony, by the express orders from Mrs. Roja, thus ending the discussion. It itched a little, what with the material used to match the traditional design as much as possible, but it was the collar that somehow bothered the virus till no end as the frills and the bow tie felt as if he was being sentenced to the old fashioned gallows.
“Damn this collar,” Thrax cursed under his breath. “Make it even tighter, why don’t you?”
“You’re just nervous, wimp,” Klepta whispered at his ear as he adjusted his cuffs on his sleeves. “Get over it.”
Thrax glared venomously at his half-Rabies brother who was dressed in equally modernized traditional best man suit. He had no objections as to Cox being his best man when the older virus asked for it during the bachelor party, but was not a happy camper when he heard that Klepta and the twins, whom he had been spending all his time trying to beat them off his cell with a stick, were also becoming his best men along with one of his brothers from each mothers during him preparing for the wedding. Another ‘express order’ from the heads of the family, no doubt, although Thrax would not put aside the brothers volunteering to be the best man when asked, especially those he knew that they had grown attached to his beloved.
“Not helping, runt,” Thrax growled. He stole a look at his sisters from each mothers gathered at the other side, posing as Ozzie’s bridesmaids and muttered, “Where is Ozzie anyways?”
“Probably powdering his nose or something,” the twins replied simultaneously. “Ah, how we wish we could see him change in his wedding outfit.”
“Not even in your dreams, psychos.”
“Do you guys have any idea what he is going to wear anyway?” Ambrose asked as he adjusted his glasses.
“Nope,” Edison shrugged. “Not even we were allowed to know what Jonesy is going to wear. In fact, when Emmett and I went to get the clothes from Majah, we were only allowed to take the buffoon’s suit and we never got to see Jonesy’s.”
“He’s not gonna wear some sort of weird maternity dress now, is he?” Hershey asked. “I mean, I know he’s pregnant and got that lil’ baby bump of his, but if Big Mama makes him wear that kind of ridiculous outfit…”
“If you don’t shut your trap about my baby, I swear I’m gonna slice you in half, brother or not, wedding or not!” Thrax hissed under his breath, threatening to flex out his killer claw.
“Hey, chill, ol’ buckaroo. I’m just sayin’.”
“What’s taking him so long?” Thrax muttered, trying to suppress another nervous sigh.
“You think maybe he’s got cold feet?”
The twins had meant that as a joke, and as usual, received a venomous glare from the groom, but all the best men present could tell from his eyes that he couldn’t hide the small hint of worry in them thinking about whether that possibility might be true. Ambrose and Edison walloped the back of the twins’ head on Thrax’s behalf as Klepta put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“If there’s anything I know about our doll, is that he ain’t a quitter. He loves you too much to back out of this now. Take comfort in that and stop being the wimp you are, bro.”
Thrax didn’t know whether he was being comforted or insulted, but somehow he felt a little better. As he thought back, he realized that he and Ozzie had gone a long way to get to this stage. In the beginning, he had taken Ozzie in as his sex slave for the sheer satisfaction of vengeance, and that to satisfy his fascination for the first cell that almost defeated him. He had wanted to keep that relationship throughout the rest of the cell’s miserable life, hoping to break him until he no longer had the will to fight and leave him to rot once he got bored of him, but in the City of Nana when the corrupt cop tried to grope Ozzie, his possessive instincts kicked in, one that he thought would never exist ever since he vowed to show no mercy or compassion on the day Trisha died. As days went by, his possessiveness and attachment grew to a point where he could no longer control or ignore, and though he put up a façade in front of Ozzie and others as a Master figure, his heart unexpectedly clench every time Ozzie was upset or begging to be forgiven or whenever Ozzie was showing a remote indication of closeness towards anyone other than him. The feeling of love he had long since forgotten surfaced and engulfed him like fire over a dry forest and consumed him to the point where he could not bear the thought of having Ozzie away from him as he carried on with his way of ordering Ozzie around and making him play along with his sick sexual fantasies. Everything negative he felt about Ozzie’s feelings towards him was tenfold when he sort of betrayed him, but Ozzie’s confession, and his willingness to go through the test his Big Mama made him do, made him feel like all those feelings could just go to hell and disappear as he reciprocated the cell’s feelings with a passion no one could contain.
