《ALWAYS TOGETHER》


 Arc 1 Prologue

    In the dark ages, a great calamity had taken place in a town that strove to become a breeding ground of blackened violence. It was plagued by a carpet of darkness, a sea of famined people with disgusted, pussed bodies on the verge of eating themselves. Death was at every corner of the town.


    A lone survivor, a man of twenty-five, hair as long as his face, ran through the town scorched by an ocean of darkness. He hovered over it as his face was filled with permanent fear. He ran as fast as he could with a broken arm, crying out tears of black. His face was hidden by a black scar, his eyes exposed and bloodshot.


    Running for his life he came face to face with a wall at the other side of a lake. It was once blue, but now it was a bubbling stream of tar. At a dead end, he panted heavily, trying to regain his breath. His legs gave way and he fell to his knees, giving up on the meaningless efforts of escape. He laughed, his sanity now broken, welcoming death with open arms as it came towards him.


    From behind him a black misty cloud approached, but that didn¡¯t stop his relentless laughing. The cloud consumed everything in darkness with its shadowy smoke trails of death. He laughed his mind out, breaking every inch of his sanity into a trillion pieces. Slamming his head onto the ground, he knew how pathetic he was at that moment.


    Repeatedly, he slammed his head on the ground like the broken fool he¡¯d become, laughing like a maniac and yelling out his misery. He stopped his stupidity, as well as his broken laughter, and a broken grin spread across his face instead. Raising his head off the ground, blood poured out from his gaping self-inflicted wound as he rose to his feet.


    The man turned round to confront the entity who had caused this plague of darkness, not only over his town, but also over the entire world. He lowered his arms and relaxed himself. Blood dripped from his wound and went down his face, covering his eyes. He was about to come face to face with the very thing that had brought forth the world¡¯s destruction.


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    The cloud of smoke came to a stop. He frowned when arms of wretched white came out of the darkness, welcoming him for an embraced reunion. He cried now, crying because of his regretful sorrow. Feeling the guiltiest of them all, he reaches for the snow white arms hanging there and patiently waiting for his welcoming. He grabbed the white hands and it turned into a dark purple from his warm touch. Their fingers intertwined, then those wretched arms wrapped around him, welcoming him back to its life to embrace his love, his warmth. He could feel it¡¯s cold saddened aura emitting off its arms wrapped around his broken bruised warm body.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± it said over and over again with a gentle and sad voice.


    As the embodiment of darkness drifted around them, twirling like a tornado of blackened purple beauty, out came a woman who wore a romantic styled black mourning dress. Her smoky face covered in a hatted hood crept close to his ear, then whispered, ¡°The love of her empty, lonely, sorry life.¡±


    But she didn¡¯t realize he was about to end her meaningful words of love, their reunion, and his own pathetic, manipulative life. Bringing out a dagger of holy stone that was tucked behind his pants, he extended it and then¡­ total darkness.


    ¡°There are those who were blessed the day they were born, living life without remorse, being guided by the path taught to them. But sadly, some aren¡¯t so lucky. These poor souls are cursed the moment they inhale their first breath,¡± she breathed deeply, softly, then let out a sorrowful sigh. ¡°What would you do, if you were one of those tainted souls? You¡¯d probably have to sacrifice everything that you believed in¡­ in order to save your selfishness, or perhaps save someone out of the kindness of your heart. That kindness can sadly bring your life to misery, curse your views, and live with remorse! Was it really worth saving that life? Even if that life were your own flesh and blood?!¡±


    She clenched her hands out from her inner frustrations.


    ¡°Some would have done what I¡¯ve done¡­ but in the end¡­ I paid for those consequences. I may have been a failure, but I promise to protect the one who was chosen to suffer. Even if it means¡­ that more will suffer and succumb to darkness, and eventually meet their demise¡­¡±


    The sky above was unholy blue, and the sound of wind whistled profusely into the dreaded woods of rotting chard trees. Rose petals flew past an abandoned church, showing signs of old age and decay. A woman in a romantic red gothic dress stood in the middle of the church as exposed sunlight came through a broken ceiling, shedding light inside the empty void.


    As she stood in the spotlight, staring at a locked room with her hands collapsed and her head down, she dripped tears of bloodied red and left trails along her pale cheeks. She looked up into the sunlight and opened her arms as she continued to bask in her everlasting sorrow.

 Arc 1 Chapter 1: Love, Comfort, & Unity

    The city of Detroit, a city that once thrived with endless jobs and was known as the car manufacturing capital of the country, was now a barren wasteland of the American Dream that was crushed by corruption and poverty. Even living in the suburbs of the city, one would witness that lost hope. But living there won¡¯t save anyone from all the crime and killings. At any given moment, people¡¯s lives could come to an end, whether it was gang related, family, crossfire, or not even minding their own business.


    Jack was just a little boy who knew very little of the city¡¯s awful nature. The only reason why he knew such horrid things was either through the news or the internet, but even then it seemed as if nobody was doing anything about it.


    Jack always wondered about that: safety. At times, he would ask himself, ¡°Am I safe living in this nice, big, high class home? Am I really?¡±


    The only people who knew that answer were his father and mother. They both grew up in Detroit, but Jack¡¯s father had it the roughest. He grew up poor in the worst neighborhoods, the ones people thought that were typical stereotypes or exaggerations. They are actually true, in reality.


    Jack¡¯s mother, on the other hand, had everything handed to her. She was raised by rich corrupt politicians, and grew up in a neighborhood better than what they lived in now. To normal people these types of high class people were known as the elites, the people above the rich. Funnily enough, they somehow ended up with each other, breaking all stereotypes and going against their parents¡¯ selfish wills, especially Jack¡¯s mother. However, Jack couldn¡¯t understand how or why, but when he would get older, he hoped to understand someday.


    Jack¡¯s dad was a senior manager at a car manufacturing company, while his mom stayed at home to take care of Jack. Jack¡¯s dad made enough money to care for the both of them, but his mom still intended to help him because she felt guilty knowing he worked his butt off to keep the lovely house over their heads. Jack¡¯s mother tried her best to help his father out financially, but when Jack got older, she couldn¡¯t figure out what to do with all the extra time she had, so she decided to write a novel to help out. It definitely helped with something, because Jack helped out by buying her first book with his own allowance.


    It¡¯s almost my 11th birthday, so I¡¯m getting really excited! But to be honest, I couldn¡¯t ask for more. I have everything a kid could ask for; a big home, a huge allowance, and loving parents. I get just about anything I want, well, only if I get good grades of course.


    Though my parents are all that I need, I don¡¯t need toys, a phone, or anything else. Just their presence alone is enough to fill my selfishness! I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without them. They¡¯re my role models, my heroes, but most importantly, they¡¯re my entire existence.


    Jack¡¯s mother usually opened his door early in the morning and made sure to wake him up or else he¡¯d oversleep. With a smile on her face she dragged her hand towards the light switch, preparing to turn it on.


    ¡°Get up, it¡¯s time for school. You¡¯ll be late!¡± his mother said calmly as she switched the lights on.


    Letting out a huge yawn, Jack stretched his arms out as far as he could and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Okay Mom, let me get dressed.¡±


    His mom walked to his bedside and kissed him on the cheek, ¡°Alright sweetheart, and don¡¯t you dare go back to sleep on me. I¡¯ll be making breakfast downstairs as you get ready.¡± She rubs his head, giggles, and then leaves the room.


    Jack groaned a bit, still feeling the effects of fatigue. ¡°I hate school,¡± he quietly mumbled as he rose out of bed.


    Even though Jack knew he was supposed to go to school so he could be successful someday, he felt like it was such a waste of time. Jack wanted to be successful without school, to prove to anyone that you don¡¯t need school, like his father, or other famous celebrities, but they weren¡¯t who Jack looked up to.


    Jack brushed his teeth, put his clothes on, and grabbed his bookbag, then headed downstairs. In the air, there was a sweet aroma of deliciousness. It made Jack drool all over himself, so he headed to the kitchen where his mom was cooking breakfast. The smell of his mother¡¯s home cooking was unbearable. Out of his own excitement, Jack tried to grab a piece of bacon, but she quickly stopped him.


    ¡°Nuh uh, remember to pack your lunch mister.¡±


    Jack sighed. ¡°Okay Mom.¡± He grabbed the bag she prepared for him and before putting it in his bag, he looked inside his lunchbox and saw that she packed him some chips, juice, and his favorite sandwich.


    Jack grabbed it and observed its glory. It had such precision, elegance, the king of all sandwiches! ¡°PB & J?! Thanks Mom!¡±


    Jack ran up to his mom and gave her a big hug. His mother smiled and hugged him too. After releasing her, he packed his lunch, put it in his bag, then sat on the table, waiting for the awesome breakfast to be served.


    Jack loved his mom so much. She was so sweet and amazing, not to mention how much he loved her cooking. She was always there for Jack when he needed her and she always advised him about what¡¯s right or wrong, teaching Jack¡¯s young curious mind on how to avoid certain situations. She would say things like how he shouldn¡¯t talk to strangers, get too close to the bad neighborhood where crime was rampant, or be influenced by delinquents who break the law.


    Jack noticed someone else missing from the table. ¡°Where¡¯s Dad?¡±


    Still cooking and finishing breakfast, his mother replied, ¡°I¡¯m not so sure sweetie.¡±


    Jack sighed deeply. ¡°Oh¡­ okay then.¡±


    Noticing the worry in her son''s voice, she also said, ¡°He¡¯s probably still asleep. He did work pretty late, you know.¡±


    Jack may love his mom, but when it came to the person he looked up to the most, his father took the cake. He was Jack¡¯s Superman! He was extremely brave, talented, and had accomplished so much by becoming successful on his own. Most importantly, he was awesome in Jack¡¯s eyes.


    Mom served Jack¡¯s food, which was that bacon he tried desperately to grab before. However, it was now in front of him and its crispy nature taunted his taste buds.


    I¡¯ll show that piece of meat who¡¯s boss!


    However, it would have to wait for Jack. ¡°I¡¯d rather wait for my Dad so we can all eat together.¡±


    Damn you, yo-you delicious villain! Along with your servants of peppered eggs and toasted bread smeared with glistening butter!


    ¡°Remember, the bus will arrive in twenty minutes,¡± she reminded Jack, who was staring at his food like a begging puppy.


    Having his thoughts disrupted by her words, Jack quickly glanced up at her and slammed his hands on the table. ¡°Twenty minutes?!¡± he shouted in confusion. ¡°I had no idea time went by that quickly!¡±


    Jack shovelled the food into his mouth, destroying that built up temptation. Even though his poor taste buds never had the chance to experience the glory of his mother¡¯s cooking, his mom always reminded him not to eat like a slob. She was right because Jack started choking on his food. As instincts quickly took over, Jack grabbed the glass of water beside his plate and rinsed it down.


    His mom took a seat. ¡°So, doing better in school? Or are your grades getting worse? If that¡¯s the case we can cut your allowance by half.¡±


    ¡°Uh-oh!¡± Jack whispered. He gulped nervously and answered her with a quick lie. ¡°Oh! They¡¯re good¡­ for now.¡±


    She looked at Jack and sighed, knowing he wasn¡¯t a good liar. ¡°Tell me the truth Jack,¡± she said seriously.


    Jack began to sweat a little, but she continued staring at him with what he liked to call the look. It was when she crossed her arms and stared at him with great intensity and a raised eyebrow.


    Jack was about to answer her, but the bus arrived and saved his troubled butt. It honked and distracted Jack¡¯s mother enough to stop their discussion.


    ¡°Well, the bus is here! Talk to you later, Mom!¡± Jack got up from his chair, kissed her on the cheek, and headed to the door.


    ¡°You better behave and pay attention in class, Mister!¡± she shouted at Jack as he left, with her arms crossed over her chest.


    Jack looked back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡±


    She headed towards him and kissed him on the cheek.¡°If you keep lying about your grades I¡¯ll punish you, especially your father.¡±


    Jack quickly gasped and pleaded, ¡°Please! I¡¯ll do better, I promise!¡±


    She laughed and gave him a hug, then made sure his clothes weren¡¯t wrinkled, and that his hair wasn¡¯t a mess.


    Jack opened the door and made his way towards the bus. When he was about to enter the bus his mother reminded him one last time, ¡°Be good at school, okay sweetie? OH! And please pay more attention in class.¡± She waved at him and stood there smiling on the front porch.


    Jack looked back, nervously. ¡°Okay Mom¡­ you know I will!¡± he said sarcastically.


    She gave Jack the look again. He forgot that she could tell when he was being sarcastic. He quickly got on the bus while she continued giving him that look.


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± Jack whispered to himself in fear. ¡°She¡¯s going to kill me!¡± He sat at his favorite seat, rolled down the window, and shouted, ¡°I love you, Mom!¡±


    Her face quickly transformed into happiness. ¡°I love you too son!¡±


    The bus started and was on the way to school. During this time, Jack liked to daydream when he was looking out the window, and it was mostly about being a detective. His dreams were to solve crimes and catch the bad guys. Of course, Jack still needed to go to school to do that, if that was a sacrifice he had to endure, then so be it. BUT! Jack wanted to do it without school and to prove that anyone could accomplish anything without it.


    While looking out the window, Jack always reminded himself how much of a difference there was between his neighborhood and the rest of the city. It kinda saddened Jack that the people in charge wouldn¡¯t do anything to fix the problem. Corruption, childish good for nothing politicians who wouldn¡¯t do a damn thing but cater to their own selfishness, but more importantly, the endless miles of bloodstains on the streets. That was why Jack wanted to be a detective, so he could clean up the streets and get rid of all the bad guys, not only on the streets but those who were also in power too to make the city safer.


    The bus arrived at the private school Jack¡¯s parents enrolled him in. Jack really didn¡¯t know for sure what public schools were like. Maybe it was due to the fact that they knew he¡¯d be safer in a private school than a public one because from what his mother told him, the same illegal activities that took place in the streets had crept their way into schools.


    While getting off the bus, Jack spotted his friends and headed towards them. On the way, Jack bumped into someone by accident. He tried to apologize, but when that person turned around, it was Jack¡¯s frenemy, Danny. Jack didn¡¯t really consider him as a real friend. That was why he prefered to acknowledge him as a frenemy since they treated each other like rivals. Jack didn¡¯t know why, but Danny always got on his nerves and Jack knew he got on his, too.


    He looked dead in Jack¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hey, watch where you¡¯re walking!¡± Danny¡¯s face had a usual I hate the world type of face with baggy eyes and a slightly twitched lip that never stopped twitching.


    Jack responded with a forceful, angry tone. ¡°Maybe if you weren¡¯t in my way, I wouldn¡¯t have bumped into you!¡±


    Danny opened his arms out, seeming like he was ready for a tussle. He gestured at Jack. ¡°You wanna go Jack?¡±


    Jack raised a brow out of confusion and laughed. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to mess around!¡± He started walking away and raised a hand, angering Danny even more. ¡°I¡¯ll see ya later.¡±


    Danny smacked his lips and walked the other way as Jack continued to meet up with his friends like he was originally going to and greet them.


    Finally reaching them, he said, ¡°Hey Sarah! Hey Veronica!¡±


    As Jack greeted them, he felt someone¡¯s arms around his neck and from the feel of it¡­ he assumed it was Annabelle. Jack turned around and he was right. It was her, his dear childhood friend. They¡¯d known each other since they were just babies, mostly from their mom¡¯s being good friends, even though Jack despised her mom.


    Annabelle was really tough for a girl and acted more like a guy. She hated it when Jack told her that, but man was she pretty. A wow type of pretty, a ¡°oh my god¡± pretty. Every time Jack was around her he felt fuzzy inside, but he quickly ignored that feeling when it popped up. Jack enjoyed mocking her about the whole acting like a guy thing the most out of anything.


    However, Jack¡¯s second friend Sarah is a bit mysterious. They¡¯d only known each other for a year. She was very shy and wore weird necklaces with strange symbols, but once Jack got to properly know and talk to her, she was very funny. She could really make someone laugh, especially Jack.


    Jack¡¯s final friend Veronica was his second best friend. They both had a great bond, and they talked all the time, sharing everything, and playing all sorts of fun activities. Most importantly, she was super smart, maybe too smart. He couldn¡¯t even tell what she was saying most of the time, but Jack thought she did it on purpose to make him feel dumb.


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    ¡°Hey Jack! Sorry to surprise you!¡± Anna said, waving at the others. ¡°Hey Sarah! Hey Veronica!¡±


    Jack looked at Anna and greeted her also. ¡°Hey Anna. Oh! That reminds me, please don¡¯t do that again. It feels like someone was trying to choke me!¡± He imitated her action and played dead.


    She giggled and picked Jack back up. ¡°What? I was just trying to be sneaky, or perhaps you want me to choke the life out of you?¡± Anna giggled even more and playfully punched his arm.


    Jack rubbed the spot she punched. ¡°Says the girl who likes to play with balls more than dolls!¡± He smiled, chuckling out of his own childish nature.


    Her face turned red out of embarrassment. ¡°HEY! Why did you say it in such a nasty way? You jerk! So what? I like to play basketball. You don¡¯t have to say it in such a gross way.¡±


    Jack liked messing with her and to see how far he could push her. What angered her more was when Jack called her by her real name. She thought it was too girly. So when he did call her Annabelle instead of Anna, she would usually give him the meanest face. Jack found it cute when she did that, which is why he could get away with it most of the time. Now, if someone else outside their group called her by her real name, someone like Danny¡­ she would probably annihilate that poor soul.


    ¡°Hey Annabelle! What¡¯s the plan for tonight!¡± Jack said sarcastically.


    Anna got furious and punched his arm again, this time in a meaningful way. ¡°You better STOP!¡± she shouted. ¡°It¡¯s ANNA! Not Annabelle, you dummy!¡±


    Veronica and Sarah both looked at each other and laughed at the two as they continued having their petty argument.


    Sarah looked at Veronica. ¡°Um¡­ what are they talking about?¡±


    ¡°They usually do this.¡± Veronica placed a fingertip on her chin and continued to smile at Sarah, who seemed completely emotionless. ¡°Now that I think about it, they¡¯ve always argued, but it¡¯s always nothing serious.¡±


    Sarah looked back at the other two as they continued arguing. ¡°Oh¡­ well I figured that was the case, but isn¡¯t this how couples act?¡±


    Anna overheard Sarah¡¯s statement and was immediately embarrassed. Veronica had a shocked look on her face as well and started muttering words beneath her breath. ¡°Coco-couples!¡±


    ¡°Wh-Wh-Wh-WHAT!¡± both Anna and Veronica said in unison.


    Sarah chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just joking. It¡¯s okay, relax you two.¡±


    Jack, on the other hand, didn¡¯t get the joke so he just shrugged it off. Jack cared about all his friends, even if Annabelle did piss him off sometimes, but he guessed that was what made their friendship special.


    ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m not wrong though. I can see the two of you getting married in the future!¡± Sarah said, then continued chuckling.


    Jack lifted an eyebrow and looked at Anna. ¡°Married¡­ What¡¯s that?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces turned white, almost as if their souls had left their bodies. All three gave Jack the look of someone who was full of hopelessness. Then they all laughed together and for some reason, that really pissed him off.


    The school bell rang, Jack apologized to Anna for teasing her and gave her an ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± playful punch to her shoulder. She smiled and gave him a punch as well. They all said their goodbyes for the day and parted ways.


    While Jack walked to class, he looked up at the sky and thought about how great his life is, but also questioned if it would stay this way? Or would the world choose an unforgivable fate for him? The only person who knew that answer¡­ was God. Jack closed his eyes and thought that if anything could happen in a city like Detroit, then anything could happen, especially the bad things.


    Jack got to class and spotted Danny, who didn¡¯t look too happy. Jack walked to his desk and sat down. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked, but Danny ignored him. Jack just shrugged and quietly chuckled to himself.


    The teacher arrived and immediately began the day¡¯s lesson.  She started writing on the board as the whole class watched. ¡°Okay class! Today we¡¯re learning about nature and the causes of her destructive power.¡±


    Danny leaned towards the desk next to him and whispered to his neighbor, ¡°Only thing destructive here is her breath!¡± They both covered their mouths and quietly chuckled.


    The teacher heard their little joke, so she stopped her lesson and looked at them with eyes filled with annoyance. ¡°What¡¯s so funny Daniel?¡± she asked, slamming the marker on her hand repeatedly.


    Danny started looking nervous. His eyes were erratic while he tried playing it cool. ¡°Oh! Um¡­ Nothing Ms. Mill.¡±


    She gave him a dirty look and went back to teaching, but as soon as she started again, she stopped to look at Danny because he started chuckling again.


    ¡°Okay then, Mr. Daniel! Answer the question I asked during your little comedy show!¡± She slapped her palm on the board loudly, waking up any students who were either half asleep or not paying attention.


    Sweat dripped from Danny¡¯s forehead as he fiddled with his fingers. He couldn¡¯t bear her wretched eyes staring at him. ¡°Uh¡­ Wh-What question?¡±


    He had a distressed look on his face, yet Jack couldn¡¯t help but chuckle too.


    ¡°Looks like someone hasn¡¯t been paying attention! Have they?¡± She then turned her attention to Jack. ¡°Jack! If you think it¡¯s funny too, then what¡¯s this called? And what causes it?¡± she asked, pointing to the diagram on the board.


    Jack looked at the board and easily identified it. ¡°It¡¯s called a tornado, and what causes it is the warm and humid conditions in the lower¡­ sk-sky?¡± He slowly raised his shoulders from his own hesitation.


    She smiled and nodded. ¡°Close enough, but at least you were paying attention, not like some degenerates.¡±


    Danny looked at Jack and gave him a death glare. Jack ignored him and continued his class work, like how he had promised his mother.


    When class ended for the day and it was time to go home, while Jack was packing his belongings, Danny came up to him with his chest puffed out.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re better than me right?¡± he snapped, angrily raising his voice.


    Jack chuckled. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that when we play video games at your place.¡±


    Danny smirked. ¡°Not today, I¡¯m going to visit some relatives out of town. So maybe some other time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay, see ya later then.¡± They both shook hands to set the challenge in stone for another time.


    Danny left with a smirk and the rest of class was beginning to leave also. One by one they got up, leaving the class alongside friends or alone until Jack was the last to leave. The hallways were crowded. Laughter and waves of voices erupted in the air. Leaving the classroom and bumping his way out of these crowded halls, Jack was finally outside. While heading to the bus, Jack spotted Veronica along the way.


    ¡°Hey Jack!¡± Veronica came up and tried to hug him, but she quickly denied herself from doing it.


    ¡°Oh, hey Veronica! How was class today?¡±


    ¡°Really easy as usual. I mean, I am the smartest girl in my grade. I think I deserve to go to middle school with you next year, don¡¯t cha think!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Well, you do help me with my homework sometimes, even though you¡¯re in 4th grade.¡±


    She loved to brag about how smart she was. It annoyed Jack sometimes, but that¡¯s what made her cool in his eyes, not to mention that she was one of his closest friends. Veronica had won spelling bees, math tournaments, as well as chess tournaments, so maybe she was Albert Einstein reincarnated. They both held hands and made their way to the bus lanes.


    ¡°How about you Jack? How was your day?¡± she asked while they swung their hands together.


    ¡°Well¡­ I know the forces of nature now. Also what causes a natural disaster too.¡±


    She giggled. ¡°Oh, that sounds fun. I wish I was in your class. Sounds more fun and normal.¡±


    Jack furrowed his brows and tilted his head. ¡°What? Yours isn¡¯t normal?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Nah! It gets boring really fast. Sometimes I wish I was in your grade. Especially a class we both could¡­ well, um¡­ be together?¡± Her face turned a bit red, then she turned her attention to the sky.


    Jack also stared at the beautiful sky. ¡°I see! I think that would be cool too.¡± She looked back at him and smiled.


    They both got to the bus lanes, and Jack escorted Veronica to her bus like how he usually did. As they were about to get to her bus, Danny came out of nowhere and shouted, ¡°HEY VV!¡± He then noticed their hands were held together and he immediately pushed Jack away.


    With his hands clenched, he raised a fist at Jack. ¡°What the heck do you think you¡¯re doing Jack?!¡±


    ¡°Whoa! Calm down their buddy. No need to get so violent!¡±


    Veronica looked really irritated, and she pushed Danny. ¡°What¡¯s your problem? You know I hate violence! You should apologize to Jack.¡±


    ¡°Not to him,¡± Danny exclaimed as some kids started to gather. He set his sights on Veronica and smiled. ¡°But I will apologize to you.¡±


    After apologizing, Danny left and softly waved to her, however, he stopped for a second to take one last look at Jack and stick his tongue out. Jack didn¡¯t say anything and Danny finally walked off.


    One kid shouted, ¡°Oooo.¡±


    And another said, ¡°Wussy!¡±


    Veronica ignored their behavior and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Jack. I¡¯m not sure what got into him. He¡¯s usually so nice to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jack said, ignoring everyone watching them, and grabbed her hand again. ¡°Forget about these weirdos too, let¡¯s just go back to your bus.¡±


    A couple of kids said, ¡°Who are you calling weirdo?¡± in unison as both Jack and Veronica headed towards her bus.


    Before entering her bus, Veronica still had more to say. ¡°So, what are you doing later, Jack?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m going with my dad to the park today! That¡¯s what he told me yesterday. He¡¯s been busy a lot with work lately but he¡¯s managed to free his schedule today just for me! It¡¯s gonna be fun!¡±


    Veronica looked upset when Jack mentioned his father, but then she smiled a little. ¡°Cool!¡± she said, and stayed silent for a moment. ¡°Wish I could go with my dad or you¡­ but¡­ I gotta study for my test instead.¡±


    Right away, Jack could tell she was a little upset about the thought of him and his dad spending time together, so he tried to cheer her up by patting her arm. ¡°That¡¯s okay. Maybe next time we can go together!¡±


    She blushed and almost seemed like she was about to cry with joy. She hugged him really tight. ¡°REALLY! Just the two of us?¡±


    Jack was rather surprised by the hug, but he didn¡¯t mind. ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    She noticed how she was holding him and freaked out, then let go. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being overly excited. It¡¯s just¡­ that made me feel super happy. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Jack smiled and grabbed her hands. ¡°Yup, it should be super fun! I¡¯ll make sure of it. You are one of my best friends after all.¡±


    She hugged him again and held Jack tightly. ¡°You promise?¡±


    Jack grinned. ¡°I promise!¡±


    Everyone in her bus started making smoochie faces. Jack was left confused by what they meant, but she, on the other hand, turned really red.


    Why is she all red now? Jack wondered.


    ¡°See you tomorrow, Veronica. Have a good rest of your day.¡±


    She nodded with that bright smile of hers. ¡°You too, Jack. Have fun with your dad!¡± Veronica got on her bus and Jack got on his, and at last, it was time to go home.


    When the bus arrived at his home, Jack got off and said goodbye to the driver, then headed towards his front door. Before he went to open the door, he noticed a beautiful rose in one of the bushes. Curious, Jack went to check on it and noticed that it had fully blossomed. It was a beautiful, bright red color. Knowing his mom would love it, Jack grabbed the rose and carried it inside.


    ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± Jack shouted while closing the door behind him. ¡°Hey Mom! Look what I found! A red rose!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the kitchen,¡± Jack¡¯s mom shouted. He could hear the sound of pots clanking and water boiling while she prepared tonight¡¯s dinner. It smelled good.


    Jack put down his backpack and headed to the kitchen. When he walked in¡­ the aroma of her food exploded into his nose. Everything smelled so captivating. So much so that Jack began to drool like a starving hyena. He just couldn¡¯t help it though. Her cooking was amazing!


    Jack¡¯s mom greeted him and stopped chopping vegetables for a moment.


    ¡°Hey sweetie!¡± She kissed him on the cheek and gave her son a welcoming hug, then took the rose from his hand for a closer look. ¡°Oh my! It¡¯s beautiful! Where did you find it?¡±


    A huge smile widened on her face. Jack forgot how much she loved flowers.


    ¡°I found it outside on one of the bushes in the front yard. You know, the one closest to our porch?¡±


    She continued twirling it around, observing its beauty thoroughly. ¡°Is that so? How was your day then?¡±


    ¡°Pretty fun, but at the same time, boring as usual.¡±


    She looked at him with a displeased look on her face. ¡°Remember what I told you earlier today? About your grades my handsome little man!¡± she said in a babyish voice while pinching his cheek.


    She¡¯s right though! As much as I hate to admit it.


    Jack sighed and grabbed her hand. ¡°I know! But I wanna be like Dad. He didn¡¯t have to go to school to be successful.¡±


    ¡°Dad had his reasons to stop going to college, which is far from where you¡¯re at now. You¡¯re too young to have thoughts about dropping out.¡± She grabbed a nearby vase and placed the rose in it.


    Jack didn¡¯t want this topic to slide, he wanted to know more about his dad¡¯s reasons, but knowing his mom, she would probably get more upset. Yet his kid brain couldn¡¯t help itself from being so curious, so he asked, ¡°Mom, why did Dad stop going if schools are really important?¡±


    In saying that, Jack thought that he was saying too much because she began to look upset. ¡°Like I said sweetie, Dad had to go through some tough roads to get where he¡¯s at now, my love. You might think about school differently later down in life, you never know. That¡¯s all you need to know for now.¡±


    Jack felt bad, so he hugged her to make her feel better. ¡°Oh okay, then I¡¯ll stop asking. So where¡¯s Dad? He said he was going to take me to the park today.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom smiled. ¡°He should be back any moment now. Get ready, but do your homework first, okay?¡±


    He grunted and moaned. ¡°Okay Mom, I¡¯ll do my homework.¡±


    Jack was still conflicted about this, he really wanted to know how Dad got to where he was at now, but even someone as young as him could tell she didn¡¯t like talking about his past. Jack thought about asking his dad when he would take him to the park later.


    However, Jack listened to his mother and headed upstairs to his bedroom to do his homework. While sitting at his desk, Jack started doing his homework, but instead of focusing on the task he thought about Veronica¡¯s face turning red from those kids making weird faces. He wondered what those kids meant? He wanted to ask his mom later about it. Maybe she would know the answer.


    After an hour had passed, Jack finally finished his dreaded homework. As he was putting away his homework, he heard a car pull up into the driveway.


    ¡°It¡¯s Dad!!¡± Jack shouted and dashed out the room, making his way down the stairs in a hurry.


    Jack¡¯s dad walked inside and went into the kitchen to greet his mom. ¡°Babe I¡¯m home!¡± he called out, then went up to Jack¡¯s mom and held her from behind.


    Jack arrived too, but decided to stay hidden and overhear their conversation closeby. His curiosity was swelling up and he felt intrigued about the conversation they were about to have.


    She quickly turned round and embraced him. ¡°Welcome home honey! I missed you!¡± She kissed him on the lips.


    Jack¡¯s dad let go of his wife and took a seat at the dining table. ¡°So, how¡¯s my boy doing in school? Did his grades improve?¡±


    She hesitated for a second, then her face quickly changed to someone who was hiding something. Jack¡¯s father had his own look and glared at her with his look.


    She sighed. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ trying his best, somewhat.¡±


    Jack¡¯s dad chuckled and stretched. ¡°At least he¡¯s trying, no need to be so worried. I mean, he¡¯s still in elementary school. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s in highschool yet.¡±


    ¡°So, how was work honey?¡± Jack¡¯s mom asked with a cute smile.


    His dad groaned with frustration. ¡°Tough! I had to lay off more workers. It really broke me.¡± He slammed his fists on the table, startling her. ¡°Damn company! Forcing me to lay off hard working people that need to feed their families!¡±


    Jack¡¯s mother gasped. ¡°That¡¯s terrible! Why would they do something so heartless? What¡¯s worse is the fact they¡¯re forcing you to do their dirty work! How gutless of your superiors!¡± She went to the table and poured him a mug of coffee.


    He sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. Let¡¯s just talk about something else¡­ It¡¯s been a long day and I¡¯m really in no mood to talk about it right now.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom set the mug of coffee aside on the kitchen bench and approached him with her arms crossed. ¡°Are you sure? Holding in too much might be bad for your overworked mind.¡±


    ¡°What matters most is that I get to come home to you guys with a roof over your head, and us being as far away from crime as much as possible.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom walked beside his father and wrapped her arms around him. ¡°You¡¯re right, but aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡±


    Jack¡¯s dad¡¯s face looked rather confused for a moment, then he quickly remembered. ¡°Oh yeah! Son, come down here!¡±


    Since Jack was already there, he chose to stay hidden so he could be a little nosy. ¡°DAD!!¡± Jack shouted with joy and jumped up on him. He got up from his seat and swung him around as they both laughed. His mom laughed along with them.


    He gently poked Jack¡¯s nose. ¡°Hey champ! Ready to go to the park?¡±


    Jack looked up at him and gave him a huge smile. ¡°Oh heck yeah, I am!¡±


    He smiled back and patted Jack¡¯s head. ¡°Alright! Get in the car then. The sooner we get there, the more time we have for excitement.¡±


    As Jack raced towards the front door, his mom quickly stopped him from stepping any further. ¡°Wait right there, young man! Did you do your homework?¡± she questioned with her hands on her hips.


    Feeling her stare, Jack slowly turned around and saw her narrowed eyes and mouth slightly slanted to one side. ¡°I did my homework, Mom!¡±


    She didn¡¯t believe him at first, but she smiled and let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good! Now go enjoy the park with your father!¡±


    Jack ran back to his mom and gave her a hug before heading out. ¡°Will do! Come on Dad, let¡¯s go!¡±


    His dad then looked at him. Just by looking back at him too, Jack could tell he was a bit exhausted, but at the same time, a gleam of excitement was in his eyes.


    ¡°Alright champ, just give me a second. Dad¡¯s gotta change his clothes first, right? Don¡¯t wanna go to the park looking like some douchey businessman.¡±


    Jack took a quick glance at his father¡¯s outfit and chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right, Dad.¡±


    Without waiting for his dad, Jack headed out the front door and hopped inside the car like some reckless toddler. His mom also came outside and packed a bag of goodies for them in the backseat.


    After anxiously waiting for a few minutes, Jack looked out the window and spotted his parents holding each other and¡­ put their lips together.


    ¡°Ew!¡± Jack said loudly. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why people do that. It must be what Moms and Dads do.¡±


    Five minutes later, his dad finally got in and Jack¡¯s mom waved at them as they drove away, shouting goodbye. They both waved back.


    As they headed towards the park, Jack looked out the windshield and noticed they were about to pass Veronica¡¯s house. He gripped his father¡¯s shirt and said, ¡°We¡¯re about to pass my friend¡¯s house!¡±


    While passing by, they saw flashing lights and an ambulance accompanied by police vehicles outside her home. Jack saw hospital workers put someone in the back of the vehicle, and he spotted Veronica as well. Her face was white with fright, stunned with such unmeasurable shock. Her eyes widened with vast emptiness, the look of devastation was apparent.


    I wonder what¡¯s going on?


    His dad slowed down to observe the scene and looked nervous as well for some reason. He began to sweat a little from worry.


    Just what the heck was happening at her place?


    Jack turned his attention back to the scene. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± he asked.


    His dad didn¡¯t answer him for a moment, but shortly after, he said, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure myself.¡± He picked up speed so they could get to the park sooner, which left that worried look of curiosity on his face.


    Jack looked back one last time and saw sadness trickle down Veronica¡¯s broken face. It left him wondering what had happened at her place, but more importantly, why his father chose not to answer his question. Jack wondered why his dad left him hanging like that, to Jack¡¯s young mind it didn¡¯t make much sense, even glancing at his father for a second it undoubtedly made him question more about the situation with his friend. The boy looked forward again, the curiosity on his face dissipated, and a frown overtook it¡¯s place. Jack was left utterly, confused.

 Arc 1 Chapter 2: Nightmare Ensued

    At last, they had finally arrived at the park. Luckily, their temporary worried moods had changed and Jack had pushed the sight of his friend to the back of his mind. The fresh smell of airy life bloomed with happiness and enjoyment. Birds chirped, and every cloud was so white that they looked like giant cotton balls in the blue sky. There were people exercising, children playing, and families enjoying themselves. Not to mention the monument that was the park¡¯s fountain placed in the middle of all this beauty.  It made Jack smile. He couldn¡¯t be happier. He was going to make sure that every last second of the day counted while basking in all this amazing glory of happiness.


    Jack hugged his Dad out of kindness. ¡°Thanks Dad for bringing me!¡±


    His dad smiled back at him. ¡°No problem champ! I did promise you right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah you did! What should we do first?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Well your mother did pack us a bag full of fun goodies. I¡¯ll get them out of the car.¡±


    ¡°Okay Dad!¡±


    Jack¡¯s dad grabbed the bag out from the backseat that Jack¡¯s mom packed for them. While coming back with the bag, he tightened his legs.


    Jack started laughing at how silly his Dad looked and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong Dad?¡±


    ¡°I need to go pee. Stay around the fountain area. I¡¯ll be back soon, okay champ?¡±


    Jack listened and stayed put around the fountain area like he advised him to. His dad headed off to the public restroom but also tried his best to not look like a fool. Jack decided to sit down and look up at the sky. The thought of Veronica¡¯s horrified face popped back into his mind, and that feeling of curiosity came about too.


    What really happened at Veronica¡¯s place?


    Jack started praying again, begging God to never stop watching over him, that way he hoped he would never make the same face she did. Jack knew he just loved his life so much and still worried about his safety¡­ even if he did live in such a nice neighborhood.


    Finishing up his prayer and opening his eyes again, Jack looked around the area to see once again how lovely the place was, but then he spotted Anna. She looked lonely and extremely sad.


    Being the good friend he is, Jack shouted at her, trying to get her attention. ¡°ANNA!¡±


    She noticed someone had shouted her name, but to confirm that it was him, while she glanced around Jack waved so she could spot him. She noticed and quickly ran towards him, then sat next to him but didn¡¯t say a word.


    Anna looked so depressed, so he asked her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She looked at Jack and grabbed his hand, then her eyes started to water. Jack held her hand and caressed her hair with the other. She leaned on him and clinched onto him, too. Feeling her sadness he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.


    ¡°Anna¡­ why the long face? Why are you here all alone? Is everything okay?¡±


    Anna began to slightly whimper. ¡°My fa-family prom-promised us to go to the pa-park together on this sp-ec-ific day, but th-then they suddenly said NO! Because I¡¯ve be-been be-behaving badly and I¡¯m an aw-awful child!¡± She was stuttering so bad that Jack could barely understand what she was saying.


    He wiped her tears with his shirt and poked her nose. ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t cry. I don¡¯t want to see my dear friend be upset on such a beautiful day.¡±


    She sniffled and looked at him, then wiped away any leftover tears. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Being the good friend that Jack was, he wrapped his arm around her again and the two sat there cuddling.


    After some time had passed, her emotions finally simmered down and Jack managed to comfort her enough to the point where she could finally talk normally. ¡°They¡¯ve been treating me this way for two months, they used to love me. But now they despise me¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do Jack!¡±


    Feeling sickened about hearing her parents not loving her anymore, Jack grabbed Anna¡¯s shoulders and looked into her eyes. ¡°HEY!! They¡¯re wrong okay! You¡¯re not a terrible person, Anna. Everything will be okay.¡±


    Jack looked at Anna more than just a best friend. His feelings for her were far greater than that, probably more like a sister¡­ or so he thought. But they¡¯d known each other for so long now. That was why Jack guessed that they shared this type of bond.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only that, it¡¯s my mom¡­ she hates me more than ever! She¡¯s been so mean to me emotionally and¡­¡± She paused for a second and continued. ¡°Like yesterday, I was choking on some food and you know what she said?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°DIE¡­ you¡¯re nothing more than the seed I should have swallowed! Choke on your SINS!¡± Anna broke into tears again. She placed both palms on her face and cried with such emotional pain.


    Jack grabbed both her hands. ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry, so long as there¡¯s someone there to comfort you. And that someone is me.¡±


    She blushed and embraced him. In Jack¡¯s honesty, throughout this entire conversation, his heart was racing the entire time and his face was kinda red too. Jack didn¡¯t understand these feelings though. Instead, he patted her head while she still held onto him.


    ¡°Your mom¡¯s always been so cruel to you. Don¡¯t you ever let her get to you Anna, so long as I¡¯m by your side.¡± They stared into each other¡¯s eyes as the fountain continued shooting water behind them. Light waves of spray came between them. Jack smiled. ¡°I will always protect you. Always.¡±


    Her eyes expanded out of relief and glistened brightly from hearing his words of wisdom.


    As she was about to lean close to him and whisper something, Jack¡¯s dad came back and saw them close to each other. He smiled and laughed. ¡°Hey son! So you finally had the courage to get yourself a girlfriend? I knew you two would eventually come together, even though you¡¯re still young.¡±


    ¡°Girlfriend?¡± He looked at him, tilting his head in confusion. Anna¡¯s face became as red as a tomato, probably because of all that crying Jack presumed. ¡°I mean, she is my friend and she¡¯s a girl.¡±


    Anna sighed, then giggled. She playfully smacked Jack¡¯s head. ¡°You big dummy! That¡¯s not what he meant.¡± She looked at his dad with a huge smile, then got up. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to bring such worry for both of you.¡±


    Jack¡¯s dad patted her shoulder. ¡°No need to worry young Annabelle, you¡¯re like family to us. Don¡¯t assume you¡¯re a hindrance, because you¡¯re not.¡±


    Jack grabbed her hand. ¡°Yeah, my dad¡¯s right! If you need anyone to talk to, or a shoulder to lean on, I¡¯m here for you, okay.¡± Annabelle¡¯s eyes glistened with joy as his words filled her hurt heart and healed it. ¡°I¡¯ll always be here for you.¡±


    Her face brightened up even more as her eyes continued to shine with joy. She giggled and placed her finger onto his lip, then she moved her hand to atop his head and ruffled his hair. ¡°You¡¯re such a big dummy, you know that? No matter how much we fight over the pettiest things, we¡¯ll always be intertwined.¡±


    Jack brushed her hand away and scratched his head. ¡°How nice of you to say when you just called me a dummy and messed up my hair!¡±


    She got up, took a step forward, and waved to the both of them. ¡°Goodbye and thanks for cheering me up.¡±


    As she started walking off, Jack¡¯s dad wanted to make sure she left safely, ¡°Anna, do you want a ride home or something?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I think I¡¯ll be fine since I came here on my own.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, how about I¡¯ll guide you out instead?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come too!¡± Jack said.


    Anna shakes her head, ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll be okay Jack, I don''t want to worry you any further.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure Anna?¡±


    She nods, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you heard her son, you stay put while I make sure Anna¡¯s fine on her way out okay, though I think it¡¯s better we take you by car but, hey, as you say princess.¡±


    Jack did what his dad told him to do, stay put as he watched his dad guide her out of the park.


    Why doesn¡¯t she want us to take her by car¡­ how strange.


    After a minute or two, his dad returned but as soon as Jack was about to say something, he asked, ¡°Why was Annabelle crying?¡±


    Jack guessed his dad noticed because of her eyes being all puffy. ¡°Her family hates her now for some odd reason.¡±


    ¡°Is that all she told you?¡± Jack¡¯s dad asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s all she told me.¡±


    ¡°Well, you make sure to check on her okay. Just to be sure everything stays fine. She¡¯s like a part of our family.¡±


    Jack nodded and smiled. ¡°I promise Dad. I will.¡±


    His dad laughed. ¡°You know, the two of you remind me of your mom and I when we were around your age, maybe a little older. Those were rough times though, especially when she needed someone to talk to, I would always be there for her.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t understand his comparison so he just said, ¡°Is that so? That sounds cool.¡±


    The way Jack replied made it sound like he was being way too sarcastic but his Dad didn¡¯t seem to mind. He shrugged then laughed hysterically at what Jack said.


    Jack was so confused and asked, ¡°What do you really mean?¡±


    However, his dad continued to laugh.


    They both ended up going about their day having the time of their lives. First they played football, then they tested their strengths in a good match of wrestling. They also tested each other''s speed in an exhausting game with a foot race, and lastly they both finished with Jack¡¯s favorite event: Catch the candy snatcher! Jack was playing the role of famous detective Mr. Trench Coat, and it was his job to catch the world famous candy snatcher. It was so much fun for them both.


    As the day came to an end, both father and son looked up at the sky again to think of all that had happened, especially what happened at Veronica¡¯s house but more importantly, the messed up situation with Anna. All the thinking about Veronica and Anna made Jack come to the conclusion to ask Anna tomorrow about the thing that made her entire family hate her all of a sudden. Then he¡¯d ask Veronica about her situation.


    Jack poked his father¡¯s back. ¡°Dad.¡±


    He turned around with a smile still on his face. ¡°Yes champ?¡±


    Jack took a huge deep breath and gave himself the courage to ask about his growing curiosity from earlier. ¡°Why did you leave college?¡±


    His dad¡¯s smile faded, then he became quiet and mysterious-like. He shook his head and said, ¡°Get in the car. I¡¯ll answer your question on the way home.¡±


    Jack¡¯s smile faded. He didn¡¯t like that response. In fact, he felt guilty now that he¡¯d asked him. He hopped into the car and so did his dad. They left the park, but his father still seemed upset. After a small silent trip back home, his dad finally sighed deeply and turned to Jack after they parked in their driveway.


    ¡°Well, I dropped out of school, mostly to take care of my mom who was incredibly ill at the time. I also took care of your mom while she was pregnant,¡± he said, gently patting his head. ¡°With you.¡±


    Jack was surprised that his dad actually answered him. The silent trip back home must¡¯ve given him enough time to think it through.


    ¡°How old were you and Mom?¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    His dad chuckled. ¡°We were barely on the brink of adulthood when all these events happened. I started working at the manufacturing plant where I¡¯m at now, as a janitor to make some money, but eventually, I began climbing those mountains of that factory to be in the current position I have. I say it turned out pretty well for all of us in the end.¡±


    Jack¡¯s smile returned. ¡°Awesome! But, I have a Grandma?!¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°You still do! But it¡¯s your mom¡¯s Mom.¡±


    Jack tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What happened to your Mom, Dad?¡±


    Jack¡¯s dad expressed half a grin. He couldn¡¯t help himself but get a bit teary eyed. ¡°Well¡­ she went somewhere special.¡±


    Jack was eager to hear his father¡¯s answer. His eyebrows raised. ¡°Oh! Where did she go?¡±


    He chuckled nervously. ¡°Well¡­ She went to heaven and became an angel with wings, then flew into the sky.¡±


    Jack pumped his fists with excitement. ¡°Awesome! Will you and Mom become angels too!!¡±


    He smiled again. ¡°Yes son, you too will become an angel.¡±


    Jack started getting rousey with excitement, but seeing how positive he was made his dad feel a little better. Jack jumped over the car seat and hugged his Dad. ¡°I love you Dad!¡±


    He held Jack and continued holding back his tears. ¡°I love you too son.¡±


    After brightening up their moods, they finally got out and headed inside, but Jack stopped his dad for a second. ¡°Dad¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡±


    He turned around and hugged him again. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay! Don¡¯t feel bad son, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay Dad!¡±


    They went inside to where Jack¡¯s mom was watching her favorite show. She noticed them and then greeted the two with hugs and kisses.


    ¡°Hey there my handsome men!¡± she said, pinching Jack¡¯s cheek.


    Jack¡¯s dad hugged her, then they did that thing with their lips. Jack didn¡¯t know what that was all about again, but to Jack it seemed so freaking gross.


    Jack¡¯s mom noticed his dad¡¯s forced smile. ¡°Hey honey, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Oh nothing. Just tired, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom crossed her arms. ¡°Hmmm. Jack, why don¡¯t you go and brush your teeth, take a shower, and go to bed.¡±


    Jack listened to her command immediately, not wanting to get on her bad side anymore. ¡°Okay Mom! Will do!¡±


    He headed upstairs and went inside his bathroom. He brushed his teeth, showered, then put on his pajamas. While doing all that, Jack could hear his parents discussing something downstairs, which made him curious, so he stepped out of his room and walked close to the edge of the guard rail to see and hear their conversation.


    Jack¡¯s mom said in a loud voice, ¡°Babe, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    His father sighed. ¡°He asked why I dropped out of college.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± She sounded surprised to hear that. ¡°What did you tell him?¡±


    ¡°Almost everything to be honest.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom moved closer to his dad. ¡°He¡¯s too young to understand! You know that? What did you tell him? It couldn¡¯t have been everything right?¡±


    His dad chuckled. ¡°I took care of Mommy and his mom too!¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°No! I-I told him Grandma became an angel and¡­ ha-had to go.¡± Jack¡¯s father began to quietly cry.


    ¡°Oh honey. That was so sweet, but I know how you¡¯re still hurting about your mother.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but Mom was always wise and told me to never look back, to always look ahead into the future, never the past.¡±


    ¡°I know that you still miss her but she¡¯s right. It¡¯s okay to be sad. At least he now understands¡­ maybe a little I suppose?¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom kissed his dad on the lips. ¡°Yeah I guess so. Let¡¯s go to bed.¡±


    Without them noticing, they were oblivious that Jack overheard their conversation a tiny bit by sticking his head through the edge of the guardrail. Mistakenly he sneezed, which made them both look up and noticed their son peeking. They both stared up at Jack.


    ¡°Ugh, goodnight,¡± Jack replied with a wave and immediately ran back into his room.


    They both rushed upstairs and rushed in, attacking their son with hugs and kisses. Jack¡¯s dad laid him on his bed and wished his son a goodnight¡¯s sleep. He left the room and Jack¡¯s mom stayed behind to make sure he didn¡¯t stay awake. Since it was just the both of them, Jack wanted to ask her all the confusing questions he wanted answers to.


    Jack fiddled with his fingers. ¡°Mom¡­ when Veronica and I were hugging while standing in front of her bus¡­ the kids made smoochie faces, then her face turned all red. What were they imitating?¡±


    Already figuring out her son¡¯s situation, Jack¡¯s mom started to giggle and turned red herself. ¡°Oh, how cute. Does my little handsome man have a crush on his bestie?¡±


    She patted his head and hearing how his mom said it kinda annoyed him. He brushed her hand away, kindly of course. ¡°Huh? Crush? I don¡¯t understand, what does that mean Mom! I¡¯m confused. Can you please explain Mom, please?¡±


    His mom then looked confused herself, giving her son that same look of hopelessness like his friends did. ¡°Wow! I guess Dad hasn¡¯t given you the talk. He¡¯ll explain it in more detail about it than what I would. I think you¡¯re just gonna have to wait till he tells you first, okay sweetie?¡±


    Jack grunted out of frustration. ¡°Talk? I¡¯m so confused, but I guess I¡¯ll wait. Thanks anyways Mom.¡±


    She smiled and kissed him on the head before leaving. ¡°Goodnight, sweet dreams.¡± She turned off his lights and closed the door behind her.


    Jack was more curious about what she meant. It conflicted with his inner feelings. Jack couldn¡¯t wait to ask his Dad what she meant. He loved learning new things, so Jack decided that he would ask his dad about it in the morning. He slowly closed his eyes, then began to sleep soundly and dreamed of his usual future.


    As the misty night dwelled through the premise of Jack¡¯s room, the beginning of the night was normal, but as it coursed through its second phase¡­ A daunting, faint giggle disrupted his deep slumber, brushing it against his eardrums and pierced into his dreams, almost as if it were real. Yet¡­ for some odd reason, Jack couldn¡¯t wake up to this abnormal giggle that seemingly belonged to a little girl. Though his sleep was strong, he was completely aware of those laughters of innocence. At first he thought he was just hearing things inside his dreams, but it sounded way too real. The way it brushed against his ear drums, and the innocence that reflected off its melody, was haunting.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I?¡± Jack tumbled around his bed as those laughters grew. ¡°Wake up¡­ wha-what¡¯s going¡­!¡±


    It grew and grew, and finally he awoke from his slumber, rising up out of surprise and gasping for air. His face felt hot, and sweat dripped down his shocked face.


    Regaining his breath and realizing he was fully awake, he looked around the midst of darkness inside his room, and noticed it was really late into the night. Sitting there with his blanket still covering his legs, the only thing he could hear was that of his ticking clock and mild soft breathing. But then, that ambience of utter silence was interrupted by a couple of caws and slight screeches outside his window.


    Jack got out of his bed to investigate such a weird occurrence and looked out the window. When he did, there they were, a couple of crows gazing at a huge tree on the other side of the street in front of his home. But they weren¡¯t the only ones, there were also some on a street lamp, too. They were really hard to spot because their feathers blended with the darkness of night. This confused Jack though.


    Why on earth would they be here at this time? And more importantly¡­ Why are they here in this area to begin with?!


    Jack didn¡¯t like this, at first it was the random giggling, then not being able to wake up immediately to react to such a noise as this. He couldn¡¯t comprehend what was going on, so he scratched his head out of frustration.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t normal. Birds like them don¡¯t usually show¡­¡±


    Something strange happened to those birds of death that were eyeing his home. Their eyes slowly started to glow brighter and brighter.


    ¡°Hold on a second! Wha-What¡¯s the meaning of this! Th-Their eyes!¡±


    Such a strange sight made him back away from the window out of fright, but as soon as he did¡­ the giggles returned to torment his ears.


    The laughter was much louder than before, but was growing less innocent by the second. From where he stood, Jack looked in circles while those giggles continued, which drove him crazy and were scaring him.


    To find out where the ominous sound was coming from, he decided to investigate it fully and quietly walked out into the hallway. His house was eerily dark and it felt empty with the silence bringing white noise that would normally drive someone insane.


    The giggling continued, then as Jack stepped forward, it transitioned into sobbing. Goosebumps slowly rose from his arms, as the sense of fear building up inside Jack couldn¡¯t be more evident than the frightened look in his eyes. He stood there, shaken with fear, but he clenched his fists and made his way towards the agonized cries. By the sounds of it, he knew it was coming from his parent¡¯s room.


    Realizing where the source of this horror was coming from made his breathing heavy and frantic. He started to tense up as he took his time approaching his parent¡¯s door in the dark. He was inches away from grabbing that door knob and twisting it, but he halted because the sobbing got louder. He hesitated to open the door when he heard the muffled sobs of saddened loneliness, but as soon as he was about to try and grab the door knob, he felt something thick, wet, and cold on his feet.


    As he glimpsed down to figure out what it was, he gasped and retreated. ¡°Mo¡­ Da¡­!¡±


    What Jack saw coming out below the door left him in so much shock that he couldn¡¯t finish his words. It was a black liquid of some sort that appeared disgusting and looked like tar. His jaw dropped, bouncing erratically from this sudden shock that left him paralyzed in fear, but It wasn¡¯t time to chicken out since the stuff was coming out of his parent¡¯s room. He closed his eyes, stepped onto the pile of thick black, and grabbed the knob, then opened the door.


    When he walked in and opened his eyes, the first thing Jack assumed was that his parents would be asleep in their bed, but it was not that. Instead, his parents weren¡¯t there at all.


    No¡­ There was someone in the corner in an eternal void of complete whiteness, with their head buried between their knees and hugging themselves for dear life.


    Jack couldn¡¯t comprehend anything that was happening, yet he was completely at a loss for words. He stared at the person clutching their head between their knees and crying softly, but as he stared more, he realized that it was a little girl sobbing. She had black hair as dark as the night sky that hung over them. Jack swallowed out his nervousness, along with his ever-growing fear, and prepared himself to confront the stranger.


    He slowly walked towards her from behind, closing the distance between them. He wondered if this was all just a dream, so he stopped for a moment to punch himself in the face to answer his question. And when he did, nothing changed.


    ¡°No¡­ no, it-it can¡¯t be¡­ real?¡± he said quietly as a small stream of blood flowed out from his bottom lip. To bring the madness to a stop, he decided to talk to the sorrowful girl.


    She stopped sobbing, then slowly lifted her head out of her knees and whispered, ¡°Who-Who are you?¡±


    The moment Jack heard her soothing voice, his heart beat abnormally fast. He wondered why it was pumping so profusely, But figured it might be because of her gentle response or from her soothing voice. It couldn¡¯t be out of fear. He just knew it. What he felt was a different feeling he¡¯d never had before.


    Jack clenched his hands and took a deep breath to relieve himself of the insanity. ¡°Umm¡­ my name¡¯s, ughh¡­ Jack.¡±


    When he revealed his name, she gasped quietly. It was a little creepy, enough for Jack to take a step back. He thought it was cowardly to do such a thing to a person in need of help, whether it was a dream or something else, but it didn¡¯t matter. What mattered now was that the girl was in pain and he wanted to help her, so he approached her even more, to the point of extending a hand out to her, while wondering why he was doing this to someone he didn¡¯t even know.


    She slowly turned to reach his hand as well, almost like she knew he was going to do such a thing.


    When her hand was just mere inches towards Jack¡¯s, she stopped and began to chuckle a bit. Standing there out of his own confusion, for some odd reason, just hearing her chuckle was¡­ aggravating for Jack.


    These chuckles sounded so familiar to him even though he¡¯d never met this person. He wondered why it was making his blood boil.


    Just when Jack was about to say something to escalate the situation into something dire, out of nowhere the whole room went dark, turning into an old wooden-like room that resembled something from the dark ages with a coffin set in the corner. She sprung right up and started to laugh maniacally, while tilting her head.


    The room turned black and white, erasing all colors from reality and then transformed back into his parent¡¯s room. As he looked everywhere, trying to figure out the bizarre event that was occurring, there was black splattered everywhere, giving him the assumption of a bloody massacre.


    The little girl tried to hug him as he was oblivious. Jack was looking around frantically while she reached towards him, hovering closer like a cloud of misty darkness. She was just in arms reach until she stopped, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t hug him. Something made her stop unknowingly in her place. Upon looking back at her, her arms were about to reach for his face, which was close enough to startle him. So much so that he panicked and stormed out of the room.


    The girl¡¯s arms quivered out of sadness. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me¡­!¡± she said beneath her breath. ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± Then she screamed horrifically as if she were being murdered.


    Jack tripped on his way back to his room, scrambling to get away as fast as he could. He heard that cry and heard her screaming bloody murder.


    ¡°Come back to me!¡±


    Jack paused momentarily and turned back to the scream. He shook his head and tried running again, but the floor started to get slippery and he fell on his butt.


    ¡°Jack!¡± she yelled out, making him gasp loudly in surprise.


    The floor disappeared afterwards, causing Jack to fall into a pit of darkness, making him scream from the top of his lungs out of pure terror.


    While Jack screamed, falling into this eternal darkness, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that this was all too real. Knowing that this might not be a dream brought out tears. He called out for his parents as he fell into the pit of darkened hell and even though he was falling, which seemed like an eternity, he could see glimpses of light in his fuzzy plain view. Suddenly, upon hearing her last scream and alongside his, he stopped falling.


    Somehow, Jack was on a flat surface. Just a moment ago, he was falling and crying out in horror, but now he appeared to be lying on some hard surface as if nothing had happened.


    Jack wiped his face with a forearm. As he got up, he scanned the depth of black around him, but it was just too dark. He looked above and saw a tiny light that was still bright.


    For some odd reason it was calling out to him, so he tried reaching for it, but he was stopped by some unknown entity. It felt as if some cold smoke had gotten a hold of his wrist.


    Jack looked before him and spotted a giant glowing rose. He managed to break free from whatever was grabbing him from the shadows and he walked up to the rose, observing its unknown beauty. As Jack examined this phenomenon, the petals began to blossom to reveal something terrifying. It was all his friends and family with thorn-like nooses around their necks as they hung from the petals themselves.


    ¡°WHY?!¡± he screamed, clutching his head, then dropping to his knees. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is this happening!¡±


    His eyes filled with watered terror, and all the people who he loved deeply were being swung around like empty corpses. He screamed his lungs out into the endless void of darkness. Jack had enough. He wanted all this to come to an end, but as he cried, his eyes began hurting as well. He quickly wiped them, and the moment he looked at his hands¡­ black liquid was on them.


    ¡°Stop! Make it stop!¡±


    The minute he glanced back at that rose, it began to die. His loved ones melted off of the thorn nooses like black goo, splashing the last remnants of their existence all over the ground. And as that plant was coming to its shortened end, the moment he looked above, there she was, that girl from earlier. She stood on top of the rose and was the cause of its demise. She had destroyed the rose by simply touching it.


    She looked at him and said with that incredibly gentle voice, ¡°I-I finally found you, again¡­ at last!¡± Her head tilted to the side. She began to hug herself, terrifying Jack even more.


    He tried looking at her face, but he noticed from beneath all that sea of hair, she had no face. This was all too much for him to bear, so much so it gave him the courage to stand back on his feet. But when he did, she leaped off the rose and tried lunging at Jack with such horror. He screamed again and quickly dodged her horrific hug of death, running away from her as fast as he could. He didn¡¯t care where he was going, he just wanted to get away from her, but his chest felt heavy. And with such a heavy feeling in his chest, it made it difficult to run.


    From his intense panting, with sweat dripping off his face, he just couldn¡¯t stop running, and if he did¡­ who knew what would happen to him if she got a hold of him with those lifeless hands of white. Sadly, he was quickly growing tired, but for some odd reason, his feet felt as if he were in a pit of tar.


    He looked down and noticed he was stuck. He broke down crying, this time having a mental breakdown. He repeatedly said to himself, ¡°Make it stop! Make it stop!!¡±


    Simultaneously, those girls¡¯ giggles of wickedness approached him as he said the phrase over and over again. He begged God to make everything stop, then begged for his parents to come and save him, hoping that the madness would come to an end.


    After continuous seconds of tortured innocence, he stopped his pathetic nature and looked back and saw the girl running towards him, violently twitching on all fours.


    Jack dropped to his knees and cowardly covered his head with a broken smile, chuckling out in madness. When all hope seemed lost, Jack felt a violent shaking sensation. He didn¡¯t know what it was but it got more intense. Chuckling away his madness, he finally realized he didn¡¯t hear the girl anymore. He shakingly got up and turned around to spot her arms extending towards him as smoky tentacles. He could feel her presence closing in and his heart felt even heavier from sheer utter fear.


    As soon as she got near his face, she stopped then slowly dropped her arms and cried. She said, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry,¡± and dropped to her knees, crying from her own remorse.


    Just when he felt things were finally calming down, Jack could feel himself slowly sinking into something. He looked down at his feet and saw he was sinking into a pool of black. He was sinking faster than a ship, but now it was to the point he could barely see anything. His vision began to blur as darkness slowly started to overpower his vision. Her cries, her muffled cries, were the last thing he heard as the eeriness of silence succumbed to his ears.


    Jack became submerged and could hardly breath, an endless black void was the only thing he could see. All that ran through his mind was the future, his friends, and¡­ his¡­ parent¡¯s voices?


    Mom? Dad? Where are you¡­? Where were you?!


    He only heard his own overbearing, painful echoes of desperation.


    All of a sudden, his eyes burst wide open. Jack quickly sat up and screamed while gasping for air. His mom and dad were there in front of him and looked at Jack with distraught faces, almost like they¡¯d witnessed something terrifying while he continued catching his breath and kept coughing excessively.


    Jack¡¯s eyes were still blurry from all the crying. He rubbed his eyes, blinked rapidly a couple times and looked at his parents with his vision regaining clarity. They kept muttering to him that ¡°It¡¯s just a dream.¡±


    His mom held him, trying to calm him down. ¡°It¡¯s okay son, it¡¯s okay. It was just a dream. Shh, shh.¡± Her soft shushes were calming Jack down. ¡°We¡¯re here now, don¡¯t worry!¡±


    His dad rushed to his bathroom to grab a wet towel. Meanwhile his mom looked at his horrified face. ¡°Oh baby, look at how white you look! You must¡¯ve dreamt of something terrible!¡± She kissed him on his head and laid him back down while placing a hand over his forehead. ¡°Oh God¡­ you¡¯re burning up as well!¡±


    Jack was still in shock. So all of that was just a dream¡­ but it felt so real! Yet, for some odd reason¡­ I can¡¯t remember most of it? Just what the hell was all that? The only thing I remember was the girl, but that¡¯s about it. Jack had finally controlled his breathing enough to communicate.


    Jack¡¯s dad came back with that wet towel, just in time for him to hear Jack explain himself. ¡°I was just dreaming about getting robbed. It¡¯s nothing really.¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem too convinced. ¡°You were screaming for a good two minutes straight, shouting for our names,¡± said his mom, looking concerned. ¡°You also mentioned something about a girl for some odd reason.¡±


    Even though they said that, Jack couldn''t remember. To bring his parents worry down, he lightened the mood by showing them that he was fine. He brings out a forced smile, relaxing his nerves, and stopping his shaking. Both held him.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably all that sugar you¡¯ve had,¡± his dad said.


    Jack faintly chuckled. ¡°Maybe it was, but I doubt it guys.¡± He grabbed the wet towel from his dad, placed it on his head, then laid back down and sighed deeply. ¡°Thank you Mom and Dad¡­ you¡¯re the best.¡±


    They both sighed. To make sure their son went back to sleep without any issues, they suggested that one of them should watch over Jack for a couple of minutes to ensure that he was actually okay. Hearing that, Jack immediately pretended to fall asleep and yawned to play off his fake act so they could rest themselves.


    Both of his parents took the bait and kissed him on his cheek, prayed, and wished him a proper goodnight sleep. They left his room, and all became quiet again.


    As darkness overtook his room again, Jack opened his eyes and stared off into space. ¡°Just what the heck was that dream though? More importantly, who was that girl? Why did it feel so real? Was it all an illusion or was it really a nightmare?¡±


    Having his curiosity bother him, Jack hated that he couldn¡¯t remember most of it. He wanted to just forget about it and go back to sleep.

 Arc 1 Chapter 3: Not The Same

    The morning had come and Jack still felt exhausted. That crazy dream really messed him up. Not to mention that his sleep was practically nonexistent because of how worried he was about experiencing the same dream. It was such an awful way to start the day, but not only that, a migraine has welcomed itself to make everything so much worse.


    Jack decided to get up out of bed and walk inside his bathroom to wash his face. When he looked into the mirror, he exclaimed, ¡°Wow! I look terrible!¡±


    His eyes were as saggy as plastic bags; a burden of exhaustion was written all over his face. Jack sighed as he walked out, feeling all zombie-like. He put his clothes on and got ready for school. Still trying to remember the rest of the previous night¡¯s dream, Jack realized he couldn¡¯t. The only thing he could remember was the girl sobbing in the corner¡­ and the fact that she didn¡¯t have a face, which was so surreal to him.


    As Jack closed his bedroom door his head began to hurt. ¡°Argh! Why now, it¡¯s probably because of last night. I should just forget about it all. I have to do things like normal and stay relaxed. Maybe seeing my friends will make me feel better? Stupid headache.¡±


    Jack headed downstairs where his mom was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. Normally he would be lured in by her cooking aromas, being excited about what she has cooked up for everyone and having a face full of happiness¡­ but not today. Today, he couldn¡¯t feel that. Instead, he couldn¡¯t smell anything, let alone have a clear mind.


    She hugged Jack and asked, ¡°Did you have any more nightmares?¡±


    Even though his head was pulsing, he didn¡¯t want to worry his mom anymore so he hid the fact that he was experiencing a headache. ¡°I slept fine, especially knowing that you and Dad were looking after me.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Remember, you need to pack your lunch before the bus arrives.¡± She continued cooking, although she still seemed worried about her son¡¯s well-being.


    As Jack packed his lunch he glanced at the rose he had picked up yesterday. He noticed that it was dead. Why did it die¡­ I barely had it picked for a day though? Mom had placed it in a glass vase with water, which should have been enough for it to live longer. That¡¯s really strange how a plant would die overnight.


    ¡°The bus has arrived!¡± his mom shouted.


    Jack packed his things, then said farewell to his mom as he headed out the front door. When he got on the bus, he stopped momentarily because the migraine shot up, enough to almost make him pass out. Jack got in and all the voices of every kid distorted his hearing, to the point all he heard was ringing. All their high pitched muffled voices before helped the migraine grow even stronger¡­ The pain was unbearable for him, even walking through the aisle seemed like an eternity. A sea of fog swept before Jack in the moment he blinked. The intense throbbing in his mind was almost enough for him to collapse again, but he managed to walk it through to his seat and sat down.


    As the bus headed towards school, Jack glanced out the window to see the usual broken part of Detroit. An area filled with homelessness, rotting homes, poor infrastructure, and graffiti was everywhere. But most of all, the bloodstained streets had a murderer guarding every corner who belonged to the gangs that ruled over the city streets.


    As the bus came to a stop Jack spotted the park that no one went to. It was a park filled with cracked sidewalks, the playground equipment was rusted out and falling apart, trees that resemble anorexic people, and bloodstains across the ground. The only reason why no kid wanted to play there was due to all the crimes and kidnappings. The type where drug deals, rapes, shootouts, stone cold murders, was common. Even a kid would be involved in the crime itself or get caught in the crossfire.


    Jack stared at the park with a look of sadness, knowing that no one would ever play in it, well not in his lifetime. As he was about to take a mini nap to sleep off his wretched migraine, he took one last glance and spotted a little girl wearing a black robe, standing in the middle of the dead park next to all the broken infrastructure, mysteriously from out of nowhere. Her skin was pale as snow and her hair was black with a tint of midnight purple.


    For some odd reason, she looked up and stared directly into his direction. Jack¡¯s heart started pounding faster and his face started to sweat a bit. As the wind blew, it swept her hair away from her face.


    ¡°Sh-She¡­ has no face! It¡¯s the girl from my dream!¡± Jack shouted, spooking every kid in the bus.


    Jack began panicking and started screaming ¡°NO!¡± over and over again. The bus driver got out of his seat and walked over to him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, boy?¡±


    Jack kept stuttering and couldn¡¯t complete his words because he was so frightened. After calming down a bit, he explained there was a girl with no face. Everybody in the bus looked at him like he was crazy. Jack swore he wasn¡¯t lying, pointing out the window to convince everybody there was someone there, but to his surprise, no one was there.


    The bus driver became agitated. ¡°You¡¯re just imagining things, kid.¡±


    ¡°I swear there was someone there,¡± Jack exclaimed.


    The bus driver shook his head, then continued to head to the front of the bus while everyone looked at Jack a little longer. After some time, they turned around and ignored him.


    ¡°I really need to stop thinking about it or else it¡¯ll affect my day.¡± Jack closed his eyes to take a short nap before arriving at school, hoping it would calm him down.


    When the bus finally arrived, his migraine got worse. Jack assumed that all he might need was a drink of water or something to ease the pressure.


    While walking out of the bus and into the lane, Jack spotted Veronica and headed towards her. He tried to say hi to her but she seemed really upset, so he tried cheering her up by expressing a fake smile to hide his pain.


    ¡°Hey Veronica! How was your day yesterday?¡± Jack asked.


    She didn¡¯t respond. Instead, she ignored him and started walking away.


    ¡°Hello? Are you okay?¡± he shouted as he followed her. ¡°Can you answer me! What¡¯s wrong?!¡±


    Veronica stopped and looked back at him with an angry look, although her eyes said something else, because she was on the brink of tears. Jack asked again, ¡°Are you okay? Do you need someone to talk to?¡±


    She kept staring without saying a single word, then she slowly walked towards him and pushed him. Her eyes streamed with tears. ¡°Leave me alone! I don¡¯t wanna talk to anyone!¡±


    What¡¯s her problem? I tried to ask her if she¡¯s alright but she decided to make things worse by pushing me more, forcing me to go away?! Jack thought.


    He got a little annoyed and asked her one last time, ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need anyone to talk to? I¡¯m your best friend, you know?¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± she shouted angrily.


    Jack clenched his fists out of frustration. ¡°What the hell¡¯s your problem?! I just wanted to ask what¡¯s wrong and you wanna scream at me for no reason! Not only that but you want to push me afterwards?! Well, sorry for trying to cheer you up, I¡¯ll just leave you be!¡±


    Her eyes kept leaking sadness and looked very puffy. Jack was about to walk away but they started getting people¡¯s attention. There was already a small crowd around them.


    Veronica, who now seemed filled with guilt, quickly caught up and grabbed his arm. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­¡±


    ¡°Then why did you scream if you didn¡¯t mean too? Screw that! I tried helping, and now you wanna be sorry?!¡± he shouted at her with a frustrated tone.


    As Jack began to raise his voice, he felt his eyes starting to burn. Veronica noticed something was wrong with them too.


    ¡°Whatever! I¡¯m leaving,¡± Jack said aloud, rubbing his eyes annoyingly.


    Veronica jumped in front of him and looked even sadder. ¡°Fine! Leave then!¡± She clenched her fists and her eyes turned misty again. ¡°You jerk! I hope you suffer! I never want to see you again!¡±


    In extreme anger, Jack pushed her out of his way to get to class. She fell to the ground and was so shocked that she started crying even more. Some kids who saw what happened came to her aid, but one kid tried to grab Jack¡¯s attention and noticed something around him ¡ª a very faint black mist. The kid resisted and Jack kept walking, ignoring Veronica¡¯s outburst as he headed off to class.


    ¡°What was her deal? I tried helping her and she wanted to yell at me! What a way to start the day!¡± Jack muttered to himself while storming towards class.


    He arrived at class and sat down at his desk. He laid his head down to cool off or else he would feel like he was ready to explode. ¡°But why would she do that? My emotions are all over the place. I don¡¯t know if I should cry or scream at the top of my lungs!¡± Jack silently said with his head buried into his arms.


    It was so frustrating to him, so much so that he couldn¡¯t help but dig his fingers into his hair and scratch his nails deep into his scalp.


    As the class waited for their teacher¡¯s arrival, Danny turned up and walked towards Jack¡¯s direction. He had a glint in his eyes, with his teeth crushed and showing. He had one fist clenched and he seemed ready to explode in anger.


    Jack heard his angered footsteps approach him, so he lifted his head up. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Without any hesitation, Danny pulled his fist back and punched Jack right in the face. Jack fell back in his chair which boosted his horrible migraine. Now he was infuriated.


    Jack got up and shoved him hard. ¡°What the hell is your problem?¡±


    ¡°I saw what happened between you and Veronica,¡± Danny shouted.


    ¡±Mind your own business,¡± Jack spat.


    That migraine was at maximum after the punch Danny had given him. Something pulsed inside Jack¡¯s mind. He grasped his head. The pain was so excruciating, but something didn¡¯t feel right to him. The intensity was unbearable.


    This throbbing sensation¡­ It feels awful, oh my god! The pain, my vision. Everything¡¯s going¡­ black?!


    Danny tried swinging again but Jack dodged his punch. He stood back up and looked at Jack in a funny way. Out of Danny¡¯s surprise, Jack rushed at him and grappled the bully.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    As they were both struggling with one another, students quickly got up out of their chairs and stood to the side to watch this chaos ensue. Desks and chairs were pushed over to the side, some even accidentally ramming into other classmates as well who were too close to the action. Children screamed as they watched the two struggle, some cheered, some shouted for them to stop, but both Jack and Danny were too blinded by their hatred to stop.


    Jack managed to take Danny down to the ground by making him lose his balance. He started punching his face with all the built up frustration and pain he had all morning. Jack kept punching his face with no end, bruising Danny¡¯s face badly, while the rest of the class tried to break it up. They managed to get Jack off of Danny for a second, but that gave him the opportunity to sucker punch Jack.


    Jack was infuriated, but he couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He tackled Danny onto the teacher¡¯s desk, and to Danny¡¯s surprise Jack managed to lift and slam him on the desk, causing him to cough violently from the impact.


    Jack then grabbed the teacher¡¯s scissors and tried to stab Danny. Luckily, Danny caught Jack¡¯s hand and both boys were struggling to get a grip on the pair of scissors. Students tried stopping Jack, but his strength felt like it wasn¡¯t even human. It was as if they were trying to stop a fully built adult with the strength he had.


    Normally when both Danny and Jack would fight they¡¯d be even, nor would the fight ever go this route. This time Jack was like a completely different person, he felt murderous, and the lust for blood ran through his veins.


    Danny noticed Jack¡¯s eyes were off. He could see a faint black mist around Jack, as they kept struggling, pushing the scissors back and forth. Jack chuckled quietly like some maniac, then kneed Danny in the groin and as he was about to stab him, the teacher arrived and grabbed Jack¡¯s arm in the nick of time. The tip of the scissors was barely an inch away from Danny¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Jack! Are you out of your mind!¡± she shouted. ¡°You could have killed him! Step out into the hallway! NOW!¡±


    ¡°Woah! What just happened?! How¡­ when? Okay?!¡± Jack said shockingly.


    He noticed the scissors in his hand and dropped them, feeling confused and dizzy. His classmates seemed terrified, almost like they¡¯d seen a monster.


    Before Jack could leave, he noticed Danny¡¯s body quiver from shock. The fear in his eyes was that of someone who was close to death. He began to cry which made Jack feel even more upset.


    The teacher buzzed the office to get the principal and forced Jack to stand in the hallway with them. With so much anger still inside him, Jack was ready to burst out at any moment. The feeling of confusion and frustration, it was too much for him to bear. He punched the concrete wall with such force his knuckles were shredded and started to bleed a little.


    The teacher heard the force of impact and seemed worried for his mental well-being. She quickly got the first aid kit and treated his wound. Jack stayed quiet the entire time since he wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk to anyone.


    Later in the day, the teacher had both boys be separated during lunch time. The teacher made sure they didn¡¯t fight again by following them to the lunch room. However, Jack still wondered why the principal hadn¡¯t shown up yet.


    The real question was, how did they fight when Jack felt like he practically had no control of his actions. For him, it felt like he was going into autopilot or something. Was he so enraged that he just attacked Danny like some blood thirsty psycho?! That was what he guessed.


    Jack got his lunch out and sat at his usual spot on the table located closest to the exit of the cafeteria. Sarah and Anna joined him a little aftwards.


    ¡°Hey Jack.¡± Anna noticed Jack¡¯s depressed expression and swollen cheek. ¡°What happened to your face?¡±


    Sarah sat next to Anna. ¡°Yeah, not to mention how long it is too.¡± Sarah tried to get a chuckle out of Jack, but that didn¡¯t work. ¡°Usually my jokes would work, but you don¡¯t seem like yourself today.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond and stayed quiet. Anna noticed the bandages on his fist. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jack?¡±


    Jack looked up at her and noticed she was already beside him. She looked worried, that wondrous face of beauty. He couldn¡¯t resist and finally smiled, then sighed deeply. ¡°It¡¯s too much to tell, but to start it off I had a strange dream that forced me to sleep like poo, I have this gosh darn headache that won¡¯t go away and keeps growing, plus¡­ Veronica yelled at me for no reason.¡±


    ¡°Why would she though? What¡¯s her deal?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it got worse when I got into a fight with Danny and got kicked out of class.¡±


    Sarah pulled out her lunch. ¡°That sounds like a blessing to me, he¡¯s annoying.¡± Sarah managed to bring a chuckle out of Jack. ¡°Oh, so my jokes still have some sort of affect on you, that¡¯s good.¡± She pulled out a sandwich and took a bite. ¡°There¡¯s still hope.¡±


    Anna massaged Jack¡¯s fist to ease his pain. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that your day¡¯s been poop, but I understand your frustration, Jack. I would have done the same.¡± She stopped massaging his wounded fist and raised one of her own and giggled. ¡°Remember, I¡¯m always here for you. Just like you¡¯re always here for me.¡±


    Sarah looked at them and chuckled. ¡°So, when¡¯s the wedding guys?¡± Anna laughed but Jack only blinked out of confusion.


    ¡°Wedding? The heck is that¡­ Is that some sort of holiday?¡± Anna sighed with a confused smile and Sarah smirked all smug-like. Jack smiled too to keep the conversation from turning blue again. ¡°Thank you though, the both of you. You¡¯ve managed to evaporate the cloud over my head, for now.¡±


    They both chuckled. Jack was glad that he had friends like Anna and Sarah. They knew how to make him feel better.


    Sarah tried telling another joke, but instead she burped. ¡°Damn it,¡± she said. They all laughed and Sarah blushed in embarrassment and took another bite of her sandwich. ¡°Oh haha, laugh all you want guys.¡±


    Jack was starting to feel better now knowing that his friends were there for him. The mood had brightened, and that cloud of gray gone at the moment, they enjoyed the rest of lunch with cheers and laughs. After a nice lunch, all three were ready to spend the rest of their time outside for recess at the playground. They grabbed their bags and headed out of the cafeteria to the playground with smiles on their faces, except for Sarah, who still seemed mad about the whole burping thing.


    When they made their way to the playground for recess, Jack spotted Veronica all alone. To not stir any conflict between the two, Anna went to confront her, so Jack stayed away and hung around with Sarah instead.


    After the two sat on some nearby benches, Jack noticed a weird symbol on her hand. ¡°Hey Sarah¡­ Did you draw that on your hand? And that necklace looks kinda funny too and creepy. What is it?¡±


    Sarah quickly covered it with her sleeve and then covered the pendant on her necklace. ¡°Nothing that would matter to you mister.¡± She safely dodged the question by burping again unintentionally, which caused Jack to chuckle.


    Jack looked in Veronica¡¯s direction and could see her shouting at Anna, as though they were arguing. He then saw Danny walk up to confront Anna, so he quickly rushed over to where they were to see what was happening, leaving Sarah behind.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem, Annabelle! Leave her alone. Can¡¯t you see that she¡¯s going through a lot?!¡± Danny stepped in front of Veronica and crossed his arms.


    Anna looked at Danny, tilting her head in confusion. ¡°Listen Danny, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I was just wondering why she¡¯s being so mean to Jack.¡±


    Veronica jumped up and got emotional. Her voice was loud, constantly cracking, while she raised both fists and had bloodshot eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to be mean! He-He pushed me!¡±


    Anna sighed. ¡°Well, yeah! He did it in anger. You have to understand his point...¡±


    Danny jumped in and said, ¡°Well maybe if he wasn¡¯t being such a jerk and pushed her, I wouldn¡¯t have punched him!¡±


    Jack butted into the conversation, surprising Veronica. ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t do anything. All I did was try to cheer her up, but she gave me an attitude. She also wished suffrage upon me!¡±


    Danny backed away, his eyes widening. He looked at Veronica as he pointed at Jack. ¡°Yo-You were trying to kill me though! When we fought, he tried stabbing me with scissors!¡±


    Everyone looked shocked and all their eyes were set on Jack. Anna grabbed his hand. ¡°Is that true, Jack?¡±


    Veronica became a little jealous, turning a little red and tried grabbing Jack¡¯s hand too, but Anna bared her teeth. ¡°I think you¡¯ve done enough Veronica. Just go away before you make the situation worse.¡±


    ¡°Me?!¡± she shouted. ¡°How dare you¡­ none of you, especially you Anna, know what¡¯s going on with me!¡±


    Anna crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Being a little attention seeking I see. Well, it¡¯s your fault that he reacted the way he did, it¡¯s your fault for not telling him what¡¯s wrong, and it¡¯s your fault that things escalated the way it did.¡±


    Their arguing continued and was starting to heat up. Their teacher came to stop all of them before it got ugly. He started to escort Danny and Jack to the principal¡¯s office, but out of nowhere Veronica said, ¡°Jack punched me and called me names.¡±


    Anna got extremely upset. She rolled up a sleeve and made an angry grunt. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s it! I¡¯m going to teach her a less¡ª¡± But before she could do something to Veronica, Sarah stopped her.


    Jack looked back at Veronica and gave her a cold stare, the stare of someone who was just framed and betrayed. ¡°So that¡¯s what you meant about me suffering?¡± Jack chuckled maniacally. ¡°Screw you¡­ you stupid bitch!¡±


    Everyone was in utter shock. With eyes wide and gaped mouths, nobody could¡¯ve imagined someone like Jack saying such a vulgar word. In that brief second, Jack¡¯s tone was full of anger, and it deepened.


    Anna was more shocked than everyone else. Her expression was more exaggerated and in utter disbelief. She shook her head slowly. ¡°Jack¡­ ¡± Anna said in disappointment.


    Ignorantly saying it without learning its origins, Jack learned that word from a TV show he watched at one point. His parents found out later and told him to never watch it again without explaining why.


    The teacher yelled in sheer anger at Danny. ¡°You are cleared to go, Danny. But you, Jack, you¡¯re going to the principal¡¯s office.¡±


    Grabbing Jack¡¯s hand, the teacher angrily dragged him to the principal¡¯s office. Jack looked back one last time and saw Veronica on her knees crying. He truly felt like a jerk.


    While marching towards the principal¡¯s office, the teacher decided to scold Jack for his language. ¡°How dare you mister! How could you use such a disgusting word towards a girl. You should be ashamed of yourself.¡± Jack smacked his lips in response, which angered the teacher further. ¡°Ooo, I can¡¯t wait for your punishment, you rude little devil.¡±


    They arrived and he forced Jack to sit down on one of the chairs outside the principal¡¯s office while wiggling a finger near his face to stay put. He knocked on the door and they allowed the teacher in. Jack, on the other hand, sat there in total silence and disbelief.


    He shook his head and smacked himself on the face. ¡°What have I become?¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°In the span of half a day I¡¯ve become a freaking monster. This isn¡¯t who I am. Why has this day been so awful to me? Damn this headache.¡±


    After sitting for a couple of minutes the principal called for Jack¡¯s presence. He obliged and got up, then walked into his office with his fierce eyes locked onto Jack the moment he stepped in. The principal told the teacher to leave. He did so and excused himself.


    ¡°Now Jack, tell me what truly happened? What has made you become a delinquent all of a sudden?¡± the principal asked.


    Jack heard him, but didn¡¯t bother to reply. His head hurt way too much for him to speak, let alone breathe. So Jack only hung his head in shame.


    The teacher dropped his hands and leaned back on his chair. ¡°I can¡¯t help you if you don¡¯t answer me, Jack. So please, do tell me your story so I can understand your situation and see what type of punishment I should ensue.¡±


    Jack still didn¡¯t answer, the only thing the principal got out of Jack was his breathing.


    ¡°Okay then, you will spend the rest of the day in my office, and I¡¯ll be making a phone call to your parents later.¡± He stood up and left his office, leaving Jack all alone to wallow in his own shame.


    For the rest of the day, Jack sat in the principal¡¯s office waiting for the school day to end like he said. Jack already presumed they were going to be disappointed in him, especially his mother.


    When the school day finally came to an end, Jack headed towards the bus lane to watch the buses leave because he had to wait for his mom to pick him up. He took a seat at one of the outside lunch tables. ¡°It sure is a nice day¡­ too bad it didn¡¯t go so well for me. I wonder what tomorrow is going to be like? Hopefully better than today.¡±


    Jack closed his eyes, but felt someone wrap their arms around his neck. He opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder. He saw a tongue sticking out, a golden shade of blonde shining over the horizon of his eyes, and those green eyes. Of course, it was just Anna being silly.


    ¡°Hey Anna.¡± Jack looked at her arms. He noticed there were some bad scratch marks. ¡°More importantly, what happened to your arms?!¡±


    She quickly let go of him. She panicked and unwrapped the sweater she was wearing earlier in the day around her waist. ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing!¡± Anna nervously said as she finally pulled down the sweater, covering her arms completely. ¡°My cat just scratched me, that¡¯s all. Ahem, why aren¡¯t you going on your bus though, Jack?¡±


    Jack clenched his fists and stood up. ¡°I have to wait for my mom because that damn principal called my parents.¡±


    Anna smacked his back. ¡°You really hurt Veronica¡¯s feelings you know? Now she¡¯s blaming herself for everything. I¡¯m pretty sure she didn¡¯t mean to snitch on you like that.¡±


    He sat back down and felt guilt building up inside him. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess you¡¯re right. I am a jerk.¡±


    Anna comforted Jack and sat beside him. ¡°You are a jerk, but I¡¯d say you¡¯re a nice jerk.¡± She giggled and leaned against his shoulder. ¡°You made me feel better, especially what you told me yesterday¡­ We didn¡¯t finish our conversation, did we?¡±


    He looked at her and smiled. ¡°No, I guess we didn¡¯t. What did you want to tell me, Anna?¡±


    She stayed quiet for a moment and sighed. ¡°You promise you won¡¯t tell anyone?¡±


    Jack wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. ¡°I promise Anna, I won¡¯t tell anyone. You have my word.¡± Anna looked at him with a gentle smile.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jack detached his necklace that his mom gave him before she could say anything else. ¡°Well¡­ if it¡¯s you, I¡¯m sure my mom won¡¯t be too mad.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What are you doing with that necklace Jack?!¡± she asked nervously as her body started to quake.


    Jack surprised her by wrapping the necklace around her neck. Her face turned red and she touched the pendant, then admired its beauty. He stood up and stepped back to get a better look. ¡°Wow! Anna¡­ you look really beautiful with it on!¡±


    What¡¯s this strange feeling inside my stomach? I can feel my face burning! Jack thought.


    Anna was so red with embarrassment. ¡°Is this¡­ an early birthday present for me?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ well, it¡¯s just a show of gratitude for always being there!¡± he said while scratching his cheek out of nervousness.


    She stood up and faced Jack, then embraced him. ¡°I should be the one who should be thanking you for always being there when I need someone.¡±


    They both smiled as they held each other. They let off of each other, Anna was ready to spill the beans.


    She fiddles with her fingers, and turns red again. ¡°Jack¡­ I-I don¡¯t know, or how I should explain this but¡­ I-I think¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, take your time.¡±


    Anna nods, and closes her eyes. ¡°I think I might¡­ like girls, somehow. I-I can¡¯t really explain it, but it feels that way, like something made me change my mind, I don¡¯t know, do you understand?¡±


    She opened her eyes and saw one of Jack¡¯s eyebrows raised and his hands on his hips.


    Jack stood there baffled, and confused. He tilts his head and scratches it. ¡°Uhh, what do you mean by that? I don¡¯t seem to understand your point fully. I mean doesn¡¯t everyone like everyone equally?¡±


    In that moment Anna had realized that Jack truly was a dense fool. From yesterday''s events to now, she couldn¡¯t resist herself and burst out in laughter. Jack didn¡¯t understand why she was laughing, so it annoyed him a little, but afterwards he too laughed.


    Anna finally stopped her laughter then finished with a giggle. ¡°You truly are a big dummy you know that?¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ Well I should really teach you a lesson for always calling me a dummy, how about it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so silly, well, I have to get going, bye Jack. Thank you, for always cheering me up, you truly are my best friend.¡±


    Anna hugs Jack one last time, and let''s go. She walks away, looking back one last time to wave goodbye to him and proceeds onward to get to her bus. Buses were beginning to close their doors, she hurried so she wouldn¡¯t be left behind. Jack stood there, alone, and confused, he can¡¯t help but let out a chuckle after what just happened. The smile on his face was wide, Jack couldn¡¯t have asked for anyone better than Anna.


    As Jack watched every bus leave one by one, when the last one drove off, he gazed up at the blue sky and sat back down. He began thinking again about all these turn of events, the incident with Veronica, the fight with Danny, but most importantly, the secret that Anna just revealed to him, leaving him completely confused.


    Jack sighs, and glances at one of his palms, still feeling the grip of those scissors that were about to possibly end Dany¡¯s life today if it weren¡¯t for the teacher coming in to save him.


    Jack¡¯s eyes quivered as he stared hard at his palm now tainted by murderous intent. ¡°Did I really do that? If so¡­ why can¡¯t I remember.¡± Jack closes his palm, he lets out one last sigh as he waits for his mother to pick him up, allowing him to bask in his own solitude of shame.

 Arc 1 Chapter 4: A Harsh Reality Check

    After thirty minutes passed by, Jack¡¯s mom had arrived to pick him up. All the buses were already gone and Anna had left a while ago too. She spilled the beans about her secret to Jack and he promised to keep her secret between them, but he was still confused by the meaning of it. Even being alone and basking in his shame about hurting his friends, that thought of Anna¡¯s secret was the biggest burden to him somehow.


    ¡°Argh!! I¡¯m so curious, what does she mean by like? Maybe I¡¯ll ask Dad when he gives me the talk!¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom came up to him and hugged him with a disappointed look on her face. She pulled back and said, ¡°Get in the car. We¡¯ve got a bit to talk about.¡±


    Jack listened and got in. He put his seatbelt on and didn¡¯t say a word. After she got in, his mom didn¡¯t say anything either. She just looked disappointed, and he couldn¡¯t blame her.


    When they started heading home, she drove quietly for a moment until she broke the tense silence. ¡°How was your day at school? Besides what happened towards the end of it.¡±


    At first Jack didn¡¯t have the courage to respond, but he finally did after a few seconds of silence. ¡°Not good, actually. Really bad.¡±


    ¡°Son¡­ what were you thinking? Fighting your friends, and you even made your friend Veronica cry. You know better.¡± his mom said, looking upset. Her saddened tone said it all.


    ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I tried to apologize, but she kept saying mean stuff!¡±


    ¡°Honey, you know better. I thought I taught you that girls are meant to be protected and treated kindly. Not to hurt them, especially by calling them such a terrible name like...¡± She hesitated at first, but brought herself to say a disgusting word. ¡°Like, bitch and causing them physical harm. Phew! What a shameful word to use Jack.¡±


    Jack felt horrible that his mom had said it that way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mom. I failed you.¡±


    She looked into the rear view mirror and noticed that he wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll always protect girls and not make them cry sweetie. Even if they are your best friends.¡±


    Jack felt much better after hearing that, like if someone took a giant pile of wooden planks off his shoulders. He smiled and said to his mother, ¡°I promise Mom. You can count on me.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°Well, Dad won¡¯t be home later tonight. He¡¯s got a lot of work, so why don¡¯t we make him an awesome dinner?¡±


    With a huge grin on his face, Jack replied, ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s do it! I¡¯m ready!¡±


    His mom replied with a joyful tone, ¡°Your dad is going to be so happy! Let¡¯s make him the best surprise dinner ever!¡± Then her tone quickly changed. She brought back that look back and toughened her voice. ¡°But we¡¯re still going to punish you though.¡±


    Jack crossed his arms. ¡°Darn it!¡± he said in a sarcastic tone.


    They arrived home, got out of the car and headed inside. They began preparing for the surprise dinner for Jack¡¯s dad. Jack couldn¡¯t have been more happier and excited. It was enough to make him almost forget how awful the day was, not to mention that horrible dream he had last night.


    Jack was still curious about Anna¡¯s secret though and its true meaning. He looked outside the window and noticed it was getting dark pretty early. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s daylight savings time?¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom helped him out because he tried his best to be a helping hand for her, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Now, they were almost done preparing everything for the surprise. Both him and his mom just wanted to show their appreciation for everything Jack¡¯s dad had done for them, and Jack just knew it would make him happy.


    After failing to cut some ingredients, Jack got his mom¡¯s attention and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go take a shower. Can you tell me when Dad comes home?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t take too long. There¡¯s no excuse not to help me finish.¡±


    Jack laughed. ¡°It¡¯ll only be five minutes. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    As he walked upstairs, Jack began talking to himself. ¡°I should have apologized to Veronica, especially when I called her a bitch. I don¡¯t even know the meaning of it. Well, I guess I shouldn¡¯t say words that I don¡¯t know the meanings to.¡±


    Jack sighed and walked inside his room. He took his clothes off, walked inside the bathroom, then went into the shower to bathe himself.


    ¡°I guess I do care enough to think twice about it. I¡¯ll definitely take Mom¡¯s advice to protect her and Anna, even if Anna is annoying sometimes, but they¡¯re my best friends. I¡¯ll do it tomorrow. I¡¯ll give her the best apology ever!¡±


    As he finished showering and rinsed himself dry, Jack walked over to the closet to put some clothes on. His mood had completely changed from feeling like crap to being extremely happy. The day had been so disastrous. It was a good thing that his mom and Anna saved the day, but more importantly, Jack thought about using Anna¡¯s secret as blackmail if she ever tried being mean to him.


    BUWAHAHA! It¡¯s a great idea, Jack thought as he dried his hair.


    He walked over to the window to see if his dad was home or not. He still wasn¡¯t here because there would usually be a big SUV in their driveway. ¡°Good, that would ruin the surprise if he came home early.¡±


    Jack glanced across the street and there was a little girl standing below the street light. It creeped him out a bit, but as he looked closer her face was covered by her hair. It looked similar to what he had seen earlier in the morning.


    His heart started pounding and she lifted her arm, then waved at him. He slowly stepped away from the window.


    ¡°What does she want?¡± Jack asked himself.


    He stepped forward again, but was hesitant. His chest felt tight as he swallowed his growing fear. Slowly, he approached the window ¨C all due to his stupid curiosity ¨C and grabbed the window handle. As he was about to open it, she pointed at him then looked up again. She had no face.


    Jack fell back in shock and started panting in fear. He quickly got back up and looked out again. She started walking towards their house, slowly approaching the vicinity of their lovely home from across the dark, empty street. The light behind her shut off and exploded, blanketing the street into pitch black.


    Jack panicked and stormed out of his room, but as soon as he stepped into the hallway, all the lights were off and everything was quiet. He looked around and it was all dark. He slowly started walking to his mom¡¯s room while being cautious. As he was walking towards her room, Jack could hear voices below him. They were quiet and didn¡¯t sound familiar. Heavy footsteps were stomping all around too from below. He was really freaked out.


    Without thinking, Jack was about to shout out his mom¡¯s name, when suddenly an arm wrapped around him and dragged him into his mom¡¯s room. Jack was about to scream, but upon looking over his shoulder, he found it was just his mom who dragged him in. Just by looking at her face, she looked terrified and was violently shaking too.


    ¡°Mom¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± Jack asked quietly.


    With an extremely terrified look on her face, his mom said, ¡°Sweetie, listen to me very carefully. Go into my closet and be quiet okay? Don¡¯t make any sudden movements or noises. Please listen to me!¡± She gave Jack a kiss and began pushing him. ¡°Now go!¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­ what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Honey don¡¯t ask, just go! And don¡¯t say a single word, okay.¡± She pointed frantically at her closet.


    He quickly followed what she told him and walked into her closet to hide. Jack¡¯s mom started carefully moving her dresser against the door and blocked anyone from coming inside.


    ¡°I¡¯m really scared and confused,¡± Jack whispered before closing the door fully behind him.


    His mom¡¯s phone vibrated and she answered it. ¡°Yes, hello? Honey, ba-babe¡­ the-there¡¯s¡ª¡±


    Jack could hear her talking to his dad on the phone. She was on the brink of tears, with her voice quietly shaking from fear. She broke down, crying softly, then hung up and began dialing another number.


    From what Jack heard it seemed like she was on the phone with the police now. She was calmly panicking, not making too much noise, moving around a lot. She grabbed a pair of scissors.


    Jack was terrified. Why would she grab a pair of scissors? What¡¯s happening?


    She came towards where she sent Jack to hide and opened the closest door, repeating the same thing again, but with a serious tone. ¡°Remember what I said earlier, keep echoing my voice in your mind and stay hidden. Lastly, like I said, don¡¯t say a word. Okay sweetie.¡±


    ¡°Bu-But Mom?¡±


    She whispered in a serious tone, ¡°Mommy is going to protect you no matter what, okay? No matter what happens¡­ I¡¯ll always love you, alright?¡± She looked into his eyes with her lower lip quivering before she hugged him, whimpering from fear. Her arms trembled and she held Jack tight.


    ¡°Mom, please, what¡¯s going on? What do you mean?¡±


    She paused for a second with her head down, and grabbed his shoulders. ¡°There¡¯s strangers in the house, so we have to be quiet, okay.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Dad?¡± Jack asked nervously.


    ¡°He¡¯s on his way right now. Don¡¯t worry, the police are coming too!¡±


    ¡°Okay Mom, I¡¯ll stay quiet and stay hidden.¡±


    ¡°I love you sweetie. Once this is over, how about we go to an amusement park as a family?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be awesome. I believe in you, Mom.¡± Jack placed his hand onto his mom¡¯s shoulder.


    She smiled and grabbed his hand. ¡°Thank you sweetie. I promise to¡­¡±


    Suddenly, there was banging at the bedroom door. At first it was mild, like someone trying to knock angrily. Then, it got worse, much worse. The door was rattling and the banging grew more intense. Even the dresser too became victim to the ferocious banging of whoever was ensuing it.


    Jack¡¯s mom looked at him and blew a kiss. The banging got more violent and intensified, so his mom closed the closet door. She made her way to the bathroom and turned off the lights, hiding behind the door.


    It got quiet all of a sudden, too quiet. It felt almost as if the house had become abandoned. Feeling stupidly curious, Jack opened the door slightly, trying to take a peek until his mom heard the door creaking.


    She came out from behind the door she was hiding and placed her index finger on her lips, shushing Jack to stay silent. He nodded in response, closing the door quietly. She smiled back and the door started to break apart. Someone was using a blunt object to break through it.


    Pieces of the door panel flew out into the room, destroying the upper part of the door. The intruders successfully broke apart the door and kicked the dresser out of the way. Three men walked through the rubbled door and immediately began inspecting the room. They searched under the bed, Jack¡¯s mom¡¯s jewelry box, and his dad¡¯s belongings. All Jack could assume was that they were being robbed.


    But he didn¡¯t understand why the criminals were here in this part of Detroit? He thought they were safe from these types of situations. His dumb curiosity was getting the best of him again, because he wanted to get a better look at the perpetrators.


    Opening the door slightly without their notice, from Jack¡¯s  observation it appeared that the three men were two white males and a black male too. One of them looked disgusting, quite slimy and unhygienic, not to mention his skin looked gross. The other was really skinny, and the last guy looked like a normal black guy who wore a hoodie.


    They finished their search and as both Jack and his mom hoped that they would leave, they turned their attention to the closet Jack was hiding in. All three criminals started walking towards his direction.


    Jack¡¯s heart pumped with intensity as he slightly panicked, covering his mouth to ensure his silence. Even his breathing became heavy too and Jack could feel sweat bead out of his head. He closed his eyes, hoping it was all a dream.


    As soon as they were about to open the door, Jack¡¯s mom burst out of the bathroom and charged at one of the men. She managed to stab one of the perpetrators in the arm, but shortly afterwards he overpowered her and forcefully took away the scissors. He slammed Jack¡¯s mom on the ground, while the other men rushed to their partner¡¯s aid and pinned her down. They all started chuckling maniacally, like a bunch of twisted, thirsty villains, except for the black guy.


    The nasty looking man got on top of Jack¡¯s mom and taunted her by waving the scissors in front of her face. ¡°What were you doing hiding in there? Huh, momma! Trying to surprise us with your fine ass?¡± He started rubbing one of his hands on her leg, which made her shake uncontrollably.


    The skinny guy placed his hand on her other leg, rubbing it sexually. ¡°I bet she can handle more than she can chew!¡± He laughed and winked at Jack¡¯s mom. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you for stabbing my arm. You just have to repay me, that¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°Dumb bitch, you see what happens when we don¡¯t pay attention!¡± shouted the man in the hoodie. ¡°You got stabbed and now we¡¯re in this predicament!¡±


    ¡°Now hold on guys, I think it¡¯s best we leave her be.¡± He laughed and continued waving the scissors, petrifying her more. ¡°Tell me something momma, did you already call the police?¡± He slowly leaned his face towards her. ¡°You don¡¯t have to lie to me sweetie. I promise I won¡¯t hurt you!¡±


    ¡°LE-LET ME GO! LET¡­ ME¡­ GO!¡± Jack¡¯s mom shouted at the man with anger and desperation. She continued to struggle, as the two white males continued laughing.


    The nasty man covered Jack¡¯s mom¡¯s mouth and she freaked out from his disgusting hand that looked dirty. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a yes, huh?¡± Jack¡¯s mom groaned and she tried her best to break free from his disgusting grip. ¡°I guess we can have a little fun before the police arrive,¡± the man said sadistically. He picked her up and threw her on the bed.


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    The man wearing a hoodie began to get agitated. ¡°Well, hurry up! Cause they¡¯ll be here any moment if she did call them!¡±


    Jack¡¯s mom started shouting again, yelling cries for help.


    ¡°Someone make that bitch shut up!¡± the man in the hoodie said, walking towards Jack¡¯s mom and slapped her. ¡°Shut up bitch!¡±


    The gross man placed his hand again over her mouth. ¡°Hey Momma? How about you and I have a nice time?¡± He started smelling her hair as well. ¡°OOO! You smell good too!¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re gonna fuck her, huh? Shit, how about we all take turns then?¡± Both men started laughing sadistically, except for the guy in the hoodie.


    The man in the hoodie started to get more impatient. ¡±We should just kill her and leave with what they have. We need to stop wasting fucking time.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t bear watching, so he clenched his fists in anger. He couldn¡¯t just sit there and watch his mom get hurt. Jack couldn¡¯t take it any longer.


    ¡°Yeah Momma, let¡¯s get busy!¡±


    She trembled with fear and desperately tried to escape the man¡¯s nasty grasp. ¡°No! Let go! Let go!¡± she shouted, her cries of help full of terror and fear.


    The man started ripping off her clothing. She screamed and cried, trying her best to fight off their horrendous act. Though all her kicking and wasteless struggles were of no use, it only amused their game more. Jack wanted to help, but his mom had told him to stay inside no matter what. But he couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He felt so useless. He couldn¡¯t just sit there and watch her get tormented. He wanted to save her. No! He absolutely needed to!


    Without thinking, Jack burst out of the closet with one of her shoes and started charging one of the guys. Before he could do anything, one of the men spotted him and punched him in the gut. Jack stood there with the man¡¯s fist engulfed in his stomach. He gagged and fell onto the ground face first.


    ¡°Yo! There was a goddamn kid in the closet. Must be her kid?¡± the man in the hoodie said, while placing his foot onto Jack¡¯s back, pinning him down with tremendous weight.


    ¡°Shit, you knocked his ass out!¡± The skinny man chuckled.


    ¡°Lucky I didn¡¯t kill his bitch ass, you know what?!¡± He began to put more pressure on Jack¡¯s back. ¡°I¡¯mma do that!¡±


    Jack screamed from the amount of pain he was experiencing until he heard a crack inside his chest. Jack felt his ribs break one by one. The pain was so unbearable that he momentarily lost consciousness.


    Jack¡¯s poor mom screamed at them and pleaded, with tears of desperation flowing down her face. ¡°No! Please, I¡¯ll do anything! Just don¡¯t hurt my son! Please don¡¯t hurt him. I beg of you. Don¡¯t hurt him!¡±


    The man on top of Jack¡¯s mom smiled wickedly. ¡°Anything huh? Well, you heard her boys! Leave the kid be!¡±


    Jack started to regain consciousness. ¡°Oh! He¡¯s coming back to us. Watch this boy, we¡¯re about to show you a great educational lesson.¡± The man started groping Jack¡¯s mom¡¯s chest. ¡°They don¡¯t teach you this in school, right boy! Hahaha!¡±


    Jack could barely hear what the men were saying. His ears were ringing and his vision was blurry. He could feel someone place their hand on his chin and forcefully turn his head to his mom. He could hear his mom crying and shouting, ¡°Please don¡¯t make him watch! You sick fucks!¡±


    He realized she cursed, which surprised him for a moment. He has never heard her curse before.


    Wh-What¡¯s happening?


    ¡°Shut the fuck up bitch!¡± the man in the hoodie said and dropped Jack. He walked towards them and punched Jack¡¯s mom to shut her up.


    Jack could see the men arguing with each other, while his mom moaned in pain. The man with the hoodie left as the other two men laughed. One of them pulled his pants down.


    The skinny guy grabbed Jack¡¯s head and whispered into his ear, ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be alright! Mommy¡¯s just gonna have some fun with my buddie over there!¡±


    He laughed hysterically as the other guy gave Jack a thumbs up and winked. When he was about to proceed in whatever action he was gonna do to Jack¡¯s mom, the sound of a car¡¯s screeching tires pulled up the driveway.


    The man in the hoodie walked back in. ¡°Hey! Stop fucking around for a second! I heard a car pull up!¡±


    The nasty fellow said, ¡°We all heard it smartass. Go check it out, I¡¯m busy here!¡±


    The hooded man looked at him in disgust. ¡°You¡¯re one sick fuck! You know that?¡±


    ¡°I know I am!¡± the man said with a maniacal grin.


    ¡°My guess is that it must be Daddy. I say let¡¯s kill his ass!¡± the man in the hoodie said aggressively.


    Jack groaned in pain over what they said. ¡°My dad¡¯s here to rescue us?¡± Jack said very quietly. He felt some closure when hearing that and he smiled.


    The skinny guy noticed he was smiling and smacked Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fucking smart alec, kid.¡±


    Jack started crying out of fear. They all laughed at him. As soon as the man who was near Jack¡¯s mom was about to return to whatever he was about to do to her, Jack¡¯s dad rushed out of nowhere and stormed into the room. He grappled with the closest guy and pummeled him with his fists. The men were distracted and Jack¡¯s mom took the opportunity to fight the man who had hurt her.


    Jack¡¯s dad tackled another guy viciously and started beating him. He shouted, ¡°You bastards hurt my son and wife! I¡¯ll make you pay!¡±


    The other guy, whose face was a bloody mess, grabbed Jack¡¯s dad by the neck and slammed him to the ground. The man who he¡¯d pinned down a moment ago pulled out a knife and pointed it at his dad¡¯s face. The nasty man was still struggling against Jack¡¯s mom and then Jack heard him shout something at his partners.


    ¡°Kill the father! Once you¡¯re done help me finish this bitch off.¡±


    The skinny guy listened to his command and stabbed Jack¡¯s dad. ¡°How does that feel, huh Daddy?!¡± He impaled the knife through Jack¡¯s dad¡¯s chest. His dad gagged, coughing out blood, but then spat out his own blood at the guy who stabbed him. The man wiped the blood off his face aggressively, then growled and stabbed Jack¡¯s dad again out of annoyance.


    The very sight made Jack¡¯s blood boil, which gave him a new feeling of anger he¡¯d never felt before. He started to get up, but the hooded man kicked him and he fell back down. His dad¡¯s blood flowed onto the bedroom carpet, staining it. Jack¡¯s mom screamed out with agony and sadness.


    The guys laughed, but it angered her. Her eyes were as red as her own blood. She screamed bloody murder and bit the man on the neck in retaliation to her own emotions like a rabid animal. Her teeth pierced his flesh and she drew blood.


    He screamed in pain and tried punching Jack¡¯s mom in the face. He yelled at his partners, ¡°GET THIS BITCH OFF OF ME!!¡± while she continued biting down.


    The man with the knife rushed to his partner¡¯s aid, while the hooded man still had poor Jack pinned down. Jack repeatedly whispered, ¡°No, No¡­ No, please!¡±


    One of the guys helped him out and they both managed to pin her down again. Jack mumbled ¡°NO!¡± repeatedly, but he was in too much pain to say anything out loud.


    Out of nowhere, his dad tackled the man who had Jack pinned, and they both tumbled on top of a small dresser and knocked over a candle. It ignited one of the curtains and a small fire started to form. The smoke detectors went off while they continued to wrestle, until the other guy rushed to his partner¡¯s aid and pushed Jack¡¯s dad off of him. Jack¡¯s dad landed on his backside, bleeding profusely and struggled to get back up. His dad crawled towards the bed and reached a hand out to Jack¡¯s mom.


    She spotted him and tried to do the same, but she was still pinned down. Jack¡¯s dad managed to grab her hand, and she cried out while looking into his eyes.


    He smiled, ¡°I lo-love¡­ you, so much¡­ the bo-both, of you.¡±


    She replies with a whimpered and devastated voice, ¡°I love y¡ª¡± but as soon as she could reply¡­ Jack¡¯s dad let go and his arm fell.


    He bled out and his body laid there, lifeless, motionless and empty. The last reminisce of his lingering warmth came out as his eyes turned white, leaving this cruel world behind.


    Jack¡¯s mom was devastated¡­ she broke down and her screams of agony alone haunted Jack¡¯s ears. Jack had witnessed the whole thing and now he was livid, his eyes burning red with hatred. Jack didn¡¯t care about his safety. He wanted to save his mom.


    Jack tried breaking free, but he was pinned down again by the same guy. He yelled out for his mom and she looked at him with eyes full of sorrow. She extended her arm out towards Jack.


    Her eyes quivered and she smiled weakly. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, sweet¡­ heart.¡± Her voice sounded broken, hopeless. Her arm quivered as her tears rained onto the blood that once belonged to his dad, expanding their immortal love on the bloodstained carpet.


    For what though?! I needed to break free to save her! Why is she looking at me like that! Like she¡¯s given up?!!


    The man laughed at her and lifted the knife over her heart. Jack stood still in shock, and for some reason, he couldn¡¯t move anymore.


    He heard a faint voice in his head all of a sudden. Telling him, ¡°Stop!! Please, don¡¯t look!¡±


    His ears began to ring and his vision started changing. The man¡¯s knife extended higher into the air and it seemed like the whole world slowed down for Jack. The knife was slowly getting closer towards her chest. His vision became black and white.


    ¡°No! Please stop!¡± the voice said, getting louder. Something forced his eyes to stay open so he could print hate into his mind. Jack could still see his mom¡¯s arm extend out towards him. He reached his hand out as well, hoping to reach hers.


    He could hear her mumble something. ¡°I¡­ love you.¡±


    Hearing that made his heart skip a few beats out of relief. It calmed him down for a second. She had a soft peaceful smile and he tried to reach out further for her, and it almost felt like they were about to touch hands. The lingering warmth set upon her hand never felt so close to him.


    Just when her warmth reached his fingertips, her arm paused and fell, then dangled off the side of the bed. Upon looking into her eyes, they were lifeless. And now, she was completely motionless. Her blood that was once full of love and warmth ran down the side of the bed.


    Jack looked at his dad¡¯s lifeless body. ¡°Da-Dad?¡±


    No response. He looked at his mom and said with a horrified tone, ¡°Mo-Mom?¡±


    She didn¡¯t move. Not even an inch. Didn¡¯t blink.


    Jack was on the brink of tears. ¡°Mom-Momma?¡± She didn¡¯t respond¡­ because she was dead. The man who stabbed his mom had a smile that haunted his very sight.


    The voice in his mind said, ¡°Look away! Avert your eyes for your own sanity or else you¡¯ll succumb to darkness!¡±


    But Jack couldn¡¯t. Images began flashing through his mind, most of which were memories of his parents. The times they shared, how they all laughed together. That was when they were all happy as a family, and now they¡¯re all dead, taken away from him.


    Why me? Out of all the things that could happen to someone and for God to help you lead you to a new path in life, why did it have to come to this for me¡­ WHY?!


    Jack gritted his teeth in sheer, saddened rage and looked at his mom¡¯s lifeless face. She still had left over tears trickling down her face. She had died painfully. The very sight engulfed his mind with pure unadulterated rage.


    Jack heard another voice now. It sounded familiar and gentle. The other voice giggled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure¡­ you¡¯ll get what you want, and then¡­ you¡¯ll come to me.¡±


    In Jack¡¯s new vision of black and white, he saw the faceless girl gliding out from beneath his mom¡¯s bed. She extended her arms out and her very essence wrapped around him. His mind went blank and his vision was engulfed into an endless void of pitch black.


    What had just happened? Did I die too? I guess that¡¯s good¡­ I don¡¯t have to witness this horror any longer. I can be at peace and become an angel. My parents and I can be happy again¡­ together.


    The birthed flames rose more the moment when Jack¡¯s body emitted a faint black mist as his pupils became as black as night. The mist startled the hooded guy and he immediately let go of Jack. Stunned with shock, he didn¡¯t realize he had dropped his knife.


    Jack slowly stood up as the fire around them started surrounding the room. Then his blackened eyes set aim for the knife he just dropped. He walked towards that knife and picked it up with malicious intent by stabbing the air, trying to get a hang of the knife.


    The hooded man was so stunned with fear that he couldn¡¯t move or speak. Just watching Jack, a child with the growing flames growing behind him while stabbing the air and practicing as a faint mist of black surrounded his body, was enough to leave him stunned. It was like watching Satan himself become resurrected and figuring out his newfound body.


    Jack turned back to look at that hooded man and stared into his eyes, filling the man¡¯s soul with plagued terror. He lunged at him and the fiery hell behind reacted to Jack¡¯s lunge as he stabbed the man in the eye. The man screamed in pain as they both fell on the ground. Jack sunk the knife deeper into his eye socket, forcing the metal blade to go even deeper into his skull, killing the man without mercy.


    The other men noticed this sudden shift of the situation, especially the depths of hell that surrounded them, so they panicked, gasping out of extreme shock. The disgusting man who killed Jack¡¯s mother was so freaked out that he stormed out of the room just in time before the flames reached the door. He dashed out but mistakenly tripped over his own foot and fell down the stairs, breaking his ankle.


    ¡°You¡¯re sick! What kind of kid kills a person?!¡± the skinny guy shouted, shaking with fear. He noticed how the entire room was engulfed in flames. He was trapped inside the room with Jack, who seemed lost in his own train of thoughts.


    Jack clenched the knife and prepared himself to fight the man head on. He expressed a gentle smile and walked towards the last man standing. The faint black mist became even more exposed.


    The skinny man was petrified. His twig legs wobbled and he was on the brink of tears. He pointed at Jack. ¡°You¡¯re a devil, kid.¡± He rushed towards the bedroom window and noticed that there was no way out.


    Jack kept walking towards him with an innocent smile. The man threw his knife at Jack but missed. Jack  dropped the other knife and walked towards his parent¡¯s corpses, then picked up the pair of scissors his mother had. He gripped it tightly. Having felt her warmth once again, he became fueled by the fiery rage in his heart. He looked back at the man with a face so horrific, a face that resembled insanity and a demon from the Bible. The man couldn¡¯t move any longer.


    Jack lifted his hand, pointing it towards the man¡¯s direction. The man stood there, still, waiting to see what Jack was about to do. Jack chuckled softly and the last thing the man saw was a force of darkness hurtling towards him like a spiraling vortex of corrupted black smoke.


    The man who killed his mom could hear his partner¡¯s blood curdling screams. The sound of agonizing pain that was heard across the house made the man tremble in fear.


    He tried crawling away, but heard a window being smashed and spotted his partner¡¯s body fall to the ground, burning near the front door. He shrieked in fear and crawled faster. He heard childish laughter and turned to look back up the stairs. The whole room was in flames.


    He calmed down a bit, thinking that this whole nightmare was over until he spotted a shadowy figure behind the fire. He freaked and saw something walk out of the flamed doorway. It was Jack who stood behind the flames.


    With the fire spreading across the top floor, the sound of a lullaby erupted in the house¡¯s atmosphere. It was being sung by a little girl as it echoed not only throughout the home, but through the man¡¯s ears and into his mind. It sounded like one of those songs from the Dark Ages, the ones filled with torment and rage. It resembled the most infamous song of all¡­ Ring Around the Rosie.


    The man covered his ears and cowardly rocked from side to side, trying to muffle out the horrific singing. With the man distracted, Jack casually walked through Hell¡¯s Gates, burning off some of his clothes through the inferno and out the room.


    That disgusting man, who only moments ago was confident and had the mindset of a murderer, was now a cowardly child crying for his mommy in the middle of the giant hallway. He stopped his patheticness and looked up again. Spotting the weapons in Jack¡¯s hands, he panicked again.


    The singing continued, bouncing off his stained eardrums as he desperately tried to crawl away, but his ankle was in too much pain. He felt something stop him abruptly. He looked down and saw that a knife had pierced through his knee. Ahead, the man heard another metallic sound and looked up. Another knife had landed in front of him from out of nowhere.


    He looked back and saw the boy slowly walk towards him. Jack reached the stairway and descended slowly while clanking the scissors along the rails. He laughed like a maniac while his body twitched violently.


    ¡°Please! Don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯m sorry!¡± the man cried out while clasping his hands together.


    Jack finally reached the bottom step and looked at the man. All that was in Jack¡¯s mind was hatred, darkness and bloodlust. From watching his parents being murdered in front of him to being toyed with by these wretched fools, it was more than enough to fuel anyone to fall into a blackened rage, but something else was intervening with his revenge, something darker. Jack had no clue what made him do these actions that strove for such murderous intent.


    The sounds of the man¡¯s laughter echoed in his once innocent mind, now defiled by his own dark rage. Jack walked towards the pleading man who reeked of hypocrisy, and taunted him with stabbing motions, even smiling and winking once at the man.


    The pathetic gross goon continued to beg for his life, but it was of no use. Jack stopped in front of him and looked into the man¡¯s worthless eyes.


    The poor bastard couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. The black mist around Jack¡¯s body and his eyes were so evident. The boy was a menacing aura of wretched black that would consume the embodiment of light. The tiny red glow emitting off his pupils terrified the man.He saw a figure forming above Jack. It laughed at him and then Jack stabbed the man.


    Jack stabbed his back and buried it deep inside until only the grip of it was exposed. The man loudly groaned from the sheer pain, and moaned with such suffrage that made him cry like a baby. He looked at Jack as the mysterious figure was the source of the singing.


    He cried deeply and begged for mercy. ¡°Please! Don¡¯t kill me¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Instead, Jack ignored his pleas and grabbed his hair. He lifted the man¡¯s head and opened the scissors wide.


    ¡°I be-eg of you! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± he wailed and began to pray. ¡°Hail Mary, Mother of God... Please Forgive me fo-or my sins!¡± He collapsed his hands and closed his teary eyes to accept his fate.


    The figure finished her song with a gentle giggle, then Jack closed those big scissors on the man¡¯s windpipe, snapping the man¡¯s throat in half. Blood violently gushed out like a fire hose, splashing all over Jack¡¯s face as the villain left the world  stained with his parent¡¯s innocence.


    The voice inside Jack¡¯s mind whispered, ¡°We¡¯ll be together soon!¡± The voice giggled and the mist around Jack¡¯s body slowly disappeared.


    Jack blinked repeatedly and looked around, noticing that he was no longer in the room. A strong odor of iron overwhelmed his senses, and then he spotted the dead guy in front of him, which made him gag in disgust.


    He noticed the scissors in his right hand with blood all over it. He freaked out and looked back up the stairs. The room was buried with fire, along with the rest of upstairs, which blew ash towards Jack¡¯s direction.


    His face was full of despair as he dropped to his knees and cried. A fleet of firefighter and police vehicles showed up, finally arriving at the last moment and at the wrong time.


    Before the firefighters could do their jobs, and as soon as officers were stepping out of their vehicles and making their way towards the front door, they were the first to notice a dead body, burnt to a crisp.


    One officer shouted, ¡°Jesus, we¡¯ve got a deceased victim, and a bad one too.¡±


    The firefighter chief said, ¡°Holy shit, that¡¯s brutal. Everyone hurry and put out the flames before this place collapses! We¡¯re not sure if there¡¯s anyone else alive in there, but we gotta hurry either way!¡± His team right away went off to begin the process of putting out the flames.


    Another officer said as firefighters began pulling hoses and opening a fire hydrant, ¡°We¡¯ll be the first to enter the premise and make sure that it¡¯s all clear.¡±


    Acknowledging their advice, the firefighters gave orders to the rest and were now in the process of putting out the huge fire that grew at the top floor of the house. Every officer at the scene prepared themselves to go inside, with some staying behind to radio ambulances and to make sure no civilians would enter the scene.


    They were already walking around the burnt body. The main police chief had his gun drawn and he walked inside shouting, ¡°Police! If anyone¡¯s in the house, please let us know!¡±


    The others shouted, ¡°Police, we¡¯re coming in!¡± Then they walked inside the front door with their guns drawn.


    As they walked in, a heavy black fog covered everyone¡¯s vision. They turned their flash lights on and observed the areas. When they walked further into the home, they heard crying. They flashed their lights forward and spotted Jack. The moment they did, it was a sight no police officer wanted in their minds. A child¡¯s face covered in blood and his clothes were slightly burnt as he stared at nothing while crying. He seemed so innocent by his posture, but he was the only one left standing in this burning crime scene. Seeing how stunned Jack was, they were cautious just in case he would harm anyone else or himself.


    They approached him slowly. ¡°POL-police? Dear God, what the hell happened here?¡±


    They spotted Jack¡¯s whole body covered in blood and noticed the dead man lying lifeless in front of Jack. They also spotted the scissors and halted. Other officers went upstairs and were in utter shock. They saw Jack¡¯s parents¡¯ burnt corpses as well as the hooded man¡¯s corpse. They immediately notified everyone of the situation through their radios.


    ¡°We have more victims up here, three more bodies, unidentified,¡± said one of the officers as he radioed the rest.


    ¡°How awful. We better hurry and notify the fire department to put out the fire faster before this whole house burns to the ground,¡± said the officer behind him.


    While those upstairs were analyzing the situation, the rest downstairs all looked at Jack, who was still crying and hadn¡¯t realized there were officers on the scene.


    One of the officers, the chief, approached Jack and calmly said, ¡°Listen carefully son. We¡¯re here to help, okay?¡±


    Jack still didn¡¯t notice and continued to sob.


    Another officer walked beside the chief and they both carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be okay.¡±


    One of the officers talked into his radio. ¡°Yeah, it appears to be a mass murder¡­ Suspect at the moment is a child. We have him in custody.¡±


    Hearing that shocked Jack enough to make him panic like some crazed maniac. The police pinned him down and tried to calm him down. He cried and yelled in despair because he couldn¡¯t believe what they just said. They thought he was the suspect.


    They arrested Jack and one of the officers carried him so he could take him inside his patrol car. As Jack was carried, he watched the firefighters put out the once growing flames to now being dimmed. The cop opens the door to his patrol car, and pushes Jack inside. He shuts the door and Jack sits there, emotionless. He looked out the window and spotted the other guy on the ground, burnt to a crisp.


    Ambulances arrived on the scene as well as more firefighters. They put out the flames and proceeded to investigate further. But Jack¡¯s mind was blank. The only thing that he kept thinking of was if everything was all just a bad dream.


    He quietly chuckled as he watched the fire being put out. ¡°They think I killed my parents¡­ me!!¡± he muttered under his breath.


    He couldn¡¯t remember what happened after seeing his mother get killed. All he remembered was his vision going black and white, and then his mind was overtaken by darkness.


    Jack, with his head down, sobbed quietly. The cop hopped inside the vehicle and noticed him crying. ¡°Um¡­ hey kid¡­ everything¡¯s going to be alright, okay. Don¡¯t cry, we¡¯re going to take good care of¡ª¡± He stopped talking, deciding it was best not to talk to a child going through such an awful crisis.


    As they were about to leave, Jack looked out the windshield one last time to look at the place he had once called home. All he could think of was, Did I really kill those men? Did¡­ I really do that¡­ me?


    He chuckled silently, which creeped the cop out. The cop pulled away from the scene. Jack had nothing, no family, no home, absolutely¡­ nothing.


    However, the dead rose on his table started to come back to life, blossoming out beautifully as it regained its light. Then, after being reincarnated, it started to fade away and smoldered into nothing

 Arc 1 Chapter 5: Falling Into Madness?

    In a location far from the city, outside of known civilization, a giant building that looked similar to a mental asylum, was an institution that housed both the mentally ill, or people rehabilitating their broken minds. Alongside another part of the building that seems connected to the institution, poor Jack was in his room, alone and feeling absolutely confined in his own abandoned sorrow.


    He sat on the edge of his bed, his head hung and seeming depressed. Gritting his teeth and crushing his eyes, he felt the urge to burst out of his lonely anger.


    Four months! It¡¯s been four excruciating months since that horrid day! I can¡¯t stand it! The guilt building up inside me, my mind hurting all the time, and most of all, I keep hearing things! Am I going insane? Nah, wait! Maybe I am? Perhaps I am some sick bastard of a kid.


    Jack tightened his hold on the bed sheets and his arms started to quiver.


    Wait! Wait! Even better, I¡¯m perfectly sane! YES, I AM! But, everyday¡¯s the same; eat, sleep, eat, sleep. Oh, I forgot to mention I¡¯m also going through therapy too! Who would¡¯ve ever known someone as sane as me would end up in a cuckoo¡¯s nest? I would¡¯ve never imagined!


    He suddenly opened his eyes wide, and erratically looked around.


    ¡°Oh! There it is again! That voice, that damned voice that taunted me and said we¡¯d be together someday. As if I knew who they were!¡±


    He deeply sighed and crossed his arms.


    Today is my 11th birthday. Date, January 14th, 2010. I sometimes think if I even have a future anymore? It¡¯s driving me insane! The one thing that drives my mind more crazy is those words! Those words the cop had said over his radio, they still haunt me! ¡°Suspect at the moment, may be the child.¡± No matter how many times I told the investigators, they still didn¡¯t believe me! They thought it was me?! ME!


    ¡°I don¡¯t belong here, I don¡¯t! I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t, I don¡¯t, I DON¡¯T!


    Jack kept biting his nails in frustration. It was so uncomfortable being around people who were either mentally ill or insane. The fact that these fools labeled him as crazy was preposterous. Some nurses were even afraid to take care of him. They thought he was some unstable or insane, murderous lunatic. The only reason they thought that way is because they believed Jack had murdered his parents in cold blood.


    Jack sighed again. ¡°I want to get out of here. The more I stay here, the more I think I¡¯ll actually become insane. I just wished someone would listen to me¡­ for once.¡±


    Ever since that day, Jack had the same nightmares over and over again. The dreams of him stabbing his beloved parents to death, being blamed for their demise even though he knew that wasn¡¯t true. What he found odd though was the fact that the institution was one gigantic building split in two. One half was where Jack was being kept and the other is a school for delinquents.


    He didn¡¯t understand why these buildings were next to each other, let alone the fact he¡¯d never heard of such a place, but he still kept going, knowing he might possibly have nothing left in life. No future, no social life. Just being trapped inside a big room full of forced lies set upon his weightless shoulders.


    What made it even worse was how the doctors told Jack that he might never be cleared to be adopted or be put in a foster home. They thought he would never be mentally stable.


    Just thinking about it made him angry again. ¡°That¡¯s messed up, judging someone¡¯s future without knowing it? How could they know my future?¡± Poor Jack clutched his head and shook it angrily.


    Damn you all, damn it, damn this place! Da-Damn everything!


    As he sat on the edge of his bed, he deeply sighed one last time and just sat there, basking in his sorrow. He didn¡¯t care at this point because there was nothing to it now. He had nothing to strive for, nothing to motivate him to keep going. At this point, Jack only hoped to die sooner.


    If I die, then I can be with my parents. Now I understand what Dad meant by Grandma becoming an angel.


    The building bell went off, so it was lunch time. Jack smacked his lips and got off of the bed and got dressed. Afterwards, he waited for his nurse to escort him to the lunch room. Her name was Carolyn, and she was the only nurse that wasn¡¯t afraid of Jack and was willing to take care of him. She was so nice to him and actually treated him as a human being. He was very appreciative of the attention she gave him though. Her presence alone was enough to take his mind off all those repeated nightmares.


    She arrived and opened the door. ¡°Good afternoon Jack. How was your sleep? Still having those nightmares?¡± She smiled gently and walked over to him.


    Jack simply nodded and expressed an empty smile. She hugged him to make him feel better, lifting him off the ground and sharing her loving warmth. It slightly worked for him, but it was too bad how the hug was momentarily. She grabbed his hand and started humming, trying her best to keep his mood neutral. Jack pulled her hand softly to indicate he was ready to leave. They did so and she closed the door behind them.


    They headed towards the lunch room, where Jack always felt uncomfortable. The main reason why he had such a feeling was due to the fact that everyone around him was actually insane and screwed up in the head. During the months he¡¯d been here he hadn¡¯t been able to make any new friends, and to his knowledge why would he? Everyone was a freaking nut job.


    However, Jack really missed his old friends. There wasn¡¯t a day that he didn¡¯t think about them, and he hoped that they were fine. He wondered if they knew what happened to him, or perhaps it was best that they never found out what he¡¯d done. If they did happen to know, they¡¯d probably be afraid of him, and in Jack¡¯s young mind he thought they would probably call him a monster.


    NO! I don¡¯t want to think about that.


    Carolyn and Jack were almost to the lunch room. Jack noticed that Carolyn had long black hair that reached past her butt, but normally she had it tied in a ponytail. Her eyes were a beautiful blue, like the drowned ice in the depths of Antarctica. Her skin is pale like paper, but she wasn¡¯t caucasian if he remembered the term correctly. One time he tried asking her what race she was because he assumed she was caucasian, but she always teased him about it, which left Jack hanging.


    They arrived, and Carolyn told him to be careful and especially to not interact with anyone. She was right anyways, but he didn¡¯t really talk to anyone so it was fine either way. Jack grabbed his lunch and headed to the table where he usually sat. It was close to the entrance, right next to the outside view of the building. He liked to stare out the window and daydream about what his life would be like if that day hadn¡¯t occurred.


    He leaned his head against his hand and messed around with his gunk of food, then let out a big, deep sigh. As Jack ate, a lot of doctors came in and surprised him. Normally there would be at least three doctors, but today there were ten.


    Three of the doctors split from the group, looked around and spotted Jack. They walked towards him and were eager to ask him a couple of questions, but Jack wasn¡¯t having any of it, so he simply ignored them and shrugged them off.


    One doctor had glasses and seemed genuinely friendly. ¡°Say young man, don¡¯t be so mean to us. We¡¯re just trying to help.¡± He finished by reaching out to Jack, but he continued ignoring them and left the doctor hanging.


    A woman tapped his shoulder, then bent down so she could try and speak to Jack. ¡°Sweetheart, please don¡¯t be so cruel to us. We¡¯re all professionals here and want to help you deeply. So come here, I¡¯m sure all you want is a hug, right?¡± She got on a knee and brought her arms out to him.


    Jack replied by smacking his lip. She didn¡¯t like that response and retaliated by smacking hers as well. ¡°Quite the smart one aye? Whatever.¡± She lowered her arms and stood back up.


    One more, a tall, slim doctor, grabbed Jack and sneaked beside him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder with his long slender arm. ¡°Come on boy, tell us how you¡¯re feeling. That¡¯s all we want to know.¡± Jack got angry and smacked the doctor¡¯s hand off his shoulder. He laughed and patted Jack¡¯s back.


    They continued to restlessly ask Jack more empty questions. He still didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he only muttered words, saying. ¡°Annoying tryhards.¡±


    They grew a little impatient, especially the lady who was grunting quite a bit because of how persistent Jack was being. They all gave up on their efforts to brighten his cloudy mood and insisted that he get up and follow them to one of the offices.


    Why would I care, I¡¯d rather eat alone and bask in my sorrow.


    The doctors started arguing on why their efforts weren¡¯t working as Jack talked beneath his breath.


    ¡°These clowns sure aren¡¯t helping. I want to just scream and tell them to all drown, but¡­ I¡¯m just too down.¡±


    They finished their meaningless arguing and ordered Jack to get up. It was time to go to the office and talk to him. Jack wondered why they wanted him. It was as if this was something far too important for him to simply ignore.


    What do they want?


    Jack sighed and got up. ¡°Whatever, you win¡­ I¡¯ll follow you,¡± he said quietly.


    They didn¡¯t hear a single word he said because the minute he got up, they all started arguing about who was going to take credit about him reacting. They began walking and Jack followed them to the office they were taking him to.


    As they were walking, one of the doctors decided to speak to Jack. ¡°If you ever find yourself in trouble, don¡¯t hesitate and ask for help.¡± He gave Jack a thumbs up.


    Another patted his head, which annoyed him slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry kiddo, it¡¯s gonna be alright!¡±


    Jack stopped walking, bringing everyone to a stop. ¡°I need to use the bathroom.¡±


    The really tall one came up to Jack with a fake smile because his right cheek twitched slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long, okay. We¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±


    The woman who he angered earlier placed a hand on her hip and swayed from side to side. ¡°Tsk tsk, hurry up, we don¡¯t have all day, little boy.¡±


    The one with glasses, who genuinely did seem friendly, got both their attention. ¡°Quit stalling him. The more you drag this on, the longer this wait will take. Go on now, don¡¯t worry about these two. I¡¯ve got your back.¡±


    Jack nodded at him without saying a word.


    While walking towards the nearest bathroom, Jack came across a big examination room. ¡°Huh, a big metal door with some sort of plexiglass. It¡¯s as thick as the bricks used to build this place. What a strange way to build an examination room. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m in a different location of the building, one where I¡¯ve never been to.¡±


    Jack¡¯s curiosity grew and he walked up towards the examination room¡¯s door to open it for a quick peek.


    As he gently pushed the behemoth of a door open enough to take a peek, he took a small glimpse inside, enough not to be noticed by anyone who might be inside. Jack glanced around at first, spotting giant tubes filled with water.


    ¡°How strange. Why would they¡ª¡±


    Upon further observation he saw crosses too, big stone ones, all over the walls. Not only that, but the room was incredibly bright too, enough for him to cover his eyes.


    The moment Jack¡¯s eyes became accustomed to the brightness, he looked ahead and saw a group of people in long black robes. Doctors were also present too, and they formed a circle to surround something. Jack couldn¡¯t tell what they were examining, but from the looks of it, one of the black outfitted people grabbed a syringe and started pointing it towards whatever they were surrounding. His arm went deeper into that spot, then a loud scream ruptured out from within. He pulled it out and Jack could hear someone crying. The black outfitted person¡¯s syringe appeared to have something in it.


    It kinda looked like blood, Jack thought.


    One of the doctors from the group noticed Jack peeking inside. He grabbed his shoulder and tugged him back out with some force. ¡°Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re lost. That isn¡¯t the bathroom.¡±


    It was the tall, slim one again. This time he seemed a little suspicious, notably with how he tugged Jack with a bit of aggression.


    Jack looked at him and his face had a smidge of suspicion. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to pull me like that you know, jerk.¡± Jack rubbed his shoulder to make it seem as if he was hurting.


    ¡°My bad. Look, just because you¡¯re lost doesn¡¯t mean you can go snooping around.¡± He pointed out that the bathrooms were down the hallway next to a couple of rooms. ¡°Now go, I don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    Jack took one last look at the door and said beneath his breath, ¡°I knew that smile of yours was fake.¡±


    The doctor began pushing him gently away at first, trying to play it nice. His impatience came out again and forced Jack to walk, escorting him to the bathroom. Jack noticed the reek of suspicion.


    He had to find out what they were hiding.


    It was without a doubt in Jack¡¯s mind that they were hiding something. He thought that maybe next time when he was with Carolyn he could find out some other time.


    Jack was beginning to get a little annoyed from the doctor¡¯s forceful pushing, but it was no use fighting back against someone four times his size.


    ¡°Just what were they doing there? Gosh darn it! Now I¡¯m super curious! Maybe they were testing new medicines for the mentally ill? Or perhaps some new experiments?¡± Jack said quietly.


    After a small toilet break, both Jack and the doctor finally regrouped with the other two doctors and headed towards the destination.


    One of the doctors, the nice one, asked Jack, ¡°So kid? Why don¡¯t you talk much? We don¡¯t bite. We¡¯re just here to help you, my young child.¡±


    Mr. Slim fake pants butted in afterwards. ¡°Yeah, trust us! I mean I did help you find the bathroom, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care at this point. Let¡¯s hurry up already. You¡¯re both wasting your time,¡± the mean lady doctor said with a tired tone.


    Hmph, you couldn¡¯t fool me! I saw who you really were when you¡¯re not around your buddies. At least she doesn¡¯t hide who she is.


    Jack glanced at the slim doctor.


    When you were looking for me you were rude and suspicious. I can see right through that expressed fake smile of yours. It was so noticeable that it started maddening me.


    Jack didn¡¯t look at the nice doctor directly, but he responded with a soft angered tone, ¡°Because I don¡¯t like talking to strangers.¡±


    The two doctors chuckled and the lady just groaned.


    Why would I casually start talking to strangers? All of you can¡¯t fool me with those forced smiles, especially those lies about wanting to help me. Give me a break! Except the one with glasses, he seems cool, or maybe he¡¯s just a great actor. If he is, then he¡¯s doing a great job playing me.


    They finally arrived at what appeared to be the main doctor¡¯s office. It was big and was covered with many glass panels. The door¡­ it was just like the one from the examination room but only smaller.


    How strange.


    Jack grabbed his chin and quietly said, ¡°Wait a second. Now that I think about it, why am I here? The main doctor! His office?! I wonder what he wants with me?¡±


    The mean doctor lady knocked on the door and all three of them patiently waited. The door opened and the main doctor had the biggest, weirdest smile on his face when he spotted Jack.


    ¡°Ahh Jack! There you are!¡± He rushed towards him and shook his hand. ¡°Nice to finally meet you! My name is Dr. Cato. I¡¯ve heard everything about your situation. I¡¯m really sorry about what happened, but you don¡¯t have to worry. Our job is to fix you right up, no matter how long it takes!¡±


    This guy already gives me the creeps. He¡¯s too friendly, but it seems like the police told him about everything. Unforgivable, ungrateful. Grr!


    Jack didn¡¯t reply with anything. He wasn¡¯t feeling comfortable being around all these fools. He then glanced at every doctor in front of him.


    The two of you, tall and mean tired lady, go to hell. Glasses, you¡¯re alright, and lastly this Cato guy¡­ Yeah no way, you already creep me out on how bold you are sir!


    He fully opened the door to welcome Jack into his office. Still smiling, he even offered a snack to make Jack more welcomed. So Jack decided to listen and walked in, dismissing the other doctors. They left, so now it was just the two of them.


    Jack stood there, observing his big strange office.


    It¡¯s like a tiny library. There¡¯s bookshelves everywhere, nice carpeting, even the chair I¡¯m about to sit on looks quite comfy.


    Dr. Cato tapped Jack¡¯s shoulder as he walked past him to go behind his desk. ¡°Jack, take a seat my boy. Make yourself comfortable.¡± He took a seat on his big comfy leather chair and waited for Jack to do the same.


    But the one thing that catches my eye the most is that big single stone cross behind him. It looked similar to the ones in that room I peeked into earlier until the doctor spotted me snooping. But it looked like it was made out of the finest marble instead. This just keeps getting stranger and stranger.


    ¡°This office feels strange. Just being in here is giving me the heebie-jeebies,¡± Jack muttered.


    As he was about to sit down, Dr. Cato asked, ¡°So Jack? What¡¯s the matter?! You don¡¯t seem to be enjoying it here from what I¡¯ve been told.¡±


    Jack sat down and didn¡¯t answer his question. Instead he only sat down and looked away.


    ¡°No answer huh? Perhaps we can do something to fix that. Just ask me anything. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have an answer for you.¡±


    Jack kept ignoring him. Even though he was nervous earlier, he now felt more annoyed because in his mind he thought the doctor was only being nice to him to get an answer out of him like the others did earlier.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Dr. Cato started growing impatient himself. He reached for something in one of his cabinets, but it seemed like he was not sure what he was looking for.


    Jack still didn¡¯t have the darndest idea why he was still here though. He wanted to see Carolyn, he wanted to go back to his room and continue to rot. Knowing that he¡¯ll never get out of here, probably because he thought he won¡¯t ever get a second chance at life. In his mind¡­ why would he when he¡¯s lost everything.


    At this point, Jack had already come to the conclusion that he was going to die at the institution, and undoubtedly suffer alone. He knew Carolyn was not going to be there forever, so he was already concluding that too.


    Dr. Cato pulled some papers out of the drawer, slid one out of the bunch, then held it so Jack could see it. ¡°Take a look at this.¡±


    Jack looked closer. To him, it was just a drawing. So what? Jack thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s a cute drawing, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dr. Cato said. He had a gentle smile. His smile wasn¡¯t fake like the other doctors.


    Wow, a doctor who¡¯s actually smiling! What a surprise.


    Why ask me such a weird question? Not only that, he randomly showed me some pencil drawing and asked my opinion.


    Dr. Cato repeated himself again, asking for Jack¡¯s opinion.


    If he drew that then good for him! Stop asking me already weirdo. But why does my opinion matter though? It¡¯s just a stupid drawing.


    Jack finally bit the bullet and looked at it closer. ¡°It¡¯s cute I suppose?¡±


    Upon looking at it closely, Jack examined the drawing more. It appeared to be a room with a small girl who seemed upset. There was a shadowy figure towering over her. The whole image looked ominous and gave him a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Dr. Cato pulled out another drawing and handed it to Jack. This time it was the same drawing, but there was a boy who was comforting her. She looked really happy, calm, and at peace.


    For once Jack smiled and looked at the doctor. ¡°Heh, they¡¯re cute I suppose.¡±


    Dr. Cato had an open mouthed smile and showed Jack one more drawing. ¡°What about this one? You like this one too?¡±


    The final drawing showed the boy and girl breaking out of the room, looking extremely happy, almost as if they were relieved to be free from whatever was holding them in its grasp. They held hands and had huge smiles on their faces. Jack¡¯s smile faded because he wished he was that boy.


    Dr. Cato stood up and walked beside Jack and placed his hand on his shoulder. ¡°It appears you¡¯re kinda enjoying yourself now, Jack? Does looking at these drawings make you wonder if you¡¯ll ever feel this happy again?¡±


    Jack sighed and clenched the paper as he set it down. ¡°Yeah, it does. But at this point, it¡¯s only a fantasy now.¡±


    The doctor patted his back to make him feel better. ¡°You know who drew these?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Jack answered.


    ¡°An extremely talented and special girl. I would tell you her name, but I think it¡¯s best you found that out on your own. It¡¯ll make things more, how would I put it, exhilarating!¡±


    That¡¯s an odd way of introducing someone, isn¡¯t it? I want to answer him, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. Plus, why would I care about some little girl¡¯s drawings?


    Jack glanced back at the drawing.


    I mean, sure they¡¯re really good, but why though? thought Jack.


    ¡°Would you like to hear more about this girl?¡± Dr. Cato asked.


    Jack relaxes his shoulders, lays back on the chair, and nods his head, obliging.


    Dr. Cato sat back down on his chair and clasped his hands while looking at Jack. Slowly, he became a little more upset. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s an amazing girl. We take good care of her. Poor gal. She¡¯s so antisocial. It pains me to see someone like her being an outcast here, but more importantly¡­¡± He looked at a picture frame he had on his desk. ¡°How much she¡¯s suffered¡­ and she still is.¡±


    I don¡¯t understand. If she sounded so amazing, then why is she here in a horrible place like this? I¡¯m curious to know more, but I¡¯m a little hesitant to ask. He seems really upset.


    Jack took a deep breath and finally spoke. ¡°Dr. Cato, not to sound rude or anything, but if she¡¯s so amazing, then why is she in a place like this?¡±


    Dr. Cato clasped his hands tighter, stared up at his ceiling, and became lost in thought. After a moment of silence, he finally looked back at Jack, then he picked the picture up and stared at it, smiling. ¡°Her father used to work in this facility¡­ He was my right hand man, but most of all, he was my best friend.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jack replied.


    Dr. Cato set the picture down. ¡°He loved his daughter to death, but no one loved her more than her mother. Poor girl, she was so happy back then.¡±


    Jack also looked at the picture. ¡°What happened to her parents?¡±


    Dr. Cato chuckled. ¡°My dear boy, you¡¯re so curious. I bet it¡¯s got your interest since her story sounds close to yours, huh?¡±


    Jack never thought of that until now. To Jack, it sounded as though she¡¯d been through the same pain he¡¯d been through, so yes Jack was curious.


    ¡°Yes, Dr. Cato. Could you please tell me what happened to her parents? If you don¡¯t mind sharing.¡±


    The doctor took a deep breath and his smile faded. ¡°Her beloved parents were killed in a car accident two years ago¡­¡±


    Silence fell between them again. His eyes became watery, then a single tear flowed down his cheek. He wiped it away and continued.


    ¡°She was only four and a half years old. Her mother died instantly by the impact from what I was told, but her father managed to survive¡­ only for a short time.¡±


    After hearing that, Jack felt upset too. ¡°What¡­ happened to her dad after he survived?¡± he asked with a shaky voice.


    Dr. Cato grabbed a tissue and blew his nose. ¡°Her father died of his injuries later. I managed to talk to him before he let out his final breath¡­¡± He stopped for a second to catch his breath. ¡°You know what he told me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Take care of my daughter¡­ Please give her a future she deserves, but more importantly, do it for her mother and especially¡­ for her.¡± He began to whimper quietly.


    Hearing those words broke Jack, which made him shed a tear.


    Poor girl¡­ she didn¡¯t even get the chance to properly know her parents. At least she¡¯ll remember them for as long as she lived. Their memories would always live with her.


    Dr. Cato got up again and comforted Jack by rubbing and patting his shoulder. ¡°She¡¯s fine now. I¡¯m fulfilling a promise to an old friend.¡±


    Now that Jack thought about it, he should have fulfilled his promise and apologized to Veronica, but it was too late at this point. Hopefully one day, if he ever got out of here, he promised to apologize to Veronica.


    ¡°If you have any other troubles, Jack, don¡¯t be afraid to ask me, okay?¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Okay Dr. Cato, I will and thanks for sharing her story with me. It helped regain some of my confidence.¡± For the first time since being here Jack stuck his hand out to Dr. Cato.


    Dr. Cato shook his hand. ¡°See you soon Jack.¡±


    As Jack walked out of his office, he was surprised to see Carolyn waiting for him. She grabbed his hand and escorted him back to his room.


    ¡°What¡¯s the time, Carolyn? Also where are we going?¡± They began walking in the direction of the patient¡¯s rooms.


    ¡°It¡¯s around four in the afternoon, Jack. We¡¯re going back to your room.¡±


    Jack was surprised to hear the time. He didn¡¯t realize they were in the office for that long. ¡°Man, was I really in there almost all day? Well, I thought I would hate it, but to be honest, I got to hear a very interesting story. It¡¯s a sign knowing that I¡¯m not the only one who had it tough.¡±


    Carolyn smiled. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful to hear Jack. I¡¯m glad things went smoothly for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait a tic...? Damn!¡±


    ¡°What is it Jack?¡±


    ¡°I forgot to ask the doctor her name. I also wanted to ask why would he have her live here instead of his own home? I mean, he did say they were close friends.¡±


    Jack then grabbed his chin. Perhaps his home is crowded? Whatever, the next time I see him I¡¯ll ask.


    ¡°So Jack, besides everything going well, what was your first visit like with Dr. Cato? I would like to know more. Anything interesting?¡±


    ¡°Eh, it was kinda awkward at first, but like I said he told me a very interesting story about a little girl.¡±


    Carolyn stopped walking. She became quiet and clenched Jack¡¯s hand tighter.


    ¡°Carolyn?¡± She didn¡¯t respond at first, and stared straight ahead.


    I think I struck something in her, Jack thought.


    ¡°I know who you¡¯re talking about,¡± she said quietly, as she calmed down and let go of his hand. ¡°Sh-she¡¯s an amazing person and very talented.¡±


    What¡¯s with the slight hesitation there? Did my statement really affect her that much?


    When Jack looked at Carolyn¡¯s face, she seemed rather upset. ¡°Oh, you know as well? Well, what¡¯s her name? Come on, tell me!¡±


    Carolyn slightly giggled. ¡°I think it¡¯s best you find out for yourself mister!¡±


    That¡¯s the same response Dr. Cato gave me. Why¡¯s she being so secretive? Is she some sub-human or a being so intelligent that she must be kept a secret? So strange! But whatever I guess, I¡¯ll find out myself whenever the time comes.


    After walking past the mentally ill who were loud and laughing in their own confined sorrow, and through some long hallways, they finally got back to Jack¡¯s room and walked inside. Carolyn reminded Jack to brush his teeth tonight, and to also take a shower, then asked if he had eaten. Jack responds with a grunt and a couple of loud sighs.


    Carolyn wasn¡¯t having it, so she crosses her arms and sticks her hip out. ¡°Don¡¯t give me an attitude mister, you better do as you¡¯re told or else you¡¯ll stink up the whole place tonight.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you thinking you¡¯re exaggerating just a bit Carolyn?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She responded in a sassy tone.


    Jack replied with a sarcastic tone and smiles. ¡°Okay¡­ Mommy!¡±


    Carolyn was so caring to Jack. She reminded him of his mother at times. He really appreciated all the things she had done for him. Jack hoped someday he could repay her with his gratitude. Once he did promise those said things she told him to do tonight by going into his bathroom showing her his toothpaste and brush along with his towels, she was finally convinced enough to entrust him.


    Jack hopped onto his bed and yawned. ¡°Man, I¡¯m feeling tired already.¡±


    Carolyn placed a kiss upon his cheek. ¡°Goodnight Jack.¡± She softly told him with her motherly voice, even though it was still day time.


    ¡°Where are you going Carolyn?¡± Jack asked with a slightly worried tone.


    ¡°I have something important to do. I¡¯m sorry but I won¡¯t be able to visit you tonight. That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying goodnight this early.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll try my best to get some sleep,¡± Jack said, snuggling into the covers.


    She left and now he was left alone again within his own solitude of insanity. However, in his mind, Jack was still full of questions about today. All the talk about that girl had intrigued him. He wondered if she was close to his building. Jack even considered that they could become friends.


    Although Jack had told himself not to make any friends in the crazy den, perhaps she was one that he could get along with. They already shared one thing in common, they¡¯d both lost the most important things in their young, youthful lives, which was their parents. The only difference between them was that she hadn¡¯t killed anyone¡­ like how Jack had.


    ********


    It was finally night and Jack wasted the entire day thinking about this girl, fantasizing scenarios in his mind about how they¡¯d meet. He was having a little trouble falling asleep and blamed himself for it.


    Maybe staring out the window while the moonlight emitted into my room would brush away some of the deceptions of darkness? thought Jack.


    Not long after doing this, it did the trick. Jack began to fall asleep again. He yawned and finally, he was able to close his eyes and slowly fell fast asleep.


    As Jack slept soundly for a while, thinking that his prayers were heard and answered, it was sadly cut short because he heard singing in the depths of darkness. It sounded innocently horrific and creepy, yet gentle to the hairs of his eardrums. There was also a sound of flickering, like lights struggling to stay alive and fight the darkness that strived to return.


    He frantically breathed heavily in his sleep, tossing and turning as the sound of static grew and outweighed the singing of delighted innocence that was there before. Then, when all these semi chaotic events occurred at once, Jack heard someone with a feminine voice call out his name. Hearing his name be called was enough for him to awaken from his poor slumber.


    He arose from his sleep, with his eyes expanded, still breathing heavily. He found himself on the cold surface of a concrete ground that was supposed to be his bed.


    He looked around erratically sitting there, shaking. ¡°Where¡¯s my bed? What¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Observing the room further, he spotted horrific nail markings that were stabbed into the wall and dragged all around the room. It was enough to make him raise an arm out of fear, and then the singing returned, causing the hairs on his arms to rise from the depths of their sweaty, scared roots.


    ¡°No-No¡­ Not again¡­ Don¡¯t do this to me, please,¡± Jack said quietly. He stood up from where he was apparently sleeping, and went towards his door.


    He leaned an ear against it. Beneath the wooden door, it sounded like the singing came from the hallway. To answer his assumption, Jack slowly opened the door, He took a step out into the hallway, wondering where the direction of that singing came from.


    Jack looked both ways and everything was pitch black. But out of coincidence, a small flicker of light spilled at the end of some hallways. It sparked more the longer he stood there, almost as if it were trying to lure him in that direction.


    Jack was just too afraid to move for some reason, even though he knew he was in the facility. But the place seemed to look¡­ almost abandoned. He started wondering if he was even in the same building.


    The singing got even closer, like if it were its own entity. The sound of rusty, squeaking wheels approached him too. It was so loud he thought that his ear drums would burst. But from what he could see under some of that erratic light, there was an old woman, sitting on an old roaring 20s wheelchair, with black liquid falling out of her empty eye sockets.


    She rolled around on a wheelchair, singing some creepy old song. Jack wasn¡¯t familiar with the song at all. The scene troubled his eyes and stomach, which was enough to make him gag out of disgust and almost throw up.


    As Jack coughed, he shook himself frantically out of all the bizarreness, and he heard his name being called out again. He clenched his shirt and decided to head towards that weird flickering light.


    He walked forward into the flickering darkness. He couldn¡¯t help but look at every room he passed as his footsteps echoed down the hallway. A lot of rooms were empty, but some had people inside them. Jack couldn¡¯t see too well, even if he took a good glance. It was just too dark inside.


    When Jack was close to the woman in the wheelchair, he stopped and hesitated for a second because of her creepiness. He was terrified in trying to walk past, especially due to the horrid substance flowing out of her eye sockets and from her wretched singing.


    ¡°Screw it!¡± Jack said as he shook his head and power walked past the wheelchair, making sure he didn¡¯t glimpse her, not even once. He made it past his first obstacle and continued walking towards his new destination.


    As he continued forward, Jack kept looking at every room he walked past. He stopped momentarily and decided to further investigate one of the rooms out of curiosity.


    This room had a woman rocking back and forth on her bed. There was black liquid dripping out of her mouth and it splashed all over the ground beneath her feet. The sight almost made Jack cover his mouth and gag, but he continued onward.


    The next room was another woman who had hung herself with some thick rope. Her body swayed from side to side. Jack noticed her eyes were hollowed out just like the old woman in the wheelchair.


    That did it. Vomit broke the dam in his mouth and he puked all over the floor, but as he coughed, he looked at his stained hands covered by his bowels. He too had black stuff coming out from within him.


    ¡°Wha-What¡­ the? How-How!¡±


    As Jack¡¯s eyes trembled, and with his hands quivering, he heard his voice being called out once again, but much louder than before.


    ¡°Jack!¡± a little girl¡¯s voice said in an innocent tone.


    Jack wiped his hands all over his gray shirt, staining it with the ink that came out of his mouth. He did realize something from all this so far¡­ and that was how all those women he walked past, including the old woman, had the same hair and seemed to look the same, but from different eras. The old woman had clothing that was worn in the Great Depression and the woman hanging wore clothes that were of the Dark Ages.


    Analyzing such a thing wasn¡¯t going to answer the name calling, so Jack shook his head and went back on course. He ran through the flickered darkness again and heard splashing sounds come from behind him. As he turned a shoulder to get a glimpse of whatever produced the sound, the women he walked past moments ago were suddenly behind him.


    He was petrified. They were chasing him like stringless puppets, their arms flailing like kites and heads wobbling around without a supportive neck as they chased after him. Jack looked forward again, then picked his pace up as he panicked and ran for his life. He was so determined to run away from them that he almost tripped over something. Feeling the embodiment of fear and determination to live, he ran faster, faster than he ever had done in his eleven years of living.


    Jack managed to give himself some distance from the vile creatures by taking a turn into another hallway, but then he came to a stop. An old wooden door was in front of him. With his breath shortening from all the running, Jack used the opportunity to catch his breath, coughing out more tar from out of his mouth. Wiping away the disgusting substance, he decided to look back. The women were gone.


    Sighing out of relief and wanting to cry, Jack instead spat, yet his own spit was a black substance that started forming into something so disturbing.


    ¡°What the?!¡± Jack shouted out in fright.


    His spit raised up off the ground, growing like a mountain of black goo. Since it was a show he didn¡¯t want to see, Jack stormed inside the room behind him and shut the door.


    ¡°This is a dream¡­ right?¡±


    He gripped his chest, feeling it grow tighter from the sheer fear he was experiencing. Adequately, he could finally catch his breath and regain some stamina. After doing so, he looked around and noticed how abnormal the room looked. It was oddly strange and very out of place.


    ¡°What is this room?¡± he asked himself.


    It had walls made out of decayed wood. It was cold, damp, and a coffin was at the back. The atmosphere around here was intense and¡­ yet somehow sad. He could unexplainably feel a sad aura around him.


    Jack looked over to the wall and spotted some creepy markings on it. ¡°What language is this written in? I¡¯ve never seen it before?¡±


    The text looked old and was written in a different language, one that was very ancient-looking. The shapes and symbols were titled versions of what modern english letters looked like if they were more oddly shaped and had extra crap slapped onto the letters.


    ¡°This is so bizarre! Just what the hell¡¯s going on?¡±


    As he examined these strange markings and touched them, he suddenly heard something move inside the coffin.


    ¡°Jesus christ!¡± Jack said. Goosebumps slowly rose through his body. He felt as if someone was watching him from inside that thing.


    ¡°Jack!¡± said the strange, soft girly voice. ¡°Help¡­ me!¡±


    Hearing her voice was so relaxing to his ears. ¡°Who¡¯s in there! What¡¯s going on!¡± Jack said, his voice cracking as he trembled, afraid of who he was speaking to.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold, dark and lonely in here! Please¡­ Free me!¡± the girl exclaimed, then began to whimper. ¡°I beg of you! Only you can free me!¡±


    Hearing her voice alone was so soothing. It was gentle and innocent. It could¡¯ve been a crime to possess such a voice.


    Jack stood there obviously scared and all, not knowing how to respond to her request. A sudden banging on the door sounded behind him.


    It must be those creeps again.


    Jack panickened and paced back and forth, feeling conflictions inside his scared mind as he clutched his head and gripped his hair intensely. ¡°What do I do! What the hell do I do!¡± He frantically paced faster and coughed out more black. ¡°Damn it! If I free you will you help get rid of those freaks?¡±


    She stayed quiet for a moment, then her voice sounded sadistic as she said, ¡°Anything¡­ for you.¡± She quietly giggled. ¡°If you free me, then I can ensure your safety¡­ so long as you give yourself to me!¡±


    Jack had no time for questions, because he was running out of time. The door was starting to break! Those wretched white arms shot through the door like bullets, shooting pieces of wood outward at Jack¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Ahh! Screw it! Fine! Whatever! Just end this madness!¡± Jack walked over to the coffin and placed his hands on it. Before opening it, he took a deep breath and wondered if what he was doing was such a good idea.


    However, his thought came up short from the deranged, lifeless bodies piercing their arms through the door further with a frightening force like that of an axe. Their boneless arms reached in waving around like loose hoses. They started ripping apart the door, exposing more of their horrendous bodies.


    Without further analyzing the possible consequences of freeing whatever was inside the coffin, Jack closed his eyes and pushed the lid open, which happened to be surprisingly light. Holding his breath, Jack prepared himself to be revolted.


    Black smoke blew out from the inside of the coffin and tickled his lungs. Jack opened his eyes while coughing, brushing the air to wipe away the smoke to see what he had revealed. When the smoke finally cleared, Jack became too curious to find out what was calling him from inside. But, disappointingly, it was empty.


    Was this some trick? Did I get played? Jack thought.


    ¡°Is this some damn game?!¡± Jack shouted out in anger. Even if it was a dream he didn¡¯t care, he was just too angry to question anything further.


    Smacking his hand repeatedly against his head in frustration, not realizing that the girl whom he thought just played him, was taking deep breaths.


    ¡°At last¡­ I¡¯m free,¡± she said softly.


    Jack hadn¡¯t noticed, but she stood behind him with her back facing his. He stopped his senseless smacking and felt the coldness pulsing off of her from behind.


    Everything became silent and the room started to fade away. He turned slightly to look at her. She was short and extremely pale, her hair was as black as tar, but with a hint of very faint midnight purple towards the ends of her hair. The outfit she wore was strange too. It was a white romantic, gothic style dress.


    Jack stood still like a statue. He didn¡¯t know how to react. ¡°Are you the one I just freed?¡± he asked quietly.


    She felt his gaze and turned around. Jack stood still in silence, not knowing what to do or how to react to this situation. He couldn¡¯t understand why she sounded so happy because her face was covered with her carpet of tar hair.


    His heart raced, while his face sweated profusely, and his body temperature changed from hot to cold. He couldn¡¯t stop his legs from trembling so much. She fully turned round and reached out for a hug, grabbing Jack¡¯s scared hand in the process.


    Her hands were cold as ice and surprisingly soft. She giggled and caressed his wet cheek that was coated with the essence of darkness he¡¯d spewed out earlier.


    Why does she have so much hair covering her face? Just who is she?


    Somehow, he too grabbed her hand, almost like his hand had a mind of its own. He let his hand do its own thing, watching it gently set her hand down and off his face.


    ¡°Who are you? How come I can¡¯t see your face?¡± he finally asked.


    She stepped back, letting go of his warm touch and laughed softly. ¡°Who am¡­ I? My¡­ face?¡± She put her hands beneath her hair and slowly lifted its dark thick threads. ¡°Do¡­ you mean¡­!¡±


    Jack swallowed in fear from the anticipation she created and took a step back. A black mist started to appear from out of her. The whole room became engulfed by the mist creeping out from beneath the dress she wore. And yet, Jack ignored it and was too eager on wanting to see her face out of his own dumb curiosity. He wanted to know who she was and why she called him, but he somehow felt like he had already seen her before.


    She lifted her hair and she exclaimed, ¡°You mean¡­ this face!¡±


    Jack gasped. She¡­ She was faceless.


    He turned pale from the familiar sight and freaked out, shouting out in desperation as he fell back. He knew he¡¯d seen her before! Her voice, the teasing, especially his name calling, he just knew it!


    He couldn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t breath¡­ Hold on! My chest, am I having a heart attack from being so shocked? No!


    The black mist grabbed onto him, wrapping its wretchedness all around him. It twirled up and forcefully opened his mouth and dived right inside him. The substance felt hollow, lifeless, and most of all it felt as if he were swallowing death itself. The last remnants crawled inside him and closed his charred mouth. Jack coughed violently and breathed every last bit of air he had left inside him. Jack collapsed and laid on the ground.


    The girl got on top of his motionless body and caressed his face. She placed one hand on his chin and the other on his forehead.


    ¡°I finally met you¡­ at last¡­ Now give yourself to me¡­!¡± She laughed as his consciousness began to fade into complete nothingness.


    Her giggles echoed continuously while everything went dark. It was silent, foggy, and yet, his body felt light. Jack wondered if he was dead.


    Th-That¡¯d be great, if I just died. That way, I could see my parents¡­


    His laughter reverberated inside the shadowy darkness, slowly growing innocently maniacial with every breath he took. ¡°If this is how dying feels like, then it¡¯s not so bad. Mom, Dad, I¡¯m sorry for making you wait¡­!¡±


    But then he heard someone else¡¯s laughter.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Wh-Who¡¯s laughing! Wait¡­ is-is it me? Who¡¯s laughing! Why am I laughing? Stop! Stop¡­ Stop it!¡±


    Jack¡¯s laughter grew inside the chambered darkness, as howling winds erupted into the void of black. Jack¡¯s uncontrollable laughter continued, though his consciousness wanted himself to stop. He felt his eyes open in the darkness, but all he could see was faint swirls of purple swing and zig zag around, leaving him to wonder if it was truly the beginning of his transition to death.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ve really gone insane, haven¡¯t I?!¡± Jack said, finally realizing that he wasn¡¯t floating in darkness. His eyes were wide open and he didn¡¯t know that he was crying black. ¡°Am-Am I laughing at myself dying?¡±


    Heh¡­ I really am hopeless.


    The girl still sat on top of his engulfed body, but she didn¡¯t like the sight she saw, especially the broken look in Jack¡¯s eyes. She covered his eyes and lifted his head off the ground as he continued laughing away his emotions.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t ready¡­ I can wait, but in the meantime¡­ I¡¯ll have some fun with the people who you deeply love and care for.¡±


    As soon as Jack heard her say that, he immediately stopped his senseless laughing. ¡°What do you¡­?¡±


    She giggled and patted his head, leaning in closer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I won¡¯t kill anyone¡­!¡± she whispered into his ear. ¡°At least not yet!¡±


    She twisted Jack¡¯s neck and he immediately awakened from his actual slumber. Even though he was suffocating in darkness, he somehow managed to scream at the top of his lungs. He was back in his room, everything was back to normal, with not a single thing touched nor destroyed, just normality. After properly catching his breath, he looked about.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m in my room! On my bed!¡± Jack nervously patted all over his face. ¡°Holy crap!¡± He gasped repeatedly. ¡°Wha-What a dream, but it felt so damn real! Just like the other¡­!¡±


    He wiped the sweat off his forehead. For some reason, he felt ill.


    Perhaps the doctors were right, maybe I do need help? Should I tell them, or Dr. Cato, about my most recent dream?


    After giving it some thought, Jack decided not to. ¡°Nah, they¡¯d probably think I¡¯ve finally fallen into the hands of insanity¡­¡± He sighed deeply and still felt that surge of darkness coursing through his body. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll tell Carolyn instead.¡±


    Momentarily, she walked in and noticed Jack had awakened. ¡°How come you¡¯ve stayed in bed for so long?¡± she asked.


    He checked the time. It¡¯s already twelve o¡¯clock in the afternoon?!


    The clock continued ticking, and an announcement came through the intercom saying it was lunch time. Jack grasped his neck with one hand and clenched his bed sheet with the other. Swallowing very calmly yet nervously, he turned to Carolyn.


    ¡°Hey Carolyn?¡± he asked with a shaky voice.


    With a straight, calm face, she noticed how strangely frightened he was and immediately sat next to him, rubbing his head to ease his nervousness. ¡°What is it Jack?¡±


    ¡°I had a strange dream last night¡­¡±


    She noticed how he grasped his neck. She continued to stay calm and didn¡¯t change her tone. ¡°Oh? Did you dream of something more peaceful or weird? Perhaps something frightening?¡±


    Jack turned to her and noticed a slight glint of anger in her eyes.


    ¡°Or is it worse than the horrid ones you¡¯ve been having the past few months?¡± she said with a more serious tone.


    In that moment, when Jack heard Carolyn¡¯s tone change, he felt a bit scared of her.  ¡°No¡­¡± he said as he shook his head. ¡°This one felt real¡­ Too real, to be honest.¡±


    Carolyn noticed how tense and stiff he was, but she remained the same. Instead, she gasped quietly. ¡°Jack¡­ how real¡­ was it?¡± she asked, sounding nervous and worried too.


    Jack slightly chuckled with a scared smile. ¡°Almost as if it happened last night? Right in front of me¡­ happening just in my field of vision like reality, and it expressed the realest emotions I could possibly express¡­ Strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She became serious again, then shook and looked paranoid, and suddenly grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulders tightly. ¡°Jack! What happened in your dream?!¡±


    The look in her eyes¡­ I don¡¯t like it. I don¡¯t like the way she¡¯s been looking at me this entire time.


    ¡°Carolyn, you¡¯re gripping too hard!¡± Jack said frightfully.


    She realized and let go. ¡°Sorry for overreacting. It¡¯s just, I like hearing these kinds of things. It makes me feel excited. I can¡¯t explain it!¡±


    What a strange thing to say?


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. About the dream, um, I remember most of it, but I forgot some things?¡±


    ¡°What exactly did you remember?¡±


    Jack stared out the window and gazed out into the distance. He grinned and looked at Carolyn and said, ¡°A coffin¡­ with a girl inside it.

 Arc 1 Chapter 6: Another Broken Household

    Far away from where the building was located, Anna stared out the window, with her arms hanging by her sides, looking upset. She too wondered where her beloved friend Jack had gone. She questioned whether he went to heaven or worse, hell.


    Sighing, she felt depressed and missed him, wishing he was still alive. The day he was taken away was the worst day of her life. The police told her he and his family were murdered.


    She looked at the clouds above while the wind blew her hair. She reached out, pretending to grab the fluff of clouds and began to tear up. ¡°Oh Jack¡­ why did it have to be you? You didn¡¯t deserve to be taken away from us. You were my best friend, but more importantly, you were like a brother to me. I miss you so much.¡±


    Anna cried, then walked to her dresser and held a picture of her and Jack from when they were small kids. She stared at the photo and gripped it tightly, her hands shaking with sadness. She gently placed the picture down and leapt onto her bed. Even though she tried to hold her tears back, she couldn¡¯t. Instead, she let it all out; her sorrow, her loneliness. Grabbing her pillow, she held it tightly and cried her eyes out into the pillow to muffle the sound of her sadness.


    She stopped crying for a second, then wiped her eyes. Heavy footsteps came towards her bedroom door. Wiping her tears away faster, she sat upright.


    Her father opened her door aggressively and started yelling. ¡°What¡¯s with all the crying?!¡± He walked up to her, reeking of alcohol and seemed quite drunk. ¡°Shut up! Daddy¡¯s having his me time sweetie!¡±


    She was a little shaken, but she restrained her emotions as much as possible. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry Dad. I was just thinking of something and I started to cry.¡±


    Her father sighed, then patted her head a little too hard. ¡°Sorry sweetie¡­ I know I¡¯m a mess, but I do understand what you¡¯re going through. I lost a friend and my job.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m still not over it, but drinking calms me down a bit.¡± He burped and patted her back. ¡°No matter how drunk I am, I may scream at you, I may be loud, but I¡¯ll never hurt you.¡± Then he walked out of the room.


    Anna looked down and a single tear dropped onto her leg, smudging  some makeup that covered a bruise. ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ you don¡¯t remember.¡±


    Her mother walked in afterwards, and she appeared to be drunk as well. For a couple of high middle class folks, they acted more like drunk trailer park trash than what they should be acting like. She walked up to Anna and grabbed her hair. Her grip was tight and Anna felt as if her hair was being ripped out of her scalp.


    Anna grabbed her mother¡¯s wrists, trying to break her grip off her hair. ¡°Mom! It hurts. Ple-Please let go!¡±


    Instead of hearing her daughter''s pleas, she just kept laughing and continued drinking. She tossed Anna to the ground and placed her foot down on her back. Hard.


    ¡°Why did I give birth to such trash?!¡± She then poured beer all over Anna. She put weight down on Anna¡¯s back, making her yelp out of pain. ¡°Stupid kid! You¡¯re the reason why we¡¯re in debt!¡±


    Anna coughed and gasped for air. ¡°Please¡­ Mom¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ breathe!¡±


    Her father walked in and got madder. ¡°What the hell are you doing to my baby girl?!¡± He rushed to his daughter¡¯s aid by pushing her mother onto the bed and tried to pick Anna up. But her mother got up and slammed the beer bottle in her hand against his head, causing it to shatter into a million pieces.


    He stumbled a bit from the impact. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like that, you big oafy dumbass!¡± She jumped onto his back and they both started to wrestle.


    Her father had blood dripping from his head, but that didn¡¯t stop him from tossing her mother around like a ragdoll. Both parents bumped against Anna¡¯s dresser, with her father desperately trying to reach an arm around to get her crazed mother off his back. They hopped off the dresser, slammed against the walls, and then crashed through Anna¡¯s closet door.


    Anna was terrified. She begged her parents to stop fighting and tried getting up, but her mother noticed and grabbed a shard of glass close by. She cut her father, pushed him out of the way and got out of Anna¡¯s closet. Rushing towards her, her mother grabbed Anna and tossed her on the bed, forcefully pinning her down.


    ¡°Bad kids must be taught a lesson!¡± She lifted Anna¡¯s shirt, exposing her bare back. ¡°Especially those who talk back to their parents!¡± She slashed away at Anna¡¯s back, cutting into it and horrifically leaving long trails of red.


    Anna screamed from the excruciating pain. She felt like she was a slaughtered animal. Even though she was trying to escape, she was too weak from all the damage she was taking. Her father noticed her turmoil and grabbed her mother. Both parents struggled and wrestled their way out of her room.


    Anna laid on her bed and twitched from all the pain she was feeling. Her back burned and blood poured onto her bed while she cried and struggled to get up. The pain was unbearable.


    Her phone rang. Hearing it make noise was a blessing, so she pulled herself to the edge of her bed and managed to grab it. When she answered her phone, Anna heard Veronica¡¯s voice.


    ¡°He-Help¡­ me.¡± Anna could hardly hold her phone let alone stay conscious due to the pained shock driving through her body. She couldn¡¯t take it any longer and passed out.


    Veronica panicked, not knowing what was going on at her end until she heard Anna¡¯s parent¡¯s aggression and fighting in the background. She wasn¡¯t going to waste any more time and started dialing 911. She informed the police that something was wrong with her friend, then she described what she¡¯d heard. They understood and sent an officer on the way.


    Rushing out of her room and down the stairs, Veronica made her way through her living room and spotted both her parents. ¡°Mom, Dad! I¡¯m going to Anna¡¯s. It¡¯s an emergency!¡± she said in a hurried and terrified tone.


    Veronica¡¯s father said, ¡°What do you mean by emergency?¡±


    Her mother, on the other hand, downplayed her daughter¡¯s overreaction. ¡°It¡¯s probably nothing. Perhaps it¡¯s school related?¡±


    Veronica didn¡¯t have time for explanations, especially with her mother not taking her seriously. So she just ran off without saying another word, leaving her father feeling a bit worried and her mother still not giving a toot. Veronica was out the front door and on her way to save her best friend Anna.


    After fighting off her mother downstairs momentarily, Anna¡¯s father walked back in, all bruised and sliced up. As he stumbled about, approaching Anna, who was still bleeding on her bed, he noticed his own daughter was lying there motionless. He rushed to her aid and started treating her wounds.


    As he did so, he poured some alcohol to cleanse her hidden skin, revealing all the bruises and scars she had on her arms and back. He wanted to assure this assumption, so by rubbing some of the makeup off her face, he exposed more bruises.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Anna¡¯s father detested the sight he revealed so much that he shed a single tear full of guilt and shame.  He began sobbing away all his regrets. ¡°Did I¡­ do this?¡± He picked Anna up and hugged her, holding her tight. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I¡¯m so fucking sorry!¡±


    He heard car doors being shut outside, which made him walk over to the window. Siren lights flashed across his drunken, bloodshot eyes, which made him turn blind for a second. Once his vision regained, he looked back out the window and spotted a police car in their driveway.


    He smiled and gently set Anna back down on her bed. ¡°I¡¯m a failure of a father. I¡¯m so sorry for everything, Annabelle.¡± As he was about to leave, he took one last look at his daughter. ¡°I hope you find it in your heart¡­ to forgive this stupid fool. Until we meet again, my dear daughter.¡± He walked out of her room and made his way downstairs to the front door.


    The police heard Anna¡¯s mother still screaming in a pit of drunken rage. Her father opened the door and raised his hands into the air. He informed the police of the entire situation, along with more stories. They arrested him and arrested Anna¡¯s mother too, of course, without a struggle.


    As Anna¡¯s father was put inside the patrol car, he took one last look at his home. ¡°Farewell sweetheart. Hopefully you can forgive me one day.¡± The patrol car pulled away as the ambulance arrived, along with more police vehicles.


    Veronica arrived at the end of all the madness that ensued and spotted Anna awake alongside her grandparents, where the paramedics were still treating her wounds. Veronica rushed up to her and tried jumping onto her, but the paramedics stopped her.


    Even though they stopped her from jumping onto Anna, that didn¡¯t stop Veronica from expressing her worries to her best friend. She cried and grabbed Anna¡¯s hand instead. ¡°Ar-Are you o-okay An-Anna?!¡±


    Anna expressed a soft grin and patted Veronica¡¯s hand. ¡°Everything¡¯s okay now,¡± she said softly.


    Anna¡¯s grandpa was talking to one of the officers, thanking the officer for everything. The officer handed Anna a teddy bear and wished her well. Her grandpa informed her of the entire situation.


    ¡°How could they do that to my grandchild! My God, poor Annabelle!¡± her grandmother said, all furious and disappointed.


    Anna looked at her grandfather and wanted answers. ¡°Where are my parents? What happened?¡±


    He sighed and held Anna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°They¡¯re going to prison¡­ for a very long time.¡±


    Anna felt relieved¡­ almost happy. Tears flowed down her face, like a river having the freedom to flow peacefully alongside nature. ¡°What about Dad?¡± she asked as she cried up a storm.


    ¡°Your dad was the one who suggested they be locked up. He was the one who told them everything.¡±


    Anna felt something strike her heart. She couldn¡¯t believe her father was the one who ratted them out. There was no way she couldn¡¯t take it, so she broke down and clutched onto Veronica. She always loved her father, but after he¡¯d lost his friend and job, he had changed.


    Her mother had always been abusive to her, especially behind her father¡¯s back. She blamed Anna for ruining her body, her life, and for not being the blessing she wanted.


    Her father had only hit her twice accidentally, but that was out of drunken sleep or rage. Yet, it was her mother who did all the abusing. Her mother punched, kicked, and threw items at her. She even left her out in the shed once during a cold and stormy day.


    The worst case was when she was five. They were at Jack¡¯s birthday party, where she had accidentally dropped water onto her mother¡¯s dress. This made her furious, so she dragged Anna to Jack¡¯s bathroom and attempted to drown Anna in the sink. Luckily Jack had arrived and saved Anna from near death. Ever since then, she had always admired him and stood by his side, vowing to be best friends.


    After sobbing on Veronica¡¯s clothes and wiping her face, Anna looked at both of her grandparents. ¡°Is it okay if I can walk Veronica home?¡±


    They were both against it, especially her grandmother who said, ¡°You¡¯re still hurt. You should come with us and let your body heal.¡±


    Her grandfather agreed, but he said, ¡°If she can talk and walk without an issue, then we should have no worries.¡± So after a small talk between the two, they told her she could, but Anna had to come back immediately.


    She listened to them and nodded, turning to Veronica after. ¡°Is that okay with you?¡±


    Veronica was against it at first, mostly because Anna was still hurt. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You definitely need to rest up though, and heal like what your grandparents said.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m tougher than I look. See!¡± She raised an arm and flexed.


    Veronica gave in and grabbed her hand. ¡°Okay, but if you start groaning and moaning out in pain, I¡¯ll be sure to remind you that I told you so.¡± They began walking towards Veronica¡¯s house.


    As the girls were walking, Anna said, ¡°Let¡¯s visit the cemetery real quick. It¡¯s only five o¡¯clock. It¡¯ll be quick Veronica.¡±


    Veronica didn¡¯t want to at first because she still felt guilty about Jack. She still remembered how she wished that something terrible should happen to him and it did. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, I don¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, honestly! I think it¡¯ll make him happy knowing you visited him, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°But Anna¡­ look how badly you¡¯re hurt! Shouldn¡¯t you have gone to the hospital with the paramedics?¡±


    Anna thought about it, but somehow, she felt okayish now. She even patted her back and to her surprise it didn¡¯t hurt too bad. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I-I think. It still slightly burns. Besides, my cuts aren¡¯t that deep for them to be stitched. So what do you say?¡±


    Veronica thought for a moment, then held Anna¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! Let¡¯s go see Jack.¡±


    Anna smiled, then they changed course and headed to the cemetery. When they got to the entrance, Veronica felt something bad coming from the cemetery.


    Anna started joking around. ¡°What are you, some psychic huh? Ooo, look at me, I¡¯m Veronica and I can see the dead. Ooo!¡±


    ¡°Stop that! I feel something negative inside this place! I just know it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I do recall how much you hated places like this, as well as ghosts or anything supernatural. My bad Veronica.¡±


    Both girls continued on towards their destination without joking around or scaring one other.


    Veronica stayed close by Anna¡¯s side, clutching onto her arm the entire way. ¡°Anna¡­ are we almost there? I¡¯ve got goosebumps all over¡ª¡±  A loud hoot startled Veronica. ¡°What was that!!¡± She huddled behind Anna out of fear.


    ¡°Relax silly, it was just an owl!¡±


    They walked through the cracked concrete trail that was smothered with dead leaves, and vines grown within the cracks. Anorexic trees as black as charcoal stood around the edges of the path, and countless yards of different shaped tombstones littered the landscape.


    The girls finally made it to Jack¡¯s family grave. Anna placed her hands together and prayed, kneeling in front of his grave and muttering words. Veronica looked at each tombstone.


    {Here lies Jackson Samr, 1980-2010} {Here lies Miranda Samr, 1982-2010} The last tombstone read {Here lies Jack Samr, 1998-2010}


    Veronica started to have flashbacks from that day when Jack called her a ¡°Bitch!¡±, which reminded her of her sins.


    Veronica couldn¡¯t take it any longer. The guilt, the pain, the agony that built up inside her, and how it hurt and crushed her soul. She dropped to her knees. With palms on her face, she cried, feeling broken and ungrateful. Anna heard Veronica¡¯s cries, so she got up and held her, trying to offer comfort.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault!¡± Veronica whimpered loudly.


    Anna stroked Veronica¡¯s hair lightly. ¡°No! It¡¯s not Veronica. None of it was your fault. Please stop blaming yourself!¡±


    Veronica¡¯s tears penetrated through the cracks of her closed fingers. Her body quivered as tears slowly dripped down from her cheeks. It was clear that the burden of remorse was too much for her. ¡°I told him that I wished he would suffer and die! How? How is it not my fault? How?!¡±


    Anna held Veronica tightly. ¡°People say things that they don¡¯t mean. People make mistakes. And words don¡¯t have meaning unless action is ensured.¡±


    Veronica momentarily stopped her hefty crying. ¡°Ho-How are yo-you so su-sure?¡± Instead of crying again, she softly whimpered.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m sure that Jack¡¯s probably watching us from above, protecting us from danger like a guardian angel. It¡¯s most likely he was the one who saved me from bleeding out too.¡±


    Veronica calmed down a little bit, and sniffled. ¡°Anna, do you have a tissue?¡±


    Anna chuckled and ripped one of her bandages. She handed it to Veronica.


    ¡°Thanks Anna, for being a great friend,¡± Veronica said, then blew her nose into the material.


    ¡°Trust me Veronica, he wouldn¡¯t blame you. He isn¡¯t that type of guy, remember?¡±


    Veronica wiped away her tears and hugged Anna. ¡°Tha-Thank you for everything. I¡¯m so-sorry for being mentally weak.¡±


    They both looked at the graves and wished him their condolences, praying and thanking him for watching over them. After they were done, Anna grabbed a flower nearby and placed it on his tombstone. Veronica did the same, but placed a dozen flowers on his grave to pay the most respect.


    Seeing Veronica do that brought a single tear out of Anna. She was relieved to see Veronica confront her past. It warmed Anna¡¯s heart. She looked up at the sky and closed her eyes, clutching the necklace pendant that Jack gave her not too long ago.


    They said their goodbyes and began to leave the cemetery. After a small trip back to the same ironed gate entrance smothered by overgrown greenery, and with some crows hanging around at the tip of it, both girls stopped.


    Veronica glanced back at the cemetery one last time, then back to Anna. ¡°Thanks again Anna for comforting me. It really means a lot.¡±


    Anna softly punched Veronica¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I should be thanking you Veronica for rescuing me. Without you calling the police, I probably would¡¯ve died back there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Jack would¡¯ve allowed that to happen. Will you be okay? Are you sure you don¡¯t need my help walking you back home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. After all, my house isn¡¯t too far from here.¡± She smiled happily and gazed back at the cemetery one last time.


    They both giggled and said goodbye to each other. Veronica left first, walking out of the cemetery as Anna stood there, silently watching her leave, while her clothes fluttered from the howling wind. She finally broke out in tears without making a sound.


    Before she could leave, Anna took one last good look at the cemetery, but then she noticed something odd. There was a girl standing by Jack¡¯s grave. Anna stood there, watching. She felt goosebumps rise on her arms and a slight eeriness in the air. A passing car distracted her for a second, and as she looked again, the girl had disappeared.


    What did I just see? Anna thought, but she shrugged it off, assuming it must have been her imagination. She went off to walk home, alone, not knowing that the girl who stood at the entrance of the cemetery was watching her. The girl slowly faded away, laughing all manic-like, and said one thing with a sinister gentle tone, ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you¡­ Annabelle.¡±

 Arc 1 Chapter 7: Tormenting The Soul Of An Innocence

    Back at the mental institution, Jack was in the breakroom being annoyed about something. It showed on his face because his eyebrows were raised and he was scratching his head erratically.


    Gosh darn! What an absolute pain! he thought.


    Jack didn¡¯t get the answer he was hoping for from his visit to Dr. Cato. He had visited the doctor¡¯s office and explained everything about his weird dreams.


    After much consultation, Dr. Cato had said that Jack must have had an extreme case of ¡°Vivid dreams or lucid ones.¡± He explained that they were just powerful feelings or illusions that feel real.


    Jack didn¡¯t think the doctor was too far off, but he was a doctor after all, so he guessed Dr. Cato was right. However, Jack hoped for more closure, but he guessed that was simply how things are.


    Carolyn, who stood beside Jack, decided to explain more about Dr. Cato¡¯s answer. ¡°In some extreme cases, people have sleep walked while experiencing vivid dreams.¡±


    Jack shivered. ¡°Just hearing that gave me the chills. Hopefully I won¡¯t do anything that bizarre!¡±


    They left the break room and headed back to Jack¡¯s room. He was tired, so he hopped into bed without washing.


    Carolyn crossed her arms, ¡°Not so fast young man! Go and march yourself into the bathroom. You have to shower before going to bed.¡±


    Jack smiled and said, ¡°Okay mom!¡±


    That made her feel happy, so she played along.


    As Jack finished and tucked himself to sleep, Carolyn handed him some sleeping pills so he could sleep well for once. She gave him a kiss goodnight and said, ¡°If you start having bad dreams again just yell for me, Jack.¡±


    She made her way out of the room and turned off the lights, leaving Jack alone within the cage of his own rising nightmares.


    Jack examined the pills and read the label. (Sleeping pills, experimental medication for extreme cases of insomnium.)


    ¡°Hmm? Should I be taking these?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Whatever. If it helps me sleep and not have these horrid dreams, so be it.¡± He took two out and swallowed them. He started to feel drowsy and to his surprise, he got sleepy.


    Jack gently laid his head on the pillow and slowly became sound asleep.


    When Jack awoke the next day, he was amazed that he¡¯d slept really well last night and had no crazy dreams. He couldn¡¯t wait to tell Carolyn that for once, since he¡¯d finally had a good night¡¯s sleep.


    She walked into the room. ¡°How was your sleep?¡±


    Jack was filled with energy and relaxation. ¡°The pills worked. I didn¡¯t dream of anything crazy.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready to go to the yard? Hmm?¡±


    ¡°The yard huh?! I¡¯ve never been to the yard before.¡±


    ¡°The yard is for both the mildly sane and juvenile delinquents to share, a place where everyone has an hour to hangout. Only a few patients from this building are allowed to go into the open yard, while the others are locked behind a huge cage located at the edge. It was for their safety, so they wouldn¡¯t harm anyone, or more importantly, themselves,¡± Carolyn explained.


    ¡°Wow, sounds pretty cool and up to my liking!¡± Jack stretches his arms and lets out a relaxed grunt. ¡°Yeah! Well, I should get ready then if you¡¯re taking me, give me a minute or two.¡±


    Caroyn smiles. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t forget to freshen up extra then so you can look extra handsome.¡±


    ¡°You know what Carolyn, for once I won¡¯t complain about freshening up because it is a special day. So yes, I will!¡± Jack brushed his teeth, washed himself off, and put on some fresh clothes. He was ready.


    ¡±Are you ready to head out for breakfast?¡± Carolyn asked.


    Jack was excited, so he grabbed her hand and nodded. Then they walked towards the cafeteria and to their surprise, they bumped into Dr. Cato.


    He grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡°Jack! How are you? You got a good night¡¯s sleep I see?¡± he said, with his usual smile.


    For once Jack was in a good mood, so he too also had a huge smile on his face. ¡°Yes I did doctor!¡± He pointed at Carolyn. ¡°Carolyn here helped me out. Without her, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    Dr. Cato looked at Jack strangely and cringed. ¡°Umm... Caro? Never mind. Say Jack, how about I take you to the yard today?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I was already heading outside with my nurse Carolyn.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­?¡± Dr. Cato scratched his head and seemed a little confused. ¡°You¡¯re quite the imaginative one, huh? But listen, I want you to be careful. Those kids from the juvenile school are little no good bastards.¡± He quickly covered his mouth. ¡°Excuse my French, Ahem! So don¡¯t get into any trouble, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay Dr. Cato, I¡¯ll definitely try my best to avoid those kids. As long as I have my nurse waiting for me, then it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Dr. Cato smiled and patted Jack¡¯s head. ¡°Take care kiddo. I knew you were a cheerful young man.¡± He left and headed off in the opposite direction.


    Jack didn¡¯t like the way Dr. Cato reacted to him just now, it even made him raise an eyebrow out of confusion.


    Jack then scratched the back of his head. ¡°Why did Dr. Cato give me such a confused look, and what was with the whole imaginative compliment?¡± He then looked up at his nurse, ¡°You have any idea why he reacted that way to me Carolyn?¡±


    She raised her shoulders and only giggled. ¡°No clue, but it shouldn¡¯t concern you, so don¡¯t worry about it. You shouldn¡¯t let this bother you and ruin your excitement for the yard, so lets be on our way now.¡±


    Jack blows out air, and moans. ¡°Okay, I guess.¡± But to not kill off his excitement he brings back his smile and is the one to lead the walking this time.


    Carolyn continues to smile as Jack now took lead.


    Carolyn and Jack then headed off to the cafeteria. Jack got his breakfast and sat at the table where he normally sat at, then ate all the food moderately fast. Carolyn reminded him to slow down or he¡¯d choke on his food.


    Those words¡­ Those were the exact same words my mother told me once. Remembering his mother¡¯s advice, Jack apologized to her, but he was just so excited. He was finally getting some fresh air, but his curiosity couldn¡¯t handle it.


    He was always wondering to himself about why he got a nurse as nice as Carolyn, but none of these other patients did? They were just your typical care takers. Jack wondered if he was really that special? Maybe the doctor liked him that much?


    ¡±Are you ready to go, Jack?¡± Carolyn asked.


    Jack nodded. She smiled. He grabbed his plate and threw it away. They finally exited the cafeteria, so now it was time for them to go to the yard.


    They walked through many parts of the building that Jack had never seen before. He didn¡¯t like it, because this part of the building creeped him out. All he heard was even more intense screaming and banging on the doors from all the patients. He figured this must be where they kept all the mentally unstable ones. He was glad he hadn¡¯t gone completely insane¡­ yet.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    All of a sudden, Jack could see the entrance to the yard, but he couldn¡¯t help but smile with relief. He looked at Carolyn and for the first time, Jack held her hand the entire time. She glanced back at him with a beautiful smile.


    ¡°Thank you for always being there for me,¡± Jack said.


    She patted his head, then kneeled and grabbed his shoulders. ¡°Jack, you don¡¯t have to thank me. I chose to take care of you because I know that you¡¯re special, but more importantly¡­¡± She pointed at the yard. ¡°There¡¯s someone out there who needs your help, your guidance, but most of all¡­ your love.¡± She then hugged him tight. ¡°I know you¡¯re the right person. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    Jack wondered if she was talking about his friends. That did make him feel great and retained what little humanity he had left in him. A gasp of surprise parted from her lips when Jack wrapped his arms around her. He held onto her tightly, thanking her over and over again.


    ¡°Thank you, Jack. But you need not to thank me yet.¡±


    Jack found that comment strange to say, but at least he could tell she was grateful for his gratitude.


    She slowly opened the doors, and the moment those doors started opening, the sunlight hit Jack¡¯s face so hard that he had to cover it. The sun¡¯s rays penetrated his pale skin. He could feel himself already tanning. The brightness felt as if the sun was deliberately targeting his eyes.


    As the sun¡¯s light faded away, Jack could finally look at the yard and¡­ it was huge. There was so much space to move around in, and there was a big fountain in the middle, a spot to play basketball, and a part of the yard to hang out in and relax. The last spot was where Carolyn had talked about, which was the caged area where all the unstable patients were located. Jack knew he definitely wouldn¡¯t like to be placed behind all that. It seemed overshadowed by gloom and regret. He thought that if he were insane, he¡¯d go bat shit crazy being placed behind that cage.


    ¡°I hope you have a nice time. I¡¯ll pick you up when the hour is up,¡± Carolyn said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to have fun,¡± Jack said as he watched her head back inside. He looked around to see what he could do first.


    Should I do basketball¡­? Hmm, NAH! How about¡­ Mmm, NAH!


    Jack sighed and already felt out of place. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just sit at the fountain and stare at the water.¡±


    As Jack walked towards the fountain, he accidentally bumped into someone. ¡°Heyyy! Watch where ya walking, or are you trying to get a little something hmm?¡± The random guy sounded hilarious to Jack, so he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a bit.


    ¡°Sorry!¡± Jack quietly chuckled. ¡°I was just walking to the fountain. Sorry for bumping into you.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Aren¡¯t chu well mannered!¡± He made girly poses and flicked his hand very feminine-like. ¡°That¡¯s okay, boo! Don¡¯t you worry bout a thing! I always have boi¡¯s bumping into me¡­ if you know what I mean?¡± He puckered his lips and made a weird pose.


    Just looking at how he expressed himself, it made Jack feel uncomfortable. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go now. Uh¡­ Thanks for not beating¡­ me up, I guess?¡±


    The strange guy struck another feminine pose, then placed his hand on his hip and snapped his fingers with the other. ¡°It¡¯s okay, boo boo! Trust me honey, I ain¡¯t that type of guy. See ya!¡± He walked away, swaying his hips from side to side.


    What a weird guy, Jack thought. He talked funny, but at the same time, he was really uncomfortable to be around. Jack wanted to ask why he acted that way, but ehh! None of that mattered now.


    He took a seat on the fountain¡¯s base and stared at the water. His reflection mirrored off the water to remind him of how much a mess he looked like. He stared at himself, wondering if he¡¯d ever be the same again. Would he regain normality, or would he ever see the outside again? And more importantly, would he ever live a normal life¡­ ever again?


    As Jack sighed off all his sorrows, he took a good glance at all the spots around the yard and noticed a huge tree that stood out, along with an empty spot with someone sitting there all alone.


    That¡¯s strange, Jack thought.


    He tried getting a good look to see who it was, and noticed it was a little girl.


    Why is she sitting all alone in the shadowy darkness?


    She appeared to have black hair, really black hair, black as tar. But it wasn¡¯t that long, it was trimmed near the edge of her ears. She wore different clothes than the rest of the patients, and her skin was as pale as chalk. Jack assumed that perhaps being below the shadows and staying inside that long would make a person that pale. Or maybe she had social anxiety, or she was antisocial, or perhaps it was both.


    As Jack continued staring, all of a sudden, from the corner of his eye, a lot of kids started popping up and gathered around her. She appeared to be panicking, so Jack got up from the fountain and walked towards the crowd. He wanted to see what was going on, but of course he was cautious and stood a good distance away from everyone else. The kids started taunting her, pointing their fingers at her, surrounding her.


    ¡°Freakkk!¡± shouted a kid.


    Another kid pointed his finger and spat at the girl. ¡°Disgusting freak! Go rot in hell!¡±


    One kid walked up to the girl and pushed her with the force of his foot. She fell over and yelped. ¡°You should just kill yourself brat!¡± He then walked back into the crowd.


    A tall kid threw a huge wooden cross at her. It hit her head pretty hard, and a small stream of blood trickled down from her scalp and landed on the ground, staining the gravel where she crouched on all fours.


    ¡°Spawn of Satan!¡± the kid shouted. ¡°That¡¯ll teach you!¡±


    They all continued taunting her and kicked gravel in her direction. Hearing all these kids laugh at her drove Jack¡¯s heart towards pain and agony. His brain rattled with hatred.


    That poor girl.


    She howled and balled herself up in a corner. The kids decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to start spitting on her. Some decided that it¡¯ll be better to just throw dirt at her too.


    Jack wished he could help, but he couldn¡¯t¡­ he didn¡¯t want to get in trouble with anyone. Instead, he started walking away, doing everything to sustain his emotions under control so he wouldn¡¯t snap like he had earlier. But before he could, Jack heard an innocent yet familiar voice inside his head.


    ¡°Help her or you¡¯ll regret it!¡± the voice said, sounding angry but sad.


    Dr. Cato came outside and rushed to the girl¡¯s aid, along with another man. All the kids dispersed from the girl, making it seem as if they weren¡¯t involved, but the other man started yelling at the kids and got really aggressive.


    ¡°Whose voice was that in my head just now? Maybe I am going crazy!¡± Jack stared at his palm. ¡°I know I keep repeating myself, but I can¡¯t help myself. I think it¡¯s happening sooner rather than later.¡± He took a seat on one of the benches close by, watching the show to see what would happen next.


    Dr. Cato and the other guy, who seemed important, ordered everyone to get in line and mentioned how all activities were cancelled for the rest of the day. Then they both walked towards the little girl and carried her back inside.


    Poor girl!


    Jack guessed this happened all the time. He got up and walked back inside, then waited for Carolyn to escort him back to his room. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel so dang hopeless. He just wished he could¡¯ve done something.


    But what could have I done to help?


    He couldn¡¯t fight off all those juveniles since he knew they¡¯d kick his butt. Not to mention that most of them were older than what he was.


    After a few minutes had gone by, Carolyn arrived. She took Jack back to his room. As they walked, she asked, ¡°So, how was it like out in the yard?¡±


    Jack was still thinking about the girl, but he had to answer Carolyn¡¯s question. ¡°It was calm at first, but then it got really chaotic. There was a little girl¡­ all alone.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t notice Carolyn¡¯s hand slightly twitch from hearing that.


    ¡°The kids taunted, spat, and kicked dirt at her. She was bullied horrendously, but luckily Dr. Cato and another man stopped the brutality.¡±


    Then Jack told her the entire story, and upon gazing up at her face, he noticed she had a scary look. Her eyes were fierce with a glint in them, and her brows were furrowed. She guided Jack inside his room and they both sat on his bed. She sat down beside Jack and he felt a little afraid. He¡¯d never seen her like this before.


    Jack poked her and tried getting her attention. ¡°Umm... Carolyn, are you okay?¡± She stared at nothing and her eyes seemed empty.


    She finally snapped out of it when Jack grabbed her hand. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry Jack. It¡¯s just¡­ I hate the fact that a poor girl like her is being tortured¡­ It breaks my heart¡­ It really does.¡± It looked like she was having trouble breathing. Carolyn had her hand over her chest and was starting to look more pale.


    Jack held her, trying to warm her with his heat, but she noticed and thanked him.


    Poor Carolyn, Jack thought.


    He guessed telling her the situation about the girl hurt her sweet heart. He wanted to help, but he couldn¡¯t because of what the doctor had told him.


    Carolyn stood up and placed a hand against his cheek. They stared at each other for a couple of seconds, until she expressed a gentle smile. Her eyes glistened.


    She leaned close to his ear and whispered, ¡°The time will come, when you¡¯ll finally stand up for that girl.¡± She stood and as she was about to leave, she looked at Jack one last time. ¡°And when that time comes Jack¡­ make sure to take care of her.¡± She left the room and closed the door behind her.


    What? What was all that about? Jack thought. That was kinda freaky. One moment she was sad then the moment after, she was smiling and her eyes glittered.


    Jack felt like this place was a madhouse.


    ¡°The time will come, make sure to take care of her,¡± he repeated.


    That phrase made Jack become confused. It frustrated him. He began biting his nails, feeling annoyed.


    Hold up?! he thought. Did that mean Carolyn knew who that little girl was?


    That was the only assumption that Jack could think of, and it made perfect sense.


    Jack laid down and stared at the ceiling, thinking about what Carolyn had told him. Perhaps she was some sort of psychic? Jack knew to give it some thought, but in the meantime, he would try his best to enjoy himself and stay positive. After that, he could come to a conclusion, whether he should help her or not. He wanted to try and not to get involved for his own safety and just ignore it for now.


    ¡°I won¡¯t make the same mistake I made with Veronica. But will I make the right choice?¡± Jack sighed and placed his palm over his eyes. ¡°Hopefully I will make the right choice, because at this point, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever get¡­ her forgiveness.¡±


    ***********


    Dr. Cato and his partner tucked the girl into bed, then they walked out of a huge mysterious room and closed the door behind them. Dr. Cato seemed agitated, but he couldn¡¯t help but slam his fist into the wall. ¡°Those stupid students of yours are such degenerates! You better do something about those bastards if this continues¡­ They¡¯ll eventually kill her!¡±


    His partner patted his back. ¡°Not to worry, my dear friend. I¡¯ll make sure those little shits get the punishment of a lifetime.¡±


    They started walking to Dr. Cato¡¯s office.


    ¡°Poor girl¡­ I feel hopeless. We need to find a way to fix her problem. If we don¡¯t, then it¡¯ll screw all of us.¡± Dr. Cato stopped and looked back to her room. ¡°I promised her father that I¡¯d free his daughter. Everything is  acting strange now, so we must act fast.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but remember that God¡¯s on our side, so we¡¯ll be okay, my dear friend.¡±


    When they arrived at his office, a nurse informed him that another patient was found dead in their sleep. Dr. Cato let out a deep aggressive sigh and informed the nurse to act fast. She understood and walked away.


    His partner¡¯s phone rang and the call was a parent from one of his students. She sounded extremely mad and informed him that her son started coughing black fluid and blamed him for getting her son sick in his dirty school. He chuckled and hung up the phone, then he turned to Dr. Cato, who seemed angrier. He walked into his office and sat down on his chair.


    With his hands on his head, his partner noticed a file on his desk and picked it up. He opened it and read it, spotting the picture of a boy. ¡°Jack Sa-Samr¡­ A new patient of yours?¡±


    Dr. Cato looked at his partner and smiled. ¡°Yup¡­ he¡¯s a special kid.¡±


    ¡°Special? In what way?¡±


    Dr. Cato grabbed a drawing of the girl. ¡°Because¡­ he might be the key to why things are acting so strange.¡±


    His partner, who seemed shocked, took a good look at Jack¡¯s photo again. ¡°No?! You¡¯re serious! Th-This¡­ This is insanity! You mean to tell me that we finally¡­?¡± He grinned slowly and began to sweat.


    Dr. Cato stood up with his fist clenched at his sides. ¡°Yes¡­ he¡¯s the connection we¡¯ve been searching for. At last we¡¯ll finally find out what she wants.¡±


    Both stared at each other, feeling that gleam of hope sparking within them, their intentions unclear and mysterious. An unknown plan was building between the two as the puzzle was finally coming to fruition.


    Carolyn stood behind his door, listening in on their secret plan. With a scowl, she walked away. As her heels echoed, the anger she had towards the two rose. She walked back into the darkness of the hallway so she could return to the little girl¡¯s room they had spoken about to ease her nightmares and the demon inside her.

 Arc 1 Chapter 8: Another Victim & The Hero That She Deserves

    Annabelle, who was now living with her grandparents, seemed to be enjoying her life once again. There was no way she couldn¡¯t have asked for better replacements. Anna always looked out of her window everyday to gaze at the sky to see if Jack was keeping watch from above, like the angel he had become. She wondered if she would ever see him again, possibly when she got into heaven.


    It was a peaceful, dry morning filled with chilled air and loss of green. Anna walked out of her new home and headed off towards her new bus stop. She waved goodbye to her grandparents as they stood by the door, waving to her.


    Arriving at her stop just in time, Anna hurried into the bus and sat in the front row. As the bus drove off, she looked out the bus window to stare at the sky like she always did, then sighed and reached into her backpack. She pulled out an old book and began reading. It was a story she enjoyed reading along with Jack when they were kids. Reminiscing about the past was enough to put a smile on her face.


    Her eyelids slowly fell, so she leaned back and began to fall asleep for some odd reason. Not even the bus wobbling her around in her seat was enough to keep her awake. With her eyes fully shut, she fell into a mysterious, deep sleep.


    With her eyes scrunched and body feeling cold, Anna slowly opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by darkness. Confused and scared, she stood up and looked around to analyze the situation. However, it was too dark to know where she was. She fully stood on her feet and the first thing that came to her mind was to pull her smartphone out.


    Anna pressed the flashlight option and shone the light in front of her, erasing some of the darkness. It seemed like she was on a dirt trail. She shone the light from her sides and spotted huge trees, as if she was in a thick forest shrouded in total darkness.


    Looking up at the sky, Anna noticed how dark it was as well. Feeling absolutely scared and paranoid of this isolated darkness that engulfed her surroundings, she wanted to scream out of fear, yet she couldn¡¯t.


    Why am I on some dirt trail in the middle of a forest at night? Wasn¡¯t I just on the bus?


    Out of cautiousness she pinched herself and the pain was too real¡­ something wasn¡¯t right, this was no dream, this was different. She took a sharp breath and gulped, then started walking down the dirt path all alone with the long tube of never-ending darkness that she continued to penetrate.


    As she walked along the dark path, with only her phone light guiding her way, Annabelle heard something rustle around in the trees. She quickly gasped.


    The rustling came from all over. Anna looked up and spotted the branches moving around too. She panicked and kept walking, as growing fears made her tremble. She couldn¡¯t even hold her phone properly from the amount of shaking she was doing.


    Beyond being frightened now, she stopped for a second. The sound of branches breaking nearby echoed. Her breathing got heavy. Anna shone her light everywhere, but there was nothing to discover in the pit of darkness. As she was about to take another step, she heard footsteps behind her.


    No wait¡­ it was in front now. She fell into full panic mode. Her eyes widened with fright. Her breathing intensified. She started running due to pure instinct.


    Even though she was running at full speed, she could barely see where she was going. It was just too dark. Furthermore, her phone¡¯s flashlight could barely dent the darkness. As she ran, Anna heard something move again from above. She looked up and saw something flying across the trees. She couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    Anna came to a halt, then finally broke down and started crying. However, someone¡¯s loud giggles of wickedness overpowered her cries of fear. The giggling could be heard from every direction.


    Anna stopped her senseless crying to catch her breath. Everything was quiet now, but the sound of silence was overbearing. While she caught her breath, she heard the footsteps again. This time they seemed to stop behind her. She slowly turned around and shone the light at whoever, or whatever it was that stood behind her.


    She shined the light from the ground, then up and spotted someone¡¯s shoes. A gasp passed through her lips. It looked like the ones Jack liked to wear.


    Anna kept raising the light, slowly revealing the person¡¯s clothing and body. At last, the light was at the top, revealing their face, and that person was Jack. Just his face alone was enough to shred away all that fear out of Anna. She shed tears of joy and hugged him.


    Though he had no expression on his face, he wrapped his arms around her and held her, with his face being as empty as a tin can.


    Anna had a huge smile of security and relief, but the moment she shined her light on his face again¡­ His eyes were hollow. Black liquid poured out of them and splashed all over her face. She went berserk out of such disgust and tried to break free from his grip. But it was of no use, he was holding onto her too tightly.


    ¡°Someone¡­ Please help me!¡± she screamed at the top of her tiny lungs, pushing away from his tight grasp.


    Her phone slipped through her grip, then fell and slid across the ground. As her phone¡¯s light stayed in place, someone else stood there. The person walked into the light and Anna saw who it was. Where the light shined upwards like a revealing stage light, they appeared to be wearing a white dress of some sort. Her hair was rather long, so long that it even covered her face. It was a little girl.


    She picked up Anna¡¯s phone and slowly walked to her with the light shining on her hair covered face. Anna, who was still struggling, definitely knew whatever the thing was wasn¡¯t Jack. The girl stood in front of Anna, giggled, then caressed her cheek. She ruffled Anna¡¯s hair too and placed her phone back into Anna¡¯s hand very gently.


    She grabbed Anna¡¯s hand, making her realize just how cold the girl¡¯s hand was. ¡°Wow! You really are pretty, much more in person. Most definitely!¡±


    Even her voice alone was soothing and gentle, just like her cold, soft hands. She then slowly drove her hand to Anna¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Your heart beats with sorrow, loneliness and abandonment, but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hurt you¡­¡± she said meaningfully with a gentle yet innocent tone. ¡°I¡¯ve already changed your mind, so there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll ever be yours.¡±


    Hearing her say that last statement triggered Anna, which made her brows raise out of confusion and shake even more, but she wasn¡¯t sure if it was from the terrifying experience. Or perhaps it was from something else.


    The girl chuckled and stepped back, then waved happily. ¡°Chow! Until we meet again, Annabelle. Hopefully in person instead of your lucid nightmares!¡± She laughed, then faded away as black smoke.


    Anna noticed the person melting behind her. Their melted flesh turned into black goo and started devouring Annabelle like a giant slime of tar. She screamed and held her hand out, but it was too late. Before she realized it, she was already being consumed by the liquid. She started choking and gasping for air as her eyes turned fuzzy. Eventually, she finally lost consciousness. Everything was dark, quiet and cold.


    Afterward, she heard the girl¡¯s gentle, soft voice one last time. The girl sounded as if she was close to Anna¡¯s ear. ¡°We¡¯ll be together someday¡­ Annabelle.¡±


    Anna gasped and opened her eyes. She sat up to try and catch her breath. She looked around and noticed she was in a hospital. Her grandparents woke up and embraced her immediately.


    ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re alright, Anna! You had us worried sick!¡± her grandfather said.


    Anna¡¯s face was blanched white, yet she still seemed lost and confused. ¡°Wh-What happened? Where am I?¡±


    Her grandmother held her hand. ¡°Anna sweetheart, they told us you started screaming in the bus and eventually passed out. But not only that, but you were bleeding from your nose a lot. We thought you had a seizure or a stroke of some sort.¡±


    Anna couldn¡¯t believe what they¡¯d said. That awful dream felt too damn real. She placed her palms over her face and whimpered from such an event, remembering how frightened she was in that dark forest, all alone with no one to aid her.


    The doctor walked in and explained to her grandparents that Anna should be fine, but the only odd thing was that her heart rate was off the charts. But for some reason it was all from a regular nose bleed.


    Her grandparents didn¡¯t buy it. They crossed their arms and gave the doctor a mean look. The doctor asked them if they wanted Anna to stay a little longer, however, they replied ¡°NO!¡± as soon as he could finish his sentence.


    The doctor chuckled. ¡°Okay okay, I completely understand. How about you guys pick Anna up tomorrow? How about it?¡±


    They still refused. Her grandfather stood up, approached the doctor and said, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving until she¡¯s completely fine.¡±


    Her grandmother chimed in too and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not buying that whole nosebleed nonsense. It could be something much worse. It¡¯s best we stay by her side to triple check her health instead of you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be spending the night here with her if that¡¯s okay with you doc?¡± her grandfather said.


    The doctor chuckled again. He understood their situation. ¡°If anything goes bonkers just ring us and we¡¯ll come storming in to her aid. Does that sound fine to you folks?¡±


    Her grandparents smiled and thanked the doctor. He wished Anna a good night¡¯s sleep and left. Anna told her grandparents she needed to use the restroom, then she got out of the bed and walked into the bathroom without looking at them.


    Anna looked at the mirror and stared at herself. Sighing, she gently massaged her cheek where the girl had touched it. She wondered if this was a sign of the devil, or perhaps it was punishment for something? She couldn¡¯t think of anything else.


    Anna began crying tears of bitter confusion and walked to the corner of the bathroom. She slowly dropped to the ground and hugged her knees, burying her head in her arms. She wept quietly and wondered if it was all truly just a dream.


    ***


    A slow month passed by, and Jack had finally adjusted to the institution of lost hope and torment, even though he still had hatred for such confinement. He was able to sustain stability to his mental well-being, knowing that he got to relax for an hour a day. Carolyn made sure that he wasn¡¯t doing anything stupid to the other kids in the yard, especially knowing how much of a curious boy he continued to be.


    With visits to Dr. Cato once a day to check on his mental health, it was more than enough for Jack to keep his sanity. Dr. Cato wasn¡¯t such a bad guy though, he was quite kind and patient, and Jack thought of him as a friend who you could talk to about everything, but he still felt some sort of fishiness about the doctor. Oh how he wished to stay in the yard longer to bask in his only freedom, but at least he had a new friend now.


    He was weird and a little loud, but he was hilarious enough to compensate for his flaws for Jack¡¯s amusement. They talked everyday, and the way he acted and communicated made Jack¡¯s lungs burst with laughter. Jack still hadn¡¯t asked for his name, but in the meantime, he was just glad he was able to finally relax and daydream about being free¡­ if only.


    Jack was sitting on his bed talking to himself, wondering why Carolyn cared so much about that little girl. He wasn¡¯t sure if he did the right thing by ignoring those kids for the past few months. However, he couldn¡¯t bear it much longer. Such remorse could lead someone to complete insanity.


    ¡°I still couldn¡¯t help but feel disgusted with myself for the past month. Everyday I see those bastards bully that poor girl. It sickens me! But why do I feel so bad for her?¡±


    Jack stared at his hand, opening and closing it repeatedly.


    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped, can it? I want to help, but I can¡¯t. It¡¯s even gone as far as affecting my relationship with Carolyn.¡±


    Jack clenched his hand tight out of slight anger.


    ¡°I think she wants me to help that girl¡­ but you know what? I think I will!¡±


    As Jack talked to himself, Carolyn listened to what he was saying. She giggled and hugged Jack. ¡°I knew you would help her. It was only a matter of time.¡±


    After letting him go, Jack looked directly into her eyes. ¡°Carolyn, why do you care so much about that little girl anyways?¡±


    She patted his head, gave him a smile, then wished him goodnight. She left Jack hanging all alone with curiosity and closed his door.


    What was with the mystery?! ARGH! Did she know her personally? Whatever, I should see how things would go¡­


    Jack lays down and stares at his empty ceiling. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll see how everything turns out.¡±


    The following day came by, and Jack got up out of bed and put on his clothes to get ready for the day.


    Carolyn walked in and said, ¡°Good morning!¡±


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    ¡°Are you ready for this fine day, Jack?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am!¡± Jack exclaimed.


    As the day slowly passed by, Jack was still thinking whether he should make any more friends. He already had one friend, but more would be nice. And he finally got his name too, but it was a girly name though¡­ and he was a guy. His name was Candy. He was so weird, but Jack found him funny.


    It was finally time to go to the yard. As usual, Carolyn escorted Jack to the entrance. She reminded him not to take too long, so he nodded and walked into the yard. He saw Candy and immediately greeted him.


    Candy saw Jack coming and did a hilarious girlish pose with his hand. ¡°Heyy you!¡±


    Jack hadn¡¯t been there for not even two minutes, and already he was laughing. ¡°What¡¯s up? What are the plans for today?¡±


    Candy sat down, crossing his legs all girly-like. ¡°The plans hmm¡­ Well, listen boo boo, Imma do what I usually do, and that¡¯s to be a cute, adorable, white snowball ooo!¡±


    Jack forgot how uncomfortable he got around Candy at times, but he couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the things he said. ¡°Hey Candy, can I ask you a question?¡±


    Candy puckered his lips like a duck. ¡°You can ask me anything honey, and I¡¯ll try my best to answer you the best I can, sweetheart!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you end up in that bad school? What¡¯d you do?¡±


    He started laughing hysterically at Jack¡¯s question. ¡°Well¡­ I ended up in that school because¡­ I like to fight a lot! Too much actually, mostly because people question my sexuality. So I teach them a good and beautiful lesson!¡± He raised his fists. ¡°Even with my sexiness I¡¯m tougher than I look, sugar!¡±


    ¡°Uhh, what¡¯s that mean?¡±


    Candy gasped and covered his mouth. ¡°Oh my, I almost forgot! You¡¯re still young, boo boo! Uh well¡­ it¡¯s complicated to explain. You¡¯re too young to understand anyways. I¡¯ll explain it to you when you get older, okay?¡±


    Jack chuckled as Candy winked at him with those girly eyes of his and to Jack they were girly because he had long eyelashes and natural eyeliner. Even the shape of his body was very feminie from his hips to his legs, the only thing boyish on him were his arms and Adam''s apple.


    They headed over to the fountain where they usually liked to hangout. It was comfortable and relaxing to hear the water spew out from the top as the birds chirped. It really made a person calm.


    As they chatted about random things, they noticed all the kids from Candy¡¯s school started rounding up. It appeared they were going to harass the poor little girl again. Both Candy and Jack tried their best to stay out of it when it happened, but Jack did promise himself that he would help her now.


    They both ignored the commotion as they usually would, but the kids kept getting more rowdy. Jack looked over his shoulder and spotted them picking up pebbles and rocks.


    What¡¯s going on now?!


    Candy and Jack looked away to kill their curiosity, but they found it was so difficult due to hearing her howls of sadness and their maniacal laughter. The feeling of remorse finally started to overpower Jack.


    He clenched his fists and squinted his face to resist himself from intervening. Candy noticed his friend¡¯s sudden change and patted his back. He understood Jack¡¯s feelings, unlike some of those damn doctors.


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    All of a sudden, they both heard the kids screaming and shouting, ¡°Die! Die! Freak¡±


    Candy leaned his head on his hand. ¡°Boy, they sure as hell are ruthless right now.¡± He sighed deeply, ¡°Poor lil mamma!¡±


    Jack gave him a serious look, then clenched the sides of his pants in frustration. ¡°Hey Candy¡­ What do you think those kids are doing with those pebbles and rocks?¡±


    ¡°Shoot! I hope they aren¡¯t going to throw ¡®em at the poor lil girl!¡±


    ¡°I sure hope that isn¡¯t the case either.¡±


    They suddenly heard the little girl let out a bloodcurdling scream. Jack immediately felt his heart sink.


    DAMN IT! Jack thought.


    Jack couldn¡¯t take it any longer. Hearing her scream like that was the breaking point. Enough was enough.


    Jack stood up angrily. ¡°I¡¯m going in, Candy.¡±


    Candy didn¡¯t want to sit around either, he wanted to accompany his friend. Jack smiled and gave him a thumbs up, then they rushed towards the crowd to get a better view of what was happening. It was so crammed and impossible to see, so Jack squeezed his way through the crowd to see what was happening, but he couldn¡¯t. There were just too many fools packed tightly together.


    Jack pushed harder to get a better view of the situation. He managed to get close to see what was going on by sticking his head out in between two teenagers. It was what Jack had feared¡­ the kids were throwing pebbles at the girl.


    They laughed while they threw the objects stained with their hands of hatred. The little girl had nowhere to run, so she covered her head and cowered in fear to avoid getting struck in the face.


    Jack clenched his hands in anger, watching them throw things at her¡­ it was driving him insane. He couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. His mind, his body, something felt wrong¡­ it felt like when he saw his parents being murdered in front of him.


    The poor girl started to whimper, but the kids still showed no mercy. They continued throwing pebbles at her with all their strength. The kids eventually ran out of pebbles, but they weren¡¯t done, because they set their eyes on the rocks that they¡¯d prepared.


    No¡­ they wouldn¡¯t dare. They¡¯ll kill her!


    Jack tried to stop them, but the crowd was just too loud for his voice to be heard. He tried pushing even further, but they were too big for him to squeeze any further. The kids all paused for a moment, staring at the girl with rocks in their hands, ready to be thrown.


    ¡°Today¡¯s the day you finally die freak!¡± shouted one kid.


    ¡°Hey! Quit crying you little bitch! Show us your face!¡± said one girl.


    A tall teenager walked to the front of the crowd. ¡°Come on guys! We shouldn¡¯t be doing this¡­ We need to make her burn instead!¡± He took out a lighter and burned a piece of paper while laughing.


    The kids all cheered at the idea, then lifted their fists in the sky. It was no wonder why these people were here in the first place. To Jack, it sounded like they should be in the mental facility instead of him.


    One kid threw a rock to begin the stoning and struck the girl¡¯s hand, scuffing it. She reacted and grabbed her hand in pain. Shortly afterward, another kid took the opportunity when her guard was down and threw another one, striking her chest. She gasped horribly and coughed, almost as if her lungs were struck by a bullet. She gazed up while coughing out some blood, then she saw more rocks come towards her.


    Am I really witnessing someone getting killed right in front of my eyes again? Why are they doing this to a helpless child?


    ¡±Stop!¡± Jack yelled.


    Unfortunately, it was no use, his voice was too drawn out by the crowd¡¯s laughter and chants. Jack started pushing kids out of his way by using every little strength he had. As Jack got closer, a rock struck the girl¡¯s face. She fell badly, then started bleeding from her head. The sight of that, it¡­ it¡­ reminded Jack of his¡­ his¡­


    Jack could hear the girl laugh in his head again. ¡°Let me help you!¡±


    With no hesitation Jack agreed again. A faint black mist formed around him. His mind went blank again, but he lost consciousness. Now he had no idea what was about to happen.


    Jack sucked in as much air as his lungs could hold and shouted, ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡±


    A fierce black wind blew out of Jack¡¯s body, knocking every student back. His clothes fluttered and everything became quiet.


    Jack regained consciousness again, then blinked a couple of times. He saw everyone trying to help others up, but he couldn¡¯t understand why they were all on the ground. Jack rushed over to the girl, covering her body with his. All the kids were livid now, so they threw rocks again without thinking. Jack got struck a couple of times before the kids noticed he was shielding her. They were confused.


    ¡°Why are you helping a freak?¡± one kid questioned.


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s your deal kid? Didn¡¯t you see what she just did! This is why she¡¯s a demon!¡±


    ¡°Get out of our way. We were just punishing her for her sins!¡±


    Jack looked around at how many kids were involved. He gave them all the look of sheer hatred and disgust. ¡°What am I doing? What am I doing?!¡± He pointed furiously at the crowd of delinquents. ¡°You sick bastards keep harassing and torturing this poor girl¡­ And for what?!¡±


    The kids all dropped their rocks, but they still didn¡¯t seem convinced.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand¡­ Do you know who that little¡­ thing is? She¡¯s a monster, una bruja!¡± the kid said, and included something in Spanish.


    Jack slightly understood what the kid had said.


    ¡°Yeah, not only that, but she¡¯s also a lab rat too!¡± The kid started laughing along with the other kids in the crowd, which pissed Jack off even more.


    Jack ground his teeth and clenched his hands so hard that his nails started digging into his palms. ¡°Shut your mouths! That still doesn¡¯t give you the right to end a person¡¯s life¡­ What?! Don¡¯t tell me the only reason why you say she¡¯s a freak is because she¡¯s a patient from that place?¡± Jack pointed at the facility while they continued to laugh.


    One of the older kids walked up to Jack. ¡°Of course not, but there are rumors of her, horrible ones, ones that you wouldn¡¯t understand kid.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, not only that, but she¡¯s a child of Satan too!¡± another kid said.


    All the kids agreed with everything they said, but Jack still didn¡¯t buy.


    What gives them the right to kill someone, especially a little girl?


    ¡°We gotta put this creature out of its misery. That¡¯s why¡­ Now move!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! We¡¯re just doing what God and the Bible intended us to do, and that¡¯s what¡¯s best for all of us!¡±


    Jack spotted a rock and picked it up. ¡°If anyone wants to continue throwing rocks, I¡¯ll beat their ass to death with a single rock.¡±


    They all start laughing at his weak threat.


    ¡°Oh yeah, what did you do to get in here. Huh, crazy boy, hmm?¡±


    ¡°I bet he¡¯s just some wannabe gangster pussy!¡±


    The older kid finally got up in Jack¡¯s face and pushed him. ¡°What are you gonna do now, kid?¡±


    Jack quietly chuckled, then laughed maniacally, and gave them a look of insanity. ¡°You fools¡­ really think I¡¯m in the same building as you?¡±


    Jack started laughing more. The kids got annoyed by his crazy laughter, so they picked up the rocks they¡¯d dropped.


    ¡°I¡¯m from that building.¡± Jack pointed at the mental facility. ¡°The one full of insane people¡­ You guys really wanna know how I got in there?!¡±


    All the kids started seeing a faint mist emit from out of Jack¡¯s body. Their faces turned white and they immediately dropped the rocks again.


    ¡°How did you end up in a place like that?¡± one of the kids asked.


    ¡°Since you guys really wanna know and are that curious¡­ I¡¯ll tell ya!¡±


    The clouds above them started turning gray, as treacherous claps of thunder boomed across the sky.


    Jack¡¯s pupils turned pitch black. He had a sinister smile on his face. ¡°I-I-I murdered four people!¡±


    The moment he said that, a huge strike of lightning landed in front of the kids, which dented the ground and made dirt fly everywhere. Such a sudden strike caused them to panic and run away in fear.


    Dr. Cato and another man rushed outside and ordered everyone to get back inside, thinking that a huge storm was coming. However, when everyone went inside, everything had quietened down. One kid still stood there and looked at Jack with a frown on his face.


    It was the tall kid. His jacket fluttered with the calm, returning wind and he slowly pointed at the little girl. ¡°You¡¯ll regret saving her kid¡­ Trust me, she¡¯s the spawn of Satan. I guess you¡¯re no different than her I suppose.¡± He walked away and headed back to his school.


    Everything was calm again. The clouds moved over to let the sun shine once again. Jack covered his face from the sharp brightness. He dropped the rock in his hand and looked over his shoulder to see the girl staring at him. The moment Jack took one step towards her, she huddled back in the corner, still frightened.


    Jack slowly approached her, trying to reach out to her. ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯m here to help you. Trust me. Hey, why don¡¯t I introduce myself. My name¡¯s Jack.¡±


    The moment Jack said his name, her eyes glistened and she slowly lifted her head up to look at him. As his body bathed in the sunlight, in her vision, Jack looked like a guardian angel coming to her aid.


    She sat on her knees and looked into his eyes. ¡°J-Jack¡­?¡±


    Jack stared back at her and the moment he looked into her eyes, his reaction to them were jaw dropping. Her eyes were so beautiful and yet so empty. They were as blue as the weightless gas oceans of neptune, but with a hint of earth¡¯s blue oceans. Her hair was as black as the night sky and her skin was as pale as snow. The thing that stood out the most was her beauty, even though she was so young. Her beauty even rivaled that of his friend Anna¡¯s.


    Just her staring at Jack gave him butterflies in his stomach. How could they do this to such an adorable little girl? Worthless, ungrateful, delinquents!


    She started approaching Jack, crawling on all fours. ¡°J-J-Jack!¡± she said nervously.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Yes! That¡¯s my name. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    She clasped her hands together and still seemed nervous, but she shook her head slowly. Jack kneeled. She slowly extended a hand out, reaching for his.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. From now on, I¡¯ll protect you!¡± The moment Jack said that, he saw her eyes gleam with hope, then they turned misty. The look of relief was evident, almost as if she was waiting for him.


    She finally grabbed his hand. Jack ripped off a piece of his shirt and wiped the blood off her face. She held his hand tightly. She was adorable, yet so tiny.


    Jack patted her head. ¡°Everything will be okay now.¡±


    Her eyes flooded with tears of joy. She placed her other hand on top of his, then gave him a gentle half smile. ¡°M-My¡­ na-names¡­ Angela.¡±


    Jack smirked and continued patting her. ¡°That¡¯s a beautiful name.¡± Then he realized how much she was stuttering.


    What a poor girl! She probably has an extreme case of social anxiety and is anti-social. To think someone as young like her would be this way.


    ¡°So Angela, how old are you?¡± Jack asked.


    She slowly let go of his hands and held up six fingers¡­ Her cuteness was too much to bear. Jack couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, surprising her with a hug. She didn¡¯t hesitate either, and wrapped her arms around him as well. Jack quickly apologized, but she didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you did, Jack. Thank you for saving me.¡± She continued squeezing the life out of Jack.


    ¡°Hey Angela?¡±


    She looked up and smiled. ¡°Y-Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t I escort you to the nurses office and get you all healed up? What do you say, cutie?¡±


    She softly giggled and hugged him again.


    Jack decided to carry her to make sure she was safe. As they were about to leave, Dr. Cato arrived and swung Jack around in joy with Angela in his arms. He gently put Jack down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jack. I got a little carried away.¡±


    There was another guy who was beside him. He was tall and tough looking, but his belly was huge.


    Dr. Cato patted Jack¡¯s head. ¡°Jack my boy, you¡¯re a hero! You saved our special Angela from those degenerates. I only saw when you approached and comforted her. My goodness, it was so heartwarming. I knew you were special.¡±


    The other guy came by Jack¡¯s side. ¡°Yes, we heard all the terrible things those little bastards did to poor Angela.¡±


    Dr. Cato elbowed his gut. ¡°Please watch your language.¡±


    ¡°Oh, excuse my rudeness. I¡¯m the guy in charge of that building where those little pests are in. The name¡¯s Mr. Mathew.¡± He started laughing, which made him sound like a villain. ¡°Or you can just call me Mathew since you¡¯re not part of my school.¡±


    The way Dr. Cato said her name¡­ our special Angela? Wait! Could this be the girl he was telling me about?! Is it really her?


    Dr. Cato kept thanking Jack and Mr. Mathew kept doing the same. Angela held onto Jack¡¯s hand, and he could feel her tremble a little. He wondered what was wrong.


    They all headed inside together, but Jack stopped, causing Angela to stop. ¡°Hold on! I forgot about Candy!¡± Jack looked back and saw him waving, so Jack waved back and smiled.


    When they continued walking, Jack knew they were on their way to the nursery to take care of Angela. Along the way, she held his hand tight and had a beautiful smile the entire time. They arrived at the nursery to treat her wounds, and she wanted Jack to stay by her side so she wouldn¡¯t feel lonely.


    Dr. Cato picked Angela up and placed her on the nursery bed. ¡°I¡¯m so glad she¡¯s safe. Darn those kids, Mathew. I hope you have a plan to punish those little delinquents like you said you would!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Cato. I¡¯ll give them the punishment of a lifetime. Just you see!¡± They both chuckled and left the room.


    Jack walked over to her side and sat next to her. ¡°So Angela, how are you feeling?¡±


    She sat up. ¡°I-I¡¯m okay!¡±


    Poor Angela, she must be used to this pain. She seems too calm and relaxed after being brutalized.


    ¡°Angela. Every day from now on, I want you to be by my side. Okay?¡±


    She smiled again and leaned on his arm. Dr. Cato walked back into the nursery and stood in front of them. ¡°So Angela? Are you ready to go back to your room?¡±


    Angela tried to speak up, but couldn¡¯t. Jack looked at her, then glanced up at Dr. Cato. ¡°Maybe she just needs someone to talk to?¡±


    Before Jack was about to suggest another option, Dr. Cato surprisingly said, ¡°Angela, Jack will be by your side from here on out.¡±


    Well, that wasn¡¯t what Jack intended but hey. He guessed that worked too.


    Angela, on the other hand, was overfilled with joy and embraced him. Jack couldn¡¯t complain¡­ yet. It felt nice having someone hug him.


    As they were about to leave, Angela stopped Dr. Cato. She pulled on his coat and looked up at him. ¡°C-Can he wa-walk with¡­ us?¡±


    Dr. Cato chuckled and patted her head. ¡°Of course, why not.¡±


    She grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and dragged him along with them. They left the nursery and headed to her room. As they walked along those long, loud hallways full of nut jobs, Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel really good about himself. He was really proud that he¡¯d finally had the courage to save her, but more importantly, he thought Carolyn was going to be more than satisfied. He couldn¡¯t wait to tell her.


    They finally arrived at her room and Jack looked around in amazement. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s huge¡­ no it¡¯s ginormous!¡±


    Her room was white everywhere and the brightness was enough to blind him ten fold. Jack realized why she had been so antisocial and had social anxiety. Jack knew that if he were locked in a room this big, he too would be socially awkward.


    ¡±Would you like to say anything else to Angela before you go,¡± Dr. Cato asked Jack as he guided him out.


    Jack nodded then waved goodbye to her. ¡°See you tomorrow Angela, have a good night!¡±


    ¡°P-Pl-Please, don¡¯t go!¡± she pleaded while gripping Jack¡¯s arm tighter.


    Dr. Cato gently pulled her away. ¡±It¡¯s okay, Angela, Jack will be by your side again tomorrow.¡±


    She hesitated at first, but finally came to terms with him. She hugged Jack one last time and wished him goodnight. Both Dr. Cato and Jack left her room and closed the door, with Dr. Cato telling her he¡¯d be back to check on her in a few minutes.


    Once they were out of her earshot, Dr. Cato sighed. ¡°Sorry you had to see all that Jack, but this is how she¡¯s been treated ever since she¡¯s lived here¡­ Poor girl.¡±


    Jack¡¯s smile faded away. ¡°Is that so? Well, I guess she¡¯s lucky that I stepped up to those jerks and told them off huh?¡±


    Dr. Cato laughed, while escorting Jack back to his room. ¡°Thank you again for everything Jack.¡±


    ¡°I had wanted to help her for the longest time, but I didn¡¯t know when the time was right.¡±


    The doctor smiled and patted Jack¡¯s shoulder, then he left and closed the door.


    Jack was so exhausted. Everything that had happened really took a toll on him. However, it appeared he had a new road ahead, one which he knew how tough it would be.


    He intended to keep her safe no matter what it took, but there was one thing on his mind. It was when every student was on the ground and more importantly, what that lightning strike was¡­ Jack found that strange.


    Carolyn rushed into the room and immediately jumped out and embraced him. She squeezed Jack to death. He tried telling her that he couldn¡¯t breathe, but she was too excited to even hear his gasps for air.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jack! It¡¯s just¡­ I saw what you did for that girl and¡­ I¡¯m so proud of you!¡±


    ¡°You-You did? Well¡­ I guess it was nothing.¡±


    Jack had never seen Carolyn this happy before. All the compliments were making him blush. ¡°I figured it was time I finally stood up for the girl, but more importantly, uh¡­ making you feel proud of me?¡± Jack said very nervously and out of embarrassment. ¡°I have to thank you for giving me the motivation to finally stand up for her.¡±


    Carolyn blushed and covered her mouth. Her eyes became misty, and then she hugged him again. Jack had no idea how cold she felt, and wondered why. He pushed the thought out of his mind, because he could still feel at least a little warmth in their embrace. He was just glad to have someone like Carolyn. Without her, Jack knew he wouldn¡¯t have made it this far. He remembered the promise he¡¯d made for his mother, to always protect girls, and he intended to keep her promise.


    Mom¡­ I hope you¡¯re watching me and are proud.


    For the past month, Jack had tried his best to look out for Angela, while making sure the horrible kids didn¡¯t hurt her. He was teaching her how to speak thoroughly and helped her with her social anxiety.


    But man¡­ she had been so clingy ever since.


    Jack wanted his own space sometimes and knew it would be nice, but he didn¡¯t really mind. She did make him happy. It was almost like having a sister.


    They were now hanging out in the yard with Candy. He was starting to like Angela too, and often compared her to his little sister back home. He talked about how he used to take care of her and how much he cared for her.


    Jack found that Angela was an extremely good artist for a six year old. Jack wished he was as talented as her, because holy cow, he knew she was good. Her level of drawing was already that of a college graduate, realistic levels of good from the shading to her mind blowing detailing.


    She was drawing while Candy and Jack were just having a regular discussion.


    ¡°Hey Angela. What¡¯s this supposed to be?¡± Jack pointed at the figure she was drawing.


    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s¡­ a hor-horse! Do y-you like¡­ it?!¡±


    Jack rubbed her head gently. ¡°Of course I do. It¡¯s beautiful!¡±


    She smiled and continued to draw. Jack let her be for a moment and approached Candy. ¡°Hey Candy, can I ask you something?¡±


    Candy patted Jack¡¯s head. ¡°Yesss, boo boo! What¡¯s up?!¡± He leaned close to Jack and placed his hand on his hip with a feminine pose while he continued patting him.


    ¡°W-Why are you standing like that?¡±


    ¡°Oh this? Hmph!¡± He stepped back and snapped his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m just being a bad bitch for all the boys around here! That¡¯s all, boo boo!¡± He chuckled and posed again.


    ¡°Is that so¡­ pretty weird, but okay.¡± Jack cleared his throat. ¡°Well, I want to ask how long have you been in here?¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ I think about, let me think, uhhh, about, hmmm, how long, Jesus my goodness, oooo, I think like, oh damn it has been that long? Nine months!¡±


    Jack had a slightly irritated look on his face. He thought he would never shut up. ¡°It took you that long to answer? Man, that was a long build up for nothing.¡±


    Candy started laughing hysterically and patted Jack¡¯s head again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the awful build up, boo boo. I just wanted to be dramatic.¡±


    Jack playfully slapped his hand away as he laughed along with him.


    With his eyes set on Angela, Candy asked, ¡°Is she okay?¡±


    Jack sighed and explained how she¡¯d been so clingy for the entire month, not to mention how much she liked his attention, however, she was doing much better.


    Candy smiled. ¡°How long are you intending to protect her, Jack?¡±


    Jack dragged his palm over his face feeling frustrated. ¡°As long as I¡¯m stuck in this hell, I¡¯ll watch over her.¡±


    Candy did the splits and started making cheers, motivating Jack¡¯s spirit with some corny chants and really bizarre girly poses. Jack laughed at his performance, but Candy got offended and did a handstand, then flipped Jack off.


    He landed back on his feet and sat next to Jack. ¡°You¡¯re a good boy, aren¡¯t cha, boo boo? I never pictured you as a tough guy to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but it may not look like it¡­ But I did kill those three guys who murdered my parents.¡± Jack shifted his gaze at the children playing in front of them. ¡°Hopefully I don¡¯t become what I detest¡­¡±


    Candy and Jack stayed quiet for a moment until he looked at Jack and placed an arm on his shoulder. ¡°What would that be?¡±


    Jack took a deep breath. ¡°A criminal.¡±


    Candy patted his back. ¡°Well boo, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯ll never happen. You killed those men in sheer rage to avenge your parents, I mean look!¡± He pointed at Angela. ¡°She¡¯s grateful as hell! You saved her. A criminal would never think about someone else besides themselves.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jack said. ¡°That¡¯s a kind thing to say.¡±


    Jack was really glad to have a good friend like him. He hoped Candy was right though. He still wanted to be a detective, and he just prayed that he wouldn¡¯t end up as the very thing he hated the most, which was a low life criminal scum.


    Both boys panned their attention back to Angela, watching her draw the horse thing. She completed her drawing and showed it to them. They both looked at it with surprised faces. Her drawing showed two people riding a horse in a beautiful flower field. One person looked like Jack.


    Jack¡¯s guess was that the other person was Angela. He looked closer, peering at the artwork, and thought that it was her. It was like an older version of herself.


    The doctor and Mr. Mathew arrived at the yard. ¡°Times up. Please go back to your buildings,¡± Mr. Mathew announced.


    Candy said goodbye to both Jack and Angela. He tried to hug Angela, but she was still extremely shy and hid behind Jack. Candy chuckled and waved goodbye instead, then went his way as Jack and Angela started heading their way.


    Angela held Jack¡¯s hand as they walked towards the door, however,  Dr. Cato stopped them. ¡±I¡¯m sorry Jack, but I¡¯ll be taking Angela back to her room alone this time.¡±


    ¡°Why? Why can¡¯t Jack help this time?¡± Angela said, refusing him with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Unfortunately, Jack can¡¯t come with us this time because it¡¯s time for Angela¡¯s therapy.¡±


    Therapy? Jacked wondered. What type of therapy did she have to go through? Perhaps it was trauma? She did lose her parents in a car accident...


    Angela was still hesitant, but she gave in, then she hugged Jack one last time. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for tomorrow,¡± she whispered with that adorable face of hers.


    ¡±Please behave and be a good girl, Angela.¡± Jack gave her a pat on the head and poked her nose. She expressed the cutest smile he¡¯d seen yet. Her cuteness alone was enough for him to turn bright red.


    Angela walked over to Dr. Cato¡¯s side and grabbed his hand. ¡°Thank you again Jack, I mean it.¡± They both turned around and started walking away, with Angela looking over her shoulder before leaving to take one last look at Jack.


    He noticed and waved. She tried replying back to his farewell, but Dr. Cato picked up their pace and closed the door behind them. They were gone which left Jack alone. He took notice of that quick hurdle of theirs, but now he was beginning to wonder why they were in a sudden hurry to her therapy he had no clue about.


    Carolyn showed up a few minutes later. ¡°So Jack, how¡¯s your day going?¡±


    ¡±It¡¯s good as usual. Nothing too different,¡± Jack said, then smiled.


    She chuckled. ¡°Are you hungry, Jack?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more tired than hungry. To be honest, I¡¯d rather go to sleep instead.¡±


    She nodded, then escorted him back to his room. Along the way, Jack decided to grab a little snack from the vending machine. ¡°Would you like something, Carolyn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry. It¡¯s best for you to eat instead, Jack.¡±


    As Jack bought his snack, while inserting a cold coin of silver into the machine of diabetic cancer, his peace of grabbing a sugary snack was interrupted by someone giggling close by.


    He looked to his right and left, but there was nothing. There was giggling again behind him, so he looked over his shoulder. Still, there was no one.


    For Jack, it was getting a little creepy. He was so distracted by what was happening that he didn¡¯t notice his snack fall and made a loud thump on the metal. It spooked him, which made him jump for a second.


    Jack looked back at the machine and sighed. He got his snack and quickly got back to Carolyn, but the moment he stood in front of her view, she stood behind the window with the sunset at her back. She looked angry for some reason.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jack asked cautiously.


    She didn¡¯t say a single word. She just stood there, basking in her own silence. Jack tried to approach her, but she quickly put her hand out.


    ¡°Stop!¡± she shouted in a fierce tone.


    What the hell is going on now?


    ¡°You should walk in front of me. Now.¡±


    Jack obliged to her scary demand and took the lead.


    They arrived in Jack¡¯s room and Carolyn stopped at the door. ¡°Go back inside. Now!¡± she spat in a nasty tone.


    The look on her face screamed disappointment and anger. She appeared to be in pain and rage, but Jack didn¡¯t know why. She apologized for her rudeness, then shut the door.


    Maybe something came up, or perhaps she needed to use the restroom? Jack wondered.


    But from the way her face looked, he couldn¡¯t get that image out of his head. She looked so terrifying. But she also appeared so hurt. He thought that maybe he could ask her tomorrow and see if she¡¯d answer his question, or maybe later when she decided to come back. Jack just didn¡¯t know.

 Arc 1 Chapter 9: Pain Like No Other

    Jack hadn¡¯t done much to pass the time, but after a couple hours passed by, Carolyn still hadn¡¯t shown up. It was already past Jack¡¯s bedtime and she hadn¡¯t said goodnight yet.


    Jack let out a deep sigh and rested his head on the pillow, but not without giving one last glimpse at the door, hoping she would burst through and give him a kiss goodnight. Jack guessed not, so he closed his eyes and decided to sleep. He was still thinking about why she had given him such a detested look.


    Does she hate me now? I hoped not¡­


    However, his sleep was interrupted by a heavy burden on his chest. His chest hurt really badly. He didn¡¯t know what was going on. Also, Jack couldn¡¯t wake up for some reason.


    The pain. It-It¡¯s unbearable!


    His breathing slowed right down, and his heart wasn¡¯t beating much anymore. The pain was gone¡­


    A light? Why''s there a light now?


    Jack¡¯s ears were ringing. It sounded like static, but the light was so bright. He could feel himself floating towards it. He wasn¡¯t sure if that was God calling to him. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was his time yet.


    Jack wondered if he was dead. He guessed that would be great¡­  But he could feel the light¡¯s heat. It was so warm¡­ so bright. He was almost there.


    He could hear something. It was muffled, but there was definitely someone there. It sounded like it came from behind him.


    Jack looked back, but no one was there.


    Whatever, he thought. I¡¯ll just keep floating towards the light.


    When Jack reached the end of the light, there was a bright door. He stared at it for some time, wondering what was on the other side. As his hand got closer to the knob, something grabbed his arm. He looked to his right and it was the girl in the white dress.


    Wha-What¡¯s she doing here?


    She grabbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go that easily. You promised to be mine, and I intend you to keep that promise Jack!¡±


    Huh? What does she mean by that?


    Someone else grabbed Jack¡¯s other arm. He looked to his other side to see who it was. It was Angela.


    Just what in the world was going on?


    Angela held onto him tightly, much more tightly than the grip of the mysterious girl in white. ¡°Please don¡¯t go! You¡¯re my brother! Don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    Am I hearing this right? She¡¯s talking normally?


    The girl in white stayed quiet for a moment then chuckled. She let go of Jack. ¡°It appears I¡¯m not needed after all. See you soon¡­ Jack!¡± She disappeared and left behind a trail of black smoke.


    Once again Jack started reaching for the door knob, ignoring everyone¡¯s wishes and pleads. But Angela, on the other hand, kept shouting, begging him not to open the door of unknownness.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t go!¡±


    Somehow, his mind still ignored her cries.


    Maybe Jack had accepted his fate. Perhaps this was for the best. Even if it was a dream for Jack, he didn¡¯t care¡­ He wanted to open that door and see what was on the other side.


    He grabbed the knob and slowly turned it. He had a gentle smile on his face. As he was finally about to open Pandora¡¯s box, Angela screamed out, ¡°Carolyn please!¡±


    Wait¡­ what the hell, Carolyn?


    Jack stopped and took his hand off the knob. The moment he tried grabbing Angela, she disappeared as well. He started to feel his body shaking and another voice, actually no, multiple voices talked to him.


    The door behind Jack faded away and he blacked out. Everything was dark and he could feel his heart beating again. There was a sharp sensation in his right arm, almost as if someone was¡­


    ¡°Dr. Cato! He¡¯s coming back!¡± a random nurse said.


    ¡°Good! What a relief¡­ We almost lost him.¡± Dr. Cato walked beside Jack to see if he was awake. ¡°Hey! Are you there my boy?¡± He gently slapped a hand against Jack¡¯s cheek.


    Jack finally woke up and took in a huge gasp of air, panicked and then stood up. ¡°Wha-what happened?¡± he mumbled as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.


    Dr. Cato let out a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Thank goodness! You almost died my boy. We were lucky enough to check up on you. Someone had knocked on my office door and when I opened it, there was a small note saying to please check on patient Jack.¡±


    ¡°What! B-But how?¡± Jack coughed, still trying to catch his breath. ¡°How did I almost die?¡±


    ¡°Well Jack, you almost died of a heart attack. We have no idea what caused it, but that¡¯s fine. We¡¯ve already ran some tests to see what the cause was.¡± He walked over to the nurse. ¡°As soon as we find out, we¡¯ll tell you, but In the meantime, have some rest and drink plenty of water.¡±


    ¡°But Dr. Cato¡ª¡±


    ¡°No buts! Rest Jack, please.¡±


    Jack let out one last big cough of relief. ¡°Da-dang my ch-chest¡­ If you say so doctor, but I¡¯ll ask a-again later just so you know.¡±


    Dr. Cato nodded then turned to one of the nurses. ¡°Please look after Jack.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s my nurse? I¡¯d rather have Carolyn take care of me.¡±


    Dr. Cato laughed and complemented Jack¡¯s sense of humor.


    Does he think it¡¯s some kind of joke?


    Jack tried getting out of the bed, but the pain in his chest was too much. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Jack asked while gripping his pounding chest. ¡°I just wanna see my nurse!¡±


    Dr. Cato scratched his head and sighed. ¡°Okay Jack, uhh¡­¡± He annoyingly smacked his lips. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure she¡¯ll get to you later. Now be a good boy and don¡¯t be mean to the clinic nurse.¡± He chuckled, then walked out of the nursery.


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d actually said. He almost died from a heart attack? That was bonkers. Ridiculous. How could that happen? However, that didn¡¯t erase the fact about why the light and that strange occurrence felt so real.


    He couldn¡¯t help but sigh deeply. All these mysterious questions revolving around him was like what the moon did with the earth. It was such a growing burden. The gravity of those issues just kept stacking and weighing him down, just waiting for him to become crushed down to his knees and hopefully give up.


    ¡°Nurse, what¡¯s the time?¡± Jack asked.


    She looked at Jack and then looked at her watch hanging from her shirt pocket. ¡°It¡¯s 1:00 pm.¡±


    Holy crap! I was really out, wasn¡¯t I?


    For Jack, it was hard to believe that time went by so fast, but the question that stayed on his mind was¡­ why did he react so casually to Dr. Cato about almost dying?


    No one should ever react the way he just did. Most people would freak out or faint from hearing such awful news, especially one that involved their own life. Yet, Jack just didn¡¯t seem to care¡­ had he really given up on himself so much that he didn¡¯t care about dying anymore? Did he not fear death now that he¡¯d lost everything. He guessed not.


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    All the stupidity and perplexed events drove his hunger and thirst insane, so he asked the nurse if she could bring him some water and something to eat. She was more than happy to help. In fact, she was so glad that she hurried right out to fetch him something.


    Jack found this strange. He decided to follow the doctor¡¯s advice and rest some more. Setting his head down, Jack placed his hands behind his head and stared at the white ceiling. He couldn¡¯t help but feel more exhausted. It almost seemed like he was doing more than what anyone else was.


    For him, it was a strange sensation. Although it was really hard to believe that all this happened last night, but more importantly, the pain¡­ that immeasurable horrifying ounce of pain. The feeling of being a floating corpse within hollowed darkness as his heart slowly gave out in his sleep. It was an awful experience. Not to mention that dream Jack had. There was so much going on in his mind. He wondered if he was truly sick.


    Only time would tell, but he did know this: the longer he stayed here, the more he¡¯d actually become mentally ill or go insane, or perhaps, more than likely¡­ lose his humanity.


    A little while later, the nursery door opened. Jack woke up from his power nap and looked at the door to see who was coming in. To his surprise, it was Dr. Cato and Angela.


    Immediately, she rushed to the bedside. ¡°Are you alright, Jack?¡±


    Jack gave her a gentle smile. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jack sat up and was about to ask Dr. Cato a quick question, but Dr. Cato walked away.


    He waved and smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t have too much fun.¡± Then he headed back out of the room and rushed off as if he was in a hurry.


    Jack really wanted to ask him about his recent dream.


    He looked at Angela and saw she was still worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Angela? I¡¯m fine, see. It¡¯s alright.¡±


    She looked at Jack and hugged him tightly. She started whimpering.


    Poor girl, she was so worried about me. I guess the doctor told her I almost died. It¡¯s definitely heart warming having someone besides Carolyn to be worried about me and be by my side in these times of dormant torture.


    Jack wiped away her tears and rubbed her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die¡­¡± she said, while continuing to whimper.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Angela, don¡¯t worry¡­ wait. Did you just fully complete a sentence?¡± She blushed and hugged Jack out of embarrassment. ¡°Angela, that¡¯s great! I guess you¡¯re getting used to me being around you huh?¡±


    Jack chuckled and held her hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ uh not, sure I g-guess¡­¡± She closed her eyes, clearly still feeling embarrassed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. That just means we¡¯re getting closer, but most of all, you¡¯re becoming more social. Do you talk to Dr. Cato this way?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I still have trouble communicating with other people, even if it¡¯s Dr. Cato.¡±


    Jack guessed that he was the only person so far that she¡¯d spoken to the most, which was only reasonable.


    Angela pulled a chair beside Jack and appeared to have a drawing pad with her.


    ¡°So¡­. what are you about to do now, Angela?¡±


    She sat on the chair and flipped her drawing pad open. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m about to draw. Yo-You wanna watch me?¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got nothing else to do anyways.¡±


    She smiled and began to draw. The slight sign of sorrow faded away from her face when Jack praised her. That adorable smile of relief returned to ease his soul, which was almost doomed by his own stress.


    Jack stopped her for a second. ¡°How long are you planning on staying with me Angela?¡±


    ¡°He said I ca-can stay as lo-long as I wanted!¡±


    Jack knew that she was getting better at speaking, but it still seemed like she could only complete short sentences. He wasn¡¯t sure that she¡¯d talk more as time went by.


    Angela started to draw, and as Jack observed her, he realized how calm and tame she was while drawing. No mistakes, no erasing, and how careful she was with her pictures. It was hard to believe that someone her age was this quiet and mature. Most people her age were loud and obnoxious. Those who drew at her level needed schooling or spent most of their childhood drawing out of boredom to draw as good as her.


    As she continued drawing, the nurse walked in with Jack¡¯s lunch and also had some drinks. She set it beside him. Jack thanked her for her kind service.


    When the nurse set the item next to him, she glanced at Angela and gave her a disgusted look, a look that expressed repulsion.


    Jack noticed this and frowned. ¡°Nurse, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Her face quickly changed. She forced a smile, then said, ¡°Nothing.¡± She left but not before she took one last look at her and whispered something underneath her breath and closed the door.


    Wow! What the hell was her problem? Why did she give Angela such a nasty look? Do the employees think the same as the kids in that school as well? How strange.


    Jack grabbed his plate of food and continued observing Angela as she worked her magic. The moment he began eating, Angela stopped drawing and stared at him. Her mouth was open, with drool slithering down her chin. She looked like a starving stray animal begging to be fed.


    I guess she¡¯s just hungry? he wondered.


    ¡°Would you like something to eat?¡± Jack asked.


    Angela blushed and wiped off her drool. ¡°Do yo-you mean it! Ca-Can I really?¡±


    Why would she ask such a funny question?


    Jack grabbed the tub of mac ¡®n¡¯ cheese and handed it to her. She looked at him and her eyes seemed misty.


    ¡°Are you about to cry?¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ve never been treated so nicely by anyone except for Dr. Cato.¡±


    Well, that answered Jack¡¯s question about the nurse. He had guessed right. The employees treated her like garbage too. He wondered  why they treated her so horribly. The kids, the employees, it just didn¡¯t make any sense. What had she done to make everyone be so repulsive towards her?


    Angela grabbed the tub and dug the spoon in it. She stared at the gooey, shiny cheese as it dribbled back into the tub. She slowly inserted the spoon of deliciousness into her mouth and her face said it all. Her eyes sparkled with joy and her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk as she stuffed her face.


    She shone with happiness from just eating some plain mac? It¡¯s almost like she¡¯s barely been fed!


    ¡°How are your drawings coming along?¡± Jack asked.


    She set the tub down and showed him her progress. From the look of the portrait, it showed a boy and a little girl looking over a field of flowers. They looked so happy and free. There was a huge tree though, and Jack thought she was just going to draw him. The other girl she was drawing, that wasn¡¯t Angela. It was a strange drawing.


    Dr. Cato walked in and asked, ¡°How are you doing Jack?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m much better now, especially with Angela around,¡± Jack answered, smiling.


    ¡°Wonderful! I¡¯m glad you two are getting along!¡± he said, then chuckled.


    Angela rushed towards him and showed him the drawing. ¡°Doctor, ho-how¡¯s my dr-drawing?!¡± Angela still had some cheese on her cheek.


    ¡°It¡¯s adorable, my little one¡­¡± Dr. Cato said, noticing something in the drawing. Jack could see a single drop of sweat drip from his head. The doctor sarcastically chuckled and wiped the cheese off her cheek.


    ¡°Would you like to spend the night with Jack?¡± Dr. Cato asked.


    She screamed in excitement and started shouting ¡°Yes!¡± while jumping up and down.


    Dr. Cato turned to Jack. ¡°If that¡¯s fine with you, Jack?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m fine with it,¡± Jack exclaimed.


    He smiled. ¡°Do you need anything else?¡±


    ¡°Could you bring these specific items,¡± Jack asked, grabbing a piece of paper and a pencil, then writing down a small list.


    Dr. Cato grabbed the list Jack gave him and chuckled. ¡°I can definitely bring them. Also, don¡¯t have too much fun, and don¡¯t make too much noise.¡± He left the room and gently shut the door.


    Angela grabbed the tub of mac ¡®n¡¯ cheese and sat next to Jack.


    ¡°Are you going to finish your drawing?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just taking a quick break.¡±


    Jack smirked and could tell that she would take as long as she wanted. To their surprise, Carolyn walked in as well and immediately hugged Jack.


    ¡°Are you alright, Jack?¡±


    Oh, now she shows up from out of nowhere?!


    Jack guessed he couldn¡¯t be too angry at her, especially someone as beautiful as her with that really pale holy skin, captivating blue eyes like the frozen lakes on Mars, and hair as black as the darkest nights. If an Angel were ever sent down from heaven, Carolyn would be that said Angel Jack would imagine.


    She hugged Angela too. ¡°Are you getting along with Jack?¡±


    Angela smiled and hugged her back.¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t come sooner. I had to take care of something important last night. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t show up to your room,¡± Carolyn explained.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jack replied.


    Throughout the entire day they had fun by watching Angela draw, talking about certain subjects like life outside of the thick walls, emotions, and most importantly, laughing together.


    After a few hours of fun, Dr. Cato walked in with the items Jack had requested, like his favorite novel, some colored pencils, and some dinner.


    ¡°Could I eat too, Dr. Cato?¡± Angela quickly asked.


    ¡°My dear, eat as you please! You don¡¯t have to ask me sweety.¡± Dr. Cato exclaimed.


    She quickly grabbed a plate of food and started to eat.


    ¡°Are you okay with Carolyn watching over us until bedtime,¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± His eyes bounced erratically, scratching a finger against his temple in confusion. ¡°Ok-Okay!¡± He scratched the back of his neck too, clearly trying to comprehend what Jack was saying. He even stopped talking for a second to look at Jack as if he were crazy. ¡°If that¡¯s what makes you happy¡­ Yes, yes she can my boy!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but raise a brow out of suspicion. He wasn¡¯t sure what all that dramatic suspense was for. Ignoring the doctor, he then turned to Carolyn. ¡°Would you be alright with that?¡±


    She, of course, said ¡°Yes!¡± but Jack noticed Dr. Cato was recording him with a camera.


    Jack pointed at the device. ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±


    ¡±It¡¯s just for some research,¡± Dr. Cato said.


    Well, he is my doctor, so I guess he¡¯s right.


    ¡°Is your head okay?¡± Dr. Cato asked Jack.


    What the hell? What a strange question to ask all of a sudden? Of course my head is fine! It¡¯s my heart that¡¯s the problem here, remember?


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Dr. Cato repeated after Jack hadn¡¯t said anything for a while.


    After another moment of silent thinking, Jack felt provoked, so he kept repeating to the doctor in an annoyed tone, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Dr. Cato let out a sigh and said, ¡°Don¡¯t stay up too late.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Aren¡¯t you forgetting someone?¡± Jack said with an annoyed tone.


    Dr. Cato tilted his head in confusion and chuckled. Jack could see his eye twitch a little as he wiped a hand over his head. ¡°Goodnight everyone,¡± he said, then left.


    Jack still wondered why Dr. Cato had started recording him.


    He did say it was for research, but the question is, what type of research? But whatever. He¡¯s just doing his job I guess.


    Angela surprised Jack by shoving food into his mouth. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you eaten anything all day?¡±


    Jack almost choked on the food by her force feeding sneak attack. He laughed. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Angela. Honest.¡±


    She angrily puffed out her adorable face. Jack didn¡¯t even have the urge to take her seriously with such overwhelming adorableness.


    Carolyn crossed her arms in frustration. ¡°You should eat though.¡±


    Jack picked up some food and said, ¡°See! I¡¯m eating now!¡±


    Angela looked away. ¡°Good!¡± However, she quickly looked back at Jack with an evil-like smile.


    Oh, she wants to play that game huh?


    Jack grabbed her and threw her on the bed and began tickling her.


    At first Carolyn was about to intervene and stop their shenanigans, but it was clear she couldn¡¯t resist printing such a joyful sight into her mind. Both Angela and Carolyn couldn¡¯t contain their joy and started laughing.


    ¡°St-stop! It tickles too much!¡± Her face was as red as a rose and she giggled uncontrollably. ¡°Please! No more br-brother!¡±


    Bro-Brother? Did she just call me her¡­ brother?


    What a surprise, it was such a shock not only for Jack to hear but for Carolyn too. He stopped tickling and tried to comprehend exactly how meaningful the word she just labeled him was. Carolyn, on the other hand, stayed quiet, making herself seem unnoticed.


    ¡°Why are you so still and silent?¡± Angela asked in confusion.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help it. But he felt it was so great hearing her call him something close like a brother. He was actually happy to hear that, but now¡­ His head started to hurt again for some reason. Everything became foggy.


    ¡°Bro-Brother?!¡± Angela asked, worried, gripping Jack¡¯s arms with her tiny hands. However, for Jack, her voice sounded distorted and muffled.


    She shook him and even though he could feel her shaking him, his foggy vision made him see multiple Angela¡¯s. Slowly, everything grew very muffled. She kept trying to make him see something but¡­ this pain and weirdness that engulfed his current status was too much to bear.


    Angela noticed something was wrong. ¡°Brother!¡± she screamed frightfully as she watched him fall off the side of the bed and collapse to the ground.


    Carolyn watched ominously, almost as if she had anticipated the moment. She only gazed at Jack as his vision blurred further.


    Angela rushed off the bed, tending to him as she watched his eyes become distant and he turned over dead like a fish. Saliva dripped out of his mouth and his limbs fell flat. She couldn¡¯t help but scream, wondering if he was experiencing another heart attack.


    ¡°Someone! Help!¡± She wrapped her tiny arms around Jack, crying deeply on his back and feeling his warmth slowly disappear.


    The last thing Jack saw was Carolyn slowly approaching Angela from behind and heard her say, ¡°He¡¯ll be fine, because I¡¯m here, Angela.¡±

 Arc 1 Chapter 10: Desperation Can Empower The Weak

    Jack¡¯s vision was captured by darkness again. An endless familiar void he¡¯s used to seeing by now from every strange occurrence up to this point. The only thing he could hear was Angela¡¯s horrific cries for help. Now swirls of purple made their way into this black empty chamber Jack was floating in, they twirled around him, wrapping their essence all over his body from head to toe. But he ignored this strange phenomena because of the overbearing pain he was experiencing at the moment.


    I can¡¯t breathe. My head hurts so much.


    Jack started to feel the embodiment of pain on his chest again. It felt like someone was trying to force his chest open and rip his heart out, only to grab it and potentially molest it. The only thing violating him at the moment in this chamber of black was those twirls of misty purple.


    Aegh! This pain, it-it¡¯s so similar! Everything¡¯s gone dark again. I can¡¯t see. What¡¯s go-going on?!


    Angela¡¯s screams ruptured the darkness around him, echoing erratically throughout the field of dormant black.


    I can hear Angela¡¯s muffled voice of sorrow. She sounds so helpless and screams so much with cries of desperation! What happened though? My body feels weightless and my chest is-is¡­!


    Everything was even darker than the abyss, and he couldn¡¯t hear anything either. The thought of dying popped up once again, but he wasn¡¯t concerned at all.


    As he continued basking in the everlasting darkness, Jack saw something very faint reaching out to him. It appeared to be a pair of pale hands this time. He extended what felt like his hands and grabbed whoever¡¯s hand it was that hung within the darkness. In that moment of making contact the misty purple swirls around him dissipated into smoke. Jack got up and his vision was swept into a smokey, shadowy, blackened mist of purple, and from within that cloud came out the girl in the white dress.


    Jack stood there, wondering what she might do to him next. She skipped around him, gently humming, a hum that would make sleep peacefully permanently.


    With her hands behind her back, she giggled. ¡°Did you miss me, Jack?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t answer. The only response she got was his ragged breathing.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t like the way you look right now, so let¡¯s play a game!¡± She stopped skipping, and reached for his hands. ¡°We need to brighten this depressing mood you¡¯re in. Come on now!¡±


    She grabbed his hand and dragged him along to wherever they were running to inside the foggy shadowy purple darkness. Jack finally snapped out of it while he got dragged.


    ¡°Where are we going? What do you want?¡±


    She giggled to his worried questioning and stopped in front of a mysterious door.


    ¡°Wha-What¡¯s this?¡±


    She let go of his shaking hands, then caressed the door of old age. She lay against it, breathing arousingly. ¡°This door leads to my heart. Only you can access it, Jack.¡±


    Wh-What is she talking about?


    ¡°What happens if I open it? Then what!¡± He clenched his fists.


    ¡°That means you¡¯ll belong to me entirely. Kinda like marriage!¡± She grabbed his arm and caressed his sweaty cheek, which made him blush. ¡°I¡¯ve waited so long to find you¡­ so, so long¡­ so very long¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ don¡¯t understand any of this!¡± Jack shook his head and wiped her hand off his cheek. ¡°Who are you really¡­? Why do you haunt my dreams? Why do you cause me nightmares?!¡± His eyes grew wide and he got into a serious yet scared posture with his shoulders raised and stomach tucked in.


    She let go of his arm and stepped back a bit, looking a little hurt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t help myself sometimes¡­ It¡¯s just who I am!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Jack replied with a shaky tone.


    She made a slight whimpered sound. ¡°I can¡¯t control my actions sometimes. It¡¯s almost like my mind and heart have a mind of their own¡­ doing what they want to get you back into my love, my warmth, my life, my¡­ everything.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re saying makes no sense¡­ I-I don¡¯t understand.¡± Jack¡¯s eyes grew wider.


    She giggled and opened her arms out. ¡°But in the meantime, don¡¯t be scared to use me. Like you have before¡­ I¡¯ll help you in the worst situations, but if you want my full aid¡­¡± She pointed at the door. ¡°Just become mine and we can become lovers for eternity, like you promised me.¡±


    ¡°Pro-Promised you? What? I don¡¯t recall any promise like that¡­ What¡¯s going on?!¡± Jack gripped his hair. He was getting annoyed and frustrated.


    ¡°To put it in simple terms, it means you¡¯ll devote yourself to me, in marriage.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what marriage is¡­ or love! Or that weird statement you just said. But¡­¡± He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes while he approached her slowly. ¡°I can¡¯t accept your offer if you keep taunting me or cause me harm¡­ so, please show me what you mean! Because I¡¯m so confused¡­ Like, are you real?¡±


    She sighed and placed her hand out, making contact with his chest to stop him from getting any closer. ¡°You may be oblivious now, but I¡¯ll teach you as we both grow together, but until then¡­¡± She grabbed his shirt. ¡°Give me your heart, then I promise I¡¯ll aid you!¡±


    Jack was nervous about what she would do next as she continued to tighten her grasp, but he wasn¡¯t afraid. He grabbed her hand quite boldly and removed it from his chest, gripping the lifeless hand of white.


    He swallowed nervously. ¡°What would happen¡­ if I refuse?¡±


    She stayed quiet for a moment with her head down. She grabbed both his hands and lifted her head dramatically slow. ¡°I¡¯ll punish you¡­ like this.¡± She let go of his hand and stabbed his chest.


    Jack gasped in a huge amount of air, then rose out of his bed from the nightmare he was just murdered in. He opened his eyes, looked around and noticed that he was hooked up to an oxygen machine. He tried getting up but felt something hold him down. To find out what it was, he lifted the sheet and spotted Angela clinging onto his arm.


    ¡°She¡¯s sound asleep. Maybe I should just go back to sleep? Wait! No! That damned girl in my nightmares might return.¡± He clutched his chest, still feeling the pain of being stabbed that quick second before returning back to reality.


    Jack grabbed his chest and continued feeling the pain from before and after that weird dream. ¡°Jesus, what an awful sensation. Just who in the hell is she? Why does she keep popping up in my dreams? What¡¯s wrong with me?!¡±


    He looked at Angela and patted her head.


    ¡°Poor Angela¡­ She must have been so worried, but I¡¯m still surprised how you called me your brother.¡±


    He chuckled and kissed her on the head.


    ¡°Sleep well¡­ baby sis.¡±


    Jack decided to head back to sleep too, not before he quickly took a sleeping pill. It was a good thing that whenever he took those pills he didn¡¯t dream. That way he wouldn¡¯t encounter the girl in his dreams again.


    The following morning, Dr. Cato came to observe Jack and advised him to stay another day in the nursery. He was still figuring out why Jack continued to have chest pains. He told Jack to stay put until he had a diagnosis. Angela wasn¡¯t there because she was doing her usual therapy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back later in the afternoon, Jack,¡± Dr. Cato said.


    Jack understood so he didn¡¯t bother him with any more questions.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m all done,¡± Dr. Cato said, finishing up by writing down his last observations on Jack with a clipboard in his hand. He places the clipboard down, takes pictures of it, then puts it away in a drawer.


    Jack didn¡¯t see the smile on Dr. Cato¡¯s face, he only saw concern. So he decided to try and ask something instead of having the awkward silence between the two.


    ¡°Hey doctor, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°I wish you to get well,¡± Dr. Cato said, interrupting Jack. He then left the room without looking back at Jack, taking his bag of doctor things with him.


    Dr. Cato didn¡¯t look too happy today. Maybe he was concerned for my well-being?


    A couple hours passed by, but Jack hadn¡¯t done anything. He was anxiously waiting for Angela to return from therapy. Carolyn hadn¡¯t been around either. Jack noticed how Dr. Cato¡¯s been acting strange ever since he became friends with Angela. He would always bring out some sort of recording device, a camera too sometimes, even writing down stuff as he stared at the two having fun or just conversing.


    Jack got up from his bed to walk for a bit. He figured perhaps a small walk down the hallway would relieve him of boredom. No one was around to make him stay put, so why not.


    As he walked slowly towards the door, Jack paused for a second, thinking what if Dr. Cato got mad at him. But he shook his head. After all, he was just going for a small walk. It wasn¡¯t like he was doing anything bad.


    Jack opened the door and looked up and down each side of the hallway to see if anyone was around. Oddly enough, the hallway was eerily quiet. He then carefully stepped out and told himself that he wouldn¡¯t go anywhere else and just walk back and forth in the hallway.


    Even though his chest still hurt, it wasn¡¯t as much as he expected. While he walked down the hallway, he eventually ended up at a dead end. A faint sound came from the other end of the hallway. To Jack, it almost sounded like someone screaming.


    He knew he shouldn¡¯t be running, but his curiosity got the best of him. He decided not to run, but instead, to power walk to the other end.


    As he got closer, the screaming got louder. Jack wondered if it came from the nursery that was close to the insane patients. When he walked towards the end of the hallway, it was beginning to make his head hurt again.


    Wait a sec¡­ I-I recognize this hallway. It looks similar to that dream where I was being chased by those scary women.


    He blinked slowly but the moment he opened his eyes again, the hallways were all dark. It was exactly the same way as that awful nightmare with the women. Even the rooms were empty. He walked past them and realized that the only thing missing was the flickering lights calling to him and those women.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Am I dreaming again? No¡­ it must be that girl again. She¡¯s messing with me!¡±


    The sounds of screaming continued. Jack didn¡¯t know if everything he sensed was all real. To him, it felt like he was dreaming again, but at the same time it didn¡¯t. He continued to make his way towards the rampant screaming.


    It was similar to the exact same scenario he had before, except it wasn¡¯t completely dark. There was a door at the end of the hallway, which was the same door from his dream. If he remembered correctly¡­ that door led to the room where the coffin was¡­


    As Jack approached the end, the screaming finally stopped and turned into whimpering. He took deep breaths and decided to peek through the keyhole just to be safe. The moment he took a glimpse through it, everything started spinning. His head became foggy and throbbed so badly from the immense pressure thudding in his brain. Jack lost his balance and burst through the door, landing on the ground face first.


    Even though Jack couldn¡¯t move, the pain through his chest and head was unbearable. Everything was blurry and he could hear voices, but he could barely make out what was going on.


    He could see figures walking towards him. His eyes started to feel heavy.


    I think I¡¯m passing out again¡­


    Before Jack could shut his eyes, he could see someone carrying someone away. It looked like a girl with black hair. He could hear Angela¡¯s voice too. She sounded hurt and sad, but he still couldn¡¯t see anything. He shut his eyes and heard that girl from his dreams again, but she sounded sad.


    ¡°Let this be your first lesson, the more you push me away, the more suffrage I¡¯ll cause. This is your first punishment, Jack.¡± she said.


    Jack opened his eyes again and noticed he was back in his room. He didn¡¯t know how that could happen. He was just in the nursery and had walked into the hallway, then everything went black. He couldn¡¯t remember much after he took a peek through the keyhole.


    Just what the hell happened?


    The door opened and Dr. Cato walked into the room. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re awake now. Well kiddo, are you feeling any better?¡±


    Jack sat up, clenched his bed sheets, and bit his lip. ¡°How¡¯d I end up in my room? And that screaming¡­ Where was it coming from?¡±


    Dr. Cato looked at Jack in confusion and slowly walked towards him, scratching his head. ¡°Is everything alright? What are you talking about? Wait, ahhh! That must have been a weird dream of yours right?¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m serious. I was in the nursery and I headed out into the hallway, and there was a door and the lights were flickering!¡± Jack shouted.


    Dr. Cato didn¡¯t like Jack¡¯s tone. His fingers were slightly twitching and his eyes narrowed. ¡°Jack¡­ What are you talking about?¡± There was a brief pause of silence until he broke it. ¡°You were never in the nursery¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes started shaking, a drop of sweat landed on his hand, and he bit down on his lip, hard.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for two days.¡±


    When Jack heard him say that, he bit his lip all the way, breaking the skin. Blood leaked out and a crimson stream trickled down his chin.


    No¡­ No! What was he talking about? We were in the nursery and Angela was there with me!


    Jack wiped his lip and stared at the blood on his fingertip. His eyes became deranged and erratic. He lowered his hand, then looked at Dr. Cato with his nasty eyes of insanity. ¡°But I had a heart attack! That¡¯s how I ended up there. Re-remember?¡±


    Dr. Cato seemed quite nervous as he took a step back. ¡°My boy, you had a crazy dream again, didn¡¯t you? It¡¯s okay, Angela¡¯s been by your side the entire time taking care of you.¡±


    Jack clenched his fists and his eyes widened in anger. ¡°Y-You¡­ Liar!¡± The moment he said that, all the mirrors and windows cracked.


    Dr. Cato gulped but seemed serious now, making it seem as if he never noticed. Instead, he pulled out the pills Jack was taking in secrecy. ¡°Well, we found these pills in your pockets. I don¡¯t know where you got them from, but it looks to me like you took too many.¡± He tossed the pills at Jack¡¯s feet on the bed.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t believe you! I know damn well that everything that has happened in the past two days were real, so don¡¯t give me that crap!¡±


    A faint mist emitted out of Jack. Dr. Cato noticed and seemed like he was grabbing onto something in his lab coat.


    As he stepped a little closer, he looked angry yet calm. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? And please, watch your mouth. You¡¯re far too young to be talking like a hoodlum.¡±


    Dr. Cato gave Jack a smug look, but the boy could still see him messing with whatever was in his coat. He knew just by looking into the doctor¡¯s eyes that he was lying.


    As Dr. Cato headed for the exit, Jack asked, ¡°Where¡¯s Angela?¡±


    However, Dr. Cato didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he gave Jack a suspicious and angry smirk, and then left.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Jack shouted.


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe how the doctor would go out of his way to lie to him. There was no way in hell he was telling the truth. Jack knew he could wait for Angela to come back so he could make sure the doctor was full of crap.


    Not long after, Angela returned with Carolyn by her side. Carolyn looked at Jack and seemed upset and mad. He immediately rushed out of bed and grabbed Angela¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Angela, I want you to answer me. Was I asleep for two days?¡± She was stuttering a bit, so Jack shook her a little. ¡°Tell me! Do you remember everything that happened in the nursery?¡±


    She looked really afraid. Carolyn pushed Jack off her, causing him to fall onto the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt her! Calm down, Jack!¡± Carolyn shouted.


    Jack was surprised she did that¡­ she had shoved him away with such little effort from her part, but for him, it felt like a truck had pushed him away.


    He got up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Angela, could you please answer my  question?¡±


    ¡°Umm yes, I remember. Wh-Why do y-you ask?¡±


    Jack hugged her out of relief. He knew he wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Jack?¡± Angela asked, seeming a little concerned.


    ¡°Nothing is wrong, I just wanted to make sure,¡± Jack said, glad to hear he wasn¡¯t going insane.


    Carolyn angrily stabbed a finger at Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Never do that to Angela ever again, even if it wasn¡¯t intentional,¡± she muttered coldly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt Angela,¡± Jack said, then frowned.


    He didn¡¯t want to argue with her, so he kept his mouth shut and followed what she said. He gave Angela an apology hug. She sighed and smiled softly, forgiving him and patted his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Angela, I would never hurt you. Trust me, I¡¯ve already told you I¡¯ll always be by your side no matter what!¡±


    She smiled and hugged Jack. ¡°I was worried about you because you¡¯d collapsed again.¡±


    That¡¯s right! I did collapse!


    ¡°Carolyn, do you know anything?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately I don¡¯t sorry.¡± Carolyn shook her head and noticed all the cracked windows and mirrors. ¡±What happened here?¡±


    Jack looked around and noticed they were cracked too. At first he thought it was just a sound, but he wondered how this had happened.


    He shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they got cracked.¡±


    Carolyn looked at him in a serious manner. ¡°Angela, are you ready to go back to your room?¡±


    Angela shook her head. ¡°I want to stay a little longer.¡±


    ¡°You need to go back, or Dr. Cato will be upset.¡±


    ¡°Could I spend the night with Angela?¡± Jack asked.


    At first she didn¡¯t answer his question. She grabbed Angela by the arm and tried to pull her. ¡°Angela, you need to go. Now.¡±


    Angela still refused. ¡°I want Jack to stay with me for just one night.¡±


    Carolyn Still refused by shaking her head at her.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Angela widened her eyes like an adorable puppy, and whimpered slightly. ¡°Please! Just this once¡­ pl-please!¡±


    Carolyn looks away momentarily to not give into those big blue eyes. ¡°No means no Angela.¡± she said coldly.


    Angela stares more intensely, and whimpers even louder but in an adorable manner.


    After being tormented by Angela¡¯s adorableness, Carolyn finally gives in, and sighed. ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s only for one night.¡± She looked at Jack. ¡°You have to wake up early so I can escort you back to your room before anyone finds out.¡±


    Angela smiled and tried to jump for joy with those little legs of hers, but her shyness quickly overtook her and she covered her face in embarrassment. Jack couldn¡¯t help himself but chuckle. She was just so adorable. He knew she was the spark he needed to keep going.


    As they began heading to Angela¡¯s room, Carolyn walked beside them. Jack grabbed Angela¡¯s hand. For him, it almost felt like they were a family.


    Family huh? Jack thought. He still missed his parents and wished they were still alive, but on the other hand, if they were still alive, he would have never met Angela and rescued her. She probably would have gotten killed that day if it wasn¡¯t for him.


    They arrived at Angela¡¯s room. Again, Jack was still baffled at how protected her room was compared to everyone else¡¯s in the building.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make too much of a ruckus, or staff will suspect Angela has someone else in her room,¡± Carolyn explained.


    They both nodded and followed her advice. Angela hugs Carolyn to make sure she wasn¡¯t going to break her advice. Carolyn smiles briefly and returns a hug to her as well. Jack watched as the two hugged it out, so he too smiled. Once they let off of each other, Carolyn''s smile disappeared and she turned to him, looking serious again.


    Carolyn pointed at Jack. ¡°If they find out she has a visitor they¡¯ll surely punish her.¡±


    Jack thought that was rather harsh, but he heard her loud and clear.


    They both said goodnight to Carolyn, and she kissed Angela goodnight. ¡°Also, don¡¯t stay up too late.¡±


    As Angela and Jack entered her room, that feeling of amazement still enveloped him. The more he observed this place, the more it seemed like an endless room of whiteness. Jack couldn¡¯t help himself but make an echo.


    He shouted, ¡°Hello!¡± It definitely felt endless all right. He wondered why they would keep Angela in a room that had the potential to make someone go insane.


    Jack walked back to Angela and asked, ¡°Did you really mean it when you called me brother?¡±


    She blushed. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve known each other for a month now, but for some reason it feels like I¡¯ve known you even longer than that.¡±


    Jack smiled, then leaned down and stared into her beautiful blue eyes. Her eyes had looked soulless and lifeless when he first met her, but now they had a twinkle of happiness and life, glittering and looking even more beautiful than before.


    ¡°Say Angela¡­ I was thinking, if you call me bro, then how about I call you my baby sis? How does that sound?¡±


    Angela¡¯s face sparkled with joy. She was so overjoyed she rushed to her bed and jumped up and down while shouting, ¡°Yes!¡± over and over again.


    Jack shushed her to keep it down so they wouldn¡¯t suspect her. Angela stopped jumping. ¡°What should we do first?¡± she asked.


    Jack didn¡¯t really have an answer so he recommended watching her draw again. She agreed and got off the bed for a second to grab her drawing pad that was placed on a nearby clothing drawer. Once grabbing it she got back on the bed so she could start drawing right away. While she was drawing, Jack took his time observing the room even further. He checked all the way to hopefully an end, but to his surprise, there actually was an end and a huge window.


    How bizarre?


    He glanced at her bed and realized it was huge as well. It was almost a king size bed. Jack shook his head, wondering how lucky she was.


    She gets this type of special treatment, but why?


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nothing much. How¡¯s your drawing coming along?¡±


    She crossed her arms and pointed her pencil at him. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you watching me?¡± Jack thought she sounded a little different for a moment and he noticed how she had completed a full sentence.


    Jack walked back to her and sat down next to her. ¡°Alright Angela, what are you drawing this time, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s uhh¡­. Don¡¯t peek yet!¡± She smiled and pushed his face away.


    ¡°Well, you said to watch you, yet you don¡¯t want me too? Make up your mind girl.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right um¡­ no peeking still!¡±


    Jack listened to her request and looked away until she was done. He sat still for a good ten minutes and kept asking her if he could look, but she kept telling him ¡°Not yet.¡±


    How frustrating. She told me to watch her, then not too long afterwards¡­ Kids, am I right? Hold up! I¡¯m still a kid myself!


    ¡°Are you almost done?¡± Jack asked impatiently.


    ¡°Almost! J-Just one more minute big bro!¡±


    Now she was calling me her big bro? Oh, how cute! I should give her a wet willy for that.


    He knew she shouldn¡¯t get too comfortable that fast since she¡¯d only been his sister for barely less than an hour. However, she finished the basics of her drawing and showed him what she drew.


    ¡°Look big bro, I dre-drew yo-you and me!¡± She held it in front of her face and smiled.


    She was right, it was Jack. Well, almost like him, if he were happy and didn¡¯t look like a cartoon character.


    ¡°That¡¯s a cute drawing.¡±


    Angela gave off a cute smile and appeared to be really proud. Jack spotted the clock she had in her room to check the time. It was almost 8:00 pm.


    ¡°Angela, it¡¯s time for bed. Finish up your drawing.¡±


    ¡°Okay big bro, just five mo-more min-minutes!¡±


    ¡°Five more minutes okay. I don¡¯t want you to get in trouble.¡± Jack got off her bed and started preparing it for her. Luckily, he had his own blankets, so he was good. Also, the floor was super soft so he could sleep on it.


    Angela showed Jack the drawing she completed of him and her. It was definitely out of character for him. Well, the him now, the him in the picture she drew was the old him before that¡­ night.


    As Jack tucked her into bed, she looked really surprised. It almost seemed like she¡¯d never been tucked into bed before.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Angela?¡± Jack asked, while pulling her blanket on her.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I ne-never had anyone tuck me in!¡±


    Jack looked at her in confusion. ¡°But didn¡¯t you have a mom and dad? Didn¡¯t they die in a car accident?¡±


    Angela frowned. ¡°Mom¡­ Dad? What are those?¡±


    Jack looked at Angela in shock. Now he was the one confused. He remembered Dr. Cato telling him her story, how both her parents died in a car accident, and how he took in Angela to take care of her.


    Why would she answer me like that? I¡¯m sure she was old enough to at least recognize her parents.


    ¡°Angela don¡¯t joke around like that. Haven¡¯t your parents ever tucked you into bed before?¡±


    She still seemed confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know what parents are. I do-don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had any.¡±


    Jack could feel anger built up inside him, but by looking at her face¡­ he knew she wasn''t lying, she was serious. Even the thought of amnesia crossed his mind. That was the only possibility he could think of.


    ¡°Never mind that, let¡¯s go to sleep now, okay. We have a long day tomorrow. Wait, tomorrow¡¯s the start of fall! Are you excited to see the leaves fall off the trees?¡± Jack exclaimed.


    ¡°Fall? What¡¯s that?¡± she asked, tilting her head.


    Goodness gracious! How long had they kept her inside?


    Jack couldn¡¯t blame them, especially how all those kids treated her. He explained about every season and their meanings, which made her face blossom with excitement. The one season she seemed more excited to hear about was winter.


    ¡°Who is Santa and what¡¯s Christmas?¡± she asked.


    Jack kissed her head. ¡°Maybe next time. You should really get to sleep.¡±


    Jack tucked her all snugg like and with no hesitation, she quickly fell asleep. Looking at her sleeping gave Jack more comfort. He hadn¡¯t slept with someone since the sleepover he had with his friends on his 8th birthday.


    Taking out the pill bottle, Jack took one out before he tucked himself to bed. And before he took the pill, he stopped and thought to himself, Maybe I don¡¯t need to take one. Hearing Angela sleep peacefully could actually make me sleep well tonight.


    He laid on the ground and placed his hands behind his head, then stared at the empty ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened to him in the past five months. He always doubted himself by thinking that he¡¯d lost his humanity, but after saving Angela and having friends like Carolyn and Candy, he figured he still had some faith in himself. That feeling of insanity felt more distant than ever, hopefully.


    All this thinking and hearing Angela sleep definitely did the trick. His eyes slowly started closing and he finally fell asleep. He was surprised at how well he was sleeping with no interruptions and especially no bad dreams, just peace and quiet. Although he could hear some mumbling close by, it was quite annoying and it was enough to wake him.


    Jack opened his eyes and looked around to see where the mumbling came from. It appeared to be coming from Angela, so he stood up to check on her. Upon closer inspection, it sounded like she was having an insane dream. He patted her head, reminding her subconscious that he was still here, then he went back to sleep.


    As Jack was about to lay back on the floor, Angela mumbled even louder, which started to distract Jack. Just when he slapped his hands against his ears, she stopped for a second. He sighed out of relief and laid back down, but as he was about to close his eyes again, she mumbled something.


    With her panted breathing, she curled up in her blanket and mumbled, ¡°An-Anna¡­ Ver-Veronica¡­ Do-don¡¯t¡­ go!¡±


    Wait a second, did I hear that correctly? Did¡­. she just mention¡­ my friends¡¯ names?!


    Jack immediately got up out of shock and looked at Angela. He stood there listening to what else she was going to say. Maybe I was just hearing things? Or overreacting? Perhaps it was nothing.


    After a small standstill, Jack turned around again and then¡­ instead of mumbling, she said, ¡°Anna, Veronica¡­ please don¡¯t!¡±


    It was loud and clear. Jack¡¯s hands quivered. His head rotated slowly as Angela finished her sentence with, ¡°She¡¯s, she¡¯s co-coming!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. He grabbed her shoulders with his shaky hands and tried waking her up, but she was in a deep sleep.


    Wake up, wake up, why won¡¯t you wake up? You just said my friends¡¯ names¡­


    He couldn¡¯t stand there like some creep with widened bloodshot eyes, so he kept shaking her to wake her, but it was of no use.


    His eyes grew wider. He was getting frustrated, so he shook her even more. ¡°Angela, wake up please! Angela¡­ if you can hear me¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s breathing grew heavy, and he could feel his teeth tightening, along with his eye twitching.


    ¡°How the hell do you know my friends¡¯ names?¡±


    After shouting the last two words, she finally started coming to her senses. But Jack was so lost in a growing panic that he was oblivious to her awakening. He kept shaking her rapidly.


    ¡°Angela!¡±


    When he shouted Angela¡¯s name aggressively, he startled her. She finally woke up to see something that only her young eyes would imagine in her nightmares. The face Jack had was vile, full of terror and anger. Seeing his face within those wide owl eyes, Jack still shook her.


    She pushed him away out of being scared. ¡°Ja-Jack, what¡¯s goi-going on?¡± she asked in a small panic while rubbing her eyes.


    Jack approached her again with a menacing walk, and aggressively grabbed her shoulders. He leaned his wretched face towards her half awakened, frightened face of white. ¡°Angela, tell me!¡±


    He got even closer to her face, and his eyes were glistening, scaring her to the maximum amount of fear she could feel. He narrowed his eyes, looking her dead in those empty blue jewels.


    ¡°How the hell do you know my friends¡¯ names? Tell me!¡±


    He was growing very aggressive, so much he didn¡¯t recognize the fear in her eyes. She trembled as he stared into her innocent blue eyes while his pupils grew with malice.


    She tried breaking free from his grip, but his grip tightened more and more. ¡°I-I¡­ don¡¯t know what yo-you¡¯re talking abo-about¡­¡±


    Hearing that made Jack grit his teeth and squeeze her with his hands, hurting her whole body. She yelped, being on the verge of crying. ¡°You¡¯re hurting me, Jack!¡±


    She finally broke, and Jack realized his horrid act, so he snapped out of his random rage and let go of her shoulders. He quickly calmed down, but not before feeling ashamed of himself. He retracted his hands away from her.


    A single drop of sweat dripped from his head as he stared at his murderous palms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­¡± His hands continued shaking as he gazed back at her with saddened eyes full of regret. ¡°N-Never mind¡­ go back to sleep.¡±


    He lowered his arms, and walked back to his floor bed, leaving Angela alone to cry. He decided to grab a chair and sit on it, then clutched his head.


    Throbbing pain pulstated in his head again. He knew she said their names, so he knew he wasn¡¯t going crazy, yet she didn¡¯t remember. He wondered what the hell was going on.


    Sobbing to herself for a small moment, Angela got out of her bed and walked towards him, yet she was still afraid. She approached him slowly, and then grabbed his hands, bringing them down as she held them.


    ¡°Why were you so aggressive towards me, even when you promised Carolyn you wouldn¡¯t do that to her again. Why do that to me?¡± Angela asked.


    But doing all those acts towards her¡­ his body couldn¡¯t resist inflicting some pain to her¡­ Now he felt like a real jackass. Realizing his mistake, Jack pulled Angela towards him and apologized with a hug filled with his regrets and sorrow. She started to whimper again. He didn¡¯t blame her for doing so, but that face, he couldn¡¯t get it out of his head. Never again did he want to scare her like that. He just felt like a huge jerk. Just like what Veronica had said, he was a jerk.


    Jack patted her head. ¡°Angela, please don¡¯t cry! I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it, honest!¡± He wiped away her tears and picked her up, carried her back to her bed and tucked her in.


    ¡°Why did you do such a thing, brother?¡± she asked again.


    Jack couldn¡¯t bring himself to answer her question, so he avoided it and decided to give himself emotional pain. ¡°Angela, I¡¯m an idiot okay? A big poopy head all right!¡± He was about to punch himself until she stopped him.


    She rubbed his hand and then rubbed an eye. ¡°No-No you¡¯re not¡­¡± She sniffled and expressed a smile. ¡°Because you¡¯re my big bro!¡± she said with such meaning and delight that her smile alone made Jack shed a tear. Words alone couldn¡¯t comprehend the amount of regret he was experiencing.


    What an idiot I am¡­ A damned fool¡­


    Jack wiped away the tear and patted her head. ¡°I wish you sweet dreams, Angela,¡± he said, returning a smile of his own.


    ¡°Wait¡­ before you go, I-I just wan-wanna say that you¡¯re the best.¡±


    ¡°Angela¡­?¡± Jack said, sounding as if he was about to break.


    ¡°No ma-matter what happens, I¡¯ll never leave your s-side, because I¡­!¡±


    ¡°Angela, wh-what are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°I love you big bro!¡±


    Jack broke out into more tears. He smiled and embraced Angela. ¡°Th-Thank you¡­ I¡¯m so sorry Angela, for everything. Even though I act strange at times my sanity seems to fly away in the worst moments. Nothing will change the fact that from here on out you will forever be my new baby sis.¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes quivered from such meaningful words. She couldn¡¯t help herself but cry profusely.


    ¡°I will never let you go, I will never leave your dreams, but most of all¡­ I won¡¯t let you succumb to complete solitude ever again.¡± Jack held her tighter and cried more.


    Angela¡¯s tiny eyes couldn¡¯t bear to cry for long, so she passed out from letting go of all of her hidden emotions.


    Jack felt her body become weightless and softly chuckled. He lay Angela back down and fully tucked her back in. She was finally sound asleep again. Jack sat alone in darkness and couldn¡¯t get over the fact that she¡¯d said his friends¡¯ names. He wiped his eyes and wanted to know what the hell she was dreaming about. Did she experience the same nightmares as him? But most of all, how did she know them and what was this¡­ ¡°She¡¯s coming?¡±


    Although they just had an emotional moment, Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit selfish for brushing aside the moment to reflect about her dream. However, that grew quite tiresome, all this hard thinking was overworking his mind, so he went back to sleep with the thought still embedded in his mind. He thought that it was time to get the hell out of there, but the question was how. Even in his blacked out state, he couldn¡¯t let the thoughts go.


    He tried sleeping through the night as much as he could, but he couldn¡¯t. He would sleep for an hour, wake up, and then go back to sleep to repeat the process over and over again.


    It was so obnoxious that when he saw the time was 5:00 am he realized he¡¯d barely gotten any sleep. His eyes were crusty, boogery, and the bags under his eyes were as saggy as bags of pudding. He was so tired. He cursed his thoughts of torture.


    Jack scratched his head furiously, then remembered he had to wait for Carolyn to come get him so she could take him back before 7:00 am. At least he¡¯d get a little bit more sleep.


    Feeling fatigued and having the burden of thoughts weighing down on his head with headaches, Jack yawned and began packing his blanket and pillow. He looked over to see if Angela was still asleep. From the hump on the bed, it looked like she was still sound asleep. However, the room was too dark to be sure.


    Jack stopped packing and walked to her bedside, then sat by her side to check on her. He tried to put his hand where her head would be, but all he felt was the fluff of her pillow.


    What? She wasn¡¯t in her bed?


    That awful headache intensified as he began to panic and ran to turn on her lights. When he turned them on, Jack saw she wasn¡¯t in the room at all.


    He was about to shout, but remembered Carolyn¡¯s careful words. ¡°Angela?¡± he calmly called out, making sure nobody heard him.


    He kept looking around to see where she was, but she was nowhere to be found inside the empty void of whiteness. He went to the edge of the room to see if anything was out of place or out of the norm by pushing the walls and window to see if there was anything that would surprise him.


    ¡°Nothing!¡± He slammed a fist against the wall. ¡°Where could she have gone?¡±


    Miraculously, Carolyn walked into the room, whispering Jack¡¯s name. He heard her and rushed towards her in a panic. ¡°Carolyn, something weird happened. Angela¡¯s gone!¡±


    When she heard this, she giggled. That was a little annoying, but to make matters even weirder, she suddenly grabbed his hand. ¡°I have to take you somewhere. Follow me.¡±


    Just what the hell is going on now? Where the heck is she taking me?


    Feeling drowsy and out of energy from lack of sleep, Jack gave up. ¡°Carolyn, where are we going?¡± he asked tiredly as she dragged him away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll see.¡± She looked over Jack¡¯s shoulder and grinned. ¡°Trust me! What you¡¯re about to witness will change your perspective a little. Jack, I know you¡¯re going to react either badly, shocked, or hopefully good, but I¡¯m showing you the reason why Angela¡¯s so special.¡±


    They arrived at the yard doors, and Jack wondered why they were here. Carolyn grabbed the door handle and looked at Jack with a serious look.


    ¡°Are you ready Jack? Are you ready to see why Angela¡¯s so precious, and why you have to protect her, no matter what.¡±


    Jack blinked a couple of times, trying to comprehend everything she said. He sighed and shrugged out of confusion. His energy was coming back to him though, and hearing Carolyn say those meaningful words stirred his brain up with his past contempts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about? I¡¯ve already made a promise to her and I intend to keep that promise¡­ no matter what.¡±


    Jack finally had enough energy to bring out a smile again. Carolyn also smiled and opened the door.


    As she opened it, letting in some of the last remnants of night, she stopped halfway. Her smile faded once again. ¡°Be careful though. Don¡¯t get too close to her¡­ For your own safety and hers.¡±


    She fully opened the door to let him through. Jack nodded and slowly walked out into the yard and into the open. He spotted a single tree and could see Angela bathing in the tree''s shadow. She had her hands clasped together, almost as if she were praying.


    He walked towards the tree, his heart pounding from whatever mystery awaited him. His arms shook with nervousness. The closer he got, the more he saw something out of the ordinary. He wondered what that faint, dark purple mist emitting out of her was.


    Jack stopped for a moment out of caution, then heard the heavy metal door slam shut behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Carolyn, who still remained calm with that weird smile. Jack gulped, then continued walking. Getting closer, he could hear her either talking to herself or someone else.


    As Jack took another step further, Angela heard his bristled footsteps, then looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see Jack, with a calm grin. But at that moment, she quickly turned around to look at him fully. He couldn¡¯t really see her eyes because her hair¡¯s shadow covered it, but he could still tell that they were both staring at each other.


    Why isn¡¯t she saying anything? Why are we just standing here in the midst of darkness?


    Although Jack couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything about that abnormal mist around her body, he stood there in his own puzzled fear. He hadn¡¯t noticed that the mist around Angela was slowly creeping towards his feet.


    With his mind fogging, darkness started to overtake it. He was about to take another step until something inside him screamed. A voice inside his head told him to run and avoid her.


    Is this my subconscious? Because if it is¡­ then this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve heard such words.


    With his arms still quivering, Jack clenched his fists and slowly approached her. ¡°Wh-What are you Angela?¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes were still hidden from the shadow lurking beneath her head. However, she grinned more with a hint of suspicion. ¡°Well¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you to show yourself?¡±


    The moment he heard her talk, his heart screeched out of terror. Her voice didn¡¯t sound the same¡­ but it wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to him either.


    ¡°Angela¡­ your voice! Are y-you okay?¡± Jack stopped. His eyes began to quiver out of mild shock, but he was still oblivious to the mysterious mist swirling beneath him that was taking its time climbing up his legs.


    Angela giggled mildly, but it was all too familiar. He gasped, and his face turned white, reminding him of his repeated nightmares.


    ¡°I will be¡­¡± she said with her soft familiar voice, bringing her arms out to Jack. ¡°As soon as you¡¯re mine.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Jack gasped even louder. His whole body was shaking and he walked backwards. Angela¡¯s smile seemed vile and she slowly started approaching him while he backed away.


    Jack kept walking until he bumped into Carolyn. She touched his shoulders and immediately rushed out from behind and went in front of him. Angela stopped her creepy approach. Even though Jack couldn¡¯t see, Carolyn¡¯s eyes were glinting.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s almost daylight, so be a good girl and come back to me,¡± Carolyn said, sounding angry.


    Angela gazed at the sky for a moment, smiling even more, then she looked back at Carolyn. She tilted her head downward and the purple mist finally disappeared¡­ except for the one that was wrapped around Jack¡¯s legs. Instead, it evaporated and he inhaled the smoke, which made him slightly cough.


    ¡°Are you okay, Jack?¡± Carolyn asked, not taking her eyes off Angela.


    ¡°Yeah, I just smelled something funky¡­¡±


    Jack knew none of that mattered. But he wondered what the hell he was witnessing.


    Carolyn didn¡¯t notice Jack was starting to walk away, but the moment he turned around from the freak show, she grabbed his shoulder, which stopped him from going any further. He turned around to ask why, but the moment they laid eyes on each other, he saw her glinted eyes and felt anger and murderous intent laying upon him.


    Carolyn reached down to look even closer into Jack¡¯s broken soul. ¡°Don¡¯t you walk away Jack¡­. Please.¡± She placed both hands on his shoulders and squeezed. ¡°You promised you would take care of her. I know she isn¡¯t normal, but the thing is¡­¡±


    Carolyn noticed Jack¡¯s eyes shaking, so she erased that glint in her eyes and brought out a calm, soft smile to ease his soul.


    ¡°She can talk to spirits, demons, and anything paranormal that the human eye can¡¯t see, so don¡¯t abandon her. Please.¡±


    Jack, baffled upon hearing that, raised a trembled finger and pointed at her direction as if she were a freak of nature. ¡°But her vo-voice¡­ She didn¡¯t sound like¡­¡±


    Jack was losing his composure. His insanity returned to his poor little mind, and he expressed that return with a slight chuckle, then expressed a smile so corrupt that it shocked Carolyn.


    ¡°Let me guess, like ghosts? Come on, you¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±


    He laughed, then laughed louder, and then even more. His broken laughter reached across the yard and bounced off the walls, echoing its madness throughout the whole area.


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous, there¡¯s no such thing as demons, spirits, or any of that¡­¡± He stopped his mental breakdown and clenched his teeth, expanding his eyes with disbelief and anger. ¡°What a load of shit! Enough of this stupidity you two¡­ I¡¯ve had it!¡±


    Carolyn¡¯s eyes were hidden by her bangs¡¯ shadows. She let go of Jack and slowly rose with a straight face. She was totally relaxed, quiet, but most of all, calm.


    ¡°So Carolyn, don¡¯t give me that shit!¡± Jack let all his emotions out with that last word; his vented frustrations and tired mind. His right eye slightly twitched out of annoyance, especially after a day that was random and maddening.


    Everyone stood still in silence. Angela stood there like a lifeless doll, yet Carolyn towered over Jack with a menacing shadow. The last breeze of night swiftly drifted past them as the night started dying. There was also the presence of crows, which was evident from the faint cawing in the distance.


    Carolyn looked off into the distance while Jack was catching his breath from his withered anger. He saw her eyes were cold and off-putting. He began to step backwards again, but was stopped once more when she lifted her hand up. Jack, who still seemed confused yet angry, was on the verge of having an extreme mental breakdown from all the stressful crap until the ambience of silence was interrupted by a tremendous smack.


    A slap was heard across the air, reaching far into the distance. It was enough to make those cawing crows fly away. Jack¡¯s head slightly turned to the right, his cheek pulsing and red. He was paralyzed with shock because Carolyn had just laid a mighty slap upon his vile face to snap him out of his madness, whipping away all those burdens and any fear he had towards Angela.


    Jack was left stunned with disbelief at what she just did. He rubbed his cheek. It throbbed with so much pain. He saw her face, a calm face that was sprinkled with anger directed towards him, leaving him frozen in place. She towered over him, bringing fear into his tainted soul.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever talk to me like that again¡­ if you don¡¯t want to believe now, then fine!¡± Carolyn said in a menacing tone. She looked over her shoulder to Angela, who started to move. ¡°But please keep your promise. Hopefully one day you¡¯ll believe.¡±


    Jack continued rubbing his cheek and wanted to cry, but the guilt building inside him was so unbearable that it wouldn¡¯t allow him to do such a thing. Even his chest hurt again. But the pain was different than before. It wasn¡¯t because of the previous chest pains. No¡­ it wasn¡¯t the same pain, it was emotional pain.


    He felt so bad. He¡¯d let this crazy night and early morning drive him so far into madness that it even made Carolyn, a person whom he thought who never did such a thing, slap some sense into him. She was right. If he did abandon her, then he was no better than the kids who bullied her.


    Jack swallowed all the fear that was left in him. He began walking towards Angela¡¯s direction, ignoring Carolyn. She had a hand on her head and still seemed lost and confused. She even fell slightly to her knees from whatever unknown pain she was undergoing in her mind.


    Staring on the ground and being fazed, she raised her head and saw Jack standing before her, with his narrowed eyes full of sorrow and regret. The two stared at each other again, wondering what to say, but Jack was the one to make a move by getting down on one knee and extended a hand out to her.


    She rubbed her head and grabbed his hand to be raised back on her feet by him. ¡°J-Jack! Ho-How did you get he-here¡­¡± She looked around erratically and spotted Carolyn too. ¡°How did I get he-here!¡±


    Seeing her be this oblivious really annoyed Jack. It was like she was the greatest actor of all time. Somehow, she managed to pretend to forget.


    Jack still didn¡¯t know what was happening, but none of that mattered. He surprised her with a hug, and her eyes sparkled.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the hug?¡± Angela asked.


    Jack leaned off of her and grabbed her shoulders. ¡°Angela, I¡¯m sorry for freaking you out. I¡¯m sorry for being so aggressive, but most of all¡­¡± He flipped one of her bangs. ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯ll never leave you alone nor abandon you! Ever!¡± He finally smiled, sparking the joy back into himself and making her shed a single tear of happiness.


    Yet for Jack, Angela appeared to be sad. Even staying quiet for a second, Jack thought about her unnatural habits that had caused her to be called a demon and be bullied by everyone else. Now it was starting to come together, why she¡¯d been here in the first place, along with the presence of Carolyn.


    ¡°Yo-You pro-probably think I¡¯m a fre-freak cause I spe-speak to dead pe-people right?¡±


    She remembered her unknown ¡®talent¡¯, along with a secret she never wanted to reveal to Jack, but for now, all the thinking and overanalyzing was making her whimper, reminding her how non-normal she was.


    Jack didn¡¯t care though, he wanted to protect her and give her a new life, away from this hell hole she currently claimed as home. He hugged her again, embracing her sadness. ¡°No Angela! I don¡¯t care what people think of you, not everyone¡¯s perfect. Besides¡­ you¡¯re my sister.¡±


    Hearing that flustered her heart, so she hugged him tight, feeling his loving warmth.


    ¡°More importantly though, I¡¯m your big bro!¡± Jack exclaimed.


    She was so happy to hear that, and she couldn¡¯t help but continue whimpering and staining his clothes with her washed away emotions. Jack leaned off her for a moment to look into those huge blue oceans of untapped life.


    ¡°Angela, I made a promise to you and I intend to keep that promise so long as I live and breathe¡­ so please don¡¯t just let me be your brother¡­¡±


    The sun was slowly rising and it flashed a line of haunting orange that slowly rose towards their faces. Jack took in a huge breath of air, remembering the one thing he compared his father to, and that was a hero.


    Sunlight finally glistened on their faces. Jack let out all his emotions and shouted, ¡°Let me be your hero too!¡± His bright and meaningful smile widened, along with his twinkling brown eyes of caramel.


    Angela wiped away what little tears she had. Her eyes glittered and she too smiled greatly from hearing such a powerful statement. She embraced him one last time and indulged in herself in the beautiful moment.


    Jack looked back at Carolyn and nodded, even though she still seemed a bit upset. He understood why she was, but he didn¡¯t want to lose either of them, and he didn¡¯t want to be left alone ever again like he was the first month there. But as time passed by, he met Carolyn, then Candy, and now Angela. They were everything to him and he couldn¡¯t risk losing them. A new life awaited him, but in order to obtain it, he had to overcome the wall and boundaries of the facility and the doctors.


    He picked Angela up, carrying her in his arms and walked towards Carolyn. When they got to her, all of a sudden she hugged Jack.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for ever hurting you Carolyn and Angela. I love you both. I promise to redeem myself,¡± Jack whispered.


    Even though he¡¯d only known them for a short time, their presence had left an impact on him from the boy who lost his parents and turned into a murderer, to the happy boy he once was.


    They all hugged each other and walked back inside except for Carolyn. She wanted to watch the sunset to its fullest. But then, Jack just caught notice of something. Realizing the statement he¡¯d just given to Angela, he paused and started cringing.


    Wait?! Did I just tell Angela something so embarrassing and corny?! I-I said, don¡¯t tell me? I was going to be her hero too.


    The embarrassment in Jack was showing outside too while he had his internal monologue. Being oblivious of his actions outside his thoughts, Jack gently set Angela down on her feet and slammed his hands against his face, which surprised her. Jack made some funny noises too and she was left confused, but she giggled to his actions as he continued with his silly charade. He sighed happily and dragged his hand off his face, then chuckled softly.


    After having his embarrassing meltdown Angela grabbed his hand and he glanced down at her, smiling. She gave him a soft grin as well.


    ¡°Wow, I guess I am becoming more like my dad,¡± Jack said. ¡°But I couldn¡¯t have asked to be a better person than the one who raised me.¡±


    Angela agreed with a simple nod.


    Jack stared up at the sunrise sky, thinking of how his parents were watching and protecting him from the heavens.


    Dad, Mom, oh how I miss you. I hope you guys are watching over me, but most of all, I hope you¡¯re proud.


    Jack took one last look at the yard. Carolyn stood in the middle of the yard, in a perfect spot that was close to the beautiful fountain. Just ahead of her was that single oak tree with its leaves being glazed by the rising sun. She took her nurse cap off, finally revealing her long beautiful black hair as she stared at the sunset. Her skin glowed beautifully in the brightness. Leaves started flowing past her as a gentle wind blew by. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands.


    Jack wondered what she was doing. She looked back at him as flower petals flowed from behind her. She had a gentle grin and lowered her arms. Carolyn looked like an angel who had descended from the heavens, with her glistening black hair fluttering, and those eyes that represented the definitive beauty of blue¡­ Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel astonished by such a sight. His eyes glistened at the holiness that was Carolyn. He smiled back at her while holding Angela¡¯s hand.


    Jack wiped his smile away, getting serious as he thought, I promised Carolyn that I¡¯d get Angela the hell out of here.


    He glanced at Angela, then back to Carolyn, who dipped her hands into the fountain¡¯s water, letting the water trickle through her fingers.


    Angela I¡¯ll get us out and show you how to truly live life.


    Carolyn dropped the water with the smile of an angel. Jack nodded.


    But most of all I¡¯ll show you the world. We¡¯ll soon be free Angela¡­ I promise.


    Jack walked back inside. The heavy doors slowly closed behind him as Carolyn continued looking in his direction. The last thing before the doors fully shut was Carolyn holding a single rose in her hands and shedding a single tear of red. The doors shut and the sound of tormenting, innocent giggles returned to wreak havoc upon Jack without his knowledge.

 Arc 1 Chapter 11: Another Sign Of Abnormalities

    Mr. Mathew and Dr. Cato walked through the hallways of the mental facility, talking as they went past each crazed patient. The screaming, slamming and laughing brought annoyance to Mathew, so he asked why they were doing all this for their plan.


    ¡°If we hadn¡¯t, then the state government would be on our butts,¡± Dr. Cato explained.


    ¡°Sheesh Cato, I have no idea how you can keep yourself stable with all these lost causes. I mean, look at these failures of life.¡± He stopped Dr. Cato and opened one of the doors to a patient. ¡°Look at this sick bastard¡­ disgusting!¡± The patient was cutting herself with a pencil, leaving bloodied trails along her arms.


    Dr. Cato sighed and shut the door. ¡°Trust me, my friend. It¡¯s only a matter of time. Have patience. I know it¡¯s taking a little longer, but I know we can save her.¡±


    ¡°I sure as hell hope so. Say, how¡¯s the kid doing with our special patient?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you mean Jack. I thought he was a good kid, not until I discovered some experimental pills in his possession¡­ and something else,¡± Dr. Cato said, appearing to be a little nervous.


    ¡°What do you mean something else? Wait don¡¯t tell me?¡± Mathew grabbed Dr. Cato¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Tell me Cato¡­ is he¡­¡± He gulped as his eyes shook.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure, but the more we keep a close eye on him, the more answers we¡¯ll have.¡±


    Mathew chuckled. ¡°Well, how about you let those kids spend a day with me? I¡¯ll make sure everything is fine.¡± He pulled out a beautiful cross pendant that was made from the finest marble beneath his shirt.


    Dr. Cato sighed and smiled. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll consider it, my friend. How about we get ourselves some lunch?¡±


    Mathew chuckled. ¡°That sounds good.¡±


    They both walked towards the cafeteria, continuing their conversation. As they walked and conversed through the halls to get to their destination, Dr. Cato¡¯s phone rang in the middle of their conversation. He answered it and it was more bad news, another nurse informed him that another patient had died in their sleep but this time it seemed as if someone shoved black tar down their throats. Dr. Cato grunts and wipes his face in frustration, he hangs up and looks at his pal Mr. Mathew.


    ¡°By how you¡¯re looking at me, I give it that you¡¯re going to have your hands full later?¡±


    Dr. Cato sighs, ¡°Yeah¡­ so in the meantime can you look after the children?¡±


    Mr. Mathew gave off a smug-like grin, and said ¡°Gladly¡± in an ominous tone.


    *************


    Back in Jack¡¯s room, where the air was serious but calm, Jack and Carolyn were discussing the possibility of escape. They were both relaxing in his room, forgetting the events that happened last night.


    ¡°Carolyn, do you think we have a chance of getting out of here?¡± Jack asked.


    They both sat in silence for a moment. Carolyn was hesitant to give him a definitive answer, but she continued the discussion.


    ¡°That¡¯s a hard question, but that doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t impossible.¡± Carolyn got up and walked towards the door to check if Dr. Cato or anyone were coming, then she looked back at him and smiled. ¡°Jack, I know you still have many questions about Angela, but for now focus on getting out of here. I¡¯ll do everything in my power to make sure you two get out with no problems. Understood?¡±


    Jack slightly chuckled, and then sighed while crossing his arms. ¡°If I recall, I¡¯m eleven years old. How the hell am I supposed to come up with a plan to get out of here?¡±


    She too chuckled.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not wrong about Angela. I still have many questions, but like you said, I should focus on getting us out of this nut house. But even if I¡¯m just a kid,¡± Jack said, getting up and walking towards the door. He stood by the nurses side, also keeping an eye out. ¡°Carolyn, I promised my mother I wouldn¡¯t hurt girls¡­ and I intend to keep that promise. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to get Angela to the outside.¡±


    Carolyn patted Jack¡¯s head and thanked him, then she walked out and left for the day. Jack got out as soon as she left and proceeded to head to the yard. When he arrived shortly afterwards and spotted Candy with Angela, Jack knew he could count on Candy looking after her when he wasn¡¯t present.


    Jack walked towards them and Angela immediately jumped out from her seat and jumped onto him. He swore that every time she hugged him, Jack felt as if his soul was ready to take an express train out of himself. The little girl had such strength. Who would¡¯ve thought.


    Jack gently set her down to her feet, patting her adorable, messy hair. ¡°Whoa Angela! You keep hugging me like that you¡¯ll eventually break my back.¡± She looked up at him and grinned.


    Candy came up to Jack and made a silly, feminine hand gesture as he placed his fist on his hip, then flipped his luscious hair. ¡°Hey boo boo! Took you long enough! You know how hard it is to protect this chialdd¡­ Like, oh my God! You better pay me some money if I keep doing this dangerous shit.¡± He grabbed Angela and embraced her, then grabbed her face, which puffed her lips out. ¡°But she¡¯s so damn cute! Her cuteness drives me to protect her innocence and I ain¡¯t afraid of no one! I mean, look at this face. How can you hurt this lil white kisses drop!¡±


    Angela¡¯s eye twitched, and she looked like she wanted to growl. Judging by her face, Jack could tell she was getting pretty annoyed. Jack started to get worried for Candy. If he continued, he¡¯d awaken a monster.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Candy, I think you should let go of Angela.¡±


    Candy looked at Jack and made baby noises as he continued puffing her cheeks out. Angela playfully bit Candy¡¯s hand and he immediately let go of her.


    She ran back to Jack¡¯s side, giggling like a child her age should be doing. Candy flicked his wrist and rubbed it. ¡°Ahh! You bit me!¡± Then his eyes narrowed with vengeance. ¡°Aight momma, I¡¯mma get chu next time, so you better watch out!¡±


    Candy grabbed his hand and sat down. Both Angela and Jack sat next to him as he continued whining about how his precious skin was ruined.


    While Jack wiped Angela¡¯s clothes, he looked at Candy with a smile, which startled him. ¡°Hey Candy?¡±


    Candy shrugged from Jack¡¯s random smiling. ¡°Whoa, with a smile like that I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re happy again sugar?¡± He giggled.


    Jack shrugged and his eyebrow rose from that disturbing yet convincing feminine giggle.


    ¡°Just kidding. What¡¯s up, boo boo?¡± Candy replied.


    Angela poked Jack¡¯s face adorably, and he started fixing her messy hair. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re still standing¡­ To be honest, I thought those kids would still harass her, especially after that day I saved her.¡±


    ¡°Well honey, they tried buuut! Yo best friend Candy here,¡± he pointed at himself and made a duck face, ¡°did the impossible ooo yes!!¡±


    ¡°Oh, well what did you do huh? Scared them away with your weird poses?¡±


    ¡°Oh HaHa! No! Not exactly, you lil smartass of a chiaald.¡± He stood up and crossed his arms with his own self righteousness as sunlight reflected off his glamorous pale skin. ¡°I pulled my pants down and showed them my tool of destruction baby!¡±


    He laughed, then sat back down with such force that Jack thought he would break the bench. He spread his legs wide as he pointed at his crotch.


    ¡°HaHa! You should have seen their faces!¡± Candy smirked evilly.


    Angela and Jack looked at him as if he were some disgusting pervert. She definitely looked at him in disgust the most, but Jack guessed that was just a way to fend off a bunch of bullies.


    After that unusual situation, they laughed and hung out next to the fountain, enjoying the rest of their time together. As they enjoyed themselves, the tall kid who bullied Angela, and who Jack confronted, approached them.


    The teenager pointed at Jack and looked serious. ¡°Hey you!¡±


    His aggressive tone didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Angela hurled behind Jack. Candy and Jack got in front of Angela.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jack responded more aggressively.


    Candy quickly stood by Jack¡¯s side and started to unbuckle his belt. ¡°Hey, small boo boo, he¡¯s my age! Let me talk to this handsome tall man!¡± Candy slowly walked towards him as he continued to unbuckle his belt.


    The teen slowly started to walk backwards away from Candy. ¡°You better not get any closer, yo-you faggot!¡± Candy stopped in front of him and looked him dead in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯m warning you! Don¡¯t get any closer, you homo!¡±


    Candy chuckled and took a step closer. He pulled his belt out and whipped the air. ¡°Patience honey! You aren¡¯t my type anyways, but if you get any closer, I¡¯ll make sure I¡¯ll whip you so hard you¡¯ll regret calling me a faggot.¡±


    The teen began to get nervous and started sweating.


    ¡°You have no right calling me that nasty word uglehh! So prepare yourself!¡± Candy said, then laughed hysterically, knowing that the teen wouldn¡¯t do a thing.


    He stopped retreating and cooled off. ¡°Okay fine! Look, I¡¯m not looking for a fight. I just wanted to talk to that kid, alright Fruit Loop.¡±


    Candy chuckled and backed off for a moment.


    Jack walked beside Candy and clenched his fists. ¡°What is it? You wanna bully my new lil sis? Is that what you wanted to talk about?!¡± Jack shouted with a fierce tone.


    Angela quickly clutched Jack¡¯s arm. Her eyes and hands quivered and Jack felt her fear from all the shaking she was making, which vibrated his entire arm.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I just want to talk, kid.¡± By the look on his face, Jack knew he was serious. The teen pointed at a random corner with his thumb. ¡°Can I talk to you in private?¡±


    Jack glanced at Angela and smiled briefly. She let go and clutched his pants instead. He then crossed his arms. ¡°Hmm?¡± He looked at Candy and then nodded at him too. ¡°I guess we have enough time.¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t want Jack to go and she wouldn¡¯t let go either. Jack looked down at her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sis. Candy can watch you while I talk to this guy.¡±


    Slowly, Angela let go of Jack and made her way to Candy. Candy grabbed her hand and smiled at Jack. ¡°Remember, be careful. We should always stick together.¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It shouldn¡¯t take too long,¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Are we all cool now?¡± the teenager asked.


    Jack nodded. ¡°Yes we are, we can talk over there, but if you do any funny tricks, I¡¯ll make sure to get my friend over there to bite your wee wee off.¡± Jack extended his hand out to him.


    The teen glanced at Candy and he waved feminine-like to him. Squinting his face in disgust, the teen gulped and shook Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°As long as Fruit Loop over there isn¡¯t intervening, we¡¯re cool.¡±


    Jack looked back at Angela. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Angela, I¡¯ll return. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Just watch yourself, okay?¡± Angela said, looking worried.


    Jack gave her a smile and walked back to the two, giving Angela a head pat before leaving momentarily to talk to the teen. She stayed by Candy¡¯s side like he insisted and frowned. Candy nodded and so did Jack as he walked back to the teen. Both Jack and the teen walked over to the corner where he pointed at. Even though they were walking somewhere close by, it felt like a long period of time for Jack because of the continuous thinking that was going on inside his head.


    What does he want to talk about? Or what intentions does he have?


    For Jack, this walk felt like an eternity. He noticed that the teen looked really worried and was still sweating with suspicion, but when they finally reached the corner, they began to talk. The teen crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as Jack stood there with clenched fists, ready to hear what he had to say.


    He took a huge deep breath and leaned against the wall. ¡°Before we should start talking, I¡¯ll introduce myself. My name¡¯s Randy. What¡¯s yours kid?¡±


    Jack swallowed, nervously. ¡°J-Jack, that¡¯s my name.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay then.¡±


    ¡°So? What is it that you wanted to talk about?¡±


    Randy breathed slowly, and didn¡¯t reply for a minute. Instead, he glanced at both Angela and Jack throughout the entire minute. Jack didn¡¯t like being in a corner alone with someone twice his size. He was growing uncomfortable, and a drop of sweat streamed down to his chin while his fists continued to tighten.


    Randy finally broke the silence between the two. ¡°There are things I want to tell you, kid, since you¡¯ve finally associated with that girl,¡± he said nervously. ¡°The truth is, there are things about this place that aren¡¯t normal.¡±


    After hearing that, it reminded Jack about all the bizarre events and situations he¡¯d experienced, so what the teen said definitely got his attention.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jack replied with a bit of curiosity in his voice.


    ¡°You know those two guys in charge of these buildings?¡± he said, pointing at them.


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    ¡°Yeah, what about them?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t who you think they are, especially Mr. Mathew. To make the story short, he¡¯s the reason why everyone hates that little girl.¡±


    Jack gasped, then narrowed his eyes and widened his arms outwards. ¡°Wait! Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now that Randy had gone quiet, he appeared to be looking back in the direction where the two were standing. This pause of silence was confusing to Jack, but he wanted to know why Mr. Mathew would do such a thing to her.


    ¡°What else?¡± Jack asked.


    Randy blinked softly and raised his arm with ease. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe him at first. I mean, look at how innocent she looks.¡± He pointed a finger at Angela. ¡°A poor little girl like her? Being labeled a demon was insane!¡±


    Jack clenched his fists further. ¡°Then why do you continue to torment her? What? Are you gonna tell me that you¡¯re doing it just because? Or is it a joy for you all at this point.¡±


    Slowly, Randy lowered his arm and a creepy smile widened. His face looked pale and empty. ¡°You¡¯re right kid. You¡¯re absolutely right¡­ But after what I saw, there¡¯s no denying it.¡± He started to chuckle beneath his breath.


    Jack slowly stepped back. ¡°What are you trying to tell me?¡±


    Randy looked back at Jack with a maniacal smile on his face. ¡°I saw it firsthand. No, let me rephrase that.¡± He opened his arms out into the air. ¡°We saw it! Everyone did!¡±


    Jack was starting to get annoyed and angry. ¡°Qu-Quit it! What do you mean by that?¡±


    Randy started laughing like some lunatic, then pointed at Angela again. ¡°Sh-She¡¯s the devil! That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying kid!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Jack grit his teeth as his narrowed eyes grew with anger, ready to throw it all down.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Randy shouted as he continued his maniacal laughter.


    ¡°Stop it! She¡¯s not, look¡­¡± Jack regained his composure, but as for Randy, he continued laughing. ¡°Listen to me! Mr. Mathew¡¯s probably just manipulating you guys.¡±


    Randy made a makeshift cross with his fingers, while he expressed a vile frown. He swiped the air with his arm as he had with his other hand over his chest. ¡°The devil incarnate!¡±


    Jack ground his teeth with intensity. He couldn¡¯t bear hearing the lunatic say such disgusting things about her anymore. It was aggravating.


    ¡°I said stop it¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s possessed by Satan himself!¡±


    A faint mist started to form around Jack. ¡°Stop¡­ Please!¡± Jack had his eyes fully closed and his mind started turning blank.


    Randy, on the other hand, ignored Jack. Instead, he picked up a rock and started walking towards Candy and Angela. ¡°I¡¯ll kill her and free her from her prison!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t take it. His mind went dark and the windows across the building started to rattle. Randy then stopped and looked around. He got frightened until he saw Angela and presumed it was her who was doing the unknown, so he walked towards her.


    As Jack¡¯s eyes rolled back into his head, he slowly opened his mouth as a faint steam of black smoke drifted out of it. He slowly lifted his left arm and reached towards Randy. He stopped and opened his hand out, and Randy suddenly felt something stop him dead in his tracks. He couldn¡¯t move, yet he kept staring at Angela as she talked with Candy. The anger built up inside him was ready to burst out like a hot pot of tea. The steam was about to explode off the lid at any given moment.


    Jack slowly closed his hand and Randy couldn¡¯t breathe. His eyes started to water and his vision got blurry. He gasped for air, trying to cope with his strangled breathing. It brought him down to his knees and his face turned as blue as ice. He shed tears of desperation and tried calling out for help, but he started losing consciousness.


    Jack¡¯s pupils were pitch black while a faint black mist surrounded his body. He chuckled quietly beneath his breath, but nobody could see him since he blended in too well with the lurking shadow that hovered in the corner.


    As Randy was close to passing out, Mr. Mathew walked out and ordered his students to come back inside. Jack snapped out of his trance and blinked a couple times. He seemed confused and lost, but he spotted Randy on all fours, grabbing his throat and coughing heavily.


    Jack hurried to his aid. ¡°H-Hey are you alright?!¡± Randy stopped Jack by extending a hand out.


    Randy regained his breathing, coughed one last time, then slowly stood up and looked at Jack. ¡°Y-You see now kid, she almost killed me! Trust me. We¡¯ve all seen it firsthand, and now you have, so let this be a lesson.¡± He started walking away, but looked at Jack one last time. ¡°What we witnessed still haunts us to this day, so don¡¯t make the same mistake we did.¡±


    Randy walked away and before regrouping with his class, he decided to stare at Angela one last time. His anger was pinnacle, a vein popped out of his forehead and his fists clenched. He couldn¡¯t be more livid towards her. Jack watched as Randy¡¯s stare turned into an intense glare towards his newfound sister. Randy finally regained his composure, then spat towards her direction, and finally regrouped with his class.


    What the hell just happened¡­ What did he mean by that? Witnessed? Me?


    Jack lost his train of thought for a good minute, but he couldn¡¯t  remember how he got halfway towards Angela and Candy. He shook his head and slapped his palms on his face. He really did need to escape the damned facility.


    Candy got up and sighed with relief. He patted Jack¡¯s back. ¡°Sooo boo boo! What happened?¡±


    Jack looked dead at Candy¡¯s face. ¡°Candy¡­ I have one last favor to ask of you.¡±


    Candy frowned, yet he still smiled and placed a hand on his hip. ¡°Okay. What is it?¡±


    Jack took a deep breath. ¡°I know this sounds crazy, but¡­ I need your help getting out of here.¡±


    A brief pause of silence fell between the two. Dust blew past their feet. The sound of nature was clear as day, and the voices of the deranged could be heard next to them.


    Candy continued smiling and placed his fist on Jack¡¯s heart. ¡°From the sound of your voice and the fast rate of your beating heart boo, I can tell you¡¯re serious¡­¡± He winked, then lowered his arm and looked at Angela.


    ¡°Really? You¡¯ll help me? You¡¯re just not messing with me, right?¡±


    Candy slowly blinked. ¡°I may be a bad bitch, but I¡¯m not heartless. I¡¯m serious, so yes, I¡¯ll help you. But I¡¯m not doing this for you, boo boo. I¡¯m doing it for her. I¡¯ve seen that poor girl suffer so much, not just by the kids, but by other people too.¡±


    Jack returned a smile and sighed with relief. ¡°For a second there I thought you were messing with me by the way you always act, you know that? But you¡¯re right, I¡¯m not doing this for myself, I¡¯m mostly doing this for Angela¡¯s sake. She deserves a life outside like everyone else.¡±


    Candy slightly chuckled and stayed quiet. He sat down and stared at some birds in a nest. ¡°Thanks lil boo, but yeah¡­ poor girl. Like you said, if only she could experience the same freedom those birds have and maybe¡­ she can truly be a happy child.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes glistened. He had no idea Candy felt this strongly about Angela, but that did answer one question for him. It seemed like that teenager named Randy was right, the kids weren¡¯t the only ones who treated Angela poorly. Jack had already assumed that by the nurse¡¯s reaction the day she was with him.


    ¡°Is Mr. Mathew a threat to Angela as well?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ let me tell you something about Mr. Mathew boo. He¡¯s a bad, selfish pig. You may not know him much, but everyone in school is afraid of him.¡± He stood up and did a yoga stretch. ¡°Trust me, he¡¯s not a guy you wanna mess with honey.¡±


    ¡°Is he the reason why everyone hates Angela?¡±


    Candy placed a finger on his chin while popping his hip to one side. ¡°Well, I guess that tall ass fool told you more than I thought. Yeah, he¡¯s right. One thing you must know, boo boo, is¡­¡± Candy hesitated for a second. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve known you for a small time, I know deep down inside is the old ¡®You¡¯ you told me about, so I¡¯ll say it again, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll help you both get out of this mad house.¡±


    Jack hugged Candy, which surprised him. ¡°Thank you Candy! You were always a good friend, well¡­ you were the only friend I had to be honest.¡±


    They both looked at each other and laughed. Candy said goodbye and walked back to his school. Jack grabbed Angela¡¯s hand and walked her back to the institution.


    As they were walking to her room, she tugged on Jack¡¯s shirt to get his attention. ¡°Jack¡­ um, why do you seem so happy?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­because I have an awesome surprise in store for us.¡±


    Angela blushed out of excitement and held onto Jack as they continued walking. Jack didn¡¯t know much about Mr. Mathew, but if what that teen told him was true, Jack would make sure he¡¯d pay for ruining Angela¡¯s image.


    Another thing that bothered Jack was Mr. Mathew¡¯s relationship with Dr. Cato. Every time Jack saw them side by side they seemed more like pals than work buddies. Also, Jack was still pissed at Dr. Cato for making him believe he was asleep for two days.


    What a manipulative jerk!


    Jack also started believing Dr. Cato had always been full of crap ever since Jack had become friends with Angela¡­ no wait! Ever since Jack had seen that damn smile. Even though Jack got fooled once, he now knew who the real Dr. Cato was.


    When Angela and Jack arrived at her room, Jack looked down the hallway. Mr. Mathew was approaching them. Angela got behind Jack and seemed very afraid. Jack readied himself and watched as Mr. Mathew got closer. The man¡¯s suspicious grin, those heavy footsteps echoing towards them, and those intense eyes; It all made his presence intimidating. Jack could feel himself shaking with fear from the man¡¯s intense stare.


    Mr. Mathew stopped in front of them. He had his hands in his pockets and looked at the children with a heavy glare. Jack took a sharp breath and gulped as he looked up at Mr. Mathew. The moment he stood before them, it was like staring at a giant. Being this close to him made Jack extremely nervous.


    Mr. Mathew patted Jack¡¯s head and looked at Angela, who hid behind Jack. ¡°My little Angie! Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m here to watch over you kids for a moment.¡± He squatted and rested his arms on his knees. He looked Jack dead in the eyes with the intention of intimidating him. ¡°So kid, have you been feeling strange lately?¡±


    Jack wondered why he asked such a weird question. But the intense stare was too much for Jack. He too was beginning to tremble.


    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡± Jack said with a shaky voice.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Mr. Mathew sighed and stood up. ¡°Follow me children. We gotta do something real quick.¡±


    For Jack, Mr. Mathew gave off all the wrong vibes, but they had no choice. They had to agree or else something might happen to them. Jack presumed he couldn¡¯t trust the man just yet, so he held Angela¡¯s hand and nodded at her. He knew she believed in him.


    They followed Mr. Mathew to an unfamiliar direction. Jack had no clue where he was taking them, but he hoped to God he didn¡¯t do anything to Angela. He didn¡¯t care if Mr. Mathew bullied him, so long as he didn¡¯t touch Angela.


    They walked for at least five minutes until they finally arrived at some nursery. It was much different than the one Jack was in, but it was bigger and more ¡®Sciencey.¡¯


    Mr. Mathew opened the door and politely gestured for Angela to go inside, but as soon as Jack tried walking in with her, Mr. Mathew stopped him by putting out his giant, hairy forearm.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to stay outside for a couple of minutes. Angie needs to do her usual check up,¡± Mr. Mathew said politely.


    Angela noticed that Jack wasn¡¯t behind her, so she quickly panicked and tried to reach for Jack, but Mr. Mathew grabbed her.


    ¡°Brother pl-please!¡± Angela begged while squirming in the man¡¯s grasp.


    Jack tried calming her and said, ¡°If anything happens just shout.¡±


    Even though she really looked scared, she trusted Jack¡¯s words. Mr. Mathew thanked Jack with a fake smile that was too obvious. He closed the door and Jack sat on a chair that faced the front of the nursery.


    Jack sighed and waited for at least ten minutes. He grew anxious, so he jiggled his leg while crossing his arms, then he tapped a finger on his arm.


    What¡¯s taking so long?


    Smacking his lips out of being impatient, Jack got up. He tried peeking through the window, but the visors were down, which made it hard to see through. Jack walked up to the door and placed his ear against it, trying to hear what was happening inside. He could hear mumbling and a bit of anger, but then he heard really muffled shouting and footsteps that stomped around a lot. He knew something was gonna go wrong. He knew he shouldn¡¯t have left her side.


    Jack opened the door and what he saw made him sick to his stomach. A nurse and Mr. Mathew had pinned Angela down on some weird chair with a device hovering over it.


    What were they doing to her?!


    The anger¡­ the fogginess, it was building up so fast inside Jack¡¯s mind. He was so shocked and paralyzed with anger that he couldn¡¯t comprehend what to do. No wait¡­ he was furious! Just when he thought things couldn¡¯t get any worse, Mr. Mathew pulled out a cross and placed it on Angela¡¯s chest.


    Jack saw smoke coming out of her chest. He wondered if they were burning her. He couldn¡¯t take it¡­ His head started to hurt with immense pressure, and then a swirling black vortex engulfed Jack¡¯s vision.


    With the burden of darkness set upon Jack¡¯s sight, he was met with innocent giggling that was all too familiar. His fingers twitched violently as if every bone was cracking one by one upon hearing those soft noises.


    ¡°Is-Is this¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the voice in Jack¡¯s head whispered gently, tickling his mind with ease. ¡°This is the truth Jack, so let me help you two¡­ I¡¯ve helped you before, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes you¡­ have,¡± Jack said quietly beneath his breath.


    ¡°Then show me how much you¡¯re willing to give yourself to me.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mind filled with darkness. He could feel his eyes going white as a black mist formed around him. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Once Jack said that word, he lost consciousness and stood there, feeling nothing. Just complete emptiness.


    As the two struggled to subdue Angela, they didn¡¯t notice Jack in the room. He walked in like a possessed doll and grabbed a nearby scalpel. He slowly approached the first person in his line of sight, which was the nurse.


    After much struggling, Angela randomly passed out, surprising the nurse and Mr. Mathew. Just when the nurse was about to grab a syringe, Jack plunged the scalpel deep behind her knee and into the top of her calf muscle, then pulled it out. She fell back, shrieking in pain as blood poured out of her wound like a sprinkler. Jack slightly chuckled out of amusement.


    Mr. Mathew noticed and stared him down, while cracking his fingers. ¡°Jack, put the scalpel down,¡± he said politely.


    Jack didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he lunged at Mr. Mathew like a deranged lunatic, but the man casually grabbed Jack¡¯s arm and clenched it as hard as he could. Jack could feel his arm was ready to snap in half from the adult¡¯s grip, so he extended his other arm out and tried stabbing Mr. Mathew. However, he caught Jack¡¯s arm and got face to face with him.


    Mr. Mathew noticed the faint mist around Jack, and his eyes bulged. ¡°Boy, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gotten into you, but I do know that you¡¯re definitely not right in the head.¡±


    He punched Jack so hard in the stomach that he gagged out a pool of spit. He then let go of Jack, who dropped on all fours.


    Jack coughed from the devastating blow. Mr. Mathew was ready to knock him unconscious with a chop to his neck. Jack¡¯s body quivered and drool dripped from his corrupt smile. He seemed to be enjoying what was happening, which freaked Mr. Mathew out. The adult hurdled his chop towards Jack¡¯s neck, but Jack surprisingly got up and caught his hand.


    Mr. Mathew was left stunned. He tried throwing a punch, but Jack used his other arm to catch the man¡¯s punch. It caught Mr. Mathew off guard.


    They both looked into each other¡¯s eyes and continued struggling against one another. Jack gritted his teeth and yelled at him, making a horrific, shrieking noise. Mr. Mathew couldn¡¯t believe a boy could possess such strength let alone make such a horrific sound.


    Jack kept pushing Mr. Mathew, but the adult chuckled hysterically and overpowered him. Their arms rattled as they kept pushing each other. Jack finally overpowered him and caused Mr. Mathew to lose his balance. The adult tripped and caught his fall with his arms by twisting his body slightly to land on his hands.


    Mr. Mathew saw the scalpel approach him. He blocked it with his forearm, which made Jack slice through his entire forearm. The man screamed in pain and pushed Jack away with all his strength. Jack fell backwards and lost the scalpel. Mr. Mathew grabbed his arm and spotted a huge, long, gaping wound.


    He couldn¡¯t believe it. His pride as a man was hurt, not to mention that the wound was caused by someone like Jack. His face scrunched with such anger that he grit his teeth and turned to Jack with eyes filled with immense rage. ¡°You-you little shit!¡±


    The adult grabbed his elegant cross necklace and put it on. He kissed the pendant and stared straight at Jack. He knew Jack wasn¡¯t right. There was no way a boy like him could overpower him. He knew something else was aiding Jack¡¯s abnormal actions.


    With his arm pouring blood like a faucet, he readied himself like a linebacker. He took slow, deep breaths. ¡°Prepare yourself, you little psychopath!¡±


    Mr. Mathew lunged forwards as Jack stood up. He grabbed his head from the immense pain inside his head, then shook. However, he had no time to react. Mr. Mathew grabbed Jack and slammed him so hard against the concrete wall. A huge crack ran up towards the ceiling behind Jack. The ceiling rattled and people nearby felt the tremor.


    Jack gagged out blood as the mist disappeared around his body. Mr. Mathew let go of Jack and grabbed his arm, then placed pressure on the wound. Jack fell face first. He was unconscious as a small trail of blood poured out of his mouth, staining the white tiled floor that was covered by their open wounds.


    Mr. Mathew wondered if Jack was dead, but as he stared at the dent in the wall, a shimmer of light shone near his eye. He noticed his cross glowing.


    Dr. Cato rushed in and saw the chaos the two had caused. He noticed Mr. Mathew bleeding profusely from his wound and spotted the nurse who called him on the ground tending to her wound.


    ¡°What the hell happened here?!¡± Dr. Cato spluttered. Then he spotted Jack on the ground face down with blood dripping out of his mouth. ¡°Mathew! You didn¡¯t?!¡±


    Mr. Mathew cracked his neck and moved his shoulders. ¡°Relax. He ain¡¯t dead yet, but the little bastard tried to kill us!¡± Mr. Mathew pointed at his cross pendant. ¡°Look Cato, it looks like you know who might¡¯ve been involved.¡±


    Dr. Cato also noticed that his own cross was glowing. ¡°H-How though? Hold up¡­¡± Dr. Cato turned Jack over and saw nothing wrong with him. ¡°It probably possessed him for a moment since he wasn¡¯t the only one wearing one.¡±


    Mr. Mathew started tending to his own wound by stitching it himself. ¡°Well, you did say that this wasn¡¯t the first right? Not to mention he might be a lead to her goal. Am I right?¡±


    Dr. Cato remembered when Jack shouted at him and all the windows cracked. ¡°There¡¯s no denying it then. He¡¯s definitely the one.¡± Dr. Cato picked Jack up and slung him over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him. You take care of Angela and make sure her therapy goes as follows, but please take yourself to a hospital.¡±


    Mr. Mathew made a faint groan. ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ I don¡¯t need no damn doctor, I¡¯ve got this,¡± he said while continuing to stitch up his wound.


    Dr. Cato called an ambulance for the nurse and ordered that she cannot say a word. She understood and waited for aid. After the call, Dr. Cato carried Jack back to his room. He arrived and kicked his door open, then placed Jack on his bed and made sure that Mr. Mathew hadn¡¯t fractured a rib or any of his internal organs.


    He placed pressure on Jack¡¯s torso and abdomen, which made Jack moan from the pain. Dr. Cato started getting worried. As the doctor listened to Jack¡¯s heartbeat, he looked out the window and saw someone standing in the doorway. When he looked back, no one was there. Dr. Cato thought he was imagining things, so he continued to take care of Jack.


    ¡°God damn kid, you¡¯ve been nothing but trouble ever since you got here, huh.¡±


    When Dr. Cato removed Jack¡¯s shirt, he noticed a bump in his pants. He reached into Jack¡¯s pocket and saw the same pills he was taking, but the bottle had been refilled.


    He shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought you would become a junkie too.¡±


    While Dr. Cato continued to take care of Jack, he didn¡¯t notice Carolyn watching from across the hall. She had her hands clasped near her abdomen, but more importantly, she looked angry and ready for something.


    The following morning, Jack had no idea what had happened. He woke up with severe pain all over his chest and stomach.


    Dr. Cato came to check up on Jack. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re up now. You were dehydrated and passed out. Do you remember anything else?¡±


    Jack shook his head while rubbing his eyes. ¡°The last thing I remember was opening that door and my vision got foggy.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dr. Cato said suspiciously, slightly squinting his eyes.


    ¡°You alright? You seem kinda weird right now, especially with the way you¡¯re looking at me.¡±


    Dr. Cato nodded. ¡°Yeah, everything¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay, if that¡¯s the case, can I see Angela later? If that¡¯s alright with you?¡±


    Dr. Cato continued to stare at Jack suspiciously, but he nodded to Jack¡¯s request and turned around, leaving without saying another word. Jack didn¡¯t understand why Dr. Cato kept staring at him like that. It only made him wonder what happened yesterday and what really caused him to black out and forget everything.


    Still feeling the suspicious gaze of Dr. Cato on him, even though he was gone, Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. ¡°Something isn¡¯t right here? No, definitely not!¡± Jack said nervously.


    Later that afternoon, Dr. Cato allowed Jack to pick up Angela from her room. Dr. Cato stood at her bedside while the two made their way out. Before leaving her room, Jack noticed Dr. Cato¡¯s gaze was still on him. Jack didn¡¯t like being stared at, so he decided to confront Dr. Cato.


    ¡°Angela, wait here. I¡¯m going to talk to the doctor real quick.¡±


    Angela nodded and stayed still, watching Jack make his way towards Dr. Cato. However, Jack¡¯s trip was cut short because Dr. Cato put his hand out and smiled.


    ¡°Please Jack, go and have fun with Angela. We can talk later.¡±


    Jack stood there for a moment to bask in all the strange mystery revolving around him. He just couldn¡¯t comprehend what was truly going on. So without saying another word, Jack, with a single drop of sweat dripping down the side of his face, turned around and walked away from the doctor. He regrouped with Angela and they both walked out of the room to head to the yard and hang out for an hour as usual.


    Dr. Cato, on the other hand, walked out of Angela¡¯s room in a hurry to get back into his office.


    He arrived and Mr. Mathew was already there waiting for him. Dr. Cato sat at his desk, watching Mr. Mathew light a cigarette with one hand. Fumbling with the lighter, he managed not to singe the cast he had on his arm. After a few puffs of smoke, Mr. Mathew stared out into the yard.


    ¡°Cato¡­ we¡¯re in a heap of shit my friend,¡± he said as he puffed out a huge cloud of smoke.


    Dr. Cato sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right about that.¡±


    Feeling his mood grow into worry, Dr. Cato laid his head down on his desk to bask in his mistakes. However, he had something else to ask Mr. Mathew.


    ¡°How did you acquire such strength to do that Mathew?¡± Dr. Cato asked as he stared at the photo of Angela and her family. ¡°How¡¯s he even alive from such an attack¡­ I just don¡¯t know anymore.¡±


    That said, Mr. Mathew too was shocked by this abnormality. ¡°Yeah, no kidding! I¡¯m surprised myself. But this does give us some closure though. We now understand why he¡¯s special.¡± He walked over to a filing cabinet and retrieved a file. ¡°Years of research have led us to the possibilities of the paranormal.¡±


    Dr. Cato clutched his head, feeling a migraine coming from the talks that defiled science. ¡°Please, not another word about stuff that throws science out the window, Mathew.¡±


    ¡°But Cato, there¡¯s probably more to this world than what we¡¯ve been told.¡± He grabbed his cross and stared at it. ¡°And yesterday¡­ was proof of that.¡±


    Hearing Mathew talk made the doctor¡¯s head throb with more pain, which grew into an actual migraine inside his mind. ¡°God, my head hurts. Please, no more about stuff that isn¡¯t real. You¡¯ve already convinced me enough about stuff like that. At first, I thought you were crazy¡­¡± He stood up and walked over to the window to look outside and into the yard. ¡°Until her dad showed me something. That¡¯s when I became a believer.¡±


    ¡°Cato.¡± Mr. Mathew walked over to his friend, then patted him on the back. They both stared at the kids, but glared at Angela and Jack, who seemed to be having the time of their lives. ¡°We¡¯ll get more answers. This is only the beginning, my friend.¡±

 Arc 1 Chapter 12: Enough, Is Enough

    Jack started growing wary of everything because his mind was playing tricks on him. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering how he¡¯d manage to make his great escape. ¡°Damn my ribs, damn my head, tch¡­ damn my goddamn freaking eyes.¡± He lay there, basking in his failures.


    Sighing, Jack closed his eyes, then opened them to the morning light. He wondered how it became morning so fast. Also, why did he feel so damn hopeless? He couldn¡¯t think of anything. Jack felt as though time were almost flying by like some dang plane of existence that Jack had never come across before.


    He got out of bed and washed his hands, then stared at them with intensity. Before he knew it, days had passed by like a meteor shower.


    Jesus christ! What¡¯s going on? I still haven¡¯t come up with a plan to escape yet. It¡¯s already been a week and a half now!


    Jack looked at himself in the mirror.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to me! My eyes¡­ they¡¯re freaking baggy? I¡¯m exhausted. Why¡¯s time messing with me?! Just what the hell am I supposed to do? Countless nights, I keep trying to come up with a plan, but I can¡¯t! I¡¯m just a kid! How the hell am I going to pull this off?!¡± Jack slammed his head on the counter and gritted his teeth, then slammed a fist on it.


    He was somehow now in the cafeteria, staring off into nothing. ¡°Every day and every night is the same: eat, sleep, Angela, Angela, thinking, thinking, thinking!¡± He slammed his head on his food with wide eyes, surprising others around him.


    Argh! Can I really do this¡­ am I capable? No, I¡¯m not. You know why? Because I¡¯m just a kid HaHaHa!


    Jack was now in the yard with both Candy and Angela.


    Look at me as I walked around this yard with my head up my ass!


    I¡¯m going insane. I can¡¯t do this. Why is everyone so suspicious around me now? Why does Mr. Mathew give me a dirty look? Why does Dr. Cato keep checking on my suspicious injuries?


    Candy and Angela kept giving Jack pitiful looks. He didn¡¯t know why they kept looking at him like that. But he was tired, confused and beat. He felt like giving up. However, he made a promise to Carolyn.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± shouted Jack mistakenly. ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember much whenever I sleep. Is it those pills? Or maybe¡­ just maybe I¡¯ve finally lost it! Yeah! That¡¯s it. Oh yeah!¡± Jack then raised his arms in the air and spun in circles with an open mouthed smile.


    Jack hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d spoken all of what he¡¯d just thought, which brought much worry to both Angela and Candy.


    Jack started laughing at himself. He knew how pathetic he was right now. Him, a hero. He knew it was a load of crap. He wasn¡¯t his dad, he wasn¡¯t a hero and most of all, he wasn¡¯t Angela¡¯s real bro¡ª


    Wh-What¡¯s going on¡­ Everything¡¯s dark¡­ Did I black out again? I can¡¯t hear anything? Everything¡¯s quiet, so hollow and foggy. Goddamn it! Why is everything screwing with me? God! Why do you tease me! If you wanna kill me, then just take me away already!


    Jack began whimpering in his void of endless darkness. ¡°How many times has this happened to me? Why did these things have to happen? I can¡¯t do this anymore¡­ I just can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Jack! Wake up you stupid fool!¡± Candy shouted. He kept shaking Jack, but his body lay motionless on the ground while foam kept coming out of his mouth.


    ¡°Please so-someone He-help!¡± Angela shouted out in desperation.


    Nobody responded to her cry for help. Instead, they gave her the most distraught look.


    ¡°Ple-please!¡±


    Angela began crying, but no one wanted to help. Instead, they all started shouting at her.


    Randy surprisingly showed up and confronted the two, pointing at Angela. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault that Jack¡¯s on the ground,¡± he said in an angry tone.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t her doing. Just leave her alone and help us!¡± Candy yelled back.


    However, the crowd didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°Get away from her Candy, or you¡¯ll be the next one to die,¡± another random teen said.


    Dr. Cato rushed out to the yard with Mr. Matthew. They went to Jack¡¯s side to try and revive him. However, it was no use. Dr. Cato dug through his pockets and found the sleeping pills again. This time though it had been refilled. He angrily threw them away to the side and took out a syringe, then injected Jack. Both men waited to see if Jack would wake up.


    Mr. Matthew turned around to look at everyone crowding around. ¡°Everyone, go back into school and wait for further instructions.¡± They all headed off back to their building. Mr. Mathew smacked his lips as he looked at Jack¡¯s unconscious body.


    Candy looked down at Angela. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, lil momma. It¡¯s going to be okay.¡±


    She hugged him with red puffy eyes. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jack started coming back to his senses, or so it seemed. He slowly opened his eyes and¡­ he suddenly wondered where the hell he was. He looked around and saw that he was in some old, cold, brick-like room.


    He tried to get up, but his legs felt broken for some reason. Looking around to analyze the room once more, there was a bed, some candles and a picture. When he looked closer, Jack saw that picture was him. It looked like Jack, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t him. He looked a little bit older and his hair was darker brown, not to mention his clothes looked like it was from medieval times.


    Jack heard footsteps coming from somewhere, so he glanced around again and spotted a wooden door. He presumed it was coming towards that very door. ¡°Hello? Anyone¡­ I can-can¡¯t move!¡±


    Jack tried to get up again, but the moment he placed weight on his legs, the pain was too much to bear. He fell back on a rickety old chair.


    The gentle footsteps continued for a minute until they finally stopped. The door opened. It creaked loudly and someone walked in. The girl in the gothic, romantic white dress appeared, holding a dead rose while humming a song, a very gentle yet creepy song that involved using his¡­ name.


    With that aside, Jack never really took the time to examine her, even though her dress was astoundingly beautiful. She was really short and for some reason¡­ Jack was getting nervous just by seeing her. Not because he was afraid, but due to something else. It was a strange feeling.


    She slowly walked up to him and sat on his lap. He couldn¡¯t see her face because of all her hair that covered it. She rested a hand on his cheek, then spoke with that soft voice of hers. ¡°Did you enjoy my help? That was just a small glimpse of what I¡¯m capable of.¡±


    She giggled, but Jack found her talking like that so soothing. She slowly rubbed her hand on his cheek and ruffled his hair with her snow-white hands.


    ¡°You may not remember, but normally that¡¯s the only side effect when I do that.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t take it. His face was burning red, but he didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°Oh?! Your face is turning red?¡± She gently gasped. ¡°D-Don¡¯t te-tell me that you¡¯re nervous to see me?¡± She wrapped her arms around his neck out of excitement. ¡°You¡¯re finally starting to like me more, huh?¡±


    Feeling quite embarrassed about this odd situation, Jack looked away. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to look closely at her, even if her face wasn¡¯t showing.


    ¡°I-I-I have no clue what you¡¯re talking about. What¡¯s with all this weird stuff?¡± Jack tried to get up again but he forgot how his legs were acting funny, so he accidently tripped and they both fell. She laid out on the ground and Jack was on top of her. ¡°Oops, I-I-I didn¡¯t mean to do that.¡±


    She appeared to be nervous herself. ¡°Ho-how romantic of you!¡± She caressed his cheek again with a shaky hand.


    Gosh! That cute soft voice of hers. It¡¯s getting to me!


    Besides that, Jack found her caress actually felt nice, so in response to her action, he grabbed her hand and gently rubbed hers. Without even thinking, she quickly grabbed his hand, and their hands became merged.


    She started giggling again. ¡°Thank you, Jack. It¡¯s been so long¡­ I¡¯ve waited for you for so long¡­ so very long.¡±


    The strange girl lay her arms again on the ground and the sound of her steady, slow breathing made Jack feel so uncomfortable and more nervous. But he couldn¡¯t move. His legs still hurt.


    He chuckled nervously, then looked to the side. ¡°Wh-What are you talking about?¡±


    She looked away and stared at the photo of the person who looked like Jack. ¡°If only¡­ if only I had what you desired¡­ but that day will come. Until then¡­ allow me to haunt you, so long as we desire each other.¡±


    What¡¯s she talking about?


    She slowly placed her hands beneath her hair. ¡°One day, you¡¯ll be able to look into my eyes again, my smile, and¡­¡± She slowly lifted her hair, and shouted ¡°Face!¡± while revealing her facelessness.


    Jack quickly stepped backwards and fell.


    She slowly lifted herself up in a creepy manner, laughing maniacally and threw the dead rose she had in her hand. She waved at him and faded away. Jack was left all alone in the room.


    Wait¡­ hold up a second. This painful feeling in my face. My vision is going static! My-My eyes! They¡¯re starting to¡­ n-no!


    Jack¡¯s eyes were dissolving away and now everything was black.


    Why¡­ Why does she do this to me? Why¡¯s she in my head? Why do I keep dreaming of her¡­ Why!


    Jack screamed, then dropped to the ground as he yelled out his suffrage, clutching his face intensely as the last of what was once his eyes were now liquified ink. Dripping off his face and onto the ground, his eyes now hollowed, he continuously screamed and began violently coughing. With each raspy breath of air he let out, it spewed more black from within.


    All this suffering and torment seemed to last forever, but Jack was beginning to see a light. He wondered how he could see such a thing when his eyes were non-existent. The light was growing more bizarre. In fact, he spotted someone shining in that light.


    Who is it?


    As the light got closer and closer, the shining figure or outline, whatever it was, became clearer. It looked like a woman.


    Jack could feel himself smiling as darkness welcomed itself into his sight. ¡°Is-Is that my angel taking me away from this place?¡± he asked with a corrupted, broken tone. He extended his arm, reaching out for the light. He could see the woman doing the same thing.


    ¡°If this is faith, then do it! Take me¡­ Take me away!¡± he shouted in desperation, wanting to be freed from the tortuous pain. He began laughing, like the broken boy that he had now become. ¡°Heh, Heh¡­ HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!¡±


    The woman stopped reaching for him the moment his treacherous laughing reached her ears.


    ¡°HaHaHaHaa, hehehehehe¡­. Why are you stopping?! Take me! HeHeHeHaHaHa!¡±


    The light started flickering away as Jack transitioned those awful laughs into whimpered screams of agony. The woman faded into nothingness, leaving him all alone in his own basking misery.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Jack¡¯s broken laughter continued as he lay in his bed. Tears leaked through his eyes like closed dams. With his face drenched in sweat, he sat up and opened his eyes, revealing their insanity. He screamed, ¡°Take me!¡± and opened his arms out to accept the fate that awaited him.


    He looked around and saw that he was back in his room. To see if he wasn¡¯t dreaming anymore he decided to test himself. So he pinched his arm and twisted his skin, enough for him to slightly hiss in pain. After ensuing as much inflicted pain and long enough to withstand it, he found closure then let go.


    After relaxing and realizing it was just another lucid dream, Jack wiped his eyes, let out a huge sigh, then got out of bed. But when he did and turned around, he spotted Angela on the other side.


    ¡°How long was I out?¡± he asked, rubbing his head.


    The hell? What happened¡­


    All Jack could remember was ranting to himself, feeling so hopeless that he just let time fly by so blatantly. And suddenly, darkness. He didn¡¯t remember much, other than an awful pain in his eyes and some random light. Not to mention that girl again. It had been a week and a half, and he still hadn¡¯t come up with a plan to get out of here. He was in such a mess.


    Jack¡¯s memories were foggy again, and the frustration gave him a huge headache. However, after calming down a bit, he could barely remember what the girl had told him. ¡°That was a glimpse of what I can do. Even if you can¡¯t remember.¡±


    What did she mean by that?


    Jack walked over to the window and looked at the rising sun welcoming the new day. Staring at his palm, he saw it slightly shake, and wondered what was happening to him.


    How did I end up back in my room?


    The last thing he remembered before the darkness was being in the yard with Candy and Angela, but as soon as he sat down, he immediately blacked out.


    Maybe I should ask Dr. Cato what happened? No doubt he was the one who brought me here.


    Jack walked over to Angela and sat next to her. She was still sound asleep. Poor girl, she¡¯d suffered so much in the institution that he couldn¡¯t be as strong as her at that age. He had to make sure to keep his smile going, though. He didn¡¯t want to see it fade again.


    As he stared at the sun again, he watched its glorious glow of orange penetrate his window and scan his face as it slowly went up. His room engulfed by its peeking shine, he glanced back at her, patting her head. ¡°I¡¯ve been by her side for months and not once have I seen anything related to the devil. I guess every kid was just making excuses to bully her I suppose.¡±


    He glanced back at the window, but when he did, Angela was beginning to wake up. The moment she opened an eye, he said in a jokingly cute manner, ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Angela immediately burst out of the bed and clinched onto him, bursting into tears of joy. ¡°You¡¯re okay!¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now. What happened?¡± Jack asked, holding her tight.


    She didn¡¯t have a clear answer but she overheard a conversation of Dr. Cato¡¯s, and it seemed he was furious at Jack. Jack wondered what he did to anger him.


    ¡°Jack¡­ uh do you wa-wanna see wh-what I drew?¡± she asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Sure Angela, why not?¡±


    She grabbed her drawing pad and showed him the drawing. He smiled. It was cute. There was a group of girls and¡­ Jack¡¯s face was turned pale as he continued to look. An unsettling feeling drove through his nerves, which made him lost for words.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Angela asked. She saw his hands shaking and his eyes open wide in horror.


    Jack let out a scared gasp beneath his breath, lifted a twitching finger, and said, ¡°Ang-Angela, who are those¡­¡± He pointed at the girls one by one as his finger rattled, then finished his sentence with a scared, quiet tone. ¡°Those people?¡±


    Angela wasn¡¯t so sure how to respond to his weird acting. She was too happy to wipe away her cute smile while Jack was there all freaked out.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ I ju-just reme-remembered them in a dre-dream I once had¡­ some-something wrong?¡± Angela looked confused. She grabbed his trembling hand and felt its intensity.


    Jack didn¡¯t respond. He was too busy staring at the drawing and trying to figure out what the hell was going on.


    Angela didn¡¯t like that look on his face, so she leaned in closer, poked his cheek, then asked, ¡°Why are you acting funny, brother?¡±


    Jack shook his head, rapidly blinking, then forced a smile upon his face. ¡°Oh! Uh, nothing¡­ I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just, it¡¯s such a beautiful drawing that I was lost for words,¡± he said, forcing himself to sound convincing with a happy tone.


    Luckily for him she bought it, giggled, then hugged him. ¡°Really? Thanks!¡± She set the pad down. ¡°I need to go for a second. I need to use the bathroom.¡±


    Jack watched as she walked into his bathroom, then his eyes went back to her drawing pad. His breathing was slow and heavy. The feeling of uneasiness returned once more. ¡°The drawing¡­ it-it was¡­ Let me check again!¡±


    Jack grabbed the pad and noticed the first person was Angela, but the other two looked exactly like Veronica and Anna. He wondered how this could be possible. It couldn¡¯t just be from dreaming. The drawings were exactly like them¡­ but this last girl, Jack couldn¡¯t figure out who it could be.


    Maybe it was really just a coincidence? Perhaps I¡¯m just overreacting, but that begs the question... If she dreamt of it once, then how the hell do they look exactly like my friends?


    Then he recalled about how she mumbled their names in her sleep during that night of uncertainty.


    Angela came back and surprised him. Jack reacted a little, but she was fine with him snooping through her drawings. She showed him more by flipping the page to another drawing. This time, it was a cute, normal drawing of her and a field of flowers.


    Sighing out of relief, Jack regained his breath and eased his mind. At least she could draw things that weren¡¯t completely coincidental.


    The door creaked open and Dr. Cato appeared, looking annoyed and upset. He walked over to them and glared at Jack with his eyes seeping of disappointment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pills Jack had been taking.


    ¡°Where did you get them from?¡± Dr. Cato asked.


    ¡°The nurse had given them to me,¡± Jack said.


    Upon hearing Jack¡¯s answer, Dr. Cato¡¯s face changed into a maniacal smile that expressed the loss of hope towards Jack. He began laughing and patted Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh Jack, you¡¯re quite the jokester, huh? Now please tell me¡­ where did you get these from?¡± He clenched the bottle in anger.


    Jack hated it when he did that, blaming him for things he hadn¡¯t done. He looked away from the doctor, feeling annoyed by his comment. ¡°I already told you, it was my nurse¡­ honestly.¡±


    Dr. Cato grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulders and got in his face. ¡°You¡¯re screwing with me, aren¡¯t cha you little snoop!¡±


    Jack continued looking away, smacking his lips, provoking Dr. Cato more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± he shouted, suddenly startling Angela. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve found those damn pills in your possession! Now, be a good boy and tell me the truth!¡±


    Feeling cornered and antagonized, Jack got mad and pushed Dr. Cato away from him. ¡°I¡¯m not lying, Dr. Cato! My nurse gave them to me months ago and she always refills my bottle. I think it¡¯s you that¡¯s screwing with me!¡±


    Dr. Cato grabbed his hair and made sarcastic gestures with his arms. ¡°Oh! Okay, we¡¯ll play your little game then. Do you know how you ended up back in your room?¡±


    Reminding him of this unanswered mystery, Jack shut his mouth, crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, becoming serious. "Ho-How?" Jack asked nervously.


    Dr. Cato clenched his fists. ¡°You overdosed on these experimental drugs¡­. That¡¯s how! You damn druggy!¡±


    Dr. Cato was infuriated by Jack¡¯s oblivious nature, so he decided to grab Angela and threw the empty bottle at Jack. Angela didn¡¯t like the force he applied, and started squirming out of his grasp.


    ¡°This is the last time you¡¯ll ever see her! I won¡¯t allow her to be influenced by a child who chose to break these facilities rules and steal drugs just to meet his selfish needs!¡± Dr. Cato turned away and mumbled to himself. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re the lead to her goal¡­ damned druggy.¡±


    Angela, who continued to try and break free from his grip, pleaded with him to not do this. But he had already made up his mind. He had no intention of letting go.


    ¡°Please doctor! Don¡¯t take me away from my bro-brother!¡± Angela begged.


    Dr. Cato wasn¡¯t having any of it. Not even those innocent cries were convincing enough for him. He picked up Angela and said, ¡°If you cannot comply, you will be punished.¡±


    When he brought up that word, Angela screamed ¡°No!¡± and continued squirming with more force.


    ¡°Angela! Don¡¯t fight please. I know I¡¯m telling the truth. If you don¡¯t believe me then fine, so be it!¡± Dr. Cato roared.


    Angela grabbed the doctor¡¯s collar, then expressed watery puppy dog eyes. ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth, doctor! I know the nu-nurse as well!¡±


    Dr. Cato stood there in disbelief. He gently dropped Angela to her feet and gave Jack an awful gaze, then approached him, grabbing Jack¡¯s shirt. He lifted Jack off his feet and got in his face again.


    ¡°Look!¡± he said, pointing at Angela with the other hand. ¡°You¡¯ve already influenced her by manipulating her innocent mind with your lies!¡±


    The doctor tilted his head down. His body vibrated from so much anger.


    ¡°How dare you¡­ How dare you!¡± Dr. Cato threw Jack onto the bed, then grabbed Angela off her feet again. ¡°I bid thee farewell, Jack!¡±


    Dr. Cato left, slamming the door shut, making Jack¡¯s body jump from its intense slam.


    With his eyes still narrowed, Jack looked away from the door, hung his head and said, ¡°Screw you, you piece of crap¡± beneath his breath.


    Jack could hear her desperate cries of help. Feeling angry himself, Jack smacked his lips and picked up the bottle the doctor had thrown at him. ¡°What a hostile, freaking jerk! I was telling the truth the whole time!¡± Jack sighed and lay on his bed. ¡°Whatever¡­ I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Staring up at his ceiling with conflicted thoughts, Jack delved into his thoughts.


    ¡°Maybe I should let go of Angela? Perhaps Dr. Cato was right, I am a bad influence around her¡­¡± Now he felt guilty and relaxed his eyes. ¡°If I did overdose on those pills¡­ then she should just stay away from me.¡±


    After such a tiring and emotional morning with Dr. Cato¡¯s altercation adding fuel to the fire, he was tired again. Jack slowly closed his eyes and decided to take a nap to wipe away some of his emotions.


    When Jack awoke from his nap, he noticed it was night, so he looked at the time and it was almost midnight. He didn¡¯t mean to sleep through the entire day. He got up and headed to the door to see if it was unlocked, and to his surprise it was. It was a perfect opportunity to get some fresh air. Jack stepped into the hallway and checked both sides. The coast was clear.


    As Jack walked through the long hallway with the moon¡¯s fullness as his light, he decided to go to the yard to relax for an hour. When he was approaching the yard¡¯s entrance, Jack looked out the window to his left. Carolyn stood outside and was staring at the moon again. Jack wondered why she was there because he knew she should be at home. He quickly got to the front doors and slowly opened them, wondering what she was doing.


    Jack slowly crept out and walked carefully towards her, even though the sounds of his crunching footsteps didn¡¯t jump her or make her look back. She just stood there.


    Jack got behind her and poked her back. ¡°Uhh, Car-Carolyn?¡± She didn¡¯t answer him, but continued to stare at the moon¡¯s beauty. Jack looked up at it as well. ¡°Beautiful night, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Still nothing. He tried grabbing her arm, but as soon as he was about to grab her, she put her hand out. ¡°Please don¡¯t touch me.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jack asked nervously.


    Carolyn slowly turned her head and looked at him. She appeared pale and lifeless. Her eyes weren¡¯t shiny like what they usually did¡­ they were so empty¡­ like someone who was dead.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± she said with a soft tone. ¡°It¡¯s time I tell you something.¡± She walked to the fountain and Jack followed.


    She sat on the fountain base and played with the water that was being drowned by moonlight. Jack stood beside her and watched her fingers swirl around the water in a creepy manner.


    ¡°What are you talking about Carolyn? You¡¯re starting to creep me out.¡± His face appeared worried, and his teeth ground against themselves.


    Carolyn lifted her hand out of the water and watched the glistening trickles drip from her hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have much time left here¡­ Jack.¡± She glared back at the blackened water, staring at her own reflection.


    Why¡¯s she being so strange? There¡¯s not much time left!


    ¡°Carolyn, what do you mean by not much time left?¡±


    She clasped her hands together and gently scooped a handful of water. She slowly looked up at Jack while water trickled through her fingers. ¡°I know more about you than you think¡­¡±


    Carolyn raised her hands towards her face and softly splashed it on her face. She slowly drifted her hands away and looked at him again.


    ¡°I just couldn¡¯t believe it at first. But when I saw you for the first time, I knew she wasn¡¯t lying.¡± A creepy yet gentle smile grew on her face. ¡°Jack, you may not know it, but someone is watching you, protecting you, trying their best to make sure you¡¯ll live a healthy life.¡±


    Jack had a weary look. He was lost. ¡°What do you mean? Why are you acting so strange?¡±


    Carolyn slowly stood up with her fingers glistening and her face cleansed. She walked up to him and grabbed his hands, getting them wet too. ¡°There¡¯s more to Angela, more to the world than you¡¯ve ever imagined. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so special. Hearing you say you wanted to get her out of here makes my cold heart beat with life again.¡± She let go of his hands and moved her hands to his shoulders.¡°Please Jack¡­ protect her with everything. Your life depends on it. And maybe¡­ you¡¯ll finally be able to learn from your mistake. Give her the life she deserves, make her pursue her dreams, but most of all Jack¡­¡±


    A powerful wind blew through them, as leaves and dead flower petals twirled about. Moonlight reflected off of Carolyn¡¯s hair as it flowed with the wind and into the light.


    ¡°Free her¡­ Free her from her prison!¡± The wind grew fierce. She let go of Jack and slowly walked backwards with a gentle smile, then closed her eyes and started praying.


    Jack looked down with a frown on his face, then he clenched his fists. He raised his head again and looked back at her with an empty smile. ¡°To hell with that,¡± Jack said in a monotone voice. Without hesitation, he started walking away without looking back.


    The wind calmed, yet Carolyn could be heard mumbling to herself until she finally yelled at Jack to stop. However, he still kept walking towards the doors until they began to slowly shut. He got confused and tried to run to the doors, but they immediately shut. Getting nervous and scared, he looked over his shoulder.


    Carolyn looked angry yet calm. She lifted her head and looked at Jack dead in the eyes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you walk away! You¡¯re already scre¡­¡± Carolyn quickly paused, leaving Jack hanging on with fright.


    Carolyn covered her mouth, then dropped to her knees and seemed regretful. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry Jack.¡±


    She was so upset, yet why do I feel like the jerk here? What has become of me?


    Jack walked over to Carolyn, stood in front of her and kneeled down. ¡°Carolyn, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, nor do I think I¡¯ll ever understand what you mean sometimes, but¡­ I think I¡¯m done.¡±


    She looked up at him. ¡°What do you mean Jack?¡±


    He let out a deep sigh. ¡°I overdosed on those pills you gave me without noticing. I was overdosing in front of Angela.¡± He shook his head in shame, then patted her shoulder and proceeded to walk away again. ¡°It¡¯s just like what Dr. Cato said, I¡¯m a bad influence around her.¡±


    Carolyn had an angry look in her face, however, she extended her hand out to Jack. ¡°Jack no¡­ Please stop!¡±


    Jack paused without looking back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Carolyn, but I¡¯ve made up my mind. I can no longer be around Angela. I¡¯ll just lead her down a horrible path. I¡¯m nothing more than just a druggy.¡±


    The air started to feel heavy, and that fierce wind grew stronger, fluttering their clothes along with the dirt beneath their feet.


    ¡°Goodbye Carolyn¡­ See you tomorrow morning, I guess.¡±


    Just when Jack was about to take another step, all his movements were stopped by something unknown. He couldn¡¯t move.


    What¡¯s going on?!


    The heaviness in the air was so intense it was hard for him to breathe properly. Yet, out of all these weird sensations, Jack felt Carolyn¡¯s presence and anger breathing down his neck.


    She grabbed his shoulders and turned him around to look into those frozen lakes that were her eyes. She looked so annoyed and even giggled softly, mocking his existence.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a failure. A deranged, mentally ill child that will never grow up. You¡¯re a murderer upon a murderer.¡±


    Why¡­ Why is she acting like this? Why does she want me to save Angela so badly! Calling me deranged, you¡¯re the one who looks deranged!


    Jack tried moving, but something forced him to stay in place. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    ¡°It seems that you might need some assistance my sweet,¡± said the familiar gentle voice which brought Jack some form of relief. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯ll help you out, but it¡¯ll be short. There isn¡¯t much I can do with her around.¡±


    Not much she could do to Carolyn? What did she mean by that?


    With a single tear of relief flowing down his cheek, Jack closed his eyes and said, ¡°I don¡¯t care. Anything¡­ just do anything to make her stop.¡±


    She giggled softly. ¡°Anything for you¡­ Jack.¡±


    Black mist completely engulfed Jack. Carolyn gripped Jack¡¯s shoulders tighter when she saw the mist overtake him. Jack grabbed Carolyn¡¯s arms and forced them off his shoulders. She was surprised, shocked, and even angrier than before. Carolyn stepped back and became serious. She slowly closed her eyes as the environment around them changed for the worse.


    The fountain water turned blood red, roses began to grow from the ground, and the windows started shaking. A huge gust of wind blew across the yard. It was extremely loud, causing the patients inside to go crazy and erupt into panic.


    Carolyn opened her eyes and started walking towards Jack. Roses nearby had fully grown in seconds, from the stems they were hanging from. Their petals blossomed as strong winds ripped those fully blossomed petals off their stems, falling on the ground while the wind blew past her. As she was about to lift her arm, the black mist quickly faded away.


    Jack regained consciousness and lifted his head. He looked devastated. He slowly lifted his arm and angrily pointed at Carolyn with bloodshot eyes full of guilted sorrow. ¡°How am I supposed to do anything?!¡± He dropped his arm, then sliced the air with anger. ¡°I¡¯m just a kid!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes poured salty tears of failure. He dropped to his knees and clenched his hair. His head hung as he cried profusely.


    ¡°How?! How am I supposed to do the impossible? I¡¯m just a stupid, pathetic, hopeless kid¡­¡± Jack punched the ground, venting out his emotions. ¡°Why Carolyn¡­ why do you hate me?¡±


    Carolyn felt horrible. She had no idea she was putting so much pressure on him, completely forgetting that he was just a scared child who¡¯d lost his parents. A single tear flowed down her face and splashed on the ground, purifying the grass. Her face was emotionless though, no expression, nothing. She slowly crept towards him and softly patted his back. She picked his pathetic self up and hugged him, then apologized for everything.


    Jack held her. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer him, but just kept rubbing his head.


    Jack eventually passed out from all the crying he did. When she knew he wouldn¡¯t awaken, Carolyn picked him up and carried him back inside, taking him to his room. She opened Jack¡¯s door and gently placed him back into his bed, then tucked him in. She kissed his cheek and wiped off the remaining tears that were on his face, however, she noticed something was off. Some of his tears were black.


    She expressed nothing and wiped the black trails off his face, while looking upset as she did so. She patted his head and wished him goodnight. Before she left, she took one last look at Jack and smiled, then closed his door and disappeared.


    Jack was fast asleep now, not knowing the girl in the white dress was watching him like a corrupted dark shadow. She stood beside him, ruffling his hair with her cold pale hands. She lay beside him and pinched his cheeks. She too wished Jack a goodnight¡¯s sleep and faded away, devouring the room in shadowy darkness.

 Arc 1 Chapter 13: A Glimpse Of Hope

    The next morning came by, and Jack couldn¡¯t remember much of what happened afterwards. All he could remember was Carolyn grasping his shoulders and looking at him dead in the eyes, mocking him and calling him a failure. His head ached.


    Someone opened the door and it was Dr. Cato. However, Jack was in no mood to talk to Dr. Cato or anyone. He just wanted to be left alone and fully think about how to escape. At least that would make Carolyn happy again¡­ he really hoped that it would.


    Dr. Cato stood there for five minutes, waiting for Jack to say something, but he wasn¡¯t going to get anything out of the boy, especially after what happened two days ago.


    The doctor sighed and took one step closer. ¡°You can ignore me all you want Jack, but I¡¯m not here to make you feel bad. I came to apologize, so please hear me out kiddo.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t say a single word. The only thing that echoed in the room was their breathing. After another minute, Jack finally decided to look at him with eyes full of hopeless sorrow. ¡°No¡­ You were right doctor. I am just a druggie. Nothing more than a hopeless druggy with nothing left in life.¡±


    Dr. Cato got closer. ¡°Okay, I admit I did take things out of line. I may have overreacted a little, but I¡¯m sorry Jack, okay? Will you forgive an unprofessional doctor like me?¡± He reached his hand out to Jack. ¡°What do you say Jack? Friends?¡±


    Jack was hesitant to answer, but after thinking for a moment, he realized Dr. Cato wasn¡¯t wrong for reacting the way he did. He was just doing what every guardian would do if they found out their child was hanging around someone like Jack, a degrading lost cause to society.


    Jack reached out and shook the doctor¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it wasn¡¯t your fault. It was my fault for not realizing how many pills I was taking every night.¡±


    Dr. Cato finally smiled and patted Jack¡¯s back. ¡°That¡¯s alright Jack. I forgive you. You crazy kid! Give Dr. Cato a hug.¡±


    Dr. Cato gave the boy a great, big bear hug. Jack allowed him so he wouldn¡¯t notice his acting and suspicion.


    ¡°Say Jack? Do you want something? It¡¯s all on me!¡±


    Jack stared at him and expressed an empty grin that seemed convincing. ¡°Can I see Angela?¡± He mildly chuckled, knowing he was being sarcastic.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jack, you already know I won¡¯t allow that for now. You can¡¯t fool me kid. I¡¯m sending you to a rehabilitation center for your addiction. That¡¯s what¡¯s best for you, so don¡¯t be mad, okay?¡±


    Jack sighed and with an empty smile, he raised his shoulders. ¡°Is that so¡­? That¡¯s fine, I accept your decision.¡±


    Dr. Cato smiled and patted Jack¡¯s head. ¡°I knew you¡¯d understand. Don¡¯t worry about Angela. She¡¯s in good hands. Now, you have to get packed and ready to go.¡± Dr. Cato started walking out of the room.


    Before Dr. Cato could shut the door, Jack asked, ¡°How long do I have to pack my stuff?¡±


    Dr. Cato smiled. ¡°You leave in three days.¡±


    Three days huh? That¡¯s enough time for me to take us out of here.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Jack. I¡¯ll visit again real soon.¡± Then he shut the door behind him.


    Jack frowned and stretched his muscles. ¡°Yeah right! You aren¡¯t fooling me you lying bitch!¡± Jack still had no clue what that word meant, but for him, it felt damn good saying it.


    Carolyn walked in shortly afterwards and hugged Jack, but most importantly she apologized for last night¡¯s confrontation by explaining that she was only trying to toughen him up.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help it, so he forgave her immediately. He couldn¡¯t stay mad at someone like her. He knew that once they settled their pettiness aside, it was the best thing to do.


    ¡°So, how has your morning been?¡± Carolyn asked.


    Jack got serious and told her the situation he was in. She looked a little worried but had confidence in him.


    ¡°How¡¯s Angela?¡± Jack asked.


    Carolyn got sad. ¡°Angela¡¯s been depressed ever since you got separated. She¡¯s gotten so depressed and angry. Yesterday, she used her pencil to stab Dr. Cato¡¯s hand! He dodged her and calmed her down, but she also mentioned that Dr. Cato really does care about her.¡±


    Carolyn and Jack left his room and walked to the yard where he could think more clearly. As they were walking, Jack heard someone screaming. It sounded so awful that it almost seemed like someone was being forced to endure it.


    Carolyn stopped again and seemed worried. ¡°Are you alright, Carolyn?¡± Jack asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I was just lost in thought.¡±


    They continued on their way to the yard until Mr. Mathew spotted Jack. The boy got scared and immediately hid behind Carolyn, but Mr. Mathew managed to grab his arm. The man examined Jack with a suspicious look on his face.


    Jack tried asking Carolyn for help, but he seemed confused too. He looked around. ¡°Mr. Mathew, you¡¯re crazy. Leave me alone!¡±


    As Mr. Mathew continued to examine Jack, he pulled his necklace out and placed it on Jack¡¯s arm. Jack wondered what the hell he was doing. Mr. Mathew took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes. Jack started to feel something too, and then he heard someone scream.


    Jack looked around. ¡°Hello? Who¡¯s screaming?!¡±


    Mr. Mathew chuckled. ¡°So it¡¯s true. Well, I¡¯ll be damned.¡± He grasped Jack¡¯s arm and held it tight. ¡°Say boy¡­ you wouldn¡¯t happen to have bad dreams, would you?¡±


    With his arm still in the man¡¯s grasp, Jack looked away to hide his fear. ¡°Uhh¡­ sometimes. Wh-What do you want?¡±


    He finally let go and stared down at him. ¡°Nothing boy. Just making sure that you¡¯re okay, but since you asked.¡± He patted Jack¡¯s back with such force that he thought his lungs would burst through his ribs. ¡°That¡¯s for stabbing me you punk. You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t hurt you more than that when you¡¯re normal, but I¡¯ll be waiting¡­ waiting until you know who finally reveals themselves.¡± He let go of Jack¡¯s arm, then laughed as he walked away.


    Jack coughed violently, trying to catch his breath. ¡°Sta-Stab?! Wh-What?¡± He looked over at Carolyn. ¡°Carolyn, why didn¡¯t you do anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to interfere with anyone like him,¡± Carolyn said, while looking a little sad.


    Well, isn¡¯t that stupid. Whatever.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    They both resumed their walk to the yard. When they arrived, Carolyn told Jack not to take too long and left. Jack took her advice and headed inside the yard. There, he spotted Candy, who looked really annoyed.


    Jack walked over and tried to get his attention, but it appeared that wasn¡¯t needed. He came running towards Jack instead. Candy hugged the smaller boy and clinched really hard. Jack felt like his soul was being squeezed out of him like a crushed tub full of ice cream.


    ¡°Hey boo boo! You¡¯re alright I see. How¡¯ve ya been sugar?¡± Candy let go of Jack and combed his hair with his girly fingers.


    Jack punched Candy¡¯s shoulder as he coughed. ¡°Are you trying to kill me?!¡± He took deep breaths, then regained his composure. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. How¡¯ve ya been?¡±


    ¡°Oww! Why you always gotta be rough. Hmph!¡± Candy crossed his arms and looked away. ¡°Just kidding! I¡¯m all fine, boo! Just worried about my little friends, that¡¯s all.¡± Candy looked around Jack and noticed Angela was not by his side. ¡°Say sweetheart? Where¡¯s lil momma at?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t want to tell him the truth. ¡°She¡¯s just sick and is bed ridden for a while.¡±


    Candy surprisingly bought it, but he only wished his condolences and hoped she would get better. From the way he said it, it seemed like she was dying.


    They walked over to a table and Candy noticed Jack¡¯s mood was changing. As they took a seat, Candy asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jack?¡±


    Jack took a sharp breath, then rested his arms on the table and leaned his head on them. ¡°Candy, I think I might have finally come up with a plan to get Angela and I out of here by tomorrow afternoon¡­ Well maybe, if everything goes as I planned.¡±


    Candy smiled. ¡°So that¡¯s why you got all serious like, sugar! So, what¡¯s your idea then? Gonna bust the big pot belly fool Mr. Mathew¡¯s balls! Or jump the fence and catch mamma like a prince?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°You¡¯re always funny! Candy, you did say you¡¯d volunteer right? Because my plan involves you too.¡±


    Candy¡¯s face changed and he became serious. He hesitated to answer at first, but he quickly smiled again. ¡°You¡¯re right, boo. Okay, I¡¯ll help you. But promise me one thing!¡± He walked over to the table and did a girlish pose.


    ¡°Uhh, what is it Candy?¡±


    Candy took a deep breath and let out an open mouthed smile as he gave a thumbs up. ¡°Promise me that we¡¯ll meet again someday!¡±


    Jack smiled wholesomely. The fact that someone like Candy was able to help a foolish kid like him and acknowledge him as a friend made Jack realize just how much of a great friend Candy was.


    ¡°Sure¡­ I promise Candy, I promise.¡± Jack gave him a thumbs up as well. They both chuckled and continued with their conversation.


    Jack explained his plan to him, and Candy expressed some opinions about it. He pointed out the flaws and clarified some major and minor key points. He gave Jack some huge hints that would make the plan a guarantee for success. Candy showed him some doors and hallways that Angela and Jack could take by showing him a diagram of his school building.


    Candy snuck Jack into his school for a bit and showed him what paths to take, while pointing out where to hide. Lastly, he told Jack about Mr. Mathew¡¯s and the teacher¡¯s schedule so Jack could avoid getting caught and raise his chances of escaping. Candy also told him of his involvement in distracting Mr. Mathew and how to keep his attention.


    Candy laughed hysterically and was completely on board with the idea. He patted Jack¡¯s back and pinched his cheek. ¡°Good luck tomorrow, boo. Make sure you take good care of Mini Momma for me. Take care of yourselves. Oh, and make sure not to get caught, you adorable sugar cookie.¡±


    Jack slapped Candy¡¯s hand away from his cheek and smiled. ¡°Okay. Please watch yourself Candy. Don¡¯t make any more enemies. Alright?¡±


    Candy smiled and laughed. ¡°You know me, boo boo. I¡¯ll get all the boys to like me!¡±


    Candy walked away, but he looked back one last time to wave goodbye. Jack waved back, then let out a huge sigh of relief. He also felt a bit sad, knowing that he might never see Candy ever again. ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss you buddy,¡± Jack said quietly. ¡°But man, you were weird as heck!¡±


    Jack went back inside the building and decided to walk back to his room. While walking, Jack spotted Dr. Cato, who looked rather suspicious. He had a group of people surrounding him. They had white suits and looked really scary.


    What¡¯s going on?


    Out of curiosity, Jack slowly crept forward a little more to overhear their conversation. He hugged up against the wall so they couldn¡¯t spot him. He couldn¡¯t really make out what they were saying either.


    He patiently waited a while to see if they would go anywhere so he could follow them. He waited for about ten minutes, but now men in black robes showed up too.


    What in the world is going on?


    They were talking for a moment and finally began to move. Jack followed them as far as possible so they couldn¡¯t figure out there was someone on their tails.


    Damn!


    He had to stop following them because it was starting to become a one way hallway, plus there was no way he could hide. Jack decided to stay put at the end of the hallway to see from a distance what they were up to.


    It appeared they were opening a hidden wall, but they started chanting something. Jack wished he could hear what they were saying, but he knew he¡¯d get caught.


    After a few moments, Jack heard someone¡¯s muffled cries. It got a little quiet for a second until they began to wail. Those agonizing screams of suffering pain¡­ it was extremely uncomfortable to listen to. Not to mention it sounded similar to the one Jack had heard months ago when he saw doctors surrounding someone and a huge needle was inserted into whoever it was.


    Maybe it¡¯s best to leave now?


    The moment Jack started to walk, a voice in his head begged him to stop. They were whimpering and sounded hurt, yet they begged him to save them. Jack wondered if it was the same person in his dreams¡­ the girl in the white dress.


    While Jack stood there, he heard someone shout his name. ¡°JACK¡±


    Hold on! That voice¡­ it sounded like Angela!


    ¡°Help me please!¡± she kept shouting, but he couldn¡¯t do anything.


    If he tried helping her now, his plan for their escape would be compromised. His anger built up slowly, so he closed his eyes and clenched his fists. He tried so hard to prevent himself from rescuing her.


    I¡¯m sorry Angela. You¡¯re gonna have to wait till tomorrow.


    Jack covered his ears and ran away, leaving her there, which really made him feel ashamed. He felt hopeless. He had no choice though. It was either seeing things for himself with what they were doing, or keeping his distance so they could get out of there by tomorrow. He was sure he¡¯d made the right decision, but he¡¯d probably have guilt implemented in him for a while.


    After running for some time, Jack finally made it back to his room. He walked in and punched his wall from all that provoked anger of guilt. But that wasn¡¯t enough. With all that built up frustration, Jack punched the wall again with everything he had, surprisingly leaving a dent in it.


    Carolyn saw what he did, but Jack hadn¡¯t noticed her standing in his doorway. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jack?¡± Carolyn asked.


    ¡°Carolyn¡­ They, they were¡­ I-I, damn it!¡± Jack was so upset over the fact he couldn¡¯t help Angela from whatever torment they were ensuing so he punched the wall again.


    Carolyn quickly walked to his side. ¡°Take a seat on the bed with me.¡±


    Jack calmed down before complying and sat next to her. She grabbed his head and gently laid it on her lap. He was surprised that she rested his head on her lap like some pillow.


    She then proceeded to stroke his hair and gently rub it. For some odd reason¡­ Jack felt really comfortable and safe. He hadn¡¯t felt this safe since his mother used to do this when he was upset or scared.


    The sunset shone through the window, and Carolyn basked in its light as she continued pampering him. Her beautiful blue eyes glistened with life as she stared down at him. ¡°I know how you feel Jack, it¡¯s okay to be upset. Now, you understand why you have to get her out of here¡­ right?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t really respond because he was just too comfortable. He was beginning to fall asleep on her lap, which was soft and cold, but there was also a subtle hint of warmth.


    ¡°Co-Could you repeat that?¡± Jack asked softly.


    Carolyn giggled and kept patting his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Remember this Jack, I will always be here for you.¡± Carolyn leaned her head towards his ear and whispered into it. ¡°No matter how tough life gets, I¡¯ll always be there¡­¡± Jack¡¯s eyelids almost closed. ¡°I¡¯ll always follow you, in the shadows.¡±


    Suddenly it seemed as if his vision was diving into a spiritual tunnel of holy light. There was a huge light of many colors at the end of it, which overwhelmed Jack¡¯s mind so much that it caused him to pass out. He wondered what had triggered it. His head hurt real bad now, but he was also tired.


    As Jack opened his eyes, he noticed he was outside in a flower field. Jack got up and looked around. It was an endless field of flowers glazed with holy beauty. The skies were so clear and blue that it felt unreal. Looking forward, he spotted a tree in the middle. It was a tree of such calmness. Nature¡¯s beauty was defined in a single giant bark of glistened green leaves, which fluttered with winds as soothing as a whisper.


    ¡°Wh-Where am I?¡± Jack picked up one of the flowers. They felt so real and soft. He was completely baffled. He set the flower down and started approaching the giant tree of elegance. ¡°Is this¡­ heaven?¡±


    As Jack got closer, he saw some kids conversing beneath it. The winds were still eerily calm and glided along the sparkling clouds of pure white. Everything here seemed too spiritual, which gave him the assumption that it was a glimpse of what heaven looked like.


    Jack walked towards the tree to see who the kids were. He made it to the tree base and noticed they were standing around it with their backs turned.


    Their backs were familiar, so familiar that Jack knew who they were just from their hair and figures. The four girls turned around and he couldn¡¯t believe it. It was Veronica, Sarah and Anna, though they were transparent, like ghosts. But the last girl¡­ she wasn¡¯t, she was real. She breathed, had color, and Jack had never seen her before. Her hair was just as blonde as Anna¡¯s and her skin was pale as snow, kind of like Angela¡¯s.


    The most captivating thing about her though, was her eyes. They were glazed golden caramels of definitive gorgeousness, enough to make Jack blush into her haunting eyes of beauty. She appeared to be shorter than the rest, besides Sarah, who was still the shortest, but she was definitely his friend¡¯s age.


    They all continued staring at Jack with their ghostly eyes and smiled, except for the girl whom Jack had never met before. He couldn¡¯t help but return a smile too.


    Jack¡¯s eyes diverted away and locked onto the unknown girl. He said to her in a calm, nervous manner, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    The girl giggled and brought out a small grin. As soon as she was about to say something, she turned into many beautiful little glowy orbs and faded away. Jack¡¯s friends also faded into golden sparkle dust. All the materials floated away, as Jack gazed up at them in the wondrous blue sky.


    Unknowingly, that mysterious girl¡¯s voice said something inside his mind. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you someday.¡±


    Hearing her say that, along with the amazing atmosphere, made Jack feel calmness that he¡¯d never felt since the day before his parents were killed. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle out of relief. He ran out from under the tree, spun around, and fell backwards onto the bed of flowers. His arms widened out, and a huge smile of relief grew upon his face as he continued looking at the sky, feeling those bristled winds tickle his skin.


    He felt so relaxed being there. In fact, he was so relaxed that he started closing his eyes and hoped that this feeling, along with the moment, never went away.


    Once Jack opened his eyes again, he was suddenly brought back into reality and into his room. He noticed how he was in the same position he was in when he fell on that field of flowers. Not being able to help but chuckle a bit, Jack looked at the clock and noticed it was morning. That calm feeling hadn¡¯t gone away, yet he was still smiling. He remembered an entire dream for once.

 Arc 1 Chapter 14: The future, Awaits!

    Whoever that girl was, for some odd reason when he looked into her eyes¡­ she made him feel more calm. He knew that as long as he remembered that dream, or whatever it was¡­ then he had nothing to complain about.


    Jack sat up and slammed his fist against his other hand with confidence. ¡°It¡¯s time. Today¡¯s the day we finally escape, Angela.¡±


    He took a shower and started packing everything in his backpack. He put on his regular clothes when he was brought here in too. Now it was just a matter of when he¡¯d be heading out into the yard. He had to wait for Candy¡¯s group to get there first and knew to wait in his room until it was time. But first, he knew to head to the cafeteria to pack everyone as much food as he could. Jack decided to walk out without his book bag so he wouldn¡¯t look too suspicious.


    The moment Jack got there, he quickly got in line to get food for their survival. He collected five containers of food, but even Jack knew it wouldn¡¯t be enough to last them a full week. As he was leaving the cafeteria, Jack accidentally bumped into Dr. Cato.


    The doctor playfully slammed his fist against Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re walking Jack. Don¡¯t wanna drop all that food you¡¯re carrying.¡± He looked at him with a suspicious gaze.


    Jack expressed a forced smile, shifting his eyes erratically. ¡°Yeah, sorry. I was just going back into my room. Haha, it¡¯s nothing you know.¡±


    Dr. Cato narrowed his eyes, his suspicion about Jack being clearly obvious. However, he smiled. ¡°Is that so? Well, no matter my precious patient. By the way, what are you doing with all that food?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Well I thought since I¡¯m leaving pretty soon, I¡¯d pack half of this to go and eat the rest in my room. I don¡¯t want to go to a place where I¡¯m not familiar with its food, right?¡±


    Dr. Cato laughed and patted Jack¡¯s back. ¡°Man you¡¯re such a hilarious boy. I knew you were excited to go to rehab.¡±


    Jack shrugged. ¡°Yeah I guess. How¡¯s Angela?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s okay. She¡¯s just worried about you. I shouldn¡¯t be surprised. You guys have bonded really well!¡±


    Jack got a little upset after hearing that. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± He checked the time, but it wasn¡¯t the time to feel upset. ¡°Oh dang! Sorry Dr. Cato, I¡¯ve gotta go now. I have an appointment with my nurse.¡±


    He laughed hysterically. ¡°Still the jokester I see. Okay, I¡¯ll see you later, Jack. Take care!¡±


    Dr. Cato left and as he walked away, Jack gave off a maniacal grin. He quickly shook his head and smacked his hand on his face. ¡°Snap out of it. This isn¡¯t you, Jack.¡±


    He headed back to his room and went inside, packing the food and making sure there was enough space for Angela¡¯s belongings as well. Carolyn walked in and informed him that Angela was napping in her room.


    He packed the last items and observed Carolyn for the final time. He was gonna miss her beautiful face, her lovely hair, and those ominous yet gentle bluish teal eyes.


    Jack smiled at her as his eyes glistened with life for once. ¡°Thank you Carolyn¡­ For everything.¡±


    Carolyn walked up and hugged Jack. ¡°I¡¯m sorry your life¡¯s been terrible up to this point, but Jack, the road ahead of you is bleak and painful. Whether you lose your faith in yourself, or in people¡­ remember that I¡¯ll always be there for you. Even if it¡¯s in your imagination, don¡¯t you ever forget that.¡±


    He kissed Carolyn on the cheek, surprising both of them. He thanked her again and patted her shoulders. ¡°Carolyn¡­ I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make sure Angela lives a great life. And it¡¯s funny¡­ You remind me a lot of my mother. I guess that¡¯s why I¡¯ve bonded with you so well.¡±


    Carolyn giggled and patted Jack¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you. Now go, you don¡¯t have much time. This is the perfect opportunity for you guys to run. All the employees are on their lunch breaks or slacking off.¡±


    Jack started to get misty eyed. ¡°Yeah, thank you again, for everything. I hope we can meet again someday.¡± He wiped his eyes and sniffled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    Carolyn sounded a bit ominous when she said that, but Jack was far too deep in the moment to notice. She hugged him one last time, and they let go of each other. Jack took one good look at her before he started to leave.


    She smiled at him and appeared to be at peace. ¡°Goodbye, Jack.¡±


    Jack nodded and ran out. Carolyn stared out the window. ¡°Someday¡­ you¡¯ll believe, Jack. And when that day comes¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to be by your side¡­¡± She closed her eyes and prayed to herself quietly, looking rather holy beneath the sunlight shining through the window.


    Jack ran towards Angela¡¯s room as fast as he could, but he was also taking it slow at times to make himself not seem suspicious. As Jack continued, he spotted Mr. Mathew with Dr. Cato. They both seemed really suspicious and alert.


    Jack wondered what was bothering them. However, none of that mattered now. He kept running, and felt his heart was pounding fast. He¡¯d never felt this type of thrill before. The adrenaline pumping through his body, his legs tensing up. It was such a thrill. He¡¯d never felt so alive.


    He finally arrived at Angela¡¯s door and opened it with excitement. ¡°Angela!¡± he shouted out in joy.


    Angela, who was barely awake, rubbed her eyes and got up. She looked at him and bursted with energy, shedding tears of joy. ¡°Jack!¡± She ran up and jumped onto him, rubbing her face against his. ¡°Wh-What are you do-doing here?¡±


    Getting serious and placing his hands on her shoulders, Jack wiped the smile off his face. ¡°Angela, I need you to pack your things and put it in my bag, okay?¡± He took his bag off and opened it.


    She looked at him in confusion and asked, ¡°Why? What¡¯s go-going on? Wh-Why do I need to pack my st-stuff?¡±


    Jack grabbed her shoulders again and smiled. ¡°Because I¡¯m getting us out of here. Come on, hurry before any of those guys come back.¡±


    With no other questions to ask, she didn¡¯t hesitate and began packing her stuff. After five minutes, she finally packed all her belongings, then quickly changed her clothes too. Jack turned around to give her privacy until she told him she was ready.


    When Jack turned around, the outfit she wore surprised him. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. She dressed too classy and abnormal for someone her age.


    ¡°But that¡¯s what all my clothes are like. I¡¯m not sure why though.¡±


    Jack quickly remembered that it was most likely her mother who dressed her like that. She may not remember her parents, but that didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d remember them one day.


    With confidence built upon them, and with God protecting them from the sky, along with Carolyn¡¯s good wishes, they were ready. They stormed out of the room and ran to the yard. Jack checked the clock up ahead and noticed they were right on time for Candy¡¯s arrival. They were careful not to be noticed. Angela couldn¡¯t help herself but smile most of the time.


    They entered the yard and spotted Candy. He ran up to Angela and grabbed her, swinging her around with joy.


    ¡°Lil momma you¡¯re okaah!¡± he shouted in excitement.


    Jack interrupted their short reunion by patting Candy¡¯s back and put some force into it. ¡°Candy¡­ it¡¯s time,¡± he said with a huge smile.


    He chuckled, making a girly ¡°ow!¡± sound from the smack. He smiled maniacally. ¡°Alright, boo boo! All according to plan, huh lil genius?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ll wait until Mr. Mathew comes out and you do what you do best, and then we¡¯ll sneak into your school.¡±


    Candy made some weird moaning sound as he wiped his hair off his face. ¡°Patience honey! Don¡¯t rush yourself, I¡¯ll give you the cue to go. Leave this to me sugarboo!¡± He winked at Jack, who immediately gagged.


    ¡°Thank you again Candy!¡± Jack extended his hand out to Candy.


    He grabbed it and shook it. ¡°Anything for the two of you, lil mini boo boo¡¯s!¡±


    They sat down and talked for a while until Mr. Mathew came to get his students. Angela drew Candy a goodbye gift to make sure he wouldn¡¯t forget them. Her drawing was rather strange since it looked like Candy was being carried by some guys in a grass field. Of course, Candy loved it and embraced the picture by praising Angela.


    Candy lifted the drawing into the air and allowed his eyes to bask in the glorious drawing of something he wished was reality. ¡°Lil momma you¡¯ve out done yourself this time, you adorable kitten you!¡±


    Angela laughed at how silly Candy was behaving. He even started doing some ballerina type dances and poses as he embraced the drawings beauty and rubbed it against his chest.


    Angela turned to Jack and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna miss him. At fir-first I didn¡¯t li-like him, but, he¡¯s gro-grown on me.¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah, but Angela, why did you draw him that? It''s a bit strange don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Angela placed a finger tip against her chin. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know. I fi-figured he¡¯d like it. I mean, he does stare at some of his cla-classmates too hard.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t understand what Angela meant by that, so he shrugged and continued watching Candy act like a silly goose. They all had a great last moment for themselves. They laughed, conversed and had a blast. Jack was gonna miss that weird, rude and funny guy, but it was for their new life to ensure a brighter future.


    At last!


    Mr. Mathew came out and yelled at all his students that it was time to go back. They all rounded up, got into formation and started walking. Angela and Jack hid behind the group of students. They both wore hats so no one would notice who they were, especially if they knew it was Angela behind them. Who knew how those idiots would react.


    As the students began heading into the building, Candy stepped out of the group and immediately caught Mr. Mathew¡¯s attention.


    Mr. Mathew, knowing how much of a troubled individual Candy was, crossed his arms and yelled, ¡°Hey! Fruit Cup. Get back in the group. Do you want to get more charges set on your record?¡±


    Candy made a duck face and placed his hands on his hips. ¡°Why so aggressive Mr. Meemee? You know it¡¯s rude to pick on your students!¡± Candy chuckled and stepped a little closer towards Mr. Mathew.


    The adults bottom lip twitched. It was obvious he didn¡¯t like Candy retaliating against him. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer you¡­ Gargh, fag!¡±


    The kids gasped and made suspenseful noises, adding fuel to the fire. But Dr. Mathew wasn¡¯t bothered by their childish acting.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re walking! I¡¯m warning you, you damn Fruit Loop!¡± Mr. Mathew shouted, annoyed by the pressure.


    Candy, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t phased by such offensive language, he was getting amused provoking him. ¡°Ooo¡­ aren¡¯t chu getting mad! Be careful of what you say sugar!¡± Candy playfully swirled his finger in a sassy manner as he continued walking towards him, agitating Mr. Mathew more.


    Mr. Mathew uncrossed his arms, then clenched his fist and raised it slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll send you next door you bastard! Watch yourself!¡±


    Jack noticed Candy was making hand gestures with his right hand behind his back. He understood and started walking towards the school door.


    ¡°Stop this now or you¡¯ll be expelled,¡± Mr. Mathew spat.


    Candy glanced at Angela and Jack and gave them a creepy smile. He looked back at Mr. Mathew and laughed. ¡°Well Mr. Mc Ugleh, take a look at this you pig!¡±


    Candy pulled his pants down and exposed himself to Mr. Mathew. The students hurled and looked away. The girls gasped, then blushed, and Mr. Mathew was red from bolstered fury.


    ¡°Yeah! Enjoying the view you pig?! Feel my lethal toy of destructive beauty! Bwahahahaha! Who¡¯s the fag now?!¡±


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Candy laughed hysterically. Mr. Mathew was so infuriated he grabbed his walkie and notified security.


    The entire group of kids laughed at the two, which was a good enough distraction for Angela and Jack to finally make it to the doors. Jack took one last look at Candy and smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again someday, my friend, I promise!¡± As Jack was about to open the door, Mr. Mathew spotted him and noticed who he was.


    ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing kid?¡± He spotted Angela beside him too. ¡°Well, well, well. Looks like we got two naughty children that need to be punished!¡±


    Angela got frightened and quickly hid behind Jack. Jack put his left arm in front of her as she peeked from behind him. He started to sweat from staring at Mr. Mathew¡¯s fierce glares. Jack and Angela felt cornered.


    Mr. Mathew walked towards them and the moment he did, Candy tried grabbing him. ¡°G-Get off me you faggot!¡± He pushed Candy away with such force that Candy fell backwards.


    ¡°Now then, I wonder what Cato would say if he saw you out of your room¡­ Angela?!¡± He glared at Angela with malice and started laughing maniacally. ¡°Oh I¡¯m going to enjoy this!¡±


    Mr. Mathew stood in front of them. Jack didn¡¯t know how to react. He could only stand there and feel overshadowed by Mr. Mathew¡¯s might.


    Jack grabbed Angela as he trembled in fear. ¡°Le-Leave us alone!¡±


    Mr. Mathew grabbed Angela. She started screaming.


    ¡°Let go of her!¡± Jack shouted. He kicked the adult in the groin, causing him to grab his junk and drop to his knees. His mouth opened as he screamed in pain. Jack used the opportunity to pull out his pills and opened the container.


    Jack laughed and thanked Carolyn again, then tossed the pills into the adult¡¯s mouth and grabbed Angela.


    Candy also used the opportunity to grab Mr. Mathew and placed him into a neck lock. Mr. Mathew noticed Candy still had his pants down. He started screaming out of disgust as the kids gathered around them and laughed.


    Candy looked at Jack and shouted, ¡°Go!¡±


    Jack listened and dragged them away from the scene. He lifted his hand to wave at Candy one last time, to thank him for everything he¡¯d done.


    After that, Jack pushed through the doors and they finally entered the school. He pulled out the guide Candy gave him and examined it. They checked both sides of the hallway and noticed it wasn¡¯t similar to the guide he¡¯d given them.


    Jack looked closely at the map and noticed it was outdated. ¡°That idiot. He gave us the wrong map!¡±


    A security guard spotted them and walked forward. ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted as he pointed at them. ¡°Who are you kids?!¡±


    Angela and Jack looked at each other and then looked back at him. ¡°Umm, we¡¯re new here?¡± Jack said sarcastically.


    The guard didn¡¯t buy it and ran towards them. Angela and Jack immediately started running and sped ahead while the guard chased them.


    The children ran through countless hallways. Their adrenaline was off the charts, and their hearts felt like they were about to explode out of their chest, not knowing that they were already lost. Jack realized the guy was determined to get them, and he couldn¡¯t risk them getting apprehended by some lame security guard.


    As they ran with sweaty, clenched hands, Jack managed to spot an open room and rushed into it, with Angela by his side. They ran in, then he closed the door and made sure the guard wouldn¡¯t suspect that room. They could finally take a breath of relief for now, but Jack wanted to be sure, so he creaked the door open and looked around the hallways.


    The coast is clear!


    Jack gently closed the door and looked around the room they were in. They¡¯d somehow ended up in the janitor¡¯s closet.


    ¡°Hmm? Out of all the places we could end up in, it was the janitor¡¯s closet¡­ great.¡± Angela covered her nose from the strong stench coming from the mop bucket. She gagged and Jack chuckled.


    Further observing the room, Jack spotted a vent and began to think, but Angela¡¯s continuous gagging was making it hard for him to think clearly. However, the doorknob suddenly started to turn, which brought Jack back his senses. Angela grabbed onto Jack while the doorknob rattled violently.


    Shit! I didn¡¯t think he would find us this fast!


    There was no time for thinking, so Jack dashed to the vent and opened it. Dust exploded, erupting all over his face. He coughed and its cloud of annoyance drifted towards Angela, which made her cough, too.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be okay, Angela,¡± Jack said as he waved the dust out of his presence. He threw the backpack in first so he could crawl in after her. ¡°Okay An-Angela! You go in first, okay?¡±


    She was hesitant at first, not because of her expensive dress, but due to her fear of the dark. After a small motivational talk about beating the darkness and dust bunnies, she finally had the courage to walk in. She seemed afraid after taking a first crawl in, but shook her head and smiled with confidence.


    ¡°O-Okay! I trust y-you!¡± she exclaimed as she crawled inside.


    Jack followed behind her and grabbed the vent behind them. ¡°This oughta do the trick.¡± He shut it behind him, making sure no one would suspect them going into the vents. That was a good idea because they busted the door down shortly afterwards as they crawled away from the light behind them.


    The children crawled towards the end of the vent. It was dark, musty, and dust drifted inside their tiny lungs. They patiently waited for the security guard to leave, but he had company. There were more security guards and even the police were present. Jack wondered why they were even there.


    They patiently waited for them to leave as their hearts beat fast out of fear. Jack covered Angela and his own mouth to subdue any coughs, but they were beginning to grow sore and cramped. The feeling of claustrophobia was growing rapidly.


    When minutes felt like days and their anxiety grew, the adults finally left, which gave Angela and Jack the opportunity to release all that dusty air out of their lungs. They slowly crept towards the light, quietly approaching the vent with caution.


    Jack made sure to see if there was anyone out there, and found that the coast was clear. He opened the vent and crawled out first, then stood up and got Angela up to her feet.


    They both patted the dust off their clothes and sighed with relief. Jack approached the door, opened it very slowly, then leaned his head out and checked both hallways. Nobody was in sight. That feeling of freedom never felt so good till now. Jack held Angela¡¯s hand and they quickly rushed out of the closet, hoping they were near the closest exit of the building.


    Suddenly, they heard multiple footsteps coming their way. Both children took cover under a stairwell and hid. A couple of security and police officers, as well as teachers, passed by. Jack assumed they were rushing to Mr. Mathew¡¯s aid. After the adults had passed them, Angela and Jack continued on their way to an exit, hoping it would lead them to the outside world beyond the school.


    Jack¡¯s nerves were wrenching, and he felt as if another heart attack was about to happen. He couldn¡¯t seem to find a damn exit. After countless attempts of trying to find one, minutes stormed by, which made Jack¡¯s frustration grow.


    ¡°Damn! Still not a single exit in sight.¡±


    When Jack felt on the verge of collapsing and giving up on their efforts¡­ a miracle appeared in front of them.


    ¡°Wait, hold up?¡± Jack hovered his hand over his eyes and leaned forward to get a better view of what was up ahead. ¡°There¡¯s one!¡± he said with determination. ¡°There¡¯s an exit!¡±


    They continued running to their freedom. Finally, they could taste it.


    Angela and Jack rushed towards the exit. Those moments that were once dreams were about to come true and they were getting close, but alas¡­ it wasn¡¯t. Police stood by the doorway, guarding it.


    Damn it all!


    We need to think of something else or we¡¯ll get caught.


    Jack was thinking again, as fast as he could, when Angela accidentally sneezed and the adults heard it. Turning around, they all spotted Angela and Jack, and shouted ¡°Hey!¡± as they burst through the doors.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jack,¡± Angela said in shame, but Jack¡¯s ears blocked it out.


    They quickly ran the moment the adults began to sprint after them. Angela and Jack ran as fast as their little legs could handle, but no matter how fast they were running, the adults were gaining on them.


    Angela and Jack passed classrooms, offices and other nearby security. The moment when Jack thought all hope was lost, he saw a huge light at the end of a hallway.


    Could this be another exit to freedom? The one we¡¯ve been seeking?


    Jack glanced at Angela and even she too appeared to be full of joy again. They had so much adrenaline pumping through their bodies that they couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    It was a giant step forward for their new lives, and oh how Jack wished Carolyn could see them spread their wings and be set free.


    The children reached the bright light and pushed the doors open, covering their faces from the intense flash of freedom. The sun cooked their pale skin. They had done it, their freedom had been reached.


    Just when that flash of freedom and breath of fresh air was the hope that they strived for¡­ the minute they lowered their hands, both Angela and Jack saw what was in front of them. It brought out their sense of fear once again, and they lost all hope.


    Police cars were pulled up near the entrance, with police officers standing behind their car doors with their guns drawn. Also, Jack noted how there were strange men standing behind the police officers. They were all waiting for Angela and Jack. They all knew they¡¯d reach out here. The other cops were just leading the children to them.


    Angela held onto Jack. She was extremely upset and scared, but he took a glimpse at her and noticed she didn¡¯t look sad. She still looked determined. His trust was still embedded in her eyes as they shined with a glimpse of hope. Seeing her mixed with emotions, and those brightened blue eyes of devotion, gave Jack motivation and made him keep his smile. It was no time to give up, they were almost free.


    ¡°Angela¡­¡± She gazed up at Jack. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get us out of here¡­¡± He held her tight and clenched a fist. ¡°No matter the odds, I won¡¯t give up.¡±


    She smiled and nodded.


    ¡°All right kid!¡± shouted one cop. ¡°Let the girl go. The more you comply, the more we can do this easily!¡±


    One cop approached them very slowly. ¡°Come on kid, give us the girl¡­ I¡¯m going to slowly approach you two. Don¡¯t do anything funny, all right?¡±


    Jack held Angela¡¯s hand tightly and looked at her. ¡°You haven¡¯t given up¡­ have you?¡±


    She looked at him and held him even tighter. ¡°I trust you, bro. I know we can do this.¡±


    Jack chuckled and patted her head. ¡°Yeah, we can do this. As long as you¡¯re by my side Angela, I don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    The moment he could finish his sentence, the police he¡¯d briefly forgotten about came back to them and snatched Angela away. The others grabbed Jack¡¯s arms and started pulling him away from her.


    ¡°Angela! Noo!¡± Jack shouted in agony as they carried her to a white patrol car.


    She kept squirming around in their grasp and did everything in her power to break free. She extended her hand out to him. ¡°Don¡¯t t-take me away from him! Jack!¡± She wailed and yelled for his help, but Jack was being restrained.


    ¡°Please! Let me go!¡± Jack shouted, trying to break free, but it was no use.


    The cop to Jack¡¯s right said, ¡°Sorry kid, it¡¯s what¡¯s best for her. Trust us, we had orders from Mr. Mathew and Dr. Cato.¡±


    Wh-What? You mean to tell me that it was those guys who called these people? So-So¡­ that means, he-he knew! Then that means he was a step ahead of me¡­


    No, no! How? How could he have known? I¡¯m such a fool¡­ a dumb stupid kid blinded by self confidence. I knew this was impossible¡­ I-I give up!


    Jack couldn¡¯t take it any longer. The burdens on his shoulders finally weighed him down to his knees. His eyes watered from remorse.


    How could I have not seen this coming?


    The cop¡¯s hands went around Jack¡¯s arms. He gritted his teeth out from his own mistakes, and frustrations ran rampant throughout his body. Angela¡¯s cries echoed in his mind, fueling that feeling of hoplessness to a cinder. With his head down and his eyes ready to burst, that girl¡¯s voice started talking to him again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give up now. I¡¯ll help you out, but this will take a toll on you and I. Are you prepared?¡± She giggled and began humming a creepy song, but it was gentle to his tormented soul.


    Jack was breathing heavily from all that feeling of guilt and anger, but hearing her soothing voice simmered his mind down enough to stop his hopeless actions.


    ¡°Will it be enough¡­ to free her? Enough to give us time to escape?¡± Jack asked beneath his breath.


    She laughed softly, tickling his eardrums. ¡°Of course silly! So long as you deliver our promise someday...¡±


    She¡¯s still on about that promise?


    Jack didn¡¯t fully understand what she meant by that, not to mention how she still haunted his dreams and screwed with his mind. But he didn¡¯t care at this point, he wanted them to escape, for them to be free.


    He lowered his head and took deep breaths as the police began dragging him away. ¡°I-I-I¡­ promise to devote myself¡­ to you.¡± Jack¡¯s fingers began twitching as his skin color began to fade. ¡°When I fully understand this meaning¡­ the meaning of devotion, love and marriage¡­ I¡¯ll fulfil your promise.¡±


    She stayed quiet for a moment. The sound of slight whimpering was abrupt and then¡­ it stopped. ¡°O-Okay,¡± she said soothingly. ¡°I knew I made the right choice, I knew¡­ you were the one¡­ the one, I¡¯ve been waiting for...¡±


    While the cops struggled to drag Jack, half of the officers heard ringing. They looked around to see where it was coming from. It got louder and louder. They covered their ears but that was still not enough. The ringing was so intense, they felt their brains tremble from the intensity. Their noses bled, and they dragged their fingers across their face as they scratched violently. They dropped to their knees and started having seizures.


    Some officers noticed and were terrified of what was happening to their fellow colleagues on the ground, who were violently trembling as foam came out of their mouths. The officers who still held Jack noticed a huge black mist around him. His skin was similar to gray snow and his hair was as black as the roads they stood on.


    They freaked out and immediately let go of him, but as soon as Jack lifted his head, a huge forceful wind blew off of him, causing them to fly and collide against the hard walls, which knocked them out.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± shouted one officer.


    Another call came through on his radio and he notified Dr. Cato. ¡°Yeah, my men are having seizures! Just what the hell¡¯s going on here??¡±


    He noticed someone walking out of the shadows from the exit where Jack stood. The amount of fear that bestowed upon him from seeing that, along with Jack, made him speechless.


    ¡°Sir?! Hello?!¡± one officer exclaimed, trying to snap his captain back into reality. ¡°We have the girl in the car sir¡­ Uhh? Sir¡­¡± He spotted Jack and freaked out as well. He pulled his gun out and pointed it at him. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t come any closer¡­ y-you freak!¡±


    Jack¡¯s black misty aura grew even bigger as his eyes became pitch black. The clouds that were white now turned black and the sound of thunder was enough to break the sound barrier ten times over. Clouds moved rapidly throughout the skies, while every officer was left standing there in complete shock.


    The police officers all pointed their guns at Jack. ¡°Stop what you¡¯re doing, or we¡¯ll shoot.


    Dr. Cato was running through the hallways. He looked out the window and noticed the chaos near the school. He opened the window and he too could feel the awful dark presence from that direction. The hairs on his arms rose, sweat dripped from his face, but he couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. Yet, at the same time, he had already expected something like this would happen.


    Mr. Mathew was woozy from the pills that Jack threw in his mouth. Candy was cuffed by security, but every student was too busy staring at the sky, watching the horror happening amongst them.


    Mr. Mathew ordered the kids to go towards the facility. He pulled his necklace out and saw his cross was glowing. He then ordered security to escort the kids to the facility. They listened and started pushing the kids into the building.


    The tall teenager, Randy, kept staring at the swirling clouds as the skies clapped with haunting echoes. ¡°It¡¯s her¡­ the devil incarnate!¡± He clenched a fist, feeling bad for Jack and regretted not warning him enough. ¡°I warned him and now¡­ you¡¯re next I¡¯m afraid¡­ kid.¡± He walked away and regrouped with the students.


    Candy couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. He was left speechless. ¡°Jack¡­ Angela¡­¡± Security carried him back with the group as he stared at the chaotic sky.


    Mr. Mathew stood up and ran towards the direction of chaos. Dr. Cato was heading there as well. Carolyn approached a window, but stopped to watch the chaos ensue. She seemed so disappointed. She had enough of this madness and tears of shame began to shed from the supernatural occurring, yet she looked rather calm. She wished Jack and Angela all the luck in the world and continued glaring at the chaos.


    Mr. Mathew and Dr. Cato regrouped. They already knew what was happening and had an idea on how to stop the madness. The police were still on standby as Jack stood silently. Their hands and legs trembled due to the haunting presence.


    As they were about to step closer to Jack, he started chuckling. The police got scared and stepped back as Jack slowly lifted his arms. Lightning started striking the buildings near the police. They yelled at Jack with empty orders, yet the boy stopped his arms and frowned. The sky calmed down, the clouds faded away and everything returned to normal. The cops felt at ease for a moment, seeming rather confused over this entire situation¡­ but that blackened misty aura around Jack grew dim and was barely emitting.


    They slowly approached him again and all of a sudden¡­ echoes of laughter erupted in the air. The police, who were still frightened, had their fingers on their triggers. They noticed the laughter came from Jack. As he continued to laugh maniacally, his eyes were white and his veins were pitch black. His laughter disappeared, and then the sound of silence filled the eerie calm winds that continued blowing over them. He took in a huge deep breath, then held his breath for a minute, but one cop grew impatient and fired a shot, leaving everyone surprised. The shot struck Jack in the arm.


    Jack¡¯s arms were still hovering though, until he finally opened his mouth. A small trail of black smoke glided out of his mouth. He glared at the police with his eyes filled with emptiness.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    Every window, windshield and any piece of glass shattered as Jack let out that haunting cry of terror. Everyone inside the facility freaked out and panicked. They all said the same thing, ¡°It¡¯s the devil!¡± People were injured from cuts as glass shattered throughout the buildings. Every patrol car rusted out completely, causing them to fall apart except for the one car that Angela was in.


    Every police officer collapsed to the ground with blood dripping from their eyes and ears. Dr. Cato and Mr. Mathew was unscathed from the unknown scream. They looked around and saw the amount of damage that it caused. They quickly hurried to see what the true cause of it was.


    Jack regained consciousness. He dropped to his knees and felt awful. The pain throughout his mind was unbearable, and he didn¡¯t pay attention to the destruction and surroundings that was caused by him.


    He got up and slowly walked to the patrol car Angela was in. Upon opening the door, Jack found her unconscious. Even though he wasn¡¯t really thinking at that point, he was going by instinct, so he grabbed Angela and carried her out of the patrol car. Walking away from the scene without even looking back once, he continued onwards down the long empty road that led to the institution.


    As Jack walked down the road, the sound of crows cawed at them. His mind was still fuzzy, full of confusion and disarray. The leaves on every tree died as he passed them, but he didn¡¯t notice the exposed crows with glowing purple eyes.


    Dr. Cato and Mr. Mathew finally arrived and witnessed the amount of destruction that was caused. Dr. Cato dropped to his knees and started crying out from devastation. Mr. Mathew kept running towards the entrance and spotted Jack far in the distance. He gritted his teeth and yelled bloody murder, damning both Angela, and especially Jack, to hell.


    Dr. Cato pulled a photo of his friend alongside Angela, repeating, ¡°I failed!¡± over and over again. Mr. Mathew returned to Cato and comforted his friend, telling him not to worry. He showed Cato a drawing that he took from Angela.


    ¡°This is no time to cry. With this drawing, we¡¯ll have her back.¡± He showed him a drawing of Angela being picked by Dr. Cato. She was smiling and had ¡°Thank you Doctor¡± written beside it.


    Dr. Cato wiped his tears, stood up, then took a deep breath and smirked. They walked towards the entrance to watch Jack make his escape. ¡°We¡¯ll have her back, someday. And when that day comes¡­ I promise to free her, I bet my life on it! Until then¡­ take care of her, Jack!¡± The shouting of Jack¡¯s name echoed down the road, scaring the crows as they flew away.


    The sky was clear as day as the crows flew over the building. Carolyn stared out a window on the second floor overlooking the exit. She watched the two walk to freedom, but at the same time¡­ she couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed in Jack. She took out a beautiful rose from her pocket and held it in her hand. She blew on it and watched it drift away with the wind.


    She smiled. ¡°Thank you Jack. I wish you a great life.¡± She lowered her arms and closed her eyes, remembering the promise she told Jack¡­ to watch over him, to protect him, but most of all¡­ the promise of freeing the two from their nightmares.


    Carolyn walked away from the window and disappeared back into the building, letting that single rose continuously drift away into the distance, where Jack and Angela had finally proclaimed their newfound freedom.

 Arc 1 Chapter 15: The Cruelty & Reality Of Society

    An old church rotting from the inside out, located in a forest charred from death, had a light beaming out of it. A woman in a red gothic styled dress stood beneath the light with her hands clasped. Her eyes were closed, as she faced a room with its door fully opened, revealing a room of emptiness and dust.


    She opened her eyes and lowered her hands, then walked out of the church and stared at the lifeless forest. Upon opening her arms out, thousands of rose petals hurtled from behind the church. She had a gentle smile, but it was drizzled with suspicion. As the rose petals settled and landed on the ground, life awakened once again within the forest of death. She watched the grass grow as the trees that once had blacked bark, which now gleamed brown and green.


    Walking with a smile that was once gentle, now seeped of corruption. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of time until I can finally free her. But in the meantime, I¡¯ll watch from the shadows and watch¡­ over you.¡± Rose petals twirled around her, making her vanish into nothingness.


    In the riddled streets of coldened crime Michigan, two kids were both lost and alone. They were close, protecting and watching one another as they walked along a street filled with homelessness. There was nowhere for the two to go, and both were hungry and afraid, yet they still had smiles on their chapped faces. They weren¡¯t ordinary kids though, they were Jack and Angela who¡¯d been homeless ever since their grand escape which transpired four days ago.


    During the days of a not so profound life, the two have been through hell, and an absolutely disgusting reality check from the streets they¡¯d been living on. Every street was ruthless, corrupt, and showed absolutely no mercy. But the worst thing about being homeless as children was that there were predators everywhere, ready to snatch someone like Angela.


    Jack made sure that none of these things were to happen to his dear adopted sister. He promised Carolyn he¡¯ll take care of her, and he intended to keep that promise. Even though they¡¯d been through such hardships, they were still determined and hadn¡¯t lost hope in each other. They both believed that someday they¡¯d find a permanent home, and when that day would come, then it would truly become a dream come true.


    Jack and Angela stopped for a second, watching pedestrians cross a busy intersection. Jack scratched his back then patted Angela¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be a good day today.¡±


    Not saying a word, she held his hand tightly and agreed with a gentle nod. Jack gazed at the cold gray sky and talked to himself, while Angela continued watching those people who had homes and families to go to.


    We were unaware of what new life awaited us. We were lost, confused, scared, but most of all¡­ we weren¡¯t prepared at all.


    Jack narrowed his eyes and gazed harder.


    Already, we were out of food, water, and clothes to wear. He sighed as they began walking again. We¡¯ve been on the street for only four days and already¡­ we¡¯re screwed. We had to sleep either on park benches, under bridges, and sometimes if we¡¯re lucky, sleep in a public library.


    Jack and Angela stumbled across a lost kitten, and they both confronted it, showing friendliness and gave him their leftover food. It meowed and purred as they both pet it. Angela smiled brightly.


    I still have no clue what city we¡¯re in. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if we weren¡¯t in Michigan anymore. I have to figure out our current situation. Angela¡¯s still scared and I can¡¯t protect her from strangers. Besides¡­ I¡¯m still a kid!


    The kitten ran away as a car¡¯s horn went off. Both children were sad now, but they brought back their smiles and returned to their walk.


    They decided in order to survive these wretched streets they had to be sneaky and, as much as Jack hated doing such heinous things, they had to steal stuff. Angela was entirely against the idea, and he didn¡¯t blame her.


    Instead, Jack told her the tale of Robin Hood and how he stole from the rich to give to the poor. It didn¡¯t take long for her to buy the story, so They decided to work as a team in order to get what they needed. Doing the deeds felt awful, and it made him feel like a pathetic, desperate fool.


    The act of stealing went entirely against what Jack wanted to become as an adult. He bet his dead parents were watching over him now, seeing how worthless he was for coming up with such a foolish and rebellious mindset.


    Both Angela and Jack stopped again because they saw a couple of kids playing with their parents in front of their yard. Such a sad sight reminded Jack of how much he¡¯d lost these past eight months from his parents to his friends and now¡­ nothing. Watching them have fun and enjoy life made him think that if they were still alive, he could be in that position right now. Flashbacks brought out a single warm tear that stained his freezing cheek.


    Angela, on the other hand, was intrigued. ¡°What are those two doing?¡± she asked, pointing at the two adults.


    Jack wiped away the water drop that trickled down his cheek. ¡°That¡¯s how parents act towards their children. They take care of them and help them, but most importantly they strive to make each other happy.¡± Jack paused, staying silent for a moment.


    ¡°Bro-brother?¡± Angela asked and tugged his hand.


    Jack continued staring at the family, ignoring Angela¡¯s asking. ¡°Yeah¡­ Happiness, something I truly wished never went away, but whatever. I guess that¡¯s just how life works¡± Jack said quietly to himself.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Angela said loudly, finally grabbing his attention.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry Angela. Ahem! Yes, families do lots of activities together like, for example, if mommies need help in the kitchen, then it¡¯s our job to help out when dad¡¯s not home. Or when everyone has time for one another they go out to the park and do all sorts of things to keep each other smiling!¡±


    Angela seemed more intrigued after Jack¡¯s explanation. Her eyes even sparkled out of curiosity.


    ¡°So if that¡¯s the case, then how is a family made?¡± she asked, looking up at Jack.


    Even Jack couldn¡¯t answer that. He was still oblivious about such a subject, especially when in the process of making a family. Ignoring her question, he continued staring at the family.


    The kids were so happy with their parents, yet Jack and Angela couldn¡¯t help but feel really lonely and sad. She clung onto his arm, then rubbed her hand on his and smiled gently.


    Jack had had enough of the depressing setting and turned to look at Angela. ¡°Hey Angela, we better get going or else the monsters might snatch you up.¡±


    She listened and they both continued onwards, walking along the depressing streets, being reminded of how alone they really were.


    The next day came by with Angela and Jack not sleeping well last night. It was mainly due to some crazy guy dancing in the middle of the park naked, screaming that witches stole his life and how spirits were real. He had dropped to the ground gagging, almost as if someone were choking him, though Jack presumed it was the man doing it to himself.


    In the middle of another worthless day of gray, they were walking down the street, minding their own business, when a nice looking Black couple stopped them.


    ¡°Why are you all alone?¡± the woman asked.


    Jack scratched the back of his head and scrunched his face. ¡°Uhh, well, you see¡­ I¡¯m just walking my sister home from¡­ uhh, sch-school!¡±


    Angela nodded to play along with Jack¡¯s lie. ¡°Yes, we¡­ we¡­ uhhh¡ª¡± Poor Angela, she was still socially awkward and didn¡¯t finish her sentence.


    She froze in place and huddled behind Jack¡¯s back. ¡°Sorry, my sister is very shy, so we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±


    Immediate guilt hit them like a truck, and as the children were about to walk away, the couple surprised them with some money. It wasn¡¯t much but it was enough for the day. It was a blessing from two nice people. No matter how much it was, Jack was grateful of course, without feeling some sort of despair.


    ¡°But why?¡± Jack asked in a guilty tone.


    ¡°Oh you kids, we knew ya were homeless just by your clothes alone, but it¡¯s okay. Take it. We know ya kids are hungry,¡± said the husband of the woman.


    The woman approached Angela and rubbed her dirty head. ¡°Take it as a blessing and a choice from God. There¡¯s a reason why we bumped into you kids today. Can¡¯t you see, it was because God made this happen.¡±


    Jack felt like crying but held back his emotions. ¡°Thank you¡­ To the both of you. It means so much, especially for her.¡±


    The woman finished with Angela by giving her one final pat on her head and walked back to her husband¡¯s side. They both smiled at the two and said ¡°God bless the both of you¡± in unison, then they both walked away. Jack clenched the money in his hand and wiped his forearm over his eyes, still feeling the urge to burst out his caged tears.


    Jack lowered his arm and looked over to Angela with a smile. ¡°What would you like to eat for breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, I don¡¯t know?¡± Angela said, shrugging.


    Flailing the bill in the air, Jack grabbed Angela by an arm and stared at the bill. ¡°Looks like we have twenty dollars, so pick what we should eat for breakfast and dinner today.¡±


    Angela had her lips out in an adorable manner, her eyes sparkling with joy. She nodded while looking at the many food places scattered about, but there were so many to choose from. She didn¡¯t know where to start.


    Jack found it enjoyable watching her pick a place, it was adorable. Instead, he offers a suggestion about saving some money so she could have more time to think.


    Without disturbing her, he said, ¡°I was thinking, if we get hungry later during lunch time, we should just buy a snack instead to save what little we have.¡±


    Angela looked at him and ultimately couldn¡¯t really decide what she wanted. Jack had forgotten that she was still oblivious to the outside world, so he just made her point at a place instead.


    They walked for a while until they were on a street filled with even more restaurants. Along the sidewalk filled with loud folks and homeless people, they kept looking around to see what establishments were around.


    She stopped and pointed to a place that caught her eyes. Upon looking at whatever she spotted Jack couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d pointed at a place that defiled and violated her innocent eyes. Jack¡¯s face turned red with laughter just from the thought alone. He couldn¡¯t believe she picked a place like Boozums!


    Jack patted her back and wiped his tears of laughter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Angela, but that place is only for adults.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.


    ¡°According to my dad, it¡¯s a place we¡¯re not allowed to go in.¡±


    Jack remembered his father being embarrassed when he¡¯d accidentally walked in one when Jack was eight. Both one day were just striding along a sidewalk in downtown Detroit when Jack saw the establishment because it caught his young curious eyes. He rushed towards said building and his father tried catching him but Jack was too fast for his father, so when he did burst through those doors, the first thing he saw was a huge butt, then dozens along with drooling men.


    Jack remembered that face his father made, it was so hilarious, how red it was along with how his father tried explaining to the owner why a young kid like Jack somehow made his way into the building.


    Goodtimes¡­ Goodtimes.


    Angela crossed her arms and adorably pouted, then looked away, puffing her cheeks out. ¡°I thought it loo-looked cool! Hmph!¡±


    Jack chuckled and patted her head. She looked everywhere and finally pointed at another place. It was McDuckale¡¯s. ¡°How-How about that! Gonna laugh at-at me no-now!¡±


    What a smug smile she has. Why does she feel so proud of herself?


    Jack smiled and grabbed her hand. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You better praise my de-decision.¡±


    ¡°You could quit being a smart one Angela, it¡¯s perfect. Now, let¡¯s go.¡± They headed towards the fast food restaurant with growling stomachs. Both children could already taste the food.


    As they were about to walk inside, they were confronted by some random man. He stood in front of them and blocked their way, acting like a bully. ¡°You kids alone?¡± the man asked with an aggressive tone.


    Hearing his voice already gave Jack signs of danger. He took a sharp breath and held Angela¡¯s hand. ¡°No¡­ we were going inside with our¡­ family! Who is¡­ waiting inside there¡­?¡±


    The man noticed how much Jack¡¯s finger quivered when he pointed at the place. He laughed and walked up to Jack, wrapping his skinny yet built arm around his shoulder, making Jack feel more uncomfortable. ¡°Shit! You really are a lying little bitch!¡± He started clenching his arm with aggression. ¡°Give me whatever you got in your pocket, you little punk ass bitch!¡±


    The man got more aggressive and grabbed the collar of Jack¡¯s shirt while Jack shook his head. People started noticing, so Jack gave him the meanest look he could give.


    ¡°Come on! Give us a break, you jerk! We¡¯re hungry and all we wanted was something to eat!¡± Jack said, raising his voice in annoyance.


    Jack¡¯s outburst aggravated the man even more, so he punched Jack¡¯s stomach. Surprising Angela and Jack, the man threw Jack onto the ground and started kicking him. Angela grabbed the man¡¯s arm and begged him to stop, but that aggravated him even more. He pushed Angela away. She toppled and fell onto the pavement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you touch her!!¡± Jack shouted at the stranger.


    More people gathered around to see what all the commotion was about. The stranger noticed all the attention gathering around him, but he didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Or what you little punk homeless bitch? You ain¡¯t got nothing. You¡¯re just a little bum ass kid!¡± He got in one last good kick on Jack before stepping away.


    That blow knocked the wind out of Jack for a second, but that wasn¡¯t going to stop him. Without thinking, he got back up and rushed the man while shouting out in anger. However, that only led Jack to run into the man¡¯s foot that quickly lifted. The man donkey kicked Jack away, making him fall backwards and gag out from the powerful force.


    A couple of bystanders yelled, ¡°Stop or we¡¯ll call the cops. Leave the kids alone!¡±


    ¡°Mind your own business and shut the fuck up!¡± the man shouted.


    He didn¡¯t realize that another group of bystanders had walked up behind the spectators and got the guy from behind. They were a group of six, all mean and scary looking, much bigger than the jerk. They tapped his shoulder and he turned around, then quickly took a step back.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stop, we¡¯ll either beat your punk ass or worse, kill you, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Aight! I¡¯ll leave the little punk alone. I don¡¯t know why y''all defending some bum ass kid though?¡±


    One of the men in the group walked up to the man and got in his face. ¡°Cause we don¡¯t like punk bitches like you who pick on someone weaker than yourself,¡± he said in a deep and menacing voice.


    ¡°Yeah! Get the fuck out of here, you pussy!¡± another man shouted in the group.


    ¡°Aight damn!¡± Throwing his hands up in the air, he said, ¡°I¡¯mma go now¡­ Sheesh, calm down! We¡¯re all brothas here!¡±


    The guy walked away and the bystanders dispersed, going about their separate ways. Although some in the crowd wanted to make sure they were fine and offered any help, all Jack could do was thank them¡­ for nothing.


    Jack was still on the ground groaning from the pain, but he had enough energy to speak. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said calmly to the guy who appeared to be the toughest out of the bunch. When he took a closer look, the man was like a giant. Tall and really buff yet gentle.


    The guy looked at Jack and smiled. With a wave of his hand, he walked away with his group in tow. Angela grabbed Jack¡¯s arm and helped him get off the ground. She was still frightened.


    He was on all fours now, trying to regain his breath. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Angela. I¡¯m fine,¡± Jack said, calming her down.


    ¡°But you should see a doctor. You could be hurt.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t, Angela. There¡¯s no way we can afford it.¡± Jack spat and wiped his lip with his wrist. ¡°Even getting an exam costs a lot of money.¡± He pulled out the twenty dollar bill that the nice couple gave them.


    Angela stared at the money. ¡°Li-like how much?¡±


    Jack flailed it around and chuckled. ¡°Imagine this bill in my hand, but instead of one perhaps like a stack of¡­ well, a lot!¡±


    ¡°Woah,¡± Angela said in a worried yet calm tone.


    Jack got on his knees and hugged her to settle her down more. After a moment, he got up and they finally headed inside McDuckale¡¯s to enjoy their breakfast.


    After they decided on what to get, they ate comfortably and their stomachs were stuffed. They had about twelve dollars left after that meal, however, they still had enough for tonight but if they were hungry during lunch time, they might have enough to get a snack to share.


    Both children left McDuckale¡¯s and kept walking around town, trying to figure out where they were. It was messing with Jack so much. He was getting sick of being confused, not knowing where they were. He then spotted a man sitting at a bus stop.


    ¡°Hey mister!¡± Jack asked as he walked up to the man.


    The man looked at him, smiled, and said, ¡°Hello youngster.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what this area is called?¡±


    He looked at Jack and scratched his head, probably thinking that Jack was messing with him. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re talking about the state, we¡¯re in Michigan. But if you¡¯re talking about the town, we¡¯re in Lippincott. However, if you¡¯re talking about the city, we¡¯re in Flint.¡±


    ¡°FLINT?!¡± Jack shouted with shock.


    He had no idea they were so far from Detroit, but at least they were still in Michigan, to say the least.


    ¡°Thanks for letting us know,¡± Jack said, thankful for the information.


    ¡°Please do be careful and don¡¯t get into any trouble,¡± the old man warned.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jack said again, then regrouped with Angela. They both continued on their way.


    As the day went by, Jack¡¯s head started feeling all fuzzy. He guessed he might be dehydrated or perhaps he was getting sick. They still didn¡¯t have a proper plan for survival and more importantly, they had no idea what to do with their lives. He was surprised they weren¡¯t dead yet, especially after today. Boy were they lucky.


    Jack guessed God and his parents were watching over him, protecting him from death. One assumption did come to Jack¡¯s mind which was the couple¡¯s blessing, so maybe that¡¯s why they felt so lucky. Although he wouldn¡¯t say they were out of danger yet, since he¡¯d been beaten up a couple times already. The world sure was cruel.


    He also realized that Flint was worse than Detroit. There was a clear difference between the rich and poor. Even though crime was huge in his city, Flint took the spot for sure. If the city looked this bad and the conditions were horrid, Jack could only imagine what the neighborhoods were like.


    After a long mentally and physically exhausting day, the sun settled down and nightfall drew near. Angela and Jack, who were prowling through some random street, decided to eat dinner at a diner they¡¯d just spotted.


    They went inside, and when they walked through the glass doors, the sweet smell of home cooked deliciousness destroyed their noses with smells so captivating that made them feel right at home. Eating in such a quiet, wholesome environment really made them forget about what happened earlier in the day.


    Angela, on the other hand, enjoyed it so much, she even asked for seconds. Jack couldn¡¯t say no to that wondrous smile of hers with her face smeared in maple syrup, so he ordered more food for her than he did for himself. He still could go on, even if he didn¡¯t eat much. He was older so it was essential for her to consume more than him.


    After finishing their meal, Jack checked on their budget and realized they were all out of cash. He sighed and grabbed her hand. ¡°Oh well, it was a nice day while it lasted, thanks to those nice people.¡± He turned to her, smiling. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it, Angela?¡±


    She smiled brightly as well. ¡°Yeah! Thank you random strangers for your blessings!¡±


    Angela¡¯s speech had improved a little since they¡¯d escaped. Of course it had improved with him, but as for other people¡­ not really. She hated crowds the most, and even if she was around two people or more, she¡¯d start having an anxiety attack. Jack guessed she was really anti-social.


    He kept looking around to see where they could spend the night. After what happened last night with the weird guy, they definitely couldn¡¯t sleep at the park.


    Angela pulled on Jack¡¯s hoodie and got his attention. ¡°Brother! I need to relax somewhere quiet,¡± Angela said nervously.


    Somewhere quiet huh? I wonder if she¡¯s going to pray or something.


    ¡°How about we go under that bridge, Angela? Sound good to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    They headed towards the bridge and when the children arrived, Jack made sure to look around the area to see if it was safe. When the coast was clear, Jack said, ¡°Nobody¡¯s around. No weird naked people yelling about nonsense. You can do whatever you need to do.¡±


    Angela came over to Jack, sat down, closed her eyes, and then put her hands together.


    Jack remembered Carolyn telling him that Angela could talk to spirits or whatever¡­ so he wondered if she was doing that now. Wait! What was he thinking? He knew there was no way crap like that existed. But still, there was a question he still had on mind and it was about that faceless girl¡­


    He wondered why she kept appearing in his dreams. She appeared every so often but only to haunt him, to tease him, or worse¡­ It freaking made things feel real when they weren¡¯t. But not only that, she made him forget some of those vivid dreams. She was the biggest burden on Jack¡¯s shoulders, and a complete mystery to him. Lastly, he wondered why she was so clingy.


    He felt so conflicted. There was something else in his heart telling him to avoid her, then to stay with her, but¡­ she had helped him during the worst times. Jack knew, out of all those times she had helped him and patronized him¡­ that she could get screwed.


    Jack, who stood and stared off into nothing and talked to himself, hadn¡¯t noticed Angela standing behind him. She was confused about his current train of thought, so she tugged on his jacket and poked his back.


    ¡°I¡¯m finished Jack!¡±


    He broke away from his thoughts and noticed her seeking attention. He got more serious and looked directly into her eyes. ¡°Good, but Angela, I have a question to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Jack stopped momentarily, then gave it some thought. He wanted to be sure he asked her correctly. ¡°What do you do when you close your eyes? Do you pray or something?¡±


    ¡°I guess you could say that. Carolyn told me as long as I prayed, my nightmares wouldn¡¯t come back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I guess if that works to relive your mind as you sleep, then I see no problem with that.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the answer he was seeking, but hearing her say something so innocent made him chuckle in relief.


    I guess I¡¯m not the only one struggling with nightmares. I wonder if they¡¯re as bad as mine?


    Thinking to himself and self explaining, Jack didn¡¯t realize how focused Angela was on the street, mostly with the passing cars. She stared at each car on the freeway because she was amazed by their shapes and sizes. Seeing her intrigued about a big hunk of metal really made Jack feel bad for her.


    Poor girl. How oblivious is she to the world?


    Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders, getting her full attention. He started pointing out and explaining every vehicle that passed by.


    After a while, she leaned her head on his hand that hung loosely on her shoulder. ¡°Hey brother¡­ can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    She looked up at him with a sad look on her face. ¡°Do you ever question¡­ your own existence?¡±


    The mood changed, the air felt sad. Jack¡¯s heart became wrenched by extreme sadness. They were both still as cars drove by, their lights flashing across the children¡¯s bodies while the night breeze blew.


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe what she¡¯d just asked him. He was at a loss for words.


    How could she ask such a depressing question? She couldn¡¯t be referring to herself, could she?


    To brighten the blackened mood, Jack gently patted her head, trying to relieve her saddened look. ¡°Angela¡­ why would you ask me such a sad question? And if you¡¯re talking about yourself, you¡¯re far too young to think that way.¡±


    She shook her head, stood up, and then raised her head to stare at the half lit moon. ¡°Because¡­ someone told me I¡¯m no more than a filled vessel that was meant to be empty¡­ and that I should just give myself up and let them consume me so they could take back what was rightfully theirs.¡±


    Angela spoke so naturally and perfectly. But just hearing her say that made his blood boil. ¡°Listen Angela, whoever told you that¡­ has no right to judge your existence!¡±


    When she heard those meaningful words reach her soul, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. Without turning back, she continued walking.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    She looked over her shoulder and smiled gently. ¡°Come on, we should keep searching for a place to sleep.¡±


    Why should we search when we¡¯re already here? What¡¯s gotten into her? And how could she be so calm after such a seriously depressing conversation?


    Jack caught up to her and held her hand.


    They continued to walk in search of a place to sleep for the night, hoping for the best. Jack still felt confused about why they searched for another location when they were at a pretty good spot. They walked for over an hour and decided to sleep under one of the overpasses on the freeway. It was no different than the one before, but to Jack he didn¡¯t care. The nights were starting to get a little chilly. He knew that fall was upon them and he had to think of a way for them to survive, especially when winter came.


    The winter in Michigan was brutally cold, so if they were out with no winter clothing they¡¯d be screwed. Jack was mostly afraid that a snow storm would hit this year because if it did, then there was no way in hell they¡¯d survive. They would be human popsicles in no time.


    The cars above them weren¡¯t too loud but the eerie wind did creep the children out a bit and sent chills down their spines. Even though Jack had sat down on the concrete ground, Angela felt safer sitting on his lap.


    She was cold and began to shiver, so Jack wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight to offer warmth while he was cold. He wasn¡¯t really bothered by the chill since he was already used to that kind of weather.


    Jack told Angela to get off him for a moment. She complied and stood aside. He reached into his backpack and took out a blanket, then extended it wide open and signaled Angela to sit back down. She did, then he wrapped the blanket around her.


    She kissed his cheek. ¡°Thank you, brother.¡± Then she immediately fell asleep in his arms.


    Jack smiled and rested his head against hers, but he couldn¡¯t sleep yet. He knew there were dangerous people around.


    While staring off in the distance, Jack noticed some women who stood at a corner. Cars kept pulling up to them and they appeared to be chatting for a while, then the women would enter the men¡¯s cars. After thirty minutes, the women would be dropped off back at the corner they were originally standing at.


    Jack wondered what was going on between those people. And it appeared to be quite frequent too. He kept watching them go back and forth to help him fall asleep.


    The next day was really rough for them since they starved throughout the day. Jack tried his best to feed Angela with what little they had. He didn¡¯t mind not having a nibble, because Angela¡¯s well-being was his top priority.


    They ended up walking back to the underpass where they¡¯d slept last night. Angela sat on Jack¡¯s lap, He wrapped his arms around her to share his warmth.


    Poor Angela. She looks so scared and hungry.


    With his eyes squinting out of frustration, Jack felt Angela jump out of his lap. The entire area became engulfed by fog so thick he could hardly see through it, let alone notice any lights penetrating the thick gray mass. Even the sky blended with it.


    Angela stood at the edge of the sidewalk. She seemed rather strange. She stood there, not saying a single word, still as a rock, staring into the thick fog that suddenly appeared. Jack called her name once and got no response. All he got was a howling wind to respond to his call instead. He called out to her again. This time, she moved her head from side to side and clenched her fists.


    ¡°Why are you acting funny?¡± Jack asked.


    She didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, she ran into the wall of fog, disappearing from his sight.


    ¡°Angela! Where are you going?!¡± Jack shouted as he quickly stood up to chase after her.


    Running through the dense fog and having no clue where he was heading, Jack kept shouting Angela¡¯s name, but all he heard was her giggles echoing within the gray mist. He stopped to hear where her unusual giggles were coming from, so he looked right, left, then back again.


    Her giggles sounded familiar, like the ones in his dreams. It was enough to give him the chills. To see if they were alone, he tried asking for anyone¡¯s help, but then he noticed there were no people around.


    The sounds of cars were dead. The ambiance of people had completely vanished. There was absolute solitude.


    What the hell is going on?


    Jack stood in the middle of the empty street, feeling scared and alone. There was no time to panic. He had to find Angela.


    Countless minutes passed by, and Jack was still panting from all the running and feeling afraid. ¡°Angela!¡±


    Why did she run off? Why is she doing this? Does she hate me now? Is it because I didn¡¯t feed her? If that were the case¡­ then, what the hell is all the giggling about?!


    ¡°Angela!¡± he kept shouting out, releasing his anger and sadness.


    Jack¡¯s eyes began to get watery. The feeling of loneliness was coming back. On the brink of tears and feeling on the verge of giving up the useless search, he saw her outline a couple of feet in front of him. He quickly rushed to her, but she started running away again¡­ laughing all innocent like.


    Much more anger grew inside Jack. He was livid. His eyes were leaking, his teeth gritted. Jack was absolutely furious. After chasing her for a minute, she disappeared once again.


    Shit! Where could she have gone?


    Standing alone in the thickness of gray solitude, Jack dropped to his knees and clutched his head in frustration. He angrily yanked on his hair and kept shouting her name in desperation. His own angry voice echoed and bounced off his dirty eardrums. It was his only reply, which made him feel abandoned.


    Jack couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He punched the ground, bruising the flesh on his knuckles. He watched as blood leaked out. His eye twitched and he punched the ground again. Jack screamed from the pain.


    He wondered if this was all a dream. If it was, then he wouldn¡¯t be in so much pain let alone hurt himself.


    But when Jack felt his sanity was about to break, the misty gray in front of him started to drift away. It was drifting fast, and it was enough for him to see clearly what was in front of him now.


    A house that was so old and rotted, made of mossy brick and dying wood, seemingly belonging to that of the Dark Ages. It stood before Jack all dark and menacing. He thought he¡¯d traveled back to medieval times.


    As the rest of the fog disappeared, it revealed something more terrifying than abandonment. Jack noticed there was no city and no streetlights. He was standing in the middle of some old freaking town.


    His eyes expanded so much from shock that he thought they were about to burst out of his eye sockets.


    Some of the fog stayed behind and was still evident, but the house in front of him stood out the most. While he was analyzing his current situation, he heard Angela¡¯s laughter again. It was coming from inside the home of stone and decayed wood.


    Jack wondered why these strange occurrences were always happening to him. Was it another one of his bizarre dreams? It couldn¡¯t be, but for Jack it felt too damn real. He looked at his knuckles. They were bleeding and he could feel the burning, throbbing pain.


    He looked up and stared at the strange house. It made his legs shake and his knees become weak. The old medieval-like town that was apparent in the fog was creepy, even if the place was another dream, it oddly seemed familiar to Jack for some reason.


    He swallowed every bit of fear he felt, then clenched his fist and finally built up the courage inside him to walk inside the strange house. He placed a hand on the wooden door, then gently pushed it as softly as possible. It creaked loudly and seemed ready to fall apart. When it was fully open, he looked inside and saw a single dining room, with a lonely candle lit on a table. Jack looked over his shoulder and noticed it was dark out.


    Jack walked in quietly, whispering ¡°Angela¡± once he was inside the dark dusty room. His own footsteps sent shivers down his spine. Just hearing it stomp on the wooden, dead floor made him feel anxious. Everything was too creepy.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Jack whispered to himself.


    He approached the single candle and stared into its flame, which was dim and seemed to be struggling to stay bright. Just by watching the flame struggle flashed a memory filled with lost hope into Jack¡¯s mind, from the moment he lost everything that night. It beamed horrific new ones from that day forward which angered Jack even more.


    He could feel his fingernails digging into his dirty skin as he clenched them ferociously. Blood dripped between his fingers. A single drop of red fell onto the ground, which caused an instant supernatural reaction.


    Jack heard a loud bang from upstairs. Angela¡¯s laughter came back to Jack¡¯s ears but very faintly.


    ¡°Angela!¡±


    He felt his palm burning and when he looked at it, Jack noticed he got carried away from clenching his hand that intensely. But he couldn¡¯t help in doing so. He then approached the stairs leading up to total darkness. He was even more afraid because something wasn¡¯t right. He could feel his gut wrenching, begging for him to stay put. However, his curiosity and determination to get Angela back was overwhelming.


    ¡°Angela, when I get my hands on you¡­ I¡¯ll!¡±


    Suddenly, he heard his name being called by a different voice, along with Angela¡¯s.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± he asked, but shook his head and began walking up to the blackness that awaited him.


    Step by step the wooden staircase creaked ever so loudly. Jack¡¯s hand was on the wooden fragile rail, sliding upward as he ascended. His face was full of fright, yet he was ready to face whatever scare that awaited him.


    At last, he got to the top of the stairs and looked down a hallway. There was a single door with a light of orange gleaming beneath it. There was no time to stop. Jack needed to get Angela and punish her.


    Approaching the door within the plague of darkness, goosebumps rose on Jack¡¯s arms. His heart began beating fast. The dull thudding of his heart echoed in the eeriness. Out of nowhere someone called his name again. It came from behind the door.


    ¡°Jack!¡± they playfully said. ¡°Be mine, we¡¯ll be together forever.¡± Faint giggles of torment ruptured into his mind, reminding Jack of his past.


    Covering his ears to muffle the sounds of corrupted innocence, Jack continued to walk forward. He was almost at the door until he felt something grab his shoulder. His heart beat even faster and cold sweat dripped down his face. He didn¡¯t want to look back, but his stupidity got the better of him¡­ so he did¡­ and what his eyes set on was something absolutely horrifying. There was Angela. Her¡­ her eyes¡­


    ¡°Wh-Wh-Why!!¡± Jack screamed.


    It was Angela with her flesh ripped open, exposing her own arteries and veins like puppet strings. Blood oozed off of her exposed body and dripped onto the floor. Her eyes were cut out and hollow.


    Jack was petrified. She kept saying his name while she approached him in a very creepy and loose limbed kind of manner. It was like someone was controlling her from the darkness above, pulling her limbs like a puppeteer. Her eyes began to spill black liquid out of its sockets and splashed all over the floor. Her head wobbled around, moving back and forth to every step she made.


    ¡°Jack!¡± she said in a very dead voice. ¡°I love you brother!¡± Then she emitted a deadened giggle.


    Jack screamed again. Upon walking backwards, he tripped over his own foot and fell. She stopped, then lifted off the ground, hovering in front of him like an empty vessel. The sound of her pumping veins haunted his ears. The disgusting noises they made were horrifying. But Jack couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He balled up, covered his head and cried in terror.


    ¡°Please, someone! Make it stop¡­ Make it stop!¡±


    All of a sudden, the door behind him slowly opened, revealing a haunting orange light. Jack got up and turned around to see what had opened the door. It was a boy of his age that stood in front of that glowing light. He looked just like him, yet at the same time¡­ he didn¡¯t because of his skin color, height, and hair color.


    Jack stared at him. The other boy had hair covering his face, but Jack could still see his eyes. They were full of remorse. He tried telling Jack something, but he began to melt into black goo, slowly dissolving into a pile of tar. That steaming pile of black started moving on its own, then slithered away back into the room that glowed orange. The door slammed shut and the sound of laughter burst throughout the house.


    Jack was traumatized from witnessing the tragic scene, so much so that he just stared at the door. At first, he didn¡¯t say anything, not even by letting out a single breath, but then he broke out in laughter, as if he had completely fallen into the hands of insanity. He cried and laughed at the same time as he stood up, staring at the lifeless body of Angela dangling from the ceiling.


    The girl in the white dress walked out from the same room. She too laughed along with him, but her laughter was that of innocence, not insanity. Their laughter echoed out into the town streets and haunted the fog that was once gray, which now transformed into a misty black.


    She approached Jack and hugged him as he continued laughing while his eyes leaked profusely. Angela¡¯s corpse flunge towards Jack and her dead hands grabbed his throat. The fingers tightened around his neck and she began strangling him. He struggled to laugh, and as his eyes turned red, his life was being drained before him. He continued smiling like some broken soul who had finally accepted his fate.


    Jack slowly closed his eyes as he let out his last breath. The last thing he heard was a boy¡¯s voice calling him a ¡°helpless fool.¡± And then complete darkness surrounded him.


    He opened his eyes and saw that he was back in reality, gasping for air because he thought he was still being strangled. After regaining his strangled breath, his broken laughter returned, but he still had a corrupted smile. He saw the gray cold sky in his view and felt his back rub against a rough surface.


    Jack stood up and noticed he was on the ground. Not noticing how he was still smiling, Jack looked to his side and saw a frightened Angela huddled up in a corner. He let out one more deranged chuckle and stood to his feet, then approached her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong Angela?¡± Jack asked, with a terrifyingly calm smile that could haunt her dreams.


    She jumped out of her cowardness and embraced him while she cried her eyes out, trying to break her brother¡¯s awful curse. ¡°You were laughing in your sleep, and tried to hurt yourself!¡±


    She pulled out a sharp object that had his blood on it. Jack¡¯s broken smile faded. He was shocked. He grabbed the object, not noticing the cuts on his palms. Throwing it aside he held his sister as she cried, apologizing for what he¡¯d done.


    ¡°I am¡­ a helpless fool,¡± Jack said quietly beneath his breath.


    Jack was unaware of what happened to him in the real world, yet he knew what occurred in his dream. Thinking about this made him more scared of what might happen to him next. The thought alone left him shivering in complete and utter fear. Between his face being permanently shocked and Angela¡¯s muffled cries, Jack couldn¡¯t help but let out one last single chuckle, which left him tormented for the rest of the week.


    Weeks stormed by ever since that horrific nightmare Jack had experienced. He couldn¡¯t forget how much he¡¯d scared Angela, let alone being oblivious about harming himself. She even told him she¡¯d fought with him to get that object out of his hand as he did such madness to himself. In doing so, she¡¯d accidently pushed him away and caused him to fall on his back, which woke him up.


    Jack knew he was a piece of crap. He let his nightmares get the best of him, which was enough to go out of control and potentially hurt Angela. However, they were still in a horrible situation. Both children hadn¡¯t eaten anything for almost three days. Jack was surprised Angela had been so tough these past few weeks from experiencing that awful moment when he decided to lose himself.


    Poor girl. She¡¯s too young to mature this fast. I really wished I had a magic wand to give her a proper childhood and regain her lost memories of society.


    The cold was growing frosty by the day, and fall was finally here. They needed new clothes pronto. Both children walked along the sidewalk and passed a clothing store.


    Angela couldn¡¯t help herself but stop abruptly and glare happily through the window. ¡°Loo-Look! Brother, they¡¯re so pretty!¡±


    It was cute watching her being curious, so Jack suggested they should take a look inside. ¡°Let¡¯s see what future purchases we could claim. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a whole inventory of things you might love.¡±


    Her eyes glistened and she burst with excitement.


    ¡°Really?! Awesome. Let¡¯s go in!¡± She swarmed in first out of excitement, leaving Jack behind. He knew it would be a good way to take their minds off of their food crisis.


    They entered the store and Angela immediately went to the girls section to check what type of inventory they had. Jack chuckled. Just watching her be this happy was enough to keep him smiling.


    Jack walked over to the boys section to see what they had as well. He marveled at all the lovely clothes, which reminded him of his old life. Unfortunately, some things always came to an end, even to kids like them.


    Looking at the prices made him realize just how much his parents really loved him and how privileged his life was. The cost of the items was enough to make him shake his head. He never knew the prices were ridiculous.


    As Jack continued observing all the clothes that sparkled with beauty and smelled of home and comfort, the store owner came up to him with a smile.


    She was a nice lady who may have been in her forties. As soon as she was in front of him, she had an aroma of flowery perfume which was nice to the nose and had that aura of easing comfort.


    She patted his shoulder. ¡°Hello! How are you children today?¡± She then looked behind Jack and looked around. ¡°Oh, where are your parents¡¯ young one?¡±


    Knowing she would ask such a question, Jack had already prepared himself. ¡°Oh, well, it¡¯s a long story, but we don¡¯t have parents. Actually, we¡¯re homeless.¡± He pointed at Angela, who was examining every bit of clothing that caught her attention. ¡°That¡¯s my sister Angela and I¡¯m taking care of her myself.¡±


    The store clerk looked so sad after Jack had told her of their situation. She couldn¡¯t help herself but to hug him. ¡°You poor things! I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s been so rough. To think you¡¯re so mature for your ages. How awful!¡±


    Mmm, she smelled really good. She¡¯s so soft like a teddy bear.


    Jack didn¡¯t mind her hugging him because it reminded Jack of how both his mother and Carolyn used to do the same. He smiled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing really¡­ Sorry we¡¯re wasting your time, especially with how we don¡¯t have any money.¡±


    ¡°Angela, are you done with looking around?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± she shouted as she ran back to Jack with open arms. ¡°There¡¯s lots of pretty stuff here! Hopefully one day we can-can come back he-here!¡± Angela smiled and her eyes flashed with satisfaction.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± the store clerk shouted, because when she noticed Angela closely, she was traumatized by her adorableness. ¡°She¡¯s so adorable! I¡¯ve never seen a child this beautiful in my life!¡±


    The clerk wanted to touch Angela¡¯s hair, but Angela was afraid and hid behind Jack.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Uh, Angela¡¯s your name, right?¡±


    Jack patted Angela¡¯s head to ease her. ¡°She¡¯s a little shy. She¡¯s just not used to people yet.¡± He then explained to the clerk how anti-social Angela was and the reasoning behind it. Of course, he didn¡¯t tell her the truth, but he came up with a lie instead.


    ¡°Well, how about you two wait here and I¡¯ll take you guys somewhere to get some new clothes.¡± She smiled at them and they decided to stay until she was finished with her work.


    ¡°You heard that Angela? The nice clerk lady¡¯s going to purchase us some new clothes for winter!¡±


    She smiled and grabbed Jack¡¯s arm out of excitement. ¡°Yeah! I don¡¯t care where we get them, as lon-long as my brother¡¯s warm, then I¡¯ll be fine too!¡±


    They decided to take a seat on a couch the lady had near the front counter. Angela sat on Jack¡¯s lap and decided to take a power nap.


    Heck, why not! Jack thought. It was the most comfortable they¡¯d been since their time at the facility. He decided to take a nap as well to pass the time.


    After a couple hours, the nice lady woke them up and told them to wait outside the store for a brief moment.


    They both yawned, rubbed their eyes and got up. They headed out of the store to wait for her. Ten minutes passed by and at last the lady came out and locked her store. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve accompanied children.¡±


    That¡¯s a rather strange statement. She doesn¡¯t look old at all.


    ¡°Come along children! We¡¯re getting in my car,¡± the lady said.


    ¡°You know what cars are, right Angela?¡±


    ¡°Those moving stuff on wheels we always see, right?¡± She began making vroom noises and imitated cars with her hands. ¡°You explained them to me wh-when we esca¡ª¡±


    Jack covered her mouth and forced out a forced laugh.


    They got into the woman¡¯s car and it was so cool. Jack had never seen a car like hers before. Angela couldn¡¯t help herself and was wowed by the sight of it too. The car was big like a boat, a color of teal and had white fin strips, not to mention how it looked rather antique. But what made the car more visibly appealing to the eye was the chrome all across the car. Real chrome! Not the cheap imitation chrome used in most modern cars.


    ¡°What type of car is this? I¡¯ve never seen it before!¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Oh my. Well, it¡¯s a 1957 Chevy Bel Air. She¡¯s a beauty, isn¡¯t she.¡±


    ¡°It is! Wait, I can¡¯t sit in something this clean!¡± Jack exclaimed.


    He was so mesmerized by the car that it almost made him forget that he was a dirty hobo. ¡°Oh, mind my manners, but I think we¡¯re too dirty to sit on something so precious and clean.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said and gently patted his head. ¡°It¡¯s much easier to clean these types of cars than those modern ones.¡±


    She opened the passenger side door and Jack hopped inside feeling really excited. Angela jumped onto his lap and she too was still amazed.


    Jack thought to himself, This couldn¡¯t be Angela¡¯s first time in a car, right? He knew her memories were probably altered by Dr. Cato, but still.


    The woman looked really happy. She was so intrigued at how Angela was observing her entire vehicle.


    They put their seatbelts on and once she started the vehicle, the rumble of the engine was intense. Jack felt it vibrate through his body and the sound, he loved the sound it produced. It was rather relaxing to him and was like music to his ears.


    Angela was astounded, but Jack guessed she had really forgotten what it was like to be inside a vehicle.


    As they were driving along, Jack realized by looking out the window that the city was no better than Detroit after all. He wondered if all of Michigan was that bad.


    Seeing all these homeless people alongside the road and watching some of them act crazy reminded Jack of how different a life he had. He was mostly raised inside a loving home bigger than most of all these businesses and had clothes that were just as expensive as the ladies had displayed, which made him realize just how privileged he was, how truly privileged. The final nail to his realization was the fact that he could sleep soundly without any sense of danger, until that horrid night of course.


    After a smooth yet bumpy ride, they arrived at another clothing store. It looked much different than the one the lady owned, but Jack didn¡¯t mind it. As long as they both got the necessary clothing they needed, Jack knew they should be fine.


    They got out of the car and headed inside the store. It was a rather strange store because Jack had never seen anything like it before. There was a bunch of clothing sections and furniture that was rather dusty, with random electronics as well as toys.


    Angela headed off to a section where they had some pretty ancient televisions. ¡°Brother!¡± she called out.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming Angela! Give me a second,¡± Jack replied.


    He walked over and saw her staring at the TV that was on. She looked amazed and surprised. ¡°Bro, what¡¯s this? It has static, yet pretty pictures!¡±


    ¡°Oh! It¡¯s an old television? Wait¡­ What?! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never seen one before?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I haven¡¯t? We-Well I don¡¯t recall ev-ever seeing one.¡± Angela looked confused and scratched her head.


    The lady called them over and they headed towards her direction. She showed them clothing that she¡¯d picked out for the two. She got Angela a hoodie warm enough to keep her from getting any chills and she also got Angela a scarf, including a bookbag. She got Jack a jacket and beanie.


    ¡°Thank you for everything that you¡¯ve done for us,¡± Jack said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem at all,¡± she said, while also giving the children some boots just in case the weather turned for the worse.


    Jack felt horrible how they were wasting her money, but she didn¡¯t mind. He couldn¡¯t help himself, so he gave her a hug of gratitude. Angela also gave her one, which made the lady look even happier.


    As they exited the store, Jack said to the lady, ¡°We need to get going before it gets too dark.¡±


    She understood and pulled out her wallet, surprising them even more because she gave the children thirty dollars.


    Jack gasped, then gave her another hug. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± he whispered in her ear.


    ¡°Thank you kindly,¡± Angela said to the old woman.


    The woman was more than happy to help out. ¡°Not a problem little ones. I love helping children, especially those in need.¡±


    Jack let go of her and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re an amazing person. I¡¯ll never forget you.¡±


    ¡°Me too!¡± Angela said as well.


    The nice lady smiled wholesomely. ¡°You two be careful and make sure not to get into any danger.¡± Both Angela and Jack gave her one final hug and started walking away.


    As the children left, they waved goodbye to the nice lady. She waved back at them with a beautiful smile too. Jack had forgotten that not everyone was a piece of crap or evil, but there were also some good folks out there as well. He was glad Angela got to experience someone as generous as her.

 Arc 1 Chapter 16: A New Friend

    It has been about three weeks since their encounter with the woman. They were broke, hungry and lost again. Fall was getting colder and colder, the leaves were falling off the trees, the smell of pumpkin spice lingered in the air, and the colors of the leaves changed to brown and orange.


    Angela hadn¡¯t seen anything like this. Everywhere they walked to she just couldn¡¯t help herself but observe every small detail. If she was this amazed at the fall season, then Jack had to prepare himself for winter. He had no idea how excited and curious she would be.


    They walked the entire day like how they usually did. As they walked, Jack spotted a park and tried to get Angela¡¯s attention, but it was of no use. She was distracted by the group of students entering a school bus.


    ¡°Hey brother,¡± Angela asked.


    Jack panned his attention to what Angela was staring at. ¡°What is it sis?¡±


    She pointed at the kids. ¡°Why are those kids getting inside that big yellow car?¡±


    Jack looked at Angela and laughed. ¡°That¡¯s not a car silly. That¡¯s a school bus.¡±


    ¡°Sch-School bus?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re heading off to school.¡±


    ¡°What do you do in school, brother?¡±


    ¡°You learn lots of new stuff like uhh, history, math, reading and art!¡±


    ¡°Art?!¡± Angela shouted, with sparkles in her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, art and many more!¡±


    Her eyes vibrated out of curiosity and excitement. ¡°Can I go to school?¡±


    Jack chuckled and patted Angela¡¯s head. ¡°Sure! Maybe someday when everything¡¯s settled.¡±


    Angela grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes. ¡°You promise!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t really want to tell her the side effects of going to school, especially when dealing with jerks. But he also didn¡¯t want to tell her that there was no way in hell she could go to school in their current state. Even if they did have a future, he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d even let or allow her to go to school.


    Jack sighed. ¡°Okay, I promise.¡±


    Angela smiled profusely while Jack, on the other hand, had his fingers crossed behind his back so Angela wouldn¡¯t notice that he¡¯d lied to her. She jumped around and hugged Jack out of excitement. He felt it was bad that he couldn¡¯t act the same way as her right now.


    ¡°Would you like to enter the park?¡± Jack asked.


    She nodded, showing she was, of course, down for it.


    Both Angela and Jack were headed towards the park in the gray Michigan afternoon. As they walked towards it, Angela¡¯s feet started to hurt and Jack noticed she was mildly limping. Jack decided to pick up the pace so she could sit down and relax.


    There has to be benches inside this park. Every park has benches. Angela¡¯s feet are dying, and to be honest, so are mine.


    They arrived and caught their breath momentarily. After doing so they went inside and it was empty. There was barely anyone around. Angela and Jack sat on a bench to regain their stamina fully after walking all morning due to their feet murdering them. They watched the leaves fall off the trees, while the cold wind blew them away past their feet.


    ¡°This takes me back,¡± Jack randomly said.


    Angela looked at him. ¡°How so, brother?¡±


    Jack wrapped his arm around Angela and leaned on her. ¡°My friend Annabelle loves the fall. Out of all the friends I had, she¡¯s the one I cared about the most.¡± Angela¡¯s face became empty immediately. Jack laughed at her and rubbed her head. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re getting jealous of someone else you haven¡¯t met?¡±


    Jack noticed her eerily, empty looking eyes. She leaned in closer to him, which freaked Jack out.


    ¡°This Anna person must be that special to you, huh?¡± Her voice sounded different and monotone. She tilted her head very strangely too.


    ¡°Of course, she¡¯s my best friend. I¡¯ve known her since I was a baby. I have another best friend too! Her name¡¯s Veronica. If we do meet them, don¡¯t tell her that I said that about Anna. Anna told me she gets jealous really easily.¡±


    ¡°Do you like Anna more than¡­ just a friend?¡± Angela asked, with a serious tone to her voice.


    ¡°What do you mean? I mean, I like her as a friend. No more than that. Hmm? You know¡­¡±


    Now that Jack thought about it¡­ What was after liking a friend more? Did you love them like you do with your parents? If that was the case, then yes he did, but he didn¡¯t fully understand all these different concepts of like or love that everyone else kept teasing him about.


    ¡°How about Veronica?¡± she asked, her tone growing fiercer. The wind grew slightly stronger and blew more leaves towards their direction.


    Jack, being oblivious to his surroundings, was too focused on his current thinking about the concept of liking someone. ¡°Hmm, she¡¯s my best friend too, but sometimes I do feel fuzzy inside when I¡¯m with her. Although that was the same with Anna, even then I can¡¯t explain that feeling.¡±


    As Angela stared off into the distance, a couple of crows landed on some naked trees and cawed softly. Her eyes were empty and her hand clinged onto Jack¡¯s. She then spoke in a voice familiar to that within Jack¡¯s nightmares. ¡°Then how about Sarah?¡±


    Jack quickly took his arm off of Angela. His face changed quickly from thinking with a smile to a shocked look of white. He began to sweat and got a little nervous. ¡°How¡­ How do you know who Sarah is?¡±


    Angela sat in silence with an expressionless face. Her eyes faded with emptiness and the scent of anger coming off her was evident because she was clenching her pants. Jack grabbed Angela¡¯s shoulders and shook her to make her snap out of it. She started growing a nasty grin and it had serious vibes of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Jack shook her more and finally Angela returned to reality, blinking rapidly and looking around, seeming rather lost. Her eyes that were empty gems without their shine only moments ago were suddenly sparkling back with life. Not only that, but she seemed completely oblivious to her surroundings as if she didn¡¯t understand why she was there in the first place.


    She rubbed her head. ¡°Ugh, my head hurts, brother.¡±


    ¡°How do you know Sarah without me mentioning her name?¡± Jack asked in a fierce tone.


    Angela looked confused and lost. ¡°I can¡¯t remember what happened after we sat down on the bench. I just blacked out.¡±


    Jack got a little irritated and upset. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d done this. She said all their names in her sleep and that drawing she¡¯d shown him that also looked like them. Now she mentioned Sarah¡¯s name in mid conversation without him mentioning her. And now she couldn¡¯t remember their conversation they had just five minutes ago. It was frustrating Jack to no end.


    Angela noticed Jack¡¯s eyes quivering in slight anger. ¡°Brother¡­ are you okay? You seem upset?¡± Her eyes started to water. ¡°It¡¯s because of me huh?¡±


    Jack noticed her leaking eyes and quickly changed his attitude, hugging her to erase her guilt. ¡°No, of course not! I¡¯m just mad at myself for not getting you food. That¡¯s all.¡±


    She wrapped her arms around him and clinched onto him. ¡°Don¡¯t ever leave me, brother! Please don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t Angela! Don¡¯t ever think that, okay.¡±


    Angela wiped her tears and smiled. Jack smiled back and he heard her stomach growl.


    Damn! How am I supposed to get us food now?


    Jack sat back down and began to think, but he wasn¡¯t too sure what he needed to do, however, he did have one idea though. He really hated the idea but if they needed food, then he had no other choice. By doing what he was thinking, then it would break his code in regards to becoming a detective in the future and all the codes he¡¯d lived by. He had no other choice but to steal food again. If he did this, he would become what he hated¡­ a criminal.


    The children both got up off of the bench and were in search of food. Heading out of the empty park and into the street, the first thing that came across their little minds was to potentially steal food off of people who were either dining outside or eating something to then be oblivious to their surroundings. Angela, of course, didn¡¯t want to take part in any of that. She felt that doing such a heinous act would most likely endanger them. Jack couldn¡¯t agree more to that assumption, so they both sighed and proceeded to go forward in search of something else.


    They walked for another ten minutes and managed to find a gas station. Jack stood there thinking of something. A grin grew on his face. He turned to Angela and told her of the idea he¡¯d just come up with. He made sure he¡¯d planned everything out and hoped that Angela was a good actor. He retold Angela his plan before they headed inside. She listened and understood her role.


    ¡°You ready, Angela?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m ready!¡± Angela, for some odd reason, was really excited and determined.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go inside and get us some food.¡± Jack smiled and felt his heart pounding, even if he was excited.


    They both parted ways and each of them walked inside. After all, it was all according to Jack¡¯s plan. He pretended to look around and made it seem like he was interested in buying something. Angela walked over towards all the drinks and freezers, then continued to do her part. Jack waited for his cue to take as much stuff his bag could handle.


    After two minutes, Jack heard glass shatter on the ground. The store owner quickly came out of the counter and confronted Angela.


    ¡°Hey! Are you okay?¡± the store clerk asked.


    Angela had tears streaming down her face. ¡°I did-didn¡¯t me-mean to!¡±


    The owner began to panic and tried comforting Angela. ¡°It¡¯s okay! Everyone makes mistakes. Wait here and as soon as I come back, I¡¯ll give you a lollipop, okay?¡±


    Angela nodded and the store clerk quickly went out the back to get a broom and clean up the mess. Angela sneezed and that was Jack¡¯s cue. He quickly grabbed bags of chips, jerky, some drinks, and finally a couple of candy bars. He tried grabbing a bit more, but the owner came back and spotted him.


    ¡°Hey you little shit! Stop right there!¡± he shouted.


    Jack quickly ran and headed towards the entrance. As he was leaving, he knocked over a shelf full of random stuff to slow the store clerk down. It worked and Jack made his way outside, running as fast as he could to the back of the building.


    The store clerk eventually rushed outside and was agitated. He cursed heavily and punched the air out of anger, then walked back into the store.


    Ohoho man! That felt exhilarating! The adrenaline going through my body was astonishing! Who knew doing stuff like this was exciting!


    While waiting for Angela, Jack felt someone¡¯s hand on his shoulder. He turned around and it was a girl. She appeared to be a little bit older than what he was, and her hair was long. Jack found her to be really pretty.


    ¡°Not bad, but I think you could have done better,¡± the girl said, then smiled while raising a finger with one hand on her hip.


    Her eyes were light brown and her skin was just like Jack¡¯s, but a little lighter. He had suspicions about her, so he prepared himself for anything.


    ¡°Is that so? Well, are you going to rat us out?¡±


    ¡°No silly!¡± She laughed. ¡°You must be homeless, or just a delinquent to pull that stunt off!¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re right about me being homeless. Who are you?¡±


    The girl smiled and wrapped her arms around Jack as if they were pals. ¡°My name¡¯s, well, we don¡¯t know each other but people call me The Snatcher! So you can just call me Snatch.¡±


    Jack looked at her arm that was around his neck. It was scarred and had bruises. He figured it might not be best to ask about her arms, because it was probably a personal thing.


    ¡°Okay, uhm, my name¡¯s Jack. How old are you? And are you homeless too?¡±


    ¡°Woah! Slow down there, we¡¯ve only just met and you¡¯re asking this much from a girl.¡± She poked his cheek, breaking out an annoyed vein out of Jack¡¯s forehead. ¡°You¡¯re quite a bold man! Well Jack! Yes I¡¯m homeless as well and I¡¯m thirteen. You must be my age too, especially if you¡¯re a little taller than me.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Actually I¡¯m eleven. I¡¯ll be turning twelve in a couple months.¡±


    Snatch¡¯s mouth dropped out in shock. ¡°You¡¯re eleven!¡± She backed away, getting a better look at Jack. ¡°Goodness, you¡¯re pretty tall for an eleven year old, and you don¡¯t even look eleven either! Wow, you amaze me Jack!¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Thanks for the compliment I guess.¡±


    They continued to have a fun conversation until Angela tapped his shoulder. He turned around and congratulated her on her acting. She blushed and felt proud of herself, but then she turned her attention to Snatch.


    ¡°Brother, who¡¯s that girl?¡± Angela asked rudely.


    ¡°Heyyy! What¡¯s with that cold look on your face?¡± Snatch wrapped an arm around Jack¡¯s neck, bringing out what Jack thought Angela would never do, which was a twitchy eye. ¡°What, don¡¯t like your precious brother getting flirted on by other pretty girls?¡± Snatch laughed and gripped Jack¡¯s cheeks.


    Jack gently pushed her hands away. ¡°I just met her, and her name¡¯s Snatch.¡± He looked at Angela and again her eyes were empty like how they were in the park. ¡°Snatch, this is my sister, Angela.¡±


    "Nice to meet you Angela!¡± She put her hand out, but Angela left her hanging. ¡°I don¡¯t bite. So please, let¡¯s be friends.¡±


    Jack noticed Angela¡¯s fists were clenched, so he butted in to calm her down. ¡°Where are you staying, Snatch?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really stay at a certain place but if I had to say¡­¡± She pointed a finger at a huge bridge. ¡°I mostly stay around the bridge area where the other homeless are.¡±


    From what Jack could see, it looked alright. But if he were to be honest, it looked decent from a distance so it probably looked worse when closer to it.


    ¡°I guess Angela and I can make ourselves home there.¡± Jack walked beside Angela and held her hand. ¡°What do you say, Angela?¡±


    Angela kept staring at Snatch with that cold stare of hers. Snatch started to feel uncomfortable and hid behind Jack. He snapped his fingers near Angela¡¯s face to snap her out of it. She quickly came to her senses.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. And yes brother, I¡¯m glad!¡±


    ¡°You scared me Angie! Don¡¯t look at me like that. It almost seems like you wanna kill me!¡± Snatch sighed with relief. ¡°What¡¯s your situation like?¡±


    Angela responded to her new nickname given by Snatch in a rather cruel reply. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Angie, you dirty bum!¡±


    Wow, Jack had no clue she could be that cruel let alone say such offensive words, yet he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Snatch slammed a hand over her chest and leaned against Jack as she laughed and they began walking together.


    They made up a story so Snatch wouldn¡¯t find out the actual reason, just in case they were still being searched by any law enforcement tied with Dr. Cato. She was convinced of their story and felt sorry. She demanded them to follow her and they obliged to her demands, acting like she was an evil king forcing their slaves to follow their master. She giggled and played along, then held their hands so they could walk together as a group. Angela quickly rejected her and clinged onto Jack¡¯s arm instead. She sighed and giggled afterward.


    They walked around for a while, and Snatch showed them more than what they could handle. Jack had no idea it was that bad in the city. Looking at all those faces full of regret and despair made him feel uneasy, especially when looking at those kids who made him feel depressed. Some of them even did drugs, the really bad drugs.


    Snatch explained that a lot of the homeless children were born as addicts. Jack thought about how awful it all was. The fact that they¡¯d never have a future made him want to cry. But he couldn¡¯t.


    Jack looked over at Angela who was observing a toy store, and wondered if eventually they would head down the same horrific path by not having a future, becoming addicts, or worse, dead.


    Snatch patted Jack¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, I¡¯ve been homeless for five years and I¡¯m still alive.¡±


    That did make him smile a little. He thought that maybe she was right. If she was able to survive this long, then both him and Angela could survive as well and for certainty, they would both have a brighter future.


    At last, they arrived at the place where the rest of the homeless lived. It was beneath a highway overpass, and the smell wasn¡¯t pleasant at all. They looked around and found an empty area near the corner and decided to call it their new temporary home. It was further away from the rest of the homeless and didn¡¯t smell as bad. The best thing about the spot was how it was already built.


    ¡°The person who used to live here recently died of a drug overdose,¡± Snatch said to Jack.


    Overdose huh?


    Hearing that word reminded Jack of how Dr. Cato called him a damned druggy. Well, he was wrong and Jack would prove him wrong. Angela¡¯s face still bothered him though, she still looked upset.


    Jack grabbed her hand. ¡°Angela? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t hear what he had just said. Her eyes were too focused on Snatch, staring blankly at her while Snatch¡¯s attention was on someone else. ¡°It¡¯s nothing Jack," she finally replied, but in a very monotone voice.


    Jack? She rarely called him by his name, yet it made him raise a brow. He wondered what had gotten into her.


    ¡°Are you mad at me, Angela?¡± Jack asked out of worry.


    Her face quickly changed and she appeared to be back to normal, yet confused. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m hungry, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, if that¡¯s the case then, hold up, give me a second.¡± Jack reached into his bag and grabbed something for Angela. ¡°Here. Have you ever had chocolate before?¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes glistened the moment she laid her sights on the silver wrapping. ¡°What does it taste like, brother?!¡±


    ¡°Try it yourself.¡± Jack opened it and pulled down the wrapping, exposing its shiny, brown deliciousness. ¡°Trust me, you won¡¯t regret it.¡± He placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled.


    She unwrapped the candy bar halfway and took a bite. Her eyes shone with joy as she devoured the candy bar. Jack laughed because of how adorable she looked. ¡°It was good, huh Angela.¡±


    Angela nodded with a smothered chocolate mouth. Jack grabbed a napkin from inside his backpack and wiped her face.


    She leaned on him, then thanked him for the chocolate. ¡°Can I have another, please brother.¡±


    Jack grabbed two of them and gave her one. ¡°Sure, knock yourself out, sis.¡± She took it, proceeded to unwrap it and chowed down.


    Jack kept one for himself and took a bite into it. They both ate their chocolate bars and smiled the entire time. Jack guessed that all she needed was a little bit of sugar and boom, she was all better now.


    Meanwhile, night was slowly approaching. They both headed inside the makeshift shack. Jack set out the blankets and laid down, while Angela laid next to him and wrapped her arms around him. Angela quickly fell asleep.


    Snatch came inside a bit afterwards. She seemed a little tired and her eyes were a tad red from Jack¡¯s guess of being tired. She yawned, which basically answered his assumption, and sat down next to him. ¡°Yo Jack! I have a question to ask you.¡±


    Jack looked at her. ¡°What is it, Snatch?¡±


    She looked at Angela, who was sleeping deeply in his arms. ¡°What¡¯s up with your sister? Why does she keep eyeing me with a ¡®Imma kill you¡¯ type eyes.¡± She imitated Angela¡¯s blank cold stare in an amusing manner. ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s creeping me out!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the impression she¡¯d just made. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe she¡¯s still not used to me talking with other people. She¡¯s very anti-social, and she also has extreme anxiety.¡±


    She smiled all smug-like, hovering a hand over her mouth while raising a brow.¡± Or maybe she¡¯s the jealous type and doesn¡¯t want her big handsome brother talking to other girls.¡± She giggled and placed a hand on Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay I¡¯m joking! Say, you¡¯re very brave.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    She lay back and stared at the wooden ceiling. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re willing to go that far just to feed your sister amazed me. It showed me there¡¯s still good people out there, even if they do break the law just to support the ones they love.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose, but¡­¡± Jack let out a deep sigh. ¡°I promised someone that I¡¯ll take care of her. Although, for some odd reason¡­¡± He gently patted Angela. She grabbed his hand as she slept. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to give my life to protect hers.¡±


    Snatch smiled and turned to her side. ¡°Goodnight Jack.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight to you too, Snatch.¡± He yawned.


    Jack was glad he¡¯d met Snatch. She was really cool and chilled, which reminded him so much of Anna. He sighed out of sadness. He missed his friends, but at least he was making new ones that were just as cool as them.


    His smile quickly went upside down and the thought of Veronica came to him. He still couldn¡¯t forgive himself for what he did to her. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep and thought that if he¡¯d ever see her again he could apologize for everything he¡¯d done to hurt her.


    The following day Snatch, Angela and Jack walked around the park and observed their surroundings.


    ¡°Why are we doing such a silly task?¡± Jack asked Snatch.


    ¡°It¡¯s for something special or rather, waiting for that special thing,¡± Snatch said rather cryptically.


    Both Angela and Jack were confused and had no clue what she was insisting on doing. They looked at each other and shrugged.


    Snatch grabbed their attention. ¡°You should hide behind a big tree.¡±


    They both ran to the tree she pointed at and hid behind it. Angela seemed annoyed and bored already, but Jack tried to make the situation fun by acting like a fool. First he tried making funny faces. It worked a little, but she diverted her attention back at Snatch¡¯s direction, eyeing her like prey. Jack had something else in mind and it was a move he liked to call ¡®The praying mantis¡¯ in which he acted like the bug itself.


    Acting like a bug eyed karate readied insect definitely did the trick. It cheered her up for a moment, but as soon as she heard Snatch¡¯s voice shouting at them, she got annoyed again.


    Jack shrugged. ¡°Oh well, at least I tried.¡±


    He looked to the side of the tree and saw Snatch running towards them with something square in her hands. She made it behind the tree, then slowed down and caught her breath. Both Angela and Jack were left confused, but when she did catch her shortened breath, she quickly handed Angela a box.


    ¡°Quick Angela, run away with the box,¡± Snatch said.


    Angela refused at first and was about to drop the mysterious square of cardboard until Jack noticed Snatch¡¯s really frantic eyes. He nodded to Angela, letting her know to go ahead and dash away. She sighed and made a run for it.


    Once Angela was gone, Jack closed the distance between Snatch and himself. ¡°Uhh? Snatch, what¡¯s in the box?¡± he asked nervously.


    She wiped her forehead and smiled. ¡°Phew! Oh¡­ well, it was a box full of twinkies.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get such a box?¡± Jack leaned closer to her with a raised brow. ¡°If I may ask, friend?¡±


    She laughed sarcastically. ¡°I grabbed it from that truck over there. Duh!¡± She pointed at the direction where the truck was located. ¡°That¡¯s why I was super observant checking where the truck would park.¡± She nodded proudly, clearly feeling full of herself.


    ¡°Ahh that makes sense, I guess? By the way Snatch, does the driver know you stole that box?¡± Jack crossed his arms and she brought a stop to her own self complementary.


    She jumped a bit to hide more of her suspicion, then forced a smile to hide her guilt. Jack gave her a look of annoyance. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you actually stole it? I was just joking about saying that.¡±


    She chuckled nervously, tapping her index fingers in a cute manner. ¡°Well you see, what happened was¡­¡±


    She nervously played with her fingers, but in the distance, they heard a man yelling out in anger. Snatch patted his shoulder and ran towards a group of men, picked up a rock, then threw one at them. It hit one of the guys right on the head and they all quickly turned around to yell at Snatch, demanding who threw that rock.


    She pointed at the driver of the truck and they all ran towards him. She turned around and smiled all smug-like, giving Jack a thumbs up. He groaned out of relief, but it still felt like d¨¦j¨¤ vu was sneaking up on them.


    Jack gave her an unmotivated thumbs up as well, but as soon as she turned around, one of the guys grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against a tree close by. He was furious. Not long after, his friends joined him as well as the truck driver. They all laughed at her and screamed in her face.


    ¡°You thought you was smart? Huh, you lil bitch?!¡± the man in a long white shirt said.


    ¡°Man! We wasting our time with this lil hoe. Let¡¯s just go man,¡± said another.


    The truck driver got in front of them. ¡°Nuh uh, this little bitch stole a box out of my truck and Imma make sure I get that box back! Let the bitch go.¡±


    The man let go but as soon as he did, she tried to run away. However, one of the guys kneed her stomach the moment she was about to run past one of them.


    Snatch made a loud pained sound and quickly dropped to the ground, groaning as she held her stomach. Jack got furious and couldn¡¯t help but see her get beat up by such a bunch of lowlifes. He sprinted towards her but as he sprinted he felt something stopping him. He looked around and saw no one.


    Why did I stop dead in my tracks?


    Once again, Jack sprinted and saw the men kicking her and the truck driver, demanding the whereabouts of his box. Jack was close but again, he stopped. He couldn¡¯t move a muscle. It felt as if someone had wrapped him in a thick plastic wrap, forcing him to stay in place. All he could do was watch Snatch get beaten.


    Then a voice Jack hadn¡¯t heard in a while spoke to him. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Jack. You belong to me!¡±


    ¡°Wh-Who and what? Hold up¡­ you¡¯re the girl, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jack frantically looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen.


    She was breathing heavily out of slight rage. ¡°You-You promised! You said you would devote yourself to me! You liar¡­ You liar!¡± she shouted with a sadden but raged tone.


    Jack clenched his fists and tried raising them. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not letting you stop me from saving my new friend! Can you please just shut up!¡±


    The girl moaned out of frustration. ¡°You jerk¡­ I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll be punished.¡±


    Jack managed to raise his arms and felt his muscles communicate with him. ¡°What was all that about? Whatever, I have to save Snatch!¡± Jack then started his heroic run towards her.


    One of the guys grabbed her by her hair and pointed the edge of a knife towards her neck. She opened her eyes and looked at Jack. She tried reaching out to cry for help, but she was too badly beaten to lift an arm. She began crying, which made Jack even more enraged than before. He finally snapped.


    Jack rushed into their circle and pushed the guy who had her by her hair. ¡°Leave her alone!!¡± he shouted. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you people?¡±


    They all looked at each other and laughed. ¡°Man, look at this fool!¡±


    ¡°What is it, lil man? Is this your hoe? Or are you trying to play the hero to get some pussy?¡± The man who was beating her the most waved the knife around with Snatch still in his grasp, trying to scare him.


    ¡°Man, I told ya we need to dip! We¡¯re grabbing too much attention y¡¯all!¡±


    He sighed, smiled and stared at Jack, continuing to flail the knife around. ¡°Right. We¡¯ll leave in a bit after we beat this fool¡¯s ass!¡±


    The truck driver walked up behind Jack and placed his hand on Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Listen little man, this ain¡¯t your business okay? She stole something from me and now she¡¯s paying for it. So move along and forget you ever saw this whole mess.¡±


    That man who Jack was staring at seemed familiar. But Jack wasn¡¯t sure where he¡¯d seen him before. Although, the clothes he wore, his voice, and wretched twisted face, it finally struck him. Jack remembered. He was the guy who bullied Jack and tried to steal his money a week ago.


    Jack started to tremble. The men noticed and approached the boy slowly. Jack backed up and clenched his teeth. ¡°I-I remember you!¡±


    At first, the man was confused at what Jack had said. He gripped his chin and remembered who Jack was. ¡°Ayy!! You¡¯re that lil punk I tried punking out of his money, but your dumbass wouldn¡¯t let me, and I almost got my ass whooped by some other guys!¡±


    He laughed and his boys laughed along.


    ¡°You came back to get your ass whooped now, right? Shit, you think I¡¯ll forget you lil homie?¡± He dropped Snatch, kicked her, and pounded his closed fist against his palm while giving Jack a sadistic look. ¡°Time to repay your debt!¡±


    The man walked up to Jack, but the boy was ready for his next move, or so he thought, because the man punched Jack¡¯s stomach with everything he had. Jack gagged and slowly dropped to his knees.


    ¡°That hurts, doesn¡¯t it!?¡± the man said, then continued to laugh as Jack groaned in pain.


    ¡°Hel-Help! Why are you ju-just standing there?!¡±


    ¡°Well shit, it¡¯s your fault kid for getting involved in this mess, so I¡¯m not getting myself in your hullabaloo.¡±


    The guy punched Jack again. He fell on the ground in front of the driver. He looked up and spat at his shoes. ¡°Asshole!¡± The guy behind Jack had his knife ready.


    The driver said, ¡°Alright, I think that¡¯s enough.¡± But the bully walked with his chest puffed out and bumped the driver¡¯s chest, getting in his face and called him a ¡°Dumbass hypocrite!¡± for taking part of Snatch¡¯s beating.


    As they both continued arguing, his boys just stood aside and laughed at the whole stupid ordeal while Jack came up with a retaliation in his angered mind. He took the opportunity to sneak up to the guy and snatched his knife out of his hand. The man immediately got startled and tried to get the knife back from Jack. As the man approached the boy, Jack¡¯s mind flooded with the haunted memories of his parents getting killed in front of him.


    He realized that the knife in his hands was a reminiscence of his past, and yet¡­ It felt so comfortable. The feeling of safety was roaring, and the familiar feeling of bloodlust returned to his senses. Jack¡¯s mind was red and full of rage. He couldn¡¯t take it any longer.


    Jack held the knife with both hands, readying himself for the scum. If he wanted to protect the people he loved, then he had to fend off any obstacles that got in his way, like these pieces of shit before him.


    He tightened his grip on the knife¡¯s handle even more. The feeling of being a helpless boy flooded through him once again. He didn¡¯t want to let this feeling overtake him like it did when his parents were killed. If he had to throw away everything he believed in, then so be it. He had to use lethal force no matter what.


    One of the man¡¯s boys put his hand around Jack¡¯s neck and tried grabbing the knife, but as soon as he reached for it, Jack yelled, ¡°You¡¯re nothing but trash!¡±


    Jack then sliced the arm around his neck. The man let go, screaming. The bully tried going for Jack head on, but Jack spat at his incoming face. The scum stopped, then used one hand to wipe the spit off, which dropped his guard and gave Jack the opportunity for an opening. He took that opportunity and drove the knife into the man¡¯s chest.


    Blood shot out between the blade and his flesh. The man gagged out blood and fell backwards. All his boys, especially the one who was hurt too, immediately bounced and left the scene. The truck driver pulled out his phone and dialled 911.


    Jack then continued driving the knife into the man¡¯s chest as he screamed in agony. He didn¡¯t realize the corrupted smile that slowly grew across his face. The man noticed and the image of his detested smile made him realize true fear.


    After a minute or two, Jack finally stopped himself and let go of the knife, leaving it impaled in the man¡¯s chest. He saw Snatch laying on the ground still in pain. He rushed to her side, checking if she was still breathing.


    ¡°You better stay where you are, you lil psycho!¡± the driver yelled.


    Hearing him call Jack a psycho triggered him. Jack flipped him off angrily. ¡°Screw you, you piece of crap!¡± He grabbed a nearby rock and threw it at him, then ran off towards Snatch.


    He quickly picked her up and carried her piggyback style. He was pissed and continued yelling, while running as fast as he could. However, he found that having Snatch on his back was really tiring.


    Jack could hear the man he stabbed moaning in pain from a distance. He could also hear him yelling about wanting blood, Jack¡¯s blood!


    Somehow, he sounded so enraged yet afraid. But Jack couldn¡¯t care less about what the scummy bully felt about him. He needed to keep running to get Snatch out of there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back Jack, you¡¯ve got no choice! It was either get beaten to a pulp, or worse!¡± Jack said in a worried tone to himself.


    He felt all this adrenaline go through his body. For Jack, it felt¡­ amazing again. He was enjoying this¡­ or did he actually like stabbing that guy?


    Snatch felt her body become weightless, and thought she was dead until she opened her eyes. She was coming back from unconsciousness. ¡°J-Jack?¡± Snatched whispered painfully.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Are you okay?¡± Jack stopped for a second, placing Snatch on a bench close by to lay her down. ¡°Do you need a doctor?¡±


    Snatch grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and squeezed it tightly. ¡°Yo-You saved me?¡±


    Her eyes were puffed, her face absolutely bruised and beaten, with blood dripping out of her nose and mouth. She looked up and was about to cry.


    ¡°Why would you save someone like me? We¡¯ve only known each other for two days? Yet¡­ you risked your life to save mine? Why?¡± She then began to whimper slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? I guess it¡¯s just instinct.¡± Jack smiled and held her against his chest, letting her hear his beating heart. ¡°It¡¯s what friends do, right? They look out for one another. Besides, I already consider you a friend.¡±


    Snatch looked up into his eyes and smiled. ¡°So we¡¯re friends?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re friends! Let¡¯s do our best to survive together as a group. It¡¯ll take time for Angela to get used to you, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get along in no time.¡± Jack took out a rag and wiped her face stained with blood and tears.


    ¡°Tha-Thank you, Jack.¡± She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.


    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s do our best to survive. Together, as friends!¡± Jack tightened his hold on her, returning her kind gesture. They both smiled and laughed.


    He picked her up, then carried her back to where Angela was awaiting them at the place where they were supposed to originally meet up. Angela immediately came up to Jack and hugged him, relieved to see that nothing had happened to him. But then she noticed he was carrying Snatch on his back and she gave Snatch that awful look again.


    Snatch wasn¡¯t bothered by it any longer since Jack had mentioned they were a group and should get along. Jack explained to Angela that they should start heading back to their new home before it got dark. She listened and headed back to the underpass.


    After they got back, Jack needed a long nap because carrying Snatch was a hell of a workout for him. From that day forward, he swore he¡¯d protect Snatch and Angela. No matter how ruthless he had to be, he had to throw away everything he believed in.

 Arc 1 Chapter 17: Similarly Different

    A month passed by and it was getting colder and colder by the day. Snatch and Jack had gotten along so well, more than he thought they would. Angela, on the other hand, still hadn¡¯t gotten along with her. Not even the slightest signs of growth was showing in their relationship, but at least Angela tolerated Snatch¡¯s presence now, somewhat.


    They¡¯d done a lot for their new little home. They had a decent amount of food, mostly from them stealing it from various locations. Angela had gotten much better with her social skills and rarely stuttered, but she still didn¡¯t talk to anyone else. It was almost December and they had to prepare for the winter snow. Jack knew that would definitely test how much they¡¯d progressed in their survivability.


    ¡°Hey Jack! We¡¯re running low on firewood. Can you get us some more?!¡± Snatch shouted as she continued organizing their supplies.


    Jack grabbed his bag and put it on. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be back! Don¡¯t wait too long for me ladies!¡± He headed out and began walking towards the park to get more twigs and wood to keep the fire going.


    Angela waved goodbye as Jack left. Shortly after, Snatch finished organizing everything and sat next to Angela. She tried saying ¡°Hi!¡±, but the little girl ignored her.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like me Angela? Still jealous that I¡¯m taking your bro away from you or something?¡± She giggled and poked Angela¡¯s cheek, intentionally provoking her.


    Angela quickly slapped her hand away. ¡°Please don¡¯t touch me. I don¡¯t like being touched.¡±


    Snatch grabbed her hand, then sighed. ¡°Sorry, just trying to start a conversation.¡±


    It was a little awkward for a moment, with neither of them saying a single word. The only sound produced was that of the fire¡¯s crackling.


    Snatch scratched her head and turned to Angela again. ¡°Say Angela, how much do you love your brother?¡±


    Angela turned to Snatch with that cold blank stare of hers and seemed annoyed. She didn¡¯t answer her question at first but after an intense stare off between the two, she bit the bullet and answered her question.


    ¡°He¡¯s all th-that I got, and if anyone tries to take him away¡­¡± She stopped, letting the eerie wind whoosh its ghostly howl through the gaps between the wood. The fire continued to struggle for survival as it crackled to stay lit.


    Angela turned to the struggling fire and stared into its dimmed flames. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than be alone again.¡± Angela grabbed a single stick nearby, breaking it into two and threw it into the dying fire.


    Snatch¡¯s eyes expanded slightly. Hearing that from someone Angela¡¯s age made her feel really bad. She looked into the fire as well, watching those sticks Angela threw burn to a crisp to help the poor flame stay alive.


    ¡°You¡¯re how old again?¡± Snatch hugged her knees as her eyes quivered. ¡°To think someone your age thinks this way¡­ it saddens me.¡±


    A single tear dripped out of her eye and ran down her cheek. She sniffled and wiped her eyes. ¡°Trust me Angela, no one¡¯s going to take him away. They¡¯ll have to go through us if they want him. He¡¯s too great to be killed by anyone.¡±


    Angela gasped slightly. That brought some joy into her. For once she was getting along with Snatch and didn¡¯t mind her presence.


    Angela let out a small chuckle and grinned. ¡°You¡¯re not that bad, Snatch. Sorry if I¡¯m mean sometimes.¡±


    Snatch giggled, then grabbed another stick and threw it into the fire. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand the situation you¡¯re in. I just wish someone like him was by my side when I was young.¡±


    ¡°Oho? And what were y-you like when you were m-my age?¡±


    ¡°That can be for another time, it¡¯s a bit too personal for me to talk about. Do I even have to mention how you still detest me? So even if I tell you something that personal you¡¯d most likely pick on me on my decisions or worse.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right, but I¡¯m guessing you¡¯d rather te-tell my brother in-instead?¡±


    Snatch smiled and blushed. ¡°To be honest, you aren¡¯t wrong, and I think I¡¯m starting to like your brother.¡± She quickly realized what she¡¯d just said out loud and reacted out of embarrassment. ¡°I-I mean! Ahh! Don¡¯t tell him that, okay?! It¡¯s our little secret.¡±


    Angela got upset again, but she hid her feelings. She didn¡¯t want to ruin the moment they were having. ¡°Okay, I promise.¡±


    Snatch didn¡¯t realize Angela had her fingers crossed behind her back.


    Snatch wiped her forehead out of relief. She smiled and turned to Angela. ¡°So, what¡¯s the story behind you guys?¡±


    Angela stayed quiet and ignored her new question. Snatch sighed in annoyance and continued to keep the fire going. Angela headed out and spotted policemen roaming the streets.


    ¡°He-Hey! Miss Nuisance, we have pol-police coming.¡± Angela got over to a makeshift cover that was in the corner big enough to cover their new home.


    ¡°Uh-oh!¡± Snatch said, but before she could take action with Angela and help her grab the cover, she stopped and thought about what Angela called her.


    ¡°Hold up. Did you just call me a nuisance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? What about it?¡± Angela asked calmly, grabbing one end of the cover.


    Snatch sighed but smiled. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s one step forward into our complex relationship.¡± She went to the other end, grabbed it and they both carried the blanket outside.


    They covered the shack and hung out in the street to make it seem like they were siblings walking down the street. The police didn¡¯t even bother them and continued on with their duty. Both girls were relieved and continued with what they were doing before.


    An hour passed by and Jack returned with some wood and was exhausted. His eyes were tired looking, he was catching his breath, and lastly he was ready to collapse at any moment. Jack even let out a long groan to relieve his stress and exhaustion.


    ¡°Welcome home! Were you ever in danger?¡± Snatch asked with a big smile. She helped Jack with the wood and carried some to relieve his exhaustion.


    ¡°Nah! I¡¯m fine. How are you and Angela doing? Getting along, or is it the same as usual?¡±


    Snatch sighed. ¡°Well, we did get to talk a little, but she gave me the cold shoulder.¡± Snatch grabbed some wood and threw it in the fire. ¡°Say Jack, do you think we can talk tonight¡­ Alone?¡±


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    Jack set aside the rest of the wood and tilted his head. ¡°Uh, I guess? What for though?¡±


    ¡°Something!¡± She giggled and skipped away.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Jack grinned and turned his attention to Angela. ¡°Hey Angela, come over here. Your bro has a few things he wants to say to you.¡±


    Angela slowly walked up to Jack and looked around to make sure Snatch wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Yes brother, what is it?¡±


    Jack sat down and patted his lap. Angela smiled and quickly sat on it. ¡°So Angela, how are you getting along with Snatch so far, hmm?¡±


    Angela puffed out her cheeks out of frustration. ¡°She¡¯s annoying!¡± Angela then poked his face. ¡°But she isn¡¯t so bad. Why do you like her so much?¡±


    Jack poked Angela¡¯s face too in retaliation. ¡°Because she reminds me of Anna. I guess that¡¯s why I like her.¡±


    She got in Jack¡¯s face, which startled him. ¡°So, do you like her? Do you like her more than me?¡±


    Jack waved his hands to ease her. ¡°Of course not! You¡¯re my sister. No one will ever take your place.¡±


    Angela looked away with puffed out cheeks and whispered, ¡°Not yet.¡±


    ¡°Did you say something Angela?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing at all.¡± She stood up and got off his lap. ¡°I¡¯m going for a quick walk.¡±


    ¡°Be careful and don¡¯t take too long. It¡¯s almost dark.¡±


    She walked off and now Jack was all alone. It was quiet and the fire had finally regained its full potential. Shortly after, Snatch came back.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s Angela?¡± Snatch asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s just taking a quick walk before nightfall,¡± Jack said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got something to show you. Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Sure. How far are we going?¡±


    ¡°Not too far, just around the corner.¡±


    Jack got up and followed her. She seemed all excited and even grabbed his hand. They ran to wherever she wanted to go, and they arrived at an abandoned house, where they both ran upstairs.


    They arrived at the master bedroom of the abandoned broken home. She showed Jack the cracked window and opened it. He walked up to the window and looked out. He was astounded by the view. The city didn¡¯t look pretty of course; with smog being visible to the city skyline lights, off-distance houses seemingly abandoned like the ones they¡¯re in, infrastructure withering away, and overgrown greenery on parts of roads/highway bridges. But the view was decent enough. He gazed out at the multicolored city lights off in the distance, with the full moon above a skyscraper. Car headlights zoomed past from the highway in front of them. It was a nice sight for the crap infested within the city.


    Snatch walked out of the window and onto the roof. She wanted Jack to follow her, so he obliged and followed her. The view was even better. The city lights, the sound of cars going off into the distance, yet the sound of gunfire was also evident, which drowned out the potential beauty it could¡¯ve been.


    They both sat next to each other on the roof and enjoyed the view together, basking in the view of the bloodstained city.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you bring me here, Snatch?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Well, I wanted to talk.¡±


    ¡°About what exactly?¡±


    She hesitated and took a deep breath. ¡°Well¡­ you see, I have a secret. And I¡¯m afraid to tell you because I think you¡¯ll look at me like I¡¯m some kind of piece of garbage.¡±


    Jack placed his hand on Snatch¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Trust me, I won¡¯t treat you any different. I¡¯ll always treat you the same as I treat Angela.¡±


    She sighed out of relief and clasped her hands together. She looked up at the full moon and closed her eyes for a moment. Her caramel glazed hair fluttered with the cool breeze as the moonlight shone on them.


    She lowered her hands and slowly opened them. She turned to Jack and stared into his barely dimmed eyes. ¡°Jack¡­ I¡¯m an addict.¡±


    Jack took his hand off her shoulder and looked back at the city. He stayed silent for a while and continued to admire the view. His head moved side to side to capture every single viewpoint of the city as his barely dimmed eyes continued scanning, leaving Snatch hanging in silence. He lets out one soft sigh and blows his breath out into the cold air, seeming relaxed.


    Snatch¡¯s eyes quivered out of fear, afraid that Jack would reject her now. She also stared at the city as he continued staring in silence, worried about what he¡¯d say.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you hate me and find me disgusting, huh?¡± She clenched her pants and tears slowly started flowing out of her eyes. She shook her head and turned to him. ¡°Answer me Jack! Please! Please!¡±


    Tears streamed down Snatch¡¯s face as Jack continued staring at the city with a calm, but gentle smile. She couldn¡¯t take the rejection any longer. She stood up with her fists clenched with her eyes flooded. She wanted an answer, but he seemed eerily calm and focused.


    Jack still ignored her. The feeling of utter rejection shattered her heart into a million pieces. She¡¯d had enough, and as she was about to walk away, Jack finally answered back calmly, ¡°You too, huh?¡±


    Snatch stopped and looked back, left in awe and disbelief. She couldn¡¯t believe what she just heard. She stood there shocked in silence. The wind grew stronger, making her tears fly off her cheeks.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®you too¡¯ Jack?¡±


    Jack chuckled and got up, then approached Snatch and looked into her eyes. He placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her misty brown eyes.


    ¡°You heard me right? You¡¯re not alone Snatch.¡± Jack wiped her tears with his finger and patted her head. ¡°I already told you¡­ no matter the answer, I¡¯ll always treat you the same.¡±


    Snatch was left in absolute shock. She¡¯d never been treated this nicely by anyone for so long. She had been alone for so long that she¡¯d forgotten what it meant to have a friend.


    With a smile appearing on her saddened face, she grabbed his hand and wiped her own tears away. She laughed with joy, which made Jack happy. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡±


    Snatch grabbed his hands and stared at his rough palms. ¡°You really are something, you know that?¡± They both sat down again and the moment they sat, Snatch leaned against his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re too mature for your age. You know that?¡±


    ¡°Really? Same can go for you too, Snatch.¡± Jack chuckled.


    She leaned towards his ear and whispered, ¡°Alexandria.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°My real name¡¯s Alexandria. You¡¯re the only person to know my name besides my parents and old friends.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, it¡¯s a beautiful name.¡±


    She blushed. ¡°I also have something else to tell you, Jack.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± He turned to her with a smile.


    Alexandria grabbed his face and placed her lips against his. It was so sudden. Jack didn¡¯t know how to react. He was so confused, lost and dumbfounded in shock.


    After the kiss, Jack shook his head and scratched it in confusion. ¡°Uh? What was that?¡±


    She giggled and placed her hand on his cheek. ¡°It was a kiss, silly!¡±


    ¡°A kiss?!¡± Jack shouted. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what that is. The only people who¡¯ve done something like that to me were my parents. I¡¯m so confused!¡±


    She laughed and lay on his lap. ¡°I-I love you¡­ Jack.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t know how to reply. He was still lost and confused. But then he remembered that his parents did the same thing, telling him that they loved him and placed their lips on his cheek.


    He reacted with disgust from remembering but smiled afterwards. He patted Alexandria¡¯s head gently as she blushed red. ¡°Do you really? That¡¯s sweet.¡±


    She understood that Jack was still oblivious to the whole love thing, so she just laughed it off and blamed his age, or figured that he might be a dense fool. Jack ruffled her hair to comfort her. She enjoyed it and closed her eyes to embrace the moment. They cuddled and continued to look out at the city.


    She was such a weird person, but Jack guessed that was why he liked her as a friend. He hoped they could continue moving forward and maybe one day he could understand what the meaning of this love was. He knew he was sorry that he couldn¡¯t answer her question, but he hoped one day he could.


    As Jack looked off into the distance, he saw that something was different. It came from their shack. It looked like black smoke.


    Jack quickly got up, surprising Alexandria, and began running. Alexandria was confused but quickly followed and they headed back home.


    As they ran, the only thing that went through Jack¡¯s mind was wishing that Angela would be alright. He started sprinting now, worried that someone might hurt her.


    ¡°Slow down Jack!¡± Alexandria shouted, but Jack was too focused.


    They got home and the smoke was gone. Jack pushed the door open and Angela wasn¡¯t inside. He checked behind the shack, but she wasn¡¯t there either. He started panicking and shouting Angela¡¯s name, then all of a sudden he heard a girl giggling. He headed to the direction of the giggling and as he got there, it was Angela.


    ¡°Angela!¡± Jack yelled. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Angela seemed confused. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Why are you all sweaty and where were you?¡± She hugged Jack. ¡°I was worried that you¡¯d abandoned me and ran off with Snatch.


    ¡°We were just checking out an abandoned house,¡± Jack explained.


    Angela became relieved and clinched onto Jack even harder. ¡°How come you were giggling?¡± Jack asked.


    She looked at him and tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Giggling? I wasn¡¯t giggling?¡±


    Jack¡¯s heart started to pound with fear. His face became distraught. ¡°Then-Then, who was it?¡±


    Out of the bloom, that girl¡¯s voice in Jack¡¯s head said, ¡°It was me!¡±


    It sounded like she whispered into his ear. Jack turned around, letting go of Angela and started panicking as the giggling began again. This time, it was everywhere. At every corner, at every turn, and within the confines of his head.


    Jack screamed. ¡°Please, make it all stop!¡± He dropped to his knees and gripped his hair in frustration.


    Everything got blurry in Jack¡¯s vision, and all he could hear was static. He was beginning to pass out and slowly afterwards, he could see Angela approach him. She seemed to be panicking and crying. As Jack was about to close his eyes, he heard one last thing.


    The girl in white appeared in his very blurred vision. She stood behind a frightened Angela, along with Alexandria who was trying to make Jack stay awake.


    She covered his vision with total darkness and said, ¡°Let this be a lesson and learn from it.¡±


    Jack passed out and everything around him echoed inside his dark, empty mind. The girl chuckled sadistically. The only thing Jack heard was her final words and beating heart.


    ¡°The more you treat me horribly, the more I¡¯ll punish you, Jack!¡±


    Jack stood in the middle of total darkness, and in his plain view was a purple outline of his own beating heart. His heart was getting wrapped up by her treacherous pale hands, then massaged it and stopped his heart from beating any longer. She giggled as Jack fell on the ground and lay there motionless, like some puppet without its strings.

 Arc 1 Chapter 18: An End To Normality

    Jack¡¯s mind was foggy, engulfed by a mist that was so black and felt so sad. The everlasting darkness wouldn¡¯t come to an end. Every single moment, every sound¡­ was her.


    Her voice was so soothing to his ear, yet it had that evil intention which haunted Jack¡¯s innocence. Every direction, every door, every pathway¡­ it was another entrance to her existence. No matter how hard he tried, or how much he ran she was always there.


    Did he deserve such punishment? If so¡­ then what did he do wrong? She wouldn¡¯t tell Jack. Instead, she raped his feelings and violated his mind with blackened, tormenting punishment.


    He guessed it was best if he did something wrong to her. He preferred to stay floating in the black void for now¡­ within his own punishment of nothingness.


    The sound of her giggles erupted in the dark misty void where Jack floated. She continued to rape his innocence with her wickedness by saying one thing over and over again¡­ It left poor Jack wondering about the promise she kept repeating. ¡°You were meant to be mine¡­ like you said before¡­ because you promised me on the night we first met, Jack.¡±


    Everytime Jack heard that damned statement his fingers twitched out of annoyance in the void of darkness. The aggravation he was experiencing was monumental, the poor kid wanted to retaliate against this girl''s self proclaimed false promise apparently he¡¯s devoted to her. But instead, all Jack could do was float, and let these smokey vines of purple violate his body, along with her soft tormenting voice to haunt his current slumber.


    ***


    Alexandria and Angela were warming themselves as they looked over Jack¡¯s unconscious body. He hadn¡¯t woken in five days, which left the girls feeling worried day after day. Angela had been way too clingy with his motionless body, so much so it even creeped Alexandria out. The little girl wouldn¡¯t even allow her to come even an inch to check on him. It left Alexandria wondering more about his strange condition.


    As Alexandria threw more wood into the fire, she looked over at Angela and saw her patting his head, humming an eerie song filled with her childish innocence. Then she noticed how foggy Angela¡¯s eyes of hopelessness were.


    ¡°Angela?¡± Alexandria asked. ¡°How¡¯s Jack doing?¡± Angela ignored her, drifting her hands across Jack¡¯s unconscious body. ¡°Answer me darn it! Why do you hate me? At least tell me if he¡¯s alright?¡±


    She continued to ignore Alexandria and talked to Jack in a very soft, pampering voice. She dragged her cold hand across his cheek. ¡°You¡¯re going to be alright, because your sis is here to take care of you.¡±


    Alexandria grew frustrated. She walked behind Angela and clenched her fists. ¡°Angela! If you don¡¯t respond to me in the next five seconds¡­ I swear, I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll hit you!¡±


    Angela jumped up and gasped loudly, surprising Alexandria. ¡°Brother! You¡¯re feeling cold huh? Don¡¯t worry, you can have my blanket!¡± She grabbed her blanket and dragged it over him.


    Alexandria had had enough. She grabbed Angela and tossed her aside and away from Jack. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just have to check if he isn¡¯t sick. Besides, you¡¯re only a kid.¡±


    Angela freaked out and screamed horrifically at Alexandria, which frightened her. ¡°Don¡¯t take me away from my brother!¡±


    Angela rushed to Alexandria, grabbed her leg, and then bit it. Alexandria fell back, grabbing her leg which throbbed in pain. She felt disgusted and looked at Angela as if she were a sociopath.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± She took a closer look and spotted the bite marks. She slammed her fist on the ground and stood back up. ¡°Angela please, I beg of you. I need to check him for illnesses for Pete¡¯s sake. He hasn¡¯t woken in five days!¡±


    Angela turned around and stared blankly at Alexandria with eyes as cold and lifeless as a cube of ice. ¡°Then don¡¯t push me away from him. You can check him while I¡¯m singing to him,¡± she said as she lay down beside Jack, and then began singing a lullaby so creepy it was enough to haunt Alexandria¡¯s dreams.


    Even though Alexandria was a little creeped out by the singing, she had to check if he wasn¡¯t sick or worse, dead. She slowly walked beside his body and sat next to him. Angela ignored her and continued singing that creepy lullaby with her soft voice of innocence.


    She checked his pulse and temperature with a thermometer that she¡¯d grabbed from her own bag. ¡°It looks like he¡¯s still alive, but he may be sick from what I can tell¡­ I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s all I know about medical science.¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t believe Alexandria, but she proved herself by showing her the thermometer. Angela then finally realized the situation and tossed aside her selfishness.


    ¡°What are we gonna do? I don¡¯t want him to die! I can¡¯t live without him!¡± Angela began freaking out again and started acting delusional. ¡°It¡¯s alright, brother. It¡¯s alright. Everything is all just a dream.¡±


    Alexandria grabbed Angela and slapped some sense into her, leaving the little girl stunned. ¡°Calm down! It¡¯s going to be fine. He might have the flu, but I¡¯m just assuming.¡±


    Alexandria then stood up and set her bag down to put on Jack¡¯s bag. She opened the door and looked back at the two as cold air blew inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back Angela, I won¡¯t let my future hubby die!¡± Alexandria quickly blushed and blew a kiss to Jack. ¡°It¡¯s time we take care of him like he has for us.¡± She left and closed the door.


    Angela was alone with Jack and felt less stressed after hearing what Alexandria had said. She wasn¡¯t too sure how she could be of any help. When she was about to add more wood to the fire, she heard Jack mumble some words.


    ¡°No¡­ please¡­ stop!¡±


    Angela still has no clue about Jack¡¯s past, but hearing him mumble those words saddened her. Still, she wondered how he¡¯d gotten into his horrible situation in the first place. All of a sudden, Angela remembered something important. She put a wet rag on Jack¡¯s forehead and opened the door.


    She took one huge deep breath to ease herself and built up some confidence. ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll be back. Please wait for me.¡±


    She ran out the door and as soon as she stepped out, she felt the cold Michigan breeze go through her body. It was freezing, even though it wasn¡¯t winter yet, the cold was already brutal.


    ¡°This is no time to wuss out. I have to save my bro-brother!¡±


    Angela headed directly into the middle of the homeless camp that was full of tents. She rushed in, but quickly stopped to look around, observing the detestable surroundings around her. The smell and the look of lost hope made her feel grossly uncomfortable.


    ¡°How awful,¡± Angela said to herself. ¡°How can people live like this? It¡¯s nasty!¡± She pinched her nose from the strong smell and slowly walked through the small homeless utopia.


    She couldn¡¯t help but observe every single detail her curious mind wanted to seek. She spotted two people smoking something with a big pipe, then someone puked beside her, and in front of her were a couple injecting something into their arms. It gave her the heebie-jeebies.


    Angela rubbed her arms and felt something similar had happened to her but she couldn¡¯t remember. Without a second glance at the people with a needle, Angela continued walking but stopped again to see people fighting over a clear white plastic bag. She began shaking and wondered if this was the right place to come.


    Snapping out of it, she continued walking until she spotted some children. They too seemed hopeless and had the look of failure and death. It was evident in their defiled eyes. She felt terrible but also relieved, knowing that herself and Jack weren¡¯t the only ones having it rough.


    At last, she arrived at the place she remembered. It was a big blue tent near one of the highway pillars.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she whispered. ¡°Good, no one¡¯s inside it seems.¡±


    Angela walked into the tent and looked around. The inside was neat and organized. She looked around and finally found what she was looking for.


    ¡°Well, at least some people can still appreciate life. I think these will help Jack get rid of his sickness.¡±


    She grabbed the pills and placed them inside her pocket. Footsteps approached the tent. She had no time to react and instead, she sprinted out of the tent.


    ¡°What the?¡­ What the hell are you doing inside my house?!¡± an old man shouted. He went inside and noticed his medication was gone. ¡°Get yo ass back here, you little bitch!¡±


    Angela was so focused on getting back to her brother that she didn¡¯t bother looking back for one second, and ran as fast as her little legs could handle. She was determined to give Jack the medication that would hopefully help him recover. However, the old man was on her tail, and she was completely oblivious, not knowing he was gaining on her.


    ¡°When I get chu! Ooooo! I¡¯m giving you an ass whooping you deserve!¡± he shouted furiously at Angela.


    Angela managed to slow him down by knocking over some stacked boxes, they pummeled and out came a mess of random objects stored inside them. He tried hopping over most of the avalanche, but tripped over one of the boxes and fell pretty hard on the chest. He was angry and slammed a fist on the dirty brown ground and shouted ¡°Damn you!¡± at Angela. as she ran off and disappeared from his line of sight.


    She finally arrived home and caught her breath, then took off her bag to pull out the medication. Grabbing a bottle of water, she poured at least three pills into her hand, then carefully inserted them into Jack¡¯s mouth, then poured the water afterwards so it would go down smoothly for him. Jack swallowed all of it and Angela was relieved to see that he took to the medication.


    The old man barged in and as soon as he could shout at Angela, he saw her hold Jack¡¯s hand. The old man quickly changed his mind and tone since he was touched by the scene.


    ¡°Hey girl?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for stealing your me-medicine.¡± Angela stood up and walked up to him, handing back his medicine. ¡°I ju-just didn¡¯t wa-want my bro-brother to die,¡± she whimpered and bowed her head.


    The man smiled and patted Angela on the head. ¡°It¡¯s okay little girl. You¡¯re pretty mature and tough for your age. And what¡¯s with the bowing? You¡¯re a strange one, aren¡¯t cha!¡± He chuckled and walked over to Jack¡¯s body. ¡°He¡¯s in rough shape, but he definitely has the flu. But that¡¯s fine, he¡¯ll wake up in no time.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s been unconscious for five days. He just freaked out and fell,¡± Angela said, then pouted.


    ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s strange. He just freaked out and fell, huh?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll wake up. Those pills you fed him are painkillers, so I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll relieve some of the pain he¡¯s had in his head.¡±


    He sat next to Jack and continued to check for any more bad symptoms. Not long after, Alexandria came back from her trip and noticed the old man.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ who are you?¡± she questioned, while closing the door.


    ¡°Well, your little pal here stole my medication and ran from me.¡± He looked at Angela as she lowered her head in shame. He smiled and checked Jack¡¯s pulse. ¡°But seeing the situation she¡¯s in, I¡¯m not angry anymore.¡±


    Alexandria sighed out of disappointment and relief. ¡°Angela, please don¡¯t do anything reckless again. What would happen if something bad happened to you? What would I tell Jack, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Angela said.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name girl? I know her name now since you said it.¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Snatch.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re Snatch! No wonder why you look so familiar. Haha.¡±


    Alexandria quickly approached the man and whispered into his ear, ¡°Please don¡¯t say anything in front of her. She¡¯s much too young!¡±


    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± The old man chuckled. ¡°So who¡¯s this young man anyway? You all siblings?¡±


    ¡°They are, but I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so what type of relationship do you three share then?¡±


    Alexandria blushed. ¡°Well, I guess you can say he¡¯s my future husband.¡± She laughed and appeared to be a little embarrassed, so she covered her face.


    Angela stared at Alexandria with a cold look again. ¡°They¡¯re just friends,¡± she said angrily.


    Alexandria gave Angela a smug look back. ¡°It¡¯ll happen someday.¡±


    Angela giggled. ¡°You¡¯re good at jokes.¡±


    They both rambled at each other until the old man made them both shut up. They looked at each other and laughed.


    The old man got a little irritated. ¡°You two better chill, I¡¯m not playing. Keep laughing at me and you¡¯ll get an ass whooping!¡±


    Alexandria puffed her chest out and placed her fists on her hips. ¡°Yeah, let me beat up some kids cause they¡¯re laughing at me!¡± she said, imitating his voice.


    Angela fell on the floor. ¡°Ow¡­ I tripped. Dang you girl.¡±


    The old man sighed and laughed. ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned.¡±


    Suddenly, Jack started mumbling words again, which made Alexandria and Angela both get thrilled. They quickly went by his side and hoped he would wake, but it was no use.


    ¡°I used to be a doctor,¡± the old man said.


    So that explained why he was so thorough with his observations on Jack, Angela thought.


    ¡°Say old man, what¡¯s your name?¡± Alexandria asked.


    He laughed and patted Alexandria¡¯s back. ¡°The name¡¯s Joseph.¡± He stood up and took out another set of pills, then handed Angela two pills. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow. It¡¯s getting late, so here, make sure to give him these two tonight. Oh, and one last thing, don¡¯t let him get any colder. Alright girls, see ya tomorrow!¡±


    He waved at them and left. Alexandria waved as well while he shut the door behind him.


    ¡°What a nice man. For a second I thought he was going to kill you.¡±


    Angela sighed. ¡°He probably would, if he didn¡¯t see me catering to Jack.¡±


    ¡°Be glad he didn¡¯t harm you. Let this be a lesson to learn from.¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes widened with shock, almost as if she¡¯d heard those words before. ¡°Let this be a lesson and learn from it!¡± She laughed and stared at Alexandria with a disturbing look.


    ¡°Angela? Are you alright? You¡¯re scaring me here.¡±


    Angela kept laughing, but then immediately stopped. She fell over next to Jack and was sound asleep. Alexandria was quite disturbed at what she saw, so she sat next to Jack¡¯s body and grabbed his hand. She kissed his forehead then slept soundlessly by his side.


    Car horns echoed through the streets, as cats and dogs barked and meowed. Gunshots could be heard across the air. They all slept soundly, even though they knew the dangers of the city. However, they were all used to it. Alexandria opened her eyes once more to ruffle Jack¡¯s hair and said goodnight with a soft ASMR kind of voice. She just couldn¡¯t help herself.


    She finally slept as every other sound was normal to them¡­ But there was one sound that was off, and that was the sound of laughter. Innocent muffled laughter heard behind the other sounds that were normal to Flint, Michigan. In the corner of darkness was the one ensuing the laughter, and it was her, the girl in the white dress. From the corner she watched them sleep peacefully. She kept laughing until her laughter transitioned to silence. She stood there and stared for the entirety of the night.


    ***


    Jack was still floating in the misty void of eternal darkness. His eyes were closed, his skin pale. He¡¯d already given up on ever trying to awaken¡­ but then, someone spoke.


    ¡°Jack. Jack¡­ Wake up.¡±


    His eyelids vibrated. The voice he could hear¡­ it was ominous yet familiar to him.


    ¡°Who said that? Why do you call my name?¡±


    ¡°Jack, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here.¡±


    He continued squinting until he managed to open his eyelids. Now that he was awake, he noticed his eyes were a bit blurry. He also felt like he was laying on someone¡¯s lap and there was grass everywhere, because of the slight tickles that went throughout his back and arms.


    He blinked a couple times to fully grasp the situation. His vision cleared and he looked up and saw a girl with blonde hair and gorgeous hazel eyes. He remembered who she was. She was from that strange dream he had two months ago at the facility.


    She didn¡¯t smile nor said anything, but only stared. His face turned red from her intense staring and he slowly reached for her hand. She noticed how he¡¯d grabbed her hand and she turned red herself without changing her straight face.


    ¡°Who are you and where am I?¡± Jack asked.


    She blinked softly and wanted to ruffle his hair, but resisted herself from doing so. She turned her attention to the endless grass field in front of them. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t tell you to be honest. I¡¯m not sure how you even got here. This is the second time we¡¯ve been connected, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­? How do you know my name?¡±


    The sun shining on her blonde hair was like gold as her eyes gleamed of holiness and purity. ¡°I don¡¯t know either? I just know¡­ for some strange reason,¡± she said, her voice very soft, yet also had a pinch of sadness.


    Jack couldn¡¯t stop staring at her beauty. He felt fuzzy and calm for some odd reason. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he asked nervously.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    She looked down on him again with her golden eyes of beauty. ¡°My name?¡± He noticed she shook slightly, like she seemed surprised. ¡°My-My name¡¯s¡­¡±


    Suddenly, the entire field erupted into flames. The grass burned to a crisp and the sky turned orange. They both looked around and Jack panicked, but she seemed too calm for his liking. Jack tightened his hold on her hand, however, she faded away as golden ash.


    Jack screamed in horror and freaked out, then he heard the giggling again. As he turned around, the faceless girl was right in front of him. She extended her arms out and hurtled towards his vision, transforming herself into black.


    Jack opened his eyes wide and sat up, violently screaming ¡°No!¡±


    Angela and Alexandria were awakened from his horrified screams of terror. He frantically breathed, as sweat dripped down all over his face. His vision became fuzzy. He looked around and noticed he was back in the shack.


    Both girls were moved with excitement. Tears of joy and relief drowned their faces as they both clung onto Jack. They were both trying to communicate with him, but Jack¡¯s ears were ringing so much that he couldn¡¯t hear what they were saying.


    ¡°What¡¯s with these bizarre dreams? Why do they keep happening?!¡±


    He got up and walked out of the shack to get some fresh air. Angela and Alexandria were rather confused, but they slowly followed behind him. They were still cautious and made sure he wouldn¡¯t do anything to harm himself any further.


    ¡°Jack? Are you alright?¡± Alexandria tried grabbing his hand, but Jack seemed too focused at the moment, almost like he had tunnel vision.


    Angela stepped in front of Jack¡¯s view to get his attention. ¡°Brother¡­ say something. Please!¡±


    He heard Angela¡¯s plea, but shortly afterward, he spotted something bizarre in front of his fuzzy vision. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was Angela. No¡­ he knew the figure was too tall to be her. The hair was too long and that outfit¡­ that outfit. He walked closer and confronted it.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked with a very mean tone.


    Angela was shocked at what Jack asked her. ¡°It¡¯s me brother, Angela!¡±


    The figure began laughing at him, mocking his current mood. He placed his hands on the figure¡¯s shoulders and leaned in closer. ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Why don¡¯t you show me your face. I can¡¯t see it with all that damn hair covering it!¡±


    Angela noticed how his pupils were so dilated from extreme anger and irritation. She began crying. ¡°You¡¯re squishing my tiny shoulders with your big hands, brother. Please stop! You¡¯re hurting me.¡±


    Alexandria was disturbed and tried getting Jack¡¯s attention. ¡°Jack, what¡¯s going on? Why are you acting like this?! Snap out of it!¡±


    Jack had lost it. He chuckled manically, expressing a smile so disgusting and vile that it haunted Angela¡¯s sight. ¡°Show me your damn face and quit laughing at me!¡±


    He moved the figure¡¯s hair out of her face and¡­


    ¡°Jack?¡± Alexandria said.


    ¡°Brother! What¡¯s going on? Why won¡¯t you let me go and why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened out of disgust and fright. Angela thought he was about to run away from her.


    He made strange noises filled with horror. ¡°It¡¯s you! The bitch who¡¯s made my dreams a living hell!¡±


    The girl kept laughing at him and started mocking his behavior.


    ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±


    Jack was so delusional that he extended an arm back as far as he could to punch the thing that had corrupted his vision. The moment he was about to drive his angered fist into the faceless girl, a giant slap echoed off the pillars around them. He felt that mighty slap land on his face, enough for him to snap back into reality.


    Alexandria had her hand up, palm red and eyes quivering with teary anger. ¡°Jack! Snap out of it! For God¡¯s sake, you almost hit your sister!¡±


    Jack could hear her clearly. He looked at Alexandria, massaging his cheek as it pulsed and throbbed in pain. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Wha-What happened?¡± he asked calmly as if everything was normal.


    "What¡¯s going on? What¡¯s going on?! Oh, I don¡¯t know? You just woke up after being unconscious for five days and now you wake up, stand on your feet, walk like a zombie, looking afraid and psychopathic-like, then almost hit your sister!¡± She shot her arms out at Jack¡¯s direction. ¡°You¡¯re scaring us Jack! Je-Jesus, now¡­ I got-gotta¡­ gi-give me a second here.¡±


    ¡°I-I did? I¡¯m sorry, Alexandria.¡± Jack looked forward again and saw Angela on the ground, shaking with fear. ¡°Angela¡­ I¡¯m!¡±


    He reached out to comfort her, but she was so afraid that she immediately slapped his hand away. He looked back at Alexandria.¡°I¡¯m sick¡­ aren¡¯t I?¡±


    She sighed and grinned out of relief. ¡°Well, you do have the flu, so that might be it.¡± Alexandria gave Jack some comfort by placing a hand on his cheek. ¡°It¡¯s okay Jack. I¡¯ll be by your side to make sure you¡¯re all better. But I¡¯m sorry I slapped you. I had no choice.¡±


    ¡°But what?¡± Jack asked, still unsure what had happened.


    She kissed his cheek to ease the pain. ¡°Does that feel better?¡±


    Jack blinked a couple times to check if he wasn¡¯t in one of those dreams. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think so?¡± He looked back at Angela. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Angela. I¡¯m a disgrace of a brother and as a caretaker. I won¡¯t even blame you for hating me or worse, no longer claim me as your brother.¡±


    Angela immediately changed her attitude and jumped onto Jack, rubbing her face on his stomach. ¡°No please! I forgive you. Don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    Jack smiled and held her. ¡°Words can¡¯t describe how shameful I¡¯m feeling, lil sis. Next time I do something like that I want you to slap me instead.¡±


    Angela shook her head. ¡°No!¡± she said adorably, bringing out a smile on Jack¡¯s face.


    Alexandria patted Jack¡¯s back, they all looked at each other. As the heated atmosphere around them calmed down, the chilly air made its way back in to send shivers down their spines. They all decided to walk back inside to avoid the cold any further, but before walking in last, Jack looked back one last time and said beneath his breath, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    Even showing a smile to the two didn¡¯t help him cope with his feeling of self judgment. He couldn¡¯t help but feel as if his sanity was starting to crumble, and worse, without his acknowledgement. Was this the beginning of his insanity, or his downfall as a caretaker? To Jack it was only a reminder of the hindrance from that girl in his dreams, so for now he didn¡¯t want to think of such a thing. He just wanted to make the other two happy.


    He walked back inside, shut the door behind him and called himself a ¡°stupid moronic idiot¡± for the actions he¡¯d ensued.


    As the day passed by, Angela reminded herself that she still needed to give Jack the pills the old man had given her. She reached into her pocket and took them out, then handed them to Jack.


    ¡°What are they for?¡± Jack asked.


    She explained what had happened earlier that day and what she did.


    Jack chuckled, then took the pills and swallowed them. He looked at Angela with a smile on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t do something irresponsible again.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel, Jack?¡± Alexandria asked.


    ¡°You know¡­ after swallowing those pills, I don¡¯t feel so go¡ª¡± Jack began making coughing sounds and grabbed his neck, dramatically tilting his head back and forth.


    Angela started getting worried. ¡°Oh no! Brother, please!¡± Jack continued his dumb acting and now he was starting to make over the top expressions.


    Alexandria wasn¡¯t stupid, so she quickly figured out his joke. ¡°Hey buddy, those pills that you just swallowed, its main ingredient is poop you know?¡±


    Jack stopped his charade and started spitting. ¡°Ahh! Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Brother, you¡¯re okay?¡± Angela asked, clutching Jack¡¯s arm.


    Alexandria made a smug-like smile and crossed her arms. ¡°Who knows? Maybe you should double check sir!¡± She laughed and Jack freaked out. He spat more and asked Angela for a bottle of water.


    After everything was simmered down and no one was poking fun at one another, they all prepared for the night and made a small bonfire to celebrate Jack¡¯s well-being.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t have to do so much, you know? I don¡¯t need a huge party.¡±


    Alexandria punched Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Come on now. We have to. We¡¯re just glad you¡¯re still breathing.¡±


    ¡°I think this celebration would be better without you, Snatch,¡± Angela said coldly.


    ¡°Just when I thought we were finally getting along.¡± Alexandria sighed. ¡°Oh well, I like you better that way.¡±


    Jack laughed. ¡°The way you guys act reminds me of a cartoon I used to watch as a kid, well more of a comedic one at that.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a cartoon?¡± Angela asked.


    Both Alexandria and Jack looked at her in surprise.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what a cartoon is?¡± Alexandria asked, raising a brow.


    Both Alexandria and Jack looked at each other and laughed, then they came up with the idea of acting out their favorite cartoon characters. Jack acted like Superman and Alexandria acted like a magical girl. However, Angela was more interested in the whole magical girl stuff.


    Jack got a little bummed out and attacked Alexandria with the fierce might of tickling. Angela got a little jealous and she wanted him to tickle her, so he did as well. After all the excitement, they decided that it was time for bed.


    ¡°Goodnight Alexandria and Angela!¡± Jack said as he laid down.


    Alexandria kissed his cheek. ¡°Goodnight sweety!¡±


    She then placed her sleeping bag close to Jack and fell asleep.


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± Angela said. ¡°I want a kiss goodnight!¡±


    Jack leaned over and kissed her cheek. ¡°Is that better?¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Angela said, then smiled.


    They were all sound asleep as the night was quiet. They were warm, yet the feeling of ease couldn¡¯t have been more apparent. With the comfort of their makeshift home, decent sleeping bags to rest on, supplies to last them a week or two, and the remnants of the burning fire even after being put out, it felt as if it truly was a place of their own.


    As Jack slept, he smelled something burning. He opened his eyes, sat up and rubbed them. The first thought he had was, Perhaps the fire was still burning? But no, it was dead.


    He looked about, sniffing the air again. ¡°Where¡¯s that burning smell coming from?¡± He looked around and saw a small stream of smoke coming from Alexandria¡¯s side. ¡°Alexandria, are you burning something?¡±


    She quickly sat up and turned around with her hands behind her back. ¡°Oh! Sorry for waking you! It¡¯s nothing¡­ I¡¯m umm just burning a match or two!¡±


    Jack noticed her arms were shaking erratically and assumed she was being very suspicious. ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯re shaking a little bit. Feeling alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Everything¡¯s fine! No need to worry!¡± she said, her voice cracking and sounding extremely nervous.


    ¡°Okay I guess. Sorry for bothering you. Goodnight.¡± Jack laid down and went back to sleep.


    Alexandria quietly sighed, with her head down and her eyes gleaming in disappointment. She got up and walked outside, then looked around to see if anyone was about. She went around back behind the shack and sat down. Revealing her hands, Alexandria had a lighter and spoon covered in some burnt foil.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for lying to you Jack¡­¡±


    She set it down and pulled her jacket sleeve, revealing past uses and some deteriorated veins. She wrapped a plastic string around her arm and bit the other end of the string to tighten the pressure. She sat there for a couple of minutes, waiting. After cutting off the blood flow to her arm, a nice vein bulged out. She threw the string aside and grabbed the spoon, unwrapping it to reveal some strange black substance. She hovered the spoon and ignited the lighter, then drifted the small flame below the spoon and cooked the substance, turning it into some black liquid of irresistible death.


    Her eyes drooled over the substance. She couldn¡¯t resist it any longer and pulled out a syringe. Staring at it, Alexandria rotated it continuously as memories of her past loved life tormented her mind, reminding her of how much she¡¯d fallen. She was happy at one point in her existence. She had a loving family, great friends, and had an amazing life. However, there was something that always bothered her throughout her childhood. It was almost as if her body needed something else, an empty feeling that was hollow but needed to be fulfilled. She didn¡¯t get to find that answer until she was ten. Before that, she started being homeless when she was eight years old, the same year her parents died of a drug overdose. She found out about that horrific secret her parents had kept from her; the horrible fact that she was born an addict.


    Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks as she remembered her old life before those horrid events. She pointed the syringe towards the spoon. She hesitated at first with her hand shaking intensely, but the urge of using it, sticking it in, wanting to feel the urgency to experience the satisfaction, and the black death coursing through her screwed up veins just to bring enjoyment for her selfish needs.


    The temptation made her eyes expand and mouth drool. She couldn¡¯t hold it any longer, so she dipped the syringe into the liquid and pulled back the plunger until the tube was full. The sadness on her face finally caved in. She made sure there was a good spot to inject the liquid, then took a deep breath and slowly inserted the syringe into her arm, injecting the fluid into herself. After it emptied, Alexandria threw it away, then grabbed her hair in anger as she balled herself up and sobbed.


    ¡°Forgive me Mom and Dad,¡± she whimpered and took out a folded photo inside a secret pocket that was placed beneath her jacket. She unfolded it and stared at her family. She¡¯d always had it stored away just to reminisce about her past. However, that feeling of sadness flew away as soon as the high kicked in.


    Her emotions went on a rollercoaster ride from the feeling of regret and sadness to being amazed by such a feeling of pleasure. She laughed while looking at the photo and said, ¡°I¡¯m a failure! I¡¯m a failure! I¡¯m a failure! I¡¯m a failure! I¡¯m a failure!¡±


    Alexandria finally relaxed and slowly fell to her side. Laying on the blankets, her confused crying came to a stop, then she slowly exhaled as her eyes closed. She fell asleep behind the shack, feeling ashamed of what she¡¯d become.


    The following morning Jack felt worried about Alexandria when he couldn¡¯t find her. He spent countless hours searching for her, asking any of the other homeless if they¡¯d seen her walk by. He looked almost in every place that he could think of, but the situation grew more tiresome for him, not to mention Angela, who needed his attention.


    Jack decided to try one last place, which was behind the shack. It was really cramped back there so the thought of looking there never came to his mind. As he walked behind it, and to his surprise, there she was on the ground, passed out and sound asleep.


    Jack rushed to her side and with all the feelings of worried frustration, he shook her to relieve the unbearing emotions he had. ¡°Alexandria! Alexandria! Wake up!¡± He shook her over and over and at last, she woke up.


    ¡°Ja-Jack?¡± she mumbled. She rubbed her eyes and when she tried to stand up, she couldn¡¯t for some odd reason. She started laughing and stumbled around. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I wa-was just, you kn-know!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not okay. Here, let me carry you.¡± Jack picked up Alexandria and swept her off her feet.


    She turned red and continued laughing. ¡°My pri-prince! Take me away, let us get married!¡±


    ¡°Uhh, you¡¯re acting funny, Alexandria. I¡¯ll place you down and get the old man to check on you,¡± Jack said, knowing that she was acting too strange for his liking.


    He carried her back into the shack, then settled her down on his makeshift bed and hurried out the door. Angela watched on with her eyes filled with jealousy as Alexandria waved goodbye drunkenly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take too lo-long, sweety!¡± Alexandria exclaimed, then yawned and quickly fell back asleep.


    Angela stood up and looked at Alexandria, giving her an ominous look of pity. ¡°How pathetic!¡± she said, her pitch of voice changing, along with her demeanor. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve someone like my Jack taking care of the likes of you! This ought to wake you up.¡± She grabbed a pot and filled it with water, then poured the water onto Alexandria.


    Alexandria immediately woke up and gasped. She spluttered and stood up, placing her hands on her hips. ¡°What the hell was that for?! Explain, Angela! If that was your idea of a joke, it¡¯s not funny!¡±


    Angela grinned ominously. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s more like a punishment for you.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Alexandria asked, starting to feel uncomfortable. She noticed Angela¡¯s tone, which seemed quite different.


    Angela walked up to Alexandria and looked her dead in the eyes. ¡°For what?¡± She giggled sadistically. ¡°You should know that all too well, for being a druggy!¡±


    Alexandria backed away from Angela, noticing something was off about her eyes. ¡°Wha-What do you mean? I don¡¯t do¡­ drugs. How do you know what a druggy is? You¡¯re like six, right?¡±


    Angela sighed and smiled, looking at Alexandria in disgust. ¡°Suit yourself, but I know Jack accepts you for who you are. Too bad it¡¯s for the wrong idea and reason though. I don¡¯t understand why he would be nice to someone so vile and nasty. It makes no sense to me.¡±


    She walked over to Alexandria¡¯s bag and reached into it. Alexandria got angrier, but more afraid.


    ¡°People like you are the scum of society, a waste of air and genes. Yet he doesn¡¯t understand, but here¡¯s all the proof I need.¡± She pulled out a syringe and a small black bag. ¡°He still doesn¡¯t understand there¡¯s different types of addicts. He probably thinks you¡¯re addicted to pills like he was back in the asyl¡ª¡±


    Angela stopped and stood still. Her eyes slowly expanded and she gasped.


    Alexandria bit her lip out of anger. Tears trickled down her cheeks as her built up emotions flooded out. ¡°Angela, why are you saying all these things? Why do you detest me so much? How are you speaking so formerly? And-And your eyes! They¡ª¡±


    Before Alexandria could finish her sentence, Jack walked back in with Joseph, the old man. Jack noticed the two having an intense stare down. ¡°Umm what¡¯s up guys?¡±


    Angela lunged onto Jack, welcoming him with a heartwarming hug.


    ¡°I guess you missed me, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I missed you brother!¡± she said, her voice returned to normal. She smiled as if the conversation between her and Alexandria had never happened.


    ¡°I see that you¡¯re awake too Alexandria, but you¡¯re all wet. What happened?¡± Jack asked.


    Alexandria was still left stunned at what Angela had said about her. She just stood there in silence, remembering her hurtful words and nasty smile¡­ but the thing that was haunting her was her eyes.


    Jack walked up to Alexandria and shook her. She snapped out of it and shook her head. ¡°Oh umm, Angela just pulled a friendly prank, that¡¯s all! Ha, ha!¡±


    Jack noticed how she was red and had fresh tears trickling down her face. He turned to Angela and gave her a look of disappointment. ¡°Angela, you know better.¡± Jack then noticed Angela had something in her hand. ¡°Say Angela, what¡¯s that?¡±


    Angela opened her hand and looked confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know? How did this get into my hand?¡±


    Joseph immediately took it away from her. ¡°Girl, why do you have such a dangerous drug in your possession? This is bad stuff! It can kill you. Don¡¯t tell me that you shoot too?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by shooting, Mr. Joseph?¡± Jack asked.


    He held it up and showed it to Jack. ¡°This¡­ is heroin.¡± He turned to Angela, looking disappointed. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you got it from, but it¡¯s bad news! Okay?¡±


    She quickly bowed her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I don¡¯t remember how it got into my possession!¡± Angela began to whimper.


    Alexandria slowly walked up to Joseph with a bowed head. Her face was empty and her eyes screamed of failure. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It must have fallen¡­ off of me.¡±


    ¡°Well Snatch, just be careful how you carry your stuff okay? But I¡¯m disposing this demon filled bag.¡± Joseph patted her back and gave her a sympathetic look. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay. This boy here was worried sick about you. He wouldn¡¯t shut up.¡±


    Alexandria looked at Jack and smiled. ¡°Is that true Jack?¡±


    Jack scratched his head. ¡°Well yeah. I mean, we are friends¡­ right?¡± He walked up to Alexandria and looked at the small bag of heroin in Joseph¡¯s grasp. ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s the drug you¡¯re addicted to, huh?¡±


    Alexandria looked away in embarrassment and began to cry. ¡°Yes¡­ I know I¡¯m a weak, pathetic excuse of a human being¡­ I¡¯m a nuisance to society.¡±


    Jack comforted her with a gentle hug. ¡°Don¡¯t be so harsh on yourself. We all make mistakes in life.¡± He smiled and ruffled her hair. ¡°Besides, I already told you that I¡¯d accept you no matter what. Remember?¡±


    She fully cried and embraced him, holding onto him tightly. ¡°Jack, I don¡¯t deserve someone as nice as you. I truly do¡­ love you. Thanks for coming into my life.¡±


    Jack¡¯s head had a sudden sharp pain when he heard ¡°I love you.¡± He placed a hand on his head and felt his knees weakened for a moment. It was so meaningful that it reminded him of something.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Jack? I¡¯m worried about you.¡±


    He smiled and patted her back. ¡°It¡¯s all right. I just have a little headache, that¡¯s all. And that¡¯s no problem, it¡¯s who I am as a person. I¡¯ll always protect you, no matter what.¡±


    Joseph joined in the love and hugged them both. ¡°Gosh darn it! You kids are gonna make me cry too!¡± They both looked at him and laughed. ¡°Well, it seems like your high hasn¡¯t worn off yet, seeing how your emotions are all over the place.¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yes they have. But as of today¡­¡± She did a heroic pose by placing her fists on her hips. ¡°I¡¯ll never use heroin again! All thanks to my future hubby!¡±


    She jumped onto Jack and brushed her face against his. Jack, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t enjoying it because of how hard she was ensuing her rubbing. Instead, he was growing rather annoyed. His eye was starting to twitch too.


    Joseph knew she wasn¡¯t being honest about her saying how her high had worn off. He could tell she was still high as a kite, but he didn¡¯t want to ruin the moment the two were having.


    ¡°He¡¯s a tough nut to crack though. He has no reactions to anything I do to him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so confused!¡± Jack said as Alexandria continued her senseless rubbing. His eye kept twitching.


    Everyone laughed and huddled together. Angela however, wasn¡¯t feeling too well. She looked confused and drowsy. Her eyes struggled to stay open and her knees were wobbling badly. It appeared she would collapse at any moment.


    It brought worry onto everyone. Jack placed his hand on her forehead and held her, just in case she would fall. He noticed how warm she was. He assumed he¡¯d accidentally given her his cold.


    ¡°Hey Jack, are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Joseph asked.


    ¡°Ugh, it might be a little more serious than a cold, I think,¡± Jack said in a very worried tone.


    ¡°Angela, I think you should rest a while until I can find medication for you,¡± Joseph said.


    Without a word, she obliged and lay down, then immediately fell asleep. Jack looked at her as he became more suspicious. Everyone else decided to walk outside and set up a bonfire.


    They were about to sit down around a struggling bonfire. Joseph immediately sat, but the fire was too small for the other two¡¯s liking. Alexandria threw some twigs to keep it alive, while Jack took off his jacket for a moment and waved it to make the flame bigger. Succeeding in saving the fire¡¯s life, they both sat down and enjoyed the peaceful gray afternoon.


    Joseph took out the bag of heroin and held it up high. He stared at it, then examined the bag closely. ¡°You know, I¡¯m an addict as well.¡±


    Jack was surprised at hearing that. ¡°Is that so? Well, we¡¯re all the same I guess.¡± He smiled at Joseph, who smiled back.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right kid. I didn¡¯t know you were a heroin addict too?¡±


    Jack¡¯s smile disappeared. ¡°I guess this is a good opportunity to tell you guys who I really am. Sorry if I lied to you Alexandria.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Jack?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I hope you guys have time because it¡¯s going to be a long story. I¡¯ll try my best to shorten it though.¡± Jack took a long deep breath and relaxed his mind.


    ¡°I have all the time in the world.¡± Alexandria scooted next to Jack.


    He stared at the fire, watching the flames as they crackled. The whistles of fall breezed passed them as Jack continued staring at the flames that waved from side to side, reflecting on his hidden rage from that dreaded night that took his life away.


    Jack lifted his head and looked to Joseph and then to Alexandria. he grinned softly. ¡°My life wasn¡¯t always this bad. To be quite frank, I had it all. A loving family, a big home, and everything a kid could¡¯ve asked for.¡± He hesitated for a second.


    He was tucking his lips, his eyes were slightly shaking, and his interlaced fingers tightened. Jack¡¯s feelings were ready to break, but he held them in, trying his darndest not to go into a meltdown.


    He leaned his head down as his hands started to slightly tremble. ¡°I had amazing friends too, but all of that changed in one night.¡±


    Alexandria noticed Jack was beginning to get more upset. He tightened his hands even further, and his eyes shook and his cheeks twitched. She placed her hand on his shoulder. ¡°What happened¡­?¡±


    Jack lifted his hands to his forehead and stared at the ground, staying eerily quiet for a moment. He turned to Alexandria and smiled. ¡°I haven¡¯t told you this, but you remind me so much of my best friend Anna.¡±


    ¡°Do I now?¡± she asked happily. ¡°In what way do I remind you of her?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­? You¡¯re both very outgoing, you both have beautiful eyes, and you¡¯re both so positive.¡±


    Alexandria blushed and rubbed his shoulder. ¡°Is that so? Thank you for the compliment.¡±


    Jack¡¯s smile quickly faded and he continued. ¡°That one night changed my entire life though. It was a night filled with terror and agonized suffering. It was nothing like anything I¡¯d ever experienced before¡­ It was a bloody massacre.¡±


    Alexandria could feel his words reach her heart. The pain in his voice was too noticeable, which left her feeling really horrible. It brought about past memories of her own, when she lost her parents in a single night all those years ago. His story was starting to sound similar to that of her own.


    ¡°I lost my mother and my father. Th-They were killed¡­¡± He gritted his teeth and squinted. ¡°Killed¡­ in front of me, murdered by three men trying to rob our house.¡±


    Hearing that made Joseph grimace. ¡°How awful¡­ to think, someone as young as you to witness that. It¡¯s horrific.¡±


    Jack ignored his words. His mind was engulfed by darkened images that were printed permanently into his mind. ¡°Those vile wastes of breath¡­ how dare you, how dare you take away everything,¡± Jack said quietly in a cold dead tone.


    The other two didn¡¯t hear what he was saying, but they saw his lips move.


    ¡°How did you make it out alive though?¡± Alexandria asked.


    Jack slowly lowered his hands from his forehead and gave them a maniacal smirk. He shed a single tear and chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much, but I do remember that I killed them¡­¡±


    Both of them gasped softly. Alexandria¡¯s hand that was placed on his shoulder started to tremble.


    ¡°All three! And you know what the worst part about it was?¡± Jack¡¯s vile smile grew wider, making his cheeks twitch.


    Alexandria retreated her hand and scooted away a little. ¡°Wha-What?¡±


    Joseph looked a little scared too, but he was willing to hear the rest of the story. ¡°I don¡¯t know? What made it worse, if that wasn¡¯t the case?¡±


    Jack laughed a little more. ¡°The damn police!¡± He got up and clenched his fists. ¡°Blamed me¡­!¡±


    His eye twitched, as the sinister look was on the brink of breaking him down. ¡°They¡­ They!¡± He dragged his fingers across his face. His eyes bulged as though they were ready to explode. ¡°Blamed me for my parent¡¯s deaths! They thought I killed them as well!¡±


    Jack finally broke and gripped his hair in anger. He cackled maniacally, laughing out his broken emotion. He dropped to his knees and repeatedly slammed his fists down in anger as he whimpered, ¡°They blamed me, they blamed me, they blamed me¡­¡±


    Joseph and Alexandria were both shocked at how upset Jack had become.


    Alexandria couldn¡¯t bear to watch Jack suffer, so she got up and hugged him tightly to make him stop. ¡°Everything will be alright, Jack.¡±


    Joseph came along and placed his hand on his shoulder. Jack looked up and saw both their faces. Even though he continued to hide his rage and sadness from that night, he was relieved to have such caring friends like them.


    He got up and massaged his knuckles, then brought out a small grin to not worry the two any further. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for losing my cool.¡±


    Alexandria shook her head. ¡°That doesn''t matter. It¡¯s okay to release your emotions every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah kiddo, we don¡¯t care because everyone has similar stories to tell.¡±


    ¡°Thanks you two. For everything. You¡¯ve done a lot to help me and Angela.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry Jack. Trust me, you¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s lost a family.¡± Joseph sat down and took out his own bag of heroin. ¡°You know how I told you that this thing¡¯s bad news?¡±


    Jack wiped off his tears and sniffled. ¡°Yeah? What about it?¡±


    Joseph wiggled the bag. ¡°This thing here¡­ is the entire reason I lost my family.¡± He then stared into it deeply. ¡°It¡¯s the entire reason why someone as talented as I am, is rotting away in these wretched streets of our corrupt leaders who won¡¯t do a single damn thing!¡±


    Jack gasped. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that Joseph.¡±


    Alexandria looked at the bag as well and had flashbacks of her previous life. The moment he mentioned about his family brought back memories of her own¡­ when they were still around. Her mouth slightly opened. Her sights were focused on the bag. She was lost in her flashbacks of happiness, love and care.


    Jack noticed she was lost in thought, staring at that bag filled with torment and self satisfaction. ¡°Alexandria, you alright?¡±


    She blinked a couple times and panned over to Jack. ¡°Oh huh? Yeah, I was just remembering something, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°This thing here. It takes away everything, your life, your career, but most importantly¡­¡± Joseph clenched the bag enough for his nails to pierce through and spill the demons trapped inside. He broke down and threw the bag on the ground. ¡°It takes away the ones you love!¡±


    Joseph cried and moaned as he fell to his knees, with his palms on his face. He dragged his hands off his face, saw the bag and slammed hammered fists on it, beating it relentlessly like a mad man. The two watched as he continued beating the bag into nothing. He slammed it one final time and finished by slamming his forehead on the cold dirty ground.


    Jack walked over to him and patted his back. ¡°I know someday you¡¯ll see your family once again. As a clean person and as the person they once knew.¡±


    Joseph looked up at Jack as if he were an angel. His eyes glistened with joy, then he stood up and embraced Jack. ¡°Boy! You really know how to make someone feel better, you know that!¡± He wiped his tears and picked the bag up again, but this time he threw it into the fire, burning away his sins. ¡°I¡¯ll never touch a single baggie again! How about it?¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°As of today, this will be a new chapter in our lives!¡±


    Alexandria¡¯s face brightened with joy and she immediately embraced him, kissing him over and over again. ¡°I knew you were the one for me. I know I said it once but I¡¯ll say it again, I¡¯m glad I met you Jack!¡±


    She rubbed her face against his and Jack didn¡¯t know how to react, but he enjoyed the feeling of being loved again, like what his parents did for him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure when we¡¯re all sober in the future,¡± Joseph said. ¡°I¡¯ll come to your guy¡¯s wedding. And of course, with my family.¡±


    Jack smiled and they all gathered together and hugged. They were unaware Angela was listening the entire time, and she wasn¡¯t too happy hearing the idea they all had.


    Angela quickly went back inside and laid down. She stared at the ceiling with an expressionless face, being lost and confused.


    Suddenly, Angela¡¯s sight went dark. She had no idea what had happened and now she had no clue if she had control over herself. Being lost in thought, darkness succumbed her entire vision, yet she was unaware of what might happen to her outside of her mind.


    A swift blur of purple drifted into the midst of her darkened mind, and hands of wretched white came out of it, reaching towards her supposed blackened vision. As those hands of white torment covered her vision, all she heard were giggles, ones that had always haunted her dreams, and now¡­ total silence. Angela finally fell into a deep sleep.

 Arc 1 Chapter 19: Faith Lost

    Over the past few days Angela got even sicker. Unfortunately, Alexandria did as well. Joseph had tried his best to get the medication she needed. He tried talking to old medical friends but they wanted no part in any illegal activity. He had an idea about robbing a pharmacy, but that soon was thrown away because when he felt ready he saw a sick kid getting his meds with his parents so he felt immediate guilt. His last resort was to get a hookup from one of his main sources, and it looked like it might come into fruition.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you done the same for Alexandria?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Because I know how to treat Alexandria¡¯s symptoms,¡± Joseph explained.


    Jack had been taking care of Angela ever since she fell sick and he was also helping Alexandria too. Even though she refused to help, she was always by Jack¡¯s side, making sure he didn¡¯t worry too much. Angela had barely spoken either. She rarely talked now, so everyone presumed she must have something much worse than a regular cold.


    Joseph returned to bring some minor good news. ¡°My guy said he might have the medication tomorrow, but he¡¯s not too sure. But that doesn¡¯t mean luck has left our side yet.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Joseph, I owe you one,¡± Jack said, then continued to warm Angela with the makeshift lamp he¡¯d made. ¡°The good thing is she¡¯s eating and drinking. That¡¯s all that matters for now.¡±


    Alexandria sat beside Jack. ¡°But you still need to eat as well, Jack. Ever since you woke up from being unconscious, you¡¯ve been malnourished.¡± She poked his bony cheek. ¡°That worries me. You gotta eat mister!¡±


    Jack chuckled and laughed. ¡°At least you look adorable.¡±


    Alexandria blushed and poked his cheek even harder. ¡°Thanks for the compliment.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should worry about yourself too, you know? You¡¯ve been vomiting and complaining about headaches ever since you stopped using heroin.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Jack. Don¡¯t worry about me so much.¡±


    Jack shook his head, got up and grabbed his bag. ¡°We should head out to scavenge for more supplies.¡±


    Joseph agreed by nodding. Alexandria wanted to go with Jack too, but she was still fine with taking care of Angela. Someone needed to while the guys were away.


    Both males said goodbye and left.


    Alexandria watched over Angela and made sure she wasn¡¯t too close to her. ¡°I wonder what you¡¯re thinking about Angela? I would stay beside you, but I know you would hate that since you dislike me.¡±


    She removed the wet cloth that was placed on the little girl¡¯s forehead and replaced it with a new one. She dug inside her bag and took out a book.


    ¡°Well Angela, I¡¯ll be reading¡­Uhhh, just make some noises if you need anything!¡±


    She started reading but stopped for a moment, remembering how she¡¯d packed a candy bar in her bag. Reaching inside again, Alexandria noticed something off. She looked inside and spotted bags of heroin. She¡¯d forgotten that she had some still stowed away.


    Breathing heavily, Alexandria looked directly at them, like some dog drooling over the sight of meat. She shook her head and slapped herself, remembering the promise she¡¯d made to Jack. She¡¯d been clean for a couple of days and insisted on continuing. Then she looked at them again and all of a sudden, there was a soothing, relaxing innocent girly voice speaking in her head.


    The voice giggled and moaned with amusement. ¡°You know you want it. It¡¯s irresistible, isn¡¯t it?¡± The voice laughed. ¡°Come on. Go for it. No one¡¯s here to watch, is there?¡±


    Alexandria¡¯s pupils dilated. ¡°Do I want it?¡± she asked herself as drool started to drift out the corner of her lip.


    ¡°You want it. You need it. Because there¡¯s nothing more important than your hit, right?¡± The voice giggled.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s more important than my hit. It¡¯s my only scapegoat.¡± Alexandria smiled brokenly and took a bag out. ¡°It¡¯s my desire and my life.¡±


    She unwrapped it, placed the substance on a spoon, then took out her lighter and began cooking it. She finished and inserted a syringe into it, sucking it dry.


    ¡°Good, good. That¡¯s it, consume your sins, because you¡¯re nothing more than just an addict.¡±


    Her eyes were empty, her mouth opened. The itchy feeling of temptation started to overtake her. ¡°I¡¯m nothing more than an addict. I¡¯m worthless and a waste of life. Drugs¡­ are everything to me.¡±


    Alexandria started shaking with unusual excitement.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! That way, you can rid yourself from this life and free yourself from all this suffering.¡± The voice continued giggling again.


    Alexandria¡¯s anxiety for use built up more and more until she realized her own stupidity and quickly snapped out of it.


    ¡°What am I doing?¡± She looked at the syringe and threw it on the ground. ¡°I¡¯d betray Jack if I did this! What was I thinking?!¡±


    She took out all the bags and threw them into the fire. Gripping her hair in frustration, she dropped to her knees and watched the flames burn away her righteous demons. ¡°I¡¯m such a fool! How could I be almost overcome by my addiction. You idiot!¡± she shouted at herself.


    The voice inside her head got angry. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just be overcome by your desire and just die! You damned waste of life!¡±


    Alexandria was startled and goosebumps rose all over her arms. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Who said that?¡± She looked all over the shack but saw nothing. She sat down and gripped her hair again, then rocked back and forth. ¡°Am-Am I going crazy? Is it because I haven¡¯t been using any drugs? Wait, I should calm down. Don¡¯t be consumed by the voices in your head. Don¡¯t be consumed by the voices!¡±


    As she finally calmed down, Alexandria looked up and saw a girl standing in front of her. The little girl¡¯s hair was long and covered her face. She was pale and wore a gothic white dress. Alexandria was frightened. Her breathing intensified as her heart pounded in fear.


    Wait, who is this? This can¡¯t be Angela? She¡¯s still asleep!


    The girl began laughing at Alexandria and slowly reached out towards her face. Alexandra¡¯s vision had darkened now, because all she could see was pure darkness. She only heard the girl¡¯s tormented giggling. Alexandria couldn¡¯t move and had no idea what was bound to happen.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have some fun before I let you go¡­ druggy.¡± The girl laughed and Alexandria screamed out of horror, not knowing what was happening. ¡°Time to test your little confidence and watch you be the stupid scum of society that you are.¡±


    Alexandria continued screaming into the darkness until she saw speckles of light. She blinked rapidly, and placed a hand over her face as huge rays of sunshine rained upon her. Alexandria lowered her hand and what she saw in front of her was not Michigan. It wasn¡¯t familiar at all.


    ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She was so frightened. The brutal cold was gone, the depressing gray sky wasn¡¯t there either. The streets, the buildings, everything was gone. She noticed she was now on a dirt path that led to a forest of darkened solitude.


    ¡°How¡­ could? But! No¡­!¡± She started to freak out, but she got interrupted by the girl who giggled behind her.


    Alexandria turned around and jumped backwards.


    ¡°Aww? What¡¯s the matter? Afraid of a cute little girl like me?¡± The little girl frolocked around Alexandria, humming a tune from the Dark Ages. ¡°Oh? From the look on your face I¡¯d say you know the song I¡¯m singing. Correct?¡±


    Alexandria grabbed her chest. She could feel her heart was ready to explode from out of her chest. ¡°Wh-Who are you? Where did you come from and where am I?¡± The girl ignored Alexandria and continued circling. ¡°Stop! Stop singing that damned song about the Black Death!¡±


    The little girl finally halted and reached out towards Alexandria. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re a fascinating girl, aren¡¯t you? Yet, you chose drugs and the streets than to live with any other relatives.¡±


    ¡°H-How do you know that?!¡±


    The little girl lowered her arms and approached Alexandria in a creepy and relaxing manner. ¡°I know many things, Alexandria. Even by looking into your eyes I could see your past, your future, but more importantly¡­¡±


    Alex froze in fear, allowing the girl to grab her hands and share her coldness that felt like ice with her.


    ¡°¡­when you¡¯ll meet your miserable end.¡±


    Alexandria didn¡¯t like the tone the little girl was giving off, but she was just too scared to do anything. Then the girl let go and backed away.


    ¡°But I¡¯m giving you a chance.¡±


    Alexandria felt her own hands, which were getting colder. ¡°Wh-What do you mean? Another chance?¡±


    ¡°Look behind you.¡±


    Alexandria did what she¡¯d said and turned around. She saw two different paths. One led to a trail into a beautiful forest of life and beauty, while the other led to a forest that was familiar to the winters of Michigan.


    ¡°I have no clue what is going on¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m high or going crazy, but¡­¡± She turned back to the girl and seemed confident. ¡°¡­this could all be just a dream, so I¡¯ll play your little game.¡±


    ¡°Ding, ding, ding. You guessed it¡­ it¡¯s a dream,¡± she said without any effort. ¡°So now that you know you¡¯re dreaming, do you believe you have control over it? Perhaps that¡¯s why you have such a confident look.¡±


    Alexandria nodded. ¡°None of this is real and I¡¯m probably sleeping in the shack with Angela, waiting for my hubby to return.


    ¡°Okay smart one, then choose. Pick the right path and you¡¯ll be given another chance, but choose the wrong one and you¡¯ll soon meet your end, intended by the order the world has chosen for you.¡±


    Alexandria laughed at her, and all her feelings of fear were no longer present. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that because no matter the path I choose, I¡¯ll adjust it and pull something out of my ass to save myself.¡±


    She started walking away from the girl, then gave the little girl the finger.. ¡°Well¡­ I have no clue who you are but I don¡¯t care if you aren¡¯t real¡­ so fuck you! Hahaha!¡±


    Alexandria, with a giant blanket of confidence, ran off into the distance and smiled as she approached the beautiful forest.


    ¡°This is it! Let¡¯s do this and wake up to see my hubby¡¯s face!¡± she shouted with determination and ran into the forest.


    The little girl sighed out of disappointment for Alexandria. ¡°I tried giving her a chance, but alas¡­ humans are dumber than they were in the past.¡± She shook her head and shrugged. ¡°The forest on the right represents judgment. Yes it¡¯s beautiful and seems the safest, but walking into something just because it looks normal doesn¡¯t deem it to be the safest route. In the end, it¡¯ll only crush your spirit and force you into succumbing to your demons.¡±


    She giggled and started fading away into withered smoke. The area around her too dissipated into blown smoke, seeming as if the brutal strong winds were apparent. The girl was almost gone, along with the world they were in.


    ¡°She had no idea the one to the left was the one back to her reality¡­ Stupid idiot probably hasn¡¯t realized that she¡¯s already taken her hit and is going off her temporary boost. Hopefully my Jack can see how much of a loser you truly are, Alexandria.¡±


    Everything faded to black, and complete darkness overtook Alexandria¡¯s vision once again.


    Alexandria¡¯s pupils had dilated and her mouth was open. She was at a loss for words. With a syringe dangling off her arm, she lay sideways as if she were dead, mumbling words and still seeming like she was experiencing that dream. Her calmed breathing echoed in the shack and her eyes started watering. She¡¯d broken her promise to Jack. Oblivious to succumbing to her addiction, Alexandria laid there like the failure she had always been.


    The girl softly whispered into Alexandria¡¯s consciousness, ¡°Too bad you wasted your life and chose the wrong path. You would¡¯ve followed your parent¡¯s sacrifices and still live a normal life, but no! Instead, you¡¯re nothing more than just a mere junkie like how they were.¡±


    Jack and Joseph returned and noticed that Angela was all alone. Jack assumed that maybe Alexandria went out to get something real quick. He then noticed a note next to Angela. He grabbed the note and opened it, reading the slip of paper. He was relieved to know that it was from Alexandria.


    ¡°What does the note say?¡± Joseph asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll read it to you later,¡± Jack replied.


    Jack then looked back at the note and read it.


    Hi Jack. If you¡¯re reading this, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be back in two days. I¡¯m just visiting an old friend, so please don¡¯t worry about me.


    Sincerely, your future wife,


    Alexandria


    Joseph immediately knew the true meaning of that letter and felt disappointed. He didn¡¯t want to tell Jack the truth or else he¡¯d get hurt if he knew what the letter meant.


    Jack gazed at the window and noticed white flakes. It was starting to snow. Both males walked outside to watch the first flakes touch the ground.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s going to be an early white December. Huh kid?¡±


    Jack watched the white flakes of heaven touch the sinful ground and lightly land on his warm face. ¡°It¡¯s been almost three years since I¡¯ve seen snow. I¡¯m happy to see it, but I¡¯m not excited.¡±


    Snow fell onto Jack¡¯s clothes. He closed his eyes, thinking about how happy he could have been if his family were there with him. Joseph patted Jack¡¯s back and they both watched the snowfall together.


    The sky turned gray without a cloud in sight. Snow thickened and the winds blew fast like a windstorm. The cold grew gruesome, not even a fire¡¯s warmth was enough to heat up Jack and Joseph. It was beginning to get dark and the winds grew even harder.


    Jack continued to worry about Alexandria. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was inside some shelter or sleeping somewhere in the streets.


    ¡°You mustn¡¯t worry too much. It¡¯s not good for your health,¡± Joseph said.


    Jack relaxed and believed in Joseph¡¯s words. They both went to sleep and made sure that Angela was warm enough so she wouldn¡¯t get any worse than what she already was.


    As night consumed the sky and forced everyone into slumber, Joseph slept and heard something was different. It wasn¡¯t the wind, he knew that for sure. Getting up, he looked outside to figure out what the strange sound was. He opened the door and the first thing he saw was someone or something standing underneath a street light.


    The snowy wind was blowing so fast he couldn¡¯t tell who or what it was. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn¡¯t just seeing things, but as soon as he looked again, no one was there.


    Joseph chuckled and sighed in relief, assuming that it was just a side effect of not using heroin anymore. He closed the door and lay back down, but when he did, he noticed there was something poking his back. He reached round and found a used needle, then quickly reacted. He had every intention to throw it away, but he couldn¡¯t. However, Joseph remembered how he¡¯d stored away some heroin in his bag.


    He clenched the needle out of his own disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Jack, but I must shoot up one last time. Before an addict wants to go clean, they want to get high one last time, and I intend to do so.¡±


    Joseph quickly cooked up some heroin outside so Jack wouldn¡¯t notice. And when he finished cooking up, Joseph immediately injected the drug into his bloodstream. He got a sudden high and lost his mind.


    He laughed and laughed, then talked rapidly to himself. ¡°The great, fantastic, amazing, wondrous, lucious, devoted drug that heals my selfish stupidity to feed my patheticness to make me question my own well-being and seeing if it was a great idea abandoning the family he loved to shoot this devil into his wretched bloodstream! Hahaha!¡±


    After five minutes Joseph stopped and relaxed. As soon as he headed back inside, he heard a voice inside his head.


    ¡°No, no, no, you aren¡¯t done yet! You want to do more, don¡¯t you?¡± The voice chuckled.


    Joseph smiled. ¡°Yes! I want more! More! More!!!¡±


    He grabbed his bag and went outside again. He cooked up so much heroin that it was enough for a group of eight people. He smoked it, snorted it and injected it.


    The voice laughed along with him. Every time he would stop, it kept pressuring him into doing more. ¡°That¡¯s it! You¡¯re almost on your way to freedom!¡±


    Joseph wasn¡¯t feeling so well and collapsed. He dragged himself with barely any energy spared. Finally reaching the door, he got up and tried opening it, but he was too out of it. He started hearing giggling and thought that was him just freaking out because of how high he was.


    The giggling intensified. His whole vision went one-eighty, and he was extremely disoriented. With the full weight of his body, Joseph pushed the door open and fell onto the ground. His vision became blurry and he could barely keep his eyes open. He heard footsteps heading closer to him, so he reached out towards the oncoming footsteps.


    He-Help¡­ me,¡± Joseph said as he desperately tried staying awake, but he saw something that shocked him.


    It was such a horrible shock to him that he started having a heart attack. Joseph grabbed his chest and sweated profusely. His heart was beating faster and faster, and yet it wouldn¡¯t stop. He breathed his last breath as he witnessed something he would never have suspected. He died and his body lay lifeless. Dead from an overdose Joseph now couldn¡¯t tell anyone what he saw.


    The next morning, Jack woke up shivering and wondered why it had gotten so cold. He rubbed his eyes and spotted the door open. Joseph was lying on the ground.


    Jack immediately rushed towards Joseph and tried waking him up, but it was no use, he wasn¡¯t moving. Jack placed his ear against Joseph¡¯s back to hear his heart. It was silent. His body was out cold and blue.


    Jack spotted all the used substances on the ground behind Joseph, then looked at Joseph¡¯s body and lowered his head in disappointment. Wrapping his arms around Joseph¡¯s legs, he dragged his body outside and placed a blanket over him.


    He grabbed a makeshift shovel nearby and walked behind the shack. He began digging calmly at first, but those new images of them talking about starting a new life started flashing in his mind.


    Jack dug with no emotion though, and he cried a little but not of sadness. It was out of anger towards Joseph. Jack stabbed the ground angrily and clenched his teeth as he dug Joseph¡¯s grave. He was digging with so much frustration at the fact that he had broken his promise. Cold, hard splinters dug into his palms and his cold blisters grew bigger, but Jack didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°You damn fool. After that night we talked about it. In the end, it was all just a lie, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Jack shouted while digging aggressively. ¡°Why Joseph? How could you?¡±


    Jack¡¯s fingers felt numb and cold. He finished and walked back inside the shack.


    He dragged Joseph¡¯s body to the back. It took Jack a while to drag his stiff, frozen body, but he managed to do so. He kicked his body into the hole from the anger he had towards Joseph and began to cover the grave until the ditch was completely full. Jack then placed Joseph¡¯s bag on a stick, stabbing the ground to make it his tombstone.


    Jack looked at the grave and for some reason, he didn¡¯t feel any remorse. He stood there as snow quickly piled up and covered the grave. Jack prayed and said goodbye to Joseph. Looking back one last time, Jack realized that he¡¯d most likely forget about Joseph which was the sad reality of his cruel world.


    Jack walked off, not looking back anymore. He had to focus on taking care of Angela, no matter what it took, even if it killed him in the end.

 Final Chapter Of Arc 1

    It had been a week since Alexandria¡¯s strange disappearance, yet she hadn¡¯t returned like she¡¯d stated in her letter. Jack was exhausted, but most of all he missed Alexandria. He was lonely and had gotten worse physically, and hadn¡¯t eaten in a couple of days. What was worse was the fact that Jack had overheard a radio saying that a snowstorm would hit the area later in the day.


    Jack had no idea how he was going to save both him and Angela during the night. He¡¯d used all his resources on her, yet she barely woke up. She mostly fell into a deep sleep the majority of the time. Even when she did wake up she only ate without saying a single word, not to mention her eyes, they were off every time she would be awake just for two minutes, but they always looked dead. So her doing that consistently made Jack feel just as alone. It was like watching a doll come to life.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if they could survive after tonight if they survived. Joseph was dead as well and without the help of someone familiar with medicine, Jack no longer had any hookups to get Angela the medication she needed. He wondered if the crazy deep sleep was either a side effect of the medication from before, or due to her current illness.


    ¡°I have to figure out a way of getting us to a better shelter or we¡¯re dead.¡± Jack shivered and placed his blanket over Angela to warm her even more. ¡°Damn it! What am I supposed to do? Alexandria hasn¡¯t returned and freaking Joseph¡¯s dead.¡±


    Jack waited to see if Angela would awake or respond, instead all he got was her soft snoring as a response. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you sis¡­ why don¡¯t you stay awake, let alone say something. What¡¯s gotten into you?¡±


    Jack stood up and walked out of the shack. ¡°Either way I have no choice. I have to find a place for us to stay. Hopefully someone will take us in for the night.¡± Jack looked back one more time to see if Angela wasn¡¯t shivering and that the fires were still running. ¡°I¡¯ll be back Angela. I¡¯ll find us a better shelter. I promise.¡±


    Jack headed out into the snowy environment. The winds were harsh, and the cold was that of an arctic vortex. Jack headed into the white street to see if there were people around, but nobody was in sight. He checked the homeless camps. It seemed like the rest of the homeless had moved to a different location because it was completely empty, to the point it seemed like people were never there to begin with. The only items left behind were just cardboard boxes or trash, but to a normal person walking or driving by it would only be your typical litter.


    Jack walked into town and saw people warm inside restaurants and stores, which made him gloomy. He watched cars pass by, thinking about how warm those people must be inside their vehicles.


    Jack tried his best to walk during such heavy snowfall, but the depth of the snow on the ground kept burying him the further he walked. His feet were beyond freezing and his hands felt extremely numb. However, there was no time to worry about such a small thing. His main objective was getting both him and Angela into a warm enough area to survive the storm.


    He shivered violently as he hugged himself for warmth. ¡°I-I feel like passing out. I-I can hardly breathe with this strong wind! Bu-But I¡¯m not giving up!¡± Jack forced himself to keep going, even if he would get frostbite along his journey.


    Jack walked for hours in the hopes of finding shelter, but so far he had failed to find one place. He was agitated and extremely disoriented, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he could continue going. He checked the street signs and noticed he was at the opposite side of town, even though he was close to Flint¡¯s river. He walked along a sidewalk that oversaw the river in its entirety, then spotted a neighborhood close by.


    ¡°I-I wonder if anyone in that neighborhood wi-will take us in?¡± Jack asked himself while his mouth trembled. ¡°Hopefully someone will, it¡¯s worth a try.¡± Jack started walking towards the area to inspect it better.


    As Jack walked on the sidewalk, he spotted something along the riverside and presumed it was just a small log washed up. He kept walking straight but noticed that the shape he presumed was a log started to turn into something else as he stepped closer.


    When Jack was close enough, he realized it was a person. There was a pretty bad smell coming from them too. Jack walked a little closer and noticed that the person was a girl. He spotted the bracelet on her right arm, and her hair color resembled¡­


    ¡°No¡­ this¡­ isn¡¯t real¡­¡± Jack said, walking slowly towards the corpse.


    He noticed the outfit right away and the scars on her arms¡­ it was Alexandria with half her body face down in the water, floating lifeless like some dead fish. The other half was exposed and looked like a beached animal rotting away.


    Jack¡¯s eyes expanded with shock. He stayed paused, shaking his head at the unforgivable sight, not believing what he was witnessing. He dropped to his knees and crawled towards her, then grabbed her body and dragged it out of the water. Jack was emotionless and seemed broken. He didn¡¯t know how to react. His heart pounded slowly and his face became pale.


    Jack turned her body around and her face had already dissolved and decomposed, which exposed more rotting flesh. Her eyes were gone and her skin was palish green. Jack continued to examine her body to see what the cause of death was and noticed there wasn¡¯t a single stab, shot, blunt bruise, or wound on her. Feeling hopeless and disgusted, Jack turned his head to the side and threw up.


    Jack coughed as his eyes turned red from the sheer burning of his own vile. Tears filled his entire vision from his own helplessness. ¡°Alex¡­ why? Why did you go alone?¡± Jack leaned her lifeless head against his chest and finally broke, crying. ¡°Why did you lie to me! Alex!¡±


    Jack grabbed one of her hands, noticing a piece of paper clenched in her hand. He opened her hand out and took the paper. He looked at it and read her last words before leaving this life. Reading those words once filled with her joy and love¡­ now seemed meaningless and empty. He broke down even more and clinched onto her lifeless corpse.


    The paper had a stick figure drawing of Jack and Alexandria with a heart symbol over them. It read, Together forever! I¡¯ll always love you, my honey!


    Jack¡¯s face was covered with her rotting blood and his own tears. He was full of sorrow and hopelessness, but he didn¡¯t care if he was freezing, or was being covered in her decay. He had lost someone who he¡¯d known for a little while, but it was enough to be called a friend. It was the same feeling Jack had when he lost his parents.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    His mind went dark, just like it did when those robbers killed his parents, back from when both him and Angela were escaping, but this time the darkness was blacker. His mind seeped with loss, rage and agony. Everything around him became blank as he reaped his emotions away. He screamed and screamed until he let out a haunting cry that broke building windows that were nearby. The skies above twirled around Jack and the snow around him blew away exposing the cold ground.


    Water in the river rattled violently until Jack came back to his senses. He calmed down and looked around at what had just happened. His head throbbed with such severe pain that he didn¡¯t notice the girl giggling inside his mind.


    He picked up and carried Alexandria¡¯s body through the harsh weather, not caring if he got sick. He managed to carry her to an open field that was close to the shack and placed her body down. He didn¡¯t want to leave her body to rot in the river, and wanted to give her a proper burial. He dug, not caring that his hands were turning blue with frostbite. The blisters on his palms were beginning to erupt and spilled puss.


    Before he could properly place her body in her grave, Jack removed the bracelet she had on her arm. It read, Jack and Alexandria forever.


    Jack removed the bracelet and placed it into his pocket. He paused for a second with such a broken look on his face, then removed his scarf and wrapped it around her face. He whimpered, placing Alexandria in the hole, then buried her. He made a makeshift cross out of stone and placed it on her grave. Mourning, he looked up at the gray sky, wondering why his life was so miserable.


    Why is God punishing me¡­ for nothing?


    He looked at Alexandria¡¯s grave as icicles started forming around his eyes. ¡°Goodbye¡­ Alex.¡±


    Hatred filled Jack¡¯s eyes as he walked back to the shack in a broken and angry manner. He kicked the door open. Winter wind filled the shack and he took off his sweater. His face was angry, his jaw clenched, his eyes burning red as tears kept flowing out of his eyes. He placed the sweater onto Angela and wrapped all the blankets around her. Deciding to leave the bags behind, Jack picked and placed her on his back. He started walking out of the shack, not caring how cold it had gotten. Jack, with that angry look on his face, managed to calm himself down and turned his look into a face full of determination.


    ¡°Le-Lets go¡­ Angela!¡± Jack walked into the white apocalypse and proceeded onward to the neighborhood he¡¯d found earlier, the one close to Alexandria¡¯s death.


    The snowstorm was upon them but Jack didn¡¯t care. All that was running through his mind was not to lose Angela, the last person he had left to care, love, and was his last vessel to have a purpose in life¡­ Otherwise he¡¯d rather succumb to the white hell around them and freeze like a human popsicle so he could end his never-ending misery.


    Jack struggled so hard to walk through the storm. He could feel frostbite building up along his arms and chest. Carrying Angela and walking in the deep snow was tormenting him, but his legs trembled with chilling pain. His teeth clattered from the extreme frost brushing against his face. If hell was ever cold, then this was it.


    It was getting darker and the storm had worsened while Jack was teetering on the brink of hypothermia. His eyes were looking more dead, his breathing sounded as if he were dying, and his body shook violently. But Jack didn¡¯t care if he was slowly dying, he needed to find shelter for the two, or in this case, for Angela. His last glimmer of hope and love.


    At last, after hours of walking, Jack arrived at the neighborhood with frozen brows and his skin was almost blue. He looked up at the entrance and took a step, then lost his footing and tripped. Angela fell off him first and he too fell to the ground. Angela, who was wrapped in layers of warmth, lay there like a russian doll, but one hand did fall out. Jack, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t move a muscle and his entire body was almost frozen. Jack was experiencing hypothermia, but he didn¡¯t care.


    Determination riled up inside him again and drove his dying body to seek warmth and potential shelter, even if it was temporary. His trembling hand reached out towards Angela. Jack grabbed her one exposed hand and got the courage to stand back up. He grabbed Angela again, then carried her. He was shivering so much that he could barely stand, but he ground his teeth in frustration and finally walked into the neighborhood street.


    Jack trudged up to the first house and knocked, but no one answered, so he looked through the window and saw people inside. Waving his hands a little, Jack tried getting their attention, but he could hardly shout let alone breathe. That didn¡¯t matter though, because they ignored him like some stray dog.


    The folks inside noticed the boy and closed the curtains in front of him heartlessly. Jack got angry but continued forward and went to another house. This time, people did answer.


    The man looked down at the frozen, shivering popsicle that was Jack. ¡°Pl-Please sir¡­ Need wa-warmth!¡± Jack mumbled.


    ¡°Too bad kid. Now get the fuck off my lawn!¡± the man replied cruelly and slammed the door in Jack¡¯s face.


    The boy hid his broken face and continued onto the next house. ¡°I don¡¯t want some dirty ass bum inside my home.¡±


    The next house, ¡°Get the fuck off my porch, you little bum!¡±


    Jack showed no emotion. He was extremely frustrated and was far beyond angry.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not welcome, white boy!¡±


    House after house after house, Jack had been rejected, humiliated and cursed at. Someone had even thrown water at him. His mind boiled with hatred and his eyes no longer twinkled. They were as lifeless as a man who¡¯d been through war and had lost everything.


    Jack didn¡¯t care about himself. He just wanted to make sure Angela didn¡¯t end up like his parents, Joseph, especially Alexandria. He lost everything and everyone; she was all he had left. Jack realized how horrible and cruel human beings could be, and now he knew what the real world was like. It was unforgivable and full of selfish, heartless scumbags.


    Jack walked up a pair of stairs and managed to get to the top. He knocked on the door and laid Angela on the doormat. Someone answered but Jack didn¡¯t bother looking up. He kept looking down and seemed lifeless.


    He almost collapsed in front of the stranger who was staring at him with wholesome eyes, but he managed to stand with whatever energy he had left. ¡°Please¡­ take¡­ her-her. Th-Thank yo-you.¡±


    Jack tried to walk away, but he tripped on his own footing. He stumbled and fell down the steps like a rock stumbling down a well. He landed face first through the snow onto the ground below, hitting the concrete.


    ¡°Yo!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Damn, what the hell!¡± The man tried to take a step forward but noticed Angela covered in blankets. The man walked inside and yelled, ¡°Yo Eric! Come down here and check this out man!¡±


    A man named Eric, who was extremely tall, buff and covered in tattoos, came to the front door. ¡°What¡¯s all the ruckus man? I''m tryna sleep, you fool!¡±


    ¡°Bro, look my guy!¡± He pointed at Angela lying on the ground. ¡°Lil homie knocked on the door. Said to take care of her, walked off and fell down the steps.¡±


    Eric walked towards the outside steps and spotted Jack lying on the ground with blood pouring out of his head. He recognized Jack¡¯s hair and remembered the incident in front of the restaurant all those months ago. ¡°Poor lil man, he must have come a long way. I¡¯m surprised he didn¡¯t die of hypothermia before. Randolph, you should take the girl inside.¡± Eric walked down the steps to get to Jack, hoping he was still alive.


    ¡°Yeah, we can¡¯t leave these poor kids out here man. Best we take ¡®em inside!¡± Randolph listened to what Eric told him and walked inside with Angela.


    Eric walked towards Jack and placed his hand on Jack¡¯s back, hoping to feel a heartbeat. He still felt Jack¡¯s heart beating and smiled. ¡°Damn! You a tough lil man!¡±


    He picked up Jack and carried him.


    ¡°Come on lil homie! The outside is no place for children. We¡¯ll take care of both of you from now on.¡±


    Eric carried Jack up the steps, but before he could head inside, he looked back and for a moment. He suspected someone was watching them.


    ¡°Must be my imagination? Felt like I was being watched or something?¡± Eric said, then walked back inside with Jack and closed the door.


    The wind grew stronger and snow kept falling. From a distance, a woman in red could be seen standing below a street light. She watched them and smiled, then her hands collapsed as she walked out of the light and stared at the house. The violent wind fluttered her dress as she smiled happily, knowing they were safe and sound¡­ but that happiness quickly faded as the girl in white appeared on the doorsteps of the home.


    The two stared at each other. The tension between the two was fierce and agonizing. It was strong enough to create a snowy tornado of black and white. The girl in the white dress giggled as her laughter echoed into the hollow streets, while the spiraling vortex of the supernatural tumbled down, disappearing from the woman¡¯s gaze. The girl disappeared, and everything went back to normality.


    The woman in red walked back into the light and said, ¡°The day will come¡­ when you¡¯ll finally be freed from that vile girl in white. And when that day comes, I¡¯ll make sure to watch every single moment of your demise.¡±


    She turned around and walked into the blizzardy darkness, leaving behind a rose of black. Snow quickly buried it, hiding it from existence.

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 1: A New Beginning

    PROLOGUE


    In the midst of darkness, I didn¡¯t prevail. Emptiness reaped inside my broken mind, trapping it inside of a cage full of uncertain solitude. The fogging of my vision that was once full of colors now gleams black and white. I¡¯m a lost, hopeless being. A menace to society¡­ Should I even consider myself sane at this point? I doubt so, but as I live on, as I go forward in time, nothing will change the outcome of my new profound objective in life. And that is¡ª


    Well, that should be told some other time. The consequences of my actions have affected everything around me, though, no matter what they were, whether it was taking one¡¯s life, tormenting a poor bastard¡­ My reactions to it all remained the same. Nothing. No expression. Not a flinch, let alone a single twitch. Absolutely¡­ Nothing.


    The sun gleamed yellow in Flint, Michigan, where the skies were crystal clear. It was a beautiful day in a city that was usually drenched in gray. In a deserted park covered in the remnants of Flint¡¯s roaring chrimes, a gentleman with long brown hair stood near a bench and smoked a cigarette, staring at the empty streets. He didn¡¯t seem to mind being alone. To him, it was a familiar feeling¡ªloneliness, desolation, with no soul in sight.


    Fortunately another random gentleman in his early thirties appeared, walking by, minding his own business. He felt tired and stressed after a long day, so he decided to sit on the bench the other fellow stood next to. Sitting down and letting out a deep sigh, he pulled a cigarette out. He looked up at the gentleman beside and felt the urge to start a conversation.


    ¡°Hey, how are you doing, man? Nice day we¡¯re having¡­ for once, especially in this god forsaken city.¡± He lit his cancer stick and inhaled his first breath of death.


    The gentleman next to him smoked the last of his cigarette, tossed it aside, and placed a hand on his hip. ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s dashing, isn¡¯t it?¡± His voice sounded bored and deep, yet there was a pinch of emptiness in it.


    Sitting with an arm resting on a knee, the man continued smoking his cigarette. ¡°I would say so.¡± The man blew out a huge cloud of smoke, letting out a tired groan as the cloud of smoke dispersed. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what¡¯s someone like you doing here at this broken park? You know it¡¯s a hotspot for activity, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied with his deep broken tone.


    The man sitting on the bench gazed up at the stranger. From his observation, the stranger was quite tall and young. ¡°You seem bothered. Would you want me to just shut up?¡±


    The young man gazed at the sky, staring at it with empty eyes drenched in sadness. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I¡¯m just minding my own business, as usual.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Okay then.¡± The man gazed up too as he tossed away his cigarette. After a while, he asked, ¡°Whatcha doing here brother? You seem like you¡¯re lost in a trance or something?¡±


    The young man stood there and lowered his hand off his hip then continued staring, but he didn¡¯t reply. Then that moment turned to a drag for a full minute. The man sitting on the bench felt a bit uncomfortable experiencing the eeriness of silence, so he thought it was best to just get up and leave, but then the young stranger responded. Not with words but with movement. His chest puffed out. It seemed like he was taking in a breath, and a long one at that. He held it in for a couple of seconds until he finally exhaled, softly and calmly. He nodded and slowly blinked.


    Finally coming out of his trance, he responded. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ reflecting about something. Something about my past. Sorry for being so quiet. I just can¡¯t help but be lost in my own train of thought on this glorious day. But to answer your question furthermore, I¡¯m also here to hopefully find someone from that past.¡±


    His brows slightly raised, then he looked to the side briefly feeling similar about his situation but opposite. ¡°Oh, okay. It¡¯s fine, but shoot man, you seem kinda¡­ how would I put it¡­ dead? Sorry if that sounds rude, but there¡¯s no energy in your voice. You alright?¡±


    The young stranger exhales while still gazing at the sky. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ just fine.¡±


    The man sensed the young stranger¡¯s saddened aura pulsing off of him. But now he was starting to regret asking him what was usually seen as a normal question. So he brought out a calm smile to hopefully brighten the stranger¡¯s mood. ¡°If you¡¯re here reflecting on your past you¡¯ve most likely experienced many tragedies in your life, haven¡¯t ya?¡±


    The young stranger briefly glimpsed at the man. ¡°Funny you say that sir, but I¡¯m still rather young¡­ Very, I should say.¡±


    The man looked back to the young stranger with a curved brow. ¡°How old are ya then? From what I can tell, you¡¯re roughly in your late twenties.¡±


    The young man mildly chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m still a teenager, sir.¡±


    ¡°Wow!¡± the man replied, looking rather shocked.


    Assumption came into his mind, though he felt that this guy was hiding his real age but didn¡¯t want to say so. He thought the stranger had just told a lie.


    The man chuckled. ¡°You sure do look rather mature for your age¡­ Funnily enough you remind me of someone.¡±


    The man looked at the street view before him. His smile faded and he sighed deeply, as he thought about his past.


    The abnormally old looking teenager looked to his side and stared at the man sitting on the bench. He felt a little intrigued about the random reminder the man had brought up, although his eyes were squinting.


    Another brief silence came about between the two, but this time the man broke it by taking in air, blowing it out, and licking his lips. ¡°Speaking of the past, you think I can join in on your reflection? All this talking is bringing back memories of my own past, a past I¡¯ve moved on from¡­ hopefully to never return.¡±


    His eyes squinted as he crossed his arms. The teenager¡¯s body language showed that he was all ears from how his eyes were locked onto him, seeming permanent at the moment. The temptation of hearing the man¡¯s past not only made him eager to hear it, but it also brought about a sign of suspicion.


    ¡°Go on, tell it. I¡¯m interested in your past, sir,¡± he said in a monotone voice.


    ¡°My¡­ the way you responded makes it seem like you really do¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go on¡­ and¡­ tell it.¡± This time there was aggression in his voice and a glint appeared within the young man¡¯s eyes. Even when he put some anger in his voice, it didn¡¯t seem to bother the man all that much.


    The old man smiled. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡±


    The teenager stood there eager to listen carefully to the gentleman¡¯s past, but one could only assume why he was so intrigued about the old man¡¯s past.


    ¡°Whatever your past, it certainly might be similar to my own if you¡¯re reflecting on it¡­ but my past was nothing but manipulation, lust, and worse of all¡­ pain.¡± The man collapsed his hands together, lowering his head and rested his arms on his knees. ¡°A past in which I describe pain as betrayal. I¡¯ve killed people, cheated, but I think the worst pain of all was betraying the one¡¯s I actually cared about¡­ especially this one group with a little boy, whom I called a brother.¡±


    The teenager¡¯s gaze was still upon the man, as he lowered his arms, seeming to relax all of a sudden.


    ¡°Everyday I remind myself why I¡¯ve done such a thing, for God as my witness, why did I do that to such good people? Yet at the same time¡­ they were a bunch of criminals. I was one as well, so one day I had it. On a bloody day I decided you know what? I¡¯m tired of this life, but most of all¡­ I¡¯m tired of all of you.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± the young teenager asked.


    The man raised his head and arm, leaning a hand on his head in shame. ¡°I turned my back on them and killed the one closest to that boy. Ultimately, I left him to die because I was so tired of such a horrible lifestyle.¡± He sighed while raising both hands to the top of his head, placing them there. ¡°And he was such a good boy too, a boy filled with such care, a great mindset, and his devotion to protect the one person he cared about¡­ And I was weak enough to abandon him after killing someone close just to escape that domain of violence.¡±


    The teenager gazed out at the sky once more, then closed his eyes and went quiet again.


    After a brief pause of silence the man asked, ¡°You praying?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I just wanted to thank God for allowing me to hear your story,¡± the teenager said in a more enlightened tone.


    ¡°Is that so? What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°You see, as you said in your story, although you¡¯ve made mistakes in your past, you managed to move on and better not only yourself¡­ but your life as well by leaving that past.¡± He opened his eyes and looked back at the man in a slow creepy manner with glinted eyes. ¡°One question that does come to mind is have you ever thought about the past potentially ever coming back in some type of action? Perhaps in your dreams? As a mention just like this, or in worse cases, come back and seek a conclusion to your selfish actions?¡±


    The man gasped. His eyes quivered and he felt rather shocked hearing such powerful words coming at him. ¡°I-I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You know what I did as I closed my eyes, prayed to God, and reflected on my past?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± he said with concern laced in his voice.


    He briefly gazed at the sky then back to the man. ¡°I thought to myself, if I close my eyes and can¡¯t feel the sun¡¯s rays trying to sneak its way into the creeks of my eyelids, then darkness would forever be my field of view. The fact that not a single glimpse of light couldn¡¯t be seen, nor could I feel the heavens from above, is a reflection of my future outcomes.¡±


    A single tear filled with regret and guilt trickled down the old man¡¯s face. ¡°Is that so? So if I do the same¡­ will I see the outcome of my future?¡±


    The teenager slightly chuckled with an empty grin. ¡°Of course, try it yourself. Pray with me, my new friend.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said and turned to the sky.


    ¡°Close your eyes now, and gaze upon the blue clear sky without a single cloud in sight.¡±


    The man closed his eyes and brought out a soft smile while reflecting on his past. His mind flooded with old memories, haunting ones at that. He could see the past calling to him from the screams of the child who he was friends with, alongside his companion.


    ¡°What do you see?¡± the teengaer asked.


    ¡°M-my past¡­ slowly coming back to me.¡±


    ¡°Can you hear it? Can you see it? Is it reminding you of your horrid regrets, the guilt you¡¯ve stored away for all these years and moving on to better yourself? To not give a single care in the world for what happened to the people you¡¯ve betrayed?¡±


    Tears slipped past the dam. He slightly gasped. ¡°Yes¡­ yes I can. His screams, the bullets, the woman whom I¡¯ve played¡­ All of it is returning. It hurts¡­ It hurts so bad.¡±


    The teenager¡¯s grin faded and he became serious, knitting his brows and clenching his fists. ¡°Now think about it, what are you afraid of most? What feeling haven¡¯t I described that you¡¯re so afraid of saying?¡±


    The man made sad gasping sounds as more tears leaked through his eyelids. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m afraid¡­ afraid of the past, the past coming to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re afraid to feel the past, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    The teenager gazed at the man more intensely. The glint in his eyes grew and clenched his fists further. ¡°Then¡­ keep praying. Pray harder so God can forgive you for your sins. Can you feel the sun? Can you sense the light trying its best to break your eyelids and slip light into your brightened future.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes I can. The heat¡­ its rays are trying to make me open them. I can feel God trying to make me open my eyes and look into my blessed future.¡±


    The teenager reached for something in his jacket and left his hand there. ¡°What¡­ Do you mean by that? What is God trying to do to you, or what is he trying to¡­ tell you?¡± The glint in his eyes grew even sharper. They were wretched and showed rage.


    ¡°I-I think God¡¯s trying to tell me that my sins are forgiven!¡±


    The teenager grinned and started pulling out his hand from inside his jacket. And when he did, a silver gun was in the grip of his hand glistened in the sun¡¯s rays. He kept his intense stare on the man, pulled the hammer back on it, and slowly walked in front of him.


    The man was lost in his own train of thoughts and started thinking about the past potentially striking back at him, so he began praying to God to watch over him, to protect him, but most of all don¡¯t allow that past to come bite him in a horrific manner. As he collapsed his hands and continued praying, the teenager with the gun stepped in front of the man. When he blocked out the sun¡¯s rays, the man gasped and got scared.


    He reached out to what would¡¯ve been the sky was now the teengar standing before him. ¡°Th-The light¡­?! It¡¯s-it¡¯s gone¡­ Wh-why? What does this mean, young one? Would¡­ Could this mean?¡± His last words and the scared tone in his voice brought amusement to the teenager.


    The grin on his face faded as he slowly raised the gun. ¡°Most likely, a cloud has appeared, blocking you from progressing further to your brightened future. So in my meaning I mentioned earlier, what could this mean? What could that cloud blocking you from going further mean to you?¡±


    He aimed the gun directly at the man¡¯s face without his knowledge because his eyes were still shut.


    The man cried through his closed eyelids. ¡°It-it means the past, the past I¡¯m so afraid of might potentially¡­ potentially¡­ come¡­ back¡­ to¡ª¡±


    With the gun aimed at the man¡¯s face, the teenager started applying pressure on the trigger. ¡°To haunt your dreams, interrupt your life. Your mind constantly clouded over the thought of it to finally come back to bite you. In the end, and ultimately, seek a conclusion to your selfish¡­ actions.¡±


    A final pause of silence came between them. The man lowered his arms with his eyes still leaking. He gave into his emotions and started crying quietly. As he cried, the teenager¡¯s face still did not express a single ounce of emotion, yet that glint in his eyes was still there. After another couple seconds of silence an ominous wind blew by. As it started to intensify, dead leaves blew past them. The teengaer squeezed the trigger, killing him in cold blood.


    CHAPTER 1: A New Beginning


    Far out at the edge of a small beautiful town starving to be a protected tourist attraction from the typical horrid crime surrounding it, near a beautiful forest shining colors of the early stages of fall were three young teenage girls starting to gather at one single spot. The first girl, being smarter than the other two, wearing glasses and clothes to represent her knowledge with brown hair and eyes was Veronica. The girl standing next to her was a short one, but a mysterious looking one with red eyes, wearing a gothic red and black dress, looked bored out of her mind was Sarah. The last girl who¡¯s still getting to her two best friends waiting for her arrival was the second tallest out of the three, having blonde hair, green eyes, and wearing a grunge outfit fitting for her current persona was Annabelle, Jack¡¯s childhood best friend.


    After five years since Jack¡¯s supposed passing, adolescence was abroad with the scent of fall approached. Annabelle was about to begin her first year in high school, along with her friends who hadn¡¯t changed much since childhood. Her life had had some turns, more notably her having to combat the feelings of depression and acceptance of her secret, but it¡¯d been great from then on with the help of therapy sessions as well as her friends being there in her darkest times. Thankfully her grandparents were there to be emotionally supportive too and more impacting, especially after what her parents had done to her, according to what she was told.


    Annabelle walked along a trail, lathered with the last essence of summer. Leaves once green turned to the colors of fall, falling off the branches they called home during the summer to be blown off by the cool winds of Michigahn and landing all over the trail. This was a forest Anna liked walking alone at times to think clearly about her life, especially this specific trail that goes straight to the other side of town, a beautiful shortcut. She spotted Veronica and Sarah along the same trail, where they waited for her in the middle of it, standing beneath a grand scene of falling leaves. But she stopped for a second to reflect on how great of friends the two were from Veronica always reminding her to never give up and Sarah always being by her side to comfort her in times she needed someone''s warmth.


    There they are, the two people I absolutely love and hate, my best friends Veronica and Sarah. Annabelle smiled and proceeded to walk again.


    Finally Anna reached her friends and Reunited with them for their journey into adulthood was something she¡¯d been looking forward to. Veronica having a bright smile, Sarah grinning, and Anna¡¯s eyes glistening, the three girls were ready for this grand journey awaiting them.


    Veronica hugged Anna tightly. ¡°Anna! How was your summer break? It¡¯s been so long.¡± she asked joyfully.


    Anna couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Great, I did train a lot with my martial arts and of course I did some¡­ um, research.¡± She sarcastically coughed out of suspicion. ¡°What about you Sarah? Anything new, Miss Mysterious?¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t answer. Instead, her crimson eyes glared at her, which made Anna sweat. Then she raised a brow and grinned. ¡°It was boring. All I did was read novels and become one with nature.¡± She diverted her attention to Veronica. ¡°What about you Veronica? How was yours?¡±


    ¡°Well, not much to be honest.¡± Veronica then raised a finger, ¡°Oh! I did accompany my folks on their vacation and spent my time on a cruise ship.¡±


    They both looked at her, annoyed. Veronica noticed both her friends had their brows raised and were giving her a cold stare. She wondered why they¡¯d gotten so quiet. Once she opened her mouth again to say something else, both her friends said in unison, ¡°Rich snob¡± before Veronica spoke.


    Veronica blinked then laughed. Eventually, they all did too. When the laughter died down, they all held hands and started walking down the dirt path towards their school.


    The path was full of beautiful greenery, trees that were full of life, flowers were blooming, and birds chirped above in the branches. Anna paused for a second.


    Both girls did too. Veronica looked at Anna and asked, ¡°Why the sudden stop?¡±


    Sarah gazed up at the trees. ¡°Perhaps she just needs to take a whizz.¡±


    ¡°Oh ha ha Sarah, but no. Sorry guys, I gotta get something in my bag first before we continue.¡± Anna removed her bookbag and placed it on the ground, then she reached into it and took out the necklace Jack had given her years ago.


    As she put it on, she turned and looked at Sarah. ¡°Could you connect it from behind?¡±


    Sarah assisted, then turned Anna round. ¡°Wow, pretty necklace you got there. It really brings out your eyes. How much did you spend on it?¡±


    Anna giggled. ¡°Why thank you, good friend!¡± Now that she had the necklace on, she felt safer wearing the charm.


    ¡°Say Anna?¡± Veronica asked while pressing a finger against her chin, staring at Anna¡¯s precious relic. ¡°How come you always wear that everyday?¡±


    Anna smiled and placed her hand on the pendant. ¡°It helps me remember Jack, that¡¯s why.¡± All three girls became quiet. Anna¡¯s eyes slightly quivered and welled up with tears. ¡°Can you believe it? It¡¯s been five years since his death.¡±


    Veronica frowned and grabbed Anna¡¯s hand. ¡°I know. There¡¯s not a day that goes by where I don¡¯t think about him, too.¡± A tear unexpectedly flowed down Veronica¡¯s cheek. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m getting a little emotional.¡±


    Sarah handed Veronica a tissue. Veronica thanked her with a smile. ¡°Say you guys, ready for the first day of highschool?¡± Sarah asked without placing emotion on her voice.


    Anna laughed, pointing out her dull, unexcited face. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you missy! Especially with wearing all those black clothes. I doubt you¡¯re excited.¡±


    Sarah frowned, but she was too small to intimidate Anna. ¡°You know I love the color black! There¡¯s some red on me today, so don¡¯t just ignore that.¡± Sarah crossed her arms, looking away briefly. ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t question my appearance, necrophiliac!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s on!¡± Anna said, raising her fists and making funny poses that resembled drunken fists.


    Veronica giggled, ¡°Relax you two before I¡¯ll die of laughter.¡±


    Anna threw slow chops on Sarah¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Take that you tiny demon!¡±


    Sarah twitched an eye, grabbing one of her hands. ¡°Oh no, the tiny demon got your hand, I wonder what¡¯ll happen next?¡± She then bit Anna¡¯s hand, but in a friendly way.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Anna chopped her head, then tickled her. ¡°Yeah! Take that you vile demon!¡±


    Veronica¡¯s laughter grew more, and to the point she shed tears. ¡°You guys, stop!¡±


    As the two continued doing their silly arguing, Veronica couldn¡¯t help contain her laughter, this scene represented the girls friendship. It showed not only just how much they all loved each other, but their bond seemed unbreakable. The girls haven¡¯t changed much since their childhood to their first steps into teenagehood and for good reason, this is who they were and how they acted towards each other.


    Eventually, after a minute of pointless arguing, throwing weak attacks, Veronica¡¯s laughter, both girls stopped fighting from Veronica¡¯s loud laughter. They both glimpsed at each other and giggled as well to then attack Veronica with chops and tickles. They tormented Veronica for a full fledged minute of undying laughter, and once both girls finished, Veronica was done. Both Anna and Sarah called a truce by shaking hands, bumping elbows, and sticking their tongues out at Veronica who¡¯s still laughing but sounding out of breath while recovering.


    When everyone had calmed down, Veronica finally caught her breath and letting out a big sigh, they continued down the dirt path with smiles. As the three girls were strolling onward, Anna noticed something strange. Sarah and Veronica continued walking without realizing that their friend had suddenly stopped.


    Anna listened carefully to everything around her. All the birds had stopped chirping and this peaceful forest was oddly too silent, enough to make one go berserk. She observed the entire area. Even the wind had come to a complete stop.


    Why is it so eerily quiet all of a sudden? Anna thought.


    The eerie silence grew uncomfortable and gave Anna goosebumps. She had the sensation of being watched. Rubbing her arms, she glanced around, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. To her shocking surprise, Anna spotted something out of the ordinary.


    W-W-Who¡¯s that?


    Sarah and Veronica had finally noticed that Anna wasn¡¯t by their side, so they quickly walked back to where they last stood. ¡°How come we didn¡¯t notice she was missing?¡± Veronica asked, worried.


    Sarah seemed a little more alert compared to Veronica. Her arms tensed up and her red eyes glistened. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But let¡¯s hurry back to find her.¡± The two girls then hurried back to where they last stood.


    Anna stared at the mysteriously shaped shadowy figure that suddenly appeared before her. Though she decided to shrug it off and turned to regroup with her friends instead of investigating it. She took deep breaths and forced herself to shrug off the ominous sensation that seeped into her, making her feel uneasy. Though curiosity was getting the best of her, Anna looked back again. This time, nothing was there.


    The uneasiness came back, striking fear into her nerves yet again.  Every hair on her arms and neck rose from the horrid feeling. Something in her mind made her feel like she was being watched from above. Anna looked above out of worry. But there was still nothing.


    Why am I having these strange feelings? Why do I feel scared all of a sudden? Something isn¡¯t right.


    Pain erupted inside Anna¡¯s mind. An overbearing burden from her past suddenly flashed before her mind. It was a dream familiar to the scenario of her being in a forest though in that dream it was entirely dark from her childhood. It was beginning to feel reminiscent from the eerie silence, no one in sight, being watched, all that was left for her to feel that same dream is if someone flew overhead then to start a chase after her.


    As she clutched her head from the pain, while glancing around to analyse the forest, the puzzle was starting to come together. It felt oddly familiar, but somehow she couldn¡¯t remember how she knew this place. Especially when it was her first time walking down such a path.


    The shadow lingered from the shadows of the forest, watching Anna and circling around her from every direction. The other two girls finally retraced their steps and spotted Anna with her hands placed over her face. The shadow then appeared in front of Anna while she still clutched her head, approaching her as it reached its wretched arms out to her. They called out to get her attention and that¡¯s enough for the shadow to slither away back to the shadows of the forest. At first Anna didn¡¯t notice, but as her hands fell away from her face she saw them and waved back weakly.


    Both girls rushed towards her, fearing for her health. Sarah was the first to respond by quickly taking out her lunch bag and pulling out an ice bag she¡¯d stored away to keep her lunch cold.


    ¡°Are you okay, Anna?!¡± Sarah asked as she placed the bag on Anna¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Y-Yeah I¡¯m fine. I just got a really bad headache, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°You made us so worried! We thought we¡¯d accidentally abandoned you!¡± Veronica exclaimed, grabbing Anna¡¯s hand. She noticed how warm Anna had gotten.


    But Anna didn¡¯t wanna worry them anymore. She handed Sarah her ice pack back. ¡°Thanks Veronica, but I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Sarah thought otherwise and poked Anna¡¯s forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Are you really?¡±


    Anna took a step back, shaking her head. ¡°Seriously guys, I¡¯m fine. Come on, we¡¯ll be late, so stop being so worried!¡± Anna said, forcing a smile. It seemed to convince Veronica enough for her to stop worrying, but Sarah still had her doubts about how Anna¡¯s eyes were mildly twitching and sweat still present on her face.


    The three girls began walking again, but Sarah saw something on the ground that caught her attention for a second. She stopped and noticed it was just Anna¡¯s phone only a foot away.


    ¡°Why the sudden stop, Sarah?¡± Veronica asked.


    Sarah reached down to her boot, pretending to tie a lace. ¡°I¡¯m just tying my laces. Go on without me. I¡¯ll catch up in a minute.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Veronica replied as she continued walking alongside Anna.


    As the two girls walked away, Sarah stood up and walked to the phone, then picked it up from where Anna was clutching her head on her knees. Sarah knew something felt unordinary from how Anna suddenly halted to the strange and uneasy feeling that was suddenly upon her. She looked back at the edge of the trail and spotted a mysterious shape. From what Sarah can analyze the shape to be, it was that of a girl her height and presumbing wearing a wide dress.


    Sarah¡¯s face tightened, her eyebrows knitting, she became serious while she stared at the strange girl with her fierce eyes. She gripped Anna¡¯s phone tightly, her jaw clenching, and her arm tensed up. As they stared each other down in the open silence, the tension was rudely interrupted by Anna¡¯s phone ringing.


    Sarah didn¡¯t want to answer it, so she ignored the call and decided to brush off the stranger who gazed at her. She wanted to get back with her friends. Already this small trip, which would¡¯ve been their first normal journey into adulthood through a beautiful forest of nature¡¯s definitive beauty, had now become abnormal from this supernatural occurrence.


    As Sarah walked forward, she spotted the two girls from afar. But out of her own strange curiosity, Sarah looked back to see if the strange girl was still there. To her surprise, she still was. This time though, she seemed a bit closer than before, as if she¡¯d had a quick run while Sarah wasn¡¯t looking to get closer.


    For some odd reason, Sarah felt antagonized by the stranger. She grew agitated. So to ease the growing stem of anger within her, Sarahdecided to walk away to cool off. Her breathing grew quite heavy, and the burden of worry grew on her mind because she thought she¡¯d never come across something like that so early in her quiet life. She could still feel the girl¡¯s ominous glare piercing into her back.


    Aggravation set upon Sarah, as the glare from the girl reaped of repulsive disgust. Sarah looked back again and the girl was even closer than last time. Now she was just a couple of feet away from reaching Sarah.


    Sarah walked faster, grinding her teeth to simmer her anger down, though the easing of her anger got interrupted by cawing crows around her. She looked around to find the nuisances, and oddly enough she only spotted one single crow that gently landed on a branch.


    Stopping dead in her tracks, Sarah¡¯s eye¡¯s rattled and her hands balled into fists. She looked into the eyes of the wicked animal.


    The crow eyed Sarah too and cawed like it was laughing at her, essentially mocking her existence, calling her names if it could talk. Sarah had had enough of the abnormality. She slowly raised a palm and pointed it in the crow¡¯s direction. Just when she was eager to release her  anger, the area became consumed by feathery darkness. Crows burst through the thick forest and flew all around the area where Sarah stood in, scaring her enough to opt out of her action.


    Sarah grew terrified and ran away from the sea of crows. She ran fast, really fast for someone much below the average height of a girl her age, and she was almost in arms reach of her friends when she heard a slight giggle brush against her eardrum, forcing her to look back one last time. As Sarah  caught her breath, she noticed the girl was gone, along with the crows.


    Once Sarah did catch her breath she rushed to her friends immediately. The sound of leaves crunching from behind Anna and Veronica forced the two to look over their shoulder to see Sarah approaching them in a hurry. When Sarah did catch up, she placed both hands on her knees to catch her breath again, and Veronica walked up to her.


    Placing a hand on her back, Sarah sprunge up, spooking Veronica. ¡°Waah! Sarah, are you okay? My goodness, I didn¡¯t mean to frighten you like that.¡± Veronica said as she stepped back.


    Anna noticed her frantic breathing and how wide her eyes were too so she went up to her best friend to rub her back to calm her down. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s the matter with you? Forget my worries, you look paler than usual.¡±


    Sarah took a few deep breaths, calmed down, then released the tension in her body. Wiping the sweat off her face with a forearm, Sarah was about to respond to her friends but they burst into flames. A fierce wind blew by like a tornado and scattered them away into ash. Sarah screamed, but her wails of fear were interrupted by the random winds blowing her friends¡¯ burnt, ashened bodies into Sarah¡¯s eyes, which blinded her momentarily.


    As she wiped at her eyes, the moment she opened them, the strange girl stood before her and made Sarah back up out of fear. The strange girl¡¯s face was covered by long dark hair, and she wore a white gothic dress which resembled romance. Sarah stood there, her jaw dropped, gasping, silent and startled.


    The girl reached out and giggled, pointing her snowy finger at Sarah. ¡°A being filled with witchery. An ungrateful friend who lives off her web of lies!¡±


    Upon hearing her hurtful words, Sarah was left speechless at what was said. It was blood inducing to hear a stranger say something detestable. Sarah wanted to retaliate against this entity, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do such a thing.


    As the two mysterious beings stood still, Sarah heard her friend¡¯s voices shouting her name. A moment ago they were burnt to a crisp, but then to hear her name brought relief to Sarah because what was happening was only an illusion.


    The strange girl sighed deeply. ¡°I may not enter your dreams¡­ but it won¡¯t stop me from tormenting you in reality, S-a-r-a-h.¡± She waved goodbye and vanished into smoke.


    The smoke drifted away, going past Sarah¡¯s feet and turning the leaves on the ground to brittled brown as it swallowed them. It swept away to the forest, and vanished within. She turned around and spotted her friends waving at her near the end of the trail. They both seemed safe and sound.


    Sarah left the scene confused, with fear plastered all over her face. She had no idea what strange phenomena had just happened. Although, ordinarily, she was used to such situations, but nothing like this. This was different. To not bring worry to her friends, Sarah thought that it was best to keep the confrontation to herself. She smacked her hands against her face to calm herself down enough to hide her fear.


    After slapping herself a few times, Sarah quickly ran to her friends and finally regrouped. When she did without any more trickerys, she once again placed both hands on her knees momentarily then let out a long breath. ¡°S-Sorry, I-I was just¡­ basking in nature¡¯s beauty. That¡¯s all.¡±


    Veronica furrowed, raising the edge of her lip. ¡°Okay¡­ I guess that explains why you took so long. But why do you sound so spooked?¡±


    Sarah remembered something, she blinked her eyes rapidly and clutched the item in her grip. In her hand was Anna¡¯s phone, she put her hand out, handing Anna her phone. ¡°Oh! Because Anna dropped her phone¡­ and I thought a raccoon would burst out of the forest to steal it, ha ha!¡±


    Anna gave Sarah a quick hug and took back her phone. ¡°Oh, thank you Sarah. Though that doesn¡¯t sound like a good enough excuse to sound scared.¡±


    With a false smile spread across her face, Sarah promised herself to keep the scenario to herself. One day she¡¯d reveal who she really was. Without further question, while bringing a random burp out to ease Veronica and Anna¡¯s worries, the girls headed off to continue about their day, completely oblivious to what just happened to them.


    The girl in white watched from afar, giggling at them like the clueless cats they were. She hung her head, twitching in the essence of nature¡¯s silence, hugging herself as more leaves started falling off the trees closeby. Dropping to her knees, the girl shook, seeming to be containing something inside her as she rocked forward and back. Then she raised her head to the sky, letting out a horrific laugh, making all the birds who called this forest in their home fly away to the sky. The girl in white laughed until a powerful gust of wind blew a huge wave of leaves within the forest, going in her direction, passing her and making her vanish.


    As the day went by and school had come to an end, it was time for the three to head home. It had been a long wholesome school day full of excitement and doubts. Sarah¡¯s brain felt mushy after seeing a glimpse of algebra. Anna, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by excitement, especially when finding out she¡¯d be watched by high ranking seniors. Veronica made every student in every class seem like a pack of idiots due to her nerdy bookworm nature. She even solved equations far out of their grade.


    When the three neared their homes close to the edge town, all the girls said goodbye to each other and went home. Sarah walked opposite of the street and Anna walked forward to leave the town completely while Veronica took a right to go deeper into town. Veronica was strolling along a busy sidewalk close to school when Danny spotted her from his part time work at a local bike shop. She didn¡¯t hear him because she was too busy reading.


    ¡°Veronica!¡± he shouted as he ran closer towards her.


    She heard him loud and clear that time. She knew nobody else had a voice like his. It was loud yet soft.


    He stopped in front of her and greeted her with a smile. ¡°Hey! How¡¯ve ya been VV?¡±


    Veronica smiled and put her book away. ¡°I¡¯ve been good. How about you? Was your summer exciting?¡±


    He flexed an arm. ¡°I¡¯m just working part time with my uncle. Gotta start saving as early as possible! How was your summer, Veronica?¡±


    ¡°It was okay. I tagged along with my folks to a cruise vacation.¡±


    Danny placed both hands on his hips. ¡°Sounds fun! I bet you were dizzy huh?¡±


    Veronica looked to the side, staring at a couple hugging each other on a bench across the street. ¡°Yeah, but I did visit Jack¡¯s grave afterwards.¡± She looked back at Danny and mildly grinned, ¡°I cleaned his tombstone along with his parents¡¯ graves out of respect.¡±


    Danny¡¯s smile transitioned into a soft grin. He placed a hand on Veronica¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You still miss him, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Veronica grabbed his hand, then lowered it off her shoulder. ¡°Yes. I still do.¡± Her grin faded, and her breathing slowed.


    She seemed a little more depressed now from how she lowered her head very slowly so Danny wouldn¡¯t notice her eyes starting to quiver beneath the growing shadows of her bangs. Those memories from her childhood of their fight started flashing before her eyes, reminding her of the regretful words she¡¯d said to him. ¡°I HOPE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS TO YOU!¡± Then she found out he was killed that very night, which she carried that guilt on her shoulders ever since.


    That guilt was too noticeable from her quivering eyes and hung head. Danny sighed and gently rubbed her hand to cheer her up. ¡°Remember, it wasn¡¯t your fault like what Anna said, so please don¡¯t ever think that way again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve been seeing a psychiatrist to ease my mind.¡± Veronica raised an arm to flex to Danny and wink at him. ¡°I¡¯m much better now than what I was before.¡±


    He smiled and patted her back, but he knew she wasn¡¯t telling the truth. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear! Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re getting the help you need.¡±


    They both said goodbye and Veronica started walking home, leaving Danny to feel worried for his best friend. He returned to his task in his uncle¡¯s shop and sighed.


    When Veronica arrived home and walked inside, her parents, who were sitting on their expensive modern couches made of the finest leather, greeted her.


    ¡°Come on, tell us sweetheart. I¡¯m eager to hear about your day,¡± her father asked.


    Her mother sipped her tea, placed the cup down on the table beside her, then crossed her arms. ¡°You better have made yourself look elegant my dear daughter. Oh, by the way I made cookies.¡± she said, clapping her hands with excitement.


    Veronica gagged. ¡°No thank you. The last time you did that you almost gave me a diabetic heart attack with all the sugar you put in it.¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Why I never, I¡¯m still learning you know.¡± Her mother puffed her cheeks out, crossing her arms with her watery eyes. ¡°I really tried. Please try them out.¡±


    Her father chuckled. ¡°I think your mother did wonderful with her cooking. But back to the subject, how was your day?¡±


    She smiled all smuggish and nodded with self appraisal. ¡°I really enjoyed it, especially how I exceeded all of my teachers¡¯ expectations. Hehe!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, Veronica. Anything else?¡± her father asked as he picked his own cup of tea.


    ¡°Not only that, but I even had the privilege of being told I was going to be observed by a group of the top seniors of my school!¡± Veronica exclaimed as she adjusted her glasses, feeling proud of herself.


    Hearing their daughter having a fantastic day brought greater smiles to their faces. They felt very pleased and were glad that their daughter was no longer an emotional mess.


    Feeling the bright mood around them, Veronica¡¯s mother got up out of her seat. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab those cookies. I¡¯ll be right back with you two,¡± her mother said, walking off to the kitchen.


    Before her mother¡¯s return, Veronica knew it was time to get the heck out of there. Ever since they¡¯d gotten rid of their exclusive chef,her mother cooked for her family instead of having a paid worker do it. Every meal that she cooked always made Veronica puke, gag, and become scared of her mother¡¯s horrid skills. The last time she tried something that her mother made was several months ago, and that was the final straw. So, for all this time, she¡¯d been surviving on pre-made food.


    Veronica quickly walked up to her father, kissed him on the cheek, then stormed out of the living room to go upstairs. Though it was barely dusk, she didn¡¯t want to hang around for too long, especially for¡­ dinner.


    Walking inside her room, Veronica closed the door, and set aside her book bag. The photo of her and Jack on top of her desk briefly caught her eye. She frowned, picked it up and stared at it. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. Opening her eyelids, tears started flowing out, the remnants of her past still confined within feelings of guilt.


    She looked out the window and smiled, wiping away the inner guilt from her eyes. I hope you¡¯ve forgiven me¡­ Jack.


    She placed the picture back down and headed into her bathroom. Going in, starting the shower, taking off her clothes, Veronica untied her ponytail to let down her long brown hair. Once the waters warm enough after touching it multiple times after a minute or two, she hops in, bathing away the day''s burdens to run its way down her body to the drain. After a nice shower, stepping out, drying herself up to fully wipe away the mistakes of today for a new tomorrow, Veronica wrapped herself in her towel and walked into her room. Once in her room immediately she went to her phone to text her friends to make sure they were okay, especially with how funny they were acting this morning.


    ¡°There we go!¡± Veronica exclaimed, sending the texts. She set aside her phone to walk to her dresser to put on her sleeping wear and jumped onto bed once she was ready for her slumber. ¡°What a great day. Hopefully highschool will go this smoothly through the whole year, but I highly doubt it. Things never go in your favor, don¡¯t they¡­ Jack.¡±


    She stared at the photo again and slowly closed her eyes. Please forgive me¡­ Jack. Please. Veronica soon fell into a deep sleep.


    Even though her sleep felt soothing, a confinement of inner peace eased Veronica¡¯s guilted soul. But something out of the ordinary interrupted her amazing slumber. First it was a knock, secondly a hard thud, then intense benign. Not only was it the only sound intruding into her dark slumber, the sound of horrid bantering ruptured into Veronica¡¯s dreams. The sound of anger then made its way to the banging, and from the direction it came from it was  from her door.


    The wooden door rattled from each hit, which left her feeling scared and confused inside her dreams. Veronica thought,  someone trying to break in. Or if her parents were mad at her. But the voices weren¡¯t her parents. While questioning the apparent sounds in her mind, shattering glass echoed below and were all around her. It startled Veronica within her slumber but she couldn¡¯t wake up.


    Such noise would have awakened anyone without the slightest hesitation, but for Veronica she couldn¡¯t wake up for some reason. It bothered her. No, it scared her. Just when things couldn¡¯t get any worse, ghostly howls ruptured into her room from every gap available. The broken windows brought an eerie wind howling through, chilly enough to make her shiver in her permanent sleep.


    Veronica was completely aware of all the events happening around her from how her eyes struggled to wanting to open to her slow heavy breathing. She even felt every hair on her body rise out of her growing fear as she tossed and turned to bring herself to awake.


    Floorboards started creaking and the walls sounded as if someone was scraping them with a rusty pitchfork. All the wretched sounds continued for another couple of seconds then came to a complete stop, which left Veronica wondering what would happen next. Succumbing to silence, feeling the urge to burst out of her damned sleep, matters turned for the worse.


    Veronica felt something ruffling her hair with fingers that were colder than winter. There was no warmth to the person¡¯s touch. It left Veronica shaking violently as the person made contact with her face. She wanted to scream, wanted to lash out at whoever was using such a vulnerable opportunity to violate her.


    Please¡­ someone help me.


    The sounds of sadistic giggles burst into her dark dreams, interrupting her inner self calls for help. The same giggles crept their way through her mind, out her ears, and into the world around her. The sound echoed off the walls of her room, clawing their way into them, and shattering the most fragile things around her room. At last, that was enough to lift her glued eyelids. Veronica raised herself up on her bed and clutched her head, screaming out all the terror that felt dormant only a moment ago.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m awake¡­ Oh my¡­ goodness,¡± she whispered. Her breathing felt short and her eyes were wide with fear.


    Veronica quickly looked around and couldn¡¯t see much, because her vision was hazed and a little foggy. She grabbed her glasses sitting on the bedside table and put them on. Grabbing her phone and turning on the flashlight feature, she got out of bed and wandered around her room to investigate. During her observation, she spotted the shattered glass she¡¯d heard in her sleep scattered all over the floor. She then shone her light on her wall. Nail marks were engraved into it, which freaked her out.


    ¡°No¡­ what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± she asked, frightened.


    Panicking and feeling shocked from such a sight, Veronica decided to run out of her room and into the hallway. As she shined her light down the hall and to the walls beside her, they had the same claw marks just like in her room. She swallowed out of terror, with her mouth dropped and her eyes being erratic, she slowly walked down the dark hallway with the light of the moon gleaming through the broken windows. As Veronica walked slowly, a piece of glass laying on the ground in front of her, when she took another step forward, she suddenly flinched out in pain, then quickly flashed the light at her foot.


    She spotted a cut she¡¯d made to herself. ¡°Damn¡­ It hurts.¡± She started limping and used the wall for support to keep walking onward.


    Continuing forward, Veronica was getting closer to her parents room. The moon¡¯s light helped her path also, so that way she didn¡¯t have to rely so much on her phone. But she questioned why her house¡¯s windows were all shattered, along with those claw marks. To Veronica, this was out of the ordinary, especially knowing if this was done by an intruder or robber. They wouldn¡¯t make all this noise and leave such evidence behind only to be captured by the law. Nothing could explain the situation she was in, so instead of stopping and thinking too hard about it, Veronica wanted to know why her parents hadn¡¯t reacted to the abnormal occurrence.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Dad?¡± she said quietly, but the cut on her foot kept distracting her, giving her a burning sensation from the exposure to air.


    Determined to find an answer to her current question, Veronica wasn¡¯t going to let some silly cut slow her down. She bit through the burning pain and continued limping until she finally reached her parents room.


    At last, she arrived and knocked first. ¡°Mom! Dad!¡± Nobody answered, except for the night¡¯s whistling outside.


    Knocking again to see if they would answer, Veronica continued her meaningless knocks. Each thud echoed down into the half lit halls inside the big manor home. This time, she banged with more force put into it, enough to actually wake up any parent. After trying for a minute longer, she decided to open her parents door to try and get an answer to the strange paranormal.


    ¡°Sorry guys but¡­¡± As she walked in, nobody was there. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The room was nothing more than an empty hollow of pitch black.


    Poor Veronica whimpered, feeling desperate and afraid. Her innocent tears flowed out of her foggy brown eyes and down her cheeks, drenching her neck and shirt as the terror inside her overflowed.


    It finally got to her. She broke down and began shouting for her parents in desperation. ¡°MOM! DAD!¡±


    Her breathing felt erratic. Paranoia overwhelmed poor Veronica to the point she kept yelling helplessly for her parents in the empty vessel that was her home. Continuing to yell out in desperation, Veronica covered her face with her hands and cried profusely, but only the sounds of her own scared voice echoed throughout the home, making her feel completely abandoned.


    Why is this happening to me! Where¡¯s my parents? What happened to their room? Why are there red markings on the walls? Why?!


    After venting out through her agonized terror, Veronica made a decision to check downstairs. Limping away from the vortex that was her parents room, Veronica made her way to the staircase and carefully guided herself down the steps, making sure she didn¡¯t hurt herself any further. The moment she got to the bottom step, giving her a better view of the situation downstairs, Veronica found it was the same situation. Every window was broken and all the walls had those same bloody nail marks. Determined to find an answer Veronica limped her way into the living room and when walking in, the first thing she spotted was the picture frame of her and Jack on the middle of the floor surrounded by dead flowers.


    Veronica limped closer to get a better view of the strange ritual. She noticed the dead flowers were roses, but what stood out the most to her was the fact that the picture of them together was shattered. Feelings of despair and solitude faded away the moment she laid eyes on that broken picture of her final memento of her dead best friend. Every feeling of terror disappeared, and her emotions expressed irrational anger by how Veronica¡¯s eyes glinted, growing dim, her teeth mildly showing to be grounded to how her fingers twitched.


    Clenching her fists and widening her eyes in anger, Veronica breathed heavily in anger. ¡°Wh-Who would dare¡­ dare do this!¡± she snapped in a cold, distasteful tone.


    ¡°I did!¡± said a random, soothing, girly voice that came out of thin air. ¡°I presume I¡¯d do you a favor and make you move on.¡±


    She giggled, making Veronica realize who was behind the tormenting, childish laughter.


    ¡°Wh-Who are you?¡± Veronica asked without turning or looking over her shoulder.


    The girl hummed a creepy song for a while, not replying to Veronica¡¯s request. Instead, she walked around the living room in a childish manner as if it were some game.


    Noticing Veronica¡¯s angry aura, she stopped a couple of feet behind Veronica to finally answer her question with a vile tone. ¡°Huh? What a greedy little girl you are, hmph. Though we¡¯ll meet each other soon enough. Well, sooner or later¡­ Actually, hopefully never if I were being honest.¡± She started laughing, which angered Veronica more.


    Veronica courageously turned around with a glint in her eye and saw the being who¡¯d been ensuing such madness. Scanning the little girl from head to toe, Veronica saw she had long black hair that covered her face. She was adorned in a white and black dress which resembled a romantic gothic style.


    With her fists still clenched and tightening further into her palm, Veronica replied in a more angry tone, ¡°Did you do all this? Where are my parents!¡± Veronica waved a single finger around her, pointing out every detail.


    The girl clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward then back, tilting her head from side to side, giving the assumption that she wasn¡¯t taking Veronica¡¯s question seriously.


    She hummed a song from the Dark Ages and yawned. ¡°Hmm¡­ Perhaps I did! Or not! Heh heh, sorry for breaking this picture frame though¡­ or¡­?¡±


    She quickly hovered a hand over where her mouth would be.


    ¡°Wh-what? What¡¯s so darn funny?¡± Veronica asked.


    ¡°Because¡­ Sike! I¡¯m not really sorry, actually. Teehee!¡±


    That aggravated Veronica ten fold! She felt like punching the girl, but her ideology was against violence, not to mention she was still questioning herself if everything was real or not.


    The girl lowered her hand and walked towards Veronica with loud heels clipping the ground with each step. She stopped within an arm¡¯s reach and turned her attention to the picture close to them instead. She then glanced back at Veronica and playfully waved at her, then approached the picture, picking it up with her wicked pale hands.


    ¡°You see¡­ seeing this picture irritated me, so¡­ guess what, girl.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I broke it!¡± She laughed and dropped the picture again, then stomped on it with all her force.


    Watching the picture break into a million pieces made Veronica¡¯s world come to a sudden stop. Her jaw dropped out of pure shock.


    ¡°Whoops¡­ I¡¯m actually not sorry. I meant to do that!¡±


    Veronica was scared but the pinnacle of anger dwelled upon her, and wanted to give this girl a good round or two. She tried grabbing the girl with her hands, but they went through her, almost as if she was trying to grab a cloud of cold smoke.


    Veronica fell face first, and as she stood on her hands, she looked over her shoulder to the girl still standing. ¡°Wh-what¡­ are you?¡±


    The girl didn¡¯t reply, she only hummed a song, which pissed Veronica off even more. That was it. She decided to grab her again but this time, she tried going for the girl¡¯s black sea of hair. However, to Veronica¡¯s surprise, she actually did grab it. Though the girl didn¡¯t seem fazed, she just kept humming the creepy song again. Veronica couldn¡¯t see her face too well, so she lifted the hair off her face.


    Veronica¡¯s eyes grew from the horrifying sight she¡¯d unveiled. ¡°Where¡¯s your¡­ fa-fa-face?!¡± Veronica shouted out in horror.


    Hearing Veronica scream out in terror from her facelessness made the little girl mad. As she angrily pulled her hair away, Veronica let go for her own safety. The little girl started panting and twitching violently. She let out a blood induced scream that vibrated through the air and haunted one¡¯s eardrums, along with the entirety of the home. Seeing something that freaky made Veronica run away, but she still had the bad cut on her foot, which made her trip midway through the living room. While the girl continued screaming and grabbing at her hair, Veronica got up and limped away as fast as she could.


    The first thing that came to Veronica¡¯s scared mind was to get out the front door, but she tripped again, almost in reach of the front door. Getting up onto one knee, everything became dead quiet, way too quiet for anyone¡¯s liking. Even the wretched screaming had stopped. The only thing Veronica could hear was her own heartbeats pulsing loudly inside her eardrums.


    Standing back on her feet, Veronica reached the door and leaned against it, preparing to storm out of the house. Her foot still bled, and her knees were ready to give out from overwhelming fear. Veronica started whimpering, foolishly calling out for her parents one last time. Hoping for the lucid nightmare to come to an end, she heard flesh pound on the floor. The little girl¡¯s heels clacked loudly, approaching in her direction. Veronica panicked. Out from the corner of the wall, the faceless girl came crawling backwards on all fours.


    Her head was near the ground, with her hair dragging on the wooden floor, the little girl twitched her head violently, making terrifying sounds of broken limbs as she walked towards Veronica¡¯s direction, all spider-like. Seeing such a horrifying sight made Veronica burst out into tears. She rushed out the front door and to her shock, upon looking forward then walking near the edge of what would¡¯ve been a full sidewalk, her home was floating in a giant cloud of black mist.


    ¡°No!¡± Veronica screamed into the void, as she clutched her head and shook it repeatedly.


    She cried heavily and cowered away from the door. When she looked back, the girl was running towards her. Veronica blanched at the sight of the demon and hyperventilated, becoming dizzy. She finally fainted from all the madness and collapsed at the edge of the porch.


    On the floor lying down and unconscious, Veronica didn¡¯t realize she¡¯d soiled herself too. The little girl, who moments ago terrified Veronica, suddenly went back to normal with her arms relaxed to her side, hair not being ripped by her erratic grabbing nor movement, and walked forward, approaching Veronica¡¯s motionless body.


    Reaching Veronica, the girl slowly leaned towards her unconcious face and giggled. ¡°That¡­ oughta show you, poor girl. Poor you, no¡­ Poor me especially, you greedy selfish fopdoodle.¡± She laughed momentarily then shrieked like a demon into Veronica¡¯s ear.


    After doing that terrifying screech, the little girl sat on her knees, and then patted Veronica¡¯s head as if she were some dog. She swiftly dragged her hand towards Veronica¡¯s neck and spotted a necklace. Tilting her head to the side, she examined it and tried grabbing it. Her hand burned upon touching it and she Immediately regretted being curious. She screeched in pain and saw a cross pendant on the necklace. The girl let out one final bloodcurdling scream and dissolved. Everything around Veronica melted into an empty void.


    The only thing left floating in the empty void was Veronica¡¯s motionless body, floating lightly like some lonely cloud in an empty sky. Mist, gusting winds whistling, white orbs, sparkles floating around brushing past her as she floated. Some of the mist started wrapping around her, but it dispersed when a Holy light suddenly broke into the dimension like paper being ripped apart, and shone on Veronica as if she were in a spotlight.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay! I¡¯ll watch over you!¡± a voice called out. The light got brighter until Veronica finally awakened. This time, she was on her bed and back in reality.


    Veronica looked around and everything seemed normal. She massaged her head due to a headache flickering immense pressure, which made her groan. Then she felt something wet on her butt, so she lifted her blanket and turned bright red. Embarrassed by the fact that she wet the bed she wanted to cry, because she¡¯d soiled herself. Veronica sighed deeply and got up, then walked into her bathroom and washed her pale face.


    As water glistened off her cheeks, Veronica looked into the mirror. ¡°Was that a dream? It felt all too real though, huh¡­ Nah! It must have been some lucid dream. Maybe it wasn¡¯t a good idea to watch The Exorcist before bed a couple nights ago.¡±


    Veronica felt thirsty so she grabbed a glass that she likes to have on her bathroom sink sitting next to the faucet in case she felt the need to quench her thirst. She grabbed the glass, poured some water from the open faucet, drank it and wiped her mouth. She set the glass down, turned the faucet off and walked out the bathroom.


    She walked up to her bed and changed the sheets on it. Once she finished replacing the sheets with fresh new ones, Veronica hid the sheets covered in pee in the very bottom of her laundry basket so her parents wouldn¡¯t notice. She could wash them herself in the morning. Veronica went back to the bathroom, quickly showered, changed her clothes, and finally went back to bed to fall asleep.


    Ignoring the entire event that took place, Veronica thought it was best not to think about the night. But the abnormalities weren¡¯t finished and she didn¡¯t realize that a woman in a red gothic dress stood outside in her front yard, staring at her bedroom. The woman quietly chuckled and turned round, walking away as she disappeared into the dark street. At last, Veronica slept peacefully and stayed oblivious to the strange phenomena that had just happened.

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

    When the next day came along, flowers were blooming, the sky was clearer than water, and it was the second day of highschool for the girls. They walked around their new school, finally checking which homeroom they¡¯d been assigned to permanently for the year. Students crowded around them every which way, so the girls found that traversing the corridors was busier than their last school. Walking by the crowd, going through a wall of teenagers every turn, all three girls made sure to stay on each other''s tails to not lose sight of one another. Finally cutting through a mass of them, the three can relax, hangout near a set of lockers to get a breather from all the loud talking and heat of the people they know nothing about.


    Danny spotted them a couple feet away and surprised Veronica by spooking her. It didn¡¯t work but she sarcastically yelped to make it seem as if she¡¯d fallen for it.


    ¡°Oh, you got me Danny. Ha ha!¡± Veronica said, then forcibly chuckled.


    Danny raised a fist, having an open mouth smile. ¡°Yeah I know I didn¡¯t, but are you guys pumped?¡± Danny asked cheerfully.


    Veronica yawned and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Well, I was already satisfied with yesterday, but I¡¯ll be glad for whatever homeroom I¡¯ll get into.¡±


    Anna patted Veronica¡¯s back, trying to wake her up. ¡°You seem tired, Veronica? I¡¯m assuming you didn¡¯t get much sleep?¡±


    Sarah offered her drink to Veronica. ¡°Here, have some of my frappuccino. It¡¯s black.¡±


    Veronica nodded, took the drink and then took a sip, and once she did she stuck her tongue out, cringing. ¡°Blagh, such a bitter taste you enjoy, edgy girl, but I¡¯m fine thanks. I just had a horrible dream, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Anna stared at Veronica suspiciously, then leaned towards her. ¡°What type of dream, hmm?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was nothing. It was just a nightmare about the girl off The Exorcist.¡± Veronica looked confused, raising both eyebrows and tapping a finger against her head. ¡°Well, she kinda looked like her if she wore a dress and wasn¡¯t as short. It¡¯s my fault for always watching horror movies late at night anyways, hee hee.¡±


    Anna sighed and slapped her back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry me like that. For a second I thought you were¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Veronica! Your best friend here will make you feel better!¡± Danny exclaimed, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.


    Anna got annoyed and punched his back, but he laughed it off. ¡°Is that the best you got?¡±


    Anna didn¡¯t take that lightly and got mad. She confronted him and went up to his face, looking dead into his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever dare try and be like him!¡±


    Danny waved his hand in front of his face, taking light of the situation. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about? You¡¯re hilarious as usual, or do you want to fight?¡± He raised his arms, resembling how Jack used to do it.


    She slapped Danny¡¯s face out of irrational anger. ¡°You bastard! I know what you¡¯re trying to do. You¡¯ve been doing this for two years now! I¡¯ll say it again like I said it before.¡± She moved closer to his face. ¡°Don¡¯t ever try acting like Jack. You¡¯re not him and you¡¯ll never be like him.¡±


    Spinning round quickly, Anna walked away angrily. Sarah shook her head at him. ¡°Asshole,¡± she said as they both walked down the corridor.


    Danny rubbed his cheek. ¡°The hell was her problem?¡± He looked at Veronica who looked upset as well. Surprise bloomed onto his face. ¡°Wait a minute, don¡¯t tell me you think the same? Come on¡­ I-I wasn¡¯t trying to be like him. I¡¯m still me!¡±


    Veronica expressed an empty smile, trying to lighten the mood. ¡°I guess¡­ I uhh, gotta get going. Good luck. We¡¯ll meet afterwards.¡± Then she walked away, waving goodbye to him.


    Seeing Veronica smile brought his sense of happiness back. Just hearing her voice made him feel all fuzzy and better. ¡°Okay! Bye VV, I¡¯ll see ya after school!¡± He waved back and headed off to his homeroom.


    ***


    The day went by slowly, yet Anna¡¯s mind reeked of anger and showed the world just how angry she was with her furrowed brows and bloodshot eyes. She was upset and couldn¡¯t concentrate. The very thought of Danny still trying to act like her best friend who¡¯d been dead for five years aggravated her to the max. She gazed out the classroom window and watched the scenery. At least looking at birds and nature itself calmed her down. Anna then lost herself in her own trance, daydreaming about her past when Jack was still around. The very thought finally brought out a smile. A single tear slithered down her cheek.


    Jack, oh how I wish you were still here.


    Just thinking about something that positive released another tear of joy. Sniffing, and wiping her eyes, her corneas moved around as she held back more emotions so she wouldn¡¯t disrupt class. Some students closeby caught on, whispering to each other on why she was crying quietly. A boy next to her wanted to ask her personally but was too nervous to do so.


    While showcasing the class a problem and waiting for an answer, the teacher looked around at her class and noticed Anna was gazing out the window as well as students neary looking worried. She was about to call her out, but then she noticed a stream of tears flowing down the girl¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Umm, class please pay close attention to this world problem for a moment. If not then you¡¯ll fail the exam if you don¡¯t solve it quickly enough.¡± As the class pondered on the issue, the teacher walked up to Anna and spoke next to her softly. ¡°Are you okay Annabelle? What¡¯s troubling you?¡±


    Anna quietly gasped. ¡°Huh¡­ Oh, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡±


    The teacher placed her hand on Anna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Are you sure? You seem to be crying.¡±


    Anna wiped her eyes again and brought out a gentle smile. ¡°Sorry¡­ I was just thinking about something awesome, that¡¯s all. Sorry again for the trouble.¡±


    The teacher smiled and patted her shoulder. ¡°If anything bothers you, don¡¯t bother to hesitate and tell me. I¡¯ll try my best to offer advice.¡± She walked back to the front of the class and returned to the problem the classroom still hadn¡¯t figured out.


    Anna couldn¡¯t help herself but chuckle quietly. ¡°Big dummy,¡± she said to herself, much like what she¡¯d say to Jack back then.


    Letting out a sigh, the class finally coming to an end, the bell ringing, Anna packed her things and quickly got out of class before anyone did. Some students raised their eyebrows and shoulders wondering why she was in a hurry out. She decided to go to the nearest restroom just two classes down to use it. Going inside with not a soul in sight and barging in a vacant stall, making herself comfortable to pee and wipe her face with some tissues inside her bag, Anna sighed again. As she sat there in silence, placing both hands on her head, she heard someone coming in the restroom but didn¡¯t care at first but quickly they sounded like clatter.


    Damn, whatever shoes they¡¯re wearing it sounds like they¡¯re chipping away the tiles. Anna thought.


    Those footsteps clicked-clacked, and she recognized the sound. ¡°Is someone wearing heels?¡± Anna muttered.


    The footsteps were getting closer, and closer. Anna sat straight and after finishing using the toilet she flushed and the stepping came to a stop. She let out a soft breath and stopped all her movements when the footsteps came to a halt. Her eyes slightly shook, palms grew sweaty, she wondered whoever it was stopped walking when she flushed. At first she thought it could be a teacher who¡¯s just using the girls restroom and their bathrooms were preoccupied, but then, they started walking again.


    Anna got up, pulled her pants up and stood straight. ¡°Is-Is anyone here besides me?¡± she asked in a polite tone.


    When she spoke the stepping got more intense and finally stopped in front of her stall, creeping a shadow beneath Anna¡¯s stall. Anna gasped, backing up from the door, and analyzed the shadow lingering beneath the entrance.


    Hair, very long hair, wide too, and are they wearing a¡­ dress too?


    ¡°Is this some prank, please stop, it¡¯s not cool.¡± Anna waited for a response, instead she only got another step and she saw the culprits of the noisy stepping. ¡°Black heels, but what type are those?¡± The heels they wore were tall from the bottom and had a swirly design.


    Why are they standing behind my door, this has to be a pra¡ª


    The door suddenly rattled, and her entire stall, the walls around her vibrated from their tugging. Anna panicked, her face got sweaty, clutched her chest, but stood her ground.


    ¡°Stop! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± she exclaimed.


    Anna got a reply from them but in the form of an innocent giggle. They pulled on the door harder, and it felt as if the entire stalls were about to collapse on the intensity of their attempted break in. It grew worse and worse, and the lock started peeling off from the door, making Anna gasp loudly.


    She clenched her fists and had enough. ¡°Alright! I¡¯ve had enough of this¡­¡± Anna went to the door, unlocked it and opened it. ¡°I¡¯ma¡ª¡± But there was no one, instead there were two girls doing their makeup in front of her.


    Her eyes wide, sweat coming down her face, Anna brought out a small chuckle. One girl looked at Anna with raised brows and seemed worried for her. The other slowly started walking away because of how frightened Anna¡¯s face looked.


    Before leaving she said, ¡°Woah, someone¡¯s having boyfriend issues I see.¡± and left, leaving her friend behind.


    Her friend walked up to Anna and asked, ¡°Is everything alright? You look pale.¡± She reached into her bag and pulled out a water bottle. ¡°Here, take this, you look like you need it.¡± Anna looked at the bottle and frowned, taking it. ¡°Well hopefully you resolve your problems, bye now.¡± The girl walked off, leaving Anna alone.


    Anna went up to the mirror and stared at herself, taking a glimpse at the stall behind her she was in. ¡°What was that¡­¡± To erase the thought of that moment Anna stepped to the side to the other mirror, sighing. ¡°Jesus, I really need to relax or I¡¯ll go crazy.¡± She turned the faucet on and started washing her face without realising the girl in white standing inside her stall, quietly giggling as she walked to the stall door, closing it very gently so Anna wouldn¡¯t notice.


    ***


    Eventually, the school day came to an end. Everyone was either waiting to be picked up, driving in their cars, going on the bus, or walking home. Sarah, Veronica, and Anna had all met up and were beginning to walk away from the school campus. Anna though didn¡¯t want to tell her friends what happened to her earlier in the day so she stored it away in her mind. As they all walked together, they heard a familiar voice that annoyed the other two girls, besides Veronica. It was Danny shouting his way towards them.


    Anna looked away with a disgruntled look. ¡°I¡¯ll come by your place later. Sorry for leaving you like this.¡±


    Sarah sighed. ¡°Same here. I don¡¯t want to be around that creature of greed. Bye for now, Veronica.¡± Both girls walked away, leaving Veronica all by herself to deal with Danny.


    Veronica sighed and turned to Danny¡¯s direction, waving at him to signal she¡¯d noticed his calls. When he arrived, Danny noticed the other two were walking off in the distance.


    ¡°Thanks for waiting! I¡¯m guessing she¡¯s still upset from earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Anna¡¯s still mad at you, but she¡¯s simmered down for now. As for Sarah, yeah, that¡¯s a lost cause.¡±


    Danny knew Veronica was trying to make him feel better. He did appreciate it, but if what Anna had said about him was true, he couldn¡¯t help but feel lame about it.


    ¡°Sorry if I¡¯m causing so much trouble for you guys. I¡¯ll make sure to give her a good apology, one that¡¯s genuine and not saturated with lies!¡±


    Veronica smiled. ¡°Thank you for noticing your own mistake.¡±


    Danny smiled and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°OF course, I¡¯m still trying to become a better friend, so I¡¯ll do everything that I can to fix all my mistakes.¡±


    Veronica nods. ¡°Mhm, good on ya.¡±


    The two stared for a moment but Veronica looked away, staring down the street. Danny quietly sighed and tapped her shoulder, making her turn back to him. He nods and she does as well. Both teengaers began their walk home without saying much now, rather the two just glanced around their surroundings and Danny was the only one who seemed bothered by it, gritting his teeth without Veronica¡¯s acknowledgement.


    ***


    Walking to the nearest bus station to get home, both Veronica and Danny were chatting and having a nice time in the simmered Detroit afternoon, while the dawning sun shone gleamed down upon them. The only reason why they were walking to a public bus stop instead of riding on the school buses was mostly due to the fact that Veronica¡¯s home was too far for any school bus to take her. Not to mention it was a secure neighborhood full of rich folks guarded by giant gates.


    Danny didn¡¯t mind walking home after accompanying Veronica. It always brought him joy, mainly because he still has a crush on her. They were almost near the station that would take her to the nearest stop to her neighborhood. However, Danny accidentally bumped into a tall stranger, while being completely distracted by their conversation.


    The stranger turned around while Danny scratched his head as he had an eyelid closed briefly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. I didn¡¯t mean to bump into you,¡± Danny said.


    He had a face that was so dead and emotionless, with very scary eyes that looked fierce and cold. Danny felt his gaze upon him. Without saying a single word, the stranger brushed himself off and observed both teenagers with his lifeless eyes.


    Getting a better look at the two, he sighed then said in a bored, lifeless tone, ¡°Huh? For a second I thought you were someone else. Just watch where you¡¯re walking, alright?¡±


    Danny felt intimidated, and the words coming out of the stranger¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t help at all. But Veronica, on the other hand, seemed intrigued.


    Veronica boldly pulled on his jacket sleeve, trying to get his attention. ¡°Your ha-hair sir¡­ It¡¯s r-really long and pretty, heh,¡± she said nervously.


    He turned his attention to Veronica. He leaned forward towards her face, which had now turned red. ¡°The way you just spoke to me makes it sound as if I¡¯m old¡­ But I¡¯m not that old. Quite rude of you, don¡¯t cha think?¡±


    She flailed her hands around, chuckling nervously. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I-I didn¡¯t mean to offend you. Uhhh, may I ask how old you are?¡±


    The stranger backed away from Veronica¡¯s face, then sighed, placing his hands into his pants pockets. ¡°Sixteen,¡± he replied in a deeper, more bored tone.


    Both Danny and Veronica were shocked. Although Veronica felt awkward now, she was baffled by how someone his age looked that scary from his stance, looking ready for a fight, mature lifeless look, fierce cold eyes, and knit brows. She took her time examining his built arms, his height, posture, and build. To be honest, she was starting to feel a little flustered checking him out. Even Danny had noticed and it gave him an idea about her preference on boys that she liked.


    Does she like bad boys? Hmmm. Maybe if I make myself look like him and speak like him, then she might like me, Danny thought.


    The tall teenager noticed Veronica¡¯s frozen face. She seemed hypnotized by something, though he couldn¡¯t figure out why. He snapped his fingers in front of her face to unfreeze her.


    She blinked rapidly and stuttered, but quickly regained her composure. ¡°Oh! My bad. I was just¡­ built, arts, length¡­ hair, yeah.¡± Veronica cleared her throat. ¡°Um¡­ Not to be a bother, but what are you doing here at the bus station alone? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    Danny was feeling a little jealous from the attention she was giving the stranger. He butted in between the two and started pushing her away. ¡°Okay VV! I think we have to take you home now before it gets too dark, Your Highness!¡±


    The stranger then made a sudden gasp, spooking the others. His eyes quivered for some reason, but they were so dead it was hard to tell why. Instead, he took a deep breath and grinned slightly. Watching the two act like that reminded him of something. The relationship between the two intrigued him enough for him to stick around longer.


    As the two were stunned, the stranger walked towards Danny, which made the teenagers gulp and show his fear. ¡°VV¡­? That sounds rather nostalgic. But somehow I can¡¯t put my finger on it¡­ on why.¡±


    The tone in his voice sounded depressed when he said those words, which made Veronica worry for the stranger. Danny, on the other hand, was on edge. He didn¡¯t trust this guy. Not one bit.


    Silence engulfed the area, making the two teenagers feel awkward as he stood there frozen like a statute. Then he shouted, ¡°GOD!¡± abruptly, startling the two.


    The stranger sighed deeply, stroked his chin, and stared Danny down to intimidate him further. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s the matter? Why are you so afraid? Is it because you fear I¡¯ll take this girl of yours away from you?¡± He glanced at Veronica and chuckled deeply with no hint of emotion. ¡°Don¡¯t be so weary. You¡¯ve done nothing to make this guy here mad enough to do such a heinous act. Well, not yet, I suppose.¡±


    Danny¡¯s fear was still embedded inside him, though he couldn¡¯t help but become irritated after hearing the stranger laugh. It reminded him of someone, but he wasn¡¯t sure who.


    Taking the stranger¡¯s words into consideration, Danny quickly calmed down to show that he was the more mature of the two. ¡°No! She¡¯s not a tool, nor my girlfriend. We¡¯re just friends, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same?¡± he asked, crossing his arms. He remembered something familiar from Danny¡¯s statement, he crossed his arms, grabbed his chin to then squint an eye which left the others to stare up at him in wonder.


    Veronica leaned towards Danny¡¯s ear. ¡°What do you think he¡¯s thinking about?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. But he¡¯s giving me d¨¦j¨¤ vu vibes for some odd reason.¡±


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The stranger snapped his fingers, cutting their whispers short. ¡°That¡¯s a shame really because¡­¡± He quickly grasped Veronica¡¯s chin from out of nowhere and leaned so close to her face that she thought he was about to steal her first kiss.


    ¡°Wh-What are you doing?!¡± Danny shouted.


    The teenager analyzed Veronica¡¯s features. ¡°She¡¯s really cute, especially with glasses on¡­ Just staring into her big brown eyes reminds me of something from my troubled past. Sadly, I can¡¯t seem to recall a damn thing. Sorry for such rudeness, but I must say¡­ the more I examine you, the more you seem so oddly familiar. Hmm, I wonder why.¡±


    At first Veronica was about to have an outburst, feeling the need to gouge his eyes out after doing such a bold thing, but for some reason, his cold eyes gazing upon hers captivated Veronica. It felt familiar yet calming so she allowed him to grip her chin. She blushed.


    ¡°Can you let me go?¡± Veronica asked in a nervous yet gentle tone.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ didn¡¯t mean to do something that might make you scream,¡± the stranger said, dropping his hand. From his sudden reaction and how he was scratching his head, to Veronica it looked rather cute how he reacted to her command.


    She chuckled and oddly enough, she playfully punched his arm, which surprised Danny and the teenager. ¡°It¡¯s okay! Sorry for doing that, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. I-I just thought that it felt right doing something silly just now.¡±


    The stranger actually felt something strike his dense heart when her words reached his ears. He turned a little red too, but played it cool by scratching his head again and apologizing one more time. This was starting to get fun for Veronica, she enjoyed teasing someone as tough looking as him.


    He smacked his lips and turned away. ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Whatever, uhh¡­ later then, I guess. Nice meeting you both.¡± As soon as he was about to walk, he stopped and looked over his shoulder to Danny, then pointed at him. ¡°Except you. You¡¯re a really lame pal.¡±


    Then he walked away, leaving Danny infuriated after he¡¯d called him Lame. Just when he was about to open that big mouth of his, Veronica quickly stopped him by tugging his arm and covering his mouth. Luckily that worked out, and she managed to stop Danny from doing anything that might embarrass him.


    Danny gritted his teeth, taking one last look at the guy as he walked off. Yet something caught his eye. At the right of the teenager¡¯s arm towards his hand, Danny noticed his wrist had a friendship bracelet around it. To him that was a sign of relief. He couldn¡¯t help but feel odd about it since the teen¡¯s attitude said differently about having such a symbolic memento of devotion and prosperity.


    Bringing back his smile once again, Danny looked at Veronica. ¡°I think we should continue VV, or you¡¯ll miss the bus. Come on.¡±


    She agreed with a nod. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go or else my parents might kill me.¡±


    Both of them walked off to their destination, which was the bus stop to take Veronica home, but she stopped one last time to take a look at that tall strange teen who was now far away down the street. Something about him told Veronica¡¯s heart that those dead eyes had once gleamed with life because they felt rather reminiscent when they both stared into each other¡¯s souls. Veronica couldn¡¯t figure out the feeling, but one thing was for certain, and anyone could tell by the look on his face and within those empty brown eyes, that teenager had gone through suffering like no other.


    ¡°Poor guy¡­ I hope he gets better. He sounds so sad and broken,¡± Veronica muttered, gently raising a hand to wave at another victim the streets had taken. ¡°Goodbye stranger. Hopefully we meet again someday so I can make those eyes shine bright again. Heck, maybe I can bring a smile out of you too!¡± She giggled and both her and Danny walked to the bus stop.


    The scheduled bus that would take Veronica home finally arrived. Danny tried his luck again and tried giving her a hug, but Veronica¡¯s mind had her full attention about that stranger during the moment. Ignoring everything around her, she quickly jumped into the bus without looking back, leaving poor Danny hanging around with his arms out.


    Veronica walked like a zombie being lost in her train of thought. She saw a spot to sit in, then sat down and glanced out the window. Finally she noticed Danny¡¯s existence again, but only at how embarrassed he looked, although she didn¡¯t know why. She just smiled and waved goodbye through the windshield.


    The bus started driving. Danny waved back too but without any effort put into his farewell because he felt salty and embarrassed. As the bus drove off and Danny was all alone, he sighed and turned around. When he did, he spotted the stranger from earlier talking to someone at the corner of the station.


    ¡°What the¡­? Wasn¡¯t he just walking opposite the station when he left?¡± Danny raised a brow. ¡°Something¡¯s fishy. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to investigate, right?¡±


    Danny¡¯s curiosity made him walk in the direction they were in, and of course, without being noticed. The closer he got, the clearer the picture got. Upon taking a closer look by hovering his hand above his eyes, he saw the stranger exchange something with another strange gentleman. And just by the gentleman¡¯s appearance, Danny figured out the situation and his instincts kicked in.


    He ran off, pretending he didn¡¯t have a clue what was going on. ¡°Oh Jesus! They¡¯re drug dealers! I knew there was something off about him. Never trust strangers who look like him.¡±


    But Danny wasn¡¯t aware that the two guys already knew of his snooping, so the man laughed it off and called Danny a ¡°Dumbass!¡± The stranger only stared as Danny ran off, and seemed to be thinking hard about something from how his eyes were locked onto him, squinting them even, but it wasn¡¯t clear why. He tilted his head slightly, gripped his chin briefly, the man snapped his fingers in front of the stranger¡¯s face and he snapped out of his trance. They continued their drug deal and ignored Danny¡¯s eavesdropping.


    Danny arrived home, panting out of exhaustion from all the running he¡¯d just done. He dropped his bag, saw his older sister Maria chilling on the couch watching t.v, who was also his caretaker, greeted her with a wave. She got up from the new couch they just got, went up to him and embraced him with lots of love and kisses.


    She had long brown hair, slim, but tall for a girl around 5¡¯9 and had brown eyes too. ¡°How was your day, you little dork. Huh?!¡± she asked, tightening their hug.


    They both let off of each other, staring into each other¡¯s eyes. ¡°Pretty weird I¡¯d say. At first everything started off fine, but I pissed Anna off and she slapped me.¡±


    Maria gasped. ¡°Why would she do that? Oh wait, I probably know why since you two never got along. Or is it the other girl? Hmmm.¡±


    Danny chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of Sarah. Yeah, there¡¯s no way I¡¯d have a chance of being friends with her, but she¡¯s a cold one. As I said, it was my fault essentially, then I accompanied Veronica to her bus and we came across an edgy guy who she drooled over.¡± He shook his head.


    She crossed her arms and stuck her hip out. ¡°Oh jeez, I guess it was a weird day for you, and this edgy guy, how did he look like if Veronica of all girls drooled over him though I might have a clue on why.¡±


    Danny crossed his arms too. ¡°He was like six feet tall, sixteen, deep voice, looked dead inside, long hair, cold eyes, and was bold ass hell.¡±


    Maria rolled her eyes, and knew exactly why someone like him made Veronica drool. ¡°Typical, he sounds like a bad boy alright, but a catch to¡­ mm, six feet, was he over or just?¡±


    ¡°Most likely over.¡±


    ¡°Oh you have no chance then lil man, haha!¡± Maria patted Danny¡¯s head, annoying him.


    ¡°Whatever, I still have something up my sleeve to get her! Just you wait sis!¡±


    She grinned. ¡°Alrighty, I guess that¡¯s good to hear. Oh, I have dinner prepared for you.¡± She guided him into the dining room. Just before she headed back into the kitchen, she said, ¡°Take a seat. I¡¯ll be with you soon.¡±


    As Danny sat down, he expressed a wide smile. ¡°You know I¡¯ll keep saying this until the day I die. I¡¯m so thankful to have an amazing sister like you!¡± He then waited for her to serve their meal.


    After some time had passed, about thirty minutes, Danny browsed the internet on his phone during his wait. She came right out and served dinner, serving it to him first then seating herself with her own platter. The two smiled and prayed before eating their dinner of steak and rice.


    She was about to pick her fork up but her phone rang. ¡°Damn it, who¡¯s calling me at this hour,¡± she snapped, looking at the phone screen to see who was calling. Her hand began to shake and her mouth was slightly open.


    By the look of her wide eyes and sweaty face, she seemed rather scared, which made Danny feel worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong sis?¡± he asked, worried.


    She stood up, still staring at the screen. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, Daniel. I have to make a quick phone call.¡± She quickly left the room and walked out into the backyard.


    Danny pretended he didn¡¯t hear what she¡¯d said, because he was making it seem like he was too busy devouring her delicious home-cooked meal. His phone vibrated and he checked to see who¡¯d sent him a message. It was Veronica wishing him goodnight. That brought out a soft grin on his face. Danny then heard his sister sounding angry but afraid through the screen door. It was almost as if she were arguing with someone.


    Feeling curious about what she was getting frightened about, Danny got up and walked to the screen door. He slid it open. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Maria sighed and hung up her phone, then turned around with a smile, easing Danny¡¯s worry. ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. Let¡¯s get back to dinner, shall we?¡± She walked back inside, along with Danny.


    They both sat back down on the dining table, returning back to their meals. She picked her fork up and dug in, still showing signs of nervousness from how her foreheads wet. Danny can¡¯t help but feel the need to ask who was on the phone, scaring his sister.


    ¡°Sis, who was that really, you seem really worried about something.¡±


    She stopped eating and wiped the sweat on her head with a napkin. ¡°Nothing Daniel, it was just someone who I can¡¯t talk about.¡±


    Danny raised a brow and eased in. ¡°Oh, was it your boyfriend or something?¡±


    She giggled and went back to eating. ¡°You¡¯re so stupid, but I wouldn¡¯t mind dating this guy if he wasn¡¯t so damn scary, like very, but he¡¯s so macho!¡± Her eyes glistened and Danny shook his head.


    After eating dinner they both cleaned up their plates, taking them to the sink where she washed them and Danny waited. Shortly after she flicked his head to tell him she¡¯s ready and the two went back to the living room and sat down on that new couch.


    Five minutes passed while the two were watching TV, and Danny turned to his sister. ¡°Say sis, I know this is a little random, but what kind of job do you have?¡±


    She moaned and stretched, laying her arms back. ¡°I just work at some boring retail store.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Danny looked around, seeing new speakers, headphones, vases, a new coffee table, this new couch they¡¯re sitting on, a single couch, and the TV they¡¯re watching, everything new thing his sister had bought in the last year made him raise a brow to her. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then how the heck can you afford some of the stuff we have here?¡± he said, pointing at some mildly expensive furniture and electronics he spotted placed around the living room.


    She made a suspicious groaning noise, then laughed it off, flailing her hand as if she were joking. ¡°Oh please, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never heard of saving?¡± she exclaimed, punching his shoulder. ¡°Silly Daniel!¡±


    Believing in his sister¡¯s words, he chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. Sorry for assuming something else.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I mean, you¡¯re not wrong for assuming something. It¡¯s only natural to be curious, especially when all this stuff around you seems impossible to get with our budget.¡± She winked at him. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Hey, can we hang out tomorrow after I get out of school?¡±


    She placed a finger on her chin. ¡°Hmm? Sure! I just have to do a couple of errands, so you might have to wait a little.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m patient, remember?¡±


    Maria laughed. ¡°Suuure! If you weren¡¯t such a hot head!¡± She grabbed him in a headlock and gave him a noogie.


    They both laughed and decided it was getting late, and Danny wanted to go to bed before her, but she wanted to watch TV for a bit longer. He decided to wait and accompany her just a little longer. After an hour, they were both fully tired and headed to their rooms. Danny immediately jumped into his bed and lay flat, exhausted.


    His sister Maria walked in. ¡°Hey Daniel?¡±


    He yawned and stretched his arms, then sat up. ¡°Yeah sis. What¡¯s up?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything at first. She only blinked slowly and seemed a bit nervous.


    ¡°Sis¡­ What¡¯s up?¡±


    She shook her head and smiled softly. ¡°No matter what happens to me, just remember that everything I¡¯ve done so far was for you.¡±


    Danny returned a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll always understand, sis. That¡¯s why I love you!¡± He got up out of bed and hugged her.


    ¡°I love you too, lil bro.¡± She kissed his cheek. ¡°Goodnight, and sweet dreams, twerp.¡±


    ¡°Heh, you too douche. Ha ha!¡± He jumped back into bed as she walked out and closed the door.


    Danny yawned and put his arms behind his head. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about the life he¡¯d had so far. The gentle smile on his face didn¡¯t seem to fade anytime soon, but the thought of questioning tomorrow¡¯s occurrence rose in his mind. Was it going to be normal? Maybe something might surprise him? Perhaps Veronica would confess instead of him? Such thoughts were only guesses and dreams to him. He closed his eyes and started daydreaming about Veronica, thinking of a way to finally confess his feelings towards her. He couldn¡¯t help but blush, but he did have a feeling she¡¯d accept his confession because of how close the two were.


    Yeah, that¡¯ll be awesome. I can¡¯t wait for tomorrow, Danny wondered. The beating of his heart slowed as he took deep breaths, and he slowly fell asleep.


    As hours passed by, the moon shone brightly through the misty crime drenched night. An owl hooted then flew away scared, because a random bullet went off in the distance. It transitioned into faint sounds of multiple gunshots popping off in their neighborhood.


    Danny was sound asleep and his sister was too, but she awakened and felt a little hungry. She stretched and yawned, looking around in her darkened room. ¡°Damn¡­ I¡¯m starving. I probably shouldn¡¯t have smoked a bowl before bed.¡± Climbing out of bed, she rubbed an eye, yawned again, then walked out of her room to get herself a midnight snack.


    To ease the munchies disturbing her slumber, Maria decided to take out some earbuds to listen to some tunes. She hummed the song she was listening to while dancing her way into the kitchen. Reaching the kitchen fridge to open it, the light shone on her face and she backed away with her hands raised before her.


    ¡°Ah shit, damn light almost blinded me, but a nice midnight sandwich will hit the spot heh heh.¡± She reached into the fridge and started grabbing the ingredients she needed to make herself a nice midnight snack.


    Danny, who was still sound asleep, peacefully dreamed about all his friends, especially Veronica, which brought out a smile in his sleep. Though it was all peaceful and quiet around him, sounds of heavy footsteps approached his sliding door from outside. Dead leaves that were resting on the concrete slabs on his small porch crunched loudly. It was loud enough to go unnoticed, but Danny ignored the noise and continued to sleep.


    A final loud crunch halted outside Danny¡¯s sliding door, then a silhouette stood in front of his closed curtained door. A sense of darkened anger beamed its way through the curtains. The shadow clenched their fists and pulled out a gun, checking if it was loaded. After a metallic clack sounded, the shadow put its dark hand on the handle and turned. To its surprise, the door was unlocked. The shadowy figure slowly slid the door open, then took a small step inside, exposing his boots below the curtain.


    The entity pushed the curtains slightly to the right and noticed how the moonlight was shining on their face. Why? Goddamn moon¡¯s bright tonight, isn¡¯t it?


    Standing before Danny at the wide open door was a tall individual whose eyes were lifeless like death itself, and with hair that reached to his shoulders. It was the stranger whom Danny had run into earlier in the day, and he looked aggravated. His fists were clenched and veins were popping out near his knuckles.


    Danny squirmed around, trying to evade the light, but to his surprise and sign of relief, the light started simmering down. He smiled again, as the menacing shadowy figure of the stranger hovered over Danny¡¯s body, preparing for an attack. The stranger¡¯s anger lingered off from his eyes as he gazed down at Danny. Danny noticed something around him was wrong and he suddenly woke up, turned his head to the side, and the first thing his tired eyes saw was an incoming fist.


    He managed to dodge the attack. The stranger¡¯s fist punched straight into his pillow.


    Danny fell to the floor, then crawled away from the teen. ¡°Wh-What the?!¡±


    The stranger stood there, with fist embedded into the fluff of the pillow, staring at the area where Danny would¡¯ve most likely been knocked out. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, standing there dead silent.


    Danny got up and clenched his fists as he stared at the tall intruder¡¯s back. Holy shit. If I were still asleep and that punch made contact with my face, who knows what kind of state I¡¯d be in!


    Danny swallowed. After hearing Danny swallow in fear, the stranger pulled his fist out of the pillow and pulled out the remnants inside the pillow, which engulfed the area into a cloud of fluff. Danny¡¯s breathing grew intense. He felt so afraid, but he manned up and rushed towards the nearest blunt object he could find. He grabbed a lamp closeby and tried attacking the intruder, but when he hit the lamp against the intruder¡¯s back, the intruder didn¡¯t even budge.


    Huh¡­ no way! You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!


    The stranger turned around and grabbed Danny by the neck, then tossed him away effortlessly through the glass door. Danny crashed through the thick glass, screaming as he landed on the scattered glass.


    Danny got hurt badly. He had lacerations on his back and cuts along his arms. He tried getting back up, but the stranger grabbed the collar of his shirt and swung him back inside at his dresser. Danny flew through the air and slammed against the mirrored dresser, breaking it upon impact.Streams of glass fell on top of him again and collapsed down like a skyscraper, cutting more of his already shredded flesh.


    Danny was on the ground broken, moaning from the severe pain and lacerations burning across his body. The stranger walked back inside and approached Danny¡¯s bloodied body. The intruder stopped before him, staring down at Danny. The stranger¡¯s fingers slightly twitched from the anger pulsing off of him.


    With a deep voice, he muttered, ¡°Sorry¡­ but you were in my way, so it had to be done.¡±


    Hearing his voice brought back new memories. The ones created when Danny and Veronica came across him today.


    ¡°No¡­ No¡­¡± Danny mumbled as he reached an arm out towards the stranger¡¯s leg. He gripped the teen¡¯s pants and stared at his legs, begging for mercy. ¡°Pl-Please¡­ I-I don¡¯t¡­ wa-want to¡­ die.¡±


    Upon hearing his plea, the stranger reacted by sighing. He reached down and gripped Danny¡¯s hair, then pulled his bloody face towards him. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t understand you. You need to speak up¡­ friend.¡±


    Danny stared into the stranger¡¯s empty eyes, feeling as if he were staring at a corpse. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ wa-want, to¡ª¡±


    Danny moaned louder from the pain of his hair being pulled. His body feeling weightless, the pulsing rush of his nerves screaming in agony from being thrown around earlier, his eye twitched and both of his eyelids were weighing down. He felt like his scalp was ripping off his skull from his grip, and it forced his eyelids to stay open as the stranger tightened his grip. As they both stared, Danny glimpsed at the stranger¡¯s wrist and noticed the bracelet was out of his character.


    ¡°Any last words before you die¡­ friend, though as we stare eye to eye¡­ If I recall and if my memory¡¯s right, you¡¯re the guy I ran into with the girl from earlier.¡±


    Danny couldn¡¯t believe it. He knew the stranger was no good the moment he saw him at the bus stop. But why would he break into his home?


    ¡°Pl-please¡­¡± Danny said in a gurgly tone.


    ¡°So¡­ those are the words you¡¯ve chosen to say as you prepare to leave this world,¡± the stranger said coldly.


    Danny couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He began to cry and trembled with fear. ¡°Wh-Why¡­ are you doing this?!¡±


    The intruder didn¡¯t respond. Once Danny looked back into the teen¡¯s eyes, judging them by how he was staring into Danny¡¯s soul, Danny could tell that he had no emotions. Not even the slightest sign of remorse was in them for all the damage he¡¯d ensued upon him.


    Out of the bloom, which surprised Danny and left him utterly shocked, the teen grinned, showing Danny that he truly was a monster. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it had to come to this, pal. Although this wouldn¡¯t have happened if you didn¡¯t fight back and allowed me to knock your lights out.¡±


    The stranger let out a soft chuckle and tilted his head sadistically. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at me. Be mad at the person who lives here. They stole from us and owe us money.¡±


    Everything started coming together for Danny. The expensive items in the house, his sister¡¯s supposed long shifts, and all the money being saved up, it all made sense. And the answer to it all had to be this guy who had him by the hair and had a menacing aura of anger. The words that came out of his damned cold mouth made Danny feel more sad, but not out of his sister¡¯s greed, but on the fact that she had to go such lengths to support the two.


    Danny¡¯s tears trickled down his bloodied cheeks as he whimpered away his guilty sorrow for his sister. Such a depressing sight brought out disgust for the teen. He even rolled his eyes because the view in front of him was so displeasing. To make Danny shut up, the teen punched him in the stomach, making him gag.


    ¡°Remember the last thing I said to you, friend? Was it me calling you lame? Yeah, I meant it. And seeing you cry like this only proves my point.¡± The teenager chuckled without expressing any signs of joy.


    In a last ditch effort, Danny tried yelling for his sister¡¯s help or to gain her attention, but the lady was too busy dancing to her tunes and eating her midnight snack.


    The teen took a deep breath, a very deep breath, and furrowed his brow. ¡°Let¡¯s end this shall we, friend?¡± Then he threw a heavy punch into Danny¡¯s abdomen. He ruthlessly pummeled fists into Danny¡¯s face next, and afterwards he effortlessly tossed him around the room.


    Danny¡¯s sister had finally finished her food and stood in front of her room and was just about to enter her room until a loud crash made her turn to her right. She saw her own brother had crashed through his own bedroom door, laying on top of the rubble of wood.


    ¡°Danny!¡± she screamed at the top of her lungs, covering her mouth in horror.


    The sight of her own brother covered in his own blanket of blood, froze her in absolute horror. Just when she readied herself to rush and save him, the intruder came through the broken door by moving the door panels away, then kicking Danny away too. When he came forth, she immediately knew who it was.


    ¡°No! Please stop this!¡± She got on her knees and folded her hands upon her lap. ¡°Stop! I beg of you¡­ Don¡¯t kill him! Anything but my bro-brother!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said calmly.


    Still on her knees, with her eyes bloody red and watery, she hung her head and sniffled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, sorry, sorry. I-I didn¡¯t mean to steal from you guys and sell the stuff for myself, please! Just don¡¯t hurt him anymore¡­ I-I beg of you.¡±


    The teen glanced at Danny for a moment, and then glared back at her with cold eyes that glistened with murderous intent. ¡°Not to worry. I¡¯m just after you.¡± He reached into his jacket and slowly pulled out a silver pistol.


    Maria¡¯s vision blurred. The world around her slowed down as her own gasps haunted her hearing. ¡°No¡­¡±


    The teen, with his gun fully exposed, started pointing it in her direction. ¡°He was just a punching bag to vent my frustrations on. That¡¯s all,¡± he said, the tone in his voice showing no empathy, no regret, nothing. Not even the slightest sound of mercy.


    With the gun now aimed in her direction, the world around her felt slowed down as she got up from her knees and tried to run away. The memories of her family flashed before her eyes. The times she shared with them, but more importantly the ones she shared with her brother, were then stopped by a single bullet.


    The sound of the gun going off made Danny¡¯s body twitch. It was loud and the very sound haunted his muffled ears. The bullet drilled into her back, pushing her body to dive forward as she landed chest first onto the ground. She cried, and the teen slowly walked towards her direction, walking over Danny¡¯s broken body. She was desperately trying to crawl away, leaving a trail of her own blood on the carpet of their beloved home. But to him, the intruder, this was no more than a clean up, a simple task he chose himself to do.


    She kept crawling, coughing up blood and groaning from the pain. He was inches away and in arms reach now, he stepped on the heel of her foot to stop her from crawling any further. She cried loudly and screamed for help, gripping the carpet with all her life to break free from his grasp.


    Without any emotion on his face, he looked back at Danny¡¯s bloodied corpse while pointing his gun at her. ¡°No hard feelings, right friend?¡± He slowly placed pressure on the trigger.


    ¡°St-Stop¡­ no¡­ stop,¡± Danny mumbled softly. But it was hopeless because the teen had already made up his mind.


    The intruder pulled the trigger, shooting her multiple times. Every shot echoed in the house and tormented Danny¡¯s ear drums. His sister wasn¡¯t making the slightest sound nor screaming. Her body remained still.


    Danny had lost too much blood and passed out, but his sister¡¯s body laid there with her eyes open and colorless. The intruder shot one last time, making sure his job was done, and glared at her dead corpse.


    Once finished, he lifted one of her arms and let it drop to check if she really had left this world. ¡°Huh¡­ job well done, I guess.¡± Reloading his gun, he caught the empty mag so it wouldn¡¯t be left behind as evidence.


    I wonder if she¡¯ll want anything to eat before I get back? I¡¯m sure she¡¯s still awake watching those weird cartoons.


    He put his gun away and reached into her pocket, then took out her wallet. ¡°That¡¯s what happens to bitches who don¡¯t sell our dope, but as you said so yourself, you took it for yourself and sold it.¡± He threw the wallet next to her corpse. ¡°Selfish, greedy bitch.¡±


    He looked at Danny¡¯s unconscious body and walked up to it in a calm and collective manner. Seriously though, I wonder what she wants? Hopefully she won¡¯t get mad at me if I just skip out. Never mind, she¡¯ll probably kill me.


    The teen gazed down and tucked his hands into his pockets. ¡°Sorry man, I bet she wasn¡¯t even being honest with you, huh?¡± He took out his flip phone and called the police, then lied to them about the situation. After hanging up, he snapped the phone shut. ¡°Well, help is on the way, so uhh, good luck¡­ friend.¡± He picked up the bullet casings that ejected out his gun and finally walked off without leaving a trace of himself behind.


    The stranger walked down the hall, over Danny and back into his room from where he first came in. He didn¡¯t look back as he walked out the broken slide door to the right. As Danny lay there all lifeless and broken, he wondered if everything was real or just a dream. Trying to move a finger or limb, he couldn¡¯t, the only thing he could do was look in the direction where the stranger ruthlessly killed his beloved sister in cold blood. Flashing images of him standing there, shooting her back, the muzzle flashing, and seeing how relaxed the stranger was made his blood boil.


    The house grew silent and darker. It once had the essence of love and warmth, but now it¡¯d been stained with murder. All the happiness and love earlier in the day had gotten shattered in a matter of minutes.


    Three police vehicles arrived after a couple of minutes. They exited their patrol cars, took their flashlights and guns out and walked to the front door. Knocking multiple times without an answer the police decided to start to discuss their next plan.


    One officer said, ¡°I¡¯ll stay here while you two check around back. How does that sound?¡±


    Another replied with a chuckle and walked off to go check the side of the home.


    The other sighed and flashed his light at his partner''s face, making him close his eyes. ¡°Whatever man, let''s just get this done with and see if it''s a typical Detroit crime.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± he replied.


    The officer who walked off to the side of the home was in the back now and saw shattered glass. ¡°Hey guys!¡± he shouted.


    The other two quickly came and saw the break in. All three nodded and aimed their guns, walking through the broken glass slide door. They saw the aftermath of the intrusion, a broken dresser, mirrors, blood on the ground and more notably a person cloaked in red laying on broken wood.


    ¡°Call an ambulance quickly,¡± said one officer.


    One decided to start backing away. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, I¡¯m going to get a fraternity kit, it looks like he¡¯s still breathing.¡± He rushes away to go get the kit to help this poor soul.


    Walking up to the injured, the other two started helping this person until one officer saw another victim down the hall laying on the living room floor. He rushed to the laid out victim and saw blood pouring from beneath them and shook his head.


    ¡°Hey, we got another one but deceased.¡± He took a knee and grabbed their wrist to check if they were dead. ¡°Yup, they¡¯re dead alright, but something ain¡¯t right.¡± He glanced around and saw no brass casings laying around.


    The on rendering aid to the survivor looked at his partner. ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope, and no casings too.¡±


    ¡°Ahh shit¡­¡± he said while shaking his head too.


    The one pronouncing the victim dead walked to the front door and opened it. ¡°Hey, get in here quickly!¡± he shouted to the one that¡¯s about to run with the first aid kit.


    He rushed to the front door and when he walked in he wasn¡¯t shocked to see the aftermath. ¡°Oh dear, another home invasion huh?¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s that,¡± the officer said.


    The other one who was helping the one survivor quickly came up to them grabbing the first aid kit and said, ¡°Yeah, no surprise here. Just your typical house invasion and cover up because he found no damn casings.¡±


    All three officers shook their heads, one placed his hands on his hips and walked out the home to wait for paramedics because he heard them coming from afar. The last two went inside to help the last victim until medical arrived.


    Moments later, an ambulance arrived. The officers told the paramedics there was an injured kid inside, so they went in with a stretcher and loaded Danny onto a stretcher. News choppers hovered above while reporters were airing the entire situation. Danny was pulled away to the ambulance as his sister was zipped up inside a black bag.


    Veronica, Anna, and Sarah were immediately notified about the situation. They were so stunned that Danny had lost his only family. He kept mumbling to himself that this was all a dream, but sadly it wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t some freak mistake, it was just the sad reality of living in a damned city like Detroit.

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 3: Their Return

    Agony, depression, and suffering had Danny locked into its chains, held down tight on the hospital bed. He¡¯d been through a lot by crying every night and having nightmares of that dreadful night. Worst of all, he had his own voice torment him, reminding him of the failure he was for allowing his backdoor to be open. That very realization brought out the worst type of guilt anyone could¡¯ve thought. But at least his friends were there to comfort him at his worst.


    Sitting up straight on the bed covered in stitches, bandages, and still healing from his wounds, Danny sighed. ¡°Fuck my life¡­ fuck it all.¡±


    Even with his current mindset, Danny managed to apologise to Anna about everything. She accepted his apology with a taste of his own medicine. He allowed her to give him a real good punch to his arm and in doing so, it was enough to make everyone smile from his reaction. Sarah¡¯s jokes were enough to keep him laughing too, even if she still disliked him. Though Sarah wasn¡¯t a heartless person, she couldn¡¯t really treat him the same in his current situation.


    ¡°That was yesterday, today¡¯s now. I still feel like shit,¡± he said, letting out another sigh. ¡°At least having Veronica by my side really cheers me up.¡±


    Speaking of Veronica, she knocked on the door and welcomed herself in with a smile on her face. ¡°Hey Danny! How are you feeling today?¡± She closed the door and walked up to Danny.


    Stopping next to his bedside, she pulled a nearby chair closer to him and sat down. Danny still had his head hung in shame. It was obvious he still blamed himself for not locking his backdoor. Veronica didn¡¯t enjoy his current mood and felt bad, so to cheer him up she grabbed his hand and massaged it. It actually worked in her favor because Danny raised his head and grinned.


    ¡°Hey Veronica?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What is it, Danny? Need something?¡± she replied with a brighter smile.


    He was about to say something, but he hesitated, then moaned. ¡°Nah¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Tell me.¡±


    His grin widened. ¡°I-I just wanted to thank you guys. For everything.¡±


    ¡°Of course! We¡¯re friends, after all.¡±


    Friends¡­ That word triggered Danny for a moment, which made him clench the bed sheet beneath his palm.


    Veronica noticed his growing agitation and felt confused about it. Before saying another word, Danny placed his other hand above hers. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We¡¯re friends. But¡­ I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you something, Veronica. For a while actually.¡±


    Veronica felt confused, more awkward at that. She glanced around and a single drop of sweat trickled down her face. ¡°Uh¡­ wha-what do you mean? What are you trying to say?¡±


    He leaned close towards her. ¡°Since we¡¯re alone this is the perfect opportunity.¡± He started blushing and smiled.


    She felt a little uncomfortable and nervous, so she decided to slightly lean away from him. ¡°O-Okay¡­?¡±


    He took a good deep breath and his eyes narrowed. ¡°I¡¯ve always liked you Veronica. And more than a friend.¡± He became as red as a tomato. ¡°I¡¯ve always felt this way¡­ ever since we were kids.¡±


    She retracted her hand and looked down. ¡°Is that so?¡± she asked with a forced grin. Looking away, she stared at the window. ¡°That¡¯s really sweet.¡±


    Danny¡¯s eyes were wide, sparkling, and quaked out of nervousness. ¡°D-Do you feel the same?¡±


    She continued staring at the window, gazing at the sky as birds flew by, leaving Danny in silence. His breathing felt heavy, and the weight of a rejection placed pressure on his chest. His heart beat rapidly, eager to hear her answer. She finally turned to look back at him and the face she had made his heart sink into depression.


    Veronica was frowning with disappointment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I can¡¯t give you an actual answer because I have feelings for someone else, or should I say¡­¡± She clenched her skirt. ¡°Why do I still feel this way?¡±


    Danny got upset and he too expressed disappointment. ¡°Tch¡­ Let me guess? You still have feelings for Jack, even though he¡¯s been dead for like, what, five years?¡± he said in such an aggravated tone that it made Veronica frown even more.


    She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes¡­ Look, I¡¯m sorry. I know that sounds stupid, but I¡¯m sure one day I¡¯ll lose these feelings¡­¡± She looked out the hospital window again, staring off to the city skylines. ¡°Yeah, someday.¡±


    Was Danny hearing that right? Or was he being played and being treated like a fool? How could someone possibly still have romantic feelings for someone who¡¯d been dead for that long. To Danny, the thought alone was utterly ridiculous.


    Feeling played and rejected, he forced a convincing empty smile enough to fool Veronica to temporarily object to his growing annoyance. ¡°Well, I guess when that day comes,¡± He gave her a thumbs up and winked, ¡°please give me a meaningful answer!¡±


    She grinned and clenched her skirt even more, hiding her frustration. ¡°I promise¡­¡± She hesitated for a moment, but sighed instead, expressing a genuine smile afterwards. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a proper answer.¡±


    They both laughed, though Danny¡¯s was artificial. They both started playing charades, but shortly after Danny remembered something. ¡°Hey Veronica, about the guy who killed my sister yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? What about him? Did you figure something out?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°That guy had a friendship bracelet. He was definitely the guy we met yesterday at the bus station.¡±


    She gasped and looked serious. ¡°Are you sure it was him? I mean, when I looked into his eyes he didn¡¯t seem like that type of person?¡±


    Danny¡¯s inner conflicts came out in a loud, aggravated sigh. ¡°Oh come on, Veronica! You can¡¯t base judgement just by looking into¡­?¡± He paused and started thinking. ¡°No wait, you¡¯re right and wrong. When I looked into his eyes, he had the eyes of someone who had no emotions.¡±


    Veronica took out her phone. ¡°We gotta tell the police. It¡¯ll give them more details on the investigation.¡±


    Danny agreed, and they both notified the investigator. They informed him of every detail they knew about the suspect, how he looked, height, and of any marks or tattoos. The investigator knew who it was right away just from hearing the description they gave of his height and eyes. They were both relieved and shocked that this person was already infamous, especially at an early age too.


    That bummed Veronica out, knowing someone close to her age was already living a life of crime. She thought the stranger was quite attractive and seemed friendly, but nonetheless, no one should judge a book by its cover.


    Veronica informed the other two girls by text about the situation. It was a relief for everyone, especially knowing that the criminal had a reputation. They intended to keep investigating themselves too, but as for now it was best to just focus on recovery for Danny.


    Both Danny and Veronica enjoyed the rest of the day playing games, eating, and laughing about the past. As it was getting late now and Veronica had to go, Anna had texted Veronica that she would come later to accompany her home and when arriving, she¡¯d wait outside to take the bus home instead of walking. She pointed out that it got dangerous around that time, so it would be safer to go with a friend than being alone.


    ¡°Bye Danny. See ya later,¡± Veronica said, waving.


    Danny waved back. ¡°Yeah, see ya.¡± Watching Veronica leave and close the door behind her made him feel like she¡¯d closed the door to his heart.


    Danny sighed and stared out the window, gazing at the sky as gloom overshadowed the joy he¡¯d shared with Veronica. He clenched his blanket, ground his teeth, and a single tear of rejection slipped through his eye and ran down his face. Danny whimpered. The feeling of being rejected by the person he¡¯d loved for so long felt more painful than the life he¡¯d just lost. Not only had he lost his last family member, but the person who he loved had crushed his heart, all because she still had feelings for a person who was no longer in this world.


    Veronica arrived at the entrance of the hospital door and saw Anna standing at the edge of the public sidewalk at the hospital¡¯s main entrance. Veronica ran to her shouting her name. Anna heard her and looked to see Veronica approaching. Both girls smiled once they were together and held hands for their safety. They weren¡¯t close to home nor were they far from it, but they were close to the dangerous parts of Detroit, the place riddled with crime. They knew that if they held hands they wouldn¡¯t lose each other or worse, get abducted.


    After walking for some time they arrived at a bus stop. Veronica pulled out her phone to see if it was the right one that would lead them to their area, but as the bus pulled up Anna dragged her, not realizing that Veronica was checking the bus route.


    Both girls walked towards the back of the bus, passing scary looking strangers who were eyeing them real hard. ¡°Pay more attention, Veronica. I almost left your ass behind,¡± Anna said softly as she guided her almost to the back, but close to the nearest door. They both sat down and sighed.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just checking the bus route,¡± Veronica whispered, though both girls stared forward. A couple of men glared at them with perverted eyes.


    Anna noticed and quickly looked sideways and stared out the window. ¡°Man¡­ I feel so unsafe, but what about the bus? What now?¡±


    Veronica looked at her phone and turned pale. ¡°Oh no!¡±


    Anna closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. ¡°Let me guess¡­ we¡¯re on the wrong bus, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Veronica nodded, her half smile twitching. ¡°You should¡¯ve listened to me, you impatient buffoon.¡±


    Anna glanced at her, then groaned. ¡°Damn it. I¡¯m sorry, okay? I overreacted.¡±


    Though it was frustrating how they were on the wrong bus, both girls checked to see where the next bus might lead them. It got even worse from the routes they saw on Veronica¡¯s phone. From one of the routes it was heading to, the bus was heading deep into the outer city limits near one of the worst areas of Detroit. Another led to the inner city but it¡¯s not a good decision to stop there from how much of a hotspot it was for drive-by shootings. In Veronica¡¯s mind it¡¯s best to just take the next stop before the bus would go deeper into the outer city limits where they might face more potential dangers.


    Veronica pointed her finger to the stop they¡¯ll hop off to Anna. ¡°Is this fine with you or would you rather face danger Missy because if we skip this stop you can kiss our innocent white butts goodbye.¡±


    Anna frowned and knitted her brows. ¡°I guess so, we don¡¯t have much of a choice anyways.¡±


    They both sighed and took the time to relax. The less they thought about the situation, the more they stayed calm and didn¡¯t overreact, though it was difficult doing such a thing when there were a bunch of strangers still staring at them, licking their lips while giving them a couple of winks here and there.


    As the bus drove through the broken streets of Detroit, Anna tapped Veronica¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Say Veronica?¡±


    Veronica tilted her head. ¡°Yeah Anna?¡±


    ¡°Do you ever get the feeling you¡¯re being watched?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Veronica looked around the bus, freaking out from the perversive eyes still gazing at them. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, Anna. You tell me.¡±


    Anna shook her head. ¡°No silly, not these perverts. I mean, like a scary, ghostly feeling of being watched.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that you mention it I have had a couple of occasions.¡±


    Anna sighed with relief. ¡°Good. I thought I was the only one who felt that feeling. What a relief!¡±


    Veronica smiled. ¡°I wonder if Jack¡¯s watching over us in heaven.¡± She yawned and leaned against Anna¡¯s shoulder.


    Anna smiled as well. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s not a far stretch, but I don¡¯t believe in that religious crap about heaven and such. You already know my reasoning.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I forgot you¡¯re not religious anymore. Not that I blame you, but I still believe in it.¡±


    They both laughed. Anna pulled out her earbuds from her pocket to listen to some tunes. ¡°You want to listen as well?¡± she asked, looking at Veronica.


    Veronica accepted her offer. The two shared an ear piece each and listened to their favorite band. After a couple of minutes that felt like forever, they decided to get off the bus and start heading to a bus stop that would hopefully take them home.


    As the two girls walked, they couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy and scared, especially on an awful sidewalk like this. It was riddled with the pinnacle of crime at every corner such as prostituition, drug addicts, and beatings. Not only that, they also saw a potential murder where a stranger in a hoodie causally walked by a man and pulled a knife out to rob him but the person they were robbing was armed, pulling out a gun and scared him off as he pointed it at him. Both girls felt completely out of place due to what they were wearing.


    It was even more noticeable when they were being called out by creeps. Just now a random guy tried grabbing Veronica from around a corner. Luckily, Anna knew how to defend herself. It helped that Veronica did martial arts as a hobby. Giving the guy a good punch to the gut then kicking him in the groin, both girls ran as fast they could in case he had anyone else with him. Finally being away from that danger, both girls walked away, clutching each other¡¯s arms.


    However, Veronica felt terrified. ¡°Anna, I wanna go home!¡± Her grip on Anna¡¯s arm tightened and her hand shook violently.


    Anna stayed close. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Veronica. We¡¯re almost there, I think?¡±


    ¡°You think? Oh boy, we¡¯re screwed.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up, you big baby. What¡¯s our status? Are we close to the bus stop needed to head back home?¡±


    Veronica checked her phone again. ¡°I-I think so. Wait, yeah! I definitely think so!¡±


    They continued walking, but the closer they got to their supposed destination, the more dangerous the area got. They held each other¡¯s arms so tight that they both felt like they could snap each other¡¯s arms in half.


    As the two continued their cautious walking, they were heading into a long dark alley. Once they set foot in front of the alley, they spotted multiple people in the long tube of flickered darkness. It all looked organized and suspicious. There were men in groups, vehicles lined up, and trunks full of suspicious items.


    ¡°Uhh Anna¡­¡± Veronica said nervously.


    ¡°Y-Yeah, Veronica!¡± Anna replied, gulping afterwards.


    ¡°I-I think they¡¯re doing bad stuff here¡­ like really bad stuff,¡± Veronica said while slowly pulling her phone out. ¡°I-I think we should notify the po-police!¡±


    Anna grabbed Veronica¡¯s hand, making them slowly retreat. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Just let me dial 911.¡±


    With a trembling finger, Veronica started dialing until loud screeching tires made her jump in fright. From the sounds of how those screeching tires came to a halt, it was definitely behind them. The unbearing amount of fear they were experiencing made both girls shake so violently that it almost made Veronica wet herself. They were terrified of what was parked behind them in such a hurry.


    Swallowing fear and slowly turning around, they saw people exit from multiple vehicles. Both girls were stunned with shock and couldn¡¯t move.


    The group of men stopped and observed the two, then they chuckled and walked past them. They immediately turned back, noticing Veronica¡¯s phone light up in her hand and the number she was about to call. They quickly surrounded the girls, making them hold each other for their safety.


    It was terrifying for the two. Veronica clutched onto Anna¡¯s arm to the point Anna made a yelp from how tight her grip was growing. Her eyes felt pulsed, her vision blurring, Veronica¡¯s breathing started sounding shortened from how much fear¡¯s swelling up.


    This is it we¡¯re dead, no wait! They¡¯re going to rape us, that¡¯s ev-even worse! Veronica¡¯s eyes dimmed for a second and her knees felt weak.


    Just the thought of what those strange men might do to young maidens like them made Veronica want to pass out.


    One tall individual walked up behind them and placed his rough hands on their tiny shoulders. They were too scared to look back to see who was touching their innocent shoulders.


    He gently gripped them, scaring them more. ¡°What are you girls doing around in this part of town?¡±


    A long sigh passed through his lips and recognized Veronica right away from her hair. ¡°Oh, you must be the cute girl I met yesterday. Wait a second?¡± He leaned closer to her ear. ¡°You¡¯re not here to screw with me again like you did yesterday, are you?¡±


    Veronica quickly shook her head. ¡°N-N¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay then. By the looks of it you guys seem lost. Need directions?¡±


    He was about to extend a finger to point where they needed to return, when Veronica¡¯s phone brightened and he spotted the digits she came close to dialing. He reached and grabbed her hand, which made her yelp in embarrassment.


    He grabbed her phone and turned it off. ¡°There we go, we don¡¯t need to get those guys involved, do we?¡± He slid her phone back into her hand. ¡°My fault for being too touchy. I just had a proper reason.¡±


    Anna quickly looked over her shoulder and glanced at his wrist, noticing the friendship bracelet right away. ¡°N-Nice bracelet yo-you got there.¡±


    That didn¡¯t work in her favor, though. Instead, he patted her shoulder and made her gasp. ¡°Thanks for noticing. I like your hair, Ms. Blondie. You remind me of someone I once knew.¡± He stopped talking and examined her backside, which reminded him of his past. ¡°Huh, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen ya, but where? Oh well, the past is the past. Now is forward.¡±


    He glanced at Veronica¡¯s hair. She also reminds me of someone, but who?


    He sighed, turning their shakened bodies towards the direction they needed to walk down, and pointed. ¡°If you keep going that way I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get to the bus stop you¡¯re looking for.¡± He let go of the two girls and the group of men laughed again, but the girls were still shakened. ¡°Sorry for scaring you girls like that, but you two don¡¯t belong here, so beat it.¡±


    Anna couldn¡¯t bear her emotions, so she turned around to confront the man who killed Danny¡¯s sister. ¡°Why?¡± she shouted. ¡°Why did you help us when you¡¯re something worse than what you are?¡±


    Veronica grabbed her arm. ¡°Stop Anna! Let¡¯s go already before he actually kills us!¡±


    He raised his hand without glancing back at them and flailed it around. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help you get out of here, or perhaps I¡¯m just misleading you.¡± The group of men laughed and they all disappeared into the darkened alley.


    Anna felt a little irritated. The mystery behind him made her curious. But for now, she had to let it go for their own safety.


    The girls started walking to the direction he¡¯d pointed at, and soon afterwards their adrenaline exploded. They disappeared quickly from the scene, yet Anna couldn¡¯t help but feel something familiar about that guy. She just couldn¡¯t put her tongue on it.


    The group of men didn¡¯t even bother to look back as they continued walking down the alleyway. Instead, they made fun of the situation. ¡°Yooo!¡± one guy shouted.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°You scared the fuck outta them, Jack!¡± said another.


    Randolph sighed and softly punched Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°To be honest my boy, I think you could have handled that better. You¡¯re still taking advice about girls from these fools I see!¡± He turned around to the group, pointing angrily at them. ¡°You guys intimidated the poor girls!¡±


    ¡°Man, why you blaming us? We were just fucking around?¡± the one with dreads said.


    ¡°Yeah Randy, chill man,¡± the one with a black hoodie said.


    Randolph scolded the group and pointed at Jack. ¡°Uh, don¡¯t think you can just mess around with anybody, especially you big dog! I know you scared them on purpose, not to mention that cheesy compliment Eric taught you.¡±


    Jack looked to Randolph. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right. But if I didn¡¯t do that then she would¡¯ve called the police on us.¡±


    One of the men pointed ahead. ¡°Jack, boss man is here.¡±


    Eric stood before them, a very tall black man built like a boulder with tattoos across his body, a white tank top, jeans with sneakers, and he had a physique like Hercules. They all walked up to him and greeted him with handshakes and shoulder taps. Jack didn¡¯t care, he wanted to get this over with.


    ¡°Jack, remember your manners, fool,¡± Eric said angrily.


    Jack sighed. ¡°Why does that matter when I already know the boss and live in the same household as he does?¡±


    Eric slightly pushed Jack and aggravated him. ¡°Just because you live in my house doesn¡¯t mean you can act like some punk ass bitch.¡±


    Jack laughed and so did Eric. They both walked together and confronted the other group of men who were awaiting their arrival. They all talked to one another until Eric commanded the other members to go to seperate groups.


    They all split into three groups, one did the drug dealing where a car with an open trunk was just a foot away, the other bought the supply from a SUV past the drug dealer, and the last one bought the weapons where a man has a table set up just down the middle of the alley and behind him was his own van parked. Jack volunteered to go alone to buy the weapons but Eric wanted him to have someone with him. Jack refused. Eric had no other choice and ordered him to make it quick since he knew what type of person Jack was. He reminded Jack not to do anything reckless or stupid.


    Jack walked off to the gun dealer and waved his hand, ignoring his advice as he approached the gun dealer¡¯s table.


    Eric sighed and confronted the turf leader. ¡°Sorry for the wait. Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    They began negotiating more plans, as well as making future investments. It was great that everything was going alright so far. No fuses, no arguments. But most of all, no one had been hustled. One group had already finished their deal, but they stayed put while waiting for the others. To kill time they started chatting with the rivals about last night¡¯s American football game.


    Jack, on the other hand, took his sweet time by examining a couple of firearms. Though he wasn¡¯t doing anything suspicious, the dealer didn¡¯t like his aura because. he felt uneasy being around him. He even went as far as forcing a smile to try and convince Jack that he was not afraid of showing any signs of nervousness. What gave the dealer such an ominous feeling towards Jack was due to his stone cold eyes, hesitation while examining a gun, and then Jack making sudden movements. It scared the poor guy.


    The dealer cleared his throat and spread his arms out to all the guns displayed on the table. ¡°Sooo? What are you boy¡¯s looking for today? Hopefully I¡¯ve got everything you guys need!¡±


    Jack continued examining the same gun. ¡°Hmm, I see¡­ I see,¡± Jack said in a cold tone.


    The dealer leaned over the table and hovered a hand near his mouth. ¡°I even have the super illegal stuff too you know.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t hear a thing he said since he was only focused on the firearms. He stopped examining the weapon in his hands and placed it back on the table, setting his sights on other guns. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯ve got a nice set of toys here so far, especially,¡± he picked up a shotgun, ¡°this one. I really like this one. What is it?¡±


    The dealer couldn¡¯t hide his nervousness anymore and started sweating after hearing Jack¡¯s serious tone. ¡°Uhh, it¡¯s a Benelli M3! She¡¯s a beauty and also super expensive too!¡± He pointed at the firearm. ¡°She even has a pistol grip too. You don¡¯t see that often on shotguns!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jack suddenly aimed it at nothing and pulled the trigger, startling the man. ¡°Is that so? Interesting. If I heard you correctly,¡± he lowered the gun and looked back at the dealer with an icy stare, ¡°you said it was expensive, right?¡±


    The dealer backed away. ¡°Yes! But at half the price.¡±


    A sadistic grin grew on Jack¡¯s face as he lowered the gun to his waist. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll take ten rifles, fifteen hand guns, and five fully automatic weapons.¡± Jack went back to examine the shotgun with suspicion.


    ¡°That¡¯s all? Okay umm, let me pack those up for you real quick!¡± He began packing up the weapons into black duffel bags and cases. ¡°We¡¯ve finished early it seems, so I guess that¡¯s good.¡±


    As the guy kept talking to himself, Jack held the shotgun in one hand and used the other to reach into the back pocket of his pants. The man noticed Jack fiddling around.


    ¡°Hey, um, you¡¯re making me kinda nervous there buddy,¡± he said in a shaky tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just scratching my butt, that¡¯s all.¡± Jack¡¯s grin faded and he proceeded to reach deeper.


    The dealer hurried back into packing the guns before Jack grew even more suspicious. In doing so, Jack got his cue. He slowly pulled out a shotgun shell and pumped the gun. The guy presumed Jack was still testing the gun, so he was oblivious but he still hurried his process. Jack made sure the guy wouldn¡¯t look, so he waited for another cue.


    The man was so nervous that he accidentally dropped a gun and had to bend down to pick it up. Jack took the opportunity to load the shell into the open chamber and coughed loudly so he could retract the pump to make his intentions go unnoticed.


    Even though Jack coughed to cover his suspicion, the dealer still heard something slide into the chamber of a gun. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked, fear embedded in his voice.


    The man still had his back turned and didn¡¯t see Jack¡¯s sinister smile. ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to say thanks for the free stuff, pal.¡± Jack pointed the loaded shotgun in the guy¡¯s direction.


    Jack pulled the trigger and the man fell face first from the intense blast. Everyone around them pulled out their weapons and arguing ensued, with the end of Jack¡¯s gun smoking.


    He couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°It was a pleasure doing business with you.¡±


    The rival gang presumed it was a timed ambush and started attacking Eric¡¯s men. Eric¡¯s gang fought back by disarming the men while punches and bodies were thrown. Some blood spilled but no one was killed.


    Eric quickly knocked the leader out and his gang managed to knock the others out. Even though his intentions were not to kill them, he¡¯d wanted to build a relationship. Sadly, his efforts went to waste.


    Jack placed the shotgun on his shoulder and walked towards the guy¡¯s dead body to collect the keys to his vehicle. Jack presumed everything was fine for him, but he didn¡¯t notice Eric was walking angrily towards him.


    Eric stopped behind the table and shouted, ¡°Yo Jack! Was that you?¡±


    Jack grabbed the keys and turned around. The smile on his face had disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± He swung the shotgun back into his hands and pumped it, then ejected the shell. ¡°Perhaps it was boss.¡± Jack started laughing without expressing happiness, which aggravated Eric.


    Eric furiously clenched his fists and rushed towards Jack as he laughed, then punched him in the face. Jack flew backwards and landed on the cold wet ground, completely knocked out.


    Eric took deep breaths to ease his anger and once he did, he ordered Randolph to carry Jack back into the SUV. Randolph listened and picked Jack up, then took him towards the SUV Eric ordered the rest of the gang to pack everything they¡¯d bought and to make sure to get rid of the body Jack had made. They followed their leader¡¯s order and started grabbing all the weapons in the duffel bags.


    Eric face palmed over the entire situation, regretting that he¡¯d brought Jack along. Now he wondered that if he hadn¡¯t brought him, then perhaps everything would¡¯ve gone smoothly.


    Randolph threw Jack into the SUV and got into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Oh Jack!¡± he shouted in a humorous tone. ¡°You just had to piss off the boss man, didn¡¯t you?¡± Randolph started the vehicle and not long afterwards, Eric hopped in the passenger seat.


    Eric leaned back and sighed, looking very annoyed. He slammed his hand on his thighs. ¡°Man! What¡¯s wrong with that fool?¡±


    Randolph started driving and the rest of the crew followed. ¡°I don¡¯t know man? He ain¡¯t right. Ever since he turned thirteen, he began acting all messed up! Ya feel me?¡±


    Eric crossed his arms. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. I just wished he was more like his sister.¡± He pulled his phone out and texted Angela. ¡°Say Randolph! You got her food, right?¡±


    Randolph pulled out a bag of fast food and shook it with a sarcastic smirk. Eric pushed him in a friendly manner and they headed off into the night.


    After a long drive, they arrived home. The rest of the crew went to their homes and dropped all the goods off at the main trap house. They both carried Jack back into the house and dropped him on the sofa. They both glanced at Jack in disappointment, but they heard someone rushing down the steps.


    ¡°Uncle Randy and Eric!¡± Angela came rushing towards them, embracing the two.


    ¡°My sweet lil princess!¡± Eric exclaimed as he pushed Randolph aside. He picked Angela up and held her in the air.


    Randolph smacked his lips and pretended to whimper. ¡°Shit boss, let me embrace my little sweetheart too!¡± Eric laughed and handed Angela to Randolph. He swung her around and made her fly like an airplane.


    Angela¡¯s smile and her laughter was so contagious that they couldn¡¯t help but smile gracefully.


    ¡°Come on guys, I¡¯m not a kid anymore. But I still enjoy your warm welcomes!¡± she exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. ¡°Okay, please put me down now, Uncle!¡±


    Randolph obliged and put her down. As soon as she was put down, Angela noticed Jack was passed out on the couch with a huge swollen bruise on his cheek.


    ¡°Oh my god! What happened to my brother?¡± She rushed to Jack¡¯s side and massaged his bruise. Touching it slightly made him moan.


    ¡°Your brother behaved badly, so I punished him.¡± Eric laughed and walked upstairs.


    She frowned, but smiled again. ¡°Oh brother, you gotta stop being so reckless.¡± She then turned to Randolph. ¡°Uncle, could you please fetch me a wet towel?¡±


    Randolph went to the kitchen and got what she asked for. ¡°Here Momma, fresh steaming towel covered in last night¡¯s dirty dishes.¡± he said, handing her the towel.


    ¡°Oh Uncle, stop. But thank you anyways.¡± She started pampering Jack and hummed a song.


    ¡°Say Angela?¡± Randolph asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Uncle Randy?¡± Angela replied, wiping blood off Jack¡¯s lip.


    Randolph walked behind Angela and stared at Jack. ¡°You know he doesn¡¯t deserve someone as great as you. I¡¯m jealous he has someone like you.¡± he said, rubbing Angela¡¯s back.


    ¡°Well, you may think that way about him, but to be honest¡­¡± She paused and rested her hand on his cheek with a gentle smile. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve someone like him. Without him, I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll be. He¡¯s everything to me.¡±


    Randolph sighed but quickly smiled. ¡°I understand sweetheart. Anyways, I¡¯m going to bed now so don¡¯t stay up too late, okay?¡± Randolph patted her back, walked out of the living room, and walked down the hallway into his room.


    When Randolph¡¯s door closed, she made a quick run to her room and brought her drawing equipment downstairs, where she sat down beside Jack and started drawing. Angela placed headphones over her ears and listened to her favorite music as she drew. Rocking back and forth, she hummed her favorite song as she drew, concentrating to the fullest so she could replicate Jack¡¯s sleeping position onto her art.


    She stopped drawing for a second to stare at Jack¡¯s screwed up face. ¡°You look so goofy, but at the same time this is the most peaceful I¡¯ve seen you in ages.¡± She giggled and continued drawing.


    Thirty minutes later, Jack finally woke up. He slowly sat up and felt an ice pack fall off his cheek. It was still throbbing so he massaged it. He also noticed the taste of dried blood on his lips. He looked to his left and saw Angela concentrating on her drawing. She was bouncing to her music and moving her arms to the rhythm. Jack smiled despite the pain and placed his hand on her head, which surprised her.


    She quickly turned around and looked at Jack with a huge smile on her face. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re awake, sleepy head!¡± She got up and embraced Jack.


    ¡°Ow, not too close. It still burns.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that you guys have been gone for a week! You made me worried!¡± she exclaimed, then pouted her adorable little face.


    Jack smiled. ¡°I should have just been gone longer then.¡±


    She got annoyed and stood up. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    ¡°An-Angela?¡± Jack said nervously.


    She grinned smugly and jumped on him. They both screamed joyfully and laughed, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to stop their silliness. They laid there quietly for a moment until Angela yawned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sleepy now,¡± she said, then yawned. ¡°Uncle Eric sounded mad, you know.¡±


    Jack lay an arm around her. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s my fault.¡± He closed his eyes and frowned. ¡°I did get carried away, but did he have to punch me like that?¡±


    She felt embarrassed and turned red. ¡°What bro?¡±


    Though his eyes were dead, his smile towards his sister felt genuine. ¡°I missed you sis¡­¡±


    She smiled softly and lay her head on his beating chest. ¡°I missed you too, bro. Please be more careful though. You¡¯ve been getting hurt a lot lately.¡±


    ¡°Heh, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m tougher than I look, remember?¡±


    She rolled her eyes and clutched his shirt. ¡°No kidding. You¡¯re scary as hell. Your eyes aren¡¯t the same as they were when we first met. Not to mention how lifeless you sound too.¡±


    ¡°Angela¡­¡±


    ¡°It makes me question if you¡¯ve truly fallen into the hands of depression.¡± She bit the bottom of her lip, feeling the urge to cry but she resisted.


    Jack noticed and rubbed her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not anywhere near that state. I may sound like this, but I¡¯m still the same upset kid you met all those years ago.¡±


    Angela slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. Jack sighed softly and picked her up, then carried her up the stairs so he could put her into her bed. He opened the door and walked in, laying her down and covering her with her blanket.


    He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead. ¡°Goodnight, baby sis.¡± Then he slowly walked to her doorway and turned the lights off.


    Jack closed the door and walked downstairs, back to the living room. He jumped back on the couch, set his legs on the coffee table, and noticed right away that Angela¡¯s drawing stuff was still on it. He picked it up and looked at the drawing she was working on. He shook his head and laughed. Eric walked downstairs and saw Jack examining the drawing pad.


    Eric stood in front of Jack with his arms crossed. ¡°Why did you kill that man?¡±


    Jack sighed and smacked his lips. ¡°You¡¯re still on that?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am, you dumb son of a bitch.¡±


    Jack flailed his hand. ¡°Hey, at least we¡¯ve got a nice set of new toys, right?¡±


    Eric pointed at Jack. ¡°That¡¯s not the point, you dumbass. We were trying to build a friendly relationship and wanting to gain more partners. These streets are growing more gruesome by the day, so it¡¯s beneficial to have more eyes out for our advantage.¡±


    Jack stretched, showing how he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. ¡°You should¡¯ve said that early on. Oh well, you can¡¯t undo the past. What¡¯s done is done. Am I right?¡±


    Eric was starting to get more annoyed and walked back up the stairs to get away from the pointless conversation. Jack took a deep breath and got up. He walked outside and gazed at the stars, sighing as he smirked.


    Sure is a nice night. Too bad the colors I see are black and white, but none of that matters. So long as Angela¡¯s safe, I have no other worries.


    Jack lowered his sights to look at the friendship bracelet that belonged to Alexandria. Even after all these years he still missed her, but more importantly, he wished she was still here. For the past five years he¡¯d wondered why he¡¯d changed so much. Jack wondered if he was just wasting his life or if he¡¯d find an answer to his sad new life. He hoped that he could change to ensure a better future for him and Angela.


    With all the self thinking and agony on his shoulders, as he was pulling a cigarette out he heard something mysterious; a very faint playful sound . Jack looked around with the cigarette still in his hand, but saw nothing.


    ¡°Huh? Where the hell is that sound coming from?¡± Jack noticed the noise beneath him. He pulled out his pistol and cocked it.


    He slowly walked off the patio and placed his finger on the trigger. Whoever it is, you better show yourself or I¡¯ll blow your damn brains out.


    ¡°Jeez¡­ with a tone like that I¡¯m glad I only heard it in your mind and not out your mouth,¡± a very familiar, soft girly voice said.


    ¡°Show yourself. If you¡¯re some desperate whore, then come out or I¡¯ll end your miserable life.¡± He aimed the gun at the porch steps.


    Coming out as a shadowy figure through the bottom of the porch steps, made of blackened smoke, was a girl with long black hair wearing an odd white dress.


    ¡°Sorry for startling you. I didn¡¯t mean to,¡± she said innocently.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jack said, lowering the gun, ¡°it¡¯s you.¡±


    Jack walked back to the steps, then sat down and indicated for the girl to sit next to him. She nodded and sat beside him. Throughout the years her appearance hadn¡¯t changed much. Her hair and height remained the same, but her voice had grown more soothing and mature.


    She clasped her hands and rested them on her knees. ¡°Beau-Beautiful night we¡¯re having¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Jack placed a hand on his face. ¡°What do you want? Wait, who am I kidding? You¡¯re probably here to confuse me more.¡± He laughed and looked away.


    ¡°No! You¡¯ve got it all wrong¡­ I-I just wanted to see you, that¡¯s all.¡± She leaned on his shoulder and sighed deeply. ¡°We rarely see each other in this world. Remember how much you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeahh, yeah!¡± He gazed up at the stars again. ¡°I could care less about your feelings, because the majority of the time you try giving me nightmares but fail to do so.¡±


    She rubbed herself on his shoulder. ¡°Sorry¡­ I don¡¯t mean to do such things. Like I¡¯ve mentioned in the past, when I can¡¯t help myself I lose control and do it.¡± She got off his shoulder and looked up at him.


    ¡°I could care less. You still haven¡¯t answered my question from long ago.¡±


    She started poking Jack¡¯s face. ¡°I can¡¯t just say it, you know? It¡¯s not as simple as answering a math equation. Don¡¯t forget about the promise you made about us.¡±


    ¡°Mhhm,¡± Jack said, glancing at the girl. ¡°Say¡­ would you know why I¡¯ve become the scumbag that I am today?¡±


    She leaned closer towards his ear. ¡°Well as long as you¡¯re alive, no matter your personality, you¡¯ll always be the person I fell for.¡±


    Jack suddenly woke up confused and looked around. He was still on the couch. He scratched his head. ¡°Another dream with her, huh?¡±


    He stood up and stretched, then pulled out his phone to look at the time. It¡¯s time to wake Angela. Today is the day I promised to take her to an ice cream shop.


    He walked to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, showered, and walked into his room. He put on a new set of clothes and made sure he was carrying extra mags on his belt. Strapping on his carry holster that was underneath his left arm, he stored his gun in the holster.


    ¡°Alright, everything is all set.¡± Walking upstairs, he heard Angela¡¯s electric piano. He smiled.


    He slowly opened her door and peeked inside, spotting her playing on her electric piano. It touched his heart and the beautiful sound she played made his ears relax. Watching her move her body to the art she was creating made Jack realize just how special she was to him. She was the last piece to his dreadful life, the only thing keeping him from killing himself and falling into a void of depression. Without her, Jack couldn¡¯t think what else he could do.


    Bringing out half a smile, Jack said, ¡°Hey Angel. Whatcha up to? Practicing?¡±


    Hearing his deep dead voice, Angela got surprised and stopped playing. She dragged a hand on her bangs to fix them, turned around and showed a genuine smile with an embarrassed look on her face. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be awake so early.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t forget a promise, remember?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I know I suck at playing.¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. You sounded great.¡± He walked next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.


    She fixed her bangs again and hugged him. ¡°Thanks for remembering the promise we made.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, now go get ready and I¡¯ll wait inside the car.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Angela flipped her bangs and started to change.


    Jack walked out of her room, down the stairs, and out the front door to get to the car. He hopped in, patiently waited for Angela, turned the radio on, and listened to recent news reports. As reporters told their stories,he couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, knowing all the reports were all his doing.


    Angela finally came outside, hopped in, and buckled her seatbelt. ¡°Did I make you wait?¡±


    "Nah, you were pretty quick. You ready?¡± Jack asked, turning on the car.


    ¡°Heck yeah I am!¡± Angela exclaimed, shooting out a fist from excitement.


    ¡°But before we go, remember our rules?¡±


    Angela sighed, then extended a finger for every rule that he¡¯d applied. ¡°Yes I do. Rule one: don¡¯t wander off. Rule two: never leave your side, and¡­ Rule three: don¡¯t talk to strangers.¡± She closed her fingers into her palm, tilted her head sarcastically, and smiled.


    Jack patted her head. ¡°Good girl. I¡¯m just making sure because we still don¡¯t know who is still looking for you, so we have to be cautious no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. Say, can I order another shirt?¡±


    ¡°Maybe or perhaps not. How about when I die?¡±


    Angela smiled and shook her head. She looked out the windshield and saw how beautiful the day was. It made her feel fuzzy inside, especially since she was spending the day with her brother. She put her headphones on and started humming the music she loved to go, along with the beautiful changing scenery. Jack looked at the rear view mirror and grinned.


    They drove out of the neighborhood and headed towards the next town, hoping to find a nice ice cream shop with no crime around.


    In the direction they were heading towards was a town strived in safety, life, beauty, and crowds of people covered the sidewalks. But in that crowd were two girls, Anna and Veronica. Both girls were still shaken by last night¡¯s event. The thought of them being killed or potentially sexually assaulted drove them mad, especially Veronica who¡¯d had nightmares about it last night. Anna herself did have a dream, but only about her typical scenario of reuniting with her fallen best friend Jack. As they walked down the busy sidewalk, they couldn¡¯t help but talk about it again.


    ¡°Last night was scary as heck! I thought we were gonna die, Anna!¡± Veronica held Anna despite being out of harm¡¯s way.


    Anna seemed annoyed and tried pushing her off. ¡°Please let me go. I can hardly breathe, girl. We¡¯re safe now so relax.¡±


    Veronica let go of Anna. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t believe we ran into Danny''s killer last night. Eek, I still have goosebumps!¡± She held herself and shivered.


    ¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t really get a good look at him, only his back. I was just too afraid to continue questioning him if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did get a decent look at his face when I first ran into him with Danny that day.¡±


    ¡°Strange, you did say he was attractive and had nice eyes.¡±


    Crossing her arms, raising a finger, Veronica rebuttetled to Anna¡¯s statement. ¡°That¡¯s true, but his eyes were lifeless and the color in them was flat, but something about them made my heart race.¡± Then she lowered her arms and sighed. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t erase the fact he¡¯s also a scary, murderous delinquent!¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you can tell Danny¡¯s investigator about it.¡± Anna stopped and pointed at an ice cream shop. ¡°You want some cream of ice, Veronica?¡±


    Veronica looked at her blankly and raised a brow. ¡°Why did you say it that way?¡±


    ¡°Because I can, you dope!¡±


    ¡°Why do I have a feeling there¡¯s something dirty behind your wording.¡± They both laughed and walked towards the shop.


    Meanwhile, Jack and Angela arrived at the same location. He made sure he wasn¡¯t identified too easily so he wore his jacket to hide his tattoos and had a cap on to hide his face. Angela quickly stormed out of the car and her eyes glittered with excitement. She hadn¡¯t been around a nice peaceful town in a while, especially one this nice. The mom & pop stores looked wholesome, the sidewalks weren¡¯t too dirty or covered in litter, parts of nature grew in some areas and glistened with life, but most of all there was a huge park in the middle. Today seemed especially busy from the amount of people walking by, crowding the streets, and coming out of these mom & pop shops.


    ¡°You ready, sis?¡± Jack asked as he took out a smoke.


    ¡°Am I ever!¡± she shouted and hugged him. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Angela shouting happily formed a small crowd around them from people casually walking by.


    The small crowd awed and couldn¡¯t help but be mesmerized by Angela¡¯s adorable innocence. That rubbed Jack the wrong way. He grew uncomfortable and hated crowds as well as attention. So to get away from the puppy dog eyes and pampering awes, he grabbed her hand and dragged them away from the crowd.


    They both walked across the street to get to the ice cream store. Jack stopped and looked around, spotting a corner, and noticed a few suspicious men.


    He gave the money to Angela, surprising her momentarily. ¡°Bro-Brother? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Go on without me. It appears business has followed me and wants my full attention.¡±


    She grew a bit upset. It was something she wanted to do with her brother, but she understood what he meant by business.


    She nodded and clutched the money in her hand. ¡°O-Okay. Be back soon.¡± She then expressed a fake smile, feeling unhappy about the situation.


    Jack patted her head. She gently slapped it away in a playful manner, then pretended to walk happily inside the shop to convince him enough that she was fine. She knew it was too good to be true, no matter where they went. There was always crime around every corner of Michigan. Poor Angela only wanted to hang out with her brother, but alas she guessed his busy life would always intervene in their moments.


    Jack turned to the men who were around the corner and walked in their direction, prepared to do business. ¡°I hope this ends quickly. Poor Angela, I know you¡¯re upset. I want to express anger, but sadly¡­ I¡¯ve been angry for over four years.¡± He tucked his hands into his pockets and disappeared into the crowd of people towards the corner.


    Angela and Veronica walked outside of the same ice cream shop and sat at one of the tables next to it. They talked and laughed about the usual things in their lives. Everything was going well until they both spotted a girl sitting all alone. She was eating a sundae made for two. The forced smile on her face was evident and didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Both girls knew the poor little girl had a saddened aura around her. They felt bad so they decided to get up to sit and try to start a chat with her to brighten her day.


    They both walked to the little girls table with smiles on their faces. Angela didn¡¯t notice them at first because she was basking in the flavors of the delicious ice storm freezing her taste buds. Her eyes were closed as she kicked her feet in joy to endure every delicious flavor. They waved in front of her and upon opening her eyes, they got her full attention. They stood in front of the table and politely said, ¡°Hi!¡± The girl stayed frozen with a spoon in her mouth. She began shaking and felt quite scared. She didn¡¯t even know how to react to their greeting.


    Veronica saw her arms trembling. She got a little worried and tried calming the poor girl down. ¡°Oh, we¡¯re sorry if we¡¯re scaring you. We just wanted to say hello, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Anna looked at the girl and her jaw dropped from shock. ¡°She¡¯s so¡­¡± She approached the girl, flabbergasted by the girl¡¯s cuteness. ¡°¡­adorable!¡±


    Anna tried attacking her with a hug, but Veronica quickly caught her before she did something inappropriate. ¡°Calm yourself, Anna. Sweet mercy, I pray for thy devil to relax.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ can¡¯t help it! She¡¯s so cute¡­ I need to hug her, argh!¡±


    Angela looked at the two with a frightened expression and stayed quiet. Veronica managed to calm Anna down and silence came between them. They all just stood there quietly, not saying a single word. Veronica giggled, then scratched her cheek. Anna continued staring at the girl¡¯s face, directly into her big blue eyes of beauty.


    Angela removed the spoon out of her mouth, set it down, then clasped her hands together and raised her shoulders. ¡°Hi-Hi? Ho-How do yo-you do?¡±


    Both girls were stunned by her cuteness, especially Anna. She pushed Veronica off of her and rushed to the girl¡¯s side to sit beside her.


    Veronica gave up and sighed, then sat next to the girl as well. ¡°Sorry about my friend. Uh, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Drooling, Anna said, ¡°Yeah! What¡¯s your name, cutie!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna scare her more, you know?¡± Veronica tried grabbing the girl¡¯s hand, but the girl retracted and trembled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You probably don¡¯t like strangers touching you, huh? Hehe, I don¡¯t blame you. Wait, does that make me a¡­¡± Veronica gasped.


    Angela shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ allo-allowed to ta-talk to¡­ stran-strangers.¡± She hung her head.


    Anna couldn¡¯t help herself and grabbed the girl¡¯s hand. ¡°How old are you? What¡¯s your favourite show? Music, hobbies? Ahhh!¡± Anna was on the verge of fainting from the girl¡¯s hypnotizing cuteness.


    Angela blushed and allowed Anna to touch her. ¡°Ell-Elleeven¡­¡±


    They both gasped in adorable shock. Anna¡¯s mouth drooled like crazy and Veronica was flustered.


    ¡°You¡¯re so tiny, I love it! Can we be friends?¡± Anna suddenly hugged the girl and started touching her black hair.


    Veronica laughed. She¡¯d never seen Anna this happy about something in awhile. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed your age. I thought you were younger. What a shocker!¡±


    They all giggled except for Angela, who stayed quiet. But something felt off, knowingly how the girl stared at Veronica with an empty expression. Veronica noticed her empty glare and felt a little freaked out.


    The girls heard someone calling out for someone out in the street. Angela got up and out of Anna¡¯s grasp. She started to walk away from them.


    ¡°Hold up! Where are you going?¡± Anna exclaimed, reaching out. ¡°Please tell me your name!¡± Anna tried to follow her, but she was stopped by the girl who had her hand out, indicating the two to halt.


    Her eyes that were once glittering now showed no glimmer of life. She looked at Anna with an empty smile. ¡°Maybe some other time¡­¡±


    An eerie wind blew behind her and breezed past the girls. A single crow landed beside them with purple eyes, which freaked out Veronica and forced her to clutch Anna¡¯s arm.


    Anna covered her face. As she dropped her hands down, the girl¡¯s eyes were a different color, and had a glint in them. ¡°What in the¡­?¡±


    ¡°In the meantime, take care, Annabelle.¡± Angela¡¯s tone changed and her voice sounded different from before. It was more mature, calmer, and relaxing.


    Anna was shocked. The hurtling wind grew so strong it forced the girls to close their eyes, but as soon as they opened them again, the girl had vanished.


    Anna was shaken and left speechless. She looked at Veronica, even though she too was stunned and left surprised.


    Both of them glanced at the spot she stood at before disappearing. It wasn¡¯t the first strange phenomenon they¡¯d experienced. Both questioned if they were having a hallucination or if she were just an illusion? The question of her realness came about for the two as they stood there with their mouths dropped open. The girls had no clue what had just happened. They went back to their table and pretended nothing had happened.


    Angela joined Jack and they both headed inside the car. Jack questioned Angela¡¯s hour and how the ice cream tasted. ¡°It was good, but it would¡¯ve tasted better if you were there by my side. Hmph!¡± she said, crossing her arms and pouting.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sis, but I had to take care of a few errands.¡± Jack started the car up and proceeded to drive out of the parking spot, then out the town.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. At least I had fun!¡± Angela replied as she took out her drawing pad and started illustrating what she¡¯d experienced.


    ¡°How so? You were by yourself, right?¡± Jack asked suspiciously.


    Angela looked up and tapped her pencil against her lip. ¡°Two girls came up to me and started talking. They were really friendly, though. I gotta say it was a rather interesting experience.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to talk to strangers?¡± He sighed, relaxed his shoulders, and lay back more into the car seat. ¡°Well, if they came up to you, then I guess that¡¯s fair.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they were trying their best to make me feel comfortable, but unfortunately for them they failed. Muhaha!¡±


    Stopping at a stop light, Jack looked over his shoulder at Angela. ¡°Heh, what a smug attitude to have. What were their names?¡±


    Angela grinned and gazed out the windshield. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to ask for their names, but I think I might have a hint as to who they might be.¡± She went back to drawing and her smile faded. The only thing Angela could hear was the girl in her nightmares who¡¯d given them to her for as long as she¡¯d lived.


    The girl started giggling inside her mind, seeming to enjoy teasing Angela¡¯s emotions. ¡°One day, I¡¯ll take back what¡¯s rightfully mine, girl.¡±


    Angela¡¯s fingers trembled and her eyes grew wide. She ignored the girl and brought out her headphones to get rid of her voice. No matter how loud the music was, or how much noise was around her, to ignore her existence entirely¡ªAngela would always hear her gentle, soothing voice.

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 4: A Sick Mindset Or Lost?

    At the corner of such a criminal town, there was a measly abandoned shop soaked with graffiti. But next to the building was a suspicious vehicle parked with their lights turned off. Inside the vehicle, Jack and Randolph were waiting for Eric¡¯s cue on a mission. They were on patrol, scouting a supposed snitch who was inside their operations. The snitch ratted out their boys locations where deals were supposed to be done. It was ruining business and it gave them a bad rep in the streets.


    Jack pulled out a cigarette and handed one to Randolph. He took one but to then look at Jack who¡¯s already inhaling the cancer stick. ¡°Should you even be smoking this shit at that age my guy? Like damn you smoke a lot for a damn teen¡­¡±


    Jack joked around and said, ¡°You only live once in this life.¡±


    Randolph rolled his eyes and said no more. They smoked quietly, observing the area around them as they waited. Luckily Randolph spotted the guy they were looking for. He pointed at the supposed snitch walking out of a nearby bar. ¡°I think that¡¯s our guy. Just follow his ass, but don¡¯t make it obvious.¡±


    Jack inhaled another draw from his cigarette and blew out a huge cloud of cancer. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± He turned the vehicle on but not the lights. ¡°Let¡¯s get ths over with and teach this punk not to fuck with us.¡±


    The snitch kept walking while Jack drove slowly along the side of the street, suppressing their presence. As the snitch walked, he stopped and looked around. Beside him was a poorly run motel building. He walked into the vicinity of the motel and up to the registration building. From Randolph and Jack¡¯s viewpoint, the snitch appeared to be talking to the clerk who didn¡¯t even take a glimpse at the guy. The snitch looked annoyed, slamming a hand on the desk, finally making the clerk glance. The clerk behind the bullet proof glass pointed to something to shoo him away.


    Jack and Randolph parked close by, making themselves unnoticed. The snitch walked off from the front desk and walked along the sidewalk of some nearby rooms. Jack made sure to observe his every move, where he walked to and where he looked. His observations were dead set. He wanted this man dead.


    Randolph made sure too. ¡°Man, what¡¯s this guy up to? The fuck is he doing around this area? What is he trying to get? Some pussy? Ha! Probably knows his ass is gonna get clapped!¡±


    Jack took another drag of his cigarette. ¡°I could care less about what he¡¯s doing. I just want this guy dead.¡±


    Randolph raised the corner of his lip and stuck a hand out to Jack. ¡°Chill, we gotta capture him then we can kill his ass. Fuck man, every word that comes out of your mouth always gives me chills¡­ Shit.¡± The two went back to spying, but the snitch had disappeared.


    ¡°Where the fuck did he go?¡± Jack asked, growing impatient. He got out of the car and walked to the back of it.


    Randolph hopped out too. ¡°Yo, what the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing, you scary looking muthafucker?¡±


    Jack opened the trunk. There, lying on the bed, was the exact same shotgun he¡¯d used to kill the gun dealer with. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, but wait for me. I¡¯ll call you if anything goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°My guy¡­ you can¡¯t be¡­ You know what, you do you. My ass is staying in the car, you fucking psycho.¡± Randolph made his way back into the car and slammed the door shut, while Jack reloaded the shotgun and closed the trunk.


    Jack turned round and wandered off into the shadow of the motel¡¯s vicinity. When approaching the area, he saw a couple of men. Five were walking out from around the corner of a couple of rooms down, looking rather suspicious. The men already were a threat because of the color of their clothes which were yellow and black and how they were glancing around. Jack, who still hid in the shadows, waited patiently.


    The men talked for a bit while Jack hid against a wall, peeking around from the corner with the shotgun in his hands. After finishing their conversation, the men all walked together until they stopped in front of the same room.


    From Jack¡¯s observation they all seemed to be walking into the same room. And once they disappeared from his line of sight, Jack felt calmer. He carried the shotgun with one hand, letting it dangle as he walked to the room they supposedly disappeared into.


    Jack stopped because an idea came to his mind. He walked out of the main path and walked up to the clerk¡¯s desk. ¡°One room please.¡±


    The clerk guy had a cigarette in his mouth, reading a magazine, leaning back in his chair, the man didn¡¯t seem to give the utmost care of what¡¯s happening around him. He didn¡¯t bother looking at Jack. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Here you go.¡± He grabbed some keys nearby and tossed them to Jack.


    Jack caught them, tossed money at the man¡¯s face, and walked off. As he made his way back into the main path of the rooms, Jack glanced at the key¡¯s room number. He felt blessed because the key led to a room presumably close to the one he saw the men walk into.


    As he got closer, Jack wanted to be sure he got them all by surprise. When he went into his room, he inserted the key, turned it, and opened the door. He walked into darkness, not bothering himself to turn the lights on, and sat on the bed, leaving the door completely wide open.


    Muffled voices sounded close by, but by the sounds of it, it came directly from the walls before Jack. Staring at the walls in total darkness, he heard a door open. A man¡¯s shadow walked past the wide open door. Noticing that the door was open, he took a step back and looked inside, spotting nothing.


    ¡°Shit. Why is this door open? It¡¯s fucking spooky man.¡± He shivered, but the moment he felt the need to walk away, an arm came out from the corner of darkness by the open door.


    It dragged him into the room. Jack covered the man¡¯s mouth as he placed him into a chokehold. ¡°You with them¡­ and the guy with the durag, is he associated with you?¡±


    As the man struggled to break free from Jack¡¯s grasp, he nodded, indicating Jack to let him talk. But Jack had other plans in mind. He dragged the man¡¯s arm so he could grip the guy¡¯s windpipe with his other hand. The man nodded harder, so Jack let him talk.


    ¡°Okay¡­ yes, I¡¯m somewhat associated with them. Please man, don¡¯t kill me bro. I¡¯m just a seller¡­ I hardly know those guys.¡±


    Jack paused and didn¡¯t say a single word.


    ¡°Le-Let me¡­ fuck. You¡¯re gripping too ha-hard man. I didn¡¯t see a guy with a durag. Please¡­ I won¡¯t tell anyone, I promise.¡±


    Jack blinked. ¡°That won¡¯t be an issue, because I know you won¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Re-Really? So can you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re about to do a good job keeping the promise, friend.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Jack gripped his windpipe tighter and eventually snapped it, killing the man.


    ¡°Good job on keeping our promise,¡± Jack said as he laid the man down on the floor away from the open door.


    Jack grabbed the shotgun, set it on the floor beside the man, then walked out of the room. He walked next door, stood in front of it and waited. Inside he heard laughter, voices, and enjoyment. Jack raised a hand and knocked, bringing all that joyful noise inside to a complete stop. Jack then hid against the wall as the men¡¯s suspicion grew, questioning on who would knock at their door at this time, other than any other accomplice of their knowing.


    Footsteps sounded from inside the room. Instead of opening the door, a voice called out, ¡°Who is it? Bell, is that you kid?¡±


    No answer.


    The door slightly opened and a head popped out. He glanced to the right, but when turning to the left, the butt of a gun knocked him out cold. Jack then kicked the door open and the first person in his line of sight got a shotgun blast to their chest. He fell back onto the bed and died before he could pull out his own gun. Another man tried stabbing Jack from the side, but Jack quickly turned and shot him dead. Jack¡¯s eyes were dead serious as he looked around the room and as he did, someone sneezed closeby.


    Before taking another step, Jack looked down at the guy he¡¯d knocked out cold. ¡°This outta ease your pain.¡± He aimed down at the man¡¯s head and blew it to smithereens.


    As Jack walked towards the sound of the sneeze, from the corner of the bed was another man who seemed completely drunk, sitting still.


    ¡°All this damn noise¡­ huh? Watcha looking at¡­ you bitch!¡± He was about to pull out his weapon until Jack shot his arm, breaking it as he screamed in agony. Then he got blasted in the face, which made chunks of his skull fly all over.


    With the gun aimed and his finger trigger happy, Jack made sure his body count was correct. In his mind he counted four, which meant there was one left. Aiming the gun in every direction, the bathroom was the last location to look. Steady, Jack walked towards it in a casual, calm manner. He opened the door very slowly and turned on the lights. Nobody was inside upon first glance, but when he looked at the mirror directly in front of him, Jack saw someone cowering in the bathtub. He walked in and lowered the gun, glaring at the last man standing.


    The man trembled so much. He still had his pants down and was clutching his head. ¡°P-Please¡­ don¡¯t¡­ kill me.¡±


    Jack tilted his head in a creepy manner. ¡°Where¡¯s the guy with the durag?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about¡­ Don¡¯t fucking kill me, man.¡± The man began whimpering while Jack stood there, staring at the withering heap with dead fish eyes.


    Jack turned to the bodies behind him and looked back at the man. ¡°Get out of there. Come on.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ okay,¡± he said, getting out of the tub without pulling up his pants.


    Jack let him walk past with his hands up. ¡°Now¡­ walk,¡± Jack said calmly with the gun still in his hands.


    The man obliged and walked carefully. ¡°N-Now what?¡± he asked, scared.


    ¡°You¡¯re free, go¡­ or else I¡¯ll change my mind.¡± Oblivious to what Jack was doing behind him, he didn¡¯t know Jack had already made up his mind. The shotgun was aimed straight at his leg.


    ¡°You¡­ really mean it?¡±


    Without saying another word, Jack pulled the trigger and shot at one of the man¡¯s legs. He screamed. It bent in an awkward manner as he collapsed to the floor. Jack finished the job by shooting his back once.


    The room had become a bloody massacre created by none other than Jack, who¡¯d decided to take a seat on the bed and look around the room. He lowered his gun onto his knees and slowly started reloading the weapon in the ambience of silence.


    Without an expression on his face, Jack quietly said in a ruthless and unregretful tone, ¡°Oops¡­ wrong room.¡±


    A minute later, after Randolph had heard all those loud bangs, which freaked him out. Looking over at his sides, he saw Jack walking back to the car with the shotgun. ¡°Hey yo! Was that you making all that noise?¡±


    Jack put his gun back into the trunk and hopped into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Yeah, but I mistakenly killed the wrong people.¡±


    Randolph¡¯s eyes grew big, and he freaked out by pointing at Jack. ¡°You what?! Uhh, ahhh, so you telling me you killed innocent folks, you damn freak?!¡±


    ¡°No. They were rivals, though they were there at the wrong place at the wrong time.¡± Jack pulled out another cigarette and started smoking.


    Randolph groaned, but luckily the snitch reappeared all frightened, running out of the motel¡¯s area with his pants down. Randolph smiled and bumped an elbow to Jack. ¡°I told you so!¡±


    Jack patted himself on the shoulder for making all the ruckus to make him appear. ¡°Perhaps killing those men didn¡¯t go to waste.¡± The snitch ran a couple of feet until a white sedan pulled in front of him from around the corner. Jack turned the car on while Randolph pulled out some binoculars.


    ¡°Huh¡­ didn¡¯t know those would come in handy to be honest. We can still¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up and let me do me, man. Shit.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Anything more inconspicuous?¡±


    ¡°Looks like homie¡¯s freaking out to whoever he¡¯s talking to. They¡¯re not doing anything at the moment¡­ Hold up!¡±


    Randolph saw the man rip the traditional bandana off his wrist and hop into the white sedan. The car sped off to where Eric was currently located.


    ¡°Ahh hell no! Put this bitch into drive! They¡¯re going to the boss¡¯s location!¡±


    Jack tossed his cigarette out and put the car into drive. ¡°Hang on,¡± he said, flooring it. They sped off and chased after the sedan.


    As they were chasing the vehicle, Randolph looked at his side mirror and noticed a car on their tail. ¡°Hey! Hey! Hey! I think there¡¯s more of them!¡± He stuck his head out the passenger side and spotted more vehicles. ¡°Oh shit! We need to get our boys. Now!¡±


    Randolph pulled out his phone within his pants pocket and called one of the lieutenants. He warned them that there were multiple vehicles approaching the area. They understand the situation. The lieutenant called for backup, but before he hung up on Randolph he asked, ¡°Wait. Before I go Randolph, how close are you guys to the location?¡±


    Randolph grinned. ¡°We¡¯re five minutes away so we¡¯re not too far. You all better be prepared for this shit show!¡± The lieutenant hung up.


    Randolph was sweating a bit, but he felt excited. ¡°Oh God damn! Shit¡¯s about to go down!¡± Randolph said as he accelerated. Even though something in him felt worried, exhilaration overtook him.


    Jack was already looking forward to the upcoming mess. He was still grinning with confidence. ¡°Things are going to get worse when everyone arrives, especially when I get my hands on a rat who couldn¡¯t keep his nose out of anything.¡±


    At a rotted big home located in one of the worst areas of their area, Eric was currently negotiating with the turf leader¡¯s boss. Eric¡¯s lieutenant walked in the room and disrupted the meeting. Everyone else glared at the lieutenant, but he wasn¡¯t scared.


    He stood next to Eric with a phone in his hand. ¡°You have an urgent call, sir.¡±


    Eric sighed and took the phone. ¡°Excuse me, gentleman.¡±


    Although everyone was already growing impatient, they allowed him to answer his phone call and agreed to wait, which gave him only a minute.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Eric said, closing the door behind him. He hovered the phone over his ear. ¡°Who¡¯s calling me when I¡¯m in the middle of a meeting?¡±


    ¡°Ey yo, Eric, it¡¯s me Randolph. Listen, I got you some juicy details about the snitch.¡±


    ¡°Yeah what about him, don¡¯t tell me I was right all along?¡±


    Randolph blows out air, picking his ear. ¡°I¡¯m afraid so man, he definitely is up to no good and who knows for how long.¡±


    Eric dragged his big hand across his face. ¡°Son of a bitch, I knew it¡­ Alright, if that¡¯s the case then hurry ya assess up to us. Best we have everyone gathered for this.¡±


    Randolph sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t have to tell us twice we¡¯re already on the way haha! And some final details: the bum¡¯s in a white sedan and get this, the bastard ripped off our traditional bandana.¡±


    Eric clenched a fist. ¡°Shit, I guess the deal is over with. Make sure you leave that snitch alive. Imma make sure this punk bitch gets taught a lesson.¡± He hung up and looked at his lieutenant. ¡°Get ready. Things are about to get ugly.¡±


    He nodded and rushed outside the house to regroup with the other five guards. Eric casually walked back into the meeting, where the men were behaving oddly suspicious. The turf leaders¡¯ guards had their arms crossed too close to their holstered weapons. When Eric walked back in, two walked next to the door. Eric grinned and sarcastically chuckled. He took out a cigarette and lit it.


    Eric raised a palm, cutting them short. ¡°Chill. Let me finish my damn smoke, fools. Relax, will ya?¡±


    The turf leader slammed his fists on the table. ¡°Fuck yo smoke! We got business to take care of, so sit yo big tall ass down.¡± He started getting even more impatient. His hand drove into his jacket, almost as if he was grabbing something.


    Eric nodded. ¡°You right! My bad homie! Let¡¯s get one thing straight though!¡± Eric lowered his hand.


    The turf leader¡¯s upper lip raised and his left eye twitched in annoyance. ¡°What is it you steroid looking motherfucker?!¡±


    He puffed on his cigarette one last time and tossed it at the leader¡¯s face. ¡°I ain''t no bitch!¡±


    The leader got angry and prepared himself to pull out whatever he¡¯d reached for. A vein popped out of his forehead as he shouted, ¡°You fucked up now, homie!¡±


    ¡°No homie, you fucked up.¡± Eric instantly pulled his gun out, shooting the leader right between the eyes. The man fell back on his chair dead. The other guards behind him were quickly shot down too.


    The other two behind Eric were left stunned by how fast Eric had killed all three of the men, but they didn¡¯t know how to react. They were scared of being killed too.


    ¡°By the way, my muscles are natural, bitch!¡± Eric turned round and eyed the two.


    The last two guards standing there were too afraid. They stayed silent and still. Even a slight gust of wind could scare the shit out of them. Eric glared at the two as their bodies tembled and both gasped when he puffed his chest out and showed them who¡¯s the dominant one.


    Eric gestured for them to come at him, but they turned their tails and ran away. Suddenly, Eric¡¯s men, all six of them barged into the room with their guns drawn. For a brief second they thought their leader was shot, but they spot their boss was casually lighting another cigarette. They smiled, then heard multiple tires screeching in the front of the house.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Without Eric mentioning what to do next, everyone started barricading inside the house grabbing whatever piece of wood or furniture they could use to cover the windows, doors, and even the slightest creeks.


    Once everything was covered and there was no way to enter inside, everything became quiet. One of Eric¡¯s men decided to peek through a small gap in the window, but as soon as he gently pulled a piece of the blind down, he instantly got struck by a bullet and fell dead on the ground.


    ¡°Oh fuck man!¡± one of Eric¡¯s men yelled.


    ¡°Damn, holy shit! He¡¯s dead!¡± another one shouted then started freaking out, cowering behind a couch close by.


    Eric raised his voice at all of his men. ¡°Calm down! Are ya done being lil bitches, or are y¡¯all some stone cold killaz?!¡± He raised his gun and cocked it. ¡°Man the fuck up! Now let¡¯s...¡±


    All of a sudden a barrage of gunfire ruptured into the living room, cutting Eric off and forcing everyone to take cover or plunge to the ground.


    Within a matter of seconds, everyone outside continued shooting, engulfing the entire home in a hail of bullets. Eric¡¯s men retaliated, shouting back and firing blindly at the ambushers. Another one of Eric¡¯s men went down, being shot multiple times when he was taking cover next to one of the boarded windows to the front of the living room. Another got shot in the leg that was on the ground, a bullet had ricochet and happened to strike him. Two more went down when they tried running across the living room to get to the other side when they shot blindly and aimed their guns sideways.


    There were only two left standing. Eric began to sweat. The situation wasn¡¯t going according to his plan. Not only that, but he¡¯d already lost four men. Picking up another gun, Eric rushed towards a window and broke it apart, then shot out in rage.


    Randolph and Jack were just arriving earlier than expected behind the ambushers. They didn¡¯t notice their car coming or parking from how distracted they were at lighting the house up in a barrage of bullets. The two quickly got out, took cover behind their car and waited. Both men were on standby and for some time, roughly five minutes of endless firing. As the rivals continuously reloaded, kept laying down hellfire to the house, Randolph¡¯s patience had grown slim. He didn¡¯t know what Jack was waiting for.


    ¡°Jack! We need to hurry up and shoot them back. We¡¯re literally behind them, you goof!¡± Randolph shouted angrily.


    Jack ignored Randolph and continued observing the situation. ¡°Wait¡­ patience, my friend.¡± He checked his phone and waited a little longer.


    Agitation and anger showed on Randolph¡¯s face. He grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulders and shook him. ¡°What the hell are you waiting for? What? You waiting for a goddamn pizza, you schmuck?!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t look at his face. His sights were glued to his phone. Just when Randolph¡¯s patience shattered and he was preparing himself to fire at the ambusher¡¯s back, Jack grabbed his arm.


    ¡°What now?¡± Randolph snapped.


    Jack showed him a text he¡¯d gotten on his phone. When Randolph read the display, he smiled. ¡°Randolph, it¡¯s showtime.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about damn time, right?!¡± Randolph brushed off Jack¡¯s hand and got out of the car.


    Jack went to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and pulled out another weapon. This time it was a semi-automatic rifle. ¡°Yo Randolph!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what?¡± As Randolph got close to Jack, a shotgun was tossed to him. He caught it.


    Randolph glanced at the gun he caught, then tilted his head in confusion as he stared back at Jack. Jack rolled his eyes and pointed behind him. Randolph turned around. His jaw dropped when he spotted the vehicles in the distance coming towards them.


    ¡°Ohh! That¡¯s what you were waiting for? You should have said something earlier, you fool!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I showed you the text, remember?¡±


    Randolph couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Man, I could barely see cause you still own a flip phone, you dinosaur! Get with the times. You¡¯re fucking sixteen! Not a damn granny, man!¡±


    Jack shrugged and he went back into cover briefly beside Randolph.


    They loaded their guns and rushed behind one of the rival vehicles. Looking at each other, they nodded then popped out from behind the car and aimed their guns at the enemies. ¡°Yo dumbasses!¡±


    Some of the rivals heard that and turned round to meet a wave of gunfire.


    Rival gangs¡¯ bodies dropped one by one, making everyone take notice of the situation. They turned around too, then fired back at Randolph and Jack. The two instantly took cover and started reloading.


    Meanwhile, where Jack¡¯s gang was, Eric noticed the gunfire stopped coming towards them and was firing at something else. From what he saw through the exposed window, it came from behind the rivals.


    Eric used the opportunity to grab an injured member and carried him on his shoulders. ¡°Come on, follow me, this our chance to get the fuck outta here!¡±


    The last member standing gulped while the gun in his hand trembled. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know boss. Wh-What if¡­?¡±


    Eric reloaded his handgun. ¡°This is no time to bitch out. You¡¯re surviving brotha!¡±


    He was a little scared but after hearing some encouragement from his boss, he manned up and followed close behind. They cautiously walked out the front door, while the rival gang were distracted, and ran behind a rusted out vehicle that sat on the front lawn. Eric leaned the injured member against the vehicle and checked his ammo supply, noticing he only had a mag left besides the one he¡¯d just put in.


    Jack and Randolph, on the other hand, were too busy being bombarded by the constant retaliation of gunfire. Randolph wasn¡¯t even able to fire back let alone be given a chance.


    ¡°Jesus Christ, Jack!¡± he yelled, turning to Jack. ¡°We gonna die, you sorry excuse for a teenager!¡±


    Jack got back into cover and reloaded his rifle again. ¡°Hey, that''s not nice. Just keep firing. They¡¯re almost here.¡±


    ¡°Fuck man! After this Imma need a drink!¡± Randolph raised the gun above his head and fired blindly, then peeked over the hood and instantly lowered himself. A bullet ricocheted next to him. ¡°All these fucking guns and bums with their ugly asses, and a fucking crazy ass hooligan to my right¡­ Goddammit! Shit!¡± Randolph fired his shotgun blindly again, hoping to hit one of them at least since they were close in range for him to do so.


    Meanwhile, finally getting outside of the bullet-drenched home, taking cover behind that rusted out car was Eric, the last member standing and the injured. Eric¡¯s looking around, trying to figure out who did the distracting and had given them a chance of escaping. Upon further observation, he saw the blindfire and vehicle the distractors drove in. He smiled, after realizing who was behind the distraction, then rose and used this chance to kill some of the men who were oblivious about their group. He aimed and shot a couple of them, striking three in a row. One fell to the right, hitting his head on the back of the bumper of a parked car, another to the left lying to his side, the last crumpling like a ragdoll and all three bled from their heads. Some of the others took notice, then fired at Eric, which forced him to take cover again.


    Eric emptied his mag and inserted his last one. ¡°Just hold out for two minutes!¡± he shouted at the two remaining men.


    They nodded. Pulling out their pistols, they slightly rose from their cover and returned fire. Doing that sandwiched the rivals, though the numbers were still stacked against Eric and everyone else.


    With his patience thinning, Jack pulled out his phone again and glanced at the screen. He sighs with relief. ¡°Randolph?!¡±


    Randolph was still flinching as bullets continued to ricochet off the vehicle. ¡°What man! Can¡¯t you see they still shooting us?!¡± He fired another round, managing to strike a guy and making him scream in pain. ¡°Yeah bitch, woo!¡±


    Jack raised his brows, nodding to Randolph. ¡°Congrats, you finally struck a man.¡±


    ¡°Man fuck you, I¡¯m a G boy, see I¡¯ma¡­¡± Randolph tried firing again but realized that was his last round. ¡°Awww yeah, now I¡¯m out of bullets!¡± He tossed the gun on the ground. ¡°That¡¯s great. Just great!¡±


    ¡°Relax, will you,¡± Jack said.


    Randolph raised his eyebrows in annoyance and shook his fist. ¡°Fuck all ya¡¯ll momma¡¯s, you pussy fools!¡± Jack placed a hand on Randolph¡¯s shoulder, which made him frown. ¡°What, you goofball?!¡±


    Jack grinned. ¡°It¡¯s party time!¡± Strangely, Jack reached inside his jacket and pulled out a flare gun, slowly aiming it to the sky.


    Randolph tilted his head as his eyes popped out. He gave Jack a funny look. ¡°Wha-Wha¡­ but! Yo¡­ where the fuck did you get? You know what, Imma just shut the fuck up now.!, How bout that?!¡±


    Jack laughed as he pressed the trigger and the flare shot up, brightening the sky, which made everyone look upwards.


    Eric quietly chuckled out of amusement. The enemy were distracted. Eric used the flare as an advantage to signal the last guy, who had his legs working, to run away with the injured one. He didn¡¯t hesitate and ran off to his vehicle while carrying the injured.


    The rival gang didn¡¯t notice. Instead, they started approaching the vehicle Jack and Randolph were hiding behind, saying ¡°Time to die fuckers!¡± The men reloaded their weapons and continued their approach, starting to make whistle noises as if the two were dogs. One guy made his way towards the right side of the vehicle and another at the left. Both laughed and said, ¡°Bitch ass fools!¡±


    The moment they were about to aim their guns at the two, the one on their right got struck by a bullet and fell dead, shocking everyone else left standing. Out of nowhere, gunfire erupted from a group of vehicles and now the rival gang were the ones being killed off. Men after men were dropping like flies so quickly that the others didn¡¯t know how to react.


    After a full minute of non-stop gunfire, it all came to a complete stop. There were only three guys left standing from that gang. They looked around and saw all their boys were dead. Blood had spewed out from their corpses and out into the stained cold streets. Bullet casings littered all over too, with bodies from both sides lying lifeless on the ground.


    Jack stood up without an expression on his face and luckily for them, one of the last three standing was the snitch. ¡°Hey, how are we doing? How¡¯s life been treating you? Just curious, you know,¡± Jack casually said while flailing his gun around in a creepy manner, which made everyone uncomfortable.


    The snitch¡¯s knees quaked. His eyes expanded. ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    Jack stood before the snitch and towered over him. ¡°You thought we wouldn¡¯t notice, right?¡±


    The snitch shook with horror and tried attacking Jack out of instinct by throwing a punch directly at Jack¡¯s face. The boy casually caught his arm and looked into the man¡¯s eyes. Everyone waited for Jack to do something. They knew of Jack¡¯s horrific happenings and doings he¡¯d done within the last year or two.


    The snitch trembled. Everyone had looks of confusion. Some glanced at each other, scratched their heads, shrugged, others yawned, waiting to see what Jack would do next. The man grit his teeth, and tried pulling his arm off the boy¡¯s grip, but then, Jack suddenly collapsed the man¡¯s arm onto his knee, snapping it in half.


    The snitch screamed as his arm broke like a twig. Everyone cringed and looked away. Some people even made dramatic noises from how horrific the sound of his bone sounded when it snapped.


    Jack let go and pushed him away. The snitch continued screaming and grabbed his dangling broken arm as he dropped to his knees. Stepping closer to him, Jack towered over the snitch. ¡°You think you could just get away with betraying us like that? Huh!¡±


    The snitch gazed up. Jack kicked the guy¡¯s face, making him fall back. He started to cry.


    Randolph walked up to Jack and calmly pushed him away. ¡°Yo, yo, yo, yo! Chill man, we gotta take him alive, remember?¡± he exclaimed, patting Jack¡¯s back to calm him down.


    Jack¡¯s breathing got heavier. His fists clenched tighter, not to mention the way he narrowed his eyes, glaring at the crying snitch. As Randolph continued patting his back, trying to ease Jack the best he could, Jack took deep breaths to relax himself, but only momentarily.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ It¡¯s not easy to just calm down Randolph. To me there¡¯s no worse thing than some degrading low life person such as him. To me, betrayal is the ultimate form of pain.¡±


    Jack turned around and slowly walked away. Randolph sighed. ¡°Relax bro. I know you got trust issues with a lot of folks. Shit, you recently got your revenge, didn¡¯t you? Chill now. Just chill, my guy.¡±


    Jack stopped and looked over his shoulder to the crying fool who sat up. Jack¡¯s eyes widened and he pointed his gun and shot at the man¡¯s knee caps.


    Everyone gasped and started shouting at Jack.


    ¡°Yo, what the fuck!¡±


    ¡°Bro! He¡¯s crazy!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just taking it too far man. Calm down!¡±


    Randolph grinded his teeth, clenched his fists, he was the one who was more annoyed by his actions. He pushed Jack away and shouted, ¡°Chill the fuck out man!¡±


    The man screamed. ¡°Mo-Mommy! I want my mommy!¡±


    The backup crew looked at Jack out of disgust and they all felt uneasy being around him. Some cringed, others looked at one another with raised eyebrows and showing the edge of their teeth. They slowly backed away, still cringing or starting to squint.


    Jack couldn¡¯t care less though. for his eyes expressed no remorse or regret. He finally put his gun away and walked away.


    Eric arrived on the scene and accidentally stepped on the crying snitch¡¯s broken arm, as he noticed the bleeding from his knees, along with a bruised face. He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. He already knew who was responsible for such torment.


    Eric looked at all his men, swiping the air. ¡°Alright, everyone let''s get going and take the three hostages before any police arrive on the scene. Understood?¡± His gang replied with nods and thumbs up, starting to disperse.


    While the gang did as their boss commanded, going back into their vehicles, getting the hostages, Jack was already starting to leave before anyone else did. He hopped into the car and drove away to head home.


    He pulled his phone out and called Angela. ¡°Sis¡­ Hello?¡±


    Angela, who was sitting on her bed criss-crossed, while drawing and watching her favorite show, answered her phone. ¡°Yeah? What is it bro? I¡¯m kinda busy here. My show¡¯s on!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know I¡¯ll be home in a bit. Do you want anything?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ some tea and a bag of chips would be nice.¡± She smiled but quickly pouted, blowing steam out her nose while watching her show. ¡°No! What a dummy! Darn you for being so annoying!¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s getting good, so I¡¯ll hang up. See ya soon.¡±


    ¡°Byee! Noooo not that! You moron!¡± Angela slammed her pencil down in frustration and crossed her arms. ¡°That¡¯s stupid. How can a goddess be so useless?¡±


    Jack hung up and changed course to the nearest gas station. After half an hour had gone by, he arrived at a local gas station. It was getting pretty late so Jack wanted to do this quickly. He parked the car nearby and walked into the store, then picked up the items Angela had requested and paid for them. As he walked out of the store, he noticed a drunk man sitting on top of the car.


    Getting closer to the car, Jack noticed he was homeless from how raggy, cut, dirty his clothes and face was. ¡°Hey dumbass. Mind getting off the car? It¡¯s not polite.¡±


    The man slowly got off and walked up to Jack. Through his stumbling, it was clear he was drunk. And when Jack walked up to him, he reeked of alcohol. The stench was overwhelming.


    He tried intimidating Jack by puffing out his chest and stepping right up to Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Or wh-what? B-Bitch!¡±


    Jack stood there silently with a bag of Angela¡¯s stuff in one hand.


    The drunk man flailed his arms around. ¡°You ain¡¯t gonna do sheet! Hahaha! See, you just standing there like a pu-pussy!¡± The guy randomly burped and spat on Jack¡¯s shoes. ¡°Fucking fool!¡± He pushed Jack and laughed, but Jack didn¡¯t budge.


    Jack tucked a hand into a pocket and sighed. ¡°Someone outta teach you a lesson¡­ but let me ask you this friend.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ you bitch.¡±


    Jack got into the guy¡¯s face. ¡°How did one such as yourself get into this position in life? Why do you choose to be this hopeless, but more importantly, pathetic individual who currently wants to stay as the person they are today?¡±


    The drunk man gasped. ¡°Huh? Wh-what are ¡ª Oh hell no! I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll make you regret saying that shit to me!¡±


    ¡°But what for? There shouldn¡¯t be any type of reaction to my statements if they weren¡¯t true, right? Let me ask you about this friend.¡±


    The drunk man backed away from Jack, feeling uneasy with how Jack¡¯s voice kept changing volume. ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    Jack took a deep breath. ¡°If you had to choose a way to risk your life for something, especially where it could reward you, what would that be? How would one such as yourself react to a game¡­ possibly one like I mentioned before betting on your life? How about it¡­ Does that not sound like a bargain? But you may question why your life and the meaning behind it? There¡¯s many possibilities to that answer like wealth, knowledge, perception, or maybe something more extreme, like death?¡±


    The man gulped. His drunkenness was still in effect and on the verge of passing out, he stood his ground to see what Jack wanted to try with this so-called game he¡¯d spoken of. Though his legs were shaking so much that they went unnoticed, his teeth were chattering too. It was apparent that he was shocked beyond words.


    Getting impatient, Jack placed the bag full of Angela¡¯s stuff down and abruptly pulled his hand out. That scared the man, which made him fall on his tailbone. Jack placed his hand forward and made a fist. ¡°How about a game of rock, paper, scissors to end this conversation?¡±


    On his butt, the drunk man¡¯s breathing grew frantic. ¡°Wh-Why¡­? Lo-Look, my bad for talking shit and sitting on yo¡ª¡±


    ¡°Get up and let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yo look, I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Call it. Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t have all night. Pull first.¡±


    ¡°Bro please¡­ please, I¡¯ll just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Pull one, two, three. Rock, paper, scissors¡­ Call it friend.¡±


    The man watched Jack take a quick breath and got worried that he might kill him since his patience was growing thin. He got up and stood still with his fist out, but he was nowhere near enough Jack. The two stood there, waiting on who would call it. The man was so afraid.


    Jack drew in another breath. ¡°Alright, go for it. Do it.¡±


    With his fist shaking and arm quivering, the man¡¯s face was covered in cold sweat. He almost raised his fist, but he wanted to ask one more thing before something went terribly wrong.


    ¡°Wh-What happens¡­ if-if¡­ I-I lose?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t answer. He only raised his fist.


    The man finally gave himself the courage to raise his own. ¡°Rock, paper, scissors.¡±


    Both raised their fists. The man closed his eyes. Jack¡¯s sights were dead set on him.


    ¡°Shoot!¡±


    Jack quickly pulled out his gun and aimed right between the man¡¯s eyes. He pulled the trigger. Hearing the click, the man opened his eyes and saw the inside of the gun¡¯s barrel. He freaked out, threw his hands forward, and backed away, gasping loudly as he clutched at his chest.


    Jack blinked. ¡°Congratulations. You win.¡±


    The man couldn¡¯t believe it. He was so stressed and scared that he thought he was dead. But as he gazed at his own fist he saw he drew paper and glancing at Jack¡¯s fist, he drew rock. Relieved with winning, he stood there with his jaw dropped while sweat continued to drip off his chin. Jack lowered the gun, reached into his pocket and before pulling whatever he was reaching for, he snapped his fingers to bring the poor man back into reality.


    Finally snapping out of relief, the man said nervously, ¡°Y-You were really going to¡­ going to¡­¡±


    Jack pulled out his hand and tossed the man a stack of cash. He caught it and upon glancingit, he realized they were all hundreds. He counted rapidly. It was more than enough to buy himself an apartment, a car, and enough to change his life. The poor man couldn¡¯t believe it. Tears of joy and sadness came out of his bloodshot eyes. He slammed his forearm over his eyes and cried. ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you!¡±


    Jack nodded, then picked up the bag, and walked away. He got back into the car and drove off, leaving the man to bask in his victory. It was a victory he¡¯d thought his horrid life would never see again, and today marked the day he¡¯d never forget the scary guy he¡¯d almost ticked off enough to potentially kill him over something petty.


    He dropped to his knees and cried more, hugging himself. ¡°Tha-Thank you¡­ Thank you so much! Thank you thank you thank you!¡±


    He said to himself, ¡°My dear sick daughter¡­ Daddies got enough to pay for your surgery.¡± He got up and spotted a beer bottle. Balling his hands into fists, he went over to grab it, then slammed it on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never drink again. Thank you, stranger. Thank you for scaring this old fool enough and blessing him with the thing he needed to save his dying daughter¡¯s life. I¡¯ll never forget you.¡± He tucked the money into his pocket and walked off into the cold streets of Flint, Michigan.


    ***


    Eric and Randolph arrived home and suspected Jack to be home before them, but he wasn¡¯t. Eric didn¡¯t care though so he walked upstairs. He heard screaming from Angela¡¯s room and immediately kicked her door open.


    Barging in, Eric yelled, ¡°I¡¯ll kill y¡ª¡± He looked around. Angela looked over her shoulder in a slow manner and raised her arms.


    With her mouth making an oval shape she waved one hand to Eric. ¡°Uhh¡­ Everything okay, Uncle Eric?¡±


    Eric couldn¡¯t help but facepalm himself for overreacting. He rushed to Angela and attacked her with tickles. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, you silly girl!¡±


    Angela laughed and rolled around. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I was just shouting at the TV.¡± She pointed. ¡°See? Like damn, this show¡¯s so funny but it pisses me off sometimes!¡±


    Eric laughed too. ¡°Language, Momma. It seems those damn cartoons are no good to you. The more you watch them, the more you¡¯ll be lame princess. Trust me, that shit¡¯s lame!¡±


    She giggled and playfully pushed him. ¡°I¡¯m already lame anyways. Besides, I¡¯m glad to be the person that I am.¡± She expressed a gentle smile that warmed Eric¡¯s stone cold heart.


    ¡°Aww, well ain¡¯t you the cutest princess ever!¡±


    ¡°Nah. I¡¯m just happy for who I am and that I have you guys as guardians.¡±


    Eric smiled back and patted her head. ¡°You¡¯re right, princess. You¡¯re better off this way than you are with your brother. Thank you, baby girl.¡±


    Angela crossed her arms. ¡°Hey¡­! He wasn¡¯t always like this, you know? Well, he¡¯s still the same when he¡¯s around me¡­ kinda.¡± She started questioning Jack¡¯s current personality by placing a finger on her chin and thought real hard about it, but her face expressed worry.


    Eric rubbed her head, brushing off the worry. ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset over that fool because who would want to hurt someone as sweet as you?¡±


    Hearing him say that made her feel better, but her mind suddenly flashed awful memories of her past. She stared at nothing as her sparkling eyes grew dim. Eric noticed that and grew worried. He snapped his fingers.


    Angela sighed. ¡°Time really flies, doesn¡¯t it, Uncle Eric?¡± She got up and walked to her collection of precious figurines. She grabbed one and noticed it was getting dusty.


    Eric also got up and walked over to where Angela was. ¡°What¡¯s currently on your mind?¡±


    She lifted the figurine she was about to clean and twirled it round. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just glad, you know? Glad that I¡¯m alive, happy to have you guys, but¡­¡± She smiled again and looked up, making sure Eric wouldn¡¯t notice she¡¯d shed a single tear, ¡°¡­relieved that my brother is still by my side.¡±


    Eric walked behind her and wiped away the tear she thought went unnoticed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, baby girl. I¡¯m glad we met someone like you too.¡± He hugged her from behind and examined the figurines.


    ¡°So-Sorry¡­ I¡¯m just emotional¡­ You know?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. It¡¯s okay to be the way you are. But Imma be real with you, princess. Honestly, the only reason why Randolph and I continued doing illegal stuff back then, well at first we were bored and not to mention we was a couple of bums back then too. But before you came along, in the pinnacle of our crime spree; ever since we met you, we promised ourselves that we would save up enough money to finally leave this gang shit, and once we do¡­¡±


    He turned Angela around and smiled. Angela smiled too.


    Eric patted her head. ¡°We¡¯ll get you out of this mess for sure, and make you go to actual school to get you out of this damn lifestyle.¡±


    Angela hugged Eric. ¡°Thank you. I hope one day that dream will come true too, uncle.¡±


    They both laughed and Eric looked to that shelf where she had that collection of figurines drying Jack¡¯s wallet. ¡°So, about those dolls, whatever, you seem to have quite the collection now huh?¡±


    She got enthusiastic and right away, rushed to the shelf and grabbed one with blue hair, a blue outfit, and long blue boots. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m slowly trying to build it to the ultimate fantasy of collecting all the figurines of my favorite characters in my shows!¡±


    Eric crossed his arms, grabbing his jaw. ¡°Okay, uh, from what I can count¡­¡± He eyed each one, counting in his head. ¡°You have about forty, so how much were they exactly?¡±


    Angela¡¯s smile twitched and slowly placed the figurine back in its place. ¡°Oh, like¡­ maybe, roughly, about two hundred to four hundred each, ehehe¡­¡±


    Eric nods, but then his eyes explode and his jaw drops. ¡°What?! Oh my God! No wonder Jack¡¯s been broke for the past few months, holy crap princess¡­¡±


    Angela fiddled her fingers and grabbed another, this time one with horns and wore a maid outfit. ¡°But they¡¯re cool right? And pretty, right?!¡±


    Eric deeply sighed and brought out a mild chuckle. ¡°I-I guess, haha.¡± His eye twitched and Angela went back to grabbing individual figures and explaining to her uncle what show they were from and why some were questionable in their appearances and body proportions.


    Jack was almost home, but while driving he decided to stop for a second and park in the middle of a random supermarket parking lot. As Jack pulled out a cigarette and smoked it, he noticed the flickering parking lot lights, cracked roads, and vegetation growing from within the cracks in the concrete. He lowered the driver¡¯s side window and looked out to stare at the full bright moon. He lay back in his seat and continued smoking.


    Sure is a nice night for once. Heh, there¡¯s not even sounds of gunfire. Hmm, strange.


    Closing his eyes for a moment to bathe in the light, basking in the peaceful silence for once, it felt strange. However, when he opened them again, to look to his right, the girl in the white dress was seated beside him. She giggled and poked his chest to grab his attention.


    He didn¡¯t react, he only stared at her. She leaned in closer, whispering softly into his ear, ¡°Hello? Anyone home?¡±


    Jack blew out air. ¡°Huh¡­ Well, nevermind then.¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°What is it?¡±


    He grinned sadistically. ¡°If you didn¡¯t just whisper now, you would¡¯ve had a bullet in your head.¡±


    ¡°My my, still violent I see,¡± she said, continuing to poke his chest. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten so strong through the years, and your heart is as tough as nails. I like it, but it kinda worries me.¡±


    Jack leaned in closer to her. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that. Hey, if I shoot you, would the bullet go through you, or would you actually die?¡±


    She hovered a hand over her supposed face and gasped. ¡°That isn¡¯t a nice thing to say, you know.¡± She crossed her arms and looked away. ¡°You meanie¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± he said, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you helped me as of late? There were lots of times when I needed your help, but instead, you left me to deal with problems out of my norm. That kinda pisses me off.¡±


    She looked back at him. ¡°Well, the truth is¡­¡± She slowly put her hands beneath her carpet of hair, ¡°¡­it¡¯s because I¡¯m still embarrassed about this!¡± She exposed her facelessness and Jack¡¯s car became purged in darkness.


    Jack jumped out of sleep unknowingly. He sighed and scratched his head. ¡°Oops¡­ looks like I fell asleep, but for how long?¡± He checked the time and noticed an hour had passed.


    He turned the car on, shook his head, and drove away, flooring the car so he would arrive faster. His eyes were half way shut as he drove recklessly throughout the streets and neighborhoods, and to make matters worse, he was still keen on sleeping. Driving fast, amaturasly drifting around corners, he¡¯s on the verge of sleeping behind the wheel. He shut his eyes for a moment, the car started swerving on the lanes of the streets, his head fell and bounced on the steering wheel and honked, making him jump back to the view of the street. He almost lost control of the car but managed to not. He let out an aggroavated moan, moved his shoulders, now he¡¯s very eager to get back home on how he almost just crashed.


    When Jack finally arrived home and turned the car off, he got out and noticed Eric was standing on the front porch, smoking a cigarette. His eyes baggy, he grabbed the bag of Angela¡¯s snacks and walked up the brick steps. He tried ignoring Eric to walk inside, but he stopped Jack by putting his arm out in front of him.


    ¡°Hey, that isn¡¯t very nice,¡± Jack said sarcastically.


    Eric furrowed his brows and had a frown. ¡°We need to talk, fool.¡±


    Jack sighed and listened to Eric. He sat down on the front porch chair and so did Eric. ¡°What¡¯s in the bag?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Just goodies I bought for Angela, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jack set the bag aside, took out a smoke and lit it. ¡°So, boss.¡±


    Eric took out his own pack of cigarettes from one of the pockets on his jeans. He opened it, pulled a cigarette out and smoked too. ¡°Give me a moment to calm my nerves. Being around you is like cancer.¡±


    Jack calmly smoked his cigarette. ¡°What do you need to talk about, though? Wait, is it because you¡¯re gonna apologize for,¡± he pointed at the black eye he had, ¡°this? If so, then that¡¯s very nice of you.¡±


    All of a sudden, Eric got agitated and grabbed Jack¡¯s shirt. ¡°No, you fucking smartass!¡± Eric let go and cleared his throat. ¡°It¡¯s about Angela.¡±


    Jack brushed himself, adjusted his jacket, and rolled his eyes. ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to take her to school? You know, like actual school? Ya feel me?¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes again. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± He tossed the cigarette bud and gazed up at the night sky. ¡°I wish it were that simple.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you enroll her, you fool! It ain¡¯t that hard, my guy.¡±


    Jack stood up. ¡°Like I said, I wish it was that easy.¡± As Jack was about to walk inside, he hesitated, his head twitched, one of his hands slowly easing in on the door knob, he sighed.


    Eric mildly raised a brow. ¡°Whatcha standing there all weird for, fool?¡±


    Jack looked back at Eric. ¡°Hey Eric, I don¡¯t know what changed me, but¡­ my bad for making you guys feel uneasy at times.¡± Jack then walked back inside, closing the door behind him. Eric pulled out another cigarette to further smoke his nerves.


    He gazed up at the night sky and cracked his neck. ¡°They¡¯ve been living here for five years. Yet¡­¡± he stood up and took out a photo of Angela and Jack when they were younger, ¡°I barely know the two of you. Ya some strange kids, man. But you¡¯re my responsibility now.¡±

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 5: Return Of Abnormalities

    Jack knocked on Angela¡¯s door and she opened it. ¡°What took you so long?¡± He welcomed himself in as she closed the door behind him.


    Jack turned around to his sister. ¡°There, there. Calm yourself, sis.¡±


    Angela crossed her arms for a moment, puffing her cheeks. ¡°I was worried that something might¡¯ve happened to you.¡± She looked away from him to stare at the floor. ¡°Dummy, idiot!¡±


    Jack chuckled and picked her up, then tossed her on her bed. ¡°Watch your tone there.¡± He pulled her blanket from the end of her bed and placed it over her.


    ¡°Blegh!¡± Angela stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms.


    Jack tossed the bag at her side. ¡°I got your goodies. Still upset with me?¡±


    She hung her head. Her black bangs covered her face as she tossed the bags aside and jumped off the bed. She hugged her brother and held him tightly. Jack slightly moaned, wrapping his arms around his dearest sister. The bond they shared was impeccable. With the hardship they¡¯d both gone through and the struggles to get to where they were now, neither could afford to lose the other.


    Angela slightly whimpered. ¡°For-Forget the food¡­ As long as you come back home safe, alive, and well, then I have nothing to worry about.¡±


    Jack wanted to smile, but he couldn¡¯t. Instead, a small grin grew on his face. He rubbed her head, kissing the top of her head, blinking softly to this comforting moment.


    Angela pulled off of him to give him her cutest smile and then they both sat down on the edge of her bed to watch her favourite shows. Resting on his lap, using her phone to change the channel on her smart tv, Jack ruffling her hair, Angela laughed at her shows while Jack expressed with disgust, confusion, and surprise. She rose off of it when things would tense up on some of them, Jack meanwhile had one of his hands resting on his cheek, sighing and yawning.


    While the night passed on, Jack fell asleep from exhaustion due to the crazy events he¡¯d gone through and finally succumbing to boredom from watching too many of these cartoons Angela¡¯s so fond of. He was laying on his back, facing the ceiling as he slept sounding like a baby.


    Angela looked to her right and saw him dead asleep. She giggled and got up for a moment. She covered Jack with her blanket now and decided to tuck herself to sleep beside him. Looking at his face in this state reminds her that he can still be vulnerable and not so freighting.


    Patting his head and smiling, Angela¡¯s eyes gleamed with happiness. ¡°At least in this state you¡¯re not so scary looking.¡±


    Turning her TV off by using her phone, she tugged her phone underneath her pillow. For once Jack didn¡¯t look scary or looking like everyone¡¯s nightmare, he seemed at peace and to Angela, it was adorable how he had one of his hands twitching, his mouth slightly opened to his breathing sounding relaxed.


    She smiled while brushing her hand on his cheek. ¡°Goodnight, big brother.¡±


    Hearing her brother¡¯s breathing relaxed her. Her eyes slowly shut but she wanted to keep seeing him in this state so she tried fighting it. But after trying to fight the darkness that wanted to consume her world, her vision starting to blur, she finally gave in and the world shut to black. Angela¡¯s breathing was slow, her movements were stiff, she was now in a deep sleep.


    But as night was at its peak, Angela had trouble staying asleep. She tossed and turned, but her efforts to not wake herself up became meaningless. For some reason, she began sweating and started breathing heavily. Her mind began to hurt, her chest felt heavy, and her vision felt static.


    Getting up from her bed, Angela tried to walk into the hallway with her eyes half open. She limped and her head began to hurt even more. She couldn¡¯t take it. She fell and lay on the ground, unconscious. It was dark, the hallway walls started waving, smoke appeared from beneath the gaps of closed doors, pushing out and drifting all over. The silence, the smoke brushing and going around her, the walls waved more intensely, everything around her then ruptured into a huge cloud of white smoke. As all this went on, all Angela could hear was her own breathing, but then she heard muffled footsteps.


    In her own mind, she started shouting at the steps approaching her from far. ¡°Hello? Is anyone there?¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± someone replied.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Where am I?¡± Angela asked. Even though the deceptions of darkness still overpowered her vision, that didn¡¯t stop the sound of footsteps becoming louder. ¡°Hello?¡±


    The footsteps kept coming closer. ¡°How¡¯ve ya been? It¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it?¡± a very familiar, gentle voice said.


    Angela recognised the voice all too well. It encouraged her mind to wake up from the depths of darkness. That ball of smoke swept away, revealing the new environment she was in. But as she looked up straight ahead, she saw a never-ending hallway of carpet and wood in their home. Doors as far as the eye could see stretched out down the hallway, and when she looked over her shoulder, each end of the hallway was flickering a pure white flash.


    ¡°This place. I-I know it¡­¡± Angela said in a frightened tone.


    The ceiling above their home was no more. Instead, misty white clouds drifted over Angela¡¯s dimension. She remembered the place all too well from her childhood nightmares. It was where she would supposedly play hide and seek with the girl in white, but most of the time it was Angela running away from her. It normally ended up being vile and gory to Angela every time she lost. Only once had she won that game, but in doing so it brought forth the worst pain unimaginable.


    ¡°No¡­ Not again!¡± Angela shouted, her voice growing more scared by the minute.


    Soft giggles echoed down the hallway of confusion, which scared Angela enough to stand back on her feet. ¡°Give me a second to find you, A-n-g-e-l-a.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone, please!¡± Angela exclaimed, already knowing what was happening. She ran down the hall and rushed into a random door to her left.


    Coming inside, the first thing she saw were children wearing sundresses and women wearing mourning dresses who all looked the same, having similar hair to both her and the girl in white holding hands as they were circling round a grassy field, bobbing their heads to their tune. The grass fields were endless, with hills over the horizon, and old village cabins set in the distance. To a normal person witnessing the unknown beauty, it would be paradise and be peaceful to live there, but to Angela she knew it was all a facade.


    The children were singing a song while they held hands with the women, one that was about the birth of the black death: ring around the rosie. Angela detested their song of black death, so she covered her ears and ran off to a nearby cabin.


    The singing grew louder and eerier. The children''s voices sounded deeper, distorted, the women''s voices grew higher in pitch and gurgly. Eventually it all mashed together to make an awful sound of distorted chaos, it overwhelmed Angela, even though she had her ears covered.


    Running through the grass and hopping over a fence, Angela spotted a couple of nearby cabins. She ran to the nearest one and opened the door. A bright light flashed upon her face, but she bravely ran into it. The light simmered away and Angela found herself back in the hallway of endless wood and carpet.


    Frantically breathing, Angela gazed down one of the ends of the hallway. Down the hall she saw something. It was a smoky vision of someone. Presuming it was the girl, Angela clenched her fists. ¡°Wha-What do you want?¡±


    The girl giggled. ¡°I¡¯m just saying hi to an old friend! That¡¯s all!¡±


    ¡°Screw you¡­ you-you¡­ you monster!¡± Angela shouted, her eyes glistening with tears.


    The shadowy figure suddenly got blown away by a random cold wind which blew behind Angela. She hugged herself and bent her knees from how cold the wind felt. Tears ran down her face as she cowered. Angela wailed into the void of doors. Her cries echoed back to her, but she¡¯d had enough and wanted out of the vivid dream.


    After releasing all her scared emotions, Angela stood straight again. But as she opened her eyes, the girl with the white dress came around the corner of Angela¡¯s eye.


    Angela gasped loudly and stepped to the side. The girl in the white dress had her hands behind her back and seemed a little overjoyed about something. She hummed a song, frolocked around Angela, then dropped her hands to her sides.


    She giggled and tilted her head. ¡°So? Having fun! Don¡¯t be scared, A-n-g-e-l-a. Everything¡¯s going to be alright!¡± She then stepped closer and leaned forward into Angela¡¯s face.


    Angela stood there blanched. Her face turned a shade whiter. ¡°Wh-What¡­ do¡ª¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you, A-n-g-e-l-a. Not like before. Sure, I¡¯m still angry at you, angry that you¡¯ve taken something from me that¡¯s rightfully mine. Though one can¡¯t assume you were entirely behind stealing my profound life, that question shall be answered another day.¡±


    ¡°Th-Then what is it this time? Y-You always messed with me my entire dream life. You¡¯ve done nothing but ensure misery upon me!¡±


    ¡°Hooo, that¡¯s true. But as I said before I¡¯m not that angry anymore because I¡¯ve come to the conclusion. As long as we have each other¡­¡±


    Angela stood there with her face white and eyes wide. The girl in white let out a deep sigh and from behind the girl, black wind blew on Angela¡¯s face. Angela covered herself, but as she lowered her arms, the girl in white punctured Angela¡¯s chest and ripped out her beating heart. Angela¡¯s arteries were still attached to her heart and blood kept pumping out, gushing everywhere around them, creating a pool of blood beneath their feet.


    The girl embraced Angela¡¯s factory of life and caressed it. ¡°I can still achieve the desire I long for¡­ the dream of me being beside the one who I solely want to devote my existence to.¡±


    The girl continued caressing Angela¡¯s beating heart as Angela stood there, with her chest ripped open and her eyes fully wide open. Angela coughed out blood, and her pool of blood splashed all over the girl¡¯s face and trickled down her hair. The girl moaned out of relief, feeling happy about the desire she seemed so close to achieving.


    She backed away from Angela, waving her heart around, splashing more blood on the walls and doors. ¡°Look at how functional it is! It¡¯s functioning the way I¡¯ve always dreamed of! Soon, my dream will come true.¡±


    Angela stared at her own beating heart being violated, stunned with shock, blanched and afraid, as tears of blood ran down her face. ¡°Wh-Why aren¡¯t I, screaming in pain? This is just a dream again, right? Like always, but you-you¡¯ve never done anything this extreme. Why?¡±


    The girl slowly inserted Angela¡¯s heart back into her open chest. ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°I-I hate you¡­ with everything.¡±


    The girl smiled. ¡°See ya later, until we meet again, and hopefully¡­ you¡¯ll realise what belongs to me and give it back.¡±


    She leapt at Angela and covered her eyes, turning her vision black once again.


    Angela awakened and screamed at the top of her lungs, clutching her chest in a hospital bed. ¡°No!¡±


    Jack grabbed Angela and held her. ¡°Angela!¡± he said, patting her head. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here, it¡¯s okay...¡±


    Angela stared at the ceiling, still breathing heavily, having no clue where she was. ¡°Bro-Brother¡­ Where are we?¡± she asked as her nails dug into his back.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the hospital. I found you passed out in the hallway in the middle of the night.¡± Angela ripped some of Jack¡¯s skin, even through his clothing, and Jack made a stinging noise which alerted his pain.


    She calmed down and noticed she was hurting him. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    He got off her and looked into her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay. That¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    Exhausted and upset, Angela drew in a few deep breaths to ease her emotions. ¡°W-Was I saying weird things while I was asleep?¡±


    ¡°No, but you were moving a lot and kept making noises. As you did you were clutching your chest too.¡±


    Angela got a little embarrassed. She turned red and hid beneath the sheets. ¡°Is-Is that so? Sorry¡­¡±


    Jack rubbed her head and pinched her cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s head home, shall we?¡± Jack picked Angela up and started carrying her out of the room.


    Doctors and nurses were approaching her room until they saw Jack walk out with Angela in his arms. They tried stopping him, but Jack ignored their calls and orders. One of the doctors grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulder and asked him if he was the parent who he¡¯dd called earlier for her supposed records. Jack slowly turned to the doctor in a very uneasy manner and began to shake.


    He was sweating and his heart began to race. Di-Did¡­ he just said¡­ he called her parents?


    Angela looked up at Jack, noticing his slightly gaped mouth and bits of sweat trickling down his face. ¡°Are you okay, brother?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t stop shaking. He gently dropped Angela to her feet. ¡°Doc, repeat your statement again¡­ please.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right sir, we contacted this girl''s parents,¡± the doctor said, smiling and unaware of his provocation towards Jack.


    Jack walked up to the doctor and towered over him. ¡°Show me the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Show you what, sir?¡± the doctor asked.


    Jack slowly put his hand out. ¡°The documents.¡±


    The doctor slowly handed Jack Angela¡¯s documents he got from his computer system, then pointed at the file and its descriptions of Angela¡¯s unforgivable past. ¡°Here sir, the proof is all there.¡±


    Jack looked at the document, clenching the papers as he gritted his teeth. ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± Jack quietly muttered in anger.


    Angela noticed his fuse being blown away. ¡°Brother¡­?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me sir? I can¡¯t hear you correctly.¡±


    Jack threw his fist at the doctor and punched him, knocking him out cold. ¡°You fucking fool!¡±


    Angela got scared and looked worried. ¡°Jack! What¡¯s going on? Why did you do that?¡±


    Jack¡¯s face was riddled with immeasurable anger towards the doctor¡¯s foolish decision on contacting her past. It had him absolutely livid yet afraid. Immediately picking Angela off her feet, he started sprinting as he carried her in his arms to get out of the place before their past knew of their location.


    Jack was panicking, being all paranoid and afraid. Angela held on tightly as Jack continued running through the hospital hallways, noticing in window reflections that his glinted eyes and frowned face was covered in anger.


    Just when the two were close to the elevators, they were stopped by security. Jack stood still for a second, using the chance to catch his breath. More security came out from the other hallways and started shouting.


    ¡°Sir, that¡¯s quite enough!¡± one of the security guards shouted.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to detain you and hold you until police arrive, sir!¡± shouted another.


    Jack was aggravated. With his teeth showing, and grinding, he had no time to deal with such roadblocks. He slowly reached for his gun tucked in his jacket and gripped it. As soon as one of the security guards approached him, he pulled the gun out and fired a warning shot into the ceiling. Every civilian closeby screamed and a slight panic erupted in that part of the hospital.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a gun!¡± one of the guards shouted.


    The guards all screamed and took cover. Jack rushed through to get into the elevator, then he slammed on the button to close the door and hit the lobby button. The guards radioed others and notified the rest of the hospital that there was a dangerous individual heading towards the main lobby. Alarms went off and the workers made sure that the police had been notified.


    Jack was still shakened and his anxiety was off the charts. He was worried and stressed beyond belief. Not because of the security, warnings, alarms, police. No. What he was truly afraid of was the past the damn doctor contacted that might expose their location to that very past they¡¯d run away from all those years ago.


    At that point Jack couldn¡¯t be stopped, no matter who or what, his mind was lost in the never-ending tunnel of darkness descent that he was falling into. Angela was worried sick about her brother, so she tried to get his attention by tugging on his jacket, but he was too focused and lost to pay attention to her.


    The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and the first thing that welcomed them were more guards surrounding the area and taking cover.


    One guard had a gun drawn, aimed at Jack¡¯s direction. ¡°Come on man, put the girl down and relax.¡±


    Another gestured at Jack. ¡°Please sir, we don¡¯t want any trouble!¡±


    One tried approaching with a taser in hand. ¡°Listen to us and remain calm, sir!¡±


    Jack scratched his head in frustration, making it seem as if he was going crazy or something. He was too agitated and annoyed to even listen to their empty orders. He counted the amount of people surrounding and blocking him from his freedom, and also counted their weapons, tasers, and pepper sprays too.


    He actually smiled, but not out of joy or generosity. It was a smile smothered in madness. Jack had completely lost his mind and laughed like a complete lunatic, which scared poor Angela in his arms.


    Jack raised his gun and set his sights at everyone. ¡°Move over, you fucks!¡± he angrily yelled as his breathing got more intense.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that, sir. Police are already on the¡ª¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time!¡± Jack shouted, waving the gun around and continuing with his heavy breathing.


    ¡°He¡¯s completely lost it! We have to make sure everyone¡¯s out of this¡ª¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t¡± Jack took a sharp breath, then quickly calmed down for a second, ¡°you see we¡¯re both in danger here!¡± His eyes were erratic, glancing at everyone, especially from outside.


    The guards grew extremely uncomfortable to the point that they were afraid of him. They thought Jack had gone completely insane. Jack ordered that they should all step aside and drop all their belts. They obliged to his command to ease the situation for the safety of others, along with themselves.


    The front desk lady was ordered to open the doors for Jack, but he was oblivious to the fact that the police were waiting for him outside. Jack slowly walked towards the front entrance and making sure no one was out of his sight, he pointed his gun at everyone as he walked to the front entrance. Jack thanked everyone for their cooperation, but one of the guards felt the need to insult him.


    The security guy balled his hands into fists. ¡°You¡¯re human trash! You''re a lowlife scum who uses children as their hostage, you piece of shit!¡±


    Jack squinted an eye out of confusion. ¡°Hostage¡­? Don¡¯t be stupid, you fucking idiot. Calm down or do you really want to blow out this fuse that¡¯s my ever growing anger, because trust me this is nothing compared to the hatred stowed away in my blackened heart.¡±


    The guard noticed something was emitting off of Jack. It was faint but something was there, something out of the ordinary. ¡°Unbelievable¡­ What is¡­ he?¡±


    Jack kept slowly walking back. The guard returned to yelling, which made Jack get madder. He damned him to hell, bestowed misery upon Jack, and he wasn¡¯t having it any more.


    The guard said one last word. ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace of a human being!¡±


    Letting out a long breath, Jack squeezed the trigger. Everything became quiet after a very loud bang.


    Angela¡¯s ears rang and her eyes widened in shock. She couldn¡¯t believe what her brother had just done. She looked up at him and started crying. She muttered quietly, ¡°Why Jack? Why did you do that?¡±


    Jack couldn''t hear what his sister had said. He had tunnel vision and his hearing rang too, due to the gun¡¯s blast. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you barely push my button, punk.¡±


    The end of Jack¡¯s gun had a trail of smoke coming out of it. He smacked his lips and finally ran off as the guard laid lifeless, staining the hospital floor with blood.


    Jack had gone through the door while everyone rushed to the dead guards body. He¡¯d finally gotten outside, but as the sunshine momentarily blinded his eyes, he was presented by a line of armed policemen with rifles and shotguns. They were pointing their guns at Jack surrounding the entire area. Jack was so frustrated, so angry, and so annoyed. Whatever he saw on those files really scared him to the point that his body was acting all by itself and out of irrational anger.


    He waved his gun around as if he were losing his damned mind. ¡°Ahhhh! Fucking son of a bitch! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± Jack continued being a crazed individual, scaring poor Angela who was still on his arm.


    Every cop had their sights on Jack, ready to put away the wanted maniac who t was infamous in the streets of Flint.


    The sheriff yelled out, ¡°Put the girl down!¡±


    Another cop shouted, ¡°Drop the gun! Drop it!¡±


    A helicopter that was overseeing everything turned its megaphones on to taunt Jack¡¯s broken mind. A speakerphone announced, ¡°You got nowhere to run! Drop it!¡±


    He was right. Jack had nowhere to run let alone hide or take cover. Jack¡¯s breathing intensified as the paranoia and anger was breaking him, which drove him to the pinnacle of insanity. It got so bad he started muttering words underneath his angered breath, which petrified Angela. She had no clue what was going on or why Jack had become crazy all of a sudden.


    ¡°Brother! S-Stop this senseless violence! Please, ju-just listen to the police and stop this madness!¡±


    Hearing his sister¡¯s pleas in a terrified tone, Jack stopped his erratic behavior. He set Angela down to her feet.


    She wiped the rising water around her eyes and brought out a smile of relief. ¡°Thank you, brother.¡±


    Jack lowered his gun. His eyes were hidden by the shadows of his anger. But the police sights still dead set on him, he seemed calm. Angela giggled. The main captain had his hand up, signaling for everyone to move in. Jack stayed completely frozen.


    When things seemed like they were deescalating, he suddenly wrapped his arm around Angela¡¯s neck and pointed the gun to her head, leaving her completely speechless and utterly terrified.


    Angela gasped horribly. ¡°Jack! What are you doing?¡±


    The police quickly went back into cover and raised their guns again. They were fuming with anger at his reckless action. Jack didn¡¯t answer her with words. Steam blew out of his nostrils and between his clenched teeth. His eyes were red like a demon. He fell into the hands of insanity and succumbed to the anger boiling inside.


    Angela squirmed around his grip. ¡°Why? Why are you doing this? Stop!¡± She started crying and continued her attempts of breaking free from his grasp.


    Jack tightened his grip around her neck and leaned towards her ear, though he tried his best to sound calm. ¡°Ju-Just follow what I say okay? You ca-can slap or punch me later. Please Angela, listen to what I have to say¡­¡±


    Jack eyed the officers like a predator. Angela gazed up at his livid, frightened face. ¡°Huh¡­ wh-what are¡­?¡±


    ¡°Trust me,¡± he said quietly.


    She nodded, finally understanding him. ¡°Okay¡­ I trust you¡­¡±


    Jack quickly gave her an aggressive kiss on her head before he started yelling at the officers. ¡°Listen up! If you don¡¯t want to see this girl¡¯s brains blow out, then you let us go! You got that?¡±


    Saying that so casually aggravated the police and ruptured their patience. They continued yelling empty orders at Jack, telling him there were better ways to deal with the situation. Jack was also growing impatient. He fired a warning shot past Angela¡¯s face to convince them of his intentions.


    Her ears rang. She thought she was just dead for a second. From how close the shot passed by, she¡¯d had enough and closed her eyes. The police gripped their guns more tightly and were anxious to take Jack down. Another helicopter hovered above them. It was the news copter.


    You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me! Jack thought.


    Jack¡¯s situation grew dire, and now the entire city knew what was going on. He couldn¡¯t stand it any longer, so he yelled out all his fear and frustration. He was out of ideas, he had nowhere to run, but he wasn¡¯t going to give up this easily. A wall formed around him, making his chances of escaping seem unhopeful, but he wasn¡¯t going to let himself be caved in by this circle of judgment.


    But what do I do? This is fucked! I¡¯m trapped and my damned mind is¡­ Fuck!


    Squinting, the veins on his neck were exposed from how hard he ground his teeth. Jack¡¯s options were gone and he came to the realization that this was it. Tightening the grip on his gun with quivering arms, Jack felt defeated and was ready to give up. He closed his eyes.


    When things were close to being dire, a familiar, gentle girlish voice inside his broken mind said, ¡°Jack¡­ Hang in there.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes opened with hope, but before her voice could give him nightmares and remind him of the horrors of who she was, instead a slither of relief made its way into his poor bloodstained soul. The voice was from his childhood, the girl in white who had always haunted him, bringing forth the tormented nightmares that had caused nothing but misery for him. Yet at that moment her gentle voice sounded as if an angel had come to save him.


    ¡°Is¡­ is it who I think¡­ it is?¡±¡± Jack asked himself.


    The police looked at each other out of confusion and Angela looked at him as if he were deranged.


    She asked him in the most soothing pampering voice, ¡°Do you want to get out of here and seek freedom once again, my love?¡±


    Jack genuinely laughed.. ¡°Why are you talking to me like that? Are you doing it to mock me, Huh?!¡± With the last word he shouted to himself, he reflected the face of a lost and mentally ill man who was drenched by his own coat of nervous sweat.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not here to mock or haunt you. Like I said before, do you want to get out of here?¡±


    Jack relaxed himself. ¡°Okay, so now you¡¯re willing to help now? In kindness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, because of the promise you made, my dear.¡±


    He twitched an eye and laughed again. ¡°I am insane! Look at me!¡± He waved the gun around. ¡°I¡¯m talking to myself right now in front of the cops! Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Sir! Please just listen to us!¡± one of the officers exclaimed, walking towards Jack.


    Slowly and carefully one officer at a time started creeping up towards him from out of their positions and cover as Jack continued laughing to himself within his own solitude of insanity.


    Her tone slightly changed from a gentle soothing voice to a desperate sad tone. ¡°Just give yourself up to me, and then we can be happy forever like before. I don¡¯t have to see you like¡ª¡±


    Jack finally broke away and laughed maniacally, stopping the police from coming any closer. ¡°What a fucking miracle! Hurrah! Fine, whatever! Just get us out of this mess!¡± Jack let go of Angela and the moment he did Angela fainted.


    The cops used the chance to move in as Jack stood still. ¡°Prove to me that I¡¯m not insane¡­¡± he quietly said.


    In his mind, where darkness had made itself home long ago, came swirls of purple that wrapped around his wretched memories, his deranged brain, and certainty his stone cold heart.


    ¡°Anything, for you, my eternal lover,¡± she said in the most loveable voice.


    Jack stood quietly while the cops were almost at Angela¡¯s unconscious body. However, black winds blew from beneathJack¡¯s feet and lifted itself up from the ground, then twirled around Jack¡¯s whole body to form a cloud of black unholy smoke.


    The cops freaked out and stepped away with their guns drawn, witnessing the bizarre smoke die down to form a misty aura around Jack¡¯s now pale body. The thing that caught their eyes the most were his eyes. They were pitch black and vile. Even the atmosphere around them felt grotesque and wretched.


    The sheriff tried shooting, but his ears began to violently ring. They all dropped their guns and covered their ears from the intense ringing that stabbed their eardrums. Blood started pouring from the pores on their scalps and trickled down their foreheads. Their noses bled dark crimson, and then the chaos ensued.


    The helicopter above saw the bizarre event unfold and to their surprise, everything that was made of glass around them started shaking. Even the ones who didn¡¯t fall victim to the invisible enemy noticed anything made of glass was trembling too. The news helicopter was reporting live until their camera was full of static.


    Jack took a step forward, then steadily opened his mouth and breathed out a trail of black mist. The trail grew bigger and encased the surrounding area, then Jack sucked it back into his mouth.


    Everything went silent. The policemen were on the ground and were stopping their struggle because their mouths had foamed ravenously. Eerie white noise engulfed the area as the black misty aura around Jack pulsed out thick layers of black, that washed out the colors of reality around him.


    Everything to the hospital, the street in front of them, and within a ten mile radius was black and white. Everyone inside the hospital couldn¡¯t believe this phenomenon. It was incomprehensible, however all that changed when Jack decided to clench his fists.


    Anything made out of glass exploded into shattering pieces of death, light poles shot out plasma, and the ground beneath them cracked. Glass fell everywhere, onto concrete floors, street pavements, and burst inside the hospital. It caused chaos within the area and people were either getting hurt from the falling glass or being killed. Car alarms went off, and those two helicopters flew away from the scene when their windshields exploded. No one had a clue about what had just happened. The security guards were stunned and afraid. Everyone trembled in fear.


    The black mist around Jack exploded into a thick cloud of white, which brought the color back again. The last of the aura had dimmed, swirled around him, and ruptured into smoke. The last remnants of it had drifted away to the sky, the aura was gone.


