#chad mulligan

[couldtheycatchkira]

[toffyrats]

You should draw crossover fanart. Splatoosies. Hamilton school musical. You are uniquely positioned. you have the power.

so i’m assuming this ask meant to cross timelines and make an au of sorts but it’s way funnier like this i think

[fictionalvillainenjoyer]

I’m too embarrassed to admit or actually write a Descendants Hamilton AU BUT I want to show everyone what role each Descendants character would be in the AU SOOOOOOOOO.

Alexander Hamilton - Mal

Aaron Burr - Uma

Eliza - Ben

Angelica - Evie

Peggy - Dizzy

Lafayette - Jay

Hercules Mulligan - Gil

John Laurens - Carlos

George Washington - Hades

Thomas Jefferson - Audrey

James Maddison - Chad

Maria Reynolds - Harry Hook

King George III - Beast

[docrotten]

THE HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES (1974) – Episode 228 – Decades of Horror 1970s

“Cut it. Cut it, cut! I said you were supposed to be going into a trance, not an orgasm. Let’s try it again with a little more restraint this time. That’s today’s secret word. Restraint!” Well, you’re no fun anymore. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Bill Mulligan, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr – as they try to figure out what is going on in The House of Seven Corpses (1974).

Decades of Horror 1970s Episode 228 – The House of Seven Corpses (1974)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Decades of Horror 1970s is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of the podcast and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Synopsis: A movie is filming on location in a house where seven occult-related murders were committed. The caretaker warns them not to mess with things they don’t understand, but rituals are reenacted anyway, that summon a ghoul from the nearby cemetery. Ghoulish shenanigans ensue.

Directed by: Paul Harrison

Writing Credits: Paul Harrison and Thomas J. Kelly

Selected Cast:

John Ireland as Eric Hartman

Faith Domergue as Gayle Dorian

John Carradine as Edgar Price

Carole Wells as Anne (as Carol Wells)

Charles Macaulay as Christopher Millan

Jerry Strickler as David

Ron Foreman as Ron

Dennis Record as Tommy (as Larry Record)

Marty Hornstein as Danny

Charles Bail as Jonathon Anthony Beal / Theodore Beal

Lucy Doheny as Suzanne Beal

Jo Anne Mower as Allison Beal

Ronald Víctor García as Charles Beal (as Ron Garcia)

Jeff Alexander as Russell Beal

Wells Bond as The Ghoul

Laurie Bartram as Debbie (uncredited)

This episode, John Carradine, John Ireland, and Faith Domergue are making a movie in The House of Seven Corpses (1974). A couple of shambling ghouls – or are they zombies – make an entrance when they receive engraved invitations from the filmmakers. Or rather, rituals from the Tibetan Book of the Dead are performed as part of the movie being filmed. Surprise! Mayhem ensues as the cast and crew start dropping like flies, their demises mimicking those of the original occupants of the titular house. The House of Seven Corpses is not a great movie, or even a good movie, but there are some effective scenes, and the 70s Grue-Crew show some love for Faith and the two Johns.

At the time of this writing, The House of Seven Corpses (1974) is available to stream from Vudu, Tubi, Screambox, and PPV sources. The film is available as physical media on a standard Blu-ray formatted disc from Severin Films.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1970s is part of the Decades of Horror two-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1980s. In two weeks, the next episode, chosen by Bill, will be Equinox (1970). The 70s Grue Crew covered this film in episode 124, released September 2000. This time, we’ll be joined by special effects artist Jeff Farley, one of the film’s biggest fans. This will definitely be worth the double tap!

We want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1970s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

Check out this episode!

[kwebtv]

Babes in Toyland - NBC - December 19, 1986

Musical Fantasy

Running Time: 145 minutes

Stars:

Drew Barrymore as Lisa Piper

Linda Harmon provides Barrymore's singing voice.