He loved him, and the feeling was mutual. That was all they needed now.
Soon, the long awaited wedding march played. Everyone stood up to face the entrance of the chapel hall, eager to witness the occasion. Thrax, who was pretending to be very interested with his claws, turned abruptly to face the entrance as well. He didn’t whether to run and hide or stay rooted on the floor and freeze into a virus popsicle as the flower-girls, played by some of the younger relatives of the Black Death family, marched in with the customary flower-scattering. Rouge and Rodeo reached out a hand on the virus’ each shoulder to keep him grounded and focused, and chortled when they saw that the flower-girls were led by Kiaran, a red bow tied around its neck as it carried a basket of flowers, leading the girls as if it was meant for this job. Everyone else chuckled heartily and took pictures of the interesting display. Once the flower-girls reached the end of the line and stood at the bridesmaids’ side, Nooka giggled and picked Kiaran up in her arms, cooing at it and praising it for its good work. Thrax rolled his eyes; there was no doubt the mutt his mate loved so much was trained to do this by his half-Ebola sister.
Everyone soon held their breaths as the main tune of the wedding march was played, indicating the bride was coming in. Slowly, Ozzie revealed himself, led by Drix as his representative of a ‘father figure’ down the aisle. Thrax was stunned at the sight before him. Ozzie, being the ‘bride’, was all dressed in white in the modernized traditional Ukrainian style. The dress started slightly below his shoulders and ran all the way to the floor, the back held up by Cox’s daughters Miki—who was in all smiles at her wish to see Ozzie in a pretty wedding dress coming true—and Viki. The skirt was in layers, like rose petals, and was smooth and sleek, covering his baby bump perfectly. The girls obviously had fun with his morphing skills as they elongated Ozzie’s hair and tied it up into a bun, letting a few strands dangling decoratively about his head. He had a white gold crown as a tiara to match, its veil covering his face that ran down past his chin and shoulders, but still transparent enough to let everyone see partial of Ozzie’s face. He didn’t have make-up on but it was quite obvious that his eyebrows were trimmed a little and his goatie was shaved and plucked off, and the bridesmaids who were part of his makeover were swelling with pride. As Ozzie and Drix stopped at the near end of the aisle, with Ozzie stealing an embarrassed glance at Thrax—probably thinking he looked like a fool in this getup—Thrax felt as if he had fallen in love with Ozzie all over again.
“To whom do you represent in the handover of this union of lovers?” Father Macross started the ceremony with the customary give-and-take session.
“I, Drixo-Benzo-Methamphedamine, represent Osmosis Jones to hand him over to Thrax Roja,” Drix replied as he gestured Ozzie to stand closer to Thrax’s side.
“And to whom do you represent in the receiving of this union of lovers?” Father Macross addressed the Roja family.
“I, Dakara Roja, represent my son Thrax Roja to receive Osmosis Jones,” Mr. Roja stood up and took Ozzie’s hand and passed him to Thrax.
“So thus the union,” Father Macross replied. “May the couple please step forward.”
“Frank, I must look like a moron!” Ozzie whispered in an embarrassed tone as he took Thrax’s arm, a tint of colour rushing to his cheeks.
“Hush, baby,” Thrax whispered back as he led him to the front of the altar where Father Macross was standing. “You look beautiful.”
