A Deadly Dance

Cyndi finally realized why the tryouts for the Salem University Witch-Hunters cheerleaders were always so empty. As the newbie on the squad, she didn’t even get to wear the logo on her uniform until she’d gone through the traditional initiation ritual successfully. The primary part of this ritual occurred during the first game she attended, during the Witch-Hunters’ first kickoff return.

Her squadmates shuffled her over to the end zone even as the game raged on. It was here that she must hang under the goalpost until her team either scored or lost possession. The other cheerleaders slipped the same noose that had been used on every cheerleader before her around her neck, making sure it was good and tight. The rest of the squad all grabbed the free end of the rope, heaving her up into the air, gagging from the moment her feet left the ground.

One of the conditions of passing this test was also that she must be able to hold onto her pompoms during the whole hanging, even with her upper arms strapped behind her back. If she dropped even one, they would tie off the rope and leave her up there for the rest of the game. Cyndi did her best to wave the pompoms around without dropping them, but through her strained eyes she could see that her team wasn’t advancing very quickly at all.

Three fourth down conversions and only forty yards later, Cyndi’s feet were bucking wildly, so much so that one of her sneakers flew off into the end zone. One of her squadmates quickly rushed over to retrieve it, lest one of the players accidentally trip over it if and when they made it in for a touchdown. Cyndi found herself rapidly losing the energy of the initial adrenaline rush, her grip on the pompoms starting to fail…

Artist’s Note: This is the product of a request that was sent my way some time ago. While I occasionally do requests if they sound interesting, please don’t take this as an invitation to flood me with them.