Richard Mulligan as Barnie / Barnaby Barnicle

Eileen Brennan as Mrs. Piper / Widow Hubbard

Keanu Reeves as Jack / Jack-be-Nimble

Jill Schoelen as Mary Piper / Mary Contrary

Googy Gress as George / Georgie Porgie

Pat Morita as The Toymaster

Walter Buschhoff as Justice Grimm

Shari Weiser as Trollog

Rolf Knie as Zack

Gaston Haeni as Mack

Pipo Sosman as Jack in the Box

Chad Carlson as Joey

Jean Moake as News Announcer

Bill Marcus as Weather Announcer

[coffee-at-annies]

Penguins for the ask game (I need to know who all the guys are)

every hockey blogger has their: Pens Edition

feral guy: I love a fiesty feral jew (Frieds)

emotional support goalie: it’s been Mouse Boy since all the way back when he was in the minors more than he was here. Flower is my emotional support former pens goalie.

little guy: my first instinct was Shears which shows where my brain is but I think my second choice is Jakenbake. I think it’s the muppet energy tho. Runner up is Heino. No one tell me how tall anyone is

pretty princess: Jars is the prettiest pretty princess. other options discussed in the gc were DOC and Heino but they are very different pretty princesses vibes-wise

pathetic man: ah fuck. Okay so to be real I don’t think I have one. The closest was kappy and I didn’t even like kappy that much his vibes were just soooo pathetic. I’m gonna take a mulligan on this one I have no idea who’s still on the pens and equally as pathetic.

handsome prince: POJ (look at that smile and tell me he isn’t a handsome prince)

just some guy™: Chad my beloved

every hockey blogger has their: offseason ask game

[leanstooneside]

London (CROSSBONES)

- Joe Manganiello's grippy neck

- Jon Gosselin's grippy neck

- Robin Roberts's grippy neck

- Pink's grippy neck

- George Lopez's grippy neck

- Holly Montag's grippy neck

- Gabourey Sidibe's grippy neck

- Jada Pinkett Smith's grippy neck

- Zachary Levi's grippy neck

- Heidi Klum's grippy neck

- Aaron Carter's grippy neck

- Denis Leary's grippy neck

- Jenna Ushkowitz's grippy neck

- Skrillex's grippy neck

- Dane Cook's grippy neck

- Tim McGraw's grippy neck

- Josh Lucas's grippy neck

- Aubrey O'Day's grippy neck

- Tony Parker's grippy neck

- Howard Stern's grippy neck

- Balthazar Getty's grippy neck

- Donald Faison's grippy neck

- Jennifer Lopez's grippy neck

- Matthew Morrison's grippy neck

- Leonardo DiCaprio's grippy neck

- Lauren Graham's grippy neck

- Andrew Firestone's grippy neck

- Eric Dane's grippy neck

- Taylor Swift's grippy neck

- Paul Wesley's grippy neck

- Chad Ochocinco's grippy neck

- Nicolas Cage's grippy neck

- Matt Bomer's grippy neck

- Roberto Martinez's grippy neck

- Jessica Alba's grippy neck

- Carey Mulligan's grippy neck

- Shay Mitchell's grippy neck

- Brian Austin Green's grippy neck

- Elizabeth Banks's grippy neck

- Nicole Kidman's grippy neck

- Jesse Williams's grippy neck

- Ellie Goulding's grippy neck

- Sophie Monk's grippy neck

- Ethan Hawke's grippy neck

- Mischa Barton's grippy neck

- James Rodriguez's grippy neck

- Angie Harmon's grippy neck

- Rupert Grint's grippy neck

- Princess Diana's grippy neck

- Rob Lowe's grippy neck

[thejjchandler]

THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1970) Movie Review - Episode 190 - De...

“Right! Bring in the perverts” They always make for a good police lineup. Join your faithful Grue Crew – Doc Rotten, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they get their Giallo on with Dario Argento’s first shot at directing, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970).

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

music asks numbers; 11, 10, 20, 25, 24, and 27.