“We are gathered here today to witness the joining of Mr. Thrax Roja and Mr. Osmosis Jones,” Father Macross started the sermon. “Though they may be of a different race and species, and that their lives are comparable to the sky and the earth, nevertheless, true love prevails and they have beaten the odds in making an impossible relationship come true. Mr. Thrax Roja, as we all know, is a virus, great at what he does best in bringing cities to their knees in fear of death. Mr. Osmosis Jones, on the other hand, is the protector of cities, and having the sole purpose of stopping viruses like Mr. Thrax Roja from our honourable way of life. It is almost as if their relationship were not meant to be, as their purpose in life was to get at each other’s throats,” everyone in the chapel chuckled at this, “but they have gone past that hurdle, seen the world in each other’s eyes, view things in each other’s point of view, and felt each other’s feelings in a way only they could comprehend.”
Both Ozzie and Thrax smiled inwardly at this. Father Macross was almost right about that.
“Once mortal enemies, now divine lovers. Such is a love that most thought inconceivable, but some hold dearly to their hearts. It was a long road for them, with many obstacles to face and much doubt in between as they realized their feelings and destiny between each other. And now, they have finally come to this final step where all couples must take to fulfill their life-long wishes to live forever more in each other’s hearts. So for those who find this union objectionable and that this couple should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
A short silence ensued as the customary objection came in. Thrax and Ozzie held their breaths, hoping with their fingers crossed that no one, especially from Mr. and Mrs. Roja and the Sisterhood, suddenly have a change of heart about this wedding. Unbeknownst to them, the best men and bridesmaids seemed to be sending death glares to everyone, daring them to say anything.
“If there is no one to oppose this union,” Father Macross smiled as he gestured one of the Black Death’s boy relatives playing as the ring-bearer to come forth with the rings, “then I shall begin the exchange of rings and vows.”
The ring-bearer soon came up front between Thrax and Ozzie, holding a small reddish-black cushion with the rings nestled comfortably on it. The ring for the groom was silver with small engravings of water waves along it and a blue sapphire studded on it, while the ring for the bride was gold with small engravings of fire flames along it with a red ruby studded on to match. The couple could tell that the rings were one of those custom-made ones that can stretch to accommodate the size of the finger.
“Do you, Thrax Roja, take Osmosis Jones as your lawful wedded mate,” Father Macross finally said the words everyone has been waiting for, “to have and to hold, to love and to care, to live and to obey, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
Thrax took the ring and looked at it for a while. Within the ring, there was an engraving that read Love begins… and again, it confirmed to the virus that it was custom-made. He stole a glance at Ozzie. The cell he loved was standing right in front of him, looking back at him in anticipation. If he were to make the decision, it’ll change both of their lives forever, and there would be no turning back. But of course, this was what he wanted. He replied without any further hesitation.
“I do,” Thrax said as he slipped the ring on Ozzie’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“And do you, Osmosis Jones, take Thrax Roja as your lawful wedded mate, to have and to hold, to love and to care, to live and to obey, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
Ozzie took the ring and, like Thrax looked into it to see another engraving reading ...Never ends. He looked up at Thrax. So much has happened since they were together. He was both ridiculed and loved at the same time. Sometimes he felt that he was nothing but a slave to Thrax, but at other times, he felt that Thrax loved him so much he could explode. There was never a peaceful moment with Thrax, and he knew life was not going to be easy from then on, not with having a virus with an instinct to kill and a possible future killer as his heir. He knew he was going to be dragged further and further down into the depths of hell until there was no way back up to the life he used to know. He knew he was going to carry on with the lifestyle they led when he was still his slave, and the future of their child was anything but normal. Did he regret loving Thrax knowing the dangers ahead?
Not one bit.
“I do,” Ozzie said with a blissful smile he had long since forgotten he had. “With this ring, I thee wed.”
“Then by the power invested in me by the ancestral generations of the Black Death, I now pronounce you mates. You may kiss the cell.”