    As Jack regained consciousness, he dropped to a knee. He was out of breath, felt hazy, and he blinked a couple of times, noticing the amount of destruction that was caused. However, he was oblivious to the fact that this was his own doing.


    He spotted all the officers were either passed out or injured. Glass was everywhere. He looked behind him and noticed that the entire hospital building¡¯s windows were all shattered too. He grinned and stood straight, then went to Angela and picked her up.


    The vehicle he came in had its windows shattered too, but he didn¡¯t care. Instead, he ran away with Angela in his arms. Stopping in front of the vehicle and leaning her against the door, Jack removed his jacket and wrapped Angela with it. He opened the door and placed her in the back seat, then he entered the driver¡¯s seat and felt some sort of liquid dripping from his forehead.


    Jack wiped it off and looked at it. ¡°Wh-What? What¡¯s happening?¡± Shakened to see that it was some sort of black substance, he panicked a bit. But there was no time to panic, so he turned the car on and drove away from the scene.


    The area was littered with glass, and blood was all over the pavements. People were absolutely left horrified. More police showed up and saw their comrades with foamy mouths and blood dripping from their heads. Surprisingly, they weren¡¯t dead when they checked their pulses.


    Local news vans came from nowhere and swarmed the area like roaches. They jumped out of their vans, prowled around the area, looking for anyone who might have a clue to what just happened. But as they did, most people looked hazed, gloomy, some had their eyes dimmed, many replied with a shake of their heads. No one knew what, why, and where this strange occurrence took place.


    When medical staff took in the injured officers, they found out they were deaf, with some even having their memories wiped. Investigators tried to ask anyone what had happened, but no one could remember. They even tried to get any footage they could get their hands on, but nothing could be found. Not even the news helicopter that was broadcasting the entire ordeal had any footage or why they were even there in the first place. Everyone who watched, everyone who was involved, couldn¡¯t remember a damn thing.

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 6: A Sick Bastard & That Girl

    Jack arrived at the safety of his home, but the black substance continued to drip. However, he couldn¡¯t care less about it. Parking the car, Jack hurried out and got Angela from the passenger side, then carried her inside. Laying her down in the comfort of her bed Jack could finally relax. He let out one big sigh of relief after what had occurred, but to seek a conclusion to the destruction of what had happened, he turned her TV on and changed the channel to the news.


    After watching it for some time, he found out the reporters were confused, the police were oblivious, and that nobody remembered what had happened.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be joking,¡± Jack muttered, grabbing his head. It was throbbing and pulsing badly from the aftermath.


    Taking a deep breath, Jack lowered his hands and saw that more of the black substance was all over them. He laughed softly, staring at his black stained palms. His eyes grew from the essence of insanity, close to being on the verge of having a meltdown.


    The pulsing pain throbbing in his shambled mind grew worse. It felt as if someone was trying to crack his skull open to poke his brain to death. From the stress of the hospital to the situation with the police, Jack had enough. His mind couldn¡¯t take any more of all this pain and perplexing situations. He fell to his side on Angela¡¯s bed and passed out from the intense headache.


    After a couple of hours had passed, Jack finally woke up and noticed it was almost dawn. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked himself as he grabbed his head again. ¡°I can¡¯t remember much. The only thing I can recall was her voice in my head.¡±


    Jack stood up and watched his reflection in Angela¡¯s mirror. Just what the hell was that?


    He noticed the black substance that was staining his face and hands was gone. ¡°You lying bitch. I gotta make you pay.¡±


    He cracked his neck and knuckles, then walked back over to Angela who was still passed out. As he lay next to her, making sure she was okay, he ran his hand through her hair and seemed upset. The one thing he did remember was how he pointed a gun towards her head. He sighed, hoping she wasn¡¯t too angry at him, but he had to do what he thought was necessary in the heat of the moment.


    Angela started mumbling in her sleep and said, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t leave me.¡±


    He rubbed her head and felt her words strike his blackened heart. He grabbed her hand to calm her down in her sleep.


    She felt her brother¡¯s warmth course into her dreams, and responded by sharing hers with a sudden hug. She whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll never let you go. Never.¡± She yawned and continued sleeping.


    Jack slightly smiled for once and allowed her to continue holding him. He sat up and rubbed her head with the other. ¡°Angela, if I didn¡¯t do any of that stuff, then that bastard of a doctor would have found you. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯d do without you.¡±


    He gently slid himself away from her grasp and pulled her blanket to cover her. You¡¯re all that I have left. He kissed her on the head and rubbed her back.


    Jack suddenly heard his name being called out. He sighed and took one last look at Angela before leaving her safe haven. Leaving her room, he headed downstairs and saw Eric and Randolph standing beside the couch with a young guy sitting on it. Jack twitched an eye in annoyance, aware of what was going on.


    He took a deep breath and introduced himself to the young boy, but before he did Eric asked, ¡°Say you big fool, you wouldn¡¯t know what happened downtown today?¡±


    Jack shrugged and looked back at the random guy. ¡°Who might you be? Interested in joining our gang?¡±


    Jack showed an empty smile and acted a bit creepy by expressing how big and wide his smile was as well as blinking rapidly too, though it didn¡¯t bother the newcomer.


    ¡°We love new people. I¡¯m Jack. Who might you be, friend?¡± Jack clapped his hands and expressed a huge fake open mouth smile.


    Eric smacked his hand against his face. ¡°Cut the shit. Stop being so creepy ya fool!¡± However, Eric actually enjoyed the act that Jack was putting on. It made him grin and helped him hold back his laughter.


    ¡°Uhh Jack? You know we are in a gang, right? This ain¡¯t no damn sports club or some dumb shit like that, my guy!¡± Randolph said, trying his best as well not to laugh, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°Man, you a fool! Quit playing around man, shit!¡± Then he continued laughing.


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so funny. I¡¯m just introducing myself to the guy. Why do you want to join our gang?¡± Jack walked over to the guy and leaned in closer towards his face.


    The guy was nervous at first but he brought out a subtle smile. ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Perhaps I like complications in life, haha!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a spy, are you?¡± Jack asked in a dead tone.


    Eric placed his hand on the guy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know what we do to someone who¡¯s a snitch, right?¡±


    Randolph pulled his phone out and showed a picture to the guy. ¡°This is what happens to sons of bitches who rat us out!¡±


    The guy didn¡¯t react to the picture. Instead, he brought out a bigger smile, which creeped out the other two besides Jack, who still seemed normal. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s good to hear! I like being with people who are loyal to each other. A nice, big, happy family. Huh, fellas?¡± He chuckled and everyone felt awkward except for Jack then he brought his eyes to the stairs leading to the upstairs of their home.


    Eric and Randolph immediately backed away and felt creeped out by the guy more than Jack¡¯s dumb play. However, Jack got annoyed but continued staring in silence. The new guy glimpsed at Jack and was a little shaken by his intense glare.


    Brandon continued smiling, but set his sights locked onto the stairs again for a moment. A full minute of silence went by, and Brandon looked back to Jack as he continued glaring. ¡°Hey man, could you stop staring at me? It¡¯s a little creepy.¡±


    Jack walked next to him and patted the guy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re welcome and you have nothing to worry about.¡±


    The guy sighed with relief, then extended his hand and welcomed Jack with a handshake. Jack stared at his hand for a moment. He felt something off about the guy. An aura of suspicion trickled into Jack¡¯s mind.


    He shook his hand without the slightest expression. ¡°Welcome friend. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    He slapped his hands together, tilted his head, and startled everyone. ¡°My name is Brandon! Nice to meet you guys!¡± He smiled and chuckled.


    Eric and Randolph really didn¡¯t want to be around this boy. Randolph slowly walked backwards. Eric stopped him and his face showed disgust. ¡°Yeah uhh, why don¡¯t you go home now and come back tomorrow? We¡¯ll talk more, aight?¡± Eric said.


    Brandon stood up and waved at everyone as he left. The three were speechless at how creepy this boy was, but they couldn¡¯t help themselves and laughed. On the other hand, Jack still didn¡¯t trust the guy one bit, especially how he kept staring at the stairs when they were talking.


    ¡°Yeah man, he gives off a very uncomfortable vibe,¡± Randolph said.


    Eric nodded and looked at Jack. ¡°Look over the guy tomorrow. Make sure the new guy doesn¡¯t do any funny business.¡±


    Jack still wasn¡¯t on board, but he agreed and had no problem with the idea. Randolph also volunteered to tag along with Jack. They fist bumped each other and dispersed, heading off to their rooms to call it a night.


    Checking up with Angela before heading off to sleep, Jack saw she was still passed out. He was getting worried and though she did talk in her sleep, he didn¡¯t need to worry too much. He closed her door and went to his room.


    Jack sat at his desk, turned his desk lamp on, took his handgun out, unloadeded it, yawned and then stretched. With the only light being his desk lamp he sat in darkness, rocking in his chair as he glared at his gun. He couldn¡¯t help but think of all the people he¡¯d killed these past two years.


    He picked it up and stared at it. ¡°What have I become? I¡¯m quite the mess, aren¡¯t I?¡± He pointed the gun to his face and stared down the barrel.


    If I were my dad and saw my son in the position I¡¯m in now...


    He brought the gun to the side of his head. ¡°I¡¯d kill myself, just like this¡­¡± He pulled the trigger and the gun clicked.


    I¡¯m such a failure.


    Jack set his gun down, laid back in his chair, and set his feet on the desk.


    He closed his eyes. ¡°Whatever. I guess this is the path God¡¯s guiding me through. There¡¯s no use in changing¡­ for now.¡± He fell asleep and the color of his lamp turned from yellow to a bright red.


    As he slept, Jack felt a chilled wind brush against his body, he shivered and hugged himself in his sleep. A horridwail came into fruition, more sounds came through, the sounds of miserable and stressed people at that. Wondering what on earth¡¯s going on, Jack opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was a crowded subway, which reeked of anger and dust. It was noisy and hectic. Light struggled to show enough of that depressing subway as he glanced around.


    For some reason, Jack found himself in the middle of a strange occurrence, standing in the middle of the subway all alone and lost. As he glanced around at everything, wondering when he got to a standing position, he noticed everyone¡¯s face was dark. The rats that crawled everywhere were strange too. They all had weird horns sticking out of their eyes.


    Wh-Where am I? Is this another dream from that girl? Or is this real?


    Jack was weirded out and covered his ears to muffle the annoying sounds of the dirty city living. The people amongst the crowd didn¡¯t seem to care whatsoever, many hustle and bustle, some fell to the ground only to get back up without retaliation to whoever pushed them. Others bumped heads, but continued onward even if blood was drawn.


    Taking a moment to himself, Jack took a deep breath and walked into the crowd of noisy and saturated manikins of broken life. ¡°What is this place?¡± He spotted a bench closeby and decided to sit down. As he did, he grabbed his head out of confusion.


    This is different than before. Perhaps it¡¯s just her? But normally every dream or nightmare would have something horrifying waiting to be discovered by me.


    The crowd continued to yap. The stench grew stronger, then out of the corner of Jack¡¯s eyes, he saw one of the ceiling lights shine down on something. It troubled him. He stared at the lights and noticed how they were blinking in and out.


    Why are they doing that? Jack felt a little perplexed. What made it worse was the ghostly howl in the subway of depression, which spooked him but not the crowd.


    Those beaming spotlights kept flickering and grew wider. Even those folks who had the same look of utter hopelessness on their faces like Jack moved aside to make the lights grow bigger. Jack realised why they were getting bigger. Something was approaching him, so he stood on his feet and prepared for the inevitable. To hide his mild fear he expressed an empty expression. The ceiling light flickered faster. Whatever it was, it picked up its pace. People moved quicker too. It was almost close to Jack, so he tried reaching for his gun in his jacket, but it was gone.


    You¡¯ve got to be¡­


    He¡¯d had enough and clenched his fist. ¡°Who¡¯s there? Come any closer and I can assure you¡¯re¡­¡± The light stopped behind a group of people a couple of feet in front of him.


    Jack nervously raised both arms in a basic boxing form to fight whatever was approaching him. Whatever this is, lucid or not, the fact of the matter is that everything I¡¯m sensing, the sweat dripping down my face, the cold breeze, that howl, my nerves freaking out¡­ it is all real.


    The ghostly howls erupted throughout the vast darkened subway again, but from how it wailed, whatever it was, it was afraid of whoever was behind the people. The ghostly howls were drifting further away the more noise it made. Jack stood still feeling worried.He watched people slowly move aside to reveal whoever was approaching. And once the curtain of people completely moved aside, they revealed a girl.


    Jack felt baffled yet relieved. W-Who¡¯s¡­ this?


    The girl who stood there had short, beautiful, bleached blonde hair, eyes as golden as hazeled caramel, and the white turtleneck, white high knee socks and plaid skirt she wore resembled maturness and literacy. Yet, with all these wonderful aspects, she had the most empty look on her face.


    Looking around, the girl didn¡¯t know of Jack¡¯s existence until she spotted him among the crowd in front of her. She gasped in surprise, almost like she wasn¡¯t expecting anyone else but her to be there. They both stared at each other. The crowd became dead silent. Even the pesky rats stopped moving, and everything around them stood still.


    Jack was so confused yet he felt like he¡¯d seen her before. That empty look on her face didn¡¯t change, but for Jack, he was mesmerized by her beauty. He just stood there quietly admiring her from head to toe.


    She walked out of the spotlight. ¡°Um, so-sorry to ask this¡­ but are you lost?¡± She interlaced her fingers and lowered her arms, but the minute her voice reached Jack¡¯s ears, it lifted the sins off his shoulders and healed his dire wounds. Jack felt healed.


    But he didn¡¯t know how to express such complex emotions. His face stayed dead as he scratched his head. ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t really know. To be honest, I thought I¡¯d get used to this by now¡­¡±


    Get used to this by now? What does he mean by that, she thought.


    Unconditionally she bowed, which in the United States was out of the norm to do. ¡°I can guide you back if you want?¡±


    Jack randomly laughed. This time it was actual laughter, but from her ridiculous and generous request, it aggravated her. ¡°Oh man, that¡¯s funny.¡±


    She raised her head. ¡°May I ask what¡¯s so funny? It¡¯s quite rude of you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that I wasn¡¯t expecting such weird gratitude, especially that respectfully. It¡¯s very strange.¡±


    Strangely enough, he was the one who stepped forward. ¡°Why are you approaching me?¡± she said in a cold tone.


    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± He stopped twelve inches from her, with his hands on his hips. Jack could finally admire her unknown beauty up close.


    She crossed her arms, placed two fingers on her chin, then thought for a quick second and came up with a conclusion. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t have much time so make it quick.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s how I¡¯ve been speaking to people, huh?¡±


    She found that a bit insulting, but rather than expressing it, she sharpened her gaze on Jack..


    ¡°Sorry, but to get back to what I was saying, you seem familiar. But I can¡¯t put my finger on it.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, what a random thing to say. Oddly enough, I¡¯m having the same thoughts about you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Give me a moment and let me rewatch my past.¡±


    As Jack started rewinding time in his mind from all the nightmares he¡¯d had, he¡¯d finally remembered who she might resemble.


    For once in a long time, Jack smiled genuinely. That brought her suspicion towards him down and in those beautiful eyes of golden green brown, they glistened from how bright his smile was. ¡°I think I do know you, but to answer your question, yes I am. I am lost.¡±


    Her eyes shook within hidden joy. The look on her face didn¡¯t change and she sighed. ¡°Well, I guess that makes the two of us then. I was looking for someone¡­ something¡­ and now I ended up here.¡±


    ¡°Yet you said you¡¯d help guide me back?¡± Jack lifted a brow, feeling suspicious.


    ¡°Ahem. I can if you like or do this¡­¡± She was about to lift her hand until Jack made a funny sound, which startled her.


    ¡°Ahh, hold up! I got it. Just let me just think for another second.¡± He crossed his arms and tapped his foot. ¡°Hmm, hmm, hmm!¡± Then he dropped his arms, disappointed.


    At first glance when she saw him, he seemed emotionless, and had a murderous scent around him. But in this moment, his behavior changed, and to her it was rather cute watching someone as cold looking as him suddenly behave this way.


    Jack let out a long sigh. ¡°I got nothing. I thought I did for a moment. Well, if you say you¡¯ll help, then why don¡¯t we help each other and get out of here together?¡± he said, extending his hand with a gracious smile.


    The way Jack was currently acting, it was the same as he was in the past. He hadn¡¯t acted that way in years, but for some reason and without his knowing, he hadn¡¯t realised how he was acting like his old self again. The old Jack who showed affection and love had a joyful attitude that came out.


    Watching him change attitudes towards her made something bump her heart. It was a feeling she¡¯d never experienced from someone other than¡­


    She lowered her palm and walked up to him. ¡°Okay. As you wish.¡± The rumbling in her stomach was strange to her, and the closer she got to him, the more her heart raced.


    She stopped in front of him with an emotionless face and hesitated to take his hand, but she grabbed it and shared their warmth. Then they started walking.


    Jack took the time to take a good look at her up close since she was beside him. Her glistening pale skin shone beneath the light, and her hazel eyes were beautiful. She smelled wonderful too, even if this was a dream. Jack thought he was about to faint just by staring at her.


    But one thing that caught his eye was a necklace she wore. It was a cross-like necklace that looked exceptionally holy, and it was very different from the one Mathew wore. She glanced at him, but he looked away and shook his head. She was confused at first but quickly blushed without changing her face.


    Why did I just do that? The heck¡¯s happening to me? Jack swallowed nervously when she looked at him in that brief second. He felt fuzzy inside.


    The girl¡¯s face was very red, and she couldn¡¯t understand why. Why does my face feel warm? Is it just because he looked at me? Who is this guy? So bold, yet¡­ as I¡¯m holding his rough hand, I feel a closure to my damned existence.


    This warmth in my hand, it¡¯s growing hotter. It¡¯s like I¡¯m tightening this warming essence in the grasp of my murderous cold hand. The ice shield around it is melting, and as it does I feel at peace and can release the me who¡¯s now laying dormant inside this vessel of destruction.


    Jack forgot he was holding her hand too.


    He¡¯d held Anna¡¯s and Veronica¡¯s hands before. Yet holding her hand made that fuzziness inside him gurgle. The two kept walking, those howls from earlier were gone, and as they tightened their shared warmth even further, it triggered something inside Jack.


    Then Jack¡¯s mind suddenly flashed images of an old dream he had back at the facility, which brought all the puzzles together, and he realized where he¡¯d actually met her. Something made him remember the dream he had of all his friends and the last person being unknown beneath a tree of nature¡¯s utmost beauty. Jack came to a complete stop and made her come to a stop too.


    She looked up. ¡°You okay¡­?¡±


    Jack turned to her and let go of her hand. To her surprise he placed both his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Sorry for doing this so suddenly. It¡¯s just¡­ I-I think, I remember who you are.¡±


    She tapped his hands. ¡°Ahem, could you mind?¡±


    Jack let go. ¡°Oops, my bad, I didn¡¯t mean to.¡±


    She blinked and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine, but now that I think about it, you do bring that sort of vibe.¡±


    She leaned a little closer and looked into his dead eyes, making Jack become a little more nervous. Wait a second¡­ those eyes? Where have I seen them before?


    It came to her now, his confused face, those brown eyes. She gasped. ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯ve dreamt of you once.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes glistened for a second. ¡°So we¡¯re both thinking of the same dream¡­ Tell me, do you remember where it took place?¡±


    ¡°A glamorous tree, endless fields of green along with miles of beautiful flowers as far as the eye could see, a gentle wind tickling our skins, and the sky as bright as your old eyes that once shone.¡±


    ¡°And what did you say to me before everything fell apart?¡±


    She blushed. ¡°You¡¯re making me remember something rather embarrassing, but yes, I believe I told you we¡¯d meet again someday. I can¡¯t understand why I said something so trivial to someone I¡¯ve never seen or met.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you say that?¡±


    Her eyes quivered. ¡°Because¡­ my-my¡­ my he¡ª¡± she stammered, clutching her chest.


    Jack noticed and got worried. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine. Can we change the subject? I wish not to express any further emotions than what I already am.¡±


    Jack shrugged. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    She placed a finger on her chin. ¡°Now I¡¯ll ask you something you said to me. You had asked for my name once, correct?¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    They decided to sit on a bench and continue their conversation. Both of them sat down awkwardly. Her face was still red, Jack¡¯s eyes quivered, he had arms crossed and was tapping a finger. The feeling of nervousness was becoming annoying for Jack.


    She, on the other hand, seemed to be fighting her emotions. She was gripping her skirt and biting her bottom lip. It was almost painful for her to express them.


    She let out a long breath. ¡°Say¡­ why are you so nice to me when we¡¯ve never met? From what I can tell, judging by the aura around you and your eyes, you don¡¯t seem to be the friendly kid I laid eyes on in that dream.¡±


    Jack softly grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t know, perhaps¡­¡± He raised his bloodstained hand and stared at it. ¡°You give off something I can¡¯t really explain. But when I saw you, my soul felt cleansed and freed.¡±


    When his last words reached her ears, her eyes quivered. She felt some sort of happiness after hearing that, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to express such emotions of happiness. Instead, she leaned against his shoulder without thinking, surprising him and more importantly, herself.


    Laying against his broad shoulder, she too felt closure and safety. ¡°To finally answer your question¡­ my name¡¯s Lily.¡±


    Jack felt happy hearing that, so much so he unconsciously grabbed her hand. ¡°What a beautiful name. My name¡¯s Jack.¡±


    She felt happy yet confused. Something conflicted inside her mind and the feelings she¡¯d never expressed before wanted to burst out and show him she was truly happy. Sadly, the war happening inside her mind and heart wouldn¡¯t allow her to show him her true feelings.


    "Why?¡± she asked quietly. Why is he being so nice to me? Someone like me doesn¡¯t deserve this.


    She stood up and clenched her fists. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have to go now. I¡¯m on a¡­¡±


    Jack grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. He stood up and reeled her in to pat her head, which calmed her down. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re in such a hurry, but I do understand you¡¯re frustrated about something.¡± He drifted his hand back into hers and interlaced their fingers.


    The poor girl wanted to burst out into tears and cry with joy. Never could she have imagined to experience such gratitude from a stranger whom she¡¯d only met once. For now, she allowed him to do whatever he wanted to her because she wanted to imprint this scene into her broken mind.


    Jack smiled. ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯ll be happy to help you¡­ Lily.¡±


    She was on the verge of crying. Her eyes had glistened tears at the edges, she clenched his hand with frustration, but she quickly erased her emotions and looked back at him with bloodshot eyes.


    Blinking softly and moaning with ease, she let out one final sigh. ¡°You¡¯re an odd individual. I can tell by looking into your eyes you¡¯re broken, and yet you¡¯re very kind, Jack.¡±


    Hearing her say his name in her soft, broken, mature voice made his heart skip a few beats. With the smile still on his face and their hands held, they both walked towards the edge of the subway track, then oddly waited.


    Jack suddenly seemed a little confused. ¡°Hey? What are we waiting for?¡±


    ¡°A train that¡¯ll wake you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wake me? Damn it, none of this makes sense but whatever. At least we¡¯ve finally met properly, right?¡±


    She slowly blinked and looked away, expressing a tiny subtle smile. ¡°Someday we¡¯ll truly meet,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Say, one last thing. Why are you here? This is a dream of some sort, right?¡±


    Looking back at the tracks, she lifted her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, although I should be the one asking you such a thing.¡±


    She grabbed the cross pendant and stared at it. Perhaps this was the work of God¡­ Or maybe someone else?


    Jack looked away for a second because the creepy howl returned. ¡°Jesus Christ this place is giving me the creeps. You hear that too, right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    He continued looking behind them, not hearing a single word she¡¯d just said. ¡°Hey, once we get out of here, how about¡­¡±


    As Jack looked forward again he heard the train¡¯s horn go off. Approaching lights seemingly made his world slow down and as his eyes slowly expanded, Lily¡¯s body slowly dived in front of the oncoming train.


    Jack¡¯s face froze. His jaw dropped. He couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d just witnessed. The train kept blasting its horn, reflecting Jack¡¯s horrified stunned face as each cart passed by. He stood there, empty and lost. The train finally came to a stop and the whole crowd got inside, not noticing what had just occurred. When everyone was inside the train, it went away, leaving Jack all alone in the barren subway.


    A tiny innocent giggle sounded beside Jack. It was none other than the girl in the white dress.


    ¡°Oops! I didn¡¯t mean to do that, but¡­ she got what was coming to her,¡± she said in a soothing, soft voice laced in sarcasm.


    Jack turned to his side with a horrified face and clenched his fists. ¡°Why? Why did you do that?¡± he asked angrily.


    The girl rocked back and forth with her arms behind her back. ¡°Mmmm, I don¡¯t like her. Not to mention how you guys were getting too touchy for my liking.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­?¡±


    She grabbed Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you ended up here, but I found you and here we are!¡±


    Jack clenched his teeth. ¡°You?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t forget our promise?¡±


    Jack wanted to scream at her in rage. He was so angry, yet he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so. He clenched his fists even more as his eyes started twitching. ¡°Wh-What promise? I don¡¯t remember ever saying anything to you!¡±


    She let go of his hand and stepped back. ¡°You jerk¡­¡± she said, sounding upset.


    Jack groaned in anger, feeling so infuriated.


    ¡°Why? Why do you enjoy hurting me so much?¡± she asked beneath her cold breath.


    She lowered her head, and slightly whimpered. Now¡­ I have to punish you again.


    Jack¡¯s annoyance was about to explode. His face cringed and a vein popped out on his neck. ¡°What in the hell are you talking about?! Almost everything you¡¯ve said to me since I was young hasn¡¯t made sense!¡±


    ¡°Stop. See what I mean? Jerk, jerk, jerk, but you¡¯ll be mine someday.¡±


    She started walking backwards into the void of darkness. And when that day comes my beloved¡­ you¡¯ll wish you¡¯ve never hurt me¡­ ever again.


    She disappeared into the dark as her soft whimpers echoed away.


    ¡°Hold up!¡± Jack shouted, reaching out. Where the hell did she go?


    Jack got aggravated and started screaming. He drowned out her cries with his angry screams. However, Jack noticed the entire area was slowly dissolving away. He freaked out, but then he realized his own body was melting. His flesh and organs, everything that made him human, began turning into a black liquid. He screeched out of the intense burning pain as his bones broke, snapped, and freed the marrow inside them.


    The pain was unbearable, the worst he¡¯d ever experienced. His body melted and his organs fell off and splashed on the ground, turning into black gooey chunks. He was halfway dissolved, gargling on his own melted flesh, and now he was nothing more than a pile of blackened tar. The entire area ruptured into foggy black. Swirls of purple flowed around him, but it was intercepted by white lights. From the corner of darkness a bright light emerged and blasted the darkness away, turning this dimension into a box of pure white.


    Jack woke up, screaming at the top of his lungs. He grabbed his gun, then loaded and cocked it. He was short on breath. Sweat dropped like a waterfall throughout his face, pointing the gun in every direction. He stopped and noticed he was back in his room. Slowly dropping the gun, Jack took in deep breaths and relaxed himself by calming down and wiping away his cold sweat. He placed a hand on his face and thought about what the hell that bizarre dream was.


    ¡°All of that just happened¡­ then she just fucking did that to me,¡± he said angrily.


    I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll¡­! He started coughing. Suddenly the girl¡¯s voice popped into his mind, interrupting his coughing fit.


    In a vicious tone, she said inside the migraine that grew, ¡°So long as you live¡­ overtime, my sweet¡­¡±


    Jack realized his arms started hurting. He looked at them and saw a black substance flow beneath his skin. It swam through his veins, stabbing and injecting his blood with darkness.


    He freaked out as she continued to talk. ¡°The pain you¡¯ve caused, the misery you¡¯ve placed upon me, will slowly consume you¡­¡±


    He screamed and his skin started turning white. The blackened veins spread across his face, and his eyes slowly turned black.


    ¡°And corrupt you¡­ to the point, you¡¯ll finally, rightfully¡­ be¡­ mine¡­¡±


    Jack let out one last horrified scream. The house exploded into a dark cloud of dust, leaving Jack standing in blackened flames while everyone else perished in the explosion. With his body consumed by the darkness she bestowed upon him, he stood in the flames of black and could only feel it pulse off his body and rot everything away, even reality itself. He dropped to his knees and let out a haunting cry.


    ¡°Jack! I¡¯ll always love you¡­ like you used to love me,¡± she said seductively.


    Wailing in the flames, Jack allowed himself to become consumed by the darkness that was wrapped inside his body and mind.


    Jack suddenly woke up again, at his desk screaming, face absolutely drenched in sweat. He was panting severely from the horrifying experience. He stood up from his chair, rushed to the bathroom and stared at the mirror.


    He was relieved to see that everything was normal, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel angry. Jack thought he¡¯d finally gotten used to those darned nightmares by now, but it appeared not.


    You-You¡­ fucking¡­ Jack grabbed his head.


    ¡°Fuck my head hurts!¡± he shouted, slamming a hammered fist on the sink.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t remember now. Fuck. Fuck!¡± He clutched his head, feeling extremely aggravated about the situation.


    Curse her¡­ That damn girl. He sighed and continued staring.


    ¡°I need a hot shower to relieve this burden,¡± Jack said as he calmed himself, removed his clothes and then hopped into the shower.


    Meanwhile, Randolph and Angela were enjoying their lunch in the dining room. Angela enjoyed his cooking, because she¡¯d always admired his skills and requested that he should be a chef at some fancy restaurant instead of being a criminal. He loved her admiration towards his cooking, although he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sad afterwards because of his past.


    Angela slammed her tiny hands on the table, then leaned over it and got close to his face. ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± she said, puffing her cheeks out.


    ¡°Relax, Princess. Chill!¡±


    ¡°Uncle! You need to be a chef!¡±


    ¡°An-Angela! Princess¡­ you¡¯re gonna kill me with that adorable angry face of yours!¡±


    He looked away as she let out an adorable ¡°Hmph!¡± while getting out of her chair so she could wash her dish.


    She tried washing her plate, but her arms could barely reach. ¡°Curse my size! Grrr! Can I just grow already?¡±


    Randolph grabbed her plate and washed it for her instead. ¡°You¡¯re still growing lil momma, so rest assured. Don¡¯t worry, your uncle¡¯s got this!¡± He washed the dishes while Angela stood beside him.


    ¡°Come on, Uncle. I¡¯m serious about the chef thing.¡±


    ¡°I do appreciate your compliments¡­ but a thug like me? A chef?¡± He shook his head, disappointed. ¡°Nah! It¡¯ll never happen.¡±


    She looked at him with her adorable, puffed face of anger. ¡°I¡¯m serious! Even thugs can change their lives too, you know?¡± She handed him more dishes. ¡°Everyone has a chance to change their lives, especially if it involves their natural talent.¡±


    Randolph paused with a sponge in one hand and a dish in the other, then turned to his side to look at Angela with a genuine smile. ¡°Yo-You really think so?¡±


    Angela hugged Randolph. ¡°I know so, Uncle!¡±


    He shed a tear. ¡°Thank you, baby girl. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d be if you never stepped foot in my life.¡±


    Angela smiled. She held Randolph tightly, making sure his day felt more better than it was. Randolph returned to washing the dishes until Eric stepped into the kitchen. Unexpectedly, the new guy was also beside him.


    Eric told the guy to stay put while he walked behind Angela and covered her eyes. ¡°Guess who, lil mommy!¡± he said softly.


    She turned around and gave Eric a big hug. He lifted her with ease and piggy backed her. She giggled and asked to be put down before she vomited.


    As Eric set her down, the new guy appeared out of nowhere, way too close for anyone¡¯s liking, and then he requested a hug from Angela. She got scared and quickly dashed behind Eric, feeling afraid the unknown stranger was asking for a hug.


    Eric put a hand on the guy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing, son?¡± he asked as his eyes twitched. ¡°I thought I told you to stay put.¡±


    Brandon quickly stepped back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. She¡¯s just so adorable. I couldn¡¯t resist myself.¡± he said, hugging himself in a very creepy manner.


    He definitely gave Angela a creepy vibe. She shook and muttered her brother¡¯s name. Eric noticed and called out for Jack who was still in the shower. He heard his name and shut it off. He quickly dried himself off, dressed up and headed to the kitchen. Once he got there he moaned because Eric interrupted his shower.


    Angela quickly rushed to Jack and jumped into his arms. ¡°Help me, brother. Please¡­!¡±


    Jack held onto Angela. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She pointed at the new guy. Jack wasn¡¯t pleased, so he set her down and walked up to the guy, getting right up into his face.


    Jack asked in a cold voice, ¡°What the hell did you do to my sister?¡±


    ¡°I was only trying to get a hug from her too,¡± Brandon explained.


    That pissed Jack off. He was prepared to punch the guy, but Eric quickly defused the situation by putting his giant arm in between the two, clearing his throat loudly.


    ¡°Jack uh, why don¡¯t you do me a big favor.¡±


    Jack kept glaring at Brandon for another minute but turned his attention to his boss. ¡°Yeah, what would that be?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you train Bradon while I go out for a couple of hours to deal with some business.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t pleased to hear that, but he obliged and sighed. ¡°Fine, whatever, I¡¯ll train him if it¡¯s to keep an eye on the creep.¡± He eased in towards Eric¡¯s ear, ¡°That way he wouldn¡¯t try anything funny with Angela.¡±


    Eric nodded. ¡°Agreed, I don¡¯t trust him either.¡±


    Randolph looked at Jack after he was done talking with the boss. ¡°I have to be in my room for a while. I got a couple of phone calls to make so you¡¯re on your own pal if you were thinking about having me tag along haha.¡±


    Jack crossed his arms and sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve got nothing to worry about, Randolph.¡±


    They split and all went to do their things.


    Jack and Angela were alone with Brandon. Jack looked at Brandon. ¡°Tag along. I¡¯ll give you a house tour. Jack turned to Angela. ¡°Stay in your room so I can show the new guy around.¡±


    She hesitated at first, but listened and quickly walked off to her room, trying her best not to look back at Brandon, who stared at her as she walked away.


    Brandon went along with the tour. Jack showed him the backyard, basement, and the room where they have all their meetings. The tour was rather lengthy, but it seemed as if Jack was doing it on purpose to waste his time.


    Jack¡¯s phone suddenly rang, disrupting the tour he tried dragging out. He answered it and ordered Brandon to stay put. He stepped out onto the front porch, leaving Brandon to stand still in the living room, waiting for Jack to come back in.


    Brandon glanced around with devious eyes and peeked through the curtains and saw that Jack was quite busy on the phone. Brandon smiles creepily and made his way upstairs.


    In the meantime, Angela was drawing while listening to her music, dancing to her tunes. She was oblivious of Brandon walking up the stairs to her room.


    Brandon paused with that creepy smile on his face. His fingers felt the urge to touch something innocent and soft.


    She¡¯s so adorable. The most beautiful girl I¡¯ve ever laid eyes on. I can¡¯t wait to talk to her, Brandon thought.


    He approached her door and stood still, then slowly gripped the door knob. Brandon twisted it the softest he could do, but he did it intentionally so he wouldn¡¯t alarm her. Once he turned it all the way, he opened the door and spotted Angela enjoying her music, which brought out an even creepier smile on his face. He walked inside her personal space and slowly crept towards her. She was distracted and hadn¡¯t noticed he was in her room, almost in arms reach.


    Brandon gently placed his twisted hand on her shoulder. Angela noticed and thought it was Jack from how gentle it was, but when she placed her hand on Brandons, she realized it wasn¡¯t Jack. The hand felt too soft and too small to be Jacks. In fear, she looked over her shoulder and spotted Brandon standing behind her with a creepy, perverted smile on his face. She started having an anxiety attack and breathed heavily, making her unable to yell for her brother¡¯s help.


    Angela was stunned with fear, being completely speechless from her panic attack. Help me, brother.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Brandon said softly. ¡°Whatcha doing there?¡± He bent down and rubbed her shoulders.


    She whimpered slightly and tried to get away, but she was still too stunned to even move. ¡°No-Nothing. J-Just dr-dr-drawing¡­¡± Angela¡¯s bottom lip vibrated violently, her head mildly shook as he kept rubbing her shoulders.


    He decided to sit next to Angela. One of his wretched hands slowly drifted down to the hand she drew with. Oh, she¡¯s so soft. What an angel. I¡¯ve truly hit the jackpot.


    He took a good look at her drawing and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re a very talented artist, aren¡¯t you?¡± He started massaging her hand, trying to interlace his disgusting fingers with hers.


    Angela¡¯s eyes trickled with tears.


    ¡°And not to mention¡­ absolutely cute. Wait.¡±


    Her eyes were riddled with tears. He was so close to her face that she wanted to scream.


    ¡°Very beautiful, especially with eyes this mesmerizing,¡± he said, then chuckled manically.


    Help me, someone. Please, I beg of you.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Brandon asked.


    Angela¡¯s hand trembled. She gripped her pencil tightly, but he removed it so she could stop. ¡°El¡­ e¡­ ven.¡±


    He lifted his hand off of hers and placed it on her thigh. ¡°My! You¡¯re so tiny for your age, although¡­¡± He took a good look at her legs and figure. ¡°Your body is so nice and adult-like. Hee, hee, hee. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hurt you.¡± He started groping and caressing her thigh.


    ¡°Stop. Pl¡­ ease¡­¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re gonna get along just¡­¡± He felt something touch his shoulder so he turned around.


    ¡°You¡¯re one sick fellow, aren¡¯t you?¡± the girl in the white dress said.


    Wh-What¡¯s she¡ª?


    ¡°If we were truly alone you¡¯d be dead before you¡¯d ever violate what belongs to me, you disgusting, wretched human.¡±


    Brandon started shaking and fell down, feeling petrified at what he was witnessing. ¡°Who¡­ where did you come from?!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Now you¡¯re scared, aren¡¯t you?¡± She extended an arm. Her hair fluttered and the room lights started flickering.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If it were up to me I¡¯d let you experience the depths of darkness like no other, but instead, I¡¯ll let my beloved take care of you. He¡¯s much scarier than I am,¡± she said, then laughed.


    Brandon cowered while Angela stayed in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll punish you to the point you want to beg for your death, just like I¡¯m about to punish him for hurting me.¡± She disappeared, leaving the man on the brink of peeing his pants.


    After everything settled down, Brandon stood up and laughed, presuming it was just the drugs he¡¯d taken earlier that were messing with his head. He turned back to Angela, and as he was about to go back to whatever perversion he had in mind, his actions got worse.


    As he started unbuckling his belt, his mind wanted to do something vile to Angela¡¯s innocence. Footsteps were coming towards her room. She used the opportunity to get up and storm out of her room. It was Randolph, so she hugged him to death and cried loudly.


    ¡°Baby girl! What¡¯s the matter? Why are you crying so much?¡± Randolph asked, trying to comfort Angela.


    She was still speechless about what had happened. Brandon weirdly walked out of the bathroom to make it seem like he was using it.


    Randolph suspiciously asked him, ¡°Why use the upstairs bathroom when there¡¯s one downstairs? That¡¯s strange for you to come all the way up here to use a bathroom.¡±


    Brandon said in a creepy, calm voice, ¡°I like to take longer paths to better my cardio, especially now that I¡¯m recruited. I need to build up these calf muscles, am I right? Hahaha!¡±


    Randolph still didn¡¯t buy his story, so he picked Angela up and they all walked downstairs. As they reached the vicinity of the living room, Brandon quickly sat on the couch and questioned Randolph¡¯s suspicion towards him even further.


    Jack finally walked back in and Angela quickly hurried to his side. She shook really badly, and he noticed how her own tears had drenched her face in sorrow..


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Angela?¡± Jack asked, hugging her to comfort her. ¡°Tell me what''s frightening you, please?¡±


    She tried to whisper into his ear, but Brandon started to cough loudly, interrupting her and making her clutch onto Jack even more.


    Jack raised his voice at him. ¡°Shut up for a second!¡±


    But he continued coughing. Angela couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so she bit her lip and built up the courage to tell her brother that the creep was trying to molest her. She wiped her tears away, finally having the courage to tell Jack everything into his ear, like what the man had done to her in secrecy.


    That angered Jack and made him feel utter rage. The darkness coursing through his veins loved this emotion, it craved more of it, and as Angela said more, Jack mustered enough courage to contort his features into fury.


    Angela realised how mad Jack was, and it terrified her. She could feel his gaze, his aura. Jack was bloodthirsty.


    Jack¡¯s eyes were so empty, more empty than usual, and the look on his face, a still expression of nothingness, said it all. He patted Angela¡¯s head. ¡°Thank you, sis. Now be a good girl and go back to your room, okay?¡±


    Angela was frightened by the emotionless face Jack was expressing, especially with a smile that seemed so artificial. She listened to her brother and started walking back to her room. Jack, on the other hand, walked over to Brandon¡¯s side while his smile still seemed forceful.


    ¡°You okay, Brandon?¡± Jack asked.


    Brandon waved a hand. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have a bad cough, though. Especially with how rudely you interrupted our little convo, my b-r-o.¡± Jack placed his hand on Brandon¡¯s shoulder, which creeped him out.


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Brandon asked. He was beginning to get nervous, scared even.


    ¡°Randolph, could you give us a second? I need to explain more to our new comrade, so, will you?¡±


    Randolph wasn¡¯t stupid. He could read Jack¡¯s emotions like a book. He knew Jack was absolutely livid. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go check on Angela. And Jack.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯m going now.¡± Randolph walked off to go check on Angela.


    Brandon was sitting on the couch, so Jack took a seat on the couch in front of him. He sat down, then rested his arms on his knees. To Brandon, it seemed like Jack was calmer than usual.


    Both of them sat in silence, staring at one another. A ticking clock was in the background, a couple of gunshots went off outside, sirens too. Brandon felt uncomfortable.


    Glancing at Jack, Brandon saw that his eyes were locked onto him, and permanently. Growing more uncomfortable, Brandon jittered a leg, tapped his knee, then smiled. Jack stayed quiet, too quiet, and didn¡¯t make the slightest movement.


    Perplexed by the uncomfortable silence, Brandon decided to try and ease Jack¡¯s suspicion towards him. ¡°So? What¡¯s this explanation you wanted to talk about?¡±


    Jack continued staring. His gaze grew more intense. Brandon wiped his sweaty forehead.


    ¡°My¡­ it-it¡¯s getting hot in here? Right? Ha, ha, ha.¡±


    Jack leaned back on the couch. ¡°Say Brandon, have you ever thought about your utmost desires? Your deepest passions and when you feel the need to obtain them?¡±


    Brandon felt relieved. The question Jack asked made him feel less worried about his gaze. ¡°Of course, of course. Whenever I do I can¡¯t help but feel great, especially when I do obtain them. Wow, such an amazing experience, you know?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jack stroked his chin.


    ¡°What about you? What do you desire?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about me, this is about you. You¡¯re our new friend, so let¡¯s talk about you. But there is something rather curious I have in mind to ask you. Mind answering me, in the best way possible, for my sake of course. Nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ uh, sure! Ask me anything.¡±


    Jack released a long deep breath and slowly leaned forward. ¡°Brandon, did it feel good?¡±


    ¡°E¡­ Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Did it feel good?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Answer the question. Did it feel good?¡±


    Brandon swallowed. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Did¡­ it¡­ feel good? Was it up to your liking, Brandon?¡± Jack asked, clasping his hands together.


    The tension from Jack¡¯s sudden movements brought forth more worry in Brandon¡¯s face. His mouth was slightly open, his brows were furrowed, and he felt drips of sweat come down his face. In hearing Jack¡¯s question, Brandon couldn¡¯t bring himself to answer it without revealing an action he¡¯d ensued on his dearest sister.


    Feeling Jack¡¯s gaze grope his body, Brandon let out a long breath and shrugged. ¡°I can¡¯t really answer a question that¡¯s out of con¡ª¡±


    Jack interrupted Brandon with a loud suction of air and release of building temptation through his nostrils.


    Jack blinked once. ¡°Was it up to your liking, Brandon? Was it soft? Smooth? I bet it exceeded all your expectations. This desire that you so rightfully seek, when you¡¯d gotten a hold of it again, it was in the grasp of your hands, hands covered by the innocence that you¡¯ve squeezed, violating it by your wretched fingers as you overpowered someone weaker than you.¡±


    Hearing Jack¡¯s words brought forth a scare in Brandon he hadn¡¯t experienced before. ¡°I¡¯m confused by what you mean, man. You¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Brandon, if you would answer the question then surely our discussion can come to an end. I know right now the temptation to your desires is driving you mad. The fact that in most times you can threaten that passion with your predatory eyes says it all. It¡¯s quite alluring, right? I bet you felt so powerful, well in most cases you do, but right now you don¡¯t feel it because you didn¡¯t get what you wanted. And when you found the best desire you¡¯ve possibly ever laid your eyes on, felt even, the fact you missed your chance to have it in your grasp brings anger into your damned soul.¡±


    The tension in the air rose. Brandon knew Jack wasn¡¯t stupid. He was caught red handed, or was he? Brandon tried analyzing Jack¡¯s words; predatory, innocent, gazed, empowering. The only thing other than his assumption Brandon could come up with was hunting. And it got to him. The coat he was wearing was made out of elk.


    Brandon felt relief again. In the basking silence he brushed it away with his laughter. ¡°Man, here you had me worried about something else. Yes I can answer your question, friend. It¡¯s smooth, soft, and warm¡­¡±


    Brandon started showing Jack his hidden perversion, answering Jack¡¯s suspicion towards him. Jack saw how he stroked his coat, felt it, and ran his dirty hands over it. That disgusted Jack. What made it worse was how Brandon softly moaned beneath his breath, showing his true self to Jack.


    ¡°I was loving it, laying my sights on my prey, pulling the trigger, putting it into a deep slumber. And when I reached what I rightfully deserved, rewarding my actions, I just couldn¡¯t help but slowly stroke my hands through the hairs of my prey, feeling its skin beneath it. Lastly, when I got to take it home and devour its warmth all to myself.¡±


    Jack had heard enough. He put a hand on Brandon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Come with me. I¡¯ve got something to ease that cold.¡±


    Brandon smiled. ¡°Sweet! Right behind you, friend!¡± They both got up, and Brandon followed Jack into the kitchen.


    Randolph and Angela were in her room while the two conversed for a while. Angela showed Ranolph more of her natural talent, expressing happiness once again and forgetting about the events that occurred.


    An hour fully passed and Jack and Brandon hadn¡¯t returned, which made Randolph feel uneasy. Knowing Jack, Randolph could assure that he might be dead. He wanted to go check, but something stirred inside Randolph, bringing a hindrance inside his stomach.


    ¡°Baby girl, Uncle Randy has to use the restroom. I¡¯ll be back!¡± He dashed out the door and into the bathroom.


    Angela giggled and continued drawing until she heard something odd. It was a noise hard to ignore. It was a muffled sound that brought disturbance to her ears. She got up and walked out of her room towards the strange sound. It sounded like someone was crying, or as if they were shouting at someone, begging for mercy.


    ¡°Is someone shouting?¡± she asked, while walking towards the muffled screams downstairs.


    Stopping at the bottom step, she heard the muffled sounds of misery coming from the kitchen. Walking into the place of dining and food making, the sounds got louder and clearer. It came from the basement door. She walked up to the door and stopped.


    Agonized screams came through the creaks of the door, which made her jump. What¡¯s going on down there? Angela wondered.


    She lay her head against the door and heard someone whimpering, moaning in pain. She retracted and felt scared, but she wanted to know why there were scary noises coming from the depths of their home.


    Angela grabbed the door knob and slowly opened the creaking door, revealing the darkness. The sound of the person crying was as clear as day now, as she slowly walked down the barely visible steps. Stepping on each step cautiously one at a time, Angela could hear their voice beg for forgiveness and mercy.


    Angela reached the third last step and heard the horrific sounds of agonized torture beside her. She started shaking from the sounds alone, yet her curiosity got the best of her.


    There, beneath a single flickering light was Brandon strapped to a chair, bruised, and bloodied. Worst of all, one of his eyeballs dangled from its socket.


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Brandon pleaded as blood dripped from his mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to touch your sister!¡±


    Jack stood in front of him and swirled a pair of scissors, taunting Brandon. ¡°You know what I¡¯m about to do to you, right?¡± he said maniacally as he got closer to Brandon¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m going to cut off each of those nasty fingers you tried violating my sister with, so can you shut your mouth? Your pleas for mercy are just as annoying as your face.¡±


    He snipped the scissors to torment him. Brandon continued crying for mercy. ¡°Please, I beg of you!¡±


    ¡°Once I¡¯m done, that filthy hand you placed on my innocent sister will be cut off and shall not harm another innocent soul ever again.¡± Jack started cutting off his fingers one at a time.


    Brandon screamed, begging for a last chance. But Jack only replied by blinking. He then continued to cut more fingers off. Jack stopped, leaving a single finger left. Blood gushed out of the holes from the others.


    Jack gently smiled at Brandon while he continued to plead for mercy. Jack walked around him, stood behind him, then wrapped his arm around Brandon¡¯s neck, placing him into a side headlock. Brandon felt his windpipe slowly being crushed, but then he saw Angela stare at him from the stairs. What he saw made his heart race with absolute, unrefined horror. He squirmed around in Jack¡¯s arm, begging Jack to end his miserable life so he could quickly stop seeing the horrific sight he was forced to stare at.


    Jack patted his head. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine once this is over. Then we can truly be friends.¡±


    Jack tightened his grip. ¡°Got any last words?¡±


    Brandon breathed heavily. As tears ran down his bloodied face, he grit his teeth and said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in hell! Go fuck yourself!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps someday, friend.¡±


    ¡°To the both of you!¡± Brandon shouted before Jack was ready to make him meet the devil that awaited him.


    Jack snapped his neck with force, making Brandon¡¯s body fall back, along with the chair he was strapped to. Jack heard his body crash, then he repeated what Brandon had said. ¡°The two of you?¡±


    He wondered why he said that but when Jack turned around, Angela stood there with an expressionless face, almost as if she were a doll.


    Jack looked back at Brandon¡¯s body and was relatively upset. ¡°Randolph!¡± he called out in an angered tone.


    Waiting patiently for his arrival, Jack approached a traumatized Angela. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you witnessed that.¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t react to anything he said. She just stood there like a statue.


    Randolph came rushing down the basement stairs. ¡°What man?! Can¡¯t you see I was taking a shit? Goddamn¡­¡± As Randolph reached the last step, he was surprised to see Angela down there with Jack, until he spotted the body behind him.


    ¡°Randolph, I thought I told you to watch Angela?¡±


    ¡°Jack, what the hell man?¡± Randolph grabbed Angela, trying to snap her out of being shocked.


    Jack walked up to him. ¡°Listen alright! He tried molesting Angela, okay. I admit I did get a little carried away! Just take Angela while I clean this up.¡±


    Randolph shook his head and without breaking her out of her unconscious state, he decided to carry her upstairs back to her room. Angela still wouldn¡¯t move a muscle or react to anything, even when being lifted off her feet. She was so shocked at what she saw that she couldn¡¯t believe how far Jack had taken things.


    As Randolph carried Angela back to her room, Jack stood next to Brandon¡¯s body and looked at his own bloodstained hands. He wondered if he was sick instead of this sicko. He shook his head and stared at the cold concrete ceiling. The basement light rocked from side to side in the darkness, then suddenly started to flicker.


    Jack wondered if he was a hazard to his own sister, because he wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be safe around him any longer. He loved her to death and would do anything for her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Jack asked, throwing the scissors at Brandon¡¯s lifeless body.


    I guess I am sick¡­


    The lights continued flickering and swinging continuously. Jack didn¡¯t know that the girl in white stood behind him, slowly approaching from behind. She giggled softly and embraced him into the shadows of darkness.


    Randolph set Angela on her bed, feeling worried for her safety after what Jack had just done. He understood that Brandon had done something horrible, a deplorable act no one should ever endure, and deserved every type of punishment imaginable. But was it necessary to torture let alone murder someone like that in the worst way possible.


    Randolph sighed, tucking Angela into her bed. ¡°I understand how you feel baby, but your bro¡¯s not right. I hope you finally understand what we¡¯ve been meaning to tell you.¡±


    He got up and opened her door. But I know that you¡¯ll never end up like him. That¡¯s why Eric and I are trying our best to ensure a better future for you. He walked out and closed her door.


    Angela stared at her ceiling with empty eyes. She finally snapped out of it, then placed her hands on her face and began crying. ¡°What have you become, brother?¡±


    She continued whimpering. You really are sick in the head¡­


    Getting out of her bed to stand at her window in front of her desk, Angela cried deeply. Sunlight shined through as she stood in front of it, thinking about what Jack had become.


    She placed her hands over her chest. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve become this sick, I¡¯ll still love you no matter what you¡¯ve become.¡±


    Her vision started blurring. She felt very light headed. I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll do anything to get my brother¡­


    Angela reached for a photo of her and Jack they took four years ago that was placed on the desk. ¡°The brother who saved me from that hell.¡± As tears rolled down her face, she lost her balance and fell.


    As she lay on the floor, the picture slowly drifted down beside her. The girl in white stood in the corner and watched it land.


    She walked next to Angela and bent down to ruffle her hair. ¡°That¡¯s it. The weaker you¡¯ll get mentally¡­¡± she said, leaning into her ear, ¡°¡­will be the day I¡¯ll take back what was rightfully mine.¡± She continued patting Angela¡¯s head and started singing a sad lullaby. Sunlight slowly faded away until Angela¡¯s room succumbed to total darkness.

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 7: Action Speaks Louder Than Words

    The girls were gathered at Anna¡¯s grandparents¡¯ house, where they were conversing in the dining room while doing their mountain of preposterous homework. The girls grew rather tired, so they decided to take a small break except for Anna, who wanted to make tea for everyone. Both Veronica and Sarah headed into the living room to relax their brains before they exploded from the complexity of maths and literature too comprehensive for their minds.


    As they both sat down, they couldn¡¯t help but sense some sort of uneasiness that was happening throughout the city lately. The one incident that had happened a few days ago in front of a hospital near downtown Flint was especially the case. Yet oddly enough, the mysteries grew more complicated, yet no one remembered that incident except for the girls. They felt a web of complexities was wrapping around them and only them. Something strange was going on and they wanted answers. But no one wanted these answers more than Sarah, whose interest had more mystery behind it than anyone else¡¯s.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe no one remembered what happened a couple of days ago!¡± Veronica exclaimed.


    Anna, who had finished making tea, walked into the living room, set the platter down, and looked at Veronica while pouring the hot fluid into her teacup. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s quite strange.¡± Anna said, while stirring Veronica¡¯s tea. She handed Veronica the cup.


    Veronica blew away some steam. ¡°Thank you, Anna.¡±


    Sarah had her arms and legs crossed, thinking deeply about the strange occurrences. ¡°What¡¯s worse is the fact that we¡¯re the only ones who remember?¡±


    Anna handed her a cup of tea as well. ¡°Yeah. Freaky, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah blew on her tea. ¡°Thank you. But yes, freaky indeed, huh?¡± She sipped on her tea and stared into the cup.


    I have to ask Mom about these occurrences, Sarah thought.


    Veronica looked at Sarah, who was staring into her tea with mysterious red eyes. ¡°Yeah, how bizarre¡­ By the way Sarah, why are you staring into your tea so intensely?¡±


    Mom might know a thing or two about these strange occurrences. I¡¯m still learning these insecurities, and who I am as a person. Sarah¡¯s tea swirled on its own, and the heat inside it mysteriously vaporized. It blew small tendrils of steam so she could sip her tea without burning herself.


    Veronica waved, but Sarah¡¯s deep thinking had blocked the world around her momentarily. Sipping one more time, her tea of golden honey transitioned to black. Sarah smacked her lips softly and continued sipping.


    Veronica sighed. ¡°Nevermind. That reminds me, I haven¡¯t asked Danny if he¡¯s seen it as well. Should I?¡±


    Anna sighed and sat beside Sarah to try and break her out of her trance. ¡°Well, I guess. Just to make sure we¡¯re not the only ones who remember.¡± She noticed Sarah¡¯s intense staring at the black tea. ¡°Oh no. Is it bad? Did I burn your tea? I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    Sarah looked back up and chuckled nervously. ¡°No, no! It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just, uhh¡­ observing the color!¡±


    Anna smiled. ¡°Freaking weirdo.¡±


    Sarah smiled back at her. ¡°Right back atcha, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Hee, hee. Well, back to the subject, remember that girl, Veronica? You know, the one in the incident. Wasn¡¯t she the one we spoke with that day?¡± Anna sipped loudly on her tea, which annoyed Sarah.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. And to think the same guy who killed Danny¡¯s sister held her hostage!¡± Veronica said, looking down and seeming a little upset.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Veronica?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°I thought he was a pretty nice guy when I met him, but now that we¡¯ve seen what he¡¯s done, he¡¯s a monster.¡± Veronica sighed deeply and set her tea down.


    Sarah sipped her tea loudly to get back at Anna. ¡°Why am I feeling left out here? You guys have been experiencing these strange, supernatural things, right?¡±


    Sarah paused for a moment. Wait¡­ there was that one time when we all walked on the trail. I do recall experiencing something strange¡­


    She felt anger building up inside her. ¡°I do remember that experience alright.¡± She gripped the handle of the tea so hard that it broke off, spilling the last of her tea on her elegant gothic outfit.


    Anna glared at Sarah. ¡°Whoa! You have some grip there. Hopefully you can put it to good use and pay me back for the cup you just broke.¡±


    Sarah raised a brow. ¡°Quite cold of you, Anna, when my beautiful outfit has been ruined by your charred tea.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho, hahaha¡­ very funny.¡±


    Sarah dug into her black bag. ¡°Here. Sorry, I just got carried away about something.¡±


    Anna grabbed the money and slapped Sarah¡¯s face with it, aggravating her. They both laughed and then she returned her cash. ¡°Like I was saying, maybe you have experienced something strange? This includes all of us¡­ something¡¯s happening around Flint and Detroit. And for some reason, we¡¯re the only ones experiencing it.¡±


    Anna took her phone out and browsed the internet for potential answers. There has to be something in boggle, right? Come on¡­ Wait! Oh damn it, not an ad about ghost hunting¡­ How lame!


    ¡°I agree, but you won¡¯t find any answers in that phone of yours. Trust me,¡± Sarah said, taking out her mysterious black book she always read during her lunch breaks.


    ¡°Well, to be honest I haven¡¯t really been experiencing any paranormal weird stuff like you weirdos have.¡± Veronica took out a familiar cross pendant from beneath her shirt. ¡°God always looks after me!¡±


    Sarah slammed her book shut and walked over to Veronica and snatched the cross, almost like she was anticipating the moment.


    "Hmm¡­?¡± She observed it closer. It feels remarkable, not to mention it looks expensive. I knew I¡¯d felt something fishy every time we were around you, Veronica. It¡¯s because of this. But where did you get such a thing?


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Sarah, you¡¯re pulling too hard. Ahhh! What¡¯s with you? Oh man, you¡¯re a darn weirdo.¡±


    For some odd reason, she glared at Veronica with red eyes, which slightly scared Sarah. ¡°Where did you get this?¡±


    Veronica sweated a bit. She played a finger on her chin. ¡°I-I don¡¯t really remember all that well. The only thing that I can recall is¡­¡±


    Anna chuckled. ¡°You two are so dumb, and Sarah, you should chill.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, okay, I think I might have an answer for you, weirdy weirdo. One day I went to church and some woman in red came up to me asking who was praying in one of the benches. And then she handed me the necklace.¡±


    Anna stopped browsing on her phone and looked up. ¡°Did this woman ever say anything to you after she gave you such an expensive relic?¡±


    Veronica started thinking. She gripped her chin and closed her eyes. ¡°Now that you mention it she did tell me something.¡±


    Sarah suddenly jumped forward and got into Veronica¡¯s face, raising her suspicion towards Veronica. ¡°Then what did she say?¡± Sarah asked in a very scary tone.


    Veronica didn¡¯t like how scary Sarah was currently acting. ¡°Why are you so serious about a necklace?¡±


    Sarah realized her actions were rude and apologized.


    Veronica went back to thinking about what that woman had told her, then it finally clicked. ¡°She told me¡ª¡± she cleared her throat to imitate the woman¡¯s voice, ¡°¡®wear this, and no evil shall ever touch you. Even the ones you can¡¯t see.¡¯¡±


    Anna giggled at Veronica¡¯s imitation. ¡°Strange? Was her voice that gentle and lovely sounding?¡±


    ¡°Sorry! I tried, but you should¡¯ve heard her voice. It was like an angel speaking and it was relaxing to the ears. Not to mention what she was wearing too. God was she gorgeous!¡±


    Anna stopped her giggling and got serious again. ¡°She¡¯s probably just another religious nut, and if she were, then whatever she was wearing must¡¯ve been pervy or showing too much skin.¡±


    ¡°What was she wearing, if I may ask?¡± Sarah asked as she got some tissues nearby and wiped at her skirt.


    ¡°Oh, she wore a red dress, had some black flower designs on them, and wore a see through-ish type hood. Ooo, ooo! And her eyes were, excuse my language, fucking astonishing!¡±


    Anna grabbed her jaw, tilting her head. ¡°Hmmm, I take back what I said about her being a religious slut.¡±


    Red dress, black flower design, glamorous eyes¡­ ¡°What more can you remember, Veronica?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Uhh, her skin was like yours, Sarah, but more holy and elegant. Ooo, she was tall, like maybe 5,10-ish. Oh, lastly her hair was black but shiny, curvy, long beautiful hair.¡±


    Anna groaned, rolling her eyes and bringing out a grin. ¡°Ooo, she sounds mesmerizing. I like her descriptions. Got me all, well, never mind.¡±


    ¡°With your descriptions and what she told you, I wouldn¡¯t believe in anything she said,¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Well, I believe it.¡± Veronica stood up and walked up to Anna, poking her face. ¡°Boop! You¡¯ll believe again too, my friend. Someday!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were narrowed, a vertical wrinkle showed while she was lost in thought in the moment. She checked the time and had to leave, telling the two she was leaving for the day. She said goodbye to Veronica and Anna as she left out the front door. Veronica and Anna couldn¡¯t help but wonder why she got so confrontational towards Veronica about her necklace. They assumed she was just a closet atheist.


    While Veronica waited for her parents to pick her up, Anna thought it¡¯d be a great idea to watch a movie to kill time. Veronica agreed, so they both cleaned up the table and sat back down. Anna turned the TV on and loaded a random comedy film from a streaming service to brighten the mood.


    Veronica set her feet on the coffee table and turned to Anna. ¡°Say Anna?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Veronica?¡±


    Veronica fiddled with her fingers. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s strange I still have feelings for a dead person?¡±


    Anna laughed. ¡°What are you? A necrophiliac?¡± she exclaimed, playfully pushing Veronica.


    Veronica pushed her back. ¡°No, you jerk! For some odd reason I still have feelings for Jack.¡± She stopped talking for a second, leaving the movie to play in the background.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Veronica sighed and turned back to the TV. ¡°Do you find that strange?¡±


    Anna scooted over to Veronica and hugged her. ¡°Not at all. You know what¡¯s strange, though?¡±


    Veronica turned back to Anna. ¡°What?¡±


    Anna turned her soft grin into a full fledged smile, giggled, and looked into Veronica¡¯s eyes. ¡°For some odd reason I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s dead either.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s eyes glistened. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s really hard to believe, but I hope you¡¯re right.¡± She smiled, knowing that she wasn¡¯t the only one who missed Jack that much.


    Though hearing Anna¡¯s words really brought out a hindrance in Veronica, the mountainous amount of envy she¡¯d had towards Anna for years because of their relationship only proved how close the two truly were, no matter how much she loved the guy. But hearing Anna be that confident and truthful in her words made her happy, knowing that something as crazy as him being alive might be true.


    The world is unpredictable, you¡¯ll never know what it might throw at you. Perhaps enough to surprise you for eternity.


    Veronica giggled. ¡°But don¡¯t dismiss that fact now. I might think you¡¯re freaking crazy, Annabelle.¡±


    They both smiled and continued watching the movie until it was time for Veronica to leave. Veronica¡¯s parents arrived and honked their horns. Veronica heard them and got up, thanking Anna for the tea and for the wonderful talk. Anna accompanied her to the door and huggeding Veronica and said goodnight. She entered her parents¡¯ vehicle and then they left while Anna waved goodbye. Anna then turned and stared at the haunting sunset over the horizon as Veronica¡¯s fancy car drove off.


    Anna stood in the yard. The grass on her feet bristled against her shoes, a soft wind fluttered her clothes as the sun¡¯s glare shone on her wondrous hair. In watching the sunset, Anna wondered if her theories were true, that Jack was possibly alive or perhaps like what Veronica had just said, that she might just be delusional. To Anna, she didn¡¯t mind both answers, she just hoped one of them could come true, so she could truly move on and live her life without worry.


    ***


    Angela hadn¡¯t talked much in the past couple days because she¡¯d been in her room more than usual. Jack and Randolph were getting worried, which Jack blamed himself for. If she didn¡¯t witness what he¡¯d done to the monster Brandon, then she would still be the excited girl she usually was. Jack didn¡¯t try to put in any effort to talk to her let alone attempt to see her. He would ignore or look away whenever she would leave her room for just a little bit. His ego wouldn¡¯t allow him to do so, but the aspect of his broken state prevented him from expressing an ounce of emotion.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help himself. He felt terrible about the entire ordeal. Son of a¡ª Goddamn myself, fuck!


    Stolen story; please report.


    The only people who still talked to her, even if she barely said anything, were both the self proclaimed uncles. Even then, they could both tell she wanted to talk to her brother, but he was so dense it¡¯d be a wasted effort trying to convince him to do such a thing. His current pride wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    Randolph walked up to Angela¡¯s door and gently knocked on it. She didn¡¯t answer at first, but he¡¯d prepared himself for that. He had a box of donuts in one hand to crave her taste buds. This was a method he liked enforcing if he wanted answers out of her.


    To force her out of her cave, Randolph rattled the box of donuts, making sounds of tempting hunger. He let out a relaxed breath. ¡°Ooo, Angela, got donuts sweetheart. They¡¯re delicious.¡±


    No response, his only answer was silence. Randolph cleared his throat and pretended to express anger. ¡°If you don¡¯t open this¡­ uhh.¡± He snapped his fingers. ¡°Goddamn door! Ooo! Ahem, I swear Imma give you a spooky ass whooping!¡±


    Behind the closed door, he heard Angela chuckle softly.


    ¡°Come on now, open this door and let your goofy uncle in.¡±


    It worked and she opened her door wearing an overgrown hoodie way out of her size. The hood was over her head. ¡°Hello¡­¡± she said adorably.


    Angela welcomed Randolph in, but quickly stopped him in his tracks. ¡°Before you come in... where¡¯s the donuts?¡±


    Randolph opened the box and leaned it close to her growing face of astonishment. ¡°You mean these glazed beauties alongside sprinkles and chocolate, I presume?¡±


    She smiled and fully welcomed him into her domain. ¡°You better have had them or else I would hate you for life, Uncle. Hee hee.¡±


    When Randolph set down the box of donuts on her drawing desk and started grabbing one, the sight of her wearing something huge trifled his eyes. ¡°Uhh, baby girl¡­ where¡¯d you get that thing? And why are you wearing it? It looks ridiculously huge on you.¡±


    She glanced around and seemed nervous. ¡°Oh-Oh¡­ it¡¯s uhhh, got it from¡­ the Internet!¡±


    Randolph crossed his arms, observing the black hoodie she seemed fondly suspicious of. ¡°Wait¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve seen someone wear it before.¡±


    She tapped her index finger and blinked erratically. ¡°You¡­ you must be dreaming. Or seeing things!¡±


    He stroked his chin. ¡°Hold up! Isn¡¯t that Jack¡¯s old hoodie?¡±


    Her face erupted into red, and she cowered while chewing on her donut. ¡°N-n-n-n¡­ o!¡±


    Angela felt regret letting her uncle in. Inside her mind she shouldn¡¯t have, but her stomach chose to speak and take action. Feeling ridiculous, she dragged the hoodie more towards her face and covered herself. Randolph chuckled and removed her hood, patting her head instead.


    Randolph hugged Angela as she continued devouring her donut. ¡°Aww, that¡¯s so sweet¡­ Wa-wait a second?¡±


    Something very noticeable caught Randoph¡¯s eyes. It was a change in her appearance which drastically transformed her look. Observing the change in a worried parent-like manner, he grabbed her hair gently and examined the change.


    Randolph couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He wanted to cry because what she did to her hair in his parenting mindset and how females do in the streets would be out of rebellion.


    In an upset dramatic tone Randolph said, ¡°Angie sweety, d-did you dye your hair?! Oh lawd¡­ my little princess is growing up and she¡¯s already rebelling against us? No Lord, why? Why?!¡±


    Angela tilted her head at first, but seeing her uncle¡¯s reaction made her burst out laughing.


    She grabbed the end of her hair away from Randolph and waved it around. ¡°Uncle, stop. I didn¡¯t dye my hair. I just woke up the next day with the ends of my hair pur¡ª¡± She paused in shock.


    ¡°Angela, you okay? You were about to say purple, right? Why¡¯d you cut yourself off, baby girl?¡±


    She made sounds of fear and clenched her hair, as her eyes of ocean blue started creating waves. The bottom of her lip trembled, her hand shook, and the edges of her eyes were swelling with water.


    Randolph saw her shaking. ¡°Is everything fine?¡± he asked, feeling worried.


    Angela let out a long breath, softly blinking to ease the fear she¡¯d shown to her uncle and wiped her eyes. Flinging her hair to the side, she brushed it with a pale hand. ¡°Sorry for the worry¡­ I¡¯m not com-com¡­ complaining though I¡¯ve always wanted highlights. Ha, ha¡­ ha.¡±


    It was too late to make her uncle brush the feeling of worry aside because Randolph¡¯s parenting senses told him something was not right. Something was bothering Angela, so Randolph thought if one of their homeboys did it, or if any of their hoes or his ladies came upstairs one night and pulled a prank on her. At first he was about to make some phone calls in rage and jump to conclusions until he quickly came to the realization that everyone in their gang loved Angela. They would never dare do such a thing to her.


    For now, Randolph decided to push everything to the back of his mind and store it for later on. Scratching his head, Randolph sighed. ¡°Well¡­ whatever mystery is going on, at least it looks good on you. Suits you very well. Let me take a closer look.¡±


    Angela obliged. Randolph grabbed Angela¡¯s hair and examined it.


    ¡°Strange¡­¡± Just from examining and feeling her hair closely, something felt off about her new strange highlights.


    ¡°What?¡± Angela asked.


    ¡°Hmm, your highlights feel weird compared to your actual hair, like it¡¯s more silky, softer. That¡¯s some spooky shit.¡±


    Angela forcefully giggled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I like them any-anyways, so it¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± She took another donut out and began munching on it.


    ¡°Hmm, I guess so.¡±


    ¡°So Uncle, what¡¯s up? Watcha wanna talk about besides my new mysterious look?¡±


    Randolph walked over to Angela¡¯s precious figurine collection sitting on a shelf. He knew that Jack hated it, mainly from how it drained his wallet every time she wanted one.


    He grabbed one, examined it, and started playing with it. ¡°What¡¯s up? More like what are these and most importantly,¡± he grabbed a female one, ¡°why¡¯s this bitch¡¯s titties so big? You¡¯re too young to be having these things.¡±


    Angela laughed. ¡°Well if that¡¯s the case, then you shouldn¡¯t be saying such bad words around me!¡±


    Randolph was a little stunned and raised his hands. ¡°Damn! You right¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. Bad uncle, bad.¡±


    Randolph cleared his dry throat. ¡°I wanted to ask you something, sweetheart.¡± He sat on the floor and Angela sat on her bed.


    ¡°What is it, Uncle Randy?¡±


    ¡°Angela, you want to talk and see your big brother, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Angela looked down feeling upset, still munching on the donut. ¡°Yes¡­ I want to talk to him, but he hasn¡¯t even tried to talk to me or acknowledge my existence.¡±


    Randolph chuckled. ¡°Trust me baby, he wanted to talk to you too. He even blames himself for everything.¡±


    She raised her head. ¡°Re-Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes really! The big doofus is being a puss¡­ I mean baby to even come face you! Like, come on man, he¡¯s being a bitch!¡± Randolph laughed and apologized for cursing.


    Hearing that brought out a gentle grin on Angela¡¯s face. She felt happy knowing her brother tried his damndest to push aside his new ego to apologize to her. Knowing him though, she knew he¡¯d been battling many demons on his shoulders for the past few years, and in doing so he¡¯d become a real hardass. Beforehand, he¡¯dd made it easy to read his attitude and emotions, but now he was impossible to read.


    All that thinking about her brother made her chuckle. ¡°Thank you for telling me, Uncle¡­ Could you uhh, go get my bro-brother for me?¡±


    Randolph sighed. ¡°Okay¡­ Let me just stretch for a quick second here if you don¡¯t mind.¡± He stood up and took his time doing stretches.


    Angela wasn¡¯t born yesterday. She knew her uncle all too well, realizing he was goofing around and purposely killing time. She got up from sitting and pushed him playfully. He gave in to her demand and left, heading downstairs and spotting Jack taking a nap on the couch like the slouch he¡¯d become.


    Randolph didn¡¯t like the fact that Jack slept on their couch not giving a care in the world. Doing that made it appear as if Jack didn¡¯t want to talk to his sister again or try any effort in apologizing for his ruthless actions. Randolph had an idea, while slowly approaching Jack, which made him express a sinister face full of revenge.


    Getting close, he stopped and rubbed his hands together. ¡°Ooo, you about to get it now, muthafucka! Payback, you freakishly tall bum!¡± As soon as Randolph took one more step, his phone went off.


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened and they were bloodshot. ¡°You ruined my nap, you bitch!¡± He rushed off the couch and tackled Randolph. Both men started wrestling on the ground.


    Eric walked in through the front door and spoted them wrestling. He shrugged it off and headed upstairs, deciding to stop by Angela¡¯s room, but her door was open already. He welcomed himself and walked into her room.


    Angela heard her door slightly creak and saw her giant, muscular uncle walk in. Getting off her bed, Angela ran up to him and hugged him. He had a huge smile on his face and noticed that she appeared to be happy after being soaked in sadness.


    ¡°Princess, why are you so happy all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of Uncle Randy. I had a good talk with him so I¡¯m in a much better mood if I say so myself. Mmhmm.¡±


    ¡°Whatchu guys talk about?¡±


    She blushed. ¡°He told me that Jack wanted to talk to me and apologize for his actions against the creepy guy who tried touching¡ª¡±


    Eric stopped her by raising his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t want to be reminded of that mother¡ª! I mean the bastard who tried getting his dirty fingers on my princess. Yes, I think he deserves a beating, but killing him makes you no better than his actions. It only makes you look like a bigger sicko than what he was.¡±


    Angela looked down at the ground. ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡±


    Eric patted her shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay, princess. Hey, your big dumb brother may be a little off now, but at least he¡¯s trying, right?¡±


    ¡°Ha, ha, you¡¯re right, but I think his current ego won¡¯t allow him to try it anyways, like apologizing upfront.¡±


    He agreed with a nod. ¡°Perhaps¡­ Or he could be a big ol pussy!¡±


    She pouted and pointed at her uncle. ¡°Uncle Eric, language mister.¡±


    ¡°Ha, right, right. Say princess?¡± Eric asked as he sat on her bed.


    ¡°Yes uncle Eric?¡± Angela walked over to her figurines, removing dust off them with an air duster she got that¡¯s placed on the exact same shelf.


    Something was fighting inside Eric¡¯s mind. He wanted to ask her how she could love a dangerous person like Jack. He didn¡¯t want to make it sound as if he was trying to divide them, he only wanted a clear answer on why she was so devoted to him. Eric knew people could change, but never had he seen someone change backwards in such a drastic way like Jack.


    Letting out a deep sigh, Angela continuously dusted off her precious treasures. Eric watched her, biding his time until he was ready to ask.


    ¡°Angela, why do you love that messed up fool so much? I know I¡¯ve asked this before, but I¡¯m still curious. Why?¡±


    She softly giggled, dropped the canister, walked up to Eric and grabbed his hands. ¡°I know you guys don¡¯t know much of our past, but the truth is that he¡¯s the one who saved me from complete isolation.¡±


    Angela stared at his huge knuckles while Eric stayed quiet.


    ¡°He¡¯s the only person who¡¯s ever treated me as a proper human being in those times of dark torment, and he didn¡¯t see me as a freak of nature.¡± She gently let go of his hands and walked back to her collection of figures again, then grabbed her favorite one. It was a guy with spiky black hair, scary eyes like her brother, an open mouth smile, and wore an orange and black tracksuit.


    ¡°I knew you gave me some hints of your dark past, but not the full context of it. I won¡¯t ask how people saw you in that way, but they¡¯re dead wrong about you. And that¡¯s for certain, princess.¡±


    Angela grinned and turned round with her favorite prized figurine, showing it to Eric. ¡°You see this collectible.¡±


    Eric stared at it. ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    She gently touched the figure. ¡°This character reminds me a lot of Jack.¡±


    ¡°How so, when he¡¯s wearing an orange tracksuit, has white skin, has black spiky hair, and looks weak as hell?¡±


    Angela laughed. ¡°No, not in appearance, Uncle, but through their actions and attitude.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, then. Go on, explain.¡±


    ¡°This character, even though he can be a complete jackass at times and makes horrific mistakes, he can still fix those mistakes, respawning and willing to redo the past just to save the people he loves so they can be alive and happy.¡±


    Eric crossed his arms. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is... Jack¡¯s got no brain and he¡¯s fragile like plastic?¡±


    She giggled. ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re always joking.¡±


    He laughed too. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I can¡¯t help myself, you know?¡±


    She placed the precious figurine back in its place, then walked up to her uncle in a relaxed manner, and stood in front of him with her arms crossed behind her. ¡°Where¡¯s my brother?¡±


    Eric groaned. ¡°The dumb fools wrestling with Randolph. Sometimes they can be so stupid! But they my home boys, so I care about them.¡± He stood up and lifted Angela off her feet. ¡°No matter how messed up your bro is, I¡¯ll always watch his back, baby girl.¡±


    She felt even better hearing that from Eric, and on the fact that her brother might be mentally ill, yet he still trusted and cared about him was enough for her to accept him for the person he was today. She felt relieved knowing that despite the fact her brother messed up, there were others who cared about him besides her, her uncles, and some people in their gang.


    Eric carried her piggyback style and took her downstairs where Randolph and Jack were still wrestling. Seeing them still wrestle and tussle, to attempt them to stop he raised his voice at them. ¡°Ya better stop fighting or ima whoop both ya asses!¡± As soon as they heard his threat they stopped their pointless fighting and sat on the couch.


    Jack lay back and yawned, resting his feet on the coffee table. ¡°What now, boss man? Do we have a new mission or something?¡±


    ¡°Well, you aren¡¯t wrong about the mission part, but I have a surprise for you, bitch ass fool!¡±


    ¡°Wow, if it¡¯s coming from you then I¡¯m not interested, especially with that tone.¡± Jack sighed, which annoyed Eric.


    To make Jack instantly regret his words, he moved aside. Angela stood there behind him, looking rather sheepish and wearing her brother¡¯s old hoodie. ¡°So you¡¯re saying you wouldn¡¯t want her as a gift?¡± He pointed at Angela who looked adorable.


    Like Eric planned, Jack immediately took back his words and became nervous. Angela stood there quietly while being adorably shy. She was as red as an apple, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach growing crazily. She was so wrapped in her blanket of embarrassment that she kept making cute, funny noises. Jack scratched his head, took a deep breath, got up and slowly crept towards her.


    ¡°Hey, Angela!¡± he said nervously.


    ¡°H¡­ i¡­¡± she replied.


    Jack noticed what she was wearing. It was an old relic of his troubled preteen past, a black hoodie he used to treasure. He felt happy, but he couldn¡¯t express it.


    ¡°Whatcha wearing there?¡± ask Jack.


    Angela¡¯s nervousness rose. Her eye movements were erratic and she kept shaking her shoulders, and didn¡¯t say anything else. Eric gently pushed her with a hand and tickled her a bit to force her to talk.


    She squinted, closing her eyes for a second. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ hoo¡ªdie!¡± she said with a shaky voice. ¡°Does it look¡­ bad?¡±


    Jack, for once and in front of everyone, shocked both Eric and Randolph by smiling. ¡°Nah. You look adorable, well¡­¡±


    He observed her knee high socks and how incredibly long the hoodie was on her and her hair, notably how there¡¯s purple on the end of it.


    ¡°What now?¡± Angela asked.


    Jack scratched a cheek. When did she dye her hair¡­? Eh, I¡¯ll ask her in a bit. ¡°To be honest, you should try wearing some jeans or something. It almost looks like you¡¯re not wearing anything besides the hoodie and socks.¡±


    She smiled and stepped closer towards him with her arms crossed behind her, regaining her calm composure which defeated her nervousness. ¡°Whatever you say, big bro!¡± She then shrugged all cute-like.


    Jack stepped closer, took a knee and opened his arms out to her. ¡°Come on, give your bro a hug.¡±


    Hearing that put a huge smile on Angela¡¯s face. The need to grasp his essence made her so eager to jump into him and embrace the love she missed. She did, jumping right into his long arms. He rubbed her head while apologizing for everything, especially the incident at the hospital.


    ¡°Hospital? What do you mean?¡± she asked with a tilted head.


    Jack became worried and began to feel uneasy. ¡°The hospital. Remember when we were escaping and I pointed a gun towards your head to bribe the police?¡±


    She narrowed her eyes and rose the edge of her lip. ¡°No I don¡¯t. Did you dream something bizarre again?¡±


    Jack¡¯s face turned white. He stood up without saying a word and walked out the front door. Eric and Randolph were shocked again and upset that Jack said he¡¯d pointed a gun to her head.


    Randolph shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ll get him back inside, you two just wait here.¡±


    Eric nodded. ¡°You better cause I need to explain the mission for later to the two of you.¡±


    Randolph walked out the front door and spotted Jack sitting on one of the porch chairs. ¡°Yo Jack! You aight?¡± He sat next to Jack. ¡°Yo! You heard me, right?¡±


    Jack stared at the cars passing by. His eyes were empty and he muttered words beneath his breath, ¡°She doesn¡¯t remember. She doesn¡¯t remember.¡±


    Jack began to laugh erratically. Randolph lifted the edge of his lip in revolt. ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ha, Ha, Haahaa! Am-Am I¡­ crazy?¡±


    Randolph felt uncomfortable, so he smacked Jack¡¯s back without hesitation. ¡°You scaring me goddammit! Chill!¡±


    Jack snapped out of it, but lowered his head and looked at Randolph. ¡°What man¡­ Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m trying to relax here?¡± He scratched the spot on his back where Randolph had smacked him.


    ¡°Relax! What do you mean relax? You was saying some scary shit like, She doesn¡¯t remember! or Am I crazy! Bwhahaha! Come on man! Stop with that weird ass spooky talk!¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want?¡±


    ¡°I wanna talk about Angela.¡±


    Jack pulled a cigarette out. ¡°Ugh¡­ Enough about her, we¡¯ve made up so lets change the topic. Let me guess, you want her to go to school too? Is that what this is about now?¡±


    Randolph stood up and gazed at the cold, clear blue sky. ¡°Of course, but there¡¯s more to it than that. I want her to go for her safety. I don¡¯t know if I told you this already, but¡­¡±


    The wind blew a cool breeze. Randolph¡¯s clothes fluttered slightly by its soft blows. ¡°Believe it or not Jack, I was a dad at one point in my life¡­¡±


    He reached into his pocket and took out a wallet, along with a small necklace, then he stared at the momentos he treasured so dearly. Jack¡¯s jaw dropped. It was the first time he¡¯d ever heard such a thing.


    ¡°I was really happy then. I had a loving daughter, an amazing wife, but most of all,¡± he looked back at Jack, ¡°I had an actual reason to live.¡±


    Randolph stopped talking for a moment and his smile faded.


    Jack was surprised to hear that. He had no clue that Randolph was a father. He looked directly into Randolph¡¯s eyes. The look in his eyes was that of a man who¡¯d lost something.


    Silence welcomed itself for a moment until Randolph finally spoke again. ¡°Now, I have nothing.¡±


    Randolph shed a tear. He clenched the necklace and held it close to his head. Jack¡¯s eyes shook, and guilt grew inside his broken soul.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make the same mistakes I have. Give your sister the life she deserves, Jack. You too deserve better than this. It¡¯s our fault you became so messed up. So, I¡¯m sorry¡­ for everything.¡±


    Why is he apologizing¡­! I-I should be the one saying sorry, especially for my actions.


    Jack¡¯s guilt started to show. He clenched his fists while his eyes reeked of sadness. He felt horrible hearing Randolph¡¯s small backstory.


    What made Jack feel worse was the fact that Randolph apologized and blamed himself for the life they currently lived, especially from Jack¡¯s unnecessary actions. Feeling his guilt soak inside and leak out further, he got up and placed his hand on Randolph¡¯s shoulder. Randolph stared at the sky as the calm wind continued to blow, and Jack at last expressed his guilt.


    With a sullen face, Jack¡¯s lip quivered. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Or Eric¡¯s. It was I who chose to be this way¡­ Don¡¯t you dare, dare apologize for my actions, Randolph. Don¡¯t say our lives are horrible because of you two. Angela and I are grateful for everything you¡¯ve done for us¡­ but I¡¯m the one who chose to live this way, so please don¡¯t say you¡¯re sorry for me.¡±


    Randolph turned to Jack and saw his eyes had a tiny gleam of life like before his change. It was enough to return Randolph¡¯s smile, but only briefly.


    Jack let go of Randolph¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You guys are the closest thing I can call family now. But more importantly, Randolph, don¡¯t ever say you have nothing in life! I know that wherever your families are right now, they¡¯re watching, waiting for your return. So for now, live, live until you can reunite with them someday.¡±


    Surprisingly, Jack hugged him, which confused Randolph but he still relished in the moment.


    Randolph smiled. ¡°So? This is the guy Angela spoke of before he became all fucked up, huh?¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah, but just for today.¡±


    Randolph patted Jack¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry man. I already have a reason to live now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason then?¡±


    Randolph walked Jack towards the window and pointed at Angela. ¡°She¡¯s the reason why I keep going now. If it wasn¡¯t for her or even you, I would¡¯ve probably killed myself a long time ago.¡±


    He looked at Jack, face to face. ¡°Promise me, Jack, if anything were to happen to any of us, you take her to school and make her pursue her dreams. Can you do that for ya boy?¡±


    Jack extended a hand and grinned. ¡°I promise, Randolph. Not just for you, me, or Eric, but for her sake.¡±


    Randolph shook Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s a bet then! She¡¯s special and you have to let her show the world how amazing she is.¡±


    Randolph glanced back at Angela. Yeah, just like my little girl.


    ¡°You know Jack, she reminds me a lot of my daughter. I guess that¡¯s why I care about her so much.¡±


    Jack¡¯s grin disappeared. ¡°Say Randolph, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, whatever happened to your family? Because the way you put it, it seems like they¡¯re¡ª¡±


    Randolph looked back at Jack and grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when you finally have the courage to tell me about your past.¡± He started walking back towards the door. ¡°Till then, I¡¯m keeping my mouth shut, my guy.¡±


    Jack nodded and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll reveal everything to you guys someday. You have my word.¡±


    Jack followed Randolph and they both walked back inside.


    Angela approached the two as they came in and Randolph closed the door. ¡°You okay brother?¡±


    Jack patted her head and placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just needed some air, that''s all.¡± He turned around to Randolph. ¡°Thanks Randolph for the nice talk, I really needed it.¡±


    Randolph patted Jack¡¯s shoulder, grinning. ¡°No problem kid and my little princess¡­¡± He approached his niece and rubbed her head. ¡°I promise to look after you no matter what, even if this buffoon beside me goes berserk one day haha.¡±


    Angela raised her brows, placing her index finger against her chin. ¡°What did you guys talk about? I¡¯m confused¡­¡±


    Everyone laughed except Eric because he still had to explain the new mission. ¡°You guys better get ready for it because it¡¯s a big one so laugh all you want now but when that shit goes wrong who¡¯s gonna be laughing then?¡± They both moaned like children.


    Angela laughed at them this time, pointing that one finger at the two with a grin. ¡°Hehe, wussies!¡±

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 8: Strange Occurrences

    At the far outskirts of Detroit, Danny remained inside the hospital, still recovering from his horrid injuries. The entire time, his head fumed with vigilante justice on the guy who killed the last of his family; his dear sister. Danny ignored all his calls from his friends, including Veronica¡¯s. But all day and all night, he thought of how he¡¯d be able to find this man to get his vengeance. He wanted to murder and torture the guy, causing him as much suffering as possible, like how he endured onto him.


    Danny¡¯s phone rang again. His phone kept ringing and ringing as he stared at it vibrating on the table beside him. Who the hell¡¯s calling me at this time¡­ fuck outta here! He ignored it and got out of bed, walked up to the window, looked out, and stared into the city lights.


    He placed his hand against the window and breathed heavily. ¡°Wherever you are, wherever you¡¯re hiding, I will enact my revenge!¡±


    Upset and angry, he clenched his teeth and closed his hands, then repeatedly slammed his fist against the window. He couldn¡¯t bear his new awful feelings. He wanted to release them onto this guy to make his life normal again. He wouldn¡¯t live in peace knowing that the sick bastard was roaming the street free. He just wanted a clue, a hint at least, something, anything. He got so frustrated he picked a chair up and threw it against the wall.


    His emotions were all over the place, so much so he broke down and started whimpering, then curled up into the corner with his head buried between his knees.


    Calm down, Danny. Calm yourself. There¡¯s no need to act like a barbarian. He slowed his breathing to calm his murderous intentions and thoughts, but in doing so it made him slowly fall asleep.


    The hospital Danny had claimed as his temporary home, from above its rooftop, rolling clouds of wretched purple were ravaging the skies. Inside, all the hallways were suspiciously dark, empty, and eerie. The sky had turned pitch black, the stars were gone, and crows landed along the top of the building. The crows cawed and their eyes glowed violet. Danny heard their annoying cawing. It was enough to awaken his slumber. From his first glance, the room was engulfed in a black mist.


    What in the¡­?


    The mist drifted its way towards him and crawled up the bed, slowly molesting his skin. Right away Danny freaked out, rushed to the corner and balled himself up, trying to keep away from that wretched mist. He shivered and panicked. It was winter cold and goosebumps trickled along his arms.


    Why is this happening? How could this be happening? It¡¯s abnormal!


    Danny lifted his head out of his cowardly state and looked around. Glancing around, his walls started dripping black tar from millions of tiny cracks. Looking directly into the blackness that tried violating him, Danny saw something odd inside it. He leaned in closer and squinted, looking closely to see what it was.


    ¡°Wh-Who¡¯s in there?¡± Danny asked.


    For some strange reason, his body¡ªnot his arm¡ªwanted to reach into the smoke of death. Feeling as though he¡¯d finally lost his mind, Danny smiled, seeming to be at peace to accept the reaper inside the mist. As he crawled and had an arm extended, gaining closure to their distance, almost in reach of this mist, something stopped him.


    Who in the?


    A hand of snow slowly came out of it with a palm face up, giving Danny a sign of not coming any closer.


    Something or someone didn¡¯t want Danny touching the mist. The hand was as pale as snow, deader than a corpse, and it only aimed its palm at Danny in anger.


    Then a girlish soothing voice suddenly spoke. ¡°Hello there, Daniel.¡± The voice sounded ominous, annoyed. Her tone seemed especially upset.


    Danny responded in a nervous tone, ¡°H...i, wh-who are you?¡±


    The girl said in a harsh tone, ¡°It¡¯s not pleasant seeing you, but¡­ pettiness aside, I have a favor to ask of you.¡±


    Danny¡¯s hand began to tremble. ¡°Are¡­ you my guardian angel?¡± he asked, his voice shakened. He felt an awful sensation coming from the mist, but in his mind it was in a good way.


    She sighed. ¡°Heavens no¡­ To the likes of you? A person who reeks of greed and lust? As if.¡±


    ¡°Th-Then what do you want?¡±


    The mist slowly faded then blew away, revealing a girl in a white romantic gothic dress. She had long black hair, blacker than the mist, with skin so pale yet so heavenly that Danny definitely thought she was an angel.


    She lowered her hand. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point, so let¡¯s make this quick.¡±


    She hesitated at first, gulping even below her curtain of hair, but she brought herself to grab his hand and she immediately felt detested.


    Blagh! Just grabbing you makes my blood boil. What a wretched being.


    Danny was confused and got weirded out. She helped him up to his feet.


    ¡°S-So what is it that you want?¡± Danny asked.


    She hesitated to answer, pausing for a moment before speaking again. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to do this, to the one I dearly love, but he still needs to be punished.¡± She balled her hands into fists and cleared her throat, but paused once again.


    Do I want to do this¡­? No, don¡¯t stop now. You¡¯ve suffered long enough. He needs to be taught a lesson or else he¡¯ll¡ª


    She hung her head in shame. ¡°Do you wish to know who was the one behind the taking of your beloved sister?¡±


    Danny¡¯s eyes glistened. ¡°Tell me! I¡¯ll do anything!¡± He tried grabbing the girl, but he went right through her and almost fell.


    She brushed herself off. ¡°Re-volting, I¡¯d appreciate that you never try doing anything like that again, if you wish to keep this mutual.¡±


    Danny got on his knees and pleaded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Please tell me who was the one who killed my sister?¡±


    She clenched her dress as frustration boiled inside that was too much for her to bear. She had to do this, to punish the one she truly loved. ¡°The one who killed your sister¡­¡±


    The crows of death began to get erratic on the edge of the building, as they flapped their wings, with eyes flickering, and their heads turning 180 degrees. The haunting clouds from above puffed out an explosion of gray and purple, transforming the skies into an aurora. Purple essence inside the aurora came out in a swarm of feathery hell and flew out to cover the skies into feathered darkness.


    The girl clenched harder, lowering her head deeper in shame. ¡°The one who you used to call friend¡­¡±


    The entire building began to dissolve, and the room they were in started to fade into molten tar.


    I¡¯m sorry¡­ but this is for your own good. You must be punished.


    She raised her head and said in a loud, serious tone, ¡°The one who took the life of your dearest sister, and the one whom you called a friend is¡­!¡±


    Lightning shot out from within the aurora and struck the skies, then began stabbing the building, melting the concrete away with every strike. A giant strike struck the middle, giving the crows entry into the building. They swarmed the room, making Danny scream for his life.


    But Danny realized what was happening, so he regained his manhood and remained calm. He wanted to hear the answer, determined to know the truth. Danny squinted and swallowed in anticipated nervousness. The crows surrounded the girl, and she pointed her hand out, commanding the crows to form into something. They twirled around so fast that they began to melt into black goo.


    Is this it¡­? Is she going to show me who¡¯s my killer?


    The pile of fresh gooey tar began to rise and slowly formed into the shape of a person. After a disgusting small show, they finally formed into the person who killed Danny¡¯s sister.


    The girl giggled nervously, not out of amusement but in regret. She lowered her hand, then expressed a forced, saddened smile.


    With a quivering hand, she pointed at the figure, took a deep breath. ¡°Is Jack!¡± she screamed out in agony, instantly regretting her words. In a quick panic, she disappeared quickly.


    The building started to dissolve, the rooms puffed, the floors blew away, quickly the entire building ruptured into black smoke and swirled around. The swirling smoke of black spun so fast it vanished without recognition as it left Danny floating for a moment until finally he began to fall into an abyss of darkness. As he fell, Danny couldn¡¯t help but express a sinister grin, and felt the need to laugh maniacally.


    I don¡¯t believe it¡­ I can¡¯t fucking believe it. Hahaha!


    Even though Danny was thrilled to know who had killed his sister, hearing that it was someone who he thought was dead, and the fact that he was still alive, made him furiously happy.


    He kept laughing as he fell. ¡°Thank you strange girl and I promise to enact my revenge, no matter how long it would take!¡± He stops falling, and now, everything¡¯s pitch black, there¡¯s no sound, no sight, only absolute darkness.


    ¡°Danny, wake up!¡± Veronica shouted as she knocked on his forehead. ¡°Hello? Anyone home?¡±


    Danny¡¯s eyes popped open. Veronica jumped back, startled. He looked around erratically, not noticing her at first, but he did shortly afterwards.


    ¡°Hey, Veronica. Was I asleep the entire time?¡±


    Veronica let out a sigh. ¡°Yes you were, and you were tumbling around and making funny sounds too.¡±


    Danny grabbed his chin, squinting. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Veronica pointed at him with raised brows. ¡°You even laughed all crazy before I started shaking you to wake you up. It really made me uncomfortable just watching you be weird.¡± She frowned and tilted her head.


    Danny had a huge sketchy look on his face, with a grin that was maniacal. HIs face slowly transcended into slight madness. ¡°Is that so? How thrilling.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about, ¡®thrilling¡¯?¡±


    He stood up and stretched, trying to make it apparent that he was all better now. ¡°So why are you here again?¡± he asked rudely.


    That irritated Veronica, so she looked away and crossed her arms. ¡°Wow! What a jerky thing to say to someone who cares about you and is taking the time to check if they¡¯re okay. But I guess that¡¯s not important to you, huh?¡±


    That caught his attention and made him eat his words. ¡°My bad. Uh, change of topic. What¡¯s the question you wanted to ask about the other day?¡±


    She sighed and turned back to him. ¡°Did you see the news a couple of days ago?¡±


    He started to think, crossing his arms, bringing his gaze to the ceiling. ¡°Hmm? Not that I recall¡­¡± He looked back at her with a tilt. ¡°Why?¡±


    She pulled her phone out and showed him an old news story explaining why no one remembered what happened that day, not even the police knew either. His sister¡¯s killer was involved in the fiasco too.


    ¡°What? Show me!¡± he said angrily, trying to snatch the phone from her hands.


    She retracted and got a little scared. ¡°Danny, what¡¯s gotten into you?¡±


    He smacked his lips and forcefully grabbed her phone. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this. Let¡¯s see, shall we?¡±


    He read it quickly and scrolled through it. A smile spread across his face. He couldn¡¯t have been any happier to see the culprit¡¯s face. There you are, you worthless son of a bitch.


    He chuckled and tossed Veronica her phone back. ¡°Awesome. No, fucking awesome!¡±


    She caught the phone and felt agitated. ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you? Why are you acting like such a jerk?¡± She was upset, so she stood up and began to walk out. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, good day!¡± She left the room and slammed the door behind her.


    Danny smacked his lips. ¡°You¡¯ll be mine someday. Hehe, just you wait, since you like bad boys like Jack.¡±


    He looked at his hand and clenched it. I¡¯ll even kill the guy you still love so much, VV!


    Deep throaty laughter came out from within. ¡°I¡¯ll find you, Jack! And I¡¯ll make sure you suffer as I have suffered!¡±


    Danny walked up to the window and felt at ease. Who are you, strange girl in my dream? Are you my guardian angel? Because if you are¡­


    His smile transformed into a twisted one. ¡°Thank you for guiding me to my vengeance. Hahaha!¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Danny¡¯s heart was filled with hate and sorrow, and so too was his mind. He now had a new goal in life and it was a goal he¡¯d always had since he was a kid. It was to always beat Jack no matter what it took.


    ***


    Back at Flint, Michigan, outside Eric¡¯s home were some of his boys, along with Jack, who were told about a new mission. Eric had already explained all the details to them, more notably to Jack since he was prone to escalate things and take it further south.


    ¡°So now you know the mission, right Jack?¡± Eric asked as he readied the car for Jack to finish packing drugs.


    ¡°I guess, more or less,¡± Jack replied, tucking his gun into its holster.


    Eric was at the back of the car, shutting the trunk. ¡°Be careful and don¡¯t be reckless, you big ol fool!¡± He walked around to the side Jack was entering.


    Jack entered the back passenger seat of the car with all four doors opened. ¡°Yeah, I got you, big ape.¡±


    Eric stood there with his arms crossed, watching his men get ready for the trip and approach the vehicle. Four other gang members entered the vehicle, bumping Jack in the process and turning him into a sandwich. The boss chuckled as he watched them squish Jack and made him twitch an eye.


    ¡°Damn, watch out. You guys are tightening me up here,¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Aight! Good luck. And remember Jack, calm yo crazy ass down!¡± Eric said, slamming the door and the others shut their doors as well.


    Jack sighed and rolled down the window to give Eric an unmotivated thumbs up. ¡°No promises, fool.¡± He lightly chuckled and they drove on their way to the mission.


    Eric shook his head while watching his boys drive to a potential hell. He walked back inside the house without looking back.


    Randolph was sitting on the couch, looking a little worried. ¡°Is it really necessary to send someone like Jack to lead a small group of their guys?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m testing Jack¡¯s ability to lead, seeing if he would learn or stay as the same sick boy that he is now.¡±


    Randolph sighed deeply and trusted Eric¡¯s words.


    Meanwhile, Angela was in the dining room eating her lunch. She was currently studying her usual homeschool routine. Eric and Randolph both looked at her from the living room and smiled. Eric pulled his phone out and called the driver of the vehicle.


    The driver answered. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up boss? Yeah, we bout to hit the spot in like ten minutes, so no worries.¡±


    Eric nodded. ¡°Aight, cool. Talk to ya later after the deal.¡± Eric hung up and glanced at Randolph, clenching his phone.


    Randolph relaxed. ¡°Shit, I hope everything goes well.¡±


    ¡°I hope so too, bro. I really fucking hope so.¡±


    ***


    Back in the cramped car full of Eric¡¯s men, everyone was astounded except for Jack who looked rather bored.


    ¡°You guys ready for this shit?¡± Jack asked in an unmotivated tone.


    Everyone in the car shouted, ¡°Hell yeah!¡±


    ¡°The faster we finish this, the quicker we can go back home.¡± Jack pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket and handed it to anyone who wanted one. Everyone except the driver grabbed one.


    ¡°Yo boss man, how much we sellin?¡± the driver asked.


    ¡°Not much. I think about four pounds of cocaine or more. I didn¡¯t really count. Some shit like dat!¡± the front passenger said.


    Annoyed, the driver said, ¡°Man! Ain¡¯t nobody asking you, dummy! I¡¯m asking scary Mexican looking boss man yo!¡±


    The left back passenger raised an arm in excitement. ¡°Goddamn! That¡¯s a lot of cocaine, my guy!¡±


    ¡°Damn we¡¯re gonna be rich for sure, my homies!¡± The right back passenger¡¯s eyes glistened as he grabbed Jack under his arm, which annoyed him.


    The driver sighed and gave up his efforts to communicate with Jack, who couldn¡¯t reply back because of everyone¡¯s interruptions.


    Everyone was excited. They were thrilled they were selling a huge chunk of stuff, especially knowing how they¡¯d each get a good cut. As they were driving, Jack¡¯s senses went off. Something felt wrong, and his mind made him look to get a better reading on why he felt so uneasy.


    As the car kept moving, Jack glanced at his side mirror and noticed they were in enemy territory. ¡°Yo¡­ what are we doing here of all places? Are you asking for us to get ambushed?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ you right, we¡¯re at the worst place possible. But that can¡¯t be right cause I got the address from one of our boys who said that our boss gave it to him.¡±


    Jack thought about it for a second. That wouldn¡¯t be the case because he would only give either Randolph, me, a lieutenant, or driver an address¡­ but one of our boys¡­? That can¡¯t be unless¡­


    Jack gasped, coming to a conclusion. He knew Eric would never send their guys into hostile territory, especially a rookie. Knowing Eric, he would want them meeting at a place somewhere mutual, not inside an area where the enemy might have an advantage.


    Jack tapped the driver¡¯s shoulder, then pointed to an old empty house¡¯s front yard. ¡°Yo! Pull over there for a second.¡±


    They pulled over and Jack immediately made a phone call to Eric. All the men inside the car felt that something was wrong with how Jack spoke and the way he had the phone pressed aggressively against his face, glancing around as he waited for who they presumed was their boss to answer.


    ¡°Hey, why you acting so erratic man?¡± said the driver.


    The front passenger also said, ¡°Yeah, why you looking around and seeming spooked?¡± The other two that were sitting next to Jack looked at him on why he had this sudden suspicion.


    Jack looked at everyone, taking a short breath. ¡°Look, I just want to make sure we aren¡¯t being fooled, okay? I¡¯m just calling Eric so relax, I got this.¡± They trusted Jack¡¯s word and anxiously waited for him to get the boss to answer back.


    Back at home, Eric was hanging out with Angela, helping her or trying to help her with her homework. His phone rang and he answered it. ¡°What is it, Jack? Let me guess, you already fucked up, didn¡¯t you?¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°No that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s the address. You see¡ª¡±


    ¡°What, man? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The street we¡¯re in, it¡¯s deep into enemy territory. Are you sure we¡¯re heading in the right direction, because this sure as hell seems sketchy if we¡¯re this deep into hell, Eric.¡±


    Eric got out of his chair. ¡°No! That ain¡¯t the address I gave ya! Are you sure you got the right one?¡± he asked nervously.


    Jack glanced at the driver. ¡°The driver said he got the address from someone close to you and that YOU handed that individual the address.¡±


    Eric¡¯s bottom lip quivered and his teeth clenched. He knew something was wrong and started panicking. Angela noticed, and felt scared about what¡¯s gonna happen.


    With a shaky tone, Eric yelled into his phone. ¡°Jack, you need to¡­¡±


    As Eric was about to finish his sentence, the sound of two vehicles speeding their way interrupted everyone¡¯s thoughts. Suddenly both cars stopped beside their car, screeching their tires as they pulled up next to them. They rolled down their black tinted windows. Jack¡¯s face turned white, realizing they were set up. The other cars opened fire.


    You¡­ You¡¯ve gotta be¡­?


    The car was bombarded with bullets. Everyone inside the car began screaming. Jack was struck a couple of times, but it was too late to take cover. Eric could hear the gun fire from the other side of Jack¡¯s phone, and heard all his men scream out in pain. After a minute of non stop firing, it finally came to a stop. Jack¡¯s phone went static. Eric dropped his phone in horror, collapsing to all fours.


    He punched the floor. No¡­ No, it-it can¡¯t be¡­


    He took a deep breath and looked behind him, noticing Angela standing there looking absolutely horrified. ¡°Ange¡ªla¡­¡±


    Oh no¡­ she heard the whole thing, didn¡¯t she? Eric thought.


    He¡¯d completely forgotten about Angela¡¯s existence during that entire ordeal. He stood up and slowly approached her. She stood there with dilated pupils, completely silent, with a blanched face and a mouth opened in absolute shock.


    ¡°Baby girl! Don¡¯t tell me you-you heard?¡± Eric took a knee and placed his hands on Angela¡¯s shivering shoulders. ¡°Angela, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Angela repeatedly shook her head out of disbelief. Her eyes started filling up like a dam. ¡°Tell me¡­ that wasn¡¯t my brother¡­ Please, uncle¡­¡±


    Eric closed his eyes, clenching his teeth. ¡°Angela¡­ I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tell me it wasn¡¯t him on the other side!¡± she yelled out in agony, broke down and cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry baby girl,¡± Eric said, sounding sad and frustrated. He held Angela tightly. He felt completely responsible for their deaths, and for allowing something to slip under his nose.


    Angela¡¯s agonized screams echoed within everyone¡¯s ears, breaking down heavily from losing her only hero, her brother. Eric shook her to wake her, but oddly she was already unconscious. Feeling angry and devastated about what happened too, Eric carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed.


    After laying her down and wiping her drenched face, Eric¡¯s regret got the best of him and he unleashed it into Angela¡¯s bedroom wall, slamming his hand against it twice and leaving behind a huge dent. He couldn¡¯t believe he¡¯d allow himself to be fooled by an insider amongst his crew. Dragging his big hand across his face, Eric rushed downstairs and made a couple of phone calls, trying to round up all his boys to make a rescue mission.


    No! I refuse to acknowledge that they all died! I hope at least one person survived.


    In the aftermath of the bullet destruction, the car was smoking and covered with holes, as blood dripped from the bottom sides and splashed along the sides of the car. The passenger''s head was sticking out his window bleeding onto the pavement. The driver¡¯s face was on the steering wheel, and the rest on the back passenger seats were laid flat. Everyone was dead, all laid lifeless with wounds covering their bodies. When all hope seemed lost, someone moved around and set the dead bodies off of them. It was Jack, on the verge of death.


    He was shot twice in his left arm, once in his right shoulder, once in the abdomen, and twice in the face. He had deep cuts on his arms and torso from all the shattered glass.


    Jack opened the door with his only working arm, crawled out from the broken vehicle, and fell onto the ground on his chest.


    He spat out a pool of blood and dragged himself towards the tree in the middle of the yard of the rundown home. ¡°Moth¡­ er¡­!¡± he shouted, coughing out blood. Fuc¡­kers!


    Jack managed to reach the tree, but the pain was unbearable. He made loud moaning sounds of the utmost pain. Leaning against the dead tree, he sat there bleeding from his wounds, unable to move any longer. ¡°Is this¡­ where I die?¡±


    As death approached Jack, he thought about his life as he coughed more blood onto himself. So many regrets and so many missed opportunities¡­


    He raised his only working arm, rubbed his blood, and stared at it deeply, feeling his warmth slowly leave his body. ¡°It¡¯s so hot, yet I fe-feel cold. What a-a feeling¡­¡± Jack gazed up at the gray sky and thought about all the events that took place through the years.


    Will I be able to see my parents? But in order for that to happen, you would have to go to heaven, right? Jack started to lose consciousness and his vision began to blur. Slowly, he began closing the gates of light as he glanced at his dead partners inside the car.


    ¡°But someone li-like me¡­ going to heaven? I don¡¯t thi-think so. Hee¡­ hee, hee.¡± The moment Jack blinked, he saw someone approach him.


    Is this it?


    He couldn¡¯t tell who it was due to his blurred vision. He assumed it was either the devil or an angel of death to come take him into the depths of hell.


    The last thing Jack saw was someone in a red dress.


    My vision¡¯s gone black once again. I guess I¡¯ve finally died. And after all I did for Angela¡¯s sake, this is how God has repaid me. I guess it¡¯s deserving for someone as degrading as me. But if I¡¯m dead, then why do I feel as if I¡¯m rocking back and forth?


    Jack opened his eyes and found himself sitting on an old rocking chair. He was inside a small room that was old and cold, having paintings of landscapes and women with black hair and dim eyes on gray bricked walls. The room resembled something out of the Middle Ages, yet it felt nostalgic to him. He was rocking back and forth on the chair feeling empty and hollow. Looking around, he spotted a giant bloodshot eye staring directly at him from one of the paintings on the wall. Jack didn¡¯t seem to care though. He spotted another painting on the wall, and it opened up then an arm extended out of it.


    A hand was clenched and looked horrifying and disgusting. It was black and had fingers that were long like hardened tar, all pointed and slimy. It then dropped a gunk of black goo in front of Jack, retracted back into the painting and disappeared.


    Jack stared at the pile of steaming hot tar and tilted his head. The goo began to rise from the pile, as something was being born from the depths of darkness and started transforming. The transformation was something out of a nightmare, spewing black everywhere, turning the environment around them into washed out colors of reality. Jack stayed in the chair, but he too transformed into something vile. His eyes were hollowed out. A haunting voice soaked in agony howled into the room. Something dropped onto Jack¡¯s lap.


    It was white and stringy, made of a weird sticky substance. It began stitching itself onto Jack¡¯s limbs in a disturbing way. The strange entity pierced his skin and sucked his blood out, staining its whiteness. Once it finished, it rose up to the ceiling and transformed Jack into a stringed puppet.


    As Jack¡¯s transformation finished, the pile of tar had completed its new life. The tar had made itself into an individual covered in a hooded cloak of darkness. Jack stared at it as they walked out the door and left the room. Jack was curious and the strings read his mind, which made him get up from the chair. But as he did, he felt unmotivated to move. Angry howls erupted around him. Jack stood there like the puppet he was, while a noose came down and wrapped around his neck.


    Jack struggled and couldn¡¯t breathe. He looked up at whoever was picking him up and realized it was the faceless girl. She swung Jack around, swaying him from side to side like a clock.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare die on me! I won¡¯t let you go that easily!¡± she said sadly. She gently put Jack down on a cliff surrounded by a red sky.


    The noose loosened and Jack could breathe again. He saw the strange person who walked out of the room standing at the edge of the cliff. He looked to the side of the cliff and saw a fiery light emitting from the bottomless abyss that was below them. He walked up to the strange cloaked person and slowly approached them.


    As soon as Jack tried grabbing them, they faded away and disappeared into smoke. Jack fell off the cliff and into the red abyss. Jack didn¡¯t scream or react, he just let himself fall into the hotness awaiting him below since he didn¡¯t have a care in the world.


    Jack was ready to die, ready to give up, but more importantly he was hoping to be free from this horrid life. He thought this life would be great with his parents beside him on his journey. But as the light kept guiding him and flickered, it turned off the moment the girl in white appeared. That turned his life asunder, burning away his passions, his purpose, everything that Jack had ever loved.


    ¡°Jack, please wake up!¡± Angela begged.


    Eric and Randoph stood aside, watching the depressing scene unfold. Both uncles felt the need to cry, but were hopeful for a miracle.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t die! Don¡¯t leave me!¡± she cried, pounding on Jack¡¯s chest in frustration.


    Don¡¯t leave me¡­ I beg of you¡­! Angela felt hopeless as she laid on top of Jack and cried deeply, staining his chest with tears.


    ¡°Wake up, please¡­¡± She held Jack and leaned her face against his. Her tears flowed down from her cheeks and onto his dried face.


    Eric rubbed Angela¡¯s back to comfort her. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    Randolph didn¡¯t like watching such a scene, but he knew Jack wouldn¡¯t leave Angela alone in this cruel world. They all prayed and waited to see if Jack would wake up or if that miracle the two were hoping on had happened. Angela didn¡¯t care if she was stained with her brother¡¯s blood, she just wanted her brother to wake up. Jack¡¯s wounds weren¡¯t fully healed. They were only wrapped to stop the bleeding.


    When all hope seemed lost, Randolph noticed Jack¡¯s hand was moving. ¡°Yo! The crazy weirdos are moving. Look!¡± He pointed at Jack¡¯s hand and they noticed his twitchy fingers.


    Angela felt relieved and grabbed his hand. ¡°Can you feel my hand?¡± She clasped her hands on top of Jack¡¯s hand.


    Please, I know you can do it. Come back to me.


    Jack could hear Angela¡¯s voice, but he also heard the faceless girl¡¯s voice too. They both pleaded with him to wake up. The faceless girl¡¯s hand appeared out of thin air as Jack was close to the redness awaiting him. She caught Jack and stopped him from falling. She closed her giant hands and leaned them against her chest, but she heard some muffled laughing inside her collapsed hands.


    She opened her hands and saw Jack laughing with his hands over his head. He looked up at her with crazy eyes and laughed some more, feeling as if he¡¯d finally gone truly insane.


    She¡¯d had enough and detested what she was seeing. No. Stop it, stop it! Quit laughing, Jack!


    Getting irritated by the sight she was witnessing, she started squishing Jack. His mindless laughing transitioned into painful screams of joy. He screamed from the full fledged pain but had a broken smile until she squashed him enough to pop Jack like a bursting bag full of ink.


    The screaming stopped and his laughing stopped. Silence was there, and left her to cry alone in the vast emptiness of darkness. Black stained all over her precious snowy fingers. She screamed out in her own agonized regret.


    Jack woke up with a broken smile and tried catching his breath, which startled everyone to death except for Angela, who seemed temporarily unconscious. He gasped in a full breath of air and simmered down. Jack then saw Angela on top of him and turned to see Randolph and Eric at his side, looking at him with frightened faces.


    ¡°Hey Jack, you okay?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Yeah man, we worried for your health,¡± Randolph explained.


    Realising he was no longer dreaming or falling into the hands of insanity once again, Jack erased his smile and let out a very deep sigh, but made hurtful noises due to his healing wounds.


    Jack tapped on Angela¡¯s back and she slowly lifted an eye. ¡°Mind getting off me? It hurts everywhere.¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes snapped open. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed all over again as she embraced his return to life. Nuzzling her nose against his cheek, she thanked God for returning Jack to life. He tried getting back up but he was in too much pain and crashed back down.


    ¡°You should stay put,¡± Angela advised. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Jack and nurse him back to health.¡±


    Eric nodded. ¡°I agree. Jack, you need to stay put.¡±


    Randolph nodded, accepting the idea as well.


    Jack smiled, but it was an artificial one. He held Angela¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m thankful for having such a wonderful sister,¡± he said, gently patting her head.


    Angela wiped her tears away and kissed Jack¡¯s hand, then brought his hand to her cheek and rubbed against it. ¡°I¡¯m thankful I have a strong brother who refuses to give himself to God and leaves me alone.¡±


    Eric and Randolph were about to shed a tear as they watched the two siblings¡¯ love become entwined.


    ¡°Man! You gonna make my ass cry!¡± Randolph shouted.


    Eric sniffled. ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna shed no tears! I¡¯m a tough ass boulder!¡± Eric¡¯s lip twitched as he tried his hardest to stay tough.


    They all laughed except for Jack who looked completely lost and dumbfounded, but he thought it was best to keep his fake smile to keep every worry down. Everyone huddled together, sharing their love, trust, and relief that Jack was still alive after being shot so many times.


    Hold up¡­ How am I still alive? I should be dead from being shot that many times, Jack thought.


    As everyone let go of the circled hug, Jack¡¯s eyes diverted to Eric. ¡°Hey Boss man, how¡¯d I end up back here?¡±


    ¡°Well first, let me tell you about what happened before you almost met your end, my guy. Ahem. We were set up and the whole thing was sketchy from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°No shit. I assumed so, but by the time I realized such a thought, it was too late.¡±


    ¡°Jack, my guy, I¡¯m sorry for not finding out we had an imposter amongst us,¡± Eric said, looking at Angela.


    ¡°No need. None of us saw it coming.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but Angela, princess, I¡¯m sorry for almost getting your brother killed.¡±


    She got off of Jack to give her big, scary looking uncle a hug. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault here except for the one who caused all this.¡±


    ¡°Since you apologized, I¡¯ll gladly accept it,¡± Jack said sarcastically.


    ¡°Shit. Talk to me like that again and I¡¯ll gladly bodyslam yo broken bum ass, fool.¡± said Eric.


    Both men chuckled.


    They all felt at ease and were happy. Eric made sure that the police recovered the bodies of his men without them knowing it was his gang. Jack called him a weirdo, which pissed Eric off enough for him to give Jack a nice punch to his injured shoulder.


    Angela walked off from the group to grab something near the window. As she reached for the item, she saw someone standing across from the street in front of their home. She leaned closer and noticed the woman was wearing a red dress, but in her mind she wondered why.


    They stared at each other for a while until the woman waved at Angela. With a gentle grin, Angela lifted her hand up nervously and waved back at the person.


    ¡°Angela!¡± Jack called out.


    She rushed to his side. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing staring out the window?¡±


    ¡°I was just getting something and I saw someone across the road,¡± Angela explained.


    Despite the pain, Jack quickly got up and hurried to the door. Angela tried stopping him, but he didn¡¯t care and proceeded anyway. When he opened the door he saw nothing.


    Jack turned around and looked at Angela. She tapped her index fingers against each other and giggled, trying to shrug it off. ¡°Ehehe¡­¡±


    Jack sighed. They both walked back inside and continued with their night. ¡°You must¡¯ve seen things, you crazy girl. Got me all worried about nothing, along with this overbearing pain. Damn, there it is.¡±


    ¡°Eheh! Whoops, my bad. I probably am.¡±


    At the other side of the street in the midst of this joyful night, a woman in a red dress stood at the end of the street beneath a street lamp. A hood was over her head and a shadow covered half her face. She smiled as she stared at their house. A gust of wind came along, blowing and fluttering her elegant dress, but a bunch of rose petals came from nowhere and breezed past her. She walked off into the darkness behind her. The street lamp turned off for a moment, flickered back on, and then she disappeared.


    An owl hooted, and the wind blew the remnants of roses up into the moonlight. A random owl overseeing their home blinked, then gazed around the area. Its eyes glowed white as it spread out its glamorous, holy white feathers. With one last deep hoot it took off, flying into the moonlight with the rose petals in its beak.

 Arc 2 Part 1 - Chapter 9: Peace For Once

    Jack¡¯s still recovering from his wounds from the ambush that took the lives of four of his comrades, and as he¡¯s healing he can¡¯t help but think of ways of retaliation against those wretched rivals who managed to get inside sources without anyone''s acknowledgement. The scars created from his injuries became a new form of body art for him. With a scar on his right shoulder and a scar on his abdomen, Jack couldn¡¯t care less how much his body had endured such torture. All he wanted to worry about was to protect Angela.


    The gang had been at a standstill ever since the ambush Jack had experienced, so everyone was on standby. Eric couldn¡¯t risk losing more of his men, he couldn¡¯t allow it. What made things more complicated was explaining their deaths to their loved ones. He had to endure cussing from loud mouthed baby mommas, angry mothers, and sometimes fathers ready to take his life.


    The boys had been on the low ever since, trying to live their lives and not engage in any illegal activities for their safety. It was best for everyone, especially with how peaceful it had gotten throughout the small time of peace.


    ¡°Yo guys!¡± Randolph shouted.


    Eric and Jack were relaxing in their own rooms when they heard Randolph¡¯s loud voice disturbing their relaxation. Both of them let out annoyed groans and sighs, then they came out of their rooms. Jack walked into the living room and Eric came up from downstairs. Walking into the room, they saw Randolph was all excited for some reason.


    ¡°You guys want to come along to a local club to watch people rap, tell jokes, and hang around?¡± said Randolph.


    Jack and Eric thought about it. Jack gripped his jaw, Eric crossed his arms and closed his eyes, the two made noises of thinking. Jack coughed for a moment, Eric too, and both chuckled after. They both didn¡¯t have much to do, so they accepted his invitation by nodding to Randolph.


    Eric opened his eyes and shrugged. ¡°Let''s go, shit I¡¯m bored anyways.¡±


    Jack stretched and yawned. ¡°I guess so, it seems like a good chance for us to go out together, we rarely do this.


    Randolph pumped his arm in excitement. ¡°Bet! I''ll be right back!¡± he said as he quickly ran to his room and started getting dressed.


    After ten minutes had passed, everyone was outside. However, as they were about to get inside their vehicles, they all remembered Angela. In unison all three said, ¡°Oh fuck¡­ right.¡± They couldn¡¯t leave her alone, especially knowing how they could be ambushed at any time.


    Jack walked back inside. ¡°Angela,¡± he shouted, stopping at the foot of the stairs. ¡°Can you come downstairs?¡±


    Silence. He got no response.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t come down here, I swear I¡¯ll come up and drag your ass down here, girl.¡±


    Jack heard soft giggles, which briefly reminded him of someone who he hated. When he looked around, he spotted Angela creeping around the corner of the bottom stairs.


    Her head was barely sticking out, and she looked rather annoyed at first glance. ¡°What is it now? I¡¯m trying to watch my show!¡±


    Jack sighed. ¡°Forget about your damn cartoons. How did you get downstairs? Anyways, we¡¯re going out as a group to enjoy ourselves and guess what?¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡± she asked sarcastically.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with us!¡± Jack rushed at Angela and picked her up.


    ¡°No! Put me down! How dare you take me away from my precious shows!¡±


    ¡°Too late. You¡¯re going with us, baby sis.¡± Jack carried Angela outside, closing the door behind and before he could put her into the fancy SUV they rarely used parked in front of the garage door, he remembered that other change in her appearance that¡¯s out of the ordinary.


    He stood there, analysing Angela¡¯s hair and grabbing his jaw, squinting an eye. ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Angela noticed how concentrated his staring was. ¡°Uh¡­ brother, you¡¯re making me blush here.¡±


    ¡°Angela¡­ Your hair¡­ Why is it¡ª¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes lightly exploded, and she grabbed her hair, stroking it. ¡°Uhh, I already told Uncle Randolph about it, so no worries. Right, Uncle?¡±


    Randolph was smoking with Eric in front of the vehicle until he heard his name being mentioned, so he responded with a loud ¡°Huh?¡±


    Angela clenched the ends of her hair, forcefully grinning. ¡°See, nothing to worry about.¡±


    Jack raised a brow, and briefly looked to his left. ¡°Okay¡­ but the other thing is, you really like that hoodie, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Angela grabbed the hoodie that Jack used to wear. ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s my favourite thing to wear now. It¡¯s really comfortable too!¡±


    He glanced down at her pale legs. ¡°At least put some pants or long shorts on. It looks like you¡¯re wearing nothing again.¡±


    She sighed all petty-like. ¡°Ugh¡­ fine! It¡¯s more comfortable wearing short shorts with this hoodie, you know?¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes. ¡°Hurry up or we¡¯ll leave you behind.¡±


    Jack, Eric, and Randolph entered the SUV and all three patiently waited for Angela to change and come back to them. When she returned, instead of putting on what her brother suggested, she¡¯d only slapped on some knee high socks that were stripped black and purple. She hopped in beside Jack in the backseat. They drove off and headed to the location Randolph had requested.


    After an hour¡¯s drive, they arrived at the club Randolph boasted about. Angela got out and stretched her legs and arms from the long trip. Jack yawned and stretched too. Randolph felt relieved getting out of the SUV. They all took a good look at the club and it looked alright until Eric saw the sign which had a black woman bouncing her butt next to an inappropriately named sign.


    Angela tried to get a better view of the sign by hovering her hand over her eyes, raising her toes until her vision went black. ¡°Hey!¡± she said, flailing her arms.


    When Eric saw the name of the club, and Angela trying to analyse it, his parenting instincts kicked in, quickly covering Angela¡¯s eyes with his giant hand then to give Randolph a raised angered brow. ¡°Really man, the Fuq-Mah-Ass-Express?¡±


    Angela grabbed her uncle''s hand and tried removing it. ¡°Un-Uncle¡­ why¡¯d you cover my eyes?¡±


    Jack laughed. ¡°Hilarious name, but I think you¡¯re killing Angela.¡± Eric groaned to Jack in response.


    Randolph shrugged but quickly cringed. ¡°Oh yeah, my bad haha, let''s go shall we?¡± He started walking and Eric made Angela walk with him as he still had his giant hand covering her entire upper head.


    Jack stayed behind for a moment to get a good look around their area. Though the building had graffiti all over the front, with doors still in use from the eighties, destroyed pavements, and dirty windows, it was better than what they had back home.


    Jack could tell they were close to Detroit, because he felt nostalgic and the air smelled criminally rotten. The area was surrounded by the stench of corrupt politicians and homelessness was at every corner. Neighborhoods were divided from the rich class to the poorly funded.


    ¡°Heh, just like home,¡± Jack said.


    Feeling the essence of his past breeze on his face, Angela came back in a rush to get her brother, and pulled on his sleeve. ¡°Are you coming inside cause everyone else is.¡±


    Randolph and Eric were already ahead, waiting inside the entrance of the club. Jack nodded, grabbed Angela¡¯s tiny snowy hand, and they both walked into the club that was filled with Randolph¡¯s promises. They quickly caught up to the guys, then they all pushed open the heavy doors to walk into a sea of seated people.


    They spotted a table and sat near the stage to get a better view of the show. The place was packed to the brim and was full of life, but a lot of the audience looked like what you¡¯d expect in a place called Fuq-Mah-Ass-Express from thugs wearing baggy pants, sagging, gold chains, watches, flashing diamonds and looking mean to their or single women wearing very provocative outfits fitting for the mens liking. All four sat down and waited for the first act.


    ¡°The first act is mainly typical life telling stories. Sounds dope, right?¡± Randolph said.


    ¡°Randy, I doubt that most of these people really care about such a thing,¡± Jack said.


    ¡°But they should, though. I mean, we¡¯re no different than these bums. We¡¯re all a part of the streets. We¡¯re crooks, murderers, and provide folks with their addictions,¡± Eric said.


    Both men agreed to Eric¡¯s statement, since most of these people needed a life lesson or two. The show started, the curtains opened, the spotlight flashed on, and the first couple of people started the show by telling their life changing stories and advising some of the young guys to follow a better path.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    As Jack and Eric said, the majority of the lowly audience shrugged it off and joked around about their stories. Some people taunted people¡¯s tales, calling them pussies, weak asses, bitch asses, and so on, which made the poor souls regret ever telling deep experiences to such wastes of life.


    It took at least two hours for people to come and go with their stories. Angela seemed to enjoy all of their stories, especially the one about a guy losing his sister due to gang violence. It made her shed a tear. On the other hand, the rest of the guys almost fell asleep, yet Jack was still a little interested in some of their stories.


    The second act came on and it was time for the stand-up comedians. Whether it was the cheesy, corny, or typical clown type of humor, everything was a go in terms of comedy.


    The first guy came up. He was a white dude dressed extremely silly, who forced himself to speak street talk. He pointed at someone¡¯s girl and said, ¡°Let me come over there with a broom cause I¡¯m about to sweep you off yo feet, girl! Ahahaha!¡±


    The girl¡¯s man got mad. ¡°Watcha say bout my bitch, you small ass?!¡± He got up to storm the stage but security stopped him.


    The corny one liner guy seemed to not give the utmost care. He tried his luck on another girl by pointing his wiggling finger at her. ¡°Oh yeahhh! You there, girl! My name¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she asked, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°None of your business. I can¡¯t read or write, but how you doing?¡± The performer laughed in a very rude way, which made the girl turn red in anger.


    She twitched an eye, grabbed a glass, and threw it at him. ¡°Stupid, corny ass, dumb, punk ass, white boy.¡±


    Everyone had had enough of him, so they all booed. Security also had enough of his cringe. They went up onstage and finally escorted him off while he was continuously being booed by the audience.


    The second guy, a very creepy looking fellow who wore just a gray hoodie, sweat pants, and had shaved head, came up and decided to try and pick on Angela.


    ¡°Hey there, young pretty thang! Say¡­¡± He walked to the edge of the stage and extended his arm out to her.


    Angela nervously looked around. ¡°Me¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes you. Where are your parents? Or are you just a sexy, short gal?¡±


    That pissed Jack off enough for him to slightly get off his chair and furrowed his brow, giving the man a death stare. ¡°Watch your fucking tongue, pervert.¡±


    The crowd booed the guy and yelled at how ass his joke was, but it wasn¡¯t really a joke in the first place. The crowd grew ruthless on him and they started chanting pedophile.


    The guy began to sweat and was growing nervous. He felt the menacing pressure from the audience, especially Jack¡¯s fierce stare. ¡°Uhh, my bad¡­ um, how about we say that¡ª Wait! You know what? You guys are all a bunch of¡­¡±


    He suddenly got bombarded with food. The crowd called him a ¡°pussy pedo boy¡± and a cheesy average ¡°thug boy.¡± He covered his face in shame and ran off the stage.


    Everyone cheered. Jack released an angered breath and rubbed Angela¡¯s back. She wanted to leave after hearing such a nasty comment from such a vile stranger.


    After one long hour of an awful second act full of cheesy, creepy, lackluster performers, it was time for the last act. It was mainly focused on music where people performed by rapping or singing, but sometimes they played instruments. It went okay for the first hour, but everyone was beginning to get bored from the same routine. They wanted something hyped and something that was hard as fuck.


    One guy shouted at the host, flailing his hand in the air. ¡°Hey yo! Whoever¡¯s in charge, put something entertaining or we can take this outside so I can beat your ass!¡±


    His woman next to him stood up, shooting one of her fists in the air. ¡°Yeah! Do what my man says or he will hurt you!¡±


    Another man chimed in. ¡°Yeah lets fucking go! Give us some good shit you bum ass fool!¡±


    More people joined in and shouted at the host. As all this was going on, Danny walked into the club and noticed how the crowd was getting rowdy. He knew this would be entertaining to watch.


    ¡°Hoo, what¡¯s with all the charades? I feel as if a storm is coming!¡± He sat on top of a table near the entrance just in case things went south.


    ¡°Man, this shit is so whack yo!¡± a random woman yelled.


    ¡°Fuck this bullshit! Bum ass fool!¡± a random guy bellowed.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t shit, my guy! We want our money back!¡± the bartender shouted, wanting to get into the action just to stir things up and have a good laugh.


    The crowd got more aggressive and riled up. They raised their fists and stood up from their chairs to yell furiously at the host. On the other hand, the host had had enough of these low lifes of society, so he got up onto the stage and took the microphone.


    Taking a deep breath, he rolled his head. ¡°Shut all ya¡¯ll bitch asses up! Unemployed, bum ass, worthless bum ass fools!¡±


    The crowd gasped at first, feeling that what he said was in fact true, but being the hoodlums that they were, they quickly barked back. For some stupid reason the crowd started attacking each other. Logic flew out the building and everyone¡¯s anger vented off into each other¡¯s faces, even with some pulling out weapons. Some pointed guns at each other, some pointed knives and yelled empty threats to one another.


    Danny thought it would be fun to break the crowd by grabbing a water glass from the bar. He stared at one and smiled, then got off the table he was standing on, walked up to the bar, grabbed a glass and threw it into the air, waiting for it to land on someone. It landed on someone¡¯s head and knocked them out. It shattered, making a loud thump from impacting his dome. The glass spread onto other people from the aftermath.


    The crowd stayed silent for a moment, blinking confusingly, then they got into a ruthless frenzy. People were punching each other, tumbling onto one another, and scuffling on the ground. Some smashed glass just to stir up the heat. People were being tossed over tables while chairs were being thrown throughout the place. There were people slamming against one another onto tables and some even attempted murder. People tackled one another, some were headlocking others, and women were pulling each other¡¯s hair or fake hair entirely. Tables were destroyed, chairs were broken, glass was everywhere, and there were blood stains on tablecloths.


    Jack kept Angela beneath his arms to protect her from the chaos. Eric and Randolph yelled at the host for escalating the situation. Angela started having a panic attack because her anxiety was through the roof.


    ¡°I want to leave this hell hole,¡± Angela said while trying to regain her breath.


    Jack thought for a second and looked around, then spotted something on the stage. He got up and held Angela¡¯s hand, making sure she didn¡¯t lose sight of him.


    Jack stood in front of the host and grabbed the collar of his expensive suit. ¡°Hey asshole! What¡¯s underneath that cloak?¡± He pointed at the huge shaped object on the stage.


    The host gestured to Jack to calm down. ¡°Chill, scary looking homie! It¡¯s just a piano. Why do you ask?¡±


    Jack had an idea and immediately rushed to the stage. He removed the cloak, which created a huge cloud of dust. Jack coughed and smiled, then he wiped the dust off the piano, trying to clean it as much as possible.


    Eric realized what Jack was up to and ordered Randolph to find the microphone and bring it to him. Jack shouted Angela¡¯s name and ordered her to come on stage. She was confused, but she heard his call and cautiously walked up to the stage.


    Randolph found the microphone and tossed it to Eric. He caught the mic and tapped it to see if it was still on, then he walked up onto the stage and walked over to Jack. ¡°Hey man, we need to get the crowd¡¯s attention.¡±


    Jack lifted Angela up and placed her on the piano seat.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Angela shouted, freaking out and flailing her limbs about.


    Jack smiled and gave Eric a thumbs up.


    Angela tugged on his jacket. ¡°Brother! Please tell me what you¡¯re planning?¡±


    Jack patted Angela¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sis.¡± He leaned close to her face and they bumped heads.


    She made adorable sounds of nervousness, turned red, and then her eyes glistened. ¡°H..uh?¡±


    ¡°Angela, this is your time to shine. Show these fools what real music is, and use the sound that you love making to bring everyone together.¡±


    Her eyes glistened with life. She¡¯d never heard such motivation from him before. After watching him change so much these past two years, she never would¡¯ve imagined he would show his old self again.


    She nodded and prepared herself, stretching her fingers, taking multiple breaths, stretched her arms out above her head, and circled her neck to move her shoulders. ¡°Show them what I got ey?¡±


    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This is my time to shine!


    Angela cracked her tiny fingers and felt the heat of the spotlight shining on her pale skin. Slowly, she degraded all the annoying sounds around her and muffled them out completely, putting herself into deep concentration.


    Eric cleared his throat and said into the mic, ¡°Hey! Can I have your attention please?¡±


    The crowd continued their violent acts, ignoring his words.


    Eric got mad. He drew in a huge breath of air and screamed furiously into the mic, ¡°Listen up, you bitch ass fools!¡±


    The crowd stopped the moment his super deep, bassy voice erupted into the mic and distorted it. Everyone paused, standing still.


    Eric smirked and handed the mic to Jack. ¡°Your turn, scary looking fool.¡±


    Jack took the mic. ¡°With pleasure, Steroids.¡±


    Jack hovered the mic towards his face and cleared his throat. He looked over his shoulder, seeing that Angela was ready.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Jack. And this¡­¡± He moved aside and showed the audience Angela, ¡°...is my little sister, Angela.¡±


    Danny, who was behind the chaos, heard Jack¡¯s familiar voice. He got on top of a table and spotted Jack on the stage, but he quickly diverted his attention to this Angela he¡¯d never heard of. If he heard Jack correctly, he heard him call her his little sister, but to his knowledge he knew for a fact he didn¡¯t have one. But it was more than enough for him to grow a sinister smile.


    At last he found Jack, but most of all he now had a way to make Jack suffer. ¡°Oh yes! Yes, yes, yes!¡± he shouted weirdly, making people in the crowd nearby give him strange looks. One even called him a ¡°Crazy ass cracka!¡± but he didn¡¯t seem to care. He wanted to watch this.


    Angela¡¯s fingers hovered over the keys and slowly began to play the piano. The sound coming out of it haunted the very essence of the entire building. It was so frightening to hear. Every single note made people shiver. They¡¯d never heard something mesmerizing before, but the feeling of being scared was good because the place echoed with the beauty of her amazing talent.


    Every note she hit struck people¡¯s hearts, and the atmosphere alone made everyone stay in awe. The crowd relaxed and felt flustered but most couldn¡¯t believe she was making a beautiful yet sad sound. Everyone started to sit down one by one and before long, everyone was sitting down to embrace Angela¡¯s song. As the crowd paid attention to Angela¡¯s performance, Jack and Randolph couldn¡¯t stop smiling, especially Eric.


    Angela was lost in her own reality of playing. Her eyes were closed, and her body moved to the rhythm of the song, feeling every note she exuded from her wretched soul. It wasn¡¯t about her, though. She was expressing her love into the keys, letting the world know of it, a love so deep that no one could comprehend it. This love did have pinches of her new life, but what she was expressing the most was her deep passion and obsession. This song was for her never-ending love for her brother Jack.


    Everyone was astonished, amazed, but more importantly, the crowd was calm and at peace. The sound of every key she pressed was of pure beauty. The sound emitting from every note purified everyone¡¯s stained souls of sin. It was every representation of her profound bond to him. She wanted to impress him, wanted him to look at her in a different way. She was getting into this deep devotion that the crowd started cheering a bit from her expressing this unknowing love.


    People started to cry rivers at how beautiful her playing was. Eric and Randolph couldn¡¯t believe how good she was at playing the piano. They too started to shed a couple of tears. The host took his hat off in respect and listened to the beauty of Angela¡¯s noise.


    Jack was so proud of her that he couldn¡¯t help himself but continue to smile. He hadn¡¯t felt this happy in years. He looked back at the crowd and noticed how everyone was enjoying Angela¡¯s show. He felt he could watch Angela play forever.


    Eric walked up to Jack and patted his back. ¡°She¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Jack patted Eric¡¯s back as well. ¡°She sure is. I couldn¡¯t have asked for anyone better in my life and¡­¡±


    As the song continued to play Jack looked at Eric with a gentle smile. ¡°My boy, your voice doesn¡¯t sound dead.¡±


    Jack slowly blinked and embraced the wondrous moment. ¡°I¡¯m just so glad I saved her life, Uncle Eric.¡±


    Eric shed a tear and looked away, watching Angela finish her performance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave me out of this! Give me a hug, you bums!¡± Randolph exclaimed with his arms out.


    They all hugged and smiled. Eric hid his tears, then turned to Jack and smiled.


    ¡°Jack, what song is she playing?¡± Eric asked.


    Jack chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s playing a song from one of her favourite cartoons. Well, that¡¯s my guess.¡±


    As Angela continued playing, she played the song faster and more hauntingly. Sweat dripped off her face, her fingers started aching. The song grew sadder by the second because of the awful memories storming from her mind and being released onto the keys. The renaissance of her past was driving her mad and then she paused.


    The crowd felt afraid yet anxious. Jack was about to approach the stage to check if she was okay when Eric stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.


    Her awful memories came to an end when a brave boy stood in front of a mob and stopped them from being engulfed into darkness. She reached for his arm as an angelic smile spread across her face. He became her new symbol of hope, giving her a new reason to live.


    She panted as her hands hovered over the keys. Angela quietly said, ¡°My love for you, Jack.¡±


    She returned to reality and slowly finished her performance with a scary and agonizing end. She slowly got up and was out of breath, but that didn¡¯t stop her from turning to the crowd, and took a gentle bow. The crowd stood up and applauded, cheering her name as they gave her a standing ovation. She blushed with embarrassment.


    Jack walked next to her and hugged her. Angela cried tears of joy. ¡°Thanks everyone for believing in me, especially my brother.¡±


    For once, the situation wasn¡¯t resolved with violence, but with the sound of music that brought people together. Jack showed her a genuine smile and lifted her, then spun her around. But within the atmosphere of purified sin, Danny, a growing sinner, watched from afar with an ugly look in his eyes.


    Danny smiled maniacally and pointed at Angela. He extended every finger and turned his hand upside down. ¡°I¡¯ll take away your dear sister as you have taken mine¡­¡±


    He closed his hand, clenching it with fury, then jumped off the table and walked out of the club. I¡¯m going to enjoy every minute of your suffering, Jack. Until we reunite, old friend!


    To Be Continued In Part: 2

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 1: Secrets To Tell

    The festering winter of Michigan was at its highest peak. The air was substantially cold and dry, and hibernating animals were the only living remnants on these streets riddled with death. The clouds blocked out the sun. Snowfall was near.


    Angela was in her room wearing Jack¡¯s old hoodie as usual, drawing her feelings into a big sheet of paper, a surprise she was preparing for him. His seventeenth birthday was three months away, but that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t start on her gift early. She was preparing to draw something huge, a true representation of her gratitude and love towards Jack. She had finals coming up as well, so she continued to practice her piano skills on her electric keyboard to keep herself busy, and lastly to make sure that her mentality was sane.


    Evidently, she still wished to go to school. She didn¡¯t care what type of school she decided to go to in the end: public school, private school, even church school. It didn¡¯t matter to her in the end so long as she went to an actual school to relish those experiences. That was all that mattered. Even though she wished she could go normally like everyone else, she already knew she¡¯d be different.


    Jack was still worried about her safety, of course, especially due to their past experiences and her dreadful past he¡¯d witnessed firsthand. He didn¡¯t want a repeat of that and couldn¡¯t imagine how worse it would be for her. They were living in a neighborhood far worse than anything he¡¯d seen when he was a child.


    As she drew, Randolph opened her door, walking into her room. ¡°What are you up to?¡± he said, closing the door behind him.


    Her pencil stopped moving and she brushed her hand on the drawing. ¡°Oh nothing, just drawing and studying as usual.¡± Angela dropped her pencil, cracked her fingers, and stretched.


    ¡°Aww, how cute. My little Angela isn¡¯t gonna be some dumb hoodlumb,¡± Randolph said.


    Angela turned to her uncle, yawning. ¡°What¡¯s up, Uncle?¡±


    ¡°I thought maybe if you were hungry, I¡¯d take you somewhere to eat, cause I¡¯m bored as a mutha fucka!¡±


    Angela giggled. ¡°Language, Uncle!¡± She stood up, then neatly put her utensils back into place, cleared her desk, and smiled.


    ¡°Yeah I know, but the streets are in my veins. Cussing is part of my vocabulary.¡±


    ¡°Hee, hee. Whatever. Oh! Where¡¯s my brother?¡±


    Randolph crossed his arms like Jack and impersonated him by deepening his voice and sounding cold. ¡°I¡¯ve got a mission to do! Bother me or I¡¯ll kill you, jellybean!¡±


    Angela laughed and accepted Randolph¡¯s offer. ¡°Alright, Momma! Hop in the SUV cause we are rolling into the good part, so Uncle Randy gotta roll in style! Ya feel me?¡± Randolph flicked his jacket to make himself look cool.


    Angela¡¯s lips narrowed, her eyes too, blinking rapidly. ¡°That¡¯s a lil lame, Uncle. And with that attitude, I doubt you¡¯ll pick up any girls around that area.¡± She smiled and started packing her bag up with drawing equipment.


    Randolph had an embarrassed look on his face. He slammed a palm on his chest in shame. ¡°Damn! You gotta hit me hard like dat, sweety? Making me wanna kill myself here yo!¡± Randolph chuckled and so did Angela. He walked out of her room, made his way to the SUV, and waited for Angela.


    In her room, Angela prepped everything in her little bookbag for the happy trip with her uncle. I¡¯m so glad to have such loving guardians like my uncles and brother¡­ but¡­


    She paused as she held her bag open. ¡°Do I deserve them? A person like me, devoted to misery, embracing darkness the older I get? Huh, we¡¯ll see what life has in store for a lost cause like me.¡±


    Grabbing her drawing pad and lifting it off her desk, beneath it was a hidden razor. Angela stared at the razor while her bangs created a shadow of shame over her eyes. With her eyes hidden away, Angela clenched her fist and continued glaring at the sharp object.


    I thought I¡¯d hidden it away, so why is it here, taunting me to tempt my stress?


    Angela picked up the razor and observed it. ¡°My life¡¯s been nothing but insufferable misery, a burden I let out every so often. All because of her.¡± She tightened grip on the razor and bit her lip, then she softly whimpered.


    Throughout my life I¡¯ve been told I¡¯m nothing but a walking vessel belonging to someone else. Someone whose obsession had claimed a home inside my dreams, connected to my very essence of life, yet¡­


    She was about to toss the razor into a bin, but behind her in the shadows there she was, the being who she¡¯d blamed for her wretched life. ¡°Why am I still alive? If that¡¯s the case, do I deserve such a loving life and caring people who¡¯ve sacrificed so much to ensure a brighter future for me? Especially the one person who I look up to the most?¡±


    The girl in white stared deeply into Angela¡¯s soul, ensuring that she was watching her from behind. Angela¡¯s room transformed into a floating square within a void of misty darkness.


    Angela changed her mind and lowered her hand. ¡°All this time, every time I think, my thoughts of darkness overcome my sight. I use this to release the pain inside me. Hopefully, in doing so¡ª¡±


    The girl in white came out of the shadows, her height taller than before. Angela didn¡¯t turn around to acknowledge the girl watching her.


    In doing so, I can release this darkness lurking in my veins, to let it out and get out of me so I can live a life of normality.


    The girl in white sighed. It was not just a sigh, but a sigh of aggravation and anger.


    ¡°You¡¯re behind me¡­ aren¡¯t you¡­?¡±


    The girl in white didn¡¯t reply. Instead, she took a step forward.


    ¡°What do you want? How and why did you put this here? I hate having this self relieving thing shown to me in broad daylight. It¡¯s so tempting to relieve my stress. I want to do it now!¡±


    The girl in white took another step forward. ¡°Would you dare to inflict scars onto the body that belongs to me?¡±


    Angela gritted her teeth and grasped her right arm. ¡°Wh-What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Reveal them to me, the satisfying pain that you so love inflicting onto yourself, to relieve the emotional pain I¡¯ve given you.¡±


    Angela shook her head. ¡°No¡­ I won¡¯t.¡±


    The girl in white clenched her fists and took another step. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a fake. The only reason why you¡¯re wearing my love¡¯s clothing is to hide your shame, you worthless pile of detestable¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    The girl in white raised her hand over her supposed mouth, gasping dramatically. ¡°Oh¡­ is that how you want to express your guilt? Raising your lousy, phony voice at me, you cattle!¡±


    When the girl in white raised her voice, the walls around Angela¡¯s room exploded, revealing the misty darkness they were floating in.


    Angela stood her ground. ¡°How dare you! You¡¯re nothing but a burden on my miserable life! You have the audacity to say I¡¯m only wearing my brother¡¯s hoodie to hide my shame? What shame¡­? This shame!¡±


    Angela pulled up her sleeve, revealing her precious snowy skin with past self inflictions.


    The girl in white gasped and scowled. ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done¡­ to me¡­ to my¡­¡±


    Angela¡¯s right arm had razor scars on them, a secret she¡¯d been hiding for a couple of months. Falling into a depression, Angela one day inflicted herself with this pain accidentally when she was helping Jack do housework, and upon doing so, she realized how great the pain had given her. Angela has since cut herself every time the girl in white would taunt her, mortify her, petrify her, and most of all, cause her the pinnacle of suffrage. Cutting was her new coping mechanism, and she felt ashamed doing this to herself, but the poor girl couldn¡¯t resist how the newfound addiction to relieve the darkness lurking in her veins felt good.


    Angela finally mustered the courage to turn round and look face to face at the girl who¡¯d always terrorized her dreams. But who she saw wasn¡¯t the same person inside of them. ¡°H...uh? Wh-What¡­ happened to you?¡±


    The wretched girl in white unclenched her hands and softly giggled. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m still the same, I¡¯ve just matured a little, that¡¯s a-l-l.¡±


    Angela slowly shook her head in shock. ¡°No. You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯ve¡­!¡±


    ¡°Yes A-n-g-e-l-a¡­ I¡¯m evolving into the woman my dear Jack is turning me into, like in the past.¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes grew wide. Her face turned paler than her skin. The girl in white towered over her with a menacing shadow of anger. Her arms started reaching towards Angela. She let out one loud scream then closed her eyes. Finishing her scream of terror, she opened her eyes and gasped for air. She was now back in reality.


    Clutching her chest, Angela felt a burning sensation on her right wrist. She felt the razor in her hand, lifted it up to see it, and saw blood drip from it. The pain sizzled on her right wrist as blood dripped out from the black depths, splashing gently on her floor. Angela quivered. Slowly lowering her head in shame, Angela began walking out of the room to go inside the bathroom from across the hall. Walking in, she threw the razor away and into the bin. The bangs on her face hovered over her precious eyes, hiding the shadow of guilt and shame. Angela lifted her sleeve, revealing a new self inflicted wound.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­¡± she said quietly to herself as she looked into the mirror.


    She turned the faucet on, wiped blood off her wrist, got a bandaid located behind the mirror, and covered her cut. Slowly covering her wrist and staring at herself, Angela noticed that her purple highlights had grown further up. She grabbed the end of her hair and started crying silently. She couldn¡¯t bear to look at herself any longer, so she walked out of the bathroom, back into her room, and packed the drawing pad away.


    Angela was ready. Letting out a long sigh, she wiped her eyes and walked out, then made her way downstairs. She forced herself to smile and walked out of the house. Randolph saw her coming out so he waved. To be polite, she waved back too. She walked to her uncle and gave him the gentlest smile, but it was artificial. Randolph replied back with chuckles. The two were ready and hopped into the SUV.


    They drove to the nice town located between the good and bad parts of Flint. They parked in front of a nice cozy local pizza shop. Randolph was excited because he loved pizza, especially Detroit style pizza, and having Angela come along made the experience better. Though Angela had a depressing ordeal before the trip, she was really looking forward to pizza, hoping it¡¯ll cheer her up. Jack normally bought her pre-made or fast food in most cases to cheer her selfishness, but having to eat something handmade almost swept away her feelings of darkness that grew inside her. It was a rarity for her to eat anything freshly made or anything that nice since Jack worried about her exposure even though it¡¯d been years since their grand escape.


    They walked inside and Randolph went to the front to order the food, while Angela sat at the table they¡¯d picked. She took out her drawing pad and continued drawing her surprise gift again, but as she flipped through the pages there was one that reminded her of her past.


    ¡°You love tormenting me, don¡¯t you?¡± she muttered.


    In front of her was a drawing of the girl in white, elegantly twirling her dress in a dead forest. Dead rose petals floated all around her, and above her was a sea of crows. She flipped the page and let out an angered breath.


    The front door dinged and Danny walked in. He was hungry and decided to eat at the establishment which Angela happened to be in. He looked around and spotted a familiar set of hair. It was really dark and touched her shoulders which had drizzles of purple highlights. At first he brushed it off, but upon further thought he remembered who she was.


    No way¡­?! It couldn¡¯t be, right? Danny wondered.


    A sinister smile formed on his face as he walked up to her table. He set his hand on her shoulder, which surprised her. ¡°Found you¡­¡± he muttered.


    Angela looked at Danny. His eyes were scary and he had a creepy smile on his face. ¡°Um, who are you?¡± she asked frightfully.


    Danny leaned in close to her ear. ¡°Tell me girl, you know Jack, don¡¯t cha?¡±


    Angela was surprised. She gasped and started to tremble, feeling afraid of him because of his change of tone. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s my br-brother.¡±


    He tightened his grip on her shoulder and she yelped a little from the pressure. Just as I thought¡­ Hee, hee, hee, Danny thought.


    He started laughing sarcastically. ¡°Is that so? Nice meeting you! Don¡¯t take this little encounter into account, but I just happened to bump into a familiar past and¡­ you know. Ha, ha!¡± Before he could leave, he suddenly grabbed her pencil and started running for some odd reason.


    Having her precious pencil taken away from her, she shouted, ¡°My pencil! Someone stop him!¡±


    Randolph heard her cry and noticed Danny dash out the door. Randolph managed to catch up but had to stop because of Angela. He picked up a rock closeby and threw it at him to at least give him a taste of his own medicine.


    The rock hit Danny on the shoulder. It hurt him quite a bit, though he was some distance away. Damn¡­ what is he? An ex-football player? Youch!


    Danny was gone. He managed to escape, but more importantly he had Angela¡¯s pencil in his grasp. He had a huge grin on his face and felt that progress was starting to play out for his revenge.


    Walking confidently back home, Danny hopped onto his computer and started looking up Jack¡¯s name, searching everywhere he could possibly guess: where Jack had been throughout the years, whether at hospital visits, shelters, schools, foster care centers, adoption centers, anywhere he could get anything on him.


    He spent four hours on his computer and eventually became agitated. He slammed his hands on his desk. Damn it! Is there anything on him? Come one! Give me a sign or something, God!


    Danny was close to giving up. The venting frustration released itself out of his mouth in the form of a burdened sigh. Just when he felt the need to give up on his act of vigilante justice, he spotted something. It was an old advert for the mentally ill.


    ¡°This is strange? Let¡¯s see if their number still works.¡± He dialed the number on the page and waited patiently.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    It rang for a while, but there was no answer. Damn, I knew this was just a fluke. He smacked his lips and tossed his phone aside.


    Then his phone rang back. Danny grabbed it and looked at the number. It got him by surprise because it was the number he¡¯d just dialed. Danny answered the call.


    ¡°Hello¡­ whoever this is. You¡¯re calling an old number and we¡¯re no longer in business,¡± an unmotivated voice filled with guilt said.


    Danny drew in a deep breath. ¡°Sorry for the confusion! Do you perhaps have any records for anyone named Jack?¡±


    ¡°Jack, Jack, Jack¡­ We¡¯ve had many patients named Jack. You¡¯re gonna have to be more specific.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my apologies. Okay, his name is Jack Samr.¡± The person behind the phone stayed quiet.


    Danny was left hanging, and wondered why it got dead silent.


    The person behind the phone gasped in shock. It sounded as if he¡¯dd dropped a glass. ¡°Who¡¯s this?!¡± He sounded static, yet eager from how he responded back to Danny.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ um¡ª¡±


    ¡°How do you know who he is?!¡± Behind the phone it sounded as if he¡¯d slammed his hand on a desk.


    ¡°Woah man. Relax, will ya?¡±


    The man took a deep breath, let out a cough, and cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry, out of subject, but was there a girl with him by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Umm, yes.¡±


    The man behind the phone chuckled quietly.


    Danny let out a sigh of relief and grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I¡¯m an old friend of his. Perhaps you can tell me more about him and where he lives?¡±


    ¡°Friend, you say? Well sorry kiddo, we have no clue where he lives, but we did have a hint of his last location.¡±


    Danny gripped his chin and thought to himself. So he is alive after all. Just as she said, just as I witnessed. To be honest, I didn¡¯t want it to be true, but alas, people do change, don¡¯t they?


    Danny cleared his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t you people keep records of past patients and where they were sent off to or something?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that would be the case. But why would I give you such confidential stuff to a stranger like you huh?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ He was my best friend at one point?¡± Danny forcefully coughs.


    The man sighed. ¡°Whatever at this point, I could care less. I don¡¯t have much information on that delinquent.¡±


    Danny smacked his lips. ¡°Damn it, I thought I could get a clue.¡±


    ¡°I only have a small file on him, it would be bigger if they didn¡¯t happen to escape, then that¡¯s a different story.¡±


    ¡°Escaped?¡± Danny didn¡¯t think Jack would do something as crazy as escaping a mental institution.


    Damn, Jack has really become a degenerate, hasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°So what¡¯s the full story behind Jack? Why did the police lie about his death to us if that were the case? And most of all, who¡¯s the little girl you asked about and why is she with Jack? Why are you more worried about her than an ex-patient of yours who escaped?¡±


    ¡°You know where she is too?!¡± he asked excitedly, quickly clearing his throat. ¡°Sorry! What I meant to say is, is she still with him by any chance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I do. I just confronted her four hours ago. She was with some Black guy though, but she definitely knows Jack.¡±


    Danny examined her pencil and saw her name engraved into it. Angela. Huh¡­ cute name.


    ¡°I even took her pencil to get some clues. Uhhh, her name¡¯s Angela if that was the girl you¡¯re referring to?¡±


    The man started laughing as if he were a kid being handed a lifetime supply of candy. ¡°Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I¡¯ll tell you everything, if you tell me your name and help me out with something.¡±


    Danny knew something was fishy right away. ¡°Well, what¡¯s in it for me, Mister? What do I get in return?¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything about Jack¡¯s situation and answer all your questions! I¡¯ll even pay you five million dollars! But only if you help me get the girl. How about it?¡±


    Danny¡¯s mouth dropped. ¡°Fi-Fi-Five million!¡± He jumped out of his desk chair and placed a hand on his head.


    Holy crap! All I wanted was revenge on the bastard, but to get rich too? How awesome is that!


    Danny dragged his hand down his face, relaxing his greedy excitement. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll help you out, my good man. My name is Daniel, or you can call me Danny. Your name please.¡±


    The man behind the phone had a grin and was twirling his pen in an office of some sort. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, especially knowing that we share the same goals.¡±


    ¡°Interesting indeed, uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, sorry, allow me to introduce myself. Well Daniel, my name is Dr. Cato. It¡¯s a pleasure to be doing business with you.¡±


    Dr. Cato chuckled sadistically, reached into his desk and pulled out a photo of Angela. You¡¯re coming home soon, Angela.


    He continued conversing with Danny on the phone and they shared everything together; information, locations, and their plan to take Angela.


    Dr. Cato thanked Danny for everything, and mostly for his time. He said he¡¯d be in touch. Hanging up his phone, Dr. Cato got out of his chair, walked up to his window and with a joyful look on his face, he felt so relieved to hear that she was still alive. From what Danny had told him, she was healthy and well. He couldn¡¯t have been happier to hear that.


    Who would¡¯ve thought that someone like Jack would wind up as a mindless killing thug? Dr. Cato shook his head.


    ¡°Poor Angela, you deserve better. This time, I¡¯ll make sure to take care of you and most of all, I¡¯ll save you from that fool and ensure the promise I bestowed on your father.¡± Dr. Cato pulled out his phone again, then dialed a number belonging to his good friend Mr. Mathew. He informed him of everything that had happened.


    Mathew was glad about the news. He couldn¡¯t wait to get his hands on Jack for what he did to him back at the yard five years ago. The time had come for him and Dr. Cato to recover the person they¡¯d sworn to keep out of society and to keep a promise for an old friend. It was the time to retrieve Angela and save her from her demons.


    Even though Danny was ecstatic and happy, there was a cloud hovering over him. He was having second thoughts now, and he had no idea that Jack had gone through all that hell, but he could never forgive him for killing his sister. He wondered if all the uncertainties Jack had gone through were the reasons why he ended up as a heartless killer. Danny stared at a family photo of his sister and mother. They¡¯re both gone now. He had no one now, almost like Jack.


    Am I going to become a psychopath like him?


    Danny wondered if he¡¯d turn out to be like Jack. At first, he thought of how everyone would view him if he became a changed boy, becoming bad in a sense. But his selfish, greedy, lustful mind overcame such conflictions, making him smile once again. Thinking if he¡¯d turn out like a bad boy, the first thing that came to mind was if he might have a chance at Veronica liking him.


    Danny glanced at his old gaming console, remembering how he and Jack used to challenge each other in a shooter. Just like old times, huh buddy?


    He stood and made a gun out of his fingers. ¡°The game is still on! Bang! Game on, Jack.¡±


    ***


    Jack returned home from an exhausting mission. He had to sell a lot of dope along with a couple pounds of marijuana. He crashed onto his bed, then stretched and yawned. He was in no mood to do anything. However, shortly after, Randolph and Angela returned from their lunch. Angela hurried to Jack¡¯s room and jumped on top of him.


    He made a funny sound when Angela hopped on him. He noticed Angela looked a little upset. ¡°Dang. What¡¯s the matter? Why are you all shakened and spooked out?¡±


    Randolph walked in. ¡°Jack, you gotta hear this, you big ol psychopath.¡±


    Jack simmered Angela down by rubbing her head, rubbing her shoulders, and holding her. He was all ears now.


    ¡°Some punk tried picking on Angela and stole her pencil,¡± said Randolph.


    Jack carried Angela up off the bed as he got up too. ¡°Who? I want his skin color, what he was wearing, everything!¡± he said in a furious tone.


    ¡°Sorry man. By the time I could get a good look on his description, the lil pussy ran stupid fast.¡±


    He put Angela down, and approached his wall. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Jack slammed his fist against the wall.


    If I was there, he¡¯d be a dead son of a bitch.


    ¡°Chill man! At least it was nothing more! Am I right? Or am I wrong?¡±


    Jack placed his hands on his hips, raising his head and scratching it then taking a breath. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. At least she wasn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Angela grabbed Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°But brother, he knew your name, though¡­¡±


    ¡°My name? That¡¯s not possible. Nobody else knows my name except for you guys and¡­¡± Jack froze. Sweat started pouring down his face.


    Don¡¯t tell me? No, No, No, that couldn¡¯t be it, right?


    Angela looked up at her brother¡¯s frightened face. It made her feel uneasy and a little creeped out since Jack was mumbling to himself. ¡°Are you okay, brother?¡±


    ¡°Angela, what was he wearing?¡±


    She retracted a bit, putting her hands up and squinting. ¡°Just normal winter clothes, though his eyes were really scary and brown¡­ just like yours.¡±


    Jack sighed. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s a relief. Had me worried there for a second. Hey, wait a second! Are my eyes that scary?¡±


    Angela winked to her brother, grabbing his hand again. ¡°Yes and no, but they¡¯re still mesmerizing to me!¡±


    Jack patted her head. ¡°Heh, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re okay. How about you head back to your room? I¡¯ll come up there and watch some cartoons with you? What do you say?¡±


    ¡°Really? You mean it!¡± She got so excited that she couldn¡¯t help but jump up and down.


    ¡°Relax, will ya?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°No! You better be there or I¡¯ll destroy you. By the way, they¡¯re not cartoons!¡± She then left and headed to her room.


    The moment Angela left the room, the happiness that everyone showed tagged along with her. Jack¡¯s smile faded and he got serious then looked at Randolph, who seemed more serious than what Jack did.


    Randolph walked up to Jack and looked into his lifeless eyes. ¡°Jack, I think it¡¯s time you tell me everything, don¡¯t cha think? What¡¯s up with you two? Why did you ask about the guy¡¯s appearance?¡±


    Jack looked away. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk about something like that so he tried walking away. However, Randolph placed his arm in front of Jack and blocked him from going any further.


    ¡°Randolph, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°You ain¡¯t going nowhere until you tell me everything.¡±


    Jack pushed Randolph¡¯s arm aside. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This isn¡¯t the time.¡±


    Randolph gritted his teeth and pushed Jack. ¡°Tell me or you¡¯re gonna get a bullet in your damn skull!¡± Randolph pulled his gun out and pointed it at Jack.


    ¡°Randolph, relax¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please man!¡± He sighed deeply, calming down his shortened fuse. ¡°I just wanna know so that I can protect your sister. Please Jack.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t sure if Randolph was serious enough, so he brushed it off and tried to apologise one last time, but that angered Randolph even more.


    ¡°Look man, like I said I¡¯m sorry¡­ I gotta¡ª¡±


    Randolph¡¯s gun went off, cutting Jack off from finishing his sentence. A bullet passed Jack¡¯s face and grazed his cheek, then penetrated the wall behind him. Jack¡¯s ear rang and Randolph left him shakened. Jack couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. He was shocked that Randolph did something like that. The only person who would ever try to do something so careless was either him or Eric.


    Jack looked at Randolph as he rubbed the blood off his cheek. ¡°Randolph?¡±


    He could tell by the look in Randolph¡¯s eyes that he was serious from how furrowed his brows were, his jaw clenched, and a glint starting to show itself.


    The gun in Randolph¡¯s hands trembled, and his face expressed agonized frustration. ¡°The next bullet will hit, Jack.¡± Randolph shed a warm, saddened tear that flowed down his cheek, which finally made Jack realize how serious he was.


    Jack expressed a gentle grin and walked up to Randolph as he gently placed his hand on his shoulder. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you everything. And I do mean everything¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Randolph asked.


    Jack gently grabbed the gun. ¡°Yes Uncle, really. Now put that tool of mass murder away.¡±


    Randolph did exactly as Jack asked and put the gun away. ¡°If you lie to me, you are a dead summa o bitch!¡±


    When they were about to walk away, Randolph clicked about a word Jack had said a moment ago regarding the status of his guardianship. With a quivering lip, Randolph turned to Jack as they headed to the backyard.


    ¡°What?¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Di-Did you just call me uncle?¡± Randolph asked.


    Now in the backyard, they both stood in the middle of the cold area with a single tree stump. The air was dry and cold. The wind was slightly harsh enough to send chills throughout one¡¯s body. Jack took a seat on the old tree stump, pulled out his wallet, and took out a drawing he¡¯d kept since his escape from the facility. It was a drawing that Angela had drawn when they first met. It was a premonition of her and Jack, happy and free.


    Jack smiled and handed it to Randolph. ¡°What¡¯s this boy?¡± Randolph asked as he examined the adorable drawing that represented two kids being free and happy next to one another with big open mouth smiles also holding hands.


    Randolph was amazed that someone like Jack had kept it for so long. He joked around and mocked Jack by calling him a suck up.


    Jack didn¡¯t mind, though. He knew how much of a hard ass he was, especially knowing how much he¡¯d changed in two years.


    Randolph handed the paper back, nodding. Jack grabbed it from him. He was ready to hear the truth that he was seeking and hoping to learn about Angela and Jack¡¯s backgrounds, where they came from, and who they were.


    Jack gazed up at the dim gray sky. The sun shone behind cold, foggy clouds, which barely emitted any light through them. ¡°It was about five and a half years ago, when I was barely eleven years old¡­¡±


    Randolph listened closely. ¡°Alright, go on.¡±


    ¡°I was so damn happy back then. I thought the pinnacle of happiness and devoted partnership would stay by my side forever. I had loving parents, amazing friends, and a perfect life to be honest¡­ until one horrible day all that amazement in my life came crumbling down, like crushing the perfect cookie in one¡¯s wretched grasp.¡±


    Randolph was eager to hear the rest and paid close attention, raising a brow and staring hard at Jack. ¡°What happened if your life was that amazing? What brought an end to such a beautiful life?¡±


    Jack stared at falls leftovers drifting past his feet. ¡°It all began when I had a strange dream, a dream like no other. I can¡¯t remember much, but what I can is darkness, solitude, and¡­¡±


    Randolph indicated for Jack to finish his sentence, but Jack couldn¡¯t bring himself to mention the girl in his nightmares.


    ¡°Do you still have weird dreams like that or at least remember something from it?¡± Randolph asked as he sat on a nearby chair.


    Jack nodded. ¡°Yes, I still have dreams like that. Horrible, dark dreams. And as I get older, they get weirder, more grotesque, and realer.¡±


    Jack stared at his scarred palm. The only thing I always remember from any dream is that girl¡­


    ¡°Her black hair, paper skin, and that damn relaxing voice pisses me off.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Randolph asked with a raised brow.


    ¡°The girl in my¡ª¡¯¡¯ Jack said, realizing he¡¯d spoken beyond his thoughts.


    ¡°You alright, Jack? You¡¯re sweating.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright bro, just making sure cause you¡¯re turning white on me. But finish whatchu were saying.¡±


    Jack whipped his hair back. ¡°After that night, I got into a fight with one of my best friends. I called her a bitch and made her cry.¡± Jack clasped his hands, placed his head on them, and thought about his past.


    ¡°Damn¡­ you were a cold little delinquent, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily, but what happened after my dreadful school day I could never forget.¡± Jack tightened his hands, remembering that awful night. ¡°My parents were killed in front of me and¡­ I blacked out¡­¡±


    Randolph swallowed nervously. ¡°Wha-What happened after-wards?¡±


    Jack continued staring at nothing. ¡°Apparently, I killed all the guys who killed them¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t know how! All I know is that everything got worse for me in terms of my life.¡±


    Randolph felt horrible hearing that. It pained his heart, and it was enough for him to frown. ¡°How much worse did it get for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say worse, but¡­ it got pretty bad. I was put into a mental facility cause they thought I was the one who murdered everyone. I still can¡¯t get over that. Even to this day I can¡¯t, but I¡¯d say it was a blessing in disguise. I wouldn¡¯t have met Angela there and rescued her.¡±


    Randolph¡¯s mouth dropped. ¡°You met her in the same facility? What the fuck?! A girl like her? Nuuuh!¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I was surprised too. She was living there because her parents were supposedly killed in a car accident, or from what I was told by a selfish doctor. That poor girl has been through so much.¡±


    ¡°You both have! What¡¯s the story behind her, though? Why do you always worry about her safety?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes were filled with anger. Just thinking about Dr. Cato made his mind become filled with hatred. ¡°Randolph, I¡¯m going to be completely honest with you, she¡¯s still a complete mystery to be honest, but what I do know is that if she ends up back in those doctors¡¯ damned hands, it¡¯ll be the end of her. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    Jack stood up and clenched his fists. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so cautious about her going to school, especially that day at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Hospital¡­? Huh?!¡±


    Jack gazed at the sky one last time and stretched. ¡°That¡¯s as much as you¡¯re going to get out of me, Randolph. So, what¡¯s your story?¡±


    Randolph chuckled, stood up, and walked over to Jack. He looked down at his friend and patted his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to keep it short and sweet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got all day,¡± Jack said with a grin.


    Randolph took a deep breath and sighed out the hidden burden weighing down his soul. He sat down beside Jack. ¡°Ten years ago, my life was amazing too. Even though I wasn¡¯t super rich or poor, I worked at some lame office job to take care of my family.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew big. A gasp trickled through a sudden breath when Randolph mentioned the word family.


    ¡°I had a beautiful loving wife who took care of me at my worst. She was my childhood best friend and the love of my life. But more importantly, I had¡­ I had¡­¡± Randolph couldn¡¯t finish. He kept thinking about his past. His eyes got watery as he clenched his pants.


    Jack could tell what was coming next, but he hoped his gut was wrong.


    Randolph toughened up, held back his tears, and continued. ¡°I had a beautiful, amazing daughter. A smart, adorable¡­ representation of happiness. She was everything to me¡­ I was so happy! So fucking happy.¡±


    Jack saw Randolph shedding a single tear as they sat in brief silence. But the quietness got interrupted by Michigan¡¯s natural sounds of gunshots being fired, police sirens, dogs barking, and Flint¡¯s chilly wind fluttering their clothes.


    ¡°Randolph,¡± Jack¡¯s eyes were about to water, ¡°it couldn¡¯t be?¡± Jack¡¯s breathing intensified while he held back his emotions. He felt butterflies and knew what Randolph was about to say.


    Randolph clutched his chest. ¡°One day when we were on our way to celebrate our daughter¡¯s tenth birthday¡­¡± He randomly chuckled out of sadness.


    ¡°Randolph¡­¡±


    Randolph sniffled and placed a hand over his eyes. ¡°They were taken from me. I always asked myself why God took them away from me. Was I not good enough for them? Is that it?¡± Randolph slammed his palm against his face out of frustration.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to speak about it no more, you could¡ª¡±


    Randolph stood up and looked at Jack with blood shot eyes filled with self guilt and sorrow. ¡°Why them and not me? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!¡± He dropped on all fours, crying all his caged sorrow onto the cold ground.


    Jack clenched his fists and held back his own feelings. He walked up to comfort him, rubbing his back as he cried guilt onto the ground. ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry. How about we head back inside? What do you say?¡±


    Randolph sniffled and wiped his tears with his sleeve. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can keep going. I¡¯m a tough man, aight! I just lost my cool there for a second.¡±


    He stood up and looked at Jack with a grin on his face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for letting you see me like this.¡±


    Jack smiled and patted Randolph¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We all get emotional sometimes, but that¡¯s what keeps us human, right?¡±


    Randolph relaxed, unclenching his fists, remembering the moment his family was taken from him. ¡°I wanted to show my baby the time of her life. All of that came to an end, though. It happened so fast. All I remember is the car covered by bullet holes, broken glass, and my family¡­¡±


    ¡°You were targeted? By who?¡±


    Randolph shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s the thing¡­ I wasn¡¯t. We were in the middle of a crossfire between two rival gangs. It¡¯s my fault for stopping!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s not you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    Randolph stood up, pointed at the sky and angrily shouted, ¡°Why? Why did you take them away from me?!¡±


    Jack quickly stood up and rubbed his back to calm him once again. ¡°Randolph, it wasn¡¯t your fault or God¡¯s. It happens. This is just how cruel the world and life is. You can¡¯t expect the unexpected.¡±


    Randolph finally calmed down and looked at Jack. ¡°Man, you are so damn weird! Why did you become so fucked up?¡± Randolph, now in a calmer state, hugged Jack.


    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Jack asked, surprised.


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve ever known that the old Jack Angela told me about would still be in there,¡± Randolph said with tears trickling down his face, which stained Jack¡¯s shoulder.


    Jack tightened their hug, embracing their partnership. ¡°Hey, like I told Eric, it was I who chose to be this way, not the streets, neither of you two, or anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, the both of you, for giving me a reason to live.¡± Jack and Randolph looked at each other, laughed, then rubbed their eyes.


    ¡°You almost made me cry there, Uncle. I haven¡¯t felt this emotional in five years. I should be thanking you for everything, Randolph, along with Uncle Eric. Both of you will always be family to me, even if you almost shot me a few minutes ago.¡±


    Randolph playfully punched Jack¡¯s shoulder. As they turned around and were about to head back inside, Eric was standing at the door. Both Jack and Randolph glanced at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Eric deeply sighed because he¡¯d heard Jack¡¯s story and felt bad for him.


    Eric acted like he still didn¡¯t care, even though he secretly did. He knew Jack was still messed up and needed help. They joked around and suggested that they should send him back to the facility he¡¯d escaped from. Jack sighed and suggested that he should just ditch them and run away with Angela like he did five years ago at that place.


    After a small laugh, Eric needed to explain something to Jack. ¡°Yo, fool. We both have a meeting with a rival gang leader in a week aight?¡±


    Jack smirked. ¡°Alright, I understand and promised not to escalate the situation like last time¡­ well maybe ha.¡±


    ¡°You better not or else I¡¯ma kill you for real this time.¡± said Eric pointing his finger at Jack. ¡°Randolph, you¡¯ll be here at the crib for the meantime when it does go down so you can keep watch and ensure that nothing fishy¡¯s being planned by the other side.¡±


    Randolph grinned. ¡°You got it boss, we don¡¯t want to be stabbed in the back like last time.¡±


    Jack punched Randolph¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You got that right, otherwise I¡¯ll show them no mercy.


    All three men were all aware of their positions and the details of their plans, now all they had to do was wait for the week to pass. Randolph grinning, Jack smirking and Eric bringing out a smile as well, the three felt like everything was coming into fruition and were ready for anything.

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 2 : Suffer

    Ever since his phone call with a peculiar doctor and encountering Jack¡¯s supposed sister with almost coming into harm''s way by someone else protecting her, Danny¡¯s been on the alert, seeing if he could get any clues where Jack was at. Today he¡¯s hanging around town to see if he or the Black male would return with the girl Dr. Cato talked about. Danny tried his best to stay in the shadows, ensuring his plans weren¡¯t foiled by anyone associated with Jack.


    Veronica happened to come across Danny as he was doing his detective work. He was sitting at the ice cream shop where she and Anna  would sometimes come by.


    Veronica tapped his shoulder. ¡°Hey Danny, what are you up to sitting all alone?¡±


    Danny smacked his lips. ¡°Listen here alright! I¡¯m busy, so go annoy someone else,¡± he said, surveillancing the area with his glaring eyes.


    Veronica got upset and stood before him with her hands on her hips. ¡°What¡¯s your problem? You¡¯ve been such a jerk ever since your sister was killed.¡±


    Danny ignored her and tried pushing her aside. ¡°Move! I¡¯m looking out for someone!¡±


    Veronica had had enough of his disgusting attitude, and was on the verge of laying a deserving slap to his face. She stomped the ground, clenched her fists, and her face turned red. But Danny continued ignoring her, going as far as to completely push her aside.


    Veronica gasped and her eyes popped out. ¡°Why you¡­ I¡¯ll show you!¡± She raised her hand and furrowed her brows.


    Danny spotted Angela with another black guy, and he was huge. He jumped out of the chair and started running in their direction before Veronica could land that slap she was about to lay upon his face.


    Veronica raised her fists in the air and shouted, ¡°Stupid jerk!¡±


    Danny didn¡¯t care though, his mind was focused on vengeance. As he got closer, Danny stopped running and casually walked behind a couple of bystanders, making sure they didn¡¯t spot him stalking them.


    While Danny was stalking them, Eric and Angela were heading back to his nice SUV. For some reason, he had a feeling that something was fishy. His street instincts told him they were being watched. When they did get to the parked truck Eric had stopped and Angela wondered why by looking up at him.


    Eric pats Angela¡¯s shoulder as he glances around their area. ¡°Baby girl, why don¡¯t you go inside the whip first? Imma take me a smoke break.¡±


    Angela nods, saluting to her uncle with a smile. ¡°Okie dokie. Don¡¯t be smoking too much! Those things are gonna slow you down, I¡¯m telling you.¡±


    Eric grinned and looked down to his niece. ¡°You should be telling that to your creepy brother, not me. Ha, ha.¡± he pulled out the keys to the SUV, unlocked it for her by pressing the key fob.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. I will!¡± Angela ran around to hop inside the passenger side of the truck and waited for her uncle to smoke more cancer into his lungs.


    Eric took out a box of cigarettes, pulled a single out, and started smoking. ¡°Hmm, hopefully. I¡¯m just imagining things.¡±


    Danny, who was a couple of feet from them, pretended to tie his shoe on a bench. Damn¡­ this dude¡¯s fucking huge and jacked!


    Danny straightened his clothes and sat on the bench, then pulled out his phone and made it seem as if he was waiting for someone.


    Eric noticed how shaky the boy sitting on the bench was. Hmm¡­ better make sure he ain¡¯t no damn spy.


    Eric walked towards Danny, as the boy pretended not to notice, but he was trembling. He had never seen anyone so intimidating before. The guy was tall, buff, and covered in tattoos. He had an aura around him that made Danny¡¯s legs quiver.


    As the guy got closer, Danny¡¯s heart pounded intensely. He was shaking uncontrollably and felt afraid of the man. The pores on his body started swelling, releasing the fear inside, grinding his teeth, eyes moving erratically, and slowly very carefully swallowing in a way without making it seem he¡¯s experiencing the personification of fear.


    Eric sat next to Danny and continued smoking his cigarette while observing Danny¡¯s clothes. He ain¡¯t repping no colors of our rivals.


    Danny had gotten so afraid that he froze like a statue. Shit¡­ I think he¡¯s on to me! Danny tried controlling his breathing, making sure he wasn¡¯t showing any signs of fear, but it was too late.


    Eric tossed his cigarette away, stood up, and took one last look at Danny. Looks like he ain¡¯t a rival gang member or the one that spooked Angela. His clothes are different and he seems like a pussy from what Angela described.


    Eric cracked his knuckles and left, then he got into the SUV and drove away. However, Eric didn¡¯t notice that Danny had taken a photo of his license plate the moment he turned his back to him.


    Danny smiled. ¡°Soon, soon, soon! You too will suffer as I have, Jack.¡± Danny texted Dr. Cato¡¯s personal number and sent him the photo to search for their location.


    With a huge grin on his face, Danny stood up and walked away, happy knowing that Jack¡¯s life would be changed by his hand.


    ***


    When Eric and Angela got home, Eric parked the big vehicle in its rightful spot in the driveway. As he unbuckled his seatbelt, he saw Jack confronting someone inside the house from the front window. It wasn¡¯t clear who he was confronting, but it wasn¡¯t Randolph from how Jack was yelling.


    Eric got out and Angela did too. He held her hand and they slowly walked towards the front door. The yelling inside got more intense, but Eric didn¡¯t want Angela¡¯s innocent eyes to see an argument that aggressive.


    ¡°Stay here for a second okay, baby girl.¡±


    ¡°O-Okay Uncle.¡±


    Eric opened the door and right in front of him, a rival gang member was tied up in a chair, beaten horribly by Jack. Eric was disgusted by this sight Of course he was accustomed to beating rival gang members, but not to this extent. Jack had the man¡¯s face completely disfigured, his arms appeared to be broken, and both his legs were snapped. Jack hadn¡¯t noticed Eric was in shock behind him, so with no hesitation Jack fired his gun, killing the man in cold blood.


    Eric had had enough of Jack¡¯s ruthless and psychopathic tendencies. He furiously grabbed him from behind and slammed him on the ground. Getting on top of Jack, Eric grabbed his shirt and started pummeling his face with his giant fists. Jack blocked most of them as they came crashing down on him like meteors, but Eric managed to slip one past his forearms and land directly on his nose.


    Angela heard a gun going off, as well as shouting and struggling. She rushed inside and spotted her beloved uncle beating the living ruthlessness out of her dear brother. Infuriated, she rushed to her brother¡¯s aid and tried to get Eric off Jack, but the size differences were too great. Eric was so enraged that he wasn¡¯t focusing on his surroundings.


    Angela accidently got in the way and Eric¡¯s elbow collided with her precious face. She yelped and as soon as Jack heard the person whom he swore his life to being in pain, he was livid. His eyes turned bloodshot, which surprised Eric. He quickly overpowered Jack for a second to stop the senseless violence. Pushing Eric¡¯s hands away for a quick moment, Jack had an opportunity to grab his gun and fire it. The bullet narrowly missed Eric and scuffed his cheek.


    Eric was shocked. He stood still on top of Jack, with his fist raised and caught his breath, feeling just as angry as before. Eric rubbed his fingertips on his cheek and noticed blood. He glanced at Jack. The boy¡¯s face was bruised, he had a bleeding nose, and his eyes were crimson. He¡¯d never seen Jack in a state like that before.


    ¡°The next one¡­ wi-will hit¡­ -if you ever hurt my sister again,¡± Jack said angrily, spitting out a glob of blood to his side.


    Eric looked back and saw Angela in the doorway. A small stream of blood flowed down to her chin. ¡°This is all your,¡± Eric picked up Jack and threw him against the couch, ¡°fault!¡±


    Jack leaned against the couch, trying to get up, but Eric was in his way. Angela quickly got back up, jumped onto Jack and clung onto him. The moment Eric wanted to give Jack a finishing blow to his wretched face, Angela glared at her uncle and scared him in place. It was the scariest look Eric had ever seen someone give him. Her eyes widened in anger, telling Eric she was ready to fight him too.


    Eric got emotional and glared at Jack. ¡°You see what you made me do?! This is yo damn fault, Jack! Just what the hell were you doing to this man?!¡±


    Angela ground her teeth and glared deeper into Eric¡¯s soul.


    Eric started pacing back and forth while looking at Jack. He was chopping the air as he continued shouting at him. ¡°You¡¯re fucking sick! You can¡¯t just go killing everyone¡­ You need help, man! For real, dawg!¡±


    Frowning, Jack set Angela aside and stood up, then grabbed onto Angela¡¯s outstretched hand. Jack spat again, looked Eric directly in the eyes, took deep breaths and then stared at the ground.


    ¡°Why Jack? Why are you so fucked? You made me hurt your sister out of rage, you think I feel good?¡± Eric slammed his hand against his chest. His lips twitched as he held back tears and clenched his fists. ¡°No! I feel like shit, man!¡±


    Angela brushed the blood off her lip and clung onto Jack.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just go around killing people, man¡­ You really are sick.¡±


    Jack finally looked up at Eric. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I got carried away. This is all my fault.¡± He turned to Angela, looking guilty. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too, Angela.¡±


    He wiped the rest of the blood off her mouth and held her. ¡°Brother¡­¡± Angela said in a hurtful tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for letting you see me like this¡­ again.¡±


    Eric sighed. ¡°Look man, did you really think I wanted to do that to you? No man! You¡¯re my homie, but you really do need help.¡± Eric extended his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s be grown ass men and shake on it.¡±


    Jack stared at Eric¡¯s offer, feeling so much guilt. What have I become¡­


    Eric then turned to Angela. ¡°Princess, I¡¯ll let you punch me for hurting you, okay?¡±


    Angela grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind then.¡±


    Jack accepted his apology by reaching out and grabbing Eric¡¯s hand. ¡°My bad, but I¡¯m doing this to save your ass for beating up a minor.¡±


    Eric shook his head. ¡°Still the damn smartass even after getting the shit beat out of you, huh?¡± Both guys shook hands, forgiving one another for their actions.


    Angela crossed her arms and rubbed her eyes. ¡°You both need help.¡± Eric and Jack both laughed and nodded at each other.


    Randolph walked inside, missing the emotional beating Eric had laid upon Jack. Ignoring the other two, Randolph looked at  Angela. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°What are you ready for and why is Angela involved?¡± Eric asked, glaring at Randolph.


    ¡°I promised to take Angela to the park located close to the nice town.¡±


    Angela was astounded and immediately dashed to the car. The events that unfolded before had vanished and in its place, this plan overtook it.


    Eric sighed. ¡°Be careful. You should take the SUV.¡±


    Randolph stuck half his body out of the front door. ¡°Angela! Hop in the SUV instead!¡±


    Angela heard him and complied.


    Coming back inside, Randolph noticed the dead corpse on the chair. He cringed, then looked at a beat up Jack waving to him, apologizing for the mess.


    ¡°Goddamn¡­ you need help boy.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll clean it up and dispose of the body,¡± Jack said, proceeding to clean up the mess he¡¯d made.


    ¡°Yo Eric! Watchu bout to do, huh?¡± Randolph asked.


    ¡°Imma go handle some business so I won¡¯t be back for a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s our boss. But just a second¡­ What happened to the boy¡¯s face? It¡¯s like he got hit by a goddamn train! Ha, ha!¡±


    Jack intervened by snapping his fingers at Randolph to grab his attention. Randolph looked at Jack, and Jack pointed at Eric, which brought laughter out of Randolph.


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    ¡°You probably deserved the ass whooping. And boss, what happened to yo cheek? He scuff you or something? Bwahaha!¡±


    Eric picked up Jack¡¯s silver handgun laying on the couch and stared at it. ¡°This fool grazed my cheek by shooting a bullet past my face. That¡¯s what happened!¡±


    Randolph wanted to roll on the ground in laughter, but he remembered doing the same to Jack. Randolph cleared his throat, wiping away his childish smile, and started  whistling suspiciously.


    Eric glared at his buddy. ¡°What¡¯s with the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh! I wonder where he got that idea from? Ha, ha, ha!¡± His laughter sounded forced and it went unnoticed.


    Eric shook his head. ¡°Remind me Randolph that I¡¯ll kick your ass too if you teach Jack any other forms of intimidation.¡±


    Randolph slowly crept away, sarcastically chuckling and forcefully waving goodbye. Eric smiled and made sure they left without anyone following them.


    As they left, Jack decided to clean up his mess. He went to the backyard and started heading into the forest for some kindling. Suddenly, he saw someone in the shadows of the branchy darkness. Jack stopped picking and observed the shadow, trying to figure out who it was.


    As the two stared into each other¡¯s souls, the person exposed themselves out of the shadows of the forests. It was a woman in a red dress.


    Jack felt uneasy and creeped out. He asked himself why there was a perfectly dressed woman in the forest behind their home. It raised suspicion, and he wondered if she was an escort that Eric or Randolph had potentially hired to prank him.


    Jack didn¡¯t take any measures and tried pulling out his gun, but as he reached for it he remembered he¡¯d dropped it inside. The woman stepped a little closer, enough for Jack to witness the beauty of her black and red gothic hooded dress. It was stunning, and even shimmered its blood red beauty beneath the gray clouds. Looking at Jack with the most genuine smile on her face beneath the hood¡¯s shadow, her eyes twinkled as he stared in confusion at her.


    Within the mysterious occurrence, though Jack couldn¡¯t see her face completely, he felt relaxed while staring at her. She softly waved at Jack, like a mother would to a child.


    The gentle wave brought an immeasurable amount of emotional relief out of him, which trickled a gasp out of him. Jack felt like crying to release the emotional burdens piling up inside, wanting to be freed. The strange experience had made Jack feel happiness, calm, and relief. It was strange that a woman of such elegance would stand behind their home. Prank or not, Jack didn¡¯t regret the experience one bit.


    Eric called out for Jack, interrupting the moment of peace. Jack grinned, but as he turned back to the forest where the woman stood, she had disappeared.


    Jack felt confused. ¡°I really gotta check my mental health. I¡¯m starting to see things now. Jesus.¡± He shook his head and returned back inside to reply to Eric¡¯s call.


    The woman in red appeared again, staring at their home with mysterious teal eyes. She placed her hands over her heart, smiled gently, and shed a single cold tear. ¡°I¡¯ll free both of you from that girl. And when I do, I¡¯ll ensure a new life you two rightfully deserve. Until then, take care.¡± The mysterious woman in red faded away, disappearing once again into the shadows.


    ***


    Randolph and Angela were in town, enjoying the park like her uncle had promised her. Randolph sat on a bench smoking his cigarette, staring at beautiful thick women of all colors walking past his lustful sight. Meanwhile, Angela playfully ran around observing the beautiful scenery. In doing her playful running, she came across the center fountain and stopped.


    Standing at the front of the monument symbolizing the town¡¯s booming economy, as she stared at the glistening water, Angela took out a coin. Holding it with the tips of her pale fingers, she nodded and wished as hard as she could. She momentarily closed her eyes and whispered her wish.


    ¡°I wish to be free of my burdens, and to spend the rest of my life with my brother, Jack.¡± She tossed the coin into the fountain¡¯s base, hoping one day her dreams would come true.


    Randolph smiled and watched Angela be the child she deserved to be, remembering how his daughter used to do the same. He felt at ease and for once, he was happy knowing he¡¯d been given another chance to raise a kid he could rightfully claim as his own. Randolph hadn¡¯t felt that good in a long time. In his depressed mind, he never thought he¡¯d ever smile again so long as he lived. He was glad Jack and Angela came into his life. At least he knew that if he¡¯d ever die, he wouldn¡¯t have any regrets.


    Angela turned her attention to the sky. The wind blew her hair and fluttered her clothes as she basked in the wish she hoped would come true someday. Angela closed her eyes again, thanking God for a new wonderful life given to her by everyone around her. She never imagined to have such a decent life if it weren¡¯t for Jack rescuing her out of that hell. Slowly opening her eyes and looking ahead, the girl who¡¯d held her mind hostage, the one who wore that dreaded white romantic gothic dress, standing in her line of sight.


    Angela let out a heavy gasp as her eyes expanded in fear. Beneath her frightened breath she said, ¡°What¡¯s she doing here?¡±


    The girl stood before Angela. Her hair was longer than before, her skin was paler than chalk, and the biggest change was her height. She was the same height as those girls she encountered when she was alone eating ice cream. Angela¡¯s heart froze. The problematic girl in her dream giggled, taunting Angela¡¯s fear.


    The girl lifted her hand and pointed at Angela with a devious finger. Soft wind blew harder, which forced Angela to cover her face. But what Angela didn¡¯t know while she covered her face, was that the wind was strong enough to blow the girl¡¯s hair out of the way. Upon lowering her skinny arms, Angela saw another change to her appearance and screamed. She froze again, but wondered why her screams weren¡¯t being heard by anyone else. When trying to move, she froze in place by another unknown force.


    Angela tried to break free, but couldn¡¯t. Instead of breaking from the girl¡¯s tormented grasp, she spoke to her instead. ¡°What do you want? Why are you here? Leave me alone!¡±


    The girl embraced herself and tilted her head, but not in amusement, rather in an upset and angry way. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the truth is I screwed up¡­ And now¡ª¡± She lifted a finger and wickedly pointed at Angela. ¡°You¡¯re screwed!¡± She faded away as a wave of black feathery hell flew over Angela¡¯s head and went towards Randolph¡¯s direction.


    Angela was able to move again and hurried towards Randolph. The sea of crows approached his vicinity overhead, going unnoticed. She spotted him sitting on the bench with his phone in hand, completely oblivious to the feathery darkness overhead. She was out of breath and to hide her suspicion about what was occurring, she shouted to her uncle in an artificially happy tone that she wanted to go home. Randolph took his eyes off his phone and looked at his niece. He noticed how she was paler than usual, out of breath, and seemed terrified.


    Getting off the bench, Randolph then heard lots of cawing, enough to block out any of the town¡¯s natural noises. Randolph looked around, spotting all the crows creating this sound of taunting horror parked around the trees. At first he thought she was scared of the superstition behind the black birds that represented death, but it seemed too spooky for his liking.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go, baby girl.¡± Randolph hurried to a frightened Angela staring off into the sky out of normality.


    Randolph didn¡¯t like how his precious niece¡¯s eyes were gleaming with emptiness, especially how she stood still and stayed silent. The cawing grew more intense. Feathers fluttered around. Randolph glanced around. The world around him was growing into chaos. The sky clapped as black clouds peeked out from the horizons. Lightning struck the ground and shook the earth.


    ¡°What the fucks going on?¡± Randolph picked her up, but the crows responded to that and surrounded him in a tornado of feathery darkness.


    Randolph ground his teeth and ran, carrying Angela away from the freaky occurrence. They got back to the SUV and he placed her on the passenger seat, patting her head and telling her that everything was okay.


    As he ran to the driver side, silence returned between them. He took a good look back at the spot they stood in, and all the supernatural occurrences had completely vanished. Shaking his head, Randolph sat in the driver¡¯s seat, but when he was about to put the key into the ignition, he glanced at the mirrors and noticed a few suspicious vehicles were in the area.


    ¡°What the fuck man? First that spooky ass shit, then all these weird ass white vans parked everywhere. Just what the fuck is going on?¡±


    Being weary of his safety, he texted Jack and notified him of the situation.


    Randolph kept an eye out for the vehicles by observing them in his mirrors. After a few minutes of careful observation, and staying still minding his own business, the weird commercial vehicles drove away. He let out a long sigh of relief and as soon as he turned the SUV on and put it into drive to go home, a huge van pulled up next to the SUV. Its side door slid open.


    Randolph¡¯s heart dropped the moment he saw the gun barrels aimed at him. His world slowed down. Growing into silent panic, Randolph knew what was about to happen. His parenting instincts took over and he shielded Angela with his body. His world became black and white. The occupants inside the van opened fire onto the vehicle.


    The SUV was overwhelmed with a hellish storm of bullets. Metal pierced metal, glass flooded the car, and Randolph was struck multiple times. He felt every bullet penetrate his skin and drill through his warmed flesh, striking his organs.


    Gunfire ceased. Men dressed in white law enforcement outfits stepped out, and as soon as the men tried getting close to the vehicle, Randolph¡¯s adrenaline burst throughout his body like a soda exploding inside an enclosed space. He had the courage and strength to pull his gun out and fire at the men. They scrammed like mice, fleeing back into their van like a pack of wild boars regrouping.


    Randolph ran out of ammo in his handgun. He watched those pesky ambushers drive away. Coughing out blood and with his hands covered by his own warmth, Randolph checked Angela while groaning in immense pain. Checking all her vitals, Randolph noticed that she had passed out, but he couldn¡¯t understand why. He remembered she hadn¡¯t screamed as they were engulfed by bullets. He assumed she¡¯d already passed out from acting strange before. He was in so much immeasurable pain that he forced his dying body to start the vehicle and drive back home.


    Randolph¡¯s vision started to get foggy. He could feel every blood vessel become empty as he continued to bleed. While driving, he grabbed his phone and called Jack.


    ¡°Pick up man. Pick¡­ up¡­¡± he said while blood dripped from his mouth.


    Jack heard his phone ring and dashed towards it, picking it up. ¡°Everything okay, Randolph?¡±


    ¡°Am¡­ bushed!¡± Randolph coughed violently. He couldn¡¯t take it much longer and passed out on the wheel. The vehicle crashed into a random streetlight.


    Jack heard the crash over the phone and from a close distance. He rushed outside, spotting the SUV several blocks down. Jack panicked, then ran to the SUV as fast as he could. There were people already gathering around the crash site. All he could think of was their safety. Jack had to find out. He picked the pace up and ran as fast as he could. His lungs felt like it was about to burst like a balloon. His chest felt heavy while sweat dripped off his cold face.


    At last, Jack reached the vehicle. The crowd of people tried helping, but noticed the bullet holes and blood dripping out from the driver¡¯s side.


    ¡°Ran-dolph! An-gela!¡±


    He opened the driver¡¯s door and spotted Randolph against the steering wheel, bleeding profusely. He checked his pulse. It was faint, but Randolph was still alive.


    ¡°Randolph, wake up man!¡± Jack yelled, worried, shaking him whie feeling the sadness build up inside him.


    Jack looked at the passenger side and noticed that Angela was unconscious, but appeared to be fine. He felt some relief, but Randolph was in a horrible state. The group of people asked if he wanted help, and Jack politely asked for assistance. They quickly helped Randolph out of the vehicle and got Angela out as well.


    On his way home Eric spotted the accident too. He knew the vehicle right away and stopped next to them, his tires screeching. Eric¡¯s heart raced as he spotted Jack aiding Randolph. He quickly hopped out of the vehicle, witnessing Randolph¡¯s condition and the vehicle¡¯s state firsthand. Eric was enraged. He picked Randolph up and tossed him into the back seat.


    ¡°Eric! Where did¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Get your ass in the car. Now!¡± Eric started rendering aid to his best friend and tried to stop the bleeding.


    ¡°I gotta get Angela though!¡± Jack quickly grabbed Angela and carried her into the car.


    The crowd told them that an ambulance was on the way, but they both ignored them and hopped into the car. Eric floored the gas, driving out of the scene.


    Once they arrived home, Jack took Randolph inside and immediately placed him on the couch and tended to his wounds. Eric slowly walked in with Angela in his big arms, then gently placed her down on the other couch. Eric had never felt so livid, furious, and aggravated before.


    As Jack wrapped his wounds, Eric calmly asked, ¡°What happened, Jack?¡±


    ¡°Randolph called me and mumbled his words, then I heard the crash through the phone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jack,¡± Eric said as he slowly pulled his phone out.


    ¡°Eric, if we don¡¯t take Randy to the hospital, he-he¡¯s gonna die.¡±


    Eric couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He crushed his phone with his hand and threw the pieces at the wall. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Jack got up and handed Eric his phone. ¡°Calm down. We¡¯ll figure something out because we¡¯re all wanted men. It would be stupid to go to the hospital.¡±


    Eric walked out and made his phone call. Jack noticed Randolph had finally woken up, and was moaning in excruciating pain.


    ¡°Woah, woah. Don¡¯t move Randy or you¡¯re going to make it worse for yourself.¡±


    Randolph ignored Jack¡¯s advice. He stood up, but couldn¡¯t keep his balance, so Jack had to put his arm over his shoulder.


    ¡°Uncle, sit the fuck down!¡±


    ¡°Wh-Where¡¯s Angela?¡±


    Jack pointed at Angela. ¡°She¡¯s okay, Uncle. Relax and lay back down.¡±


    Randolph was relieved. He smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad. I¡¯m so glad our princess is okay.¡± Randolph glanced at Jack with a peaceful smile, which worried Jack.


    ¡°Uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°Say Jack, you think we could talk for a minute out back?¡±


    Jack¡¯s lip quivered. He was feeling nervous and worried for Randolph. He was confused and wondered why he wanted to talk when Randolph was on the brink of death. Jack listened and took Randolph to the backyard as he insisted. They slowly walked and arrived. Randolph wanted to sit on the stump. Jack obliged and set him on the tree stump.


    They were both still and silent as the cold wind blew across their bodies. Jack clenched his fists. He wanted Randolph to say something, but all he was doing was staring at the forest.


    Randolph lifted his arm and reached the forest, almost as if someone was calling for him. Jack felt sad. He knew that if he wanted to save Randolph, everyone would be at risk.


    Jack felt anxious. He finally swallowed his nervousness away and tried to walk up behind Randolph, but Randolph had his hand up, stopping Jack from coming any closer.


    Jack took a deep breath. ¡°You might hate me for saying this Randolph, but if we don¡¯t take you to the hospital¡­¡± Jack squinted while clenching his fists, ¡°¡­you might die.¡±


    Randolph continued bleeding through his bandages and covered them in a red coat. His blood dripped slowly through his clothing, then ran down to the tree stump, feeding its roots with his lingering warmth. Randolph didn¡¯t say anything. He just sat there, staring at nothing.


    The smile on Randolph¡¯s face bothered Jack so much that it gave him the assumption he was ready to leave them and this damned world. ¡°Come on Randolph! Please man, I don¡¯t want you to die. We¡¯ll bail you out if you get caught. Just talk to me man.¡±


    Jack became desperate. He really wanted to help him, but Randolph kept ignoring him, which made Jack feel worse.


    Randolph softly chuckled, watching the forest¡¯s branches sway.


    ¡°Randolph, answer me!¡± Jack shouted.


    Randolph turned around and looked at Jack with a peaceful smile. Jack¡¯s eyes quivered, his eyes turning red from the burning sensation of releasing his emotions. Jack didn¡¯t understand why Randolph looked so peaceful.


    Jack¡¯s breathing grew frantic. His cheeks tensed as he clenched his fists further. The old Jack was starting to reappear.


    Randolph turned his attention to the ground with blood dripping from his mouth. He took a deep breath. ¡°Jack,¡± he said in a peaceful tone. ¡°I finally feel fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I never got to finish my story.¡± As Randolph looked back at Jack, a single tear trickled down his cut face. His eyes glistened and the way he blinked made it seem as if he¡¯d accepted death.


    Jack crossed his arms and held back his emotions. ¡°No you haven¡¯t, Uncle. I want to finish it, then afterwards let¡¯s go to the hospital to heal ya up.¡± Jack finished with a nervous sniffle.


    Randolph chuckled, then took his gun out and stared at it. But Jack didn¡¯t realize a faint black mist was on Randolph¡¯s hand. ¡°My wife and daughter were killed by low life gangsters who didn¡¯t care about civilian crossfire. You know what my little girl said to me before her soul left this earth and bled out in my arms?¡±


    Jack sniffed again, holding back his tears. ¡°Wh-What, Uncle¡­?¡±


    Randolph¡¯s eyes overflowed from sadness. ¡°Will we ever see each other again, Daddy?¡±


    Jack tightened his jaw, fighting his emotions.


    Randolph shook the gun in his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t want to risk you guys getting caught. Tell the big guy thanks for the second chance at life and¡ª¡±


    Jack shook his head. ¡°No! Don¡¯t say things like that! We don¡¯t care about our exposure. You¡¯re more important than a jail cell.¡±


    Randolph felt at ease hearing that from Jack. ¡°I care about the two of you so much. Is Angela okay?¡±


    ¡°Angela¡¯s fine. I already showed you.¡± Jack shook his head and held back his emotions. ¡°Please Randolph, let us help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Besides, I can finally see my family again.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Take care of your sister, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Randolph¡­¡±


    ¡°Make sure you take her to school. And don¡¯t forget our promise!¡±


    ¡°Randolph!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy I met you guys. At last, I can finally see my beautiful daughter again.¡±


    Jack had heard enough and hugged his uncle. ¡°Stop saying these things. I¡¯m not letting you die. I refuse to let someone else I claim as family die. Please Uncle Randy, we¡¯re not only family, we¡¯re homies.¡±


    Randolph softly laughed. ¡°Thank you for showing me the real you again, Jack. I love all you guys. Don¡¯t ever leave her side. Protect her, guide her, and most importantly¡­¡± Randolph pointed at her room.


    Jack smiled and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re always such a goofy uncle. I¡¯ll force you to go to the hospital if I have to!¡± As Jack continued to stare, he didn¡¯t notice that Randolph was checking his gun for ammo.


    Emptying the gun to reveal the magazine, miraculously there was one bullet left. He gently inserted it back into the gun and slowly lifted his arm. It almost seemed as if some other force was forcing him to lift the tool of taking one¡¯s life.


    Randolph pointed the gun to his head and with a gentle grin, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t ever let her go.¡± She pulled the pin back and gently squeezed the trigger.


    Jack heard the gun being cocked. He immediately turned and extended his arm out to stop Randolph¡¯s own doing. ¡°Randolph! No!¡±


    The gun went off. The haunting sound echoed throughout the neighborhood as crows flew away from trees, ringing in Jack¡¯s ears, leaving him frozen and traumatized. Randolph¡¯s body fell over and landed on the cold ground. His warm blood froze as it poured onto the earth. Randolph didn¡¯t show any movements. He was dead.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Jack dropped to his knees. His body quivered with shock and didn¡¯t know how to react. He didn¡¯t know how to feel. He wanted to cry, but he couldn¡¯t.


    Eric heard the gunshot, then quickly ran through the house and to the backyard. He saw Jack on his knees, looking at Randolph¡¯s corpse. Eric thought Jack had killed Randolph. In a temporary blind rage he was about to rush at Jack to punch him with a killing blow, but he noticed Randolph had a gun.


    Eric felt a harpoon pierce his heart. He couldn¡¯t believe his best friend had taken his own life. His eyes got puffy and turned bloodshot as tears flowed down his face. He was devastated, broken, but importantly he¡¯d lost his best friend.


    ¡°Ja-Jack¡­¡± Eric said as his voice cracked.


    Jack turned around and looked at Eric. His eyes were clear as day, but they looked like bottomless pits full of sorrow. ¡°Why can¡¯t I cry?¡± Jack asked with a sad tone in his voice.


    ¡°I want to cry, but I can¡¯t?¡± Jack got agitated and punched the ground. ¡°Why?!¡± Slamming his knuckles onto the cold ground, Jack screamed out in agony. ¡°Why!¡± Again he punched the ground and bruised his knuckles. ¡°Can¡¯t!¡± The ground began to rip through his flesh. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Jack stopped and stared at his knuckles. Flesh was exposed to the air and sent a burning sensation through his arm.


    Eric continued crying in silence while printing the depressing scene into his memory.


    Jack clawed at his face like a deranged lunatic. ¡°Cry!¡± He stood up, but as he stared at Randolph a faint black mist started emitting from Jack.


    Turning around and looking at Eric with a horrific look on his face, as blood dripped off his knuckles and turned black on the ground, Jack¡¯s voice changed to a horrid dead howl. ¡°Whoever did this to him, I swear I¡¯ll kill them and make them suffer!¡±


    For once, Eric felt afraid of Jack and noticed the faint mist around him. He presumed it must be his way of seeing how scary Jack looked.


    Eric wiped away his tears and clenched his fist, then extended it towards Jack. ¡°Together, we¡¯ll make them suffer.¡±


    Upon hearing those words of unity, it made the mist around Jack dissipate. Jack calmed his anger, walked up to Eric and fist bumped him, ending all the differences between them. They both hugged each other while dead leaves flew past them and covered Randolph¡¯s body. The atmosphere around them was melancholy, cold, full of anger and emptiness. They vowed to avenge their friend, even if it had them captured, tortured, or even killed. They set a proper burial for Randolph by digging a grave, not caring if their hands were frozen and blistering. They didn¡¯t want to leave their friend to rot. They made a makeshift cross, and finally they prayed, hoping Randolph would reunite with his family in heaven like he always wanted.


    Jack¡¯s mind fogged with hatred, but only one thing ran through his mind: find the people who did this to his friend and make sure they die a slow, painful, agonizing death. I swear I¡¯ll avenge you¡­ Uncle Randy.


    While Eric walked back inside to check on Angela, Jack stood on Randolph¡¯s grave. The faint black mist returned and pulsed off his body, twirling into the sky above to pierce into the gray clouds and turn them black. The twirling smoke of corruption surrounded his body. His blood boiled in black. Jack let out a horrible screeching cry, reminiscent of the one made by that girl in white within his nightmares. The girl laughed inside his head, saddened by the fact that Jack was growing mentally and becoming weaker as time passed on.


    This is not what I wanted. I¡¯m sorry, my beloved. I can¡¯t help myself but punish you, so I have myself to blame, Jack.

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 3: Losing Hope

    Sitting at her desk, bored and perplexed by math¡¯s annoying algorithm, Anna scratched her head. ¡°Curse you Math.¡± She twirled the pencil in her hand and stared at the board of complexity.


    She sighed again, getting the attention of a neighbor. ¡°Hey, this math¡¯s du-dumb, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    It was a boy, and talking to Anna made him flustered and nervous. Anna turned to her side, noticing his red face. ¡°You okay there? You seem scared.¡±


    ¡°M-M-Me? N-No¡­ I was just uhh, agreeing with you. That¡¯s all, hehe.¡± The boy definitely had a thing for Anna, and it showed.


    Anna grinned. ¡°Is that so? Well yes, it¡¯s a bit of a pain, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He scratched his head. ¡°Yeah¡­ sa-say, uhh Annabelle, you know how the freshman dance is coming up¡­ I¡ª¡±


    Anna yawned. ¡°Huh. What was it, dance?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Um, would you like to¡ª¡±


    The school bell rang, disrupting the boy¡¯s chance of asking Anna out. Anna got out of her seat and stretched. All the students around them either did the same by packing their bags or leaving in a hurry.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we continue this conversation? Wanna guide me to the next class?¡± Anna said with a smile.


    The boy smiled too. ¡°Yeah, sure!¡± In bitter sweet excitement, he quickly packed his belongings to ask out the girl he¡¯d had a crush on since the beginning of this school year.


    Both were finally ready. They walked side by side and stepped out into the hall. ¡°Say Annabelle, I didn¡¯t want to make you uncomfortable back there, so what I was saying is¡ª¡± Looking into his right, Anna had vanished.


    He rapidly blinked to comprehend how she did such a thing, questioning if it was possible. ¡°An-Annabelle?¡±


    Anna was in the same situation though, but in her instance she stood alone in the same hallway, though it was empty and eerily quiet. She looked both ways. Not a single kid or teacher was in sight, and the color beaming through the school windows was a sad red color. Anna sank deep into thought, figuring out the possibility of the strange occurrence.


    But she quickly got into a panic. ¡°Where am I?¡± Anna asked, frightened.


    There wasn¡¯t a single sound emitting in the school, the wind outside was the only sound. Anna gulped nervously and proceeded to walk forward in caution. Walking down the void of metal lockers against the walls, Anna was completely perplexed. She took a glimpse outside the window and saw the building was floating in a void of gray and red clouds.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Anna asked, gripping the strap of her bag.


    As she stood there basking in the silence and shaking to death, she heard a very faint voice calling to her. She frantically looked over her shoulder and saw nothing down the hall she came from. The voice called out again. She turned to the other end and spotted nothing. The voice grew a bit louder but stayed faint.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there? Who¡¯s calling?¡± Anna¡¯s eyes squinted.


    In a state of panic, Anna¡¯s breathing felt heavier every time the faint voice called out to her. Her eyes started fogging and she seemed to be experiencing a heart attack. She clutched at her chest and ran away from the bizarre occurrence. However, Anna didn¡¯t realize that a trail of black smoke erupted out of the nearby classrooms and chased after her. While the horrid black trail chased after her, the lockers nearby exploded from its heavy force. Doors blew away, slamming against the other side of halls, ricocheting off the grounds to explode on impact. Anna ran down the school¡¯s main stairs, almost tripping in the process.


    Her chest felt tighter. She closed an eye from the growing pain and her breathing felt shortened. ¡°What¡¯s happening to me?¡± Anna said to herself, almost close to the school¡¯s entrance.


    The black trail caught her leg, tripping her and making her land on the ground face first. Anna¡¯s eyes almost closed shut. Her face was sweating and she was still oblivious about the horrid smoke wrapping around her leg and climbing up to her open gasping mouth. Anna was determined, though. She crawled towards the entrance with all her strength. The sweat on her face dripped. The smoke eagerly wanted to climb inside her mouth and inject her with its corruption.


    Almost¡­ there¡­!


    Anna built up enough strength to get back on her feet and she went to the doors and opened them, but then she started to fall from all the overbearing stress and fright. She got caught by Sarah. Her face was drenched in sweat while she panted heavily. Sarah quickly tended to her scared friend. They were outside the school now. A group of kids noticed that Anna was extremely pale, and the boy who talked to her earlier rushed inside to get a nurse.


    Sarah was calm and wiped the sweat off her face. ¡°You okay, Anna?¡±


    Anna finally caught her breath. ¡°You¡­ really know how to¡­ set the mood don¡¯t you, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah nodded. ¡°Quiet fool, you¡¯re still recovering.¡±


    ¡°Fro-From what? Exactly¡­¡± Anna got on her feet. Sarah wrapped Anna¡¯s arm around her tiny shoulders.


    The two began walking and the group of students told them to wait for help, but both girls ignored them. As the two walked away from the scene, Sarah felt they were being watched. The set of eyes had hatred towards her. Stopping momentarily, Sarah looked around to see where they were being watched, but saw nothing.


    ¡°Sarah, where are we going?¡± Anna asked tiredly.


    Sarah looked over her shoulder and found the source of the hatred. ¡°We¡¯re going home buddy, but right now we have to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Can we stop by for a snack?¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t say a word. She nodded and looked straight ahead with a mysterious glint in her red eyes. The two girls walked off the vicinity of their school and into the main public sidewalk. Above their school¡¯s building, standing on the edge watching the two girls leave, was the girl in the white dress. Her elegant gothic white dress was fluttering about. Her hair flowed towards the direction of the eerie wind that blew from behind the building. The sky turned red as she watched both girls leave. The girl turned her head slightly left, and the wind swept some of her hair away to reveal glowing bloodshot purple eyes and slowly rotted off her white face.


    ***


    A week had passed since Randolph¡¯s tragic death. Eric and Jack still weren¡¯t over it. It was just too much to bear for them, especially for poor Eric who was taking this the hardest. Eric was in no mood for anything, but business was business. He delayed their plans for later tonight to get his mindset one hundred percent. They knew Randolph would want them to continue the deal, so that was what they were gonna do, and after that they would focus on finding the people who attacked him. Angela, on the other hand, hadn¡¯t been herself lately. She had been acting strange for the past week. She¡¯d been on and off, confused, lost and feeling empty. Her personality had transformed into watching paint dry.


    Jack disliked her behavior and had been mad at her. What made things worse was the fact that she¡¯d forgotten about the ambush. But the worse thing was that she¡¯d completely forgotten who Randolph was. She didn¡¯t remember how he looked or how he spoke.


    The new change in Angela left a huge aggravating burden on Jack¡¯s shoulders, but now was not the time to play childish games. He needed his mind to be as clear as possible for the deal to go smoothly.


    Jack and Eric were in the kitchen, grabbing something to quench their thirst. ¡°Here you go boss.¡± Jack handed Eric an ice cold bottle of beer.


    Eric took the bottle. ¡°Thanks, now then here¡¯s what we¡¯re gonna do.¡± He took a chug and explained the plan to Jack one last time. Jack listened carefully and made sure he wouldn¡¯t miss any details.


    There was one last thing that had them worried: who was going to take care of Angela for the two, while they were away risking their lives to ensure a better life for everyone else. Eric suggested that he should get one of the boys to take care of her. Jack rejected the idea and brought up the situation with Brandon again. He thought she would be better off being home alone in the meantime.


    Eric thought for a second, agreeing to Jack¡¯s idea for once. Besides, there wasn¡¯t anyone whom they couldn¡¯t trust to take care of her at the moment.


    Now all they had to do was wait for night to come. Jack walked upstairs to check on Angela, knocked on her door and waited. What¡¯s gotten into her? She¡¯s acting creepy and acts like she has amnesia. It¡¯s really pissing me off.


    Angela heard his knocking but she ignored it. She was sitting on her chair in front of her electric piano, staring at the keys as sunlight shone through the curtained window. Jack grew impatient. He opened her door and spotted Angela sitting with everything turned off. Angela was staring at nothing, not making any movement. She was as still as a rock. Jack walked up to her, then stood by her side to see if she would notice his presence. He stood there silently for a couple of minutes and got absolutely nothing.


    Angela, what¡¯s happened to you? You¡¯re acting like a damn puppet.


    Angela was frozen in place. Her eyes were empty. It was getting to Jack and made him uncomfortable. It sent chills throughout his body. Eager to get a reaction out of his broken sister, Jack gently pushed her. She reacted immediately by grabbing his hand. It spooked Jack, but he was glad that she reacted. She held his hand as tight as possible. It creeped him out even more, but he felt her hand tremble in their grasp.


    Why is she shaking? Is she afraid of something?


    Jack then broke the silence. ¡°Angela, is everything okay?¡±


    Angela slowly turned her head toward Jack. Her eyes were hollow and empty, which sent shivers down his spine. Angela tried to talk, but she got stuck on a certain word. ¡°H-He¡­ H-He, H-He...¡± Staring directly into his eyes, she kept stuttering the same word.


    Who¡¯s he?


    Jack felt more uncomfortable. He grabbed her hand and tried to get her off him, but she was clinging on too hard, not letting go of his protective warmth.


    ¡°Angela! What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re freaking me out.¡±


    She continued muttering, still clinging onto her brother¡¯s hand.


    ¡°He¡­ He¡­. He¡ªH-He¡­¡± Angela gripped tighter and her muttering tone rose in pitch, which scared Jack.


    Jack had enough and used his strength to get her off his hand. ¡°Snap out of it!¡± He gently slapped her, which was enough to make her stop but not hurt his sister¡¯s precious face.


    She blinked a couple of times, snapping back into reality and gently massaged her cheek. Angela seemed rather shocked that Jack slapped her, even though it was a soft one. That didn¡¯t change how her eyes still expressed emptiness.


    Angela turned to him. ¡°He¡¯s coming.¡±


    Hearing that made Jack¡¯s eyes grow in fright. The way she said it, froze his bone marrow. Jack hugged Angela, hoping to cheer her up. Angela wrapped her arms around Jack, holding him as tight as she could. Her nails started piercing Jack¡¯s skin through his jacket.


    He pushed her off because it began to hurt. For some reason Jack didn¡¯t feel safe being around her. ¡°He¡¯s coming?¡± Jack said to himself.


    Just who is he? Why is she acting like this? Angela. Angela¡­


    ¡°Angela, Eric and I are heading out. We-we¡¯ll be back in an hour or two.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go!¡± she shouted. ¡°Please don¡¯t-don¡¯t leave me. Hold me in your arms. Don¡¯t leave my side!¡±


    Jack put out his hands, ¡°Angela, calm¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your lingering warmth is what keeps me sane, Jack!¡±


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    He quivered, retracting his arms to his sides and staying quiet for a moment. ¡°Ja-Jack?!¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°He¡¯s coming to take me!¡± Angela whimpered and held herself, repeating the same words again and again.


    Jack¡¯s eyes trembled. In that moment Angela said his name, the tone in her voice changed to the ones he¡¯d heard in his nightmares. But one thing that stood out more for Jack was that his sister¡¯s hair had been changing lately. The highlights she had had grown a little more and her eyes gleamed a different color too. It was a color he was all too familiar with.


    Eric walked in and asked what was all the shouting about. Jack pointed at Angela and told him she¡¯d gone crazy. But when Jack turned back around, Angela was playing her piano without it being plugged in, which erased the tense atmosphere that occured only moments ago. Her eyes closed and she hummed a creepy song that belonged to his nightmares. Jack had enough of this craziness and walked out, heading outside to wait for Eric. Eric glanced at Angela, knowing that something was off. He noticed Angela was still shedding tiny droplets of tears, because they dropped on the floor beneath her floating feet.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back later tonight. Don¡¯t worry princess. Hang in there.¡± As Eric was about to leave her presence, Angela slammed her fingers on her keys.


    She stopped playing, then looked over her shoulder, and said to Eric in a soothing gentle voice, ¡°Take care of Jack. No matter how low he¡¯ll get, he¡¯ll become vulnerable.¡± She turned back to her piano and continued playing.


    Even Eric felt a little scared of her. ¡°Okay sweetheart. Umm, if there¡¯s any trouble please call us.¡±


    As Eric was about to leave again, he heard Angela mutter, ¡°Help me...¡± Eric turned around again and saw her still playing with no noise. He didn¡¯t want to leave her by herself, especially in this state, but they didn¡¯t have a choice. Letting out a long sigh, he closed her door and finally headed to the outside where Jack was waiting for him.


    Jack was inside the car, biting his nails for the first time in over five years. He felt that something wasn¡¯t right.


    Eric finally got in the car and asked Jack if she was fine and insisted that they don¡¯t leave her in such a broken state. Both men tried to think of something, but it was no use, so they both sighed. Jack took a box of cigarettes out and handed Eric one. They smoked to relieve their stress and to make sure they stayed focused on the mission. As the two finally calmed down, they finally drove off toward their destination.


    They didn¡¯t know they were being spied on by mysterious men in white, parked in a single van. The vehicle began to follow the two to wherever they were going.


    The men inside the van radioed Dr. Cato and they told him the details. He couldn¡¯t help but smile, finally getting the chance to see Angela again and take her back to his side.


    Dr. Cato radioed Danny, who was taking part of the scheme to ensure the plan to seize her back into the doctor¡¯s grasp.


    Dr. Cato and Mathew were inside an SUV with their own protection. They waited for their other men to ambush Jack and Eric, who were driving to their destination. The ambush would ensure they could buy time for both men to take her. Danny was exhilarated. He¡¯d never felt so excited in his life. He couldn¡¯t wait what they were gonna do to Jack.


    Angela was still in front of her electric piano, alone in the dark. She took a deep breath, licked her lips, and blinked slowly, then relaxed her body as her fingers hovered over the keys. She begins to play a song, a song full of her hidden agony, a song full of despair¡­ A song that¡¯s riddled with inner selfishness. She¡¯s moving her body along with the rhythm, her eyes closed, the girl who¡¯s in a broken state of mind started to sing.


    Dr. Cato radioed the men at the bar after half an hour, he wanted to be sure that those two were there. ¡°All misplaced fruit should be¡­?¡±


    The one in charge, a tall built man, replied, ¡°Placed and held in the basket.¡±


    Dr. Cato laughed. The SUV they were in was heading towards the house Angela was at now. Quickly, multiple vehicles pulled up in front of it. Dr. Cato¡¯s SUV was the last to arrive. Danny spotted the doctor as he got out. He was surprised that Dr. Cato wasn¡¯t some old creep. He was well dressed and had glasses. Mathew, on the other hand, was tall and had huge biceps, but he also had a huge beer belly and wore a similar outfit to a lumberjack.


    Danny started talking. ¡°So this is the guy who wants Jack captured and the girl returned? Doesn¡¯t matter to me, so long as I get my revenge and money.¡± He turned to a guy next to him that was standing still. ¡°Am I right? Eh, eh!¡±


    The man ignored Danny.


    Dr. Cato walked up to Danny and patted his head. ¡°Well done, my boy. You did a good job here. As soon as I¡¯m done introducing myself to her again, I¡¯ll hand you your money.¡± He began walking up the steps, along with his guards and Mathew.


    Danny stopped Dr. Cato. ¡°Hey! Just who is this girl? Why is she so important?¡±


    Dr. Cato chuckled beneath his breath. ¡°She¡¯s a very special person. This is for her own good, alongside everyone else who wishes not to succumb to darkness.¡± Dr. Cato didn¡¯t look over his shoulder to say that. Hearing him say that was enough to creep Danny out. So much that he ran off opposite of the direction they were walking to.


    Mathew noticed and pointed at Danny, fleeing. ¡°Hey! That punk¡¯s running away! Get¡ª¡± Dr. Cato stopped Mathew.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I don¡¯t think this will be the last time we¡¯ll see him, my friend.¡±


    Mathew chuckled and patted his friend¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re right. Let¡¯s go pay a visit to our favourite patient, shall we?¡±


    They both smiled and walked to the front door. Both men couldn¡¯t resist reacting in disgust when they noticed how bad the door¡¯s condition was. To them it was typical low income areas like these that held back society, and knowing that Angela grew up in an area or a home like this boiled their blood. They quickly based their judgment on the living conditions and assumed she was raised rather poorly by a bunch of mindless thugs.


    Mathew had enough and ordered the men to break the door down. They both readied themselves, using their legs to kick down the poorly maintained door. It easily fell flat. Once they did, they heard Angela¡¯s angelic yet haunting singing from wherever she was creating such magnificence.


    Dr. Cato couldn¡¯t help but be astonished by her mesmerizing voice. She sounded like an angel. Her singing alone could rock the heavens.


    ¡°My, I shouldn¡¯t have jumped to conclusions. She¡¯s grown well from the sound of her beautiful, innocent voice. I really have to thank you, Jack, for taking care of her. I really am thankful. Truly, I am!¡± Dr. Cato laughed alongside Mathew.


    They ordered the men to inspect the house to find out where the singing was coming from. Mathew decided to spit on the floor and join in their search, purposely destroying things in the home. As they searched and ruined the home, the two heard where the singing was finally coming from. With smiles on their faces they both walked upstairs, slowly and quietly, making sure she wouldn¡¯t hear a creak or sound. They found her door but before they could enter, Mathew stopped Dr. Cato.


    Mathew patted his back and looked serious. ¡°If anything goes wrong, remember I still have this!¡± Mathew pulled out his cross pendant made out of beautiful stone.


    Dr. Cato smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have much to worry about if she¡¯s sounding this happy.¡±


    Dr. Cato slowly opened the door, revealing the past he wanted to welcome back into the present. His heart sank with many emotions, he shed tears of guilt and joy.


    Sunset reflected off her beautiful charcoal black hair, her pale skin glowed along with it, and the purple highlights shimmered. Dr. Cato slowly walked behind Angela and listened as she finally finished her selfish song full of agonized depression.


    Angela sighed with joy and smiles, then looked at the window, watching the sunset coming to an end. But in her window¡¯s reflection, she saw someone approach her from behind. Before she could turn around, Dr. Cato placed his hand on Angela¡¯s shoulder, freezing her in place. Angela quivered violently because she thought she was about to get robbed.


    ¡°Hello¡­ Angela,¡± the gentle voice of her darkened past said, trickling out a gasp of utter shock. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±


    Angela knew who it was. The voice alone made her hair stand up. Turning her face white, a single tear fell from her face. No¡­ Dr. Ca¡­ to¡­?


    ***


    Jack and Eric arrived at their destination. It was a beat up bar where a lot of rival gang leaders came to drink and play pool. But instead of going inside right away, the two men stayed in their car for thirty minutes. They were killing time on purpose to relax their nerves from seeing Angela¡¯s strange behavior. Even after easing their nerves, Eric still felt something wasn¡¯t right. Jack noticed it as well. Eric got out of the car first, looked around the area to see if anything was odd.


    ¡°The clock¡¯s ticking, Eric,¡± Jack said as he hopped out too, closing the car door.


    Eric looked around one last time, closing the door, but still felt something was wrong. But they had to focus on their current mission. They walked in and spotted the men they had to negotiate with. He welcomed them and kindly asked them to take a seat. They both sat in front of the guy.


    Eric wanted to laugh because of how ridiculous the guy¡¯s outfit was.


    Jack didn¡¯t hesitate but raised the edge of his lip in disgust. ¡°You look like a gay pimp.¡±


    The guy smirked and lay back on his chair. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment since you¡¯ve basically said I take good care of myself.¡± He crossed his legs and wiped away his smile. ¡°Now then, enough joking around, I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    Eric nodded and Jack stayed alert, observing all his guards around them for any suspicious movements. The two leaders went on for about ten minutes, discussing deals, ideas, and more notably turf claims. Eric was careful, making sure he wasn¡¯t mishearing anything that the leader would try to secretly slip any loopholes or traps. Jack stayed observant, not saying or even intervening in their conversation.


    After final discussions, the rival leader cracked his fingers and put his hands behind his head. ¡°So boys, what do you say, huh? This new deal of ours sounds precious. How do you like it?¡± The rival leader took a shot of liquor after and chuckled.


    Eric crossed his arms and looked around. ¡°Not too shabby, my guy. Though I find it quite unfair you guys want 70% and we¡¯re only getting 30%. May I make a suggestion?¡±


    ¡°Ohohoho, sounds wondrous to me, big guy!¡± said the rival gang leader.


    ¡°Hey, why do you talk like that? Is it your personality?¡± Jack asked, finally intervening.


    ¡°Hmm, listen tall man, mind ya business for now, and let the men talk here.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ dick.¡±


    Eric and the turf leader negotiated more until mysterious men in white stormed the bar, interrupting the entire meeting. Eric and Jack looked back and saw them rushing out at everyone else. Everyone dispersed and fled to the nearest exit.


    The turf leader shouted before leaving, ¡°Ya fuckers had the feds on ya! Oh, hell no!¡±


    Eric and Jack tried fleeing as well, but the men quickly surrounded them.


    ¡°Fuck Eric, what the fuck¡¯s going on? Who are these guys?¡± Jack raised a fist.


    Eric raised both his fists. ¡°Fuck man, I don¡¯t know. They sure as hell ain¡¯t no police that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Eric clenched his fists. Jack did the same. The two were back to back.


    ¡°Yo man, I knew something was fishy! Fuck is going on here?¡± Eric said as he glared at each guy.


    Jack started having PTSD. He felt like he could recognize the mens outfits. ¡°Eric,¡± he said nervously, ¡°we need to get the hell outta here. Now!¡±


    Jack pulled his gun out and fired a round into the air, hoping it would scare off the strangers. But the men in white rushed him instead, tackling Jack and separating him from Eric. Jack made contact with the ground and his gun slid away.


    They tried to tackle Eric, but he was too heavy and tall. He casually elbowed the two guys who tried tackling him. More men stormed into the bar. They had batons and used them on Eric. But each contact they made felt like they were hitting a boulder. Eric didn¡¯t react, he only scratched it away and startled the men. They tried swinging again, but Eric caught every single baton and broke them in half with his bare hands.


    ¡°This ain¡¯t shit!¡± Eric punched one man and another rushed in, grabbing a hold of Eric.


    Eric wrapped his giant arms around the dude¡¯s waist, lifted him off his feet, then slammed him on a table with an overhead suplex. A smaller man in white grabbed a bottle nearby, then broke it and yelled as he made his way towards Eric. Eric applauded the man¡¯s courageous rush with a nice side kick once he came close. He flew away, colliding to the side of the bar and went unconscious.


    Jack was still pinned down, struggling to get them off. One punched his face and the other punched his gut. All the torturous pinning aggravated Jack. He used all his manly strength to push the men off of him, then threw a punch or two, managing to knock one out. The other sent a high kick to Jack¡¯s face, making contact. Jack went down again but rolled back up and attacked him with a straight jab. But the guy casually dodged his punch, then gave him a nice underhook to his gut. Jack gagged, but powered through with a stab of his elbow to the guy¡¯s gut.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Jack made contact with a fist to the guy¡¯s face, knocking him out.


    Eric threw another guy over the bar as he walked backwards. Jack used a nearby pool stick to fend off others. The two were back to back again, surrounded by ten guys now. Some even had tasers. Things were starting to look bad for them. Both men raised their fists and said ¡°Fuck!¡± as all ten rushed in at once.


    Jack and Eric dodged, tackled, slammed, punched the remaining men, the only one who was inflicted by any damage was Jack because of his lack of fighting posture. The two were heavily exhausted. They took most of the men out now. There was one left now, and it was the one in communications with Dr. Cato. They decided to interrogate the guy.


    Eric grabbed him and pinned him up against one of the chairs. He held the guy down and Jack grabbed his gun, pointing it at the guy¡¯s face. Jack demanded answers. The guy refused to expose any details and he even spat at Jack¡¯s face. Jack wasn¡¯t having any of it. He pistol whipped the guy, knocking him unconscious and wiped the spit off his face.


    ¡°Just who the fuck are these guys? They look like cops, but they look like some damn church fools!¡± Eric said, pushing the guy¡¯s unconscious body down.


    ¡°I know, but I have a feeling I¡¯ve seen these outfits before, but where? Where!¡± Jack kicked a random guy¡¯s unconscious body. ¡°Damn it! Why¡¯s this all happening?¡±


    Jack and Eric decided to check the guys¡¯ bodies and see if they could get any more information about where they came from.


    Jack and Eric walked outside. It was almost dark out, and as they approached their car Jack heard a girl scream off in the distance. He looked around and asked Eric if he¡¯d heard a scream. Eric declined, calling him crazy.


    Jack¡¯s phone rang. He pulled it out and realized it was Angela. He opened it and placed it against his ear. ¡°Everything alright, Angela?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Angela? Hello?¡± Angela¡¯s phone stayed silent. All Jack heard was soft breathing. ¡°Hello?! Angela! If you don¡¯t say anything, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much, young man,¡± a middle aged voice said very calmly, which caused Jack¡¯s heart to fill with fear.


    ¡°Oh how you¡¯ve changed, Jack,¡± Dr. Cato said.


    Jack gasped. His breathing intensified and his chest tightened. ¡°Who¡¯s this!¡± Jack shouted, scaring Eric. ¡°What have you done to my sister?!¡±


    Eric had heard enough. He got so angry he pulled his gun out and loaded it. ¡°Jack, let¡¯s go now!¡±


    The stranger hung up. Jack screamed.


    He rushed in the car and loaded a fresh mag into his handgun. Eric was already in the car and once Jack rushed in, he floored it, driving as fast as possible back to the house. Jack began to twitch. There was an immeasurable amount of pain coming from his heart. He sweated profusely, but ignored the pain.


    ¡°Yo, you good?¡± Eric asked.


    Jack was too focused on getting back to the house to even pay attention to Eric¡¯s question, which left him feeling worried. The pain got greater and greater. Jack screamed at the top of his lungs.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just focus on driving,¡± Jack said.


    They were about to approach the home, but the closer they got, the more noticeable the tire marks were evident. They pulled up and noticed that the door was busted down. Jack dashed out the car and rushed inside, noticing the place was trashed. His eyes turned blank, his mind went static. Jack felt empty and hollow.


    Standing at the entrance of their home, a sudden flash of light flickered from outside. Jack¡¯s shadow flickered as nature¡¯s angered cries brightened the room. A storm was coming and it was a big one. As thunder kept clapping, lightning flashing. Jack slowly approached the stairs with hollowed raging eyes. Making his way slowly up to the top floor. Every step he took creaked.


    Jack stopped at the top, spotting Angela¡¯s door broken. His heart sank as he shook his head. He walked up to her doorway then stood there observing the room. Moonlight passed through her window, showing nail marks on the floor similar to the ones in his nightmares. It made Jack so ashamed of himself. As he stepped inside, he spotted a duffel bag and a note on her bed.


    Jack clenched his fists, angrily walked to the bag and picked the note up to read it.


    Dear Jack Samr,


    ¡°I know this is a strange reunion between us, but rest assured, my friend. I want to thank you again for taking care of Angela through all these years. Giving her a home, education, respect, certainly but more importantly, raising her to become such a beautiful and talented individual. If she were still in that facility she probably would¡¯ve never become the person that she is today. Thank you for everything, my friend.


    Hey, good news though. There¡¯s five million dollars in the duffel bag to live out the rest of your miserable life, so take this as a token of my gratitude. I hope you can live out the rest of your life in peace. Try to make better decisions for yourself and not endanger those around you.


    Goodbye Jack. Don¡¯t worry, Angela has already said her goodbyes to you. I wish you well in life and hopefully one day, you¡¯ll revert back to the boy I once knew.¡±


    Sincerely, your old friend and doctor, Dr. Cato.


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened. His eyes were so bloodshot. Lightning flashed in Angela¡¯s room as he screamed and ripped the paper apart. He grabbed the duffel bag and threw it out the window.


    Eric walked to the backyard and heard glass shattering. He looked up and saw the duffel bag fly out the window. Money rained from the sky and landed all over Eric. He thought it was a blessing until he saw which window it crashed through. He rushed upstairs and heard Jack screaming and pounding.


    He spotted Jack repeatedly punching the walls in Angela¡¯s room. It was such a sad and horrible sight to watch, so much so that Jack¡¯s knuckles started bleeding.


    Eric couldn¡¯t take watching Jack have such an awful mental breakdown, so he went to Jack¡¯s side to calm him down. Though his efforts were meaningless, Jack pushed Eric away, and Eric got angry. Eric grabbed him and held Jack against the wall. The poor teenager was in such a raging state that he screamed at Eric, pleading to let go of him, but his uncle felt so horrible for Jack. He¡¯d never seen him that mentally weak before.


    As the two struggled, Jack heard a vehicle closeby. He pushed Eric off of him and rushed outside, spotting a white van driving off. That was his chance to get Angela back, a sign of aid from God. He hopped in the car and immediately pursued the vehicle. Eric tried stopping him, but it was too late.


    Eric watched Jack drive away, thinking that if he would return hopefully alive or dead. Eric clenched his fist and squinted. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to think of such an awful possibility. He had already lost his closest friend to the same state Jack was in, he didn¡¯t want to lose them both.


    As Eric turned back around, he spotted a woman in a red dress a couple of feet away from the door. She walked out the front door and stood in front of the porch.


    From what Eric could read, she looked extremely worried about something.


    Eric was astonished by her beauty, but was confused and creeped out on how there was a perfectly dressed woman standing there in the first place. He tried to walk up to the front porch, but as soon as he got close, she faded away with a sudden flash of light from the angry skies.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening, man? All this crazy shit, what has life come to¡­ Jack, please be careful, my guy. It¡¯s already bad enough I¡¯ve lost my best friend. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to lose both of you as well.¡±


    Eric had no clue of the events occuring, but he felt so sad. Just what in the world is happening?


    Eric walked up the porch steps and spotted a rose on the floor where the woman stood. He examined it and noticed how much it glowed beneath the moonlight.


    ¡°Just what the hell is that?¡± He sat down and stared at the moon. ¡°Jack, you better not die on me fool. Like I said, I don¡¯t want to bury another friend.¡±


    As Eric stared upward, he had no clue that the rose he held was wrapped around his arm and printed onto his skin, embedding a form of protection for him.

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 4: The Cold Hardened Truth

    Jack followed the van closely. He was so enraged that he didn¡¯t care about the public¡¯s safety. He drove through crosswalks, crashed through mail boxes, and almost hit pedestrians. The only thing in his mind was to retrieve Angela. He pressed the gas pedal so hard that it broke, but there was no way for him to slow down. He didn¡¯t care, he was dead focused on that van.


    It started raining. Even though it was hard to see, Jack was close to the van. With a huge maniacal smile on his face, he felt relieved because he was about to get the bastards who might have been involved in Angela¡¯s abduction.


    Suddenly, from the driver¡¯s side window, Jack saw huge headlights coming towards his side.


    Huh?


    Lights shone brighter and got closer. ¡°Fuck!¡± Jack yelled, as the vehicle crashed into him, enough to make him black out.


    Everything was pitch black. All Jack could hear was a loud ringing sound. He could hear himself breathe and saw a light. It was dim, but something was there. Within the light Jack heard muffled sobbing. The girl in the white dress walked out of the dim light and then dropped to her knees, with her hands covering her face, seeming extremely upset.


    Jack called out to her and she sprung up, then tried reaching him from the darkness, but she started to fade away the moment her fingertips came close to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for everything,¡± she said before fully disappearing.


    Jack felt livid and enraged. The light started spreading throughout the darkness. He felt the heat burning his skin to a crisp. It felt so real that Jack woke up.


    ¡°Gahhh! Wh-What?!¡± Jack looked around and felt something stretch his arms out.


    He glanced around and noticed that he was chained up. He looked around some more, trying to get a better understanding of where he was at. From his observations, he was in a small, cold, wet, dark room. There was a huge screen in front of him too. He tried breaking free by moving the chains around, but there was no sign of him escaping the basement.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Jack asked, continuing to struggle. ¡°G-Get me out of here!¡±


    Jack was bruised and severely injured from the crash, but the amount of adrenaline going through his body made him ignore the horrid pain. The screen suddenly turned on and flashed Jack¡¯s eyes, blinding him for a second. It was all static at first until it cleared out. There was a chair and a candle. The room was white.


    Jack was confused. He thought that this might have been another lucid dream, but he wanted to know if he was still in reality, so he bit his bicep to see if he wasn¡¯t dreaming.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± A tiny stream of blood drizzled off his arm. It definitely was no dream.


    When Jack looked at the screen again, someone walked to the chair. They took a seat and turned around. Jack screamed out in anger. He knew it was Dr. Cato.


    Jack tried getting closer to the screen to break it, but the chains held him back. He stopped struggling to catch his breath, but Dr. Cato didn¡¯t look happy.


    ¡°Jack, my dear boy, you¡¯ve become a monster,¡± he said, his voice booming from a speaker. ¡°I told you it wasn¡¯t a good idea to leave that place, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Jack gritted his teeth. ¡°Shut the hell up! Where¡¯s Angela?¡±


    Dr. Cato sighed, clasping his hands. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about her anymore. She¡¯s home now. It¡¯s best that you move on.¡±


    ¡°You bastard¡­ you¡­ son of a bitch!¡± Jack tried breaking free from the chains again and viciously snarled at Dr. Cato.


    ¡°Jack, watch your mouth! I don¡¯t know where you learned such vulgar language. Calm yourself, boy!¡±


    Jack kept punching the air, trying his best to break free from the chains. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me how I should talk¡­¡± He stopped and panted, ¡°¡­fool!¡±


    Jack dropped to a knee. The doctor sighed. ¡°Stop my boy, you¡¯re doing yourself no good by hurting yourself.¡±


    ¡°Why do you want Angela so bad? What? Is it about the stupid promise you made for her parents? It can¡¯t be, am I right?¡± Jack let out a brief chuckle.


    Dr. Cato got angry and frowned. ¡°How dare you! You detestable wretch!¡± He slammed a fist on his desk. ¡°Half of it is for that sole reason! But the other promise is the main reason why I have to look after her, Jack!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jack tilted his head. ¡°Other promise? Wha-what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot that you don¡¯t know! This isn¡¯t about you and I! It¡¯s about keeping the people safe, the city, the country¡­ but more importantly, the entire world!¡±


    Jack laughed. He raised his head again and screamed at the ceiling. ¡°What are you talking about? How is she a danger to people? It¡¯s me who should be a danger, you old coop!¡± He spat at the screen, staining it with bloody spit.


    Dr. Cato gasped and stood up, walking closer to the camera. ¡°Jack, what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that, blah blah, blah. Fuck you!¡± Jack mocked Dr. Cato, which pissed him off.


    ¡°Shut your wretched mouth, you little shit!¡± Dr. Cato yelled, catching Jack by surprise.


    Jack¡¯s shock got swept away from his broken emotions, which brought out laughter. ¡°You fucking fool ass bastard. I¡¯m a menace to society, a fucking killing machine! I¡¯m the one you should be worried about, not some little girl! Do you know how many lives I¡¯ve taken by my stupid selfish attitude? Do I have to mention about the bitch who¡¯s made my life a living hell inside my mind?¡±


    ¡°Jack, do you hear the things you¡¯re saying?¡±


    Jack continued laughing and coughed. ¡°You see, doctor! I¡¯m a very sick person, don¡¯t cha think?¡±


    Dr. Cato shook his head. ¡°Yeah, I know and see, but you¡¯ve been sick since the facility you see¡­¡± He walked back to his chair and sat down.


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Every time I saw you speak to yourself, I knew that you were hopeless. No matter how many times I tried to convince you, you wouldn¡¯t listen.¡±


    Hearing that pissed Jack off. He tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Talking¡­ to myself! What the hell is that supposed to mean? I never talked to myself, you fool! You had a nurse assigned to me!¡±


    ¡°Nurse? Assigned?¡± Dr. Cato shook his head. ¡°What are you talking about? I never assigned you a nurse.¡±


    Jack¡¯s heart started racing. ¡°Stop messing with me! Carolyn! My nurse, the woman with the dark long hair and teal eyes!¡±


    Dr. Cato got frustrated and slammed his hand on the chair. ¡°Jack!¡±


    Jack continued panting, spitting out more blood.


    Dr. Cato squinted and extended his hands out to Jack. ¡°You¡¯re a diagnosed schizophrenic.¡±


    Dr. Cato stopped talking for a moment and looked into Jack¡¯s eyes. Jack saw the doctor''s eyes shake, showing the guilt for his actions starting to come out at the edge of them. But then the doctor blinked, furrowing his brows and hiding the signs of remorse because he remembered that the boy was no saint. Jack responded with more struggling, blowing steam between his clenched teeth.


    The doctor thought to himself in silence as he stared at Jack still trying his damndest to break free from his chained prison. I have to do everything in my power to keep Angela out of society like what her mother wanted. It''s for the best¡­


    As Jack struggled, coughed loudly, making noises of anger, Dr. Cato leapt out of his chair and slammed his hands on the desk.


    ¡°There was no Carolyn!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ No, you¡¯re lying! How could that be the case when I¡¯ve actually held her?¡±


    Jack looked at one of his hands. Her warmth, her hands¡­ And that smell¡­


    Jack clenched his fists and looked up at Dr. Cato, scaring him back into his chair. ¡°You lying piece of shit!¡±


    With a straight face, Dr. Cato got up from his chair and left the screen, leaving Jack to mutter to himself in darkness. Jack convinced himself that the man was only saying horrid things to bring him further into the hands of insanity, so he didn¡¯t believe a single thing Dr. Cato had said to him. Jack chuckled and assumed Dr. Cato was just messing with his head. It was all a trick to make him more mentally weak. It was the same tricks he¡¯d pulled off on him back at the facility.


    Dr. Cato returned with a wagon. There was a TV on top of it and it had a VHS player. Jack stopped his nonsense and paid attention to what Dr. Cato was doing.


    Dr. Cato inserted a VHS into the player. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this Jack, but this is for your own good.¡± Dr. Cato looked so sad as he pressed play on the VHS and slowly hovered his finger over the ON button on the TV.


    ¡°Quit fooling around, doctor! There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m a¡ª¡±


    Dr. Cato turned the TV on. Jack stared at the screen and immediately shut up.


    The video was a view of his room. Jack realized that Dr. Cato had put a camera in his room the entire time, which made Jack feel violated.


    Dr. Cato pressed fast forward and stopped when it showed Jack waking up, doing his usual routine. It all seemed normal at first, enough for Jack to talk smack again to Dr. Cato, until he started talking to no one.


    Jack¡¯s heart sank. He began to sweat and couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Jack laughed at nothing, had no one pat his head, and he was grabbing onto nothing. It even showed him holding nobody¡¯s hand but his own.


    Dr. Cato ejected the VHS and inserted another tape. ¡°You were always a special patient to me, Jack. And this shows why¡­¡± He pressed play while looking into Jack¡¯s widened eyes.


    Jack didn¡¯t want to believe what he was seeing. He refused to believe it. He growled at Dr. Cato and rattled the chains. ¡°You lying piece of shit! You edited those out! Yeah, that¡¯s it!¡± He laughed. ¡°You¡¯re trying to trick me, you freaking sociopath!¡±


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    Dr. Cato picked his chair up and slammed it onto the ground. ¡°No, you delusional, sick bastard!¡± He quickly calmed down and regained his composure. ¡°Sorry about that. Ahem! You can¡¯t edit VHS tapes easily, even if I were able to, you would notice the edits. What you see is all real.¡± He pointed at the screen as the video played.


    This time it was when Jack thought he was being escorted by Carolyn and confronted Dr. Cato for the first time. It showed Jack pointing at nothing and it even showed he was holding hands with the air. Jack couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Dr. Cato kept playing more tapes, showing Jack a harsh reality check: the fact that she was never real. They were videos of him sitting alone, hugging the air, speaking with no one, countless clips of him just being a pathetic boy speaking to absolutely no one.


    Old memories of Carolyn flashed in Jack¡¯s mind. Her face, her hair, and her smile that brought warmth to his wretched soul. He had flashbacks of all the times he had with her. ¡°This isn¡¯t right¡­¡± Jack moved his head erratically. ¡°How could this be true? She was there¡­ Always there!¡±


    Jack clenched his hands so hard that his nails pierced through his palms and made blood pour out. Jack couldn¡¯t take it and screamed, ¡°You liar!¡±


    ¡°Enough, Jack! There was no Carolyn. She was never there, she never existed. Like I said, you¡¯re diagnosed as a schizophrenic.¡± Then Dr. Cato zoomed himself into the camera. ¡°She was never real!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing and hearing. Just as Jack was about to lose control of himself, he remembered Angela had talked to Carolyn. She held her and spoke with her directly.


    ¡°Hold up. I remember that Angela knew who she was. She spoke to her, and-and-and held her hand. Yeah! She knew Angela way before I was introduced into her life! You can¡¯t fool me, doctor!¡± Jack exclaimed, expressing a confident grin.


    Dr. Cato sighed and pushed the wagon away. ¡°Not true, Jack. Angela told me the only reason why she thought Carolyn was there was to make you feel better. For Pete¡¯s sake Jack, she was six at the time!¡± He slammed his hands on his face. ¡°Of course she would believe you. You¡¯re mentally ill, Jack. The fact that you even said that you¡¯re sick is proof of that.¡±


    Jack still didn¡¯t believe him. He looked away from the screen so he wouldn¡¯t have to look at his lying face. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say. She was real dammit!¡±


    Dr. Cato sighed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jack. I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but overcoming schizophrenia is a difficult task you have to overcome.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jack moved erratically, flinging the chains wildly. ¡°Just give me Angela back! Give her back!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes started to water and he dropped to his knees. ¡°Please, she¡¯s all I have left. Without her, I¡¯ll have nothing left. Nothing!¡±


    Jack was on the brink of letting out his hidden emotions, the very feelings that had laid dormant all these years. He hung his head in shame, and let out a loud cry without shedding a tear.


    Dr. Cato drew in a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jack. Wait for a moment, I think this will clear things up better for you afterwards¡­¡± Dr. Cato turned around, ¡°¡­I¡¯ll set you free, and hopefully you can become a better person.¡± He exited the room, leaving Jack to wallow in his broken and shameful emotions.


    Jack¡¯s mind still flashed images of Carolyn. Her voice echoed constantly in his mind. It wasn¡¯t true, but at the same time, if the videos were real, then he really was delusional and sick. He couldn¡¯t bear that feeling. It made his stomach turn inside out, enough so that he vomited profusely.


    Dr. Cato finally returned, but with Angela by his side. Dr. Cato called for his attention. Jack vomited one last time and looked back up. Jack was shocked, but something was off. Her eyes were as hopeless as they were empty, and she wasn¡¯t wearing his hoodie. But he didn¡¯t care, he was just glad to see her.


    ¡°Angela!¡± Jack said, expressing a broken smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll break you free. Just hang on for a while until I find you. After that, I-I promise to take you to school.¡±


    Angela glared at Jack with blank eyes. Dr. Cato placed his hand on her shoulder and she nodded. Jack noticed a weird cross necklace around her neck. He kept calling for her, waiting for a response.


    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± she asked in a monotone voice.


    Jack¡¯s eyes became empty. ¡°Angela, it¡¯s me, your brother!¡± He sounded desperate, while he rattled the chains more violently.


    She twitched a little while staring directly into his crazed eyes that seemed to stare right into his soul. ¡°I-I¡­¡± She clutched her head, but Dr. Cato patted her back to ease her pain.


    She shook her head and stared back. ¡°I¡­ never had a brother¡­¡± Jack broke down and screamed horrifically. Angela, on the other hand, pointed at him like a caged animal. ¡°Who¡¯s this person, father?¡±


    Jack let out a blood curdling scream. He couldn¡¯t believe she¡¯d said that to him. He was absolutely mortified but most of all, he was broken.


    ¡°Angela! It¡¯s me!¡± He tried approaching the screen, trying to slip the chains off his wrists, but that only led to them being ripped open.


    ¡°Angela, Angela, Angela!¡± He let out one last saddened scream and dropped back to his knees, slamming his head against the ground. ¡°Angela¡­!¡±


    Dr. Cato held Angela and patted her head. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m afraid this one¡¯s a lost cause, my dear.¡±


    Angela nodded. ¡°Okay. If you say so, Father.¡±


    Dr. Cato took one last look at Jack. ¡°Goodbye, Jack. I am truly sorry. Say goodbye to the strange guy, Angela!¡±


    She waved at Jack with her horrid, blank eyes. ¡°Bye, bye.¡±


    Dr. Cato pressed a button, which released the chains from Jack¡¯s wrists. His arms collapsed to the ground and a door opened, revealing the outside world. He wished Jack good luck and the screen turned off.


    Jack was still on his knees with his head on the ground, blood pouring out of his palms and head. He didn¡¯t care anymore, he just wanted to die alone.


    ***


    Back at the high school where all three girls attended, Sarah had just arrived, staring at nature¡¯s darkness coating the building. Lightning flashed and gave Sarah the only light she had. Standing in the rain completely drenched, Sarah was determined to investigate the strange occurrence which took place earlier. The burden weighed on her tiny shoulders and couldn¡¯t be left unfolded. She had to figure out why it happened and who was behind it.


    Sarah began walking into the vicinity of her school. Walking in darkness, she still felt the presence of the mysterious eyes that stalked them. She didn¡¯t care if she was soaked and her long hair weighed her down. Her determination to find out about the mystery was the priority. Walking up to the school doors, Sarah knew something wasn¡¯t right because when she turned around, the rain along with the dwelling night had vanished. She¡¯s now standing in a vast void of dawning haunting red, her school building floating in this cloudy red void, Sarah gazing at the fiery red sky.


    ¡°I¡­ knew it¡­¡± said Sarah nervously.


    She places her pale hands on the door handles, and gently pushes the doors open. Loudly did these metal doors creaked and unexpectedly slam against the concrete walls, shattering into dust. A cold howling wind gusted towards Sarah, blowing her dry and sweeping away the dust shattered doors into the vast void of red. Sarah swallows, steps inside, and proceeds to walk with caution. Her fists trembling, erratically glancing around, her senses buzzing off, Sarah felt something or someone telling her to leave.


    ¡°Whoever¡¯s doing this detests my presence. How wretched.¡± Sarah narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath.


    Sarah kept walking through the school, looking into every classroom that was empty. Outside, the clouds grew angrier, creating sounds of thunder, and powerful enough to shatter all the glass inside the school. Sarah¡¯s in the main hall that¡¯s wide and open, a dome of glass hovering above it shatters to pieces. The glass rained down on Sarah as she stood there, quietly letting the glass break all around her. The glass shatters beautifully, her hair flutters, the flow of red from the outside creeps in, and surrounds her, creating a rope of death around Sarah.


    She tapped her foot on the ground, and the rope momentarily seemed to retreat back to where it came from.


    ¡°Ah¡­!¡± The rope suddenly grappled around Sarah¡¯s throat and started dragging her away from where she stood.


    The sound of agonized crying erupted in the school, echoing it¡¯s sorrow from every direction as Sarah¡¯s dragged away to wherever this noose was taking her. Struggling to get this thing off her neck, Sarah grew her eyes wide, and the rope reacted to that, letting go and fading away into a cloud of smoke. She catches her breathing, grabbing her neck as she frantically coughs her tiny lungs out.


    ¡°What was that crap?!¡± Sarah then saw someone hovering out of a classroom and floating away.


    She stood back up, caught her breath, and chased after the being creating this supernatural occurrence. They cried, Sarah covered her ears from the terrible ear piercing crying this being¡¯s producing. From her observation, they had black hair, a white and black dress, and chalk skin. The two continued playing cat and mouse throughout the school while she¡¯s running and starting to go out of breath, and from where they were heading to, it appeared to be the auditorium.


    In the auditorium the crying girl went, and before the doors closed, she turned around and let out a horrifying wail, pushing Sarah away and making her fall back. The doors slam shut, and the school becomes dead silent. Sarah rubbed her back and got back on her feet, she glanced around and saw the ambience of silence ensuing.


    ¡°This is pure¡­ abnormality. Completely different from what Mom¡¯s shown me.¡±


    Sarah took her time walking to the doors that slammed shut by the crying girl in white. The dead silence drove Sarah in a state of pure nerve racking uneasiness, sweat started pouring out from the pores of her skin, her already pale skin grew whiter, and her arms, she couldn¡¯t stop them from shaking. Arriving at the doors, she opened one, letting herself into the auditorium.


    ¡°This is where she came in. Where did she go?¡±


    Sarah looked around the giant school theater, the stage¡¯s curtains closed, completely dead quiet, she started walking and that¡¯s the only sound made, her muffled soft stepping. Observing her surroundings, Sarah then found herself in a predicament.


    ¡°The door¡­ it¡¯s gone!¡±


    Sarah began panicking, the crying girl¡¯s sorrow returned to haunt Sarah¡¯s ears. Sarah looked straight forward, the red curtains hurtled apart, and there she was, the girl in white crying on her knees with her hands on her face. Sarah ran towards her, the girl sensed Sarah¡¯s approaching, she sprung up, startling Sarah and making her stop in place. The girl¡¯s hair fluttered as she floated in the air, exposing a face as empty as the void outside the floating building.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glinted, she glared at the faceless girl, and the entire building around them started cracking, falling apart by the void turning into a spiral abyss of this faceless girl¡¯s anger. The two stared into each other¡¯s souls with hatred, detesting each other¡¯s presence, but the girl in white especially hated Sarah¡¯s sight the most, letting out a frustrated wail.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew wide in anger. ¡°Who are you¡­ And why have you¡ª¡±


    The girl in white didn¡¯t have time to hear Sarah¡¯s nonsense, she sprung forward towards her, but as soon as she was inches away from reaching Sarah, she spotted the necklace around Sarah¡¯s neck. The girl in white screams bloody murder, her head spun like an owl, twitched horribly, and her skin evaporates into white smoke. All there was of her was the dress and hair that made her look human, but now she¡¯s a floating clothed cloud of smokey wickedness.


    The girl screams again in agony, she flies away to the nearest exit of the room almost coming to meet its end just like the building around them. Sarah quickly chased after the entity, and it got away through the door. The building¡¯s almost disetengranted, Sarah¡¯s almost caught by the vortex creating around her, she quickly caught the handle to the door, opened it with her eyes closed and sprung herself forward into and out the door.


    Sarah lands on a cold wet concrete surface, the cold steel rain hitting the entirety of her back, as she lifts her face off the freezing ground, she realizes that she¡¯s back in reality. Looking over her shoulder, she found herself near the back of the building of her school. Her breathing heavy, creating a cloud in front of her everytime she let¡¯s it out, Sarah feels teased and afraid.


    Standing back on her feet, the rain continuing to pour, completely drenched, Sarah gazes up at the rain, letting the cold steel hit her face. So this is who I am and the world, in which I truly belong to and know of¡­ She lowered her head, and clenched her skirt. Mom ¡ª I¡¯m scared¡­


    ***


    It¡¯s already been hours since those last words of Angela¡¯s hit Jack¡¯s ears, he sat there in darkness, muttering words to himself, thinking of how much of a lie his life was¡­ He¡¯s a paralyzed manikin. The water dripped from the humid ceiling, a faint cold breeze blew past him from the outside, Jack began to chuckle with such sorrow, he even begged for that mysterious girl in his dreams to help him like she has¡­ but now he wonders if she¡¯s just an illusion as well.


    Jack finally stood up, he held his shoulder, noticing that it may be dislocated, but he didn¡¯t care. He quietly muttered words beneath his breath as he walked to the door. Stepping outside, it¡¯s snowing heavily now when it was just raining a couple of hours ago. The winds were as fierce as a tsunami, the air¡¯s extremely cold enough to freeze your organs. Though being the broken guy he is in this instance, Jack smirks, he didn¡¯t care if he started developing frostbite the moment he stepped into the cruel white world.


    Jack started to walk towards nothing. His blood immediately froze from the blizzard, his palms got crusty and wounds got frozen shut. He continued walking for a long time through the thick fog of snow, he had no idea where he was heading. But none of that mattered now because he was dead inside, he had nothing left to strive for in life, his life had been turned to shambles by the only motivation to keep going, and that being Angela.


    After walking into miles of thick fog, Jack finally starts to see some civilization, but the people he came across were hollow and cruel, they mocked him, threw stuff at him, tormenting him of his selfish decisions and reminding him how much of a menace to society he is. Jack ignored all those painful words of truth, walking past the street with cars almost ramming him, they too cursed him and tried hitting him. All he could think of was how much he deserved this punishment, hearing all these people tormenting him put a smile on his blue hopeless face. As he kept walking, he didn¡¯t realize that he was getting close to his home, but that changed quickly¡­


    The moment he stepped into the entrance, the sky turned black, and began to cry black, almost like ash. The area¡¯s volcanic hot, snow melting away rapidly, he gazed at the disturbing sky that seemed fiery and enraged, Jack brokely chuckles.


    He stepped inside the neighborhood, walking down the middle of the blacked out road and saw the houses were burnt to a crisp. The streets were covered with ash and there were corpses as black as charcoal laying around the once green yards and gray sidewalks. Jack wiped that hopeless smile off his face and panicked, he started power walking to get away from such horrifying sights. The heat intensified the closer he got to his home, the air¡¯s becoming so thin that he couldn¡¯t catch his breath and breathe properly. There¡¯s a massive inferno starting to appear over the horizon as he got close, and when he did¡­ The flames were as tall as the houses themselves. It¡¯s blistering hot, he could feel his skin melting off of his flesh the deeper he walked into the neighborhood.


    Finally, Jack reaches his home and¡­ Jack¡¯s entire home¡¯s engulfed with flames as hot as the sun, he couldn¡¯t take it, he laughed maniacally, watching the crackling fires ravage his home and area. He¡¯s finally lost it, at this point he¡¯s only admiring the horrific beauty the flames were producing, laughing, laughing derangedly to himself¡­ Laughing loudly, rising the flames higher the louder he laughed until coughing ensued.


    Jack coughs repeatedly, and returns to laughing once again, ¡°Ha-Ha¡­ Haha!¡± He then stops his senseless laughing and returns his broken smile, ¡°I-I give up¡­¡±


    Jack drops to his knees, his eyes are dead and he slowly falls to the ground, sideways. ¡°I¡­ gi-give¡­ up¡­¡± Jack drew his last breath and lay on the hot ground like a helpless, worthless, hopeless fool that he¡¯s become.


    The ash started piling up on him, slowly burying him beneath the ground to become one with the ash and ground.


    Jack¡¯s eyes still open and colorless, the inferno started to get brighter, rising higher towards the black skies. Then, a shadowy figure appeared behind the fire, the figure¡¯s feminien shadow slowly got closer to the flames, until the flames themselves twirled around, forming into a fiery tornado and being sucked back into the sky¡­ Revealing the woman in red.


    She walks straight past the leftover blazing infernos of hell, and slowly makes her way to Jack¡¯s lifeless body.


    Her eyes were melancholy and seemed enraged. ¡°Oh Jack¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t have helped you sooner, but I had to let you see the reflections of your emotions...¡±


    She stopped for a moment, gazing at the black sky as it slowly turned into the colors of her dress. She placed her hands over her heart, ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise to take care of you? No matter what happens Jack¡­ I¡¯ll always try my best to save you.¡±


    She looks forward again and starts walking again, ¡°There are things in this world that people are oblivious about¡­ You may not believe it now, but there are spirits, demons, strange phenomenons that occur in our world, but there are also things that are beyond that¡­ horrible things, Jack.¡±


    She stood in front of Jack, looking down on him and slowly dropped to her knees to brush the ash off of Jack, ¡°Besides¡­ I know you haven¡¯t given up, she still needs you, Jack¡­¡± She removes her hood, revealing her long elegant black hair and her holy eyes as blue as the frozen lakes on Mars.


    She finally removes all the ash off of Jack¡¯s face, grabs his head and gently rests it on her lap. She strokes Jack¡¯s hair and starts singing a soft lullaby, returning the color of his eyes. She kisses Jack on the head and continues singing, and closes his eyelids shut as he regains his breathing very faintly.


    She notices the wristband on his hand, it brings a gentle smile on her gorgeous face and she continues pampering him. The fires continued to rise and burn, the sky gleamed the colors of her dress of red and black, the winds blew ash over them. Her hair flutters with the hot wind along with her dress. She whispers into Jack¡¯s ear and tells him that she¡¯ll always be by his side, looking after him along with his friends too, she¡¯ll save him, protect him, and love him for however long it¡¯ll take.


    The flames finally started to dim, they were growing shorter as she pampered him. The sky finally faded to a haunting orange, the ash turned into red rose petals, and the houses slowly fell apart, collapsing peacefully. The winds now blew a calm yet eerie chill, the atmosphere alone felt quiet and sad. The woman in red kissed Jack on the cheek and set her hand on it, shedding brightly blood red tears as they dropped onto Jack. They stained his soul and sparkled within it, giving color back to his blue skin. His wounds were healed and his heart began to properly beat again.


    She pats his head and speaks softly again, ¡°Jack¡­ you promised me that you¡¯ll take care of her, don¡¯t break that promise. So please¡­ don¡¯t give up.¡±


    She softly blinks, When you¡¯re ready¡­ I¡¯ll tell you everything, your dreams, your awful life, but more importantly...


    She stared forward at nothingness, her cheeks were stained by her trail of bloody tears that she shed, her pupils started to glow a rose red and the rose petals flew past from behind her. ¡°To¡­ Rid of that dreadful girl¡­ in the white dress.¡± The entire area was engulfed by a wave of rose petals fading everything into a sea of wine red.

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 5: Her Presence

    Eric¡¯s alone, sitting on a couch in the living room that was once filled with his best friend¡¯s energetic presence: Randolph, alongside Jack¡¯s stubbornness and Angela¡¯s angelic smile. Now it felt like an empty hollow of the past. It¡¯d been a long lonely week for him. Two days after the events of Angela¡¯s kidnapping, he found Jack one night in the middle of the road all motionless and broken.


    Jack had been unconscious for a couple of days until he suddenly woke up at midday screaming, but what made it seem more creepy was the fact how he started laughing the moment he stopped screaming.


    The next morning, Eric found Jack in the front yard, laughing like some deranged lunatic. The strange thing was when he left in a full rage to chase his past, he was expecting Jack to be even more damaged than what he already was, but he wasn¡¯t. His condition seemed as if he¡¯d never taken any damage from anything, even from the intense ambush in the bar. It razzled his mind and made him feel suspicious towards Jack.


    During Jack¡¯s absence, Eric managed to collect all the money Jack threw out that night. He hid it away and had it ready for any emergencies that might suddenly pop up. With his fingers, Eric interlaced them on his chin and went deep in thought. While the clock ticked and the sounds of nature occurred outside as the sunlight emitted through the window to brighten the dark atmosphere, he looked at Jack who was laying on the other couch motionless and asleep. Eric couldn¡¯t help but feel hopeless about the entire situation. Then, Eric started to see Jack¡¯s fingers move, so he got up and started shaking Jack, trying to wake him out of his slumber.


    ¡°Come on boy, wake yo ass up! Please man, wake up homie!¡± Eric continued shaking him, hoping he¡¯d wake up.


    Jack slowly opened his eyes and spotted Eric beside him. He looked at Eric and groaned. ¡°Ho-How did I¡­ end up back here? In the living room.¡±


    Eric¡¯s eyebrows knit, showing a fierce wrinkle between them. ¡°What had happened is that your ass has been acting fucking crazy for the past week, that¡¯s what my guy!¡± Jack¡¯s eyes were still empty and showed no sign of emotions when Eric told him that.


    Jack chuckled and slowly sat up. ¡°It was all a dream. I should have known!¡± He smiled, but there were no signs of happiness. Just complete hopelessness.


    He got up and tried walking away, but Eric stopped him. ¡°Jack! What happened? And where¡¯s Angela? I¡¯ve been trying to talk to you the entire week man!¡±


    Jack wobbled his head out of tiredness. ¡°Who¡­? My¡­ My sister?¡±


    Eric nodded. Jack, on the other hand, grinned like some damned fool, which made Eric uneasy.


    ¡°You can forget about her,¡± Jack said as he tried forcing Eric out of the way.


    Eric got mad and pushed Jack. ¡°What the hell are you talking about, son? Where the fuck is Angela?¡±


    Jack walked around him and went towards his room while Eric stood there angrily clenching his fists. ¡°I don¡¯t care anymore. I¡¯m tired, j-just¡­¡± he opened his door and didn¡¯t look back, ¡°...leave me alone.¡± Jack walked inside and closed the door gently behind him.


    Eric gasped in shock, wondering if he¡¯d heard him correctly. He doesn¡¯t care about his sister?


    He felt so angry. The entire week felt like a waste because he¡¯d waited for Jack to come to his senses, but that couldn¡¯t have been farther from the truth. Instead of waiting, he could¡¯ve at least attempted to save her.


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s it!¡± Eric punched a hole through the wall, releasing all the rage he¡¯d held in.


    All that time wasted¡­ Eric stood there with his fist in the wall, still speechless that Jack had said such a thing.


    He pulled his fist out, then slowly took a cigarette out to smoke his emotions away. Sighing, Eric walked outside to ease his mind. He sat on a chair on the front porch, lit his cigarette and smoked as he stared at the traffic going by, thinking about how much everything had changed in the past five years.


    Randolph was dead, and a lot of his members have been killed, tortured, and even left out of fear from the events of the supernatural. Now the last thing that made him happy was gone too, but Eric wasn¡¯t going to give up. He was determined to find out what had happened to Angela and where she was taken. The only way he would get answers or clues was to know what was going on with Jack, but Eric knew a broken person when he saw one. Jack was completely and utterly hopeless.


    Meanwhile, Jack was lying on his bed facing upwards, staring at the ceiling. His mind was as blank as paper and the sound of static rubbed against his ear drums. All he could see was black and white. Everything around him held no more value as his mind continued basking in his growing sorrow. The feeling of emptiness and Angela¡¯s face made him beg God to take him away from the damned world filled with corruption and selfishness.


    Looking to his right, Jack saw a photo of Angela. He wanted to cry, but he still couldn¡¯t bring himself to do such a thing. He had no idea why he was so emotionally messed up. He just wanted his anger and sadness to be released through his eyes just like everyone else.


    Jack sat up and picked up the photo and stared at her beautiful smile that was filled with hope. Now haunted by memories of his own growing failure as her brother and guardian, Jack started breathing heavily from those thoughts. He got up and threw the photo on the ground, stomping and releasing his emotions.


    But sadly, reality thought differently, for he showed no emotion as he did such a thing. He stopped and grabbed his hair, shoving the glass to the side and picking the photo up after realizing what he¡¯d done. He tucked the photo inside his pocket and chuckled as if nothing had happened. Jack lay back down on his bed and stared up at nothingness, feeling hopeless, lost, and confused. He fell asleep with a sad grin on his face, waiting to see if God would truly take him away to finally reunite him with his parents.


    ***


    As each school day went by, Veronica and Sarah hadn¡¯t seen Anna around too much. She was being very quiet and barely came to school. Sarah already knew why though. She presumed it must¡¯ve been the events that had occurred last week. Even when she did come, she hardly spoke at all, let alone say ¡°Hi!¡± every once in a while.


    Maybe that day at the town with the girl creeped her out that much, Veronica thought.


    Veronica turned to Sarah. ¡°Have you noticed how much of a jackass Danny¡¯s become too? He¡¯s been rude, impatient, and a bit of an edgelord.¡±


    While both girls stood beside their lockers, Sarah opened hers and sighed. ¡°Sounds like someone¡¯s trying to impress the wrong girl. If I were you, I would stop talking to that fool.¡±


    Veronica shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s become of him.¡±


    ¡°Why are you still friends with that dumbo anyways? Even when we were kids, Anna and I never assumed he was one.¡±


    Veronica sighed. ¡°You¡¯re right, but the thing is I feel bad he¡¯d end up alone. Remember, his sister did get killed.¡±


    Sarah tucked her books into her bag and closed her locker. ¡°Boo frickity hoo! Cry me a river, Veronica. That still doesn¡¯t give him the right to act like such a dick.¡±


    ¡°Woah! Sarah, that language!¡± Veronica exclaimed as they started walking into the crowded hallway of students.


    Sarah¡¯s sinister grin widened as she got closer to Veronica¡¯s face. ¡°What?! You mean d-d-dick!¡±


    Veronica turned red. ¡°Stop saying such naughty stuff!¡± She pulled out the cross the woman had given her. ¡°May the power of Christ compel you!¡± she said, shoving it into Sarah¡¯s face.


    Sarah laughed and playfully pushed Veronica away. ¡°Relax with that. You might kill me with ¡®the might of God.¡¯¡±


    Out of nowhere, Danny came around the corner and bumped into Sarah.


    Sarah got mad and raised her tone. ¡°Watch where you¡¯re walking asshole!¡±


    He turned his head away and looked at Veronica, trying to be all tough and macho-like by leaning against the wall. ¡°Hey Veronica, how¡¯s ya day been huh?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t impressed and rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever, I won¡¯t answer you until you apologise to Sarah.¡±


    He smacked his lips and looked at Sarah. His eyes turned lustful, checking Sarah out from head to toe. ¡°Damn Sarah, I knew you were pretty, but my goodness you¡¯re looking finer the older we get!¡±


    Sarah wasn¡¯t having it. She slapped him and kneed him in the crotch. ¡°Asshole! Don¡¯t pull that type of crap with me. I¡¯m not some damn eyecandy!¡± She smiled at Veronica and winked at her. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you later, Veronica. Let¡¯s hang out after school, okay?¡± Sarah walked away, leaving Veronica alone with the new version of Danny.


    Danny, with his hands on his crotch, tried to muffle his moaning, but it hurt too much for him to hide. ¡°Stupid bitch! What¡¯s wrong with you damn females? Don¡¯t you people like compliments?¡± he spat, squinting his eyes while still feeling pain.


    Veronica crossed her arms and looked at Danny¡¯s pathetic nature. ¡°Still being a jerk, I see? Sheesh, you¡¯re a lost cause. And to think I actually felt bad for you¡­¡± She then started walking away.


    ¡°Veronica! Where are you going? VV?¡± Danny called back. However, she continued to ignore him and kept walking.


    ¡°Fine! Who needs you guys anyways! Bunch of crocks!¡± Danny limped away, holding back the tears he wanted to shed when Veronica had told him she felt bad for him.


    Slamming his hand on the wall and regretting what he¡¯d become, Danny remembered one thing: Jack was still alive. He wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until he found him and ended his life once and for all.


    When Anna went to the cafeteria for lunch, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about all the strange things that had happened. There was the incident from last week, and the one thing that coursed through her mind the most was the girl she and Veronica had spoken to three months ago. For some reason, she felt as if she¡¯d seen her before.


    Anna sat down at the table she normally sat at and stared at her lunch while the sound of adolescence and the loudness of the cafeteria surrounded her, blocking her focused thinking. Her mind started to fog with memories of Jack again. His voice echoed inside her mind until another voice slipped in. That voice was the guy who¡¯d killed Danny¡¯s sister.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The childish and kind voice of Jack, and the deep scary voice of that guy started to combine and synchronize together. They both continued to echo in her mind, which gave her the slight hint of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    Sarah walked behind Anna to try and surprise her, but to no luck. Anna didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°An-Anna! Are you okay? Hellooo?¡± She started poking her, but she wouldn¡¯t react to that either.


    She¡¯s still recovering from last week it seems, Sarah thought.


    ¡°Yo! Annabelly?!¡± Sarah exclaimed, waving her hand in front of Anna¡¯s face.


    Her eyes grew dim, which worried her best friend.


    ¡°Anna, what¡¯s gotten into you?¡± Sarah asked. She had one more thing in mind, so she grabbed Anna''s hand and playfully bit it.


    Anna felt pain right away and retracted her hand, then turned to Sarah with a sad look on her face. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I was just lost in my train of thought.¡±


    Sarah accepted her apology and knocked on Anna¡¯s head, but as soon as Anna could respond to her again, the entire cafeteria was engulfed in silence, almost as if time had stopped. Sarah was frozen in place, but as soon as Anna tried grabbing Sarah, she started melting in front of her.


    ¡°Sarah!¡± Anna screamed out in horror as her friend became a pile of mottled flesh. She turned to ash and crumbled into a large pile of darkness.


    As her screams filled the cafeteria, every student stood up. Their heads jolted in her direction. They all lifted their arms and pointed at Anna. Their glowing red corneas burned through the smoldering darkness that slowly fell within the cafeteria. They dropped their mouths as they continued pointing their wicked fingers at Anna, who was paralyzed in shock. They began to drool blood as the entire sky changed to blood red, which gleamed into the cafeteria as if hell was upon Anna.


    They began chanting as their mouths bled. ¡°May God bless your soul! May he protect you from evil. The evil being the girl in the white dress!¡±


    Anna couldn¡¯t understand any of that, it sounded as if they spoke a mixture of Italian and Spanish. She was still left stunned as her eyes continued to expand from the terrifying experience. Students continued chanting the Latin words, and as fingers set on Anna¡¯s eyes they suddenly stopped as soon as Sarah¡¯s ashes rose up and started forming into something or someone. Anna was left frozen from the strange phenomena. She couldn¡¯t even bring herself to react to such a disturbing sight.


    The rising ashes finally formed into a woman in a red dress. With her hands out, she slowly approached a frozen Anna and gently grabbed her face.


    The woman stared into Anna¡¯s shaking green eyes and gently smiled. ¡°We¡¯ll have a proper discussion later, but for now may God bless your soul and protect you from the dangers that await you, my child.¡±


    Suddenly, the woman in red vanished. Anna finally snapped back into reality and mumbled the words from her subconscious to help calm her down.


    Sarah removed her hand from Anna¡¯s face. She shook Anna violently, knowing something went wrong. ¡°Anna! Wake up! Please come back. Come on!¡±


    Sarah stopped shaking and snapped her fingers in front of her. It worked, and Anna blinked and looked up, seemingly returning to reality. ¡°Dude! You¡¯re worrying me. Do you need to see the nurse?¡± Sarah asked with a serious yet suspicious tone.


    Anna shook her head, got up abruptly, and started running. ¡°Sorry, Sarah! I¡¯ll talk to you later!¡±


    Sarah stood there with her hands clenched and stared at Anna¡¯s uneaten food. She noticed her sandwich was formed into a cross. She felt angry, knowing that something wasn¡¯t right with her from the moment she walked into the cafeteria and now she wanted to find out who was behind the phenomena. She took a black book out of her bag and began to read, mumbling some sort of mysterious chants to figure out who was the cause of last week¡¯s events and behind the strange feeling.


    Rushing past students and teachers, Anna ran out of the school to get back home. She didn¡¯t care if she was currently ditching school, she just wanted to know if the illusion she¡¯d just had was real.


    Just like last week, this occurrence felt more real than an illusion!


    The only person she could think of even having a good explanation was her grandmother because all she did was read the bible, research about demons, and the history of christianity.


    As Anna continued running, she noticed something along the road. She looked to her right momentarily.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Anna asked, pointing at a single beautiful red rose in a flower bed of tulips, orchids, carnations, and daisies.


    She was dazzled by its beauty and couldn¡¯t help but to get closer to pick it up from her own curiosity. But the moment she picked it up with shaky fingers, she started to have another illusion. This time, the world around her was outstanding and beautiful. The grass was tall and healthy, there were endless flower fields of sunshine orange and the top was filled with yellow life. But there was one thing that stood out the most, a single giant, beautiful tree that blossomed life.


    Where¡­ am I? She walked towards the tree to admire its beauty even closer, then to Anna¡¯s surprise she stopped and remembered where she was.


    ¡°I remember this tree, this field, but who else was there?¡± Anna continued walking towards it and spotted someone sitting below the tree. They appeared to be reading something, being distracted.


    As Anna slowly approached the person she noticed it was a girl with hair as blonde as hers, wearing a sundress. The reading girl noticed the shadow that hovered over her book and covered the words in her book. She looked to her side and noticed Anna was standing there.


    They stared at each other in the ambience of beauty, admiring both their looks as the peaceful winds fluttered their hair and clothing about. The girl gently closed her book and seemed surprised that someone besides her was there in a dimension of irresistible peacefulness.


    ¡°S-So¡­ pretty,¡± she said beneath her breath, standing up with her book in one hand to get to Anna¡¯s level.


    Anna smiled and felt as if her beauty was superior to her own. ¡°Thanks, but you¡¯re prettier to be honest.¡±


    The girl seemed to be nervous and a little shy by her mild blushing and sucking her bottom lip. ¡°Th-Thank you. Who might you be?¡± Then she shook her head and got serious. ¡°More importantly, how¡¯d you end up here?¡±


    ¡°Well, I picked up this rose and ended up here, strangely enough.¡± Anna showed her the beautiful rose that she¡¯d picked up and handed it to her.


    The girl examined it by rotating it around to admire its glorified beauty. As she touched it, the rose started to glow a beautiful bright holy white, which left Anna dumbfounded.


    ¡°This rose is full of purity. It¡¯s gorgeous. I¡¯m amazed someone like you can pick things up like this...¡±


    Anna scratched her head. ¡°I¡¯m really confused here, but what are you doing here all alone?¡±


    The girl looked away and stared at the flower field. ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to explain so I¡¯ll spare you some time.¡± She walked from underneath the tree and glazed herself in the sunshine.


    Anna nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of time.¡±


    The girl blinked. ¡°If you say so. To answer your question, this is a place from which I like to call a second home. But ever since I had a strange dream of a particular boy, I¡¯ve been waiting for him ever since.¡± She looked down at the ground.


    ¡°A boy? Boy, boy, boy¡­ wait a second!¡± Anna remembered how she was with two other girls in her dream and a boy as well. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen you before for some reason?¡±


    The girl looked up and stared at Anna with her golden hazel eyes. ¡°So have I¡­ Do you remember the boy who was in your dream?¡±


    Anna tried to remember, but she thought and thought until she finally did. Her mouth dropped in shock. ¡°Jack¡­¡±


    As soon as the girl heard his name, she dropped her book and formed a tiny smile that reached Anna¡¯s heart. ¡°Jack? I remember him. He¡¯s the boy I met here,¡± her faint smile quickly faded, ¡°but that isn¡¯t the only place I¡¯ve met him.¡±


    Anna was so happy. She couldn¡¯t help herself but rush at the girl and grab her shoulders out of excitement. ¡°You¡¯ve met him! Where?¡± Anna shouted with enthusiasm.


    The girl politely grabbed Anna¡¯s arms off her shoulders and placed her hands behind her back. ¡°In his dreams, the last time I saw him he was tall, sad, and really scary looking, but the sight of him made my heart race.¡±


    She closed her eyes and frowned. But for someone like me to have these feelings¡­ is blasphemy.


    Her eyes started shaking. Anna didn¡¯t understand what she was saying. The girl looked at Anna with narrowed eyes filled with despair and devastation.


    ¡°I¡¯m nothing more¡­ than just a¡­¡± She began walking backwards with a look of a person who¡¯d experienced loneliness having her hands behind her back, a frown of despair, eyes quivering in guilt, and they dimmed for a moment, as if those same eyes have faced death numerous times.


    Anna felt sorry for her, so she reached out for the girl. ¡°Don¡¯t say such things about yourself! I don¡¯t know who you are, but it¡¯s not right to have such a horrid mindset about yourself.¡±


    The girl continued walking as if she¡¯d lost all hope for herself. She finally stopped midway into the flowery field of gold. ¡°There isn¡¯t much time left, but I hope we can meet someday. You seem really kind¡­ I bet you¡¯re even nicer in person.¡±


    The girl began to fade, which left Anna feeling more confused than ever. Before she could fade out of existence, she tossed Anna the rose back towards her feet.


    ¡°Tell whoever made you connect to my subconscious that I¡¯m really grateful to meet such a kind person like you.¡± She looked away, seeming more sad than before.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Anna exclaimed, her eyebrows frowning with concern.


    The girl faded away and the flowers started to circle around Anna, turning the sky into a beautiful bright orange. Anna¡¯s vision went dark as she dropped into unconsciousness.


    When Anna opened her eyes she noticed she was lying on the flowers where she found the rose. She noticed the rose had vanished from her grasp. She had no idea what had happened, but she felt relieved for some reason. Standing up, she smiled and admired the sunset¡¯s beauty. She checked her watch and noticed the time, then began to run again and hopped over fences, dashed through the streets, and stomped on puddles to finally reach home.


    She rushed inside, panting, trying to catch her breath. ¡°Grandma?¡±


    Her grandmother came out of the kitchen. ¡°What¡¯s with all the ruckus, Anna?¡± She noticed Anna was panting. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Anna finally caught her breath. ¡°Grandman! I need you to hear this and tell me what they mean!¡±


    Her grandmother chuckled. ¡°Okay okay, relax and catch your breath then tell me my sweetums.¡±


    Anna took many deep breaths and blew air out. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve been having these strange occurrences, these bizarre dreams too, oh uh experiencing supernatural, oh oh and lastly this woman in a red dress talking to me!¡±


    Her grandmother laughed and patted her back. ¡°My dear, all these events that you¡¯re telling me are all signs of the Lord. It looks like you¡¯re starting to believe in him again, I¡¯m convinced that these are all signs of something good in the making, my sweetums.¡±


    Anna flailed her arms and raised a brow. ¡°Oh please, Grandma! You believe in these types of things, right? What are they really? Why do they feel so damn real?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still so much for you to learn, sweety. This is a sign of God¡¯s spirits trying to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the woman in red? Who might she be?¡±


    Her grandmother grabbed her jaw to think for a moment and when she did come to a conclusion she snapped her fingers. ¡°Your guardian angel. Perhaps she wants to show herself to you and look after you?¡±


    Anna thought really hard, wondering if everything her grandmother said was true. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡± Anna checked her watch and noticed it was about to get dark. ¡°Sorry, Grandma! I gotta go and pay a visit to an old friend. I¡¯ll be back in an hour!¡±


    She kissed her grandmother on the cheek and thanked her for the explanation.


    Anna then ran out and sprinted towards the graveyard. She would always do this everyday before dark to visit her late friend Jack¡¯s grave. Doing it always gave her relief, especially knowing that he might be overseeing her as her guardian angel. But from what her grandmother told her it might be this woman in red.


    Anna arrived at the cemetery¡¯s entrance, exhausted yet driven. With her hands on her knees and head down, she took the time to catch her breath, but the moment she looked up the cemetery¡¯s atmosphere changed. The sky was a haunting orange, and every flower on every tombstone transformed into a rose. She was left amazed yet confused as she walked in, feeling fuzzy and oddly excited. The entire area around her was swarming with rose petals and beautiful orange leaves.


    As Anna walked along the dirt trail that was once filled with death and agony, she continued walking with amazement. She got a look of awe and spotted Jack¡¯s parents in the distance standing beside his resting place. They looked at her with smiles on their faces, waving for a moment before collapsing into a pile of red rose petals. Anna seemed shocked seeing that, but it was just too beautiful witnessing something bizarre like that.


    A gust of wind blew the rose petals towards her with ease, which then settled around her. For some odd reason it brought a tear to Anna¡¯s eyes, but as she wiped that single tear it stained her hand with blood. She gasped in shock, realizing that strange occurrence. But when she looked up there she was, that woman in the red dress, who stood on Jack¡¯s grave with a smile and a sense of calmness.


    She gestured at Anna to come towards her with a pale finger coated with red nail polish. Anna swallowed and felt extremely nervous, while she slowly approached the woman. Anna noticed how the woman¡¯s dress was astonishing And complimented her eyes that were deep blue like the gas clouds on Uranus.


    ¡°Wh-Wh-Who are you?¡± Anna asked cautiously.


    The woman in red removed her hood, revealing her long gorgeous hair of purified darkness. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you who I am,¡± she said in a soothing tone. ¡°You must be Jack¡¯s childhood friend, Annabelle.¡±


    Anna¡¯s mouth dropped from her statement. How does she know Jack?


    Feeling more nervous, Anna took a deep breath and finally stopped. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Why did you appear in my school? Was it you who made me talk to that mysterious girl?¡±


    The woman in red giggled and approached Anna. ¡°My child, there¡¯s much I can¡¯t tell you right now. Someday, I¡¯ll tell you everything.¡±


    She lifted both hands to her chest. Rose petals flew behind Anna, leaving her stunned in amazement. They fluttered her hair as they hurtled past her, then they swirled around the woman in red and arose to take the form of Anna¡¯s friends.


    Anna was in a complete state of shock. The rose friends smiled, which filled her heart with ease.


    Anna couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. What type of illusion is this?


    It left her mesmerized from its sheer impact. She started crying red tears as she looked into the woman¡¯s icy blue eyes. ¡°Are-Are you my guardian angel?¡±


    The woman in red elegantly walked up to Anna and placed her hand on her shoulder, then squatted down to Anna¡¯s level to look into her dazzling green eyes. ¡°I¡¯m more than just a guardian angel. I¡¯m beyond that, my child.¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes glistened. She felt happy and relieved after hearing that. Her voice alone was so relaxing that she thought she was about to fall asleep from its gentleness.


    She gently grabbed her soft cold hand and stared into her eyes once more. ¡°If you¡¯re beyond that, then how¡¯s Jack doing? Is he happy in heaven?¡±


    The woman looked up at the sky. Their clothes fluttered along with the chilly wind which continuously blew red petals around the graveyard.


    Standing straight, she looked down at Anna and held her hand. ¡°He¡¯s fine¡­ for now,¡± she said, her tone changing to a hint of sadness.


    She gently let go of Anna and backed away, bowing to a quiet Anna. ¡°Someday, you¡¯ll finally be able to speak to him once again, and when that day comes¡­¡±


    The winds grew stronger, blowing the red petals all over the area, and swirling them up to the sky. Those leaves that represented falls blooming hurtled past their feet, the skies above pulsed those colors of love and unity, the clouds as well moved rapidly to the direction opposite of Anna¡¯s standpoint. Anna¡¯s eyes glistened so much that it made her think her entire life was about to be cleansed from its sins. Rose petals stormed past from behind the woman in red as her long arms reached outward. Above, the clouds started to move rapidly as she smiled and slowly hugged herself, leaving Anna hanging in amazement.


    She opened her arms out to Anna. The entire scenery erupted into red beauty. ¡°I¡¯ll be watching over you two!¡± White birds flew from above, while the rose petals and leaves of fall bombarded the entire area. Anna was left speechless and baptized.


    Anna couldn¡¯t help but drop to her knees as she shed tears of joy. Her eyes watered red and stained her cheek with bloody trails of purity. ¡°Thank you. Th-Thank you!¡±


    The woman in red smiled one last time before dissolving away into a gorgeous red sparkle of dust. Particles swirled around where she once stood and were blown past Anna by the chilly winds. Anna held her hands out and caught some of the dust. She closed her eyes and then clasped her hands towards her chest in mesmerized joy.


    Anna prayed and thanked the woman. As she opened her eyes, she found herself suddenly on Jack¡¯s grave. The sky had become normal. The sun had finally settled down and the entire graveyard had returned to its sad and empty nature. Anna opened her hands and the dust was still there. She smiled and blew sparkled red gems on his grave.


    Anna was on her knees, staring at the sunset with a huge smile on her face. The slowly dying leaves flew past her as Anna touched Jack¡¯s tombstone. ¡°Goodbye Jack, hopefully someday¡­ we can finally be together and be happy again.¡±

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 6: Hopeless & Broken, But!

    Jack Samr, a lone teenager coated in his own wrapped failure, while being a burden to society, couldn¡¯t help but smile off all the feelings of hopelessness. Currently he was walking along a dirt trail near the edge of town, with a creepy and empty smile on his face. It was the signs of a broken man, which was evident as the aroma of disappointment leaked from his pores. He took the time to admire the environment¡¯s beauty, staring at the dazzling trees with his cold gaze of failure, even going as far as pretending that everything was fine.


    Jack started singing out of nowhere, convincing his own foolishness that nothing was wrong and that the world around him was completely normal. He started laughing like some crazed lunatic, scaring away the animals with the sounds of his own delusion.


    His phone rang and he quickly frowned, answering it with the look of disgust. ¡°Hello?¡± he asked very angrily. It was only Eric, who seemed worried and wanted Jack to come back home. Jack quickly presumed it was time for another mission so he quickly hung up, thinking that was the case.


    He sighed, then expressed a half ass grin of lies and headed back home. But as he turned around, he spotted someone standing at the end of the trail looking rather mysterious and abnormal. Jack didn¡¯t seem worried. Instead, he chuckled very stupidly and decided to run towards the person without any precaution.


    He hummed a song filled with delusional solitude while he ran, but as he got closer to that person, something stopped him dead in his tracks. He tried to move, but was frozen in place. He couldn¡¯t even move his mouth let alone his arms. His eyes bounced around erratically like ping pong balls trapped inside a container. Jack stopped his crazy eye movement and looked forward, getting a clearer picture of the person who stood at the end of the trail. The picture was clear now. His eyes dilated out of shock and now he knew who it was. It was that woman in the red dress he saw back at home in that one day of gray.


    She had her hand up and started walking towards a frozen Jack with rose red eyes that glowed so hauntingly. The sky turned to a sunset orange when she snapped her fingers. The trees around Jack started to blossom roses instead of leaves. The air around him felt chilly and the clouds above were as gray as concrete.


    She stopped and stood there, staring at Jack for a while as he continued to struggle, but her eyes were too gorgeous for him to look away.


    Without saying a single word, she shed bloody tears. She looked at him like he was someone so pitfully shameful and stupid.


    Jack¡¯s eyes trembled from the pain of staying open. They were burning and felt irritated. He was getting more annoyed until she placed her hands together as if she were about to pray.


    What is this? The fuck¡­


    She wiped the trails of red and her eyes dimmed down to expose her beautiful eyes of teal blue. ¡°Don¡¯t lose hope, dear Jack. She still needs¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, the air around them became vile and sad.


    Crows started landing on the red blossom trees when she saw someone behind Jack. She knew who it was and she was furious.


    Lowering her hands to her sides, she knit her brows, and a fierce glint grew in those holy eyes. ¡°What are you doing here, you horrid being of corruption?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t tell who was behind him. He even felt someone rub his back very gently, and it was starting to give him quite the scare. Someone continued rubbing his back when she exposed herself from around his shoulder, giggling very innocently.


    ¡°I should ask you the same thing. Surprised to see me?¡± It was the girl in the white dress, but this time she had beautifully glazed purple eyes that were filled with love and malice.


    The woman in red noticed right away. ¡°Your face! You have eyes now?¡± She looked back at Jack with a look of disappointment. ¡°It must¡¯ve been something that was partially his own involvement and doing, am I correct?¡±


    The girl in white chuckled, finally walking out from behind Jack. ¡°A little bit, but a couple of idiots decided to have me parted to be with my hubby, so you can say that. You¡¯re still wondering how I¡¯m here, by his side, huh?¡±


    The crows that landed on the trees of beauty began cawing. Their horrid, screeching sounds started killing all the red trees. One by one the roses died, falling off the trees as they drifted onto the ground.


    ¡°You see¡­ it wasn¡¯t easy, but the moment he said it, he gave up!¡± She walked behind Jack again. This time her amethyst eyes weren¡¯t so beautiful when they widened.


    She drifted a hand across his back, then out of nowhere she stabbed her pale hand right through Jack¡¯s chest, all the way to the front where the woman in red could witness such grotesqueness.


    Jack was finally able to move his mouth again, but not how he wanted. Instead, he gagged out a pool of blood. But for some reason he didn¡¯t feel any pain. She drove that pearly white hand of hers back into his chest, then grabbed his beating heart and gently groped it.


    ¡°He became mine! Mine! Well, almost mine¡­¡± she muttered as she started breathing heavily. ¡°You have no idea how much I wanted to be with him. Oh! We¡¯ve grown. It¡¯s almost like we¡¯re ready for marriage now!¡± With her face flustered and the tormented giggles haunting the forest, she gently squeezed his heart and sighed softly out of enjoyment.


    The woman in red got even angrier. She lifted her arms and widened them, then changed the entire environment around them. The gray clouds had turned blood red, as thunderous crackles of her anger rocked the very heavens. The girl in white finally realised it was no joking matter. She felt frightened and held onto Jack.


    Lightning came through the red clouds, but for some odd reason it wasn¡¯t striking the ground. Instead, it appeared to be striking the skies like a bunch of electrical hoses. The sky shattered like glass. Reality as they knew it fell to the ground as giant shards of glass. She stopped the falling shards by snapping her fingers. They dangled like giant crystals of uncertain hope.


    The girl in white trembled with fear. She quickly healed Jack to ease her menacing actions, then apologised for getting carried away. She held onto Jack even tighter, but the woman in red pointed at Jack.


    Everything paused. She gazed up at the broken vessel of space. Just when things were finally simmering down, she used some unknown force to toss Jack aside, bumping him against a tree which immediately knocked him out.


    The woman in red lowered her hand and slowly walked to the girl in the white dress. Every step her violet heels took made the erratic veins of lightning go on standby, which suddenly struck near the girl and terrified her. The dead rose petals came back to life. They floated off the ground and flew to the woman in red. They twirled around her like a magnificent red tornado, but slowed down and turned into holy white petals.


    Pieces of reality that were floating about finally collapsed to the ground like giant fragile glass. The woman in red finally stopped walking. The shards of reality that kept shattering around them like a razor rain of gorgeous death, stopped in mid-air.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made his life a living hell. And to believe he was stupid enough to give himself up to the likes of you, a being who once represented unity, conclusions, and a caretaker of the very life that God created with His mighty hands¡­¡±


    She opened her arms again, making the heavens rock with her mighty presence. Reality started ripping away like paper. Those shards kept shattering, everything shook tremendously, reality was on the brink of destruction. Crows started flying erratically around Jack and the girl as the last pieces of reality fell. Her pupils began to glow ghostly white, but she stopped the last bits of reality before they could hit the ground. She slowly dropped her arms to calm the chaos she¡¯d brought forth.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a demon, nor a spirit of purity. You¡¯re something that only a foolish mortal would strive to have. That¡¯s feelings of selfishness and greed!¡± She walked up to the girl and stood before her, paralyzing her with true fear.


    ¡°This is no longer the past. I¡¯ll bless Jack and free him from you. That way you won¡¯t bring the burden of your selfish burdens and cause him more suffrage.¡±


    The woman held a palm out, but the girl began to giggle. Her innocent giggles transitioned to chuckles of fear, as she hugged herself and dropped to her knees. Suddenly, her chuckles transitioned into maniacal laughter.


    She stopped and looked up into the woman¡¯s eyes. ¡°You, out of all beings, have the audacity to tell me these words? You! Hahaha. That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong!¡± she said, slowly rising off her knees.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m my own entity, my own being, and you know it! But you¡¯re no saint either. No, far from it!¡± The woman felt sickened and stared into her greedy eyes. She stepped away with the look of worry.


    ¡°How dare you talk to me that way!¡± said the woman in red as she squinted her eyes.


    ¡°Hmph, I have my own goal. But I¡¯m not what I used to be! You¡¯re right though, I am selfish and horrible. I still have regrets!¡±


    Crows began cawing violently around them. Black tears drifted down her pale cheeks.


    ¡°You hardly know me. You don¡¯t know my reasoning for being so selfish because¡­¡±


    The sky started turning misty black, and the earth below them vibrated like a large earthquake.


    ¡°Because¡­¡± the girl shouted as she clenched her fists.


    The cawing grew louder, so loud that it would rupture a normal human¡¯s  eardrums. The sky clapped mighty sounds of her roaring anger, as purple lightning struck everywhere, destroying the last pieces of reality they were in.


    ¡°He promised me he would devote himself and show me what the feeling of love truly is!¡± The girl in white tilted her head and laughed, with a hint of sadness. She even shed real tears to cleanse the black trails.


    The woman in red felt a bit remorseful for some odd reason, but she quickly overcame those feelings and got serious again. Just when she was about to respond, the girl suddenly stopped laughing, dropped on all fours and started to cough violently. She moaned horrifically from the unknown pain that tore at her insides.


    She dropped to the ground and coughed out blood. She gagged horribly and made blood fly everywhere, then she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Out of desperation, she tried crawling towards Jack, who was still unconscious, and tried to grab his hand. The woman in red continued to watch her suffer, almost as if she were enjoying such a sight.


    The girl in white tried her hardest to reach for the guy who she claimed as her eternal lover, but she faded away into black dust and disappeared out of sight.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The woman in red shook her head, seeming like she knew what was happening. She snapped her fingers, returning everything around them back to the way it was. She walked up to Jack, looking disappointed, and slowly shed a single bloody tear. That single tear glistened and was holy, so she let it drip off her cheek and onto the tip of her index finger, then rubbed it against Jack¡¯s cheek.


    She looked down. ¡°You still have a promise to fulfill. Don¡¯t break it or else. You are truly a hopeless fool, just like you used to be.¡±


    She disappeared and everything went back to the way it was. The animals returned to the forest, the trees were green once again, and the songs of nature filled the air.


    Jack finally woke up shortly afterwards. He rubbed his cheek and noticed the stained blood placed upon it. He stood up and looked around, admiring the beauty.


    He grinned calmly, then shook his head out of confusion. ¡°Hmph. It was only a dream. I must¡¯ve fallen asleep.¡± He walked back on the trail and away from the scene, acting like nothing had happened.


    Jack arrived home, feeling empty as usual. Eric was on the couch and he got up, desperately trying to get Jack¡¯s attention again. However, Jack ignored him and tried to go to his room, but Eric walked in front of Jack, blocking him like a giant boulder of shredded muscle. Jack tried pushing him aside, but that didn¡¯t work.


    Jack sighed. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Eric¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Jack, have you truly given up on everything?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t respond. He looked away instead, which irritated Eric. He grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulders and wiggled him, forcing him to talk. Jack continued with his childish act by trying to shove Eric aside. Eric had enough. Out of his own anger towards Jack, he punched him in the face. The punch was so hard that it sent him flying backwards and landing face first on the wooden floor.


    Eric¡¯s shadow towered over Jack, who saw sparkles and stars. Eric looked down at him, then took a huge deep breath.


    ¡°Snap out of it, you sad fuck!¡± Eric yelled. He reached down and grabbed the collar of Jack¡¯s jacket. ¡°Why? Why?! Why are you acting like this, man? Don¡¯t you care about your sister?¡±


    Eric held back his tears, grit his teeth, and tightened his grasp on Jack¡¯s collar even more.


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡± Jack responded in a cold tone.


    ¡°She¡¯s been gone for almost a month! A month! I swear yo, if you don¡¯t get your shit together I¡¯ll fucking kill you.¡±


    Eric pulled a knife out and set it on Jack¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Then fucking do it. Do it if it¡¯ll please you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not playing, Jack!¡± He drove the knife into his skin, managing to slice a small cut on his neck. ¡°You worthless scum.¡±


    Jack finally looked into Eric¡¯s eyes and was surprised to see him shedding tears, but even seeing someone like him shed such agony was still not enough for him to respond. As Eric was on the verge to finally cut Jack¡¯s neck, one of his men came inside and told Eric there was trouble at one of the trap houses. Eric quickly wiped his face with a sleeve.


    He looked at Jack one last time and let him go. The back of Jack¡¯s head bounced off the floor as Eric finally left with the guy and drove off. Jack grabbed his head and lay there, basking at his own failures as he stared at the ceiling. He finally snapped and laughed, then he closed his eyes and thought about how much of a sorry piece of crap he¡¯d become.


    His laughter of wicked failure echoed throughout the house and grew louder. Jack finally stopped and the ambiance of silence succumbed to the home.


    What¡¯s the point in saving her? Even if I could, what good would that do when she no longer cares for me? I¡¯d rather grow into such a long depression that¡¯ll eventually give me enough courage to take my own life.


    Jack clutched his chest in sorrow. The moment Jack opened his eyes again, he was outside. He blinked a couple of times to see if he wasn¡¯t dreaming again, and to his surprise he wasn¡¯t. Jack sat up and gazed at the never-ending grass fields that were riddled with endless miles of flowers. He laughed out loud again like some lunatic, until he heard an angelic voice calling out his name. He ceased his delusional laughter and looked over his shoulder. It was the girl with the blonde hair and hazel eyes he¡¯d encountered twice in his life, though this time she was wearing a beautiful sundress.


    She stood behind the sun and bathed in its light, looking like some holy spirit that resembled an angel. She was surprised to see him, so she dropped the basket of flowers and seemed embarrassed. Jack got up and slapped himself a couple of times, which scared her a bit.


    He finally relaxed himself and slowly walked towards the girl. She made a funny sound and started running away from him. Jack felt something strike his heart. He shook his head and reached out, shouting at her to wait, then he ran after her. He had no idea that she was quietly enjoying herself, but she didn¡¯t express that.


    She hid behind the tree and stayed quiet. Jack caught his breath and looked around. He grinned and jumped from around the corner of the tree, surprising the girl. She playfully shrieked and tried to run away again, but Jack grabbed her hand. The moment he did that, a burning sensation erupted throughout his hand.


    She noticed and felt a bit hurt, but she assumed it was something else instead of her, so she pulled out a cross pendant from inside her pocket. She placed it against the tree and put her hand on his chest and closed her eyes. Jack was confused, not knowing what she was about to do. He even felt a bit embarrassed and nervous from her warm touch.


    Suddenly, she started to glow a light so pure and mesmerizing that it left Jack amazed, yet it scared him a little. Her glorious glow finally faded out and left Jack stunned and surprised. He slowly raised a finger and pointed at her.


    She was a bit confused about why he was doing such a thing. It felt a little insulting because of the amount of shaking his finger was doing.


    ¡°Y-You just glowed! What the hell was that? You¡¯re Lily, right?¡±


    She tilted her head looking confused, but immediately turned red and covered her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wasn¡¯t supposed to do that!¡± She sighed and looked into Jack¡¯s dead fish eyes. ¡°But Jack, you seem so sad. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Jack quickly frowned, ignoring her question. ¡°What is this place? Where am I?¡±


    She sighed and panned her attention to the field of flowers. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t fully say. That¡¯s something I can¡¯t expose, but what I can say is that our minds are connected.¡±


    ¡°Connected?¡± Jack asked with an annoyed look on his face. ¡°What kind of mumbo jumbo bullshit is that? I thought those times we met were just dreams that felt real?¡±


    She frowned, seeming annoyed as well. ¡°Language. It¡¯s not polite to talk like that. It¡¯s rather rude.¡±


    Jack sighed. ¡°Whatever! Just answer my question. Where am I?¡±


    She looked at him with an empty expression. ¡°Not until you answer mine.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t have time to play games with her. Out of his own irrational anger, he slammed his fist against the tree. ¡°Listen! Answer my question or I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    Jack noticed her eyes were quivering. He felt bad that he¡¯d yelled at her. He was so used to retaliating with such a tone that he forgot he was speaking to her and got carried away.


    She slowly backed away. Her eyes turned bloodshot and she seemed close to exploding out of anger.


    ¡°You¡¯ll what? Huh? What would you do if I didn¡¯t?¡± She lowered her head and hid her eyes that leaked of emotional solitude.


    ¡°You and everyone else like to hurt me,¡± she said quietly.


    Jack saw tears drip off her face and truly regretted his actions. It was awkward for him seeing her whimper slightly, but he decided to man up and ease the tension between them.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Lily. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been through a lot.¡± Jack slowly leaned against the tree.


    His eyes narrowed. He clenched his fists and drifted to the ground. He sat down with one knee up then rested his arm on it.


    ¡°I¡¯m such a mess, such a disgraceful mess¡­¡± He opened his hand and stared at his scarred palm that had taken the lives of others. ¡°I¡¯m a pathetic excuse of life. I¡¯m nothing but some damned hopeless fool.¡± He closed his hand again with all his hidden rage to the point his fingernails penetrated his skin and leaked out his boiled blood.


    Lily heard everything he said about himself and couldn¡¯t believe what she heard. It made her feel less lonely. She rubbed her eyes and walked beside him, deciding to sit next to him.


    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you tell me what¡¯s wrong?¡± She started reaching out to grab his shoulder, but forced herself not to do such a thing.


    Jack sighed. The feelings he¡¯d stowed away were finally getting to him. He stayed quiet for a second to think about her question and decided it was time to relieve all his regretful feelings of stupidity. He took a deep breath and looked at Lily. Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel mesmerized.


    Her eyes shone like golden glazed caramels, with edges of green full of purity that were too much to stare into. He turned red and forced himself to talk face to face with her, even if her beauty was overwhelming.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you,¡± he said and took another deep breath. ¡°We didn¡¯t finish our last conversation, did we?¡±


    She grinned slightly. The adorable, shy half grin shined a glimpse of light into his devastated soul.


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t,¡± she said, finally giving herself the courage to place a hand on his shoulder, which made her heart race. ¡°So tell me, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Jack explained the entire situation to her. The men in white, Angela¡¯s kidnapping, and Randolph¡¯s suicide. He even told her that he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to cry anymore, no matter how much he wanted to. He would always go back to laugh about it, like some sick twisted maniac. Jack wondered if he was so emotionally broken that he may never shed a single tear again.


    Lily felt horrible for Jack. After hearing everything he¡¯d said reminded her about her situation in life, but it wasn¡¯t about her. It was about Jack and his problems.


    ¡°So Jack, what are you gonna do?¡±


    Jack gazed up at the sky, still feeling the emptiness that ravaged inside him. ¡°I-I¡¯ve given up already. I just can¡¯t go no more!¡±


    Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and surprised him. ¡°No you haven¡¯t, Jack.¡±


    Jack felt her warmth as her hand grasped his. Her words pierced through his heart as his eyes glistened with a bit of hope. ¡°How do you know that? How can you be so sure when we¡¯ve never met in person?¡±


    He stood up quickly and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just a failure. A hopeless asshole who¡¯s caused nothing but pain to those around him.¡±


    Lily, who was still sitting, looked up at Jack. The sun peeked around the corner of his face, glistening tears that were ready to burst out of his eyes from his own shame and burdens.


    She stood up and grabbed his hand again, then interlaced her fingers with his. ¡°Because, I just do. Deep down inside, I know you want to save her, protect her, and most of all, Jack¡­¡± She leaned against his arm, making Jack feel fuzzy inside and relieving the burdens off his shoulders. ¡°¡­from the small meetings we¡¯ve had, it made me realize you¡¯re not a bad person.¡±


    Jack slowly looked at Lily, his eyes almost bloodshot from holding back tears. His mouth dropped out of shock from her saying such a thing. For once, hearing someone like her say something so nice about a disgraceful person like Jack, made his heart skip a few beats. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore and finally smiled out of relief. He wanted to truly cry tears of joy, but he still couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it.


    He rubbed his eyes and surprised Lily by grabbing both her hands, then looked into her beautiful eyes. ¡°You really are something. You know that, but thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lily. Thank you.¡±


    Lily felt her heart skip a few beats as well. She was on the verge of collapsing due to experiencing so many mixed emotions, but she kept herself from doing anything embarrassing in front of him.


    She still didn¡¯t smile, but that grin of hers grew a little more. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, but if someone like me is to retrieve such praise, I don¡¯t think I deserve such treatment.¡± She looked away for a second, hiding her sadness inside her.


    ¡°I-I never really got to say this, but Lily you¡¯re absolutely beautiful!¡± he said with a huge smile on his face.


    She looked back at him. Her eyes glistened as she blushed. Her grin finally transformed into a smile so relaxing and bright that it made Jack¡¯s soul disperse his demons. With their clothes and hair fluttering, both smiling with flustered faces, they had never felt so happy in such a long time. She gently let go of his rough hands and closed her eyes, so she could bask in the moment and print it into her memories.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first¡­ that anyone¡¯s ever said something so nice about me besides my new family¡­ and Him.¡± She opened her eyes again and stared into the endless fields of flowers. ¡°I should be the one thanking you.¡±


    Jack continued smiling. He also stared off into the fields of endless flowers and noticed how they started to act strange. A strong calm wind blew off their petals and hurtled a huge wave of them towards them, which surprised Jack. The wave of petals twirled around the tree, trapping them inside a beautiful flowery tornado of yellow and white. Jack freaked out a bit, but she calmed him down, telling him not to worry. She started to step backwards towards the edge of the glorious tornado. To Jack¡¯s surprise, she began fading into what seemed to be gold sparkles.


    With her hands interlaced behind her back, she sighed. ¡°Well, my time is up it seems.¡±


    Jack tried getting closer to her, but she winked at him, which made him stop. ¡°Wait! Where are you going?¡±


    She giggled and waved at Jack, who seemed super confused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Whoever¡¯s behind our meetings must be behind this!¡±


    Jack lowered his hand and grinned. ¡°Will I ever see you again?¡±


    She placed her hands over her chest and bowed. ¡°I hope we do. Until then Jack, please take care and save your sister.¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°If we ever do meet again, you better answer my question. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten!¡±


    She hovered her hand over her mouth and giggled at Jack. ¡°Okay, I promise. Oh by the way, say hello to Anna for me.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened with shock upon hearing that. He tried reaching his hand out towards her but she soon faded away and turned into a beautiful golden sparkle of dust. Everything faded around Jack, like a huge cloud of foggy explosions of gold and white smoke. His mind went black as he floated in the misty cloud of holy purity, with his eyes closed and having the most gentle smile on his face.


    He opened his eyes again and noticed he was suddenly in Angela¡¯s room. Jack looked around and everything seemed the same since the last time he was in this room.


    He sighed out of relief, realizing he was back in reality. Things just keep getting more complex the older I get, don¡¯t they? Just what does this world hide?


    Jack drew a deep breath and walked to her figurine collection that she cherished so much. He picked the one she said resembled his current personality and examined it. The figurine wore a black and orange tracksuit, spikey black hair, with eyes that one would presume scary, and had a dumb pose which expressed victory.


    ¡°So she thinks I¡¯m you. And from what she¡¯d told me about you, you¡¯re nothing but a joke. But as much as I hate to admit it, we do both cherish the same goal and that¡¯s to protect the ones we love.¡±


    His grin turned upside down as he clenched the figure with anger. No¡­ I¡¯m not like you, and I won¡¯t ever be like you, because unlike you¡­ I haven¡¯t given up to the point I¡¯d actually let the people I love get killed!


    Jack placed the figurine down and rushed to his room, picked up his phone and dialed it to call Eric.


    Eric had finished a drug deal with his boys. His phone rang. He reached into his pocket and saw that Jack was calling him. ¡°What you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yo Eric! Get all the crew together. It¡¯s time we fucking do this. I¡¯m getting my sister back!¡±


    Eric hopped in the car and was about to leave. Hearing Jack¡¯s voice made him feel astounded.


    He slammed his hand against the steering wheel, making it honk continuously. ¡°It¡¯s about time you stopped being a pussy, boy!¡±


    Eric hung up on Jack and started making phone calls. I don¡¯t know what made him open those dumbass cold eyes of his, but it worked! Whoever made you stop being a pussy Jack, hopefully I can thank them. Shit, I¡¯ll even buy them whatever they want!


    Jack loaded his handgun and placed it in his holster, then took out a shotgun that he took for himself from a drug deal a long time ago hidden away in his closet. He loaded it as well. As he was preparing and loading his holstered gun inside his jacket when loading extra mags in his pockets, he noticed the picture in his pocket.


    He took it out and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m getting you back, baby sis. No matter what it takes. Even if it means an end to my miserable life.¡±


    He finished his preparations and put it away so he could be ready for the day he can finally rescue Angela and free her from Dr. Cato¡¯s hands. He lay on his bed and smiled, thinking about the moment he¡¯d just had with the mysterious girl named Lily.


    Thank you again, Lily. I truly hope we can meet someday. He closed his eyes and now felt he could finally have a restful sleep without the feeling of eternal guilt that had fogged his mind for so long.

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 7: Becoming A Believer

    The brushed silver facility was on the brink of chaos. The building rattled from an unknown pressure of agonized anger, and ghostly howls echoed throughout the empty white hallways.


    Dr. Cato started panicking, trembling violently. ¡°Mathew! Secure the facility now!¡± Dr. Cato pointed at his men, exhausted and afraid. ¡°You guys, start closing off this section!¡±


    They were inside his office which had a huge see through window that overlooked this chamber. ¡°Jesus Christ! They¡¯re gonna get killed!¡±


    A huge closed chamber that seemed to be on the brink of cracking had men in black robes on the ground, with their mouths foaming and their eyes turning white. Mathew was also present. He pressed the emergency button that the men were supposed to press, but they were so frightened and paralyzed with fear. They decided to close off that section of the building.


    Angela was strapped down behind Dr. Cato. He checked on her and noticed that her vital signs were fine. They closed off the lab. Mathew hurried out of the office and grabbed a bunch of stone crosses and started placing them against the giant chamber.


    Once they finally contained the madness, Dr. Cato groaned out of relief and Mathew placed his hands on his knees out of exhaustion. Angela woke up and spotted Dr. Cato. She furiously grit her teeth from the sight of him. She tried breaking free from her strapped prison, but it was no use.


    Dr. Cato noticed her awakening and pulled out a syringe. ¡°Calm yourself Angela. You¡¯re gonna be fine.¡± He gently inserted the syringe into her arm and became all loopy and fell asleep again.


    He removed the device that was on her head and examined it. ¡°We managed to make contact with that thing, but that was a mistake on our end.¡±


    Dr. Cato looked at the screen, watching the numbers go erratic. He gazed back at the window and spotted the smokey figure of the girl in the white dress.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what angered you to the point you¡¯d do this. I don¡¯t understand why? Almost like¡­ wait! Her face. No¡­ No!¡± Dr. Cato gripped his hair out of frustration, realizing how she might have caused such ruthless tactics on those men.


    Mathew walked back in and was still panting, and he seemed annoyed and upset. ¡°Just what the hell happened? Those guys were almost killed!¡±


    Dr. Cato was on his knees, gripping his hair. He seemed terrified.


    ¡°Hello? Cato!¡±


    Dr. Cato pointed at the glass. His finger shook out of fear as he finally realized what was going on. ¡°Sh-She¡¯s evolved!¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re kidding, right?¡±


    Mathew walked up to the glass and to his surprise, the smokey figure of the girl in white appeared to have glowing purple eyes that seeped of envy and anger.


    ¡°How the hell did that thing get eyes? Before, she was only a ghostly figure with arms and legs of black smoke. Not to mention her facelessness was that of white smoke!¡±


    ¡°That bastard Jack! That¡¯ll explain why!¡± Dr. Cato stood up beside Mathew. ¡°Remember Mathew, she always consumed her victims because of a desire. From which I presume it is him!¡±


    ¡°Oh my fucking Go¡ª! I mean, Holy sh¡ª! Fuck!¡± Mathew exclaimed.


    Dr. Cato thought more about the situation and slammed his fist against his palm. ¡°Wait! He might not be the only one! There might be more victims! That¡¯s probably it damn it!¡±


    Mathew thought about it as well. ¡°Hmm, that could be it. But we do know Angela was the first one to be her victim. We didn¡¯t believe it at first until that day at the facility.¡± He grabbed his cross pendant and squinted.


    Dr. Cato looked at his friend, confused. ¡°Uh, Mathew. Are you really praying during a crisis like this?¡±


    ¡°My dear friend Cato, this is why we need help from the church, because your science won¡¯t cure this.¡±


    Mathew pulled his cross out of his pocket and then pressed the release button to open the gates of smokey hell into the chamber.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in to teach that bitch a lesson! Wait here, my friend!¡±


    The gates opened and a light of murderous intent emitted into the room, shining everyone¡¯s eyes with corruption. He took a deep breath and ran out of Cato¡¯s office and stood in front of the opened chamber. Her angry, ghostly howls vibrated the staff¡¯s eardrums, erupting their minds with darkness, while Mathew kept a sinister smile on his face.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready? This time I won¡¯t go easy on you!¡± He held the cross out in front of his face and walked in with a huge boulder of confidence.


    Dr. Cato quickly closed the gates and wished Mathew good luck. He looked at Angela as she slept soundly. ¡°I intend to keep my promise to protect you from her. For your father, and especially for your mother. Even if I have to sacrifice others to reach that goal!¡±


    He patted Angela¡¯s head. I didn¡¯t believe in all that stupid religious or supernatural crap like demons, spirits, and anything beyond what our eyes could comprehend! But from that day I witnessed it I became a believer, and I¡¯ll do my hardest to get rid of that evil thing inside you, no matter how long it takes!


    Dr. Cato looked at the screen, watching his friend fight this thing, with forces that were beyond human strength and comprehension. They would do everything within their power to save Angela and hopefully find the truth behind such occurrences that stayed hidden in society¡¯s shadows.


    ***


    Eric and Jack were sitting on the couch, trying their hardest to come up with a plan that would hopefully track Angela down and save her. Jack tried his best to think of a place that would hopefully bring them to her, but it was just too difficult to think of a location.


    Jack scratched his head with frustration until he remembered something. He got up off the couch. ¡°The old facility.¡±


    Eric tilts his head. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The old facility where I met Angela, we should probably go there for more clues. It¡¯s our last hope.¡±


    Eric chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re crazy man, that sounds like a horrible idea. There could be guards everywhere, cameras, or worse!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s worse than all that?¡±


    Eric¡¯s eyes bugged and let out a groan. ¡°Freaking guard dogs man!¡±


    ¡°You got any other suggestions?¡± Jack asked.


    Eric quickly shut up and sighed. He got up as well and recommended that they should only investigate the area first before doing anything too crazy.


    Jack agreed. They began their preparations and decided to only take their handguns. They were ready now and they walked outside, hopping in the car with determination. They drove off and Jack tried his best to remember where the location was. It had been five years so his memory wasn¡¯t the greatest right now, especially with all his emotions running rampant inside his mind.


    After a couple of excruciating hours, things were starting to look dim for them as Eric grew impatient. ¡°Man, we¡¯ve been driving for like, what!¡± Eric checked his watch. ¡°God damn! Three hours, man! After this, you better buy me dinner, you son of a bitch.¡±


    Jack chuckled. He wasn¡¯t ready to give up. The look of determination was enough to keep his smile going. ¡°Sure. Sorry man, but I¡¯m trying my best to remember the area.¡±


    Jack decided to stick half his body out the car to get a better view of their location. Wait a second? Jack recognized the town they were approaching and asked Eric to stop the moment they drove in.


    Eric shook his head and looked at Jack as if he were crazy, but decided to oblige to his request. They finally reached the familiar town and parallel parked close to a local business. Without thinking, Jack jumped out of the window and immediately headed towards a homeless community that was close by.


    Eric yelled at Jack to ¡°Hold up!¡± but Jack was out of sight. He reached the community and remembered the aroma, the familiar faces, and especially the underpass. It was the same place he and Angela first called a home with Alexandria, the homeless girl who was his best friend at the time. He checked to see if the old shack was still there. He power walked through the community until he finally reached it. The shack they used to live in was nothing more than a pile of broken memories stacked on one another. He looked around and spotted the grave he dug for Joseph. It was gone, just a big hole of nothingness.


    Eric finally caught up to Jack. He grabbed his shoulder and seemed a bit out of breath. ¡°Yo man! Why¡¯d you run off like that? Damn! Made me do all that unnecessary running yo! Tryna break my damn legs, you dumbo?¡± Eric spotted the open hole in the ground. ¡°Why you looking at some goofy hole, my guy?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t respond at first, but quietly let out a chuckle and turned around. ¡°This is where I buried one of my friends.¡± Jack pointed at the broken shack covered in trash. ¡°And that¡¯s where Angela and I used to sleep.¡±


    Eric regretted his words, remembering the night they came up to his doorstep in that brutal winter storm. ¡°My bad, man. So? This is where you poor kids slept, huh? It must¡¯ve been hard for you two.¡±


    Jack turned back to the grave and took a knee. ¡°It¡¯s funny. Angela would almost never go hungry. It was I who starved the majority of the time, but I didn¡¯t care. Her staying healthy was my motivation to find us a place to stay.¡±


    He turned to Eric, smiling. ¡°Then that day finally came, the day you guys took us in. Thank you for everything, man.¡±


    Eric punched Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be chummy, you pussy.¡± Eric laughed and they both decided to walk back to the car.


    Jack felt like something else was missing. He asked Eric if they could stop by somewhere real quick. The two hopped into the car and Eric told him that he was fine with it and drove to the location Jack wanted to stop by. They drove for a couple of minutes until they reached an open field filled with beautiful flowers that surprisingly gleamed with life in such coldness. But it left them both feeling confused on how flowers were still striving in such weather when spring hadn¡¯t arrived.


    Jack stepped out and walked. Eric followed behind them and they all finally arrived at the spot where Jack wanted to quickly stop by.


    Jack knew where he was. Horrific images of her decomposed face and her bracelet of endless love wrapped around his wrist. He was standing on the edge of the field where he buried the person who stole his first kiss and confessed their undying love to, and that person was Alexandria. The grave that Jack dug with frozen hands covered with blisters and splinters for her was still there. The makeshift cross he made was still standing.


    Jack wanted to cry for her, but he still couldn¡¯t. Eric noticed Jack clenching his fists. ¡°Jack, you buried more people?¡±


    Jack quickly calmed himself and started picking some of the flowers that were mysteriously striving around them. ¡°She was an amazing person, a loving caring person, who wasn¡¯t afraid of anything¡­ not even death itself.¡±


    He twirled a flower on his fingertips, admiring its beauty. ¡°She was really cute too, like this flower.¡±


    He hung his head, remembering the times they had together, especially that night on the roof.


    ¡°I miss her a lot too¡­ if I have to be honest.¡± Jack set the flowers down and pulled his sleeve, showing Eric the bracelet she once wore.


    ¡°I had no idea she wore this the entire time we hung out. We had a lot in common, and she said something that I still don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be, my friend?¡±


    Jack drove his index finger across the bracelet. ¡°That she loved me. Heh, she even kissed me.¡±


    Eric smiled. He couldn¡¯t believe Jack was that dense about love. It gave him new ideas to mess with him if he ever decided to prank him.


    He walked behind Jack and placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Well, you¡¯ll learn eventually, kid. I had no idea you was a playa, my guy. Even when you were a kid you was one!¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm¡­¡±


    Eric quickly erased that smile and calmed himself down to become serious again. ¡°How¡¯d she die, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    Jack gazed up at the sky, thinking about that dreadful day which brought him to his knees. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t find out for about a week when I saw her rotting corpse near the river. I carried her through that brutal storm with my fingertips frozen. Hyperthermia sought to overtake me, but I didn¡¯t care because I was determined to give her a proper resting place.¡±


    Eric wanted to change this gloomy mood. He was starting to feel bad for Jack and had no idea he had gone through such tragedies. ¡°Oh damn. That¡¯s nasty, man. I knew you were always freaky!¡± He laughed forcibly, but Jack still seemed serious and even sad.


    Jack turned to Eric with a sad look on his face. ¡°Eric, what does love mean?¡±


    Eric gasped. He¡¯d never seen Jack serious about a question before.


    ¡°I thought the only type of love there was was parents¡¯ love.¡± Jack picked the flowers again and walked forward to settle them on her grave. ¡°This concept of loving another person you¡¯re not familiar with is confusing. I don¡¯t understand anything about it. That¡¯s why I feel so bad about her. I couldn¡¯t even give her a definitive answer when she confessed her love to me!¡±


    As Eric followed, Jack suddenly dropped to his knees and clenched the flowers. ¡°To this day, I still haven¡¯t understood any of it. Do you think that you could teach me this ideology?¡±


    Eric felt sorry for Jack. To lighten the mood more, he made a smug look and smiled. ¡°Come on, man! What were you doing as a kid? What type of lame ass parents did you have? You killing me, man!¡±


    Eric gazed at the cold sky, remembering how much Jack expressed his love for his sister, no matter the circumstances. ¡°But to answer your question, sure homie. I¡¯ll teach you the beauty that is love. Fucking goofy ass fool!¡±


    Eric couldn¡¯t help himself but laugh over Jack¡¯s density. His laughter was enough to turn Jack¡¯s frown into a slight grin.


    Jack got up and walked again, then reached her tombstone. Both men stared at it. Jack gently set the flowers down on it and touched the stone tombstone, while leaning his head against the freezing grave. He mumbled a few words to her, wishing her well in the afterlife, telling her he was doing okay. And most of all, how much he missed her.


    Alexandria, if you could hear me¡­ Tell me, please tell me if I¡¯m doing wrong. Give me more courage to get Angela back, please.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Jack closed his eyes and actually prayed for once. The moment Jack lifted his head and opened his eyes, the field in front of him had flower petals blowing across the horizons. There was someone bathing in front of some holy light that peaked over the hill in front of him. He stood up with amazement written all over his face. The air around him felt so clean and purified that he thought he was witnessing an angel. But as that person turned around, it was none other than Alexandria herself, who seemed healthy and drug free. She even wore a wonderful red dress to fit the scenery.


    Jack was left stunned. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Alexandria couldn¡¯t believe her eyes either. She walked over to Jack, bathing himself in that white light. Jack had a huge smile of pure happiness on his face. He reached out to her out of disbelief as she shed tears of happiness.


    She couldn¡¯t contain herself and ran into Jack¡¯s arms. ¡°Jack!¡±


    Diving into his arms, she rubbed her face all over Jack¡¯s abdomen, staining his jacket with tears. Jack couldn¡¯t help himself but hug her so tightly that he was even on the brink of tears.


    ¡°Alex-Alexandria!¡± Jack shouted, looking into her eyes bathed in red. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so fucking sorry. I couldn¡¯t save you. You must have suffered so much.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t stop crying and tried her hardest to reach Jack¡¯s scarred face, but the height difference was too much. He noticed and got to his knees. She caressed his cheek as he grabbed her tiny hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much in five years, honey. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    Jack¡¯s cheeks tightened and his lip quivered.


    She grabbed his hand and caressed it with ease, feeling its roughness. ¡°You¡¯ve gone through so much, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t answer her out of his hidden shame, but she continued smiling, which eased his soul.


    ¡°I may be dead, but my spirit lives on. I know you¡¯re going through a lot, but hang in there, big guy!¡± She hugged him again and leaned her head against his chest, feeling his beating heart.


    ¡°I can¡¯t comprehend any of these occurrences. All of this makes no sense. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m here, feeling your warmth again, but I don¡¯t care because I can hold you again, Alexandria.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, Jack. Whatever¡¯s happening, even if all this seems impossible, I¡¯ll always love you, remember?¡±


    Jack patted her head and closed his eyes. ¡°Yes, I know, but I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re here. Or how I¡¯m talking or holding you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because someone connected your mind to my spirit. I don¡¯t know who connected you to me, but I¡¯m grateful to whoever did, because I can finally hold you one last time, honey.¡±


    Jack retracted and looked into her glistened brown eyes as she ruffled her hair. They continued bathing in the bright holy white light. Flower petals flew past them and Jack thought of something. But that thought came to a stop when he spotted the woman in red standing beside a tree off in the distance. She smiled, closing her eyes. She started praying for them both.


    That thought Jack came up with finally raced back into his mind and he decided what to do. He lowered his arms to her hips, looked straight into her eyes and smiled.


    He took a calm deep breath, making Alexandria blush brightly. ¡°Alexandria, I think I finally have an answer for you.¡±


    Her eyes widened. She put her arms around Jack''s neck and leaned in closer. ¡°What is it?¡±


    They stared into each other¡¯s souls, admiring each other¡¯s presence. ¡°I love you¡­¡± Jack surprised Alexandria with a kiss. Her eyes glistened so bright with happiness that she closed her eyes. They held their kiss for a while and bathed in the horizon.


    Even though her eyes were closed, tears couldn¡¯t stop leaking through her eyelids. Jack and Alexandria both stopped and looked at each other in a moment of silence. Alexandria slowly let go of him and stepped back. She started to fade away into white particles of dusted light. Jack knew what he had to do. He had no clue what was going on, but he didn¡¯t care because everything he was experiencing was real.


    Alexandria waved at Jack and shouted ¡°I love you!¡± as she finally faded away from existence.


    Jack¡¯s eyes were covered by his long hair, shadowing out his hidden shame. He stood up on his feet. He could still feel those cold hands of hers and the kiss which warmed her soul.


    He tilted his head to look at the ground and stared at his palm. ¡°I may still not understand the full meaning of love, but I knew that if I told you that, then your soul could finally rest.¡±


    Jack looked up to stare at the woman in red. Whoever you are, mysterious being, thank you for this moment. But I feel as though I¡¯ve seen her more than once¡­ strange.


    He nodded at her. ¡°Thank you. I believe now.¡± She waved at him and faded away as well. Jack took a final good look at Alexandria¡¯s grave with a soft smile on his face.


    ¡°Goodbye, my dear friend. Like what your bracelet says, ¡®Together forever!¡¯¡±


    Everything faded and his vision turned white. He woke up on the cold ground with Eric still beside him.


    Eric didn¡¯t notice that Jack was laying on his back on the ground. He was too busy staring at some fine women that were at a corner. ¡°Goddamn man, how long does it take you to pray, fool! We¡¯ve been here for like five minutes! Let¡¯s go.¡± Eric noticed that Jack was on the ground with his eyes being a bit bloodshot. ¡°Are you about to cry, my guy? Holy fuck! You ain¡¯t no emotionless buffoon after all!¡±


    Jack blinked a couple of times and smiled. ¡°Perhaps man, perhaps¡­¡± He stood up and placed his hand on Eric¡¯s shoulder. ¡°There¡¯s more about life that we don¡¯t know about. And now I¡¯ve seen a glimpse of it. Eric, I believe now!¡±


    Eric was rather confused. So confused in fact that he gave Jack a disgusted, crazed look. ¡°Man, I don¡¯t know what the fuck you was praying about, but you sound like some crazed person now!¡± He wrapped his arm around Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go before you start believing in ghosts too!¡± Eric laughed and so did Jack.


    They both walked back to the car and hopped in, then drove off into the distance and continued on their hunt for Angela. Jack took one last glance at the field. Surprisingly, all of those flowers were gone, along with Alexandria¡¯s stone tombstone. Jack smiled and drove his attention back at the bracelet, admiring her skilled craftsmanship.


    They finally drove out of the town. The two were finally relaxed and even more focused than before. Now it was all up to Jack to show Eric the way to find the trail that would lead back to his past, hopefully giving them a hint of her location.


    ***


    After more tiresome hours behind the wheel, Eric was at his peak. He couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked Jack if they should just do this tomorrow since it was getting dark. Jack, on the other hand, was too pumped, even though he¡¯d been staring out the window for hours pointing and giving Eric confusing directions. Just when things were turning out hopeless for the two, Jack spotted something from the distance ahead of them. Taking a closer look by squinting his eyes and leaning his head forward, he found the facility. He pointed at it and Eric finally felt a sign of hope after such a long damn drive. He floored the gas so they could reach the place in a hurry.


    They were getting so close that they could almost taste it. To their surprise, that taste felt bland the closer they got, because it appeared to be abandoned. Even the school next to it was runned down and overgrown. Jack couldn¡¯t believe it. Eric stopped the car, and they both stepped out with caution, observing the creepiness that consumed the buildings with absolute darkness.


    Eric didn¡¯t seem pleased. He suggested that this might be a set up. He intended to take extreme precaution by grabbing his gun out of his pocket. Jack did the same. They both loaded their handguns, grabbed a flashlight from the trunk and stood in front of the rusted gate that was in their way. They both continuously stared through the gate, seeing if they were truly alone or if this wasn¡¯t just a ruse to an ambush. They opened the rusted gate, causing it to creak loudly as it slowly opened.


    Jack walked in first. Eric watched his back as they flashed their lights to penetrate the darkness blocking their line of sight. They flashed oval spotlights across the entire buildings. From the pitch black dwelling within the building to the overgrown greenery on the walls and graffiti, it definitely appeared abandoned.


    Even the windows were cracked or shattered, but Eric noticed that it might be a cover up, perhaps to make it seem like that place wasn¡¯t touched.


    Jack took his word and walked up to the closest wall, examining the overgrown greenery. By grabbing a chunk and rubbing it against his fingertips, it felt artificial yet real enough to make it seem fresh.


    They continued examining the strange mystery until they heard something. There was a muffled sound coming from within the facility. Jack didn¡¯t hesitate to rush to the front doors and kicked the doors open. He aimed his gun with his flashlight beneath it, checking the corners of the entrance and the offices nearby. Eric was behind Jack as well. He suggested that they should split up for a bit.


    Jack agreed since he knew where he was headed. He informed Eric to check the right side of the building. They split up and Jack walked down the dark hollow hallway. As he was flashing his light, the remnants of the past flooded his memories from the accursed dreams he had when he was young.


    He grabbed his head, feeling a throbbing headache from remembering such imagery of torment. When he finally eased himself from such pain, a wheelchair came out rolling by itself, squeaking rusted iron wheels as it gently hit the wall in front of it. He quickly rushed to the room and brightened the room with light to see what caused it to roll out. But there was no one. He felt worried, knowing something wasn¡¯t right.


    At the other part of this building, Eric checked each office and examined the abandoned files when he got the chance to. He had no idea a building like this was here in the first place. Everything about the place was too suspicious. He tried checking if there were any files related to any certifications by the state, but there was nothing. No documents of certification, no address numbers.


    Eric decided to take his phone out and took pictures to record his suspicion, however something ran behind him. He dropped the dusted documents and flashed his light at the doorway where the sound came from. He slowly approached the doorway with extreme caution, uncertain if anything would jump from around the corner. He stood on the doorway, checking both sides of the darkened hallways. He was growing a bit worried and was even showing signs of fear.


    By taking deep breaths, Eric wanted to stay calm. Just as he was about to walk back in, innocent giggling stormed Eric¡¯s ears. He pointed his gun where it was faintly coming from. He wasn¡¯t afraid. Instead, he headed toward the giggling while showing no signs of fear, though inside his hood-like instincts told him otherwise.


    Jack meanwhile was in the yard, looking around, remembering all the times he was there with Angela and Candy. He approached the fountain, and the glistened cleansed blue water he remembered had turned green and misty. The moonlight could barely reflect on it. He moved the water around with a stick that he picked up, circling it around to show some clearance in the water.


    Then the thought and image of his beautiful nurse popped into his head. Carolyn, I hope you¡¯re okay¡­


    Out of nowhere, the reflection of someone standing at the edge of a window from a floor above made Jack jump a bit. He quickly turned around and the person quickly ran away. He pointed his gun where they stood, trembling out of fear. Upon looking further, Jack noticed someone¡¯s shadow inside the hallway where they stood. Without thinking, he sprinted back inside, ignoring the darkness, and rushed up the steps like a madman.


    Jack reached the top floor and shouted ¡°Hello?¡± but no one answered. He swallowed and shone his light again.


    ¡°Who the hell is here! Show yourself!¡±


    He cautiously walked down the hallway as the moonlight pierced through the broken windows.


    What the hell is going on in this place? Something¡¯s fucking with me.


    Jack pulled his phone out and called Eric. He answered and for some reason he whispered, ¡°Eric, why are you so quiet?¡±


    Eric was hiding in the janitor¡¯s closet with sweat dripping all over his face. ¡°Yo man, we-we¡¯re not alone. There¡¯s something fucking with me man. I didn¡¯t believe you about the whole ghost shit! But they real man. They real¡­¡±


    ¡°Same. There¡¯s something screwing with us in here. Something supernatural and incomprehensible.¡±


    Eric cautiously looked through the keyhole, trying to figure out where the girl¡¯s song was coming from. ¡°You hear this right?¡±


    Jack definitely heard the singing as clear as day, even through his flip phone. ¡°What the hell? Wait, hold up¡­¡±


    As the two listened closely to her song, Jack could hear his name in it. I-Is she singing about me?


    ¡°Yo man, we need to get the fuck¡ª¡± The singing suddenly stopped, bringing back the ambiance of silence.


    Eric looked closer into the keyhole. Just when things were dead silent and clear, a set of purple eyes jumped in front of the key hole, scaring Eric out of his manhood.


    Jack heard his terrified screams and gunshots through his phone. ¡°Eric! Eric!¡± The phone on his end hung up, leaving only the sound of beeping. ¡°Shit, just what the hell is happening?¡±


    Jack needed to get back to Eric. He was on the verge of heading downstairs when he saw someone down the hallway again. This time he wanted to be sure he wasn¡¯t being fooled, so he sprinted towards the person. They too quickly made a run for it the moment Jack got halfway through the hall.


    Jack ran at full speed, passing through countless hallways and offices, just to figure out who had been watching him. The person was too fast for him, but he came to an abrupt stop and noticed he was just about to pass his old room. He stopped pursuing and went to take a look inside.


    Memories of Carolyn catering to him, caring for him at his lowest point, flashed in front of him. It was like watching his old life from God¡¯s view. She was sitting on his bed with his head laying on her lap, stroking it gently. It brought out quite a chuckle in him, reminding him how much of a lost cause he was before he met Angela. The thought of Dr. Cato telling him she was never real and calling him a schizophrenic made his blood boil, making that heartwarming scene projected in front of him dissolve into smoky darkness.


    The room was back to the way it was, all broken, dusty, and lifeless. He decided it was best to walk out of the room and forget about such memories.


    Jack closed the door to his past and looked to his left, spotting the person waiting for him at the edge of the hall. From what Jack could make of this darkness fogging his vision, when he shined his light in that direction, was this person appeared to be a male figure the same height as him but with longer hair, covering their face. They quickly dashed away. Jack sprinted towards them. It was growing tedious for him, but they stopped in front of Dr. Cato¡¯s old office. They walked in and disappeared out of thin air. Jack thought he had caught them red handed, but as he slowly walked in the office, they were gone.


    Being in Dr. Cato¡¯s old office felt excruciating to him. His smiles reminded him how much of a fake bastard the doctor was.


    Jack looked around, then spotted a single file cabinet labeled: Employee Documents. Jack wanted to prove that Dr. Cato was wrong about Carolyn, so he opened the cabinet.


    Checking through all the files in alphabetical order, he found there was nothing on her. He even checked three times just to be sure. Sadly, there was absolutely nothing on Carolyn. No files, no mentions, no applications. He sat on Dr. Cato¡¯s dusty chair, throwing the papers all over the desk, sending them everywhere.


    Perhaps he was telling the truth? Maybe I was imagining her? But that still doesn¡¯t explain how Angela spoke to her. She even held her too!


    With his head in his hands, Jack noticed a file cabinet below the old desk. He tried opening it, and not surprisingly it was locked. He didn¡¯t have time to scavenge for keys, so he shot the cabinet a couple of times. It worked and the drawer opened. There were classified files labeled all over them and they even seemed untouched. He went through them, one by one. His face quickly changed from being seriously frustrated to agonized disgust by what his dead eyes read.


    Test #1: Subject couldn¡¯t handle the experiments. Her flesh would burn immediately from the moment she made contact with the stone cross that was given to Mathew from an unknown source.


    Test #2: Subject passed out on multiple occasions due to the intense therapy given to her. She would cry for days, begging the men in white and black to stop the experiments.


    Test #3: We extracted 30% of her blood, placing it into a cup of holy water, to see how she would react to the ceremony conducted by the people of the church. To no unveil, she would almost meet an uncertain death every time the ceremony was performed for too long.


    Test #4: She was injected with experimental drugs made by the church to relieve the entity dwelling within her. It was no use. It would cause her organs to inflate and the subject would cry blood, screaming out in a horrific demonic-like voice.


    Test #5: An unknown accomplice was supposed to arrive, but they were too busy dealing with the so-called ¡°Tormented souls of lost faith!¡± Please inform Dr. Cato about these experiments conducted by his partner Mr. Mathew. Even though the individual from what Mathew said is the answer to the world¡¯s problems, he is a man enough to proclaim themselves as the very God we all seek and pray to.


    The horrified, disgusted look on Jack¡¯s face from reading the files filled the rage inside him and it was about to explode at any moment. He couldn¡¯t believe that they were doing that to someone so young. There were even photos of each experiment. Angela was laughed at, mortified, beaten, and tortured by men in black robes.


    Jack couldn¡¯t take it. He ripped all the papers and threw them on the ground. All his anger was making him pant heavily.


    As they settled on the ground, Jack spotted a lever beneath the desk. He pulled it and a secret door appeared behind him. He gulped a bit and took a sharp breath.


    Jack opened the door. It was pitch black in there. It wasn¡¯t a surprise since it was a secret room, so he flashed a light inside. The moment he shined inside it, he was mortified and revolted by the scene.


    His eyes expanded out of sheer horror. He kept shaking his head and repeatedly said, ¡°No¡­ No¡­¡±


    HIs name was engraved all over the walls. Black hardened goo that once seemed slimey had now dried up and charred all along the walls. The ground in front of him had drawings of him. He panicked and started backing up, feeling so creeped out and disgusted.


    What¡¯s the meaning behind this black substance? My name is on the walls, and there¡¯s even a drawing of me.


    It was overwhelming for Jack. Without paying any attention, he accidentally bumped into one of the filing cabinets. It fell over and crashed, exploding papers out of the drawers and into the area around him. He looked back at the scattered papers and saw something that caught his interest. He picked the one that caught his eye. From his observations, it appeared to be a blueprint for a new facility. He was relieved to finally have a clue to her location, but the room still disturbed him, engraving new suspicions into his flooded memories. It was an experience he¡¯d never forget.


    Before Jack was about to leave, he saw another file that had also caught his eye. He picked it up. It was a personal file of Dr. Cato with the doctor''s signature on it.


    He wanted to shred the file, but he stopped himself from doing such a thing. Perhaps there might be some importance to this?


    He decided to take it as well, along with the blueprint of the new unknown facility.


    Jack ran out of the office and headed towards the entrance. Along the way he tried calling Eric again, but he didn¡¯t answer, so he smacked his lips and continued running. Vile giggles of innocence erupted inside the hallways and went throughout the entire building, which brought Jack to a sudden stop. Since Jack didn¡¯t have time to investigate the paranormal, he ignored the giggles and kept running.


    Jack finally made it outside and to his surprise, Eric was inside the car. He rushed to the car, opened the door and hopped inside. He gave Eric a returning smile of determination.


    Eric, who seemed shakened, looked at Jack. ¡°Where the hell have you been, huh?!¡±


    Jack showed him the files. Eric grabbed them, observing what Jack had gotten inside that horrid place. A sigh of relief came out of Eric.


    ¡°Why did you shoot your gun during our phone call?¡± Jack asked.


    Eric shivered and groaned. ¡°I think someone was messing with me, like, supernatural type. Whatever it was took a peak at me the moment I decided to when I was hiding. Then I panicked and shot, what else can I say?¡±


    Jack laughed. ¡°You¡¯re a pussy.¡±


    Eric didn¡¯t like that and punched Jack on the shoulder. Jack chuckled as he rubbed his shoulder with a grin on his face.


    When things felt relaxed, just as Eric was about to start the car, he spotted something on top of the facility.


    ¡°Yo, Jack. Look!¡± His finger shook, pointing at whatever he made Jack look at.


    They both got out to take a closer look. There was definitely something or someone standing on top of the facility. It even freaked Jack quite a bit, making the gun in his hand tremble. ¡°Who the hell¡­¡±


    On top of the facility was the girl in the white gothic romantic dress. Her dress fluttered with the breezy winds as she stood behind the moon, basking in its light. Her purple eyes glowed so hauntingly with the darkness around them. Her eyes reminded Eric about the keyhole, which made his mouth drop out of terror.


    Crows emerged from behind the building and stormed the sky. Eric and Jack pointed their guns in every direction as the crows swarmed around them. They were surrounded by a feathery hell, screeching caws that would torment anyone¡¯s ear drums, with the sound of her giggling behind the intense flapping wings.


    The crows finally calmed and settled on the trees, the buildings, and the windows too, which left Jack and Eric terrified.


    Every single crow glared at them with the same colored eyes as her. She slowly lifted a finger at Jack, then giggled.


    ¡°I finally found you again. Now return to me, my beloved!¡±


    They couldn¡¯t hear what she was saying, but Jack knew who it was. He could never forget such a dress.


    He lowered his gun out of confusion and stared into her eyes he¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Wh-When did you get?¡± The crows around them started cawing again, making them cover their ears from the loudness.


    She laughed sadistically, lowering her finger. She hunched over and walked to the edge of the building. ¡°Th-Then I¡¯ll just come to you!¡± She then flung  herself off the edge, bolting herself violently like a trailing cloud of black smoke towards Jack.


    Jack only saw a glimpse of that smoke when it engulfed him at speeds greater than sound. Eric tried getting his attention, but something was wrong with Jack. He seemed paralyzed and quiet. He tried grabbing his shoulder, but Jack dropped to the ground.


    Jack grabbed his neck, coughed and rolled around violently, then gagged. He continuously coughed and reached out to Eric for help. Eric was afraid. He didn¡¯t know how to help him, even when Jack¡¯s eyes turned black.


    Things were getting worse for poor Eric. The wicked crows'' constant cawing was enough to rupture Eric¡¯s ear drums, which caused them to ring and bleed.


    Jack got on all fours and coughed out black, as the girl giggled and moaned out of amusement inside his foggy mind.


    At that moment, their feelings of determination and hope seemed far-fetched now that the supernatural occurrence was happening. Eric couldn¡¯t do anything but watch Jack become plagued by the unknown. He had his hands over his ears to stop the bleeding. His vision became all blurred and wavy. Just as their fate was sealed, the woman in red appeared in front of Eric¡¯s blurry eyes.


    She was infuriated. ¡°You sick creature, you¡¯re lucky you¡¯ve escaped my grasp. But for now¡­¡± The crows dropped to their knees, ¡°May your pets repent for your sins¡­¡± She opened her arms out and the crows burst into black ash.


    Eric seemed staggered. He was on the brink of collapsing.


    ¡°You even went this far to hurt the only person who tried to snap him out of his stupidity. You¡¯re indeed gluttonous.¡± She walked up to Eric and grabbed his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you were involved in such a mess.¡± She kissed his hand, healing him of her unholy doings.


    Once Eric blinked a couple of times she was gone. Eric finally had his vision back. His hearing returned and everything seemed normal. He was confused, but he quickly brushed away his confusion to rush to Jack¡¯s aid. Jack was on the ground face down. Eric patted his back, trying to get a reaction out of him, but he seemed to be knocked out cold.


    That strange occurrence that just happened now? What¡¯s the meaning of it? Eric couldn¡¯t help but think that something like this had forced him into a believer of what Jack talked about, that being the supernatural.


    Eric grabbed Jack and tossed him into the backseat of the car. Hopping in the front seat, he took one last look at the place and smacked his lips in frustration, still dazzled by the idea that supernatural things existed. He finally turned the car on and drove off. He adjusted his rear view mirror, spotting the woman in red again. He gasped. She blew Eric a kiss which erased his memories that had occurred in the last ten minutes. He scratched his head, forgetting what he was just doing. Why was he driving in the middle of nowhere? Where was he? He shrugged and adjusted the rear view mirror again, but noticed that Jack was unconscious in the backseat. He freaked out and floored the gas pedal to the max.


    The woman in red stood in front of the gate, turning around to stare at the facility with eyes filled with crimson rage. She snapped her fingers and summoned a small hole of red and white, right above the buildings. She extended a finger and pointed at the buildings. Her eyes shone red, and the tip of her finger slightly glowed white. She closed her long finger, making the facility twirl around like a whirlpool of steel bricked rubble, until it finally disappeared inside the hole that she summoned above it, leaving absolutely nothing behind.


    She lowered her arm and turned around to take one last look at the speeding car the two were in. ¡°I couldn¡¯t save you from her. I may have been too late to save you this time, but please¡­¡± She placed a hand on her chest, gripping the dress out of her own guilt. ¡°Save Angela, Jack.¡± A strong wind of rose petals hurtled past her, making her fade into nothing but the colors of her dress.


    The entire area where the facility once stood was gone, almost as if there were never signs of humanity in the first place. Moonlight flashed on the spot where she once stood, dazzled with her last essence, which brought life back into the spot of lost hope and death.


    Jack was asleep in the backseat, not knowing that the girl was inside his mind, in his blood, and unfortunately in his soul. She was now free, free to haunt his dreams once again. She giggled inside his mind, telling him that she¡¯d returned home and called him the love of her sorry life.

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 8: An Old Friend Returns

    Strapped down with rusted chains of defilement Jack struggled against the wooden chair that reeked of the vile stench from the Dark Ages. A single candle provided dismal light within the darkness that engulfed him, yet it gave off enough light for him to see his friends and family standing in front of him. His mouth drooled of black while the look of confusion and haziness gleamed off his face. The pulsating rhythm of his exposed heart echoed into the never-ending darkness. Both his parents had cracked eyes and black goo trickling out from their mouths. They both pointed at him, their hands wavering in the bleak atmosphere of depression.


    Jack lifted his head and stared at the people he still loved. They looked at him with disgust, which made Jack groan out of horror.


    ¡°Why Jack?! Why did you let us die?!¡± his parents shouted in unison, the black liquid in their mouths squirting on his face.


    Jack tried breaking free from the chains by rattling them like crazy. He tried to stand up out of his will to confront his dead parents face to face, but the bonds were far too strong. ¡°Mom¡­ Dad¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t let you!¡±


    Continuing with his futile attempt, Jack thrashed himself within the confines of the chair, tossing himself every which way, trying so hard to break free from his chained prison. He was wrapped up in guilt, but he fell along with the chair to his side and stayed there all motionless and broken. ¡°I couldn¡¯t do anything¡­ I was just a kid. I didn¡¯t let you die.¡±


    Veronica stepped forward. Her eyes were gouged out with disgusting black substance leaking out too. She slowly lifted a finger and laughed at him. ¡°You¡¯re a disgrace. I hope you rot, you sick bastard.¡±


    ¡°Veronica¡­ No. No¡­ Stop!¡± Jack shouted. He tried to close his eyes, but something kept them open.


    Sarah rose from the darkened ground like a zombie and threw a knife at Jack¡¯s arm, penetrating his flesh and making him scream. ¡°I hope we never meet again, you worthless pile of filth¡­¡±


    Jack bled out black. He ground his teeth out of frustration. ¡°Sarah, not you too¡­¡±


    The insanity was overwhelming. Jack was just laying there, wriggling, and  listening to his closest friends calling him such awful names. It made him feel that it was nothing but the truth, a truth he knew for so long, but no one had the courage to tell him directly to his face of the monster he¡¯d become.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Jack wiggled intensely on the floor. The chains started tightening more around his body, driving him to finally snap and slam his head on the ground. He kept slamming it repeatedly until he saw Anna, who actually seemed normal, walking towards him with a distraught look on her face.


    ¡°Anna¡­ Help me, please!¡±Blood poured out his head and trickled down his face.


    Everyone else behind Anna dissolved into black liquid. The wicked black substance gathered unto itself and climbed upwards, slowly forming into the girl with the white dress. Anna stopped a couple of inches in front of Jack looking so worried and afraid. The girl in white walked behind Anna, caressing her hand over Anna¡¯s jaw and forcing Anna to look at her smoky face.


    Anna whimpered, making Jack feel furious towards the girl. ¡°No no! Please, leave Anna alone, I beg of you!¡±


    She only giggled and looked at him for a second, then Anna¡¯s chest thrusted forward a bit, which brought her whimpering to a stop. Jack was confused until he saw the girl¡¯s hand explode through her chest. Blood splashed all over Jack, coating him with Anna¡¯s warmth. He screamed out of immense fury then snarled at the girl. Using all his might, he kept trying to break free from the damned chains.


    She laughed and slowly retracted her hand to Anna¡¯s exposed heart, then grabbed it out of her chest and pushed aside her lifeless body. ¡°You¡¯re mine, but only to control your actions of the past and subdue your desires, Anna.¡±


    ¡°Anna, no!¡± Jack growled like mad. His eyes were bloodshot and his teeth were grinding furiously. A crack trickled through some of the chains, which surprised the girl.


    She snapped her fingers and made Anna¡¯s body dissolve into blackened mist. After placing Anna¡¯s heart in a box made of graphite stone and had carvings of ancient letters that looked foreign. She slowly approached Jack, who wanted nothing but to get his hands on her.


    The girl in white got down on her knees and patted his head. ¡°We¡¯re finally together, so you can finally use me again. To think that big oaf would let me go too!¡± She giggled and caressed Jack¡¯s cheek.


    Growling like a madman, Jack tried grabbing her but the wretched chains that refrained him from doing anything were growing more resistant to his movements with every thrust or grabbing motion.


    ¡°Oh how I¡¯ve missed your soul, your warmth,¡± she said, while grabbing Jack¡¯s heart and massaging it. She rubbed his heart against her ghostly face. ¡°Especially your wonderful, cold heart.¡±


    Jack¡¯s breathing simmered. His boiling blood got cool and his pupils dilated as if he were high on euphoria.


    ¡°Did you miss me? No wait¡­ You did, didn¡¯t you darling?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t feel the immeasurable pain of his heart being caressed. He continued to struggle quietly as she kept stroking his pumping heart.


    ¡°What do you want from me? I thought I¡¯ve already given myself up to you¡­ What more do you want?¡± Jack asked.


    She stopped caressing his heart and lowered her arms as it continued beating in her hands. ¡°What I want, what I want, what I want¡­¡± She rocked herself from side to side with his bleeding heart resting on her lap. ¡°Hmmm, let me think¡­ Oh wait, I don¡¯t have to. I want you of course. Just like how you promised me all those years ago. Nothing more than that.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean? I don¡¯t understand where you¡¯re coming from. How could I have made a promise like that? I did promise you about giving myself up to you, but this other thing, what is it? What is it!¡±


    Jumping out of fear, she shivered and wrapped her hands around herself, watching Jack¡¯s heart splat onto the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t you yell at me. I don¡¯t like it when you yell. It sca-scares me.¡±


    She picked his heart back up and then placed his heart back into his chest. Coaxing her hands around the gaping wound, she healed the broken flesh. Jack had a look of confusion on his bloody angered face as he frowned.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t yell at me,¡± she muttered as she clutched her head and trembled for a moment.


    Jack stayed still, wondering if she was the same person who¡¯d been haunting his life for years.


    Finally calming down from the dormant fear she had, the girl in white extended a hand to his chest  and drifted her cold fingers up towards his lips. ¡°B-But you¡¯re mine now, and that¡¯s all that matters. No-No need to be afraid¡­¡± She shook her head, stood up and patted her dress, dispersing Jack¡¯s blood off her elegance.


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Never before had he seen the scary girl in white act like a frightened girl that was deserving for her age. For once Jack thought she might be just an ordinary girl. Her tone, her reaction to his yelling, it was deserving to even call her human.


    ¡°If you need me you know how to call. I do apologise messing with your head again, but I can¡¯t help it¡­¡± She lowered her head and looked away. ¡°Especially when you treated me so cruelly before¡­¡± Raising her head, she teasingly waved at Jack as she started fading away. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon. Bye love¡­¡±


    And then Jack erupted into a black inferno.


    He screamed in agonizing pain until he was nothing more than a charred skeleton, which left the chains and chair he was strapped to intact on its side. Jack woke up in his bed, breathing intensely from the pain he felt. First, he checked to see if his flesh was still intact, then he pinched himself. Jack sighed with relief, noticing that he was back in his room.


    Feeling angry, Jack slammed his hand against the wall. ¡°Why does she keep messing with me like that? Crazy bitch. Damn you.¡± Jack furiously got up from his bed and walked into the living room, then spotted Eric reading the documents he¡¯d collected that were laid out on the coffee table. ¡°What¡¯s up? Have you found anything yet?¡±


    Eric gripped his chin and continued reading the documents. ¡°It¡¯s about time you woke yo ass up. Shit¡­ Making me do all this reading myself fool!¡±


    Jack smirked. ¡°My apologies. So where do you think this location is?¡± Jack asked, pointing at the blueprint for the new facility.


    ¡°Hmm, from the looks of the blueprint, it seems to me that it¡¯s probably at the other side of Flint, see!¡± He pointed at the neighborhood closeby. ¡°I used to do big gang shit up in that neighborhood before I was locked up for ten years.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So what happened that night when that girl was on top of the facility?¡± Jack asked as he sat down next to Eric.


    ¡°Girl? I remember us driving and all that spooky shit inside, but not much after that.¡± He grabbed some documents to get a better read, laid back, crossed his arms, and kicked his feet up on the table while raising his brows. ¡°All I remembered after the spooky shit was how my ass was in the car driving, then somehow you were in the back of the car with the papers and knocked the fuck out. That shit was fucked!¡±


    Jack remembered what the girl told him a couple of months ago. I can wipe memories out as I please.


    Eric waved his hand in front of Jack. ¡°Hey, yo!¡±


    That¡¯s what the girl said if I remember correctly. Damn her for messing with my head!


    Jack noticed the hand moving up and down, so he apologised, stood up and put his jacket on. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit. I gotta go grab something. You want anything to eat?¡±


    Eric sighed. ¡°You do owe me, fool. Get me some damn tacos, you bum.¡± He chuckled and tossed Jack the keys to the car. ¡°Be careful, we¡¯ve got lots of enemies now. Who knows who¡¯s out there to getcha besides your past.¡±


    Jack smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got this boss, I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Walking outside, Jack made it to the car and decided to head into a different town for once, one that was close to the city of Flint. It was close to night, and driving during this time seemed the most peaceful time for Jack.


    After driving for a couple of minutes Jack arrived at the town and parked near a local coffee shop. He went inside and grabbed his order, then sat next to the window which faced the street. As the coffee steam warmed his cold face, Jack watched the townspeople walk past the window, living out their normal lives. Watching these people made Jack come to a realization, which was how such poor people had no clue that there was an entire world they were completely oblivious to. And he knew how scary that side of the world was since it¡¯d been hidden from society.


    Who knew about these certain things beyond what science could explain and what our eyes can actually see exist¡­ How stupid¡­


    Jack continued to drink his coffee, thinking of a strategy to rescue Angela, but then he spotted someone strange. They walked all feminine like and had really expensive flashy clothing on. Chuckling at how ridiculous the person was acting, Jack noticed how they looked similar to someone he knew.


    Curious about this person, Jack finished his coffee, stormed outside and followed the funny person while making sure they wouldn¡¯t notice him. They appeared to be a woman from how they walked and from how they were dressed, but something seemed off about them. Jack overheard the person¡¯s voice and it sounded all too familiar.


    They said something that Jack remembered all too well. They were arguing with someone who said, ¡°You boo boo bitch!¡±


    Jack immediately knew only one person who said things like that. He rushed up to them and surprised them by grabbing their broad shoulders.


    ¡°Hey! Who are you and why are you¡­?¡± The person observed Jack and checked him out from head to toe, then gripped their chin in amusement. ¡°Ooo damn, you might look scary looking but you look so mmm, mmm good, honey!¡±


    They snapped their fingers afterwards. ¡°Hey fine thang, can you be so kind as to let go of me¡­¡± He eases to Jack, hovering the edge of his hand to his face. ¡°Unless you want to have a good rough time sweetheart hehe.¡±


    Jack took his time examining this person. They had very pretty blue eyes that sparkled more than the ocean would on a sunny day. Their skin was very pale but was smooth and well taken care of. Lastly, they had the body of what a Victoria Secret model would have, with elegant curves in all the right places.


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just that I know who you are, I think?¡± Jack said excitedly.


    ¡°Ohh, then who might I be, sweetheart?¡± the person asked, placing their hands on their hips in a girly fashion.


    ¡°You might not happen to be Candy, right?¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The person put their hands out, bugging their eyes out and nodded. ¡°Woah?! How do you know my name, Mr. Strange, sexy, tall guy? Hmm.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Jack.¡± he said, patting his chest.


    Candy observed Jack thoroughly, checking his legs, feeling his arms, and looking a bit too close to his face for Jack¡¯s liking. He wasn¡¯t sure at first, but the more he stared into his eyes, Candy knew those dead fish eyes right off the bat.


    His eyes sparkled with joy and he lunged at Jack with excitement. ¡°Boo boo! I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s you! To think you would grow up to be such a strong good looking sugar daddy. Mmm!¡±


    Jack laughed. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, old friend. You still know how to make me laugh after all these years.¡±


    Candy giggled, but he noticed something wasn¡¯t right. He checked behind Jack and lifted his long arms. ¡°Sayyy¡­ where¡¯s uhh¡­ where¡¯s lil momma?¡±


    Jack¡¯s smile faded and he didn¡¯t say anything. He glanced at the people walking at the other side of the street. They seemed happy with their families, loved ones, and friends. Watching these people laugh and smile brought back the dark cloud that usually hung over Jack¡¯s head, which constantly reminded him of his failures.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, boo?¡± Candy asked.


    Jack looked back at Candy with a bitter face and clenched his fists out of guilt. ¡°She¡¯s gone. They took her away from me.¡±


    Candy gasped and covered his mouth. ¡°Noo! You mean that fiend got her?! I¡¯m sorry to hear that, boo boo.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, it¡¯s only been a month. A long, excruciating month, but I¡¯m figuring out a plan to get her back.¡±


    Candy smiled and apologized for killing the mood. Jack didn¡¯t mind though. It wasn¡¯t his fault for asking something so obvious.


    ¡°By the way, what happened to that school? But more importantly, why¡¯s your hair black now?¡± Jack asked.


    Candy flipped his black hair, then blew on his purple nails and stared at their pedicured beauty. ¡°Shoot, beats me! I got kicked out of that place when I exposed my dingaling to that pop bellied fool!¡± Candy gestured to his hair. ¡°Oh, and this? Well, I wanted something to remember you guys by, so I dyed my hair black to resemble lil momma. Chu like?¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m not surprised since you did help us get out of that place. And you look good. It suits you much better in my opinion. Really brings out your eyes.¡±


    Candy¡¯s face turned red. He giggled and covered a hand over his mouth. ¡°My, how bold of you, honey. Heehee.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s life been treating you?¡±


    Candy grabbed Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°Why don¡¯t we finish this conversation inside that coffee shop huh?¡± He winked to Jack as he pointed to that drinking establishment.


    Jack nods. ¡°I just came from there but why not, let''s catch up, old friend.¡± The two started walking while Candy still clutched onto Jack¡¯s arm with a smile.


    When they walked into the coffee shop, they took a seat close to where Jack had been beforehand, the table close to the shop''s street view window. Candy pulled out a small mirror and made sure his hair was groomed properly, then he applied chapstick to his lips.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Man Candy, your looks scare me to the point you even rival some girls in beauty so misconception isn¡¯t far off when it comes to a first greeter.¡±


    Candy¡¯s eyes twinkled out of joy. ¡°My! Don¡¯t fluster me more, you fiend!¡± He looked back at the mirror and cleared his throat. ¡°So boo boo, from what I can tell by all the scars on your hands, possibly more hidden beneath that jacket of yours,¡± He put away the mirror back into his man purse and rested a hand on his face, ¡°you¡¯ve had it rough, haven''t you?¡±


    Jack pulled up his sleeves one at a time to glare at every scar, reminiscing every one of his failures. He chuckled and looked back up at Candy. ¡°You have no idea. My stories are too long, so why don¡¯t you go first?¡±


    Candy sighed with a smile. ¡°Oh well, I guess I can brighten the mood a little. Let¡¯s see, to make a long story short, I got married to a rich white lady like two years ago for her money, sooo I have a sugar momma! But you know me, sweetheart.¡± He slowly tried creeping his hand towards Jack¡¯s, making his fingers walk all spider-like. ¡°I like big, tough, delicious, strong, beautiful men. Mmm, mmm, mmm!¡± Candy grabbed Jack¡¯s hand, but Jack retracted it and flicked his forehead. ¡°Oww! Watch the face. Why you gotta be so rough, sugar?¡±


    ¡°My bad, it was just a natural reaction. Anyways, yes, I¡¯ve had it rough¡­ Too rough to be honest.¡± Jack turned to the window and his smile faded. ¡°I wish my life was as easy and laid back as these people. I mean, look at them.¡±


    People walked past them with smiles and laughter, enjoying one¡¯s presence, strong family bonds, and being unaware of the dangers outside their privileged town.


    ¡°But I guess not everyone¡¯s lucky. There are those who are chosen to suffer just like me.¡±


    Candy sipped his coffee, trying to hide his face from Jack. His bottom lip was sucked in, his chin quivering, even squinting his eyes momentarily.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ it¡¯s whatever anyways,¡± Jack said.


    Candy couldn¡¯t stand it. He wanted to resist himself but couldn¡¯t. He set the coffee down, then leapt out of the chair and hugged Jack. ¡°Please don¡¯t beat yourself up like that, boo boo. It¡¯s okay! Not everyone has the privilege in life like most folks do!¡±


    Jack smiled. ¡°It¡¯s funny you say that, when in fact I once had that privilege, but it was taken away from me.¡± Jack continued to stare out the window. He sighed and stood up. ¡°That was the past. I always continue to ask myself this, what did I do to deserve this? Does God hate me? If that¡¯s the case, then I detest this so-called God I used to worship.¡± He frowned momentarily, eyes narrowing whilst they rattled to the growing hatred towards the creator of life.


    Jack¡¯s face turned still as he began to walk past his old friend, patting Candy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It was nice talking to you old pal, but I have to get going.¡±


    Candy grabbed Jack¡¯s arm and prevented him from leaving. ¡°Even if there is a God, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll hate you enough to make your life miserable. It just happens Jack. That¡¯s just how life is.¡± Jack turned around and looked down at Candy.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna get rid of me that easily, boo. Let me help you get momma back. What do you say?¡± Candy extended his hand out, making Jack¡¯s dead eyes glisten momentarily.


    ¡°Just like old times, hmm?¡± Candy smiled widely, wiping away some of Jack¡¯s darkness wrapped around his soul.


    Jack smirked and shook Candy¡¯s hand with force. ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready Candy. People might die. Are you prepared to follow through?¡±


    Candy felt a little nervous. He gulped. His hand started to tremble. ¡°I-Is that so? Tell me Jack, have you seen people die?¡±


    Jack¡¯s smirk faded. His gaze turned sharp. ¡°Of course I have. I¡¯m the one who ends their life.¡±


    Candy let go of Jack¡¯s arm. He couldn¡¯t believe Jack had said that with such a straight face. His breathing intensified as he started having flashbacks from when they were in the mental institution. He couldn¡¯t believe someone like Jack, who was once an innocent boy, was now a murderous, cold-blooded killer. Candy didn¡¯t care though, he wanted to help get Angela back into Jack¡¯s arms.


    Relaxing and taking a breath, Candy smacked his hands against his head and extended his arm again. Jack smiled and shook it with such force that he made Candy yelp like a girl. People around them noticed and thought that Jack had hurt a woman.


    Candy eased the tension to the folks around them by patting the air. ¡°Sorry everyone, I¡¯m just being dramatic that¡¯s all hehe!¡±


    Jack welcomed him aboard with a huge smile. They walked out and hopped into the car. Candy couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how Jack had said that statement so calmly. He felt uneasy being around Jack and didn¡¯t have a clue how many people Jack had probably killed. Just thinking about it was enough to give him goosebumps.


    When they arrived back at Eric¡¯s house, Jack introduced Candy to the house. He wasn¡¯t impressed, but Jack didn¡¯t seem to care by laughing it off and shaking his head. They walked in and spotted Eric. He stood in front of the fireplace, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Jack tried calling out his name, but he didn¡¯t react. Instead, he stared at the flames, thinking how they represented his anger towards whoever killed his friends and who took Angela away.


    Jack grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Eric looked at Jack and sighed. The moment he turned around, Candy was flustered and red from the sigh from a man like Eric.


    Eric¡¯s face twitched out of annoyance.¡°Who¡¯s this beautiful woman you brought into his home?¡±


    Jack told him the entire story of Candy. Eric wanted to throw up. He was disgusted that a man this feminine existed, let alone was friends with a man like Jack.


    Eric wasn¡¯t too pleased to hear who this guy was, but one thing that pissed him off was the fact that Jack was clueless how this guy was gay. Eric cleared his throat after being dramatic for the first few minutes of their conversation.


    ¡°So uh¡­ fruit cup? Are you sure you want in? I mean, you did help them escape when they were little, but exposing your junk to another man? Come on yo, that¡¯s gay as fuck.¡±


    Candy giggled and crossed his legs. ¡°That¡¯s how I am, baby! I forgot to mention that I do like chocolate, especially ones as big and muscular as you!¡±


    A vein popped out of Eric¡¯s forehead. He felt revolted hearing him making a compliment about his body. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t say any more gay shit like that unless you wanna get your ass whooped, boy!¡±


    Candy blushed, then placed both hands on his face and wiggled them. ¡°Oh my! I do like it rough, so don¡¯t hurt me too good, Daddy!¡±


    ¡°Yo Jack, control yo boy, man! He¡¯s making me feel uncomfortable.¡± Eric noticed that Jack was laughing quietly. ¡°Oh! You think this is funny, dumbass white Mexican boy?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t contain it any longer. He finally broke out into laughter. ¡°I-I¡¯m so-sorry! I-I just can¡¯t! Candy, you¡¯re hilarious as ever, man!¡±


    Candy chuckled sexually, then sat down elegantly on the couch. ¡°Well you know me, boo boo. I know how to make all the men fall for me. Yes, yes, yes, baby!¡±


    Eric stood up out of annoyance. ¡°Aight, that¡¯s enough!¡± Everyone shut up from his serious shouting. ¡°Alright! Now then! Are we gonna keep fucking around, or are we gonna figure out a plan?¡±


    They agreed and started planning. Candy felt out of place and only listened to what they had to say. As Jack and Eric continued planning and discussing, Jack handed Candy the blueprint he¡¯d found in the facility that night.


    Candy examined it and recognized the building. ¡°Oh this place! I remember it being near it a while ago when it was still being constructed¡± He gripped his chin and eased the paper to his face. ¡°If I recalled sweethearts, I tried asking one of the workers what they were building, but the answer I got was that they were building a new factory to build for medication, supposedly!¡±


    Eric knew something was fishy from Candy¡¯s description. ¡°Shit, we now know that answer was full of shit, but good thing though that I know the area they are building that place at.¡± Everything was starting to come together until Jack heard someone scream. He stood up and looked out the window. Eric and Candy looked at him as if he was crazy.


    Jack¡¯s head started hurting and he fell on one knee. Eric raised his brows, titling his head. ¡°You aight boy?¡±


    Candy got up slightly and reached his hand out. ¡°Boo, do you need help or are you finally losing it?¡±


    Jack groaned and took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m fine, just feeling a little light headed, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Is that you, girl? Are you the one screaming inside my head?


    Jack waited for an answer, but the only thing he heard was muffled whimpering. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, huh? You finally feel bad for messing with my head now? Huh?¡±


    Eric raised an eyebrow out of concern. ¡°Yo, are you cool? Why are you talking to yourself?¡±


    ¡°Honey, if you need someone to talk to, we¡¯re here for you, boo!¡±


    Eric turned to Candy with a disgusted look. ¡°Man, why are you so damn gay? Why did God have to create you? You¡¯re a goddamn trap! Anyone could easily mistake you for a female yo!¡±


    Candy gasped dramatically, then crossed his arms while he angrily puckered his lips. ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re just jealous you can¡¯t be as sassy and gorgeous like me, sweet, hunky, chocolate, mmm! Maybe you secretly want a piece of me after all, baby boy!¡±


    While Candy and Eric continued arguing with each other, Jack stood up and walked into the backyard because he wasn¡¯t feeling well. He sat on the tree stump and stared at Randolph¡¯s grave. Massaging his head, Jack closed his eyes for a second. He took slow deep breaths and relaxed his mind, trying to figure out why she screamed all of a sudden. The moment he opened his eyes, the girl in the white dress stood in front of him.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asked nervously.


    Her dress was mesmerizing to stare at this close in reality from it¡¯s detailed precise accents on it to the white color on it slightly glowing from how fresh it looked beneath the moon¡¯s light. Her skin was so chalky yet it shined with beauty, but this time he was finally able to stare at the ghostly, smoky face. At least she wasn¡¯t faceless like their previous encounters. Her glowing purple eyes, though. Just staring at them closely made him nervous, yet this wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d felt such an emotion.


    They stared into each other¡¯s eyes as dogs howled, gunfire echoed, and crows quietly cawed around them. Her dress slowly fluttered out with a calm breeze. For some reason, Jack opened his arms out and nodded his head downwards, granting her permission to sit on his lap.


    She slowly came towards him and gently sat down, resting her ghostly head against his beating chest. Jack slowly ruffled her hair and eyed the dark forest behind the house, staring into the darkness as he leaned his head against hers. Jack stopped and held her tightly, making sure she wouldn¡¯t go anywhere. He wanted to use the opportunity to get some answers, even if it meant he had to pretend to like her.


    ¡°So girl, what are you doing here on this fine night? It¡¯s already weird enough that you¡¯re in my dreams, torturing me like you did last night. But now you¡¯re here, outside of my mind.¡±


    She let out a deep sigh. ¡°I understand you¡¯re still mad at me. I want to apologize. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Apologize? What for?¡± Jack¡¯s fingers started clenching on her arms, as he remembered all the suffering she¡¯d caused. ¡°Are you sorry for making me mentally unstable, messing with my dreams, causing me brutal, undeniable pain?¡± he shouted, which scared away a couple of crows that flew away into the cold night.


    She hunched from his mild shout and stayed quiet. She could feel his anger towards her just from his grasp alone. She tried breaking free from his grip, but it wasn¡¯t long til she stopped resisting and cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I had no idea you¡¯d turn out like this.¡± She looked at the same forest he was staring at. ¡°But you deserved to be punished at times, that¡¯s why I do those terrible things to you. It¡¯s what I am now.¡±


    Jack felt bad and a little annoyed, but he loosened his arms to ease his grip. He decided to stand up and carry her in his arms, which surprised her.


    ¡°I have no idea who you are, why you showed up in my dreams as a child, but I do know this¡­¡± He looked into her ghoulish purple eyes, feeling her gaze swallowing him. ¡°You do help me in the worst situations. I may have lost consciousness those times, but I¡¯ve witnessed the carnage afterwards. It was you who helped Angela and I, correct?¡±


    She wrapped her arms around Jack¡¯s neck. ¡°Yes, it was all me. I don¡¯t do such vile things unless you¡¯re in trouble¡­ I do it because I don¡¯t want you to die, along with Angela, but for personal reasons.¡±


    Jack gasped. She managed to make his heart skip a few beats. For once, he actually smiled for her. ¡°Thank you, I mean it,¡± Jack said in a gentle voice.


    He couldn¡¯t tell but her eyes glistened from his soothing compliment. All of a sudden, her face erupted in light. Jack looked away from how bright her face was, then all hell broke loose. The environment around them grew chaotic, the skies roared, breaking the sound barrier, the ground beneath trembled, a chill came from a mist that appeared out of thin air, and winds started blowing, faster than that one winter storm when Jack was getting himself and Angela to scrounge for shelter. She flung off of Jack¡¯s arms and floated in the sky above him. A huge ball of white formed around her, creating a flashing light of pulsing white. It was so bright that it made Jack cover his face.


    Candy and Eric came out, wondering why everything was shaking and falling apart. They saw the giant light pulse and shot out black plasma sparks into the sky, which destroyed houses and ripped apart the environment around them. The strikened skies cracked, exposing a purple aurora beneath it. The dimension around them was rippling, as swirling winds greater than typhoons blew everything apart from the ball¡¯s intensity. Eric and Candy screamed from the growing winds, while Jack stood still in the midst of chaos.


    Trees fell, the ground beneath them got ripped open, and the ball expanded, then finally exploded. Everything flashed white, everyone screamed, and Jack closed his eyes as the world around them was engulfed by the white flash. Once everything settled down and was silent, Jack opened his eyes, noticing that time itself had come to a complete stop.


    ¡°What in the actual fuck just happened?!¡± Jack looked around. The world had returned to normal, but everything was black and white, besides him and the other two men paused in their screaming state.


    What did she just do? Jack thought.


    Trying to figure out the situation, Jack gazed up at the sky and noticed the ball of light was still there. It hovered close to Jack then expanded again, this time there were purple and black swirls circling around it. After a brief light show, the ball pulsed as if it were dying. Standing there amazed and confused, Jack saw someone glide out of the light.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ believe it¡­¡±


    With her arms spread out, the girl in white fell out of the light as it disintegrated behind her, creating dusty purple sparkles. Her hair fluttered while the dress she wore changed to a more sexual appeal for Jack, which exposed more of her long beautiful legs. She had a change in height again. Her body became that of maturity, but what stood out the most as she descended to Jack was the fact she was no longer the faceless girl. She now had a face. A lovely face, one that would make anyone fall in love with her amethyst purple eyes of profound beauty, perfect nose, her glistening lips of lovely purple, and an innocent smile that belonged to an angel.


    Jack felt captivated by her gorgeousness, because he felt that such beauty should be criminal. With the feelings he was experiencing he couldn¡¯t understand them whatsoever, though they felt nostalgic. Jack brought his arms forward to catch her. She gently landed into his arms. Jack stared directly at the being who made his life a living hell.


    As the two stared at each other, Jack found he was mostly staring at her light, glistened, pinkish, purplish lips. He felt hypnotized by their shine. Jack wondered if he¡¯d felt this way about her unknowingly for a long time.


    He remembered the times when he was a kid where he would always get nervous around her, but not because he was afraid. It was because of his feelings towards her. Was this the reasoning why he allowed her to take over his mind and haunt his dreams?


    Jack leaned close to her face, causing her to blush. ¡°So this is¡­ the real¡­ you?¡± Jack asked nervously.


    Her mouth slightly opened and she moaned softly. As her eyes glistened, she nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ this is the real me, Jack.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes moved erratically as he studied her. ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re the very person who¡¯s been making my dreams a living hell.¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply to Jack nor say a word. Instead, she blinked.


    Jack nervously crept closer to her gorgeous face. ¡°Tell me something¡­ can you teach me what love is?¡±


    Her eyes widened. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. Jack wants me to teach him about love? That brought so much joy into her darkened soul that she almost cried out of pure happiness.


    She leaned close to him and felt his warm breath. ¡°As long as you breathe, I¡¯ll teach you anything. Even how to use me in any desire that your mind seeks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but I can¡¯t promise to be yours yet. Perhaps someday.¡±


    She grinned. ¡°That¡¯s okay. As long as I¡¯m on your side I¡¯ll wait an eternity for you. I¡¯ve done it once, I can do it again.¡±


    Jack sat back down on the stump and caressed her cheek. ¡°What if I learn what love is and pursue someone else?¡±


    Drifting a hand out from behind his neck, she placed it on his face and caressed his cheek. ¡°Then I¡¯ll show you something greater than any punishment you¡¯ve endured so far¡­ Because I love you that much, Jack. And when that day comes, when we can truly feel each other¡¯s warmth, even my body will become yours.¡±


    Jack closed his eyes as well, remembering how kissing Alexandria made her happy enough to move on from this world. He wondered if it¡¯ll be the same case for her, hoping that this would be an end to her existence.


    As the two were leaning in for a kiss, she started screaming out of pain. A flow of black sparks shot out of her body and burned Jack¡¯s arms. The crows around started crying, sharing the same pain as her.


    Jack bit through this burning sensation and smiled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Being in so much pain, she accidentally grabbed Jack¡¯s face and scratched his cheek, leaving a horrific permanent scar in a ¡®y¡¯ shape. She faded away and the crows faded as well.


    Reality turned back to normal and time unfroze. Eric and Candy rushed to the backyard, all flustered and looking around wildly.


    ¡°Where¡¯s all the screaming coming from?¡± Eric shouted.


    Jack looked at them. They both noticed the bleeding scar on his cheek. It was red and looked fresh.


    ¡°Yo, what happened to your cheek?¡± Eric asked as he walked towards Jack.


    Jack massaged his cheek and felt the burn. Retracting his hand, he saw the blood smeared on his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s just say¡­¡± Jack glared up at the moon, gazing at its fullness, ¡°I have two people to save now.¡±

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 9: Her Growing Burden

    In the span of what felt like months were excruciating slow weeks from trivial events and more unanswered questions happening in the eyes of two men desperately trying to save a girl, Dr. Cato and Mathew were still bamboozled by how the strange being had a complete face now. They tried asking her questions but she turned so violent that she killed and took five souls from the men in black robes. Angela shared the same anger as her but she wasn¡¯t violent, she was just mouthy. Dr. Cato, who was the most frustrated, laid his head down on his desk and thought about how they could cure Angela from that thing. Mathew also brought up the other victims who were possibly involved. That was the only reason why they let her wander about so they could see who else she was messing with.


    ¡°Mathew, how are we going to get rid of something that technically doesn¡¯t exist in our world? I mean, the only reason why we can see her is because of these cross stones and those nuts in black robes!¡±


    Mathew sighed and poured some liquor for them both. ¡°Patience, my friend! So long as God and his angels are on our side, we can defeat this thing. All we can do is pray and keep using these things.¡± He pulled his holy necklace out. ¡°But what I don¡¯t understand is that every time we use it on her, it hurts Angela just as much. It¡¯s so bizarre.¡±


    ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I refuse to use any methods of hurting poor Angela.¡±


    Mathew smirked. ¡°Change of subject. You have to admit that whatever she is, she¡¯s mighty fine with a face and body like that. Ha, ha! Did you see those legs? Damn, she ain¡¯t too tall, she ain¡¯t too short, she¡¯s just right. Oh, and she¡¯s got some nice knockers too! Bwahaha!¡±


    Dr. Cato ignored Mathew¡¯s perverted comments. Instead, he pressed a button and pulled up a screen of Angela in her glass room crying on her bed. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Angela. I know you hate me, but I have to free you from that thing. Just you wait, I¡¯ll free you. I know you¡¯ll thank me once I do.¡±


    Angela sat up with a pillow in her arms. She sniffled and wiped away her tears. ¡°Jack¡­¡±


    Looking around her room, Angela spotted the girl in the white dress huddled in the corner, hugging her knees and being sad as well.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? Too busy to be experimented on to haunt my dreams?¡± Angela snapped.


    The girl in white lifted her head. Angela noticed her face and gasped. ¡°No. Those stupid stones aren¡¯t enough to get rid of me. Actually, you can¡¯t anyways¡­¡±


    She chuckled quietly and pressed a finger to her lips.


    ¡°What¡¯s so fun-funny?¡± Angela asked, setting aside the pillow.


    ¡°We almost kissed, but those bastards ruined it!¡± the girl in white shouted vulgarly. She suddenly stood up and made the glass around them crack. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-I¡¯ll calm down¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®we¡¯? Who¡¯s this person you speak of?¡± Angela asked, getting off her bed and walking up to the girl.


    She grinned. ¡°You already know, silly. Just think for a second and you¡¯ll know who.¡±


    Angela stood in front of her, looking down at the very being who¡¯d been tormenting her from the beginning of her existence. She smiled and grabbed Angela¡¯s hands.


    ¡°To think he was this close to kissing me. I knew he would love me again!¡±


    ¡°Jack! You¡¯re telling me¡­ he¡¯s the one you¡¯ve been pursuing the entire time? The goal you¡¯ve been so eager to find?¡±


    Angela got angry and pulled her hands away from the girl in white. She stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. The girl giggled again, but in amusement at how adorable Angela looked being angry.


    ¡°You¡­ You bitch!¡± Angela bravely slapped the girl in the white dress. ¡°Do you know how much pain you¡¯ve caused him? You¡¯re the reason why¡­ why¡­ he¡¯s so screwed up in the head!¡±


    She giggled and glared at Angela with a gentle smile. ¡°I know¡­ I¡¯ve already apologised to him and we¡¯ve set aside our differences.¡±


    She got up and calmly approached Angela.


    ¡°He even wants me to teach him about love!¡± She hugged Angela and patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve gotta thank you for reuniting us! You might be a vessel for now, but the fact you laid eyes on him that day we walked past him when you were four years old¡­ I knew I¡¯d found the person I¡¯ve been waiting centuries for!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? And could you please let go!¡± Angela said, trying to break free of the girl in white¡¯s grasp.


    ¡°You might not remember because of that bastard Cato, but I do. That¡¯s more than enough for you!¡±


    ¡°Everything you¡¯re saying makes no damn sense. You¡¯re so vile!¡±


    She let go of Angela and started fading. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. So long as you live, I¡¯ll finally become what I¡¯ve always dreamed of¡­¡± She gave Angela a vile look of anger. ¡°And that is to get back what was rightfully mine!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Angela exclaimed, but the girl was gone, but she felt her presence inside her. ¡°So she¡¯s been seeing Jack, hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    Angela jumped onto the bed and lay face up, staring at the silver ceiling. Jack, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. Please come get me out of this hell hole.


    ¡°Please save me. Please, please, I can¡¯t take it anymore,¡± she whimpered, while grabbing her pillow and crying into it again. She lay on her side as she felt hollow and depressed, but most of all alone, like she did back in the mental facility.


    ***


    Candy kept making feminine poses and did a bit of gymnastics while Eric and Jack were finalizing their plans. ¡°Soo! Baby boo boo and big sugar, chocolate, delicious, yummy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yo! Imma beat yo ass if you keep doing and saying this gay shit. Real talk, bro!¡± Eric said, swiping at the air.


    Eric was busy writing the final plans for tonight¡¯s preparations. He looked over at Jack with a disgusted look, but Jack was having a great laugh he hadn¡¯t had for such a long time, so Eric let Jack embrace his joy for the time being.


    ¡°Man, I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re so used to this homo. He¡¯s so fruity, bro! All this week he¡¯s done nothing more than talk about how he likes getting fucked in the ass and licking mushroom tips! Like yo, that¡¯s too fucking far!¡±


    ¡°Eric¡­ you-you just gotta¡ªFuck, he¡¯s too funny man. Ha, ha!¡±


    Eric¡¯s head bobbed as he spread his arms out in annoyance. ¡°Are you serious, my guy! Oh! You think this is funny? Okay then¡­¡± He pointed at the two with his massive twitchy index finger. ¡°How bout I whoop both your asses!¡±


    ¡°Relax! Hey, we¡¯ve almost figured a way to get into this place!¡± Jack showed him his makeshift diagram. ¡°We¡¯ll have our boys distract as many employees as possible. Shit, they¡¯ll probably have to fight each other and start a riot to get their attention.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, sounds pretty chaotic if you ask me,¡± Eric said.


    Jack showed Eric another diagram. ¡°Now if they decide to use force, then we¡¯ll give ¡®em hell. Do we still have that van full of guns from the vendor I killed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s parked at our trap house. But the real question is here.¡± Eric pointed at a huge room inside the building and a couple of posts. ¡°What are we going to do about all the extras inside? My guess is that when things hit the fan they¡¯ll go to wherever Angela¡¯s being kept at, right? So here¡¯s what I¡¯ll suggest.¡±


    Eric then turned his attention to a relaxed, yoga posing Candy.


    ¡°You! Fruit cup!¡± Eric exclaimed, pointing at Candy. ¡°I want you to lead the distraction with my boys. You think you can do that? I heard what you did to get those guys¡¯ attention at the facility to help Jack escape¡­ ugh! Man, you¡¯re a pervert!¡±


    Candy giggled as his eyes sparkled. ¡°Me? Leading a group of dangerous, scary, strong, beautiful, glamorous men? It¡¯s like a dream come true! Maybe after we get Momma back I can have them run a train on me afterwards?¡±


    He winked at Eric, who responded by gagging aggressively.


    ¡°What do you think, Big Daddy?!¡± Candy posed by sticking his butt out and giving him a peace sign.


    ¡°Oh my god, man! I-I think I¡¯m going to be sick!¡±


    Eric gagged some more and rushed up to Candy, then grabbed his shirt. Candy moaned and winked at an angry Eric whose veins were showing all around his bald head.


    ¡°Listen homo, you¡¯re lucky you¡¯re friends with Jack. If we were alone I¡¯d kill your gay ass, man! You know what happens to fools like you in the streets? God forbid you ever tricked a guy into bed thinking you was female. Ooo you¡¯d be dead in a matter of seconds!¡±


    Candy dramatically placed the back of his hand against his forehead. ¡°Ohh Daddy, not too hard!¡± He smiled all smug-like, pissing Eric off to the fullest.


    Jack burst out with laughter, angering Eric more.


    Eric clenched his fists and stretched his neck out, showing all his veins as they throbbed in anger. ¡°Keep joking or I¡¯ll kill you Jack, I swear to god!¡±


    Jack slapped his thigh. ¡°Bwhaha, yeah yeah!¡±


    In a short session of ridiculous laughter and enjoyment, they all calmed down and settled down. They continued discussing their plan and figuring out how they¡¯d execute the final stage. Candy added more to his role and made sure that Jack and Eric would go in as smoothly as possible, offering advice on how his men could become more of a nuisance to the guards.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Eric offered a gun to Candy, but he quickly refused it at first but Eric called him a pussy. That was enough to make Candy accept the gun, but he didn¡¯t want to be compared to a woman¡¯s genitalia. Eric and Jack make every phone call they could possibly make, calling everyone they knew, and requesting they¡¯d be at the house tonight.


    Back at the facility, Mathew was currently conducting an interview with the girl in white, trying to get answers out of her, though it was trivial because of her attitude. Standing behind the protective glass he cleared his throat and whistled momentarily.


    He glimpsed at his wrist watch then back to the girl in white. ¡°So girl? What¡¯s your relationship with our old friend Jack?¡±


    Mathew pulled a cigarette out from his plaid shirt''s chest pocket and lit it. The girl in white sat on the edge of the bed while Angela slept behind her.


    ¡°Come on, you can tell me, right? How did you get that gorgeous face of yours, along with that smoking body?¡± said Mathew, pointing the lit cigarette at her for a second.


    She ignored him and hummed a song as she swung her legs on the edge of Angela¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me now¡­ because if you do, I¡¯ll hurt you, beautiful,¡± Mathew said in a gentle tone, pulling out the cross. He shined it at her face. She got mad and snarled at Mathew.


    ¡°Atta girl! Now please, answer my question with those gorgeous lips of yours.¡±


    She grit her teeth and gave Mathew a look of horror. ¡°You¡¯re a horrible human being. You¡¯ve done nothing but torture the both of us.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Mathew crept closer to the glass, expressing a half sinister smile. ¡°That¡¯s not nice. I only torture you. I mean, you¡¯re the reason why she¡¯s here in the first place, am I right, beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Why did you set me free twice then have me placed back into her? Do you like torturing me that much? If it wasn¡¯t for that dreaded cross I would have shown you true fear and torture, fat ragnarok.¡±


    Mathew waved a finger in her face. ¡°Now now, let¡¯s not get too mouthy. Just answer my question and I¡¯ll leave you alone. What¡¯s your relationship with Jack? Is he also among your victims? We know Angela¡¯s not the only one!¡± He puffed his cigarette and smiled sadistically.


    She stayed silent for a brief moment, then forced out a smile convincing enough for Mathew to fall for. She even went as far as showing a leg and sitting very seductively, which made Mathew slightly drool.


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t so stupid for a bunch of humans I suppose.¡±


    She stood up and walked seductively towards Mathew¡¯s direction. Pausing closeby, she stared into his perverted eyes.


    ¡°Jack isn¡¯t a victim. He¡¯s more to me¡­ so much more. I do love haunting his dreams, but there¡¯s a good reason for that¡± She stepped closer to the glass wall and placed her hands against it. ¡°No matter what you guys do, no matter how much you hurt me with those wretched crosses, you¡¯ll never kill me.¡±


    She giggled and stepped back, opening her arms out to him. Mathew blinked in confusion, scratched at his beard and sighed.


    ¡°Only in your stupid, empty dreams can you fantasize about killing me. You¡¯ll never get rid of me. So long as they breathe, I¡¯ll live on.¡±


    Mathews¡¯ mind started fogging up and his head twitched from an unknown pain. He resisted and shone the cross closer to the wall. The girl in white growled when the cross light went on her. It caused painful burns throughout her body, which made her drop on her knees and forced her to fade away.


    ¡°Stupid bitch¡­ she almost tricked me. Good thing I have God on my side!¡± Mathew kissed the cross and placed it back inside his shirt. ¡°But I¡¯ve got my answer now. Damn that punk. Not only does she have more victims but she¡¯s gotten more powerful because of him. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll pay, Jack.¡±


    Mathew saw Angela squirm around on her bed. She started whimpering and noticed scratch marks appearing along her arms.


    Well you aren¡¯t wrong about me enjoying torturing the both of you! Mathew thought as he expressed a sinister grin.


    Mathew laughed and walked away. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon for your therapy! it¡¯s going to be a joy!¡± He stepped out from the room and laughed maniacally as he shut the door.


    ***


    Everyone in Eric¡¯s gang stood at the backyard, waiting for directions on the big mission that both Jack and Eric had notified them about. Eric walked out of his back porch door and walked up to Randolph¡¯s grave. He stared at it and hopped onto the tree stump beside it. He watched the sea of people standing still and to attention. He smiled and looked over his shoulder, spotting Jack standing on the roof with a shotgun behind his back. Candy stood beside him, basking in the wondrous moment. Eric noticed the huge smile on Jack¡¯s face. He hadn¡¯t seen Jack this excited in quite a while.


    Eric cleared his throat. ¡°Now listen up! We have ourselves a new enemy of unknown circumstances!¡±


    The crowd didn¡¯t seem pleased to hear such a thing. Confused faces frowned, people scratched their heads, muttering came from within the crowd, and everyone was erratic looking.


    Hmmm, this is gonna be tougher than I thought to convince these guys, Eric thought.


    ¡°It ain¡¯t the feds, it ain¡¯t our rivals, and it sure as hell ain¡¯t the mafia! What we¡¯re dealing with is the government!¡±


    Everyone became anxious and nervous. Those mutters turned to chatter, which made some folks within the crowd start whispering to one another.


    Eric shoots a bullet in the air. ¡°This ain¡¯t about me or him,¡± he said as he pointed at Jack. ¡°Or any of us! It¡¯s about saving a little girl who we called family, and those fucks took her from us! Are we going to let some corrupt bastards do this to us?!¡±


    The crowd seemed more scared and even feeling disgruntled about the situation. The crowd erupted into agitation and talked to one another, asking if this was really worth the risk.


    One guy raised his hand and got Eric¡¯s attention. ¡°But if we really are against the government, then that means we fucked, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s right!¡± another guy said.


    ¡°This is some bullshit yo! I ain¡¯t gonna fight against no goverment ass mothufuckas, man!¡±


    The crowd started riling up, they felt like pawns in this and quickly thought if it was necessary to do this. They didn¡¯t like the idea about fighting against this unknown government so some flipped the bird to Eric, wiped the air once at him, and others bumped their chests. They started leaving, but Eric quickly retaliated by shouting, ¡°Pussy ass cowards!¡±


    Hearing their boss call them a vulgar term made them feel ashamed, but it wasn¡¯t enough for them to stay. They continued on their leave with the edges of their lips raised, knitted brows, smacking their lips to some even flipping the bird again.


    Jack jumped down from the roof. ¡°If no one doesn¡¯t stay to help them, then you¡¯re truly a bunch of cowards!¡±


    A guy with dreads came forward and confronted Jack and Eric. ¡°Say if we did save her and bring her back to safety, then what? What, more money? Respect? Nah, what good is that when we might lose brothers and sisters during this operation.¡±


    Neither Jack or Eric had a response for that, so the man continued.


    ¡°Are you really ready to send poor kids, young juveniles who have daddy or mommy issues or have no family, to their deaths? Are you willing to take advantage of their stupidity?! No, I ain¡¯t gonna risk my life over some petty shit like that.¡± He pointed to the worried crowd. ¡°They sure as hell won¡¯t risk their lives over one bitch that¡¯s for damn sure.¡±


    He turned around to all the people, observing every life that might be taken. He looked back at the other two, giving them a look of disappointment and backing away from them.


    ¡°Sorry, that ain¡¯t me. Fuck the both of you,¡± he said seriously still walking backwards. Jack wanted to knock the guy¡¯s teeth out, but Eric stopped him and told him to chill.


    Eric walked up to the guy, making him stop, and looked him dead in the eyes. ¡°This isn¡¯t about us. This isn¡¯t about revenge. It¡¯s about getting back at those corrupt ass fools who secretly run our country. They¡¯re people who might be the cause of our brothers being locked up and being killed without any justice brought to them.¡±


    The crowd started walking away from Eric.


    ¡°As you can see brothers and sisters¡­ There isn¡¯t one young kid in this crowd. I¡¯m not stupid enough to let children get killed over our petty shit. This is real men shit, my guys! It¡¯s time we give those fucks a taste of their own medicine!¡±


    A tear slowly drifted out of Eric¡¯s glistening eye, which surprised everyone.


    ¡°They killed my best friend¡­ and I had to bury him¡­¡± He pointed at Randolph¡¯s grave. ¡°Please guys, don¡¯t do this for us or her, do this for all of our fallen brotha¡¯s and sista¡¯s who¡¯ve been taken from us by the corrupt judicial system.¡±


    The crowd started balling their hands into fists, remembering their anger towards the government. Their friends and family who¡¯d been killed by rival gangs never got justice and had to do it themselves. When they did get revenge that same system locked them up instead. Their anger, rage, false hope was overbearing. Others walked back into the backyard with smiles, cheering and thanking their boss for reminding them of their hatred towards the real villain.


    The guy with dreads wasn¡¯t convinced yet. ¡°Like I said, it ain¡¯t me boss. Fuck you, fuck her, and fuck that mexican looking creep ass or whatever he is!¡±


    He started walking away until Eric said something that brought him to a stop. ¡°What about your brother?¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve been searching for his killer.¡± Eric grabbed the guy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Because I know who killed him.¡±


    The dreaded man turned to Eric with a distraught look. His brows furrowed, staring deeply into his bosses eyes, the man tensed his arms and hunched forward to get in Eric¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hey Jack,¡± Eric shouted, waving  Jack over. ¡°You remember where he was ambushed that day?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was with me the day we were ambushed by the other rivals all those years ago. I was the only one who survived.¡± Jack slowly took out the documents to the new facility. ¡°But with this we¡¯ve finally found out their location. It¡¯s in an old neighborhood our boss used to live in, which happens to be next to the new building we¡¯re trying to attack.¡±


    The man with dreads stared at the documents, feeling vengeful hatred swell up inside him.


    Jack brought his hand out. ¡°This is your chance to get the ones who killed him. You can go your way and we could go ours.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll even send a squad with you. I know it¡¯s shallow and hypocritical of us to talk about revenge, but brother, this is your chance to get back at the ones who killed him.¡± Eric extended a fist to him. ¡°What do you say?¡±


    He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. ¡°You two really are shallow, huh? Fucking assholes¡­¡±


    He shook Jack¡¯s hand and fist bumped Eric.


    ¡°But you¡¯ve convinced me, aight! I¡¯ll go with the two of you. Just promise me you¡¯ll get the girl back or else I¡¯ll be really pissed.¡±


    They all smiled, setting aside their differences as the man with dreads pats his bosses shoulder. He looked at Jack and shook his head with a smile, placing his hands on his hips and walking away from them.


    As the man walked back to the crowd, Eric looked at Jack. ¡°So is it true about his brother¡¯s killer?¡±


    Jack gave Eric a cold stare. ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯ve already killed him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you meant about ending that past. Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean you lied to him?¡±


    ¡°Technically, but he never knew what he looked like. The bastard betrayed us and killed him in cold blood right in front of my preteen eyes. I¡¯ll never forget that day. I took it upon myself to find him and I did at a park one day. I made him pray with his eyes closed and shot him dead without another thought holding me back.¡±


    Eric¡¯s upper lip quivered in revolt. ¡°Jesus, you¡¯re a sick kid. I¡¯m gonna get you the best therapist this city has to offer to fix your ass.¡± Jack chuckled and Eric sighed.


    Eric hopped back onto the tree stump, overlooking the crowd. ¡°You ready to fuck these fukkas up?! Are we gonna let them continue getting rid of us one by one?!¡±


    The entire crowd raised their fists in the air. ¡°Hell no! Fuck the government!¡±


    Eric smiled. ¡°Good! Now my brothers and sisters, it¡¯s time we pay these sons of bitches a visit and take back one of our own!¡±


    ¡°Yeahhh!¡± the crowd roared, finally feeling excited and ready to back their boss up.


    Eric raised his fist into the air. ¡°It¡¯s time we show those fucks that we¡¯re not a bunch of mindless thugs!¡±


    The crowd was even more exhilarated. They pulled out their guns and raised them in the air as they chanted ¡°Fuck the goverment!¡± Bouncing together, repeating that phrase, jamming the air with their fingers to start a sing along from a very popular rap song that chants ¡°Fuck the police!¡± too.


    Eric looked at Jack and nodded. Jack chuckled and asked for everyone¡¯s attention. They turned to look at him.