10: A song that makes you sad

i listen to this song all the time, and it just hits me right in the sad spot

11: A song that you never get tired of

it's FUN and i can and will listen to it whenever i open my spotify

20: A song that has many meanings to you

"Come From Away" in general is just a show that makes me so emotional, but this song features the prayer to St. Francis, which was my great-grandfather's favorite song, and i saw this show like maybe three weeks before he passed, and it was just very emotional when i listened to it

24: A song by a band you wish were still together

one of my FAVORITE 1D songs ngl

25: A song by an artist no longer living

27: A song that breaks your heart

and yeah... "no more" has no business being as heartbreaking as it actually is

[theodorebasmanov]

So, after reading “Norse Mythology”, I’ve finally read “American Gods” by Neil Gaiman. It may seem that I was reading for a far too long time, but I have an excuse – after I’ve read about half of the book the quarantine started (spring of 2020, remember?) and I had a little marathon of Max Fry’s last series (which’s eight books long) and only after that continued with Gaiman. Taking that into the account you can guess that I didn’t enjoy the book too much and that’s true. For me reading it was quite a bumpy ride because there were pretty interesting parts – retrospectives about how gods arrived in the USA or the detective part (homage/parody for Stephen King) about Lakeside; but others – the whole mainline seemed like an absolute absence of actual plot to me. Maybe I just didn’t understand something important but throughout the whole book I had this feeling: “When will the action start?” What also occurred strange to me, is that a person who retold Norse Mythology in such a funny and brick way, could write a book about the war between ancient gods and gods of technology and media and make it so deadly serious. Or, another possibility it, that the satire and humour of the novel were just too clever for me. So, definitely not watching the series, getting back to reading “The Witcher”. P.S. Why Loki is a redhead?

[weird-dorky-little-d]

[americangodsedits]

Eric Johnson as Chad Mulligan in American Gods Season 3

[viktorrotkiv]

Favorite American Gods quotes part II

drive safe, kids

Part I

+bonus (from a scene that didn't make it into the book):

[l-herz]

This remains iconic and true:

[docrotten]

CANNIBAL FEROX (1981) – Episode 271 – Decades of Horror 1980s

“No! Stop! That meat might be Rudy!” You finally gave up on the cannibals-are-a-myth idea, aye? Join your faithful Grue Crew – Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr – as they feast on their second Italian cannibal film. This time, it’s Umberto Lenzi’s Cannibal Ferox (1981).

Decades of Horror 1980s Episode 271 – Cannibal Ferox (1981)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! Click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

Gruesome Magazine is partnering with the WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL (https://wickedhorrortv.com/) which now includes video episodes of Decades of Horror 1980s and is available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, and its online website across all OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

Synopsis: Three friends set out to disprove cannibalism on a trip to the Amazonian jungle, where they meet two men trying to escape a vicious cannibal tribe.

Written & Directed by: Umberto Lenzi

Special Effects by: Gino De Rossi

Selected Cast:

Giovanni Lombardo Radice as Mike Logan (credited as John Morghen)

Lorraine De Selle as Gloria Davis

Danilo Mattei as Rudy Davis (credited as Bryan Redford)

Zora Kerova as Pat Johnson (credited as Zora Kerowa)

Walter Lucchini as Joe Costolani (credited as Walter Lloyd)

Fiamma Maglione as Myrna Stenn (credited as Meg Fleming)

Robert Kerman as Lt. Rizzo

John Bartha as Mafioso

Venantino Venantini as Sgt. Ross

Miguel Ángel Rincón as Juanito (credited as ‘El Indio’ Rincon)

Giovanni Bergamini as Clerk (uncredited)

Riccardo Petrazzi as Hunter (uncredited)

Perry Pirkanen as Paul (uncredited)

Dominic Raacke as Tim Barrett (uncredited)

Jake Teague as Professor (uncredited)

First, Decades of Horror 1980s covered Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust (1980) in episode 176. Now comes Umberto Lenzi’s Cannibal Ferox (1981)! The 31 countries that initially banned the film can’t all be wrong. It even comes with its very own pre-movie warning, and The Last Drive-In host, Joe Bob Briggs, gave it a “98 on the vomit meter.” By the way, “ferox” is Latin for cruel or ferocious. They’re not lying. But what will the Grue Crew think of this cannibal exploitation horror film? You can bet they’ll have plenty to say. They also play catchup on Grue Believer feedback. Enjoy their talkabout!