Everyone stood up and gave a standing ovation as Thrax held Ozzie close by the waist and kissed him deeply. Father Macross announced them as ‘The Jones-Roja Couple’ and as they walked down the aisle with Thrax carrying Ozzie bridal style, everyone chased after them and showered confetti at them, wishing the couple well. The wedding dinner reception was a big success as well as they booked the entire cerebral hall for their dinner spot. For their dinner suits, Nooka had got together with Majah and another one of their relatives who was half-Bird Flu from Japan to design a matching set of dinner clothes for Thrax and Ozzie, with Ozzie wearing an almost Westernized version of a kimono while Thrax wore a Westernized yukata. Again, the girls made full use of Ozzie’s elongated hair to bun it up and stick in those Japanese hair accessory pins they’ve been dying to try. Thrax almost swooned at the sight of it, and Ozzie took comfort in the fact that he was getting praises rather than teases from everyone who saw in this getup, especially from Klepta and the twins.
Wining (except for the pregnant Ozzie) and dining ensued as some of the family members came up to the stage to say a few words and well-wishing to the newly wed. Mr. and Mrs. Roja and the Sisterhood also spoke their words and hoped that Ozzie would take care of Thrax just as much as he took care of him, and surprisingly even Drix stood up on stage to wish them well.
“Where’s Kiaran?” Ozzie said as he remembered he had to leave some scraps for the puppy’s dinner.
“I think he’s over there, bothering the lil’ pregnant lady there,” Rouge said as he pointed at the puppy yapping and wagging its tail at a female Black Death virus, who in turn chuckled and fed him some food. Ozzie excused himself and made his way to the table where she sat.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am. Is my Kiaran bothering you?”
“No, no, not at all,” the female virus laughed as she picked up the puppy and passed it to Ozzie. “He is just so adorable. Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Thanks, Mrs.…”
“Yolanda. And it’s ‘Miss’ now. I’m a widow.”
“Oh! I’m so sorry to hear that,” Ozzie apologized, “I didn’t know…”
“It’s alright,” Yolanda smiled good-naturedly. “He’s been gone for quite a while now. I came with my sister and her family. They look after me well. Your Kiaran does remind me of my late husband’s dog. He was a HIV virus from the AIDS family, you see, and someone figured out how to…”
“Wait, did you say HIV?”
“Yes, that’s right. Pure-bred HIV virus who came from a city in Los Angeles.”
“How far are you along now, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m due in 3 weeks. Doctors told me it’s a girl, and most probably will have my late husband’s dominant genes. Is there something wrong?”
Ozzie looked down at Kiaran. The puppy looked back up at him with expectant eyes, as if telling him that he had found his true master and wished to be let go. He let out a sigh and smiled at Yolanda.
“I assume you know about HIV viruses and their dependency towards their dogs and their connected life span?”
“Well, my late husband did tell me briefly about it, and I have been wondering how to go about it since they died without the dog having the chance to procreate, so yeah, I guess I’m kinda worried about it.”
“Then worry no more,” Ozzie said as he passed the puppy to her. “Kiaran is all yours now.”
“Wh…What?” Yolanda exclaimed, surprised at the sudden gesture. “Oh, no, I cannot impose…It’s your wedding day…”
“No, no, I insist. Take it as a token of appreciation from me for coming down all this way to attend my wedding. We’re family now. Besides, I think Kiaran needs a compatible master more than anything.”
“I…I don’t know what to say…” Yolanda replied as she took Kiaran from Ozzie’s hands.
“A thank you would suffice, and make sure you bond him properly with your daughter.”
“I…I will,” Yolanda beamed as she held Kiaran close gratefully. “Thank you, thank you so much. No wonder Thrax married you.”
“You take good care of your new Mistress now, you hear?” Ozzie leaned down to pat Kiaran’s head. “Hopefully next time we’ll meet again.”
Kiaran yapped and licked Ozzie’s nose in reply. Ozzie waved goodbye to the puppy before rejoining the table with his husband. Thrax wrapped an arm around Ozzie’s shoulder and nuzzled him.
“What took you so long? Where’s the mutt? I thought you went looking for him.”
“It’s OK. I decided to give him to someone he truly deserves.”