    ¡°What Eric said might be true, we¡¯re probably dealing with the government. I¡¯m not sure but like he said, they killed our brother Randolph!¡± Jack pulled his shotgun out and cocked it. ¡°Are we going to let them get away with this?!¡±


    ¡°Fuck no we ain¡¯t!¡± the crowd shouted as they pumped the air.


    Jack raised his gun in the air. ¡°Then let¡¯s give ¡®em hell and avenge our friend and take back Angela!¡±


    The crowd yelled with excitement. Eric ordered everyone to go to their vehicles. The crowd dispersed and rushed to their vehicles, waiting for further orders. Eric gave Jack a thumbs up.


    Jack smiled. ¡°Thank you Eric for not giving up on me.¡±


    Eric raised a brow and smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t get too soft right now, do it until we get Angela back into our lives.¡±


    Candy jumped down from the house. He quickly hung his head from embarrassment.


    Jack blinked and scratched his cheek. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Candy? Why are you red and having your head down?¡± He noticed Candy was shaking too. ¡°Uh, okay. You¡¯re starting to freak me out here, Candy.¡±


    Candy¡¯s body quivered for a couple of seconds. Jack and Eric looked at each other until he suddenly jumped, then clasped his hands together, tilted his head and started making weird moaning sounds. It made Jack and Eric uncomfortable.


    Eric covered his ears out of disgust. ¡°You nasty ass, fucking fool¡­¡±


    Jack chuckled and Candy kept making his sounds of perversion.


    They rushed to their vehicles and hopped in. Jack could already feel his heart racing with excitement. In the past three years he¡¯d felt as cold as dry ice. His eyes had never sparkled in years, and his attitude was like a murderous psychopath. But at that moment, Jack felt like his old self again and he was more than glad to have that feeling. With his old friend Candy by his side, a guardian who hadn¡¯t given up on him, Jack could now show a twinkle of life back into the eyes of a lost soul.


    Everyone was ready, loaded, and determined. Eric raised a fist out the window, reminding everyone they were ready. ¡°This is it, my brothers! There¡¯s no turning back!¡±


    Everyone raised their hands and off they went. Eric and Candy already knew the area and the direction they were heading to. As they drove for an hour, Eric explained how the area had gotten peaceful since his youth. Candy also added that the area now belonged to the wealthy.


    That angered Eric a bit, but he understood why the state must have done that. It was a pretty rough area in those days when crime was striving, houses rotting from the inside out from poor maintenance from both the city and homeless accupating them once abandoned. Whenever fresh adolescence started covering this area back then they were immediately being influenced by thugs trying to recruit them into their gangs. So it was for the best. Jack couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how he was going to face Dr. Cato. He hadn¡¯t seen his face up close in almost six years, but he hoped he wouldn¡¯t come across Mathew.


    That was the only person who he truly felt afraid of and it made Jack bring out a face. Damn¡­ I really hope I don¡¯t cross paths with him.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna be fine yo! Wipe that look off your face, my guy.¡± said Eric.


    ¡°I would if Mathew didn¡¯t exist. That guy¡¯s nothing but trouble. He¡¯s the only person I¡¯m afraid of confronting because there¡¯s something about him I can¡¯t explain. He¡¯s just¡­ scary.¡±


    ¡°Jack is scared of someone? Bwahaha.¡± Eric punched his arm. ¡°You got someone scarier than him. Me, remember?¡±


    Eric flexed a giant bicep, reminding Jack how powerful and deserving the title boss belonged to Eric. Candy drooled behind them and wanted to feel it, but Eric growled at him to back him off. Jack grinned, feeling everything would be just fine so long as he had these two.


    Eric turned his attention back to Jack. ¡°I can take on this Mathew with no problem, whatever build he is. I¡¯ll beat his ass, no sweat.¡±


    Jack relaxed a little. It was only a matter of how they¡¯d successfully escape without grabbing the police¡¯s attention.


    Jack suddenly remembered the girl in white and what she¡¯d said about using her. She might be able to help us too, but she screamed in pain while being in my arms, so I hope she¡¯s still eligible to help me out. If not, then we¡¯re screwed.


    Jack stared straight at the ongoing road with a glint in his eye. ¡°Everything will be alright,¡± he said in a menacing tone, bringing out the feeling of suspicion.

 Arc 2 Part 2 - Chapter 10: Showtime

    After a rough and boring drive, Eric buzzed everyone on their walkies that they¡¯d be arriving in twenty minutes. He spotted something in the distance which made his jaw drop. ¡°Yo guys, check it¡­¡±


    Jack stuck his head out, shocked beyond belief. ¡°What the actual¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck is that?!¡± Candy shouted. ¡°That looks like some goddamn, well¡­ uhhh, how do you say¡­ mmm? Shit, that¡¯s big!¡±


    None of them could believe what they¡¯d built. It was a huge, glamorous silver facility that resembled a church. Two eight story towers were on the edge of it, in the middle was a huge hexagon holy frame with bright lights illuminating behind it. But most of all was the countless glass surrounding it and meshing with the silver so well. It was so outstanding yet it felt eerie to stare at such a thing. Jack started coughing and his breathing felt heavy. He felt something was off and he already had an assumption.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eric asked.


    Jack chuckled and gave Eric a sinister smile. ¡°Sh-She¡¯s here alright!¡± he said as sweat dripped off his face.


    Eric didn¡¯t like how Jack was acting strange, but he brushed it off. ¡°Who? You mean Angela?¡±


    Jack controlled his breathing, then wiped sweat off his face. ¡°Well, you can say that¡­ But I think we¡¯re going to be just fine guys.¡± Jack laughed maniacally to himself as the other two looked at him like he was deranged. They felt worried for his mental wellbeing again.


    The long awaited anticipation finally came to an end. The gang pulled up to the entrance of the area. It resembled a fortune, glazed with success and cleanliness from the scent of privileged folks who¡¯d never struggled once in their lives. Everyone was amazed by the sight they viewed. Eric couldn¡¯t believe how much the area had changed. It was almost diabolical.


    The entire group of cars parked next to the clean sidewalks that were close to the facilities area. Everything was set and people stayed in their cars to await further instructions. Eric, Jack and Candy looked around, still not believing how much the area had changed, especially for Eric.


    ¡°Damn man, this shit¡¯s wild! Look at that scary looking thing. It¡¯s like a church on steroids!¡± Eric exclaimed.


    ¡°I wonder how the people around here felt when this place was in development?¡± Candy asked.


    Jack stepped out of the car, scoping the area first. ¡°Well, this won¡¯t be easy whatsoever.¡±


    Eric stepped out too and noticed Jack pointing at the front gate. ¡°Look at how much glass that place has though. So fucking strange.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm, indeed baby boys, indeed.¡± Candy walked beside Jack, observing the area further. ¡°My goodness, how this place has changed for the better. It wasn¡¯t this pretty the last time I set foot here!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not distract ourselves. We¡¯re here to do something so let¡¯s focus on that,¡± Eric said as he signaled for everyone to step out of their vehicles.


    Everyone hopped out and grouped together. Candy got heated again and moaned loudly out of his own selfless control, which ended up disgusting everyone. They glared at him and felt repulsed. They even stepped further away so they weren¡¯t standing too close to the very feminine man.


    Eric started explaining the plan to the entire group. ¡°Alright, group one,¡± He pointed at Candy, ¡°you¡¯ll be going with that freaky ass fool. He¡¯ll be leading the distraction group.¡±


    Candy held his hands against his face, moaning again. ¡°Oh how jolly, I can¡¯t wait to lead all of these beautiful men!¡± His group cringed and stepped away further from Candy.


    Eric split another group of men. ¡°You guys will be neighborhood watch. If things get violent ya might have to make sure that no police come and intervene in this operation, aight?¡± The entire group either nodded, glimpsed at each other or fist bumped.


    But one asked, ¡°What would happen if they do come?¡±


    ¡°If they do, you¡¯ll have to make a run for it as fast as possible.¡± Eric was about to complete his plan until he remembered his promise to one of the men.


    Eric called out for him to come forward, and he did. It was the man with dreads. ¡°Like I promised man¡ª¡±


    Eric called a bunch of other men to group up alongside him.


    ¡°Is this enough? Or do you need more, friend?¡± Eric walked beside him and wrapped his giant arm around his scrawny shoulders. ¡°Behind that wall is a small part of the hood, just a tiny gist of it. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find those sons of bitches and avenge your lil bro.¡±


    The dreaded man chuckled. ¡°That¡¯ll do man, that¡¯ll do.¡± They both shoulder bumped. ¡°Thank you, and good luck.¡±


    Eric smiled, then commanded the group behind him to follow his orders from here on out.


    The man with dreads thumbed up Eric as he was leaving. ¡°I¡¯ll try to catch up to you when I¡¯m done.¡± They all dispersed and hopped into their vehicles, then drove off from the scene.


    Eric regrouped with everyone and told them that he and Jack would be the ones to sneak inside, hoping to find any more entry ways for more backup if needed. It would be a final resort once they grabbed Angela and were held back, but hopefully everything would play out their way.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Eric shouted.


    ¡°Hell yeah!¡± everyone shouted as they split into three groups. One followed Candy to the entrance, the other went to patrol the neighborhood, and the last one was just Eric and Jack.


    Candy casually walked femininely with a group of twenty men. He giggled when they approached the entrance. There were two guards with basic tasers and batons. They had weird white outfits to go along with the building¡¯s theme.


    Candy told the group to stay put and then he casually walked up to the guards pretending to be a lost girl. ¡°Do you guys know anyone around who was cute enough to expose himself too. At first they were confused why someone like her was alone in the middle of the night, but as they looked closer they drooled over how beautiful she was.


    ¡°My, my¡­ whatever shall I do?¡±


    Their attention drifted away. Hearing his voice was enough to make them regret their thoughts of lust, so they ignored him instead.


    Candy chuckled and started stretching by doing yoga poses in front of them. Every time he did a pose, he would wink at them and make kissy faces. No matter how hard they tried ignoring him, it always resulted in them taking a quick glance because of all the sexual moaning noises he kept making.


    They finally started to react, clearing their throat, placing their hands on their utility belt and one asked, ¡°Hey, could you stop with all that you weirdo?¡±


    The other had his teeth shown in annoyance with the edge of his lip raised. ¡°If you dont¡¯ leave with all that gay mess, you¡¯ll get tased.¡±


    Candy laughed and pulled his pants down, exposing his butt.


    The guards reacted out of disgust, then blushed that someone like him had a butt so amazing they could compare it to a supermodel.


    They grabbed their walkie. ¡°Stranger being too sexual, code G!¡±


    ¡°Oh my! You guys are a bunch of assholes! My butt is cute as hell! Fuck wrong with chu two?¡±


    ¡°Listen, you weirdo! This is private property, so please leave now sir or we¡¯ll force you to leave!¡±


    The other guard waved his hands and shook his head. ¡°Uhmm¡­ I don¡¯t think I want to go near a guy that weird, dude! He freaks me out!¡±


    ¡°Me? Weird! Screw you two. I guess you don¡¯t want a piece of this deliciousness!¡± Candy said while sexually dragging his hands over his body.


    Both guards were flustered and one of them pressed his walkie again. ¡°I need backup now! Like now!¡±


    The other pressed his as well. ¡°Please for the love of God get here¡­ I can¡¯t take this crap any more!¡±


    Candy saw more guards coming out of the building. ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s going to get so fucking hot right now!¡±


    One of them who was still beet red pointed his finger at Candy. ¡°Hey it¡¯s not our fault you look like a girl from afar!¡±


    The other guard covered his ears and seemed angry. ¡°Why do you talk like that?¡±


    The other guards arrived and Candy faced them. ¡°Oh, how I wish I could join this orgy! But I¡¯ll just let these sexy guys handle the likes of you assholes. I don¡¯t want to get my nails and clothes dirty you know?¡±


    Candy gestured a finger over his shoulder. Out came twenty men from Eric¡¯s group.


    ¡°You wanna have fun? We¡¯ll have fun, you adorable tiny men. Let the games begin baby!¡±


    The crowd got riled up and stormed the guards, pounding on them while they rioted by trashing cars in the parking lot, breaking the tall glass windows at the building by throwing objects, and starting small garbage fires. The guards couldn¡¯t stop such a large crowd. They were getting beat up and multiple people eventually tied them up. However, one managed to run back inside the facility, which caused some dispute between fellow members.


    Candy quickly calmed them down by offering a kiss to the next guy who started an argument. They gagged and continued their forced rioting. That guard yelled for more backup as he ran back inside, forcing the men to stop their rioting and hide behind cars in the parking lot. They knew what they were about to get into, that was why they had four guards hostage, just in case they needed to stall time for Eric and Jack.


    ¡°What do you mean a bunch of thugs were rioting at the front?¡± Mathew yelled angrily into his walkie. He grabbed his phone and made a call while continuing his conversation on the walkie.


    ¡°I need you guys out in the parking lot now! We¡¯ve got more protesters again. This time you might have to use lethal force!¡±


    The guard on the walkie informed him about the appearances of the rioters.


    ¡°Huh? One of them is super gay? Great, now we have those types of protesters now! Wait, they have four hostages? Well shit, lethal force is authorized then! Give em hell!¡± Mathew sighed and laid back on his chair, dragging his hand across his face. ¡°Goddamn minorities! Not our fault we took your area and made it safer. Stupid thugs.¡±


    Eric¡¯s men waited patiently for backup. They all felt nervous as sweat dripped from their faces. Everyone gulped fearfully and felt like they were awakening a giant.


    The doors opened and out came dozens of men in white with rifles. They aimed their rifles at the hidden rioters. ¡°Come out or else.¡±


    Eric¡¯s men hated hearing such an aggressive order from a bunch of cacuasion men. To show that they were serious, everyone pulled their own guns out and cocked them. The men in white heard all the metal being pulled. They changed their minds and moved to plan B. ¡°Release the hostages or this time lethal force would be authorized.¡±


    Nobody wanted to shed blood, but neither side had a choice. A couple of Eric¡¯s men yelled back, telling them to go ¡°Fuck themselves!¡± out of anger.


    The men didn¡¯t take that lightly and asked one last time. Everyone was ready for the first person to pull the trigger. It was only a matter of who¡¯d be the first to do it.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    One of them started counting down from ten. Everyone was nervous. The anxiety, the fear of death, it was all coming close until they heard gunshots from their right. The guard who made the call was dead on the ground.


    Jack came around the corner and waved at them. The men in white pointed their guns at Jack and started firing. Jack ran off. The group of men finally used his distraction for their own advantage, firing at the men as they blindly fired at Jack¡¯s direction. That brought utter chaos throughout the once peaceful neighborhood. Bullets were penetrating flesh, ricocheting off metal and piercing through glass.


    The men in white were dwindling rapidly. They desperately radioed for more backup and informed Mathew of the situation. Mathew was livid at the fact that mere thugs, who thought were just pests of society, were giving his men trouble. He demanded every single one of their forces up front to get rid of these burdens of society, showing them they were nothing but a waste of space.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t right! There¡¯s something else to it, something more! But what? What!¡± Mathew slammed his giant fist on the desk out of anger, putting a dent into it.


    Outside beside the facility, Eric approached a lonesome guard at an exit. He crept behind the bushes, snuck up behind him and knocked him unconscious. He dragged his motionless body onto the side behind the bushes, waiting for Jack¡¯s arrival. Static started buzzing off the guard¡¯s body.


    The walkie talked, informing everyone that all units report to the front.


    Eric quickly alerted everyone else, calling the rest of the crew who were waiting in vehicles outside the facility. They turned their keys, started their cars and stormed into the parking lot, hopping out like a swarm of thug-like swatters. Now there were fifty of Eric¡¯s men in the barrage of gunfire who were backing up their homies and fighting against the men in white.


    More men in white rushed outside. Others went upstairs and broke the windows with the butt of their guns, providing higher ground for their allies down below. They were giving Eric¡¯s gang trouble, forcing them to stay covered as they tried sniping them one by one.


    People outside the chaos noticed war was happening in their utopia. They took cover as bullets flew everywhere. Suddenly, there were explosions from down the street, as huge black clouds rose from the depths of hell and polluted the air, making it rain ash.


    Eric¡¯s men were breaking into cars, hot-wiring them, and driving them to blockade every street leading to the area. With a bit of ingenuity, they set the vehicles ablaze so they could explode. Everyone in their homes ran out from their only safe space and scattered like ants throughout the area. It was total pandemonia.


    Eric¡¯s men let him know of the situation, making sure everything was going according to plan. Eric made sure to tell them not to hurt civilians, it was their fight not theirs.


    Jack finally arrived and reminded Eric about the police back at the facility who worked alongside Dr. Cato. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the same case now after all these years. That worried Eric a little bit, but he was prepared for the worst.


    They hugged against the wall, counted to three and kicked the door down. The moment they lay foot inside the place, their jaws dropped out of awe. It was so white and bright, the hallways were hollow and seemed endless.


    Candy was stuck in the middle of a couple of men firing their guns. He covered his head from incoming firing. ¡°Goddamn you two for leaving me here!¡± Candy screamed like a girl and clung onto one of the men. ¡°Protect me, sweety!¡±


    The guy blushed at first, but got mad, though he was too focused at firing to push Candy off of him. ¡°Hush fool! I¡¯m tryna shoot these bums, you fruit loop!¡±


    ¡°Why did I sign up for this shit?¡± Candy screamed.


    The crowd continued firing and people from both sides were dropping one by one. Some civilians got caught in the crossfire, some got killed, laying on the streets of the elite neighborhood and staining it with Michigan¡¯s growing murderous numbers. Some civilians were forced to take cover behind random structures. The streets were stained with warm blood, splattered on broken glass, streaming off the wounds of the injured and dead, along with painting the silver facility red. The situation was growing dire for the two sides. Everyone questioned if this was really all worth doing, even if it meant they¡¯d never see their loved ones again.


    Jack and Eric heard the muffled gunfire. They felt worried for everyone, but now was not the time. It was all about getting Angela and then getting the hell out of there. They quietly walked along the long and empty hallways, but the only thing they continued to hear was the muffled sounds of gunfire and explosions from outside. Eric noticed there was a big room and gestured for Jack to follow. They opened the gate and walked in. It was a big examining room, like the one back at the asylum but on a larger scale.


    They investigated the room, hoping to find a clue where they¡¯d most likely keep Angela. Eric saw blood in some test tubes, along with strange markings on the ground next to them. He examined it more and noticed these markings were written in a different language unknown to him. Jack noticed a file cabinet and looked into it, while Eric continued examining the markings. He pulled his phone out and took pictures of it, hoping to get some answers when he searched for them on the internet later.


    Jack pulled out some files and power read through them to get any hints, but then the gates suddenly opened. A guard walked in on the two, freezing into place as he stared at Jack and Eric. He tried to run but Eric quickly caught him and knocked him out.


    He carried his body and hid him in some nearby cabinet. ¡°Hey Jack, have you found anything in those papers?¡±


    Jack shook his head in disappointment. They decided to leave and continue on their way.


    As they walked through the long, blank white hallways, their guns were drawn and their senses were as sharp as possible. They checked every corner, every room, every possible place their eyes could set upon on the first floor. There was one room that was blocked off and it was only accessible by a card.


    Eric and Jack looked at the top of the giant gate feeling baffled.


    ¡°What do you think is behind these doors?¡± Eric asked.


    Jack walked up to the card swiper. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but something tells me this might be something Dr. Cato only has access to.¡±


    They suddenly heard multiple footsteps coming in their direction. Jack didn¡¯t have time for this, so he put his handgun away and grabbed his shotgun from his back.


    ¡°We might have company after all. Let¡¯s go Eric,¡± Jack said as he cocked the gun.


    Eric readied his gun and smirked. ¡°Shit. Let them try and fuck with us!¡±


    They got into position and readied themselves. Not surprisingly, they spotted the men in white come from the end of the hallway. They both smiled and fired.


    ***


    Angela heard all the chaos ensuing and was curious to know what was happening. She saw Dr. Cato pacing back and forth and he seemed rather angry. Angela sighed and lay down on her bed, then looked to her right. The girl in white was staring at Dr. Cato with a gentle smile. She seemed so happy and flustered. Even her blushing was noticeable.


    Dr. Cato noticed her and didn¡¯t like what he saw. She closed her eyes and that twisted smile grew even bigger.


    He approached the glass. ¡°What are you looking at, you damned demon! What¡¯s with that horrific smile on your face?¡±


    She giggled and placed her hands on her chest. ¡°He-He¡¯s here!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s here?¡± Dr. Cato asked, slamming his fists against the walls. ¡°Quit screwing with me!¡± He leaned closer to the glass and clenched his teeth.


    Her gentle smile faded. This time she had a smug look on her face that really angered him. ¡°He¡¯s coming and soon¡­ he¡¯ll free us both. Then I can truthfully be by his side once again!¡± She started laughing and hugged herself while maniacally tilting her head.


    Dr. Cato couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He slammed his fist and screamed at her. ¡°Who! Tell me who!¡± He pulled out a cross.


    She stopped laughing and glared at Dr. Cato. ¡°Jack!¡±


    Angela heard her, then it brought so much relief to her that she started crying tears of joy. The girl in the white dress walked away from Dr. Cato and headed to Angela, sat down beside her and comforted Angela by patting her head.


    Dr. Cato dropped the cross and immediately called Mathew. ¡°He¡¯s here, it¡¯s him! That little shit is the cause behind this madness!¡±


    Mathew slammed his fist on his desk again with so much force that it actually broke in half. ¡°Damn it!¡±


    He stood up out of his seat and walked over to his door.


    Clever punk had me fooled, thinking it was just a bunch of violent, protesting thugs. Haha! This is perfect!


    Mathew opened the door and gripped his cross. ¡°That means I¡¯ll finally crush you! Ready yourself Jack because I¡¯m coming to get you.¡± Mathew spat, then laughed out of excitement.


    Dr. Cato stormed out of the room. The girl in white smiled and continued comforting Angela.


    Angela looked up to the girl in white. ¡°Is-Is it true? That it¡¯s him making all that ruckus?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Of course. Actually, he¡¯s getting closer as we speak, so why would I lie about something like that? You know me very well, A-n-g-e-l-a. Remember?¡±


    Angela still hated the girl in white, but the fact she wasn¡¯t lying to her about Jack gave her some actual comfort. It was enough for Angela to give the girl in white an actual hug of gratitude to thank her. Of course, Angela did remind her that she still hated her and found her awful, but the girl in white didn¡¯t mind and giggled it away.


    She whispered into Angela¡¯s ear. ¡°I might have a plan to escape the room,¡± her tone changed to a more sinister one. ¡°But there¡¯s a caveat and that involves yourself becoming more mentally weak, hehe.¡±


    Angela immediately refused, turning her head away. ¡°As if, I¡¯ll just wait for Jack instead, manipulator.¡±


    The girl in white sighed. ¡°Hehe, it was just an idea, but I like your idea better A-n-g-e-l-a.¡± They sat next to each other and patiently waited for their hero, and that hero was their beloved Jack.


    ***


    Eric kept firing at the men in white. Their numbers kept growing by the minute no matter how much he fired. ¡°Jack, we need to move somewhere else!¡± Eric was almost struck by a bullet. He slammed against the wall.


    Jack was too busy reloading his shotgun while Eric continued firing blindy around the corner. ¡°Jesus Christ, they¡¯re persistent!¡± Jack grabbed the butt of the gun and decided to smash the card swiper. It worked and the gates opened. They quickly rushed inside and closed the gates.


    Eric reloaded his handgun and let out a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Damn! That was close. How are my boys doing outside?¡±


    Eric called one of the crew members over. They informed him that they were at a standstill now. One of the men in white was notified by something, and they all ran back inside.


    ¡°How many men did we lose?¡± Eric asked.


    His member replied, ¡°We only lost eight men and have fifteen injured. Boss, I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re up to. It¡¯s way too quiet.¡±


    Eric felt uneasy and showed signs of regret by clutching his phone and gritting his teeth.


    ¡°Yo Jack, I think all those fucks are after us.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t respond. He stood still, then slowly approached the gate. ¡°Just what the hell are they doing here?¡± He tried opening it, but there was no way he could do it from the outside.


    Off to the side towards the edge of the massive gate, Eric noticed a couple of stairs leading towards an office. He walked up the steps and went inside. There was a microphone, a bunch of buttons, screens, and filing cabinets everywhere.


    ¡°Come up Jack,¡± Eric called out.


    Jack lumbered up the stairs. They looked around and were surprised at all the information they were finding. There was information about all the experiments they did to Angela back at the old facility.


    ¡°These mutha¡­ fuckas¡­¡± Eric said as he read. All the details about Angela being tortured and experimented on was enough to punch one of the screens.


    Jack didn¡¯t blame him. As Eric pulled out his fist, he noticed a file with a photo of a glass room. He showed Jack, knowing where she was being held. There was a room number and details on what they¡¯d done to her.


    ¡°There¡¯s some weird ass crosses on it. The fact they got our poor lil baby girl in something like that makes me wanna kill these fools!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. So what¡¯s the situation with all of the crew outside?¡±


    They both got what they needed and walked out of the room.


    ¡°Like I said, those fucks in white are after us now. Our boys are just standing there waiting for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? You think it¡¯s best if they come inside and ambush those fucks from behind?¡±


    Eric thought for a second. ¡°I don¡¯t know, to be honest. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to find us in this big ass place.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re right. Just tell them to stay put a little longer. From what we can see from this document,¡± He brought it up to their view, pointing at the weird glass structure, ¡°it says Angela¡¯s room is just a floor above this room.¡±


    Eric understood. He called them again and told them to stay put, but there was a problem. The moment they were about to take cover, more firing started from inside. The entire parking lot was covered by a cloud of bullets. Things got worse when more men in white came out with different rifles. They took cover behind the concrete walls, firing away and killing more of Eric¡¯s men.


    They fired back, desperately trying to retreat, but it was useless. They weren¡¯t going to give up though. Eric shouted orders to retreat, but they were determined to make their boss proud and told Eric not to worry.


    They wanted to continue to handle these men in white until Jack and their boss Eric got Angela back into their grasp. He hung up and left Eric feeling more regretful about getting his whole gang involved. Eric didn¡¯t want to lose more of his men. He didn¡¯t want them to throw away their lives to scum like those weird people, especially knowing that some of his men were still relatively young and in their early twenties.


    Jack saw Eric¡¯s hand tremble. Poor Eric¡­ I didn¡¯t want any of this to happen. This is my fault. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make it up to him.


    Eric turned around and looked at Jack. ¡°If we make it out of here alive, I think I¡¯m gonna retire¡­¡±


    Jack smiled. ¡°That¡¯s surprising coming from you. Well, I guess I understand.¡±


    They ran to a nearby exit leading to the second floor. They quietly went up the steps as cautiously as possible. They saw a door at the top that seemed heavy, bulgy, and required another card to open. Jack didn¡¯t have time and shot the scanner with his shotgun. The door opened and now they were upstairs. The place didn¡¯t just change, it looked the same as the bottom floor: an endless bright tunnel of whiteness.


    Jack pulled up the document, figuring out which room was Angela¡¯s. It was only a couple of rooms forward. Both nodded and rushed toward it.


    ***


    ¡°This is bad. Really bad!¡± Dr. Cato exclaimed, sweating profusely. His knees were weak and heavy. He felt hopeless.


    He was so boggled by uncertainty, confident that a mere teen wouldn¡¯t have found their location. Seeing him there suddenly made him pace back and forth erratically. Mathew, on the other hand, was relaxed and continued smoking in the background without a worry.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Dr. Cato asked, grasping his hair.


    Mathew blew out his cigarette, then stood up and walked up to Dr. Cato, slapping him out of it. ¡°Relax!¡± he shouted as he grabbed Dr. Cato¡¯s shirt collar. ¡°The more you stress yourself, the more you¡¯ll give yourself a heart attack, you wacko!¡±


    Dr. Cato grabbed Mathew¡¯s hand and swiped it off his shirt. ¡°How can I relax when that psychopath is inside?! We have no idea what those kids are capable of, Mathew! Remember back at the facility? Those two are bound to be even more connected than before!¡±


    Dr. Cato grabbed Mathew¡¯s shirt. His eyes shook, a man ready to have a meltdown.


    ¡°We both witnessed the supernatural first hand. It was nothing like what we saw with Angela. It was unimaginable!¡±


    Mathew groaned. ¡°I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but how would we know if that¡¯s the case? I mean, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re intertwined!¡±


    Dr. Cato¡¯s eyes quivered intensely. He gripped Mathew¡¯s shirt even more. ¡°That girl knew he was coming. She knew he was here!¡±


    ¡°That is worrisome¡­¡± Mathew thought for a moment and quickly came up with something. ¡°How about you get Angela and I¡¯ll handle Jack, if they¡¯re really connected that well. Who knows what more he¡¯s capable of!¡±


    Mathew grabbed his cross, showing it to Dr. Cato, reminding him once again of the strength given to them, then shoved it to his face.


    ¡°Remember, I¡¯m the only one capable of fighting that thing because of this! The gift that my fellow colleague gave me, as well as you, my friend.¡±


    Dr. Cato sighed deeply and let go of Mathew. ¡°Okay¡­ I trust you. Let¡¯s go get her!¡±


    They both ran out of the office and into the hallway, heading towards Angela''s room that wasn¡¯t far from their location.


    ***


    Angela was sitting on her bed, daydreaming about scenarios where Jack would save her, until she heard the girl in white humming a lovely yet creepy song.


    ¡°Hey, I have a question,¡± Angela asked abruptly, interrupting her.


    She stopped humming and turned around. ¡°Yes? What would that question be, my dear friend?¡±


    ¡°This is something that¡¯s been in the back of my mind, but uhh¡­ how come they can see you now? I thought I was the only one who could hear and see you?¡± Angela got up on her feet, then slowly approached the girl. ¡°And how are you able to come out of my dreams?¡±


    The girl sighed and smiled. She touched the walls making it react by causing a burning sensation on her palm. ¡°Ow, jeez. Well, as you can see, these damned walls are the reason why those jerks can see me now. I would never allow a person to see me outside their minds. I rarely do that  unless I¡¯m desperate.¡±


    ¡°Desperate? More details please.¡±


    She watched her palm heal. ¡°That¡¯s how religion works. You people believe in spirits, demons and all, but could never see them, so that makes others who are non-believers question the existence of such abnormalities.¡±


    ¡°Yes, presumably so, otherwise when people see you talking to nothing they think you¡¯re¡­ insane.¡±


    She stood up and approached Angela. ¡°True, but there are those born with magnificent gifts who experience and talk to things that don¡¯t exist. People like witches, but then there are those who are special like you, A-n-g-e-l-a.¡±


    Angela got nervous and slowly backed away. ¡°I-If that¡¯s the case, then why can Jack see and touch you too? Does he have the same gift?¡±


    The girl in white giggled. ¡°Not at all my dear, not at all. He¡¯s special in his own way¡­¡± She faded away, with her giggles trailing along with her.


    Angela sighed, knowing the girl in white had returned inside her mind. ¡°Why is she acting so differently? It was like she¡¯d transformed into a different person ever since she¡¯d gotten her face and changed her appearance. But in my dreams she still has no face. Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Angela could still hear the utter chaos. The only thing she could think of right now was Jack coming to her rescue. She closed her eyes and started daydreaming about all the fun things they¡¯d be able to do once they got her out of there. Then her eyes opened when she heard multiple footsteps coming toward the room. She huddled into the corner, thinking that Mathew and Dr. Cato had come to get her before Jack could get a chance to rescue her.


    No, they¡¯re too late. Jack? Jack!


    Her eyes started to water as she hugged her knees out of being taken away again. She watched the door. The footsteps got closer, and the feeling of hope she had slowly flew away.


    When things seemed dim for poor Angela, the footsteps stopped. She was confused why they¡¯d stopped all of a sudden. The muffled sounds of violence and the noises of all the electronics computed as Angela waited for whoever it was that was coming to get her. Her heart beat fast, her pupils had dilated, and her slow heavy breathing left her agonized from whoever was at the door.


    Please don¡¯t take me away again. Dr. Cato, I beg of you.


    All of a sudden she heard a loud bang. It was definitely a gunshot. She buried her head into her knees and whimpered, knowing that it might be the end of her ever reuniting with her brother.


    ¡°Jack, please,¡± she said quietly.


    Just when she thought it was all over, someone kicked the door open. She lifted her head to see who did the kicking, but what she saw made her entire world slow down. It made her heart race out of intense relief.


    ¡°J-J¡­¡± Her eyes dripped tears of pure happiness. Mumbling, goosebumps rose throughout her body.


    The person standing at the door with long hair, scars, and eyes as lifeless as death itself. It was none other than Jack.

 Final Chapter Of Arc 2 - 1/3: The Beginning Of The End

    Eric walked out from behind Jack, and spotted the big glass room, then rushed to it with Jack right behind him. Angela started crawling with her mouth quivering, thinking that all this was just a dream.


    Jack examined the door, which was weird and oddly beautiful, having embedded symbols of Latin texts and crosses at every corner, with curved engravings. ¡°Fuck this!¡± He shot at the door handle and kicked it open. As soon as the door was wide open, he spotted Angela crawling towards him.


    Angela sat on her knees and reached out. He rushed to Angela and embraced her.


    ¡°Angela! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± he shouted, patting her head to try and ease her crying. ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t cry or you¡¯ll make me wanna cry too.¡±


    Angela couldn¡¯t help it. She broke down and clung onto him for dear life, feeling so relieved to be reunited. ¡°Ja-Ja-Jack!¡±


    Jack looked into her saddened, watery blue eyes. ¡°It¡¯s alright now. I¡¯m here sis. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    Angela wiping her face on Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Jack.¡±


    She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and rubbed her face against his. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m sor-sorry! It¡¯s m-my fault for all of this, but I thought I was never going to see yo-you again!¡±


    Jack smiled and patted her head, then shushed her. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here now. That¡¯s all that matters.¡± He wiped her face with his sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself. Don¡¯t ever think that anything is your fault!¡±


    While they were celebrating their reunion, out of nowhere Eric grabbed Angela out of Jack¡¯s arms and hugged. She laughed and shouted Eric¡¯s name.


    ¡°Oh baby girl! How I missed you!¡± He held her, rubbing his face against hers.


    Jack didn¡¯t mind, though. He smiled and watched the two catch up. He noticed his old hoodie on her bed, but as he glanced back at her, he noticed all the bruises and scratch marks on Angela¡¯s arms. He bit his lip and got so infuriated that a small stream of crimson dribbled onto his chin.


    ¡°Yo Jack, we need to get out of here as soon as possible. The more we stay here, the faster they¡¯ll get to us,¡± Eric said.


    Jack nodded, wiping the blood off his chin. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get the hell outta here.¡±


    Before they could leave, Jack quickly rushed inside to grab the black hoodie, then handed it to Angela. ¡°I see you¡¯ve missed me.¡±¡±


    She grabbed it. ¡°Uncle, could you place me down please?¡±


    ¡°Sure, baby girl.¡± Eric placed her down as she stared at her cherished item.


    ¡°Okay! Give me a second!¡± She put the hoodie on and hugged Jack again.


    ¡°Much better. You look adorable as always, baby sis.¡±


    ¡°This time, you can¡¯t complain about me not wearing something long enough!¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± He looked at Eric. ¡°Let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. I¡¯ll let the boys know once we¡¯re almost out.¡± He picked Angela up. ¡°Don''t worry, I¡¯ll carry you!¡± He nodded to Jack.


    Jack smirked as they left the room.


    Finally, both siblings and self adopted uncle were reunited and started running to the door Jack kicked open. Once they were close enough to leave out of the room, a fist flew into Eric''s face out of nowhere. He stepped back and dropped Angela by accident. Dr. Cato came around the corner of the doorway, sneaking past Eric¡¯s feet and then grabbed her, making a run for it.


    ¡°Angela, no!¡± Jack screamed.


    ¡°Jack! Help me!¡± Angela screamed, being carried away by Dr. Cato.


    Eric shook his head. A huge vein popped out of his bald head. ¡°Who¡¯s the motherfucker who punched me?!¡± Eric cracked his neck. ¡°Show yourself, pussy!¡±


    Mathew came out from the side door. ¡°Damn you¡¯re a tough bastard. Sorry, I thought you were Jack!¡± Mathew said, then chuckled.


    ¡°You¡­ You son of a bitch!¡± Jack tightened his face, squinting. He grit his teeth.


    Eric didn¡¯t hesitate punching Mathew as he chuckled. He struck his mouth, making him move out the way and drop to one knee. Eric couldn¡¯t wait. He chased after Angela, dashing out of the room at full speed and shouted at Jack ¡°Not to worry!¡±


    Mathew felt bitter. He wiped the blood from his lips and smacked them aggressively as he slowly got up. Jack tried to follow him quickly, but Mathew blocked him with his forearm and pushed him away, making him fall back into the room.


    Mathew walked inside and pressed a button. A giant gate slammed down and blocked the exit. Now Jack was stuck inside the room with someone he desperately wanted to avoid. Jack groaned and stood back up, noticing how he was starting to shake a little.


    His knees felt heavy and his arms slightly trembled. ¡°Great, now I¡¯m stuck in here with this big oaf!¡±


    Jack¡¯s breathing started feeling heavy too. Am I really still afraid of this guy? After all these years?


    Mathew started laughing. ¡°Jack, my boy!¡± He stretched his arms out, clenching his fists. ¡°Long time no see. What do you think about this place, huh? Pretty great if I say so myself?¡±


    He grabbed his chin. With a smug-like smile, Jack responded with angered silence.


    ¡°Oh how exciting! I will finally kill you!¡±


    He began walking circles around Jack, examining his build.


    ¡°My my, look how you¡¯ve grown. You¡¯re almost my height! But damn, you¡¯re such a mess!¡±


    Jack clenched his fists. ¡°Shut up, fat pig! What have you bastards done to poor Angela?!¡±


    A faint black mist started forming around Jack¡¯s body.


    ¡°Hahahaha! That¡¯s none of your damn business. But that mist around you, though¡­¡±


    Dr. Cato was right, the two of you must have some sort of spiritual connection.


    Jack¡¯s eye twitched out of confusion. ¡°What are you looking at? Fuck this!¡±


    Without warning, Jack rushed at Mathew and tried tackling him. He struggled to even budge Mathew, who was a giant compared to him. Jack kept pushing, but it was meaningless. Mathew didn¡¯t even move an inch. Mathew laughed and wrapped his giant arms around Jack¡¯s neck.


    Jack gagged as one of Mathew¡¯s enormous biceps hit his Adam¡¯s apple. ¡°Let¡­ go of me!¡± Jack yelled, squirming around Mathew¡¯s grip.


    Mathew couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Is this really how you fight? What a joke!¡±


    Mathew tightened his grip and placed more pressure around Jack¡¯s neck, shortening his breathing. Jack tried to break free, but he still couldn¡¯t move. He felt like his throat was about to be crushed.


    ¡°No use, my boy! I was a fighting and wrestling champion in my late twenties!¡± Mathew continues taking this moment lightly, laughing it off on the feeling he¡¯s killing Jack this easily.


    Jack needed to come up with something or else he¡¯d truly die from suffocation. Jack quickly thought of something. He reached for his shotgun that was strapped behind his back, then grabbed the grip, and pulled the trigger. It exploded. Mathew immediately let go, but the shotgun blast scuffed Jack¡¯s back.


    Jack didn¡¯t care, though. It was enough to make Mathew let go of him and made him catch his breath. Jack coughed. He pulled his shotgun out from behind and tried firing it again. But nothing happened.


    Jack got annoyed and tossed it aside. He tried reaching for his handgun but it was gone. He patted himself everywhere and quickly glanced back at Mathew, who had a huge grin on his face.


    Jack shrunk because he saw his gun in Mathew¡¯s hand. ¡°Damn you pig.¡±


    Mathew emptied the chamber, tossed it away, then gestured to Jack. ¡°Come at me, boy. No dirty tricks like what you just did!¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Jack¡¯s face tightened and he rushed at him again, then threw his arm back for a running punch. He drove his fist forward, but Mathew grabbed it with ease, then grabbed Jack¡¯s arm and lifted him off the ground, suplexing Jack. He slammed Jack so hard on the cold hard tile ground that it made Jack gag and cough violently.


    Do I even have a chance against a guy like him?


    Mathew stood up and stretched his back, cracking his knuckles afterwards. ¡°See, my boy. You can¡¯t even lay a finger on me!¡±


    He continued stretching, mocking Jack¡¯s efforts. Jack laid on the ground, coughing as the pain on his back grew.


    ¡°Come on, get up. I know that isn¡¯t the best you¡¯ve got!¡±


    Jack grunted as he sat up, still trying to recover from the suplex. ¡°Who-Who would¡¯ve thought that a fat man like you would be this tough?¡± Jack coughed again while massaging his back.


    Mathew flexed, revealing his giant biceps. ¡°I¡¯m not that fat, silly!¡± He patted his stomach. ¡°This is just from all the drinking I¡¯ve done throughout the years! Hahahaha!¡±


    Jack stood back up, turned around and cracked his knuckles. ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong about me. That isn¡¯t everything I¡¯ve got. This is!¡±


    He charged at Mathew again, throwing a couple of heavy right and left hooks, but Mathew easily dodged his sluggish punches.


    Jack kept swinging, annoying Mathew from using such a bad technique. ¡°Wow! You¡¯re slow, my boy. Let me show you how to throw real punches!¡± Mathew punched Jack¡¯s gut.


    The two stood still. Mathew¡¯s giant fist rammed inside Jack¡¯s gut. Jack¡¯s eyes shook while saliva drooled out of his mouth. He couldn¡¯t believe how strong Mathew was for someone his size.


    The sounds of his moaning were music to Mathew¡¯s ears. Mathew grinned and slowly removed his fist off of Jack, letting him fall slightly until he uppercutted him. Jack flew back, with blood flying off his lip, and landed painfully on his back again.


    Mathew couldn¡¯t help himself but kept laughing at Jack¡¯s weakness. ¡°What a fool. What a treacherous, delusional fool!¡±


    He approached Jack and watched him tremble in pain. He pointed at Jack. ¡°That¡¯s what you get for giving me this scar!¡± Mathew pulled his sleeve, exposing the scar Jack had left him that time he used a scalpel to cut him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you the beating of your life, punk!¡±


    Mathew watched Jack struggle to sit up. He chuckled and kicked the side of Jack¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°Not only that, I¡¯m going to make sure you feel pain!¡± He grabbed Jack¡¯s shirt and started pounding his face. ¡°Pure, unimaginable, insufferable¡­¡±


    He extended his right arm behind his head as far back as he could. Jack froze while his face got bruised and his nose leaked.


    ¡°Pain!¡± He aimed a shot straight at Jack¡¯s face.


    Jack quickly moved out of the way at the last second. Mathew¡¯s fist made impact to the ground instead, leaving a dent and bruising his knuckles.


    Jack¡¯s face was bruised. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth, and his cheeks were swollen. He wiped his nose and spat out blood. ¡°Th-This is going to be harder than I thought!¡±


    Jack grabbed a nearby chair and threw it at Mathew. Mathew caught it and broke it with his bare hands, and then he ran at Jack.


    Jack watched as Mathew, a guy twice his size, came running at him with abnormal speed. ¡°Oh shit¡­ This is gonna hurt!¡± Jack said with a terrified face.


    ***


    Dr. Cato hid inside the office area where he and Mathew conducted their small experiments on Angela. He was behind his desk and had Angela¡¯s mouth covered as she continued to break free. He forced her head upwards to look at his face, telling her to ¡°Shut up!¡± Eric busted down the door and immediately started searching.


    ¡°Where did you go, punk bitch?¡± Eric looked around and spotted the examination chair with some scalpels next to it.


    There were test tubes and plenty of glass walls everywhere. He spotted the office and walked inside it. Continuing his search, he heard some muffled noise close by. Dr. Cato, who¡¯s face seemed afraid, sweaty, and angry, grabbed a scalpel inside one of his drawers and waited.


    Eric had his hand hovered over one of his ears, trying to figure out where the muffled sound was coming from. The closer he got to it, the louder it was getting. Angela managed to grab the scalpel, and now the two started fighting over it, which caused Dr. Cato to accidently let go of her mouth.


    Angela yelled, ¡°Help!¡± which finally gave Eric the hint he needed.


    Eric ran towards her cry and spotted the two struggling for the scalpel, until Dr. Cato pushed her off violently, which made Eric very, very angry.


    ¡°Hey punk ass bitch?¡± he yelled, grabbing Dr. Cato off the ground and throwing him through the office glass wall.


    He crashed horribly, landing on the scattered glass.


    Eric ran to Angela, making sure she wasn¡¯t hurt. ¡°Wait here, okay! Imma teach this fool a lesson!¡± He cracked his knuckles and smiled, bringing relief to Angela.


    Angela stood up and hugged him. ¡°Where¡¯s Jack?¡±


    Eric face palmed himself, realizing the promise he¡¯d made to Jack that he would be the one to fight Mathew. ¡°I forgot! He¡¯s fighting that fatass! Damn!¡±


    ¡°Wait, so he¡¯s alone with that guy?¡±


    Eric patted Angela¡¯s head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even though he¡¯s alone with that redneck, believe in your brother. I¡¯m sure he can beat that fool!¡±


    Angela smiled, believing in Eric¡¯s words and her brother¡¯s actions. Eric told her to stay put while he took care of Dr. Cato. He spotted him trying to crawl away from his new glass bed.


    ¡°Oh no, no, no. Where do you think you¡¯re going, punk?!¡± Eric winked at Angela, walking fast to Dr. Cato. He grabbed the collar of his coat, then tossed him through another glass wall.


    More glass scattered over Dr. Cato, leaving all kinds of fresh cuts all over his body. Dr. Cato moaned from the pain of being tossed around like a ragdoll. He couldn¡¯t comprehend how being tossed like that was too much for him. He crawled towards a nearby counter, reached for the top and grabbed a scalpel.


    Eric chuckled and let him take the scalpel, feeling confident in himself. Dr. Cato stood up, turned around and got annoyed by Eric¡¯s smug grin. The cuts all over his face only made his angry face seem more villainous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare mock me!¡± He charged at Eric, screaming bloody murder.


    Eric caught his arm and drove the scalpel in front of him, shocking Dr. Cato.


    ¡°See man? Like I said, you¡¯re just a punk!¡± Eric punched Dr. Cato in the gut so ferociously that it brought him to his knees.


    The pain he felt throughout his body was unbearable. Dr. Cato bent down and tucked his head towards his knees. Eric grabbed Dr. Cato¡¯s hair, then lifted him off the ground to bring him to his level. He looked at Dr. Cato dead in the eyes.


    Eric suddenly hugged him. Dr. Cato was confused, but shortly afterwards he felt his ribs crushing, his spine bending, and his arms cracking. He was being squeezed like a leftover toothpaste bottle by Eric¡¯s massive arms.


    Dr. Cato screamed for his life while Eric continued crushing him with his huge arms. Dr. Cato could feel his ribs pressing against his lungs. Any more of that then they¡¯d surely pop like a balloon.


    Eric squinted. ¡°This is what you get for hurting poor Angela, you bitch!¡±


    Dr. Cato stopped screaming, and trickled out a groan instead.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it. Just die like the trash you are, my guy!¡± Eric chuckled again.


    Dr. Cato¡¯s body bounced every time Eric squeezed harder. Eric opened his mouth to laugh again, but that gave Dr. Cato the chance to spit into it, which finally released him from the death hug.


    Dr. Cato gasped, catching his breath and made a run to grab something to hit Eric with. While he was distracted from wiping his mouth, Dr. Cato spotted a fire extinguisher, quickly grabbed it, then rushed at Eric. He used all his leftover strength to hit Eric¡¯s huge muscular back, but sadly to Dr. Cato¡¯s disappointment, he didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ You¡¯ve gotta be shitting me¡­¡±


    Eric turned around, pissed off to the max. Dr. Cato¡¯s face turned white. Eric swung a punch. He reacted immediately before the punch could connect by spraying the extinguisher at Eric¡¯s face. Dr. Cato used the opportunity to toss the empty canister at Eric¡¯s head. Eric caught it.


    Dr. Cato grabbed a scalpel from the examination table and crept around Eric, who was still blinded by the surrounding carbon dioxide. Dr. Cato ground his teeth and charged at him, finally stabbing Eric. He managed to stab Eric¡¯s shoulder and quickly stepped back, watching how he¡¯d react, but to Dr. Cato¡¯s surprise Eric reacted to nothing.


    Eric grabbed the scalpel inserted into his shoulder, then slowly pulled it out, bringing out a squirt of blood.


    He tossed it away and cracked his knuckles. ¡°Shit like that is nothing,¡± he said menacingly, bringing Dr. Cato to his knees.


    ¡°What the hell are you? You¡¯re a monster!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare compare me to something of your status, punk bitch. Besides, I¡¯ve been stabbed worse in prison.¡±


    Eric turned around, then swung his arm and cracked his neck. ¡°Prepare yourself for the asswhooping of a century white boy!¡±


    On his knees, Dr. Cato finally broke and laughed helplessly as Eric charged at him with a punch.


    Dr. Cato screamed, ¡°You¡¯re not human!¡± He got up and dodged Eric, then tried to run away again.


    But Eric caught him before he could move an inch and started pounding on his kidneys. Dr. Cato gagged as each blow ensued. Eric picked him up and tossed him back into the office. Eric quickly came to him, grabbed him again and threw him over the desk towards Angela.


    Dr. Cato looked at Angela and begged for help. She blinked and smiled, waving sarcastically at him. Dr. Cato¡¯s eyes started watering. Eric saw what she did and grinned. Standing above him, Dr. Cato saw Eric come down on him.


    Dr. Cato glanced back at Angela and broke down. ¡°Why Angela? Why!¡±


    ***


    Back in the room where the other two were fighting, Jack was being tossed against walls, over tables, against screens, and slammed against the floor. He was badly hurt, beaten from such impacts. Jack tried grabbing Mathew again, but that only led to his injured back being hammer punched into oblivion. Jack¡¯s face slammed on the ground. Mathew tried stomping the back of his head. Jack quickly got out of the way and tried to rush at him again.


    Mathew chuckled, dodging Jack and dashing behind him. He wrapped his arms around Jack and gave him a treacherous german suplex against the glass room wall.


    Jack lay against the cracked glass. His face was all bruised and bloodied. He was dumbfounded with how a man like Mathew had the stamina of an olympic swimmer.


    This isn¡¯t a fair fight! It¡¯s extremely one sided!


    Mathew grabbed his gut and laughed his butt off as he watched Jack struggle to get back up on his feet. Then Mathew suddenly stopped his senseless laughing, then charged at Jack without warning. Jack grinned. He could only stand there halfway up and watch that fat bastard come at him.


    Mathew speared Jack through the glass wall. Jack gagged out blood as the two crashed onto the floor. Jack was severely hurt. He definitely knew one of his ribs had cracked from that intense impact.


    Mathew grunted as he stood back onto his feet and brushed the glass off him. He stared down at a broken and hurt Jack, who was grabbing onto his chest, struggling to breathe.


    Mathew couldn¡¯t smile at that. He sighed and approached Jack with his arms tucked in his pockets. ¡°I told you punk, didn¡¯t I? This is just the beginning of your immeasurable pain!¡±


    Mathew stood beside Jack. ¡°Don¡¯t start crying on me now, weakling!¡±


    Mathew stomped on Jack¡¯s hand, making him yell out from the sheer pain.


    ¡°Poor bastard. You may look tough, but you¡¯re nothing but a stupid weak dog that¡¯s all bark and no bite!¡± He stomped again, breaking another one of Jack¡¯s ribs.


    Mathew kept stomping. Jack¡¯s body jumped as he coughed out blood from every impact. His sounds of pain shortly transitioned into laughter, disturbing Mathew enough to make him stop.


    Jack grabbed Mathew¡¯s leg, continuing his strange laughter. ¡°F-Funny you say that, because I-I haven¡¯t cried in ye-years!¡±


    Mathew kicked his hand off his leg and stepped back, allowing Jack to stand back up. Jack grabbed his stomach with one arm, then painfully stood back on his feet and dangled his other arm.


    ¡°B-But don¡¯t get it twisted, Mathew. I¡¯m no weak punk. I am to-tough¡­¡± Jack coughed out more blood. ¡°You¡¯ll see, ju-just you wait and see!¡±


    Without notice, Jack dashed towards Mathew with whatever strength he had, which surprised him.


    Mathew readied himself as Jack came towards him. Jack swung a huge left hook. Mathew chuckled and causally dodged it. Out of nowhere Jack horse kicked Mathew in the gut, catching him off guard. Mathew got mad and threw a punch of his own. Jack figured out his moves and dodged the punch, then ducked and threw a nasty right over hook, making an impact on Mathew¡¯s big face. Jack stepped back and congratulated himself for landing a punch on Mathew, though Mathew calmly wiped the scuff off his cheek. He smiled and started clapping his hands.


    ¡°Well done, my boy! Not bad. Not bad at all!¡± He walked circles around Jack. ¡°But there¡¯s bad news for you, son. Very bad news.¡±


    Jack watched Mathew as he continued walking around him. ¡°What do you mean by bad?¡± Jack groaned. ¡°I thought shit was already bad the moment you started doing dumb wrestling moves on me. What could be worse?¡±


    Mathew stopped, leaving Jack worrying what he¡¯d do next. The two stood still for a second until Mathew slowly pulled out the cross he¡¯d hidden inside his pocket. Jack raised a brow while Mathew wrapped the holy necklace around his big neck. The cross looked similar to what Jack had seen from the files that he and Eric had confiscated about Angela¡¯s experiments. He felt a bit worried and used the moment to see where Mathew threw his gun at, but he couldn¡¯t spot it anywhere.


    Mathew was taking slow deep steady breaths, then closed his eyes. The cross started to glow. Jack was a bit freaked out. He wasn¡¯t sure what was about to happen.


    Mathew slowly opened his eyes and glared at Jack. ¡°Since I now have an answer to my speculation, let¡¯s see what this thing can finally do to someone like you, Jack.¡±


    Mathew raised his fists. A faint aura started forming around him, a white holy outline wrapping around the edges of his body.


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened with fear. He couldn¡¯t understand why but he could feel something so intense coming from Mathew. An unknown gravitational force made Jack slowly get to a knee.


    In his mind, Jack said, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Mathew¡¯s clothes slowly floated from the wind beneath him. Jack couldn¡¯t move anymore due to the gravity weighing him down.


    The cross¡¯s glow faded. Mathew seemed calm. ¡°Bring it, Jack.¡±


    Jack snapped out of it. He shook his head, trying to regain his confidence to hide his fear, and charged at Mathew. This time Jack barely moved an inch. Something was preventing him from charging at him. Whatever it was, it was protecting Mathew.


    Jack stared at his palms. He couldn¡¯t control the shaking. He felt useless. Closing his eyes and clenching his fists, he became more serious, then opened his eyes to glare at Mathew. ¡°What did you just do? Did you do some weird sorcery supernatural shit? Who the hell are you?¡±


    Mathew dropped his arms and sighed. ¡°No Jack. What are you?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jack asked.


    Mathew circled Jack. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why this cross glowed.¡± He grabbed it and raised it in the air. ¡°The only time it would react like this was with my encounters with that damned demon inside Angela.¡±


    Jack gasped. ¡°So what about it? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°The fact that this cross reacted differently questions your mortality. That¡¯s why I questioned you.¡± Mathew stopped and pointed at Jack. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked what you are, Jack!¡±


    ¡°Screw you!¡± Jack gritted his teeth and attempted to charge towards Mathew once again.

 Final Chapter of Arc 2 - 2/3: A Fight Beyond Normality

    Dr. Cato was bruised, his coat torn to shreds, and the amount of pain pumping throughout his body was unbearable. Angela kept cheering Eric on as he continued to toy with Dr. Cato. The doctor leaned against a filing cabinet, moaning from the insufferable pain given to him by Eric. Eric stood in front of him. He looked ready to end the fight once and for all.


    Dr. Cato lowered an arm and felt something in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and felt his cross necklace. It felt hot and he knew why. He looked down and saw the cross was glowing, which gave him a sense of relief.


    Dr. Cato¡¯s eyes glistened from hope. Eric turned to Angela and gave her a thumbs up. Dr. Cato used the chance to get the necklace out, wrap it around his neck and then he closed his eyes, praying to himself. Eric was too busy to notice the cross glowing. Dr. Cato mumbled words, but as the cross shone brighter, it was bright enough for Eric to turn back and witness the craziness.


    Eric quickly backed off. Dr. Cato took a deep breath and a gust of wind blew out of him. He didn¡¯t know what was happening, or why Dr. Cato¡¯s necklace was glowing. The doctor rose to his feet and glared at Eric, seeming confident.


    ¡°Brace yourself, because this is going to hurt you more than it¡¯s going to hurt me, you worthless thug!¡± Dr.Cato said. And then he charged at Eric with a monstrous punch.


    Eric was too stunned from what he¡¯d witnessed. He roared and drove a punch into Eric¡¯s face.


    Dr. Cato, with his eyes closed and a slight grin on his face, opened his eyes. ¡°No¡­ NO! It-it can¡¯t be!¡± he shouted hopelessly. The punch did absolutely nothing to Eric.


    His fist trembled. ¡°Wait¡­ so that means he¡¯s not a victim?¡± Dr. Cato said beneath his breath.


    Eric grabbed Dr. Cato¡¯s wrist and started twisting it like a twizzler, which brought him to his knees. ¡°I don¡¯t know what stupid magic trick you just pulled, but what I do know is¡­¡± Eric stopped twisting and looked into Dr. Cato¡¯s scared eyes. ¡°You¡¯re nothing more than just a weakass bitch!¡±


    Dr. Cato gasped. Eric started crushing his fist with his murderous grip.


    ¡°You had me fooled there for a second, thinking you were about to pull some damn cartoon crazy shit.¡± Eric leaned in towards the doctor¡¯s frightened face. ¡°Good thing I ain¡¯t that dumb.¡±


    Eric flung Dr. Cato back to his feet and gave him a powerful knee to the gut. Dr. Cato gagged and grabbed onto himself, then fell to the ground, moaning in silence.


    Dr. Cato raised an arm and grabbed Eric¡¯s jeans. ¡°I¡¯m not your enemy. Please, yo-you¡­ don¡¯t understand. I beg of you, don¡¯t ta-take her away from me.¡± Dr. Cato continued moaning.


    Eric only stared down and shook his head. The doctor then grabbed his arm and sighed. He was about to knock him out until five men in white stormed the room with batons and tasers. Eric smacked his lips, feeling frustrated over such child¡¯s play. He cracked his neck and gestured for the men to come after him. They did, but they quickly split up to surprise Eric. One of them held a taser aimed at him.


    Eric dodged but was caught off guard by another punch. He shot from behind and struck his back. Eric grunted, clenched his fists and tightened his face to fight off the stunning shock coursing through his body. One guy tried attacking Eric as he struggled, hurtling his baton full force at him.


    Eric quickly grabbed the darts and ripped them out, then caught the guy¡¯s arm and twisted it. He power punched his face. ¡°You really think you could get me that easily? Fucking fools, all of you!¡±


    They all rushed at him with stun batons. Goddamn we¡¯re in a predicament now. Shit! Thought Eric.


    Outside the facility, Eric¡¯s men were running low on ammo. The watchmen informed them that a huge fleet of police were a couple of minutes away. Things were starting to get even more intense for everyone, but one person was having the worst torture of their life, and that person was Jack Samr. He was being beaten into a pulp, his life slowly coming to an end.


    Angela stood still and watched as Eric fought off against the men. She heard the girl inside her head start screaming out Jack¡¯s name. Angela sat back down, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath so she could talk to the girl.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why are you screaming his name?¡±


    ¡°Jack¡¯s going to die!¡± she screamed sorrowfully into Angela¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Wh-What do you mean he¡¯s going to die?¡± Angela shouted.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t do something now he¡¯ll kill him. I have to help him!¡±


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on!¡± Angela yelled. Eric noticed and turned around, scratching his head in confusion as he continued dodging the batons.


    She sounded so sad, but then her awful malicious voice returned, reminding Angela how awful she could be. ¡°That bastard Mathew was torturing Jack with that wretched cross! He probably knew, and now he¡¯s playing with him. This is my fault for being inside him. He knows we¡¯re connected somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Connected? Somewhat? How do you know what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Listen to me very carefully, don¡¯t you dare lose consciousness on me! I¡¯m going to go help Jack like I did those three times! You may not remember, but what I want you to do if you want to help Jack is to stay conscious for as long as possible. Take deep breaths, stay calm, and most importantly¡­ keep your mind as clear as possible!¡±


    Angela stayed silent. The girl quickly grew impatient and pleaded with Angela to clear her mind. Angela opened her eyes, feeling sceptical.


    ¡°Are you going to take over my mind?¡±


    ¡°No! Just do it! And I promise I won¡¯t hurt you for a while.¡±


    Angela sighed and clenched the bottom of her hoodie. ¡°Fine!¡± She closed her eyes again. ¡°Just don¡¯t let my brother die. If you like him that much then protect him. Not just for you, but for me!¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer right away and didn¡¯t like Angela¡¯s tone. She brushed it off. ¡°As you wish. Don¡¯t worry, this will hurt me more than it¡¯ll hurt you.¡±


    She quietly chuckled, which creeped Angela out. ¡°What now?¡± Angela asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to experience the worst pain in some time, but it¡¯ll be nothing like the pain he gave me centuries ago¡­¡± She giggled and raised her voice sadistically. ¡°But my Jack will suffer along with me. That¡¯s more than enough for me to bypass the pain I¡¯ll succumb to!¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and go already! Save him!¡± Angela started taking slow, steady, calm breaths. She hid beneath the desk and relaxed.


    She cleared her mind the best she could for the girl. She could feel her drift away from her body. Angela already felt dizzy and sensed her subconscious fading into darkness, but she managed to shake it off and continued breathing for Jack¡¯s sake.


    Mathew grabbed Jack¡¯s arms, spun him around, then flung his broken body toward the glass room. He screamed, crashing straight into the glass like a rock as he flew through the room, slamming against the steel wall at the other side. He dropped and landed on Angela¡¯s bed face first and Mathew suddenly appeared beside him. He grabbed Jack¡¯s head and shot him like a torpedo off the bed and onto the other side of the laboratory. His broken body slammed horribly against the solid concrete wall. His body drifted down with his eyes having little to no life left in them. Jack was mortally wounded, his organs felt as if they were all about to explode, all his ribs were either broken or cracked, and his head was concussed beyond belief.


    Mathew came up to Jack and grabbed him from behind his neck. ¡°Not yet, boy. Not yet.¡±


    Jack¡¯s arms dangled like noodles while he quietly pleaded with Mathew to let go of him. ¡°No¡­ no more¡­¡± Jack muttered.


    But Mathew wanted to teach Jack a lesson. He wanted him to suffer just as Angela had suffered, just as he had supposedly suffered. Mathew grunted, squeezing the hell out of Jack¡¯s neck.


    Jack was starting to lose consciousness until Mathew spun him around and rammed a horrific punch into his stomach, making him puke out blood. Jack¡¯s eyes turned white. He coughed more blood onto Mathew¡¯s face and passed out.


    Mathew noticed how wobbly Jack¡¯s body was. He knew he¡¯d finally passed out and tossed Jack¡¯s motionless body across the room and towards the glass room, collapsing whatever was left of the room on top of him.


    Mathew smiled again and chuckled. ¡°Incredible. I had no idea this thing possessed such strength against people like you, Jack!¡±


    Mathew looked at his palms. I thought all this cross did was repel that girl in white away or defend against her attacks, but I had no clue it gives you the strength to fight against folks like you far beyond our strength.


    Mathew closed his palms and lowered his arms. ¡°I imagine this type of strength doesn¡¯t work on normal people, so that means there¡¯s actually more to this world than we thought. God sure is great! Now Jack, let¡¯s finish this.¡± He slowly approached Jack¡¯s unconscious body that was covered in glass and rubble.


    Laying on the cold ground with debri burying him, Jack¡¯s right eye was swollen and red. Blood oozed out of his mouth, and his body was lacerated by glass. Throughout all the years of being shot, beaten, jumped and even tortured, it was no match to what Jack was currently experiencing.


    In his pulsing mind he thought, It hurts¡­ It hurts so much. Is this what true pain feels like? I had no idea a human being could endure such torment¡­


    Jack lifted an eye and said beneath his breath, ¡°Eric, you je-jerk. You should¡¯ve been the one fighting against hi-him, no-not me¡­¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t notice Mathews¡¯ heavy murderous footsteps approaching him. He could only hear his struggling, beating heart and constant ringing in his ears.


    Jack used whatever leftover air his damaged lungs had to laugh quietly to himself. When it all seemed over for Jack, that girl¡¯s voice popped into his dying mind, which made his fingers twitch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just lay there¡­ Get up! I know you can beat him!¡± the girl in white said joyfully.


    Jack softly coughed and grinned. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you. Here to taunt me as I¡¯m on the brink of death?¡± He quietly chuckled.


    ¡°No! I¡¯m here to aid you. With me aiding you, you might have a chance at beating him with that damned cross around his neck!¡±


    Jack started moving his arms a bit. ¡°What¡¯s with that cross anyways? How¡¯s he able to possess unnatural strength far beyond what a normal person could have?¡±


    Jack moved an inch, groaning loudly as Mathew approached fast.


    ¡°Most of all, how am I able to tolerate this pain without dying immediately from a single blow? I-I should be dead, right?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the stupid cross, but what I do know is that someone gave him that strength and are aware of my existence. But let¡¯s show this fat jerk what we can do when we¡¯re together!¡±


    Jack slammed his fists on the ground to help himself up, but he collapsed again. He thought about what she¡¯d said for a moment, remembering all the aftermaths when she did help him. He wondered what the damage would be like if he let her aid him fully, but it was a matter of life or death. He had no other choice but to succumb to her absolute darkness.


    ¡°Okay. Just help me get back to Angela, but in order to do that we need to beat this prick.¡±


    She giggled with excitement. ¡°Yes! Well, there¡¯s one fault here though.¡±


    Jack moaned. ¡°Wha-What now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both about to experience the worst pains we¡¯ve probably faced. Are you prepared for that? Well¡­ maybe you,¡± she said in a serious tone.


    Jack smiled and started laughing, which brought Mathew to a complete stop. ¡°I¡¯ve already experienced almost every definition and meaning of pain! It¡¯s more like, are you ready¡­ girl?¡± he said loudly.


    She chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re right. How silly of me asking you such a stupid question. Are you ready?¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Jack finally raised his head and stared up at the bright ceiling. ¡°One last thing¡­ is there a chance that I might actually die for real this time?¡±


    She was hesitant to answer his disturbing question at first, but then she giggled and answered. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not going to let that happen. I¡¯m not letting you go that easily. You still have to give your promise, remember?¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    The red vessels in his eyes started turning black. That black mist appeared, but it steamed off his body and his fingers twitched violently. The color of his skin slowly turned white. He smiled and yelled, ¡°Bring it!¡±


    Mathew started laughing at Jack. ¡°Boy, have you lost your damn mind? You want to die so badly that you finally wake up and beg me to take your life away?¡±


    He slammed his palm over his eyes and continued laughing at Jack. ¡°Oh Jack, you shouldn¡¯t have!¡±


    Mathew couldn¡¯t contain himself. It was pure amusement for a grown bully like him, a man who¡¯d always taken advantage of the weak and made them succumb to his selfish needs. Never in his life had he had this much fun beating up on someone weaker than him, even if they were a minor. Mathew always enjoyed torturing both weak-minded and physical people.


    After enjoying himself in laughter, he wiped his tears. ¡°This will be over real quick boy. Once I break that thick skull of yours, I¡¯ll be sure to punish Angela to the fullest extent of what a father would do to a bratty child like her!¡±


    As Mathew was about to approach Jack, he saw steam blowing out of the rubble that was on top of Jack. What, in the? Don¡¯t tell me this boy¡¯s smoking a blunt before he dies. Tch, what a worthless pile of degeneracy.


    Mathew¡¯s inner thoughts were disrupted by his vision, as he noticed that there was some black mist creaking through. Mathew finally realized what was happening and panicked. He grabbed a huge shard of glass nearby and launched it into the rubble. The glass disintegrated as soon as it reached the spot where he was buried.


    ¡°Damn! I got carried away. Shit!¡± he yelled out, as he stepped back and raised his fists.


    Well, too late now. Let¡¯s see how much of a connection you two actually pos¡ª


    An intense vibration in the air caught Mathew off guard. The rubble slowly rose off of Jack where he lay. His eyes turned completely white and his body twitched violently. The room¡¯s tiles slowly rose. Jack grit his teeth with intensity as the surrounding rubble blew off his corpse. Mathew covered himself with his giant forearms from the hurtled debri that blew all over the place. He noticed right away that the room itself was shaking from Jack¡¯s unholy aura.


    Jack¡¯s chest pounded intensely, as he started slamming his fists on the ground like a maniac. He shook his head erratically.


    Mathew watched the possession taking place with furrowed brows and raised fists. ¡°I knew it¡­ you¡¯re no longer human my boy. You¡¯re a demon¡­ just like her.¡±


    As Eric¡¯s men were on the brink of losing the battle outside with little to no ammo left, they heard the skies clapping, enough to vibrate their entire bodies. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. They saw that the sky was starting to act strange. The clouds were suddenly visible at this time of night. Another thunderous clap ravaged the sky. It broke every glass material within a hundred mile radius. Everyone ducked and covered their ears. Clouds started drifting and circling around the area where Mathew and Jack were located.


    Jack¡¯s body bounced erratically on the ground. His bones were breaking, limbs twisting, and black bolts of lightning shot out of his corpse and into the ceiling. His mouth opened and let out the most haunting sound of agony anyone had ever heard. The room they were in started cracking apart. All the electronics in the building blew up, and soon the whole building shook violently. Mathew watched in terror as the boy was creating a disaster in the making, which left him paralyzed in fear.


    Nobody knew what was happening. From the looks of it, they thought they were about to be struck by a tornado. Lightning that was as black as night struck near the middle of the battle and the top of the building. It felt almost as if the world was coming to an end. Then horrific veins of purple streaks swarmed the sky and struck the ground. Violent winds blew away trees, broke walls, and tipped cars. It was enough to scare everyone away from the scene.


    Eric felt the awful trembles. He heard the cries of agony mingled with the whistles of disaster, and felt extremely worried for the safety of his men. He had no clue what was happening, so his men called him and informed him of the situation outside. Eric ordered them to retreat immediately, but they told him that the shit had already hit the fan.


    Everyone hopped into their damaged vehicles and drove off. The men in white retreated back into the facility and left their men¡¯s behind.


    Eric looked back at Angela and wondered if she was taking a nap, because she had her eyes closed.


    Suddenly, more men with electric batons rushed into the room. Eric chuckled. ¡°Bring it!¡±


    Candy was the only one left standing in the parking lot. He stood there in silence, admiring the chaos that was ensuing. Black and purple bolts struck everywhere and dragged itself along the ground. Cars in the lot exploded and hovered in the air, then flew into the sky, revealing that reality had been broken.


    Candy remembered something similar to this back at the facility when the two kids were escaping, never in his life would he think of seeing this bizarre event again. Now, he¡¯s standing in the midst of it, which made him shed a tear filled with fear.


    The last of Eric¡¯s men had driven off except for one who took a glance back and saw that Candy was still standing there. ¡°Hey! Fruit cup, we have to get the fuck out of here! Are you not seeing, feeling this shit femboy?!¡±


    Candy softly blinked and balled his fists. ¡°Go on ahead, I want to watch this for another minute, and embrace this-this devastation into my memories, forever.¡±


    He shrugged and ran off, raising a hand. ¡°Alright, good luck then, you¡¯re a dead man, woman, whatever the fuck you are!¡±


    Candy looked at the swirling clouds of darkness circling above the building. An unholy purple aurora was behind the broken skies and leaked out into reality. ¡°This was exactly like that day at the facility when Jack and Angela escaped. If that¡¯s you lil momma, then give em hell¡­¡±


    Another one of Eric''s guys who happened to be watching too got out of his car, ran to the young man watching the chaos, grabbed Candy¡¯s arm and dragged him while he continued staring at the supernatural phenomena. Come back to us guys. We¡¯ll be waiting¡­


    He followed the men and hopped in a car, then took one last look at the building. ¡°Good luck guys. Please don¡¯t die.¡±


    The entire gang loaded the wounded and dead into the cars and then drove away as fast as possible. Now that the last of the group was gone, the parking lot was nothing more than a barren aftermath of littered corpses of the men in white and bullet casings.


    Jack¡¯s mouth dripped black, still wailing the ghostly cries of agony, his mouth wide. His open eyes widened out as he slowly levitated off the ground as black sparks shot out off his body. The ceiling above broke and Mathew saw the unholy massacre that Jack was creating.


    Jack was back on his feet with his back turned to Mathew. Mathew was a little worried, but quickly evaporated any signs of fear. He smirked and waited for Jack¡¯s next move.


    The boy had his fists clenched, his head down, and he had a smile so vile that he seemed mentally broken. The vessels in his eyes were black, his skin was as pale as the floor, and an aura of smoky black corruption formed around him. Mathew waited and watched Jack twitch, then make sounds of struggling breathing.


    Jack shut up, and then the chaos around him flickered and shot veiny black plasma all across the room, tearing apart the colors of reality. Then he suddenly turned around and opened his mouth, releasing a trail of angered steam. They both stared at each other, and the chaos came to a complete stop. There was silence, the skies turned back to normal, the aurora faded away, then reality repaired itself all on its own.


    Mathew applauded Jack, breaking the silence. He gestured for him to fight. Jack replied with a nasty snarl, exposing the blackness inside his mouth. Doing that blew a gust of darkness out of Jack¡¯s pores, which made more rubble blow away.


    Mathew barked at Jack, treating him like some rabid dog, then he smiled and cracked his fingers. ¡°So? You¡¯ve finally shown yourself, bitch. I¡¯ve met you three times now, but I never would¡¯ve imagined I¡¯d see Jack allow himself to be possessed!¡± Mathew angrily smacked his lips and spat on the ground. ¡°What a joke you are, Jack. Truly¡­ You¡¯re such a pathetic boy!¡± He noticed Jack growling and tilted his head. ¡°What''s the matter? Can¡¯t either of you talk to me?¡±


    The boy hunched forward, spread his arms out, gripping the air and replied with another disturbing wail.


    Mathew readied himself with a fighting pose. ¡°Come on! Show me how connected the two of you are!¡±


    The misty aura around Jack grew even bigger. It moved rapidly like a chainsaw with sharp black blades, and the moment the steam emitted out of Jack¡¯s mouth turned black, he exploded and sprinted at Mathew with speeds far beyond human vision. It caught Mathew off guard.


    Jack popped in front of Mathew. However, Mathew had no time to react, which allowed Jack to land a gigantic painful blow to Mathew¡¯s gut. The man gagged and got rocketed to the ceiling, then bounced off and slowly fell. Jack waited and as soon as he saw Mathew falling towards him, he extended his knee back and shot it with all his strength against Mathew¡¯s spine, creating a small shockwave, which finally drew blood from his gagging mouth.


    Jack hammer fisted Mathew away off his knee. His big body slammed against the concrete wall.


    Mathew clenched his teeth out of sheer anger. He couldn¡¯t comprehend the fact that someone like Jack was able to land such amatuer attacks against him. He wasn¡¯t mad, he was filled with ravenous rage.


    He pushed himself off the wall and wiped blood off his lip. Even though his eyes were filled with blind rage, he noticed something odd about Jack. He saw his hand tremble, and spotted Jack¡¯s left hand was burning. He even seemed short of breath as well, so he took a deep breath to ease his anger and grinned, then grabbed his cross and quietly chuckled.


    So he¡¯s still weak after all. Hahaha, Mathew thought.


    The last thing Mathew noticed was the fact that, even though it hurt when Jack landed those hits, they still felt rather weak, as if he were being sucker punched by an amatuer street fighter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m still standing after what you did to me, boy! But what I do know is that God is protecting me so much that every time you guys attack, you actually end up hurting yourselves!¡± He pointed at Jack¡¯s hand, seeming confident again. ¡°What a joke! I do have to admit though, both of you together are pretty strong. Too bad you¡¯re fighting against the wrong person!¡±


    Mathew ran at Jack, surprising him by tackling and carrying him across the entire room in a matter of seconds. They both crashed through the thick concrete wall and into the other room. Jack retaliated by hammering his fists onto his back, but Mathew laughed and then slammed Jack on the ground with a ferocious body slam. Jack screamed and kicked back up, then dashed at Mathew and threw a right punch.


    Mathew dodged, then threw a left punch while grabbing Jack¡¯s arm. Mathew grit his teeth and tried to reverse Jack, but Jack bent Mathew¡¯s arm and slammed him on the ground. Mathew¡¯s eyes bugged out, grinded his teeth, and the veins on his neck were pulsing heavily. Jack leaped into the air and stomped on Mathew¡¯s gut.


    The entire thick floor beneath Mathew dented, vibrated and shook the room. He laughed and grabbed Jack¡¯s ankles, catching him by surprise. He jumped in front of his face, giving Jack the headbutt of a lifetime.


    Jack¡¯s head wobbled. Mathew followed up with a terrifying straight punch into his face. Jack screamed as he flew away and crashed through the walls to the outside world. His body skidded for miles, pushing trees aside and creating waves of dirt.


    Mathew caught up and kicked Jack back towards the building, then somehow teleported back to the room to wait for Jack to arrive. Jack screamed as he flew back into the room. Mathew had a fist ready and gave Jack an underhook punch to his gut, which made Jack vomit black fluid all over the floor.


    Jack fell on his back. Mathew tried stomping on his chest, but Jack rolled on the ground to avoid it. He quickly got back up and rushed at Mathew again, with a retracted arm ready to slam his fist right into Mathew¡¯s face. However, Mathew ducked and uppercutted Jack instead.


    Jack flew upwards. He appeared behind Jack and rammed a fist on his back. It was viscous enough to hurtle his body back into the last room they were in. Jack¡¯s body fell, then his face dragged along the ground and broke along the tiles. His face burned, but that didn¡¯t stop him. Once Mathew appeared again Jack stood right back up, spun around, and let out a bloodcurdling scream.


    Mathew gripped the boy''s neck, slapped the souls out of Jack then grinded a finger into his ear afterwards. ¡°Calm down boy. We¡¯re just getting started!¡±


    Mathew threw him away and cracked his knuckles. I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re fighting like this! It¡¯s like something out of a comic book!


    Jack rolled on the ground, regained his posture, shook his head and growled.


    ¡°Come on boy, get serious for me!¡± Mathew ran to him. He saw Jack ready himself.


    Jack threw an uppercut to the approaching oaf, but he dodged it. But Jack caught Mathew off guard and got a hold of him, though by doing that his body got burnt horrendously. He fought through the pain and wrapped his arms around Mathew.


    ¡°What are you doing, boy?¡± Mathew screamed. With all his strength, Jack flung Mathew¡¯s giant body towards the gate and the big guy dented it upon impact.


    Jack took a knee, heavily panted to then randomly regained consciousness again and seemed rather lost. He looked around and spotted the destruction they¡¯d caused. Then the excruciating pain he experienced throughout the fight violently reactivated his nerves, which left him screaming loudly. He dropped to all fours, puked black fluid and looked up, spotting Mathew trying to get back up.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what just happened!¡± he groaned. ¡°But what I do know is that I-I¡¯m whooping your ass!¡± Jack then chuckled painfully.


    ¡°N-No you weren¡¯t. It hurts. It hurts so bad. I-I can¡¯t keep this up any longer. I have limits too, you know,¡± the girl said inside Jack¡¯s head, moaning in excruciating pain.


    Jack stood on his feet again with his left arm dangling by his side. ¡°Wait¡­ y-you mean you can¡¯t help me no more?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t catch his breath. Holy crap! This is bad¡­


    Jack saw an angry Mathew charging at him. He tried moving out of the way, but Mathew was too fast. He dashed behind Jack like the wind, grabbed him and german suplexed him one last time.


    Mathew kicked Jack over and started punching him straight in the face. As he did he saw there was no sizzling on the boy''s face when their flesh met. His skin looked normal too, after glimpsing around the boy''s body while pummeling his giant knuckles onto his face, right away he noticed the black mist was gone too.


    Jack¡¯s nose bled profusely. He scrunched up his face, feeling like he¡¯d lost the fight.


    Mathew landed one final blow, resting his fist onto Jack¡¯s face. Mathew blew air out his nose and removed his fist, seeming confused, but he threw that confusion away and decided it was time to end the pointless fight. So he grabbed a piece of glass and tried stabbing Jack. Jack rolled away and tried his best to avoid being cut. Yet, with all that effort, Mathew still managed to barely cut Jack¡¯s back.


    Mathew grew more impatient. ¡°Come out, bitch!¡± he yelled. ¡°Come out so I can kill you and free that annoying girl!¡±


    Mathew still slashed at a rolling Jack, making the boy scream and bringing amusement to the twisted man''s ears. His eyes twitched erratically as he kept slashing in a maniacal pleasurable way, bringing out a huge grin reaching to the edges of his eyes.


    When Jack stopped rolling, he grabbed some dust nearby and waved it in front of Mathew¡¯s view, which blinded him momentarily. He got up and spotted his gun. He grabbed a broken piece of concrete and threw it at Mathew, managing to strike his head. Mathew fell back. Jack finally smiled and ran to his weapon, then looked around for the magazine but it was nowhere to be found.


    Jack grabbed his gun, glancing everywhere to find that mag, but he miraculously spotted the one bullet Mathew had ejected out of the chamber. He rushed to that single round, diving to shorten the distance, then grabbed it and loaded it into the chamber.


    Mathew grabbed his head, feeling that cheap shot pulsate. Shaking his head and standing back on his feet, Mathew saw Jack with his gun. He took no time to wait and threw the glass he was using at Jack¡¯s hand. It went right through Jack¡¯s palm, which made him drop the gun.


    Jack yelled out in agony. He couldn¡¯t pull the shard of glass out because it was just too painful to do so. Instead, he looked ahead and saw Mathew coming at him like a bull. He landed on Jack, got off him, grabbed his legs, and spun Jack around in circles. The moment he let go of Jack he was thrown towards the collapsed room, and he landed shoulder first onto a sharp broken pipe.


    Blood exploded out of Jack¡¯s shoulder. He screamed and lay there on the brink of death. He tried using whatever strength he had to pull the pipe out, but it was far too long for him to even pull it out of the concrete.


    Mathew was breathing heavily from his growing anger and stood there with a fist raised to his face. ¡°Holy shit! I w-was so close to killing you! Damn! I should really get back into training once this is over.¡±


    Mathew picked up Jack¡¯s gun and slowly walked towards him. Jack laid there bleeding and scared.


    ¡°Now, this is the end, Jack. You fought well but too bad! Even with the help of that demon you stood no chance¡­¡± He raised the gun next to his face with a sinister smile. ¡°I hope you¡¯ve said your prayers punk, because I know damn well that it¡¯ll do you no good!¡±


    Mathew stopped in front of Jack, watching the river of blood flow out of his shoulder, his body all broken, and stared into that look of despair on the boy¡¯s beaten face.


    Jack struggled, but he couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°No¡­ No!¡± Jack yelled.


    Mathew laughed.


    Jack tried pulling his body forwards to pull the pipe out of his shoulder, but Mathew stomped on his chest, stopping him from going any further. He could feel his ribs crack and began piercing his lungs. Mathew slowly raised the gun at Jack¡¯s face.


    Jack realized his situation and accepted death, and even embraced it. He lowered his head and let out one last chuckle. ¡°Well, this is it¡­¡±


    Mathew started squeezing the trigger.


    I¡¯m sorry Angela, I¡¯m sorry Randolph, I¡¯m sorry to everyone. But most of all¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Carolyn¡­


    ¡°Goodbye Jack!¡± Mathew shouted.


    Jack closed his eyes. ¡°Oh shit!¡±


    Then a loud, horrific girly voice screamed, ¡°No!¡±


    Mathew pulled the trigger. The gun exploded.


    ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Mathew yelled out in pure frustration.


    The bullet disintegrated before it could touch Jack¡¯s face. Mathew was absolutely livid.


    The black mist exploded out of Jack once again, releasing a powerful pressure that was enough to blow Mathew away from him. He landed at the other side of the room on his back and then slammed his fists on the ground, throwing a childish temper tantrum. Jack¡¯s previous wounds were healing disgustingly by regrowing their arteries, putting his ribs back together, and flesh slid, molding together. He let out a scream, cracking the walls from his ravenous cry. Jack intensely glared at Mathew, twitching his lips as he snarled at him.


    Mathew got up. His veins popped out of his huge neck and forehead from the limitless anger that was stirring up inside him. Mathew readied himself into a tackling position, watching Jack pull himself off the pipe in a horrific manner as his own blood spewed out with black plasma sparking all over his body.


    Jack let out one last war cry. Mathew screamed out too. They both stared into each other¡¯s eyes as the hate they had towards each other brewed inside their wretched souls.


    The auras surrounding their bodies were fully visible and grew rapidly, shaking the room with intensity. They both looked at each other. It was enough to make it seem like an earthquake was about to strike not only the area around them, but the entire city of Flint as well. The rubble around them hovered, the building shook, and they were about to go at each other in full force.


    Mathew screamed and charged at Jack, then disappeared out of thin air. Jack charged even faster until he finally saw Mathew stomping towards him. The moment their palms collided, a huge shockwave emitted off the sheer force of their violent collision. The ground expanded beneath their feet and blew everything around them away from them. It broke the building in half, the tremors felt across the entire city. Everyone else who wasn¡¯t involved in the first floor felt the unpleasant pressure wave past their bodies.


    Eric felt that weird sensation and vibration. He¡¯d fought off most of the men by now but he was growing tired. He ran to Angela and found that she was still asleep. He sighed, but noticed blood was leaking out of her nose. Blood even crept out of her mouth too.


    Eric grabbed her and pulled his gun out. More men stormed the room, but he took no time to shoot at those bastards. He managed to kill a few and shot an extinguisher beside them, which created a cloud around the men. Eric covered Angela¡¯s face and sprinted past the men. He was out of the room and on his way to Jack.


    As Eric sprinted, he heard unearthly distortion. He stopped for a second, noticing the floor above him wobbling. ¡°What the hell¡¯s happening?¡± He heard men¡¯s footsteps. ¡°God dammit! Jack, hurry your ass up so we can claim victory.¡±

 Final Chapter Of Arc 2 - 3/3 His Dearest Sister, Angela

    Dr. Cato stood up all bruised and beaten. He grabbed his head in frustration, thinking about how close he was to saving Angela only to be taken away once again. He spotted the bodies of all the men Eric had either injured or killed. It made him feel disgusted, so much so he vomited. The room rattled and the rest of the glass around him collapsed. He reached into his pocket and made a phone call, then informed the police of the situation. They told him they were already on their way to hell.


    Dr. Cato hung up and stared at the ceiling. He could see it quake as chunks from the ceiling fell onto the ground. He wished his friend Mathew all the luck in the world to defeat Jack, but even then, even if they succeed in escaping once again, he already had another plan in mind to get her back. Dr. Cato leaned against the wall, grabbed his arm and slid down onto the ground, then he broke down laughing.


    ¡°Jack! I swear I¡¯ll get you if Mathew doesn¡¯t. Hahaha!¡±


    Eric heard the doctor¡¯s treacherous laughter echo throughout the facility. He felt sorry for the poor sap, but continued running so he could finally regroup with Jack.


    The essence of God¡¯s light flashed off of Mathew. Jack¡¯s unholy darkness overtook his mind as they continued struggling. The forces of good and evil weren¡¯t representing their ideal colors, it was a battle far beyond what any normal human being could withstand. The two screamed at each other¡¯s face, desperately trying to overpower the other. Their borrowed strength was incomprehensible and unfathomable. Their anger towards each other pushed their uncomparable arms back and forth.


    Mathew noticed his feet starting to drag. He couldn¡¯t comprehend what was happening. Not only that, but the darkness around Jack was drifting up his arms. That scared Mathew. It was as if the darkness around him had a mind of its own, trying to swallow his existence. He wasn¡¯t going to allow such trickery to drop his guard let alone break his confidence.


    Mathew smiled and stopped his feet from dragging any further. ¡°You¡¯re fucked my boy. Fucked!¡±


    The holy light grew brighter and Mathew¡¯s strength grew tenfold. The drifting mist faded away and now Jack was being overpowered by the light of God.


    Jack¡¯s feet were dragging. He desperately tried staying put but Mathew was growing stronger by the second. Mathew laughed as he pushed Jack. However, Jack couldn¡¯t withstand this, his strength was too much for him to bear. The severe burning sensation that Mathew¡¯s hands were doing to Jack¡¯s was absolutely unbearable for the boy.


    Mathew laughed into Jack¡¯s face and tightened his grasp. ¡°It¡¯s over, boy! Accept your fate!¡±


    Jack could only growl in response. The girl in his mind screamed out in horror, sharing their pain.


    Mathew stopped his bulldozing and leaned close to Jack¡¯s corrupted face. ¡°The power of Christ is with me, boy! You can¡¯t beat me. Not you, not Angela. Heck, not even that demon inside of you.¡±


    Jack let out a roar and tried pushing Mathew away, but he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing more than a failure. But it¡¯s not only that Jack, it¡¯s also your fault for allowing Angela to get abducted again. Hahahaha! Stupid fool. Stupid fool!¡± Mathew twisted Jack¡¯s wrists.


    Jack got infuriated, and was enraged even further than what he was showing. The black misty aura erupted violently and consumed half the room in total darkness. Jack retracted his right arm as far as possible. At first Mathew thought he¡¯d given up, but once he saw his arm going back he knew what Jack was about to do, and he did the same.


    They both scrunched their eyes, yelling with all their might, and fired their arms towards each other. Both men collided with massive punches. The moment their fists smashed against each other, Jack¡¯s arm rattled like a loose hose. The blood vessels in his arm exploded blood out into the air, which made him scream.


    The room broke apart and distorted the colors of reality. Intense shockwaves blew out winds like a typhoon, shaking the area and blowing a few buildings and houses away. Whatever was left standing in the room was destroyed by the blast. The room was nothing more than a crumpled block of concrete and glass, looking as though a bomb had struck it. As Jack waved his arm around like a piece of cloth, Mathew took the chance to use his right hand to grab Jack¡¯s head.


    He grabbed his head and shouted ¡°Goodbye!¡± then slammed it with tremendous force.


    The ground cracked across the entire second floor as Jack¡¯s head bounced off the concrete. His body crashed through and fell to the bottom of the building at great speeds. Mathew flew down and was ready to give Jack a monstrous punch.


    ¡°This is it, Jack!¡± Mathew¡¯s vision blurred for a second, but then he saw Jack stand back onto his feet, which made his eyes bulge out in shock.


    Jack readied himself for his own punch as Mathew came down at him. Once he got close, Mathew threw a punch. Surprisingly, Jack dodged at the last second and yelled out in a horrifying, distorted voice of his and the girls in unison, ¡°No! You¡¯re history!¡±


    Mathew¡¯s missed punch created a gigantic crater behind Jack, and Jack shot a straight punch to Mathew¡¯s massive gut. The air vaporized around them, creating a giant flash of light. The impact was so great that the ground above them cracked across a forty mile radius. Everyone around the city of Flint really thought that an earthquake was hitting their area.


    Jack let out one last horrific wail. Air exploded between the two, and Mathew shot back up to the sky above the room, his mouth gagging. Jack flung up and the moment he wanted to try another attack, Mathew caught him off guard by spitting blood into his eyes.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re history, boy!¡± Mathew flung himself at Jack and grabbed his head, slamming him back to the floor they were in.


    Mathew was short on breath. He let go and felt relieved. ¡°Damn!¡± He coughed. ¡°How are we surviving this? An ordinary person would¡¯ve died from this! Well, especially me after taking that tremendous punch!¡±


    Mathew sat down for a second to catch his breath. ¡°It¡¯s insane how we¡¯re defying the laws of physics! But whatever. Haha! You see Jack, God is real! Screw science!¡±


    He started laughing, stood back up and grasped Jack¡¯s head, twisting it on the crumbled leftovers on the ground. Mathew saw steam coming out from between his fingers. He knew that was burning them. His maniacal laughter continued as he placed more pressure on Jack¡¯s face, forcing his head to go through solid ground.


    Out of desperation Jack grabbed Mathew¡¯s arms, but he was weakened from the impact. The poor boy struggled with little to no energy put into his efforts of trying to get Mathew¡¯s giant hand off of his face. He groaned, moaned, and wiggled softly, but his body was giving out.


    Mathew laughed at his worthless attempt. He lifted Jack off the ground and moved his hand around his neck, then started clenching the life out of him.


    He jabbed at Jack¡¯s chest and made him black out. He wanted to play with him a little longer before he could kill him so he kept jabbing.


    Jack¡¯s mouth shot out black from every blow and he could feel his lungs ready to burst. Jack wasn¡¯t about to give up, even though he was mortally wounded, but he decided to use one final attempt to break free of Mathew¡¯s grasp. He distracted him by swinging a suspecting punch. He bought it and caught his fist.


    The mist around Jack dimmed down and slowly swirled off his other hand and glided onto the floor to retrieve his gun. The mist glided away like a serpent and reached his gun, then wrapped itself on the metal polymer. It repelled back into Jack¡¯s hand then quickly went out to look for the magazine. Slithering all over the ground, it found the mag close to the door entrance and against whatever wall was left standing. Quickly it grasped the small piece of metal and instantly repelled back into Jack¡¯s gun, loading it and faded away.


    Jack regained consciousness again and the moment Mathew landed one last punch to his chest, he gagged blood onto his face, which made him let go. ¡°Fuck! You¡¯re back now?¡± Mathew wiped the blood off his face, leaving Jack to regain his breath.


    Jack felt the gun in his grasp as pain coursed through his body. He even noticed how disfigured his arm was. ¡°Ho-holy shit. Wha-what happened to my arm?¡±


    Mathew rushed towards Jack before he could react and grabbed his neck with both hands, ready to snap it at any moment. ¡°You sick bastard! Prepare yourself bitch!¡± His hand slipped down and grabbed onto the cross. Jack screamed in agony, feeling his breath shorten with every second.


    ¡°If I stab you with this, then there¡¯s no denying you¡¯ll definitely die!¡± Mathew exclaimed, extending the cross. ¡°Say your last prayers. Prepare your soul to be cleansed with God¡¯s might!¡±


    Jack unexpectedly laughed, surprising Mathew. ¡°Ac-Actually Mathew¡­¡± Jack coughed. ¡°Funny you say th-that because it¡¯s y-you who needs to be cleansed!¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking ab¡ª?¡±


    Jack forced himself to smile and raised the gun, pulling the hammer back. ¡°Go fuck yourself, fat pig.¡±


    Mathew heard the gun cock and when he was about to stab Jack, the sound of a single shot echoed off into the distance, leaving them to come to a complete standstill.


    Mathew slowly lowered his head, stuttering his words, and saw the gunshot wound on his chest. He was petrified and shocked, in disbelief that Jack got the best of him. He let go of Jack, covered the wound with a hand and for some reason, he started laughing, almost as if he¡¯d lost his mind.


    ¡°Idiot¡­ idiot¡­¡± Mathew raised his head again, looking very erratic. ¡°You really think a bullet can stop me? Moron! A damn bullet may hurt, but it won¡¯t stop me!¡± His vision began to get hazy and he started coughing blood. ¡°I-I¡¯m not done¡­ No, not yet!¡±


    Mathew cracked his knuckles one last time and coughed more blood on himself. Jack couldn¡¯t move because his internal organs were burning, damaged, fractured bones across his body, his arm a bloody disfigured mess, blood dripping from his head to mouth, and vision pulsed from the intense pain from the aftermath of the fight.


    ¡°Come on, boy! Don¡¯t be scared now! We¡¯re almost done!¡±


    Jack grabbed his broken arm while trying to stand back on his feet.


    Mathew moaned, looked down on the boy, and flailed his arms. ¡°Just give up already.¡±


    He stepped aside and dropped to a knee from weakness. Why can¡¯t you just die already?


    The girl in white was crying inside his head, due to all the pain she was experiencing. ¡°I-I¡¯ve used up too much of myself. S-She won¡¯t be able to hold for much longer.¡±


    Jack got worried, but it gave him the strength to try to stand up again. ¡°Who? Angela?¡± he asked angrily.


    ¡°Yes, we need to get back to her. If we don¡¯t, then who knows what¡¯ll happen to her.¡±


    Jack got angry and grit his teeth. ¡°Like hell you won¡¯t.¡±


    He collapsed back on the ground, seeming to be on the verge of passing out. Mathew coughed more blood, he got off his knee and was ready to seal Jack¡¯s fate.


    ¡°When we get out of this, you¡¯re telling me the connection between you two of you, okay?¡± Mathew said, stepping over Jack again.


    ¡°Are you going to keep talking to yourself or to that bitch?¡± Mathew yelled,  steaming red and also on the verge of passing out. ¡°Or are you going to finish this like a man, you worthless maggot!¡±


    Jack gulped. Hey girl, where did you go?! I could use your help again. She only replied with soft crying and painful moans. Fuck, I think she¡¯s done, wh-which means, damn, this is it.


    The boy tried moving, but to no unveil his nerves responded with more pain. Jack was severely hurt and knew help was no longer by his side if the girl wasn¡¯t responding anymore.


    Mathew breathed heavily, returning a grin and having flashbacks of the facility when Jack stabbed his arm, mortfiying him in front of those deliquents, but more of all, fond memories of torturing Angela just like he¡¯s doing to Jack.


    I don''t care about the girl any more, I don¡¯t care about those experiments, I want this kid dead as well as the girl. This fight has shown that keeping these two alive will bring utter chaos to the world. I''ll end it now and be claimed as this world''s new hero! Mathew thought.


    Jack gripped his gun, trying to raise his hand to shoot Mathew again, but he couldn''t. He lay there, coughing, and breathing like mad, thinking this was it.


    Goodbye, Jack, then you¡¯re next you annoying brat, Angela! Mathew laughed and the moment he took a step, a piece of the ceiling broke free and fell onto Mathew¡¯s giant head. It exploded, blacking Mathew out and made him fall face down next to Jack.


    Jack blinked a couple of times to comprehend what had just happened, then grinned. He laughed and having witnessed this miracle gave him relief to regain some strength to stand back on his feet. With his gun in his left hand, Jack chuckled then kicked Mathew¡¯s body hard a couple of times to truly see if he was either out cold or better, dead. After a few hard kicks, he presumed he¡¯d died from the impact. Jack let out a deep sigh of relief.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but smile. He pointed at Mathew¡¯s body with the gun. ¡°That¡¯s right, a-a-asshole. Don¡¯t e-ever fuck with me. Well, none of that matters now because you¡¯re dead.¡± Jack coughed again, letting out another huge sigh and spat at his body.


    Slowly walking towards the last standing object being the gate, Jack found a button and pressed it to raise the behemoth. He looked over his shoulder before he could leave and expressed a vile grin.


    ¡°Well, see you never, Mathew. Oh, by the way, here¡¯s a goodbye gift.¡± Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, balled it up and threw it at his body. ¡°Keep the change.¡±


    Jack limped away, feeling victorious about his first win, but he didn¡¯t realize that Mathew was still alive.


    Mathew breathed again then groaned from the huge pain throbbing in his head. He lay there, feeling unpleasantly pleased about the experience, even though he¡¯d lost the battle by random coincidence. But he knew it wouldn¡¯t be the last time they¡¯d cross paths. He chuckled softly, feeling proud about his borrowed strength. If things were to go even further, he knew he would have won against something that technically didn¡¯t exist.


    ***


    Jack couldn¡¯t bear the aftermath of his pain since he could barely walk through the long hallways. Groaning again, he spotted Eric with Angela in his arms. He smiled and waved at him. Eric quickly went to him and noticed how messed up Jack was.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Yo! What the hell type of fight did ya get into? It was like the world was coming to an end or some shit. But holy shit you got fucked up, my guy!¡± Eric exclaimed, then chuckled.


    Jack tried laughing too, but it was too much for him. ¡°Well, you¡¯re right about that.¡±


    Jack softly punched Eric¡¯s face. ¡°Y-You should¡¯ve fought him instead of me, fucking asshole. Hehe¡­ ow.¡±


    ¡°Well, shit happens, right? It is what it is.¡±


    Jack examined Eric¡¯s wounds and noticed how he was barely scathed let alone scuffed. ¡°We both had one sided fights, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re goddamn right about that!¡± Eric grinned, glimpsing the stab wound on his shoulder. ¡°That sucka stabbed me in the shoulder too! Hmph! Lucky for me I¡¯ve been stabbed worse in prison, son!¡±


    Eric wanted to hand Angela over to Jack, but he refused and pointed at his mangled arm. Eric tilted his head, examined his arm and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about that because it looks fine to me.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking ab¡ª¡±


    Jack looked at his arm and it had healed somewhat. It looked okay, but he still felt that some things were broken.


    Was it that girl? He grinned softly. I guess I truly do owe her one¡­


    ¡°Man, who are you talking to? You damn lunatic motha fucka! Come on before we get more fucked, my guy,¡± Eric said as he started walking away.


    Jack laughed. He stopped Eric and grabbed Angela, then shook her to wake her up. ¡°Hey Angela! Are you alright?¡±


    Her eyes twitched, then she slowly lifted her eyelids. Though her vision was a bit blurry, it was clearing quickly. She regained her sight, then looked above and spotted Jack¡¯s bruised face.


    ¡°B-Brother?¡± she said, softly caressing his cheek. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you made it.¡± She smiled as a single tear trickled down her cheek.


    Jack didn¡¯t smile. He got serious and leaned into her ear and whispered, ¡°Tell me Angela, what¡¯s your connection with the girl in white?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond at first and continued caressing his cheek.


    ¡°Why does she rely on you?¡± he asked.


    She stopped caressing him and mumbled a bit before she could respond.


    Wiping her single tear she whispered into his ear, ¡°The girl in white. She¡ª¡±


    A small group of dastardly men in white sprung around the corner and spotted them. They took no time firing at them with their illegally obtained, fully automatic weapons.


    They were overwhelmed by a barrage of bullets that forced them to take cover around the nearest corner.


    Eric briefly looked at Jack. ¡°Run! And escape with Angela, I¡¯ll distract them!¡±


    Jack grit his teeth, shaking his head. ¡°No! I won¡¯t leave you behind Eric. We¡¯ve gotten this far and I¡¯ll be damned if I¡¯ll leave you behind!¡±


    Eric groaned with a grin. ¡°I¡¯ll be alright my guy. You two are much more important than me at this moment. I¡¯ll keep stalling until ya are out of this joint.¡±


    Jack growled. ¡°No! We got to¡ª¡±


    Eric pushed Jack without giving him a glimpse. ¡°Jack get the fuck out of here already! Go!¡±


    Jack hesitated because he was thinking about all the men they¡¯d lost today. And with Randolph¡¯s suicide too, Jack couldn¡¯t bring himself to leave another friend behind.


    Jack sucked it up and turned to Eric. ¡°Don¡¯t you die on me, man. Promise us you¡¯ll come back to us.¡±


    Eric chuckled. ¡°Ha, sensitive pussy! I promise I¡¯ll catch up as soon as I get rid of these fools. Now go!¡±


    Jack made a run for it. He looked back and watched as Eric fought off the men in white with his last bit of ammo. As Jack kept running, he looked at Angela, who still seemed rather lost and half asleep. He continued running and didn¡¯t look back for his sake. He heard screams of pain and agony, along with all the continuous gun fire between the two, but he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about losing his last true friend.


    He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes. ¡°Eric, please come back to us. I¡¯ll be praying for you. Good luck, Uncle.¡±


    Jack ran through the hallways to meet dead ends and empty rooms destroyed from the fight he¡¯d had with Mathew. Confusing corridors were also apparent from the building¡¯s structure and were damaged by the fight too. It seemed that every staircase he and Eric went up were gone. Jack couldn¡¯t find them anymore.


    ¡°Damn, how do we get out of here?¡±


    A robotic voice over the intercom turned on suddenly. ¡°Attention, Attention! Entire facility will be placed under heavy lockdown. Repeat! Entire facility will be placed under heavy lockdown for the safety of society! Anyone left in the building won¡¯t be able to leave until further authorization!¡±


    Jack started sweating and his breathing intensified. He was worried and wondered how he¡¯d get out before the damned place locked down. He shook his head and continued running. Angela mumbled odd words that Jack couldn¡¯t understand. He felt a little creeped out and found it rather distracting. He held her tightly and tried to comfort her to stop such weirdness.


    Jack spotted one last room to his right. He gambled his chances and decided to go inside, hoping there was a way to escape.


    ¡°It¡¯s now or never!¡± Jack barged through the door and noticed it was Dr. Cato¡¯s new office.


    Jack walked around, observing his new office and to his surprise, he spotted a huge window behind Dr. Cato¡¯s desk which overlooked a steep hill to the city beyond.


    ¡°Maybe if I break through it we can escape.¡±


    Jack walked to it, then set Angela on Dr. Cato¡¯s chair and looked out the window. Damn¡­ that¡¯s a pretty rough drop, but I think I can make it. Hopefully without breaking a leg.


    As Jack turned back he saw the girl in white lying on Dr. Cato¡¯s desk holding one of her arms. She looked hurt with cuts, bruises, scuffs, bleeding were all visible across her arms, legs, and her face. Jack stood next to her as she breathed heavily and moaned.


    ¡°Sucks, doesn¡¯t it? Having to experience pain for someone like yourself?¡± he asked in a serious, yet vengeful tone.


    She looked at him and once her gorgeous eyes set on him, he quickly erased that look and apologized. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you such a smart alec? But we managed to get out of there, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Jack pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. But barely. And can you explain this?¡± Jack chuckled while showing her his injuries that had slightly healed. It brought an adorable smile to her face.


    She grabbed his arm and gently massaged it with a cold hand. ¡°I used up what little I had to heal most of it. Don¡¯t make it seem as if I could heal you at any time, silly.¡±


    ¡°I presume so, but you¡¯re such a mystery, along with the world I¡¯m slowly getting to truly see¡­¡±


    Her hand drifted up to his hand and clenched it. ¡°Mhm, slowly I¡¯m showing you what this world hides, but at least I can tell that you care for me. What changed your mind? Not too long ago you wanted me dead and hated my guts.¡±


    Jack stared into her purple eyes. He tightened the grip on her hand, hating to see someone as beautiful as her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just learned to accept you now and I don¡¯t have much left. I only have Eric, Candy, and Angela. But you¡­ you haunted my dreams for years, yet you also saved me in times of need.¡±


    Jack stood up and surprised her by sitting her up so he could hug her. She got flustered and gasped.


    ¡°I owe you and I mean it. I don¡¯t know who you are or what you are, but¡­¡± He let go and wiped a scuff off on her cheek. ¡°¡­but I still have to thank you for saving us. If you continue to mess with me, I will avoid you and find a way to get rid of you.¡±


    She smiled and hung her arms around his neck, amazed that Jack had given her a hug. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Like you said, you might not know what I am, but one day I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    She started breathing heavily in an arousing way and closed her eyes. She could feel their bond grow even stronger. Her wounds started to heal, shocking Jack while she looked into his lifeless cold eyes.


    ¡°You have no idea how long I¡¯ve waited for you. I know that one day you¡¯ll finally fall for me again,¡± she said quietly.


    And hopefully I can become what you desired me to be, to finally become mine¡­ She slowly inched her face towards his, then closed her eyes.


    Jack poked her nose, stopping her. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± She pouted and made Jack chuckle from how cute she looked.


    Angela woke up and spotted them. They noticed and turned to her. ¡°Hey sleepy head. You holding up okay?¡± Jack asked.


    Angela shook her head, then jumped off the chair and hugged Jack, bumping the girl in white out of her way, while ignoring her presence. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just a little dizzy, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that¡¯s rather¡ª¡±


    Angela ignored the girl in white as she rubbed her face against her brother¡¯s. ¡°I missed you, bro!¡±


    Jack smiled and patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve missed you too, baby sis.¡±


    The girl in white puffed her cheeks out and blew air out her nose. ¡°Well, there goes our moment. I was so close again.¡±


    As Jack looked back at the window. ¡°Why is the sky reddish orange?¡±


    The girl in white quickly grabbed onto Jack and trembled. ¡°Sh-She¡­ She¡¯s here¡­!¡± she said in a frightened tone.


    Jack looked at her. ¡°Who?¡±


    Angela looked as well but seemed calm. Jack walked to the window, approaching it cautiously. He looked out for a second then looked back at them with a smile. ¡°There¡¯s no one there.¡±


    However, their eyes said something else because once he turned back, the woman in red suddenly appeared, floating outside.


    ¡°Holy¡­¡± Jack said, backing away from the window.


    Her red pupils glowed and she expressed a big frown.


    Jack gasped. ¡°You mean her? Wait, I¡¯ve seen her before¡­ What is she?¡±


    Jack noticed that the girl in white was gone and when he looked back, he quickly went to Angela, then grabbed her and looked back at the window.


    ¡°Who are you? Are you here to help like last time?¡±


    The woman in red slowly lifted her hand and pointed at Jack. ¡°You promised to free her.¡±


    The red glow in her eyes brightened even more. Angela clung onto Jack. His eyes widened.


    ¡°But you¡¯ve made that girl even more powerful. I¡¯m sorry, but this is for your own good.¡±


    The moment she lowered her hand Jack let go of Angela. He screamed, making Angela worry.


    ¡°This should loosen the connection between you two. I don¡¯t want you dead. You see, I¡¯m trying to help you.¡±


    Jack dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms over his stomach as he screamed. The pain was unimaginable. It was like a blazing rod twisting inside his body, melting his organs away, but he decided to fight the pain. He stood back up and looked at the woman in red.


    She got rid of her frown, having a still face now. Silently surprised that her trick hadn¡¯t affected him, the woman in red twitched the fingers in her right hand. Though her eyes stayed wide and glaring as she watched the two kids stare at her in freight.


    Jack heard the door behind them bang shut, taking a glimpse at it then he looked back at the woman in red with a glint in his eye.


    Angela had enough. She rushed to the window, pointing her finger at the woman. ¡°Stop! You¡¯re hurting my brother, you demon!¡±


    The woman in red started shedding bloody tears and panned her attention to the side. Jack screamed and rushed at the window, then grabbed Angela out of surprise and crashed through it. As soon as he crashed through the window, the woman in red disappeared with a depressed look on her face.


    Jack fell onto the ground as he covered Angela. They rolled until Jack¡¯s back hit a rock, which made him let go of Angela. He grabbed his back and groaned.


    Jack, who was covered by dirt and dust, slowly got back up. ¡°A-Angela! Where are you?¡±


    Angela wasn¡¯t too far off. She got up and brushed the dirt off her hoodie, then waved to Jack. ¡°Over here!¡± She noticed how hunched and slow he was, so she ran to him and embraced him.


    ¡°Ow. Still recovering here, you know?¡±


    ¡°Why do you always have to hurt yourself? Look at how hurt you are!¡± she exclaimed, starting to drag him by his broken arm.


    ¡°Ouch!¡± Jack yelled, which made her regret pulling his arm.


    She sighed and grabbed his hand. ¡°We have to take you back home or I might have to carry you myself.¡± Her eyes began to water. She sniffled, then turned away. ¡°Idiot.¡±


    Jack laughed softly and hugged her, then patted her back. ¡°It¡¯s f-fine! I¡¯m just so glad we¡¯re finally going to be a family again.¡± He picked her off her feet and carried her in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it took me so long. I was just an emotional wreck.¡±


    She wiped her eyes and gently punched his chin. ¡°You big dummy. It¡¯s okay, though. That girl watched over you, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Well, not really. It was someone else who¡¯d actually got me to break free from my dark prison.¡±


    ¡°Who was it?¡± she asked suspiciously.


    Jack smiled and walked forwards. ¡°Her name was Lily.¡±


    ¡°Lily, huh?¡± She seemed a little agitated, but forced a smile to hide it. ¡°That¡¯s a cute name. Who is she exactly?¡±


    Jack looked up, gazing at the stars gleaming in the night. ¡°Well, she had hair as blonde as my friend Anna¡¯s. She had gorgeous hazel eyes and her beauty alone was enough to rival that of an angel.¡±


    Angela giggled, but it was a giggle that didn¡¯t sound genuine. ¡°Well, I hope I can properly thank her for making my big bro happy again!¡±


    Jack chuckled too, being oblivious to Angela¡¯s sarcasm. He got close to her face and they gently nuzzled each other¡¯s noses. She blushed and smiled again.


    ¡°Someday¡­ hopefully, I could as well,¡± Jack whispered.


    She wiped some blood off her brother¡¯s lip. ¡°Where¡¯s Uncle Eric?¡±


    Jack glanced at the broken facility. ¡°Hopefully he made it out. Oh! Angela, when we get back home I have a surprise for you!¡±


    Angela expressed a huge smile. ¡°Really? What¡¯s the surprise?¡±


    ¡°You remember Candy, right?¡±


    Angela got even more excited. ¡°Candy! Don¡¯t tell me you found him again?¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Sure did. He actually helped us to come rescue you!¡±


    She leaned against Jack¡¯s shoulder, then wrapped her arms around his neck and yawned. ¡°Is that so? I can¡¯t wait to talk to him.¡± Her eyes started lowering. ¡°Well, I¡¯m getting kinda tired. I can¡¯t wait to sleep on my bed again.¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t wait to finally rest at ease, knowing that you¡¯re finally safe again. After this Angela, I promise to get out of this gang stuff and raise you properly.¡± Jack brought his walking to a brief stop.


    She smiled and kissed his cheek by surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve already done well raising me, but I¡¯m glad you¡¯re giving up selling illegal stuff and hopefully you¡¯ll stop killing people too.¡±


    Jack started walking again and climbed an angled slope to an oddly shaped hill.


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll try to get us a ride and see if Eric has made it out alive.¡±


    When they were almost to the top of the slope Jack tried reaching into his pocket to get his phone but a light flashed on their faces. Angela covered her face from how bright it was. Once the light was off their faces, Jack noticed it was a cop. He quickly calmed his breathing and stood still.


    The cop stopped walking, then dimmed the light at the edge of his rifle barrel and aimed his gun at Jack. ¡°Please put your hands up where I can see them, sir!¡± he shouted calmly.


    Jack glanced at Angela. She nodded to ease his mind. He looked back at the cop, then swallowed.


    ¡°Sir, we need help! There¡¯s crazy people in there and dead people everywhere. We¡¯re survivors!¡±


    The cop keyed his radio. ¡°Okay sir.¡± He placed his hand back on his rifle. ¡°I need you to place the girl down and have you with your hands up, understood?¡±


    Jack closed his eyes and shook his head, then opened his eyes again. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, sir. She¡¯s a little hurt, so I need to carry her.¡±


    His radio suddenly went off, so he pressed it and listened. Both Jack and Angela waited for what type of call he got, and from the sounds of it he was describing Jack¡¯s appearance.


    Angela felt afraid yet Jack felt worried, his eyes were rattling and he was softly moaning. Angela held on tighter to her brother as Jack rubbed her head to ease her nerves, he gulped and took a breath. They waited for the cops to answer but something seemed wrong.


    The cop eyed Jack with sadness, then he hesitated and quickly shook his head. He keyed his advisor and sighed. ¡°Sir, I understand, but there¡¯s a girl in his¡ª¡±


    His radio went off again, cutting him off for a good minute. After hearing his advisor clearly in that full minute while the two kids stood there shaking, the cop gasped and seemed so sad. He frowned, glancing down for a moment until he rose his head to look at the kids again.


    ¡°Yes, sir. Understood, sir.¡± The cop took a deep breath and glared at Jack.


    Jack knew that look, so he started panicking. ¡°Sir please!¡± he desperately shouted, but quickly calmed himself down not to worry Angela.


    Angela gripped her brother¡¯s jacket tighter. ¡°Brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, we¡¯re hurt and you know what, just take me and leave her be. Please!¡±


    The cop raised his gun again and aimed it at Jack. ¡°You¡¯re a wanted criminal, Jack Samr. They want you dead now. I have orders.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened and sweat dripped down his face. He clenched his teeth and pleaded with the officer, but he seemed to have already made up his mind.


    ¡°What are you gonna do to my brother?¡± Angela asked, terrified.


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t answer that little girl, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Wait, please don¡¯t!¡±


    The officer placed his finger on the trigger and rested it there.


    ¡°Please! I beg of you sir.¡± Jack¡¯s eyes quivered. Angela clung onto him for dear life, opening her mouth in fear.


    The cop hesitated. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to shoot someone, let alone kill a person in front of a child. However, he couldn¡¯t defy his orders, so he hid his emotions and set his sights on Jack.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the cop said.


    The moment Jack saw the policeman squeezing the trigger, he quickly turned around and tried running, holding her the tightest he¡¯s ever held her, but it was too late. Multiple shots went off, most of them hitting Jack as he shielded Angela with his body. They fell down the slope, Jack tried his best keeping Angela in his arms as they tumbled down, but they split. Jack landed upside, covering his fresh new wounds with mud.


    Jack groaned in pain. He noticed his abdomen was shot, along with his arm and shoulder. His poor body is still recovering from the fight even with the girl''s help, but it wasn¡¯t enough for the unbearable sensations to come back and taunt him.


    The cop walked up to Jack and shone his flashlight and gun barrel into Jack¡¯s face. Jack frowned and was absolutely livid. He coughed blood and tried crawling backwards, but the cop stopped him by ramming the tip of his rifle against his forehead.


    Jack breathed heavily out of anger and grabbed a nearby pebble, then threw it at the cop¡¯s face. Now the policeman¡¯s mad.


    Jack looked dead into his eyes. ¡°Fuck you. Fuck all of you.¡±


    When the cop was about to pull the trigger, a bullet went off and the cop went down.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Jack said, watching the blood leak out the side of the policeman¡¯s head.


    The person who shot and killed the cop was none other than Eric, who stood nearby to their left. His hand trembled as he lowered his gun. ¡°Oh shit. D-Did I really just kill a cop?¡± Eric asked in shock, quickly rushing to Jack¡¯s aid. ¡°You alright man? Shit, you¡¯re even more fucked up now.¡±


    Jack painfully got up as he held his abdomen. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Wh-Where¡¯s Angela?¡±


    Eric turned where Angela had landed and dropped his gun with a distraught look on his face. ¡°Oh God, no¡­¡±


    They heard Angela moan and whimper closeby, almost as if she were in severe pain. Jack ignored his wounds, his body bursting with adrenaline the moment he heard Angela¡¯s hurtful moans, and then he rushed to her side. When he was closer, he saw blood pouring out the left side of her back.


    Jack¡¯s eyes shook. He dropped to his knees., ¡°No, no, no. NO!¡±


    Angela reached for Jack¡¯s face. Her eyes quivered, squinting from the pain. Even when Jack placed her hand on his cheek, he noticed how cold she was getting.


    Jack grabbed her hand to comfort her. ¡°Don¡¯t move Angela. I know it hurts¡­¡± He let go of her hand and placed pressure on her wound. ¡°I know, I know it hurts, baby sis. Don¡¯t worry Angela. Hang on, please!¡± He placed more pressure and she yelped.


    Jack scrunched his eyes. ¡°Angela, please stop moving so I could stop the bleeding!¡± Poor Angela couldn¡¯t, the pain she was going through was unmerciful.


    She couldn¡¯t talk properly and was only moaning and groaning.


    Jack quickly grabbed his sister¡¯s wrists, ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be fine, hang on baby sis, hang on, please.¡±


    Eric clenched his fists and closed his eyes, knowing it was too late to save her.


    Jack let go again, placing pressure once more. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fine. I¡¯m going to pick you up now.¡±


    He lifted her off the ground. She yelped again and groaned loudly. He grabbed her wrists and rested her on his knees.


    ¡°Stay with me!¡± he said, noticing how her eyes flitted. ¡°Angela. No, no. Come on, baby sis!¡±


    Eric couldn¡¯t bring himself to watch. He turned around and started crying softly.


    Jack held Angela, trying to keep her awake. ¡°Angela¡­?¡±


    Angela¡¯s pained crying came to a dead stop. She didn¡¯t move, she didn¡¯t whimper. Not even the slightest breath came out of her. Jack¡¯s body quivered as he slowly lowered his head and looked at his sister. Her eyes that were once filled with a blue shine, happiness and love, were now clouded, all dead and colorless.


    ¡°Angela¡­¡± he said softly, then shook his sister and held her tightly. He kept shaking his head. ¡°Oh God, please no. Don¡¯t do this to me, Angela. Not you too¡­¡±


    Jack rocked back and forth as he desperately tried to wake her. He held his sister while briefly looking to the sky with his eyes shut momentarily.


    Eric softly broke down and covered his face in sorrow. ¡°No¡­ not my princess too, my-my little Angela. God why¡¯d you have to take her too.¡±


    ¡°Angela, please no!¡± Jack closed his eyes again, being on the brink of breaking.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me. Come on, please! Wake up!¡±


    He started shaking uncontrollably. We¡¯ve been through so much together. Don¡¯t leave me. I have nothing left. Nothing!


    Jack leaned his face against her cold face. ¡°Angela, wa-wake up¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t bear it any longer. His emotions, his guilt, all the years of sadness built up, all the times he wanted to break. He couldn¡¯t take it much longer.


    The dormant emotions that so desperately needed venting out finally trickled out in a single tear through his eyelid and flowed down his bloodied cheek, landing onto Angela¡¯s lifeless face. As Jack opened his eyes, they overflowed with guilt. After all these years, Jack quietly whimpered, finally succumbing to the emotions he wanted to vent. Even that brought himself to cry because he had absolutely nothing left to strive for.

 EPILOGUE OF ARC 2: THE END

    Inside her room, drawing away her feelings late at night, the crescent moon staring at her, a white owl watching her from the outside of her window on a tree branch, Angela was finishing her brother''s birthday present. She finished the last details: the shading and darkening of two people being her and her brother. Her table lamp was her only source of light, but she brought out a smile and went in deeper on the detailing.


    ¡°Oh Jack, the times we¡¯ve shared throughout the years, the suffering we¡¯ve endured, nothing will break our bond.¡± She let out a deep sigh and paused on her drawing.


    That¡¯s right, but compared to you and I, I can¡¯t seem to remember much of my early life. But¡­ why?


    The pencil in her hand started trembling as it stood still on her own face.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I remember these concepts of having parents and not being able to even define it when I was locked away from society.¡±


    Angela let out a weak chuckle. How humorous, yet it still didn¡¯t bother me until I met ¡®Him¡¯ Hmph.


    She started applying pressure to the pencil, wanting to snap it in half. ¡°Forever how long I had my memories retained, all I could think of was darkness, solitude, being confined by endless empty emotions throughout my early empty childhood. But¡ª¡±


    She frowned and set the pencil down.


    ¡°All that changed one day when He took me in when I was alone, his name being Dr. Cato. When he did take me in, instead of understanding such trivial concepts of hospitality and parenthood, the place he made my new found home brought the worst of me.¡±


    Angela stared at her table lamp for a moment then slapped it away, letting it fall on the floor and breaking the only light source in the room. I fell into a deep depression, at an early age thought of self harming for countless hours, weeks, months, and with all these twisted selfish thoughts swirling around me, pouring into the darkened mind created a conclusion¡­


    The girl pulled her sleeve up and grabbed her pencil again, tapping the tip against her wrist.


    ¡°That being the most selfish idea, action a human can commit, that being suicide, and this was made by my tiny six year old mind.¡±


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    Stopping her action of tapping, Angela stared at the ceiling and pulled out her phone, turning the flashlight feature on. She put her phone against some books to give her proper lighting on her drawing so she can continue. Angela¡¯s eyes turned dim, she grabbed and hovered her pencil over herself on the drawing, staring at her own face in gloom.


    What made, forced, a little ol girl like me to think of such horrendous thoughts?


    Angela brought out a broken giggle and the edges of her eyes started building up her inner sorrow. ¡°Easy, it was the countless bullying, physical, verbal abuse that I had to endure from everyone else who were there in that place too. From the staff, to the kids, security, and the other ill, all were cruel to me because of something I supposedly did without my knowing.¡±


    She continued on her drawing and her eyes were hidden away from the shadow of her bangs. But it was enough to call me the devil, monster, murderer, abomination, every single word that you can think of defining a being of cruelty was laid upon me. Though I always thought to myself, was it because I¡¯m a little different than everyone else?


    Angela stopped drawing again and looked at herself in the portrait, realizing she changed her own face from the eyes and hair. ¡°Or was it because of¡­ Her?¡±


    She brushed aside the change, continued onward on her drawing, biting her lip and squinting her eyes beneath the shadow of her bangs. She finished herself on the drawing even though she changed her eyes and hair, making it longer, now she has one person left to finish her ultimate masterpiece, that being her loving brother.


    Seeing him in the drawing almost complete brought out a soft smile and undimmed her eyes. She sniffed, wiped her eyes and fully concentrated on her brother.


    As I got older and studied more about the full concept of having parents, I still questioned myself why I can¡¯t remember them fully, nor have a caring reason for their existence. But; It¡¯s complicated, my life, but I¡¯ve hung in there throughout the years, haven¡¯t I?


    She smiled more as she detailed her brother and tilted her head to ensure he came out greater than herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to be alive now, especially being by the side of two loving guardians named Uncle Randolph and Uncle Eric. Both guys are funny, and showed me love, prosperity, and the beauty that is life.¡±


    Angela drifted her hand across Jack on the drawing, making her eyes twinkle.


    ¡°Though their love could never come close to the comprehension for my love of the one person who saved my life from that hell, took me out of the grips of death¡­ And the person who claimed me as a sibling, and that person being my dearest brother, Jack Samr.¡±


    Angela finished her entire drawing showing herself and Jack holding hands with a giant beautiful tree behind them as a field of flowers bloomed in front of them. Both siblings were looking into each other''s eyes and above the image had a message written on top of it.


    To the one person I¡¯ll only love as long as I live, my loving brother Jack Samr.


    Her bottom lip quivered and she started crying. She covered her face as she basked in the wonderful piece of her amazing craftsmanship but also shared the emotions of all of her burdened sorrow.


    Outside, an owl hooted as rose petals hurtled past it, flying into the moonlight. The owl flew into the light and disappeared.


    I love you and I hope one day I can return my gratitude to you for everything you¡¯ve done for me, but for now let¡¯s live out our youth the best as possible, even if your mind is not at the right place. I¡¯ll be sure to fix you right up. Until then, take care of my loving brother, Jack.


    TO BE CONTINUED IN VOLUME 3¡­

 Arc 3: Prologue

    The times of darkness are afoot, a remote medieval village pillaged by rats, the black death scavenging around at every corner. Clouds of black roaring the skies, crows feasting on the diseased corpses, and the lake next to the village was stained by a tar-like substance, it seems as if this was the end. To the bodies of the rotting dead, to the people slowly dying in their homes, the people who once filled this wondrous village are now almost wiped from the earth. Somehow there¡¯s a glimmer of hope in this village, that being a couple of survivors, though they haven¡¯t stepped foot out of a home they¡¯re seeking shelter in some time, roughly a week. The fear of meeting their certain doom made them become enclosed in this home that used to belong to the town''s doctor who¡¯s not here.


    From death to misery, the last of the village people being four men, four women and two children, they were waiting for this disaster to end. The four women were sitting on chairs surrounding a single square table with a single candle lit. The men, one stood near the door, the other behind his wife who had blonde hair hazel eyes, another seated on the floor, and the last man stood in front of the seated women with balled fists.


    As the town''s stench made them cover their noses, coughed, the man standing, having messy brown hair and built like a lumberjack, deeply sighed and spoke. ¡°Everyone, I think it¡¯s time we leave our beloved town.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Another man replied. ¡°We must wait for the doctor to return, he¡¯ll save us from this unknown plague.¡± The one man objecting is the tallest, had blonde hair, and was guarding the door with a sword.


    The brown haired man walked up to the guarding man, grabbing his shoulder. ¡°My friend, we¡¯ve waited here for a week, one doesn¡¯t think he¡¯ll return. The temperatures are dropping rapidly, food is becoming scarce, we can¡¯t wait another day, we must go.¡±


    He grunted and sighed. ¡°You are right, but have faith in the doctor, he¡¯s our savior, we must believe in his return.¡±


    A woman with brown hair and green eyes stood up. ¡°He¡¯s right, he cured everyone of their illnesses before. We have to have faith in the doctor, he¡¯ll return with a cure for this one too, I just know he will.¡±


    The man standing behind his wife squinted his eyes. ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t return, then what? What will become of us, especially my beloved here¡­¡± He grabbed his wife''s shoulders who looked to be in severe sorrow. ¡°We¡¯ve already lost our daughter who disappeared from us a week ago, if we don¡¯t leave now, then we will soon be consumed by the darkness consuming our town.¡±


    Everyone looked at each other, moaning and lowering their heads in feeling things might get worse. The man with the sword lowered the weapon, and ground his teeth, and the other man grunted, nodding.


    ¡°He¡¯s correct everyone, we have to leave, but more so for the sake of the children that are asleep in the other room.¡± Everyone glimpsed at each other and nodded, but the two individuals who still had faith in the doctor didn¡¯t. ¡°Now, shall we go or¡ª?¡± Suddenly, a horrid wail erupted in the town streets.


    Everyone stood on edge, the men went to the front, the women ran to the back except for two, that being the blonde and the brunette. One of the men opened one of the shutters and saw a gust of darkness being blown past his face. Quickly he shut the shutters and felt afraid. The man with the sword took a stance at the door, feeling ready for anything, but they all soon realized this was not normal after they settled their emotions enough.


    ¡°What in bloody hell was that?!¡± The brown haired man said with a distraught face.


    The man who closed the shutters gripped his chest and looked terrified. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, that cry then gust of black, something¡¯s not right!¡±


    The man with the sword squinted his eyes. ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s unholy and might be the cause of this disaster.¡± A horrid wail reaped, everyone in the house were absolutely terrified. ¡°Everyone stay quiet, let''s all be relaxed, and wait for this black demon to breeze past us without our notice.¡±


    They did as they were told. Everyone stood still, didn¡¯t say a word nor trickle a breath, everyone was absolutely silent. In the back room the children had awoken from that cry and were told to not move a muscle. They cling onto their mothers, waiting, and letting this silence playout while being disrupted by those distorted cries of sorrow ravaging the streets. Seconds that went by felt like minutes, minutes that went by felt like hours as those wails of haunting agony continued until they came to a sudden stop.


    The browned hair man whispered to the sword wielding man. ¡°Wh-What happened? Are we in the clear now?¡±


    The swordsman gulped. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, perhaps we are.¡±


    The two women glanced at each other and proceeded to walk to the backroom when suddenly the single lit candle¡¯s flame was blown out, turning the room completely dark. The door bursts open, knocking the men away from it from the powerful force behind it. The women, children screamed as gusts of cold air blew inside, crows cawed angrily from the outside, their black feathers blew in as a stranger with hair as long as his face stood at the entranceway, wearing ripped clothing of the middle ages, dripping black from his mouth and had hollowed out eyes.


    The men got up and grabbed whatever they could to fight the black demon terrifying them. One man, who was the husband of the blonde woman, had a chair, another grabbed a long hard plank, the last grabbed an axe being the brown haired man. The swordsman was the first to attack, screaming out a war cry as the other men charged too. The other two women who weren¡¯t in the backroom with the children hurried back to them. One man charged the black demonic man with a chair, slamming it against its head first before the swordsman. As it shattered, a black misty aura appeared around the monster, pulsing darkness all around them to the town streets, and to afar. The men froze in place, but the one who attacked first got his chest pierced all the way through by a jagged gooey like spear, dripping black and his own blood from the tip.


    ¡°No!¡± shouted the lumberjack looking man.


    The swordsman watched his fellow mate stand there, dying slowly and making sounds of pain. ¡°You-You Devil!¡±


    The impaled man stood as his blood splattered on the ground while that unknown black slime retracted out of his chest and faded away into the demon''s aura of black mist. He fell face first, dead. The other man, a younger fellow, tried running away but was blasted by a gust of black from that aura of his. He screamed, covering his face as he was drastically turned into charred meat. Falling dead flat on the ground, the last two men standing clenched their teeth and briefly looked at each other.


    Glaring back at the demon, the brown haired man raised his fist in anger. ¡°You-You demonic monster, I¡¯ll have your head!¡± He raised the axe in his other hand and got ready for his charge.


    ¡°We have to protect the women and children, otherwise who else will tell the rest of our civilization that this thing exists.¡± said the swordsman.


    The brown haired man replied with a frightened grin. ¡°Well, at least one doesn¡¯t have to die alone by this black Devil.¡±


    The two briefly chuckled, readying themselves to fight him head on. As they were ready for one final charge, the dark individual spoke in a distorted, broken, scratchy voice. ¡°Even¡­ Despite, your fear of dying, still strengthens a bond between individuals¡­ more so without usage.¡±


    Hearing his eerie voice froze their bone marrow and made the men too afraid to even move anymore.


    ¡°I was like that, before¡ªthough selfish, mistrusting, Hehehehe¡­¡± The black demon lowered its head. ¡°My humanity is no more, but one remembers how it felt, being loved. Wait?! I still am, being loved, bwahaha!¡±


    The black demonic man slowly raised one of his hands, dragging it across his face and dug two of its pointy slimy fingers into one of its eye sockets. He seemed to be digging into it, twirling, making squishy revolting sounds that made the men squeamish. Finally it took out its fingers but had something gripped onto them. The men threw up and looked away as it held what appeared to be a molten human eyeball.


    The swordsman wiped his mouth with his massive forearm and coughed. ¡°Absolutely wretched!¡±


    The brown haired man puked one last time and wiped his mouth as well. ¡°What in God¡¯s name did it pull out?¡±


    The demon rubbed that leftover of a human eye with its hand and then slapped itself on its right eye socket. It groaned then swiped away some of the black substance covering his face, revealing a bloodshot eye filled with black vessels. He glanced around until his cornea rolled backwards and he brought out another cry.


    The two men covered their ears as well as the people in the back room.


    ¡°How, how-how absolutely beautiful!¡± he shouted and tilted his head, ¡°I-I-I-I¡ª!¡± The demon''s head was erratically moving around, seeming distorted from how fast it was doing it.


    The swordsman had enough and charged despite being terrified. ¡°I¡¯ll shut your trap and bring an end to this black mass that you¡¯re inflicting upon my town!¡±


    He swung the sword, making aim for the demon''s neck.


    ¡°For the people you¡¯ve murdered, this blow is for the doctor, but more importantly¡ª¡± He drove the sword right against the demons neck, starting to slice across as black goo flew everywhere. ¡°For God!¡±


    Shouting in victory as he completely sliced through his neck, black goo flying everywhere, the swordsman finished his killing blow and panted as the demon stood still. Its head came off, bouncing off the ground and the man with brown hair chuckled in disbelief.


    He quickly went to the swordsman¡¯s side and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°You-You did it! Why you absolute stupidly brave hero!¡± He stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled to the people in the backroom. ¡°He killed the demon its¡ª¡±


    But as he was looking back at the swordsman, the demon''s body was still standing. The aura had disappeared but his body still stood there, doing nothing but leaking darkness everywhere from where its head once was.


    The swordsman got ready again just in case it attacked on its own. He gripped the sword tightly and held it forward. ¡°This-This isn¡¯t normality, but a freak of nature we¡¯re first witnessing.¡±


    ¡°What in God¡¯s name, how come it hasn¡¯t fallen, it¡¯s corpse?!¡±


    The brunette woman came back to them with a cross, made of the Holiest stone, which resembled that of marble. ¡°Here, perhaps this might do the trick if it really is a demon.¡±


    The brown haired man grabbed it and observed it. ¡°This cross looks remarkably expensive, and feels heavy, where''d you get this?¡±


    ¡°The doctors room where the rest are hiding in. It was on his desk, and it glowed once that thing stepped in.¡±


    The brown haired man nods. As everyone took a glance at the cross, it began glowing again, and the demon''s corpse started moving on its own. Everyone backed away as much as they could, laughter ensued but from the demon''s head lying on the ground. All three watched as the body moved and went to its severed head. It reached its vile arms out, grabbed its head, slowly raising it to where it belongs and lightly hovering it over the hole still leaking black. Then, black arterries reached out of the hole in its neck like splintered strings and attached themselves to the head. Lowering it¡¯s arms to its sides, and the black strings slowly reversing with a creaky, stretchy rubbery noise it made while putting the head back in place, he stopped its laughter and groaned. After being put back on the neck and molting the skin back, the demon gave himself a nice twist on its neck and titled his head upwards.


    He let out a soft groan filled with emotional pain. ¡°I-I-I¡­ envy all of you. One wished it could share such a bond, though it is, but in a way one didn¡¯t want to, but¡ª!¡± He tilted his head forward to glare at the people still standing before him with that one vile eye of his. ¡°I deserve this torment, for tricking, being lustful, this is my consequence for being the most selfish one in this world¡­¡±


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    The swordsman had enough and charged again, but quickly he was stopped in place by nothing. ¡°Wh-What on earth?¡±


    The brown haired man charged too with the cross in his hand and the axe in the other. ¡°Taste God¡¯s might you demon!¡±


    The demon raised a palm, shooting a gust of black to him but it was deflected by a barrier of unknown light. The demon slightly gasped and the brunette woman cheered him on as the brown haired man charged him dead on. The black demon transformed his right arm to a spear of slime and drove his arm forward. The brown haired man stopped as soon as he saw that sharp shape of black coming at him, but when it did reach his vicinity the demon''s arm was blown back by that barrier.


    Everyone was left dumbfounded. The woman couldn¡¯t help but smile with relief, the brown haired man clenched that cross tighter with confidence, and the swordsman, who got freed went beside the brown haired man.


    The swordsman chuckles. ¡°I told you the doctor¡¯s amazing. One thinks he might be our saviour reincarnated.¡±


    The brown haired man brought out a grin. ¡°Sorry for doubting the doctor. If he could cure our people easily then pose such a holy relact that deflects demons like this, then one doesn¡¯t doubt that he might be the son of God!¡±


    The two men readied themselves and charged towards the demon. The two shouted and together they drove their instruments at the demon, stabbing him in the torso and neck. The demon only stood with a face of disbelief. The cross, embedded into his chest, started glowing bright red and brightened the room entirely, blinding everyone. The cross got so bright and hot that the men had to back away and let go of their weapons from the heat it was shooting out. Light twirled around like a blade of circling death, heat shot out with intense winds, enough to start a fire on the wood walls of the home. The men ran away and went to go grab the women and children who were screaming in terror and clinging onto their mothers.


    Together the men shouted, ¡°Out now!¡± and let the women and children leave first. The group of innocence stayed together as they ran past the black demon who was engulfed by heated white light. Unfortunately as they were close to the door, one of the children along with one of the women were vaporized by a sudden whip of black that came from the demon. The three screamed and quickly grabbed the last child and ran out while the men stayed behind.


    The blonde haired woman before leaving saw her husband dead on the ground. With the child in her arms she came to a stop and shouted, ¡°Avenge my beloved!¡± To the men.


    The two with their faces drenched in sweat nodded, and raised their fists. She ran out to regroup with the other women and quickly looked back at the house that was engulfed in flames now.


    Her eyes bugged out in anger as she saw the flames growing taller. ¡°Killith thee! Make it pay for ruining the lives of all and purging our town into darkness! You hear me!¡±


    The brunette woman joined in too as she held the only childs hand. ¡°Do it for the doctor and avenge our town, may God bless your souls!¡±


    The last woman who was middle aged was too busy glancing around to chime into their outbursts of motivation. Instead she had the look of terror on her face. Her eyes bugged out, mouth wide open, she let out a scream from the horrific sights her eyes were witnessing. The other women went to her to calm her down but she put her hand out and ran away. As she ran and screamed the crows that were cawing and just sitting on top of the homes and corpses of the dead cawed louder. She stopped and quickly her vicinity was engulfed in a tornado of black. The poor woman was being pecked to death by the crows. One crow pecked her eye and pulled it out, another ripped her ear off and as she fell on the ground swiping her surroundings they pecked her abdomen to reveal her steamy innards.


    ¡°No! No! Help me!¡± The woman shouted, but alas she succumbed to her feathery death.


    The birds started eating her flesh and their eyes glowed purple. The other women and child ran to another home in front of the chaos for shetler. The men inside the home were coughing and started losing their vision from the bright light that hurt their eyesight. But the two were determined and waited for the demon to succumb to the light that it was withering into. The light got brighter, the winds grew more intense, so intense that it blew apart the home, the flames and the men away. They fell on their backsides and into the streets. The two groaned as they got up and watched the lightshow turn brighter than the sun until his voice came out of it¡ª


    ¡°One has already come across such strength and¡­ overcame it, easily.¡± The light fades out and the demon stands there with the cross still stuck into his chest.


    The brown haired man stands up and is baffled. ¡°N-No¡­ wh-what does it mean by saying it¡¯s already experienced such a thing?¡±


    The swordsman only sat up and watched the horror of the black demon stand there, looking at nothing. ¡°Is-Is there no beating it then?¡±


    The black demon brought his stare to the men and grabbed the cross. ¡°A tough battle fought years ago, but only tough to those that stood my way, that being four individuals.¡± He ripped the cross out and crushed it in his hand. ¡°But the last one standing, I feel most bad for, because my actions aren¡¯t mostly my own but my thoughts at times.¡±


    The men felt hopeless and didn¡¯t say a word, only making sounds of defeat.


    The demon took his stare to the sky and let out another cry, making the crows fly away and then raised his hands to the sky. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, truly, I am, but may you all rest in a slumber where you don¡¯t have to endure my punishment!¡± He let out another cry and the men saw his aura explode once again.


    They both heard the women shout at them and the two ran to where they were taking shelter. The demon closed his hands and an explosion of absolute darkness burst out, engulfing the town. Homes blown away, corpses vaporized, bricks decimated, everything in this dead town was almost wiped in the blink of an eye. The aftermath left a crater of stretched earth where the demon stood, debris of leftover wood, stone and brick, but miraculously the house the people took shelter in was still standing but barely.


    The demon looked forward and saw the home but partially destroyed it with a confused tilt. The people inside were knocked out from the burst of black and they were covered in bruises and scuffs. The swordsman groaned as he tried sitting up and saw the demon standing there confused, but he too shared the same emotion on how he¡¯s still alive.


    That is until another man''s voice then spoke behind him, a soothing relaxed charming one at that. ¡°Huh, I see that I was in the nick of time to at least save a handful I shall say.¡±


    The swordsman had strength to sit up and look behind him and saw his saviour, making his eyes glisten. ¡°Do-Doctor?!¡±


    Standing before him was a tall man with a black plague suit, wearing a holy cross and started removing his plague mask. ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, I was out doing research to help cure this illness, but it seems to me that it¡¯s led itself again into my life.¡± He removes his mask completely, revealing his bleached blonde hair, golden hazel eyes of purity, and a goatee.


    The swordsman laughs and faints from his overwhelming emotions.


    The doctor grins and reaches down to touch the individual with his fingertips. ¡°Now now, rest my child.¡± The doctor looked at the demon and glared at it. ¡°For years I¡¯ve searched for you, you preposterous being of abomination.¡±


    The demon sighed and groaned. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning? How could thee, wait. That means you could be that one I just spoke about, right?!¡± The demon gripped its hair and screamed then laughed uncontrollably.


    The doctor started approaching it with heavy steps that trembled the earth. ¡°This time, I shall avenge my fallen comrades, my brothers, but more importantly¡­ lay a rest to this demon of uncertainty.¡±


    The demon hunched forward and puked black. ¡°I¡¯m a fool, an absolute fool!¡±  His black aura explodes again, spiking up into the sky and piercing the gray sky.


    The doctor nods and reveals his own strength, bringing out a hot fierce bladed aura of gold. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll never reap again. Because God has lent me his strength and spoken to me, this is your end, black death.¡±


    The demon rose his head to look at the sky, screaming out in agony. ¡°I¡¯m a fool, fool, fool, the biggest most dumbest¡ª¡±


    ¡°Barberic, idiotic, slefish fool¡­¡± said an angelic voice belonging to that of a woman.


    Basking on top of a steep, tall hill overlooking the blood-stained city of Detroit, a city plagued with it¡¯s never ending crime, corrupt politicians, and negligence towards the young. Standing there, is none other than the elegant woman in the red dress, being glazed by the moon''s bright light with her eyes closed. Her mesmerizing dress defining elegance fluttering, and her hands clasped, she¡¯s lost in her own train of thoughts, remembering a scenario she witnessed centuries ago. Her mysterious mind¡¯s brewing hate towards two people who¡¯ve brought nothing but trouble to the people of this city, endangering their lives and creating a plethora of observaties to others.


    She opened her eyes, revealing her saddened cold eyes of teal to observe the city, to watch from afar at the new mess that has been created over the selfishness of two idotic individuals who are fueling this hate she remembers all too well. A sudden nice breeze of eerie wind blew past from behind her, then it grew intensely, revealing her inner anger towards them. She lowers her hands and gazes at the black sky, clenching her frustrations and bringing forth the might of God to clap the very skies.


    She stares back at the city and brings out a horrid face of definitive hate, speaking angrily to herself and saying, ¡°I couldn''t save her, I couldn¡¯t save him, I couldn¡¯t keep my promise¡­¡±


    She wipes away that frown and stones her face. ¡°But this isn¡¯t the end. I won¡¯t stop until she prevails, I¡¯ll keep pushing even if I have to retaliate against my own beliefs, even if it means God himself will punish me again for my new very sins!¡±


    She spreads her elegant arms out and lowers her head, This madness won¡¯t end, until she gets what she desires¡­ but the thing that she wanted¡­ disappeared from her long ago and now¡­


    Raising her head up and looking deep into the angry skies she¡¯s creating, the woman¡¯s corneas of purity glowed that of pure red. ¡°She¡¯s on the hunt, the hunt to retrieve what she once thought she owned.¡±


    She lowers her long arms slowly and brings down cold tears of agony down onto the town covered in a mass of darkness. That very thing she wants is none other than¡­ you¡­ Jack Samr!


    Hail the size of baseballs came crashing down onto that town, the town where Jack currently is in and mysteriously seemed to be closed off from the rest of society. A huge wall that went around the entirety of the town''s existence had made this possible. But something else that¡¯s breaking the boundaries of normality had strangely brought forth an ominous, horrific occurrence that¡¯s currently happening to the town next to the one Jack¡¯s in.


    It seemed to be covered by a mysterious blanket of darkness, and from within that blanket¡­ The brewing echoes of horrified loneliness howled out of the depths of black. Those cries screeched of sorrow, solitary confinement, and betrayal. The woman in red heard them loud and clearly. She glances at the two towns, says a prayer to the two, and peacefully fades away¡­ leaving nothing but a single rose underneath the spotlight of the moon, glistening everso, where she once stood.


    At the edge of Detroit''s main freeway that had been blocked off from the public by police and where camera crews were gathering around. In front of them was a main entryway to a city that had been blocked off from society. Helicopters have just arrived belonging to the news networks, inside the city that was isolated had helicopters too, shining spotlights into the city and appeared to be scanning. Skylights beaming from within, piercing the dark skies above, gunshots went off, and police sirens were loudly evident from a distance. A news conference was about to be held from all the news stations from local to major news networks. They were on standby, waiting for the individual that invited them out to this meeting to speak about the situation in front of them.


    After waiting in a noisy environment, a white van pulls up from the sidelines, the cameras start rolling and the reporters start swarming it until men in white hurried out from behind the van, pushing them back and away. They all shouted, flashed their camera lights, and awaited for the person who they were so eager to talk to. Finally stepping out from the passenger side of the van was a man with blonde hair, a short beard, wearing a coffee colored trench coat and over six feet tall was none other than Dr. Cato.


    As he walked in front of the van and to take a better view of the city, taking a glance, he turned to the camera crews and nodded. ¡°Hello everyone, glad you all made it.¡±


    One of the reporters, a brunette woman, broke through the wall of men in white and shoved her mic in front of the doctor. She was about to be apprehended by one of his guards until he put his hand out, making him stop.


    She gulps and clears her throat before asking him her question. ¡°Uh yes, hello! Dr. Cato I¡¯m with MBC and I¡¯m wondering and asking on behalf of the people, what other information do you have about the strange outbreak that occurred here in that town near Flint Michigan!¡± she exclaimed while pointing to the blocked off city.


    Another reporter, a man broke through too and stood next to Dr. Cato. ¡°Hello and I¡¯m standing here with the man who¡¯s responsible to cure the illness that has the entire town quarantined for over two years now! Here to speak on the continuation of the investigation is Mr. Cato!¡±


    The reporter steps aside, allowing for his camera crew to get a better view of Dr. Cato as he pointed the mic in the doctor''s direction. The doctor replied with a smile at first, but was prepared to answer their repeated questions.


    Dr. Cato mildly chuckled. ¡°Why thank you! Yes it¡¯s absolutely horrible what has occurred in this town, but it¡¯s okay! We have everything under control!¡±


    The brunette lady got back into the picture. ¡°But Dr. Cato, you only stated it was just a chickenpox outbreak, correct?¡±


    The doctor adjusts his coat and clears his throat, ¡°Yes that is correct but here¡¯s the thing my sweet!¡± Everyone shuts up and all the news reporters who didn¡¯t break through hovered their mics or shoved them between the men in whites personal spaces. ¡°The reason why we sealed the town off is due to the fact this is an entirely new case of the chickenpox from what we¡¯ve discovered, much, much much more deadlier to folks like us and especially, more contagious.¡±


    The man reporter who¡¯s hungry for more of their companies'' ratings brought out a tougher question with a raised brow. ¡°Is that so, but this wasn¡¯t what you said last month doctor.¡±


    Dr. Cato¡¯s smile faded and he stilled his face.


    ¡°Even last year you said almost the exact same thing, you more so keep adding more to this problem and are making the lives of others inside the wall tougher, so what¡¯s really happening Mr. Cato?¡± He leaned his mic closer to Dr. Cato¡¯s mouth, and the doctor replied by blinking.


    Dr. Cato changed his still face to an expression of aggravation, gently pushing his mic away. ¡°Like I keep saying, this is much different than before now, it¡¯s mutated and has become extremely contagious, potentially deadlier than ever before people! Don¡¯t you roaches ever listen instead of jumping to conclusions?¡±


    The reporter raises his brow more, stroking his chin. ¡°Hmm, okay but what are the numbers in terms of the dead, what¡¯s the percentage we¡¯re looking at if we¡¯re talking about middle age peoples mortality rate?¡±


    The doctor sighs. ¡°We have an estimated five hundred casualties already.¡±


    All the other news network reporters burst through the wall of men, pointing, shoving their mics in front of the doctor''s face. Dr. Cato stood there, watching them. His men are trying to shove them away, grabbing, carrying them too, and his hearing grew staticy. Watching them all desperately trying to get the truth out of him like a bunch of vultures made him have his own flashbacks of the same scenario. His hearing rang, their voices muffled out, and everything slowed down, his world turned white for a moment.


    This brings me back, they¡¯re like me when I was this desperate to get answers out of someone whom I once was close friends with.


    The doctor watched the world fade in and out of that scenario until it turned back to normal as he continued remembering the scenario of when he first came across the mysterious little girl with black hair known as Angela. He looked up to the sky briefly and let out a deep sigh. Dr. Cato walked forward and the crowd moved aside, allowing him to walk as they continued to ruthlessly harass him with questions. Walking to the entrance gate to the enclosed city, staring up to the giant wall of concrete, Dr. Cato turned around and faced the crowd.


    Everyone stood still now, patiently waiting on what he¡¯ll say next.


    Dr. Cato glimpsed at every reporter with a distraught face until he spoke again. ¡°Mortality rate? You of all people want to mention, mortality?!¡± The doctor shook his head. ¡°If you¡¯re so keen on mortality then why don¡¯t you people ever report the horrodnous murder rate the cities of Flint and Detroit have if that¡¯¡¯s the case?¡±


    They didn¡¯t say a word, some lowered their mics, others looked away in shame, and some didn¡¯t react. Although their actions were different, their expressions said otherwise, all reporters and camera crews looked ashamed, they knew what he was talking about. But to their bosses it¡¯s not about that, it¡¯s about ratings and reporting the same thing over and over again won¡¯t do them any good. To their bosses, the crime in these two major cities are nothing more than old news.


    ¡°You reporters and your damn complex analysis. But, hopefully that answers your questions, so please¡ª!¡± Dr. Cato returns his smile from earlier. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s my job to make sure I come up with a cure to fix this issue and hopefully, to bring an end to this madness.¡±


    The reporters got irritated now, they swarmed his personal space again, shouting baseless questions about ghosts now and reporting the casualty numbers to their stations simutamaosuly. As all this was happening and the doctor was still smiling, something made everyone shut up. Behind them, the storm currently happening inside the closed town had grown fiercer, scaring everyone from the thunderous claps of the dark heavens to rapid lightning strikes flashing the sky and striking the ground below.


    Only one person wasn¡¯t affected by mother nature''s anger, that being Dr. Cato who turned around to glare up at the wall to look at the sky with an ominous suspicion. It¡¯s happening again, the storm of hell I like to call it, but why has it occurred now, here? All of a sudden and near the wall, hmm.


    The dark flashing clouds warped around the town, those hail balls that were plummeting inside changed course, shooting in the direction of the wall where everyone was standing behind. All the reporters scattered, screaming because it sounded like automatic gunfire. They got back into their vans for their safety while Dr. Cato stood still, staring into the hatred storm forming above them and properly expressing his feelings towards someone he detest so much.


    Clenching his fists, the cold steel rain coming down on them, feeling like bullets, Dr. Cato clenched his jaw as he watched the storm grow more violent. ¡°Jack, I will find you, and have my revenge¡­ Count on it, boy.¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 1: Hunted & Deceived

    A city away from the walled off society, being Detroit Michigan, currently inside of a lovely home belonging to someone''s grandparents away from the crime drenched areas were two girls. A blonde girl wearing a grunge attire laced in red and black, the other being a short goth girl wearing a long sleeved buttoned up white shirt with a black skirt and leggings, their names being Annabelle and Sarah. The two were sitting on the living room couch, watching the news convey as the mysteries that have occurred these past three years were being questioned or in this instance being chased away by the press.


    They both looked rather annoyed and unconvinced about the story that Dr. Cato guy¡¯s trying to explain to the masses. More notably the mysterious super storm that appeared, creating unnatural chaos and the town covered in mass darkness right beside it. Anna was biting her nails, getting annoyed and finally caving into her annoyance by sighing and grabbing the remote to turn off the television.


    ¡°What a load of bull...¡± Anna yawns while setting the remote to the side, ¡°I don¡¯t believe a single thing that guy says. I¡¯m telling you there¡¯s more going on, I can feel it!¡±


    Sarah, with a still face, pulls her phone out and searches the web for anything else in the story. ¡°Hmm? Perhaps you''re right, I mean they¡¯ve sealed those towns off for how long exactly?¡±


    Anna crosses her arms and lays back on the couch. ¡°Mmm, about two years now?¡±


    ¡°Right. So I find it hard to believe that¡¯s the real reason why they¡¯ve sealed off entire towns.¡± The goth girl lowers her phone and stares at nothing.


    I know there¡¯s more to this story than meets the eye, my dear friend Anna. But I can¡¯t tell you, I¡¯m sorry. Sarah thought.


    Sarah stands up and walks out into Anna''s kitchen to go out the back.


    ¡°Hey? Where are you going?¡± Anna quickly follows once her friend slid open the slide door.


    Sarah walks out and stands below a tree located closeby, taking deep breaths. Anna stood at the doorway, watching her mysterious little friend be in some sort of deep state of mind from how she was staring at nothing.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah, yoohoo? Tch, goth people.¡±


    It has to be¡­ especially three years ago when everyone felt the earth tremble, the skies ravanging, and more notably, my mother and myself having felt such pressure emitting from that town.


    Anna¡¯s a little confused on why her precious friend would do something so random at this time of day. She sticks her hip out and places a hand on one of those hip joints to wait for Sarah to finish on whatever she¡¯s doing.


    Yet she couldn¡¯t help but bring out a grin of humor at her closest friend. ¡°She¡¯s gotten more mysterious over the years, hasn¡¯t she?¡±


    I wonder what you are hiding Sarah? Tsk tsk, goth people. Anna thought


    Sarah closed those crimson eyes, bringing her shut gaze to the trees in the backyard. Sarah can feel mother earth''s gentle breath breeze against her pale skin, she could hear her calls to her children, the animals. The sky represents her laxed mood being cold and blue, but there was a hint of sadness in the air, a sense of danger too. Nature was telling Sarah what that danger was with gray clouds rolling over from the horizon, but undoubtedly, Sarah sensed this danger for such a long time that she kept it all to herself. Anna heard muffled thunder off from the distance and glanced at the sky, spotting those gray clouds rolling in.


    She walks up behind her friend and playfully pushes her, breaking her trans. ¡°Are you done praying yet crazy? It¡¯s about to rain it seems.¡±


    Sarah opened her eyes and saw the sadness that nature was about to express. ¡°Yeah, I guess you can say that and yeah¡­ It seems like a storm is coming, a big one at that.¡±


    Sarah turned around and poked her friend''s nose, walking past her to go back inside. Anna smacked her lips but smiled, quickly catching up with her. The two giggled and walked back inside.


    As Anna shut the slide door behind her, something came up in Sarah¡¯s webbed mind, a thought that had her worried and enough to over think, putting aside these other secrets which swirled around her mind constantly until this moment. Both girls walked back into the living room, but before going back into their seats, Sarah spoke out this trivial thought to her friend Anna.


    ¡°Hey Anna?¡± Sarah asked with a still face.


    Anna yanwed. ¡°What''s up Sarah?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Veronica? I haven¡¯t seen her for a while, how long has it been, like two months now?¡±


    Anna sighs and collapses back on the couch. ¡°She¡¯s studying like the crazed book worm that she is. Honestly, she could at least hang out with us for just a little!¡± Anna finished by smacking her lips annoyingly, crossing her arms too.


    Sarah chuckles, bringing out a subtle grin. ¡°That¡¯s Veronica for you. Oh, that reminds me, it¡¯s almost a certain someone''s birthday, am I right?¡±


    Anna raised her hands, looking surprised that someone like Sarah would remember something only her and Veronica would. ¡°Why yes, hmm.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Anna sits up and grabs the pendant on her irreplaceable necklace given to her by her best childhood friend. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you would remember Jack¡¯s birthday that¡¯s all.¡±


    Sarah sat next to her and patted her skirt. ¡°Eh, don¡¯t think too much about it, I hardly knew the guy but with the exchanges we had was enough for me not to hate him.¡±


    Anna grinned. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡± She let out a deep sigh, ¡°It¡¯s been eight years now¡­ hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah stayed quiet for a moment then nodded. ¡°Mhhm, it sure has been.¡±


    ¡°You know Sarah¡­.¡± Anna turned to her left to look at her friend and expressed a gentle smile. ¡°You may call me crazy, but I still don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s dead.¡±


    Sarah chuckles without expressing a grin or smile. ¡°I guess that confirms it, you¡¯ve fallen into such a deep depression that you¡¯re slowly falling insane my friend!¡±


    Anna playfully pushed Sarah¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh shut up haha!¡±


    Sarah places her tiny hand on Anna''s shoulder. ¡°But that¡¯s why you¡¯re so strong and such a positive person, making you my closest friend.¡± She lets go and lays back, staring at the shut off television.


    Anna¡¯s eyes glistened and she hugged her best friend, kissing her cheek. ¡°Aww, Sarah, don¡¯t make me kiss you on the lips now!¡±


    Sarah trickles a chuckle. ¡°The day I met both you and Veronica I knew you guys were the ones to turn me into the not so shy, mystery girl who¡¯s gothic at a very early age and scaring everyone half to death.¡±


    Anna cheek raped Sarah who didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°True, but why would anyone wanna be scared of you? I mean, so what if you have¡ªrare red eyes, really pale skin, always wearing black and sounding like a cold bitch.¡±


    Sarah raised a brow and gently pushed Anna off to look into her eyes. Anna smiled and bumped heads with her, making the mystery girl gasp.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have ever been scared of you, you¡¯re my adorable best friend! And a kind girl at that, the kindest of them all!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s jaw dropped, and her face expressed annoyance. ¡°The way you just put it and said it contradicts everything you said about me not being or being scary, bitch.¡±


    They both stared silently for a second, then laughed as Anna turned the t.v back on. The day passed by, the storm throughout the day took it¡¯s time coming in even though it seemed as if it were just an hour away earlier. It was starting to act up, creating soft sounds of thunder, flashing the sky, and it soon turned to night. Sarah tells Anna goodnight before the storm is fully functioning and runs back home. Anna walks to her room and lays on her bed flat on her stomach.


    She looks at her dresser next to her and stares at the old picture of her and Jack when they were children and smiles. ¡°Hi.¡±


    She turned over to bring her attention to her ceiling and clenched the pendant.


    ¡°Say Jack, it¡¯s almost my seventeenth birthday. Hopefully you¡¯re wishing me a happy birthday up there¡­¡±


    Her breathing grew a little fast thinking of him, she laid a hand on her forehead and closed her eyes.


    I still miss you¡­ but I know that one day you¡¯ll prove me wrong because I know you¡¯re alive and I know¡­ that I¡¯m not crazy¡­


    The sound of thunder cracking, rattling her room window scared Anna and made her jump right up. She clenched that precious pendant, sighs and realizes that it was just starting to pour. She lays back down and gazes at her window, watching the rain come down. The water on her window slid down as the flashes of lightning flickered on her face, bringing her eyelids down. The storm grew strong, so strong that it started creating strong winds abnormal to that of Michigan''s normal weather. Lightning flashed the dark heavens, soaring the sky with veins of nature''s anger, now bringing down hail balls.


    Across from where her lovely home was located, a city away and at the heart of the storm, a certain individual was on the run, completely soaked and looking battle scarred. Back at the scene of the wall where the storms ravaged above it, within the town being scanned by helicopters and hail falling to the ground, they were currently looking for something or someone. Dogs are barking viciously off in the distance, sirens echoing the empty town streets with the storm of damnation creating a single boom, muffling out the majority of sounds temporarily. Shadow figures appeared in front of town lights or beneath, belonging to that of the Men in White who were searching the area along with police checking every corner of this town closed off from society.


    Jack, a young man with a scar on his face, hair longer than his shoulders, was running through a long dark alley, running over puddles, bumping against trash cans and making them fall as the rain fell down hard blocking his vision mildly. His clothes are soaked and his hair is weighing him down, preventing him from running any faster.


    Despite these boundaries, the young man had a look of determination on his face. Shit¡­ shit, shit, shit¡­ Shit!


    He kept running and running through the blistering freezing rain while being struck by those balls of ice from the heavens. He couldn''t continue now, he needed to stop to catch his breath and get out from getting hit more. He takes temporary shelter beneath a point of the alley where the rain or hail couldn''t hit him. He places his hands on his knees, gasping for air, but this cold air was making it difficult for him to do so.


    ¡°I-I, I gotta keep go-going or¡ª¡± A bright light suddenly beamed at him from an angle, bringing him to a sudden panic. ¡°No, no.¡± Jack peaked his head out of cover, looked up and spotted a helicopter light shining on.


    Jack covered his face with a forearm as he shouted, ¡°Damn it!¡± and makes a run for it again.


    After running more through back alleys connecting to each other, Jack managed to make his way behind a local shopping center and hid behind one of the dumpsters to hide from that light of spotting doom. He¡¯s inside the smelly dump, waiting for it to pass by when a police car suddenly pulls up in front of the alley and parks. The policeman gets out and shines his long metal flashlight, trying to find the culprit. He aimed, scanned his spotlight at every direction of the dark alley as he walked in cautiously.


    The policeman controls his breathing, cooling his nerves as the cold rain made his hand tremble. Carefully and slowly with a hand on his holstered gun, another holding that long metal flashlight, he made sure that every corner of his vision was cleared the more he walked into this darkened alley. Jack could hear the cop''s heavy boots get closer and closer, splashing the water beneath them. Jack carefully lifted his head to take a peak and saw the cop just a doorstep away.


    ¡°Come on.¡± Jack mumbled.


    The cops next to the dumpster now, and Jack took the opportunity to ambush the officer by surprise once he walked past. As he did, Jack jumped out of the dumpster and rushed him from behind.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The officer shouted as Jack tackled him against the dripping wet brick wall.


    Grabbing his arm that had his hand on his holstered gun, Jack¡¯s trying to get the gun out of the officer''s grip. The two began to struggle over the weapon, groaning, the officer pulled it out and tried firing onto Jack¡¯s abdomen. Jack kneed him and lifted his arm out of the way, making the officer panic and fire a shot that echoed off into the distance. Jack ends the struggle with an elbow to the cops stomach, forcing him to let go, and Jack finally grabs the gun, pointing it at the officer.


    The policeman raised his hands up, frightened as Jack stared him down mad. ¡°Don¡¯t move or you¡¯re dead!¡±


    The officer stood against the cold brick wall, shivering both in fear and from the intense cold. ¡°Pl-Please don¡¯t kill me¡­ I¡¯m only doing what I¡¯ve been told.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Jack continues pointing the gun while shaking from the blistering cold, ¡°Te-Tell me what today''s date is!¡±


    The officer closed his eyes out of concern, ¡°18th of February¡­¡±


    Jack''s hands quivered even more from the cold rain drifting all around them. ¡°Wha-What time!¡±


    The officer opened his eyes and stopped shaking, looking at Jack as if he were crazy. ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    The two stood there with their breaths steaming the air, quietly staring at each other as another light flashes on Jack from his left, making him turn. The young man panics again and makes a run for it once more. Other officers came from nearby vehicles, men in white accompanying them also.


    The officer struggling with Jack joined along, informing them that, ¡°The bastards got my gun, let''s go!¡±


    They chased after the young man for a good distance, shouting orders to Jack to ¡°Stop!¡± or that ¡°it¡¯s over for him!¡±


    Jack glimpsed everywhere as he ran, feeling his lungs expanding and feeling the urge to pop from this damned air of cold. Goddamn it¡­ wh-what do I do?!


    As Jack¡¯s running through this long alley and seemed as if his night was numbered, glancing around for any last signs of hope, Jack spotted a nearby door, not giving a damn where it led him.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    It¡¯s do or die Jack!


    Jack briefly looked over his shoulder, firing a shot at the group chasing after him and forcing them to take cover temporarily. Jack used this chance he made for himself to bust open the door with his shoulder that surprisingly led inside the shopping center. He closes the door and blocks it by tipping over some pallets. Jack continues running deeper inside the dark store.


    Jack then made an abrupt stop, looking at each sign that hung over their departments. ¡°I-I could use thi-this chance to get some new clo-clothes.¡±


    Jack power walked through the store and found the sign he was looking for and nodded. Running to the section of mens clothing, Jack quickly removes his wet clothes as they splashed on the floor. He grabs a trench coat, a shirt, underwear, gloves, and boots. He lastly grabs a cowboy hat and puts it on. After giving himself a free shopping spree, Jack tries running out the front but more police cars pull up unsuspectedly.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± He glimpses around as he runs around, and something catches his dried wide eyes.


    It¡¯s a pair of steps that¡¯ll lead to the rooftop of the building. Without another moment to think, Jack ran to those steps, and made his way up to the rooftop. He kicks the door down and makes it back outside to the freezing hell. He spots an edge where he can jump down then sees that same helicopter that spotted him earlier pointing it¡¯s light around the area a block away. Quickly, Jack rushes to that edge and gently jumps down, landing on his feet. Jack lets out a long breath, creating a huge cloud of his inner heat around his face.


    ¡°No-Not another moment to spare now.¡± Jack decides to play as a homeless person for the time being.


    He sat next to a bunch of trash cans and lowered the hat on his face to submerge it into darkness.


    A nearby officer happens to comeby, flashing his light on Jack shortly after. ¡°Hey! Have you seen a tall guy run past here?¡±


    Jack decides to speak differently, replying to him in a tone seeming malnourished. ¡°Can¡¯t you just leave a worthless maggot to sleep in peace you pig?¡±


    The cop shakes his head and walks away. Jack lets out a warm sigh, feeling relieved because he can rest for a moment. After five minutes he stands up and runs again, making his way to the other side of the street to finally spot a nearby highway underpass, running to it. The police and men in white continue to search the town as Jack runs to his temporary freedom. Jack finally reaches his checkpoint to rest at ease and sits down under the highway underpass.


    ¡°Fucking finally¡­¡± He removes the hat and blows his inner heat onto his blue hands to warm himself up the best he could.


    Jack shivers and rests his head against the freezing concrete. He¡¯s so exhausted and cold that in the sitting position he¡¯s in started to feel cozy, even making him relaxed enough to close his eyes, accidentally falling asleep in this hellish weather of water and ice.


    Just for a couple of minutes¡­ Is all I need¡­


    Falling into an exhausted slumber, Jack¡¯s body fell slightly to the side, smacking his face against the freezing concrete. In this night of one''s agony and anger, all Jack had coursing through his blackened mind was absolute nothingness.


    As night went on, the sky grew darker, but from beyond the skylines drew in rolling clouds of bright grey and purple that lit up the sky like an aurora of depression. Covering the skies with the hint of sadness in this time of night brought out a mysterious fog too, one that slithered from all directions and engulfed the area into a haziness. The fog felt colder than the rain that was falling earlier, Jack shivered intensely, rolling around on the concrete. The night sky soon faded out into the clouds that had taken over. As the young man trembled in his uncomfortable slumber, he soon heard faint voices inside his hollowed mind.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± Someone said very faintly, making him squint.


    Wh-Who is¡ªthat?


    ¡°Jack!¡± The voice sounded familiar yet irritated him in his current sleep, making him grit his teeth.


    Shut up¡­ leave me be, and let me wallow in my shame¡­


    ¡°Jack!¡± They shouted, but now it sounds soothing to the ear, and womangly.


    Who¡­ Who¡¯s there¡­?


    ¡°Please! Come back to me!¡± It¡¯s becoming much clearer to recognize, its distinct voice made him lay upwards on the concrete in quaking frustration.


    Hold up¡­ is-is this¡­?


    ¡°Jack!¡± The voice becoming absolutely clear in that moment made him burst his eyes open.


    Staring up at the rolling clouds of purple and grey, Jack¡¯s eyes shook in guilted horror. His mouth half open, letting out moans of sadness, the young man sat up and glanced around.


    The mist was so thick he couldn¡¯t see through it, leaving him only to stare at the wall of dense smoke. ¡°Wh-Where am¡ªI?¡±


    He continued staring straight as he stood on his feet. Jack blinked and clutched his head, it started creating an abundance of pain.


    ¡°Why¡¯s my head hurting now, it feels similar to when¡ª¡± The thought of his past made him hurl, making the young man drop to a knee and querl.


    Mother of¡­ why¡¯s my body aching, am I having a vivid dream?! It¡¯s been so long since I had one.


    As he fought through the pain, he felt someone tap his shoulder, making him turn over to look. What he saw in front of him was¡­


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes trembled, sweat dripped from every pore of his body, the person who tapped his shoulder was¡ª


    ¡°Is¡­? Are you, me?¡±


    A person who looked almost identical, but their hair was longer, messier, their clothes ripped and that of medieval times. Their heights were almost identical too when Jack stood up again to stare at this supposed twin. He couldn¡¯t really see their face because of the curtain of hair covering it. The two stared at each other in silence, the fog around them grew thicker, changing color to that of blackened death. But Jack wasn¡¯t paying attention to that, this individual standing before him had his full attention.


    ¡°Wh-Who are you?¡± Jack asked as his eyes rattled.


    The person replied with only his breathing, and mild twitch.


    ¡°Answer me, am I in another one of Her dreams?¡±


    Their breathing grew heavier, louder when Jack mentioned Her. Jack saw the person ball their fists, his arms shaking in silent anger. That went on for a minute until they calmed down and blew out a tremendous amount of air through their nostrils, briefly revealing their mouth which Jack saw.


    In that glimpse of seeing the individual''s mouth made Jack¡¯s eyes grow wider. He saw that their mouth was stitched shut by some slimy black substance. It made Jack take a step back, and moan. The individual raised their hand and pointed at Jack, making him stop. Jack wasn¡¯t sure what he was about to do.


    ¡°W-Who are you!¡±


    Jack had enough of this suspense and in that moment of raising his tone made the person lunge at him in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°Argh?!¡±


    The person had Jack by the grip of his neck, strangling his windpipe. Jack grabbed their forearms, trying his damndest to get him off him. But everytime he would struggle the person''s grip grew tighter. Jack groaned, furrowed his brows, and even threw a punch but it did nothing against the individual.


    Jack¡¯s vision was beginning to blur. ¡°St-Stop, pl-please.¡±


    The person clenched harder, and Jack¡¯s eyes started watering. His face turning blue, he could feel his last breaths coming into fruition. The person then shook Jack, throwing him on the ground while still strangling him to shake him intensely. The young man''s eyes began to roll back as he was being shakened to his strangled death. Foam came out his mouth and Jack started producing the sound one would make when their death was seconds away¡ªthe death rattle.


    The person violently shook Jack, his head wobbling in his grip until Jack no longer moved. But that didn¡¯t stop the person from shaking him like crazy. He slammed his body up and down on the concrete, shaking his corpse to uncertainty, producing groans of frustration.


    Yet despite meeting his end, Jack can feel the shaking sensation in absolute darkness, wondering why he¡¯s still conscious somewhat.


    Ho-How am I still feeling this shaking? How can I wonder when I can no longer breathe?!


    It continued for a tedious amount until Jack¡¯s eyelids exploded again, exposing his bloodshot eyes. He panics, quickly gets up, and points the gun he had hidden inside the coat at the person. But it wasn¡¯t that individuel it was his uncle Eric that wore blue jeans, his timbs, and black coat instead who looked worried for Jack.


    He backed away with a raised brow. ¡°Woah man, relax okay, it¡¯s me, Eric.¡±


    Jack swallowed and held his eyelids shut for a couple of seconds, mildly tilting his head. So it was just a dream then.


    Jack lowered the gun and grabbed his head. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry man.¡±


    Jack felt relieved that it was only Eric who did all the shaking and confirmed it was just a vivid dream. Though he questioned who that look alike was and why he tried to kill Jack. Eric wasn¡¯t pleased on the other hand, he looked pissed, he didn¡¯t take too kindly the fact the young man pointed a gun at him.


    Eric shakes his head, ¡°Bro? Really?! You know better man! Don¡¯t point that shit at me.¡±


    Jack had fully calmed his panicked state and put the gun away. ¡°Sorry¡­ I-I just had a rough night.¡± He drags a hand across his pale face.


    ¡°Yeah! I can tell, you fool.¡± Eric reached his hand out to Jack.


    Jack reached up and grabbed his uncle''s hand, letting him assist his tired butt up off the concrete.


    ¡°Where the hell were you last night dumbass?¡±


    Jack coughs and continues shivering. ¡°I-I was trying to get back to our old home, but I couldn¡¯t even make it pa-past the damn other side of town without an asshole calling me out.¡±


    Eric sighs, shaking his head again and places his hands on his hips. ¡°Jack¡­ don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time?¡±


    Jack coughs loudly. ¡°Time for what, exactly?¡±


    Eric glances at the gray sky, remembering. ¡°It¡¯s been three years since that day. Not to mention the fact we¡¯ve been on the run for two years now. We need to move on¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s face turned still. ¡°That¡¯s funny coming from you, I¡¯d thought we¡¯d both share the same mental state, but here we are and I¡¯m the one who¡¯s gone bananas.¡±


    Feeling and hearing how truthful Jack¡¯s words were made the big guy bring out a small chuckle. ¡°Yeah, no shit. You¡¯re fucking minds worse than it ever has been my guy.¡±


    Jack wallows in his own truthful shame, letting out a soft sigh. ¡°Anyways, there¡¯s still things I need to get from there. Important things for¡ªher.¡±


    Jack squinted his eyes, clenching his fists as that shame started showing itself.


    ¡°Hey hey, let''s not talk about that, okay? If it upsets you to mention your sister, then let''s change the subject.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, It¡¯s just, I can never forgive myself. It¡¯s all my fault that everything happened to you guys but more importantly, her.¡±


    Eric pats Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You can¡¯t keep blaming yourself for that night. I know we lost a lot of people. Even the ones we hold dearest to, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time my guy? Let''s move on.¡±


    Jack brought his still stare to the cars driving by from a distance. ¡°No, not yet. I still don¡¯t have the courage to go see her, I feel like if I do, It¡¯ll just¡ªbreak me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to see her. She¡¯s resting now, so¡ª¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why I have to get back to the old house to retrieve something that she held dearest too. To remember.¡±


    Eric chuckles. ¡°Well, I tried but looks like I ain¡¯t budging you my guy, I understand. Come on big guy, we gotta keep going or else someone will spot us again.¡±


    Jack proceeds to walk and Eric follows. ¡°You¡¯re right, let''s go back to the hideout.¡±


    But he stopped and suddenly threw up from intense hunger. Eric quickly backs away. Jack wipes his mouth with his wet sleeve and looks over his shoulder at Eric.


    ¡°You alright?¡± said Eric as he looked grossed out.


    Jack calmed his breathing, and let out a very deep sigh. ¡°You know what Eric¡ªI still don¡¯t understand why I keep going, I mean I have nothing left¡­ right?¡±


    Eric forgot how unstable Jack¡¯s mind and emotions were, and for a simple puking that just triggered this sudden spew of randomness made the uncle hurry to his side. He pats the young man''s back to settle his nerves, and it worked. Jack scratched his head and sighed again.


    Eric slapped the young man''s back to make sure he got everything out. ¡°It''s still not your fault, stop beating yourself up already kid.¡±


    Jack slightly grins to show his uncle that he¡¯s appreciative of him still, especially sticking by him throughout these years of hell. ¡°I-I lost everything, everything¡­ Yet, I still keep going? I wonder what¡¯s driving me to keep pushing through this hellish journey of mine.¡±


    Eric smiles. ¡°Because you still have something that drives you, don¡¯t forget that Jack.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t think so, he wondered what his uncle meant by that. As his burdens keep stacking on his shoulders and making his knees feel heavy, he looks up to the misty gray sky and frowns. Eric walks on without saying another word and Jack follows behind him. The two kept walking until they were at their destination, but as they¡¯re walking they could see the wanted posters for Eric and the five million dollar bounty poster for Jack all over the town and outside neighborhoods. They were plastered on poles, walls, windows, any surface that can show the world the quick fortune someone can make if they comprehend either one or both. Carefully they walked past these places without anyone noticing that it¡¯s them with Jack wearing that cowboy hat and Eric raising the hood of his coat over his no longer shaved head. They arrived at their hideout which was near the Michigan river and looked over the town, leading to a big sewer entrance.


    Despite it smelling rancid, it¡¯s the best they could do for now. They walked inside their makeshift hideout made of wood and sat down. Jack removed his wet clothes and grabbed some fresh clean warm clothes from his side of the place, letting the wet ones carefully dry out by hanging them up over the dead firepit.


    Eric turns on the radio sitting on a makeshift bench and lights up the fire pit. ¡°Yo Jack!¡±


    Jack stretched and sat next to the fire. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°You heard about folks dying in their sleep lately? That shit got me really creeped out. What¡¯s worse is that some news reporters snuck into the town next to us, you know that¡¯s completely blacked out and they found those reporters dead the next morning outside the wall.¡±


    Jack crosses his arms. ¡°That is strange, but I still can¡¯t believe that a man like Dr. Cato would close off two entire towns from the rest of society and make up a lie just to kill me for money. That guy has some serious issues.¡±


    Eric raised his brows and rolled his eyes. ¡°Coming from a guy who actually has issues.¡±


    Jack smacked his lips. ¡°Hey! I may be a killer but I¡¯m no psychopath.¡±


    Eric laughed and slapped his thigh. ¡°That¡¯s hilarious!! You''re making me die here my guy!¡±


    ¡°Hey, not funny. In all seriousness, why would that bastard go that far just to kill me? We¡¯ve been running for two years now, you¡¯d think he¡¯d quit by now?¡± Jack hovers his hands close to the fire''s heat.


    ¡°I wish it was that easy but that punk really hates your ass if he¡¯s willing to continue to play his act.¡±


    Jack sighs and decides to take a nap to kill time, laying down next to the fire. ¡°Whatever, wake me up in a bit will ya?¡±


    Eric sighed. ¡°When I get back, I¡¯m gonna get some supplies aight.¡±


    ¡°Be careful then, well I¡¯m sure you will be compared to me.¡±


    ¡°Need anything stupid?¡±


    Jack shut his eyelids. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll be fine for now. But one more thing, those bastards in white are back in town so you should be extra careful.¡±


    ¡°Great, ain''t that some shit, I guess I do then. Well, wish me luck.¡± Eric begins packing his survival bag and before leaving Jack opens his eyes.


    Jack then remembers the handgun he took from the cop and grabbed it, tossing it in his uncle''s direction. ¡°Yo!¡±


    As Eric turned around from Jack¡¯s call, he caught the gun that was being tossed to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re gonna need it more than me.¡±


    Eric grinned. ¡°Well shit, this will be useful.¡± He emptied the gun to check the magazine.


    Checking how much ammo the gun had, Eric thanks Jack as he walks out to confront the hostile world after them. Jack lays down upward with his hands behind his head, taking a glance to the fire, watching the flames crackle and feeling the soothing heat warm his body. He stares deep into the flames, watching them rise, fall, change colors continuously until he falls asleep.


    As the young man was taking his well deserved nap, he heard a bang coming from their makeshift door. It was enough to wake him up and to get to the door to investigate the sound. Rubbing an eye, Jack opens the door to find nothing or anyone that could¡¯ve created that bang. He shrugged it off and closed the door, but the moment he had the door fully shut it came back. It annoyed Jack a little. He opened the door again to find no one, and it made him raise the edge of his lip.


    That raised edgy lip twitches as he was glancing around the area. ¡°Who¡¯s fucking with me?¡±


    Feeling curious as to who or what might be screwing with him, he decides to investigate the area around. He glimpses back inside and then walks outside, closing the door behind him. It was dawn, and it seemed like night might be approaching. Jack walked around their makeshift shelter to find nothing, then looking around the entire area, even looking straight at the entrance to the massive sewer entrance.


    ¡°If i were fucking with someone, then I¡¯d be hiding in there. But man does it smell like shit.¡±


    Jack takes a deep breath and decides to follow his investigation further by walking into the sewer entrance, right to the path of darkness. He felt it wasn''t needed to bring any source of light because he was only going in enough to only see if there would be anything that would catch his cold dead fish eyes. Walking deeper into the sewers, his light source slowly fading further, Jack makes the assumption that it might¡¯ve been his imagination.


    ¡°Well, might as well go back inside.¡± When Jack turned around to walk back to the light, someone was standing at the entrance. ¡°Wh-Who in the?¡±


    They stood there, ominous, without moving a single muscle.


    ¡°Hey! Who are you?!¡±


    They didn¡¯t respond, instead Jack got something else, a loud wail coming from behind him from darkness.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on?!¡± Jack¡¯s forehead got sweaty, his limbs shook, he felt perplexed.


    The person standing finally moved an arm, raising it and pointing at Jack. The haunting wail behind him grew louder, making Jack look back and forth in confusion. The events unfolding for Jack grew a giant migraine in his head, bringing the young man to his knees from the intensity. His head pulsed, clutching it wasn¡¯t doing anything, and his vision was blurring once again like before.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening?¡± Jack¡¯s eyes rolled behind his head and the young man passed out.


    The person standing at the entrance earlier wasn''t there any more, they were right beside Jack, staring down at him. It was the individual from his vivid dream and he reaches down to Jack, patting his shoulder as if they were buddies. He rose up and stared down the black tunnel and chuckled. He then walked forward into the vast dark, disappearing and leaving Jack alone.


    ¡°Am-Am I¡ªdead again?¡± Jack heard the sweaty ceiling drip onto the concrete next to him. ¡°If I could hear that, then I¡¯m not, but what they hell happened?¡±


    The sounds of the sewer soon faded out to white noise, startling Jack and making him gasp in his trans. As the noise of total isolation continued, something could be heard in his mysterious slumber, an actual noise of some sort.


    Wh-What now?


    This sound produced noises of distress, sorrow, and loneliness. A sound to one¡¯s nightmares if they were buried alive and felt absolutely hopeless.


    Again, what¡¯s going on¡­ Why did I pass out or have I fallen asleep again? It¡¯s so dark, and this sound, again why am I hearing this?


    The sounds of unbearing sorrow echoed in Jack''s foggy blackened mind. This abundance is ridiculing him once again in this mysterious event that he fell into.


    Just tell me who you are! Stop crying, stop screaming so softly, come closer and unveil who you are!


    No matter what Jack said inside his hollowed mind to whoever''s making these noises that made him feel utter guilt, they wouldn''t reply nor acknowledge his presence. While hearing these cries of agony, Jack could feel something burning in his heart, yet he questioned if this was pain, or is this sadness?


    Why are you doing this! Why are you engraving these feelings onto my damned heart, because it¡¯s making me feel like the biggest pile of human garbage to ever exist!


    The longer this continued, the worse Jack felt. Ultimately, these feelings started interwinding, forming into the one feeling he detested so much whenever someone did this as an act, and that feeling was betrayal.


    Stop¡­ Stop, stop it!


    The sensation of guilt grew bigger, the burden of being at fault swelled his mind. Jack¡¯s losing it, even he began screaming inside his mind. He could feel his heart melt from continuously hearing this person''s wails of unsorry truth banging against his eardrums. As all this unfolded inside the state of blackness, the person said one thing, once again their voice was that of a female, a female¡¯s voice he knew all too well, and they screamed ¡°Jack!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Jack finally woke up and erratically looked around, realizing he was back in the hideout.


    Realizing it was yet another dream he lets out a long breath, and drags a hand over his sweaty face. He can¡¯t believe how much his mind is playing games with him. Jack felt his sanity was degrading and felt as if he was falling into a spiraling dark hole.


    ¡°Another fuckery?! Another vivid dream, huh?!¡± He smacks his hand against his forehead and takes deep breaths to calm his annoyance.


    He can feel the sweat rub on his hand as he sighs and stands up. Jack wants to get out to get a fresh taste of air to cool his heated mind, so he grabs the coat he got last night and puts it on. He walks outside and spots helicopters over the town again, scanning the area like vultures trying to find a corpse to feed on.


    ¡°Still looking for me huh, you bastard?¡± Jack tucked his hands into the coats pockets and watched those man made flying contraptions continuously search the town in circles like vultures.


    He walks back inside for a moment to grab something to reduce this actual migrain beginning to grow. Walking over to his bookbag full of survival supplies, he opens it, and digs into it. He felt this item he wanted to ease this pain.


    ¡°This must be it.¡± He pulled out a bottle of unknown pills with no label on them.


    Jack could feel his body itching for another taste of these white guilty pleasures. He pours two out, ingested them, and already, they kicked in, making him feel amazing, lazy, and spinny.


    Jack feels disappointed that he¡¯s gotten to the point his body is urging for more of these mysterious white pills. ¡°Man, if Angela knew how her brother was doing, she¡¯d be so disappointed.¡±


    Jack sits down and stares at the labeless bottle. Baby sis¡­ if you were here right now, I would never allow you to see me in this state¡­


    Jack clutches the bottle, staring angrily at it with a drugged up grin. ¡°Because I¡¯ve gotten to the point of proving Dr. Cato right! I¡¯ve become the very thing that ended Joseph''s life and led Alexandria to her death¡­ And that being¡ªa worthless drug addict, bwhaha.¡±


    The bottle cracks from the growing pressure of his grip and the high kicks in so quickly and badly that it makes Jack fall back asleep immediately without his notice. Laying there like the disappointment that he is, Jack couldn¡¯t help but share one last thought before losing consciousness to the white pilled demons he just consumed.


    I truly am a failure of a human being. I don¡¯t deserve to live¡ªyou did, baby sis¡­

 Arc 3 Chapter 2: Going Home

    Night has come, crickets creating sounds representing bored desolation, the streets were empty and flying bugs harassed any source of light in the area. Currently Eric¡¯s at the farside of town, at the moment he¡¯s talking inside a phone booth near an abandoned motel to one of his boys who¡¯ve been checking the original area for him in his absence.


    His boy was currently sitting inside his car, glancing around the empty neighborhood. ¡°The situation got worse, boss, way worse than we can imagine!¡±


    ¡°Shit how bad we talking?¡± Eric swatted a fly that¡¯s buzzing around him.


    ¡°Really bad, not only that but they¡¯re some spooky ass shit going on in the hood!¡±


    Eric seemed confused, scratching his temple. ¡°What do you mean? What¡¯s going on in there?¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ it¡¯s hard to explain but I know you heard about people dying in their sleep, right? Well that shit started happening two years ago when you and the boy ran away. Ever since then, it¡¯s gotten so much worse in terms of like, spooky ass shit.¡±


    Eric groaned in response to his boy''s explanation with that worried tone of his.


    ¡°Eric man, the other night I heard a girl sing and giggle during the night and next thing you know my neighorbers are fucking dead man.¡±


    Eric raised both his brows, going silent for a moment to comprehend what his homie was telling him.


    That shit sounds similar to when Jack and I went to those buildings three years ago. Shit sounds the same on what I encountered that night.


    ¡°What the hells going on? You don¡¯t think it¡¯s those fools in white messing with people''s minds and killing people in the night to cover their fake news?¡±


    ¡°Nah man¡­ this is different, something ain¡¯t right and I feel like we¡¯re next.¡±


    Eric gripped his chin, looking to his right. As he was quiet for the moment, his boy stopped talking too and then everything went completely silent for a full fledge minute that felt like an hour.


    Eric didn¡¯t like this radio silence, it brought uneasiness towards the big man, trickling out a drop of sweat from his head. ¡°Yo, yo? Can you hear me, where¡¯d you go homie?¡±


    His homie, responded, but by whispering into the phone. ¡°B-Boss, do you hear it?¡±


    Eric listened closely and he could hear a girl singing softly, it was gentle yet eerie. ¡°What¡­ the?¡±


    Suddenly, Eric''s boy screams and the phone goes totally static.


    ¡°Hey! You aight?!¡±


    No response, only the sound of the phone line being cut was the big man''s answer.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Eric hangs up the phone. ¡°Damn, what the fucks going on in that fucking area?¡±


    As Eric¡¯s about to leave the booth, the phone mysteriously rang. Eric turned round and stared at the ringing phone, his heart started pumping. That uneasiness from earlier grew, he felt uncomfortable, to the point he felt it would be better to not answer. But, he had to answer it, just in case it was his homie. He swallowed nervously and slowly walked up to it and carefully answered the phone.


    Eric swallows again out of nervousness, the phone shaking in his big hand, a slight gasp, he answers. ¡°Hell-Hello?¡± His breathing started intensifying, ¡°Wh-Who¡¯s this?¡±


    A response he didn¡¯t get, but instead he did hear a mild faint breathing coming from the other side of the phone but questioned if it was his own fear tricking him. His ears pumping, licking his lips, Eric had enough and didn¡¯t want to proceed further with this and decided to hang up once again.


    As Eric¡¯s about to hang up the phone, a girl''s voice screams into it, screeching, ¡°Where¡¯s Jack!¡± Eric hangs up immediately and panics, running away from the booth and hiding inside the abandoned motel in total darkness.


    Eric sits down on the molded out carpet and relaxes himself for a minute before he could wrap his emotions thoroughly. ¡°Wh-What the fuck?!¡±


    Eric picked his ear and wondered if he heard that correctly, the fact that someone called out Jack''s name, but more importantly, what ever happened to his homie? Night continued, moths surrounded lights, crickets went on disturbing the silence ensuing in the area, Eric can¡¯t believe this night. As the big guy sat in darkness, the thought of his homie potentially being dead made him slam a fist against the damaged wall behind him. Yet the screaming of that girly voice sounded familiar for some odd reason, but that moment she screamed for Jack¡¯s name only confirmed his hidden suspicious and mystery revolving behind him


    ¡°You¡¯re not dodging anymore questions from me boy. When I get back, you better tell me more, otherwise you¡¯ll truly be a failure towards Angela.¡±


    Eric got up and walked out the front door of the room he was hiding in, stepping out into the night.  He stared up at the night sky, spotting the crescent moon and a single star next to it, bringing out a sigh out of the big guy.


    ¡°Oh how I miss you baby girl, hopefully you¡¯re talking with Randolph up there¡­ If so, tell him, what up, my guy.¡±


    The next day comes by, Eric returns back to the hideout towards the beginning of the afternoon. When he walks inside the hideout he spots Jack still asleep.


    ¡°Hey, big idiot, wake up. I¡¯m home.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t respond, only his loud snoring was Eric¡¯s only reply. Eric got annoyed and got closer to him, seeing that he was completely out. He didn¡¯t have time to watch the young man take a snooze, so he reaches down to him and shakes Jack to wake him up. Despite doing so, he still wouldn¡¯t wake up.


    ¡°What the hell man, getcha ass up.¡± He turns Jack over and a bottle of pills rolls off his hand past his feet.


    Eric tilts his head. He picks the bottle up and examines it to see what it was. He rattles it, opens the lid then pours some out onto his hand, the color was blue and he immediately knew what they were. Knowing what type of pills they were made him smack his lips and shake his head.


    ¡°What would your sister think, moron!¡± The now angry uncle kicks Jack on his side, managing to slightly wake him.


    Jack¡¯s still a bit out of it, he tries waking up more but his eyelids struggle to stay open and tries falling back asleep. Eric kicks him harder and this time it works. Jack sits straight, massaging his side and back.


    With half an eye shut, the young man looked up to his uncle and saw him angry. ¡°Wh-What happened? Why¡¯d you kick me?¡±


    ¡°You dumb fool, you wouldn¡¯t wake up with yo drug addicted ass!¡± Eric threw the pill bottle at him, turning away from Jack.


    ¡°So-Sorry¡­¡± Jack stands up and scratches the back of his neck. ¡°It was a rough night, and I was out of it, my bad.


    ¡°Tch, none of that matters now.¡± Eric removes his bookbag and opens it, trying to reach for something.


    Jack sat on the floor with his head hung. Eric got what he needed and looked over his shoulder, whistling at Jack. He looks up to his uncle to see why he was whistled at. Eric throws a can of beans to Jack and he catches it.


    ¡°Eat up sucka. Bon Appetit!¡± chuckled Eric.


    Jack shrugged and opened the can. ¡°Thanks, so, what happened last night? You didn¡¯t come back I presume?¡±


    Eric got his own can of beans out as well, taking a seat near the ongoing fire. ¡°Yeah, you''re right. And here¡¯s what happened, I contacted one of my boys and he told me that shits got worse in the old neighborhood.¡±


    Jack grabbed a pan out of his own bag that was behind him, poured the beans on it and hovered it over the fire. ¡°Okay, so I¡¯m assuming more of Dr. Craps men are patrolling the area presumably?¡±


    Eric expressed worry, sweat dripped from his face, and Jack noticed his uncle¡¯s eyes crunched. ¡°No, he told me about the situation of the people dying in their sleep¡­¡±


    Jack paused, leaving the pan to hover over the fire. His uncle watched carefully on his self-proclaimed nephew''s movements, seeing if he could get any other reactions out of it the more he revealed about the situation of his homie.


    ¡°As he was explaining about it, he got interrupted by something, and then¡ª¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened, and the young man let out a soft gasp. Eric hunches forward and gives Jack a sharp gaze.


    ¡°I lost contact with him and never heard from him again.¡±


    Jack accidentally spilled some beans onto the fire, making it crackle more. Eric already knew about Jack¡¯s suspicious body language and was only observing as he explained his homies situation. Jack seemed a bit surprised, looking erratically, but at the same time, he seemed rather calm about the situation. This burden of suspicion on Eric¡¯s giant muscular shoulders grew heavier towards Jack, so to initiate more out of him, he started adding questions into his explanations.


    ¡°Maybe he¡ªgot killed by some rivals or something?¡± said Jack as he quickly blew air out his nose.


    Eric clasped his hands and rested his head on them, keeping his gaze onto Jack. ¡°Perhaps homie, but say, you ever wonder if it could¡¯ve been more? Maybe something not normal, right?¡±


    Jack glances down at his feet. ¡°Th-That could be, maybe.¡±


    Eric nods as he strokes his jaw. ¡°Yeah, or maybe¡ªI don¡¯t know, something supernatural is going on there, that could be it.¡±


    ¡°Eric, you¡¯re probably over¡ª¡±


    ¡°You probably know why? Don¡¯t chu, my guy.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What do-do you mean?¡± Jack asked with a shaky voice.


    Eric showed the edge of his teeth, growing impatient as the conversation continued. ¡°The moment I hung up, the phone, it rang again, and when I answered¡ª¡±


    Jack forces a chuckle, nervously hovering the pan over the fire and his beans becoming well overcooked. Eric watched carefully as the young man brought his gaze away, sweating profusely, and blinked erratically. The big uncle sharpened his gaze and softly blinked.


    Jack forced a grin, even twitched an eye. ¡°Eric you¡¯re crazy! Something supernatural! Ha-Ha! I didn''t expect you to be saying¡ª¡±


    ¡°A girl screamed through the phone calling your name my guy.¡±


    Jack paused everything, his words, his movements. The fire crackling, Eric breathing, the outside wind slipped its way through every crack into their shelter, the young man was perplexed. After minutes of silence, Jack¡¯s jaw dropped, drops of sweat trickling down his cheeks, he wasn¡¯t even looking at Eric in the eyes the entirety of the suspense his uncle was creating. The young man took a glance at his uncle, his gaze still sharply on him, they were both looking at each other in suspense. Eric especially, whose eyes grew more fierce. Jack didn¡¯t like the way Eric¡¯s looking at him though, it was a look he was familiar with when he wanted to punch someone''s lights out, so he slightly looked off to the side again.


    Eric cracked his fingers by pumping them, shortly spat too. ¡°Is there something you¡¯re not telling me¡ªJack? Because I know damn sure I¡¯m mentally stable compared to you, my guy.¡±


    Jack continues his silence, still not looking at his angry uncle.


    Eric drops the can of beans on his left hand and rises up. ¡°And I most definitely know that I wasn¡¯t hearing shit!¡± Eric¡¯s tone turned angry as he stabbed at Jack¡¯s direction with his finger.


    Jack still didn¡¯t look back and pulled the pan back towards him. He started eating the beans in silence as Eric kept his fierce gaze upon him. Eric had enough and walked up to Jack, placing both hands on Jack''s shoulder, but the young man¡¯s gaze was still away while he ate in silence.


    Eric slowly reaches into his Jacket, ¡°We¡¯re homies right? So explain to me why that doctor is after you again? Why did he quarantine two towns from the rest of society? Why did he want Angela from you in the first place? And most of all Jack¡ª¡±


    Eric pulls the gun out and cocks it. Jack coughed, bringing his uncle''s actions to an abrupt stop.


    Eric raises the gun to Jack¡¯s face and places one of his giant hands on the young man''s shoulder. ¡°Explain to me why all this supernatural stuff is happening around us, yet again.¡±


    Jack finishes eating, he stands up and finally looks Eric in the eyes. ¡°You wanna know that badly, huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been dodging my questions for three years now, so of course I do.¡±


    Jack sighs, setting the pan away on the ground. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll tell ya. But after we get what I want from your house first. Do we have a deal?¡±


    Eric grunts and puts the gun away. ¡°Alright. Deal, but you better tell me everything. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been happening these past years but hopefully you can answer me some of this spooky shit. Especially that night we tried rescuing your sister and the world felt like it was ending, that was my breaking point.¡±


    Jack slightly chuckles and pats Eric''s shoulder. ¡°Trust me, that night fucked me more than it did with you.¡±


    The two men nodded. They started packing up whatever belongings they could to make the trip back to Eric''s home. They were far from it and wanted to ensure their survival, though Eric still felt it wasn¡¯t a good idea, giving the fact the areas a hotspot with not only the men in white but with the supernatural as well. They packed their bags with food, water, whatever clothes they had and checked if they had any useful tools that¡¯ll help them along the way. The two were ready for their journey, one that would presumably be a joyful one if someone was homesick, but in this case, for the two it was a journey to hell, a long one at that.


    The two walked out into the depressing world after them and stared at the town. They knew they had a long road ahead of them, but courageous as the two were, Jack also felt uneasy about this trip, Eric saw the worry on the boy''s face when he glimpsed at the young man. Those cold eyes shook, squinting, he even bit his tongue. Eric dragged his stare back to the sky, watching the cold sky sweep clouds of gray from every direction. They began walking and headed off to the town to get one last thing.


    The town wasn¡¯t too far since it¡¯s next to a highway, but the short trip felt long from the anxiety the two were experiencing. Continuing their strut forward, shortening the distance between them and the town, when they could see this once thriving economically driven town closer, something wasn¡¯t right. The two halted, glimpsing around for a moment.


    Eric¡¯s eyes stopped at some shops a block away. ¡°I don¡¯t like the feel of this.¡±


    Jack eyed down the street leading into the town, it was empty and lifeless. ¡°Yeah, me too. Something¡¯s wrong here.¡±


    They both looked around again as they strutted forward and upon arriving at the town''s entrance, it was a vast tunnel of concrete and empty buildings. All they could hear was the wind blowing, signs rattling and creaking, trash being blown across the street, there wasn¡¯t a single living thing in sight.


    ¡°Yo¡­ what the fuck¡¯s going on?¡± said Eric as he walked up to an empty bicycle shop.


    Jack set his bag down and opened it, reaching for something. He grabbed and pulled out a crowbar. He twirled the rusted piece of metal and readied himself for anything out of the ordinary. While putting his bag back on his back, his eyes were caught by an electronics store with a bunch of televisions on display.


    Upon looking closer he saw the televisions were broadcasting the news. ¡°The electronics store, maybe those roaches telling lies can give me a hint on what''s going on around here.¡±


    Jack rushes to the store to see the news up close. As Jack stopped and watched one of the t.v¡¯s through the window, the news reporter announced something that caught his ears.


    ¡°To everyone inside the quarantine zone, today as repeated and said by our officials words; Everyone must be kept inside for safety as infection has spread airborne, confirmed by Dr. Cato.¡±


    Hearing such a ludicrous statement made Jack chuckle. ¡°Oh come on, how far is he willing to go to find me? You ungrateful bastard.¡±


    The reporter was interrupted by one of the producers, they were whispering something then went off screen. ¡°Okay everyone we have confirmation that the other town that¡¯s also quarantined is off limits. No one is allowed to enter the town as a mysterious cloud of black has drenched the town into total darkness.¡±


    The reporter showed a separate screen, showcasing the town covered in absolute night. It baffled Jack, making him raise his brows and be jaw dropped. ¡°What in the¡­ what¡¯s going on in that town?¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I know weird things have been occurring in that town. But to think things would change so drastically in such a short span, I wonder if that has to do with¡ªHer?


    While the young man¡¯s attention stayed on the screens, he didn''t realize there was an actual person sneaking up to him from the shadows of the alley next to the building. They crept behind a nearby parked car then dashed to a trash can, gaining closer to Jack. Jack continued watching and the individual pulled out from their temporary hiding and started creeping up to Jack¡¯s personal space.


    Eric was just across the street walking along the sidewalk when he quickly noticed the person approaching Jack¡¯s back.


    He gasps and rushes to Jack, shouting in his direction. ¡°Jack, watchout!¡±


    Jack heard and turned around immediately seeing the guy that¡¯s creeping up to him. ¡°Hey!¡±


    The fellow who had ragged clothing appeared to be homeless himself rushed at Jack and tackled him against the window of the store. The two crashed through as t.v¡¯s and glass fell on them like raining shards of death. The two were cut, covered in glass as they struggled. The man laughed, gaining the upper hand and getting on top of Jack, punching his face and pulling out a knife. Jack¡¯s eyes exploded and the man tried stabbing him. Jack catches the man''s arm before he could dent his clothes. The two had a small push back until Eric hopped over the window shop frame, and quickly took aim, shooting the man in the head. He falls over dead and Jack lays there, panting.


    The young man pats his chest to make sure he wasn¡¯t stabbed. ¡°Th-That was close.¡±


    His uncle came to his side and reached his hand out. ¡°You aight my guy?!¡±


    Jack sighs and grabs his uncle''s hand, being assisted off the ground. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m fine, but man, what the fuck was that for?!¡±


    Eric went to the homeless man''s body and searched his clothes for any clues. He pats the corpse then reaches into his pockets, and felt something in the mans pants pocket. He pulls out a folded paper. As he unfolds it, the written message on it makes Eric¡¯s jaw drop.


    ¡°Oh shit man, look at this!¡± Eric shows the paper to Jack.


    Jack grabbed it and seeing it firsthand brought out his hidden anger.


    He throws his crowbar at one of the t.v¡¯s feeling frustrated and finished with everything leading up to this point. ¡°That low life son of a bitch!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Eric asked as he walked next to his nephew.


    Jack quickly went to his crowbar and picked it up in anger. ¡°I now have a twenty million dollar bounty on my head, that''s what. But you know what¡¯s worse? Is the fact he wants me either dead or alive.¡±


    Eric shakes his head. ¡°This means more hurdles for us to confront my guy.¡±


    ¡°What the actual fuck man. He¡¯s weird but he¡¯s sick too, but¡­¡±


    Jack sounded tired and approached the broken window, staring out to the empty street. ¡°I¡¯m sick too, and tired of all this. I¡¯m-I¡¯m done.¡±


    Eric couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for the poor kid, hearing his tired frustrated tone made his uncle feel sorry for him. But no amount of apologies or money can fix the amount of trauma Jack¡¯s currently undergoing, no one his age should grow up this fast and be a runaway. Especially having a bounty over his head trickled out sadness through Eric¡¯s nostrils.


    His uncle walked to his side and rubbed Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s okay to feel this way, you should feel obligated to my guy. No kid your age should ever endure this much.¡±


    Jack hung his head and wiped his forehead in frustration. They both walked out of the store and stood on the sidewalk. Eric glanced around, raising the gun to the side of his face, he felt they were being watched. Jack too felt the gazes of money hungry people who¡¯ve struggled with poverty their entire lives. Killing Jack would solve their issue and grant them happiness. But Jack wasn¡¯t going to let that happen, it made him grit his teeth and clench that crowbar in his hand.


    The two walked into the empty street and Jack stared down the road.  ¡°Well my friend, I guess it¡¯s us versus the entire state of Michigan¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Jack had a worried look on his face despite feeling confident that no one would take his life.


    Eric looks around again. ¡°Well, one of my boys told me that bounty of yours is only around this area. So that means that doctor is willing to go that far to cover this entire situation from the government I¡¯m presuming. Or, perhaps they¡¯re working together, you never know, am i right?¡±


    Jack brought up his rusty crowbar, staring at it and sighed. ¡°Yeah, I suppose. I guess that¡¯s a relief, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that we¡¯re still fucked; Wait, no it¡¯s more of like, I¡¯m fucked.¡±


    Eric chuckles and so does Jack to brighten the mood. The two began walking forward to their continued destination. Up to this point Jack never thought he would ever be this miserable, but what life has taught him thus far is that it¡¯s extremely unpredictable. In either a blink, upon a glance, it can all change. As the two walked onward through the empty town street, once arriving at the end of the town''s street, they decided to look back at the empty town a final time.


    Jack frowned. Just how much power does Dr. Cato have? Unbelievable, that man, to think I¡¯d ever come across someone with this much influence.


    Eric frowned as well, knitting his brows. Once I get my hands on you bitch man, I swear I¡¯ll end your life for sure for manipulating my people and turning them into money hungry slaves.


    The two men couldn¡¯t help and felt sad, not just for each other, but for those who desperately wanted to acquire a chance to get out of poverty. The two looked forward and walked, leaving the town and reminding themselves how alone the two truly are. After walking for hours, they were in the middle of nowhere it seemed. While walking along this long, cracked, empty road, Eric spotted something afar. Jack noticed it as well. They decided to keep walking straight to the structure that got their eyes.


    Eric felt a little bored, so he picked up a rock and threw it as far as possible. ¡°Man, I don¡¯t know what you want from my old house so badly. I mean, we have the money that we both saved and I kept the money that you threw that night when baby girl was taken. What is it really? You can tell me right?¡±


    The rock lands a football field away and Eric pumps his arm, feeling proud of his strength.


    Jack stops and picks up a rock as well. ¡°I¡¯m sure someone like you should completely understand my situation.¡±


    Eric sucks in his lips. ¡°Oh yeah, my fault haha.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯re good. It¡¯s just that I want something that she owns to still feel her presence.¡±


    Jack threw the rock as far as he could, it landed a couple yards away, nowhere near the length that his uncle managed to throw. He felt disappointed and smacked his lips while his uncle crossed his arms, cackling.


    ¡°Damn, I¡¯m still not as strong as you.¡±


    ¡°Well no shit fool. You just a weak ass bitch, that¡¯s all!¡± chuckled Eric.


    ¡°Yeah, I have gotten a little weaker in the past year. But I¡¯m far higher than I was when I was sixteen, you have to admit that uncle.¡±


    ¡°True, you are much stronger physically, but mentally you¡¯re much worse than before.¡±


    The two started walking again, but Jack gave off a grimace of sadness. ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep reminding me, it gets annoying you know.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, with that attitude I should knock your ass out, but I thought the picture of you two was enough? Why more momentos?¡±


    Jack sighs and doesn¡¯t answer his uncle.


    ¡°Hold up, I¡¯m stupid for asking. My bad you said the answer to that a few statements ago.¡±


    Jack chuckles, ¡°Yeah that''s what I thought.¡±


    After having some time relieving their stress and complexities by throwing more rocks and talking things out, they finally got close enough to the infrastructure they spotted. The two came to a stand still and saw that it¡¯s just an old raggedy gas station. Before the two decided to enter the premises of the gas station, Jack reached into his bag and grabbed that cowboy hat, hiding his identity.


    His uncle bursted out laughing. ¡°What the hell is that?! What, you a redneck now huh! Yee-haa my boy!¡±


    Jack grins. ¡°Better measures you know?¡±


    Eric stopped his childish laughter and groaned. ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t need to do that, I¡¯ll beat anyone¡¯s ass despite how known I¡¯d be.¡±


    The two looked at each other and nodded, but before entering the premises, Jack needed to use the bathroom. Jack walked to the direction of the bathrooms, and Eric went inside to see if they needed anything else in terms of supplies.


    Jack approached the bathroom but was surprised that it was separated from the building. ¡°Hm, kinda weird that the bathrooms are separated from the building, but no matter, this is better for me.¡±


    Jack walked inside, and when he opened that door he got a nasty whiff of the smells of your typical gas station bathrooms of ass, mold, and musty.


    The inside of the bathroom was no better, it was molded, flickered lighting, a yellow tint to the vicinity, and the smell was stronger. Jack coughs, he covers his nose, and uses a toilet inside one of the faded blue stalls. When he was using the restroom, he didn¡¯t notice that two strangers walked inside shortly afterward. The two, a tall male wearing a gray hoodie with some sweatpants, the other a shorter gentleman with casual clothing closed the door gently so Jack wouldn¡¯t hear as he¡¯s peeing. One stood in front of the door, the other carefully walked to the stall Jack was in. He softly opened the stall door, approaching Jack from behind, pulling out a handkerchief and tightening his teeth.


    Jack lets out the last of his fluids and pulls up his zipper. ¡°The longer I stay here the more I think my sense of smell will deteriorate.¡±


    As Jack adjusted his pants, he heard someone cough. He turns around, the guy in the hoodie quickly places the handkerchief over his mouth and nose. The man pushed Jack against the wall, smothering the piece of cloth on his face. The young man tried yelling but that piece of cloth kept him from doing so, it had a strong smell too. Jack grabbed the man''s wrists, trying to undo his grip. They struggled but the other casual guy walked up to his partner to help him out. He comes from behind and starts punching Jack in the gut.


    Jack¡¯s body hunched forward repeatedly as he was being punched. His eyes were bugging out and turning hazy. Fuck man, Fuck!


    Jack groans as the men try knocking him out with unfair punches being shot at him. Jack at first thought his haziness was due to the repeated punching, but he noticed his vision fogging up faster and things were muffling out. The young man blinked rapidly, and it took him a minute to realize this strong smell he¡¯s familiar with.


    This¡­ smell, it¡¯s!


    This smells all too familiar to Jack, especially being involved in gang activities the majority of his life, he¡¯s well aware of this druggy smell being cloaked over his nostrils. He knows what¡¯s happening to him, the feelings of dizziness, the world slowing down, sound distorting, Jack¡¯s being drugged to become a victim of a kidnapping.


    This is bad, re-really fucking bad!


    The man with the hoodie stopped punching. He chuckles and pulls a knife out from inside the pocket of his hoodie once he sees Jack lowered his arms. The young man''s eyelids began to fall. The drugs close to succumbing Jack into a deep slumber, bringing their plan into fruition.


    The other guy jumped in front, wrapping his arm around Jack¡¯s neck, making sure he wouldn¡¯t escape. ¡°Kill him! Fuck the kidnapping, we¡¯ll be rich dude either way so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    His partner was hesitant, even pulling the knife back.


    ¡°Hurry man! Fuck this guy, he¡¯s a menace from what I¡¯ve heard, so don¡¯t feel bad.¡±


    The guy holding the knife approached Jack¡¯s drugged face, grabbing his Jaw. ¡°I don¡¯t feel bad, it¡¯s just that¡ªYou know what? Fuck it, sorry man, I may not know you but, I want that money!¡±


    His buddy patted his friend''s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s it man, do it so we can take his body without him fighting us back.¡±


    The guy with the hoodie pulled down his hood and sighed as he looked into Jack¡¯s shutting eyes. ¡°No hard feelings, right dude?¡±


    The man retracts his hand, Time to die and make us rich¡­


    Once he pulled his arm back and shot at Jack''s abdomen to end his life, Jack quickly got a hold of himself and threw the other guy over him onto his buddie. They both tumble while Jack coughs and wipes his face, trying to catch his breath but still feeling dizzy.


    Jack wiped his face and dragged his hand across it. ¡°Th-That was¡­ close!¡±


    They both stood back up and were mad. The two rushed Jack, not giving any chances for him to fully recover. The two grappled Jack and tackled him through the bathroom stall, crashing the entire wall in front of them. Jack lands on the broken stall first, the two have him pinned again, putting Jack into an inescapable predicament. Jack grabs one of their arms and starts placing pressure. The way the young man was placing this pressure onto his arm made it seem as if his arm were being crushed by a crusher.


    The hoodie man yells from the intense, overwhelming squeezing and backs up momentarily. The other guy grabs his partner''s knife and tries stabbing Jack, but Jack catches his hand. The young man grabs the knife from the handle and pulls it away from the man''s grip. The two stood up and Jack immediately stabbed him in his stomach.


    He gasps, coughs out blood, and his eyelids start weighing down. ¡°Ho-How could you¡ª¡±


    The guy who¡¯s stabbed falls aside and the other, the man with the hoodie, was in anger of watching his best mate be killed. He ran towards Jack, putting his hands around Jack¡¯s neck to choke the life out of him. He squeezed, wobbled the young man''s neck, but as he was trying to crush his windpipe, Jack unexpectedly chuckled while being choked.


    One of Jack¡¯s eyes was shut as he looked into the man''s glinting eyes. ¡°Heh, is-is that all? You¡¯re too-too weak to choke th-the life out of me.¡±


    He tightened his grip, getting into Jack¡¯s face once again. ¡°Shut it, this is for killing my best friend, you incel!¡±


    Being distracted by the young man¡¯s taunting, the man in the hoodie is oblivious to one of Jack¡¯s arms coming close and surprises him. He quickly clutched the man''s neck and made him shut an eye.


    He couldn''t believe how strong the young man''s grip was, it made him shed a tear from its intensity. ¡°You¡­ you!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t bear to be in Jack¡¯s single clutch and let go of the young man. Jack coughed and quickly regained his breath, quickly rushing the man as he was catching his breath. Jack put one of his hands on his legs and the other under his armpit. The man with the hoodie loudly gasps and Jack lifts the guy as high as he could. Jack effortlessly flung the guy over his head, pummeling him head first into the toilet, making it shatter and killing the man from the horrid impact.


    There was toilet water everywhere and the other guy¡¯s bleeding to death from his stab wound. Jack checks the guy he just tossed and notices that he broke his neck from that fall from how his head was awkwardly positioned on the wet ground. Jack massages his neck, letting out a raspy cough as he walks over to the bleeding guy laying there on his backside.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve never tried fucking with me, and look, your buddies dead and you¡¯re next.¡±


    Jack took a knee to the bleeding man as his lifes draining away.


    The man had his wound covered with his hand and gurgled blood. ¡°Pl...eas¡­¡±


    Without another word coming out of Jack¡¯s mouth, he reaches his arms down, wraps his hands around the guy''s neck, and starts choking the last bit of life out of him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just doing this to end your suffering, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Jack clenched harder, making him die faster so he wouldn¡¯t die slowly. The guy tried to struggle out of this method of dying, blood spat out his mouth onto his face and Jack¡¯s hands. The man lost too much blood, he was too weak to even put any momentum to break free. He stares into Jack¡¯s lifeless eyes and sheds a single tear.


    Jack brought out a frown. ¡°You brought this upon yourself¡­ don¡¯t look at me with those eyes of pity now, tch.¡±


    He finally stopped moving and eventually drew his last breath. Jack sighs, pulls the knife out of the dead man''s abdomen, cleaning it with the handkerchief that almost put him to sleep. Jack glanced at the two and felt bad, but it¡¯s more than enough to grow his feelings of hatred towards Dr. Cato.


    ¡°Fucking asshole, you made me kill two innocent people. Or were, whatever.¡± He stares at the blade with a name engraved on it, ¡°You knew people would be this desperate to get rich that easily, you make me sick, you manipulative bastard.¡±


    Jack walks out of the bathroom covered in blood and poo water, letting out a long breath. He took the time to harbinger these feelings of guilt growing stronger by the day and glimpsed at the cold dead sky.


    Eric comes back out just in time to spot and notice Jack in a bloody watery mess. ¡°Yooo? What the fuck happened to you?¡± Eric laughed then a huge whiff of horrid stench reached his nostrils. ¡°Damn my guy, you smell like shit!¡±


    Jack got a little mad and pushed his uncle. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear me?! I was fighting off two people in there, poor fuckers tried to kill me!¡±


    Eric wasn¡¯t fazed by Jack¡¯s push and brushed himself off the mess Jack left on his coat. Oh, well shit, listen homie¡ªI can explain. You see, I was trying to get some snacks and this bad bitch came up to me right? She was thick and yummy, but then the bitch tried to kill me!¡±


    ¡°And? What did you do? Fuck her to death?¡±


    ¡°No, I knocked her ass out!¡± His uncle pointed his thumb over his shoulder and chuckled. ¡°Too bad, she was bad my guy!¡±


    Jack looks over Eric''s shoulder, spotting the unconscious woman on a bench. ¡°Oh shit, you¡¯re not lying after all.¡±


    Eric chuckles and explains to Jack the entire situation with the gas station clerk, he already knew who they were but didn¡¯t care about his bounty. They both felt at ease, knowing the thought that not everyone¡¯s not after their necks. As the two started walking out into the open cracked road again, Eric remembered something.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going back inside real quick, wait for me aight?¡±


    Jack nodded and stood at the edge of the gas station¡¯s premise.


    Eric rushes back into the gas station and hands the clerk some money for being cool. ¡°It¡¯s a thanks for not rating us out my guy.¡±


    The clerk grew a smile. ¡°Thank you so much man, I¡¯ve been blessed and I shall bless you too, my friend.¡±


    ¡°You have a blessed day too brotha, bye.¡± Eric walks out and the heavy gas station door closes behind with a loud thump.


    Jack was kicking rocks, waiting patiently for his uncle. Eric was walking back to his nephew until he heard a truck horn blasting from a distance.


    ¡°What the fucks that? Who¡¯s being annoying at a place like this, damn.¡±


    The honking continued, sounding like the loudest truck horn in existence. Both Jack and Eric ignored it, assuming that it¡¯s nothing more than country white boys being a nuisance in their environment. But that assumption was wrong because the moment Eric got five feet near Jack, from around the corner of the gas station¡¯s premise an old red pickup truck came drifting.


    Eric¡¯s world slowed down, he saw one guy standing on the back of the truck with a noose-like rope in his hands. Immediately, Eric knew what¡¯s going to happen and screamed out Jack''s name, trying to hurry to him before the truck did. Jack turned around and noticed the red truck driving past him with the guy standing on the bed of it. In the blink of an eye, Jack felt something tied around his neck.


    ¡°Jack!¡± shouted Eric, reaching his hand out to his nephew''s direction.


    Jack gagged loudly, the guy on the back of the truck managed to throw a hose noose around his neck. They began dragging poor Jack to his doom. He tried breaking free but it¡¯s no use. He felt his body hit every bump, bounce off every crack, and the road ripped away his clothes to expose his skin. The road acted as a cheese grater to Jack¡¯s skin, slicing and burning it off.


    ¡°Jack¡­ No!¡± Eric was already chasing after them but he couldn¡¯t catch up to the vehicle.


    Eric panicked as he watched Jack slowly disappear off into the distance and be dragged away to his death. In his state of panic, Eric managed to remember about the gun given to him by Jack. He pulls it out, aims it at the truck, and fires a couple of shots, managing to strike the driver and bed passenger. That fellow who held that rope lets go and covers his fresh wound. The bastards in the truck panicked and drove off into the distance, leaving Jack to bleed on the road.


    Jack lays on the ground, coughing violently as his body twitches from all the curb rash all along his back and arms. Bleeding ensued, the immense burning pain all over his back was too much for him. The young man screamed and his uncle heard his echoing wretched screams. Eric ran for his life towards his hurt nephew.


    He catches up finally and squats down to Jack. ¡°Fuck, why¡¯d did that have to happen, shit!¡±


    His nephew groaned, his breathing was intense, Jack couldn¡¯t move. His uncle tried picking Jack back up but poor Jack screamed, he couldn¡¯t stand up from the irrefutable pain.


    Eric removes the noose off his neck. ¡°Hang in there kid! I know this shit hurts. Don¡¯t worry, I ain¡¯t letting you die Jack!¡± Eric starts lifting his nephew off the cold ground, ¡°This is gonna hurt like a mutha fucka, so bear with me!¡±


    Eric picks Jack up, making the young man moan loudly from the immeasurable pain. He wraps Jack¡¯s arm around his giant boulder-like shoulders. His nephew¡¯s knees were wobbling, his arm hung all noodle-like, he was turning pale.


    Despite seeing his nephew in this torturous state, Eric couldn¡¯t help but complimet his manhood. You¡¯re one tough son of a bitch alright.


    Eric chuckles, feeling proud of how tough his nephew was. ¡°Come on big guy, if your sister were here and saw you in this state, she would yell at me for allowing a bunch of rednecks almost taking your life.¡±


    Jack groaned and looked forward. ¡°Ye-Yeah, you¡¯re ri-right. Tho-though she wouldn¡¯t be-be the only one¡­ le-lets go home.¡±


    The two continued on their way, walking to their original objective, but a biased confirmation was created for the two. After realizing the situations they were just in and before, they understood that the people of this town were out for them, no matter what, they¡¯ll do anything to get their hands on Jack. Jack couldn¡¯t help but think how this is all his fault, bringing out a frown upon his dirty face. To clear his mind he gazes up at the cold gray sky, reflecting on his own shellfish decisions he¡¯s made throughout his miserable life up to this point.


    I deserve every ounce of punishment for allowing my sister to get in harm''s way, and to lose her¡­ This is God¡¯s way of punishing me for my sins, all of this could¡¯ve been avoided, if I were to cease to exist¡­


    After a long excruciating walk, the two happen to have found an abandoned farm located down a dirt road to their right. Eric had to carry his nephew on his back a few hours ago, he couldn¡¯t walk anymore from the pain and almost passed out an hour ago. Jack was barely hanging on, his eye lids were half shut. Though his uncle was feeling tired and his legs felt numb, he continued forward to the safe heaven he spotted.


    His nephew groaned softly and coughed. ¡°Ar-Are we¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah Jack, we found a resting spot, hang in there kid.¡± His uncle proceeded forward to the direction of the barn.


    The small dirt trail leading to the barn made it seem like the two were heading to their doom from the overgrown grass around and endless miles of fields. Walking further, some crows landed on some nearby trees, one landed closeby to the trail, blending with the tall grass. It cawed and struck a nerve on Jack, making the young man twitch some fingers. The pesky crows cawed, but not loudly, their cawing was eerily soothing to the eardrums. It made the big guy sweat, he wasn¡¯t sure if this was some omen or his mind overthinking the situation. The crows fly away except for the one hidden in the grass, it stayed and dug around to search for food.


    They reached the entrance and it was already halfway open. Gust of Michigan''s brewing cold bristled past their bodies, bringing shivers down their spines. Eric burred and brought his eyes upward, checking just how desolated the structure of decayed wood was.


    ¡°Looks like someone hasn¡¯t touched this shit in a decade, I think we might be in the clear.¡± He walked into the barn, the ceiling had holes, it had cobwebs everywhere, and the wooden walls were missing panels, leaking the last of daylight inside.


    Eric quickly hurried to some dead hay and threw Jack on it. The young man moaned and laid there, not moving a single muscle. The big guy had to sit down and quickly took off his bag for the moment to regain his strength, he was gassed out. He dragged his giant hand down his face and breathed heavily. Eric controlled his breathing, felt his strength coming back and his muscles relaxing, he couldn¡¯t help but lay down on the wooden ground.


    Jack¡¯s eyes finally shut and the young man felt his life draining away. ¡°Un-Uncle¡­¡±


    Hearing his nephew''s voice sound that weak made his uncle snap out of his relaxed state and rush to Jack. ¡°My guy, no no, don¡¯t you fucking die on me!¡±


    Eric raised Jack up, taking his coat and shirt off. He flipped Jack over and made him lay on his stomach. Upon first glance, his uncle saw just how injured his nephew was, it brought out a grimace on Eric''s face. Jack¡¯s back looked shredded, exposing muscle, the back of his arms had flesh dangling, and his blood was clotting. His uncle ran to his bag and grabbed it, and once getting back to Jack he quickly dug into it to find any supplies. Jack¡¯s breathing was slowing down, his steamy breath was decaying, he felt light as a feather.


    Eric found some bandages, painkillers, and some alcohol. ¡°Fuck fuck, come on come on Eric, hurry!¡±


    His uncle began bandaging and treating Jack¡¯s horrific wounds, yet as he did Jack wasn¡¯t reacting if not at all to his uncle''s actions. It made him freak out, erupting a swirl of emotions from within the big man. Quickly, Eric got to it, trying his damndest to cover every single wound, even going as far as ripping an extra pair of his own shirts to create new bandages. He succeeded in treating and covering almost every single visible new scarr, but it wasn¡¯t fixing Jack and the young man was succumbing to his injuries.


    Eric turned Jack over and started cpr. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking die on me too! I can¡¯t lose you like Randolph, like your¡­ sister, I-I fucking can¡¯t Jack. Please my boy, please stay with me!¡±


    His uncle pumped, blew, carefully kept going until it became useless. Jack stopped moving, his uncle''s jaw dropped, his mouth shaking, he couldn''t believe it. He was so shocked that he casually walked away and walked outside and stood at the entrance of the barn. His mouth still open created continuous steam around his face, his eyes were colorless, and then he let it all out. He screamed at the top of his lungs and slammed his balled up fists on the ground.


    Jack lay there and heard his uncles cry. Eric¡­ why-why are you¡ªscreaming?


    The young man had no idea that his life was just about to end. The crow from earlier had flown in through one of the holes on the ceiling. It landed next to Jack and cawed in agony, and hopped onto his chest. It lightly pecked Jack¡¯s chest, his face, then its eye lightly glowed purple. The crow glanced around, let out a single tear of black and sat on Jack¡¯s chest.


    Jack felt the feather creature but wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. Hey, what are you up to? Am I¡­ dead?


    Eric stopped his screaming and laid his back against the decaying wood, and dragged down to the ground. He was quiet and didn¡¯t make another sound, instead he buried his head onto the palm of his giant hand in shame.


    The crow laid its head against Jack¡¯s chest and closed its eyes. Jack kept wondering if he was truly dead until he heard someone calling out his name.


    Wh-Who¡¯s there?


    The voice was gentle, soothing, and reminded him of his burdens. It felt irritating to him, he felt the urge to bury his head in shame, run away from his problems, but he was already doing all those things through the course of three years. The voice became clear, saying, ¡°Wake up¡­¡± very gently over and over again. Jack knew the voice, it made him trickle a tear in his slumber and the crow rolled off of Jack, it was dead.


    The voice made sounds of crying, and Jack saw a light of purple come his way. He reached for it and saw someone reaching for him too. The young man blinked and saw¡ªHer.


    ¡°Wake up!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyelids erupted and the young man sat up, gasping for air and regretted his action. He moaned in pain and laid back down, his wounds were burning and aching him to death. The young man wasn¡¯t going to allow himself to be vulnerable so he toughed it out and got off the bay of hay and proceeded to walk to the entrance of the barn. But before he did he looked around to see where the animal was and he spotted it, dead on the ground.


    Jack picked the crow and brushed its head, gently. ¡°You were watching over me, huh?¡±


    The young man gently placed the dead bird next to the hay and pets it one last time. He limped his way to the entrance, shivering to death and saw the edge of his uncle''s giant shoulder stick out of the side of the entrance. Eric was staring at the sky, watching the light gray clouds sweep from behind his vision. Jack walked out and also stared up at the sky without saying a word. His uncle looked to his left and saw his nephew standing next to him, but looking rather pale.


    ¡°Ja-Jack?¡± said his uncle with a dead tone.


    Jack softly blinked and took a deep breath. ¡°Eric, I won¡¯t leave you. Nor do I plan on disappointing my sister in any way.¡±


    Eric¡¯s eyes brightened and he brought out a grin. ¡°Is that so? Well, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s watching over you then if you¡¯re standing next to me right now.¡±


    Jack clenched a fist. ¡°Possibly¡­ Or perhaps, someone else is.¡±


    The two watched the clouds roll by, crows softly cawed from a distance, it was soothing their minds. The two wondered if their lives would ever return to normal once they overcome this obstacle. Yet in spite of all this, Jack can¡¯t help but feel just as hopeless as before, he was close to death yet again. If this continued Jack think¡¯s he¡¯d most likely be better off dead, but as he told his uncle, he won¡¯t leave him nor anyone else behind until he overcomes this. As the clouds started to fade out to the last of dawn, the pesky crows from around flew off into their view and away into the distance.


    Jack narrowed his eyebrows and watched the crowd of black feathers fly away. It looks like¡ªI¡¯m coming back to you, girl.

 Arc 3 Chapter 3: The Beginning Of Her Story As Well

    It¡¯s the next day in Detroit Michigan, early morning. The suns mildly out from the thick clouds of winter''s end, people are conversing on sidewalks, having, enjoying their breakfast before their start of the day. Two young girls, one just months away from being an adult and the other having to wait a little longer, it¡¯s Anna and Sarah, who were on their way to school. While the two friends were talking and enjoying the morning, another girl was sneaking up to them. It¡¯s their final friend in their group, Veronica with her expensive leather coat and preppy clothing dazzling with the current breeze ensuing.


    She took her time stalking the little goth girl wearing her midnight black trench coat and long high boots and the grunge blondie wearing a leather jacket belonging to that of a biker gang. Inch by inch, she was getting closer, and she grew a huge twisted grin on her face. When the two came to a stop on a crosswalk, Veronica sprung from out of nowhere, annoying the goth girl and making the grunge girl gag.


    Veronica had their necks wrapped around her long arms and giggled. ¡°Did you guys miss me, huh?!¡±


    At first Sarah wanted to elbow Veronica¡¯s fragile gut to get her off, but she was glad to see her friend who stayed locked in her room for months okay. Anna coughed and didn¡¯t respond, instead she looked away with Sarah joining in too. The two tried ignoring her existence like she did to them for the past two months, but the rich girl smothered their faces against hers. They were smiling but on the inside, from the outside the two weren¡¯t showing any expressions, instead they both pulled from her grasp and walked.


    Veronica puffs her cheeks out in annoyance and hops in front of them before they could go any further. ¡°You guys, stop messing around! I know I know, I should¡¯ve at least texted, called, etc. But I¡¯m sowwy, please don¡¯t ignore me.¡±


    Sara and Anna looked at each other and giggled, accepting her apology by patting her head in unison. Veronica moved her shoulders and turned red, thanking the two with an open mouth smile. Anna stopped, and ruined her praise by knocking Veronica¡¯s head with her sharp knuckles.


    The rich girl yelped away and massaged her head. ¡°Ow, Anna! What was that for?¡±


    Anna sighed. ¡°You know school isn¡¯t over till May right? So why study so early for the finals?¡±


    Sarah pouts adorably. ¡°Honestly Veronica, you¡¯re too much.¡±


    Veronica hung her arms in shame and sniffled.


    Sarah tapped Veronica¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Perhaps there was another reason she shut herself in from society.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean Sarah?¡± replied Veronica.


    Sarah had a half smile that was smuggish. ¡°It could be she¡¯s still embarrassed about that whole incident with Danny in October. That is definitely something worth hiding away from huehue.¡±


    Veronica smacked one of her hands against her forehead, feeling embarrassed and cringing over the thought of that day. ¡°No! Sarah, you little devilish fiend, don¡¯t remind me, ugh!¡±


    All three friends started walking together, they had to continue or else they¡¯d be late for school. Anna wasn¡¯t saying anything, she was loving Sarah antagonize her rich spoiled friend and torture her of her past.


    ¡°Oh Veronica, you truly are too much like I said.¡± said Sarah.


    Veronica wrapped her arm around Sarah¡¯s tiny neck, reeling her towards her chest. ¡°That was truly the breaking point to what I can handle, okay. It was bad enough that he confessed to me three years ago, but the fact he started singing to me after school in front of everyone?! Yeah no, that¡¯s more than enough for me, uh buh bye!¡±


    Sarah pinched Veronica¡¯s side to let her go. ¡°Yeah, it was amazing to witness. I couldn¡¯t contain my laughter.¡±


    Anna finally chimed in with a chuckle. ¡°Sarah¡¯s right, I also laughed my ass off.¡±


    Veronica frowned. ¡°Sheesh, what a loser, he¡¯s so in denial.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you¡¯re right, that guy is such a sore loser. How far is willing to go to win over your heart? You can¡¯t just change a girl''s mind by being that pathetic.¡± Sarah playfully punches Veronica''s shoulder, ¡°Or maybe you already like someone is that right?¡±


    Veronica blushes a little, scratching her cheek. ¡°Maybe, maybe so. But that¡¯s for me to know and for you to find out.¡±


    Anna chuckles, giving off a smug aura. ¡°I already know who it is, do you want me to tell Sarah huh?¡± Anna crosses her arms and expresses a sinister smile towards Veronica.


    ¡°No, No! Don¡¯t tell her!¡± said Veronica as she waved her hands nervously.


    Sarah¡¯s smile disappeared and the goth girl rolled her eyes. ¡°I think I might have a good guess who it might be.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you do? Huh! You do!¡± Veronica pouts her face in anger and the other two laugh as their rich friend throws an adorable temper tantrum.


    Continuing their way towards the direction of the school, Veronica wanted to stop by a coffee shop just down the street for a quick drink. The two remind her that they¡¯ll be an hour late if they make a big stop like that. Veronica convinced them enough to tag alone by offering to buy them drinks as well. The two girls shrugged and quickly accepted her generous offer. Quickly the group got to the local coffee shop that resembled that of a classic lounge. Walking in and glimpsing around, the place¡¯s furniture was vintage and looked comfortable.


    ¡°So, what do you guys want to drink?¡± asked Veronica to the two, ¡°They have nice options from their teas to their signature coffee, hot chocolate latte supreme, it''s splendid!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that and see just how wonderful it is.¡± replied Anna with a smug grin.


    Sarah blinked rapidly to Veronica and tilted her head. ¡°I think you know what I want my dear.¡±


    Veronica rubbed Sarah¡¯s hair, messing it up. ¡°Gotchu gotchu, coffee with two sugar cubes, a teaspoon of creamer and a chocolate glazed donut.¡±


    Veronica walked away and up to the counter to order their drinks and Sarah¡¯s food while the other two sat at a table closeby.


    While Veronica waited in line and the other two sat down, Sarah wanted to ask Anna the same question she asked Veronica about liking someone.


    ¡°Say Anna.¡± asked Sarah.


    ¡°What¡¯s up Sarah?¡± replied Anna as she stretched her morning fatigue away.


    ¡°Do you have anyone that you like?¡±


    Anna rests her arms on the table, lays her head down and yawns away this peaceful morning. ¡°Nah, you already know me. I¡¯m not easily impressed and easy to get. Besides, if I have to be honest, I¡¯m really not interested in romance.¡±


    Sarah stretched her hand out to pat Anna¡¯s head. ¡°But didn¡¯t you like Jack when we were kids?¡±


    Saying that brought out an interesting reaction out of Anna, at first she raised a brow, scratched a cheek, but regained her composure and shrugs. Quickly, she changes her mind, becoming silent for a moment.


    I did, didn¡¯t I? Huh, I  wonder why those feelings have faded away.


    After some reflection in silence, Anna softly grins. ¡°That was a long time ago. Things change as you grow older like relationships with friends, your attitude, and most importantly the lenses that you view the world in. ¡± Anna raises her head and looks to the side, directly at Veronica in line.


    Sarah rubbed her friend''s head and flung the bangs of her golden hair. ¡°How poetic of you to say, yet I can¡¯t help but feel that there was some hint of sadness in your statement.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t overthink about what I just said. I mean, back to what we were talking about, you do remember that it was I who initiated Veronica to get with Jack.¡±


    Sarah nods. ¡°Yeah, you''re right, I remember. But I felt like you should have gone after him at the time. What made you change your mind?¡±


    Anna raises her head and rests her head on her hand, gazing out the shop window as Sarah pulls her hand away. ¡°Not even I know the answer to that¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mysterious nature returns and she pays close attention to what Anna will say next.


    ¡°It was as if someone made me not like him that way anymore, like, in the flip of a switch, turning a knob to off, perhaps erasing that thought entirely out of my subconscious. Strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Anna grabs the pendant on her necklace given to her by Jack and looks at it. Her best friend Sarah was staring intensely at her with those rare eyes of red.


    Anna trickles out a sigh. ¡°Yeah¡­ ever since that day, things have changed for most of us, when he was pronounced dead to us.¡±


    Sarah stands up and decides to sit next to Anna. She wipes away any suspicion towards her best friend and sits close to her. The goth girl stays quiet, making Anna question what¡¯s wrong with a single brow rose. Sarah lays back on the chair and looks at Anna again.


    ¡°Sarah?¡± asked Anna, furrowing her brows.


    To brighten the mood, Sarah smiles all smug-like and hovers a hand over her tiny mouth. ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying. Or maybe you¡¯ve finally learned that you¡¯re gay my friend.¡±


    Anna blinked rapidly and didn¡¯t say a word, but chuckled and playfully pushed Sarah. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right? I wouldn''t doubt it myself at this point¡ªI mean, who knows, everything is so different now.¡±


    Anna wraps her arm around Sarah, surprising her. ¡°Wha-What are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or maybe¡­¡± Anna leans in close and blows into Sarah''s ear, causing her to make a funny soft sound.


    Sarah making such an adorable sound brought out a look of assumption and confusion from the people sitting closeby. They stared, leaning at the girls direction, and some sipped their coffees as they stared. It made Sarah feel uncomfortable, making the goth girl blush as Anna continued blowing. Sarah tried pushing Anna away but compared to her Anna was a giant and kept her in her grasp. Now the blonde girl tickled and poked Sarah on her sides, making her moan and mislead the people around them.


    Sarah was beet red, and Anna blew on her tiny neck. ¡°Sto-Stop¡­¡±


    Anna cackled and playfully pushed the goth girl off. ¡°Ha! Perhaps you¡¯re the one that secretly likes girls!¡±


    Sarah jumps out of her seat for a second and frowns. ¡°Thanks a lot, now everyone¡¯s looking at us I bet!¡±


    Anna laughs and looks around, seeing the eyes of curiosity and lust that were on them. ¡°What? Whatcha starin at?¡±


    The people¡¯s eyes looked right and left, and awkwardly everyone went back to what they were doing.


    Sarah sat down and kept her distance from Anna. ¡°Gosh darn it Anna. See, now you made it weirder.¡±


    ¡°Let em stare, I don¡¯t care if they see me teasing someone as adorable as you, bwahaha!¡±


    ¡°Whatever, oh that reminds me.¡± Sarah pulls out a notebook out of her bookbag and slams it on the table, startling her best friend. ¡°I still gotta finish this homework for maths class.¡±


    She starts writing and Anna lets out a huge sigh. Veronica comes back with their drinks and Sarah¡¯s donut in a tray, gently placing it down on the table.


    She took a seat where Sarah was originally sitting and sipped on her cold sweetened coffee drink. ¡°Hey guys! What did I miss?¡±


    Sarah grabs her drink without glimpsing at the rich girl as her focus was on her homework. ¡°You missed the part about Anna coming out of the closet to perhaps, maybe, probably, most likely, might be, a guessing, possibly¡ª¡±


    She randomly sneezes, cutting herself off for a second. Both Veronica and Anna eyed each other, twitched an eye, feeling annoyed by Sarah''s purposely dragged on statement. The two stared back at the goth girl who quickly wiped her nose with a sleeve.


    Sarah sniffled and grabbed her donut, taking a bite before speaking again. ¡°Excuse me. Yeah Anna, she¡¯s gay.¡±


    Veronica places her drink down, clears her throat, adjusts her glasses then slams her hands on the table with bulged out eyes towards Anna.


    ¡°Woah! Wait, really?!¡± Veronica with her hand over her mouth, blushes slightly. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you swung that way Annabelly.¡±


    Anna grabs her drink lastly, feeling rather calm and not combating neither one of their statements. ¡°Maybe, or the fact that Sarah''s the one that secretly likes the girly girls after what I just did to her.¡±


    Veronica blew out air in relief. ¡°Oh, you guys were just joking as usual.¡±


    Anna softly chuckled, Sarah¡¯s dead focus on her homework, and Veronica stared at her little friend doing her school work. Yet something caught Veronica¡¯s eyes as she watched Sarah¡¯s arm move her paper. It was something beneath her sleeve that was there, on her precious pale skin it stuck out, so it wasn¡¯t hard to go unnoticed.


    Veronica reached across the table and grabbed her friend''s arm. ¡°Say Sarah, what¡¯s this?¡± She surprises Sarah by pulling up her sleeve and revealing a strange tattoo or marking.


    Sarah gets angry and quickly pulls her sleeve down, slapping Veronica¡¯s hand away. ¡°Don¡¯t just touch someone¡¯s shirt without their permission! Pervert!¡±


    Anna raises a brow, leaning in on Sarah¡¯s arm. ¡°No no, I want to know too. What¡¯s up with the tattoo? Finally rebelling against your parents or something?¡±


    Veronica leans in closer, massaging her hand. ¡°Yeah, by the way, rude! But what¡¯s up huh?¡±


    Sarah wipes off any signs of emotions and straightens her face while glimpsing at the two. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s just a tattoo okay? Happy now.¡±


    Anna backed off. She could tell that her best friend Sarah was secretly nervous. The way she seemed emotionless, without moving a single muscle, she knew her all too well. Anna saw a single drop of sweat scroll down to her cheek. She grabbed Sarah¡¯s hand and felt a small tremble coming from the goth girl. Veronica believed Sarah¡¯s words and didn¡¯t ask her about it anymore but Anna wanted to know more about it. The three finished their drinks without another conversation or single word being said or made and walked out of the shop. All three walked to their school before the bell rang.


    When they arrive at school, Danny¡¯s waiting for Veronica. Anna assumed that herself and Sarah wanted to say something embarrassing to Veronica but it¡¯s too late, he already walked up to them. Even when he¡¯s already closing in on them, Anna was surprised to see that her best friend still had a straight face. The goth girl was still hiding her true emotions.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Sarah, what on earth has gotten into you? Does the question of a tattoo really bother you that much? Anna thought.


    She thought Sarah would¡¯ve said something about this loser already, but the fact she¡¯s completely dead quiet made her feel perplexed.


    Danny greeted and came up to Veronica. ¡°Hey Veronica, how¡¯s it going? Where¡¯ve ya been huh?¡± He saw the other two and waved to them. ¡°Hi Anna, hello¡ªSarah.¡±


    The way he just said the goth girls name, his tone was serious, ominous, it made the girls raise their ears. But Sarah didn¡¯t react, she¡¯s just quiet, and staring off into space.


    Anna walked up to Danny and glared at him. ¡°What¡¯s with that creep type voice when you said Sarah¡¯s name?¡±


    Danny grinned. ¡°Relax, I¡¯m just teasing the girl. But it just seems like she¡¯s lost in her own world.¡±


    Anna grew a grimace towards Danny and balled one of her fists. ¡°Danny, watch how you say¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright guys! Anna, I¡¯ll see you later okay, I¡¯ll deal with him.¡± said Veronica with a forced smile.


    Anna crossed her arms and kept her glare on Danny for another moment until their staredown was disrupted by Sarah unexpectedly walking past them. All three stared at the goth girl who kept walking until she stopped in front of the school doors. The two girls were worried for their friend, Danny on the other hand grew a suspicious smile.


    Anna took a step forward. ¡°Sa-Sarah?¡± The school bell rang and class had begun.


    Sarah looked over her shoulder to look at her friends and politely said, ¡°We¡¯re late.¡±


    Sarah walked in before them. The school door slammed shut, making the girls squint. All three looked at each other without saying a word. Danny walked ahead of them, tucking his hands into his jean pockets, raising a hand to say bye. The two girls walked too and everyone went to their homerooms.


    It¡¯s lunch time, teens storming out of their classrooms, rushing to the cafeteria to get inline for their favourite food booths. It quickly crowded up, voices drowned out the bell, stampedes of teenagers of all sorts have now gathered around inside the once empty cafeteria. Veronica and Sarah sat at their usual table as they waited for Anna¡¯s presence. Sarah¡¯s already eating in silence while Veronica waits for Anna, but still feeling worried for her little friend. Waiting for Anna, Veronica and Sarah¡¯s phones vibrated, they got alerts on their phones about a news headline. Sarah was already looking before Veronica did, making her raise a brow of suspicion towards her gothic friend.


    Oh now she¡¯s reacting? What has gotten into you weirdy weirdo?!


    Veronica opened her smartphone too and saw the top headlines revolving around the situation about the quarantine zone being possibly expanded to another town beyond the two already quarantined. It worried Veronica, she¡¯s beginning to think eventually it¡¯ll spread to their city if this charade kept upl. The other news was that there were two hundred more casualties now and that the situation¡¯s becoming more dangerous for anyone, including the doctor and his team.


    Sarah smacked her lips and placed her phone down and continued eating. Veronica heard her annoyed sound and raised a brow towards her. Veronica knew it was getting bad but not this bad, she¡¯s surprised how much has happened in the course of two months when she was shut in during that time.


    Anna showed up and seemed extremely agitated from her deep sigh and loud groans as she sat next to Sarah. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late guys, I just had to talk to the counsellor again and another doofus confessed to me in the worst way possible.¡±


    Veronica grabbed Anna¡¯s hands. ¡°The school¡¯s still putting you through therapy about what happened with your parents?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean I appreciate my grandparents for trying to help, but I¡¯ve told them multiple times that I¡¯m fine and don¡¯t need counselling.¡±


    Sarah stops eating, overhearing Anna¡¯s statement, more importantly the last point made the goth girl snap out of her silent state momentarily.


    The goth girl tapped Anna¡¯s shoulder and as Anna turned to her, she poked Anna¡¯s nose. ¡°Awwe, poor guy, bwaha. Shot down by the rather steamy hot blondie known as Anna!¡±


    Sarah had a grin, Anna twitched an eye but smiled.


    Veronica gave Sarah a weirded out look, ¡°Okay, now that you stopped being weird for a moment. Perhaps I might believe Anna after all about you liking girls instead.¡±


    Anna brings out a smug grin, flicking the goth girl''s forehead. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re caught red handed goth girl!¡±


    Veronica turned her attention to Anna, poking her face. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just accept a date for once?¡±


    ¡°Says the hypocrite who keeps friendzoning the guy that keeps asking to be with you.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I have reasons. Oh wait, I guess that does make me a hypocrite.¡±


    All three laughed, feeling pity towards Danny. Sarah went back to her phone, scrolling through the headlines and returned to her mysterious nature. It made the other two stop giggling and question her mood. Sarah¡¯s face was still, Anna lay her head on her hand and Veronica crossed her arms, pouting angrily to Sarah.


    Veronica returned back the original conversation and mixed in Sarah¡¯s question as well. ¡°Say Anna, uh, aren¡¯t you like one of the most popular girls in school and rated most attractive? Shouldn¡¯t you be used to this by now?¡±


    Anna looked at Veronica with annoyance, ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about any of that stupid popular crap, labels, or ranking by people. I didn¡¯t ask to be known for my talents, you know?¡±


    Sarah abruptly chimed in, saying ¡°I agree, fuck labels.¡±


    Veronica placed her hands on her hips, now leaning close to Sarah whose focus was dead on her phone. ¡°I beg to differ, miss the quiet, shy, adorable goth girl! You¡¯re quite popular yourself, you just don¡¯t know it because you¡¯re only friends with us and hardly talk to anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, lame.¡± Sarah then leaned in close to her phone, observing a photo of the town in one of the news articles. ¡°Strange, very, very, indeed.¡±


    Their phones rang again, cutting them off of their casual conversation, and interrupting Sarah¡¯s focus. This time it¡¯s about something else. It¡¯s a report about the newscasters found dead the other day outside of the walls of those enclosed towns. Anna and Sarah brush it off, they¡¯re convinced that it¡¯s just more than an ¡®Outbreak¡¯ at this point. Although something else caught their attention, Sarah, especially, was laser focused on the alert. All three saw something in one of the pictures in the alert. It''s faint but there¡¯s a figure in the background of some reporters inside the town covered in a mass of black.


    It creeped Veronica out but Anna didn¡¯t seem surprised in the slightest. Sarah stared at the photo real closely and expressed seriousness. Anna and Veronica noticed how serious her face had gotten. It even brought back the worry Anna felt for her best friend early on.


    Anna grabbed Sarah¡¯s shoulder, and rubbed it. ¡°Are you okay Sarah, you¡¯ve been acting strange ever since Veronica asked you about your tattoo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, is everything fine, Sarah?¡± asked Veronica.


    Sarah didn¡¯t look, glimpse an eye to either of her friends, rather she glared at the photo on the alert. ¡°Anna, your birthday¡¯s coming up, right?¡±


    Anna replied, worried. ¡°Ye-Yeah? Why do you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking of how we can celebrate it, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Anna wasn¡¯t convinced with that serious tone and glint in her eyes. ¡°Sarah, what¡¯s wrong? Tell us, we¡¯re your friends, look if it''s anything that we can help with just say it.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes rattled, she felt like she could truly tell them what was wiring her mind with perplexity. But she can¡¯t say at this moment, Sarah doesn¡¯t feel ready to tell them of her secresty, it¡¯s beyond her thought and saying.


    Anna rubbed Sarah¡¯s back to ease the tension she¡¯s hiding from them. ¡°Please, I¡¯m sure we can help my adorable little friend.¡±


    Sarah grabbed her bag, stood up and turned around. ¡°I¡¯m running late, I¡¯ll talk to you guys later.¡± The goth girl walks off and leaves her friends hanging.


    Anna and Veronica looked at each other in confusion. They weren¡¯t too sure what¡¯s wrong with her or why she looked at the photo so seriously. The two deeply sighed and watched as their tiny friend disappeared into the sea of adolescence. Something was wrong with Sarah, and they¡¯re not sure why.


    Sarah power walked through the crowds and voices of teenagers to get to the outside. She arrived at some doors leading to the back of the school and opened them in a hurry and ran. Her target was the tall football stadium bleachers overseeing the football field. She got there and went beneath the football stadium seats and hid herself in the darkest part of the seats. Sarah sat down and closed her eyes to concentrate her mind, but her thoughts were interrupted quicker than she could think. Someone''s walk towards her direction because of the distinctive echo in their footsteps.


    The goth girl stands up and looks out of the dark. ¡°Who could be coming this way?¡±


    Unfortunately she spots Danny out of all people, bringing out a frown on Sarah¡¯s face. Great, this damn loser, what does he want?


    Danny had a hand tucked in his jeans pocket and the other waving at her as he walked up to her with a strange smile on his face. ¡°What¡¯s up¡­ S-A-R-A-H?¡±


    Why did he say my name like that, and why shout it in such a creepy pervy way?! Sarah thought.


    It annoyed her immensely, enough for her to wrinkle in between her eyebrows and the edges of her precious eyes. Already, she feels uncomfortable even when he¡¯s not in her presence. Danny stopped a foot away from her and kept that smile on his face, he chuckled too, seeming as he¡¯s the happiest boy alive.


    ¡°Just messing with you.¡± said Danny with both hands now tucked in his pockets.


    Sarah glared at him and crossed her arms. ¡°What do you want, Daniel? Did you follow me? If so then that makes you creepier than before.¡±


    Danny scratched his head for a second then snapped his fingers. Sarah blinked rapidly as to why he snapped his fingers, the boy wasn¡¯t talking either, rather he just stared at her in silence. It dragged on and made the goth girl so uncomfortable that she was beginning to walk away until Danny stepped in front of her path of escaping this scene. She walked back in place, crossing her arms again but gripping her skin in anger. Danny began to walk forward, making Sarah feel worried of her safety, that smile on his face hadn''t gone away, it only grew.


    ¡°You loser, you better let me walk off or I swear you¡¯ll regret ever pissing me off.¡±


    Danny laughed at her request and took another step forward. ¡°Nah, not just yet. I just wanted to ask you a quick question, that''s all.¡±


    The more he stepped closer the more he was forcing her to walk backwards further into the bleachers.


    ¡°Th-Then what do you want from me? If you want me to ask Veronica about going out with you again then forget it! That¡¯s enough, this is beyond pathetic, quit making yourself look like the biggest loser.¡±


    Sarah continues walking backwards as he continues forward, giving her the feeling of intimidation. Danny laughed again and smacked his leg in amusement. He¡¯s never seen Sarah in this state so he found it comical and worth embedding into his memories.


    Sarah didn¡¯t like this situation, not one bit. She¡¯s starting to show signs of worry, trickling a drop of sweat from a single pore on her head to the side of her face. In doing so showed Danny that he was in control of the situation.


    Sarah stopped for a second and swiped the air. ¡°She¡¯s said no once and that¡¯s enough! So quit being a pathetic ass¡ª¡± But unexpectedly she bumps against the steps and Danny pins her against the wall of concrete with his arm over her small shoulder.


    Danny stared down at her and that smile that hasn¡¯t disappeared throughout the entirety of their conversation, it curved further up his cheeks. It¡¯s twisted and ominous, almost as if he knew something out of her and bringing further meaning to his creepy actions.


    Danny slowly edged towards her paler face. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s not it, no no. It¡¯s about that strange marking on your forearm.¡±


    Sarah quietly gasped and her red eyes trembled. ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°I took a peak at it once when we were in gym class last semester if you¡¯re wondering why I know of its existence hehe!¡±


    Sarah clenched her teeth and knitted her brows. ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    Danny abruptly pushed one of his devious fingers into her face. ¡°Tsk tsk¡­ Who would''ve thought out of all the people, you would be¡ªno wait!¡± The boy laughs, hysterically. ¡°It makes sense! It all makes fucking sense, duh?!¡±


    Sarah clenched her fists and was on the verge of kneeing his groan when he quickly figured it out by placing one of his knees against hers.


    ¡°You piece of shit, you better stop!¡±


    ¡°Everything always correlates and conjuncts together to solve a mystery eventually! You wanna know why?¡±


    The goth girl growled, ¡°Why?!¡±


    Danny waved that single finger in front of her view. ¡°Because you were shy, wore black, the necklace especially around your neck gave it all away! No wonder you were always quiet when we were kids bwahaha!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s seriousness dissipated, she¡¯s shaking. Never in her mind would she imagine being afraid of someone like Danny, a complete loser and pathetic excuse of a man in her eyes. Yet at this moment, none of those thoughts were conjointing, he seemed different. His attitude, confidence, and this new ego, it¡¯s confusingly putting a scare in the goth girl.


    ¡°How-How do you know this?! Who could¡¯ve¡ª!¡± Sarah rapidly shook her head and turned serious again. ¡°The things you¡¯re saying, none of it makes sense! You goddamn weirdo!¡±


    Danny suddenly covers her mouth, blocking anything else she¡¯ll say next. ¡°Shut up for a second, okay? I can only answer your question when you stop talking and please;erase this facade that you¡¯ve created through our lenses of normality.¡±


    Pinning her against the bleachers, covering her mouth, Danny felt aroused by this. He turned red and his smile curled more villainous, he was enjoying every second of this. Danny leaned in closer to her face to get a better view of those wondrous rare crimson eyes she has. They were shaking, and her pupils were shrunk. It made Danny softly chuckle.


    ¡°Why do I always forget just how adorably gorgeous you are Sarah? I mean look at you¡­¡± He backs off for a second to check her out and returns back to his position. ¡°You¡¯re way better looking than the other two in all honesty, though I like Veronica more for personal reasons, haha. But you, you¡¯re like the ultimate prize for a man''s lustful dreams haha!¡±


    Sarah felt the urge to bite his hand off or do something heinous enough for him to let go, but he¡¯s in control in this instance. Anything she¡¯ll do might put her in more danger, so for now she allowed him to do his way until she had an opportunity to either attack or run away.


    ¡°Now to answer your first question, it¡¯ll be due to the fact I did my own research about the mystery behind you. I know you won¡¯t tell me, but eventually you¡¯ll spill it, right? And the last one is, I already had an encounter with something out of the norm!¡± Danny began to laugh softly.


    What the hell is he talking about?! Out of the norm? What in hell is this guy on?!


    ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it at first, trust me. All that changed when I encountered Her that night years ago! Man, what a great experience it was! But don''t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone or your family''s secret!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew wider, and Danny heard her muffled gasp. My-My family¡­ secret? He-He can¡¯t possibly¡ª!


    Danny winked at her and felt the urge to just do something heinous but resisted himself. ¡°This is a secret between just two childhood friends!¡±


    He uncovers her mouth and steps back. Sarah¡¯s face was paler than ever before and she was left absolutely stunned.


    ¡°You may seem confused by this, but I¡¯m a changed man and soon! I¡¯ll be a changed Being!¡± He sadistically waves goodbye and casually walks away.


    Sarah felt as if her heart¡¯s about to pop out of her chest from the overwhelming fear given to her by Danny. Out of all people, never, even in her wildest dreams, thought that man would scare her this much. The goth girl felt so afraid yet angry that she turned around and punched the concrete, cruising her precious knuckles.


    ¡°Damn him, damn that sorry son of a bitch!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s breathing was heavy, but quickly she calmed down and let out her frustrations with a loud groan. The lunch bell rang, indicating that it¡¯s time to head back to class. Sarah glanced at her knuckles and her adrenaline wore off, giving her a sharp burning pain. Squirting an eye, Sarah covered her hand and made her way to her next class before the tardy bell. She manages to make it in time and sits down on her desk, and without another thought to overshadow her current mood, the goth girl laid her head down.


    I¡¯ll make him pay¡­ I¡¯ll make him suffer, that inconsiderate, bastardising menace of a society!


    Danny¡¯s face was imprinted into her vengeful mind. That sinister and maniacal smile of his made her stomach turn. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the words said to her, his perverted comments, and statements with some truth behind it, it rattled her. Throughout the entire day, it was just her mind filled with his tormenting teasing words of ill intent echoing inside her already webbed out mind. After the school day ended, she didn¡¯t even bother regrouping with her friends Veronica and Anna, she decided to walk home alone to relax her consciousness.


    The goth girl walked all alone through the streets of their peaceful town, avoiding crowds, animals, anything that¡¯ll disrupt her resolving peace. Leaves blew across the cold streets, the grey tint of winter¡¯s end smothering peoples visions, all this was helping Sarah reach that peace she wanted. She could feel that winter breeze send chills down her spine, but her bone marrow was already frozen from Danny¡¯s ominous stare.


    Making her way into the park, she felt something off. There was a huge sensation of pressure weighing down on her existence. It felt as though someone was grabbing the air around her and squeezing it down to her core. Her lungs felt like bursting, her knees wobbled, and an agonising migraine erupted.


    What¡¯s this feeling?! It¡¯s so heavy, this pressure, but in spite of it all¡­ I can feel someone¡¯s gaze upon me.


    Sarah halted all movements. She looked around to find the source of not only this off putting feeling but the lurking eyes dead set on her. Sarah sensed that nature had come to a stop, her whistles had calmed and weren¡¯t blowing, the sounds of her children weren''t around.


    Something¡¯s here or someone¡­ whoever they are they¡¯re¡ª!


    Suddenly, the goth girl dropped her bag and got serious. Her fists were clenched, her muscles were stiff, and her brows furrowing, she could sense the culprits gaze just behind her. Feeling adequate about it, Sarah closes her eyes and relaxes herself.


    A sudden gust of wind blew from behind Sarah, and rose petals hurled past between her feet. ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked calmly.


    Sarah opened her eyes and was surprised to see her vision not be smeared by Michigahns dying winter, rather it was smothered in an orange tint fitting for fall. She glanced up at the sky and saw clouds in the colour of dying summer and rising fall, hurling from behind her.


    ¡°Wh-What on earth is going on?¡± Sarah brought her gaze downward to her feet and saw rose petals rolling past them.


    Sarah swallowed in nervousness and fear, she wasn¡¯t sure what¡¯s going on but had a small hunch on what might be occurring. She blew out air and unballed her fists.


    A soft gentle adult female voice replied in a serious tone. ¡°So, I was right about you all along, how dreadful. But to think of all his friends, you would become something so devious.¡±


    Sarah swallowed again and softly gasped, and muttered, ¡°All his, huh?¡±


    Sarah courageously turned around and once her eyes laid on the person behind this charade, she saw a woman in a beautiful red hooded dress standing at the edge of the entrance of the park. It was elegant, sad, represented death, agony, and most of all, she had illuminating eyes of frost blue.


    Sarah felt the hairs on her body stand, their presence was captivating yet eerie. ¡°Who¡¯s this ¡®His¡¯ person you speak of?¡±


    The woman stepped forward and once again, Sarah felt something heavy around her. She questioned if it was the air again, but quickly realised it wasn¡¯t. What she¡¯s feeling was this person''s presence, this was their aura, no existence entirely that was weighing her down. The woman in red gently smiled and took another step forward as she pulled her dress hood off her head, revealing her long hair of blackened beauty.


    She took a breath and hovered one of her pale hands over her chest. ¡°I think I spoke too much, my apologies¡­¡±


    Sarah wanted to say something else but something inside her soul told her no! Evidently the goth girl knew she was beyond afraid, but was surprised that her soul had to remind her just how freighting this strange being is. Sarah¡¯s legs were paralysed, sweat dripped from the edges of her hairline down and over her eyes and face.


    ¡°So Sarah?¡± said the mysterious woman in red, slowly raising her long arm at Sarah.


    ¡°Huh¡­? Wh¡ª?¡±


    The woman in red pointed her index finger with red nail polish glistening under the haunting orange skies illuminessence. ¡°Care to explain that marking on your arm?¡±


    Sarah gasped, and rubbed her hand over her sleeve with the mark she¡¯s referring to. ¡°That¡¯s-That¡¯s none¡­¡± Sarah stopped talking and raised both of her hands and stared at her sweaty palms.


    What¡¯s wrong with me? Why am I so afraid of this person?


    The woman in red raised a brow and lowered her arm. Sarah closed her palms and looked away briefly before answering again.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! Besides¡ª¡± She swallowed intensely, ¡°What-What business does something that doesn¡¯t exist in this world have with me anyways?¡±


    Despite feeling this scared, Sarah can¡¯t help but stare into those beautiful holy blue eyes the woman in red had. They were so calm yet, at the same time, they were beyond scary.


    ¡°You¡¯re very knowledgeable aren¡¯t you? I shall pray for you, my child.¡±


    Sarah twitched when she heard her say she¡¯ll pray for her.


    ¡°You¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m here? I¡¯ll answer it. I¡¯m here to warn you of something.¡±


    Sarah squints her eyes. ¡°And wha-what would that be?¡±


    The woman in red collapses her hands together and prays for a moment. Her hair and dress starts fluttering from a huge draft erupting, the skies begin to crackle and nature resumes her noises but with cries of help.


    The woman in red reopened her eyes and they grew a glint. ¡°I¡¯m only here to warn you of an entity, an entity that has affected a lot of people through the course of six centuries.¡± She gazes up at the growing intense skies turning red, and clouds rolling rapidly.


    Now I understand why she never even thought of entering your presence, Sarah. Thought the woman in red.


    Sarah froze again with her jaw dropped. Who-Who is this woman?! Just what the hell is she!


    The woman in red brings her gaze back to Sarah with a glaring grin. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you might know who I¡¯m speaking of, am I correct?¡±


    Sarah looks directly into the woman in red eyes again but with clenched teeth. ¡°If we¡¯re speaking about the same thing, I-I saw it in the photo of those articles earlier, witnessed and experienced it first hand years ago! But my question to you is¡ªwhy are you helping me, spirit?¡±


    The woman in red giggles out in amusement hearing that word; spirit.


    ¡°Spirit, oh how adorable. Ahem, back to what you were saying, it¡¯s because I made a promise to someone, and that person is keeping theirs; or so I thought they were.¡±


    The woman in red grew upset and shed a single bloody tear. The sky turned fully blood red and the rose petals were flying from every driection around them.


    The woman in red clenched a fist and deeply showed Sarah how upset she was with half her face squinting in anger. ¡°He will pay for what he¡¯s done, and when that time comes¡­ I¡¯ll make sure to throw reality into his face and give him the worst punishment unimaginable.¡±


    Sarah covered her face from the growing fierce winds with an arm. ¡°Who-Who are you talking about?! What¡¯s going on and what do you want from me?!¡±


    The woman in red lifts an arm then extends a finger, pointing sharply at Sarah while those rose petals hurtle from behind the woman in red like a sea of agonised death.


    ¡°I want you, you Sarah, to fight the girl in white¡­ and show her your true existence!¡±


    The entire place was engulfed by rose petals and the fallen petals swirled and surrounded the woman in red, forcing Sarah to close her eyes from such intensity.


    The woman in red clapped once and made the rose petals turn into sparkled red dust. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I''ll make sure to protect all of you¡­ The very best I can and not make the same mistake as I have with him.¡±


    The goth girl tried opening her eyes again but those gusts turned into typhoons and the red sparkles burst into flames, engulfing the entirety of their surroundings. Sarah screamed and dropped to her knees. The moment Sarah opened her eyes again, everything settled down and returned to normal. Nature¡¯s sounds came back along with the animals that weren¡¯t present. Sarah seemed rather confused but blanched. She¡¯s never encountered anything like that before. She can still feel her body tremble, the woman''s presence alone gave her such intense goosebumps, Sarah thought she might die of a heart attack from being so afraid.


    Sarah stood on her feet and brushed herself, picking her bag afterward. She looked at her surroundings and everything was normal. She can¡¯t believe what just happened.


    My life just gets more confusing and scarier the older I get, doesn¡¯t it?


    Sarah turns around and takes a step forward so she can be on her way again, but she can¡¯t help but look back one last time at the spot where all this was going down. ¡°Just who is she? I¡¯ve gotta tell mom about this, maybe she¡¯ll have a better understanding.¡±


    Sarah walked forward but heard a snap. She looks down and spots a rose on the ground with a snapped stem. She was about to pick it up when it suddenly crumbled and turned into red dust. Sarah trickles a gasp, and begins to walk again without looking back. Sarah stayed on edge, erratically checked her surroundings as she clinged onto the hinge of her bag. In her web of complex thoughts, Sarah still had questions for that person, but when the time comes, she¡¯ll make sure to get all the answers she¡¯s looking for out of that woman in red. She''ll be sure to keep this thought in mind, even if it carries her to her death bed.

 Arc 3 Chapter 4: Some Clarity

    In the deepest depths of Flint¡¯s crime-ridden outskirts, at the edge of the highest kill count town, Jack and Eric have arrived at the entrance of their old neighbourhood. The two were hesitant to enter at first out of precaution, Adequately, they decided to scope the area out first. Both men clutched their weapons and hurried into the neighbourhood to the nearest home. Jack slammed himself against the wood wall of a home. He peeks over the corner and sees that the streets were empty too, just like the town.


    The sense of his anxiety bursted back into his screwed up mind. ¡°Fuck, it seems like our area¡¯s probably after us too.¡±


    Eric arrived shortly after, casually walking behind Jac., ¡°Is the coast clear, you big pussy?¡±


    Jack looks around again and makes sure. He nods to his uncle and the two walk into the empty misty street. Even though they were familiar with the area they couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely creeped out by the entire ordeal. Normally there would be people hanging outside their homes or yards, but the fact that no one¡¯s outside made the situation really nerve racking. Just walking through the cracked damaged roads, uncut lawns, and dying dried walls of homes was very eerie. It made the pores on their skin swell and feel cold. At any given moment they could get ambushed, attacked, or get called out on sight. Especially Jack who¡¯s a walking pedestal of guaranteed fortune and sovereignty.


    Eric, being the only one armed with a gun, saw his home a block away, raised the gun, aiming it forward. ¡°I really don¡¯t like this shit man. Spooky ass fuck, my guy.¡±


    Jack swallows, and raises his crowbar. ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡±


    Getting closer to the house, they heard the sound of a vehicle incoming from the screeching tires echoing off in the distance. Quickly they hid behind a nearby tree to stay out of sight. When they peeked out from behind they couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. It was the same yellow truck that dragged Jack from earlier, and made Jack get back into cover out of fear.


    They stayed hidden to let it pass by as it scouted the area. The truck drove in circles, this time there were only two men inside, scanning the area with their cold blue eyes. Both questioned how these people found out the location of their neighbourhood. Jack¡¯s quivering in anger. He wanted revenge on those who injured him this badly and led him to almost certain death.


    Eric grabbed his shoulder to ease his anger. ¡°Relax my guy. Save your energy, you¡¯ll get your revenge, but it ain¡¯t worth it for now.¡±


    Jack smacks his lips and cools down. ¡°You¡¯re right, damn. But I¡¯m still burning here man, backs fucking killing me.¡±


    ¡°I know, just chill for now. As I said, you can get revenge on them when the opportunity comes.¡±


    Eric checks the gun''s ammo, and it¡¯s not looking good.


    Damn. I ain¡¯t got much left, gotta preserve whatever we have left in this thing.


    The beat up truck parked for a moment and the two stepped out. One had a shotgun and the other a handgun. Jack¡¯s breathing grew frantic and Eric clenched the grip of the handgun. The one holding the shotgun was a big guy with a flannel and torn jeans, the other a tallish skinny guy with greasy long hair wearing typical ranch attire. The big guy raised his gun and shot the air, making both men hide and squint their faces. The tall guy scoped the area with his cold eyes and spat. His murderous greedy gaze scanned the enitre area, his cold blue eyes were dimmed and glinted.


    I-I could sense his feelings¡­ they¡¯re petrifying. Jack could feel his lust for murder, eagerly wanting to spot the young man and claim the prize.


    Someone nearby heard the gunshot and came out of their home. ¡°Ey, who the fuck is¡ª?¡± He was shot immediately and fell back dead.


    The one who fired and took his life was the tall man. With his gun raised forward, he lowered his arm and jolted his head to signal his partner to get back into the truck. He did what he was signalled to do and the tall man walked back into his truck after. Jack couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, seeing him murder a innocent person without hesitation made him more afraid of the two. Yet Jack questioned himself if that¡¯s how everyone else viewed him. Eric wanted to shoot them dead on the spot but he¡¯s shaking too much and didn¡¯t have hope in his aim in this state. The two scanned the area one last time and finally drove off.


    The truck drove away in a hurry and both men deeply sighed. Eric quickly ran to the deceased individual and shook his head. Jack ran into the street to see if the truck was truly gone from their view sight. It disappeared into the mistiness and brought relief into the young man. Jack walked to the home of where the person was shot and saw his uncle check the person''s pulse and belongings.


    Eric examined the man''s personal wallet. He was an old black man and had a big family in Detroit from a photo pinned onto the wallet. ¡°Fuck man, what has this world come to¡­¡±


    ¡°Eric, we¡¯ve gotta go. There¡¯s nothing much we can do.¡± said Jack as he stood at the front yard with a distraught face.


    Eric quickly went inside to find a blanket and he found one on the man''s couch. He grabbed it and walked back outside, covering the old man''s body with it. Eric said a prayer and laid the man''s wallet on the top of his covered corpse.


    Eric regrouped with Jack and rubbed his face. ¡°He was a beloved grandpa man. He had a whole big family, and to be killed just like that? Goddamn, it¡¯s our¡ª¡±


    Jack patted his uncle''s giant shoulder and looked into his eyes. ¡°No, Eric. It¡¯s not your fault. It¡¯s my fault; for being alive.¡± Jack walked forward and didn¡¯t look back.


    Eric jutted forward but wanted to look back one last time. He shook his head in sadness. ¡°Damn it Jack.¡±


    Eric walked and as he was catching up to Jack, he saw his nephew clutch the crowbar intensely. He could feel just how angry Jack is not only with himself, but at the people recklessly trying to take away his life and risking anyone else that gets in their way of an opportunity at fortune.


    Jack and Eric continued walking house by house without saying a word and finally, they reached their home. They both stood at the bottom steps and looked up at it. The small brick structure had greenery overgrowing it but it appeared that no one¡¯s walked up these steps ever since they left. The two walked up the steps and laid their eyes on Eric¡¯s home that was unscathed and not broken into. It brightens their mood a bit knowing that the people in their neighbourhood didn¡¯t vandalise their home even if Jack¡¯s a high value target plastered all over the local news.


    Eric takes a moment to bask in the scenery. ¡°Home sweet home. Heh, how I miss the old times.¡± Eric took a step forward on the overgrown passage leading to his front patio. ¡°Come on fool, we don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    Jack grins, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. Let''s get what I need and get the hell out of here once and for all.¡± Jack followed his uncle and the two made their way to his front door.


    Eric takes out the key to the house and inserts it into the lock. ¡°You ready?¡±


    Jack nods, ¡°Yeah¡­¡± and he flung his crowbar lightly. ¡°Gonna need this if anything might have a surprise for me.¡±


    Eric looks at him with a raised brow. ¡°You know this is my home right?¡±


    ¡°What? You never know?¡±


    Eric turns the key and gently opens the door. The door creaks loudly, dust particles floated around, the two get a whiff of nostalgia to their noses. Jack walks in first to make sure the house was actually empty by coughing loudly.


    ¡°Just making sure, just, making sure¡­¡± Jack still felt worried and stayed on edge.


    Eric pats Jack¡¯s shoulder and walks past him. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for being so on edge, my guy. I¡¯m going to check the garage and my car, aight.¡±


    Jack nodded and wandered off. The young man checks the basement first and turns the light on. When the light came on he had his crowbar raised over his head, but thankfully there¡¯s nothing but old momentos and furniture. He sighs with relief and walks up the steps to search the kitchen. He closed the basement door and walked into the kitchen, finding it empty and dirty. Walking in, his mind flashed a scene of his dear sister Angela washing the dishes with Randolph. The two laughed and conversed while an afterimage of Jack walked past him and sat on the table. His sister¡¯s laughter echoed ghostly and she quickly turned around and jumped onto her brother.


    ¡°Angela¡­¡± The scene fades and the dust returns to smother the kitchen''s atmosphere once again. ¡°What has my life come to?¡±


    Eric¡¯s in the garage and was scavenging for anything else they might need once they leave. The first thing that came into mind for the gang leader was to check if there was any ammunition left, he made sure to check every box that matched the same millimetre that the gun shoots in every cabinet or compartment.


    ¡°Damn it, Jack might¡¯ve been right. Someone¡¯s been here.¡± It appeared as if someone took every little bit of leftover ammo from every box, making Jack¡¯s assumption come into a realisation.


    Eric made his way to the side door and opened it. Outside beside the garage was his black car and he opened it with his car key. It¡¯s the last place he¡¯ll know if he had any weapons left inside or ammo. Thankfully when he did go inside his car searching, he found his spare gun in the centre console, and spare ammo in the glove department.


    ¡°Bingo, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about.¡± He cocks his ten millilitre calibre handgun and sees a bullet in the chamber. ¡°Still loaded, just like always hehe.¡± It brings out a smile on the big guy.


    He grabs the rest of the mags and stuffs his personal handgun behind his jeans.


    Jack¡¯s inside his old room and his face grew more worried. He already searched his entire room from the closet to the bottom of his bed and found out that someone definitely went through his belongings. It made him a little angry, but answered his assumption about the house not being clear. There¡¯s one last place he hasn¡¯t checked and that was his desk.


    He opened the drawer and found it empty. ¡°Son of a bitch¡­ I really liked that gun too.¡± He slams his fist on his desk and angrily walks out of his room.


    Jack makes his way up the stairs and down the hall to Eric''s room. The young man went inside his uncle''s room and the first thing that his line of view caught on was Eric''s window busted open.


    Jack gripped his crowbar and trickled a single drop of sweat. ¡°Someone broke in and took what was ours. How aggravating, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯re alone right now.¡±


    Jack approached the window, raising the crowbar and looked out of it, checking the backyard. It was clear, but the backgate was wide open. Shortly, Jack¡¯s eyes were caught by Randolph¡¯s grave, and it was still intact. That calmed him down a bit, but gave him a sense of sadness momentarily. After having a glimpse of the past, he went back to see if Eric¡¯s things were taken as well. The young man checks all of Eric¡¯s belongings and his stuff is gone too.


    ¡°Fuck man, who could¡¯ve done this?¡± Jack grunts and walks out.


    Walking down the dark hallway, Jack¡¯s body came to a halt. Beside him was the daunting past that once filled his sorrowed life with hope. It made him swallow in sadness, clench his fists with self hatred, and trickle a soft gasp. It was his dearest sister''s room, Angela¡¯s domain of safety and happiness. Now it¡¯s nothing more than a dormant of the dreaded past, a past in which Jack has been avoiding for the past three years.


    Jack could feel his heart beating fast, at the moment he didn¡¯t want to confront this part of the past, not now. ¡°An...gela¡­¡±


    Jack gulps and takes a deep breath. Reflecting his actions of the past with flashing memories of her purest joy and cooling his self guilt, Jack has made up his mind. He¡¯s ready to confront this past he¡¯s laid dormant, mustering the courage big enough to do so. Jack turns to his left, staring at the wooden door, and he carefully reaches for the door knob. Grabbing the piece of metal, he brought himself to a pause. Somehow, Jack can¡¯t turn the knob, he still feels too guilty about what happened to her, repeatedly blaming himself inside his dark mind.


    I-I¡­ I can¡¯t do this, I fucking can¡¯t¡­


    Jack crushed his eyes, grounding his teeth. He thought he could confront it, but it appeared that wasn¡¯t the case. His emotions were battling each other much more unfathomably, an ongoing war that wasn¡¯t slowed since childhood. But Jack had to get that item he wanted to remember Angela by, the final memento for him to carry with him. It¡¯s something that¡¯s been trivling his thoughts, and at this moment, the opportunity to seek a conclusion to it was now.


    ¡°Enough of this shit. Fuck my emotions, I gotta get it¡­ do it Jack!¡±


    At last, the barren wasteland of his emotions revealed his courageousness became the clear winner of this battle inside his damned soul. Jack opens the door and allows it to open on its own. The door creaked, creating an echo of hollowness, and revealed the past to the present. The memories of his dear sister flashed before his eyes yet again, this time with her playing her electric piano and whenever he would open her door, she welcomed him with an open mouth smile. This was a normal occurrence back then for Jack, seeing Angela on her electric keyboard playing a song, drawing on her desk, or sitting on her bed watching those cartoons that she loved so much. His sister faded into the dust particles of her room and revealed her precious dusty keyboard broken, lying on the floor.


    Jack walks in and looks around. The young man stopped at the side of her bed to drift his hand across her empty bed. Jack sits, stares at the shelf of her figurine collection right across the side of the bed. He frowns and lays on her bed sideways, trying to get a last membrane of lingering warmth. Remembering the old life that they once shared froze Jack in a position of him gazing at her door. The young man''s vision turned back time to the night her life was taken away, he had the scene recorded in its entirety.


    Jack sat up, and saw that scene being played out. He kicked her door open, had his bleeding sister in his arms with his dead eyes glistening as he ran to her bed, laying her dead corpse on it. Her skin grey, body stiff as a pencil, the last of her blood leaving her body turned his stomach. Jack watched himself scream in agony, and desperately gave her CPR. Watching himself fail over and over again to bring her back to life hurt his pathetic soul and burn it into a cinder. Jack screams in sorrow, clutching his head like a maniac and slamming his fist on her keyboard, breaking it. The scene faded and the young man stroked his hand on his fading dead sister as she turned to nothingness.


    Letting out a long breath, Jack gets off the bed and walks up to the shelf of her precious figurines. ¡°This is no time to cry Jack, not now, or better yet, for the best; never.¡± Jack blows on all of the standing plastic, creating a huge cloud of dust that puffed out to his face.


    Jack coughs and waves his hand around. The young man starts packing all the figurines one by one, and as he did, he eventually grabs the one that she compared him to; the one with the black and orange tracksuit.


    He stares at it and blows on it. ¡°So? We meet again, old friend?¡± He places it in his bag, ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯m not like you nor will I ever be like you.¡±


    In repeating the same type of statement brought out a chuckle to Jack. It made him remember that day when he got back his senses and broke out of his depressed trance to then make a rescue operation for his sister. That memory alone brought a small burst of faith to the young man until he heard something rustling in Angela¡¯s closet.


    The hell was that?


    Jack clutches his crowbar and approaches the closest. He hovers the crowbar over his shoulder and readies himself for anything that¡¯ll potentially harm him. He extends his hand towards the knob and grabs it, but as he¡¯s about to twist the knob to open the door, someone bursted out of the bathroom across from her bedroom, running at him.


    Jack heard those loud, heavy footsteps quickly getting to him. ¡°What the¡­?!¡± He quickly turns around and a man barges at him, screaming in a laughable sense.


    He had a knife and drove it at the young man. Jack scooted backwards and the man swung his knife at the young man, trying to either slash or stab Jack. Jack stumbles his footing, giving the man an opening for him to drive the knife at him. He shoots his knife at Jack. The young man sees it coming and catches the intruder¡¯s hand. They had a small struggle, grunting, groaning, but Jack overpowered him and threw him on the ground.


    ¡°How dare you break into my home!¡± said Jack as he grabs the man''s shirt and throws a punch to his face.


    A punches him twice on his left cheek and lets go briefly so he can use his crowbar. Jack raises it high to make sure the impact would finish him off. Jack pummels the crowbar but when he becomes inches from landing it on his dome, a woman pops out of Angela¡¯s closet and shoots Jack¡¯s right shoulder.


    A small burst of blood went into the air where Jack was shot. ¡°Fuck ahhh!¡± Jack falls along with a trail of shooting blood, dropping his crowbar in the process.


    Jack lays on his stomach, grabbing his shoulder and grinding his teeth in pain. The guy took the opportunity to grab one of Angela¡¯s belts inside her closet and wrapped the piece of long leather around the young man''s neck. He pulled on the edges of the belt, grunting, and pressing the leather against Jack¡¯s windpipe. Jack squinted an eye, fought to break free by swinging his left arm. The guy, in an instant wrapped the rest of the leather and started choking Jack. The man hopped onto the young man''s back and reeled in his death trap on Jack¡¯s neck. The young man gags horribly, desperately trying to reach for the crowbar.


    The woman on the other hand has something else in mind. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± She got the knife the guy was using and walked up to Jack¡¯s frontal view.


    Jack grinded his teeth, groaning loudly for breaths of air. The woman enjoyed this site her eyes were witnessing, it made her smile. She kicked Jack¡¯s reaching hand away and immediately stabbed his arm with all her strength, bringing a stop to its movements.


    ¡°Take that you sicko!¡± she shouted.


    Jack screams and she doesn''t hesitate to stomp on the knife afterwards to make it go through his forearm, into his bone, and out onto the wooden ground. Jack screams as loud as he could from the pain with his choked voice. He heard his bone crack and felt it split in two. Outside, Eric heard the commotion being created upstairs as he¡¯s checking the perimeter.


    ¡°What the fucks up with all that noise?!¡± Eric wanted to check the entire perimeter now and made his way to the backyard. ¡°Seems like the screaming''s coming from behind. Jack, I hope you¡¯re just having another breakdown if not then hang on.¡±


    The guy stops choking Jack and pulls on his hair to make him stare at the woman directly. ¡°Pay attention you bitch ass! Don¡¯t go out on me now!¡±


    She walks in front of Jack and looks at the gun which belonged to him, that being his silver handgun. ¡°Hey bro, you know this is the same gun he killed our little brother with?¡±


    The man sitting on Jack''s back chuckles, ¡°Nahh! I didn¡¯t know that! What are we gonna do to this piece of shit?¡±


    She points the gun at Jack and shoots again, striking the same wound once again. ¡°We''re gonna kill this son of a bitch of course!¡± She starts laughing and stomps on the knife again, making Jack scream in the utmost pain.


    Jack could feel himself about to pass out from the severe torment. ¡°Ple-Please¡­ Don¡¯t do this! Th-This wo-won¡¯t make you feel better or bring back your lost sibling, trust me!¡± Jack coughs and his vision¡¯s fogging.


    ¡°Nah! Fuck that, we killing yo ass!¡± chuckled the man, ¡°Yo sis, let me see that gun for a sec!¡± He stands up not before he kicks Jack''s face to lay him to his side.


    ¡°Sure thing! Here you go bro!¡± She hands him the gun and he deeply stares at it.


    He points it around and chuckles, glorifying the gun''s elegance. ¡°At least you didn¡¯t kill my little brother with some cheap ass gun.¡± He walks in front of the window and shines the gun in the sunlight. ¡±Ooowee, damn this is a mighty fun pistol.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mouth leaked, and he can feel his senses draining. ¡°Please¡­ I-I¡ª¡±


    ¡°How does it feel to be killed with your own treasure, huh bitch?!¡± He laughs and points the gun at Jack, ¡°Ready to die psycho?¡±


    ¡°Man hurry up! I¡¯m hungry, let''s just get this over with already!¡± She stands next to her brother and grabs his shoulder. ¡°This is for our families suffering mothafuckah!¡± She laughs manically with her brother.


    Jack tries lifting his arm up, he can feel his shoulder ready to pop out of place in the position he¡¯s in. He¡¯s weakened, suffering, and the knife¡¯s far too embedded into the floor to attempt to do a quick pull out. Jack didn¡¯t care though, he fought through the excruciating pain and kept trying to lift his arm the best he could.


    ¡°GOODBYE BITCH!¡± As the guy¡¯s about to pull the trigger; A gun shot was heard from outside and the guy stood there like a statue.


    His sister looked at him and transpired into a distraught state. Blood poured out his ears and nose. The sister screams and her brother falls dead on his face. She glares out the window and spots Eric outside. She¡¯s livid and grabs the silver gun, and fires back at the big guy in a blind rage. Eric ran off her view before she could even attempt to hit him.


    He kicked his own front door open and ran to the stairs. ¡°Jack!¡±


    ¡°You bitch ass! I¡¯ll fucking kill you!¡± screamed the girl.


    Jack used this chance to grab the knife that¡¯s embedded into his forearm and used up whatever strength he had left to try to pull it out.


    Jack groaned loudly and moaned, alerting the girl. ¡°Nu-uh bitch! I¡¯ll kill you first before he gets here!¡± She took aim at Jack''s twitching face and pulled the trigger, but it only clicked. ¡°No, no, no no! Fuck it I¡¯ll just kill you with my hands!¡±


    She rushes at Jack and starts beating him with his gun. Jack¡¯s still on his side, using his one free hand to eagerly pull out that knife, but was severely hurting from the gunshot wound on his shoulder. Despite all these complicated circumstances, Jack ignores the pain as she smacks his head with the butt of the gun.


    ¡°Die, die, die! Just fucking die!¡± She pummels the piece of metal, smacks, and scratches the life out of Jack to end his life.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Jack¡¯s blood pumped to its max and his adrenaline exploded, giving him a temporary numbing boost of strength to lift his arm with all his might. Jack¡¯s eyes exploded, bloodshot, and the young man pulled his forearm off the ground, smacking it against her throat. The knife''s end penetrates into her throat and blood pours out of her mouth, over his arm to the floor between them. She moans, gurgles, and dies a slow death while looking into Jack¡¯s fuming eyes. Her lifeless body leans onto Jack and he pushes her off. Her body falls, Jack pulls the knife out of his forearm slowly and painfully. The young man groans and it finally comes out.


    Jack grunts, throwing the knife away, and moans from all the pain pulsing throughout his body. ¡°Fucking hell¡­¡± Jack falls backwards and slams, ¡°This just isn''t my we-week.¡±


    Eric runs in and spots the two dead people and his nephew lying on the ground. ¡°Goddamn man! What happened?!¡±


    Jack coughed out blood and rolled his eyes. ¡°What do you-you think?¡±


    ¡°Why is it that everytime we go somewhere you have to be this close to death?! Damn man you¡¯re more fucked than before.¡± Eric walked next to Jack and kneeled. ¡°Jack, I need to take you to a hospital, my guy! If we don¡¯t then you¡¯ll surely die.¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t¡­ for our safety, and our friends.¡± Jack sits up and chuckles a bit in pain, ¡°Bitch sh-shot me twice on the shoulder. I¡¯ve never felt pain this bad-badly since I fou-fought that pig three years ago. Ergh, damn, what are we gonna do now?¡±


    Eric walked over to the window, briefly looked out and covered it with the curtains. ¡°Well, we could stay here until you recover a bit? What do you say?¡±


    Jack coughs, feeling the urge to faint, the adrelines wearing off. ¡°Sounds good to me, but only for a d-day. Ouch, it even hu-hurts to talk too! Lets cle-clean up these two.¡±


    Jack raises a knee, trying to stand back on his feet, but collapses. His uncle got back to his nephew to help him up. He wrapped Jack¡¯s arm over his boulder-like shoulders and walked him to Angela¡¯s bed to seat him. Jack took a seat and fell to his side, groaning severely.


    ¡°What you need to do is lay your ass down and let me take care of the bodies. You need to rest and save all that energy or whatever you have left, my guy!¡±


    Eric walks up to the two corpses and kicks them. It amused his nephew, bringing out a faint chuckle.


    ¡°How dare you pour your nasty vengeful ass blood all over baby girl''s floor, dirty ass punks.¡±


    Eric walked out and went to grab cleaning utensils to clean up the blood. Jack laid upwards, reflecting on the situation that just happened, feeling even guiltier than before. Not only did his feelings of being responsible for her demise rose tenfold, but he violated her space and spilled the blood of criminals all over her innocent floor. It made his blood boil, he felt like scum, in which the young man spewed in thoughts of suicide. He took a glance at the bodies, spotting his silver handgun and thought about reloading it later on to end his life. Even with this dark thought, Jack knew deep down he didn¡¯t have the courage to do so. His mind¡¯s already at the pinnacle of lunacy, but he wondered how he hasn¡¯t truly fallen victim to the depths of insanity.


    Jack brought his eyes back to the ceiling and stared deeply at the dusty wood. ¡°Damn it all¡ªto hell, especially, me.¡±and carrying the bodies.¡±


    His uncle walked back in with cleaning utensils and a mop bucket. ¡°Before I clean this shit, I gotta get rid of the trash first.¡±


    The big guy walked over to both bodies, picking each one with his massive arms and carrying them out of the room like nothing. Jack grew another thought now, one that would bring a resolution to his pain, but temporary. The young man reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his mysterious labeless pill bottle. He brought the bottle up to his view and clutched it, feeling disgusted within himself. Jack opened the bottle and poured out a couple. He stares at the man-made drug and has a flashback of Dr. Cato calls him a druggy to transition to him witnessing Alexandria¡¯s addiction that one night she said she was just burning something.


    ¡°What a way to live, huh, Jack?¡± The young man deeply sighs and ingests them.


    They quickly take into effect, doing just the trick for Jack¡¯s liking. The pills relax his tension, hurt muscles, stress, anxiety, everything, even making the young man immediately pass out. Eric walks back in with a mop and sees his nephew fast asleep. Though something caught his eyes, an orange small bottle lying in the palm of Jack¡¯s right hand that rested on his chest. Eric shakes his head and begins his process of cleaning, but the thoughts of his little niece Angela being in her room either singing or drawing with joy made the big guy feel more depressed. It¡¯s enough to remind Eric¡¯s memories of the good times with Randolph, his best friend who stuck with him from the beginning of his ganghood. Their unbreakable bond made them eager to give a life of norm and comfort to Angela, but given their complicated lives have made this only a dream to never come true.


    Eric sheds a single tear and chuckles. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be a pussy, let''s clean up baby girl''s room or else she''ll yell at you big guy.¡±


    Eric slammed the mop on the ground, swinging it, but he couldn¡¯t help staring at the old photos that she had of her and everyone else still standing in their frames on her desk. He paused and sulked. Eric grew angry, frustrated with himself, enough for his anger to clutch the mops wooden handle and snap it in two.


    The pieces of wood bounced, and rolled away as Eric brought his gaze to the window. ¡°Goddamn, what has become of this fucking life man¡­¡± He wipes his eye and resumes his cleaning.


    The next day comes by. It¡¯s cold, the tint of grey hasn¡¯t faded, streets are still empty, it was another quiet eerie day in Flint. Jack wakes up from his drugged slumber and notices that a new day has dawned. He yawns and grabs his wounds that ache. Sitting up straight, Jack saw bandages, stitches that Eric covered his wounds and sewed his knife marks. The young man even had a makeshift cast on him and almost forgot that the woman broke his bone within his forearm.


    Jack scratched the bristles on his chin and got out of Angela''s bed. ¡°Well, let''s see what this day has in store for me, shall we?¡±


    Jack limped his way up to the window, taking a peek through the curtains to see if anyone¡¯s outside. Despite the clouds covering the sun''s rays, Jack could feel their power pushing through the dense grey that tried to blind him.


    Feeling the morning go away as his vision felt less intense, he glanced around. ¡°Well, this is probably the most comfortable morning I¡¯ve had in years. It seems everyone¡¯s still absent, probably still paranoid, can¡¯t blame them.¡± Jack sighs with relief and limps back to bed.


    Before taking another limp, the young man stops, remembering the old photographs of Angela on her desk along with everyone else. Turning over, he limped back to the desk and stared at the past.


    Jack reached for one and looked deeply into the picture frame that trapped the past. The future looking back upon the less troubled past made the young man bite his lip in sorrow. It was a picture of him, Randolph, and Eric on her tenth birthday party.


    God I miss you. I miss you so fucking much, baby sis¡­


    Jack frowns and sets the picture down. He makes his way to her closet that¡¯s filled with her memories and opens it. Hanging on their hangers, dust free were all the adorable outfits she used to wear; along with one agonising memento of that dreadful night, one Jack has repeating every night. A piece of man made cloth, fabric, the very thing that has Jack reminding of his guilt, and it¡¯s staring right at him. Seeing it again, the old stain of her lingering warmth spread around a hole, a tear that imbedded a projectile of her demise. It¡¯s the old hoodie she loved to wear, the hoodie that Jack used to wear.


    How did this end up here¡­? Jack¡¯s eyes shook in guilt.


    Seeing that bullet hole yet again made Jack¡¯s brain rewind to that night. Flashbacks of his fight, the encounter, her screams, her cries, her last breath. Her last warmth that Jack will never forget feeling on his bruised cold face made him clench his jaw.


    The young man grabbed the hoodie and held it, staring dead at it with dimmed eyes. ¡°I¡¯m so-sorry¡­ Angela.¡± He hugs the hoodie as his eyes quivered in sorrow. ¡°Angela-Angela, Ange¡ªla¡­¡±


    Eric walks in, spotting his nephew in a guilted saddened trance. ¡°Yo, Jack. Snap out of it.¡±


    The young man didn¡¯t hear his uncle, the tape of that night kept playing and his own screams of agony blocked out the outside world. His uncle approached his nephew from behind, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. Nothing¡¯s working, he can¡¯t pause the past. Eric slapped his sense back into the side of Jack¡¯s face, and it worked. The young man blinked rapidly and massaged his face, turning around to look at his uncle in sorrow.


    Eric crossed his arms and tilted his head. ¡°You good? You looked out of it, and for a second I thought I lost you to insanity, kid.¡±


    Jack sighed and shook his head. ¡°Shit¡­ my bad. Though you scared me there for a second.¡±


    Eric then saw Jack holding the old blood stained black hoodie in one of his arms. ¡°Is that? Damn, my bad. Didn¡¯t know you were having dark memories.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good. I was just in the midst of my guilted remembrance.¡±


    ¡°No big words, don¡¯t do that to your college dropout uncle.¡± Eric sighed and placed a hand on the hoodie. ¡°It¡¯s been three years now, hasn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sorry bro¡­¡±


    Jack strokes his hand on the hoodie and decides to replace it back on the hanger to hang away the past. ¡°It¡¯s fine, besides, it''s best to move on, right?¡± Jack walks off and Eric¡¯s left alone in Angela¡¯s room.


    As Eric looked back to her closet, he noticed something inside that caught his eye. ¡°What''s this?¡± He reached into the closet and saw a piece of paper from one of her shorts sticking out.


    Eric grabbed it and folded it out. Upon laying his eyes on it, they grew huge with fear and shock.


    Wh-What¡¯s this¡­?


    It¡¯s a drawing of Angela locked in a cage and a girl in white with no face laughing at her. Never has Eric seen a drawing this depressing when she was around. She never referenced nor gave hints of drawing these types of emotions onto paper, but the fact that he¡¯s seeing this now made him question above the already mountainous suspicion he has on Jack. Not only did the cage and the girl laughing at Angela made her uncle sulk, but the environment of shaded darkness and her dim eyes made his emotions stir.


    Something else was on the paper though, a small message written next to it reading¡ª¡°She makes me hurt, she makes me cry, she taunts me, but without her¡­ I¡¯m nothing but cattle, a walking vessel in the making for her return.¡±


    Eric¡¯s grip made the paper tremble, appearing like a crumbling road with his building anger. The big guy quickly regains his composure. He¡¯s calm enough to blow his frustrations through his nostrils. Eric throws the paper back in the closet and walks out, down the stairs to find his nephew. He wasn¡¯t in the living room when he got to the last step so he walked to the kitchen. There, he spots Jack in the backyard staring at nothing through the kitchen window. Eric walks out of his home and into the backyard to confront Jack. Jack stood in front of Randolph''s grave, staring at the wilderness ahead of him basking in his silent depression.


    Eric stood on the back porch and watched Jack stare at nothingness. Poor bastard. A kid like him to go through this much is fucking depressing¡­


    Eric walks next to Jack, placing his hands on his hips and stares at the wilderness too. ¡°Whatcha thinking about, huh?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t respond at first, but after another minute, he chuckled. ¡°Nothing. Just realising how much of a failure I am at life, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that about yo self, man, enough talk of this sad shit, let''s change the subject.¡±


    Jack mildly nods. ¡°Go on then.¡±


    Eric scratched the back of his head and coughed. ¡°Well, I uh, looked in Angela''s closet and found a drawing of hers.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Was it cute?¡± Jack replied with a monotone.


    Eric takes his hands off his hips and slowly looks at Jack who didn¡¯t take a glance at his uncle. ¡°It was far from anything that¡¯s cute, quite frankly, it was creepy and sad.¡±


    Jack clenched his fist and showed his uncle the edge of his face. ¡°Wh-What did you see?¡±


    Eric looked serious, knitting his brows. ¡°It was her, locked in a cage with a little girl in a white dress. It even had a sad message written on it.¡±


    Eric went up to Jack''s face, eyeing him. The young man gulped and his eye movement turned erratic. Eric kept his gaze on Jack while his nephew tried his best to not look awkward or more inconspicuous.


    ¡°Care to explain why she would draw something so depressing? Jack.¡± Eric¡¯s voice sounded intense and heavy.


    It made Jack look away, clenching his jaw in guilt. ¡°Maybe, maybe it was just an old drawing of hers, that¡¯s probably all there is to it.¡±


    Eric clenched his fists, but took a breath. ¡°You know what¡¯s funny? The fact that my homie told me about the people dying in their sleep, but not only that Jack, something happened in the call I had with him before we setted out to this place.¡±


    ¡°Then why bring it up now? Couldn¡¯t you¡¯ve mentioned this before our trip?¡±


    Eric stroked his chin and smacked his lips. ¡°Heh, well I bring it up now because it correlates the things I¡¯ve been growing suspicious of about you for all these years.¡±


    Jack twitched an eye and looked away again.


    ¡°Jack, it''s the simple fact I heard a little girl sing before I lost contact with him and lastly, the fact she called out your name!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide, shaking, he even let out a loud gasp.


    ¡°Jack, we¡¯re supposed to be homies. So please, tell me what the fucks going on man.¡±


    Jack closed the gates to his eyes and proceeded to walk away in shame. Eric shook his head, dissa[piointed, but he wasn¡¯t going to let Jack get off the hook this easily. For three years the young man¡¯s been dodging questions like this that his uncle wants answers on. Eric had enough and before Jack could leave his vicinity, he grabbed the young man''s shoulder, turning him around.


    Jack looked worried, annoyed even. He showed his uncle just how frustrated he is by his exposed clenching teeth. ¡°Eric, please now¡¯s not the time to talk crazy!¡±


    Hearing Jack raise his voice in that moment made his uncle feel more worried for his sanity. ¡°Relax Jack, the only one who¡¯s acting crazy is you.¡±


    Jack tried walking again but his uncle grabbed his shoulder abruptly, this time without giving him a chance of leaving. ¡°Let me go, Eric, please.¡±


    Eric reeled Jack in and pushed him in silent anger, making the young man fall on his butt. The young man looked up at his uncle and saw Eric¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and ready to burst with emotions. Inside his muscular physique, the big guy was battling his emotions, preventing them from coming out. Jack felt bad, seeing his uncle doing the same type of combatment he does when he hides his emotions didn¡¯t feel right, it¡¯s something he¡¯s not used to seeing on the big guy who isn¡¯t afraid of expressing his truest emotions. In Jack¡¯s mind, he¡¯s feeling as conflicted as ever on revealing more truth to his uncle, he isn¡¯t sure if Eric would believe the things he would tell him.


    Eric blinks and grabs Jack by his shirt. ¡°Jack, I¡¯ve lost so many friends, my best friend, my life! The mystery behind you has been driving me nuts man! You¡¯ve only given me a taste of your sceresty, but no more. I want the entire platter, enough''s enough.¡±


    Jack grit his teeth, looking away. ¡°I-I, I¡¯m not¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t answer me some damn questions¡­ then you¡¯re truly the failure that you are, my guy.¡±


    Jack closes his eyes, and groans. The last words in his sentence struck a ice pick of reality into his damaged heart concealed in a box of some ones never ending devotion. That being the girl in white, the one who has his beating life in her clutch.


    ¡°This is your last chance Jack. Please, tell me what¡¯s going on, I don¡¯t want to inflict violence on you, you¡¯re already screwed up enough. I want to help you, don¡¯t do this for me¡­ Do it for Angela.¡±


    Jack¡¯s in disbelief. He opened his eyes and sat on the ground, gasping away all his guilt. Softly, the boy muttered nonsense, making his uncle uncomfortable for a moment. The young man grabbed his head and shook. He''s quiet, indispair, Jack¡¯s fighting his sadness, preventing it from coming out. Eric let go of Jack and backed up, pulling out his pistol out from behind his pants.


    Eric cocked the gun and aimed at Jack. ¡°Jack, if you¡¯re about to lose it like last time, like back at the facility¡ªthen let me be the one to stop your madness.¡±


    Jack raised open the gates to his dim eyes and gazed up at his uncle. Never in his life has he seen his uncle so serious and being in the position of his victims to bear witness the last glare that¡¯ll take away their life. Jack smeared away his craziness and took deep breaths. He frowned and slapped himself the hardest he could currently, making his uncle gasp beneath his breath. Jack got back on his feet and massaged his head as his uncle slowly put down the gun.


    Jack massaged his cheek and approached his uncle, patting his giant arm. ¡°Okay, you want the full truth, you got it. I¡¯m sorry for dragging you guys into our mess.¡±


    Eric sniffed, putting the gun away. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, it¡¯s my fault Randolph died, it¡¯s my fault we lost homies, and more importantly¡ªit¡¯s my fault Angela isn¡¯t here with us right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough of beating your own ass. But sorry for being selfish right now. I just need to know bro.¡±


    Jack softly grinned. ¡°Let''s go back inside, it¡¯s going to be a long explanation, and Eric, what I¡¯m about to tell you might be the answer to the people dying in their sleep too.¡± Jack furrowed his brows, getting serious. ¡°Prepare yourself because it¡¯s about to get ridiculously stupidly scary. And I wish I were exaggerating¡±


    Eric cringes, wiping away his smile. ¡°Huh, uh, what type of shit is that? Your statement sounds so stupid my guy.¡±


    Jack walked past his uncle to carry the conversation inside where it¡¯s warmer, plus Jack¡¯s body was aching. Eric followed behind as the two went up the patio and back inside the house. Both men sat down on individual couches and took a moment to relax. While relaxing, Jack grinned again, getting up from the couch and made his way up the stairs. His uncle raised a brow but waited to see what his nephew was up to. Moments later Jack walks back into the living room with Angela¡¯s personal sketchbook that she had hidden deep inside her closet.


    Jack places the sketchbook down on the coffee table in front of his uncle. ¡°You ready, uncle?¡±


    Eric replies by nodding. Jack flips open the book and shows him a couple of suspicious yet beautiful portraits. Eric sat there, analysing the drawings as his nephew took a seat next to him. The pictures confused Eric but made him feel sadder by the flip of each page. Jack kept turning the pages, showing his uncle the beautiful yet depressing portraits she had hidden away from her uncles for years. Finally, Jack stopped flipping, bringing both of their attention fully on to one picture and that picture was a picture of Jack and the girl in the white dress together.


    Eric looked at Jack with shock. ¡°Jack¡­ what does this¡ª?¡±


    Jack was staring deep into the photo and seemed rather upset.


    His uncle had his jaw dropped in disbelief, all these pictures were eye opening. ¡°Jack¡­ what is all of this? What are you trying to show me? These-These drawings, they¡¯re all fucked up¡­¡±


    Jack slouches on the couch, bringing his stare to the ceiling. ¡°The girl in the white dress. She¡¯s the reason why things are so strange, uncle.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Who is she? First tell me ghosts and shit are real back then, now you¡¯re telling me this girl¡¯s responsible for all this supernatural crap?¡±


    Jack sighs and doesn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Jack, this picture is the two of you together. What does it mean? What is it?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not so sure myself. I have just as many questions as you do, uncle. About what she is, everything¡¯s that¡¯s happening around us, but what I do know is that she¡¯s the main reason why Dr. Cato¡¯s after Angela¡ªor was¡­¡±


    Eric scoots to the side and places a hand against his head, feeling confused. ¡°Hold up, Hold¡ªup! What are you trying to really tell me, my guy?¡±


    ¡°The girl in the white dress started appearing in my dreams when I was a kid. Then she started appearing right in front of me in reality or illusions. As time flew by, the older I got, all the complications about her were correlating with the discovery of something that we¡¯re oblivious to.¡±


    Jack grabs the drawing book and stares at the picture as Eric sat there in disbelief.


    The young man clenched his jaw and shook his head. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to tell you Eric is that there¡¯s a world out there that we don¡¯t know about. A world where spirits and other strange phenomena hide in the shadows of our everyday lives. I experienced that phenomenon when I fought that fat bastard, and let me tell you, I¡¯ve never felt that afraid in my entire life and to be honest, I¡¯m still shitting bricks even talking about it.¡±


    Eric reminses that night in his mind, remembering the feels, weight, the tremors, the magnitude of this supernatural occurrence being unfolded as he fought the doctor. The building was being destroyed, shaking, and more notably, the necklace around the doctor''s neck that glowed before he tried punching the big guy. That courageous punch that Eric felt as light surrounded the doctor coming at him and making contact to his face, didn¡¯t bring an ounce of pain.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, for real for real, I know you said it before but to actually make it a confirmation¡­ Ghosts and spirits or whatever are real?¡±


    Jack sighs, and sets the booklet down on the table. ¡°Well, maybe, I¡¯ve only had phew encounters. Yet I¡¯m not sure if I believe one hundred percent on that supernatural crap to an extent. I kinda made myself believe it to relieve myself of all these burdens weighing me down, but like I said, I¡¯m still scared to find out the full fledged truth.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s this girl in white then? What connections does she have with you and had with Angela?¡±


    Jack stands up, and shrugs, ¡°I don¡¯t have the answer to that yet, but what I do know is that what she desires¡­¡± Jack looks at Eric, petrified, ¡°Is me¡­¡±


    Jack felt his legs tremble, and Eric saw. ¡°Yo, you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just thinking about her makes me nervous.¡±


    His uncle stands on his feet as well, crossing his arms. ¡°Jack, is she the one behind the people dying in their sleep too? You mentioned she appeared in your dreams when you were a kid? So she must be the one behind the killings, right?¡±


    Jack grits his teeth, ¡°Y-Yes, she is the one behind it. I¡¯m sorry for hiding it from you; I just thought that¡ª¡±


    Eric playfully punches Jack''s shoulder, trying to cheer up the broken young man. ¡°You thought that I wouldn¡¯t believe you huh?¡± Eric chuckles, ¡°Trust me, I¡¯ve always believed in stuff like that. The fact that you told me about it and not only that, I¡¯ve also had my fair share of encounters too, my guy!¡±


    Jack brought out a grin of relief, feeling some weight being lifted off his chest. ¡°Is that so? Well, glad to hear that you don¡¯t think I¡¯m insane or mentally ill for telling you.¡±


    ¡°Who said you aren¡¯t insane or mentally ill? You need even more help, my guy!¡±


    The two men laughed. Eric felt some clarity and could feel relieved enough to rest at ease tonight when he went to bed. Jack only gave a glimpse of the truth to his uncle three years ago, but to tell him more of it and unravel the mystery he hides made the young man feel much happier. The two sat back down on the couch, letting out long breaths and chuckling.


    ¡°So? What¡¯s the plan after tomorrow?¡± said Jack.


    ¡°Hmm, don¡¯t know, but I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± Eric crosses his arms, ¡°Yeah, this is gonna be different though. Not only are we experiencing some major bullshit from that deranged white man, but with spooky shit like this! Man, this is out of my league my guy, you¡¯ve got more experience in this than I do so you come up with a plan instead haha!¡±


    Jack leans back on the couch, groaning. ¡°I was afraid you were gonna say that. To be honest I¡¯ve only got one idea, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± replied Eric.


    Jack thinks for a second, scratching his head and abruptly standing up again. ¡°We¡¯re escaping this zone, you said my bounties only inside the quarantine zones right? So if we make it out then we should be home free!¡±


    Eric stands up too but with worry written all over his face. ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right, but Jack, what are we gonna do about the poor people dying from that girl? Is there any way we can stop her from doing so?¡±


    Jack shook his head and moaned. He can¡¯t think of a conclusion nor an idea.


    His uncle interrupted the brief silence by loudly snapping his fingers. ¡°Hold up! You said what she desires is you right? So maybe if I knock your ass out and take your tall ass to her¡ªthen maybe she¡¯ll finally stop. Perfect plan!¡±


    Jack felt irritated a bit by Eric¡¯s plan, it made him twitch his eyes and raise the edge of his lip. ¡°Haha, very funny. To be honest, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that easy if you took me to her like that.¡± Jack grins and looks at the living room window, ¡°But I might have an idea on how to stop her and to be honest, I¡¯m going to hate myself by doing it.¡±


    ¡°Whatever man, just don¡¯t drag me along with all that creepy scary shit like before in the abandoned facility. So, when are we leaving?¡±


    ¡°After tomorrow we¡¯ll leave, I still gotta heal a bit and rest.¡±


    Eric wasn¡¯t sure they should leave early, especially the condition that Jack¡¯s in. ¡°What about your broken arm? And the horrible skin rashes/dangling skin on your back and arms?¡±


    Jack shrugged and looked confident about healing his wounds. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I might have an idea for that.¡±


    Eric also shrugs, not feeling confident in Jack''s words. ¡°Whatever man, you do you. So, where are we going? Got any place in mind once we leave this hell.¡±


    ¡°Hm, if I recall, Candy¡¯s still out there, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I-I wouldn¡¯t know since that damn fruitcake plays too many games with me on the phone.¡±


    ¡°The last time you spoke to him, when was it?¡±


    ¡°Agh, like a year ago, why?¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s still doing his part it seems. Heh, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be more than happy to see us again.¡±


    Eric had a disgusted look on his face, ¡°Oh god, you¡¯re serious?! Damn I thought we wouldn¡¯t have to see that damn fruity pebble ass fool so soon!¡± He then sighs, grinning. ¡°I guess we don¡¯t have a choice. I hope you¡¯re ready because the last time you had contact with him was two years ago.¡±


    Jack softly blows air out his nose, easing his shoulders. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, but I know him and he would never go back on a promise or break it. I know he¡¯s going to be pissed to see me but happy at the same time. He has every right to be mad at me afterall.¡±


    Eric walks on over to the front door and opens it. ¡°Before we start another grand journey, I¡¯ll be back, I gotta go talk to some of my crew and get updates on at least something.¡± Eric walks out and shuts the door behind him.


    Jack¡¯s alone and feels relieved to know that Eric didn¡¯t call him some delusional sick idiot that believes in the supernatural. He¡¯s just glad that he¡¯s gotten some sort of closure about it and felt a huge set of weights were lifted off his burdened shoulders.


    The young man waddles to his room across from the living room and as he¡¯s closing in to his door, he hears loud faint cries of sorrow from afar.


    Hearing those agonising cries, rubbing softly against his ear drums has fueled his guilt once again. It made Jack¡¯s face precipitate, and brought his thoughts to a chill. No¡­ stop it, shut up¡­


    Again, the young man¡¯s guilt has overcome his thinking, and forces Jack to confront those haunting wails of pain to the outside patio. The door shut behind him, and he placed his bandaged hand over his heart, he felt those sounds pierce the walls around his heart. Jack reaches into his pocket and takes out a cross that he picked up from the facility when he returned after a year from the incident that night.


    Jack clenches the holy relact and apologies to those cries from the distance with the clings of his shut eyelids. ¡°I had to do it, I had to or else¡­ it would¡¯ve¡­ would¡¯ve gotten worse!¡±


    Jack¡¯s body shivered, his temporary darkness swirled the colours of the purple and a sudden flash of light welcomed itself into his dark mind. The moment he opened the gates to life, he found himself in the middle of a grassy field full of elegant flowers and that giant tree fluttering with life in front of his gaze. The tree that always appeared in his soft dreams, which gave him hope, and cleansed his soul by its magnitude of pure beauty. Jack knew this place all too well and the first thought that came into mind was to power walk to the tree as quickly as he could.


    Jack stops in front of nature''s greatest creation and walks around it, peaking around back. Once he got a good look behind the tree, he spotted a girl sitting against the tree reading something. Her hair¡¯s coated in bleach blonde, but had darkened black to pink highlights edging out from its roots to its tips. From what Jack could make out of the angle he¡¯s in, her outfit was similar to one girl he knew, but she wore a coat and the skirt was mildly plaided out. Immediately Jack recognized this indivueld just from the hair and outfit alone, someone he hasn¡¯t seen in years and someone who broke his cage of brokenness. It made the young man gasp in pure happiness, quivered his eyes, and made his heart race in joy.


    ¡°Li¡­ly?¡± They couldn¡¯t hear Jack because they were wearing headphones.


    He takes a deep breath to relieve his past gloom and approaches her but as he did, closing inches closer, she disappears into gold dust.


    ¡°Huh¡­?!¡±


    The elegant tree started to blossom roses of pure blood red and the sky turned into that of a sunset if it were depressed. A cold chill filled the air, yet a soft gust of heat approached from behind Jack, rubbing against it. He can feel the anger being brushed against his back and the feeling of being stared at. It forces him to look over his shoulder and his eyes are locked in place. Coming over the horizon of the flower field, a dress dazzling in elegance, sadness, and captivating cold eyes glowing beneath the shadow of their hood was none other than the woman in the red dress.


    Jack clenched his fist, and stumbled backwards. ¡°Wh-What do you want from me?! Why are you here!¡± He shouted in an extremely frightened and empty tone.


    The young man''s chest felt ready to explode, revealing to her the hollowness between his ribs, his knees wobbled, his eyes fully expanded, fear was coated all over Jack. The woman strode through the field, burning away the flowers, expanding the ground turning it black with every step, sparks of their death fluttered around her. She had a stare of anger towards Jack, but expressed a still face.


    ¡°Jack, how could you, you promised her, didn¡¯t you?¡± The woman in red spoke in a soft gentle tone but had a hint of anger within it.


    She continued walking and continued to burn away the grass with every soft step.


    Jack pinned himself against the bark of the tree, terrified. ¡°What are you¡­ talking about?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ Why did you come back so late? Why couldn¡¯t you protect her!¡±


    The clouds began to fade away into a misty cloud of red, a spark of plasma shot out of the sky, striking the misty red clouds and turned the very heavens into ravaging flames coursing throughout the skies.


    Jack gazed at the hell being created as he expressed just how terrified he was. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about? What do you want from me?!¡±


    Jack panicked and breathed heavily while the woman in red gave him the stare of pity and anger. The skies were melting away, raining down onto the ground near them like sparks of rain.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± she said in a sorrowful tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but what I do know is that you almost killed me three years ago!¡±


    The woman in red stopped in her tracks. She shed actual tears, visibly glowing in the tint of red around them. She looked into Jack¡¯s lifeless eyes and frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I really am, but you have to be punished for what you¡¯ve done.¡± She lifts her arms and opens them out to Jack. ¡°Your punishment will be dire if you continue down this valley of sin, Jack.¡±


    Jack saw rose petals fly towards him and started surrounding the tree. ¡°Me¡ªpunished?! Now you sound like that girl¡­¡±


    The woman in red wasn¡¯t too pleased by his comment, it made her eyes swell. She closed her hands elegantly and the moment she did, Jack¡¯s being raised off the ground.


    The woman in red looked upset from the comparison Jack made. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare compare me to that wretched thing! How dare you, how dare you!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t move; he''s being lifted higher in the air. He suddenly clutched his chest and neck, feeling something gripping both functions of life. The woman in red started closing her embrace and as she¡¯s about to close her arms, she saw something glowing beneath Jack''s pants pocket.


    ¡°What¡¯s that in your pants?¡± she asked calmly.


    Jack looks at the woman in red, twitching an eye. ¡°You-You mean this?¡±


    Jack reaches into his pocket, pulling, and reveals the cross, shocking a gasp out of the woman in red. She drops her arms and Jack falls back down to the ground, landing on his back.


    ¡°Je-Jsus christ lady¡­ couldn¡¯t you have dropped me more gently?¡± Jack stood back on his feet, grunting. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this thing hurts you as it does to her, am I right?¡±


    The woman in red actually smiles and wipes the tears off her face. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that, it¡¯s just¡­ I never would¡¯ve imagined you would hold something that she hates. Does that mean you are free from her?¡±


    Jack lifted his hand and stared at that item of holy might. ¡°Well¡­ I guess you can say that, but¡ª!¡±


    ¡°But?¡± she replied in a serious tone.


    Jack knits his brows, and clenches the cross. ¡°I¡¯m going to find her and have her stop her chaos and blackened destruction. So I can put a stop to this whole charade once and for all.¡±


    The woman in red frowns and is agitated. ¡°Why-Why would you confront that thing when it¡¯s done nothing but cause you great pain and suffering? Why would you return to her when she¡¯s responsible for all of those poor souls she¡¯s taken?!¡±


    ¡°Huh? You know what she''s doing?!¡±


    The woman in red doesn¡¯t respond, rather she blinks and reveals a hollow glow of red within the corneas of her eyes.


    ¡°If you knew, then you could¡¯ve stopped her. But since you haven''t and instead stayed a witness, you¡¯re nor different than her, right?¡±


    The woman in red expressed vulgar anger, showing a glint and knitting her brows.


    ¡°You¡¯ve caused me quite a bit of pain as well lady. Besides, it''s my fault that she¡¯s doing what she¡¯s doing, so-so that¡¯s why I¡¯m going to be responsible for my wrong doings for once and stop this.¡±


    The woman in red couldn¡¯t take it anymore. These words, combating her feelings, ambitions, more importantly her will to protect Jack, felt rebutteled and thrown away. She collapses to her knees and hugs herself as she cries tears of blood. She cried in silence and everything around them started to twirl around the tree, causing the ground to collapse and for Jack to fall through along with the tree. Jack screams and reaches his hand out to whatever light was left, watching the woman in red disintegrate into small sparks of burnt paper. Jack closes his eyes and as soon as he opens them again he finds himself back in Angela¡¯s room on her floor.


    Huh¡­ What the? He sits up and looks around, wiping his head out of relief.


    ¡°Just when I thought I was in the clear with these lucid/vivid dreams¡­¡± Jack stands back up and chuckles in fear. He places his hand against his forehead and sighs.


    As I said earlier, this just isn¡¯t my week¡­


    Jack drops his hand and looks out Angela¡¯s window. Who or whatever that woman is, the fact she knew of the girl in whites doing without my saying means she¡¯s been watching everything.


    ¡°But for how long, exactly? Huh, whatever. Next time I see her, I¡¯ll grow some balls to ask her more, but for now, I hope you¡¯re ready Jack¡­ because I¡¯m coming back to you, girl in white.¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 5: Sarah Unwrapped

    In her dark room, designed that of the Gothic era with a floor made of the finest wood, a Victorian style bed, dressers of her representing clothing, Sarah¡¯s currently on the floor with a candlelit and a piece of paper in one hand. In front of her was a printed picture of Danny, surrounded by a strange red marking on the ground in the shape of interlaced stars. She grabs the candle and waves it in front of the picture with her eyes closed.


    Sarah opens her eyes and takes out a white ribbon from a small box next to her. ¡°With this, you ought to be cursed by the calls of the guardians I worship, you wicked greedy lustful boy.¡±


    The paper in her hand, she rolled that up, and wrapped the ribbon around it, forming a knot. She lays the folded paper next to the candle alongside his photo and merges her hands, interlacing her fingers.


    Sarah takes a slow deep breath, easing the anger she has for him. ¡°I bind you Daniel Copeland from doing harm, harm against me, and harm against my friends¡­¡±


    She set her hands down on her lap and saw the candle go crazy. What¡¯s this?! Why is it behaving this way?


    The candle lit up brightly and feathered away after a moment. Sarah smacks her lips, feeling frustrated and grabs the paper, ripping it apart and throws it away.


    The goth girl clutched her head, grinding her teeth. ¡°Why can¡¯t I bind him! This isn¡¯t possible, I¡¯ve done it right, like mom taught me and from what I¡¯ve read. But everytime I perform it¡ªit doesn¡¯t work!¡±


    Sarah lets out a deep sigh and stands on her feet. Feeling downed by this, Sarah walks out of her room and makes her way outside to get some fresh air. Stepping outside into her front yard having flowers of all sorts to dandelions, peace lilies, carnations, and tulips, Sarah thought it¡¯d be better to go for a walk to ease her frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry for something unhealthy, might as well go to the closest grocery store.¡±


    Sarah walks off her property premise with her arms crossed and is on her way to the closest grocery store. As her mind¡¯s still focused on Danny who dared intimidate her and brought fear into her soul, the goth girl can¡¯t help but express it out into the world, she couldn¡¯t contain it any longer.


    Sarah flipped her elegant black hair and blew her anger through her nostrils. ¡°How dare he do that to me. I¡¯ll show him¡­ pretentious asshole.¡±


    She arrives at a local ma and pa store at the corner of town and walks in. She went to the freezer section and grabbed a drink inside. It¡¯s her favourite pop, a Spanish one called Sangria. Holding the cold glass bottle filled with the darkest fizzy liquid of purple, Sarah stared at it intensely.


    I can¡¯t seem to focus, his words, they still brew hate inside of me¡­ I just have the urge to smash this bottle right here, it¡¯s so tempting.


    Sarah still remembered his words, but at the same time her mind had another collision of confliction, that being the encounter with the woman in red. As she¡¯s staring at the glass bottle, she doesn''t realise that someone is walking up behind her. She feels that person¡¯s presence get closer from their heavy footsteps seeping with arrogance and turns around to see Danny again out of all people. He¡¯s the last person she wanted to encounter right now. The boy still had that arrogant grin smeared across his face, and he looked just as confident as ever with his chest puffed out. Seeing him more arrogant than ever made Sarah gag within, feeling the urge to gouge his eyes out.


    Danny wipes the grin of arrogance he had and whistles for a moment. He looked around their area to see if anyone else was around and an aura of suspicion grew out of him. Sarah closed her hands, clinging her nails into her palms, wanting to pierce her precious skin in anger. Danny continued gazing around suspiciously as Sarah stood there in silence, quivering mildly in anger.


    He¡¯s finished glancing around and abruptly takes the glass bottle out of Sarah¡¯s hand and analyses it. ¡°Don¡¯t you hate this drink? I mean, it¡¯s my favourite drink! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re planning to buy it for me? Aww! You shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    Sarah raised the edge of her lip, showing her teeth to Danny on how just how aggravated she is. Sarah¡¯s grown weary of his game and tries walking away, but Danny places his arm in front of her.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes expanded in anger, and her breathing grew briefly frantic, she¡¯s ready to explode. ¡°Let me through, asshole¡­¡±


    His smuggish nature returned with a smile as wide as his new found arrogance. ¡°Nah! I have more to ask you, friend.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡ª¡±


    Danny suddenly wraps his arm around her tiny shoulders and forces her to walk along with him through the shop and ultimately to the outside. It made Sarah grit her teeth. If there''s one thing she hates most, it¡¯s being touched by anyone, only three people were allowed to touch her, that being her mom and two friends. Having someone she¡¯s never liked since childhood invaded her personal space and to grab her made her blood boil to maximum.


    ¡°So Sarah? Can you tell me who this girl is to be exact?¡± Danny asks as he pulls up his phone and shows her the article with the strange figure behind the reporters.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Why are you asking me? Why do you keep harassing me?!¡±


    The two were outside and Danny forced the two to walk near the back of the shop. He starts to laugh and brings a stop to themselves from walking any farther.


    Danny felt comical but also felt amused. ¡°Me?! Harass you! No way, I¡¯m just asking you simple questions, that''s all.¡±


    Danny then grabs her precious hands, and immediately she fights back, snapping. She¡¯s had enough and throws a punch at him, but he catches her arm, but she wasn¡¯t going to quit that easily. She starts flailing her hands to throw more punches at him, but his size and strength gave him the advantage. Danny grabbed and gripped her wrists tightly, and she squirms in his clutch. She grounds her teeth in anger, furrows her brows fiercely, but Danny on the other hand was enjoying this again like last time.


    Danny creeps his face close to her face with a devious smile. ¡°Hey hey, relax. But that¡¯s okay, do you know why?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes started turning red and glistened as she held back her tears of anger. ¡°Wh-What?¡±


    Danny chuckles a bit and tightens his grip, making her yelp. ¡°I already know what she is. Let''s just say like I said before, she¡¯ll be a very important asset to my future plans.¡±


    Sarah muttered her angered breathing and brought her gaze down to the grown. ¡°Then let me go, please.¡±


    ¡°Nu uh! Hold up now hold up. Don¡¯t look that way and cause a scene. You might give people the wrong idea, friend.¡±


    Danny once again forces her to walk with him until they were behind the shop where there were some vacant gas pumps. Sarah tried fighting back again by tugging away from his grip, but Danny didn¡¯t allow her to even budge. The strength difference was far too great between the two when it came to her tiny size.


    ¡°You see Sarah, there¡¯s something that all of you guys might not know. It¡¯s a little secret of mine, and I''m not so sure that you guys are ready to learn the truth!¡±


    Sarah finally breaks free for a moment and makes a run for it. Danny was loving every second of this and had a small chase going after her. She didn¡¯t get too far because he quickly grabbed her tiny arm, stopping her.


    Sarah had enough and screamed. ¡°What do you want from me! Let me go already! I swear if you don¡¯t let go Danny¡ªI¡¯ll hurt you badly!¡±


    Danny¡¯s flustered, he had a huge maniacal grin on his face. ¡°I know you would! That¡¯s why I need you Sarah! You beautiful beautiful being. Help me get some vengeance on an old friend of ours and I¡¯ll set you free, what do you say?¡± As Danny was creeping in closer to her red face, a tall man placed his hand on his shoulder, frightening him.


    ¡°Hey kid, you better stop or I¡¯ll call the police.¡± said the tall man in a bassy deep tone.


    His voice made the teen tremble. It made him think of someone whom he hates and is seeking vengeance on. Sarah noticed and it made her question just who this fellow was, thinking it¡¯s someone who¡¯s after him. Danny¡¯s breathing grew frantic as he turned around, but thankfully he only saw a normal guy. It was a mechanic man from a nearby shop who happened to be the perpetrator giving Danny the misconception freight.


    Danny lets out a long breath and lets Sarah go. ¡°Phew, for a second there I thought you were someone else¡­¡± He takes one last look at Sarah and smiles, ¡°Bye Sarah, think about my offer.¡± Danny casually walks away and doesn''t look back.


    The tall mechanic man kept his gaze on Danny, he didn¡¯t like the kids'' arrogance. ¡°Fucking creep, who¡¯d know what would¡¯ve happen to you young missy.¡±


    Sarah wipes her eyes and manages to control her angered breathing.


    The man turns to Sarah and smiles. ¡°You alright missy? He didn¡¯t hurt you, did he?¡±


    Sarah returns his generosity with a soft subtle smile of her own. ¡°I¡¯m okay sir. Thank you so much, if you didn¡¯t show up I¡¯d probably hurt him before you would¡¯ve.¡±


    ¡°Bwahaha! I like your thinking missy, you remind me of my daughter. Well, take care.¡± He waves to Sarah and walks away.


    Sarah takes the time to recap that moment that man''s shadow and voice freaked Danny out.


    So that bastard¡¯s afraid of someone with a similar height and voice it seems. I wonder who he is so afraid of?


    Thinking about the thought made Sarah chuckle in amusement. ¡°Whoever the stranger is that has Danny shitting bricks, I have to meet them someday so they can take care of him instead of I.¡±


    Her amusement was temporary, her anger quickly returned with a vengeance. A tear ran out of her eye unexpectedly and Sarah angrily walked away from the area. The goth girl stomped her way through the town streets, covering her glistened eyes away from society with the shadows of her bangs. She couldn¡¯t believe that Danny intimidated her again, initiating fear tactics on her by touching her, but what made it more devious this time on Sarah¡¯s behalf was the fact he wants to use her for some heinous act.


    ¡°That bastard, that ungrateful asshole!¡± shouted Sarah abruptly.


    Sarah can¡¯t help herself but bite her nails out in frustration. In spite of all this unravelling anger, that scene of him being frightened still boggled her mind. She wonders if she¡¯ll ever come across the mysterious fellow whom he¡¯s fearful of. After walking through town, now being at the edge and exiting, Sarah makes her way to the nearby forest just across a two way street.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time. The more I hold back on my feelings, the conflicts of accepting who I really am; The more people like him will take advantage and potentially hurt not only me, but others as well.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s inner thoughts came out in a burst of adrenaline, and the goth girl sprinted into the thick dense forest. Deeper and deeper Sarah ran into the forest, pushing aside branches, dodging them. The goth girl ran for minutes on end, her breathing growing heavier until she spotted a partially open just ahead. Sarah pushed through and found herself in the middle of a grand wide opening within the forest. She takes the time to catch her breath and cool down, bringing out a smile while walking herself in the middle of the open area in this forest.


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful here, I can glaze myself in nature''s beauty all day.¡± In the moment, Sarah couldn¡¯t contain herself but expressed this beautiful scenery by doing some bellarine type dancing.


    Secretly besides her family''s hidden nature, Sarah much enjoys dancing. It¡¯s her ultimate form of coping and releasing her feelings out into the world. At the moment she only knows slow dancing and ballerine but with a mixture of some ancient mediaeval dancing taught to her by her mother. Quietly spinning around to finish her relaxation, Sarah bowed and released a huge breath of air. She felt at ease.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, my mind is clear, and all I have to do¡­ is pray.¡± She gently sets herself down to her knees and leans her head down on the ground, mumbling words to herself.


    Sarah whispers strange words, one¡¯s not familiar to modern English, rather a mixture of German and Latin. A mysterious draft blew into the opening, fluttering the grass beneath her body and everything else made by nature. The trees in the forest were leaning, the winds were growing stronger and leaves were even being blown off from their origins.


    Almost done¡­ Almost done¡­ Sarah sits up and the eerie winds briefly stop as she stands back on her feet at a slow pace.


    Standing there without a hum from nature, sunlight piercing into her skin, Sarah closes her eyes. ¡°Okay, let everything settle, and then do as Mom showed you.¡±


    The environment around her was settled, but briefly, that is until Sarah gently raised her arms and extended out into the air as if she were reaching for the sky. A single leaf lands on the ground and hurricane-like winds initiated, blowing everything in a single direction. Feeling nature''s strong whisper tickle her skin, flutter her clothes, Sarah takes a huge deep breath and opens her eyes again to awaken the dawn of her new self.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were dim, and the goth girl¡¯s voice changed to that of dullness. ¡°Hail to the guardians of the skies, the powers of air and wind!¡±


    The trees fluttered violently, the grass around her too swept in the direction of this fierce wind coming from the east. The skies made sounds of incoming destruction, and the animals around her went mad. Then, all of this changed once she started doing a chant her mother taught her to do once she was ready to accept who she is, and this was her embracing of this mystery kept from her friends.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes quivered, letting out a huge gasp before chanting again. ¡°Hear me! Hail to the guardians of the ground beneath me, powers of feeling and life.¡±


    The ground beneath her blossomed flowers out of the ground. The violent winds blew their petals off their stems, and the very thing trees use to embellish life, their roots came out of the ground, growing rapidly around the area.


    ¡°Hear me! Hail to the guardians of nature herself, by the powers bestowed upon mother nature herself and her unbound spirit¡­. Hear me!¡±


    The winds were now catastrophe levels of intensity, twirling dead, blossoming leaves around Sarah. Animals in the forest ran away, the very heavens grew angry, expressing their anger with dark clouds of grey sweeping in from the horizon of earth¡¯s line. The clouds hovered over the forest blocking any light that shined on this forest, and flashed their anger beneath their fluff.


    ¡°Aid me in my new profound life, may my acceptance be embarked into thee in this month of love! February!¡±


    Thunder clapping, the trees being ripped from their roots, animals flung around, but surprisingly not killed. Those clouds continued swelling up in anger, producing purple plasma within their domains and shooting out into the skies.


    ¡°Serpent of old, ruler of all! Guardian of the bitter skies¡ªShow me your glory! Show and help me with strength far beyond comprehension!¡±


    Lighting began striking the forest, causing massive fires to erupt, bringing forth total panic inside the forest. Animals kept trying to run, fly, and squirm away from the total chaos, but were caught by the horrific winds being ensued.


    Sarah¡¯s hands quivered and her eyes started to roll behind her head. ¡°I pray for thee, I pray for thee¡­ I invoke thee¡­ O serpent one, hear my calls of sorrow and selfishness! Hear my prayers!¡±


    The lightning kept striking down, cutting and dragging around the area and leading towards Sarah. The clouds above rumbled with sounds as devastating as bombs echoing horrid catastrophies into the distance. The ground beneath Sarah continued to shine with life as the grass kept expanding ever so throughout the forest, fires ravaged the fields, the leftover trees grew immune to the flames, saving themselves along with plants and life along with it from this chaos being created by Sarah¡¯s mysterious doing.


    Sarah¡¯s fingers arched, twitched as she held them up to the air. ¡°Ancient wise one! Teach me thy ways, I summon and stir thee! Lend me your powers and aid me on my selfish needs! Show me your glory and hidden spirit!¡±


    Her eyes rolled back to her head, exposing the veins in their blank canvas with her body starting to tremble violently.


    ¡°I invoke thee, I invoke thee¡­ I invoke thee!¡±


    Something inside Sarah¡¯s awakening, a phenomenon created by her voice alone, a dormant power hidden away that¡¯s beyond reality''s comprehension. Everything around Sarah¡¯s on the brink of mass extinction. The clouds swelling, winds blasting, the world around Sarah grew red and black until everything paused for a second. The skies calmed and the sound of nature returned once again. Those tensed winds feathered away, debri fell like paper, and the animals were slowly being placed down to their feet so they could run away.


    Sarah¡¯s pupils were back, but were much rounder. The red around them was intensely red and her corneas were long and wide, pitch black. She took one last slow deep breath and a glowing outline of red magma rapidly coated her.


    Sarah balled her fists and reeled her arms in and slowly reached them out again into the air. ¡°Show yourself, Manon¡­ Fill me!¡± A huge bolt of lightning strikes Sarah, creating a flash of white that consumes the world around her.


    The whiteness flashed and faded dwindles, bringing back the colours of reality. Sarah¡¯s on the ground, unconscious. What¡­ happened?


    The clouds started to cry, putting out the flames that were growing. All the animals returned to their homes and continued on their doing. The trees that were once burned gained and sprouted back into life. Flowers blossomed, birds chirped and the rain disappeared along with the dark clouds exposing the sun''s holy light that shined on the goth girl like a superstar on stage. Sarah¡¯s barely alive, her breathings frantic and her hearts beating rapidly. The sun shining on her like a spotlight, helped awaken her and forced her to open her eyes.


    Did¡­ I do¡­ it?


    Confused, scared, and worried, Sarah takes a gaze upon the sky. ¡°It hurts¡­ a lot.¡±


    Her eyes were normal again, there wasn¡¯t a strange glow around her, she¡¯s back to normal. The goth girl sat up and looked fatigued.


    She grasps her head that pulsed a migraine. ¡°Did I screw up?¡±


    Sarah looked around and saw the beauty that she bestowed upon the forest. She took the time to admire the beautiful scenery around her, bringing out a grin of relief. Sarah then felt some sort of heat on her left arm.


    She glanced at her right arm and saw something glow beneath her sleeve. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± She pulled her sleeve up that had her strange mark misleading as a tattoo to her friends. ¡°What on earth is this?¡±


    Her marking had transformed into a strange tattoo. It had clouds and closed eyelids resting on top of their fluff, stringing out lightning from beneath that led up on top of her hand. Sarah gasped in amazement, raising her arm to the light of day. It made her eyes glisten from it¡¯s glowing beautiful purple lightning, pulsing. A few seconds later, it dimmed down into that very colour of dark purple, mixing with the colours of black and disappearing into her skin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it, mom was right, it worked! Now, I¡¯m official it seems.¡± She gently grins and stands on her feet, patting herself up. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯ll reappear when I finally start using the things Mom taught me.¡±


    Sarah pulled her sleeve down and sighed. Before Sarah could think of leaving, she just had to admire the scenery one last time. She glances around and spun one last time, printing this amazing portrait into her mind. Finally, the goth girl decides to leave and head back to society. While walking through the forest and on her way out, Sarah took the time to enjoy herself and communicate with nature while doing so. She patted greenery, sniffed flowers, massaged trees, and animals even approached her asking to be pet. All of this brought so much amazement and joy into the goth girl that she wiped away the anger she had earlier in the day.


    As time continued, society''s activities dwindled, the day passed and night¡¯s approaching. Sarah¡¯s still in the forest unfortunately, she seemed lost. She couldn¡¯t decide what paths she took to retract her steps or where she ran in from. She wasn¡¯t worried though, she felt some sort of relief and ease ever since she did that strange supernatural thing. She continued walking with confidence, ignoring the fact that she¡¯s getting even more lost as she walked even deeper into the forest.


    Sarah snapped out of her happy trance and got serious. ¡°Damn, where did I come in from?¡± Suddenly, she heard a wail off from a distance.


    What was that¡­?


    Feeling curious, Sarah decided to walk towards this weird noise of sadness to then become noises of agony. She readies herself for anything out of the norm and rushes to this abnormal noise. It sounds like ghostly howls of sorrow the longer it continues. Sarah dashes through bushes and dodges any dangling branches, hopping over big roots to reach this abnormality. Approaching closer to the sounds of mysterious sadness, going through another thick bush, Sarah saw lights.


    ¡°Am I getting close to town now?¡± Sarah wondered.


    Her curiosity sprung into fruition and she picked her pace up and noticed the lights getting brighter, eventually piercing the growing dark skies too.


    What¡¯s going on over there? Why¡¯s there so many skylights?


    She¡¯s getting even closer and at last, Sarah¡¯s managed to get out of the forest to find herself at the edge of a small hill overlooking a sealed off town. ¡°This¡ªIs this?!¡± She stood at the edge that overlooked not just any town, it was one of the towns that was quarantined off from society.


    It surprised and left her speechless. In front of her was that tall mysterious wall that seemed endless surrounding it. Skylights reaching the black clouds and helicopters patrolling from a far, scrounging the other enclosed town. The scenery alone was sad and too much for Sarah to handle, yet something felt off. Something was really off about the town next to it from how guarded it was and had zero helicopters and skylights within it. She brought her full attention to the town next to it that was completely covered by a blanket personified of darkness.


    It¡¯s that strange town consumed by night! And I¡¯m seeing it this close, unbelievable.


    Sarah¡¯s baffled. Seeing the town this close and in that state felt petrifying. Yet in spite of feeling this way, Sarah might have a hint on why the town¡¯s covered in darkness. In her mind she concluded it might have to do with the strange presence of something she¡¯s picking up from within.


    I wonder if this has to do with the fact I¡¯ve come to terms with who I am now that I can sense whatever''s in there.


    As she continued analysing the town with her crimson eyes, she spotted something out of the norm in that midst of black. It¡¯s enough to stand out and pulse out to be left unnoticed in complete darkness. The closer she gazed, the more it stood out. Just from where she¡¯s standing, she figured out it was very faint yet appeared to be a misty cloud of whitened grey smoke.


    ¡°What could that be¡­ I-I can sense something awful in that cloud.¡± There was an extreme amount of malice and anger coming from that direction where the mist was at.


    Only one way to find out¡­ She decides to investigate it and find out what the true meaning behind these so-called quarantine stories truly are.


    Sarah gently climbs down from the hill and lands on her feet carefully, wiping off any dust or dirt from her gothic clothes. She walked towards the wall and felt kinda excited. Perhaps this sensation was coming from uncovering the truth behind a huge lie. She expresses this feeling with a mildly excited grin, enough to lay the title of a Witch. She reaches the wall and stands in front of it, gazing up at the huge barrier of concrete towering over her like a giant.


    ¡°How could they get away with this without the governments knowing?¡±


    She¡¯s in awe at how fast they could build something like this in a whole year. A step further, a sudden feeling of nervousness suddenly shot through her the moment she took a step closer to the wall. The sounds of a haunting wail came from within the walls, freaking Sarah out with creepiness. Those feelings of excitement swept away as fast as it came the moment she heard those cries up close.


    Sarah smacks her hands against her face and relaxes herself to face this mystery. ¡°Don¡¯t be a coward now! Go, and uncover the truth behind this abnormality.¡±


    Sarah gently places her hands against the wall to read what was on the other side when suddenly¡ªtotal darkness. Her mind and vision were engulfed in a mist of black and purple.


    Sarah¡¯s confused and afraid, having no clue what just happened. For what reason was her entire vision suddenly consumed by blackness? This bizarre occurrence ravaged her new senses, giving off danger signals everywhere. Was this her new power bestowed upon her? Telling her that she screwed up majorly or was it her human instincts telling her that she made a grave mistake. After some moments of what seemed to be eternal darkness, a sort of light began flashing towards her. It crept slowly and closely towards her, but from out of nowhere, her vision came back.


    Blinking rapidly, Sarah¡¯s vision regained some fullness. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ back¡­¡±


    The light flashes away, blinding her briefly, and she regains full colour. Sarah rubs her eyes and looks around to realise that she¡¯s no longer behind the wall, but in the middle of an empty street. It¡¯s just not any street, she¡¯s in the middle of, she¡¯s in the middle of the isolated town from inside the walls. She figured it out because of the never ending blackness that was the streets and the permanent dark sky.


    She began to panic a bit and looked in every direction with erratic eye movement. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this! How did I get in here?!¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Perplexed over this strange ordeal, her new powers made her sense something horrible approaching the street in front of her.


    ¡°What am I feeling?¡± she said with quivered eyes and a frantic breath. ¡°This awful sensation¡­ How frighteningly depressing¡­¡±


    Sarah swallows and shakes her head. She observes the area further, using some sort of ball of light she just summoned with her hand.


    Don¡¯t know how I just did that, but it helps. But up ahead, something sad, yet angry is approaching me.


    Sarah clenches her hand, making the ball of light disappear so she could stay hidden from whatever¡¯s coming.


    She prepares herself and steps back, squinting her eyes. ¡°Whatever it is¡­ I can feel that it¡¯s out for something, but what?¡±


    The skies that were charcoaled changed to a different colour. It¡¯s less black but turned into a misty colour of clouded grey. The colour of sadness appeared out of thin air, drifting violently throughout the dark heavens and barely brightening up the environment. Sarah¡¯s amazed that she¡¯s witnessing this bizarre event.


    Unbelievable, so this is the type of mysterious mom has dealt with all her life? I can barely fathom this!


    Gazing at the sky with serious eyes filled with her growing worry, Sarah gulped and knitted her brows. When she laid her eyes back at the dark street, just down the empty street, an awful greyish black mist swiftly drifted out of the corner of a building. Once faintly exposed, it abruptly hurled towards Sarah''s feet, flowing past them in the blink of an eye. The fierce speed, blowing her clothes and hair, forcing her to cover her face as it passed by was a sensation of pure loneliness and felt bone chilling. It felt as if a tornado of sub zero sorrow was hurtling past her.


    As she uncovered her face, she saw something step out of that corner, something devious, something sad, something horrid and evil. The goth girl clenched a fist and trembled before it.


    Sarah bit one of her nails to ease herself, but even that wasn¡¯t helping. ¡°Re-Remember what mom taught you, and don¡¯t hold back. Just do it, Sarah.¡±


    The goth girl prepared herself again with a hunched pose and out came a figure of solid smoke of white and black in the shape of a girl. The figure had an outline of gothic misty purple over its faint outline figure. Her eyes and mouth were hollow like never ending abysses, it¡¯s hard to tell her true height or size because she¡¯s just smoking entirely. Though the two things that completely stood out were¡ª


    ¡°Is that thing wearing a dress? And has hair as normal as a person''s. What¡¯s with that?¡±


    Sarah took her time to analyse the ghostly figure inside her mind. She didn¡¯t want to talk outloud for now so she couldn¡¯t alert it.


    Long shimmering black hair as black as the night along with if my eyes are correct, she¡¯s wearing a romantic gothic dress. Strange, yet, I can¡¯t help but feel as if I¡¯ve seen and felt this thing before, but from where?


    Sarah can¡¯t help being puzzled on why the dress and hair stood out and not its smokey body. The strange figure, dragging it¡¯s legless smoke through the street, pauses, and looks in Sarah''s direction. Sarah flinched upwards, expressing worry. Tilting its head in confusion, it appeared to be annoyed by the sight of Sarah with how it let out a loud ghostly groan. Sarah clenches her fists and forces herself by showing a fake poker face, showing the figure that she wasn''t afraid.


    ¡°Hey you!¡± she shouted but swallowed nervously after. ¡°Are you the true cause of this unrealistic occurrence?¡±


    The figure still seemed confused yet annoyed, squinting it¡¯s hollowed eyes of nothingness. ¡°Who and what might you be?¡± It¡¯s abyssed eyes began emitting a tiny glow of purple. ¡°Get out of my way. Or I''ll curse you to your last embers of what makes you a living being.¡±


    Her voice was ghostly, unmotivated, yet there was a hint of gentleness behind its malice tone. But for her to say such calm statements sent chills down Sarah¡¯s spine.


    ¡°N-Not until you answer my question, damned spirit!¡±


    Sarah then remembered something, the picture from earlier. She looked like the apparition she saw in the background from the article. Yet her memories were trying their best to remind Sarah that this might not be the first time she¡¯s encountered this entity. If this wasn¡¯t the best time to get an answer then she didn¡¯t know when it was. The goth girl prepared herself to ask this spirit or whatever it was that question trifling her complex mind.


    ¡°Are-Are you the girl from the pictures?!¡±


    The figure''s smokey body started to quiver, making Sarah arch a brow. Then it started to giggle, innocently.


    ¡°Why do you keep calling me that? Me¡­ a spirit?¡± The figure hung it¡¯s head, ¡°Don¡¯t be so stupid! I¡¯m not some stupid apparition¡­¡±


    Her hair began to float, startling Sarah. Uh-oh, I think I angered it!


    ¡°So annoying¡­ so annoying¡­ annoying, annoying, annoying, annoying!¡± It shook its head rapidly like some crazed rabid creature, ¡°Annoying! Annoying! Out of my way! Leave me be, you stupid thing!¡± The figure clutches its head intensely, moaning in annoyance.


    Her horrid yelling screeched Sarah¡¯s ears, forcing her to cover them, but a sudden huge cloud of black smoke came at Sarah.


    Oh no, what do I do now?


    Sarah braces herself by using her arms, using them as a shield. The smoke breezed past her and left her confused. It felt like regular smoke at first, she felt fine and all and unfazed. But when Sarah made a small jitter of her muscles, she felt an awful sort of weakness coursing throughout her body.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening to me?¡± Sarah¡¯s arms wobble down, and she drops to her knees which felt similar to paper.


    What did she do to me?!


    Sarah began freaking out, not knowing of the unknown damage that smoke did to her. Even her eyes were giving out on her, becoming hazy and foggy.


    The figure swept off the ground and began floating towards Sarah¡¯s direction like a drawing of a still cloud. ¡°Like I said, you¡¯re in my way!¡± said the figure as it continued coming towards Sarah. ¡°Now, lay to rest and don¡¯t think of resurrection or reincarnation.¡±


    It started picking up it¡¯s pace and giggled like a broken child as she did.


    Sarah gritted her teeth out of desperation. She needs to regain her strength back or else she might face certain doom. Only one thing came to her mind, she used what little strength she had to pull up her right sleeve, exposing her naked arm and pointed her palm at the figure.


    It¡¯s now or never Sarah!


    ¡°I Bind thee to not harm, spirit!¡±


    Sarah screamed with what air was left in her tiny lungs with might. The tattoo reappeared grossly, growing out from the pores of Sarah¡¯s arms. The clouds on it glowed and flickered the lightning beneath them.


    The spirit was stopped dead in its tracks, but it angered her even more in doing so. ¡°You-You¡­ You wretched Rackfire!¡± The figure dragged her smokey fingers down her face in frustration and twitches violently.


    Sarah didn¡¯t know how to react to such a word. A ¡®Rakefire¡¯, she¡¯s never heard of such a word. The good thing though was in stopping this ghost dead in its tracks helped Sarah regain some of her strength and rid some of that weakness. She stands on her feet and continues pointing her palm at it, and returns to finish her chant of binding.


    ¡°I bind thee to never harm again, mother earth, please! Lend me strength to bind this evil spirit!¡±


    Sarah calmly breathes, closing her eyes to focus her new found mana to bind the apparition. The tattoo pulsed and flashed the area around Sarah. After one last breath, she began to clutch her hand slowly but it wasn¡¯t easy because it started to feel as if she were trying to crush a rock in her hand.


    Her closed eyelids twitched from the growing struggle as the figure continued it¡¯s horrific twitching. What the? No, what¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t this how you do it, Mom?


    The figure abruptly stopped it¡¯s twitched madness, and laughed maniacally. Sarah opened her eyes, now she¡¯s the one who¡¯s expressing annoyance. As the girl laughed, aggroing Sarah, it started spinning its head like an owl, freaking Sarah out.


    ¡°Stupid girl!¡± The figure shouted hauntingly, ¡°You really think old tricks like those would work on me?! You¡¯re hilarious!¡±


    It broke free of Sarah¡¯s spell and flew towards her face faster than she could blink, to then grab her neck with it¡¯s smokey hand of pure grey.


    Raising Sarah off her feet, it felt her bare skin, and figured out her true identity. ¡°This feeling? I''m surprised people like you still exist in this world.¡±


    Sarah struggled to break free, but Sarah wondered how she could grab something made out of smoke? The goth girl swings her arms at it, but they went right through, making her actions meaningless and answering her wonder.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t accepted yourself it seems. Would you rather succumb to my darkness then?¡± It giggled, ¡°I promise to utilise and take good care of you like I have with two individuals hehe.¡± The figure laughed and clutched Sarah¡¯s neck even tighter.


    Sarah coughs, her eyes watered from her windpipe slowly being crushed. She thought this was it. To think, she would¡¯ve never fallen to something this abnormal, but she wasn¡¯t going to give up though. Her newly marked arm begins to glow intensely and she raises it, shooting her palm directly at the figure''s face. The figure laughed but it¡¯s relentless laughter got cut short because Sarah blew out a huge wave of her own mist out of her palm.


    It startles the figure and engulfs the two, trapping them inside a circle of purple clear mist. ¡°Wha-What did you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Purify my enemy and cause them great harm!¡±


    Sarah abruptly raises her hands, bolts of purple electricity flowed around the ball of mist and electrocuted the figure, and herself.


    It¡¯s enough to force the figure to let go of Sarah, but with the cost of hurting herself as well. Sarah coughs, drops on all fours and brings the light show to an abrupt end. As the two were regaining their strength, Sarah does something so barbaric to stop it from recovering. She hugs herself and the mist ball of electricity explodes. The entire explosion was caught inside, pushing Sarah out from the huge force out of it. She bounced and rolled on the tarmacked ground away from the source of the explosion.


    I-I think I broke my hand! Sarah clutched her hand and got up, running away further to get some distance as smoke trailed off her clothes.


    She points her palm again in the direction of the explosion where a mushroom cloud rose. ¡°Blessed be, to my fallen sisters of the past! I ask them to bless my enemy with your forgiven sins!¡±


    The lightning marks on her tattoo came off her skin, floated and spun around her arm. It spun so fast that it created gusts of wind. Sarah tried controlling the momentum but she couldn¡¯t. All the momentum created a ball of purple light, flickering out electricity in front of her palm that shot out, stabbed nearby buildings, shooting out into the sky, and dragged on the ground. Sarah screamed and a huge stream of purple plasma shot out of Sarah¡¯s marked hand and struck the smoke, clearing it out and striking the figure. It created another explosion, but a small one. The windows nearby along with the pavement swept aside and ruptured from such a tiny yet powerful explosion.


    Sarah¡¯s so dumbfounded at herself, she had no clue that she¡¯s capable of doing such attacks, let alone do thing¡¯s defying the laws of physics.


    The lighting flickered one last time and lowered back into Sarah¡¯s skin. ¡°Holy crap. Mom never mentioned things of this nature! I-I didn¡¯t know I or our family could do stuff like this! Mom, you lied to me, haha!¡±


    Sarah felt happy, proud of herself for ¡®Defeating!¡¯ the entity. She couldn¡¯t help herself but smile, but that short moment of happiness and small victory came short when all the smoke cleared away again to show the figure on her knee and not scathed whatsoever. Sarah felt very annoyed, and spits, brushing a scuff off her cheek from the earliest explosion with her broken hand.


    ¡°Ow; Damn, what is this thing made out of?!¡± Then she chuckles with a scare, ¡°Oh right, smoke¡­¡±


    The figure got up and continued laughing, ¡°So it is true! People like you do still exist! I thought there was only a small handful that could see and sense me!¡± She flails her body around like a boneless piece of life. ¡°I wonder how many more of you are out there, but¡ªnone of that matters because I''m going to kill you!¡±


    The figure suddenly flies in Sarah''s direction and grabs her again in seconds without letting her react in time. It¡¯s speed demonstrated that it was far greater than sound or in Sarah¡¯s eyes, perhaps matching light. The figure wraps that smokey hand around Sarah¡¯s face and slams her on the ground with such force it cracks the ground beneath them and dents it. First the speed displayed and now it¡¯s strength, completely felt unrealistic to Sarah¡¯s current knowledge of reality.


    Pieces of the road flew off, buildings nearby collapsed from the shakened quaky force of Sarah¡¯s head being repeatedly slammed on the ground. Slam after slam after slam, the tremors created made chunks of earth rise out of the ground like knives. Sarah felt the wind and her life knocked out of her. But, surprisingly, this wasn¡¯t enough to stop her newfound courage or kill her. She widened her eyes and slammed a hand on the ground bringing vines made of moss green to rise out of the cracks created from her slammed body to surprise and capture the figure.


    The vines tangled around it, twisting the apparition. It laughs as the greenery tries squeezing her out of existence. Sarah watches the vines she summoned die, fall off, and turn to black. The figure flings backwards, giving her and Sarah a good bit of distance. Sarah¡¯s trying to get up, but she¡¯s hurt from her early slam down. The figure extended one of her smokey arms like a huge endless rope in Sarah¡¯s direction. It landed on top of the goth girl''s motionless body.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Sarah tried again to get up, but she felt too lightheaded to do so.


    The smoke twirls around the entirety of Sarah. She gasps loudly and she¡¯s suddenly lifted up off the ground and flung into the air. Sarah screams as she continues being raised higher into the air. She spins Sarah around the air above the entirety of the town like a cowboy. The amount of speed she ensued to spin her around was preposterous, creating tidal waves of air that struck the town. Sarah screams horribly while being spun around with speeds far beyond comprehension. Nothing ever recorded in human history could match the speed she¡¯s being spun around in. After swinging Sarah around, cowboy style, tormenting her in a never ending motion sickness, it swings the goth girl high in the air with the twirling momentum. Sarah pukes and feels terribly ill.


    ¡°Die, you Rackfire, you fool, and endeavor of envy!¡± The ghost girl hurdles Sarah towards the nearest tallest building and slams her against it in devastation.


    Debri falls down and a huge cloud of smoke puffs out as Sarah¡¯s body makes contact with the brick building, going through it. The building¡¯s dented, and half of it behind Sarah was destroyed.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Sarah lets out a reaping scream of pain, bringing music to the entity''s ghostly ears.


    The figure isn''t done. It moves Sarah out of the half destroyed building and slams her against another building nearby. This time, Sarah slams through the thickest brick and glass as she spews blood out of her mouth from being tossed around like nothing. Sarah clenches her fists but she¡¯s swept out of the building to be lifted once again in the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re not finished?! You annoying girl, just die already!¡± said the apparition in a deepened enraged tone.


    It had the goth girl hovered in the air and started using the rope-like smoke to squeeze and twist Sarah. Sarah yells out in desperation and begins to cry for help. Mother nature hears her pained cry and answers her call by summoning a huge bolt of lightning, coming forth from the sky, striking the figure where it stood. A tremendous explosion was created, as though a MOAB hit the town. Finally, it let go of her, and Sarah was pummeling back down but was able to stop herself and made herself float in the sky instead.


    Sarah¡¯s breathing intensely, she wondered if she¡¯s close to death. ¡°How-How am I?! Wait¡­ huh, am-am I?¡± Sarah recognized that she¡¯s floating, and was very surprised by it as she looked down at the town. ¡°I¡¯m, I¡¯m flying. Is this¡­ real?¡±


    Sarah regained some excitement but quickly brushed it off. She couldn''t risk herself getting caught off guard again. Looking down on the figure, Sarah couldn¡¯t help but feel more angry and yet scared at the same time. Sarah grits her teeth and lifts her arms in the air, bringing forth the might of nature upon it with lightning strikes the size of skyscrapers, striking the apparition multiple times, angering it even further. Explosion after explosion created a hellfire of mushroom clouds that erupted into the sky. Sarah dropped her arms and bugs of all kinds flowed out of the cracked grounds. They pile up on the figure forming a pyramid of them around it¡¯s smokey body beneath the dark reddish smoke.


    Sarah begins another long chant in a mighty angered tone. ¡°Hail to the guardians of the sky! Cover my enemy in past sin and bestow your glory upon it!¡±


    The grey blackened clouds from above twirled around, rapidly increasing speed, and pointed, funnelling downwards on the figure like a huge supercell.


    ¡°I invoke thee, I invoke thee to be engulfed and blessed by mother earth¡¯s clouded mind! Be blessed and cleansed of your sins!¡± The supercell glowed dark purple within and twirled with speeds triple of that when Sarah was swung around.


    All the buildings close by, streets, anything else were destroyed from the horrific winds of destruction made by Sarah¡¯s attack. The last eminence of anything made by humanity were sucked in the swirling hell to inflict more damage upon the apparition. The rest of the clouds above pummelled down and surrounded the town rapidly and puffed out, engulfing the entire area. Whatever¡¯s left of the town had vanished beneath the dark greyish clouds.


    Sarah¡¯s body felt hot, a burning sensation felt ready to burst out of her pores. ¡°Do it Sarah, Do it! Show mom and mother earth your growth!¡±


    The red glowing outline came out from beneath her feet to the top of her head. Her eyes changed like before when she was struck by that bolt of lightning, glowing in mighty red. Sarah¡¯s hair fluttered, then, an aura of magma erupts out and around her.


    It was an aura representing her anger with an inner hellish red and saddened black daggered flames outlining it. This phenomena surrounded her body head to toe and spewed out gusts of hot winds everywhere.


    This aura grew higher the more Sarah focused. It blew out shock waves of destructiveness back to the earth from it¡¯s growing intensity, helping the chaos ensue. As the magma around her body got more intense, hotter, she steadily pointed her palm to the direction of the chaos, bringing out a calm breath that simmered her aura down of corrupted red.


    It¡¯s too late to hold back now, Sarah.


    Sarah arches her brows, a tiny dot of light exploded out of her palm. Sarah takes one last deep breath and retracts her arm, shooting her palm at the chaos. The ball of light ignited, bursted into a huge storm of spiralling fire out of the centre of her palm, expanding itself as it reached towards the swirling clouds. Her flamethrower attack consumed the clouds and engulfed the world around them in a blazing hellfire. The town¡¯s completely eviscerated.


    With the entire town engulfed with infernos as hot as lava, the roaring flames were reflecting off her glowing red eyes. Sarah¡¯s hair flutters violently from the blazing winds and the power of the blast shooting out of her palm. She¡¯s in disbelief at the amount of destruction she¡¯s creating. It¡¯s almost freighting at how devastating her new found abilities were, enough for the goth girl to make her eyes water in sadness. Sarah felt regretful of her actions, her acceptance, and this encounter. She¡¯s having second thoughts and decided to simmer the inferno created by her hand.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t believe this¡­¡± said Sarah with a saddened tone.


    Feeling conflictions within herself, she evaporated her aura and brought an end to the giant fire storm. What am I¡­ really, mom?


    Covered in bruises, her clothes torn, ripped, and having fresh red scratches throughout her body, Sarah sighs with regret. She¡¯s hoping this was the end to this bizarre madness with that attack. Sadly, from out of those new depths of hell Sarah just created, the figure slowly arises out of the burning swirling inferno, giggling up a storm and opens her arms out to the sides. In doing so created a mass indux of flashing white winds, clearing out all the fire and smoke from the entire area. This move also fixed the town and cleared it of any damage.


    Sarah gasped in utter shock and began to sweat intensely. The figure didn¡¯t give Sarah time to even think of retaliating or react, it flew at her faster than light, slapping her back on the town''s already cracked road. Sarah lands horribly, bouncing off the pavement instead of landing like a meteor and tumble weeds around on the ground. She¡¯s confused as to why she wasn¡¯t shot into the earth like a nuke. She coughs and lays on her side, blood dripped out of her nose, mouth, and she rubbed her cheek from that horrific slap.


    The figure floats back down and towards Sarah. Sarah quickly stood back up with some struggle and pointed her arms at it, shooting out a giant gust of wind and managing to push the figure away for a moment. It tilts its head unamused and floats casually through the stormy winds created by Sarah.


    Sarah¡¯s mad and felt as if she were being toyed with. ¡°Damn you, damn it all!¡±


    She stopped the storms and grew into a blind rage and ran towards it. The figure stopped moving and watched the angry goth girl run at her. Sarah extended her hands out sharply and the figure did too. Both entities collided palms, making glass close-by to break and fall on the streets by the shockwave created by their palms.


    The two stayed in their positions and looked into each other''s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re, you¡¯re mocking me¡­ aren¡¯t you?!¡± said Sarah as she grinded her teeth.


    She did everything she could to overpower it, but she struggled to push it back. This thing wasn¡¯t budging, not even an inch. Instead it causally places small pressure towards Sarah¡¯s pointless momentum and pushes Sarah back even further. Sarah stomped the ground with each foot to stay in place, but her feet were dragging and eventually pushed into the ground and dragged on the road. The figure continued pushing and Sarah kept pushing back with failure.


    The apparition moaned in boredom. ¡°Perhaps, you¡¯re right¡­ Rackfire. I might be toying with you.¡±


    That struck a nerve into the goth girl, making her grit her teeth and scream in anger. Sarah managed to stop it from pushing her any further by exploding her aura back out, showing the figure how much of her strength she was using to stop it. Sadly though, it did nothing but bring the cost of using more of her mana, and consequently dropping her to a knee. Continuing to bleed in frightened anger from both her nose and mouth, her aura dimming, despite feeling defeated; Sarah¡¯s eyes were fiercely determined. The goth girl still had one more thing in mind, but before she could enable this thought into fruition, she wanted to ask this thing one last set of questions.


    ¡°What-What are you?!¡± Sarah coughed out blood as she struggled to keep her arms steady.


    The apparition giggled and tightened their grip.


    ¡°Why don''t any of my spells work on you! What are you after¡­ Why did you kill all those people?!¡± Sarah tried pushing and pushing but it was no use.


    The figure pulled an arm back, and started transforming its smokey nature. Before she could finish her arms transformation, as it kept staring deeper into those glowing crimson eyes, she figured something familiar about the goth girl.


    The ghostly figure softly gasps. ¡°Hold up¡­ now that I¡¯ve seen you up close, you remind me of¡ª¡±


    As the figure tried talking to respond to the goth girl, Sarah shouted and her aura exploded, and stabbed into the dark sky with the mark on her arm glowing brightly, ripping apart the edge of her rolled sleeve.


    Sarah shouts with frustration and a huge explosion burst between the two. They both fly away and the goth girl rolls away. Sarah stopped herself and quickly got into a position, she took no time to rest. She stood with might and allowed herself to power up. Sarah lifts her arms again, closing her eyes angrily.


    ¡°Hail-Hail to the¡­.¡± Sarah coughs out more blood, ¡°Guar-Gaurdians of the south, allow me to use you to engulf my enemy to your fiery kingdom! Hear me!¡±


    The skies again cracked, creating thunderous claps that vibrated the earth.


    ¡°Hail to mother nature herself and hear my calls of selfishness, allow the guardian of the south to consume my enemy and cleanse it¡¯s spirit with flames enough to burn it¡¯s sins away!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s creating a spell taught to her from childhood when her mother read her a story about a group of Witches and Crusaders. Before she thought the spell was ridiculous and especially this whole situation, but being a witness and enduring this new reality made her believe more in her mothers words. Her teachings, her harsh training with slow ancient nomadic dances, it all made sense now. She¡¯s only seen a small glimpse of it when her mother demonstrated small and harmless spells, but never in her life she thought these were the same ones taught to her. Sarah let out a monstrous roar filled with all her frustrations and the cracks on the ground were beginning to glow a fiery red as if hell is about to open its gates and lay waste to this world.


    ¡°Hear me! Please allow me to defeat my enemy and return your peace when all is done! Hear me!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s aura¡¯s hotter than ever, the darkness around its inner red, melting the buildings around them, the ground around her swelling away, and shooting out swirling black waves of plasma-like winds around Sarah as she powered to her maximum. The ground beneath them started to quack, melting into a mishaped crater and a huge crack formed between the two.


    The ground shakes furiously thousands of times greater than a 10.0 earthquake, the intact, melted buildings wave around and rock back and forth as Sarah continues to breathe heavily. The goth girl opens her eyes, exposing a change in her eyes. Her pupils were bigger, darker, the red around it was brighter and had an outline of black. Sarah glares at the figure with a fierce glint in those already red eyes now glowing the brightest red!


    Sarah expresses anger, death towards it and grits her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll have you regret ever mocking me, spirit!¡±


    The ground began to rip open, splitting the earth in two and a huge glow of red erupted into the skies, piercing the clouds and ripping apart the darkness to bring down sparks of fire to rain down upon the town. The heat coming out of it was immense, skin melting, and beyond sweat dripping. Sarah slowly lowers her arms and collapses her hands together. The intense chainsawing aura of magma around her collapses off her vicinity, disintegrating into the ground. It flows down to the cracks below them.


    ¡°Taste this spell I held previously throughout my childhood, demon.¡± Sarah clenches her hands tightly and out from the ground a huge flame erupts out, stabbing the skies and twirling around like a giant inferno tornado.


    The apparition stands up and laughs up a storm, bothering Sarah yet again and the mighty swirling flame grew bigger than the tallest skyscraper humanities ever built. It transforms and takes the shape of a horned womanly figure with the feet of a bull, arms that of a man, and eyes staticy like an old dead television. It towered over whatever''s left of the area and looked down at the figure with those static eyes as hot as the sun.


    Sarah unknowingly summoned Animals made out of vines that were running towards the area and arrived shortly. Those vined animals then ran around the smoky girl surrounding her. She was surprisingly amused by all of this, enough for her to continue her laughter as birds of purple lightning flew around the town now. Sarah finally opens her hands out and shows a sad yet gentle smile at the figure.


    ¡°They summon my calls of aid and stir me, show your glory to my enemy and cleanse it¡¯s poor hurt soul¡­¡± Sarah¡¯s about to put everything that she had left into this thing, everything that her mother taught her since she learned how to complete a sentence.


    She thought she was ready for a fight like this, but in reality, she wasn¡¯t. Instead she¡¯s using her new found abilities recklessly and uncontrollably, that¡¯s why the figure¡¯s laughing at her. It knew from the moment Sarah started using these powers that she stood no chance against it.


    The figure hugged itself in amusement, giggling up a storm. ¡°Dumb¡­ dumb, dumb girl, idotic Rackfire! You stupid girl, using these gifts recklessly, you¡¯re totally losing it¡­ you damned being of greed!¡±


    Sarah begins to cry in fear, feeling as if the girl''s mockery was not only at her existence but at her using her new found abilities. Shut up¡­ Shut up!


    Sara¡¯s had enough, and shouts her last chant. ¡°I invoke thee, I invoke thee, I invoke thee! Manon, filled inside me! Answer my prayers, please! Lay waste to my enemy and purify them with our anger!¡±


    The gigantic flame figure pummels its giant fist of molten red upon the laughing ghost girl, punching down at the figure and forming a tornado of fire around her from its tremendous impact. The animal¡¯s made out of vines jumped into the inferno and changed the colour of the flame to a depressing bluish colour. The birds of lightning struck the tornado with bolts of plasma by flapping their wings and dove into it shortly afterwards. The tornado shot out those bolts of plasma back out into the skies like giant arteries of lightning, expanding across the never ending black skies.


    Sarah slowly brings her arms down and thanks the guardians as the fiery tornado and roaring lit up skies were being devastated. The tornado swirled so intensely that within the centre it imploded and formed a tiny blackdot. That blackdot was a blackhole, and it sucked everything around it. The giantess, the fire, the explosions, everything around it was being sucked in. Rubble, fire, structures, and all of that went inside and finally, the dot exploded, flashing the world into a brilliant white. The flash lasted seconds, but felt vastly longer. Eventually the brilliant whiteness faded. In the wake of the aftermath, the vanishing pulsing superhot energy, all that was left was sparkles of purple and white particles, floating all around. The area was vastly different than before and Sarah saw the giant crater that it created along with the empty void where the apparition once stood.


    The crater was ginormous and the area around them was turned to a desert of rock and charcoal. ¡°It''s over¡­¡± Sarah drops to her knees and places her hands on the ground.


    She¡¯s exhausted, hurt, and nauseated. ¡°Fi-Finally¡­ but w-was it worth it?¡±


    Sarah tried catching her breath, but couldn¡¯t. She¡¯s breathing heavily, and it made her clutch her chest. Mom, I¡¯m sorry¡­ Please don¡¯t be upset at me for doing all this.


    Wiping the sweat and blood from her bruised face and coughing uncontrollably, Sarah couldn¡¯t help but cry tears of pain and frustration. She¡¯s never experienced something of this magnitude, she¡¯s surprised that she survived such painful, ruthless, devastation. Quickly though she wonders if any of the helicopters on the town over caught their fight and exposed the truth to anyone. Did anyone feel the tremors? Saw this world ending explosion? These were all thoughts circulating in Sarah¡¯s dumbfounded mind. But as Sarah gazed around with her head hung, something still felt off, because when the moment she looked up¡ª


    ¡°H...uh¡­?¡± Sarah spots a girl in a gothic romantic white dress standing before her.


    The girl looked down on Sarah with her hands behind her back and had a huge calm smile on her face.


    She bends down to Sarah¡¯s level and lightly grips her chin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t hurt you no more, and the world around us has been replenished.¡±


    Sarah looked over to the girls'' right and saw the entire town area intact. ¡°Wha¡­ Wha¡­.¡± Sarah¡¯s completely speechless.


    The girl looked directly into Sarah¡¯s crimson eyes and the goth girl felt amazed by her dimmed yet beautiful purple eyes.


    She leans in close to Sarah and pats Sarah¡¯s head. ¡°So, you must be Sarah huh? The one I could never reach into.¡±


    Sarah responds with nothing but her quivering, glistening eyes. Her voice was so gentle and soft to the ear, it was almost sleep inducing from how soothing it sounded.


    ¡°I thought so, since I did mock you before. But it was a while ago, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah gasps quietly, surprised at the fact that she knew her name but answered some of her questions.


    ¡°The last time I tried getting into your dreams was when we were just little kids. Sadly, I got out of hand, was set free by a pig, and got carried away. I was going through a lot when we first met; Yet somehow you figured it out and you caught me at the wrong place at the wrong time, hehe. Oh how time flies by!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes shook uncontrollably, she felt an extreme amount of fear throughout her body. ¡°What, how do you know who? And wha-what I am? If you knew all along¡­¡±


    Sarah then remembered something, the woman in red¡¯s words quickly echoed back into her blanched mind. ¡°I want you, Sarah, to reveal yourself to the girl in white and let her know of your presence.¡±


    Sarah feels used, and blames herself along with her curiosity for falling into that woman''s tricks. Sarah couldn¡¯t stand it, she¡¯s unmotivated to do anything now, and ultimately, has given up.


    The girl in white felt the un-motivation from Sarah on how she felt heavier from her chin grab. It annoyed her and brought out a still face on the girl in white. She drifts her soft snow white hand to Sarah¡¯s neck and starts placing pressure.


    The girl in white clutched Sarah¡¯s neck and frowned. ¡°Aww, don¡¯t be a Debbie downer now. I was just so glad to see your determined face with my actual face since our last encounter. Don¡¯t give up on me now.¡± She grew serious and grew a glint in her eyes. ¡°That means, if you¡¯re this close? You might know where He might be.¡±


    He¡­ who¡¯s-who¡¯s¡­ he? Sarah wondered.


    The girl in white giggled without a smile as she continued placing pressure on Sarah¡¯s tiny windpipe, making her struggle for air. ¡°This might be the chance I¡¯ll have to get back what I lost two years ago.¡±


    Sarah grabbed the girl''s small wrists and tried breaking free. ¡°Wha-What do you, mea-mean?!¡± She said in a distressed breath, ¡°I don¡¯t kn-know what you¡¯re talking ab-about?!¡±


    Sarah coughed as she felt her life drain out of her slowly. The girl felt her words were true, and she sulked. It hit a nerve of reality to the girl and made her shed a single tear of black.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re not lying it seems¡­ So-So that means, that means you don¡¯t know where he is?¡±


    The girl in white ground her teeth and shook her head. Sarah¡¯s eyes were growing dimmer and she felt weaker.


    ¡°No, no, no¡­ No!¡± The girl in white squeezes even more with a horrific maddened face, ¡°I knew a Witch like you wouldn¡¯t know where he¡¯s at!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s vision began to blur and she slowly dropped her arms. ¡°Pl-Please¡­ don¡¯t do-do this¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyelids were shutting as she¡¯s about to draw her last breath. The girl''s eyes were broken and lifeless, not expressing a single twinkle like earlier now.


    ¡°It¡¯s still surprising that someone like you would be related to a Witch, no wonder I couldn¡¯t make you mine, but none of that matters now¡­¡± She jerks Sarah¡¯s body as she crushed her windpipe with a broken emotionless face, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll meet again¡­ someday when I get back what¡¯s mine!¡± She continued making horrible noises as she tried breaking Sarah¡¯s neck with her bare pale hand.


    Sarah¡¯s body wobbled from every jerk, and her head bounced around. Sarah¡¯s mouth streamed red as she closed her eyes, thinking this was the end for her. But before she drew her last breath, and lost all senses, she heard one last thing that shocked her enough to completely black out. And that was the girl in white saying a dead friend''s name, that being when the girl in white shouted ¡®Jack¡¯s¡¯ name.


    Everything went black and the girl''s cries were muffled out. Sarah thought she was dead until she felt all her air come back to her. She could even tell she was on something soft and warm. She opens her eyes and finds herself in a hospital bed along with her mom asleep by her side. She sits up and grabs her head, it was in so much pain, much worse than a migraine.


    ¡°H-How did I?¡± Sarah reached an arm out to her sleeping mother and gently shook her. ¡°M-Mom¡­¡±


    Her mom felt her daughters touch and opened her eyes, exposing their unique platinum nature. She yawned and rubbed them. Immediately Sarah¡¯s mother embraced her daughter with joy the moment she caught her vision.


    Sarah¡¯s mother rubbed her face all over her daughters and giggled. ¡°My beautiful blossoming wonder of life! Are you better now?¡±


    ¡°Mom, how did I end up here? And the girl, the walls, how¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shh, sh. Now Sarah, relax okay. Everything''s okay now, let your magnificent mother tame your stress. Save the questions for later.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother was astoundingly beautiful, pinnacle. She had a relaxing yet sounded oddly identical to her daughter''s voice if it matured. Her hair was the same hair as her daughter, her skin too, their eye shape, everything about them was identical. They basically looked like twins other than what they were wearing, their eye colour, and how Sarah¡¯s mother had her bangs formed over an eye barely exposed.


    Sarah shook her head and grabbed her mothers hand. ¡°Mom, please¡­ I need answers. How did I end up here?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother gently smiled and rubbed her daughter''s head. ¡°Okay my sweetums. To answer your first question, they found you passed out outside of the wall near the quarantine zone.


    Sarah¡¯s surprised to hear that, raising both brows. ¡°Is-Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s true. Men in white were patrolling the outside walls when they came across your bruised up bleeding body. Honestly you gave me the scare, Sarah!¡±


    Her mother pouted and looked away briefly.


    Sarah lowered her in shame. ¡°So-sorry mom¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s okay. If it weren¡¯t for them, I¡¯d eventually find you sooner, my love. But you were pretty banged up if I must say.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s memories felt mushed by all these complexities, but the entire fight was the one that stayed embedded. ¡°Mom, about that. I have one last question.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what would that be my beloved wonder of life.¡±


    Sarah frowned and sulked. ¡°What are we¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother kept her smile and gently patted her daughter''s head. She stroked her hair and played with her bangs then tapped her forehead. Sarah suddenly fell asleep and laid back on the bed.


    Sarah¡¯s mother giggled and brushed Sarah¡¯s bangs off her face. ¡°My dearest daughter, rest. I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re ready, but for now¡ª¡±


    Her mother stood up out of her seat, revealing her elegant black dress in all its glory. She walked over to the hospital window and glared at the distance without expressing a single emotion. She¡¯s staring deeply into the location of those isolated towns, the skylights swinging back and forth and the helicopter''s rotors being heard from afar. Her eyes were sharply glinted, inside her mother was furious about the situation, but she already knew what happened to her daughter.


    ¡°I read your memories like a book my daughter while you were asleep. You don¡¯t have to worry for now. One day, I¡¯ll make that girl pay for what she¡¯s done to you¡ª¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother arched her eyes and frowned.


    ¡°No one should ever lay a finger on my precious creation of life¡ªWhoever does shall pay and repent with their life¡­ This isn¡¯t over, you harbinger of greed.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes glowed lightly with an outline of violet. Her hair softly fluttered, representing her anger. Outside into the night sky clouds of the darkest red rolled over from behind the building hovered over the hospital. The clouds silently created flashing lights behind their ugly fluff, producing a hum of destruction vibrating the entire city of Detroit. The next day came by and Sarah¡¯s awake, eating a healthy breakfast of toasted bread with organic eggs her mother prepared for her.


    Sarah felt confused about how she ended up falling asleep when she was conversing with her mother yesterday. How did I fall asleep? Whatever the food is delicious anyways.


    Sarah¡¯s mother walked into the room with a new set of clothes for Sarah. ¡°There we are sweetums. I got you some of your clothes from the house.¡±


    She set them to the side of the bed on a desk and sat next to her daughter. Sarah ate in silence until she finished her meal. Drinking her coffee lastly, the goth girl still had questions for her mother. She sets aside her platter and takes a deep breath.


    The fight?! I wonder if it ever made it to the news¡­ Crap I hope I didn¡¯t expose us to normality.


    ¡°Mom¡­ about the experience I had.¡± said Sarah in a worried tone, clinging onto the hospital bed sheets.


    Her mother raised her hand and flailed it. ¡°Whatever¡¯s perplexing your young mind, don¡¯t worry about it my love.¡±


    ¡°But mom, I-I think I exposed us to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah, it¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s fine, your amazing mother has taken care of everything bestowed upon her by the guardians.¡±


    Sarah felt at ease. If anyone could fix any of her problems it would be her mother. The goth girl let out a deep sigh and frowned, bringing a burden of worry to her mother.


    That girl''s face¡­ those-those ominous eyes, those eyes filled with sorrow and death, and her voice, that damn soothing gentle voice. I can¡¯t stop thinking about her¡­


    Sarah quietly got out of the bed and stood next to her mother without looking at her. ¡°Mom, sorry for worrying you.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother patted her daughter''s head with a soft smile. ¡°Not to worry my beautiful daughter. I knew something like this might happen eventually, it was only a matter of time.¡±


    Hearing her mother say that made Sarah gasp beneath her breath. Wait, did Mom read my mind? Knowing her, she might¡¯ve. I¡¯ll ask her more questions later¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ma use the bathroom, I¡¯ll be back quick.¡± said Sarah.


    Sarah¡¯s mother rubbed her daughters back to ease more of her burdens. ¡°Take your time sweety, my little gem of life. I love you¡±


    Sarah makes her way to the bathroom, walks in, and stares at herself in the mirror.


    All that pain, all this frustration, and fear. What more lingers in our world''s shadows that Mom won¡¯t currently expose for now?


    Sarah looked at her arm and the marking¡¯s gone, but quickly flashed itself in a transparent state. She blames the girls doing and as well as the woman in red for screwing with her mind, but that girl said one thing that really opened her eyes before she came close to death. Not only did she know her name but the one thing that rubbed against her ear drums and stayed permanent was that she said a name she thought she never would¡¯ve heard again.


    A name that means so much to her two best friends. ¡°Why did it say, Jack? Of all names, could it be a misconception or perhaps I heard incorrectly¡­¡± The goth girl glared into the mirror and slammed her hands on the sink cabinet with anger. ¡°Whatever the case may be, I¡¯ll find you again¡ªAnd put an end to your miserable existence, spirit.¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 6: A New Abnormality

    It¡¯s midday in Flint Michigan, the skies permanently grey as it has been for the past week, the air¡¯s as dry and chilly as ever, and the neighbourhood in which the two men are still in is as desolated as ever. Returning home from a secret meeting he had with his homeboys and crew, Eric¡¯s in a state of worry. Drowning in this emotion, coming inside through the front door, he wonders what his nephew¡¯s up to, he hasn¡¯t been answering his uncles calls. Eric called him four times in the last hour, but nothing, not even a text back.


    ¡°What could that boy be up to? Damn he¡¯s making me worry.¡±


    Eric made his way to the stairs, walking up and heading towards Angela¡¯s room. Arriving and opening the door, the first thing he saw was the bed all messed up and Jack absent.


    ¡°Huh? Where could¡¯ve he wandered off to? Fucking Jack.¡±


    Eric closed the door and went back downstairs to Jack¡¯s room, presuming he might be in there instead. His uncle went inside his room and found it vacant too, making the big guy rub his head in frustration. Eric didn¡¯t have time for Jack¡¯s games. He power walked through the home, searching it from his starting point and to the backyard. Jack¡¯s nowhere to be found, and it made Eric grunt loudly, feeling the urge to punch something closeby. He¡¯s in the backyard, glancing around and taking a glimpse at Randolph¡¯s grave, clenching a fist.


    Where is that dumbass boy?! Don¡¯t tell me they took him away! Eric thought.


    There¡¯s one more place he could find his nephew, the last place he might find Jack.  ¡°The garage, he might be in there!¡± Eric ran back into the house, and headed to the garage.


    Opening the door and rushing in, he was quick to almost trip over something. He prevented himself from falling flat on his abs and grunted in anger. Eric looks back and finally finds Jack passed out against the wall close to the door.


    Jack snored and drooled as Eric spotted that dreaded pill bottle in his hand. ¡°You motha fucka man!¡± He kicks Jack hard and manages to wake him up, temporarily.


    Jack snorted and rubbed his eyes but the young man¡¯s still high out the rear. ¡°Huh¡­ who goes¡­?¡±


    Seeing his nephew in this dumb state made the big guy pop out a vien of the purest frustrations. Jack¡¯s basically showing to his uncle that he lied to him that day he almost went crazy hiding his emotions and contradicting everything he promised on. The big guy had enough and grew tired of Jack¡¯s games of manipulation and let it out by punching the wall next to him.


    Quickly though, Eric regained his composure to look like the bigger man in this situation. ¡°Wake up.¡± said Eric in a calm tone.


    Jack responded by flailing his hand at his uncle. Eric made a face of confinement, preventing his emotions from getting the best of him. Instead he balled his fists to fight the anger swelling up inside to not make Jack go into another crazy state.


    ¡°Get yo ass up!¡± Eric slightly raised his voice to help Jack listen, but it didn¡¯t do anything.


    Jack softly chuckled and slid to the right, falling to his side.


    Eric twitched an eye and went to his nephew, grabbing him. ¡°Wake¡ªup! Get up you dummy!¡±


    Eric shook Jack, even sitting him up straight. He¡¯s getting nothing out of the young man, actually it seemed as if he¡¯s losing his nephew to whatever drug he¡¯s consumed. Eric grew weary of Jack¡¯s charade and lifted him off the ground to stand on his feet, but the big guy didn¡¯t notice that his nephew had abruptly grabbed an empty glass bottle that was beside him. Once standing straight on his feet, meeting face to face with his uncle, Jack shocked Eric by swinging that empty bottle of alcohol at him.


    Jack muttered words as he swung the bottle uncontrollably. Eric stood back watching his nephew act a fool. The young man brought his action to a stop, chuckling and attempting to slide back down to the floor.


    Eric grabbed him before making contact with the floor again. ¡°Snap out of it, why is you acting so stupidly?!¡±


    Jack wiggled his head and looked down. ¡°Nope! I¡¯m tired dude¡­ so let me just sleep for two more hours, alright?! I needs sleep¡­¡±


    Eric¡¯s had enough, giving Jack a mighty elbow to his gut. Jack coughs and feels all his senses come back to him.


    ¡°Jesus christ! Wh-What¡¯s your problem?¡± He rubs his chest and coughs again, ¡°Fucking hell! Almost knocked the wind out of me man¡­¡±


    Eric grabs the pills out of Jack''s hand, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you man! What happened to all that motivation shit yesterday? Huh! Or were you just lying and being a useless bitch as always.¡±


    Jack smacked his lips and looked away. ¡°I-I, I don¡¯t know what to¡ª¡±


    ¡°What! Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t answer shit again. And that bottle, were the pills not enough that you had to resort to drinking like a bum, fucking pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Jack tries walking away from Eric¡¯s harsh words, but his uncle stops him and pushes him hard enough to fall on the ground.


    ¡°You ain¡¯t going nowhere. You¡¯re just at the start of your intervention, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Just let me go man, I-I needed those pills to relax, and I thought combining them with booze would make it more soothing.¡±


    ¡°You mean these?¡± Eric tosses the bottle on the ground and stomps on them, grinding them in the process. ¡°Tell me Jack, what type of pills are these? I know I¡¯ve been putting a blind eye to your ¡®Secret¡¯ addiction, but enough''s enough. What have you been taking for the past two years?¡±


    Jack sighs and tries reaching for the grinded powdered pills like some desperate junkie. ¡°They¡¯re¡ªopioids¡­ Happy now?¡±


    Hearing his nephew tell him the truth of what substance he¡¯s been consuming for two years made Eric¡¯s face be consumed in utter disappointment. His eyebrows furrowed, the edge of his lips raised, showing his hidden pearl white anger to Jack, Eric¡¯s furious. He can¡¯t contain his emotions anymore and finally snaps.


    Before he can release his swelling anger, Jack snorted the powder right in front of him. ¡°Would you let me get the rest of the powder and snort it so I can relax?¡±


    A vein popped out of his forehead and Eric stomped on Jack''s hand, grabbing his hair to unleash his frustrations at last. ¡°Opioids?! You stupid fool! Don¡¯t you have any idea how many folks have died by those shits?!¡±


    Jack grins like a madman on the brink of having a mental breakdown. ¡°Don¡¯t you know how many people I¡¯ve killed? Do you really think I really care about my life or others? Come on Eric¡­ don¡¯t be so naive.¡±


    Eric trickles a gasp, and aggressively blinks once to Jack¡¯s response.


    ¡°I lost everything Eric, and last night made me realise that reality clearly¡­ so I¡¯d rather die and rot like the waste of space that I¡ªor has been since the day my parents were taken from me.¡±


    Eric grits his teeth and lifts Jack up, slamming him against the wall. ¡°You stupid idiot man¡­ What would Randolph say, what would Angela say?¡± Eric briefly looks down and glares back at Jack with bloodshot eyes, ¡°What¡­ would your parents think?¡±


    Jack could hear the disappointment towards him from Eric¡¯s voice. The last sentence, how low and deepened his tone was made it more apparent just how much of a sore loser Jack was. Hearing this reality check coming from someone close to him made him frown in madness. Jack didn¡¯t even have the decency to look Eric in the eyes anymore.


    What made Jack feel completely hopeless for himself was Eric bringing up his deceased parents. They¡¯d surely be rolling, burning in their graves or in his mind repenting for his massive ocean of sins in hell. The thought that they might think this way in the afterlife made Jack twitch his eyes in self-hatred.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you bring them into this conversation¡­ I don¡¯t want to remind them that I¡¯m such a failure. Screw you Eric, how could you¡­¡±


    Eric lets go and pushes Jack one last time before deciding to leave this conversation. ¡°Fuck you¡­¡± Eric walks out but quickly stops half way opening the door. ¡°Your parents most likely are burning in hell cause they failed to raise their son who grew up and ended up a big pile of shit; A waste of life and danger to society¡­ worthless punk ass bitch.¡±


    Jack muttered words, clenching his fists and rubbing his knuckles against his noggin. He despised that thought but felt it might be true yet he can¡¯t help but feel rage against this uncle.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve never taken you in like you said and only taken in Angela.¡±


    Eric takes another step forward, trying to leave this toxic conversation until Jack grabs his shoulder. ¡°I¡­ I, I¡ª¡± The young man ground his teeth and felt ready to explode.


    Eric looks over his shoulder. ¡°You better get yo¡ª¡± Suddenly, a fist flew towards his face.


    Jack lands a punch right on his uncle''s cheek, one strong enough to actually bring the big guy down to the ground. Eric was punched back into the garage and laid on the ground for a second, wrapping his mind to what had just happened. He massages his cheek, but Jack gets on top and pummels his right fist on Eric¡¯s face. Jack threw heavy punches of not only his guilted anger, but his hidden sorrow to release all the frustrations he¡¯s had dormant for years onto his uncle¡¯s face, the very guy who¡¯s been nothing but supportive of him throughout these ordeals in Jack¡¯s miserable life.


    Jack kept punching, bringing down his knuckles over and over, drawing blood. After what seconds of heavy throws felt like minutes, Jack stops and stares at his uncle who just laid there with an angry frown. The young man gasped angerily and wrapped his murderous hands around the big guys neck, starting to choke the life out of Eric. All those feelings coming out like a violent storm were squeezing Eric¡¯s big neck, and Jack¡¯s face staying in a shocked angered state. Eric though, didn¡¯t flinch, nor shout, but instead kept a completely straight face enduring this beating being given to him by his adopted nephew.


    Jack kept squeezing, Eric made no sounds and retained his still face. Finally, Jack came to his senses when he realised that Eric wasn¡¯t even trying to break free, only glared.


    Jack¡¯s eyes squinted and the bottom of his lip quivered. ¡°Eric¡­ I¡­¡±


    Jack halted, he felt regretful of his actions as his uncle kept his gaze on him. In a slow manner, the young man lets go and retracts his hands and raises them up, staring at his palms. They shook, he trembled while the young man moaned quietly in the minute of silence.


    His uncle prevented the silent treatment from going further, letting out an angry groan. ¡°Go ah-ahead, kill me. Isn¡¯t th-that what you want, punk!¡±


    His poor uncle held back his tears, his sadness, he didn¡¯t want to show weakness to Jack. If he displayed such emotions to him, in this moment, it might make Jack feel worse off and potentially break the young man into a maddened suicidal frenzy like before.


    Jack frowned as he got off and stood back up to his feet. Quietly he walked away from his uncle to the other side of the garage. His uncle sat up, wiping his lips with his giant forearm as he watched his nephew silently approaching the tool desk. Jack¡¯s eyes were staring straight as he paused in front of the table, unknowingly patting the desk in front of him. His hand caught a tool, that being a screwdriver. He raises it to his view and stares at it for seconds on end.


    Jack blinks and abruptly stabs his own already damaged arm, grunting as he leaves it embedded. The young man¡¯s eyes were going crazy as he made sounds of regret, then bulged and he dragged a hand across his sweating face. Jack eerily stood there, repeatedly dragging his face to suddenly bring his gaze to the garage window next to the desk. The young man gasps and punches it out of nowhere with his screwed up arm, damaging it further.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ fu...ck¡­!¡± shouted Jack, finally letting his emotions speak out.


    Jack collapses to his knees and rammed his head against the garage door multiple times, ripping open his forehead.


    Eric still watched as Jack tried his best to release his emotions in the way a normal human being should, and that is to release them through their eyes. Sadly, the young man couldn''t, his body refused to and he can¡¯t understand why. Standing up, wiping more blood off his face, Eric walks towards Jack calmly, watching the poor kid trying his darndest to cry out all his emotions by self harming if it¡¯ll break out a tear or two.


    He¡¯s so fucked up his mind is slowly rotting away. I knew in these years it was bad, but damn, dumbass kid, you only have yourself to blame for letting it get this worse.


    Eric comes behind Jack and grabs the young man''s head, stopping him from harming himself anymore. Jack yelled and quickly, Eric slammed his head against the garage door, denting it, and shutting him down completely.


    ¡°Stop! You dumbass boy. Don¡¯t harm yourself anymore, we gotta start packing for tomorrow''s trip.¡± Eric let go and Jack fell to his side. ¡°Oh, by the way! That was payback for punching me bitch.¡± Eric walks away and shuts the door behind him in anger.


    Jack groaned, his nose, head leaking, spilling blood on the ground, he couldn''t help and felt like such a gigantic loser. He basked in his self disappointment and lay there in silence. The seconds that went by felt like minutes, Jack though got himself together, sitting up and leaning his shoulder against the dented garage door.


    ¡°Mom, dad¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Jack desperately wanted to cry, but he just couldn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Eric, Angela, and especially you¡­ Randolph.¡±


    Jack stood back on his feet, grabbing his arm which he stabbed and made it sizzle in pain again. Eric¡¯s right, I am an idiot, but this is no time to punk out. We have to get out and stop this madness.


    Jack grabbed his arm and walked out of the garage back into the house.


    As the day went by, Eric and Jack didn¡¯t say much to each other. The two were loaded and prepared on the other hand for the trip. During the hours Jack had plenty of alone time to reflect on his decisions, and clear his clouded mind for the time being. Succeeding in combating some emotional demons, he went to Eric and told him that he¡¯s ready by nodding. The two talked briefly earlier and decided instead of going tomorrow they were going to leave right away. That way they could resolve this issue that Jack spoke of about the girl in his nightmares and stop her vivid madness to the two cities.


    They had all the supplies and items that they came and needed. Jack got what he wanted for the most part, Eric didn¡¯t regret the trip back to his old home as he thought he would, it brought some nostalgia. As the two were preparing last minute for the trip in the living room, Jack wanted to ask Eric something.


    ¡®Say Eric, uh, I think we should make a quick stop before we leave Flint entirely.¡±


    His uncle was just putting on his carry bag when Jack spoke to him. Eric looked over his shoulder, smiled at his nephew and walked out the front door. Jack moaned and looked over his shoulder to the stairs and mildly grinned.


    ¡°Goodbye, for now, baby sis¡­¡± Despite being in a worse state than before, the Jack can¡¯t risk staying here any longer than they already have.


    The two men have already stayed their welcome far longer than they thought they would. With confidence and a clear mind expressing in his grin, the young man made sure his bag was strapped properly, his legs were still functioning properly, and most of all had the belongings that Angela once owned to give him enough courage to continue this journey to freedom.


    Walking off and stepping outside, closing the door behind him, Jack looks at Eric who¡¯s standing down the walk path leading to their front door. His uncle was gazing at the rest of their depressing neighbourhood, mildly shook his head as he placed his hands on his hips.


    Jack sighed and walked to his uncle. Once he did, he walked beside him and basked in the view with him. ¡°Hey Eric, you ready?¡±


    Eric chuckled, and stared into the sky. ¡°Don¡¯t make it think we still cool for what you did to me, punk.¡± He begins to walk forward and Jack follows behind, not saying anything else.


    The two walked calmly into the streets with no fear. Both men proceed off into the streets foggy horizon, continuing to their path of freedom. Minutes have gone by, both men had their guns drawn in one hand and looked around every corner as they were going deeper into their journey. Jack¡¯s confidence hasn¡¯t gone away, it only grew, normally since he has his gun back in his murderous hands. Eric already explained to Jack on the way where they¡¯ll escape to. At first Jack questioned about it given its location, but after an hour, he agreed to his idea. Mainly because he couldn''t think of another way out of this enclosed hell.


    Thankfully Jack knew what area of the wall his uncle talked about. It¡¯s near the edge of the town that Angela really liked, the one where her favourite ice cream shop was located. It¡¯s the reason what made Jack sceptical about it given its history and memories of joy that might trigger his memories back into a sorrowful state. Eric also explained during the time of their current walk that there was a small part of the area of the wall close to the end of town where someone mysteriously blew up a small hole in it. Jack trusted Eric on his words and knew that they had to be ready for anything. The two reached the end of their neighbourhood and looked back to stare at their home one last time from a foggy view. Jack can sense that Eric¡¯s hurting inside but he won¡¯t admit it nor show it.


    While staring, Jack shattered the silence to ask his uncle something. ¡°Eric, what about the boys? Who¡¯ll lead them when we¡¯re away.¡±


    Eric grins and pats Jack''s back, ¡°Trust me, I ain¡¯t leaving my boys. This is just a temporary goodbye.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes shined for a second, feeling glad that this might not be the last time they¡¯ll be around here. ¡°Is that so, well I guess it is huh. Come on, we have a whole day ahead of us.¡±


    The two turned around back on their walk with confidence and a glimpse of happiness pumping inside their hearts. They both knew this wasn¡¯t going to be easy, but, either way, their lives have already proven no matter the circumstances it¡¯s never been easy thus far. Both Jack and Eric only hoped for the best, but at least for certainty, Jack still had a friend by his side. A friend whom he can still trust with not only words, but with his life.


    ***


    It¡¯s cold, windy, and brittle in current Flint Michigan. Jack and Eric spent three hours cautiously walking through the blood stained streets, cutting short ways through forests, the side of busy roads, and making their way into the town where he and Angela were homeless. Upon arriving at the edge of the entrance, coming out of bushes, they saw, heard it¡¯s eerie, quiet, scenery. It felt ominous to the two, sending shivers down their spines. The sorrow of his past, the addiction of drugs taking the life of his first kiss Alexandria, has made Jack freeze momentarily. He¡¯s remembering those times of him and Angela¡¯s short pitiful enjoyment, to then coming close to succumbing to the white death of winter that night.


    I already have concluded this part of my life, yet I can¡¯t help but feel conveyed by it once again. Jack thought.


    Eric let his nephew rewind his crowded mind to give the two a short break. Letting out a long sigh, Jack continued forward, limping into the streets and his uncle followed behind. As the two walked armed, there were people surprisingly out for once sitting on their concrete town home steps, outside chairs, and curbs, but everyone¡¯s dead silent. They stared at the two while they walked passed. The town seemed extremely calm, but on edge. Some people jittered their legs, tapped the ground, their faces squinting, something didn¡¯t feel right, and the two men grew worried. The fact that they looked on edge made them question if the entire town was ready to take Jack¡¯s life at any moment now.


    Jack wondered if they were just waiting for the right moment to strike. Best stay on guard, but something else feels off¡­


    Eric kept his eyes sharp on every person visible to them. ¡°Relax Jack, everything¡¯s gonna be fine. So long as you follow my instructions and stay by my side.¡±


    They were just two blocks from exiting the town. Freedom has never felt nor seemed this good to either man in such a long time. Yet that freedom would only be momentarily once they reach the town, but the ride there would be that relief that they seek. Although, without a car it would take them almost all day or the next to reach it at their pace. Thus far, their walk through town felt like a breeze and smooth, not a krinkle or step, a crunch nor a voice, just a husk of Michigan''s voice whispering around them.


    I really don¡¯t like this, it¡¯s just too easy. Jack thought.


    This boy better not jinx it, we¡¯re doing good so far, you better not or I¡¯ll beat cho ass! Eric thought.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Walking down an empty street with trash blowing by, newspapers tumbleweeds across, the two¡¯s luck felt drained out when they heard a barrage of footsteps coming from behind them. They quickly took action and hid immediately inside a dumpster near the alley of a diner. five men ran past them with blunt objects and wore hoodies, glancing around with eyes determined to obtain fortune. Jack sighed with relief and poked his head out a bit from the top to see if anyone else was coming. The coast was clear and the two jumped out of the dumpster.


    Jack chuckled in both amusement and scare. ¡°Damn, I knew this walk was too easy. Bums, and greed can only get you so far. By the way uncle, you smell like a dirty dog.¡±


    Eric retaliated with a grin and his own chuckle. ¡°Hmph, you jinxing asshole, I knew you would say something to ruin it. Not only you¡¯re full of shit, but you smell like it as well, it¡¯s coming out your pores boy!¡±


    Both men quit their joking and crept out from behind the building and took a quick glance at the open road from a couple blocks down. It appeared that those men that were running past a minute ago were gone and the coast might¡¯ve been clear. Once they stepped foot into the street, they heard a cornucopia of footsteps coming towards them and before even thinking of hiding again, a crowd of people ran past and ignored them. Quickly that wave of skin tones, different clothing styles ran around the next corner in a hurry and scare in their eyes. It made the two feel even more anxious than before and questioned why they were in such a hurry to run when the opportunity of a lifetime was standing right in front of them.


    ¡°Yo, why did all those folks run past us like that without screaming? What the fuck¡¯s happening if they just ran seeming all scared and shit.¡± said Eric.


    Jack¡¯s eyebrows were raised and the young man can¡¯t help but feel that trouble¡¯s coming. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this. It¡¯s too freaky man, all those people looked to be in a state of silent panic, whoever they were running from might be lured to sound.¡±


    Eric turned to his nephew with half his face squinted. ¡°Why you speaking like they running from ghosts?¡±


    Jack shrugs, ¡°I don¡¯t know, sounds cool, right? I hope my assumption¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, let''s just keep going.¡±


    Jack and Eric fully stepped out into the street and were exposed to the dim of grey. Both men stayed close side by side and watched the quiet town full of people run back inside their homes, stores, and wherever else they came from in a state of silent panic. Doors slammed, gates shut, stores closing their curtains, this was all freaky to watch for the two. They didn¡¯t like what was happening around them, so they decided to hide behind a nearby car parked on the curb of a store. They were curious to see what¡¯s spooking all the townsfolk and felt they could get a good understanding if they waited for a minute.


    Crouching on the passenger side of the car, Jack took a peak over the edge of the front hood. ¡°Whatever¡¯s scaring them this much must be something supernatural. It has to be.¡± said Jack.