At the time of this writing, Cannibal Ferox (1981) is available to stream from Tubi, Kanopy, and AMC+. It is also available on physical media as a deluxe 3-disc set (2 Blu-ray + CD soundtrack) from Grindhouse Releasing. 

Every two weeks, Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s podcast will cover another horror film from the 1980s. The next episode’s film, chosen by Crystal, will be The Gate (1981). Kids, absent parents, a mysterious hole in the backyard, a demon horde, stop-motion animation, forced perspective, and… well, let’s just say, shenanigans ensue!

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans – so leave them a message or comment on the Gruesome Magazine Youtube channel, on the Gruesome Magazine website, or email the Decades of Horror 1980s podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com.

Check out this episode!

[chrono-vi]

3 - Sundered

Content Warning: Violence, Swearing

Sidenote! Some of these characters speak languages I don’t speak, and I’m apologizing now if anything is inaccurate--

“It was always like a walk of shame. To make the trek back to the resting place of her mother, Betty felt like her whole life was wasted. As a spiritual woman, she was heartbroken upon realizing she’d never seen her mother’s ghost - and to visit her resting place only made her that much more upset. Had she done something wrong?”

** melanie and trucidar belong to @namnori143

** chad and virgil belong to @bitchasstrashcan

She parked her car at the cemetery, walking past the large steel gates. The path wasn’t long to where Imelda Garcia lay, but today it was heavily different.

The sight of red and blue flashed across Betty’s vision. Parked police cars swallowed up the view of her mother’s plot. Adrenaline rushed through her body; she took into a sprint to see what had happened.

“Excuse me!” She called, racing up to the cautionary yellow ribbons. “Hey, what’s going on here?!”

“Ma’am, please stay back, this is a crime scene,” the policeman responded, hand out to stop her from getting closer.

“This is my mother’s grave, I have a right to know-!” But as she turned her gaze to gesture to it, she realized what was happening.

The hole in the Earth was just that. A hole. No longer a mound of dirt, now a cavernous, gaping wound in the ground. And it was directly below her own mother’s grave marker. Her body felt cold, sparkling with numbness. What happened?

“Well, if that’s the case,” the man stepped aside slightly. The team behind him was quickly exhuming what was left, searching for clues, “do you have any idea what may have happened here?”

“I…” Betty felt her throat go dry. “...I was just here a month ago. She was still there, as far as I knew.”

“A month? I see. It seems someone had been here just overnight, so I doubt you would’ve seen anything that long ago.” He remarked, thoughtful. “But if you remember anyone else who may have been lingering nearby, possibly planning this? Please, let us know.”

“I will. Is…” She was afraid to ask. “...is my mother still in there?”

“Her body is gone. As well as a few of the things she was buried with.” He turned back to his team. “What’s missing, Jones?”

“It says here she was buried with, originally, her journal recounting, and a few charms and artifacts. Only that journal’s entirely missing. Not sure the value of it to a graverobber, but clearly it’s been stolen,” the man called Jones responded with a shrug, standing from his crouched position by the grave, “as well as a small lockbox that had no key attached. I don’t know if there may have been a key on her person, which may provide a cause to steal her body as well. Though, it’s unclear why they wouldn’t just look for it while she was here, but that's not my call.” He dusted off his hands as he spoke, nonchalant in his explanation.

“A key?” Betty put her hand on her chest. She had been given a small key before her mother passed away. Was this key meant for the lockbox her mother was buried with? And if so, how was she supposed to retrieve it? Was this…?