Thrax and Klepta, who heard that, stole a look at Yolanda giggling at Kiaran licking her face and smiled in understanding.
--:--
“Ooh…Ooh, Master…Please…!”
Ozzie was on all fours, his arms held in a half-nelson behind his back and his head turned to the side as half of his face was buried into the pillow. Thrax was just right behind him, thrusting into him deep as he spanked him in intervals.
“Mmh, yeah, baby…You’re still as tight as ever…!”
“Please, Master…” Ozzie breathed, begging in his desperate tone. “Please…Please let me cum…”
“First thing’s first, baby. You gonna have to make me cum.”
It was their first night as newlyweds and the virus wasted no time in getting down and dirty. Ozzie was lucky that his mate took note of his pregnant condition and started off things slow with the foreplay and whatnot, but towards the middle of the game where both of them were literally screaming with release, everything slow and steady was soon tossed out of the window to Frank knows where and was replaced with fast and furious.
“I…I can’t…Our baby…” Ozzie protested breathlessly as his cock throbbed painfully within him.
“Then use your ass, baby. Use your ass to make me cum.”
Ozzie pouted. When he wanted it, he could be a real pervert. Imagining what he’d like to be done to squeeze the juice out of him, Ozzie tentatively clenched and unclenched his inner muscles, squeezing and pressing around the virus’ cock, trying to make him cum. Thrax purred in satisfaction and increased his speed.
“Good boy, Ozzie baby,” Thrax panted as his claws snaked down to tease the cell’s head of the cock. “Here’s your reward.”
Ozzie screamed his approval as Thrax slowly started pumping him. He carried on with his ministrations, squeezing the virus’ rod as hard as he could to milk him out. Thrax growled in lust and bit lightly at the nape of Ozzie’s neck, marking him as he sped up his thrusts and pumps.
“Mmh…Yes, baby…Cum with me…Let’s be together as one…”
“Yes…Yes…Master…!! I’m gonna…I’m gonna cum…!!”
“Yeah, yeah, baby…I’m cumming…!!”
With one swift movement, Thrax pulled out and clamped the cell’s thighs around his cock as both of them screamed each other’s name in completion. Strings upon strings of their seed splattered everywhere on the sheets, sending both their bodies and souls into the 7th Heaven and back again. They gasped as their last orgasms subsided before they both slumped onto the bed, Thrax automatically wrapping his arms around Ozzie.
“Sorry, pet,” Thrax whispered as he caressed the baby bump. “Your Mama and I hadn’t been at it in a long time.”
“We’ve done it last night before our wedding, remember?” Ozzie pouted.
“Yes, and that felt like forever.”
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, love. I’m sure our bundle of joy feels the same way too.”
“I love you, Ozzie,” Thrax whispered in the same way he did when they first confessed each other’s feelings in that prison ward of the army barracks. “I love you forever and a day.”
“And I you, Thrax.”
--:--
“Now you take care, boys, you hear?”
“Yes, Big Mama.”
The wedding ceremony was over and after about 3 days hanging out with the family, sending off the relatives and giving their token of appreciation to Father Macross for his services, it was time for Thrax and Ozzie to hit the road on their honeymoon and towards their future lives together. All their wedding gifts were received and kept snugly in a multi-purpose fit-all bag (which was one of the wedding gifts as well given by one of their relatives who was an inventor) and they were all ready to go. Yolanda and her family, who was the last to split, still felt a little awkward for accepting a gift from Ozzie, so in return, they presented Ozzie with another pet puppy that they caught from a lingering stray dog nearby Swallow’s Nest looking for food. It was basically like a typical germ pup that looked just like the firedog Ozzie’s friend Doug and his firemen team owned back when he was in Frank, and Ozzie happily accepted it and named it ‘Chance’ because it was like he was given a second chance to have a pet of his own. Thrax rolled his eyes at the additional excess baggage, but at least he didn’t have to worry about having his would-be daughter sharing lifelines with a mutt.