    Eric smacked his lips, feeling as if Jack¡¯s statement might be true as much as he didn¡¯t want to admit it. ¡°I hope you¡¯re wrong, I hate spooky as shit, can¡¯t stand demons and whatnot¡­¡±


    Everything¡¯s completely silent, howling winds blew, trash flew everywhere, scattering on the streets, rats ran past their feet. Jack and Eric patiently waited to see what will happen next, trying to figure out what''s the cause behind such silent pandemonium. Both men sat against the car, eagerly waiting when suddenly, a faint horn and loud rumble of an engine was approaching fast to their area. The two looked at each other, nodding and waited to see who''s coming in loudly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go near the car across the street to see if I can get a better view,¡± said Jack.


    Eric nods, ¡°Alright, dumbass.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I know you¡¯re still mad but damn.¡± Jack got out of the car''s cover, ran to the other side of the street and hid in front of the car''s bumper, peeking around it to see what vehicle¡¯s making such a ruckus.


    Far out at the other side of the town, a thick layer of transparent grey made it difficult to see the approaching noise, but as that horn got louder, the fog being swept away from the vehicle''s mass, Jack¡¯s eyes widened in fear.


    His eyes rattled and the young man clenched his jaw, gasping beneath his breath. ¡°No, no, it can¡¯t be.¡±


    The sound¡¯s closing into their area, vastly closing the gap of faintness. Eric looked over to Jack¡¯s position and saw him shaking, but he couldn''t figure out if it was in fear, anger, or both from how knitted his eyebrows were. The horn¡¯s blasting, reaching their ear drums completely, and the car¡¯s engine roared like an old V8. Eric took a peek to see this mystery danger everyone¡¯s so afraid about coming in their direction, and finally understood Jack¡¯s scared attitude.


    ¡°Son of a¡­¡± Eric saw that old yellow pickup truck coming down the road to their way with two men in the bed of the truck and two more inside this time.


    Jack slammed his fist on the car, ¡°Fuck! Those hillbilly bastards! How the hell did they find us?¡±


    Eric lowered his head down, shushing at Jack¡¯s direction. ¡°Shut up, come back over here.¡±


    Jack quickly regrouped with his uncle and slammed against the car. ¡°What now?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but one thing¡¯s for sure, I don¡¯t think they knew we were here yo. I just think we fucked up by coming here instead.¡± Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out his handgun, ¡°At least we got these! No doubt about it though, these fools have made themselves a fearsome reputation to make all the folks tuck they damn buttholes in between their tiants.¡±


    Jack peeks out again and sees the truck parking a few feet away. "Ah shit¡­ They''re going on foot now." He turns to Eric and hands him a rock, "I got a plan, we''re taking out these guys once and for all."


    "Man what the fuck. You crazy? Look at chu. Your bodies still fucked up, you really think we can take these guys out in the shape you''re in?"


    Jack smiles confidently at Eric, ¡°Maybe, I¡¯m one sick bastard, remember?¡±


    Eric sighs, "Whatever man, if you die then that''s on you. This time I won¡¯t mourn over your death either, I¡¯ma just run my ass back home."


    ¡°Heh, whatever, let''s just do this.¡±


    Eric grabs the rock and peeks out, "So I''m assuming you want me to throw this rock over there to distract them while you take them out with your gun?"


    Jack waved his finger without looking at his uncle but keeping his eyes on the men after him. "Close but no. What I want you to do is use that rock to bust open their skulls as I''m distracting them with this!" Jack pulls out his crowbar from beside his carrybag, "I''ll make noise by hitting this against something loud and hard then it¡¯s payback time."


    Eric looked at Jack with an annoyed and dumbfounded expression then grabbed his arm, pulling towards him and gripping his shirt. ¡°Jack, are you fucking kidding me!¡±


    ¡°Shh, Eric you¡¯ll give out¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid or did I slam your head too hard on the garage door, you dumbass!"


    The four men heard Eric''s annoyance and proceeded to walk in their direction.


    Jack heard their heavy boots stomping towards them and took a glimpse, seeing them come their way. "Nice going boss. And you called me stupid?"


    Jack stands up and waves at the men, getting their full attention. Three snickered but the scary looking individual that had that cold gaze didn¡¯t express an ounce of emotion. Three proceeded forward while he stood in place.


    Jack¡¯s sweat poured out from every pore in his body as they came to him. "Sorry guys, but I''m in no mood to play in the mud with a bunch of rednecks." Jack started running and the three men ran to him.


    Eric shook his head and waited, he wanted to see what that emotionless individual would do next. This guy gazed around with his icy stare and walked to the direction Jack ran to. Walking out of sight, menacingly, Eric smacks his lips and makes a run to their truck. Arriving at the old pickup truck, Eric stops, opening the driver side door, and hops in the driver''s seat.


    Eric checked the ignition and the keys still in. "Alright, let''s give these bastards a taste of their own medicine."


    Once Eric¡¯s fingers were about to turn the truck on, another guy, one his size, hops on the bed of the truck, making it bounce. Eric looked at the rear view mirror and immediately saw this built individuel run at him and break the rear window with his bare hands.


    The shattered glass shot at Eric, turning him away. What in the?!


    Not giving a toot of their safety, the guy wrapped his giant arm around Eric¡¯s big neck, pulling him out through the broken window. Eric yells as he¡¯s scratched, and cut with a huge gash on his left forearm in the process of being pulled to the bed of the truck.


    He slammed Eric and resorted to stomp on his chest, but Eric quickly dodged and got on his feet before contact was made. The guy rushed Eric in less than a second and grabbed him, tossed him over his shoulders with an exploding suplex. Eric slams back first, making the truck bounce. He groaned, grabbing his gashed forearm that bled profusely. Despite the pain, Eric¡¯s not one to give up so quickly, and got back up on his feet. He turned to the guy who¡¯s standing calmly and causally cracking his neck and knuckles.


    Fuck, he¡¯s the same size and built like me. I wonder if he can fight just as good as me though, he only got this far because I was caught off guard.


    Eric set himself to his fighting pose with a single fist raised like that of a famous black boxer. The man had a shaved head, tank top, black jeans, big boots, reminding Eric of a stereotype of a wife beater. The guy cracked his neck one last time, and it was loud, making Eric squeamish.  The guy also got into a fighting pose similar to Eric but more pristine.


    I don¡¯t like this dude''s confidence, shit¡¯s making my nerves tingle¡­


    They stared at each other for a moment, glaring. The brief calm winds and the sound of creaking signs, rattling road signs that echoed as they were waiting for the first punch to be thrown. Eric¡¯s head began to sweat, leaving a single trail running down his face. The man with the shaved head took one step and Eric rushed him abruptly. The guy was caught by surprise for a second at Eric''s speed but dodged Eric, grabbing his arm, twisting it around and placing it behind his back.


    ¡°Fu-Fuck!¡± shouted Eric.


    Eric gave the guy a quick struggle before his face was slammed against the top of the truck. Eric groaned, doing his best to break free from his grip while the guy placed more pressure on his arm.


    Eric grits his teeth and manages to reverse the man¡¯s armbar and switches the move onto him now. He slams the guy''s head on the truck to give him the same taste of rusted steel and chuckles. In spite of reversing and rubbing his face against the steel, the guy wasn¡¯t angry, he wasn¡¯t freaking out, he¡¯s still as calm as ever. It made Eric worry and surprisingly the guy casually reverses Eric¡¯s armbar and picks him up off his feet, throwing him over the roof of the truck.


    Eric lands on the windshield frontside, laying near the edge of the hood as he groans, trying to get up. ¡°Godd...amn¡­¡±


    The guy took no time to let Eric catch his breath and immediately grabbed Eric¡¯s ankles. He pulled Eric back, slamming him on the bed of the truck again. The entire rusted truck¡¯s suspension bounced intensely from the impact given to by the two hundred plus pound human boulder. Eric tried getting back up, though the guy wasn¡¯t going to allow him. Instead he gave Eric a good kick to his side, turning him on his back. The guy then jumps on Eric, laying a pounding on his face. Eric uses both arms to cover his face with those huge steel forearms of his to avoid any further bruising. Yet it led to Eric groaning, moaning in burning pain from his open gash that was being lacerated by the guy''s knuckles.


    Shit, shit, I-I can¡¯t¡ª!


    This guy knew how to fight, he knew how to land punches beyond hurting his gash, slipping them through Eric¡¯s defences and breaking them abruptly.


    Damn¡­it! Think Eric, think!


    Eric felt frustrated and annoyed, he felt the urge to scream in anger and beat this guy to death. While thinking of a plan to get himself out of this pounding, Eric came up with something in the midst of his anger.


    I got it!


    ¡°Bring¡­ it!¡± shouted Eric unexpectedly, letting the man know he¡¯s enduring his beating.


    The man responds with a straight punch, and Eric chuckles once the fist makes contact with his cheek. He allowed him to punch his face to grab his arm and rolled the two off the truck and onto the ground. Both giant men hurried up and looked at each other, panting, feeling somewhat excited.


    Eric wipes the blood off his lip and blows blood out of his nose. ¡°Damn, you a tough son of a bitch aren¡¯t you?¡±


    The guy cracked his knuckles and rushed Eric, tackling him against a car closeby. Eric slams a mighty hammer fist on his back, bringing him down to a knee. He finally had an opportunity to place the guy in his own chokehold. It wasn¡¯t enough to keep this giant down, instead he grabs Eric¡¯s legs and lifts him as high as he could and slams Eric on the hood of the car, denting it. Eric¡¯s stubborn and hasn¡¯t let go, he still had him on a chokehold after being slammed that hard.


    He picks Eric up again, but Eric smiles and lets go, giving him an opportunity to shoot one of his knees in the face of the guy. The guy gets to a knee, his nose leaking, Eric finally draws blood.


    Eric lands on his feet and raises his fists, ¡°Fuck man, damn, I¡¯ve never fought someone like you before. You are a tough son of a bitch!¡±


    The guy stands straight, wiping the blood dripping from his nose in a single brush of his thumb. ¡°You¡¯re not bad yourself, black man. To be honest, I thought you¡¯re kind were just stupid, mindless and incompentant monkeys, but I guess I was wrong, for now.¡±


    Eric frowns, ¡°Man, that¡¯s kinda racist yo¡­¡± he spat out blood and glared at the guy. ¡°I don¡¯t like ignorant fools who think like that, you pissed me off and now, I¡¯ma fuck you up for damn sure.¡±


    Meanwhile, at another part of the town, Jack¡¯s gotten himself into a bad predicament. He¡¯s being bruised, battered, and currently thrown through a store window. Landing on his side, hurting, he sees the two men who are inflicting this pain on him walk through the broken window frame. Jack quickly gets back up and runs to the back of the store, exiting through the emergency exit. Running with every ounce of pain coursing through his body, looking over his shoulder, an object¡¯s coming right at him.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Jack¡¯s eyes bulge and he steps to the side, stopping. The thrown object makes contact with brick a foot away, embedded, and Jack sees it was an axe.


    ¡°Shit! What strength holy crap!¡± said Jack as he made a run for it once again.


    Jack continues his escape and sees the nearest dumpster coming to him. He bursted with energy to gain more distance, ran around and jumped into the side of the dumpster to make it seem as if he ran around the corner. Jack tried his best to control his frantic breathing without letting them know of his whereabouts. After a minute of silent control, Jack takes a peak, glimpsing around.


    In the moment he shut his eyes in relief and deeply sighed. ¡°There-There gone¡­¡±


    Unfortunately he felt too comfortable in their absence. With his head still out, someone else found him, that being the man with the cold stare. He yanked Jack out, and threw him against the brick wall behind them. Jack¡¯s face exploded with pain and the man went for the young man''s neck, clutching it. He lifts Jack up and off the ground with abnormal strength despite his skinny nature. Jack gags, kicks, and does his best to break free, yet the strength of his grasp was incomprehensible.


    The man brought Jack to his face, analysing Jack¡¯s face. He blew heavy air through his nostrils and threw Jack against the dumpster, making the young man bounce off it. Jack lands on his face, coughing out blood. His nose and mouth leaking on the alley floor, the young man can¡¯t help but feel hopeless. The man reached for his gun behind his tucked in pants and pulled it out, shooting once in the air.


    Jack slammed one of his hands on the ground, grinding his teeth from all the pulsing pain. ¡°Why¡­ wh-why are you torturing me-me like this?!¡±


    The man doesn¡¯t respond and only stares with that permanent face of anger.


    Jack raised his head up to the man, getting a better look on his appearance. His skin pale as death, hair like hay, his eyes were solid black, but more notably, there was a weird symbol on his neck. Jack can¡¯t make out on what it is, but the shapes reminded him of squares and triangles.


    This guy, his stare, Jesus christ it¡¯s worse than any gaze that¡¯s ever been set upon me so far¡­


    Jack got on two¡¯s, coughing more in pain. The man watched Jack struggle to get on fours without a sound. His two other partners arrive, the overweight one and now being this close, he smelled rancid. The other was a skinny tall guy with overalls, and he too looked greasy and unhygienic. Both men had weapons, one wielding the axe thrown at Jack, the other a lead pipe. The skinny guy swung the lead pipe on the back of Jack, putting him back down. The force of that strike knocked the wind out of the young man, making him dizzy. The fat guy and scrawny guy both looked down on Jack as he¡¯s on the brink of blacking out from the pain.


    ¡°Damn, he got fucked up!¡± said the skinny guy with overalls.


    The fat man spits, and laughs. ¡°Atta boy, that¡¯ll show haha!¡±


    Jack groans and spits blood. The fat man kicked Jack¡¯s chin, managing to break off one of the young man''s teeth. They both grab Jack and start carrying him out of the alley. The silent one hasn¡¯t said a word, his stare stays permanent, watching every moment his partners make. The two continued carrying the young man and the silent man followed behind after staring for another minute. Once reaching the end, going out into the street, they let go of Jack and waited for the silent man.


    He arrives and grabs Jack¡¯s hair and stares at his leaking face. Without saying anything, he grabs the young man''s chin and Jack feels his cold breathing on his left cheek.


    The other two watched, looking nervous as he scanned the young man¡¯s face. As moments go by, he lets go and jerks his head to the other two who quickly take action and grab Jack.


    Jack groans, raising his head to stare at the street up ahead. ¡°You guys are all a bunch of fucking assholes, and here I thought I was selfish, but no¡­ ever since I was a child I always thought badly about criminals¡­¡±


    Jack clenches his fists while the other two men cackle at his comment.


    ¡°But ever since that day when I was a child, I came to find out the truth. Criminal or not, people are assholes regardless of their status in society.¡±


    The fat man brought a stop to their carry, getting in front of Jack and punched his lights out. ¡°Shut up already. The more you talk the more I want to drag your body like I did that time with the truck.¡±


    ¡°Sounds rad!¡± said the skinny guy.


    The fat guy chuckles, snorting afterwards. ¡°You know what boys? Why don¡¯t we do that instead?! Kill him all slow like!¡±


    The skinny one let go of Jack, letting him fall face first. ¡°Hey? You may be right! That does sound more fun!!¡±


    The silent man grabs Jack and carries him over his shoulder. Carrying him away in silence and the other two quickly followed without saying another word. The three were making their way back to the truck, but didn¡¯t realise that Jack¡¯s still half conscious and had his working arm snuck inside his coat where his gun was kept hidden away from their sights.


    Back at the beginning of this charade, Eric¡¯s still fighting against the guy giving him the fight of his life. Eric throws an uppercut, the guy dodges, stepping back. He throws a powerful straight jab at Eric, but luckily he moves to the side. Eric throws a side punch, shooting his giant fist into the side of his abdomen. The guy groaned, retaliated and kicked Eric at his lower leg, causing Eric to drop a knee.


    ¡°Say your prayers black man.¡± He shot his massive knee to Eric¡¯s face.


    Coming fast like a daggered wrecking ball, Eric allows him, and grabs his knee, catching, stopping him in surprise. Eric wrapped his entire arms around his leg and lifted him off the ground, slamming him stupendously against the sidewalk. Quickly Eric got on top before this fighting machine could attempt to get back on his feet.


    Eric retracted his arm and threw a heavy straight fist at him, landing a punch against his face. ¡°More like you should bitch!¡±


    Eric threw many throws, but being the good fighter that he is, he blocked almost all of them. It annoys Eric, enough for him to relentlessly continue his barrage of fists. The guy catches Eric off guard by blocking his fist with one hand and punching straight at Eric¡¯s face with the other. Making brief contact, stumbling Eric off of him, he¡¯s free and in a hurry. He gets back onto his feet, rushing on, grabbing Eric from behind and back suplexes him to hit the pavement. Luckily Eric sees this coming and manages to land on his hands and shockingly sidekicks the guy''s face.


    He stumbles away, twitching an eye and grinding his teeth. ¡°Damn, that did it¡­¡± said the guy.


    Eric kicks back up to his feet, feeling pumped and excited oddly enough. ¡°Alright, this is fucking great!¡± He dances around like some boxer and taunts the man by gesturing to him to continue the fight.


    That trickled out a chuckle out of the guy, enough to catch Eric off guard. In that instance, he dashed to Eric, tackling him against a nearby car. In total, four hundred pounds of force collided against the car door denting it. Eric had him in a headlock once again and tried kneeing his stomach. Yet every time he tried, this guy blocked every single strike even with being this tightly locked in.


    ¡°Is this all you got white boy?!¡± shouted Eric.


    He punches Eric on his stomach forcing him to let go. ¡°Fuck no monkey!¡±


    He throws three lefts and two rights right on Eric¡¯s face. Eric brushes those punches off faster than they came and throws an uppercut striking his jaw, making the guy stumble back.


    ¡°Godd-damn you¡­ ape!¡±


    Eric threw two right and two left hooks. As always the guy would dodge his mammoth punches. This time, he wanted to show Eric just how skilled he was in combat. The guy retaliated with multiple body shots along with a high kick to Eric¡¯s side, denting the giant sized boulder of a man. Eric shouts with frustration, his veins popping, pulsing, he¡¯s growing tired of this dragging MMA fight they were having. With all the strength left in him, and the shaved man too, they both repeatedly punched, kicked and reversed every combo they had, throwing everything into one last round.


    They both stopped as they landed one final massive punch on each other''s faces. Their fists drilling deep at one other''s cheeks, twisting, pushing, both growled. The two continued pushing, staring at each other with eyes set for death. They both let go and were exhausted, backing away. Both men stood still with their fists still up as they breathed heavily trying to catch their breaths.


    ¡°You¡¯re-You¡¯re good, rea-really good! Where di-did you learn to fight?¡± asked Eric as he grabbed his gashed arm, massaging it.


    The guy spits, ¡°I-I was an ex MMA fighter in my-my youth, along with a black belt in jujitsu. Where-Where did you learn to fight, ape?¡±


    Eric chuckled, ¡°I taught myself along with an old friend teaching me, but tell me something. You¡¯re after Jack aren¡¯t you? Why waste your life trying to kill someone that may be innocent just for money?¡±


    He lowers his fists and takes a deep breath, ¡°I have a family to feed, friends that are on the brink of death, people that need it more than I do. That¡¯s why I teamed up with those hillbilly freaks to kill him because they promised me five million of the share.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll keep their promise? Think about it man! With your talent you could¡¯ve accomplished more than wasting your life on these wretched streets my guy! There¡¯s more to life than just money, I know it¡¯s none of my business to ask of your past and why you¡¯re an ex MMA fighter; or racist¡ªbut you don¡¯t have to do this man! You can still help those people, by doing the thing you loved the most¡­ and that¡¯s fighting. Am I right?¡±


    Something struck the shaved man''s heart when he heard those words of truth and meaning from a stranger he¡¯s fighting to the death with. His brain flashed the images of his loved ones, wishing him good luck, waiting on his return, he felt his eyes open. Yet he couldn¡¯t believe it was coming out of the mouth of a person whom he despised the colour of his skin.


    Feeling shocked, he looks at his right hand and slowly clenches it. ¡°You¡¯re right about that, I do love a good fight¡­ You know, I haven¡¯t fought someone as skilled as you in over fifteen years¡­¡± He lowers his hand and sighs, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being a bit racist, but I have my reasons, big guy. But¡ª¡±


    Eric raises a brow, ¡°But what, brother?¡±


    The guy expressed a grin of relief. ¡°You opened my eyes a bit, thank you for showing me that not all black people are such menaces to society. In all honesty, I thank you, brother.¡± He raises his fists and raises his shoulders, ¡°You ready for round three?¡±


    Eric smiles and raises his as well, ¡°Shit, you bet your white ass I am!¡±


    Feeling a bond of brotherhood and respect between the two, Eric can¡¯t help but smile in the moment. The guy too expressed a wide grin, one filled with joy and a change of heart. Once Eric decided to take a step, he felt something sharp and curved strike the back of his shoulder. His body thrusted forward, his eyes grew wide, gasping heavy air, at first he thought it was his open wound from earlier; But from the man¡¯s shocked facial expression, and then Eric looking over his shoulder, bleeding, it was the fat hillbilly with an axe stuck in Eric¡¯s shoulder.


    Eric quivered and the fat guy pulled the axe out of his shoulder, exploding blood all over the two. ¡°You still haven¡¯t killed this black guy, damn, why do I have to do everything myself.¡± said the fat hillbilly.


    Eric¡¯s face scrunched in anger and grunts. ¡°You fat mother¡­¡± he drops to his knees and lands on his face against the cold road, bleeding profusely.


    ¡°Tch, damn monkey! We don¡¯t have time to mess around!¡± He points to the guy still in shock. ¡°Hurry up and finish him you neo nazi looking freak!¡± The fat bastard tosses the axe at the guy''s feet. ¡°You kill him since you hate black people so much!¡±


    The guy looks at the axe on the edge of his feet, and then at Eric who¡¯s bleeding to death. He watches Eric¡¯s blood pour onto the concrete, and having a change of heart, it actually angered him watching him bleed to death. Clenching one of fists, he picks up the axe and glares at it with Eric¡¯s blood still on the blade.


    The guy brings his murderous gaze back to the hill billy, ¡°My name¡¯s Roman, and you can go fuck yourself¡­¡± Roman throws the axe on the ground, ¡°Do it yourself fatass.¡±


    The fat hillbilly gritted his disgusting rotting teeth and raised his lip in annoyance, ¡°What did you just say, you freak?!¡±


    ¡°You heard me right? Do it yourself, it might help you lose some weight!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it, son of a whore!¡±


    ¡°Go to hell¡­¡± As Roman¡¯s about to attack the fat man, he¡¯s struck by a bullet in the head and killed.


    He collapses and dies like a dog. The silent leader lowered his gun and brought his attention to Eric. Not saying a word as usual, he walks over to Eric¡¯s bleeding body and stares at the big buy, watching his life being drained away, slowly.


    He throws Jack off his shoulder onto the ground and starts tying the young man¡¯s legs with some rope that was tied onto the truck''s tailgate.


    The skinny guy grinned in excitement yet felt nervous, but couldn¡¯t help but say something in the moment. ¡°Say boss, if you killed that skinhead, then that means we¡¯re gonna be even richer!¡± said the skinny fellow, but swallowing nervously afterwards.


    He finished tying Jack¡¯s legs, checked the tightness of the rope and flinged it. The two watched as their silent leader stood straight, glancing at both injured men. His breathing grew louder for a moment, sounding as if he was on the verge of screaming in anger. His breathing went back to normal and he eyes his partners.


    The fat hillbilly laughs and pumps his fist. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be rich! Say boss, what do we do to the black man?¡±


    He didn''t reply, just stared ominously. The fat guy grew worried and nervous, so he shuts up and tucks his lips. The silent leader panned his eyes to the scrawny guy and jerked his head to him, indicating something.


    The scrawny guy understood and proceeded to walk to the truck. ¡°Okay boss, I¡¯ll just get in the truck then.¡± The scrawny man hops in the truck and turns it on, ¡°All set now boss!¡±


    Again, the fat hillbilly can¡¯t help but open his big mouth again to express his joy from feeling rich. ¡°Hehe! Can¡¯t wait to spend that money on a new truck and buy a pig farm, that way I can eat all the bacon I want!¡± chuckled the fat guy as soon walked and hopped in as well.


    ¡°You always eat too much bacon, that¡¯s why you¡¯re so fat!¡± replied the scrawny guy.


    The silent leader stood in the noise of the truck, not moving a single muscle or changing his attention. His eyes stayed straight down the foggy street up ahead, watching the grey mist sweep past the road. He took a huge breath of air through his nostrils and blew out a heavy gust of anger out, balling his fists. In a creepy manner, he silently turns around to Jack and starts reaching for his gun.


    Jack felt his horrible gaze on him and opened his eyes, staring right into his coldness. ¡°Go to hell, monster.¡± The silent man blinks in surprise as Jack pulls his gun out and shoots him right between the eyes.


    The silent leader stands there, blood coming out and lowering his arms. He falls flat on his back, dead on the ground. His boys heard the gunshot and hopped out of the truck to investigate who made the sound of death. They saw their leader lying dead flat like roadkill, but once they approached the back; they both were shot by Jack and were killed instantly.


    The gun¡¯s barrel smoking, his breath exposed to the cold air, Jack slowly lowers his gun and lays on the ground; letting out a huge deep pained sigh of relief. ¡°Fuck¡­ everything hurts¡­¡±


    Jack sat up, grunting with pain and looked at Eric. The pain coursing through his body made him feel like he was in a box filled with spikes, continuously stabbing him. He set the gun down and started to untie the rope with his one usable hand but it¡¯s no use.


    ¡°I¡¯m in too much fucking pain, ahh¡­¡±


    To Jack''s surprise, Eric¡¯s moving. He pushes himself off the ground on all fours then stands up to his feet. Jack saw just how beat up his uncle was, the gash on his arm, shoulder, bruises and cuts, he¡¯s never seen Eric in this state before.


    ¡°Eric¡­¡± muttered Jack, coughing softly.


    Eric walked over to Jack at a slow pace with blood still dripping out of his arm and shoulder. Reaching his nephew, Eric groans as he bends down to untie the rope along with the help of Jack. They untie the rope and finally the two can relax knowing that the main enemies are gone for good.


    Jack carefully gets up, grabbing Eric and places his giant arm over his shoulder. ¡°Come on big guy. It looks like you had the fight of a lifetime.¡±


    Eric looked over at the shaved guy''s dead body and felt bad for him. ¡°Yeah¡­ I did, rest in peace, brother.¡± The two began walking with their injuries, but stopped right in front of the truck.


    They decided it was best to take the truck instead to save time and give them the chance to properly treat their wounds. Eric hopped inside the passenger side and Jack walked over to where their bags were dropped at their split off in the beginning of this whole mess. The young man grabs the bags and walks back to the rust bucket, tossing them inside the truck through the driver side window. Opening the door open as it creaked, Jack sat on the torn leather and sighed with relief. He put the truck in drive and off they were.


    Jack sighed again and adjusted the rear view mirror until his eyes caught something disturbing. ¡°What in the¡­?¡±


    The silent man was sitting up, staring at them with his ice cold gaze. Eric saw him with his passenger side mirror, gasping in horror. They watched as he stood on his feet and rubbed the wound between his eyes. Jack and Eric couldn¡¯t believe their eyes, they were witnessing a dead man moving. The silent man rubbed and rubbed, and suddenly dug his two fingers into his wound, pulling, moving. Jack and Eric¡¯s jaws were dropped, their eyes trembling in fear, never having witnessed something this extraordinarily horrible.


    ¡°Jack, get us the fuck outta here man.¡± said Eric.


    Jack didn¡¯t listen to his uncle, he couldn''t help but watch. ¡°What-What is he¡ª?¡±


    The silent man slowly dragged his fingers out of his open wound, blood gushing all over his face, down to the street. In the tip of his fingers was the impacted piece of bronze that Jack had put into him. He stared at the piece of metal, rotating it then crushing it with abnormal strength, grinding it into dust. Jack and Eric had enough and drove off with their faces permanently locked in fear. The silent man watched the two men drive away, disappearing into the fog up ahead. His wound healed, growing new flesh and merging with his snow white skin. He clenched his fists, his eyes turned pitch black and he opened his mouth wide, letting out a screeching wail that echoed throughout the town in their direction.


    His screech had many voices behind it, sounding like torched souls and monsters being burned alive. Jack and Eric heard those terrifying screams that ripped throughout the streets behind them, making both men cover their ears from its treacherous nature. The silent man screamed to the heavens, rolling his eyes back into his skull until he burst into flames, turning to ash and being blown away by a gust of black. The town was completely dead silent, not a soul in sight, it was desolated.


    After driving for an hour, awakening from a small nap, Eric moans from the sourness of the earliest fight. ¡°Are we there yet, shit¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s arm is feeling numb, it¡¯s still in pain. ¡°Driving with one arm for this long, along with a fucked up body ain¡¯t easy, uncle.¡±


    Eric had covered his wounds and wrapped his screwed up arm with a piece of cloth earlier during the drive he found inside the glovebox. ¡°Goddamn, what a fucking jounrey, it better be worth it¡­ Yet, that shit with that dude; it¡¯s still fucking with my mind.¡±


    Jack checks the rear view mirror, seeing the passing empty road behind them and wanting to ensure they weren¡¯t being followed. ¡°Yeah, no kidding. Whatever he was, I don¡¯t want to run into him again.¡±


    Jack stares up ahead to the long empty road and sees from afar, a cloud of total darkness hovering over a town and smearing it¡¯s image in black. It seemed far yet close and Jack could feel the pain in his chest grow the larger it grew overtime.


    He knew what they were approaching and it made him shake. I¡¯m tired of all this supernatural stuff. I hope you¡¯re the last of it girl in white because once we reunite, I want to stay away from people¡ªlike ¡®Him.¡¯

 Arc 3 Chapter 7: Till Death Unites Us

    The drive to freedom felt endless. The hours were long, boring, and painful for the two men. Pain from their injuries, one having mental torture, combating it and overcoming the battles being fought, the other having the urge to rip his own arm off. Jack felt like passing out in the middle of the drive, but kept his eyes open to stay awake from the torturing pained bordom. Eric¡¯s been on and off on his napping, mainly from his injuries disturbing his recovery, but more notably, that man who stood back on his feet after getting shot. It kept giving him sudden nightmares, ones in which he took his life or tortured Angela. No matter what the uncle did to help himself or her, he¡¯d always rise from the dead and enact utter silent violence.


    Eric felt irritated and expressed it by slamming his fist on the already cracked dash, breaking it. ¡°Damn man, are we almost there? I can¡¯t keep this boring ass drive no more. I don¡¯t remember it ever being this long of a drive, tch.¡±


    Jack glimpsed at the gas gauge and saw it was nearing its end. ¡°Yeah, me neither, but if we don¡¯t get there sooner; We¡¯re going to be walking at this rate.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s just great. More bullshit, whatever, I just want to get away from all this nonsense¡ªmy simple mind can¡¯t keep this up the longer we stay behind these walls.¡±


    Jack¡¯s chest bursted in pain and the young man¡¯s vision became engulfed in swirling purple darkness momentarily. Eric saw that the truck was starting to sway to the left, going off the road. He looked at Jack who had his mouth open, drooling and gasping for air. He slapped Jack¡¯s back and that helped him come back to reality. Quickly Jack drove the truck back on the road before he almost lost control of the vehicle. Jack hung his head but kept the truck straight while his uncle twitched an eye at him, feeling annoyed.


    ¡°The hell''s wrong with chu man?! Don¡¯t die mid drive when I¡¯m still kicking, dumby!¡±


    Jack¡¯s breathing felt heavy, he clutched his chest and closed an eye. No¡­ not now, my che¡ªwait a minute?!


    The young man coughed black and then as he looked up again he saw it; The reminisce of his past. Clouds of black hovering the skies once afar were just miles ahead. His hand trembled on the steering wheel, he knew exactly what¡¯s causing those clouds if he just coughed the same colour of the same fluff that¡¯s fogging his mind. Jack wondered why he felt so afraid, it felt vexing. He takes a deep breath to relax himself so he can drive properly without causing an accident.


    Relax Jack¡­ you¡¯ve got this, don¡¯t worry or else it¡¯ll just show that you¡¯re weak.


    They drove for thirty minutes that felt like an hour and night¡¯s approaching close from the dropping sun over the horizon of the darkness. They were almost to their destination that even the colour from before was fading away. Jack stopped the truck at the border of black, he knew something wasn¡¯t right, his chest felt heavy, the pores in his skin began leaking. He turns to Eric who¡¯s on another nap. Jack slowly opens the door and gets out without making too much sound despite the creaking of the door.


    At the moment, he¡¯s staring straight at the depths of permanent nightfall, sensing the very being who¡¯s made his life a living hell. She¡¯s in there alright¡­ the growing pain in my chest, feeling nostalgic, confirms it.


    He walks in front of the truck. The headlights were barely denting the thick mass of black, but enough to let him see the road. Jack could barely see but he could make out the shapes of what made the town up ahead. He gazed up at the sky, watching the phenomena of completely dark clouds, pulsing veins of purple lighting within them. He reaches into his pocket and pulls the cross out which felt hot and glowed brightly.


    Okay, so long as I have this I¡¯ll be safe¡­


    Jack clutches the cross, and lowers his arm to the side. With everything from the pain in his chest, the burden of guilt, and more notably, the glowing cross, all this confirmed that the girl in white is in the town. Jack tucks the cross back in the pocket of his coat and walks back in the truck, gently closing the door and crossing the border of faded darkness. He drives in, making his way to the town at a slow pace. It only took Jack five minutes to get to the entrance of the town, but the moment Jack¡¯s closing in the town¡¯s vicinity, the cross was getting hotter in his pocket.


    Eric finally woke up and rubbed his eyes and saw the incredibly dark town in front of him. ¡°Ey! When the hell?! Oh hell no!¡±


    ¡°Uncle, relax, we¡¯re almost¡ª¡±


    Eric¡¯s in shock and couldn¡¯t help but bulge his eyes in terror. ¡°Yo yo yo! Do not fucking move this truck! My guy, what¡¯s going on in there?¡±


    Jack nervously shook his head and turned to Eric with eyes filled with fear, ¡°Well, we¡¯re here and¡­ she¡¯s here, the girl in my dreams.¡±


    Eric gasped in fear and looked back at the town then stuck his head out the window to look all around them. After reeling the mess they were in, he stuck his head back in without an expression on his face. For a moment he looked calm, confident, it even made Jack raise a brow towards his uncle. Then Eric couldn¡¯t contain himself and let out his fear in a single yell that made Jack squirm away. He¡¯s never seen his uncle this terrified before, it was almost comical to the young man that he silently snickered.


    Releasing his fear, and emptying it, Eric slammed himself against the truck¡¯s single chair and deeply sighs. ¡°You mean to tell me, she can do shit like this?¡±


    Jack nods and grins, but not in enjoyment but in scare.


    Eric rolled his eyes and head, dragging his big hand across his face. ¡°Oh hell no. What type of shit is this man!¡±


    ¡°Uncle, I told you that things we¡¯re going to be complex. I thought you said you were ready to face this new truth?¡±


    ¡°Since when?! You¡¯re fucking delusional, my guy!¡±


    ¡°Oh sweet, you¡¯ve forgiven me now. Neat.¡±


    ¡°Forgive what fool! Turn this bitch around, we''ll find another way out of these zones!¡±


    When Eric turned to Jack, he couldn¡¯t believe how afraid someone like Jack was, he¡¯s never seen the young man this shook before.


    ¡°You alright my guy?¡± said Eric in a more calm tone.


    Jack leaned his head against the steering wheel, contemplating this choice the two made. ¡°This may be our only chance to get out of here and escape Dr. Cato¡¯s sight, we have no other choice¡­ uncle Eric.¡±


    Jack puts the truck in drive and gently presses the gas pedal. He drove the truck slowly into the dark town, the headlights could barely penetrate the foggy darkness.


    ¡°And yes, I¡¯m cool man¡­ I¡¯m cool, for now¡­¡± replied Jack.


    Driving slowly and observing the surroundings, noticing how eerily quiet the entire town was, Eric clenched his pants as he trembled with fear. Jack stayed cool but truthfully the young man was ready to shit his britches.


    Eric pulled his gun out and glanced all around as Jack drove the truck as slow as possible. ¡°Just take it steady and slow, alright. We shouldn¡¯t be too far from that spot. Damn man, I hate spooky shit like this.¡±


    As they drove through the darkness, they could hear faint giggling from every corner along with cries of sorrow mixing in with those giggles of broken innocence. Eric felt petrified and had no clue Jack knew about stuff like this and wondered if this was what he¡¯s seen, experience throughout his entire life. Jack kept taking deep breaths to steady his breathing so he wouldn¡¯t allow her to detect his fear and heartbeat since she knew his heart very well from all the lucid/vivid nightmares she¡¯s created. Eric helped Jack out to the spot by pointing directions to its location, when to turn or to keep going straight. Eric did his best to remember that spot he saw a couple of months ago. He hoped that it wasn¡¯t blocked off or patched up so they could finally get the hell out of this mess.


    ¡°Man, I fucking hate this shit. Hopefully we¡¯ll get closer or else I¡¯ll actually piss my pants, my guy!¡± Eric took a cigarette out and lit it up, smoking his fear away. ¡°Damn that hits the spot.¡±


    The giggling, the crying got louder little by little the closer they got to their supposed destination. Eric, feeling worried and Jack filled with fear, knew if they screwed up, they won¡¯t know what¡¯ll happen to them or any possibilities to that degree. They were gaining close by the looks of Eric¡¯s description and directing. Eric orders Jack to stop the truck and to turn it off.


    Eric pointed down the street to the pizza shop Angela liked. ¡°What now? Why¡¯d you make me stop the truck? For pizza.¡± said Jack.


    ¡°No dumbass. You see that? Shine high beams at it and you¡¯ll see that hole in the wall.¡±


    Jack shook his head and did what his uncle told him and the moment Jack shined the high beams on the spot, a smoky girly figure appeared right in front of the store, scaring the life out of the two. Jack immediately turned off the headlights of the truck and the two ducked as soon as he turned them off. Both their bodies trembled uncontrollably from the spooky sight. They wondered if they were spotted and had no idea if she¡¯s going to approach them or in Jack¡¯s case, punish him if it was the girl in white that they saw.


    Fuck, was that her? If it was, did she find me?! Jack wondered.


    Jack peaks up and turns the lights on again and it¡¯s gone. The young man places his palm over his face out of relief. Eric peaked too and his eyes bounced abruptly, seeing if the coast¡¯s truly clear. Seeing the pure colour of black being the present thing in front of them felt relieving and the two opened their doors and stepped out. Eric was more cautious when he opened his and gently closed his door while Jack casually slammed it shut, making Eric shush his nephew. Eric looked around and gazed up at the sky, noticing there were no stars or any sight of the moon.


    ¡°Yo, where the fucks the sky?!¡±


    Jack shushes Eric now, getting back at him for shushing him. ¡°You just noticed now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you shush me you lil¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Keep it down will you? Whatever it was, if it was the girl, she still might be around. To answer your question, it¡¯s those clouds, remember?¡± Jack began sneaking forward and Eric quickly followed to step in front of him.


    ¡°Nu uh bitch. You follow me, remember.¡± Jack shrugs and follows behind with his uncle instead and both sneak to their destination.


    Walking through the black streets, corner to corner, tipping toeing to their destination on edge. Both men were so alert even the slightest sound, scratch, bristling made them go into a silent panic. After a small walk session of nerve racking endurances, they were just a couple feet from that spot. The taste of freedom never felt so good to the two. Eric reaches into his bag and pulls out a flashlight and shines it at the pizza place and sees blood writing of Jack¡¯s name all over the inside of it, freaking Eric out.


    Eric looks back at Jack with widened eyes and a grimace. ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding¡­ she¡¯s obsessed with you, my guy!¡±


    Jack moans, seeing the creepy sight unfold as his uncle shined at every bloodied writing. ¡°Yeah I know¡­ I¡¯m freaked out about it as well.¡±


    His uncle shivers himself and stops shining at the dreadful sight that fills a stalked person''s nightmares.


    Jack spots the hole just to the right of the building that Eric talked about and feels relieved, bringing out a grin. ¡°Look, there it is!¡±


    Eric shines the light and spots the broken, cracked hole big enough for a single person to walk through. ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Eric can also see the moon''s light through that hole shining on the ground just behind it. ¡°We¡¯re finally free from this freak show, my guy!¡±


    Eric quickly went to the escape to freedom, he couldn¡¯t resist on leaving this whole craziness. Jack watched his uncle power walk his way to the hole, but he on the other hand took a look back at the blacked empty town, feeling sad. As Eric observed the hole, the smile on his face told the world around them he¡¯s ready to leave this shit show and fill a glass full of happiness to drink.


    ¡°Well Jack, this is it, freedom. What do you say we take you to a good hospital and¡ª¡±


    When Eric looked back to his nephew, he saw Jack standing still with a subtle smile in the midst of darkness. Eric couldn¡¯t understand why Jack was smiling of all times when the boy¡¯s gone through continuous torture throughout his early life and especially the three years that have passed.


    ¡°Yo Jack, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Jack steps backwards into the misty darkened road. ¡°You forgot about something else, boss man.¡±


    Eric at first didn¡¯t catch what Jack meant by that, but soon realised the other plan his nephew had in mind. The plan to confront the entity that¡¯s causing this bizarreness of black and the plague of sleeping death that¡¯s been sweeping across the city.


    Eric turned serious and frowned. ¡°Wait Jack, you don¡¯t mean?¡±


    Jackmidly nods, releasing a scared breath. ¡°I have to resolve the issue of the people dying in their sleep and this permanent nightfall that¡¯s been wiping out towns over the years.¡±


    Eric looked sad, but couldn¡¯t help but smile afterwards, feeling proud for Jack to help others in need. ¡°Yeah, you right. So I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re going to go see her after all, huh?¡±


    Jack¡¯s grin faded and the young man turned around in the opposite direction. ¡°If I don¡¯t make it out alive, tell Candy; he¡¯s still a weird funny guy.¡±


    Eric chuckles, turning away as well to his escape. ¡°Oh I¡¯ll tell him more than weird, my guy!¡± Eric proceeds to walk, and doesn¡¯t turn back. ¡°Don¡¯t you die on me though, nephew!¡±


    Jack turns around once he hears nephew, watching Eric walk away until disappearing out of his sight through the hole. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll try, uncle.¡±


    The young man felt determined, balling a fist and turning back to the deserted town with his eyes turning sharp. Staring into the darkness and clenching his fists, her reaping echoes of sorrow came back, rubbing against his eardrums like needles, stabbing them to remind his corrupted mind that all of this was caused by him.


    ¡°As for you, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll pay in a way you¡¯ll never hurt another soul again. Even if it means to give up my entire leftovers of what makes me human currently to satisfy your needs; In that way, you¡¯ll never dream of doing something this heinous again.¡±


    Jack hated hearing her cries and having them reach his soul to remind him how much of a selfish, consequential idiot he is. Swallowing his guilt, and some of the fear he had left, he ground his teeth, determined to solve this issue.


    ¡°You better apologise for everything you¡¯ve done, and the same saying can go to me. If not, then I¡¯ll find a way to end both of our miserable lifes; it¡¯s the least I can do for humanity.¡± Jack began walking into the darkness towards the direction of her cries; it was time to return to her, and stop this madness.


    As Jack walked through the empty treacherous streets, leading him deeper into absolute foggy darkness, he saw black and bloodied writings of his name all over the buildings walls, and street pavements.


    Jack can feel the cross get even heavier, hotter, meaning that he¡¯s getting close to her location. What do I tell her when I see her¡­ it¡¯s been three years, damn it. All of this is my fault¡­


    Self monologuing, oblivious to his surroundings, Jack almost tripped over something, but being the person that he is, he ignored it. Yet his gut told him to turn round and look back at what almost made him lose his footing. Jack trusted his gut and looked back, but saw nothing but black. He shook his head and looked straight forward, unexpectedly spotting something from around the corner. Jack scuttled up to what he saw and once laying eyes on what he had seen, it was the skeletal remains of a person covered in a black substance.


    ¡°Ho¡­ holy¡­!¡± Jack felt sick to his stomach, shaking his head rapidly to erase the image and continued walking. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know¡­ she would¡­¡±


    Walking further upward, the image became a giant painting, one he couldn¡¯t glimpse or glance by. He¡¯s forced to see this horrific painting crafted by selfish obsession. There were remains of tarred, charred, people throughout the street, dangling off buildings, and attempting to escape.


    What has she done to all of these people, they¡¯re all remains¡­ Yet, I feel the guiltiest and part of the reasoning behind their demise.


    Taking deep observations at each dead person, every skeleton, their pose, the way they were just living life at one point to then be killed like this, it made Jack feel so at fault for all of this. Walking through a street full of bones, and as he glanced around, his eyes caught a sight so shocking and to Jack it flashed haunting memories of his past. It was a family of three all huddled up together, and from how their parents died, they were protecting their child from whatever turned them into blackened bones.


    ¡°This is¡ªall of my¡­ fault.¡± Jack felt anger building up inside him, just the sight of two parents protecting their child to then meet their doom made his blood boil.


    If I never repelled her out of me¡­ none of this would¡¯ve ever happened.


    Jack clenches his fist, enough to pierce his palm, dripping his self hatred blood onto the black stained pavement. The young man has had enough and continues walking towards those faint cries and screams.  A shameful shadow hovered over his eyes as he forced himself to not look at anymore carnage, Jack has never felt more irresponsible than ever in his miserable life. As he stumped through the town streets of a new claimed boneyard, a mysterious light was seen not too far from his view. Quickly pacing further down the street, he saw the light clearly. It was an opening in the sky letting the moonlight gleam into a part of the town that never got violated by the black death that consumed this town.


    ¡°Could it be her that¡¯s there?!¡± Jack rushes towards the safe haven and amongst getting closer, he can see the light shining like a spotlight on something beneath it.


    Jack got close enough to tell where it was shining. It seemed to be the town hall where this mysterious spotlight shimmered on. From Jack¡¯s observation, it¡¯s shining directly at something beyond the walls of the hall.


    ¡°I gotta get in there.¡± said Jack in a relaxed tone.


    Jack looked around to see how or where he could get in. The young man found a way of getting in, the main entrance gate to this giant symbol of this town¡¯s once thriving richness now is nothing but a barren wasteland of plagued death.


    Jack slightly jerks his head in obviousness, ¡°What a fucking concidence.''''


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    The young man prances his way up to the huge steel gate not before taking one last glimpse at the scorched town full of death. This madness had to be put to a stop, and Jack¡¯s the only one capable of doing such a thing, that¡¯s why the young man feels confident, knowing he¡¯s about to end it.


    Carefully approaching the gate, Jack finally noticed that the crying had stopped minutes ago. ¡°Huh? I wonder if she knows that I¡¯m here¡­¡± His arms trembled, his knees felt heavy, Jack¡¯s fear started showing again.


    The confidence he showed moments ago had completely vanished faster than it stayed. The young man wondered why he¡¯s so nervous and afraid of confronting her, but he came to a conclusion on why he¡¯s so scared, and that being the thought of a punishment she might lay on him.


    Calm down Jack, calm down¡­ she doesn¡¯t know you¡¯re here, yet¡­ Or¡ª does she?


    Jack quickly stops his next action, and instead hugs the wall. He tried peaking a bit but quickly retracted out of nervousness. His chest felt so heavy he thought the rapid beating would burst open his ribcage and dangle his heart on his chest, tumbling him down on his face. His own heart skipped beats, making Jack cough out of breath.


    ¡°Why-Why am I so nervous?! Fuck man¡­¡±  Jack turned his attention to his raising hands as they shook.


    I shouldn¡¯t be this nervous to see someone who was once inside me¡­ so why am I so nervous? No, this has to be fear, right?!


    Jack paused, staring at his trembling palms. His teeth showing, his dead eyes widening, the young man started to regret this decision. But remembering the people who¡¯ve succumbed to her anger, his dearest sister Angela¡¯s face brought sense back to Jack. He slaps his hands against his face and grunts, saying ¡°Let''s do this!¡± Starting to walk in front of the gate and closing his eyes.


    It¡¯s now or never, Jack!


    Jack opens his eyes and takes a huge deep breath and gently places his hands on the gate. Swallowing the last of his nerves, the heavy burden of guilt and fear down to his intestines, Jack pushes the gate open with both hands, letting the weight of the metal open itself. The gate loudly opened in a way that made sure whoever was inside knew Jack was coming in. Bringing a huge pause of anticipation for Jack, the gate almost wide open, once it did, he walked in, stopped, and his eyes were immediately locked onto the personification of beauty.


    Jack¡¯s eyes shaking, his mouth slightly open, gasping beneath his breath, he¡¯s found her. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ her¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes stayed locked onto the very being who¡¯s not only brought suffering onto him, but others as well. His heart pounded immensely, staring at her calm moonlight glazing beauty. A soft breeze fluttered her white dress as she stood on top of the fountain statue located in the middle of the town hall. Her gaze seemed to be on the moon, lost in a trance. The moonlight shone on her pale white skin, creating a shine of purity, her purple mesmerising eyes were glistening, and she¡¯s as dashing as ever.


    ¡°The girl in the white dress, the very being who¡¯s made my life a hell but blessed me in certain circumstances.¡± muttered Jack.


    Seeing her in this calm state of beauty refined Jack¡¯s memories to just how beautiful this being is. Yet something caught Jack¡¯s analysis of her, a change in her appearance once again.


    Jack squinted his eyes and leaned his head forward. ¡°She¡¯s changed slightly, hasn¡¯t she?¡± From Jack¡¯s observation, she¡¯s grown a little taller and her hair¡¯s grown longer with more volume.


    The embodiment of beauty elegantly stood there, tip toed while Jack stared without her knowing. Jack couldn¡¯t move a single muscle out of both nervousness and amazement from this glorifying haunting sight of this sad girl who¡¯s madly obsessed with him. Something else caught Jack¡¯s attention, and it bothered him to the fullest, a stream of clear innocence trickling down the side of her cheek.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ still¡ªcrying?¡± Jack also saw her black tear stains faded out on her pale cheeks and felt guilty yet again.


    Jack simmered his emotions, and started approaching her as sweat dripped off his head. Not knowing he¡¯s here yet, she continues to stare at the moon with her arms relaxed to her sides. Unexpectedly, she balled a single fist, bringing Jack to stop any further movements. He silently panicked, clutching his chest, feeling the regrettable pain in his heart starting to stir up. For a second he thought she felt his presence but unballed her hand and made the young man softly blow out air.


    Jack shook it off and continued walking towards her. ¡°Steady, don¡¯t rush or else who knows what she might do to you, Jack.¡± said Jack beneath his breath.


    Jack got close enough where he felt comfortable to stop and let go of his chest to clear his throat. Okay¡­ here goes¡ªnothing!


    The young man takes a long deep breath, and brings out a still face. ¡°Uh¡­ Hi.¡±


    The girl in white paid no mind to his greeting at first as her eyes stayed locked onto the moon. Again, Jack repeated the same sentence and it struck her eardrums, enough to bring a small reaction of her twitching her cheek.


    ¡°Who¡­ goes there? If you want to live then leave me be¡­¡±


    ¡°You-You don¡¯t recognise my voice? Heh, I guess it¡¯s no surprise since it¡¯s been two years, huh?¡±


    She squints her eyes and blinks slowly. ¡°Your voice does sound familiar, but it¡¯s probably me just being the crazy hopeless girl that I am. A girl deeply in love with a sick individual who treats her cruelly¡ªor has been; for awhile.¡±


    Jack scratches the back of his head, not understanding what she means by that ending statement. ¡°Hm, well¡­ hey. You know it has been awhile so I can¡¯t blame you, my voice got deeper so¡­¡±


    She seemed confused now and hung her head as her eyes rattled. ¡°Why does my mind keep playing games with me¡­ why torture me like this!¡± She started getting teary eyed, ¡°I should have known, I¡¯m such a fool¡­ He hates me and abandoned me yet again, but in the worst way possible¡­¡±


    The girl in white slapped her hands against her face and whimpered. Jack creeps closer, feeling the urge to comfort her strangely enough. Seeing her sad made him more regretful of his action of riding her, but his mind reminded him that she¡¯s still an evil entity.


    Ah, so many contradictions inside my body! My heart tells me to go to her, but my mind¡¯s yelling at me, begging me to scold, and damn her to hell!


    Again the young man shakes his head rapidly, smacking both hands against his head to stop his mind that¡¯s playing games with him. ¡°Don¡¯t-Don¡¯t cry now, our reunions just started. I¡¯m here now, so¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    She kept crying in silence, and her tears crept between the cracks of her fingers, falling off her hands, blown away, drifting at Jack. Her tears, some splashed on his face, and immediately smoked away upon impact on his flesh. It made Jack feel uncanny about the situation, he couldn¡¯t or fathom why. In spite of his mind beating rational senses at him, his heart overwhelmed his emotions and won the battle. Jack rubbed his fingers where her tears landed and vanished, and the first thing that came to mind was to pull out the cross in his pocket.


    Jack brought it up to his face and stared at it for a moment until he dropped it on the ground. It''s probably this that¡¯s making you think this way so I¡¯ll just¡ª


    The young man stomps on the glassy stonish structure and it shatters into a million pieces. It interrupted her crying and the girl in white could finally sense who¡¯s the one speaking to her. She takes her hands off her face, gently gasps with shock and turns her head abruptly to Jack''s direction. It creeped him out on how it looked, and having her eyes staring directly into his soul made the young man quiver.


    ¡°You-You¡­ You¡¯re¡­!¡± she breathed heavily and clenched her teeth in sadness, ¡°Ja-Ja¡­¡±


    Jack stared deeply into those eyes of purple hypnotization, easing his true emotions. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here now. You¡¯re not crazy anymore, but enough of your madness and stop your senseless killing!¡± He took a step forward, raising his only good hand at her. ¡°Come down here so I can give you a¡ª¡±


    Jack stopped himself for a moment. What am I saying¡­ this is the very person who¡¯s made my life a hell¡­ yet I feel responsible for all of this, including her suffering!


    Jack shakes his head, stepping closer and eventually getting into the fountain, ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a welcoming hug, one that you deserve.¡± Jack opened his arms and reached out to her. ¡°Like I said before, I¡¯m sorry for abandoning you.¡±


    She couldn''t believe it was him, she felt like her mind and eyes were deceiving her. She stayed hesitant and looked down on him with eyes ready to burst in pure sadness.


    ¡°No! It can''t be you. Your hair was shorter and you were healthy and not covered in¡­¡± She saw his bruises, stitches, and the cast he had on, making her shed real tears.


    Jack checked himself and sighed. ¡°A lot can happen in two years, but it¡¯s me, honestly.¡±


    She still wasn¡¯t sure and seemed more annoyed, looking away briefly. ¡°It¡¯s just my mind playing games with me¡­ right?¡±


    But the further her gaze set on him, the more she noticed his dead eyes, eyes that were cold and filled with hopelessness. She realises that no one else could have eyes that are as lifeless as his. The distant features on his face that made Jack special to her were all there, more notably his scar located on his right cheek. The very scar she dug her nail into his skin that night of her reveal three years ago, her embarking on owning him. She cried tears of saddened joy, and slowly descended down to him with her arms out, coming to him like an angel.


    Approaching Jack from the light shining behind her, Jack¡¯s eyes came back to life momentarily. This was a sight worth printing into his darkened mind. It brought some sort of weird joy to him, even though he still has some stored hatred for her.


    Jack spread his arms out so she could be welcomed back to his warmth. ¡°Come back to me, and I promise to never leave your side again.¡±


    She gently flew into his arms and embraced him, pressing her head against his chest and felt his beating heart. The very heart she violated and proclaimed hers was thumping before her. She knew at this point, she¡¯s no longer going crazy.


    Jack calmly brushed one of his hands on her long pitch black hair, feeling soft to the touch. Is it me¡­ or does she feel real as ever?


    Whimpering away years of absolute solitude, she let off of him for a bit to look up at Jack to stare into his lifeless eyes. The two stared deeply into each other''s souls, and Jack turned red without his knowing, he only felt his face hot. The longer the two stared, the more she shed actual tears instead of blackness. Jack held her tightly again as she whimpered, feeling yet again completely at fault for everything. Jack rubbed her head and closed his eyes, embracing the moment as she continued to cry on his chest.


    I gotta keep this up, and maybe¡­ she¡¯ll reverse this horrid massacre she¡¯s ensued.


    ¡°Shh, everything will be alright. Let''s put an end to this madness and go back to our normal lives.¡±


    She wraps her arms around his neck and locks face to face with the young man who made her go insane. ¡°Jack¡­?¡± she said in a gentle tone.


    Jack kept his straight face, mustering his emotions the best he could. ¡°Believe me now? I told you that I¡¯m here.¡± He wipes her tears and pokes her nose, ¡°You have no idea how nervous I was, but that¡¯s probably because I forgot how beautiful you were.¡±


    She blushes, looks down and whimpers. ¡°Why¡­? Why did you leave me, jerk, you big jerk! Unforgivable, ungrateful!¡±


    Jack¡¯s mind triggered another battle with his heart, an intense one. One in which made the young man momentarily bite his lip, twitch an eye, scrunch his face in confusion. She couldn¡¯t tell because she was looking down but Jack¡¯s face grew more in confusion. After letting the battle go on for another second, again, his heart won and made Jack express guilt.


    ¡°I had my reasons, I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯ll never happen again, I swear on it.¡±


    She shakes her head and lets go of him, pushing him away but not aggressively. ¡°I-I can¡¯t allow this to slide, you¡¯ll pay¡­ you caused me so much pain, you broke my heart and not only that¡ªyou used that cross on me. You truly are scum!¡±


    She made sure those words would impact Jack. From the tone in her voice, to her watery eyes that showed genuine sadness, the young man did feel it, and it made him feel differently now. His mind came for a sneak attack, overcoming his heart to finally tell her a piece of her own selfish medicine.


    Jack groans with frustration, arching his eyebrows. Huh? Is-Is she really bullshiting now? You¡¯re ungrateful, not me!


    Jack clenched his jaw, and balled his fists. ¡°You¡¯re in pain? You?! You¡¯ve got to be fucking kidding me!¡±


    His mild shout made her hurtle in freight. ¡°Jack, stop!¡±


    ¡°What about all the people you killed? All the lives you¡¯ve taken over your own petty selfishness!¡±


    ¡°I said¡ª!¡±


    ¡°No! Enough! You¡¯ve taken things way out of line, going as far as taking the lives of innocence because I; Me, Jack Samr decided one day that he¡¯s had enough because he lost the last thing he held dearest too¡ªultimately choosing to rid of the being who made his life a living hell! I will¡ª!¡±


    Jack saw her tremble, her eyes quake, growing bigger in freight. His heart again overcame and took control, calming the young man before he took things too far.


    Jack sighs deeply, quickly regretting his wording because of the potential punishment he still has embedded into his thought process.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m sorry, this isn¡¯t the time to argue. You¡¯re hurt and I completely understand, so let''s just get out of here before he finds us and then we can both be happy. What do you say?¡±


    She grabbed her dress, and gripped it in anger. ¡°Idiot¡­ Idiot, how could¡­ How could you say such horrid things? You can¡¯t just make up with someone like that, idiot¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s beginning to get more impatient and his mind bursted with anger, giving him a boost of adrenaline. In a blind state, he grabbed her arm with aggression, tugging her towards him as she looked absolutely afraid.


    ¡°Why you little, inconsiderate!¡±


    ¡°Jack, you¡¯re hurting¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth about you being hurt! I don¡¯t want to hear another word out of that pipehole of yours! So how about you just go back inside me and we can discuss this outside the¡ª!¡±


    Something made Jack cut himself off from finishing his sentence. A sensation in which stopped his aggressive behaviour and gasped beneath his breath. He felt a sharp pain near his abdomen, and something wet beneath his shirt expanding around his belly.


    Wha-What¡¯s this¡­?


    Jack looked down and saw red spreading around on his shirt and ripped open, flapping, and exposing a massive cut. Blood poured onto the ground like a red waterfall and made him bulge his eyes out. He lets go of the girl in white, touches the red, finally realising that he was cut open.


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Jack gazed at the girl and felt something¡¯s about to burst out of his mouth.


    The moment he covered his mouth blood gushed out, leaking through the cracks of his fingers. He fell on his side as he grabbed his stomach. Jack even felt his own insides trying to pour out of his wound from the steam coming out.


    It hurts¡­ it hurts¡­ It hurts!


    Jack gritted his blood stained teeth and tucked his arms around his stomach as blood dripped between his teeth.


    It burns, the pain it hurts, what did she do to me?!


    She didn''t notice his painful experience and continued crying. ¡°You jerk! I¡¯ll punish you for making me suffer!¡±


    Jack glimpsed all around her to see what she used to cut him open, and spotted her nails, noticing they were freakishly long and assumed it was the cause of his wound.


    I¡¯m losing blood fast. I feel cold, but what¡¯s this?


    Jack brought one of his hands to his eyes and saw black on them now, making him groan loudly.


    My blood¡¯s turning¡­ black?! I¡¯m feeling colder by the second, and all I can hear is her muffled cries, my vision¡¯s blurring¡­


    ¡°I-I I¡¯m¡­¡± Jack tried reaching up to her, ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Jack coughed up more blood, his eyes turned white and his arm collapsed to the ground.


    The last of his blood poured out, his guts exploded out of his abdomen, splashing on the ground and turning black. Jack¡¯s body lay lifeless, cold, and pale. Jack was dead.


    Throughout her crying, she had her eyes closed, looking away from the young man as he died a painful slow death. Finally snapping out of it and noticing Jack wasn¡¯t standing in front of her anymore, the girl in white began to get worried. She felt fearful again that he abandoned her and felt once again the need to wreak havoc upon the world.


    ¡°Ja-Jack? Where¡¯d you go!¡± She glanced around to see if Jack truly left her yet again.


    The moment she took a step, she heard something make a squish sound and felt it on the tip of her heel. Looking down on what she stepped on, made her eyes quiver, explode with shock and regret. Her mouth was wide open, gasping incoherently, the moment her mind realised the status of his being, she broke.


    ¡°Jack!¡± Her scream made all the windows in town shatter, creating flashing lights of purple in the skies.


    Crows came out from the depths of darkness, swarming the skies all around her. She drops to her knees and turns his body to face upwards. His eyes still open and completely lifeless as she stared into their empty nature. She touches the blood on the ground and rubs it on her pale fingertips. She screams in horror, letting it reach the chaotic skies so the heavens can hear her agony. She drags her nails across her face, grabbing her hair and shaking her head violently. The first thing that came into mind was for her to put his guts back into his abdomen, which she did.


    The girl in whtie grabbed his intestines, quickly putting, pushing it back in as the black and redness squished onto her face. She¡¯s covered in Jack¡¯s last essence as she desperately tried fitting his guts into his corpse. Feeling frustrated she smacked her hands on his now as it splashed red all over her elegant dress. His hanging intestines on his stomach area were flung off, dropping back to the ground as she cried loudly.


    ¡°No! No, no no! I¡¯m sorry sorry sorry, I¡¯m sorry! Ple-Please don¡¯t-don¡¯t leave m-me again! Don¡¯t go-go away, Ja-Jack!¡±


    She grabbed his lifeless head and held it against her chest, crying horribly from her regrettable unknown action.


    ¡°Jack! I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, sorry, sorry¡­ I-I didn¡¯t mean to¡ªno!¡±


    As the girl in white cried deeply, her emotions on the brink of exploding out further out to the world while it created chaos all around her. The more she cried, the louder it got, the deeper it felt, potentially she would spread more of this black plague to not only this town but perhaps the whole world if she couldn''t control her emotions. But she had one thing in mind, and it¡¯s the only way to save him.


    She stopped crying for a second, controlled her frantic breathing and let off, gently laying his body down, and placing her hands on his stomach. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you die, you jerk¡­ I won¡¯t!¡± She sniffled, wiping her sorrow off her face, and concentrated.


    While concentrating, Jack''s blood began pouring back inside him along with a black substance coming out of her hands. It still wasn¡¯t enough to bring him back, not even the colour of his skin changed back to its normal tan colour.


    ¡°Come back to me¡­ Jack! Please don¡¯t die!¡±


    All the last bits of his blood, his guts being sucked back into its rightful place, whatever left was poured back into and finally, bringing his colour back. Something was working, and it made her more confident in reviving him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to kill you¡­ Come back, please Jack, I¡¯m sorry, I forgive you!¡±


    Even with all that effort, it still didn¡¯t work. She broke again, but quietly as she fell on him, laying on his chest. Crying deeply onto it, she grabbed his cold hand, and felt horrible for all the pain he¡¯s gone through.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault¡­ everything is¡­! Nothing was yours Jack, wake up¡­ wake up, for the love of¡­ God! Please!¡± She wrapped her arms around his corpse and shut her eyes.


    Please¡­ I¡¯ll do anything, anything to bring you back¡­ wait!


    Something, a possibility of bringing him back came into her thought, and it involved her soul. She sniffed, took a deep breath, wiped her eyes again, and laid on his chest. The girl in white inhaled, holding her breath until she let it all out in a smooth way. She begins to fade into smoke and then dissolves into a cloud of black mist covering Jack''s body. It surrounds his corpse and slowly, it poured into him through his nose, mouth, and open wounds. Everything went silent. The skies continued pulsing purple, the crows cawed without a sound, and the area around them started to rumble.


    The buildings shook, rocks and pebbles began bouncing, the black sky above them twirled around like a supercell. Jack¡¯s body began to levitate off the ground. The body of Jack jitters as he begins to float up in the air, his arms spread out, lifting his head to the dark pulsing skies. His mouth opened wide and out came a haunting scream that sounded like her and someone else, a males. The scream reaped, echoed all over, spreading out beyond the two locked off towns into normal society so everyone can hear the call of selfish sorrow. All the darkness that hovered over the town came sailing towards his screaming.


    Eventually, every last bit of darkness collected into a massive blackened purple supercell. Swirling above the spotlight once there, all that mass of blackened clouds flowed inside his mouth, sucking every bit of it into his body like a vacuum. The clouds from above twirled around so fast from this abnormal occurrence that it caused strong typhoon winds to blow out into the world around them. A minute later, the clouds couldn''t contain such corruption, it formed clouds of black smokey tornadoes around them, lightning pulsing purple striking the earth. Finally, the clouds funnelled downwards and slid inside Jack¡¯s body. With all this chaos ensuing around him, it seemed as if the world¡¯s coming to an end.


    Eric, who¡¯s sitting against a tree waiting for Jack, saw the supernatural happen before his eyes. ¡°What in the¡­?¡± He stood up and was in such awe from this horrible world ending view that he felt this was the end. ¡°Jack my guy, what the hells going on over there?¡±


    Eric stood there amazed as he continued watching as all the darkness started to disappear into one specific spot in town. Bringing normality back to the town and returning the night sky.


    Did he? No, please, don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s over. Jack, come back, alive.


    Jack¡¯s body finally stopped acting on it¡¯s own, closing his mouth. All the darkness vanished along with the clouds and slowly, Jack¡¯s body fell back on the ground. Laying on his back to finally open his eyes with a gleam of life in them, Jack gasps for air and sits up. He breathed heavily and the first thing that came to mind was to touch his stomach to check if he¡¯s alright.


    ¡°Huh, am-am I?¡± Jack glances around as he stands up, seeing crows land throughout the town halls walls.


    Back on his feet, seeing everything back to normal, Jack felt his body acting normal. He felt his arms and the one badly damaged, seeing that he¡¯s healed along with all his injuries he''s taken in the most recent events. He wanders for a bit to see if everything is actually normal around and doesn¡¯t see the girl. He wondered if he¡¯s dreaming but once walking out through the gate, he saw only carnage and destruction.


    ¡°What¡­ happened here?¡± muttered Jack.


    Jack then clutched his head from a sudden burst of pain, similarly to the same feeling whenever he lost control and allowed the girl in white to take control of his body.


    ¡°Damn, my head. Wh-What happened? All I remembered was darkness, then a huge light coming towards me.¡± He looked at his broken arm that was now healed, ¡°All my injuries have been healed, wait? Does that mean?!¡±


    Jack grunts in shock, Is-Is she¡­ inside me?


    Still whimpering even inside his mind, the girl in white spoke in his subconscious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry for hurting you¡­¡±


    Jack drops his hand, and scowls. ¡°Wh-What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me, I-I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you!¡± she replied.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t the first time that you¡¯ve made me experience this sort of pain. But this time, you did it outside of my dreams. So, what happened?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You-You died, by me.¡±


    Jack¡¯s jaw drops and he knits his brows, ¡°Hu-Huh?! You mean to tell me that you¡ªactually, killed me?!¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yes¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯m sorry. And it¡¯s true that I¡¯ve hurt you before but that¡¯s a whole different world, we¡¯re in the real world now.¡±


    Jack felt so mad yet dumbfounded that he could scream or shoot himself dead. Feeling exhausted from all of these abnormalities, Jack decided to just cool it for now so he won¡¯t suffer anymore type of punishment from this selfish being.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain how I¡¯m alive then. I guess you mean to tell me that you can revive the dead now besides healing me?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t just go around bringing the dead back to life. Only the one that belongs to me could be brought to life. So long as it was me that was the cause of their demise¡­ but that only works now, not before.¡±


    Jack chuckles with nervousness, dragging his fingers across his face. ¡°Holy crap¡­ How ludacris is that, I can¡¯t take another moment of these supernatural events.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ again¡­¡±


    Jack let out one last broken chuckle. ¡°Man does dying suck¡­ The pain was so intense and my body felt as if it was becoming as light as air; but let me ask you something, girl!¡± Jack began walking, ¡°So whoever belongs to you can be revived so long as you¡¯re the one that kills them, if that¡¯s the case¡­ have you tried doing it¡ªbefore?¡±


    She didn''t reply, only silence was Jack¡¯s answer, angering him. Rather than answering his question she brushed it off and forced a giggle. ¡°What a silly question, but I¡¯m glad that we¡¯re together again.¡±


    ¡°You gonna answer then? Or are you going to¡ª? Never mind.¡±


    ¡°Mm, maybe some other time or how about you answer me. What took you so darn long to come back to me?¡±


    Jack walked through the town that was finally exposed to the moonlight and stars twinkling above. ¡°I had my reasons to go our separate ways¡­ I just had to rethink and take my mind off a few things, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The girl let out a saddened sigh. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to hurt me badly when you forced me out of your body though, since, aren¡¯t you forgetting something?¡±


    ¡°Oh and that is?¡± replied Jack, annoyed.


    She sounded sad but kept her innocent gentle tone to not anger the young man anymore. ¡°I was going to say something foolish, selfish, but instead, I¡¯ll just say; You truly are scum you know that. Not only that, you''re as dense as an iron door.¡±


    Jack crosses his arms and finally reaches the opening to his freedom. ¡°Hmph, well I don¡¯t care what you think, especially when you just took my life away in a blind state of anger.¡±


    ¡°I said I was sorry, I promise to make it up to you¡­ perhaps with my bo-body¡­?¡±


    Staring at the opening with a frown, Jack smacked his lips in annoyance. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by that, but if it means you helped me like before then fine.


    She made a sound of extreme embarrassment, and sounded flustered. ¡°Bo-Bo-Bo-Bold! I-I I''m not ready¡­ for that type of commitmentment, what would I do when it happens?! How will I act, how do you do that¡­ Oh blind me!¡±


    Hearing her react this way brought out a soft grin on Jack¡¯s scary face. It reminded him that she¡¯s still somewhat human in a sense.


    ¡°Whatever happens, it¡¯s going to take the both of us to recover over our greed.¡± Jack takes one last look at the town before looking straight. ¡°Well, this is it, are you ready to start a new life and get away from that dreaded Dr. Cato? For now.¡±


    She still sounded nervous and flustered. ¡°Hmph, of course, and by your wording that means¡ªSo long as you¡¯re mine again, I¡¯ll follow you no matter where or what type of situation we¡¯ll be in. Oh god, I¡¯m just too nervous about what to do when we do¡­ do¡ªit!¡±


    Jack walks through the opening to his new found freedom, reaching the other side and takes in a huge breath of air. ¡°Freedom, at last¡­¡± He lets out all the last follicles of burden out with a deep sigh, this was an experience he¡¯ll never forget.


    Jack ran up the hill, and upon reaching the top, he spotted Eric standing, touching all over himself with confusion written all over his face.


    I guess she healed him too, that¡¯s a relief.


    He waved as he approached Eric. ¡°Yo! Eric, I''m back.¡±


    Eric stopped patting and smiles and when Jack got to him, the two high fived. ¡°Holy fuck! You¡¯re still alive?! After what just happened in the town.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a bit complicated, but everything¡¯s sorted out now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, so fool, did you deal with the girl? Did you make her stop her crazy spooky shit? But check it, I¡¯m healed my guy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, so am I. Strange isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Eric shook his head. ¡°Man whatever happened in there, and us being healed, don¡¯t fucking tell me shit! I¡¯m done with all this spooky, supernatural whatever, let''s just go!¡±


    She laughs in his subconscious. ¡°I see that he¡¯s finally found out about my wickedness! He¡¯s still as funny as ever and that¡¯s why he¡¯s the only one I don¡¯t mind letting you expose me about.¡±


    Jack stared off into space. ¡°What do you mean by that? The only one I¡¯m allowed to talk about; your presence?¡±


    Eric looked at Jack as he spoke to himself. ¡°Man, you¡¯re still sick in the head aren¡¯t chu?¡±


    The young man looked back to his uncle. ¡°Uh yeah! Well, enough of anything abnormal for once, everything¡¯s taken care of, so uh let''s go and find us a new home shall we?¡± Jack walked and Eric followed behind.


    ¡°What now then stupid?¡± asked Eric.


    ¡°I may have an idea where we could spend the night, still got the money right?¡± replied Jack.


    Eric takes off his bookbag and opens it. ¡°Shit you know it fool!¡±


    Jack grins, ¡°Well, follow me, there¡¯s a nearby hotel if I remember correctly.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right cause if you get us lost, I¡¯ma beat yo ass!¡± Eric laughed, patting Jack''s back.


    As the two men walked off to their new freedom, they both couldn¡¯t help themselves but take one last glance of the past. The town once covered in darkness, their loving home far away, and those tall walls separating both from society, it really made the two feel sad about the whole situation. So many people lost, killed, anticipating to kill Jack over one man¡¯s crazy mind just to hide his tracks, it aggravated both men. Jack and Eric stood in silence, thinking of all the time they had to run, suffer, and were targeted by that dreaded Dr. Cato. But at this very moment, the two can finally relax for real now, knowing that they¡¯ve finally escaped out of harm''s way and most importantly, getting away from Dr. Cato¡¯s knowledge.

 Arc 3 Chapter 8: A Familiar Face

    It¡¯s been several hours, five at that. Jack and Eric were on their way to a nearby town, one that Eric used to do early business with. The area isn¡¯t crime written as it used to be in his youth, rather it¡¯s become a starving tourist attraction for the locals and out of state commoners. They walked for what felt like miles on end, but thankfully they reached a small town with a hotel in it. They smiled knowing they¡¯ll finally sleep with no worries this time. Arriving and eager to check themselves in the hotel, Jack and Eric walked along the sidewalk, looking like homeless bums. Their clothing was torn, stinky, and had stains of blood and dirt. At last they were at the front entrance and opened the door to be welcomed with air conditioning and a nice scenery of cleansing furniture for once.


    ¡°Finally, a clean ass place. Damn does it feel good to be in here.¡± said Eric as he made his way to the lobby desk.


    Jack glanced around and smirked. ¡°Yeah, no kidding, what a feeling.¡±


    Both men were at the front desk, the front clerk was a woman in a white flowery sundress with a bright welcoming smile. ¡°Hi, what can I do for you two gentlemen? I¡¯m assuming you made enough money to stay for a night judging by your appearances.¡±


    Eric cringed his eyes hearing her jab at their clothes. ¡°Damn, that kinda stung.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t help the cause by shrugging and saying, ¡°I mean, she¡¯s right. We look like bums.¡±


    Eric stared at Jack in anger. ¡°Dumbass¡­¡±


    The lady got up and shook her hands to ease the tension. ¡°I should¡¯ve kept my mouth shut, I''m so sorry!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good, no hard feelings. Anyways can we get separate rooms?¡± said Jack.


    Eric crossed his arms, looking away. ¡°Agreed, that way I don¡¯t have to be beside your stinky dog ass.¡±


    ¡°Why of course! Follow me gentlemen. I¡¯m sorry for ever speaking in such a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± said Jack abruptly.


    The lady stared at the young man, mesmerised by his mysterious bad boy nature from his appearance. ¡°Ye-Yes?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologise for anything. I¡¯m just glad we were treated with kindness by such a beautiful woman like yourself.¡±


    The clerk lady froze and grew red like a thermometer. ¡°Ri-Ri-Right this way! Hehe!¡±


    Eric chuckled as Jack raised a brow in confusion. She walked the two to their designated rooms now and both men didn¡¯t say a word as they¡¯re being guided to their deserving comfort. While walking up the stairs, the hotel, though rather small, felt very comforting from it¡¯s antique stature, soft carpet, and mellow colours setting it¡¯s cosy mood. When they reached their rooms on the top floor, they were handed the keys to their respected privacy.


    ¡°Thank ma¡¯am, and Jack. I¡¯ll be back in a bit, I¡¯ma explore the rest of the town and see how much things have calmed since its been a long time I set foot here.¡±


    Jack nods, ¡°Fine by me, be careful.¡±


    Eric grinned, ¡°Well I also wouldn¡¯t be lying if I wanted to buy some new clothes and man! It¡¯s been a mad while since I had me something good to eat! So I¡¯ll be back my guy.¡±


    Jack stretched, and let out a deserving yawn of relief. ¡°Yeah yeah, go enjoy yourself. I¡¯m going to take a well deserved nap since we¡¯ve walked till the morning sunrise.¡±


    The nice clerk lady, who stood by listening to their nice conversation seemed fond of Jack because she was standing next to him the entire time.


    Eric had a smug grin and watched what his nephew might do or perhaps read the air between them. Jack instead rubbed an eye and continued stretching, ignoring the lady.


    She giggled and tapped the young man¡¯s arm, turning his attention to her. ¡°Will that be all gentlemen¡­ or um, do you need more help, sir?¡± she said in a cute flustered tone.


    Jack pats her shoulder, ¡°Nah, we¡¯re good. Thank you for your generosity, here.¡± He reached into his pocket, grabbed her hand, and placed a couple hundred dollars onto her palm. ¡°Keep the change.¡±


    Her eyes glistened, and she couldn''t help but hug Jack. ¡°Oh my god! Thank you handsome man! Wait¡­ oh no! I just¡ªEeek!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes were wide and both his eyebrows were raised while his uncle laughed behind him in silence.


    ¡°Ca-Ca-Call if you need anything else!¡± The poor woman stormed off with a red face, almost tripping on her way down the stairs.


    Jack shrugged, and Eric pats his back. ¡°She wanted you my guy, I noticed when she kept staring at you, bwhaha.¡±


    Jack smacked his lips, feeling insulted for some reason. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know what you mean by that, but whatever.¡±


    Eric sighs, ¡°You dense ass psycho. Alright I¡¯m leaving now, be careful and don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°How about you be careful. Even though we¡¯re out of those walls that doesn''t mean we¡¯re in the clear, we¡¯re still in Michigan.¡±


    Eric chuckles, walking off. ¡°Smartass, duh, peace.¡±


    Jack grinned and stretched again as he walked to his room and stuck the key in, opening the door. He went inside and tossed his bag on the bed. The first thing that came into Jack¡¯s mind was his hygiene, and he was desperate for a proper shower. He removes his clothes and walks into the bathroom, taking a look at the mirror to stare at himself to really observe his new look. Staring at each individual scar on his chest and arms, Jack can¡¯t help but feel he looks like a murderous monster who¡¯s made others suffer besides himself.


    Jack stared menacingly at himself, feeling self hatred. ¡°Look at me, I¡¯m a mess¡­ Each of these scars are a reminder of my mistakes, and I hate it.¡±


    He slams his fist on the counter, making the hygienic utensils rattle. Jack smacked his hand on his forehead, dragging it down his face.


    The young man placed both hands on the counter, shaking his head in disappointment. ¡°Damn! What has become of me? Does God love watching me suffer? Or was this the life I was destined to live, fuck all¡­¡±


    Letting off the counter, Jack lifts his hands to stare at the tools he¡¯s used to take the lives of others. His palms represent the person he¡¯s become today, a murderer, a menace to society, and having innocence stained upon them. It made his blood boil, he felt betrayed by himself over the future he always seeked, and that being a person against crime. Sighing the representation of his failures, he went to the shower, turned it on, and took a long hot steamy shower. When he finished and grabbed a towel, the moment he walked back out of the bathroom and into the room, the girl in white was sitting on the bed, reading something.


    She heard Jack come back in and stopped reading and looked at him with a soft gentle smile. ¡°Hey, I see that you¡¯re all cleaned up.¡±


    Jack brushes the towel on his head, and likes seeing that smile he secretly missed. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve had a rinse.¡± He walks over to her side and sits next to her, ¡°Whatcha reading there?¡±


    She giggles, shutting the book close. ¡°Oh this? It¡¯s the bible, I¡¯m just laughing at how ridiculous these statements are, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Hm, this is strange¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    Jack lets out a long breath, ¡°Why am I not as angry as I should be over the fact you killed me. Is it because my mind knows that I deserved it, is guilt this strong?¡±


    She leaned closer, and felt bad again. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, it¡¯s my fault too, don¡¯t just endure guilt all by yourself.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but stare at her beauty, her pale skin, her long black hair and those eyes, eyes as purple and as mesmerising as ever. ¡°Hey? How old are you now? Sorry if it¡¯s rude of me to ask, I¡¯m just curious that¡¯s all. Or do you even have an age?¡±


    She lays against his arm and grabs his hand, ¡°Well¡­ Being dormant for a long time, being the entity that I am; if I had to say in your years as humans, I¡¯m basically eighteen, why do you ask?¡±


    Jack scratched his chin, and his eyes took a glimpse of her exposed cleavage. ¡°Well it¡¯s just that you¡¯ve grown and gotten more attractive since the last time I saw you. Your dress isn¡¯t the same as before, I mean your hair, height, not to mention there¡¯s probably more that¡¯s grown but that¡¯s where I¡¯ll stop¡­¡±


    She looks at Jack and blushes, ¡°My¡­ You¡¯ve never been this nice to me, it¡¯s making my heart race so much faster than it currently is.¡± She giggles as she caresses Jack''s arm, purposely edging her chest against it. ¡°You¡¯re so dense when it comes to love yet you understand beauty and seemingly, lust? You¡¯re such a weird guy, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ not my fault. Anyways, I still feel guilty though, regardless of what anyone says. Just hearing your cries of horror and sadness every night for the past two years¡­ it really made me feel like such an asshole.¡±


    She interlaced their fingers, and felt his warmth even more as he felt her cold touch freezing his bare skin. ¡°You may be, but I¡¯ll always be by your side regardless of what anyone says.¡±


    Jack turns to her with a serious look, ¡°But can you answer my question from earlier, why did you kill so many people in those two years?¡±


    She stares at him for a moment without saying a single word.


    She lets go of Jack and stands up. ¡°Because¡­¡± she said in a regretful saddened tone.


    ¡°Because what?¡± replied Jack.


    She walks over to the window and opens the curtains, ¡°Without her¡­ I have nothing to¡ªwell I¡¯d rather not say that now, but what happens is I go out of control and crave attention. So I start consuming the souls of those who¡¯ve caused no one harm just to lure out the one I seek, that being you, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Why though? Why kill the innocent over something so ridiculous?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something much deeper that I wish not to tell you at this time, perhaps never, but without Angela¡¯s soul, without you especially¡­ I roam wild and cause utter destruction¡­ for the sake of my own pleasure and selfish desire, one I hope comes true¡ªsomeday.¡±


    Jack looks down and clenches the bed sheets, ¡°An...gela¡­ So what was your true connection to her if you craved her soul and my attention? Is her soul enough for you to remain sane, and I guess me being here is a placeholder of that?¡±


    She closes the curtains and walks back to Jack, ¡°She¡¯s more than just some Girl, Jack. I needed her for my ultimate goal; a goal I¡¯ve pursued for however long I can remember¡­¡± She sits next to the young man again and sighs, ¡°But it¡¯ll be a while till I reach that goal and when that happens, then I¡¯ll chase my dream.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s this goal then?¡±


    She only smiles and lays on Jack¡¯s lap, ¡°That¡¯s for another discussion for another time. Let''s just go to sleep and look forward to our new lives.¡±


    Jack still had anger towards her, but he couldn''t resist not touching her.


    He gently pats her head as he stares at the ceiling, ¡°So many questions, so little answers. But tell me something, what part do I play in besides your stupid attention. Why are you so obsessed with me?¡±


    She grabbed his pampering hand, and caressed it with those soft cold fingers of hers. ¡°You¡¯re part of that dream, that¡¯s why. When that day comes Jack¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to never make the same mistake as I did because this time¡ª¡± She sits up and points at Jack¡¯s face, puffing her cheeks out adorably. ¡°I¡¯ll make you fall for me with no problems!¡±


    Seeing her act this innocent felt insulting to Jack, never has he seemed so confused until now. However, watching how she¡¯s acting this different, the way she¡¯s speaking, it brought a grin out of Jack, making him forget she¡¯s the very reason why he lives in shambles. Then Jack questioned himself if it¡¯s truly her doing that did make his life a hell, for now he¡¯d rather think about it some other time, he liked this side of her so he didn¡¯t want to ruin the moment.


    Jack scratches his head and drops her finger, poking her nose. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what you mean by that but there¡¯s one last thing I always wanted to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And that is, my Jack?¡±


    Jack points at her, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    She stares at him, confused, blinks a dozen times, then giggles, closing her eyes while covering her mouth. ¡°Mallory! Mallory¡¯s my name.¡±


    Hearing her say her name with that gentle tone of hers, the expression she made, had Jack flustered behind the curtain of his emotions. He gasped beneath his breath and stared at her as she opened her eyes again.


    ¡°Mallory huh? I¡¯ve never heard such a name. It sounds nostalgic for some odd reason, but it¡¯s cute I suppose.¡±


    She lays back on his lap, her eyes glistening and softly blinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to you in those two years, but I like this new you. You don¡¯t seem as heartless and scary anymore.¡± She closes her eyes and yawns, ¡°Goodnight Jack.¡±


    Jack frowns, but not in anger, annoyance, rather without a single emotion behind it. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should take that as an insult or compliment, but whatever. Goodnight¡­ Mallory.¡±


    ***


    The next day came by, the sun¡¯s shining, the small town where the two men had seeked refuge brought morning traffic on foot and cars. Birds chirped, the grass green, it¡¯s been awhile since both men had a nice morning than the usual shade of grey and being hunted. They enjoyed it with small talk outside the hotel with seatings in the front, drinking coffee, eating their deserved meal, it felt almost like a dream to them. They finished their morning by wandering around the town and checking out every corner, inche of it to ensure their safety.


    As the morning faded and the midday came, Eric and Jack were enjoying a nice lunch at a local diner at the edge of town. The town so far was lovely, peaceful, and the people here were so nice. Just today, at the beginning of the afternoon, Jack came across two children who desperately wanted ice cream from a local store. Seeing them drool over that tasty frozen treat reminded him of his dear lost sister. In an act of kindness, he bought the two what they wanted and both kids hugged him, thanking him for a wonderful gift. Back at home when that did happen, usually someone would always end up either hustled or mugged by either those kids asking for something or older folks using the kids as tools for their dirty criminal bidding.


    Eric finished his meal and let out a loud burp. ¡°Damn that shit was good.¡± He grabbed a toothpick and started picking leftovers in between his white teeth. ¡°So whatcha want to do later, my guy?¡±


    Jack was drinking the last of his coffee. ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t really know, I kinda just want to relax and bask in silence.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Eric licked his teeth and the waiter came to drop off their receipt.  ¡°Lame ass fool, thank you sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, whatever, what are you about to do after this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ma buy me some new clothes, you need some too right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t mind. I think a couple of pants, shirts, perhaps a nice jacket too?¡±


    Eric chuckled and got up. ¡°You sure love wearing any type of jackets don¡¯t ya? Aight, I gotchu.¡± Eric raised his hand to his nephew and waved. ¡°I¡¯ll be back at the hotel later, peace.¡±


    Jack waved two fingers at Eric as he left the diner. ¡°Wait, hold up?¡±


    Jack then remembered who was going to pay the bill. He chuckles and angrily slams the money on the table realising Eric just played him into paying it.


    ¡°Asshole¡­¡± Jack gets up and walks out afterwards.


    Walking out to the clean sidewalk, and wandering down this peaceful, clean environment, Jack quickly spots a smoke shop down the block. He''s eager for a smoke so his objective now is to get himself some sticks to smoke away his past stress. Jack made his way to the smoke shop, and stopped in front of it upon arriving, nodding to it.


    When Jack walked in and walked up the counter. ¡°A box of cigarettes, please.¡±


    The clerk had a bored face and sighed. ¡°I.d. please.¡±


    Jack smacks his lips and walks away for a second, but then remembers the large chunk of money he¡¯s carrying.


    Turning round to the clerk, he throws some money at the cashier, making the clerk¡¯s eyes explode. ¡°That enough? Or do you want more?¡±


    The cashier¡¯s mindset quickly changed and was more than willing to give him not one or two, but all the cigarettes he could grab with a giant smile on his face.


    ¡°My sincere apologies, have em all my good man. Is this enough for your selfish needs, hehe!¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes. ¡°Guess we¡¯re both on the same page. Yeah, that¡¯s enough, thanks.¡±


    No matter where we are, money always changes people''s minds, hmph¡­ That¡¯s anyone I suppose regardless of their status in life. Jack thought.


    Jack grabbed as much as he could carry from the counter in his bag and walked out with a disappointed look on his face, knowing that money would overpower the law.


    The young man sighs and makes his way down a busy street, ¡°Honestly, all it took was a couple of hundred dollar bills and the fool didn¡¯t mind me grabbing whatever types of cigs I could get, even the expensive ones. I basically ripped him off.¡±


    Mallory giggles out of nowhere inside his mind, ¡°Just goes to show how weak minded humans are!¡±


    ¡°Oh, you heard me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good afternoon, Jack! How are you doing on this lovely evening?¡±


    ¡°Not too bad, I just finished eating. Hold up!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve forgotten about your whole consumption thing!¡± She began whistling, ¡°Hey! You¡¯re listening right?¡±


    A couple of strangers looked at Jack as if he were crazy, watching him speak to no one around him.


    Jack felt their gaze and looked at them with an angry look, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± The folks shrugged and walked away while whispering something to each other.


    Jack continued walking until he led himself to a small park that¡¯s smack dead in the middle of the town. He decided to walk in and stroll through it to ease his sanity. To Jack this is the perfect opportunity to relax, rethink his strategy on living, and to resolve the issue of Dr. Cato¡¯s actions. As he¡¯s pacing through the park glazed by pure greenery, life, and happiness, winter is edging its end, he spots families enjoying themselves, engaging in activities that make their bonds unbreakable.


    Lucky¡­ But I¡¯m glad others don¡¯t have to suffer and succumb to darkness like I have¡­


    Watching all these definitions of unity, and happiness made Jack feel a little gloomy, reminding him of the times he used to do stuff like that with his parents. The same thoughts came in when he did the same with Angela and his two uncles along with other members of their gang who brought their families.


    Jack shrugs and says, ¡°Can¡¯t be helped.¡± and continues walking.


    The young man decides to sit down on a bench and admire the scenery, laying back to stare at a clear blue sky, still wondering if he and Eric are truly out of harm''s way. Jack yawns and stares at a huge statue of the founder of this town who¡¯s riding a horse and holding a musket.


    Seeing the scenery, gazing at peace, the people, plant life that bloomed the environment brought a sudden thought into Jack¡¯s cramped mind. ¡°Say Mallory? Ever thought about doing more than just staying inside my mind?¡±


    She thought for a second from the sounds she made with a shut mouth. ¡°Hmph, easy for you to say, but it¡¯s complicated. Like I said last night, I need Angela for that very reason to do More than just be Inside of you.¡±


    Jack deeply sighs, ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s right, she isn¡¯t here with us¡­ Yeah, she isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Jack?¡±


    The young man brought his eyes to the people enjoying themselves. ¡°Mallory, are there more people like Mathew out there, you know? Like people who could possess power to that of yours? I suppose or anything that defies the laws of physics or throws science out completely from the tallest skyscrapers window.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Wait a minute?! I remember! Yeah there are, now that you mentioned it, thanks for reminding me sweety.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what made me remind you of such a thing?¡±


    ¡°When you came to me that night, just before that day, I fought someone on a more extreme scale, well it was because we were fighting in another dimension or actually it was my world if I had to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Dimensions? World?! What¡¯s with all this crazy talk?¡±


    Mallory giggled, ¡°Yeah, the darkness that I summoned and glided through the years, once entered, puts you into a different dimension; one in which I can do my dirty deeds without affecting reality.¡±


    Jack placed one of his hands on his face and groaned. ¡°Hold up, so what you¡¯re telling me is that when I fought that fatass we were fighting in a different dimension too? That¡¯s why we were having a fight that defied the laws of physics and such?¡±


    ¡°No no no, that¡¯s not it at all. You guys were fighting for real! That¡¯s why the pain was so horrendous for someone who¡¯s inexperienced with that type of stuff, but it¡¯s no match for the real deal.¡±


    Jack face palms, ¡°I¡¯m so confused¡­ I have no clue what¡¯s real or not anymore, so what you¡¯re saying is that he has powers and shit?!¡±


    ¡°Nah! His was borrowed, it was that stupid dreaded cross that gave them those abilities but It¡¯s okay! You¡¯ll learn as we go on this journey together!¡±


    She stops talking for a second and hums a song. The sound of fingers snapping inside Jack''s mind echoed, and then two hands clapping together made him jump.


    ¡°Yeah! Like I was saying, the person I fought happened to be a Witch.¡±


    Jack began laughing hysterically, ¡°A Witch?!¡± he shouted, scaring nearby people who were either casually walking by or enjoying time with loved ones or friends.


    The young man chuckled for another moment until he stopped and shook his head.


    ¡°Hold up, hold up! So what you¡¯re telling me is that Witches are real now too?! Nahh! Get the fuck outta here¡ªfirst ghosts, spirits, then dimensions, now fucking Witches? Oh my god! What the fuck¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m serious! To be honest she wasn''t bad, her spells along with her powers were enough to possibly if used in the real world/reality, it could level an entire continent, easily!¡±


    Jack groans, ¡°You mean destroy our world?! God my head¡­ this all sounds too stupid and unrealsitic to be truthful¡­¡±


    ¡°I can tell she¡¯s still getting used to her mana. To be honest if she were more serious she could even blow up our world with ease! But the powers are far greater in our own worlds than that of here because of our restrictions to not bring harm to reality.¡±


    ¡°Oh my God, all this is so dumb. Okay, restrictions, then what would happen if it would get out of hand out here? What, like the same level of destruction both me and Mathew did three years ago?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, most likely it¡¯ll result in the end of humanity, possibly the outer stars that twinkle the night or our universe as we know it. I can even say as far as wiping reality out all together!¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck, just stop¡­ I-I can¡¯t.¡± replied Jack, letting out air.


    ¡°Yeah, if someone tries to¡ªnevermind I don¡¯t want to get into more details about this world''s past¡­ The more I speak of it, the more perplexed you¡¯ll get.¡±


    Jack rubbed his forehead, feeling dumbfounded. ¡°Whatever, lets just change the subject before I completely loose my fucking mind here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, oh! One more thing to mention, she''s someone that you may know too, the Witch I encountered.¡±


    Jack laughed for a second but quickly got serious. ¡°What are you talking about? Someone that I know? Are you screwing with me now! Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ve forgotten about you killing me here.¡±


    A random person walks up to Jack, interrupting his monologue with Mallory. ¡°Sorry to be an intrusion, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re high on drugs or mentally ill but you¡¯re scaring nearby folks sir.¡±


    Jack turns to the guy with an angry face, ¡°Mind your own damn business and get the fuck away from me.¡±


    ¡°Wow, no need to be a grumpy bastard, fuck you.¡± The man walks away feeling a little creeped out from Jack¡¯s crazed eyes.


    Mallory picked up where the conversation was cut off by that stranger. ¡°Yeah, you heard me! Someone that you may know or remember!¡±


    As Jack¡¯s about to respond to her statement, he felt some weird presence nearby. ¡°What the hell¡¯s this feeling? It¡¯s almost the same feeling as when I fought Mathew¡­ but in a different way, as if this sensation¡¯s making me feel nostalgic, dark, no wait! Wicked?¡±


    Jack stands up and looks around, Where¡¯s this wicked feeling coming from?


    Mallory knew exactly what he¡¯s sensing and sounded serious. ¡°Speaking of the devil, it looks like you might get your question answered.¡±


    Jack got up, started to wander around to figure out where this strange sensation was coming from. Prowling around, peaking over buses, looking behind trees big or small, he made his way near the edge of the park. It''s getting much stronger, this feeling of abnormality. Walking near a pack of thick trees, bushes, he peeks behind them, and spots someone standing on a lone tree stump.


    Hmm, what a weird place to stand on, what could they be doing? Jack thought.


    The stranger appeared to be basking in the environment and seemed to be focused, their gaze being up to the branchy, green covered sky. It¡¯s a girl with black hair with a shine of brown to it beneath the sunlight in a ponytail. She wore gothic clothing, preferably short shorts, leggings, a tucked in long sleeve shirt, and a necklace to finish her unusual outfit.


    Her outfit¡­ it''s cool, I dig it.


    She was pale, and was a tad short on her end, making Jack question her age. ¡°Most likely she¡¯s still a teen, best not to do anything rash to get me in trouble.¡±


    Jack decided to stay back, watch her on what she¡¯ll do and why she¡¯s just standing there seeming all mysterious-like. Patiently he waited for her to turn around, but he¡¯s interrupted by a frisbee hitting his head.


    Feeling angry now, he turned round, shouting at the direction it came from. ¡°Whoever threw that! I''ll beat your ass!¡± The moment he looked back at his original sighting, that girl¡¯s looking in his direction now. ¡°Uh oh¡­¡±


    Staring eye to eye, the two stood there confused, the girl blinking, comprehending, Jack showing a single drop of sweat on the side of his face. The young man can feel her wide eyes stare deep into his soul, dazzling in crimson red, swallowing him up in a mysterious gaze. They stared at each other for quite some time, five minutes at that. It¡¯s beginning to feel awkward for Jack, mainly due to the fact he felt that strange sensation coming from her, making him feel funny inside. Finally there¡¯s a response from her, but in the form of her hopping off the stump and suddenly walking towards Jack with a serious look on her face.


    Oh shit, what now?


    The sensation grew stronger, heavier the closer she got. Jack seemed serious as well and placed his hand behind his Jeans where his gun was hidden.


    ¡°Better safe than sorry, even if she might be a young teen, we¡¯re still in Michigan¡­¡± muttered Jack.


    She stopped her approach, being a foot from him. ¡°You! Are you the one that I was sensing closeby?¡±


    Jack¡¯s shocked hearing that, and grips his gun, getting more than just a confirmation about the sensation. So it¡¯s definitely her that made me sense this and she said she also can¡ªsense me


    ¡°Mallory, what is she?¡± said Jack beneath his breath.


    Jack remained quiet while she grew impatient. ¡°Not gonna speak huh? Well then, I might have to retaliate.¡± She began to collapse her hands until Jack stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to her in daylight.


    He stands beneath the sunlight, fully showcasing who he is and speaks to her in a dead tone. ¡°How will you re-taliate, little one?¡±


    She smacks her lips and crosses her arms. ¡°I may be short but don¡¯t get it twisted. I¡¯m seventeen and a half you know?¡±


    ¡°Like I give a damn about your¡ªWoah¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she replied with a jolt of confusion.


    ¡°Nothing, you¡¯re just short, that¡¯s all.¡± replied Jack, scrunching his face in confusion.


    Her eyes twitched and she knitted her brows. ¡°Hmph, asshole¡­ I turn eighteen in a week, I know I¡¯ll grow taller.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this, now tell me how you¡¯re going to retaliate? Or should I show you how I would to someone who seems so confident.¡±


    Jack gripped, pulled on his gun, but quickly glanced at her legs, noticing a slight sign of shaking, that being fear.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯re afraid, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    She steps back and grunts, ¡°I¡¯m serious! I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll even call the police if I have to!¡±


    ¡°And you think I¡¯m afraid of them?! Ha! You must be joking.¡± Jack examines her even more and notices something right away, the strange lightning mark on her left arm. ¡°Say, nice tattoos.¡±


    ¡°Tattoo? What do you¡ª?¡± she looked at her right arm and saw her marking visible to him, trickling out a gasp.


    Why did it appear?! Or perhaps it was in retaliation, knowing that I might be in danger from this mysterious stranger. She thought.


    He scanned her hair, posture, and looked away from her. She does remind me of someone, but who?


    The girl shook her head, ¡°Never mind, hey creep! You may be all scary and big and tall! But I¡¯m tougher than I look, you know!¡± She readies herself in a standard fighting pose but with a weak stance. ¡°I mean it!¡±


    Red eyes red eyes red eyes? They¡¯re extremely rare in people and I knew someone with them. Black hair.... That skin, gargh! Damn my clouded mind, shit.


    Jack gazes back at her, crazy eyes. ¡°Drop your ponytail!¡±


    Mallory was silent until now because she started giggling. ¡°Oh this is too good! Oh Jack you¡¯re so goofy!¡±


    ¡°Hey, shut up¡­¡± said Jack.


    She tilts her head in confusion, ¡°Drop my¡­? Okay you¡¯re really a creep aren¡¯t you? And why are you talking to yourself and why am I feeling such horridness from within you!¡±


    Jack twitched an eye, ¡°I¡¯m not a creep alright. No need to drop insults like that.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ that¡¯s what you responded with? It offended you that much? Huh, okay.¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t blame me, I know a creep when I see one, I ki¡ªyou know what, never mind.¡±


    Their conversation was interrupted by movement in the bushes coming from behind the girl. The two abruptly turn to the noise and a nurse walks in out and to the girl.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you young lady!¡± said the nurse. ¡°And are you okay! Shall I call the police? Who¡¯s this man!¡±


    The girl sighed, ¡°That won¡¯t be¡ª¡±


    ¡°What were you about to do to my patient!¡± the nurse pointed at Jack, reaching into her pocket for her phone.


    Watching the nurse be protective of her patient reminded Jack of his own personal nurse back at the facility, that being Carolyn. It brought out a grin, and the girl raised her cheek, feeling confused as to why he¡¯s grinning.


    Turning around to walk the opposite direction, Jack raises a hand to them. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just leaving.¡±


    As Jack walked back into the shadows he came out of, the girl shouted, ¡°Hey you!¡± stopping him in place.


    Jack looks over his shoulder, ¡°What?¡±


    She clenched her tiny fists, and sighs deeply. ¡°Nothing, I was just about to ask you a stupid question, nevermind it.¡± The girl hopped off the tree stump and walked beside the nurse as the two walked away out of the forest.


    Jack watched the two walk away and still feels as if he knew the girl from somewhere. It made the young man think twice about the situation, even feeling the temptation of following them just for his growing curiosity. For now he shrugs it away, spits, and finally takes his leave as Mallory finally breaks out in laughter annoying Jack.


    ***


    Jack finally returns to the hotel, walks upstairs and returns to his room. ¡°Time to relax, I¡¯m fucking beat¡­¡± He lays on the bed and turns the television on.


    Jack drags his hand over his face in frustration. Man what a strange experience that was.


    Feeling more complexities brewing in his cramped mind, he still had questions for the girl in white. ¡°Hey Mallory.¡±


    Humming inside his mind in peace, she answered. ¡°Yes Jack?¡± But when she did answer, it sounded as though she was beside him.


    When Jack turned to his right from the soft tone her voice let off to that ear, he was actually spooked but in a way that only made him hurtle away mildly. There she was, staring at him on the bed with him.


    ¡°Jesus christ, don¡¯t pull crap like that. It almost gave me a heart attack, if you were someone else you¡¯d be dead¡­ wait, actually why don¡¯t I just kill you now?¡±


    ¡°Oh haha, very funny! Sorry, what did you want, my love?¡±


    Jack sat up, and blinked. ¡°To the topic about beings from fairy tales such as there being witches and spirits or whatever, if all that¡¯s real¡­ Then how, going back to what I was saying about the whole power crap; how could people have such supernatural strength if that¡¯s the case? Like all that destruction Mathew and I caused back then.¡±


    She sat up, stared at the ceiling in silence, off the bed to her feet and waved her dress around in front of Jack. The young man watched her do a little dance of waving that elegant dress that showed off her long smooth legs, making him fluster. She finished with one last twirl and bowed to him, expressing a subtle smile to him.


    Mallory stood in front of Jack, leaning towards his face. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because most were born with such abilities like witches and such, but some were gifted at birth, others were handed like you and Mathew.¡±


    Jack can¡¯t help but stare deep into her eyes but his manhood forced the young man to bring his eyes to her exposed cleavage. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, could I possess strength of that magnitude? Potentially if that¡¯s remotely possible.¡±


    She winked at Jack and leaned closer. ¡°Of course, you may not know it Jack but you could be really strong!¡±


    She sits on his lap with her arms over his shoulders and ease towards his face. Jack gulped and trickled a breath.


    ¡°I can help you unleash that hidden flame in you, I¡¯ve done it before, there were times that you did go too far but hey! Who cares about that when you can possess the strength to do anything.¡±


    Jack looked down, ¡°That¡¯s a little scary to think about, I don¡¯t remember those past actions. I only noticed after I¡¯ve caused that destruction, and here I thought that was you doing that.¡±


    ¡°Nah that was all you darling! Well, maybe like ten percent heh and the other ninety was me hehe.¡± Mallory caressed Jack¡¯s cheek and blushed, ¡°I can¡¯t wait till the day comes when I can finally be by your side, physically.¡±


    Jack wraps his arms around her waist, feeling her coldness. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you already doing that? I mean I am touching you right now.¡±


    ¡°This is different, what I seek is for us to be able to actually touch each other without the restrictions that the world has set.¡± She embraces Jack and rubs her face against his, ¡°You could tell how cold my skin is, right? I want us to feel each other''s warmth, the bond between our flesh, and to be able to embrace each other for real, and much much more.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t mind her new attitude, rather it¡¯s very relaxing, especially how she¡¯s comforting him right now. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, you¡¯re literally touching me right now.¡± chuckled Jack.


    Mallory stops and pouts her face adorably, ¡°Wow, you¡¯re such a lost cause. Honestly, you freaking psychopathic densed jerk!¡±


    ¡°Whatever you psychotic murderous female.¡±


    She giggles, ¡°Oh Jack, but that¡¯s what I always found most attractive about you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I guess we¡¯ll just see how things will turn out for us.¡± As the conversation seemed to drift to something else from their apparent touching, a news report came on the television, stopping their lustful actions.


    The two watched as a reporter was standing next to Dr. Cato and beside him was the dreadful Mathew. They seemed to be near the entrance to one of the zones and looked to be mysteriously excited. Jack¡¯s already displeased, just hearing those two speak, stare into the camera made his blood boil. Mallory got off of Jack¡¯s lap and sat next to him to watch as well.


    The reporter with a smile on his face spoke into his mic. ¡°Coming to you live from zone one! I¡¯m standing next to Dr. Cato who has finally found the cure to this illness and beside him is his partner Mr. Mathew.¡±


    Dr. Cato had a grin, and it seemed forced from the small twitch Jack saw. ¡°Thank you! Yes it is true that we did find a cure and we¡¯re ready to deconstruct the entire zones and bring all those people''s lives back to normal.¡±


    Mathew pats Dr. Cato¡¯s back, ¡°That¡¯s right! And soon, everyone can go back to doing all the things they onced loved, I must say my friend we have come a long way haven¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct Mathew! Now you may be asking, how did we manage to start deconstruction so quickly without testing this drug? Well that¡¯s because we¡¯ve already cured most of the people with that!¡± Dr. Cato suddenly points at the sky as a plane flies past the zones dropping some sort of yellow sparkly vapour in the air.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± asked the reporter in a surprised awed state.


    ¡°That is the drug! We are here to report that we¡¯re the first to come up with an airborne cure!¡±


    Jack and Mallory could smell the bad breath of his lie through the screen. The two said ¡°bullshit,¡± in unison. Their hatred for the two grew even more as they continued watching them explain how they did the impossible. Mallory had enough of their circus act and wanted to change the channel. Grabbing the remote, once she¡¯s about to change the channel, Mathew pulls his cross out and shines it at the camera, harming her. She covered her eyes, starting to cry, and Jack grabbed her, comforting the girl as she quivered with pain.


    Mathew shines it with a sadistic smile, ¡°With this¡ªI knew that God was aiding us. You may think you¡¯ve run, but the truth is, we know where you¡¯re at, and we¡¯ll be waiting¡­¡±


    The reporter seemed a little afraid and began backing up once he saw Mathew furrow his brows. ¡°Uh¡­ who are you¡ª¡±


    Mathew laughs and places his fists on his hips, ¡°That¡¯s what I said to my buddy here as we were approaching to cure this illness!¡±


    Dr. Cato also stares at the camera, but with a frown. ¡°I want to shout out to my good friend Jack really quickly. I want to say, ``I hope you¡¯re doing well, and I¡¯ll be waiting for you, my old¡ªfriend.¡±


    Jack¡¯s had enough, he stands up and punches the television. It cracks and zaps him a bit. The young man growls in anger at the fact that Dr. Cato¡¯s manipulating people and tricking the public once again. Jack seemed even more worried with those last two statements they said, he definitely feels less safe knowing that they probably knew he¡¯d escape. The young man sits back down on the bed and worries if that hole Eric found for their escape was actually those two¡¯s doing.


    ¡°Huh, wait, Mallory?¡± He notices that Mallory¡¯s gone all of a sudden, he sighs and lays on the bed.


    This fucking day and those two bastards ruined it, great¡­ Jack has no clue on what to do next, but he remembered that Candy¡¯s still keeping his promise.


    Jack stands up and walks to the window and stares out of it, embracing the view. ¡°Well, I think that it¡¯s finally time.¡± He rests his arms over the window and gazes at the sky, ¡°Hopefully you¡¯re not too mad at me old buddy, because I¡¯m coming back¡­¡±


    Jack brought his gaze to the city of Detroit that¡¯s blooming in eeriness from afar. Candy, don¡¯t let me down because I¡¯m finally coming back to face my past.


    Jack stared deeply at the city, wondering if Candy¡¯s actually keeping his promise, and not making him feel false hope. Most importantly, Jack wondered if he¡¯ll have the courage to face the past he¡¯s run from three years ago. The courage to seek a conclusion to it and feel the burden of his own guilted sigh leave through his damned mouth.

 Arc 3 Chapter 9: A Familiar Dream And Reoccurrence Of Burdens

    Outside the city limits of Detroit, inside of a gated, residential, sparkling, lavish protected neighbourhood, the most sought after for the rich. Elite manor homes that shined and defined the wealthy. Currently, inside of her beautiful home, bigger than two middle class homes combined was Veronica along with her best friend Anna. The two girls were doing their homework together, discussing their futures once they got through the last year of highschool. Veronica''s mother came into her room, surprising the two by bringing some goodies in a nice antique tray.


    ¡°Here you go, you two! Some hot cocoa and homemade cookies!¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother, a tall woman, around the same height of an average man¡¯s height, a light tint of brown to her short hair, and eyes as sparkly as her daughters. Anna¡¯s eyes shone with hunger, drooling over how good the cookies looked while Veronica was having ptsd. Veronica¡¯s mothers clothes didn¡¯t represent their lavious home, she was wearing an outfit fitting for someone that expressed kindness and giving. She had a shining smile on her face as she approached the girls and placed the platter of deliciousness on Veronica¡¯s coffee table.


    Veronica knew her mother all too well, so she raised a brow towards her. ¡°Thanks mom, but I think we¡¯re good.¡±


    Anna quickly grabs a cookie, and bit into it. ¡°Nuh uh! Thanks for the wonderful stuff!¡±


    The deliciousness of the homemade bakery made Anna¡¯s eyes twinkle with excitement and taste buds go berserk. She chomped through one and two cookies, Veronica watched in horror, fearing for Anna''s hungry ramage.


    ¡°Anna! If you keep eating them your stomach might¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s delicious!¡±


    Veronica scrunched her face, blinking rapidly. ¡°Say what now?¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother knew her daughter all too well, so she knitted her brows towards Veronica. ¡°Why thank you Annabelle! At least someone appreciates my home cooking.¡±


    Veronica expressed a forced smile, twitching an eye. ¡°Is that so? Well mother it seems as if you¡¯re still angry about my criticism towards your food last night.¡±


    Her mother does the same, and her eye twitches just like her daughters. ¡°Hehehoho, well I¡¯m sure it tasted great, but a certain someone had to shut herself from society for two months and live off of junk food and cup noodles.¡±


    The two sarcastically started laughing, an invisible bolt of lightning was being pushed by their glaring eyes towards each other''s ridiculous anger. Anna smiled though and continued eating the cookies. As the two were having a battle of intense staring, Veronica¡¯s bladder interrupted their duel, so she needed to use the restroom.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back mom, don¡¯t you dare run from me this time!¡± Veronica leaves her room while her mother pouts her cheeks.


    Her mother couldn''t help but cross her arms, ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll be victorious this time!¡±


    Meanwhile Anna¡¯s taking a sip of her hot cocoa, enjoying it too. Veronica''s mother smiled again and decided to join Anna and sat next to her on the carpet.


    ¡°Oh, this is surprising, you¡¯re joining us?¡± said Anna.


    Veronica¡¯s mother giggles, ¡°Just for today. Say Annabelle, how¡¯s life been treating you so far?¡±


    She grabbed a mug, took a sip of cocoa and blushed from self satisfaction from succeeding in her craft.


    Anna sips as well, ¡°Pretty good to be honest, though I still feel a tad emptiness in me.¡±


    ¡°Ohoho? Why¡¯s that Annabelle? Wait, sorry that¡¯s ridiculous of me to ask given the circumstances that you¡¯ve endured through these years. Oopsies!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re fine. It¡¯s nothing really, I mean I am happy but also, I just feel somehtings missing. I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s weird, I¡¯m weird!¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother softly grinned. ¡°Perhaps the past could be daunting, reminding you to never forget. Maybe the reminder of your old late friend Jack?¡±


    Anna hovers the hot cocoa beneath her nose, looking down at the brown liquid. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess you can say that.¡±


    She saw her own reflection and steam coming to her. Anna frowned and blew on the cocoa to cool it down, erasing her self reflection in the process. Veronica¡¯s mother tilted her head, watching Anna quietly self reflected.


    Anna indulges on another sip and sighs. ¡°Ever since that day, I still feel trapped in my own reality. A reality in which I still have a heavy gut wrenching feeling that he¡¯s not dead.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother smiles, ¡°Looks like you and Veronica still think the same don¡¯t ya? You know the funny thing is I talked to Jack''s parents before they died, bless their hearts and may they rest in peace.¡±


    Anna seemed intrigued, enough to raise a brow and look at the woman. ¡°What did you talk to them about?¡±


    She giggles, ¡°I was trying to set up future marriage arrangements for my daughter and their son. I always thought he was the one for my daughter, but you know what they told me?¡±


    Anna set the mug down and locked her eyes at her with anticipation, ¡°What did they tell you?¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother stares into the mug of her half drinken cocoa and blows. ¡°I wasn¡¯t surprised by their response when they did tell me their answer, well anyone living in a country like ours will always think this way.¡±


    ¡°What was it? I''m eager to know!¡± replied Anna, eyes trembling with excitement.


    She stares back at Anna and looks deep into her eyes. ¡°They told me of course that he should choose who he should fall in love with, but not only that, they told me you were a better choice for their son, oh how adorable.¡±


    Anna¡¯s heart suddenly broke free from whatever darkness was holding onto it for a moment, making it skip a few beats. Huh? Why is my heart suddenly racing after all these years? Strange¡­


    Anna looked away, leaning her head on her hand as it rested on the coffee table. Veronica''s mother chuckles and drinks the rest of her cocas, watching the young girl who¡¯s turning into a young woman discover her feelings.


    She set her mug down and smacked her hands together. ¡°Well it was mostly due to the fact he would always talk about you when you guys were kids too. That definitely impacted their decision and conclusion about you two, hehe, oh it¡¯s so adorable talking about these things isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Anna felt her heart beating faster. The drenched chains of sorrowed goo that were preventing any feelings of romance for years were suddenly breaking free from their prison, melting away. The longer Veronica¡¯s mother told her these details of the past, reminiscing them in this conversation grew their unbreakable bond. As all this was swirling, rattling, melting inside Anna¡¯s body, she didn¡¯t hadn''t realise she shed a single tear. Eventually, she couldn¡¯t help herself but whimpered mildy, covering her mouth after hearing that Jack always talked about her made her feel happier.


    Veronica''s mother reached over the table to pat Anna¡¯s head, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you feel this emotional Annabelle.¡±


    Anna wipes her eyes, and sniffs. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I have a bad tendency of hiding sadness or worry from everyone else.¡±


    She got up and sat next to Anna, rubbing her back, ¡°I didn¡¯t know he meant that much to you. You¡¯ve liked him more than my daughter has, haven''t you?¡±


    Anna sniffles and chuckles a bit, ¡°Nah, I did like him at one point but something changed in me, but I¡¯d rather not talk about that. And yes! He was the greatest friend I¡¯ve ever had. He was everything to me, so hearing that made me feel extremely happy.¡±


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s so adorable, oh how I wished I would experience those moments with all of you when you guys were younger, but sadly I was too busy with my work to free up my schedule, hue hue.¡±


    Anna smiles and grabs another cookie to bite her feelings away with Veronica''s mother¡¯s cooking. ¡°Thank you for making my day feel better, Miss¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jastina, that¡¯s my name. Or you can just call me Jassy!¡±


    ¡°O-Okay! Jassy, what a unique name you have compared to your daughters hehe.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother grew a smug smile and got up, crossing her arms. ¡°Well I am her awesome mother! So it¡¯s my job to cheer anyone up that¡¯s close to my daughter and rub my awesomeness on them too bwahaha!¡±


    Anna stands up too, shaking her head. ¡°Some rivalry the two of you have haha! But I guess that¡¯s why Veronica seems so arrogant and full of herself, she gets it from you.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother groaned, feeling jabbed and shot at by Anna¡¯s statement. But the two laughed together, sharing new memories and reminding Anna just how much her beloved friend Jack meant to her; they had no idea that Veronica heard their entire conversation. She¡¯s standing beside the doorway and felt really horrible. The feeling of horridness came from not being upset but jealousy and aggravation, she couldn¡¯t even earn Jack¡¯s parents acceptance for even a future candidate wife.


    Tch¡­ whatever, he¡¯s de¡­ad, anyways¡­ Veronica thought.


    Veronica sighs and forces a smile before walking back in. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m back, what did I miss?¡±


    Veronica¡¯s back in her room and the two glanced at her, chuckling. Veronica walked up to Anna and placed her hand on Anna¡¯s shoulder, confusing her best friend.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your eyes Anna? Did my mom make you cry?¡± said Veronica.


    Jassy twitched an eye and hovered one of her hands over her mouth. ¡°Hohoho, perhaps her eyes are red because you came back in the room smelling like an outhouse.¡±


    Anna giggles, ¡°Stop you two. And I¡¯m fine, but you sure did take your time Veronica. You must¡¯ve taken a big ol ''deuce huh?¡±


    Veronica lets go and turns red, shrieking and both her mother and Anna laugh while Veronica tries to make them listen to her explanation, flailing her arms in embarrassment.


    After finishing their homework and the day coming to an end, Anna thanked Veronica¡¯s mother again for everything and Veronica thanked Anna for the company. Anna walks out their front giant door, closes it, and starts walking out of the gated sanctuary of wealth. She couldn¡¯t help but smile as she exited through the security gate entrance and be on her way home. Just thinking that Jack meant that much to her made that empty void in her heart fill with some sort of pleasure.


    Anna arrives home and her grandparents greet her with their usual hugs and kisses. She sits next to them in the dining room and tells them about her day, explaining the void being filled by Veronica¡¯s mother. It brought joy to her elders and made them celebrate their dinner with a prayer in which Anna for once participated in respect to them. After dinner, they were tired and gave Anna goodnight kisses while she cleaned up. She thanked them for their time and went to her room afterwards.


    Anna laid down and the smile on her face hadn''t faded. What a day, strange and weird, but great!


    Laying upside, staring at her ceiling, Anna couldn¡¯t sleep with that thought of joy still in her mind.


    Anna sits up and looks out her window. ¡°Who would''ve thought that Jack''s parents wanted me to be his future wife, how silly!¡± She sighs and lays back down, ¡°Goodnight Jack¡¯s parents and Jack. Hopefully we¡¯ll be reunited soon and when that day comes, I¡¯ll make you pay for making me cry, Jack¡­¡±


    Anna closes her eyes and falls asleep, not knowing that a woman in a red standing below a street lamp in an elegant red dress stared deeply into her room from the other side of the street. The woman grins and walks backwards into darkness, disappearing into the misty cold night, leaving a single rose where she just stood beneath the spotlight of the streetlamp.


    ***


    On a day of regularity, a life of typical highschool life, inside their school and playing a game of chess, both Anna and Veronica were in the school library, testing their minds in a complex game of chess. They were focused and seemed confident in each other''s strategy, but no one¡¯s more confident in their abilities of winning than Veronica. She had a secret trap ready for Anna and waited for her best friend to make a move and put her in a checkmate.


    Veronica takes a glimpse at Anna¡¯s binder. ¡°Say Anna, when are you going to finish those signatures for your whole campaign on helping others with mental health?¡± she said as she twirled the chest piece she had ready to destroy her.


    Anna with her chin gripped and hand set on a knight piece, stared hard on the board. ¡°Well, to be honest, I haven¡¯t gotten many signatures.¡±


    A drop of sweat came forth, drifting down the side of her face. She picks the piece up and sets it in place. Anna grinned with confidence, a glint grew in her eyes and felt victorious. Veronica stayed calm, collective, expressing nothing but stillness. Veronica flinged her pony tail and Anna slowly came off the piece, glaring at her friend.


    ¡°Ha¡ªCheckmate!¡± said Anna, crossing her arms and nodding.


    Veronica chuckles, showing Anna a smug grin. ¡°Hehe! I wouldn¡¯t be celebrating early if I were you my dear friend¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Anna replied, furrowing her brows.


    Veronica placed her piece, being a rookie, slamming it on the board and checkmates her. ¡°Good game! But it looks like¡ªI won.¡±


    Anna gasps, leaning her face to her king that was trapped by two knights, Veronica¡¯s queen, and the rookie who set the end to her bittersweet short victory.


    ¡°God damn it!¡± Anna slams her fists on the table, ¡°Well no surprise there, I swear one of these days I¡¯ll beat you at chest Veronica, hmph.¡±


    Veronica adjusted her glasses, chuckling. ¡°Yeah when that day comes I¡¯ll be on my deathbed, bwahaha!¡±


    Veronica starts packing the chest set in its bag, grabbing piece by piece as Anna packs their belongings.


    ¡°Whatever, it¡¯ll happen, just give it time my friend.¡± said Anna while finishing packing their bags.


    Veronica then brought the conversation back to its origins when she saw another glimpse of Anna¡¯s binder. ¡°Not many signatures ey? So I¡¯m assuming people are as cruel as usual.¡±


    ¡°You got that right, it¡¯s a pain in my butt.¡±


    ¡°Tch, I hate how people take mental health so lightly. It¡¯s the main reason why people go insane in the first place.¡± Veronica walks off momentarily, placing the entire bag set back in its drawer.


    Anna hands Veronica her belongings once she returns and both girls walk out into the hallway out of the library. Anna sets her arms behind her head and sighs about the fact that Veronica mentioned about people not taking mental health seriously.


    ¡°Yeah I know, kids being bullied, broken households, not being raised properly; are the main reasons why some people our age or younger go shoot up schools, become a menace to society, and kill their enemies¡­ or worse, wreak havoc on their parents.¡±


    Veronica hugs herself and shivers, ¡°Just those images on its own gives me the chills!¡± She reaches into her bag and pulls out her notebook, ¡°Welp I gotta study for the finals!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still a couple months away though! Relax and live a little Veronica.¡± Anna stretches and snatches Veronica¡¯s notebook out of her hands, surprising her. ¡°Come on now! Let''s hangout today! Please?¡±


    Veronica sighs and snatches it back, ¡°Okay I guess. Oh by the way did you text Sarah? She said some weird stuff in the group chat yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Mm, no I haven''t, what did she say? Is she out of the hospital yet?¡± replied Anna as the two reached the entrance of the cafeteria.


    The two girls brought their conversation into the lunchroom and sat at their usual table. But not without wiping down the table first before taking their seat. Veronica grabbed a nearby spray from a cleaning station for each table, Anna grabbed towels and the two quickly cleaned their surface. Once finished Anna sat and Veronica placed the bottle back on its hanger, returning to Anna and sitting in front of her.


    Veronica pulls her phone out and scrolls through the chat, ¡°Alright let''s see, oh here, look in the chat, she talked about how she met some tall scary looking guy when she walked through the park woods.¡±


    Anna also scrolled through the chat, ¡°Tall scary guy huh? Was he stalking her or something?¡±


    ¡°No, well I don¡¯t know about that but she did say he told her some weird statement like ¡®Let down your ponytail!¡¯ something like that.¡±


    Anna shrugs, placing her phone down and takes her lunch out, ¡°Wow that¡¯s kinda creepy to be honest. He sounded like a perv to me if he was focused on her hair.¡± She takes a sandwich out and bites on it, ¡°Man this sandwich is good! My grandma sure makes the best ones out there!¡±


    Veronica continues scrolling on her phone and browses the web, ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing, did you hear about the news lately? That whole disease situation? Apparently that doctor came up with a cure of some sort and made it airborne.¡±


    ¡°So-Sounds like bullshit t...o me!¡± said Anna with her mouth full.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you be more ladylike? You eat like a guy.¡± replied Veronica, annoyed.


    Anna swallows and chuckles, ¡°Well I don¡¯t care! I eat however I want to eat, but like I said, it¡¯s bullshit. Those two guys are fishy as hell, I can never trust guys who look manipulative!¡±


    ¡°Hm, true, the strangest part was when that Dr. Cato guy stared at the camera and said he wanted to shout out an old friend named Jack.¡±


    Anna stops eating and looks at Veronica, then she sighs afterwards. ¡°That is strange, but hey! There¡¯s plenty of Jack¡¯s out there, am I right?¡±


    Veronica looked a bit down and finally took her lunch out, ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess you¡¯re right, but just the way he said that to the camera just made it seem so odd.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just stop talking about this before you start crying again.¡±


    ¡°Says you!¡± Veronica giggles, ¡°Oh, hey guess what?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Veronica¡¯s cheeks turned mildy red, ¡°I have a date.¡±


    Anna, amazed, shocked even, slammed her hands on the table with half the sandwich dangling in her mouth. ¡°Y-You have a date?!¡± muttered Anna.


    Veronica smiles and blushes more, ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s probably someone who you¡¯ll hate too.¡±


    Anna removes the sandwich, rolling her eyes. ¡°Ahh don¡¯t tell me, it¡¯s Rodney, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Veronica nods, embarrassed, ¡°Ye-Yes¡­.¡±


    Anna lets out a loud frustrated sigh, letting Veronica know she might¡¯ve made a wrong choice. ¡°That guy¡¯s such a creep though! Why would you accept him?¡±


    Veronica takes a bite of her lunch, clearing her throat.  ¡°Well I have my reasons, and I know he¡¯s a little strange but he seems nice.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t know about that sista.¡± Anna finished her lunch and threw it away by shooting it in the trash. ¡°Just be careful okay, just because the guys super nice doesn¡¯t mean he won¡¯t try to do anything inappropriate or stupid.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, our date is in a couple of days so I think I¡¯ll be ready.¡±


    Both girls finished their lunch, got up and headed on out of the cafeteria. Leaving out into the halls, Veronica steps out of their zone into her own detour.


    Veronica raised her hand and waved to her friend Anna. ¡°Well I gotta get going or I¡¯ll be late to class.¡±


    Anna replied to her wave and grinned. ¡°Alright Veronica, just be careful of you know who.¡±


    Veronica placed a finger on her chin and let out a huge breath. ¡°Oh you mean Danny? I¡¯ll be fine! I barely talk to him now, well that¡¯s mostly due to the fact he¡¯s been acting really strange lately.¡±


    Anna quickly walks to Veronica¡¯s side and playfully pushes her, ¡°When isn¡¯t he! Well, I¡¯ll see you later, you better hang out with us or I¡¯ll make sure I burn all your notebooks, bookwork.¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The two chuckle and go their separate ways. Veronica disappears into a crowd of students and Anna walks to some nearby stairs to get to the second floor. As Anna¡¯s walking to her class, she stumbled upon Danny out of all people amongst the crowd. The two glimpsed and Anna hurried on her way, not acknowledging his existence. Danny grinned and followed Anna, fading into the crowd while Anna made her way to class. She felt his twisted eyes on her and looked over her shoulder briefly, spotting his face behind a couple of students. She paced faster, Danny continued his pursuit, making her feel really uncomfortable to the point she felt the need to run.


    Anna power walks her way through the sea of students, and after moments, she arrives close to her next class. She looked behind and felt that he¡¯s gone, and he was. Danny¡¯s out of sight and Anna felt relieved. For a moment she felt stressed but easily overcame it once she arrived close to her classroom with him out of sight. When she turned back round ahead, unexpectedly, Danny was there, standing next to her classroom door with a huge smile on his face.


    Fucking creep, what does he want?


    Anna¡¯s mad and decides to confront him, marching on over to him with her arms crossed.


    Danny whistled as he had his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall while Anna approached him. ¡°Oh! What¡¯s up Anna? What brings you around this part of the school?¡±


    Anna secretly was worried, but outside she showed Danny her annoyance towards him. Getting in front of him with her arms crossed, Danny raised his hand and waved to her as if they were friends. It struck a nerve in Anna and made her grip her biceps.


    Letting out a breath of anger, Anna transformed her annoyance to seriousness. ¡°What do you want, loser?¡±


    ¡°Oh, me? Hm, well friend I just happened to see you from afar and decided to say hello, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Is that really it? Following me around and being a creep? Or maybe you¡¯re just angry at the fact your precious Veronica¡¯s finally going on a date with someone else.¡±


    Danny smacks his lips, still grinning. ¡°I tried telling her that guy¡¯s probably up to no good, but she won¡¯t listen to me.¡± Danny walks up to Anna with a grin, transforming it to a creepy smile. ¡°But hey! Maybe I can go on a date with you or Sarah to make her jealous, right?¡±


    Anna¡¯s had enough of his games and grabs his shirt, ¡°In your dreams! Now tell me, what do you want?¡±


    Danny grabbed her arms and clutched them, forcing Anna to reel them back to herself. ¡°Relax, no need to get violent.¡±


    Anna massaged one of her forearms, knitting her brows. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever put your hands on me again.¡±


    ¡°Huh, double standard much? Whatever. But there¡¯s one thing that I want you to deliver to our dear friend, Sarah.¡±


    Danny walks next to Anna and tries leaning close to her ear, but she quickly pushes him away. Anna raised her fists and Danny laughed at her, mocking her retaliation. Anna grinded her teeth and was ready to knock his teeth upside his head.


    Danny finished his laughter and wiped one of his eyes. ¡°Okay okay! My bad, but tell Sarah this¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you, you arrogant little¡ª!¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it going, Witch!¡± Danny cackles and walks away with his hands back in his pockets.


    Anna smacks her lips with frustration, lowering her arms. ¡°What a creep.¡± Deciding to put this event to the side, Anna takes a breath and walks in the classroom to go on about her day, for now.


    As the school day¡¯s coming to a close, Anna and Veronica reunited and surprisingly spotted Sarah waiting for them outside in the courtyard of their school. The goth girl had her hair tied up and sat on one of the benches, reading some pitch black textbook. Anna decided to scare her by sneaking up to her, but that didn''t work and she quickly poked Anna¡¯s nose without even looking over her shoulder. Anna chuckles and hugs her friend from behind, Veronica does the same and hugs her from the front.


    ¡°Why are you here Sarah? Shouldn''t you be at the hospital?¡± said Veronica.


    Anna rubbed her face in Sarah''s face, annoying the goth girl. ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m glad our little gothic Sarah¡¯s here, God you¡¯re so tiny and sexy!¡±


    Sarah sighs, and gently pushes Anna off, ¡°Relax you horndog, and I¡¯m just saying hi, that¡¯s all.¡±


    The three decided to walk back home together and Sarah for once invited them over to her house. It caught the two off guard, leaving them surprised. She normally never invites them over, she¡¯s always shy about herself or she truly is, but throughout the years she¡¯s overcome most of her shyness and has grown accustomed to socialality to not only her friends, but sometimes people too.


    A nice walk of girl talk, jokes of love, society, getting cat called along the way by strangers, they arrived at Sarah¡¯s house and were a little dumbfounded at how tiny it was. It¡¯s a townhouse for sure, but more stand out amongst the many that neighbour each other. The two girls thought it was cute and mysterious, it had some vines growing from the bottom to the top, a wonderful garden in the front yard, and a small cute greenhouse at the end of the home. The two finished observing the outside of her home with their wandering eyes and walked on the path to her front door. Sarah¡¯s already at her front patio, she already had a sense that they were going to be observant of her unique home.


    Those are my friends alright, heh. Sarah thought.


    Both girls arrived and Sarah opened her door with all three walking into the home. Stepping in, the door closing behind them, both girls were awed by the unique furniture of gothic victorian style leather couches, tables, and red oaked wooden floors. Sarah¡¯s loving this, she felt intrigued by their reactions and wanted to give them a proper tour to impress them more. But, Sarah¡¯s mother appeared out of nowhere with a huge smile on her face, placing her tiny hands on her daughter''s friend''s shoulders. Veronica and Anna turned around and were presented by the definition of gothic beauty. The two barely remember her when they were children so they felt shy and nervous.


    ¡°My my, isn¡¯t this something quite, rare.¡± said Sarah¡¯s mother.


    The two checked her out head to toe, a woman still shorter than them, but taller than her daughter, perhaps average height of a woman being five fiver. She had a rocking body fit for someone to hold the title most curved woman in today''s history wearing a sundress gothic outfit fitting for someone of their nature. Hair longer, blacker than her daughters with bangs covering an eye mildly, and lastly, mysterious eyes of silver to go along with her amazing beauty. Yet Anna and Veronica after seeing the two side by side, the one thing that caught their eyes and attention most was¡ª


    ¡°They both look exactly the same¡­¡± The two muttered in unison.


    Sarah raised a brow, placing one of her hands on her hips. ¡°Uh, guys, you alright?¡±


    Her mother grinned and took the opportunity to embrace the two, welcoming them to their lovely home. ¡°Welcome to our lovely home, Annabelle, Veronica.¡±


    She let off, leaving the two flustered and muttering words and creating noises of nervousness.


    ¡°H-H-Hi! Nice to meet you, Sarah¡¯s mother!¡± bowed Veronica, nervously shrieking. She smells fantastic! Veronica thought.


    Anna smiled and bowed unexpedly too. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it? And I must say, you smell so damn good!¡±


    ¡°Oh you, thank you Anna! I try for my wonderful husband, he¡¯s not here right now but he¡¯ll be back soon from work hehe.¡±


    Sarah narrowed her eyes, looking away when her mother mentioned her father. It caught Veronica¡¯s attention and Anna¡¯s as well, they had a sense that Sarah¡¯s upset now.


    The goth girl rubbed her mothers arm and sighed. ¡°Mom, why are you always embarrassing me like this?¡±


    ¡°My wonderful daughter, I just wanted to welcome your friends, that''s all. There¡¯s nothing I¡¯m doing to embarrass you¡­ or am I?¡± She suddenly gasped and thought harder for a moment. ¡°Isn¡¯t this how you introduce yourself to your daughter''s friends? Or am I missing something. Oh wait! I could''ve cooked something up!¡±


    Sarah giggled watching her mother freak out. ¡°And there it is, oh mom.¡±


    Her mother deeply sighed and wiped off her embarrassment, ¡°Sheesh, at least let me know ahead of time my wonder of life.¡± Her mother then scanned both girls head to toe with those mysterious eyes, ¡°You two have grown so much, my, how the years go by.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother then reached her arms out to the two girls. ¡°Give me your hands.¡±


    They did as they were asked and both girls allowed Sarah¡¯s mother to massage them with her soft touch. Anna got flustered and Veronica nervously shook as the dazzling beauty smeared her scent on their hands.


    ¡°Mom, what are you doing?¡± asked Sarah.


    ¡°Me? I''m just curious about your friends and their structure. They¡¯ve grown really well compared to my daughter who¡¯s still tiny and adorable!¡± She lets go of the two and walks over to Sarah and pats her head, ¡°But rest assured my beloved daughter, I¡¯ll find a way to make you taller in no time!¡±


    A vein of annoyance pops out of Sarah¡¯s forehead, ¡°I¡¯m not even that short mom, I¡¯m barely below average height!¡± She slaps her mother''s hand away, gently ¡°Sorry mom but we¡¯ll be heading to my room now.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Whatever you say, you girls have a good time!¡± As the girls started walking up the stairs she smiled sadistically afterwards. ¡°You¡¯ll be perfect for future references and spells I have brewing!¡± She says as she sadistically laughs quietly.


    Sarah sighs and speaks into her mother''s mind. Don¡¯t even think about it mom, I can hear you, you know?


    Sarah¡¯s mother pauses her expression and forcibly giggles. Hehe, come on though! They¡¯ll be perfect! She began crying sarcastically, dangling her arms down and walking away in a pit of sadness. ¡°Boohoo, boohoo!¡±


    Sarah giggles and the other two take notice. They smiled because Sarah barely laughs or even makes a stutter when it comes to happiness. They were watching their tiny friend Sarah throughout the introduction of her mother. Sarah wondered why they were staring at her and quickly noticed why their smiles were so bright and turned red herself. Anna and Veronica couldn¡¯t help but laugh afterwards seeing how adorable Sarah is. They walked up stairs into her room which was dark, wooden, and very gothic styled. Veronica felt a bit uneasy and forcefully commented on how unique it was, Anna on the other hand was more than fascinated.


    ¡°I like it, it¡¯s pretty cool in my opinion.¡± said Anna as she looked around.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much, jeez Sarah, get some light in here now and then.¡± said Veronica.


    Sarah stretched, ¡°Whatever you snobby brat¡±


    ¡°By the way Sarah, you never told me your mother was an exact copy of you, like holy crap!¡± said Anna as she observed everything in her room including her bed, clothing, and the bookshelf she had which Sarah immediately blocks her from grabbing any of them.


    ¡°Hey, kids can be exact replications of their parents once they are born.¡±


    Anna pouts her face with curiosity and crosses her arms, ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know about that missy.¡±


    Veronica intervenes and poked Sarah¡¯s nose. ¡°You¡¯re not exactly right, you can look identical to one of your parents, but an Exact! Replica, copy, version, not possible.¡±


    Sarah wanted to rebuttal the smarty pants Veronica, but her statement did make the goth girl wonder how she¡¯s exactly an exact twin of her mother.


    ¡°Yeah no kidding, at first I thought she was your twin sister, besides the height. Sure the hair styles are different, eye colour too, but everything else, your faces, skin, structure, it¡¯s one hundred percent identical. And not to mention your mom has some pretty big knockers too.¡± said Anna as she sat on the bed.


    Sarah lowered her brows, seeming confused. ¡°Well, I-I I¡¯ma go grab us some drinks, I¡¯ll be back, okay.¡± Sarah leaves and leaves her friends feeling a form of guilt.


    ¡°Did-did we say too much?¡± said Veronica.


    Anna lays down and stares at the weird symbol on her ceiling. ¡°I hope we didn¡¯t, but don¡¯t you find that strange. They¡¯re so alike, even their voices are the same, but if Sarah was in her mid twenties.¡±


    Veronica also sat on Sarah¡¯s queen sized bed. ¡°Yeah, and her eyes were silver, platinum, one of those two. So bizarre yet so unique.¡±


    Veronica decides to change the conversation by bringing up Sarah¡¯s gothic nature, glancing at all the unique items in her room that caught her brainiac eyes.


    ¡°She-she¡¯s gotten very gothic throughout the years, huh Anna?¡±


    Anna grinned and sat up. ¡°What? You¡¯ve barely noticed till now? She¡¯s been like this since sixth grade hehe. Jesus Veronica you really need to go outside more than just study.¡±


    Veronica raises her fists with embarrassment, ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that! You make me sound like I¡¯m a shut in no life!¡± She crosses her arms afterwards, ¡°Hpmh! I hate you! Wait a minute, I just realised something!¡±


    ¡°What now, miss I¡¯m such a smart ass?¡±


    Veronica looked all smug like, creeping close to Anna. ¡°Could it be that me! The smart brainy nerdy Veronica got a date before the so-called popular, athletic, talented Annablle?! Oh my! I guess I¡¯m not such a shut in after all!¡±


    Veronica laughed like a villain, crossing her arms. Anna moved her lips and rolled her eyes but couldn''t help that their conversation wasn¡¯t going anywhere, but everywhere besides the topic that they thought made their friend Sarah worry.


    Anna places her arm over Veronica¡¯s shoulder as she picks her ear. ¡°Yeah yeah! Good for Miss Smartass, congratulations you got yourself the man of your dreams now shut up and let me relax will ya?¡± She lays back down and yawns.


    Veronica sighs as well and lays next to Anna. ¡°Man you¡¯re tough, I can never strike a nerve on you¡­ by the way don¡¯t say I got the man of my dreams when that isn¡¯t close to the truth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know, sorry. You know me, I¡¯m just a tough nut to crack.¡±


    Sarah finally walks back with some tea on a Victorian styled tray. She spots the two laying next to each other and softly grins.


    ¡°Drinks are hot guys, hope you can handle them with how heated your interactions are becoming laying next to each other you lesbos.¡± She sets them gently on her dresser and sits on an oval shaped rug in front of her bed.


    Anna hugged Veronica, rubbing her face against hers. ¡°Mmm, she¡¯s so soft, you¡¯re right it is getting heated how she was just insulting me!¡±


    ¡°An-Anna! Stop you damn perv!¡± Anna continued and giggled while Veronica stayed embarrassed.


    The two finished joking around and got up to sit on the floor along with Sarah. The three all drank together, joking about their lives, love struggles, and typical girl gossip. It turned perverted later on with Anna¡¯s jokes which Veronica hated hearing, but Sarah made it worse by adding in more details into them and made the smarty brain girl cover her ears. Their minutes of joy went on, converting to a full hour of fulfilment, growing an atmosphere of innocence and enjoyment. Unfortunately, Anna remembered what Danny told her earlier in the day, putting an end to happiness and bringing a sense of worried repulsion into the air.


    Anna took the smile off her face and got serious. ¡°Guys, sorry to do this and kill the mood but Danny harassed me today¡­¡±


    ¡°Honeslty¡ªfucking asshole¡­ how dare he, how dare he.¡± said Sarah, growling and feeling murder tendacies towards him.


    Veronica sighs with disappointment and aggravation. ¡°What did he do now? Please tell me he didn¡¯t go as far as to be a creep towards you, Anna.¡±¡±


    Anna took a sip of tea and stared at Sarah. ¡°The bastard was being a creep alright, going as far as stalking me, but he told me to tell you, Sarah¡ªWhat¡¯s up, Witch! Don¡¯t know why he would call you that but that¡¯s fucking rude.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s anger had gusted away, bringing a cloud of gasping worry to the goth girl''s face for her friends to see. She got quiet, and paused the cup of tea she was about to sip on once Anna said the word, Witch. The two didn¡¯t like her stunned face, it made them worry from how much her bottom lip quivered and her eyes rattled. Sarah gasped so much beneath her breath, her friends thought she was about to have an asthma attack. They tried getting up to help Sarah and calm her down but she made them stop by covering her mouth, shutting her eyes even. Sarah tried speaking, but she started stuttering her words beneath her hand. Placing the tea down, dropping her hand, breathing seeming out of sync, the two hurried up and got to her side.


    ¡°Sarah, what¡¯s wrong! Why are you freaking out like this?¡± asked Veronica.


    Anna rubbed her back and grabbed her hand. ¡°Jeez, you¡¯re shaking a lot too. What¡¯s wrong, you¡¯re making us worry.¡±


    Sarah opened her eyes, and took short breaths to ease her fueling rage and freight. ¡°Pl-Please, can we change topics¡­¡± Sarah tried relaxing her breathing, but she couldn''t.


    The two refused to change the topic at hand and kept asking her for an actual answer, pressuring her enough so she can spill what''s messing with her mind. Sarah tilted her head down for a brief moment, giving herself enough of a thought to encourage herself to tell them what''s bothering her. Finally, Sarah took a deep breath and dragged her palm down her face. The goth girl looked up and her eyes were watery as she looked at both of her friends. Both Veronica and Anna hugged their tiny friend, comforting her.


    Getting her breathing under control, Sarah sniffles and wipes her eyes, having the will to spill the beans. ¡°That low life bastard has been harassing me for a while now, and I-I don¡¯t know what to do. I¡¯m sorry anna if he¡¯s harassing you too, it¡¯s my¡ª¡±


    Anna felt extreme fury building up inside her, enough for her to slam her fist on the ground. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare apologise Sarah! It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s shocked from hearing Sarah¡¯s statement and held her friend''s hands comforting her. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us Sarah? I¡¯m just as angry as Anna, but I kinda feel like it¡¯s my fault for relieving his anger against you.¡±


    ¡°But why you? Why would he harass you?! He has no reason to, that-that, fucking scumbag!¡± shouted Anna.


    Sarah reeled away from Veronica¡¯s grip to pat Anna, putting an end to her angered state. ¡°Anna, please don¡¯t be so angry. But yes, he¡¯s been harassing me for a while; making me feel uncomfortable, trying to put his hands on me, and going as far as to get in my face, staring deep into my soul with perverted malice.¡±


    Anna stands up and clenches her fist with anger. ¡°I¡¯ll beat his ass for you! Fucking pervert thinks he can just talk to you like that? Touch you! I knew he was a loser but I¡¯d never imagine him being¡­¡±


    Anna looks at Veronica with a disgusted look, remembering the times he would try to have Veronica touch him. And times he would force her into a hug or grab her without consent.


    ¡°Never mind, he was always a creepy pervert.¡± said Anna, smacking her lips.


    Veronica sighs, hugging Sarah. ¡°Well I guess that¡¯s true now. I¡¯ll stop talking to him, just for you buddy!¡±


    Sarah grins and gestures to Anna to join in the hug. Anna cools down and does so, wrapping her arms around the two and feeling emotional enough to let out a tear of both anger and guilt for not realising sooner enough.


    ¡°Thanks guys, I knew you two would understand.¡± Sarah heard Anna¡¯s soft whimper and let off for a moment to head bump her best friend.


    Anna couldn¡¯t help it but shed tears. ¡°Sarah¡­ why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner¡­¡±


    Sarah softly smiled and Veronica too shed a tear watching them. The goth girl let off and tapped Anna¡¯s nose, wiping off a tear.


    ¡°No need to be this emotional, dummy. Come on now, let''s enjoy the rest of the evening with no negativity, okay?¡± said Sarah in a soft pampering tone.


    Anna wiped her eyes and slapped Sarah¡¯s hand away. Then she embraced Sarah, making the two fall on the ground.


    Anna smiled and held her tighter. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll bring his life to an end for you if he does that again. You know I love you right? My adorable little friend.¡±


    Sarah felt her life being crushed by Anna¡¯s body but indulged in the comfort. ¡°Gosh darn it, Anna, I can¡¯t breathe¡­ I love you too, buddy.¡±


    Veronica broke down and jumped onto the two. ¡°You guys! Don¡¯t leave me out of this, you beautiful flowers!¡±


    The two coughed and groaned as Veronica¡¯s extra weight made them suffocate, but all three couldn¡¯t help themselves but laugh away the sadness that overtook the air. Everyone relaxes and enjoys the rest of the evening. First the tea, finishing their conversations and deluding away from those negative thoughts to lighten the rest of the day. When night approached, both Anna and Veronica decided to sleep over the night with Sarah to comfort her for any measures. Sarah¡¯s more than willing to have them sleep over, she¡¯s just worried about her mother potentially doing something to her friends while they sleep. Mainly because she tried doing some bizarre things throughout the day like throwing holy water on Veronica, measuring Anna¡¯s waist line, taking pictures of the two, and wanted them to say some weird words she shouted dramatically.


    Sarah convinced her mother enough to not bother them by promising to give her a sample of their hairs in a strand later. Sarah pulled out two air mattresses from her closet, making her two friends laugh due to the fact they weren¡¯t surprised their gothic little friend was waiting for something like this to happen. She was prepared for a night like this and it made the two girls awe, bringing Sarah to confusion as she inflated one but with little to no progress. They both got up and helped her to make the process faster. After thirty minutes of long blowing they got them up to size for their liking.


    Once that was done the girls took showers individually, but that was a mistake on their part because Sarah¡¯s mother surprised Veronica by jumping in with her to sprinkle some weird powder while clothed. Veronica of course screamed and Sarah felt really annoyed and banished her mother from entering her room, but that didn¡¯t stop her. It actually motivated her to peek at Anna once it was her turn, Anna knew she was going to do something strange so she played along and once her mother took the bait she attacked her mother with a bar of soap and rubbed it on her head. She finally gave up and smiled afterwards, wishing the three a goodnight and said a prayer but not that of a regular christian prayer but one involving mother earth and some other chant.


    Once she left all three got dressed in their respective sleeping garments, ones that were given to them by their guardians earlier in the day once they decided to sleepover. Veronica wore a silk violet pyjama set, Anna wore a very long white tee shirt, high knee white socks, and Sarah a purple tank top and black pantie shorts


    While setting her bed, Anna stared at her as well as Veronica who were next to their air clouds. Both girls said, ¡°Damn¡­¡± in unison. They were staring at Sarah¡¯s butt. Sarah felt their lustful and curious gaze on her and turned around to them, turning red.


    ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± she asked towards her hypnotised friends.


    Anna jumped her brows and Veronica looked at her own butt, measuring it with her hands.


    Anna winked at an embarrassed Sarah, making her look away. ¡°I knew your butt was big and fantastically shaped, but holy¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shit! It¡¯s so perfect, the way it sticks out, wide, your hips, thighs¡­ it doesn¡¯t add up! I¡¯m so envious, Sarah!¡± shouted Veronica who was still analysing her own figure.


    Sarah laughed and went back to making her bed. ¡°Jesus, not you too Veronica. Relax, the both of you, will ya?¡±


    Anna jumped on her air mattress and was on the brink of sleep. ¡°I don''t know about you guys but Imma sleep now and dream about your hot mom Sarah.¡± she yawned obnoxiously loud, making the other two scrunch their faces.


    Veronica quickly grabs her pillow and slams it against the back of Anna¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s too early you sloth! Can¡¯t you stay up just a little more?¡±


    ¡°And why my mom?¡± said Sarah, patting one of her pillows on her bed.


    Anna rubs her head from the force, and smiles. ¡°Okay okay. Don¡¯t have to be so violent, and you jealous Sarah? Or should I dream of the two of you, oh wait¡­ actually that sounds nice.¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes and giggled. ¡°Do as you please, weirdo.¡±


    ¡°Veronica, shouldn¡¯t I be the one to abuse you, not you!¡± said Anna.


    ¡°Welcome to reality! Oh smart one!¡± Veronica laughs and tries swinging again but is met by Anna¡¯s pillow first.


    ¡°Yeah you¡¯re right! This is reality!¡± said Anna, hysterically.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t help but laugh, just watching those two be themselves reminded her how much she cares for her friends. Sarah walks over to the two and gets between the two¡¯s crossfires. They were about to throw their fluffy tools of destruction against each other but stopped the moment Sarah sat on her knees. They dropped the pillows and Sarah grabbed their hands, abruptly bringing the two towards her and all three were rubbing against each other''s faces with laughter. It was a great night for the three, they enjoyed games and talked about each other''s futures. It¡¯s more than enough for everyone to grow tired and fall asleep at the same time. They all said their wishes and went to sleep, soundly.


    A sweeping mist of cold air swept in from corridors of darkness, plastic chairs empty, flickered lighting tried combating the black that surrounded a hospital waiting room. Anna¡¯s mysteriously in the lobby with the surrounding pitch black, sitting in complete isolation. An errieness of silence produced white noise against her ears whilst she sat still. Her eyes were as cold as ice and stared at nothing, she sailed side to side and hummed a song of some sort, one from presumably, the dark ages. She¡¯s aware of what¡¯s happening, but couldn¡¯t understand why she¡¯s doing all these actions or how she ended up here in the first place.


    Where¡­ am I? Anna thought.


    Her body continued sailing, her mouth open, it too sporadically spilled out saliva without her consent. She¡¯s fully aware of everything but can¡¯t comprehend why this is all happening and why she can¡¯t break out of this zombie-like state. Though moments later, her senses were given back to her and she took control of her body, blinking a couple of times to bring back life into her eyes of green. Anna snapped back into reality and got up, wiping her mouth.


    ¡°Huh, why¡¯s all this¡­?¡± Looking to see what¡¯s going on and why she¡¯s here overall, brought utter confusion to her of how real all of this felt.


    Is this a dream, a vivid one perhaps?


    It¡¯s too dark for Anna to see, the only things visible were the flickering exit signs, a single light bar, and room numbers from down the hall next to a corridor to her right. She glimpsed at herself and saw she was wearing her regular clothes but her shirt was that of an old fabric one, one worn in the dark ages. She reached into her jean pocket and felt, pulled her smartphone out, turning on the flash light.


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on¡­¡± She looks frontward and shines at her straight path and begins walking into the darkness.


    Her footsteps alone made her jumpy from the sheer silence of the place. Step by step they echoed into the endless black hallway of total black.


    Is this real¡­ It can¡¯t be, right? Anna wondered.


    Anna stops and instincts take over, making her freak out, shaking from the intense horror of total isolation. ¡°Wh-Where am I? I was just in Sarah¡¯s room! Why am I here?!¡±


    However she quickly covers her mouth the moment she was raising her voice from being scared. She also felt as if she were being watched from behind, so she shut herself up to not alert anything that would jump out of the blackness around her. Her breathing¡¯s growing heavy, her heart raced from the terror of loneliness, she¡¯s never felt so afraid before, yet all of this felt familiar to her.


    This¡­ felt the same as that one dream that I¡­ wait?


    Then, she remembered. Her eyes grew wide. This feels like those dreams she¡¯s experienced in the past and wondered if she¡¯ll bump into that faceless girl like she did that one time, that time she brought Anna to a molten death. She takes long deep breaths, ambling towards the exit sign that was at the edge of the hallway. As she tiptoed through the hallway, from the pitch black behind her, Anna began to hear a faint giggle. It forces her to come to a brief stop to quickly look over her shoulder and shine the light in the direction of the innocence created. Sadly, her phone alone can¡¯t dent more than two feet of the void, creating panic in Anna who¡¯s goosebumps rose to max.


    Who¡¯s¡­ there?


    Anna can¡¯t risk talking and proceeded forward to her original objective and picked up her pace, power walking her way deeper into the dark. The giggling picked up again, not just behind her, but from her sides, the empty rooms she walked past, and even inside her mind. It¡¯s driving Anna insane and made her feel such terror, she said ¡°Screw this!¡± and started running as fast as she could. She ran through the dark hallway, panting from exhaustion and fear, she just wanted to get out regardless of her ends meet. After a short run, Anna stops to catch her breath and notices that innocent giggling sudden disappearance


    She placed her hands on her knees and panted heavily. ¡°I-I can¡¯t take this¡­!¡± It¡¯s silent once again, but this time Anna had no clue where to go now, the exit sign was gone when she looked up and the white noise of silence sprung into her mind, driving Anna to the first steps of insanity.


    Bring this all to a stop! Wake up, wake up!


    Anna dropped to her knees as she grasped her hair with frustration and broke out crying.


    Anna quietly cries and cries, her tears dropping to the tile floor, echoing its splash into the hallway. She wanted this realistic dream to come to an end. As she let her fear overflow and flow out her eyes, she noticed her phone wasn¡¯t in her hand anymore.


    ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± She somehow lost it, temporarily though because she quickly spotted it in front of her a couple of crawls away with the light still on.


    Anna crawled towards her phone with tears still running down her face, but once she¡¯s in arms reach, she saw something coming towards her direction from within the darkness. She backs away and covers her mouth, shaking. The figure¡¯s outline becomes more visible as it gets closer and their steps sound like heels. She tried her best to mutter her whimpering so she could hide in the dark from whatever¡¯s coming to her vicinity, yet she can¡¯t help but allow her whimpers to leak through.


    Who¡¯s coming¡­ Please don¡¯t hurt me¡­


    Anna could hear those creepy clatters getting closer. She shivered violently and closed her eyes, hoping this will all come to an end. The click-clacking then stops and everything¡¯s quiet once again. Anna trembled, and slowly, let down her hands. The moment Anna opened her eyes she¡¯s left in a gasped, shocked state. A girl in a white dress, but the one from her childhood stood before her, yet she looked much different than before, but the dress she wore was astoundingly recognisable. Anna wasn¡¯t shocked from fear though, she¡¯s shocked by the fact that the girl in white¡¯s no longer the faceless girl she once knew from that one encounter, but a girl who¡¯s grown into a woman. No longer was she faceless, she now looked like any other person you¡¯d encounter in life. She had purple amethyst eyes, hair as black as the darkness around them with a purple tint to it, and skin as pale as snow.


    The girl walks off for a moment to grab Anna¡¯s phone and does. She walked back to Anna and with the light shining in her direction, making Anna block the light that''s blinding her out of her face as it came closer. The girl smiles and walks towards the frightened puffy eyed Anna. She bends down and hands her back her phone, Anna couldn¡¯t help but stare into those eyes, those purple eyes were mesmerising to stare into. Such beauty that glistened within them made Anna turn red. The girl snaps her fingers and the darkness fades away into smoke. Anna seemed extremely confused now. When it cleared away, they were now in a room of some sort, but not just an ordinary room but a normal hospital room. The girl with her arms behind her back twirls her dress around and makes her way behind some curtains, covering up something from behind.


    She pops out again and looks at Anna with a gentle smile. ¡°Long time no see, Annabelle.¡± she said in a soft gentle tone, one soothing to the ear.


    Anna, still dumbfounded, is still sitting on the floor. ¡°What¡¯s, what, wh-where am I?¡±


    She walks up to Anna and slowly places her hand on Anna¡¯s cheek. ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much since the last time I saw you. You¡¯re even more beautiful than before!¡± She had a sweet smile as she said those truthful words to Anna.


    ¡°Wh-Who are you!¡± Anna wanted to slap her hand away but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t find the courage to do so.


    ¡°Me? Well, it¡¯s been awhile but hey! Since I¡¯m here, why don¡¯t I do this!¡± She caressed Anna¡¯s cheek with a sadistic tendency.


    She surprises Anna by gripping her chin and leans in closer to look into her eyes. ¡°What are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Now be a good girl Anna, and stare into my eyes¡­¡±


    Her voice changed into a serious tone, but still sounding innocently gentle. Anna¡¯s eyes shook as she stared into the girls eyes, and she was beginning to arch them.


    ¡°Remember what I did to you when we were children and oblige to the order I gave you in your first nightmare before our first encounter!¡± The girl¡¯s eyes began to glow bright purple and so did Anna¡¯s.


    Anna¡¯s mouth drops. She takes one last glimpse at the curtains behind her and sees someone lying on a bed, unconscious. Anna¡¯s eyesight was forced to stare into the girl''s eyes and her vision slowly began to fade, fading into complete darkness all over again.


    ¡°You¡¯re my property and it will stay that way¡­ that way, I can have Him! All to myself, Annabellas¡­¡±


    That was the last thing Anna heard before her ears rang loudly and her vision started swirling into a void of purpled misty darkness.


    Veronica and Sarah tried desperately to wake Anna who¡¯s still asleep and has overslept over two hours of school time. They were already way too late to school, but none of that mattered when there''s something wrong with their friend. After constant shaking and shouting, she finally opened her eyes and looked at the two, hazy. Anna¡¯s vision was still blurry and their voices sounded muffled, Anna looked lost.


    ¡°Oh thank god!¡± said Veronica as she hugged her friend and Sarah sighed with relief, but Anna¡¯s confused and lost.


    After letting off of Anna, Veronica caught on to that confused stare Anna gave off, she even drooled too. Veronica snapped her fingers to snap her out of her zombie-like state she looked to be in. Sarah watched Anna carefully, steadily balling her fists. Anna rises up and grabs her head, ignoring the two.


    ¡°Anna! Where are you going?!¡± shouted Veronica as she went to Anna, grabbing her shoulders and stopping her movement.


    But Veronica¡¯s voice didn¡¯t reach Anna, it still sounded muffled and her vision stayed blurred. Anna couldn¡¯t remember much of what happened last night or even that dream. She just stood still, grabbing her head and sailing. Sarah stepped in front of her and gave her a sudden slap of a century. It made Veronica jump away from how hard it was and how loud it sounded too.


    Sarah with her teeth gritted seemed really aggravated. ¡°Snap out of your state, Anna!¡± shouted Sarah with her hand still raised.


    Anna finally came back into reality and rubbed her cheek. ¡°Wh-Where am I? What¡¯s going on?¡± Anna looks at her worried friend Veronica and an angered Sarah.


    Veronica steps in front of the two and lowers Sarah¡¯s hand. ¡°I think she¡¯s back with us Sarah, but why do you seem so angry at her?¡±


    Sarah shakes her head and blinks rapidly. ¡°Oh I uh, I was just mad that she was ignoring us¡­ that¡¯s all, haha.¡±


    Anna hugs Sarah and Veronica. ¡°Sorry for worrying you two¡­ I was just in a deep sleep I guess¡­¡± chuckled Anna. ¡°Let¡¯s go to school even though I made you guys late, what do ya say?¡±


    Veronica nods, ¡°I¡¯m fine with that! Just don¡¯t scare us like that again Anna! You seriously had us worried.¡±


    Anna smiles, ¡°Ahehe, that¡¯s what I get for sleeping so well huh? Perhaps I was dreaming of this sexy goth girl and her mom too much, am I right?¡± Anna wanted to get dressed first and use the bathroom, but Veronica insisted on accompanying her to see if she¡¯s truly well. Anna obliges and the two leave Sarah¡¯s room for the moment. Sarah on the other hand stays behind. Sarah stood there in silence with her fists clenched. She looked down at the mattress Anna slept on and noticed her pillow¡¯s covered in tear stains.


    ¡°This feeling¡­ this¡ªsensation; It¡¯s the same feeling from that guy and¡­¡± Sarah has a flashback of the girl she fought in the town and gasps with shock.


    Sarah tightens her face and grits her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll make them pay, how dare they hurt my friend. They¡¯ll pay¡­¡±


    Anna comes back in briefly to ask Sarah something. ¡°You gonna change with me too?¡±


    Sarah looks at Anna and forces a smile, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll be there, give me a minute okay.¡±


    Anna smiles too, ¡°Sweet, this way I can probably see you naked too hehe. By the way, thanks for that slap, I don¡¯t know what got into me.¡± She leaves again, not releasing the anger Sarah¡¯s hiding from her.


    Sarah stares at her ceiling where the symbol¡¯s located. She prays to mother earth and the guardians that are protecting her from any form of foes. Her mother suddenly appears as she walks in with a serious look as well. She too notices something¡¯s wrong with Anna.


    ¡°You¡¯re not alone my daughter, let us pray for your friend, and see if we can cleanse her of this horrible feeling within her soul.¡± Her mother joins in with her prayer and the two wish and pray for Anna, hoping to rid of the intense horridness leaking out of her best friend''s captured soul.


    I¡¯ll make sure he¡¯ll pay, especially¡­ that girl in white. Sarah¡¯s eyes glowed a fiery red and inside them was her fueling rage ready to come forth and burst upon the ones who¡¯ve not only hurt or harassed her, but who¡¯ve made her friends suffer too.

 Arc 3 Chapter 10 - Part 1: A Dear Friend; The Past Confronted & Concluded

    It¡¯s the same day but at a different location, more notably the small cosy town where Eric and Jack have called home for the time being. Currently Eric¡¯s walking back into the hotel with grocery bags swinging back and forth in each hand, but the big guy showed signs of irritation. He¡¯s annoyed at the fact Jack didn¡¯t go or come downstairs to at least help him with the groceries like he promised the day before.


    ¡°I¡¯ma teach that damn boy a lesson alright. Honestly, this damn kid, ah¡­¡± Eric reaches the top floor and walks to Jack¡¯s room. ¡°He better be in there or he¡¯s definitely getting an ass whooping.¡±


    Eric drops the bags and knocks on Jack''s door, but there¡¯s no answer. He knocks again and still no answer. Growing impatient he slams his fist on the door and shouts at Jack to ¡°Open the damn door!¡±


    Nothing, but he heard some movements inside his room and made Eric scrunch his face in confusion. ¡°The hell¡¯s he doing in there¡­ Jack, open up or I¡¯ll break this door down my guy.¡± He waits to see if he¡¯ll get a response, still nothing.


    Eric had enough, with his patience on thin ice, he grabs the door knob and slams his shoulder against the door to force himself in. As the door slammed open and Eric stepped in feeling annoyed, he spotted Jack trying to hide something.


    ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t you hear me knock fool? And watchu hiding huh?¡±


    Eric walked to Jack who ignored his uncle and grabbed his shoulder to turn him round. Jack didn¡¯t fight back and was face to face with his uncle.


    ¡°Uh, what¡¯s¡ªup?¡± said Jack, who looked ashamed.


    Eric looked over Jack¡¯s shoulder and saw a pill bottle opened and his addiction spilled on the ground. The big guy sighed and grabbed his forehead, throbbing it in pity for Jack. He dragged his hand down his face and shook his head, looking back to his nephew in disappointment.


    Eric placed his hands on his hips and briefly pointed at the spilled pills. ¡°So, still using those shits in secresty, are we?¡±


    Jack doesn¡¯t reply and looks away in shame.


    ¡°No matter where we go, you always find your fix don¡¯t you? Damn, and before we came here, before all that crazy shit, back at the house¡­ Didn¡¯t we have a whole conversation and fight about your addiction? Wow¡­¡±


    Jack can hear the disappointment in his uncle''s voice and it made him feel more shameful than before. His eyes narrowed, looking down to the pills, he reached down and grabbed some and stared at them in his palm. The temptation to consume them all, even in front of his uncle, made the young man shake. Eric could see Jack combat this demon and waited to see what the young man would do. Jack wanted to, his body begged him to indulge in his craving for the white demon to ease his stress. But luckily, something in his body made him reject these feelings, and that being the girl in white.


    ¡°Jack¡­ you¡¯re better than this, don¡¯t let your mind deceive you into taking these, please.¡± she said with a hint of sadness in her gentle tone.


    ¡°Mallory¡­ I-I¡­¡± Jack crushed his eyes shut and closed his palm, and deeply sighed.


    Jack coughs and throws the bottle of pills at Eric. ¡°You don¡¯t understand man¡­ It''s tough out here, and my mind¡¯s not right¡­¡±


    Jack crushed the pills in his hand and walked over to a trash bin to throw the powder away. Eric sighed too but still felt as if the boy''s addiction is much too deep in its phase to be easily defeated right now. In spite of that feeling, he still felt somewhat proud of him for winning this battle, but the big guy still had some words left to say to his nephew.


    As he watched Jack clean up the spilled monsters, Eric crossed his arms and sat on a nearby chair. ¡°Jack, why are you so fucked up?¡±


    Jack stopped any sudden movements and trickled a gasp between his teeth.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you¡¯ve been a normal kid, teen, now a young man like everyone else? Why do you kill for nothing? Why do you consume your demons for your selfish needs? Tell me, my guy¡­¡±


    Jack clutched his chest, squinting his eyes. Eric¡¯s face was still and he remained calm so he could ensure his words and tone reach not only Jack¡¯s ears, but his soul that¡¯s blackened.


    Eric released another breath and stood up out of the chair. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you be like Angela? Is it my fault that you¡¯re a druggie? A piece of shit? And now a self destroying waste of human garbage?¡± He shakes his head, ¡°Tell me man, tell me. Is it my fault? Or Randolph¡¯s, that you¡¯re so fucked up?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes exploded and dropped his jaw, he felt those words reach his blackened heart. There¡¯s a brief pause between the two, Eric breathing, Jack rapidly blinking, trying to comprehend his uncle''s truthful words, they both didn¡¯t know what to say next.


    Jack turns around and stares at Eric who remains quiet and collective. ¡°You¡¯re still holding back on your emotions from Randolph, huh? Uncle¡­¡±


    Eric didn¡¯t respond and remained silent. But Jack saw him ball one his fists. The big guy was doing his best to not show any emotions so he can remain the alpha and mature one in the conversation. Jack understood his uncle''s wording, his reasoning behind his current behaviour, it was all coming to the young man''s clouded mind. Throughout the arguments, fighting, the course of years going by, Jack was always the one being emotionless and trying to remain collective when in reality, he was an emotional mess. His uncle was acting just like Jack when he was younger, but the thing Jack knew most about his uncle was that the big guy, in spite of him acting alpha, strong, cool, in reality, he¡¯s just as emotional.


    Jack sat on the bed and hung his head in shame. ¡°I¡¯m sorry man, it¡¯s not your fault that I¡¯m so fucked up¡­ Its-It¡¯s my fault, like I always said, and I¡¯ll keep repeating so long as I keep breathing.¡±


    Eric lets out a deep sigh in relief. He can feel the tone in Jack¡¯s voice brush against his ear drums with truth behind it.


    ¡°It''s my fault for becoming the trash that I am today. Trust me man, you¡¯re probably not the only one who feels this way, if my dad were here¡­ he¡¯d probably be just as disappointed in me as you said.¡±


    Eric sees Jack¡¯s body looking lighter as his sorrow continues to relax his muscles and tell his uncle of his regrettable past actions.


    ¡°Not only him, but Randolph too¡­ and especially¡ªmy mother.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes quiver in regret. He could feel his emotions ready to burst out.


    Eric walked in front of his nephew, placing his giant hand on the young man''s broad shoulder. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. But my guy, you¡¯re far too young to give up and as I stayed by your side, I can see the change coming to you. It¡¯s only a matter of time until you can finally release the emotions you keep hiding from everyone. Hang in there, my nephew.¡±


    Jack grinned and got up, going to his coat that was hung on a hanger and putting it on. ¡°Thanks uncle.¡±


    ¡°Where you going?¡± asked Eric.


    Jack shook his head and chuckled. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna go see Candy now¡­ since it¡¯s almost that day, you know, that day.¡±


    Eric shakes his head as well and grins. ¡°Tell that fool, he¡¯s still a fruity ass pebble.¡± Eric leaves along with the groceries, leaving Jack alone in his room.


    Jack grins, brushing aside the feelings of sorrow, and readies himself by grabbing his bag, making sure his gun¡¯s loaded and has enough money to make the small journey back to his dear friend Candy. He¡¯s ready and puts the bag on and nods, feeling confident yet again after that small talk with his uncle.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take me a couple days to get to Detroit, since I¡¯ll be walking and going by bus, but I think I¡¯ll be fine.¡± said Jack, gazing at the hotel window.


    Jack was all set and ready to go. Let''s do this, you dumbass.


    Once Jack did leave his room, going to the front desk where the woman who had a crush on him was at, he paid for his room and paid for Eric¡¯s room, that way there wouldn¡¯t be any complications since they¡¯ll be staying in town for a little longer.


    The front clerk gave Jack a cute smile, ¡°Thank you handsome for your services.¡± She gave him a kiss goodbye with her hand.


    Jack recuperated her friendly gesture with a smile of his own, ¡°No, thank you miss.¡±


    Before he left, she wanted to ask something else, but quickly threw that thought away by covering her face. Instead she reminds him to pay for the damages to the door Eric just broke by raising a bill.


    Jack looks over her shoulder and spots a camera room and smacks his lips with a grin. He pays for the damages and walks out of the hotel and the clerk lady gives him one last kiss goodbye.


    Well, she got me there, there was no talking my way out of that case.


    Jack reaches into his bag and pulls out his old flip phone and finally activates it after a long time staying silent. He places the battery back in and turns it on, waiting for it to come to life. Jack¡¯s currently walking on the sidewalk, it¡¯s busy, a saturday afternoon where all families and younglings were out venturing their thirst, hunger, and eagerness to buy things in the town. Seeing everyone with smiles, the sound of laughter passing Jack as he kept walking forward made him feel better. At least in this town no one knew who he was and wasn¡¯t out for an easy access to fortune by taking his life. It felt relaxing and easy minded to know that Jack can casually walk down the sidewalk and enjoy the environment without depression smearing the atmosphere.


    Jack took a stop momentarily in front of a mom and pa shop, checking out the displayed items they had just to sooth his cramped mind. ¡°This-This is nice, huh, I wouldn¡¯t mind living here permanently.¡±


    The young man embellished the moment for another second and continued forward, making his way to the nearest bus stop that¡¯ll take him to the next town or small city. He arrives at the edge of a busy intersection and finds a bus stop that¡¯ll take him to his next stop. Jack stood there, watching people again and sighed, feeling nostalgic and reminiscing a memory of him and his parents when they would frequently go out on the weekends to do the same activities as the people around him did. While waiting, Mallory suddenly appears beside him, grabbing his hand.


    ¡°Woah!¡± said Jack loudly as the coldness that was her skin wrapped around his warmth.


    People around heard and saw him grabbing nothing but the air and stared at him as if he were some random junkie talking to himself.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop doing that?¡± sighed Jack.


    She giggles, Rubbing herself on his arm. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help it sometimes.¡±


    Jack felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and saw the device coming to life.


    ¡°Alright, now I¡¯ll just text Eric to see if the service is still active. Wouldn¡¯t doubt it though.¡±


    Jack does and after a minute, Eric responds by calling him a ¡°stupid druggy maniac.¡± Jack seemed annoyed by that and put his phone away.


    Mallory¡¯s standing by his side and she couldn¡¯t help herself but look around at everything society has made since her last slumber before Jack freed her. Jack liked seeing her curiosity expressed through the awed face she had, it made him mildly grin, warming his heart.


    ¡°Oh wow! I¡¯ve never thought I¡¯d ever be able to walk by your side in the daylight and see how far humans have come in the past centuries! This-This is so fascinating.¡±


    ¡°What? You couldn¡¯t do it before?¡± said Jack, raising a brow.


    Mallory shook her head, and continued glancing around. ¡°Nope, I wasn¡¯t able to, but now that we¡¯re more connected than ever, I¡¯m able to appear whenever I want!¡± She huddles closer to Jack, feeling his heat. ¡°All thanks to my¡ªdarling!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t mind her comforting cold embrace and replied to it by patting her head. ¡°So I¡¯m assuming I¡¯m the only one that can see you right?¡±


    People around were intrigued by Jack petting, grabbing, talking to nothing as if he were a mime without the makeup. Some people took photos, others muttered, whispered words of why he¡¯s acting this way or assumed he¡¯s drugged out of his mind. Jack didn¡¯t like some of the commotion and attention and looked at the folks curious about his actions. He glared at the small audience and reached into his coat, slightly pulling out his gun and making them disperse. There was no panic but instead, slight laughter and snickering.


    Mallory waved at the people who couldn¡¯t see her and laughed in amusement. ¡°That¡¯s right! That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes and scratched his temple. ¡°It is a problem, you trouble maker.¡±


    Mallory pouts her face, but smiles afterwards. ¡°Whatever¡­ So, I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re gonna do what I think you''re gonna do?¡±


    Jack felt tired of standing because of the earlier crowd and sat down on the bus stop bench. ¡°That¡¯s right, I am. I¡¯m really nervous, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to be honest.¡±


    She too sat next to Jack and swung her legs, ¡°Nah! You¡¯re ready, you¡¯re just being a tough guy that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jack smacked his lips and pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just wait for the bus to arrive, it¡¯s gonna be a long journey. Well just like two days or three depending.¡±


    Jack lit his cigarette and smoked while Mallory sat in silence, watching everyone enjoy life. The two watched the townsfolk walk past as car¡¯s drove by and the sound of laughter echoed around them, reminding them of the enjoyments of life, even if it¡¯s just the little things.


    ***


    For the past few days, Sarah¡¯s been quite distant from Anna since their sleep over. Anna hasn''t noticed and stayed oblivious to that while Veronica knew well of the situation and asked Sarah countless times on why she¡¯s been avoiding her best friend Anna. Sarah wouldn¡¯t respond to her question but rather avoid it all together every time it was brought up in conversation. At the moment, Veronica¡¯s alone at the cafeteria, the table where they all would be seated typically. She¡¯s waiting for her friend Anna to come who texted her in the morning that she¡¯ll be there, but she¡¯s nowhere to be found and lunch ends soon.


    Anna, where you, stupid dumby¡­


    Veronica sighs and stares at her lunch, she wonders if Sarah will show up or really has something against Anna all of a sudden. Feeling the burdens out with another sigh, someone placed their hand on her shoulder and made her turn. It¡¯s Danny, the last person who she wanted to see at the moment and oddly smiling at her rather too close.


    ¡°Could you not, jerk.¡± Veronica turns back around and brushes his hand off her shoulder.


    Danny smirks and decides to sit next to her. ¡°Hey VV! How¡¯ve ya been?¡±


    Veronica paid no attention to the menace that was Danny and started eating her lunch in silence. Danny playfully chuckles and leans into Veronica¡¯s viewing, but she would look away. Inside it was irritating him but he played it out as if she were joking.


    ¡°Oh come on now VV? Don¡¯t be like that! You gotta be more polite if you¡¯re gonna be ready for your¡ªbig date!¡±


    Veronica stopped eating and felt annoyed but surprised. ¡°How did you know?! Gosh, you creepy, leave me alone.¡±


    Danny tilts his head in confusion and feels a little surprised hearing that from her, being called a creep.


    ¡°Me? A creep? How so, VV?¡± said Danny, trying to grab her shoulder but was meant with rejection from her scooting away.


    Veronica let out a huge sigh of frustration and slammed her hand on the table. ¡°Can you leave me alone already and especially, leave Sarah alone! Lastly, stop calling me VV, creep.¡±


    Veronica packed the remainder of her lunch, growing tired of Danny¡¯s presence. Danny didn''t like this behaviour from Veronica, feeling as though the other two have influenced her to be this way towards him.


    ¡°Veronica, don¡¯t go! Come on now!¡±


    Veronica¡¯s done packing and walks off, but Danny wasn¡¯t going to allow her to leave so easily. He grabbed her arm and placed pressure, being the one who¡¯s annoyed.


    ¡°Now now, it isn¡¯t very polite to leave your best friend hanging like this without saying goodbye.¡±


    Danny¡¯s playful smile fades and replaces it with a deep frown of anger with a hint of wickedness.


    ¡°Let go, let go of me, Danny!¡± Veronica tries pulling away, but Danny clenches her arm tighter.


    ¡°Stop moving or else you¡¯ll make me madder, besty¡­¡± said Danny in a vulgar tone.


    Veronica ground her teeth and pulled harder, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Listen here! I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re telling you, but I¡¯m innocent okay? Think about it! Sarah¡¯s always disliked me since we were kids, right? That¡¯s why they have you believe those lies that they tell about me.¡±


    ¡°Le-Let go of me, please! You¡¯re hurting me.¡±


    Danny quickly lets go and gasps, ¡°Veronica, I¡ª¡±


    Veronica rubbed her forearm and gave Danny a look of repulsion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I-I didn¡¯t mean to¡ª¡± Danny¡¯s about to stand until he felt someone grab his shoulder with intensity, making him look over his shoulder.


    It¡¯s Anna with her eyes sharpening in intensity, raising the edge of her lip and showing Danny the rage she has towards him. Danny panics and quickly gets up, forcibly chuckling his way out of the situation. Anna though, she wasn¡¯t going to let him get away and kept stepping forward as he walked backwards. Danny tries smoothing his way out, showing Anna that he isn¡¯t afraid, but in doing so makes him bump into another student. The two fall and the victims lunch falls on top of the two, covering them in sauce and noodles.


    Anna crossed her arms and began laughing, ¡°Serves you right, loser!¡±


    The cafeteria joined in as well, and Veronica snickered behind her best friend. The student who fell victim to Danny¡¯s stupidity got up and shouted, ¡°Pay for my lunch!¡± Danny quickly obliges and hands him a buck fifty.


    Danny looks at Anna and looks at Veronica as well, ¡°You¡¯ll pay, the both of you, haha!¡±


    Danny smirks sadistically and laughs away at his own embarrassment. He gets up, pats himself, splashing sauce to other students nearby and walks away, flipping everyone off. His laughter along with the crazed look in his eyes made everyone feel uncomfortable, especially Veronica who felt somewhat bad for the poor sap. Anna sighs and sits down and so does Veronica as the cafeteria simmers down. Anna saw her friend''s face look a little gloomy and decided to cheer her up with her positivity as she usually does.


    Anna pats Veronica¡¯s back and smiles at her to cheer her up. ¡°I got your back girl! Sorry I¡¯m late though, hehe.¡±


    Veronica lets out a huge sigh of relief and hugs Anna, thanking her. ¡°I thought he would never go away! Where were you when I needed you, my guardian angel!¡±


    Anna giggles and takes her lunch out. ¡°Sorry again, I had to talk to the student council about my signatures. Ugh! Such a pain in my ass, I have to get enough signatures by the end of the day to get this over with, but I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ll get the rest.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well you said you hit the parks and close by towns.¡± Veronica closes her eyes and thinks for a moment then opens them again and lifts a finger. ¡°I know! How about downtown, just stand at the front of a busy building and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get enough signatures!¡±


    Anna groans and takes a bite of her lunch. ¡°F-Fine, I¡¯ll do that then, but which building though?¡± Anna too thinks for a second and comes up with something. ¡°I¡¯ll try the Detroit medical centre, it¡¯s always busy with the amount of crime there is and people getting shot or overdosing.¡±


    ¡°Oo, good idea Anna, I told you you got this girl!¡± replied Veronica, turning her frown completely upside.


    Anna raises a fist feeling pumped, ¡°Anna you¡¯re a genius!¡± Her eyes sparkled with excitement over her self compliment while Veronica moaned but felt better.


    Veronica laid her head down on the table, blowing out air. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯m left alone again, goodluck on your small trip.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Aww, you gonna miss me my beloved?!¡±


    Veronica pinched Anna, making the blonde girl bite hard on her lunch. ¡°Yes dear, and text me later on your genius plan if it works.¡± Veronica giggled and rubbed Anna¡¯s arm.


    Anna smiles, finishing her lunch, ¡°Sweet, will do, lunch is almost over, best we leave huh?¡±


    Veronica stands and stretches, ¡°Yeah, I better leave now or else I¡¯ll be late for my usual study session.¡±


    ¡°Oh Veronica, you and your studying. Well, see you later then, I better get going or else I¡¯ll be late to discuss with the rest of the council members about my awesome plan. Wish me luck because I¡¯m gonna need it¡­¡±


    Both girls gave each other hugs and walked off, ending their session and forgetting the events with Danny that brought utter embarrassment to him. The students around were being their normal selves, getting up, cleaning, and being on their way to class. In a matter of minutes, the cafeteria becomes empty but only for a short time when the next lunch parade comes in, storming the seats and filling them up again.


    ***


    It¡¯s midday, school has ended, everyones gone home. Although currently, stomping his way through a busy sidewalk in a striving town located near the city of Detroit, it¡¯s Danny, looking angry. He¡¯s aggravated from what happened earlier in the day, his hands in his pockets and his teeth clenched, the guy is feeling the urge to release his anger onto something. Danny couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how embarrassed he was, humiliated, and made himself look like a complete fool. Approaching his favourite pizza place to munch his anger on a slice to relieve its swelling, his approach became interrupted by a sensation of being watched. Danny stopped and looked to his right to a straight alleyway in which he spotted someone standing there very mysteriously.


    ¡°What in the¡­? Who¡¯s there, I wonder.¡±


    Feeling curious about who''s standing there down the middle, Danny took a step back, stared more intensely and noticed from the shape, clothes, it¡¯s Sarah.


    ¡°Woahoho! Why the hell is she there of all places? Whatever, I¡¯ma go mess with her some more.¡± Hunching forward, Danny saw the small goth girl looking just as angry as he.


    From what he can make out, Sarah looked absolutely livid. Her eyes were cold, a visible wrinkle between her eyebrows, hands clenched, and her face especially expressed wretchedness towards him. Danny found it humorous that someone her size tried looking intimidating, making him laugh uncontrollably. It rather made him think she looked more cute. Danny begins walking towards her with a huge smile on his face.


    Sarah stood her ground and tightened her grasping anger. That¡¯s right, come closer, you vile piece of human trash¡­


    Danny¡¯s getting closer. He felt enjoyment, a sense of adrenaline bursting from the feeling that he¡¯ll make her experience fear from the secret he knew about her and teased it by using his own method of intimidation. Yet something felt strange once he¡¯s getting a foot closer, something in the air felt heavy, to the point it suddenly made him stop moving.


    ¡°Huh?! What in the world¡¯s going¡ª?¡± Danny¡¯s muscles had frozen, his breathing being the only sign of movement.


    The world around him was fading away into a painting of reality. Then, washing away the colours as though someone threw water at a water coloured painting. The colours were smeared, dropping at a very slow pace, making him think if time were coming to a halt. Danny''s breathing was slowing down as well, bringing him to a silent panic.


    Danny manages to move his jaw to express his panicked anger to Sarah, gritting his teeth and building his eyes. Again he tries moving but to no luck, he couldn''t.


    Sarah snapped her fingers and it allowed Danny to move only his mouth muscles. ¡°You can talk now, you piece of filth.¡±


    Danny¡¯s eyes were veiny, bulging harder, looking as if they were on the verge of popping out of their sockets from the unreeling rage he¡¯s having.


    ¡°You-You bi...tch! What are you doing to m-me?!¡± said Danny, having trouble catching his angered breathing.


    Sarah lets down her hair from the tied prison it was in and walks up to Danny who¡¯s immobilised. ¡°You bastard, you think you can hinge on your new ego and harass my friend Veronica¡ªhurting her too!¡±


    Sarah raising her tone made the environment swell like a sponge. The washed out colours sprung up, slapping against their birth place that were the building¡¯s and anything else humanly made.


    ¡°You¡¯re sadly mistaken, and for that I¡¯m going to bind you, putting an end to this attitude of yours.¡± Sarah extends her arm out and walks forward.


    Danny watched as Sarah came to him, feeling the air get heavier and heavier.


    So¡­ this is who you are¡ªAnd what a true Witch is! Danny thought.


    Stopping in front of him, Sarah raises her hand, aiming her palm close to his face. Danny laughed at her face, making Sarah more angrier than ever.


    ¡°Bwaha! You sne-sneaky bi...tch¡­ bwahaha!¡± said Danny, laughing uncontrollably with crazy eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you figured out my identity and tried forcing it out of me and threatening to reveal it to everyone else, but! I¡¯ll ensure you¡¯ll never remember or harm any of us and who I am, ever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s so rich, do as you please, this is hysterical for me, bwahaha!¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ I can¡¯t understand how you knew I was a witch. How long have you known?! Bastard!¡±


    Danny manically smirked. ¡°Idiot! It was too easy to guess! But I have my own sources, so don¡¯t worry about it! Just do your Witchery and let me go so I can get home and sleep, bitch!¡±


    Sarah smacks her lips, ¡°I¡¯ve never liked you and now I understand why even Anna didn¡¯t. You¡¯re nothing but a lost cause, a damned loser who failed to attract the girl of his dreams, only to watch as she fell for your rival.¡±


    Upon hearing that last thing she said, it struck a nerve on Danny so much it made him express the rage he had hiding deep within, turning him rabid.


    Danny tried moving his arms so he could have his hands on Sarah, ¡°Why-Why you! I¡¯ll kill you, but I¡¯d rather do more than that to the likes of you to be honest¡­ like De-flower you bwahaha!¡±


    Sarah slapped him with her other hand, echoing out her righteous anger within this weird abstract of reality. ¡°You¡¯re one sick twisted piece of shit! I¡¯m going to enjoy this, you disgusting, revolting, treacherous pile of dog, shit!¡±


    The slap Sarah had laid on Danny had him leaning his head to the side, he¡¯s quiet but still expressing his anger from his teeth grinding.


    Sarah closed her eyes and muttered her spell beneath her breath for a second but wanted to really get on Danny¡¯s skin. She loved seeing him angry from the reality check that she reminded him of and thought of something that¡¯ll really punch it to his face.


    Sarah grinned and slapped him again in enjoyment. ¡°And you know what¡¯s sadder? Even after him being dead for a long time, she''s finally trying to move on, yet she¡¯s still in love with him. It¡¯s too bad I can¡¯t pity you, you disgusting lame vulture.¡±


    When Danny looked back at Sarah, her eyes were showing wickedness, glowing mildly and showing a tint of blackened purple within the centre of them.


    ¡°Huh, your voice, it changed?!¡± said Danny, shocked.


    ¡°If it were up to me, I would have your life taken away, but alas, I¡¯ll let myself decide that¡­ right? Ahehe¡­¡±


    Danny can¡¯t figure out why Sarah¡¯s voice changed to a more mature sound, but that still didn¡¯t change his hate towards her. ¡°Whatever! All I know is that once you do your spell¡­ I hope you¡¯re ready to meet the past because¡ª¡± He chuckles sadistically and grins afterwards, ¡°I sure wasn¡¯t ready, in fact it almost cost me my life! But, someday, I¡¯ll have my vengeance, and you guys will all be a part of it, so do your worst, Witch, bwahaha!¡±


    Sarah blinked rapidly and raised an eyebrow. ¡° Huh, what¡ª? Ah, nevermind and what are you talking about?¡±


    Danny smiles and sighs, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it! You all will witness it and when that day comes, I¡¯ll be so happy!¡± He closes his eyes and gently expresses an open mouth smile, accepting his fate. ¡°I can¡¯t wait till it comes, and the look on your faces when it does happen will be the best thing to witness, ahh, what a life!¡±


    Sarah grits her teeth in annoyance and returns to her original chant. ¡°I bind thee, Danny, I bind thee to never bring harm to my friends! I bind thee, I bind thee!¡±


    Her palm glows, expanding and forging around her body, outlining it in purple. Sarah closes her eyes and takes a short breath.


    ¡°Daniel Copeland!¡± Sarah slowly places her palm on his chest.


    Sarah turned her frown into her own sadistic smile, one that showed Danny her enjoyment of torturing him.


    ¡°I bind thee!¡± said Sarah, mildly giggling with sadistic tendencies.


    The glow on her palm turned red hot, exploding a huge flash of red light that spewed out to the world around them. Everything was consumed by the huge flash of hot light, forcing Sarah to cover her eyes. Danny on the other hand, endured his punishment and the light, leaving that smile on his face. He didn''t seem to mind this abnormal occurrence and laughed one last time to get on Sarah¡¯s nerves. The flash of light spiralled, and turned to white, engulfing the world in a flash of whiteness. Danny¡¯s laughter transitioned to screaming and in seconds, everything settled down. Sarah with her palm up opened her eyes when she felt the heat fade and upon first glance, she was shocked. Danny had vanished.


    ¡°It-It worked, wow¡­¡± Sarah giggled and let out a moan of relief. ¡°What happened to me when I was binding my spell on Danny, my persona changed in an instant, a wicked enjoyment and change of my attitude. Huh, I wonder if it¡¯s a side effect from doing it.


    Luckily, she knew what happened to him from what her mother had taught and explained to her. Although, Sarah wasn¡¯t sure if it worked completely when she had her eyes closed the majority of the flash. She felt perplexed when she behaved differently in the moment that made Danny question her behaviour and confirm it with the stutter of his voice. She also wondered about different outcomes, one in which he somehow ran away at the last minute because he¡¯s such a pathetic loser, hiding nearby in a trash can to jump scare and hurt her, or lastly, thinking she might¡¯ve done more than just a harmless spell.


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t say he¡¯s dead or I would¡¯ve felt his soul leave this earth. But, that¡¯s that¡­ Just gotta keep on living and see if it works. Thankfully I got mom''s permission to do this, otherwise she would most likely punish me for manipulating our world.¡±


    Knowing that her spell¡¯s set she can rest assured knowing Danny won¡¯t harm or harass her friends no longer. Whatever the outcome was, Sarah can finally be at peace with her mind and focus on the other abnormality bothering her brain, that being the mysterious apparition she encountered. Sarah walks out of the alley and into the street, tying her hair back up and makes her way to a nearby coffee shop, one that she loved. But on her way to the small coffee shop, another thought shot into her mind, rocking it. It¡¯s the feeling when Anna wouldn¡¯t awake from her weird long slumber. Sarah remembered in the past days she tried everything to figure out why Anna emitted such an awful sensation, the same one felt from not just the man, and more importantly, that girl.


    Sarah stopped walking for a moment to reflect her thoughts. ¡°Why did Anna forget about the last hour of our sleepover? I got to solve this mystery, otherwise whoever¡¯s messing with her will most likely mess with Veronica and myself. Pray to mother earth I find this conclusion, don¡¯t want to rely on mom too much and disturb her frequently.¡±


    Sarah continued her walk to the coffee shop, arms crossed now, and went into a deep thinking process on the way there.


    ***


    Jack has just arrived at the Detroit Medical centre. With his hands in his pockets, taking a glance around for a minute, Jack felt out of place from the rest of society. The people around him from business folks, regulars, casual tourists seeming lost, tiny dots of homeless at corners, it felt familiar. For Jack, seeing this side of society again and being isolated for three years, on the run for his life, and now being exposed to the world once again, it wasn¡¯t correlating well with him. In fact it felt vexing, especially since he¡¯s been exposed to the supernatural and knowing that it hides in the world''s shadows.


    ¡°All this, it¡¯s all¡­ too much to be honest.¡± Jack felt extremely nervous, not sure on how Candy would react when he¡¯ll finally reunite with his funny friend and his emotions running rampant.


    ¡°I-I need a moment¡­¡±


    Jack decided to sit on one of the outside benches to ease his mind. The emotions inside him were telling him to go away, but his heart told him to confront the past. Another battle had begun from the ongoing war that started when he was just a child. Sitting alone, Jack stares at the people walking by and gazing at the tall buildings, remembering some old images of himself with his parents when they came downtown every now and then. The sun¡¯s almost setting from the horizine, giving a smokey glow of orange to the skies, he admired the beauty and felt slightly at ease.


    Jack took a deep breath and got up. ¡°Let''s do this¡­¡±


    Jack walked and went up the hospital steps leading to the entrance and took a pause at the entrance. The young man gulped and proceeded inside through the electric slide doors, into the hospital with just enough confidence to confront the past. Approaching the front desk, there was no one in sight. Jack waited for someone to come so he can be let through without trouble or have potential security on him. He did not want a repetition of the past when he and Angela were escaping the hospital and was forced in his mind to take the life of a security guard to get out of harm''s way. Just remembering that moment made the young man frown and moan with disappointment towards himself.


    With no one coming, Jack backed off the desk. ¡°Seems that I may have to wait for a little while.¡± He walked off to the waiting area to go take a seat.


    Jack sits down on a couch and sets his bag down. Man, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m here. He rests his arms on his knees, sighing. Hopefully you¡¯re not screwing with me, Mallory.


    Mallory¡¯s unironically sitting next to Jack rocking side to side. ¡°Nah I¡¯m not, I already punished you so there¡¯s no need for me to cause you anymore pain, and I definitely don¡¯t wish to do that, it hurts me to do so, you know?¡±


    Jack grew accustomed to her sudden appearances and didn¡¯t get surprised as he usually does. ¡°Oh hey, and jeez, you say that so casually, but whatever, at least I know this is all real.¡±


    Mallory stopped her innocent movements, and looked at Jack. ¡°Jack¡­¡±


    Jack looked at her too when she said his name. ¡°What?¡±


    She appeared upset, and sucked her bottom lip to resist sadness. ¡°You know what this means for me, right?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes glanced around in confusion, ¡°Nope, not a clue.¡±


    Mallory sighs and grins, ¡°This means we won¡¯t be together again, for a while.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a relief I guess.¡±


    Mallory pouts her face in sadness, but appears too adorable in Jack¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wow! You freaking jerk, hmph!¡± She crosses her arms with frustration, ¡°Honestly¡­ couldn¡¯t you be just a little nicer to me?¡±


    Jack lays back with his arms behind his head. ¡°I thought I was already doing that? You¡¯re selfish aren¡¯t you?¡± Just as she¡¯s about to respond, someone finally comes to the front desk.


    ¡°Were you waiting sir? I apologise, I was occupied with a pesky task, but I¡¯m here for your assistance now.¡± she said with a smile.


    Jack stands up and walks to the front desk, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m looking for¡ª¡±


    She nods, ¡°Yes, just go to floor fifteen room 222, that¡¯s where they are located.


    ¡°And is a person with black hair there too? A very femine male to add.¡±


    Her eyes exploded and she placed a single finger against her chin. ¡°My word, she¡¯s a he? Eh¡­ that¡¯s some pretty guy alright.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sorry. But are they still there?¡±


    She sighs but keeps her smile. ¡°Yes, they are. Enjoy your visit Mr. Jack Samr.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, good day.¡± Jack walks away and makes his way to the elevators.


    Getting there, the young man felt a swirl of emotions riling him up. He felt flustered, guitl, ashamed, sadness, and anger, telling him or pressuring him to confront or run away. Jack took a long breath and slapped himself to keep his composure.


    Jack pressed the button to go to his destiny and waited. ¡°This¡ªis it¡­¡±


    As Jack waited for the elevator to come, his heart began to race in nervousness and guilt again. Butterflies erupted, grumbling his stomach. He thought he was ready to confront the past he ran from, but it appears that he wasn''t. Jack clenched his chest and closed his eyes, having second thoughts.


    Should I¡­ really do this¡­ after all these years, should I? The elevator dings, and opens.


    Jack stood still for a moment and gulped before entering. The anticipation made the young man ball his fists and shut his eyes.


    ¡°Enough Jack, stop feeling this way.¡± He released his emotions through his nostrils, heavily and proceeded forward into the metal chamber.


    Jack pressed the button to the floor he¡¯s destined to be on and the doors slid shut. Waiting inside the elevator to reach the floor felt vexing for Jack. The urgency to press the stop button and jump out on the next floor and run away was so tempting. But Jack couldn¡¯t allow that, he¡¯s gotten this far so it would be pathetic to do so.


    The elevator stopped and opened the gates to the past. ¡°Here we go, no turning back now.¡± Jack stepped out and glanced at each side of the hallway and saw the numbered room he¡¯s supposed to go down to the right side hall.


    Jack grunts to release some of those feelings of regret and walks, knowing he¡¯s getting closer to face the final trip to this final burden.


    His heart pumped even faster, his face sweated and his arms shaking, he wasn¡¯t sure how to react. ¡°Don¡¯t wuss out Jack¡­ you got this.¡±


    After a small suspenseful walk, feeling the world around him fade in and out of black and white, his vision swirling, at last Jack arrives at the door, room 222. Jack scanned the door, his face turning worrisome and feeling the fear of his mistakes come into fruition. Every single ounce of emotions sprung in a sudden grunt. It was loud and left Jack in a shortened breath, he felt ready to explode. But the young man fought hard to combat them, letting them know he¡¯s not ready to release them. Jack dragged his hand over his face and turned his face still, taking one last final breath.


    This is it, and now all you have to do is¡­ knock, Jack.


    Staring at the door to his past, knowing that Candy¡¯s on the other side, Jack gulps every bit of nervous intent he had left and slowly lifts his knuckles. Slowly, Jack¡¯s knuckles approached the door, but he stopped himself to tap on it. He¡¯s still hesitant and all those butterflies inside him were about to explode up out of his stomach and spew out his mouth.


    ¡°Ah, fuck¡­¡± Jack takes in some air, smacks his face, blows, and finally knocks.


    With his eyes clenched, he waited for a response. Don¡¯t back down, don¡¯t back down, just wait, wait!


    There¡¯s no answer at first, making him squint his eyes harder, but as soon as he¡¯s about to knock again, a familiar voice finally responds.


    ¡°Wh-Who¡¯s there?¡± They seemed a little afraid now by the sound of their muffled voice behind the door. ¡°Whoever it is! You better talk or I¡¯ma bite your dick off! Didn¡¯t I warn ya goofy booboo docs?!¡±


    Jack opened his eyes and quietly chuckled. All that stress and nervousness faded away the moment he heard Candy¡¯s voice, bringing him at ease.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ me, Candy.¡± said Jack in a relaxed tone.


    ¡°Me? Who the hell''s me?! Anybody can be me, fool! I¡¯m warning you! You better say who you say it is or I''ll me, me inside you stranga!¡±


    Jack laughed, and stopped. Hearing Candy be himself was enough to lift the burdens off his shoulders.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Jack¡ªyou fruit pebble.¡±


    Once Jack revealed who he was, there was a brief pause of silence. Sounds of operating machines in the background along with people yelling, crying in agony over lost loved ones, doctors, nurses communicating, Jack wasn¡¯t sure how Candy would respond now. Then, Jack heard the door unlocking and saw the door knob twisting. Jack kept his poker face and waited, un-balling his fists. The door slowly opens and there he was, Jack¡¯s old good friend Candy, though with a change in appearance. His hair is longer, bangs more to the side, having blue highlights, even wearing makeup to his late sisters liking. If Candy were to ask a random guy out, he¡¯d fall victim to him from his convincing feminine looks that have gotten more troublesome throughout the years.


    Both men stared at each other in the midst of the natural noises of the hospital. Candy¡¯s face turned red in both anger and sadness, scrunching intensely to hold off his emotions. Jack grinned and looked over his shoulder to see the room mildly dark like his last visit.


    Jack approached Candy, and said, ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Candy¡¯s left speechless with his eyes quivering as he slowly covers his mouth dramatically. ¡°I know you¡¯re mad at me, but I¡¯ll let you punch me to make it up to you for abandoning the two of you.¡±


    Candy¡¯s eyes turning red with tears slowly coming out of their edges, he got out from the doorway, walked up to Jack and gently wrapped his arms around the young man. Before speaking, Candy whimpered softly and Jack usually would push him off but allowed his close friend to embrace him. It¡¯s the least that Jack can do to reciprocate his friends feelings for leaving them.


    ¡°You-You fucking asshole¡­¡± said Candy as he rubbed his head on Jack''s chest, ¡°Why did you disappear? Leaving me all alone here you big dumbass!¡± Candy couldn¡¯t help but cry his butt off, embarrassing Jack now.


    A doctor and his assistant along with two folks nearby thought it was adorable thinking he was comforting his crying girlfriend. Jack felt their snooping gaze and glared in response, but they stayed watching. In the moment, Jack can¡¯t act himself and allows it, letting out an aggravated sigh.


    Jack scratches his head, but he smiles and pats Candy¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry buddy, I had my reasons, I¡¯ll make it up to you.¡±


    Candy steps back, wiping his face. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You being here boo boo is more than enough to make it up for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh by the way Candy, Eric said you¡¯re a fruity ass pebble if I remember correctly.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Candy¡¯s sad face turns to annoyance as he crosses his arms and sways his hip to the side. ¡°Well you tell that oversized sexy gorilla he better watch his mouth or I¡¯ll kiss him!¡±


    Jack laughs and lets out a sigh of relief afterwards. ¡°Man, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re still the same¡­¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that I¡¯d change? You think running off with your dick between your thighs like a big ol panzie would be enough to change the likes of my wonderous attitude boo?! Psst, please sweety.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know. May I¡ªcome in? I need to do something and say something too.¡±


    Candy smiles and pats Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Of course big guy, take your time, I¡¯ll wait out here while you do your thang.¡±


    ¡°Thank you as always Candy.¡± Jack walks inside the room and Candy closes the door behind Jack.


    There¡¯s barely any light in the room as he walked in, stepping around the corner to take a glimpse into the full room that had a big curtain, covering half of it. Just a small bit of the sunset shining through a tiny opening on the window curtains was all the light he had. Jack makes his way to the side of the curtain covering something and pushes it to the side, revealing a bed. There''s a shadow lingering over it, and Jack pulls a chair to sit next to the bed.


    Jack had a soft gentle grin on his face and seemed so relaxed, and grabbed someone''s small pale hand and clenched it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know you¡¯re probably really upset with me¡­ but I just couldn¡¯t bear to see you like this.¡±


    Jack caresses the tiny hand and stares at the person''s face, lingered by the darkness that lurked. He wanted to shed tears but kept his relaxed state to embrace the moment of silent happiness. After another moment, Jack patted their head and rubbed their hand again.


    ¡°You have no idea how much I blame myself for that day¡­ but knowing that you¡¯ll someday wake up is more than enough to push me through life.¡±


    Jack kisses their hand and closes his eyes, holding their softness to the edge of his face.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ll wake up, and when that day comes¡­ I promise to take you to school¡­ Happy birthday, baby¡­ sis.¡±


    Angela¡¯s hooked up to a breathing machine, Jack stood up from his seat to allow the sun to hit his sister for a little while so she could feel a sense of heated courage to awaken her from her current clumber. The sunset sets a sad glow of orange over her hair that¡¯s grown long, spreaded all over her backside and edging out the bed, along with the rest of her body that¡¯s grown too. The past Jack ran away from was not only from Mallory, but from his sister Angela, he couldn¡¯t bear the feeling of guilt when that night happened and spent so many nights laying waste to his sorrow. Jack felt so hopeless that his sister ended up half dead and forced into a coma to save her life, making him feel completely at fault.


    Then one day he had enough of staring, waiting, going days without eating, having to bear witness the guilt of his actions being rubbed and smeared on him on a daily basis, he snapped. On that day two years ago, he ran away from all this depression to rethink his mind, but even then, in those years of being chased by his enemies and hiding from his past has only made him more mentaly broken as a human being. Eric was forced to chase after the young man that day, leaving everything behind to bring him back to his senses. But both men ended up being stuck in a town where Dr. Cato quickly took action into his plans when Jack had a horrid mental breakdown.


    Yet despite all that, going through a corridor of his emotions and finding the right one to express, Jack hadn¡¯t given up on her. He knew deep down inside, she¡¯ll wake up from her coma someday, giving him the courage to fight on and to see her face again. Before, the doctors told him that it was a slim chance she¡¯d ever awake from such serious injuries, but he knew that wasn¡¯t true knowing how much of a hard fighter she was. Thankfully one doctor, a strange one with spiky hair that sloped to the side, encouraged Jack and told him that she will awake when the time''s right. It confused the young man at the time from his strange hair and mysterious eyes of cold blue, but the fact one doctor told him was more than enough for him to remember.


    Jack stares out to the city skyline and closes the curtains but enough to still let the sunset shine on Angela¡¯s pale skin. The young man walked back to his sister and leaned into Angela¡¯s face, kissing her cheek to say goodbye. He stared at his unconscious sister and started breathing heavily, he¡¯s about to break but resisted.


    ¡°Angela¡­¡± Before leaving, Jack remembered something.


    He takes off his bag and brings out her figurines, placing them on the table in front of her, hoping she¡¯ll wake up to spot them there. Jack saw the one she compared him to, the one figurine with the orange tracksuit and spiky hair. It made Jack chuckle beneath his breath and rub his cheek in humour.


    Letting out heavy air, Jack walks away, looking back one last time to his sleeping sister. ¡°Goodbye, I¡¯ll see you again soon, Angela.¡±


    Jack walks to the door and opens it, walking out of the room and looks at Candy before taking his full leave. Candy gave Jack a thumbs up and rubbed the young man''s back to ease his emotions from how mildly red Jack¡¯s eyes were.


    Jack places his hand on Candy¡¯s shoulder and grins. ¡°Thank you¡­ for everything, my friend.¡±


    Candy, with a huge smile on his face, forgives Jack with another hug. ¡°Jack, you know I wouldn¡¯t let you down boo.¡± He lets off, placing both hands on his hips.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back to visit her more often and promise to be by her side the day she¡¯ll finally awake from her coma. Trust me, I¡¯m not leaving anyone ever again, I¡¯ve learned my lesson¡­¡± Jack rubbed his stomach, smacking his lips. ¡°...And it sucked.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say big guy, I¡¯ll see you later, okay.¡± Candy waves and walks back into the room, closing the door behind him.


    Jack keeps his grin, walks off and looks back one last time to spot Mallory suddenly standing at the door with tears running down her face.


    Jack walks up to her and looks into her eyes. ¡°So, is this what you meant?¡±


    Mallory smiles as she wipes an eye. ¡°Yeah¡­ the day you disappeared I forced myself out of her and went wild, but now that you¡¯ve returned me to her, I won¡¯t be able to do my wicked things or be by your side like I have these past couple of days.¡±


    Jack raises a brow, ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem with that? So I¡¯m assuming you won¡¯t go back inside me until she wakes up, right?¡±


    ¡°Well not exactly, so long as you¡¯re within city reach, I¡¯ll be with you, even if it¡¯ll be for a short time, but not like beside you, you know what I mean, jerk.¡±


    Jack places his hand on her shoulder. ¡°If I need help you¡¯ll be there is what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    Mallory wipes both eyes, giggles, and hugs Jack. ¡°That''s right!¡± She lets go after a small embrace and begins to fade, ¡°See you tomorrow, I guess?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that?¡± replied Jack as he pats her shoulder and walks away.


    Mallory fades away and Jack finally walks in the elevator feeling relieved of everything. The burdens of his past confronted, solved, he felt at peace for once, though the thought of Dr. Cato came up again. He let out a deep sigh but continued grinning, feeling life might become better from now on, hopefully.


    ***


    Meanwhile outside near the hospital''s vicinity, Anna¡¯s currently frustrated that nobody wanted to sign their signatures to help people with mental help from her project. She stood near the bottom steps, leading to the entrance to the hospital with her binder open. She kept trying to talk to people or get their attention to sign up, but it was hopeless. They would always give her the cold shoulder, some tried asking sexual acts, and the rest would taunt her just because it was a good deed.


    ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m sick of people¡­¡± Anna sighs and almost feels the need to slam the binder on the ground with all the venting frustration she had.


    But being the strong minded person she is, Anna wasn¡¯t ready to give up yet.


    You can do this Anna! The mentally ill are relying on you for their awareness, don¡¯t give up, let''s go!


    Anna¡¯s confident enough to know she¡¯ll get all the signatures she needs to get her movement approved from the counsel. With her head straight and chest puffed out, she once again tried getting people to sign up. But yet again, in a matter of minutes, they ignored, walked, or even in some cases tried creeping up on her from behind to do devious actions. She warred those folks off while cursing the others in her mind because of her kindness.


    Anna lowers her head again and lets out an aggravated sigh. Nevermind¡­ this is hopeless!


    Anna held the edges of the binder tightly, feeling the need to tear it in half. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m some genius all right; sheesh people are so rude downtown!¡±


    She starts walking but a gust of wind blows some of the papers off of her binder.


    ¡°No! Ahh great, just my luck¡­!¡± With her mood worsened, Anna went up to some closeby papers and started picking them up with no one to aid her unintentional littering.


    Jack¡¯s already made his way outside of the hospital, standing at the top steps. ¡°Well, time to see how the rest of the day goes.¡±


    As Jack glances around, he spotted someone, notably a girl picking up papers on the street at the bottom of the steps, questioning if they were just being a hippie or they dropped their papers on their way to work.


    Wonder if they¡¯re a protester, whatever, guess I¡¯ll help.


    Jack walks down the stairs to help the person and makes it to the bottom. While the person grabbed more nearby, Jack spots one of the papers below his feet and picks it up.


    The girl notices and briefly looks over her shoulder, seeing the tall individual basking in the sunset. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll pick it up.¡±


    Jack heard her but decided to take a quick read and notice the paper''s title labelled, ¡°The real problem with America, Mental health¡­ Huh? How relatable.¡± chuckled Jack.


    Upon further inspecting it, he saw zero signatures on it, making him shake his head.


    ¡°Of course society is taking this issue lightly, here, I¡¯ll be the first to sign this.¡± Jack pulled out a pen from his pocket, and signed his full name on it.


    That should do it, maybe this might make her day since she looks like my age guessing by her outfit.


    The girl gathered her papers, knees bent, and turned around with a frown and blowing out air. Once her gaze was set on the tall individual she saw him grinning without seeing him sign the paper in his hand. Letting out a sigh from seeing his grin, she thought he was making fun of the issue like everyone else.


    Jack approached the girl with the paper in his hand. She grabbed the last of the papers, organised them in the binder, and stood back up.


    Brushing some hair behind her ear, Anna looked up to the guy''s face. ¡°Sorry about¡ª¡± The girl paused, and stared at Jack as he stared at her as well.


    She had long blonde hair, glistening green eyes, and was beautiful. Jack observed her fully, the grungy styled outfit to her accessories and felt something familiar about her but couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. Rather, Jack furrowed his brows, thinking even harder but to the girl it looked like he was glaring at her.


    That didn¡¯t stop Anna from doing her own observations too, noticing the scar on his cheek, his long brown messy hair, strange out of style outfit. But the thing that caught her eyes were his eyes, eyes so empty and cold like an iceberg. They were as brown as his hair yet as she stared deeper into them, you were caught in a void of nothingness from their dead nature.


    This girl, she looks so damn familiar¡­ it¡¯s bringing back memories, gr but where?!


    As the sun settled further down, bringing the glow to the edge of his broad shoulders and edge of her face, something shone around her neck. It caught Jack¡¯s attention and upon first glance, it made the young man¡¯s eyes shrink,


    Wait¡­ that necklace? Around her neck¡ªit-it can¡¯t¡ªbe?!


    Jack stared at the necklace intensely, looking at the pendant and immediately gasped with shock from the familiar shape. There¡¯s only two people he knew who wore that necklace, his mother and the very person who he gave it to back when he was just ten years old.


    Jack slowly gave her back the paper with his face that mistakenly spoke anger to her, but in reality was in a shocked state. She swallowed, feeling he may attack her from how intense his stare was and took back the paper. She looked at the paper and spotted a signature, his signature in fact. And once she saw his name, the girl¡¯s eyes were widening, and her jaw slowly dropped in utter shock.


    Jack¡­ Samr¡­? The girl gasped, the paper in her hand trembled as her glistening eyes set back at him.


    The two stared into each other''s eyes, their souls reaching out towards each other in the form of a faint afterimage of their childhood selfs. Their chains around Anna¡¯s heart cracked once again, and a tear trickled down, off her face.


    Jack¡­? Anna thought.


    An image of Jack when he was a kid popped up out of his face. Then, a mirror of the two standing side by side made it more clear how similar the two were. Though this time, the difference between the two were the eyes, eyes that were once filled with life are nothing more than an abyss. She stutters something beneath her breath and drops her papers as her eyes begin leaking, causing them all to fall everywhere and fly around them. Anna¡¯s tears drifted everywhere from a huge gust that blew away the papers, some of those tears landing on Jack¡¯s face. It made Jack¡¯s eyes explode. She leaped towards him, Jack left frozen with shock and wasn''t paying attention to her action, the world around them slowing down; Jack¡¯s having a flashback of the necklace that his mother gave to him, the very one he gave to, that being¡ª


    ¡°Anna¡­¡± muttered Jack.


    Anna leaps onto Jack and wraps her arms around him, crying her eyes out onto his chest. Jack could feel her overfilled sadness, joy, and at last, to her, relief. Jack came out of rewind and looked down to her and wrapped his arms around her. Anna cried loudly, letting out her emotions to tell the world just how relieved she was that her best friend had returned from the dead to reunite with her. Their childhood memories that were turning to black, now forging into colour, and putting behind the sorrow that dwelled within the two,


    Jack held her tightly as his eyes rattled, and opened his mouth to say his late best friend''s name, that being, ¡°An-Anna¡­¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 10: Part 2

    Outside of city limits, back in a striving neighbourhood, quiet, and up to standards to the rest of the country instead of the decomposing abandoned homes the state of Michigan¡¯s known for; Jack and Anna were back at her grandparents house, and he¡¯s sitting inside the living room couch. Currently, the young man is sitting in silence, waiting for Anna¡¯s next move.


    Jack raised his hand and stared at his palm, ¡°Anna, heh¡­ you haven¡¯t changed, haven¡¯t you, my dear friend.¡±


    During their walk back to her new home, the two stayed dead quiet throughout the walk, but they did one thing that expressed their permanent bond, and that was hold hands the entire time. At first, Jack couldn¡¯t believe it was her, he wasn¡¯t too sure if this was all just a dream or reality when he walked beside her. In the middle of the walk the young man punched himself, surprising her and making her panic. It was a dumb but funny moment for the two and it was more than enough for Jack to realise it was real. Although Jack couldn''t help but pinch himself as hard as he could to once again check if this is reality.


    Jack looked around, the environment itself was all too familiar to him. ¡°Nothing¡¯s changed since the last time I came here when I was nine years old.¡±


    Jack closed his hand and lowered it to his knee, sighing. Her grandparents weren¡¯t home, but he wasn¡¯t sure how¡¯d they react seeing their lovely granddaughter bring home some strange dangerous looking guy to their loving home. Wanting to feel the past with his hand, Jack reached his arm out to pick one of the photos set on the coffee table and stared at it. He smiled upon first glance. It¡¯s a photo of his family and theirs when they were young.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Dad, boy do I miss the two of you.¡± Jack could feel his eyes swell and feel the urge to cry.


    Seeing his parents again with smiles on their faces reminded him all over again how much he dearly missed them. Jack brushes his hand over his hair and gently sets the photo down. He wiped his face and erased his emotions. Jack then heard footsteps coming to him and looked forward, seeing Anna coming back with a set of coffee on a tray.


    Anna was still nervous as she walked back to show, the tray making all types of sounds from her shaking. Anna nervously sets it on the table, still feeling the shock of her old dear friend that everyone presumed was dead to now still be alive. Jack watched as his best friend combatted her emotions, nervously setting everything up and trying her best to not stare at him.


    Anna did look but only to ask him something while her head rattled with nervousness, ¡°Co-Coffee?¡±


    Jack grins and nods, ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯ll be great, Annabelle.¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes went erratic, blinking rapidly and nodding to his reply. She started pouring with a coffee pourer, but poor Anna couldn¡¯t keep the cup still and spilled some coffee.


    Anna got frustrated and gripped her hair, groaning. ¡°Damn it! Oh-Oh¡­ Oh no-no! I¡¯m-Im¡ªsorry! Shit¡­¡±


    Anna looked like she was about to cry as she quickly rushed to grab a rag to clean up the mess, but Jack hurried up to stop her, grabbing her arm. Anna paused, hung her head and gasped quietly. She turned around, and Jack reeled her close towards him so they could look into each other''s eyes in silence. Jack gently pats her head, Anna grabbed his wrist and lowered it off her, and both naturally bump heads gently. Anna smiles with her eyes filling up with water again as Jack wrapped an arm around her waist.


    Jack raises both hands and sets their roughness on her cheeks. ¡°My dear friend Anna, you¡¯re still the klutz that I remember¡­¡± said Jack quietly.


    Anna continues smiling as she grabs his hands that were set on her cheeks. ¡°Ye-Yeah¡­¡± Her smile faded and a frown appeared. ¡°I-I thought¡­ we thought¡ª¡± She couldn¡¯t help but cry more and clench his hands.


    Jack lowered both their hands and held hers, staring into those green oceans waterfalling down her face. Jack wiped her eyes and sweeped Anna off her feet, surprising her and quickly seating the two on the couch as he placed her down on his lap.


    Jack bumped her head and whispered to his best friend. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I know it¡¯s difficult to take in, you¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s shocked.¡±


    Anna leans against Jack¡¯s chest and clutches his shirt and whispers too. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re alive. It¡¯s so hard to believe, that means¡­¡± Anna¡¯s smile came back but coated in softness. ¡°...My gut was right all along.¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes quivered in happiness. She wiped them and closed them to embrace the moment. Jack rubs her arm and rests against her head. Nobody was enjoying this just as much as he did. He¡¯s indulging this moment the best way he could possibly express it with his new attitude and imprinting it into his cluttered mind.


    ¡°You have no idea¡­ how much I¡¯ve missed you. Huh, this day couldn¡¯t have gotten any better for me.¡± Jack smiles, and lets out a soft sigh.


    Anna opened her eyes again, ¡°We thought you were dead, they told us you were killed in a fire? What happened?¡±


    Hearing that same lie again made Jack squint his eyes in anger and ripped the smile off his face.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. They lied to you, all of you, and made you believe that was the case¡ªbut that couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth, Anna.¡±


    Anna clutches his shirt with slight anger, but doesn''t show it on her face. ¡°Bastards¡­ How could they? But if that¡¯s the case, then where have you been all these years then?¡±


    Jack maoned, ¡°Isolation, madness, and out to the damned streets of Flint at its coldest winter? And ever since then, I¡¯ve lived and almost died for it. Heh, the street life isn¡¯t so bad once you get used to it, you know?¡±


    Anna clinged on harder, letting out more sadness onto Jack¡¯s chest. ¡°Jack, I¡¯m-I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sh, it¡¯s okay to feel bad but don¡¯t pity me, please. I made the decision to live this way, I had no other choice. When it comes to that life, you have to do anything to survive, even if it means you have to let go of the person you used to be.¡±


    Anna couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for him. Just his dead voice alone was enough to back his story, sounding monotone and lifeless. When she let off momentarily to look into his eyes again to see any signs of a twinkle, glint of life, they¡¯re just as cold and brittle as Detroit''s winters.


    ¡°How much have you suffered?¡± muttered Anna.


    Jack quietly pats her head and looks out her window, ¡°I¡¯ve suffered enough¡­ more than enough.¡±


    Anna stared at Jack as he gazed at her window. ¡°Jack¡­¡± She rests her head again and the two continue to embrace the moment as the sun finally sets down.


    Night has dawned, both childhood best friends didn¡¯t do much other than share their heat and bask in their reunion in silence. Eventually Anna fell asleep on Jack¡¯s lap and the young man was currently quietly reflecting on what his future will be from now on being reunited with Anna. His past liked to barge into his thoughts to remind of his mistakes while he ruffled Anna¡¯s silky hair in reflection. Anna slept peacefully and Jack caressed her cheek in silence as he still gazed out the window until he heard her front door open.


    Stepping into their home, and looking at the door opening wide, he realised It¡¯s her grandparents who finally returned home.


    Hmm, it¡¯s been awhile. I wonder how they¡¯ll react to me now after all these¡ªnevermind, it''s been far too long for them to even recognize me at this point. Jack thought.


    They took off their coats, hanging it up on their coat rack near the door, her grandfather closed the door behind them. Her grandmother¡¯s the first to look forward to the living room and spotted Jack on the couch with their granddaughter resting against his chest, her eyes still puffy from all the crying she did.


    She raised her old fragile finger as it trembled at Jack¡¯s direction. ¡°Uh, sweetheart, there¡¯s someone on our couch with our beloved granddaughter on their lap¡­¡±


    Her grandfather immediately stepped forward in front of his wife, reaching behind his pants. ¡°Who¡ª? Wait a minute!¡± He had a firearm hidden in concealment and gripped the handle. ¡°Who are you?! And I thought she was gay!¡±


    They were confused and afraid. Her grandmother clinged onto her husband and he was ready to pull out his gun and aim it at the young man. Jack kept his straight face but brought out a soft smile to relieve their rising suspicion and tension.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated, and a long story, but for now, long time no see.¡± Jack raised his hand, weakly waving.


    Her grandfather was still sceptical and grit his teeth. ¡°Okay? And who are you, exactly?¡±


    Her grandmother knitted her brows and raised her fist at Jack, ¡°You speak like we¡¯ve met before, scary looking man! Now spill who you are!¡±


    Jack sighed and held Anna, getting up on his feet with her in his arms. ¡°I do because¡­ I¡¯m Jack, Jack Samr, Anna¡¯s old childhood best friend.¡±


    Once Jack revealed his name, the two were absolutely speechless. Both of her grandparents stayed there in a state of shock, trying to comprehend what he just said. Her grandfather gripped his gun harder and her grandmother felt confused. While the two were processing what was revealed, Jack, meanwhile, was carrying Anna back to her room. Luckily he still remembered it and went down the hallway, finding it and going inside her room so he could tuck her into bed. Jack gently placed her on her bed, tucking her in properly and patting her head one last time.


    Her grandparents snapped out of their frozen state, quickly followed Jack, and went inside her room too, watching him tuck their granddaughter to bed. Jack heard them come in and felt their gaze once he finished tucking her in.


    ¡°I know you all must be confused about how I¡¯m here?¡± Jack looked over his shoulder to her grandparents. ¡°But I¡¯m not an imposter nor a savage seeking to do devious acts to your granddaughter. It¡¯s really me, Jack Samr¡­¡±


    The two elders looked at each other and were still baffled over it. Adequately, their hearts were telling them that he was in fact, telling the truth. Her grandfather scratched the back of his head, feeling conflicted and her grandmother gripped her chin, analysing Jack¡¯s features to see if there were similarities between the two. If anyone knew Jack well it would be her grandmother who took care of him along with Anna on playdates when they were younger.


    ¡°Lets see, I¡¯m going to approach you, Jack,¡± said her grandmother.


    She walked up to the young man while her husband stayed on guard. Jack looked fearless, confident, but inside, he was a nervous wreck. He remained cool but quickly, his nervousness showed by a single drop of sweat that came out his head down his face. Her grandmother saw and stopped, looking at Jack head to toe and analysing everything about him.


    ¡°Come here, give me your hand.¡± She stretched out her nimble old hand to Jack and he obliged, grabbing its soft nature. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m not quite so sure.¡±


    Jack moaned softly, worried, and her grandmother stared deep into Jack¡¯s dead fish eyes. Jack felt nervous and expressed it, blinking hard and diverting his attention away. Her grandmother nodded and let go. Her grandfather¡¯s eager to pull his weapon out and use it in a threatening manner. But then, her grandmother hugged the young man, surprising him and without his awareness, reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet.


    Jack blinked rapidly and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Dang, ca-caught me off guard there.¡±


    Her grandmother grinned and opened it, seeing the tip of a photo tucked away. ¡°Let''s see now¡­¡± She pulled the photo out and saw it was a photo of him and his dearest sister. ¡°You have a sister, I presume? Because the Jack we know was a single child.¡±


    Jack frowned and clenched a fist. ¡°It-It¡¯s complicated, but turn it over.¡±


    Her grandmother did and saw another photo glued to the back, one with the Jack she knew and all of his friends, including her granddaughter. It made her gasp and hold the photo towards her chest, whimpering. Her grandfather quickly came to his wife''s side to comfort her. He rubbed her back and her grandmother handed the photo to her husband so he could see for himself. He grabbed the picture and also gasped, looking at Jack in sadness.


    ¡°You are him! My God, I-I don¡¯t¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Believe it?¡± said Jack, ¡°Yeah, hard to believe, right?¡±


    Anna¡¯s grandmother grabbed Jack¡¯s hands and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so sceptical, but when I looked into your eyes, I saw your mother. You guys have the same eyes, and luckily your father¡¯s height, hehe!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes quivered upon hearing her comparison to his mom. ¡°You-You really¡­ think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my sweet, though the light that used to shine within them is gone, there¡¯s no denying it. You are their child and Anna''s beloved friend.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes swelled up and he quickly shut them, fighting the sorrow that wanted to spill out. Anna¡¯s grandfather patted Jack¡¯s shoulder to tell him that everythings alright without saying a word. Jack reopened his dimmed headlights and glimpsed at the two, hanging his head down.


    Her grandfather still felt optimistic, grabbing his chin and looking closer. ¡°Are you really Jack though? I don¡¯t know, you look like some deranged looking¡ª¡± Her grandmother gripped his love handle and twisted. ¡°Ahahaha, I mean yes, Jack my boy! Ahem, there''s no denying it, hmmm, yeah it is you the more I look into your eyes. Those eyes once filled with shine are as dim as a fire now! You¡¯ve suffered tremendously, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack couldn''t help but briefly chuckle at his sarcasm, remembering well just how much of a jokester he was and still is. But he was also surprised that they noticed how broken he is just from his eyes alone.


    ¡°You guys are good, no wonder she always trusted you two.¡± Jack looked back at Anna who¡¯s still asleep. ¡°During my coldest, brutal, loneliest days, there wasn¡¯t a time amongst them that I didn¡¯t think about her, she-she¡¯s my best friend.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why we wanted you to marry her! You¡¯d be perfect for her!¡± said her grandmother while caressing his rough hands.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Her grandfather sighs and brings out a smile, feeling convinced enough Jack¡¯s in a better mood. ¡°Ha ha! That¡¯s right my boy, why don¡¯t you spend the night here?¡±


    Jack liked their welcoming joy, their auroma of friendliness, it reminded him of the old times when his parents would bring him here to play with Anna when their parents would have horrible fights. Those times were the ones he embedded into his mind the most, and the ones in which their bond grew the grandest.


    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t, I don¡¯t want to be a bother.¡± replied Jack.


    They both insisted and invited him to dinner too. Jack smiled, feeling loved once again, but from a past where happiness was always present. Never would Jack think he¡¯d ever be treated this nicely, and with such affection and love. He felt like his old self again. Jack humbly accepted their offer and followed them back to their dining room while her grandmother held his hand too to go there to comfort the young man''s damned soul.


    All three were eating dinner, one made by Anna¡¯s grandmother. It was a grand meal of mashed potatoes, grilled fish, and steamed vegetables. Jack doesn¡¯t remember the last time he had such a warm and loving home cooked meal like this, it felt so unreal to him. He ate the wonderful dinner, her grandparents watched as he devoured the food like a homeless puppy. The three conversed, shared laughs, and Jack told them how treacherous and horrifying the street life was to him during their meal. During their conversation, Anna¡¯s grandmother wanted to know more about street life, even going as far as asking the really personal questions.


    ¡°Jack my boy, in the amount of time you¡¯ve spent on the streets, have you ever witnessed death?¡± asked her grandmother while taking a bite of fish.


    Jack drank his cup of water and paused for a moment before answering her question. The young man nods and takes another bite of food before looking at the two.


    ¡°The amount of people I¡¯ve seen killed, the consequences of drug addiction that lead to their demise, petty arguments escalating to a murder, and the amount of friends I¡¯ve lost along the way; It¡¯s enough for anyone to feel discouraged and throw their life away too.¡± said Jack.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Jack?¡± asked Anna¡¯s grandfather.


    Jack stopped eating and took off his coat, showing the scars on his arms and pointing at the one to his face. ¡°Because I already have, and these are the consequences of my actions.¡±


    They were left so speechless and stunned that they couldn¡¯t help but cry, feeling awful how much he¡¯s suffered.


    ¡°When you live such a life you¡¯ll get used to it after a while. Especially for someone that you care for so dearly.¡±


    That broke them even more, enough to jump out of their seats and hug poor Jack who¡¯s casually still eating his food.


    Jack didn¡¯t want to say anymore, especially the fact that he¡¯s a cold bloodied wanted murderer that¡¯s been on the run for years. It¡¯ll devastate them if they found out about this side of him. So the young man kept his mouth shut about anything else about the ruthless lifestyle not only he chose, but still continues to live by. After a wonderful discussion and Jack giving them some more light hearted backstory about his struggle, all three, after cleaning up their dinner, walked together out the dining room. The three walked and stopped when they reached Anna¡¯s room. Her grandparents wanted to tell Jack some last minute words before going to bed.


    ¡°Well Jack, sleep well tonight, take advantage of it because I can tell your body needs the most it needs and this is perfect for you.¡± said Anna¡¯s grandmother.


    Her grandfather walked up to Jack patting his shoulder, ¡°Yeah, and uh, try convincing our granddaughter about¡ª¡±


    Then her grandmother came in, twisting his love handle to stop him from saying anything personal about their granddaughter. ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you, honey.¡±


    ¡°Gwah! Okay okay, let go please.¡±


    Jack chuckled, ¡°You two remind me of us when we were little, thank you, for everything.¡±


    Her grandmother smiled, ¡°No Jack, thank you for coming back into Anna¡¯s life, she needs it, truly.¡±


    Her grandfather steps back, placing his hand on his wife''s shoulder. ¡°You have no clue what type of mental trauma your supposed death had on poor Anna. Poor girl, not to mention¡ªhmm, ah, nevermind, goodnight Jack.¡±


    Jack nods, and raises a hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t deserve praise, goodnight you two.¡± Both grandparents waved and walked to their rooms down the hall and Jack walked back into Anna¡¯s room.


    Going inside, Jack decided to sit on her rocking chair at the corner of her room to sleep on it. Walking to it, Jack spots photos of her and himself when he glances at her top dresser.


    Jack grabs one photo and chuckles briefly, but frowns afterwards. Anna¡­ how much mental trauma did you go through if what your grandmother said is true¡­


    Unexpectedly, Anna¡¯s grandmother came back in, she had one last thing to ask of Jack. She walked beside the young man who kept his eyes on the photo, but he knew she was coming from her soft footsteps.


    ¡°Hey Jacky boy, the little girl in the first picture, who is she? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    Jack looked at her grandmother and his eyes told her that he was in emotional pain. ¡°She¡¯s-She¡¯s my self adopted sister¡­ a girl I met when I was isolated from society.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, isolated? Is there more that we don¡¯t know about you?¡±


    Jack nods, ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯d rather not talk about that part of my past. It¡¯s too much, but please, don¡¯t tell Anna about her.¡±


    Her grandmother looked at a photo of all three girls, ¡°You¡¯d rather tell everyone yourself, huh?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ once I do, I¡¯ll reveal almost everything, but there¡¯s still some things that I¡¯m not ready to tell them.¡±


    Anna¡¯s grandmother understood and patted Jack¡¯s arm, ¡°Very well, goodnight Jack¡ªand, welcome back.¡± She walks off and is out of the room.


    Jack looked at Anna sleeping soundly and grins, ¡°Yeah, someday, I¡¯ll tell you about Angela.¡±


    Jack sets the photo down and stretches, yawning as softly as possible so he wouldn¡¯t wake up sleeping beauty.


    ¡°Well, time to sleep good for once, huh Jack?¡±


    Before going to sleep, Jack¡¯s attention was caught again by another photo, this time of all the girls together along with him.


    Jack picks it up, and as he looks at each individual girl, he comes to realise something shocking. The last girl, having black hair, pale skin, and rare eyes of crimson; there¡¯s only one person he knew that had those features and the girl in the park the other day having the same characteristics made Jack¡¯s eyes explode. And when he did bring his memories together to put the pieces of this puzzle together, he remembered her name.


    Oh shit! Jack thought.


    Jack stared at that girl, his eyes widened in shocked confusion. ¡°The girl at the park was¡ªSarah?" He began laughing quietly at his own stupidity. "Holy fuck. I can''t believe I bumped into Sarah without noticing¡­ I should¡¯ve known it was her. I mean, no one else has red eyes in our city besides her. I¡¯m so stupid, but wow, who would¡¯ve thought."


    Jack sets the photo back down and crosses his arms, walking to the chair, and taking a seat on the pillow cushion it had.


    It''s been awhile so of course I''d forget.


    Jack yawns once more and slowly shuts his eyes, but wants to laugh himself into silent death. After doing so, the young man fell into a warm, relaxed, comforting, deep sleep with a grin on his face. For once, Jack can finally sleep peacefully after all these years. For him to reunite with his childhood best friend was the icing to this moulding cake, to give it some colour and life, relieving it with deliciousness. After all these long depressing, painful years, it was well worth the reunion and moment for Jack to get a deserving sleep without hearing a single gunshot, domestic violence, or sirens at that.


    The following morning arrives and Anna wakes up, stretching out her arms, scratching her back and rubbing her eyes. The girl''s eyes were half shut and she licked her lips, feeling zombie-like. She wondered if she overslept for too long and questioned if the events of yesterday were just a dream.


    Anna sits up and glances around her room with her vision still hazy, ¡°Maybe it was all just a dream, heh, should¡¯ve known.¡± Anna chuckled and let out a sigh.


    Jack¡¯s still in the chair and had woken up earlier since he¡¯s an early bird type of person. The young man¡¯s been waiting for her to wake up for an hour now. Yet hearing her say a statement he¡¯s always said to himself repeatedly in the past, brought out a grin on his face.


    Jack turns on the lamp light next to the chair he slept in last night, ¡°Nah, it was all real.¡± said Jack in a relaxed deep morning tone. ¡°Good morning, sleeping beauty.¡±


    At first Anna¡¯s still thinking she¡¯s dreaming, rubbing her eyes again. To convince her, Jack stood up, approached her bed to then sit on the edge. She stayed silent, and Jack only stared at her, but then he crept close to her, raising a finger to her. Anna¡¯s anticipating whatever he¡¯ll do next with growing eyes and wondered if this was a dream of lust. Jack stopped his finger at her head, both stayed quiet and he flung his finger on her forehead, making her yelp.


    Anna rubbed her forehead and Jack grinned, ¡°See, it¡¯s still all real. Believe me now?¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes glistened and she immediately jumped onto Jack with excitement, and both best friends fell flat on the bed. She rubbed her face against his and Jack chuckled.


    ¡°Then yesterday was all real! Yeah!¡± said Anna while cheek raping Jack.


    Jack didn¡¯t mind and held her, ¡°Yeah silly¡­ now could you please let me up?¡± said Jack without that hint of deadness in his voice for once.


    Anna sat on top of him and grabbed his arms, spreading them out, holding him down on her bed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± She had a huge smile on her face, ¡°I¡¯ll never let you leave my side again, no not this time nor ever!¡± She timbers down onto Jack and rubs her face against his again.


    Jack felt annoyed and forced her off of him, psuhing her aside, ¡°You ever heard of personal space? Jesus, you¡¯re wild¡­¡±


    Anna abruptly sat up and threw one of her pillows at him, ¡°Of course I do, but this is the start of your torture my friend!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡±


    Anna grew a smug smile, ¡°Oh¡ªyeah!¡±


    Jack nods with a frown, shrugged, and rushed Anna, picking her up off the bed. Anna screamed but quickly giggled afterwards. Jack had her in his arms and looked into her eyes with malice.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you down until you stop your foolishness!¡±


    Anna wasn¡¯t intimidated by those cold eyes, instead she grew more smuggish, ¡°Hehe, I don¡¯t mind! Now, carry me to the dining room, will you, sweetheart?¡±


    Jack smiled mildy and smacked his lips. ¡°There¡¯s no breaking you. Whatever you say, weirdo.¡±


    The two chuckled as Jack carried her into the dinning room where her grandparents were currently sitting and eating their morning breakfast.


    Her grandfather was the first to spot the two and grew a smug grin, ¡°Ahh! There ya are! I thought you two would miss breakfast.¡± said Anna¡¯s grandfather who took a sip of his coffee, raising his brows. ¡°I see that you two are finally getting comfortable with each other, huh?¡± He was bouncing his eyebrows and snickered.


    Anna sighs and Jack sets her down. ¡°Oh granddad, you¡¯re so funny!¡± said Anna, sarcastically.


    Anna takes a seat next to her grandfather and Jack stands there lost. Both grandparents were eyeing Jack, looking smuggish. Anna caught on their perverted mindsets and snapped her fingers at them. The two grandparents glimpsed at each other, winked and went back to eating.


    Anna rolled her eyes and tapped the chair seat next to her, ¡°Come one Jack, sit next to me.¡±


    Jack obliges and sits next to Anna, ¡°Okay, time to eat well again. Oh, how are you guys doing this morning?¡±


    Her grandmother smiled and couldn¡¯t contain her hidden agenda, ¡°Oh I can¡¯t wait till the two of you finally decide to tie the knot!¡±


    Anna clears her throat and sips on her coffee, ¡°Stop making silly assumptions, grandma.¡±


    Jack, who¡¯s completely oblivious, began eating. ¡°Your cooking is great as I always remembered. Like last night''s dinner! Man, it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve had a nice dinner and breakfast that was homemade.¡±


    Jack munched onto this delicious breakfast of baked ham, eggs, and oatmeal. Anna held up her fork that had a piece of bacon, yet the girl couldn¡¯t resist but watch her best friend devour her grandmother''s cooking. She set the fork down and instead, watched Jack eat, smiling in amusement.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be such a wonderful wedding between you two. Good thing Jack¡¯s my height, don¡¯t want any shorties running around our gene pool.¡± said Anna¡¯s grandfather who bit his toast.


    Anna frowned towards her grandfather and cleared her throat loudly, ¡°Wow, you just can¡¯t keep it to yourself huh, grandad? Sheesh, funny as ever I say.¡±


    Jack looked at the two and felt Anna¡¯s annoyance, ¡°Whatcha guys referring to?¡±


    Anna giggled knowing the fact that Jack¡¯s still as dense as ever, ¡°Oh nothing. Hey, why don¡¯t we celebrate later Jack! What do you say?!¡±


    Anna can¡¯t contain herself and leans in close as Jack¡¯s munching on his food.


    Jack swallows, burping afterward, ¡°Sure, I think I¡¯m free? Wait, am I?¡±


    ¡°Well if you two are going to celebrate then we¡¯ll stay out of your way¡­ hopefully this means you guys will do the yum yum!¡±


    Her grandfather nodded. Her grandmother grabbed her husband and put him in a headlock and laughed, then he did as well. Both elders weren¡¯t laughing at them but were happy that someone like Jack came back into their granddaughter''s life. A person who looks like Jack is enough to convince any parents or guardians that he¡¯ll be a perfect candidate for a husband and protector of their future family.


    ¡°Yeah, hurry up you two and give me great grandchildren!¡± said Anna¡¯s grandmother.


    Anna groans in frustration and covers her face with just one hand. ¡°You guys really know how to make things awkward.¡±


    She sets her head down for a second and looks at Jack who seemed lost.


    Jack¡¯s eyes were half shut, he sipped his glass of water and moved his mouth, ¡°Great grandchildren? Yum yum? Tie the knot? What¡¯s all this mean? I''m so confused¡­¡±


    Everyone glares at Jack with hopeless expressions on their faces. Anna¡¯s grandmother adjusted her glasses, coughing, her grandfather softly wheezed, slapping his thigh in amusement, and Anna rolled her eyes with a smile.


    Jack looked at everyone with food in his mouth now, ¡°What?¡±


    They all looked at each other and laughed as Jack¡¯s left confused on what this whole conversation was about. After breakfast, Anna and Jack decided to go back into her room. She needed to change her clothes and commanded Jack to not move a muscle, he sighs and waits for her to change as he sat down on her bed. She walked into her big closet, went inside and started undressing.


    As she¡¯s half way undressed, she quickly realises the situation, ¡°Huh, I just realised that I¡¯m undressing with a boy casually waiting for me on my bed. Heh, context, but¡­¡±


    She looked over the half open closet door and saw Jack staring off into space.


    ¡°Usually a boy like him at his age should be curious about his female friend changing. Most would take the opportunity to take a peak, especially with my physique.¡±


    She stuck her head out her closet and Jack¡¯s not paying any sort of attention to her. She cleared her throat to see if that would bring a reaction out of him. Nothing, not even a glimpse. In a regular circumstance like this, most men or boys would crave this type of scenario. It¡¯s normal, but would answer a lot of women¡¯s questions and motives about their supposed male friend. Luckily, in Anna¡¯s case she¡¯s dealing with someone who either doesn¡¯t care or is still the dense fool she once knew. She felt relieved and returned to undressing.


    ¡°He¡¯s still the dense boy we all know hehe.¡±


    To Anna, this is a confirmation that not only is he still the same as before in terms of his density, but also made her feel more safe around him. Unfortunately, her own curiosity and insecurity as a young woman blasted into her mind, questioning herself and her body.


    Wait, but I¡¯m eighteen now so my body is much more grown than ever. I mean, my boobs are big! My butt¡¯s great, but not on par to Sarah¡¯s, she¡¯s got the Goddess of a butt and has me outmatched.


    Anna glanced down at them as she¡¯s about to unbutton her bra.


    Hmm, does he not find me¡ª?


    Anna thought about her attraction towards Jack once again and didn¡¯t feel her heart skip a beat nor butterflies in her stomach. This confirmed that she had no romantic feelings towards him, just like when they were kids the last time they were together.


    Oh well, whatever, Jack¡¯s Jack, he¡¯ll never do anything perverted anyways or attack me in any sort of way.


    After removing her bra, she removed her pants and was curious about what he was thinking again. But her own auroma stopped her from peeking at him again. Anna smelled herself and was slammed with yesterday''s stench.  She needed a shower. She got a towel hanging behind her closet door, wrapped it around her and walked out. Curiosity killed the cat for Anna once again and thought of something devious to test Jack¡¯s manhood.


    Hmm, I still wonder if he¡¯s still; Jack? Yeah, let''s test him. Anna thought.


    Anna walked past Jack to test his curiosity of seeing a potential naked woman like her who made boys drool and dreamt of being with her. Despite doing it, he¡¯s still staring off into nothing, lost in a trance of some sort. Anna grabbed her chin and thinked, and had an idea. She wanted to break his trance for the sake of it.


    Anna stepped in front of Jack, ¡°Hey Jack?¡±


    Jack blinked and looked at her, briefly being jumped, ¡°Woah, why are you in a towel now?¡±


    Anna smirked, ¡°Curious, are you?¡±


    Jack scanned Anna, ¡°Actually¡ªyeah.¡± answered Jack as he shrugged.


    Anna raised a brow and coughed, ¡°Damn, just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but who¡¯s the one being sneaky by purposely testing my manhood, huh?¡±


    Anna chuckled, ¡°Whatever, you got me. Anyways have you showered?¡±


    Jack lifts an arm and sniffs, ¡°Fuck, sorry. It¡¯s been a couple of days to be honest.¡±


    With her hands on her hips now, Anna hunches forward and points to her bathroom, ¡°Nasty boy, you go and march yourself first into that shower and bathe yourself first.¡±


    A wondrous view of her full cleavage was exposed to Jack. Jack twitched an eye, briefly catching sight of a nipple and looked away and shrugged. Anna noticed his deflected eyesight and was surprised he wasn¡¯t blushing, nervous, rather it made her giggle. Anna also questioned herself why she didn¡¯t react either in embarrassment in a cliched instance like this or blush too.


    But Jack got curious again and did peek briefly, catching a full view of everything without reacting. ¡°Eh, you¡¯re already undressed, pervert. You go first, your house right?¡±


    Anna pouts and poked his cheek where he had a scar on, ¡°Now Jack, don¡¯t name call me. Just do as I command!¡±


    Jack sighed and obliged, standing up, ¡°Fine fine, let me just¡ª¡±


    She didn¡¯t let Jack finish making up an excuse, instead she took action, immediately grabbing his shirt and taking it off. ¡°You better not fight back or else I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    When she removed his shirt all the way, Anna was stunned, dropping his shirt. What her eyes had laid upon made the girl cover her mouth in horror. Never before has Anna seen this many scars on someone''s body, and proved to not only to her, but to her grandparents who got a brief tell into Jack¡¯s past, truly showed just how much Jack had suffered in the years of their separation.


    ¡°Jack¡­ Wha-What happened to you?¡± said Anna, her eyes starting to quiver.


    Jack glimpsed at all his upper body, wondering what¡¯s leaving her feeling shocked until he saw all the damages he¡¯s taken throughout the years. At first he didn¡¯t think twice about it and gave Anna a confused look, wondering why it was such a bother to her. Then it clicked like an empty gun, bringing a sense of morality back into his mind. To Jack these scars were nothing more than reminders of his mistakes, nothing more than that, actually, the young man indulges them. So he wouldn¡¯t repeat the same mistake again and be damaged in the same way.


    But seeing his friend in horror over it made Jack scratch his head and pat her shoulder. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind these. They¡¯re just a reminder of my mistakes, that''s all.¡±


    His answer made Anna hang her head and go quiet. Jack wasn¡¯t so sure to say, so he said whatever came into mind. Jack thought about how screwed up his mind is, and to him, most things that he experiences and often doesn¡¯t care about, to the rest of society is a worrisome issue. He can¡¯t help it now, it¡¯s who he is and has become, and Jack can¡¯t correlate to her emotions. The young man wanted to give Anna a bit of alone time to not escalate anything else that might trigger an emotional reaction out of her.


    ¡°Alright, Anna¡­ I''ll go shower first then.¡± As he was about to take a step, she grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Anna?¡±


    Anna clenched his arm, ¡°I had no clue¡­ how much you¡¯ve suffered. Your body is so broken and scarred, you didn¡¯t deserve them¡­ you don¡¯t deserve to have such reminders!¡± Tears fell off her eyes, and poor Anna whimpered.


    Jack turns to his best friend and places his hand on Anna¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m fine, shit happens, you know?¡±


    Anna grabs his hands and looks at each scar located all over his arms. ¡°What do you mean shit happens?! Look at them!¡± Her eyes watering, her lips trembling, Anna felt heartbroken seeing this much damage on her dear friend.


    Jack moans, ¡°Anna¡­¡± The young man gripped her chin and wiped her eyes, ¡°Really, it¡¯s not an issue, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Turn around!¡± shouted Anna.


    ¡°Alright alright¡­¡± Jack turned around, exposing the horrific new scars on his back too.


    Anna grits her teeth and narrowed her eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the story behind that?!¡± she said pointing at his back.


    Jack seemed confused, he walked up to her mirror, turned around and saw them too. Then he remembered the yellow truck and the hillbillies who gave him these new tattoos that ended his life.


    ¡°Oh shit, I forgot about those rednecks dragging me on the ground with their truck.¡±


    Anna couldn¡¯t take it anymore and covered her face, crying deeply. Jack was beginning to worry for himself too, more importantly, the last remnants of his sanity.


    Why am I so nulled to my own pain and damage¡­ I know I¡¯ve gone through a lot, but that doesn¡¯t excuse the fact to act this way. Am I really this sick in the head? Jack thought.


    Jack brushed one of his hands on his back, ¡°Mallory¡­¡±


    Anna cried softly and looked at Jack who was still staring at himself in the mirror. ¡°Jack, h-how could you say-say such horrible tragedies to yourself so calmly?¡±


    Jack turns back around to his dear friend and smacks his lips.


    The young man walks up to Anna and looks into her watery bloodshot eyes, ¡°Because that was everyday life, Anna.¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 10: Part 3-End Of Season One

    Several hours later, in the same town at a different location where the pursuit of happiness coated an entire area frequently on the weekends, that being the park. A loving, striving one full of trees, empty grass fields for family picnics, activities of bonding, and spring is closing in just days away. Feeling much happier since her binding spell, Sarah¡¯s currently walking through the park with a half smile on her face. With her arms behind her back, humming a song, the goth girl has felt relieved since Danny¡¯s cleansing. Just yesterday he only waved and didn¡¯t bother her nor Veronica, plus that negativity inside him had completely vanished.


    I knew my spell would work! Mom, thanks for showing me, you¡¯re awesome! Sarah thought.


    Sarah hopped over flowers, onto ledges, and jumped on the huge fountain located in the middle with her arms out. She hops down with her hands behind her back, she takes every moment to bask in everything on this grand day of winters nearing end. The trees, the sound of happiness, the chilling winds of nature herself brushing against her skin and clothes, this was Sarah¡¯s day. Feeling her mouth dry, Sarah decided to stop by a nearby water fountain to drink some water to quench her thirst. Walking to one located near a lone tree and the bathroom building, as she bent down and sipped, she felt that awful presence again. The one similar to the girl in the dress and the guy.


    This feeling, absolute darkness, hollowness, and sorrow! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ they¡¯re both here!¡±


    Sarah stopped and quickly looked around to see where it was coming from. She follows the scent to find the source, this time, she felt both negatives right next to each other. The goth girl hurried through the area, wandering around, checking behind food trucks, food stands, trees, and also outside of the edge of the park.


    Where, where are they! I have to find them and end this aura or whatever. This way I can truly be at peace.


    Sarah kept chasing this feeling, growing in a blind state of rage to put an end to the silent madness that not only almost ended her life but harmed her friend Anna as well. Feeling hopeless and losing focus, Sarah thought she¡¯d never find them at the pace she was going. She even thought about using her abnormal powers to grow a shortcut, but she must oblige to her mother¡¯s teachings otherwise she¡¯ll be exposed to the public and fail her mother. Sarah sat down on a bench, letting out a loud groan and dragging both hands down her face.


    Sarah can¡¯t help but feel played, ¡°Just when I thought this day would be normal, gosh darn it. Where could the feeling come from, where!¡±


    Letting out a deep sigh, her senses stabbed her, alerting Sarah that the sensation of horrificness was approaching her area. She sprung up out of the bench, dashed to the source and halted to the entrance of the public bathroom building. The moment she got close to the public bathrooms, the area was consumed by an invisible cloud of black sadness. She leaned against the wall on the side of the building and sneaked her way behind the building, peaking around. There, the goth girl spots a crowd of normal people walking past the building and the source amongst the crowd. She kept her gaze locked until finally, Sarah saw the main cause of the seanstion. It¡¯s that guy again, looking suspicious and alert.


    ¡°There you are. I knew it, you trouble maker.¡± muttered Sarah.


    Her gaze turned into a glare and Sarah was ready to attack him until she saw her best friend Anna walk next to him. She too had that aura of misty black around her.


    Anna?! Wh-What are you¡ª?!


    Then, Sarah saw the unthinkable. Anna grabbed and held the guy''s hand and seemed so happy; the happiest she¡¯s ever seen Anna.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this? Don¡¯t tell me that he-he¡ª!¡±


    Sarah felt like the guy put some love curse on her friend, fueling her madness into chaos. But Sarah¡¯s assumption couldn¡¯t come into fruition, Sarah saw no curse symbols, no signs of manipulation from her friends emotions, they were all genuine.


    Anna, why are you with him, what¡¯s going on? No¡­ I can¡¯t allow this! He¡¯s definitely up to no good.


    But the more she watched the two, the more Sarah couldn¡¯t believe how happy her friend looked. Anna was laughing, being tickled, poking, grabbing his arm, it appeared as if the two were dating from the looks of it. Sarah¡¯s anger dimmed, but the assumption of him being the cause of the darkness around them stayed permanent no matter how normal the two looked. Sarah closed her eyes momentarily and went into a thinking phase, and quickly, she thought of something.


    ¡°I¡¯m still new to all these abnormalities, these¡ªpowers. So I have to be careful with this next move. Or else it¡¯ll mean an end to the entire city of Detroit.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s decision was one in which she¡¯ll do something to put an end to this dark energy to not only to her friend but to harm the guy in a way that won¡¯t harm others.


    Sarah raised her palm to her face, ¡°This¡¯ll be my first time ever doing this¡­ but my mother told me to be extra careful. If I¡¯m not, this city will cease, then I¡¯ll be stuck in my own parallel world forever, so here goes nothing¡­¡±


    Sarah continues her spying and waits for him to get close enough to cast her hidden secret.


    Anna punched Jack¡¯s arm and giggled, ¡°Come on Jack, don¡¯t be like that! Cheer up, time to put all that negativity behind you and time to follow a new path of joy!¡±


    Jack sighed and caught a glance of a crow landing on a branch, ¡°Sounds like newfound torture to me. I¡¯d rather die, again.¡±


    ¡°Again? Pfft, someone¡¯s grown a little edgy over the years, huh?¡±


    Jack saw the crows eyes glow and let go of Anna¡¯s hand, ¡°I¡¯m going to use the restroom, I¡¯ll be back.¡±


    Anna sighs and smiles, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just wait for you over there!¡± She points at a bench beneath a tree, one where that crow was watching the two.


    Jack knew right away who was watching them, and felt annoyed, ¡°Alright, just be careful, keep your eyes out for anything.¡±


    ¡°Relax, we¡¯re in the good areas, remember?¡± shouted Anna.


    Jack walks inside the restroom and smacks his lips, ¡°That¡¯s what I used to think, until my parents were taken away from me.¡±


    Anna walks over to the benches and sits down, waiting for Jack. ¡°Poor Jack, guess that hood mentality stays with you no matter where you go. Always on guard and keep an eye out for anything, my poor friend.¡±


    While Jack¡¯s using the restroom, he felt something off. He looked around his urinal and everything seemed normal, except he was alone. Jack shrugs and zips his pants up. He washes his hands and dries them off. As soon as the young man was about to open the door, he heard giggling inside his head.


    ¡°There you are, Mallory.¡± Jack looks up at the ceiling, ¡°You wanna answer why you¡¯ve been watching us?¡±


    ¡°Why yes it¡¯s me and just for safety measures.¡± Mallory replied.


    Jack sighs, ¡°What¡¯s up? I thought after that dramatic goodbye you¡¯d wait for my visit?¡± He slowly opens the door as the light begins shining at his face.


    ¡°Well¡­ sorry to be a drag, but I thought you might need my help! That¡¯s why I¡¯ve come.¡±


    Jack had one of his hands over his eyes, opened the door and walked outside, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    The moment Jack dropped his hand, getting his vision back, he¡¯s standing in the middle of a grassy open field surrounded by trees. He drops his jaw and frantically looks around. He¡¯s no longer in the park, there were no people in sight, no human made structure, nothing. Even the restroom building¡¯s gone too.


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide and the young man began to panic, ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on?! Mallory, where the hell am I?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, about that¡­ like I said, I think you might need my help.¡±


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    With his hand over his face in frustration, Jack grew agitated, ¡°Was this your doing?! Goddamn it!¡± Jack dropped his hand and looked straight ahead, seeing someone walking out of the forest. ¡°Who in the hell?¡±


    Mallory groaned, ¡°Well, this should be exciting, but rather, annoying.¡±


    Jack groans as well, ¡°I can¡¯t get a fucking break no matter where I go!¡±


    Jack drops to his knees, frustrated, and slams his fist on the ground. He ground his teeth, started at the ground, gripped the grass, and shook his head in anger. It seemed like no matter where the young man went or what obstacles he had conquered, there was always something abnormal, willing to introduce itself in the most confusing or worse way possible.


    ¡°Damn it all! Why can¡¯t I have just a normal day like everyone else?¡±


    Once Jack brought his eyes to the figure walking in his direction, the person¡¯s identity was being revealed by the fading shadow that lingered over them.


    ¡°Wait¡­ no, it can¡¯t be?! You-You mean to tell me¡ª?!¡±


    The figure walked out of the forest, exposed to broad daylight with shining black hair, pale skin, and glared at Jack with crimson eyes.


    ¡°She can do stuff; like this?! Is this what she meant by retaliating that day?!¡±


    The person who glared at Jack was none other than Sarah. This made the young man aggressively facepalm as sweat dripped down his face.


    ¡°This just gets crazier and crazier the longer I live doesn¡¯t it?¡± chuckled Jack, manicaly. ¡°No matter where I go, dumb shit like this! Has to be thrown into my face¡­ I¡¯m so done!¡± shouted Jack, making Sarah stop for a moment.


    Sarah was watching the guy have his breakdown but returned her approach and stopped ten feet from him. The goth girl lifts her hand, aiming her palm at his direction.


    Sarah narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath, ¡°Now that we¡¯re alone, I can finally get some answers from you!¡±


    Jack¡¯s chuckling like crazy. He looked at Sarah with eyes smeared in maddened confusion and annoyance. Jack went as far as to punch himself so hard that he drew his own blood from his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sick of this! I can¡¯t comprehend any of this-this stupidity that defies everything we know that can exist. I¡¯m done!¡±


    Sarah squints her eyes in annoyance and grits her teeth, she feels bad for the guy all of a sudden. But the goth girl can¡¯t risk dropping her guard and returning her poker face.


    ¡°Are you a Witch as well?!¡± said Sarah.


    ¡°A Witch?! Uh¡ªWitch! Are you fucking kidding me? Holy moly, this-this is too much!¡± Jack rolled on the ground laughing like a man who lost all comprehension.


    She couldn¡¯t take it and finally closed her palm, ¡°If you won¡¯t answer my question and rather laugh! Then that¡¯s it, you¡¯re dead!¡±


    Jack brought his laughter to a stop. The tone in her voice, it was serious and the words that came out of her mouth were felt piercing his eardrums.


    Jack got a knee and stared at Sarah, his eyes shaking, ¡°Wait what-what do you mean, dead?¡± Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath him shake violently, ¡°Wait, wait wait wait!¡±


    The ground beneath Jack cracked, spreading all across the area and stopped at her feet.


    ¡°Oh¡­ shit¡­¡± muttered Jack.


    The girl tapped her foot on the edge of a crack, and the ground beneath Jack collapsed, plunging him into darkness. Jack screamed as the light was fading but Mallory wasn¡¯t going to allow her beloved to succumb to someone''s darkness.


    Mallory groaned, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I got this.¡±


    Jack felt his body light, the light springing back into his vision. He looked over his shoulder and saw the dark void going away and realised he¡¯s flying back into broad daylight.


    I¡¯m-I¡¯m going to live! Jack thought.


    Sarah sighed with relief until she saw the guy sprung up out of the hole in which he fell. She¡¯s left surprised, shocked, and watched as he landed back on the ground on his feet.


    Jack sharpened his eyes towards Sarah and clenched his fists, ¡°You need to chill the fuck out and listen to what I have to say!¡±


    Sarah clenches her fists, growling, ¡°So you are a Witch just like me and my mother?!¡± She extends her arm out and opens her palm, ¡°O serpent one, hear my call and flash my enemy with your light of elegance!¡±


    Her hand electrifies and spikes of purple electricity shoot around the area, piercing the ground and shooting into the sky.


    Jack, left stunned, raised his fists with self worry, ¡°Mallory!¡±


    Sarah shoots a huge wave of electricity towards Jack. The young man didn¡¯t have time to wait for Mallory¡¯s reply and immediately blocked it with his forearms. The electricity was deflected, shooting out into the skies and turning the sky grey. There were burnt marks on his forearms and third degree burns on them.


    The young man collapsed to his knees and moaned, ¡°Who-Who knew you were the one Mallory mentioned¡­ so, this is the real you, Sarah¡­¡±


    Upon gazing at Sarah his flesh sizzled, Jack saw Sarah¡¯s face stunned in horror. She looked regrettable in her action and was on the verge of crying.


    ¡°Sarah, who would¡¯ve known huh? But, that face, that¡¯s one someone who looked guilty of their actions.¡±


    Jack realised the situation and thought of an idea to lower Sarah¡¯s guard further. This way he can lower it enough to have her succumb to defeat and he can reveal who he is.


    Sarah muttered, ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­¡± over and over. She didn¡¯t realise the consequences of her actions against him. She thought if he were a Witch like she claimed him to be, then his injury wouldn¡¯t be that severe.


    Jack stood his ground though and got on his feet despite his arms frying to a crisp, burning severely. ¡°Wow this hurts, but I can¡¯t believe I blocked that? To think, Sarah, you were just a shy hopeless girl¡ª!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s shocked state became undone when he said her name.


    ¡°Now, I understand why you were so quiet when we were kids¡­¡± Jack raises his fists again, but they were in so much pain that he can¡¯t help but show how much they trembled.


    Say, Mallory¡­ you think if I¡¯d get close enough, I can convince her that I¡¯m me?


    Mallory finally responded but with a growl, ¡°Oh I¡¯ll show her more than that, I¡¯ll help you get to her, just tell me when you¡¯ll become mine and I¡¯ll land a hit hard enough to blow her mind for hurting you!¡±


    Sarah grew weary and collapsed her hands and closed her eyes. She wanted to end this as soon as possible but now instead of taking his life, just enough to knock him unconscious.


    ¡°Hail to the guardians of the sky, Aid me in cleansing my victim with your glory.¡±


    The skies above trembled with might, huge strikes of lightning struck near Jack while huge gusts of winds appeared and grew intense by the second. Jack used this opportunity to run towards her to catch her off guard. It works once she feels his presence coming, and quickly, she tries running away to grow some distance. In spite of doing that, Jack showed her just how athletic he was by catching up too fast for her liking. Jack¡¯s almost in arms reach to her when she lifted her hands and the cracked ground below them started to rise off into the air. The ground rapidly tore apart, grew into giant pillars of dirt and rock. Jack stumbled down and quickly caught a root from one of the rising grounds.


    ¡°Damn! What now?!¡± shouted Jack.


    Jack quickly climbs up and Sarah¡¯s in the air, hovering. She raised her arms and collapsed them, dropping the lands back to normal. This caused Jack to fall on his back. The young man moaned in pain while rubbing his back and got back up on his feet again. She finished her prayer in silence and the clouds from above came twirling down towards Jack like a giant mouth of white gas.


    Jack screams and once again covers himself, ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Jack, say it! And I can help you, just claim me as yours once again!¡± shouted Mallory.


    Jack can feel his senses dwindling and his vision becoming impared, ¡°Ma-Mallory! Be mine and aid me!¡±


    Mallory answered his call with a scream of terror¡ªof which was heard all across the land and even reaching back into reality to the people of Detroit Michigahn. Sarah heard that horrible scream inside that swirling cloud of white death, reminding her of her battle with the girl and bringing a panic to her.


    Jack dangled his arms, snarled, his eyes turned black and the veins in his body turned black as well. Sarah hasn¡¯t noticed his transformation from the focus of her prayer, and the terrifying scream echoing in her mind. Jack spread his arms around and twirled them around himself, enough to create his own pressure. Eventually, he created enough to gather and create a base tip to grab the twirling clouds and once touching it, they turn black.


    Sarah stopped her prayer and saw her purified clouds become corrupted, ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡±


    Jack swings the clouds around and creates a giant tornado, pointing the opening at Sarah. The goth girl gasps in horror and tries casting another spell but she gets sucked into the cloud and twirls inside it. Jack focuses the clouds to shrink enough to tie Sarah around. It works and they shrunk enough to create a rope of black smoke all around Sarah. She felt nauseated. She¡¯s on the brink of throwing up and does when she falls on the ground sideways.


    Sarah¡¯s own stench made her gag but when she got her senses back, the goth girl started having a panic attack. Being tied like this gave her ptsd from the fight with the girl. Sarah tried breaking free, but couldn¡¯t but kept her struggle. Again, she gasped when she saw the guy approaching her with murderous intent. His fists clenched and his skin as pale as snow, she began panicking. Sarah grit her teeth and lets out an awful scratchy scream, causing the black ropes around her to explode and break her free.


    Sarah quickly flies into the air and screams at Jack again, making the skies above her rupture into a beautiful veiny sky of lightning. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be toyed with again, I¡¯ll have you beg for mercy!¡±


    Sarah throws her arms around her to strike Jack¡¯s location. Strike after strike, they all landed on him, creating explosions, and smoke expanding around his area. Sarah, who was in the air short on breath, felt relieved she landed those hits, but as soon as the smoke cleared around him he was standing there with no damage.


    She¡¯s beginning to get worried and scared, ¡°No no no! Not again, please!¡±


    Sarah raised her arms in the air and finally started to chant her ultimate spell, the one she used against the girl in the white dress. Mallory took notice and felt afraid for Jack¡¯s safety. She pushed his body to its limit and set himself for a tackling position. Jack¡¯s ready. Sarah¡¯s still chanting as she sets a barrier around herself. Jack opens his mouth, a trail of black smoke drifts out of his mouth.


    Sarah felt that awful pressure come out of his mouth, sensing a rise in strength, and grew more scared, ¡°I invoke thee, I invoke thee, mother earth, lend me your¡ª!¡±


    Sarah had to stop, she felt the pressure gain closer and saw the guy come hurtling towards her with such speed she couldn¡¯t come to finish her prayer. Once Jack came inches towards her barrier, it shattered from the pressure of his presence. Sarah¡¯s left stunned and Jack grabs her, spinning the two around and plunging back to the ground. The two slammed their way back to the earth so furiously they left a crater big enough to engulf a football field.


    Jack finally snaps back into normality. He sat up and looked around, spotting Sarah shaking from the sheer pain from the landing to the right. Jack, who¡¯s covered in dirt and dust, brushed it off as he stood. He walked over to Sarah and extended his hand out to the goth girl to aid her, showing her he wasn¡¯t here to bring her harm. Sarah opened her eyes and saw his gaze looking down on her, she¡¯s angry and without warning shot a sharp wind out from her hand, cutting Jack¡¯s cheek. A nice stripe of red exposed itself and blood dripped out of Jacks'' new wound. Jack had enough, he reached into his coat but was met with a huge gust of wind blowing him back from Sarah¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Enough of this!¡± shouted Sarah as she levitated back up and kept applying the winds on Jack, making him stumble down to his knees.


    Jack was on his breaking point. He managed to grab his gun, pull it out, and pointed it at Sarah. She immediately stopped and everything around them calmed down. Sarah quivers in fear and drops to her knees, hands raised and her eyes ready to break; she¡¯s ready to comply with any of Jack¡¯s orders.


    Jack¡¯s short on breath and perplexed over this entire ordeal. He kept his aim on Sarah while approaching her. Jack wiped the blood off his cheek, took a deep breath and put the gun away to calm her down. Sarah¡¯s still afraid and felt as if he was going to kill her in another way. To Sarah, a gun shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but given the fact the goth girl¡¯s still new to her new profound powers, she has no clue if she¡¯s able to avoid bullets. Jack questioned that also, but since she¡¯s now vulnerable enough to be questioned, it appears like his plan came to plan.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re going to listen to me very carefully, Sarah. No more games, tricks, just listen, okay?¡± said Jack, stopping a foot from her.


    Sarah¡¯s bottom lip quivered, just looking into his cold eyes sent chills down her spine, ¡°Wh-What do you want from me then? Why are you manipulating my friend? How do you know my name?!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t express anymore emotions and reached into his pocket. He took out his wallet, pulled out a photo and tossed it at her. Sarah looks down at the photo and looks back at Jack with a confused look on her face. She slowly picks the photo up and turns it over, exposing the picture to herself when she was a kid. Sarah¡¯s face scrunched in confusion at how someone like him got a photo of her, Anna, and Veronica. That¡¯s when he threw another one to her, this time it was the three but the last person on it was none other than Jack himself.


    Sarah gasps with shock and looks back at Jack, ¡°Y-You¡­ you mean¡ªyou¡¯re?¡± Sarah lets the photo drift out of her hand, it glides away into the distance.


    Jack mildly grinned and said in a really calm and polite tone, ¡°Yup¡­ it¡¯s me Sarah¡­ Long time no see, old friend.¡±

 Quick update!

    I wanted to let the one''s who are eagerly awaiting for Arc 3 Chapter 11''s arrival''s that it''s coming in two weeks. Right now I''m in talks and storyboarding with my main artist for the upcoming light novels; that being Volume''s 2 & 3 that cover Arc 2. What you''ve read is the raw manuscript, especially Arc 3, just to repeat myself. So things have been rearranged, removed, and added since I''m currently re-reading and finalising for production. All of Arc 3 is written but it hasn''t been touched in a year so it needs editing, revising, and more to be added. There''s roughly 20 chapters left for Arc 3 but more might be added because when I re-read it, yeah it might need a little more, but it''ll worth it! I know there''s those who are eager for the long awaited wait for Arc 4; My favorite and best written Arc thus far. I only have 8 chapters written for Arc 4 but before I write more, I want to ensure that everything''s fine enough in Arc 3 to be posted and readable. I''ll remove this small update in a couple of days, but I just wanted to let my royalroads fans know why it''s taking much longer for Season 2  to get started. Yeah I know I only rambled a bit but I''m still learning so do bear with me, and don''t be afraid to ask or critique me! I''m very open minded and take criticism very well, especially to better myself; thank you and see ya soon!


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

 Arc 3 Chapter 11: Changed, For The Worse Or?-Start Of Season 2

    Located deep within the depressing city of Flint Michigan, inside one of the many skyrise buildings was a familiar face of Jack¡¯s burdened past. Currently, this unwanted burden was looking out the giant window overlooking some buildings and skyscrapers. They had a grimace, their hands behind their back, they were troubled. It¡¯s Dr. Cato, who¡¯s feeling quite vexed by the entire situations that have unfolded in the past weeks. His partner Mathew is also present, both men in the office, yet he had a smile on his face. Dr. Cato let out a sigh and turned round, looking at his giant lumberjacked friend who¡¯s sitting on his comfy leather chair.


    ¡°Mathew, what¡¯s with the smile?¡± Dr. Cato asked, turning back to his original sighting.


    Mathew yawned and laid back on the chair. ¡°Well it¡¯s because our plans are set in motion my friend.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Dr. Cato replied, squinting in worry.


    ¡°Um, hello? You know it better than I do, genius. First, tricking the public, Second, manipulating the media, lastly, keeping an eye on that no good bastard of a kid.¡± Mathew laughed and grabbed the bottle of whiskey placed in front of him. ¡°It almost feels too good to be true, haha.¡±


    Mathew got up from the chair and walked over to Dr. Cato with the bottle of whiskey in his hand. He stood next to his good friend, staring out the window as he drank the bottle with a huge smile on his face. He burps, making Dr. Cato twitch an eye. Mathew chuckles as he continues staring into the city of Flint and then seeing the city of Detroit out in the distance.


    "Who would¡¯ve thought those morons would walk out just like that! From the hole we intentionally made! What a bunch of clowns."


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean you did, Mathew?¡±


    Mathew cackles, ¡°Right! And they fell for it, haha!¡±


    Dr. Cato shook his head and walked away to his desk, sitting down on his chair. Mathew stopped his laughter and cleared his throat, turning around to look at his good friend. Dr. Cato leaned on the chair and stared at the ceiling, and deeply sighed. He brought his attention forward and saw the photo frame of his old best friend, which was Angela¡¯s father who was standing next to his daughter. The very girl who he swore to protect, cleanse, and keep hidden from the world. Dr. Cato grabbed the photo frame and stared at it, clenching his jaw.


    Dr. Cato dragged one of his hands on his face. "Yeah¡­ I need to save her, before it''s too late."


    Mathew sighs, walking over to Dr. Cato. "I know buddy I know, to think that girl caused all that destruction? What made her kill all those people and dissolve their corpses? It''s-It''s Madness!"


    Dr. Cato sets the photo down. "You mean apparition right? Yeah, she''s a horrible thing¡­ isn''t she?"


    Mathew growls.


    Dr. Cato looked up to the ceiling again. ¡°But why though? I don''t have enough Intel knowledge about that entire situation, only minor details."


    "What are those details then?" Mathew asked.


    "The details I''ve gotten so far is that everything went downhill two years ago near the outskirts of Flint, but the rest is still a mystery. Ah! Mathew, how could we have screwed up this much, huh?"


    Mathew calmly sets the bottle down on the table and pats Dr. Cato''s back. "You worry too much my friend, no matter her strength!" He takes the cross out with a smile, "She''ll never harm us. So long as God''s on our side."


    Dr. Cato looks at Mathew, worriness was smeared across his face. "But you still lost against those two with this so-called ¡®Power!¡¯ If she''s really gotten strong enough to kill all those people and make towns vanish within darkness¡ªwho knows how powerful it''s gotten."


    Mathew puts the cross away, "Not to worry! I''ve called some specialists to handle Jack, once we finally have our full plan in motion."


    ¡°Are you sure? How do you plan to subdue that mentally ill freak?¡±


    Mathew pulls his phone out, starting to scroll through it. ¡°I¡¯m hiring an old mentor, along with specialists who know how to handle demonic spirits like her.¡±


    Dr. Cato cringes. ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Wait, hold up¡­ don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t actually mean what I think you mean?!¡±


    Mathew smiles. ¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯m talking about those types of people, since we know stuff like that exists, there¡¯s no doubt they¡¯ll handle her better than we can.¡± Mathew walks away then out of the office to make his call.


    Dr. Cato sighs deeply one last time. ¡°What a mess this whole thing is, but we don¡¯t have a choice, do we?¡± He grabs the photo again and stares at it. ¡°I promise¡­ I¡¯ll free your daughter from that¡ªDemon! But we have to get through you Jack, you disgustingly ill murderer.¡± He sets the photo back down and relaxes again, this time by closing his eyes.


    I have to save her, not just for the safety of society, but for her own sake. Angela, I will save you¡­


    As Dr. Cato''s eyes were shut, thinking in closed darkness, he felt some weird cold breeze blowing across his face. Almost as if he were outside? He shivers and wonders if his staff turned his ac higher. Dr. Cato opens his eyes and finds himself in the middle of nowhere, which makes him gasp. There were endless miles of sand and the skies were as orange and faint as halloween.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s the meaning of this?!¡± Dr. Cato shouted, covering his face from the cold dusty winds blowing at him.


    Sand and dirt stained his clothes and dust was grazing his eyes. Dr. Cato wasn¡¯t sure what was going on. He looks around and gently lowers his arms, waiting to see what will happen next. The winds blew stronger, which made him cover his face again but in front of him, in the midst of an upcoming sandstorm, he saw the outline of a person approaching his direction. Dr. Cato waited and saw the shadowy figure within the wall of dust and sand slowly come closer in his direction.


    ¡°Who¡¯s-Who¡¯s out there?! Hello!¡± Dr. Cato gently gulps out of nervousness and patiently awaits their arrival.


    The individual in question, the closer they got, the more of their outline was shown to the doctor, made him realise that it was a woman coming towards him. She calmly walked through the slippery sands with ease, her hands collapsed to her waist, this woman had a look of sadness on her face.


    Dr. Cato wondered what she wanted, and questioned if this was another spirit, like the girl in white. ¡°Whatever you are, I hope you¡¯re not here to bring us harm¡­¡±


    Rose petals flew across her feet, drifting towards Dr. Cato as he waited in suspense. The skies above haven¡¯t changed but the sand began hardening to that of solid stone, which trapped Dr. Cato. The doctor gasps and grabs his legs, feeling their blood flow slowly dwindle. She finally stops a couple feet from Dr. Cato, exposing herself to him and leaving him jaw dropped. Dr. Cato trembled in fear whilst staring into her frozen lakes like that of Mars she called eyes. She had an astounding red gothic dress which resembled romance, her height was taller than most average women, and beneath her hood, the doctor saw her lavous black hair.


    She drops her hands and slowly blinks with ease. ¡°Hello Mr. Cato, how are you this lovely evening?¡±


    Dr. Cato nervously clears his throat. She-She knows my name? But how?


    The doctor stood straight and balled a fist. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine.¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond with anything, only stood her ground amongst the dusty storm. The doctor watched and waited. A minute passed and nothing, another went by and still nothing. Five minutes had gone by and the only thing moving was the doctor''s patience, growing thinner by the second. After another minute, she moved, but by only taking a step closer. Dr. Cato balled his other fist, feeling annoyed by this strange being. And another two flew by faster than he could blink, and the next thing Dr. Cato knew that he was feeling weaker.


    What¡¯s happening to me? Dr. Cato thought.


    He brought up a fist and saw his skin wrinkly and spotty. Dr. Cato gasped and felt his breath shortened. His knees felt ready to give out and once he did look down he saw that they were wobbly and ready to snap forward due to old age.


    ¡°Wh-What have you done to me!¡± Dr. Cato shouted, realising what had occurred.


    The woman in red walked closer and stopped inches from him, watching him age like milk in front of her very eyes. ¡°Now that you¡¯re more vulnerable, I can tell you this¡ª¡±


    Her teal eyes glowed red, and everything came to a halt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sad, upset that someone like you was entrusted with something so important by someone close to Angela. The fact her father entrusted his promise onto you and that big idiot who''s done nothing but shatter that importance and bring chaos to the world that God created.¡±


    Dr. Cato coughed and ground his teeth. ¡°You know Angela? But how, how could this be! And the promise between her father and I is between us! Spirit, don¡¯t you dare say it¡¯s my fault.¡±


    The woman in red blinked and in doing so transformed the entire area into a vass open grassy field. ¡°I¡¯m well aware of it, because I¡¯m the one who gave it to her father.¡±


    Dr. Cato loudly gasped and collapsed to his knees. ¡°Wh-What do you mean?! You-You¡¯re the one who¡ª!¡± The doctor was on all fours, shutting his old crusty eyes. ¡°How could this be¡­ who and what are you?!¡±


    The woman in red glared into the sky, transforming it into her current emotions, that being blood red. ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing I¡¯m upset about. The other being that Jack has reunited with that girl. So much destruction, so much life has been taken away by the likes of them; all because of their selfish attitudes.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ so it¡¯s true? They¡¯ve reunited, but how do you know all this, why are you telling me all this!¡±


    The woman in red sighed. ¡°How could he forgive her even after she¡¯s taken his life¡­ I don¡¯t understand, none of this makes sense.¡±


    Dr. Cato¡¯s breathing heavily and his hair was falling off. ¡°Huh?! She even killed him? Wh-what? But how¡¯s he still alive!¡±


    ¡°She revived him out of her own doing, after she did so, she forced her way back inside him the moment she sucked all her doings within his corpse, leaving no traces of her existence.¡±


    Dr. Cato can¡¯t believe any of this, let alone this experience. His scientific mind was used to complexities, but nothing like this so far.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is all those people, the people she¡¯s killed, they¡¯re inside Jack now?¡±


    She slowly nods, and Dr. Cato wheezes but not out of amusement but in broken horror. The woman in red stayed quiet as the doctor felt his life fading away while he reflected. He¡¯s shaking now, but more from anger and fear than anything else. Hearing what the woman had told him about the girl made him feel more motivated to get rid of the being even without Angela. He knew she was horrible but he had no clue she was this monstrosus.


    The woman in red broke the silence around them by letting out an angered moan. ¡°But you can blame Jack for angering her, two years ago he forced her out of him, causing her to go mad and destroy innocence.¡±


    Dr. Cato opened his crusty eyes in anger while his arms trembled to look up at the strange spirit. ¡°But even then¡­ I-I can¡¯t be mad at his actions. He wouldn¡¯t have known she would do such a terrible thing, I just can¡¯t blame the kid for that, even if he¡¯s mentally ill!¡±


    Dr. Cato¡¯s voice started draining and his skin was turning brittle. He stands back up with his bony fists clenched. The woman in red watched the old man in front of her nearing his end as the last strands of his hair fell off.


    Dr. Cato let out a nasty cough. ¡°I¡¯m angry at him of course, but I don¡¯t want to kill the kid, even after what happened three years ago. What I am angry about is that whatever you are, whoever you are¡ªthe mere fact that you¡¯re aware of everything, even things only my old dead friend and I knew about¡­ and you being the initiator of that promise I! swore to vow¡­¡±


    Dr. Cato growled and his teeth were falling off individually from his intense grinding.


    ¡°Means you¡¯re just watching from the sides as if this were some show.¡±


    The woman in red frowned and relaxed her arms to her sides.


    Dr. Cato¡¯s teeth were almost gone, and his skin started showing signs of decay. ¡°Spirit, instead of watching, why didn¡¯t you stop her from doing such wickedness and stop Jack from returning to her if you were aware of the outcomes?!¡±


    The woman in red raised a brow and thought peacefully for a moment as the doctor fell back to his knees and coughed grously. She smiled at the doctor and her glowing red eyes dimmed to a soft glow of her natural ghostly eyes. Dr. Cato¡¯s eyes were capturing a spooky scene. He didn¡¯t like that soft smile of hers and glowing eyes beneath this red environment.


    She raised one of hers to her mouth and giggled. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s out of my boundaries, I can¡¯t involve myself in this mess unless I know it¡¯s the right time and place.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Huh?! Wh-What do you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Sure they were alone at the time, but If I involved myself to destroy her, then it¡¯ll destroy the poor souls she¡¯s consumed too.¡±


    Dr. Cato didn¡¯t like the answer to that, he began crawling towards her until he stopped moving completely, almost as if someone was stopping him from moving.


    ¡°What a load of crap, but know this¡­ spirit. If you ever get in my way of saving Angela, then I won¡¯t hesitate to fight with the likes of you as well.¡±


    The woman in red swapped her hip to the side and made a rose appear out of thin air, bringing it up to her face. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that, you don¡¯t have to worry about me coming across your path. I want to save her as well, but know this, doctor¡­¡±


    The red skies crackled in anger, rose petals flew across the fields and in the distance trees of red grew from the earth. The woman¡¯s smile faded and she looked dead serious into his blinding eyes as Dr. Cato moaned in dying anger.


    ¡°You two think you know what¡¯s hiding beneath the shadows of this world, but you¡¯re nowhere near discovering the mysteries and surprises that dwell in society''s shadows!¡± She ruptured into a storm of rose petals and soon afterwards Dr. Cato lay dead on the ground.


    His vision was black, his ears rang, the darkness he¡¯s seeing had nothing to it; personifying perfect desolation.


    Am-Am I¡­ dead? Dr. Cato thought. Who was that woman¡­ she looked like an angel, sounded like one,¡ªyet, she wasn¡¯t acting like one that¡¯s for sure. Whatever she was, I have to be careful, it appears we have another enemy at hand.


    In reality, back inside his partner''s office, Mathew¡¯s staring at his friend who appeared to be passed out on the ground. He looked confused as to why his partners on the ground out cold. That was until Dr. Cato snorted loudly, but not that of slumber, but one out of his airways giving out. Dr. Cato was beginning to death rattle. Mathew hurried and began CPR and quickly, his rattling came to a stop. Dr. Cato gasped and Mathew shook to wake him up. He finally awakes and grabs his head from throbbing pain.


    Mathew shook him again. ¡°Hey, you alright?! Damn it man, I thought you were gonna die there for a second, scared me there for a moment.¡±


    Dr.Cato stood back up and turned to Mathew with a serious look. ¡°Ma-Mathew¡­ tell me if you got this friend of yours to help us now?¡±


    Mathew sighed and smiled. ¡°Sure did! But seriously though, why did you death rattle my friend?¡±


    Dr. Cato didn¡¯t respond. The doctor walked off and went to his desk. Mathew watched his partner mysteriously sit down, hanging his head and not saying a word. His face looked drenched in fear and his face was as still as a statue.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you, huh?¡± Mathew asked as he casually pulled a cigar out.


    Dr. Cato stayed quiet again and reached for that same photo of Angela and her father on his desk. He stared deep into it, remembering the memories of her father and himself. The two would hangout after work after a long day, talking about their future, but something along the lines of his rewinding caught his attention. Not once did her father ever mention about his wife or the mother of Angela; it was only two days prior to the accident that took both of their lives. Even when she appeared alongside him at certain events, Dr. Cato never got a full look at her face, and he barely talked about her. It was only that specific day of the promise he passed down to him that he spoke more about her.


    ¡°That woman¡­ her voice, it sounded similar to his wife.¡± Dr. Cato muttered.


    Mathew walked up to his desk and stared at his friend who was lost in his trance. ¡°Cato? You good?¡±


    The day after, his wife then spoke to Dr. Cato personally but over the phone, the day before the accident. The more he remembered the more these mysteries were correlating with each other.


    ¡°They may have looked different in appearance, but there''s no doubt, the more I¡¯m remembering that phone call, their voices are just too similar to just push aside.¡± Dr. Cato whispered.


    Mathew had enough and slammed his hand on Dr. Cato¡¯s desk. ¡°Hey, snap out of it and quit talking to yourself. What¡¯s going on Cato?!¡± Mathew said in a frustrated tone.


    Dr. Cato brought his eyes up and said, ¡°Jack, he¡¯s reunited with the girl now.¡± in a saddened tone.


    Mathew was just about to puff his cigarette until that statement went into his ears. The big man brought the cigarette forward and rotated it, staring at it until he crushed it. Smoke snuck between the cracks of his fist and his skin sizzled from the once burning edge.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Mathew replied, a hint of anger within his relaxed tone.


    Dr. Cato got out of his chair and staggered his way back to the window overlooking Flint. ¡°Some mysterious spirit woman in a red dress told me¡­ and that is also your answer as to why I almost succumbed to a slumbering death.¡±


    Mathew walked to the trash can to throw away the remnants of the cigar he crushed. He stomped back to his partner''s side and overlooked the crime drenched city as well.


    Mathew let out a deep groan. ¡°Is that so? Spirit woman in a red dress¡­ Well shit, more bitches in dresses I see.¡± He shook his head and returned his smile.¡±But the good news is that we have professionals on their way, and trust me my friend; they¡¯re more than enough to handle not just the girl in white, but whatever this woman in a red dress is.¡±


    Dr. Cato frowned and showed a grimace. ¡°I-I hope¡­ things are getting out of hand, Mathew. And we¡¯re at our peak of what we can do in terms of suppressing these abnormalities.¡±


    ¡°Yeah no kidding. By the way, what about the black guy with Jack; don¡¯t you want revenge on that meathead for beating your ass too?¡±


    Dr. Cato shook his head and deeply sighed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not that type of person. I only retaliated because my life was in danger at that moment, but I would never wish death on someone, only out of sheer anger when I¡¯m not thinking.¡± He leans his head against the window, ¡°I would never do that, because if I did¡­¡± Dr. Cato clenches his fist, ¡°Then I¡¯d be the same as Jack.¡±


    Mathew pats his partners back to ease his emotions. They both stared out the window, wondering if they¡¯ll ever get Angela back and save her from that wretched girl in the white dress. Also thinking of who this woman in the red dress is.


    ***


    Outside the city of Detroit within a small striving town where all three girls loved hanging out in, currently, Jack and Sarah were alone, sitting awkwardly in front of each other at some local coffee shop. Anna did tag along earlier, but she had to go home to take care of something for her grandparents. But the blonde girl also left them alone for the moment and with a motive behind it since she found Sarah pinned against the wall with Jack¡¯s arm over her shoulder behind the building of the restroom. Sarah¡¯s on edge, her hands clutching the rough denim of her black shorts, the goth girl still felt afraid of Jack after what happened half an hour ago.


    This is surreal, I can¡¯t believe this is happening, but¡­ I kinda feel unsafe around him. Sarah thought.


    Her eyes looked everywhere inside the coffee shop, catching glimpse of folks drinking their hot drinks, taking part in online business meetings, reading, casually relaxing yet these two young adults looked out of place. Their appearance with Jack¡¯s rough outfit, Sarah¡¯s dusty gothic clothing from the earliest fight, the two were emotionally drained.


    Sarah patted herself and whispered, ¡°What do I say, he¡¯s not the same as before. The idiot did pull a gun on me.¡±


    Jack did pull a gun on her so Sarah had every right to feel cautious. Jack also felt a little on edge knowing the fact that an old friend possessed unnatural abilities that defied normality.


    I can¡¯t bring myself to look at her, especially after the little stunt I pulled at the end. But what else could I have done? I had no other option to calm her down, otherwise I would¡¯ve been killed. Jack thought.


    The young man was looking away, and had one of his hands on the grip of his gun. He didn¡¯t show any of these nervous emotions swirling inside, but in Sarah¡¯s eyes she thought he looked calm and relaxed in the moment. She nervously grabbed the coffee she ordered and sipped. Her hand shook, she couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious.


    Jack looked straight and watched as she set her coffee mug down. ¡°Sa-Sarah¡­ are you okay?¡± Jack asked, grabbing his own coffee mug but still gripping his gun in secresty.


    Sarah takes a deep breath and briefly looks away then hangs her head. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re-you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    Jack was just about to take a sip of his coffee but her stuttering made him stop and pull the hammer back on his gun. ¡°Huh? What are you trying to say?¡±


    She lowers her hands to her thighs and clenches her shorts once again. ¡°An¡ªass-hole¡­¡±


    Jack softly gasped and moaned. He let go of his gun the moment her soft mature voice hit his eardrums. He¡¯s regretting his current actions and feels like a jerk.


    ¡°Sarah¡­¡± Jack said softly.


    Sarah¡¯s face was red, Jack seemed vexed. The two young adults stayed quiet for a moment until she looked up again. Her eyes were sharp yet she looked mildly upset. Jack felt guilt strike him tenfold, this was the first time he¡¯s ever been insulted by her. When they were kids they hardly talked to each other but when they did, they got along well.


    Jack, who felt kinda uncomfortable wanted to stand up and leave but saw the goth girl being on the brink of tears. ¡°Hey, um, look, I know this situation is very alarming and confusing, but let''s try to talk this out. Does that sound fine to you?¡±


    Sarah wiped her eyes and nodded. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ sorry for being so rude, it¡¯s just; normal to react this way when someone puts a gun to your face, you know?¡±


    Jack sighed and pulled out a napkin from the middle of the table, handing her one. ¡°I understand far too well. But you can¡¯t also blame me reacting this way from all this supernatural crap, right?¡±


    Sarah left Jack hanging for a moment but grabbed the napkin and wiped her eyes. ¡°I suppose, but the gun, where did you get that from?¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯ve had it since I was twelve, not a big deal really. Yet what¡¯s more important here is how did you obtain this abnormal strength and how long have you hid it from us?¡± Jack said, bringing out a serious tone towards the end.


    Sarah scratched her head, groaning. She rubbed her face and lay an arm on the table, thinking of a proper way to respond to Jack¡¯s complex question.


    Sarah moaned in frustration and placed one of her hands on the side of her face, leaning on it in annoyance. ¡°That¡¯s not easy to answer, Jack. But this violent mindset of yours, it¡¯s not like you, well the version that we knew when we were younger. Now though, you look and act like a delinquent.¡±


    Jack grabbed his coffee and drank half of it. ¡°Ah, well I wouldn¡¯t just judge me like that off the back miss, ¡®I¡¯m going to kill you with my witch type powers I¡¯ve been hiding from my friends since I was a child.¡¯ Because the version of you that I knew never had a killing mindset.¡±


    Sarah quickly lowers her head in shame. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not like that, but I can retort the same question back to you; how did you obtain such similarities as me when it comes to the abnormal strength you just said?¡±


    Now Jack felt like a bashing fool, ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated to be honest. A lot¡¯s happened in these eight years, you know?¡± He leans back on the chair and rests his arms on his legs. ¡°Sorry for scaring you, to answer your question, I¡¯m not a witch like you if that¡¯s what you thought.¡±


    Sarah looks at Jack and brings her eyes to her coffee cup, staring at its swirling tinted brown blackness. ¡°Things just grow weirder and scarier as I get older, don''t they?¡± Sarah muttered.


    Jack moaned and drank the rest of his coffee, wiping his lips with his sleeve. Sarah took another sip and deeply sighed, easing her emotions.


    ¡°My apologies for attacking you, Jack. But how should I know that an old friend of mine who¡¯s been reported dead for eight years is suddenly alive and possesses the same abnormalities as I?! So of course I reacted in a way that would fall in the category of self-defence.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey, slow down. I understand, I get chu. To make this all easier to understand and gather why I¡¯m suddenly back in your guys lifes, mainly because you guys were lied to by the stupid police.¡±


    Sarah rests her arms on the table and leans her head on them. ¡°So more questions for us to ask and you possibly might or not answer¡­ Heh, this month''s been the craziest for all of us I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ you¡¯re not the only one you know?¡± Jack said with a disappointed look on his face. ¡°That¡¯s for damn sure, this has been a crazy month for all of us.¡± Jack whispered.


    Sarah grabs Jack¡¯s hand all of a sudden, staring at his palm. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised you grew up on a different path. People change of course despite the path they take. Yet as I stare into your rough palm, you¡¯ve gone through so much¡­¡±


    Jack frowned and watched as the goth girl stared deep into his scarred past at the centre of his hand.


    ¡°Just by looking into your palm, Jack, I can tell that you''ve experienced pain far worse than any of us could have.¡± She swirls her finger tip on his palm, tickling him a bit. ¡°You have something else you''re hiding from us too, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack stared at Sarah and she did as well. They¡¯re eyeing each other, each waiting to see how the other will respond and carry the conversation further. He grabs her hand and clenches it, surprising her. Sarah had a still face, waiting to see what Jack would do next. Jack felt her warmth pulsing onto his rough skin.


    He looked out the window next to them before responding and grinned. ¡°You''re really good at this, you know that?¡± He pats her hand, ¡°thank you for understanding, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mouth slightly opened, both brows mildly raised in shock. She blinked and lightly grinned. ¡°I¡¯m no counsellor, but I¡¯m happy to help, and we¡¯re glad you¡¯ve reunited with us. I guess this is a sign from the guardians.¡±


    ¡°Guardians? I thought you were about to say something cliched like God or something?¡±


    Sarah chuckles, she grabs Jack¡¯s hand and drags him up off his seat. ¡°That¡¯s for me to know and not you sir. Now, let¡¯s go back to Anna, shall we?¡±


    Jack smirks, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s head back.¡± The two walked out of the coffee shop not before paying and headed to Anna¡¯s home.


    Along the way, Sarah talked about how much her personality changed, making Jack feel proud of her. The once shy goth girl who often did speak told funny jokes that made Jack laugh in the past and burped out of embarrassment was no more. During their long walk, she complimented his shape and asked how he was able to stay in good health despite the rough lifestyle. Jack only gave her a brief reply of running away and the many street fights that helped burn calories. She didn¡¯t like that half ass response so in retaliation she brought up how scary looking he is as an insult. He didn¡¯t like that and decided to flick Sarah¡¯s forehead, joking about her height and mentioning she barely grew from their last encounter.


    Hmph, pull a gun and now insult my height are you? I¡¯ll show you, sir. Sarah thought.


    When they were getting close to Anna¡¯s front yard, Sarah jolted her head to the right to summon a branch to slap Jack across his face. He was smacked by it, creating a loud donk of skull and wood. Jack coughs and spits leaves out of his mouth. Sarah smirked and Jack groaned, wondering why that happened. They arrive at Anna¡¯s grandparents home, walking on the small path leading to the front door and knocking.


    As they stood there, Jack took the time to check Sarah¡¯s outfit out. Sarah noticed, feeling his scanning gaze upon her. ¡°What, what¡¯re you¡ª?¡±


    Jack shrugged, ¡°Nothing, I just wanted to look at your outfit better. You remind me of someone that dresses the same as you in a way, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Sarah put her hands on her hips and tilts. ¡°So¡­ you like outfits like mine then? If that¡¯s your conclusion.¡±


    Jack nods, patting Sarah¡¯s back. ¡°Of course, I think it¡¯s awesome.¡±


    Sarah crossed her arms and closed her eyes. She gripped her small chin and mildly smiled. That¡¯s the first time I''ve heard someone compliment my outfit without any lustful motives or seeing me as eye candy.


    Sarah''s face turned a little red from hearing Jack¡¯s compliment. She looked at him with a raised brow and half smile. ¡°That¡¯s the first time someone complimented my outfit genuinely besides Anna and Veronica, thank you.¡±


    Jack gave her a thumbs up. ¡°No problem, we¡¯re friends after all.¡±


    Anna finally answers the door and hugs Jack right away, leaving Sarah out. Jack took notice and pulled Sarah in, creating a group hug. All three walked inside and Anna wanted Jack to stay overnight again. Jack refused immediately, surprising her.


    ¡°Huh?! Wh-Why not?¡± Anna asked, disappointed.


    Jack put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her glistening green gems. ¡°I¡¯m grateful, Anna, really, but I have to get back to the hotel I¡¯m staying in. It¡¯s quite far so I gotta go, I can¡¯t tell you why all of a sudden, but it¡¯s important. I¡¯ll be back tomorrow, okay?¡±


    Anna looked sad, but she understood. ¡°You promise, I know it¡¯s a little selfish of me to ask and be needy; I just can¡¯t help it, you know?¡±


    Jack smiled and hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Anna. I¡¯m just in a very complicated situation, but I promise as soon as these things are resolved, I swear everything will be fine up ahead.¡±


    Anna wrapped her arms around him. ¡°May I ask, what is it that¡¯s making you leave in a hurry?¡±


    Jack let go and walked away without replying. The two girls watched as he left the path but stopped at the entrance. They waited. Anna clutched her chest, Sarah was calm, they¡¯re not sure why he suddenly left like that and brought himself to a pause.


    Jack turned to them and said, ¡°Sorry Anna, I don¡¯t think you''re ready to hear the truth.¡±


    He leaves and the two girls are left alone. Anna looked even sadder and clung onto Sarah, whimpering. Sarah rubbed her head and watched as the young man walked off into the setting sun. Even though Anna felt sad, she felt more curious to know where Jack might have gone, so did Sarah as she pampered her whimpering best friend. The two walked inside and Anna quickly went into the kitchen to wash her face.


    Sarah throws her things on the ground and lays down on Anna¡¯s couch, exhausted after such a life turning day. After Anna finished washing her face, she came back into the living room and accidently jumped on Sarah, who yelped. Anna wasn¡¯t paying attention because of her mere excitement, sadness, and curiosity about Jack. Sarah coughs loudly and shouts to Anna to ¡°Watch where you jump! dummy!¡±


    Anna giggled. ¡°Oops, I¡¯m sorry miss edgelord.¡± Anna got off of her and sat beside.


    Sarah rubbed her back and sat up. ¡°You could have broken my back with your heavy ass, Jesus.¡±


    Anna laughed. She¡¯s too happy to pay any sort of attention to Sarah¡¯s pain at the moment because of what¡¯s occurred the past two days. Despite the happiness, she still feels sad that Jack still can¡¯t bring himself to tell her everything or more importantly, the truth. Both girls laid back on the couch, Anna grabbed the remote and turned on the flat screen T.V.


    The two watched a drama show for a little until Anna remembered something. ¡°Oh yeah, so short stuff! How was your day with Jack huh?¡± Anna asked, leaning close to Sarah¡¯s face.


    Sarah smirks and gently pushes Anna away. ¡°It went pretty well, awkward at first, scary perhaps, but at the end, it was¡ªnice.¡±


    Anna had a smug look on her face, ¡°Oh? Is that all though! I was being a sneaky bitch and peeped through my peep hole you know?¡±


    Sarah wiped her smile and raised a brow towards Anna. ¡°Oh? And what did you hear, smug bitch?¡±


    Anna hovered her hand over her mouth, getting into Sarah¡¯s face. ¡°I saw you guys talking all friendly, especially when he complimented your outfit. The way you blushed was so adorable!¡± Anna jumps on Sarah and hugs her.


    Sarah chuckles, shaking her head. ¡°Yeah, you got me alright. He''s still the same nice guy we once knew huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it appears so. But his body is so torn, it still devastates me that he didn¡¯t have the chance to live out his teenage years.¡±


    ¡°Poor guy, we can only imagine what type of rough life he¡¯s endured all this time.¡±


    Anna gets off of Sarah and stares at the T.V. ¡°He¡¯s only told me the things his bodies experienced. He hasn¡¯t mentioned anything else, and I feel like he still doesn¡¯t want to either.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, so his life¡¯s a complete mystery to us so far? We know a brief synopsis of his new life, but I guess as time goes on, we¡¯ll know more. It can¡¯t be helped anyways.¡±


    Anna gasps and remembers something else,¡°Veronica!¡± Anna shouted, briefly standing up. ¡°She still doesn¡¯t know! Does she?!¡±


    Sarah raised both brows in amusement. ¡°Oh yeah, you¡¯re right. We should surprise her tomorrow about it! Hehe, I can¡¯t wait to see the look on her face when she realises he¡¯s alive.¡±


    Anna giggles, ¡°Yeah that¡¯ll be great to see! By the way Sarah, when you blushed was it really just from the compliment or are you actually¡ª?¡±


    ¡°It was from the compliment, nothing else. You damn hopeless romantic shipper.¡±


    ¡°And an immediate answer! Well that straight face of yours definitely doesn¡¯t lie.¡±


    Sarah smiles again, ¡°Hmph, it should be either you or Veronica that wants him right? You¡¯ve always talked about him when we were kids, even after his supposed death, you still talked about it. To be honest, I thought you were delusional at this point from how serious you were that he was still alive.¡±


    Anna pouts her face in annoyance. ¡°Wow¡­ you¡¯re as cold as your skin, but nah! I don¡¯t see him that way¡­ Well not anymore I suppose.¡±


    ¡°What happened? Was it because of Veronica or something else, you think?¡± Sarah asked in suspicion.


    Anna crossed her arms and laid back on the couch. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it¡­ but you¡¯re probably right. It was as if someone came by and changed my feelings for him, strange right?¡±


    Sarah stares at the T.V as well, growing a glint in her eye. ¡°Yeah¡­ it is strange. Someday we¡¯ll find out why you had a sudden change, Anna.¡±


    Anna didn¡¯t like Sarah¡¯s tone towards the end of her sentence. It made Anna suspicious towards her little friend, but alas, the blonde girl brushed it off and continued watching the show alongside Sarah. The two watched in silence, and hardly moved. Sarah couldn¡¯t help knowing that Anna has something nasty inside her, and she doesn¡¯t know how to tell her about it without Anna calling her a freak.


    I swear, I¡¯ll find that girl and the source of the nastiness that dwells not only within my best friend, but within Jack as well. Sarah¡¯s glint grew sharper and the goth girl furrowed her brows, menacingly.

 Arc 3 Chapter 12: More Reunions & An Old Grudge

    The sun setting over the horizon, nightfalls approaching and Jack just hopped off the public bus. He walked for a minute and arrived back at Detroit''s medical centre, standing at the bottom hospital stairs. With his hands in his pockets, he walked up the steps and walked inside, telling the front desk lady that he¡¯s here again for another visit. She allowed him through and Jack¡¯s surprised that he can walk on through easily this time. Yet he had a hint as to why, knowing that it might¡¯ve been Candy¡¯s doing. He makes his way to and into an elevator and presses the button to the level where Angela¡¯s being cared for.


    ¡°What a day. Heh, honestly, I¡¯m surprised I¡¯m not shitting bricks right now after that little incident with Sarah, fuck man.¡± Jack pulled his phone out and checked the time. ¡°Still enough time to at least get me something to eat afterwards, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    The elevator stopped and opened, and the young man walked to Angela¡¯s room. Going further down the hall, he saw someone standing by the door and it was Candy who looked pretty angry but flattered at the same time. Candy hears someone¡¯s heavy boots coming in his direction, making him turn to his left and spotting Jack walking towards him.


    He opens his arms out and runs towards Jack. ¡°Jacky boo, you¡¯ve returned!¡±


    Jack dodges and Candy falls on the ground. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m back, but why are you¡ª?¡± Candy quickly gets up and hugs Jack but Jack pushes him off, ¡°Relax man, and why are you out here when you should be in there looking over Angela.¡±


    Candy patted himself then crossed his arms angrily, pouting. ¡°That big sexy chocolate bar didn¡¯t want me next to him! Honestly boo boo, he didn¡¯t even ask if I did well or how I was doing¡­ No! That yummy hunk of a man picked me up with his strong meaty hands and tossed me out but of course not before he called me a ¡®Gay ass fruit pebble!¡¯ Hmph!¡±


    Jack laughed, ¡°That¡¯s Eric for you.¡±


    Candy smacked his lips, swaying his hip, ¡°Oh my god! Why¡¯s he so mean boo boo!¡± Candy fake cries and sticks his hips out sassy like, ¡°Whatever! He doesn¡¯t deserve my sexy presence anyways! Fuck that big muscular tall¡­ Oh who am I kidding, he¡¯s so yummy! God I¡¯m in heat again!¡±


    Jack looked disgusted and slowly backed away, but Candy leaned towards him, easing into his cringing face.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you calm this bad boy down with those cold lips of yours boo boo!¡± Candy closes his eyes and puckers his lips.


    Jack reacted with disgust and calmly opened the door behind him, ignoring Candy and leaving him hanging. ¡°What a relief, he really needs to calm down, otherwise he¡¯s going to get beat up by one of us eventually.¡±


    Jack walks inside and spots Eric next to Angela¡¯s body. Jack closes the door and locks it, making Eric chuckle. Candy noticed afterwards and the two men heard his muffled crying from behind the door.


    Jack walks next to Eric and stands at his side. ¡°How¡¯d you get here so fast?¡±


    ¡°Impatient dumbass fool.¡± Eric replied with a snicker, ¡°Did you forget who¡¯s your guardian? I called one of my boys to bring me my car, goofball.¡±


    Jack faced palms out of his own stupidity and forgot that an option like that lied around. ¡°Guess I am dumb, sorry, it¡¯s been a long confusing day to say the least.¡±


    ¡°So it was confusing but what else? Do anything interesting besides homicide?¡± Eric said, chuckling.


    ¡°Nah, I haven¡¯t killed a person since that crazy encounter with those hillbillies and Thing. Besides, we have no enemies out here, yet.¡± Jack walks to the other side of the bed and pulls a chair to sit next to Angela. ¡°My day was great to be honest, I actually reunited with my old childhood friends.¡±


    Eric felt shocked when he heard that, enough to make his eyes bug out. ¡°Holy shit my guy, are you serious? Wait wait wait, you didn¡¯t do anything to make things uncomfortable for them, right?¡±


    Jack sighs with worry. ¡°Funny thing you say that because¡­ I did, uh, pull my gun on one of them.¡±


    Eric¡¯s face screamed disappointment and annoyance, he shakes his head and laughs afterwards. ¡°Man you are a fool! You know that? Fucking dumbass!¡± Eric couldn¡¯t help but laugh his butt off, he laughed so hard that he almost fell off his chair.


    Jack frowned and slammed his head on the bed for a moment. ¡°Hey! Come on man, I had no choice, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no choice but to pull a gun on an old friend who¡¯s probably really tiny compared to a dumbo like you!¡± Eric laughably said.


    Jack deeply sighs, ¡°Give me a break here will ya?¡± He looks at Angela and gently smiles, grabbing her hand and sharing his warmth. ¡°Sorry I was late, baby sis, I hope you¡¯re doing well.¡±


    Eric smiled as well, ¡°She¡¯s a fighter alright!¡± He pats her head gently. ¡°Hang in there baby girl, I know you¡¯ll wake up!¡±


    After about thirty minutes Candy returned, knocking on the door. They let him back in so long as he didn''t try any funny business. All three sat in the corner of the room, they all seemed serious now. Candy can feel the tension in the air, seeing the anger that¡¯s slumbering inside Jack. Eric¡¯s anger towards two selfish individuals, formed by his balling fist, and the wrinkle between his eyebrows.


    Jack¡¯s guilt came out again, as he dragged his hand across his face and sucked his lips. ¡°Guys, we need to be extra careful from now on. Because things might possibly get worse when I saw the news about those two bastards and the situations of the towns.¡±


    Eric nodded. ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that cause I saw the same shit too.¡±


    The situation seemed pretty dim for the two but Candy had something in mind that might relax the two.


    ¡°If it makes you two feel better, I tricked some guys and made them my friends. I got them looking out at every corner of the streets within our limits.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t so sure about Candy¡¯s solution. He knew those two well and knew how unpredictable they are. With how stubborn both those men are, Jack feels like they¡¯ll figure out their location and take Angela away once again. This was bad for everyone, the fact that Angela¡¯s still in a coma made their situation more complex, dire, she¡¯s a sitting duck but at least Jack knew they wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to attack them at a public building, or so he hoped. Their night ends when Jack tells the two he was going to catch up to his childhood friends and asks Eric before leaving if he could take the car. Eric complied and allowed Jack to borrow it just for tomorrow. Candy congratulated Jack on his reunions with a non perverted hug. Jack thanked Candy and surprised him by handing him a gun of all things.


    Candy sighed. ¡°Is-Is it necessary, Jack?¡±


    Jack shrugged. ¡°Unfortunately yes, you have to be armed my friend. You never know when they¡¯ll suddenly attack.¡±


    Candy grabbed the gun without saying another word and sat at the bedside of Angela again, resting his head at the edge of it. Jack waved to both men and walked away, closing the door behind him gently. Eric laid down on the couch and fell asleep afterwards. Candy¡¯s relieved that everyone¡¯s back together but couldn¡¯t help but feel that things are about to get worse for the three. He felt more worried about Jack¡¯s friends, wondering if they¡¯ll get caught in this mess and make things more complicated. Candy stared at the gun Jack gave him and fiddled with it. He sighs and sets it aside, and falls asleep.


    ***


    It¡¯s the next day. A new day had shone, clouds of grey were absent, exposing a clear blue sky for once, birds thriving. Inside her grandparents home, Anna was lively and awake, shining like a diamond. In all her years she¡¯s never felt this joyful to a new day.


    She¡¯s getting dressed, buttoning up her bra and looking at herself in her standing mirror. ¡°I wonder what we¡¯re going to do today. I can only imagine, sheesh, I''m so excited.¡±


    Anna adjusted her bust and gave herself a thumbs up. She gets fully dressed, dressing up as her usual grungy self and walks out of her room and into the dinning room. Her grandparents were waiting, sitting and reading while the food stayed hot. She takes her seat and starts eating. Her grandparents watched and Anna didn¡¯t notice their smug looks on their faces. If anyones pleased about Anna¡¯s situation it was her grandparents, mainly at the fact they were happy she¡¯ll be married or so they think. Anna has rejected the idea plenty enough, but her grandparents pretend to understand to not cause any trouble for their granddaughter. The two elders can¡¯t help it, they have a tremendous gut feeling that she¡¯ll bear his kids someday.


    Anna was just about to take a bite of her bagel until she took a glimpse at her grandmother who bounced her eyebrows at her. ¡°Grandma, what¡¯s with the funny smug nature huh?¡±


    Her grandmother grew a bigger grin and laughed. ¡°Oh nothing my dear, just eat your breakfast. I know you have a big day ahead of you.¡±


    Her grandfather wheezed and almost choked on his breakfast.


    Anna rolled her eyes and laughed. ¡°Alright grandma.¡±


    After her breakfast, Anna thanked her grandparents for the meal and quickly washed her dishes before walking out the front door with a huge open mouth smile. Exposed to the brightest day of her life, Anna walks off to school.


    She¡¯s so excited that she forgot her bag and anything related to school. ¡°Michigan! I hope you¡¯re ready!¡± Anna shouted, ¡°Because I¡¯m fucking happy once again!¡± She marched forward, some bystanders walking by glanced at her, thinking she was high.


    Anna¡¯s walking to her bus stop, a suspicious vehicle suddenly pulled up next to her. That happiness was vanquished and she got startled. Worry overcame her emotions and she started power walking but the car would speed up next to her. She¡¯s growing nervously angry, balling her hands.


    Why¡¯s this car following me? Am-am I about to be abducted?! Anna wondered.


    Anna stopped and so did the car that had tinted windows. She turned to the vehicle and as soon as her mouth opened, they rolled down their window. It¡¯s Jack who¡¯s behind the wheel and giving Anna the creeps.


    Jack smiled. ¡°Need a lift?¡± he said, winking at her.


    Anna pouts but is thrilled. ¡°Gosh darn it Jack, almost scared me for a moment!¡± She hurried and opened the car door and hops right in like a little kid excited for the park.


    They drove off, Jack asked Anna, ¡°Where does Sarah live? That way I can pick her up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure, just turn left once you reach the upcoming stop sign and it should be a straight drive from then on.¡±


    Jack nodded and continued the drive. They drove for ten minutes and arrived, parking outside her house. Anna texted the goth girl while the two waited in the car. Jack saw her unique town home that was one with nature. Things were quiet for the most part until Anna¡¯s curiosity came back to bite her. She wanted to ask more questions about Jack¡¯s mysterious life. Jack on the other hand was staying silent, observing, and thinking about all the mysteries unfolding. One important thought that kept stabbing his mind was if they¡¯re truly out of Dr. Cato¡¯s devious hands.


    Anna watched her good friend stare off into space, but finally spoke. ¡°Say Jack, what more can you tell me about your life up to this point. I-I know you can¡¯t tell me everything, but at least give me enough to not be so questiony.¡±


    Jack looked at his friend and grinned. ¡°Alright then, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ve known you enough to realise just how much of a curious person you are.¡±


    Anna smiled and briefly rubbed Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°Sorry, I just can¡¯t help it, you know?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t mind his old best friend being needy. It felt comforting that someone like her was being pushy, just like his sister. The young man wiped off his grin and lay back on the leather seat, making it squeal.


    Jack took a breath and grabbed the steering wheel. ¡°Well, as I said it¡¯s been living hell; to survive homelessness, endure the lifestyle of gangster living, and a lot more. Eh, I¡¯ve overcome many obstacles in life.¡± The young man sighed as Anna listened closely, slowly frowning. ¡°But there¡¯s one thing I¡¯ve yet to beat and¡­ I think it¡¯s barely just started. Ah, who knows what¡¯s ahead for me, hmph.¡±


    Anna didn¡¯t like the sound of his voice towards the end, which made her sad. Just hearing how his voice went back and forth to the sound of not caring to acting worried, it seemed as if Jack¡¯s still suffering, deeply inside. She believes everything that he¡¯s telling her, but knowing Anna, Jack knows she¡¯s still not one hundred percent on his current story. The young man still can¡¯t bring himself to tell her everything, especially the fact that he¡¯s a murderer and nuicance to society. After a short meaningful talkative journey they arrived at Sarah¡¯s house. Jack honks the horn randomly to alert Sarah and his impatience, which startled Anna.


    Anna¡¯s phone rang and she answered. ¡°Hello?¡±


    It¡¯s Sarah, who sounds annoyed. ¡°So you two are in a car, but why honk the horn? Like chill¡­¡±


    Jack overheard her, and it made him chuckle. ¡°For someone who didn¡¯t talk much in our young years, she sure has sass and is loud.¡±


    Sarah hangs up and Anna giggles. ¡°Oh that girl, and I hope you¡¯re ready to meet that sass cause she¡¯s probably coming out now.¡±


    And Anna was right, Sarah came out the front door and crossed her arms, walking to the car. She stopped and blew steam through her nostrils before hopping in.


    Once she entered and took her seat, and closed the door, she tapped Jack¡¯s broad shoulder. Jack looked over his shoulder and saw her still face but he knew she was annoyed.


    The young man raised his brows and blinked. ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡±


    Sarah raised a brow and then rolled her eyes, laying back on the seat. ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s too early for this. Plus I don''t want to awaken a giant, knowing my potty mouth.¡±


    Jack and Anna chuckled while Sarah stayed quiet. They were off and Jack agreed to drop them off and come back to pick them up when school was done. Along the way, Sarah curiously asked Jack if he still continued his education. Jack only laughed, reminding Sarah that she¡¯s still hilarious as ever. Sarah felt a little irritated at his response, but he quickly apologised and explained that it¡¯s too late for him to return or finish his education.


    Anna chimed in their conversation and gently punched Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, sir! You¡¯re a fool thinking it¡¯s too late to further your education my dear friend. You can still get your G.E.D.¡±


    Jack briefly stared at Anna for a bit until he bursted out in laughter once again, turning back to the road and annoying her.


    Sarah smiles for some odd reason. ¡°He¡¯s quite the smartass, isn¡¯t he, Anna?¡±


    Hearing Sarah compliment Jack like that raises suspicion for Anna. Anna turns to Sarah with a smug look on her face pointing at Jack as she makes dirty gestures at her. Sarah raised the edge of her lip, flipping Anna off.


    ¡°Oh yeah, kinda reminds me of another smartass, you! Sarah, haha.¡± Anna said, laughing and pointing at her gothic friend.


    Sarah chuckles it off as she looks out of the window, watching the passing buildings and people as they continue the drive to their school.


    ***


    At their school on this bright clear day, Veronica waited for her friends at the front of the school with her binder in her arms. Wearing a preppy outfit fitting for her with her breathable sweater, dark blue jeans and boot-like heels, she¡¯s feeling wondrous today too. Strangely enough, Danny¡¯s also present,  standing beside her of all people. Of all people that would stand next to her and over the past months had expressed disgusting inappropriate behaviours, he¡¯s suddenly with her. Oddly enough, he seemed a bit different? With how his current face looked, cutting his hair, and changing back to the ways he dressed, that of grunginess, Danny looked like a changed young man. Earlier in the week, he apologised to Veronica about his behaviour by buying her flowers and writing a four page apology letter. He also wrote ones for Sarah and Anna. Veronica accepted his apology the next day following that note, complimenting how he reminds her of his old self, which brought a smile to his face.


    ¡°Sure is a beautiful day, isn¡¯t it, Veronica?¡± Danny said, staring at her as her ponytail fluttered.


    Without turning her shoulder, Veronica replied, ¡°Yeah, it is, isn¡¯t it? For once in this depressing city.¡±


    While waiting for her friends along with Danny, her date for tomorrow night came by, greeting her with a sudden side hug. Veronica was embarrassed and pulled herself away from his hug, she doesn¡¯t like to be touched. Danny already didn¡¯t like this guy, he heard a lot about him from other people, notably other girls but forced a smile on his face and walked behind him, placing his hand on his shoulder.


    He turned around and showed a smug grin to Danny. ¡°Hey yo, what¡¯s up Danny! How¡¯s it hanging?¡± He put his hand out and Veronica watched because she knew Danny¡¯s jealous nature.


    Danny sighed and shook the guy''s hand, greeting him as well. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up, Rodney. And I¡¯m good.¡±


    Rodney placed his fists on his hips and turned to Veronica who stayed calm. ¡°Ready for our date tomorrow Veronica?¡±


    Veronica grinned, and blushed. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think so or hope so, hehe.¡± she replied nervously.


    Danny pats her back, still expressing that forced smile. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine! You got this Veronica.¡±


    Rodney didn''t like how friendly he was to her. He butted between them making it seem as if he was asking Veronica a question.


    Rodney forcefully chuckles, ¡°After tomorrow you won¡¯t be doing that no more my friend!¡± he said as he wiggled his finger at Danny.


    Danny chuckles as well, but his smile in their eyes seemed genuine. ¡°Oh, probably my friend.¡±


    Veronica didn¡¯t like the air around them so she stepped out and decided to let them continue their forced conversation. A car shortly pulls up as they continue talking, surprising Veronica. The doors opened from the left side of the car and out came Sarah and Annabelle who looked happy. Veronica¡¯s never seen her friends, notably Anna this happy in a long time. She waves at them and they wave too. She walks over to them and stops a couple feet from the car. Upon coming closer to them, Veronica stopped. Her two friends looked suspiciously smuggy for some odd reason. The two walked up to Veronica, and normally she expected a hug or hive five from them, but once they were in front of her, they didn¡¯t.


    Veronica pouts and crosses her arms. ¡°Alright you two¡ªwhat¡¯s up with you guys? Why the suspicion!¡±


    Anna was about to say something, but caught a glimpse of something behind Veronica that annoyed and disgusted her. ¡°More like why¡¯s he here? I thought he was still being a jerk?¡±


    Sarah heard, she was cautious and alert. ¡°Yeah¡­ care to explain, Veronica?¡±


    Veronica nervously chuckles, ¡°Well you see¡­!¡± As she was about to continue Danny comes from behind and surprises the two with his apology letters in hand.


    Anna stared at the papers and wondered what they were.


    Danny cleared his throat. ¡°They¡¯re apology letters, I¡¯m sorry, you two, truly, I am.¡±


    Sarah stayed on high alert because of her spell. Anna thought he was being manipulative and thought it might be a trap. Anna was about to refuse but Sarah suddenly grabbed Anna¡¯s shoulder and she was the first to grab a letter.


    Sarah pulled it out and felt the murdered tree between her finger tips. It-It¡¯s genuine¡­ so everything did actually¡ªwork.


    Sarah nods. ¡°It¡¯s alright Anna, just take it.¡±


    Anna sighs and takes it with a bit of aggression as she pulls it. ¡°Suit yourself, lucky I¡¯m in a really good ass mood.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Danny smiles. ¡°How has your morning been so far, huh?¡±


    Rodeny suddenly barged in and he looked really thrilled to see the two girls. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s Veronica¡¯s two friends, what¡¯s up!¡±


    Both girls squint their eyes and rolled them. Rodney seemed a little googly eyed as he stared at both Anna and Sarah, especially Sarah¡¯s figure. Then his eyes turned thirsty towards Anna¡¯s bust size. Danny figured he¡¯d react this way towards them and snapped his fingers in front of his face.


    ¡°Hey, fuck boy, respect Veronica.¡± Danny said, rudely.


    And there¡¯s the jealousy¡­ Veronica thought.


    Rodney laughs it off and wraps his arm around Danny¡¯s neck. ¡°Chill man, haha. Our date¡¯s not till tomorrow, and I ain¡¯t doing anything.¡±


    Hearing him brush it off that easily and sounding fine with it irradiated Danny a bit but he kept his cool. Both girls seemed disgusted and ignored him. They both asked Veronica if she was ready for the surprise that they had in store for her and to answer why they¡¯re acting so funny. Veronica sighs with a smile on her face, ready along with everyone else.


    Anna walked backwards and relaxed her arms to her sides. She walks around the car and peaks into it, poking Jack who seemed lost in thought.


    ¡°You ready, Jack? She¡¯s waiting.¡± Anna said, gently punching his face.


    Jack chuckles. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll make sure I¡¯ll apologise while I''m at it.¡± He pokes Anna¡¯s nose and she backs off, allowing him to slowly step out of the car.


    Jack slowly rises from the other side. Everyone else waited in anticipation of this supposed surprise the two were keen on. Anna quickly hurried to her friends and Sarah stood next to Veronica. Once Anna was by her side as well, the two covered her eyes and gently pushed her forward.


    Veronica¡¯s nervous and flailed her arms. ¡°Wh-what! Why are you guys covering my eyes all of a sudden?!¡±


    Jack reveals the side of his body to the others, walking from the other side and stopping in front of the group.


    Rodney crossed his arms and smacked his lips, feeling jealous of Jack¡¯s height and cold eyes. ¡°Damn, that¡¯s the surprise, I stand no chance¡­¡±


    Danny¡¯s eyes slowly expanded. They quivered with hatred, his heart was beating so fast, and his hands were clenched to the max. He knew who it was. The memories of his sister being killed, those lifeless eyes that were set on him filled his mind with vengeance once again. Rodney felt the anger pouring out Danny¡¯s sweat glands and took notice, deciding to distance himself from Danny. He knew he was angry and wanted no part if he decided to explode out of nowhere.


    Ja-Jack¡­ Danny thought.


    The girls dropped their hands, and in unison said, ¡°Open your eyes, brat.¡± Veronica replied with a ¡°Hmph!¡± but did as she was told. Slowly, the rich girl opens her eyes and spots a tall, long haired guy with eyes as cold as ice. He wore a jacket, dark blue fit jeans, and black boots, but the thing that caught her eyes the most was that scar on his face. She seemed rather confused at first, but he slowly pulled a photo out, a photo of all ¡®four¡¯ together as kids. Sarah and Anna stood next to him to remind her who he was. Veronica had half an eye shut, feeling light headed.


    Veronica¡¯s breathing started growing heavy. ¡°Wh-What are you guys trying to¡ª?¡±


    They handed her the photo and as soon as she glimpsed at it, she realised who stood in the middle. Her eyes grew small, and the rich girl gasped in silence. As she looked back at them, Jack lifted his hand to her, saying hi. A single tear came out and she felt extremely light headed and dizzy. Her knees were weak, ready to give out from utter shock. Veronica begins falling, but Danny catches her from falling. Both girls rushed to her aid, not realising she would faint from the surprise. They expected her to react in some dramatic way, but not this drastically. Jack, who didn¡¯t seem bothered, stared at Danny. Danny felt his gaze and stared back at him with Veronica in his arms. That cold gaze, that same gaze that was set on him when he was on the brink of death staring back at him boiled his blood.


    Jack¡­ you vile monster¡­! Danny thought.


    Danny clenches Veronica¡¯s left arm. Jack saw the wrinkles forming on the edge of her sweater, seeing the silent anger gripping his childhood friend''s arm. He walked closer to get to Veronica but Danny put his hand out to Jack, stopping him.


    Jack balled a fist and looked dead in his eyes. ¡°Hey, whoever you are, stop acting hostile, I¡¯m an old friend of hers.¡±


    Danny ground his teeth. ¡°You-You have some¡ª!¡±


    Anna put down Danny¡¯s arm. ¡°Relax, it¡¯s Jack. No need to be so overprotective, don¡¯t do this now Daniel.¡±


    ¡°Daniel? As in Danny?¡± Jack said, un-balling his fist. ¡°Well, that explains the overreaction, go figure.¡±


    Danny grit his teeth in response to Jack. ¡°Bast¡­ard.¡± he muttered.


    Sarah could feel that horrible feeling from Jack, the darkness that lurked within his veins. That awful feeling of hatred and darkness engulfed the atmosphere around them. But she also felt something from Danny, another feeling than before when she casted her spell. Now she wonders if her binding actually worked or in actuality, is he just putting up an act?


    An hour later, the entire group was waiting, seated in Detroit''s medical centre lobby. Veronica was rushed to the emergency room when they couldn''t wake her up from her dramatic fainting. They wanted to be sure she was alright so they decided to take her to Detroit¡¯s medical centre. Anna and Sarah were sitting side by side while Jack with his arms crossed stood against the wall near them. Danny sat across them, staring at Jack with immense malice. Danny¡¯s still shocked that Jack reunited with the girls, he never expected this outcome. Sarah kept a close eye on Danny to observe his behaviour after that day she casted her spell on him and even if he seemed changed, there''s something deep inside of him that screamed his old self. The doctor came out and informed everyone that she was okay and it was nothing more than just reacting to intense shock. The girls sighed with relief and Jack stayed cool, feeling relieved as well. Danny on the other hand continued staring at Jack.


    Jack felt his glare and intensity, looking back at him. ¡°What¡¯s your problem? Not happy to see an old friend are we?¡±


    Danny ignored Jack and looked away.


    Jack smacked his lips and walked away towards the elevators. Anna rose up and asked, ¡°Where are you going, Jack?¡±


    Jack ignored her and walked, stopping in front of the elevator. He pressed the button, it opened and he walked in. The doors closed behind him and Anna¡¯s left hanging with worry. She quickly runs to the other one to find out why Jack walked off all of a sudden? Sarah sighs and decides to stay behind to wait for Veronica to come out.


    Anna wasn¡¯t sure where Jack went off to. ¡°Damn it, Jack¡­¡± As she waited for the next elevator, she spotted the floor that he stopped at. ¡°That high up huh?¡± She patiently waits, curiosity flowing all across her body, the blonde girl scrunched her face.


    Sarah watched as her best friend impatiently waited and once an elevator opened, she hopped right in. The doors shut and the goth girl¡¯s alone, with Danny. She brought her gaze back to him, continuing to observe Danny. She felt something else now from him. He seemed more relaxed yet fear showed itself now?


    Why¡¯s he trembling? Something¡¯s spooking him now, what could it be? Sarah wondered.


    She wanted to ask him what¡¯s wrong out of curiosity, but it wasn¡¯t going to be out of genuinity, rather it¡¯d be out of her own selfish reason to answer more about her spell. She reaches into her bag and pulls a book out, the same black one her mother gave to her that she always reads. Sarah reads while Danny decides to get up and head to wherever they were keeping Veronica.


    She watched him walk away, his arms shaking yet his fists slowly clenched in anger. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that weirdo? It¡¯s like once he saw Jack¡­ it was like he saw a ghost.¡±


    Jack¡¯s currently on the same floor where his beloved sister¡¯s being kept on. He¡¯s just coming out of some closeby restrooms and now, he¡¯s headed to Angela¡¯s room. Walking down the hallway, Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel that something seems rather off? The young man looked over his shoulder and felt as if something was watching him. The air around him felt heavy and strange? He was starting to wonder if he was in some sort of ruse or sucked into another world again. He lifted his fist and punched his face, that hurt for him alright. He grabbed his nose as it started leaking.


    ¡°Why does the environment feel oddly, light, heavy, and insanely pure¡­¡± Jack said, squinting.


    What was this strange air that was surrounding him? Making the young man feel perplexed and mildly worried. He decides to shrug it off for now and continues walking as he holds his nose to stop the bleeding.


    His best friend Anna walks out of the elevator and spots Jack just down the hall. ¡°Ja¡ª! Wait¡­¡±


    Anna stopped herself from shouting, her curiosity gained control of her body. Instead she quietly walks towards his direction. I wonder what he¡¯s being so mysterious about? Anna wondered.


    Jack knocks on the door to see if Candy was inside. There was no answer. He decided to welcome himself in, and opened the door and no one was inside except for Angela.


    ¡°Not only is the door open for anyone to come in, but he¡¯s not here either¡­ Candy, you really want me to beat you up, don¡¯t chu?¡±


    Anna watches Jack as he walks in the room and she tiptoes closer, curiously wanting to find out why Jack decided to go in a room that isn¡¯t inside their inner circle. Jack closes the door behind him and walks to Angela¡¯s bedside. He sits down and stares at his sister, hoping she¡¯ll wake up anytime soon.


    ¡°Angela, I¡¯m here, baby sis¡­¡±


    Anna stared at the door, gripping her chin. ¡°Should I really do this? I mean, I¡¯ll find out whatever secrets he holds sooner or later, right?¡±


    Anna extended her hand to the knob, gently grabbing it so she wouldn''t alert Jack. She gently turned the knob and carefully opened the door, barely placing any force on it, hoping it wouldn''t create a sound. She¡¯s in and she repeated the same action by closing it behind her.


    Jack grabbed Angela¡¯s hand and held it, he sighs and caresses her hair. ¡°Your hair¡¯s gotten longer, hasn¡¯t it¡­ yet it reminds me of¡ªher¡­¡± Her carpet of hair hung off the sides of the bed and her highlights were just as bright as ever. ¡°No no, it must be a coincidence. I mean, your hair¡¯s more wild and you have more bangs so¡­¡±


    The closer and the more Jack touched it, the more he questioned the connection between them. For now the young man let it go because of his guilt. That burden of guilt that made him feel terrible, blaming himself once again knowing his sister¡¯s half dead. Jack feels like he¡¯s the personification of trash. Anna was standing still, feeling her own form of guilt but walked quietly to see where Jack¡¯s at. She creeps and peaks around the corner of the room to spot Jack sitting at someone¡¯s bedside and holding someone¡¯s hand?


    ¡°Jack? Who-who¡¯s hand are you holding?¡± Anna whispered.


    Was it a secret lover that he kept secret from them? Or was it a long lost relative that he never told them about? All this curiosity building up inside Anna was too much to bear. She walked out of the corner and saw a clearer picture. It was a little girl.


    Anna¡¯s confused, speechless, yet worried for some reason. Her hair was pitch black like the night and her skin was paler than Sarah¡¯s. Anna couldn¡¯t help but feel, even sense that she''d seen, feel this girl before, but where?


    Why am I getting a sense of nostalgia from her¡­ That sea of hair, where have I seen it before? Anna thought.


    Jack pats Angela¡¯s head and leans in to kiss her on her forehead, surprising Anna. Anna steps aside a bit to her left to see better, but in doing so causes her to bump onto the mini fridge. Jack heard and quickly turned round, seeing who it was. To his surprise, it was Anna. Anna stayed quiet and stared at Jack, looking guilty.


    Jack got up and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Anna, did you follow me?¡± he asked in a serious tone.


    Anna felt ashamed and grabbed her arm. ¡°Yeah¡­ I did, but can you blame me? I know it¡¯s rude to stalk but I couldn¡¯t help it, especially since you abandoned everyone and left in secrecy.¡±


    Jack shook his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you? There are things that I still don¡¯t want you or any of you to find out about me.¡±


    Anna swallows out of nervousness and slowly approaches Jack with caution. ¡°Jack¡­ who¡¯s this?¡± she said, pointing at Angela as her finger trembled.


    Jack¡¯s face stayed still, yet his tone grew colder. ¡°I guess I have no choice but to tell you, now that you¡¯re here.¡± He walks up to Anna and places his hand on her shoulder, making her afraid of him for once.


    Jack didn¡¯t like the way Anna reacted towards him now. It made him feel more of an asshole than he already is. Out of all the people he never wanted to intimidate nor make them feel uncomfortable, Anna was showing these signs. Jack cooled down and dragged his hand over his mouth. Anna grabbed his hand and he moaned.


    Jack stepped aside and put his arm out to Angela with a gentle smile. ¡°Sh-She¡¯s my adopted little sister, Angela.¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes shook, and she gasped. ¡°Adopted sister?¡±


    Jack nods. ¡°Yeah¡­ she¡¯s my everything. The sole reason why I keep going to say the least.¡±


    Anna looked at Jack in disbelief. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand? If she¡¯s your adopted little sister, how come you¡¯ve never introduced us to her?¡±


    Jack took a slow deep breath. He grabbed Anna¡¯s hand again and made the two sit next to her bedside. ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but let''s just say¡­¡± Jack looked at his beloved sister, gently grinning, ¡°...I was the hero she deserved.¡±


    Anna turns to Angela and stares at her pale face. ¡°Jack, your life¡¯s a complete mystery¡­¡± She looks back at Jack, serious. ¡°... please, I need you to tell me everything, the truth.¡±


    Jack hesitated at first but Anna grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Please Jack. What¡¯s truly happened to you these past eight and a half years, we¡¯re best friends right? So please, tell me¡­ everything.¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes quivered with sadness as she stared into that cold gaze of Jack.


    Jack looked away and hugged Anna instead. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you everything, but I¡¯ll tell you enough.¡±


    Anna seemed let down, feeling like he truly didn¡¯t trust her enough to explain his entire situation like Sarah mentioned.


    Anna gently pushes him off and stands up. ¡°Okay¡­ I guess some other time then.¡± She looked away and walked off as her eyes got all watery.


    Jack tried grabbing her but she covered her face and walked out of the room too quickly for him to even reach.


    ¡°Anna!¡± Jack shouted, worried. He sat back down and stared at the entrance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Anna.¡± He sat there in silence, feeling even guiltier than ever before.


    ***


    Back in the hospital lobby, Candy had just walked back in after smoking some cancer. He casually walks through the lobby all feminie like until he spotted a strange adorable goth girl, sitting all by herself and reading quietly. Candy was rather curious and decided to walk up towards this mystery girl. The goth girl kept her eyes on her book until someone''s shadow blocked her reading. She looked up and spotted a very beautiful yet very feminine looking guy who looked very girlish to the point she even thought he was a chick for a second upon spotting his adams apple.


    With his hands on his hips and a soft smile, he salutes the goth girl. ¡°Hey there beautiful, whatcha reading?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply to him, and gave him a cold stare. Afterwards she stood up and sat on the chair next to her and read again.


    Candy blinked rapidly and snapped his fingers dramatically. ¡°Hmph, lonely homophobe!¡±


    Candy wondered if he said that and acted himself he¡¯d get a reaction out of her, but to no unveil, she didn¡¯t bother giving him another glimpse. Candy grunts and as he was about to march away, a blonde girl came out of the elevator all puffy eyed and covering mouth. She walked past Candy and sat next to the goth girl.


    Sarah saw Anna¡¯s puffy eyes the moment she sat next to her. ¡°Anna? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Anna rested her arms on her knees, hanging her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ it¡¯s just, that you¡¯re right about Jack, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Candy overheard their conversation and Jack¡¯s mention. He walks to the two and stands in front of them. ¡°Excuse me sweethearts, but I heard you mention my¡ª¡±


    They ignored him and Candy stayed paused. Sarah continues comforting Anna, rubbing her back and patting it.


    Feeling frustrated and annoyed Candy snapped his finger and swayed his hip angrily. ¡°Listen you two, stop ignoring me, you beautiful flowers! I demand who you are and why you mentioned my boo boo Jack¡¯s name!¡±


    He finally got their attention and they both looked up at him.


    The goth girl stands up and walks up to Candy. ¡°I apologize if I was rude to you earlier, I thought you were just a very random gay guy seeking attention.¡±


    Candy covers his mouth and dramatically gasps. ¡°Why I never! Listen here honey! I maybe queer, but I ain¡¯t no attention seeking hoe, you got that?¡± Candy sways his finger side to side.


    The goth girl giggles quietly along with Anna. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you doing that now?¡±


    Candy looks behind and all around and notices all the people looking right at him. ¡°Shit¡­ you girls got me! But look here sweetums, who and what are ya to my boo boo Jack?¡±


    Anna wiped her eyes and extended her hand out to him while seated. ¡°I¡¯m Jack¡¯s long lost best friend, nice to meet you.¡± She smiles and wipes her face.


    Sarah extends her hand as well. ¡°I¡¯m just a friend of his, nothing more.¡±


    Candy smacks his lips. ¡°Oh! I see now, boo boo¡¯s a playa isn¡¯t he! How dare he play with my feelings with girls this gorgeous!¡± Candy covers his face and forcefully cries, ¡°Am I not sexy enough for him hmm? Shit! Fuck it, we can share him if ya¡¯ll want!¡±


    Anna and Sarah bursted out laughing, Candy chuckled along and asked more questions afterwards. They talked for a while for about thirty minutes and Candy learned more about Jack¡¯s past and how much his fake death affected them. Candy told his side of how he came across their lost friend and about meeting Jack at a mental asylum while he was next door to a juvenile detention centre type building. The girls at least found out things Jack hadn''t told them like saving Angela from near death bullying, escaping the place along with some supernatural events alarming Sarah but confusing Anna. Sarah asked more about these so-called supernatural events, but Candy couldn¡¯t explain them too well. Candy surprised the two about Jack¡¯s recent rescue, along with his disappearance that happened two years ago.


    ¡°You know what¡­¡± Anna stood up, confident, and excused herself and decided to talk to Jack again.


    Sarah stopped her, grabbing her arm along with Candy. Anna wanted to confront Jack and force more out of him, but Veronica came out with Danny by her side from the entrance of the emergency rooms. Veronica seemed better and relieved from the looks of it. As the two approached their small circle, Anna stormed off to the elevator, ignoring them.


    Veronica¡¯s confused as to why Anna left in a hurry into an elevator. ¡°Uh, what¡¯s going on Sarah? I¡¯m right here, so why did she leave that way?¡±


    Sarah grabbed Veronica¡¯s hand and decided to follow behind Anna¡¯s trail, dragging the rich girl. ¡°No time to explain, let''s go.¡±


    Candy followed but was curious to know who the tall girl was that was almost his height. ¡°Hey gothy, who¡¯s the rich snob?¡±


    Sarah giggled. ¡°I barely know you and already you¡¯re hilarious, good people reader. She¡¯s Jack¡¯s other old childhood best friend.¡±


    Candy couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous that Jack had this many in his life or before. Once they stopped in front of the elevator, Candy turned to Danny who also followed behind. ¡°Who¡¯s this lame looking fellow? He gives me big lamish creeper vibes like ew!¡±


    Danny turned angry. ¡°Hey!¡±


    Sarah laughed. ¡°I like you already Candy,.¡±


    Veronica didn¡¯t say anything as Danny smacked his lips. ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    The elevator door opened and they all walked in. Veronica, seeming more worried, tapped Sarah¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Where are you leading us to, Sarah?¡±


    ¡°Relax you bookworm, we¡¯re just following Anna. I¡¯m just as confused as you are.¡±


    Anna had just arrived at the floor and heard the other elevator also coming up. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll wait for the others then. I really need to chill.¡±


    Meanwhile, Jack¡¯s sitting all alone in Angela¡¯s room. His face was as still as ever and sitting across him was none other than Mallory, who seemed rather angry. Her face also was still, but Jack knew she was angry by just her gaze alone.


    Jack sighed and stroked his chin. ¡°I already told you, Anna and Sarah are just my friends, nothing more.¡±


    Mallory rolled her eyes and looked away. ¡°I believe you, but I still don¡¯t trust that Witch, not one bit.¡± She stands up and walks towards Jack, ¡°Anna won¡¯t be a problem, not after I worked my little twist on her.¡± She giggled, ¡°Just don¡¯t betray me Jack, because if you do I¡¯ll¡ª!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll punish me right? Hey do me a favour and shut up. I¡¯m in no mood to discuss your selfish desires, and pettiness. Besides, I have no clue about the things you mention anyways. So why don¡¯t you do me a favour by going back inside Angela, shutting up and leaving me be¡­ I just had my best friend walk out on me because I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell her the full truth.¡±


    Mallory gasps silently and clenches her fists, but hid her anger and forces a smile instead. ¡°Oh that won¡¯t be a problem¡­ because she¡¯ll never know the truth, nobody¡ªwill! And I¡¯ll make sure of it, honey!¡± She fades away, leaving Jack feeling even more frustrated than before.


    Jack stood up and wanted to vent his emotions onto a snack. He made his way to the door and opened it to go grab something from the vending machines. As soon as he opens the door, walking out, Anna bumps into Jack. She falls on her butt surprising Jack.


    Immediately, Jack picks her up. ¡°Anna, where did you come from?¡±


    Anna rubs her head. ¡°Holy crap you¡¯re like a brick wall. Sorry about earlier though¡­¡±


    ¡°No Anna, I¡¯m sorry, okay. Don¡¯t you apologise for anything that you didn¡¯t do.¡±


    Anna smiles and hugs the young man, comforting him. Jack looks to his side and is shocked to see everyone else; Sarah, Candy and Danny, along with Veronica behind Danny who¡¯s cowering from her past.


    ¡°Well I see you¡¯re feeling better now.¡± Jack says, letting go of Anna and approaching Veronica, but Danny steps in front, blocking him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Danny? You still don¡¯t seem happy to see your old pal, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Danny looked so angry, he looked as if he was ready to throw a punch. ¡°Why? Why did you have to come back into our lives, you¡­ you fucking heartless, worhless¡­ Son of¡ª!¡±


    A sudden contact of palm and flesh brought everything to silence. The echo of anger continued deep on both ends of the hallway. Once it settled, Danny¡¯s head was turned to the right, and Anna¡¯s hand was still at the edge of her face, throbbing red.


    Anna had a deep wrinkle between her eyes, her clenched jaw, she was livid. ¡°You shut your damn mouth! You piece of shit¡­ Don¡¯t you dare speak to him like that, you got that?!¡± As Anna was about to step forward, Jack stopped her, putting his arm forward. ¡°Ja-Jack? What is it?¡± she asked calmly.


    Jack lowered his arm and glared at Danny. ¡°You seem more angry now than when we were kids. Why don¡¯t you try throwing some punches to relieve yourself, what do you say?¡±


    Jack gestures to everyone to give them space. They all back off and Jack gestures to Danny to come at him, pissing him off as Danny massages his cheek. Everyone else seemed shocked hearing Jack¡¯s request, except for Candy of course. He actually cheered Jack to beat him up for disrespecting him.


    Jack raised his arms into his fighting pose. ¡°Come one, show me why you¡¯re so eager to punch my lights out, Danny.¡±


    Danny clenched his fist and without hesitation threw a straight punch to Jack, but Jack casually caught it. As Jack caught his hand, his sleeve pulled up a bit to reveal a friendship bracelet of some sort, catching the attention of all the girls. Danny was especially astounded to see that bracelet because it reminded him once again that it was Jack that killed his sister eight years ago. Danny tried throwing another punch, but Jack caught it too. Jack pushes Danny away.


    ¡°Feeling better, Daniel?¡± Jack said, having sarcasm within his deep voice.


    Hearing Jack say his name so calmly and sarcastically only made Danny angrier. Danny tried throwing more sloppy punches, but without any effort Jack dodges and catches every single punch thrown at him. Jack was beginning to grow tired of this little game of his and told Danny to hurry up. Danny growled in response. But something caught his eyes, the door behind Jack was open. With a maniacal smile on his face, he catches Jack off guard and rushes him, but goes past him and hurries inside.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Jack quickly turned around and ran after him.


    Danny ran around the corner and saw a girl lying unconscious on a bed. His smile grew even more twisted and once he was arm''s reach of the girl, Jack brought him to a stop. Danny gasped loudly and Jack abruptly turned him around, picking him up by his neck. The anger on Jack¡¯s face was immeasurable, never had Danny seen his killer look this scary. Jack¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and he had enough of Danny. Danny struggled, his breath grew shortened by the second. The other girls peaked around the edge of the door and saw Jack choking the life out of him, which froze all of them in fear. Jack used all his strength to throw him out of the room past everyone.


    The girls gasped, and Jack came stomping out. Veronica tried intervening to calm Jack, but he walked past her. He was livid. Jack picked Danny up before he did so himself. The young man vented his inner guilt onto his old friend, punching him in the gut with such force that Danny passed out immediately.


    Jack smacked his lips and threw his unconscious body on the bench. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever¡ªget near her, got that!¡±


    The girls grew nervous, anxious from this scary side of Jack. His voice felt powerful and sounded cold. Sarah can sense the darkness trying to outline his body.


    Jack got in Danny¡¯s face, panting in anger. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your problem is, but if you laid a hand on her Danny¡­ I would¡¯ve¡ª!¡± Jack gasped and snapped out of his rage, turning to everyone who looked shocked and afraid.


    Anna stepped forward and her eyes quivered. ¡°Jack¡­?¡±


    Jack moaned and stood straight. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m¡­ damn it. This wasn¡¯t a side I wanted to show you guys. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Sarah stood next to Anna but then approached the young man, looking into his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s okay, they might not understand the anger inside of you, but I do.¡±


    Jack felt shocked hearing that. He didn¡¯t imagine someone like her to understand his dwelling anger and guilt. Yet he questioned how she knew.


    The young man deeply sighed. ¡°I¡¯m still sorry, I took things out of line. There¡¯s no need for me to act this way.¡±


    Sarah understood and grinned. ¡°Eh, I think he kinda deserved it to be honest.¡±


    Veronica didn¡¯t like how friendly the two were getting but seemed more afraid than anyone else to confront him after the show he demonstrated.


    Anna walked next to Sarah then headbutted Jack¡¯s chest, gently. ¡°You dummy, you scared us. But Sarah¡¯s right, I think he kinda deserved it too.¡±


    Candy had his arms crossed but had a smile on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised by this, stupid lame ass. Hmph, tryna stir trouble, his ass got what was coming to him, mhhm!¡± Everyone laughed, even Veronica, but not Jack.


    Everyone walks into the room, ignoring Danny, leaving him passed out on the hallway bench. Once everyone was inside, Jack went over and sat next to Angela while everyone stood. Sarah looked at Angela and felt an awful presence in her, the same presence similar to that of Jack and Anna.


    Who¡¯s this girl?! And the energy coming from within her¡­ it¡¯s-it¡¯s horrendous, holy mother of earth¡­ Sarah thought.


    Veronica, who was still nervous beyond belief, stayed quiet, but not for long. Anna snuck behind her and pinched her, making her yelp loudly. All eyes were on her and she looked at everyone, turning red.


    Jack got up and confronted her. The girl stuttered and looked away. ¡°Veronica¡­ I¡­¡±


    Veronica was beet red, but she built the courage to look into his eyes. ¡°Yes¡­ Ja-Ja-Jack.¡±


    Jack, as he looked at her adorable nature couldn¡¯t help but grin. He placed his hand on her shoulder. ¡°Where are my manners, how¡¯ve you been, huh?¡±


    Steam came off her head in embarrassment, feeling discouraged to not look into his cold eyes. ¡°Umm.. I-I, see, and.. H...ow be-been!¡±


    Her reply made no sense and her stuttering was so bad that everyone thought she was speaking another language, bringing chuckles and giggles into the air.


    Jack kept his grin but it grew softer. He brought her closer, hugging her. ¡°Long time no see, Veronica.¡±


    Veronica couldn¡¯t take it. She broke out in tears and wrapped her arms around him, crying loudly. Everyone smiled while Candy felt even more jealous than before but smiled too.


    Jack rubbed her head. ¡°Veronica, this is something I¡¯ve wanted to say since we were kids.¡± She stops crying and looks up at Jack as he wipes off her tears and continues patting her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my old friend.¡±


    Veronica with her eyes all puffed like, sniffles and grabs his hand off her head to lock their fingers together. ¡°N-No¡­ I should be th-the one apologising¡­ not y-you!¡± She whimpers more as he smiles.


    Eric unexpectedly shows up and casually walks in, revealing himself to everyone and bringing everything to a sudden pause. He felt all their gazes and blushed, ¡°Yo¡­ who in the hell?¡± Eric looked at Jack with such confusion, ¡°my guy! What¡¯s going on?! Who are all these people!¡±


    Jack turns to Eric with a smile. ¡°Eric, I want you to say hello to my old childhood friends, sorry for the confusion.¡±


    Eric dropped some grocery bags and walked forward, nervously. ¡°Nah nah it¡¯s all cool, but damn¡­ why do they gotta be all snow bunnies!¡± Eric said jokely.


    Anna walks up to Eric and introduces herself. ¡°I¡¯m his best friend¡­¡± Eric quickly grabs her and lifts her with ease, surprising her.


    ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re that Anna girl he spoke about all the time. Heh, the young man would always bring you up in conversation.¡± He sets her down and Anna giggles.


    Anna smiles, flipping her hair. ¡°I¡¯m happy to know that, Mr. Eric.¡±


    ¡°Good and¡­¡± He glances at Sarah now, ¡°...the small one¡¯s the quiet one right?¡± Eric gripped his chin then rudely pointed at Sarah. ¡°Wait! Is she also the one you pulled a¡ª¡± Jack quickly shuts Eric up by slamming his index finger against his lip.


    ¡°Will you¡ª! I mean yeah, she¡¯s my friend Sarah,¡± Jack crept towards Eric and towards his ear, ¡°They don¡¯t know the truth about us yet!¡± he whispered.


    Eric chuckles. ¡°Oh! My bad my guy, so who¡¯s the one in glasses? I feel like I¡¯ve seen her before but I can¡¯t put my thoughts together to even remember.¡±


    Veronica fiddles her fingers. ¡°M-my name¡¯s Veronica, pleasure to meet you sir! Who might you be?¡±


    Eric shakes his head with disappointment. ¡°Well I guess you can say I¡¯m this dumbasses current guardian.¡± he said, pointing his thumb to Jack who¡¯s beside him.


    Jack sighed. ¡°Oh come on man, you can¡¯t even be nice to me in front of my friends either?¡±


    Everyone laughed, but afterwards the girls all asked who Angela was. Jack already explained to Anna earlier, so he needed to come clear to the other two.


    ¡°That person there is my adopted little sister, Angela. She¡¯s been in a coma for three years now.¡±


    Both Sarah and Veronica simultaneously said ¡°Sister?!¡± Everyone smiled and decided to enjoy this evening together, leaving Danny out of the picture. Later on, as it got late after long conversations of their past without spilling anything that¡¯ll traumatise and question their moralities, it was time for everyone to leave. Jack¡¯s standing next to Veronica and everyone else was getting ready to leave.


    ¡°What do you guys wanna do tomorrow? Since we¡¯re all here we can celebrate with a feast tomorrow, right?¡± Jack said, patting Veronica¡¯s back.


    Everyone agrees except for Veronica. ¡°Sorry¡­ I-I¡­¡± She tilts her head down in disappointment while Anna giggled quietly.


    Sarah sighs, but with a grin. ¡°Oh yeah, she has a date, if I remember correctly.¡±


    Veronica lifts her head up again to look at Jack. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I should go now.¡±


    Anna who was still giggling walked next to Veronica and patted her back as well. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said ¡®Yes!¡¯ remember? Gonna back down, since you know who¡¯s here now?¡± she said as she shrugged her elbow to Veronica.


    Jack looked confused. ¡°Date? She has a date!¡± Veronica blushes and everyone else jumps from his sudden shout. ¡°Wait a second¡­ What''s a date, is that like chilling or something if I remember correctly?¡±


    Everyone looked at Jack, disappointed. They all looked at him with such cold gazes feeling hopeless for him that made him scrunch his face in annoyance. Jack looks at everyone individually, asking them why their faces screamed disappointment. At first they thought he was joking but they remembered how dense he was. Eric laughed his ass off, he rolled on the ground dying from laughter at Jack¡¯s stupidity. Jack seemed angry and demanded an explanation while everyone still gave him a look of pity. Afterwards everyone decided to laugh at Jack too, angering him to the point he decides to shake Anna to get an answer, but she continues laughing, leaving poor Jack left hanging without an answer.


    Sarah was the only one not laughing, instead she was keeping her eyes locked onto Angela. Whoever this girl is¡­ she has the same nuisance energy just like that girl in the white dress just who and what is she? I don¡¯t know how you met her Jack, but for now, I¡¯m going to let this go.

 Arc 3 Chapter 13: A Godly New Mystery & Men

    It¡¯s the same day but night has overtook the two cities. Outside of Detroit, a pair of white vehicles were approaching the city from the main highway. One looked like a typical white van, the other was a white car along with the three others. The last vehicle looked like something that the Pope would ride in, a long limousine truck hybrid. Inside that strange vehicle that stood out, a man, elegant, hair bleached blonde, and a tuxedo suit hybrid of holiness and virtue. He sat in silence, his outfit had gold prints that reflected off the passing lights of the approaching city. He reached beneath his shirt, pulling out an ancient stone cross necklace, looking at it with his holy eyes of golden hazel.


    His phone rang, tucking the necklace away and answered his phone. ¡°Yes? Don¡¯t be so stingy, Mathew, we¡¯ll be there any moment now. Patience.¡± he said, his voice sounding British but a mixture of modern and that of the dark ages.


    He let Mathew talk some more and brought his golden eyes to the building they were calling home. ¡°Tell me Mathew, what is this Jack fellow like? His appearance, the nature of his being, and mental state.¡±


    Mathew explained, but was nervous over the phone. After hearing a brief synopsis of the young man, the holy man grinned. He quietly hung up and nodded to his passenger who sat across him, who wore a hooded robe and had brown hazelish eyes. They looked really suspicious and ominous. Just who are these people Mathew hired coming within city limits? Where did they come from and most of all, just who are they? The group of vehicles continued driving through the highway roads, fastly approaching the city, things were about to get more hectic for everyone, a new foe was upon them.


    Mathew and Dr. Cato meanwhile were discussing their plans. Dr. Cato¡¯s just sitting, frustrated as always. Mathew¡¯s biting his nails, nervous of the arrival of the people he hired. A few minutes later, their office door was knocked on. Dr. Cato didn¡¯t remember asking any of his employees for something or expecting any visitors. Actually he never intended to, which made him jump out of seat. Mathew grew a smile on his face, but a nervous one and walked over to the door and opened it. The moment the door opened wide, a huge shine of light burst through, blasting Dr. Cato¡¯s vision, which made him cover his eyes from the intense brightness. As the light died down, a group of men walked in with weird outfits. One guy, a very tall one, wore a hooded robe with gold imprint designs of biblically accurate Angels with Mary and Jesus over the sides. Two men who walked beside him appeared to be priests. They all stopped and stepped aside, letting a guy, the same height as the hooded man wearing a white tuxedo-like suit walk forward with an oddly shaped cross cane.


    Upon first glance, he gave Dr.Cato the creeps because of his odd yet calm face. ¡°Who the hell are these people?¡± Dr. Cato muttered.


    The holy man stopped in front of Dr. Cato, towering over him with his tremendous height. He stared deep into his soul with those Godly golden eyes of hazel. Dr. Cato swallowed and the holy man blinked. Matthew also swallowed and watched what his dear friend might say.


    Dr. Cato played it cool and cleared his throat. ¡°So? Mathew, I take that this is your friend?¡±


    The holy man grinned. ¡°And you must be Mr. Catholic! Am I correct ol Mathew?¡± He said as he hovered his cane near his chest. ¡°You also mention he was a new founder of God! Himself, right?¡±


    Mathew came right over and pats Dr. Cato¡¯s back. ¡°That¡¯s-That¡¯s right! He wasn¡¯t a believer before but ever since I showed him the path of Christ, he¡¯s now a full on believer!¡±


    The holy man grabbed his chin and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s splendid indeed. Well now, my new brother! Where are my manners Ahem!¡± He bows with his cane, ¡°Salutations my new found brother, the name¡¯s William H. Christ the sixth! It¡¯s a pleasure to be of service to you¡­¡±


    He stands straight again and slams the tip of his cane on the ground. ¡°Now then, what¡¯s this Jack fellow like again? How shall I make him a child of God and cleanse his wretched soul from the devilment that you¡¯ve mentioned my dear friend Mathew.¡±


    Mathew clears his throat. ¡°My friend here and I need your help to get a girl who desperately needs aid. You see, she has some sort of Demon inside of her!¡±


    William gets ecstatic and gasps with excitement. ¡°A demon you say?! Absolutely wonderful! It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve dealt with one I do say.¡± He chuckles and sighs. ¡°My my my, what type of demon does this child possess inside her poor soul?¡± He turns to his hooded companion and nods to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s an evil demon, a demon among demons! This thing¡¯s already killed thousands of people during a two year span!¡± Mathew said.


    William abruptly turns to Mathew in a creepy manner, which startled the two men. ¡°What was that again, my dear friend?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, like I said she¡¯s killed almost a thousand people in their¡ªsleep.¡±


    William brought up his cane and stared at its pure cold nature and rotated it. ¡°I see, huh.¡± he narrows his eyes and slowly lowers his cane. ¡°We¡¯re dealing with something far worse than I imagined.¡±


    His hooded companion walked up to the two. ¡°A demonic spirit is dangerous rightfully so, but a thousand people killed in their sleep? That¡¯s something unheard of, what have you gotten us into Mr. Mathew? And why didn¡¯t you tell us sooner?¡± The hooded man''s voice was deep, angry, yet sad.


    William walks next to his partner and pats his shoulder. ¡°Relax my dear partner. I do say that this is rather troublesome, But! When it comes to the glory of God, then we shouldn¡¯t worry at all my brothers!¡±


    Dr. Cato bursts in with an angry look set on his face now. ¡°Can you guys just stop already! This isn¡¯t about spirits or whatever! We¡¯re dealing with a sick murderer here, that¡¯s who you should worry about.¡±


    Both William and his partner glared at Dr.Cato, which made him gasp. William slowly approaches Dr. Cato as he dragged his cane on the ground. He stopped and took a long deep breath. Dr. Cato stepped back feeling uncomfortable. William kept staring him down, taking more deep breaths.


    William suddenly places his hand on Dr. Cato¡¯s chest. ¡°A murderer you say? That¡¯s more important than the many thousand innocent lives taken by this supposed demon?¡±


    His voice grew heavier, more serious, and that made Dr. Cato feels intimidated. Dr. Cato didn¡¯t want to reply and kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry Catholic, I have a way to deal with someone as sinful as this Jack fellow. Trust us, we¡¯ll deal with him too.¡±


    Dr. Cato ground his teeth, growing tired of this intense atmosphere and intimidation being put on him. ¡°I-I¡­ don¡¯t care how you deal with him!¡± He grits his teeth and steps away from William. ¡°I¡¯m warning you, he¡¯s a bigger threat than the girl himself.¡±


    William stays quiet for a moment. Everyone waits for what he¡¯ll do next and surprisingly, he begins walking out, his group quickly following behind. Before he could take his leave, he wanted to say one last thing.


    William looked over his shoulder and looked serious. ¡°I told you, dear Catholic, you can trust us. There¡¯s absolutely nothing to worry about¡­ my dear brother.¡± He leaves and the last guy closes the door behind them.


    Mathew sighs with disappointment and pats Dr. Cato¡¯s back to relieve him. ¡°You gotta relax my friend, see what you did, you pissed him off.¡±


    Dr. Cato politely slaps Mathews hand off of him. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to discuss your guys'' supernatural hoopla, Mathew. This is about retrieving Angela back and curing her of that¡­ thing!¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why he¡¯s going to help us deal with our buddie Jack, along with the rest of his buddies that attacked our new location those years ago.¡±


    Dr. Cato grows tired of all this supernatural mystery men charade and decides to sit down and drink a glass of water to cool off while Mathew steps out into the hall to catch and talk to William again.


    Dr. Cato drank calmly but set the cup down aggressively. ¡°Absolutely ridiculous¡­ I can¡¯t believe he hired a bunch of con artists. Notably, that William guy. He looks like a pastor who takes money from the poor and spends it on himself, hmph.¡±


    Mathew managed to catch up to his hired associate right before they were going to enter an elevator. They discussed how they¡¯ll get rid of the girl, but William was more curious about the victims of her doing. Mathew gave him the full details about their deaths from drone footage his men managed to capture throughout the years along with photos of the victims bodies. This disgust William and Mathew saw him clench his cane with anger.


    ¡°Uh, are you okay, sir William?¡± Mathew asked, backing away.


    William tucked the photos into his front pocket and pressed the elevator door to open it again. ¡°Yes. No need to worry about my emotions, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± He walked into the elevator and his group followed.


    ***


    It¡¯s the next day. The sun''s shining, more than yesterday, which was unusual for Michigahn. Chilly winds cooled the sun''s rays, making everything around feel like the coolest spring, although it was nearing fall. The highschool that all three girls attended too had just rung its bell, bringing the school day to an end. The entrance doors opened and a wave of young adults and teenagers flowed out into the beautifly day. The girls were amongst the crowd and made a short walk to the edge of the bus lane where parents waited for their creations of life and teens that owned cars went to hop inside their vehicles. They sat down on a bench and waited for Jack to come by to pick them up. Anna had texted him earlier to do so and he replied with a yes. Thirty minutes went by and he hasn¡¯t shown up.


    ¡°Where could he be? Darn it Jack.¡± Anna said.


    Sarah¡¯s currently enjoying the breeze, and had her eyes closed. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m feeling darker by the minute, but this, this is a beautiful day I must say.¡±


    Veronica turned to Sarah and poked her cheek. ¡°Weirdo, but you¡¯re so adorable.¡±


    Sarah let Veronica poke her cheek as she embraced the day. ¡°Aren¡¯t you forgetting something, smart one?¡±


    Veronica blinked to think about Sarah¡¯s question. Then, she suddenly remembered, she had to go to her first date. ¡°Damn, I forgot!¡±


    Anna raised her brows. ¡°Woah, you cussed. Holy¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, love you too Anna. But I gotta go wait for Rodney, I¡¯ll see you guys later.¡±


    Sarah collapsed onto Anna¡¯s thighs and raised a single arm to wave to her friend. ¡°Bye bye, text us how you fuck things up, Veronica.¡± Veronica shook her head but smiled and walked off to where she¡¯ll wait for Rodney.


    Veronica watched the last of the students leave the school on foot as she walked off the school''s perimeter. While walking, she thought about her feelings now, feeling conflicted on whether she should go on this date or not. Danny suddenly walked past Veronica, not saying a single word to her. She turned around and watched as he walked off, his stomping showed he¡¯s still angry about yesterday. She¡¯s surprised he didn''t bother to talk to her as he passed.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a fool, Danny.¡± Veronica muttered.


    Rodney finally showed up, tapping her shoulder. She turned round and he stood there with a big smile on his face. ¡°You ready, Veronica?¡±


    Veronica forced a soft grin. ¡°Mm, I am.¡±


    The two walked side by side and were off to enjoy their first date.


    ***


    Two hours have passed, Jack forgot to pick up the girls earlier but texted them why he wasn¡¯t able to, lying to them. He¡¯s currently sitting by Angela¡¯s bedside, keeping watch of his sister while Candy went out to get some deserving air. The young man¡¯s laying back on the chair, looking out to the city view as the sun was beginning to set. The day¡¯s coming to an end.


    Jack groaned. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re around. I could just text them, but I don¡¯t want to be a bother.¡±


    Jack wanted to make up for forgetting to pick them up from school. Instead of calling them or texting, Jack got up and called Candy instead, informing him he¡¯ll be leaving for now to apologise to his friends. Candy didn¡¯t argue and told him to hangout with them as much as he wanted.


    Jack hung up and stared at his sleeping sister. ¡°I¡¯ll be back Angela, I gotta go make it up to my friends. I know someday you¡¯ll be able to wake up and hopefully if your brain¡¯s still functioning; talk and see them.¡± Jack lay his hand on her cheek, rubbing it.


    Jack walks off and makes his way out of the room and out of the hospital. He got into Eric¡¯s car that he¡¯s still bowering and drove off. The first place that came to mind for him that he thought they might be was the lavishing town closeby just ten miles away. Traffic was not too bad so it only took him fifteen minutes to arrive at the calm, peaceful, loving town. As he drove around time to potentially spot and surprise them, he unexpectedly spotted Veronica getting inside another car with some guy just down the street.


    ¡°Veronica? What¡¯s she doing going sinde some dude''s car¡ªwait. Ah, I think I recognise him from yesterday.¡± Jack wondered why they were hanging out, it made him feel curious.


    Could it be that they¡¯re on that ¡®date?¡¯ The others laughed at me about? Jack thought.


    ¡°Whatever it is, I wanna find out why it¡¯s different than hanging out. I¡¯ll just keep an eye and keep my distance.¡±


    Jack waited and as soon as he drove, he followed them. As he followed them, they parked, got out, went to an eatery, walked to the park to burn the calories they ate, and Jack drove around to make himself less inconspicuous. At first Jack was beginning to question something, but it was about if he was being a stalking creep, eyeing their personal life. The longer this date went on, the more it bored the living hell outta Jack. To his eyes, all he saw was him having the time of his life while Veronica seemed rather bored to death just like how he is currently inside the car. Jack¡¯s parked right now but he couldn¡¯t bear it any more and pulled out a pack of cigarettes to pull a stick out to smoke his boredom away. His face hung as he smoked his cigarette, waiting for their next move.


    ¡°This¡­ is a date? It¡¯s just them hanging out?! What¡¯s so different, I¡¯m wasting my fucking time watching these two, Jesus.¡±


    Groaning loudly, he saw them hop back in the car and drove off rather quickly. It made the young man raise an eyebrow and feel curious as to why Rodney drove off like that. Jack shrugged and tossed the cigarette and followed them. After a short drive they finally stopped in front of someone¡¯s front yard, which happened to be Rodney¡¯s front lawn. They stayed inside the car for a couple of minutes, talking to each other from Jack''s perspective. Daylight was almost vanquished and night wanted to triumph.


    Jack laid back, was parked some distance away, watching what the next move was. ¡°Okay, they¡¯re still just talking¡­ so, what''s next?¡±


    Inside his car given by his rich parents, Rodney yawned and stretched, attempting a cliche move to wrap his arm around Veronica¡¯s shoulder. Once she sighed, he eased his arm closer, but she quickly shut him down, gently pushing it away by forcely giggling. Rodney was a known ladies man, but the fact she rejected his move hurt his ego. He didn¡¯t like that, it actually irritated him a bit but he wanted this night to go his way and felt confident it will.


    ¡°So, Veronica, what do you want to do now? We ate, hung around, talked, what¡¯s the next move, beautiful?¡±


    Veronica scratched her cheek. ¡°Could you drive me home, hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Awe, why now? Didn¡¯t you have fun and still want this date to go on?¡± Rodney asked, suspiciously.


    ¡°No no no! I did I did, it¡¯s just that¡­ well I kinda wanna go home now. School¡¯s tomorrow so it¡¯s best we end it here, you know?¡±


    Rodney eased closer to Veronica¡¯s personal space. ¡°Come one, just a little longer. Maybe like, back inside my house, in my room? Don¡¯t you want to get more comfortable?¡± A suspicious and creepy smile grew on his face, which made Veronica feel uncomfortable.


    Rodney kept his eyes on Veronica¡¯s, trying to hypnotise her with his blue eyes. She looked away and scooted further away.


    Rodney chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to say it, but, have you ever, you know¡­ mhm, yeah.¡± he said as he raised his eyebrows, bouncing them.


    Veronica seemed confused at first and thought about it for a second. She finally recognised what he meant and cringed. ¡°No! I¡¯ve never done anything inappropriate, how dare you. What a rude and perverted question to ask!¡±


    Rodney laughed. ¡°Awe, come on now! Aren¡¯t you curious though? I can¡­ teach you a few things you know?¡± He was invading her personal space, getting close enough to lay one of his hands on her thigh.


    Veronica slapped his hand, and pushed away. ¡°Stop, the hells your¡ª¡±


    Rodney suddenly grabbed her arm, feeling annoyed and his ego shattered. ¡°Look here Veronica! You may be playing hard to get, but I¡¯m one of the hottest fucking guys in our school! We¡¯re doing this, I didn¡¯t just take you on a date without getting something in return, stingy bitch.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Veronica looked disgusted and had enough, she slapped him hard enough to let go. She furiously tried opening the door but he quickly locked it.


    ¡°Le-Let me out! What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡±


    Rodney massages his cheek and smiles manic like. ¡°I do like things a little rough, this oughta be fun!¡± He unbuckles his seat belt and attacks Veronica, trying to violate her.


    Jack on the other hand seemed bored out of his mind and noticed the car bouncing. ¡°Huh¡­ what could they be doing now?¡± he wondered.


    The bouncing grew more erratic, almost like they were wrestling in the car. Jack leaned in closer to see what was going on. He saw Rodney, and Veronica¡¯s arms trying to push him off, and suddenly grabbed Veronica by her neck.


    Jack¡¯s eyes explode, having a flashback of his mother that night she was taken away from him. The scene he was witnessing gave him PTSD and made him react with anger, hopping out of the car, running towards them.


    Rodney, who had his hands around her neck, had a huge creepy smile on his face. ¡°Relax¡­ We¡¯re going to have so much fun, Veronica! You don¡¯t have to worry, I won¡¯t hurt you, I promise to be gentle.¡±


    Veronica tried breaking free but he¡¯s too strong. She tried screaming for help, but he quickly covered her mouth and started undressing her shirt at the same time. Veronica¡¯s eyes watered as she kept trying to fight but the strength difference was too significant. As tears began flowing out of her eyes, seeming as if she was about to lose faith, she saw someone behind his window. Her eyes shined with hope, once she realised it was Jack.


    Rodney noticed her expression changed and tilted his head. ¡°Are you giving me consent now? Oh yeah!¡±


    Veronica saw Jack extend his arm and shot it towards the window behind Rodney, breaking the glass with his fist. Glass scattered everywhere, Rodney hunched forward and Veronica turned her head to avoid the oncoming glass. Rodney panicked and looked back and was met by Jack¡¯s long arm.


    ¡°Gagh!¡± Jack wrapped his arm around Rodney¡¯s neck and pulled him out of his car through the shattered window. Veronica was catching her breath as Jack slammed Rodney on the ground. Rodney was afraid, he quickly pushed Jack off and tried running but Jack grabbed him again, lifting him up and slamming him ferociously on the cold hard ground.


    Veronica caught her breath, coughed a lot, and finally unlocked the doors and hopped out. ¡°Ja-Jack!¡± she shouted, but saw Jack on top of him, pounding on Rodney¡¯s face.


    Jack pounded, and pounded. Rodeny¡¯s face was covered in huge bruises with blood running out his nose and lip. ¡°How dare you hurt my friend, you¡¯ll regret this!¡± Jack said, but in a vengeful tone, one that sent chills to Veronica.


    Jack kept pounding his fist on his face as blood continued flying onto Jack¡¯s face and clothing. He wasn¡¯t stopping, which worried the rich girl.


    ¡°Jack! Stop it, please! I think he¡¯s learned his lesson.¡± Veronica said, looking scared.


    Being scared was an understatement, Veronica looked horrified by the site she was witnessing. Her feelings have never felt so conflicted now up until this moment. Was this the same Jack she once knew as a kid? The very same one that always had a smile, was caring, her knight in shining armour, and had the brightest eyes she¡¯s ever seen. Yet ever since yesterday, she didn¡¯t see any of those characteristics like before, questioning if this truly was Jack. The Jack she once knew would never retaliate with such disgusting violence and potentially murder¡­


    Veronica rushed in and tried intervening but was too afraid. ¡°Jack! Enough! Stop it, stop it!¡± She begged him to stop but he ignored her.


    Veronica mustered enough courage to try to reach Jack, but as she was about to stop him herself, he finally stopped. Veronica backed off and hurd Rodney¡¯s gargles, and his soft whimpering that trickled moans of pain. Jack calmly stands up and stares down at a bloodied pulp Rodney. Veronica reached her hand to Jack but saw Jack reach into his coat and pull a gun out, cocking it gently. Veronica gasped loudly, she¡¯s petrified.


    Jack slowly pointed the gun at him, with the coldest stare. ¡°This is what happens¡ªwhen someone hurts a friend of mine¡­¡±


    Rodney had passed out and was unconscious, unable to respond. Jack gently placed pressure on the trigger, Veronica quickly took action and rushed Jack. As he was finally close to pulling the trigger, she pushed his arm away just in time as he fired the gun last second, causing the bullet to ricochet off the ground next to his ear.


    The gunfire echoes throughout this calm suburban neighbourhood. The two stood still, and Jack snapped out of his rage. He placed his hand on his forehead and breathed deeply. The gun going off made people walk out of their homes to see where the sound was coming from. Jack with the gun still in his hand, smoke coming out of the barrel seemed confused but rather shocked. Veronica was trembling so horribly she couldn¡¯t bear but stay near Jack after preventing a murder.


    Jack lowered the gun and moaned. ¡°Veronica?¡± he said as he turned to her, seeing her terrified face. ¡°Oh no¡­¡±


    Veronica slowly backed away from him as her eyes quivered with fear. ¡°St-Stay away from me¡­¡±


    Jack put the gun away, frustrated at himself. ¡°No, Veronica, I¡¯m sorry¡­ you weren¡¯t supposed¡ª!¡±


    She kept walking backwards as she shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re not Jack¡­ you¡¯re an-an imposter.¡±


    Jack proceeded forward towards her, trying to approach her. ¡°Veronica, I¡¯m¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Stay away, monster!¡± Veronica yelled, pausing Jack.


    Jack¡¯s face stayed still, but he¡¯s worried and felt deeply ashamed. Again, the young man continued to approach his old childhood friend, but she threw her bag at him aggressively to finally show him that she didn¡¯t want him anywhere near her.


    Jack finally decides to stop, and looks sad. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The young man walks away, ashamed and tucking his hands in his pockets.


    Jack leaves the scene at a slow walking shameful pace, leaving Rodney to bleed and Veronica left stunned. He reaches the car and hops in. Before leaving and turning the car on, he took one last glance at Veronica and grit his teeth, and drove away.


    Veronica watches as he drives away at the speed limit and the car disappears at the next turn. Some nearby residents came and saw the aftermath, asking what happened. She let her eyes overflow and stayed still, paralysed. Neighbours asked for an ambulance, others called, and two tried snapping Veronica back into reality as she stood still like a silent crying statue. After an hour, an ambulance arrived along with police. They took Rodney up to the hospital while Veronica informed the police the details of what happened between them. She told them everything, including the sexual assault, but she lied to them about who got him into this broken state. The police weren¡¯t too sure they believed her story on who was his attacker. But Veronica couldn¡¯t bring herself to tell them about Jack, only that someone came by to help her and beat him up. They were still suspicious of her, but had to go to another call, thanking her for her cooperation and mentioning they¡¯ll give her a call about the charges and shortly left.


    Veronica sat on a curb, softly crying and hugged herself, shivering from the cold with her mind flashing images of the scenes she witnessed today. The faces of Jack¡¯s calm cold nature and Rodney¡¯s twisted perverted smile. She didn¡¯t know who seemed more frightening, but soon came to a conclusion that Jack was the scarier individuel. She stood up and grabbed her bag, and proceeded to walk home, alone in the dark. Veronica walked for almost an hour, reflecting over tonight and what to do tomorrow, asking herself if she should tell her other two friends of his ruthless actions. Yet again though, conflictions ensued, half of her said he deserved it, the other said it could¡¯ve been resolved without violence.


    Veronica came to a stop, staring up into the night sky and felt the conflictions battling each other. More notably the bad side of Jack. She questioned why she¡¯s having more flashes that side of Jack more than anything else. She was scared during the entire ordeal, but why didn¡¯t she stop him sooner? Veronica wondered why she watched, wondered why she allowed the violence to continue when she¡¯s so against it.


    Veronica¡¯s face turned red and she hung her head. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ wrong with me? Why didn¡¯t I stop Jack sooner¡­ I wanted to, but something inside me told me to watch, but why?¡±


    When Veronica brought her eyes to the street in front of her, she spotted someone standing in the middle of the dark barely lit street.


    ¡°Huh¡­ who¡¯s standing there? At this time?¡± Veronica muttered.


    Veronica walked a little closer and saw a clearer picture. It made the rich girl squint. She saw a girl in a white gothic romantic dress, standing in the middle of the road. It creeped her out, and she felt worried. But Veronica soon realised the girl''s eyes glowed within the darkness around them, illuminating a deep purple. Those eyes stared at Veronica with intensity. Veronica quickly looked away and turned around but the road behind her was gone. There was only an abyss of smokey black gas. She turned back around and the girl was still standing there, menacingly. Veronica panicked and tried to run but froze in fear.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± Veronica shouted, getting on her knees. ¡°God, please let this all be a dream!¡±


    Veronica closed her eyes and started praying, water leaked through her closed eyelids. The moment she began, that girl disappeared out of thin air. The road ahead of Veronica quickly extended to nothingness, leaving nothing but a void. The sky above her still emitted the night sky, but all around her was nothing but pure darkness.


    The girl appears behind Veronica, she leans over her shoulder and whispers. ¡°Hey there¡­ V-e-r-o-n-i-c-a.¡±


    Veronica loudly yelps, her eyes wide open now, jumping out of fear and falls forward.


    Veronica sat up and looked behind. The girl had her bright beautiful yet haunting eyes locked onto the rich girl. She grew a frown, one that reeked of murderous intent and anger. It made Veronica sweat in fear, making her entire body tremble before her.


    The girl was angry yet calm. She walked up to Veronica and grabbed her wet cheeks. ¡°You¡¯ve upset him¡­ I don¡¯t like greedy, self centred people who hurt the one I love, but you¡¯ve done it before¡­ haven¡¯t you?¡± She continues placing pressure, hurting Veronica.


    Veronica shrieked from the amount of pressure she was placing, it felt as if her head was about to be crushed. ¡°Stop-Stop! You¡¯re hurting me¡­ it-it hurts!¡±


    Veronica tried breaking free from her grip but the girl dug her long nails into Veronica¡¯s cheeks, penetrating her flesh. They grew and were embedded inside, making the rich girl let out a terrifying scream into the night.


    The girl''s made a circular motion on Veronica¡¯s face, creating more pain and making Veronica scream louder. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you hate the fact that you¡¯re in pain? Yet you don¡¯t mind hurting the ones you supposedly love?¡± She began to giggle without a smile or grin. ¡°You¡¯ve never deserved someone like him, that¡¯s why he¡¯ll be mine¡­ Mine alone and to keep!¡± She started laughing with a frown as she looked into Veronica¡¯s shaking eyes with murderous intent.


    Veronica¡¯s cheeks were bleeding, and she began to cry out of immense fear.


    The girl stopped her childish behaviour and nuzzled her nose on Veronica¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s okay to cry! Let it out Veronica! Let it all out! It¡¯ll be over soon¡­ As painfully, physically, and emotionally¡ªas possible.¡±


    The girl ripped her nails out of one cheek and reeled her arm back. Veronica saw her glistening blood drip off the tips of her black nails and grow long, longer than the spikes of a pitch fork. Just when she was about to stab Veronica, the sky above started to shine with intensity, making the girl look abruptly.


    ¡°What in the¡ª?¡± the girl in white muttered, her eyes growing wide and angrier.


    The skies above lit up, split the darkness in two, and a curtain of white clouds swept down below. A sudden barrage of electricity shot out, flickering the darkness and creating chaos. The black split sky twirled as the curtains stayed still, creating a vortex from where it came. The scene looked like an Angel was about to descend from the heavens. The clouds twirled, roaring with calm claps of thunder. Both girls were left speechless. Veronica with tears still running down her cut face, couldn¡¯t help but feel calm now. The girl in white didn¡¯t like what was happening, she saw the twirling clouds started to open up, forming a halo opening in the once dark sky. She lets go of Veronica, her nails going back to normal and the rich girl grabs her bleeding stinging face. The girl in white seems afraid, but confident at the same time. Suddenly, someone began to descend down from the heavens, bringing a huge illuminescent along with him. It was a hooded robed person wearing white, having gold designed prints that glistened of Mary, Jesus, and biblically accurate Angels with giant eyes and wings. Beneath the shadow of his hood, once bringing his gaze up to the two, showed his glowing hazel-like eyes that illuminated the same colour as the virgin Mary¡¯s holy light.


    The girl in white was left frightened, stunned. She tried to fade away but couldn¡¯t do so? He brought up his palm and aimed it at her as he gently landed on his feet. The hooded man slowly approached the girl with his palm out. She screamed bloody murder. Her eyes turning from purple to murderous black! But from the ground beneath her, gold chains erupted and slowly wrapped around her, forcing her to her knees. They glowed bright like the sky itself. The man got to Veronica and held his hand out to her. He doesn''t say a word and she instinctively grabs his hand like a damsel in distress. He pulls her up, closes his palm and the girl is held tightly in place by the gold chains.


    She tried breaking free, but the tightness of these chains was overwhelming. It annoyed her, made her grow more ravenous by the second.


    The hooded robed man reaches into Veronica¡¯s pocket and pulls the cross out she would wear on occasion. ¡°I scensed this from afar, knowing you¡¯d be in trouble, my child.¡± The cross grew hot and glowed, he gently placed it back into her pocket. ¡°Go now child of God, rest easy now that God has blessed thee to live to see the light of day once again, sleep now.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s wounds healed and she shut her eyes from his deep soothing voice that sounded sad. She began to fade and then turned into gold sparkles.


    The hooded man glared at the girl in white. ¡°You must be the one behind those deceased souls, told to us by our hirer. How shameful, torturing the souls of innocence to feed your lustful, greedy, hunger!¡± He slams his hands together, making the chains around her to tighten even more.


    She let out a blood curdling scream because of the pure holiness that burned her pale skin. He saw steam, heard her flesh being burned horrendously, making her scream in agony.


    She continued screaming until that screaming faded away into laughter. ¡°How dare you¡­ Fool, you¡¯d think chains blessed by your stupid God?! Can easily harm me?! The only thing that can bring me harm¡ªIs nothing!¡±


    She breaks the chains and lunges towards the guy. They collide palms and the force of their collison breaks the dimension around them, causing the colours of darkness and yellow to fade away into nothing. Everything turned to white. The two supernatural forces fade away, slowly and soundly as if nothing happened.


    ***


    The same night at a different location, notably inside of Dr. Cato¡¯s office, the hooded man awakes from his slumber. He was on the couch, and looked calm. He sat up and saw his boss, standing and staring out at the city lights.


    ¡°Sir William, I found her,¡± he said, sounding monotone.


    William glared out into the city lights, ¡°Excellent. To think a child of God would lead her towards that thing. We¡¯ve already been here for just a day and a half and already found the root cause of the disturbance we found back at home. Absolutely wonderful.¡±


    Mathew was also present, sitting on Dr. Cato¡¯s chair with his partner standing beside him. ¡°I told you we¡¯d find her buddy!¡± He pats Dr. Cato¡¯s back, ¡°the trail of God¡¯s children led us towards her, now all we have to do is find Angela and we¡¯ll be ready to take her back with ease!¡±


    The hooded man stands up, ¡°I felt the presence of that demon when she decided to target a child of God. Of course I¡¯d find her faster than you two could have.¡±


    That struck a nerve onto Dr. Cato, which made him raise the edge of his lip. ¡°Freakin weirdo¡­¡± he muttered as well.


    The hooded man stared at the two. ¡°The good thing was that girl had a cross of such pureness that led me to find her, but there¡¯s a problem.¡±


    Mathew gulps, ¡°So¡­ what is it?¡± He pulls a cigarette out and lights it to ease his growing worry.


    The hooded man walked over to his boss and also looked out into the city. ¡°Even with the powers of God bestowed upon me, even I will have trouble dealing with this demon. But rest assured, I already came up with a plan to deal with this thing.¡±


    Dr. Cato sighs deeply, ¡°So what are we going to do now? How are you going to track down the girl in white to find Angela?¡±


    William chuckles, ¡°My dear Catholic! That¡¯s a task we can do with our eyes shut. My partner here has already tracked down the scent of this being, tell them where this awful stench is leading to, my dear partner!¡±


    The hooded man indulged his bosses compliments, bringing out a soft smile. ¡°Yes, of course, Sir William.¡± He turned back to the two other men, ¡°By the way, my name¡¯s Archard, apologies for late introductions. What he said was true, the trail leads back to that in which you spoke of, Cato.¡±


    Dr. Cato dramatically slams his hands on his desk. ¡°Wait, hold up! You mean¡ª?!¡±


    Mathew cracks his knuckles, ¡°Oh don¡¯t tell me!¡±


    Archard stares at the two with self ease, ¡°Yes, it leads back to the one that you mentioned, the kid, Jack Samr.¡±


    Both Dr. Cato and Mathew felt relieved. They both shook hands and


    William got their attention again, tapping his cane. ¡°Sorry to interrupt, but my fellow brothers, let me tell you this¡­¡± He turned his mysterious gaze onto the two men, ¡°...as long as God¡¯s on our side, we have not a thing to worry about, my brethren.¡±


    ¡°So how should we approach this?¡± Dr. Cato asked, abruptly.


    William quickly changes his personality to something more serious and sinister like. ¡°You leave that¡­ to us, dear Catholic. This is something far out of yours, all the world''s military power combined, or any Beings league¡­¡±


    ***


    Three days have passed since the incident with Veronica and Rodney. Jack stayed in Angela¡¯s room for those three whole days, feeling awful for having Veronica bear witness his brutal nature. His mind blacked out at that moment, making him forget that he¡¯s changed so much, and forgetting how his friends would react to his ways of dealing with pests like Rodney. What¡¯s worse is the fact that the night Rodney returned home from the hospital of his injuries he died the next day in his sleep. They found his corpse burnt to a crisp. Nobody knew how his body burned so awfully when his entire room and bed were intact, but Jack knew what happened, because he was the one at fault or more so it was Mallory¡¯s. Mallory¡¯s been quite different too, being paranoid these past days. Everytime she would pop up unsuspectingly or conveniently, she would stay silent and hang her head. Jack knew something was wrong with her, he tried asking her what was wrong a couple of times but she would fade away instead of answering.


    Jack¡¯s holding Angela¡¯s hand and the young man couldn¡¯t help but feel frustrated over this entire situation. He¡¯s been ignoring all his friends and barely spoke to his self adopted uncle and Candy.


    ¡°What in the world¡¯s going on? Was it really a great idea to introduce myself back into their lives? Damn¡­ I feel like all of this¡¯s my doing, or should I say your¡¯s¡­¡± He looked at an empty chair at the corner of the room. ¡°...what¡¯s gotten into you, Mallory? Why won¡¯t you answer me?¡±


    Jack stared at Angela, patting her head as he held her hand.


    ¡°Angela¡­ if you can hear me, please, please wake up, I need you. I need someone to comfort me at this difficult time.¡± He clenched her hand, ¡°Tell me, Angela, is it really my fault? Am I that much of a worthless piece of shit? Tch, Angela, please forgive me for becoming worse over the years.¡±


    Jack wanted to cry, but he couldn¡¯t. It was the exact same feeling he had three years ago. Jack laid his head on her chest, hearing her beating heart, which calmed his emotions. He sighs deeply, laying on her chest as she continues fighting for her life. Just when Jack felt like the world around him was fading away and everything was falling apart, he felt something trying to reply to his clenched hand. Jack quickly stood straight, looking at Angela. He took a look at his hand and saw her fingers slightly move. Jack with pure excitement grabbed her hand, hoping she would react to his touch.


    Jack shook it softly, ¡°Angela! Can you hear me?!¡± Jack said with a sad yet gentle smile. ¡°Come on baby sis! Wake up, I know you can!¡± He continues shaking her hand, hoping to get some sort of reaction. ¡°Angela¡­ please, I need you. Wake up, wake¡­ up.¡±


    Jack stopped when there were no more signs of movement. He closes his eyes, hoping to cry, but even then, he still couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. Jack slowly lowered her hand, thinking she would never wake up when another miracle happened; her fingers began to move again. He still had his eyes shut, even though she was showing more movement. When he lost all hope of her ever waking up again, she replied to his sadness when she slowly closed those fingers to hold Jack¡¯s hand. Jack opened his eyes again and saw it, her hand holding tight to his, bringing life back into his dead fish eyes. Even though she didn¡¯t wake up, at least she finally noticed his presence; now it was a matter of time when she¡¯ll awake.


    Jack slowly stands up, as he was about to let go of her hand she didn¡¯t let go of his clutch. Jack¡¯s eyes quivered with joy, ¡°So you can hear me huh?¡± he muttered.


    At first he stood silently, waiting for more reactions. He did so for at least three minutes, but nothing else was happening.


    Jack¡¯s face turns sadder and he slowly approaches her face and whispers into her ear. ¡°Don¡¯t give up¡­ I know you¡¯ll wake up, take your time, Angela.¡± He set a gentle kiss on her cheek and collapsed his hands on her tiny snow-white hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow, I promise, wait for me baby sis.¡±


    At last she let go and that made Jack smile even more, but he witnessed something that brought him more relief yet pure unimaginable sadness. Jack sees tears leaking through her eyelids. His guilt was now permanent. The young man wipes her eyes and apologises, and he walks out of the room with the burdens of his past that¡¯ll never go away.


    As soon as Jack walked out of the room, Mallory was standing at the edge of the hallway, leading to the elevators. She appeared to be extremely paranoid, erratic, and scared.


    Jack approached her and went up to her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Mallory?¡± he asked, seriously.


    She didn¡¯t respond again, instead she went inside him by surprise by transforming into a cloud of smoke, consuming Jack and going into every pores of his body. This made Jack cough violently and his eyes water. That annoyed him, but at the same time he was getting used to it at this point.


    ¡°Damn-Damn¡­ so you¡¯re separating yourself from Angela? But why now?¡±


    He walks and gets into an elevator without noticing a group of men going inside Angela¡¯s room, men disguised as doctors and nurses. One man watched the elevator gate shut as the young man caught his final breath. His eyes glowed into the light of god and he walked into Angela¡¯s room.


    Jack steps out of the elevator and spots Candy coming inside the hospital. Candy heard his throat clearing and saw the gentle smile on Jack¡¯s face.


    Candy greets Jack with a hug. ¡°Oh boo, why do you look so happy yet sound like you¡¯ve been sucking di¡ª?¡±


    Jack pats Candy¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Stop, you nasty fruit cup. I have good news my friend.¡±


    Candy smiles as well. ¡°Let it out then boo boo! Let''s hear this good news about your sugar!¡±


    ¡°Angela¡­ she-she moved! She finally held my hand and didn¡¯t let go.¡±


    Candy smiled so intensely he couldn¡¯t help but jump onto Jack with excitement. ¡°Oh my Goddess! Really, no way boo boo!¡± Candy let¡¯s go and begin to cry softly, ¡°thank goodness¡­ I¡¯m so glad mini boo¡¯s showing signs of life.¡±


    Jack¡¯s smile simmered and became a soft grin. ¡°Not only that my friend, she also cried.¡±


    ¡°Cried?! Sh-she¡¯s alive!¡± Candy hugs Jack again, Jack for once hugged him back and that made Candy giggle like mad. ¡°Pretty soon boo boo, she¡¯ll finally wake up! I knew she wouldn¡¯t leave us.¡±


    Jack gently pushes Candy off of him, wiping off his tears. ¡°And it¡¯s all thanks to you my friend, thank you for being there. No, for staying with Angela when I was at my worst.¡±


    Candy grabs Jack¡¯s hands and tries leaning in for a kiss, but Jack quickly pushes his face away. ¡°Awe! That was a perfect opportunity for us to finally confess our love boo!¡± He sighs sarcastically, ¡°Well, at least I tried honey!¡±


    Jack chuckles, ¡°You¡¯re such a weird man! You wanna get something to eat?¡±


    Candy puffs his chest out and imitates Jack¡¯s voice. ¡°Yeah let¡¯s kill a couple of people while we¡¯re at it!¡±


    Jack laughs at first but then thinks about Veronica and the night she almost saw him kill someone. He frowned momentarily but to not worry Candy he shook his head and wrapped his arm around the girl looking guy''s shoulders and forced the two to walk. Candy liked it and wrapped his arms around the young man''s waist, blushing. Jack and Candy walked out of the hospital doors bringing them to the outside world.


    Jack stopped and let go. ¡°Say, where¡¯s Eric?¡±


    Candy tapped his chin and snapped his fingers. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I think if my memories are correct sugar; he had to discuss things with his gang so he¡¯ll be back by tomorrow.¡±


    Jack wondered why Eric¡¯s been so active again with the old crew, but he remembers Eric¡¯s still the leader so it makes sense. The two walk side by side, Jack accidentally bumps into someone. At first it was nothing more than a bump until Jack felt a horrid burning sensation coming from his shoulder for some odd reason? Jack held his shoulder and turned to the guy he bumped into. He was much taller than him, around 6¡¯7 and wore a white tuxedo-like suit with gold designs, mixes of black accents, and an oddly cross-like cane made out of the purest gold.


    The man also turned to Jack, bowing to him with his cane. ¡°I¡¯m sincerely sorry my friend! Can you forgive my clumsy self, my good man?¡± He had a smile on his face, sounded British, and gave Jack all types of awful vibes just by one simple greeting.


    Jack took a step back, massaging his arm. ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ just watch¡­¡±


    Something was wrong. Jack gasped and felt a sensation from him, similar to Sarah, not as intense, but as pure as Mathews. It made the young man slowly back away, and sweat. Jack continued staring at the guy as he backed away, then it finally clicked to him.


    Jack¡¯s eyes explode and he turns to Candy and grabs his arm. ¡°We gotta go, now!¡±


    Candy looked worried and raised a brow. ¡°What¡¯s wrong boo?! That hurts you know!¡±


    The well dressed man kept his eyes on Jack and spoke softly. ¡°Why the hurry, my dear child? Would you like to take the time to discuss our lord?¡± He taps his cane and leans on it. ¡°Come thee child. Let me bless your day with the pureness of my words, the wisdom that¡¯ll bestow upon you will surely brighten those cold eyes of yours my dear¡­¡± The man eerily lowered his head, creating a shadow of suspicion around his eyes as a small glint grew within them. ¡°¡­Jack, Samr.¡±


    Jack loudly gasped, sweat started flowing down his face, but Candy wasn¡¯t having it. He confronts the man and gets in his face. ¡°Listen here you sperm looking clown! Don¡¯t be trying to hit on my boo boo and creep him out with your weirdly attractive accent and charms. Also how do you even know his name, weirdo?!¡± Candy places his hands on his hips, ¡°by the way, fuck your God bitch! Even if he existed he couldn''t handle this sexiness!¡±


    Candy poses sexually, secretly disgusting the guy but he remained serious.


    Jack grabs Candy¡¯s arm again but this time he dragged him away. ¡°Candy we gotta go, now!¡± they ran, Candy had never seen Jack so freaked and scared before.


    Candy looked over his shoulder and saw the guy with a huge smile on his face. He looks back at Jack, ¡°Boo, boo?¡±


    Jack finally reaches the car. He unlocks the doors for the two and they both hop in. Candy asked Jack again what was wrong, but Jack didn¡¯t respond. He was nervous as he tried inserting the key to turn it on. He dropped them and quickly got them back into his grip and managed to insert them, turning the car on and driving away in a hurry. Jack took one last glimpse at the guy who stood there with a smile still on his face. Jack heard Mallory making quiet frightened noises in his mind.


    Jack spoke in his mind. ¡°Mallory, is that why you couldn¡¯t answer me?! Who¡¯s that guy¡­ Please tell me so I can help you!¡±


    Mallory stops whining and calms herself. ¡°That man¡ªis an Exorcist¡­¡±


    Jack grits his teeth with a frightened look on his face, scaring Candy for a moment. ¡°Wh-What? An Exorcist?!¡±


    Inside Jack¡¯s mind she was sitting on her knees with a calm frightened look, she looked up and stared at nothing. ¡°Yes¡­ and he isn¡¯t the only one.¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 14: Reality Breakers

    s a new day, a day in which I have to take and apprehend these menaces of society. I¡¯ve been hired by two stubborn, idiotic men, who know are fully aware of their consequences but choose to bring unblaance to our reality; The reality that our lord and saviour created! Ah, why do I always have to fix these stupid sitatuions caused by idiotic people. I can¡¯t catch a break! Oh woe is me¡­ I¡¯m growing tired of all these as life continues and as time moves forward. You know what? Let''s not discuss something like this, it might worry you my dear. I¡¯ll be back, hopefully sooner than later¡­ Yet I can see that I might be stuck here, for a while. Well, I shall be going now, my dear, have a good day


    Sincerely~William!


    ¡°And sent¡­¡± William puts his phone away and deeply sighs, looking straight ahead.


    The room shines with elegance, breaths of pureness. Holy light emitting from the chair that William H. Christ sat on, one made out of the finest wood. His gaze and his presence alone can purify the sins of your own selfish doing and cleanse your wretched soul. He¡¯s inside of his hotel room that was made to his preference, swirling the cane in circles as he sat with annoyance. His partner Archard¡¯s robe elegantly glows with the theme of his room, with the priest men all sitting on their own individual chairs. William¡¯s priests got up from their chairs and got on their knees, asking to be blessed for this new day to their Messiah. They begged for his blessings with his usual gentle charms and righteous smile.


    But today, William didn¡¯t feel happy as he usually did. He looked tired, tired of everything. He stands up and walks to the priests, patting each of their heads, blessing their souls with a tap. They cry and thank their leader for his blessings. Even though William felt moody today, he didn¡¯t want to leave them hanging.


    ¡°There there, children of God. Don¡¯t cry, the day¡¯s just beginning.¡± William said, bringing out a grin.


    Archard grabs the cane of William and reminds his partner that they¡¯re late for their meeting with Dr. Cato and Mathew. William chuckles, he thanks all the priests for their hard work, and admires his room and pin points every single detail of Christ to brighten their day even further. Nothing couldn¡¯t have made his admiration better than it already has until an employee of this hotel¡¯s establishment rudely interrupted his time of happiness. The employee with an awful attitude threatens William and everyone to get out of the room for house keeping services or she¡¯ll call the cops.


    William¡¯s grin faded and he sighed. ¡°Then come in, if you shall.¡± he replied to the angry woman.


    The woman opened the door and pointed her thumb to the hall. ¡°Get out now, otherwise I have to call the damn cops. Fucking crazy asses.¡±


    William didn¡¯t like her attitude and her dirty mouth. He grows an open mouth smile and slowly approaches the employee, making her feel uncomfortable.


    William gently places his hand on her shoulder, looking down at her. ¡°Do apologise for that sinful mouth of yours, please?¡±


    The woman grew nervous and slapped his hand off her shoulder. ¡°All of you are a bunch of crazed lunatics!¡± She even tried pushing William too, but it was like she was pushing a wall. ¡°Ya¡¯ll better get the fuck out, I¡¯m serious I¡¯ll call the police on ya asses!¡±


    ¡°My dear sinful child¡­¡± William said with such excitement, ¡°...let us¡ªpurify that disgusting soul of yours. May God lead you down a path of respect, and a path of wisdom¡­¡± He creeps closer to her face, staring into her eyes. ¡°A...men, my dear.¡±


    The woman was being pushed by an unknown force into the bright room as the door slowly closed behind her. William chuckles quietly, she screams as a bright light shines beneath the hotel room door. Those screams of terror transition into laughter of someone who¡¯s life¡¯s been turned around. That elegant light fades as silence erupts the hallways.


    Amen, my dear¡­ William chuckled and the hotel employee casually walked out of the room like nothing happened to her.


    ***


    Back in Detroit Michigan, notably the highschool the girls attended, currently Sarah¡¯s bored out of her mind. She couldn¡¯t wait to leave this classroom of hell in which complex patterns drove her into madness. That class was maths and this exam was taking a toll on the poor gals'' already complex mind. Feeling frustrated she thought about using her powers of Witchery to cheat, but her mother¡¯s always reminded her to never do such a thing. And she made sure to remind her every night.


    Yes mother, I won¡¯t cheat¡­ hmph. Just once wouldn¡¯t hurt, right? Sarah thought.


    Sarah quietly sighs as she gently slams her head on her desk and looks over to Veronica who seemed focused as usual. Her pencil moved beyond human limits leaving Sarah left amazed, watching the rich snob bring forth destruction onto the test. Sarah tries getting Veronica¡¯s attention, but she was so deadly focused that even a mere spitball would probably have no effect whatsoever.


    ¡°Pst, Veronica, come on! I know you can hear me, you damn big tittied nerd¡­¡± Sarah whispered.


    Just when all hope seemed lost for the pitiful Sarah, the school alarm goes off, leaving every student surprised and also happy. The principal announces over the inercoms to all his students and staff that they must report to an urgent meeting to the gymnasium. Every student in the classroom jumped out from their desks, cheering this urgency. Sarah sighs loudly out of relief while Veronica stood up and handed her test over before anyone else could leave. The class all stared at her as she seemed so proud of herself. With her chest out, Veronica slams the test on her teacher''s desk, making her teacher nervously chuckle. Veronica placed her fists on her hips and pats herself on the back and walks to Sarah¡¯s side.


    Sarah gets up from her seat and gives her a thumbs up, but Veronica shuts it down and rolls the exam Sarah was taking and smacks her on the head with it. ¡°No! Bad mouthy goth girl, bad!¡±


    Sarah rubs her head from the sassy impact of Veronica. ¡°Jeez! Did you really have to do such a thing?!¡±


    Veronica crosses her arms with disappointment. ¡°That¡¯s what you deserve for not studying my dear friend!¡± She said pridefully.


    All students were out of the classroom already along with the teacher who called for the two girls to follow the class or they¡¯ll get left behind. They listened and followed behind everyone else. As they walked through the crowded hallway, they miraculously spotted Anna and slowly drifted out of their group to reach her. The teacher took notice of their little scheme and with an angry tone demanded them to stay in the group. If they decide to rebel against his authority again, he''d make sure to show them his wrath. They both hid their inner childness to avoid any conflict. Sarah couldn¡¯t help herself and a tiny bit of laughter broke through her shut lips.


    The teacher quickly turns around and slams a finger of anger in her direction and shouted ¡°DETENTION FOR YOU!¡± Sarah¡¯s quickly left stunned and hung her head in disappointment while Veronica chuckled quietly, annoying Sarah even further.