“Heard anything about one? Maybe she left it somewhere in her will?” Jones queried. Betty shook her head.

“Not that I recall. I’ll have to check her old belongings - we still have some of it in a storage container my father owns.” She responded gently. If she told them she had the key, they may suspect her of tampering with her own mother. And that, would be too much.

“Damn.” He shook his head. “Well, just stay safe. We don’t know if they might be looking for it, so you may need to watch your back. Make sure your father knows too; we don’t want anyone to get hurt.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Jones. My mother was… is, very important to me. And I want to see justice brought to her.” 

She said her goodbyes to the policemen, and even took down the number of the detective working on the case. Heading back home in silence, the paranormal investigator felt a sense of sheer terror overwhelm her.

Was it the work of her mother? Was she walking the Fold, undead and searching for her daughter? Betty quickly shook the thoughts from her head. That would be ridiculous. Her mother wouldn’t do something so crazy as to raise herself from literal death. She knew better than that!

But even still, for someone to rob her grave and only take things of significance to her life? That seems unlikely. Unless it was someone she knew well…?

---

She entered the apartment. Her keyring clicked and jingled with the various protective charms she wore at all times, returning quickly to her side by the assistance of a bungee cable. She was immediately greeted by the smell of burning incense and alcohol; not an unusual mix of smell.

“Hey guys,” she called into the living room, regarding her three roommates, “you’ll never guess what happened today.”

“Did sthomeone die at the cthemetary?” Melanie lisped out, not looking up from the Nintendo Switch playing on the large TV before her. A beer bottle sat next to her on her side table, telling Betty that she was taking a needed relaxation day from work.

“Oh dude, that’d be sick! Do you think you’d get a free spot out there?” Chad chimed in, taking another swig of his own beer. “I totally know where I’m going when I kick it now.”

“I really doubt they’d just give you one, I think your family would still have to buy it,” Virgil shook his head, skeptical, “I say die in a church. That’d be a free ticket to a gravesite.”

“You guys are freaks.” Betty chuckled, rolling her eyes. “But no, you’re all wrong.”

She caught their attention, watching the three lean in to hear her tale of the day.

“Stho, what really happened, Betty?”

“Yeah, you look kinda spooked.”

“Did you see something out there..? Was there a ghost?”

“...Someone robbed my mother’s grave last night. Her body and some of her stuff is missing.” Betty smiled, despite the stress evident on her face. The merriment of her friends completely melted away; Betty’s mother was incredibly important to her, so much so that even Chad’s “yo mama” jokes could land him in the hospital if he wasn’t careful. 

Melanie scoffed in disbelief, “well, I wasth gonna ask if you wanted to play with usth, but… you should probably take it easthy right now.”

“Damn, her whole ass body? That’s fucked up--” Chad began, but Virgil quickly nudged him in case he was gonna say something stupid.

“We’ll be here if you want to talk about it, Betty.” The dark-haired man smiled sheepishly at her. “But Melanie’s right, you should probably just go relax. That’s… a lot to take in, I’m sure.”

“Yeah. Thanks, guys.” Betty nodded slowly, before she slowly made her way to her safe space. Her room down the hall.

---

“Shit,” Melanie whispered as soon as Betty was out of range, “her whole body wasth sthtolen?”

“That’s really fucked up,” Chad winced, “she’s probably wrinkly and dusty and shit. Why the hell would someone take a whole dead body?”

“Unless she’s like, undead and walking the earth?!” Virgil exclaimed, though the other two glared at him. “What? It’s totally possible! She said that some of her personal stuff was missing too, maybe she’s not sure she’s dead!”

“Not helping.” Melanie scolded him.

---

Betty leaned against the door to her bedroom, listening in to their conversation. A quiet sadness lingered here, in her room, for the many nights that the woman had given up to thinking about her mother’s silence on the other side. And now, she stood alone again, wondering what could’ve possibly happened to her entire deceased body. A new sorrow engulfed her.

