Cycle of hate [Side Story 4 End]

Sheila stood in silence for a few minutes before clenching her fist. "So you became a Desperado just to hunt down Pewler's sycophants?"

Sandy leaned back in her bed and smirked. "Yup. If you have your grandpa show you the records of my battles, you'll see I targeted quite a few notable names."

"I did, but something doesn't make sense, there were reported incidents of certain Misericordia members dying after losing a chess match to their fellow party mates. None of the players were Desperados, so-"

"Sheila, the answer's obvious, ain't it? I just forced both of them into matches."

"But how!? Then the winner would undoubtedly know your face! None of the winners were killed on the same day either, so how!?"

Sandy naturally knew the answer, however, she decided not to tell unless Sheila correctly guessed it. With a frown, Sheila shook her head and sat up.

"It really sounds like you got messed up bad. Sandy, I heard they managed to find a way to seal DESPERs-"

"I was given the drivel, yes. But I refuse."

"WHY!? Pewler's dead, so there's no reason to continue being a DEPER holder!"

"Sheila, you know what poisoning the well is, yes? Well the well has been poisoned for me beyond repair. Pewler may be dead, but are all his supporters? No. Problems don't magically disappear, which is why it's called an endless cycle of hate. I should know, I'm a part of it. I'll never see eye-to-eye with anyone that's a diehard Pewler sycophant. And the more ordinary Misericordia members that support him, the more lives I need to extinguish. Once I'm out of here, I'll just go after any remaining Pewler sycophant, along with anyone that claims he was in the right for all he did, even if they don't know the full truth. Guess it really was a good thing I got locked up. I'm a monster."

Sheila frowned as a tear streaked down her face. "So would you have tried to kill Katie and Mililani, or even me if we never learned the truth.

A single tear streaked down Sandy's face as she affirmed that yes, she would have.

"B- But you said you were cool with us, and said you'd even support Pewler in the election. So how could you say something so heartless that you'd kill us if we never saw eye-to-eye with you, especially since we never even knew a thing about the hell you went through!?

"So lets go back in time then to when Maestro Himitsu's daughter came to New York. If I told you my backstory and Pewler was standing beside you and said my story was a load of bullshit, who's side would you take, his or mine?"

Tears began to pour down Sheila's face as she struggled to find her words.

"You would have berated me as a traitor as would everyone else that supported him."

"OUT OF FEAR!"

"Perhaps, but to me, it would have just meant I had one more enemy to kill. And that's that. Though I will state one last thing. When I you told me you were run out of the party, my bloodlust peaked. But to hear that folks like Katie and Mililani are willing to have your back, makes me happy. I'm sorry. I'm sorry my hatred blinded me. They really were good deep at heart, as were you. Now go. I refuse to speak any further."

Sheila stared for a few seconds before somberly nodding and heading out. "I said I'd quit being an SPCM, but since being one allows me to come here at will, I'm gonna keep being one until you're out, dammit."

Sandy frowned as she curled up on her bed. "I'm sorry, but that's probably going to be for the rest of our lives. A monster like me, doesn't deserve to be free, all things considered."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Sheila burst into tears. Sandy had been the one person who she had felt truly had her back, yet to learn she could have killed her at a moment's notice broke her.  "How can I tell Katie and Mililani any of this? It will only hurt them."

As she made her way to the main lobby, she found Katie sitting there waiting. "I take it, the meeting went bad?"

Sheila tried to hold back her tears and what she had heard, but she couldn't and spilled everything. Katie's face began to contort in rage the more she heard, before she lost her cool and broke off a piece of the table. Sheila shrieked in fear, causing Katie to go pale and snap back to reality.

"My apologies, I lost my temper."

"A- At me?"

"No, not at you, nor Sandy. To think I supported such a monster. He went against every one of my moral codes... Sheila, I apologize once again for my outburst. You may continue."

As soon as Sheila finished telling Katie everything, a somber look overtook Katie's face. "I see. In that case, there's no use trying to convince her to give up her DESPER."

"But if she does, she can become an SPCM again. She'll be free!"

"But she won't be satisfied. In fact, I'd actually praise her for her resolve and fortitude."

"What do you mean?"

"If I went through what she went through, I'd have killed everyone with my bare hands on the spot, and then, I'd be in jail for murder. Maybe even a sheepblossom or Pewler's bitch if the bastard decided to use his DESPER on me. But Sandy, she put up an act, all to make ends meet in the end. And look at how many people she took out. Perhaps not all of them were bad, but when you dive into the cycle of hatred, your perception often gets clouded. My apologies, but could you wait for me? I'm going to speak with Sandy."

...

Sandy smirked as Katie sat before her cell. "So Sheila told you everything?"

"Yeah."

"Mad I might have killed you at a moment's notice?"

"No, but I wish you'd told me. We could have been partners in crime."

"Think I'd risk you believing me, let alone trust you?"

Katie burst into laughter as she leaned back in her chair. "Fair point. Ugh, hey guard, tell Sheila she can leave. I'm gonna be turning myself in here for the night."

"What do you mean by that!?"

Katie somberly smiled as she clutched her trembling fist. "I just told you, the cycle of hatred clouds judgement. If I leave now, I'll get a DESPER myself and finish what you started."

Sandy's eyes widened in horror. "You can't mean-"

"Yes, like you, I'm also a monster. That's why I need to lock myself up for a bit. Otherwise, I'll become just like you. Don't worry, we'll only be prison mates for the night, and I'll stay in separate cell. But since Mililani's at the streamer con, I don't have anyone to comfort and stop me.

"Hold up, are you referring to Streama festivalen?" the guard nervously asked.

"Yeah?"

The guard shifted his eyes as he nervously held up his phone. Katie's eyes widened in horror as she read the headline. "E- Everyone vanished!? Forget what I said! I gotta go find Mililani!" she cried as she bolted.

Sandy stared in shock for a moment before smiling. "Nah, you're not a monster like me. You've actually got a close friend. Me, I got no one."

[Side Story 4 End]