    Eventually, everyone¡¯s reached and seated on the stacked benches. Every student was gathered inside the gymnasium and were left wondering what these so-called important meetings were? It was still rowdy and loud as they all waited for the top authority figure of this school known as the principal to show himself. The assistant principal grabbed the microphone and demanded silence! It didn¡¯t work, feeling a bit annoyed she tried getting their attention again but it was of no use. As she was on breaking point, the principal finally stepped out from the back entrance of the gym, he spotted the teachers sitting at the side and the look of his face screamed sadness. He approached the front gymnasium and stood there, overlooking the sea of rowdy teenagers. He cleared his throat and spoke into the mic, his soft gentle voice calmed the crowd and now all eyes were set on him.


    He thanked the assistant principal for her patience as she walked back to the other staff and sat down. He nods to his employees and stares into the crowd. ¡°Good afternoon, students of Wolverine highschool. I apologise for excusing you from your studies, but I have to announce something vile.¡±


    The sea of students looked at one another as the air in the gym began to fill with seriousness and worried muttering.


    ¡°As you may have heard, a student of ours was found dead in his home, that was about a week and a half ago¡­¡± He stops, leaving a moment of silence. He sighs deeply and now his eyes dimmed with sadness. ¡°...Now we have more reports of students being killed in their sleep.¡±


    The entire crowd quickly glimpses at one another, gossiping over the entire situation.


    Sarah had no clue this was happening, leaving her shocked. Veronica was left speechless and wondered what was going on? Anna manages to reach the two and squeezes herself between them. She couldn¡¯t believe what was happening, then it clicked with them! They all remembered the reports of the so-called outbreak from those quarantined towns. They wondered if all the suspicion they had for those two men were wrong, but they were right from the beginning. All three began to think, wondering if this was the same case.


    The principal demanded silence again and everyone obliged. ¡°Ahem, I know it¡¯s a frightening situation, but everything should be okay, the police have been puzzling together these strange occurrences and might have a lead.¡±


    Every student still felt scared. They weren''t convinced hearing his statement and began to rowdy up the place again.


    "Now now! I completely understand everyone, this isn''t the time to panic, this is a time for resolution, and we have that answer!" He extends his arm out to the entrance of the gym, leaving everyone waiting in suspense. "Let me introduce to you kids, to the men who cured the outbreak that quarantined our neighbours, please welcome¡­!"


    The audience rose up out of their seats with curiosity and all waited to see who would burst through those doors.


    "Dr. Cato and his partner Mr. Mathew!"


    The metal doors of the gymnasium slowly opened, Dr. Cato and Mathew walked side by side along with their men in white. Every student was seemingly left confused on who these two are, but the girls recognised them right away. They were exactly what they imagined they looked like in person. The two were tall, but Dr. Cato was slim, being well dressed like a therapist without the glasses. Mathew on the other hand looked like a giant lumberjack without the plaid shirt and jean straps. All three girls gave them the look of suspicion as they walked to the front of the gymnasium. The two men stopped and thanked the principal for allowing them to speak to the students. The principal hands the mic to Dr. Cato and walks off to the side. Dr. Cato took this time to observe every student in the mountain of benches they sat in.


    Dr. Cato smiled gently. ¡°How are all of you today?¡± he said in a soft gentle voice.


    They didn''t respond, only a couple of muffled coughs and whispers was all that he got. He continues smiling and continues to observe the crowd. This was growing quite eerie and uncomfortable for everyone.


    Sarah didn¡¯t like the look in Mathews'' eyes because he was scanning each individual student. She also felt something else emitting off of him, something pure, and holy. Sarah only felt suspicious of him but didn¡¯t feel any malice coming from the two. Despite it, that glancing he was doing gave her all types of wrong vibes.


    ¡°Gu-Guys¡­ I don¡¯t feel so good.¡± Anna muttered, slightly leaning.


    She wasn¡¯t feeling too hot, her head began to hurt and sweat slowly dripped down her face. The girls quickly took notice and asked her if she was alright. Sarah on the other hand felt something horrid coming out of Anna. Sarah¡¯s senses were all over the place, she¡¯s fully cautious, not to mention worried, something wasn¡¯t right with Anna.


    Dr. Cato spoke again, this time he chuckled into the mic, causing an awful presence of discomfort now. He clears his throat and grins. ¡°There¡¯s absolutely nothing to worry about! These deaths aren¡¯t normal, that''s for sure, but please! Don¡¯t be afraid, this might be the same case like the town we just cured and is currently lively once again. So rest assured, children, this should be a walk in the park for us.¡±


    Mathew walks in front and politely grabs the mic out of Dr. Cato¡¯s hand. ¡°He¡¯s right! There¡¯s nothing to fear dear children, so go back to whatever you enjoyed doing, avoid anyone suspicious looking and most of all¡­¡± He pulls his cross out and lifts it into the air with joy, ¡°...pray to God! Pray for your safety, don¡¯t let a single demon overtake you my dear kids.¡±


    He smiles kinda awkwardly for everyone, almost forcing himself to smile. The young adults and teens slowly begin to clap out of weirdness and displeasure.


    Mathew suddenly extends his hand out to the entrance just as the principal did. ¡°Now! Let me introduce all of you to a man! A man of malevolence, a man with wisdom, a man who¡¯ll purify the atmosphere in this building by his presence alone¡­¡±


    What was this person he was speaking of? Now the students are growing rather curious.


    ¡°...Allow me to introduce the one and only!¡± Everyone stood up again, thinking a famous celebrity was about to explode through those doors and enrupt the place with fame and fortune! ¡°William H. Christ!¡±


    A huge light of white explodes through the metal doors windows, filling the room with holiness and purity. The heavy doors were slammed open, priests walked into the gym first as they had their hands collapsed. They stopped and slowly dropped to their knees to welcome this William fellow. Archard walked in first, his robe of elegance revealing those gold printed figures of the virgin Mary and Jesus shined with such clearance you¡¯d see your own reflection on them. Archard stops midway and kneels. Every student felt a bit weirded out by this whole ordeal, they were beginning to think this was some sort of play, bringing a wave of laughter to erupt in the place.


    Mathew got annoyed and shouted into the mic. ¡°All of you better shut your mouths! Show some respect, you degenerates!¡± It was of no use, it only made them laugh even harder, that was until William finally stepped foot into the gymnasium.


    A moment of silence erupted into the air. His black shoes clanked, and echoed, his cane tapping on the ground ruptured the silence as he walked towards Archard and the other two. His white outfit with gold markings and black accents glowing behind the light as he was some sort of Angel. His presence alone made everyone simmer down. Every student felt amazed, calmed, yet there was a slight hint of creepiness coming from him. He stops and salutes everyone, bowing and thanking the employees for allowing his company. For some reason, they couldn¡¯t respond out of nervousness and fright. He turns to the crowd and gently smiles. His smile alone could fill your soul with such cleanliness, his eyes were full of joy and life, even if he were to stare into your eyes he could wipe away all your sins.


    William gently grabs the mic from Mathew and slams his cane on the ground startling every student. ¡°Salutations my dear children¡­¡± He observes the mountain of students, ¡°...I do say? You were laughing at my colleagues, if I¡¯m correct now?¡±


    Students gulped, some whispered, others stayed frozen with nervousness, many looked around, erratic.


    William scratches his head gently, causing the kids to react with slight fear. ¡°Children! That¡¯s extremely rude I must say, but God does forgive! Even to the most disgusting of sinners! But fear not my lovely youth! Today is a day of greatness and elegance! As you heard from our dear guests here, do not be afraid of such dreadness!¡± He pressed his finger to the edge of his lips, ¡°You must smile, so one can go about their day. That¡¯s what God would want my, dear children.¡±


    The students stayed silent, feeling quite scared of William.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± William hovers a hand over an ear, ¡°Come now beautiful and righteous spirits! This is a time of gratitude! A celebration, didn¡¯t you hear?! There¡¯s nothing to fear¡­¡± He slowly drifts his attention to Anna and Sarah in a creeper manner. ¡°Absolutely nothing¡­ to fear for you, my chil...dren¡­¡±


    His smile fades away and reveals an ominous frown of wickedness towards the girls.


    Sarah gasps and Anna¡¯s struggling to stay awake from the intense pain coming from her head, which made her grasp it.


    William¡¯s brows deeply furrowed and revealed a deep wrinkle between them. ¡°So long as you pray, and seek forgiveness, you too, can also be forgiven, of your horrid sins¡­ of selfishness.¡± He extends his arm slowly into their direction as he finishes his speech.


    Archard also looks into their direction but with slight anger, balling a fist. He leans into Williams ear and whispers. ¡°We¡¯re being watched, and there¡¯s also¡­¡± William stops him and Archard smiles. ¡°...I see, my apologies sir William.¡±


    William opens his arms out towards the crowd and drops the mic from his own intense excitement. ¡°Now, let us pray, my children! Rise!¡± He raises his arms into the air, ¡°Rise out of those seats of murdered nature!¡± A light emits from behind and leaves the children in awe. ¡°PRAY WITH ME! LET US REJOICE IN OUR SINS, SO GOD CAN FORGIVE OUR ACTIONS OF TODAY FOR A BETTER TOMORROW!¡±


    All students rose up in unison and seemed to be acting zombie-like with their eyes gleaming with emptiness.


    Anna¡¯s nose began to drip a black substance, which startled and made the two girls panic. William''s light was beginning to burn Anna¡¯s eyes from its pureness. She covers them and coughs up black, and stares at her own stained palms fainting from the horrid sight. Sarah and Veronica quickly aided her and yelled for help, asking for a nurse, but everyone in the gym seemed out of it and now everyone was praying together? Something wasn¡¯t right, this wasn¡¯t right at all to Sarah who had enough and tried to do something about this act. But, she couldn¡¯t¡­ she hadn¡¯t realised the amount of shaking she was experiencing. Sarah was afraid and she wasn¡¯t aware of it at the moment over the complexities put forth in front of her.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Sarah clenches her jaw and grabs Veronica. ¡°Carry Anna! We gotta get outta here!¡±


    ¡°Sarah?! What¡¯s going on!¡± Veronica asked, frightfully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Sarah manages to pick Anna up and carries her weightless body over her tiny shoulders. ¡°Veronica, go, now!¡±


    Veronica hesitated at first but shook her head and booked it. ¡°I¡¯ll get a nurse, my dear friends!¡±


    As Veronica ran out the gymnasium through the same doors all the men came through, she decided to stop and look back briefly. The doors mysteriously slam shut by themselves. Veronica loudly gasped and ran back, trying to open the doors, but couldn¡¯t. She slammed her hands on the door and shouted to William to open them. William stood elegantly and stared at nothing. Veronica begins to panic and decides to run for help as the crowd continues praying with William.


    Sarah managed to bring herself to carry Anna towards the entrance, but didn¡¯t realise the doors were locked. She sets Anna against the wall and tries opening the door, but now realising they were locked. She slowly looked over her shoulder and saw Archard and William standing a couple of feet from her. They stood before her, menacingly. Sarah quickly gasps from shock and clenches her fist.


    Dr. Cato came from behind them and quickly intervened. ¡°What the hell are you guys doing to all these students and staff?! Is this some sick play for you to create?! What are you people!¡±


    William didn¡¯t bother to even glance at Dr. Cato, his eyes were dead set on Sarah. ¡°My dear brother Catholic! Please, step aside and allow us to cleanse this girl, along with everyone else who decided to rudely laugh at my dear partner and loyalties!¡± He gently gestures to Dr. Cato to move aside.


    Dr. Cato balled his fists and stood his ground. ¡°What do you mean?! You¡¯ve gone far enough! Leave these people alone, I mean come on? If I were their age I would also laugh at your weird circus act.¡±


    William clenches his cane, showing signs of annoyance. ¡°Now Catholic, sinners must be punished, you see! There¡¯s more to this world than¡­ this!¡± He walks over to Anna and gently pats her head. ¡°A mere puppet to a fowl demon, how wretched of a poor soul to allow herself to be the eyes of such deviance!¡± He grabs her hand and caresses it, ¡°Poor child¡­ why would such beauty allow herself to be a tool by such a horrid creature.¡± His white gloves got stained from the blackness on her hands.


    Sarah grits her teeth from anger and runs to Anna¡¯s aid. ¡°S-Stop!¡± William backed off, allowing Sarah to hold Anna. ¡°Don¡¯t touch my friend, you creeps!¡±


    Archard steps in front of William and looks down on Sarah, clenching his fists intensely. ¡°You¡­ you-you¡ªSilence you wicked Witch! I will not allow such defiance from a sinful being such as yourself! Especially one who I know most of¡­¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t like the look in Archard¡¯s eyes. It actually made her feel scared to death, she¡¯s never seen such intense anger engulfing her. But she questioned why he said that last part towards her. She¡¯s never met him before so why did he say that? Like if he knew her from before.


    Dr. Cato was beginning to feel aggravated towards these two, he didn¡¯t like their bully-like tactics towards Sarah and decided to approach Archard. ¡°You better stop or¡ª!¡±


    William pats his partner''s shoulder and calms him down. ¡°Mathew!¡± He calls out, ¡°Come get your friend to cool him down. Would you, please?¡±


    Mathew did as he was told and quickly hurried to them, grabbing Dr. Cato¡¯s arm. ¡°Relax man, they¡¯re here to help us so chill!¡±


    Dr. Cato growls and settles down. ¡°Whatever, but I¡¯m still keeping my eyes on them.¡±


    William¡¯s face turned still as he brought his gaze back to Sarah. ¡°So? I assume that this is your friend, am I¡­ correct, child?¡± He slowly squats down to look into Sarah¡¯s red eyes of growing fear and anger. ¡°Are you the puppeteer if I may ask?¡± His eyes slowly expanded from annoyance and quickly turned bloodshot, showing slight signs of mild twitching.


    Sarah held Anna closer. ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know¡­ what the hell you¡¯re talking about! She¡¯s my best friend! I=I-I be-bet you two feel good about yourselves, bullying a couple-couple of teenagers and expressing fe-fear tactics! I bet your Wi-Witches¡ªyourselfs!¡±


    Archard furrowed his brows and grew annoyed. William remained the same and gestures to Archard to cool his growing temper. Her response alone triggered some sort of reaction especially out of Archard.


    Dr. Cato had enough and clapped once. ¡°Can we fucking! Stop this now? If you folks don¡¯t stop this, then our suspicion will be surely exposed to the public!¡±


    They calmed themselves and William sighs. He claps his hands, making everyone stop praying. All the students and staff felt fuzzy and confused. The employees seemed lost and couldn¡¯t remember why they were in the gym in the first place?


    William stands straight and bows to Sarah without a grin. ¡°I apologise, but you¡¯re wrong, Witch!¡± He disappears out of sight, surprising her and everyone else. He suddenly appears behind her and leans into her ear, ¡°You¡¯re indeed, a very¡­ strange girl, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Sarah quickly looks over her shoulder and panics a bit. ¡°Who-Who! What are you-you?!¡± She held Anna even tighter as her eyes quivered from fear.


    William gently pats her head and twists his head to the side abruptly. ¡°Heh¡­ Heh, I can¡¯t answer your question¡­¡± He smiles at both Mathew and Dr. Cato, and turns back to Sarah with a nasty forced smile of creepiness. ¡°I bid thee farewell my sweetums!¡±


    His priests and Archard all disappear along with Dr. Cato and Mathew. William was the last one standing and looked deep into Sarah¡¯s eyes.


    William leaned into her face and grew his eyes wide. ¡°Remember this day, as a learning curve. I don¡¯t sense a bit of malevolence coming from you.¡± He drags his finger on her cheek, ¡°That¡¯s surprising, very very surprising!¡±


    William vanishes before Sarah¡¯s eyes. She briefly shouted in terror and looked back to her original viewpoint and spotted him standing at the spot he was originally standing before intimidating her.


    William pointed his cane at her with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°I detest Witches¡­ they¡¯re the most hateful, horrible, sinful of all types¡­ but you! You¡¯re quite different, special, my dear.¡± He lowers his cane and turns around. ¡°What a shame, you¡¯d be a perfect child of God.¡± He vanishes quicker than Sarah could blink.


    Sarah¡¯s left frozen in fear. She couldn¡¯t believe what she just witnessed. The doors widened again, Veronica came back with more staff and security. She spotted a shocked and frightened Sarah, quivering horribly for some reason? She shakes Sarah to snap out of it, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself back into reality. William¡¯s face alone was all that she was seeing now. Anna, still unconscious, continued to bleed black out her nose, staining Sarah¡¯s arms and thighs. Everyone panics, calling emergency numbers and questioning the students about what had happened. Yet the truth was, no one even remembered why they were in the gym in the first place, leaving Veronica shocked beyond belief.


    ***


    The day has been done, it¡¯s night and meanwhile, Jack¡¯s all alone in Angela¡¯s hospital room, coping with all his emotions in silence. Sitting by her bedside, the young man can¡¯t bear the feeling of horrible guilt anymore. He had his gun in one hand and clenching the other. He¡¯s reminicancing the day Veronica saw him as the real monster that he¡¯s become. He knew they would have to find out sooner or later, but he wasn¡¯t expecting her to be the first to witness his ruthlessness. He¡¯s outcast himself from everyone since then, no matter how hard Anna tried visiting, contacting him, he would avoid her knowing Veronica most likely told her that dreadful night.


    ¡°Fuck man¡­ what do I do¡­?¡± Jack deeply sighs, staring out the window over seeing the city with his hand resting on his chin now; he could feel a sudden cold breeze swift past his face.


    Jack looked over his shoulder and saw Mallory¡¯s beautiful face near his. He aggressively stands up out of his chair, making it fall back.


    The young man  looks down on her with eyes fuming with anger. ¡°What do you want? Heartless¡­¡± He stops himself from saying anything out of line, remembering the consequence of making her cry.


    Jack places his hand on his stomach and swallows nervously. ¡°Never mind¡­¡± He muttered.


    Mallory stayed quiet, looking at the man that she loved.


    Jack squints. ¡°Just-just, leave me alone¡­¡± He turns back around and stares out the window once again.


    Mallory tilted her head, confused, and saw his hand placed on his abdomen and shockling gasps. ¡°Jack! You don¡¯t think I¡¯d kill you again?¡± She crosses her arms and frowns. ¡°Honestly, I knew you were about to call me a bad name, but that doesn''t mean I¡¯ll kill you over something so petty!¡±


    Jack clenches his teeth after hearing that statement. ¡°Why you¡­ ah.¡± He puts his gun away and sighs aggressively.


    Mallory leans against his back and hears his beating heart that was beginning to race. ¡°I love you, remember?¡±


    Jack steadys his breathing and sighs again. ¡°Whatever¡­ what do you want anyways?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, damn jerk,¡± She gets off and crosses her arms, ¡°I have some bad news to report.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡± he asked, angrily.


    ¡°Well¡­ you see, you know that guy that made you sweat nervously and had your tail beneath your butt?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ that guy you called an Exorcist, what about him?¡±


    Mallory stays quiet for a second, shakes her head and smiles. She approaches Jack again, patting his back. ¡°Nevermind! Everything should be fine, as long as you''re here!¡±


    Jack turns back around to look at her. ¡°Hey, hey! Don¡¯t just dodge your own question and leave me hanging here. What¡¯s up?¡± He walks up to her, coming face to face. ¡°Come on! Tell me, what''s the problem?¡±


    Mallory continues smiling, slowly walking away from him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, so long as you¡¯re by her side!¡± She points to Angela, ¡°then everything should turn out¡­¡±


    She stops, Jack is left confused until she begins twitching a bit.


    ¡°No¡­ no, no-not¡­ now!¡± She drops to her knees, grabbing her head as her brain trembles.


    Jack quickly rushes to her side, holding her. ¡°Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?!¡±


    She continues twitching, her nose bled red for once, surprising Jack.


    ¡°Tell me! What¡¯s happening to you? Mallory.¡±


    Mallory coughs and stops, coughs a bit again and slowly caresses Jack¡¯s cheek. ¡°You¡¯re holding me, how-how lovely.¡± She began to fade into black dust, her particles slowly falling on the ground. ¡°See you again, soon enough.¡± She dissolves and stains Jack''s clothes like black splashes of paint.


    Jack smacks his lips. ¡°Way to be over dramatic again¡­ now I feel teased.¡± He stands up and approaches Angela¡¯s bedside. ¡°I¡¯ll be back sis,¡± he grabs her hand and pats it. ¡°I-I¡­ heh, nevermind.¡± He gently smiles and walks out of her room.


    Jack waited for Candy in the lobby. He¡¯s currently walking to get himself some groceries. After ten minutes, Candy returned and saw Jack sitting on one of the lobby chairs.


    Candy had a bag of groceries and raised his hand to the air, waving to Jack. ¡°Yoohoo! Jack, sugar daddy!¡±


    Jack got up and came to Candy. ¡°There you are. Hey, I¡¯ll be back. I¡¯m just going for a good night stroll. Shouldn¡¯t be too long.¡±


    Candy playfully slaps Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°No need to tell me boo, take your time. Just be careful with the nasty monsters of the dark boo boo.¡±


    Jack laughs. ¡°Yeah, I doubt I¡¯d come across them. They should be afraid of me, right?¡±


    Candy smiles and strolls off all female-like. Jack rolled his head and tucked his hands in his pockets and walked into the city streets. As he walked down the street, slowly growing distance between himself and the hospital, he stopped and stared up at the skyrise buildings. All this time he¡¯s come through here but never had time to explore deep city Detroit. He did remember coming here when he was a kid, but that was just once. Now having some free time, Jack wants to explore the night life that dwells in the city.


    ¡°Huh¡­ this should be interesting.¡± Jack said and walked forward again.


    As Jack walks deeper into the city, he¡¯s quickly reminded at how awful the inner cities are from the stories told to him and small visits from the past and with Eric. There was substance abuse, over doses, homelessness, not to mention prostitution that swept in from every direction and corner.


    ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s just like home¡­ only worse.¡± Jack muttered.


    Jack decided it was best to ignore every single thing. This way, he can enjoy his nightly stroll and leave his mind filled with the blackness that¡¯s called it home. Yet despite trying, he couldn¡¯t block out the surroundings around him. Feeling disgusted at the politicians that run the city, and seeing their lack of work at play, once he was about to shout in anger, his phone vibrated. Jack sighed and stopped in front of a local corner shop and pulled it out.


    It was just a text from Eric, reminding him that he needed to discuss something with Jack. ¡°Fuck Eric, but I¡¯m glad you disturbed me¡­ I was about to do something stupid, as always.¡±


    Jack felt a little hungry, so he decided to go inside the corner shop and grab a quick night snack. He casually walks in, ringing the bell above the door. The clerk, who seemed on high alert, welcomed Jack, but gave him a sharp look of suspicion. Jack understood the clerks position and remembers the time Angela and himself stole a lot of food for the first time when they became homeless. He chuckles a bit, and walks by the hot foods and stares at the selection.


    Jack strokes his chin, he couldn¡¯t figure out what he wanted. ¡°Do I want a hotdog? A burger? No, perhaps a churro maybe.¡± Jack grins, ¡°churro it is then.¡± Jack grabs a churro and smells it.


    Feeling like he made the right decision, he approaches the clerk and hands him some money, thanking him. The clerk stops Jack to give him back some change, Jack rejects it and tells him to keep it. The clerk chuckles and accepts the change. He waves goodbye as Jack leaves his store. Jack ate the churro quickly, he sure was hungry, but that churro definitely hit the spot. He stops in front of a crosswalk, waiting for the sign to change to walk. As Jack waits in the barely lit night around him, he¡¯s staring at passing cars, and looking up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly as they twinkled, sky lights stabbing the dark clouds.


    Jack softly sighs, thinking how different his life would have been if it wasn¡¯t for that one night. ¡°Some life I live, right? Mom, Dad¡­¡±


    Those images of his dead parents still embedded into his mind continue to fogg his future. He wonders if he¡¯ll ever have a proper future or continue this dark path that God¡¯s leading him on. He looks back at the light and notices the walk sign. He casually walks across, but something wasn¡¯t right?


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± Jack stopped half way and noticed everyone around him was gone.


    The city lights slowly dwildding off, soon after, it was completely dark.


    Jack gets angry and shouts, ¡°Mallory?! Are you doing this!¡±


    There was no response from her. It was extremely quiet, too quiet. Now he questioned if it truly was her doing, but this time, something told him it wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong, this-this is nothing like those occurrences she puts me through¡­ Nothing compared to the nightmarish dreams and somehow¡ªmy guts telling, I¡¯m still in reality.¡±


    Jack panics a bit and runs over to the closest store, but it was just too dark to see in front of him. He trips over something and falls face first on some sort of puddle.


    Jack lifts himself off the ground on all fours and wipes his face. ¡°Wh-What is this?¡± He couldn¡¯t tell because of how pitch black it was. ¡°The fuck¡¯s going on? Mallory!¡± He yelled, ¡°Answer me damn it!¡± No response, only the bearing echoes of silence.


    Jack stands up and looks everywhere, being blinded by pitch dark. He¡¯s growing annoyed, this was unbearable for him. He pulls his gun out and his phone, flips it open to at least get some sort of light. Before Jack shone it forward and he noticed something strange on his phone? The time on his phone has stopped and the date¡¯s kept changing? Now he¡¯s irritated, gritting his teeth. Jack walked carefully through the darkness, with his gun on his right hand and phone on his left; he¡¯s ready for whatever event was about to happen.


    Jack walked through darkness for minutes and his eyes grew wide. ¡°I-I can¡¯t take this anymore! Just what the hell¡¯s going on?! Mallory!¡±


    Just when he thought he was about to lose his mind, he spotted something down the street. It was a figure of some sort, a strange bright figure of something, or someone. He raises his gun out of caution, and swallows out of worry. The young man slowly points his gun at the figure, creeping closer to its direction, quietly as possible.


    Jack¡¯s just a couple feet away from whatevers visible within this darkness and once getting closer, he slowly places his finger on the trigger and aims. ¡°Quit fucking with me¡­ damned girl.¡± He said quietly.


    Just when he was about to shoot, a transcended blue light in the shape of a hand slams against his face, knocking him away. He fell backwards hard, his gun slid away from his vicinity, and blood dripped out of his nose.


    Jack groaned in pain and coughed. ¡°Wh-What the hell?!¡± He wipes his drippy nose and stands up, ¡°Who-Who did that?! Was-Was it you? Mallory!¡±


    Jack grabs his phone again and shines it in front of his view. He was growing more angry now, but he felt something cold, pulsing on his neck. He slowly looks back and spots a tall barky, branched out tree with hands sticking out of its tipped branches.


    This horrified Jack. He panics and runs away from whatever was standing before him. The figure extends its branchy hands out to Jack as he makes a run for it. It grabbed hold of his legs making him fall face first. Jack saw his gun but it was out of reach and screamed as he¡¯s reeled back to the figure.


    ¡°Mallory!¡± Jack yelled out her name in horror, but there was no answer yet again.


    The branchy figure reeled Jack in, and lifted the young man off the ground, holding him upside down. Jack¡¯s breathing heavily in horror. From what Jack was looking at, this thing looked eroded, old, mouldy, and reeked of death. Jack¡¯s speechless. The figure flips him upside to look at him directly.


    Jack¡¯s face was filled with such horror. This was no dream, this wasn¡¯t Mallory¡¯s doing, this was all real. What should I do? Am-am I actually going to die?!


    The figure¡¯s barked torso expands a bit to reveal an oval opening. A face of disgust erupts out of the opening with hollowed eyes and a gaping mouth. It stares directly into Jack¡¯s face. Even though its eyes were blacked out it had a tiny glow of blue within, but that mouth was as hollow as darkness itself. It drooled a vile white substance out from the edge of the abyss and onto the ground. Its head extends out like some snake, getting into Jack¡¯s frightened disgusted face.


    It examines Jack and shakes its head violently. ¡°A-N O-D-D, O-N-E!¡± It spoke so ghostly that it brought chills to Jack¡¯s spine! ¡°S-U-C-H, U-N-PURITY!¡± It rotates its head clockwise and blasts Jack¡¯s face with howls. ¡°M-U-S-T¡­ FEED!¡± Its mouth widens to the size of a giant circle of eternal darkness.


    Jack screams out in horror. ¡°No!¡± Jack violently shakes his entire body to break free, but it extends its other branchy hands to subdue Jack. ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t do this! Please!¡±


    Just when that black hole was about to engulf Jack, a huge bright light erupts from the street behind Jack.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough lost spirit!¡± Shouted someone with a deep angry voice.


    Jack couldn¡¯t look back to see who it was, but noticed the figure¡¯s body trembling out of immense anger. It¡¯s mouth shrinks back to normal and plunges Jack on the ground. Jack coughs out blood from the immense force. The figure hops over him and lands a foot away. Jack sits up as he grabs his abdomen from the pain. He looks back and sees that light and branchy creature glaring at the light. Jack stands up and looks over to the right to see whoever said that, and is spooking the wretched creature.


    Jack spotted a man in a white robe of elegance and fortune with gold printed figures of the virgin Mary and Jesus. ¡°Who-Who¡¯s¡­ that?¡±


    Jack was left dumb founded. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was witnessing. Just what the hell¡¯s happening? Jack thought.


    As the two supernatural beings continued staring at each other, Jack walked over to his gun that he saw before being grabbed and ran to it. He grabs his gun, cocks it, and watches what was about to happen between the two.


    The robed man''s corneas glowed from that of his gold prints, he looked serious and seemed calm. ¡°Spirit of lost hope! How did such a creature that we¡¯ve been searching for end up here?!¡± He stomps towards the figure with confidence, ¡°This is a rather dire situation, it seems that you¡¯ve consumed the souls of griefed victims¡­ how shameful.¡±


    The figure wails, shrieking horrifically. ¡°N-O! M-U-S-T, F-E-E-D!¡± It lunges its branch like hands towards the robed man.


    Jack was still left speechless. ¡°This-This can¡¯t be¡ªreal?¡± he muttered..


    The robed man slams his palm in the direction of the oncoming hands. ¡°Foolish spirit of lost hope, let me exercise your fallen grace and cleanse your sins¡­ so that you can rest easy, and be at peace.¡± The robed man muttered.


    Those hands of horror came at him with speeds too fast for the human eye to see. The robe man dodges all of the hand-like branches, grasps, and attacks with even greater speeds that Jack¡¯s or anyones normal eyes couldn¡¯t comprehend. He still had his hand forward as he dodged, keeping his sights onto the creature of the night.


    Jack only saw the thing¡¯s hands go through the man as if he were an apparition. ¡°Am¡­ Am I dreaming? Or is that thing¡¯s hands going through that guy''s body?!¡± Jack said.


    The robe man dodges one last time and hurtles towards the figure and places his hand against its barky torso. ¡°Be extinguished, lost spirit.¡±


    The figure¡¯s body glowed that of white light, its eyes and mouth ruptured into holy light and the thing popped like some spiritual balloon. Jack watched as the particles of the defeated creature floated around like fireflies.


    The robe man brushes himself off and notices Jack, standing there in confusion. ¡°Dear child, you seem to have witnessed a burden in which you weren¡¯t supposed to. Let me cleanse your memories so you may never remember this treacherous night.¡±


    He started walking towards Jack, and the young man took guard. Jack baled a fist and clenched his gun, trembling in fear. The robed man only took a couple of steps forward but stopped because of an awful sensation coming out of Jack.


    ¡°My goodness¡­ you¡¯re quite the sinful one¡­ aren¡¯t you?¡± His eyes turned serious and he seemed infuriated, ¡°seems you need more than a cleansing to bid that burden that¡¯s inside you.¡± He started walking to him again, but menacingly.


    Jack aims his gun at him, surprising the guy. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer¡­ I don¡¯t know if this is a dream or not, but don¡¯t think you can say such retardation to me, fellow.¡±


    ¡°And you have a mouth that needs to be cleansed as well¡­ my my, poor child.¡±


    Jack clenched his jaw. ¡°This isn¡¯t my first rodeo pal, I¡¯ve seen and experienced more than enough to know some things here. So why don¡¯t you quit fucking around and tell me what and who you are!¡±


    The man clenches his fist, ¡°Such vulgar language¡­ you¡¯re a nuisance I See. Please explain, child?¡±


    Jack swallows. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t believe it at first¡­ Ghosts, spirits, demons, I thought all of that crap was a bunch of fairy tales, but going through some experiences made me believe half of that¡­ Supernatural powers, Witches and crap¡­¡± The young man bit his lip, ¡°...it¡¯s still ridiculous to me, but it¡¯s something I have to accept, especially knowing that one of my friends is a part of.¡±


    ¡°A Witch you say¡­¡± The robed man grit his teeth. ¡°How disgusting!¡± The building suddenly reappeared into reality and all glass windows rattled as he blurted out that angry tone of his.


    Jack was intimidated but didn¡¯t show it, keeping up his current act. ¡°You can¡¯t scare me. I too have experienced what you just did, I¡¯m assuming you''re a Witch too?¡±


    The robe man grew more angry, hearing Jack call him a Witch made his blood boil. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever compare me to such a detestable creature¡­ you miserable being!¡±


    The dark skies were no more, but gleamed of elegant white. The buildings began to fade, the last remnants of darkness washed away as Jack looked above. Seeing this all unfold made him realise the situation he¡¯s in now.


    ¡°So I was in another dimensional world¡ªthing after all?¡± Jack said, calmly.


    Just like Sarah did when we first reunited¡­ so that thing must have sucked me into one? Jack thought.


    The robed man raises an eyebrow out of surprise. ¡°You know that much?¡±


    ¡°Wait, huh?! You heard my¡ª!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the educated one, aren''t you?¡± The robed man gripped his chin out of interest and his anger simmered.


    Jack narrowed his eyes, placed his finger on the trigger and started squeezing. ¡°You got that right.¡± As he was about to press it down, he was blasted with a light of red.


    Jack covers his face and closes his eyes from its intensity. He opens them again to find himself in the middle of the street, cars honking at him and people who seemed angry and shouting profanity. The nightlife had returned, the building¡¯s lights, street lamps, and midnight folks walked around. Everything was back to normal.


    Jack¡¯s mind was clouded and his hearing was muffled. ¡°Wh-What?¡± Once Jack realised he¡¯s truly returned to the real world, he quickly put his gun away. ¡°What did he do?¡± Jack muttered.


    Jack walks out of the street and begins to make his way back to the hospital. ¡°This is a night¡­ I¡¯ll never forget.¡± He sighs and places his hands in his pocket, ¡°Just who was that guy? And if this goes on any longer, these complications, complexities of the supernatural and occurrences, I won¡¯t be able to handle it and go insane.¡±


    Jack walks casually onto the city sidewalks, ignoring all the belligerency, bad mouthing, and insults thrown at him. But from the corner of the nearest building, dwelling in the shadows, Jack didn¡¯t realise that someone was watching him from Detroit''s shadows. It¡¯s the woman in red who was watching him from the depths of darkness. She looks annoyed, and fades away as Jack continues his way back to Angela and wonders who that man was.

 Arc 3 Chapter 15: Awaken Thee

    A new day has dawned, the sun''s out, it¡¯s brighter than it was yesterday, Detroit has never looked so alive. Sarah¡¯s at home, lying on her bed with her hands behind her head. That feeling of fear hasn''t left her soul since her encounter with that strange man. She softly sighs and sits up, grabs her phone and texts Veronica if Anna was fine. Veronica replied with signs of relief, sending emotes.


    Her mother walks in with a cup of tea, and sits next to her daughter who still seems spooked.


    She smiles, ¡°My little blossom of life. What¡¯s the matter?¡± Sarah didn¡¯t respond, she continued to stare at her phone that was resting on her lap. ¡°Sarah? Something¡¯s bothering you huh? You can¡¯t hide your suppressed emotions from your mother.¡± She pokes Sarah¡¯s cheek, making her grin a bit. ¡°Come on sweety, tell your mother what¡¯s causing you to give you the shivers?¡±


    Sarah lets out a deep sigh and looks at her mother. ¡°You never fail to cheer me up, huh mom?¡±


    Her mother replied to her daughter with a wink. Sarah deeply sighed and looked straight.


    ¡°Sarah, tell me before I have to force it outta you my sweetums.¡±


    ¡°Okay, mother.¡± Sarah replied in a soft tone. ¡°Th-there were these guys at school yesterday, strange guys. At first they were the men who quarantined the towns close by.¡±


    ¡°Oh! You mean those no good gentlemen from the news? That¡¯s surprising.¡±


    Sarah nods and glances down on her phone''s screen. ¡°They were at my school to address the mysterious deaths that¡¯ve been occuring in our city. I always sensed something strange from those guys, but then the other guy surprised us all with men in white robes¡­ especially two who seemed very scary.¡±


    Her mother was listening carefully, growing more serious the longer her daughter spoke. She sipped her tea and kept her eyes locked onto her worried daughter.


    ¡°One had gold prints of Mary and Jesus¡­¡±


    Hearing that description made her mother react. The cup she held vibrated in her silent anger. It also made her furrow her brows and twitch an eye.


    Sarah continued, ¡°But the other guy¡­ he-he was something else. I¡¯ve-I¡¯ve never felt such a presence...¡± Sarah grabs her mother''s hand, ¡°Mom¡­ I¡¯m-I¡¯m so scared of the world you taught me. I¡¯ve already used my powers to fight some sort of evil spirit.¡±


    Her mother placed the tea down on the cabinet to her side and Sarah saw her dull yet angry expression. ¡°Sarah¡­ What did I tell you about using your mana in the real world?¡±


    ¡°No mom, you¡¯ve got it wrong! You remember when they found me near the zone unconscious and all bruised up?¡±


    ¡°Yes I do?¡± her mother replied, coldy.


    Sarah tilted her head down and clenched her mother¡¯s hand. ¡°I was sucked into another dimension¡­ and that spirit almost killed me.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother raises her hand that wasn¡¯t touched and uses it to raise her daughter¡¯s head. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner sweety?¡± She shakes her head, ¡°I should be apologising for not informing you more about these things.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother¡¯s face changed and she grew sad. She looked and felt shameful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry for not realising this sooner than expected, my dear daughter.¡± Her mother muttered.


    Sarah moaned. ¡°Mom¡­?¡±


    Her mother¡¯s face changed again and went back to normal. ¡°Tell me more, my wonder of life.¡±


    Sarah nods, ¡°Okay mom¡­ When I felt and fought the spirit up close, the same feeling that you and I detected within my friend Anna¡ªI also felt it¡­ inside of Jack. The same feeling of horrendousness.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother raised her brows, ¡°Jack?!¡± She shouted surprisingly, ¡°I thought he was dead?¡±


    ¡°Sirry, I forgot to tell you that he wasn¡¯t dead after all, but his situation is still fishy if I must be honest.¡±


    Her mother sighs, but she notices her daughter''s eyes begin to quiver out of fear again.


    ¡°I¡¯m so lost now though, Mom. Cause he too has powers similar to that of mine.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother didn¡¯t like the sound of that and balled a fist.


    ¡°In spite of all these circumstances, hiding my identity as you taught me¡­ those men in white knew I was a Witch.¡± Sarah gripped her shorts and bit her lip, ¡°I can¡¯t forget the eyes of that man with the robe, he seemed to be staring at something so disgusting and vile.¡± Her eyes started to swell, ¡°And th-that was me¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes dropped tears of hurt and fear, staining her black clothing with her hidden burdens. Sarah¡¯s mother looked up at the ceiling and stared off into space while her daughter whimpered softly.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m so scared¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do!¡± As Sarah whimpered, her mother grabbed and held Sarah, trying to comfort her.


    She pats Sarah¡¯s head and shushes her softly. ¡°There there, it¡¯s okay. I know the real world is scary, but look at me Sarah.¡± Sarah looked into her mother''s eyes as her mother grew a calm smile. ¡°No matter how scary and cruel things get for you, even when the world may one day go against you¡­ know this¡ª¡±


    She lets go of Sarah and unhooks her necklace, one that she kept sacred and one similar to her daughter but slightly bigger and shinear. She wraps it around Sarah¡¯s neck, leaving her speechless. She took off Sarah¡¯s old necklace and put it on instead, trading their places.


    She placed her hand on the pendant that used to call her upper chest home. ¡°With this necklace, I¡¯ll always be there to help you. Just tap it at the centre and all of my knowledge and power will aid you in the worst situations¡ªAnd maybe¡­ one day, you too can harnish the same value as I have, me dear daughter.¡±


    Sarah wipes her eyes, she smiles and hugs her mother again. ¡°Thank you mom. Although I¡¯m still scared, but with this!¡± She gently places her fingers on the pendant, ¡°I¡¯ll know that you¡¯re there to comfort me at all times.¡± Both Sarah and her mother softly giggle, continuing their conversation about the mysterious men in white.


    Sarah and her mother were finished with their conversation about the men in white, which made her mother more concerned about her safety. But her mother felt confident that her daughter will avoid them and overcome this problem, so long as she follows her rules. Her mother went out for a bit to get something while Sarah stayed behind to avoid anything confrontational. Sarah¡¯s outside in her luscious backyard that strived with life. Squirrels ran around, chipmunks too, birds chirping everywhere, and the plant life was exceptional.


    Sarah¡¯s sitting on one of the benches, basking in this bright new day. ¡°This day may be more beautiful, but I question if this is natural. Even mother nature is telling me that something is fishy with the weather.¡±


    A gust of wind blew on Sarah¡¯s face, which sent chills. She shivered without making a moan, but got an answer from nature.


    I knew it¡­ Sarah thought.


    A random chipmunk hopped on her lap and sat there, eating a nut it stole from a nearby bird feeder. Sarah stared at its cuteness without an expression, watching the creature eat something that it stole.


    ¡°Huh, watching you eat the nut you stole from that bird feeder reminds me of something for some odd reason.¡± Sarah nods, ¡°why am I getting some sense of deja vu from you? It¡¯s like¡­ I¡¯m being reminded of something, a memory, a thought? An action? Almost like I¡¯ve¡ªdone something similar to what you have¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s feelings were being mixed. A burden of a past thought she¡¯s not familiar with came back with a vengeance; feelings of guilt, sorrow, and sadistic tendencies. The chipmunk then looked at Sarah, tilting its head. Sarah gasped, moaned, groaned, laughed, but cried. Suddenly, she went back to normal and shook her head.


    ¡°What the heck?!¡± she said, her breathing growing frantic. ¡°What¡¯s-What¡¯s going?! My-my breathing¡­ my emotions! Why is this happening all of a sudden?¡± Sarah clutched her head and moaned loudly, and bursted out in laughter one more time.


    Her eyes grew wide, wider than the animal staring at her. The other animals that were around gathered in front, watching the goth girl become bi-polar right before their clueless minds. Her hair fluttered, flickered a different colour, and her eyes gleamed purple momentarily. Once her eyes went back to normal, she coughed and lay back on the bench, exhausted.


    Her mother had just returned and hurried to the backyard. She saw her daughter drooling, and dozing off into the sky. ¡°Sarah, are you okay?¡± she asked calmly.


    Sarah¡¯s mother went to sit by her side, placing her tiny hand on her head. She then glanced at the animals that were watching, raising a brow.


    This is my fault¡­ Sarah¡¯s mother thought.


    She hugged her duaghter and rubbed her arm as she looked unconscious. ¡°My precious creation of life¡­ I¡¯ll do everything that I can so you can be as detached from my being; even if it kills me and brings our crazed world to an end, once again.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother gazed at the sky and softly smiled. Like I did¡ªso selfishly eighteen years ago.


    Her mother giggled and kissed her daughter on her head. ¡°And I don¡¯t regret a single thing¡­ for it was all for you, my adoring loving daughter, Sarah.¡±


    The animals that were their audience bowed to them and stayed in their postures. The clear fluffed clouds swelled and roared the skies, turning the day into a fluff of clouded hell. Sarah¡¯s mother giggled one last time before letting out an angry scream, one filled with a burdened past of sorrow and unreeling rage; a scream loud enough for not only the world to hear, but specifically to those who brought fear into her own flesh and blood. Her precious daughter, Sarah.


    ***


    William was sitting on Dr. Cato¡¯s chair, thinking until he heard a wretched scream coming from the outside world. William¡¯s thinking transitioned to intriguing, stroking his chin hair.


    ¡°My my, what¡¯s this that I hear? A voice befitting for a Witch? But one aimed towards us it seems, fascinating.¡± William said, rising from the chair.


    Dr. Cato was also present, standing near the windows and seemed annoyed after hearing the scream. ¡°Great¡­ more supernatural crap. Just what we needed! What is this that I¡¯m hearing now?! Is it from that demon girl?¡±


    William glanced at his cane. ¡°Not even close, Catholic. This is a war cry, one from a person bearing an unfamobale amount of Sin. And in fact, a shareholder and harbinger of one¡±


    Dr. Cato groaned and walked over to William who¡¯s staring off into space. ¡°Alright, I think I¡¯ve had enough of all this. Enough playing around, let''s get down to a plan on fixing Angela.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    William didn¡¯t reply, instead basked at his own elegance. Dr. Cato smacked his lips and waved his hand in front of his face, but was still ignored. Dr. Cato didn¡¯t have time to play these games and decides to grab William¡¯s shoulder, but he quickly stops Dr. Cato from getting any closer by pointing his cane at him.


    ¡°Patience now, Cato.¡±


    Dr. Cato grew impatient and clenched a fist. Just when he was about to raise his fist and yell at William, a phone began to ring. William clears his throat and reaches into his pocket, keeping his cane pointing at Dr. Cato while he pulls his phone out and answers it.


    ¡°Hello? Who might this be?¡± He said with a frown.


    Dr. Cato relaxed and waited while William spoke on his phone. William¡¯s frown turned upside down after hearing the person''s voice.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you my beautiful flower! How are you in this darkest hour? Oh! I¡¯m fine, just doing God¡¯s work as usual, that¡¯s all. What¡¯s that? Yes yes, I¡¯ll be sure to behave as humanely as I can my dear. Okay, I love you too, take care.¡± He hung up and had the biggest smile on his face, he turned to Dr. Cato and lowered his cane. ¡°Yes! Dear Catholic?¡±


    Dr.Cato sighs out of annoyance. ¡°Nevermind¡­ who was that?¡±


    William tilts his head as he slightly twitches his left eye. ¡°How rude of you, such demeanour would have you beheaded in my days!¡±


    ¡°Umm, you don¡¯t look that much older than I do?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He smacks his cane on his palm, staring into Dr. Cato¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure you wanted to lecture something about the events that unfolded yesterday? Am I¡­ correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but none of that matters now, seeing how you¡¯re all calm and stuff.¡±


    William slightly chuckles. ¡°You should be happy! We¡¯re so close to your goal and to that of my own! This isn¡¯t a time of worry, but a time of celebration! Come now Catholic, let us have a drink to ease our souls.¡± He walks towards his bag that was set next to the door and reaches into it, pulling out a bottle made out of the finest glass and gold. ¡°Ahh! Such elegance! What do you say, dear Catholic?¡±


    Dr. Cato sighs and decides to join William for a drink. The two sat down on the leather chairs placed around his desk. William poured without saying a word, allowing the poured liquid to do the talking. Dr. Cato¡¯s the first to take a shot, which made William grin. William then took his first shot as well, then more was poured and consumed. As the two drank in the quiet room, Dr. Cato decided to stop after his fourth and ask William about his phone call again. William smirks and sets his shot down, he stands up once again and walks behind Dr. Cato who was still seated. Dr. Cato felt uncomfortable and was about to stand up, but William placed his hand on his shoulder, stopping him.


    Dr. Cato felt like a massive boulder was placed on his shoulder. Holy shit! Is this guy superhuman or something?! Jesus!


    William taps Dr. Cato¡¯s shoulder and places his hands on his cane. ¡°The person on the phone has nothing to do with your plan of selfish needs. Like I said before, Catholic; Don¡¯t be so rude to jolt in my personal life, but if you must know¡­ it was my beloved child, the one person I care for in this sick world of greed.¡± He walked away and sat back down on Dr. Cato¡¯s chair. ¡°She¡¯s someone so pure, so innocent, a child who brought my life that was once in shambles¡­ into the man I am today.¡± William sat there in silence, rocking the chair back and forth.


    Dr. Cato felt William¡¯s attitude changing, it appears that whoever he was speaking about was making him a bit emotional. Dr. Cato wanted to ask more about this person he spoke of, and once his mouth opened, Archard slammed the door and walked in with such seriousness Dr. Cato thought he was about to break the doors down.


    William looks over to his partner. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Archard? You better have a good reason to not only barge in, but make all that noise as well.¡±


    Archard kneels, placing his hand on his chest. ¡°Forgive me for my rudeness, Sir William.¡±


    William nods. ¡°All is forgiven. Now, what is the matter?¡±


    Archard stands. ¡°My friend, we have a problem.¡±


    ¡°And what is this problem that you speak of?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come across a fallen spirit known as Lost Hope.¡±


    William chuckles, ¡°You mean that? Fallen spirit, why, it must''ve followed us all the way here. Wonderful! Did you exercise the poor soul?¡±


    Archard got serious. ¡°Yes I did, but that isn¡¯t the problem.¡±


    William also got serious. ¡°Oh? So, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Thinking I was saving a random civilian, it appears the one known as Jack was close to meeting his demise, but I stopped it from consuming his treacherous soul¡­¡± He gritted his teeth, remembering how disrespectful of a person Jack was. ¡°I realised it was him when I got closer, the fool even pointed a gun at me.¡±


    William twitched his eyes slightly. ¡°How shameful, how dare he.¡± He said in a slightly angered tone.


    ¡°Not only that, he¡¯s quite familiar to the other worlds, the ones taught to us by you. He also has knowledge of spirits and¡ªWitches.¡± Archard walks next to William, ¡°He even claims to have experienced these phenomenons first hand.¡±


    William turns to Dr. Cato, looking at him with disgust. ¡°I see¡­ this is most troublesome indeed¡­¡± He slowly turns his head to his partner, ¡°Now tell me this though, was he afraid of you?¡±


    Archard grinned. ¡°But of course, my friend. But his ego didn¡¯t allow it to be shown.¡±


    William grins. ¡°Cheeky child, isn¡¯t he? He expressed his fear to me when I first came across the fellow. Alas, I¡¯ve grown quite used to people fearing me. Is that all you have to tell me?¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s someone here with a presence so heavy I thought I was about to be crushed by the force of its existence!¡±


    William¡¯s grin faded and the holy man expressed nothing. ¡°Oh, how interesting? How intense was this being¡¯s presence?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see who it was, but just that bit of its energy when it freed Jack from my grasp¡­¡± Archard hesitated, William was left hanging, waiting for Archards answer. He swallowed and furrowed his brows. ¡°...felt like I was in the presence of some sort of God-like being...¡±


    William remained calm by his response and looked infazed. ¡°Strange. I¡¯m guessing you finally got to sense it that close? I thought I was the only one who felt such a presence.¡± Archard gasps slightly, ¡°I¡¯ve known about this presence for a long time, Archard but kept it to myself. Months, years, God only knows how long I¡¯ve sensed them¡­ But this time, it¡¯s different, we¡¯ve seemed to awaken something quite freighting.¡±


    Dr. Cato butts into their conversation by walking towards them. ¡°So what¡¯s the matter? You met Jack and met someone who¡¯s stronger than the two of you? Big whoop! This isn¡¯t about you two, this is about saving a poor girl named Angela¡­ so quit wasting my time or I¡¯ll do this myself!¡±


    Archard felt his nerves struck from Dr. Cato¡¯s ignorance, so he turned to him with anger. ¡°Watch your mouth! We understand you, but! We can not ignore these other events taking¡ª!¡± William stops him by putting his arm out.


    William walks to Dr. Cato and pats his back. ¡°You¡¯re right! We¡¯re wasting your time, so go on ahead and do what you must, doctor! You have the resources, so... go on! We won¡¯t stop thee, we¡¯ll be leaving, goodnight, Catholic.¡± William starts walking away, but stops in front of the door before opening it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, Catholic! The time is almost ripe for her to awake from her permanent slumber.¡± He opens the door and Archard quickly follows behind as the two finally take their leave, leaving Dr. Cato by himself in his own office.


    Dr. Cato reaches his hand out to them, ¡°Wait! What did you do to her! You monsters!¡± The door closes quicker than his words could reach them. He smacks his lips out of anger, ¡°Crazy bastards, good riddance! Now I can do this my own way.¡± He walks to his desk and grabs his phone, he begins making phone calls to pursue his new plan.


    Walking down the long white hallway leading to the elevators, William and Archard were on their way out. During their walk, Archard asked William why he¡¯d allow Dr. Cato to do such a thing if they were hired. William corrected his partner that it was Mathew who hired them and not him. Archard understood, he asked why¡¯d he leave his office with such calmness after Dr. Cato¡¯s awful attitude.


    ¡°My dear partner Archard, you see! Fools like him are bound to fail, so let him learn his selfishness, only then! He¡¯ll finally learn and beg for our forgiveness. Let him be in the meantime¡­¡± He halts and turns serious, slamming his cane on the ground. ¡°... and allow him to bask in his own failure, but in the meantime; Let us pray for the poor souls, affected by this creature of unknown and detest.¡± They walk away, leaving a trail of their own anger as they finally walk out of the hallway and into the elevator.


    ***


    Inside Detroit¡¯s medical centre, Jack Samr¡¯s resting on Angela¡¯s bedside, still not giving in to what the doctors told him two years ago; telling him and staring into his sorrowed eyes, in which Angela would never awake. Even if she would, her brain won¡¯t function right and she might succumb to retardation. The young man won¡¯t give in to that, no matter how much the odds are against his only hope in life. As the years went by, months flew away, and weeks crumbled down to mere days, Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel tired of all this past ridiculousness. From his encounters to ghosts, spirits, Witches, powers that defy science, reality, and mother nature, this was driving him closer to insanity. Or so he thinks. With all this experience alone made him realise how different the world actually truly is.


    Jack sat up and sighs and grabs Angela¡¯s motionless hand. ¡°Angela¡­¡± He dwindles with her fingers and softly grins.


    At least Jack wasn¡¯t alone now or sharing his darkness to someone who didn¡¯t deserve to be sucked into it. His self-adopted uncle Eric. By reuniting with his friends and reuniting with Angela, just being by her bedside and hanging out with his childhood friends is enough to bring back some joy to his miserable life.


    Jack pats her head, gently. ¡°Your hair¡¯s growing more and more¡­ damn, how? And why so fast?¡±


    Mallory came into thought again. Jack groaned. I¡¯m sorry to compare you sis¡­ but you really are starting to look like¡ª


    Jack stopped his thought. He didn¡¯t want to compare the two. He shakes his head and takes a huge deep breath. He rests his head beside her face as he continues holding her hand, falling asleep peacefully, for once.


    Inside a vast empty space of black, Jack¡¯s lying on the floor. He¡¯s the only object that¡¯s visible within the darkness. He lay there, sleeping without a worry, but questioning in his slumber why he felt like he was sleeping on the floor. Jack stumbled on the floor, and rubbed his eyes. He awoke from his sleep and found himself in total black.


    It angered him and he didn¡¯t scream, shout, grow worry, instead he acted natualant. ¡°What now?¡± he muttered.


    Jack stood up and scanned the darkness, quickly spotting Mallory¡¯s backside. From Jack¡¯s viewpoint she appeared to be crossing her arms and had her head slanted to the right.


    ¡°What¡¯s she up to now?¡± Jack said, sighing.


    Jack relaxed his body and went to her. She heard his heavy boots echo the chamber of darkness around them and she moaned in worry. Jack stood beside her and he got a better read on her emotions. She appeared upset from how she looked away and hid her face with the shadows of her lingering bangs.


    Jack groans a bit out of frustration. ¡°Mallory, what is it that you want? Why summon me like this all of sudden?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer. Mallory stood there with the look of worry on her face. She looks down, Jack didn¡¯t like that look coming from her, he actually felt bad seeing how vulnerable she looked yet he couldn¡¯t help but feel the need to compliment how human she was acting. It even gave him courage to grab her hand and hold just her fingers. He wanted to bring an ease of comfort to her so she could answer his question. It worked. She slides her fingers between his, and slowly lifts her head. Her eyes quivered out of fear? Anger? Jack couldn¡¯t tell from how big they were.


    Jack continued staring into those gorgeous eyes of hers to ease her emotions further. ¡°Mallory, what¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s bothering you?¡± he said in a soft tone.


    Mallory closes the gap between the two and places her hand on his chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ that I couldn¡¯t answer your calls of help that night.¡± She was on the brink of tears.


    Jack grabs her chin and wipes a tear that managed to escape. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Oddly enough, some guy in a shiny white robe saved my ass, but he seemed different than Sarah.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯ve encountered the other one I spoke off, oh no¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not sure if I forgot, but when you just said other¡ªyou mean as in like that guy that spooked you? Correct?¡±


    Mallory nods. ¡°Yes, another Exorcist. When I heard your pleads, and sensed that spirit that almost engulfed you, once I was about to shoot myself into action¡­ I sense that Exorcised and his horrific existence.¡±


    Jack gasps. ¡°Wow! You knew that much? Hey now that you mention it¡­ how was I able to see something that technically doesn¡¯t exist?¡±


    Mallory sighs. ¡°You¡¯re right, a normal person would never witness something like that, perhaps being around Angela might have influenced something in you.¡± She rubs his chest gently, ¡°but we have bigger problems Jack¡­¡±


    Jack raised his eyebrows, feeling suspicious. ¡°Wh-What do you mean¡­ bigger problems.¡±


    Mallory let off and looked into his eyes. ¡°They did something¡­¡± She pauses and clenches Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°...to Angela.¡±


    Jack got angry, balling his fists. ¡°Who? Who did something to her?¡± He said furiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who, but I have a feeling it was that guy you bumped into the other day. That explains why I¡¯m back inside her and he managed to¡­¡± She clenches her fist and slightly grits her teeth, shaking her head and quickly hides her suspicion. ¡°Ne-Nevermind, I just wanted to talk to you, before it finally happens.¡±


    ¡°Until what happens?¡± he replied, nervously angry.


    Mallory slowly walks backwards into the darkness. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be more than happy to see it yourself.¡± She smiles and for once, it affects Jack, making him slightly blush. She too blushes and fades away.


    Jack¡¯s left standing in the void of nothingness, placing his hand on his chest and felt his heart pacing. He felt his face grow hot and that image of her gentle smile staying its welcome. Jack couldn¡¯t understand this feeling, but enjoyed the sensation a bit. He closes his eyes and he too fades away, but as soon as he faded, a man with hair way past his shoulders, smearing his face with its greasy nature, wearing clothes that of mediaeval times walked out of the darkness.


    His clothes looked really old and his body was that of an anorexic. He clenches his fist. ¡°Fool¡­ just like I, death, comthe, to thee¡­ soon.¡±


    Jack wakes up. He¡¯s still at Angela''s bedside and groans. He looked over his shoulder and noticed that morning was approaching. He stretches and scratches the back of his neck, but as soon as he tugged his left arm, he felt something prevent it from moving. Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide once he saw the culprit. He remembered grabbing Angela¡¯s hand before passing out. He saw her clutch and his eyes quickly quivered in such excitement, he grabbed her hand and shook it, trying to get a reaction out of her once again like last time.


    Jack kneeled and shook her arm. ¡°Angela, come on baby sis! I know you can hear me!¡± He caressed her cheek. ¡°Angela¡­ please wake up!¡±


    Jack felt her clutch grow stronger and made him gasp, just when that gleam of excitement was inducing Jack, Angela¡¯s heart monitor went from that of a beeping, to a solid line, haunting the room with its long beep. All that excitement and joy within Jack came crashing down as that sound echoed in the room. He slowly looked down on Angela and his eyes slowly turned bloodshot, he collapsed his head onto the bed and felt his heart shattered into a million pieces.


    Doctors came bursting into the room and ordered someone to grab some defibs. They tried grabbing Angela, but Jack angrily got up from his knees and pushed all the doctors away, screaming out such a devastated cry. The doctors knew how he felt, they tried calming him down but that only made it worse. He continued shouting at them to get away from her and to leave them be. Jack held Angela¡¯s motionless body to dear life, continuing to scream at the top of his lungs. He was so close to breaking. He shook his head, not believing that this was happening. Jack mumbled her name repeatedly, he rocked back and forth as he held Angela. The doctors lowered their heads and looked away, knowing this is all too common in the medical field. Yet some felt they couldn¡¯t bear and watch Jack breakdown, to them there¡¯s nothing sadder than a sibling passing away in front of their own.


    Jack buries his head onto her face. ¡°Don¡¯t-Don¡¯t leave me¡­ Angela.¡± Jack muttered.


    Her movement was motionless, and that beep continued. Jack¡¯s body quivered out of devastation, his eyes started to glisten. Everyone gave a moment of silence, letting Jack morun quietly for a couple of minutes. Once the doctors, a couple of nurses gave him his time, the main doctor just as he was about to confirm to Jack his sister''s passing; The heart monitor began to beep again. Everyone gasped in shock and the doctors couldn¡¯t believe it. Jack looked at the beating monitor, he too couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°ho-How¡­?¡± Jack whispered then gasped, remembering Mallory¡¯s words and her smile. ¡°Did she¡ªsave her?¡±


    Jack stared at Angela¡¯s face and smiled. He kissed her head and chuckled out of such worry. He sniffled and then, he saw movement from her shut eyelids. Jack¡¯s jaw dropped and he got stiff. His eyes widened so much doctors thought he was about to pass out. With the sun slowly rising from the window beside Jack and Angela, the rest of the audience heard faint cawing and saw a crow landing on the window. It turned its head and stared at the doctors with eyes filled with a purple glint. The doctors felt a little creeped out and decided to step away a little further from Jack.


    Jack quietly whispers, ¡°Angela¡­¡± as he watches her eyes slowly lift open, revealing those hidden blue gems of beauty. The doctors were so shocked that someone as young as her was waking up from such a devastating coma and being pronounced for at least five minutes.


    Angela¡¯s eyes were finally open, showing the world her glistening blue eyes of hope and innocence. Sleeping beauty looked up at Jack, tears flowed out of those once slumbered eyes, now gleaming with joy by the sight of her own brother. ¡°J-J-J-ack.¡± Angela mumbled while her eyes continued pouring.


    Jack¡¯s face brightened, his mouth quivered from nervousness and joy; a single tear flowed out of his eye and landed on her face. ¡°An-Angela!¡± He shouted in the happiest tone he¡¯s ever expressed.


    He held her tightly as he continued to say her name repeatedly, letting the world know that she¡¯s awake and back from the dead. Angela could barely move her arms but managed to so she could wrap them around her brother.


    Angela buried her face onto his chest and softly cried. ¡°Ja-Jack¡­¡± She said so devastatingly while gripping his shirt so intensely.


    The doctors couldn¡¯t help but shed tears of joy as well. They all cheered and tapped each other''s shoulders, feeling glad that she woke up from her permanent slumber. Jack and Angela continue embracing each other, her muffled cries made Jack shush her as he rubbed her long hair. With the morning sunset finally rising, shining beside the two and creating a beautiful image to the doctors, Jack lets out another tear. The young man cried in silence, and the crow that watched from the outside cawed one last time before flying away into the sunset and disappearing into the new day.

 Arc 3 Chapter 16: Complications & A Glimpse Into A! Past

    onto Jack and keeps her eyes locked onto him. Jack couldn¡¯t help himself but smile, he held his sister and rubbed his face on her¡¯s, she giggled and ruffled his hair.


    Jack slid her fingers through his hair until she rested them behind his head. ¡°Your hair¡­ has gotten much¡­ longer, Jack.¡± Angela said in a pampering voice.


    It made Jack moan in surprise, his sister sounded more mature and familiar, which made the young man briefly look away.


    She hasn¡¯t called me brother yet since she¡¯s awake¡­ just by my name. And her voice, it sounds like¡ª


    ¡°Brother?¡± Angela said, soothingly.


    Jack shook his head. ¡°Yeah, it has. Same goes for you, Angela. Look at how long yours has gotten, like¡ªit¡¯s-it¡¯s long!¡± He grabs it and slightly strokes it, ¡°Even your purple highlights have grown¡­ more, and feel silker¡­¡± he muttered.


    Angela smiles and blushes, grabbing her hair away from him. ¡°Stop! You¡¯re making me all nervous¡­¡± She gently strokes her hair, ¡°...it¡¯s crazy, I don¡¯t even know what happened to me¡­ or why I¡¯m even here in the first place.¡± She sighs and pokes Jack¡¯s nose, ¡°you¡¯ve gotten so much bigger¡­ and more scary looking, yet more handsome.¡±


    ¡°Jee thanks for the compliment sis, but did you have to call me scary?¡± Jack pokes her nose as well, ¡°you have no idea¡­ how much I¡¯ve missed you.¡±


    With a gentle smile on his face, he nuzzles his nose against Angela¡¯s. She blushes brightly, closes her eyes and slightly giggles.


    ¡°I almost lost you, but now¡­ I won¡¯t make the same mistake.¡± Jack whispered.


    Angela opens her eyes and stares into Jack¡¯s cold eyes. ¡°I love you¡­ Jack.¡±


    Jack gasps and hears Mallory¡¯s voice intertwined with Angela¡¯s when she says those words of trust, unity, and care¡ª¡¯I love you.¡¯


    Is my head playing games with me? Mallory, you¡¯re not screwing with me, are you?! Jack thought.


    Angela mildly shook Jack. ¡°Brother, what¡¯s the matter? I don¡¯t like that look on your face.¡±


    Jack groaned. ¡°Uhh, I love you too sis¡­¡±


    Angela busts out laughing, leaving Jack confused and worried. He sighs and feels his phone vibrate. He grabs his phone inside his coat and answers it. ¡°Hello?¡± Angela snooped in a bit to hear whoever was on the other side. ¡°Oh! Is that so? Well¡­ I¡¯ve got a huge surprise for you big guy.¡± Angela knew who Jack was describing, she smiled and tapped his shoulder to get his attention. ¡°What¡¯s up, sis?¡±


    ¡°Can I talk to uncle Eric?¡± Angela whispered.


    Jack thinks, then refuses her offer. ¡°Let''s surprise him instead, shall we?¡±


    She understood and nodded. The door could be heard opening, they both looked into that direction and saw Candy walking in with plenty of snacks fitting for three grown men. He groans out of tiredness and drops the snacks, stretching his back, but the moment he opens his eyes, he spots Angela on Jack¡¯s lap, awake and happy. Candy stood there speechless. He couldn¡¯t believe it and assumed it was a dream, not until Angela said ¡°Hi!¡± with such a joyful tone. But her tone changed to what Jack expected somehow her age would sound like, not that of maturity and someone in particular he knew.


    Angela¡­ What''s going on with you? Why are acting so¡­ strange? Jack thought.


    Candy bursted into tears and rushed the two, jumping onto them and hugging them with all of his feminine strength. Angela laughed, Jack remained still. Candy rubbed his watered face all over the two out of such happiness that even his snot was beginning to drool onto them. Jack quickly pushes him off to protect Angela from his germs, and himself. Candy calls Jack an ¡°Asshole!¡± but laughed afterwards as he wiped his tears.


    ¡°Momma! Look at you! Looking older and all, can you stand?¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t respond to that, but she was comfortable sitting on Jack¡¯s lap. ¡°I¡¯m good, maybe some other time. Hey Jack!¡±


    Jack¡¯s face was still but inside he was worried for his sister''s mental state and truly wondered if her coma was an actual miracle like the doctors said.


    ¡°Yes baby sis?¡± Jack replied.


    Angela clasped her hands together and twiddled her thumbs. ¡°Can you carry me outside? I want to see the city.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, can¡¯t.¡± Jack immediately responded in a serious tone.


    Angela sighs. Candy raises a brow and notices something was wrong with Jack.


    ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to do such things, I¡¯m still not sure if you''re really in good health or fully recovered. For now, you¡¯re gonna have to wait.¡±


    She didn¡¯t mind his answers, and leaned against his chest and started humming a song out of the bloom. Jack squinted and was fully worried, showing Candy his current mood that he hid. Candy crossed his arms and looked at Angela then back to Jack, nodding.


    The door opens again, but this time it was her doctor. ¡°Mr. Jack Samr, a moment please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± Jack replied standing up, but was quickly grabbed by Angela who wanted to accompany him. ¡°Relax, Angela. It¡¯ll be quick.¡±


    Angela lets go and Jack walks to the doctor. The two left the room and stood outside. Jack closed the door behind him.


    ¡°What is it, doctor?¡± Jack asked.


    The doctor cleared his throat. ¡°I wanted to share more information with you, but you have a visitor.¡±


    Jack tilts. ¡°Visitor? Who?¡±


    The doctor was about to answer until Anna came from around the corner all angry and frustrated. Jack retracted out of shock, she was yelling, flailing her arms around, he couldn¡¯t understand her and tried calming her down by gesturing his hands as she approached them. It wasn¡¯t helping, in fact it aggravated her more. Jack walked backwards, opening the door behind him and into the room. He was about to close the door but Anna stopped it, and she marched in, making the young man put his hands up. Jack sweated a bit as Anna continued shouting nonsense at him, asking him why he wasn''t answering her calls or why he¡¯s been ignoring everyone.


    Angela and Candy were conversing when her loudness approached their direction. Jack looked really surprised and bamboozled. He never had anyone shout at him like this, he didn¡¯t even know how to react to this type of behaviour. As she continues asking him and shouting questions, Jack trips and she does as well. They both fall on top of each other, exposed to Candy and Angela. Candy laughs, but feels a bit jealous, he compliments Anna¡¯s smooth skills and calls her a ¡°Genius!¡±


    Anna had Jack¡¯s arms pinned against the ground, she was on top of him and stared hard with those trembling eyes of green. ¡°Why?! Why do you keep ignoring us, Jack!¡±


    Jack chuckles out of nervousness. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry! Things were getting a bit complicated, that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    Anna leans her face towards his. ¡°Oh yeah? Like what Mister!¡±


    Jack continued chuckling until Angela spoke with a tone so fierce it scared everyone for a moment. ¡°Hey!¡± She shouted, leaving everyone speechless. ¡°Get off my brother.¡± Angela¡¯s eyes were cold and she seemed very serious.


    Anna was left stunned, she couldn¡¯t move, were her eyes deceiving her? Or is his supposed sister finally awake? She still didn¡¯t move until Angela told her to ¡°Get off!¡± again but with such seriousness.


    Anna stands up. ¡°So-Sorry¡­¡±


    Angela glared at Anna, but she cools down a bit and sighs. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry, for being so aggressive.¡±


    Jack stands up. ¡°Easy Angela, and Anna, I can explain, okay. What¡¯s happened the past few days are¡ª¡±


    Jack started explaining, but Anna had tunnel vision, his voice slowly muffled out and Anna couldn¡¯t stop staring at Angela, almost like she was hypnotised by Angela¡¯s intense stare. Jack stopped his explanation once he saw Anna dozing off. He snaps his fingers at Anna and she quickly snaps back into reality.


    Anna shook her head. ¡°Huh¡­ oh I¡¯m sorry Jack. And I¡¯m also sorry for being so emotional.¡±


    Jack waved no. ¡°Stop, I should be the one to apologise, not you, Anna.¡± He stepped to the side and extended his arm out to his sister. ¡°This is Angela, well you already knew that, but this time, she¡¯s awake.¡±


    Anna approached Angela very slowly. ¡°Hi¡­ I¡¯m Jack¡¯s childhood best friend A¡­¡±


    ¡°Annabelle, correct?¡± Angela abruptly answered, which shocked her.


    Anna stopped moving and scratched her cheek. ¡°So you knew?¡±


    Angela nods. ¡°Yes, for a very long time. I assumed it was you the moment I laid eyes on you¡­¡± She deeply observes Anna from head to toe. ¡°...and he was right about you.¡±


    Anna glances at Jack. He shrugs and she looks back at Angela. ¡°Right about what?¡±


    Angela was blushing, making Anna gasped, but at how adorable she looked.


    Angela looked away. ¡°Th-That you¡¯re very pretty, but I¡¯m still above you.¡± she said, puffing her cheeks, and crossing her arms.


    Anna blushes and giggles as she bumps against Jack. ¡°I appreciate the compliment! So? You¡¯re the one who¡¯s been taking care of my best buddy, huh?¡±


    Angela continued looking away. ¡°Hmph! I guess you could say that.¡±


    They all heard a crunching sound. Everyone turned to the crunching and saw Candy munching on his snacks, enjoying the show.


    Candy stopped midway on a crunch bar, looking at everyone. ¡°Wh-what?! This shits good boo boo¡¯s! Don¡¯t be staring at me like that with ya emotional looking asses!¡± They continued staring at Candy with annoyance.


    Jack clears his throat. ¡°Says the fruitcake who always cries about not getting enough love.¡± The girls giggled while Candy continued chewing as he crossed his arms with frustration.


    Eric¡¯s just arriving at the hospital, his boys were told to stay put to keep watch for an hour while he visited Jack and the others. They understood their orders and hopped out of the car, chilling nearby to take a quick smoke break. Eric walked off and walked up the stairs of the entrance, but he felt something wasn¡¯t right. He always trusted his gut. To be sure his gut feeling wasn¡¯t playing tricks, he stopped at the front door and looked over his shoulder, glimpsing around the area before he could enter. He walked in and saw people sitting in the waiting area, but wondered why it was this crowded all of a sudden?


    At this hour? Eric thought.


    Upon glancing at everyone, they did look like regular folks so it brought down his suspicion a bit. He walked towards the elevator and noticed more nurses and doctors than usual too. He definitely knew something was up, he made sure he had his gun on his holster and extra ammo.


    Eric wanted to make sure he wasn¡¯t just overreacting, so he bumped into a random nurse to see how they would react. They quickly apologised, asking him if he¡¯s alright. Eric replied with a hard ¡°Yes¡± and walked off. He shakes his head and presumed he is just over reacting, blaming his gutt and telling it to chill out. As the elevators shut, the nurse turned to the people in the waiting room and nodded. They all stood up, taking off their pedestrian clothes and revealing that they were indeed the men in white. Eric¡¯s men were completely oblivious outside, they were too busy conversing and smoking to notice mysterious vehicles pulling up towards them. Soon afterwards, the two were quickly abducted by other men. They placed cloth over their faces, forcing a nasty chemical to make them pass out. Eric¡¯s men were dragged to a nearby van, thrown in and were driven away.


    Eric finally reached the floor everyone else was on. He walked out of the elevator and walked down the hallway, still feeling very sceptical. He just couldn¡¯t throw away this feeling, this feeling of intense deja vu! It was annoying him. He deeply groans and scratches his head, he reaches Angela¡¯s room and opens the door. As soon as he opened that door, he was greeted with laughter and a whiff of happiness. Eric walked in and wondered why the atmosphere felt so joyful? Once he walked out of that corner, he saw Angela, awake, happy, smiling, and pulsing with life. That feeling of suspicion flew away the moment he laid eyes on Angela. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes! Was this real? Or was this a dream? Everyone noticed and looked at Eric, they smiled and told him to join them. Angela opened her arms out to him, welcoming him for a hug.


    With a soft smile on her face and her glistening blue eyes, she blinks slowly and says. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile, uncle Eric.¡± Those words pierced his heart with such happiness Eric was on the verge of collapsing from so many emotions coursing through his body.


    Jack quickly hurried to his side before he actually could faint. ¡°Come on big guy, don¡¯t worry, I had the same reaction as you did but on a more extreme level.¡±


    Eric looked at Jack¡¯s face, and saw that happy boy he first met. He couldn¡¯t take it and started crying softly. He drops to a knee with a hand over his eyes and cries quietly.


    ¡°Hey now!¡± Jack said as he rubbed his back, ¡°It¡¯s okay Eric, she¡¯s alive and well. Now go to her and give your baby girl a hug now!¡± Jack too shed a single tear. ¡°Shit man¡­ you¡¯re making me emotional here too.¡±


    Eric got up and wiped his face. ¡°Fu-Fu-Fuck!¡± He rushed to Angela and held her tightly, ¡°Angela! My-My-My lil baby girl!¡±


    She giggled and held him tightly. ¡°I missed you uncle! Thank you, for always looking after my brother.¡±


    Candy cried a bit. Eric heard his muffled crying. ¡°You¡¯re a little-little, bitch!¡±


    It made everyone laugh and smile. Candy didn¡¯t mind and brushed it off with a giggle.


    Anna felt out of place, but seeing how everyone reacted to her awakening showed how much they all loved her. She had no idea what events they went through or how they lived, especially knowing she couldn¡¯t understand their pain because she lives in an entirely different world than theirs. She still felt emotional for them, enough to shed a tear. Jack noticed and walked over to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw his gleaming smile, it was enough for her to smile brightly too. Anna grabs Jack¡¯s hand and holds it. They both chuckled, basking in the moment as everyone felt happy.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Say Jack?¡± Anna asked in a soft tone.


    ¡°Yeah Anna?¡± Jack replied.


    Anna hugs him. ¡°Don¡¯t you ever leave my side again¡ªthat¡¯s why I was upset about you ignoring me¡­ I don¡¯t ever want to think about losing you again, I-I¡ª¡± Anna was about to cry until Jack grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes.


    With a smile and those cold eyes mildly gleaming with life, he pats her head and nuzzles his nose against hers. ¡°Trust me, it¡¯ll never happen. There wasn''t a single day when I kept thinking about you, you are after all¡­¡± He leans close, ¡°...my best friend.¡± he whispered.


    Anna¡¯s eyes glistened. They both stared into each other''s souls, remembering their lives before this mess. Their love for each other felt endless. Somehow someway, It felt like it was stored away in some dark box and wanted to break out, but now; There stored feelings that were once there were ready to explode back into their hearts. This returning feeling was even enough for them to almost go for a kiss. It was growing so strong, Jack holding her tighter, Anna digging her hands into his back, the two closing in for a kiss to reunite those abandoned romantic feelings. Their minds felt connected, but when they were just centimetres away from each other''s lips, it suddenly vanished.


    Something devious and twisted engulfed their minds and heart into a cloud of black smoke, making those feelings that felt right disappear. Both their eyes felt blackened and heavy, they both blinked and returned to their senses. Both seemed rather confused afterwards. Jack let go and so did Anna, now it was awkward. The two looked away from each other, briefly, and scratched heads and coughed awkwardly. They looked at each other again with forced smiles and laughed nervously, everyone else noticed their strange laughter and asked what they were doing? Both shrugged and actually had no clue themselves.


    The doctor returned and asked for Jack again to tell him the important information before Anna¡¯s appearance.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be back, okay guys?¡± Angela and everyone else nodded. Eric started telling her how much of a cry baby Jack is and started making fun of him. Jack chuckles and walks out with the doctor. ¡°So doc? What¡¯s this urgent talk you needed?¡±


    The doctor had a clipboard and cleared his throat. ¡°Well I wanted to inform you that you all have to leave the room for the day because we have to examine Angela to see how much function she has recovered from her body, especially awakening from a three year coma.¡± He scratched the back of his head, ¡°It¡¯s a miracle and rarity that she¡¯s functioning so well to be frank.¡±


    Jack sighs. ¡°Well¡­ I guess. How long is it gonna take?¡±


    ¡°Not too long, just for the rest of the day and tomorrow you guys can return!¡± He brings up his clipboard and flips pages, ¡°We just wanted to clarify and check if everythings fine, especially this injury right here!¡± He flips one more page and points his pen at an x-ray they took three years ago when they first brought her in. ¡°Right here, right on her spine.¡±


    Jack examined it and saw all the holes Angela once had, bringing back that awful night back into his mind. He shakes his head and forcibly coughs, ¡°Ahh! Okay then, we¡¯ll call it a day doc.¡±


    ¡°Okay! We¡¯ll call you when we¡¯re done with her examinations.¡± Jack nods, but before they could walk in he stops the doctor. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Mr. Jack?¡±


    ¡°One last thing, be careful how you examine my sister, she doesn¡¯t take too kindly to strangers¡­ especially examinations.¡±


    He looked rather angry saying that, he even scared the doctor a bit.


    ¡°My bad for sounding rude, doc.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay. I understand and I also would act the same as you Mr. Jack.¡±


    Jack and the doctor shook hands and went their separate ways. Jack walked back into the room and deeply sighed, feeling worried about her examination. Jack walks around the corner, chopping the air and saying ¡°Yo!¡± to everyone very loudly. They stopped whatever they were doing and looked at Jack.


    ¡°The doctor said we have to leave the room for the day. They want to check Angela to see if she¡¯s truly 100%.¡±


    Eric sighs. ¡°Really? Already! I just got here yo¡­¡± he sighs deeply, ¡°...well if it''s for her well being then so be it, but she better be fine or else Imma punch him.¡±


    Angela definitely was against the idea, she refused heavily at first. She was starting to panic and had ptsd, freaking Eric and Jack out until Anna managed to calm her down.


    Anna pats her head and gives her a genuine smile of relief. ¡°It¡¯s alright Angela, they won¡¯t leave you! Don¡¯t worry,¡± she leans closely, ¡°it¡¯s just for today, okay?¡± She smiles, Angela wipes off that distraught look on her face, plays it cool and looks away angrily by crossing her arms.


    Anna chuckles. ¡°Atta girl!¡± She pats her head one last time and accompanies Jack¡¯s side.


    Everyone leaves and the doctor calls for more nurses to start the examination processes on Angela once he sees everyone leave.


    Angela watched everyone leave, especially watching Jack real hard. ¡°brother¡­¡± she said quietly.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel worried about her, especially knowing her troubled past with doctors and examinations.


    Jack¡¯s sulked. ¡°Can I really trust them?¡±


    Eric pats the young man''s back to cheer him up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you fool. It¡¯s different this time and if there is any trouble, this time, we¡¯ll rush into action my guy.¡±


    Jack felt relaxed after hearing that. ¡°You¡¯re right, Eric.¡±


    Anna playfully punched his arm. ¡°Everything will be fine, Jack. We¡¯re here now, all of us.¡±


    Candy on the other hand grabbed his chin, swaying his hip. ¡°Mm, I¡¯m not too sure, boo boos when those two men have pretty reliable resources at their disposal.¡± Eric walks in front of him, towering over Candy as he blushes red. ¡°Is this when you pin me against the wall and lay a lucious kiss upon my beautiful lips?! Oh Eric honey!¡± Candy puckers up and makes a kissy noise.


    Eric lifts a hand and lands a chop on Candy¡¯s head, making him yelp loudly. ¡°No, bad fruit boy, bad gaywad.¡±


    Candy massaged his head and squints. ¡°You fucking piece of teasing delcious shitball! Hmph!¡±


    Jack laughs, feeling cheered up. ¡°Candy, you weirdo. But thanks guys, you helped me feel at ease.¡±


    After a couple of more laughs, the gang walked off and decided to go out for fresh air. Everyone walked out of the hospital, but as soon as they first stepped out into the Detroit air, Eric glimpsed around, leaving Jack curious on why.


    ¡°Yo Eric, why are you looking everywhere in suspicion?¡± Jack asked.


    Eric continued his scanning, and answered. ¡°When I arrived, and got out of the car with a couple of my boys, I felt something was fishy and was on high alert.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like the sound of that, it made him get serious. Eric brought his eyes to the spot his boys were standing guard and they were gone. Eric rushed to the vacant car, making Jack and Anna run after him. The car seemed abandoned and left open. He checked inside, found nothing, he looked down on the ground and saw cigarettes and one of their guns.


    Eric picked it up. ¡°What happened? Where did they go?¡± he muttered.


    Jack knew something¡¯s not right now, and clenched a fist. ¡°Eric, what¡¯s going on? Are you sure we can leave Angela alone?¡±


    Eric growled. ¡°My other boys, they were here¡­ they wouldn¡¯t just dip and leave evidence behind in a panic, tch¡­¡± Eric lowers the gun with a distraught look on his face ¡°...Something ain¡¯t right Jack, and I think you¡¯re right. Maybe we shouldn¡¯t leave Angela alone.¡± He tucked the gun into his pants, ¡°There¡¯s no guessing, they were abducted.¡±


    Jack felt Anna grab his arm and felt her fingers trembling from her grip. He saw his best friend shaking, and forgot that he hasn¡¯t been completely honest with her about his life.


    Jack pats her head to ease her. ¡°What makes you say they abducted Eric?! They probably saw a¡­¡± he shakes his head and shrugs, ¡°...perhaps a food truck and rushed¡ªto it?¡±


    Eric smacks his lips. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, dummy, I¡¯m guessing they were kidnapped by a rival gang of some sort. Not, you know who.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Then that means time to go find out who and ki¡ª I mean, get the bastards right?¡± Jack cleared his throat, making Anna question and raise a brow to what he was meaning to say.


    Anna stares hard at Jack and leans closely. ¡°You were about to say something else¡­ You can¡¯t fool your best friend here.¡± Jack moans and Anna sighs.


    Eric whistled to Anna, getting her attention. ¡°Don¡¯t mind what he was about to say, he¡¯s a dumbass.¡± he said, smiling to cheer Anna up.


    Anna chuckled and shook her head. Jack frowned and went to the car''s driver side, but upon getting there, he felt a strange chilly wind hurtle past him. Jack noticed the sky turning to a sunset colour and wondered if it was getting late. Jack glanced at his watch and it was still too early for dawn to break out. That wind grew stronger, dirt and debri blew across his feet, everyone else felt the chilled force ensuing and thought it was just random wind. Eric wondered why the weather was acting so strange. Suddenly, Eric started to hear an awfully faint, creepy holy chanter bouncing off his eardrums. It sounded like monotone singing from children, and behind their wave of faint chants were deep church bells going off.


    Eric glanced around and when his eyes set forward, he saw a strange man standing at the end of the street. The man stood in the middle of what would be a busy street full of cars, now appearing to be empty. Eric stared hard, and got a good look at his appearance; he appeared to be wearing some caped hoodie of some sort. It looked dated, holy, expensive, he didn¡¯t like this sight and grew tired of it, thinking it was some drugged individual acting childish. Eric pulls out his gun and cocks it. Jack quickly looked in the direction his uncle was keeping his sights locked once he heard his pistol cocked. Jack saw the man then glanced at Eric with worry. Anna quickly got scared and clinged onto Jack.


    Jack looked back at the man and was able to pinpoint his appearance, remembering the same set of clothes a couple of nights ago. Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide, he gasped quietly. ¡°No¡­ it-it can¡¯t¡ªbe¡­¡± he muttered.


    Jack pulls Anna with him as he hurries to the passenger side door to the vacant car. Eric¡¯s eyes stayed locked onto the mysterious man standing still, his cape bellowed and his face stayed hidden beneath his hood''s shadow. Jack opened the door, pushing her into the car.


    Anna yelps. ¡°Ja-Jack! Why did you do that?!¡± she asked in freight.


    Jack didn¡¯t hear her, he pulled out his own gun making her jump. He began sweating bullets and cocked his gun, closing the door. Anna was scared.


    ¡°Eric!¡± Jack shouted.


    Eric continued staring at the stranger. ¡°Why are you yelling?!¡± Eric quickly glimpsed to his side and noticed the frightened look on Jack¡¯s face. He returned his vision to the man and saw him starting to move his legs and walk towards their direction. ¡°Yo, what the fucks wrong with this guy?¡± he said as he now pointed his gun at the stranger.


    Jack pointed as well with a shakened hand. ¡°Get in, get in, get in!¡± Jack sounded more scared, as he stabbed the direction with his gun repeatedly the two were aiming at. Jack wanted to fire but couldn¡¯t give himself the courage to do it. He clenches his teeth and lets it out, his fear, ¡°HURRY ERIC!¡±


    Eric didn¡¯t understand why he was so afraid of some creepy stranger, but the closer the guy got the more exposed his holy prints on his outfit were to the sun, shining gold towards their direction. ¡°Fuck!¡± Eric hopped in and so did Jack.


    Eric turned the car on and as he was about to reverse, looking behind them, that stranger was behind them. Literally a foot away, which made everyone gasp and turn white. Eric stopped from reversing and put the car in drive and floored it. They drove away as fast as they could.


    Anna¡¯s blanched and had her nails dug into the seats as Eric drove like mad. ¡°What¡¯s happening?! Why do both of you have your guns out and why is that man¡ª?¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ Anna.¡± Eric replied.


    Anna looked to Jack, who on the other hand looked like he''d seen a ghost, holding the gun close to his face and quietly mumbling words beneath his breath. Anna¡¯s never seen Jack this scared before, nor has Eric.


    Archard¡¯s hooded robe flapped as he stood there, basking in the sunlight like a holy being. ¡°We¡¯ll soon properly meet, dear Jack.¡± He was about to leave when he felt the presence of something familiar and disgusting to him. ¡°I sense¡­ a wicked Witch¡­¡± He looked over his shoulder and saw Sarah running towards the hospital. ¡°...And there is one¡ªit seems.¡± and he vanishes out of thin air.


    Sarah¡¯s in a hurry to talk to the others. She texted Anna early that she would be there, but as she was inches away from the door; Archard suddenly appeared in front of the door.


    Sarah stopped, and grew blanched. ¡°Ho-How¡­?¡± She didn¡¯t expect him to appear here or even pop into her line of sight like that.


    She was only coming here to visit her friends and get comfort, not to be scared to death by the person her mother warned her about.


    Archard looked detested, annoyed, and uttery serious. ¡°So, Witch?¡± he said menacingly, ¡°What brings you here today?¡± His fingers twitched in anger as he looked into Sarah¡¯s eyes.


    Sarah stepped back. ¡°Tha-That¡¯s none of your business! Who-Who are you¡ªpeople?!¡± That sudden shout brought out the men in white from inside the hospital who belonged to Dr. Cato burst through the entrance doors.


    They were about to intervene when they noticed Archard standing there. They quickly decided to avoid him and go around him to confront Sarah, but he detested that and made them stay put with some unknown force. None of them could move.


    Archard smacked his lips annoyingly. ¡°Don¡¯t any of you dare, intervene. Twits.¡± He started approaching Sarah, who raised her hand and made him halt immediately. Now he was angry. ¡°How revolting¡­ you would use your sorcery in the real world? Wouldn¡¯t you¡­ like a certain someone.¡± He half clenched a fist, and squinted his eyes, ¡°Like the very hateful Witch I know!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s hand trembled from fear and her legs wobbled. She tried her best to keep a serious face to hide her fear and play it cool, but she couldn''t. ¡°Step an-any closer and I¡­I swear! I¡¯ll use my¡ªpowers to make you stop!¡±


    Archard''s body vibrated, and Sarah can feel rage pulsing off his body. She moves farther back with her hand up, watching his face transform to that of annoyance and begins to laugh. But his laughter didn¡¯t have a smile, it was the laughter of a man who laughed upon a pitiful person. Sarah grew annoyed, feeling and hearing his insultful laughter rub against her skin.


    Archard let out his last cackle and his eyes exploded in seriousness. ¡°Is that so? How wicked of you¡­Hah, Witches, Witches are nothing but trouble to people, and the world in which our God created. They are the source of the most evil in our world, and¡­¡± Archard slowly raised his finger to Sarah, ¡°¡­you''re the worst of them all¡ªthe most evil ever created, and the one who almost ended our world.¡±


    Archard took an angry stomp and shook the entire ground beneath them. Sarah had enough, growing tired of his insults that weirdly felt true but she couldn¡¯t understand why they felt so honest. Sarah clenched her fists, gathering mana, hunching forward, ready to attack. Archard sensed, felt her energy gathering and he quickly snapped his fingers. Sarah stopped and gasped. The two were in the middle of some gigantic opening in the middle of a giant forest that seemed endless with mountains surrounding it.


    Sarah glanced around, her body couldn¡¯t stop shaking, she¡¯s in disbelief. ¡°Where-Where are we?¡± She looked back at him, her eyes widened in fear. ¡°W-What did you do?!¡±


    Archard breathes in the lovely air that surrounds them and once he finishes, he lets out a huge gasp of air, reaching his arms out to the sky. ¡°Since you desperately want to release your wicked tricks so badly, I thought I¡¯d teleport us away from society¡­ as you can see¡ª!¡± He stops and opens his arms out, ¡°We¡¯re in a different part of the world, you¡¯re welcomed to use your abilities out here as much as you want. Though, you should still refrain yourself from going overboard¡­ don¡¯t want to cause a ruckus.¡±


    Sarah grit her teeth, shaking in anger. ¡°So¡­ So, you want me to go all out?! Here? Here in the real world instead of another world?!¡± She clenches her fists, feeling judged without action. ¡°My mother taught me to never use my powers here! I won¡¯t break her promise, you-you menace to society and bully!¡±


    Archard sighs, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not allowing you to enter any world I summon. You¡¯ll never step foot in purity or deserve to be in the presence of God¡¯s creations~¡± He raises his head to the sky and drifts the clouds aside to expose sunlight onto himself, ¡°~And I would never allow myself to enter any of yours Witch! and your¡ªmother that you speak of?!¡±


    Archard suddenly claps his hands together. Those colliding palms were so loud it scared away most birds and wildlife in the beautiful forests around them.


    ¡°She¡¯s worse than you because she created something unnatural, abnormal, vulgar! You don¡¯t deserve life, and she doesn¡¯t deserve to breathe the same air that God himself created!¡±


    Sarah covered her ears. ¡°Stop¡­¡± she said, quietly.


    Archards grew wide in anger, letting the world know how much hatred he had towards the two. ¡°So ungrateful! So sinful!¡±


    Sarah squinted her eyes with severe anger as Archard summoned more light to shine in the spot they were standing in. Letting her know how blessed he was and expressing how faithful of a man he was to God. With God¡¯s light shining down on him, Archard wanted Sarah to not only know, but feel his wrath and hatred he had for her and especially, her mother.


    Sarah shakes her head as tears start to creep out of her shut eyes. ¡°Stop, stop¡­ please!¡±


    Archard expanded his arms out to the sky, exploding his eyes to the truth he let know. ¡°She should be more than Exorcised~!¡± He closes his palms, ¡°~No! Better yet¡­¡± He brings his head down along with his arms to look at Sarah, ¡°...be burnt to a cinder and turned to ash; like her ancestors.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s arm tattoo came out, pulsed. Her hair started hovering and plasma started sparking around her. Archard frowns and turns serious, watching the goth girl as her anger starts seeping out. Sarah raises her head and has the look of murderous intent towards him. The ground beneath her cracked and she screamed out in sadness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever¡ªinsult us, you bastard!¡± Without thinking, she attacks Archard out of blind rage, flinging at him like lightning.


    Archard grinned as he casually moved to the side, grabbing her leg mid air and tossing her away. She spun and used the momentum to use a nearby tree and kicked herself off the bark of the tree. The impact of her countermeasure destroyed a portion of the forest; the size of a football stadium. Sarah flies back towards him, having a fist out, ready to land a mighty punch filled with fire. Archard has his arms behind his back and dodges again. She lands on the ground, skidding with her hands, flips around and comes back with another punch. He dodges and vanishes away from her.


    She raises her arms and brings down the heavens onto him by slamming her hands on the ground, bringing lightning strikes powerful enough to destroy towns with a single blow onto him. Archard stood there and tanked them all. As she catches her breath, ground slightly shaking from the aftermath, and the smoke clearing up; Archard is still standing, casually brushing off debri off his holy clothes. It left her shocked, and stunned with fear.


    A single tear trickled out of her eye, and she ground her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ I¡¯ve had enough!¡± Sarah shouted with anger. She raises her arms to the sky and closes her eyes, ¡°I call upon the trees, I¡ª¡± she immediately stopped and finally realised what she was doing to mother earth. ¡°What-What have I done¡­?¡±


    She lowers her arms and turns around to look at Archard in disbelief. Archard grinned and chuckled beneath his breath, enjoying the moment. Sarah was played and fell right onto his trap, allowing him to get into her head and exploding her emotions. Yet, every word that he said didn¡¯t feel fake, insulting, again, they held some truth and were honest. Sarah can¡¯t understand why it did; did she explode because of his honesty? Not  taking accountability? Or was it something entirely different.


    Sarah gasped repeatedly as her eyes shook. ¡°This-This was your¡ªidea, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Archard looks around and points out her destruction with his glare. ¡°Hmm, perhaps? I just wanted to see how much control you have over your abilities, but as God as my witness, you¡¯re totally out of it, child.¡±


    Sarah started crying, ¡°You damned bully! What did I do to you? Why are you tormnting me, fucking asshole¡­¡± She wipes her eyes but her sadness continues spraying.


    Archard let her cry for a full minute before responding. ¡°Your existence¡­ that¡¯s why. Especially your ¡®so-called mother¡¯ who¡¯s failed to teach you to control your murderous powers, Witch!¡±


    Sarah got angry again and raised a fist. It was engulfed in fire and she punched her fist in his direction, shooting out a humongous spiral rope of hell fire. It engulfed Archard¡¯s visions and gave him PTSD and in seeing this; pissed Archard off. He stands his ground watching the mighty wall of fire the size of a cruise liner approach his presence. Archard lets out a mighty roar and stops the flame with one hand, spinning his arm in circles slowly to dumb down its size. The last trail of fire wrapped around his body. Sarah couldn''t help but be amazed by this dance she witnessed. He twirls the fire and brings his arm out and lowers the flame to his palm. He crushes the tiny flame and lowers his hand back down.


    ¡°How dare you¡­¡± he muttered. Archard¡¯s so angry now, he started walking towards Sarah who stood there in frightened amazement.


    Sarah raised a fist, as it sparked and shot out plasma around the area. ¡°Don¡¯t make me-me more angry, as I saw¡ªit was enough for you to retaliate, you freak!¡±


    Archard kept walking, ignoring her words.


    Sarah sweated up a storm, wiping her eyes as she kept one fist raised. ¡°I even made you use your powers in the real world, jerk. Don''t you dare insult me or my mom ever again!¡±


    Archard stops a couple feet from her. Sarah kept her guard up and he moved his arms to his hood, removing it to reveal his true identity to her. Sarah¡¯s surprised as he reveals his fiery blonde hair, hazel eyes, and scarred face.


    Archard ground his teeth. He¡¯s furious, showing off his glowing corneas to Sarah. ¡°I¡¯m only going this easy on you because I don¡¯t sense any malice in you, but¡ª!¡± Archard balled half his fist, which shook the earth. ¡°You think that was me? ME?! Using my gifts from God just now?¡±


    Sarah backed up in horror, feeling his anger weighing her down. His energy alone felt terrifying to her.


    Archard twirled one of his hands above his head. ¡°Here! In the real world?!¡± He shakes his head, and has a glint in his eye, ¡°No¡­ not even remotely close, Witch.¡± he said silently, lowering his arms. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    His legs bent forward and he vanished quicker than Sarah could blink, think, react, or move. Sarah thought he was still standing there so she attacked again with just a small plasma shot of lightning, but when it struck what she thought was him, she realised it was just an afterimage of himself.


    ¡°Where did he¡ª? Sarah looked around, panicking but didn¡¯t notice he was right behind her, slowly, raising a fist.


    Archard¡¯s golden eyes glowed in anger, his hair waved. He¡¯s ready to land a mighty fist upon her. Sarah finally sensed him behind her and quickly turned around and saw Archard¡¯s fist coming towards her face. Her world slowed down, her vision was engulfed by this pale, scarred fist of holy might and anger. Archard was centimetres away from her face when he suddenly stopped. She stood there paralyzed. Archard also stood there, his fist paused at the centre of her view. Sarah gulped, breathed frantically, and as soon as she blinked, he flinged his index finger and a huge force from the Gods pushed out of his flung finger. It blew out such tremendous pressure Sarah thought she was being pushed away by a category ten hurricane. Her hair fluttered violently along with her clothes and a giant cloud of smoke from the force he created was astronomically ginormous and abnormal, blowing viciously, violently behind her.


    It comes to a complete stop and Archard lowers his hand, taking a step back and raises his hood back over his head. Sarah with her hair all messed up and clothes slightly torn, dropped to her knees out of shock.


    Archard turned around and spoke in a serious menacing tone. ¡°That was¡ªa glimpse. Indulge it, and remember this moment, and pray that we never cross paths again; Witch!¡± Archard vanishes out of thin air, leaving Sarah traumatised.


    Sarah¡¯s on her knees and her body quaked. Sitting in silence, and overwhelmed from what she just experienced, the goth girl couldn¡¯t help but let out a broken chuckle from being so scared. She stops her insane cackling and stands back up. She brushes herself off with watery eyes and wonders what he meant when he said that was just a glimpse when all he did was fling his finger. Feeling curious, she turned around at a slow pace to see what he actually meant about using his powers in the real world. Then, her eyes caught it, and witnessed his might.


    ¡°No¡­no¡­¡± Sarah muttered. Her eyes were wide, bulging out; her face became the personification of whiteness.


    What she¡¯s witnessing is pure abnormal annihilation. The endless forest behind her was widened out so far to the sides she can¡¯t see the end of his destruction. The monstrous mountain behind them was completely vaporised. The ground where it was embedded was curved down deeper than her eyes can imagine, and lastly, the skies above along with the clouds that once were there, had exposed the ambiance of space, showing the stars to broad daylight. Sarah stood there, in total disbelief at what she was truly up against.


    Sarah¡¯s head starts spinning and she feels light headed. Her  legs started to give out. ¡°Mom-Mom¡­ ma¡­¡± She says as she faints, falling face first.


    She laid there, broken, and lost. Moments later, Sarah¡¯s mother arrived shortly afterwards to pick her up, sensing that her daughter was in danger, but as soon as her mother was about to go to her; she sensed someone appearing and standing in front of the carnage.


    Sarah¡¯s mother furrowed her brows and clenched her fists. Standing before her was a man, who had a golden cane, an elegant holy tux-like outfit and said to her with a menacing cheerful tone, ¡°Salutations, How are we doing today? lovely day¡ªor so it was?¡± and chuckled, leaving her mother feeling completely paralysed in utter fear.

 Update!

    Apologies again if it''s taking longer to post chapters. But I''m currently re-reading the last 10 chapters to Arc3. Once I do, I''ll start editing chapter 17 and hopefully post it by the end of this upcoming week. Thankfully Chapter 18, 19, & 20 are chapters I''ve already re-wrote and have gone back to awhile ago since they''re important ones to the story thus far. So editing won''t take too long and they''ll be posted more frequently, which gives me a sigh of relief. Once I reach chapter 23 from then on it''s mainly my new writing style I did a year ago. And we''re closing in to Arc4, my best and favorite Arc to work on so far. Finally I''m almost there to start writing fully again and hopefully post more frequently if my full-time job doesn''t end up killing me by the end of it. Thank you all and I''ll be seeing all soon for the announcement of Arc 4, chow!


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

 Arc 3 Chapter 17: A Glimpse Into A Mighty Foe!

    The day had ended, its night and darkness had risen from the shadows. Crime had sprung up to its max, the night crawlers that owned the streets had overtook the city, and the air felt heavy. The hospital¡¯s entrance was overtaken by drug addicts and prostituion. Inside Candy''s alone with Angela, she was done with her examinations for the moment. Luckily the young teen took her examinations well and didn¡¯t freak out from her past trauma. The only thing she did that was out of line was she managed to almost bite a nurse, which didn¡¯t cause too much damage to the employee.


    Candy¡¯s on his phone, pacing back and forth calmly while Angela seems rather strange? She¡¯s staring out the window, looking out into the city lights, watching the flickering of its potential beauty drowned out by corruption with a cold gaze. The moonlight gleaming with its white beauty onto her dark hair and glistening those ever growing purple highlights. She basked in its light, sitting there, staring unconsciously for a minute, like a doll. Candy hung up his phone, noticed her dollish nature and walked to her side. He sat down next to her on her bed and stared out as well to watch the night sky too.


    Feeling brightened up, he pats her back, trying to share the same mood with her. ¡°So? Whatcha doing kiddo?¡± He didn¡¯t see anything that was eye catching, just the usual crappy city lights to his eyes. ¡°Are you thinking about something?¡±


    She had her mouth slightly opened, moaning softly as she continued staring.


    Candy cleared his throat. ¡°Angela, what¡¯s running through your mind boo?¡±


    Finally, he got a response, but it wasn¡¯t the response he intended, she only giggled very calmly, creeping Candy out a tad bit. Candy awkwardly chuckled too to respond to her reply.


    Angela finally stopped her weird silent act and looked at Candy. ¡°Oh nothing, friend. I was just thinking how much I miss him¡­¡± She turns her attention back to the blood stained lights, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all, Candy.¡±


    Then she grabs Candy¡¯s hand all of a sudden, without looking at him. Candy gasped slightly but took a breath, dramatically like a girl.


    Angela tightened her grip and Candy felt weirded out. ¡°You¡¯re such a good friend Candy. Thank you for taking care of me all this time.¡± She blinks softly, and lets go of his hand.


    Candy scratches his cheek and smiles as he retracts his hand back to his lap. ¡°Uh, don¡¯t sweat it momma. It¡¯s the best I could do for you guys, especially for your brother.¡± He winks as he pats her head, ¡°but he was right, you¡¯ve grown quite womanly during this period I must say.¡±


    She brings out a tiny smile, blushing. ¡°Is that so?¡± She retracts her hand and sets it over her growing chest. ¡°Do you think¡­ is it enough to¡ªplease him?¡± She expresses a frail smile, ¡°Am I mature enough to¡­¡±


    Candy didn¡¯t like where the conversation was going, so he chopped Angela on the head, surprising her and bringing some sense back into her. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s not what I meant by you darn weirdo, quit thinking that way. You¡¯re acting very strange, lil momma.¡±


    Angela massages her head and giggles once more. She looks away and goes back to staring, but this time, to the shadow that was lurking in the darkened corner of the room.


    Candy slightly twitches an eye, and frowns. ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯re so dang weird right now, sheesh.¡± Candy sighs and chuckles a bit. He stands up and walks back to his chair that he¡¯s claimed as his bed. ¡°Well, goodnight anyways, now that you can actually sleep properly now.¡± He yawns, stretches and shuts his eyes with a smile still on his face.


    Angela smiles too and decides to call it a night as well. ¡°Goodnight to you too, and to you¡­ Jack.¡± She slowly lays down and deeply falls asleep.


    Over at the other side of town, Eric and Jack were back in their hotel room. The two were frustrated and Jack, who especially still seemed spooked out of his mind, was pacing back and forth in front of the room. The young man¡¯s eyes were very erratic as he grabbed his head with intensity from what unfolded. Eric thought he''d finally lost his mind. Eric tried asking him something, but Jack was so lost in his crazed world that he ignored everything around him for a moment, including his surroundings when he bumped onto the edge of a nightstand. Jack loudly groaned then came to a halt. He went to his bedside wall and slammed his fist out of nowhere, denting it.


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Jack rubs his head and sits down harshly, clutching his head.


    Realising that Jack was back into reality, Eric threw a pillow at him to get his full attention and get some answers. ¡°Yo man!¡± Eric asked as the pillow he just threw rolled off of Jack. ¡°What the hells spooking you? Is it that guy from earlier, do you know him?¡±


    Jack rests his arms, crossing them on his knees and groans again. ¡°More or less.¡±


    He felt his phone vibrate, he reached for it, pulling it out and saw it was only a text from Anna. He frowns remembering the scared look on her face during that moment of abnormality.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, for worrying you like that, Anna.¡± He replies to her message and closes his phone.


    Eric lets out a huge breath of air, feeling puzzled by all the randomness that¡¯s been unfolding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry my guy, I already apologised to her about pulling a gun and crap, but that dude freaked me the fuck out okay?! But the way he just appeared behind us like that, nuh man, nuh!¡± He snips the air with his arms, shaking his head, ¡°Fuck that, I can¡¯t handle shit that spooky my guy. So tell me? With all this supernatural boo-hoo, scary shit now going, what type of guy we dealing with here?¡±


    Jack pulls a cigarette out, feeling his anxiety and stress spike up. ¡°Well¡­ from what my source told me,¡± He lights it, ¡°we¡¯re dealing with an ¡®Exorcist!¡¯¡± He quoted the air and started smoking. ¡°Honestly, even hearing that for the first time it baffled me and made my brain tremble with disbelief. Honestly all of this, this crap, it¡¯s growing and feeling so stupid that I question if this is all actual reality.¡±


    The young man continues to smoke his stress away, neglecting the no smoking rule in this hotel''s establishment. Eric felt Jack¡¯s pain and understood his frustrations. He too pulled a cigarette out and started smoking as well.


    Eric smacks his lips, sharing the same feeling as Jack over such a stupid statment in their minds. ¡°Man, what kind of shit is that? You mean like the movie, a priest dude type shit? Man this is some funky shit we¡¯re getting into, I can¡¯t deal with folks like you right now. You white people are crazy.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at Eric''s insult. ¡°I¡¯m mixed, you fuck, but I can¡¯t blame you, like I said, not even I can handle all this ridiculousness.¡±


    Jack finishes his smoke, he stands up and stands there.


    Eric raises a brow to him. ¡°Whatcha bout to do then?¡±


    Jack deeply sighs and throws the cigarette away in an empty tin trash can. ¡°I¡¯m going out for a bit to get some fresh air. I¡¯ll be back, just gotta relax my mind before I finally break.¡± He starts walking to the door and opens it, but wants to say one last thing to his uncle. ¡°I hope and cross my fingers this small stroll will be stress free, if I don¡¯t return, you already know what happened to me.¡±


    Jack closes the door behind him and Eric couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at Jack''s statement. The big uncle smoked the last of his cancer stick and decided to shower away the burdens of this messy day into Michigan''s blood stained sewer systems.


    Jack¡¯s outside of the hotel and is walking in the direction of the town¡¯s park. ¡°God damn, why¡¯s this happening all of a sudden?¡± Jack said to himself while pulling another cigarette out, ¡°Witche¡¯s, spirits, ghosts, and now Exorcist¡­¡±


    Jack lights it and leaves it dangling in his mouth with his arms tucked in his pockets. I know I¡¯m repeating myself constantly, but¡ª He reaches the entrance to the park and pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, letting out a huge cloud of smoke. ¡°What more can this bizarre world hide from us people. I really hope this is the end to all this crap that defies physics and reality.¡±


    Jack walked into the park, frowning, walking and smoking to relax his troubled mind. As the young man walked deeper, he spotted a bench, deciding to sit down for a moment. He takes a seat on the old wood, laying his arms back and staring at the night sky. The moon is only half bright.


    Jack stares hard at it. ¡°Seeing the moon this way reminds me of how my soul currently is. With light and darkness colliding, waiting who¡¯d be the winner and making me the person I¡¯m supposed to be.¡±


    The young man tilted and shook his head. When he thought he was alone, Mallory appeared from the shadows behind him, cautiously trying to sneak up on him so she could surprise him. Jack didn¡¯t notice until she wrapped her cold arms around his neck, embracing him and sharing her freezing temperature with his warmth.


    Jack grabs her wrists and he too was starting to freeze. ¡°Mallory, could you let go?¡± he said as his breath was showing from the dropping temperature around them.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Mallory said with a gentle smile, letting go and giggling calmly.


    Jack blows air, seeing his hot breath as he lays his arms on his knees. ¡°So Mallory, is this it? Or is there more?¡± he said in a serious tone.


    Mallory wasn¡¯t sure what Jack was talking about so she stayed quiet.


    Jack hangs his head and shakes it again. ¡°Because I¡¯m growing rather tired from this¡ªall of this-this nonsense.¡± He stood up, and sighed, raised his head back up and gazed hard back at the moon one last time.


    Mallory blinked and grabbed her arm, feeling bad for Jack¡¯s mentality.


    Jack didn¡¯t want to stir drama, so he decided to change the subject. ¡°Mind telling me more about these so-called Exorcists?¡± He turned around to look at Mallory, the one being who brought about his problems and exposed this new side of reality to him.


    Mallory looked away and looked worried. In the moment Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel vexed over everything, but to him, she was also the answer to his growing questions, and he needed answers. Jack transformed his face and got serious because he was done messing around, done playing games with her, he wanted every bit out of her right now. Mallory can feel the growing tension between them just by his gaze, and decides to play it cool.


    With her arms behind her back, pale skin shining beneath the half moonlight, she twirls her dress and hums a song instead.


    Jack balled a fist. ¡°Mallory, this isn¡¯t the time to¡ª¡± she continued her innocent humming, forcing it to rub against his eardrums to purposely interrupt him.


    Jack was starting to grow impatient, enough for him to start to leave until she stopped her foolishness and said ¡°Okay.¡± with again, a gentle smile.


    Jack sighs. ¡°You really are something, you know that?¡±


    Mallory opens her arms out to him. ¡°Before I do, could-could I have a hug?¡± Jack groaned, and Mallory made her face look sad. ¡°Please¡­¡± she said gently.


    Jack dragged his hand across his face, but she looked so innocent and adorable that he couldn¡¯t help but oblige to her request. Jack went up to her and shared his warmth to her, and rubbed her back while at it. He¡¯s only doing this to get his question answered but quickly he was starting to feel comforted and loved.


    Mallory¡¯s eyes glistened and she let out a single giggle, and softly blinked. ¡°So? You want to find out who these guys are?¡± She said, gently.


    Jack let go and looked into her eyes. ¡°Yes, if you could, please.¡± he replied in a softer tone.


    Mallory then floats to a nearby tree, looking down at Jack as his eyes stay locked onto her. ¡°What I can tell you is that they¡¯re scary people.¡±


    She looks off into the distance, shooting her arm out, and making all the leaves from the tree she was standing fly away. They hurtle towards the moon, turning into ash and raining blackness on Jack. Her face became still and she stared at her palm. Jack crossed his arms and waited for more.


    Mallory lowered her hand and looked at Jack again. ¡°Jack, these are people we should avoid at all costs. You¡¯re still oblivious to the things this world hides, so¡­¡± She crushes her hand, forming a fist and glares at Jack. ¡°...I think it¡¯s best to get Angela and run away from them.¡±


    She was saying these things rather calmly and so straight forward, which made Jack assume she was calling him a coward.


    He detested the idea and crossed his arms angrily. ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t be serious, right?¡±


    Mallory nodded and looked off into the distance.


    Jack groaned loudly and furrowed his brows. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is? But seeing how calm you''re saying these things, it sounds like you¡¯re! The one afraid of these guys by the sounds of it, not me.¡±


    Hearing that said towards her did scratch her skin, but it didn¡¯t faze her, that is until Jack laughed rudely out of nowhere. It made her fingers twitch, his laughter sounded genuine and personally insulting.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re afraid that they¡¯ll take you out of me right?¡± Jack gasped and thought about it for a second and then expressed a smug-like smile. ¡°Wait, just from their title alone, I say that sounds like a terrific idea! I can even have them do the same thing to Angela and we both can return to our normal¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Mallory yelled out. That sudden pained shout directed towards Jack caused all the wildlife to run away from the park and pop all the trees like dandelions, killing, and making the leaves drift towards the earth. Such a sudden shout even caused every plant and greenery to begin to die and decay. Jack watched as nature was corroding away, but he wasn¡¯t intimidated, he was more annoyed at best.


    ¡°Why do you always do this to me? Even before¡­ all those years ago¡­¡± Mallory whispered.


    Hearing him say such hurtful things hid her eyes, and made her clutch her chest from those hurtful yet truthful ideas. ¡°Why?¡± she said with her eyes still hidden as she floated back down to the ground. ¡°Why are you so cruel¡­? I was just trying to brighten the mood and tell you information, you jerk, Jack.¡± Her eyes began to water, and she clutched her chest even more.


    What was that? Cruel? Me?! Jack thought.


    Hearing that pissed him off.


    ¡°She even said it was to brighten the mood? Joke around? In a time like this!¡± Jack muttered.


    Jack felt frustrated, so much so he dropped his arms and clenched his hands. ¡°Give me a break, me cruel?¡± He points a finger to Mallory, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that shit! You¡¯re the bitch who¡¯s cruel to me!¡± He started stomping his way to her. ¡°I wanted more answers, but everytime I ask something you¡¯ve barely told me shit!¡±


    Mallory shakes her head and quietly begins to break.


    ¡°And do I even have to mention everything that you¡¯ve done to make my life a living hell?!¡± He stopped in front of her, slowly reaching an arm out and suddenly grabbing her wrist. ¡°HUH! Answer me!¡±


    Jack clenches her wrist and forcefully pulls her to him. The look on her face, she looked blanched. She¡¯s shivering, afraid, especially the look Jack had in his eyes.


    ¡°You damned bitch, you¡¯ve been nothing more than a pain, a fucking parasite leaching off of my emotions, not only that¡ª¡± Jack leans closer to her terrified face, ¡°You even went as far as to target my friends and hurt Ange¡ª¡±


    When emotions were high and the atmosphere was turning seriously sad, all of a sudden, there was clapping that disrupted their intense moment. Jack brought a pause to his rant, Mallory continued looking scared, they both turned to their right and saw someone standing behind a naked tree''s shadow, making Jack yell out, ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    The person continued clapping and finally revealed themselves out into the moonlight as none other than Mathew, which made Jack gasp loudly. Jack¡¯s eyes expanded, he couldn''t believe it. He was freaked out and surprised to see him, even after all these years, he still feared the big oaf. The young man couldn¡¯t come into comprehension and questioned how he was found by him of all people. Mathew laughed and that cross necklace Jack remembered all too well was starting to glow around his neck, making him shake nervously and remind him of his horrendous beat down all those years ago.


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    Mathew stopped clapping, expressing the most disgusting of smug smiles towards the two. ¡°My boy, Jack! You¡¯ve grown even more of a scummy low life I see!¡±


    Jack¡¯s mind stayed static, he couldn¡¯t comprehend the situation, he was just too startled and surprised to think of anything right now. So he grabbed Mallory and held her, even though a moment ago he was tormenting her emotions with painful truthful words. In doing so made her forget everything that just happened between the two moments ago. Mallory blushed and her feelings of being afraid of Jack disappeared the moment his warmth rubbed against her body.


    Jack¡¯s body trembled, Mallory being held by his protective frightened grasp, he looked at Mathew with huge pupils of fear. ¡°You!¡± he shouted viciously, ¡°Wh-What the hell do you want? And how did you find me?!¡±


    Mathew laughs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he diverts his sinister eyes to Mallory, ¡°you¡¯ll find out sooner enough, I¡¯m just after her¡­¡± his eyes squint and his legs tense up, ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    A sudden vibration trembled beneath them and Jack felt it. Jack knew what was about to happen, and he brought her to his side, towards the edge of the trail out of worry.


    ¡°Mallory go!¡± Jack pushes her away and Mathew unironically lunges at Jack full speed in the blink of an eye.


    Jack was grappled and the two drag their feet on the concrete ground while the young man is being forced away. Jack could feel his heels about to snap off, his legs being torn of their flesh and bones. Despite the horrendous pain, his mind already fogged up the moment Mathew revealed himself, making him ignore the pain with the amount of adrenaline coursing through his body.


    Jack screams in agony and his eyes bulge. ¡°No!¡±


    Mallory didn¡¯t know what happened after being pushed away, although she could hear the dirt and concrete being brushed aside by Mathews'' surprise attack. She got up, and grabbed her head and ran back on the main trail. She saw the two still dragging through the park from the waves of dirt and rock piling up from the distance.


    ¡°JACK!¡± She yelled out in worry and ran in their direction.


    The two finally stop, Jack collapses to his knees and Mathew shoots one of his fists at him. Mathew purposely slowed down his borrowed speed and grinned as his fist almost came into contact with Jack''s face. The young man reacted but weakly by putting his hand in front of his face. Mathew¡¯s fist collides with Jack''s palm and the young man¡¯s arm wobbles, creating disgusting horrific bone shattering sounds of splurging blood shooting out his skin. Jack¡¯s arm was bent almost to his shoulder. Mathew backs off and Jack screams out from the immense pain. Mathew grabs Jack¡¯s face, his huge hand covering the young man''s mouth as he slams Jack on the ground. The ground cracks beneath the young man and Jack¡¯s on the verge of dying.


    Mathew laughs and taunts him. ¡°So weak, where¡¯s that bonding strength you share, huh?!¡±


    Jack¡¯s moaning from the intense pain , but even with his vision starting to turn hazy, he saw Mallory hovering from above and about to dive to his rescue. But Jack knew it was a trap because Mathew did nothing else but stand there with one of his fists glowing.


    Jack reached his hand out to her. ¡°Le-Leave me! Don¡¯t co-come near me!¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Mathew muttered, and turned around, and shot his glowing fist in her direction.


    A wave of holy might shot into her direction, which she dodged casually. Mallory was livid. She glared at him and a sharp glint grew within her beautiful eyes. The two had a stare off and Mathew felt at awe as he stared at the beauty that she displayed as she floated in the night sky. Her black tinted purple hair fluttering, her dress bellowing, but her beauty swept away the moment she snarled at him like some rabid cat. Her hair fluttered violently, the skies began to crack. She¡¯s about to let out a terrible scream of sorrowed anger when an unexpected gunshot went off behind Mathew, which made contact to his back.


    ¡°N-No¡­¡± Jack muttered.


    Mathew wasn¡¯t fazed, the bullet ricochet off of him like a paper plane hitting something solid. Mathew looks over his shoulder at a bruised and broken Jack, who had his gun raised and in disbelief.


    ¡°The same tricks won¡¯t work on me boy, I¡¯m ending you now.¡± Mathew turns completely back to Jack, ignoring Mallory¡¯s anger and stomps on the young man¡¯s chest.


    The force of his monstrous stomp from his big boot with the borrowed vessel of the cross made Jack gag out a huge pool of blood and turn his eyes white, finally making him unconscious. The sight of Jack coming to his end made Mallory¡¯s blood boil. She¡¯s had enough. She quietly lunged at Mathew like a whisper in the wind and stood behind him. Mathew continued his merciouslous stomping, cackling. He kept laughing as he kept stomping, then she lightly tapped his shoulder and he turned around.


    Mathew gasps a little but quickly regains his composure. ¡°Heh-Heh, well well!¡± He observes her figure, ¡°I know I¡¯ve complimented you before but seeing you this close, you sure are a mighty fine gal, and just the height too!¡± He clenches his fist, ¡°Too bad you''re just a demon!¡±


    Mathew throws a straight punch at her.


    His mighty blow was filled with holy maliciousness, but when it collided with her, it didn''t make any contact; instead it went right through her.


    ¡°Aww! What¡¯s the matter, big guy?¡± She giggled, ¡°you were hoping to punch my lights out and take me back to your allies right?¡±


    Mallory places her hand over her mouth and innocently giggles, tormenting Mathews'' ears. Mathew growled and balled his fists, raising them to his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s too bad! But you¡¯ve made a grave mistake, you big oaf. You¡¯re nothing but a fool, you¡¯ll never understand this world and the capabilities that lie within it, you¡¯re just a big stupid stupid dumb fat pig with borrowed strength!¡±


    Mallory expands her arms out; they were transforming into smokey blackened trails of smoke. ¡°I¡¯ll bring a curse on you like no other! And give you the wake up call of a life, you Zounderkite!¡±


    Mallory¡¯s face was starting to dissolve, along with her eyes.


    Mathew reacts in disgust and fear. ¡°Ho-How¡­? You weren¡¯t like this when we first crossed paths three years ago¡­ DAMN IT!¡±


    He was about to throw another punch when he felt something pierce his shoulder, making him pause.


    ¡°Grah! You! You, bitch!!¡± He grabbed his shoulder and felt a twig lunged inside it.


    Mallory¡¯s face finally corroded away, it formed into nothing but a black shadow of smoke, and her eyes glowing her mighty purple anger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll only hurt¡ªA LOT!!¡±


    She laughed again, this time her voice was changing too. Mallory was going to throw a huge piece of bark she sharpened secretly to stab Mathew from behind. When everything was starting to seem out of place and abnormal, an angered cane tapping on the ground disrupted the intense air around them. The air that was starting to be drowned out by her plague blackness was erased by whatever was walking towards them. The air felt so pure now, yet anger was mixed within it. The scent of holy water was present, and the shimmering sparkles of someone''s outfit was glistening with the moon. When she caught notice of the situation, her body and face formed back to normality, bringing back the beauty that was once there. Mallory was terrified, even Mathew noticed while groaning in pain.


    The person smacked their cane against their palm and spoke with a polite English tone belonging to the middle ages. ¡°My my! Another mess I, William, have to clean up¡ªhow shameful of you two.¡±


    It¡¯s William, who now stood behind everyone, and did not seem pleased, especially with Mathew.


    William brought his gaze to Mallory. ¡°My dear, would you kindly stop and go back to your host like the parasite you are for me? I know you¡¯re my target, but right now I¡¯m absolutely¡ªLIVID!¡±


    Williams'' mighty shout returned life back into the nature she killed. It repaired all the senseless damage Mathew caused, and it even went as far as to fix Jack right up. His injuries were no more. William tapped his cane twice on the ground and that too returned the chaos that was caused by the skies to go back to the normal gleaming sparkled sky it was.


    ¡°Now, please do leave because I¡¯m not playing little girl, but if you refuse¡­¡±


    William vanished, Mallory¡¯s jaw dropped, he¡¯s now behind her. She can sense him behind her. She quickly turned around but lost her balance and she fell on her side out of freight. William glared at her but didn¡¯t express anger. He only glared at her in pity in which she questioned why he would do so.


    William calmly blew air out his nose. ¡°Hope and pray to God that you won¡¯t anger me furthermore, like my colleagues have today.¡±


    Mathew interrupted him, clearing his throat loudly. ¡°William this is our chance though! Our chance to extinguish this demon. Why are you letting her go?!¡±


    William didn¡¯t respond, he was still looking down on Mallory with a straight face.


    ¡°William! Come on, DO IT! Extinguish her, Exercise her! End¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shut your bloody mouth, Mathew you beardsplitter!¡± William shouted.


    The night skies were now broad daylight. The sun was exposed and the sensation of spring was felt. Mathew and Mallory were stunned with amazed terror and speechless.


    Mathew looked at Mathew and frowned in anger. ¡°I shall deal with her when the time is ripe, as for this¡ª!¡± He¡¯s now in front of Mathew and grabs his necklace, ¡°You¡¯re not worthy of being one of God¡¯s children. If you intend to cause damage to the very thing he¡¯s created¡­¡±


    William claps his hands and night returns, calming reality down. Mathew cowers and trembles in fear.


    ¡°One last thing Mathew¡­¡± William looks back at Mallory and points his cane at her, ¡°...you¡¯re wrong about her being a demon, very if I must say so.¡±


    William smiles, but it wasn¡¯t just a smile, it was a gentle smile directed towards her, confusing her.


    ¡°Because she¡¯s no demon, in fact, she¡¯s not who you two see. This image of her is a complete ruse, a facade!¡± He chuckles, ¡°Even I can see through you my dear. What we¡¯re seeing is just an image portrayed by dear Jacqualine over there,¡± He points at Jack¡¯s unconscious body with his cane, ¡°I know exactly who and what you are! But I won¡¯t spoil the surprise for any of you folks, especially those who might be, do I say? Perhaps seeing how this tale pans out? Or reading! Maybe God himself was witness to this debacle, bwahaha!¡±


    Mallory¡¯s eyes quivered, she couldn¡¯t believe what he had just said.


    ¡°Wh-Who¡¯s he referring to?¡± she muttered in terror.


    Yet that wasn¡¯t making her shake, it was what he said about her. Does he know her? Her true identity? How did he know such a thing, even making her question if she¡¯s already crossed paths with him once in the past.


    Mallory quietly muttered. ¡°How¡­?¡± Her poor body shivered so much from being so terrified by this being that stood before her and just read her like a book. ¡°...Do you-you know?¡±


    William grins. ¡°Right you are my sweet,¡± He turns around and she even hears his soft chuckles inside her mind, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t rid you the way I do to other awful beings, because, you¡¯re a very tragic one, a sad, lost precious thing.¡±


    A tear came out of Mallory¡¯s eye, and the girl in white dropped to her knees.


    ¡°I can relate to that, indeed.¡± William said, politely.


    Mallory finally breaks down and balls up, crying from hearing the truthful words William just said in her mind.


    ¡°Terribly sorry for such bad behaviour, but until then, take care, tragic one.¡±


    Both Mathew and William disappear, leaving her all alone, crying in her sorrow with Jack still passed out and the embodiment of fear stained on her existence.


    ***


    Dr. Cato was in his office, tired, frustrated, and not feeling so hot. When he was about to sip his coffee his doors burst open and it was Archard.


    Dr. Cato sighs and says, ¡°Great¡­¡± in a very tired tone.


    Archard didn¡¯t seem himself though, he looked upset and afraid. Even Dr. Cato could notice the look on his hidden face beneath that hood.


    ¡°What¡¯s bothering you, scary one?¡± Dr. Cato sarcastically asked.


    Archard didn¡¯t respond, only silence. Dr. Cato raised his shoulders and continued sipping his coffee to then be interrupted by William who appeared out of nowhere along with Mathew. William grabbed Dr. Cato¡¯s coffee and drank it in anger. Dr. Cato freaks out by the surprise. William finishes drinking the coffee and slams the cup on his desk, scaring and startling everyone in the room.


    ¡°Fools¡ªThe both of you!¡± William slammed his fist on Cato¡¯s desk, making both Mathew and Archard jump. ¡°Do you realise how much of a burden you¡¯ve brought to this world now?¡±


    William¡¯s breathing got heavy from feeling so frustrated, but cooled off to seem more polite. Dr. Cato looked to the other two men who looked to be in shame by their hung heads and tucked lips.


    William deeply sighed and looked at his partner. ¡°My apologies, it¡¯s just that¡­ Archard, would you kindly come forth please?¡±


    Archard listens and walks up.


    Archard takes a knee, very nervously even enough to stumble just a bit. ¡°Yes¡­ sir William?¡± He gulps, ¡°what has¡ªangered you, sir?¡±


    William sucks in a lot of air and lets out a huge sigh of anger. ¡°Could you explain the stupidity that you¡¯ve caused today?¡±


    Archard tightens his teeth, clenching a fist from his knowing guilt. ¡°I didn¡¯t intend¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± William puts a hand out, ¡°Here me out my friend,¡±


    William brought his cane to his hands and started pacing back and forth. Archard shut his eyes in guilt and Mathew sweats bullets. Dr. Cato crossed his arms but looked entertained by the show.


    ¡°Now do tell me why¡­ why! You would go as far as¡ª¡± William stopped his angry pacing, his body bounced over his growing frustration. ¡°Hehe¡­ HaHA! Blind me¡­ I mean, to intimidate someone and use the gift that GOD bestowed upon you and cause such a ruckus?!¡±


    Archard opened his eyes and showed his teeth in shame. William drags his hand across his face, and groans.


    ¡°Do you even have any idea of the trouble I had to go through to fix your BLOODY! Ahem! I mean to fix your destructive mess that¡¯ll most likely expose our existence to the world?¡±


    Archard gasps and quivers. ¡°Sir¡­ I-I, uhm, didn¡¯t really¡­¡±


    ¡°What did I tell you the last time these types of events occurred? Huh, you blo¡ªI mean, bloody! Grr, Sorry, terribly sorry¡­ I¡¯m about to lose it, do respond correctly or I¡¯ll most likely break my friend.¡±


    Archard swallows again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just that Witch¡­ she didn¡¯t kn-know her¡­¡±


    When Archard glimpsed up at William he saw his eyes bloodshot with punishing anger directed towards him.


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s my fault for going as far as I did, sir William!¡± He bows his head, laying it on the ground to respect him, ¡°forgive me, my lord!¡±


    William¡¯s blood shot eyes faded, he was finally calm. ¡°Alright, now that you¡¯ve seen through your errors, God shall forgive your destructive sins, hopefully.¡± He diverts his attention to Mathew, ¡°As for you!¡±


    William marches up to Mathew and grabs his shirt collar, lifting his heavy body without the slightest sign of struggle, like paper.


    William¡¯s eye twitches a bit. ¡°What were you thinking! Attacking the boy and the girl to get yourself some pity revenge! From the blasted past of your own idiocracy¡­¡±


    Mathew grabs his shirt, feeling Williams grip tighten. ¡°I was only helping you guys! I mean it, I-I didn''t mean to cause such destruction!¡±


    William grits his teeth, and his eyes turn bloodshot again. ¡°Blasphemy!¡± He yelled out of anger, throwing Mathew away and slammed the tip of his cane on the ground, ¡°Fool, just like she said, absolute fool you are dear Mathew, that¡¯s why¡ª¡±


    William grabbed, pulled out the necklace he took from Mathew.


    ¡°I took back what is rightfully mine!¡± William crushes the necklace into golden dust, blowing the holy dust to Mathew.


    Mathew crushes his eyes, putting his arms out in forgiveness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, forgive me!¡±


    William crossed his arms and began to calm his breathing.


    Just when William was about to control his emotions, Dr. Cato intervenes, walking behind William. ¡°Wait wait wait!¡± Dr. Cato grabs William''s shoulder, ¡°You mean he attacked Jack and that demon?¡±


    William expresses a very broken grin, turning around abruptly to scare and make Dr. Cato let go.


    Dr. Cato raised the edge of lip. ¡°Look, I understand your code and all, but if you were there and didn¡¯t do what you were hired to do, then you had the chance to Exorcise her and end all this. Yet, you didn¡¯t?!¡±


    William twitched an eye. Archard and Mathew backed away and felt the mounting anger ready to explode at Dr. Cato. William¡¯s had enough, and as he was about to scream and clench his hair, his phone rang.


    William furiously pulls it out and answers. ¡°WHO IN THE BLOODY BLAZES IS¡ª?¡±


    As he was about to let out his hidden stereotypical English accent from his growing rage, the minute he heard the voice speak through the phone, he simmered down, and seemed at peace.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry my dear.¡± William finally returns his bright smile, and gentlemanly english accent. ¡°Yes you were right, I was angry! You do know me well, my sweet! What¡¯s that? Oh¡­ hmm? Okay then, I¡¯ll talk to you later then, until then, take care of yourself, my child!¡±


    William sighs deeply and spins around, seeming like the happiest man in the world.


    ¡°Conversations over! All is forgiven, let us rejoice in our repentant sins and have a toast!¡± He hums a song and walks over to his bag, grabbing his golden bottle of whiskey.


    Everyone in the room was left confused, frightened, not to mention weirded out. Archard stands up and joins William and he too smiles, the only ones who didn¡¯t smile were Mathew who was still spooked and Dr. Cato who stayed annoyed.


    Archard walked to his partner''s side. ¡°What happened to the Witch after I committed another Sin, and that I successfully scared, sir William.¡±


    William takes two shot glasses out, quickly pours himself one and takes a shot and walks over to Cato¡¯s desk. Archard followed and William took a seat on Dr. Cato¡¯s chair and laid his feet on the desk.


    ¡°That my dear friend is a very intriguing story, very bizarre yet! Cute!¡± Wiiliam pours, takes another shot. ¡°Bwahh, that¡¯s it! Good ol whiskey to rile up the blood!¡±


    Archard pours himself and takes a shot too. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you dealt with her, I presume, knowing you my friend.¡±


    William chuckles. ¡°You know me too well!¡± He cracks his neck, ¡°This¡­¡± and looks off to the side, remembering what had happened between him and the two Witches, ¡°...is how it all went.¡±


    The chaos has settled, the destructive path the Exorcist had left behind was still embedded on the surface of mother earth is gaining the attention of every important leader around the world from the unknown shockwaves, explosions, and the disturbance in earth''s magnetic field. Sarah¡¯s on the ground unconscious, amazed and scared by the power of the Exorcist that stood before her was left alone. It¡¯s been five minutes since his last appearance, but then, her mother miraculously appeared to come get her.


    The minute she arrived, she saw it, the might of the entity, it left and made her feeling hopeless, and petrified. ¡°What monstrous power¡­ he¡¯s gotten stronger it seems.¡± she said.


    She saw the destruction that the person has caused, it was mind boggling, unearthly. Such destruction would not only bring humanity to extinction, but the whole cosmos. She didn¡¯t want to hang around too long, so she ran over to her daughter and grabbed her. She raised and carried her in her arms, summoning a path to go back home until something more powerful than the force she felt from her home and from that Exorcist appeared right in front of her eyes. Sarah¡¯s mother¡¯s eyes widened all the way to max from total fear, her legs trembling, sweat dripping from both hands and face, she knew exactly who was standing before her.


    They had an elegant holy white tux, a cane made of the purest gold, and hair as blonde as the sun. ¡°Why hello there my dear! Sorry to intrude but as you see behind me!¡± He looks over his shoulder and shakes his head to the senseless destruction, ¡°One of my foolish friends has done something unforgivable¡­ Well, this isn¡¯t a first, but it shouldn¡¯t be a recurring problem!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother held her daughter tightly, kissing her forehead and quivered in fear. William sighs greatly, rubbing his head.


    ¡°It seems I have to clean this up myself, again¡­¡± He turns around and observes the damage, ¡°...Our lovely world''s atmosphere¡¯s on the brink of ripping open, could be trouble if we lose our oxygen and let the dastardly sun''s murderous waves of cancer burn our very flesh and vaporize all life on earth. Hm, what else, oh, a destructive path that seems endless, exposing the innards of our world to our very eyes, my my, how sinful!¡±


    William widens his arms out, but before he could continue in whatever he was going to do, Sarah¡¯s mother decided to speak.


    She clenched her daughter''s tiny arm and bit her lip to fight her fear. ¡°Wh-What are you Exorcists¡­ doing here, in Michigan?¡±


    Her breathing was growing intense and heavy, on the verge of being hyperventilated.


    ¡°And, what business do you-you¡­ have¡ª?¡± She collapsed to her knees from her endless fear of the man in front of her, ¡°Why? Am I¡­ so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Afraid?¡± William said next to her ear, she gasps loudly, falling over with Sarah still in her arms. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re a Witch, along with your daughter, though¡ª¡± He grips his chin, ¡°she¡¯s a natural born? Isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mom was utterly shocked that he knew that, so shocked that she only stared in silence with her quivered eyes.


    ¡°Strange? I thought Witches didn¡¯t allow this? Yet, your heart doesn¡¯t seek evil, but it was once there, but no more?!¡±


    William leans his face closer, and extends an arm out, resting a hand on Sarah¡¯s mother¡¯s cheek. Sarah¡¯s mother hurled and tucked her daughter deeper into her arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re a very faithful being, along with your daughter, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t seek anything against the two of you, but as for my colleague; I understand his grudge, so I can¡¯t judge him for it.¡±


    William walked back over to the same spot he stood and opened his arms out again.


    Sarah¡¯s mother watched in anticipation of what he was about to do. William closes his eyes, takes a huge deep breath and opens them again. His eyes glowed a holy gold, a beautiful aura of whitened beauty formed around the outline of his body and he slowly started closing his arms. What she saw was absolute glorified madness, beauty, and greatness. The destruction that was once there was slowly returning back and being rebuilt as his arms were growing closer and hands were closing in. Was she witnessing a God? No, it couldn¡¯t be, she knew these Exorcists all too well, there was no way in hell one possessed powers this abnormal to everything that was already unnatural to their world. The moment his hands clapped, a huge white light bursted out of him. A huge sphere of angelic white started engulfing everything around the entire area, then expanding across the country, the continent they are on, then the globe, their solar systems, and seeming endless.


    The light fades and everything is back to the way it was. William rubs his hands and stretches. ¡°That oughta do it! My my, for a second I thought I would have to do more than that to clean this up, but!¡± He wipes his head with a white cloth, ¡°That should wipe everyone¡¯s memories out too, fix the stars that God created and that my colleague destroyed, but disincluding anything that isn¡¯t normal of course, that states normal, like you two.¡±


    William turned back around and saw something that even shocked him, Sarah¡¯s mom, gently smiling at him.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the smiling sweetheart? You¡¯re making me slightly blush here ya know? You are very gorgeous so please don¡¯t charm me with your bewitching good looks, love.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother stands back on her feet with her daughter still in her arms. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all the trouble my daughter has done. I¡¯m trying my best to raise her to not use her powers in our reality; but to answer your question, I¡¯m smiling because you healed mother earth and restored her balance, so¡ª¡± She bows, ¡°I am grateful to you!¡±


    William couldn¡¯t believe what he was hearing. A Witch paying him respects? He was baffled, shocked, but more importantly, he was stoked.


    William smiles brightly and laughs out of amusement. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being rude right now from my laughter, but! I couldn¡¯t help but feel intrigued about this situation!¡± Now he was the one bowing, ¡°I should be apologising for my colleague harassing and being a burden to your daughter.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother summons her path home again. ¡°What¡¯s your name, if I may ask?¡±


    William raises his head and rests his hands on his cane, ¡°Oh poop, I thought I was famous enough to be known by now in this side of reality! Ahem, my name is William H. Christ the sixth! It was a pleasure meeting someone as pure as you, love!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mom gasps out of shock again. ¡°You mean you¡¯re that William?!¡± and sighs, ¡°No wonder I was afraid, I''ve only heard you from someone close to me but didn¡¯t believe him¡­ but! Now that I¡¯ve seen you with my own eyes, you are the mightiest being alive, and a kind person.¡±


    Before she walked through the circle to get home, William stopped her before leaving by whistling.


    ¡°One last thing, love. If your daughter ever chooses to intervene again, I won¡¯t hesitate to get rid of her Witchery you know?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother nods and turns around. ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯ll have proper training if she ever crosses paths with you guys again, and to make you guys run with your tails tucked between your legs.¡±


    She walks into the circle and it fades, leaving trails of beautiful blue sparkles to drizzle down on the grass and blossom new flowers and life.


    William laughs again. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting then! Take care and farewell¡­¡± His smile turned sinister, and his eyes furrowed deeply. ¡°Sin of¡ªwait no! The second Witch to bestow a Sin, but the first to bear, Envy!¡±


    William laughs with his arms out, letting the world know of his amusement.


    ¡°That flows more miraculously! Yes, The Witch of Envy! I love it!¡±


    William¡¯s laughing continues as his echoes of amusement bounce off earth''s skies, the mountains, and making the shining sun burst brighter onto the world and cleansing the world with his enjoyment.

 Arc 3 Chapter 18: A Plethora Of Complications

    In a vast endless embodiment of darkness that was bestowed upon someone''s mind of seeping guilt and rage; It¡¯s Jack, who¡¯s unconscious and basking in the blackness around him.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s this?¡± said Jack in his darkened mind, ¡°This sound, is the sound of emptiness? Isolation? No¡­ that''s¡¯-that isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Jack suddenly groans loudly inside his mind.


    ¡°Argh¡­ this pain¡­ What is this pain? My lungs, my skin, it¡¯s burning, inflating, itching with horrid temptation, but I-I can¡¯t mo-move!¡±


    In a desolate area of what appeared to be a foggy mediaeval town of the dark ages was covered in a mass of darkness. Jack was laying on the ground, eyes closed and oblivious to the horrific sights surrounding him. Corpses of blistered people, rats eating the flesh of the dead, houses burned to the ground, and a child singing a lullaby out in the distance. The whooshing cold winds that blew the black plague across Jack¡¯s pussed face blew away his blisters of yellow. He lifts an eye, feeling the immeasurable pain of his own rotting blackened flesh being exposed as those fist sized bumps were peeling away off his purplish black skin. He couldn¡¯t scream, he couldn¡¯t move, he could only feel, feel his tormenting silent pain.


    Wh-Where¡­ am I? Jack thought.


    Jack glimpses around with the one eye he has open, trying to figure out where he¡¯s at, but he couldn¡¯t make it out. He was just in too much pain, but then, a man with an odd outfit appeared from the windy darkness. They had something sharp in their hand, Jack¡¯s eye twitches, the man walks up to him, hair covering his face, lifeless pale skin. Jack feels like he¡¯s seen him before, but where? The man lifts the sharp object and Jack¡¯s eye waters as he sees that sharp object coming down onto him.


    ¡°No!¡± Jack shouted, waking up in his hotel bed, laying there with the look of confusion set on his face.


    Jack blinks, trying to figure out the situation. That vivid dream he just had, what was it? This wasn¡¯t the first time he had such a dream about the past, nor was it this horrifying like the others. He slowly sat up, still confused, his head hung, eyes baggy, he glimpsed to his right and noticed Eric wasn¡¯t around. Now a pulsing heaviness filled his mind, making him clutch his head from the throbbing pain coursing within it.


    ¡°Why¡­ why everytime, does this happen to my brain? Ah¡­¡± Jack breathes heavily, grabbing onto his chest and finally remembers why he¡¯s having these aftermaths.


    Last night he encountered Mathew, and that dreaded cross¡¯s power.


    ¡°Tchh, that son of a bitch¡­ gagh!¡± A giant painful sensation bumped out of his chest, ¡°stu-stupid¡­ bastard¡­ my-my chest!¡± He hurls down, such unbearable pain, something might be broken, most definitely.


    Something else popped into his memories, that horrified look on Mallory¡¯s face, and he was the reason she looked so scared. He wondered if he was the true monster, but had some conflicting feelings afterwards about her monstrous doings, questioning who¡¯s the true monster.


    ¡°I hope she isn¡¯t too upset with¡ªah, who am I kidding? What am I even saying anymore¡­¡±


    Thinking about it with this pain blended well to torment him. Her face was flashing continuously, making him feel utter guilt. After realising his fault for making her feel bad, not only that time but the time he went as far as to insult her and break her enough to bring his miserable life come to a brief end; That was a face he never wants to recreate, hopefully, ever again.


    ¡°Why? Do I feel so bad about making her feel sad? I can¡¯t explain this feeling¡­ damn.¡± Jack¡¯s eyes slightly squinted and shook, ¡°however¡­ I don¡¯t want you to make that sad face ever again, especially from someone who¡¯s that¡­ beautiful?¡±


    Jack chuckles a bit, feeling conflicted.


    ¡°What am I saying? Again with these confusing asss thoughts. Look at me! I¡¯m feeling bad for someone who¡¯s made my life an utter hell¡­ not to mention¡ª¡± He rubs his stomach, ¡°they¡¯ve also sliced my bowels open and killed me.¡±


    A cold breeze passed Jack¡¯s body. He wondered if the air was low and looked around to find the thermometer but to find Mallory standing at the corner of the window, gazing out of it.


    ¡°Mall¡­ory?¡± Jack said.


    Mallory stood there in silence, hands intertwined behind her back, and in a deep state of thinking. Jack watched as she stood there, her pale snow skin glistening with the morning sun, dress looking as elegant as ever, this was a sight he wanted imprinted instead of her face last night. Jack moans, this sight gave him motivation to stand up with the continuing pain and to surprise her with a huge hug of ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ to ease the tension between the two. Jack approached her and stopped a couple of inches from making contact, standing behind her like this made him realise just how vulnerable she seemed. Jack then heard her whimper softly, why though? This caught him off guard, of all people why is she crying at a time like this? Is it because of last night? Jack felt her soft cries reach his heart so he did what anyone would do to comfort someone that was close to them.


    As she continued whimpering, oblivious knowing that Jack was behind her, she said beneath her breath. ¡°How could he know¡­ my true identity, and my past¡­?¡± When she was about to let the dams open, she felt someone wrap their arms around her waist.


    She softly moaned while being held, knowing who¡¯s behind her. Then she heard his voice rub against her ear drums, saying ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± After hearing their voice she wanted to cry even more, but Jack held their bodies together, making her feel more at ease.


    The two stayed there, in an ambiance of silent solitude, basking in the moment filled with forgiveness, and her envy. Mallory was so speechless, even her mind couldn¡¯t comprehend the action Jack just did, but she was enjoying it. She finally stopped her silent crying, and reached one of her hands up to his cheek, resting its cold frost upon it. Jack didn¡¯t mind, he too was enjoying this, though he wasn¡¯t showing it with such a stone face. They both stared out the window as all their bad intentions for one another slowly drifted away from their souls, almost as if their bond was becoming greater than it already was becoming.


    Jack lets one hand off her waist, and uses it to grab her hand that was on his cheek, intertwining their fingers. With a monotone voice, a straightened face filled with courage, Jack tells her, ¡°Let''s go back to the hospital.¡±


    With a huge frail smile on her face, eyes a bit soaked and slightly red. Mallory clutched his hand to feel his warmth, and replied with a simple, ¡°Okay.¡± in that beautiful gentle soft voice of hers.


    ***


    At the other side of the city, inside the home of the known Witches, Sarah¡¯s mother was just done cooking a nice healthy breakfast filled with nutrients needed to start the day off correctly. She¡¯s humming, swaying her hips but heard her daughter Sarah come into the kitchen, and upon first glance, she still looked depressed about yesterday. Her face had a permanent look of despair, and absolute devastation. Sarah quietly sits on a chair with eyes so empty, it was almost pathetic for her to even look at someone with such a worthless look. Her mother knew how broken she was, she couldn¡¯t help but feel this was her fault for not teaching her daughter that people like Exorcists exist in this not so normal world. Although that isn¡¯t the only thing she¡¯s hiding from her daughter, there are more things she still hasn¡¯t told her, because she still feels she isn¡¯t ready to hear such things.


    She gathers up a plate for Sarah and sets its steamy deliciousness in front of her frozen face. ¡°Breakfast is fresh and green. enjoy my little huddle of joy!¡±


    She wanted to brighten her daughter''s mood with her forced smile that seemed genuine, but Sarah didn¡¯t react, only stillness.


    ¡°Sarah? Sweety?¡± She stands beside her daughter, placing her hand on Sarah¡¯s shoulder, ¡°everything¡­ okay?¡±


    Sarah;s mother still got nothing. Sarah continued being the statue she¡¯s just become.


    When her efforts felt useless and meaningless, Sarah actually reaches her hand out to grab her mother. The moment she made contact with her mother''s warmth, her mom knew how scared she still was. The shaking, the soft quiet heavy breathing she was hiding, her mother wanted to tell her, but she couldn¡¯t do so. She didn¡¯t want to make things more complicated as they are. As Sarah was about to turn around and say something, their front door opened, both glared at it with extreme nervousness. Both women breathed rather fast and Sarah¡¯s mother especially gave off the feeling of shame, but hid it. The person that walked in was none other than Sarah¡¯s father, a tall white male with a brownish blonde goatee, hair that was red like a ginger, and a broken look upon his face. He walked in, threw his travel bags that he was carrying to the side and took his shoes off.


    He walked into the kitchen, walking past his frightened family, and ignoring their existence. Sarah immediately got out of her chair and stepped aside, bowing her head and he sat in her place, now eating her breakfast without a thank you or any generosity.


    Sarah, still bowing, didn''t realise her mother was about to grab his shoulder, but instead she spoke, saying, ¡°Th-That¡¯s your daughters breakfast, you know?¡±


    The moment those words came out of her mouth, he hung his head, the fork in his fingertips trembled a little until it snapped in half.


    The metal pieces hurtled away and one landed on Sarah¡¯s feet. She noticed and picked it up. Sarah was planning to throw it away when her father suddenly stopped her. He grabbed her arm and stood up, towering over her like a giant. She was shaken and afraid of what he was about to do.


    He glances down at her, wanting to give his daughter a simple hug, but the guy seemed to be stubborn to do so. Instead he sighs, ¡°Give me that, would you, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah quickly sticks her hand out. Seeing her react this way towards him really made his heart hurt.


    Her father looked away, he couldn''t bring himself to look at his daughter''s face. ¡°That was my bad, I¡¯ll serve my own breakfast.¡±


    He takes the piece of metal and walks away, not before her mother stopped him, whistling at him like a dog. ¡°Hold it right there, h-o-n-e-y.¡±


    Her father balled a fist, hearing her voice kept angering him, more notably the way she just whistled at him. ¡°What? What¡­ What do you want, woman?¡± He replied with little to no emotion, but Sarah could hear the tint of anger within his deep voice.


    Sarah¡¯s mother looked calm and confident, and then walked behind him, leaning close to his ear. ¡°We have to talk about ¡®Your¡¯ daughter, very important things have happened since your absence.¡±


    He looks away, smacking his lips. ¡°Talk? Whatever¡­ I already told you, I don¡¯t want to talk with¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Exorcist is here, and the one you fear is here also.¡±


    His eyes exploded once he heard that word, Exorcist. Now his body was shakened, sweat dripping down his face, and swallowing out of fear.


    ¡°Im-Impossible¡­¡± he muttered beneath his breath.


    She walks past him and starts serving his breakfast. ¡°We''ll talk later in our room, and I¡¯ll reveal everything to you later, h-o-n-e-y.¡± She hums a happy song to lighten an intense depressing atmosphere to ease everyone, but his anger swelled.


    Sarah¡¯s father clenched his fists, glaring at her mother with intense anger. ¡°Damn¡ªyou¡­ you enjoy tormenting me, don¡¯t you? woman.¡±


    Sarah felt the tension between the two and decided to leave the room, but not before looking back one last time and saying, ¡°father¡­¡± with a saddened soft tone. She leaves and her parents eat their breakfast, alone in the room filled with anger and guilt.


    On the other side of town, in this brightened new day filled with opportunities and virtue, William, who yesterday was mad and built with frustration, was happy as can be. He said hello to everyone, giving out prayers and blessings with his kind British accent that everyone plagued him with compliments. Eventually he reached the park with his small adventure of his unusual stroll through town, by himself. Walking through the park with his stand out outfit of holy elegance, he marched through with the brightest smile out of everyone else. Even though it was already filled with the pinnacle of peace and happiness, Williams'' own shine covered the park with his never ending smile.


    Some kids nearby were playing. A couple of caucasian and black children ages between ten and fifteen were enjoying a nice game of football, but their ball flew past their group, hurtling towards William and hitting him from behind. The kids cringed, curled up out of feeling bad or ready to be cussed at by the person they just assaulted. William halted, and the kids quickly apologised for their negligence. William turns around without erasing that gentle bright smile and picks their ball up. The kids approach him until they come to a stop when they get a closer look at William. They¡¯ve never seen someone so magnificent looking, clean, and appeared to be drizzled by riches and status. Never have they seen such a person in their young lives, only through their smartphone screens or televisions. It was almost scary to them, but having noticed the children''s small freight building in them, William decided to glorify the atmosphere with his current mood.


    William clears his throat and tucks his cane between his right arm. ¡°Now now children, don¡¯t be frightened! As I! William H. Christ, will bless your day with¡­¡± He turns around and with the ball still in his hand, he turns it into a beauty of golden rubber. ¡°This! Behold, the glory of God has laid upon thee!¡±


    All the kids were amazed and wowed by his performance, they wanted to see another, shouting ¡°More, more!¡±


    ¡°Is that so children?¡± They all nodded with excitement to William who chuckled, ¡°Well, okay, give me a second there you youth of innocence.¡±


    William gave them the ball and reached into his jacket, pulling out his wallet.


    ¡°I will now demonstrate to you all how each of you will get one dollar, but how?!¡± William said, dragging his finger across their viewpoints.


    The kids raised their shoulders and chuckled, saying ¡°We don¡¯t know?!¡±


    William laughs and they do as well from his genuine sound of laughter. ¡°See this, my wallet, my money, and boom!¡± He places the wallet back into his pocket.


    All the kids tilted their heads and were disappointed at first until William told them to reach into their pockets. They did and all of them pulled out a dollar, every single child caused an uproar of excitement and joy, calling William a magician or even a God. William thanked them for their compliments, telling them it was nothing. The park seemed to be blessed with happiness and joy since William¡¯s here until an awful wave of random gunfire erupted, causing a panic and wiping away the happiness that was here. Just when the sun was about to shine, it was covered by those dastardly grey clouds of Michigan''s crime. Two kids were struck and even William was almost struck. William¡¯s heart sank, he was heartbroken to see such a sight, the blood quickly pouring out of a little girl''s abdomen profusely, a boy''s shoulder rapidly making his shirt turn from white to red. But for William, it was a sight he was often familiar with, sadly.


    William knew what he had to do as the gunfire continued. ¡°Children! Gather around me and run in front of me!¡± He points to a big rock close by, ¡°get behind there and I¡¯ll be your shield!¡±


    The kids didn¡¯t hesitate and listened. William grabbed the two injured kids and told the rest to go. They all gathered together and ran in front of William to safety. William wanted to see who was the cause of this mess, he took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw a bunch of gangsters shooting at each other without a care in the world on who¡¯s around them.


    After a short run, they all hid behind the biggest rock in the park that he pointed out. William dropped the kids and rendered aid to them. He even went as far as ripping his holy jacket, even the kids felt he shouldn¡¯t do such a thing because it looked rather expensive. William wrapped one kid''s shoulder and the one that was injured the most, he wrapped her waist, hopefully to stop the bleeding. Now his clothes were stained with their innocent blood, torned, but he didn¡¯t care, he wanted to save these childs lives. The kids told William that they¡¯ll use their clothes instead, but he replied with that happy smile of his, telling them it¡¯s okay because it''s just clothes and most importantly to stay calm.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    William finishes his aid to the poor girl bleeding out, managing to stop it, for now. ¡°There we are, this should stop the bleeding.¡±


    The little girl who was badly injured looked into William¡¯s eyes, her eyes were glassy. ¡°Th-Thank¡­ you¡­ I li-like your¡­ accent, mister¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you sweetheart, I am British so of course I¡¯d get complimented on the daily.¡± William said in a calm tone.


    All the kids felt calm, safe around William, especially how he was talking to the little girl.


    ¡°I have a question for you all though¡­¡± William stands up and looks around, ¡°is this a normal occurrence around here? I don¡¯t see the police or the town going mad?¡±


    All the kids nodded, one of them, a black kid who seemed the oldest, walked up to William. ¡°Yeah¡­ ain¡¯t it a damn shame?¡±


    The young kid pulled out his wallet and pulled a photo out of what appeared to be a picture of his little brother and him.


    William grabbed it and saw the happiness between the two siblings. ¡°This pictures what love, and a strong brotherly bond represents.¡±


    William hands him back his picture and the kid hangs his head. ¡°Yeah¡­ it is normal around here, so much so that even¡­¡± He crushed his eyes and tears started slipping out between the closed gates he just shut. ¡°It even took away my brother and the police didn¡¯t do anything!¡± He broke down crying and the kids all looked sad for him.


    William was devastated to hear that, but this was not the time to get angry, he had to brighten these kids again.


    To ease the poor child, William bumps heads with him and rubs his hair. ¡°Don¡¯t worry young one!¡± The kid stops crying for a moment, looking directly into William''s holy eyes of gold. ¡°Even though these wretched streets took the life of your brother, know this¡­!¡± He pokes the kid''s chest, ¡°...deep down inside he still lives, because he¡¯s watching from above, where God¡¯s keeping him safe, away from these streets.¡±


    William hugs the kid, making him cry again. ¡°Is-Is that true?¡±


    ¡°It is, my child, and I hope and pray you¡¯ll get the chance to live a magnificent life, along with all of you!¡±


    He pats the kid on the head and stands up, walking back over to the badly injured girl, kneeling to grab her hand and ease her growing pain.


    The girl yelped and moaned in pain, but William shushed her to bring her back to ease. ¡°I hope and pray that God will help lend you children a hand and help you walk better paths.¡± The poor girl who seemed very young squirmed around, fighting off the pain as she whimpered and moaned more. ¡°Easy sweetheart breath.¡± said William as he held her hand and patted her head.


    The little girl softly giggles as the bleeding continuously grows and turns his piece of clothing red. ¡°You''re nice, mister!¡± She coughs badly, making the kids react out of more worry. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that¡­ but, hey mister?¡± She asked William with sparkled eyes of peace and acceptance.


    William clenches her hand, knowing her stare all too well. ¡°What is it, love?¡±


    The girl, using her other hand, grabs her necklace and grasps it. ¡°Do you th-think I¡¯ll see my mommy, in heaven?¡± Her eyes leaked, a huge smile of relief was present on her face.


    William¡¯s eyes quivered, he replies to her question with a gentle smile and says, ¡°Yes sweetheart, you will.¡±


    Hearing that really made the girl cry out of happiness, she thanks William once again by nodding and lets go of his grasp, reaching her hand out to the sky. ¡°Momma¡­ I¡¯m -co-coming.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t accept this, he refused to let her die, but using his powers in the real world goes against his beliefs and the blessings given to him by his fallen mentors. The consequences of such powers, especially from a man like William, who knows what¡¯ll happen to reality. William knew all too well what happens when he uses too much of his strength, and he vowed to never use them in such a manner again. But to him, healing shouldn''t be such a bore to the world, right? Can¡¯t he just heal the girl and hopefully, pray that the universe, especially time will accept such a different path? William¡¯s mind was contradicting, but his heart wanted to do it. The girl''s life was fading away before his very eyes, what should he do? His body and mind wouldn¡¯t allow it because of past traumatic events, but his heart screeched at him to do it.


    After such conflict within himself, ultimately, his heart won the battle. ¡°Don¡¯t worry darling, I¡¯ll¡ª!¡± Before he could do anything, the girl''s arm fell and William caught it before it came crashing down on the ground. Still holding her hand too, he felt that warmth that was once there, seeping away slowly, and she became cold. She was now just a cold empty vessel of what life was. William¡¯s eyes were hidden, a dark cloud over his head, he closed the girl''s eyelids, and picked her up. The rest of the kids all cried, mourning the death of the poor little girl who only wanted to play football and make new friends.


    Realising what just happened now and what the kids told him, this was just everyday life for them. An acceptance of most people who¡¯ve given up on their political leaders who¡¯ve done nothing to stop such senseless violence that even takes the lives of the innocent; William was absolutely angry. The kids could tell because he gave off such a menacing aura.


    William loathed this reality. ¡°How could such negligence come to be? This is absolute¡ªmadness¡­¡± he muttered.


    William couldn¡¯t believe such ignorance, he has the power to stop it, everything in fact, but he can¡¯t use it whenever because of the consequences he knows all too well. William eased himself off by humming a lullaby of the past to the now deceased girl, and slowly walked out from behind the rock. The kids all stopped their mourning and followed behind him like mindless zombies, singing along with him. The gunfire finally came to a stop a moment ago, and William headed in their direction, with the body and blood of innocence in his hands.


    The ignorant gangsters were about to leave until William¡¯s lullaby was heard, along with the sound of the church''s bells going off down the street. Even from such a distance, they heard his song of sorrow.


    ¡°Yo? What is that.¡± one of them said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but this shits freaking me out!¡± Said another.


    The last one saw William with the girl in his arms, slowly approaching their direction, along with the kids following behind him. ¡°Yo! What the fuck?!¡± He points and the rest were alerted, ¡°what the fuck is this creepy shit?!¡± He panics and yells for his boss, ¡°Yo boss! Come over here, I think we fucked up and some spooky shit is going on.¡±


    William stops, with a look of hatred set upon his face and the faces of the children dead as stone, they all glared at the men, with eyes full of his anger.


    William scanned the gangsters and knitted his brows. ¡°How dare you¡­¡± he said very angrily yet softly. ¡°How bloody dare you, incompetent bastards.¡±


    He tightens his teeth, his lip slightly twitching, William narrows his eyes to his immense anger.


    ¡°Have you no shame? Shame for taking the lives of INNOCENCE!¡± His mighty roar filled with sadden regret vibrated their ear drums, exploding the car windows close by, and blew away the clouds from above, exposing the sun shine that was meant to be upon him.


    They freaked out and as they were about to lift their guns and shoot, their boss finally revealed himself, and he was someone who William had seen before. Coming out from behind the three, he observed the situation and saw the girl in William¡¯s arms.


    The boss looked upset and turned to his boys. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me? That you dumbasses killed a child?!¡± The boss was William¡¯s height, but very buff, arms covered in tats, and William knew who he exactly was. ¡°You fucking IDIOTS!¡±


    He punches one of them and the rest hopped in the cars so they wouldn¡¯t be beaten next.


    The boss turns back around and looks at William dead in his angry eyes. ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯s my fault for letting these idiots kill your daughter¡­ I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    William sensed his shame, he wasn¡¯t lying! He was genuinely hurt, this relaxed him and actually corroded away some of that anger.


    William kept his anger showing, so he can have them see and hear his might. ¡°This isn¡¯t my child, this was just a poor girl who happened to enjoy her time with the rest of the poor children you¡¯ve frightened.¡± He lays a kiss on the girl''s cheek, and prays to her quietly.


    The boss shakes his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry again, really, I am. Shit, I¡¯ll even kill the guy responsible or perhaps all three if they were the instigators.¡±


    William finishes his prayer and returns his sight back to the boss. ¡°Do your people have no dignity? No shame of their own stupidity?! The fact they were so keen on their petty deal they shot blindly like a bunch of blokes! Bunch of plonkers is what I tell ya!¡±


    ¡°Again, like I said, my guy¡­ my apologies for letting them get carried away.¡± Even though William still sensed his condolences, he could tell that he was growing impatient and even angry. ¡°Look man, you could report us to the police and all, but you ain¡¯t the only one who¡¯s been in crossfire¡­ and she¡ª¡± He points to the girl, ¡°ain¡¯t the only one who¡¯s died because of morons like behind me.¡±


    Hearing him say that so calm and confidently brought a chuckle out of William, the boss didn¡¯t like that, he detested it.


    Hearing William chuckle made the boss twitch an eye. ¡°What¡¯s so funny, cracka?¡±


    William chuckles, chuckles, and chuckles away his anger, but rather broken than amused. The boss yelled at him to stop, but William¡¯s chuckles continued, and the kids singing grew even louder. The church bells dinged profusely, overwhelming his voice and drowning it out. The boss yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to tell him to shut up, but all this noise burying his voice couldn¡¯t reach William¡¯s ears. He had enough, he pulled his gun out, firing it into the air yet it still wasn¡¯t enough! The ruthless noise continued, rupturing his ears, even going as far as tormenting his brain. He fired more shots to erase the torture, but not even the sonic booms going off multiple times were enough to dent the noisy torture.


    The boss runs out of ammo, he covers his ears, dropping his gun from all the relentless noise. William was laughing now, the kids all sang loudly, singing another horrifically haunting song of the church, even scaring the rest of his men inside his car. The boss''s vision went foggy, everything was spiralling, the children''s haunting voices, William¡¯s laughter, it was so much, so overbearing; there was nothing he could do but stay there on his knees and embrace the torture. The boss couldn¡¯t take it any more and with all his might and lung capacity, he inhaled as much air they could hold and let out the loudest, ¡°SHUT UP!!¡± in his life and at last, his voice was heard by William.


    The boss''s face was sweating, he¡¯s looking down on the ground, on all fours and exhausted. He repeatedly said, ¡°Shut up¡­¡± over and over again, quietly, and afraid. As he finally looked up, William was standing over him, with his cane on one hand, and a face of malevolence. William came down and laid a hand on his bald head, saying a prayer and thanked him for his cooperation. The singing stopped, the bell''s songs halted, and the ambience of silence returned. Shortly after, nature took over and the birds chirped, winds whooshed, bringing peace back to the community. William waves goodbye to the children as if nothing happened and they seemed to be confused on why they were there.


    William sets the tip of his cane down with one hand while the other is closed, he taps it twice. ¡°Thank you my good man, I¡¯ll be taking my leave, and also take the man responsible for taking the girl''s life.¡± Something went off, but the boss couldn¡¯t figure it out, or was he just too spooked?


    The boss didn¡¯t know that Williams'' palm was closed, and then he opened it and a spec of beautifully enchanted dust swept away from it, flying away into an exposed opening in the sky, like it was climbing the ladder to heaven. The boss noticed the girl gone, the kid that was shot healed, and one of his boys had disappeared. He panicked and glimpsed around, he analysed everything and saw the glory that this man had embedded onto the town. At this very moment, he freaked out and stood up, running away as William stood there, gazing at the sky as he watched that spec finally reach the light.


    William smiles again, and speaks inside the boss''s mind, freaking him out even more. ¡°Let this be a lesson to you, as a leader of a group, and hopefully, you¡¯ll learn to be a better one. This isn¡¯t over with your devious goons, I¡¯ll visit more tonight, and bring an end to an era of violence in this town!¡±


    William basked in the light that¡¯s shining down on him and from out of nowhere, white doves land on his shoulders. ¡°Farewell, and also, tell Jack, I¡¯ll be seeing him soon¡­ ha-ha-ha!¡±


    The boss freaks out as he continues running away without looking back as Wlliam stood like a God from the holy spotlight that was shimmering down on him. His white tux, printed with holy gold prints sparkled, glistening profusely like an Angel who¡¯d just arrived from the very heavens, and purified the town of the wretched goons who were a burden to it¡¯s untapped beauty, until he finally came down and cleansed it.


    William pets a single dove. ¡°Very soon¡­ Jacqueline, we¡¯ll be seeing each other, very soon.¡± He lets it fly away, along with the others, disappearing and wiping the memories of the townsfolk, as if he never existed in the first place.


    ***


    At the hospital, Jack and Candy were outside of Angela¡¯s room, anxiously waiting. She¡¯s getting her examination routine. As the two waited patiently in the hall, Candy saw Jack looking rather upset? Sad? Nervous? He couldn¡¯t figure out his current mood because his expression was quite hard to read. The young man¡¯s brows were knitted, he¡¯s tapping his finger, but changed his facial movement to stillness or annoyance, it vexed Candy. So, in order to bring relief to the young man of whatever burdens he was enduring, notably to bring out a smile out of him; Candy decided to poke him. Jack reacted to nothing, and it made Candy stick his lips out, sassy-like.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how he¡¯s going to play, huh?¡± Candy muttered.


    Candy thought of a better tactic, a weapon in fact, that was his hand. Candy rubbed his hands and caresses Jack¡¯s arm, sexually and uncomfortabley. Despite doing it gently and enough for anyone to react to such molestation, Jack still didn¡¯t react. In fact, Candy¡¯s the only one reacting because he was loving it. Jack instead leaned against the wall, crossed arms and mildly shook his head. Candy moaned but brought himself together to stop his assault. At this point, he¡¯s running out of ideas to get a reaction out of his friend who looked so trivial.


    Candy backed off, grabbed his chin then snapped his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s time for drastic measures, hehe.¡± he whispered.


    Candy walks beside Jack, leaning against the same wall and moans. ¡°Sorry sweety!¡± He said quietly, ¡°I just need to know what''s in your¡ª¡±


    Candy drags his hand close to Jack, appearing to attempt to grab his butt.


    ¡°Mind!¡± Candy grabbed Jack¡¯s butt and it made the young man jump and slapped Candy on the back of the head. ¡°Owww!¡± Candy whimpered, ¡°You fucking asshole batchh! The fuck, oh my god!¡±


    He rubs his head, and Jack chuckles. ¡°Serves you right, you assaulter.¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s funny now, huh? But boo boo; you¡¯ve got a mighty fine ass to be honest! Mmm!¡± Candy made grabbing motions to Jack and it made the young man cringe.


    Jack then changed his face to disgust, backing away from Candy. ¡°You nasty ass weirdo son of a bitch! How dare you, how fucking dare you.¡±


    He then attacks Candy with a knuckle rubbing against his dome, and Candy screams like a girl.


    ¡°Yeah! Don¡¯t like that, don''t chu? Huh fruit pebble?¡± Jack continued his relentless bullying tactic.


    Candy repeatedly says, ¡°Ow!¡± and Jack finally stops after another ten seconds as Candy¡¯s eyes water.


    The two continued their ridiculous act, starting to push each other when the doctor finally came out of Angrla¡¯s room, looking rather upset. He saw the two act childish and it brought out a tiny grin out of the doctor. Sadly, it was momentarily because the doctor frowned for what he was about to tell Jack. The doctor cleared his throat loudly so the two can be heard and both young men stopped.


    Jack looked to the doctor. ¡°So, how did everything go? Did she bite anyone, freak out, or was she calm?¡±


    The doctor answered all those questions with a forced chuckle, giving Jack the assumption that something wasn¡¯t right.


    Candy noticed because he was a master of body reading. ¡°Boo, I¡¯ma go check on Angela, okay.¡±


    Jack nods and Candy walks to the room and closes the door to give the two some alone time.


    Jack brings his attention back to the doctor with an angry look. ¡°So doc? What''s the matter, and don¡¯t pull back on me too if you have something to tell me.¡±


    The doctor sighs, walking next to Jack with the clipboard in his hand. ¡°Mr. Jack, I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ll react to this news, but¡­ just know that we did everything we could.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like hearing that, so he lowered his arms, showing more signs of anger towards him by clenching his fists. ¡°What do you mean? Just spill it out already, I don¡¯t have time to hear a dramatic build up and then be all down!¡±


    He approaches the doctor aggressively, but the doctor stays calm and professional.


    ¡°So fucking say it and don¡¯t be overally dramtic because this isn¡¯t a soap opera doctor. I have to¡ª¡± Jack pauses, realising his wrong doing and behaviour and backs away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry doc, I-I just had a rough night, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The doctor wasn¡¯t scared or intimidated, he understood Jack¡¯s feelings and the moment he was ranting, he allowed Jack to let it all out. ¡°No need to apologise, but here, I¡¯ll show you¡­¡± He brings his clipboard out in front of Jack, opening the first page and pointing a finger at the page¡¯s image.


    Jack walks back to his side, seeing what he was pointing at. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s up?¡±


    The doctor gently sighed. ¡°All her vital signs are great, she can control pretty much everything. That¡¯s the good news.¡±


    This was great news for Jack, which made him grin. But that quick excitement flushed away when he remembered that this was not the news the doctor wanted to explain to him.


    Jack got serious. ¡°So, what¡¯s the actual news, doctor?¡±


    The doctor dragged his fingers to her legs. ¡°You see, her legs.¡±


    ¡°What about her legs?¡± Jack replied.


    The doctor was about to flip the page, but hesitated. He really didn¡¯t want to show the awful news he had for Jack. This was something related in his own life, so that¡¯s why he was so hesitant to continue. Jack saw the doctor''s fingers along with the paper shake, quickly catching on and asking why he was so afraid to tell him the news. The doctor shook his head and was about to mention something personal, but he stopped himself from doing so. He suddenly flipped the page, and pulled what appeared to be the same x-ray again of her that was familiar to Jack.


    Jack analysed it, but saw nothing. ¡°What? What are you trying to show me?¡±


    The doctor pointed his finger, again to her legs but this time to her spine. ¡°It may seem like the same x-ray, but¡ª¡± He deely sighed, ¡°Right here, on her spine, one of the bullets had severely damaged it, Jack.¡±


    Jack still didn¡¯t know what he was talking about, until the doctor¡¯s eyes were beginning to slightly quiver. Jack finally realised what he was on about, and was losing his calm and cool nature.


    Jack narrowed his brows. ¡°What are you trying to say, doctor?¡± Jack said with a worried tone.


    The doctor looked away briefly. Once he looked back to Jack he had erased his personal emotions and brought back his professionalism.


    He lowers his clipboard, looking dead into Jack¡¯s shaking eyes. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is¡­¡± He clenches a fist, ¡°...that Angela¡ª¡±


    Jack was listening carefully to his words, his eyes rattling out of worry, anticipating the awful news he was finally going to spill out. Jack¡¯s mouth slightly opens, and the doctor deeply sighs, deeply, deeply sighs, trying his best to not bring his own emotions into this.


    ¡°Jack, Angela¡­ may never walk¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s narrowed brows raised from hearing that, his eyes now expanding, Jack was the one who looked sad now.


    The doctor resumes his statement with a straight face. ¡°...Again.¡±


    Jack hung his head, his eyes quivered, his fingers twitching, he couldn¡¯t believe what the doctor had just said. Jack thought that was it, until the doctor said another word to end his statement. That being the word, ¡°Ever.¡± Jack couldn¡¯t take it, he leaned his body against the wall, and slowly dragged to a knee, hiding his saddened face from the doctor who understood completely of Jack¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°You-You¡­¡± Jack clenches his teeth, ¡°...you¡¯ve gotta be, shitting me, right? Doctor.¡±


    The doctor replied with a deep and serious, ¡°No.¡±


    Jack raised his head to look at the doctor, who also had a sad look on his face. ¡°No¡­?¡± Jack muttered.


    The two hadn¡¯t realised that Eric was also present. He heard everything that the doctor just said. Just when his day was already crazy enough, his heavy panting, face drenched in sweat, he had to hear something this sad when he approached the two. Jack heard his uncle''s heavy tired footsteps and turned, seeing Eric exhausted and frightened.


    Jack got up. ¡°Why are you such a sweaty mess, Eric?¡±


    Eric ignored his question because of what the doctor said about Angela¡¯s legs and went up to the doctor. ¡°Tell me that isn¡¯t true, doctor¡­¡±


    The doctor nodded again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, to the both of you.¡±


    Eric felt a bullet strike his heart, dropping on all fours and was on the verge of crying. He couldn¡¯t believe it, a young girl like Angela not being able to walk ever again? Not only that, she¡¯s been half dead for three years too? Eric couldn''t bear it, he feels just as guilty as Jack for letting this happen to someone as innocent as her.


    Jack helps Eric up, and he looks at the doctor with a saddened face. ¡°So what now? You guys gonna cut off her legs next? Is that what¡¯s next?¡±


    The doctor waves his hands. ¡°No no no! Not at all, she can still feel them, it¡¯s just the damage is so severe that she¡¯ll be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.¡±


    Jack frowns. ¡°Have you told her?¡±


    ¡°Yes I have.¡± The doctor replied.


    Jack grits his teeth, feeling the guiltiest for all this. ¡°Poor Angela, this-this is my fault.¡± Jack lets go of Eric, and grips his hair. ¡°It¡¯s my fucking fault for letting that happen to her.¡± He was beginning to have sudden flashbacks of that dreadful night again. ¡°My fault¡­. All of this¡­. Is my¡ª!¡±


    Eric rubs his back, trying to ease his guilt. ¡°No it¡¯s not my guy¡­ it¡¯s both of ours for letting it get to this point.¡±


    When Jack heard that, his mind fogged up. Images of Dr. Cato and Mathew flashed before his very eyes, reminding him who¡¯s actual fault it is.


    Jack lets go of his hair. ¡°No, you¡¯re half right, uncle. It¡¯s half of mine, and half of those two bastards'' who¡¯ve made my life a living hell.¡±


    Eric groans. ¡°I still feel a part of the fault for it.¡±


    Jack sighs. ¡°We¡¯ll continue this later, but going back to what you ignored; why are you in this state?¡±


    Eric didn¡¯t answer his question at first, but felt the need to. So he takes a deep breath, wipes whatever sweat he had left over on his face, and tells him everything that just happened moments before he came back to them.


    After explaining in deep detail what occurred to Eric, Jack freaked out from everything Eric just told him. He started pacing back and forth and muttered words to himself. The young man paused every two seconds and scratched his head in frustration, and even chuckled beneath his breath. Even the doctor was growing uncomfortable on how Jack was reacting. Watching the young man react this way made the self adopted uncle raise more questions about Jack that Eric already had about him.


    Once Jack finishes his paranoia episode, he quiets down and slams a fist against the hard white wall. ¡°Damn it all.¡±


    ¡°The way you just reacted makes it sound like you might know the scary spooky dude I encountered, my guy. Is that right?¡± Eric said.


    Jack moaned and balled a fist. ¡°I might, but, I¡¯m still not too sure, Eric.¡±


    The situation was growing dire for everyone. All this madness and supernatural occurrences was too much for everyone to comprehend, let alone enough to make any sense. Jack wasn¡¯t feeling too well now, he started coughing, and upon coughing onto his hand, there was black all over it. Jack¡¯s hand trembled, and he showed his teeth out of annoyance.


    ¡°Somethings not right, and you might have an answer to it¡­ Mallory.¡± Jack muttered.


    Eric tilted his head, and looked serious. ¡°You aight, my guy?¡±


    Jack clenched his fist and hid his hand, and wiped the black off on his already dark pants. ¡°Nothing, let''s just go inside and see if Angela¡¯s okay.¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 19: The Sorrow Of A Man & A Long Awaited Meeting

    Inside of a small eco-friendly home where a family of three lived, two people, the daughter and mother who got along like peanut and butter while the other, was that of mustard. The father, a man who¡¯s lived in the same house as the two but barely knew his own daughter and had endless hatred towards the mother. He¡¯s alone in his bedroom, sitting at the edge of the bed, the very same he shared with the vile woman he hated so, basking in the sorrow that¡¯s tailgated him since the day he married her.


    He¡¯s waiting to see what she wants to talk about. ¡°Of all times, what could this vile bitch of a woman want to speak about?¡± He deeply sighed and clutched his head, rubbing it. ¡°She better not use my daughter as a tool to speak with me¡­ if so, I¡¯ll burn this entire country to a cinder.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father wanted to always talk, look into his daughter''s eyes, be in her life more; but her mother¡¯s contract prevented him from doing so. Rather, all he could do was take a glimpse, speak less than thirty words, and walk past her. He would love to look into her eyes, but everytime he did get a glance into them from a distance or watching her go to school through his bedroom window, she had the same wretched red eyes he fell victim to twenty years ago. Ever since that day, he vowed to never look into them, fearing to be cursed again by the woman and bearer of the Sin that is Envy.


    ¡°My daughter¡­ why do you look so much like her? Why do you have the same eyes as her?! Why is that bitche¡¯s eyes platinum?! It makes no sense, I need answers, but I refuse to get them from¡­ her.¡±


    He groaned and slammed his fist on the bed. His head started hurting and the father let out a long breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing this to help my daughter from those dreadful Exorcists. But¡­ I hope she¡¯s not dealing with the two, one that I despise, and the other¡ªthat I fear.¡±


    Feeling nervous, frustrated, tired, he wanted to get up to go grab some coffee, until the door started to open. He smacked his lips and looked away. Sarah¡¯s mother had walked in and patted herself to look appealing in her black gothic dress fitting for a Witch like her. She giggled and that was enough for him to clench his teeth, stand up and quickly walk up to his clothing drawer to get a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out of his work pants and took a single one out, ignited it with a lighter he always carries and paced back and forth.


    Sarah¡¯s mother watched and couldn¡¯t help but be amused. ¡°You okay? Because you only react this way when you''re nervous, hehe.¡±


    He raised the edge of his lip in disgust and quietly growled. She giggled again and walked to the bed. He kept smoking and also walked over to the bed but avoided any type of eye contact with her.


    ¡°So woman¡­ What do you need to discuss?¡± Sarah¡¯s father sits at the corner of his bed, puffing more smoke into his lungs. ¡°Because I¡¯m in no mood to speak to the likes of you.¡± He inhales another huge cloud into his lungs, allowing the cancer to destroy them.


    Sarah¡¯s mother sits at the other edge, both not looking at one another. ¡°This is important, like I said, it involves the man who¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­ don¡¯t even, you¡¯ve already said enough.¡± He keeps puffing, inhaling his angered emotions. ¡°So what if they¡¯re here? Is that all you wanted to speak about?! After countless years of silence you just want to rub them in my face to remind me of my own goddamn failures?¡± He sighs deeply, ¡°You wretched bitch of a woman.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother wasn¡¯t fazed by such words, instead she just chuckles and clears her throat. ¡°Hoho, if I wanted to rub things in your face¡­¡± She grew a vile grin, one fitting for her title. ¡°...Aren¡¯t I doing that as we speak? Besides, although you¡¯re a failure of a Witch, I¡¯m not here to scare you further than you already¡ª¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Her father shouts in anger, blowing out all of the nasty smoke and bites the cigarette in half.


    The smoke in his lungs drifted out from the creaks of his teeth and out his nostrils. Sarah¡¯s mother blinked in amusement and sighed.


    He digs his fingers into his hair, grounding his teeth. ¡°You-You¡­ are such a¡­ Witch.¡± He clutches his head, ¡°here you are again, mocking my existence and reminding me of the idiot I am. You wretched Witch, you vile¡ªbitch.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother shrugs and doesn''t seem to care one bit about his lecture. She seemed too amused and expressed it by smiling.


    He quivers angrily. ¡°You haven¡¯t spoken to me in two years, and before that; Ten, and of all the times?¡± He raises his head, and slowly looks over his shoulder to stare at her backside, ¡°Why do you want to speak to me? The last time you spoke to me it was just to insult my sanity, and not only that¡­ you even went as far as to call me a Witch who didn¡¯t deserve his title!¡±


    She sighs, and leans backwards. ¡°Don¡¯t bring up the past now. You know your place and your manners. So I suggest you simmer down, be a man and act your age. Think you could do that for me¡­¡± She brings out the side of her face for him to see her lips, ¡°...Sweetheart?¡±


    Hearing her call him her sweetheart aggravated him, especially hearing it from her calm and timid voice brought insult to injury. Sarah¡¯s father hated her, detests her, and wishes every type of suffrage upon her. Yet in spite of his growing rage towards her, he still doesn¡¯t understand why he¡¯s still in the same household as her, but remembers the contract he fell victim to. A contract in which she tricked him into offering his dignity, soul, and his manhood. The thoughts of hatred ran rampant in his mind, coursing boiling blood of fuming hate through his body. He was ready to attack her, ready to seek vengeance on the being who stole his heart and his life.


    Knowing that he stood no chance against her, he was prepared to die today. He¡¯s had enough, feeling enraged since the morning, and having peaked now, he was going to bring back his Witchery powers he laid dormant for more than a decade. He brings out a small spark in the palm of his hand, ignitng a tiny flame that hissed. The spark was small, but enough to wipe out their entire neighbourhood and burn it a cinder. He was about to lay a barbaric attack on her, although she still didn''t bother to react to him as he was bringing forth his powers again. Feeling the peak of his frustration, he charges the spark to its max. It spirals faster than sound as it rattles the room, shakes the entirety of the house afterward, and even makes Sarah jump out of her bed out of fear.


    He grit his teeth. You¡¯ll pay, pay¡­ for everything! He thought.


    Sarah¡¯s father retracted his hand and was ready to shoot it at her. ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you! Witch and bearer of Envy!¡±


    His palm hurtled towards her direction, the small spark spiralling like a buzzsaw and seeming unstable.


    ¡°Today¡¯s the day I have the courage to free myself from your prison!¡± Tears flew out of his eyes, his palm was inches away from her hair. ¡°Bear your deserving oblivion!¡±


    She frowned and turned to the spark that was just about to touch her vision. ¡°Your daughter was attacked by him...¡±


    He stops, and the small chaos is brought to an end when he hears that. His palm almost centimetres away from her face, shaking violently, his eyes glassy, he was saddened upon hearing that.


    ¡°She¡¯s lucky to be alive, and not only that¡­¡± She finally rises from her seat and looks at him face to face with those eyes bathed in beauty, the very same eyes though not the same colour he fell victim too. ¡°...I also ran into¡ªWilliam H. Christ¡­.¡±


    His eyes widening, his hand dropping, as he gasps quietly.


    ¡°...The sixth, the very one told by our ancestors, and legends.¡±


    For once, she was serious to him, meaningful, and trusting in her words. Not a single lie was told throughout the conversation. Sarah¡¯s father shook his head and sighs deeply, diverting his eyes away from her stone cold platinum serious stare.


    ¡°It¡¯s time we fully tell her, and prepare her for any future circumstances. Think you could do that?¡± She raises her pale hand to him, ¡°Not for me, but for your dear daughter?¡±


    With his head down, face absolutely soaked in sweat, he hesitated. So many conflicts were intertwining inside his hateful mind, but her words were definitely true. Giving it some thought for a moment, he brought his gaze back to her and saw her extended hand. He felt revolted but decided to shake her hand, the very hand he held twenty years ago, the hand that took his life away, the hand that made him into the pathetic man that he is today; Her warmth, her soft skin, everything was flowing so fast into his mind, the past, the dreaded past, for him, it was so unbearable that he let go and looked into her eyes again, with a glint.


    They both stare at each other, and he breaks the silence by saying, ¡°Anything for her, but as for you, go to hell¡ªand rot like the evil bitch that you are.¡±


    She softly smiles, and bows her head, walking out of the room and leaves him alone to bask in everything that just happened.


    He lifts his hand again, staring at his palm that still had her lingering warmth. He drips a single tear onto it, and closes his hand, tightly. ¡°Though you¡¯re the very Sin of Envy and all the suffering you¡¯ve laid upon the world and especially me¡­¡± He hugs his closed fist against his cheek, and moans in anger. ¡°...I¡¯ll always still love you. And never let go of your side.¡±


    He drops his hand, and sits back down on the bed to cry deeply, all alone with his sorrow.


    Sarah¡¯s mother had made her way downstairs, walking into the living room to see if Sarah was in there either relaxing or reading their sacred texts. It was empty and she wondered where her beloved daughter could be.


    ¡°Sarah? Sweetheart, where are you?¡± Sarah¡¯s mother looked around and wandered into the kitchen. ¡°Yoo hoo, my precious creation of life? Hm¡­ where could she be?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother crossed her arms and went to go look for her daughter. First, she looked inside her daughter''s dark room, but found it empty. Second, she went into the attic and also found it vacant. She grew worried and looked at the entirety of their tiny eco-friendly home, yet despite looking thoroughly she still couldn¡¯t find out where her daughter¡¯s at. She stopped and felt stupid because she remembered the backyards existence.


    ¡°Duh, goodness me. Why am I like this sometimes?¡± Walking up to the glass door, sliding it open, she found her daughter sitting below their lovely tree that towered over their home. ¡°There she is, my Sarah.¡±


    Her mother stepped out but felt her daughter''s emotions even if her back was turned. She sensed her in a distressed and scared mood. Her mother quickly walked to her and peaked around her face and saw her face blanched, and paler than usual.


    ¡°Sarah¡­ What¡¯s the matter¡­?¡± Now her mother too felt the same disruption in the air as her daughter, gazing up to the sky. ¡°This presence¡­ why, at a time like this?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s sitting down on the grass, her eyes wide open and shaking, she slowly looked over to her mother. ¡°They¡¯re at it again.¡± She lets out a single tear of fear, and almost faints until her mother quickly grabs her and stops her from falling.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay my love, do not be afraid.¡± Sarah¡¯s mother brushed her daughter''s hair, trying to relax her.


    Being caught into her mothers arms, Sarah finally spoke. ¡°Mom¡­ just who are these people, wh-why are they here, and¡ª¡± She slams her hands against her face and breaks down in tears, ¡°Why do they hate me so much¡­? Please, enough of keeping things from me! Tell me everything so I could better protect myself and my friends, I beg of you, please.¡±


    Her mother comforts her more, rubbing her back. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be okay now my love.¡±


    ¡°But, mo-mom, who are¡ª¡±


    Shushing her daughter and rocking her to ease all her scared and worried emotions, she caves in to her daughter''s requests. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you everything, but first, we¡¯re going to talk to your dad.¡± Hearing her mother mention her dad made her stop crying for a moment, and instead she felt nervous now.


    Sarah¡¯s emotions were all over the place, she didn¡¯t know how to reply back to her mom. Although she lives in the same house as he does, they¡¯ve barely spoken, let alone look each other in the eyes whenever they get the chance to. Sarah calmly relaxes herself, wiping away any leftover tears and replies to her mom with a simple yet nervous, ¡°O-Okay.¡± And brings out a more worried expression, but her mother was the one who didn¡¯t seem scathed or nervous, instead she smiles. Both stood back up, gazed at the sky one last time before going back inside, so they could finally discuss what truly is going on.


    Her mother walked back in, but Sarah wanted to stay outside just for one more minute before entering. She just had to bless mother earth, and pray for her friends safety, especially for Jack¡¯s.


    ***


    Back at the hospital, Jack¡¯s been conflicted about facing Angela on her bad news. An hour ago he was about to do that but something stopped him before he could open the door. His heart ached and his mind fogged up with the guilt that¡¯s been a tremendous burden throughout his journey. Jack stopped himself and told the rest he needed to go outside for some quick air. They understood and Jack walked off and took longer than expected, which worried Candy and Eric. When he did come back he walked past them and stared at the door, and did so for five minutes. Eric and Candy watched him and waited on what he¡¯ll do next.


    It¡¯s now or never, Jack. You can do this and bear this never ending guilt; accept your mistakes. Jack thought.


    Eric and Candy both stepped forward and were ready to go inside without Jack if he decided to stay the statue he¡¯s become. Before any of them could walk back inside, Jack put out his hand behind him, stopping them. Jack instead wanted to go inside alone. He wanted to be sure he was the one to comfort her on her horrific news.


    ¡°It¡¯ll just be a couple of minutes, I need to ask her a few things¡­¡± Jack said, making the other two back off completely and sigh.


    Jack reminds himself of the questions he forgot to ask her from that night when he rescued her from the facility three years ago. ¡°Alone¡­ I need us to be alone¡­¡± He muttered.


    Jack ground his teeth and crushed his eyelids shut. ¡°You''re still hiding something from me, Angela.¡±


    Eric obliges and sits down close to a nearby bench. ¡°Aight, my guy. If it stops you from being a freak right now then so be it.¡±


    Candy shrugs and chuckles. ¡°Oh boo, always worried and acting strange at the most serious times.¡±


    Jack grabs the door knob and twists, opening it. ¡°Thanks guys.¡± Jack walks in and Candy walks behind to shut the door for him.


    Candy deeply sighed and hung his head. ¡°Don¡¯t act strange Jack, she needs the comfort because she¡¯s acting rather strange.¡± Candy muttered.


    Jack stood in place, basking in the growing dark atmosphere. He wasn¡¯t ready to see the look on her precious face. Was he about to walk in and witness her innocent face become a broken mirror of lost hope? Or will her gleaming eyes of blue glittered with her love and happiness might become deserts of lost nothingness? Undoubtedly, Jack knew this was about to happen the moment he walked over that corner; he thought he was ready, but now, he just couldn¡¯t do it. His poor growing rock solid heart wasn¡¯t ready to confront her and be the one to endure her already awful news to then be the one to wrap the final cloud over her head. Jack plays it cool, takes deep breaths, brushes his long hair with his fingers, and lastly, lets out a huge sigh.


    ¡°Let''s do this Jack.¡± He relaxes his arms and begins to walk.


    It was just a couple of steps to go around the corner, but for Jack, it felt like a long journey towards his depression. As he took those huge steps and was a foot away to get around the corner, his heart suddenly shot out. A sudden burst of pain exploded in his chest, it almost felt like his heart stopped momentarily. With a hand clutched onto his chest, he made sure he didn¡¯t make any noises when that happened. He didn¡¯t want to worry Angela even more. Jack regains his breathing and continues, wiping off any signs of sweat on his face, but why did this pain suddenly happen? It was bothering him, enough to make him stop for a moment and think about it to reach some sort of conclusion, but for now, he¡¯ll let it go. Finally stepping out of the corner, revealing himself to Angela to see, but instead, he got the opposite of what he thought would be reality was only just an assumption, a depressing thought most people would realise and confront, but for Jack; he got something entirely different.


    Jack stood there a bit shocked and shaken at what he was printing onto his mind because there she was, not giving off a single worry in the world.


    An-Angela? Jack thought.


    Angela sat silently with her window open as the skies blew whistles across her face, blowing her huge blanket of hair, and seeing unfazed whatsoever.


    Jack watched her, basking in the sunlight with a soft frail smile on her precious pale face. ¡°Why?¡± Jack said quietly, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you¡­ broken?¡±


    Jack was speechless now, and rather, he was growing unamused to this sight.


    ¡°Angela.¡± Jack shouted, but she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Angela!¡± He said a bit louder, a cold tear drop of sweat running down his face. ¡°ANGELA!¡± He yelled, finally getting a reaction out of her.


    Angela makes a sudden moan sound, a moaning sound of relief, a sound in which someone would make if they were the happiest in the world.


    Angela turned around as the wind continued blowing her hair, and her eyes shining as greatly as ever. ¡°Good afternoon, brother!¡± She said with such a soft tone, and enough to relax the most clogged ear drums. ¡°Lovely day we¡¯re having, huh? Especially now that you¡¯re here, it got even better!¡±


    She giggled softly, and Jack still stood there, not saying a single word.


    ¡°I missed you brother, I really really missed you!¡± She eerily opens her arms out to welcome Jack to a warm welcoming hug, ¡°Please, embrace me with your warmth, it¡¯s quite cold.¡± She giggles again.


    This sight, this creepy uncomfortable sight Jack had to endure made the young man feel afraid for his sister''s mental well-being. This wasn¡¯t what he was expecting, this was far from it. This is the worst scenario he couldn¡¯t think of imagining, this was something he thought he would only see from his nightmares, the ones from his lost damned childhood. The only person she was reminding him of was none other than¡­


    ¡°Mallory.¡± Jack said beneath his breath, managing to confuse Angela and lower her arms. Jack¡¯s face was beyond freaked, his eyes mildy squinted and shakened, teeth exposed, he didn¡¯t know what to ask first.


    ¡°Angela, why?¡± Jacked asked again in a worried tone.


    ¡°Why what?¡± Angela replied with a tilt head and a calm face.


    ¡°Why are you acting like this? Shouldn¡¯t you¡­ be afraid? Shocked? Especially; broken with no signs of hope?!¡±


    Angela places a finger against her chin, still seeming rather confused. ¡°Why would I be expressing such strong emotions when there¡¯s nothing to make me react in such a way?¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Jack lowers his jaw even greater, feeling more unamused. ¡°Did-Didn¡¯t you get the news from the doctor though?! You know, that you¡¯ll never¡ªwalk again!¡±


    Jack slowly raises his hand again, clutching his chest because the pain was coming back.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, to be honest, when I heard it at first I was upset, but I quickly came to accept it and thought about something else that gave me motivation and not made me such a burden onto myself or others.¡±


    Angela crawls closer to the other edge of her bed to get closer to Jack, even though he was still standing at that corner.


    ¡°You see brother, the reason why I¡¯m not acting like a lost cause, crying and making everyone else feel bad for me is because¡­¡± She sits at the edge, and smiles again. ¡°...I have you.¡±


    The pain in Jack¡¯s chest was rising, enough for Jack to start sweating again and begin slightly panting. ¡°But-But¡­ Argh!¡±


    He begins coughing, worrying Angela She was about to ask about his well-being but he raised his hand to stop her. He didn¡¯t want the subject to be changed.


    Jack groaned and clutched her chest tighter. ¡°How-How am I enough for you to wipe away those feelings? I was the reason why you¡¯re permanently crippled now; Me!¡± He coughs again, and notices black on his hands again. ¡°What-What¡¯s going on with me? Mallory¡­ What are you trying to tell me?! Damn-Damned girl!¡±


    Angela got worried and reached her hand out to him. ¡°Do you need a doctor broth¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject! Continue and answer my question, Angela, before I get more angry!¡±


    Angela can¡¯t help it though, watching him suffer in front of her, she just couldn¡¯t ignore it, but Jack insisted and indicated to her that his pain was nothing by nodding.


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll finish this quickly so you can see the doctor.¡± Angela brings back her smile, and blinks softly. ¡°The reason why you¡¯re my motivation to keep going is because you saved me, Jack.¡±


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    ¡°Wh-What did you just¡ªcall me¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Watching you over the years, Jack, I couldn¡¯t help but see you more than my hero, sure you¡¯ve changed over the years¡­ but!¡±


    Jack drops to a knee, and continues looking up at Angela while the pain in his chest grows dire; he wants to hear everything.


    ¡°Although people call you the scum of society, a criminal, murderer, and failure, but to me! You¡¯re my hero, my brother¡­ my¡ªeverything!¡±


    Jack¡¯s panting, his face sweating profusely as she blinks softly to her affectionate statements.


    ¡°As long as I have you by my side, in your arms! I have nothing to worry about, because, knowing that my dear brother is the one to help me whenever I¡¯m in need and for him to carry me in his arms everyday whenever I need him; I have nothing to worry about and be, stay the happiest girl alive!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened, and he looked angry. ¡°Angela¡­ what are you trying to¡ª?¡±


    ¡°The fact that the matter is¡­ I love you, Jack Samr! And I won¡¯t let anyone step between our close relationship.¡±


    Hearing this pissed Jack off, enough for his eyes to explode.


    Angela opens her arms out again, and expresses the most gentle smile in the world. ¡°So long as I breathe and feel your lingering warmth by my side, I don¡¯t care if I can¡¯t walk ever again, heck! I wouldn¡¯t even care if I became a vegetable, as long as you''re here, I have¡­!¡±


    Jack gasps, breathing even harder, shutting an eye from the pain.


    Angela erotically blinks. ¡°...Nothing to¡ª!¡±


    Jack grits his teeth, lowering his head in anger.


    ¡°To worry about!¡± Angela finishes with a giggle and triggers Jack to scream out in anger making her jump.


    Angela lowered her arms again, and at first was frightened but she quickly overcame it by now humming a song with a stone face. Managing to regain his breathing, and wipe away his drenched face, Jack was feeling well all of a sudden? That pain in his chest went away also when he shouted? Jack couldn¡¯t notice because of his anger towards Angela¡¯s essay of love, devotion, and obsession for him. The one thing that¡¯s pissed him off the most was the fact she didn¡¯t mention about herself, not even once in that love letter of hers. She didn¡¯t even bother pointing out the fact that it was his fault for her being in this state in the first place, even though Eric didn¡¯t think so. Jack stands back on his feet, wipes the black off his hands with a nearby towel, and approaches Angela with a menacing aura of anger. Angela was too blind and lost in her thoughts to notice Jack¡¯s angered walk coming to her, she was just humming and swinging her body side to side without an expression.


    Finally reaching her, Jack stops, and reaches his angered hands forward, gently grabbing Angela¡¯s relaxed shoulders. Angela stops her humming and asks Jack if he was ready to give her a kiss on the cheek when she put her face towards his.


    Instead, Jack lowers his head, takes in a huge breath of air and groans loudly. ¡°Are you a fucking moron?!¡±


    Angela stops her ridiculous acting, face now all shakened, and her eyes widened. Jack¡¯s eyes quiver furiously as he raises his head to look into those oceans of blue, gripping her shoulders and releasing his emotions out to Angela¡¯s frightened face.


    ¡°Why?! Why are you acting this way, Angela?!¡± He leans closer to her face, making her gasp. ¡°Not once, once! Did you mention yourself or blame me! You shouldn¡¯t talk about yourself in that way, how would you feel if I talked so low about myself, huh? You probably would give me a deserving scolding, words of encouragement, and get me off my ass!¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes shook and rattled in response to Jack¡¯s heartfelt emotions.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking and acting differently than before, you¡¯re not the same as before, but it doesn¡¯t matter because you don''t ever, ever! Talk so low about yourself! Not only that, it-it was all my fault that you¡¯re crippled!¡±


    A tear came out of Angela¡¯s left eye and Jack leaned even closer to her. She saw just how angry her brother was, his bloodshot eyes and huffing, she¡¯s never seen him this angry towards her.


    ¡°And this talk¡­ All this talk about love? What the hell do any of you mean by that?! Love, me?! Just what the hell is this Love? The love that not only you¡¯ve confessed too, but others have¡­¡± Jack gasps and lets go of Angela from figuring something out in his mind, and steps back, remembering something.


    Angela, who was left stunned with confusion, at first was all scared and feeling stupid, now couldn¡¯t help but feel envy for those he just mentioned about their confessions of love. Upon hearing his last set of words made her ignore his early ranting and turn her eyes lifeless.


    Angela creepily tilted her head and showed her teeth with a still face. ¡°Oh? And who are these others¡­ Jack?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t hear what Angela just said, he was too busy remembering something that cut off their conversation.


    ¡°Hello? Anyone home?! Because if you don¡¯t answer me in the next minute I swear I¡¯ll¡­.!¡±


    Jack suddenly turns back around the moment she sounded hostile, which made Angela knit her brows.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Finally gonna give me an¡ª?¡± Jack then pushes her, making her lay on the bed as he walks bedside, ¡°Wha? What are you¡ª?!¡±


    Jack¡¯s furious, he didn¡¯t hesitate to grab one of her arms and get serious, growling too.


    ¡°Jack! My-My arm! You¡¯re hurting me!¡± Angela yelped as his clutch grew tighter the more she yanked.


    Angela¡¯s voice sounded different, and too familiar for him to let go, it was so similar to what he¡¯s heard before that he was beginning to go into a blind rage.


    ¡°Why are you calling me by my name?! And your eyes, Angela, they¡¯re not the same as before!¡±


    Jack was starting to grow some suspicion towards her, and expressed a vile frown. Angela whimpered as her brother got more aggressive towards her.


    ¡°So tell me, Angela?!¡± Jack grabs both arms and lifts her up aggressively, ¡°Tell me about the girl in your dreams now! The one who¡¯s made your life a living hell too¡­ OR!¡±


    Jack slowly leans his rabid face towards poor Angela¡¯s frightened face. Angela loathed this face he had towards her, which made her cry. Was this the same Jack, the same self proclaimed guardian angel who saved her life that day back at the yard? Because at the moment, in her eyes, he was the same as those children, doctors, nurses who¡¯ve done nothing but tortured her so long as she can remember her first memory. At the moment, Jack is, if not worse than all those others.


    ¡°Ja-Jack¡­ stop¡­¡± Angela pleaded as her eyes leaked.


    Jack ground his teeth and tightened his grip to max on her fragile wrists. ¡°Is this Mallory possessing my dear sister?! Because if this is, you, Mallory¡­ I¡¯m not playing these games anymore!¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes were flooding, and Jack stayed serious, not being fazed by her saddened scared face.


    ¡°You mentioned her back in the facility, you spoke about her in your dreams, and now!¡± He squints his eyes, and a glint shines in them. ¡°You¡¯re telling me the connection between the two of you that you¡¯ve mentioned before¡­ wait no, what She! mentioned before!¡±


    There was loud knocking coming from her door. Angela cries deeply, and starts to struggle out of his grip. ¡°Please, brother! You¡¯re hurting me!¡±


    Jack ignores her pleas and growls and yanks her.


    ¡°Brother¡­ ple-please, let me go¡­ let me go!¡±


    Jack clutches her poor wrists to the point they might snap, and Angela¡¯s eyes explode in anger.


    ¡°Stop, Jack, it hurts!¡± After screaming her lungs out in that moment, Jack finally snaps out of his mindless anger, and relazises the hurting he was ensuing on her.


    Seeming regrettable of his actions, he erases those feelings of rage, and apologises his heart out towards Angela by repeatedly shaking his head, backing away and stares at his scarred palms.


    ¡°Why are you acting like this brother! Why do you¡­ hate me?¡± Angela cried more and covered her face.


    Hearing that word, the word ¡®Hate!¡¯ brought out a strong reaction out of Jack. He too was on the verge of breaking down because of his regrettable actions. Jack clutched his head and rushed to his sister to hug her tightly, and apologise.


    Once he wrapped his arms around her, he saw his hand marks on her poor brittle wrists. ¡°Angela! I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry, sorry, sorry!¡± He buries his head on her shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m just mad okay, I didn¡¯t mean to bring it out onto you like that¡­ I¡¯ll leave you now, so you could talk to Eric.¡±


    As he was about to let go of her, she immediately kept them locked together, and quickly forgave him by kissing his head.


    ¡°An-Angela¡­?¡± Jack muttered.


    Angela pats his head. ¡°I know you¡¯ve gone through a lot, brother. I¡¯m sorry for acting weird too, my mind is still not right from being brain dead for so long. I¡¯m lucky to be functioning the way I am now.¡± She rubs his back, and softly moans. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I¡¯m able to speak and hold you in my arms, so please, if you have anything else to say, tell me, I¡¯m here for you.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like how quick she forgave him, especially how he put his hands on her. Jack bit his lip and groaned. ¡°Okay¡­ then answer my question.¡±


    The two were still holding each other, Angela¡¯s face turned back to being emotionless. ¡°To answer your question; To be honest, brother, I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes exploded, and he crushed his face, grinding his teeth.


    ¡°Nor do I have a clue about it, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Jack expresses a broken grin, and chuckles quietly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall what you said about me telling you anything crazy in that nature of a girl in my dreams, nightmares whatsoever.¡±


    With both siblings still locked in a hug of forgiveness, Jack seemed regretful now, thinking he was wasting his warmth with her at the moment.


    Jack gently let off to hide his anger. ¡°No¡­ no¡­ I remember though, you-you said¡­ but then she said¡ª!¡±


    Jack started mumbling erratically to himself, making Angela nervous again. He mumbled for a short time until Angela slightly pushed him off so she could wrap her arms around his neck, so the two could look into each other''s eyes.


    Jack looked away until Angela gently grabbed his chin to force him to look into her lifeless oceans. ¡°But I can answer the question about love to you, the one you¡¯re so oblivious about, and make you understand it fully.¡±


    Jack looked sad, and averted only his eyes again.


    ¡°Brother? What¡¯s the matter?¡± Angela asked in a soft pampering tone.


    ¡°Angela¡­¡± Jack said in a saddened tone, ¡°Why do you act this way sometimes? This isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve acted this way, but¡ª!¡± He closes his eyes, and bites his lip, ¡°You can¡¯t seem to remember anything everytime I ask you something of importance. Anything regarding the burdens you seem to carry disappears whenever I have a chance to ask you. It makes me question you even more¡­ even enough to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Regret saving me? Thinking it would¡¯ve been best to leave me alone, back at the facility and leave me to rot and succumb to insanity instead of you during the years potentially leading up to this very moment right now?¡±


    Jack bites his lip even harder, enough to penetrate his skin and a stream of crimson came down to his chin.


    Angela saw the small river flow and stopped it from reaching his neck, wiping the blood off, and gently smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay to think that way. You¡¯ve endured so much suffrage these past years, that¡¯s why I want to be your punching bag and body pillow.¡± She brings out a soft chuckle, ¡°Come closer, like you did before.¡±


    Jack furrowed his brows and frowned, looking nervously sad. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Jack did what she said and leaned closer to her face, ¡°...Like this?¡±


    Angela nods. ¡°Yes, now let me answer your question, the more important one, and that is about this love that you¡¯re so confused about.¡± she said, whispering softly and gently against his eardrum.


    ¡°Angela¡­ your voice is softer than before¡­ it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    Speaking so softly made Angela¡¯s eyes regain life as she made Jack feel confused. ¡°Shhh¡­. Let me teach you, and then we can go back to the others.¡± She creeps closer, and closer to Jack¡¯s face and seems to be taking aim for his lips.


    Jack then noticed about the others? Why haven¡¯t they intervened when they both did all that screaming? ¡°Hey¡­ where is¡ª?¡±


    As Angela was about to ambush Jack with a kiss, it was interrupted by the door being kicked down by none other than Eric.


    ¡°Eric?! Why¡¯d you do that?!¡± Jack says as he escapes her lock, and Angela stays frozen in place.


    Eric, who seemed out of breath and afraid, quickly ran up to the two. ¡°No-No time to-to talk, we gotta go¡­!¡± Eric pulls his gun out and cocks it, ¡°...Now!¡±


    Jack gasps, and pulls his gun out too. ¡°What the hells happening Eric?!¡±


    Gunshots erupted from the halls, and people started screaming, the hospital alarms started to go off.


    Eric went to the window and looked out, spotting multiple familiar white vans pulling up. ¡°Fuck, listen my guy, those bastards in white are back! They¡¯ve been here all along, they were just disguised as regular people.¡±


    Jack went over and saw the past parking everywhere to block the entrance. ¡°No no no no¡­ what do you we do now?¡±


    When Eric turned to look over his shoulder, he saw Angela frozen. ¡°Baby girl, what''s the matter? Reaching for God or something?¡±


    The chaos continues down the hall. Glass shatters, people shouted for help, many doors sound to be broken open by blunt objects.


    Candy comes running inside and jumps on Eric. ¡°Save me!¡±


    Eric cringed and tried pushing Candy off but he held on like a spider monkey. ¡°Yo! What the living hell, fruit cup?! You must be outta your goddamn mind to be grabbing me right now!¡±¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! Why do you bastards have to bring danger everywhere you go?! Oh God, all of you are freaking maniacs!¡± Eric pushes him off, and Candy falls. ¡°Oww! Can¡¯t you just let me stay in your big yummy arms and protect me with your amazing boulder type bod for once?¡±


    As Candy stood back on his feet, he noticed Angela in her frozen state as well. Eric wondered why she didn¡¯t respond to his question and stayed quiet. Jack didn¡¯t want to look back, instead keep his eyes on the enemy down below.


    Candy placed his hands on his hips and whistled at Angela. ¡°Um, yoohoo? Is lil momma okay? What, is she praying or something?!¡± He pointed dramatically at her, and noticed the position she was in. ¡°Oh my! Don¡¯t tell me, don¡¯t tell me!¡± He gasps dramatically as the chaos continues in the background, ¡°Ahem, I think this young girl is up to no good!¡±


    Angela finally comes back to reality, and looks at everyone in a creepy uncomfortable manner, scanning them enough to make their skin crawl. ¡°Oh! Sorry about that¡­ I was just praying, and acting like the virgin Mary, that¡¯s all!¡±


    She giggles, and Eric backed up, going to Jack to ask why she¡¯s acting strange. When he looked over the young man''s shoulder, Eric saw how worried his face had turned. Candy didn¡¯t like how Angela was acting and it made him raise an angry brow towards her.


    Jack quickly brushes it off and walks up to Angela, and picks her up to carry her in his arms. She leans against his chest, and hums. ¡°Who¡¯s doing all the shooting then, Eric?¡±


    Eric saw how uncomfortable Jack was with Angela in his arms, but decided to keep the change subject afloat. ¡°Second lobby to the main, that¡¯s where it¡¯s all happening. We¡¯ll go through the side emergency door and go in the car. As you saw, the bastards have every other exit blocked, so we don¡¯t have many options.¡± He diverts his attention to Candy, ¡°I guess you could stay by my side fruit loop.¡±


    Candy stood quiet, keeping his eyes on Angela. Normally, if he heard something that generous from Eric, he would be excited and in heat. Yet, seeing and hearing how Angela¡¯s behaving made him feel concerned and stay serious.


    Candy walked next to Eric, keeping his sights locked onto Angela. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll stay by your side.¡±


    Eric and Jack were caught off guard by Candy¡¯s serious behaviour. With the chaos and everyone¡¯s senses on guard, and stressed out, the two at least were looking forward to a laugh from Candy. Not this time, which brought an awkward silence in the room.


    Eric broke the silence by clearing his throat. ¡°Well, let''s go. Better get a move on before we become trapped dogs.¡±


    Jack nods. ¡°Yeah, and let''s not forget that we still have those other two men to worry about.¡±


    Eric smacked his lips. ¡°Yeah, I already came across dude in white earlier before this. So everyone, keep an eye out and don¡¯t drop yo guard.¡±


    Candy sighs and proceeds to start the run out of the room. The other two raised their weapons and ran behind him, storming towards the elevator and looking at every corner/room they ran past. They reached the elevator and walked in, and the minute the doors closed, they all couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit scared again. Jack on the other hand was worried not only for Angela, but about something else and that something was the girl in the white dress, Mallory.


    The elevator music playing was catchy and mainstream at first, then it mysteriously transitioned into music of God and holiness.


    Eric felt like he heard this song, the one sung by the kids. ¡°Fucking spooky music¡­¡± he muttered.


    Candy gripped his chin and heard the song before. ¡°Hmm, I know I¡¯ve heard this song before, but where?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like the sound, it made him frown. ¡°Is there a mute button here?¡±


    The music suddenly kept changing through different tones, and sang more about one''s sins than God all of a sudden. Candy wanted to break the speaker, but Eric read his mind and told everyone to cover their ears. They did and he shot the speakers out, which stopped the creepy music. The speakers slowly died but tried to return, struggling to play again. Eric had enough and he felt forced to empty his whole mag into them and reload a new one.


    After doing so, everyone was relieved, except for Jack who was starting to look rather weak and grew pale. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on?¡± he whispered.


    Speaking inside his mind, he sweats, showing the world around him his weakness. Mallory, where are you? You¡¯d normally start speaking in my broken mind and give me a hint on what¡¯s going on, but you¡¯re gone, so what¡¯s the matter now, huh?! Why am I growing weak and this pain in my chest, why do you keep doing this to me!


    Jack expressed his pain now, letting out huge groaning sounds, making everyone feel worried for him. Angela placed her small hand on his chest and felt how fast his heart was racing. She was about to ask why he¡¯s in pain, but Jack looked at her and grinned to calm her down.


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m fine¡­ it''s-it¡¯s nothing.¡± Jack said.


    Angela spoke out of the most worry, and clutched his chest. ¡°That¡¯s not true! You had the same problems when we were speaking alone!¡±


    Eric saw how weak Jack appeared to be and went up to his nephew. ¡°If that¡¯s true my guy then let me take Angela, it¡¯ll put less strain on that heart of yours.¡±


    Jack obliges to Eric''s assistance and he carries Angela into his arms when the elevator finally stops.


    Eric gave Angela a thumbs up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry baby girl, uncle Eric¡¯s gonna protect you and not make you get shot like he did.¡± He chuckles and Angela puffs her cheeks out angrily, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It was a good opportunity for a joke momma!¡±


    Angela shook her head but grinned. ¡°You guys are too much, honestly.¡±


    Jack¡¯s right eye twitched as his pain grew stronger, but he couldn¡¯t help but bring out a smile of relief. ¡°Tha-Thanks, Uncle.¡±


    Jack clutches his chest, and the doors open, exposing the madness that was ensuing in the lobby. Men in white firing at Eric¡¯s backup crew that were taking cover behind the front lobby counters and metal bench seats.


    ¡°Run!¡± Jack shouted and everyone took cover to something close by.


    Eric ran to the closest cover to some of his boys to get an update of the horrible situation with Angela. Jack was taking cover behind the reception desk.


    Jack looked over the counter and was almost shot in the head, making him duck. ¡°Fu-Fuck; for once where¡¯s the police?!¡± He began blindly shooting.


    Eric commanded his boys to push forward so everyone could get the frenzy. They listened and began advancing, forcing them to slowly move out the front door one by one. It was quite insane to do such a tactic, but it was working, rather, it was working too well and not to Eric¡¯s liking.


    Eric raised an eyebrow. ¡°They¡¯re falling back easily, something ain''t right.¡±


    As Eric¡¯s men continued pushing forward and shooting, Eric saw that the men in white weren¡¯t trying to fire their guns anymore and instead they allowed them to advance and push them out the front door. After a short advancement full of shouting and a barrage of gunfire, they managed to push all of them out the lobby and back into their mysterious white vehicles.


    Candy raised a fist and shouted ¡°Victory!¡± and flipped a finger to them. Eric on the other hand didn¡¯t erase his suspicion, this was more worrisome than a celebration of victory.


    Eric looked over to his men and Candy. ¡°Alright everyone, get outside and back into your cars, we¡¯re getting out of here before the police arrive!¡±


    Everyone listened to his command and started leaving. Eric looked around and felt the air growing heavy and hard to breath. There was an unusual pressure that made it difficult to stay still without shaking.


    ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on? Something ain¡¯t right, and it¡¯s giving me deja vu vibes all over again.¡± He gasps a little, and recognizes a similar situation. ¡°Like that¡­ man!¡±


    Eric panicked and quickly turned around to tell Jack, but saw the elevator door open, and out came the man in the elegant robe.


    Eric¡¯s eyes exploded and Angela saw just how frightened her uncle was. ¡°Er-Eric¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jack! Get out of there!¡± Eric tried aiming his gun, but instead, he was being forced to leave through the front door by an unknown force, which made Angela panic as well. ¡°Wha-What¡¯s happening?! I¡¯m-Im being pushed by something!¡±


    Candy also appeared beside Eric, being pushed by the unknown force too. ¡°What the hell¡¯s going on?! Why¡¯s this happening!¡± Candy shouted, he too saw the man in the robe but also spotted Jack hung over the desk on the verge of passing out. ¡°Jack, get up!¡±


    Both Candy and Eric were almost pushed out. Candy glanced at Angela but she mysteriously passed out? It angered Candy, which forced him to reach for her by fighting the unknown force.


    No matter how hard he tried, Candy couldn¡¯t out strength the unknown pressure. ¡°Angela! Why are you out cold?!¡± Candy grit his teeth and knit his brows. ¡°Say something to get your brother to get off his ass and give him strength to get to us!¡±


    Candy screamed for Jack to wake up, reaching his hand out in his direction. Eric couldn¡¯t bear it either, also joining in with Candy. Both men were shot out the hospital doors and fell alongside Angela. The doors slam shut, everything quiet downed and both men got up in a frenzy. The moment they were freed from the supernatural occurrence, the first thing Eric did was run to the door and try kicking it down, but when he did it felt like he was pushing against a brick wall.


    ¡°Fuck all!¡± Eric yelled furiously, ¡°Goddamn it!¡±


    Just when the situation was growing worse, he also saw that neither of them could see the inside of the hospital lobby. It had been smeared by a mysterious thick white fog. Candy made sure to check on Angela to see if she was hurt. She was fine but remained mysteriously unconscious.


    ¡°What the fuck man, what the actual fuck!¡± Eric grasps his head with one of his hands very angrily, and paces back and forth to come up with a plan to rescue Jack.


    Candy grabbed a nearby rock and threw it against the glass, but that didn¡¯t do anything either. ¡°What on earths going on, Eric?!¡±


    Eric continued growling and pacing while Candy tried thinking of a plan. Thankfully he quickly came up with something, and ran up to Eric.


    He surprised Eric by gripping his shirt and looking serious into his eyes. ¡°You go find another way inside, I¡¯ll take Angela back to the car!¡± Candy¡¯s tone changed, and his voice turned deeper. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving him behind like that! Understand that, this isn¡¯t over, regardless of how lost I am and whatever''s happening¡ªwe¡¯re getting Jack back!¡±


    For once Candy spoke correctly, seriously, and looked angry, enough for Eric to take it seriously for the first time since meeting him. Eric stood there, blinking his eyes rapidly, Candy felt like time was being wasted, and pulled him closer.


    ¡°Go Eric!¡± Candy shouted and pushed him away.


    It was enough to catch Eric off guard, and return a smile of confidence. ¡°Alright, take care of Angela, and here are the keys. Wish me luck!¡± Eric and Candy nod.


    Eric ran off, and his target was to go around the building and go through the emergency doors. Candy glanced at him then brought his eyes to the doors. ¡°If there really is a God, so help us¡­¡± Candy walked back to Angela, picked her up and carried her to the parking lot.


    The man in the robe stood near the elevator door, his arms crossed behind his back, and eyeing Jack. ¡°That should¡¯ve done it, sorry sir William, but it¡¯s much easier to force them out instead of their way.¡± He lets out a chuckle, and walks forward.


    Archard heard and sensed Jack in pain, and saw black drip on the ground in front of him from what appeared to be out from his mouth.


    ¡°Hmm? Seems you might need some assistance.¡± He walks behind Jack, and places his hand on his back, ¡°Hmm, looks like the thing inside you doesn¡¯t like our presence so much, enough for it to hide and let you rot from the inside out.¡± He brings out a nasty unholy grin, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fix you up so you can have a proper meeting with Sir William. You¡¯re already vulgar enough, it¡¯s the least I can do for you, poor bastard.¡±


    Archards hand slightly glows, and it heals Jack of his chest pain and makes him scream out in agony and tip forward.


    Jack fell face first, and felt his back burning horrendously. ¡°What the¡ªfuck!¡±


    He rubbed his burning back as he stood back up, and saw everyone, even all the damage that was created before he blacked out suddenly was all fixed.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, why¡¯s everything so¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Normal you say?¡± Archard said.


    Once Jack heard his voice, he immediately turned around and freaked out.


    ¡°What? Is that a proper way of thanking the person that healed you and made you holy enough to properly meet Sir William?¡± Archard takes a step forward, and Jack books it! ¡°That¡¯s it boy! Run, run like your miserable life depends on it!¡±


    Archard chuckles, and he walks back into the elevator as Jack runs up to the entrance door which slowly, very slowly starts to open up for him.


    Jack¡¯s panicking like mad, and doesn¡¯t understand the current situation he¡¯s in, especially the door that¡¯s weirdly taking forever to slide open.


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Jack dug his fingers between the doors to force it, and hopefully to open it faster, but it was a wasted effort because it felt as if he were pushing two walls away. ¡°Angela, Eric, Candy, where did you go?!¡±


    Even as he¡¯s doing all this work, freaking out and such, he was starting to hear church bells go off outside. Children hauntingly chanting from out of thin air to join in the holy tortured that scrapped against the young mans ear drums. Their voices of God were in and outside of the building, echoing and bouncing off of everything. Jack covered his ears to block out the torture of God.


    ¡°No-No¡­ NO!¡± As this was driving Jack to total madness, the door finally slid open, and he ran.


    The moment Jack laid foot outside, his eyes were flashed by the sun. He covers his eyes, protecting them from the intensity, and at first, everything went dark, he saw different swirling colours, ones you¡¯d see by looking too much at the giant sphere of life. Once Jack could regain his vision and as he lowered his arm; what he saw in front of him was not the outside, the streets of Detroit, or reality whatsoever. Jack was in a completely new world of pure white.


    ¡°Wh-What happened?¡± Jack said, staying frozen in place.


    Jack was in an environment surrounded by clouds of the purest white, skies mildly grey and spooky looking, and the ground beneath him was the pinnacle of fogginess and chill inducing. He felt like he was floating, but it was still a solid surface. The clouds and fog slowly drifted from every direction, and the air felt heavy and so crystal clear he¡¯s never inhaled such purity in his life. Jack was so dumbfounded by this, at a loss for words, completely astonished and spooked out of his mind. He frantically looks everywhere to figure out where he¡¯s out or at the very least try to puzzle everything together and see what¡¯s really going on. Yet Jack couldn¡¯t do any of these things because this was too much for him to comprehend, the situation he was in was so baffling that it brought out a sudden chuckle, one which someone would let out in a manic panicked state.


    ¡°Wh-Why¡¯s this happened all of a sudden?!¡± Jack loses his cool, and he begins to frantically yell.


    The young man clutched his head and his body shook. His own yelling echoed throughout the never ending reality of nothingness. His own voice sounded hollow, miserable, and sad. This was enough for Jack to bring up the question of death again. He dropped to his knees and laughed.


    ¡°Is-Is¡­ is this purgatory?! I fucking hope so!¡± Jack laughed and then coughed out black. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Then someone spoke from out of the distance, startling him. ¡°What a silly question you¡¯ve asked yourself my dear Jacqueline!¡±


    A strong english voice erupted the chamber of white and grey madness, making Jack lose his mind even further. ¡°Calm down there, chap! No need to go all insane you silly rascal, but! It¡¯s not so silly to ask such curiosity, isn¡¯t it, dear boy?¡±


    Jack tried to figure out where the voice was coming from, but all he saw was the same shapes and colours he first saw.


    ¡°Where you are is not of the importance, but rather¡­ How well can you keep your sanity under control? So please, allow me to answer all those burdens you have carried on your poor broad shoulders!¡±


    Suddenly, in front of Jack, a couple of metres away, a violent storm was approaching and swirling clouds erupting like magma coming from the ground of fog.


    Jack covers his face from the intensity and powerful winds that felt like continuous whipping. The young man screams. It was like being in front of a supercell if not worse.


    ¡°Stop this madness! Stop it!¡± Jack felt his skin blistering and the winds were changing temperatures.


    The storm grew stronger, grew colder, hotter, and the clouds puffed out and exploded out in front of him, flowing past his feet and feeling like they were freezing them in place. When the chaos was at its peak, it finally died down, and total calmness swept in. Jack groaned, moaned, growled, and lowered his arms, and watched as the clouds drifted aside to expose a path that led to a mountain of stormy clouds. They were of white and grey that reached up into the skies of rainy depression.


    Someone¡¯s chuckles echoed in the dimension of white. ¡°Walk forward, dear child. Confront the creator of this madness and face your fears.¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t¡­ This-This is¡­ too much.¡± Jack refused, and began walking backwards with a horrified face, but as he turned around, the same path was there also. ¡°HUH?!¡±


    He turned to the right, it was there too. And the left, from every corner around.


    The voice got impatient and sighed. ¡°We don¡¯t have much time, you bellend. You can do this, come on.¡±


    Jack finally gave in to his command and mustered whatever courage he had left in him. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll walk the path. Just please, no more¡­ I¡¯m tired of all this, of¡ªeverything supernatural.¡±


    Jack dragged one of his hands across his face and took big steps, and cautiously walked the path created by the being talking to him.


    ¡°Good, Jack, this way you¡¯ll finally meet me properly, and we can have a nice chat, old fellow.¡±


    Jack continues to walk the white path created by the voice taunting him. The young man grew more nervous, trembling intensely and was on the verge of having another breakdown.


    ¡°Almost there, just a little more, Jacqueline!¡± They said.


    Jack continues, his body feeling more heavy, and ready to drop to his knees like it was ready to worship a God. Then, he was forcibly stopped by an unknown force.


    He couldn¡¯t move a single muscle now, and was forced to take a knee, and bow before someone. ¡°Wh-what?! Huh?!¡±


    ¡°Welcome¡­ Dear Jack.¡± The man¡¯s voice changed to a very serious yet joyful tone.


    The mountain of clouds in front of Jack watered down onto Jack¡¯s feet, and from behind the clouds a light of holy white erupted out from behind them, piercing the skies and purifying the horrid clouds to rain enchanted specs of white. The mountainous sea of clouds swept aside, the fog from the ground waters down back into the ground. And from the last embers of white, rising from behind the clouds and out the ground, out came a figure of a man. It was like watching God himself reveal his true form to Jack. But instead, as everything simmered down, the only person revealing himself to Jack was that of a man in a holy tux of white, hair as blonde as gold, some gold curvy prints over his tux, and a cane made of the purest gold. He slowly rises off the clouds, both hands on the cane, and now, Jack finally could see the man behind this unusual experience and occurrences. It was the man he bumped into a couple of days ago, the one who made his body freak out and not only his body, but made Mallory cower in fear. Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel amazed by the man¡¯s presence, it truly was like being in front of a God.


    Jack¡¯s eyes rattled with every bit of fear he was expressing, he let out a huge gasp, and out of those scared eyes came out a single tear. A tear from not sadness, happiness, but a tear from being so afraid. The man raises his head, revealing his golden eyes of the purest hazel, and smiles gently at Jack as he locks his eyes on him who was still on a knee.


    He blinks softly, raises one hand against his chest and says his name to Jack, and his name was, ¡°Greetings Jack, I am William H. Christ¡­!¡±


    He swirls his cane around him, and taps it on the mist he was standing on, evaporating away all the grey that was in this dimension of nothing. Everything was now a hazy white.


    ¡°...The sixth! The sixth you might ask? Well¡­!¡± He bows as he stares down Jack with those calm yet scary eyes of holiness. ¡°That¡¯s how many centuries I¡¯ve been alive, dear Jack.¡± He reaches his hand out towards Jack¡¯s vision, and the light behind him grows. ¡°It¡¯s a grand pleasure to finally meet you Jack, it¡¯s truly a blessing and at long last, my own self proclaimed prophecy told to me by a dear friend, my dear boy.¡±


    Winds regained their intensity, blowing white all around Jack as he¡¯s left stunned with the pinnacle of fear and amazement coming from William. He turned his smile upside down, and gave Jack a vile look. A look in which you would give to someone who¡¯s a complete utter failure of his own actions, a waste of life, but more importantly, a damned sinner.

 Arc 3 Chapter 20: The Mighty Exorcist named William H. Christ

    Chilly howls blew across the dimensional whiteness that William had summoned Jack in. It¡¯s eerily quiet and it went on for some time, roughly five minutes. When William revealed himself dramatically to Jack, he scared Jack to death. He waited for the young man to say something but didn¡¯t think ahead after doing his grand entrance. William felt embarrassed and found the situation funny. He grinned for a moment, he didn¡¯t mean to scare Jack, it was accidental. To break this silence, William decides to clear his throat loudly, calm the air down a little by waving once and scratch a finger against his noggin. That didn¡¯t do anything but scare Jack even more.


    ¡°Ah, poor child¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to make the young man shit his trousers. Oops, I have sinned, forgive me for my dirty mouth, God.¡± William muttered.


    William didn¡¯t mean to scare him this much, he just wanted to be dramatic and make a big reveal like all the movies he¡¯s seen throughout television''s existence. William continues scratching and taps his cane two times to form steps to walk down his monument.


    But before he could take a step forward, he wanted to calm poor Jack. ¡°Uhh¡­ Terribly sorry there! Uhm, are you really that afraid? Because from what I¡¯ve been told by some of my companions, you don¡¯t seem the type to be easily intimidated nor be scared to the point your trousers turn brown.¡±


    Jack remained quiet, and stumbled a bit.


    William chuckles awkwardly. ¡°Again, I do apologise for being so¡­ incoherent? Ah, what am I talking about? Ahem, now then! Let me introduce myself again¡­¡±


    William swirls his cane around one more time. ¡°I am William H. Christ the sixth! Lovely day we¡¯re having, aren¡¯t we? Jacqueline.¡±


    Jack still couldn¡¯t wrap his brain around the strange setting, but he decides to relax and talk to the mystery man. He wanted to know more about who he was and their objectives.


    ¡°Ni-Nice to meet you¡­ It seems you already know who I am from the way you call me by a girly version of my name?¡±


    ¡°Stand on your knees boy! Come on now, let¡¯s talk properly, like real gentlemen!¡±


    ¡°So-Sorry¡­ it¡¯s just some asshole is forcing me to take a knee.¡±


    William laughed from Jack¡¯s insult. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! There¡¯s the man who my comrades have spoken about! Hahaha!¡±


    Jack stands on his feet, and William begins walking down the staircase of heaven that he created.


    Jack watched William walk down the cloudy stairs, shaking to death. ¡°So? Who are you exactly and the statement about you being alive for six centuries, is-is that true too?¡±


    ¡°My my! Already you¡¯ve recovered from your cowardness and are already full of curiosity and want every bit of me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack still didn¡¯t have a serious face, rather, he was hiding his fear at this point, keeping his face still. ¡°Co-Correct¡­ I am very curious, that part of me still hasn¡¯t faded, it just waits for the right moment to come out and feed my needs of greed to get an answer.¡± He swallows, nervously. ¡°So-So? Again¡­ what exactly are you, you and the other guy, the creepy one in the hooded robe?¡±


    William was halfway down the staircase. ¡°Well you see my child! We two, my partner and I! We¡¯re Exorcists! The most powerful, respectful, beings in known existence. We¡¯re also the ones who keep balance to this¡ªCruel world of man.¡±


    So, that girl was right? The fact that they''re both Exorcists¡­ Jack thought.


    ¡°But what¡¯s the meaning of such a statement?! Do-Do you guys like, kill spirits, and go into people''s dreams and such? Freeing them of their demons!¡± For a moment there, Jack¡¯s voice sounded a bit excited, even William caught onto it.


    Reaching the last step, William claps his hands twice, and the foggy white ground starts to rise, expanding, forming into the shape of a building. It explodes out and as the smoke simmers down, now, there was a bar of some sort. A complex building which would take construction workers weeks, months to build was created in seconds in front of Jack¡¯s very eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± William said with a smile. He noticed Jack¡¯s frightened expression. ¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never seen a pub before?!¡±


    William approaches the pub''s door, and opens it, gesturing to Jack to tag along. Jack couldn¡¯t believe this, any of this. At this point, he¡¯s given up and doesn''t want to question these bizarre things anymore, for now.


    Jack scanned the pub in disbelief. ¡°What are we¡ª?¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be more polite to discuss these things inside of a nice environment, you know? Have a drink while we talk our hearts out and potentially fill you in your dastardly situation!¡±


    Jack moaned. ¡°Alright¡­ I guess that works, but you¡¯re telling me everything, alright old man!¡±


    ¡°OH!! Jack my child, how dare you call me old! I may be four hundred plus years old¡­ But I¡¯m still in my prime!¡± William laughs.


    Jack swallows nervously. ¡°Ho-How old are you then? If we abide by how you currently look and to human standards.¡±


    ¡°Hey! Who says I¡¯m still not human? Hahaha, but to answer your question, my child, I¡¯d say around, early forties. Still find me to be old huh?!¡± He laughs again and walks inside.


    Jack sighs, and follows behind, but before opening the door, he looked back, so he could observe the environment one last time. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to believe anymore¡­ This is growing rather annoying, it¡¯s like the world we knew was never real to begin with.¡±


    Feeling conflicted about his new problematic feelings for reality, he finally opens the door and walks inside the pub that William created out of his supernatural powers, closing the door gently, and the world around them fades.


    Back in reality, Eric managed to get inside the hospital and get to the lobby, having to find one of the backdoors wide open almost as if he was being welcomed back in. Finding Jack missing and the hooded fellow gone, he presumed that Jack was kidnapped by the stranger. He felt irritated with himself for allowing this to happen so he quickly went back into the elevator to grab something from Angela¡¯s room instead, now that Jack¡¯s gone.


    ¡°Fuck man, where did that scary ass looking bum go to?!¡± He slams the button to her floor out of anger for letting them take Jack away.


    I¡¯ll find you my guy, no matter how long it takes, I¡¯ll search everywhere in this bigass place if I have to first! Eric thought.


    Thinking that the mysterious man might still be here and not conceding to Jack¡¯s mysterious disappearance, he made sure to check if his gun was fully loaded and to call Jack¡¯s phone, hopefully to track down its ringtone to at least answer his presumed kidnapping.


    Finally reaching the floor he needed to grab the important item, as Eric continued ringing Jack¡¯s phone to track down its noise, he miraculously heard it. It was coming from down the empty carnaged hallway. With his phone still against his ear, slowly raising his gun to aim down the hallway; as he begins to walk carefully, his senses as sharp as a knife, he noticed that Jack¡¯s phone was not only ringing from down the hall, but to his left now. He aimed and as he turned to his left, it was to his right too. He started sweating. Jack¡¯s ringtone started to distort, creating a horrific high pitched sound of scratching torture, enough to make ones ears bleed.


    Eric held his ground though, fighting off the sound of new found torture. ¡°Whatever¡¯s happening, I ain¡¯t giving up¡­ I have to keep pushing.¡±


    Eric presses on, determined to find the source of his phone¡¯s location. He ignores the sounds to his sides and walks down the hallway to Angela¡¯s now old room. As the sounds of what would¡¯ve been a bad ringtone, were now creating screams of tortured victims and damaging Eric¡¯s ear drums; He felt annoyed and eager to find the source of the creepy phenomena. With his gun still pointing at his frontal view, still dialling Jack¡¯s broken sounding phone, he was getting closer to her old room, until all the noise came to a halt.


    Eric scrunched his face. ¡°Everything¡¯s quiet now. Eh, damn, I don¡¯t like the feel of this.¡±


    The huge boulder of a man gazed at everything, seeing if anything was about to stand out or pop out. Feeling that a jumpscare was about to happen, Eric wanted to shoot the ceiling once to see if someone or something will attack or surprise him. His instincts quickly told him that that was a bad idea so he loudly groaned and lowered his firearm. When Eric thought everything became too quiet, something else erupted from the atmosphere. In its place, the sound Eric heard was that of hearing pure white noise, and someone¡¯s muffled chuckles behind it.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the curious one, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Eric loudly gasped. The voice of a man cut out the complete static silence and the sunlight that was penetrating the windows down the hallway shone an orange dawn light. They laughed and it was clear to hear and made Eric tremble.


    ¡°I see, I see. So, you¡¯re probably here to rescue your dear buddy Jack. I presume, strange fellow?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± Eric shouted out of fear, ¡°Show yourself, p-punk!¡± He raised his gun and it trembled badly because of how shakened he was.


    What the fucks going on¡­ is this what Jack was talking about? Eric thought.


    His breathing was growing heavy, he was actually scared for once. The man laughed again, and now footsteps were disrupting the air.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show myself again, and this time, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯ll forget any of this ever happened.¡±


    Heavy boots echoed throughout the hallway of solitude. It made Eric¡¯s skin crawl, and he wondered where he was coming from. The heavy footsteps came from everywhere.


    ¡°Child¡­¡± He said menacingly, ¡°You may be a sinner, but you''re more of a man to God than Jack ever was, so I won¡¯t harm you too much.¡±


    His threats sparked anger in Eric, bringing out a vein out of his temple to express it.


    ¡°You and along with the sinful people of this atrocious city.¡±


    The footsteps grew closer, so close in fact Eric thought he was coming from behind. Eric turned round, pointed his gun and out saw someone¡¯s legs coming out of Angela¡¯s room to then expose their whole body. The gleaming curtained lights evaporated as soon as the stranger fully stepped out into the hallway, revealing himself to Eric and coming to a showdown between the two. Eric turned blanched, it was the man with the hooded robe who stood down the hallway, staring menacingly in Eric¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Time for your cleansing, child.¡± The hooded man muttered. He glared at Eric. ¡°You¡¯re nothing but a sinner for pointing a tool of mass destruction at someone so close to God such as myself.¡±


    Eric didn¡¯t say a word, he couldn¡¯t see the man''s face because of his hood''s shadow covering it. Although he did notice a small glow of gold coming from what would be his blacked out pupils glaring directly at him. Eric wanted to fire, shoot the man on the spot, but his body was telling him it would be the most regrettable decision he would ever make in his life thus far. So, to get some answers out of the man, he was gonna test him.


    Eric let out a struggling sigh. ¡°Wh-Where¡¯s Jack? What did you do to him?¡±


    The man only replied with his ominous glare.


    ¡°Who the hell are you¡­¡± Eric asked.


    The man replied by lowering his head more. Eric tried one last effort to get something out of him.


    ¡°HEY!¡± Eric shouted with a toughened tone, ¡°Creepy man, you-you like to fight?¡± Eric lowered his gun and put it away, ¡°Because I do. So why don¡¯t we fight like men and if I beat your ass, you¡¯ll tell me where you took my guy Jack, and who you are. Is-Is that okay?¡±


    Eric cracked a knuckle, nervously but managing to hide it enough to seem less scared than before.


    That did something, he definitely got a reaction out of him when he mentioned the word ¡®fight¡¯. The hooded man raises his head again, now half his face could be seen, but only his lower half.


    He lightly growled in excitement. ¡°Why yes, I do? A man of both action and words, how naive, how thoughtful and generous you are.¡± He lowers his arms, and chuckles slightly. ¡°I would definitely answer and take part in your request but for now¡­¡±


    He raised his arms to the ceiling, making Eric raise and aim the gun again. He shook violently, afraid of what supernatural occurrence he might ensue.


    The hooded man knitted his brows and grinned. ¡°...I¡¯ll think about it; for later on, kind sir.¡±


    Eric tilted his head slightly yet nervously, waiting to see what he was about to do. ¡°Wh-What are you talking about?¡±


    The hooded man''s fingers twitched. ¡°I¡¯ll see you some other time, sir Eric.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you¡ª?!¡±


    A sudden flash of white light exploded out of the man like an expanding sphere of pure blindness, turning reality to black and white. Eric screamed while being engulfed by the expansion. The light flashed his eyesight, the man groaned as the light erupted out of the floor they were on. Candy was outside across the street from the hospital, sitting on a bench with Angela laying by his side. He too saw the light flash out of the window and panicked, screaming.


    Candy grabbed Angela while his eyes bugged out. ¡°Oh shit, Eric!¡±


    Once his eyes were back on the hospital setting, he saw every room, floor, and window being engulfed by the flashing light of purity. He was amazed and in disbelief, but grew in a panic state when he saw the light starting to engulf the whole hospital. Candy picked Angela and started running. The flash of light grew bigger, reaching vastly to Candy¡¯s tail. It suddenly exploded, distorting and smearing whiteness everywhere. Candy screamed his lungs out as he covered Angela while being consumed by the flash. The explosion made white noise of complete silence, muffling out not only Candy¡¯s screams but, eventually, the population of the entire city fell victim to it. The white explosion shrunk down and then re-exploded, nuking a flash of distortion that consumed the entire city of Detroit, erasing every colour from existence.


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    The entire white sphere of purifying white destruction continued expanding until it had no victim. It flashed one more time and then, pure silence as it flashed the world white.


    ¡°Hehe, Haha!¡± Archard clapped his hands once and brought everything to a complete wipe out. ¡°Good luck, Jack, may Sir William bless your poor dreadful soul.¡±


    ***


    Inside the pub that William created, he was walking around, feeling nostalgic and at home from the bar, a hung up Winchester rifle above the bar, pool tables, and wood made by the finest trees. The seats were crafted well, the mugs were the cleanest Jack has ever seen, finally, the lighting inside made it feel like he was back in England.


    William was about to make his way to one of the pool tables, but prevented himself from enjoying the environment, he had to stay serious. ¡°So Jack, why don¡¯t you take a seat and have a drink with me?¡± William said, walking to a table and releasing a calm breath. ¡°There¡¯s not much we can talk about if you just stood there with your eyes prowling around my odd satisfaction that is my powers.¡±


    William chuckles and takes a seat. There was already whiskey poured into shot glasses. He grabbed one shot glass and drank one, feeling more relaxed than ever. Jack stood baffled but eager to find out some if not all the answers he''s been seeking.


    William lowered his shot glass and felt flustered. ¡°Ooo, so strong but does it ease the stress away. Now, come, child, sit, we don¡¯t have much time now.¡±


    Jack did hear William but he wanted to look around one last time, he couldn¡¯t help himself, all this was too much to comprehend. Though William was right, there¡¯s no time to waste so he nods and shakes his head.


    ¡°O-Okay.¡± Jack said in a shaky tone.


    He walks over to William¡¯s table and pulls a chair out, taking a seat. William observes Jack as he¡¯s sitting down, pouring himself another shot while he keeps his eyes on the young man.


    Having sat down, Jack eyes William as he takes another shot. ¡°So, what do I¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Hold on there, I¡¯ll ask you something first, I¡¯m very curious if you mind?¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± Jack replied, frowning.


    William stretched for a moment and laid his arms on the table, putting aside his new shot of alcohol. ¡°Tell me Jacqueline¡­ what is it that you desire?¡± William clasped his hands and cleared his throat. ¡°What¡¯s coursing through that toughened broken blackened heart, mind of yours, hm?¡±


    Jack scrunched his face. ¡°I-I, I¡¯m not really following what your¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Answer the question, Jack. And don¡¯t you lie to me, you know I can read people like books by looking directly into their eyes.¡±


    ¡°Re-Really?¡± Jack nervously replied.


    ¡°Yes, really, I can, like their deepest most either greediest or wholesome thoughts, and more. But, eh, let''s leave it at that, shall we? So, please do go on, carefully.¡±


    Feeling pressured and slightly threatened, Jack answers his question before asking him his own set of questions.


    ¡°To protect the things that I¡ª¡± Jack stops, noticing William¡¯s glare, ¡°I-I love¡­ or¡ªdo I?¡± He bites his lip, and looks down, starting to frantically breathe.


    Why-Why am I hesitating? Did-Did I just lie?


    William sighs. ¡°Well, at least you tried, child, but for failing to answer my question; You can only ask me three questions for now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! What type of bull¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth and don¡¯t you dare raise your lowly voice at me, you rude prude.¡± William lays back on the chair and crosses his arms. ¡°Alright now, go on then, ask me anything that you desire, sinner.¡±


    ¡°Why-Why you¡­ Damn it.¡± Jack slams his fists on the table but without any energy put into it because he didn¡¯t want to trigger anything else to shorten their conversation.


    What do I ask? Is he just tricking me into something, none of this makes any sort of sense¡­ Jack thought.


    ¡°Hurry Jack-O-lantern, I don¡¯t have all day you peleck.¡± William grabbed his shot glass and took another shot.


    ¡°Okay¡­ M-My first question is¡ª¡± Jack swallows, nervously. ¡°Wha-What are you, exactly? I-I know you said you¡¯re an Exorcist, but who are you really? I-I would like to know more, please.¡±


    William was intrigued, Jack even made him raise an eyebrow out of interest, so he was more than happy to answer Jack¡¯s first question.


    ¡°Alright then, Ahem! To start it off, I am what I say, Jacky boy, I¡¯m an Exorcist, but not just any Exorcist; I¡¯m a man of God, faith, and goodwill. As I said before, Jack, I¡¯ve been around for a very, very long time, precisely six centuries.¡±


    ¡°Six centuries?¡± Jack responded, surprised.


    ¡°Over six hundred plus years you donut.¡± William replied, bouncing his head.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I¡¯m not very educated with some words.¡±


    William blinks and pours himself yet another shot. ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­ Well then, to finish off your question, as an Exorcist I¡¯m hired to exterminate spirits and, uncommonly, demonic beings that are very rare cases that appear every so decade or two.¡±


    Feeling intrigued about his mentioning of demons and having to deal with one of his own, he wanted to ask him more about it, but decisively, he chooses not to. Instead Jack follows it up by continuing the conversation.


    ¡°Ha-Have you ever met one?¡±


    Having asked William his follow up, it triggered something in William because before indulging another shot, he paused. With a blank stare on William¡¯s face, Jack felt a little weirded out. William snaps back into normality and his eyes set on Jack in a very serious way, making him feel more nervous.


    ¡°Why¡­ yes, I have¡ªplenty, and, currently so.¡± Williams chuckles and takes one final shot. ¡°You have one last question to ask, sir Jack.¡±


    Jack gasps, he felt stupid now because he was so intrigued about the whole demon stuff that he forgot he was only allowed to ask three questions, but he accidenlty asked two in the conversation.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ What do I ask, Goddamn¡ª¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue child, you don¡¯t have to put God¡¯s name in vain you plonker.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± The pressure was on Jack now, all he had to ask was one final question.


    But what? What?! What could I possibly ask¡ª?


    Suddenly, Jack thought of something. A reasonable question and undoubtedly, one William can definitely answer.


    Glancing at his golden watch, William rolls his eyes and sighs. ¡°Have you come up with something? We¡¯re wasting precious time here, sir Jack.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I finally do. What is your purpose here then? What¡¯s your intentions and are you working with Dr. Cato?¡±


    William raises both brows, smiling even. ¡°You know what? Even though you¡¯ve asked me three questions just now, I¡¯ll answer them all since they correlate with each other.¡± William stands up calmly and walks next to Jack.


    ¡°Alright, then answer them.¡± Jack said, sounding serious.


    ¡°Impatient are we? Well well, if you must know, my priority here or should I say, objective is; very simple, Jacqueline.¡± William eases in on Jack¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m here to deal with the tragic monstrosity that¡¯s inside the poor girl known as Angela, I do believe so?¡±


    ¡°Angela?! So my gut was right, you¡¯re after her and¡­ wait, wh-what did you just say, the last part?!¡±


    ¡°You heard me correctly, Jack. Unless you¡¯re death? I said, I¡¯m here to Exorcise the tragedy that¡¯s inside her. The very being that has not only infested you, but others as well.¡±


    Jack¡¯s jaw clenched, his fists tightened, he was shocked to hear what William had just told him, and that was the known existence of the girl inside not only his dreams, but it answered his question about the connection between both her and Angela. Jack felt baffled, surprised, so much that he began chuckling in amusement because he was happy a question he wanted out of Angela was answered by none other than a stranger whom he never met. Jack was so blinded by this shock that he ignored the statement said about others also infested by the very being who he has blamed these past years for his suffering.


    Though the pub was silent with their voices being the only noise being made, its silence was shattered by Jack¡¯s chuckles. The more he chuckled, the more noisy it got, quite annoyingly at that.


    ¡°Sir, Jack? You find this news amusing?¡± William said, sounding annoyed.


    William hated this sight, watching Jack chuckle like a buffoon brought utter annoyance to him. He expressed utter disgust, twitching an eye to then clench his teeth as he watched a dumb fool like Jack laugh for no reason. To make the broken man stop his senseless laughter and bring them to an end, he slams his cane on the ground, shattering the floor beneath them. Although, that didn¡¯t do anything, actually it made it worse. Jack laughed hysterically now, slapping a palm against his forehead from how uncontrollable his laughter was becoming.


    William had enough, as he was about to do something unthinkable to Jack, Jack finally stopped laughing and sighs out of relief, bringing out a smile afterwards.


    ¡°So-Sorry man¡­ it¡¯s just, what a relief you know?! Wow, I-I can¡¯t believe what I¡¯ve just heard!¡± Jack lets out one last burst of laughter.


    ¡°Shut your bloody trap already!¡± William claps his hands, wiping away the reality they were in, he¡¯s had enough of this circus act Jack was putting up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Wait¡­ wh¡ª?!¡± Jack¡¯s chair disappeared and he was floating now. ¡°Holy shit! What a mad man you are!¡±


    ¡°You dare call me Mad?! You¡¯re the one who¡¯s taking the piss, Jack! So enough of your charades, this conversation is over.¡±


    ¡°Whoa Whoa, hold up there, if you''re here to Exorcise her? Then can you do the same to me! Can you free me as well?!¡± Jack opens his arms out and as far as he could. ¡°Free me man, free me of the wretched bitch! I welcome thee! HaHa!¡±


    From the beginning Jack felt scared and was a nervous wreck when he first met William. But after hearing he had the power to wipe entities, spirits, and erasing nuisances like her made all those feelings go away. Instead he welcomed William''s presence and embraced the idea of this technique he¡¯ll ensue on Angela to get rid of the girl. The joyment in Jack¡¯s broken mind, it was unbearable for him, he couldn¡¯t resist sharing such emotions, so he returned his annoying laughter and spun around the floating white nothingness.


    William on the other hand had enough, he¡¯s grown tired of Jack. So he claps his hands twice, bringing this meeting to an end. The whiteness transitioned to static, a horrible noise sounding close to that of loud ringing made Jack stop his senseless laughter so he could cover his ears. William watches the static override the white world and engulf it to a static noise dimension. William sighs as he watches Jack suffer from the noise only Jack could hear. The noise grew louder, making Jack¡¯s ears bleed. Finally, Jack had enough and screamed out in pain, begging William to stop on whatever he was ensuing, but William responded by shaking his head, tapping his cane once on air.


    ¡°Sorry boy, but you¡¯ve annoyed me, so I must punish you, though I will say this!¡± William points his cane at Jack. ¡°Tonight Dr. Cato will attack you, but I won¡¯t say where.¡±


    Jack conitued screaming, groaning loudly in pain.


    William grinned. ¡°You¡¯re probably asking yourself, why did I just rat out his plans to seize the girl from you?¡± William was the one chuckling now.


    Jack wanted to say something but the white noise, the static, was overwhelming him, to the point now his eyes were bleeding. ¡°Ahhh! A-Ahh¡ª!¡± Jack yelled and let out an angry scream full of his agonised pain.


    William stopped his chuckles and got serious again. ¡°To finally answer my own question Jacky, boy¡­ It¡¯s because I too detest that selfish man, so what better way to foil someone I find vulgar than to expose his plans to his foe! Haha! How lovely, right, ol chap?¡± William spins his cane, and brushes his hair with his fingers. ¡°I have my own way of getting the girl and freeing everyone along with a broken man like you from that thing inside the poor soul¡­ But, you¡¯ll soon find the answer when we meet again. Until then Jacqueline! Farewell and don¡¯t die on me¡­ yet.¡±


    Jack screams bloody murder, his eyes were still bleeding, turning his vision red, then darkness engulfed his sight. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Williams muffled laughter. As darkness overtook Jack¡¯s mind, he felt all the pain he experienced moments ago disappear. Once the pain was gone, he then opened the shut lids over his eyes, fully bug eyed and awoke from a bed. He sat right up and coughed, panting erratically too. While catching his breath he looked around and noticed he was back on his bed in the hotel.


    ¡°Wh-What¡­ the, he-hell?!¡± Jack dug his fingers into his hair, feeling quite agitated. ¡°Je-Jesus Christ¡­ What-What a fucking monster th-that man is¡­ to think people like him exist too, how fucking freighnting!¡±


    For once, Jack was actually terrified of someone other than Mathew, much different than being afraid of the big oaf.


    The difference between the two was night and day. As he caught his breath, wiped his forehead, laid back down, and stared at the ceiling; He quietly said, ¡°Though I¡¯m still afraid of Mathew¡­ this guy, William¡ªis a nightmare come true. I better be careful or I¡¯m dead.¡±


    While staring at the ceiling, Jack then remembered as he was being tortured by the static, it was what William told him before blacking out. It was about Dr. Cato and his involvement with him, although they seem to be working together, that William guy didn¡¯t like him from his description. Jack wondered if Dr. Cato thought the same about William, it definitely raised more questions for Jack, and more for him to find the answers to.


    Jack got off the bed, and glanced to his left, spotting Eric asleep too. Jack wondered why Eric was here, asleep, when they were at the hospital with everyone else. After bringing everything together, Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide, he started panicking and noticed Angela wasn¡¯t here. Everything started falling apart inside his mind, he screams, waking and scaring Eric out of his sleep.


    Eric too screamed and clutched his head. ¡°Yo?! What the fuck man?!¡± Eric shouted as he saw Jack freak out, he was gripping his hair and still screaming. ¡°Yo, relax? Wait¡­ hold up?!¡±


    ¡°No no no no! Why-Why are we back here!¡± Jack shouted.


    Eric too wondered why they were back in the hotel. ¡°Wait a minute, you¡¯re right! Where the fuck¡­? How did I¡­! Yo!¡± Eric then noticed Angela¡¯s absence too, ¡°Where¡¯s Angela!¡±


    Jack stopped his senseless yelling, and bolted out of bed. ¡°Angela, I¡¯m coming!¡± He stormed out of the room with nothing but his socks and clothes.


    Eric on the other hand puts his shoes on, grabs his gun, and quickly runs after him. Jack rushed out of the hotel lobby, pushed his way through the entrance doors, and ran into the streets like a madman. He ran across the busy intersection, cars honked, people cursed at him, he rolled over hoods, running back into the busy sidewalk full of people. Eric was right behind him now, he tried reaching for him but Jack was running like his life was on the line.


    ¡°Go-Goddamn my gu-guy¡­ You¡¯re ne-never this fast!¡± Eric¡¯s muscles were slowing him down. ¡°Fuck¡­ I¡¯m not meant for running ma-man!¡±


    As Eric continued chasing the crazy madman Jack had become, his phone rang. While running Eric reaches into his pocket and pulls it out, answering it. ¡°What?! Who''s thi-this?!¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ so rude as usual dark chocolate, Hmph!¡± Candy said, puffing his cheeks out.


    ¡°Awh man! Frui-Fruit loop! How¡¯d you get my number?!¡±


    ¡°Look here honey, it¡¯s not about how or why I have¡ªokay we¡¯ll answer that later. Right now, where are you and why does it sound like your¡­ ooo, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Stop right there gay boy!¡± Eric¡¯s shouting made Jack stop because he heard Eric mention the word Gay.


    Both men finally came to a halt in front of some bakery. Eric was relieved because he could catch his breath now. Jack on the other hand didn¡¯t bother, he rushed up to Eric and grabbed his phone out of his hand.


    ¡°Hey! The fucks wrong with you? You could¡¯ve said please at least crazy ass.¡± Eric said, taking the moment to catch his breath.


    Jack¡¯s eyes were wide, their vessels showing, he didn¡¯t hesitate and shouted into the phone. ¡°Candy!¡±


    Candy, who was standing in front of the hospital, pushes the phone away from his ear. ¡°Oww! What the fuck was that for?!¡±


    ¡°Candy, tell me where you¡¯re at and where¡¯s Angela?!¡±


    ¡°Not even an apology you asshole, Hmph! Whatever, but I¡¯m standing outside the hospital, I don¡¯t know what happened but like it''s strange, sweetheart.¡± Candy places his hand on his hip and sways it, ¡°Like shits not normal, you know what I mean?¡±


    Eric grabs Jack''s shoulder, turning him around to face him. ¡°Relax man, what the hell¡¯s going on? Why are we asleep in our hotel beds when we were at the hospital with fag boy and Angela?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes still wide, sweat dripping down the side of his face, he lowers the phone and looks to the side. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ we were there, and wait!¡± He brought his gaze to Eric. ¡°What¡¯s the last thing you remembered?!¡±


    ¡°Me? Uh, well I remember you wanted to talk to Angela alone then me and gay boy walked outside into the hallway and now we¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Anything else?! Like¡­ hold up, it couldn¡¯t be?¡± Jack then raised the phone back against his ear, ¡°Candy, what¡¯s the last thing you remembered and why are you outside when you should be in the room with Angela?¡±


    Candy smacked his lips. ¡°The last thing I remembered was exactly what Eric said honey, and to answer your second concern it¡¯s because the doctor told me to step out for a second, he wanted to do tests on Angela to ensure her leave.¡±


    ¡°Ensure her leave? What¡¯s happening, what is going on?¡± And then, it hit Jack. Before having a conversation with William, he remembered a man in an elegant robe, and when he tried escaping from him¡­ he was transported out of reality.


    This must''ve been that man''s doing, this was all a part of your plan, wasn¡¯t it? William H. Christ. Jack thought.


    As Candy stood outside, his hip sticking out, he saw a familiar face, and that was Jack¡¯s friend Veronica who was just strolling by out of coincidence. Candy shouts her name and when she hears her name being called, he waves at her to make himself be noticed. Veronica walks up to him with books in her arms, and smiles.


    ¡°Hey! How are you? Wait¡­¡± She glances around Candy, ¡°Jack wouldn¡¯t happen to be around, right?¡±


    Candy sticks the phone in front of her. ¡°Hello to you, too beautiful, but he¡¯s right here, but on the phone teehee!¡± He winked at her, and she got nervous.


    Candy saw her arms quiver as she held those books against her chest. Even her eyes were rattling too.


    ¡°You okay cutie? You seem troubled?¡± Candy asked.


    ¡°Huh! No no, it¡¯s just that¡­ it¡¯s¡ª¡±


    Both of them then heard Jack shout her name, Eric smacks Jack¡¯s back.


    ¡°Relax yo!¡± Eric said, massaging his hand. ¡°Damn you got a strong back.¡±


    ¡°So-Sorry¡­ Uh, Veronica! Can you hear me?¡±


    Veronica stood there, silently shivering out of nervousness. She hadn¡¯t forgotten what Jack had done when he came to her rescue a couple of nights ago. It¡¯s possibly the most freightening experience so far in her entire life, not because she was almost violated, but because the boy she once knew was about to commit a murder right in front of her, causully too. Jack kept asking if Veronica could hear him as Candy held the phone in front of her, waiting.


    ¡°Sweetheart, you gonna let him hang? Or are you gonna answer him, because he¡¯s starting to annoy me boo boo!¡±


    Giving it some thought, she gives in and grabs the phone out of Candy¡¯s pale hand, holding it against her ear. ¡°Ye-Yes¡­ I can¡­ Jack.¡±


    Jack sighs out of relief. ¡°Thank goodness, okay listen, can you do me a big favour?¡±


    Veronica pauses, now a sign of anger was showing. Her eyes were narrowing and her Jaw was tightening. ¡°Fa-Favour? The audacity¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ wh-what do you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°You really think you have the right to ask me a¡ªFavour?! After what you almost committed in front of me not too long ago!¡± Although she was angry, when the words were coming out of her mouth, it didn¡¯t appear like she was, her voice sounded too soft.


    Luckily Candy¡¯s a master reader of body language and he knew she was angry, so he says, ¡°Uh-Oh¡± because he already assumed what she meant by committed.


    Dumbass Jack probably almost killed someone from the sounds of it, honestly that big asshole. Candy thought. He crosses his arms and sighs as he shakes his head in disappointment.


    Jack already knew what she was talking about, so to lessen the situation, he takes a deep breath. ¡°I know, I¡¯m sorry, but right now is not the time to talk of the past. Right now, I want you, one of my closest friends, to help me. This isn¡¯t for my selfish needs, this is about Angela¡¯s safety, so¡­ could you please brush this aside and we can talk it through later? Like uhh¡ª¡±


    ¡°Date¡­ say date.¡± Eric whispered to Jack.


    ¡°Date! We can talk it through a date! How about it, Veronica?¡± Jack said as he scrunch his face in confusion.


    At first she was truly about to go off, but when she heard the word ¡®Date¡¯, her face turned red and her eyes were becoming erratic.


    Da-Da-Date! Veronica thought.


    Veronica lowered her voice, sounding childish. ¡°Ar-Are you serious¡­ or is this another escape goat for something serious?¡±


    ¡°No no, we¡¯ll go on one tomorrow. Promise!¡± Eric thumbs up Jack and he nods repeatedly still confused.


    ¡°Really¡­ Do you really mean it¡ª? Wait a second¡­ do you even know what a date even is?¡± Veronica asked, raising a brow, growing suspicious.


    Jack raises a brow too, and tries remembering what it meant. ¡°Yeah! If I remember, I went on one with Sarah a couple of days ago. Is that what you¡¯re referencing?¡±


    Upon hearing that, her face turned even redder, but because she was furious. ¡°Wh-Wh-What?! Oh I¡¯m going to have my word with her!¡± She puffed her cheeks out and stomps the ground, ¡°Stupid Sarah, dummby Jack!¡±


    As Veronica was having her temper tantrum, Candy took the phone out of her hand and took control. ¡°She¡¯s going berserk, anyhow we¡¯ll wait for you two here at the hospital, okay sexy guys! Chow!¡± Candy hangs up the phone and watches the smart bratty girl go haywire.


    Jack and Eric stood there scratching their heads, but this wasn¡¯t the time to stick around and think, they had to get back to the hospital and get back to Angela.


    Eric tapped the young man''s shoulder. ¡°So, whats the situation?¡±


    Jack looked off to the side, and started speaking to himself quietly. ¡°To think we¡¯re here¡­ when all of that chaos was happening right before our eyes; the guns, the people, our men, everything¡­ And now no one remembers a damn thing, those guys really are a force to be reckoned with.¡±


    Eric cringed and quickly grabbed his phone out of Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°Why are you talking to yourself like crazy?¡± Eric started walking forward, ¡°Come on, we gotta get back to them and find out what the hell is really going on because I¡¯m just as freaked out as you, my guy.¡±


    Without saying another word, Jack nods and follows Eric. Both men were on their way back to the hospital to see both Candy and Veronica; when it felt like minutes ago they were already there. With concerned looks on their faces, both made sure they were locked and loaded, just to be safe if anything else truly did go south.


    William¡­ you¡¯re unbelievable. And I¡¯ve never been so afraid of someone or something¡ªuntil now. Jack thought.

 Arc 3 Chapter 21: The Calm Before The Storm

    Inside the tiny home that belonged to Sarah¡¯s family, both women were in the living room, waiting for the man of the household to arrive. There was a platter of tea and condiments, along with coffee ready to be served. Sarah¡¯s mother grabbed herself a cup and indulged in its sweetness. Sarah meanwhile stayed frozen and was a nervous wreck. She was so anxious, her legs were jittering, her arms quaked, she couldn¡¯t control herself from being so afraid to talk to her father. Sarah¡¯s mother on the other hand was completely calm and at peace, rather she had a gentle smile on her face as she sipped on her tea.


    A moment later their door opens, and it was her father who¡¯s just arrived. Putting down his suitcase, taking off his shoes and the look of permanent depression on his face, the moment he walked into the living room, he was caught by surprise. There were two people whom he never thought would ever wait for his return, let alone give a toot. He glances at the two, but when he does glance at her mother he smacks his lips. When glancing at his daughter, he looked so ashamed, he looked guilty and even looked down.


    Why are they here¡­ staring, tormenting me with those eyes, especially my daughter¡ªwhose eyes resembled that bitch of a mother she had when we first met. Sarah¡¯s father thought.


    Silence ensued, nobody said anything. Sarah sat there, gripping her skirt while her mother kept sipping her tea quietly. Her father stood there, clenched fists, and ready to burst out in anger at any given moment. After minutes of intense silence, Sarah¡¯s mother stands, turns to her father, and is the first to say a word.


    ¡°So? How was work, d-a-r-l-i-n-g?¡±


    Sarah tilts her head a bit, but her father, his eyes were wide and his teeth were clenched. ¡°Fa-Fath¡ª¡±


    ¡°You vile, bitch!¡± Her father shouted abruptly, stopping Sarah from saying anything further. ¡°What? What do you want?! Why are you greeting me, why are you sitting here seeming as if you''re trying to welcome my presence? What! Is it because of the supposed talk you wanted to speak about? I thought we already dealt with that. Haha! Is this your way to sugar coat yourself and force me to succumb to your needs so we can¡­ talk?! Again!¡± Sarah¡¯s father started laughing more out of anger.


    Sarah¡¯s mother with a smile still on her face, instead of calming him down, provoked him even further by saying, ¡°No, I just wanted to welcome back my beloved husband after a long day at work, that¡¯s all.¡± And finishes with an aggravating giggle that reminded him of their tragic past.


    The anger, the agonised anger Sarah¡¯s father has built upon the being he detests so much for so long, now she¡¯s done it. He finally had enough, his eyes bulging out intensely, teeth grinding and showing, he lifts a hand, and begins building up mana to the centre of his palm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had¡­ ENOUGH!¡± The mana quickly gathered, he was ready to shoot out a blast that was filled with years of anger and agitation upon the being who¡¯s taken not only his entire life away, but his whole existence too.


    The ball of mana grew bigger, blowing apart the living room they were in, and destroying the entirety of their home. Bricks flew in every direction, the lovely plants they grew blown away from the intense wind that was pulsing out of his palm. Sarah¡¯s mother stood there confidently as her hair fluttered violently from the intensity of his growing anger. Sarah covered her face from the plasma that was shooting out uncontrollably. He was so livid that he wasn¡¯t paying attention to the environment around him, it was spiralling out of control to the point that the neighbourhood they were in was beginning to crumble from just him gathering mana. Houses were struck by the flying bricks from their home, the plasma grew so vile and big that it dragged itself from the ball of mana onto the ground like an uncontrollable electric knife cutting itself deep into the earth. The slithering plasma cut, flickered its way throughout the neighbourhood, killing people, destroying homes, striking the skies, and lastly, the force of the intense winds blew away the last reminiscence of the area.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t bear to watch not only her house be destroyed by his blind rage, but the destruction he was ensuing to everything else around them. As She glimpsed around, it was too late for the rest, everything was being destroyed. Sarah had enough. She too was about to lift a hand to stop his actions until her mother suddenly vanished in front of them. Sarah looked around, but as she glanced around she noticed her father¡¯s eyes following something. She too looked around them and then¡­


    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough, sweetheart.¡± Sarah¡¯s mother appeared out of thin air behind her father, and grabbed his hand from behind; Gently closing his palm with ease and that gathered energy dissipated the moment his hand was closed.


    His eyes shook, but not out of fear, but at the pinnacle of anger. He screams out in furry and grips his hair, dropping to his knees. Sarah watched her father scream his lungs out, seeming so broken and hopeless. When gazing at her mother, she still had that calm smile on her face. Sarah then glanced around them, analysing all the destruction her father caused just by gathering solely on mana, leaving her paralysed with shock. If her father can cause this much destruction simply by gathering energy and from what she felt was not him at his fullest; She wonders how much she would cause if she ever found herself out of control if done in reality.


    As Sarah stood there, awestruck, body trembling, her mother got down behind him and wrapped her wretched arms around him. Hugging and comforting him, but not out of the kindness of her heart, but to torture him further. He screams even louder and tries breaking free from her grip, but her warmth, it reminded him of the past even further, bringing the man to succumb to her tormenting hug.


    He cries out in agony, and shouts, ¡°Why!¡± and hangs his head in shame.


    Her mother looks at Sarah with those ominous eyes of wretched beauty. ¡°It¡¯s okay, shh, don¡¯t cry. Sarah, why don¡¯t you go hangout with your friends, we¡¯ll talk later tonight, okay, my little glimmer of life.¡± Sarah¡¯s mother began singing a lullaby to ease the poor man¡¯s soul she¡¯s torturing.


    Sarah clenches her fists. ¡°Wh-What about the damage, and, our home?¡±


    ¡°Not to worry, my dear daughter. I¡¯ll fix it as soon as your father stops being a big cry baby.¡± Her mother returns to her horrid pampering and rocks both of them side to side.


    Sarah relaxes her fists, and frowns in sadness. ¡°O-Okay¡­ bye mom¡­ and da-dad.¡±


    When her father heard Sarah say ¡®Dad¡¯ He stopped his crying, and reached his hand out towards where his daughter was standing. But it was too late for Sarah to notice, she¡¯s already gone before she even saw him reaching. He lets out one last agonised cry and both of her parents were left alone in the aftermath of his uncontrollable anger that brought forth the destruction of their lovely neighbourhood.


    ***


    Back in downtown Detroit, Jack and Eric had arrived at the hospital. As they walked through the entrance of the hospital, glanced around the parking lot, they assumed that everything was fine, for now. Arriving at the front doors, before going inside they looked around one last time to see if anything was suspicious. Coast was clear. Walking in, and telling the front desk who they were, they went to the elevators and walked in one. Eric pressed the button to Angela¡¯s floor, and up they went.


    As the two stood in silence, when Eric glimpsed at Jack, he noticed how nervous he was.


    ¡°Yo, you alright bro? I know you¡¯re spooked about earlier, especially how you ran out and shit, but, chill my guy. Relax a little, you''re sweating up a storm.¡±


    Jack had ignored everything Eric just said because he was lost in a trans. Before the chaos, before the man in the robe and William too, he remembered Angela¡¯s creepy confession that still left a burden on his shoulders.


    I hope she¡¯s okay, because what she said to me was the utmost awkward and most uncomfortable I''ve experienced so far in my damned life.


    When they finally reach the floor, the elevator doors opening and the two walking out, Eric stops Jack by grabbing his shoulder. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the matter with you? Why are you ignoring me, answer me Jack.¡±


    Jack sighs, and turns round to Eric. ¡°Sorry man¡­ I¡¯ve got a lot going in my mind, and it¡¯s complicated. Very if I must say.¡±


    ¡°Okay man, I know you¡¯re fucked up, but try to be sane for a little, aight?¡±


    Jack nods. ¡°Okay, you have my word buddy.¡±


    Jack finally relaxes his nerves and the two walk back on course to Angela¡¯s room. After a minute of walking, they saw Candy and Veronica standing by the door, but something wasn¡¯t right. Candy¡¯s arms were crossed as he tapped a finger against one of them, and Veronica¡¯s eyes were blinking rapidly too. Jack hurried to the two, Eric too, and as they got near their vicinity, Candy grabbed Jack¡¯s arms.


    Looking and leaning into his face, in a worried tone, Candy says. ¡°Boo! The doctor told us to get Angela out now, and I¡¯m not sure why but it wasn¡¯t the same doctor who¡¯s been attending her.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What do you mean, Candy?¡± Jack asked in a scared tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m a master at body reading and the moment he walked out of her room and looked into my gorgeous eyes, he already gave me dangerous vibes. Look I don¡¯t know what they did to her, but! He sure was hell on having her leave indefinitely the moment he spoke to me!¡±


    ¡°Fuck! What happened to the original doctor?¡±


    ¡°Ey ey, aren¡¯t chu guys forgetting about someone?¡± Eric said.


    Both Candy and Jack raised an eyebrow at Eric, then they remembered poor Veronica who was standing there with a cherry red face and looking erratic. Jack blinks rapidly, and then he chuckles. He drops Candy¡¯s arms off his and walks up to her.


    She looks away and starts trembling from how nervous she was because he asked her out on a date. She tried speaking but she only muttered words and covered her face.


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Oh Veronica, you still haven''t changed after all these years, haven¡¯t you?¡± He then boldly grabs her hands and she freaks.


    She was so red that Candy thought she was about to blow steam from the top of her head from the embarrassment she was experiencing. Eric on the other hand laughs because not only was this a bitter sweet sight, but it was something wholesome for once. But that wholesomeness was interrupted by Angela¡¯s door unsuspectedly opening on its own. Everyone looked, and Jack was the only one showing signs of fear. His hands trembled, eyes quivered, and Veronica noticed.


    ¡°Ja-Jack?¡± she asked in a worried tone.


    Candy crossed his arms. ¡°Well, I¡¯m going in first, and that was rather spooky that the door opened on its own, huh sweeties?¡±


    ¡°Fruit loop¡­ that¡¯s going to be the last time you¡¯ll ever call me sweetie.¡± Eric said, then pushes Candy aside and he yelps on purpose to agitate him. Eric ignores it and proceeds onward into Angela¡¯s room.


    Candy followed behind shortly, leaving both Veronica and Jack alone momentarily.


    Jack continued shaking, he didn¡¯t know what to do or why the door suddenly opened. But one thing was certain to Jack, he could feel an angry aura emitting out of the room. He wondered if it was Angela he was feeling¡­ Or her.


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    Veronica pats Jack¡¯s cheek, snapping him out of his scare momentarily. ¡°Jack, are you okay? What¡¯s the matter, tell me.¡±


    Jack stopped his shaking, and took a deep breath. ¡°It-It¡¯s nothing¡­ Let''s go inside, then I¡¯ll ask you for the favour I have in mind. Sorry for worrying you.¡±


    Veronica grins. ¡°Okay, but don¡¯t think you can escape my question from earlier because I won¡¯t forget mister!¡± She puffs her cheeks out in an adorable manner, bringing a half grin back on Jack¡¯s scared face.


    Jack took another deep breath before walking in. He walked in first and Veronica followed behind after. Upon walking in the room, Jack¡¯s chest felt heavy, his breathing felt short and intense, sweat dripped down his face. Again he felt scared, but Veronica brushed it away by grabbing his hand, calming him down for the moment. He deepy sighs, wipes his face with his palm, and steps around the corner. Once he did, he saw Candy and Eric conversing with Angela. They looked worried for her, but she had a rather calm smile on her face.


    Jack swallows, he tightens his jaw, but Veronica stops him from stepping any further by tugging his arm. He gazes down at her and she smiles at him, nodding to rub some confidence in him to ease his nerves. Jack nods too, showing her that he¡¯s thankful for the comfort, but the moment he looked forward, Angela¡¯s eyes were dead set on him, and they were empty. Empty, cold, lifeless, her gaze startled him so much that he made a scared moaned sound, spooking Veronica.


    Eric and Candy noticed Angela staring straight, being dead silent, then they looked at the direction she was staring. It was only Jack and Veronica, although they immediately noticed Jack¡¯s frightened face. Walking up to him, they started speaking to him, but Jack¡¯s hearing sounded muffled and distorted so he couldn¡¯t hear anything they were saying. Both him and Angela were staring down at each other, but one¡¯s eyes were quaking in freight while the others expressed repulsion.


    Why¡­ Why is she staring at me like that? Jack thought.


    Veronica too tried getting his attention, trying to wave a hand, shouting his name but her efforts were meaningless too because everything around Jack was ringing and distorted.


    Jack gasps suddenly, spooking everyone around him, and he even lets go of Veronica¡¯s hand. Though when he did, Angela¡¯s eyes were no longer expressing emptiness nor repulsion, they were now glistening, and full of life.


    Angela opens her arms out to his direction, and says in a soft pampering tone. ¡°Welcome back¡­ brother, I missed you.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mind then fogged with black, the world around him turned black and white. The people around him melted away as steaming tar except for Angela who dissipated into smoke. Reality around him then burned away like paper, turning to ash as those giggles of torment returned to rile him up again, bringing out depressed anger out of Jack. He screamed his lungs out in fury, screaming into the now void of blackened darkness that haunted him since childhood.


    ¡°NO! NO!¡± Jack yelled out in agonised anger. ¡°Stop! Stop¡­ you damn wretched btich!¡±


    Those giggles now transitioned to whimpers, and her voice returned to say, ¡°You wretched human, you user, and abuser!¡± Her whimpers then turned to agonised cries of anger.


    Jack gripped his hair in the void, damning her and everyone who¡¯s made his life faze into the deepest parts of hell. After countless moments of crying, screaming, and even broken laughter, Jack¡¯s mind succumbed to total darkness.


    ***


    It¡¯s night time, in the deepest root of the most elite neighbourhood glazed in richness was Veronica¡¯s manor home off in the distance. Sarah and Anna were on their way to her home, walking on the cleanest sidewalks and walking past the biggest homes in Detroit Michigan that belonged to politicians and the wealthy. They were called by Veronica and were informed about Jack¡¯s condition and the current situation.


    Anna adjusted her flannel and gazed briefly to the lit sky full of shining stars. ¡°I still think we should¡¯ve gone to the hospital to check on Jack rather than going to Veronica¡¯s house.¡±


    Sarah kept her eyes straight and looked puzzled. ¡°Yeah, but no turning back now.¡±


    Anna glanced at Sarah and saw her puzzled face. ¡°You okay? You¡¯ve looked troubled the moment you walked out of your house, something bothering you, cute girl?¡±


    Sarah brought her gaze to the passing houses to their left. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, rather, I can¡¯t really tell you.¡±


    Anna didn¡¯t like her tiny goth friend''s answer, it actually made her feel curious about what she¡¯s hiding. As the two girls kept walking, as Anna stared at her friend while she seemed dead focused straight ahead, Sarah¡¯s facial expression showed more than her voice, rather it sounded monotone. Anna, knowing how she is, being the curious friend out of the bunch, wanted to ask more, much more, in fact it was getting to her. She felt the need to tease her or grab her to get an answer, but for now she¡¯ll put it to the side.


    Anna moaned and stretched. ¡°Whatever you say goth girl. But I¡¯m here for you if you need someone to talk to.¡±


    Sarah mildly grins and looks away. ¡°Yeah, I know¡­ thank you, Anna.¡±


    Anna smiles and wraps her arm around Sarah¡¯s shoulders, comforting her best friend. While Sarah had many problems to figure out and confront, for now, they had to figure out why a meeting was being made at Veronica¡¯s home of all places. The two girls after another five minutes of walking have arrived at Veronica''s manor home with its big fountain in the middle, large front yard dwarfing most homes properties and a house fitting for more than ten people, it¡¯s no wonder the two rarely visit her. Whenever they did, they always felt out of place and uncomfortable being inside something so fancy.


    Both girls walked the long driveway to her giant front door and knocked. They waited for a minute and Veronica opened the door, welcoming them in without saying a word. She looked afraid and worried. The two girls already knew why, but when they walked in, they saw why she might feel afraid, because on her couch sitting there like a lifesize doll was Angela. She was wearing casual clothing, a t-shirt, black jeans, but it¡¯s the fact she was sitting there, frozen with her big blue eyes staring off into space and lifeless that made it seem like she was one.


    Anna looked to Veronica. ¡°She¡¯s here two? And why is she just sitting there¡­¡±


    Veronica grabbed Anna¡¯s hand. ¡°I-I¡¯ve been wondering that too¡­ She''s been sitting like that ever since Candy and Eric walked off to the other living room to discuss some plans. Anna, I¡¯m creeped out¡­!¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t say a word and walked over to a couch that was across from Angela and sat down. Both Anna and Veronica looked at each other, Anna shrugged and walked to a single leather couch placed in the middle that her dad sat in and Veronica deeply sighed and walked to Sarah to sit next to her. All four girls were present, sitting in Veronica¡¯s living room in total silence, mostly from Angela staring at nothing with those empty blue jewels, leaving the other girls to feel rather uncomfortable. Candy and Eric were both sitting at another part of her home like Veronica said, discussing what¡¯s next for them. Her parents weren¡¯t home thankfully, they were out of town for the next few days, leaving their dear daughter alone in such a big home though that wouldn¡¯t be an issue if you lived in the most secure neighbourhood in all of Michigan.


    The air¡¯s melancholy and serious, not by coincidence, but because of Jack¡¯s well-being. He wasn¡¯t there in her home, he¡¯s being kept at the hospital momentarily because earlier in that day when all four were present in Angela¡¯s room except for the other two girls, he suddenly screamed out in terror and fainted. Both Candy and Eric were shocked by what happened, Veronica especially, it was her first time seeing Jack freakout like that. They tried waking him up, but no matter what they did, he just wouldn¡¯t.


    So as their efforts of trying to awake the broken fool were meaningless, they got a doctor, though not the doctor they were suspecting, it was the same one Candy warned them about who was chosen miraculously and advised them to leave Jack at the hospital while they leave with Angela in the meantime. He said he¡¯ll give them a call when he wakes up and update them on his condition. As for the rest, surprisingly Veronica invited the three to her home, which was the plan from the start for Jack. So in the end it was all in his favour, but as for Jack, he was left behind to bask in his darkened broken mind.


    As the girls continued sitting in silence, Anna felt it was time to bring this obstacle to an end. She stands up, walks up to Angela, and pokes her cheek. Veronica gasps, Sarah though stayed quiet and seemed sad. Anna¡¯s effort didn¡¯t go unnoticed, Angela reacted by blushing red and flailing her arms around her, bringing a giggle out of Anna from how adorable she reacted.


    ¡°There, that¡¯s better!¡± Anna said as she placed her fists on her hips, feeling proud of herself.


    Angela sighs. ¡°Don¡¯t do that! You spooked the life out of me!¡±


    Anna laughs. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, from how your cute eyes were staring off and looked like empty cans, I thought your soul was no longer with us.¡±


    ¡°HMPH!¡± Angela puffs her cheeks out and crosses her arms.


    Veronica couldn¡¯t help but giggle too. ¡°Now relax you two, no need to start a cute fight over nothing.¡±


    Angela with her arms crossed looks away from everyone. ¡°Shut up¡­ no one¡¯s talking to you.¡±


    The way she replied to Veronica was rather cruel and Veronica didn¡¯t take it too kindly.


    ¡°Woah, relax. It sounds to me like someones being a spoiled brat!¡± Veronica then spat her tongue out.


    Angela sarcastically chuckles. ¡°Ooo, that¡¯s rich! Coming from someone who¡¯s actually a spoiled brat. Give me a break.¡±


    Veronica didn¡¯t like this, not one bit. She stood up from her couch with clenched fists. ¡°Haagh?! How dare you! I invite you to my home to help you out and this is how you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Nobody asked you to, you know? Besides I couldn¡¯t care less, I just want to be beside my brother, not a dumb four eyed snob.¡±


    ¡°Oh you¡­!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Anna shouted as she still stood between them like a fence that prevented the potential of their anger from reaching maximum.


    ¡°Can we all get along here? Please, no shouting or mean vibes, let''s all chill like Sarah over there!¡± Anna then pointed at Sarah who still sat in silence with a cloud over her head.


    ¡°Oh¡­ nevermind, sorry Sarah, didn¡¯t mean to call you out like that seeing as you don¡¯t seem the brightest of moods right now.¡±


    Sarah nods in response to Anna¡¯s words, but as for Angela, she wasn¡¯t done. She then sets her eyes on Sarah.


    ¡°Heh¡­ funny, I bet the only reason why she¡¯s all quiet and sad is because my brother rejected her on her date.¡±


    ¡°Okay, totally unnecessary missy! You need a timeout!¡± Anna replied.


    ¡°Rich¡­ I don¡¯t need you to tell me my punishment, just¡­ Blegh!¡± Angela then sticks her tongue out at Anna.


    Veronica has had enough, she walks out from behind Anna and confronts Angela face to face.


    ¡°You need to be quiet or else I¡¯ll truly get angry! You¡¯re rude, and you weren¡¯t like this when we all first met you, so what¡¯s the deal, huh?¡±


    Angela looks away with a smug grin. ¡°Oh please¡­ I don¡¯t need to hear such empty threats from a bitch¡ª¡±


    ¡°All of you shut the hell up!¡± Sarah shouted abruptly.


    All three girls stood there, baffled, and silent. Veronica and Anna saw Sarah clenching her skirt, and trembling. Angela couldn¡¯t care less so she only looks away and stays quiet in the meantime. Sarah made soft sounds of emotional pain, but quickly hid her emotions away to not make the air feel as intense as it currently is.


    Sarah deeply sighs, and raises her head. ¡°You guys are being so stubborn and selfish right now that you¡¯re forgetting about why we¡¯re here in the first place¡­ and that¡¯s for Jack¡¯s well-being.¡±


    Veronica and Angela both made sounds of regret. They both had not realised that they were being so petty over nothing, but too bad Angela didn''t notice her behaviour instead wanted to shift blame to Veronica. Anna¡¯s had enough too, she grabs both of Angela¡¯s shoulders, stares into her troubled eyes, and sticks her tongue out to her face. Veronica giggles, Sarah does a little, but as for Angela, she only rolls her eyes.


    Angela sighs, looks to Sarah, and stares deep into her saddened soul. ¡°So¡­ why are you so worried about my brother, because when he brings you up it sounds as if your relationship with him is neutral. So you hardly know the guy or even hung out with him, right? So what¡¯s up¡­ wit¡ª¡±


    Sarah made a sudden sound of anger, interrupting Angela¡¯s speaking. She twitched even from the exposing word that was about to come out of Angela¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ho...w do you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I see that all you girly girls are getting along well hmm? Mind if I join in with you all!¡± Candy welcomed himself into the living room, walking all girly like and sat next to Angela.


    ¡°Oh Candy, thank goodness you¡¯re here. Angela¡¯s gotten out of control.¡± Anna said, sitting back down on the couch and sighing.


    ¡°Hmm, mini boo¡­ why¡¯re you being so cruel to the rest of these sugar mommas huh?¡±


    Angela looks away. ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh whatever, you little devil.¡± Candy rubs her head aggressively, and she makes sounds of aggravation.


    Candy turned his attention to Sarah, reading her mood and noticing how frustrated yet sad she appeared. The rest of the girls stayed quiet, Veronica crossed her arms, walking out of the living room temporarily. Anna closes her eyes for the moment, and Sarah quivers in her silence, mainly from how Angela almost said a word of her exposure to her closest friends.


    Breaking the awkward tension, Angela pans her attention back to Sarah. ¡°So¡­ Sarah, was it? Mind telling me properly why you¡¯re so worried about a person who you hardly know?¡±


    Sarah doesn¡¯t respond. She hung her head, and clenched her skirt, remaining silent.


    ¡°Mini boo¡­ quit being a harsh little devil to these girls that are potential wives for your dear brother ohohoho!¡±


    That did it, Candy mentioning the word potential wives made everyone besides Sarah jump out of their silence. Anna chuckles, Angela¡¯s eyes turn empty, and Veronica who¡¯s above the living room overhearing their conversation leaning against the upstairs guard rail flusters.


    Candy though, he was serious. ¡°Well that ain¡¯t gonna happen cause¡­¡±


    Candy stands up, poses sexually, and winks at everyone, including the sneaky Veronica.


    Candy lets out a giggle, and pumps a fist. ¡°I¡¯ll be the one to beat all of you! Bwhahaha! I¡¯m much more sexy and beautiful than all of you combined ooo yes honey!¡±


    Angela grabs Candy¡¯s butt cheek, and pinches it. ¡°Stop it, you weirdo.¡±


    ¡°Owowow! Oh my god¡­ you ruthless little fiend, ugh, why I never! Hmph!¡±


    Angela bursts out in laughter, along with Anna, and Veronica. Sarah though, has not said nor acknowledged the silly moment that Candy put up to bring everyone''s moods up.


    I¡¯m sorry¡­. Everyone, I can¡¯t bring myself to laugh right now. Sarah stands up. ¡°Would you guys excuse me for a second¡­ I need some air, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sarah said as she stood up and walked off.


    Everyone watches as Sarah walks away. Veronica watches as her sad friend walks out of the living room and makes her way to the backyard.


    ¡°Sarah¡­ What''s bothering you?¡± Veronica muttered.


    Sarah walked out into Veronica¡¯s backyard, gazing up at the moon, appearing to be concentrating her emotions. Narrowing her eyes and relaxing her shoulders, the goth girl took many short breaths to feel at ease.


    ¡°You almost snapped there, Sarah¡­¡± she muttered then shook her head. ¡°Well, at least it¡¯s a nice night.¡±


    The night''s calm, dark, misty, flower beds behind Veronica¡¯s big home responded to Sarah¡¯s inner conflications, changing their natural colours into the colour of gloom. The past events that have occurred have made Sarah¡¯s life into a living hell, a complete change into her life that was just normal has now been transformed into something out of a fictional story. She always knew she was different than anyone else along with having knowledge of what this world has hidden beneath its shadows,but never to these magnitudes she¡¯s experienced the past five years.


    Sarah balled a fist and narrowed her eyes more. That Exorcist¡­ said I¡¯m a revolting sight, a hindrance to this world and a burden to his past due to one¡¯s actions that brought forth this precious world''s end¡­ But¡ªwhy me?


    Sarah walked up to one of the tree¡¯s in Veronica¡¯s backyard, and sat beneath its shadow.


    What am I? Why am I seen as a villain to his eyes when he¡¯s the one who¡¯s done more harm than I to my knowledge.


    Sarah brought her knees up, and hugged them. ¡°I¡¯m not a revolting sight, I¡¯m not evil¡­ I¡¯m not a burden to nature herself¡­ I¡¯m just a girl.¡±


    Her eyes trembled as she tightly hugged her knees. Sarah buries her head into them. ¡°Mom¡­ Dad¡­ why do you hate each other so much¡­ Why haven¡¯t you shown me more of this cruel world that awaits folks like me?¡±


    The goth girl let out a single tear and sniffled.


    ¡°Am I alone¡­ am I meant to be left to soak in this awful feeling of complete isolation when nobody else can relate to¡ª¡±


    Sarah then stopped her-self monologuing. Slowly rising her head out of her knees, Sarah¡¯s red gems of mysterious beauty have glistened.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± But her moment of isolated reflection had been interrupted by rustling coming from the deep woods behind Veronica¡¯s home.


    The noise sounded like it came from the depths of darkness inside the woods. Sarah quickly got to her feet, and to see who made the noise interrupting her thinking. Staring deeply into the darkened woods, Sarah turned serious, furrowed her brows, and slowly retracted her footing.


    ¡°Wh...o¡¯s there?¡± Sarah said, but her response was not the one that she seeked, it turned her cruel day into something far worse than she could imagine. ¡°Who¡­ are you people?!¡±

 Arc 3 Chapter 22: The Past Seeks A Conclusion

    I¡¯ve had up to here, this feeling, feeling of total isolation, withering away in black and floating in the midst of my dwindling sanity.


    Darkness, solitude, agony, feelings befitting for a young man whose lifes been hell since he was ten years old.


    How much more can I take? My mind, my emotions, everything, hasn¡¯t been the same since the day I laid eyes on her¡­


    Never would he have imagined this experience, especially one out of a book, fairytale, comic book, or anything abnormal. Wherever he went, a turn, a blockade, there was always hell to pay.


    The only thing left that hasn¡¯t rotted away and kept me intact, so long as she was by my side¡­ I remain somewhat sane¡­ for now.


    He¡¯s died, experienced every ounce of pain and mild trauma, but he questioned how he can keep going in life? At first he thought it was for the sake of his self adopted sister, but now, he¡¯s beginning to think that¡¯s not the case. In fact, it¡¯s far from it, and he has no clue what''s making him strive forward.


    What am I doing this for? Going onward, can''t it be for Angela, my friends? Mallory! Eric, Candy, whoever! Heh, whatever¡¯s pushing me forward¡­ I could care less at the moment. So long as I can protect those closest to me, I don¡¯t mind these burdens, so long as I can let it out as a sigh, then life to me has no other meaning but to keep going forward.


    Whatever feelings he has at the moment, Jack will remain who he is. For the sake of friends and his small family, as long as they smile, Jack Samr can continue onward; down his dark path, whether it¡¯ll bring more pain like no other or bring an end to his miserable life, Jack¡¯s determined to conclude this chapter in his life.


    I-I hear screaming? Wait, these screams¡­ they¡¯re¡ª!


    Back in the hospital, Jack¡¯s still unconscious and had fallen into the hands of darkness. Tossing and turning, all Jack could hear is her, the girl in white known as Mallory. Her screams of agony, madness, and cruelty, tormented Jack Samr once again. Her sounds of pleading help tortured Jack¡¯s sleep, making him clench his teeth, toss and turn, and ball his fists. The darkness that he¡¯s seeing had no signs of her; not a shine on her pale snowy skin or the reflective deep rooted highlights of purple that only shone every now and then on her hair. As he continued tossing and turning in his sleep, hearing these sounds of captured sadness, Jack felt his heart being ripped out, not by reality, but by the repeated endless guilt.


    Why are you doing this¡­ Mallory! Jack thought.


    Jack clutched his chest as sweat profusely fell off his face. Her screams continued, and finally, a final sound she produced, printed into his mind to echo into his subconscious, was her screaming, ¡°Help me!¡±


    Jack awakens, rising up and clutching his head. ¡°Mallory!¡±


    Panting, Jack looked around, noticing he¡¯s in the hospital but with no one else by his side. Wh-What? Why am I here¡­ wait!


    Jack got out of the bed, and before taking a step, his head pulsed in pain. ¡°Ahh, fucking hell. Mallory¡ªyou, damn it.¡±


    Jack questioned why she punished him, why she made those sounds as if someone had taken her away from him. But then he thought about it for a moment. It would¡¯ve been a relief if such a thing was true, if she were truly taken away. Before leaving the room, Jack made sure he had his weapon, tucking his hand into his jacket he did have it. Feeling comfort, Jack walked, but as he made contact with the door, he found it to be locked.


    ¡°Huh, why is it locked? I thought only patients could lock it from the inside?¡±


    Jack tried unlocking it with the lock, but it wouldn¡¯t open either.


    Somethings not right here, why is it locked? Why am I alone, what¡¯s going on¡­?


    Jack remembered now, words told from the man named William H. Christ, that being Dr. Cato attacking tonight. He checked his phone and it¡¯s past nine, and that brought a conclusion to him on why his doors were locked, trapping him from the outside world and leaving him isolated from society.


    ¡°No! I gotta get back to them, but where did they¡ª?¡± Jack dials his phone, calling Eric¡¯s number but it quickly goes to voicemail.


    Fuck¡­ damn it Eric.


    Jack tried remembering what he was going to do before his black out. He slammed his hands against his head and thought hard. Feeling frustrated at himself, he punched the door and growled. The young man paced back and forth and finally, he got it. A thought of relief came into Jack¡¯s cluttered mind, that being Veronica¡¯s home. His original plan being that he was going to gather everyone there to announce an idea and what to do going forward.


    ¡°They have to be there, I did tell them to go there, so they outta be¡ª?¡±


    This¡¯s no time to think for Jack, he had to get to his friends and family, the worriness of this so-called attack riled up his mind. Without any further conflictions inside his mind, Jack kicks the door open with all his might. The door takes it, he kicks it again, and it bursts open, but without claiming a victim which was Jack¡¯s knee.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ I should¡¯ve stretched¡­¡±


    Jack regains his legs composure, and runs to the elevators. Along the way through the barely lit hallways, he noticed the hospital¡¯s floors eerily quiet. Stopping for a moment to get a clearer clue on what¡¯s going on, Jack ran to the floor''s reception desk.


    ¡°Nobody here? the hell¡­ shit, then that means that Williams is right.¡±


    Jack ran back on course to the elevators. Going into one, and on his way down, he couldn¡¯t help but feel so worried about the people he cares about.


    ¡°First my door was locked, secondly the entire floors were too damn quiet, shit.¡±


    Clenching his fists, and the elevator doors opening and exposing the lobby to him, he runs out. You guys better be okay¡­ if not, there¡¯s going to be hell to pay¡­ Dr. Cato.


    Jack glimpsed around the dark lobby as he ran, no one¡¯s here either, raising his suspicion even more. He smacked his lips and ran out of the entrance of the hospital, down the stairs, and made his way to the main street. He ran into the sleeping city, spotted a parked van, and decided to break into it. He elbows the window, breaking it, opens the door, and starts hotwiring it. After a small struggle on fighting the tangled wires, Jack managed to make a connection and turn the van on. He put the vehicle into drive and drove into the road, driving into the misty night.


    Please guys¡­ please be okay, don¡¯t you dare hurt them you bastards!


    ***


    Inside her room, and sighing in gloom, the rich girl known as Veronica is sitting on the edge of her bed, kicking her feet. She''s having thoughts of hate towards Angela at the moment and wondered how Jack could tolerate such a rude person.


    Honestly, what''s with that girl? and why does she detest Sarah and I? Nothing about her makes sense. Oh Jack, why did you adopt such a vulgar and rude girl like her.


    Letting out another sigh, Veronica stands on her feet, and approaches her window that overlooks another part of her backyard. ¡°Jack¡­ even though we were close friends when we were kids, it¡¯s still hard to believe you¡¯re the same guy I fell for all those years ago.¡±


    Veronica leaned her hand against the window, remembering that night she almost witnessed her dear friend Jack almost commit a murder in front of her innocent eyes.


    You¡¯re like a completely different person, a stranger at that¡­ should I even consider you a close friend anymore? You¡¯re a complete mystery to us, but I hope you¡­ no I really hope you only did that to protect me and not do it on occasion.


    Veronica¡¯s feelings conflicted with each other, her heart¡¯s telling her one thing while her mind¡¯s reminding her of another. The thought of Jack being a regular murderer really hurt her fragile heart, but these feelings of love didn¡¯t want to push him away. Perhaps to Veronica, in this one instance, she can forgive him and move on, pretending as if it never happened.


    ¡°Yeah, I think that¡¯s best for our relationship. I don¡¯t want to lose him¡ªagain¡­ like I almost did that day.¡±


    As Veronica fought her conflicting feelings that pushed away her love for Jack, upon looking through her tall glass window, Veronica noticed something or someone in the backyard behind some bushes. Veronica tilted her head, she saw the bushes had bloomed roses unexpectedly, the person standing behind the shadows slowly revealed themselves out in the open. It¡¯s a woman in a beautiful elegant dress, an outfit so mesmerising yet familiar to Veronica.


    ¡°Wh...o is¡­ that?¡± Veronica¡¯s mind started hurting. Ugh, my brain¡­ it¡¯s hurting, why?


    Veronica massages her head as she stares at the stranger standing eerily behind her home. But Veronica hasn¡¯t noticed her necklace, the item bestowed upon her by a similar stranger years ago started to emit light. The precious pendant hanging in the middle of it, began to faintly glow red. Her eyes twitched, her mind throbbed, Veronica fought through the random hindrance to stare at the woman more, trying to figure out if she¡¯s just seeing things or perhaps she¡¯s going crazy.


    The woman in red lifts her head, clasps her hands, and afterward, gently raises one hand, pointing straight at Veronica.


    ¡°Wh-Why is she¡­ pointing at me¡­?¡± Veronica said in a frightened tone.


    Veronica points to herself. The woman in red responds with a slow no by mildly shaking her head. She continues pointing, indicating Veronica to turn around. Veronica does that, and in doing that made her realise that her house has gone completely dark. She gasps, turns back to the woman in red, and she¡¯s gone.


    ¡°What¡¯s going¡ª?¡±


    A random explosion sets off closeby in her garden. The glass window explodes from the shockwave, her house rumbles, Veronica falls on her bottom. Something is then thrown through her window. Making a metal tin crashing sound as it lands, it explodes a cloud of smoke. It¡¯s a canister of smoke that computed shooting smoke as it rolled towards her feet. Veronica coughs as it blinds her vision and engulfs her surroundings. Eric kicks down her door, and grabs Veronica off her feet in a panicked state.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s¡­ happening?!¡± Veronica shouted as Eric carried her out of the room, gun in one hand, and heading downstairs.


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    ¡°We¡¯re being ambushed!¡± Eric replied in a serious tone.


    Her safe home in one of Michigan''s most elite neighbourhoods had been tarnished, compromised, and infiltrated by a couple of dozen men in white. The same men who Jack and Eric had been avoiding all these years have mysteriously found their location to bring the past back to the present.


    Sarah¡¯s in the living room with everyone else as they cowered and feared for their lives. Sarah, oddly enough, is a little dirty, notably from dirt scuffings, a couple of bruises, and she reeked of smoke too.


    Anna even noticed, and raised her eyebrows to her. ¡°Hey, Sarah, were you caught in the explosion while you were in the backyard cause you sure as hell look like it!¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t reply to Anna, she¡¯s too busy checking their surroundings by scanning everything with her eyes. Eric returns with Veronica, he puts her down as she regains her breathing. To get a better picture of their situation he gazed out the living room window and saw more of those pesky men driving in white vehicles towards her home.


    ¡°Son of a bitch¡­ no no no!¡± Eric checks all his pockets to see his ammo situation.


    It wasn¡¯t to Eric¡¯s liking because he didn¡¯t have any extra mags or anything else to fight them back with, only his fists were the only other option when ammo got low. Candy huddled all the girls together, Angela clings onto him, Eric observes the situation further as the house¡¯s invasion begins.


    ¡°What''s going to happen to us!¡± Veronica said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Mr. Eric, what¡¯s going on¡­ who are these people?!¡± Anna freaks out, and notices Sarah rather calm and finishing her checkings.


    Why isn¡¯t she so freaked? What¡¯s with that poker face¡­ Such a badass¡­ Anna thought.


    Sarah wanted to help Eric but she didn¡¯t want her identity to be revealed at this time. ¡°Crap¡­ what do I do¡­ how could I help.¡± She muttered, brushing off some of the dirt on her gothic clothing.


    The houses bombarded with smoke grenades, getting thrown through every window in the house. A dozen men break through her back porch door, and have stormed inside.


    Eric turned to Candy as he cocked his gun. ¡°Fruit cup, take the girls somewhere else in the home besides the death trap of a living room we¡¯re in!¡±


    Candy grit his teeth, shutting his eyes in response to Eric¡¯s plan. The girls didn¡¯t want to abandon Eric either, but Candy understood and turned to the girls.


    ¡°Let''s go, or else it¡¯s over for all of us!¡± Candy shouted.


    One guy in white rushes into the living room, Eric immediately shoots him dead with one bullet to the head. All the girls screamed, Candy ran to Angela and picked her up.


    ¡°This way!¡± Candy makes a run for it, but as soon as he takes another step, another guy appears. ¡°Oh no!¡±


    Candy freezes, the man slaps him without hesitation, dropping Angela as they crash to the ground. Eric got furious, so did Anna who rushed the guy with a courageous attempt. The two wrestle for a couple of seconds but she¡¯s easily overpowered and when he was about to backhand her, Eric shoots him dead too.


    Anna covered her ears from the gun¡¯s explosion. ¡°Oww¡­ th-thank you¡­ Mr. Eric!¡±


    ¡°No problem! You okay fruit loop?!¡± Eric went up to check if Candy¡¯s alright.


    Candy¡¯s cheek is swollen, he rubbed it to ease the swelling. ¡°I¡¯m fine, though I¡¯ve been slapped harder in be¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop! Now¡¯s not the moment to talk dirty shit, my guy.¡± Eric helps Candy up, Angela stays eerily quiet on the other hand for someone who¡¯s fallen to the ground.


    ¡°Baby momma, I¡¯m sorry for dropping you.¡± Candy said as he approached Angela.


    Anna grabs Angela and instead carries her in her arms. ¡°I¡¯ll carry her, we gotta get outta¡ª¡±


    A hail of bullets erupted into the living room, being shot through the wall next to them. It¡¯s retaliation from those pesky men belonging to Dr. Cato after they heard Eric¡¯s gun go off twice. Everyone dropped down, covered their heads, but Eric¡¯s struck once in the arm.


    ¡°Fuck! Goddamn big muscles I got!¡± Eric slams a fist furiously on the ground, frustrated that they¡¯re in this situation.


    More men came in, flashlights pierced the smoke and were waving everywhere in the cloudiness. Eric used the smoke to his advantage, hiding within it. When more walked in, he shot three of them dead, scaring the rest to go back to their small group they came inside with. Eric grabbed one of their rifles and bombarded the rest with bullets, shooting blindly from around the corner.


    Eric hands Candy his handgun. ¡°Take the girls and get the fuck out of here already!¡±


    Candy didn¡¯t want to take the gun, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡°Fine fine, girls lets¡ª¡±


    Another burst of gunfire erupted from them, but it¡¯s shorter. Candy, though, got struck by a random bullet to his chest. Everyone freezes in horror as Candy blinks to comprehend what just happened to him. His vision blurred as he gently rubbed his wound, seeing his own blood on the palm of his hand,


    ¡°My¡­ chest¡­¡± Candy drops to his knees and falls to his side, bleeding from his injury.


    ¡°Fruit loop!¡± Eric shouted.


    ¡°Candy no!¡± Anna hurried to his side, putting Angela down for a second.


    ¡°No¡­ we¡¯re gonna die!¡± Veronica cowered back in fear.


    Sarah clenches her fists in frustration. Do I do it now?! Do I reveal myself to my friends¡­ what do I do, what do I do!


    Candy¡¯s bleeding fast, and he gave it his all to stay awake. ¡°Gu...ys, it hurts¡­ bad. Thi-This¡­ might be¡ª¡± Candy passes out, and continues bleeding onto Veronica¡¯s floor.


    Eric retaliates in sheer anger, grabbing another rifle and storms out the living room to face a dozen men coming down the hall. He unleashes a hailstorm on them, forcing them to take cover and fire back.


    Anna covers Candy¡¯s wound with her hands, trying to stop the bleeding. ¡°Guys, hurry! Help me!¡±


    Veronica¡¯s too scared to do anything, Sarah¡¯s fighting herself inside her mind, and Angela¡¯s head seems to be somewhere else. As Eric continued fighting and holding them back, Anna trying her best to treat Candy¡¯s wound being covered by his innocent blood, hope didn¡¯t look too good for them at the moment. In a dire moment when death is approaching everyone''s vicinity, what seemed like a glimpse of hope or a light shined on them through the curtains of the living room window.


    The girls turned to the flash of light beaming into the living room. Unfortunately when Sarah ran up to the windows to see what was creating this flash, it was just more men in white who were flashing lights from their vehicles parked in front through the front window, wiping away any last glimmer of hope for everyone. Eric had just run out of ammo, he felt so angry, he couldn''t believe the situation they¡¯re in. More importantly he questioned how they found their location finally after all these years. The men in white stopped firing because they knew Eric¡¯s done fighting back, then got out of their covers and started walking. With their guns aimed, Eric trying to think of a way to get them out of this mess, gunfire erupted from behind the men, and one by one they went down.


    Once the chaos settles momentarily, Eric reloads the rifle he has in hand by grabbing a mag from one of their corpses. ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± Eric shouted, taking a peak out of cover.


    ¡°Eric!¡± Jack shouted, who replied to his calling.


    Eric looked, and saw Jack approach him. ¡°What the fuck?! You fucking life saver!¡±


    Jack catches his breath. ¡°Wh-Where¡¯s the girls? Sorry if I¡¯m late, here¡­¡±


    Jack hands Eric another rifle, he takes it and cocks it. ¡°They¡¯re in the living room, how the fuck did you get here?¡± Eric said, letting out a giant sigh. ¡°Most of all how the fuck did you know this was gonna happen my guy!¡±


    Jack cleared his throat and tried catching his breath, ¡°Long story¡­ god-goddamn, I never ran so fast in my life!¡±


    Eric chuckles. ¡°Come on, we gotta hurry to them.¡±


    The two ran back to the girls, and when Jack entered the living room, the first person to notice his presence was Angela mysteriously.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Angela shouted, scaring everyone.


    All the girls looked and she¡¯s right, there¡¯s Jack beside Eric, but Jack ignored everyone. The first thing that caught his eyes was Candy on the floor and to his mind presumably dead.


    ¡°Candy¡­ no, no no¡­ NO!¡± Jack rushed in and was about to scream in anger until Anna ran to him and grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Relax Jack, I stopped the bleeding, it¡¯s okay.¡± Anna rubbed his hand that was coated with Candy¡¯s blood, which made Jack scrunch his face in anger.


    Jack gently dropped Anna¡¯s hand and went up to Candy. ¡°Is he gonna be¡ª¡±


    Veronica got up from her cowered state and clinged onto Jack. ¡°Jack!¡±


    At first Jack was gonna push her off but felt her scared beating heart against his chest. ¡°There, there Veronica, it¡¯s going to be¡ª¡± A butt of a gun struck the back of Jack¡¯s head, cutting off the small cute reunion, making both him and Veronica fall on the ground.


    Eric grabs the attacker''s gun, forces the barrel to his face after a brief struggle and shoots him. ¡°Fuck! You alright Jack?¡±


    Jack¡¯s head bled, some dripped on Veronica¡¯s face, but he ignores the pain and helps her up instead. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine!¡±


    The sizzling pain aggravated him, Sarah quickly came up to him. ¡°Jack¡­ should I?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What are you¡­ wait, uhh, hmm.¡± Jack thought about what Sarah meant, that being who she is and what she can do. ¡°That would be a good idea¡­¡±


    Everyone looked at them in confusion about what they¡¯re talking about.


    Veronica grabbed his arm. ¡°How the heck did you get here?!¡±


    ¡°Well, I stole a van to get here.¡±


    ¡°Where did you park it?¡± Eric asked.


    Jack rubbed the back of his head as it continued bleeding. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s out back to a dirt trail in the woods. Hurry, all of you, get out of here while I hold the rest off.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not leaving you Jack.¡± Anna said.


    Veronica nods, ripping a part of skirt and wiping the back of his head. ¡°Anna¡¯s right, we¡¯re not going to leave you alone.¡±


    Angela crawls to her brother, he picks her up and holds her. ¡°You okay¡ª Angela?¡±


    Angela doesn''t respond and instead smiles. Eric saw how off Angela seemed, but at the moment it¡¯s not of importance, they had to get out of here. Veronica couldn¡¯t take anymore of the stress and started crying because of her home being vandalised, thinking about what her parents might say.


    Jack hands Angela to Eric, and pats Veronica. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, now go, keep running straight out back and you¡¯ll see the van, can¡¯t miss it.¡±


    Eric nods. ¡°You better come back to us, and don''t worry, I¡¯ll make sure Candy lives.¡±


    Eric hands Angela back into Anna¡¯s arms, and he goes to pick up the temporary corpse that¡¯s Candy. Angela holds onto Anna tightly, and Veronica wipes her face. Another wave of men were approaching the front of the home.


    Jack cocks his handgun. ¡°Now go!¡±


    Eric pushed everyone out, in that way they wouldn¡¯t have to look back. The entire group besides Jack have left, running through the corpses laying on Veronica¡¯s home. Jack picked up a rifle, brought one of the couches out, kicked it over, and used it as cover. They broke down the door, busted through the window, and Jack fired at them. They were fast to fire back at him. His cushion covers were compromised and he had to retreat on all fours. As the group ran out to the backyard, they saw a huge crater, most likely belonging to that explosion from earlier.


    Eric¡¯s left stunned by the sight. ¡°Holy¡­!¡±


    Veronica clings onto Anna. ¡°My backyard, who could¡¯ve¡­?¡±


    Sarah grabs everyone¡¯s attention, getting in front of their line of view. ¡°This is no time to be left stunned. Keep going! Or else they¡¯ll get us!¡±


    Eric nods. ¡°She¡¯s right, run around it, this ain¡¯t the time to stand around and get caught by these fools!¡± Eric made the girls lead first, and before they did run around the crater, they heard Jack screaming.


    ¡°Jack!¡± Anna shouted, but Eric pushed her to keep going.


    Veronica stepped forward, bravely. ¡°He sounds like he''s in trouble, we gotta¡ª!¡± But Sarah stopped her, grabbing her hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotta go¡­ he¡¯s got this, come on.¡± Sarah said.


    Veronica¡¯s eyes quivered. ¡°But¡­ they might¡ª¡±


    ¡°Let''s go Veronica!¡± Sarah tugs her arm, forcing her to run with her. ¡°We don¡¯t have time¡­ come on.¡±


    Everyone else listens and runs around the crater, and goes into the thick woods coated in darkness.


    Jack in the meantime had his hands full. He¡¯s huddled in a bathroom, the walls kept getting penetrated by the gun fire, keeping him pinned against any will of escaping.


    He''s getting blasted by so many of them he thought this was it for him. ¡°Fuck¡­ shit, damn it!¡±


    Feeling as though he had no chance of escaping, for once Jack thought about maybe he could call his only saving grace. ¡°Mallory!¡± Jack screamed, but he got no response, only the hail of bullets kept muffling out everything.


    Where is she¡­? Damn, out of all the times I could rely on her, even when she puts me through pain¡­ This is it, but where is she?!


    He normally would only rely on the wretched girl who always tormented him in desperate situations, but she¡¯d be the one to call first for any assistance. This time though, Jack¡¯s the one who called for her, and she¡¯s nowhere to be seen, heard, or found.


    The last thing I heard from her was those screams before coming here¡­ What happened to her? Why did you make me pass out, you damn¡ª!


    The bathroom door kicks open, Jack stops himself thinking, opens fire, and kills the intruder. More gunfire ensued, Jack ducks down as the toilet in front of him explodes, splashing water all over him. Jack fires overhead, blindly into the hallway. When all hope seemed lost for Jack, closing his eyes, screaming as he continuously fired, a sudden gust of wind rippled through the hallway, stopping every sound produced by machinery made by man to kill. Everything around Jack turned to ash, darkness unfolded, and silence ensued, and Jack noticed quickly.


    He opened his eyes, got up out of what his cover should be, though he wasn¡¯t expecting to find himself outside on the woods floor covered in dirt.


    ¡°H...uh? Wh-Where am¡­ I?¡±


    As he got up to his feet, glancing around, Jack recognized the woods immediately, and ran opposite of his direction.


    ¡°I¡¯m outside, but-but how?¡± Jack shook his head and smacked his face. ¡°Fuck it. The van, it¡¯s this way! I don¡¯t know who just got me out of there, but if it¡¯s you Mallory¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    The rest of the gang had arrived at the van Jack spoke about. Eric slides the door open and lets the girls go in first before he does, though he¡¯s still in pain from his wound. Despite it, he¡¯s determined to protect the young ones. After all the girls got in, he placed Candy safely on the floor beneath them.


    ¡°Alright, you girls ready to go?¡± Eric said as he walked to the driver seat, getting in.


    Veronica hunches down to Candy, making sure he¡¯s still okay. ¡°What about Jack? Are we gonna leave him?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that psychopathic dumbass, he can handle himself.¡± Eric turns the van on.


    Anna digraces, hunching over to get near Eric¡¯s face, ¡°We¡¯re not leaving him, we¡¯re waiting.¡±


    ¡°Look I know you girls care about him and all but trust my word¡­ he¡¯s gonna be okay, he¡¯s¡ª¡±


    All of a sudden, out from the darkness in front of them, a light flashes Eric¡¯s face. He covers his sights, but as he¡¯s about to retrieve his gun, the barrel of a rifle is put to his face.


    It¡¯s one of Dr. Cato¡¯s men. ¡°Don¡¯t move or you¡¯re dead, follow what I say and all of you get to see the light of day.¡± He radios his men, pressing his chest walkie. ¡°Yeah I got the big guy at gunpoint, all the girls are with him.¡±


    Eric puts his hands up, all the girls huddle to each other, except Angela who¡¯s in the back seat very quietly staring off into space. The man continues pointing as he walks to the driver backside, opening the slide door of the van, spotting all the girls afraid.


    ¡°Yeah, civilians are involved too, might need to clean up, and¡­¡± He flashes his light to the back, and spots Angela dozing off with her mouth open.


    ¡°I¡¯ve spotted the girl, alive and¡ªawake!¡±


    The sight of Angela brought fear into the man¡¯s soul, her eyes gleaming lifeless, staring at nothing, brought chills to his spine.


    ¡°Yes, report it to Dr. Cato. Angela¡¯s with them¡­ and she¡¯s grown, substantially. Especially her¡ª¡±


    A loud bang goes off, the girls scream in terror, the man falls dead on the ground, his head bleeding, pouring profusely onto the dirt ground. Coming out of the corner of the girl''s eyes, the barrel of a handgun then arm showed itself. Anticipating who¡¯s their saviour, the girls held each other''s hands, waiting. The person revealing themselves and who killed the man in cold blood without hesitation or second thought, was none other than Jack.


    All three girl¡¯s faces were white, shocked by what they saw. No girl would have thought that Jack would do such a thing, let alone do it so casually. The look on his face said it all, it¡¯s the look of a man with no regrets. The girls stared at Jack with frightened trembled eyes, and Veronica slowly shook her head in disbelief. Anna sheds a tear, and Sarah keeps her face still, but a single drop of sweat trickled down her face.


    Jack let out a relieved sigh as he faced them, putting his gun away. ¡°You girls alright?¡± But when he saw their blanched faces, all Jack did in reply to their reaction to him casually killing a man was say, ¡°What?¡± as he shrugged without a single sign of remorse towards his victim.

 Arc 3 Final Chapter: A New History Created

    On the road, heading into the direction of their temporary sanctuary, the entire gang were inside of the stolen van Jack had used to come to their rescue. As Eric¡¯s focused on driving, Jack casually sitting in the passenger seat, he¡¯s completely unaware of the tension building up inside the solitude of metal and plastic. All the girls were sitting in the back seats, nervous, anxious, but more importantly, afraid for their well-being from the prior events that took place. In the instance it wasn¡¯t those bastards in white or coming close to death''s door steps, more on the fact that they¡¯re childhood friend, Jack Samr¡¯s a murderous criminal. He didn¡¯t shed the slightest hint of remorse nor hesitation to kill someone in front of them, it traumatised all the girls.


    Yet only one of the girls didn¡¯t react to that relentless murder, that being Angela. To the girl¡¯s eyes it seems that she¡¯s accustomed to his ruthless behaviour, which made them question more about her mental health and a factor on why she¡¯s been so rude. As all three girls awkwardly sat, shaking, nerve tensed silence, feeling the urge to scream or freak out, Angela¡¯s calm in her seat, gazing out the window.


    Jack glimpsed at the rear view mirror and saw all his friends a scared rekt. ¡°Hey, are you guys okay?¡± he asked.


    None of them replied to him, instead they all glanced out of their windshields, and chose to ignore him. It trickles a sigh out of Jack, but he then turns his body around to look at them. He spots Angela with a soft grin, and seemingly humming a creepy soothing song, making the other girls as well as Jack feel uneasy.


    ¡°Angela¡­ you okay?¡± Jack asked.


    Angela turns to her brother, suddenly shooting her arms out to him and giggles. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay, brother.¡±


    He felt spooked for a moment, but regained his coolness. ¡°Damn¡­ you didn¡¯t have to scare me like that, you know?¡± Jack replied.


    Angela moans and lowers her arms. It got quiet again and the two siblings looked at Candy, feeling worried for his health.


    Eric decides to join in their conversation, bringing out a soft chuckle. ¡°Hey you two, don¡¯t be getting too chummy in front of the other girls.¡±


    Angela laughs. ¡°Oh uncle, they¡¯ll never intrude on our bond.¡± She glimpsed at the three with a childish grin. ¡°Besides, they¡¯re all just a bunch of side dishes.¡±


    Hearing that girl and her innocent cold tone say such an insult towards them, especially Veronica who got triggered the most hearing it reached and grabbed Angela¡¯s shoulder. Angela abruptly turns her head over her shoulder, jumping Veronica back to her seat and scarring her in place.


    Her best friend Anna patted her shoulder to calm her down. ¡°Relax Veronica, leave her be. Let the two share their moment, no need to get triggered at the moment.¡± Anna said.


    Sarah didn¡¯t say anything, instead she let out a long sigh and frowned. Angela waves to her brother to get his full attention, but his main focus was on his friends who were still ignoring him.


    ¡°You guys, why are you ignoring me? What did I do to make you guys ha¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Nobody hates you Jack¡­ It¡¯s the fact that you killed someone in front of us so casually that''s disturbing us.¡± Anna replied.


    Jack groaned. ¡°Anna, you have to under¡ª¡±


    ¡°So please Jack, don¡¯t blame us for being spooked okay.¡± Anna lay back on her seat and looked away.


    Jack¡¯s face was still, not recognizing her reasoning. ¡°Look, I had no other choice. It was either get caught by my past or most likely if they so choose they''d likely capture you guys instead, kill you all besides Angela.¡±


    Veronica intervened by butting herself between Jack¡¯s line of view to Anna. ¡°Whatever justifies your ruthless action, it¡¯s still wrong Jack. But right now, could you please, finally tell us what¡¯s really going on and why my house got destroyed?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t reply, instead he briefly looked away to hide his guilt.


    Veronica angrily pouted her face and her eyes turned red. ¡°What are my parents going to say about that huh?!¡±


    Jack crushed his eyelids, grabbing his head. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can¡ª¡±


    Eric interrupts him, grabbing his shoulder. ¡°What Jack meant to say is right now¡¯s not the time to discuss these events ladies. We¡¯re all stressed, scared, and we have ourselves an injured friend, so why don¡¯t we all relax and chill for a second.¡±


    Veronica turned her sight to Eric, on the verge of tearing up with anger. ¡°I don¡¯t have to chill, sir! As you saw my house is destroyed, my life¡¯s ruined, and I¡¯m around dangerous criminals!¡±


    Anna grabbed Veronica¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Veronica relax, stop fueling the fire or else¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up Anna, your life¡¯s not destroyed here and I can¡¯t bear the feeling I¡¯m around dangerous¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up you snotty nose brat.¡± Angela abruptly said. ¡°All you do is yap yap yap, will you ever shut up about your endless complaining? Or are you gonna continue being a snot nose bi¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck you Angela! You little rude brat¡­ Me the brat? I don¡¯t think so!¡± Veronica replied, getting into Angela¡¯s face.


    Eric didn¡¯t want this ride to turn into a conversation that¡¯ll divide everyone, so he tries again to settle the heat down by bringing out a forced smile. ¡°Ladies calm down, everyone relax or else this rides going to continue to be¡ª¡±


    It¡¯s too late for Eric to calm the situation down, it¡¯s fully escalated. Angela and Veronica were butting heads, shouting at each other, Anna¡¯s trying her best to get Veronica to stop, but it¡¯s meaningless. Veronica¡¯s fuming with anger, her face red, eyes watery, Angela¡¯s casually laughing at her, insulting her and her status, and the person who¡¯s trying their best to muffle out this noise of tension is Jack.


    ¡°This is¡­ my fault¡­¡± Jack muttered.


    He covered his ears, but their high pitch voices were angering him, reminding him of his failures all over again. The yelling, words of torment said to another, it¡¯s ringing his ears, making his mind go haywire. The blame Jack has set on him brews inside, all of this in his mind could¡¯ve been avoided if he never came back into their lives. He thought perhaps he shouldn¡¯t exist all together, the very reason for all of this happening is all himself and his selfish doing.


    Jack shook with a grimace, feeling ashamed of himself. ¡°All of you, please shut up¡­ please!¡±


    Their voices fully ear raping, Angela¡¯s giggling reminding him of Mallory, Anna¡¯s worried tone, and Eric¡¯s patience growing thin. Jack¡¯s eyes moved erratically, he clenches his Jaw, and has enough of the divisive conversation that swells the faults inside him to breaking point.


    Jack had enough, and released more of his hidden emotions out to the world around them, telling them all how he truly feels.


    ¡°Shut your mouths, all of you! Shut up, shut up shut up, shut¡­ up!¡± Jack pants at first, finally shutting everyone up.


    As everyone got quiet, Jack¡¯s mental breakdown got worse. He started banging his head with his fists, and the girls looked at him with distraught faces.


    All the girls and Eric pleaded for Jack to stop hitting himself, but he kept punching his noggin very worrisome, seeming on the verge of going into a full meltdown. Angela tried stopping him from harming himself, but he kept hitting himself, and brought out that feeling of being the one to be at blame here, and yelled it out saying that this is all his fault. The girls felt bad, but weren¡¯t aware of Jack''s Mental health that¡¯s been degrading secretly behind everyone¡¯s backs for years.


    ¡°Yo man I¡¯m stopping the car!¡± Eric decides to pullover on some empty road next to a wooded area.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault, my fault my fault my fault my fault! hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Jack, relax my guy! Stop!¡± Eric grabbed his hand, but Jack started punching his face now.


    ¡°Jack stop!¡± Anna shouted, who¡¯s eyes began to water.


    ¡°Brother, stop hurting yourself, stop stop stop.¡± Angela pleaded, tearing up.


    ¡°Oh my god¡­ what do we do!¡± Veronica covered her mouth, she began whimpering.


    Jack gave himself nasty punches, even going as far as to break his own nose, and blood sprayed all in front of him. He¡¯s had enough, he got out of the van and ran into the woods, disappearing into the darkness from everyone else so they wouldn¡¯t watch him having his downfall. Eric hopped out too, shouting his name, all the girls did too. Angela bravely crawled herself out and started crawling to the woods, but Eric picked her up, stopping her for her own safety.


    ¡°Leave me alone, he needs me uncle!¡±


    ¡°Princess, I know it¡¯s hard to watch, not even I was aware of how bad his mentality was getting¡­ shit, I should¡¯ve known from all the pills he was taking, fuck man.¡±


    ¡°Wait, he took medication for it too? Why did you stop him!¡± Veronica shouted.


    ¡°No no, you¡¯ve got it wrong, the boy¡¯s a¡­ he¡¯s a¡­ fuck I can¡¯t say it.¡±


    Anna turned to Eric with a sad face. ¡°He¡¯s an addict¡­? Isn¡¯t he¡­¡±


    ¡°You said it¡­ not me.¡± Eric replied, raising his hands.


    Veronica cried softly. ¡°Oh my god¡­ I-I didn¡¯t know¡­ and I¡¯m sure he did it to cope with his mental health too¡­ poor Jack¡­ poor Jack!¡±


    Sarah came up to Veronica, rubbing her back. ¡°Now now¡­¡±


    Anna nodded, and she¡¯s prepared to retrieve her best friend who needs someone by his side. ¡°How long has he been off whatever those pills he was taking?¡±


    Eric groans. ¡°A couple weeks, but I¡¯m aware of how bad his mind is, though I never thought homie''s brain was so fucked now¡­ poor kid.¡±


    Angela cried too, clinging onto her uncle. ¡°Eric¡­ help my brother, let''s go to him, please!¡±


    Anna brought a smile out to ease everyone¡¯s sadness. ¡°I¡¯ll go look for him, I¡¯ll be¡ª¡±


    Sarah though stopped her, and insisted she¡¯d be the one to go after him. ¡°All of you stay here, I got this.¡± she said very calmly.


    ¡°Sarah¡­¡± Anna stepped back.


    Veronica grabbed Sarah¡¯s hands. ¡°Te-Tell him¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ and it¡¯s my fault instead!¡±


    Sarah pats Veronica¡¯s head, ¡°There there, it¡¯s all of your faults.¡±


    Everyone slightly chuckled, except for Angela, who glared at Sarah with those flowing rivers. But Sarah didn¡¯t care about Angela¡¯s mystery at the moment, she had to go find a young man having a mental breakdown and who¡¯s in a similar situation she¡¯s in.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be back, friends.¡± Sarah ran into the woods, and she too disappeared into the dark.


    Jack¡¯s in the middle of the thick woods, the moon being blocked out by the thick branches, a couple of hoots going off into the night, there he stood with his hands on his hips breathing frantically. His nose continued to bleed and his face was mildly battered.


    He hung his head in his own wallow of shame. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ Ahh¡­ all this is my fault! Fuck man fuck!¡± He started punching a nearby tree to release the brewing guilt he¡¯s done to himself.


    Fucking Dr. Cato you damn life ruiner¡­ son of a bitch¡­!


    Jack kept punching for a couple of more seconds to get every last bit of this hate towards himself out onto the tree who¡¯s his current victim. He¡¯s done, he felt relieved, but at the cost of his skin protecting the bones of his knuckles. He put his palms against the tree as his right knuckles were bleeding.


    ¡°All of this is my fault¡­ and now my poor friends have gotten involved into my mess, fuck all man.¡±


    Around in darkness, absorbing the guilt all to himself, something disrupted his self hate when he heard footsteps approaching his vicinity. And from looking to his right, the bushes moving out of the way on their own, he saw Sarah of all people to come get him. She froze though when she saw Jack¡¯s face bruised, nose leaking, and his fist bleeding, she felt bad for him.


    Poor guy¡­ I had no idea he¡¯s been through this much and holding onto his emotions for this long¡­ Sarah thought.


    Sarah approaches Jack, but he tells her to not come any closer by putting his hand out for her own safety. ¡°Please¡­ I¡¯m a monster.¡±


    She disagrees, and replies to Jack by shaking her head. ¡°No you¡¯re not, Jack Samr.¡±


    Jack lowers his hand, and twitches. He feels the urge to ingest his addiction, but currently he¡¯s fighting that demon the most on the inside.


    Jack rubbed his head as Sarah slowly approached him. ¡°Sarah¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh Jack Samr, don¡¯t be so hard on yourself. You¡¯re not alone in this mess. Did you forget who else has the same burdens as you?¡±


    Jack let off the tree, and took a relaxed breath. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Stop apologising, Jack. You¡¯ve gone through a lot through the years, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You have no clue, Sarah, but currently I¡¯m having the war of a century inside not only my mind but my heart as well. There''re many demons I¡¯m fighting, so, sorry if you guys saw me like that.¡±


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± Sarah frowned and glimpsed at the trees above them.


    ¡°I¡¯m so fucking confused about all this though¡­ The world we once knew is nothing but a complete perplexing mystery. Everything that I know about life has been shattered by these new truths and creating questionable lies the longer we live.¡±


    Sarah looked around them and nodded once her eyes were on Jack. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m on the same boat, I know we hardly know each other, but don¡¯t you find it funny that we¡¯re the ones to have these experiences out of all people?¡±


    Jack grins, and smudges away the blood on his nose. ¡°Yeah, that is funny, but Sarah, you¡¯re part of that mystery. I mean I always thought you were just a quiet girl¡­ But to find out that you¡¯re a Witch? Of all the things told to us by fairytales, it¡¯s bizarre.¡±


    Sarah finally walks up to Jack, and stands inches from him. ¡°You¡¯re hand, please.¡±


    Jack blinks, and nods, extending his normal hand forward, but she asks for the bruised one. He obliges and hands her his damaged hand. She hesitates to grab it, but touches it, and closes her eyes. Jack¡¯s waiting, and felt anticipated about why she asked his screwed up hand out of all things. But that anticipation grew amazingly because his hand felt hot, glowed red, and he saw his ripped flesh being healed.


    His eyes widened with shock, and he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. She can do the same as¡­ her?


    After healing his hand, Sarah backs away, and feels the urge to cry, but more so on feeling she¡¯s a freak of nature. ¡°I¡¯m sure I can fix your friend Candy¡­ yet, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry for¡ª¡±


    Jack stared at his healed hand and brought his shocked eyes to Sarah. ¡°Sarah you¡¯re amazing¡­¡±


    Sarah gasped. ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    Sarah felt shocked there hearing a word contradicting her own inner guilt about herself. Jack walked up to Sarah, and grabbed her hand, staring at her small palm. Sarah found it bold that a guy like him casually just grabs their hands without warning, in her mind you would only do that to the ones you seem to care about or more.


    ¡°You can do things like that too? I knew what you could do before outside of reality, but I thought that was all in a dream-like world where anything goes¡­ But of course that¡¯s not true since I¡¯ve fought a certain someone.¡±


    Sarah scrunched her face in confusion. ¡°Then¡­ Why do you think someone like me deserves the title of being called¡ªAmazing?¡±


    ¡°Well, the fact that you can heal me, help others in need, just shows that not everyone with these abnormalities intends harm.¡±


    Sarah actually smiles, and blushes a bit. ¡°That¡¯s a first coming from you, especially from what my mother told me about the status of being a Witch being looked down upon throughout history.¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯m not looking down on you, I¡¯m looking at you at a higher level for now on.¡±


    Sarah deeply sighed and shook her head. ¡°Stop¡­ you¡¯re being too nice.¡±


    ¡°Me¡­? Nice, give me a break. I¡¯m the last person to deserve the title of being called ¡®Nice¡¯ now.¡±


    Sarah cleared her throat to Jack. At first he felt why but noticed he¡¯s still holding onto her hand. Jack mildly chuckled and let go while Sarah briefly grinned but brought back her poker face.


    ¡°Perhaps so, but Jack, there¡¯s so much to this world you don¡¯t know about. What we see is real, but beyond that is something far worse and dangerous that we know of human capabilities.¡±


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°So what lies beyond our comprehension? What do the shadows of what we see is normality hidden beneath these dream worlds I¡¯ve experienced.¡±


    Both stared at each other briefly, Sarah walked around, and saw a tall rock nearby. Jack watched as Sarah hopped on top of the rock, and gazed up at the hidden moon. She reached her hand towards the night sky, and using her powers given to her from birth, she moved the branches aside to reveal the light of the moon. Shining down on her like an elegant spotlight. Her black hair being glazed by the moon''s light, as she lowers her short arm to her side, she then turns to Jack.


    ¡°Think of our world like this thick forest, and what I just did was brush aside some of the darkness, revealing a glimpse of what truly dwells within our society. In spite of doing it, even someone like me who has some knowledge of it, has only just as your position, only caught a glimpse of what truly awaits to be discovered.¡±


    Jack saw those crimson eyes of beauty shining bright, but to reveal a glistening tear swelling up on the edge of her eye, trickling down her cheek. He walks up to Sarah, feeling the same emotions just as her, and shares the same burdens.


    ¡°Sarah, why are you crying?¡± Jack asked as he looked up at her.


    That tear fell off her face, and fell to the earth, cleansing the ground beneath Jack¡¯s feet. The ground he stood on was bald until Jack felt grass growing beneath his feet, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel more mesmerised by her dormant abilities.


    Sarah wipes her eye, and gazes down at Jack with a face expressing fear. ¡°Because Jack¡­ I¡¯m just as scared as you. I¡¯m scared of what lies ahead of my future¡­ I-I don¡¯t know what to do, how do I combat these emotions and the real world?¡±


    Jack clenched his fist, and furrowed his brows. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be scared Sarah because like you said, you¡¯re not alone.¡± He then put his hand out to her.


    Her eyes trembled in a state of relief shock, feeling her own words retaliate against her in his tone that sounded more meaningful and trustworthy.


    ¡°Wh-What do you mean by that?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t share those emotions alone, together we can combat them, and learn the abnormalities of reality together. I owe it to you for showing me and letting me know more about our world, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glistened. ¡°Honestly¡­ What are you, Jack? To think we did not get the chance to get to know one another in our youth.¡±


    Jack grins. ¡°We¡¯re still young, silly. But yeah, now''s the perfect time to get to know each other. So Sarah, show me who you are, and together, let''s take on this world that seems to hate us.¡±


    Sarah grins and nods. ¡°Okay¡­ Together, let''s learn and face the cruelty of our world, Jack.¡±


    Sarah hopped off, grabbing Jack¡¯s hand in the process. But she quickly retracted in a form of nervousness, bringing out a relieving chuckle out of Jack. Moments ago when Jack had a mental breakdown and came close to hurting himself further than anyone''s acknowledgement, if no one showed up to his aid, then most likely Jack would¡¯ve gone farther into harming himself. It was none other than Sarah though out of his group of friends that came to his emotional support, the last person whom he thought would never help him out in this type of manner. Jack and Sarah felt relieved about the situations that they were in, knowing that neither should vent alone about the frustrations they have towards the world, instead the two should learn more so they can embrace it to potentially fight off any obstacles that might come in their way.


    ¡°Should we go back to the rest now?¡± Sarah said.


    Jack lets out a short breath. ¡°Yeah, I need to apologise for my ruthless actions as of late, but I¡¯m more afraid of how Veronica will respond.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have to worry too much about that, I¡¯ll be sure to explain if you can¡¯t, friend.¡±


    ¡°Friend huh¡­? That sounds weird when you say that to me.¡±


    Sarah raised a brow. ¡°Oh, and why so?¡±


    Jack crossed his arms. ¡°Well, normally when I say that word I use it in a way I might hurt my enemies or warn them of my steaming anger ready to blow out.¡±


    Sarah cringed and backed away from Jack. ¡°Oh Jesus, who taught you to be such a menace to society Jack?¡±


    Jack frowned and let out a long breath. ¡°No one, it was me alone who taught myself to become the monster that I am today.¡±


    Hearing Jack call himself a monster again and the fact he acknowledges his relentless actions towards others showed Sarah at least he¡¯s not dense about his attitude. She still felt slightly scared of him, but she didn¡¯t want to show Jack that she felt unsafe being around someone like him. As he said earlier, the two should stick together to learn the true world that hides and lies ahead of their paths in life.


    Sarah lets out a deep sigh, and proceeds to walk. ¡°Well, let''s go or else your dearest sister might kill Veronica the longer we wait.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hold up and¡­ hm, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re wrong about that ha.¡± Jack soon followed behind Sarah, and they both were on their way through the dense forest to get back with everyone else.


    Back where everyone else''s at, patiently waiting for their return, all four people were inside the van in silence. Eric¡¯s frustrated, Anna¡¯s alert, Candy¡¯s still breathing, but both Angela and Veronica were the ones still showing signs of worry. To ease the awkward silence, Anna decides to ask a question to Angela, but a question that¡¯ll raise a form of tension between the girls again.


    ¡°Say Angela¡­ why didn''t you react in shock when your brother killed a man in cold blood in front of your eyes? Shouldn''t you be the one to be the most traumatised out of all of us?¡±


    Angela lets out a sigh, but not just any sigh, but a sigh of letting a person know of redundancy. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s a pretty reasonable thing to ask someone who¡¯s not used to such a thing. In my case it¡¯s normal, so don¡¯t worry yourself about it, okay Anna.¡±


    Both girls'' mouths dropped, they couldn¡¯t believe what Angela just said. The fact that she¡¯s used to seeing her brother kill others or heard of him taking others lifes, it¡¯s unfathomable. Eric cringes, and lets out a sigh of disappointment but towards Jack.


    Veronica swallows, and gasps again, feeling very uneasy about Angela¡¯s mental health too. ¡°So-So Angela¡­ do you know¡­ How many people Ja-Jack¡¯s killed over the years then¡­ if that¡¯s the case¡­?¡±


    Anna¡¯s still in disbelief, and for her well-being, she didn¡¯t want to hear this answer coming out from someone this adorable, especially with a calm soft voice like hers. ¡°I¡¯d rather not hear¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost count to be honest. The last time he mentioned a number was years ago, and it fell on the line of about, roughly over hundred.¡±


    Both girls gasped, their eyes grew wider, they couldn''t believe it. Never in their lives would they think that someone like Jack was not only a known criminal, but a mass murderer at that? It¡¯s such a shock, and not even Eric could believe Angela¡¯s answer.


    ¡°Baby girl¡­ don¡¯t you think you¡¯re exaggerating a bit, it¡¯s less than that I would say¡­ I think maybe fifty or less¡ª¡± Eric then noticed his own statement didn¡¯t make the situation better either.


    Eric realised his stupidity and the way he said it too in a tone of relaxation made the other two girls blanch. No matter the answers both would say, even if the numbers are small, the truth to the matter will always be that Jack¡¯s a serial killer and a full time criminal.


    ¡°So-Sorry, I¡¯ll just shut up now¡­¡± Eric said as he turned back staring straight at the dark road.


    Angela though, something¡¯s bothering her, and Veronica could tell by how she¡¯s glaring at her from the viewpoint of the rear view mirror. Veronica felt the anger of the young teenager, an intense stare from those wondrous eyes of blue, gleaming hate towards her very being. This was bothering Veronica, she didn¡¯t like how Angela¡¯s brows were so furrowed, it even gave Veronica the thought of Angela thinking about murder towards her.


    ¡°Hey Angela¡­ could you not stare at me like that? It¡¯s rather rude and uncomfortable to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut¡­ up¡­ and let me daydream, V-e-r-o-n-i-c-a.¡± The tone in Angela¡¯s voice grew fierce.


    Veronica hated this attitude of hers with a passion, and the way she said her name now, it brought aggravation. ¡°Why you little devil, if you weren¡¯t Jack¡¯s so called Sister, I would¡ª¡±


    ¡°Relax Veronica okay, please¡­ I don¡¯t want anyone fighting at this point, right now I¡¯m just as afraid as you are¡­¡± Anna said.


    ¡°A-Anna¡­ that¡¯s actually quite surprising coming from you, since you¡¯re the strongest mentally out of us.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ yeah but after this crazy night and hearing this girl say something so serious and very natulant, one can¡¯t help but feel naturally afraid, you know?¡±


    ¡°I guess, sorry¡­ I¡¯ll shut up now.¡± Veronica laid back on the car seat, arms crossed, and looked to the windshield.


    Angela sighs. ¡°Don¡¯t call me girl, I have a name you know?¡±


    ¡°With that attitude and back at her house you still act very much like a child.¡± Anna said.


    Feeling Anna¡¯s sass, and the words spewing out her mouth that are very truthful, Angela couldn¡¯t help but feel like a jerk. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry, I just love my brother a lot you know? He-He saved me¡­ from every turn, perplexing obstacles, and in the end¡­ he¡¯s always there to save me.¡±


    Angela then let out a single tear, and her emotions got the best of her, she started to whimper, but very softly. Anna grins, patting Angela¡¯s head and shushing her in a pampering way. Veronica grins too, she can¡¯t stay mad at her, she very much understood Angela¡¯s position, so for now, she¡¯s letting her slide, even if she doesn¡¯t apologise for being mean towards her.


    ***


    Inside Dr. Cato¡¯s office and waiting for his arrival, Archard and William were growing rather bored, so the two thought it¡¯d be fun to talk a little about their past.


    Sitting on Dr. Cato¡¯s chair as always, William decides to pull out a bottle of whiskey to ease their patience. ¡°Go on my friend, start the conversation so I can await for this clown''s arrival. Besides, I¡¯m rather curious to hear more of this Envy situation you were in, could you go into more details?¡±


    Archard watches as his master pours the golden liquid into their shot glasses. ¡°I¡¯d rather not, in this way I can handle my sanity or else I¡¯ll truly explode in anger if I talk more about it.¡±


    ¡°Hm, well if you happen to do so, I¡¯d be more than glad to teach you a lesson far greater than repenting my friend!¡± William chuckles as he takes a shot of whiskey.


    Archard smiles, and grabs a shot glass. ¡°I know you would, and I¡¯d never refuse a punishment given by you, Sir William.¡±


    ¡°Archard please, just call me William, we¡¯re friends you ol chap!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m just used to calling you in that manner, it fits better for your title.¡±


    William blows out air. ¡°I really detest such views. You, along with the other Exorcists, all seven of you really do like treating me as this all mighty being when in fact that one being is God himself! Yet you guys always flatter me with such praise. Ahh, I¡¯m growing rather weary of it to be frank¡­¡± He then poured himself another shot, drinking it down to flush away the flustered comments.


    Archard watched as his master continued sighing and drinking. That¡¯s because we do sir William¡­ you say God exists, but we¡¯ve yet to see him, so in our eyes, and from what we¡¯ve been through and seen with our experiences¡­ You¡¯re the God that we worship and pray to.


    ¡°Goodness¡­ this whiskey is hitting nicely, ahh do I enjoy it¡¯s smoothness cleansing away my burdens.¡± William said.


    As the two went on about other things in their conversation, Dr. Cato¡¯s doors slammed open. The two looked to the door and saw him or them, Dr. Cato who¡¯s quelling in anger, and by his side his partner Mathew who seems very nervous. Dr. Cato stomped his way to the two, and Mathew tried his best to calm his best friend down to not raise tensions between them all.


    ¡°William! You goddamn bastard!¡± Dr. Cato shouted.


    ¡°Woah woah, Cato my friend, relax, do you know who you¡¯re talking to?!¡± Mathew said.


    Stopping in front of his own desk where William¡¯s elegantly sitting on it with his holy presence. Dr. Cato slammed his hands on it, startling his friend. He leaned his face forward to William, his teeth ground, showing his anger to him. Dr. Cato has had enough of these two.


    ¡°You fucking warned him didn¡¯t you? You ungrateful son of a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up, and don¡¯t you ever use God¡¯s name in vain again.¡± Now William¡¯s growing angry, standing up to his feet and giving Dr. Cato a state of dominance.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t care! You told Jack that I was going to attack him tonight, didn¡¯t you?!¡±


    ¡°Why yes, yes I did.¡± William replied.


    ¡°But why?! I thought I told you I don¡¯t want you interfering with my plans!¡±


    William walked out from behind the desk, and stood in front of Dr. Cato. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your plans, you selfish man. Your methods have failed you, your partner abused his given authority lent by me when he fought that child three years ago and did it again not too long ago! So as of now, things are going to go my way, Catoline!¡±


    ¡°Huh?! You mean these crosses! I could care less about¡ª¡±


    William jumped into Dr. Cato¡¯s face, making him breathless. ¡°You listen very closely, you bloke. There are rules that govern our universe created by God. And when these unnatural occurrences throw off the balance of reality, the consequences can be catastrophic! You have no right to complain about anything of my doing, only you have yourself to blame for failing to contain all of these events, breaking the balance of our world, you wretched man of greed!¡±


    Mathew cuts in, and nervously speaks. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ very sorry Sir William for abusing the power you gave me, but I didn¡¯t have a choice¡­ so I kinda had to do it, you know?¡±


    Archard stepped closer to Mathews'' vicinity. ¡°You could have if you weren¡¯t so eager to use the might of God against that child and got carried away.¡±


    ¡°I uh, uh¡­ sorry¡­!¡± Mathew bowed and sweated bullets.


    Dr. Cato glares at William, showing him he¡¯s not afraid of him. ¡°Get out of my office, leave and let me deal with my failures.¡±


    William brought out a smile, confusing Dr. Cato. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen, Catolina, because as of now¡­ You two will no longer be a part of this journey or if this were a story, you¡¯re no longer about to be part of it.¡±


    Both Mathew and Dr. Cato were stunned with confusion from the words that came out of William¡¯s mouth. Mathew felt just as nervous even frightened than before while his partner Dr. Cato kept his ground, showing the mighty William that he¡¯s not tolerating his nonsense or empty threats.


    Dr. Cato knit his brows, and clenched his jaw before speaking again to William. ¡°What do you mean by that you crazy¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just as I said, are you deaf? I¡¯m taking you out of this story momentarily, and once everythings dealt with, then you¡¯ll come back!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t like the sound of that, what are you planning on doing to us Sir William¡­?¡± Mathew asked with a frightened tone.


    Archard couldn¡¯t help but smile, he¡¯s eager to know their punishment for taking things too far. ¡°Well, I guess this is farewell to the two of you for the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Archard¡­ please be more specific!¡± Mathew said as Archard only replied to him with an enlightened smile.


    William twirls his cane, slamming the tip of it on the ground and smiles. ¡°I¡¯m basically going to erase you from history my friend, the both of you! What I¡¯m about to do is fix everything the two of you have done the past three years¡­ The walls, the made up sickness, the aftermaths of your chaos, and your very existence will be no more when I snap my fingers.¡±


    Dr. Cato¡¯s done playing games, he steps forward but he pauses as soon as William raises two fingers. ¡°You¡¯re not serious¡­ Are you? That¡¯s impossible, you can¡¯t do something theoretically impossible, it¡¯s unreal! There¡¯s no way you can do such a thing! You¡¯re telling me our actions have thrown the balance of nature, the world, our universe off when you say something just as surreal and contradicting your own statement?!¡±


    Mathew grabs Dr. Cato¡¯s shoulders. ¡°My friend, please calm down¡­ or you¡¯ll really¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough Mathew! I don¡¯t want to hear any of this shit, no being in existence can do such a thing! What, you¡¯re basically telling me you¡¯re redoing time? Redoing history?! Even if that¡¯s real you know you¡¯d have to be a being capable of surpassing the fifth dimension if that¡¯s even comprehensible! All you¡¯re speaking is out your ass and something made up in stupid comic books, you can¡¯t do such a thing!¡±


    Willaim¡¯s smile fades, and he gets serious. ¡°I know¡­ Goodbye, Dr. Cato. I¡¯ll see you when my part of the deal¡ªis done!¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Mathew clutches his head in fear. ¡°Not like this!¡±


    Dr. Cato laughs manically. ¡°Oh please this all just a¡ª¡±


    In the snap of his fingers, William has made the two vanish from existence. The room got eerily quiet, Archard stood there breathless. He knew his master¡¯s capable of doing things beyond anything science deems impossible, but the fact that he¡¯s able to make the two disappear like that was utterly terrifying.


    Gulping down his nervousness, Archard looked to his master, and spoke in a nervous tone. ¡°Sir¡­ Willam¡­ Di-Did you really, just¡ªdo, what you just did?¡±


    William glances at his friend, and walks over to Dr. Cato¡¯s desk now belonging to him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, you tell me, here!¡± He then grabbed some papers that were plans of Dr. Cato¡¯s and tossed them to Archard.


    He caught them, and glimpsed at each one while his face turned paler. ¡°There¡­ there¡­ all¡ªempty¡­ Not a single note¡­!¡±


    William¡¯s face turned still and his tone turned deeper. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Archard, this is just the start of my cleansing. Next will be the towns consumed by darkness and disarray, along with our friend Jacqueline.¡±


    ¡°What, what¡¯s your plan now sir?¡± Archard asked, breathless.


    William sat back down on the chair, and reached into the desk filled with empty files and photos that were once filled with Dr. Cato¡¯s presence, but were now empty. ¡°When I clap my hands twice, history as we know it will be rewritten by me in a way that won¡¯t anger God because once our goals are reached¡­ then everything should return to normality and time will flow into the single endless river that it is.¡±


    ¡°What is it then? And how much of history will you rewrite?¡±


    ¡°Not too much my friend, just enough to make those two vanish. What I¡¯ll do in a minute is redo everything that they did with our boy Jack, such as all the years of doing those experiments of theirs, the fighting, their mistakes, lastly making it seem as if everything was just the way it is without them.¡±


    Archard crossed his arms and gripped his chin. ¡°So essentially what you¡¯re saying is the past events these three years would¡¯ve never happened, the public will not remember a single thing because it technically didn¡¯t happen, and everyone''s memories will be erased?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten the hang of it, yes, but there¡¯s more to it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s more?¡±


    ¡°Yes, precisely my friend! Jack¡¯s friends will never remember the events that occurred from these past three years and their doings such as the attack that happened an hour ago. But, I¡¯ll only leave the memories of those two to Jack, the witch, and our little victim Angela. Only they will keep remembrance of those two and the events that have occurred. These are all of my plans that I like to call¡ª!¡±


    William gets up out of the chair, brushes his golden hair with his long fingers, and expresses an open mouth smile enough to cleanse one''s soul from its purity.


    ¡°The Exorcist trials! Our dear boy Jack along with the Witch without her acknowledgement will partake in my trial to repent for his sins! More will be explained when I invite him back into my dimension, then he¡¯ll fully understand what¡¯s going on¡­ Ooo, how exciting!¡±


    Archard applauds his master¡¯s plan, feeling excited about the idea he has no knowledge about. ¡°Wonderful! What a great idea, and when will this trial start? I¡¯m eager to know and do I have a part in it sir?!¡±


    Hearing his partner''s excitement, William chuckles in excitement too. ¡°Of course you do! So long as you don¡¯t take things too far. Alright, this will start tomorrow night. But for now, I¡¯ll warm them, only as a tease and to give them a freight.¡±


    ¡°That sounds splendid! So when are you going to clap to redo history?!¡±


    ¡°Ehh, roughly in about, another minute I¡¯d say.¡±


    Archard couldn¡¯t wait to see this extravagant event, he¡¯ll be the first to see something impossible done possible by his master''s hands. William lets out one last chuckle, and slowly lifts his hands to redo time.


    ***


    Back in the dark forest of solitude, Jack and Sarah were still walking back to the group, in the meantime they were both having a casual conversation fitting for folks their age.


    ¡°Say Jack, I¡¯ve got a question for you.¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Yeah, what would that question be?¡± Jack replied.


    ¡°Over the years, and through your hardships, what other supernatural occurrences have you encountered?¡±


    Jack stopped walking, and made his brain rewind for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s tough to answer, there¡¯s a lot I can tell you¡­ But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing that I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t reveal to you at this time, rather I¡¯ll wait when the moment¡¯s right.¡±


    Sarah sighs. ¡°I understand, so uh, you got any questions for me to make it even?¡±


    ¡°Hm, maybe, well¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the right time to ask such a silly question.¡±


    Sarah raises a brow. ¡°How silly is it?¡±


    Jack crossed his arms, and blew air out his nose. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t make fun of me for this but! Being the informative person that you are¡­ could you¡­ you uh¡­¡±


    Sarah saw how twitchy Jack¡¯s eye started getting. ¡°Spill it out scary guy, you got this, I won¡¯t bite.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t know about that when our reunion was you trying to do more than just bite!¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t help but giggle at Jack''s acting, reminding her of their youth. ¡°Oh come on now, don¡¯t hold a grudge on me now.¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough dragging around, what I wanted to ask you was¡­ could you teach me or show me what the concept of Love¡­ is?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were both raised, her lips puckered out in confusion, yet she¡¯s not surprised to hear such a ridiculous question from Jack. In their childhood he¡¯s always been dense, but she never knew it was this bad. Unfortunately though, Sarah had little knowledge of love too, she only knew the basics. But seeing how Jack¡¯s treating her in a high prospective, she couldn¡¯t let herself be just as oblivious as he is.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ well, I-I don¡¯t really have much to teach you about love because to me¡­ Love is nothing but an obscurity, a blockade in my way of life of prosperity and knowledge so I don¡¯t have time to learn of such redundancy.¡±


    Jack believed every word coming out of her lying mouth. ¡°I see, clever, maybe I should do the same.¡±


    They both stayed quiet, looked at each other, and neither couldn''t contain their laughter. The two were enjoying their silly conversation together until their time of bonding got interrupted by something completely abnormal. Out of the bloom, of all places, the sounds of holy bells went off. It brought out confusion to the two, but then it hit Jack first, these sounds were the exact same that he heard when that mysterious man in the elegant hood appeared from out of nowhere.


    His face turning white, the pores on his skin expanding to let his fear drip out, Jack¡¯s breathing turned frantic. ¡°No¡­ no¡­ we, we gotta go Sarah!¡±


    ¡°Jack, what are you talking about? What¡¯s going on, and why are there church bells going off?!¡± Sarah looked around them with her eyes wide open, feeling just as afraid as Jack because her Witch senses were giving her warnings.


    Jack¡¯s mind screamed, this obsurburtie reciting his fear into his soul, as the bells went off, both of them noticed the environment changing colour. Sarah gasps, Jack grinds his teeth, clutching his head in a state of panic, they didn¡¯t know what to do in this instance. As the colours of reality faded away, a holy voice then spoke to them, and Jack knew this voice.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves my children¡­ because your lives are about to change for the better!¡±


    William¡­ it¡¯s-it¡¯s him! Jack thought.


    Sarah saw Jack¡¯s eyes bugging out of their sockets, never has she seen him this afraid. ¡°Ja-Jack¡­ who¡¯s speaking to us, why¡¯s this happening?!¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know Sarah, but we gotta¡ª¡±


    Then, the sound of two claps echoed into their minds, and reached out into the air of the forest. Everything¡¯s paused, colours have faded completely into nothing, and everyone¡¯s gone. Another two claps and reality itself shattered like glass, leaving nothing but an empty void of total black.


    A bright light appeared, and out came William from within that light, floating in the void of black, and he had a huge smile on his face. Pulling out his golden cane of elegance out of thin air, he twirled it around in the darkness, and tapped it on nothing, producing sounds of it hitting on something too.


    The light behind him grew brighter, and he raised two fingers and said, ¡°See you tomorrow night, Jack my friend.¡± William then snapped his fingers, flashing the world into white.


    Jack then awoke from an unknown slumber, he sat right up and panicked. He got up out of bed, but when he did, he realised¡ª


    ¡°Wa...it¡­ am¡­ am I¡­? No¡­¡± Jack couldn''t believe it, he¡¯s back in his old room inside Eric''s home.


    He¡¯s so shocked that he entered himself into a state of paralysis. Standing there like a statue, inside his hollowed mind, Jack thought this was all just a dream, an assumption he¡¯s used to presuming. At first he wanted to self harm to see if this truly was a dream world, but even then, the pain he experienced in both worlds were always real. But what changed that assumption into a truthful reality check was when he glimpsed at a group photo of himself and Angela. It appeared to be taken recently.


    ¡°No¡­ this all can¡¯t be¡­ real, no, I refuse to believe it!¡±


    Finally breaking out of his paralysed state, Jack stormed out of his room and ran into the backyard. There at first glance everything¡¯s normal, and right in front of him was still Randolph¡¯s grave.


    He shook his head. ¡°This all has to be a dream¡­ none of this can''t be real! What¡¯s going on, I was just with Sarah¡­ wait, Sarah!¡±


    Jack reached into his pocket for his phone until Eric came outside half asleep. ¡°Jack¡­? You¡¯re up this early my guy, I see you¡¯re still grieving over Randolph¡¯s death even after all these years.¡±


    Jack stopped and ran to Eric, freaking him out from how quick he came to his face. Once he did he grabbed his boss''s shoulders with a distraught face.


    ¡°Eric! How did I get back in my bed when we were attacked last night by the men in white at Veronica¡¯s house!¡±


    Eric pushed Jack off, and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Man it¡¯s too early for this shit¡­ and what attack? Last night you were up almost all night with Angela watching a silly cartoon of hers.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Jack¡¯s speechless now, in complete disarray, he can¡¯t bring himself to comprehend any of this.


    Eric notices Jack¡¯s knees trembling, his wide eyes, sweaty pores, he too is confused on why Jack¡¯s freaking out so much over nothing. ¡°Bro¡­ you okay, it¡¯s like you¡¯ve seen a ghost my guy, you¡¯ve finally gotten crazy haven''t you?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t say a word, he¡¯s still shocked, the only reply Eric got out of him was his scared breathing.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Jack, hello?¡± Eric waved his big hand in front of Jack¡¯s blanched face.


    Jack then felt his phone rang, and he suddenly snapped out of his shocked state to grab it. He takes it out, flips it open, and sees Sarah calling him, a moment of relief finally. Jack took a short breath, relaxed his muscles to speak to her properly, and answered his phone.


    ¡°Hello, Sarah?!¡±


    Sarah who¡¯s back in her tiny home was sitting at the edge of her bed in complete disbelief as well. ¡°Jack! Thank god, come over to my house later, something¡¯s happened, and my mom might have an answer to it.¡±


    ¡°Really! So I-I¡¯m not dreaming then? This is all real?!¡±


    Sarah swallows. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m afraid so¡­ I don¡¯t know what just happened, but from what I can tell Jack¡­¡± She stood up, walked up to a photo of her and everyone else with Jack in the photo too somehow. ¡°Someone¡¯s messed with time, or history, damn, not even I can explain this¡­¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ What?! No¡­ no¡­ this-this is fucking nuts, complete madness!¡± Jack couldn¡¯t help but laugh in madness now.


    Eric grabbed his attention by grabbing his shoulders. ¡°Yo man, what the fucks the matter with you?! Fucking chill my guy, I know you have mental issues, but I didn¡¯t know they were this bad!¡±


    Jack stopped laughing for a second, and regained his composure. ¡°Alright alright, Eric, answer me this¡­ Did we save Angela from Dr. Cato three years ago? Or are you going to fucking make me go ballistic!¡±


    Eric knit his brows, he didn¡¯t like the look in Jack¡¯s eyes, they were the eyes of a madman in the making. ¡°What the fuck are you talking about¡­ and who the hell¡¯s Dr. Cato?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide again, and now he¡¯s lost it. ¡°What! No¡­ fuck this, fuck all this!¡± He couldn''t take any of this any longer and ran off through the home and out the front door.


    Sarah who¡¯s hearing all of this over the other side of the phone felt bad for him. ¡°Jack¡­ please relax if you can hear me¡­¡±


    But Jack couldn''t, he¡¯s just running blindly in the street without a destination in mind. Jack quickly stopped, and remembered that Sarah¡¯s still on the phone, slamming his phone against his ear.


    ¡°Sarah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I just can¡¯t contain any of this¡­ what did William do. How much has changed, and why are we the only ones that remember?¡±


    Sarah lays back on her bed, staring at her ceiling with her smartphone against her ear. ¡°William¡­ Who''s that? And I don¡¯t know Jack, but for now, can you relax, for the sake of your mentality, please?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like hearing that, actually it really irritated him hearing someone he barely knew telling him to calm down other than Angela or Eric, but she¡¯s right, he had to or else he¡¯d truly go berserk.


    Jack let out a deep sigh, and lowered his head. ¡°Okay¡­ I¡¯m coming over then Sarah, and I¡¯ll tell you who William is, hopefully your mother will have answers like you said.¡±


    Sarah lets out a deep sigh too, feeling more fearful of the bizarre situation. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll let my mother know that you¡¯re coming right now, I guess.¡±


    Sarah hangs up her phone and lays there, basking all of this to herself.


    Mom seemed so calm when I woke up and I started panicking¡­ She still had a smile but how does she know what just occurred? None of this makes any sense, yet out of all these feelings contradicting inside me¡­ I¡¯m just as afraid as ever before. Sarah thought.


    Sarah sat up, glanced at that photo one last time. ¡°How much has everything changed¡­ I guess we¡¯ll find out today, aren¡¯t we, Jack?¡±


    Jack¡¯s still standing in the street, dazzled, and utterly dumbfounded. With the phone still in his hand, his breathing heavy, the trembled fear vibrating his body, Jack too wondered how much has changed.


    ¡°William¡­ what have you done¡­¡± Jack knits his brows, and puts his phone away.


    This is no time to stop Jack, you gotta get to Sarah¡¯s house¡­


    Jack clenched his fists, shook his head quickly, and ran to Sarah¡¯s home, hopefully seeking a conclusion to all of the madness created by the being known as William H. Christ the Sixth.

 Update and taking a break

    I''m letting everyone know that I''ll be taking a much needed break from reading and writing. I do this every 6 to 8 months. But from here on out it''ll be new content finally. After almost a year and a half I''ll be able to write again instead of proof reading and editing what I can. From this point onward it''s all new, and the start of the most intense Arc in the story thus far. Arc 4''s going to be long, I mean long; maybe 100 chapters. The Arc will be divided into four parts. Part 1 being: Envy, Part 2 being: Justice, Part 3 being: Sorrow, and Part 4 being: Forgiven. I''ll also be working with the first prequel of Always Together, which will only be 20 chapters called The most Envious. That''ll be published before Arc 4 Part 1''s conclusion. And once Arc 4 concludes the series will go on hiatus to focus on the second prequel that''ll explain and explore more of the world of Always Together and it''s background called; The Tales Of An Exorcists with William being the main character. Now that story I know everyone will enjoy, myself included because not only will it explain why this man is so damn powerful, over omnipotent, but why the world has plunged into this state. It''ll start in 14th century England, the dark ages where it all began.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    I can''t wait to show all of you more of this franchise and hopefully post more than just this franchise but my other stories as well such as D-JABBIC. I''ll be seeing you guys later, I''m going to enjoy this time off and plot out more of Always Together and its future. Cheers to this hopefully becoming something grand someday, I ain''t gonna give up nor give in to others who think it won''t go nowhere, because so far, I''m doing the right thing. I''ve learned my lessons and should''ve done this from the start, peace my brothers and sisters, see ya soon!

 Arc 4: Prologue

    Soaring, desolated, is a town thriving on being an economic powerhouse during the gas crisis of the 1980¡¯s. A lone elegant man, wearing a precious suit of silk black lathered in the essence of gold dust scattered around his suit; is seated in the finest restaurant of a roaring town converging towards the future. Around him were others taking advantage of the finery, enjoying their wealth, being the contributors and examples of the future, everyone¡¯s at peace. Sitting in an establishment alone in the meantime, sipping the finest glass of wine, the elegant gentleman seems to be eager to wait for whoever shall take the empty seat in front of him.


    He had a smile on his face, letting out a distinct sigh, the well suited man brushes his hair of silk gold with his strong fingers of delicacy. Ah, this will be the day that I propose to my beloved, a woman of the utmost beauty, her treasury that¡¯s her personality, is waiting to be bestowed by this ring I have in my pocket and tie our lives together to spend eternity.


    Pulling out the said object out of his pocket to show one¡¯s partner''s devotion for unity and love, opening the small box of black, revealed a diamond of purity. Shining brightly into the restaurant''s dim lights, he admired it but not because of its admirable view and worth, but it shows his gratitude to the woman he loves the most. Feeling even more bound of the wicked happiness ravaging inside him, a waiter comes up to his table, giving him news he long awaited.


    ¡°Sir, your reservation has arrived, and I must say, you are one lucky man.¡± The waiter then pours more wine into the man''s cup, along with the empty one in front of him.


    ¡°Thank you my good sir,¡± said the gentleman, ¡°here, have this.¡± He handed the waiter a one hundred dollar tip, bringing out meaningful joy out of the hard working waiter.


    ¡°Oh my goodness! Thank you my good sir! May you and your lovely guest have a wondrous night, excuse me.¡± The waiter leaves, and the man¡¯s pours start leaking.


    ¡°Oh no¡­ I-I can¡¯t show my nervousness to her, otherwise when I propose it¡¯ll ruin the moment.¡± Grabbing the cloth next to his plate, he gently dampers his face, erasing any signs of his nervousness.


    He reorganises the cloth, making it seem as if he never touched it to hide any membrane of his brief embarrassment. Getting ready, making sure his elegant suit isn¡¯t wrinkled, hairs on point, and more importantly, checking any signs of fear, he¡¯s regained his confidence. Then, heels approached his direction, one belonging to the most beautiful, marvellous woman of the entire town. She had black hair reaching towards the pristine grounds of the restaurant, glistening skin as white as snow, a dress of pure black and red malevolence, and the most profound thing of her personified beauty was her crimson eyes of pure hypnotising rarity.


    The defined beauty came around him, sitting gently, arousing his eyes on how she just seated herself. ¡°Why hello there, my love. How are you on this fine evening bestowed upon us.¡±


    The man became immediately hypnotised by her bewitching looks. Never has he seen her this gorgeous before though she¡¯s already the definition of it, but in this instance, she¡¯s become more than that word. Those pours he dried out moments ago to vaporise his nervousness came back to haunt him, and he quickly grabbed the cloth to dry them out. Seeing him react to his sweating brought out a lovely giggle through her luscious glistening lips of red. He replied to her giggle with a chuckle of relief.


    The two lovely couples had the night of their young lives, having to eat the finest food, embracing each other''s presence by talking of their pasts; when they first met, dates, journeys, and to their devoted present. Their admiration for one another had no bounds. Both shared laughter, staring into each other''s eyes, feeling their hearts eager to linger their love to burst out their chests and cling. The two locked eyes, holding hands, sharing their memories by the palms of their hands; the man¡¯s ready to express his full admiration for the most beautiful woman not only in the thriving town they¡¯re in, but the whole world.


    Massaging her fragile fingers with his strong ones, he swallows in preparation to give it his all. ¡°My love¡­ This night we shared just now, maybe the most admirable one I¡¯ll print into my mind and will forever store it¡ªuntil the day I die.¡±


    Replying to his strong emotions, she smiles, holds onto his hands, and kisses them both. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one, my love, my world, and my desire to hopefully make my dream come true, someday.¡±


    The elegant man couldn¡¯t take it, the way she said those words about him, her tone of sexual arousement, he hops out of his seat, gets on a knee, and¡ª


    ¡°My love¡­ will you¡ª?¡±


    The entire restaurant saw his actions and became an audience, hearing those loud words of devotion he¡¯s about to lay upon the woman he so dearly loves. He slowly reaches into his pocket, and retrieves the box that¡¯ll wrap their lives together in permanent chains.


    He elegantly opened the box, and with the love engraved inside of him came out, him saying to her. ¡°Will you marry me!¡± The restaurant awes, applauds, stands and roots for the man''s proposal of eternal life.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    The woman¡¯s eyes glisten, she trickles a gasp out of her glistened lips of red, and reaches for his hand. As her hand reached for the box, the man felt his heart ready to burst out of his chest, to his view, it seemed like she¡¯s accepting his proposal.


    His emotions were overjoyed, overflowing in so much happiness that they came out of his eyes, trickling down his face. ¡°My love¡­ Is this?!¡±


    But, all of this temptation of tying the knot and to share one¡¯s eternity and love until death do them part had been tarnished. She had gently closed the box, shutting the entire audience, bringing silence into the establishment, but still engraved on her face was that beautiful smile of hers. The man¡¯s confused, he couldn¡¯t comprehend why she just closed the box, to him it seemed as though she closed his heart, and was preparing to throw it away.


    ¡°My love¡­ wh-why did you¡ª?¡±


    Interrupting his pained voice with her relaxed soothing giggle, the woman rose to her feet, patted his head, and said words that tarnished his poor heart, so he could forever embrace this moment into his mind.


    Those heart piercing words were. ¡°Oh, sweetums, I¡¯m sorry¡­ but, I refuse.¡±


    In a mind of hatred vengeance coated in the might of God; her words echoed into his chambered mind filled with these emotions of hate and anger. In his blacked out state, it was being interrupted by his name being called by a muffled voice, one in which he recognised all too well.


    ¡°Archard¡­¡± she said.


    He squirms around in his nap, trying to brush off the voice calling out to him in this nightmare he¡¯s experiencing, a moment in which he wishes never occurred.


    ¡°Ar-chy¡­¡± she said in a louder soothing tone.


    Again, he clutches his head, the relaxing voice haunted his dreams, but managed to wrap their essence onto his eardrums.


    ¡°Archy¡­!¡±


    Feeling angry, urging to get out of his slumber, he charges light into his dreams to bring the light of God to erase the tormenting voice of his dreadful past, but they kept calling him out, and finally¡ª


    ¡°Archard!¡± William pokes his partner''s face with his cane of pure gold elegance.


    Rising up out of his temporary slumber, Archard let out a deep sigh, clutching his head. ¡°Ah! Sir¡­ my apologies, I-I was just taking a nap. I-I didn¡¯t mean to oversleep.¡±


    ¡°Ahh don¡¯t mind that, though you seemed absolutely trivialised in your slumber. For a second I thought you¡¯ve succumbed to the hands of a demon and have revolted against me¡­ Almost gave me the freight there, my dear friend, haha!¡±


    Getting off the couch he slept on, Archard stood up, massaged his pulsed head and embraced the night. ¡°Terribly sorry again, though I would say a demon still seeks to capture my heart, before they have, but never again, sir.¡±


    Troubled by the way his partner''s face looked, the tone in his voice sounded to be in pain. William approached his partner, laying a hand on his broad shoulder.


    ¡°My dearest friend, you¡¯re still troubled by the past in which I¡¯ve slept through apparently for an entire week?¡±


    Agreeing to his master''s words, Archard expressed it with a nod. ¡°Yes¡­ You might have some correlation to the aftermath, but the past that travels behind my shadow still lingers onto my tail to this day.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I see, but what did happen during that whole week of utter destruction you¡¯ve once described briefly but never touched upon?¡±


    Hearing his master bring up words of the burden past made Archard clench his fists in subtle anger. ¡°In that entire week, the person who almost brought forth the world''s end by her eager manipulative Greed, lust, and devotion to achieve this dream of hers, resulted in devastation, heart break, and chaos¡­¡±


    William¡¯s intrigued, rather he feels left out because the poor sap was apparently asleep during the time of earth''s near end. ¡°Really? All of that happened in the span of a week? You¡¯ve got to be joking?! How did I not awake out of my¡ªOh! That¡¯s right, I remember exercising a certain individual and in doing so took up so much, rather, I used too much for so little to do the job I crashed didn¡¯t I? Heh, but why didn¡¯t anyone bother to awaken a bloke like me during such a crisis, huh?¡±


    Hearing his master make fun of himself briefly wiped away the emotions of anger towards the individual he hates. ¡°We tried sir, but in doing so resulted in one of us being thrashed around by your might, haha.¡±


    ¡°Then how in the bloody¡ªI mean excuse my language, how was I? Able to function by being asleep for a whole week?¡±


    Archard pats his beloved master¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You slept, walked sir, but more importantly it was rather frightening watching you handle yourself while the rest of us almost succumbed to our demise¡ªexcept for, you know who?.¡±


    William at first felt sorrow from Archard mentioning the individual William knew, but erased it and raised a brow of interest instead. ¡°Really now? I do say, but alas the past is the past. Ahem, so Archard, who¡¯s this being you so desperately hate, huh? You never quite told me, more so gave me hints, cheeky bastard¡­ Oops, I have sinned!¡±


    ¡°Sir, it¡¯s okay to curse every so often so don¡¯t beat yourself around the bush.¡±


    ¡°Okay my dear friend, then finish on what you were saying or do hear me God I shall lay a mighty hand upon your face my friend.¡±


    Archard let out a long breath, furrowing his brows, and said the very words he wished to never say to anyone else but in his dreams. ¡°The engraver and holder of jealousy, bestower of selfish desired greed¡­ The Sin¡ªof Envy.¡±


    William takes the time to bask in his dramatic reveal, but trickles out a chuckle between his lips. ¡°Oh! Her? Don¡¯t you mean Witch¡ªof Envy! Nonsense, a being like her from how you¡¯re describing sounds to be an absolute monster to being dramatically unveiled has me in disappointment.¡±


    Archard blinks, comprehending his master¡¯s reaction to his dramatic reveal. ¡°But sir, you¡¯ve never met her before¡­ you¡¯ve never felt her wretched bewitching loo¡ª¡±


    ¡°Archard, of course I know of her existence, just like every bestower and engraver of Sin, I usually encounter them at some point. It so happens I did meet her, well not Her per say, rather the holder or different side of the engraver of Envy, though temporarily.¡±


    ¡°You have?! When!¡±


    ¡°Right when you showed your strength and damned our precious world with your righteous anger, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ yeah, my apologies again for that, but that doesn¡¯t mean you actually met the engraver of Envy and why do you call her Witch of Envy?¡±


    William walks over to what used to be Dr. Cato¡¯s desk now belonged to him, and sits on his big chair of comfort and leather. ¡°I think it sounds better and more dramatic! And I have a feeling I might encounter her actual side sooner than later. For now though, the past is the past my friend. At the moment, let us continue onward into this journey, because this is just the beginning¡­ Of that Sinful boy named Jack Samr and his long awaited¡ªrehabilitation.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 1: A New Face & Lost

    In the middle of a town''s grandest cleanest park symbolising it¡¯s wealth and safety, William and Archard were at the edge of the park located in the middle of this fine town where Jack would come occasionally with Angela when times weren¡¯t tough. With his golden cane of purity set foot on the ground, his hands above it, Archard being the tense guy that he is, stood beside his master perplexed by the event that William had created just last night.


    Continuing their walk, William brought his eyes to the sky, watching a flock of birds fly by. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Hearing his master, Archard heard the distress in his hum. ¡°What¡¯s bothering you, sir William?¡±


    William moaned and shook his head. ¡°Nothing, it''s just that¡­ Archard, would you care to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, what is it?¡±


    William then scratched his head, feeling frustrated. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just that, this whole ordeal I¡¯ve seemed to have done, is rather, how should I put it¡­ incoherent, care to refute my statement, my dear friend?¡±


    Archard was confused on what his master was saying, rather it made him feel more concerned for William. ¡°Uhh¡­ Sir William, how would I do that if there isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    William pointed his cane to the sky and shouted, ¡°Obsurdertie!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, what¡¯s with the sudden shout?!¡± Archard said, spooked.


    William dropped his arms and hunched forward, sighing. ¡°Nothing, care to rebuttal that than?¡±


    ¡°Uh, likewise sir, if I knew exactly what you were talking about, you¡¯re confusing me¡­¡±


    William sighs again, and gazes at the orange tinted sky once more. ¡°Enough of my silliness. Well¡­ time to say why I¡¯m being so weird and frustrated and that being I think I¡¯ve taken things a bit too far, my dear friend.¡±


    Archard too gazes, crossing his arms. ¡°How so? I mean I¡¯m absolutely amazed and horrified by what you¡¯ve done¡­ I can¡¯t believe my eyes that a man like you has altered history, it¡¯s terrific yet frightening!¡±


    William stopped walking, but kept his eyes to the sky. ¡°I appreciate the compliments¡­ but it seems as if I¡¯ve taken it too far. I got a little carried away and a slight butterfly effect has crept its way in, and since I can¡¯t defy God, it seems this effect will happen no matter what. Luckily my trials will alter it in a way that won¡¯t anger him, so when it does happen, it¡¯ll help our boy out.¡±


    Archard raised his eyebrows in amazement. ¡°But Sir?! How do you know that a butterfly effect was placed?¡±


    William shook his head. ¡°When I clapped my hands and before the flash of white engulfed our reality, in the midst of darkness and time being altered in the single line that diverted to a second¡­ a ball of violet crept in my altered history and struck it, and having felt it, it was God I presume because of how pure it felt.¡±


    ¡°A-amazing¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only that, just before I was erasing the normal line of time, that ball instead sucked it in and created the world we¡¯re in now. So in a sense, it did what I was originally planning on doing but adding the effect that this history has now bestowed¡­ and there¡¯s no changing it.¡±


    Archard was intrigued and was listening carefully, feeling awe struck. ¡°But once the trails are over you¡¯ll be able to alter everything back to normal, correct?¡±


    William groans. ¡°Yes, but I have a feeling it won¡¯t be easy since God¡¯s involved now¡­ I hope it''s him, I really do, my dear friend.¡±


    Archard gripped his chin and moaned. ¡°Wow¡­ so, in a sense, Dr. Cato was right afterall?¡±


    ¡°Well that is correct if I didn¡¯t get too carried away haha, anyways enough of that. The plan will still proceed as it should, tonight Jack will know of his trials to become a better human being and not the trash that he¡¯s become!¡±


    Archard lowers his arms and relaxes his body. ¡°If I may ask sir, what¡¯s this butterfly effect you¡¯ve mentioned, and how does it involve Jack?¡±


    William¡¯s teeth ground, showing Archard their whiteness, he retracts his mouth in a way of showing pity towards Jack. ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯ll find out, and so are we, though I¡¯m not ready to see how it turns out. Rest assured though! When it does happen like I said, the trials would already start by then, so let us just enjoy this day shall we?!¡±


    Archard grins. ¡°Alright sir, how about we start by checking by getting in touch with the other Exorcists?¡±


    ¡°Splendid, I like your thinking, alrighty then, let us walk!¡± The two start walking forward, and William pulls his phone out as well as Archard to inform their partners of the situation created by the snap of his master''s fingers.


    ***


    Inside her room, dwelling in total darkness, a single candle ignited, Sarah¡¯s just putting on some new clothes to start this new day of mystery. Having put on a plain black skirt, a white buttoned shirt slightly unbuttoned to the top with black belt straps over her shoulders, she finishes this look with some boots. She walks to her mirror that¡¯s nailed to her closet, and flings her hair.


    ¡°Hmm, Yeah, I like this. A much simpler look than I usually do. I don¡¯t mind always dressing this way.¡± Having complimenting herself and admiring her new outfit, Sarah twirls around as she continues looking at herself in her long mirror against her closet door.


    ¡°Skirts long enough to not give anyone a look nor glimpse of my large behind¡­ So long as I don¡¯t bend over or something cliche like a gust of wind shoots it up to reveal my underwear¡ª¡± Sarah frowns. ¡°Cause I hate cliches and being eye candy to people.¡±


    Sarah hums, walks over to her dresser to put on some eyeliner like the goth that she is. As she finishes the final touches to her outfit, someone knocks on her bedroom door. Sarah sighs, walks to her door and opens it to find it¡¯s just her gorgeous mother.


    ¡°Yes mom, what is it?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother looked rather pleased, her eyebrows raised, a grand smile on her face, she gave Sarah the vibes of her smuggish nature.


    Sarah tilted and backed up. ¡°Oh no¡­ mom, what did you do?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother giggled and proceeded forward. ¡°My dear daughter, you have a visitor, and a tall handsome one at that. Mind telling me who they might be and asking for your presence?¡±


    Sarah relieved herself by giggling too, and walked past her mother before pausing again. ¡°It¡¯s just Jack, silly mom, the one I told you about.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s him? My goodness, what a hurt soul and I do say, his soul¡¯s very tainted in black.¡±


    ¡°I know mom¡­ anyways, can you answer our questions about what just happened?¡±


    ¡°Sure, oh and when I answered the door he thought I was you for second until he recognised our height difference and my che¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay mom, don¡¯t have to go into further detail about your lustful body.¡± Sarah walked down the stairs and her mother followed suit giggling away.


    As they were going down, Sarah¡¯s mother wanted to continue their conversation. ¡°Why yes I will answer your questions, but I¡¯ll just give you small ones to not linger your minds with more confusion. You still have much to learn about, my beautiful seed of life!¡± Sarah¡¯s mother finishes her sentence with another giggle, making her daughter let out an air of tiredness.


    The two got downstairs and already having taken a seat on their couch, Jack¡¯s sitting there, gazing off at nothing with a sulking face. Sarah frowns, she can sense Jack¡¯s sorrow even from where she stood.


    ¡°Jack¡­ you okay?¡± Sarah asked, as she walked in the living room.


    Jack looked in the direction of the two who walked in and stood next to each other. Then, he was left amazed. ¡°Holy¡­ shit¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh...at?¡± Sarah replied in a worried tone.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure at first, but I was right, you two look so much alike, too much in fact.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother giggled in a sadistic way, Sarah scratched her dome but grinned.


    Jack gripped his chin, still amazed by the sight he¡¯s witnessing. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s scary, but there are differences; that being your height, eye colours, and the way your mothers hair is styled, other than that¡­ it¡¯s spooky scary how much you look like your mother, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother grabbed her daughters shoulders, then pulled her cheeks. ¡°Why thank you Jack, isn¡¯t she just adorable with her size!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother managed to bring out a soft chuckle out of Jack as Sarah said her mothers name in an embarrassment.


    Sarah¡¯s mother felt smuggish and wanted to see how far her daughter would react to the young man¡¯s boldness. She let go of her daughter and she also gripped her chin, crossing her arms as well.


    ¡°So Jack, does this imply that my daughter''s beauty matches mine too? Is this what you meant by? You bold young man!¡±


    Sarah groaned. ¡°Mom¡­ now¡¯s not the time for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re both absolutely gorgeous, especially the outfit Sarah has on, it¡¯s fitting and matches her figure well.¡±


    Sarah raised the edge of her lip, and her eyebrow, but briefly chuckled. ¡°Huh?!¡±


    ¡°My, he¡¯s up front isn¡¯t he! I like him, my dear daughter, he¡¯s not only strong looking, and tall, but something inside him is very admirable too!¡±


    Sarah blows steam, sighing and walks over to Jack.  She then sat next to him, and she coughs rudely. ¡°Jack¡­ do you know what you¡¯ve just done?¡±


    Jack¡¯s confused now, and he scoots a bit away from Sarah because reading her body language, he felt something coming. ¡°Uh, what-what did I do¡­?¡±


    Not surprisingly she punched his shoulder, and he called it too. ¡°Nevermind let''s get some answers shall we.¡±


    ¡°Ah, for someone your size you can pack a punch!¡± She gave Jack another straight jab to his arm and the young man briefly groaned. ¡°Damn, relax, Jesus, I thought you were cold, but I didn¡¯t know you were this¡ªnevermind.¡±


    Sarah crossed her arms and lay back on the couch. ¡°You¡­ were about to insult me, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack mildly shrugged. ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother enjoyed their chemistry, she couldn''t help but giggle about watching them act their age. ¡°You two are so adorable together. Well, enough stalling, I¡¯ll tell you two what just happened or try to explain what¡¯s truly going on.¡±


    Taking a seat on her special single chair, seeming that of gothic times from its black wooden finish to its purple cushions, Sarah¡¯s mother elegantly took her seat, crossing her long slender legs in the process. With her hand against her cheek, she stared at the two in silence with her platinum eyes, making Jack nervous. Never has Jack seen someone like her, those eyes of silver that no one has, extremely pale skin, hair darker than her daughters, yet with those differences as mentioned before by him, the similarities were far greater than those small details.


    Her smile fades, and she gets serious, furrowing her brows. ¡°Jack, what is it that you seek from this small meeting put together by my lovely daughter.¡±


    The tone of her voice, it gave Jack the freight, but he¡¯s not going to show it, he mans up and knits his brows. ¡°Sarah suggested it, but I¡¯m the one who wants clarification on what just occurred, though I have a huge hunch that this was the doing of that William guy I met.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mothers eyes grew wide when Jack said that infamous name known to her community. ¡°Wi-William? As in William H. Christ¡ªthe sixth?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the guy, he has a white tux-like suit, gold shit sprinkled on it, a cane of gold, really blonde hair, taller than me, and scary ass eyes.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve met him too¡­¡± she muttered. ¡°Hm, okay, but how does a man like you encounter a being like him? Do you not know how much of a legend he is in this part of the world''s shadows.¡±


    ¡°Wai-Wait¡­ he¡¯s that known?! But my question to you is how do you know him, exactly?¡±


    Sarah cuts herself in, clapping her hands twice. ¡°Hold hold up, Mom, you still have yet! To tell me about these Exorcists, especially the one who is bullying me.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother sighs. ¡°I¡¯ll give you more details about that one later my daughter, but for now let''s stay focused on William, he¡¯s a force to be reckoned with. And to answer your question Jack, I¡¯ve only just met him a couple of days ago, and it was the most intimidating experience I¡¯ve ever dealt with in my long life.¡±


    Long life¡­ What does she mean by that? She doesn¡¯t look middle aged at all, actually, she still looks very young, most likely early twenties¡­ I wonder if she does witchery to make herself stay young, strange. Jack thought.


    Jack cleared his throat. ¡°Wow¡­ so you knew him before you met him, he¡¯s that well recognized isn¡¯t he? Besides all that, what did he do? What the hell happened to our world when it felt like an hour ago we were almost killed!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mothers eyebrows twitched upon hearing that, bringing out a frown on her beautiful face. ¡°Almost killed, what happened? I¡¯m more focused on that matter if my daughter was involved in something that almost cost her her life.¡±


    At first Jack got scared when her soothing seductive voice grew deeper, but quickly, the young man brought out his serious face and ignored her mood.


    Instead Jack got up out of his seat and grew unexpectedly impatient. ¡°Listen, Sarah¡¯s here, she¡¯s fine, so can you just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Know your place Jack, you¡¯re in my house, and I won¡¯t allow you to pressure me nor try anything to intimidate me, that won¡¯t work on someone like me.¡±


    Jack regrets his actions and shuts up. Sarah rubs his back, and the young man sits back down.


    Afterwards, Sarah smacked his back but gently. ¡°That was rather rude of you, so just relax, I know your emotions are all over the place. For now, remain calm and don¡¯t anger my mom because if you do¡­ then I have no problem kicking you out myself.¡±


    Hearing Sarah¡¯s words of truth left an impact in Jack¡¯s broken mind, he lets out a long breath and frowns. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ This is all new to me, I¡¯m used to¡ªyeah, nevermind what I was about to say.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother relaxed her face, and stood up to go to Jack. ¡°I know how you¡¯re feeling, someone completely oblivious to these ordeals and abnormalities, it¡¯s only normal to be this confused. Just simmer down, I don¡¯t know your backstory so I¡¯ll apologise for my behaviour as well.¡±


    She pats his head, and Jack gazes up to stare into those eyes of silver. Being this close to her gorgeous face made it seem like he was staring directly at Sarah. It was still hindering his mind, but seeing her platinum eyes this close was breathtaking for the young man.


    Jack swallowed, feeling nervous, but he let out a brief sigh to relax his scrambled emotions. ¡°I¡¯ve-I¡¯ve been through¡­ a lot¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother let go and stared at the young man to listen closely as he was beginning to let out his emotions.


    ¡°Way too much to be honest, and it sucks, all of it. Heh, but I¡¯d rather not talk about that, I just want some sort of clarification on what just occurred instead.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother gently smiles and walks back to her chair. ¡°Well aren''t you manly for your age. Okay, the answer you want is that William has not only rewind time, but altered history in a way that whatever has happened, did ensue but in a different course of action.¡±


    Sarah and Jack gasped hearing this fact, the two couldn''t believe what they were hearing. How could someone do such a thing that¡¯s beyond human or even possibly realities comprehension. To the two, it¡¯s complete fantasy and utter madness, something only done in comics, movies, or if possible, a God.


    Sarah jumped up, bringing her fists to her chest. ¡°Mom, how is that even remotely possible?! That¡¯s only something you would see in an anime, comics, or a cartoon! This¡­ This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡±


    Jack jumped up as well. ¡°What does this mean, how much has history changed? And how do you know exactly?!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother softly blinks. ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly how much has changed, but what I do know is that the only people that weren¡¯t affected by it were our family Sarah, other Exorcists, and strangely, you, Jack.¡±


    Jack stayed dumbfounded and collapsed back on the couch. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ that all of this is permanent?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother blinks again, and tilts. ¡°For now, yes, but knowing him from what others have told me and a certain someone, William has something up his sleeve, and nobody knows about it.¡±


    Sarah sat back down, and saw how blanched Jack¡¯s face was. ¡°Jack¡­ you gonna be okay? Remember, if you have an issue, I¡¯m here to help now as we said back in the forest.¡±


    Jack slowly shook his head and grabbed it. ¡°Sarah¡­ I-I think I¡¯m just gonna go home, I can¡¯t handle any of this right now.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you want to find out more? This is your chance, my mom knows a lot Jack, trust me.¡±


    Jack lets out a sigh. ¡°I mean yeah¡­ but, I still can¡¯t wrap my head around any of this, it¡¯s so fucking maniacally ridicoulous¡­ I-I don¡¯t know what to believe in¡ªanymore.¡±


    Sarah understood Jack¡¯s confusion, and didn¡¯t say another word. As the two young adults sat there, her mother oddly enough had her attention on something else; currently glaring at their door. Sarah suddenly felt something and her Witch senses were giving her signs that something or someone is here. Looking around, Sarah¡¯s glancing eyes caught onto her mother, who¡¯s mysteriously staring at the door and she saw her mother¡¯s annoyed expression.


    ¡°Mom¡­ is everything alright?¡± Sarah asked in a worried tone.


    Sarah¡¯s mother forces a smile, which looks maniacal from her scrunching annoyed face. ¡°My sweet blossom of life, why don¡¯t you and Jack go out for a quick walk. Continue your cute conversation and get this man to overcome his depression, okay?¡±


    Sarah could sense her mothers true emotions which made her grow more worried. ¡°But mom, we still have more questions to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please my beloved daughter, go and take a walk with your friend.¡±


    Jack stood up, and heard her serious tone, not wanting to fuel her hidden fire. ¡°She¡¯s right, I think it¡¯s best we talk alone Sarah, I have something to tell you¡­ personally. And some fresh air wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    Sarah stood up as well, crossing her arms in annoyance. ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll be back in a little while, mom¡­ And hopefully, you can tell me more about what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother nods, and watches the two take their slow leave of her lovely little home. ¡°Be careful you two, don¡¯t do anything else reckless or get the attention of that scary man!¡±


    Jack opens the door and is the first to leave while Sarah stares at her mother before following behind. Both of them seemed to be speaking to each other telepathically in silence just by staring into each other. Sarah felt anger, annoyance coming from her, which made her want to ask. Her mother nods, telling her daughter that there¡¯s a reason for her to leave, and knows more about this sensation she¡¯s also feeling. Sarah understands and replies with a nod as well, walking out the door, and closing it behind her. Even though the door had closed, a huge strange lingering shadow followed the doors movements.


    Sarah¡¯s mother scowls her face, and lets out an aggravated sigh. ¡°What are you doing in my house, you wretched fool?¡±


    Coming out of the huge shadow, a man the same height as Sarah¡¯s father, wearing steampunk like clothes, spiky hair with red dye finishing the tips of its black nature, having black fingernails, and very ghostly blue eyes made himself present.


    He brushed his hair and made himself comfortable in the living room, taking a seat on the edge of one of the couches. ¡°Woah woah woah¡­ what¡¯s with the att¡ª?¡±


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    Sarah¡¯s mother growled in silence and he brought his hands up and stood up, patting the air to calm her down.


    ¡°You know what, that¡¯s a proper way of talking to someone that did break into your privacy and such, but here me out! I¡¯m no creep alright, I just so happened to be here out of coincidence, and I overheard your conversation, so, I welcomed myself, ain¡¯t that funny?!¡±


    The man¡¯s voice kept changing tone, it sounded raspy, low, then snorty, which made Sarah¡¯s mother very annoyed by how he talks.


    ¡°The audacity of you¡­ just popping into my home, and invading my domain, have you no shame?¡±


    ¡°Jesus christ, you¡¯re still the cold hearted bitch that I¡¯ve always known! But I don¡¯t like calling you that, that¡¯s your husband that likes calling¡­ on second thought, I¡¯m just gonna shut up now¡­¡± the stranger said, finishing by tapping one of his fingers in the air.


    Even as he talks, he can¡¯t help but not stay still, always waving, moving his arms and hands around all around him as he speaks.


    Sarah¡¯s mother blew air out her mouth and lay her head on her left hand that leaned on the couch rest. ¡°Get to the point, what are you doing in my house? You stupid idiot.¡±


    He clutched his chest and hunched forward, gasping loudly. ¡°Gaahh! And I¡¯m met with an insult by the lovely harbinger of Envy! God damn, you¡¯re so cold, yet so evil! Marry me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for childish games, you belittering idiotic fool.¡±


    He shot back up, cringing to her insults that hurt his feelings. ¡°Youch¡­ and I¡¯m rejected just like that, anyways how¡¯s the husband? Is he doing any good, how¡¯s the poor guy, huh?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t help but express a smug-like grin fitting for a Witch like her. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s doing fan-tastic! Our relationship is wondrous, I truly do love him, you know?¡±


    The weirdly dressed gentlemen cringes, and backs off. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that¡­ like I said he¡¯s always calling you a bitch and such.¡±


    She lays her right hand on her face, tapping one of her fingers on the side of it with amusement, crosses her legs and raises her brow. ¡°Oh does he now? I wonder why, hehe¡­ I do no harm to my loving husband.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh, what I don¡¯t understand is why you guys got married if you two weren¡¯t meant for¡ªAhh shit, that¡¯s right, that happened, and man¡­ I¡¯ve never been to such a depressing wedding in my life too! Holy fuck you¡¯re so goddamn evil, gaaah! I love it!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother sighs and rolls her eyes, letting her hand off her face. ¡°God you¡¯re so annoying, could you please answer the question you nuisance. What does the most powerful Witch in today''s world have to do with me?! And make himself present on this day of confusion.¡±


    The gentleman clutches his heart, and combs his hair with his fingers. ¡°Eyy, you¡¯re gonna make me fall in love with you again with those compliments with that arousing voice of yours. But me?! The most powerful Witch?! No no no¡­ that¡¯s you love, not me!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mom crosses her arms. ¡°Hmph, I may be more powerful in terms of our mana control and dwelling power¡­ but there¡¯s a reason why you hold the title, Maleficus.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey! The hell¡¯s your problem using my real name like that?! Relax will you, or do I have to resort to the same method, huh?! Witch of Envy aka¡­ Abyzou!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother rolls her eyes. ¡°Wow¡­ how resortful of you, having to say my name belonging that of our proper titles.¡±


    ¡°Hey lady, you started it! Remember I go by John, okay?¡±


    ¡°And I go by Samantha, what¡¯s the point of this again?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­. well shit, you got me there haha!¡± His laughter was snorty, and brought more annoyance to Samantha.


    ¡°Alright, enough, just tell me why you¡¯re here, my god!¡±


    ¡°Well, just like Jacky boi there and your wonderful daughter whom I have my blessings for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait, why did you imply that word, blessing? What are you planning, Maleficus?¡±


    John groans, moans, waves his arms around in discomfort. ¡°Will you stop calling me that! Goodness lady, and don¡¯t worry about it, for now, haha.¡±


    Samantha shoos her hand in his direction, blowing boredom out her mouth. ¡°Whatever, get on with your statement.¡±


    ¡°Alright alright, here goes. Ahahem, the reason why I¡¯m here is just like those two said, and that being the scary son of a bitch that is William¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm, what about him? Wait a second, that means you weren¡¯t affected by his doing¡­ Does this mean others too weren¡¯t affected by this change in history?¡±


    ¡°Nope, others were affected too, but you know me, I got my own ways to protect myself against that scary mofo!¡± John expressed a manical smile, and smacked his hand against his face, bugging his eyes out in terror. ¡°Just when I thought I couldn¡¯t have been more afraid of that guy¡­ Man! And he does something like that, erasing two people from existence too, the guys a fucking¡­ God!¡±


    Something just caught Samantha''s interest, another fact that supports her hypotheses, which made her get out of her seat. ¡°Wait a second, repeat what you just said, the last statement?¡±


    John turned to her, keeping his manic smile. ¡°You mean him being a God!¡±


    She shook her head and waved her hands. ¡°No no, before that.¡±


    He gripped his chin, and windmills. ¡°Uhh¡­ me being a scared pussy against him?¡±


    Samantha sighs, draggin her hand across her face. ¡°No, you stupid idiot, before you said God, my goodness can you be more annoying?¡±


    John shot his index finger and acted cartoony. ¡°Oh! You mean him erasing two people from existence?! Yeah, that happened too.¡±


    Samantha felt terrified hearing that, which made the Witch''s knees tremble in fear. ¡°He can erase people from existence to¡­? What a terrifying man¡­¡± she muttered.


    Samantha regained her composure and showed her serious side again. John wasn¡¯t a fool, he was aware of the fear that spoke beneath her breath, it rather made him smile. Seeing her, feeling her express this single emotion made him realise she isn¡¯t the cold monster people claim her to be, but she¡¯s still human in a sense. John felt so amused by it it made him smile genuinely and enough for him to sit down and not act cartoonish.


    Samantha walked over to her window and looked outside. ¡°How do you know that happened? Are you aware of more than the rest of us? And who are these two people that he wiped from existence.¡±


    John lay his arms back. No no no, I only know because¡ªshit never mind you got me. Okay here me out, I may or may not have been watching those two/stalking them¡­ and before you say anything else, I know that¡¯s creepy and strange for doing¡ªwow¡­ never mind, I don¡¯t have any right to say anything else, because the more I talk the more I look like a creepy asshole.¡±


    Samantha grins. ¡°Right you are, when you did come into my home without asking, I could call you a pervert, rapist, or combine both to call the police and have you falsely accused.¡±


    John quickly turned his head around to her and made his mouth as wide as possible. ¡°Eeek¡­ that would be bad, though you¡¯ve already done that to a certain someone already, ruthless lady!¡±


    Samantha smiles, and turns to him as well. ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional, I only did it to drive them away and get what I wanted, and I did!¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know, I was there to witness that tragedy, poor guy, if I were him I would stab you in your sleep! But¡­ I wouldn¡¯t because you¡¯re so fucking gorgous! Marry me!¡±


    Samantha frowns again. ¡°No, you annoying prude.¡±


    ¡°Gahh, and just like that my heart was crushed twice in the span of a few minutes, brutality!¡±


    ¡°Mmm, so about those two people¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah about that, I only saw but I don¡¯t know who they were, hehe!¡±


    ¡°Ugh, whatever then¡­¡±


    Samantha couldn¡¯t help but trickle a chuckle from John being the over dramatic guy that he is. Having her arms crossed again and seeming as though the conversation was about to continue, the door slowly opens, making the two turn their attention to it. They both got quiet, watching it slowly open, and when it did, there he was, the man who she brings misery to, Sarah¡¯s father. Already, at first glance he had a grimace, tiredness showing from how he threw his bags to the side, sighing in a depression, as he untied his neck tie, he saw the two in his living room.


    Quickly, he scowls his face, noticing the weirdly dressed man that is John. ¡°What are you doing here¡­ John. Though, it¡¯s been awhile, friend.¡±


    John put his arms out forward, welcoming Sarah¡¯s father back into his home. ¡°And there he is, the man himself, or what I would like to say¡­ the luckiest unluckiest man in modern history! Oh and see Samantha, he called me by my real name, take notes lady.¡±


    Samantha brings out the most sinister yet beautiful smile in the world. ¡°Welcome home, h-o-n-e-y, how was work?¡±


    ¡°Shut your fucking mouth you two faced bitch¡­¡± Sarah¡¯s father responded, bringing out the most vulgar frown he¡¯s ever expressed so far.


    John laughed, finding their interaction entertaining. ¡°Ooo, I told you, now I think I¡¯m gonna¡ª¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father jolted his head to John, mildly grinning. ¡°John¡­ how¡¯ve you been¡­?¡±


    John didn¡¯t like his grin, it looked forced, sad and upsetting to see. ¡°Uh, good man, good. And yo¡ªnever mind, sorry I even attempted to bring a reply to that, haha.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father actually grins, genuinely. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, anyways, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I was just curious about history being altered that¡¯s all, and happened to be around the neighbourhood, stop by, and say what¡¯s up.¡±


    Sarah''s father briefly gripped his chin. ¡°Hm, so that¡¯s what happened.¡±


    Samantha tried walking up to her husband but he quickly put his hand forward, which made her giggle. ¡°Oh honey, don¡¯t you want a hug from your lovely wife?¡±


    ¡°You fucking sick bitch, you don¡¯t come any closer or else I¡¯ll truly turn this continent into dust.¡±


    John made a blast interpretation with his hands. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll do it too! I saw you almost blasting your neighbourhood into simmertherins by powering up an attack!¡±


    He sighs, and walks up to John. ¡°You saw? Yet you didn¡¯t even try to help me out¡­ asshole.¡±


    ¡°Dude¡­!¡± John replied, pointing his finger at Samantha. ¡°...That¡¯s the freaking Witch of Envy! There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m going to fight her, she¡¯ll fucking destroy me brother!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father frowns, clenching his fists. ¡°That¡¯s a lie, knowing you¡­¡±


    Samantha smiles and steps in front of her husband. ¡°Even my dearing husband knows the length of your magnitude Malefic¡ª¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father stepped back and growled. ¡°Enough, stop talking, and leave us be¡­ sick bitch of greed¡­¡±


    John cringes, and slowly steps away from the scene. ¡°Ooo, this is getting pretty awkward pretty fast, I think I¡¯ll just take my leave now.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father groans before replying. ¡°Okay, but one thing¡­ why do you call this maniacal woman Witch of Envy?¡±


    John pumps his fist. ¡°Because it has a nice ring to it!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father chuckles beneath his breath. ¡°Fair¡­ enough.¡±


    John waves to him and afterwards, gives him a thumbs up for encouragement. ¡°Bye dude, take care!¡± And just like that, John had completely vanished from their conversation, leaving a sad man alone.


