| Canon Story | ||||||||
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| Wednesday's Child | ||||||||
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| Artist | Writer | |||||||
| David Hopkins | David Hopkins | |||||||
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| Short XXVII: The New Mommy | Short XXVIII: Peeping Pink | |||||||
A young woman named Wendy Mostow is having a phone conversation with her mother, who is trying to nag her into having children. She goes to work at a diner, sharing with her co-worker Anna, an aspiring actress, about her mother's latest rant.
After Anna walks her home to her apartment, she gets a knock at her door from two strangers, Bob and Lisa Vorsh. They offer her $2 million if agrees to be surrogate mother for them for a child completely off the record, with additional payments annually. Wendy is skeptical about such a windfall, but the Vorshes promise to pay all expenses and provide a doctor to oversee the process. She reluctantly agrees.
Anna comes to check on Wendy, who's ditched work, telling her she had to cover her shift. Wendy shares the news about the offer and she and Wendy quit their job after making a scene to humiliate their boss. Next they go on a shopping spree, getting a new wardrobe, a car and a new home. Anna makes some playful attempts with Wendy, but Wendy shuts her down, making it clear she's straight.
The next day, Bob startles Wendy by entering the home, asking questions and reminding her of her doctor appointment. He makes several crude remarks and pulls down Wendy's robe, but Lisa enters the home before Bob can go any further, and the Vorshes leave as Wendy vows not to freeze up and let someone take advantage of her in the future.
Outside Lisa catches up with Wendy and lets her know that Bob cheats on her, and that they have an unspoken open relationship. While she's taking Wendy to the office, Bob has caught up with Anna and takes her out for lunch to find out what she knows and see what Wendy has been telling folks.
The doctor is Dr. Thalmus, who is in on their conspiracy. He remains hidden, and administers the injection. Bob sneaks away from Anna for a few minutes to get an update from Lisa, who is currently cheating on him with an unseen Sin.
Some time passes, and Wendy is visibly pregnant. She goes to visit Thalmus, who has to quickly hide as he's a deformed and skeletal looking on Earth. He feigns sensitivity to the light which gets Wendy to turn the lights off. The Vorshes join Wendy on the office while Anna does some research on them at the local library. At the doctor's office, Thalmus reveals that Wendy is pregnant with twins, news that does not sit well with Bob and Lisa.
During her research, Anna finds the cannibalistic history of the Vorsh family and even sees that Bob and Lisa were the last in the family line. At the office meanwhile, Bob is furious and wants to get rid of one of the kids. Wendy is shocked and offers to keep one, and Lisa takes Bob away to deescalate the situation. Alone with Thalmus in his office, Bob and Lisa discuss how having two kids ruins their plans. Lisa tries to compromise and say it just forces them to escalate their plans, and that Kane will need to do his part. Thalmus than pipes in and asks if he can still get the baby. Bob and Lisa are not amused and take their Sin form, killing him.
Wendy decides to drown her sorrows at a local bar, and the bartender notices her mood and decides to start up a conversation with her. Turns out the restaurant is owned by Jatter, last seen in Arc V: Dinner At Arloest's. The bartender, Edmund, strikes up a conversation with Wendy, and after some time talking, she goes home with him. While inside his apartment, a hidden character in a trenchcoat and fedora is outside Wendy's window listening to her conversations where she resolves to keep her kids. Meanwhile, Anna is back at the house and reacts in shock to an article she reads in the newspaper.
When Wendy and Anna meet up the next morning, Anna reveals the Vorshes have been dead for 17 years. Anna is confused about how they could still be alive, but Wendy surmises that Bob and Lisa are imposters impersonating the real Vorshes. When planning to flee, Bob and Lisa suddenly appear and fuse into their combined Sin form. Panicking, Wendy and Anna try to flee the house, but their exit out the back is blocked by the formerly mysterious man in the trenchcoat who's revealed to be Drip. Anna and Wendy attempt to escape upstairs, but Anna is grabbed by Drip and dragged away. Wendy tries one last time to run but she's struck by Kane in his human form.
Kane explains that the babies were conceived with sperm stolen from a local fertility clinic and have no special value, they're just needed to draw Heaven's attention. Brian was dispatched to send a message to Heaven, and as added incentive, Kane orders Drip to molest Wendy. Before he can act, Central appears and decapitates Drip, returning him to Hell. Central has come to rescue Wendy and see if she was carrying a demonic offspring as the forces of Hell let us, but Wendy triees to warn her that it was a trap. It's too late, as she's captured by Bob and Lisa, with Kane pinning her wings to the floor with her own sickles.
Kane leaves with Wendy while Anna and Central are left in Bob and Lisa's custody. The Gluttons on distracted with preparing a meal in order to eat Central, so she asks Anna to deliver a message to folks in the afterlife by sending her "past the point of death." Anna agrees and Central sends her soul beyound the world of the living. Meanwhile, Kane is explaining that his real goal is getting Farrago. He offers her offspring certain incentives if she goes along, but she refuses. Before he can make due on his threats, Jack and Reckonin appear to fight off the sins.
They all have a brutal fight, Jack and the Gluttons fight making up the roof of the house, while Reckonin manages to put his sword through Kane's throat in the house. Wendy and and Anna then tag team on Kane, each taking a turn grabbing the hilt of Reckonin's sword and spinning it until Kane is decapitated. Jack protects Central after Wendy and Anna free her, as her wings are too damaged for her to fly. Lisa, controling the body, swoops in to attack Central but Jack grabs her tail and swings her body around until like an olympic hammer, smasher her head against the house, decapitating her.
To show her gratitude for Jack rescuing her, Central kisses Jack, and he remenders his time with her during his mortal life. Jack remembers and has a bittersweet memory. Central and the rest leave, with Central telling Anna she'll meet a woman named Pepper in the future, and encourages Wendy to stay with Edmund.
Wendy and Anna leave town, having given up the house and money. They make small talk as they discuss their future plans for their lives.
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