She slowly sauntered her way into the room itself, pulling back her covers to lay on her bed--

“...Verga. You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

Those were the only words Betty could utter at what she saw beneath her sheets. She dropped the comforter where it was, staring down at the massive amount of graveyard dirt surrounding two objects she hadn’t seen since she was ten years old.

Her mother’s leatherbound journal, and a small lockbox. They were in her bed. They were in her bed, and no one knew why. No one had even known her mother was missing. 

She took a step back, cautious and terrified. She quickly stared at her closet, the door closed. If someone was in here with her…!

Unsure why she was suddenly gripped by fear, Betty felt a twinge of something she’d forgotten. Helplessness. The veteran investigator was never afraid. Never for something relating to spirits, or the unknown. But this… this was personal. Whatever brought them here knew it would hurt her. And for something to know her so well?

That was truly terrifying.

“...Dios le da pan al que no tiene dientes,” she muttered under her breath, stepping towards the closet with a deep sorrow in her heart. The otherworld just exists to mock her, doesn't it?

She grabbed her blessed dagger on her dresser, knuckles white with the grip she had on it. An arm outstretched for the closet door, she swallowed her fear.

The sound of flipping paper paused her in her tracks. When it stopped, she glanced over her shoulder to see the journal open to a specific page. Though still skeptical of the closed closet, she inched back to the book to glance at the entry.

“I’ve left something vastly important in my lockbox. I know someday Betty will need him just as I have, and I have a feeling my time is over. They’re coming for me now. Not even he can save me.” The entry brought tears to Betty’s eyes. What was she talking about? “But he can protect her. He’ll be with her where I cannot. He’s stronger than I am.” 

Betty pulled the necklace from her sweater, the key dangling from it.

“This… this is what you want, isn’t it?” She spoke to the empty air, holding tight to the metal object. “You want me to open this box. Whatever mom thought was important... YOU want it?” 

No response came, but she could feel anticipation in the air. Something was desperate to get into this lockbox, and had been for a long time.

“Why now? Why are you after me now?” She insisted again, “Mother has been dead for years; why now are you coming to me with this!?”

The silence deafened her. She ripped the key from her neck, holding it up tauntingly. She wasn’t going to be bullied by some quiet specter!

“If you want it, come and get it!” She howled, reeling back and dangling it above her open mouth. She dropped it, swallowing it whole in an act of sheer defiance.

It was then that her room began to shake, horrific growling ringing through the once-silent area. Her mirror shattered, her window cracked, her bedframe splintered - the world around her suddenly became dyed red, walls being riddled with violent scratches.

“Qué cabrón,” she scoffed, finding the temper-tantrum amusing, “go ahead and throw a fit, you aren’t getting it back!”

Her words elicited a deeper grumble, her midsection suddenly constricted by an unseen force. She was thrown back against the wall, the harsh thud knocking her breath from her body. Bile threatened to rise into her throat and, with it, the key - but she refused to let it surface. She clamped her mouth shut, swallowing desperately as this hidden demon squeezed her harder and harder. Acid swirled with saliva, words tumbling through her brain. What can she do? What can she do?

Puppeteered by something she could barely fight, she watched her arm jerkily raise that long silver dagger. Her time was running out. Whatever wanted this box open was not afraid of taking drastic measures. 

“Verga,” she coughed out, desperately wriggling against the control of the unholy beast, “let go of me!” 

The shining metal of her blade reached her throat, dancing down towards her clavicle. The demon was to split her open - killing her for this meaningless little key she’s carried for years! It felt so stupid; so pointless of a death! To think she’d spent so long on her own, researching and surviving everything so far, only to die by something that was too afraid to confront her before?!

Her deep blue eyes welled with bitter tears, the futility of it all starting to billow in her chest. Could the others not hear her? Was the demon keeping her quiet? Would they find her bisected body and wonder why? Would they blame themselves?

She croaked, feeling that overwhelming helplessness had arose in her soul once more.