    He lets out a deep sigh and wallows back in his shame. ¡°And just like that, he¡¯s gone¡­ now I¡¯m alone again, with you, heartless bitch¡­¡±


    Samantha had suddenly appeared in front of her husband, forcing him to look down so he wouldn¡¯t stare into her deceiving gorgeous eyes of platinum. ¡°Honey, that talk we¡¯re supposed to have, lets have that conversation now please. It¡¯s for the fate and sake of our daughter.¡±


    Just hearing her soothing arousing voice made him ground his teeth in anger, but he never heard her say the word please before, surprising him secretly. ¡°Why¡­ Why should I? Even if it¡¯s for the daughter whom I have no connections with¡­ why should I talk to the likes of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Because if you don¡¯t then my daughter will meet her demise to a certain man in a cloak of gold.¡±


    Hearing her use their daughter as a resort to their conversation she¡¯s so keen to speak to him about made him feel more hate towards her. But when she mentioned the cloaked man again, he knew exactly who she¡¯s talking about, and brought inner conflicts.


    He balled his fist and mildly shook his head. ¡°Damn¡­ Damn you¡­ Fi-Fine¡­ you win, I¡¯ll hear you out, without resorting to violence, no matter how badly I want to kill you¡­¡±


    She grins, and blinks seductively. ¡°Then, shall I make us both coffee, to make this time of bonding more memorable. You haven¡¯t had my coffee in eighteen years, so why don¡¯t I do so, sweety.¡±


    ***


    Walking down an empty sidewalk close to the edge of town, Sarah and Jack were currently walking side by side in silence. With his hands tucked in his pockets, Sarah looking away, Jack brought the two to a stop, to continue their conversation from before.


    ¡°Well, let''s finish our talk, Sarah.¡± Jack said.


    ¡°What do you wanna continue talking about?¡± Sarah replied, looking up to him.


    Feeling conflicted and having changed his mind, Jack proceeded forward but quickly stopped to look back at Sarah, standing in front of her view.


    ¡°Jack?¡± Sarah said.


    Jack lets out a long sigh, one filled with regret and tiredness. ¡°Sarah¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I just changed my mind, I think I¡¯m just gonna go home now.¡±


    ¡°Huh, wh-what do you mean? Didn¡¯t you want to keep talking? Jack, I understand that you¡¯re lost, but we¡¯ve gotta¡ª¡±


    ¡°Look, I know that we both want answers, and as much as I want them all, but¡­ right now, I just wanna go home and try to comprehend everything. That way I won¡¯t go crazier than I already am¡­¡±


    Sarah crossed her arms and shook her head. ¡°I understand, but instead of trying to do it alone, we can talk about it and seek all this in unity. That we everythings figured out Jack.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d rather do it alone, sorry.¡±


    Sarah grew sassy, walking up to Jack and getting into his face. ¡°Listen here mister, we agreed on something and I¡¯m someone who keeps their promise. So don¡¯t bask in the confusion alone, let''s talk.¡±


    Jack groaned and looked away, and started to walk away instead of replying. Sarah grew frustrated and grabbed his wrist to prevent him from going anywhere.


    ¡°Sarah, could you let go?¡± Jack said in an annoyed tone, ¡°And dang, for someone your size you get one hell of a grip.¡±


    Sarah slightly grins. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me Jack, I am a Witch, remember?¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah but could you let go, seriously, I don¡¯t want to¡­¡± She tugged on his wrist and in doing so made him twitch an eye.


    Sarah wiped the grin on her face and got serious. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go that easily Jack, we still have much to discuss, so don¡¯t think you can run away from it. It¡¯s better to resort to the conclusion rather than to have it linger.¡±


    Jack used more strength to pull away, she uses both hands to tug him this time. Jack used more strength to pull away from her grip, but she placed more pressure on her feet so he wouldn''t get away. This was annoying Jack and it started to aggro the young man.


    Jack furrowed his brows and clenched his fist. ¡°Sarah¡­ please let go, I¡¯m being¡ª¡±


    Sarah also furrowed her brows and pulled. ¡°No, not until we have a proper discussion, until then fear my tiny grasp.¡±


    ¡°Look Sarah, I¡¯m really serious, if you don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°What was that, can¡¯t hear you over your¡ªwhining!¡±


    ¡°Sarah, stop¡­ I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not until you¡¯re ready to¡ª¡±


    Jack suddenly grabbed Sarah¡¯s wrists. ¡°Enough!¡± He said in sudden anger as he pushed her hands away in an aggressive manner.


    Sarah gasps, and yelps as Jack quickly grabs her wrists again. ¡°Jack¡­!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop! I¡¯m not fucking playing these¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hurting me Jack¡­¡±


    Hearing her pained voice, Jack regretted his actions, and let''s go. Sarah grabbed her wrist, clutching it towards her chest, Jack saw his huge hand red mark around it, making his eyes grow wide in regret. She had her eyes closed, massaged her wrists while Jack watched her face express pain.


    He kept staring in disbelief, and Sarah opened her eyes again, looking into Jack¡¯s dead eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-I didn¡¯t mean to¡­ anger you, Jack¡­¡±


    The young man gasps and backs away, gritting his teeth while staying silent. Why are you apologising¡­? You shouldn¡¯t say sorry to a pathetic worthless¡ª


    ¡°Scumbag like me! I¡¯m such a worthless piece of shit!¡± Jack abruptly shouted, clutched his head, and was ready to have another meltdown.


    Sarah caught on, and stepped forward to get close to Jack until he let go and put his hand forward to stop her.


    Sarah massaged each wrist. ¡°Jack, I¡¯m so¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah, stop apologising for something you didn¡¯t do, please. I¡¯m the one at fault here¡­ me! Everything¡¯s my fault, every¡ªthing¡­¡± Jack relaxes his arms to his sides, and looks away, grinding his teeth.


    Sarah took another step forward. ¡°No, stop blaming yourself so much Jack. You¡¯ve endured too much to blame everything to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡­ I hurt you, over my irrational anger. I-I suggest you don¡¯t come any closer, otherwise I¡¯ll just¡­¡±


    Ignoring his advice, Sarah took one more step forward. ¡°I¡¯m here to help you Jack, please don¡¯t try any more ways of hurting yourself. Like we discussed back in the forest, you don¡¯t have to combat these emotions alone.¡±


    The young man appreciated Sarah¡¯s kindness but didn¡¯t feel deserving of it. In response he grew more annoyed at himself, smacking his chest with intensity.


    ¡°Sarah! I¡¯m sick¡­¡± Jack said, then pointing his index finger against his head. ¡°I¡¯m mentally fucking sick, not only am I a danger to myself, but to others around me¡­ I-I just can¡¯t right now, I know what we discussed, but right now, let me go home because I really don¡¯t want to hurt you or anyone else.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes quivered, feeling remorse for Jack. ¡°Jack, don¡¯t do this to yourself, I¡¯m not going to let you suffer¡ª¡±


    Jack looks to his side, then to the sky, and shakes his head. ¡°I should¡¯ve never regrouped with you guys¡­¡±


    ¡°H-Huh¡­?¡± Sarah felt hurt hearing him say that, making her eyes tremble more. ¡°Ja-Jack¡­ what are you trying to imply¡­?¡±


    Jack clenched his fists, and took a step back with a depressed look on his face. ¡°I¡¯m saying, I regret ever coming back into your guys'' lives¡­ I-I-I¡ªshouldn''t have ever come across Anna and¡­ the rest of you.¡±


    Sarah felt anger, but hid it to not make the young man feel more guilty than he already did. She clenched a fist and bit the edge of her lip. ¡°But Jack¡­ why would you say that?¡±


    Jack deeply sighed. ¡°Because¡­ If I never did come back, then none of this would¡¯ve never happened to you guys, all of this! And now look, I¡¯ve not only gotten you guys caught up in my mess, but have now put your lives in potential mortal danger.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s lip quivered. ¡°You-You don¡¯t mean that¡­ Do you?¡±


    Jack nods. ¡°I do, I¡¯m sorry, this is all my fault, and now I¡¯ve gotten everyone I cared about involved in my fucking mess. I¡¯ll see you later Sarah, bye.¡±


    Jack begins to walk away, but Sarah refuses to let him do so. She quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him. ¡°No¡­ don¡¯t just wallow in your sorrow, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡­ please, let go¡­¡± Jack said in a cold tone.


    She didn''t want to, but did so in respect of his saying. ¡°Okay¡­ asshole.¡± she muttered.


    Jack walks away without looking back, leaving Sarah alone to frown and stand there in sadness. Watching Jack walk away alone made Sarah realise how lonely the guy was, and the path he seemed to walk through life was that of failure. Sarah shakes her head and turns around too, walking off to the direction of her home. The two walked off opposite of each other, Jack actually stopped momentarily, to look back, watching Sarah walk alone, and seem to reflect his own path onto hers.


    Seeing her walk and appearing to be upset made him see himself. Is she just as alone as I am? It couldn''t be, she had the other two to be by her side all these years, yet¡­ It seemed as if she didn¡¯t want me to leave because of how much she fought for me to stay. It can¡¯t be that she''s just as alone as I am dealing with these same brudens, can it?


    Jack moans and returns to walk back home, and Sarah too looks back one last time, watching Jack walk in his own path of shame. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± she mumbled, returning to walk back on the path to her home.


    ***


    Back in Sarah¡¯s home, both of her parents were sitting in the living room, coffee set on the table in the middle, steaming, filling the air with the smell of maturity. Samatha¡¯s the first to take a cup, then poured herself a teaspoon of glistening honey into it and sipped her coffe of pure black. She could feel her blackened soul be cleansed to pure darkness. The father sat there, watching the coffee stir itself, pouring two cubes of sugar, and a drizzle of creamer all on its own, reminding him that she still remembers what he likes to put in his coffee. Watching all the items levitate, set themselves back down, only brought annoyance to him, thinking she¡¯s purposely displaying a show and dragging time.


    His arms crossed on his knees, hunched forward, wearing his typical business suit fitting for the man who works long hours, pays for the bills, and provides for a family who only glimpses at him from time to time, made him question why he should endure this life further. He loathed this life, this woman casually sipping her coffee, not giving a single care for the world, to now fully acknowledge him to converse something of importance. Just thinking this made the man trickle out his anger through his nostrils whilst his eyes blinked.


    Finally, he¡¯s ready to speak to the woman he so hates without wanting to snap in his brewing rage. ¡°What do you want to really talk about before I got into a blind rage, almost turning this neighbourhood into ash?¡±


    Taking one last sip, the mug hovering off her small hands, back onto the table, she spoke in a serious tone fitting for her title. ¡°Before we speak of this important ordeal, may I call you by your real name from now on? It has been awhile.¡±


    Hearing her say that, her saying she wanted to call him by his real name made him angry again. ¡°Why? So you could insult, and torment me further?¡±


    She shook her head, slowly. ¡°No, I just thought maybe I should, you know, to keep you from going berserk again.¡±


    His eyes still squinted, staring at her in angered silence, this one time, he allowed her. ¡°So be it¡­ but I still feel an urge of hypocrisy in your statement.¡±


    For once she actually smiled, genuinely, even making his eyes squint for a moment. ¡°You have every right to feel that way, Ahriman.¡±


    They way she said his name, but the one given to him of his title, made his heart sink in sorrow, reminding him of his dark past. ¡°I knew it¡­ you played me, you bi¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to say your name of Witchery, what I meant to say is your normal name, Sebastian.¡±


    ¡°Why you¡­ whatever, let''s just get to your point.¡±


    ¡°Okay, the discussion I wanted to bring to you is¡­¡± Her face turned serious and she hunched forward. ¡°I want you to train our daughter on how to use her abilities and her new found acceptance of what she has become.¡±


    ¡°Wh...at¡­?¡± Sebastian gasps in shock, hearing this, which made him jolt up from his seat. ¡°You¡¯re fucking with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Samantha¡¯s face said it all, showing him that she¡¯s not joking, for once. ¡°No, I¡¯m dead serious, you may question yourself why I won¡¯t teach her myself, but that should not come to any surprise to you. You should know the answer to¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely fucking with me! You want me¡­ me¡­ to show your¡ª¡±


    ¡°Our daughter on how to control and use her abilities. Sebastian, show her the world she¡¯s afraid of, please¡­¡±


    He dug his fingers into his silk hair, digging them into his scalp in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re serious¡­ you¡¯re actually serious, I don¡¯t believe it¡­ why though, why would you allow me when you yourself told me to never¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve-I¡¯ve changed¡­ my mind, I know what our contract says, and I know what I meant when I forced you into it¡­ but I¡¯m not the right person to show her, you are.¡±


    He still couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around this, it¡¯s totally bringing a mixed pool of emotions into the poor broken man. ¡°How could I do that? I''ve barely spoken to her¡­ let alone looked into her eyes¡­ I-I can¡¯t, I refuse¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t like hearing that, it made her sigh in anger. ¡°You will not refuse, show our daughter or else she¡¯ll meet a fate worse than yours to that man.¡±


    He hung his head, and drags his fingers down to his face, letting out a long breath. ¡°How could I do that when she has those damn eyes of yours¡­ she¡¯s a complete mirror of you, you awful wicked bitch!¡±


    Samantha got up from her seat as well, placing her hands on her wide hips. ¡°So you¡¯re judging her by her appearance to that of mine? My eyes are no longer what they used to be, you see it yourself!¡±


    Sebastian grit his teeth and his eyes bulged in anger. ¡°Not in your normal state, but your form of Sin¡­ has them still, I bet my life on it!¡±


    Samantha narrowed her eyes and stuck her hip out. ¡°Cruel, aren''t you? I¡¯ll have you know she¡¯s not like me nor have my personality whatsoever, she takes after you, Sebastian.¡±


    That last statement made him grind his teeth and he really wanted to explode in anger. ¡°Lair¡­ you goddamn liar, curse you¡­! Trying to use me again, cruel maniacal woman!¡± He looked away, and took a step away. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk out of this conversation now, and don¡¯t ever talk to me ever again like our contract states¡­¡±


    Samantha frowned and reached her hand out to him. ¡°Sebastian, please!¡± As he takes a step to the right to leave the living room, their front door opens, and their daughter Sarah has just got home.


    Stepping in, and closing the door behind her, Sarah saw the two, looking at her with serious, yet sad faces. ¡°I¡¯m back¡ªhome¡­¡± Sarah said with her own saddened expression/tone.


    Her mother thought of something, and it¡¯s her last resort to convince her trapped husband to do her bidding. ¡°Sarah, your father wanted to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Sarah said as she gasped in surprise.


    Her father, on the other hand, looked more trivaled, and began to sweat. ¡°You¡­ you, damn¡­ bi-bi¡­ damn it¡­¡± he muttered.


    Sarah, nervously eyeing her father, started approaching him, carefully. ¡°Wh...at¡­ do you¡­ want to-to¡­ ask me, fath¡­ I mean¡­ Arhi¡ª¡±


    Sebastian clenched his fists and swallowed, nervously. ¡°Sa¡­ daugh¡­ I-I, uh, don¡¯t, don¡¯t, call me that¡­ please¡­¡±


    The response she got from her father wasn¡¯t what she intended, instead it made her feel just as worse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯ll leave, I seem to¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Her father said abruptly. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ ju-ju¡­ just-just, I-I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Sarah¡¯s father walked off out of the living room, going upstairs to his bedroom in shame.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were sad, sadder then they were before she came in. ¡°Everyone hates me today¡­ don¡¯t they?¡±


    Her mother sighs, and walks to her daughter to comfort her with a hug. ¡°My dear daughter, no one hates you besides one man. Trust your loving mothers words, I sense that the small exchange of words between you and your father brought more harm to you emotionally didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes watered, and she wrapped her arms around her mother, embracing her comfort. ¡°Mom¡­ what do I do¡­ how can I be more helpful to others without breaking our rules¡­?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother softly brushes her hand on her daughter''s head, shushing her. ¡°Don¡¯t be so harsh on yourself, talk to him tomorrow, but as for us, I¡¯ll show you more of what you are, just for a little, okay?¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t reply to her mothers pampering words, she whimpered her sorrow quietly, grieving over the fact of who she is, and how she can be of more help to others in need, that being Jack.


    ***


    Arriving back to his home as well, Jack went inside, spotting Eric on the couch conversing on the phone. Without saying a word, nor looking in his direction, Jack closes the door and makes his way to the origin of this new reality, his room. Walking to his room to lay in a depression, Eric stopped Jack, telling him to stay put, he wanted to have a word with him.


    Getting up, hanging up his phone, Eric went to Jack, placing a big hand on Jack¡¯s weighted shoulder. ¡°Yo, you aight? You¡¯ve been gone for like two hours my guy. Why the long face, and why did you run off like that earlier?¡±


    Jack lets out a sigh, a very deep one at that. ¡°Eric, I don¡¯t want to talk right now¡­ I just wanna have some sleep, my mind is not in the right place.¡±


    Eric lets his hand off his shoulder, stepping away and crossing his giant muscular arms. ¡°Well, I know that¡¯s right, but you ain¡¯t gonna check on your baby sis? She got worried about where you went, you know?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes widened, a shocked breath came out. ¡°An-Angela¡­?¡± Jack said in a scared tone.


    Eric saw Jack¡¯s frightened demeanour, and questioned himself why he got spooked mentioning his sister. At the moment, Eric doesn''t have time to ask more questions, he tells Jack he¡¯s gotta go to a meeting for a new deal in the process. As Jack stood there in silence, Eric called for Angela¡¯s presence, snapping Jack out of his lost state.


    ¡°Wait wait, Eric isn¡¯t she¡­ disabled?¡±


    ¡°Hahh? What the fuck are you talking about man, she ain¡¯t no cripple my guy¡­ You really are tripping aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack¡¯s face turns white, and he starts to step backwards for some odd reason. ¡°What the fuck¡¯s going on¡­ how much has changed, I can¡¯t fucking take this any¡ª!¡±


    As Jack was about to have another meltdown, the sound of someone coming down the steps stopped him from doing so. Waiting for her arrival, Jack¡¯s heart raced, his face turning whiter than ever, and sweat profusely falling off his face, Jack felt as if he was having a heart attack. Eric saw Jack¡¯s head slightly moving, giving him the interpretation that something was wrong. He pats Jack¡¯s back, Jack waits, and finally, Angela reveals herself to the two.


    Eric quickly smiled once she was present. ¡°Baby girl, good late morning, how¡¯d you sleep?¡± He then pointed at Jack who stood, baffled. ¡°And see, I told you this dumbo is fine¡­ He¡¯s just being a weird ass mofo.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes were wide, his jaw dropped, he couldn''t believe his dead eyes. ¡°An...gela¡­¡±


    Standing there with an adorably dark outfit fitting for an emo or grunge person, Angela¡¯s blue eyes were shining like they were back before the events of her temporary death. With a worried look on her adorable face, having grown in size and height, her hair black as the night, reaching past her hips, Angela rushed to her brother, hugging him.


    ¡°Brother, where have you been!¡± she said as she clinged onto him.


    Jack¡¯s so shocked at this ordeal, not only at how his sister¡¯s changed back to the way she was, but one thing that caught his eyes the most was her hair. It reminded him of a certain girl in a white dress; turning his face to a completely shocked state.


    ¡°Mallory¡­¡± Jack mumbled.


    Angela tilted her head. ¡°Huh, what did you say brother?¡±


    Jack ground his teeth, and slowly, he wrapped his arms around his dear sister who¡¯s no longer paralysed. ¡°Angela¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°Yo¡­ Jack, what¡¯s¡ªyou know what, princess I¡¯ll let you handle this, I gotta go, see ya!¡± Eric pats her head, and rushes out the home out the door.


    Angela paid no attention to her uncle because of how her brother¡¯s trembling so much in their embrace. ¡°Brother, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Jack lets off, and gets to a knee to stare into her beautiful eyes of blue life. ¡°Nothing¡­ I¡¯m just glad, glad you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re¡­¡± She suddenly kissed his cheek, surprising him.


    Angela blushes, and bumps heads with her brother. ¡°Brother¡­ I¡¯m okay, you don¡¯t have to worry anymore, I¡¯m still here. To stay by your side.¡±


    Jack couldn''t endure his emotions any longer, and a single tear came out, shocking Angela.


    ¡°Brother, why¡¯re you so sad? There¡¯s no need to be, I¡¯m here to take care of you, always.¡±


    Jack wipes his eye, and holds his sister again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, just¡­ let me endure this moment for a little longer.


    She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, and nodded. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do the same¡­ brother.¡±


    As he held his sister, emotions running rampant inside of him, Jack noticed more of a change to her appearance, which was her long hair. ¡°Angela¡­ your hair¡¯s¡­ lovely, but, what-what happened to your¡­ purple highlights?¡±


    Angela giggles. ¡°What are you talking about? I''ve never had highlights, but that gives me an idea. Would you allow me to get them?¡±


    Jack looks to the side, spotting a photo of the two alongside Eric and Randolph placed on a small lamp table. So much has changed, without my knowing, just what will I do¡­?


    Letting off his dear sister, standing at his feet, Jack looked at his sister, and wanted to get something off his chest, a burden hindering him since she awoke from the hospital, though that answer was vague and made him black out. This time, there¡¯s nothing to interfere with it, and noticing Mallory¡¯s absence, this was the perfect time to ask her the question about the girl in white and her connection with his sister.


    Clenching his fists, the scars on his face, his longer hair, deserving to be called a menace to society, Jack stared deeply into his sisters gleaming eyes of blue out of seriousness. ¡°Angela¡­ what¡¯s your connection, to the girl in your dreams, more notably, Ma¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Jack¡¯s chest ruptures in pain, and he gags horribly, dropping to both knees and coughing horribly too. On his knees, eyes watering, clutching his throat, Angela got worried.


    She grabs her dear brother. ¡°Brother?! Goodness, are you okay?!¡±


    What the¡ªfuck¡­! it feels like something¡¯s trying to rip my heart out, and I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t!


    Jack vomits black, and it splashes everywhere. Angela fell back, feeling revolted yet afraid for her brother''s well being. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m calling an ambulance, hold on!¡±


    Getting up as Jack kept vomiting, soonly about to run for her phone to call for help, Jack yelled at his sister to stay put. She does, but in a scare, retracting her arms to herself. Watching her brother puke black one more time before he got up, wiping some of the tar off his face, Jack¡¯s arms dangled as he coughed the last bits of black.


    Seeing him stand there, recovering from this sudden disgusting state, Angela couldn¡¯t help but shiver in fear. ¡°Bro-Brother¡­ Why did you stop me?¡±


    Jack lifted his head up, staring at his sister with bloodshot eyes, and stained black on his lips and shirt. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m not¡­ going to let her to¡­ to, prevent me from asking you this!¡± Jack clenched his fists again, ¡°What¡¯s your connection with Mallory!¡±


    Angela at first blinked rapidly, being confused at his question, ¡°Wh-What are you talking about? Mall who? Girl in my dreams? Brother, are you sure you don¡¯t need a doctor?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Jack couldn¡¯t believe his ears, again he got the same answer as before, though this time nothing made him pass out. ¡°Doctor¡­ Doctor! Has Dr. Cato tried attacking us?!¡±


    Angela feared for her brother''s mental health, she walked up to her shakened brother, grabbing his black stained hand, and said a statement that left him paralysed. ¡°Brother¡­ who¡¯s¡­ Dr. Cato?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes expand in insanity, and he¡¯s ready to explode at any moment. ¡°No, no no no no no no no! Wha-what about¡­ Mathew? And-And¡­ Caro...lyn¡­¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t like seeing her brother in this state, which made her turn cold faced. ¡°Brother, I don¡¯t know who any of those people are, except for Carolyn.¡±


    Upon hearing Carolyn¡¯s name, it made Jack¡¯s dropped jaw quiver. ¡°Wh...at?!¡± he said in the most frightened tone he¡¯s ever put out.


    In a serious tone, Angela spoke, and she too clenched her fists. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember, she moved last year, and we both said goodbye to her¡­ And, I still have her number, if you still miss her¡­ then, call her.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 2: The Beginning Of Her True Heritage

    Outside of reality, in a dream world of white, clouds of pure snow, William and Archard were in a relaxed state, basking in this fresh sensation of calmness. Both gentlemen have been relieved, ever since William changed history and altered the current timeline; Peace has never felt so great for two men who have to confront dangerous predicaments at every path, turn, or corner of their lives. For William this is the best week he¡¯s had in years, never has the man gotten a chance to fully lay back and relax. Meanwhile his comrade Archard, who¡¯s feeling the same, can¡¯t help but feel they¡¯ve been slacking off, more notably killing time.


    Standing next to his master, his arms relaxed to his sides, Archard lets out a sigh of relief. ¡°Mmm, Sir William¡­¡±


    William¡¯s sitting on a chair made of clouds with his eyes closed. ¡°Yes, Archard?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a week since you¡¯ve altered history¡­¡±


    William, who¡¯s elegantly sitting on his own throne befitting for someone of his status inside the dimension of white he summoned Jack in, gripped his chin then crossed his arms.


    ¡°It seems it has, and I wasn¡¯t a man of my word, oh my goodness gracious me!¡±


    Archard chuckled. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve only just relaxed the entire week to be honest. This is the most peace we¡¯ve had since the early 2000¡¯s.¡±


    William chuckles, and sets his feet on a desk made of puffy white clouds. ¡°Yeah, I kinda welcome this new time I¡¯ve created, granted it¡¯ll all go back to normal once our boy Jack completes his trials, but that can wait. I think I¡¯d rather surprise him, don¡¯t you think so, my dear friend?¡±


    Archard grips his chin, feeling intrigued. ¡°Yeah, and what will you do to surprise the poor sinful soul?¡±


    William scratches his head, and coughs. ¡°Well first, let us take a breath and feel this cool breeze of sincerity, my dear friend.¡±


    The two took deep breaths, and made sounds of relaxation. After doing so, Archard stretches and fails his arms around while William stands on his feet.


    ¡°There we are.¡± William said, ¡°Now then, to get back to what I was saying. I¡¯m going to surprise our boy Jack by making him go through the first trial without a notice, think of it as a blessing in disguise.¡±


    ¡°Sounds very plausible, though I can¡¯t help but feel it¡¯s very vague sir. Granted it could be fun to watch, at the very least he should have a hint, right? Lastly, what would happen if he made an error or completed the first trial?¡±


    William grips his chin. ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s going to be a thrill watching him go through these acts of repenting, although as you said, what would happen if he did fail or pass?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, right, what would you do?¡± Archard replied.


    William grins. ¡°More will be explained when the trial starts¡ª¡± William raised his hands of might, ready to clap them against each other. ¡°Now!¡± William claps his hands twice and their world is engulfed in a flash of holy gold.


    ***


    In his room, laying waste in a state of broken hood, Jack¡¯s on his bed, laying on his side with crusty sandbags beneath his eyelids due to a lack of sleep. During the new week into a new life of changed reality, Jack has done nothing but have hallucinations about Mallory, Carolyn, and the two men who¡¯ve made his life a hell for three years. Angela tried her best to help cope with her brother''s broken statehood, but everytime she tried approaching him, he¡¯d panic, scream even. It made Angela feel sad, detested, she too had a lack of sleep because of it, and all of this made Eric feel more angry towards his pathetic excuse of a nephew.


    On the couch, deeply sighing and groaning, Eric drags his hand across his face. ¡°Man what the fucks wrong with that fool? Fucker hasn¡¯t spoken to anyone throughout the whole week, he¡¯s barely eaten too!¡±


    Coming down the stairs and walking in the living room looking quenched in sadness, Angela heard her uncle¡¯s frustrations and sat next to him. ¡°Hey¡­ uncle¡­¡±


    Eric patted her head. ¡°Aww, princess¡­ didn¡¯t sleep well again last night?¡±


    Angela sat there, her eyes darkened, and half open. ¡°Mhm¡­ Sorry for making you worried, but I can¡¯t help it¡­ I still feel that this is all my fault.¡±


    Eric grabbed Angela, laying her head on his lap and sighing again. ¡°Nothing¡¯s your fault, it¡¯s your brother who¡¯s being a weirdo and causing such worry. I knew his mind wasn¡¯t in the right place, but never would I think it would get this bad¡­ Jesus.¡±


    Angela too sighs, and her eyes start shutting. ¡°Uncle¡­ help him¡­ please¡­¡± Angela then fell asleep on her uncle''s lap, bringing a smile to his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s it baby girl, get some rest. I¡¯ll deal with your brother in a bit, for now just sleep and be the adorable baby girl that you are.¡± Eric rubs her head, easing her tension inside her mind, and takes a glimpse at Jack¡¯s room across the hall.


    Jack¡­ what has gotten into you my guy, snap out of it¡­ or else, you¡¯ll truly kill yourself over nothing. Eric thought.


    Over at the otherside of the city, inside her home, barely waking up to a new day, Sarah¡¯s week on the other hand was that of confrontation, testing her patience, but more importantly, learning her new acceptance. Her feelings have been at war with each other throughout the whole week because of her father trying his best to talk, look, or get near her. Despite trying, everytime he did so, the poor guy couldn''t bring himself to do it in the end. Her patience and acceptance have been tried by her mother who¡¯s been training her inside her dreams, showing her what it means to be a Witch in today''s society and hiding in the shadows of normality.


    As all these events went, Sarah¡¯s still the same she¡¯s been, just more on edge. Huh¡­ another day, another session of being more scared and shown just how out of place I am to society.


    Sarah gets her clothes of goth and grunge, readies herself for a new day and walks out of the room. Going downstairs to the kitchen, she spots her beautiful mother cooking breakfast for everyone as usual. Taking a seat, and grabbing a black book meant for their clan that¡¯s always set on the table, Sarah began to read.


    Walking into the kitchen too, trying his best to ignore the two, her father sat across Sarah. Crap¡­ not again, why am I putting myself through this hell¡­ damn bitch¡­ Sebastian thought.


    Sarah¡¯s mother sensed his presence without needing to look. ¡°Good morning d-a-r-l-i-n-g!¡±


    He smacked his lips, and twitched an eye. ¡°Shut the hell up, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho! Still cold I see, nonetheless, enjoy this breakfast I made for you two! Oh and watch your mouth around our daughter please.¡±


    Sebastian twitched his lip. ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    Her steaming breakfast of toast, eggs, jam, cooked veggies, and drinks, all hovered to the table, landing gently to each person''s liking. Sarah got a plate of egg whites, cooked veggies, toast smeared by strawberry jam, and to finish her platter she had regular coffee.


    She sets the book down, and claps her hands together to pray to mother earth. ¡°Thank you mom.¡±


    Her father got his usual plate of eggs and bacon, coffee that he likes, plenty of toast, and a glass of wine. He stared at his hot platter of deliciousness with a grimace.


    She¡¯s really trying her best to make me teach her daughter huh? Why can¡¯t she do it¡­ she¡¯d be better off learning from you and not someone who¡¯s lost all value like me¡­


    Her mother had the same as her daughter but with black coffee and a glass of wine too. ¡°So family, what¡¯s the plan today? Will you, Sebastian, finally teach our daughter?¡±


    He ignored her words, and started eating. Sarah¡¯s mother giggles, while Sarah herself ate while trying her best to not stare at her father. Sarah couldn¡¯t help it though, the entire week¡¯s been the most she¡¯s seen her father, never would¡¯ve she imagined this occasion ever happening, only in her dreams. Awkwardly, the two ate, feeling the need to look at one another, but her father had a reason to not look at his daughter, a very personal reason that¡¯ll rile up his soul in rage.


    Sarah¡¯s mother sipped her coffee, and spoke. ¡°My dearest daughter, would you mind asking your father what he¡¯ll be teaching you?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father¡¯s eyes bug out. ¡°Eh¡­?¡±


    Sarah gasps. ¡°Hu-Huh¡­?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father slowly turned to his right, glaring at her mother in disbelief and anger. ¡°Why¡­ you-you wretched¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Fa-father¡­¡± Sarah said in a soft respectful tone.


    Her father softly gasps, and hearing her timid voice strike his eardrums felt nervously relaxing, but at the sametime, reminded him of his hatred past. ¡°Y...es¡­ Sarah?¡± he replied, gulping afterwards.


    Sarah tilted her head upwards, looking at her father, but as her gaze set on him, he quickly turned away. ¡°Never mind¡­ I guess, you-you do, hate¡­ me¡­¡± Sarah said, her eyes quivering with regret.


    Sarah¡¯s father¡¯s eyes widened, hearing his daughter say words like that engraved guilt into his damned soul. Her voice alone, when she said it in her soft timid voice felt like acupuncture needles sticking all over his body, relaxing its tension. He hated that he couldn''t look into her eyes, he hated this assumption, so he mustered the courage to speak properly to his only daughter.


    ¡°No¡­ I-I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t hate you, Sa-Sarah.¡±


    Sarah made a sound of shock, and she held a closed fist to her chest. ¡°Re-Really¡­? But why-why won¡¯t you look at me then? And talk to me¡­¡±


    Sebastian grit his teeth and balled a fist. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, I just¡­ just¡­¡±


    ¡°What your father meant to say is he¡¯s a hard nut to crack, hehe!¡±


    He slammed his closed fist on the table, startling Sarah but not Samantha. ¡°Could you not interrupt me, you damned woman!¡±


    ¡°What? I¡¯m just trying to help, that¡¯s all!¡± Samantha replied, giggling afterwards.


    Sarah cut in, clearing her throat to muster her nervousness. ¡°Then father, could you answer my question¡­ please.¡±


    Her father lets out a long breath. ¡°Because¡­ I-I have my reasons about not looking into your eyes. As for speaking, I do, I really do want to¡­ but this villain over here just makes it worse.¡±


    Samantha smiles and waves to her husband. ¡°Aww, I love you too honey!¡±


    He smacked his lips, and crushed his eyes. ¡°Shut up¡­¡±


    Sarah couldn''t help but bring out a giggle when she saw them reply to each other like that. Her father felt his heart melt away, never has he heard his daughter produce a sound to that of happiness around him. It even made a grin come out for a second until he wiped it away so he doesn¡¯t give any knowledge of happiness to the person he hates next to him.


    Sebastian shook his head and relaxed his shoulders. ¡°Sarah, I know I haven¡¯t been the greatest parent, but¡­ I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll make it up to you, so, I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    Sarah¡¯s phone rang, interrupting her fathers statement. Sarah reached into her pocket, and answered it. ¡°Sorry, one moment. Hello, who¡¯s this?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father lets out a sigh of relief, laying back on the chair and staring at the ceiling, feeling a giant boulder being lifted off his chest. Holy crap¡­ Why is it so hard to talk to her? I need more than therapy at this point.


    It was Eric who¡¯s called Sarah strangely enough, he¡¯s on the couch with Jack¡¯s phone on his other hand. ¡°Hey it¡¯s Eric if you remembered me?¡±


    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re Jack¡¯s caretaker, correct?¡±


    Sebastian¡¯s inner father made his eyes pop when he heard a boy''s name, making him groan in the process. Jack, who¡¯s Jack?!


    Sarah¡¯s mother caught notice of her husband''s surprised and confused face. Oh, this should be interesting! Let''s see if he reacts like a father would do if they heard their beautiful daughter talk about another boy.


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s me, listen, could you come over and speak and do your weird supernatural shit to this pathetic excuse of a man¡­ all week he¡¯s been a sore lunatic shut in loser.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Wait, so that¡¯s what Jack¡¯s been doing? And how do you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°The other part of you, yeah I found out one day when you two were talking about it a couple of months ago.¡±


    Sarah grips her chin, raising a brow. So in this altered history he knows about my abilities but not my status, strange.


    She lets out a sigh, and nods. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll come over and have a word with him. Thank you for calling me, though can I ask why me then the other girls?¡±


    Eric scratches the back of his head, laying back on the couch. ¡°Well, I have a hunch you¡¯ll be a better help to him than the others coming from that whole supernatural shit I still can¡¯t believe is real. Oh and because you one of those emo types right? So you might know more about the sad shit than the other two girls, no offence.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s raised eyebrow twitched, and both parents sensed their daughters'' aggravation. ¡°I¡¯m not an emo¡­ I''m goth, goth!¡±


    ¡°Ey ey, chill, same shit to me anyways haha, anyways, appreciate it, see you then.¡±


    Eric hangs up, and Sarah can¡¯t help but feel insulted. She lets out a sigh, and looks at her mother who¡¯s smiling away. ¡°Mom, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ll be leaving now, I have to check Jack¡¯s mental state, it¡¯s getting worse.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother giggles. ¡°Please do, he needs it more than anything. And I¡¯m sure your presence alone will heal his wounds of deception.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father slams his fists on the table, surprising the two. ¡°Sa-Sarah¡­ I have no right in asking this, but¡­ would you mind telling me, who¡¯s this¡ªJack fellow?¡±


    Sarah blinks erratically at first, trying to wrap his reaction, this is the first time she¡¯s seen him this tense about someone else. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s just a friend, someone I¡¯ve known since childhood.¡±


    His face straightened and serious, staring at nothing, his tone changes more fiercely. ¡°Sarah¡­ I¡¯m sorry to tell you this, but boys and girls can¡¯t be friends. It¡¯s naturally impossible without the thought of¡ª¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother slaps a piece of bacon on his face using her Witch powers. ¡°Okay! I think that¡¯s enough, and don¡¯t take too long my daughter, you still have to be taught by this foolish man here.¡±


    Sarah laughs, watching the piece of bacon slide off his face. ¡°Okay okay, bye guys, I¡¯ll see you in a bit, and father¡­¡±


    Sebastian was wiping his face when she called him, which made him gasp beneath his breath.¡±


    ¡°...I¡¯m¡­ looking forward to it.¡± Sarah smiles and bows to her father.


    Sarah¡¯s father sighs, and looks away. ¡°Likewise, please do be careful.¡±


    Sarah waves to the two, and leaves the dining room out the front door. When his daughter did leave, he reacted in surprise, never had he thought that he would react like that. It made him scratch his head erratically, but inside, he¡¯s dying of embarrassment. Sarah¡¯s mother loved watching this, she hasn¡¯t seen him react this way in over eighteen tears, so she¡¯s taking her time to print this scene into her never ending hall of memories.


    ¡°This is so wonderful isn¡¯t it? Well, I¡¯ll be cleaning up now, thank you for taking my offer, d¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡­ I¡¯m going to the backyard for a moment, I gotta get some air.¡± Sebastian got up and threw the napkin on the table.


    Sarah¡¯s mother giggles away, and it only brought back the hatred in him, but he pushed his rage away because he¡¯s feeling quite happy about speaking to his daughter, even if it was short lived by a phone call.


    Walking outside to the clear skies of blue, clouds of pure white, Sebastian closed his eyes to bask in the day of ease. Man, what has gotten into me as of lately¡­ is it because I really want to be with my daughter¡­ or is it something more?


    Looking back at the house, he sees his wife who loves tormenting him washing dishes. ¡°I still don¡¯t trust her, my senses are telling me there¡¯s something more to this than just teaching her daughter how to be a proper Witch with morals¡­¡±


    Seeing her causally wash the dishes made him knit his brows and clench his fists.


    ¡°You¡¯ve fooled me once, but I¡¯ll never allow myself to be fooled again by your trickery, you evil bitch of Envy.¡±


    Washing the dishes peacefully, and brewing that hate inside of him, Sarah¡¯s mother seemed to act as if nothing strange was going on. Sebastian can¡¯t risk letting his guard down because of their past, he watched her casually living life a norm, but to him it all seems an act.


    ¡°I can¡¯t risk letting my guard down, whatever she has in mind, whatever she¡¯s hiding, her true intentions, whatever they are, eventually will come out. And I¡¯ll keep my senses sharper than ever. Whatever you¡¯re planning with your daughter and me, I¡¯ll be sure to retaliate and finally, be free from our contract.¡±


    ***


    Inside his room, laying on his side on his bed, basking in a cloud of his own depression, Jack stared at the photo of him and Angela for hours on end. In his mind, he kept repeating if this was all just a dream, reflecting this wasted week. He can¡¯t help this urge swelling up, a feeling of hopelessness and utter confusion, Jack¡¯s had enough of this life of complexity. He¡¯d rather go back to the times when he was just a simple gang banger, at least then he would¡¯ve never gone through these tormenting hardships that¡¯s killing the last bits of his sanity.


    Why am I living through this¡­ how can I continue going through this life when no matter the decisions I make just make things harder for me.


    Reaching for the photo, not being anywhere in reach of it, Jack¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot in anger. ¡°To hell with all this¡­ to hell with my life, I¡¯m tired of living!¡±


    He abruptly got up and briefly clutched his head. But something is off, something is missing¡­ someone¡ªrather¡­


    Jack groaned and moaned. He sounded tired and dead.


    Yeah, someone, and whenever I¡¯m in this state¡­ they¡¯d normally show up to help me, but at the same time, tease, torment me¡­ and that person is¡ª


    The young man''s eyes turned vile as a deep wrinkle formed between his eyes. ¡°Mallory¡­ why haven¡¯t you come, where are you, I-I¡­I!¡±


    Though the young felt angry, Jack for once missed her. Yet it¡¯s strange that she hasn¡¯t appeared in awhile, more than a week at that. Normally whenever Jack¡¯s in a state this broken, she¡¯s always there to comfort and pamper his needs, even if she does anger him to the fullest. Sadly though, Jack can¡¯t think of his anger, he just wanted her to come to take these burdens off of him, and the fact that she hasn¡¯t appeared in person, even in his dreams, it raised concerns in him.


    Jack dropped to his knees for a moment. ¡°Mallory¡­ Mallory, where are you¡­ you normally come to me when I¡¯m in this state, but why aren¡¯t you here?!¡± Jack rose up, and his breathing grew erratic. ¡°I need you¡­ please, where are you girl! Mallory, answer me!¡±


    Jack¡¯s starting to feel the last bits of his sanity breaking, he clutches his head, gripping the hell out of his hair.


    ¡°Mallory¡­ Mallory, you damned teasing bitch¡­! Where the fuck are you?! I fucking need you more than ever! I don¡¯t understand why, but I need you now!¡±


    Jack approached his mirror, and glared at himself. ¡°You!¡± He shouted, pointing at his own reflection. ¡°You¡¯re at fault for driving her away! You son of a bitch!¡± He punched his mirror, shattering it to pieces.


    Jack¡¯s fist trembled, he lifted it to his face, staring at his bloody knuckles.


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    ¡°To hell with this, all of this!¡±


    Knocking on his door, and hearing his anger shouting clear as day, Sarah heard a loud bang, ¡°Jack!¡± She opened her door and saw Jack punch his shattered mirror again. ¡°Oh my god, stop Jack!¡±


    Jack¡¯s ears were ringing, and he didn¡¯t hear Sarah¡¯s voice, instead he diverted his attention to the wall, punching it in a fury. Sarah called for Eric who came rushing in and immediately grabbed Jack.


    ¡°Yo man chill yo!¡± Eric said as he stopped Jack punching his wall.


    Jack pants, and as Eric lets go, Jack turns around and sees Sarah. ¡°Sa-Sarah¡­? Wha-what are you doing here?¡±


    Eric shakes his head, walks over to Sarah and pats her head. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then, can you handle him now?¡±


    Sarah nods. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡±


    Eric leaves, but not without taking one last look at Jack and shaking his head one last time in disappointment. He leaves and the two are alone now. Jack stands there, staring at Sarah in silence, making it very awkward. Sarah blinks a couple of times, and glances around his room, spotting holes in the wall, his gun laying on the desk, and signs of blood on the floor.


    ¡°Jack, what have you done this whole week besides laying waste?¡±


    Jack raised his bloody knuckles, and stared at them. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Perhaps, waiting¡ªfor someone to free me from my prison of darkness.¡±


    Sarah sighs, and puts her tiny white hand out. ¡°Hand please.¡±


    Jack blinks, and lends his bloody bruised hand. She takes it, and did the same thing before the change of history, healing his hand back to normal.


    After it healed, Jack retracted it to himself, and stared at his palm. ¡°It still gives me chills that you can do that, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah placed her hand on her hip. ¡°Well, good then. I¡¯ll take the compliment again, but I can¡¯t keep doing this you know? I don¡¯t know what my mother would do to me if she found out I¡¯ve been using my powers outside of our worlds into reality.¡±


    Jack nods, and lowers his hand. ¡°No kidding, your mother scares me slightly¡­ So I¡¯m on the same boat about that, I don¡¯t want to be involved in your punishment.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t know about that, I think it¡¯ll be funny to watch someone as scary as you cower in fear over my gentle mother.¡±


    Jack lets out a deep sigh, sitting back on his bed. ¡°I guess so, but Sarah¡­ Why are you so nice to me? We barely know each other. No disrespect, but it just confuses me¡­ sorry for acting this way, again.¡±


    Sarah sat next to Jack, crossing her arms. ¡°Oh you big idiot, there¡¯s more to that than meets our eyes. But to make it simple, it¡¯s mostly on the fact that we both can share something emotionally. As a Witch, that¡¯s a big reason why I¡¯ve been so nice to you¡­¡± Sarah then crossed her legs. ¡°It¡¯s a good feeling, knowing you¡¯re not the only one just as confused and sad as the other party.¡±


    Jack¡¯s dead eyes brightened a bit, feeling their bond grow. ¡°Really, what a strange way of putting it¡­ sorry for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jack, spare the apologies please, you¡¯re too apologetic.¡± Sarah stood up and flung her hair. ¡°Now get up, get out to the sun and feel mother earth''s breath blow away your sins.¡±


    Jack stands up, and breaths in, letting out a heavy amount of air out of him. ¡°Alright, say Sarah, why don¡¯t we hang out for a bit. I could use your company for a bit.¡±


    Sarah obliges to Jack''s request and grins. ¡°Okay, but it¡¯ll be short lived, I¡¯ve gotta get back to my parents about something important.¡±


    ¡°Cool, but before we leave, what have you been doing this whole week?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Sarah for a moment went quiet and looked up at the ceiling. The goth girl moaned and looked back at Jack with a tilt. ¡°Eh, well, it¡¯s complicated, but overall it¡¯s been a very, how should I say, interesting experience.¡±


    Jack tilts his head. ¡°I see, so I assume you¡¯re learning more about the supernatural I take?¡±


    Sarah scratched her head and shrugged. ¡°You can say that. Regardless of what¡¯s happened, I can¡¯t help but see how much has changed in terms of how this time flowed.


    ¡°What do you mean by that, Sarah?¡± Jack asked.


    Sarah walks around Jack¡¯s room and her eyes set on the group picture of him, his sister, and his uncles. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen and been told by Anna, most of the events that occurred previously have happened but in a totally different perspective/scenario.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like hearing that, it made his mind get more perplexed. ¡°Damn, then if that¡¯s the case I have to ask Eric and Angela what¡¯s happened during all these times in this new history without sounding like a clueless idiot.¡±


    Sarah crosses her arms and begins walking, to and out his room. ¡°Well you are an idiot in your own way, but my advice will be just to play it off as if you have amnesia.¡±


    Jack follows behind her, scratching his temple. ¡°Amnesia? What does that mean again? You¡¯re speaking to someone who hasn¡¯t gone to school since fifth grade.¡±


    Sarah shakes her head as the two stepped into the living room. ¡°You really are an idiot then, but I can¡¯t really blame you, wait!¡± Sarah abruptly turned around to Jack with a scrunched face. ¡°How do you know other big words yet not amnesia?¡±


    Eric¡¯s on the couch watching television when he heard them speak about Jack¡¯s intelligence. ¡°Because he¡¯s a big dumbass who makes quick judgement.¡±


    Jack looked at Eric. ¡°Hey¡­ you didn¡¯t even try to teach me anything or recommend homeschool for me.¡±


    Eric¡¯s head pokes out of the couch''s headrest. ¡°What?! Are you kidding me! I tried but yo goofy ass didn¡¯t want to because you wanted to get tougher and learn how to survive.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s gazing look of disappointment locked onto Eric. ¡°But who¡¯s fault is it for showing him this way of living and not being a responsible guardian?¡±


    Eric¡¯s face squints, and his head slowly disappears from their eyesights. ¡°Oh fuck¡­ you right, but did you have to say it in that voice of yours, that shits so soft yet sounds cold ass fuck!¡±


    Jack chuckles. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hard to tell if she¡¯s being nice, mean, or sarcastic, either way I think it¡¯s cool.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes got big hearing his compliment, and she started walking again with raised shoulders. ¡°Let''s go Jack before you make this girl angrier than she is.¡±


    Jack grins, he felt that cloud over his head slowly being blown away. He waved at Eric and told him he¡¯ll be back later, Eric being the guy that he is, teased the two telling them not to have too much fun. Sarah sighs, Jack chuckles, the two leave and are now casually walking down the steps and into the murderous streets of their neighborhood.


    While they were walking, getting by a dangerous trap house Sarah was oblivious about, Jack grabbed her suddenly, pushing her to his other side.


    ¡°Goodness Jack, could you warn a girl before you just casually grab her!¡± she said as she pats herself.


    ¡°Sorry, but I would rather have you walk over here than next to me close to the yards of danger.¡±


    Sarah lets out air, placing her small hand on her chest. ¡°You spooked me there, I thought something else was about to happen, don¡¯t mislead me.¡±


    ¡°Ha, sorry, oh, I got something else I wanted to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go on ahead sad man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something that¡¯s been bothering me, and I was hoping you can have a better explanation about it.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s intrigued, rather she¡¯s feeling an old suspicion she had on him when they first reunited. ¡°Please tell Jack, I¡¯ll try my best to answer it.¡±


    Jack¡¯s about to ask her this question when his chest felt sharp, and had the sensation of being pressed down by a crusher. He coughed, and felt short on breath.


    Sarah grabbed his arm in worry. ¡°Damn, are you alright?! Goodness, you¡¯re too young to be sounding like you¡¯re dying of old age.¡±


    Jack nodded but hunched a bit. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m-I¡¯m alright.¡± Coughing more, feeling the inner darkness inside of him crushing his veins, grabbing his heart, he felt ready to scream it out. ¡°Damn¡­ not again¡­¡±


    Whatever''s inside of Jack, it didn¡¯t want him to reveal the problem he¡¯s had inside of him since the first nightmare made by her, that being the being known as Mallory.


    Fortunately for Sarah, she sensed it, and she could feel that black vile stain inside his body torturing him. It made her frown and knit her brows. This is the same feeling I¡¯ve felt from my encounters with that girl spirit bringing darkness to my friends, and that town¡­ He must be one of her victims, he has to be! Jack, come on, spill it out so I can help you.


    Jack couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so, he¡¯s had enough and stopped trying to fight it. ¡°Sarah¡­ I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll just ask you whe-when the times¡­ right, fuck¡­¡±


    Sarah sighs. ¡°You had me worried there, I thought you were having a heart attack or something.¡±


    Standing back straight, Jack spits, but he didn¡¯t bother looking at the saliva that came out his mouth, landing on the grass and turning it black. ¡°Fuck¡­ it, lets-lets just change the subject.¡±


    Sarah can¡¯t help it, she wanted him to just spew out this secret that he¡¯s been hiding, the strange connection between them, why they have the same darkness, the same energy, something wasn¡¯t right. But for now, Sarah has to respect his wishes, and store this feeling for another time when he¡¯s ready to tell her or anyone.


    ¡°Okay, you don¡¯t need a doctor or something?¡±


    Jack gripped his chest, and let out one last nasty cough. ¡°Na-nah, I have you, remember?¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes and flung her hair, sassy-like. ¡°How dare you, I¡¯m not some easy scapegoat, don¡¯t treat me as a tool, idiot.¡±


    Jack couldn''t help but chuckle. ¡°Sorry, thought I could make this mood brighter, oh that reminds me¡­¡±


    Still catching his breath, leaving a hidden worry in Sarah, Jack pulls out his flip phone, which makes Sarah giggle.


    ¡°What? What are you laughing about?¡± Jack asked.


    Sarah raised her hands and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m still baffled that you still own an ancient relic that is that phone of yours.¡±


    Jack responds with a chuckle, and smacks one of her raised hands. ¡°Everyone¡¯s a critic.¡± Jack said.


    Sarah shrugs again and proceeds forward, but Jack had one final burden on his shoulder, one he couldn''t¡¯ let slide.


    ¡°Before we continue, I have to apologise to Veronica, for everything.¡±


    Sarah stopped and looked over her shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary, we¡¯re in a different timeline, so perhaps your relationship with her is stronger here.¡±


    Jack scrolled through his contacts, finding her number. ¡°Yeah but, I¡¯d rather just say it then be left to wonder. It¡¯s strange that I have all your guys'' numbers here, funny. And I hope what you said is true, I really don¡¯t want to see her cry again.¡±


    Sarah gripped her chin and stuck her hip out. ¡°Hm, knowing her this should be a rather fun thing to watch.¡± Sarah crossed her arms as she watched Jack dial her number and wait for her answer.


    When it rang, it quickly hung up on him. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s strange, it immediately went to voicemail.¡± Jack said, looking at his phone in confusion.


    Sarah rolls her eyes, she has a feeling what¡¯s about to happen. She went up to Jack, tugged on his sleeve, he turned to her, her arms crossed, she raised a finger, waiting for something.


    Jack coughed and raised his eyebrow. ¡°What are you do¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Give it a minute.¡± Sarah replied.


    Sarah¡¯s phone rang. She reached into her pocket, pulled it out, and leaned it against her ear, sticking her hip out in sas. A loud screech made her push her phone away for a second from whoever answered.


    Jack looked confused, and Sarah picked her ear. ¡°Oh, hey Veronica, so nice of you to call and scream into my eardrum.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s laying on her bed, her face as red as a tomato. ¡°Sa-Sa-Sa-Sarah!¡±


    ¡°Yes yes, go on you rude girl.¡±


    Veronica screeches again, and Sarah¡¯s face reacts in pain. ¡°Ja-Ja-Ja-Jack called me! What do I do, what do I do?!¡±


    Sarah places her hand on her wide hip, getting annoyed. ¡°Relax, and yeah, what about him calling you?¡± She turned to Jack, and he raised both eyebrows.


    ¡°Uhh, Sa¡ª¡± Sarah shushes him silently by aggressively slamming a finger against her lip. ¡°Alright, jeez.¡± Jack replied.


    Sarah crossed her arms as she continued talking to Veronica on the phone. ¡°So what are you gonna do about it huh? More importantly, why didn¡¯t you call Anna instead?¡±


    ¡°I-I did! But she laughed and said I should ask you since you can help me more than her.¡±


    Sarah rubbed a set of fingers on her dome. ¡°That damn Anna, I¡¯ll get her for this, and what then? What did you do when he called? Did you answer or chicken out?¡±


    Veronica grabbed her pillow, and slammed it against her face. ¡°I hung up¡­ and pretended it went to voicemail¡­¡±


    Sarah groans and chuckles aggravatedly. ¡°Of course you did. Now then, I wonder what would happen if Jack heard you did that?¡±


    Veronica eases her face off her pillow. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ how would I know?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, maybe you should, I don¡¯t know, ask him yourself!¡± Sarah said while suddenly shooting the phone to Jack¡¯s face, startling him.


    Jack scratched his cheek, and shrugged his shoulders in confusion. Veronica could be heard sounding very confused over Sarah¡¯s sentence and what she meant by that. She kept repeating ¡°Hello?¡± over and over as Jack stared at the non-flip phone. Jack pointed at the phone then to himself, telling Sarah if he should talk now. She responds with a nod. Jack grabbed the phone, observed it and again, silently telling her if he should lean it against his ear like a normal phone. She slams her hand against his forehead, and nods with her arms stretched out.


    Again Jack asked, she responded by stomping her foot. ¡°Okay okay¡­ sheesh¡­ sheesh.¡± Jack muttered.


    Slowly, Jack raised the phone with both hands, and carefully leaned his ear against it, but with enough distance so his skin won¡¯t make contact.


    Sarah let out a long sigh as she rubbed her head. ¡°My goodness Jack, you¡¯re like a man in his fifties¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, this crap is new to me, relax will ya? Okay, ahem¡­ Ve-Veronica, hello?¡± As Jack¡¯s left hanging for an answer, he only got silence.


    Sarah groans, putting her face towards the phone. ¡°Veronica if you can hear me! You better answer him!¡±


    Veronica breathes heavily, and responds to Jack, screeching again and he¡¯s the one who got the worst of it. ¡°Ahh¡­ Veronica, could you not kill my ears?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Im sor-sorry, it¡¯s-it¡¯s just that-that¡­¡±


    Jack grins. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, look, I wanted to say something to you. So please listen closely.¡±


    Veronica felt her heart racing even faster. ¡°Okay¡­ what is it?¡±


    Jack lets out a shortened breath. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry for all the things I¡¯ve done, everything, Veronica.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s flustered face has confusion on it. She sits up and hugs her knees. ¡°What about Jack? What are you sorry for?¡±


    Jack eases off the phone and groans. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand, for now, anyways.¡±


    Hearing him being sorry over nothing blew away those feelings of nervousness and made her heart sink in worry from how meaningful his apology sounded from the tone of his voice. Veronica didn¡¯t like how Jack sounded, so she wanted to cheer him up.


    ¡°Uh, Ja-Jack¡­ would you actually be willing to¡­ uh¡­¡± Veronica sadly couldn¡¯t finish on what she was saying, it brought those damning feelings of love back into her heart.


    Jack heard her make funny noises of embarrassment, making him chuckle. ¡°You okay Veronica? You sound to be in some sort of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jack!¡± Veronica shouted abruptly.


    ¡°Huh, woah what?¡± she replied, her eyes exploding, startled.


    Sarah¡¯s loving this, not only from overhearing her reactions, but seeing Jack slowly come out of the dark aura making him feel hopeless. Come on Veronica, do it you stupid smart snobby prep girl!


    Sucking in a breath of air, holding it in, Veronica blows it out and says, ¡°Jack¡­ do you want to, ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­?¡± he replied.


    Sarah heard her, and facepalms. ¡°Veronica you really are hopeless¡­¡±


    Jack shrugs. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know what you meant by that, but I want to make it up to you Veronica. How about we both go on¡­ let me remember hmm.¡±


    Sarah tilts her head, and grips her chin. ¡°Oh, what is it that you¡¯re trying to remember Jack?¡±


    Jack¡¯s memories sparked that thought he needed to resolve this funny issue that¡¯s made Veronica hopeless and made him feel funny. ¡°Yeah, how about we go on a date, what do you say?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes widened, and she nodded in amusement. Damn¡­ never mind, he just flat out said it like that. I guess that works haha!


    Veronica¡¯s on the brink of fainting, and her eyes twirled. ¡°Da-Da-Da-Da¡­.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a date,¡± Jack said calmly. ¡°Why does it sound so embarrassing everytime I say that to people like you?¡±


    Sarah chimes in, bumping Jack with her hip. ¡°Do you even know what you''re saying, Jack? Or are you going to say the same thing like last time and make the situation worse?¡±


    ¡°Yeah I do, it¡¯s like when we went on our date, right? Remember when we first ran into each¡ª¡± Quickly Jack¡¯s mouth was shut by Sarah¡¯s hand.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes had the look of annoyed anger, and her teeth were ground. ¡°You idiot! Be careful about what you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡­¡± Veronica¡¯s voice was loud and clear even though she wasn¡¯t on speaker. Her voice sounded cheerful yet freighting in an innocent tone. ¡°What was this I heard about you two going on one already? Hehe¡­¡±


    Both friends got nervous, and had the look of fear hearing this new scary tone of Veronica. Sarah grabbed her phone back from Jack and swallowed, and Jack looked around, confused.


    ¡°Veronica, he-he doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about okay? Le-Lets just take it nice and easy, okay?¡±


    Veronica grins. ¡°Oh, I wonder if you two did the same when you were on your d-a-t-e.¡±


    Sarah scratched her head and forced a chuckle. ¡°Veronica, hey¡­ you¡¯re scaring me here, we¡¯re friends, remember?¡±


    Veronica lets out a giggle, a scary one at that. ¡°Of course we are, so be a good friend and tell Jack to come by my house. There we can discuss more about Our! Date, does that sound good to you, friend?¡±


    Sarah forcefully laughs. ¡°Ye-Yeah¡­ sounds cool, and like I said he¡¯s an idiotic dense fool Veronca, ha ha¡­ ha¡­¡±


    Veronica lets out one last giggle. ¡°Of course he is, but he never lies, Sarah¡­ bye.¡±


    Veronica hung up the phone, and Sarah bent over dangling her arms in relief. ¡°Oh thank goodness¡­ but Jack!¡± She sprung up and went in his face, placing her hands on her hips. ¡°Next time don¡¯t just bluntly say things without the meaning behind them, and when you do go see Veronica, please, for the love of that is mother earth herself don¡¯t make it worse than it is. Because when she asks about us hanging out that one time, don¡¯t even try speaking about it, do something to make her forget about it, okay?¡±


    Jack laughed, and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. ¡°Alright alright, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah felt awkward being in this position that they were in, but sighs it off. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡±


    Looking into her bright eyes of red, enough to mesmerise any normal man and being swallowed by their mysterious beauty, Jack grins. ¡°Thank you for cheering me up, and sorry, for last week.¡±


    Sarah felt something, a new feeling she¡¯s never felt before. It¡¯s enough to make her look away, but keep a brow raised. ¡°Apology accepted, now can you let me go. I have to get back to my parents.¡±


    Jack does and steps back. ¡°Cool, I¡¯ll see you later then? Because I really am enjoying getting to know you better.¡±


    Sarah crossed her arms and straightened her face. ¡°Woah, slow down there cowboy, you¡¯ve got to get to a date, this is no time to say those things.¡± She brings out half a grin, ¡°But I am too, we have some things in common, I wonder how much more we do. I guess we can find out later, bye Jack.¡±


    Sarah turned to her left, and began walking across the street while Jack watched her walk away. Alone now, Jack took the time to bask in this new moment of happiness, it¡¯s been awhile since he¡¯s lived normally like this.


    ¡°It¡¯s just like old times, before the day my parents were taken by me¡­¡± Turning back to look forward, Jack walked, but the thought of Mallory came back again, and brought back that aura of black. ¡°Yet despite these feelings¡­ somehow, without you being in my life Mallory, I feel empty, and still lonely, despite Sarah and all of my friends'' efforts.¡±


    ***


    Coming back home, Sarah says she¡¯s back but found no one in the comfortable living room fit for goths. She squinted her eyes and looked for her parents, they weren¡¯t here, upstairs, nor in the kitchen. She wonders if there¡¯s any hidden rooms in her home that she didn¡¯t know about, but shrugs it off. Going through the kitchen, and to the backyard door, she did spot one of her parents, that being her mysterious father.


    ¡°Fa-Father¡­?¡± Sarah watched her dad stand below the tree, he seemed to be concentrating on something.


    Feeling earth''s winds, her calls, her father¡¯s in a trance of inner mind training. He did this everyday to lower his uncontrollable hatred towards his wife, otherwise if he didn¡¯t, he''d go into a state of rage like he did not too long ago. Letting out a huge breath of air, his lungs now empty, his mind at peace, when he turned around, opening his eyes, he almost had a heart attack at who he saw standing at the door.


    ¡°Eh¡­ it¡¯s¡ª!¡± Quickly though, he calmed himself when he sensed it was just his daughter who spooked him. ¡°I-I almost lost it¡­ damn it.¡±


    Sarah stood there, wondering why her father¡¯s expressions changed so suddenly when he saw her. ¡°Fa¡­ther?¡±


    Her dad looked away, and didn¡¯t respond at first. Wait¡­ where is that wretched bitch? I don¡¯t sense her¡­ Hold up, did she plan this?!


    Sarah saw her father clench a fist. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to anger you, I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    Sebastian broke out of his inner monologue to reply to his daughter. ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry at you¡­ I was just thinking of something, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright. Well, where is mother?¡±


    He closed his eyes again, concentrating on where she might be, bringing up a possibility of her maybe hiding. Where did she go? She was just¡­


    His sense then told him the truth, and she left behind a small ball of mana in their house, one she would leave back in the days to tell him about something in secresty.


    ¡°So that¡¯s where you went off to¡­ after all these years, why? Whatever, but I know you were behind leaving the two of us alone, bitch.¡± he muttered.


    ¡°What was that, father?¡±


    Hearing her call him father made him feel embarrassed. ¡°No-Nothing, Sarah. So uh, how was that Jack fella? And who is he precisely?¡±


    Sarah took careful steps approaching his direction, she can still sense anger emitting off of him. ¡°He¡¯s just a friend, that¡¯s all, and he¡¯s fine now since I was able to calm him down.¡±


    The anger simmered, but aggravation swept into the aura of rage. ¡°Hm, a friend, boy and girl, and you calmed him down, in what way?¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t like his tone, but it felt comforting because it sounded overly protective. ¡°Father, all I did was just talk to him and convince my friend Veronica to go out on a date with him.¡±


    He then blew out air, feeling relieved hearing that. ¡°Oh good, that¡¯s a relief¡­ Uh, sorry if I¡¯m acting this way, it just felt instinctive and natural to do so since we¡¯re getting to know each other.¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t mind, she likes seeing her father act his role. ¡°Fine by me, so uh, what did you two discuss about me and this¡ªtraining?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father crossed his arms, and gripped his chin. ¡°Give me a second to reflect on my feelings, then I¡¯ll come to a decision to answer your question.¡±


    Sarah nodded to his request, standing there silently as he wrapped his mind about all these new ordeals and situations created by one man only, that being William H. Christ the sixth. He still wonders why his wife won¡¯t allow herself to teach her daughter, the very thing she loves in this world, her ways, but as she said, she¡¯s not the ideal person to teach her. Sarah¡¯s father thought deeper into it, he knew he wasn¡¯t ideal to teach her neither knowing his past and the countless people he¡¯s put through suffering, killed even.


    I don¡¯t know what her goal is, but I¡¯m a different man than I was before, yes she may have taken my dignity, my soul, but I won¡¯t let her daughter become the very thing we Witches truly are, and that being a menace to society. I won¡¯t allow her to become me, I won¡¯t teach her ways of abusing her mana to bring suffering onto others, but most importantly, more notably, I won¡¯t allow her to become like her damned mother of greedy Envy.


    Sarah¡¯s father finally came to a conclusion, and for the first time, he brought his gaze closer to her eyes, only for a moment. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll teach you.¡±


    Sarah swallows nervously from how serious he sounded. ¡°Te-Teach me? Li-Like what?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father snapped his fingers, and the environment around them started changing. ¡°Everything, Sarah.¡±


    The whole world around them swirled, spinning around faster than anything Sarah¡¯s seen. The colours that made the world melted away from how fast the world spun. Sarah¡¯s looking around in disbelief, her father standing there calmly, once it stopped circling, the world around them had completely changed. The skies flickered a haunting glow of purple, plasma striking hills miles away, the grass beneath them was the colour red, and the only thing left from their world was the tree, still blossoming with life.


    But to Sarah, she felt amazed by it, which left her jaw dropped. ¡°Fa-Father! Wh-where are we?!¡±


    Her father relaxed his arms to his sides, and turned round to stare at the angry skies striking the ground. ¡°I think you know the answer to that, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s confused at first, but quickly she caught on what he meant by. I¡¯m inside his world, and this is a reflection of how he¡¯s feeling¡­ Father¡­


    She clenched her fists. ¡°These are his emotions, at war¡­¡± Sarah muttered. She swallowed and took a deep breath before speaking again. ¡°What will be my first lesson, father?¡±


    He crossed his arms again, and blinked. ¡°Before we do start, Sarah, I have one favour to ask you, and I stand by it.¡±


    His tone grew fiercer, which sent chills down Sarah¡¯s spine. ¡°Yes father¡­?¡±


    He briefly turned his face, only exposing a side view of it to his daughter. ¡°Please don¡¯t look into my eyes, for my sake, and yours¡­ Don¡¯t take it personally, okay, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes shook, and felt her father¡¯s inner anger swirling all around her as he said that meaningful statement. ¡°Father¡­ may I ask you some questions before we start, if you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    Her father, still standing there with his back turned, watching the chaos ensue off in the distance, gave out air through his nose. ¡°You¡¯re only allowed to ask me three, and I¡¯m obliged to give you the best answers I can possibly give you.¡±


    ¡°Three huh? Okay, my-my first question is¡­ Who-Who are you really, your title and status in our community only mentioned by mother.¡±


    He raised his head to the skies representing years of sorrow and anger. I hope she won¡¯t be too angry at me for my status, I am different now, afterall¡­ Sebastian thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m known as the most chaotic, berserking Witch in modern history, the one who seeked destruction, suffrage upon those without meaning to nothing, just for my own amusement and pleasurement. My name is¡­ Ahriman.¡±


    Sarah felt shocked upon hearing not only who he was, but the fact she knew the meaning of his name¡¯s origins, only made it clear what type of person her father is. She didn¡¯t want to ask anymore of that, to keep this conversation healthy, she pushed this thought aside to ask her next question.


    Clenching her skirt, resisting the urge to ask of his troubled past, Sarah bit her lip and went forward in asking her next question. ¡°Father, my-my next question is¡­ wh-why do you loathe mother so much? It seems as if she genuinely loves you, but you, you absolutely detest her entire being.¡±


    He turned back to look at his daughter, but only to stare at her feet. ¡°Your mother, loving me? It¡¯s a false fallacy, an act she puts on to deceive you, Sarah!¡±


    A huge bolt of lightning struck the ground between them, which split the earth. Rubble flew, rocks scattered, Sarah shielded herself from the intensity of the impact as everything fluttered around her.


    Sebastian balled his fists and a vein grew out his forehead. ¡°The truth to that is, quite simply, that damned woman is the entire reason why I haven¡¯t spoken, looked, nor given any efforts on knowing the very thing she helped create¡­¡± He raised his finger to Sarah as the sky above them crackled. ¡°...that being you, her daughter.¡±


    Sarah gasped and dropped her arms. ¡°Wha-What are you trying to imply, father?¡±


    He brought his arms forward and stared at his trembling arms, and a heavy force was felt upon Sarah¡¯s body, making her legs tremble. ¡°Your mother is the sole reason why my lifes a living hell, her very existence has caused more suffering to others than I have¡­ all to achieve the very thing she was so envious of, but I¡¯d rather not tell you at this moment.¡±


    He relaxed himself and regained his calm composure, which stopped the chaos momentarily.¡±


    ¡°To sum all this up, she¡¯s the most evil, vile, manipulative being in this entire world.¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t like hearing words that defiled her mothers sweet attitude she¡¯s shown to her since birth. It brought anger to her, and hearing it be told by someone like her father felt insulting because they hardly talked to each other. Yet despite that, she knew her father wasn''t lying which made her feel conflictions towards her mother. Though her questions were answered somewhat, more was brought untold rather than told. This force though, making her legs feel nimble, she wondered if this was her fathers power ready to explode, and Sarah, can¡¯t help but feel afraid.


    The force grew stronger by the second and as Sarah¡¯s about to ask her last question, her father controlled himself even further, and the force faded away.


    ¡°Sorry, Sarah, I got a little carried away, it¡¯s been awhile since I was allowed to let out my powers and relieve myself¡­¡±


    Sarah hung her head, feeling bad for her father, throughout this entire conversation, he hasn¡¯t told one lie, and that¡¯s what made her feel just as bad for him. ¡°Father¡­ My last question is the same as I asked before¡­ And it¡¯s¡­¡± Sarah grit her teeth and felt like tearing up. ¡°...why don¡¯t you like looking into my eyes, rather why can¡¯t I look into yours? Am I distasteful to you?! Or is it simply put, you have an ability that¡¯ll turn me into stone like medusa?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father didn¡¯t like hearing that, the fact his own daughter thought he hated her existence as well brought out a face of sadness upon him.


    ¡°Sarah¡­ No, that ain¡¯t it. The reason why I can¡¯t stare into your eyes, is-is, is¡ªthose red eyes of absolute beauty¡­¡±


    The clouds above that were blending with the skies appeared, gleaming and pulsing the colour of sadness. The area around them blew flower petals that of dandelions, and the tree beside him blossomed garden roses.


    He clenched his fists and did further, drawing blood from his own palms. ¡°They remind me of your vile mother, the eyes of a woman who hypnotised others for her own selfish doings, and swallowed the world with her gaze¡­¡± He brought his gaze higher to Sarah, to that of her shoulders. ¡°And everytime I would stare into them, it reminded me of all the hate that brews in me constantly for her¡­ That¡¯s why I can¡¯t look into your eyes, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t believe his answer, it really hinged that feeling of detest, and released a tear out of those eyes that now glistened. ¡°How could that be¡­ when her eyes are silver, you-you do¡­ hate¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He shouted, causing an earthquake. ¡°Sarah, she¡¯s deceiving you, those aren¡¯t her true colours¡­ they¡¯re all a ruse, those aren¡¯t her eyes¡­¡±


    The earthquake grew more intense, the garden roses started falling off the tree like feathers. He gripped his hair with intensity, and shook his head, then released a scream that shook the heavens. He screamed for a full minute until the chaos settled. The garden roses kept feathering down, and once they reached his personal space, they turned into burnt crips. He was breathing heavily and smacked himself on his forehead as his daughter stood there who withstood his chaos.


    Sebastian caught his breath and briefly looked at Sarah¡¯s eyes, which made him shed a tear. ¡°You have them, Sarah!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes watered and when their eyes met, she saw a sudden flash of memories, ones she wasn''t aware of.


    She looked away and gripped her chest. ¡°Stop, father¡­ I don¡¯t like this, it hurts, it hurts hearing¡ª¡±


    Sebastian took a step forward, making the earth turn to blackened ash. ¡°Sarah! What I¡¯m saying is all actually¡ª!¡±


    ¡°The truth¡­!¡± Sarah held herself, and started whimpering while her father stayed silent.


    He felt those words not only reach and brush against the hairs in his ears, but felt them wrapping his soul in a cloak of brutal regret, it made him realise something far beyond his comprehension. Watching his daughter whimper, telling her painfully honest statements about her mother, this confirmed not only is she the daughter of the most vile woman alive, but his daughter as well. The only one in their family that can tell whether someones lying or being truthful was her father, it¡¯s one of his abilities that he¡¯s grateful for having, but only one person deceived him, that being one of the holders of Sin, The Holder Of Envy. But seeing how his daughter reacted to every answer, only made it more apparent just how related the two were.


    All this though, it all ravaled back into bringing more hate towards the woman known as her mother, and her name being Samantha or most notably known as¡­


    ¡°Abyzou¡­¡± He said quietly.


    Sarah stopped, and wiped her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry father¡­ it¡¯s just that, all of this is too much for me to take in, I-I don¡¯t mean to be this emotional.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father didn¡¯t mind, it just showed how more humane Sarah was compared to himself and her mother. Feeling like a third of the past''s burdens come off his broad shoulders made him feel at ease.


    Sebastian took a long deep breath and his eyes turned sharp as he looked at his daughter without looking into her eyes. ¡°Sarah¡­ Our first lesson will be¡­¡±


    An outline of fiery red grew around the edges of his body, steam blew out the bottom of his feet. Sarah¡¯s dad¡¯s eyes glowed fire, and an aura of corrupted molten black exploded out of him. The ground cratered away from the pressure of being released, and the dimension itself vibrated by its immense pressure and gusting forces that shot out of him. Sarah¡¯s in utter shock, she¡¯s never felt such force, it was close to that of the man in the holy hooded cloak.


    Quickly covering her face from oncoming debris and dust, Sarah stood her ground. Father¡¯s¡­ Mana has been shown to me¡­


    Her father¡¯s aura continued getting more intense, and raising his head to the sky, closing his eyes momentarily, his aura reached higher, piercing the clouds.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glistened in amazement as she watched him reveal his true self. Despite his Mana feeling terrifying and intense, she can¡¯t but feel proud of who her parents are despite their flaws.


    Sarah lowered her arms and one last tear came out, but quickly evaporated from the heat of his Aura. ¡°Amazing¡­¡±


    Sebastian looked back to his daughter and revealed his fiery eyes and said in the most menacing but softest tone she¡¯s ever heard. ¡°Allow me to show you how to control your Mana first, my dearest daughter, Sarah¡­¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 3: A Harsh Reality Check For The Ignorant

    Back in reality, Jack¡¯s currently sitting inside Eric¡¯s car he borrowed for the date. He¡¯s parked outside of Veronica¡¯s elite neighbourhood, waiting for her to come out or be allowed through the giant guarded gate. He tried sneaking through by tailgating a car, but the security here¡¯s better than that of the police doing their job outside in the streets. He made Jack stop and since the young guy looked suspicious and mean, he was judged first and shooed away by the elite security.


    ¡°Tch¡­ damn security, but I don¡¯t blame them with my appearance, I kinda wish the police were this good at their jobs patrolling our streets.¡± Raising his wrist to look at his watch to get the time, Jack¡¯s patience was running thin.


    Where is she¡­ I¡¯m here, I called, yet no answer. What a waste of time, honestly, especially over a stupid date, come on.


    Jack laid an arm on the door¡¯s open windshield frame, tapping his finger against his head and sighed. ¡°Come on Veronica, I don¡¯t have all¡ª¡± His phone then rang. He reached for it inside his pants pocket to see who¡¯s calling him. ¡°Who is it now?¡±


    Flipping it open, he saw it was Veronica. Finally, damn¡­ He thought. He pressed it against his ear and answered. ¡°Hello¡± in a very impatient tone.


    Veronica hurried to her mirror and groaned. ¡°Ho-hold up a second Jack¡­¡±


    You¡¯re blowing this Veronica you¡¯re-you¡¯re fucking blowing this! She thought.


    Veronica stood in front of her mirror, half dressed with half her makeup put on. She was trying to figure out which shirt to put on or debated whether to put on a skirt or yoga pants.


    Jack grunts and lays back on the car seat. ¡°Yeah yeah, are we doing this or not?¡±


    She understood why the young man replied in an impatient grunt and pointed at herself mad at her reflection. Veronica figured she was going to take longer on finding the right outfit for her first date with Jack.


    Letting out a nervous chuckle, she cleared her throat before responding. ¡°Ja-Jack I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry, could you¡­ perhaps meet me downtown, you know, the nice one?¡±


    Jack lets out an aggravated groan. ¡°Are you serious? I¡¯ve been parked outside of your neighbourhood for a good fifteen minutes and then for you to¡ªahh!¡± He rubbed his fingers on his forehead feeling very annoyed.


    She figured he¡¯d get annoyed, but hearing Jack¡¯s agitated voice made her frown, and feel angry at herself, which made her clench her skirt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-I didn¡¯t mean to make you angry.¡±


    Hearing Veronica¡¯s hurt voice made Jack feel like a jerk. He sighs and erases the sounds of frustration to keep her feeling joyful like earlier. ¡°No no Veronica, it¡¯s fine, just for future references, be more specific about how long it¡¯ll take you, okay?¡±


    Veronica laid her hand on her cheek, feeling as if she ruined the mood of her first date. ¡°That¡¯s understandable, I¡¯ll see you in a bit Jack.¡± Veronica hung up, shed a single tear, and threw her phone on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m so stupid¡­ what was I thinking! You already screwed this up, Veronica.¡±


    Jack really didn¡¯t like how Veronica sounded there before she hung up on him. So erasing that frown on his face, he¡¯s now determined to make this day better for her, but more for his mentality since he still feels crazed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t screw this up Jack, like Sarah said just chill.¡± He turned the car on and started driving off. ¡°Yeah, just chill Jack, otherwise you¡¯ll truly go insane.¡±


    After a mild thirty minute drive with a few hiccups like traffic, Jack arrives in town. Parallel parking next to a familiar pizza shop that Randolph loved as well as Angela, he shut the car off and lay back on the seat. The sun''s bright, the day¡¯s busy with people all around, who are shopping, relaxing on benches, walking around, window shopping; the town¡¯s thriving so brightly, more than he¡¯s ever seen it. Jack thought perhaps it had to do with this time being different than before, an assumption that he¡¯s going to keep driving forward regardless of what¡¯s going to happen down this new journey.


    Stretching his arm, jumping his shoulders, Jack lets out a long breath. ¡°Okay, let''s do this Jack. Don¡¯t screw this up and ruin the day, this is to make up for all the mistakes you made with your friends¡­ Even if they can¡¯t remember now.¡± Getting out of the car, shutting the door and locking it, Jack walked out of the street onto the sidewalk.


    Walking down left of the street, Jack proceeds onwards to the ice cream shop Veronica mentioned. Tucking his hands into his pockets, Jack glanced around, seeing just how thriving the town was from the people, the cleaningness, everything around him seemed like sparkles and glitter.


    Jack had to pause so he could take in this new environment, looking around amongst the crowd of people around and walking past him. This place never shined this much before, I mean it was always more thrivy than the rest of this hellhole of a city, but to this extent? Huh, I wonder if we still have this town in our control, we should be, right?


    Jack knits his brows, erratically glancing around now. ¡°We should still have this place under control, right?!¡± For a moment Jack had completely forgotten about the date, and thought about running to the buildings he¡¯s familiar with to check if they still had their gang print on the back of them.


    With this thought in mind, Jack stormed off running down the street to the destined buildings he knew. Running through people, shoving some in the process, as he got closer to his destination where Veronica¡¯s currently waiting for him without his acknowledgement, Jack¡¯s senses finally kicked him to remind him of his original reasoning being here.


    Smacking his hand on his forehead, coming to a halt, Jack chuckled. ¡°Whoops, the date, almost forgot about that.¡± Sighing, he looked to his right and noticed he¡¯s at the ice cream place that Angela used to love. ¡°Wow, what a coincidence, huh.¡±


    Walking into the vicinity of the shop where there¡¯s a tiny front gate opened, a bunch of outside tables with umbrellas spread around neatly, benches too, Jack looked around to see if Veronica might be here since she wasn¡¯t specific on where they¡¯ll meet. But with all these people sitting, standing around on this busy day, it¡¯s hard to spot her.


    Veronica¡¯s also here, but she on the other hand is sitting on a bench near her favourite ice cream shop that she and Anna love coming by. She¡¯s wearing a frilly outfit for once but one that she thinks might be enough to woo the guy she¡¯s had a crush on since childhood. Wearing a sparkly fancy shirt with see through long sleeves, a cute pink skirt short enough for her liking, wearing short heels, for once Veronica has her hair down. She sat there while people around here kept going about their day, enjoying the lively thriving town. Her arms rested on her knees, her phone in one hand, she let out a deep moan, feeling Jack might¡¯ve ditched the date now after her mishap.


    She blows air out mouth, and leans back on the bench. ¡°I guess the date¡¯s off. It¡¯s been more than thirty; Stupid Veronica, you idiot!¡± She abruptly raised her voice, making people glimpse at her for a moment.


    Veronica covered her face in embarrassment, and looked away. You¡¯re so stupid! Oh my god you had to worsen yourself more didn¡¯t you?!


    In doing so, Veronica for a moment didn¡¯t notice Jack casually walking past her. He looked confused, annoyed, but kept looking for his dear friend. Stopping for a moment a foot away from her, Jack reached into his pocket to get his phone.


    Flipping it open, going to his contacts and pressing Veronica¡¯s name, he dials her. ¡°Where is she¡­ damn I should''ve cleared things up easier than to bring her down.¡± Pressing his phone against his ear, Jack waits for her answer.


    Her phone rang, and she quickly glanced at it, seeing Jack¡¯s name to answer him. ¡°He-hello? Jack.¡±


    ¡°Hey where are you, I¡¯m here and I looked a bit but I can¡¯t seem to find you.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s jaw dropped and she glances around, and spots him there a foot away from her. ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯m so¡ªlook behind you.¡±


    Jack started turning around, ¡°Look behind me? What are you¡ª¡± and saw her sitting on the bench, teasley waving at him. ¡°Oh, there you are.¡± He hung up his phone and walked up to Veronica who remained seated.


    Arriving next to her, Jack stood there, not saying anything. Neither did she, the two only looked at each other. Veronica looked away, turning red, Jack blinked as his eyes bounced in confusion, scratching his cheek.


    Jack then noticed how well dressed she was, more notably she had her hair down, which she rarely does. ¡°Stand up Veronica,¡± he said in a calm tone.


    Hearing his deep voice say that made her blush more. ¡°O-Okay¡­¡± Veronica stands out of her seat, and finally looks at Jack with her arms and hands resting on top of each other to her abdomen.


    Jack smiled. ¡°Woah, never have I seen you dressed this cute, it¡¯s very attractive and totally you.¡±


    Veronica can¡¯t take this. Those compliments almost knocked her out when they brushed against her eardrums. ¡°Th-Th-Tha...nk you!¡± Poor girl covered her face again and looked away.


    Jack chuckled and extended his hand out. ¡°Grab my hand.¡±


    Veronica dropped one of her hands, giving it to Jack, slowly. ¡°Okay, now-now what?¡± Suddenly Jack grabbed it, reeled her in and turned her round. ¡°Hah?!¡±


    Jack¡¯s twirling Veronica beneath his lifted arm, whistling, scanning her outfit as he spins her in circles. ¡°Man Veronica, sorry for doing this but I had to just get a better view of this look of yours, wow!¡± He brought her to a stop, looking into her big brown eyes. ¡°Seeing you like this today really made the cloud over my head go away.¡±


    Veronica¡¯s flustered to the max, his compliments, the machoness, and boldly doing things like grabbing her suddenly, it¡¯s taking its toll on her. She¡¯s on the verge of fainting but quickly remembered something about him, and that¡¯s his dense mindset about things like this. It¡¯s enough for her to cool down but remain red, sighing a little in relief.


    She reached into her purse to get something. ¡°Gosh Jack, never would I imagine you being this way. Anyways here,¡± She pulled out a little key chain, one that had a little doll on it. ¡°A personal gift from me to you¡­ as a thank you for accepting this date.¡± Veronica¡¯s hand shook, and she gulped.


    Jack grinned, and took it, examining it. ¡°Thank you, now I¡¯ll give you something in return, though I don¡¯t know what.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not necessary. Ahem, shall we go onward on this date of ours?¡± Veronica smiled greatly, burning the darkness away from Jack¡¯s soul.


    With Sarah¡¯s advice, her help, Veronica¡¯s presence, Jack almost forgot that history has been altered. But the thought of those men still lingered behind his mind, at the moment, he won¡¯t let it overtake his whole thoughts to make his friend happy. He wanted to make this up to her, before, no matter the current timeline; Jack had to make things up to her for being a nuisance to her life ever since returning to it.


    Jack extends his hand out again to Veronica who stood there with glistening eyes. ¡°Shall we? Like old times, Veronica.¡±


    Veronica stood there, grabbing the strap of her purse, staring at his hand, her eyes swirled in shine, feeling absolutely happy about the date she thought was only possible in her dreams. ¡°Yes!¡± she said with an open mouth smile, grabbing his hand.


    Both Jack and Veronica held hands, stood next to each other and proceeded to walk forward to start the date. Walking out and onto the public sidewalk, the two casually went on, talking about their past, how times were tough for Veronica and Jack. But while talking, Jack thought about something, he brought the two to a stop. The thought that made him stop was did he still behave badly towards his childhood friend. So he wanted answers and used this moment to ask her if he was still a jerk.


    Veronica turned to Jack, tilting her head. ¡°What¡¯s the matter Jack? Why did you stop us?¡±


    Jack turned to her, looking upset. ¡°Veronica, I¡¯m still sorry for calling you a bitch when we were kids¡­ and pushing you too.¡±


    She nudged Jack with an elbow. ¡°You already apologised for that a long time ago when we reunited, there¡¯s no need to say it again.¡±


    Hearing her say that hit Jack with more questions about this current timeline they¡¯re in. Gripping his chin, letting go of her hand, Jack thinks.


    So things did go the way they did, but in a different matter, and reunion? I gotta ask her later how I reunited with them.


    Veronica waved her hand in front of Jack. ¡°Hello, is-is everything okay? Did I say something¡­¡± She looked away, frowning.


    Jack snapped out of his thoughts and quickly grabbed her hand again. ¡°No no, I was just thinking of something. Shall we continue?¡±


    Veronica smiles again and nods. The two continued, returning to the conversation of embarrassing stories when they were children, their parents having their gatherings, parties, and old playdates, and much more. Jack grew annoyed by some of these old tales of him doing supid things in front of her parents. Veronica giggled, poking his cheek as he gritted his teeth, thinking of how he can go back in time to prevent such embarrassments. As the two continued talking, Veronica¡¯s spoiled eyes caught the glimmer of a shiny object displayed in front of a store''s window located just across the street.


    While holding his hand, Veronica dragged Jack to the store by walking through a close-by crosswalk. ¡°Jack Jack, look!¡±


    Being dragged to wherever she¡¯s talking about, Jack grinned. ¡°What is it? You found something interesting?¡±


    Veronica nods, and the two were getting closer. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s so shiny and cool! I have to check it out!¡± They arrived at a local jewellery store, and displayed in front of it, rotating on tiny spotlights, a nice big wedding ring. ¡°Oh my god, it¡¯s beautiful!¡±


    Jack walked beside her to see what she¡¯s fonding over. ¡°What is?¡± He sees the diamond and shrugs. ¡°Is this what you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    Veronica pressed her hands against the window with her eyes twinkling and expressing joy. ¡°Wow, I can¡¯t wait till we¡ªI-I¡­!¡± She covered both hands over her mouth, turning red. ¡°I mean wait to get something like that given to me, hehehe¡­¡± She looked nervous, even drawing a single drop of sweat.


    Jack thought differently about it, moving his jaw and looking closer at it. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a ring though? I mean yeah it¡¯s shiny and all but is it really enough to gloat about?¡±


    Veronica sighed and trickled a giggle afterward. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand of course, should¡¯ve known. Anyways, let''s keep going, I¡¯m actually getting kinda hungry.¡±


    Jack continued looking at the ring and thought of something. It seems like she really wants it, I¡¯ll buy it for her as a gift back for the keychain she gave me.


    ¡°Hey Veronica I¡¯ll be back for a second, in the meantime sit over there on the bench facing away from the store.¡± Jack points to a bench a couple feet down the sidewalk facing away the direction they were in.


    Veronica raised a brow and shrugged. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to but I¡¯ll do as you say.¡± She walked over to the bench and Jack walked off to the direction of the car he came in.


    Jaywalking across the street, Jack quickly ran to the car, opened the trunk and found what he was getting. ¡°Holy shit¡­ it¡¯s still here? My personal money bag I¡¯ve been saving up. Fucking Eric you dog.¡±


    It¡¯s a duffle bag, and upon zipping it open there¡¯s stacks of cash seeming endless. Jack grabbed a nice chunk, tucking it into the secret pocket inside his new coat. Shutting the trunk, pressing the alarm on the car to lock it, Jack ran off to the jewellery shop. Arriving and going in through the front door, dinging the entrance bell, the owner who¡¯s behind the counter walked up to him in a polite manner.


    Being a well suited man, with gelled hair, in his mid thirties, he approached Jack who quickly went to the displayed ring. ¡°Sir, are you okay or looking around?¡±


    Jack analysed the ring with his eyes much closer now that he has a better view of it inside the store, getting too close to this expensive looking rock for the owner''s liking. ¡°Huh, it is really nice now that I¡¯m this close.¡±


    ¡°Um sir, are you interested in this piece?¡± the owner said as he stepped beside Jack who was gripping his chin.


    Jack steps away and looks at the clerk. ¡°How much for this ring?¡± he said in a very serious tone, which the clerk noticed whenever someone¡¯s actually going to buy something instead of window shopping.


    The clerk''s eyes sparkled and he rubbed his hands together. ¡°For that marvellous ring sir, rather, the magnificent stone being held by the brushed glistening silver holding it still, it retails at fourteen thousand dollars.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes bugged out slightly, blinking rapidly too when he heard the price. ¡°Wow! Over a stupid ring?¡±


    The clerk stuck his lips out and raised his eyebrow, sharply. ¡°Is that a problem sir? Would you like something smaller perhaps, maybe bigger if you¡¯re thinking crazier.¡±


    Jack waved one of his hands to him. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, I¡¯ll take it now.¡±


    The store owner went up to Jack and placed one of his hands on his broad shoulders. ¡°And how will you compensate for such a large charge my good man? Credit, debit, perhaps in payments plus interest with that?¡±


    ¡°Cash, up front.¡± Jack said looking into his eyes.


    The clerk''s jaw dropped and he rubbed his hands together again with a bright smile, quickly grabbing the ring out of the display and carrying it over behind the counter. ¡°Over here sir!¡±


    Jack walked up to the counter as he watched the owner put the glorious ring into a nice pristine alcantara black case. ¡°So is that all, are we ready to do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir, as you can see the ring is inside this marvellous box made out of the finest¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah whatever, I don¡¯t have all day here.¡± Jack reached into his coat pocket and pulled out one fat stack of cash, quickly counting it in his head. ¡°This is about sixteen thousand, here.¡± He slammed it on the counter, making the owner jump and drool in excitement.


    The owner too grabbed the fat stack and counted as well but with a money counting machine behind his counter. ¡°You¡¯re right! It is sixteen, okay sir here!¡± He handed Jack the case and started neatly putting the money into a small safe beneath the counter. ¡°I¡¯ll just quickly hand you your change and you should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Keep the change, I¡¯m out of here, I gotta get back to my date so thanks. Sorry for being a bit pushy but you know, time is of the essence on my part.¡± Jack tucked the case into his coat pocket and started walking.


    ¡°Huh?! Ke-ke-keep the change! Are you sure sir?!¡± the owner shouted as he still had money in his hands.


    Jack raised one of his hands, waving it as he opened the door. ¡°Money isn¡¯t an issue for me, have a good day mister.¡±


    The clerk shed tears, sniffing and expressing an open mouth smile. ¡°Bless you sir! Good luck on your date and proposal!¡±


    Jack walked back onto the sidewalk, making his way to Veronica¡¯s direction. With both hands tucked away into the pockets of his coat, he felt a bit fuzzy inside. For once in a while he felt nervous again about giving a gift to someone who he cares dearly for. It even made him express a grin all the way back to Veronica¡¯s presence. Walking behind Veronica who¡¯s just glancing around, Jack sat next to her, surprising her.


    She brushed her hair behind her ear and chuckled. ¡°My goodness Jack, you scared me! Don¡¯t do that!¡± She playfully slapped his chest and realised it¡¯s chiselled nature. ¡°Oh¡­ oh, I uh, may-may I?¡± she said as she slightly drooled and looked drunk.


    Jack laid back on the bench and tilted his head to her. ¡°What?¡± he asked with a raised brow.


    Veronica slowly drove her left hand to his chest, patted it, gulped, drove her right and patted both on his big chest. ¡°Oh, oh my¡­ I-I never knew you were this, ooo¡­¡±


    Jack smiled and patted her head, interrupting her hypnotised state. ¡°Well aren¡¯t you silly Veronica, come now, we should go get something to eat. I¡¯ll pay for everything.¡±


    Jack stood up and she did as well, she grabbed his hand again but clinged onto him, rubbing her face on his arm.


    Jack looked at her confused but chuckled. ¡°Woah, what are you trying to do, break my arm?¡±


    Veronica turned bright red and buried her face onto his arm. ¡°Oh you know you li-like it!¡±


    The two went to a restaurant that was Italian, definitely up to Veronica¡¯s liking and standards. She enjoyed every bit of it, every bite from the appetisers, to the full course meal, and dessert, but more importantly, she was having a blast with Jack. The two laughed, conversed about their endeavours, past again, the moments leading up till now; Jack¡¯s actually feeling quite happy for once. After brunch the two walked around town again, pointing at things Veronica would enjoy getting once she¡¯s done with school, but Jack thought otherwise, he¡¯s making sure to remember these items to get them for her in the future. During their walk the idea of children came to mind for Veronica, but Jack wasn¡¯t paying attention to that conversation because his brain was trying to figure out how much space it had left to store the items for Veronica she pointed out.


    Once dawn was approaching, the two decided to walk to the park in the middle of town to ease their minds. Walking through the entrance with huge fields of grass coated in glamorous flowers and a neatly well maintained walkway to stay through, this was the perfect setting to end the date for Veronica. Walking down the path of beauty to the tall trees blooming in green, flowers seeming miles on end, bushes trimmed perfectly, the two decided to go sit down at a bench just a foot away. When they did arrive, the two sat without saying a word, let alone let go of each other''s hands.


    Jack did though, he reeled back his hand, and rested his arms on his thighs as he hunched forward, grining. ¡°Veronica¡­¡± he said calmly.


    Veronica smiled and clung onto him again. ¡°Yes Jack?¡±


    The young man mildly shook his head and let out a long breath. ¡°Huh, you know; it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve been this happy.¡±


    Veronica let off for a moment to look at him. ¡°Really?¡± she asked, feeling somewhat sad for him.


    ¡°Yeah, to be honest, I can¡¯t remember the last time I was this happy other than¡ªnevermind, I won¡¯t speak about my emotions any longer.¡±


    Veronica clung back but harder. ¡°Don¡¯t be too harsh on yourself, you big dope, people make mistakes and learn from them. But, I¡¯m glad I was able to bring you happiness again.¡±


    Jack gazed at the field of trees in front of them. ¡°That reminds me¡­¡± Jack sat back straight and reached for the case he kept hidden from her.


    ¡°What are you doing now Jack?¡± Veronica asked, tilting.


    Jack got the case and turned to her. ¡°Close your eyes, I got something for you.¡±


    Veronica puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms. ¡°Okay, but you better not do anything funny or weird, otherwise I¡¯ll bite you!¡±


    Jack pulled out the case and opened it, grabbing one of her hands startling her. ¡°You can open them now.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? You-you almost gave me a¡ª¡± When Veronica did open her eyes she saw the surprise he mentioned and her heartbeat rose rapidly. ¡°Jack¡­ is-is that?!¡±


    ¡°You wanted the ring, right? So, I got it for you, here, let me just¡­¡± Jack let go of her hand to pull the ring out of the case and when he did, he grabbed her hand again. ¡°...I¡¯ll put it on for you.¡± He slides it into her ring finger and Veronica sheds a tear.


    Her eyes glistening, gasping dramatically, Veronica couldn''t believe what Jack just did to her, sliding the ring on her finger like that meant he just proposed to her.


    ¡°Jack¡­ are-are you asking me too¡ª?¡± She retracted her hand to stare at the shimmering diamond up close then covering her mouth with both hands to whimper.


    Jack hugged her and rubbed her head. ¡°Why are you so emotional, huh? It¡¯s just a gift from me to you for the keychain, but I had no clue it would make you this happy.¡±


    Veronica stopped whimpering and giggled. ¡°You idiot Jack, thank you¡­ you¡¯re the best.¡± The two pulled away and turned back to face forward at the trees in silence.


    Leaves sweeping past their feet, a nice chilled wind cooling their faces, Jack didn¡¯t understand why it got so quiet till he glanced at Veronica who looked ready for something.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Why¡¯s she looking like that? Is she giving me a sign for something? She¡¯s so red, shaking, not to mention how¡ªvulnerable she looks¡­


    Veronica glimpsed at Jack and confirmed to him her vulnerability by mildly nodding. Jack¡¯s face expressed confusion, he blinked, brought his vision to the sky briefly then back to her.


    What do I do now? Isn¡¯t this all to a date?! I did what Randolph and Eric taught me, if I remember correctly.


    The young man crosses his arms and lays back on the bench, getting nervous.


    We hung around, talked, ate, ehh, what else is there to a¡ªwait! There is one final thing I didn¡¯t do, but it was embarrassing when they were explaining it to me, especially the way they were recreating scenarios about what to do on a date.


    Jack sighed and swallowed. He raised his left arm, wrapped it around Veronica¡¯s shoulders and brought her closer to him. She¡¯s totally relaxed, allowing him to do it, but she was still shaking mildly, but her breathing was interrupting Jack¡¯s thinking from how slow and arousing it sounded to her chest mildly going in and out.


    Okay¡­ I did the arm thing. What''s next? Hmm, well I can¡¯t do the head grabbing thing Eric recreated by grabbing a girl''s head and reeling it into your crotch area.


    Jack slammed his eyes shut for a moment.


    Randolph¡¯s method sounded more logical without the extreme measures of groping someone to saying such dumb lines like ¡°Damn girl you wanna fuck?¡± Damn it...


    As Jack kept thinking, Veronica was trying to control her breathing when she suddenly made a soft gasping moaning sound, making Jack wonder why she made such an awkward sound. Looking at her, he realised now what made her make such a sound and it was his mistake, his hand was now resting on her breast.


    His eyes grew big and his mouth opened a bit. Oh crap, I-I didn¡¯t mean to do that¡­ Do I apologise or¡­?


    Veronica¡¯s face was frozen, absolutely drenched in red, but after a few seconds, she rested one of her hands on Jack''s hand that was touching her chest.


    Veronica, don¡¯t screw this up¡­ He¡¯s yours now, we¡¯re engaged now, so-so, it¡¯s okay¡­ so long it¡¯s him, it¡¯s okay. Veronica thought.


    Jack¡¯s about to retract his hand until Veronica stops him. ¡°Veronica?¡± he asked, feeling warm inside.


    Veronica¡¯s so flustered Jack thought she was about to pass out, but she looked into his dead eyes and Jack¡¯s eyes couldn''t help but stare at her chest from how heavily she was breathing.


    Before speaking, Veronica licked her lips and clutched his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, if it¡¯s you¡­¡± She raised his hand and tucked it inside her shirt from the exposed low cut collar of her shirt. ¡°...Because Jack, I like you more than just a friend, to the point I don¡¯t mind you being my first and last.¡± Veronica blinked softly and moaned, which made Jack freeze.


    Jack¡¯s eyes were set on her chest area. Never before has he felt this feeling but he¡¯s confused if this was another form of love. He thought this was another feeling of love from what she was doing, it even made him turn a bit red. Yet his heart didn¡¯t race, he didn¡¯t feel nervous, he just felt hot. He blew air out his nose to let out steam that¡¯s heating inside and squeezed that area she consented.


    Veronica pulled her hand out of that area, clutching his forearm as he gently squeezed, making a soft moaning sound and it made Jack swallow. Jack then moved that area around and couldn¡¯t bring himself to stop now.


    What am I¡­ doing? What is this feeling? I''m having all types of thoughts, ones I could''ve never imagined, things I want to do to her¡­ Is-Is this what the two were talking about? Randolph and Eric, was this the advice you were talking about! Is this another form of love? I can¡¯t control myself, she¡¯s so soft, her chest feels great, her voice too producing those sounds are familiar to my ears. I¡¯m-I¡¯m losing my mind!


    Jack¡¯s hormones were going crazy and instinctively he crept closer to Veronica and eventually, close enough to kiss her on the neck. Veronica made more embarrassing noises, rubbing her legs together, squirming around as he continued his actions. Jack stopped, pulling away and she turned to him as he stopped all his movements now. Her breathing was out of control, but she quickly controlled it as they both locked eyes. The two looked into each other''s eyes, Veronica¡¯s brown gems shining brightly, her cheeks beet red, Jack mildly blushing, he stared at her opened mouth, her glistening pink lips moving forward and back from her controlled breathing. They both got closer and closer, reeling in for a kiss when suddenly¡­


    ¡°Yo! VV, is that you?!¡± shouted a very familiar voice the two knew from their childhood.


    Jack moved his head to the side to see if he was right. ¡°Is-Is that Danny?¡±


    Veronica bit her lip, furrowed her brows, and the edge of her lip rose in anger. ¡°He had to ruin this moment¡­!¡± She tapped Jack¡¯s hand still grabbing her breast, making him look. ¡°We can continue this later if you want.¡± She said with a soft smile.


    Jack nods. ¡°If I have time, sure, but for now, let''s see what he wants.¡± He pulled his hand away and stood up out of the seat.


    Veronica adjusted her shirt, hair, and bra as she stood up too, turning to the direction Danny was coming from. Being a foot away now he recognized the person who he saw on the bench with which made him feel inner anger but he didn¡¯t express it.


    Stopping now, Danny brought out a forced smile, waving to her. ¡°What''s up guys?¡±


    Veronica crossed her arms and stepped forward. ¡°Why are you here Danny? Still stalking me or trying to get your luck?¡± She stuck her hip out, tapping her finger on her crossed arm.


    Jack felt something from him, an odd sensation he¡¯s felt from others with abnormalities but he decided to brush it off and didn¡¯t think twice about it. ¡°What¡¯s going on Veronica?¡± Jack asked.


    Veronica knitted her brows and her tone grew angrier. ¡°This boy here after countless times being rejected by me still thinks he has a shot at me¡­! Honestly, like Sarah said, you''re pathetic.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still being rather harsh Veronica, I¡¯m just trying to be a good friend that¡¯s all.¡± Danny replied who kept his smile.


    Veronica shakes her head. ¡°Yeah right, a friend wouldn¡¯t try fighting every boy who tried talking to me nor threaten their lives.¡±


    Danny raised a brow. ¡°Well I know how us guys are and most wanted to just sleep with you, it¡¯s obvious.¡±


    Veronica placed her hands on her hips now. ¡°And you think I¡¯d allow myself to let some random boy just touch me? Come on now!¡±


    Danny squints. ¡°I don¡¯t know when you were just doing that with him¡­¡± he said as he pointed at Jack standing behind her. ¡°...That¡¯s not very like you Veronica to be groped like that, quite whorish if I must say.¡±


    Veronica showed her teeth, raising the edge of her lip again. ¡°I was right, you were stalking me! And, so? He¡¯s someone I¡¯ve liked since we were kids.¡± She grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and the diamond on her ring finger was shown to Danny from its shine.


    Danny stared at the ring as Jack kept staring at him. ¡°So does this mean¡­ you guys are official?¡± His tone changed and he too knitted his brows.


    Veronica didn¡¯t like Danny¡¯s gaze, so she stepped back, standing next to Jack and clutching his arm. Jack felt their hands getting tighter, she¡¯s shaking again.


    Jack looked at her and she looked up to him, nodding. Gazing back to Danny Jack replied in a serious tone. ¡°Yes we are, are there any issues with that, Danial?¡±


    Hearing Jack call him Daniel triggered something inside him, the hatred he had for him reigniting. ¡°No¡­ no, I just wanted to check if it was true. Aren¡¯t you lucky to have two beautiful girls to call girlfriends now, right Jack?¡± Danny expressed a smug grin to the two.


    Half of Veronica¡¯s face twitched upon hearing that. ¡°You¡¯re really trying me aren¡¯t you? How dare you! You¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey Danny¡­¡± Jack said, abruptly.


    Danny¡¯s grin faded and he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°I just remembered something, I know this is random, but it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve seen her. The last time I did was when I was five years old. I don¡¯t know why the thought of her just came up.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Danny asked.


    Jack grinned. ¡°You¡¯re sister, how¡¯s she doing? Has she been well or has she moved away too?¡±


    Veronica¡¯s eyes got big and she tugged on his arm. ¡°Jack¡­ his sister¡¯s dead, remember?¡±


    Jack looked at Veronica confused. ¡°Huh? She¡¯s dead? Since when? That''s strange, this is the first time I¡¯m hearing this.¡±


    Veronica sighed and just shrugged it off. ¡°Oh Jack, you¡¯re so silly and dense.¡±


    ¡°What happened to his¡ª¡± As Jack gazed back at Danny, he saw a fierce glint in his eyes, one he¡¯s well aware of. ¡°Hey, why¡¯re you looking at me like that Danny?¡± Jack furrowed his brows and menacingly lowered his head.


    Danny glared at Jack, clenching his fists, not responding to him.


    Jack hunched forward, clenching his fists too as that glint in Danny¡¯s eyes kept growing. ¡°I know that look, Danny. You don¡¯t want to just beat me up nor injure me, you want to do more than that? Don¡¯t you, Daniel?¡± Jack stepped forward as Veronica still clinged on.


    She felt Jack¡¯s body tensing up and had never seen this side of him. The tension between the two grew more, the air around had a pressure of pure hatred. To ease the tension between the two, Veronica stepped between their gazes.


    She put her arms out as she looked in Danny''s direction. ¡°Guys, enough, don¡¯t fight over that. It¡¯s not worth trying to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Veronica, this is more serious than fighting.¡± Jack said, grabbing her shoulder. ¡°He wants to do more than just fight me, I know that glare from anywhere¡­¡± Jack stepped forward again. ¡°Right Danny?¡±


    Danny glared for another second until he blinked and the glint disappeared. He raised both hands and backed away. ¡°Jack, you¡¯re so silly. Well, I¡¯ll let you two love birds be, I¡¯m going now so¡­ see ya.¡± Before turning around, Danny gazed at Veronica. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, I thought you were classier than that¡­ vv.¡± He turned around and walked away from them, tucking his hands into his pockets without looking back.


    Veronica crossed her arms, looked away and blew air out her nostrils. ¡°Jerk, glad that¡¯s over with, even if you two were gonna fight you¡¯d win the fight, right Jack?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t answer her, he just stared at Danny as he walked away in shame. Why did he stare at me like that when I mentioned his sister, strange. The real question is, why did I even think about her suddenly as they argued? More importantly, why am I feeling this weird sensation pulsing out of him, like that of Sarah, those guys, Mathew, and Mallory?


    Veronica snapped her fingers in front of Jack. ¡°Hello, sweety?¡±


    Jack grabbed her hands suddenly, startling her. ¡°Yeah, I would¡¯ve beaten him to a pulp, easily, but let''s end this day on a good note, shall we?¡±


    Veronica sighed deeply but returned her smile. ¡°Yeah, let''s. So far this is the best day of my life, and I¡¯m-I¡¯m¡­ uh¡­¡± She turned red again, wrapping both arms around his neck. ¡°...Still want to finish what we were doing before he came but, back maybe, at my place?¡±


    Jack nods. ¡°We¡¯ll see, that¡¯s if nothing else stops us, right?¡±


    Veronica¡¯s eyes glistened and her smile grew bigger. ¡°Okay!¡±


    They both felt happy again, returning to walk next to each other, holding hands down the park path in the opposite direction Danny came from. They wanted to end the date on a good note so they deleted the scene he had shown up from their memories and went on till night¡¯s vicinity approaches.


    As night arrived, the crowd of people that roamed the streets of the town was dwindling, Veronica and Jack were just stepping out of a diner after enjoying a nice relaxing dinner to finish off the day. People around were getting in their cars parked by the side of the streets, leaving, getting on buses, walking off, stores closing down, the two stood beneath a street lamp to say their goodbyes for the night.


    Veronica can¡¯t help but smile brightly, she even spun around feeling great. ¡°Jack, this was the best day ever!¡± she exclaimed.


    Jack, placing his hand on his hip, smirked. ¡°Really now? I wonder why.¡±


    Veronica stopped her spinning and went up to Jack, wrapping her arms again around his neck. ¡°So, my parents are going to pick me up and I was wondering how about we go to your car, go to my house first before they arrive and uh¡­¡± She crept close to his ear. ¡°Perhaps finish our, yeah.¡±


    Half of Jack¡¯s face was squinted when he heard that. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by that but if it''s something like this¡­¡± Jack placed his hands to her waist and reeled her in. ¡°Then that¡¯s what you want right?¡±


    Hope I did that right, Randolph please don¡¯t be laughing at me from the heavens¡­ heh.


    Veronica¡¯s face flustered. ¡°Something along those lines.¡±


    Jack drove his hands below her waist to her butt, grabbing it. She made more embarrassing noises and was getting closer to his face.


    Veronica was red again but she was turned on again. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ so dense yet, you know what to do?¡± Veronica giggled with arousement.


    Jack on the other hand¡¯s totally relaxed and just feeling hot again. ¡°Well, let''s just say I was around some okay life coaches.¡±


    Veronica giggled more and as they were about to kiss again, car beams flashed on them. Both of them stopped whatever they were doing, covering their faces from the bright light. The lights dimmed, car doors opened and out came Veronica''s parents.


    Her mother ran up to them with an open mouth smile. ¡°You two, oh my god it¡¯s just glorious seeing this come true, isn¡¯t it honey?!¡±


    Her father quickly came and grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulders. ¡°I knew this would happen haha! I mean yes your parents did say but quickly bless their hearts may they rest in peace that you should choose whoever you want to marry especially they were rooting for you and Anna, but to think you would choose our Veronica! Yes! That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡±


    Veronica covered her face, feeling more embarrassed. ¡°You guys are so embarrassing, and you just ruined our moment too¡­¡±


    Veronica¡¯s mother hugged her, rubbing her head. ¡°My daughter, I¡¯m so proud that you got Jack to be your boyfriend, ahh! Look at him, tall, strong, handsome, he¡¯s a catch!¡±


    ¡°This is the start of a beautiful marriage in the making!¡± her father said as he punched Jack¡¯s shoulder.


    Jack didn¡¯t mind them being goofy, he enjoyed seeing them again. ¡°Long time no see guys, I see you¡¯re as energetic as usual.¡±


    Both parents went up to Jack with suspicious gazes and raising brows. ¡°Say Jack, what did you do to our daughter while on the date, huh?¡± her mother asked.


    Her father quickly grabbed him and hunched both away from the girls to whisper to him. ¡°Did you go to second base with my daughter, you vile demon hmm?¡±


    Her mother grabbed Jack, pulling him away from her father¡¯s whispering. ¡°Oh stop it, Jack, are you guys official?¡±


    Veronica got in between all three, pressing up against Jack with a fuming red face of embarrassed anger. ¡°Can-Can you guys please just get back in the car so we can go back¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes we are official.¡± Jack replied as the parents grew smiles, which made Veronica cover her face again. ¡°The proof is on her finger if that¡¯s what you mean, well rather it was a gift I gave her.¡±


    Veronica blinked rapidly and grew a huge smile, proudly raising her hand to her parents to show them the gift. ¡°Ye-Ye-Yes! He even proposed to me today as well!¡± she said letting the diamond shine brightly beneath the street light.


    Veronica¡¯s fathers eyes shattered but he shed a proud tear. Her mother covered her face and erratically moved herself side to side, sounding excited.


    ¡°Yes! I can die happy now that my little Veronica¡¯s achieving her dreams earlier than expected!¡± her mother hugged her daughter to death, feeling proud.


    Her father approached Jack, placing his hand on his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m so goddamn heartbroken but happy this days finally come¡­¡± Then he covered his face, whimpering. ¡°You¡¯re-You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re gonna screw my daughter!¡±


    Veronica had enough and started grabbing, pushing both of her parents away from Jack. ¡°You guys, that''s enough, get back in the car so I can say goodbye to him!¡± They continued acting goofy, expressing pure happiness as they¡¯re dragged away by their daughter.


    Jack chuckled softly as he watched their act, and both parents put in the car. This day started off bad, but with Sarah¡¯s advice and to finish the day off like this, I¡¯m glad I was able to make it up to Veronica after all the crap I dragged her in and what she had to witness.


    Eventually Veronica convinced them enough to stay inside their luxury car while she said goodnight to Jack. Walking back to him, she released air. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry they acted like that, you know how they are. Anyways, Jack¡­¡± Veronica surprised him with a kiss on the cheek and gave him a warm hug after. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll never forget this day, you really made me the happiest girl alive today.¡±


    Jack smiled and replied to her hug, wrapping his arms around her waist. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, you deserved it, I¡¯ll see ya tomorrow.¡±


    Veronica let off and again kissed his cheek. ¡°You have no idea how happy I am, really¡­ Ah! We¡¯re engaged! I can¡¯t wait to tell Ann¡ª¡± Veronica¡¯s excitement was killed off and she let out a long breath, scratching her head. ¡°You know what, that might be a bad idea because she might give me a reality check and make me feel dumb. For now I¡¯ll just let it happen, hehe!¡±


    Jack poked her nose and patted her head. ¡°Yeah yeah, now go back to your parents before they go haywire.¡±


    Veronica puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms, looking away. ¡°Oh poo, trying to get rid of your fiance now, huh?¡± She looked back to Jack, smiling. ¡°Bye Jack, oh and maybe next time like I said we can¡­ yeah.¡± She blushed, placed her arms behind her back and turned round, walking back to her parents car.


    Jack shakes his head with a grin. ¡°That Veronica, but she¡¯s changed a bit, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Jack wondered and crossed his arms, walking off his own way. ¡°She¡¯s much more confident than ever before, I wonder if it has to do with the time we¡¯re in.¡±


    Jack walked down the sidewalk, Veronica¡¯s car drove off, honking at him as it drove by. Passing closed stores, restaurants, streetlamps, some people lurking in the shadows from typical Detroit crime, he kept thinking about the complications of the new time and the complexities surrounding him again. While doing so, a couple of feet from him, coming from around the corner was Sarah who happened to look exhausted, massaging her head and letting out a groan. The two were walking towards each other''s vicinity as they were lost in their own train of thoughts. Jack¡¯s looking down, his arms crossed, Sarah dangling an arm while massaging her head with one of her hands, she groans.


    The two walked past each other for a second until they recognized each other. They paused, Jack forward, Sarah¡¯s backwards, they both looked back at each other and blinked.


    ¡°Sarah?¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Jack?¡± Sarah replied.


    Jack turned completely around to face her as she did the same to him. ¡°What are you doing here late at night?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit complicated but, to answer your question, I was just done eating at my favourite coffee shop after hanging out with my dad for hours.¡±


    Her father huh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met him. Jack thought.


    ¡°You want to take a stroll while we catch up?¡± Jack said.


    Sarah placed one of her hands on her wide hips. ¡°Sure, I¡¯m down, shall we?¡±


    The two started walking back in the direction Jack was just coming from. As they did walk they continued their conversation about what happened to one another today.


    ¡°So, you were hanging out with your father? What did you guys do and how come I haven''t met him ever?¡±


    Sarah sighed. ¡°I wish it were that easy to answer your question Jack, but to make it less complex lets just say, he gave me lessons about who I am, acceptance, the usual you know?¡±


    Jack massaged his jaw. ¡°Well I guess, but I¡¯m still learning this weird crap, though I will say it¡¯s cool that you get to hangout with your parents.¡± He then inserted his hands into the pockets of his pants.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, and about meeting him that¡¯s also not easy to answer, simply put, he¡¯s just a very busy man.¡± Sarah yawned and scratched an eye.


    Her contagious yawn infected Jack and he yawned as well. ¡°Hmm, I can relate to that. My dad was the same but he also tried to make time for me. Heh, I guess we have more similarities than I thought.¡±


    Sarah moaned, nudging Jack. ¡°Fair enough, now then¡­¡± She stopped, placing her fists on her hips and he did the same, turning to his left. Hunching forward to Jack, Sarah raised both of her eyebrows. ¡°So, how was your date with Veronica huh? I¡¯m eager to know.¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Oh that, it was great, I feel much better, well I was starting to feel relieved when I talked to you first but after spending the day with her everything got better.¡±


    ¡°Oo, sounds intriguing, I¡¯m curious to know what you guys did during your date and I appreciate the compliment, you bold man.¡±


    ¡°Ha, alright I¡¯ll tell you what happened.¡± Jack walked past Sarah, sitting on a sidewalk bench to stare at the half crescent moon. ¡°Come on, sit next to me so I can tell you more.¡±


    Sarah crossed her arms and did what he said, going to his side and taking a seat. ¡°I¡¯m here now, so give me the juicy details sir.¡±


    Jack patted Sarah¡¯s shoulder, surprising her. ¡°I got you.¡±


    Sarah exhaled as she touched her chest. ¡°Woah, watch yourself now, don¡¯t get too comfortable, like that, almost gave me a scare, idiot.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you pu¡ª¡±


    Sarah suddenly grabbed Jack¡¯s arm, pinching it. ¡°Watch your tongue.¡±


    ¡°Jesus¡­ okay okay haha. Anyways to start this off, our date started off basic; talking, walking around, looking too, but then she gazed upon a diamond of shimmering glory.¡±


    Sarah cringed. ¡°Are-Are you making fun of me by using shimmering?¡±


    Jack whistled. ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    Sarah sighed but giggled without a grin. ¡°You idiotic asshole¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, okay to talk the way I am now, like I said she looked at some ring right and she said the line of wanting it someday or given to her.¡±


    ¡°So what did you do?¡± she asked, raising a brow.


    Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the keychain she gave him, handing it to Sarah. ¡°She gave me that before the date started.¡±


    Sarah rotated around in front of her eyes. ¡°And¡­?¡±


    Jack rubbed his hands as his arms were resting on his spread out legs. ¡°So in return I bought the ring for her and surprised her by the middle of the date, putting it on her ring finger.¡±


    At first Sarah didn¡¯t think much about it, giving him back the keychain in silence. She gripped her chin, laying back on the bench until it finally hit her.


    Her eyes widening, she jolted her head to Jack. ¡°Huh?!¡± She got in his face, making him lean to his left. ¡°What type of ring was it, Jack?!¡±


    Jack gently placed one of his fingers on her forehead, gently pushing her away. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, all I know is that it cost me fourteen racks. It was big and she now claims me officially or in latenance terms, her fiance.¡±


    Sarah playfully slapped Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Idiot, bad Jack bad¡­ I knew you were this dense but this is much worse than I thought.¡±


    Jack grabbed her hand. ¡°Relax, will ya? All I know is that it made her very happy besides me touching her which made her more happy and made me experience feelings I thought were never possible.¡±


    Sarah got more into Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Ja-Ja-Jack¡­ what-what do you mean by¡­ touching?¡± Sarah¡¯s cheeks grew red and she retracted away.


    Jack gripped his chin, closing his eyes briefly. ¡°Well I was thinking about something first, and it distracted me quite a bit till I realised I accidentally grabbed her chest with one of my hands.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s face glowed red and her eyes were half shut. ¡°Oh my god¡­ then what? Wh-what did Veronica do?¡±


    Jack¡¯s face got a little red too. ¡°At first I was going to pull away but she grabbed my hand and inserted it inside her shirt, giving me persimmon to grope her and do more like kiss her on the neck¡­ oh fuck, it¡¯s that feeling again¡­¡±


    Sarah let out a very long breath to ease herself and sighed deeply after. ¡°At least she consented, but damn! Her hormones are going bonkers, did she mention anything else after such a steaming moment?¡±


    Jack sighed as well. ¡°Yeah, she wanted to finish it and go even further than what we were doing, and I might have an idea what she meant by that.¡±


    Sarah waved her hands. ¡°No more, I don¡¯t want to hear anymore of this perverted stuff. I know us girls are when our hormones are going crazy but she¡¯s-she¡¯s¡­ how can I put this, ahem! H-o-r-n-y!¡±


    Jack laughed and slapped his leg. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that word before from my uncles when they were giving me lessons about dates and stuff! God Sarah, you¡¯re hilarious.¡±


    Sarah pouts, and looks away. ¡°Whatever¡­¡± But she got quiet for a moment and gazed at the night sky. ¡°I guess that confirms you really like her, huh?¡±


    Jack scratched his cheek and laid his arms out on the bench. ¡°I think that¡¯s what it is, you¡¯re talking about love right?¡±


    Sarah leaned back on the bench without realising one of his arms behind her. ¡°Well kinda, it depends¡­ Did you feel fuzzy inside? Was your heart racing? More notably, were you super nervous doing it?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes looked up and he looked at Sarah whose face expressed calmness. ¡°To be honest, no.¡±


    Sarah again jolted her head to Jack, making him nervous. ¡°Are you for real? Wait, you said you experienced emotions never before feeling? Wasn¡¯t it you finally understanding what love is now?¡±


    ¡°Well from the way you put it, love, no. I wasn¡¯t feeling butterflies throughout the entire date, even in that moment, my heart was totally beating normally as it should, and I wasn¡¯t nervous somewhat. I did feel warm, like very hot, maybe that¡¯s why I blushed slightly, other than that, that was all really.¡±


    Sarah for some reason let out a sigh of relief and just shook her head. ¡°Then that means you don¡¯t like her and those feelings you experienced were lust. It¡¯s completely normal for guys your age to feel that way, any of us really, but it¡¯s more on you freaks.¡± She placed her hands on her skirt and gazed at the moon again. ¡°Have you ever experienced the emotions I just mentioned Jack?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes squinted, he looked to his right and thought about it for a moment. Then his eyes got big and his bottom lip trembled. ¡°Yes¡­¡± he replied in a serious tone.


    Sarah noticed something shaking behind her and looked, seeing his arm behind her and looking to him, noticing his lost state. ¡°Jack¡­ are you okay? And may I ask who?¡±


    Jack bit his lip and the edge of his lip twitched. ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually two people. A girl named Lily and the other¡­ Ma¡ª¡± Jack¡¯s eyes bugged out and he coughed violently.


    Again, Sarah felt that horrid darkness reveal itself when he was about to say that name. ¡°Jack?! Are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m fi-fine¡­ fuck, again it happend!¡± Jack took deep breaths and got up. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, let me go get something to drink real quick. My head is starting to hurt.¡± He walked off, not realising that a black substance was dripping down to his chin.


    Sarah gazed at Jack, sharpening her view as he walked to a nearby diner. ¡°That was weird but the moment he tried saying that name¡­ that sudden burst of darkness inside him exploded, preventing him from saying whatever he¡¯s trying to let out.¡± She reached into her small carry bag, pulling out her phone.


    Sarah stood up and walked a couple steps forward as she locked her eyes to her phone screen. Stopping in front of a dark alley, she quickly sensed the presence of someone if not many people. She stared down at the dark alley that barely had any street lights denting the darkness. Glancing around that small gap, she saw shadows emerge from the corners of dumpsters, stuck out doorways, a staircase, and piles of trash. A bunch of gentlemen/thugs, about four of them, came out from the darkness, making cat calling whistles, their hands inserted into their pockets, starting to surround Sarah with perverse eyes, and smug smiles.


    A tall one, a white male with a black hoodie and sweats approached her as she remained calm. ¡°Damn baby, watcha doing outside at this time?¡± He scans her from head to toe, letting out a whistle once he is finished. ¡°Goddamn, you¡¯re so fine too, sheesh.¡±


    Another man, a shorter one average height for a guy also white stood next to his friend with a similar outfit but wore a beanie. ¡°I would cut the fuck outta that cake, she¡¯s so damn thick too, jesus look at those thighs man!¡±


    A black man who¡¯s standing a foot away behind her scanned her as well. ¡°No lie man, she¡¯s like a dream come true, I¡¯ve never seen a girl as beautiful as her. Shit she¡¯s even better looking than the most famous women in our country.¡±


    Sarah remained calm as they complimented her, scanning her with their perversion. But silently she¡¯s afraid and tries her best to hide it, clenching her fists and staying ready for anything necessary. The last guy, another black male who wore a plain shirt and jeans, tried approaching Sarah while she was facing front wards. She sensed him bridging the gap between the two and ran out of the circle down into the dark alley.


    Okay Sarah, if you can get a big enough gap, you can teleport away¡ª Sarah ran into a dead end, making her stop. This is as deep as it goes?!


    The men all caught up because the run didn¡¯t last even thirty seconds. They had her cornered and Sarah ground her teeth as she leaned back on the brick wall. The tall guy walked in front, spreading his arms out, indicating Sarah to come to him for a hug.


    Drips of sweat ran down Sarah¡¯s face, her eyes shaking, she shook her head. ¡°Wh-What do you want from me?¡±


    He laughed and pointed at her. ¡°Oh man, she even has a sexy ass voice too! Girl you have to marry me at this point, we ain¡¯t gonna hurt you or rape you, chill.¡±


    The black man in the plain shirt smacked his lips. ¡°Yeah we ain¡¯t like that, we was just messing but you are mighty fine.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s legs trembled and her eyes were getting watery. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t hurt me¡­¡±


    The tall guy smiled and started walking up to her. Sarah looked away and was on the verge of crying until someone shouted from the entrance of the alley. They all turned around to look at who shouted, and saw someone taller than the white guy approaching them.


    ¡°You touch her, I¡¯ll kill every last one of you.¡± they said in a deep menacing tone.


    ¡°Dude, who the fuck is this clown?¡± the other black male said as he shot a thumb in his direction.


    The tall man''s friend stepped forward and cracked his knuckles. ¡°And who might you¡ª¡± When the stranger got closer he realised who it was. ¡°Oh fuck, it¡¯s that Jack kid from that gang!¡±


    All the men quickly ignored Sarah, prepared themselves as Jack came to them while the short white guy started reaching into his hoodie. Jack rushed in with a flying fist, knocking the guys lights out. He lands in front of his group, groaning and trying to get up. Jack pulled out his gun and shot once in their direction, spooking them enough to make them all scram along with their hurt friend. They all ran past Jack as he casually walked up to Sarah who had her eyes closed and was whimpering quietly.


    The tall white guy shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll be back punk, just you wait!¡± As they all finally ran around the corner of the entrance.


    Jack glanced back then back to Sarah and patted her head. ¡°There there, it¡¯s okay I¡¯m¡­¡± Sarah suddenly grabbed onto Jack, clinging on tight as she whimpered. He rubbed her head and grinned. ¡°It¡¯s okay Sarah, you only experienced a small margin of what happens out here on these ruthless streets.¡±


    She pulled off and rubbed her eyes. ¡°This is what it¡¯s like?! And only a margin! Jesus Jack, your lifestyle is scary¡­¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s worse than this, you should know better than to walk close to a dark alley, especially someone as beautiful as you.¡±


    Sarah smacked her lips and hugged herself. ¡°Shut up, you bold doofus¡­¡±


    Jack looked over his shoulder. ¡°Though one thing confuses me, why are guys like them here when this is our territory?¡± He closed his eyes, and gripped his chin. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense, it¡¯s almost as if¡­¡± Jack¡¯s thinking process was disrupted by a bunch of voices calling to them from behind.


    Jack turned around, putting one of his arms out in front of Sarah as she readied herself too. Those same men that Jack ran off came back with five more men, this time from what Jack could make out of as they approached their area was that half had baseball bats and two had bags of glass bottles.


    Sarah grabbed Jack¡¯s hand, and he felt her shaking. ¡°Jack¡­ What¡¯s going to happen to us? Because from what I can see they have weapons now, you think I might have to¡­¡±


    ¡°No Sarah, I want you to go somewhere safe¡­ things are about to get ugly.¡± Jack glanced at Sarah with calm eyes. ¡°Use your magic or whatever to suppress yourself or hide, could you do that for me?¡±


    Sarah gasped and shook her head. ¡°Jack, I can¡¯t just leave you like¡ª¡±


    ¡°Please, it¡¯s not for me, do it for you.¡± Jack nodded and started walking to them.


    Sarah shut her eyes and turned around, snapping her fingers and teleporting to a closed patio next to where the men were about to meet.


    I hope mom doesn¡¯t scold me for using my powers like this¡­ Sarah thought.


    It was dark inside the closed off patio, but it was enough for her to watch without being noticed. She stood there in the dark, watching them meet and starting to taunt Jack as he walked up to their leader who looked like Eric but with a fade and pimpish clothes.


    Jack clenched his fists and raised his shoulders. ¡°What are you guys doing in our territory?¡± he asked without a worry.


    The leader came up to him and towered over Jack. ¡°You¡¯re territory? Are you fucking with me? This is our territory boy, you¡¯re boss Eric never had the balls to take this town because of the strong police presence throughout the years so I got no clue where you got the information of you owning this lovely town of mines.¡±


    Jack expressed concern, twitching an eye. Fuck¡­ so this towns changed more than I thought! He raised his fists and softly blew air out his nostrils. We originally owned this lively town, but could it be that this town¡¯s better off having a gang like him control it then ours?


    Jack swallowed and knitted his brows. ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡±


    The leader cracked his knuckles. ¡°We¡¯re going to put you in your place for knocking out one of my boys and trying to intimidate the rest. How dare you shoot within the town''s limits, there¡¯s innocence all around and you just casually whip around a firearm and freely fire it off!¡± The boss menacingly bows his head to Jack¡¯s level, making him take a step back. ¡°You reckless menace to society¡­¡±


    Those two guys who had bags of bottles let go, making the bag spill bottles all around the rest of the men. The boss started stepping backwards until Jack shot a surprising punch, but the leader dodged effortlessly and gave Jack a nice punch to his gut.


    Jack got to his knees as he wrapped his arms around his waist, groaning. ¡°Well you¡¯re not wrong about that¡­ so long as you hurt me and not the girl then I could care less.¡± Jack said, coughing.


    The tall white guy who had a baseball bat now kept smacking it against his palm as he stared at Jack. ¡°What happened to that beautiful girl anyways? And who is she to you?¡±


    Jack stood back up as Sarah continued watching in worry. ¡°She¡¯s someone who I care about, that¡¯s all you need to know, bunch of punks.¡±


    The tall guy smacked his lips and snapped his finger to one of the men standing by. He picked up a bottle, the others pulled out cloth rags, wrapping it onto the head of their bats while he did the same.


    His partner held it by the top close to his level and waited. ¡°You tried swinging at the boss, you¡¯re done now.¡± He readied his swings, practising and Jack immediately tried reaching for his gun until a gunshot went off, but a suppressed one.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes expanded as she covered her mouth and gasped in silence.


    Jack¡¯s abdomen expanded red and he coughed out blood, dropping to a knee. ¡°You, bas-bastard¡­¡± He said while holding his fresh new wound.


    The leader was smoking a cigar and had a suppressed handgun aiming in Jack¡¯s direction. ¡°You¡¯re free to do as you like boys, I¡¯ll be back to do business with the others and afterwards fuck my bitches waiting in line.¡± He tucked the gun back into his silk coat, walked away and his crew cheered but with claps and silent ¡°woo¡¯s¡±.


    The tall guy grinned and again his buddy held the bottle for him. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew fiercely watery as she clutched her chest. ¡°Jack¡­ no¡­¡± she said quietly.


    Jack¡¯s eyes were baggy and he was in pain but he stood back up and started backing away. This is gonna hurt¡ªa-lot¡­ The tall guy finally swung his bat and the bottle hurtled in Jack¡¯s direction. Me and my big ass mouth and relentless actions¡­ Jack thought.


    The bottle came into direct contact with Jack''s hand making it let go of the wound. Jack flailed his hand while another bottle flung to his abdomen, another came crashing on his leg, shattering. Four of them were taking turns swinging while two kept reloading for their amusements. Two were swung, one hit Jack¡¯s chest, another on his arm, he took a knee again and another shattered on his face.


    Sarah quietly cried as she watched in horror while they continued swinging the empty bottles at her injured friend. Stop¡­ stop, stop it!


    The men kept laughing as they continued swinging more bottles at Jack¡¯s direction, shattering so much glass around him as he collapsed to the ground. They swung a dozen more, shattering around Jack¡¯s face that¡¯s lying on the ground. His wound bled through his shirt and started staining the ground along with the cuts on his face. Finally, after one more swing they stopped and started walking up to Jack¡¯s hurt body.


    When they arrived, Jack grabbed one of their legs and one of them reacted by slamming the bat on his hand. He didn¡¯t let out a scream nor react in pain, he just tried grabbing. One spat, another swung on Jack¡¯s back and his body bounced from the hard impact.


    The tall one took aim at Jack''s legs but wanted to see his face so he kicked him to make him face up. ¡°Damn we fucked you up good.¡±


    Jack¡¯s face was cut up, glass shards were present on his clothes and he was bleeding from all over.


    He stared at the young man''s leg and raised his bat. ¡°Sorry it had come to this but you chose to mess with the wrong guys.¡± He slammed it on Jack¡¯s kneecap, and he screamed.


    Jack coughed and started chuckling. ¡°Th-That all¡­ ya¡ª¡± Another bat landed on his other knee cap and more started coming down.


    They ruthlessly kept raining wood onto Jack¡¯s body. Sarah can¡¯t take this, it¡¯s too much to bear for her innocent mind. She started thinking on how to help him but enough to not expose herself or break her set of rules. Pacing back and forth, hearing Jack¡¯s groans, they¡¯re laughing, the bats making contact on his bones, Sarah let out a horrific screech, making the men stop because of how freaky it was.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and she aimed two of her fingers to an electric pole close to the buildings, shooting a small shot of plasma and making the transformer explode. The men dispersed and ran away from the spookiness, leaving Jack a bloodied broken mess.


    Sarah unlocked the door and hurried to him as he laid there, bleeding from his gunshot wound and cuts. ¡°Oh my god¡­ Jack!¡± She got to him and got to her knees, seeing his bloodied face up close as his eyelids were struggling to stay open. ¡°No no, please don¡¯t close your eyes if you can still hear me.¡±


    She picked him up at an angle and started crying. Jack raised one of his hands, placing it on her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ cry, Sarah. This is¡ªnormal.¡± he said in a dead tone.


    ¡°What?! You mean to tell me you¡¯ve experienced worse than this type of beating?!¡± She started wiping his face with her shirt, staining it in his blood. ¡°Jack stop saying such stupid statements, this is no time to joke around!¡±


    Jack mildly chuckled and his arm fell off her shoulder. ¡°Yes¡­ I-I have; take this experience as-as a reality check, my friend.¡± His eyelids started lowering and Sarah¡¯s eyes grew big. ¡°To-Today¡­ I showed you just how di-different our lives are¡­¡± He fell unconscious and Sarah clenched her teeth, reaching into her bag to call for help.


    As Jack¡¯s world came to darkness, inside his mind a voice, a strong English one spoke inside of it as Sarah¡¯s voice started muffling out. The voice said, ¡°Your trial starts now, Jacqueline, and your first one shall be located in the rural areas of Norway.¡±


    The world around Jack started fading to misty white, his body floating in clouds, Jack¡¯s wounds being healed by an abnormality. The world started spinning rapidly until his body came floating down to some grass. The world exploded into white sparkles, orbs flying away, colouring coming back into the picture. Jack¡¯s now laying on a wet grassfield, the skies grey, mountains to the horizon, a small Norwegian town nearby, the voice came back and said one final thing¡­


    ¡°May you pass this first trail, but if you do fail¡­ I¡¯ll be waiting for you, my child, and when we reunite, I¡¯ll give you a nice scolding. May I wish you the best of luck in this trail of your cleansing, Jack Samr.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 4: New Unknown

    Inside the domain white solitude that belonged to William, sitting on clouds made of the purest air, Archard and William are relaxing. They¡¯re watching Jack Samr on a giant projection made out of a thick glass plane. The young man¡¯s still unconscious on the grassfield he¡¯s laying on. William sips a cup of coffee, Archard does the same, and together, the two set their coffee mugs down on a small table between them. The two smacked their gums to enjoy the after taste and in unison, said ¡°Ah!¡±


    Archard stretched and yawned. ¡°Finally! Sir William, you¡¯ve finally begun the trail.¡±


    William yawned too and smacked his gums again. ¡°Indeed I have, sorry for making you and our audience wait.¡±


    His partner abruptly turned to his master. ¡°Uh¡­ it¡¯s just me. Who are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Enough talk, my friend. Because this shall be a rather amusing show to witness, wouldn''t you say so?¡±


    Archard raises a brow but brings his attention back to the projection. ¡°O-Okay, one thing though, Sir.¡±


    William looked to his partner as he lay back, putting his arms behind his head. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Why Norway of all places, and the date seems off.¡± Archard hunched forward, getting a better view of what he¡¯s talking about. ¡°The bottom of the screen says ¡®June 5, 1992¡¯. Is that correct, Sir.¡±


    William grinned. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct my friend.¡± William clapped once, amused. ¡°Because I¡¯ve sent the poor sapling back in time, right before the first arson of a historic church building!¡±


    Archard¡¯s jaw drops and he blows up in excitement. ¡°You-You actually¡ªmy goodness¡­ that¡¯s amazing Sir! But why, there, of all places?¡±


    William chuckled, laying back on his chair and sighing. ¡°Thus was a very hard year for our Norwegian friends if you can remember the dreadful events that took place throughout that year.¡± He grabbed his mug again and sipped. ¡°Ahh, but I¡¯ll let you answer that or watch what¡¯s about to unfold since you seem to have forgotten my friend.¡±


    Archard crossed his arms and laid back on his chair too. ¡°Let me think let me think¡­¡± He grabbed his jaw, rubbing it, nodded, and then snapped his fingers. ¡°I think I remember, the Infamous Norweign church burnings by stupid delquints because of their musical beliefs, correct?¡±


    William clapped. ¡°Very good, correct you are. As you wondered, why did I! send him back to that time and why! I made it his First! Trial.¡±


    ¡°Yes yes, as you said, the very first church that was burned down. And it happens tomorrow, the 6th of June.¡±


    William nods. ¡°It does, but before that happens, I need to test or perhaps, show the young man a nice lesson.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, a test you say? Well, whatever it is, I can¡¯t wait to see how he screws this up. The boy¡¯s not mentally right so, who knows what he has to overcome.¡±


    William titled his head and wondered the same inside his own mind. The two friends stayed quiet for a moment, watching as Jack finally came to his senses, twitching his fingers and his eyelids trembling. William grinned and sipped more of his coffee, feeling amused on what might happen to him and how he¡¯ll deal with the trial he created. Archard thought otherwise, he wondered what the trial¡¯s going to test him on, so he looked to his master and tapped the table to get his attention.


    ¡°Yes, Archard?¡± William said as he sipped again.


    ¡°Sir, what type of testing is he going to endure throughout all these trials you¡¯ve spoken about, more specifically, what would happen if he fails?¡±


    ¡°I got you my friend.¡± William set his coffee mug down and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m testing him on Destiny!¡± he said as he spread his arms out while grinning.


    Archard raised a brow again. ¡°What do you mean by Destiny?¡±


    William sat back down and groaned in a relaxed tone. ¡°Well, you¡¯re about to find out my friend, but to put it in simpler terms, I¡¯m seeing if he¡¯ll accept the actions of the individuals and shall witness; if he¡¯ll try to combat their actions. If he happens to interfere, well then it¡¯s up to Father Time''s rebuttals, meaning fate, to see if the world accepts Jack¡¯s actions or retaliates against his precautions in a more uh, well horrid response, hopefully not.¡±


    Archard grinned and applauded his master. ¡°I see, that does seem like the perfect test to your trails sir.¡±


    William wiggled his finger. ¡°Now now, let''s not get too ahead of ourselves my friend. This test is much more as I said, but the real trials shall commence when That happens.¡±


    Archard tilts. ¡°That?¡±


    William nods in response. ¡°Yes, That! As in that event that dreadful doctor hinted about and I¡¯ll take upon myself as a man to own up to and say that science was correct in this manner but rather¡­ don¡¯t interfere with God¡¯s natural doings with history.¡±


    The two gentlemen snapped their fingers, grinned, pointed at each other and lay back on their chairs, turning their attention back to the glass screen. Sipping on their mugs of coffee, relaxing, the two patiently waited for Jack to come to his full senses. Sitting there for another two minutes, the young man finally awakens from his slumber and William can¡¯t help but express a wide smile. His partner Arhcard too shared the same feeling, this was a life story worth watching and in William¡¯s case, a story worth re-writing so Jack can learn his selfish mistakes.


    ¡°This is the start of your great cleansing¡­ Jacqueline.¡± William said as his smile turned bigger.


    Laying in the grass field, the cold clear air whistling over his body, a misty fog floating above him, opening an eye and groaning from the pain felt minutes ago, Jack rose up, laying his hand on his head. The layer of fog sweeping on his lap, opening both his eyelids, Jack coughed and took in a breath of air. When he did, he noticed the air felt much clearer, cleaner than the air felt being close to city life or crime drenched towns.


    Strange, it feels like I just swallowed purity¡­ Jack thought.


    The young man¡¯s staring at the light grey sky, clouds of darkened white flowing across. ¡°Whe-Where am, I?¡± he muttered.


    Jack felt the grass bristle against his body, and immediately questioned more of his location. In response, the young man jolts up and is shocked by what he¡¯s seeing. It made his eyes pop, made his breathing frantic, he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. What he saw was endless mountains, valleys that had leftover snow from miles on end, but more notably, a glistening stream that flowed down the valley to a foggy lake.


    ¡°Where am I?!¡± Jack said, slowly standing to his feet. ¡°What the hell is all this? Why¡¯s this happening!¡± The young man clutched his head and again, scanned his surroundings.


    What his eyes scanned first was a dirt trail with a wooden fence that led to a small remote town just down the valley. Looking back, he saw an old church made of wood at the top of the valley''s peak. It gave him goosebumps just looking at the ancient building that overlooked the town, especially the thick fog that covered the bell tower. Jack started to shiver and felt his body temperature lower, and he saw his hot frantic breath constantly. It made the young man want to scream in madness when he was just with Sarah, almost beaten to death, but to suddenly be here out of nowhere; It made him feel enraged, but sick to his stomach. In fact the young man felt so sick he threw up and coughed violently.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sick of these sup-supernatural occurrences, I swear!¡±


    The young man threw up again and slammed his fist against his head. After emptying his feelings of anger, he wiped his mouth and glanced around again, trying to figure out his situation.


    Feeling dumbfounded, and wasting time, Jack started to walk forward but towards the direction of the church. ¡°Sick of this shit¡­ I swear to fucking God!¡±


    His sudden outbursts made local birds fly away. The young man hugged himself because his coat wasn¡¯t thick enough to combat the freezing temperature around him.


    ¡°I need shelter, quickly¡­ or else I¡¯ll freeze to death.¡±


    Walking on the dirt trail, the young man wondered if there was anyone in the church building. It made him stop for a second to think about the outcomes.


    This is insane, I hope I¡¯m just in another dream¡­ wait, dream?! Jack thought.


    The young man started jogging up the trail. With the thought of this being a lucid or vivid dream, the thought of Mallory¡¯s involvement gave him a boost of adrenaline to see if she¡¯s the one who¡¯s behind this bizarreness. While running up, a local townsfolk, a tall white man with heavy clothing saw him who was walking down the same trail and wondered why he was in a hurry to the church. The townsfolk shrugged it off and chose to ignore the young man as he ran past him. For a moment, Jack didn¡¯t pay attention that someone just walked by him, but he quickly caught on.


    The young man stopped and turned around. ¡°Hey! You, excuse me!¡±


    The townsfolk stopped when he heard the young man, but couldn¡¯t understand a word he just said. Jack ran up to the man, which made him take a step back and put his hands out. Jack was catching his breath before he could speak. Once he did, the man spoke but his language was so forgein to Jack that it made the young man freeze.


    The man waved his hand in front of Jack''s frozen face.


    Jack shook his head and spoke again. ¡°No, no no no. I-I can¡¯t understand what he¡¯s saying.¡± he muttered. ¡°Uh, sir, wh-where am I?¡± Jack asked but also used his arms as another method of communication.


    The man gripped his chin and recreated what Jack did to get a better idea of what he was saying. After recreating his arm movements, the man understood what he was saying. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a map, opening it to Jack¡¯s face. Jack¡¯s seeing the map but he can¡¯t understand where he¡¯s at. The man pointed his finger to the town he¡¯s in and what region he¡¯s in as well. Jack still couldn¡¯t understand, and it was starting to bother him.


    ¡°Sir, I-I can¡¯t follow what you¡¯re implying. I¡¯m-lost, sir, help me!¡±


    The man groaned and spoke in his language. But amongst his spoken frustration, he said a word that Jack understood, that being ¡®American.¡¯


    Jack nods and says, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m American!¡±


    The townsfolk chuckled at his panicking and shook his head and proceeded to walk. Jack sighed but as soon as the young man was going to take a step away, the man whistled at Jack. The young man looks back and the man waves to Jack to follow him. Jack quickly does and the two proceed forward into the direction of the town. It took them twenty minutes to get into the town, but the two arrive and Jack¡¯s met by a captivating sight.


    ¡°This place is eerily beautiful.¡± He said, glancing around.


    The buildings were antic, the roads made of flat stone, not a glimpse of sunlight beaming into the town; Opened stores, buildings made of simple wood, colored in white, orange, and brown. There were people around but not enough to consider a busy day. Everyone wore heavy or normal clothing meant for weather like that of Michigan¡¯s fall season. The man that guided Jack taps his shoulder to get his attention and Jack turns to him. He indicates Jack, showing him sign language to walk to a building just a block down.


    Jack understands and waves bye to the man. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    The man briefly bows his head and walks off.


    Jack walks to the building the man pointed. He¡¯s still shivering and can¡¯t believe the people who are walking around him who also wore regular hoodings aren¡¯t freezing. Two teens who were dressed like goths walked past him in leather jackets laughed at him and mimicked his shivering. Jack smacked his lips and chose to ignore them to not get sidetracked. As he walked closer to his destination, he was growing hungry and thought if he should stop to get a bite to eat.


    He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll take my money, damn I¡¯m hungry all of a sudden.¡±


    There was a local eatery shop, appearing to be a diner but half opened to the outside. There were wooden stool chairs, three people sitting in front and waiting to be served.


    ¡°That looks nice and familiar.¡± Jack said.


    He can hear the loud kitchen utensils create their stomach fillers from where he¡¯s standing. If they were working that hard for just three people, it made Jack feel more confident about the food.


    Before he decided to walk across the street to the diner, another town folks got his attention by tugging on his coat. The young man turned to them and it happened to be a young man just like him but with short black hair with hazel eyes. He immediately speaks that weird language and leaves Jack speechless.


    ¡°Sorry, I-I can¡¯t understand you¡­¡± Jack replies, which made the young man tilt his head.


    He gripped his chin and threw up devil horns, bobbing his head and pointing to the church. Jack glanced at it, then brought his eyes back to the young man. Jack shrugged and the young man turned to the church, flipping it off and again, threw up devil horns.


    ¡°Why do that? You hate church or something?¡± Jack asked.


    The young man bobs his head and walks away, shouting something in his language. Jack felt humorous about the encounter, enough for him to let out a muffled chuckle. While the encounter was short lived, Jack felt like he was wasting time, and walked to the eatery. Upon arriving, the three people whom he saw earlier, glanced at him, and two of them gave him a dirty stare. It was a stare in which someone detested outsiders. The two quickly said something to each other and one of them flailed his hand, seeming revolted by Jack¡¯s presence. The last man, sitting a stool gap between the two was too busy enjoying his hot coffee to even bother, and Jack felt the urge to say something to the two. Jack clenched a fist but didn¡¯t want any trouble for now. He sat down and waited to be served by the two cooks who were busy cooking the other two¡¯s meals.


    Jack shivered and hugged himself. ¡°Damn it''s cold. Uh, excuse me.¡±


    One cook stopped and put a pan off to the side, wiping his hands with a cloth before answering Jack. He throws the cloth and walks up to the counter and nudges his head to Jack.


    Jack freezes momentarily, but nods. ¡°Yeah, uh, what do you guys offer here?¡±


    The cook grins and raises his hands. ¡°Uh, sorry, no english.¡±


    Jack smacks himself. ¡°Well, at least he can say that. Um¡­¡± The young man once again speaks with his arms as he spoke. ¡°What¡¯s-on-the-menu?¡±


    The cook understood and chuckled. ¡°Eat? American, to-tourist?¡±


    The single gentleman who was down the counter looked at Jack then to the cook and started speaking their language. The cook laughs and nods in amusement to Jack. The young man¡¯s confused on what they¡¯re talking about. The cook thumbs up Jack and shows him that he¡¯s going to cook him something. Jack scratches his head and shrugs in response to the cook.


    The gentleman gets up from his seat, walks past the other two townsfolk and decides to sit next to Jack. ¡°So, you another lost tourist?¡± he said, his accent being harsh and tough sounding. He asked for another coffee in their language and to Jack, his accent sounded mean and tiring.


    Jack¡¯s relieved that someone can speak english. ¡°Finally! No, well, I-I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t answer that because I just woke up¡ª¡±


    The gentleman was a pale man with a heavy cloth trench coat, wore a fluffy hat and had hazel eyes, put his finger up to Jack. ¡°Slow down, relax friend. Don¡¯t rush yourself, for now enjoy the lovely food that I ordered for you.¡±


    ¡°I-I guess¡­ thanks, sir.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure. Now, you¡¯re most likely American, right? I could be wrong because you British bastards can sometimes surprise me.¡±


    Jack coughs. ¡°Haha, Ha-half, damn it''s freezing.¡±


    The gentleman chuckles. ¡°Oh, interesting my friend.¡± A server shows up around the corner and gives the gentleman his coffee.


    He thanks him and sips. Jack also received a coffee and he couldn¡¯t resist but indulge a huge sip which burnt his tongue. The gentleman laughs and pats Jack on the shoulder. The young man stuck his tongue out but loved the coffee¡¯s flavours so much he took another sip but mildly.


    Jack wipes his forehead and grins. ¡°It¡¯s delicious, the best coffee I¡¯ve ever had. And I rarely drink it, but damn this is good.¡±


    The gentleman receives his food first but his eyes are on Jack, he¡¯s growing amused by the young man''s reactions. ¡°¡®Damn good¡¯ is correct my American friend. Us Norwegians know how to make a good hot coffee taste natural, haha!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide and he set his coffee mug down and looked at the gentleman with distraught. ¡°Nor-Nor-Nor¡ªwegian? As-As in¡­ Norway?!¡±


    The gentleman furrowed his brows to Jack. ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re in Norway. How could you forget which country you visited in, you¡¯re a tourist, right?¡±


    Jack slowly clutches his head and quietly panics. ¡°No¡­ no way, ho-how can this be¡­ I-I can¡¯t¡­¡± The young man dug his fingers into his scalp. ¡°This-this can¡¯t be happening¡­¡± he muttered.


    The server serves his food, a big platter of eggs, a small beef stew soup with a loaf of bread to the side. Jack can smell the amazing aroma of the delicacy driving into his nose, making the young man stop his sudden panic and come into a state of relaxation. The gentleman grew suspicious of Jack¡¯s reaction and sipped his coffee, waiting to see what he¡¯ll do next. Jack stared at his food and swallowed, in the meantime, the youngman has chosen to ask about his whereabouts later; for now he wants to eat to his heart''s content.


    Jack grabbed a fork and the first thing he tasted was the eggs, which made him feel like home. ¡°It-it tastes like my mom''s eggs¡­ it¡¯s lovely.¡±


    The gentleman reaches for a cigarette from one of his pockets on his coat and ignites it. ¡°Does it now? Glad you¡¯re enjoying yourself, because you¡¯re stuck with me all day now.¡±


    Jack grabs a spoon and tastes the soup as well. ¡°It¡¯s great¡­ I never had anything this good. Almost makes me wanna forget how I ended up here.¡±


    The young man continued to eat his food until the man''s statement finally struck him.


    Jack drank more coffee before answering the gentleman. ¡°Wait, stuck with you all day? But I have to get¡­¡± The young man turns his body to the building in which the first townsfolk pointed out for him to go. ¡°...to that building,¡± he said, briefly pointing at it.


    The gentleman continued smoking as he looked at the building Jack was staring at and then sipped his coffee. ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°The white building, the one I¡¯m pointing at.¡± Jack responded.


    The gentleman smugs his lips and nods. ¡°Interesting when that¡¯s my place, my American friend.¡±


    Jack looked back at him. ¡°Re-Really?¡±


    He nods. ¡°Yup, that¡¯s my place but also my headquarters for forgein tourists to go when I guide them.¡± He tosses his cigarette in a proper dispenser for his stick of cancer. ¡°My name¡¯s Oskar, the local tour guide of Bergen.¡±


    He gets up and stretches. Jack feels relieved about meeting him, but thankful for the townsfolk who led him to a potential answer to his mystery. Oskar took money out and handed it to the server, paying for Jack¡¯s meal as well when he jolted his thumb at him, laughing with the server. The young man can tell they¡¯re making fun of him by Oskar intimidating a loopy one''s mind, swirling his finger. Jack could care less, for now he wants to finish his meal and see where Oskar will guide him.


    After finishing his meal and thanking the people that owned the place, the two were off and back onto the street. They were going to Oskar¡¯s place as he mentioned. Jack was silent, mainly due to the fact he had nothing to say. Oskar¡¯s smiling, waving to people around, across the street, almost everyone that he was setting his sights on, it was almost as if he were the celebrity of the town. In Jack¡¯s mind, it made sense because if one were to be a tour guide, they would have to know everyone and every building to make their income and make visitors feel comfortable.


    As the two were walking and Oskar pointed out artefacts that stood out in his town, a woman in a red coat came up to Oskar, giving him a big hug and talking in Norwegian. Jack backed off and allowed them to talk, he didn¡¯t want to intervene in their conversation. In the meantime, Jack wanted to glance around the area, so he can indulge in this beautiful town without freaking out like a madman. Meanwhile, as the other two continued conversing, midway through their conversation, the woman finally took notice of Jack and looked over Oskar¡¯s shoulder, asking who¡¯s the tall handsome man with the strange scar on his face.


    Oskar stepped aside and introduced the young man to the woman. She smiled and put her hand out, introducing herself, but Jack was lost, too busy staring at something. The woman pouted her face and felt that he was being rude, so she walked up, waved her hand in front of his face, and it worked, breaking his trance.


    ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡± Jack asked, shivering again.


    The woman raises her brows and gets close to Jack¡¯s face, making him step back. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s really American!¡±


    Oskar chuckles. ¡°Yeah, I told you, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea was an average heighted woman, long bright blonde hair, pale skin, but gorgeous blue eyes. From her coat to her fluffy boots, she screamed academics to Jack.


    She grips her chin and analyses Jack¡¯s infrastructure that is his body. ¡°Yes, and mixed, handsome, scary! Hoo! What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Jack liked her accent, which made him grin. It was high pitched, then loosened but sounded beautiful compared to Oskar¡¯s harsh accent. The young man puts his hand out and she immediately shakes his hand, smiling at him.


    ¡°My name¡¯s¡­ Jack, Jack-Samr.¡±


    Upon hearing his last name, the two exploded in awe. Especially Linnea, who got closer to Jack¡¯s face, trying to figure out his other half. Oskar was baffled by his last name, and Jack wondered why the two were eyeing him like a freak experiment.


    Linnea backs off and nods. ¡°You do know that your last name is Norwegian, right?¡±


    Jack¡¯s jaw drops. ¡°Wait, re-really?! What-what does it mean then?¡±


    Oskar butts in and raises his finger. ¡°It¡¯s norse, meaning darkish.¡±


    Linnea cuts in between. ¡°Let''s finish this conversation back at the headquarters. I know you''re freezing Jack. Besides, you¡¯re a very intriguing person if I must say, friend!¡±


    Jack liked Linnea¡¯s attitude and personality; it reminded him of Anna, who he still has yet to see in the new timeline. Oskar agrees and marches first, leading the adventure first. All three walked and at the same time, the two friends were showing Jack the buildings, pointing to them, explaining their history. Jack felt intrigued and listened deeply to their explanations. As they were getting closer, while Linnea was explaining the history of their town, two teens with band hoodies, one with long blonde hair and the other with long black hair were walking past them. Jack was lost in the history lesson being given to him when one of them bumped into his arm.


    Jack stopped and turned to the teens, who chose to ignore him. ¡°Hey, excuse you.¡±


    They heard his deep voice and turned round to Jack. The other two were so caught in their history telling, they didn''t notice Jack had stopped. One of the teens, the one with blonde hair, two inches taller than Jack got into the young man''s face. He had cold blue eyes, and his stare was as cold as the weather in the town. Jack didn¡¯t like the look he had, but quickly realised that the teen was trying to act tough.


    The other one with black hair also stepped forward, getting into Jack¡¯s face. ¡°You, American?¡± he asked, then chuckled.


    Jack¡¯s eyes stayed on the blonde kids. ¡°Yeah, I am, so what?¡±


    The black haired teen chuckles and pulls his friend away. ¡°Cool cool, our bad. Your hair, cool man, long like us. You like metal?¡±


    Jack narrows his eyes. ¡°Metal?¡±


    He raised his hands and created devil horns. ¡°Metal! Blagh!¡± He stuck his tongue out and bobbed his head.


    His friend laughed and the two walked away. Jack stayed still, watching the two pander off. He felt like he¡¯s heard that phrase from somewhere, more particularly, he remembers someone wearing graphic design clothing like their hoodies.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s talking about music. Huh, Angela listens to that if I¡¯m correct.¡±


    The other two came back to Jack and wondered why the young man was standing there, watching two folks walk.


    Oskar tapped the young man''s shoulder to make him turn around. ¡°Hey, Jack. Why¡¯d you stop? For a minute we thought we lost you.¡±


    Linnea shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t scare us like that. We don¡¯t want another lost tourist now, don¡¯t we Os-kar?¡±


    Oskar whistles and starts walking again. ¡°That would be bad¡­ wouldn¡¯t it, ahaha!¡±


    Linnea shook her head, looking back to Jack, winking. ¡°Ready now?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I guess.¡± The young man replied.


    He walked with her, following Oskar until they reached their headquarters. When they did, Jack got a better view of the place. Despite all the buildings looking relatively alike, their building was the only one that was blue. Oskar opened the door and walked inside, Linnea went in afterwards. Jack scanned the town one last time, deeply sighing before walking in. Once inside, the first thing Jack thought of was the feeling of cosiness. The cloth couches, small coffee tables, the bright natural lighting, but most of all, the fireplace crackling.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s nice in here.¡± Jack says.


    Oskar hung up his coat on a rack and immediately sat down on one of the couches. ¡°Why thank you, I like to make my guests feel comfortable before giving them a tour of our home.¡±


    Linnea approached the stairs and paused. ¡°Yes, otherwise foreigners will think lowly of our beautiful town. That reminds me¡­¡±


    She started speaking Norwegian to Oskar, but had a hint of annoyance in her voice. Oskar groaned and shooed her away, then raised his finger tips, shouting at her. She crossed her arms and did the same, and walked upstairs. Oskar chuckled and sighed, laying back on the chair.


    ¡°Woman, am I right Jack?¡± Oskar said.


    ¡°Hm, I guess so. Where did she go?¡± He asked.


    Oskar felt relaxed and let out a loud, ¡°Ahhh!¡± before answering Jack. ¡°She went to her room to cool off.¡±


    Jack decided to sit down on one of the couches. ¡°Room? Wait, what is she to you? And is this also a house?¡±


    ¡°Boy, you¡¯ve got a lot of questions, don''t you?¡± Oskar kicked his legs up on the coffee table placed in front of him. ¡°She¡¯s my sister and this is my home as well. We make a living as I said as tour guides.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry. And that¡¯s cool that you two are so close to working together. What¡¯s she mad about anyways?¡±


    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s none of your business, but¡ªah screw it. She''s been out of town for two weeks and I guess she got here today, coincidentally as you¡¯re with me. Anyways, to make a long story short, I¡¯ve been in some controversy surrounding a lost tourist and you happen to be the subject.¡±


    Jack lays back on the couch. ¡°So, she thinks I¡¯m the lost tourist?¡±


    ¡°No, the problem¡¯s already been dealt with. I¡¯m already the laughing stock of the town currently, so she¡¯s being family and thinks I should hold off on tourists after the incident.¡±


    ¡°Is this a first? You losing a tourist?¡± Jack asked.


    Oskar replied with a whistle at first. His eyes tick tock and he scratched his cheek. ¡°N¡­o, actually it¡¯s like my fifth time aha!¡±


    Linnea was coming back downstairs when she heard him. ¡°Idiot, that¡¯s what he gets for being so caught by the American girls, making others wander off.¡±


    She walked over to a single chair close to the kitchen. Oskar whistles again and laughs it off while his sister makes herself comfortable, rolling her eyes. Jack liked their dynamic and it reminded him of his relationship with Angela, but without the complications, before Dr. Cato took her away from him that dreary night. He watched the two argue and they seemed to cuss each other out in their native language which made him smile. It felt so nostalgic to Jack that it made his eyes water. Before they could notice his emotions coming out, he quickly wiped his eyes and took a breath.


    After finishing her rant to her brother, Linnea looked at Jack and smiled, flinging her hair. ¡°So Jack, you¡¯re lost you say? What brought you here in the first place.¡±


    The young man was hesitant to answer. The two siblings watched as he looked to be in a deep thinking process, feeling concerned. He gripped his pants and moaned, not wanting to seem like a madman if he asked them something ridiculous. In conjunction with the subject of lost tourists, he decided to roll with himself being one, but without saying anything bizarre.


    ¡°I-I was with a group of friends and got too drunk¡­ so I found myself lying in the middle of a field when I woke up. Weird right?¡±


    Linnea rolled her eyes. ¡°Typical American¡¯s¡­ drink wherever you go. Well, what town were you before then?¡±


    Oskar didn¡¯t buy it because Jack earlier wasn¡¯t sure where he was at. Instead he stayed quiet, listening closely to what he¡¯ll say next. The young man couldn¡¯t give a proper answer, scratching his head in silence as Linnea¡¯s deep blue stare made him nervous. No one¡¯s talking, the crackles of the fire did the talking, and Jack didn''t have the courage to lie.


    He brought his eyes to the ceiling and deeply sighed. ¡°I-I, I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Linnea smacks her lips, crossing her legs. ¡°Hmph, got so drunk you forgot the town too ey? Typical, Hmph!¡±


    Oskar stood up and walked to the kitchen, but before walking in, smacked his sister''s head. ¡°Don¡¯t be so harsh on the kid, you bully.¡±


    She immediately retaliated, punching his arm and cursing at him. Jack can hear their silly argument as he sat there, staring at the clear white ceiling. He stared deep at the whiteness that represented his mind at the moment, he can¡¯t help but feel alienated. The feeling of this palace being so real still boggled him, and made him believe that this isn¡¯t a dream anymore.


    The thought of it made him scrunch his face in confusion. This-this has to be a dream¡­ no way in hell this is real life, no. Please, I need a sign, anything. Jack thought.


    While in deep thought, Oskar interrupted him, snapping his fingers in front of the young man¡¯s line of view. ¡°You alright my friend?¡±


    The young man slowly sat back straight. ¡°Yeah, just feeling out of place.¡±


    Oskar had a cup of coffee with him and placed it next to Jack. ¡°Well don¡¯t be acting all funny. I know hangovers aren¡¯t easy to overcome, my friend.¡±


    Linnea barges in their conversation and sees something that¡¯s bothering her eyes. She spoke again in their native language and seemed to be pointing at a calendar, one with a marked date on it and month. She shouted, viciously pointing at it and in a fiery motion sets her fists on her hips, dwindling her finger at her brother. Oskar nervously laughs, shrugs off her insults and seems confident about what she¡¯s arguing with him about.


    ¡°Man those two sure are feisty with each other, hehe.¡± Jack says, grabbing the mug of coffee and taking a sip. ¡°Fucking delicous, dream or not, this coffees worth it.¡±


    He decides to intervene, standing up and walking up to the calendar. In doing so made the two stop their barking and watch the young man trying to figure out what it says. Oskar snickers to his sister and the two softly chuckled while the young man did his best to read their language. Linnea walks over to Jack and bumps her hip on him, which makes Jack look at her in confusion. She replied to his annoyance with a wink. The young man shrugs and tries one last time and gives up, making Oskar wrap his arm around Jack¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Having trouble there, my friend?¡± Oskar asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he replied, ¡°your language is bizarre, like the symbols and crap.¡±


    ¡°Coming from the guy who has a Norwegian last name. What, did your parents randomly think of a random last name or something?¡± Linnea said, acting sarcastic.


    Jack shook his head. ¡°No, it was my mother¡¯s last name.¡±


    ¡°Was she white?¡± Linnea asked.


    ¡°Well duh, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure now, now that you asked and defined my last name.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, American woman. Always finding a nice last name when they travel or something.¡± Linnea giggles and walks off back to the kitchen.


    Jack didn¡¯t like how she was throwing shade at his mother. Oskar saw the young man¡¯s anger slightly show by his growing glare that was aiming towards his sister. To cool him off, while still in his grasp, he turned Jack¡¯s attention back to the calendar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind my stupid sister. She acts this way to most tourists, especially you Americans.¡± He cleared his throat and pointed to the month, ¡°We¡¯re in June, that says June in our language.¡±


    Hearing him say the month made Jack raise concern. ¡°Ju-June?! Woah¡­ th-that can¡¯t be right.¡±


    Oskar looked at the young man as if he¡¯s crazy. ¡°What do you mean, we¡¯re here, date is June 5th, 19¡ª¡±


    Linnea suddenly burst in with an empty plastic packet. ¡°Oskar, what did you do to all the fil¡ª¡±


    ¡°Damn it Linnea, don''t interrupt me over my lessons!¡± Oskar shouted.


    Jack shook his head and quickly reached into his pocket to get his phone. He felt it and pulled it out, flipping it open and the two siblings were caught on with curiosity.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Linnea asked, pointing at the phone.


    Oskar pressed a button and a number was dialled. ¡°Oh! It beeped!¡±


    Jack¡¯s face scrunched in response to their curious nature. ¡°It¡¯s a phone? What, do Norweigians not know what cellular or touch screen phones are?¡±


    Linnea placed her hands on her hips and plastered her face on the screen. ¡°We have telephones, but not this¡­ it¡¯s so strange. No country in the world has made something this cool or advanced, especially you American¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°And she can back this up because she travels the world.¡± Oskar said.


    Jack¡¯s heartbeat begins pacing, and he¡¯s sweating. ¡°Th-This can¡¯t be¡­ no, today¡¯s¡ª!¡± When the young man pulled the phone back to his face, the date was blank and it made him panic. ¡°What the fuck¡­ what the fuck¡­¡± he muttered.


    Oskar and Linnea backed away, giving him space. They looked at him as if he were crazy. Jack kept his eyes on his phone, his breathing growing more intense by the minute.


    ¡°No, today should be November 14th, 2016. There¡¯s no way in hell it¡¯s June 5th man!¡±


    Oskar raised his brows and walked back to the calendar. ¡°Damn, how drunk were you last night?¡± Once again he pointed to the date and month they¡¯re in. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, my American friend. As I was saying, it¡¯s June 5th, 1992.¡±


    ¡°H-huh¡­?¡± Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide, his vision started blurring. ¡°19-19¡­9¡ª2?¡± he said, starting to hyperventilate.


    Oskar can hear Jack¡¯s breathing become unstable. Jack stumbled backwards and he could feel his pupils starting to swell. Linnea asked her brother in their language what¡¯s happening to the young man and all Oskar could do was watch because since meeting him, he¡¯s been a full mystery to him. Oskar placed his hands on Jack¡¯s shoulders and gently pushed him to the seat he was sitting on earlier. Linnea felt worried watching the young man having a panic attack and quickly went to the kitchen to fetch something.


    ¡°There there, Jack. Relax now, because at this rate you¡¯ll eventually pass out.¡± Oskar said.


    Jack¡¯s breathing grew more intense and the young man started gasping for air. ¡°19-19-19-19-19-19-19¡­ 19-19-19¡­ fuck-fu-fucking¡­ 19-19¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey man, relax, stop repeating yourself¡ªOiy! Linnea, hurry get some water for this poor bastard.¡±


    Jack slowly brought his phone back to his blurred eyes, and quietly dialled for Eric¡¯s number. Upon pressing the buttons, Oskar locked his eyes on the young man¡¯s fingers, watching as he snailed his thumbs across the numbers. Once Jack had every number on screen, he dialled. It rang, but immediately beeps with no signal reach.


    Jack ground his teeth and his face was drenched. ¡°No¡­ pl-please, dial¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re worrying me here with that weird contraption of yours my friend.¡± Oskar then reached for the phone, lightly grabbing it. ¡°I think you need to put this away, Jack, if it''s causing you so much stress.¡±


    Jack allowed Oskar to grab it and pull it away while his face was a frozen mess. Oskar groaned and looked at the devic he''d never seen before, rotating it. He shook it, eased it to his face, and pressed a couple of buttons. He rubbed his chin and pressed more until it suddenly rang, which made him fall on his butt. The phone fell and Jack immediately got up from the chair and went to it, picking it up to see why it¡¯s ringing.


    He looked and saw a familiar name calling him, and it made him boil in anger. ¡°Wi-william¡­?!¡± The young man quickly answers, ¡°Hello?! William, ho-how did you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Well Jacqueline, it seems as if you¡¯re getting accustomed to your surroundings.¡± William said, chuckling beneath his breath.


    ¡°Wh-What have you done?! Where am I?! Bastard!¡±


    William watched Jack on his giant screen, laying back on his cloudy chair. ¡°That question won¡¯t be answered until you¡¯ve completed your first trial, Jack-o-latern.¡±


    Linnea came back with a hot towel and a glass of water. ¡°Here, Jack take¡ª¡±


    Her brother had interrupted her, putting his arm out. ¡°Listen, and watch. He¡¯s speaking into the thing, Linnea.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! You mean the weird device?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied, while Jack brought out his outside voice. ¡°Look how nervous he looks, but listen to how angry he sounds.¡±


    She sets the items on the coffee table and pays attention as the young man continues throwing a frenzy. Oskar grabbed his sister in case he would explode and go crazy.


    ¡°William! Just tell me what you have done! I¡¯m-I¡¯m loo-loosing my fucking mind here!¡± Jack shouted, clutching his head.


    William¡¯s grin transitioned into a curve of satisfaction. ¡°You¡¯ll soon find out. In the meantime, do hang in there, don¡¯t do anything stupid. It¡¯s already bad enough that I¡¯ve tampered with time, so please allow things to flow the way they should.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes expanded, and he gasped. ¡°T-T-T-Time¡­? Wh-What do you mean, time?!¡± Jack gripped his hair and blew steam out his nose. ¡°Yo-You¡¯re joking, fucking with¡ª!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as I said Jack, I¡¯ve messed with time and sent you back. And you and I know when, right?¡±


    Jack dropped to his knees and felt his mind go static. ¡°No¡­ no.¡± Oskar and Linnea went to Jack, each grabbing his shoulder. ¡°William, my friends¡­ wh-where¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jack, they haven¡¯t even been born yet. They don¡¯t exist, everyone you knew is just a fragment of your burdened memories.¡± William got up and pointed his cane to the screen, ¡°and you won¡¯t be leaving anytime soon, until your trial is up, Jack.¡±


    The young man grit his teeth and felt the urge to cry in both anger, and sorrow. ¡°Why¡­ Why does this have to-to happen to me? Why me, why torment me, William¡­¡±


    Linnea hugged Jack and patted his head. ¡°Don¡¯t get upset, Jack. I think it¡¯s best you stop talking to that thing, contraption.¡±


    Oskar rubbed the young man''s back. ¡°Whatever you have going on, don¡¯t talk to that, talk to us.¡±


    William lowered his cane and frowned. ¡°Listen to them, Jack. I know you¡¯ve gone through a heap of problems, but I¡¯m not one of them. I am a solution to them!¡±


    Jack crushed his eyes and rubbed his knuckles against his head. ¡°How?! How are you a solution when you¡¯ve caused nothing but¡ªmore problems into my life than I¡­¡± The young man paused and lowered his head, ¡°I? I¡­ I¡¯m, I¡¯m¡­ No¡­¡±


    William sat back down on his chair and settled his cane to the side. ¡°Jack, you may think I¡¯m being a problem, but you have yet to let me tell you my side of my reasoning being here.¡± William poured himself some whiskey into a shot glass. ¡°I¡¯m not with that selfish doctor or pathetic excuse of a fat man, I¡¯m here on a mission to free you, my child.¡±


    ¡°Free¡­ me?¡± Jack muttered, ¡°But how?¡±


    William paused for a moment, thinking of something. He looked over his shoulder to something emitting plasma off in the distance in his dimension. It went out of control momentarily but dimmed down, and William brought his glance back to the screen.


    William shook his head. ¡°This won¡¯t be our only phone call. I¡¯ll be calling you two more times tomorrow, Jack. I¡¯m sorry for doing this to you, but what I can tell you is that I¡¯m testing you, by putting you through trials relating to all the sins that you¡¯ve committed.¡±


    The young man looked defeated and was on the verge of fainting. ¡°Th-Then¡ªwhat? What will happen if I-I fail?¡±


    Linnea and Oskar wanted to yank the phone away from Jack, but they saw his only free hand ready to engage. It was balled up and he was clutching it hard, enough to pierce his skin and draw crimson.


    Before William can answer Jack, the young man suddenly punches the ground, putting a hole in Oskars floor. Both siblings jumped away, frightened.


    Oskar had enough and narrowed his eyes. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it, I¡¯m taking that thing away, Jack.¡± Oskar said, but his sister stopped him, putting her hand out to him. ¡°Linnea? What are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Hush, and listen, he¡¯s about to faint, look at his skin.¡± Linnea said.


    Oskar glanced at Jack¡¯s skin and saw just how white it was turning. ¡°Oh, I gotcha.¡±


    William frowned and sighed to Jack¡¯s response. ¡°Right now, you¡¯re only being tested before the real deal. So do yourself a favour, and don¡¯t do anything that¡¯ll get yourself killed, Jack. Not right now.¡±


    Jack¡¯s becoming dizzy and his visions blurred. ¡°Wh-What do you mean by that? Am-Am I¡­ I going to die?¡±


    William shook his head again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t answer that. Good luck Jack, talk to you tomorrow.¡±


    The phone hangs up and Jack starts to cackle. The two siblings back off as the young man loses his mind and laughs. He laughed for another second until he abruptly stopped and looked at Oskar with distraught eyes.


    Oskar grabbed his sister and got in front of her. ¡°You-You okay, Jack? My American friend?¡±


    Jack nervously let out a broken chuckle and pointed at the two. ¡°Co-could you repeat the date again, for me, Oskar?¡±


    Oskar briefly looked over his shoulder to his sister who looked afraid. ¡°Su-Sure¡­ it¡¯s June 5th, 1992.¡±


    Jack let out one last forced chuckle beneath his breath and lowered his hand. ¡°Th-Thank you¡­¡±


    The young man suddenly collapsed like a rock hitting wood. The two siblings rushed to his aid as he lay there, unconscious and feeling hopeless. Jack couldn¡¯t hear their voices, all he could hear was static. The two desperately shook him, Linnea grabbed that hot towel and wrapped it around his head while Oskar tried opening his mouth to pour water into it. The young man¡¯s darkness started swirling, and wrinkles of purple began to appear, ones he¡¯s familiar with seeing.


    William brings up his hand to the screen as he watches Jack being aided by his two new friends. ¡°My Exorcist trails begin the moment you try to get in the way of destiny. Jack Samr¡­¡± he clutches his hand and the screen shuts off. ¡°Your cleansing begins tomorrow, may God bless you, and hopefully, you¡¯re upcoming future endeavours.¡±

 Update!

    I wanted to update you guys on what''s going on behind the scenes and why it''s taking longer to write new chapters. At first it was a lack of motivation and issues with finances along with maintenance on family vehicles. Only mechanic in the family fwi, but I''ve already written chapter''s 5,6, & 7. I''m just checking some revisions and adding more if needed. Also I''ve started writing my second series again, D-JABBIC, and it''s got me pumped to showcase more of that and give Always Together another small break once I reach chapter 10 of Arc 4. That way I can write Arc 1 of D-JABBIC and get some feedback on the series and see if it''s worth continuing. My journey as an author started almost 3 years ago now and I won''t stop! I got much more in stock and potentially, one day, I can publish them all in your local retail stores near you.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 Arc 4 Chapter 5: Meeting, Her

    Solitude darkness, personifying the mind of Jack Samr, a young man who has succumbed to the hollowed feeling. His vision blackned, the personification of ringing ensuing, feeling light as a feather; Jack Samr feels dead.


    Why, why me? Jack thought. Why couldn¡¯t this life be given to someone else? Out of every soul, even the worst of all, and potentially born, I was given this life of hell¡­


    The young man can feel his hands clench, the anger swelling inside of him. The urge to explode in his rage, hate towards those who¡¯ve given him the life he¡¯s taken on.


    Do I deserve this? For changing, changing into the monster that I¡¯ve become¡­ No-no! I-I refuse to partake in this any longer!


    He wanted to awaken, but at the same time, didn¡¯t have the motivation to do so, and instead, welcomed the sensations revolving in and around him.


    Maybe¡­ maybe I do deserve this, for all the lives I¡¯ve taken. Yet, why do I feel as if God¡¯s purposely messing with me? He¡¯s gotta be the one behind this journey I¡¯m on, it has to be.


    The anger deflated, and he started to see familiar swirls of purple beaming across his vision of black.


    Yeah, it has to be him¡­ right? William said he¡¯s helping me to become a better man. Dr. Cato wanted Angela to be raised by a better person, but hid her from the public; for good reason?


    As Jack¡¯s conflictions started to appear, the swirls were growing more frequent by the second.


    Wait, there has been one person who did make my life a hell, but she was more of a blessing than a curse¡­


    The swirls grew, ping ponged and twizzled, and then, muffled screaming occurred amongst the swirling insanity. Jack felt confused as to why he¡¯s seeing these colours associated with the person he feels half responsible for his wretched life besides God.


    Ma-Mallory¡­ where are you? You¡¯ve been gone for a week now, I need you more than anything. Despite the hate I have for you, everytime I hear your soothing soft voice, it heals my depression.


    The screaming grew louder, one of that of being tortured. Jack can recognize the screams just from the tone, its pitch, more notably, the after whimpers that occur once the screams restarted.


    I can hear you, I can sense your pain, my heart aches, I strive for your presence. Yet as you¡¯ve done this, repeatedly, why haven¡¯t you appeared?! Where are you!


    The screaming got so loud that it shattered the darkness, creating a swirling purple abyss that spewed black smoke.


    Mallory, Mallory¡­ just come to me! If you¡¯re in this much pain without me, then come to me!


    Suddenly, a chalk white arm came out of the abyss, reaching for him. He wanted to raise his arm but felt weighed down, and wiggled.


    Is that you? Are you reaching for me?! Mallory!


    Jack can finally lift his arm, bringing it up to his view as the hand coming towards him grew closer and closer. He opened his hand, hoping to tie his fingers with the hand coming to him.


    It has to be you, I-I recognize those nails from anywhere! Those long, shining black nails!


    Their hands were inches in reach, until an explosion of gold light ruptured behind the arm, shattering it and turning it into shards of glass that flew away.


    ¡°JACK, SAVE ME!¡± she screamed.


    Hearing that voice made the young man scream as the light consumed the area, and eventually, his vision.


    ¡°MALLORY!¡± Jack yelled, jolting up from a bed without a shirt on.


    He had his right arm reached out, he¡¯s panting and sweating. Jack dropped his arm and placed his hand on his face, catching his breath.


    After calming down, he lowered his hand and glanced at his surroundings. ¡°Am-Am I still¡ª?¡±


    The door to the room was opened and upon looking, it was Oskar. ¡°Ey, you¡¯re up and screaming, my friend.¡± He walked over to the young man with a mug of coffee and sat next to him with a wooden chair placed beside the bed. ¡°Look at you, a sweaty mess, and you got a crazy look in your eyes too.¡±


    Jack grunted and lay back on the bed¡¯s back rest, frustrated. ¡°I¡¯m still here, it seems.¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing, sorry Oskar. I¡¯m just, just upset.¡±


    Oskar sipped on his coffee and smacked his lips. ¡°Shit, I know that when all you¡¯ve done is scream for an hour. You¡¯ve got a lot of stuff hidden inside that heart and mind of yours, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack sighed. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I¡¯ve got too much going on, so let''s not discuss it. Sorry for bothering you and your sister with my presence.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, we don¡¯t mind the company,¡± Oskar then coughed, ¡°especially me, she drives me mad, and sometimes I want to give her a really nice right hook; but that would be bad. Instead I just annoy her and call her a nagging bitch in our language haha!¡±


    ¡°Hm, well, that¡¯s one way of getting along, right?¡±


    Oskar groaned and stretched his mid-forties body. ¡°Yeah, but of course. Do you have any siblings?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Jack replied, shrugging, ¡°I-I have a younger sister, but she¡¯s adopted.¡±


    ¡°Adopted, ey?¡± he said, scratching his bristly chin, ¡°what does she look like? And she can¡¯t be as annoying as my sister, haha.¡±


    Jack blinked and scratched his eye, glancing around to see where his phone was. ¡°I wonder if I have any photos of her¡­¡±


    ¡°What? You carry a picture of her in your wallet?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes I do, I almost forgot that it existed.¡±


    Jack reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet. He pulled out a photo of him and Angela but it was different from the original one he had of her. Before giving it to Oskar he stared hard at it, feeling conflicted about the photo.


    Just look at her, she looks completely different; her hair and eyes, they¡¯re almost like¡ª


    ¡°Mallory¡­¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Malla-who? Who¡¯s that?¡± Oskar asked, taking a final sip of his coffee before it was empty.


    Jack deeply sighed and handed the photo to Oskar in silence. Oskar set the mug down on a nightstand beside the bed. He observed the photo and nodded, grinning at the photo.


    ¡°Wow, she¡¯s very beautiful. You two look very happy, even though you¡¯re not blood related, just by the gleam of happiness in your face, I can tell you care about her.¡±


    Jack nods. ¡°You can say that. We¡¯ve had our hiccups, complications too hard to say, but I love her and would die for her.¡±


    Jack¡¯s words were meaningful. Oskar felt the impact of the word die just by his tone sounding strong yet gentle. Jack patted himself and looked to his right, seeing his phone and shirt folded neatly on the same nightstand with Oskar¡¯s mug set next to them.


    ¡°Say, what¡¯s the time?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the next day, morning. Uh¡­¡± Oskar brought up his wrist, checking his watch, ¡°exactly 8:00.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Huh¡­¡±


    Jack rubbed his face and the young man began to think.


    So William¡¯s going to call me two more times today? I wonder when, and if so, will it be enough to get me back home? Whatever these trials he¡¯s speaking about, they better not get me killed¡­ I hope so. Jack thought.


    ¡°Whatcha thinking about? You¡¯re looking pale again.¡± Oskar said.


    ¡°I-I am? So-sorry, say, uh, what are you doing today?¡±


    ¡°Me? Eh, since I was forced to cancel tours for a while, today I was just going to church before taking a long walk in the deep woods behind our glorious old building of prayer.¡±


    Jack liked that idea, and wanted to accompany Oskar, but before answering to partake in his day, his sister came in. She spoke natively but stopped when she saw Jack awake.


    ¡°Well look who¡¯s awake, care to join us on a nice traditional Norwegian breakfast, Jack S-a-m-r?¡±


    Jack grinned, ¡°Sure, I am hungry, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Linnea rolled her eyes but sarcastically, ¡°First you sleep for free and also get a free tour, all this costs, Jack.¡±


    ¡°I have money, if you''re so worried about it.¡± he replied.


    Linnea smacked her lips, ¡°oh, then pay up American, hehe!¡±


    ¡°Ah, stop bitching so much about money and let us eat. I¡¯m starving.¡± Oskar said, standing up.


    Linnea flipped him off, said something vulgar in their language and walked off. Oskar soon followed and he was out of the room. Jack sat there, alone, thinking again about his complex situation.


    If what William said is true, then for now, I¡¯ll just go along with what he¡¯s talking about. Just play into his game, as if I was meant to be in this time and act normal. It¡¯d be better for my mentality and not have these two look at me as if I¡¯m crazy.


    Coming into the senses of his problem, Jack felt less stressed. He got up and put back on his black shirt. After that he grabbed his phone and headed downstairs to meet the other two. Once coming into the vicinity of the dining room, he was met with the scent of nostalgia. Linnea was cooking and Oskar sat there reading a newspaper, waiting to be served. Her cooking smelled similar to that of his mother, which made him drool.


    Jack took a seat and waited, placing his hands on the table and taking a breath. ¡°So, Oskar¡­¡±


    Oskar lowered the paper to look at Jack. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t notice you there. Damn you''re a quiet, sneaky bastard.¡± he chuckled, ¡°what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°About my last name, Samr, can you explain more about the meaning, instead of the brief definition you said.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you want the full meaning and lore behind your dark last name huh?¡±


    Linnea interrupted them, dropping Oskar¡¯s plate in front of him. ¡°No! I want to tell you, Jack. I know more about it than you do, my brother.¡± She then walked over to Jack, placing his breakfast gently, ¡°sorry for earlier, I can¡¯t help but act a bitch sometimes.¡±


    The young man chuckled while Oskar groaned and grabbed his fork, taking a bite of his hot breakfast. Jack stared at the food as Linnea went back into the kitchen, getting a huge reminder of how much he missed his mother¡¯s cooking.


    ¡°This looks so much alike to what she makes,¡± he muttered, ¡°I wonder if it tastes the same as her¡¯s¡­¡±


    Jack grabbed his fork and stabbed the meal with it. He takes a bite and is hit with a mixed bag of emotions. With his mouth half opened, a mush of food still inside of it, the young man¡¯s relieving his childhood.


    It-It, it¡¯s exactly like my mothers¡­ Does this me-mean that she¡¯s, foreign? Jack thought.


    ¡°Linnea, your cooking is wonderful!¡± he exclaimed, ¡°it-it reminds me of my moms, and I mean it.¡±


    Linnea smiled and then it turned smuggish when she looked at her brother.


    ¡°At least someone appreciates my cooking, unlike this Jeavle!¡±


    Oskar grunted and laughed. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you made his breakfast better to try and get some Pikk! Eh? Tipse!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t understand the Norwegian words they were throwing at each other, which made him tilt his head. ¡°What are you guys saying?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Oh nothing, we¡¯re just being petty that¡¯s all,¡± Linnea said, ¡°don¡¯t think too much about it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what she said, now enjoy her shitty cooking Jack.¡±


    Linnea laughed and so did Oskar. Jack chuckled beneath his breath and ate his breakfast. During their breakfast, all three enjoyed themselves and laughed as well as explaining the origins of Jack¡¯s last name. During that conversation Linnea told Jack why it meant darkness, dating back to the times of humanity¡¯s near extinction; The dark ages. With the black death spreading across Europe, fear at an all time high, Norweigians created that name to label it.


    Hearing this made Jack question his last name and why his mother had it in the first place. He thought about it and asked himself why in normal American tradition he didn¡¯t take his fathers last name. Instead of getting a nice answer, again, he got more questions stacked on top of the never ending mountain top of his life. After breakfast was done Linnea collected all the dishes and washed them. As for the other two men, they decided to help tidy the place up by cleaning the table, dusting off lamps and damping the sofas. This felt odd for Jack since he¡¯s not used to cleaning up because he never had time to; his life¡¯s been too hectic for him to do basic chores.


    Jack felt relaxed and actually enjoyed doing the activity, reminding him once again how much he missed basic life. After their chores were done, Oskar reminded Linnea that it was time to go to church and pray. He asked Jack if he was coming.


    Jack replied, ¡°Of course, I got nothing else better to do.¡±


    His answer made Oskar smile. ¡°So I take it you¡¯re going to be my client for the day?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if you say so.¡± Jack said.


    Linnea rolled her eyes and went upstairs to get ready. The two men waited for ten minutes and she came back down, wearing a red velvet trench coat this time, which reminded Jack of someone with the same colour scheme. The three were ready and off they went, going outside to the freezing air that is Norway. Again, Jack can¡¯t help but gaze around the town for a moment to captivate the calm beauty he¡¯s surrounded by. Oskar had to smack his back to have him move and it made the young man chuckle.


    While walking to the church that Jack first caught eye to, just down the street, he saw the same two teenagers who confronted him yesterday going inside a store. Once they were close to the store, getting a closer look at what they were doing, he noticed them window shopping, pointing at some flammables and the one with black hair lighting up a lighter to stare at the flame, deeply gazing at it. The blonde one who got into Jack¡¯s face noticed the young man''s gaze and glanced at him, immediately making Jack squint his face.


    Jack stopped and had a staring contest with him. Oskar noticed and tapped Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oiy, you alright Jack, what''s up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s those kids, they look like they¡¯re up to no good, especially the one looking at us.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Oskar looked to his right and saw what Jack was talking about. ¡°Gah, why¡¯s he staring at us like that?¡±


    Jack squinted harder. ¡°Should I say something?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your time, Jack, they¡¯re probably involved with those pesky edgy brats in the metal scene.¡±


    Linnea came behind them and got both of their attention. ¡°Ahem, we¡¯re going to be late you dumb guys. Ignore the stupid kids and let us go pray.¡±


    The other teenager saw what his friend was staring at and he too made himself look tough. He stuck devil horns up and scrunched his face, mildly head bobbing. Jack smacked his lips and so did Oskar. The three were back on track and once they were out of town, on the dirt trail that Jack was on yesterday, the young man had to stop and lock his eyes at the magnificent view of the historic church.


    ¡°Look at that thing,¡± he muttered, ¡°it¡¯s haunting looking yet so captivating at the same time¡­¡±


    Linnea and Oskar didn¡¯t pay attention to Jack¡¯s stopping since they wanted to hurry up to get to the church. Jack took a step forward and the first church bell went off, scaring local birds and gaining the attention of crows instead. The sound that it created was distinct and sent chills down Jack¡¯s spine. The gathering crows landed on nearby trees and on top of the building, cawing. This made Jack feel excited. Whenever crows were present, throughout the years, he noticed it usually signalled that Mallory was watching or perhaps closeby.


    Jack glanced around, ¡°Mall-Mallory? Are you here?!¡± he said, ¡°please, signal that you''re listening.¡±


    Jack then brought his attention to one of the crows who was tilting and cawing. The young man nodded to it and at first, it seemed as if it recognised Jack, convincing him that it was a sign from her. It made him smile with relief but the crows casually looked away to another, cawing at it and flying off.


    ¡°Wait! Mallory! Are-Are you really¡ªlistening?!¡± he shouted.


    Sadly, the bird flew away, disappearing into the foggy sky. This made Jack feel sad and worried.


    ¡°Is my mind playing games with me? Or is she just¡­ messing with me.¡±


    Jack sulked his shoulders and looked again to the church. He heard his name being called out by Linnea who was waving at him up the hill at the entrance yard to the building. The young man acknowledged her shout out and glimpsed one more time to the trees at the birds of signalled death. He shakes his head at them and turns away to the direction of his new friends. Once he arrived, she asked why he stood there looking ominously at the trees? Jack didn¡¯t reply and walked past her, staring at the front entrance to the church.


    Now that I have a better view of this place, it¡¯s even more bone chilling to look at. Jack thought.


    Linnea''s shoulder bumped Jack while her arms were crossed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you acting so weird?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but keep his eyes locked to the brown wooden building. ¡°This place, it¡¯s giving me goosebumps I¡¯ve never felt before.¡± he mumbled.


    Oskar came by after he was talking with someone at the other side of the yard. ¡°You guys ready?¡± he asked, looking at his sister who looked annoyed. ¡°You alright, my sister?¡±


    She looked away and walked off to the front door. ¡°Your friends acting weird, I¡¯m gonna go pray not only for myself but for his sanity too.¡± She opened it and shut it behind her once she was inside.


    Oskar raised his hands, ¡°Okay, no need to be so angry.¡±


    Jack still hasn¡¯t come to his senses, ignoring everything around him. Hm, guess I should go in and see if inside will make me feel more uncomfortable. Better than just standing here and looking at it crazy.


    Oskar waved his hand in front of Jack¡¯s still face, snapping his fingers too. ¡°Ey, you okay? What, don¡¯t tell me you American¡¯s never seen a church before either? Bwahaha!¡±


    Jack came to his senses and rubbed his eye. ¡°My bad, it¡¯s just been awhile since I¡¯ve been to church, let alone stepped into one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a weird guy ey? Ah, nevermind that, come, let¡¯s go inside. Afterwards, we can take a nice walk into the woods.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds nice.¡± Jack said.


    Oskar nods and walks up to the door, holding it open for Jack. Jack walked in and was wowed by the interior. Never has he seen a church like this one. The chairs were handcrafted, dark oak wood, the lighting looked misty yet mystical, a giant window placed behind the priests stand, and the decor felt right out of a fairytale. Jack glanced at every classic portrait of Christianity''s history, especially one that stood out the most. It was a painting of three horsemen, wearing the iconic controversial crusader outfits, holding golden swords and the leader had long mildly tinted brown hair with golden eyes.


    ¡°His eyes look exactly like Williams¡­¡± Jack mumbled.


    Oskar was already seated next to his sister two rows down, leaving Jack alone to bask in his people''s history. He already knew he would do so. Jack then brought his eyes to the rows of benches, seeing that there were only a few people inside, quietly praying or staring at the giant crucified statue of Jesus Christ. As he walked down the red carpet aisle, his eyes scanning the room, someone in particular caught his dead fish eyes. In fact it made the young man gasp because they looked familiar to someone whom he knows.


    ¡°The back of the head, their hair?! It-it can¡¯t be¡­?¡± Jack muttered, ¡°Sa-Sa-Sarah?¡±


    The young man power walked to the second front row of the benches to get to the person. Once he got a good side view of the woman, he definitely was certain that it was his friend Sarah.


    ¡°Sarah?! Why are you¡­ how did you?!¡±


    The woman looked to her left and saw a confused young man staring at her. She raised a brow to him but slowly grinned at him. ¡°Sarah? I think you¡¯ve got the wrong lady, handsome.¡±


    Jack scrunched his face, ¡°Huh? Re-really?¡± He looked off to the side briefly. ¡°It has to be her¡­ I-I mean¡­¡±


    His whispering made the woman feel suspicious of him, enough to turn her grin upside down. ¡°If you wish to know my name, it¡¯s Samantha. Does that ring any bells to you, stranger?¡±


    Her tone, her eyes, her skin, the incredibly black hair, all resemble his friend. She also wore gothic-like clothing, but had a distinct long fur trim coat. It made Jack shiver, giving him chills, and sweat. He balled his fists and tried to control his emotions without freaking out as usual.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. I thought you were someone I knew, didn¡¯t mean to offend or make you feel uncomfortable.¡± Jack shook his head, ¡°Look at me, I¡¯ve gone so crazy that I was almost certain that you were her.¡± he whispered.


    The woman felt intrigued by Jack''s weirdness, and was amused. Her grin came back and she tapped the seat next to her, offering Jack to sit down. He was nervous but decided to. Once he did, her aroma immediately kicked off his hormones.


    She-She smells so good¡­ and being this up close to her, she one hundred percent looks like her, except for¡ª


    Jack¡¯s eyes diverted to her chest. She sensed his perversion and brought her finger to his line of sight.


    ¡°Up here, sir.¡± she said in a calm soothing tone. ¡°What¡¯s your name, stranger?¡±


    ¡°Ja-Jack¡­ Jack Samr, is my name, ma¡¯am.¡± he replied, gulping afterwards.


    She giggled and got closer to him. ¡°Jack Samr huh? Such a dark last name for a young man such as yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my mother gave me that name, ma¡¯am¡­¡±


    She giggled, ¡°you talk to me like I¡¯m old. I¡¯m only nineteen silly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, and I believe it. You just remind me of a friend of mine named Sarah.¡±


    She gripped her chin and smiled. ¡°Oh, Sarah ey? That¡¯s a cute name, I like it.¡±


    ¡°And you fully understand me too, which means you''re American, right?¡± he asked.


    She softly shook her head and winked at Jack. ¡°No you idiot, I¡¯m Norwegian but half, if you can guess the other, hehe.¡±


    Jack was about to reply until his head started to hurt, which made him twitch an eye and grasp it. The woman felt something inside of Jack, which brought out a gleam of wickedness inside of her eyes. She blinked to erase the suspicion and decided to rub his back and once her touch settled against his back, his headache exploded into a flash of red and black. At first he wanted to scream but after a second, it went away along with the mild pain. He felt calmer, more relieved, and less mushy.


    ¡°You okay?¡± she asked, resting her hands on her thick lap.


    Jack nods. ¡°Yeah, better if I say so.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful, you had me worried there, Jack.¡± she said as she winked again.


    ¡°It¡¯s so weird hearing you say my name, you sound too similar to my friend. Damn, it¡¯s spooky even.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I take this Sarah is as beautiful as I? If I¡¯m so similar to her.¡±


    ¡°On the same level. Your eyes, hair, skin, everything is on point¡­ besides the uh, chest.¡±


    She softly laughs and taps his arm. ¡°I don¡¯t think that was necessary to say, learn your manners, idiot.¡±


    Jack smiles, feeling fuzzy. It was like he was talking to his friend. Their conversation continued until the two siblings intervened. Oskar grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulder, making him turn round to them. Linnea had her arms crossed to him as she tapped her foot on the carpet.


    ¡°We thought we lost you, dummy.¡± Linnea said.


    Oskar shook his head but as soon as he was about to say something to Jack, his eyes were captivated by the seated beauty next to him.


    ¡°O, o, o, o, oh my goodness¡­¡± Oskar walked closer to her, and spoke in his language.


    He brought his hand out to her, kneeled and she only smiled at him. He continued talking like someone singing a love song to their crush. She raised her hand, waved and said something in response to his charisma, which made him sulk. He rose his feet in defeat but quickly smiled and laughed, walking away in a cloak of shame. Linnea rolled her eyes and apologised to the young lady about her brother¡¯s behaviour. She giggled and so did Linnea.


    Linnea grabbed Jack¡¯s arm, ¡°Now Jack, let us¡ª¡± but his phone that was alien to them rang, stopping her.


    It was loud and made a couple of people bring their eyes to him, confused by this rude interruption in their praying. Jack¡¯s eyes bugged out and he panicked, jolting out of his seat and running out the front door, leaving Linnea concerned and the young lady feeling more intrigued. Jack ran around the back of the church, and pulled out his phone, seeing the mastermind behind this madness calling him again.


    ¡°Wi-William¡­¡± Jack swallowed and flipped his phone open, answering. ¡°He-Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hey Jack, enjoying your time in the past so far my friend?¡± William asked, but he sounded genuinely polite.


    Jack furrowed his brows. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if you''re messing with me right now, but to answer your question, I-I am.¡±


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad actually. Although it would¡¯ve never occurred to me that you would bump into a carrier of Sin.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh? A what of Sin?¡±


    William lay back on his cloudy chair. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You¡¯re still oblivious to the real world, but that¡¯s okay! I don¡¯t mind telling you this, you ought to know it anyways since you¡¯re this deep in the shit of reality.¡±


    Jack glanced around and sighed, looking forward to the deep woods that were behind the church. ¡°Is this part of the trial? Or is it something you¡¯re willing to tell me.¡±


    ¡°No and yes. You definitely deserve to hear about carriers of Sin, but all seven of the deadly Sins. You''re Christian aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I-I was¡­ but I¡¯m questioning my faith as life goes on.¡±


    William softly groaned. ¡°Ah, understandable, but what do you know?¡±


    ¡°No-Not much, I¡¯ve only got a gist of what they meant.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and what can you remember, my dear boy?¡±


    Jack gripped his chin. ¡°I was only told the names but never the full details. If I remember, there¡¯s Gluttony, uh¡­ Wrath, shit. What else was there, hmm¡­¡±


    William chuckled, ¡°Pride, Sloth, Lust, Greed and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Envy¡­¡± said a soothing womanly tone.


    Jack quickly turned his head to the left, lowering his phone. It was the young lady who looked like Sarah that had spoken. She stood there, giving Jack a gentle smile. He stood there, silently observing more of her curvy features. Her outfit was in full display; her long black boots, her tight black dress and trim fur coat really gave off those gothic vibes.


    She¡¯s almost the same height as her too¡­ Wa-Wait. As Jack¡¯s eyes scanned her head to toe, he suddenly gasped. Could she be her mother?! No, no, impossible! We¡¯re in Norway, I¡¯m-I¡¯m probably just overthinking it.


    ¡°You alright there, Jack S-a-m-r?¡± she asked while bringing her hand up.


    Why did she say my last name like that? He thought.


    Jack squinted his eyes, looking away for a second. ¡°Ye¡­ah, so-sorry. I¡¯m just, just thinking of something.¡±


    She giggled, ¡°well, sorry if I accidentally intervened in your self conversation. I couldn¡¯t help but listen in and jump in as you were talking into that contraption, naming the seven deadly Sins.¡± She lowered her hand and giggled again. ¡°So I wanted to help you by saying Envy to name one of them hehe.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay? Um, why would you be interested in my conversation if I may ask?¡±


    William was listening to the two talk while he was left hanging. He rubbed his bristly chin, feeling intrigued by their interaction.


    I wonder if she can sense me¡­ if she can, then she¡¯s a great actor at playing clueless, heh. William thought.


    The young woman crossed her arms and looked to the forest, keeping that gentle smile on her face. ¡°It so happens Jack that I¡¯m a researcher that¡¯s on a mission; studying the core aspects of Christianity.¡± She turned her whole body to the forest, ¡°finding out more about the roots of every Sin, and their respected Virtues that combat those wretched feelings.¡±


    Jack listened closely, his face turning stone cold. ¡°Vi-Virtues?¡± he asked, taking a step closer to the woman. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    She briefly looked at him, gently sighed, ¡°Oh wow, you really don¡¯t know?¡±


    Jack shook his head. She grinned and flung her hair.


    ¡°Ready for a quick lesson, Jack? I¡¯m going to ask you some weird things that humanity has yet to fully explore but has ¡®debunked¡¯.¡± she looked at his still face, gently blinking, ¡°you ready?¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yeah¡­ please do ask.¡± he said, calmly.


    The trees in the forest creaked, rattled, a gentle gust of wind blowing leaves across their feet.


    ¡°Virtues are the combatants of Sin, and there¡¯s a total of seven.¡± she said, sounding serious.


    Jack squinted his face, ¡°do-do you know who possess Virtues and Sins?¡±


    The gust blew harder, making her hair blow across her face, and their clothes flutter. As her hair settled down, it revealed a wicked soft smile, one befitting for¡ª


    ¡°Do you believe in Witches, Jack?¡±


    Jack grew nervous, he didn¡¯t like her smile, and he was sensing something from her. A darkness which he never felt before. It made him trickle a drop of sweat off his face to the ground. She stood still, like a statue, her black outfit gently fluttering as she stared deep into Jack¡¯s soul with those bright crimson eyes.


    The young man balled his fists and took a deep breath. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t before, but after some life changing experiences¡­ I do, I do believe in Witches.¡±


    Her eyes grew sharp, a fierce glint had appeared while her smile grew more twisted. Jack started to shake, the sensation he was feeling from her grew more, and more. She slowly lowered her arms to her sides and brought her body to face Jack while keeping her eyes locked onto him. The young man¡¯s face mildly twitched as she stared at him, feeling her gaze scorch his soul.


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful to hear, Jack. It so happens there¡¯s a correlation between the two, and that¡¯s what my research is about.¡±


    Jack clenched his jaw, ¡°is-is that so? Could that be the reason you¡¯re here in this rural town?¡±


    The woman¡¯s glint grew sharper, and the giggle she gave off sent chills down Jack¡¯s spine. ¡°You could say that, Jack. The strange thing is, this town has some tie in with past Witchcraft.¡±


    ¡°Really? Do-do you have information to back that up?¡± he asked.


    The darkness seeping out her pores erupted behind her, engulfing Jack¡¯s vision with total madness. His own blackness that laid dormant inside of him felt afraid, wanting to tell Jack to run. It swirled, tickled his brain, trying to make it tremble to snap Jack out of her madness awe inspiring spell that made him freeze. She took a step forward, making the grass beneath her feet freeze and crunch. That twisted smile on her face hadn¡¯t changed, and Jack had become a permanent statue.


    She eerily raised her arm to her face, her balled fist gently opened to Jack. ¡°Would you care to join me, and take my hand to find out, Jack.¡±


    Jack gasped, and the blackness inside of him exploded, creating a misty barrier around his body. This enlightened the woman, making her eyes grow bigger with excitement, almost as if she knew this was going to happen. The woman gently blew at Jack, and once her breath reached him, it blew the darkness away, vaporising it. The young man felt the tar inside of him being killed off, lifting all his burdens off his shoulders. He felt so relieved that he could cry, and drop on his knees to let out a loud scream of joy.


    ¡°Wh-what did you just do¡­?¡± he asked, a tear swelling up on one eye.


    She simmered down her smile to an adoring grin. ¡°I blew away your burdens, Jack.¡±


    The young man dropped to his knees, ¡°what¡­ are you?¡± he said, his eyes still locked onto her.


    She looked down to him like an Angel. ¡°I¡¯m someone that can help you, Jack. A being who can not only give you what you desire, but answer the questions you have about your poor blackned life.¡±


    William immediately jumped out of his seat once he heard her say that. ¡°Jack! Whatever you do, don¡¯t you dare take her hand! You hear me?! Hello?!¡±


    The woman could hear the shouting through his device, and her blood red corneas bounced in its direction. She smiled again and could sense the being behind the phone, which made her softly moan.


    Once she looked back at the baffled young man, the darkness behind her wrapped around her like a blazing black rope of chains. It gently evaporated around her and the woman reached her hand out more to Jack.


    Her glare burned Jack¡¯s soul with gentleness and hypnotization. ¡°You have something inside of you that I like, and seem to be connected with people who might answer my questions on Christianity.¡±


    Jack grabbed his head, feeling conflicted. ¡°Wh-What do you mean? How can you help me?!¡±


    ¡°Jack, don¡¯t you even dare think of it!¡± William shouted, ¡°because if you take her hand, you not only will destroy the fabric of time¡­ but you¡¯ll pay dearly for your Sinful actions!¡±


    ¡°If you take my hand, all your questions will be answered, Jack.¡± she said, softly.


    Jack lowered his hands to his lap, and stood to his feet, seeming to have already made up his mind. He gazed at her with a look of pity, a look she anticipated. The woman¡¯s raven hair fluttered and she reached her hand higher to Jack.


    ¡°Jack! Don¡¯t you dare! Everything that you¡¯ll know will cease and you will face a hell like no other!¡± William said.


    Jack ground his teeth, clenched his fists and slowly raised one hand. ¡°What would happen, if I shook your hand¡­?¡± he asked in a pitiful tone.


    ¡°The peace that you seek will be answered and provided, Jack.¡± she blinked with arousement, ¡°join me on this journey, Jack Samr, and form the contract that I seek.¡±


    William grabbed his cane and pointed it at the screen. ¡°If you screw this up, I won¡¯t be able to fix this Jack! I can¡¯t defy God¡¯s orders! Don¡¯t you bloody shake that Witch''s hand!¡±


    Jack was blinded by the possibilities of peace and the answers that he seeked. His eyes turned blank and he carefully reached his hand towards her snow white hand.


    ¡°Peace, the peace that I seek, can be answered.¡± he mumbled, ¡°If I shake her hand, and she was able to easily blow away my Sins, then she can do more, more than¡ªWilliam¡­¡±


    ¡°Jack! NO!¡± William screamed.


    William watched as Jack¡¯s fingertips were inches away from the woman. Her smile turned vile and the forest cried, letting nature call out her devious actions from the wildlife that called it home. A storm was coming, dark grey clouds came running from the horizon, clapping the sky with might, letting the town know of a great reckoning was coming. A treacherous wind of black erupted from behind her, and her eyes started to glow violet, her black hair, the ends were withering away, revealing a fiery platinum colour.


    ¡°JACK!!¡± William rushed to the screen, ¡°STOP!¡±


    Jack groaned and was too blinded by his outcome to notice the horridness surrounding him. The young man''s life flashed before his eyes, everything, up till now was being burned away as her eyes consumed his soul. Angela screamed for Jack, Annabelle tried reaching for him, Veronica shouted for his name, but Sarah stood in front of him, looking him dead in the eyes, welcoming him to a new Era, an Era of Sin. Everything turned black and Jack heard one last person screaming to him, that being¡ª


    ¡°Mallory, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he whispered. His hand had reached the woman''s finger tips, and the two were about to lock hands, embarking the contract.

 Arc 4 Chapter 6: Learning Peace

    My desire, my¡­ desire, my ambition, the thing I seek, was almost in my reach! Having found the man that I thought would succumb to this desire, not only met the criteria, but had all the attributes I needed to finish my goal; fell short and bleak, costing wasted time. Alas, he was nothing but a mere fool, a fool in which I had to control with my own hands. His love and devotion were meaningful, but his pride as a man was weak. I need more, more to reach my goal, the one thing I¡¯m so envious of having, one all my colleagues have achieved or will do down the line!


    A woman with raven hair, a gothic dress lathered in red glitter, stood on a hill, overlooking a small rural town down a river stream. The hills coated in the last essence of winter, making the air moist and chilly. Her eyes as crimson as the blood flowing inside her body, a small shone of the sun had hit her, turning her into a sparkling Angel of darkness. The woman raised her hand to the sky, letting the small light tan her chalk skin, and feeling the rays of the sun warm the palm of her reaching hand.


    I¡¯ve searched for a decade after betraying, damning, shaming, humiliating the man who desired me. It¡¯s not my fault though, he didn¡¯t have what it took to be the one I seeked, but¡­


    The woman brought her gaze to the sky, raising her arms, reaching for the air, and closing her eyes. She felt nature coating her skin in a layer of chilliness. She slowly closed her hands, and abruptly reeled them, creating a chaos of wind blowing into the town, creating a fog of grey. The sky had turned dark grey, she opened her hands again, spreaded her arms as wide as she could, letting the sky cry tears of white. Nature called for her children to take shelter, animals taking cover inside the barks of trees as the woman stood amongst the blizzard chaos. She opened her eyes, smiling afterwards and brought her twisted gaze to the town, shooting her hands out to it, and bringing forth the destruction of the poor town. A landslide engulfed the town in a blizzard hell, creating wails of terror and pain that brought amusement to her ears.


    One day I¡¯ll find what I Envy so dearly, what I desire so intensely. And until that day comes, if I can¡¯t find what I most want!


    The woman¡¯s smile turned upside down, and she looked depressed. ¡°My burning desire will eventually turn me into the personification of a Sin¡­¡± She brought forth her hand to her face, staring at her palm, ¡°and if I do, I¡¯ll gladly scorch the earth until I get what I achieve.¡±


    The wild blizzard consumed the area entirely, leaving her the only living being left amongst the white hell. She collapsed her hand, and looked to the sky once more.


    I won¡¯t let anyone get in my way, but if I happen to be stopped by a force stronger than me¡­ then I¡¯ll also be glad to accept the fires of hell that¡¯ll welcome me with open arms.


    ¡°Even if that means burning for eternity.¡± The woman smiled and snapped her fingers, melting everything away and bringing back the life that was once there, but only nature, not anything man made. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault for thinking this way, I just can¡¯t help it,¡± she giggled, ¡°for now, I¡¯ll continue forward. To seek my mission and hopefully to achieve¡­ my dream!¡±


    The woman spread her arms out, letting the earth below her feet raise her to the peak of the sky so she could taste the clouds. Her hair billowed with the freshness of the clear clouds, her desire cackled out, echoing its passion across the blue skies. She continued to laugh and laugh, until her laughter slowly transitioned into soft whimpers, letting the earth know of her true feelings for the desire she most seeks; one she hopes to achieve, someday.


    ***


    The clouds continued to thunder, letting the town know of the storm coming. Linnea and Oskar ran out of the church, covering their faces from the intensity of the mysterious coming storm. Oskar glanced around, trying to find Jack while his sister called out for him. Oskar didn¡¯t have time to be calling out and potentially lose another tourist. He ran around, searching for the young man that eventually led him to peek around the back of the church. There, he saw two people standing, almost ready to shake hands. Upon further glance, he saw it was Jack and the gorgeous woman that were about to shake hands.


    ¡°Oiy! Jack! Is that you? Stupid American!¡± Oskar shouted.


    Jack quickly snapped out of his hypnotised state, and looked around, seeing the chaos. He lowered his hand and blinked confusedly. The roaring storm was brief to the young man, it mysteriously died down the moment the woman lowered her hand too and sighed. The young man appeared caught off guard as to why this happened, even giving the women a suspicious gaze.


    Jack stepped away and got serious. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t know what just happened, but! Mind telling me who you really are now?¡±


    The woman glimpsed at Jack¡¯s phone, still hearing the voice shouting to Jack. She was silent, glared back at the young man but again, sighed. She lowered her head momentarily, and as soon as her face was revealed again, she looked calm and happy.


    ¡°I already told you silly. I¡¯m a researcher, one that seeks the answers of this specific religion.¡±


    Jack wondered. Even in the brief moment he went empty, before that, she asked about the existence of Witches and more notably, that feeling of treachery that came out of her. When the young man wanted to ask more, Oskar came rushing to his side, grabbing his shoulder. He said something native which made the woman giggle and caught Oskar¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, didn¡¯t mean to say that in front of you.¡± he said to the woman.


    She flailed her hand to Oskar and wiped her eye. ¡°That¡¯s okay, no need to apologise, I was just having a small conversation with Jack.¡±


    ¡°During that weird storm that suddenly vanished?! Look, I¡¯m for shooting your shot or whatever, but during what just happened a moment ago!¡± Oskar swirled his hand, ¡°to me that¡¯s crazy as hell.¡±


    The woman shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m crazy, what can I say?¡±


    Jack brushed Oskar¡¯s hand off his shoulder, getting close to the woman again. ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    She grinned at Jack and placed her hands behind her back. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Jack took a deep breath, ¡°are-are you a¡­ Witch?¡±


    The woman stared in response to Jack. He felt a little regret asking her that question, feeling it was rude. It made him frown and moan. The two stared in silence while Oskar scratched his head and wondered what Jack asked her because his voice was too low for him to hear. The woman didn¡¯t fade her grin, instead she expressed a more genuine smile to Jack. She placed her hand on his chest, and gently tapped it. The woman walked away without saying a word, Oskar watched as she vanished from around the corner of the church.


    Jack turned around and was left flabbergasted. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a yes¡­ maybe?¡±


    Oskar grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulder, and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s okay Jack, handle your rejection like a man. I know, let''s take a walk into the woods as I mentioned. That¡¯ll help ease your mind.¡±


    Jack groaned and looked at Oskar. ¡°Rejection? What are you talking about?¡±


    Oskar smacked his tongue, shaking his head again. ¡°Damn, she rejected you that bad huh? Made you forget what it meant, what a shame.¡± Oskar let go and proceeded to walk to the trail that led into the woods, ¡°now, let us¡ª¡±


    The device in Jack¡¯s hand shouted, which made Oskar look around and feel spooked. Jack gasped loudly and walked off for a moment, telling Oskar he¡¯ll be back in a minute. Oskar flailed his hands to the young man and waited for him.


    Jack placed his phone against his ear, ¡°William, why are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°You stupid idiotic, ah! You were this close to causing a horrific catastrophe, stupid bellend!¡± William grabbed his face and grunted, ¡°how gullible of a man are you, really, my goodness¡­¡±


    Jack was still confused on why William was angry at him and did all that shouting. ¡°William, was she a Witch? Is that your reasoning for insulting me and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jack, just shut up, please¡­ you have me stressed out. You know what, I¡¯ll call you later, I need to cool off over your complete stupidity. I haven¡¯t been this crossed since Archard came close to revealing our secret to the public back in the mid 2000¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°But you said you''d only call me three times! You can¡¯t just hang up, wh-what about me?! And your stupid trials, huh!¡±


    William felt too crossed to even respond to Jack properly, instead he just grunted more and went back to his seat to self monologue while Jack listened.


    ¡°First it was my colleagues who made repeated mistakes for the past twenty years, created Sin, and funny enough¡­ Witches and demons have given me less of a headache since 2004.¡± William dragged his hand across his face, ¡°and now a stupid selfish doctor and his partner have tampered with the natural balance and this stupid boy can¡¯t help but be a desperate gullible fool for the answers he seeks¡­ believing anyone!¡±


    Jack moaned in anger, ¡°Uh, I¡¯m still listening, and here, William¡­¡±


    William chuckled and deeply sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t care Jack¡­ You have no idea how much shit I¡¯ve dealt with in the past 200 years. Fixing, solving solutions to the actions of¡ªMan! Heh, it¡¯s really sad.¡± He toned down his voice and massaged his forehead, ¡°I¡¯ll call you later, I need to take a breather before you really piss me off.¡± He stared at the screen and watched as Jack turned annoyed, ¡°until then, please find a way to cool off that hothead of yours, Jacqueline.¡±


    William had hung up, and the young man stared at his phone as it beeped. Jack felt annoyed, angry at him, feeling like William¡¯s burdens weren¡¯t comparable to his. Yet, Jack quickly realised that everyone has their own problems and William¡¯s been alive a lot longer than he has. He¡¯s seen more than Jack could ever think of, so the young man brushed his narcissistic feeling of pain away. He put away his phone and sighed, turning around to Oskar who stood at the entrance trail, talking to his sister who looked pissed off as well.


    Once Jack got over to the two siblings she shot her finger at him, aggressively. ¡°You, you¡¯re done! You¡¯re on your own after supper, you understand?¡±


    Oskar intervened, dropping her hand. ¡°Woah, no need to be so direct. We could¡¯ve¡ª¡±


    ¡°Okay, if that¡¯s what you wish for, then I¡¯ll leave once nightfall approaches.¡± Jack said, catching both siblings off guard. ¡°If it¡¯s to avoid any further trouble for you guys, then I¡¯m not going to argue the outcome.¡±


    Linnea dropped her angry face and Oskar remained chilled. She didn¡¯t mean to come off so aggressively but the fact that Jack didn¡¯t argue her outcome meant the young man had already seen this coming. She questioned if he¡¯s used to this type of treatment or is he a runaway instead of being lost like he claimed to be?


    Jack grinned at the two and nodded. ¡°Say Oskar, show me the woods, I would love to learn to ease this anger I have within myself.¡±


    Linnea puts her hand out before the young man can take another step further. ¡°Jack, look I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just if Oskar lost you¡­ then he would be a bigger laughing stock to our town. That¡¯s why I said what I said¡­¡± Linnea said, sounding sad.


    Jack understood her entirely, feeling sympathetic. ¡°No need, I¡¯ve caused a lot of trouble to a lot of people and it wouldn¡¯t be fair to do the same to you two.¡±


    Oskar tapped his sister''s shoulder and proceeded forward into the trail. ¡°We¡¯ll discuss this later, let me show this man our wonderful nature, and teach him something about Peace.¡±


    Jack waved to Linnea and followed behind Oskar. The two walked until they were no longer visible to Linnea¡¯s sight. She hugged herself and turned around but got spooked because the woman with raven hair was standing behind her the whole time, eerily quiet. Linnea backed away and spoke natively to the woman, sounding to be upset with her. The woman didn¡¯t say a word and continued staring deep into Linnea¡¯s eyes, creeping her out. Again, Linnea repeated what she said, and finally, the woman responded by saying three words which made Linnea¡¯s eyes bulge out.


    Linnea panicked and backed away more. ¡°No, it-it can¡¯t be¡­ I thought you were wiped out by¡ª!¡±


    ¡°The Exorcists? Many were, but not me. You¡¯re a sneaky girl, almost had me fooled. Reveal which belongs to my beliefs.¡±


    Linnea scrunched her face and dug into her shirt, pulling out a necklace with two medallions. One represented Christianity, the other Witchcraft. This made the woman furious but at the same time, amused. She smiled at Linnea and Linnea let the two symbols dangle around her neck. She bawled her fists and swallowed, staring her down.


    The woman clapped her hands twice and stepped forward. ¡°You sneaky Esper. No wonder you travel around so much, it all makes sense. In fact, you want to know what else is funny? And this involves your brother too.¡±


    Linnea furrowed her brows, ¡°What? What are you talking about¡­?¡±


    The woman giggled and tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m the reason for all the disappearances of the lost tourists, that¡¯s why.¡±


    Linnea growled and felt ready to sock the woman in the face. ¡°So it was you! You who made my people disappear!¡±


    ¡°Well it''s not my fault you wicked Espers wanted to find out the truth to that town''s vanishment. You all just kept coming and coming after me, one by one, getting in my way of my mission.¡±


    ¡°Oh! What could that possibly be?!¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes gleamed malice and she got closer to Linnea but she stood her ground. ¡°What I desire and what every woman dreams of having in the pursuit of happiness, my dear Esper¡­¡±


    Linnea moaned but kept her cool. ¡°I-I don¡¯t care, you just leave my brother out of it, you¡¯re the reason why he¡¯s a town fool.¡±


    The woman grew annoyed with Linnea, grabbing her arm. ¡°Huh?! How is it my fault when it was You! Who planned such foolish beings to hunt me down!¡± She reeled Linnea towards her face, ¡°you used your brother as a centre magnet to have them easily enter this heavy Chirstian environment.¡±


    Linnea crushed her eyes and didn¡¯t fight the woman''s words. What she was saying was true, and it impacted her so much that it made her shed a tear.


    ¡°I-I did, and?!¡± Linnea pulled her arm away from her grasp and massaged it, ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was you until now, I had to investigate the matter.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s side are you on?! You pray to both but seem more on the side of God than to the guardians that I pray to, Esper.¡± The woman grew suspicious of Linnea¡¯s title and gripped her chin, ¡°Wait, are you even an actual Esper? Or are you just their messenger girl?¡±


    Linnea frowned and looked away. ¡°Th-That¡¯s none of your business¡­¡±


    The woman rubbed her chin and circled Linnea to analyse her hypothesis. ¡°Hmph, so you are just a messenger. I can¡¯t feel anything within that body of yours; no mana, no energy, nothing¡­ what a shame, had me pumped for a second.¡±


    Linnea stayed quiet while the woman grew tired of their conversation. She yawned and walked up to Linnea again, grabbing her hand and staring up to her.


    ¡°If you were one of them then I wouldn¡¯t be able to touch you this easily without some sort of retaliation, right? But if there¡¯s one thing you did correct today, then it was telling that boy Jack to leave your house.¡±


    Linnea gasped, ¡°What do you mean, good thing?¡±


    The woman held Linnea¡¯s hand with both of her tiny hands and massaged it. ¡°It¡¯s exactly what I just said, girl. He¡¯s bad news, very bad news, a feeling of sorrowed darkness like no other¡ªbut!¡± The woman¡¯s eyes glowed and Linnea could feel her hand grow hot, ¡°I¡¯m much worse than any nightmare you¡¯ve ever dreamed of¡­ be glad you weren¡¯t one of them but just their stupid lookout/messenger!¡±


    Linnea pulled her hand away and rubbed it, watching as the woman¡¯s eyes glowed hotter. Her hair shot up, fire erupted around the edges, and eventually her body was engulfed by the inferno. The intensity of the fire and rays of the heat made Linnea cover her eyes, and once she felt the chilly air of Norway touch her face again; as she opened her eyes, the woman had vanished.


    Linnea grabbed her chest and shed another tear. ¡°A Witch that uses flames, is the worst of them all; the most dangerous and evil of their kind¡­¡± Linnea grabbed her medallions and stuffed them back into her shirt, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, brother for using you.¡±


    ***


    On the dirt trail, walking amongst a heavy fog, a draughty breeze sending chills across the body of Jack but not affecting Oskar, both men were on their way to a spot where Oskar loved to sit and bask with nature. Oskar walked over big root lines of trees with ease without looking while Jack tripped more than twice throughout the walk. During their now ten minute nature walk, Oskar hasn¡¯t said a word, rather, it was Jack making all the noise because of his clumsy nature. He felt tired, out of breath, the cold was mainly beating him down more than the walk itself. Oskar paused for a moment and brought his sight to some bushes to his left.


    Jack stumbled on another thick tree branch, ¡°Damn it¡­ hey, Oskar, where are we going, exactly?¡±


    Oskar turned around to Jack and pointed to the bushes. ¡°Follow me and you¡¯ll find out.¡± he went into the bushes, pushing through them and disappeared.


    Jack hugged himself and followed, pushing through the bushes and what revealed to him was a haunting sight of beauty. It was a small spot, but the area that it overlooked made the young man speechless; he could see the side of mountains, endless trees that were either skeletons or barely nourishing with the harsh climate. A cold spring streamed in front of them, never has Jack seen water this clear before. He could see his reflection just from where he¡¯s standing. Gazing to the sky, Jack could see the eeriness of it; the tainted blue sky filled with streams of grey with darkened clouds of concrete scraping the last essence of blue.


    Jack stepped forward and felt the wind more clear, the air fresher in this spot, which made him take in a huge breath. ¡°Wh-Where are we? It-it¡¯s absolutely breathtaking.¡±


    Oskar too breathed in all the air his lungs could hold, spreading his arms out. ¡°I know, wonderful isn¡¯t it? This is my spot of peace and freedom, I like to call it¡ª¡± Oskar brought his arms out forward, ¡°Dystopia!¡±


    Hearing the name he¡¯d given the spot made Jack give him a look of pity. ¡°That-That was lame, I was expecting something cooler to be honest. Like something in your language of some sort?¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck you American, at least I¡¯m not crazy and talks to some weird contraption, haha!¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes but chuckled alongside Oskar. The two men stared into the heart of nature, feeling cleansed of their sins, but Jack quickly frowned, feeling his sorrow return. He couldn¡¯t help but imagine doing this with his sister before her strange behaviour, and especially, with his friends he cared for.


    Oskar can see the cloud over the young man''s head. ¡°Are you reflecting there, my friend?¡±


    Jack kept quiet, keeping his gaze upon the trees and landscapes. He walked forward the crystal clear water and dug one of his hands into it, feeling his hand freeze. He ignored the frost pain and lifted a scoop of water, watching as it drizzled off and between his fingers. Jack for some reason, felt as if he¡¯s done this before, but not in his dreams that he remembers, nor any recent supernatural events; instead it was like he¡¯s done this in another life. It started to rock his mind, vibrate it and bring him down to a knee which made Oskar go to him.


    ¡°Hey hey, you okay? What''s gotten into you as of lately?¡± Oskar asked, lifting Jack back to his feet.


    Jack rubbed his head and stared at his freezing palm. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± it trembled and twitched, ¡°this place, it-it almost feels like I¡¯ve been here before, but why?¡±


    ¡°Oh Jack, I don¡¯t know what type of drunk you are but whatever it is it sounds better than Heroin.¡± Oskar chuckled.


    Jack dropped his hand and stared forward, and the word flashed black and white; seeing the forest covered in a deep snowy hell. Trails of smoke come out of the corner of his eyes, engulfing the area and turning the trees into ash. Jack blinked and saw his arm reach out, but tar and had blood pouring from his veins. This made Jack go into a panic, and Oskar had enough of the young man''s delusional weirdness. He smacked Jack and that was enough for him to come back into reality.


    ¡°Ouch¡­ that really stung, Oskar.¡± Jack said, rubbing his cheek.


    Oskar shook his head and wrapped his arm around the young man''s shoulders. ¡°Okay, I think it¡¯s time we teach you something I like to call, Fred!¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°F-Fred? Who¡¯s that¡­?¡±


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s pronounced, F~R~E~D!¡±


    Jack lifted a brow, ¡°F-r-e-d¡­?¡± he repeated but in doing so made Oskar laugh his butt off. ¡°What? Di-didn¡¯t I pronounce that right? What does it even mean anyways.¡±


    Oskar shot his arm into the woods, ¡°It means peace in my beautiful language, my friend!¡±


    The young man replied with an unmeaningful ¡°Oh¡­¡± that hurt Oskar¡¯s pride as a Norwegian. This made Oskar less enthusiastic about teaching Jack about peace but putting his pride aside, he felt that it was necessary to teach a youngster like Jack to not stress himself so much. With only knowing him for about a day, already, in that span Oskar has concluded that Jack has serious mental issues besides anger and stress. This also reminded him of his own problems with the town mocking him, getting on the same level of stress and delusion as the young man. The only advantage Oskar had over Jack was years of experience and this spot to relax his ageing mind.


    Oskar again took a breath and before saying anything, scooped one of his hands into the water stream. ¡°Alright Jack, first lesson,¡± he held the water the best he could but almost all of it fell or slipped through the cracks of his thick fingers. ¡°You see how still I was, but the water continues to pour?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes were on that water like a kid window shopping for toys. ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    Oskar raised his hand and swung it at Jack, splashing water at his face.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Jack shouted, wiping his face.


    Oskar wiped his hand while chuckling, ¡°That¡¯s your mind as it floods with all the stress you put yourself into.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t amused about having water being thrown at him without warning. But the young man kept his cool to hear Oskar¡¯s advice. He''s heard many but to the contrary, have never held any weight or given him enough motivation to take after their lessons. Being in a spot like this definitely personified this first lesson, due to the fact he showed an example of his actual flooded mind.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right¡­ I do stress myself, but for good reason!¡±


    Oskar sighed, ¡°but not for everything you dunce. Look¡ª¡¯ he scooped his hand again but this time raised his hand without keeping the water in hand. ¡°You see how I allowed the water to freely fall, by doing that I let go of the problems and allowed myself to embellish in a peace of mind.¡±


    Jack felt like a child with Oskar¡¯s demonstrations. ¡°Meh, you wouldn¡¯t understand the situations I''m going through¡­¡± Jack then murmured a thought into the back of his mind he¡¯s always stabbing himself with, Even if I told you, you wouldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Jack, I don¡¯t have to understand or have you tell me a sob story; we all have a story to tell, whether it''s the most depressing, agonying, perhaps the worst story to be told!¡±


    Oskar placed his hand on Jack¡¯s broad, stiffed shoulder.


    ¡°But what if it tops all of the above, Oskar?¡± Jack asked, sounding upset.


    ¡°You know, stories told either by relatives, parents, or things you¡¯ve watched on your box television by people with extraordinary lives¡­¡± Oskar dragged his hand down Jack¡¯s arm, tapping it. ¡°...Have gone through hell to get to where they¡¯re at.¡±


    Jack understood where Oskar was coming from, but he felt conflicted about his lesson. His life is a perfect example as to why he can¡¯t just take in his advice; the hell, the pain, never ending conclusions have all given him a reason to never have the time to relax and deal with his inner demons.


    The young man turned to the water, watching the stream flow. ¡°Oskar¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but even your advice won¡¯t change my mind.¡± Jack rose his eyes to nature once more, ¡°the roads, turns I¡¯ve dealt, overcome, but having a new roadblock to get around with at every stop; the life I¡¯ve lived thus far has given me justification to keep this stressful state.¡±


    Oskar felt the impact of the young man''s words that came out of his steamy breath. Just the tone alone in his voice sounded like a man who¡¯s faced and even experienced death alone. With that, Oskar has concluded to end his lessons of peace and leave the young man to deal with his demons. Only Jack alone could face them because no matter how many lessons or examples that Oskar might show him or what he says, it¡¯ll never change his current state of mind.


    Oskar spotted a rock and walked over to it. He sat on it and stared at nature for the time being. Jack wondered why he got quiet and decided to sit down. The young man walked up to him and came close to asking something but Oskar quickly shot his finger against his mouth. He quietly shushed Jack and pointed at the scenery, advising the young man to do the same. Jack grunted but understood his new friend, he too sat down just four feet away from Oskar. He watched alongside his new friend, quietly reflecting on his life, thinking of what will happen once he gets kicked out tonight. Yet despite the last bad thought, he understood and felt better about the decision, enough for him to close his eyes and listen to the water flow and birds chirping into the cold sky.


    The two men sat in silence, basking with nature, feeling the cool damp air bristle against their faces and hands. This went on for fifteen minutes until Oskar got up and let out a huge yawn, stretching as much as he could. He placed his hands on his hips and nodded to the forest, turning around to the bushes from where they came out of. Jack hadn''t noticed yet, he was close to falling asleep, that was until Oskar whistled loudly with his fingers. It made Jack¡¯s eyes explode and almost fall backwards. The young man looked over his shoulder and saw Oskar mocking him, then he winked at Jack and instructed him to follow suit. The young man grinned and got up, patting his pants and before walking off, taking one final look to the forest, not without another flash of that earlier illusion disrupting it. He quickly shook his head and followed Oskar, saying goodbye to the spot.


    As the bushes tumbled, settled with both men disappearing behind its thickness, a shadow lingered towards it. In the reflection of the clear water, a sea of red drafted in, and behind it was a woman''s face. She stood at the other side, near the edge, her red dress glittering and shone on the water. She stepped into the water, making it sparkle as she walked on it to get to the other side. Reaching where the two men were, stepping out of the water without a drop or stain of wetness on her gorgeous romantic red dress, the woman in red removed her red hood and revealed her mesmerising hair of personified blackness.


    She gently rose her hand and blew a kiss in Jack¡¯s direction, and murmured, ¡°Goodluck to you, Jack¡­ May God bless you, and Sarah,¡± and by saying that, a powerful gust of wind blew in his direction, fluttering her hair and dress.


    It was brief but powerful, enough for the two men who were walking back to the church to quickly look back at the direction. They saw the trees settle back in place while snapping, creaking from its violence. Jack felt something hot touch his cheek which made him rub it and raise a brow. Both men wondered what that was but were quick to rub it off and continue back on their walk. The woman in red expressed a gentle yet wicked smile and gently pulled her red hood back over her head. She collapsed her hands, said a prayer and turned to red sparkle dust, being blown away by the breath of nature.


    ***


    It¡¯s almost nightfall, a new night was brewing and the three were back at Oskar and Linnea¡¯s place, sitting by the fire and enjoying coffee with steamed buns. Earlier in the day when they got back to the church, meeting up with Linnea, they noticed how strangely spooked she appeared. Her brother asked numerous times what happened throughout that duration of them being gone but she would never answer but instead scolded him for losing Jack. When Jack asked she shoved him and called him a jackass which made him grunt in annoyance. Eventually, they stopped asking when their taste buds called for food, which worked in Linnea¡¯s favour.


    From then on, all they did was explore the town, Linnea explained more about the heavy Chirtian culture that ruled their town. That topic made Jack ask himself about that strange woman who looked like Sarah on her telling him about Witchcraft being connected to the town. He wanted to ask Linnea but thought it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate since he¡¯s already been getting on her skin too much, or so it seems to Jack. Towards the end of getting lunch, being toured through town, Jack was enjoying himself and actually felt sad about getting kicked out to a world he¡¯s still not used to. He questioned how he¡¯ll get through William¡¯s trial to get back to his time, but for now, the young man wanted to embellish this new memory he¡¯s sharing with the two siblings and for once, felt some sort of peace.


    The thought of him experiencing this peace made him laugh out of nowhere, which made the two look at him crazy. The two siblings looked at each other, shrugged and also giggled.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny, my American friend?¡± Oskar said.


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s humorous enough for you to laugh like that? Have you no shame, disrupting this Fred!¡±


    Jack set his coffee on the coffee table in front of him and rested his arms on his lap. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just the thought of what Oskar said earlier that came to mind.¡±


    Oskar clapped with excitement and pumped his fist. ¡°Ooo, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re actually taking my advice?!¡±


    Jack nods in response to his happiness. ¡°Yeah¡­ I am my friend.¡±


    Linnea glanced at the two, as if they were childish. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±


    The young man stared at the fire as it crackled and gleamed off his eyes, feeling his inner rage deflating. ¡°Peace¡­¡± he said.


    Oskar sipped on his coffee and nodded repeatedly, feeling proud of himself. ¡°Oh yeah, your brother did something right after all. And! I didn¡¯t lose him, eh eh? What do you say to that, my dear sister?!¡±


    She gave him a cold stare as she sipped her coffee, ¡°Yeah, you almost lost him twice but you know, I¡¯m just a petty bitch afterall.¡±


    Oskar lay back on his seat, disappointed in his sister''s words, but couldn¡¯t help and chuckle at her brutal face. ¡°Ah fuck you! I still love you though.


    Linnea remembered the woman''s words echoing in her mind, feeling guilt puncture her stomach. She fought the feeling and overcame them to smile back at her brother and raise her mug to him.


    Linnea brought her mug forward to Jack¡¯s line of sight. ¡°I love you too, brother. You know I¡¯m always proud of you for always trying.¡±


    Oskar also did the same and both siblings tapped their mugs. ¡°To a better future, and to our new friend who we¡¯re sadly saying goodbye to.¡±


    Both siblings looked at Jack who still had a grin on his face. He embedded this scene into his mind, hoping to not forget these two for being so kind to him in a place that¡¯s alien to him.


    Jack grabbed his coffee mug and joined in their salute, tapping theirs. ¡°Yeah, cheers to a better future.¡±


    All three were enjoying themselves, sipping and rejoicing near the fire until Jack¡¯s phone rang. He deeply sighed and set the mug down, telling the two siblings he¡¯ll be back before saying goodbye. Oskar swirled his finger near his dome to call him cuckoo, and Linnea replied by raising her thumb to him. Jack walked and got out the front door, closing it behind him and pulling out his phone.


    He flipped it open and answered, ¡°Yes William?¡±


    William was also sipping coffee and looked to be in a better mood. ¡°Jack Samr, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re in a better mood from what I¡¯m seeing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I am. Say William, about earlier, my bad if I angered you that much.¡±


    William was surprised to hear Jack apologise to him, enough for him to raise his mug to the screen. ¡°What¡¯s this? The boy of a million problems has a sense of accountability?! How magnificent! And I assume that it was all in the hands of one of your new friends?¡±


    Jack grins. ¡°You can say that, but they¡¯re kicking me out¡­ so I feel a little bummed out about it. But despite their decision, I think it¡¯s for the best given my track record of bringing problems.¡±


    William nodded to Jack¡¯s statement, but not without feeling the opposite of his made up mind. ¡°Well, I say that¡¯s good for both parties, but one of those siblings is trouble, believe it or not, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Really, how so? They both seem normal to mee, can¡¯t be Linnea. Unless you¡¯re talking about Oskar¡¯s problems with tourists.¡±


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s something completely different, a deeper problem, but this isn''t your time. So I won¡¯t tell you who, rather I¡¯ll leave you to guess.¡±


    Jack hates it when people tease him or don¡¯t reveal the issue at hand. It made him roll his eyes but didn¡¯t bother to ask further.


    ¡°Okay, I know this is our last phone call, so what are we going to discuss? A better explanation of the trials going forward, or perhaps answering more about earlier.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think I will continue our discussion from earlier. I¡¯d rather let the trials speak for themselves than have me spoil everything.¡±


    Jack coughed and thought it would be better for him to sit on a nearby bench rather than stand like a suspicious drug dealer waiting to sell to another lost soul. In a couple of steps he went to the closest bench and sat down. He was seated beneath a street lamp, allowing him to see the warmth inside of him being breathed out.


    ¡°Alright William, please explain more about these Sins or at the bare minimum, give me a glance into it rather than a glimpse.¡±


    William smiled and was more than happy to explain each Sin that man has committed through their dawn of existence.


    ¡°Gladly¡­¡± William cleared his throat, ¡°remember when I told you about you meeting a holder of Sin?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡± Jack replied, nervously.


    ¡°That woman, one day will turn into the embodiment of Envy; The feeling of insatiable desire.¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­at? She¡¯s a Sin?! But doesn¡¯t everyone Sin? Especially someone like me?¡±


    ¡°Of course Jack, but there are special cases¡­ horrific unnatural ones that throw balance off our world. Great catastrophes made by people who become the very embodiment of these particular Sins! And when one person transforms into this curse, they¡¯re humanity 80% of the time will be no more.¡±


    Jack lay back on the bench, ¡°that sounds wicked, but that 80%, you¡¯re telling me some people are able to keep their sanity even becoming such repenters?¡±


    William stared at the screen, seeming to be in a trance of remembrance. He gently blew air out his nostrils and also lay back on his chair, sighing, but not just an ordinary sigh, it was one filled with regret.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it first hand Jack, when it tears their minds apart¡­ or in rare cases as you said, the person is aware.¡±


    ¡°That sounds worst in my eyes. How many people in history have become these so-called holders of Sin, specifically Envy?¡±


    ¡°In our current time, she¡¯s the only one to exist as far as I¡¯m aware. But in our existence, there have been a total of five with two of those being repeated.¡±


    Jack¡¯s intrigued by this, and wonders who they might be. Co-could you say the Sins that have caused chaos.¡±


    William was hesitant at first, but grinned. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you who they were, that¡¯s something personal I wish to not discuss. But I¡¯ll gladly name the Sins that have brought the world to its knees. ¡°William raised his hand, ¡°The first to was Greed, repeated again two hundred years later, then Pride, Sloth, and lastly, the woman.¡± And with each saying of these sins, William lowered each finger, crushing his hand with anger.


    ¡°So Greed was repeated twice, then Pride, Sloth, and now, Envy¡­¡± Jack wanted to ask about the other three sins.


    It was very interesting for him to learn this and come to understand the existence of people like William. Yet more questions rose from the spirits he encountered, people who were dead but came back to talk to him, demons, and much more. All this was fascinating to Jack, it made him want to explore more of these Sins and actually made him believe in God if all this was true, but his hatred for him for leading him down this road still stayed despite the evidence. If William¡¯s here to help him not only make his life normal again, and get rid of the girl, in Jack¡¯s mind, that would make William God and not the one everyone believes in including the Exorcist.


    ¡°Has every Sin almost made the earth come to an end, as you say, William?¡±


    William lowered his hand and went into another trance, hearing screams, laughter, and scorching infernos rattling his eardrums. He blinked and rubbed his chin, sighing his past away.


    ¡°No¡­ just three of those have, but one event did destroy reality that you were oblivious to. Though that¡¯s something I can¡¯t speak about, it hits home and I¡¯m still trying to get over it.¡±


    Hearing this made the young man shiver in terror, and wondered when that happened. The fact William said the world has come to its end many times and actually did meet its end eventually made the young man question if she was better off killing off the human race, seeing as they were to blame for all these unnatural occurrences. Feeling sick to his stomach, the young man decided to change the subject back to the topic of the woman who he encountered earlier today.


    ¡°So the only holder of Sin alive today is that Woman?¡± he asked, fighting his bowls and swallowing to beat it.


    William returned his grin and let out air. ¡°She hasn¡¯t turned yet, but not even I! Have met this bearer of Envy, my dear boy.¡±


    Jack¡¯s confused now, letting out a ¡°Hagh?¡± and getting off the bench for a moment. ¡°But how? So you¡¯re telling me I¡¯ve met the first one before you have?¡±


    ¡°No no, that¡¯s not true. We¡¯ve both encountered her, but her actual true self, the nature of her Envious maliciousness has yet to come out for us to bear witness the wicked existence of that woman!¡±


    Hearing this made Jack more afraid of the woman, seeming relieved and thankful for Oskar for stopping him from shaking her hand. ¡°Holy fuck¡­¡± he said, which made William clear his throat loudly. ¡°Oh sorry, but has anyone ever met her? The actual entity of Envy?¡±


    William chuckled, ¡°Yes, in fact you¡¯ve already met him.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Who?¡±


    ¡°My dear friend and right hand partner, Archard, alongside our five other members.¡±


    Jack gasped loudly, surprised to hear that there were others beside the two. ¡°Woah, wait wait, there¡¯s five more of you guys?!¡±


    William nods and chuckles beneath his breath. ¡°You have much to learn and see my dear boy, but yes. There¡¯s not only just five more but many. A total of a hundred spread across the world.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve-You¡¯ve got to be joking¡­ so¡­ they¡¯re just as powerful as you two, who amongst those one hundred are the strongest?¡±


    William¡¯s eyes glared and he stood on his feet, grabbing his cane. ¡°No one is as powerful as I, Jack Samr. I''m not just an Exorcist hired by those two daft fools who¡¯ve made your life complicated, but I am their leader and founder.¡± He pointed his cane to the screen with Jack turning pale, ¡°I am the most powerful being to ever exist in reality besides God and his Son! I am William H. Christ the Sixth, the bestower of balance and an apostle to God!¡±


    This made Jack¡¯s heart race tenfold, feeling his powerful words strike his eardrums and hitting his brain a dozen times over. Jack was afraid of William already, but after hearing all this, and truly understanding the magnitude of his status and power, it made his fear for William a permanent feeling.


    Jack slowly sat back down and grabbed his head, ¡°How can someone like you exist? It just doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ you¡¯re like something out of a fictional book, the shows my sister watches, and the comics she reads.¡±


    The young man scratched his head and really thought to himself that there was no other way of beating this guy other than to follow his commands, and every action. This made him so upset that it actually made Jack throw up, feeling all the other problems seem miniscule compared to William.


    William felt he got too carried away and lowered his cane, shaking his head in amusement. ¡°Sorry for scaring you more, Jacky boy. And I don¡¯t blame you for throwing up, it¡¯s not the first time someone reacted like that to my existence.¡±


    Jack wiped his mouth and gagged. ¡°It-it¡¯s not only that, it¡¯s the fact there¡¯s no way in hell I-I can take you on or find a way to beat you¡­ it¡¯s sickening to think there¡¯s not a chance of beating someone so unfair.¡±


    William laughed and sat back down, slapping his knee. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I like about you Jack is that attitude of yours. You¡¯re strong and blunt!¡±


    ¡°Yo-You¡¯re giving me too much credit here¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but what you still have wrong Jack is that I¡¯m not the villain here. I¡¯m far from it; yes I introduced myself a bit too aggressively, but Jack¡­ I really am here to help not only your mentality, your life, but that girl who¡¯s seemingly made your existence a blackened hell.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ Ma-Mallory?¡± Jack murmured.


    ¡°Oh, is that what she calls herself, hm. Nevermind that, listen Jack, there¡¯s more to her than meets the eye. She¡¯s no ordinary apparition, she¡¯s¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Jack¡¯s phone cut out and beeped. The young man looked to the screen and saw it static, leaving him troubled. He closed it and reopened it, and redialled his previous call, but it did the same thing again.


    ¡°What the hell just happened? Why did it cut out, no no no¡­ he was about to tell me more! Why-why did it cut out!¡±


    Feeling troubled about the situation, he rubbed his forehead and got up, looking up at the street lamp. He felt bitter and angry about the phone, so much so he wanted to break it, slam it even on the ground. But his mind quickly told him that this was the only scapegoat to solving the powerful man''s trials. His only tool to get back to his timeline. Jack walked away, going back inside to the siblings home who saw his distraught face. Linnea was just collecting the mugs and Oskar was reading the paper.


    She got the last mug and approached Jack. ¡°Everything alright? You look more upset than ever before.¡± she felt that it was her fault, mainly for kicking him out into the cold to wander without a guide. ¡°Listen, you-you don¡¯t have to go tonight, you can stay here¡­¡±


    Jack slightly grinned and walked over to her to tap her shoulder. ¡°No, that¡¯s okay. I appreciate your change of heart, but it¡¯s best I leave.¡±


    Oskar set his paper down and deeply grunted. ¡°Oh boy, something''s ruffling your feathers and it has nothing to do with my bitchy sister''s decision.¡± He looked to Jack, concerned again for his mentality. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, my friend?¡±


    The young man kept his composure and grin, glanced at the two, feeling sad to say goodbye. It was for the better though, he can¡¯t allow the two to get into his business and potentially have them caught up in the shithole he¡¯s dug himself in.


    ¡°You worry too much for someone you¡¯ve only known for two days, Oskar. And Linnea, I¡¯m sorry for causing trouble for your brother, thank you, both of you for your hospitality.¡±


    Linnea sighed and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for acting too bitchy. Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay? You said you¡¯re lost, I don¡¯t want to hear bad news about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather it be that way than have your brother be blamed for my disappearance. Besides, I¡¯ve been in worse situations than being lost in some town. I¡¯ll be okay, I¡¯ll find my way back to my group.¡± Jack said.


    Oskar got up from his comfort and went up to the young man, giving him a bro hug. ¡°He¡¯ll be okay Linnea, this young boy¡¯s seen hell like no other. He has the eyes of a dead man, this might be for the best of his fucked up mind.¡±


    Jack gently pushed Oskar off, ¡°Hey¡­¡± all three laughed and the young man nodded to them both. ¡°I won¡¯t forget you two. I¡¯ll be telling my friends about this and my sister as well. Your kindness will not be forgotten.¡±


    The two then hugged Jack and said something in their language. When he asked what it meant, the two let off, Linnea¡¯s eyes sparkling and Oskar¡¯s smile giving off light, in unison they said, ¡°May God Bless You!¡± It made him smile and feel less stressed about his situation. Their blessing sounded meaningful and left such an impact that it made Jack almost quiver with nervousness. He played it cool and waved to the two, walking back to the door and before leaving, he took one last look at them. They both waved at him and he turned around to the dark town street, closing the door behind him.


    ¡°Goodbye, you two.¡± Jack walked off, about fifteen feet away, but Linnea quickly came out, shouting his name. ¡°Yeah?!¡± he shouted back.


    She reached into her shirt, pulled out the Christian medallion and stared at it. ¡°He might need this more than I do¡­¡± she muttered, closing her hand on it and praying something as Jack stood in the dark wondering.


    Jack was about to shout again until he saw her throw something and he quickly caught it. He looked at it near a street lamp and saw the holy relic glisten. Once his eyes were back to Linnea, she had already walked back inside, leaving him alone to ask what she just threw to him. Seeing that it was something belonging to the church, he was surprised to not have his hand burning, but quickly realised this only happened to items belonging to people like William. Jack smirked and tucked the good luck charm into his pocket and walked off into the night, and didn¡¯t look back for a while.


    He wanted to look back one more time, feeling so thankful for them. He had to, just to pay more respect and to never forget them, but once he did, he saw someone standing beneath the street lamp where he was sitting on the bench, talking to William before mysteriously being cut off. He wondered who it was, but couldn¡¯t make out the shape. Whatever they were wearing, it sparkled brightly beneath the yellow light. He squinted his eyes and once he blinked, they vanished, which made him produce a loud, ¡°Tch¡­¡± and he returned back to his walk.


    As he reaches the edge of the town, he¡¯s once again back on the dirt trail that leads up to the church. ¡°Where do I go now¡­ I¡¯m back to square one. And it¡¯s still cold as shit,¡± he reached into his pocket, flipping open his phone. ¡°William, what the hell happened.¡±


    The young man stared at his phone, waiting to see if it''ll change or ring at the least. Then, it came to him, a thought which made him sweat and almost go into a panic.


    Hold up¡­ he said he¡¯d only call me three times! Which means, I¡¯m-I¡¯m stuck, and he won¡¯t talk to me until I solve this trial!


    ¡°Damn it all¡­¡± Jack muttered. ¡°What the hell do I do now man, what could this first trial possibly be!¡±


    The young man tried redialling William but to no unveil, it went static. He angrily closed his phone, repeated this process five more times until his attention was caught by two outlined figures lurking within the darkness, walking up the hill. He raised a brow and quietly put his phone away, seeing who it might be. Jack followed the two shadows and upon further observation, he recognised who they might be.


    ¡°It¡¯s those two edgy guys¡­ the one with black hair and the blonde one.¡±


    He questioned what they were doing out at this time of night, alone. He made sure they couldn¡¯t catch him as he followed them up the hill because once they got the chance to stop just for a moment, they would scan their surroundings. So he hid near trees and bushes to stay hidden. Jack followed and followed until the blonde one ran ahead of the black hair teen, leaving alone but not on purpose. It appeared he was running ahead to get something from how the black haired one pointed and said something in their language. He stood there and looked to be waiting on a cue from the blonde teen.


    The young man was hidden in the shadows of darkness, behind some trees and hoping bush to bush. ¡°What are they up to? Where''s the other guy?¡± Jack whispered.


    This went on for almost fifteen minutes of Jack staring and the one teen standing, practising air guitar. Finally, something happened, a whistle was created to which he responded by quickly running up the hill, disappearing from the horizon out of Jack¡¯s sights. The young man quickly ran after his tail, but soon after, he accidentally tripped, falling on his arm. He quickly got up and once he patted himself down, he heard a whisper in the wind, making him erratically glance around. They whispered, ¡°Jack¡­¡± and it was the voice of a soothing mature woman, one he¡¯s heard of before. It made him breath heavy and prepare himself for anything supernatural, but as that voice quickly came, it vanished away.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Jack said, walking back to the main trail. ¡°Not now not now, I was just on their asses. Fuck, I hate being caught off guard like that.¡±


    The young man rubbed his arm and brought his gaze forward and saw hellfire being spawned from the horizon of the hill. The fire reached into the black sky, puffs of black smoke going into the atmosphere of the once clean air now being polluted. Jack ran up the hill, as fast as he could, and once he reached the top, he saw the church in a fiery blaze. He couldn''t believe his eyes; the place that was beautiful and awe inspiring was being burnt to a crisp. He felt livid by this site, he wanted to find out who did this and lord and behold, his eyes were set on a familiar backside, that being the teen with black hair throwing up devil horns and basking in the glory of the church burning.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Jack shouted to him, making the teen turn round to face him, ¡°what the hell have you done?! Why-why would you vandalise and do this to your town''s only relic of prayer?!¡±


    The teen looked displeased seeing Jack but also appeared afraid, concluding that he was caught and being ratted out. He said something in his language and flipped Jack off, most likely cursing at him. Jack was angry and approached him, balling his fists and the teen readied himself, getting into an noobie fighting pose. Quickly he rushed Jack like a bagger, but the young man dodged and kneed his abdomen, bringing him to a knee.


    Jack grabbed him by the collar of his leather jacket, bringing him up to his face and seeing black makeup on it. ¡°What are you dressed as, a clown?!¡±


    The teen replied, heavily grunting as he tried fighting Jack¡¯s intense grip. The young man replied also by punching him in the abdomen and throwing him on his butt. The fire grew more intense, blowing hot air at the two as wood began to fall on the ground. Jack covered his face and the teen tried getting up but he was groaning in pain from Jack¡¯s power punch. The young man didn¡¯t want to kill him, instead capture him to show the people of the criminal behind this arson.


    The hot air blew Jack¡¯s clothes as he towered over the teen who grew in a panic. ¡°I knew you were fishy the moment I bumped into your friend. I know bad people the moment we meet eyes.¡± Jack took a step forward, the teen panicked and crawled away as fast as he could, ¡°not so tough now like you were doing back at the shop, right?¡±


    The teen raised his hand, stopping Jack in place. He began pleading to Jack, which made him smack his lips. Once Jack was about to take another step, he felt something hit his back, which made him cringe in pain and stumble forward. He turned around to the ground, seeing it was a rock that was thrown at him.


    ¡°Who did that? Son of a¡­¡± Then his eyes locked onto the teen with blonde hair, glaring back at him with a gasoline can in his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get my hands on you too!¡±


    The blonde teen didn¡¯t respond and instead spun around, giving momentum to his arm and throwing the can at Jack. Jack got to the ground and the can hit the burning building, rupturing and erupting a small blaze that headed towards them. The black haired teen got up and ran away as fast as he could to avoid being burnt alive, but Jack didn¡¯t allow him to get far. He grabbed the rock and threw it at him, plunging him back on the cold ground face first. The blonde teen went to Jack throwing a punch and landed one. Jack retaliated, giving him a huge uppercut that made him fall on his back.


    Both teens groaned and Jack stood on his feet while the hellfire behind him was at its peak, turning the sky darker and raining ash. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you two are caught and get the proper justice you deserve for doing this.¡± He glanced at the blonde teen who got up to a knee, ¡°you on the other hand, you¡¯ve got the eyes of a future killer. I think it¡¯s best you get the bigger blame for this than your scrawny friend.¡±


    The blonde teen brought his head up, glared into Jack¡¯s dead eyes and ground his teeth. Jack deeply sighed and started approaching him. As he did, another rock was thrown at him by the black hair teen, which made him livid. Jack turned his attention back to him, shouted, ¡°Enough!¡± stabbing his finger in his direction. He kept his eyes on him for a little longer to make sure he wasn¡¯t being sneaky again or seeing if there were anymore rocks around him.


    ¡°Good, now sit the fuck down while I beat the leaving shit out of your friend.¡± Once Jack turned around, his body nudged, and he froze. ¡°Wh¡­at? Di-did¡­ you¡­?¡±


    The blonde teens eyes were bugged out, he was sweating and looked more surprised than Jack. He gasped repeatedly and whimpered, seeming regretful of his action. He backed off and Jack saw what he had done. There was a knife embedded into Jack¡¯s bowls, spreading red across his blue shirt and sending chills all over his body. The young man gagged blood and collapsed to his knees, hovering his hands near his fresh wound, bringing his gaze to the panicked teen.


    As the teen stood there in a paused, scared state, his friend came to him, grabbing his arm and telling him something then started pulling his arm. They were both in a state of panic and didn¡¯t want to face their consequences. The two ran away with their tails tucked between their legs and left Jack to die. The young man watched as they ran off into the darkness, leaving him to bleed to death and face eternal black by himself. The sounds of the fires crackle, the building slowly withering away, wood falling on the ground one by one, coming closer to the young man''s vicinity, made him feel more vague than ever before.


    ¡°Why¡­ why this?¡± Jack murmured, ¡°Th-This can¡¯t be¡­ part of the¡ªtrials!¡± Jack coughed out more blood and fell on his side, letting his warmth spill on the ground.


    He shut an eye and gripped the cold grass with one hand while the other held the grip of the knife. The tower that overlooked the town was moments away from collapsing, and Jack could hear it slowly brittle away to come falling on him. He didn¡¯t want to look at the burning building; this way, he could ignore death and not look it in its eyes. Instead he wanted to keep his eyes to the lit up town, remembering his new friends and the lesson of peace.


    Am I going to die¡­ here? Without getting back to my time, I-I can¡¯t believe it. Jack thought.


    The tower limped and the last wooden frame that held it in place had snapped, collapsing the tower within itself and falling to the side towards Jack¡¯s dying body. The young man gripped harder, hearing the scorching wood come at him, feeling the heat get closer, and one of Jack¡¯s eyes watered. The tear fell off his face and touched the ground, and Jack accepted his fate. The tower crashes onto Jack¡¯s body, squishing, burning his body into overcooked meat.


    The young man''s vision turned black and red, and before death cut his life support off, he heard someone; a woman''s voice, the same one whisper into his burst eardrum that made its way into the last wave of his brain, ¡°May God bless you on your new journey, Jack Samr¡­¡± Flashing the darkness into white and red to eventually leave his vision printed with a permanent white void with red sparkles to float about.

 Something I shouldve done years ago before joining royalroads for Always Together.

    I should''ve done this from the start, before publishing Arc 2. I''m going to publish all of Arc 1 of Always Together on here, and my apologies for not doing it from the start. It''s not fair to my new audience on here to the sperate audience I have on Instagram. This was something I''ve been aware of for a long time and I have to do it. It doesn''t matter if I gave half the story read for free when the rest is behind a paywall to people who were never aware of it in the first place. I''m someone who can take accountability and own up to his actions. Every criticism and message I''ve received I''ve taken to heart to better myself as a writer and to make this story a success. Since the beginning, publishing first on Amazon, I thought it was good enough to be published without a taste. That hit me in the face harder than Mike Tyson throwing a hard straight at it. I then did the half to read way but it was too late. My friend told me about this site and how I can grow my story, which I did but not the right way. Again, this is my fault for not doing it, and I accept the consequences. I will like to ask if that''s okay and doesn''t harm this sites policies or is it too late? If it''s fine then I''ll be publishing half of it tomorrow and the rest Monday because of how much I work. Thank you and I can''t wait to show you more of this story and see the progression that''s ongoing, cheers to the future of Always Together; even if it makes you cringe in the beginning, haha.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

 whats going on behind the scenes. currently.

    So, where is chapter 7 for Arc 4? well it''s almost ready and should be out hopefully if times on my side by Monday. There''s some things in my way that I have to take care of. I''m also writing my other story, also explaining the long wait for Chapter 7. All the advice I''m taking into account, fixing some of my grammar not all but perhaps enough, with that being said, I feel confident that Chapter 7 will show more of my progression.


    I also wanted to announce that Always Together will have its first Shonen fight illustrated! The fight that won the most votes, voted by my Instagram community was Sarah Vs Mallory, first encounter.


    I will post the fight here also to show you guys the awesomeness that I''m working alongside my artist. But I have a question to ask all of you; would you rather have it posted here, on my website, or a link to my instagram? what do you guys think? i don''t mind any option but I''m curious to know where it would be most comfortable for you my friends. I definitely want to do more illustrations of my series and post it for you guys, but working 60 hours a week and having finance troubles sure has put a hold on that.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    I was financially stable enough to balance everything out when I first published volume one in 2021, but after my accident that almost cost me my life, it ruined me financially. So I haven''t had the opportunity that much last year in 2022 to make much art for Always Together. I have tons of it that I would love to show you, but I think that might ruin some of your visuals of the characters in your minds. Every character has been drawn except for Eric, Mathew, Dr. Cato, William, Archard, etc. Hopefully this year I''m luckier to earn more and put more money into my series again so I can show more and focus more on it. Currently I''m doing my best to balance life to make it possible to still post chapters; I''ve come too far to give up nor do I ever plan to anytime soon! Thanks guys and let me know what do you think I should do about the fight postage and your thoughts on me posting exclusive art? I''d love to know and hear anything from my favorite audience here on Royalroads!

 Arc 4 Chapter 7: Reconciliation Of The Past—Part 1

    ¡°I-I¡­ I lost him¡­¡± William said, his face dismayed.


    His partner Archard had returned from controlling the chaos that was ensuing from earlier. He patted himself along with wiping off smears of smoke on his cloak when he saw his master''s back trembling.


    ¡°Sir William, I¡¯ve returned from subduing¡ª¡±


    ¡°I lost him! How, how in blazes did I lose Jack?!¡± William shouted, raising his arms to the air. ¡°He was right there! I watched the young man confront that bastardly teen! Then my damn screen went misty for hours¡­ and it still is!¡±


    Archard came over to his master''s side, wondering why he was so upset. ¡°Uh, Sir William, what do you mean you lost Jack?¡±


    William shot his right arm to the misty screen. ¡°There, you see it, right? The bloody screen!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I do see the screen that shows emptiness, Sir. Wh¡­at happened? If you don¡¯t mind me asking to not piss you off any further.¡±


    William ground his teeth, the holiness inside of his righteous body wanted to spill Sin out his mouth. Every word possible to curse and damn his creator was close to exploding out. Feeling damned and responsible for the disappearance of Jack Samr made William mad enough to show a glimpse of his anger. An Aura of ghostly white expanded out of the lines of his body, swirling around like smoke, twirling gently around William¡¯s vicinity.


    Archard felt the hairs on his skin beneath his heavy clothing rise in fear. ¡°Sir¡­ William¡­¡±


    It¡¯s been awhile since Archard¡¯s seen his master this angry and especially, a glimpse of his might. Seeing William ready to explode made Archard quickly spring in front of him to get his attention.


    ¡°Sir William, please cool down! Whatever¡¯s angering you can easily be resolved by your mightiness.¡±


    William took a deep breath but his might stayed visible for Archard to stay in fear. ¡°You think I didn¡¯t try that? My dear friend¡­ I did everything that God has bestowed upon me to find what has gotten in my freaking way.¡±


    Archard¡¯s face grew more dismayed than his master did earlier. The glands in his body started pouring, drenching his holy clothing in his scare. Watching his master battle his emotions made Archard back away to not get in his way, but being his closest friend, he had to calm him down.


    ¡°William, please¡­ I don¡¯t like seeing you angry. It¡¯s not you.¡±


    William took another deep breath but his anger showed no signs of disengaging. Instead the hotness inside his body blew out beneath his feet, forcing Archard to cover his face. The sheer intensity from the brewing wind that Archard was feeling is enough to melt the skin off a normal person''s skin. For Archard to endure it, this showed that his master was trying to cool his anger, otherwise he too would¡¯ve fallen victim to the heat.


    ¡°Sir¡­ William!¡± Archard shouted, blocking the continuous wind as it was beginning to push him back.


    William raised one of his hands and balled it, crushing his annoyance of his own responsibility in front of his arched eyes. ¡°I look away for one bloody second and something¡ªor someone has intervened in my plans! Fornicating, defecating all over them! Who¡­ who, in the name of all God¡¯s protectors, watchers, has he sent to block me from fixing this lost lamb''s soul!¡±


    William¡¯s anger did everything that it could to rupture out of his body. The holy aura around him expanded, creating a magnificent display of the universe if it were in heaven; his eyes glowed a mixture of holy white and gold, an intense pressure greater than that of matter from a neutron star brought Archard to his knees, collapsing to face down.


    Archard did his best to lift his head to look at his master. ¡°William! Think of what you¡¯re doing! Think of¡­¡±


    William clutched his head, and his aura slowly transformed again, sparkling around, glittering the dimension that they were in. The intensity, the rawness of his might began shattering the world that William created like the most fragile glass. Archard slammed his fist on the ground, it too cracked like thin ice.


    Archard took in a breath of air and with all his lungs could hold, he yelled, ¡°THE PROMISE OF¡ªHER! WHAT WOULD SHE THINK?!¡±


    Those words struck William like a harpoon, piercing his heart. It worked and distinguished the roaring madness of his emotions. His world molded back together, gravity went back to normal allowing Archard to get up on his feet, and William''s might had vanished.


    William felt ashamed and embarrassed about losing his cool. Normally it would be Archard that would be this hotheaded, but in this situation, this was something that the great William H. Christ couldn¡¯t let dwell. It had to be shown otherwise he would¡¯ve fallen into the hands of delusion.


    Finally feeling composed, William was ready to answer his partner. ¡°I apologise for my immaturity there.¡±


    Archard patted himself and blew out relief along with his breath. ¡°No need¡­ it¡¯s just been awhile since I¡¯ve seen you that angry, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. To finally answer your question, I did lose Jack; Rather, an inconvenience has intervened in my trials.¡±


    ¡°What inconvenience would that be? Knowing you, you would never allow anything to get in your way. I mean, who in their right mind would try, you¡¯re the greatest being alive!¡±


    ¡°No need to put me in that much appraisal. Remember I¡¯m still human, well, barely. In other words, I have to sit back and wait till this occurrence goes away¡ªnaturally¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Naturally? What does that mean?¡±


    William felt hesitant to answer. This occurrence made him feel sick to his stomach, almost gut wrenching. It felt like a slap in the face to someone who he¡¯s praised for as long as he can remember since being alive. He almost feels distrusted and betrayed from the actions that are being displayed before his eyes.


    ¡°Whoever is intervening is close to God. An entity whom I¡¯m not familiar with.¡±


    Hearing this answer made Archard¡¯s jaw drop. He can hear the hurt in William¡¯s voice. ¡°No no no¡­ that can¡¯t be. That would mean that God doesn¡¯t approve of what you¡¯re doing. It¡¯s like he sent one of his people to watch over your actions personally.¡±


    William deeply sighed, and diverted his eyes back to the screen. ¡°Who knows my friend¡­ who knows.¡± He squinted his eyes and balled his fists, ¡°despite this, there¡¯s something fishy about it¡­ whoever this being is; They have a smudge of Sin stained on their righteous soul.¡± he whispered.


    Even if they¡¯re closely tied with God from what I¡¯m sensing¡­ there¡¯s something ominous of that other detained feeling I felt. Whoever they may be, I can feel we¡¯ll be meeting¡ªsooner than later.


    Archard turned around to the screen, watching it with his master. Even though he can¡¯t sense what William is feeling, Archard knew there was something wrong with this situation. The two Exorcists stood there, watching, wondering what on earth happened to Jack Samr; Where could he be? What happened to him? But most importantly, if the boy¡¯s alive and hasn¡¯t succumbed to what William is fearing, death.


    ***


    Feeling small finger tips tickling his skin, a gentle breeze blowing on his back, Jack Samr was laying on a grass field in the middle of nowhere. The sky was dark, grim, sad, a damp of darkness shadowed on the grass with a touch of chill that made Jack¡¯s hairs stand. The young man opened his eyes and immediately got on all fours, coughing, grabbing his stomach. His breathing frantic, his face as pale as snow, he soon realised that he was alive and not burned to a crisp.


    Sitting on the back of his legs, Jack glanced around in disbelief. ¡°Wh¡­at happened? Where am I now?¡±


    Jack could hardly see, all he saw were black shaped objects and from what he could make out of were flowers and tall grass around him. As he continued scanning, something caught his eyes, making them burst out of their sockets with shock. There was a tree, not just a tree, but the very tree he¡¯s seen multiple times in numerous dreams, especially with a particular person called¡ª


    ¡°Lily¡­¡± Jack muttered.


    The young man grew shockingly excited, enough for him to get on his feet and run up the hill to the tree. Ignoring past events, Jack could think of nothing more than to see the girl who made him feel confident again, tarnish the fear he had for his sister and face the demon in his dreams. He panted, tripped, stumbled, Jack grew closer to the wondrous tree that would normally be blooming in beauty; At the moment, it had been covered in a shadow of pure black. Once the young man was close to the big roots of the tree, he immediately heard sobbing and the air felt sad.


    ¡°L¡­ily¡­?¡± he whispered.


    Jack carefully walked around the tree to see where the whimpering was coming from. With his hand on the bark of the tree, going around in a never ending circle, getting around one more edge, he found someone softly crying with their head buried into their knees. Jack stood out from the edge to get a better look on the person and again, it was hard to make out who it was; not until they finally revealed their head and sad drenched face to Jack. Sitting before him with the purest bleached blonde hair reaching her shoulders, glittering hazel eyes was none other than Lily. She was wearing a long skirt, long knee socks, a tight turtle neck long blue sleeve shirt with blue boots.


    This made Jack¡¯s heart melt seeing her this sad. Yet he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything, instead he cowardly stood there, watching her wipe off her sadness and softly cry again. Jack clenched his fists and bit his lip, wanting to comfort her, but he just couldn''t. The gentle breeze blew one of her tears off her face, flying it at Jack and making it splash on his cheek. Upon impact, it broke Jack, transforming his cowardly face into that of a man wanting to save someone so dear to him. It gave him the courage to finally say something.


    ¡°Lily, are you¡­ okay?¡± he asked.


    Hearing a familiar voice made Lily freeze for a second. She wiped her eyes and quickly glanced around, trying to see where the voice came from. She was so excited she even got on her feet to see who just spoke to her. With this, Jack finally saw just how much she grew. It was captivating even in this environment of blacked sadness. Her elegant short hair fluttering, her unique clothing fit for a modelled scholar, it made his heart race. Lily tried her best to find the source of the voice, wandering a little bit out and checking behind the tree, but to Jack¡¯s surprise, it seemed as if he were invisible to her.


    ¡°Lily?! I¡¯m¡­ right here, look!¡± Jack said as he put his arms out.


    Despite hearing his voice, Lily couldn¡¯t find the source. This made her eyes quiver. She grew sad again and slowly walked back to the tree, leaning and falling back on the ground.


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Jack didn¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, instead it annoyed him. ¡°Can she see me? Or am I¡­ wait¡­¡±


    Jack rubbed his stomach and flashes of his recent death stormed into his mind. He wondered if he truly was dead and is now a walking spirit who¡¯s trying to communicate to the living. It was driving him crazy, to the point he started shouting her name. Hearing his shouts made the poor girl cover her ears and whimper again.


    Jack¡¯s eyes quivered too, he felt hopeless and sad. ¡°I¡¯m here! Right here, standing in front¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± she shouted.


    Jack did, and it left his bone marrow frozen. Her shout felt personal, and fierce. It¡¯s as if this wasn¡¯t the first time she told someone to shut up with a tone backed up with that much anger.


    Lily¡¯s eyes grew sharp yet her face expressed nothing now. ¡°Why is my mind playing games with me¡­ why do I live such a terrible life where my only friends aren¡¯t visible to the human eyes. Why can¡¯t I be normal like everyone else!¡±


    Poor Lily¡¯s eyes poured and she was having a mental breakdown, finally changing her face to that of proper agony. Jack watched as she let her emotions get the best of her, reminding him of his own mental state. She gripped her hair, dragged her nails across her face. Her precious skin became pierced from the remnants of her frustrations, slowly pouring out a long stream of crimson. Jack couldn¡¯t take it, he went up to her and tried grabbing her, but his hand went through her.


    This made the young man grit his teeth, wondering why this was happening. ¡°What in God''s name! Why did my hand go through her¡­ I can¡¯t be truly dead?!¡±


    Again he tried grabbing, placing, and even went as far as tried using his own body to grapple her. It was no use, every attempt resulted in the same, Jack going through her body, falling to the ground, or hitting against the tree. Feeling frustrated and furious, he ran at her to tackle her body, but instead ate the ground.


    Jack slammed his fist on the cold ground, abruptly turning his head to her. ¡°Lily!¡±


    She grew angrier after hearing her name being shouted, growing a sharp glint in her eyes. ¡°Stop messing with my head¡­ stop, stop stop stop stop stop¡ªSTOP STOP ST¡­OP, STOP!¡±


    Jack too grew angrier, getting up on his feet and thinking of a way to get her to recognize him. As he thought of an idea, the world around them started transforming. The ground shook, the sky grew bloody, dark clouds whooshed from the horizons, raining ash, but the biggest transformation came when Jack saw Lily¡¯s eyes glow hellish red, and something was trying to rip through one side of her skull. A stream of blood flowed over her right eye, and something glowing hot red that of metal being torched started poking out of her skull.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to her?!¡± Jack wondered, ¡°everything¡¯s falling apart, but I have to help her, but how?!¡±


    As Jack watched Lily cry into oblivion, the pitch in her voice grew lower and demonic. This made Jack stop any further action on helping her. Instead it raised a concerning question of who she actually is, but this wasn¡¯t the time for him to ask or seek the answer; he has to save her. Yet his body became full cowardly, stopping him from doing anything now. His knees wobbled, his spin tingled, the young man was frozen with fear. Jack screamed as the world trembled and the clouds rained sparks of fire. He grew tired of this charade and battled his body, damned God as he always did and mustered enough courage to spring into action. Jack punched himself in the face and shot his hand out to her, reaching out to her.


    Jack¡¯s hand once again was inches off her shoulder and he yelled, ¡°LET ME SAVE YOU!¡± before finally, his skin made contact with her shirt.


    At last, Lily felt his warmth, and her emotions prelude to a gentle cycle that simmered the environment back to the way it was; when they first met and the many encounters they had before. The darkness blown away, the tree glistening, its leaves being shone from the brightest sunshine, and the endless flower fields all around them had returned.


    Jack stood on edge, watching as Lily was regaining consciousness. ¡°Lily¡­¡± he muttered.


    Her hazel eyes returned, the blood drawn from self inflictions evaporated, and she became aware of her surroundings. She stayed seated, keeping her sorrowed face as she gently rested one of her pale hands on Jack¡¯s. The hot iron that wanted to come out of her skull went back into dormant. The young man felt her light touch, her warmth smearing on its roughness. The same sensation he¡¯s always felt from her slowly cleansed away his sins.


    Lily shifted her head to where the young man stood, seeing his distraught face. ¡°This¡­ can¡¯t be¡ªreal¡­¡± she mumbled.


    Jack couldn¡¯t say a word, but to only stare, a stare many would find insulting. He was looking at her if he were staring right into the eyes of death. This made Lily feel uncomfortable the way he was staring into her soul, but she also didn¡¯t believe he stood before her.


    She shed another tear as she clutched his trembling hand, and ground her teeth. ¡°This is all a ruse¡­ my mental state, playing games with me once again.¡± she said.


    The young man saw her face turn to that of a Nohl mask, back when he properly encountered her in the train station of depression; the dream he saw her meet her demise to an oncoming train. The many encounters he¡¯s had with her she¡¯s hardly shown any emotion like she¡¯s doing right now, at the very moment, but just before that¡¯s the most he¡¯s ever seen her do so. Although, seeing her transform into something cataclysmic has made Jack still as a rock.


    What was that¡­? how come she was transforming into something horrific when she expressed her emotions? Jack wondered.


    Lily felt her tedious emotions ready to burst out again, but the girl that Jack remembered stayed abroad, showing Jack how quickly she can control them. Her face still, Jack¡¯s portraying scare, Lily closed her eyes and let go, getting up to her feet and looking off to the flower field. Seeing her not show any care in the world now made Jack dissatisfied with her attitude.


    With that, it finally gave him a state of courage to say something again to her. ¡°Lily, are you¡­ you?¡± he asked, his tone shakened and timid.


    Lily portrayed herself into that of a display, one of loneliness and silence. A painting for Jack to seep into his heavily stacked memories of terror and remembrance. He wanted her to respond, not to ignore him and stand there basking in the sun as if nothing happened moments ago.


    ¡°Say something, Lily!¡± he said, taking a step forward to her.


    Lily took a glance at Jack, and never has the young man seen such emotionlessness from a person other than himself. Her eyes still sparkled, but the shade of loneliness really made her seem like a doll staring into Jack¡¯s soul. Again, he got nothing, a continuation of the repeated silence and silent agony of a girl desperate need of saving.


    Jack raised one of his hands to his chest, expressing the worry for her from the exposing wrinkles at the edge of his face. ¡°Answer me! Lily, please¡­ I¡¯m here for you, what¡¯s wr¡ª¡±


    ¡°Whether you''re a figment of my imagination of Jack, a hallucination of a boy who came to me at my worst times¡­¡± Her eyebrows knitted, a deep wrinkle formed between them, ¡°...for my mind to play games with me this much. Even if the things you say are true¡­ then where¡ª¡±


    ¡°It is me! Me, J¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jack¡­ where were you when I needed you? When I needed you¡­ two years ago.¡±


    ¡°H¡­uh?¡±


    That sentence had pierced Jack¡¯s heart. It left the young man completely stunned and reminded him of his abandonment of the people he deeply cared about; doing the exact same thing three years ago. This left his jaw dropped, made his brain hurt, the ache in his heart to grow tenfold; he¡¯s completely speechless yet again. Lily erased the anger that showed temporarily, returning back to the emotional doll that she is. Diverting her attention back to the flower field, her hair fluttering along with her clothes, she balled a fist and shut her eyes.


    ¡°Where were you when I needed you at my lowest¡­ I cried for someone to hear my pain, to give me words of encouragement besides the only person I can look up to as a father; a man who I owe my life to.¡± Tears broke through the shut dams, flowing freely down her cheeks. ¡°After all the years of never ending loneliness, suffering alone¡­ for once I thought I made a friend, a friend¡­ one who didn¡¯t try to use me.¡±


    Jack furrowed his brows in disappointment, crushing his hands, urging his nails to pierce his palms. Hearing her say statements that represented similarities to his livelihood made him feel the worst of all, but for what reason? It wasn¡¯t his fault for leaving her or so she says. He¡¯s not responsible to be there when she¡¯s at her lowest; how else would he even know in the first place? Thinking of this tarnished his sorrowed and guilty emotions, in its place, the anger of being blamed for everything, repeatedly told to him by everyone else made its way back into his mind.


    It punched his brain, quickly making his face show utter disgust. ¡°You shut your mouth¡­¡± he said, quickly getting a response from Lily who brought her attention back to him.


    ¡°Wait¡­ wh¡­at, did, you¡­ just¡ª?¡±


    ¡°How dare you¡­ how fucking dare you accuse me of your current suffering; when you yourself have no idea of the blunders and agony I¡¯ve endured these past¡­ three years!¡±


    Lily regretted her previous paragraph of sorrow. With him saying that, it confirmed that not only was he real and not her mind playing games with her, but that Jack Samr had finally returned to her life presence.


    ¡°J¡­ack?¡± Lily muttered.


    Deeply regretting her actions from earlier, the words that came out of her mouth moments ago gave her jabs of guilt. Lily¡¯s body reacted on its own, trying to approach Jack. Yet despite trying, the young man backed away, his face expressing melancholy, which made Lily grip her chest. The young man looked away, fighting the urge to shout at her like a mad man. He usually would insult those who always tried blaming him, but he couldn¡¯t do so to Lily after seeing her mental breakdown. Ultimately, Jack decided it was time to end this conversation, and thought of a way to get out of this lucid dream.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come near me¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk anymore, Lily.¡±


    Words have never struck her so hard, even before said to her by many in the past. Instead of retracting, tucking her tail beneath her legs, she wanted to retaliate to Jack¡¯s emotions. She became blinded by joy although it wasn¡¯t being shown to Jack, the stillness of her face remained.


    ¡°Jack¡­ it is you, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late¡­¡± he said, putting his hand out to her. ¡°If I¡¯m causing you this much emotional pain, then it¡¯s best that I leave you be.¡±


    Lily¡¯s emotions spilled out once again, showing Jack a crazed look in her eyes. ¡°Jack, you don¡¯t have to¡­ I¡¯m sorry for not acknowledging your existence, honestly. It¡¯s just I¡¯ve been having issues for a while, you could understand, right?!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like the look in her crazed eyes, giving him eerie vibes and made him feel uncomfortable. ¡°Lily¡­ I think it¡¯s best we¡ª¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes grew wide, tears flowed out again and the horrid glow in her eyes flickered as she mustered her emotions. ¡°No, no no no no no¡­ let''s talk, please, Jack. Don¡¯t do this to me, I need someone to talk to!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The young man¡¯s face was discouraged and sulking, ¡°It¡¯s best that you find¡­ someone else, Lily.¡±


    Lily gasped, her eyes rattled, and she immediately dropped her hand. ¡°Jack¡­¡± the red glow returned and her arm began wiggling, which made Jack step away. ¡°You don¡¯t mean that, do you?¡±


    Jack¡¯s face grew weary but he nodded to her saying. Lily nervously chuckled, and mildly lowered her head to not show Jack her wretched eyes. Her mind erupted into horrible memories of her being bullied, tormenting actions of those trying to kill her, voices shouting at her and that one close friend betraying her an unfaithful day. Her eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets, she felt abandoned again and the hot iron was emerging yet again out of her skull. Jack regretted his wording, and wondered why he said such things to her.


    What have I done¡­ He thought.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Jack grew serious and started approaching her. ¡°Lily¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know what I¡ª¡±


    Something stopped Jack in his tracks, an unknown force had frozen him. His arm outward, one leg off the ground, all he could do was watch poor Lily fight her emotions again. Lily¡¯s whimpering transitioned to that of growling, steam poured out her mouth. Her right arm started ripping open, exposing her arteries and pouring out a pool of blood onto the ground. She started undergoing a horrid transformation right before Jack¡¯s eyes, which made the young man try to fight his frozen state. No matter how hard he tried fighting, it was pointless, he couldn¡¯t even divert his eyes away. Jack began questioning if this was part of the vivid dream he¡¯s in, showing him that whoever''s behind this is purposely making Jack be detested by Lily.


    No, I refuse to believe she has a side to her like this¡­ all of this is just a ruse as always!


    He knew this wasn¡¯t her because this isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s witnessed such nightmares. Past ones have shown his friends also doing similar disgusting transformations, but this felt just too real, more real than any dream he¡¯s felt thus far. Feeling that his options are running thin, Jack screamed in anger to see if that¡¯ll react to something in this dream-like world. It did, his own voice created an echo, an echo that was the undoing of the world. Everything shattered into glass, leaving both to float in darkness. Jack¡¯s still frozen, and Lily stopped any further movement.


    What just happened? Jack thought.


    As they floated, Lily¡¯s pouring arm had suddenly shot out her arteries, wiggling them in front of Jack¡¯s face, splattering her warmth all over his body. The young man wanted to jolt out of this situation, he didn¡¯t want to witness such disgustingness. Her head jolted upright, and the molten iron had finally ruptured out of the right side of her skull. At first it was shaped in that of a curved hot iron, glowing molten red, but quickly it shot red plasma around the dark world, slowly transforming to a horn. The horn had taken its shape to that of a mixture of an oxen and goat, dripping molten crimson.


    This sent shivers down Jack¡¯s spin.


    What on earth is going on! He thought.


    She cackled, plasma furiously shooting, flickering around the horn while her right arm vibrated. The ropes of blood that danced were transforming, molting together to form a bladed scythe made of her own blood. Jack screamed again, and her body immediately reacted, shooting that scythe at Jack in the blink of an eye.


    Lily¡­ wh¡­at are¡­ you?


    The young man saw the bloody point coming to his face, the tip dripping her life force, glistening, and growing larger by the millisecond. But, a sudden flash of red had busted into their world of nothing, similar to that of a sun meeting its end. The last thing Jack saw once the flash engulfed his vision was Lily¡¯s face from the edge of the oncoming red with a state of shock and utter fear smeared on it. It imprinted until the young man''s vision went totally black, leaving him to wonder who and what had saved his life with that flash. Was it William? Or perhaps someone else? This raised questions for the young man like who¡¯s behind this relentless torturing? The only answer he could think of was William and no one else.


    What now? I can¡¯t feel, I can¡¯t see¡­ All I hear is white noise, and all I can see is the darkness that I¡¯ve grown accustomed to.


    Jack¡¯s vision, once again had gone black, but a voice has abruptly intervened, a voice in which sounded all too familiar to a past event, similar to this.


    They said, ¡°Let this be a lesson, a reflection of your selfish actions. You ought to be punished for hurting such innocence; and I¡¯ll be your guide to it, along with your conclusion¡­ my¡­ child.¡±


    ¡°Who¡­ said¡­ that?¡± Jack mumbled.


    The young man is left to wonder what had just happened, but more importantly, was that really the girl who had that beautiful smile that cleansed away his sins all those years ago? The same one who promised to see him outside of the dream world, the one who gave him the courage to save his sister from Dr. Cato. Or was it a doppelganger who wanted to deceive him, made him believe that it was her so it can fool the young man to make him meet his demise. The last assumption he could think of was what William, Sarah, and Mallory had talked about, mentioned but never has he witnessed; that being a demon, one sent from hell. If that was a demon, he hoped to never meet one in real life, and after experiencing that, it has now become a nightmare in which he never wants to come true.


    ***


    Insufferable, burning pain that sizzled his skin. Screaming into the void of darkness that he¡¯s all too familiar with; Jack Samr reaches out for a source of life as his body feels light as a feather. The last reminisce of Lily¡¯s horrified face stayed permanent to his eyes. Her terrified screams of being left alone, feeling responsible for the treachery she¡¯s currently experiencing suddenly echoed. Without seeing the outcome to the world''s demise, at the end of their dramatic conversation, Jack¡¯s feeling dismayed. As the young man continued his relentless screaming, the voice that intervened and claimed responsibility for this event, it raised questions in Jack¡¯s nimble mind. The voice sounded too familiar for him to not remember, but from where? He can¡¯t think of the location and who could also have the same voice as they.


    Seeming that this was going to be endless, the young man clutched his hand in the void of darkness and cursed his existence along with the unturnable events that keep occurring. Feeling enough of this paradox, Jack tried to choke his own life out. In doing so created an eruption of numbness, and brought his actions to a halt. Once again, the world erupted into red chaos, turning this abyss into a hellfire for Jack to fall into. No longer feeling like a pencil being dropped, the young man could see a flashing red light peek around the corners of his vision. He¡¯s falling fast into this burning inferno that¡¯s starting to burn his back.


    He doesn''t care, he accepts the hell that awaits behind him. ¡°To hell with everything and to hell with my life! End my suffering and welcome me to depths of hell that¡ªI belong!¡±


    Jack falls into the pit of fire, being burnt to a crisp. His body engulfed to hell''s grasp, the young man lets out a putrid scream, eventually being burned away, and turning Jack to a molten mass of charred human. Jack¡¯s eyes explode and he erupts from his bed, but without letting out a sound as he usually did. This time, all Jack did was catch his heavy breathing, grip the blanket that¡¯s warming his rising temperature, and remain still. After easing his stress, the young man glances around, and at last, he¡¯s back in his room, although it did raise doubts.


    Jack clutched his head and softly chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ back¡­¡± he muttered, ¡°but is¡­ this, for real?¡±


    Jack rubbed his head and lay back on his bed, staring at his ceiling.


    My room, how am I back in my room? Jack thought.


    His thoughts lingered with problematic conclusions, questioning the repetition he¡¯ll continue saying until he draws his last breath; that being if everything was just a dream, lucid or vivid, could it have been? Laying there motionless, confused and hazed, the young man couldn¡¯t help but express that feeling, crushing his eyes to form a deep wrinkled between them. Annoyance, suffrage, anger, such repetitions is starting to grow old for Jack.


    He wiped his face and sighed. ¡°Everything that I¡¯ve experienced in the past two days¡­ was it all a part of William¡¯s trials?¡± He sat up, staring at the changed photo of him and his adopted uncles, along with Angela. ¡°It has to be¡­ that photo, it¡¯s the same as when William altered history.¡±


    Jack got out of bed, and once he set foot on the floor, something fell out from one of his pockets. He wondered what it could have been, it sounded heavy and metallic. He brought his eyes down to the floor and upon laying eyes on the object, it made the hairs on Jack¡¯s arms rise. It was the gold Christian medallion that Linnea had given him, which made him stay in a state of shock.


    ¡°No¡­ it-it can¡¯t be¡­¡± he reached down, grabbing the medallion and observing it. ¡°So it was real, and I actually¡ªdied¡­¡±


    The thought of his death made that stinging pain of being stabbed made him feel sick. He grabbed his stomach, feeling dizzy and light on his feet, he couldn¡¯t believe it. Jack can¡¯t comprehend anything that¡¯s happening, this made him furious, clutching the medallion. He walked out of his room, slamming the door open and aggressively walked to the kitchen to get something to kill his growing migraine. Once he got past the living room, Eric was there, laying on the couch watching t.v when he heard Jack¡¯s aggressive footsteps.


    He looked over the couch and saw the young man walk into the kitchen with a spooked and angry face. ¡°Hey? What¡¯s with the attitude my guy?¡± he asked, but Jack didn¡¯t bother looking his way. ¡°Ignoring me, huh punk?¡±


    Eric got up from his comfort and chased after Jack who¡¯s inside the kitchen, trying to find some painkillers, medicine, anything to kill his growing temper. Eric watched as the young man tediously searched through the countertops in search of something to ease his pain. Feeling something was wrong with his nephew, Eric intervened and grabbed Jack¡¯s wrist which made Jack abruptly turn his head to him.


    Eric saw the crazed eyes he had, but his nephew also looked afraid of something; never has he seen him this spooked before. ¡°Jack, you alright? Your white as hell man¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes sagged, and the young man looked to be close on fainting. ¡°Am-am I? Now¡­?¡± he murmured.


    Eric nods and lets go. ¡°Yeah¡­ you look really fucked up, my guy. Care to explain what¡¯s shitting your pants?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t answer. The thought alone made the urges of throwing up all too prominent. Clutching the medallion in his hand, Jack wondered how he was able to return from the past with an object given to him from someone before he was born.


    He placed his hand on his head and started breathing heavily. Nothing¡¯s making any sense¡­ absolutely nothing! How did I carry this over to the present¡­ how, how!


    ¡°William¡­ you lying bastard.¡± Jack mumbled.


    Eric didn¡¯t like seeing his nephew this sick looking, it raised concerns over his deteriorating mental well-being. ¡°I know you¡¯ve refused about this over and over, but my guy, I think you need professional help.¡±


    Hearing his uncle tell him that he needed help was a wake up call to Jack. It made him think that by showing his burdens to the world around him, it would bring concern and worry to those closest to him. He knew this was too true, but he can¡¯t tell him everything that¡¯s happening because it wouldn¡¯t solve anything, instead it would only make him sound crazier. Jack needed to calm down and from here on out, he needed to keep these things to himself so no one else could be suspicious or question more of his screwed up mind.


    The young man took deep breaths and got himself together. ¡°Hey Eric¡­¡±


    ¡°What, you ain''t gonna ask me anything stupid, aren¡¯t cha?¡±


    Jack shook his head. ¡°No, but I want to ask something strange.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± Eric replied, raising his brows, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re finally going to say what I think you¡¯re going to say.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Eric chuckled, ¡°nevermind that, I¡¯m just fucking with you to make you feel better. But what¡¯s up?¡±


    Jack¡¯s curious about something, a thought in his crowded mind he¡¯s had lingered ever since being placed in this altered history. To change the subject, Jack was going to ask about his past, and the origins of meeting the rest of the gang.


    ¡°Eric¡­ how did we meet?¡± he asked.


    Hearing this sprouted more concern for his nephew''s mental health, but rather than insulting, saying more to potentially harm his mind, the self-adopted uncle obliges to Jack¡¯s request.


    Eric backed away and reeled his hand towards himself. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll answer your question to refresh that messed up brain of yours.¡±


    Jack softly grins, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for changing the subject and asking something so ridiculous.¡±


    Eric chuckled, ¡°don¡¯t beat your dumbass up about it. I¡¯ll take it that you¡¯ve been punched in the face so much in the past five years you¡¯re already having dementia.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    Eric chuckled as he walked back into the living room. Jack followed and his uncle sat on his big comfy leather chair fit for king of the household. The young man sat on one of the sofas, one that would be staring in line of sight to his uncle. As Jack sat down, his uncle laying back to make himself comfortable, Jack can¡¯t help but feel nostalgic over this. It¡¯s like the old times with everyone present; discussing drug deals, revenge plots, his two uncles watching the game, or having him and Angela just sitting just to be present. It¡¯s almost enough for him to forget about asking anything else.


    Besides what happened for what felt like two days¡­ this, this isn¡¯t so bad. Jack thought.


    In the moment, he thought perhaps being in this altered time wasn¡¯t too bad since he¡¯s back home, so far with little troubles besides the great William H. Christ. The only thing that lingered in the back of his mind was; Where¡¯s Mallory?


    The thought made his face turn upside down. ¡°Where is she¡­¡± he muttered.


    Eric groaned loudly, stretching in the process. ¡°So, you want to be told how we met? Okay, my guy. Let''s refresh that 80 year old brain of yours.¡±


    Jack lays back too, resting his hands on his lap. ¡°Yeah¡­ please do tell, uncle.¡±


    ¡°Uncle?!¡± Eric said, his face surprised. ¡°That¡¯s a first coming out of that fucked up mouth of yours haha. Anyways, where should I start?¡± Eric hunched forward, rubbing his hands. ¡°The day we met, uh, damn¡­ Well, it was midday, Michigan was experiencing its worst snow storm since 84.¡±


    So the snow storm still happened? That¡¯s a relief. Jack thought.


    ¡°Randolph and I were sitting, watching a game, the fireplace going. Every time one of us caught a glimpse of the outside, you could hardly see shit.¡± Eric groaned and chuckled, ¡°we said to ourselves, there¡¯s no way in hell neither of us are going outside for a smoke since I don¡¯t allow it inside.¡±


    Eric paused for a moment, bringing his eyes to a silhouette of Angela¡¯s gratitude in the form of a drawing he had displayed over the fireplace.


    ¡°Then, suddenly, we heard loud ass banging coming from our door. At first we thought¡­ shit! We¡¯re about to be shot up by the enemy, the storm¡¯s perfect to use for such a fantastic opportunity to do so, right?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Jack replied.


    Eric nods and shifts his eyesight back to Jack. ¡°We pulled out our guns, I slowly made my way to the door, but Randolph insisted on answering himself for my safety¡­ Damn I miss him, but, anyways, back on subject; When he opened the door, with me standing behind him, pointing the gun to the blizzard welcoming into our home, there ya were.¡±


    Jack let out a sigh of relief, feeling his optimism fly out the door. ¡°So it¡¯s the same as before, with me and Angela meeting at your doorstep.¡±


    Eric raised his brows, ¡°oh, you do need a refreshment.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ huh? Wh-what do you mean by that?¡±


    Eric laughed and lay back, kicking his feet on the coffee table. ¡°Because you already forgot about the third person that was with ya.¡±


    Jack starts to worry, sweat begins emerging from the pores on his head. ¡°Th-th-third¡­ person? Wait a minute wait a minute, Eric. You¡¯re saying someone else tagged along with me and Angela?!¡±


    Eric nods, ¡°Yup, and she was tough, like you.¡±


    ¡°She?!¡± Jack shouted, quickly jumping out of his comfort, ¡°Eric¡­¡±


    The young man went to his uncle, standing beside him with eyes vibrating uncontrollably. Eric eased away, looking at his nephew as if he were going mad.


    ¡°Chill, what¡¯s with the hostile approach, my guy?¡±


    Jack got in Eric¡¯s comfort zone, ¡°Finish the story, and tell me who the third person¡­ is!¡±


    Eric rolled his eyes and gently pushed Jack away, ¡°Alright alright, chill. To make it short, the third person was a girl. She had your arm wrapped around her shoulders and both of you had ropes tied around ya waists. Ya were carrying Angela on a makeshift sled.¡±


    ¡°Get on with it, who¡¯s-who¡¯s the girl! Her name!¡±


    Eric didn¡¯t like Jack¡¯s impatience, it made the uncle grow annoyed and feeling the need to stop. Seeing how Jack¡¯s eyes were shaking, the young man''s face shifting to madness, Eric wondered if it were best to change this subject. Seeing as Jack already has, Eric is a man of his word and decides to keep going.


    ¡°Since you wanna know so badly, let me refresh my own brain for you, fuckhead.¡±


    Jack backed off some more to give his uncle space to rethink and relive his past. The young man felt his chest ready to explode, it¡¯s beating so fast, his palms sweaty, he can¡¯t help but feel that the answer might be that of an old friend; the one who stole his first kiss and the one he had to bury.


    Eric scratched his dome and cringed, ¡°trying to remember¡­ brown hair, brown eyes, ragged clothing¡­ she was almost your height.¡±


    The anticipation was killing Jack, which made him breathe harder. He raised his right arm, pulled his sleeve to reveal the bracelet of his old friend. A homemade memento she had made to embark on their bond, one he will never let go or forget of her enduring kindness.


    ¡°Alexandria¡­¡± Jack muttered.


    Eric heard the name and it finally made him snap his fingers. ¡°Yeah! That was her name. She told me before she left to wander back into the cold.¡±


    Hearing this made Jack furious at his uncle, which made the young man get back in his face. ¡°And you let her?! Why didn¡¯t you take her in, you son of¡ª!¡±


    Eric pushed Jack away. He fell and his uncle grew tired of Jack¡¯s wicked attitude. ¡°Listen you idiot, chill and think for a moment. First of all, I tried, but the girl was stubborn and wanted to play hero, refusing my offer to stay.¡±


    Jack ground his teeth, grabbing his head that began to throb. ¡°Why-Why can¡¯t I remember then¡­?¡±


    ¡°Because your ass was experiencing hyperthermia! You barely hung on to her and the moment Randolph had finished trying to convince her too, you collapsed and blacked out.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Alexandria¡­ wh-why would she just leave me again? And if she wandered back into the cold, then that means she died in the storm.¡±


    Eric deeply sighed, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that, but it is a possibility.¡±


    Jack got back on his feet, ¡°what did she say after refusing your offer?¡±


    Eric felt hesitant to answer more after his reactions, but being this far in the conversation, it had to be finished. ¡°She told me to make sure to look after the two of you, especially you since someday, you promised to be her wife. Then, she gave me¡­¡± Eric then grabbed Jack¡¯s wrist, seeing the bracelet, ¡°that wrist band. And I gave it to you two nights after you woke up.¡±


    Jack felt heart broken. He couldn¡¯t believe she did the same thing she did in his original history where she abandoned him. This brought a nuisance into his mind, that of which was his guilt. He wondered if he did something to not have her around or at least, have a form of communication than this token of bonding ship.


    ¡°Okay¡­ anything else before you closed the door on her.¡± Jack said.


    Eric didn¡¯t like that comment, rather it rubbed him the wrong way. ¡°Wow, still thinking it¡¯s my fault I didn¡¯t try countless times to take her in. You know maybe I should just shut up and not tell you what she told me lastly before she went back into that white hell.¡±


    Jack regretted his wording and hung his head with shame. ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m just, ah.¡± the young man dragged his hand over his face, grunting, ¡°I really need to hear the conclusion to this, please then I¡¯ll do whatever you say. I owe it to you, Eric.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you should be, punk.¡± Eric crossed his arms, blowing steam. ¡°To sum it up, what she told me was that if you find yourself wondering where she¡¯s at; then meet her where you two had first met.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Jack¡¯s eyes grew hot and exploded. Without saying anything, Jack ran to the door, but Eric quickly caught his arm, stopping him.


    ¡°Hey! Fucking relax, where you going?!¡± Eric asked, his tone sounding concerned yet frustrated.


    Jack didn¡¯t look over his shoulder to his uncle, he had tunnel vision and was determined to find out the answer to that statement. ¡°I have to find her¡­ let me go!¡±


    ¡°Not until you cool the fuck off, Jack!¡±


    Jack growled and his determination got the best of him, turning the rest of the world turn black around him. ¡°Let go! She¡¯s still alive! I just know it!¡±


    Seeing his nephew this determined over someone whom he only met for five minutes from that dark winter day reminded Eric of that time when Randolph wanted to find the killers that took away his family. It sparked a similar scene when he did the same to Randolph. He had him held back, he kept tugging away from his clutch until, ultimately, Eric gave in and allowed Randolph to run off. In doing so resulted in him almost being killed and taken away from authorities, and he didn¡¯t want history repeated with Jack.


    Eric grabbed Jack with both arms, looking into his crazed eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you go, Jack! What if she isn¡¯t, then what?! Knowing how stupid and incompetent you are, you¡¯ll probably do something stupid that¡¯ll result in you dead like Randolph!¡±


    Jack stopped all actions, and looked away. ¡°Eric¡­¡± the young man bit his lip, fighting his emotions, but he had to know the answer to his old friend''s request. ¡°Please. I have to know, and you know who and what I¡¯ll do if I can¡¯t seek the answer to something this important.¡±


    Eric clutched his grip harder, letting Jack know how much he cares about his nephew. He understood him, and knew the consequences of both actions. If he lets Jack go, with the young man not being mentally right, he might do something that¡¯ll get himself killed since he can¡¯t control his emotions properly. If he doesn¡¯t, then Jack would do anything, even if that means hurting those closest to him to get an answer; he saw this clearly when Randolph was killed and Jack went on a killing spree, going as far as hurting poor Angela.


    Ultimately, Eric has made up his mind and lets Jack go. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid¡­ fucking dumbass¡­¡±


    His uncle sounded defeated and regretful, but Jack couldn¡¯t hear it, he¡¯s too tunneled to pay attention. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be back before dark. I¡¯m taking the car too, if that¡¯s okay with you.¡±


    Eric shrugs and shakes his head, walking away to the staircase. Jack ran to the keys on the door hanger and ran out the front door. Quickly getting in the car they usually used for drug dealing, Jack turned it on and put the car in reverse. Once he was in the street, the young man put the pedal to the metal, vanishing out of window sight from Eric¡¯s home.


    Eric heard the screeching tires and all he could do was sigh and rub the back of his neck. ¡°You better come back¡­ stupid kid.¡±


    Driving recklessly, storming in and out of traffic to get to his destination, after flooring it for what would¡¯ve been an hour drive had been cut in half, letting Jack to arrive right at the entrance. The young man entered, drove carefully through the town where he first met the two people whom he called friends; that being Joseph and Alexandria. He stuck his head out the window as he drove slowly through the familiar depressing streets he recognised all too well. But, something was off, and the small things he would notice were completely different. He got himself into a parallel parking spot, jumped out of the car while it stayed on, and froze. What he saw in front of him, normally would¡¯ve been the homeless camp beneath the highway underpass was no more than a vacant lot of dying grass.


    ¡°This¡­ this-this isn¡¯t, right¡­¡± he said while glancing around.


    Despite it being empty, there should be signs of homelessness, even if it were temporary. Yet, that wasn¡¯t the case whatsoever. There were no signs of homeless past or present, it was far too clean and empty to give a glimpse of it. This made Jack feel defeated and hopeless on finding his friend, he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to just walk beneath the underpass to find the hut they used to call home.


    ¡°I¡¯m so stupid¡­ What was the point of this trip? All I did was piss off my uncle and made him question more of my fucked up! Mind!¡±


    Jack frowned and walked backwards, reminiscing the past in front of him of all the people he got to know. The scenes of tragedy, him and Angela saving people from starvation by sharing their steal, Alexandria tending to wounded elders, it felt depressing being present. Knowing that in this time it might not have been the case but a whole different case had Jack go into a migraine inducing fury. He pushed over nearby trash cans, punched a telephone pole, tried to flip over a screwed in bench but resulted in only hurting his back.


    The frustrations were getting to him, engaging hate into his heart for William just for changing this one instance in history. ¡°Why William, why man?!¡± he shouted into the grey sky. ¡°How much has this stupid time changed?! What the fuck do I do to just get back to my normal life?¡±


    Jack shook his head and turned round to the car, his shoulders sulked and he dragged his feet in defeat. While approaching the car, he heard loud screaming, banging from across the street from one of the town block homes. At first he ignored it, wanting no part of seeing or hearing typical domestic violence that represented Flint, but it was hard not to when it sounded blood inducing and once he saw glass shatter from the top floor, falling to the ground beneath, he grew curious.


    He calmed down, got his game face back and checked if he were armed just in case things went south. ¡°Still have my pistol, good.¡±


    The young man walked across the not so busy street to see what was going on. Once stepping foot in front of five townhomes, he saw the one with the broken window. Each one had long yards and pathways leading up to the doors. Before making his way to the culprit of the violence, he wanted to take a moment and check the area out first.


    ¡°These houses, they weren¡¯t here when I was a kid when Angela and I called this place home¡­¡± The young man took two steps forward, balling his fists, ¡°why am I getting involved in this? Is it because of my past? The screams reminding of my mother being murdered in front of me? Heh¡­ that could be it.¡±


    While Jack stood there, looking up at the home, one of the house doors, one down the block, shot wide opened. A woman exposed herself, running out but quickly falling on her side on the cold concrete. She was wearing a tank top, short shorts which didn¡¯t help because she had scraped her elbow and knee, exposing red and letting out rough coughs.


    Jack saw her, struggling to get back on her feet as she gripped her throat. ¡°Hey! You alright?¡± he asked.


    The woman heard him and brought her covered eyes from her long brown hair to Jack, reaching out and begging for help with just her shakened arm. Jack could see the bruises on her arms from here and blood dripped from her face down to the floor, making him get serious. As the young man was about to take another step to go help her, a beer bottle came out of nowhere, striking the woman on her head. It knocked her out upon impact, letting Jack hear the loud thump to cringe his eardrums. Jack sucked air through his teeth once he heard the loud thump, and shifted his eyes to the door.


    A white man came out, wearing only a bathrobe and slippers, he appeared drunk and his face was tomatoe red in anger. ¡°Dumb bitch¡­ what point is there to a hoe when she won¡¯t do anything sexual but try to steal my fucking money?!¡± shouted the drunken white man.


    He stomped his way to her. Once he did, he gripped the back of her head, lifting her up to expose her bruised face to him.


    ¡°Look at that pretty face of yours, all fucked up now¡­ stupid ass hoe!¡± he punched her despite her being unconscious, letting her fall on her backside. ¡°Now that you¡¯re out, I¡¯ll take back what¡¯s rightfully mine tucked inside that stuffed chest of yours, hoe.¡±


    Jack had seen enough. He made his way to them and before the drunken man could reach his dirty hand into her cleavage, Jack grabbed his wrist. The drunken man brought his drunken stare to Jack¡¯s dead eyes, squinting them in confusion at him. They didn¡¯t say anything at first, rather, the drunken man pulled off Jack''s grip and fell on the cold grass.


    He scratched his back and got on his toes. ¡°Hey man¡­ who the hell are you?¡±


    Jack blinked, and clenched his fists. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    ¡°None of my business? What the fuck¡­¡± chuckled the white man, ¡°then why you getting into mine?! That makes no sense, tall guy.¡± he rubbed his rough hair and got in Jack¡¯s face, ¡°I take that you¡¯re her pimp? Because if not, then you should leave before you get hurt, punk ass.¡±


    Jack glimpsed at the woman who started gaining consciousness, she moaned and groaned, squirmed on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m not her pimp, I don¡¯t even know who she is¡­ but I can¡¯t let you hurt someone who¡¯s defenseless.¡±


    The drunken man smirked, backed off for a moment, then laughed for a little. He stopped and looked at Jack as if he were stupid. The young man dimmed his eyes, waited for an opportunity to strike this guy and give him a taste of his own medicine. After having some joy to himself, the drunken man shook his head to Jack and crossed his arms, giving the young man a big confident smirk.


    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ then what big guy? Whatcha gonna do if I keep putting my hands on a criminal who tried stealing my money and tried drugging me?! How about it? Changed your mind about her yet?¡±


    Jack glimpsed at her again, she coughed and she had placed one of her hands on her face. ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, it still isn¡¯t right when you¡¯re vastly stronger than her.¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t give me that stupid modern shit!'''' The white man pointed his finger at the woman without looking at her. ¡°This here is a hoe my guy. And they understand equality, so don¡¯t feel bad about this stupid bitch. Because she knew damn well what she was doing and now¡­ she¡¯s paying the consequences, bro.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but understand where he¡¯s coming from. It reminded him of his encounters and similar situations he had in the past. What he was saying is true, but after hearing her scream like that, reminding him of that dreadful night that took away his parents, Jack¡¯s mind was already made up.


    He stood his ground and mildly shook his head. ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t let this continue. Just leave her alone, and let me take her, how about that?¡±


    The man scrunched his face in confusion, looking at Jack as if he were the most retarded man in the world. ¡°Where did they raise you huh, punk? She ain¡¯t going anywhere until I get my bread back!¡±


    The man shot his fist at Jack which he knew was coming. The young man took his punch, but it was powerful enough to make him take a step back. Jack wiped the blood off the edge of his lip and raised his fists to him.


    The man did as well, ¡°damn, you¡¯re tough ain¡¯t cha?! Come on, bring it on tall guy.¡±


    Jack said nothing but began approaching him, but carefully. He did the same and the two took turns throwing punches at each other. Jack landed two, he landed three, showing the young man that he was more trained then he was. While they threw hands, the woman finally sat up, dropping her hand and seeing the two fight each other with her blurred vision. She couldn¡¯t make out who was her saviour but her body kicked into survival mode. She crawled away to grab the bottle that was thrown at her which settled on the grass. She got to it, grabbed it and threw it at him, making contact with his back.


    He turned around, but not before dodging another punch from Jack. ¡°Hey! Fucking bitch¡­¡± When Jack was ready to throw another straight punch, the man grabbed the bottle and smashed it over Jack¡¯s head. ¡°Sit down for a moment, will ya?!¡±


    Jack stood still as the glass scattered around him and the remains rained off his shoulders. After another second of playing still, Jack fell forward on the grass. The woman gasped and regretted her actions, and now began an attempt at running away. He rushed to her and she barely made an inch of movement before he quickly grappled her and forced himself on top of her.


    He wrapped his big hands around her small throat, choking the life out of her. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s it, it¡¯ll be over soon sweetheart.¡± he said in a soft tone.


    The woman grunted, struggled to break his grip, fought for her breath, but she could feel her life draining. She didn¡¯t want to look at him, his devious eyes glinting with joy, his giant grin, because if she did, it¡¯ll be the last thing she¡¯ll ever see before leaving this earth. Her eyes watered, her face turning blue, and by seeing her eyes starting to roll back, it brought amusement to the man¡¯s eyes.


    He manically grinned, tightened his clutch to ensure she suffered every last second. ¡°Shh¡­ it¡¯ll be over soon, shhh!¡±


    Hearing him shush her reminded her of her dark past. A past in which she was abused, tormented, and people trying to kill her in the streets. She shed tears, feeling the urge to cry, but instead gargled for air, letting his eardrums get an orgasm to her suffering. When her life seemed to be coming to an end, in her fogging vision, she saw her saviour show up out of nowhere, tackling him off her. She drew in her breath, coughing up a storm as she mildly got up to see where they had gone. She saw the two wrestling on the ground. They tussled, tumbled, fought for something hidden away from her view. The two continued for another couple of seconds until she heard a gunshot. She couldn¡¯t make out who did it from her hazed vision. In case it was him, she immediately tried to search for anything to attack him, but there was nothing in arms reach.


    She grabbed her throat and once again, tried crawling away with her life. ¡°I-I got to¡­¡± she heard footsteps coming to her, and the woman started panicking again. ¡°No¡­ ple-please¡­¡± she muttered.


    The stomping grew closer and closer until they came to a stop. With her heart beating beyond comprehension, she didn¡¯t want to look over her shoulder in case it were him.


    She accepts her fate and balled a fist, closing her eyes. It¡¯s over¡­ just kill me already! She thought.


    When darkness felt permanent in the moment, a light sprung into it when she heard muffled coughing, and someone saying, ¡°You-You okay?¡± This made her eyes sprung open, and turn around while on the ground. Once she did, and allowing her vision to clear up, she saw her saviour; A tall young man with long brown hair with a scar on his right cheek. She felt so happy that her life was saved, but also felt that he might ask something in return. So she didn¡¯t smile or react, instead she stayed quiet.


    Jack patted himself and wiped his coat. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to kill him, but I had to once he found out I had a gun in my jeans.¡±


    The woman stared at Jack, figuring out why he saved her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she said.


    Jack put his gun away, and sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t apologise, it¡¯s my fault for intervening. Besides, you should be thanking me for saving your life, lady.¡±


    Despite his rude response, this didn¡¯t phase her, rather it made her look away to softly chuckle. Hearing him say that reminded her of a boy she once knew who had the same attitude back when she was a young teen.


    She wiped her eyes, let out one last gruntled cough and swept her hair off her face to allow him to look into her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re right. I should be thankful, so thank you, sir.¡±


    Her voice sounded strong, confident despite what she displayed to Jack who shrugged and smacked his lips. ¡°You¡¯re pretty chill for someone who almost met death''s doorstep. Why¡¯s that?¡±


    She shook her head and shrugged too. ¡°It ain¡¯t the first time, nor will it be the last. But when you live a life like mine, you have to mentally prepare yourself, especially at a young age, right?¡±


    Jack puckered his lips in agreement, nodding too. ¡°I can relate to that¡­¡± the young man reached his hand out to her, ¡°how about you get off the cold ground and put some proper clothes on, it¡¯s freezing out here.¡±


    The woman grinned and grabbed the young man¡¯s hand, feeling its roughness. ¡°Sure, but not before I get your name, sir.¡±


    Jack liked her attitude and voice. The two combinations felt nostalgic and reminded him of an old friend.


    ¡°My name huh? Alright, if you must know, uh, it¡¯s Jack.¡±


    Upon hearing his name, the girl immediately wiped off her grin and gasped. Instead of getting up, she used her other hand to pull the young man¡¯s sleeve to reveal a bracelet he wore. This made Jack look confused by her immediate reaction. By seeing the bracelet the young man has wrapped, it broke her into a silent sorrowed state. Tears flowed out, her body quivered not from the cold but by the reveal; she¡¯s beyond shocked.


    Jack looked at her crazy and wondered why she just grabbed his wrist and pulled his sleeve. Why on earth is she crying now? Is it because of my friendship bracelet? I wonder if it¡¯s reminding her of a troubled past.


    The woman got up and embraced Jack as she softly whimpered. ¡°Say¡­ your last name, please¡­¡± she softly whispered into his ear.


    Jack felt nervous now, and asked himself why she¡¯s acting so strange all of a sudden? To not be ruder than he was earlier, he obliged and gulped.


    ¡°It¡¯s Samr, Jack Samr¡­¡± he responded.


    The woman ease off of Jack while still having her arms around the back of his neck. She stared deep into Jack¡¯s eyes with her glistening bright brown eyes, ones Jack has seen before.


    The young man¡¯s eyes grew erratic, trying to look away. ¡°Uh¡­ you alright?¡± he asked.


    She giggled and surprised Jack with a kiss. Their lips were locked for ten seconds and once she eased off, she erotically blinked to him, which turned him red.


    She had subtle smile and caressed the young man''s face. ¡°You really don¡¯t remember, huh? Honey¡­¡±


    Upon hearing that, and the action she had ensued, it flashed a similar scenario, one in which he did the same one beautiful night on top of a house. In that night, he shared it with¡ª


    ¡°Al¡­¡± Jack¡¯s eyes quivered, he gasped repeatedly and trembled, feeling butterflies rile his stomach. ¡°Ex¡­?¡±


    She mildly tilted her head, and placed both of her cold hands on his face, nodding to his answer. Jack¡¯s eyes glistened and the young man grabbed her wrists, shaking in excitement and relief. The two stood there in silence, their eyes locked, cop sirens blowing off in the distance, dogs barking in the background, neither person could believe that this was real. Flint¡¯s cold breeze gently brushes against their skin, their hair fluttering; At last, Jack has reunited with his friend who was once dead, but is now alive, and finally getting a question answered, he expressed a gentle smile to her.


    Jack gently bumped his head with her and said, ¡°welcome back, Alexandria,¡± in the softest tone he¡¯s ever produced thus far into his miserable life.


    She moaned and replied, ¡°you idiot,¡± giggling afterwards as the two stayed in their embrace, enjoying their reunion and brushing away what had occurred moments ago.

 Arc 4 Chapter 8: Reconciliation Of The Past—Part: 2

    The afternoon has come. The sky still grey, the gentle chill, the streets filling up from the afternoon rush, located in the same town but away from where a murder had taken place; Both Jack and Alexandria were in the park, walking on a cracked walkway. After dealing with the drunk man, once the two were finished sharing their warmth, Jack had ordered Alexandria to put some proper clothes on to jolt out of there. Once she did, only putting on a long hoodie and shorts, the two hopped into his car and drove away from the scene with hardly any traces since she barely had anything on her. All she had to her name in that home was a bookbag similar to what she had when they were young. Jack made sure to collect his bullet casing and dispose of it before police arrived.


    When they left the scene, while Jack drove like a madman away from a troubled event, the two didn¡¯t really say much. Alexandria sat in the passenger seat just watching the outside world like a slideshow with a smile on her face. Jack did the same, but smoked a cigarette as he drove. Along the way, eventually Jack broke the silence and asked if she wanted to stop by the park to catch up. She glimpsed at him, nodded, and once her eyes were back to her slideshow, she grabbed his hand and held it during the drive. They arrived after thirty minutes, and once they got out, Jack shared his coat with her since her hoodie didn¡¯t do much to keep her warm. She refused at first, but he insisted and she eventually gave in to wearing his coat, getting a full wiff of the boy she fell in love with years ago.


    Ahh¡­ his manly stench, oh, how I miss his presence. Alexandria thought.


    As she wafted in Jack¡¯s manliness, sniffing his coat and drooling, he turned to her and looked hysterical. The young man chuckled while Alexandria didn¡¯t seem to mind being laughed at and once she was done, she walked up to him and smacked him on his forehead, walking away. Jack casually massaged his forehead and followed her afterwards. What seemed to be just a normal walk in the park afterwards, the two barely saying anything besides spotting objects they recognized from the past, pointing, saying, it was peaceful and Jack couldn¡¯t feel more relaxed at the moment. Alexandria kept a soft smile, Jack grinned, there wasn¡¯t a moment of awkwardness; everything felt as if where they left off from their last discussion all those years ago. A little afterwards, Jack felt the aftermath of earliers struggle punch what¡¯s left of his fatigue. He needed to sit down and Alexandria can see his eyes start to swell with tiredness. She guided him to a nearby bench, and when Jack saw it, he knew it all too well. It¡¯s the one he sat on years ago to discuss a plan in which he and Angela stole food from a nearby gas station as well as his first time being concerned over her well-being.


    Once he sat, Alexandria stood for a moment, staring at Jack with her bright brown eyes. Hmm¡­ What''s she planning? Jack wondered.


    Despite having some bruising, she was as pretty as she was in the past. Her long brown hair, glistening caramel eyes, a familiar skin tone to his, and her slender yet curvy body really made him fluster. Lastly she was just as tall as Veronica by an inch, showing off her long slender legs which he stared at more than her eyes.


    ¡°Why are you standing there, looking at me in silence, Alex?¡± he asked, laying back on the bench, bringing his eyes back to hers.


    She had a still face and did not respond. Instead she turned around and seemed to ignore him. This worried Jack, thinking she might¡¯ve been angry at him, but he questioned why? He groaned and coughed, clearing his throat to get her attention. Nothing worked. He got annoyed and poked her back. She had a smug grin that he couldn¡¯t see, and in response to his action, she stuck her butt out in front of his face. His eyes got big and the young man glanced around, and she walked backwards into his comfort zone. Jack cleared his throat again and Alexandria lifted her butt and slammed it right on top of his lap, which made him grunt.


    Alex crossed her arms and legs, nodding in enjoyment. ¡°Bet you didn¡¯t see that coming, sweetheart! Huehue!¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes and smacked the back of her head. ¡°Yeah yeah, but I bet you didn¡¯t expect that either.¡±


    She grabbed her head and slightly turned around to him, ¡°dick, even after I was being beaten up, you still hit me?¡±


    Jack shrugged, ¡°whoops, I thought you were just tough enough like you always claimed.¡±


    Alexandria pouted and looked away, back to viewing the full fledge of the park. ¡°And I still am, stupid dickwad.¡±


    ¡°A potty mouth as always. Jesus, and I thought I was bad¡­¡± Jack exclaimed.


    ¡°Oh? Me a potty mouth? Hmm, let''s retrace our steps and rewind time, shall we!¡±


    Alexandria stood up again, placing her hands on her hips and sticking them out. Jack watched as he prepared himself to hear her life changing statements. In hearing things she will say, it will answer more to the mystery of how they met, how things differed and what made her departure on that unfortunate night.


    She turned around to Jack and had a smug smile. ¡°First off¡­¡± she bent over and got in Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Fuck¡­ you.¡± she blew him a kiss and backed away, flipping him off afterwards.


    Jack was stunned and felt played. Actually, it angered him and the young man grew a shadow of anger over his face. She felt his cold stare and got nervous, backing away more and starting to sweat as he rose from his seating. She saw his fists clenched, and couldn¡¯t understand why he got so offended. Jack on the other hand was eager to learn why he became a potty mouth in this timeline and potentially hearing more of their past. It¡¯s a silly thought but to Jack, it¡¯s something he¡¯d like to hear from so much thats changed. Yet being teased and insulted like that? This had him pissed.


    She raised her hands, steadily pushing them. ¡°Woah, take it easy man¡­ you¡¯re pissed all of a sudden.¡± she said, nervously chuckling.


    Jack took a big step forward, ¡°Alexandria¡­¡± he replied, his tone heavy and fierce.


    At this point, Alexandria wanted no part in seeing his anger explode upon her. Instead of helping him calm down or apologizing, she ran, and as fast as she could. Jack chased after her, and the two didn¡¯t get far because she accidentally tripped and fell over on the grass. The young man stopped and watched as she tried recovering but quickly accepted her fate. She looked up to him, took a deep breath and nodded.


    She spreads her arms out and lays flat on the ground. ¡°Do your worst, Jack.¡±


    With a shadow hovered over his face, the young man got on a knee and brought his hand over to her face. She closed her eyes and then felt a fling on her forehead. Immediately she sat up and rubbed her forehead, looking at Jack who had a smug grin of his own. Alexandria pouted and pushed Jack, making him almost lose his balance.


    ¡°Asshole, don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± she exclaimed.


    Jack rolled his eyes. ¡°Hmph, I really had you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    She replied by smacking his arm. The two stood back on their feet and decided to take a walk along the walkway with no interest in a destination.


    Alexandria and Jack walked quietly for a minute until curiosity struck her mind. ¡°Hey Jack,¡± she asked, taking a look at some kids playing tag nearby.


    Jack also glanced at the kids, bringing their walk to a stop. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up?¡±


    She crossed her arms and tapped her fingers against them. ¡°Wh-What took you so long?¡±


    On hearing this, Jack felt guilty once again, but felt as if it were deserving. This was guilt in which he had no control over due to the fact he has no clue what¡¯s occurred these past years. The only memories he can recall are the ones that are linear, not this perpendicular time he¡¯s been placed in by a being that defies reality. He can¡¯t think of anything to answer the question, she sounded hurt when she asked him, which made this not deserving guilt grow tenfold. Instead of making up a lie, an excuse, Jack thought of one answer, one she can understand and relate all too well given her unfortunate circumstance.


    The young man lightly smacked his gums and gently wrapped his arm around Alexandria¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Life¡­ that''s what happened,¡± he said, his tone soft and gentle to the ear.


    Alexandria deeply sighed and lay her head against his chest while watching the kids play ball. ¡°Hmph¡­ understandable.¡±


    With the two watching the children play, sharing their warmth, they can¡¯t help but feel nostalgic over this. Weirdly enough, Jack feels he¡¯s been in this scenario with her before, but can¡¯t make up from where. Feeling this unfamiliar scenario, this made Jack wonder if he continues living in this time, will he unravel more of what¡¯s occurred here. Could this potentially lead him to the trials that William spoke about? Or perhaps more! He wonders what else he¡¯s about to unravel once he finishes his time with Alexandria, and hopes to recruit her on this journey.


    Meanwhile, back in Detroit Michigan, Sarah wonders what else has occurred during Jack¡¯s absence. She hasn¡¯t seen him for three days, and tried everything in her power to call or get in touch, but everytime she did, it resulted in her mother mysteriously stopping her. A phone call, no because her phone would die instantly from her mothers magic interference. A message through the computer? She couldn¡¯t even get on the internet without it glitching out or blacking out. When those efforts were gone to waste, she tried leaving, but everytime she did, her mother magically appeared out of thin air to stop her from leaving. Whether it was out the front door, back porch, Sarah even went as far as to try something only a rebel teen would do, which was sneaking out. That ended her being caught before it became an action. As a result of all these actions, she¡¯s been house arrested, and didn¡¯t understand why.


    Sarah asked her mother about her over protective behaviour, but she always repeated the same answer; ¡°This is for your own good.¡± Sarah couldn¡¯t even look out her window because it was blacked out by her mother¡¯s magic, which raised concerns. She felt tired and for the first time, upset with her mother. Right now, Sarah¡¯s on the floor, crossed legged, and thinking of what to do.


    The goth girl rubbed her head from her overthinking and frustrations, letting out a long sigh in the process. ¡°What has come of mother¡­ what¡¯s with this over parenting?¡±


    Sarah shook her head, got on her feet and walked over to her window that was covered by her black curtain. She wanted to open them, but thought it would be useless since it might still be pitch black out. Feeling nothing was at her odds, she opened them to at least pretend to get a taste of what would be the sun cleansing her skin. When she did, she was immediately blinded by it, which surprised her and made her eyes jump out. Sarah gasped and opened her window, and saw her tiny yard, the city of Detroit out in the distance, and heard the joys of nature. This made her furious towards her mother and decided to confront her about this strange behaviour.


    ¡°You locked me, blocked me from viewing mother earth, for almost four days! And now, all of a sudden¡­ everything''s normal again?!¡± Sarah crossed her arms and stomped out of her room, going downstairs to see if her mother was present. ¡°Mom! Why have you¡ª¡±


    Once she stepped foot in the living room, her mouth was covered by someone''s hand. She mumbled and wondered who it was and when she looked over her shoulder, it was her mother who looked like she had no care in the world.


    Sarah knit her brows and pulled off of her mothers grasp. ¡°What the heck mom?!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother kept her still face and responded with a simple nod to her daughter. Sarah crossed her arms again and once she was ready to say more, her mother abruptly raised her finger to her mouth to tell her daughter not to speak.


    This angered Sarah, leaving her mouth open and grunting in annoyance. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t tell me to shush when I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your concerns will be answered, my wonder of life. Just don¡¯t raise your voice at me or you will see a hell like no other.¡±


    Her mothers tone, it sounded wicked and menacing. This made Sarah shiver and listen to her mothers request. She didn¡¯t mean to sound like a rebel or raise her voice to the person who granted her life, she just wanted answers to her strange behaviour''s as of lately. Saying no more, Sarah waited on her mother for what she¡¯ll say next. Sarah¡¯s mother lowered her hand and walked over to her comfy single chair and sat down. Sarah followed and sat on the left long couch but close to her mother.


    Sarah¡¯s mother rested her hands on the arms of her chair and stared straight to the line of the kitchen. ¡°I apologise on behalf of your young mind, my dearest daughter.¡±


    Huh, what does she mean by that? Sarah thought.


    ¡°I know there¡¯s a lot going on with not only you, but with your friend Jack as well.¡± She raised her pale hand, aiming it at her daughter without looking in her direction. ¡°Your adolescent minds can¡¯t comprehend everything that defies the basic laws of physics and nature. The sheer incomprehension of these occurrences have not only brought fear and the peak of questioning if this is reality or fiction; But may also hinder the development of your growth.``


    Sarah¡¯s lost, and doesn¡¯t understand where her mother¡¯s coming from. Only a fraction of what she said she understood. She wanted to say something but chose not to, only because she didn¡¯t want to anger her mother furthermore.  Her mother closed her hand and it made Sarah gag for air for a moment.


    She coughed, gasped for air while grabbing her throat. ¡°Mo-Mom! What the¡ª?!¡±


    ¡°Silence, my loving child.¡± Her mother turned her cold silver eyes to her coughing daughter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for doing that. I just got a little carried away for a second.¡±


    ¡°Car¡­ried¡ªaway?! You just choked my lights out for a millisecond mom!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother grinned. ¡°Yes, yes I did. I did that to knock the anger out of you. It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah massaged her throat and gagged one last time. ¡°Ye¡­ah! Now I¡¯m sca-scared¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, my apologies again. Before I answer your concern of my over parenting that¡¯s occurred these past days, could you answer me one question? Pweez my little blossom of life.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s not enjoying this conversation. Especially with that childish tone her mother did for a moment made it seem as if she were playing around. Feeling there''s no progression on her reasoning being here nor has her mother attempted on answering anything, Sarah wanted to leave the conversation and return to her room. Although, there¡¯s many mixed emotions going on in her mind, but after what her mother just did, Sarah¡¯s feeling contempt to ask anything else.


    Sarah nods and frowns in response to her mother. ¡°Whatever¡­¡± she muttered.


    Sarah¡¯s mother smiled briefly. Her face turned back still and cold. ¡°That young man, Jack, what is he to you?¡±


    Sarah lays back on the couch and stays quiet.


    ¡°Is he a friend? A brotherly type of bond? A bothersome loser who¡¯s stuck in your friendzone?¡± Her mother transformed her straight lips into a curve that was wicked, reeking of curiosity. ¡°Or perhaps, a love interest? Boyfriend, hus¡ªband potential?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glanced around as her breathing grew slow. Her mother waited on an answer, eager to hear what it was. Sarah blew her frustrations out her nostrils and mildly turned her eyes to her mother who all of a sudden had a calm smile on her face.


    Sarah blinked and lightly sighed. ¡°He¡¯s someone who I can relate to, mother¡­¡± she brought her eyes to the wooden ground, staring at it. ¡°And share the same confusing burdens as I have all my life.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother shut her eyes for a moment and when she did open them again, they glistened. ¡°Do you think you might¡ªlove him?¡±


    Sarah mildy shook her head. ¡°No, those emotions don¡¯t exist. Nor have I even thought of something so trivial.¡± she said, dialing down her tone.


    Her mother believed her daughter, yet she couldn¡¯t understand why she was curious about asking her such a silly question. Now having heard her answer, it only made it more exciting for her and her twisted mindset. Afterall, Sarah¡¯s mother loved teasing people, whether it was for fun, curiosity, or in most of her cases, to bring pleasurment to her twisted mind.


    ¡°Thank you for answering my stupid question, my loving daughter.¡±


    Sarah shrugged, ¡°mmhm¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah scratched her arm and the back of her neck. ¡°Nothing¡­ I¡¯m just going to ask this before I get more scared.¡± she grabbed her arm, and bit her lip. ¡°Tell me¡­ why have you closed our house out of reality for these past few days, the truth, please.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother giggled. ¡°To protect you, duh.¡± she answered, her smile growing wider.


    Sarah hunched over, biting her lip further. ¡°What do you mean by that? It doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ you even went as far as cutting off any communications to the outside world.¡±


    ¡°Oh my dear daughter, don¡¯t you understand? That¡¯s what happens when something¡ªor someone tampers with history and most importantly¡­ time.¡±


    Sarah raised her body, looking at her mother who had a wicked smile. ¡°Huh?! What does that mean¡­ what you¡¯re telling me, again, that our history was altered?¡±


    Her mother softly blinked, and nodded without saying a word. Sarah grew in disbelief and this made her quietly gasp and draw a sweat. Although she wonders in what way has time been tampered yet again.


    ¡°Mom¡­ explain more, please. I need to know for the sake of my mentality.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± her mother crossed her tender legs and wiggled one. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good idea. But, on the other hand¡­¡± her smile grew more wicked and her eyes grew sharp, ¡°if you invite Jack after what happens to him after tomorrow; then I¡¯ll explain more.¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­at? What do you mean¡­ what happens to him tomorrow?¡± she asked.


    Her mother stood on her feet, walking over to her shaking daughter. Once she stood in front, looking up to her mother, she appeared amused and her smile reached the edges of her face which made Sarah question her odd behaviour.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ because I¡¯m not too sure what will happen.¡± she placed her cold hand on Sarah¡¯s hot face, ¡°Truth be told my dearest daughter, your friend intrigues me. Whatever outcome occurs, I can sense that our time will be altered yet again but¡ªback to which it flowed on your encounter with the great William H. Christ.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were shaking, bulging out, the tone in which her mother spoke was that of tormenting sadism.


    ¡°So in the meantime, just hang back and stay inside just for one more day, okay, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t respond. She was frozen with fear and for once, questioned if this was really her mother, the caring, loving mother who never showed, expressed such sadistic tendencies. After seeing that her daughter was paralyzed from her words, her mother held her face gently and got close so she could look deep within her eyes.


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    ¡°Just for today, Sarah, look deep into my eyes, and bear witness of what you are.¡± she said.


    Once Sarah¡¯s eyes met with her mothers, she began to see another world, one in which she saw Jack talking to her, but the environment appeared to be a forest, and afterwards a flash changed to that of a woman on the ground, pleading to her, and showing her pendants of Christianity, Witchcraft, and one she couldn¡¯t make out of. Another flash saw that it was nighttime, and a wall of fire had scorched a landmass in front of her eyes. Her hands were brought up, clapping to the hellfire scorching the earth. One more flash brought her to a man with blonde hair on his knee, proposing to her, to which she rejected and the last thing Sarah saw was the man frozen in embarrassment.


    Her mother gently placed her head against her daughters and softly said, ¡°You¡¯ll soon find out more of who you really are¡­ and why I adore and do everything in my power to keep you away from any dangers.¡± she slowly creeped to her daughter''s ear, ¡°especially to those who want to take you away like they have before.¡±


    Sarah gasped and her eyes glowed as well as her mother. The glow was blood red, and the two shared the same luminance. Her mother grabbed her hand as her daughter stayed paralyzed, intertwining their fingers. Once their hands were locked, her mother grew a vile smile, and she began to giggle. Her hair began to float, the ends of the darkness that made it its colour were slowly being burned away as well as Sarah¡¯s hair. Their skin grew paler but illuminated as if they were beings sent down from heaven.


    Sarah¡¯s mother giggled one more time until it transitioned to laughter. ¡°My loving daughter¡­ there¡¯s nothing more important in this world than you!¡± she gently placed one of her hands on her cheek, growing her vile smile even more. ¡°When the time comes, I¡¯ll not only show you, but I¡¯ll show your friend who¡ª¡±


    In unison, Sarah¡¯s mouth moved along with her mothers to say, ¡°I really am.¡± Afterwards, Sarah stood on her feet, her hand still locked onto her mothers and again, the two said in unison, ¡°Afterall¡­ I am what I am, a Sinner who has broken the lives of many and shattered our reality! And brought it to its near end!¡±


    Her mother wiped her smile, and let go of Sarah¡¯s hand. Once she backed off, her mother¡¯s appearance changed back to who she was as well as Sarah who fell back on the couch, unconscious. Her mother flung her bangs and crossed her arms, walking to the living room window to look out of it. She looked and smiled at her beautiful front lawn, the children playing across the street, it warmed her cold heart.


    ¡°So long as they don¡¯t threaten you, my dearest seed of life¡­ then they can continue living the second chance given to them and the lie that they¡¯ve been given by our ancestors.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother steered her eyes to the sky, squinting them. Someone other than William has corrupted our time, and in this case, it is an entity far beyond any comprehension.


    ***


    Driving back home, both Jack and Alexandria were silent again. With her feet on the dash, staring out the windshield, seeming calm, and Jack¡¯s eyes on the road, both friends have just finished a nice lunch. During their lunch the two didn¡¯t really say much other than play with their food, giggle, chuckle, stare at strangers and being awkward to them. Alexandria waved to a stranger just to tease him to make Jack jealous and get a reaction out of him. Sadly, it didn¡¯t do anything to him other than make him raise an eyebrow. This made her sigh so deeply because he¡¯s still the dense guy she always knew. But this made her laugh and hoped she could teach him more about the emotions of human bonding. After their lunch they got in the car, of course not without some attention when a random guy walked up to Jack and whispered soemthing into his ear. When Alexandria asked what he said, Jack replied and said that he was warning him of her and the danger my wallet and all his prized assets were in. This made Alex burst in laughter and not say anything further for five minutes.


    Once they drove off and after those five minutes, when Jack took a glimpse at Alex he saw her face express disappointment. Jack wanted to ask why she looked down but wanted to hold it off once they got to Eric¡¯s home. They were just two blocks away from reaching their destination, and Jack can¡¯t help but grin. Alex had a subtle smile and looked to be on the verge of taking a nap when Jack tapped her shoulder which made her look at him. He rubbed her shoulder and she grabbed his arm, rubbing it and going back to viewing the road. Jack wanted to keep her smile, he definitely didn¡¯t want her to look down like she did earlier in the drive.


    Finally, they arrived and Jack parked the car in the driveway. ¡°Well, we¡¯re here, home.¡±


    Alex dropped her slender legs and lay back on the chair. ¡°Your home, not mine.¡±


    ¡°True, but uh, you do have a home, right?¡±


    She gave Jack a sassy side view. ¡°You know the bookbag I just grabbed? Yeah that¡¯s my home bud.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re still homeless after all these years?¡± Jack said, his face scrunched.


    She rolled her eyes and opened the car door. ¡°Congratulations! You¡¯re smarter than a fifth grader, Jack Samr!¡±


    Jack chuckled and opened his door too. ¡°Hey, I still haven¡¯t even passed the fifth grade, remember?¡±


    Alexandria regretted her words, remembering Jack¡¯s situation. ¡°Oh damn. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she said, stepping out and getting a whiff of Jack¡¯s neighborhood. ¡°Nice area, reminds me of home.¡±


    ¡°Heh, figures. Shall we go inside?¡± he said, getting out and closing the door too.


    She tucked her hands into the pockets of Jack¡¯s borrowed coat and waited for him. He walked past and she followed him to the front door and waited for him to open it. Jack took his keys out but stopped before he could insert them.


    He looked at his friend and turned serious. ¡°Alex¡­ was it you or I that winded us here?¡±


    Alexandria placed her hand on his shoulder, leaning to his ear. ¡°It was you that led us through the whiteness that consumed our state. And after being rejected from household to household, ultimately, you were the one to push us forward as your dear sister was drawing her last breath.¡±


    So the events of Angela and I are practically the same but with her involved. Wicked. Jack thought.


    Jack grinned, ¡°Then why did you leave me?¡±


    She kissed his cheek and grabbed his hand, inserting the key into the keyhole for him. ¡°We¡¯ll talk more about that after my reunion with that devious sister of yours.¡±


    ¡°Devious? You say? Is that how you remember her?¡±


    Alexandria mildly squinted her face, ¡°Oh there¡¯s more, but I¡¯ll let her answer that for you if you can¡¯t remember what type of friendship we shared, hehehe.¡±


    Jack unlocked the door and opened it to reveal his home to her. Immediately, Alexandria took off his coat, hung it up on the rack next to the door, and took aim for the couch, jumping onto it and making herself at home already. She stretched, yawned beyond belief and felt exhausted. Although Jack questioned her mental state. If she¡¯s behaving this nonchalant after a near death experience she had a couple of hours ago, who knows what other circumstances she''s gotten herself into to feel this way.


    Jack tucked his two fingers and whistled loudly. ¡°Angela, could you come down here?¡±


    Alexandria groaned and grabbed one of the pillows on the couch, hugging it. ¡°Oh damn¡­ already? I was thinking we could¡¯ve at least catch up for alittle while¡­¡± she sighed, ¡°whatever, let the beast come forth!¡±


    Jack chuckled but grew a little nervous. He hasn¡¯t seen his sister ever since he ran out of his home in a panic when she told him she couldn¡¯t remember who Dr. Cato was or even the girl in his dreams. He swallowed and heard her coming down the stairs. Once he caught a glimpse of her, his skin tingle and when her eyes caught sight of him, she ran to him and jumped onto Jack.


    His breathing grew fast and the young man¡¯s eyes hazed. I can¡¯t help it¡­ she looks too much like Mallory.


    Angela rubbed her face against his abdomen and let off to look up at him. ¡°Brother, I was worried sick about you! Where have you been?¡±


    Jack hid his nervous nature and played it cool, patting her head. ¡°Just wanted to take some long naps and sleep, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Angela pouted and smacked her knuckles on his stomach. ¡°But for three days?! Pueh!¡±


    Jack forcefully chuckled and Alexandria quickly caught on to his acting. It concerned her as to why Jack looked scared being around her, but for now, she¡¯ll ask for another time. She cleared her throat and once Angela heard it wasn¡¯t her uncle''s deep tough bassy voice that produced such a weak sound, she shifted her head in the direction of the noise. Once she caught a glance of the culprit, she already knew who it was which made her gasp.


    Alex raised her hand and waved to Angela. ¡®Hey there, you foul demon you.¡±


    Angela pouted more and gripped Jack¡¯s shirt. ¡°How in the heck did she get in here?! Of all people, her? Her!¡±


    Jack shrugged. ¡°What? You don¡¯t like her?¡±


    Although that was apparent in the original time. So I¡¯m guessing nothing changed between these two. Jack thought.


    Angela crossed her arms and strutted to Alexandria. ¡°Oh I have much to say to this fipflabber!¡±


    Alexandria chuckled. ¡°Give me your worst then, you adorable emo demon you!¡±


    ¡°Ha, ha, I ain¡¯t emo you twit! I just like wearing black.¡±


    ¡°Oops, my bad, I couldn''t tell the difference with that black skirt, black eyeliner, high socks, chains, and band shirt with oh! Guess what?! A striped long sleeve beneath it, poser!¡±


    ¡°Why you!¡± Once Angela walked around the couch to stand in front of Alex, she dropped her arms and looked down. ¡°Why¡­ why didn¡¯t you stay, asshole.¡±


    Jack was shocked to hear this and now questioned their relationship. Alexandria moaned and grinned, reaching her arms out to Angela to reel her in for a hug. Angela wrapped her tiny arms around her and softly whimpered.


    Alex brushed her hair, and held Angela. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after I explain it more to my hubby.¡±


    Angela let off and wiped her eyes. ¡°You better or else you¡¯ll feel my wrath.¡±


    Alex chuckled and aggressively patted Angela, messing up her hair. ¡°I know I know, don¡¯t you worry my little demon.¡±


    Jack grabbed his chin and wondered more about their relationship.


    So they actually got along here yet kept the tension they always had beforehand when we first bumped into her.


    Jack squinted his eyes, thinking deeper about this new transpiring info being revealed in front of him.


    This is¡­ bizarre! Yet, I don¡¯t hate it. This, this is a good change in my opinion, one that I wished stayed. Hopefully more good gets revealed as life continues; that is until I bump into more of William¡¯s supposed trials.


    Jack walked over to the two and sat on the couch. Both girls glanced at him, and smiled. He replied with a grin and their front door opened, turning all their heads. It was only Eric who had just returned from the store, carrying two grocery bags. He set the bags gently on the ground and once his eyes met their stare, he froze and wondered why and who the other girl was. Angela playfully waved to her uncle, Jack nodded, and Alex winked to Eric.


    Eric scratched the back of his head, arching his brows. ¡°Why are all of you looking at me? And who¡¯s the girl? New girl of yours, Jack?¡±


    Jack turned to Alex, patting her leg. ¡°Nah, just someone I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve been able to reunite with.¡±


    Alex blushed and rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand. ¡°Stupid dense idiot.¡±


    Eric laughed and pointed at Jack. ¡°Ey! She¡¯s already funny, and what she said about you is true.¡±


    ¡°Ey¡­ what do you mean by that, Alexandria?¡± Jack asked.


    Angela punched her shoulder. ¡°Hey, go easy on my brother, I know he¡¯s dense but you didn¡¯t have to call him out like that.¡±


    Alex raised her hands, grinning. ¡°Oops, my bad. But I can¡¯t help not say something when the big buffoon says a compliment that is meaningful.¡± She dropped her hands and grabbed his hand. ¡°Especially directed to someone he likes without knowing.¡±


    Jack raised a brow, and smacked his lips. ¡°Damn¡­ why me?¡±


    Eric walked to them, tapping Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know who she is, your new lil mama, but I already like her!¡±


    ¡°Whatever¡­¡± Jack replied, leaning back on the couch with his arms crossed.


    Everyone laughed and Jack can¡¯t help but return the favour of sharing this nice reunion. Everyone continued to chuckle and giggle until Jack¡¯s phone rang and his face went white for a moment. Both girls saw his face transform and had them worried. Eric wondered why he got spooked from his phone ringing, and looked to the two girls who only shrugged to him in response. Jack got up without saying a word and walked off into the kitchen to answer it. He reached for his phone, and flipped it open, and quickly let out a sigh of relief. It was only Sarah who was calling.


    Jack cleared his throat and answered it. ¡°Sarah, hey, everything alright?¡±


    Sarah was on her bed, rubbing her forehead from a horrible headache. ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m okay, just my head¡¯s killing me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you sound kinda out of it. Almost like if you were just waking from a full day of sleep.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ I don¡¯t know why my head hurts, but I¡¯m just calling to check up on you since it¡¯s been a couple of days since our last talk.¡±


    Jack looked over his shoulder to see if any of the three were snooping into his conversation. Once he saw the cost was clear he walked more forward towards the back porch door.


    He pushed one of the blinds down to look out back. ¡°I would love to tell you what happened to me these past days, but for now, let''s talk about it tomorrow.¡±


    Alexandria made her way into the kitchen without being noticed or heard. She wanted to hear who Jack was talking to and why the young man¡¯s acting a little strange since their reunion.


    Sarah slammed her head on her bed and groaned. ¡°Sounds better since this headache¡¯s literally torturing me¡­ talk to you tomorrow, bye.¡±


    Sarah had hung up and Jack closed his phone, letting out a breath. He turned around and was surprised to see Alex standing there with her hand on her hip.


    ¡°Oh¡­ were you, uh, listening?¡± he asked, nervously.


    ¡°Yeah, just a little bit, and enough to make me jealous.¡± she leaned her hip more and raised a finger. ¡°So, who was that you sounded worried about?¡±


    Jack put his phone away, ¡°a friend.¡±


    ¡°A friend?¡± she replied not without adding some sass and crossing her arms.


    ¡°Yeah, a friend. Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, maybe a little.¡± she walked over to Jack, stopped and flung her hair, letting it slap his face. ¡°How close are you two? Hmm?¡±


    Jack wiped his face, ¡°dang, your hair is soft but man does it tickle. Anyway, her name is Sarah, and I¡¯ve known her since childhood.¡±


    ¡°Childhood ey? Childhood friend¡­ close still, mm.¡± Alexandria began to think, slamming two of her fingers against the sides of her head. ¡°Oh man, now it all makes sense!¡±


    Jack wonders why his friend is acting strange all of a sudden, but he can¡¯t help but grin over it. ¡°You alright there, Alex?¡±


    She got into his face, placing a finger on his nose. ¡°It seems like I have a rival!¡± she began pushing and twisting it, which made Jack twitch an eye. ¡°You promised to marry me you stupid buffoon¡­ I even got your sister''s approval!¡±


    Jack gently grabbed her finger, lowering it. ¡°Right right, now that is something I do remember in my orig¡ªI mean of course! Don¡¯t worry, I still¡­ hold up. Angela approved it?! Her!¡±


    Jack¡¯s perplexed and looked away briefly. They¡¯re even closer than I thought, wicked. He thought.


    Alexandria started laughing and patted his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m joking, sweety. Don¡¯t think about it too much, but I did want to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what would that be?¡±


    ¡°You okay?¡±


    Jack furrowed his brows. ¡°Wha-what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what I meant by, are you okay?¡±


    Jack grunted, looked to the side and hesitated to answer. Alexandria waited for a response, and was patient enough to grab one of the chairs closeby to sit on. It didn¡¯t matter if it was going to take him a minute or more, perhaps an hour but she wanted to hear what¡¯s bothering him. Jack on the other hand couldn¡¯t really tell her what''s going on; even if he did she would think he might be on some narcotic.


    Jack sighed. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    The answer she got made her roll her eyes at him. ¡°No you aren¡¯t. You can lie to me all you want but I¡¯ve known you long enough to know when you''re lying.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? You got to know me that well in the span of three months when I was living out in the streets?¡±


    Alexandria twisted her face, rolling her eyes harder. ¡°Huh?! Three months, tch¡­ you really aren¡¯t okay. More like almost two years mister.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Jack replied, leaving his draw dropped. ¡°T-T-Two years?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you heard me. Did you really forget all the things we did during those wretched times? Sheesh, talk about having dementia¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes quivered, the young man couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯s hearing.


    We were on the streets for that long? That means I didn¡¯t meet Eric until I was almost thirteen¡­


    Jack placed his hands on Alexandria''s shoulders. ¡°Alex, how old was I when we first met?!¡±


    She slightly turned her head, giving Jack a side look. ¡°Woah¡­ you sure you¡¯re alright? Did you hit your head or something?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and just answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Hey, ease the tone. Relax Jack, no need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tell me, how old was I?!¡±


    Alexandria didn¡¯t like the look in the young man''s eyes, and more importantly, his growing clutch. ¡°Chill, you¡¯re starting to hurt my shoulders!¡±


    ¡°Spill it, fucking tell me or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Relax!¡± Alex slapped Jack, and the young man dropped his hands. ¡°Goddamn man, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± she said while massaging her shoulders.


    Jack rubbed his cheek and grabbed his head. ¡°M-my bad¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to get carried away.¡±


    Alexandria grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and dragged him away and out the kitchen. Eric and Angela were in the living room, playing a video game that she loved beating him on. It was one of her weird cartoon games that had ridiculous overly buff men and women in erotic outfits beating each other up. Eric grew frustrated and wanted to crush the controller in his hands but remembered that it wasn¡¯s property. Angela giggled and stuck her tongue out to her uncle. The two then heard Alexandria stomping her way in, and the two turned their heads at her. Angela pointed at her and she replied by pointing at him and then swirling her finger.


    ¡°Ah ah, okay. His rooms down the hall.¡± Angela said.


    Eric glanced at both and wondered what they said before. ¡°Ya were talking with ya hands? How the hell did ya learn that?¡±


    Angela smugly grinned. ¡°When you were homeless for almost all your life like the two of us, you¡¯re bound to learn an alternative way of communicating without being noticed, hehe!¡±


    Alex gave her a thumbs up without changing her straight face. ¡°That¡¯s my lil demon!¡±


    ¡°Ya damn kids, whatever. You guys have your own methods, my gang and I have our own.¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Whatever uncle, but just because we¡¯re being side tracked doesn¡¯t disclose the fact that I¡¯m kicking your butt!¡±


    Eric mumbled something and a vein popped out of his forehead as he mashed the buttons. Angela laughed evily while Alexandria continued dragging Jack down the hall and eventually opening his bedroom door. Once the two were inside, she let go and closed the door behind them. Jack approached his bed and sat, and deeply sighed as he brought his eyes to Alex who stood with her arms crossed. She tapped one of her feet and raised a brow to him, and he replied by shaking his head and expressed a gentle smile.


    She softly grunted and shut her eyes. ¡°Honestly, if there¡¯s one thing that pisses me off about you is your abrupt anger and hiding your emotions.¡±


    Jack groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­ you know what. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a reason for me to apologise anymore. I need to be honest from now on.¡±


    Alex grinned, opened her eyes and went to Jack, sitting next to him. ¡°As you should be. Now, what¡¯s bothering you, and why are you acting afraid of your sister?¡±


    Jack rubbed his face and hunched forward, resting his arms on his knees. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ and that¡¯s the truth. I know that¡¯s the answer you¡¯re probably not seeking, but it¡¯s something I can¡¯t tell you. For now, it¡¯s more so¡ªof, why? You know what I mean?¡±


    Alex placed her index finger on her chin. ¡°Uhm¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°Figures. Anyways, no, I¡¯m not alright. I had a rough week to say the least, and I¡¯m pretty beat mentally.¡±


    ¡°There you go,¡± she replied, wrapping her arms around him. ¡°Go on, tell me more. You know you want to?¡±


    ¡°You sure? You¡¯d probably be here all day towards the night.¡±


    Alex ruffled his hair, kissing his cheek afterwards. ¡°I ain¡¯t got no home, no friends, so, I have all the time in the world.¡± She eased towards his ear, ¡°and if it does lead into the night, then I can repay you with that other¡ªpromise we both talked about years ago.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Another promise? How many did we end up with!¡±


    She giggled, ¡°three, and maybe more if I ain¡¯t being the teasing liar that I am, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Ah shit. I really need to stop promising things that I can¡¯t remember. At least I remembered the marriage part, but what¡¯s the other?¡±


    Alexandria grew seductive, rubbing her hands all over him. ¡°You want to find out?¡±


    Jack felt butterflies in his stomach, and turned to Alexandria. ¡°Now? And why are you rubbing me seductively?¡±


    She grinned and pushed Jack against the bed, and getting on top of him. Jack¡¯s confused, his eyes bouncing, the young man¡¯s nervous nature grew more once he saw a glimpse of Alexandria¡¯s chest when her shirt dangled. He saw that she changed her bra, a whine coloured one that was of lingerie. She giggled and grew closer to Jack¡¯s confused face. The young man furrowed his brows and looked into his old friends glistening eyes. She grew closer and closer but Jack had stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.


    ¡°What is it? Is this your first time? Because it¡¯s mine as well you know.¡± she muttered.


    Jack wiggled his mouth, ¡°before you do whatever promise I printed into that skull of yours, I have a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what would that be? My loving future husband.¡±


    ¡°Earlier, right after we finished lunch. What the guy said to me, and when I told you, it upsetted you, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Alexandria paused and stared. She softly blinked and patted his chest, and got off, sitting afterwards. ¡°Always serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± she shook her head and forcefully smiled. ¡°Fucking mood killer.¡±


    Jack sat up and grabbed her arm. ¡°We can go back to what we were doing after you answer me, Alex.¡±


    Alexandria fiddled her thumbs, and bit her lip. ¡°Dude, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be in the mood even if I tell you.¡±


    ¡°Why? Is it that bad?¡±


    She stopped talking and shrugged, looking down. Jack had no idea what the man said to him bothered her this much. He had to know the truth behind his statement, that way he could find a way to cheer her up. The young man wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer. She replied to his action by leaning her head on his broad shoulder, feeling safe in his hold.


    ¡°Come on, you can tell me anything, Alexandria.¡± he said.


    Her eyes quivered, and she tensed up her body, still feeling the bitterness in her mouth hard to swallow. She thought deeply about it, wondering if he¡¯ll look at her differently if he knew exactly what that man had said to him. Alexandria in the past did tell Jack all the bad things she had to do to sustain her life while being homeless, but what he said about him accepting her was true. But being apart for this long, and the new lifestyle she had to sustain to live in a way to avoid conflict and enemies, she knew this was something she can¡¯t bring herself to tell him. Just the thought and the reminiscing of her current situation makes her stomach turn, but she only has herself to blame.


    After another minute of silence, Alexandria grew just enough confidence to tell him. ¡°Jack¡­¡± she whispered.


    He replied by rubbing her shoulder and not saying a word.


    Her eyes were narrowed and shook like crazy, but she had to tell him since she knew how much of a caring guy he was. ¡°What that man told you about me and your wallet; has to be that I¡¯m a¡­ a¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, you can tell me, Alex. No matter the answer, I¡¯ll always accept you for who you are, and that¡¯s the cute girl who stole from others and overcame her drug addiction¡ªpartially.¡±


    Alexandria giggled and she shed a single tear. ¡°You¡¯re so fucking stupid, Jack.¡± She gripped his shirt and shut her eyes. ¡°Jack, I¡¯m a prostitute¡­ but¡ª¡±


    At first Jack barely heard her, and wondered why she stopped speaking. When he realised what she just said, firstly, he didn¡¯t know what that word meant. He let go of her and grabbed his chin, trying to remember where he heard that word from. Alexandria thought he rejected her and almost had her burst in tears but then she saw his thinking face on which made her raise half a brow. Then, it struck Jack and once he remembered what that was, it made his eyes pop out of their sockets. Seeing his reaction made Alexandria¡¯s heart ache because he looked very surprised yet disgusted.


    Jack turned to Alex and pointed at her. ¡°That¡­ I remember Randolph telling me what that is and bringing me one on my fourteenth birthday.¡± He nodded repeatedly, ¡°that was a woozy, and she was attractive. But if I remember correctly, I think she was an escort, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Alexandria felt more heart broken hearing this, actually it made her eyes squint. ¡°Wait¡­ your first was an¡­ an es-escort?¡±


    ¡°Yeeuup. If you mean sex, then yeah. Although I¡¯ve had more than I can chew once I turned sixteen.¡± Jack scratched his head, chuckling, ¡°I was going wild since I was always stressed out. Thankfully my uncles were the ones that helped set those arrangements up.¡±


    Alexandria¡¯s face turned still and she gave Jack a cold stare. ¡°You-You know what you¡¯re talking about, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, people that do things to make the other party happy. Like sexual things, which you do, and it kinda grosses me out if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, gross you out? That¡¯s understandable but let me finish my confession before you make a judgement.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go on then, quit stalling and why are you looking at me as if I¡¯m some stupid mutt?¡±


    She breathed in, kept her frustrations held for another ten seconds and blew it out her nostrils. ¡°So you know about sexual stuff yet¡­ you don¡¯t understand or know anything about the concept of love or relationships?¡±


    ¡°I-I know a little¡­ now. I¡¯m starting to learn.¡±


    Alexandria couldn¡¯t help but smile and smack Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°You¡¯re so stupid¡­ but I love you. Anyways, yes I am in fact a prostitute, but! Without doing any of the nastiness. In fact, I pretend to be one, go as far as I need to in order to get what I need, which is to steal desperate mens belongings.¡±


    Jack nodded, ¡°oh, understandable. So that explains why you have no home and remain to be called Snatch.¡±


    Alexandria giggled and wrapped her arms around Jack again. ¡°Woah, I haven¡¯t heard that name in awhile! Can¡¯t believe you still remember that, hehe.¡±


    ¡°Duh, of course I¡¯d remember. You¡¯re someone that I refused to forget about.¡± he raised his right wrist to her face, showing the bracelet she had given him. ¡°That¡¯s why I still haven¡¯t taken this off.¡±


    Her smile grew softer once he said that. She subtle her eyes and grabbed his wrist, and forced each other to fall on the bed. The two stared into each other''s eyes and locked their hands. Alexandria let go and crept her hand towards the area of his crotch, which made Jack raise his head in confusion.


    ¡°So¡­ what exactly did those escorts show you? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    Her voice grew seductive, gentle, yet it was pleasant and made Jack feel hot. He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. ¡°Well, whatever you¡¯re about to do, I¡¯ve had that done to me.¡±


    She grinned and licked her lips at him. ¡°Well, whatever they¡¯ve done to you, I believe I could do better.¡± she rubbed around that area, which made Jack groan.


    He blinked erratically and chuckled nervously. ¡°Is-is this one of the things you did to get far into your plans?¡±


    ¡°Nope, actually I¡¯ve never touched a man besides you. The most I¡¯d do is strip tease before the drug I put in their drinks goes into effect which blacks them out.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky, wait¡­ that¡¯s diabolical and if that¡¯s the case, then how are you this good at grabbing my junk?¡±


    She winked at him, ¡°Right, hehe. And I just had a lot of time to practice and watched a lot of porn to get an idea on what I¡¯d do to you if we ever reunited, sweety.¡± she dug her hand inside his pants and he felt her touch. ¡°And here we are¡ªtoday.¡±


    ¡°This-this is different from what they¡¯ve done¡­ I mean, not the ac-action, but just th-the feeling¡­¡±


    Alexandria went up to his face, moaning into his ear. ¡°Because it¡¯s different coming from someone you have feelings for, babe.¡±


    She slithered away, started unzipping his pants, her eyes stayed locked onto his while he looked like a confused dog. Jack took a deep breath and wiped his face with his right hand, while using the other to grip his bed sheet.


    ¡°Wh-what are you about to do, Alex?¡± he asked, starting to feel more heated.


    She stopped and stood up, slowly taking her shirt off and throwing it at his face. Jack grabbed it and threw it to the side, seeing that her face was near his crotch. He took another breath, shaking his head and tilting it as he looked into her seductive nature.


    ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s next?¡± he asked while grinning.


    She reached behind, trying to unhook her bra. She grinned as well and again, licked her lips. ¡°I¡¯m about to show you how much¡ªI missed you¡­ Jack Samr.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes mildly shook, but in excitment and felt his stress being blown away. ¡°Well then¡­ show me, Alexandria.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 9: Reconciliation Of The Past—Part 3

    It¡¯s nearing dawn, the night life for Detroit began to creep from their respected corners. From the gas stations at the end of the cities worst neighborhoods to the normal sidewalks having drug dealers prowl beneath a simple street lamp post being their ideal area. With the sun starting to set, on the opposite side of the city, walking on a safe sidewalk heading to a home in which he calls his enclosed hell, having to see the same being who¡¯s made his life insufferable, Sarah¡¯s father was closing in after a long day''s work. Carrying his suitcase, his business attire looking wrinkly, his blondish hair glazing from the dying sun off in the horizon, he looked to be anxious of something; Rather, it was something trivial, but to him, it¡¯s a new feeling he¡¯s welcoming because his daughter of all people had called him earlier in the day.


    Why would she call me? What does she want to speak of? He thought.


    When he was in a conference midday, his phone rang, after answering and hearing the voice, he almost snapped. The skyscraper where the business he worked for trembled and people thought the building was about to collapse. Chaos ensued and he remained seated while everyone else around him thought this was about to be their last moment of life. He thought it was that dastardly woman he hated so much who had just called him, but once they said ¡°Father¡­¡± he eased his anger and thankfully didn¡¯t turn the skyscraper into dust. She nervously asked him if they could talk when he got home from work to which he replied just as nervously and said yes.


    He was just two blocks away from his home when he felt someone else presence. He stopped beneath a street lamp, and clenched a fist.


    ¡°Whoever¡¯s close, and lurking in the shadows, show yourself.¡± he said in a serious tone.


    They replied with a chuckle and appeared out of a bird''s shadow that flew overhead. It was none other than John, the titled most powerful Witch, to which he still denies. His steampunk outfit fit well in the atmosphere that was being created around them from the dwindling sun across their faces. His ghostly blue eyes glowing, Sarah¡¯s father¡¯s natural blue eyes were as cold as dry ice, they didn¡¯t say a word but looked at each other.


    John went up to him but stopped at least a foot away from him. ¡°Hey, how ya doing?! Everything going swimmingly for ya so far in this altered timeline we¡¯re in?¡± he said in his comical raspy voice.


    ¡°Hmph, whatever altercation has occurred has no meaning to me if I¡¯m still living this fa?ade that I have to endure for the rest of my miserable life.¡±


    John grabbed his brislty chin, ¡°Interesting, yet, confining! Ah, you¡¯re too serious my friend, lighten up every once and a while. Come on you tall giant, smile once!¡±


    ¡°How? How¡¯s that a possibility when every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year after year I have to share my breath with that insufferable bitch of a woman.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­ why did I even ask? Every word coming out of your mouth is ¡®I hate her, fuck her, grr! She makes me dry as fuck, my dick is small because of her, gurgle gurgle! Bwahaha!¡±


    The way John puffed his chest, imitated his voice and made fun of his existence actually almost made him grin. When John saw that tiny smirk it made him grunt in annoyance at him.


    ¡°So you can smile? But only when I make fun of someone as despicable as you?! Come on man, don¡¯t be such a downer my Witch friend.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father set his briefcase down and placed his hands on his hips. ¡°I¡¯m not a Witch like you, Jonathan.¡±


    ¡°Dude, you actually said my people name! Oh my god, at least I¡¯ll give you that. You¡¯re more respectful than your evil wife heheh!¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. I would never be like¡ªon second thought, never mind. Forget what I was about to say.¡±


    John dug his black fingernail painted fingers into his side hanging hair, smirking. ¡°What? The fact that you were once one of the most brutal, merciless beings to exist at one point! How could I ever forget your barbaric berserk nature, my friend.¡±


    He set his arms down, and looked down. ¡°Don¡¯t remind me¡­ I regret ever being someone that heartless.¡± He balled his fists and squinted his eyes. ¡°Just remembering makes my blood boil; the thought that I! I use to behave and act just as violently as¡ª¡±


    ¡°Your dreadful wife? I know right! She¡¯s a freaking monster! But damn, oh my goodness is she the most perfect woman!¡± John had his arms raised in the air, but quickly hurtled them down to cross them. ¡°Although, there is someone who¡¯s just like her, so she can¡¯t have the title when there¡¯s another like her.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who-who are you talking about?¡± he asked, wondering who he¡¯s referring to.


    John turned his face, his smile reaching ear to ear. ¡°You know who, that mysterious daughter of yours, my friend.¡±


    He got serious, approached John and stood before him. John kept his grand smile while the two had a stare down with the sun dropping down over the horizon.


    ¡°You make it seem like you know my own flesh and blood more than I do. So how about you stop this act you like to put up and show your true self to tell me what exactly you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    John shut his eyes, and patted his shoulder. ¡°How about this, ahem. How much do ¡®You really¡¯ know about your daughter?¡±


    In hearing this question, it made his face turn, but rather at himself instead of John. John had the right to ask, this was a question many would answer simply, but to Sarah¡¯s father, it was trivial. Despite hardly knowing her, at least he¡¯s starting to finally warm up and hopefully, open up to his own daughter.


    He shook his head, and sighed. ¡°I-I¡­ I hardly even know her, Jonathan. And it makes me sick to my own stomach because¡­ because I really, really want to get to know her.¡±


    John turned his smile upside down and gripped his shoulder. ¡°Then do it.¡± he said in his actual calm voice instead of his forced raspy childish one.


    ¡°Wh-what did you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°You heard me, do¡ªit. Get to know her¡ªyour daughter.¡±


    He clenched his fists harder, growing angry at himself but especially, towards his horrible wife. ¡°How? How could I when I''m contracted to not do so.¡±


    John''s face was cold, and he set his arm down to his side. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you realise, but your contract was already broken when you acknowledged her existence recently. Do I even have to mention the training sessions you two have had?¡±


    John gasped, his eyes shook as he looked at John¡¯s serious face. ¡°How¡­ do you kno¡ªoh yeah, your unforgettable ability that makes you so unpredictable.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, my friend.¡± John brought two of his fingers to his eyes, ¡°My all seeing eyes, the very ones embedded into my skull. You remember what they do, correct?¡±


    He nods, ¡°of course¡­ you can see into someone''s whole life; whether it be their past, their current, but more freightenly, their unforeseeable future¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m the selfish type to not tell you what¡¯s the outcome of your unpredictable future, my friend.¡±


    He felt irritated when he heard that but knew well why he couldn''t. ¡°You know, it¡¯d be helpful if you gave me more hints of my! shitty future rather than just tell me it¡¯s going to turn out fine when it hasn¡¯t; Granted it''s too late but whatever.¡±


    John shrugged, and winked at him. ¡°I think what I said about your future was a better hint than I usually say to others.¡±


    He sighed. ¡°Sure, whatever. Anyways, I know you didn¡¯t follow me to just say hey and hopefully have the two of us sing kumbaya next to a bonfire?¡±


    ¡°Man, you sure do know me well, heheh!¡± John cracked his fingers, ¡°I¡¯m here to warn you my friend, a warning to which you need to take very, very seriously.¡±


    ¡°Why? Can¡¯t be worse than what I¡¯m experiencing.¡±


    John got serious again and went up to his face, ¡°because it involves that lovely daughter of yours.¡±


    His eyes immediately expanded, drawing a breath out of him. ¡°Wh-what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly as I tell you, your daughter, and what I mentioned before is the reason for my presence.¡±


    He quickly put it together, which made him bite his lip. ¡°Is this about me¡­ getting to know my daughter?¡±


    John nods, ¡°Precisely.¡± He placed his hand on his friend''s shoulder and furrowed his brows. ¡°Do it, for the next two months¡ªget to know your own flesh and blood before she faces, and experience a hell you would never¡­ imagine.¡±


    His eyes quivered, his bottom lip bouncing, he can¡¯t fathom this hint being told to him. ¡°John, I-I know I shouldn¡¯t question how you know, but¡­ answer me this¡ª¡± he placed both his hands onto John¡¯s shoulders, looking into his ghostly eyes. ¡°The only way you know she¡¯ll go through a tragic future is if you¡ªyou! Have looked into her eyes¡­ ha-have you?¡±


    John blinked, and softly trickled air out his nose. ¡°I have, but through the eyes of your horrid wife.¡±


    ¡°How? How could you tell through her¡ª¡±


    He had paused, and left his jaw dropped. Thoughts came into fruition, possibilities, outcomes, ones that can only explain how John can see into his daughters future. With this, that means she knew as well, and is keeping it secret from him.


    ¡°Johnathan, does she¡ªknow?¡± he asked, his tone sounding weak.


    John shrugged, ¡°that, I don¡¯t know. And I¡¯m being honest, my friend.¡±


    He looked away briefly, trying to control his emotions so he won¡¯t have another small outburst like he did a week ago. ¡°This-this doesn¡¯t make sense, the fact you can see her future events in two months through her treacherous eyes¡­¡±


    ¡°That, you will find out sooner than you think, my friend. And when you do hear the answer, it¡¯ll not only break you, but it¡¯ll humble that screwed up mind of yours about a certain someone whom you¡¯ve grown to hate.¡±


    ¡°You mean her?! Her! Never¡­¡± he placed his hand over his face, grounding his teeth. ¡°I will never forgive her for what she¡¯s done to not only me, but to the universe she almost crushed. She¡¯s a horrible being who exceeds comprehension and should be stopped.¡±


    John smiled. ¡°True, but you forget that there''s people who are far above her. You already know one of them, but you have yet to meet the other.¡±


    ¡°Who? That dumb hot headed embarrassment of an Exorcist Archard?¡±


    ¡°Mm mm, no. Archard is strong, very strong! Don¡¯t underestimate him just because he¡¯s a hot head doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s not a threat to our world. But this other being is someone I¡¯m sad to say you¡¯ll never meet. But your daughter¡­ will!¡±


    He shook his head and swiped his hand. ¡°John, these hints are killing me! I wish you would tell me but¡ª¡± he brought his hand up to his face, ¡°I¡¯ll find out after she¡¯s gone through the hell you¡¯ve already seen.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, your ability to see a person''s life. I actually like yours better since it¡¯s pretty hardcore and quite gothic. Really Germ¨¢n, just like you heheh!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but unlike yours, I can¡¯t see their future or can¡­ I?¡±


    John walked past him and raised his arms. ¡°Who knows unless you could give it a try?! I don¡¯t doubt you. You¡¯re an incredible man and someone whom I¡¯ve grown to respect over the years.¡± John looked up to the sky, taking a deep breath. ¡°You''re a man who learns of his mistakes and when it comes to those he loves dearly¡ªhe¡¯ll do anything to protect them at all costs, even if that means giving up his dignity or life.¡±


    He sulked and picked up his briefcase. ¡°No, I¡¯m just a simple business man, who¡¯s depressed like every single hard working middle class American.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re not.¡± John looked over his shoulder, ¡°you¡¯re a hard working middle class man who provides for the family that he loves, no matter how much he denies his hatred towards his wife.¡±


    ¡°Th-That¡¯s not true, I¡¯d rather¡ª¡± when he turned around to shout at John, he was gone like the wind. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed one bit, asshole¡­¡± he muttered.


    Sarah¡¯s father turned around and started to get back on his original path to go back to his home. Quickly, night had rolled down, smearing the sky in darkness. The words that John had said stayed embedded, echoing repeatedly as he walked on his way home. He questioned if what he said about him being a man of the household was true, he just can¡¯t accept it. It fueled the fire in his heart for that woman, but there was something extinguishing that fire and that was his loving daughter. He had much more to ask and wanted to know more about this horrible future his daughter¡¯s going to face after two months. For now, all he wanted to do was wonder what his daughter wanted to talk about that had him flustered.


    After ten more minutes of crickets chirping the night, and Detroit''s rising crime blasting off in the distance, he arrived at his front doorstep. He reached into his pocket to get his keys, placed them into the keyhole and opened the door. Once he walked in he was indulged with a nice aroma of his favourite scented coffee.


    ¡°Is this¡­ Jacobs? I-I haven¡¯t had this coffee in ten years when John got me a bag for my wretched twenty seventh birthday.¡±


    He placed his suitcase down, took his shoes off and walked into the kitchen to find two coffee mugs placed near each other on the dining table. He smacked his lips and knew it was just his damned wife who¡¯s trying to play games with him. But this was something he loves so he set aside his ego and started reaching for one when unexpectedly his daughter walked in with a long plate of Hutzelbrot; A seasoned sweet bread that¡¯s brown with aniseeds and made of rye dough. He too loved the bread his daughter''s just bringing in. She set it on the table and found her father standing right beside one of the mugs of coffee, his jaw was mildly dropped and he looked much brighter than his usual self.


    ¡°Father¡­ I didn¡¯t know you-you were home. This is uh, a little weird¡­¡± she backed off and set her arms behind, blushing. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to finish my preparation, ehehe¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father closed his mouth and sat down, grabbing a slice and taking a bite. Once bitten, he was transpired into a world of flavours and he can taste his home country. He immediately gouged into the bread and finished it without a trace, not even a crumb was left. Sarah¡¯s heart warmed up, she''s never seen her father this energetic about anything before. She too took a seat, and grabbed a mug of that Jacobs coffee she prepared. Sarah¡¯s father watched her as she took a sip. He was anxious of how she¡¯ll react to a much stronger coffee than she usually has.


    Sarah took a sip, and felt the warmth glide down her pipe. ¡°This is my first time having this. It¡¯s delightful.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father slightly grinned, but Sarah can¡¯t look at him since she promised not to set her eyes onto him.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah, did you¡ªprepare all this?¡± he asked while grabbing another slice of bread to drink with his coffee.


    Sarah too grabbed a slice but waited until his hand was away from the plate. ¡°Ye¡­ah. I wanted to make you feel at home and comfortable with our discussion. Is something wrong?¡±


    His hand flickered, and felt his heart skip a beat. ¡°N-no. There¡¯s nothing wrong, I¡¯m just¡ªsurprised.¡± He grabbed the mug again, ¡°question is, how did you know that I love these two items?¡±


    Sarah looked around, and tapped the table with her hands before answering. ¡°I asked m¡­om before she left for an undisclosed meeting. That¡¯s how I found out and quickly began cooking and preparing to¡ª¡±


    Sarah felt her father¡¯s aura emerge, seeing and feeling his anger swelling. She drew a sweat and nervously grabbed a slice of bread. She took a bite and loved the taste but feeling her fathers anger grow more and more prevented her from saying anything. Her father took in a breath, held it for five seconds and exhaled. He wiped his face and lay back on the chair, slightly tilting his head. Sarah quietly ate her bread and watched as he tapped his long fingers on the table.


    He finally simmered down and grabbed his mug to take another sip. ¡°So, what is it that you wanted to speak about?¡±


    His voice grew cold and annoyed, and Sarah wasn¡¯t sure if she should ask if that¡¯s how he reacted to just answering him about the preparation she made. Of course it was just from the kindness of her heart, but she had no clue that her mother just helping with a telling will make him this heated. She knew he had disgust over her mother, but Sarah wanted to know more about her, more of their hatred, more of her mysterious nature. For as long as Sarah can remember, she always thought her mother was a nature loving, caring gorgeous woman she can look up to. As of lately, everything that''s been revealed to her in the past months, she¡¯s found out more horrible sayings of her mother than anything else, especially that one Exorcist who enjoyed picking on her because she looked just like her mother.


    Sarah finished her bread and thought about it. Damn¡­ why does he hate her so much! All I wanted to ask was more of their origins, especially moms. But I can¡¯t, I¡¯m scared of how he¡¯ll react!


    Sarah¡¯s father grew worried that he¡¯s intimidating her too much. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I-I won¡¯t¡­ bite.¡±


    Sarah softly giggled. ¡°Out of all things you could¡¯ve said, that¡¯s what you chose?¡±


    He lightly chuckled and wanted to get another slice of bread.


    When he was reaching for one, Sarah also did but to get it for him. ¡°Here, let me grab one and set it for¡ª¡±


    Once their skins gently touched, even if it was a smear, Sarah¡¯s father abruptly retracted his arm and grabbed it. This scared Sarah and she saw his panting, livid, but petrifying face along with his quaking eyes staring at her. This made her feel revolted and never has she seen her father express such a vulgar look at something. She felt like he was looking at the most disturbing, horrifying thing to ever exist.


    Sarah¡¯s bottom lip quivered and the edges of her eyes began to swell. ¡°Fa-Father¡­ I-I, I was just¡ª¡±


    He brought his eyes to his hand, and stared at his shaking palm. ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­ touch¡ªme, please¡­¡±


    Sarah covered her eyes and felt ready to burst in tears. She wanted to get up and run away to her room, a normal reaction for any girl in her shoes. But for Sarah, she had to be strong and ask more about her mother. She sniffled, and fought the sadness that did the best it could to explode. She managed to control herself and drop her hands, shaking it away, and lastly, waving her hands at her face. Sarah¡¯s father reacted to this by feeling disgusted with himself for being this overall dramatic by a simple touch. Yet he can¡¯t help it, her touch even if it was miniscule felt too similar to that of his wife. It was soft, smooth, and tickled his insides.


    Sarah¡¯s father shut his eyes, and weirdly enough, punched himself in the face, shocking his daughter. ¡°Fa¡­ther! Wh-why did you do that?!¡± she asked as she got up half way from her chair.


    Her father deeply sighed, grinning. ¡°Yo-You wouldn¡¯t understand. For now, let this fool bask in his shame.¡±


    Sarah respected her fathers wish and sat back down. The two had a moment of silence until he destroyed it by clearing his throat.


    ¡°Sorry for acting¡­ a fool. Uh, what do you want to talk about?¡±


    Sarah shook her head and wanted to see if he was okay, but she wanted to oblige to his rules. ¡°Oh father¡­ I hardly know you¡ªyet, I can sense you need help.¡±


    He rolled his eyes, ¡°Yeah no kidding, I¡¯m all sorts of fucked up¡­¡± he replied, casually letting a stream of crimson to drip off his nostril.


    ¡°I mean, first you get nervous when I''m around you, then you all of a sudden wanted to blast my mother into smithereens along with the entire continent, and out of nowhere, start teaching me about who I am as a Witch?! And learn to control my mana! Oh dad, I can already tell you¡¯re silly¡­¡±


    He pinched his nose, blocking any more blood from coming out. ¡°Hey, I would have if she didn¡¯t lay her wretched fingers on me. And please, who else is gonna teach you? Her! That¡¯s a nightmare not only for me, but for the rest of reality.¡±


    The two paused, then looked at each other''s necks, and laughed. Quickly, reality struck them and the two realised they just had a normal conversation. Nobody stuttered, nobody reacted with revolution, a quick simple two sentences and disagreements along with some sass had them talk like normal people. Sarah took this opportunity to continue by asking for his origins.


    ¡°Father, um¡­ I wanted to ask. Wh-where did you come from, and how long have you been a Witch?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father cleared his throat, also grabbing a napkin to wipe his bloody nose. Just like John said, get to know my own flesh and blood.


    Then he brought the bloody napkin to his view. ¡°Yeah, my own blood¡­¡± he muttered.


    He drifted his eyes to his daughters neck, wiping his nose one more time before speaking.


    ¡°Well, I was born in a remote town, twenty miles from Berlin. And as for me being a Witch, I¡¯m coming clear about this.¡±


    Sarah was excited. This was not only a small dream come true, but as the conversation kept going, she could sense that hatred in his heart dwindle.


    I¡¯m getting to know my father! Unbelievable, and cool, I¡¯m half German! Should¡¯ve known once mom told me his favourite coffee brand and such. Sarah thought.


    Sarah listened and nodded in enjoyment, ready to hear more.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m a Witch¡ªper say. My shoes are a bit more complicated, in fact, I only know a couple of spells and that''s that.¡±


    Sarah pointed at her father as his eyes were locked straight. ¡°So what you¡¯re trying to say is that you¡¯re mislabeld?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father mildly grins. ¡°You can say that.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you, father?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father placed his knuckle beneath his chin. ¡°Well, to your surprise, I¡¯m an Esper.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes blossomed and she was filled with excitement. ¡°Re-Really?!¡± she said, leaning towards him. ¡°What kind?!¡±


    Hearing her daughter¡¯s excitement made his hardened heart pump faster. Never would he have imagined hearing her make such noises that would make him feel this fuzzy inside. Seeing, talking, getting to do this was just a dream to him, but now it¡¯s a gift he¡¯s been given, and one he¡¯ll take advantage of; So long as his wife doesn¡¯t return home anytime soon.


    ¡°Slow down there, Sarah, you¡¯re putting pressure on a poor middle aged man.¡± He got another slice of bread and dumped it into his coffee. ¡°I¡¯m an Esper who has transpired, evolved his gifted abilities into his physical strength. In fact, I loathe using my powers for anything other than my muscles.¡±


    Sarah started putting her own puzzles together. She grabbed her chin and squinted. That explains why we¡¯ve mainly done mana control and nothing on using telepathy, the spells taught to me by mom, or shooting it out like a mass of energy.


    ¡°Hey father, what do you mean you loathe using it? Like shooting it out? Lifting objects, or perhaps using them to make life easier?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father, dipped, bit his coffee stained bread. ¡°Exactly as I said. People who rely on their gifted abilities are no more than weaklings and especially, cowards to me. I on the other hand have managed to grow my natural strength that makes me human far beyond comprehension by combining my gift along with controlling the mana dormant in me with just normal hand to hand combat.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t you still have to use it to combat people that are above normal norms?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father grew a confident smile. ¡°Not exactly. I managed to combine it with my muscle fibers, and with years of meditation, I¡¯ve managed to have it fixed to every nerve, neuron, and every reflex that I can use to break the boundaries of natural strength.¡±


    Sarah grew more excited, pumping a fist. ¡°In-incredible! I never knew that was possible?! So in contrary, when you displayed your incredible Aura to me for the first time, it was to display fear onto me but doing the same to others, right?¡±


    Her father lay back, his eyes briefly grew big as he did a slight tilt. ¡°Eh, more or less. Although, it¡¯s not necessary for me to display my mana when they can feel how heavy my presence is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding¡­ just me speaking to you alone is enough to quake in my gothic boots.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father blinked rapidly, and Sarah let out a breath. The two then softly chuckled, feeling their bond grow. Never has she heard him produce sounds of happiness and it was cute for a shy, quiet giant like him to make these sounds. As the two chuckled a little more, their door had opened, and her father knew who it was, immediately making him stand on his feet. Their presence made his blood boil, and it erased every ounce of happiness within his body.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ but I have to go. We can talk some other time, Sarah.¡± He said, slamming his fist on the table.


    Sarah¡¯s father quickly walked off with Sarah reaching an arm out to him as he left the kitchen.


    ¡°Fa¡­ther¡­¡± Sarah said, looking sad now that her father left in anger.


    She let out a long deep sigh and began cleaning up. As she did, her mother had walked in, and saw her daughter cleanup but for two, which made her curious.


    ¡°My beloved daughter, what are you doing?¡± she asked while flinging her hair.


    Sarah grabbed the mug her father was using, and looked at the small puddle inside of it. ¡°Cleaning up after a nice talk.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother raised a brow, growing a twisted smile, almost as if she knew exactly what she was doing before asking.


    ¡°Oh? And with whom? My beautiful doppelganger.¡±


    Sarah looked at her mother, her face showing sadness but with a hint of joy. ¡°With¡ªfather¡­¡±


    ***


    While the night sky grew misty, clouds covering the moon, and the crime of Flint echoing off in the distance, back in Eric¡¯s home, Alexandria was beginning to wake up from a nap. She sat up, scratched her head, and looked at Jack who was still asleep. She expressed a cute smile, ruffled his hair, and got out of his bed, only wearing his shirt with nothing beneath it except her panties. She stretched and has never felt better thus far in her life.


    She looked at him again, admiring his vulnerability. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you were my first, and hopefully my last, you big idiot, hehe.¡±


    Alexandria heard her stomach growl and rubbed it. Without another thought in mind, she walked out of his room and into the living room to get to the kitchen. While she did, she saw the television on with explosions, women moaning, and men grunting coming from it. It was only Angela who was still up playing a video game, her face extremely dead focused on it. Alexandria decided to be sneaky by tiptoeing to her to scare the little scene chick.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to scare the shit out of her alright, muhaha.¡± she whispered.


    Tiptoeing, her bare toes softly touching the cold wooden floor, she managed to get behind her without being noticed. She raised her arms in the air and flung them towards Angela who quickly dodged her without looking. Alexandria fell face first where she sat and moaned in defeat. Angela blew steam out her nostrils, throwing up horns in victory.


    Alexandria rolled over and stood up, patting herself. ¡°Damn you, how¡¯d you know I was going to sneak attack you?!¡±


    Angela chuckled confidently, ¡°A master never reveals her secrets!¡±


    Alexandria placed her hand on her hip, leaning it. ¡°Yeah yeah, what time is it anyway?¡±


    Angela paused the game, grabbing her smartphone and checking the time. ¡°Almost ten, why?¡±


    When Angela¡¯s sights were on Alexandria, she checked her out head to toe. Her outfit made her eyes erratically twitch, raise the edge of her lip, and once she wrapped up on why she was reacting this way towards Alex, she gasped loudly.


    Angela dramatically pointed her finger at Alex and sharpened her gaze. ¡°You¡­ you succubus!¡±


    Alexandria was confused at first then knew what she meant by that. ¡°Me? A succubus, mmm, perhaps! Muhahaha!¡±


    Angela crossed her arms, and pouted. ¡°D-don¡¯t tell me you guys actually did the nasty!¡± she said, puffing her cheeks.


    Alexandria sat down, crossing her legs. ¡°You mean sex? Yeah, of course we did, my little demon.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Ahh, gross, don¡¯t wanna hear your confirmation. At least tell me you guys used protection?!¡±


    Alexandria smugly grinned. ¡°Nope, raw dogged it hehe!¡±


    Angela rolled her eyes, ¡°gross! Why are you telling me?!¡±


    ¡°Because you asked, dummy! Duhh, anyways, how¡¯ve you been, huh?¡±


    ¡°Me? Oh, I¡¯ve been doing great, well, not as lately.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, why¡¯s that?¡± Alexandria asked, laying an arm on the couch.


    Angela set her arms down, laying back on the couch. ¡°It¡¯s Jack. He¡¯s been acting, how should I put it¡ªstrangely weird?¡±


    ¡°Weird and strange acting or towards you?¡±


    Angela appeared sad in response to Alexandria¡¯s answer. ¡°Both.¡± she said in a disappointed tone.


    Alexandria figured this was the case, but had no clue that Angela was aware of the issue already. This also answered that he¡¯s been acting strange before their reunion, raising concerns over his mental state that¡¯s rotting. Although neither could understand why he¡¯s behaving this way, Alexandria wanted to ask more of his odd behaviour to get a hint on why.


    ¡°Say Angela, was your brother always acting this finicky? Or is this recent?¡±


    ¡°Recently,¡± Angela responded, her eyes diverting towards her legs. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it, ever since he awoke from a nightmare about a week ago, when he first lay eyes on me¡ªit was as if he set eyes on me for the first time in years. Then, afterwards, he gives me the gaze of someone staring at their reaper.¡±


    ¡°Mm, that is strange. I wonder what nightmare made him change this way? If he¡¯s acting this paranoid of you then this nightmare has your involvement all over it.¡±


    Angela brought her hand up to her face, staring at it blankly. ¡°You know Alexandria, you might be right. Yet somehow, I can understand why he¡¯s acting this way at me.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    Angela sat silently, staring deep at the wrinkles and creeks on her palm. Her mouth slightly gapped, her pearly white teeth ground, the young girl balled her fist and dropped it.


    She turned to Alexandria, and gazed at her with an emptiness. ¡°For some strange reason, Alex, I don¡¯t feel¡ªlike myself. I-I can¡¯t describe it, but, I feel like there¡¯s something missing inside me. A darkness that¡¯s supposed to accommodate along with Jack¡¯s.¡±


    Alexandria didn¡¯t like Angela¡¯s strange behaviour, rather it felt familiar yet somehow she can¡¯t understand why.


    ¡°A darkness, huh? How could you tell if there¡¯s black in his heart?¡±


    ¡°His eyes, they reek and reflect tragedy.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I do give you that. They are more dead looking than before, and could you stop the edgy tryhard look? I think you¡¯ve watched too many Anime¡¯s.¡±


    Angela¡¯s mind started to hurt, and she heard someone scream, and it sounded like herself. ¡°Ouch¡­ headache just bursted in. how perposterous.¡±


    Alexandria stood up, patted Angela, and then flicked her forehead.


    ¡°He-Hey! What was that for?¡± she said, rubbing it.


    ¡°That¡¯s for acting weird too, anyways, I¡¯ll talk to you tomorrow. I¡¯m going to get a snack, eat it, then get back into bed with my husband and call it a night.¡±


    Alex walked away and Angela shrugged. She picked her controller up and when she was about to pause her game, in the television''s reflection, she saw someone standing in the hallway that led to Jack¡¯s room. She turned around and saw nothing. She gulped and got up with her controller in her hand. She walked out of the living room and stood at the entrance of the hallway. There, she saw a woman in a red dress stand at the end of it, and the woman walked into Jack¡¯s room. Angela panicked, dropped her controller and ran to her brother¡¯s room. She got to his door and saw it was shut, which made her pause.


    ¡°Bro-Brother¡­ are you still asleep?¡± she asked, knocking.


    There was no answer. She reached for the door knob, turned it and opened it. Inside she saw her brother fast asleep with just a single lit candle on his desk. She scratched her cheek in confusion and quickly sighed in relief but strangely felt someone''s presence behind her. She can feel a chill hit the back of her neck, the hairs on her body rose, and she felt the cold get closer to her ear.


    ¡°I have blessed you, my child¡­¡± they whispered.


    Angela quickly turned and covered her ear, drawing a panicked breath, sweating. The voice that whispered into her ear sounded mature, womangly, soft, and Angelic. Her heart was beating fast, and she was beginning to get more chills. As Angela diverted her eyes back into Jack¡¯s room, the candle glowed red and blew intensely, eventually blowing itself out. All of this made Angela scared to which she responded by running away but accidently bumped into Alexandria who had a bag of chips in her hand. The bag fell, exploding out the chips onto the floor.


    ¡°Angela? You okay?¡± Alexandria asked as Angela held onto her.


    ¡°Th-Th-There was a wo-woman¡­ in a red dress¡­ in Jack¡¯s-Jack¡¯s¡­¡±


    Poor Angela couldn¡¯t finish her sentence but Alexandria sprinted into action, dragging Angela with her. When they did get into Jack¡¯s room, it was pitch black because of the candle being out. Alexandria wasn¡¯t afraid and walked right into darkness, tapping the wall to turn on the light. As she did, she saw his closet half open. Angela stayed behind Alexandria and she pointed at her brother for her to stay with him. She did and hugged him as he was still asleep. Alexandria went to Jack¡¯s desk, and opened the drawer. There, she found his silver 1911, and picked it up. She cocked it and cautiously walked to his closet, having the gun aimed down sight.


    ¡°Alexandria¡­ BE careful¡­¡± Angela said, ¡°Jack, wake up, wake up you big idiot!¡± she said while shaking him.


    Alexandria kept her focus on the gun''s sights. She put her hand to the door''s edge, and slowly opened the door while having the gun aimed straight. Fully opened, it exposed a single red rose, laying on the carpet floor. Alexandria carefully reached for it and picked it up, questioning why on earth there was a rose in his closet?


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± she said while examining it. ¡°Angela, does your brother collect roses?¡±


    Angela shook her head. ¡°No¡­ he-he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Alexandria felt the thorns on the rose''s stem starting to pierce her skin. She carried it over to where the other two were, and blood was drawn. Alexandria hissed and crimson dripped to the ground, sparking concern for Angela. Alexandria rotated the rose again and saw where one of the thorns had cut her. This made her smack her lips and snap the rose in half. Angela wondered why she did it? She held onto her brother who mysteriously still stayed asleep despite all the noises that were made moments ago along with Angela¡¯s shaking.


    ¡°You okay, Alex? You¡¯re bleeding.¡± Angela asked.


    Alexandria saw a nice clean cut on the edge of her index finger, watching the blood stream down her hand. ¡°I¡¯m alright, just feeling a little strange, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever I saw, must¡¯ve planted that rose there! So this means, it¡¯s the work of a spirit!¡±


    Angela sounded dead serious, but to Alex¡¯s ears, it sounded like a joke. She giggled and went up to Angela, rubbing her head and walking off to go into Jack¡¯s bathroom.


    ¡°You have been watching too much Anime, I think it¡¯s time you take a break from those troublesome supernatural thrillers.¡± she said while closing the door behind her.


    Angela puffed her cheeks out, ¡°pueh! You can¡¯t command what I do with my free time. And ghosts are real I tell you! The rose is proof you foul succubus.¡±


    Alexandria chuckled again. She shifted her head to the mirror, staring at herself. She put down Jack¡¯s gun, and the rose. She rubbed her eye and started cleaning her small wound. After it was cleansed, she dabbed it, and when her eyes went back to the mirror, the figure of a woman in red appeared behind her. She quickly turned and she was gone, making her breathing frantic along with chills growing throughout her body. She grew scared and what Angela said about a spirit lurking in their house might be true.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on? Who was that¡­ damn! I almost pissed myself.¡±


    Alexandria remembered she had Jack¡¯s gun, and it was set to the side on the counter. She kept her eyes on her own reflection as she reached for the silver contraption. Upon grabbing it, she felt her new wound sizzle in pain, making her look at it. She saw it turn, transform into an odd symbol; it had a triangle, inside of it a square, and surrounding it, half a circle. This made her eyes explode and shout, ¡°Oh my God!¡± which resulted in Jack waking up, and abruptly getting out of bed. Angela fell and Jack glanced around, wondering where the shout came from.


    He saw his sister on the ground, and quickly picked her up. ¡°Oh my bad, are you okay Angela?! And was that you that just shouted?¡±


    Angela massaged her side, squinting one of her eyes. ¡°Damn brother, you almost killed me there. And it took Alexandria shouting in the bathroom for you to wake up? weirdo¡­¡±


    ¡°That was Alexandria? Oh, but why did she shout?¡±


    ¡°Beats me¡­ probably seeing she can take bigger dumps than men.¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Potty mouth Angela.¡± he went to his bathroom door, opened it and found Alexandria stunned, ¡°Alex, you alright? You look boggled.¡±


    Alexandria kept her hand out, and walked over to Jack. ¡°Look! My damn hand, some werid symbol is engraved into it!¡±


    ¡°Symbol?¡± Jack said, taking a look at her hand. ¡°Woah, you¡¯re right. What is it, a new tattoo?¡±


    ¡°No, I had a cut on the edge of my hand from a rose I found in your closet and next you know, my wound morphed into¡ªthis!¡±


    Jack panicked when she said rose in his closet. He rushed to his closet and saw it empty, and then ran into the bathroom, finding nothing.


    He turned back to Alexandria, ¡°where¡¯s the rose?!¡± he asked, his tone utterly serious.


    She massaged her hand and walked into the bathroom, finding nothing as well. ¡°What? It-it was in here, I-I swear!¡±


    ¡°What colour was the rose¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Red, and Angela saw it too.¡± she answered, looking concerned for Jack.


    He walked over to his sister and gently grabbed her hand. ¡°Angela, what happened beforehand, as I was still sleeping.¡±


    ¡°If you must know, I was playing my game, Alex came by, saw what¡¯s up, we talked, then as she went into the kitchen, behind me I saw a woman in a red dress.¡±


    Jack quietly gasped and let go. ¡°Woman¡­ in a¡­ red¡ªdress?¡±


    Angela nodded, ¡°yeah, and she walked into your room too, so I followed and Alexandria investigated too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I also saw her when I was in the bathroom washing my cut.¡± Alexandria said as she stood next to Jack who was in a state of shock.


    Jack crushed his eyes and couldn''t comprehend this. The fact that they saw someone whom he only saw in his dreams or occasionally whenever situations were dire, miraculously everytime she did appear, things were resolved. Although, there was that one time she went ballistic when he said he was going to reunite with Mallory. He questioned if she appeared to them to symbolize their protection, perhaps the symbol on Alexandria¡¯s hand might be a marking of safety. With this thought in mind, he took a breath of relief and turned to the two, hoping good things are to come.


    Alexandria grabbed Jack¡¯s shoulder, ¡°what do you think it could be honey?¡±


    Jack placed his hands on both their heads, and softly grinned. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be concerned about, perhaps you two saw a guardian Angela who happened to mess with your messy minds.¡±


    Both Alexandria and Angela pouted adorably and in unison said, ¡°says the guy who¡¯s mind¡¯s a mess!¡±


    All three paused and laughed afterwards. While they enjoyed the joyful moment, bonding together, at the other side of the street from Eric¡¯s home standing beneath a street lamp was the woman in red. She had a still face and around her were her rose petals that fluttered, shooting to the house and up to the full moon.


    ¡°With this being your final night of life, I bid thee a sleep of peace, harmony, and for you to awake into a beautiful morning.¡± she shifted her head to the moon, ¡°As your day progresses, my child, remind him the cherishment of bonding ship. Therefore, you can finally move on, and slumber, for eternity.¡±


    The woman in red¡¯s eyes glowed the same as the moon, and a huge gust of wind blew behind her. Her body slowly tore apart to that of precious rose petals, hurdling her remains into the moonlight. The moon was blocked by curved dots of red, and in a cloud of crimson, a white owl emerged, flying into the night sky, not without leaving making a single deep hoot.


    It¡¯s the next day, a bright beautiful morning was met with bright sunshine, signs of spring''s emergence were eminent. Birds chirped throughout the morning, cicadas annoying the crap out of Jack¡¯s ears, the gang had an enjoying breakfast. Angela made fun of Alexandria for sucking the life out of Jack with her sexual tendencies, Alex retaliated by calling her the definition of a shut-in, and Eric chimed in congratulating Jack on getting laid by someone who wasn¡¯t used. Seeing all four on the table reminded Jack when it was everyone alongside Randolph, but in replacement it was Alexandria. This made him smile the entire morning and answered his question about the woman in red appearing to be a sign of better days to come.


    When they finished, Angela headed off to school, and at first Jack was freaking out for a moment because of her ties with Mallory and Dr. Cato. But he remembered she was nowhere to be found and he has yet to be seen or noticed. Angela had no correlations of her, nor known of her existence along with the devious doctor. This made him feel better about this timeline and after apologizing with a hug and a surprising kiss on her cheek to wish her a good day, it made her blush and run away with a big smile on her face. Eric had to go do some errands with the gang, typical illegal business ventures. This left Alexandria and Jack alone again to enjoy the house all to themselves.


    The first thing Alexandria did was get Jack in the mood for another round of love making. She wanted to experience morning sex with a signifcant other, but chose the living room of all places to start it. The two were touching, rubbing, and having intercourse for a while until Jack carried her to the bedroom, naked. They kept going, and going, and Alexandria moaned, screamed his name at the top of her lungs while being pounded by him. She got so loud, shouting stupid nonsense such as, ¡°No more!¡± or ¡°it hurts so good!¡± that a neighbor knocked on the door, and Jack had to quickly get dressed to answer it. He opened the door, and the first thing the neighbor asked was if Jack was in the middle of torturing someone as usual. It sounded as if he were beating the life out of a screeching cat this time. This made the young man laugh and explained he was just having sex with an old female friend. The neighbor laughed and told him to, ¡°Tone the bitch down by covering her mouth,¡± before leaving him alone.


    He closed the door, and walked back into the room, finding Alexandria butt naked laying on his bed, quivering. ¡°You-You alright?¡± he asked.


    She couldn¡¯t sit up because she was locked in an orgasmic state. ¡°Ass¡ªhole¡­¡± she muttered.


    He walked over to her and looked dead in her dilated eyes. ¡°Want me to stop?¡±


    She lifted her head, and spread herself to him. ¡°N-no¡­¡±


    The two continued for another thirty minutes until finally, they were gassed out. They laid there, cuddling bareskinned, sweaty, and catching their breaths. Jack caught his breath, and let out a brief chuckle. Alexandria rubbed his chest, and stared up at his grin, wondering what¡¯s making him laugh.


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡¯s, so funny?¡± she asked, laying her arm over his chest.


    Jack stared at his ceiling, bringing his arm beneath and under her shoulder, grabbing it. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just¡ªrelieved, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Relieved, of what, huh?¡± she said, moving her head in a sassy fashion.


    Jack took a deep breath, and rubbed her shoulder. ¡°That you¡¯re alive, and here by myside, Alexandria.¡±


    Those words struck her heart, making it beat so fast that she thought it was going to burst out of her chest at any moment.


    ¡°You missed me that much, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did.¡± he answered, his tone soft and deeper than usual. ¡°You know, before our reunion, I thought I experienced a moment of peace, but had it disrupted, to then find myself in a complicated situation; I thought for a moment I was going to go ballistic, but when Eric told me you were potentially alive, I had to find you¡­¡±


    Hearing this made Alexandria turn red, but feel sad for Jack. She could hear the hurt in his voice, his tone sounding dead now, she could tell the young man¡¯s traumatized. She didn¡¯t want to talk, she wanted to listen, hear what he has to say, and by doing this, it¡¯ll relieve more of this trauma he has inside of him.


    ¡°Why find me of all people?¡± she said, her voice soothing to his ear.


    ¡°I had to find the person who taught me how to survive, made me laugh again, reminded me I¡¯m not a true piece of shit.¡± Jack moved his head to glance at Alex, who¡¯s eyes quivered at him. ¡°Meeting you made me believe that there¡¯s hope out there when I was homeless with Angela, that not everyone in this god forsaken world is filth. You were not only the first actual friend I made in the outside world, but you were also the first person I can relate to about addiction, and lastly, teach me about the concept of love.¡±


    Alexandria¡¯s eyes watered, and she grew closer to Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Have you learned what it means, Jack?¡±


    Jack placed his hand on her cheek, looking into her glistening brown eyes. ¡°Maybe. Though, I ain¡¯t too sure.¡±


    Alexandria smiled and grabbed his hand, ¡°idiot¡­¡±


    The two kissed, and Alexandria cried as she made out with Jack. Never in her life she would think they would reunite, and thought she would eventually succumb to the streets, becoming an actual prostitute who would do anything to get through life. Now that Jack¡¯s come back into her life, she will never live that life ever again. From here on out, she hopes to live by his side until death do them part, and potentially, have a family with him. After hours passed, once again having another love session and taking a nap, they woke up, took a shower together, got dressed and decided to spend the rest of the evening out.