“Here’s my gift to you, little Jones,” Mrs. Roja said as she handed him a parcel. “It’s a body-hugging suit you can wear underneath your clothes that acts almost like a second skin to you. You won’t even feel it was there at all. Majah and I designed it all day to get it right. It has regenerative features that would mend itself as soon as it tears, so you don’t have to worry about walking around naked every time you tear your clothes apart with that special power of yours.”
“Wow,” Ozzie replied as he took the parcel. He promised himself that once they settled down somewhere, he would give the suit a shot. “Thanks, ma’am. I dunno what to say.”
“Just call me ‘Big Mama’. You’re family now, and remember, the Black Death families always stick together, no matter what. Ya hear?”
“I hear ya, Big Mama.”
“You better look out for the cell, boy,” Mr. Roja said as he approached his son. “He’s carrying the future line of the next Red Death in the family.”
“Don’t worry, Pops. I will protect him with my life.”
“You know, Drips, ya don’t have to follow me around,” Ozzie turned to Drix who was gearing up to tag along. “You know as well as I do that the road we take is not exactly very desirable to your principles.”
“Yes, I understand that, and I will see to it that it would not go past the necessary evil…”
“No, you don’t understand, Drips. You know Thrax. We both know Thrax. There is no such thing as necessary evil with him. With him, it’s survival for the fittest. No matter what you do, he will still carry on killing, whether you like it or not. I have come to face the fact that this reality will never cease to exist, and I myself am carrying a child that one day will follow his father’s footsteps. I love him, Drips. I love him too much to let this go. Nothing’s gonna change that. I know all this and I choose to go through with this. There is no turning back for me now. You don’t have to choose this life.”
Drix bit his lips. In a way, he knew he was right, and he knew that Ozzie was no longer the cell he used to know. Things change, people change, and so did Ozzie. For the better or for the worse, he couldn’t really tell, but he knew one way or another, his friend spoke the truth…and it cuts his heart like a knife.
“You can follow either one of my family members to anyplace you want them to take you and then split off from there to find a new city for yourself to live in,” Thrax said as he took Ozzie’s hand. “We ain’t gonna spoon-feed you, cold pill, and we certainly won’t want you around. We’re outta here.”
So saying, the virus carried Ozzie bridal style and waited for the opportune moment to jump onto one of the seagulls perched on the tower of Swallow’s Nest, waiting for it to take off to wherever fate leads them. Drix stood there watching quietly, not sure what to do. Everyone wished each other goodbye before dispersing and finding their own mode of transportation to go wherever the wind takes them.
“So, cold pill, ya comin’ or what?” Klepta asked as he clapped Drix’s broad back. “I’ve got some nice city I heard that’ll gimme the edge I need to spread my poison. I’ll let you have whoever that city is close to.”
“Ya really gonna let him go, ain’t ya?” the twins asked simultaneously as they naughtily circled around the cold pill with their mischievous eyes.
“Well, I don’t know…” Drix started.
“Seriously? Ya ain’t gonna chase after him or something?”
“Well, I…”
“Stop bugging him, you doppelgangers,” Emmett, Gertrude’s son, scolded. “He’s made his own choice. He’s decided to stay, right, cold pill?”
“I…I just thought…well…”
“Ya really gonna let him just waltz off with the wacko and not knowing what happens to him ever again?” the twins probed in their simultaneous manner. “Ya really gonna spend the rest of your life in a city knowing that Jonesy is out there, wondering if you would ever see him again, especially when you’ve finally caught up with him?”
Drix looked at the twins, then at the rest of the Roja siblings before staring at the seagull which seemed to be prepared to leave.
“What does your heart tells you, Drips?” Klepta asked with a knowing smile on his face.
Drix looked down for a moment, as if contemplating something, before looking up, a resolved look on his face as he clenched his fist. Backing away a little for momentum, he glided quickly past all the Roja siblings and jumped off the albino rat towards the seagull.
“Jones! Wait up!”
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