---

“Mama!”

She cried into her sheets, balling them up against her chest in an attempt to hide herself.

Her mother came running, quickly barging into her room, “Niña, what’s wrong? What happened?” She rushed to her daughter’s side, holding tightly to her.

“Mama, I saw a scary man!” Betty despaired, clinging to her just as tight. “He said he’d eat me alive! He said you would die, a-and you wouldn’t be able to stop him!” She wailed.

It didn’t occur to her then, but now she recalled it clearly.

Her mother tightened her grip and steeled her expression, staring into the darkness. She knew exactly what Betty was talking about. Imelda had been running from something this whole time…

“He won’t hurt you, mi amore; he can’t.” She told Betty. “You’re protected. He can’t hurt you.”

She never said anything about her own safety. Even after the funeral, not a month later, did Betty truly realize what that meant for her and her mother.

Something was closing in to kill Imelda Garcia. And it wanted Betty too.

---

“Mama!!!” Betty hadn’t realized the same word in her memory had slipped through her lips, a cry of an innocent girl echoing in the rumble of demonic snarling. It was like a trigger on a loaded gun - a flash of yellow blinded the woman, and the forces on her body dissolved into nothing.

She collapsed to her knees on the floor, the dagger clattering to the hardwood as she scooted herself back into a corner by her nightstand in fear. She held her breath and her legs tight; eyes locked on the room itself.

She felt a chill overtake the room, accompanied by a roar she could only describe as “cat-like” - an invisible battle knocked over her vases and knick-knacks, though she seldom felt concern for them in the moment. 

Black splattered across one of the walls, and a yowl faded into the distance. Something had surrendered… but was it for the better?

“Você está bem, docinho?” A voice rang out gently, the source unknown. Despite the situation, it sounded so… sweet. 

Slowly, she stood up from her hiding place, hands clutching her soured stomach. She swallowed again, wiping spit off her lips.

“I’m fine,” she responded, though hesitantly, “I’m fine.”

With her confirmation, he once again appeared to her. Tall and muscular, the demon she’d come to know finally stood again before her.

“You really pissed somebody off, hm?” He chuckled. 

“Great timing as always, “uncle” Trucidar,” she nudged him, teasing, “I was almost mincemeat.”

“Hey, I thought you said you could handle yourself~”

“Just help me clean this place up, gilipollas. You could've handed me my gun."

"No no, I couldn't! It burns, remember?"

"Oh, right. I guess you weren’t just watching me get my ass kicked."

She picked up her things hesitantly, T's eyes never leaving her form. It was a moment of gentle concern he didn't show to anyone but Betty.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm…" She paused, hovering over the lockbox on her bed. "...Trucidar, do you know what's in this box? Can you see it?"

She handed it to him without worry. She knew Trucidar was trustworthy; and he knew her mom. If anyone would know…

"I've seen this box before." He remarked, turning it over in his hands. The contents rattled. "This is the box she bought at a flea market because she liked the sigils. It was a warding spell for unsavory demons and other meddling energy…" 

"...but what's in it?" Betty pressed, coming closer to him. She put her hands on the box as well, as if she could try and read the energy in it. Unfortunately, she wasn't Melanie.

"If I had to guess…" He glanced up. "...it's her contract with me."

"Her contract…?"

"I just know she wanted it kept safe at all costs. Didn't tell me why." He mused. "That other demon must've been looking to destroy it."

Betty furrowed her brow. Infighting amongst demons over souls was no surprise, especially not among Envy Soulstealers. However, for someone to attempt on a human life just to spite another demon? That was unusual.

"I suppose we'll never know," she sighed, "I don't know if you noticed, but I swallowed the key."

"Oh, I saw. That was so gross, why’d you do that?~" 

The two of them laughed for a while, before Betty stuck the box and journal safely upon her closet shelf. Perhaps one day she'd have the answer…

But for now, her connection to her mother is still sundered and fragmented. The pieces are still too jagged to pick back up yet.