    Alexandria tied her hair up, loose ponytail style, and wore some basic clothes she had in her bag. ¡°I¡¯m starving, let''s go somewhere and eat before we walk around.¡± she said while tying her shoes.


    Jack rolled his eyes. ¡°Woman¡­ always hungry. Alright, how about a Diner that I liked eating out with my deceased uncle.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, that sounds nice! And sorry for your loss. Randolph was it? You mentioned him a couple of times to me.¡±


    Jack put on a black shirt and grabbed his pistol, tucking it behind his pants. ¡°Yeah, not only was he just a person I¡¯m proud of calling family, but he was a great role model.¡±


    Alexandria stood up, patted herself and winked at Jack. ¡°How about before we eat, we buy some flowers for him? He¡¯s buried out back right? It¡¯s the best I could do before leaving.¡±


    ¡°Leaving? Where are you going, ey?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, but I don¡¯t want to be a freeloader you know.¡±


    Jack was done dressing up and went to Alexandria. ¡°I¡¯ll do something to have you stay here with me. If we¡¯re getting ¡®married¡¯ then before getting our own place, best to practice here and see how much we can tolerate each other.¡±


    Alexandria jumped onto Jack, her eyes sparkling. ¡°Really?! Yippee! And you finally understand marriage?¡±


    Jack winked at her, confidently. ¡°I looked it up on the internet last night before going to bed.¡±


    Alexandria¡¯s face went blank and she chopped Jack¡¯s head. ¡°You-you dummy.¡±


    ¡°he-Hey¡­¡±


    ***


    It¡¯s late afternoon, and just arriving near a nice town, one in particular that Jack¡¯s sister loved enjoying and Randolph also liked coming with her, both love birds arrived, parking next to a small flower shop. Just down the road, three blocks down was the diner Jack talked about. The two got out and Alexandria had a huge smile on her face, indulging in a peaceful culture she had no idea that lurked in the depths of Flint. Never has she seen people walk around without being cautious, looking mysterious, ominous, suspicious, no prostitutes lurking the corners, lastly, there wasn¡¯t a single sign of graffiti or rotting infrastructure.


    ¡°This place is wonderous! It¡¯s gorgeous.¡± Alexandria said while gazing at the beautiful town and its crowded streets. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought this city would be this divisive towards the lower class, what a shame.¡±


    Jack shut the car door, and peaked at the park at the otherside of the road. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a sad reality I still have to accept, but it goes to show how much these shitty politicians favour the upper class since this town neighbors their upper class homes.¡±


    Alexandria glanced at everything, figuring out where to go first. ¡°No kidding, it¡¯s like a dream come true for me. Shit, this is cool!¡±


    ¡°Figured you¡¯d like this area. Angela absolutely adores this town, mainly because of her favourite shops being here, one in particular that sells stuff related to her weird cartoons.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding? Damn, where at? Let''s go there first!¡±


    ¡°You want to go there? A stupid shop that sells explicit figures of cartoons and weird comics?¡±


    Alexandria placed her fists on her hips. ¡°It¡¯s not stupid¡­ it¡¯s¡ªart!¡±


    Jack smudged his lips. ¡°You sound just like Angela¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever!¡± she grabbed his arm, and began dragging him. ¡°Come on, let''s buy Randolph¡¯s flowers first before we begin on your journey of Degeneracy!¡±


    Jack smiled and the two rushed into the flower shop. Inside they were met by a nice woman and her daughter who owned the shop. They asked them what type of flowers they were interested in, and if they wanted a bouquet. Jack didn¡¯t talk and immediately went to a bunch of daisy¡¯s, one¡¯s that reminded him of the endless flower fields with Lily. Alexandria didn¡¯t argue and also chose a bouquet of Lillie''s and poppy flowers. With this, it satisfied the young man and he paid for it even though she insisted on paying. After they were done with flower shopping, Alexandria demanded Jack to lead the way to show her where this shop Angela loved going to was at. He obliged while expressing his annoyance and disgust. She carried all the flowers, garnering the attention of people around them who asked if he bought them for her. She replied to them with a smile, grabbing his hand and holding it in response to their kindness. Having people cheer them on made Jack groan in annoyance, while Alexandria was having the time of her life.


    They walked further down the street, and arrived at the entrance of the place. ¡°This is it¡­ hell.¡± Jack said, cringing.


    Alexandria¡¯s eyes exploded in excitement, she was awestruck by the big school girl sculpture waving, winking at them at the entrance. ¡°No fucking way! Am-am I dreaming or is this shit real?!¡±


    Jack sighed, ¡°Unfortunately this is real, and I¡¯m here to be by your side to experience this stupid shop, once again.¡±


    Alexandria couldn¡¯t help herself but run in with the flowers, leaving Jack outside. He chuckled and shook his head, watching her be captivated by things he finds ridiculous made him feel nostalgic of Angela back then before the events of Dr. Cato. He stretched his arms, and yawned, scratching his head to glance around. Strangely, something caught his eye off in the distance. It made him slung his upper body backwards to get a better view.


    What he saw made him blink in confusion. ¡°Is it me or is that a person towering that crowd just down the street.¡±


    What he saw was an irregularly tall individual, taller than a basket player, taller than a suv. Jack can clearly tell even if they were far away, they stood out like an eyesore. Never has Jack seen a person that tall, and made him wonder if the circus was in town. It was too hard to tell what they were wearing given their distance, but it¡¯s enough to send chills down Jack¡¯s spine.


    ¡°Jesus, it¡¯s like staring at a bear in public¡­¡±


    Alexandria called for Jack, turning his attention to the shop for a moment. When he did look back at the road, the individual was gone, sparking confusion for Jack.


    ¡°Where¡¯d they go?¡± he wondered. ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s probably a lamp post or some person wearing a promotional outfit.¡±


    Jack walked into the shop, spotting Alexandria drooling over a figurine, a very familiar one. It was the same one Angela had in her collection, the guy with the orange and black tracksuit doing a stupid heroic pose. His spikey black hair and dead fish eyes rubbed his memories to remind him of their resemblance.


    ¡°I¡¯m nothing like you¡­¡± he muttered.


    Alexandria picked him up and glazed in his glory, doing the same pose with the flowers in hand. ¡°I am Alexandria, and I am broke beyond comprehension!¡±


    Jack was jaw dropped but with severe cringe, twitching an eye. ¡°That¡­ was lame¡­¡±


    Alexandria picked up another figurine, one wearing a lab coat and pointing his arm out. ¡°Jackolita! One day you¡¯ll notice you¡¯re being confined by society, but rest assured, fwauhaha! That I, Alexandria, am a mad scientist and I¡¯ll open that pathetic mind of yours, eh!¡±


    Alexandria snapped her fingers at the end, winking to Jack. He slowly raised his hands and clapped with a blank stare. She giggled and set the figurine down, checking out a close by book that she was interested in.


    ¡°They have everything, man. I-I never really had the time to read any manga or watch anything while being out in the streets once I was knee deep into it.¡±


    ¡°Then, how did you manage to watch them?¡±


    Alexandria didn¡¯t smile, and for a moment, she rewinded her memories of all the awful times she had to endure to even have a proper place to stay. There were times she had to act so deep into her fake prostitution to stay over a guy''s place, just to watch her shows. One time she went too far, and it led to her being caught, beaten, and almost raped by the individual in question. After that near death experience, crying in a withery winter night, she stumbled upon a local bookstore that was taking homeless people shelter. And in that time, she found the glory of manga and light novels. So many stories she read changed her life and ways to manipulate people and fend others off to live somewhat, but eventually, she got so caught up in her mess she didn¡¯t have time to read or purchase any new material because of always being on the run.


    Jack could see the picture book she had in hand being shakened. ¡°You okay? Alexandria.¡± he said, placing his hand on her shoulder.


    She shed a tear and wiped it off before he could see it. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just miss reading, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Jack grinned and grabbed the book out of her hands. She was confused as to why he did that, that was until he walked up to the clerks desk and talked with the person. He came back and gave her a thumbs up.


    ¡°Wh-what did you say to them?¡±


    Jack grabbed the bouquet of flowers, ¡°me? Oh, well I told them that you loved these books so much that I offered to pay anything in advance¡ª¡± he gave her back the book and she looked at him, her eyes starting to water. ¡°So long as you touch or grab anything.¡±


    This made her shed tears of joy. She silently let it rain, but giggled afterwards wiping off her tears. ¡°Jack¡­¡± she said, putting the book down and wrapping her arms around his neck. ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, when all I need¡­ is you.¡±


    Jack rubbed her back and kissed her head. ¡°It¡¯s on me, honestly.¡±


    She let go and grabbed the book, ¡°could you even afford my taste?¡±


    ¡°Pfft, are you kidding? Of course I can.¡± he said, sounding confident.


    She smiled and smacked the book on his arm. ¡°This, this is all that I want. Then, you can treat me to lunch at that Diner you spoke about.¡±


    ¡°You sure? I¡¯m giving you a chance to go all out?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure. Besides, I¡¯m getting hungry so let''s go.¡±


    Jack grabbed the book, walked to the front desk and paid for it. He brought it back in a nice gift bag the clerk had given him. He handed her the bag and she grabbed his hand, and the two walked out of the shop with smiles on their faces. Once back on the sidewalk, they were met with a nice breeze that swept in from their left. It blew the final signs of fall past them, dying leaves that shot up into the air. Jack felt spring tan his face and Alexandria¡¯s brown hair shone from the sun. With the two feeling the peak of happiness, they carried on to their destination, the Diner.


    They arrived and once Alexandria laid eyes on it, it reminded her of a fancier one that she used to go to back in the days. Jack was starving and wanted to go right in, but she had stopped him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    She dropped the bag and reached for his phone, startling him. When she pulled it out, it made her chuckle.


    ¡°Still using a flip phone I see.¡± she said, flipping it open and started scrolling. ¡°At least it still has a decent camera.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan? Gonna make fun of me and take pictures of me?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Nope, you¡¯re going to take a picture of your cute wife.¡± she handed him back his phone, trading it for the bouquet of flowers. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll stand in front, and pose¡­ like this.¡±


    She hugged the flowers, showed Jack her white teeth with an adorable open mouth smile, and raised a leg.


    The sight of her being this adorable made him blush and grin. ¡°Alright then, stay still, Alexandria.¡±


    Jack steadied his phone, and she held her pose. Her bright smile, her short shorts exposing her long legs, her shining brown hair, and sparkling brown eyes, this made Jack be awed by her natural cuteness. Jack couldn¡¯t imagine she would turn out this beautiful, but he¡¯s glad he¡¯s been given another chance to see it first hand. Feeling that he¡¯s been blessed and even going as far as thanking Sir William for this altered timeline, if the trials were involved in the outside world or dream world occurrences, then he felt happy knowing that with each failure that might occur, Alexandria will be by his side.


    ¡°Hurry, I¡¯m about to timber like a hanging lumber Jack here!¡± she playfully shouted.


    Jack took the picture, the flash made her drop her leg and grunt. She stretched it and clapped. ¡°Yes! Let us see the results of your mid camera.¡±


    Jack handed her his phone and she took a glance at herself with the bouquet of flowers still held by her other arm. The picture made her giggle with joy and spin around, seeing that it turned out greater than expected.


    ¡°With this, it¡¯ll be the start of our journey into adulthood!¡± She handed Jack back his phone, and the flowers, and went to her gift bag and walked up to the entrance. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m parched!¡±


    Jack nodded, and also glanced at the photo. ¡°Yeah, let''s eat, honey.¡±


    Hearing him call her honey made her face tomato red and make a funny victory noise. She pumped her right arm and opened the door, holding it for her future husband. Jack went up, pushed her away and held it for her instead, having her respond with a playful push at him. Jack laughed and the two went inside, taking a seat near the back of the Diner, one that had a decent view of the sidewalk they came up from. A server came up, she was brown, had beautiful curly hair, and curvy. She smelled like flowers and gave them a nice greeting. Jack knew her from the times he came here with the gang, especially Eric who liked flirting with her. For once, Alexandria was surprised she wasn¡¯t a stereotype of a Diner waitress. She didn¡¯t expect this scent, normally they¡¯d smell like cigarettes or cheap cologne, but this is something she can get accustomed to.


    ¡°What can I get you two today? A new girlfriend, I take, Jack?¡± she asked with a small notepad and pen in hand.


    Jack grabbed the menu set aside on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll have the usual with coffee and no, she¡¯s more than that now.¡±


    Alexandria rolled her eyes with a big smile. ¡°Stop¡­¡± she said, slapping his wrist.


    ¡°As always, and it¡¯s surprising to see a nice smile on your face for once, Jack. And I¡¯m very glad it¡¯s someone as cute as her. How¡¯s Eric?¡± she said while writing.


    ¡°He¡¯s good, same old same old, know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°Oh that Eric, so big, hunky, oo I love me that man.¡±


    Alexandria pointed at the menu. ¡°Could I get the Sunnyside special. But four waffles, chocolate chips! And a nice coffee as well.¡±


    ¡°Sunny side special, coming right up along with the usual.¡± She finished writing and walked off.


    Jack set the menu down and smirked. ¡°What a day so far, huh?¡±


    Alexandria did the same, clasping her hands. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s surreal. Still can¡¯t believe that this is all real. It¡¯s like a dream but also a nightmare come true.¡±


    ¡°Nightmare, why say that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean it in a bad way, it¡¯s just¡­ I-I don¡¯t know how to say it, I¡¯m a little afraid because I¡¯ll sound kinda goofy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, remember, you¡¯re talking to a sicko. I¡¯m fucked mentally!¡±


    Alexandria giggled, covering her mouth. ¡°You¡¯re stupid.¡± she licked her lips and softly smacked them. ¡°I say nightmare because, there¡¯s a feeling I¡¯m not sure if you ever had the same experience when something feels too real that it¡¯s¡ªfake? Like, everything around us just feels unreal.¡±


    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying. I¡¯ve had plenty of those experiences¡­¡±


    Too many, in fact. Jack thought.


    ¡°So you do get what I¡¯m saying. Anyways, to condense my statement. The nightmare in which I say is that if this dream keeps continuing, I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll awake back to sqaure one. Back where I was at before reuniting with you. Kinda like being out of it from a nice drug session.¡±


    Jack rubbed his chin. ¡°Now I get what you¡¯re saying. And speaking of nightmare, last night you clung onto me in the middle of night, softly weeping and gasping for air. I didn¡¯t wake you up, and instead shushed you and comforted you while you slept.¡±


    Alexandria looked away, staring out to the street view. ¡°So-sorry¡­ I was having a horrible one. I couldn¡¯t help but clinge onto someone who I knew would save me.¡±


    ¡°What was the dream about that made you shiver to death?¡±


    She tried remembering, but forgot most of it. Yet, there was a scene that did imprint itself onto her subconscious. Just remembering made her shut her eyes in despair.


    The clerk came back and set their coffee mugs down. ¡°Here¡¯s your coffee guys, food will be out in ten minutes.¡± she walked away again while Jack waited on an answer as Alexandria sat still.


    She grabbed her coffee and quietly began pouring creamer, sugar, and stirred it without saying a word. Jack waited patiently to have her explain the nightmare, doing the same thing she did to him about waiting all day.


    She stirred and looked into the light brown liquid, seeing her reflection. ¡°The nightmare I had, Jack¡­ was losing not just you, but¡ª¡±


    She stopped, and set the spoon down, grabbing the mug and taking a sip. She smacked her gums and set it down, clasping her hands again.


    She hung her head, ¡°also¡ªlosing my subconscious. Floating in a dark void filled with nothing as far as the eye could see, just pure black.¡±


    Jack set his hand on hers, and clutched it. ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen,¡± he said in a deep serious tone. ¡°As long as I breathe, and I remain in your sights, I will never let anyone hurt you, ever again¡­ otherwise they¡¯ll have to tread lightly.¡±


    Alexandria had a small grin, grabbing his hand. ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like that answer she put out. Her tone sounded unsure and worrisome. ¡°You don¡¯t sound confident, is something else bothering you?¡±


    She sucked in her lips and her eyes began watering. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been kinda holding this feeling in, Jack. And it¡¯s been bothering me since we reunited.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, Alexandria.¡±


    She was blinking erratically, holding back her tears. ¡°It¡¯s odd, I-I don¡¯t know how to put it, but it almost feels like I¡¯m not even supposed to be here¡­ like, I¡¯m meant to have disappeared, and this¡ª¡± she waved her hand in front of his view, ¡°was never meant to be¡­ strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Hearing her say this made Jack feel depressed. What she¡¯s saying is true, but he can¡¯t accept this fact. Although, what¡¯s making her feel this way and question her existence? There¡¯s nothing intervening or giving her signs that she¡¯s not supposed to exist right now. This was driving Jack mad, and it made his head hurt, there¡¯s nothing to explain this feeling she¡¯s experiencing other than a supernatural interference. It can¡¯t be Mallory, nor any spirit, the only people who can come to mind about this is William and the woman in red who did appear last night.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you why you¡¯re feeling like this, other than to call you crazy. But Alexandria, every single fear you¡¯re hiding, every single childhood memory that¡¯s still impacting you, don¡¯t let it affect you now. If God¡¯s actually real, then he made sure that you would reunite with me again, and for us to be here now, it¡¯s not just from luck, but it was meant to be.¡±


    Alexandria felt confident in Jack¡¯s words. In spite of the feelings she''s buried, needing to disappear, she wanted to be introverted in his words. All of that¡¯s happened in the past two days, if it¡¯s meant to be with nothing happening, then what Jack is saying must be true. With this, she felt confident about being a part of his life and reached over the table to give him a kiss.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ enough of this weird sad talk. Let''s change the subject, shall we?¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Sure, what do you want to talk about now?¡±


    Alexandria got sassy, letting her body get loose and do the talking. Jack¡¯s confused as to why she¡¯s got a brow raised to him and why she rested her head on an arm that stood on the table.


    ¡°Let''s talk about all the girls in your contacts, Jack S-a-m-r, aka playboy, aka, fuckboy!¡±


    Jack put his hands out, ¡°woah woah, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh you know what I mean. First it was that Sarah chick, then as I scrolled through your phone, there¡¯s a Veronica, and an Anna?¡± she leaned over the table, getting at his face. ¡°Explain yourself, mister!¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Relax, they¡¯re all my friends. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Hah?! Nothing to worry about! What do they look like, what¡¯s their height, bust size, thickness, are they fat, skinny, sexy?! I gotta know, this is a matter of what I¡¯m up against and how well does my body and beauty compare to theirs.¡±


    ¡°I think¡ªyou¡¯re overreacting. Firstly, Sarah is a friend whom I trust. Anna¡¯s my best friend since childhood, and the only girl I can think of¡­ oh shit, Veronica! I forgot, I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh huh? You what with her?¡± she asked, crossing arms.


    Jack grew nervous and lay back. ¡°Well she consented to me grabbing her breast¡­¡±


    Alexandria gasped, ¡°I knew it! I have more than one competitor!¡±


    ¡°Oh Alex, chill. I can assure you that there¡¯s nothing else going on with anyone.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, sure. I saw that you and that Sarah girl call each other a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, our situations are very complicated, that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡± she asked, squinting an eye but not out of jealousy or anger, rather curiosity.


    She watched as his body language changed. His breathing slowed, he was the one to clasped his hands, and show Alexandria his most serious face yet.


    ¡°In the past year, I have experienced events that a normal person wouldn¡¯t comprehend. Whether they were real or not, the only person that could understand what I¡¯m going through and I can relate to, is her.¡±


    He took a deep breath and eased his shoulders.


    ¡°Sarah is a person who¡¯s going through a shit fest similar to my own, but I think in her case, it¡¯s more complicated. And, to tell you the truth, I feel as if it¡¯s my fault for getting her involved.¡±


    Alexandria has never heard Jack this serious nor express such a sharp face. She doesn¡¯t have anything to say, but questions more about their friendship. The way he speaks of their current situations makes it seem that they¡¯re meant to be.


    ¡°Jack, could I ask you this¡­¡± she said, setting her hand on his closed palms. ¡°Was she there for you¡ªat your worst?¡±


    Jack slowly nodded in response. He can never forget the way he was slightly rude to her, being a complete jerk to her and releasing his frustrations out on her when she didn¡¯t deserve it. Despite his outbursts, she was still there for him because she understood his feelings, the dire strain on his mentality, and more importantly, the one to help resolve something rather than turn it into a twisted game, unlike a certain girl in a white dress.


    ¡°Sarah is a person who I respect, a person I can trust with not only my words, but with her actions as well¡­¡± he looked out the window and saw that the sunshine was gone. ¡°She¡¯s someone far beyond amazing, a true prodigy, and I¡¯m glad to call her a close friend.¡±


    Alexandria tilted her head, smiling. ¡°So she¡¯s that great, isn¡¯t she? In what way makes her more amazing than the average person?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew a glint, but one shone with proudness. ¡°You have no¡ªidea, Alexandria¡­¡±


    His answer made Alexandria nod, and let go of his hand. She felt relieved hearing that there¡¯s someone else besides her that can comfort Jack. It¡¯s almost as if she were waiting for him to spill it out, and with this, she felt more at peace about herself and the feelings she laid dormant. If she were to vanish or had never returned to his life, she knew that this girl Sarah would be by his side, and help Jack through his tough life. There lunch had finally arrived and the two quickly dug in without a prayer, munching and enjoying the food to the fullest.


    Once they were finished, they sat back, and allowed the food to digest properly. They sat, digging their teeth with toothpicks for a couple of minutes, that was until the Diner grew a little darker in its atmosphere. It made everyone in the establishment turn their heads to the outside, and saw that Michigan''s grey skies returned but much darker than usual. Some questioned if there was a storm coming, others saying it¡¯s typical bi-polar Michigan. Everyone went back to what they were doing, as well as the two lovebirds.


    Alexandria was stuffed and got up to sit next to Jack. ¡°Man, that was really good. I¡¯m so fucking full¡­¡±


    Jack wrapped his arm around her, reeling her closer to him. ¡°Told ya, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yeah you did, so, what¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he grabbed his chin, looked up, then looked to Alexandria, ¡°wanna talk a small walk through the park?¡±


    Alexandria lay her head against his chest, feeling and hearing his soft beating heart. ¡°That sounds romantic, I¡¯d like that.¡±


    The two locked eyes, feeling their love grow and Alexandria had one more question to ask for Jack.


    ¡°Say Jack, what was your dream again? It was about being a detective right?¡±


    Jack grinned and moaned. ¡°Not just that, but to be like my father as well.¡±


    Alexandria shook her head in a seductive but cute fashion. ¡°Well¡­ I think I can make that father part come true, sooner than you think babe.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Hmph, we¡¯ll see, but for now, let''s enjoy our youth, mama.¡±


    Alexandria grew closer to Jack¡¯s face. ¡°Jack¡­ I love you.¡±


    Jack bumped heads with her. ¡°Me too, Alexandria.¡±


    The two went in for a deep kiss, smooching, and feeling each other. Once Jack and Alexandria pulled their lips away, there was a pause of silence. They looked deep into their souls, Alexandria¡¯s soft moaning, Jack¡¯s breathing, when she was about to touch his arm, the mark in her hand grew hot and glowed. She slowly turned to it, and from behind Jack, he felt a tremendous shockwave. The last thing he saw before everything went black was Alexandria¡¯s blanched face.


    What¡­ just happened? Jack thought.


    His world got engulfed by a field of eerie, grey solitude. His ears rang tremendously, his vision blurred, he could hear muffled blood curdling screaming, pain being mass produced, a white noise that flickered in and out of his consciousness; The young man blinked slowly a couple of times, and his blurred vision cleared itself one blink at a time. He heard things collapse, glass breaking, fire crackling, and with one more blink, he got a clear picture of what just happened. What his eyes set for him to witness was destruction, covered in a thick cloud of grey and white, black smoke, fire growing, blazing just at the entrance of the Diner. The Diner was in ruins, bodies laying, corpses burried, blood splatter, limbs at every corner, this made Jack¡¯s heart race.


    Jack groaned, moaned loudly, feeling stuck in something. ¡°Wh¡­at, just happened?¡± he mumbled, wheezing in pain.


    He let out a gurgled cough, spitting blood out, feeling something embedded in his back, and one of his eyes being curtained by red. The young man tried getting up but regretted that action. He screamed and vibrated as he turned to see what his situation was. Jack¡¯s leg was caught by a collapsed part of the Diner, preventing him from going anywhere. He ground his teeth, slammed his fist on the ground and tried pulling away, but it was just too painful. He collapsed back on the dusted rubbled ground, and searched for Alexandria with his eyes. He scanned the area, seeing the ceiling barely hanging on by a pillar, smoke smearing the scene, and parts of the building the Diner shared destroyed beside it. When he did find her, he only found half of her body, her arm laid out in front of her, she was faced down. The rest of her body was buried beneath rubble of infrastructure and the fire scorching behind it.


    ¡°Al¡­ex¡­¡± Jack murmured. ¡°N¡­o¡­.¡±


    Seeing her like that, it devastated him. It made his eyes watery, it sharpened a glint that grew, but determination was smeared across his face. Jack pulled, and pulled, and pulled. He screamed, trying to pull himself out of the rubble, and grew tired of fighting. The young man saw a sharp piece of tile and reached for it, grabbing it and clutching it. Jack didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately went into action, stabbing his leg over and over. Blood gushed, exploded, splattered, as he kept cutting, slashing, digging, and trying until he could reach his bone. Every time he did, he screamed in agony, letting the world know of his pain and determination to be free to see if his friend was okay. He did this for five minutes straight without a break, but stopped once he felt his bone.


    His eyes were baggy, his mouth open, the young man looked to be in a zombie-like state. ¡°Ale¡­x¡­¡± he mumbled.


    Jack turned to his leg, used the last of his strength to stab and penetrate his bone. It managed to do so, and the young man screamed like he never has before. He panted, wheezed, and grabbed a nearby rock to pound it on the sharp tile planted into his bone. Jack cried, moaned, grunted, trying his best to snap the bone in half. He grew close to passing out, his eyes as blank as paper. With one final slam, his bone snapped, and crunched, releasing him of his restraint trap. The young man dropped to the ground, the smoke engulfing his lungs, breathing heavily, he could hear his blood gush out his leg. This didn¡¯t stop him, not for a moment. He reached his arm out as far as he could slam a fist to pull himself close to her still body. He slammed, pummeled, his fists on the ground, with each crawl seeming an eternity, drawing closer to Alexandria''s motionless body.


    ¡°Al¡ªex!¡± Jack shouted, his body leaving a bloody trail as he went on.


    The fire near the entrance grew bigger, smearing the air in a thick cloud of heat, making it hard to breathe. Jack was just inches from her, but he can feel his life draining away with every single breath going out. Yet he can¡¯t stop himself, he promised her that he would never allow her to get hurt again, promised that things would turn out fine. The sign of the woman in red, their unexpected reunion, it can¡¯t be all for nothing. Jack refused to believe this, he will not allow this to be her faith nor his.


    At last, the young man was within arm''s reach of her. ¡°Alex¡­andria!¡± he shouted, but his voice dialed down to that of an old man.


    Jack lay on the ground, feeling his body ready to give out. His breathing began to slow and his eyes started to grow heavy. In spite of death meeting at his doorstep, Jack refused to succumb to his wounds. He had to know if she¡¯s alright, hoped to God that she¡¯s still alive, praying that there¡¯s still a single sign of life. Determination rocketed into his heart and mind, allowing a boost of adrenaline to course through his body, enough for him to raise his arm and land it onto hers that was out. Jack grabbed her weightless arm, reeling himself to her, and finally, being by her side.


    ¡°Alex¡­ Alex, wake up¡­¡± Jack murmured, ¡°Alex¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, her eyes shut, her hair and blood covered her face, there wasn¡¯t a single sign of movement up to this point. Jack shook her with one hand, and slowly dragged it to one of her wrists, feeling nothing. There¡¯s not a sign of life and she was cold to the touch. This made his eyes swell, having water rest at the edges, and leaving Jack devastated.


    ¡°N¡­o¡­ pl-please¡­ wa-wake¡ªup¡­¡± he whispered.


    Jack coughed, and left his arm resting on top of her. The young man let out one more loud groan of pain and sadness, feeling defeated and can¡¯t understand why this happened. He shut his eyes, and was ready to succumb to death. Once he accepted his fate, the sound of thunder shook the ground. He questioned if it was about to rain, but it was continuous, like a loud heartbeat belonging to a giant. It made Jack fear for whatever life he had in him. Then, he soon realised it was heavy footsteps approaching. He turned to where they might be coming from, and set his eyes to the entrance of the Diner. The fire had spread all around, and the smoke was blackened, making it hard to see outside of the disaster created by the unknown explosion.


    ¡°Ma¡­llory, he-help¡­¡± Jack muttered.


    Jack had no more energy to move, leaving him paralyzed and locking his eyes at the entrance. The black smoke blew outwards, the fire crackled louder, growing taller as a huge figure behind the smoke pushed, expanding the black curtain away. There was an outline of something, or someone, as tall as a bear if it stood up, as wide as an ogre. Jack grunted, and moaned as this figure started to turn to his direction, and what he saw made his eyes shake in fear. Behind the thick cloud of smoke, Jack saw the glow of pure devilish red pupils staring down at him, and near the eyes, a symbol glowing hot iron. It was the same mark Alexandria had on her hand, which made Jack softly groan in fear.


    ¡°Wh-wh¡­at¡­ is¡ª?¡±


    The figure appeared to be moving in slow motion behind the smoke, reaching for something. All Jack could see was its glowing red eyes slightly move as it moved behind the thick black smoke. Then, Jack heard his ears be haunted by a gun being pulled back. A single red dot appeared down below the figure''s eyes, trying to aim the mark of death on Jack. Once it set the red dot on him, Jack¡¯s eyes were blinded by blurry redness, leaving him to stare straight at death itself. Jack heard metal clicking, and in response to that, used the last of his strength to drag his hand, the one with the bracelet she gave him towards Alex¡¯s, and clutch it. Jack let out a single tear, one that streamed down his face and dripped onto the dusty ground until the young man was met with darkness.


    Jack felt light as a feather again, the same feeling before he awoke from his nightmares, the same sensation before waking up from them, the same undeniable feeling to be awoken, met and live in a different time; And now, the same insufferable feeling to then awake from his slumber to think he was back home, but unexpectedly reuniting someone who¡¯s dead, all Jack could think at this moment that¡ª


    ¡°Did¡ªI just die¡­?¡± He thought.

 Arc 4 Chapter 10: Reconciliation Of The Past—Finale

    In the void of blank with white orbs floating about, standing, watching in patience, his hands crossed behind his back; William gazed at his screen, waiting for reality to be put back together after another alteration. His partner Archard is also standing, watching the screen; Closely the two watched their universe being born again. Stars exploding, galaxies forming, dust particles colliding to create huge nebulas, and their planet being reformed. William furrows his brows, twitching his fingers, eager to await the outcome of this new time being born. At last, everything has formed back to the way it was, and William has a direct signal to Jack¡¯s presence.


    ¡°There! He¡¯s back!¡± William shouted, quickly pointing his finger to the screen.


    He moved his finger, dragging the screen, expanding it, and after losing the young man for a while, William has Jack back on his glass screen. He found the young man, tosing, turning in his bed, sweating, grounding, grinding his teeth. William knew that he was experiencing a nightmare, but an artificial one.


    ¡°I need him back in here to find out what¡¯s happened in the past week.¡± William said, his tone strong and serious.


    Archard squinted his eyes, ¡°Sir William, did we actually witness someone¡­ or something destroy the very fabric of the universe that God has created? And create a new one to alter time once again?¡±


    William glimpsed at his partner, then panned back to the screen. ¡°Indeed¡­ my friend. Indeed¡ªwe have, but I can tell this isn¡¯t the first time.¡±


    Hearing this made Archard swallow. ¡°What you said before, you said that this being has a connection with God, right?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± William replied.


    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re dealing with a threat greater than omnipotence¡­?¡± Archard said in a shaky tone.


    William narrowed his eyes, balling his fists. ¡°Perhaps, although, I have my doubts about their supposed connection with God.¡±


    Archard slowly turned to his master, his eyes quivering. ¡°You¡­ you can stop them, right?¡±


    William heard the fear in his apprentice voice. It''s been awhile since he¡¯s heard Archard this afraid; The last time he could recall ever hearing him this afraid was the events that took place ten years ago. This being is a threat that no mortal being can ever face, let alone have reality comprehend, but to William, this threat although frightening, he senses that he can match up to this immortal entity. This made William question if he was still human if a being that¡¯s higher than omnipotence isn¡¯t drawing a sweat or fear into his body. He wondered just how powerful he truly is.


    William brought his hand up to his face, slowly clenching it.


    Could I really stop them if they have yet to send a single chill down my spine? William thought.


    Never has William gone all out because it was never necessary, and he was afraid that he would not only destroy everything that God has created, even the realms of heaven and hell stood no chance of surviving; it¡¯ll lead him to be the only being left alive to float in a vast empty space. William himself questioned if he could even create a universe just as perfect as God has. He¡¯s done it before but for good means and had permission from God himself. This thought made him sigh and drop his fist.


    He turned his attention back to his friend, walking up to him. ¡°As I said¡­ once I meet this person, then I¡¯ll have my answer, my dear friend.¡±


    Archard grunted, lowering his head. ¡°You said soon we¡¯ll meet this being, but how soon, Sir?¡±


    William placed his hand on his friend¡¯s shoulder to ease his stress. ¡°Trust me, soon. In the meantime, it appears that I¡¯m back in control, for now.¡±


    He panned back to the screen. Archard raised his head to look as well. Both men watched as Jack fought his nightmare, mumbling someone¡¯s name too. William went up closer to the screen to hear who he was calling for.


    ¡°Alex¡­andria¡­¡± Jack muttered.


    ¡°Alexandria? Who¡¯s that?¡± William asked, ¡°I¡¯ve got to find out what on bloody earth has happened to that boy. Otherwise we¡¯re no more than just spectators to this mastermind behind all this.¡±


    William¡¯s frustration had welcomed a headache to further grow his burdens. He grabbed his head, walked a little to the left, and dragged his hand over his face. Archard hasn¡¯t seen his master this stressed for awhile. This was supposed to be a simple mission to Exorcise a nuisance to a poor girl''s mind, but it went off course. First transitioning to deal with someone''s greed, and to all of sudden transpire to a multiverse, no multidimensional threat that¡¯s now affecting the flow of time; It¡¯s absolutely ridiculous to William and he feels partially responsible for all this since he¡¯s the only being alive to confront and resort this issue to whoever¡¯s behind all this madness.


    He went back to the screen, seeing Jack grip his bed sheets. ¡°Of all people that could¡¯ve been chosen, you were the one to fall victim to this charade.¡±


    ¡°Ma-Mallory¡­¡± Jack murmured.


    Hearing Jack say her name shocked William. ¡°So, you do miss the girl who¡¯s made the early parts of your life difficult.¡± He gripped his chin, ¡°Interesting, I wonder if it¡¯s out of necessity or you actually feel this way.¡±


    Archard crossed his arms, ¡°that¡¯s a surprise he said that thing''s name. But I was expecting it Sir since she also won¡¯t shut up about him either whenever I had to calm her down.¡±


    William looked over his shoulder to look at the far void of clouded whiteness. ¡°I am, but when he does return to this realm after that butterfly effect takes action¡­ then we¡¯ll find out why.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, Sir William. What now?¡± Archard asked.


    William turned his eyes back to the screen briefly, ¡°let us sit back and watch, and as for that girl, Jack¡ª¡± William turned his whole body to look at the emptiness behind them. ¡°¡ªYou have nothing to worry about.¡±


    Far out in the realm of the artificial heaven, a huge crystal ball was floating, and it was hard to see in it. It had something inside of it, and pillar structures holding it from below, similar to that of a fortune teller''s use to hold theirs. The ball was wrapped by holy circles that spun around it, and markings floating around it as well. Inside of the huge ball, a snow white fist emerged from the smoke, slamming against the artificial glass, repeatedly doing it. Another one popped out, and a girl could be heard screaming inside of it; But it was not just no ordinary girl, once their face came out to reveal their petrified expression, it was Mallory herself, crying up a storm.


    ¡°Jack! Jack, JACK!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes exploded, he shot up, grabbing his face, panting heavily. He tried catching his breath, but he was frantically breathing so much he couldn¡¯t. After another minute of his frequent panicked breathing, he¡¯s beginning to control it, slowly dropping his hands off his face. His eyes shaking, his mouth slightly opened, Jack appeared traumatized. He brought his hand up to his face, looking at it, and his senses returned to him. Jack realizes he¡¯s alive and jumps out of his bed, rushing to his bathroom, taking a look at himself. There wasn¡¯t blood on his face, no dust, and there wasn¡¯t a giant bullet hole in-between his eyes. The last place he touched, and grabbed was his leg that was still intact.


    ¡°Wh¡­at, just happened?¡± he said. ¡°Hold up, Alex¡­ Alex!¡±


    Jack stormed out his bathroom, out his bedroom, and made his way into the living room. There he spotted Eric watching the television. He went up and around his couch, getting in front of his uncle''s way. This made Eric annoyed at him, getting up out of his comfort and squinting an eye to his nephew.


    ¡°What in the hell do you think you¡¯re doing, Jack?¡± Eric asked, crossing his giant arms in the process.


    Jack¡¯s face screamed that he¡¯s in a state of panic, which made his uncle concerned. Eric dropped his guard after realising that his self adopted nephew was in a scared state.


    Jack took a foot forward, grabbing his uncle''s arm. ¡°Where¡¯s Alexandria? Eric!¡±


    Eric felt his shaking, his grip told him that he was worried for whoever he was asking for. ¡°Jack¡­ you aight my guy?¡±


    ¡°Uncle, please! Where is she?!¡±


    Eric tilted his head, grabbing Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°Who you talking about?¡±


    Once Eric said that, Jack lost his shit. He backed away, gasping, and clutching his head. ¡°No no no no¡­ don¡¯t say that, Eric!¡±


    ¡°Yo, chill out. What¡¯s gotten into you now?¡±


    Jack dropped his hands, showing his uncle his humongous grown eyes that quaked. ¡°Alexandria, she was here, the girl that I brought home, my old friend! The one who left me here with Angela when we were homeless!¡±


    Eric narrowed his eyes, he didn¡¯t like the crazed look in his nephew''s eyes. ¡°My guy, slow the fuck down and relax. First off, I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re talking about, second of all, nobody was here today or yesterday other than you and your sister.¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Jack screamed, ¡°this can¡¯t be happening, stop fucking with me!¡±


    Jack ran off, getting to the front door, grabbing the keys to the car and storming out the door with nothing but his normal clothes and no shoes. He rushed into the car, quickly hopping in and turning it on. Eric chased after him, and tried catching up, but by the time he could reach the car, Jack was already reversing out of the driveway. Jack floored the pedal, driving away and quickly vanishing off in the distance.


    Eric looked sad, and angry at the same time. ¡°This can¡¯t be happening, what on earth has spooked this dumbass now?¡±


    Jack drove like a madman, storming in and out of traffic, swerving in-between lanes, even going as far as to drive on sidewalks to get to the Diner he was just at with Alexandria. He managed to do it without police interference, and after a long drive that almost emptied his gas tank, Jack arrived at the Diner, finding it unscathed, perfectly fine with people enjoying their morning breakfast on this first day of spring. Jack has never looked so lost, hopeless in his life thus far, the young man was close to falling into madness.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ there¡¯s no way¡­ I refuse that everything I did with Alexandria was just a dream!¡± Jack shouted, pedestrains hearing him inside his car and giving him an awkward stare.


    Jack put the car into drive again. He drove more recklessly and came close to hitting people crossing the busy streets. He didn¡¯t care though, he had to find out what on earth just happened and if the experience was all just a dream world. Jack was going to retrace his steps, first going back to where they first met, the joint townhouses where she emerged from. Once he arrived, the first thing he noticed was the houses were vacant, abandoned, and boarded up.


    Jack squinted his eyes at the sight, grinding his teeth and slamming his hands on the steering wheel. ¡°No, NO!¡±


    Jack got out of the car, left the door open, and ran to the house she came out of where she was experiencing a domestic incident. The front door was non-existent and he ran into the abandoned home. His first introduction being the dust particles floating, exposed from the sunlight shining between the creaks and gaps of the boarded windows. He stood there, his body trembling, the young man collapsed to his knees, and clutched his head again. He groaned in emotional pain, falling sideways on the dusty ground and rocking his body.


    Jack could feel his gut wrench and he was ready to explode out all his emotions. ¡°Alexandria¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°No¡­¡±


    He released his body, laying on the moldy wooden floor. His eyes blank and trickling out a breath of lost hope, there was only one place left for him to go. Yet he didn¡¯t want to find out more if the first two stops proved to be what he might fear it to be. If he did, Jack didn¡¯t want to be a part of this new time being exposed to him. Jack eerily got on his fours, and stared at the black molded floor, reflecting about everything that¡¯s accurd in this past twisted week. Jack grew tired, and felt ready to pass out and lay waste here, there wasn¡¯t an ounce of motivation left in him now.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go on anymore¡­ nothings real anymore.¡± he mumbled, his tone sounding IN defeat.


    Jack got on his feet, feeling woozy. His head spun, and eventually, the young man puked on the ground. He vomited and vomited, until he couldn¡¯t. When he finished he wiped his mouth and dragged his feet out of the building, getting out to the beautiful sunshine that laughed at his darkened face. Jack damned this new day, damned his existence, and most of all, damned God for playing with him. He got to the car, went inside, causally closed the door, and put the car in drive again to go to one final spot to see if things had actually returned to normal before being sent to the past, and before Alexandria.


    The young man drove for twenty minutes and arrived at his final destination. The entrance to this shit town that he shared with the homeless and Alexandria. He parked near an empty cracked sidewalk, and beside it, a giant empty field with not a single sign of plant life besides a single dead tree with some grass, a small pot of flowers beneath it, and a familiar tombstone set beneath as well. Reality struck him like a torpedo, making him crush his eyes, and drop his head against the steering wheel. Jack really wanted to cry, but he couldn¡¯t, feeling this unmotivating deactivated any of his drive to release anymore emotions besides despair. He got out of the car, and made his way to the makeshift tombstone that he had made, tucking his hands into his pockets. He walked slunged, and his eyes were kept on the dead grass and dirt staining his socks.


    Walking like a Deadman, Jack got to the tombstone, the very one he made for his dear friend he lost to drug addiction. There in front of it was a pod of flowers that grew, most likely due to her decomposed body.


    ¡°Ha¡­ha¡­¡±


    Jack carefully sat next to the tree, feeling dead and set his eyes to the clear sky. His eyes were emotionless and Jack was done with everything, and wanted to sit at this spot until he was dead himself. The sun glared behind him, beaming onto his skull as he hung his head in shame. Throughout all the disruptions in his life, this was the worst. Jack placed his hand in the dirt, scooping a chunk, letting it drizzle between the cracks of his fingers, and throwing the rest with anger. He softly chuckled, smearing his dirt stained hand on his face, laughing away his problems.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice day, isn¡¯t it, Alex?¡± Jack said, laughing some more. ¡°I mean, nowhere near as nice as what it was beforehand, but this is enough!¡±


    Jack laughed and laughed, letting the world know of his misery. A familiar black SUV pulled up behind his car, and quickly jumping out of it was Angela, coming to rescue her brother who¡¯s laughing in the middle of nowhere. Eric got out too, watching him laugh hysterically next to the tree, reminding him of a homeless individual who would be high on meth. Eric casually walked to him while Angela ran and jumped onto her brother, trying to snap him out of his madness.


    ¡°Brother¡­ are you okay?!¡± she said while shaking him. ¡°Snap out of it!¡±


    Eric got to the two siblings, and Jack toned down his laughter, bringing out a broken grin and softly snickering. ¡°Move aside baby girl,¡± Angela backed off, letting her uncle get to Jack. ¡°Come on you stupid idiot, let''s get you back home.¡±


    Eric grabbed, lifted Jack up to his feet, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. Angela did the same, and the two gently dragged him away from the gravesite. Jack was still snickering, blocking the outside world as he was reminiscing the events that took place what felt like an hour ago. He heard her laughter, he saw her bright smile, those grand brown eyes staring back at him, and to now have her gone yet again made him feel guilty. He promised her that nothing would ever happen to her, and here he is, alive, confused, and completly lost. Meanwhile Alexandria is permanently gone again, this was something he had to find out, especially the culprit behind this madness.


    Eric opened the rear passenger door, and carefully put Jack in the seat as he was now mumbling nonsense. ¡°Once we get home, you go to your room, chill the fuck out, and I¡¯ll make a phone call.¡±


    Angela was concerned for her brother, tugging on her uncle''s arm. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him, uncle? Why was he laughing like crazy in that field?¡±


    Eric shook his head, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know baby girl, but I think we¡¯ll get an answer soon enough.¡±


    Angela looked over to Jack¡¯s frozen face, his lips the only thing that moved. ¡°I hope so¡­ he hasn¡¯t been the same since last week.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know, get in, let''s go home.¡±


    Angela nodded and hopped in the passenger seat. Eric went around to the driverside, and opened it. Before entering, he wanted to take one last look at the place Jack was just at. Looking at the tombstone and the dead tree, Eric remembered Jack telling him about a close friend he lost when he was homeless, and had to bury her. This made Eric a little more relieved as to why he¡¯s behaving like this, which made him sigh.


    ¡°You still miss her, don¡¯t you fool?¡± Eric said, finally getting into the driver seat. ¡°I¡¯ll have one of my boys pick up my car, in the meantime¡­¡± he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts to call someone. ¡°Hopefully you can make this fool relax, otherwise I think he¡¯s completely lost it.¡±


    Angela looked out the window to glance at the sight too. ¡°Is this¡­ where he buried Alexandria?¡± she said, ¡°you never told me where you took her corpse, brother. But now I understand, may you rest, Alex.¡± she muttered.


    They drove away, and with the car left behind, inside of it, a single rose drifted in out of nowhere, settling into the driver seat. Reaching into the rolled down window was a pale hand that had red nail polish, picking up the rose. It was the woman in red who grabbed it with her long fingers. She made her way to Alexandria¡¯s gravesite, and along the way, she gave life to the dead grass, and made flowers blossom. Once she got there, she gently set the rose on her grave and by doing so made the tree come to life, and her stone tombstone collapsing, crumbling into rose petals. She sat on her knees, and scooped some up, watching them wither away by her touch.


    The woman in red gently blinked, trickling out a breath. ¡°May you finally rest, my child.¡± she sat there, staring at the grave with her majestic teal eyes.


    She touched the ground, turning the dirt into a sea of grass, and the tree blossomed pink flowers that shone beneath the sunlight. She rose from her seat, looked up at the sky and once again, vanished into a cloud of rose petals. They fluttered away, the area was transformed into a beautiful field that transpired the peak of nature, the last thing to grow was a single rose. A pink rose grew out of her grave, and once it was exposed to light, it burst into a cloud of gold dust, it too being blown away by a single gust.


    Meanwhile, back in Eric¡¯s home, Jack was in his room, still mumbling rubbish in his barely lit room. With not a single sign of life in his eyes, Jack felt absolutely destroyed at the moment. There¡¯s nothing else he thought he could do other than sit and wait what transpired next in this new world. He brought his dimmed eyes to the picture of him, Angela, Eric, and Randolph. Seeing it again made him feel angry, but he couldn¡¯t understand why. Was it because of its setting, different from the original one? Or was it due to him staring directly at Angela who appeared younger in the photo but reminded him of the time he first met Mallory when she had no face.


    ¡°Their dress is similar¡­ the hair, it¡¯s too identical¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°Mallory, you have to be the one behind this¡­ there¡¯s no other explanation.¡±


    Jack deeply sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Scanning his room, feeling hollow, thoughts questioning more of the events that transpired, all Jack could do was wait. Suddenly, his phone rang, and the young man went to it as it buzzed on his desk. Before grabbing it, he could see who was calling him; It was Sarah who happened to be calling. He felt hesitant to answer, feeling afraid that she too will only ask if things were alright without knowing what''s been happening to him. Jack felt vexed, but utlimately, he had no other choice but to answer since she¡¯s the only thing close to hope in these dreaded times.


    Jack went up to his phone, flipped it, and answered, ¡°Yeah, Sarah?¡± in a dead tone.


    Sarah was outside, beneath her tree, staring up at the clear sky. ¡°Jack, I¡¯m going to ask you something, and I need you to answer clearly.¡±


    Jack¡¯s confused but shrugged, ¡°What? What is it¡­¡±


    Sarah clenched a fist, ¡°has time been altered in the past week, Jack?¡±


    Hearing this brought life back into his eyes, and the young man gasped, ¡°H-How did you¡­ know?¡±


    Sarah kept her serious face, and simply answered, ¡°I¡¯ll be over in an hour, Jack.¡±


    ***


    Later in the afternoon, Sarah had just arrived at Eric¡¯s doorstep. She knocked and waited for the door to answer. She waited for another minute until Angela was the one who answered, who was surprised to see her. She blinked rapidly to the goth girl, and slowly started closing the door on her until it shut.


    Sarah forced a grin, ¡°I see she still doesn¡¯t enjoy my presence, pity¡­¡± Sarah said, letting out a quick sigh.


    The door opened again, but only half way with half her body sticking out. ¡°What do you want, goth girl?¡± she asked in a rude but suspicious tone.


    Sarah wanted to peek in but Angela blocked her from doing so. ¡°I came to see Jack, he¡¯s here, right?¡±


    Angela pouted, ¡°what if he is? You know the password to enter our domain?!¡±


    Sarah giggled, ¡°you¡¯re adorable. At first I thought you were just a rude spoiled brat, but you¡¯re quite cute.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Angela softly punched Sarah¡¯s arm. ¡°Look missy, I may be rude, but I ain¡¯t a spoiled brat like miss fancy pants.¡±


    ¡°You mean Ver¨®nica?¡±


    Angela nodded, ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s the definition and stereotype of a spoiled brat, just without the blonde hair.¡±


    ¡°As much as I hate to admit this, but I agree, ehehe¡­ Anyways, would you let me in now, I promise no harm and I won¡¯t get in your way.¡±


    Angela quickly blushed, covering her mouth, but narrowing her eyes. ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that?¡±


    Sarah put her arm out, patting Angela¡¯s head. ¡°I mean not getting in between your strong bond.¡±


    Angela¡¯s pupils looked around, and she dropped her hand. ¡°Is that so? Alrighty then, you may enter, goth girl.¡±


    Angela stepped aside and allowed Sarah to enter. She walked inside and the first thing she saw was Eric with a concerned look on his face. He¡¯s sitting in the kitchen, his giant tattooed arms crossed, he looked very vexed. Before Sarah went to Jack, she wanted to ask Eric a set of questions. She made her way to the kitchen and once Eric saw her, his eyes grew wide for a moment.


    ¡°Hello, how are you Mr. Eric?¡± Sarah said, bowing to him.


    Eric grinned, letting out a chuckle. ¡°Hmph, polite as always, Sarah. What brings you here to my crib?¡±


    She decided to take a seat, getting comfortable before asking anything that might make the street smart uncle question her sayings. ¡°I came to check on Jack since he¡¯s been down for a while.¡±


    Eric rolled his eyes, ¡°awhile? Don¡¯t cha mean forever?¡± Sarah giggled in response, ¡°that¡¯s weird because I happened to call Annabelle to come over and comfort this depressed crazy idiot.¡±


    ¡°Anna huh? Good call, given that they¡¯re close friends.¡±


    ¡°Close? Shit and you two ain¡¯t? Heh, I¡¯m joking. She should be over in half an hour.¡±


    To be honest, ever since the changes to our reality, I haven¡¯t seen Anna since then. I wonder what she¡¯s like, but from the few phone calls we¡¯ve had, she still is the Anna we know. Sarah thought.


    ¡°Hey Eric, has anything else been, well you know¡­ off? Like something doesn¡¯t feel right, for example, times when you question that sometimes you just woke up from a dream?¡±


    Eric shrunk his left eye, ¡°uh¡­ not that I recall Sarah. The only thing that is odd and acting out of place is that buffoon in his room.¡±


    Hmm, that answers my questions then. No need to ask more than I have to, darn¡­ Sarah thought.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to go see how his mental state is, wish me luck.¡±


    Sarah got up from the chair and started walking away.


    Eric chuckled, ¡°if nothing works then just use your magic supernatural crap on him.¡± he exclaimed.


    That made Sarah turn her head, giving Eric a serious glare. ¡°You know of my abnormalities here too?¡±


    Her glare made Eric look away, ¡°ye-yeah¡­ I thought you already knew since you were the one to explain it when I caught you doing it with Jack.¡±


    Sarah gripped her chin. Just like originally in the new altered time, this Eric knows of my supernatural abilities.


    ¡°My bad if I reacted weird, Jack¡¯s oddness has spreaded out into the house and I¡¯ve happened to catch the dumbassness.¡±


    Eric laughed and waved to Sarah. ¡°Man your hilarious, alright then, go cure his miasma goth girl.¡±


    Sarah squinted her eyes, ¡°Why does everyone keep calling me that?¡± she grunted.


    Shaking her head, Sarah made her way down the hall and eventually up to Jack¡¯s bedroom door. She knocked three times with her small knuckles and waited for him to open the door. With no response, she decided to welcome herself in. Opening the door, the first thing her eyes laid on was Jack standing, staring out his window with half the curtain opened. She can sense his dread and maisma leaking out of him, never has she felt this much hopelessness come from a man other than her father.


    Sarah approached Jack, and stopped a foot away. ¡°You alright, Jack?¡±


    Hearing her voice behind him, the young man turned round, showing Sarah his bleak expression. ¡°Sa-Sarah¡­¡±


    Sarah brought her arm to the side, ¡°shall we take a seat and talk about this dire situation that claimed us victims?¡±


    Jack was quick to have a seat on his bed. She also sat beside him, patting her black skirt and letting out a breath. Before either of them could speak, Jack¡¯s emotions were piling up and he rubbed the edge of his palm against his forehead, holding them back. Sarah waited until he was clear of mind to speak or ask anything of what¡¯s happened to him in the past week. She felt bad, and she could feel his sadness, his sorrow build up, wanting to break free from their prison. Watching him struggle, hunched forward as he rubbed his forehead, it reminded him of her father, a mirror image she once saw when she was a young girl. He was in his room, in the same position, and she saw his glistening tears fall to the floor from the sunlight shining beside his face.


    Seeing this reminded her so much of that scenario her daughterly instincts kicked in and she placed her soft small hand on Jack¡¯s back, rubbing it.


    Jack felt her soothing touch, trying to tame his emotions and ease his pain. The way she moved her hand, it reminded him of his mother, and it only made his emotions much harder to contain. At last, one did, a single tear came out and he let it glide down his cheek, and Jack quickly turned away so she wouldn¡¯t see his weak side. He covered his mouth, took a deep breath and wiped his eyes, his face still looking away from Sarah.


    Sarah felt his breathing grow heavier and faster, he did everything he could to fight them. ¡°Jack, I¡¯m not going anywhere. I¡¯ll be by your side, take as long as you want.¡±


    Another tear slipped out, and Jack covered his eyes for a moment. ¡°Th¡­anks,¡± he mumbled, ¡°give-give me¡ªa moment.¡±


    Jack sniffled, and blinked rapidly, fighting more until he was sure that he won the battle against his emotions he hated so much showing to others. Once the battle was settled, Jack rested his arms on his knees, briefly looked at Sarah, but kept his eyes locked onto her for a moment. Seeing her wondrous crimson eyes that shone hope, shining from the sunlight reflecting off of them, her black hair sparkling, her very pale smooth skin, it¡¯s like he was staring at his actual guardian Angel.


    ¡°Wh¡­at?¡± she asked, tilting her head.


    Jack mildly shook his head, and hung it. ¡°Nothing.¡± Jack took another deep breath, and was ready to talk. ¡°What a week I tell ya.¡±


    Sarah brushed some of her hair behind her ear, laying her hands flat on his bed. ¡°Go on and tell me, I¡¯m your ears, Jack.¡±


    Jack raised his head, looking at his window. ¡°Sarah¡ª¡± he then turned to her, his eyes quivered, and they were sagging, ¡°This may be hard to believe, but, Sarah, I¡¯ve-I¡¯ve died¡­ twice.¡±


    Upon hearing this, at first her brain couldn''t ravel it. It gave her a sudden brain fart, making her stare blankly, and react nothing to his reveal. But once everything came together, it shattered her tiny heart, and she quickly wrapped her tiny arms around Jack. Jack set one of his hands on her arm, and he felt her worry, and welcomed her comfort.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t let that be true¡­¡± she whispered.


    Jack tightened his grip. Hearing Sarah¡¯s subtle, mature voice dial down softer and higher at the same time, it made him feel regretful of telling her. He didn¡¯t want her to worry or stress her out, but to tell her straight up what happened, and her reaction was to comfort him; it only made him feel worse.


    ¡°Sarah¡­ I-I don¡¯t know what to do. I can¡¯t tell if what I experienced were dreams or in fact real, I¡¯m tired of this¡ªall of this.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes glanced around, the young man trickled out a soft sigh. Sarah let off, keeping one hand on his back to ease his perplexities. She has no clue what happened to him and why he¡¯s supposedly died twice. She wanted to ask, but in a way that won¡¯t escalate his trivial emotions.


    Sarah rubbed his back again, ¡°what else has happened? If you don¡¯t mind me asking that instead of these supposed deaths.¡±


    ¡°A lot, a lot has happened, in fact¡­ I met someone who looked, spoke, and acted just like you.¡±


    ¡°H-Huh?¡± she answered, her eyes slowly expanding. ¡°What do you mean? Like an exact replica?¡±


    Jack nodded, ¡°yeah¡­ it was scary how much you two resembled each other. They were interested in me, and asked mysterious questions about who I am and what I hide.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°She asked about the darkness in my heart, of the supernatural, and knew of the existence of people like you, especially the Exorcists. When our conversations continued forward she brought up something interesting.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡±


    ¡°She asked if I knew about the existence of wielder''s of Sins.¡±


    Sarah scrunched her face in confusion. ¡°Wielder¡ªof Sins?¡±


    Not even I know of this¡­ I wonder if mom does? Sarah thought.


    ¡°Yeah, but before I got a clear answer, I blacked out for a moment, and couldn¡¯t remember much afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Sarah set her arm down, thinking of any possibilities about what he¡¯s talking about.


    Who did he meet, and what was their plan towards Jack if they revealed such sacred secrets to him out of the bloom.


    Jack moved his head, his eyes growing heavy. ¡°Afterwards, later that day, in the beginning of the night, I encountered my first death. Then I was sent back to the present once I woke up.¡±


    ¡°Woah, what do you mean by sent back to the present?¡±


    ¡°My bad for not saying it in the beginning. To make a long story short, I was sent to the past by William, met two lovely people, and met my first demise.¡±


    So much was being said. All of this made Sarah¡¯s mind grow its own perplexities and not even she can comprehend anything that Jack had just said. A woman who was a double of her, sent back to the past by William, and then meeting death¡¯s doorstep, it¡¯s too much for her brain to handle at once. Given that he¡¯s answering the troublesome questions she wanted to ask, she wanted to keep the conversation going to know more of what has occur.


    ¡°So William had sent you into the past? That¡¯s frightening. That would mean he¡¯s someone whom we can¡¯t beat; Not even I would think either of my parents can stand a chance against someone who can defy the barriers of time and space.¡±


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Jack said, ¡°but you know what Sarah? Even though he was the one to have sent me in the past; He did so in a good manner. For me to learn and understand how to control myself. The last conversation we had, he sounded geniouly serious and meaningful about wanting to help me.¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re trying to say is that, you think someone led you to your death and the second one?¡±


    Jack sucked in his lips, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ but my guts telling me that it isn¡¯t his fault, yet at the same time, it partially is.¡±


    ¡°But who else could do such a thing other than him? If he truly is behind all this then there¡¯s no other explanation.¡±


    Jack understood where Sarah was coming from. In fact it shouldn¡¯t be doubtful since she¡¯s indeed right about the circumstance. In spite of it, he can¡¯t help but defend him, even if it¡¯s just a little.


    ¡°I would like to say that you¡¯re right, but I have a hunch that there¡¯s more to this complex situation that I¡¯ve dragged you in.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that Jack. You didn¡¯t drag anyone in, if you keep blaming yourself and feeling this guilt, that mushed up brain of yours will eventually lead to your paralyzing stroke.¡±


    Jack mildly chuckled, ¡°hm, I guess. Enough of my problems, anything new that¡¯s happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Me? Oh, where do I start?¡± Sarah massaged her face, ¡°there¡¯s so much I want to tell but at the same time I¡¯d rather keep it to myself just for my own selfish reasons. Okay, uh, well, first of all, uh¡ªmy dad and I have actually spoken one on one, alone.¡±


    ¡°Your dad huh? What¡¯s he like since I haven¡¯t met the man yet? But you make it sound like you two have barely spoken since your birth.¡±


    Sarah at first paused, staring off but brought out a soft smile. ¡°My father¡­ Hmph. Where do I start? Hehe¡­¡±


    Jack sat straight, waiting for Sarah to share more of her mysterious father.


    ¡°He¡¯s a quiet, shy man. His tone is fierce, serious, bassy, but gentle, his eyes are like icles, hollow yet there¡¯s a small glint in them from the times I was able to look into them. His attitude is polite, he¡¯s caring, but most of all, Jack¡ªhe kinda reminds me of you in a way.¡±


    Hearing that small detail intrigued Jack, it made him sit a little closer to her.


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    She brought her eyes back to Jack, pointing at him. ¡°He¡¯s tall like you, but much more. Your expressions are about on par, and you two struggle with your mental well-being.¡±


    Jack tilted, ¡°di-did you just insult us?¡± Sarah winked at him, tapping his forehead. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I should hit you back or just accept my fate of being called mentally insane.¡±


    Sarah giggled and Jack massaged his forehead. While the two were continuing with their conversation, Jack¡¯s door had been slammed open. It made the two quickly turn their heads over to see who just barged in to be noticed. Once they saw who it was, both of them were surprised, and shocked to see that it was Jack¡¯s childhood best friend, Annabelle. With her face drenched in sweat, huffing and puffing, the grungy clothes that made her stick out like a sore thumb, she rushed to Jack, and leaped onto the young man. Both of them fell to the ground while Sarah stayed in her place, bringing out a grin. Anna rubbed her sweaty face all over Jack¡¯s dried face, smearing him in her sweat.


    ¡°Jack! Are you alright?! Eric told me you were having another depressing episode again!¡± she shouted, then weeping softly.


    ¡°Well well, if it isn¡¯t Annabelle the blonde wonder.¡± Sarah said, chuckling afterwards.


    ¡°Wo-Would you please get off¡­ you¡¯re smudging your stress onto my face. I smell like wetdog now, great.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! I¡¯m here and I¡¯m not leaving until you smile again, Jack!¡±


    Jack accepted his fate and lay there, letting Anna do her thing. Sarah was enjoying this and took her phone out, taking pictures and having a smug grin.


    ¡°Wh-What are you taking pictures for, Sarah?¡± Jack asked while Anna finally stopped her relentless rubbing.


    Sarah lowered her phone, and whistled for a moment. ¡°Who said I was taking pictures? Or was I?¡±


    Anna brought her face to Jack¡¯s, then she got on top of him. ¡°Don¡¯t you pander your attention away from me, mister. Let the goth girl take her pictures, because right now you¡¯re mine!¡±


    ¡°Jesus¡­ there¡¯s no winning for me today, fuck it.¡± Jack said, laying flat on the ground.


    Sarah laughed and so did Anna. Jack brought out a grin and he too joined in with their laughter.


    Later in the day, everyone was gathered in the living room, talking and catching up to current events. Anna was seated next to Sarah, Jack and Angela were seated next to each other. The only person missing was Eric who happened to have left shortly after Anna had just arrived, he went for another business adventure.


    ¡°You, goth girl, hand me the remote.¡± Angela said, sticking her hand out, waiting for her demand to be met.


    ¡°You could say please, scene girl.¡± Sarah rebutted.


    ¡°Oh, is that how it is? I see.¡± Angela pouted, and looked away.


    Anna got up, went up, and whispered something to Jack. He obliged to whatever she asked and he got up from his seating. He sat next to Sarah, whispered the idea to her and Anna gently sat down next to Angela without being noticed.


    ¡°Hello? Remote?¡± Angela turned to see if Sarah did her demand but to find Anna with the remote in her hand, waving it in front of her face.


    Angela twitched her eyes, blushed and curled up. Anna smiled and drew closer to Angela who only did more to shell herself off.


    ¡°You mean, this remote? You adorably sassy emo girl!¡± Anna wrapped her arm around Angela who grew hotter to the point she felt steam evaporate from her hair follicles.


    ¡°This¡­ is an interesting turn of events.¡± Sarah said, sounding amused and villainy.


    ¡°Ah! I can¡¯t get enough of this adorable girl! I can hold her all day and never get enough of it. Hey Jack, do you mind if I borrow your sister on the weekends just to have her company?¡± Anna said while letting out a soft chuckle.


    Angela adorably pouted, and nervously looked up at the blonde beauty. ¡°As¡­ if! Only in yo-your dreams you¡ªyou¡ª¡± Angela took a deep breath and wrapped her small arms around Anna¡¯s waist. ¡°Seductive, dreamy succubus¡­¡± she muttered.


    Anna had butterflies explode once Angela¡¯s tiny arms were around her. ¡°You see this! How can you not fall in love with this real life doll!¡±


    Anna embraced Angela who looked hypnotized and doll-like, rubbing her cheek against hers which put her out of consciousness. While Anna tortured Angela, Sarah looked to Jack and jolted her head to the direction of the kitchen. Jack knew what she meant by that and the two got up again, walking to the kitchen and with Sarah leading the way to go to the backyard slide door. Jack wondered what else the goth girl wanted to talk about so he followed and the two were now outside, staring out to the backyard.


    Sarah stepped forward, standing at the edge of the back patio to get her dose of nature. ¡°Say Jack¡­¡± she looked over her shoulder to him, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to ask in front of them but, your sister, Angela, her appearance has changed, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t agree more, and walked to stand beside Sarah. ¡°It has, hasn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°Her purple highlights are gone, her hair¡¯s longer. Not only that, to expose more of what I¡¯ve been hiding, the miasma that¡¯s felt inside of you, was also apparent in your sister, and Anna.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Anna?¡± Jack asked, his face surprised.


    I knew that Angela had the same sensation as me since she and Mallory are associated somehow¡­ But Anna too? I never knew that. Jack thought.


    ¡°Yeah. To get straight to the point, it¡¯s no longer there for the two. Only you have this horrid sensation inside of you, the bleak darkness that¡¯s trailed off of you for as long as I could remember has never gone away, rather it''s been tamed.¡±


    Wait¡ªDoes that mean¡­ that Mallory¡¯s¡­?


    ¡°Gone¡­¡± Jack mumbled. ¡°This, this can¡¯t be¡­ no. I-I refuse to believe that¡­¡± he whispered.


    ¡°You okay Jack? You¡¯re talking real quietly there.¡±


    Jack looked over to Sarah, his face expressing concern once again. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s just me that reeks of this blackness?¡±


    Sarah nodded, ¡°Yes, I''m afraid so. But I wanted to ask you, and don¡¯t be afraid to tell me. I know you told me before you couldn¡¯t tell or explain to me why you have this nasty stuff inside of you at that time; But can you now? If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Jack swallowed, and wondered if he had the guts to. But it¡¯s Sarah, so it should be fine for Jack to tell her; She is the only person trust worthy enough to say so.


    Jack took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them again with a glint in them. ¡°Sarah, since I was a kid¡­ before my eleventh birthday, in the night my parents were killed, I met something¡­ or someone in my dreams, and that was a being named Ma¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Jack¡¯s eyes exploded out of their sockets and the young man coughed violently. He dropped to his knees and slammed his fist on the wooden ground. Sarah backed off, in that moment to whatever he was about to say, a sudden surge of that black horrible substance reeked out of his pores, surrounding him and trying to strangle his throat. It was almost as if it prevented Jack from exposing the truth of its existence, and didn¡¯t want Sarah to find out. This made her mad towards it since she felt this same surgence from that dreadful girl in white. Sarah questioned if it''s her that¡¯s behind his two deaths since Jack said that William was more willing to help the young man out rather than torturing him. She stayed serious and waited for Jack to catch his breath and was ready to speak again.


    Jack grabbed his throat and got up on his feet, spitting afterwards. ¡°No-not again¡­ damn it.¡±


    ¡°You okay, Jack?¡± Sarah asked, finally being allowed to stand beside him again.


    Jack let go of his throat and stared at his palm. ¡°For now¡­ I guess.¡± he crushed his palm, and got up. ¡°Sorry Sarah, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t speak more about this issue, may-maybe some other time.¡±


    Jack sounded annoyed yet disappointed, which worried Sarah. In spite of it, she understood why he couldn¡¯t and decided to change the subject to ease the young man.


    ¡°Hey Jack, what else did William tell you other than his trials and such?¡±


    Jack walked away, stepping down the patio and getting in front of Randolph¡¯s grave. He stood in silence, remembering the truthful words that William had spoken to him about; The fact that Jack is a poor soul that has sinned for the purpose of survival and forced to live the way he does by the hands of Dr. Cato and more notably, Mallory. That wasn¡¯t all, William detailed how his life¡¯s not as meaningless as he thought it was, there was more to it and he¡¯s yet to figure out why he¡¯s so special. From the events of the past, the exposure to this world of secrecy, Jack¡¯s starting to believe William about who he truly is.


    The topic of Sin came into his mind again, and he wanted to talk more about it with Sarah.


    ¡°Funny you ask, but back to the topic of the woman that¡¯s identical to you, William too explained about the existence of these holders of Sin. Actually, he¡¯s the one who originally brought it up and went further in depth about it.¡±


    Sarah made her way to Jack, stood next to him and stared at the forest. ¡°Really? It''s ironic that this mysterious woman started speaking of it right after William was the first to bring it up.¡±


    ¡°Right? During our conversation, he talked about what Sins have been committed, carried, and a small background check of each one committed so far.¡±


    ¡°Which ones?¡± she asked, bringing her eyes back to him briefly.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, the first was Greed, and again Greed, then came pride, sloth, and lastly, Envy.¡±


    ¡°So four out of the seven or eight if you count Vainglory.¡±


    ¡°Vain what? Never heard of that one.¡±


    Sarah brought her fingers up, silentling counting and squirting her eyes once she finished. Jack wondered what the goth girl was up to. After she was done, she snapped her fingers and tried remembering what it meant.


    ¡°Crap, I¡¯m trying to figure out the definition of that. You know what, forget about it for now. Back to the four mentioned, did he say which ones are actually being held besides them existing.¡±


    Jack¡¯s brain flashed images of that woman who first was the definitive example of beauty, but afterwards, her presence and deminor changed through their conversation when she mentioned the Sin she knew most of all; Envy.


    ¡°William and that woman, both of them said that only one Sin lives, but William directly said it while she teased it, like before it was born.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re killing me with the suspense Jack! Say it, what was it?!¡± Sarah asked, her tone filled with excitement and anticipating the reveal.


    Jack subtle his eyes, and the young man trickled a breath. ¡°Envy¡­¡± he said.


    Hearing this made Sarah¡¯s vision turn black and red, sliding it into white then purple to reveal another world. She felt the heat of hell scorching the earth, blowing at her face as she saw cities destroyed, land flattened, craters, lava shooting into the sky, firey tornadoes drilling the skies and cutting the land in front of her. Looking up to the sky, she was exposed to an aurora of space, seeing earth''s atmosphere tarnished. This brought a tear to slip out of her half shut eyes. Standing on top of the tallest skyscraper wherever she was, this was the saddest sight she had seen. She can sense, feel the despair in the air, but most of all, she can feel her ravaging urge of jealousy fueling her hatred to those who have something she can¡¯t have. She can¡¯t understand why she¡¯s feeling this way, it made her ball her fists and ground her teeth.


    ¡°Give her back, give me back my¡ª!¡±


    Jack snapped his fingers, tapped her head to snap her back into reality. Sarah blinked a couple of times and placed her hand on her head. She felt light as a feather, her mind felt as heavy as a boulder that forced her to almost collapse on a knee.


    ¡°You okay, Sarah?¡± Jack asked while helping her keep her footing.


    Sarah blinked, crushed her eyelids a couple more times before answering. ¡°I-I think so¡­ wow. Where did this come from?¡± she wondered. ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry, but can we talk another time¡­ I¡¯m feeling quite horrid.¡±


    Jack rubbed her arm, ¡°sure. Jesus, you¡¯re starting to even look paler than usual. Go home and I¡¯ll call you later or tomorrow, sound good?¡±


    Sarah tapped Jack¡¯s arm and proceeded to walk away. ¡°Yeah¡­ bye Jack.¡±


    Sarah carefully walked up the patio steps, and Jack watched as she slowly approached the porch door. She slid it open and slid it closed. Jack was worried about her. He questioned why she got a sudden headache once he mentioned Envy, and having her faze out of reality for a good minute. This made the young man feel suspicious towards his supernatural friend. Jack let out a sigh and turned to the forest, staring at it with a fierce glare.


    ¡°So much is going on¡­ too much in fact.¡± he brought up his wrist, the bracelet Alexandria gave him. ¡°Although our time was temporary, Alex. I¡¯m glad that I was able to spend time with you¡­ despite losing you again to this cruel world.¡±


    Jack lowered his hand, and balled a fist. Sarah¡¯s eyes turned empty in that moment, and they grew watery. What did she see? And why did she go blank like that? He wondered.


    ¡°This topic of Sins has me wondering if the other ones that haven¡¯t existed yet, are they being created as we speak?¡±


    Scrunching his face, Jack¡¯s determined that this is the only outcome he could think of.


    ¡°Could this be the reason behind my trials with William? If so, then could any of the others ready to be born are the ones behind my two mysterious deaths?¡±


    ¡°I doubt so~¡±


    Jack quickly turned, gasping in shock. The voice that whispered into his ear just a moment ago sounded familiar. Being spooked at the moment, Jack couldn¡¯t make out where he heard this voice from.


    ¡°Who-Who said that?!¡± he asked, glancing around in a state of panic.


    ¡°If you wish to find out, then proceed forward into the closet of nature.¡± they said.


    This time it sounded like someone was speaking into his subconscious. This made Jack quake in his boots.


    ¡°Hey! Whoever you are, show yourself instead of fucking with my mind!¡±


    If someone would¡¯ve seen him in this state, more than likely they would think he was crazy or just high. The young man waited for a response, but got nothing. He clenched his fists and proceeded to reach for his gun. He forgot that it was still in his room.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ why now?¡± he mumbled, ¡°Hey! What if I actually walk into the woods, then what?!¡±


    They giggled and moaned with excitement. ¡°Then we can get back to our conversation where we left off of.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Jack can¡¯t figure out who this person is, but they sounded womanly, their soft voice tickling his brain and eardrums. Their tone alone vibrated his body from its sounding seductive nature.


    ¡°Proceed forward, you don¡¯t want to keep me waiting here, Jack.¡±


    Jack ground his teeth, swallowed and took a step forward.


    What other choice do I have anyways? I¡¯ll do as they ask, so long as it¡¯ll benefit me in some way, hopefully. Jack thought.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯ll do as you say, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But what?¡±


    Jack furrowed his brows, his lips dropping in worry. ¡°I-I won¡¯t get hurt, right?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not¡­ so long as you don¡¯t anger me then your life will continue, Jack.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t too sure about this, but he had no other option but to oblige. The young man looked up to the sky, his fists balled and quivering, he couldn''t help and felt played. The way they talk so lightly made it sound like a trap, but the young man¡¯s so desperate for answers he¡¯s willing to go forward with this. He mustered all the courage he had and started walking past Randolph¡¯s grave.


    He stopped for a moment to look back at his deceased uncle. ¡°Look after me, will ya? Randolph¡­¡±


    Jack turned back forward, making his way into his backwoods. It wasn¡¯t a long walk, it¡¯s actually just a full two minutes, but for the young man, it felt like hours. Each step forward, every gust, the world felt slowed down, and he wondered if he¡¯s actually still in the real world with how light everything was feeling. Once he reached the entrance to the wall of trees, bushes, and thickened vision, he was hesitant now.


    ¡°Damn it all¡­¡± He brought his hands up to his face, ¡°I can¡¯t control myself, I¡¯m shaking so much.¡±


    The young man closed his palms and dropped them. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment and thought deeply in silence. He did this for a good minute and once he felt brave enough to go forward, he opened his eyes, and walked into the forest. At first it was the plain thick woods he was used to walking into, but as he went further into it, it started transforming. The trees that were faded out, old, were growing thinner, but more younger. The ground wasn¡¯t dried and had patches of dead grass or exposed roots; Rather it had a full bed of grass around the trees now, bushes with beautiful flowers blossoming alongside. This made Jack stop in his tracks to take a better look of the environment being transformed before his eyes.


    ¡°What''s¡­ going on?¡± He said, ¡°it¡¯s like summer came back with a vengeance and took over my backyard.¡±


    This is wicked, I feel like I¡¯m in the untouched garden of Eden in a novel. He thought.


    Taking a look above, the sunshine was dimmed and made the atmosphere to that of being in an enchanted forest. The young man can¡¯t help but be amazed at the changes surrounding him. With no other thought in mind, he continued forward, walking deeper and deeper into this new enchanted forest. Along the way, there were rabbits hopping, plenty of birds flying around, chirping, and a plethora of wildlife you¡¯d imagine in an environment like this; Deer, elk, racoons, and mysteriously wolves too that didn¡¯t seem to bother the rest of the wildlife around. Jack¡¯s face stayed in a permanent state of awe as he was walking further without a destination in mind. He wondered where he¡¯ll be led into if he keeps going forward. Is this her plan? Did this mysterious woman lead him in here, trying to ease his stress with a nice stroll through this glistening forest? Or is there an actual destination in mind for her or perhaps a ploy to toy with the young man''s delusional mind.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m starting to feel played now¡­¡± he said, stopping in front of a bunch of thickened bushes and tree bark.


    Whatever this person¡¯s planning, I¡¯m growing tired of this. Jack thought.


    The young man grunted and put his arms forward to push the thick greenery away and when he did, he saw something that immediately caught his eyes.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Jack walked through the thick bushes and once he made his way clear, stepping into a now opened area that screamed the dawn of fall, it made him breathless. Jack stood in a gorgeous area that had a couple of stone walkways, all leading to a wondrous small table set carved out of the finest wood. The chairs were also carved nicely, but to that of a gothic style. Dozens of flowers surrounded the area, brown, orange bright leaves fluttered about, and the trees were also tinted in the colour of fall¡¯s dawning.


    ¡°Where¡­ am I?¡± Jack wondered. ¡°This looks like something out of a fantasy book.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lovely area, isn¡¯t it?¡± The voice said in an echoey ghostly manner.


    Jack quickly glanced around once he heard the voice. ¡°Where are you?! Show yourself!¡±


    ¡°My my, impatient are we? Well then, if you want to see me this badly, don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of all these games¡­¡± Jack growled, turning his eyes to every turn possible, ¡°just please, reveal who you are and answer my repetitious questions.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, so this is the desire that drives you forward, Jack?¡±


    In the blink of an eye, the world dazzled away. Again it transformed, the skies tinted in evening deep fall, soft white clouds drifting across, huge trees surrounded the area, blocking Jack from the outside world. Leaves fell, flew, and a nice gentle breeze sent chills across the young man''s body. Jack covered his face momentarily as a gust of wind fluttered his clothes and hair.


    ¡°Now then, come here and have a seat with me, Jack Samr.¡±


    This time, the voice didn¡¯t sound echoey, distinct, or in his mind, rather from behind. When Jack turned around, his eyes grew wide and his throat constricted in shock. That small area had transformed into an Al fresco, but to that of a Victorian gothic style. There, seated in one of the engraved chairs was a woman. But it wasn¡¯t just any woman, her slim curvy figure, raven hair that reached all the way down her back, her porcelain skin that made her glow with the tinted brown environment, and her black and red gothic slim dress he¡¯s seen before.


    ¡°It-It can¡¯t¡­ be¡­¡± he muttered.


    Her distinct gorgeous platinum eyes that would captivate anyones soul upon first glance. Her definitive beauty that would enchant any man¡¯s heart, but all Jack could feel was fear in the moment. This sight alone had Jack overwhelmed by fear and shock, because he couldn¡¯t believe who he¡¯s setting his eyes on.


    ¡°Oh my, I sense that I¡¯ve accidently scared you, Jack. My apologies, hehe.¡± she said, her voice seductive, and soft.


    Jack couldn¡¯t say a word, all he could do was breathe in a frantic state. Seeing Jack react to her in this state brought amusement to her wicked mind, bringing out a glint in her calm eyes. She nodded and took stock of the situation.


    ¡°I think I have yet to properly introduce myself to you, Jack. Sorry, this happens when I let my emotions get the best of me¡ªwhat can I say? I just can¡¯t help myself sometimes.¡±


    Unlike her tone, her expression hadn¡¯t changed since Jack set his petrified eyes on her. Her small shoulders dipped slightly, she lay one of her hands on her breast, and calmly introduced herself.


    ¡°My name is Samantha or as you know me as Sarah¡¯s mother. But if you go by my actual birth name given to me by the Witch cult that gave me life, that would be Abyzou¡­¡±


    She softened her lips into a thin smile. The glint in her eyes growing sharper, her black hair fluttering lightly from a soothing breeze shooting in the area, she eased her hand off her chest, laying it flat on her lap.


    ¡°Or perhaps to answer the question if a Sin still exists like you¡¯ve asked before; I am the embodiment and holder of one of these seven deadly Sins¡ªthat being¡­ Envy.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 11: Envys Introduction

    Two darkened minds, two souls, both fueling with an endless hatred towards the second most hated being in the universe''s existence. Their thoughts ravaged for vengeance towards the individual, hoping one day to avenge themselves and have a life of normality again. Their minds would be freed if this happened, their souls would be purified, stop their unhinging minds, and be set free by her curse, as well as her bewitching good looks. As their thoughts collided, it exploded and revealed a world of fire and ash. A man¡¯s figure descended from the raining sparks of his rage, landing gently on the burning ground. Another man-like figure walked out of a wall of fire, and had the expression of defeat.


    ¡°My heart¡­¡±


    ¡°My heart¡­¡±


    ¡°Burns with¡­ rage¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hatred¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Decpetion¡ª¡±


    ¡°But my¡­¡±


    ¡°My¡­¡±


    ¡°Love still burns a flame to that dreadful¡ª¡±


    ¡°Agonizing bitch of a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Witch!¡±


    ¡°Woman who I¡¯ve foolishly claim as my wife¡­¡±


    The flames grew tenfold as they spoke their hatred, engulfing their shadowy figures in the remnants of the fire. Then, two real men come out of the shadows of the burning inferno, flames reaching higher than the skies of hell. They walked out, into the open field of scorching earth. As they approached each other, the first man had a silk hooded cloak screaming his loyalty to God had a stream of hope, golden dust, white light trailing off his body and a face that told the world he loathed the woman he spoke of. The other man who happened to be the husband to the Witch of Envy had an aura of magma around him, behind him, trailing off his body was a steam of heat infused with deep purple enraged with red plasma shooting into the sky and stabbing the earth.


    ¡°How long¡­ could I keep going like this?¡± Sarah¡¯s father thought.


    ¡°This feeling of hate that I¡¯ve hidden away from my master, has wanted to explode out! Everytime I lay eyes on that girl of hers.¡± The hooded man thought.


    ¡°Hopefully¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡ª¡±


    ¡°Someday¡ª¡± they said in unison.


    ¡°I can take her life away!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Want her gone out of my life!¡± Sarah¡¯s father shouted.


    The two stood in front of each other, staring right into each other''s hatred towards the women they claim ruined their lives. Both clenched their fists, in doing so ruptured the ground, blew away the hellfire''s and their trails came around, forming, swirling around them in a tornado of their madness. Their fists trembled, their eyes furrowed, as the two blinked, right between them an apparition of the woman appeared. She had an innocent smile, one that¡¯ll turn any man nervous and fall deeply in love with her. She glanced at the two, giggled and put her arms out to them, jolting her head up to the sky.


    ¡°Abyzou¡­¡±


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡±


    Both men ground their teeth, and tried reaching for her hands, but she pulled them away and laughed maniacally. They gasped and she started transforming into the very woman who has taken their lives, transforming them into the men who they are today: Weak minded, unwilling, cautious, and in constant depression. Her hair shot up, she brought her arms up to reach for the sky as her body was engulfed with flames, and behind her, a small black hole began to expand behind her. They left their jaws dropped as they watched the horror ensue. And in response to their shocked state, she danced in her flames, touching, rubbing her body as she tried swooning them with her seductive firey dance.


    ¡°NO!¡± the two yelled in unison, their eyes screaming for retreat.


    She was sucked into the hole, and it immediately blew up like a supernova. The two were blown away, and watched as the explosion was sucking itself back in, only to have her emerging from the middle, glowing brighter than a star. Once their eyes laid upon her, they saw the glimpse of her terrifying form before she was just blinding light of certain hope. In that small glimpse, they saw her snow white hair, dead chalky skin, and the very eye colours that gleamed, glowed her envy, the ones they loathed to look into this day: her red glowing eyes.


    ¡°Witch of¡ªEnvy!¡± the cloaked man shouted as he descended into darkness, his screams echoing to eventually fade off in the distance.


    Sarah¡¯s father kept falling until her glowing figure tried reaching for him, trying to catch him. He refused and shouted his agony and rage at her, to which she responded by giggling and engufling his body in a light of seduction. He let out terrifying screams until he finally awoke from his bed, drenched in sweat.


    Sarah¡¯s father quickly controlled his breathing and sat in silence. His dark room, the sunlight trying to welcome itself through a small gap in his curtains, the man let out a deep sorrowed sigh. He didn¡¯t think twice to lay back to bed and shut his eyes again. Before going back to his slumber, he opened his mouth, let out a soft grunt and said, ¡°I hate you¡­ with all my heart, Abyzou.¡± He turned to his right and was back into his slumber, and repeated the same nightmare as he always did: The day he proposed to her and was duped into her contract, the very one he carries on to so long as he breathes, he will never escape it. Not even suicide is an option as he already tried that, but he still hopes to find a way out of it, and hopefully, be free of it and take his loving daughter away from such a being.


    ***


    The rich pure air that kept the young man''s throat constricted, the looming orange sky, grey clouds drifting over the horizon of the orange, brown covered tree tops, staying seated in her amusing comfort, Samantha awaited for Jack¡¯s response to what she had just revealed to him.


    She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s a holder of¡ªSin?! Jack thought.


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m not dreaming, aren¡¯t I?¡± he murmured.


    Samantha hadn¡¯t changed her expression, she was still patiently waiting for Jack to take a seat across from her.


    Jack¡¯s mind had become churned to the unfolding. He can¡¯t bring himself to move a muscle or speak to the embodiment of Envy presented in the form of a beautiful curvy slim woman. To think of all people that would be possible candidates to the title of pure jealousy from entitled celebrities seen on TV, the internet, to people wanting anything handed to them for free, enemies he¡¯s known now or before; It had to be someone close to the only person he can trust.


    What should I do? I don¡¯t know how to react to this¡­ I¡¯m-I¡¯m actually afraid.


    Jack¡¯s sweating increased, his heart rate quickened, and his damned tainted soul raged, wanting to be released of its prisoned emotions. Where Jack¡¯s standing, of who and what he was, the reasoning for her interest in him, this was all growing too vague for him. Despite these feelings, something inside of Jack, seized his drive to push forward with this. He questioned why this sudden urge kept him going throughout these harsh obstacles despite their impossible outcomes. Suddenly, a powerful drive inside of Jack made him take a step forward, refusing to stand still and show weakness to Sarah¡¯s mother.


    ¡°There it is, the desire that drives you forward¡­ How interesting I must say, Jack.¡±


    Jack made his way towards her. His face still showed fear, but the hint of determination in his furrowed brows showed her that he was not afraid to confront his problems. This made her feel more amused towards him, and grew that interest of his desire that she spoke of much more. He walked into the gothic platform, the shadow of the silky tent covering the sky above them made this a more eerie atmosphere. Still seated, the thin smile on her face, Samantha brought her hand forward, telling Jack to take a seat. The faint wind tickled the back of his neck, his back drenched in his cold sweat, he felt the overwhelming pressure he was in. Standing opposite of her, leaving her hanging with anticipation to start their conversation, Jack couldn¡¯t help but ball his fists.


    This made Samantha gently lower her arm, resting it again on her lap. ¡°I find it hurtful to see you so on guard towards me, Jack. I mean, I am Sarah¡¯s mother so there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡±


    Jack¡¯s fists slightly shook as he did his best to contain his fear and anger. ¡°Sorry¡­ but to drop my guard after your announcement of being a holder of Sin would be an insult to my pride.¡±


    Jack ground his teeth, then bit his lip while Samantha¡¯s smile grew a little more.


    ¡°Whether your Sarah¡¯s mother, my uncle, my sister, or a close friend¡­ if you¡¯re a potential threat, then I-I refuse to do so.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. This time I¡¯ll apologise, that was an oversight on my part.¡±


    Samantha gently touched the back of her small hand to her lips as she giggled. The sight of her being so calm, nonchalant, playing innocence made Jack¡¯s anger grow, growing close to surpassing his fear. The young man brought his drenched hands up to his face, opening, closing them, wondering if he had a chance to overwhelm her before she could try any sorcery on him.


    Can I really put my hands on her if by chance she tries anything to hurt me? Jack wondered.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing to someone who¡¯s close to my loving daughter.¡± she replied, giggling again in an amusing fashion.


    This made the young man regret his thoughts, immediately letting his body react to it by slowly stepping back and trembling.


    ¡°Oh come on, what¡¯s the hold up? Don¡¯t be so afraid, I mean look at me!¡±


    Samantha crossed her legs, laying one of her hands on her breast, dropping her guard to Jack.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a tiny innocent woman who could be taken advantage of at any given moment, hehe.¡±


    Her innocent giggles tormented his mind, reminding him of Mallory and the times when she would do the same about serious circumstances. Laughing about his problems, thinking it could all be solved if he gave himself up to her, just the thought and remembrance of it made him dig his fingers into his hair.


    ¡°Jack, just take a seat, relax. I¡¯m sure you have a mountain of questions you wish to ask. However, I¡¯d be careful of what you can ask, you don¡¯t know what may cause me to take offense.¡±


    ¡°Relax¡­? Me? You want me to relax?!¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Of course, let us indulge in this beautiful scenery and speak our minds out, come on now.¡±


    Her nonchalant attitude, her tone, it fueled his annoyance and managed to trickle a growl out of Jack to which she responded with another giggle.


    ¡°How can you tell me to relax after all I¡¯ve been through? Who do you think you are¡­¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡¯s mother.¡±


    Jack diverted his eyes away, growling. ¡°Tch¡­ you¡¯re wicked attitude is pissing me off now.¡±


    She touched her hands together, tilting her head. ¡°Wonderful, you¡¯re starting to open up to me more. This calls for some coffee!¡±


    She snapped her fingers and two mugs of already made coffee appeared on a small plater. Jack could smell the wonderful grinded beans, torturing his nostrils to tempt him into taking a seat to drown out his emotions with its black deliciousness. No matter how hard he tries, he can¡¯t help but welcome an invitation to a free coffee beverage. The young man put his ego to the side and carefully took a seat opposite of Samantha.


    ¡°There we go, that¡¯s more like it, Jack.¡± she said, grabbing her coffee cup, putting it to the edge of her glistening lips. ¡°You see, I won¡¯t bite. I¡¯m just an innocent mother trying to get to know more of her daughter¡¯s handsome male friend.¡±


    Jack lay one of his hands on the wooden table, slowly balling it. ¡°You claiming innocence has me on edge, like an upside down hospital file waiting to be turned over and reveal its horrid news to its reader.¡±


    Having experienced death many times, beaten relentlessly and having faced the worst dangers anyone has faced, Jack¡¯s acute to his senses about her. They were screeching that she¡¯s just as if not more dangerous than anyone he¡¯s ever encountered thus far.


    ¡°It¡¯s natural that you¡¯re so on guard, coming from a young man who¡¯s face and lived the ethical of danger itself all his life. So I don¡¯t take you for a coward if it ever comes down to me being a danger to you. A man like you would instantly take action and do their best to stop it.¡±


    Everything was going according to Samantha¡¯s plan. Summon the young man into her dream world, have him take a seat, drink coffee, and then have him ask questions to make her feel like the greedy being that she is; Nothing could¡¯ve made her more amused and excited at the moment.


    Jack deeply sighed, dropping his shoulders and tapping the table. ¡°Let me first ask you this¡­ do you ever remember me talking to you back in 1994?¡±


    ¡°1994? Hmm. Oh! Of course I do, silly me. We were in Norway when we had our first actual personal encounter, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    Hearing her response made Jack suck in his lips, feeling eager to shout in annoyance.


    ¡°So let me follow it up to this then¡­ did you send me to my death that very night that took my life by two stupid teens?¡±


    Samantha blew her coffee, pouting. ¡°Heavens no. What am I? A monster, hmph. But, you¡¯re probably wondering how I can remember when it was so far back, right?¡±


    Her teasing nature made the young man shut his eyes for a moment. She was correct, he was curious about how she could remember a moment that was decades ago when he was sent back in time. He felt more annoyed than ever and decided to drown it with a nice sip of coffee, allowing it to burn his tongue and lips. He gently set it down, licked his lips, hissed and tilted his head for a second.


    ¡°I am, and how could you, when you were just a young woman?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, curious are we? Well, Jack Samr, To let you in on a little secret, I¡¯ve been enchanted, born, blessed even by a marvelous soul, which allows me to do, enhance impossible things.¡±


    Jack let out a muffled grunt, squinting his eyes.


    More supernatural crap¡­ great. He thought.


    ¡°Be more specific, please.¡±


    She took another sip of coffee before speaking, her eyes squinted and her amusement stayed put.


    ¡°It¡¯s like this, Jack. I managed to make my soul and my subconscious manifest outside of our flow of time, kinda like a rewind or forward tape switch. I can go as far back as to the first person that started my family tree. Or I could even go further into the future to see the outcome of my life or this universe¡¯s fate that this so-called God created.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m confused¡­ Does that mean you¡¯re immortal?¡±


    ¡°In a way, maybe, but not really. My body can still be killed, even by the likes of a weak man like you if I allow it that is.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re such a hothead. No wonder my daughters took a liking to you as a friend. You remind me of my husband too.¡±


    With a light hearted laugh, Samantha felt delighted with Jack¡¯s strong attitude towards her. At first she thought he was just trying to act tough to hide his weak manner, but so far, he¡¯s more confident than she took it lightly.


    ¡°In a way Jack, I can never age at the moment. I froze the cells in my body that stop me from aging, my heart no longer produces a beat, my mind stays intact at its prime, meaning I¡¯m invincible, so long as I mentioned¡­ I alone allow it.¡±


    So she was acting dumb when we first met¡­ damn it. He thought.


    Jack grew a grimace, grabbing the cup again and deciding to drain its contents. Seeing the young man devour her coffee so fast made her eyes expand in apparent surprise.


    ¡°Uh Jack¡­ when you gulped my coffee down, what was the after taste like?¡±


    Jack titled, brought the cup up to his eyes, and set it down. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ it just tasted like coffee, no more or no less, just black.¡±


    ¡°Oh oh, very interesting.¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­at do you mean by that?¡±


    She grabbed her chin while holding her coffee. ¡°First off, you¡¯re a very brave soul to drink coffee from an icon of Sin. Most people would react in a cowardly way or question what¡¯s in my drink, but the fact that you drank it with no hestation and it tasted normal to you means you¡¯re more mysterious than I thought.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew wide and concerned, he had second thoughts about drinking the coffee.


    ¡°You-You make it seem like something bad was going to happen to me if I drank it without thinking of a reprocution.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, nuh. Uh, well¡­ perhaps. There could¡¯ve been three possible outcomes, A: Your fate would¡¯ve been seen and sealed, B: A possible telling to fortune but not without a catch, and C: Dying by my drink.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ if you were gonna kill me you could¡¯ve done it before I sat my ass or turned me into ash where I¡¯m sitting.¡±


    Jack¡¯s serious attitude made Samantha giggle and smile brightly. Oh how he reminded her of her husband, especially when they first met. Placing her coffee cup down, she put her hands together, laying her arms up to lean her chin on them.


    ¡°My my, you wound me by your body langauge, Jack. Going by my appearance, I don¡¯t seem like I¡¯m evil or menacing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, even if you¡¯re this gorgeous, I won¡¯t underestimate my opponent and will forever live by the street code, that being: ¡®No matter the person, big or small, man or woman, if the opportunity came to them at your weakest moment, your ass is grass.¡¯ This is a code that my uncle created and I will always follow it.¡±


    Jack¡¯s demanour suddenly came off proud which the Witch responded with an intrigued smile. Seeing her smiles transition so much made Jack wince.


    ¡°How delightful. I respect that, putting that aside, you are as I said a very interesting yet mysterious individuel. The fact that we¡¯re talking so casually, and you can sit there unaffected before me is proof enough.¡±


    Jack lay back on the chair, growing more comfortable and open to Samantha. Before he felt like shitting bricks because of the shocking surprise of not only who and what she actually is, but what she could potentially do to harm him. The fact that his fear has faded is proof that the young man can adjust to his situations without his prior knowledge.


    ¡°Why say that? It¡¯s hard to believe that to be fair. I think if any normal person would lay eyes on you they would instantly fall in a trance of your beauty.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m actually invisible to the naked eye. But if a normal person happens to lay their eyes on me somehow, they would actually die by looking into them. Amusing isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Holy¡­ damn. That¡¯s not amusing at all!¡±


    ¡°I know right? This is why I hardly leave my own home, but when I do, I like to display myself as gothic and mysterious as I can. And I also purposely like to have society notice me, casting spells on my body to have people see me. For safety measures though, I wear glasses but have magic built into them so people can have a chance to lock their normal eyes into these abnormal ones they are fond of.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t have any when we first encountered each other in Norway.¡±


    His response brought out a thin wicked smile out of her, which made the young man jump a little.


    ¡°Because Jack that was before my title was given and engraved into my soul.¡±


    Their exchanges, since the beginning have made and brought so many concerning stressful thoughts to the young man that it was exhausting him. Not only was his body beat, but his spirit felt close to being tired of all this nonsense. Jack slumped in his chair, tapping a finger on the table as he took another glance at Samantha.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    It¡¯s absolutely frightening how much they resemble each other¡­ I mean, I know their differences are small, but it¡¯s too hard to believe that this is Sarah¡¯s mother. Jack thought.


    Although identical, the things that stuck out more out of Sarah¡¯s mother¡¯s appearance was her hair covering a portion of her face, her moonlight eyes that shone in mystery, and her bust size. Lastly, her voice was so seductive and mature, but not that of a woman in her forties, rather it was a mature tone filled with intelligence, composure, and teasing desire. Just by first glance if you were a normal bystander walking by her, with her height and babyface, she can certainly possess someone and stir their heart.


    But having a proper conversation with her, getting to know who truly was the person behind such a wondrous face, Jack felt unwilled and undiluted, prompting her as no normal being.


    ¡°Alrighty Jack, though I am happy and pleased to have a normal conversation with someone other than my daughter, let''s get back to the questions you oh so desire to be answered.¡±


    Jack moaned, taking a breath. ¡°Yeah, I guess. I mean you already answered one, and I wouldn¡¯t lie but after you answered it, I still feel I haven¡¯t gotten a proper answer.¡±


    Samantha giggled. ¡°That¡¯s my bad, as I said I have a bad habit of teasing people. But I do have one thing I know you¡¯re curious to know, that being the existence of Sins and the seven Virtues that combat them.¡±


    ¡°That does sound intriguing, although, to be honest, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready to hear more bullshit at the moment. Your presence alone has already put me so on edge and quenched my brain of energy that I¡¯m this close to passing out.¡±


    ¡°Oh poopy, don¡¯t be such a downer. Come on, let¡¯s talk more about Sins, I¡¯m sure William has already mentioned them to you at some point?¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes, taking another breath. ¡°Mm, he did, but just briefly. Just mentioned the ones that existed, that being four out of the seven.¡±


    Samantha lay back on her chair, crossing her thin arms and nodding. The young man massaged his head, feeling tired and emotinally drained already.


    ¡°Which ones did he mention?¡±


    Jack brought up his right hand, dropping one finger as he named them.


    ¡°First Sin born was Greed, then again, second Pride, third Sloth, and lastly you.¡±


    She raised one of her hands, balling her small fist and shooting up a finger.


    ¡°You forgot about Gluttony¡ª¡± she shot another one up, ¡°¡ªand Lust, though Lust existed for just a month, but there were also rumours telling that Wrath existed, but it¡¯s just a legend at this point.¡±


    ¡°Wait? So six of the seven have already been born?!¡± Jack shook his head, ¡°why would William lie to me.¡±


    She too shook her head, dropping her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t think it''s the fact that he lied to you, it¡¯s probably because he wasn¡¯t aware of Lust and Gluttony¡¯s existence prior to his title of Grand Exorcist.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then how do you know of there''s?¡±


    His response made Samantha chuckle, waving her hand in an adorable manner. ¡°Oh Jack, that''s easy to answer. Isn¡¯t it obvious how I know? It¡¯s called research.¡±


    ¡°O-Oh¡­ well now I sound stupid for asking. For a second I thought you were going to reply by saying that you were around longer than he has.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s innocence started to rub off onto Jack. He even started to question if she¡¯s an actual holder of Sin if this is how she acts in front of those she can fond of. Before he has seen her annoyed side when he first encountered her with Sarah amidst their conversation of the first change in time. But now, Jack¡¯s starting to understand why Sarah loves her mother so dearly.


    ¡°So, about this world of yours. Is this really your dream-like world that you supernatural beings can summon?¡±


    ¡°What an intriguing question to ask. Why yes, but Jack, it¡¯s not a dream type world that beings such as myself can create, rather you¡¯re in my subconscious.¡± She spread her arms out, ¡°all this, is a prime example of my enigma.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­ so the times I was summoned in those types of worlds or happened to step into one, I was inside someone''s subconscious?¡±


    She lowered her arms, ¡°not necessarily. Perhaps the ones you were summoned in maybe if I took a look into your mind. But in your case, you were indeed transported into an altered reality of our current world.¡±


    ¡°Thought so, figures since there were times I questioned that the events I experienced were too real to be a dream type state.¡±


    Even though their conversation was a nice engagement, Jack felt that time was being wasted. He needed to hurry to ask the questions that were bothering him.


    ¡°Okay, I think we¡¯ve dragged, put aside the main conversation for too long, but why have you summoned me into your world besides answering the existence of Sins?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, why have I, huh? Hehe¡­ he.¡± Samantha put her elbows on the table, collapsing her hands. ¡°That is because of the interest I¡¯ve partly taken a liking to your tainted soul, Jack Samr.¡±


    ¡°M-my soul?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, your damned, blackened, soul fueled by someone''s Greed, Lust, but most of all¡­ there E-n-v-y.¡±


    Her voice had briefly changed in that moment when she answered Envy, which made Jack grow cautious. The fear that was swept aside started to pull itself back in as Samantha¡¯s gaze grew more bottomless. The more her head slightly tilted downward, the better a suspicious glint was evident in them. Seeing her eyes grow more big, deep, made Jack realize the inexhaustible curiosity that revealed her true nature. He saw the ill feeling of her greedy desire stare deep into his cursed soul.


    ¡°What¡­ about it makes you interested in me?¡± Jack asked, his eyes glancing around as he grew more on edge and nervouse.


    Her eyes, their gaze grew scrutinizing, feeling oppressive to the young man''s broken spirit.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple, Jack. Your soul, and who has stained it, their Envy has caught my attention. The very fact that you¡¯re becoming aware of what this cruel world truly hides is inspiring to many who spectate its growth, its flow, and its structure.¡±


    Jack¡¯s mouth dropped, rapidly moving as she changed her smile into a wicked one once again.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably asking yourself, what¡¯s my motive? What does my desire and greedy nature want with a young man such as yourself?¡±


    She slowly got out of her chair, standing next to the table as she let one arm rest on it. That instant, the air warped, and the area began to fall apart. The ground cracked, the curtains around them withered, exposing the melting sky dropping the last remnants that kept it intact around them. As the world crumbled without a noise, Jack quickly got on his feet, reading himself and staying on guard, clenching his fists.


    ¡°What I want is the source of this feeling of jealousy. Their words that have embedded a curse onto your soul, their hunger for your lust, your attention, I acknowledge¡ªtheir Envy!¡±


    Once that word was said again in that fashioned tone of hers, the world warped into a vast space of glitter stagnant darkness. All that remained was the two and the table. Jack¡¯s eyes quivered, he felt trapped, and even if he could run, where could he? Wherever he¡¯d go, her twisted gaze would most likely follow him, and he knew there would be no going back to reality if he attempted to flee. That sent a chill running up Jack¡¯s spine as Samantha¡¯s high spirits clapped their hands together.


    ¡°Now, let us speak of our original question again. What more would you like to know of us Sinners? How about the Exorcists who have done the most harm to our beautiful world?¡±


    ¡°Hu-Huh¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes, those supposed beings of God¡¯s children who fight to cleanse this world of Sin¡­ but have given birth to most of its personified Sinners. For example, the very first definition of Sin, yes committed by a Witch, but was due to the vile act and lending hand of a damned Exorcist. His name will forever be in infamy in our culture, tying his name with biblical prophecies, Samuel. Afterwards, the first Exorcist to Sin, that being Greed once again, a man closest to the most powerful one alive today who betrayed him to achieve the greatest desire of power brought all of Europe into an age of insufferable desire to hunt us down in the name of God; his name being Alfred. But what about Pride? Another Exorcist who made this Sin born for his selfish ego to the title given to him by his most loyal master, a man who almost destroyed all of Europe to prove a point to the world that he¡¯d be the one to save them and not God. Not entertained yet? Let''s talk about Gluttony, another! Exorcist named Henry, who¡¯s hunger for power and control over those below him and didn¡¯t see him as their God stagnated the world into famine and inhuman conditions.¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­¡± Jack mumbled, closing his eyes to the non-existent tremor he felt.


    ¡°How about Sloth? A nice Exorcist named David who despite his righteous and innocent attitude accidently created a war in the middle east to help the Hebrews but in doing so almost cost them to lose their holy land just so he can have a nice lazy life after being given fortune and virtue by them by his appearance resembling Moses.¡±


    Hearing her tell him the existence of these Sinner¡¯s and who held them, but almost all of them being Exorcists made him feel bitter inside. He didn¡¯t think it would be they who had committed these mass Sins and created trouble for the world in history, yet the young man felt conflicted about her revelations. He questioned if they were true and she was being honest and not just saying random gibberish just to make Jack hate them, taking back his feelings about William¡¯s morality towards him. Yet hearing her name of each Sinner, and each name having a tie with the bible or Hebrews contents made it more worthwhile to listen. He remained speechless, but something inside of him wanted her to stop talking, and didn¡¯t want her to reveal more of their existence. It screeched, howled, crawled on his skin as she continued.


    Her gaze deepened, her smile reaching ear to ear, the glint in her deepened eyes shining, seeing her joyful of naming them made Jack¡¯s skin crawl and draw out a gasp.


    ¡°Or perhaps Abyzou! The carrier of Envy or as many like to call me, the Witch of Envy. The embodiment of agonising jealousy, who searched for many candidates to match and create an insufferable desire that every woman wishes to have in their lives!¡±


    Samantha put the only hand she had still to her own breast, and said the last Sin that existed before any of the ones that have been committed prior.


    ¡°Or perhaps¡­ The black death, the abominable man who destroyed, smeared the world into darkness during the 14th and 15th century, and almost wiped out all of humanity, and was the sole reason for the creation of all the world''s problems today; And the start of the legend of Wrath¡¯s existence.¡±


    The mentioning of this black death made Jack¡¯s brain tremble, his heart ached, and a voice inside of it screamed bloody murder. But it wasn¡¯t Mallory¡¯s but that of a man who howled in agony and anger. Despite this sickening scary sound producing in his mind, he can¡¯t but feel a powerful aura of death coming from Samantha. It¡¯s the desolate insight that Jack had now gained about her, and now he knew not to trust her. Compared to her daughter, she''s nothing like her, or William, or anyone he¡¯s encountered so far, she¡¯s a being that lacked empathy. In facing all this, and finally understanding how this world works, it¡¯s easy for anyone to be in an emotional lockdown, even for someone as broken as Jack.


    ¡°Awww. I¡¯m so sorry Jack, it seems I intimidated you again. Me and my lips, they grow too loose when I speak the truth to a curious and ignorant man such as yourself. This has nothing to do with me being a Sinner, rather a Witch, what can I say? Our nature is truly troublesome.¡±


    With Jack cowed into Silence, Samantha stood beside the table, she voiced words of self-reflection. But the true nature of who she is didn¡¯t make it seem like she was actually self reflecting, rather just a way to show humility to Jack so he can come out of his cowardice state.


    ¡°Say something, Jack. You¡¯re making me feel lonely in this vast space of black. But my advice to you is that you should stop trying to hide from reality and begin to adjust to it in a proper manner. I hope later down the line, with more interactions, you don¡¯t look at my face so directly, and change somewhat.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s weird statement made Jack grimace again; his fear froze him stiff. Yet she tilted her head, her silver glowing eyes that were locked onto him indicated anticipation of some kind. Her raven hair fell down into her shoulders, revealing more of her beautiful face, as Jack gazed, he felt as if time was extending for all eternity the longer he stayed in his frozen state.


    Jack swallowed, an unballed his fists. ¡°Wh¡­at is there¡ªto say?¡±


    As Samantha blinked, and her smile already transitioned to normality, she nodded in satisfaction. Jack¡¯s heart was loud, he felt that black curse inside of him crushing it and trying to block out his hearing. Ever since the mentioning of that black death, it¡¯s been acting angry and growing more by the second. His heart beat so fast Jack thought it forgot how to function properly. He felt numb and his knees pleaded for mercy as he placed his hand on his forehead.


    What¡¯s going on¡­ why can¡¯t I talk or even look at her properly anymore? And this madness inside of me, it¡¯s similar to that of Mallory who did everything in her power to silence me. Get a grip Jack, show her that you¡¯re not afraid, you¡¯ve faced death and dealt with foes just like her, come on! Jack thought.


    Having self reflected, Jack had beaten and escaped the grip of fear. Composing himself, the young man took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. Taking another one, his emotions were now under his control again. He opened his eyes and his composure screamed confidence to the witch of Envy which entertained her amusement even more.


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re back to your old self again, Jack.¡± she said.


    Jack mildly nodded. ¡°Yeah¡­ it took a minute but with all the things you threw at me, it¡¯s not hard to react in that way for anyone still human.¡±


    Samantha giggled and snapped her fingers. The world transformed back to what it was, a personification of a gothic¡¯s fall.


    ¡°My my, you¡¯re such a strong man, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Whatever that means, Samantha. Why did you actually summon me into your world besides my petty questions and lessons of Sin?¡±


    ¡°Please understand¡­ I did not have you summoned her with ill intent. I think besides that curse inside of you that I grew fond of, there is a greater motive to why I have you here in my realm.¡±


    Jack was done playing with her word games and teasing nature. What he wanted was her true intent.


    ¡°Then get on with it. Otherwise send me back to reality so I can go back to being the pathetic man that I am.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, that impatience of yours is a nuisance. I¡¯d watch that if I were you, don¡¯t want to anger the wrong person, do we now?¡± she cleared her throat and crossed her slim arms. ¡°I want to form a contract with you, Jack Samr, and be my new apostle.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that? Like be your puppet in a sense?¡±


    Her true intent made Jack furious. He closed the gap between them, and boldly grabbed her small shoulders. When Jack grasped her slender shoulders, and drew near her gorgeous face, she averted her gaze.


    ¡°I uh, have little experience with these types of interactions, Jack. I¡¯m not sure if I should compliment you on your bravery or insult your stupidity.¡±


    ¡°Enough of your games! Stop taking light of the fact that you want me to be your puppet. I¡¯m nobody''s bitch, you hear me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so brutally cold, Jack Samr. But it is as I asked for, and the fact that you have drank my coffee, to which you reacted normally; You have no other choice but to either answer¡ª¡±


    Samantha brought back her gaze to Jack, and showed the young man how still and emotionless it had become.


    ¡°¡ªOr I can have you experience a world of hurt like no other, Jack Samr.¡±


    Jack immediately let go upon her reaction. He dropped his arms and bit his lip in annoyance. Her face remained still as the two stood in silence at each other. She¡¯s right though, Jack didn¡¯t have any other choice, so he put his tempered ego aside and obliged.


    ¡°Okay then. And if I do partake in your request, then what would be in it for me?¡±


    Samantha tapped her chin, and raised a brow in amusement. Her smile returned once again.


    ¡°I could take away that curse from inside of you before that Exorcist can. How about it, Jack?¡±


    ¡°Be more descriptive. I know what dwells within this body, but at this rate I¡¯ve given up on trying to combat it.¡±


    ¡°You asked and I shall answer: The curse, the tie in, the knot on your heart, the chains wrapped around your soul, belongs to someone whom I¡ªEnvy their desire. Is it not?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ a spirit? No? Or perhaps a lost girl, one who claims to be the solution to all your problems. Maybe their desire was so out of hand they made your life a ruin, had you experienced mercy at the hands of their supposed love?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe what Samantha was saying. It¡¯s as if she were reading him like a book. How did she know such a thing and got so descriptive of the person who¡¯s claimed his soul? This made the young man shake again, and trickle sweat out the pores of his head.


    ¡°How¡­ Do you know?¡± Jack muttered.


    ¡°Could this girl have ties with your beloved sister who you can¡¯t trust no more? What about Anna who¡¯s fallen victim to this girl''s jealousy and lust for your damned soul. Is she not a victim to this being''s self-proclaimed victimization?¡±


    ¡°Hold up?! You¡¯re revealing so much¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just answering what you have asked. Should I stop, Jack?¡±


    Jack ground his teeth, shutting his eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Could I test something¡­ please?¡±


    Samantha nodded. ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    Jack bit his lip before saying what he wanted to say. If anyone should hear the name he can¡¯t reveal, especially to Sarah, then it should be her mother.


    ¡°The girl whom you speak of¡­ is someone who¡¯s given me nightmares at first, but partially blamed for the way my life has been led. But she¡¯s also saved me, so in a sense, I can¡¯t really blame her entirely.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s intrigued, raising her brows and tilting her head.


    ¡°She¡¯s freed me in the worst situations, but she¡¯s also taken my life¡­ this-this girl, her name is¡­ is¡­ Ma-Ma¡­¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes grew wide with excitement and she sensed the darkness inside of him hurling away from her. It wanted to explode out of Jack to shut him up, but it sensed and was afraid of her presence. This brought back that original thin smile she first showed Jack before their discussion. The young man balled his fists intensely, his arms quivering, trying his best to fight that horrific nuisance inside of him to say the name of the girl who claimed to be in love with him. Finally having the courage to say her name, Jack grinded his teeth, taking a quick breath, and opened his mouth.


    ¡°Her name¡ªis¡­ Mallory!¡±


    Jack at that time felt fine. There was nothing strangling him, no violent coughing, or gagging, the young man felt more so relaxed than he''s ever felt. He unballed his fists, and slowly opened an eye, seeing Samantha still standing in her spot with a cute smile on her face this time. Jack opened his other eye, and he began to drench himself in his own self relieved sweat. The young man¡¯s jaw dropped, his dry mouth moving rapidly, he couldn''t believe he was able to say her name without repercussion.


    ¡°No¡­ way. You-You gotta be¡­ shitting me?¡±


    Samantha averted her gaze, blushing slightly. ¡°My, with that strong gaze of yours, you¡¯re making me turn red here, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Mallory¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard you. Mallory is the girl who¡¯s made light of your life, is she not?¡±


    ¡°Mallory! Mallory!¡±


    Jack put a foot forward, his hands quaking in high relief.


    ¡°Mallory is the girl in the white dress! The girl with deep amethyst eyes, her hair blacker than the night sky!¡±


    Jack took another breath, and reeled his arms towards his mid-section.


    ¡°She¡¯s the girl who had no face, the one who made my life a hell, the one who saved my life from a greater one¡­ She¡¯s the first girl to claim their undesirable love towards me!¡±


    The last three words echoed in the forest. Its distinct, exhausted self relieving made birds fly away from their homes. The wildlife that called this enchanted forest their home, had all come to gather around their area, staring their deep eyes at the two. Jack panted, his eyes wide and his body feeling light, the young man has never felt so glad to say her name. Samantha acknowledged his joyful relieved nature with a simple nod. Jack¡¯s eyes watered, but not enough to draw a tear, but to show Samantha his gratitude towards her.


    ¡°I heard that loud and clear, Jack Samr. Mallory is her name, and the one I Envy their desire towards you.¡±


    Jack crushed his eyes, wiping them and couldn¡¯t help but drop to his knees afterwards. This was too much for him to captivate, the fact he was finally able to say Mallory¡¯s name. On his knees, his forearm covering his face, Jack¡¯s body slightly jittered, and Samantha could tell, sensing that the young man was fighting back his tears. Her motherly instincts came into fruition, walking over to the young man and laying one of those pale hands of hers on his head, patting him. She patted and patted, and the young man continued on his battle against his troubled emotions. He didn¡¯t like showing weakness to others, otherwise he¡¯d think they¡¯ll use that against him or in reality, he¡¯s just as emotional as anyone else.


    ¡°It must¡¯ve been tough, not being able to say this person''s name without consequence. All this time, you were sealing these feelings away from everyone else, and the only time you could¡¯ve said her name was alone.¡±


    Jack kept fighting and fighting, drawing close to breaking down in tears as she pampered him like his mother did in the past.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to let out your true emotions, Jack. I know it¡¯s hard to take all this in, and especially for a young man such as yourself who¡¯s life was once normal has now transpired into a journey of unadulterated despair.¡±


    Her voice, the tone being created by her small mouth shot a nostalgia shot into his mind. A flashback of when he was eight years old, being in a similar position from an altercation he had on a student who tried picking on Anna and got in trouble for fighting. Upon arriving home, when his mother confronted him about it, he acted all macho and confident to his mother, but in reality, the young man didn¡¯t tell his mother that he was ganged up and beaten by the kid and his friends. But his mother admired his bravery towards his closest friend and told him it''s okay to let out his weakest emotion.


    ¡°Someday, you¡¯ll understand and know that no matter how tough of a man you are, my son, it¡¯s okay to cry and let it all out.¡±


    Hearing those words stayed imprinted into his mind, but Jack can¡¯t bring himself to do so. Something inside of him wouldn¡¯t allow him to let his emotions flow out his eyes. The only time he remembered crying, although it was silently, was the night he thought he lost Angela to Dr. Cato and his men. Only then can he recall himself actually allowing tears to flow out and softly whimper out his sorrow.


    Jack won the battle again and wiped his eyes, dropping his forearm and being exposed to Samantha¡¯s chalk face that gleamed of danger and hope. She stopped her patting, retracted her arm and stepped back, putting her arms behind her. The young man got back on his feet, and regained his manly nature. Despite his eyes being red, the young man calmed himself down and stopped his nervous shaking.


    ¡°Sorry, but I think I¡¯ll let out my emotions when I think it''s time to. For now, let''s get back to your request.¡±


    Samantha didn¡¯t answer, and Jack slowly nodded.


    ¡°I oblige to it. Because at this point, I really don¡¯t have much of a choice, so I need all the help that I need. Whether you¡¯re with me intentionally or seemingly not without my knowing, my desperation to turn my life back to normal is now my priority.¡±


    Samantha clapped her hands together, amused. ¡°Splendid! I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve come to your senses, you won¡¯t regret being an apostle of mine, hehe.¡±


    ¡°So, what do I have to do?¡±


    ¡°You, Jack Samr will be on lookout duty for me. But also, ontop of that, you¡¯ll be a shield to my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Shield? Lookout? What¡¯s the meaning behind this request?¡±


    Samantha giggled, and walked up to Jack. The young man grew nervous yet again.


    ¡°Something¡¯s brewing, a big event that is transpiring but not going into full effect once this butterfly effect alters the changed history. Once it goes through, and brings us back into a proper flow of time, then this troublesome problem will occur.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s so much confusion in your statement. I¡¯m so damn lost for a second I thought my brain was about to lose itself into the hands of retardation. That¡¯s how stupid you make me feel about myself.¡±


    Samantha giggled, covering her mouth and adorably slapping Jack¡¯s arm. The young man can¡¯t help but see Sarah in her place. She took a deep breath and basked in the surroundings.


    ¡°So, Samantha, what does being an apostle mean? Is it the same as being your puppet as I angrily shouted earlier.¡±


    ¡°Mm, no. Being an apostle of mine means you have a given authority, a rule over a certain group of people that shouldn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Jack rolled his hand. ¡°Meaning?¡±


    She gently put out and placed one of her fingers on his chest. ¡°I will grant you the authority of my limitless Envy. That means, to others who will see this aura I shall grant you, mana, when they sense that you have met me¡­ their envy towards you will make you indestructible to their wicked attacks if they wish to harm you.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t like the sound of this. Rather, it made him feel uncomfortable and his senses gave him danger signals again.


    ¡°You make it seem like¡­ I¡¯ll be getting hurt¡ªwait! That¡¯s what you meant by being your daughter''s shield.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re catching on quick. But you won¡¯t be just her shield, you¡¯ll also do everything in your power to ensure she does not use any of her mana. The turn of events that will happen want her to be exposed to the world, and find out the truth to my wicked nature.¡±


    Jack scrunched his face, and grew serious. Samantha retracted her finger and crossed her arms in an amusing nature.


    ¡°You¡¯re sounding very shady at the moment. Everything that you¡¯re saying¡­ the meaning behind each statement and this contract you¡¯re detailing, it screams like I¡¯m going to be more than just your puppet, Samantha.¡±


    Jack took a step back to grow some distance from them.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t like where this is all going¡­ and what¡¯s going to lead up to.¡±


    Samantha turned around, flinging her hair once her back was turn to Jack.


    ¡°Take it as you like, but you have now agreed to my request. There¡¯s no going back to it.¡±


    She looked over her shoulder, winking to Jack, dropping his guard yet again.


    ¡°Now be a good mule, and go on the lookout. And if you still fear being attacked by people who you won¡¯t match up to; You have nothing to worry about, my authority will grant you protection as I said, and¡­¡± Samantha snapped her fingers, bringing Jack down to his knees and gagging. ¡°I also unlocked that blackness inside of your soul, that way you don¡¯t have to rely on this Mallory girl to use it against the wickedness that awaits you.¡±


    Jack gagged and coughed out black. He got on all fours, grabbed his throat and looked up at Samantha who began to walk away from him. He reached out for her but when he blinked momentarily, once his eyes were opened again, he was back in reality. That horrible feeling was gone, and Jack had paused, blinking rapidly to comprehend what just happened. He dropped his arm, steadily got up to his feet, glanced around, the young man grinned and let out a distinct sigh. He brought one of his hands up to his face, and repeatedly opened and closed it.


    ¡°What an encounter¡­¡± Jack crushed his hand, and lowered it, looking straight ahead to the familiar dirt path he knew all too well. ¡°I guess, this won¡¯t be the only time we¡¯ll probably talk. Best to just keep going and see what happens as she said.¡±


    With feeling more convoluted about what just happened, the young man felt absolutely tired. The conversation has drained him of every ounce of energy for the rest of the day. Jack at this point wanted to get out of this forest and go home. He walked forward, and eventually out the forest without another bother. When he got through the thick bush that first blocked him from entering the forest, he saw Anna and his sister standing at the porch, scanning the area and once they spotted Jack, they waved to him. The young man grinned and went towards their direction. He paused at Randolph¡¯s grave once he got there, rubbing his face with just his finger tips.


    ¡°What were you doing in that forest brother?!¡± Angela asked, placing her hands on her hips. ¡°You had me worried and for a second I thought you left me alone with this succubus!¡±


    Anna had one hand on her hip, and stayed quiet as she watched Jack casually walk up the porch steps.


    ¡°Hello?! Earth to brother! Say something or fall victim to my tiny hands!¡±


    Jack paused beside Anna, giving Angela a nod.


    She responded by pouting. ¡°Silent treatment, ey?! Hmph! Suit yourself!¡±


    Angela quickly turned around and stomped away.


    She appeared annoyed but concerned for Jack by her tone, but the young man couldn¡¯t help but relive those words said by Samantha: ¡°Or the sister you can¡¯t trust no more.¡±  This made him feel just as vexing as before. Anna can sense her best friend¡¯s distraught state behind his mild grin.


    ¡°Jack, care to explain what happened to you inside the forest? I find it strange that someone like you would walk in there to clear their mind.¡±


    Jack grunted, but he was pleased with what Anna said. Samantha¡¯s words echoed again: "Or Anna who¡¯s fallen victim to this girl''s jealousy and lust for your damned soul. Is she not a victim to this being''s self-proclaimed victimization?¡±


    ¡°I wish I could tell you, but right now, I¡¯m beat.¡±


    His response was typical to Anna. Avoid the situation asked and store it away to never be spoken of again. This made her budge her elbow to his side to which he responded by rubbing his side, and slightly chuckling.


    ¡°You really are something, you know that? Honestly, your mental state would be so much better if you spoke about your problems more often.¡±


    ¡°Hmph. You may be right, but if I did so, repeatedly, repetitiously, then all of you would look at me as some weak man.¡±


    Anna sighed, and grinned. ¡°Oh Jack, you haven¡¯t changed since we were kids. Only this time you¡¯re a wanted criminal, so I guess this fits your new street persona.¡±


    Jack shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re right, and I¡¯m going to keep it that way. But for now, I¡¯m drained¡­¡±


    The young man patted his best friend''s shoulder, and started to walk away. Anna blew her frustrations out her mouth, shaking her head to let out a brief chuckle.


    ¡°Whatever, Jack! Go and bask in your problems as always, alone!¡±


    Before opening the slide door, Jack looked over his shoulder to say one more thing to Anna before walking in.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome to stay as long as you want to watch over Angela¡­ keep an eye on her for me, will ya?¡±


    The young man opened the door, and walked in. Anna lowered his hand to her side, and looked up to the sky.


    ¡°What am I going to do with that fool¡­¡± She took a step down the porch steps and sat on the top ones. ¡°...If I don¡¯t do something now, I¡¯ll either lose him to his reckless actions leading up to what karma favours or falling into the hands of his enemies.¡±


    Anna hugged her knees, and a single tear came out her right eye. She sniffed, and placed her right knuckles against her cheek.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to think of that¡­ I already lost my parents to alcoholism, and to have the only person who I look up to as a brother but more importantly, my hero¡­ I just don¡¯t want him to die due to his depression.¡±


    Anna took in a deep, deep breath, and brought her gaze back up to the grey sky.


    ¡°Please, just say what¡¯s wrong for once, Jack.¡±


    Walking through the kitchen, and into the living room, Jack saw that Angela was back into her game, but showing her frustrations by mashing the buttons on her controller. The young man kept walking until he made it to the staircase. He took a pause again, only to take one more look at his sister. Just the back of her head reminded him so much of Mallory, and Samantha¡¯s voice echoed the same statement again: ¡°You can¡¯t trust no more.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s how I truly feel about Angela¡­ you didn¡¯t have to say it like that, Samantha.¡± Jack muttered.


    The young man quickly took a breath. ¡°Angela¡­¡±


    She heard him, and paused. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Her response was what he expected, filled with agitation, worry, and care. Although she sounded as if she were annoyed by him, deep down, he knew she only wanted him to reveal what¡¯s truly wrong with his mental state. In the meantime, Jack didn¡¯t want to say anything about it, for now, he only wanted to live life as normal as he possibly could. Yet it¡¯ll be difficult since he¡¯s still going through William''s trials and now has formed a contract with a holder of Sin. Only time will tell on how this journey of his will undergo.


    ¡°You want to go out tomorrow? Perhaps that weird store you like so much?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t pretend anymore, and turned around, showing her brother how much she cared about him with her glistening eyes. She rubbed her eyes and nodded to his request.


    ¡°Only if it''s to spend the day with you, then it doesn¡¯t matter where we go, I love you, brother.¡±


    Despite hearing her caring response, her words felt hollow to Jack. But he responded by nodding as well, and giving her a thumbs up.


    ¡°Cool¡­ see ya tomorrow, I¡¯m going into my room. And please don¡¯t bully Anna while I shut my eyes.¡±


    Angela adorably puffed out her cheeks, averting her gaze. ¡°I think you should be worried about me being bullied by her with her bewitching good looks.¡±


    The young man let out a forced chuckle and waved bye to his sister, making his way down the hall that led to his room. Arriving at the door, he eerily opened it, and walked slowly into his darkened room. Closing the door behind him, Jack revealed his actual feelings with a grimace. He slowly stomped his way to his bed. Jack grasped his head and crashed onto his bed, wallowing in all the confusion and tiredness of his mental state. Everything up till now has made Jack regret every action he¡¯s made, especially reuniting with his friends. In his mind, Jack thinks his life would¡¯ve turned out fine if he never walked down this path.


    ¡°Would my life really be fine if all I had to deal with was street violence. Because up to this point, I¡¯m regretting ever living, this is so ridicilous. Ahh! What do I do now man, I¡¯m stuck, stuck between two beings who contradict science and reality. People like them shouldn¡¯t exist, everything I¡¯ve experienced shouldn¡¯t exist, period!¡±


    Jack turned to lay on his back and stare at the ceiling. He covered his face temporarily, and let out a soft grunt.


    ¡°To hell with all this, I¡¯m just tired¡­ whatever happens tomorrow happens. Whether she kills me, William destroys my mental state, I don¡¯t care about the outcome of my life anymore.¡±


    He dropped his arm to his side, and locked his sights to his ceiling. Slowly, Jack started shutting his eyes, and began to slow down his breathing.


    ¡°I just want my life to be normal¡­¡± He shut his eyes completely, ¡°and if you¡¯re listening, God, just lead me through this chapter without another remorse¡­ because I¡¯ve grown tired of all these charades and play in part to these almighty beings'' stories. Just for once, let me die and let me dwell in darkness for a while before I¡¯m somehow brought back to life.¡±


    Jack got what he needed off his chest and started to fall into a deep sleep.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ just gonna nap¡­ just¡­ for¡ªa little¡­¡±


    The young man completely blacked out. With darkness looming his corner, coming out of it was a single rose petal, drifting and landing ontop of his chest. It glowed hot until it bursted into dust, and glitter all over him. Then, a red glow came from behind his curtains, and the voice of a woman whispered into his dreams, telling Jack: ¡°May this be your last rest for a while, my child¡­ I¡¯ll be seeing you soon, again, Jack.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 12: Back To Nothing

    Away from the main city districts, in distinct plain grasslands, far out in a vast space of nothingness: a single hump on a hill stood out, suspiciously having an entrance way to an underground. Within, a small blinking light of red pulsated. But inside was a ginormous space of vast corridors, cross beams made out of the roots of past trees, and hard dirt with dozens to dozens of people in red and white robes sitting, spectating, their eyes locked onto a small platform that was empty at the edge of the bottom. At the very bottom were hundreds beyond hundreds of people, also waiting and anticipating for the arrival of something or someone on that platform made of wood. Around them were potuims, and ontop of them were candles dimmed out. Then, a sudden burst of wind came from the entrance, transforming itself into a trail of black and red smoke that lit the candles and landed on the platform. The crowd kept quiet, and behind their hoods, twisted smiles erupted from beneath their cloaked faces.


    As the smoke dispersed, a single man emerged and his outfit screamed of hierarchy and leadership, representing something completely out of a fairytale. His outfit alone said that he was the leader of a cult and represented power and manipulation. His hair as black as the nightsky, his eyes blacker than darkness, the man brought his arms up to the air, and let out a loud grunt.


    ¡°My fellow children, my fellow followers! How are you all this fine evening?!¡±


    The crowd responded by shooting their fists in the air, chanting something in medieval english. This made him smile ear to ear, and lower his arms to his sides.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that! But you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m here alone and not with the other four archbishops? Well, that¡¯s because we are awaiting a tragedy in the making! But once it ensues and cleanses us from this altered timeline, then we will make ourselves known to the world¡­ And remind¡ªwe! the cult that worships Envy still exists!¡±


    The crowd grew louder in excitement, shouting, ¡°Hail Abyzou! Our Mother of Creation¡ªDestruction and Rapturer to Sinners!¡± This fueled his excitement tenfold, and made him clap his hands to quiet the crowd down.


    ¡°Yes! Yes! That¡¯s it my fellow followers! As your third strongest archbishop I shall inform our leader of Sin to begin the assualt to this cruel normal world¡­¡±


    His smile turned upside down, and he bowed his head for a moment, only to bring it back up to the crowd to express the most vile sinister frown to them.


    ¡°And revive our lost God, and prophet¡­ The world¡ªno! Our known universe will witness its rightful cleansing that almost got set foot! If not for a measly rising Angel that resolved and took away Abyzou!¡±


    The crowd all growled and chanted, ¡°To hell with children that worship a non-existent God! Damn the Exorcists for existing¡ªDamn any lost lambs!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes! Let us await, and once we¡¯re back in the correct flow of time¡­ the world will never be the same again!¡±


    ¡°Hail murder! Hail to a new universe awaiting to be rewritten by Abyzou~All hail¡ª!¡±


    Then, a loud clap of thunder shut everyone up. A flash of light had interrupted their visions and blinded everyone for a moment. Once their visions returned, standing beside him now was another man of their cult. He appeared calm yet happy, feeling generous of their chants. His outfit was black and red, a mixture of a business suit and one made for fancy occasions. His short brown hair that was glistening like caramel and his eyes of unholy red stood out. The crowd knew exactly who he was and everyone bowed, the ones on the ground took a knee along with it. The man speaking earlier stepped aside and also bowed to him.


    ¡°Why¡­ I did not expect you to show up like this, my brother of madness.¡±


    He did not say a word, only to snap his fingers which made the giant crowd stand straight, and pay attention.


    ¡°What brings you to our meeting, grand leader?¡±


    He nodded to the crowd before bringing his eyes to his partner. ¡°I just wanted to check up on you, and everyone else before I plan my attack tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    His voice was soothing, powerful yet raspy.


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­ but knowing you, you¡¯re also here to warn us, correct? Given the nature of who you are.¡±


    ¡°Right you are, but it¡¯s more of a reminder. Because whether she still exists or not¡­ you have to remember just who she had bewedded?¡±


    He was quickly caught off guard, gasping and clenching his fists but not in anger but more so excitement.


    ¡°Yes¡­ the usurper of our clan, that malevolent esper who could¡¯ve been a grand Witch¡ªPerseus!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not sure where he¡¯s exactly located but we¡¯ve detected his mana twice, and he¡¯s just as if not more powerful than he was before.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, but it¡¯s nothing that we can handle now since we¡¯ve climbed the upper echalons of his last power gap. We or I should say, the top two like yourself should be more than enough to handle him.¡±


    He chuckled and crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m far beyond what he was like in the past. When I did feel his presence the past month, it wasn¡¯t enough for me to draw concern.¡±


    His partner rubbed his hands together, intrigued and amused. ¡°I could say the same for myself even though I rank below haha! This confirms that our plans will go and flow into fruition!¡±


    The crowd raised their fists in the air, and the two did the same. Together they all closed their eyes and everyone had different glows around them. Each person emitting a different colour, but the two standing, their glow was more eminent, and it reeked of hatred, determination, repulsion, but more importantly, envy.


    The leader opened his eyes, and furrowed them. ¡°Tomorrow we begin our assault on the world, and resurrect our fallen Angel of destruction¡­ Abyzou!¡±


    The crowd pumped their fists in unison without a sound, saying, ¡°All hail Abyzou, our breeder of destruction and creator of life!¡±


    The second guy chimes in, but his eyes screeched anger and ambition. ¡°We shall resurrect her so she can rewrite our universe! So she can create a new one in which the weak die and the strong survive! Let the world know of our hunger for a stronger race and most importantly, a world in which allows us to do as we please without repercussions.¡±


    The leader crushed his palm, drawing blood. ¡°We are the future! The hell that we bear witnessed years ago was just the beginning of her cleansing, and I can assure you what awaits us is a world of beauty, prosperity, and strength. Together, all as one, we will eradicate all those who stand in our way¡­ Glory to Abyzou!¡±


    Everyone together raised their hands in the air, and aimed their heads to the ceiling, all shouting, ¡°All Hail Abyzou!¡± before the hump on the hill deflated back into the earth. It was quiet, eerie, and the man in the suit was floating right where the hump was. With a grin on his face, he gently hovered down, and clapped three times, and nature responded. A gigantic tree erupted from the ground, towering over the emptiness of the flatland. It looked taller than the sears tower, thicker than a mountain, and the roots themselves would make a house appear tiny. It was dead, but he knew it would have life return to it. The grin on his face gave that assumption, and he was confident that they would achieve their goal.


    ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯ll find out what¡¯s really going on in this wretched world, and see if that monstrous man still coexists¡­ William H. Christ.¡±


    His grin faded and he grabbed his chin.


    ¡°He¡¯s the only thing that stands in our way. It¡¯s inconceivable that a being like him can exist. It¡¯s so unfair, so comical, absolutely¡­ Godly.¡±


    He blinked and a small tinkle occurred from where he was looking at. The twinkle went away quicker than he could think, and in ten seconds, an explosion of sheer magnitude erupted. The blast wave killed off the grass, fluttering his hair, clothes as he stood watching the destructive chaos ensue. To him it was beautiful and brought back his grin. The mushroom cloud reached into the clouds, and continued as the aftermath spread further out. He sighed and snapped his fingers, erasing all that was done and bringing back the grass to life by tapping his foot.


    He was starting to crumble like dirt, and let out a single satisfied grunt. ¡°Here I come¡­ society.¡±


    ***


    A new day has dawned, it¡¯s halfway into the afternoon and Jack has barely awakened from his slumber. Sitting on the edge of his bed, the young man¡¯s perplexed over the encounter of Sarah¡¯s mother, Samantha. Finally meeting a great Sin, and knowing that she¡¯s your close friend''s mother has left a bad taste in the young man''s mouth. It¡¯s frustrating to Jack, but he felt a little more closure knowing that she has the potential of eradicating Mallory. Although, his heart didn¡¯t want to think of such an idea, yet his mind and body screamed for its doing. At this point, whatever the outcome may be for Jack, all he wants is a simple calm life again.


    He let out a breath, a grunt, and wiped his face. ¡°Alright, what¡¯s the plan today Jack.¡± he said while getting up, ¡°let''s find out what weird shit we encounter today, shall we?¡±


    He got up, did his usual routine of washing his face, prepping his gun, and putting on today''s outfit, this time without his coat and only rocked his v neck blue shirt and jeans. His boots were showing their age but that didn¡¯t bother him because he loved these boots that have carried him through this journey of complexities. Afterwards he went to the living room and crashed on the couch, taking a deep breath and groaning loudly which got the attention of his sister who was eating her lunch at the moment. Eric was present as well, and he shook his head at the sight of Jack. Angela took one more bite of her sandwich and quickly went to her brother. Eric didn¡¯t bother and remained in his seat to finish his lunch.


    Angela sat beside him and edged her adorable face towards his that was staring up at the ceiling. ¡°So, you¡¯ve finally awakened from your stupendously long slumber, huh mister?¡±


    She sounded sassy, bitter, but happy to see her brother looking less stressed and actually for once, had his normal basic blunt face. He took a glance at Angela, smirked and patted her head. She responded by rolling her eyes, looking away briefly then brought her glance back with a smile.


    ¡°You ready to head out, like I promised?¡±


    Angela leaned closer, kissing his cheek. ¡°Well I need you to eat your lunch first, brother.¡±


    Jack let out a breath. ¡°Right, what¡¯s on the menu?¡±


    ¡°My special Latin sandwich.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That sounds new. What¡¯s inside of it?¡±


    She got up, and grabbed his arm, pulling him off the couch to guide him to the kitchen. When they took their seats, Eric looked at Jack and let out a fatherly sigh, but one filled with disappointment and shame. Jack was aware of his frustrations, and he wanted to tell his uncle everything that¡¯s happened. But he knew he wouldn¡¯t understand completely. As of now, Eric only knows only a glimpse of what this world hides, but in this timeline he knows a glance, so Jack wanted to wait it out more. That way, as life continues, and more is shown to Jack about Eric¡¯s awareness to the paranormal, supernatural, this crazy stuff that drives him mad, then he can feel confident in telling him everything.


    ¡°Take a seat and I¡¯ll make it for you.¡± Angela said as she walked over to the counter where some of the ingredients were placed.


    Jack did so and brushed his hair back. ¡°Sup Eric, how¡¯s the day so far?¡±


    Eric had just finished his lunch, and tapped his mouth with a napkin. ¡°Aight. You still acting all stupid, crazy as fuck? Barging in and out of normality huh, you big stupid depressed guy.¡±


    ¡°Damn uncle. Ruthless as always, huh? My bad if I¡¯ve been behaving weird as of lately, we¡¯ll talk about it later.¡±


    ¡°Why not now?¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Eric rubbed his chin, and sipped his coffee. ¡°Like supernatural crazy like your scary girlfriend Sarah?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, not even close. But it''s in the same grey area.¡±


    ¡°Damn, aight then. Also you¡¯re slow ain¡¯t chu?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that?¡± Jack asked, tilting his head.


    His uncle can¡¯t help but chuckle at Jack¡¯s typical dense nature. As his nephew stayed in a confused state, Angela put his lunch in front of him, and it looked wonderful. It definitely showed how much she loved her brother with its presentation. From the bread properly placed, a nice slice of fluffy cheese, the ham in between it, the lettuce and some sort of orange sauce, she even went as far as to have a nice display of slice avocado next to it. Jack¡¯s wowed and he dug right in without hesitation. That first bite was pleasant, but he knew that these sliced greens were going to make it even better. When he did add them, he was indeed right, and was blown away with flavours.


    ¡°This taste great, thanks si¡ª¡±


    ¡°The sister whom you can¡¯t trust no more!¡±


    Jack grabbed his head, and rubbed it. Angela wondered why he had paused and looked as if a sudden migraine had interrupted his complimenting. Samantha¡¯s voice whispered into Jack¡¯s mind, and echoed again the same nuisance statement that was sadly true. But he wasn¡¯t going to allow her to intervene. She may be right, but this Angela¡¯s different from the one he knew. Yes they¡¯re the same person but an altered version of her, although, her appearance resembles Mallory more than previously. He let his hand off, and took a quick breath, and went back to eating.


    I have to tell Sarah what her mom did to me and this contract, perhaps she can explain further about the situation that¡¯s about to transpire. Jack thought.


    ¡°Brother, are you going to finish on what you were saying?¡± she asked while leaning forward.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah¡­ it¡¯s delicious sis. Thank you.¡±


    Eric grew tired of Jack¡¯s strange state, and decided that this was a good opportunity to ask what''s really bothering his nephew.


    ¡°Hey, baby girl.¡± he said.


    ¡°Yeah uncle?¡± she replied.


    ¡°Would you leave the two of us alone, I gotta ask your brother something personally. If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Angela can read her uncle like a book, and knew by his serious expression that this was business talk.


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll just be upstairs watching my wretched cartoons ya both despise.¡±


    The two gave her a thumbs up, a nod, and she shook her head in sass. She got up, quickly hugged her brother and left the room. Jack continued to eat his sandwich and Eric waited until he was at least a bite away from finishing. Once Jack got to the last portion of his meal, Eric clapped his hands, which made him jump.


    ¡°Alright my guy, what¡¯s your deal?¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes. ¡°You spooked me man, damn. And what do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play with me, just tell me what¡¯s going on in that thick skull of yours.¡±


    Jack knew that this was coming. But he didn¡¯t know how to properly respond to his uncle''s request without sounding like a lunatic. Feeling perplexed and conflicted, Jack¡¯s mind made up a choice, which was to lie about his situation.


    ¡°I uh¡­ I¡¯m in a heap of shit, that¡¯s what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Eric gripped his chin for a second, thinking, analyzing his response. ¡°Nah, there¡¯s more, but you just can¡¯t tell me, right?¡±


    Jack¡¯s surprised, although he knew his uncle was a fantastic communicator, and the years of social experience, his direct poker face making his enemies tremble before their demise, he knew he would read right through the young man. Jack groaned. He wanted to tell his uncle, really he did but he¡¯s not sure if there might be a catch or consequence to him telling someone normal like Eric. Even if he did, would that in return have his faith set, for him to be killed? Hurt badly? Or perhaps transform Eric into a horrific monster. The possibilities are endless. So Jack ultimately chose to finally reveal just the surface of his problems.


    The young man took a deep breath, and lay back on his chair. ¡°Damn uncle, you¡¯re too good at this.¡±


    ¡°I am, aren''t I? But my guy, it¡¯s not about trying to be a bother, push your buttons, or treat you special, I¡¯m just concerned for someone I care about.¡±


    His words hit Jack like a truck. Feeling confident in Eric¡¯s emotional response, Jack now felt more comfortable revealing more to him.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m in dire shit, uncle. And it¡¯s in fact supernatural, but possibly, beyond that.¡±


    Hearing this made his uncle grunt with annoyance. ¡°Ah fuck, what is it this time?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ it¡¯s kinda hard to explain, but I kinda made a deal with someone, and then another person came along, and I also made a deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Oh! So you just accepting offers, just like that? I thought I taught you better than that my guy!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, anyways, all of this comes back to a simple solution, which revolves around what''s inside of me¡­ the darkness in my heart.¡±


    Eric¡¯s confused about what his nephew is telling him. It didn¡¯t sound as supernatural as he makes it seem. It more so sounded as if his nephews undergoing through some counseling which he was all for it.


    ¡°Ey, you sure this doesn¡¯t sound like you signed up for counseling? Because if it is, then go for it. You fucking need it!¡±


    This made Jack chuckle, and in response he grabbed a napkin, balled it up and threw it at Eric.


    ¡°Whatever uncle, but you¡¯re kinda getting the hang of what I¡¯m in. The supernatural part is the people involved and possibly, the consequences behind their help.¡±


    ¡°Ahh shit, if it¡¯s like that¡­ then I probably don¡¯t want no part in it to be honest. After seeing your friend Sarah demonstrate it that day already had me on edge to put a bullet in her skull.¡±


    ¡°Jesus uncle¡­ you were really going to kill her on the spot like that?¡±


    ¡°Duh?! I mean, it¡¯s realistic, ain¡¯t it? Imagine yourself, you living life normal, everything you see on tv, internet, comics, whatever, you know it¡¯s never possible when it comes to like, powers whatever. But then one day, having witnessed such an event you would only dream of doing, imagine, or as I said to then be shown right in front of your eyes. Nuh, I reacted what most men with a gun would do, in a state of panic and hopefully shoot my way out of the situation.¡±


    This event had Jack thinking, wondering what she did that really spooked him. Eric¡¯s really tough to break, but when it comes to things that no one can comprehend, he loses it. Such an example was back when he was sixteen when they both tried finding clues to Dr. Cato and Mallory scared the life out of him that eerie night inside the abandoned facility.


    ¡°Say uncle, what did she do that caused you to react so heavily?¡±


    Eric began to think, resting his giant arms on the table and tapping it with his thick fingers. Each tap sounded like a hammer, making the young man flinch his right eye.


    ¡°Hmm, give me a second¡­ Ah! It was when you were coming across some spirit and she was the one who saved you, although she looked a little different.¡±


    ¡°Different, in what way?¡± he asked, a hint of concern trickling out of his breath.


    ¡°She was wearing some dress, and her hair covered half her face, but I did see her eyes glow like silver.¡±


    ¡°Si-Silver?¡± Jack¡¯s eyes widened and the young man quietly gasped. ¡°Samantha¡­¡± he muttered.


    So it was Sarah¡¯s mother who had revealed the supernatural world to him this time¡­ damn. Jack thought.


    ¡°You aight?¡± Eric said, raising a brow to his spooked looking nephew.


    Well, at least that¡¯s better than the way he found out through Mallory messing with us, and my fight with Mathew¡­ then to the events leading up to the Exorcists.


    ¡°I¡¯m good, just thought of something stupid that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, whatever. Anyways, I¡¯m going to stop the conversation for now. I gotta go to a meeting to do business.¡±


    ¡°Oh, where are you going?¡±


    Eric stood up from his chair and got his plate. ¡°I¡¯m about to make a deal of a lifetime that¡¯ll get us more racks. And you¡¯re going to have a part in it, my guy.¡±


    Jack also repeated the same action as his uncle. ¡°Alright, lay it on me.¡±


    Eric took some steps back to put his dishes in the sink. ¡°I¡¯m going to call you later, give you some coordinates and I want you to be my eyes. Rumor has it that the area is infested with a new upcoming gang, and they love to ambush the big guys to make bigger introductions.¡±


    ¡°Hm, that does sound juvenile.¡±


    ¡°Hah! And you ain¡¯t different from them?¡±


    Jack stood next to his uncle and started washing the dishes. ¡°Whatever, heh. So I¡¯m guessing I¡¯ll just lay low in the area and keep an eye on anything suspicious, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. You got it. For now, go and hangout with your baby sis. She really needs to get out, I¡¯m getting worried that those cartoons are rotting her precious brain¡­ given the nature of some of them and especially them damn figurines of hers that dry our wallets.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ no kidding.¡± Jack replied, letting out a chuckle.


    Jack smiled at that comment, mainly at the fact Alexandria watched the exact same ones his sister did. The way she mimicked the characters, their voices, it really made the young man miss her more. But the haunting image of the giant who was behind the hellish smoke with glowing eyes was the most prominent memory. The eerie way it raised its shadowy arm, and seeing a red dot shine at his eyes that flashed red, and the sound of a gun exploding made him clench the sponge in his hand.


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    ¡°Just what the hell was that thing¡­¡± Jack murmured.


    He brought up a plate covered in red sauce up to his face, and watching as the dish soap slowly trickled the red off it to drip down the sink flashed more of that horrific scene. The image of Alexandria lying encased from the rubble that took her life, her lifeless arm, and Jack desperately doing everything that he could to see if she was fine by ripping off a leg, it really raised more mystery¡¯s of this unknown entity that killed him in that altered time.


    He brushed the plate, revealing the clean surface below. ¡°That symbol¡­ it too was on Alexandria¡¯s hand as it burned red behind the smoke screen.¡±


    He furrowed his brows.


    I have to find out what killed me and Alexandria¡­ I-I wonder if Sarah¡¯s mother can answer about it, more notably the symbol. Jack thought.


    ¡°Yo, yo Jack, you aight?! You acting strange again.¡±


    Jack quickly shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Yeah yeah, just thinking. I gotchu uncle, I¡¯ll be with Angela while you do your business. And once I get it I¡¯ll drop her off at home and head on over there.¡±


    Eric shrugged and patted Jack¡¯s back. ¡°Alright man, just wanna be sure. I¡¯m still concerned but it''s whatever, for now. Right now, I need you at one hundred percent, aight?¡±


    Jack nods, ¡°Understood¡­ I may be a little fucked up in the head, but I ain¡¯t broken¡ªyet.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I think you¡¯re already broken, you probably just aren¡¯t aware. Peace!¡±


    Eric walks away and eventually heads out the front door. Jack couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the fact that his uncle may be right about him being broken. Already his emotions have undergone so many different changes even he wonders if he still feels pain, empathy for anyone that isn¡¯t close to him, or doesn¡¯t value his own life anymore. Jack continued washing the dishes until he was finished, afterwards he cleaned his hands, took a shower, got ready for a new day, and walked upstairs to Angela¡¯s room.


    He knocked and already, he heard something inconspicuous. ¡°Uh, Angela¡­ wha-what was that?¡±


    ¡°No-Nothing¡­! Fuck¡­!¡± she replied.


    It sounded like intense moaning, then buzzing sounded and eventually he heard, ruffling, and stuff being moved. Jack¡¯s curiosity got the best of him and he welcomed himself in. Once he was in, he saw her frozen in place with her laptop in hand and one fist slammed on the keyboard, but the screen was frozen with an image of two women from one of those cartoons doing something sexual. She was embarrassed and awkwardly closed her laptop, her face beat red, she looked away in shame.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± She said,


    She nervously scratched the back of her neck, forced a giggle and turned back to Jack. He blinked a couple of times and grinned, understanding the situation. He moved his hand to tell her to get up. She slowly got out of her bed and stood on her toes.


    ¡°My bad, I shouldn''t have barged in like that.¡± Jack said.


    Angela bowed her head, and also grinned. ¡°Hmph¡­ whatever brother.¡±


    Jack chuckled and brought his hand out. ¡°Come on, let''s go to that stupid shop you like, and whatever cartoon you were watching is proof of what Eric said, they¡¯re no good for you and will rot your brain.¡±


    Angela rolled her eyes and quickly went up to her brother to smack his arm before getting ready. ¡°You two will never understand, true culture!¡±


    ¡°Whatever sis, put your shoes on, let''s ensure the promise I gave you yesterday.¡±


    Angela smiled, ¡°Right!¡±


    ***


    At the other side of town, in her room reading and rubbing away yesterday''s confusion, Sarah was researching any possibilities of Jack¡¯s absence in the altered timeline they were put in by William. Sadly, after hours of reading, she couldn¡¯t find anything. She let out a loud aggroed sigh and closed her black text book. She looked out her window and set the book down, watching the afternoon sunshine shone through it, lighting up her dark room.


    ¡°Sure is a nice day, I wonder what¡¯s in store for me today, but more importantly, for Jack.¡±


    A sudden knock interrupted her peace, turning the goth girl''s attention to her bedroom door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± she asked, brushing some of her hair behind her ear with her fingers.


    The door knob turned and then her door creaked open, and surprisingly, out of everyone in her home, it was her father that was the guest. This made Sarah nervous and mildly grinned. Never did she imagine this scenario. He nervously raised one hand to wave, but it looked awkward. To Sarah, he looked adorably shy while doing it. He walked in and closed the door behind him, and glanced around.


    ¡°Wow¡­ so this is what your room¡¯s like?¡± he said, slowly approaching one of her bookshelves. ¡°Your tastes are like mine¡­¡± he muttered.


    She dropped her jaw and stayed in a state of butterfly inducing happiness. She crawled to the edge of her bed, watching as her father scanned her bookshelf.


    Holy crap¡­ This is too surreal. But why am I enjoying seeing this? What kind of sadistic nature do you hide Sarah? Sarah wondered.


    He grabbed a book that caught his eyes. It was dark blue and on the front cover, it was written in German with a photo of a robed man on a white horse.


    Since when did she get this book? It kinda looks like¡ª?


    ¡°Sarah¡­ this wouldn¡¯t happen to be my book, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah closed her mouth, glanced around, and sat on the edge of her bed.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I can explain¡­¡±


    He turned around to look at her while holding the book. ¡°Really? Because I could¡¯ve sworn that I¡¯m the only one in this house who speaks and reads German.¡±


    His sarcastic voice, and nature made Sarah giggle, covering her mouth adorably. Seeing her react like that made his heart race and he was more than tempted to look at her beloved eyes. But he couldn¡¯t, to him, it¡¯s a curse to which he never wants to repeat.


    ¡°Okay, you got me. I took it from our small library downstairs to understand your culture and language. But I gave up really quickly after translating one page.¡±


    He shook his head and grinned. ¡°Sarah¡­ This has nothing to do with my culture but it was written by my great, great, great grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow! Now I really want to read it. What¡¯s it about? And what does the cover reference?¡±


    Hearing her daughter¡¯s excitment over his first grandfather''s ancient text gave him some motivation and courage to stay longer. He walked to her, sat on the floor for her to see overhead, and raised the book to her. She tilted her head and waited for what he had to say or explain.


    ¡°This book, right here, is more than just a passage of his literature.¡± He brought the book back to his eyes, and smacked the cover. ¡°This was an event that occurred and an experience told by him, one in which this world will never remember nor recognize.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes quivered with excitement. She let out a soft gasp, and had a big smile on her face. She felt like a kid again, and this was a scenerio she always wanted to experience: A story being told by her father, whether bedtime or an afternoon kill session, this was always something she dreamt of.


    She hunched over, ¡°What do you mean by that? You make it sound like it¡¯s a fairytale to the world, but to us, it was in fact true?¡±


    He lowered the book, and flipped it open. ¡°Look at you, miss puzzle solver.¡±


    Her first compliment told directly from her father. This made her blush and smile more.


    ¡°Well, I do take after you. Mom always did say you were good at solving complicated scenarios.¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± he cleared his throat and quietly read some of the texts. ¡°This really brings back memories.¡±


    He read the book in his thoughts while Sarah patiently waited. This went on for three minutes until she grew far too impatient from the excitement that was consuming her soul.


    ¡°Father¡­ Come on! The anticipation¡¯s killing me here. What¡¯s this book about?¡±


    He slighlty turned his head to where his daughter was, and saw the edge of her raven hair. Although he wasn¡¯t completely turned her way, her arouma hit his nostrils like a torpedo. Her smell reminded him of her mother: The bewitching stench of complete manipulation and attraction. This scent alone can swoon the manliest of men, and have them completely fall victim and succumb to their vulnerability.


    I loathe this scent¡­ absolute. No, no no¡­ it¡¯s your daughter, not that damned bitch! Don¡¯t explode and react to anger, control your emotions, take control of them! Don¡¯t allow them to ruin this moment, do it, relax. He thought.


    To further tame his emotions, he took deep breaths, to which Sarah responded respectfully by easing back.


    Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have gotten that close to him¡­ since he¡¯s still not used to my presence. Sarah thought.


    After giving himself some silence, and taking another breath, he was able to control his emotions and continue his bonding moment.


    ¡°All right¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°This book, right here, passed down by my first grandfather is the telling and legend of the four horsemen.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, please explain further more, father!¡± Sarah replied, again letting her enthusiasm get the best of her by leaning closer to him.


    Once her scent was present again he immediately gripped the book, almost denting it with his grip strength but he quickly defeated his anger and went deeper into his thoughts, pretending that he was talking to himself.


    ¡°The four horsemen were powerful men, loyal to the church of Christ, and were crusaders.¡±


    Once Sarah heard that, she felt some disgust about them now. ¡°Crusaders huh? If I¡¯m correct they were pretty brutal and baraberic during the dark ages, showing no mercy to their foes and to those that were opposed to the church.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You¡¯re correct, but these men were different and incredibly special.¡±


    ¡°In what way were they special?¡±


    He flipped the page, and a portrait of them standing together made Sarah¡¯s jaw drop. They were tall, their physique resembled that of viking legends, and their clothing looked especially holy and what you¡¯d expect from top knights from the highest kingdom. But the man in the middle, he was ginormous and screamed the mightiest warrior in existence. His long hair and beard really made him look intimidating.


    ¡°What made them special? Well, it¡¯s the mere fact that not only were they men who were loyal to the church of Christ, but they were Pope Clement the VI¡¯s personal guards, and believed to be hand picked by God himself.¡±


    This didn¡¯t make the goth girl that much ecstatic about them, rather it sounded typical and lacked luster and what you¡¯d find reading a normal fairy tale or an urban legend story. She let out a disappointed sigh, and her father responded by raising his finger, wiggling it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished. No need to be sassy, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah blushed and looked away. ¡°So-Sorry¡­¡±


    He quietly chuckled, though it was faint and not enough for his daughter to notice.


    ¡°When I say hand picked by God himself, it means much more than that.¡±


    Again he flipped the page and revealed a bunch of texts along with an image of the huge man.


    ¡°They were also the first Exorcists to exist, and the first to expose the supernatural in its fullness to the world.¡±


    Now her attention was caught again in its fullness. This was the first time she¡¯s ever heard such a thing, and this was something she never imagined hearing, perhaps never. Not only were they the first Exorcists, but they were also the first ever people to perhaps show the world that supernatural beings like herself existed. Just that thought alone made her arms shake, and strike fear all over her body. She raised one of her hands and saw just how much it was trembling. Sarah¡¯s father can sense the fear coming from her daughter, and it made him question if she¡¯s underestimating herself.


    ¡°You need not fear, Sarah, for they caused practically no harm to Witches. Only to hunt demonic beings and anything that didn¡¯t correlate with our natural world. But from what my great great grandfather said, they did a pretty shitty job at doing that since they caused so much commotion and ruckus that even people started to believe they were a danger to not only themselves, but to the natural world.¡±


    ¡°Wow really? That¡¯s wicked¡­ but back to the topic of their legendary status: What did they do to earn that from our community and theirs?¡±


    He closed the book, and set it down on his lap. His eyes turned serious and Sarah could feel the change in the air.


    ¡°They earned their respected status by fighting a foe, one many have forgotten¡­ and for good reason.¡±


    Sarah swallowed and her body reacted on its own, getting off the bed to get on the ground to sit next to her father.


    ¡°Who¡­ was that?¡±


    Her father remembered something that made him go silent. A flashing image of him in the same seated position when he was just eight years old: His great great grandfather was telling him of the story of the being that took the lives of all four of the most powerful beings at the time, the lost tale of¡ª


    ¡°The black death itself¡­ is what they called him. A sorrowful man that was the core of the awful disease that almost wiped out everyone in Europe. He¡­ was the one who took their lives, and riddled the world into blackness for another hundred years.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes shrunk, and she couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°Is there an image of him?¡±


    Her father gripped his chin, and tried remembering if this book did have one. He opened it again and scrolled through the pages to see if there were any. He managed to find one, one that even made his eyes shake. The image itself would haunt anyone''s dreams because of not only due to how it was drawn, but this was something that his first grandfather had experienced first hand.


    ¡°This¡ªis what he managed to recreate when he encountered the black death.¡±


    He pointed to the image and Sarah peaked closer to see. They were almost touching shoulders but her father was too focused on his storytelling to pay attention to his surroundings. Once Sarah¡¯s eyes lay on the image, it made her gasp.


    This¡­ this thing¡­ being, it almost looks like¡ª


    She was so caught up by the image that her tiny shoulder and hand had touched his arm. He reacted so fast, falling to the side and screaming in agony, which made Sarah fall to her side and hearing her father scream like that just by contact made her heart ache. Her father got on his feet, and turned to her, pointing his palm at her and almost created a mass of energy until her mother appeared out of thin air. She stood between them and she gently lowered his hand with the tip of her finger, and her face looked angry.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± she said, her voice sounding vicious and strong.


    His rage was blinding him and he responded by growling. Sarah¡¯s eyes watered and she hated seeing this grizzly nature he was putting on. She got up, grabbed her chest, and bit her lip. Sarah¡¯s mother furrowed her brows and she smacked him, and that brought him back to his normal state.


    ¡°You dare raise your hand at my precious daughter?! Have you no shame? Leon!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say my name¡­ you promised to never say it!¡±


    ¡°That promise has no meaning when you threaten your own blood!¡±


    He balled his fists and lowered his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean it! You know that, you ungrateful, disregarding, vile bitch!¡±


    She crossed her arms and raised a brow. ¡°Call me whatever you want, but if you ever try to hurt my¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Your?! She¡¯s also¡ª!¡±


    ¡°And it took you this long to acknowledge her existence? You¡¯re a pitiful man¡­ why did I even marry a disgrace like you.¡±


    He brought up his face, showing her his frustrations and scrunched nature. ¡°You think I wanted to be with the likes of you? You forced me into this marriage you damned¡­ Witch!¡±


    ¡°Oh please, admit that you fell for me and thought of proposing to me before I took control and stripped you of your man¡ª¡±


    ¡°STOP IT!¡± Sarah screamed.


    Both parents turned their attention to their daughter, and her eyes were flooded. Her father quickly walked to her, and he wanted to grab her to comfort his daughter, but he knew he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. Seeing her father being the first to try to ease her pain made her question her mothers behaviour and true motives. Yet this was also a surprise, and showed just how much he truly cared for her despite the years of silence and avoidance. Her father bowed his head, and apologized, but it was barely heard, yet enough to impact Sarah. Sarah gazed at her mother, and saw a casual grin on her face, questioning her true nature.


    ¡°Mom¡­ what¡¯s with the grin?¡±


    ¡°My¡ªgrin? It¡¯s nothing, my dearest daughter, I¡¯m merely responding to your fathers behaviour that¡¯s bringing amusement to me.¡±


    Sarah carefully took some steps forward without coming close to her father. She slowly walked past him and gave her mother a face of confusion, uneasiness, but more importantly, discomfort. Sarah¡¯s mother responded by lowering her arms and wiping the grin off her face.


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Sarah said, mildly shaking her head. ¡°Have you no shame? Treating your own husband like this?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mother gasped and she scrunched her face in confusion. ¡°Sarah, sweetheart, please, it¡¯s not what it appears: I mean my attitude and demeanor.¡±


    Sarah shook her head and slowly walked backwards. ¡°Whatever¡­ at this point, not even I know what¡¯s real anymore¡ªJust like my friend Jack feels.¡±


    Her daughter took one last look at her father who for once, tried looking right into her eyes. This made Sarah shut them immediately and run away, leaving both parents alone. Sarah¡¯s father let out a single tear and he too walked out of the room, hanging his head in shame. Samantha remained, alone to wallow in her own shame. Never has she experienced something like this: Rebellion from her own child. But it wouldn¡¯t be right to call it rebellion when Sarah in fact had every right to feel the way she did. Samantha brought her gaze down to the book her husband had in hand. She went to it, picked it up and flipped the pages. She sighed and walked to Sarah¡¯s bookcase, gently putting the book back in case.


    She had paused and lowered her arm. ¡°This feeling, it¡¯s strange, and for once, this is a first for me.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t understand if this was guilt, shame, sadness, or something else. Yet she also can¡¯t help but bring out half a grin, a twisted one at that. She flung her hair, made her way to Sarah¡¯s bed and sat on it, rubbing the surface.


    ¡°Oh my loving essence of life¡­ if only you would understand why I behave the way I do.¡± she giggled and transitioned it to a quick session of laughter. ¡°I really am twisted aren¡¯t I? Oh pity¡­¡±


    She fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Her curtain of hair covering all of Sarah¡¯s bed, with her arms spread out, her grin was gone and in place was her nonchalant nature.


    ¡°Whatever odds come against me, I will never have anyone, anything, take away my dearest creation¡­ my adoring, lovable, and replica of my past, my Sarah.¡±


    She lay there, basking in silence while her father went in search of his daughter. He was downstairs, looking to where she might¡¯ve run off. Luckily he found her in the backyard, sitting on one of the wooden benches placed beneath their only tree. He quickly went to her, and within close proximity, he heard her soft whimpering. If there was an opportunity for a father to embrace their daughter from behind and tarnish the worries off her soul, this would be that time. Sadly, he can¡¯t in conjunction with his dormant emotions. Instead, he loudly cleared his throat, and she heard it, which made her quickly wipe her eyes.


    ¡°Fa¡­ther?¡± she said, sniffing repeatedly, bringing her legs up and hugging them.


    Her father walked to the side so she could see him enough. He looked straight ahead and deeply sighed. The sorrow and disappointment in his breath made Sarah realize just how much her father¡¯s suffering. She wondered if she¡¯s also to blame for his internal battles.


    Her father put a hand on his hip, and embellished in the beauty of his backyard. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a beautiful day, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glistened as she hugged her legs tighter. ¡°It¡­ it sure is, father.¡±


    There was a brief pause before Sarah¡¯s father could say something.


    ¡°Sarah, I¡­ I want to apologize for my actions. If-If you would just understand¡­ un-understand my pain, then you¡¯d realize why I behave the way I do towards your mother.¡±


    Sarah closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. ¡°Do¡­ you-you¡ªhate, mom?¡±


    A deep wrinkle formed between his eyes, a glint cut through them as it thinned. ¡°I absolutely¡­ loathe her.¡±


    His honesty, his tone, it made Sarah¡¯s gut wrench in pain. She didn¡¯t like the fact that her parents hated each other, but after seeing a glimpse of how they are when both are present and in anger, she wanted to seek the truth behind it. This sparked a new ambition in Sarah, one she hoped would bring them together and she can have a loving family as she always sought of having.


    ¡°Father¡­ I think I have a new goal.¡±


    ¡°What would that be, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah brought a tiny subtle smile, and looked to her father who stood like a true father figure. His glistening blonde hair shining from the sun''s rays, his glamorous blue eyes that had a small twinkle of life in them, it more than motivated her to hopefully look into them and see them sparkle.


    ¡°That one day¡­ not only can I look into your eyes, but¡ª¡±


    Her father softly gasped, and in slow motion, carefully brought his gaze to her, but only seeing her glistening pink lips. Her black hair and pale skin shoning, it was as if he were sent back in time, a time in which he and Samantha shared a similar moment like this.


    ¡°To hold you in my arms¡­ and embrace the man who helped bring me into this world.¡±


    In hearing her soft voice, her words echoing hope into his dark mind sparked a moment of happiness in his heart. For just a brief moment, his eyes twinkled and came back to life, and almost made him break down in tears. He quickly looked away, diverted his attention to the blue sky, and closed his eyes. Sarah smiled and also brought her attention to the sky, basking in the moment with her father as their bond was finally beginning to grow. This is the start and first step of Sarah¡¯s ambition.


    ***


    On the other side of town, Jack had just left the store he hated going into but promised to bring his sister after yesterday''s oddness. During the whole time he was in, he couldn¡¯t help but feel reminiscent of Alexandria. Apparitions of her imitating her favourite characters brought a smile to his face, but to then have it wiped from the haunting image of the diner in ruins and him facing her corpse. It brought a new weight on his shoulders. As he stood outside, and waited for Angela since she had to use the restroom, luckily the shop owners really liked the way she dressed and how adorable she was, they allowed her to use their bathroom: His phone rang and he reached into his pocket, seeing that it was just his uncle that was just calling.


    ¡°It looks like it¡¯s time.¡± Jack flipped his phone open and put it against his ear. ¡°Yeah? Is it time?¡±


    Eric was with a dozen of his men, all were pretending to play streetball in new territory. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll text you the address and call you one more time before things get started. I¡¯m going to make this call short, I¡¯m in front of the house, and already, I know things are a little off.¡±


    Jack nods, ¡°Got it. Take your time, I¡¯ll just finish up with Angela, take her home and drop her off.¡±


    ¡°Aight, text me when you arrive at the location. It¡¯ll be a block away from my location but it should be a fourway street, and a perfect spot to see if anyone''s in the mood to set up an ambush. That spot is perfect since the street I''m in has a dead end, and that fourway is the only way out.¡±


    ¡°I gotchu, uncle. See you in a bit.¡±


    Jack hung up and so did Eric. While putting his phone away, Angela had just come out in the nick of time. She patted herself, and she looked not excited as she usually would be leaving this dumb store. She did have another bag with her, and Jack wondered why since he just bought her a new figurine. He raised a brow as she quietly walked up to her brother, stared up at him, and started shaking.


    ¡°You¡­ okay, Angela?¡± he asked.


    She lowered her head, reached into one of the bags, and pulled out what was in the second one. She shot it right in his face, her eyes twinkled with excitement. Jack backed off and Angela pumped her free arm with the bags around her elbows, looking as if she finally got an achievement.


    ¡°Oh yeah! I got it! Let''s go!¡± Angela shouted as she paraded around Jack.


    Jack watched his sister¡¯s adorably acting while staying confused. ¡°What did you get?¡±


    She stopped and shoved it at his face again. ¡°Okabe, acquired! This time it¡¯s the ¡°Mada Scientist¡± persona! At long last, I have all of my Stiens Gate collection complete.¡±


    The way she pronounced mad scientist made Jack laugh. ¡°And who gave you that doll?¡±


    ¡°Augh! Why I never! This is not a doll, mister! It is¡­ art! And they gave it to me since they really dug into my taste of ¡®true culture¡¯ and outfit.¡±


    Jack grabbed Angela¡¯s hand and started dragging her. ¡°Uh huh, did they? Whatever it may be, let''s finish this conversation after I drop you off at home and pick up Eric.¡±


    ¡°Oh come on! Wait¡­ you may be onto something, yes yes, it¡¯s all according to the flow of time. We shall continue with uncle Eric as I enlighten ya with true art and culture, muhahaha!¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, let''s get to the car Miss, mad scientist.¡±


    Angela stuck her tongue out but giggled as she grabbed onto Jack¡¯s arm. The two walked their way back to the car, hopped inside and were off. During their car ride it was quite noisy for Jack since Angela kept imitating this character she got for free. He¡¯s seen a couple of them before, different poses, outfits, but this one was humorous to him from his pose. Before, Angela even said he resembles him a little bit, comparing their faces, but Jack being an evil twin of his. Remembering this thought made him roll his eyes but grin at the thought.


    Seeing my baby sis like this really reminds me of Alex¡­ damn. He thought.


    To clear his mind, Jack started playing loud music to which she responded by poking at him, trying to get his attention again. It was annoying but it¡¯s more than needed for him to keep his mind crystal clear for the time being. After a long drive of loud music, Angela¡¯s singalongs, they arrived home, and Jack parked the car.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be back. I¡¯m going to go get uncle Eric, he needs a ride and some backup.¡±


    Angela understood, and before getting out of the car, she reached into the bag, and pulled out that character. ¡°If it¡¯s Sern that you¡¯re after, then you two give em hell!¡±


    She backed away, did his same pose, and Jack saw an apparition of Alex beside her, which made him smile. Again she did another and laughed maniacally to mimic the character, and surprisingly, Jack didn¡¯t hear Mallory¡¯s voice in the laugh. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she¡¯s much different than the original Angela as he thought. Jack gave his sister a thumbs up and she gave him a wave then kissed goodbye, walking back to the house.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s showtime.¡± Jack said while putting the car in drive.


    At the same time, he texted his uncle that he was on the road. Stopping at a redlight, he got a text back and it was the address he had to go to. Jack closed his phone and once the light turned green, he stepped on the gas. The location wasn¡¯t too far, it only took Jack roughly twenty minutes to get there. On arrival, he parked the car a block away to make his presence more natural as a normal pedestrian taking a walk. While walking to the address, Jack saw the fourway intersection his uncle talked about and understood what he was talking about: It being a perfect ambush from all angles.


    ¡°So all I have to do is just chill near that bus stop, and bench area and keep an eye out for anything.¡± he said.


    Jack didn¡¯t have his jacket with him to conceal his firearm. So it was tucked behind his pants with his shirt doing the rest to hide it from the public view. Upon arrival at the bus stop, it was quiet. He tucked his hands into his pockets and took a glance at the area. The houses closeby appeared vacant, their infrastructure rotting away, some small corner stores having barely any customers, it appeared normal for an area like this. There were a couple of kids playing across the street, and another came around the corner riding his bicycle. Seeing them enjoy their youth despite the area they¡¯re in gave more weight to Eric¡¯s early statements told to Jack. He could¡¯ve remained normal and enjoyed his early teenage years while Eric did the rest as a foster parent. Sadly, Jack¡¯s mind was too corrupt from seeing the freedom and self relief of other young juveniles who joined gangs and looked to be the happiest.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ enjoy it while it lasts, kiddos.¡± Jack said.


    He took a seat on the bench and waited, watching anything that might look out of place, inconspicuous, or obvious for an attack. After waiting, watching the kids play, something did catch his eyes. A car, an old sedan that was right out of the mid 90¡¯s came from around the corner, driving very slowly. Someone had their arm stuck out, and as it was getting closer to Jack¡¯s view, he saw only two male drivers, both black. At first the young man shrugged it off, thinking they were no more than just showboating their nice old car. But as it was driving past Jack, they gave him a quick glance, and stopped for a moment.


    What are they staring at? Jack wondered.


    Jack pulled a cigarette out and lit it, looking away as he did. They started driving again, but much slower than before, and the young man could see the driver''s suspicious gaze remain on him from his rear view mirror. That¡¯s enough for the young man to reach into his pocket again to get his phone, and make a quick phone call to his uncle. It rang and rang until Eric answered.


    ¡°Yo, uncle.¡±


    Eric was standing on the front porch of someone''s home, his boys also keeping a lookout while they stood near their parked cars.


    ¡°Did you catch something off?¡± he asked while looking at one of his guards that stood at the edge of the porch.


    Jack tossed away the cigarette. ¡°Yeah, there was a black old car that just drove by, there were two guys who gave me an odd gaze, and I think you know I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Eric nods, ¡°Right, thanks for the info, I¡¯ma send one of my bois over there now to see if they can spot it.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha, I¡¯ll call back if it comes back.¡±


    Jack hung up, and when he brought his eyes back to the street, the boy on the bike was staring at him. Jack titled his head, and the boy slowly raised his hand, waving to Jack.


    Jack grinned, ¡°Can I help you with something, kid?¡±


    The kid rode his bicycle closer to Jack. ¡°whatcha doing mister? You¡¯re just sitting there, waiting for the bus?¡±


    The kid was a young black boy, he had a fade from a popular rap artist that Jack¡¯s seen getting popular from his demographic. He had a white long tee, and jeans, also wearing normal sneakers. The young man questioned why he asked that at first, but without giving it another thought, Jack got up from his seat and walked up to the kid.


    ¡°Yeah I am, now I suggest you go play with your friends over there instead of talking to a stranger. You don¡¯t know who you¡¯ll come across no matter if you¡¯re being genuine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you seemed approachable so I just wanted to ask since I¡¯ve never seen you around this area.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Now, ride along. I¡¯m not trying to be rude, but I¡¯m the type of person that likes to be alone when he gets the chance to.¡±


    The kid began peddling, ¡°Understandable, see ya.¡±


    The kid rode away, and Jack¡¯s alone once again. He took a breath, and already, from the corner of his eye, he saw another car eerily pulling up, and park. This time it was a brown sedan, appearing like an old retired cop crown vic. Jack¡¯s senses were firing up, and the young man caught on to the situation that was starting to unravel. He casually wandered around the bus stop, appearing to just grow impatient of the bus taking long to lessen his suspicion.


    He reached into his pocket, dialed Eric, and waited for him to answer.


    ¡°Come on uncle, pick up.¡±


    The phone kept ranging, and the black sedan returned, but parked a block away, then honked twice. In response, the other suspicious vehicle backed up, and drove away, and immediately, this brought a small panic to the young man.


    ¡°Eric¡­ pick up.¡±


    Jack dialed again, and another car drove from around the corner where the black sedan was parked now. It drove past Jack, and the young man can see a red and black handkerchief around the passengers and drivers wrists. He¡¯s never seen these colours before and answered the assumption about the new gang in town. The car drove off, and disappeared into one of the streets. The kid with the bicycle returned, riding around the young man but Jack¡¯s eyes were locked onto the black car.


    ¡°Eric, come one man.¡±


    His impatience showed when he briefly gripped his gun. Smacking his lips, and dialing one more time, the kid with the bike stopped again, waving to Jack to get his attention once more.


    ¡°Hey, mister, could I ask you something else?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes remained on the car, ¡°not now, and didn¡¯t I tell you to take a hike? Go on, I ain¡¯t playing. You shouldn¡¯t be around here.¡±


    ¡°But mister¡­¡±


    ¡°Go kid, you¡¯re starting to piss me off, it¡¯s dangerous around here. Get moving.¡±


    He did what Jack told him and rode away again. Finally, his uncle had answered.


    ¡°Uncle, we got a situation.¡±


    Eric walked out of the home, and closed the door behind him. ¡°My bad for answering late, meeting you know. And what now?¡±


    Jack stepped forward, made his way into the open, and crossed the street to an empty sidewalk. ¡°It appears the rumors are true. They¡¯re here and are already plotting to take you guys by surprise.¡±


    The kid with the bike was riding around Jack again, and this time, the young man was getting annoyed by his presence. But paid no mind to it and chose to ignore his annoying biking.


    ¡°There were three cars, but one remains, a black car with two men inside. They¡¯re staring hard at me. I don¡¯t know why since I¡¯m not making myself stand out.¡±


    Eric gripped his chin, ¡°Hmm, they¡¯re even smarter than we thought. Change of plans.¡±


    As Jack stood, slowly pacing back and forth, making it seem like he was having a normal conversation on the phone, the men in the black car honked twice again. This made the other car drive again, parking closer to Jack¡¯s location. They were at least twenty feet away now.


    ¡°You might wanna hurry uncle, I got a bad feeling about this. Time is ticking.¡±


    The kid with the bike wanted to stop again but Jack gave him an angry stare, scaring him out of his stop. He bicycled away, and Jack brought his eyes back to the black car again.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re on to me, uncle. I think it¡¯s time I best leave this area.¡±


    Eric made his way down the steps and indicated the rest of his boys to follow suit. Everyone started getting in their cars and once Eric went into his, he saw a suspicious vehicle from his rear view mirror that was creeping from the corner of the four way street.


    ¡°Yo Jack?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Did one of those cars look like an old Crown Vic, colour brown?¡±


    ¡°Yeah yea, that was one of the cars that drove past me and then out of sight.¡±


    Eric stuck his hand out, telling his boys in sign language to go out and patrol their backs to check on the car. Half did and half remained, while they waited for their boss¡¯s next move.


    While Jack waited on his uncle''s next move as well, that kid came back, but this time being awfully too close to Jack¡¯s comfort. He circled Jack like a shark, and this made the young man lose his temper for a moment.


    ¡°Hey! What did I just say?¡± he mildly shouted.


    The kid stopped, ¡°that scar on your face¡­ How did you get it?¡±


    ¡°Get out of here, what are you still riding around here for?! Go!¡±


    The kid squinted his eyes but looked sad and rode off one last time. Jack grunted and when his eyes were on the kid that brief moment, bringing them back to the street, the black car was just fifteen feet from him. This made his heart race and he could see the two men eyeball him hard, and he knew that look in their eyes all too well. His street sense was screaming at him, telling him that it was time to bounce!


    ¡°Eric, I need back up now, get someone here or else I¡¯m in a heap of shit.¡±


    ¡°I gotchu I gotchu, I¡¯m on my way, you¡¯re just down the block, right?¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Yeah, but hurry, they¡¯re closing the gap and I¡¯m pretty sandwiched alright at the moment."


    ¡°Stay on the phone, we¡¯re driving to you now, give us one more minute aight.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Jack waited, his pacing grew slower, and the young man clenched a fist. His adrenaline began pumping, and his danger signals went off, the black car honked once, but one that lasted five seconds. This made the young man squint his eyes, scrunch his face, and once the horn let off, he heard a gun go off. He felt a sharp pain coming from his back, around his abdomen, which made him look down. He saw red spread where the pain was coming from along with an exit hole from a gunshot wound. The young man¡¯s eyes pulsed, and he wiped the area, bringing his bloody fingers up to his face.


    ¡°What¡­ the¡­?¡±


    The young man turned around, and saw the kid with the bike with a gun in his hands, the tip of the barrel smoking as it was aimed at Jack. He looked traumatized and appeared to be hyperventilating. Jack¡¯s eyes bugged out and he tried reaching for his gun but the kid started spamming the trigger, shooting Jack multiple times until the young man stumbled backwards and fell.


    He lay there with his phone still in his hand, staring at the grey bleak sky. Eric heard the gunshots through the other side of the phone, and shouted for his nephew''s name. The kid on the bike rode away, tearing up while the black car creeped its way to Jack. They parked, both men got out, one who looked like a normal citizen to society while the other guy looked more of what someone who presume to be in a gang. They watched as Jack gurgled on his own blood, and the black tar behind his body being drenched in crimson. They went back into the car, and drove away in a hurry. Jack could feel his life drain away again, and his vision became hazy.


    ¡°Jack! Jack! Yo, Jack!¡± Eric kept shouting.


    Jack could hear his uncle shout his name from the other side of the phone. But the young man¡¯s life was draining away as he lay flat. Blood flowed from the side of his mouth, and soon after, his grip gave out as the phone fell, bounced on the ground. Jack¡¯s eyes became lifeless as the pool of blood grew bigger behind him. A church bell went off, and a white dove had landed on the bench, and gazed upon Jack''s lifeless body.


    A soft breath echoed into the empty subconscious of Jack Samr, and then was followed up by someone saying, ¡°It is time, my child. Let the flow of time finally correct itself, but in the meantime, have a long rest, you need it, boy.¡± William said.


    A deep wrinkle formed between his eyes and the mighty being took a deep breath before saying one more thing before clapping his hands to fix the error in time.


    ¡°Welcome back¡­ to normality, Jack Samr.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 13: Reality Struck, Checked, & Exposed!

    ¡°Oooo, well I did not see that coming sir William.¡± Archard said as he stared at the screen.


    His master remained calm and focused on the death of Jack, caused by a child.


    ¡°So this was the butterfly effect that was supposed to happen?¡± Archard asked.


    William quickly glanced at his partner, then back to the screen. ¡°Yes, and I take fault for it.¡±


    ¡°Why? I mean¡­ you had¡ª¡±


    ¡°No no Archard, quit with the pandering. I had no right to intervene with the flow of time and anger God¡¯s direct course of this world. Yes, my intentions were for someone to change, and teaching a cursed young man to take a path than the violent one he walks: But this would¡¯ve never of happened if I didn¡¯t alter the current flow of time.¡±


    William brought his arm up, pointing at the screen.


    ¡°And now look at him, laying flat and falling victim to the lifestyle modern society teaches to respect in their music and pop culture. And by a young child?! Absolutely preposterous yet foreseeing.¡±


    Archard wasn¡¯t as sentimental as his master. He expressed nothing and lightly shrugged.


    ¡°Well, anyone with a rational mind would¡¯ve seen an outcome like this coming. But I¡¯m more surprised by the actions that took away his life: That being a kid. I¡¯ve heard about scumbags doing this, letting the younger ones do their dirty deeds because they appear innocent but take advantage of that to surprise their foes. Yet seeing it first hand, hmph, what a shame and disgrace.¡±


    William couldn¡¯t help but agree with his partner''s statement. With enough talking, William was finally allowed to correct time and bring the young man back to where he first summoned him, the day he altered it and froze the two young adults in fear. He raised his hands, clapped twice, and again, the universe exploded, and was being born again. This time, everything was reverting back to what it was, before any events that William¡¯s aware of. Though the thought of losing Jack for a while still has him questioning who else has intervened and altered the world. Finally, with the universe back in its current flow and without consequences hiding behind it, Jack is back in the flow of time that William first set him in with his Witch friend.


    ¡°Come to us, Jack Samr.¡± William snapped both his fingers, and the young man popped into his white foggy world.


    William turned around and watched as a bloodied Jack Samr was being revived. Archard also turned and saw Jack¡¯s body being healed. His eyes were shut, and his chest began inflating, then deflated. Jack was alive again. William waited and so did Archard, yet his master clapped again to create a cloudy chair behind him so he could sit on.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the chair, sir?¡± he asked.


    William yawned and lay back on it. ¡°Oh we¡¯re going to be here for a while, my friend. The boy¡¯s asleep, and he shall remain for another couple of hours, I think.¡±


    Archard chuckled. ¡°I see, a well deserved rest for someone who¡¯s going to be tested again without any interference.¡±


    ¡°Mm, not quite¡­ I just thought that the young man deserves a peaceful slumber for once. Everyone deserves one, even idiots like him¡ªand you.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Archard stretched and also summoned a chair to sit on. ¡°Heh, sure. In the meantime if he¡¯s going to take a nice nap, then I shall do the same.¡±


    William grinned. ¡°Go ahead, I¡¯ll sit here and wait, or maybe read something.¡±


    Archard lay back, brought his hood further down to cover his eyes and clasped his hands on his chest. William held his hands out and a book drifted out of nowhere, and landed on them. It was a book with a man with long hair, and rode a white horse on the front cover. The texts were in Latin, and behind the man were three other men who looked like menacing giants.


    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve read this book. An old tale told by four amazing men, whom I got the chance to meet.¡±


    William flipped the book open, pulled out a bookmark made of thin gold with Latin texts, and began to read.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ just the first sentence alone has me on edge, it¡¯s like reading my past.¡±


    William frowned and for a second, he seemed to be in a trance. It¡¯s as if his brain was rewinding time for him to experience his youth. It made him tremble, shiver, and angry, remembering something that started to form a deep wrinkle between his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll never forget the being who took their lives¡­ may he rot, and if we ever cross paths again, I¡¯ll proudly take away his life¡ªas he did my four masters.¡±


    Meanwhile in downtown Detroit Michigan, the streets were packed, crowded, even the roads were stuffed. Summer was thriving, business of all ventures were out and about: The afternoon rush had arrived. From drug dealers to the farthest corners, regular business people walking into skyscrapers, and right in the middle of the road was an enormous traffic jam that stretched far out to the busiest highway entrance. It reached so far out that it looked endless. People were honking their horns, growing more impatient by the second. All this was due to an accident in midtown, right in the middle of the inner city. It didn¡¯t help the fact that people took advantage of this enormous stretch by jaywalking right through cars to force them to stay in place.


    As people grew angrier, shouting, cursing, sticking their bodies half way out of their cars, flipping the bird, getting out of their vehicles to see why it was taking an eternity, Eric happened to be stuck in the mess. He looked just as pissed as anyone else, mainly due to the fact he was forced into this by Angela who wanted a special shirt only located right inside of the damn city. It was a special edition shirt that was released in a store Eric had never gone to, only Jack has. She didn¡¯t come along with her uncle because she had to watch a new episode of a new seasonal cartoon which made him grow annoyed by her for the first time.


    ¡°Those damn cartoons¡­ I swear they¡¯re making her turn weirder and dumber by the second.¡± Eric said, letting out a grunt afterwards.


    Tapping his giant fingertips on the steering wheel, Eric slammed back on his seat, rolling his eyes as his impatience grew tenfold. He let out a long breath and took a glance to his right, taking a look at the sidewalk buildings. A small Deli caught his eyes, and upon laying his sights on the sign, he knew who owned it.


    ¡°No fucking way?! The son of a bitch actually did it!¡± Eric shouted, starting to unbuckle his seat belt.


    He looked around his car, taking a glimpse at every mirror, and saw that this traffic jam wasn¡¯t going to budge anytime soon.


    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t hurt if I just get out for a moment and treat myself to something good, especially by an old friend.¡±


    Eric rubbed his hands together and turned his car off. He stepped out and he also saw others doing the same. Some just hung out of their vehicles to take a smoke break or to get some air. Others like him grew hungry from their anger and impatience, going to local eateries or food stands that took advantage of the situation by doing business on the sidewalks. This made him chuckle because it reminded him of his original home, that being New York where this is common. It¡¯s just surprising to have a similar experience in a city like Detroit, so it caught him by surprise even though this was fairly common in his early twenties.


    ¡°Shit, time to see if homie really brought our neighborhood charm to this dumb city.¡±


    I haven¡¯t seen this fool in over ten years¡­ Hopefully he remembers me. Eric thought.


    The shop in question Eric was talking about and heading to was an old childhood friend from New York. Before he was caught up by gang activities, he always told Eric about his admiration about opening up a Deli. And seeing the name, ¡®Delightful!¡¯ brightly lit, it showed Eric that living this gang life isn¡¯t needed or long term: Although he knew that for sure. If someone like his friend can achieve his dream after being a complete menace to society, then anything¡¯s possible.


    Once he got up to the entrance, the door opened and his friend came out with a bag of trash in hand. He saw Eric standing there, and for a second he didn¡¯t recognize the big guy until Eric threw up a sign and showed him a tattoo on his shoulder which he recognized. An insignia that was known in his neighborhood. This made him drop the trash bag and his eyes exploded with joy.


    He grabbed his head for a moment then brought his arms forward to Eric. ¡°Oh my fucking God! Eric my guy, is it really you?!¡±


    Eric had a giant smirk on his face. ¡°Man, Jackson I thought your stupid ass was still locked up you idiot!¡±


    Both men went up to each other, their big hands slamming against each other making a thunderous clap as they shoulder bumped to reunite the brotherhood that was lost for ten years.


    ¡°Fucking Eric, you steroid abusing motherfucker! You got even bigger than ever, fuck man, chill out with the juice bro!¡±


    Eric pushed him playfully, but it was strong enough to make his friend stumble on his footing. He responded by laughing and punching the big guy on the arm.


    ¡°Chill Jackson, you know this is all natural! But shit, congratulations my guy.¡± Eric turned to the shop, and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m so proud of you for achieving your goal brother.¡±


    Jackson cracked his back and then swirled his arms. ¡°Yeah man, but it hasn¡¯t been easy. The road I¡¯ve driven on was a pain in my ass and the turns I had to make without knowing what the fuck might happen to me, it was really jarring at first, but I slowly overcame my fears, got out of my comfort zone, and took a shot at it!¡±


    Jackson shot his right arm to his shop, and proudly smiled.


    ¡°And now, I¡¯m here brother!¡±


    Eric wrapped his giant arm around his late friend''s shoulder. ¡°Say, why don¡¯t we go inside and you show me how good your food has gotten man. Because if I remember, the last time we ate you almost gave me a heart attack of pure deliciousness with all that fucking sodium that was in ya food.¡±


    ¡°Haha, then let me guide you my brother into a new realm of heart attacks, bwahaha!¡±


    Both men laughed, and headed inside the Deli. Once inside, Eric took a look around and admired his passion. From the fresh meat hanging above the counter, the air cool enough to not spoil it, to the choices on the menu. Most importantly, what caught Eric¡¯s eyes were the colour schemes that reminded him of their troubled group in his early twenties and teenagerhood. Red, dark grey with a hint of white from the tile floors to the matted walls. It was a breath of nostalgia to the big guy.


    Jackson walked behind the counter and grabbed his apron. ¡°Take a seat, my guy. I¡¯ma make you something that¡¯ll definitely stir up that old ass brain of yours: A special glory day special!¡±


    Eric went to the nearest seat, sat down and couldn¡¯t contain his laughter. ¡°Bro, please don¡¯t say suspicious shit like that. Glory day special, sounds like something out of a porno. What are you homo?¡±


    ¡°Ha ha, chill bro chill! My bad, didn¡¯t mean for it to come off like that.¡±


    Jackson got his latex gloves, suited up for preparation, and started to create something that¡¯ll remind them of their youth. As Eric waited in his seat, he saw others coming out of the kitchen, seeming to be the rest of Jacksons crew. Two cooks, a maintenance guy, and a cashier. They all went to Jackson, mainly from seeing the expressions on their faces, they appeared lost, bored, or wanted to do something productive. In no time, he gave them commands and they all did what he ordered them to do. The cooks went back into the kitchen while the rest went to do usual maintenance routine such as mopping the floor, cleaning the counters, and taking out the rest of the trash since it wasn¡¯t busy at the moment. While Jackson was preparing for his friend, customers were starting to come in, and his front end team took to action while their boss was busy.


    Eric pulled out his phone, and called Angela. It rang for a couple of seconds until she picked up.


    ¡°Yes uncle? Oh wait, you¡¯re about to tell me that you got my shirt!¡±


    Eric groaned. ¡°No, traffic is so bad that I¡¯m going to be late, probably an hour.¡±


    ¡°Oh pueh¡­ well, so long as you get me that shirt then it¡¯s all okay!¡±


    Eric rolled his eyes, ¡°yeah yeah, but what¡¯s in it for me baby girl?¡±


    She was on her bed, watching her show, and tapped a finger on her chin.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll make you dinner? And give you a hug!¡±


    Eric smiled, ¡°you don¡¯t have to. So long¡¯s my little girl is happy and smiling, then it¡¯s worth the trip.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I''m still making ya something good. It¡¯s the least I can do. Oh, have you seen my brother?¡±


    ¡°Jack? No, well, the last time I saw him was last night. He looked zombified and just went into his room, but I think he left in the morning because the home sensor went off.¡±


    Angela scratched her head, ¡°Strange¡­¡± she then looked to the side, squinting her eyes. ¡°I wonder why he¡¯s been so quiet as of lately, humph, probably out with his new G-i-r-l-f-r-i-e-n-d! DAMN HIM! AND THAT GOTH GIRL!¡±


    At first she muttered which her uncle couldn¡¯t hear until she spontaneously screamed that last sentence into his ear. He slowly hung up and put his phone away, and then let out a chuckle.


    ¡°She sure loves her brother¡­¡± He nervously said.


    At last, his friend came to the table, and he placed a rolled up sandwich in front of Eric while he took a seat in front of him. He too had a sandwich and immediately unwrapped it.


    ¡°Open that shit up, my guy, it¡¯s what we loved back in the days!¡±


    Eric had a grin and shook his head. ¡°Aight aight, lets see what you made me.¡±


    His friend waited as Eric unraveled his childhood memory. When all the paper became unwrapped, Eric smiled ear to ear, and shook his head more.


    ¡°No fucking way man, is this¡ª?¡±


    His friend took the first bite, ¡°fu¡ªck yea¡­h man!¡± he swallowed and wiped his mouth, ¡°A pastrami sub with a tad of our southern grandmothers spices, ooweee!¡±


    Eric took a bite and it was like heaven. He took another, then another until his friend joined in. It almost seemed as if they were having an eating contest on how fast they were devouring their food. The two childhood friends enjoyed their meals, customers ordered the same because of how much noise they were making from eating. As they continued eating, customers started to form a line, meanwhile, back in the traffic jam, things were starting to pick up slightly. Police that were stopping traffic started to un-pause it as the accident and the crashed car rubble was beginning to be cleaned up. Once cars were given the go to move, a couple of pedestrians decided to jaywalk right at the same time, bringing them to a complete stop. This made the drivers at the front line more than livid. They put their fists out their windows, cursed and honked their horns.


    While this was happening, one man decided to stay behind, and slowly walked right in front of the four lane street, squeezing himself between the two cop cars that blocked the edges of the lane and only allowed the middle to go through. He had light brown hair, pale skin that gleamed death, an odd yet elegant outfit fitting for business and attending an important funeral, but his bright red eyes stood out the most. They seemed eerie beneath the afternoon shine and a sharp glint was evident in them as he glared at the miles and miles of cars. He had one hand on his hip, and had half a smile as the front traffic honked their horns like wildfire.


    One officer approached him, ¡°sir, you can¡¯t stand here, you have to get out of the way and let traffic through.¡±


    Another officer came to assist the situation. ¡°Yeah man, stop being a nuisance and move along. Don¡¯t you see all these cars, there''s got to be more than three hundred on this road alone.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were thousand!¡± Another officer said.


    The stranger¡¯s smile grew wider, wicked, and then, ear to ear. ¡°Well, officers¡­¡±


    He turned to look at them all with his creepy red eyes that made them place their hands on their holstered pistols. He glared at each cop, building, pedestrian that was in his view before bringing his eyes back to the traffic jam.


    ¡°I think I can be¡­¡±


    He started to tilt his face further down, sharpening his gaze to transform it into a menacing glare on all the honking cars and slowly narrowing his eyes. The police kept their hands on their weapons and grew nervous, one even ran back into his car to radio for backup if things went south with this individual.


    The glint in his eye deepened and glowed, ¡°...of some kind of assistance to this¡ªannoying situation.¡±


    Back in the shop, Eric and his friend just finished their meal and lay back, smacking their bloated guts. They were both satisfied and filled with happiness. Both men grabbed a toothpick from a small container in the middle of the table, picked their teeth, burped together and let out laughter.


    ¡°Damn that shit was good Jackson! You outdone yourself homie.¡± Eric said while grabbing a glass of coke and drowning it.


    Jackson gave him a thumbs up, and clapped. ¡°Aight, I gotta pause the chit chat. I¡¯ma clean up and help my crew real quick.¡±


    ¡°Nu nu, it¡¯s all good. Take yo time, that traffic ain¡¯t moving anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Jackson looked over his shoulder, taking a look at the crowded road lanes filled with honking cars.


    ¡°Goddamn, you right! Look at that shit.¡± he took a step, ¡°ey, it looks like things are starting to¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, his front door, windows shattered into a million pieces, and Jackson was sent flying at Eric who caught him but he too fell back on his chair, and slid against the counter from an overpowered shockwave. Alarms were set off, an explosion was heard but sounded distant, everyone inside Jacksons store fell victim to the powerful blast wave that sent his friend flying towards him. Eric opened his eyes, his vision fogged by a smear of grey smoke, his friend lying unconscious next to him, he wondered what could¡¯ve caused this catastrophe. Eric shook his friend, and tried reading a pulse, which he did, and made him relieved for a moment.


    ¡°Wh¡­at the fuck¡­ happ-happened?¡± he muttered.


    He scanned the area, witnessing the aftermath of that unknown explosion. He blinked a couple of times and once his vision cleared, he brought his eyes to the street, which made him become completely speechless. He reached for his gun, pulled it out, and limped his way out of the destroyed shop, and into a caved-in sidewalk. He walked further out into the street, and what he saw was utter destruction in its purest form. Glancing at both ends of the four-way lane, the traffic that was once there, was no more. The air had a cloud of red mist, light grey smoke covering it, limbs, guts, car parts, the black tar that made the road were scattered, curved, flattened from both ends. Eric stepped right into the carved earth, and eventually found himself standing in the middle of the once crowded road.


    His eyes as big as a human¡¯s could expand, his jaw dropped to the ground, Eric dropped his gun in disbelief. ¡°This¡­ can¡¯t be¡ªreal?¡±


    All the cars, possibly over a thousand were vaporized in that moment from that unknown shockwave. There was nothing but the remains of what barely survived. All Eric saw was carved earth from miles on end, and a mushroom cloud that kept rising off in the distance. If someone used a drill and drill bit with the width of a football stadium to create a curvature in the earth but used it upside down, that¡¯s the type of destruction Eric was looking at.


    ¡°Who¡­ who could¡¯ve¡ª?¡±


    Eric dropped to his knees, and then to his palms. He gripped the dirt in his hands, and looked to his left, and saw one person, standing right where the accident was. As the smoke slowly faded out, it was enough for Eric to see who it was. From what he could see, it was a tall pale man with light brown hair, red eyes that glowed but slowly dimmed, and his demeanor told the world that they were nothing but roaches to him by his twisted calm smile and confident causal stance.


    ¡°Is anyone else out there besides the screaming panic behind me?!¡± he playfully said in a tone that rubbed Eric¡¯s ears all the wrong ways.


    In hearing his calm gentle voice that spoke in an urgency of someone who¡¯s causally taking an afternoon stroll and calling out like a salesman, this made Eric¡¯s blood boil, and gave him back his confidence. He grabbed his gun, aimed it at him, and began walking in his direction. His friend Jackson stumbled out of his store and saw his friend walking, and also taking first glance at the destruction.


    With a hand on his head that bled, he hovered one over his mouth. ¡°Yo, Eric! Wh-what happened?!¡±


    Eric turned to his friend, and the amount of fear and anger expressed on it made Jackson pause. ¡°Get-Get out of here¡ªnow!¡±


    Jackson didn¡¯t want to hear why and what. He heard his brave friend loud and clear and rushed to his other workers who happened to be also trying to regain their senses.


    ¡°Everyone¡­ let''s go, we gotta dip!¡± Jackson shouted while keeping one hand on his wounded head.


    They heard their boss loud and clear, and everyone ran out the back. Before Jackson could leave, he took one last look over his shoulder to Eric who disappeared from the corner of his destroyed store.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die on me homie, because I gotta ask you if you survive what the fuck¡¯s going on man!¡±


    He hurried out and Eric was the only remaining survivor. He stumbled his way to the man who just stood there like a statue. For a moment, the man thought everyone was vaporized, erased out of existence until he saw a lone survivor. This made him express an open mouth smile, and tilt his head with amusement. His hand on his hip, he stepped forward. Eric continued his cautious approach, his heart racing out of his chest, his legs quaking in fear, he wasn¡¯t sure if he was doing this because of bravery, or his bodies moving on its own. Whatever it is, Eric hopes to at least get something out of this interaction.


    ¡°Why, isn¡¯t this a surprise! Someone did in fact survive my sharp glare. How fascinating. And he¡¯s not just some ordinary individual either.¡±


    Eric was getting closer, and he could see the smug casual grin on his face. This made him squeeze the handle of his pistol and deepen his glare towards him. The man patiently waited for the survivors'' welcome.


    ¡°Come on now, I don¡¯t have all day, good sir.¡± he said.


    Eric was ten feet from him, and his feet stopped. Without saying a word, Eric cocked the hammer back on his handgun, and wondered what his body would do next. Now that he was this close to the eerie person, Eric could see more of his medium build, his short yet not long hair, and odd outfit that made him an unremarkable individual.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re this close to me, I take¡ªyou have some questions to ask? Before you also meet your end, stranger.¡±


    The way he spoke, his tone, it angered Eric. There wasn¡¯t an ounce of care in his voice, and the emptiness that gleamed off his eyes told him that this man was in fact supernatural. Eric already had a glimpse of this phenomenon, but to see something of this magnitude created by one person? It really hindered his thoughts and made him question his own fate. As the two had a stare down, a plethora of police cars and ambulances were heading their way, breaking the silence and bothering the well dressed man''s ears.


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    ¡°Oh what a bother¡­ I find the oncoming noise to be undoubtedly annoying!¡±


    He looked over his shoulder and when a couple of police cars had come to a stop, the police exiting their vehicles and starting to draw their weapons, he narrowed his eyes again at what they caught sight of. In an instant, all of the officers, their vehicles, and the other emergency vehicles that were closing in were torn asunder. Another cloud of red mist and blackened grey smoke puffed out as he let out his annoyance with a sigh.


    ¡°There we are, now then, where were¡ª¡±


    Eric¡¯s body finally reacted, and he began shooting at the powerful individual, emptying out his whole magazine. Any man who was shot this close would¡¯ve been impaled by them all if not some, meet their death and bleed to death. Yet every bullet ricocheted off of some unknown barrier that Eric couldn¡¯t see with his eyes.


    This made the man tilt his head as he shrugged off Eric¡¯s attack. ¡°...Hey, who taught you manners because I find that shooting someone on sight in the middle of a conversation is quite¡ªrude!¡±


    This made Eric gasp in shock, dropping his gun, and start to walk backwards. The well dressed man stood there, expressing his annoyance with Eric¡¯s killing interruption. Eric couldn¡¯t believe it, there wasn¡¯t a scratch, a scuff, a hole nor any signs of blood from any of his shooting. Eric froze up, and the man sighed, pushing his forelocks in annoyance.


    ¡°Hey, listen, I didn¡¯t mean to raise my voice like that in the end. It¡¯s just, given that you and I were going to head into a conversation of what the hells going on! But have you shot at me like that?! Don¡¯t you, someone as thuggish looking and strong as you find it strange to interrupt a man when he¡¯s speaking?¡±


    Eric couldn¡¯t answer, only the sound of his frantic breathing was the only reply the man got.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s common sense¡­ bro! Like, don¡¯t your people understand it more than anything? Not to be a generalizer of your race or demographic, but come on!¡±


    Even hearing his racist remarks didn¡¯t budge Eric¡¯s fear that had him frozen in time. It only dragged on the awkward silence, which made the man click his tongue in further annoyance.


    ¡°What? Not going to talk now? What¡¯s the matter now¡ªman! Try and shoot me again since it appears like I¡¯ve pissed your pants with my amazing display of showmanship. So how about you be a good citizen and answer my questions? I asked them and I expect them to be answered, you twit.¡±


    Eric had enough and bounced, running away from the man. He blinked a couple of times to understand Eric¡¯s reaction, but concluded to just let it go. Although that small glimpse of interest he sensed on Eric still had him locked his eyes on the guy who¡¯s running away.


    ¡°He has an odd odor, but a very intriguing one. One I¡¯m very interested in, perhaps¡­ bond of. I wonder¡­¡±


    Then, he heard soft crying, and turned to his right to spot a small child who was mourning the loss of his parents on the sidewalk. He began to scuff the ground with the tip of his shoe before walking to the kid. The kid kept balling his eyes, not noticing the shadow that covered the last remnants of sunlight that was on his dead parents'' bodies. He carefully placed his pale hand on the kids head, and this made him stop crying for a second to turn to see who just touched him. Immediately, the kid went into a panic from his demonic glowing eyes, and clutched onto his dead parents'' bodies.


    He eased down, bending towards the kid''s face. ¡°Hey kid¡­ Do you want to be of use to me? I promise to bring your parents back to life with the help of a friend if you just be my little eyes.¡±


    The kid responded by screaming, and turning away to not look into the eyes of the devil.


    This made him grin, and slowly drag his hand to the side of the kid''s face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hurt you kiddo. Now then, let me explain to you what you have to do.¡±


    He murmured a chant, and the kid stopped crying, slowly bringing his face back to the man. His eyes glowed red, and the kid drooled. He smiled and stood back, watching the kid do the same.


    ¡°Alright, youngling, this is what you have to do¡­¡±


    He put his arm around the kids shoulders, bent his knees and pointed in the direction Eric ran off to.


    ¡°You see that black man? I want you to follow him and see where he¡¯s going. That way I can figure out why he has such a beloved stench!¡±


    The kid stepped forward, clenched his fists, and put one foot forward.


    ¡°Now, go then, and I¡¯ll ensure you¡¯ll be with your parents sooner than you think!¡±


    The kid leaped forward, and vanished in a matter of seconds. He ran like the wind, and the man was alone, walking back into the middle of the vacant street. With a giant grin on his face, he heard helicopters coming and news vans approaching from the side, he sensed their presence and knew he was being documented from the shadows two minutes ago. He put his arms out to the sides, and leaned his head back, taking in a big breath of air.


    ¡°Rejoice! My fellow citizens¡­ record, document, watch as you please¡ª!¡±


    Two news choppers hovered, and they pulled cameras out as the reporters began documenting the carnage. More news stations did the same, and more police were on the way. This made him chuckle and bask in his new fame that was about to surge.


    ¡°Because this is only the start to the true world that hides in the shadows of your false views!¡±


    He brought his attention to the oncoming force that was ready to face him again. He expressed a vile grin to reach one ear as he arched forward, glaring at their direction.


    ¡°Welcome¡­ to reality.¡±


    It¡¯s later, the beginning of dawn in fact, and still on the run was Eric. He¡¯s drenched in sweat from head to toe, and felt his lungs were ready to explode. Never has he done this much cardio in his life. He¡¯s been running for almost six hours. It takes almost an hour to get downtown by car, but by foot it was a marathon. He hardly took any breaks because he felt someone was following. His street senses screamed at him to not take more than ten minutes whenever he got the chance to rest. This really fueled the fear he still had embedded in him since the encounter. Already his smart phone has gone off so much because of the incident with alerts and a state of emergency.


    After doing another twenty minutes of running, arriving at a park close to the town Angela loved coming to, Eric decided to take an actual deserving rest behind a big tree. He slammed against it, dragged to the grass, and began the process to regain his breathing. That feeling of being in an area he¡¯s familiar with sublted some of that fear, but he knew he still had to keep going: Home has never felt closer. Poor Eric did his best to catch his breath, but his body was taking its toll since he had to push and overcome his own limits to get this far. He reached for his phone and checked to see the time, it was getting close to seven. He wiped his face, and let out a giant grunt, and got back to his feet. But again, his street senses kicked in, telling him that he was still being followed for some strange reason.


    To dismiss this, he walked up to all the closest trees, but not without precaution. He made sure to check his surroundings and to see if he could lure out the enemy. He did this for a couple of minutes, but found nothing. This still didn¡¯t give him closure to the sense of being followed, and with that being said, he heard a twig snap, and saw the edge of someone''s face a couple of trees down. This made his adrenaline kick in again, forcing him to run again. Eric ran and he ran, running right down the street, to the next park, and eventually to a familiar sidewalk, where he accidentally bumped into someone. He was so blinded by his fear and determination to get home he didn¡¯t realize he bumped into someone, although this person didn¡¯t budge that much despite Eric¡¯s speeding collision to his shoulder. He was the same height as Eric, pale, wore a business suit, had very blonde hair and blue eyes and his face told the world that he was miserable. It happened to be Leon, Sarah¡¯s father who happened to be the one that Eric bumped into.


    ¡°Hey man, watch where you¡¯re walking.¡± he said, his tone defining the expression on his face as usual.


    Eric at first stared, panting heavily and almost passed out, but he quickly came to his senses and shook his hand at the man.


    ¡°My¡­ my-my¡­ m¡­y ba-bad¡­¡± Eric immediately returned back to running and eventually out of the man''s sights.


    ¡°I wonder what has him so spooked, although he has an odd stench to him: One that stunk of darkness and corruption.¡±


    Leon¡¯s senses were alerted to a nearby disturbance, which made him look over his shoulder to a small wooded area.


    ¡°Is this¡­?¡±


    Leon looked around to see if any pedestrian was watching him. Seeing that he was alone, he placed his briefcase down and brought his attention back to the wooded area. In the blink of an eye, he vanished. The person who happened to make Eric¡¯s senses stay active was the possessed boy who was still in hot pursuit on Eric¡¯s tail. He ran like the wind, keeping up with Eric with ease. Seeing that Eric was taking another break on a public bench, the boy waited behind the tree as his eyes still had the glow of the man¡¯s glare. Glaring in Eric¡¯s direction, he didn¡¯t sense that Leon was standing behind him. Leon grabbed the boy''s shoulder, and this resulted in the possessed boy to attempt a strike at Leon¡¯s face, to which he easily caught his fired arm. He grabbed the boy''s neck, lifting him up by his arm and neck with ease without the boy making a sound. When Leon brought the boy to his level, he looked soulless and empty.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the culprit to the man''s scare?¡±


    Leon increased the pressure of his clutch. This made the boy gasp for air, kicking the air as he tried to break free of his clutch. Leon furrowed his brows, and kept squeezing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯ll free you of your suffering.¡±


    The boy kicked a couple more times until a loud snap was heard. His legs dangled, so did his arms, and his head hung backwards. Leon then ignited his corpse, burning it into asunder. With his body being engulfed in flames, it only took a matter of seconds until he became nothing but ash.


    ¡°Who could¡¯ve done this?¡± he said as he watched the ash pile up on the ground. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do that to him, but there was no other option, sadly.¡±


    Once the last chunk of ash piled on-top of the charred mountain, a red spec came plunging up, and Leon quickly caught it. Once in his clutch, he knew exactly who and what this thing belonged to. It made his blood boil, ground his teeth, and crushed the spec, which reacted into an atom splitting explosion. He stopped it from spreading no more than ten feet, absorbing it and then releasing it through his feet like steam. He opened his hand, and let the last remnants of the spec to be blown away like red sparkles.


    ¡°This¡ªcan¡¯t be¡­ they¡¯re still alive?¡± he said.


    Leon looked up at the glowing orange sky, dawn was dying while nightfall approached. He scrunched his face, and blinked once, to then reveal a deep glint in his eyes as he balled his fists in rage.


    ¡°Those damn Witch cultists¡­ are back.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Jack~¡±


    A soothing gentle voice said, that of an innocent girl.


    ¡°Wake up¡­ Jack~!¡±


    The young man''s fingers twitched.


    Who-Who¡¯s that? He thought.


    ¡°My loving, Jack¡­ wake up, it''s time.¡±


    Time¡­ time for what? He wondered.


    ¡°Wakey wakey, my hero, my beloved!¡±


    Stop¡­


    ¡°If you don¡¯t wake up¡­ then your soul will forever be tainted by my envy, Jack Samr.¡±


    ¡°Mallory¡­ is that you?¡±


    ¡°JACK!¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes exploded, and he sat up. He panted, grabbed his head, and breathed heavily. After catching his breath, he noticed the air to be cool, and his surroundings to be pure white yet familiar. The ground felt solid but appeared cloudy, as if he were sitting on one. He got up on his feet, and patted himself, bringing his eyes straight ahead to the endless void of white cloudiness. He squinted his eyes as he brought his hands up to them, staring at his palms that have taken the lives of many. He closed them, lowered his hands, and deeply sighed.


    ¡°Am¡­ am I¡ªIn heaven?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re not my child.¡±


    This voice. Jack knew exactly who¡¯s voice this was. There could only be one person who had a strong ancient sounding English accent. He slowly looked over his shoulder and found William and Archard to be standing on a small platform with the huge screen behind them. This made Jack ball his fists, and grit his teeth, expressing his annoyance, anger, and confusion to the two.


    ¡°How dare you growl at us like that, you inconsiderate fool!¡± Archard exclaimed.


    ¡°Now now, Archard, he has every right to act this way. God only knows what he had to endure during the time we had lost touch with him. Oh, and we can¡¯t forget his unfortunate demise that we witnessed yesterday.¡±


    Hearing them talk so calmly, casually about the suffering he had to endure the past week fueled his returning hatred towards them. Jack took a step forward, showing them that he means business but also quaked in his boots. He was still afraid of these two power houses.


    Jack raised one of his fists, and shut his eyes. ¡°You sick bastards¡­ how could you speak so lightly of my suffering. And you mean to tell me you¡¯ve been watching this whole time?! And did nothing¡ªTO HELP ME!¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± William shouted, tapping his cane once on the ground that brought Jack to his knees.


    Archard smacked his lips in annoyance. ¡°Tch¡­ and this is the thanks he gives you sir William. To raise your tone at his mightiness? What a rude prude you are, Jack Samr.¡±


    William let out a sigh. ¡°Archard, quit with the ego talking, will ya? No need to act so high and dandy like we did on our first encounter. I think I¡¯m over that phase, I¡¯d prefer to speak to him with respect.¡±


    Archard crossed his arms. ¡°Suit yourself, I just don¡¯t like people of his status to speak so rudely to you, sir.¡±


    Jack can¡¯t handle this anymore, and slammed his head on the ground to get their attention again. This made William furious and tapped his cane again, raising his fist to Jack.


    ¡°Damn it boy! Don¡¯t be such a pellock and slam your head like some deranged junkie! Have you no shame?!¡±


    Jack brought his head up. He¡¯s been busted open and he defined the word deranged by his relentless growling and heavy breathing.


    ¡°William¡­ you lying bastard!¡± Jack shouted. ¡°You promised I wouldn¡¯t be hurt to this magnitude. Do you have any idea of how much suffering you had me experience?!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you speak of?¡± William replied, raising a brow.


    With his forehead bleeding, the blood covered one of his eyes, turning half his vision red, Jack growled more.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb! The pain, the suffering, the emotional damage I had to go through this whole week!¡±


    The young man shed a tear, and William responded to it by slightly gasping beneath his breath.


    ¡°But most of all¡­ watching someone I cared for come back to life and be killed in front of me¡ªin the way I had to witness¡­ that was the last straw!¡±


    ¡°Woah woah woah, slow down! Everything that you¡¯ve said up to this point is all new to me.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ how?! When you¡¯ve been watching me this whole time!¡±


    William marched forward so Jack could see just how serious he was.


    ¡°I already told you, I¡¯m not lying. Besides, what you say is right, we have been watching but only for the trials. But I will admit, we did lose contact with you a couple of days ago. That is why I said what I had to say.¡±


    Jack still can¡¯t believe his words, but he can tell when some ones lying by how much they blink, the way they might show certain body movements, or by not keeping eye contact. Despite all that, William has not shown any of those signs and he sounds just as genuine as he ever did. This made the young man subtle his anger and calm down a little bit.


    ¡°If what you say is true¡­ then explain to me why I¡¯ve died three times this week¡­¡±


    Hearing that made William¡¯s eyes grow big and take another foot forward.


    ¡°Three?! What do you mean by three, Jack?!¡±


    Jack got back on his feet, and wiped his face. ¡°You heard me¡­ three times I was killed.¡±


    This made the mighty Exorcist angry, but he didn¡¯t want to display it in front of Jack. He kept his mannerurism and profesionalism on full display. Instead he grabbed his chin, tilted his head, and one of his eyes slightly twitched as he brought his thoughts together.


    This friend of his that was resurrected and killed¡­ could that have been the name he said when he was finally brought back to us. William thought.


    William lowered his hand and his face was as serious as before.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest with you, I was expecting for you to meet death. But not to a child, but these other two, and the friend¡­ could you give a bit more detail?¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t sure if he could. He was hesitant, mainly due to him feeling that he still might be lying. But seeing, and hearing just how serious William  is, it rejoiced some of that trust back into Jack towards the mighty William. Jack crushed his hands, he wanted to bring his thoughts and emotions together before he was ready to answer the Exorcist. Feeling barely ready, the young man gulped, and took a deep breath.


    ¡°My first death, it happened the next day after our discussion. Two teenagers were setting a church ablaze, and one of them had stabbed me, leaving me to bleed. I lay there, coughing, feeling my life drain away, and soon after, the building began to collapse, and with it, the bell tower fell onto me.¡±


    The next day huh? That¡¯s exactly when I lost contact with him. William thought.


    ¡°My next death, it happened so suddenly. It took a couple of days for it to happen, but in those days, I reunited with a friend whom I lost when I was just a boy. But seeing that she was alive, and thinking that you had a part in her resurrection, the two days I spent with her were the most relaxing I had in years.¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me her name again, Jack?¡±


    Jack slowly balled his fists, and looked at William. ¡°Alexandria¡­ was her name.¡±


    ¡°And she was a childhood friend?¡±


    ¡°More or less, but to me, she was more than that. When I escaped Dr. Cato¡¯s facility with Angela, and ended up living in the streets. She was the first person who took us in and showed us how to survive.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so she was your first friend outside of your usual group before the events of those selfish men.¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Not only that, she was also someone I related to¡­ because she too was an addict¡ªjust like I was.¡±


    ¡°You two¡­ were addicts?¡± William muttered.


    Archard sensed his master¡¯s emotions starting to soften. It surprised him and he saw William¡¯s face starting to sulk, he was reminiscing at the moment.


    I knew someone who was an addict¡­ but I wasn¡¯t one. William thought.


    William clutched his cane, brought it up, and stared at it.


    This is all that I have left of them¡­ my closest, dearest friend¡ªand¡ª


    ¡°She also tried to teach me what it means to¡­ love.¡± Jack said.


    After hearing that, this made William¡¯s heart sink. He felt bad for Jack and frowned.


    ¡°She gave me a glimpse, examples, and upon her resurrection, a taste.¡±


    William had a small grin, and lowered his cane after hearing that.


    She also was his first actual lover¡­ hmph, poor boy.


    William scratched his face, and walked more forward to Jack.


    ¡°So what happened? What brought on your next demise with this old friend?¡±


    Jack¡¯s brain flashed a surge of images of that diner, bringing him to a complete state of silence. He placed one hand on his head, and turned away.


    ¡°Give me a second, the past¡¯s trying to call me again.¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Take your time.¡± William replied.


    Archard was next to his master, and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Sir William, that little story of his almost sounds like¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, Archard¡­¡± William shook his head, ¡°I couldn¡¯t help myself but remember in that moment. My apologies if I had you worried there.¡±


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s understandable, but I also realized why of all the people we¡¯ve conjured, helped, Exorcised, and put out of their misery: You¡¯re so willing to help this young man.¡±


    William smiled. ¡°So you¡¯ve noticed? And you know how I don¡¯t soften up to strangers either.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the two of you have some in common, and I think you see your younger self in him.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± William¡¯s smile faded, and he tilted his head. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± he murmured.


    Jack brought his attention back to the two, and took another breath.


    ¡°My second death was met by an unknown entity. I was having lunch with her, until a sudden explosion blackened my whole world. And when I woke up, I saw her lying dead under the rubble. I-I had to sever one of my legs to reach her to hope that she was just unconscious.¡±


    William and Archard both furrowed their brows, and were ready to hear the strange entity who had taken his life. William was thinking that this might be the culprit, but still had doubts.


    ¡°When I managed to do so¡­ I dragged myself to her, and once I realized that she was gone¡ªthe cloud of molten smoke in front of me expanded, and an enormous entity, taller than a grizzly bear if it stood straight up, stood behind the smokey screen¡­¡±


    Both men briefly looked at each other, and nodded.


    ¡°...I couldn¡¯t see what or who it was¡­ just the hellish glow of its pupils, and strange marking on what would be a neck were all that I saw behind that black smoke.¡±


    ¡°Marking? What marking?¡± William asked.


    Jack rewinded his thoughts to the morning Alexandria woke up with the same mark that illuminated off that monster that took his life.


    ¡°The strange thing about that mark is¡ªAlex woke up with that mark on her wrist. If I remember correctly, it was a combination of shapes: First a crescent circle that merged with a pyramid, but that¡¯s all that I could remember.¡±


    William tried thinking of anything that might cross his mind about Jack¡¯s detail of the marking. He tried thinking of encounters, talks, everything that he could, but what Jack provided wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Jack, what more could you give of this thing? That way, I can tell you what exactly took your life.¡±


    Jack shut his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the last thing that I saw was the stream of a laser sight coming from his direction¡­ and eventually landing, turning my vision red¡ªthen bang! I was dead¡­ again.¡±


    The hurt in Jack¡¯s voice, William can relate to what the boy had experienced. Losing someone close to you so suddenly, it reminded him of a couple of encounters hundreds of years ago. But this strange entity, just who was this thing that had taken Jack¡¯s life before William found him again?


    And from there, whatever altered history he was placed in was destroyed, and resurrected again to our current flow: Eventually leading to the butterfly effect of my own doing. Just what in the world is going on here? Who¡¯s interfering in my plans and getting in the way of God¡¯s flow.


    William deepened his gaze, gripping his chin.


    Whoever it is, like I mentioned before has a close relationship to God¡­ but not without that feeling of corruption tied to their soul.


    William tamed his suspicion and anger to make Jack feel safe. At this point going forward, the last thing William wants to do is scare, drive Jack¡¯s mind further into madness. He can sense that Jack¡¯s mind is just one tap away from being broken. The mighty Exorcist came to a conclusion, one that¡¯ll relieve stress off the young man''s back.


    ¡°Jack.¡±


    The young man opened his eyes again and brought his gaze back to the mighty Exorcist. He unballed his fists and sulked his shoulders.


    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡±


    William let out a quick sigh, and glanced at his partner. ¡°I¡¯m going to put a pause to your trials.¡±


    Archard was shocked to hear this. It had his jaw drop but more so on the fact that he¡¯s never seen or heard William this fonding of a stranger. Archard wiggled his lips but closed his mouth, and believed in his master''s decision. Even Jack was surprised to hear this. Ever since their first meeting, he¡¯s seen them as the villains, but as this journey went on, William has shown more to be of neutrality rather than the main antagonist. Yet his partner can¡¯t be said the same, Jack still believes he¡¯s still up to no good. And as time has shown, more enemies have appeared along the way. So all Jack could do now was listen and see what William had planned for next.


    ¡°Really? What for?¡± Jack replied, his voice sounding in defeat.


    ¡°After everything you¡¯ve gone through the past week, the last thing I want to do is drive you into a wall and break into the path of psychopathy.¡±


    William rubbed his jawline and slightly grinned.


    ¡°I want to give you a break. Yes we are watching but not in a weird way, more on your actions and what you¡¯re doing that¡¯ll lead up to your dumb decisions. So don¡¯t conclude that we¡¯ve been watching you 24/7.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay. But I got something to ask you, William.¡±


    ¡°Go on, ask to your heart''s content.¡±


    Jack hesitated, the voice of Samantha echoed again, this time of the short reveal of the existence of Sins and Virtues. But he had to know if what she said is true, and do the virtues exist or are long extinct like the others besides Samantha.


    ¡°Is it true that¡­ your party has birthed all the majority of Sins?¡±


    William paused and his cane dropped. Archard stepped forward, getting in Jack¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°How dare you accuse us of being the mass production of the original seven¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± William replied, which shut Archard up and made Jack¡¯s jaw mildly drop.


    William gently pushed his partner aside to get back in Jack¡¯s line of sight again.


    ¡°But who told you, Jackeline?¡±


    Jack moaned, and started to shake. But he swallowed his fear and tensed his body up.


    ¡°Aby¡­Abyzou did!¡±


    On hearing the name, William raised a brow of intriguing while Archard¡¯s eyes exploded upon hearing the reveal bomb. He ground his teeth, clenched his fists and marched forward. William felt Archard¡¯s intensity grow, his rage bursting through the bottom of his feet that released steam as hot as the sun. Jack put his forearms forward, William snapped his fingers to protect Jack¡¯s skin from being melted off their bones with a barrier. William would usually do something to ease his partner''s temper, but he wanted to see if his partner would say something about this, to give him an answer as to why he hates this woman so much.


    ¡°Aby-Abyzou!¡± Archard shouted, and soon after, their white dimension turned into sauna. ¡°How dare you say that name around me!¡±


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s your problem?!¡± Jack shouted as he fell backwards from the intense hot wind blowing around Archard''s feet.


    ¡°That damn devil, of course she would tell you to make us look like villains! I swear, I SWEAR I¡¯LL EVISERATE HER ONCE I FIND HER AGAIN!¡±


    Archard raised his clenched fists to his sides, his cape bellowed, his clothing fluttered from the intensity of his releasing might. It felt like Jack was experiencing a solar wind if he were a satellite drifting close to the sun. Never has the young man experienced such destructive force coming off of anyone thus far. William watched as his partner was starting to lose his cool, but he wanted to see if he''d say more.


    ¡°Samantha!¡± Archard yelled.


    He even knows her citizen name too?! Jack thought.


    ¡°You¡¯ll rue the day, you¡¯ll¡­ rue! For¡ªever playing with what makes me a man! You inconceivable Witch!¡±


    William placed his hand on his partner''s shoulder, squeezing it quickly and that knocked Archard out of his tantrum. Everything went back to the way it was, eerily quiet and empty. Archard shook his head, got on a knee, and panted. Jack coughed and the barrier around him went away. As the young man got on his feet, he couldn¡¯t stop shaking anymore. This guy Archard is the epitome of danger. If that was just a glimpse of his might, Jack didn¡¯t want to imagine what his full power was like. Despite that, William easily countered it with just the clutch of his hand, thus concluding even more to Jack Samr that he had not a single chance of ever beating these two.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough, Archard. If you continued you most likely would¡¯ve shattered my dimension and caused disruption to reality. And you would¡¯ve taken his life, you bellend.¡±


    Archard got back up and took a deep breath, rubbing his shoulder. ¡°My bad¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to, Sir William.¡±


    ¡°And yet you said I was ill mannered and hot headed when in fact you¡¯re just as worse as me!¡± Jack shouted.


    Archard looked away, smacking his lips.


    ¡°Now now, no more. What else did she tell you besides the existence of Sin holders being mainly Exorcists.¡±


    ¡°She also revealed the virtues that countered the sins. But, did you know all of them, William?¡±


    William frowned. ¡°Yes I did¡­ every single one of them, as well as the virtues and the four that exist today. And sad to say, all the Sin holders were close comrades of mine.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    So four virtues still Exist? Damn, more super powerful beings¡­ Jack thought. Holy cow, but that also means that if those holders are not here¡­


    ¡°Were you the one to take their lifes away?¡±


    William¡¯s face changed. It told Jack that it was a touchy subject and he looked hesitant to answer.


    ¡°Nevermind, you don¡¯t have to tell me.¡±


    William shook his head but grinned again. ¡°You¡¯re a strange boy, you know that? Jack Samr.¡±


    Archard butted in again, pointing at Jack. ¡°What else did you discuss with that Witch! Boy!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only for William to know, not you, but since you¡¯re by his side I have no choice but to tell you.¡±


    The young man blew his frustrations and fear out his mouth, and shook his body before answering.


    ¡°If you must know, I made a deal with her. A similar one to yours''s, William.¡±


    ¡°Oh?! Is it what I think it is!¡±


    Jack nods, ¡°Yeah, and that is to untie the connection with Mallory, the girl in my dreams and with the white dress.¡±


    William picked up his cane again, and smiled. ¡°Oh Jack, you¡¯re so na?ve. To make a deal with a holder of Sin without knowing the repercussions and their motives in a desperate attempt to get what you want¡ªIt¡¯s so bizarre of human nature but realistic.¡±


    ¡°W-What do you mean by that?¡±


    William twirled his cane, and pointed it at Jack¡¯s direction. ¡°Not only have you become an apostle to the holder of Envy, but if you stray away from her deal, her motive¡­ then you¡¯ll meet a fate worse than the deaths you encountered!¡±


    Archard raised the edge of his lip in disgust. ¡°Of course she¡¯d do something like that, why am I not surprised.¡±


    Jack expressed regret and sadness. ¡°So she really did lie to me¡­ damn it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Jack, you need not to worry! Remember who¡¯s watching. But I can¡¯t interfere too much since I forbid using our powers in reality, if only allowed by God. For now, Jack Samr, just do what she says and keep going forward.¡±


    Jack tilted his head down, and mildly raised his hands in defeat. ¡°What do I do now besides that?¡±


    ¡°Live life, Jack Samr. Everything will be alright, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Trust¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard to trust anyone at this point¡­ even now, I¡¯m starting to have doubts about the only person who I can actually rely on since their mother¡¯s a holder of Sin.¡±


    ¡°You mean your Witch friend, Sarah?¡±


    The doppelganger of Samantha¡­ Archard thought.


    Jack shrugged. ¡°I guess¡­ should I even trust her at this point?¡±


    William suddenly appeared in front of Jack, forcing the young man to step back by surprise. ¡°Jack, you need not to worry about her. She¡¯s just as genuine as you may think. When I met her, I knew she¡¯s someone whom you can trust. Besides, who else has been by your side ever since the reveal of the supernatural?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t respond, and looked just as depressed as before.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± William put his hand on the young man''s shoulder. ¡°I know you have your doubts, and it¡¯s realistic to have those feelings knowing that one of their parents is a devious being¡ªbut! Believe me, she¡¯s the one you want by your side at this point.¡±


    And someone who will only lead you down to a path of darkness, regret, and soon your demise! Archard thought as his arms shook in anger.


    Jack brought his gaze back to look into William¡¯s holy eyes. William¡¯s right, there wasn¡¯t anyone else he could trust besides her. She''s been by his side since her confession of also being a part of this nonsense. Despite her mother being the evil entity that she is, Sarah hasn¡¯t shown one ounce of this emotion like her mother has. Jack showed half a grin and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to send you back to the world, and you get a good rest. I don¡¯t know what your journey has in store for you now that you¡¯ve made a deal with the devil¡­ but! I know later on, we¡¯ll be involved in your fiasco as well since I!¡ªhave unfinished business with her despite meeting her once but only the mask hitting her true identity like you have, my dear boy.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ I believe you, William.¡±


    William tapped his shoulder which healed Jack of his open wound and backed off. ¡°Alrighty, I believe you. Now, when I clap twice, you¡¯ll be back in your room like if this was all just a dream.¡±


    ¡°Before you do that, William¡­ Do you know if anything¡¯s going to happen to me going forward? Since you knew of my death¡­ it¡¯ll just be nice to know so I can be prepared.¡±


    William slowly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t, and I¡¯m being honest. So whatever is bound to happen going forward will also be a surprise to me. So expect the unexpected, okay Jacqueline!¡±


    ¡°Not the name picking again¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit Jack!¡± William tucked his cane beneath his arm, and raised his hands. ¡°You ready?¡±


    Jack tucked in his lips and closed his eyes. ¡°Yeah, whatever¡­¡±


    Archard couldn¡¯t help but glare at the young man because he made a deal with someone he hated. He crossed his arms and ground his teeth, clicking them, smacking his lips to turn his head away, feeling shameful for the young man.


    ¡°What a pitiful gullible idiot.¡± Archard said, ¡°Just like I was his age¡­¡± he muttered.


    William clapped twice and Jack gasped, opening his eyes again to find himself back in his room. He looked around and quickly walked to his window, pulling one of the curtains to the side, and seeing that it was night time. The young man moaned and walked back to his bed, laying flat on it. His phone unexpectedly vibrated and he turned to it, it was oddly placed on his nightstand when it should¡¯ve been in his pocket.


    ¡°William¡­¡± he mumbled.


    Jack crawled to his phone, and saw twenty miss calls from Eric. He also saw five from Sarah, and thirty from his sister. There were others but they weren¡¯t of too much of an importance to him like Veronica or even Annabelle since it was just one missed call from each. When he was about to set it back down, it rang again and this time it was Sarah again. Jack dragged one of his hands on his face, and deeply sighed.


    ¡°Remember what William said,¡± he answered and placed his phone against his ear. ¡°Yeah Sarah?¡±


    Sarah was in her backyard, wearing just a hoodie, hugging her knees as she watched the night sky that was covered in a sea of stars, but one star stood out: The glowing giant that was Betelgeuse.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you answered, dummy.¡±


    Jack smirked, ¡°whatever, anyways, what¡¯s up?¡±


    She moved around in her seat, and stared deep into the orange star. ¡°We¡¯re back in the correct flow of time it seems.¡±


    ¡°Who told you that it was?¡±


    ¡°My mom, who else? Even though I¡¯m a little upset with her if I were being honest.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    She has no clue what her mothers up to. Jack thought


    Sarah yawned, ¡°well, anything you want to tell me that made this possible?¡±


    Jack groaned and moved around on his bed. ¡°Let''s discuss this tomorrow¡­ It''s been a long two days again. Is that fine?¡±


    Sarah grinned. ¡°You too huh?¡±


    ¡°What? You got some stuff to tell me too?¡±


    ¡°Mm, nah, it¡¯s none of your business for now. But uh, what¡¯s your plan going forward with the burden of those Exorcists on your shoulders? Anything new come out of it since your supposed deaths?¡±


    Jack blew steam out his nostrils as he stared at the ceiling. ¡°You have no clue, but to be honest Sarah, I don¡¯t know what to do now.¡±


    Sarah brushed some of her hair behind her ear, and smiled. ¡°Well, at this point, if there isn¡¯t anything else in the way, now''s just a matter of time. I guess for now Jack, just live life if there really isn¡¯t anything else.¡±


    Jack quietly gasped, and for a moment, pulled the phone off his ear.


    ¡°Live, huh?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°her too.¡± he whispered.


    ¡°Jack? Hello, earth to Mr. Darkness?¡±


    The young man pressed his phone back on his ear, and smiled. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes, ¡°you haven¡¯t fallen into insanity yet right?¡±


    ¡°Mm, no, not yet.¡± the young man sat up, ¡°say Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    Her sassy tone made Jack shake his head, but made the grin on his face grow bigger. ¡°Thanks for sticking by my side so far.¡±


    His compliment made Sarah¡¯s eyes mildly grow big, but fueled her ego a little. It made her place one of her hands on her wide hips and nod.


    ¡°As you should, Jack Samr!¡±


    Jack¡¯s grin faded, ¡°I really mean it¡­ I couldn¡¯t have asked for anyone else better, goodnight.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s smile also faded, and she blinked rapidly. This was the first time she¡¯s heard his tone so soft and serious. It actually made her heart skip a few beats, but she didn¡¯t mind it. She rolled her eyes again, a soft grinned emerged as she stared up at the sky again.


    ¡°Goodnight too you too, see ya tomorrow, Jack.¡±


    The two had hung up and the young man sat in darkness. He averted his eyes back to the window with the moonlight barely going through his curtains.


    ¡°Just live life, huh?¡±


    He tossed his phone to the side, and crashed backwards on his bed. Staring at his dark ceiling, Jack felt gassed out again after the long talk he had with William and his partner. Slowly, Jack began to shut his eyes and take a deep breath, starting to relax his body and his mind.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ we¡¯ll see about that.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 14: The Past In Which They Cant Escape

    The next day has arrived. The sun¡¯s blooming, birds are chirping, the grass is green. Despite it appearing to be a beautiful day in the making, one person''s face defined the season of Halloween from how spooked he looked. It¡¯s Eric, who¡¯s sweating his fear out on the couch. He''s in the living room, sitting, glaring at the T.V since the news was plastered of the devastation that took place yesterday. Angela was also present, she looked terrified on what happened and more notably from what her uncle had told her. Yet knowing the fact that her uncle confronted and was a part of the tragedy made her just as scared of what¡¯s to come next. Eric watched closely as downtown was still closed off, dozens and dozens of military and first responding men and women were doing everything that they could to clean up the mess caused by the unknown man. Reporters bombarded a group of scientists, military generals, and government officials on how this is possible and an explanation to the supernatural phenomenon. They repeated a short clip of the man, the same one who¡¯s responsible for the public to be in a panic. The clip showed him expressing his joy and new found fame, and eventually brought his gaze to one of the helicopters, and with just his glare, the helicopter was eviscerated.


    ¡°What the fucks going on¡­ who was that monster?¡± Eric said, standing up to his feet in frustration.


    ¡°Uncle¡­¡± Angela said, ¡°please relax¡­¡±


    ¡°Baby girl I can¡¯t, okay?! If you were there, and had to face death, you too would be stressed and scared out of ya mind!¡±


    Angela looked back at the news, ¡°I understand, but what makes it even scarier is that this is something that I¡¯d expect out of the manga and anime that I watch and read¡­¡±


    Angela reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She pulled up a dozen images of fights, powerups, supernatural phenomenon''s, anything that relates to the incident from all her favorited shows.


    ¡°But to see it become a reality, it¡¯s absolutely terrifying¡­¡±


    Eric paced back and forth, his arms were crossed, the big guy still can¡¯t believe he experienced that.


    ¡°I fucking hate¡ªhate! Spooky shit and stuff that can¡¯t be explained, fuck!¡±


    Angela has never seen her uncle this frightened and angry. It was almost scary, scarier even than the man who defied the laws of physics yesterday. With Eric¡¯s shouting and echoing his frustrations in the house, Jack had come out of his room. He was making his way to the living room where all the commotion was. He yawned, scratched his back and stretched his arms, trying to rub off his sleep.


    ¡°Damn¡­ can¡¯t you guys keep it down? What¡¯s with all the noise?¡±


    Both turned to the young man, and Angela immediately jumped out of the couch, running to her brother and embracing him. But this was no ordinary hug, it was filled with fear.


    ¡°Angela¡­ What''s the matter? Why are you shaking?¡±


    ¡°Look at the tely¡­¡± she responded, pointing at the television.


    Eric stomped towards his nephew, and got in his face. ¡°Why the fuck didn¡¯t you pick up your stupid phone yesterday?! Where the fuck was you man!¡±


    Jack appeared confused, wondering what¡¯s having them so spooked and worried.


    ¡°Dang man, chill. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Eric also pointed, and Jack brought his eyes to the television. He watched the repeated news clips, and the man responsible. It made him gasp, and narrow his eyes.


    ¡°What in God¡¯s name? What am I watching?¡± Jack said as he made his way closer to the television.


    The other two followed and Eric stepped beside him.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I was calling you¡­ I came face to face with that spooky ass freak!¡±


    Jack walked backwards, and crashed on the couch, placing one of his hands on his head. Even after all that he discussed with William yesterday and hoping things will simmer down, he had to wake up to something out of the ordinary again. This time it wasn¡¯t William or anyone else he could think of, it was something entirely new. He ground his teeth, feeling frustrated and stressed again.


    ¡°This-This can¡¯t be happening¡­¡± he covered his eyes, and grew annoyed. ¡°Just when I thought things were going to be fine for a while,¡± he muttered.


    Angela sat next to her brother, holding him again. ¡°What could it be, brother?¡±


    Jack tried thinking of why this may have happened. Even with all that William said, he wasn¡¯t expecting to meet more of the unknown the next day. He tried remembering more, figuring out if anything tied in with what he was told, showed. Anything would be great if it¡¯ll settle his mind. Then, he remembered the conversation with Samantha, and how there was something bound to happen. The hint she said, before he made the deal with her, and why she wanted his aid. Could this be the start of what she was trying to tell?


    ¡°Could this¡­?¡± Jack reached into his pocket, and grabbed his phone.


    ¡°Who you bout to call?¡± Eric asked.


    ¡°Who else?¡± Jack replied.


    Eric groaned, and waited to see who Jack¡¯s trying to get in contact with.


    Damn¡­ William¡¯s contact¡¯s not here. Should¡¯ve guessed since he¡¯s outside of our dimension currently. Jack thought.


    ¡°Sarah¡­¡± he murmured.


    Jack dialled Sarah, and waited for an answer. The phone rang, and rang, then it eventually went to voicemail.


    ¡°Damn, she ain¡¯t answering.¡±


    ¡°She?!¡± Angela said, her fear quickly disappearing as she pouted. ¡°You mean the goth girl?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah the goth girl, my friend, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Angela who was just in fear a moment again grew pity and jealous in less than a second. She puffed her cheeks out, looked away, crossed her arms, got up, and walked off all sassy-like. Eric rolled his eyes to his niece and ignored her pettiness.


    He pointed to Jack and wiggled his finger. ¡°Ah, good idea. Maybe her supernatural ass could explain what the fucks going on. Because until then, me and my bois ain¡¯t leaving our hood until this shit is resolved.¡±


    Jack chuckled, nervously. ¡°I can¡¯t blame ya, especially seeing the damage that monster¡¯s done to downtown.¡±


    Eric scrunched his face in confusion. ¡°Why don¡¯t you seem surprised at what''s going on? The hell¡¯s gotten your mind so desensitized to this?¡±


    Jack got up, patted himself, and groaned. ¡°As you said uncle, I¡¯m fucked up in the head. But there¡¯s no time to waste. We have to find something to calm our pussy asses down. So in the meantime, I¡¯ll go to her house instead and see if she can tell me face to face.¡±


    Eric twitched an eye to Jack. ¡°Who you calling a pussy?¡± he muttered.


    Jack walked to the front door, put his shoes on, and tried grabbing the car keys but they were gone. He looked over his shoulder to his uncle who watched him, waiting for him about something. Was it a realization of something? An exposure to more? By how Eric¡¯s face was expressing, it surely told Jack that he was anticipating something from his nephew. The young man opened the door, and saw their only car gone besides the fancy SUV that reminded him of the attack that took Randolph¡¯s life. Jack turned to his uncle, raised his arms, and hunched forward.


    ¡°Where''s the car?!¡± he shouted.


    Eric quickly sliced his neck. ¡°Its fucking gone! That scary motherfucker destroyed it!¡±


    Jack scratched his head and moaned in annoyance. ¡°God Dammit! Now I gotta take a taxi?!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah fucka, you best believe and you ain¡¯t taking my baby out! Better get yo ass moving now, we need answers!¡±


    Jack flung his arms at his uncle''s direction, and walked off. He dialed for a taxi and patiently waited for his ride. While he waited, his body started shaking, his fear had struck him like adrenaline. He frowned and felt scared all over again.


    ¡°God I hope Sarah and her family can help on this¡­ but I bet Samantha¡¯s well aware of what happened yesterday.¡±


    He deeply sighed.


    Let''s see what supernatural shit is in store for me.


    ***


    Inside his room that he loathed sharing with the holder of Envy, Sarah¡¯s father Leon was sitting on the edge of the bed, dwindling his fingers, and looked stressed. His eyes were erratic, he bounced one foot, the situation of him discovering that the cult that worshiped his wife is back, especially with the news report he saw of it this morning; He¡¯s never been this stressed out since last month. He rubbed the back of his neck and got up, walking over to his bookshelf. There he grabbed a black book that belonged to his wife, and opened it.


    ¡°That damn bitch¡­ what is she up to?¡± he said while closing the book.


    He put it down on the T.V stand and walked over to the window, pulling the curtain to the side.


    ¡°Just what the hell are they planning. Those lunatics, why would they attack the public and reveal themselves?¡±


    He squinted his eyes, and gripped the curtain.


    ¡°But why have¡ª¡®Him¡¯ of all people be the one to display the existence of the supernatural, why now?¡±


    Just then, his door opened and it happened to be Sarah, who¡¯s also surprised to see her father inside the room.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to interrupt your thoughts.¡±


    Leon wiped his stress off, and in place a soft grin emerged. ¡°You¡¯re fine, no need to be so apologetic with me all the time.¡±


    ¡°Right, anyways where¡¯s mom?¡±


    ¡°Beats me.¡± he quickly replied in a cold tone.


    ¡°Hehe, father is as cold as he looks. Well since you¡¯re the only parent I have here I¡¯m just here to tell you that my friend Jack¡¯s coming over.¡±


    ¡°Ja-Jack¡­?¡±


    That hesitation again with the mentioning of a male friend, it made Sarah raise a brow and grow a smug grin.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be an issue, right, father?¡± she asked while leaning all sassy.


    Sarah¡¯s father at first squinted, then an eye twitched, and lastly he rolled his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with him?¡±


    ¡°Dang, so blunt. And you need not to worry, he¡¯s just a good friend.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay.¡± Leon then felt someone''s presence that changed his face and tone. ¡°Sarah, I need you to leave.¡±


    Sarah at first thought he was being rude, but she also felt the same presence. ¡°Who¡¯s here? Father?¡±


    He didn¡¯t look serious, just tamed and calm.


    ¡°Please, it¡¯ll be quick,¡± he said.


    Sarah nods and leaves without asking further, closing the door. After the door was shut, a shadow that lurked in the corner came out, and rose, and exploded into John himself. He patted himself while his chain steampunk outfit rattled the metal on it and he didn¡¯t look like his usual self. Instead he appeared just as stressed, and Leon caught on.


    ¡°John, what¡¯s happening?¡±


    John let out an aggravated moan and went to his bed, laying flat on it.


    ¡°Man, what the fuck!¡± he shouted, looking like a child as he flailed his arms. ¡°Those goddamn Witch cultists are back, son of a bitch ass whores man! Like come one! And what a way to tell the world that we fucking exist! Scumbags I tell ya!¡±


    Leon sighed. ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that?¡±


    He crossed his arms and raised a brow to John. ¡°Don¡¯t you also have a cult that worships you?¡±


    John shot up and flailed his arms again. ¡°Yeah! But they¡¯re not attacking the public and killing innocent people¡­ uh, well, not all the time.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. Anyways, what are you doing here? You almost exposed yourself to my daughter.¡±


    John bounced his eyebrows. ¡°I should have, because she¡¯s stunning. I think she¡¯s just as gorgeous as your wife, hehe! She''s of age right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah she¡¯s eighteen but you¡¯re not getting your grimy fingers on her. I know your intentions and how that wicked mind of yours functions.¡±


    John whistled and glanced around. ¡°Not yet¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing nothing. But, back to the cult that worships your wife¡ªit seems like they¡¯re about to strike again.¡±


    ¡°Again?! Where!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but there¡¯s a huge surge of mana coming from the countryside. And it''s multiple. So I think we¡¯re going to see more than that brown haired red eyed bastard take part in the next attack.¡±


    Leon grew worried, but not about them, but about his daughter. The last that he heard of their existence were the times his wife plunged the world into its near end eighteen years ago. He shook his head and paced in front of the window, thinking of how he¡¯ll protect his daughter and not expose these sickos of their existence to her. So far her mother¡¯s doing a good job keeping them a secret, she even went as far as to cast a spell on Sarah¡¯s electronical devices for her not to find out. She has no clue of the attack that occurred yesterday to his knowledge, and he intends to keep them hidden if necessary.


    He stopped his pacing, looked at John, and got serious. ¡°I gotta teach her more of her mana in my way.¡±


    John got up and walked over to a family portrait of her and her mother. ¡°But haven¡¯t you been doing that as of lately already?¡±


    ¡°Eh, just the basics, and it was only two sessions.¡±


    ¡°Then what the hell have you been doing this entire time?¡±


    Leon expressed a soft smile, ¡°taking your advice stupid. I¡¯ve been getting to know my daughter.¡±


    When John heard that, it really made the mysterious man smile ear to ear. He jumped with joy and gave Leon a bro hug, and shook his hand.


    ¡°Holy cow! I¡¯m so proud of you! Please, enlighten me on how far you two have gotten along?¡±


    Leon chuckled beneath his breath.


    ¡°A bit too quick for my pacing.¡± Leon backed off, and walked to the photo of his daughter. ¡°But despite the few hiccups we¡¯ve endured these past weeks. It confirms that she¡¯s nothing like her mother. Actually, she takes more of me than anything, and I couldn¡¯t be happier.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful! Outstanding my friend! But hold up¡­ when you say take, does that mean your unstable emotions too?! Cause if that¡¯s so, and combined with Samantha¡¯s DNA¡­ that is a recipe for disaster!¡±


    Leon shrugged. ¡°That I don¡¯t know. Although for you to question that, it doesn¡¯t surprise me in the bit since you know me more than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding. You¡¯re a fucking bomb waiting to explode given the circumstance.¡±


    Leon knew exactly what John was referring to. It made him rethink his past actions, especially on his old sadistic nature. He could remember clearly how much of a monster he was when he snapped and couldn¡¯t control his sadistic tendencies and power. By nature, he¡¯s a calm, shy man who likes to be alone, but once those barriers are broken, getting a thirst of blood and whoever was in his way, supernatural being or not, would ultimately lose their life by his wretched hands. This was a secret he¡¯s kept to himself, one he never wants to show, especially to his daughter who sees him just as a quiet, shy, and miserable man. He¡¯d rather have that assumption than his berserk side.


    Leon grabbed the photo of his daughter and stared at it while his eyes quivered. ¡°John¡­ could you remind me of the last time I went berserk?¡±


    John went to the window and looked out, and saw the city far out with a cornucopia of helicopters surrounding the area. John definitely remembered his last berserk Ing state, in which he took the lives of recruiting Witches, and Esper''s in a tournament he held to help his friend find that special someone to ease that bombish anger. And once he found the Ying to his Yang, he thought he did the right thing, but it sadly resulted in the man John knows today: A miserable businessman who loathes the love of his life and damns his own existence.


    John deeply sighed and looked over his shoulder to Leon who¡¯s eyes were glued to the picture frame of his young daughter. He grinned and brought his gaze back to the city.


    ¡°Of course, but I think that might have to wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm, why so John?¡±


    John¡¯s gaze was quickly caught by a young man, a tall guy with a scar on his right cheek. He knew exactly who was walking up to his friend''s door, and it made his guilty amusement bring out a huge sadistic grin on his face.


    ¡°There¡¯s a boy here, and I think it might be for your daughter¡¯s friend.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Leon quickly went to the window, pushing John to the side. ¡°Is that?¡±


    It was Jack who stood in the middle of the walkway. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed it. Leon sensed danger from his soul, and the darkness that lurked within it. It made him narrow his eyes, sharpen a glint in them as he observed this mysterious young man that his daughter¡¯s taking a liking to. Although his soul told him darkness, he can tell by the look on the young man''s face but more notably those dead fish eyes were saying that he¡¯s seen more misery than most people. Leon knew exactly what his face and eyes told especially, and that was that this young man had faced and endured death more than once.


    ¡°So this is Jack?¡± he said in a serious cold tone.


    John also can sense the same thing his friend was. ¡°So that¡¯s his name? What an interesting individual I must say.¡±


    The two glared at him as he patiently waited. After a minute of intense staring, they saw Sarah walk out, and the darkness in his heart erupted, and they could see that it wanted to lurch out and attack Sarah. What the two were sensing was no ordinary blackness, but¡ª


    ¡°Envy¡­¡± Leon said.


    ¡°Whoever has claimed the young man''s soul, most certainly doesn¡¯t want him around other attractive women. I mean, you feel that? Pure, unadulterated, jealousy. It¡¯s almost as bad as your wife, hehe.¡±


    John let out a snort laugh, but Leon remained serious, watching their interaction. The two conversed, and then his daughter began to act sassy towards him, and it made him gasp. The lurking blackness inside of Jack was being overtaken, controlled by something else, and he knew exactly what it was.


    ¡°That stupid son of a bitch¡­¡± Leon murmured.


    John caught on to what he sensed and he was more than interested in staying to watch the show.


    ¡°Is that your wife''s mana inside of him too?! Holy hell! What in God¡¯s name has this young man gotten himself into. This-This is a must watch on my part!¡±


    Leon smacked his lips and wanted to confront the young man.


    ¡°John, I¡¯ll be back. I¡¯ve got to meet this kid and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shake his hand? Oh I know exactly what you want to do my friend.¡±


    John leaned against the wall, and waved to his friend.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯ll just watch from here and enjoy the show, hehe!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Leon turned around and hurried out the room and went downstairs. Once he got through the living room, and to the front door, he gripped the door handle so hard he almost broke it off.


    ¡°Relax, stay calm, don¡¯t let your emotions take advantage of you now.¡±


    Slowly, he began to open the door.


    At the same time, Sarah was poking at Jack, and could sense something new about him. The young man is weirded out and watches as his tiny friend tries her best to discover as to why she¡¯s sensing this feeling.


    ¡°Jack, there¡¯s something off about you. Despite that horrible stench you have¡­ I also can sense something else.¡± Sarah said while circling Jack.


    Jack scratched his head and rolled his eyes sarcastically. ¡°Really? I wonder why?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s strange, I mean I can¡¯t explain it, but it feels sort of similar to¡ª¡±


    Then, their attention turned to the front door that creacked opened. Sarah gasped and stood next to Jack, swallowing. Jack was confused as to why Sarah suddenly got nervous and protective of him. The door eerily opened and Jack saw a man standing, and upon first glance, just by looking at him, it gave him chills. The man came out of the soft shadow, and revealed himself to be Sarah¡¯s father, a tall white man with a glare so intense, Jack thought he was being swallowed by it. He approached the two slowly, and Jack could see his stone cold blue eyes glare at him, menacingly. Jack blinked once, and his eyes shook as well as his hands.


    This¡­ is¡ªher father? What an intimidating guy¡­ Jack thought.


    Sarah¡¯s father kept his gaze on Jack and raised a finger to him. Sarah stepped in front of his aim without saying a word, but she too looked just as afraid for Jack¡¯s well being.


    ¡°Boy¡­¡± he said, his tone strong, deep and just as cold as his stare. ¡°Explain yourself as to why you¡¯ve made a contract with¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father squinted and furrowed his eyes, raising the edge of his lip.


    ¡°Aby¡­zou.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew gigantic. Sarah tilted her head, confused as to who this Abyzou was that her father just said.


    How does he know that I made a deal with Sarah¡¯s mother?! Jack thought.


    ¡°Sarah, step aside, I need him to answer me as to why he has done such a preposterous thing.¡±


    Sarah can sense her father¡¯s anger swelling up. She had to act fast and think of why he¡¯s being so mysterious to her friend.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Father, what¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s just my friend Jack, the one I told you about. And what are you talking about? Have ya met before or something?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s father approached them, and she wanted to stand her ground, but didn¡¯t want to fuel his anger. She stepped aside and waited on what he''d do. Jack quivered with fear as Sarah¡¯s father stood and towered over him. As the two stared at each other, to Jack, it was similar to staring at a block of ice just how cold his gaze was, not to mention even being close to him made him feel chilly. Goosebumps rose, but he didn¡¯t want to show weakness to the father of his close friend. He mustered some courage, and carefully put his hand out.


    ¡°Ni¡­ce to meet you, Sarah¡¯s father.¡±


    Leon kept his stone face, but shook the young man''s hand, and once their skins met contact, he had his questions answered. He closed his eyes for a moment, deeply sighed and let go. Sarah watched with her mouth open, and she looked just as surprised as Jack did.


    Jack gulped. ¡°This is¡­ surreal, just¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a proper one on one conversation, boy. But for now keep quiet. I don¡¯t want Sarah to find out who her mother actually is. Do you understand?¡±


    Jack¡¯s mouth was half open, the bottom of his lip bounced while he did everything that he could to maintain composure.


    ¡°Yes sir¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s speechless. He couldn¡¯t believe that he could also read his mind just like Sarah¡¯s mother could. Now the young man felt regret on ever coming here. At this point he¡¯s even considering a way to get in touch with William to start the trials again just to get away from Sarah¡¯s family. But now that Leon shook the young man''s hand, he knew that he meant no harm to his daughter. Once relief came into the picture, stress creeped back into his senses once he felt the presence of bitchery. Leon looked over Jack¡¯s shoulder and his face changed to utter repulsion and annoyance.


    ¡°Speak of the fucking devil herself¡­¡± Leon muttered.


    Samantha had just arrived with a paper bag of groceries in her tiny arms. She saw all three standing there, and she was more than curious as to what¡¯s happening. At first glance it looked like a nice meeting and introduction from their daughter trying to explain as to why she has a close male friend to their father. But the more she wrapped her mind around to what¡¯s happening, it made that devilish personality of hers grow with amusement and utter curiosity. She walked up to the three and appeared to be struggling with the paper bag which caught the attention of Jack and Sarah.


    ¡°Oh dang it. This bag¡¯s just too heavy for lil o me! Honey, could you please grab it and take it inside for me?¡± she said in that soothing tone of hers while winking at her husband.


    Leon frowned deeply, but no matter how much he loathed his wife, he couldn¡¯t say no. He went up to her and grabbed the bag out of her arms. She responded to his mannerism by grabbing one of his hands that made him look away in anger and shame. She giggled and peaked around his tall and medium built figure to lay her gaze upon Jack.


    ¡°Hey, Jack! How¡¯ve you been? Feeling better now?¡±


    Just hearing her voice and her tone being so innocently soft, gentle, and casual irritated Jack, more notabtly from the thoughts that lingered of William exposing the truth behind her contract.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, thanks for asking.¡± he replied, but not without furrowing his brows.


    ¡°Marvelous! I think this calls for a nice family dinner! How about it, honey?¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡± Leon replied.


    Samantha giggled again and massaged his arm. Sarah watched as her mother played her act, and for the first time, felt annoyed by it. Jack felt the sad aura coming off of Sarah and decided to do something that might cheer her up.


    ¡°Hey Sarah,¡± Jack asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Jack?¡± Sarah replied.


    Jack grabbed Sarah¡¯s tiny hand, and smacked it. She held her hand, massaged it, and punched the young man on the arm in response to his weird action.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± she said, shooting her lips out in confusion.


    Jack shrugged. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ it¡¯s all I could think of to cheer you up.¡±


    Again, Sarah¡¯s heart skipped a few beats to which she replied by bumping her elbow to his side. He massaged it but grinned, feeling glad that his quick thinking worked despite it being random. Sarah¡¯s father looked over his shoulder and saw the cute smile on his daughter''s face as the two were playfully poking, punching at each other. This made him substantially lower the suspicion he had towards Jack because he can sense that the emotions he was emitting were genuine and not artificial. Samantha was more than pleased to see this, it brought so much joy to her amusing sadistic nature that she couldn¡¯t help but drag Leon with her to them. At first he was furious, wanting so desperately to explode and surprise her with an attack, but as she dragged him, he felt time rewind to their first encounter.


    He can remember exactly what scenario was being replayed. It was during a meeting with all Witches and Esper''s, he was arguing, ready to explode upon a fellow rival until she came in and intervened. She got in between the two, pushed the other away. And once her crimson eyes laid on his, in that moment his anger had been tarnished. He never felt so relaxed in his life and calm by someone''s gaze that it completely froze him. When she saw that he had calmed down by her grasp, it made her giggle, tilted her head, grabbed his arm, and dragged him away from the scene. Once he was able to unfreeze himself, it was too late as he was being dragged away by someone who has not only calmed him down, but managed to soften his stone heart. It almost brought a tear to his eye but once he was back in reality, he pulled his arm off her clutch, and lowered his head.


    ¡°No need to be so hard in front of your daughter''s friend, Leon.¡± she said, bringing out an adorable smile.


    Leon ground his teeth, looked away, and stood in silence.


    John had been watching from their bedroom, being entertained but hated seeing his close friend be teased and humiliated by someone he grew to hate. And all this circled back to him, because in the end, it was John who was the one who introduced Abyzou to the clan of Witches and eventually, to his friend Leon.


    ¡°Oh my dear friend Leon¡­ how far you¡¯ve come from the monster you used to be.¡±


    John wiped the window, and furrowed his brows.


    ¡°I can remember exactly how I was first introduced to a monster such as yourself.¡±


    John began to remember the first time they met, and how quick they got along despite Leon being quiet and hotheaded. But as time went on, on an unfortunate night, John saw what his new friend was capable of. Something angered Leon and awakened his rage, a night he¡¯ll never forget.


    ¡°Those poor souls¡­¡± John muttered.


    It was in the middle of a clear night in the late eighties. The two were on a mission to investigate more of Witchcraft in the slums of Rio Brazil. But suddenly, at midnight, a sphere of mana in the shape of a volleyball, its colour was magma, had shot out from the top of the mountain of Corcovado in Rio De Janeiro, where the giant statue of Jesus was located. Once it made an impact on the atmosphere in the city, it wiped out not just the city, but the entire surface continent of south and central America. At the top of the statue was John and Leon, and Leon was the culprit behind it. The anger that triggered him turned him into a maniac that laughed his lungs out, his crazed nature echoing into the night sky, like a complete psychopath while the earth below them was flattened, and vaporized.


    Never has John seen someone''s eyes so empty, hollow, and filled with joy at the same time after committing such a heinous act. John had completely froze from the destruction he had witnessed right in front of his teal eyes. He thought that his friend was finished, but Leon powered up more, summoned spheres of mana around his hands and flew up in the sky, ready to do more harm. John broke free from his fear and managed to catch him, hold him in his arms, doing his best to calm his friend down. In that struggle embrace, during the midst of controlling a doomsday device that was his friend, John tried thinking of anything to stop him. Thankfully, he did and with the help of his own special abilities and the spell he used to ease his temper, he managed to do so.


    After that night, I had to call William to undo his damage. But not without some type of catch. Since William is a man of God and his soul duty was to not intervene with reality as much as possible, it was a task I had to eventually take upon myself. Nothing''s free despite us getting along so well and being opposite sides of the same coin. John thought.


    John''s eyes were locked on Leon as he watched his friend struggle to calm his anger, but once he saw Abyzou place her hand on his forearm again, that anger was gone.


    You¡¯re the ultimate destroyer, born with the strength and clout, a being worthy of being called a God of destruction, but there was always something far darker, more devious, horrible, violent within your soul, Leon¡­


    John¡¯s mind flashed another memory where Leon went completely berserk again and attacked a HQ of Exorcists in Europe. All forty who were on par with John at the time all met their demise in the hands of Leon as he floated above their sanctioned ruined city, his menacing magma aura lighting the blackened smokey sky into red and illuminated blood on the ruined grounds below. When John was the only one left in the aftermath, Leon attempted on murdering him, and John¡¯s life almost came to an end as well as his vision. Thankfully, one of the only alive Seven Virtues stopped him and when everything settled, William appeared alongside a woman that he was very close with. John couldn¡¯t tell too much who this Virtue being was because of how blurred, darkened his vision had been. It also didn¡¯t help that his own blood covered his other eye, but he could tell that this being was a force to be reckoned with. In the aftermath, he was scolded by William again and he told John that if something like this happens again, then he¡¯ll have no choice but to take it in his own hands and also do the same to him.


    I did everything that I could to control that unstoppable power of yours that¡¯s fueled by your rage. Everything, Leon¡­


    John¡¯s hand began to tremble.


    But in time, you began to scare me so much. Just standing by your side felt threatening¡­ I couldn¡¯t resolve that treacherous anger of yours without the involvement of William and his Virtues because eventually, if all my odds would fail as he said lastly¡­ then he would have no choice but to kill you and me.


    Seeing the other three talk, converse, the two women chuckle and Jack sighing brought back memories of that tournament he held to find more recruits to his clan. But the whole idea behind it was not for recruitment, but to find something, or someone that can tame the destructive beast.


    ¡°I had no choice but to hold that tournament to think of something to tame that anger¡­ and then¡ªshe came along.¡±


    John brought his gaze to Abyzou, and a sharp glint grew within it.


    ¡°I knew the day she first showed up, she was indeed a gifted supernatural being, but there was more to her than met the eyes as we all got to know her and her involvement in the tournament.¡±


    Another scene flashed before his eyes, one with John absolutely destroying, killing his competition during the tournament without anyone trying to stop him. The strongest beings there were no match and the judges were too afraid to stop him. His horrible diabolical laughs echoed in the stadium, leaving the audience dead silent, fearing for their life''s.


    The months prior to that day, I knew from their first interaction, that she might be the key to tame that power hungry anger.


    The day that came to mind was the semi finals. After destroying a double team and killing them, John and another close friend took it upon themselves to control Leon¡¯s psychopathic nature after he killed his next and final opponent. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to be announced, only sudden death. That was the final straw for everyone, and it sent the crowd into a panic. After he was finished brutalizing his friend when he tried to stop Leon from killing one of the judges, John tried casting his spell to stop him as he always did, but he was caught in his grasp, and almost met his death.


    I thought I was going to meet my end¡­ until¡ª


    ¡°She stepped in¡­ and with just her touch, he let out a gasp, and his ravenous nature completely faded away.¡±


    Once Leon let John go and allowed him to catch his breath, he saw just how hypnotized his friend was by Abyzou¡¯s soothing gentle nature and swallowing gaze.


    Despite almost meeting death that day, and in the aftermath of the chaos, ultimately I was given birth to a wondrous idea¡­ or so I thought.


    John¡¯s glint grew bigger towards her and he balled his fist.


    If I knew she would¡¯ve turned out to be more of a monster than you, Leon, having turned you into the miserable man that you are today¡­ then I would¡¯ve never invited her to the clan of Witches and have you meet her bewitching nature.


    As John got on his feet, his clothing shredded, blood covering his face, grabbing his right arm, he watched as she eased and brought Leon back to reality with her lusting gaze. She placed one hand on his cheek, and another on his arm, never has he witnessed a person tame a beast to this level. Just watching him sulk and drop his guard entirely, it only confirmed one thing to John and how his anger was able to be defeated.


    ¡°At that moment, I knew that you had fallen in love¡­ and you still are, my dear friend, Leon.¡±


    John chuckled and saw Leon clenching his fist, grounding his teeth while battling his emotions.


    ¡°You may loathe the woman, but deep down inside, you know that you still love her. Heh, hopefully one day you¡¯ll overcome that treacherous power and defeat the demons that are buried inside your soul. That way, you can fester and enjoy life as normal as you wanted it to be, as you always dreamt of.¡±


    John stepped away from the window and sighed. He placed his hands on his hips and slowly turned around. He grinned and standing at the closed door was Samantha herself with a huge smile on her face. John shook his head and couldn¡¯t help but grin further.


    ¡°Samantha, surprised to know that I was watching you guys?¡± John said.


    Samantha approached John and softly blinked in amusement. ¡°What has brought you into my home today besides seeing my wondrous family?¡±


    ¡°I was just talking to John that¡¯s all, well until that young man made his presence known when he approached your door.¡±


    ¡°Mm, what were you guys talking about?¡±


    John raised one of his hands and extended a finger, wiggling it. ¡°You know, it¡¯s really freaking spooky when you do stuff like that! One moment you¡¯re there and the next you¡¯re behind me and asking me questions. Jeez! You¡¯re frightening!¡±


    Samantha rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever John, anyways please answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Alright alright. Ahem, I was here to warn John of the Witch cultists that worship you, and tell him that they¡¯re planning to attack again.¡±


    Samantha raised a brow, ¡°worships me? What are you talking about?¡±


    John was surprised to hear her reply. It made both his eyes pop out and flung his head backwards. He nodded and placed his hands again on his hips.


    ¡°You¡¯re not messing with me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°Nope, not one bit. I was aware of this planned attack, but to hear that there¡¯s a cult that worships me? That¡¯s quite hard to believe.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay. Anyways, if you must know, they¡¯re planning to inflict another catastrophe in three days. I don¡¯t know when or where, but I was informed by a messenger of mine. So you also better be ready for whatever¡¯s about to occur.¡±


    ¡°Really? Mm, that is a bit annoying.¡±


    ¡°Well besides that, I thought you knew of their existence since I¡¯m assuming and what your husband has told me is that your daughter has zero clue to what¡¯s occurred.¡±


    Samantha frowned and crossed her arms, walking up to the window and watching the three converse.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about me sealing my daughter away from anything out of the ordinary. But I had no idea that they were cultists that worshipped me?¡±


    ¡°How about this, let me rephrase that worshipping statement.¡± John¡¯s eyes narrowed and he frowned. ¡°Who they must worship is not you, Samantha from whom we speak with and see, but Abyzou, the birthed Sin of Envy and rightful holder.¡±


    Samantha sighed and appeared annoyed. ¡°Is that so? How stupid.¡±


    She saw Sarah talk with her father with a huge smile on her face, appearing to explain her relationship with Jack while he looked on the fence. This made Samantha softly smile but knew that the three were sharing a bond she couldn¡¯t relate to.


    ¡°Whatever they or the world thinks¡­ I¡¯m not affiliated with them. I want nothing but the safety of my family and being able to see¡ªthat¡­¡±


    Samantha placed one of her hands on the window, bumping her head against it as she watched the three get along.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ one day¡­¡± she mumbled.


    John can sense the jealousy coming out of her pores. The air felt sad and regret was eminent once he saw Samantha¡¯s eyes quivering from the reflection of the mirror.


    ¡°Samantha, I¡¯ll tell you this.¡± John said.


    She slightly looked over her shoulder, only the edge of her face was revealed to John.


    ¡°Even in this wretched world, the most sinful can be forgiven by the God that can¡¯t be seen by our naked eyes¡­ even monsters like you can be granted happiness if proven enough by his mighty eyes.¡±


    Samantha lightly gasped and fully turned her body to John, only to find the spot where he once stood to be clear. She grinned and turned back to the window, seeing her husband squint his eyes to the young man and appeared jealous. This made her giggle and eventually it transitioned to laughter.


    ¡°John is right¡­ I am a monster.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s laughter died down until she went completely silent, and a tiny tear slowly began to emerge in one of her eyes.


    ***


    It¡¯s near the end of the day, the sun¡¯s dying out, night is easing in from the horizon, and Jack¡¯s still around, notably in the backyard, bathing beneath the dawning sky. He just finished having a meal with their family. Right now he¡¯s alone, sitting in one of the benches in the backyard, watching the evening sky fade out. During dinner, Jack was asked many questions by Sarah¡¯s father, such as his hobbies, what he does for work, when he graduated school. Poor Jack felt the pressure of the man''s intimidation, his strong glare made him quake in his seating. The young man even cowardly answered him with lies to make himself appear decent. Jack knew Sarah¡¯s father wasn¡¯t buying what he was telling him. Sarah eased the tension by talking about how Jack saved her from being potentially kidnapped by a bunch of hooligans before the young man was sent back in time. This made her father¡¯s eyes pop, and give him a nod of approval. Jack felt relieved and thanked Sarah for that.


    ¡°Man¡­ I hope he doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m just a degenerate failure¡­ even though that¡¯s what I am.¡±


    The young man hunched forward, and slowly shook his head.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ a fool, and the biggest failure of them all.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, boy.¡±


    The deep voice made Jack jump straight up, and turn round to see her father standing at the slide door. He stayed frozen and gulped. Leon closed the slide door and walked to Jack, then took a seat on a chair.


    ¡°For someone so young, you speak too low about yourself. You¡¯re much too young to think such saddened thoughts.¡±


    Jack hung his head, and rubbed his hands. ¡°Easy for you to say. But, nevertheless, I don¡¯t know what else to do going forward, sir.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Leon glanced at Jack, ¡°where¡¯s my daughter?¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh she went for a quick stroll to ease her mind.¡±


    ¡°Alone?¡± he said while squinting an eye.


    ¡°Yeah, she wanted to though.¡±


    Leon sighed. ¡°Either way you never allow a woman you¡¯re close with to walk alone, especially in the dawning of night. Do I have to remind you what state and city we¡¯re in?¡±


    Jack rubbed his jaw, and quickly shook his head. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? Trust me, I wouldn¡¯t allow it either¡­ but Sarah doesn¡¯t need me. She¡¯s much stronger than I.¡±


    ¡°You may think that because of her abnormal abilities, but you know she¡¯s forbidden to use them in our reality. I know she¡¯s broken those rules slightly, but the point is, just because she can, doesn¡¯t mean you can rely on that abnormality of hers. In the end, Jack, she¡¯s still a small fragile young girl, and she must be protected, no matter what.¡±


    Jack knew Leon was right, but he can¡¯t help but think differently about it. What could Jack do to protect someone like Sarah? The girl alone can destroy the planet if she chooses to if she¡¯s similar to her mother. But, he¡¯s right, and Jack did enact an agreement to protect her by her mothers contract. Even without the contract, he still would enact on protecting her.


    ¡°Spoken like a true father¡­¡± Jack murmured. ¡°You really care about Sarah, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked.


    Leon brought his gaze to the woods, and frowned. ¡°It wasn¡¯t always this way.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    Leon hunched forward and collapsed his hands together, resting them on his knees. He reflected on the times he was isolated from Sarah and her mother, watching them year on and on, seeing them grow closer while he remained alone and suffered. His mental state so many times wanted to inflict suicide to end his horrible life of isolation. Yet something inside his heart didn¡¯t want him to take his own life. There was always something that remained inside his wretched soul, knowing that someday he can get along with his own flesh and blood. Now that that has become a reality, it¡¯s made the time he¡¯s lost worthwhile because he finally is able to get along with his daughter. Despite the contract he¡¯s made with Samantha before their marriage, Leon knows that whatever happens to him going forward, he¡¯s happy that he¡¯s able to enjoy this time in his life, all because of Sarah.


    ¡°Our families, complicated. I¡¯m not sure if Sarah¡¯s ever mentioned our relationship, but it wasn¡¯t always like this.¡±


    Jack lay back on the bench, ¡°now that you mention it¡­ she did talk about it once a while ago. I think I called her strange because how could you live in the same house and not know your only child? I mean, that¡¯s ridiculous in my opinion.¡±


    Hearing Jack¡¯s statement made Leon chuckle beneath his breath.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but when you live in the same house with the most evil thing alive¡ªthen it¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right about that. But you¡¯re much more frightening than your wife, if I¡¯m being honest, sir.¡±


    Leon sat straight again, and raised the edge of his lip, clicking his teeth.


    ¡°Hmph. Now then, on a similar topic to my evil wife¡­ Why did you form a contract with her?¡±


    ¡°Gek¡­ damn you¡¯re really good at this huh? How can you tell?¡±


    ¡°Your soul has her essence wrapped around it. Not only did you form a contract with the devil, but you became an apostle of hers too? How na?ve are you, boy.¡±


    Jack flailed his arms forward, and placed one on his head. ¡°Look, if you were in my situation then you¡¯d do anything to get rid of the burden that¡¯s been weighing down your shoulders this far in life.¡±


    ¡°Something tells me that you¡¯ve also formed other deals with other entities because of how desperate you sound. Whatever the case may be, I would never form a contract with a random entity that reeks of malicious and wicked intent.¡±


    ¡°Well that would be easy if I were like you folks!¡± Jack¡¯s eyes sulked, and he deeply sighed, feeling disappointed. ¡°But I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m just a normal guy who happens to be caught in everyone''s mess all of a sudden.¡±


    Leon could hear the hurt in Jack¡¯s voice. He may not know much about Jack, but from his eyes and that scar on his cheek, he could tell that he¡¯s gone through so much. He sensed it earlier and even Leon can relate to what Jack feels: Being alone, not knowing what to do in life, whom he can and can¡¯t trust. This was something he also experienced when he found out he wasn¡¯t normal like everyone else.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, Jack. What led up to you discovering the supernatural, but more notably, that black wretched stench that lingers off your soul.¡±


    Jack looked at Leon, and a small grin appeared on his face.


    ¡°To make a long story short, it all started with a girl in a romantic white dress¡ªwho devoted this unbreakable bond between us. At first she haunted my dreams, made my life a miserable stressful hell, but in the end¡­ she was always there when I needed someone. More importantly, she¡¯s also the only one who¡¯s aided me in fighting the supernatural.¡±


    Leon gripped his chin. ¡°Girl in a romantic white dress¡­ does she have a name?¡±


    Jack was hesitant to answer. He didn¡¯t know if he can tell Leon and if he did, will Jack again suffer a similar consequence like he has every time he tried telling anyone else. The only person so far he¡¯s managed to say it without repercussion is both William and Samantha. Balling one of his fists, he clenched his butt, closed his eyes and took in a breath. He released it out and felt ready.


    ¡°Ma-Mall¡ª¡±


    The black inside Jack shot out, and quickly Leon caught it with his hand.


    Jack turned back to Leon after he felt chest heavy. He saw Sarah¡¯s father gripping the air, and a glint had appeared in his eyes. Jack coughed and wondered what he was doing.¡±


    ¡°My bad¡­ I don¡¯t think I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Say the name, and I¡¯ll assure you that you¡¯ll be fine, Jack.¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Ma-Mallory¡¯s her name!¡±


    The black trail that happened to be in Leon¡¯s clutch squirmed back into Jack¡¯s body. Again the young man violently coughed but this time there wasn¡¯t a sign of black substance coming out of his mouth. He felt relieved and when he turned back to Leon, he was on his feet and went up to the young man, putting his hand on Jack¡¯s head.


    ¡°Wh¡­at are you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Relax, this will only take a second. I have two things to combat, so I need as much silence as I can possibly get.¡±


    Jack swallowed and drew a sweat. He waited, and even held his breath to allow Leon to do whatever he had in mind. Sarah¡¯s father narrowed his eyes and squinted them, he was in complete concentration. As he focused on Jack¡¯s tainted soul, that blackness inside of him exploded and wanted to lash out on Leon, but Samantha¡¯s contract intervened, twisting her mana around it and holding it back inside Jack¡¯s body. Meanwhile, Leon¡¯s own life force had presented itself, slowly steaming out of the pores of his body. It inflated and eased itself onto Jack like a cloud of blood mist. In doing this tamed that wretched curse inside the young man even further. After it vanished and Leon¡¯s essence poured into Jack¡¯s pores, he let off, and turned his eyes to the forest.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done.¡±


    Jack opened his eyes and patted his body, wondering what he did.


    ¡°Uh, okay¡­ what did you do to me?¡±


    Leon crossed his arms and his face became expressionless. ¡°I nullified that curse inside of you. Of course not without the interference of my horrible wifes contract, but whoever this Mallory person is, for now, you can say her name without consequence.¡±


    ¡°Re-Really?! I-I can, even to Sarah?!¡±


    Leon wondered too about that. It made him think for a second. Quickly though, in that second he didn¡¯t want to take any chances at that.


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯d say hold off on that until you¡¯re actually ready again.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter, it¡¯s more than enough for Jack to instill confidence within himself to tell her regardless if it takes a while. So long as he¡¯s able to, then Jack can be happy again.


    ¡°So, this Mallory person, what¡¯s she like?¡±


    Jack stood up as well, and looked up to the shining moon. For a moment, he was quiet, and his eyes slightly trembled, for once he actually missed her regardless of her horrendous selfish attitude.


    ¡°I wish I could show you, but I don¡¯t think telling you would be of much help, sir.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Well, I guess I have no choice but to do this.¡±


    Leon grabbed Jack¡¯s hand, and slid one of his finger tips on Jack¡¯s index finger. Jack blinked at first, but felt a sharp, burning sensation coming from it.


    He hissed and saw that Leon cut it open. ¡°Why did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Give me a second, but for now, hold that hand.¡±


    Jack reeled his hand and held it as a small swelling crimson ball appeared. Leon raised his other hand, and did the same, slicing it open. He looked back to Jack, nodded and put his finger out to him. Jack glimpsed at his hand and quickly caught on, and also did the same. Both fingers were pointed at each other, and Leon slowly pressed his against Jack. Once both balls of crimson met, Leon¡¯s eyes grew big and he gasped, as if he were in utter disbelief. His jaw was half dropped, and the bottom of his jaw bounced in shock. He eased off and gave Jack the look of despair, and sympathy. Jack was confused as to why he was looking at him like that.


    ¡°So, why did we do that? What¡¯s up now?¡± he asked.


    Leon couldn¡¯t help himself but place his hand on Jack¡¯s shoulder and look into his dead fish eyes.


    ¡°Young man¡­ I¡¯m sorry, for everything that you¡¯ve endured this far into your life. And I know this might not mean much, but I¡¯m proud of you for keeping your composure and staying so strong.¡±


    At first Jack couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around what he had told him, but after giving it some time to think, he knew exactly what he was talking about. This made Jack¡¯s eyes grow dull, and brought a frown back onto the young man''s face.


    ¡°Wait¡­ did, did you just¡­ read my mind again?¡±


    Leon mildly shook his head. ¡°No Jack, I did more than just read your mind.¡±


    Now both hands were on Jack¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°I saw your whole life up until this point. The beginning of your perfect calm suburban life, the middle of your insufferable living, to the now confusing conflicted continuity. All the pain, devastation, loss, and the times your life was taken, I saw¡ªit all!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe it. He wanted to embrace Leon because no one has ever understood what he¡¯s gone through. Yet Leon has managed to see it all with the touch of blood, it¡¯s made the young man feel less alone in the journey.


    ¡°Did¡­ you see¡ªMallory in that instance?¡±


    Leon backed off, and nodded. ¡°The twisted girl with amethyst eyes, and beauty that rivals my wife. Never have I laid eyes on a being so majestic, gentle, and gorgeous looking, yet has traits to that of a sadistic envious being.¡±


    Jack gasped more, and covered his eyes. He was on the verge of crying, but held back his sadness.


    ¡°Now I fully understand why you look the way you do. A young man with his guard up, and having the mental capacity to that of a politician. I¡¯m sorry your journey has been a tragedy in the making, but, boy¡­ whatever¡¯s driving you forward, don¡¯t let up. Keep pushing, and I can assure you, things will get better down the line. This is just a chapter in your life you must overcome, you understand.¡±


    Jack¡¯s speechless and bit his lip, dropping his hand. His eyes were shut, he was still fighting his emotions. Leon understands why he¡¯s holding them back; He¡¯s trying not to show any weakness, and prove that he¡¯s strong despite his hurdles. After defeating the sadness that wanted to emerge between his shut lids, Jack opened them to show that they only had won the battle, but not the war. They were red and puffy. He sniffed and shook his head, showing a brief grin and wiped his eyes.


    ¡°You know, sir¡­ up to this point, I never understood why I keep going despite enduring the hell that I do, but if what you say is true¡ªthen I will. I will keep going, even if that means there¡¯s another line of suffering I have to walk on. I¡¯ll keep my balance, walk on that thin line to make it to the other side if it means a better path. And you best believe that I will.¡±


    Leon smiled for Jack, ¡°you¡¯ve got a strong spirit, Jack. So, can I ensure that you¡¯ll protect my daughter from here on out?¡±


    Jack shot his hand out to Leon. ¡°you can count on it, sir.¡±


    Leon grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and shook it. ¡°I believe you, Jack¡­ that means I can also do this.¡±


    ¡°W-what are you gonna do now?¡±


    ¡°Relax, this will only hurt, a little.¡±


    ¡°A little?!¡±


    Leon chuckled and made his clutch stronger, resulting in Jack dropping to his knees from his monstrous grip. Suddenly, Jack was shocked, burnt, then extinguished. He yelled, laughed, and sounded loss of breath all at the same time. Once Leon was finished, he let go and Jack stayed on his knees with one eye opened. He glanced around, rubbed himself, patted, and then got up to his feet. He brought his palms up to his face and wondered what else Leon did to him.


    ¡°So, what else did you do to me other than made me go through seconds of pain?¡±


    Leon looked over his shoulder to the forest, his attention being caught by something that Jack can¡¯t sense.


    ¡°That borrowed strength that Mallory has given you and only she can awaken, is now yours for you to use.¡±


    Hearing this made Jack speechless for a moment. He tried thinking what he really meant by that. Was it the strength that she awakened only for him to go unconscious? Or the instances of her doing something out of the norm to allow him to get out of a dire situation without blacking out his mind. He couldn¡¯t think much of it other than the first option, it had to be that.


    ¡°Will I be able to fight without consequence? Huh, only one way to find out.¡± Jack muttered.


    In the meantime, Leon¡¯s attention was fully caught on by whatever disturbance he was sensing inside the forest behind his lovely home. Jack hasn''t caught on yet, he¡¯s still thinking of the other options that can tie in with Leon¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Say Jack.¡± Leon asked.


    Jack got out of his thought process. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°You said Sarah went for a walk, right?¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yeah, she went into the woods to clear her mind. Did something come up? Because from your tone and posture, you seem serious.¡±


    Leon¡¯s attention had been locked onto this unknown presence. He turned his full body to the forest, and balled his fists.


    ¡°Jack, I¡¯ll be right back. For now, just wait here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean by¡ª¡± When Jack blinked, Leon had vanished. ¡°Holy! And he¡¯s gone just like that.¡±


    The young man rubbed his eyes and walked back to the bench, taking a seat and relaxing. He stared up at the sky once more, and smirked.


    ¡°This is just too much, but¡­ whatever. We¡¯ll see what this ¡®Unlock¡¯ turns out to be.¡±


    Meanwhile, Sarah¡¯s in the middle of humming, dancing on a small dirt trail that she created herself along with her mother who helped. Walking on it would lead you down two paths: One leading to a random sidewalk in the best town, the other leading to the closest street that was two miles away. No one else knows about it other than Sarah and her mother. She loved taking this trail because of the nice fantasy woody feel it had, and the easiness of nature''s whistling brushing against one''s eardrums brings them to a complete state of peace. If snow white ever got a remake, then Sarah¡¯s little trail would fit the theme of the scene of her and the woodland critters meeting for the first time.


    What a weak, huh Sarah? She thought.


    The goth girl had fallen into this state so hard she was spinning around like a ballerina and singing a lullaby that could enchant any man. Despite earlier today being a thought process of anger and awkwardness towards her mother, for the rest to play out the way it did with her father and Jack getting along, it was well worth the experience.


    Sarah came to a stop, and stretched, ¡°what a day. Hehe, who would¡¯ve thought that my father would act so protectively like that. Either way it was cute, and to see someone like Jack being close to shit his pants, oh yeah, it was worth it.¡±


    She took in a huge breath of nature''s scent, and let it out with a soothing sigh. Feeling calmer than before and happy, Sarah decided that it was time to walk back home. Before she did, she brought her gaze to the moon, and smiled. Brushing some of her hair behind her right ear, Sarah giggled as the moonlight shone on her like a spotlight. Beneath it she looked glamorous and enchanting, enough to mesmerize any fortunate person who was lucky enough to see it. After basking in the light, Sarah started to walk backwards and placed her hands behind her. As she turned her eyes back to the dirt trail, someone was standing, a shadowy figure that made her gasp. Her eyes got big and Sarah wondered who it might be.


    Who the heck is that¡­? Only my mother and I know this trail! Sarah thought.


    The figure swooshed, disappearing into the dark forest, and immediately, Sarah could sense an abnormality from whatever that was. She followed the apparition with her eyes. It vanished in and out, above the trees, slithering on the ground, shooting itself like a boomerang as Sarah followed it in freight with her gaze guiding her body. Sarah grew a single strand of sweat, clenching her fist and prepared for what''s to come. After an intense moment of her head turning, and body on guard, the figure stopped behind some bushes beside Sarah.


    ¡°Who are you! What are you doing here on my trail?!¡± Sarah shouted.


    The figure slithered out of the bushes, and revealed itself to be someone in a white and red robe. Sarah was afraid, and wondered if this was another Exorcist sent to vanquish her from their appearance. She stayed on guard, and raised a fist, showing the person that she wasn¡¯t afraid to fight back. The robed person slowly rose one hand, and then the other, and eventually, they collapsed to their knees.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re¡ªalive!¡± they said, their voice sounding deranged and hyper.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes blinked, glancing around. ¡°Alive? Wh-what are you talking about?¡±


    The person abruptly stood up, and grabbed Sarah¡¯s hand without notice. They tried kissing her hand but she pulled away and made her gasp more. They soon lost control of their emotions, grasping their head, laughing intensely. Sarah¡¯s spooked and has no clue what¡¯s happening at the moment.


    ¡°She deems me not worthy! Not worthy not worthy! I-I should¡¯ve known! Ooooooooooo!¡±


    Sarah stepped away while grabbing her hand. ¡°Who the heck is with this freak?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s okay because you¡¯re alive! Our deity, our destroyer and creator of life¡­ Abyzou! LIVES!¡±


    ¡°Aby¡ªwho?¡±


    Wait a second, father also mentioned that name when he first saw Jack! Sarah thought.


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve known, who would¡¯ve known¡­ that I! Would be the first to discover and tell our people of your discovery, Abyzou!¡±


    The man kneeled, and reached his hands out to her again.


    ¡°It is with pleasure, that I be the one to escort you back to our community so you could bestow your glorious presence to the people! Bless me, and my existence before your great cleansing begins again.¡±


    What on earth is this man talking about? He¡¯s freaking me out and I¡¯m growing tired of this.


    Sarah raised one hand to him, and aimed her palm at the man. ¡°Whatever you¡¯re telling or trying to imply to me, whoever you speak of, I think you have the wrong person.¡±


    Despite telling him that and showing hostility towards him, he responded with tears and collapsed his hands together. He hurled in emotional pain and screeched with joy, making Sarah retract her hand back towards her and react in distraught.


    ¡°If this is to protect your existence from our enemies then kill me where I kneel! My glorious beautiful God! Do it¡­ do it do it do it do it, do it! Weeeeooooo!¡±


    He shot up, pulled his hood off, revealing his crazed eyes and deranged looking face. He shot his arms to the sky, and laughed his butt off. Sarah cant believe that this is happening, she¡¯s frozen in confusion and fear.


    ¡°Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m standing before her mightiness and for my life to be taken away by her hands! And soon after for her to resurrect me into her new world once she cleanses it! I-I think I¡¯m in love!¡±


    Sarah had enough and tried to run away but he quickly appeared in front of her. She yelped and almost stumbled backwards.


    ¡°It is you, you you! No one else in this world has the same raven hair that shines underneath this gorgeous moonlight¡­¡±


    He began circling around Sarah, her eyes were locked on as she had her arms up t-rex style, expressing all her freight.


    ¡°That smooth, soft looking pale skin, and those crimson eyes that scream love and death, who would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d be this gorgeous this up close, Abyzou!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes trembled, her body too. She didn¡¯t know what to do other than watch this freak expose who he is and what his motives are. He stopped circling and stood behind Sarah, she quickly grew distance between them and raised her hands to him again, showing that she was preparing to fight.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t be so resistant, Abyzou! Come with me! I know you may have forgotten, which I blame our enemies for binding your memories, but rest assured! Once we go back, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll remember everything and are ready to annihilate our foes and this reality!¡±


    He raised his arms to the sides, and expressed a vile smile that grew from ear to ear.


    ¡°Now come! Let us rejoice in your discovery and show the people that you still live, the bearer and holder of Envy, Aby¡ªzou!¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t know what to do now. She couldn¡¯t think of anything else but to use her powers. She swallowed and in the span of five seconds, the man''s chest shot forward, twitched and collapsed back to his knees.


    "huh...?"


    He appeared confused, dazed, lost, gazed around even. He scratched his head and all of a sudden, his eyes popped out, and the sound of rattling chains echoed around them. He was reeled away into the darkness of the thick woods behind him, and in that moment, Sarah saw something shine like gold from behind him before he disappeared into the thick woods.


    ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±


    His yell sounded putrid, hateful, and angry. Hearing him scream inside the dark woods made Sarah¡¯s stomach turn and heart beat ten times faster. At this point, the goth girl has zero idea what''s just happened to him. For a moment, everything went silent, and the sound of wind made it just as eerie. Just then, Sarah sensed mana, and she saw a holy light shoot up into the sky, and the man screaming until it slowly faded out. The mana she just sensed made her spine tingle, sent chills all over her body.


    ¡°Who¡¯s¡­ here now?¡± she mumbled.


    She stayed quiet, and carefully, the goth girl tried to tip toeing away. Then, she heard rustling, cracking coming from where that strange man was reeled away. She covered her mouth to muster any noise, whatever was coming her way had frozen her in despair. She let out a tear as whoever was in the darkness slowly began to appear in her line of sight. She could now see something gold starting to shine, the figure was tall, similarly to that of her father¡¯s height. Poor Sarah, it felt as if time had slowed down at the moment as this entity was coming closer to light.


    ¡°Of all places, and to think, I happened to cross paths with you again¡­ Witch.¡±


    The voice, that deep ominous voice, Sarah¡¯s heard it before. She knew exactly who it was and this destroyed the dam, and the goth girl¡¯s eyes watered. Tears flowed down like rivers, she knew exactly who was coming to her, and Sarah felt completely hopeless.


    ¡°But to think, my small night stroll beneath the dark sky, walking down the damned streets of Detroit, the two things that I had sensed close by were lowly scum of the earth¡­ A damned cultist that worships the woman that I loathe¡­ and the bastard of a child she gave birth to.¡±


    The person stepped out of the darkness. He stepped foot onto the trail, his white hooded robe with the prints of the virgin Mary and Jesus glimmered on opposite sides, his elegant outfit and its red engraving details that shined: It was the mighty Exorcist, and close ally of William, Archard.


    He glared at Sarah with his golden eyes that had fire inside of them. ¡°Once I thought things were normal enough to step foot back into reality, and to be stumbled upon your presence again? What a misfortune for my mental state, but also for your life.¡±


    Sarah softly whimpered as she reeled her arms inward. She shook so much she was close to collapsing. Archard formed a deep wrinkle between his eyes as his glare grew more towards her. He clenched his fists, and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°But now that I have you all to myself¡­ I think it¡¯s time I got rid of your existence, Witch.¡±


    Sarah cried so much but without making that much sound that she thought she had already met her fate. With the prey in the line of sight of the beast that¡¯s ready to take its prize, she can¡¯t think of any other way of escaping but to accept death. His eyebrows furrowed, and his pupils glowed hot red as they grew enjoyment from seeing Sarah cowardly cry in a frozen state.


    ¡°Despite us meeting once more, may this also be the last we ever see eye to eye again, you imposter¡ªof Envy.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 15: Bond & Return

    Never in my life, did I imagine it would come to this¡­


    A young man with blonde hair, a nice suit catered to fine dining, stood beneath a street lamp, his heart broken, his face dulled, he¡¯s traumatized.


    I did everything for her, everything a man could do to impress, and give the woman that they love to enchant their heart.


    His right hand was clenched, it trembled with a black box in his clutch.


    I thought she loved me? I thought she cared for me? Why¡­ why did it have to turn out this way, why me?!


    He brought the box up to his dulled eyes, his mouth half opened as he trickled his despair beneath his breath.


    She not only humiliated me, but she broke my spirit as a man¡­ how dare she¡ªhow dare she!


    He ground his teeth, crushed the box with his grip as it shattered into a million pieces. Diamond shreds flew, sparkling beneath the light, and shined its remains on the ground. He growled, clutched his head, and fell to his knees. The young man whimpered, and heard her tormenting giggles echo in his mind. Hearing her soft gentle voice reject his proposal, and explain as to why she did so made him cry. She not only made fun of who he is, but for him not to be man enough for her? And only to be used as a tool, candidate for something deeper that she didn¡¯t want to explain. It only cemented his new found hatred for her. Yet, his heart thought otherwise, the love for her still burned, and he didn¡¯t want to just give up on her yet.


    He cried some more until he stopped, wiped his eyes with his sleeve, and got back on his feet.


    ¡°No¡­ no, this can¡¯t be the end. There has to be a better reason, I can¡¯t let it end like this!¡±


    He sniffled and reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet with a photo of the two.


    ¡°Samantha¡­ I¡¯m not giving up on you yet. Not without a proper explanation as to why you rejected me.¡±


    He glanced at the shattered box and diamond shreds on the ground.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just throw away all the time we spent together like that¡­ no, there has to be a better explanation. And I will find out as to why you¡¯ve broken my heart!¡±


    He brought his head to the black sky, and took in a deep breath.


    ¡°SAMANTHA~!¡±


    His broken, agonized scream echoed into the nightsky, bouncing off the building walls. His yell for her name kept echoing, further, further out into the night until it reached back into his present self. His eyes were glowing with hatred as he stared down the doppelganger of the woman who¡¯s haunted his dreams for decades. She continued balling her eyes out as she was frozen in time. Archard raised his lips, and growled towards poor Sarah.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry now¡­ you¡¯ll only make it better for me, Witch.¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t respond, and kept whimpering.


    ¡°What? What are you so afraid of?! In our first meeting you were pretty confident about protecting your friend!¡±


    Archard stepped forward, his hands still clenched.


    ¡°Come on now! Say something?! Remind me of why I loathe you and that bitch of your mother! Please, I beg of thee to speak so you stir my hate for her¡ªsince you two sound the damn same!¡±


    Archard stepped closer, and closer. He ground his teeth, and his fiery golden might began to erupt around him in an outline.


    ¡°Do it¡­ do¡ªit. Speak, stop standing there and pissing yourself. I want to hear you beg so I can do the same to your mother once we meet for one final reunion!¡±


    He stopped shortening the distance between them, and put his arms out.


    ¡°Go on then, attack me! Use fire like your mother does! Firebend to your devilish hearts content! Show me that rage, that same anger you had towards me when you tried attacking me in that forest, Witch!¡±


    Sarah finally moved a muscle. She raised one of her hands, and gripped the collar of her shirt as her eyes kept drowning in silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­ come on then, Witch. Show me that vengeful spirit driven by your emotions! Especially when it comes to those closest to you.¡±


    Archard grew a sinister grin, and brought his head up to the sky. Sarah raised her other arm and gripped her arm that held onto her collar as he waited for her to take action. But Sarah wasn¡¯t going to, she had something else in mind. Despite how afraid she was towards him, she can¡¯t help but need to speak her mind. The goth girl closed her eyes for a moment, her tears kept seeping between her shut eye lids.


    ¡°Why¡­¡± she softly said.


    Archard¡¯s grin vanished, and quickly, his eyes came back to Sarah once she spoke. Seeing her innocent stance, the way she was grabbing herself, it reminded him of something similar in the past. Immediately, the fire in his eyes dimmed, and they mildly shook.


    ¡°Why¡­ Do you ha-hate¡­ me?¡±


    Her lovely black hair fluttered, and her eyes glistened tenfold. Archard quietly gasped as he watched, and guilt slowly began to creep its way in his mind.


    Sarah ground her teeth, and more tears came out. ¡°What have I done to you¡­ for you to harass and threaten my life?! I did nothing to you¡­!¡±


    Sarah balled and covered her eyes. Archard dropped his arms and his body began to tremble in guilt. He tried fighting the emotion, but she was right. She has done nothing to him, only her mother. Was it right for him to punish her for the sins of her mother? In a Christian sense, it would be sinful, blasphemous! Yet, despite thinking this, his hatred towards her mother and how her appearance resembled so much of how he last saw her: Archard can¡¯t let it go, he¡¯s already made up his mind. He clenched his fists and looked away for a second.


    She has to pay, she must! I will not be fooled again and be played by those trivial tears! Archard thought.


    His eyes glinted, and when he brought them back to her, he saw Samantha for a moment. Her innocent smile, the cute tilt she always did, his mind began to play games with him again.


    ¡°No, no!¡± he shouted.


    Sarah put her arms down, and wiped her eyes. ¡°Whatever my mom did to you is between you two¡­ whatever the reason may have been, it gives you no right to treat me so inhuman.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±


    Sarah placed her hand on her chest, ¡°I¡¯m not her nor will I ever be. I¡¯m Sarah, a person who loves nature, cares for those closest to her, and is proud of being the person that I am today.¡±


    Archard placed one hand on his head, and other words echoed in place instead of what she was saying.


    ¡°Archy, you know you¡¯ll always have a place in my heart, it¡¯s just that¡ªyou weren¡¯t the one fitted for my goal¡­¡± Samantha whispered.


    ¡°Why¡­ why not!¡±


    Samantha smiled and let out a giggle that forever haunted his dreams.


    ¡°Because you just weren¡¯t man enough.¡±


    ¡°Enough?!¡±


    Archard¡¯s anger exploded and Sarah felt the force of what a category 10 hurricane would feel like if she were at the Centre. She fought the winds that tried to push her out to oblivion. He took a couple of breaths, easing the intensity and proceeded to approach Sarah. She froze again and watched as he got closer and closer. His menacing stature finally towered over her, and she watched as death had come to face her.


    ¡°I¡¯m through with talking. Your existence is enough for me to have a proper reason to have you punished. If I can¡¯t kill you¡­ then perhaps taking away what makes you a supernatural being is what¡¯s most best suited for you.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Sarah mumbled.


    Archard began to reach for Sarah¡¯s tiny left arm. ¡°It¡¯s time to end this¡­ you¡¯re coming back with me, Witch.¡±


    Sarah felt the world slow down as his wide clutch grew closer, which made her shut her eyes. Archard¡¯s itching to grab her, and even expressed a twisted smile for his amusement. When his hand was just a centimeter away, someone abruptly grabbed his forearm, and raised it upright. He quickly brought his glare to the person who intervened and caught him by surprise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lay your wretched hand on my daughter, you sad excuse of an Exorcist.¡±


    The person who had Archard''s arm in his grasp was none other than Leon, Sarah¡¯s father. Archard frowned, and the two had an intense stare off. Sarah¡¯s eyes exploded and once she saw that it was her father that stood next to her, she couldn¡¯t help but whimper again with relief and joy. Leon tightened his squeeze, and Archard¡¯s lip mildly twitched in annoyance. Archard pulled away from his grip, and stepped away to grow some distance. An amused grin had appeared on Archard¡¯s face while Leon remained serious and on guard.


    Sarah quickly got behind her father, and peaked around him. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay now, Sarah. J-Just stay behind me, okay?¡±


    Sarah nodded, but she saw something that caught her by surprise. She saw her fathers arm vibrating. It was very minor, but she saw that it was trembling. She glanced up to the side of her fathers face, and also saw a concerning drop of sweat easing its way down to his neck.


    ¡°Fa¡­ther?¡± she muttered.


    Archard¡¯s smirk grew more, and he found this to be a very intriguing sequence.


    ¡°Well well, well¡­ if it isn¡¯t the most miserable man to exist. Bolverkr, the Esper with emotional issues. And a sadistic tendency for starting fights, what a way for us to finally meet, ey?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to speak, you vile sick bastard of an Exorcist.¡±


    ¡°Me? A vile sick¡ªbastard?! Oo, that¡¯s a bit hypocritical coming from a monster such as yourself, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Call me whatever pleases that wretched, twisted mind of yours. It still doesn¡¯t disclose the fact that you yourself are also a monster.¡±


    Archard laughed, and slapped his knee. ¡°Me?! You¡¯re calling me a monster! You! The man who¡¯s responsible for some of the most heinous crimes committed by a single being?! Oohoo, you twisted, twisted man you.¡±


    Leon¡¯s hand trembled in anger, but his facial expression hadn¡¯t changed.


    ¡°That may be true, but you of all people have no right to call me that when you yourself have committed worse crimes! If it weren¡¯t for that misleading cloak and righteous attitude, any sane person would call you out of your sick mindset.¡±


    Archard¡¯s smirk went away, and his lips straightened. ¡°In what way do you speak of? Because it almost sounds like you¡¯re accusing me of being a sinful person who doesn¡¯t confess his sins?¡±


    Leon put one foot forward. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m implying. You¡¯re not just who you are, but you¡¯re a murderer, kidnapper, an awful human being who seeks pleasure of punishing those whom he deems sinful¡ªwhen in fact he¡¯s! Just as sinful as those locked behind bars for the most violent crimes!¡±


    Archard¡¯s face twisted, his lips moved, he grew annoyed by what he was saying, yet he didn¡¯t argue back. He replied with a grunt and cracked his neck.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re saying is nowhere compared to the billions of lives you¡¯ve taken, you vile Esper.¡±


    Leon blinked rapidly for a second, and grew speechless. Sarah looked up to her father, her eyes glistened and she couldn¡¯t believe what he was saying.


    ¡°What? Did I strike a nerve? Bol~verkr?¡±


    Bolverkr¡­ is that my father¡¯s actual name? Sarah thought.


    Leon moaned, and his clutched got so intense it dug into his skin, drawing blood from his palm.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, Archard! You not only seek enjoyment of hunting, killing my people, people like her mother, but you get turned on by the fact you can overwhelm your opponent¡ªtrap them in a corner as you take their life away with your vile hands!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t come close to the billions upon billions you¡¯ve killed, the hundreds of Exorcists you murdered with those blood thirsty hands! My enemies deserved their punishment when you in fact took the lives of innocents!¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t justify your actions!¡±


    ¡°Nor yours!¡± Archard swiped the air, ¡°your sins can never be compared to my actions! When mine in fact were never sinful, and under God¡¯s will.¡±


    Sarah wanted to say something to him, and she was about to, but her father unbaled his fist, and put his bloody palm in front of her face.


    ¡°This is exactly what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Leon said.


    Archard furrowed his brows. ¡°What are you talking about, Esper?¡±


    A wrinkle formed between the eyes of Leon, and he mildly leaned his head forward.


    ¡°You¡¯re a pathetic excuse of a man, and it¡¯s exactly as to why¡ªSamantha never chose you.¡±


    Archard grunted, and growled in hearing that.


    ¡°Think about it. You say you follow Christian fate, only when it comes to those who look up to you like your peers and the one girl under your training wing.¡±


    Archard shot one of his fingers in their direction, ¡°Watch who you¡¯re talking about¡­¡±


    Leon stepped forward, and raised a fist.


    ¡°But in reality, behind that damn mask of yours, you¡¯re nothing but a depressed, sick murdering bastard. You¡¯re no man of God, you¡¯re just a selfish criminal who pretends to play priest.¡±


    Archard squinted his eyes, wiggled his jaw but sighed afterwards. He regained his composure and that twisted grin returned.


    ¡°Hmph, whatever pleases you to insult my character but calling me depressed? When you yourself are the embodiment of that term! And not only that, you¡¯re living your worst nightmare. I have nothing to say other than¡ªat least I¡¯m not the husband of the holder of Envy!¡±


    Leon dropped his fist, and he too grinned. Archard¡¯s grin went away once he saw his, and grew confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide your defeat, Archard. Because in the end, you wish you were in my shoes. I accomplished what you couldn¡¯t have! And that was for Samantha to say yes to me¡ªwhile you laced in sadness, cried, begging for her to come back to you.¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­ how do you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°How do I know? You may ask? It¡¯s simple, Archard¡ªit was Samantha who told me.¡±


    Archard grew tired of this conversation and stomped the ground in front of him, shaking the earth. Sarah almost lost her balance while her father remained still. Archard took deep breaths to relax and not use his mana. He grunted loudly, and managed to contain his anger.


    ¡°Say what you want, feel whatever pleases you, Bolverkr. But what I am capable of doing compared to you is to control my mana and especially my anger. Which you can¡¯t do, not one bit.¡±


    Leon crossed his arms. ¡°Oh yeah? Then explain as to why I was able to grab a hold of your forearm without you sensing my presence?¡±


    ¡°Wh-What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t tell me that the mighty Archard can¡¯t sense normal strangers without them being supernatural? You really do rely that much on your mana?¡±


    Archard grew furious, and balled his fists. ¡°Sh-Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Think about it. The fact that I¡ªI! Alone without using an ounce of mana was able to sneak up on you like a roach and hold you in my clutch speaks numbers.¡±


    Archard¡¯s anger wanted to explode now. But Leon was right, how did he do such a thing without being detected or sensed? Is it a new ability only he alone knows? Or could it be¡ª?


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ that his natural strength alone rivals my current state?¡± Archard muttered.


    That¡¯s the only explanation! Which means¡­ he¡¯s much stronger than what I anticipated. Archard thought.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing and hearing. She knew her father was strong, but not that strong. When he did showcase his mana inside his own dimension, she thought that was his full strength and comparable to this monster who split the earth''s atmosphere with just the force of his punch. Yet what she¡¯s sensing from Archard, and the last time her father showed her his aura, she thought her father would stand no chance. Despite her own opinion, he¡¯s stating his normal state rivals to Archard''s current sent shivers down Sarah¡¯s spine.


    Father¡­ you¡¯re amazing. Sarah thought as her eyes gleamed with hope.


    ¡°So you¡¯re hiding more than what meets the eye, huh Esper?¡± Archard chuckled. ¡°If what you say is true, then I can¡¯t help but agree with you on that. My master has also scolded me for relying too much on my gifted abilities. Trust me, I¡¯m trying, I am trying, but when you¡¯re on call 24/7, it¡¯s difficult to balance training and work.¡±


    Leon isn¡¯t stupid. Yes they¡¯re equal now but he knows all too well just how powerful Archard is. It¡¯s why he¡¯s garnered a vigorous reputation amongst the supernatural community. He¡¯s not only one of the most powerful beings alive, but he¡¯s the most feared because of his deplorable actions.


    ¡°But if you think, even having a glimmer of hope that you stand a chance against me¡­ then you¡¯re dead wrong.¡±


    Archard¡¯s eyes glowed again, and the two could feel the air around them grow heavier than earth''s gravity. It was starting to grow hard to breathe for Sarah, and she began to gasp for air as Archard grew a smile once more. Leon tapped his daughter''s head and a barrier formed around her to combat the growing atmospheric pressure around them. Leon raised his fists, and Archard lightly chuckled. He stopped his small showcase and turned around. Leon narrowed his eyes and dropped his fists.


    ¡°I¡¯ve grown tired of this, so I¡¯m walking off, for now.¡± Archard mildly looked over his shoulder so the two can see his vile open mouth smile. ¡°I have a feeling that you and I will meet again, Bolverkr. And when we do, then we¡¯ll see who¡¯s the better man. Until then, tell that vile woman of yours¡­ her life will soon come to an end, by my hands.¡±


    Archard walked into the darkness of the forest, and soon, his figure faded into it. Leon¡¯s face stayed serious as Sarah watched on, and felt relieved that this conversation was over. Never would Sarah have imagined that her father, of all people, would come to save her. She felt ecstatic and overfilled with joy, mainly for the fact she has someone like her father by her side.


    ¡°Father, you were amazing!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Leon turned around and proceeded to walk back home.


    ¡°Fa-Father?! Where are you going?!¡±


    Leon remained quiet while Sarah kept trying to ask why he got so quiet. He did this the entire way back until they caught sight of their lovely backyard. There, they saw Jack gazing at the sky, laying on a bench, and Sarah immediately ran to him. Jack saw Sarah coming his way and he got up out of his seat to greet her return.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Hey, I see that your father went to go look for you, Sarah.¡± Jack said as she finally met up with him.


    ¡°Yeah, he did, but not only that, he saved my life!¡±


    ¡°Saved your life? What do you mean by that? What happened!¡± Jack exclaimed.


    Leon stood twelve feet from them, and watched them converse on what just occurred.


    ¡°Yeah, I was just walking, strolling, singing, you know. Then a creepy guy in a robe confronted me and said that I was alive and called me¡­ Aby¡ªzou!¡±


    ¡°Guy in a¡­ robe?¡± Jack mumbled.


    And he called Sarah by her mothers actual name¡­ does that mean he¡¯s associated with Samantha? Jack thought.


    ¡°What else happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That horrible guy, now I know his name, Archard confronted me afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Archard!¡± Jack shouted, grabbing Sarah¡¯s shoulders. ¡°What was he doing there?!¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, but¡­¡± she gently pushed Jack off, and put her arm out to her father who stood like a statue. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for my father, then I wouldn¡¯t have been standing here, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jack looked over to her father. ¡°Why¡¯s he just standing there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why is he?¡± Sarah said while bringing her attention to her father. ¡°Father, are you al¡ª¡±


    Sarah then realised they were no longer in reality, but in an alternate version of their backyard. She glanced around and saw the same sky to that of her father¡¯s dimension. Jack also looked around, moaning and appearing just as confused.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on?¡± Jack said.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t kn¡ª¡± when Sarah brought her eyes back to her father, he was already standing in front of her, which spooked her. ¡°Fa-Father¡­?¡±


    Leon retracted his arm back while Sarah watched and Jack too. His hand balled, and he shot his fist at Sarah, striking her gut and sending her flying through their duplicate home.


    Jack watched in horror as his friend was sent to oblivion. ¡°SARAH!¡±


    Leon vanished and appeared right where Sarah was going to flyby, and put out his right forearm at the right moment for Sarah to land. She flew right into it, her back, body bending backwards from the impact. She gagged, her eyes popped out of socket. Leon tensed his arm, swung her around, and shot his arm to the sky, sending her flying. He instantaneously appeared in the direction leading him to see his own daughter¡¯s petrified face. He double ax handed her to the direction of the home, plunging her to the earth, and impacting onto the home, destroying it. She crashed, a huge cloud of smoke ruptured into the atmosphere. Jack watched in horror as he saw Sarah be beaten for no reason.


    ¡°Sarah! Are you okay?!¡± he shouted.


    Sarah lay on the crater, and opened her eyes. Despite being punched, pummeled, she seemed mildly okay, just sore. She sat up, patted herself and wondered how she was able to withstand such trauma. Then, she saw something glowing around the edges of her arms, making her scan her body. She saw something outlining her body, and wondered if this was her father¡¯s doing.


    The barrier he put around me earlier, is it protecting me?! She wondered.


    ¡°Is this¡­ training?¡± she said.


    ¡°GET UP!¡± Leon yelled.


    Sarah got on her feet, and shot her head up to the sky. Her father was floating, and he told her daughter to bring it with the tips of his fingers. Sarah now understood what her father was doing. The barrier he summoned earlier to protect from Archard¡¯s might, his heinous actions at first glance, her father was giving her a lesson. Once she had fully figured this out, she went into her battle senses and closed her eyes. She reeled her arms inward, and began to power up. Her hair bellowed, her clothes fluttered, and eventually, her mana exploded out, shooting into the sky. It widened the crater she was in, heatwaves pulsing off of it, she turned the entire dimension into a red hellfire from the glow of her blackened magma aura.


    Her father trickled a gasp between his lips, and was surprised to see this. ¡°Sarah¡­ is this your glow?¡± he murmured.


    This energy, this heat, it¡¯s exactly like mine¡­ He thought.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were glowing hot iron as she gazed in her father¡¯s direction.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, father!¡± she shouted.


    Her father vanished out of thin air. She gasped, and tried to read where he might appear. But with so much concentration of finding his location dropped her guard where he took advantage. He appeared behind, and locked in a rear choke hold. She squirmed in his clutch, and tried to think of a way to break free. She came up with something, and powered up more. Her father quickly backed away, and saw just how strong his daughter was becoming. Her hair began to gleam more red, and her lust for battle grew.


    She turned around and shot her arms in his direction. ¡°Hail to the guardians of the¡ª¡±


    Her father gave her no chance for her to cast a spell. He ran right up to her, shot a right uppercut to her jaw, and made her get off the ground for a second, only for him to chop her away in Jack¡¯s direction. She slid towards his feet, and Jack quickly went to her aid, only for him to be burned by her aura.


    ¡°Ah, Jes¨²s! You alright, Sarah?!¡±


    Sarah again wasn¡¯t too fazed since the barrier around her was protecting her from her fathers attacks, although she did feel the wind knocked out of her. Sarah easily got back on her feet, coughed and wiped her mouth. She didn¡¯t respond to Jack, she¡¯s dead focused on her father who stood there, waiting for her next move. Sarah grunted, reeled her arms in, and again, powered up more, which resulted in Jack to be blown away. Sparkes erupted around her, her hair bellowed intensely, her clothes fluttered violently, her aura grew more intense by the second. Her right arm, her shirt began to be torn by its edge from the emerging tattoo that gave her more energy. Her hair began to change colours, indicating the heat and intensity of her growing power. Her eyes were pure red, glowing, and her hair got red around the edges.


    ¡°So¡­ this is you at your fullest, my daughter.¡± Leon muttered. ¡°What a sight to behold.¡±


    The tattoo on her right arm shot out purple plasma, red electrical currents shot out into the sky from the intensity: Sarah finished, she was at max strength, and the entire dimension was engulfed in red from the glow of her blading magma tar-like aura. The black edges slicing the air around her, the fire red glow pulsing inside, never has he seen such a magnificent display. This made Leon grin, and raise his fists to his daughter.


    ¡°You rely too much on your mana, Sarah. It¡¯s time that I teach you how to use your hands instead, so you won¡¯t end up like the rest.¡±


    Sarah took deep breaths, and bended forward, placing her hands slowly on the ground.


    ¡°Father, I¡¯ll show you what I¡¯m made of, and most of all¡ªprove to you that I can handle myself.¡± she said.


    Jack got up and watched the two have a Mexican standoff. He was dumbfounded and felt so out of place, but had no clue what was happening. He instead decided to hold off, and watch them from where he stood. Seeing Sarah¡¯s heat waves coming full blast at him felt like he was near the edge of a volcano, but this was a sight to behold. It was beautiful yet scary seeing that his friend had this type of rage inside of her.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re planning, Sarah¡­ show him that you¡¯re not a weak little girl.¡±


    Jack balled his fist, and raised it.


    ¡°Sarah, get him!¡±


    Leon slightly raised his foot off the ground, and Sarah¡¯s eyes budged. The ground beneath it cracked, he flew away, and Sarah¡¯s aura pummeled into the ground. Hellfire erupted from the cracked earth, splitting the earth into two, and a giant magma fist came out, shooting right at Leon. He put one hand out, and caught it. Another arm came out, and eventually an entire ginormous womanly figure of fire crawled out. She towered over everything, and her size was enormous. This was the biggest Sarah¡¯s made since the last time she¡¯s used her abilities against that girl in white. The figure stood above the clouds, and did its best to drive its fist against Leon¡¯s defence. Jack watched in awe, and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    ¡°A-Amazing¡­¡± he murmured.


    Leon began to push the figure''s gargantuan fist away as plasma was shooting everywhere where he was at by taking steps forward. Sarah couldn¡¯t believe her eyes, and she began to take control of the figure. She raised the other fist, and hammered it down to her father. The giant fireball pummeled down to Leon to that of a meteor, and once it grew close to him, he caught that too with even more plasma exploding out. He had two giant fists of fire the size of football stadiums in the palm of his hands. He slammed his foot on the ground, dug his fingers into the fire, and picked the giant off its feet, and flew it over his head, slamming it on the ground, shaking the earth from the monstrous impact. Leon leaped into the air, and dove to the figures head, foot forward. He drove his foot into it, and the figure exploded to that of nuclear proportions. Sarah put her forearms out to block the tremendous shockwave, but she was blown away and screamed. Jack also flew away, tumble weeding away.


    Sarah quickly caught herself, and drove her feet on the ground. ¡°No! I¡¯m just getting started!¡±


    She exploded, and flew at her father, light speed. He watched as his daughter was driving her tiny fist at his face. Sarah yelled, and he causally dodged her, and she drove another fist. Her form was sloppy, and predictable as she threw punch after punch. He was still proud that she had such passion and heart behind them. When she tried using a kick, he caught her leg, and placed his hand over her face, slamming her onto the earth. He drove her head deeper into the ground, and soon she was swallowed by the crumbling crater. He leaped away, watching as the earth crumbled, and cratered into a bigger hole. Immediately, she flew up into the sky, and she screamed, putting both palms out. He reacted, appearing behind quicker than she could blink, and hammered her away back to the ground.


    Jack had just got up, and saw his friend crash back to the ground. ¡°Sarah!¡±


    He grew tired of watching and ran in their direction. Leon floated back to the ground, and waited, but heard Jack coming his way from his relentless war cry. He turned to the young man''s direction, and smiled as Jack pulled his right arm back. Jack drives it forward, and Leon dodges. Jack swung, swung, only for Leon to causally dodge his fists. Jack kept throwing punches, right hooks, everything that his uncle had taught him, and in return had Leon more on guard.


    ¡°For a normal person, you sure do know how to throw your punches.¡± Leon said.


    Jack threw one more before the two backed off. ¡°Ye-yeah¡­ my uncle taught me.¡±


    ¡°That so? He must be better skilled. But you¡¯re not bad, it¡¯s good to know hand to hand combat.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. If you lived the life that I did, then it¡¯s necessary to learn, unless guns come into play.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. But in this instance, it¡¯s not guns that should worry you, but distant attacks from supernatural beings, such as mana or energy attacks.¡±


    Jack drew sweat, and he raised his fists. ¡°I still rather use my hands and a gun than be like any of you¡­¡±


    Leon scrunched his face in hearing Jack''s response.


    ¡°Yes it''s cool and a blessing to have such Powers! But in the end, I¡¯d rather still be considered normal and not overthink more than I already have to.¡±


    Leon grinned again and chuckled. ¡°I admire your confusing admiration.¡±


    He too raised his fists and his form looked similar to that of a jujitsu martial artist.


    ¡°Enough talk, let''s see if you can prove that you can protect my daughter.¡±


    Jack gulped. ¡°Oh shit¡­¡±


    Leon rushed up to Jack. The young man tried thinking of a way to counter his oncoming attack and if dodged, what other offence move can he do to push him away.


    ¡°I¡¯m down to your level Jack! So give me all that you got!¡±


    There¡¯s no time to waste. Leon drove a straight fist. Jack stepped out to the side, and Leon¡¯s natural abilities kicked in, swiping Jack off his feet. The young man fell to his side, Leon¡¯s leg flexed high into the air, and plunged it down to where Jack¡¯s face had been. The young man paused, his eyes stared at his foot that stabbed the earth. Quickly, Jack grabbed it, and Leon didn¡¯t hesitate, shooting his leg away for the young man to be flown off. Jack landed back first, but got back on his feet. He rushed Leon, threw a right hook, an upper cut with Leon normally dodging. Yet Jack had something on his sleeve. With Leon still dodging, Jack waited for his chance to shine. Leon took the bait, and went for another kick, only for Jack to dive below, getting up under, and wrapping him around his right shoulder. Jack yelled as he got Leon, getting him off the ground to slam him on the ground.


    ¡°I got you now!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Leon broke free from his clutch, and wrapped the young man''s head, and drove him into the ground, head first into a DDT. Jack got the wind knocked out of him, and lay there in defeat. Leon let go and casually got up, wiping his clothes. He moaned, but smiled, then heard his daughter''s boots coming his way. She too tried throwing some haymakers, although sloppy, he was more than proud to see the fire in her not dimmed.


    She¡¯s relentless, isn¡¯t she. Leon thought.


    Leon kept dodging, but Sarah had something else in mind. She went for a sidekick, mimicking her father, which made him gasp.


    She¡¯s watching my moves and learning as we practice. He thought.


    He of course went to grab it, but instead, Sarah erupted her Aura, and charged her fist. It was engulfed in flames, and her eyes glinted with excitement and hope. Leon lightly gasped, and Sarah shot her fist at his face. He dodged at the last second, a giant stream of fire shot out into the sky. The tips, strands of his hair were scorched, and Sarah again threw another hand, and shot plasma through the palm of her hand. Leon grabbed her hand, and redirected their grip, turning the two opposite with him redirecting the plasma out of the tips of his fingers. A huge stream of it struck the sky, and illuminated the sky into a light show.


    Leon soon realised that he was touching her, and for once, didn¡¯t let his emotions get to him. Actually, throughout the entire skirmish he has been putting his hands on her without falling into rage. It made him pant, and thrilled. He had his daughter''s hand held, and wondered if it was because of the combat, the heat of the training, or perhaps he¡¯s accumulating further his bond with his daughter. Regardless, Leon was enjoying himself, and so was Sarah. While the two were paused, Jack surprised Leon and grabbed him from behind, and had him in a full nelson.


    ¡°Crap.¡± Leon weakly said.


    Jack held him the best he could, ¡°lay it on him, Sarah!¡±


    Sarah was panting, her clothes were smeared with dirt, torn, and stained, but the grin that grew, it more than showed how much she was enjoying this skirmish.


    ¡°Right!¡± she shouted.


    Sarah leaped back, gave herself some distance. She closed her eyes, and shot her arms to the sky.


    ¡°Hail to the guardian''s of the sky, I bid thee to smite my enemy¡ªlay him down with your might! May he be scorched by the strikes of your light¡­ I bind thee!¡±


    Leon saw the sky transform. The sky glowed, pulsed, lightning struck the ground around them. Veins of it had engulfed the sky, and eventually swirled above Sarah. Leon¡¯s eyes glistened, watching the light show that made his heart skip a beat. Jack too was in awe, and he almost lost his grip, but quickly grew his hold tighter. Leon at this point was letting Jack do it to see what his daughter had in store.


    ¡°Jack! What about you?!¡± she shouted.


    Jack grinned, and peaked his head around Leon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I think I¡¯ll survive¡­ I hope!¡±


    Leon hung his head, trying not to show his enjoyment. He hasn¡¯t had this much fun in awhile nor managed to release his emotions and anger through his fists of any kind. Her arm, the tattoo that emerged earlier glowed, pulsed, and all the swirling veins of nature''s light twisted, and spiraled down to her arms. She was electrified, and swirled the lightening around her to that of a dance. Her aura grew tenfold, and she was at maximum. Her eyes pulsing, her aura buzz sawing, Sarah shot the collected plasma, and shot it out through her palms. A stream of lightning headed in their direction, and Jack¡¯s eyes reflected the oncoming wall of light.


    ¡°Oh shit¡­¡± Jack said.


    Suddenly, once the attack came into the edge of Leon¡¯s body, Jack was sent flying away, and Leon had one arm raised to his heart while the force of light sent his feet dragging. Leon stopped the momentum, and held the attack with the tip of his fingers as it went violent around his body. Leon ground his teeth, and redirected Sarah¡¯s attack in her direction. She gasped loudly and leaped into the air, only to be met with a neck chop by Leon, sending her flying back down.


    Jack got back up, and ran to where she might land, but Leon appeared in front of his face, sending him into a shocked state.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡±


    Leon furrowed his brows, and retracted his right hand. ¡°Lets see how strong this given power of yours is against my abnormal punches.¡±


    Leon shot his right fist into Jack¡¯s gut, sending him away. Jack gagged, and growled. Leon teleported behind Jack, sending his left leg into Jack¡¯s left side. Jack¡¯s expression was cartoonish from the unbearable force given to him. Leon soon grabbed his neck, choked, slammed him, and pummeled Jack¡¯s chest with dozens of punches. Every punch sent Jack deeper into the earth, cracking it, shaking it as he spat, yelled, and screamed. With one more punch to Jack¡¯s stomach, it sent a pool of blood out of his mouth. Jack was left devastated and broken. But Leon wasn¡¯t finished, he had one more thought in mind. He jumped into the air, and he saw his daughter flying at him. He flew to the side, but she kicked the air behind her, sending powerful winds in his direction. Leon braced himself, and Sarah let out a war cry, shooting another stream of fire through her right fist. Leon sliced through the train of fire, and Sarah was right at his face once it was split. At that moment, they were eye to eye, and Leon saw Samantha. Her wicked smile, her charcoal hair, and her pale hands trying to reach for his face.


    Leon ground his teeth, and his mana suddenly exploded. His powerful blackened aura of deep purple turned the dimension into pulsing darkness. Sarah screamed as she shot her right fist towards his face and he also shot his fist as he furrowed his brows in anger. Their fists collided and the dimension they were in was obliterated, landing them back into reality. The two stood beneath the tree, and Sarah panted, and fell to her knees, and hands. Jack¡¯s eyelids exploded, and he saw the familiar sky. He sat up, felt the grass tickling his back and let out a breath. Leon¡¯s fist was still out, his eyes narrowed, a deep wrinkle between them, he was cooling down his emotions. He slowly lowered his hand, and got down to a knee.


    Almost lost my cool there¡­ He thought.


    ¡°You have much to learn, Sarah. Next time, no mana. You have to learn to not rely on it too much. But more importantly, if you still have to, learn to use your hands and legs with it. You¡¯ll never know if you have to use hand to hand combat, but it¡¯s always best to know, even if it¡¯s just the basics.


    Sarah was having trouble catching her breath, but she felt exhilarated. She brought her head up to him without looking into his eyes in respect to his request, and softly smiled. Leon¡¯s eyes shook, but his lips remained straightened. But behind that straight line was a curve of happiness that wanted to emerge. He got up, and walked away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss more later, Sarah. In the meantime, try to meditate and see how you can better control your mana.¡±


    Sarah got to one knee, and a tear came out her left eye. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± she muttered.


    Leon made his way to Jack who sat there, baffled and lost. He leaned down to the young man''s ear.


    ¡°You and I will have a private discussion later on, but for now, can you promise me another thing?¡±


    Jack rubbed his stomach that had been pummeled by his fists. ¡°Ss-sure¡­ what is it?¡±


    Leon got serious, and placed his hand on Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t allow my daughter to use her mana in reality, by any means necessary. Because the moment she uses just an ounce, those Witch cultist freaks will find her location and take her.¡±


    ¡°W-Witch cultists?¡± he replied, letting out a gasp.


    ¡®I¡¯ll explain later, but please, Jack. Be her shield, even if it means your life will come to an end. But I doubt it since I tested that invulnerability of yours with my barrage of punches. So, I think you¡¯ll do just fine.¡±


    Leon tapped the young man''s shoulder, and walked away, eventually back into his home. Jack deeply sighed, shrugged, and got on his feet, grabbing his abdomen. Sarah too stood straight, and held her right arm. The two looked at each other, and chuckled. She went up to Jack, tapped his wrapped arm, and walked past him in silence. Jack stood with a grin on his face, he couldn¡¯t believe the skirmish he just had with the two. He was still trying to comprehend, and wrap everything up, but it was hard. Although, the young man for once didn¡¯t seem bothered by this supernatural occurrence, even if he was plunged into the earth. He put his hands on his hips, and glanced at the forest.


    ¡°What a night, ey?¡±


    Sarah slid her door halfway open, and turned to look at Jack¡¯s backside. ¡°Say Jack.¡±


    Jack looked over his shoulder, ¡°what''s up?¡±


    Sarah expressed a half grin, and it looked adorable to the young man''s eyes.


    ¡°You-You think you can teach me how to fight¡­ you know¡ªjust the basics, maybe?¡±


    Jack trickled a moan, but replied with a soft grin. Sarah ruffled her hair, flipped it, coughed, and lightly shrugged, and let out a giggle.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much to ask, you know? You don¡¯t have to, but I thought if anyone has experience and can teach me the basics, then it¡¯d be you.¡±


    Jack remained quiet, and was taking advantage of her soft side. He wanted to print this adorable scene into his mind.


    ¡°Perhaps, alone¡­ one on one. Wh-What do you say?¡± she asked while rubbing her arm.


    Jack turned to look at her, and sighed. ¡°Sure. I guess we can start in the next two days. For now, I think I¡¯d like to just relax and recover after your fathers beating.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glistened and she nodded. ¡°That sounds cool. I¡¯ll be waiting in the meantime and catching up with the girls.¡±


    Jack nodded and raised his hand to Sarah. ¡°Sounds like a plan, see ya later, and goodnight, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah stepped inside, and slowly slid the door closed. ¡°You too, see ya Jack, and please be careful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, heh.¡±


    Sarah giggled one more time, and waved back to Jack, sliding her door fully closed. The young man walked away, and eventually made his way back into the street. He tucked his hands into his pockets and walked off into the night, reminiscing everything that¡¯s occurred up to this point. From the events from when he was a child, to this bonding moment of a friend he wasn¡¯t too close with but now is. It¡¯s a lot for Jack to take in, but he¡¯s enjoying it. The young man took a pause, and turned slightly to take one last look at Sarah¡¯s lovely home.


    ¡°Hmph, it appears that I¡¯ve got a new goal in life¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s heartbeat grew, his eyes lightly shook, there was a familiar feeling that began to emerge. From the times with Mallory, the moments with Alexandria, to the mystery girl in his dreams called Lily, he welcomed back this nice sensation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do the best that I can to protect you, my friend.¡±


    The young man turned forward, walking away from the vicinity of her home until he faded into the darkness of Michigan''s streets.


    ***


    The next day, mid afternoon, strolling by some local side business was a man in a red basketball hoodie, who was making his way to a local bar. The hood over his head, his hands tucked into his jean pockets, but his eyes had a glint in them, and they were golden. The street was busy as usual around this time, and once he made it to his destination, something had made him pause before pushing the door open. He turned to his sides, glancing at the street corners before entering, and grunted. He walked inside, the bar had pool tables, people going against one another, a smoking area, and one person seated at the bar. He made his way to one of the stools, and sat, and tapped the counter to get the bartender''s attention.


    ¡°Yeah, I heard ya.¡±


    It was a woman, and she turned around, and saw who it was, and wondered why he looked so ominous. This wasn¡¯t new to her, so she just shrugged it off.


    ¡°What would it be, stranger?¡±


    The man raised a finger, and pointed at a bottle of their finest whiskey. She looked over her shoulder, and slightly tilted in surprise, her lips frowned.


    ¡°Oh! A man of no words but with big pockets instead. One shot? Two, what¡¯s up, playa?¡±


    He raised two fingers, and she nodded.


    ¡°I gotchu. Just shots, or would you like a little umph with that?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Aight mystery man, two shots it is.¡±


    She went to grab the bottle and he waited. The front bar door opened and dinged the bell above it. Two women walked in, one slightly shorter than the other. The shorter one had short hair, her outfit close to that of business attire but had a kick of casualness to it, matching her glasses and brown hair. The other was an average height woman, bright blonde hair, pale skin, but glistening blue eyes, she stood out more than her friend. Her outfit was close to her friend, but her long trench coat of red made others question why she was wearing something around this time of season? Her long heeled boots clacked the wood floor as they made their way to the bar where the mysterious stranger was at, who took his first shot.


    They sat down, and the short one pulled out her phone. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve been searching everywhere in this god forsaken city and we still can¡¯t find her.¡±


    The blonde woman collapsed her hands and set them on the bar. ¡°Figures, but I have a hunch we¡¯ll find that devil sooner than later.¡±


    The blonde woman''s accent was harsh, sounded Norwegian, high pitch, but loosened to please one''s ear drums. This made the hooded man ease in their conversation, and he appeared intrigued when they mentioned the word ¡®Devil.¡¯


    ¡°I hope so¡­ we¡¯ve been searching country to country in search of her.¡±


    The blonde woman hung her head, and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my friend. I know we have, but I need to do this¡­ you understand, right?¡±


    The shorter woman grinned, and placed her hand on her friend''s arm. ¡°You¡¯re my best friend. Of course, and I¡¯ll stick by your side as long as it takes, even if that means death.¡±


    The bartender lady couldn¡¯t help but ease in, and smack her hands on the table, spooking the two.


    ¡°Alright lesbos, you gonna sit here and talk of your troubles like the rest? Or would you perhaps like to drown out your pesky emotions with some drinks?!¡±


    The blonde woman grinned. ¡°Typical Americans, sure! If it''s in the house, madam.¡±


    The bartender laughed, ¡°you know what, for you, sure because I like your accent. Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m from Norway. You know, lovely coast sides, winter mountains, and lots and lots of tails of superstition and¡ªVikings!¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah! Alright, you both get some free drinks, two beer mugs?¡±


    ¡°It better be some Guinness.¡± the blonde woman said.


    Her short friend giggled. ¡°I¡¯m down.¡±


    ¡°Two Guinesses, coming right up. Give me five minutes.¡±


    The blonde woman couldn¡¯t help but return her frown. ¡°For my brother¡­¡±


    She reached into her coat pocket, and pulled out a photo of him. Her friend watched and frowned as well.


    ¡°Oskar¡­¡± she muttered.


    She brought her gaze back to her friend and a glint appeared in her eyes. Her friend clutched her pants from the intense glare of her closest friend.


    ¡°That Witch¡­ will pay, and I¡¯ll be the one to end her life.¡±


    She put the photo back in her pocket, and slammed her fist on the bar.


    ¡°Holder of Envy¡­ I¡¯ll find you, and when I do¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    The voice of a man had put a pause to the two, and the women wondered who. The blonde woman heard it closest, and turned to her right, seeing the hooded man in red.


    ¡°Was that you that spoke to us, stranger?¡± she said.


    He downed his last shot, and chuckled beneath his breath. His chuckle sent chills down their spines, and the blonde woman raised a brow.


    ¡°I was wondering why I sensed two unexpected sources of mana.¡±


    He mildly turned to her, showing half his face, and twisted half grin. She swallowed and narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Wh-What do you mean by that? Who are you?¡±


    He chuckled and raised his empty shot glass to her.


    ¡°Salutations to you too. But I find it strange that two Esper''s would so casually walk in a bar and discuss murder in front of someone¡ªlike me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?! You know who we are!¡± the short woman said.


    The blonde woman got out her stool, and clenched her fists. ¡°Who are you¡­ and how do you know that we¡¯re Esper''s?¡±


    He sighed and cracked his neck. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but hear in your conversation about the holder of Envy. It enlightened me, even if it¡¯s coming from someone such as yourself who also represents the clan of Witches. Isn¡¯t that hypocritical of you? I mean, that necklace inside your shirt speaks for itself, haha.¡±


    The blonde woman gasped, and her friend also got out of the stool seat.


    ¡°How do you know about my necklace?! Reveal yourself¡ªor else I have to use force!¡±


    The hooded man snapped his fingers, and everything around them had paused. Colour had saturated and everyone went on a stand still. He got out of his chair, and brushed his hands from head to toe, revealing his elegant white hooded cloak. It¡¯s Archard, and immediately, the two women were shocked beyond belief. They backed away, and the short one was ready to use mana until the blonde one put her arm in the way to stop her.


    Archard patted himself, and turned to the two. ¡°Delighted to see me? Bear witness to my mightiness, Esper''s.¡±


    The blonde woman moaned, and drew sweat. ¡°What are you doing here? Grand Exorcist?¡±


    Archard mildly grinned and squinted his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s personal, but as for me? I have my own side quest which caters to the vengeance that you seek.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Which means?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also in search of the holder of Envy, Abyzou.¡±


    Her short friend jumped in the way, glaring at Archard. ¡°Who cares if you¡¯re after the same target! We know of the heinous acts you commit to Espers and Witches¡­ murderer!¡±


    Archard smacked his teeth, and raised a brow. ¡°Don¡¯t speak so boldly towards me, little girl. Otherwise I must enact my duty as an Exorcist and bind your powers. You don¡¯t want that, do you?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ you!¡±


    The blonde woman grabbed her friend, and reeled her back.


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­ it¡¯s okay. He means no harm.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?!¡±


    The blonde woman pulled out her necklace that had symbols of Witchcraft, Christianity, and another kind Archard can¡¯t make of. Her friend¡¯s aware of what it meant and why she had to pull it out to show that she was telling the truth. Seeing the necklace had calmed her down, and dropped her guard completely.


    ¡°So, Archard¡­ any ideas of where she might be? If you intend to inform us, which I doubt.¡±


    Archard weakly waved. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I mean ya no harm. People that have the same idea as me are friends of mine.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, just answer my question.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but would the lovely ladies like to introduce themselves first¡ªbefore we discuss any further?¡±


    The short one stepped up, and furrowed her brows. ¡°Mandy, Mandy Asterus.¡±


    The blonde one placed one hand on her chest, and bowed her head. ¡°Linnea, Linnea Austad.¡±


    Archard smiled. ¡°Nice to meet the both of you. Now then, to answer your curiosities, I have no clue where she¡¯s at, but only an idea.¡±


    Linnea raised her head, and frowned. ¡°Will it lead me to Abyzou?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯ll do more than just lead¡ªyou¡¯ll be right at her doorstep!¡±


    ¡°Intriguing. So, what is it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not very fun with conversations aren¡¯t you?¡± Archard said, groaning afterwards.


    Linnea raised her arm, and snapped her fingers. ¡°Seeing as you trapped us in an enclosed dimension, I really don¡¯t have time for talks. I just want the climax.¡±


    Archard mildly shrugged. ¡°Alright, I can respect that.¡±


    A deep wrinkled formed between his eyes, and they began to glow.


    ¡°If you wish to have a proper lead to her¡­ then look no further than to stalk the one thing she has bonded with in this world.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t mean¡ª?¡±


    Archard slowly nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ that doppelganger of hers she calls¡ªdaughter.¡±


    Linnea¡¯s eyes quivered. ¡°She-she still lives? I thought she was¡ª?¡±


    Archard shook his head. Mandy looked at her friend, briefly, and nodded.


    ¡°If what you say is true, then one must think that you¡¯ve already encountered this daughter, correct?¡± Mandy said.


    Archard¡¯s glow faded, and he sighed. ¡°Yes, I have, and her husband still exists, and is miserable as one can remember.¡±


    Linnea crossed her arms. ¡°Leon, Bolverkr the destroyer. Poor guy, and to think he¡¯s still contracted with her.¡±


    Linnea walked up to Archard to look up at him, eye to eye. Archard raised the edge of his lips, amused.


    ¡°I can safely say that you¡¯re not just informing all of this for free. To get to the context of this forming deal, what do you want in return from us?¡±


    Archard placed his hand on her shoulder, making her friend sweat bullets.


    ¡°I want nothing more than to meet the holder of Envy, and have a personal one to one conversation.¡±


    Linnea swallowed, and briefly closed her eyes to relax her nerves.


    ¡°What type of conversation?¡±


    Archard¡¯s face went still, and his eyes grew wide.


    ¡°What I want the two of you to do is to be my leading eyes. Meet the daughter, befriend her, and have her lead the two of you to Abyzou.¡±


    Linnea¡¯s body mildly trembled, and she did her best to hide her fear. Archard on the other hand can smell it, and it made him laugh inside.


    ¡°And I¡¯m assuming you don¡¯t just want me to enact my revenge, right?¡± Linnea said.


    ¡°Right, because it won¡¯t be you! That will take her life¡ª¡±


    Archard let off, and balled his fist in front of hers, and his eyes glinted.


    ¡°It will be me! Who will take her life!¡±


    Mandy stood next to Linnea, and grabbed her hand. She got on her toes to reach her ear to whisper into it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that sinister tone of his, should we¡ª?¡±


    Linnea ignored her friend, and put her left hand out forward to Archard.


    ¡°Deal¡­¡± she said.


    Archard bounced his brows, and grabbed her hand, and shook it.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we have an agreement without any hassle. But why be so agreeable so quickly?¡±


    Linnea slightly turned her head for a moment before looking back at Archard. Her face was dead serious, and reaked of vengance.


    The glint in her eyes were so evident that Archard felt her hatred trying to influence his own.


    ¡°Because¡­ I want to watch it happen, and let me also have a turn in taking her life away.¡±


    Archard chuckled, but a manic one that sent chills down Mandy''s spine.


    ¡°I think this is the start of a nice acquainting relationship. I have faith¡­ in the both of you.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 16: Hatred Ongoing

    Mid Afternoon, inside the home of Anna¡¯s grandparents, all three girls were inside in the living room, catching up. During the events of Jack and Sarah¡¯s mishaps, Veronica had been studying for her finals, and really going hardcore on them while Anna helped around the home of her grandparents, such as reorganizing furniture and maintenance. Sarah came by just an hour ago, and while it has been a delightful conversation for the three, there was one who spoke with aggression, but only in response and abruptly cutting Sarah off whenever she spoke. That was Veronica, she¡¯s been behaving rather hostile towards her. Sarah¡¯s aware, but doesn''t want to instigate anything, she misses them and hasn¡¯t had the chance to hangout with them since that night when the men in white attacked Veronica¡¯s home and William rearranged time.


    Anna¡¯s laying on the couch, her head resting on Sarah¡¯s thick thighs. Sarah was massaging her head, and watching the television.


    ¡°Why¡¯s there so much military activity downtown?¡± Sarah said.


    Anna pointed at the screen. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been wondering about that too. Never got the chance to watch any news lately since I¡¯ve been doing so much chores for the past month.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been pretty busy myself also.¡± Sarah replied.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Veronica grunted.


    ¡°Alright, besides what we¡¯ve been talking about, let''s not get off topic, how about you answer what I had just said, Sarah!¡±


    Sarah crushed Anna¡¯s nose closed, and lightly smacked her head. ¡°Answer what? You mean what you were trying to have me do in favour of your wicked mind?¡±


    Anna smiled. ¡°Alright alright, what if you agree?¡± she said while grabbing Sarah¡¯s hand off her nose.


    Sarah grabbed her chin, and chopped Anna''s head. ¡°No, bad Anna, bad. Stop being so perverse. I¡¯ve already allowed you to lay on my lap, that¡¯s as far as you get, missy.¡±


    Anna pouted, and rubbed Sarah¡¯s leg. ¡°Oh pueh! It was just a saying¡­ didn¡¯t have to assault me like that, goth girl.¡±


    Veronica was on the singles chair, and she had her arms and legs crossed. She was watching the television and remained quiet. Sarah couldn¡¯t contain herself and brought her attention to the grouchy rich bookworm.


    ¡°Hey, Veronica, you okay? You¡¯ve been real quiet, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Anna too, brought her attention to Veronica. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯ve also been a little sassy, especially towards Sarah. What¡¯s with you, huh?¡±


    Veronica rolled her eyes, and mildly waved her fingers. ¡°Oh nothing, it¡¯s just¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know if I should say it. Don¡¯t want to be a Debbie downer.¡±


    Sarah grabbed Anna¡¯s head, and ruffled her hair. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s okay, we¡¯re all besties here. No need to keep things dormant. It¡¯s bad to do so for your mental health.¡±


    Ver¨®nica brought her annoyed gaze to Sarah, and squinted her eyes. ¡°That so?¡± she lightly tapped her chin, and pointed at Sarah. ¡°So tell me this then, goth girl.¡±


    ¡°Why does everyone keep calling me that?¡± Sarah said, which made Anna giggle.


    ¡°You and Jack have been acting real friendly, and hanging out a lot as of lately, not to mention you¡¯ve also seemed to grow closer. What¡¯s with that? Like, what are you up to?¡±


    Sarah scrunched her face. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡±


    Anna can sense the annoyance in her friend''s tiny voice, and gets up, putting her arms around her. ¡°Alright alright, easy now, tiny Sarah.¡±


    Veronica got up out of her chair, sticking her hip out while her arms stayed crossed.


    ¡°You know what I mean. Stop pretending to play dumb, I know you¡¯re after Jack, S-a-r-a-h!¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t like Veronica''s sarcastic tone. Actually, it got her so annoyed that she got out of Anna¡¯s embrace and approached the smart girl.


    ¡°What are you trying to imply? That I¡¯m trying to steal him from you?¡±


    Veronica swayed her body, and grew her eyes wide towards Sarah.


    ¡°What else am I trying to imply, Ms. Goth girl!¡±


    Sarah dragged one of her hands across her mouth. ¡°Veronica, don¡¯t be stupid¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stupid?!¡± she said, growing closer towards her.


    Sarah also stuck her hip out, and placed her hand on it.


    ¡°Instead of acting insecure and jealous, how about you just think rationally without jumping to conclusions.¡±


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re one to talk! Missy!¡±


    ¡°Veronica, could you stop. Think, actually take a moment to cool yourself and think! What would I accomplish in taking the guy you¡¯ve had a crush on since we were children?¡±


    Anna got up, and went up to the two. ¡°She has a point, Veronica.¡±


    Veronica glanced at Anna. ¡°Hmph, in what way? It still doesn¡¯t disclose the fact that they¡¯ve been hanging out a lot and acting really friendly.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and? But doesn¡¯t mean that we¡¯re engaging in anything that you¡¯re clearly overthinking.¡±


    ¡°Then why have you guys, out of nowhere gotten so close, hmm?!¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes, and face palmed. ¡°Veronica, I don¡¯t like him¡­ you know that. How many times have we discussed about me liking someone? If I had feelings for him or any guy, then I would¡¯ve already confessed before he would have thought of doing it.¡±


    Anna intervened, and wrapped her arm around Sarah¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°What Sarah¡¯s saying is in fact correct, our dear smart jealous friend. I mean, take a look at her.¡±


    Veronica tilted her head. ¡°Wha-What do you mean by that?¡±


    Anna rolled her arm, and put her hand out to Veronica.


    ¡°Veronica, Sarah here, is every fucking guys dream! She¡¯s short, stunning, not to mention her gorgeous eyes! And do I even have to bring the fact that she¡¯s¡­ Goth?! But most of all¡ª¡±


    Anna shifted her arm down, and smacks Sarah¡¯s butt, which makes her lightly squeal.


    ¡°She has a fucking nice big ass, she¡¯s thick, my friend, very for her size. I mean, take a look at them thighs too!¡±


    Anna spun Sarah around, and Sarah couldn¡¯t retain her smile as Anna showed her off. Once she stopped, she reeled Sarah in, and held her as tight as she could, and Sarah squirmed around in her grasp.


    ¡°Sarah¡¯s not only a fantasy, but if she really wanted to have Jack, she could¡¯ve had him a long time ago, don¡¯t cha think?¡±


    Veronica pouted, and looked away. ¡°Who-who says that I can¡¯t compete with her looks!¡±


    Anna laughed, and went up to Veronica and wrapped her arm around her shoulder this time.


    ¡°Oh Veronica! Look, you¡¯re pretty and all, but compared to Sarah, sorry to say¡­ you don¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    ¡°Wha-What do you mean?!¡±


    ¡°Okay, yes, you¡¯re beautiful, Veronica. You got long legs, a nice figure, a big chest¡ª¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s bigger than hers!¡± Veronica exclaimed, pointing at Sarah proudly.


    Anna shrugged. ¡°True, but you forget to know that our little Sarah ain¡¯t flat chested either. What size are you, again, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah sighed, but grinned. ¡°Close to a C, but still around a B.¡±


    ¡°And just like that, despite she not being as busty like the two of us, it¡¯s just the fact that she has just enough for a man''s pleasure. You can¡¯t compete against her, but do you ever see Sarah showing herself to the world? Whoring around, showing skin, talking, manipulating men towards her will! She could''ve done all of that, Veronica.¡±


    Veronica frowned, ¡°ye-yeah¡­ I guess. But! It still doesn¡¯t explain why they¡¯ve hung out so much!¡±


    Sarah took a breath. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªcomplicated, and even if I were to tell you two, neither of you would understand.¡±


    The two grew quiet. They could hear the worry and stress in her voice when she said that. To Anna, it also raised suspicion of what that meant, and Veronica still kept her¡¯s. Sarah slowly walked backwards, and then sat back on the couch, grabbing her head. She rubbed her face, and sighed. Seeing their tiny friend sulk in an unknown sadness questioned what she really meant by that. Veronica has already concluded what she possibly means, but Anna thought otherwise. Sarah brought her eyes up to her friends and she had a frown on her face.


    ¡°Say, Anna, Veronica¡­¡± Sarah said, her tone softened and saddened.


    The two approached her, and waited for what she had to say next. Sarah was hesitant to ask, and briefly looked away. When she brought her eyes back to them, they were shaking.


    ¡°If-If I were¡ªfor example, not ¡®Normal!¡¯ Would you-you guys still believe in what I would say, and be?¡±


    Both girls were confused as to what she meant by that. The two looked at each other, raised their arms, their eyeballs bouncing around in confusion, they didn¡¯t know how to respond to her question. Veronica wondered if this was what Sarah was trying to explain about her and Jack getting so close as of lately. Could it be that she¡¯s also doing illegal activities with him? Or hiding more that she¡¯s afraid to say, which raised a brow for Veronica. Anna couldn¡¯t understand, but quickly came up with something that¡¯ll lighten the mood and ease the storm between the two.


    Anna sat back down next to Sarah, and patted her head. ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re already strange. You¡¯re nowhere near normal.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t help but express a subtle smile and giggle. ¡°Gee, thanks Anna!¡± she said, sarcastically.


    Then, Anna gave Sarah a kiss on the cheek, and hugged her.


    ¡°Regardless of what¡¯s going on in that head of yours, and if Jack¡¯s helping answering your own self identity. Whatever the case may be with you, I¡¯ll always accept you for who and what you are.¡±


    Sarah placed her hand on Anna¡¯s arm, and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder Jack has such a bond with you. You¡¯re such a good counselor and comforter, unlike a snot nose brat that reeks of envy.¡±


    Both girls laughed and Veronica at first wanted to say something, but joined in their laughter. Then, something came into the mind of Sarah that questions Veronica¡¯s actions towards her and leaving a particular person out of it.


    ¡°Hey¡­ that doesn¡¯t exclude Anna, Veronica! Have you seen what they do when they¡¯re around each other? Why be bitchy towards me, rich girl.¡±


    Veronica bent over, and flipped Sarah¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Ow¡­¡±


    Veronica grinned, and pointed at Anna without looking at her.


    ¡°That¡¯s an easy answer, she¡¯s gay, doofus, remember.¡±


    Sarah massaged her forehead, and repaid Veronica with her own flick, which made her back away.


    ¡°Oh yeah, forgot about that.¡±


    Both Veronica and Sarah giggled while Anna squinted her eyes at the two.


    ¡°So¡­ me being gay means I have privileges that you wished you could do to Jack?¡± Anna said, raising a brow to see who would react first.


    Veronica got in her face, and grabbed the collar of her flannel. ¡°Listen here! You absolute stunning blonde beauty! I wish I were in your shoes so I could sit on his lap, and rub my face against his without getting steamed up and red!¡±


    Sarah laughed, ¡°oh dang, I had no idea you were that envious of Annabelle, Veronica. Not to mention creepy.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Anna grew a smug look, and resorted back at Veronica by swooning her off her legs. ¡°You know, Jack carried me like this too! And he also did this¡­¡±


    Anna bumped heads with Veronica, and pressed her nose against Veronica¡¯s, turning her red and making her gasp continuously. Anna had an open mouth smile, and giggled.


    ¡°He also did this, bet you wished you were me, huh snotty girl?!¡±


    Veronica covered her face, and shook her head. ¡°Stop¡­ stop stop, oh my god!¡±


    Sarah placed her hand against her cheek, and watched her best friends act just the way she loved to see them: Goofy, happy, and out of line. Seeing that they¡¯re normal and not involved in the mess that her and Jack have gotten themselves in made her almost shed a tear, but she restrained her emotions, and deeply sighed in silence. Upon her gaze coming back to the two, Anna came back and attacked her, lifting her up, out of the couch, and placing her on her right shoulder. She then smacked her butt again, and that made Sarah annoyed, and blush.


    ¡°Damn it! Anna! I¡¯m starting to believe you have a crush on me now!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Anna laughed and smacked her butt again. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t! You absolutely tiny adorable goth girl you!¡±


    Sarah smacked her fists against Anna¡¯s back, and pouted. ¡°Put me down, you fiend!¡±


    ¡°Never!¡± Anna began to march towards the front door. ¡°Come on, Veronica, let''s go get some food, I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Veronica giggled. ¡°And you¡¯re carrying the grouchy goth girl on your shoulder all the way?¡±


    Anna tapped her chin, and gave Veronica a thumbs up. ¡°Challenge accepted!¡±


    Sarah crossed her arms, and rolled her eyes. ¡°Whatever, at least I¡¯ll be carried on some strong shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Oh haha¡­ calling me manly I see, well, take this!¡±


    Anna chomped on Sarah¡¯s side, and that made her yelp. Veronica bursted out in laughter, and all three girls made their way out the front door of Anna¡¯s grandparents house. Once they were out on the sidewalk, they made their way to the town that they loved traveling to where safety and prosperity shined. While on the way there, there was a strange instance where they saw a black tahoe mysteriously parking about twenty feet of them. At first they didn¡¯t catch eye to it, only Sarah. The only reason why she was able to, was due to the fact she was still on Anna¡¯s shoulder. In watching their backs, she was able to watch the mystery vehicle grow closer and closer until she slightly rose herself up from hanging on Anna¡¯s shoulder. This made the suv drive away and never to be seen again.


    After an hour of walking, they arrived and felt joyful. The thought of that suv stayed in Sarah¡¯s head, but she kept it to herself for now. While being put back on her feet, Sarah was able to stretch her body and let out a nice big yawn. Veronica went for a glance to find which eatery they were going to. Anna also stretched, mainly her back after caring for the tiny goth girl all the way. Veronica had her hand hovered over her eyes as she scanned the area, Anna yawned and also did the same, Sarah looked over her shoulder to see if that vehicle was still around. Veronica then pointed at a sushi bar three blocks down, and started the march to their new target. Anna followed and Sarah did after a minute. With all three walking next to each other, Veronica wanted to try something, her envy still remained.


    She pulled her phone out, and dialed for Jack. ¡°I wonder what Jack¡¯s doing.¡±


    Anna shrugged, ¡°Beats me. Hopefully nothing illegal as usual.¡±


    Sarah was glancing around, ¡°he¡¯s probably still asleep, best to leave the poor guy, Veronica.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Eventually, Jack did pick up, and he sounded exhausted. ¡°Jack?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­? Wh-who¡¯s calling?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Veronica, dummy!¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­ hey, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to say hi and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Veronica¡­ I¡¯m exhausted, could we talk later, please?¡±


    Veronica froze, and moaned in embarrassment. Sarah sighed and went to her frozen friend, grabbing her phone out of her hand.


    ¡°Jack, go back to sleep, she¡¯s just being her dumb usual self.¡±


    ¡°Sarah? You¡¯re with her? Whatcha guys up to?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later, right now you sound like a dead frog. Get some rest, you grouch.¡±


    Jack chuckled, ¡°Alright¡­ talk to you all, later.¡±


    Sarah hung up, and placed Veronica¡¯s phone back in her hand. Veronica snapped out of her frozen state, and stomped the ground. Sarah patted her jealous friend''s head, and took the lead.


    ¡°Boy, Veronica¡­ if you keep this up, you¡¯ll surely lose him to her.¡± Anna said.


    Veronica stuck her tongue out to Anna, ¡°Whatever¡­ I just didn¡¯t know, okay?! Wait¡­ how did she know! Hey, come back here you tiny devil!¡±


    Sarah raised her hand, ¡°come get me then, I ain¡¯t running, bookworm.¡±


    Veronica ran to Sarah, and Anna followed. Sarah crossed her arms, and proceeded to cross the street, and once she had reached the other side, going past a building, she heard someone creating sounds to that of being stressed? Lost? She had no clue, but she saw the culprit, that being a short woman, just inches taller than Sarah, who was glancing around, standing on some stairs. She had glasses, a nice casual suit, her skirt matching her clothing, and short brown hair.


    Sarah paused before taking another step forward. ¡°Uh, excuse me?¡± she asked, taking another step closer. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    The woman brought her gaze to Sarah, and at first, she gasped, loudly. Her eyes quivered, and a glint appeared in them, but she soon regained composure, and cleared her throat, swallowing too.


    ¡°So-Sorry¡­ and I¡¯m alright, I just happened to be lost, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Sarah already grew suspicious of this woman. The look she gave Sarah a moment ago reeked of anger, and hatred. Not only that, she was giving off something not even Sarah could tell. But instead of jumping to conclusions, Sarah remained her usual self, and stayed on guard.


    ¡°Lost huh? What are you looking for?¡±


    The woman jumped off the steps, and adjusted her glasses, standing in front of Sarah.


    ¡°I¡¯m a tourist, so it¡¯s only¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, clearly.¡±


    She groaned beneath her breath, and twitched an eye from Sarah¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re a smart one, ain''t cha?¡±


    ¡°Look lady, whatever you¡¯re looking for, I¡¯m sure you can easily look for it on your phone.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Why you¡­¡± she muttered.


    Veronica and Anna had just caught up, and took notice of the short woman standing in front of their friend. They saw her right fist, clenched, and she looked annoyed by Sarah. Anna came behind her friend, and placed her hand on her head.


    ¡°Alright alright, why are you looking at my adorable friend like that, stranger?¡± Anna said.


    The woman sighed, and erased the annoyed expression on her face.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just asking for directions because I¡¯m lost, but your rude friend here instead of helping a young gal like me, would rather act all smartashes and not be of help.¡±


    Veronica intervened and analyzed the woman''s outfit. She wondered why she was being examined by their taller friend.


    ¡°You have a very distinct taste I see. I like it!¡± Veronica said, pointing at the woman.


    She grinned. ¡°Hehe, why, thank you! Glad someone here is kind and digs my fashion sense.¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes, ¡°of course, the two four eyes are getting along.¡±


    Veronica covered Sarah¡¯s mother, and it made her furrow her brows. Sarah mumbled and Veronica smiled. Anna lightly chuckled, but the woman kept her eyes locked onto Sarah.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, stranger?¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°Mandy, is my name.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I love that name! Nice to meet you, Mandy! Ahem, my name is Veronica, and the blonde one is Anna, and my goth friend is Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Sarah, huh?¡± Mandy said, ¡°I know someone who has a similar name to her.¡±


    Just then, her tone had changed. It sounded ominous, subtle yet filled with ill intent. Veronica didn¡¯t catch it over her excitement, but the other two did, and it made Anna step forward, standing closer to her two friends.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s fascinating.¡± Veronica said, collapsing her hands in excitement.


    Sarah remained quiet, trying to figure out what this off putting sensation Mandy was giving out.


    It feels like Mana, but at the same time, it¡¯s different. Just what is she? And what¡¯s her deal? Sarah thought.


    Mandy¡¯s attention didn¡¯t deteriorate from Sarah, and it sent shivers down Sarah¡¯s spine.


    Sarah balled a fist, and that made Mandy look away, turning her attention to Veronica. Watching her do that made it seem as if she were detecting Sarah¡¯s next movements.


    Veronica grabbed Mandy¡¯s hand, and got close to her face. ¡°Where are you from?! With the way you dress, and kinda speak, you¡¯re from a different country, ain¡¯t cha?¡±


    Seeing Veronica¡¯s excitement over a stranger gave Anna a strange vibe, and wondered if her friend was doing this on purpose to get under Sarah¡¯s skin despite Mandy¡¯s odd behaviour.


    ¡°Me? Well you guessed correctly. But I¡¯m more of a neighbor. Actually, I¡¯m Canadian.¡±


    ¡°Oooo, and I assume you know French?¡±


    ¡°French, German, Norwegian, English, and Spanish.¡±


    ¡°Wow! You¡¯re very bilingual too! So rad.¡±


    Sarah went in between them, and Veronica wondered why she had pushed her away. Mandy¡¯s face went still, and the two had a stare down.


    Mandy slowly balled a fist, and squinted her eyes.


    Abyzou¡­ it has to be. There¡¯s no denying it¡ª


    ¡°Mandy, I apologise.¡± Sarah said, which made her moan in confusion.


    Mandy relaxed her nerves, and tilted her head.


    ¡°For what?¡±


    Sarah put her hand out, ¡°for being rude. I have a bad habit of acting this way towards someone I suspect to be off putting, but nonetheless, I should¡¯ve still expressed common courtesy despite who you are. Judging a book by its cover is what most people would not like to be presumed by.¡±


    Mandy hesitated, but shook Sarah¡¯s hand, but abruptly, which made the goth girl raise her suspicion towards her more.


    ¡°Apology accepted. Anyways, I think I¡¯m being a bother to you all. You three must be heading somewhere and I think I¡¯ve more than likely killed your time.¡±


    Veronica reeled Sarah back, and shook her head. ¡°No no! We were actually going on our way to eat. I know we just met, but you interest me. Would you like to come with us for lunch?¡±


    Mandy giggled. ¡°That sounds lovely, but I have to be on my way to my original destination. And¡­ Sa-Sarah, is it? You were right, I should¡¯ve used my phone.¡±


    Sarah kept a brow slightly raised, and nodded. She silently walked past Mandy, and Anna followed with her. Veronica scratched the back of her head, and let out a breath.


    ¡°Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Nice meeting you, Mandy. Gotta keep up with those two before I lose sight of them.¡±


    As Veronica waved, and power walked past her, Mandy grabbed Veronica¡¯s arm to which she turned back, confused.


    ¡°Sorry, but, I was wondering, since we were getting along, do you think we can keep in contact?¡±


    Veronica smiled, ¡°yeah, sure! Here, give me your phone.¡±


    Mandy did, and Veronica quickly exchanged contacts with her, sending a text. When she handed Mandy back her phone, Mandy had an odd smile on her face, one that reeked ominously and with malicious intent. Even Veronica caught on to that twisted smile of hers.


    ¡°Uh, you alright, Mandy?¡±


    Mandy blinked and the smile subtle down to a normal grin. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ll text you later, and maybe we can hang out sometimes, maybe tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure? I just gotta see if there isn¡¯t anything in the way of my schedule. Alright, see ya!¡±


    Veronica walked off, and Mandy watched as she went to get caught up to her friends. Sarah can¡¯t let go of this odd feeling coming off of Mandy. She had to take one last pause, and look back one final time. Once she did, Mandy stood there, watching with a glare that was both bloodthirsty and hateful. Sarah finally balled a fist, and ground her teeth in response to Mandy¡¯s strange behaviour.


    Just who the hell is this chick? I don¡¯t like this, not one bit. She has to be supernatural, there¡¯s no denying it. Sarah thought.


    ¡°Sarah¡­¡± Anna said.


    Sarah turned to her friend, and grabbed her arm. ¡°Yeah, give me a second.¡±


    When Sarah¡¯s gaze went back to where Mandy was standing, she was gone. This made Sarah grunt beneath her breath. Anna was also on board with her friend¡¯s reaction towards this stranger.


    ¡°Something¡¯s off about that girl.¡±


    Sarah glanced at Anna, ¡°glad I¡¯m not the only one who felt the same.¡±


    ¡°Especially with how she responded to you. It almost seems as if she were anticipating your arrival, Sarah. Like, if she knew someone just like you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Could you phrase that better?¡±


    Anna too looked to where Mandy once stood. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to put it, but do you ever get the feeling of Deja vu? Like, someone you used to hate, and tried to avoid but never could? That¡¯s what she was giving off.¡±


    ¡°I see what you¡¯re saying, and it kinda makes sense. Overall, whatever she¡¯s up to, I¡¯ll be sure to keep my eyes on her if she and Veronica think what I think they did.¡±


    When the two turned around, Veronica suddenly wrapped her arms around her two friends, and she noticed their distraught faces. To her, they looked jealous, so she used this to her advantage.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s with the serious faces?! Don¡¯t tell me you two are jealous of my new friend?!¡±


    Anna chopped Veronica¡¯s forehead without looking at her. ¡°No, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can be concerned about my own friends'' safety.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay I agree she¡¯s a little off, but we¡¯ll see how things turn out. I mean, didn¡¯t we also have the same opinion on Sarah here when we were kids, Anna?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but compared to Sarah¡¯s situation, this isn¡¯t school, nor a classroom, this is the outside world, and it¡¯s filled with crazed individuels.¡±


    Sarah grabbed her chin. ¡°Veronica¡­¡±


    Veronica glanced at Sarah, ¡°Yes little goth girl?¡±


    Sarah winked at her, and gave her the finger. ¡°You¡¯re a naive idiot.¡±


    Veronica gasped, and pouted. ¡°Why you!¡±


    Anna laughed and the three went back on course. When they walked two blocks down, coming out of the edge of a building was that strange vehicle, the black Tahoe. Sarah gasped, and stopped the other two.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Anna said.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden stop, Sarah?¡± Veronica asked.


    Sarah kept her eyes on the SUV, and watched as it drove away.


    ¡°That same Tahoe showed up¡­ what¡¯s going on with this day?¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Hello? Earth to Sarah?¡± Veronica said, waving her hand in front of her face.


    Sarah grabbed it, and bit her hand, making Veronica yelp.


    ¡°Sorry, I thought I saw something cool, but it was nothing.¡±


    ¡°But did you have to nibble on my precious skin? Are you that hungry?!¡±


    Sarah nodded, ¡°yeah, let''s go before I actually start eating you alive.¡±


    The three continued forward, and above in the sky, floating was Mandy who was watching them. Her clothes lightly fluttering as well as her hair, she watched as that black SUV drove in a hurry out the town. The sunlight glared off her glasses as she mustered her anger.


    ¡°Tch¡­ there¡¯s more parties after her than I thought.¡±


    Mandy reached into her coat pocket for her phone. She dialed and Linnea had answered.


    ¡°I found the daughter, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea was at a local coffee shop, drinking a nice cup of dark roast coffee. The news of her friend already locating Abyzou''s daughter brought a smile to her face.


    ¡°Let me see¡­¡± she said.


    Mandy put her hand out, and a glass screen appeared, letting Linnea see through it with her own glass screen on the table.


    ¡°Nobody can sense or see you, right?¡±


    Mandy grinned. ¡°With what you taught me, no one besides Archard and his goons can. But I think she already has a suspicion of me. That¡¯s my fault, I couldn''t help contain my anger.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    Linnea watched Sarah as she conversed with her friends, and seeing the exact replica of what took her brothers life and more made her blood boil.


    ¡°Wait¡­ that¡¯s her fully grown? It can¡¯t be. I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sense Abyzou in her?¡± Mandy said, furrowing her brows. ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, but despite the appearance, from my last memory of her, they¡¯re nothing alike in terms of personality.¡±


    ¡°But they look exactly identical¡­¡±


    Mandy moaned. ¡°I know, and it¡¯s preposterous.¡±


    Linnea collapsed her hands, ¡°then why can we sense that wicked Witch inside of her twin daughter?¡±


    ¡°I wish I had an answer for you, Linnea, but all we can do is watch, observe, and hopefully reach a conclusion.¡±


    Linnea can¡¯t help but see the monster that ruined her life, enjoy herself, get along with her friends, and gave her nightmares for the next decade or two. She can recall the last confrontation she had with Abyzou before she purged the world into chaos and its near end. The two were talking, casually in a library. Linnea was getting to know more of the woman known as Samantha at the time, and when Linnea brought up the discussion of her brother and where she was from, Abyzou paused. Then, silence came into the area, leaving her to wonder, why? At the time, Linnea knew who she was, and the rumor¡¯s about her being despicable, vile, and horrible, but when she was befriending her, she didn¡¯t think she was too bad despite her scare tactics. After silence had engulfed the room, she broke it with saying¡ª


    ¡°I killed your brother, and destroyed your hometown.¡± In a gentle, soothing tone.


    With a smile she¡¯ll never forget, and afterwards, a bunch of her own clan attacked her, coming out of the corners of the library which resulted in destruction. She watched in horror as they were slaughtered by something they couldn¡¯t see with their own eyes, neither could she. In the aftermath, Abyzou stood in the fire, and played with it, fire bending, dancing amongst the flames. She laughed innocently as she threw the fire around, and distinguished it with a soothing blow. Linnea was burried in rubble as she saw Abyzou make her way to her, and stood above her like an Angel of death. She asked why she did it, and Abyzou responded with¡­


    ¡°My anger got the best of me, and I took it out on the town to ease my stress, but only one man stood up to me: that being your brother, Oskar.¡±


    She got down to her knees, picked Linnea¡¯s head off the ground, and patted her head as her life was draining.


    ¡°He called me a Witch that uses fire¡ªis the worst of them all¡­ so I showed him that I can do more than just bend fire.¡±


    Linnea¡¯s eyes overflowed, and she saw her soft smile grow more.


    ¡°I rose the earth, shook the mountains, and buried the town in a blanket of white. I left him last, and froze his feet in the earth as I shook the heavens, striking him down with light.¡±


    Abyzou leaned close to Linnea¡¯s ear while she softly whimpered.


    ¡°If I had known you two were related, then maybe I would¡¯ve let him live¡­ but it¡¯s too late for that now, is it?¡±


    Linnea finally had the courage to speak, and coughed out blood.


    ¡°Why¡­ why¡ªare you¡­ like this?¡±


    Abyzou gently grabbed Linnea¡¯s face, and bumped heads with her, letting her look into her crimson eyes.


    ¡°Because I envy women like you¡­ Linnea.¡±


    Linnea almost broke out a tear as she watched Sarah do the same with her blonde friend.


    ¡°Linnea, you alright?¡± Mandy asked.


    Linnea wiped her right eye, ¡°yeah¡­ what¡¯s her name?¡±


    Mandy straightened her face, and twitched the edge of her lip.


    ¡°Sarah¡­ is her name.¡±


    Linnea giggled, but it wasn¡¯t genuine, ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°You alright? Does seeing her remind you of too much pain?¡±


    Linnea frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but at least we¡¯re getting closer to that devil than I¡¯d expected. To think you¡¯d come across her so fast.¡±


    ¡°Right? Even I was surprised by it. I befriended one of her friends and have her contacts. So for now, we¡¯ll see just how close we can get to her and hopefully be at her doorstep these next few days.¡±


    Linnea tapped the table, ¡°let''s not forget about that monster Archard.¡±


    Mandy expressed a twisted grin, ¡°who says he¡¯ll find out? We¡¯ll have Abyzou all to ourselves, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea smiled, ¡°oh Mandy, twisted as always. I¡¯ll talk to you later, for now, just do your best to retain yourself.¡±


    ¡°Understood, bye.¡±


    ¡°Bye¡­¡± Linnea hung up, and let out a huge breath of relief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. We¡¯re already progressing this fast without even trying? Goodness.¡±


    She lay back, took another sip of coffee, and observed the people around her live their everyday lives. She grinned, and couldn¡¯t help and imagine what it¡¯d be like if her brother was still around. The thought alone almost made her shed more tears, so to ease the sadness, she decided to drown out her emotions with more caffeine. She got up with her cup, walked over to the dispensaries and while wiping one of her eyes, she accidentally bumped into someone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she said.


    The stranger didn¡¯t even notice, he looked drowsy and hazed.


    ¡°Man¡­ if she hadn¡¯t called me then I would¡¯ve still been asleep. Eh, whatever, I like coming here anyways.¡±


    Linnea can sense something from the stranger: It was darkness personified. She turned to the tall individual and tapped his arm to get his attention.


    ¡°Hey, stranger, could you be more generous and acknowledge my apology?¡±


    The young man looked around, and wondered who said that. When he did turn to his left, there he saw an average heighted woman in a red trench coat, long blonde hair, glistening blue eyes, and pale skin. At first he wondered who it was, but when she spoke again, his memories were struck with rapid fire. He gasped, and backed away in disbelief.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? What, never spoken to a foreigner before? Judging me? I¡¯m not saying nothing to offend you, but I could with that scar on your face.¡±


    It was Jack, and he knew exactly who this person was. He remembered the attitude, her demeanor, and more notably, her accent. He slowly shook his head as his eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Li-Linnea?¡±


    Linnea¡¯s eyes also exploded, having her raise a brow in the process.


    ¡°How-How do you know my name? Stranger?¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 17: Making Themselves Apparent

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t like the feel of this, not one bit.¡± William said as his eyes were on the screen.


    He¡¯s watching the town, and can see all the strange occurrences that have been brewing. He normally keeps his eyes on Jack, but with his senses tingling, this is something that he can¡¯t help but need to watch/observe.


    ¡°Not only are Esper''s showing up, but the supposed cult that worships the Witch of Envy is creeping around corners.¡±


    William rubbed his bristly chin.


    ¡°Ahh! I wish I could intervene! But I can¡¯t.¡± he sighs, ¡°oh well, at least I have something to keep me entertained. So long as they don¡¯t go too far then I can let it slide, for now that is.¡±


    William nodded, and grew a smile.


    ¡°I already know that she and I will cross paths again. It¡¯s only a matter of time. I just have to wait, see how things play out, and then¡ªWabam! I can make my grand entrance and introduce myself to the final Sin I have yet to meet!¡±


    William grew excited, and felt greedy.


    ¡°Listen to me¡­ I sound horribly needy for some proper drama and entertainment! I know I¡¯m suppose to watch Jack-o-lantern but this¡ªthis is something that''s been teasing me so bad for the past almost two decades!¡±


    William grabbed his head, and briefly laughed, then blew his arms out.


    ¡°Damn it, Archard! And¡­¡± William went for his cane that was resting against his cloud chair. ¡°...You as well, my love.¡±


    He gripped the cane, and deeply sighed.


    ¡°In the end, it was mainly you who spoke of the events, and were the one to conclude it. If it wasn¡¯t for you, then I¡¯m sure I would¡¯ve most likely taken the Witch of Envy¡¯s life if God intended on it.¡±


    William grew a grin, and held the cane close.


    ¡°I-I miss you¡­ very much, my love.¡±


    His phone then rang, and William quickly grabbed it within his suit pocket. He saw who was calling him, and it made him smile brightly. He answered and had an open mouth smile.


    ¡°Yes! This is your wonderful¡ª¡±


    The person on the other side of the phone talked loudly, but her voice sounded unmotivated yet gentle. It made William push the phone away from his ear for a moment and bring out a subtle chuckle.


    ¡°Alright alright, it was me! I rewinded time, altered it, but everything¡¯s normal where you¡¯re at, right?¡±


    The person over the phone sighed, but the way she explained it made William grow nervous.


    ¡°Da-Darling¡­ I know, I know, just try to relax, remember about what you are! I know you miss me and I haven¡¯t called in some weeks. So be a good young woman and behave yourself! Please?¡±


    She moaned, but William heard a light chuckle, which made him smile more.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl! And look, when all this blows over, I promise we¡¯ll go to that dimension I always talked about.¡±


    Without making another sound, the girl then said something that wiped the smile off his face, and made him grow curious.


    ¡°You had another lucid dream? But of what kind?¡± he asked, sounding serious.


    William waited for her response, and had a brow raise. When she managed to say what she dreamt about, this made William raise another brow, and nod.


    ¡°Oh? Is it about the same boy you dreamt about? But this time you only heard his voice, and snapped?¡±


    She explained she couldn¡¯t remember much afterward, she had blacked out and once she managed to see a glimpse of his terrified face, she awoke. William knew what made her black out, but didn¡¯t want to tell her.


    ¡°Hey, describe to me¡ªof this young man, one more time, the last time you actually saw him.¡±


    He waited, and she stayed quiet. For a moment, she went completely dead silent, but after a minute of intense silence, she described his appearance, and with each description, it made William express a gentle smile. After she said every detail of this guy she''s dreamt of since she was a little girl to where they¡¯re at now, it deepened more of this mysterious curiosity William had dwelling on. William closed his eyes for a moment, and he looked more pleased than ever.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be sure to keep an eye out and see where your dream guy could be.¡±


    The girl giggled, but it sounded unmotivated and dead. William knew it was genuine despite its sound. She said her goodbyes, and wished her best condolences to him.


    ¡°I love you too, darling, take care. I¡¯ll call you a week from now, and behave at your school! I heard a complaint about you getting into another fight. Could you do that for me?¡±


    She agreed and said bye one last time before hanging up. William put his phone away and went back to the screen, watching what will happen next from the events brewing. His guilted excitement had him on edge, and biting his tongue: He can¡¯t wait for the day he can actually intervene and finally meet the final holder of Sin he¡¯s yet to come face to face.


    ¡°What was her actual name? Right¡­ Abyzou.¡±


    William shook his head, and let out a soft chuckle.


    ¡°I have to thank that selfish doctor again for introducing me to this part of the country. If it weren¡¯t for him, then all of this would¡¯ve never happened and I would¡¯ve never have met you¡ª¡±


    William pointed at the screen, and it changed to where Jack was having a conversation with Linnea. He closed his finger and balled his fist.


    ¡°Jack Samr. Goodness, how these turn of events are turning out in my favour besides this unknown entity that has intervened in them.¡±


    William gripped his chin, and frowned.


    ¡°Whoever they are, they¡¯re still watching, and lurking around the corners of reality. Whatever they are, I think they¡¯re also aware of me knowing of their presence. Tch¡­ what a troublesome individual.¡±


    William furrowed his brows, and tapped his cane once on the ground, bringing his eyes to his golden staff.


    ¡°Our meeting is near, I can feel it. It¡¯s only a matter of when for them, and whoever they are, if you can hear me¡­ I¡¯m ready to come face to face with the mightiest being besides me.¡±


    Back on William''s screen, Linnea can be seen laughing, joking with Jack as he tries explaining as to why he knew her. Jack rubbed the back of his neck, and let out a forced cackle.


    ¡°So, Ame-rican! Explain again as to why you might know me and my brother? Hehe!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Jack looked away, and puckered his lips.


    Of course she wouldn¡¯t remember entirely, we¡¯re back in the correct flow of time. Jack thought.


    Jack scratched his head, and shrugged. Linnea flickered her nose, and made Jack nervous.


    ¡°Come on now, tell me, big young man!¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes, ¡°damn well, it¡¯s hard to believe but we met once¡­ in uh, hmm, school?¡±


    Linnea lay back, and crossed her arms. ¡°Oh yeah, what school?¡±


    ¡°Crap¡­ okay we uh met in a¡ªpark!¡±


    ¡°Mm, which park? Because I have yet to go to any since this is my second time in the states.¡±


    ¡°Gheg¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re a funny young man, aren¡¯t you? American.¡±


    Jack scratched the back of his neck, turning red.


    ¡°I-I guess, but not to come off as we¡ªokay you know what, what I¡¯m about to say is weird. But, it¡¯s really good seeing you again, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea brought her arms forward, collapsing her hands and resting them on the table. She didn¡¯t say anything but stared at the young man with those bright blue eyes. He swallowed from her intense still stare, and she abruptly reached for his hand, and grabbed it.


    ¡°You know, now that I¡¯m taking a good look at you, you do look familiar. I can¡¯t explain it, but it¡¯s like I¡¯ve dreamt about someone close to you. Yeah, yeah you do.¡±


    Jack used this opportunity to win his explanation.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because we both dreamt of each other? Could it be that we were inside your home, sitting close to the fireplace with your brother, enjoying coffee?¡±


    Linnea softly gasped, and held Jack¡¯s hand. She can reimagine what he was saying, and her brain rewinded that same scene. All three were talking, laughing, sharing stories and deepening a bond. Then, it grew serious when Linnea herself questioned the young man about who and what he is. His response lessened her suspicion towards him, and everything came to a close when he said his farewell, and walked out their door to walk off into the night, never to be seen again.


    Linnea shook her head, retracted her hand, and stared at her shaking palm.


    What was that? Did-did the dream I have actually happened? Could I have just forgotten? No, no, couldn¡¯t be, I¡¯m really good at remembering. Linnea thought.


    Jack blew some steam out his nostrils, softly, and watched as Linnea¡¯s brain kept rewinding time. Jack wondered if telling her this will cause something bad, but at this point, whatever the consequence maybe, he¡¯s ready for any consequence that¡¯ll be thrown at him. She closed her eyes, and placed her hand on her head. She can remember another scenario with Oskar introducing him to her for the first time, and explaining his situation. Yet there was one thing she could always distinct from the dreams, that hint of darkness edging out this young man¡¯s soul.


    ¡°Could-could you explain how you met my brother?¡± She said.


    Jack grinned. ¡°Yeah, it was when I got separated from my¡ªgroup. I roamed around the town, happened to bump into him when I was trying to buy something to eat. He explained that he was a tourist guide but also the laughing stock of the town. Or was that you who said he was.¡±


    She can feel a zap in her brain, giving her another foggy reenactment. She can feel her body tense up, and it made her mind tremble. Amongst the upcoming migraine, she can remember the three inside a church, and afterwards, when she went to go look for the two, she bumped into¡­ her.


    ¡°Aby¡­zou.¡± she murmured.


    ¡°You-You alright?¡± Jack asked, reaching for her and once he made contact with her, it flashed Abyzou threatening her life, ridiculing, bullying a different, weaker Linnea.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ recall ever being¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Linnea, are you sure you¡¯re¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Let go!¡± she shouted, garnering the attention of the establishment.


    Everyone turned around, stopped what they were doing, and saw Jack clinging onto her forearm. Jack gently let go, and groaned. Linnea panted, and grabbed her head, and felt nauseous. An employee of the establishment approached the table, and gave Jack a dirty look.


    ¡°Everything alright? He said. ¡°Would you like me to call the pol¡ª¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, you fine person you.¡± Linnea said, letting off her grasp and giving the employee a trust worthing smile.


    ¡°Are-Are you sure?¡±


    She waved her hand, ¡°yeah yeah, I¡¯m sorry for my rowdy nature. It''s just, I¡¯m on, you know what?¡±


    He raised both brows, and backed away, chuckling. ¡°Oh alright, enjoy the rest of your coffee.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Jack. I was just having a wild ride in my crazy head.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t say anything.


    I wonder if me touching her flashed more than just what we spoke about. Jack thought.


    Linnea got up, and grabbed both of their mugs. ¡°I¡¯ll take this up and put them away, why don¡¯t you wait for me outside.¡±


    Jack got up, and quietly walked away, and out the front door. Linnea put the dishes in the proper disposable box, but before leaving, one of the employees reminded her to pay.


    She blinked rapidly and was speechless. ¡°For both?¡±


    The employee nodded. She furrowed her brows, squinted her eyes, and smacked her teeth.


    ¡°He tricked me into paying for us, why that no good American.¡± she muttered.


    ***


    Resting on the couch, watching the news, Leon was observing and hearing what the military were up to after the attack of a known Witch cultist. A military general and a reporter were talking, thinking of how this is possible when it¡¯s straight out of a fairytale, and comic book. The general shook his head, and aimed his finger at the devastation. The reporter waited on what he¡¯ll say next.


    The general dropped his arm, and crushed his fist. ¡°Whatever he or it was, it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    The reporter nodded, ¡°and just how will you guys retort to such a monster?¡±


    ¡°From now on, anything supernatural, or close to what that person was will be a kill on sight. No discussions, and no hesitations.¡±


    ¡°Kill on sight?¡± Leon said, ¡°and just how will you guys combat that?¡±


    Another military man came up, and his outfit reminded Leon of an old school one from the Vietnam Era. He wore some lieutenant badges, and the hat he had on was remnant of that Era too. The general was confused as to who this gentleman was, and the reporter too. Leon leaned forward, and sensed something off from that new man.


    ¡°Wh-Who might you be, soldier?¡± the general asked.


    ¡°Me? Oh I¡¯m sorry to intrude in this serious discussion, but I¡¯m here to help.¡±


    ¡°Help, in what way?¡± the reporter asked, shooting his mic at him.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll tell you about this, general, but I¡¯m from a new military branch.¡±


    ¡°New what?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Actually we were created last year.¡±


    The general squinted, ¡°how come I haven¡¯t heard of it nor has the public?¡±


    The man flailed his arms, and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s top secret! Until now of course, duh?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your tone, you sound much too childish and relaxed. And I call bullshit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I''m sorry. It¡¯s just the type of person that I am. Anyhow, our branch has been created souly to combat this type of abnormality. Actually, right after this interview, I have new military weapons that¡¯ll help combat people like the man with crimson eyes.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Leon leaned forward, and knew something fishy was up.


    ¡°He¡¯s no normal lieutenant. This guy¡¯s up to no good. I wonder¡­¡±


    Leon tried looking into the man''s eyes, but he kept averting the camera¡¯s lens, almost as if he knew Leon was trying to look into them. That¡¯s enough for Leon to assume that this man is supernatural. They continued discussing this new so-called equipment and just the details of what it can do made Leon smack his lips.


    ¡°Son of bitch, it appears we¡¯re dealing with much more than I thought. And it¡¯s all that bitche¡¯s fault¡­¡±


    Leon¡¯s watching session was interrupted by his wife who happened to walk in with a tray full of accessories to brew coffee, and saw the news too.


    ¡°Oh my? What do we have here?¡±


    Leon¡¯s fingers twitched hearing her soft soothing tone.


    ¡°What a troublesome turn of events. What happened downtown?¡±


    When Leon heard this, he wanted to burst out in anger, thinking she¡¯s just playing dumb to fool his ears. But he knew a liar when he heard it. Although, with someone like his wife, it¡¯s difficult to tell since she¡¯s a master manipulator. She came to where he was sitting and set the tray in front of the coffee table, and watched.


    ¡°Who did that?¡± she asked.


    Leon didn¡¯t want to answer, but to see how far she¡¯s playing this out, he decided to talk along. He rubbed his hands, and kept his eyes on the screen.


    ¡°You mean you don¡¯t know?¡± he said, sounding aggroed.


    ¡°Know what?¡±


    ¡°The stupid cult that worships you attacked downtown a couple of days ago, revealing the world of our presence¡ªno thanks to you.¡±


    Samantha sat down, and tilted her head. ¡°What is this cult? John revealed that to me first and it made me cringe. Besides that, why are you putting blame on me when I had nothing to do with this?¡±


    ¡°But you knew something like this was going to happen¡­¡±


    He began to raise his voice, and grew his tone more strong.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve done all that you could to keep this information from reaching my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Your daughter?!¡± she said, turning her attention to him with an intrigued grin on her face.


    ¡°Yeah, I said it. My¡ªdaughter!¡±


    Leon got up, and glared at his wife who had a smug grin on her face.


    ¡°The one I¡¯m trying to protect from those wretched fools, the one you swore to protect, love, but as of lately, you¡¯ve done nothing but watch and entertain yourself towards that selfish personality of yours!¡±


    Samantha got up, crossed her arms, and approached her husband. Her grin remained, and she stuck her hip out, expressing her sass and curiosity. She wanted to see just how far their relationship has developed.


    ¡°I am, I am protecting my gracious life and joy, Leon. And you¡¯re right, I was aware of the storm brewing, waiting to strike at the right moment. And¡ª¡±


    She spread her arms out, and slightly tilted her head, expressing a half open mouth smile.


    ¡°Here we are. It¡¯s surprising to know of things coming into fruition when you''re a highly omnipotent being like myself.¡±


    Leon had it with his wife. He ground his teeth, and went up to her face. She actually got surprised by this, and the two were having a silent stare down. As Leon¡¯s anger was brewing, looking into her platinum eyes, he couldn''t help but be hypnotized by them, and blush. Despite the feeling of lust, and beauty, he fought the emotion and remained seriously angry towards her.


    ¡°You¡¯re a horrible person¡­ and to even think you¡¯d treat your daughter this way¡ªa tool for your entertainment while we pawns move around, and react to the moves you like to place for us to play in.¡±


    Samantha didn¡¯t like that. Actually it wiped the smug expression off her beautiful face and a deep wrinkle formed between her precious eyes.


    ¡°You dare¡­ call my beloved flesh and blood, a to-tool? You think I like watching, feeling my daughter get scared, hurt! Why I outta¡ª!¡±


    Leon got closer, and almost bumped heads with her, which made her step a foot back.


    ¡°Or what? What! You¡¯ll kill me? Free me of my curse! The repulsive contract you forced me into to play in your show?!¡±


    Leon was the one who had his arms spread out.


    ¡°Then do it! Please, I beg of you, free me of my nightmare, you vile bitch of a woman.¡±


    Samantha growled and bumped heads with him.


    ¡°You selfish, arrogant fool! You¡¯d actually want that wouldn¡¯t you?! And leave my glorious seed of life to be left alone to mourn for her father?!¡±


    ¡°Ha, as if. I would¡¯ve been glad if you killed me right now if I hadn¡¯t already gotten along with her. Right now, there¡¯s nothing more precious to me than her.¡±


    ¡°Oh?! Really, well, we¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    Samantha backed off, and that vile grin came back, and she started to giggle.


    ¡°Look at you, such a man¡­¡±


    Leon clenched his fists.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I chose you to be my husband, the man right to be the father figure for my precious daughter.¡±


    Leon grew tired of her sarcastic nature, and went up to her again. She kept giggling and even patted his chest, treating him like a dog who¡¯s obeying his master.


    ¡°Stop laughing, and why are you taking this situation lightly?!¡± he said in a deep, fierce tone.


    She let out one more giggle before growing her twisted smile. She flung her hair, and crossed her arms again, showing calmness and not giving a toot.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not, you see, I know everything''s going to be alright.¡±


    ¡°How so? Explain, woman.¡±


    Because of you, silly!¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°So long as she has her loving caring father by her side, then there¡¯s nothing to¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Leon stomped one foot forward, and grabbed her arm, which made her eyes explode.


    ¡°Listen here you fucking bitch¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Unhand me! You self¡ª¡±


    Leon reeled her in, and got in her face, and she gasped, and was in shock.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to have you treat this like it''s some stupid game! Your daughter was attacked by one of those cultists last night!¡±


    Her eyes quivered when she heard that, and she started to shake, but not from that, but from Leon¡¯s disturbing face and blood thirsty eyes that aimed at hers.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of it! And if you¡¯re not going to protect her from them, but more importantly, from that monster Archard¡ª¡±


    She gasped again, and her knees felt weak upon hearing his name.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll gladly be her guardian angel. Because if there¡¯s anything that I don¡¯t want no more in this world ....¡±


    Leon edged in her face, and growled.


    ¡°.... is to have another you roaming this world.¡±


    Samantha frowned, and she fought against his grip.


    ¡°Leon, please¡­¡± she softly said, trying to tug away from his death grip.


    He shook her arm, and didn¡¯t allow her to move another inch. She yelped, and that snapped him out of his mild anger.


    ¡°Leon¡­ you¡¯re hurting me¡­¡± she said in a soft innocent tone.


    Leon gently let go, appearing to be in regret for doing that to her. He remained quiet as she massaged her tiny forearm that had his hand mark wrapped around it. She looked away, and Leon for a second thought he heard a whimper, and when he wanted to ask, she quickly walked away. She disappeared towards the steps as she made her way to her room. Leon was alone in the living room, and brought his palm to his face, staring at its scars. He closed it, and held it, and collapsed to his knees, shutting his eyes.


    ¡°Why¡­¡± he murmured. ¡°Why am I¡ªfeeling guilty? I can¡¯t still¡ª¡±


    Leon opened his eyes, and dragged the edge of his thumb and index finger across his eyes. He let out a huge sigh, and shook his head.


    ¡°No matter how much I loathe the woman, my mother taught me better than to put hands on one.¡±


    He stood back up, and placed his hands on his hips, glancing around the silent room. Again, he mildly shook his head, let out a chuckle, and went to sit back down on the couch.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ Sarah¡¯s in better hands with me anyways.¡±


    As his eyes locked onto the screen, that strange lieutenant man was displaying one of the military vehicles, and it shot out a huge stream of plasma. It made him gasp, and jump out of his seat.


    ¡°No way!¡±


    Everyone applauded except for the general who remained suspicious of this unknown soldier. Another military vehicle pulled up, this time a tank with what seemed to be a huge satellite type of contraption in place of where a cannon would be. It charged up, and shot out a huge stream of electric pulsion''s. Leon furrowed his brows, and looked to the side.


    ¡°This is abnormal¡­ who in God¡¯s name is this man.¡±


    The lieutenant was laughing, cracking jokes, sharing handshakes with politicians, and tried with the general but he was hesitant before doing so. He eventually did but walked away afterwards without saying another word. The stranger brought his gaze directly to the camera, staring right into it, and Leon was starting to recognize who it might be.


    ¡°Is that¡­ who I think it is?¡± he said while approaching the television.


    He got some memory flashes of an old clansman, one who hated him and wished nothing but surpassing his natural strength. As his attention was caught by the screen, he heard the door open, which broke him from his stare down, and turned to the door. There, he saw his wife in a disguise, making her way out.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Leon shouted as he ran to the door before she could walk out.


    She was halfway out, and Leon quickly jumped in front of her. She had some glasses on, a black sundress, and sun hat on. She didn¡¯t say anything, but Leon could see her eyes, and he could detect sadness in them.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked, his heart racing.


    She looked away, ¡°where else? I¡¯m going to go look for my daughter.¡±


    Leon shook his head, ¡°no, I¡¯ll be the one to go look for her.¡±


    She shook her head too, ¡°Leon, I¡¯m not going to argue with you¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, because you¡¯re not. What¡¯s said, is said. But for now, go somewhere else where your presence shouldn¡¯t be needed around our precious girl.¡±


    Samantha at first was going to rebuttal to his statement, but a single word caught her off guard, which made her tilt her head, and left her jaw dropping.


    ¡°Our¡­?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I hate you, I despise you¡­ but what I did was completely uncalled for and goes against my mothers promise.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes quivered behind her glasses, and for once since before marrying him, her heart skipped a few beats.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have put my hands on you, Samantha.¡± Leon said with a straight face.


    Samantha didn¡¯t say a word but leaned against the door frame with her head down.


    ¡°If I want to enact my vengeance against you, I¡¯ll just do it with Mana instead of my blood thirsty hands.¡±


    Samantha giggled beneath her breath, and brought her gaze back up to him.


    ¡°Okay, tough guy.¡± she said, and in hearing that sweet soft voice of hers also made Leon¡¯s heart skip a few beats.


    It¡¯s been awhile since he¡¯s heard her speak in such a tone since their day of marriage. But he kept it cool, and remained chill, and composed.


    Samantha showed Leon a subtle smile, and turned forward to the street view.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in two days. In the meantime, make sure my daughter comes back unscathed, honey.¡±


    Leon smacked his lips, and turned away, clenching his fists.


    ¡°You forgot who put a ring on that wretched finger of yours.¡±


    Samantha giggled, and massaged her ring finger where it once had one.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ chow.¡±


    She vanished and Leon closed the door behind him. For a moment, he thought about why he still acts normal and soft towards her in situations like this. He wondered if there¡¯s still a dash of love still left in his still heart for her. Whatever it is that¡¯s allowing him to act this mildly kind towards her, especially when she expresses that type of weakness, Leon wants it tarnished. That way, his guard won¡¯t be completely dropped and allow her to do as she pleases. He walked forward, and made his way on the sidewalk, closing the metal gate behind him. He tucked his hands into his pockets, and with a frown on his face, he went on his way to find Sarah.


    ¡°I can¡¯t use mana, I refuse to, but at least I can sense it. Sarah, don¡¯t do anything to get yourself exposed, whatever God exists forbids if you do, I pray that I¡¯ll be there before you have to.¡±


    ***


    Back where Linnea and Jack were at, the two were walking side by side, conversing and she¡¯s still trying to figure out how he¡¯s able to know her despite some odd flashes of images she''s dreamt of. Although, she¡¯s having a nice laugh and conversation with the young man. They were in the town where Angela loved going into, they were in the mood for some local bakery food.


    Linnea hopped in front of Jack as they continued walking. ¡°Say, American, could you enlighten me as to how you know about the existence of supernatural beings?! I¡¯m very interested, you see.¡±


    Jack shrugged, ¡°it¡¯s a bit complicated. But to make a long story short, it all came down with a specific girl in a white dress.¡±


    ¡°Girl in a white dress? Hm, what type of dress?¡±


    ¡°An elegant romantic dress, one of gothic culture.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I like this image you¡¯re describing to me. More please, come on!¡±


    Jack felt delighted, but he knew he couldn''t say her name without consequence.


    ¡°She has long, thick raven hair, amethyst eyes and chalky skin. When it comes to her looks, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any rival, well, maybe except for two that I know right now and one I rarely see.¡±


    ¡°Ah! She sounds magnificent, yet eerie. Looks can be deceiving. And who are these three other women you speak of?¡±


    Linnea hopped back to the side of him, and Jack was about to say one of the names until his phone rang. He picked it up, and answered.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    It was Sarah who was sitting down at a local bakery with the other two.


    ¡°Jack, you¡¯re fully awake I see.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, after Veronica called me, I just slept for another hour and woke back up. What¡¯s up though?¡±


    Linnea eased in, listening in on Jack''s conversation.


    ¡°Nothing, just wanted to make sure there wasn¡¯t anything strange going on. What are you doing right now?¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Me? Oh, I¡¯m in town, and I happened to bump into an old friend, we¡¯re making our way to Joe¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Really? Who they might be?¡±


    ¡°Her name¡¯s Linnea, an old classmate of mine.¡±


    Sarah brought her phone down, and looked at Veronica for a moment. Veronica wondered why Sarah was staring at her for a second.


    ¡°What? Why are you looking at me with a smug look, goth girl?!¡±


    Sarah slightly raised her shoulders, and looked away with her phone back against her ear.


    ¡°Veronica isn¡¯t going to like that my friend.¡±


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Eh¡­ anyways, what are you up to, Sarah?¡±


    Just then, Linnea¡¯s eyes grew big, and she gasped once she heard her name.


    He¡¯s friends with¡ª?! Linnea thought.


    She quickly erased her shocked expression and her face went still.


    ¡°Alright, tell me this right. Earlier I was walking with the other two bimbos, and then this strange woman hopped in front of me, she was really aggressive towards me too, anyhow, to quickly summarize my interaction, Jack¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go on.¡±


    ¡°I think she might be another supernatural being.¡±


    Jack proceeded to walk forward, ignoring Linnea but she quickly followed him without saying a word.


    ¡°Hm, what brought you to that conclusion?¡±


    Sarah lay back, and sipped on some coffee. ¡°Easy, she was giving off this weird sensation. Kinda like the times you felt someone¡¯s presence for the first time.¡±


    ¡°True, when I was given that from a certain someone, I always felt a strange feeling from people. Even you gave off that weird feeling.¡±


    ¡°Right, anyways, what I¡¯m saying is keep a lookout. She might still be around the town, and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to sense her once you get close enough.¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Gotchu¡­ wait, I think I am sensing something already.¡±


    Sarah stood up, and she too felt something off. She hurried out of the area, and made her way into the sidewalk. She looked around, and couldn¡¯t figure out where it was coming from, but it was mana.


    ¡°Jack, you think you can meet us at the ice cream shop.¡±


    Jack was looking around as well, and so was Linnea who definitely knew what was going on.


    ¡°I¡¯m actually close, I¡¯ll be there in a couple of minutes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, see you in a few.¡±


    Sarah hung up, and the other two caught up with her. Anna picked her up off her feet, and Veronica flung her forehead.


    ¡°Jesus Sarah! I look away for two seconds and you¡¯re gone like the wind!¡± Anna said.


    Veronica pointed at her as she massaged her forehead.


    ¡°Missy! You¡¯ve been acting real strange since our encounter with Mandy. What¡¯s with you!¡±


    Sarah stopped rubbing, and tapped Anna¡¯s boob. She gave Anna puppy dog eyes and Anna knew she wanted to be put down. Sarah patted herself, and gave Veronica a nice backhand chop to her chest.


    ¡°Ah! Oh my god! That hurt you little demon!¡±


    Sarah grinned. ¡°Jack¡¯s on the way, you envious devil you.¡±


    ¡°Wh-Wh-wha¡­t?¡± Veronica turned red, and hid her face. ¡°No, not now! I don¡¯t look my best!¡±


    Anna laughed and shoved Veronica. ¡°Oh yeah, let''s see who he says hi to first, muhahaha!¡±


    Meanwhile, Jack and Linnea were just two blocks from where they were at. Linnea continued scanning the area as they made their way to Jack¡¯s friends. Jack also did the same, and put his hand where his gun was at. As the two silently made it down another block, Jack thought of something. He pulled his phone out, and called Sarah again. She answered.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°You think you can start walking to us, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I think I can pick up your black mass.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m that noticeable?¡±


    ¡°Yeah you are. But I¡¯m going now.¡±


    She hung up, and walked forward, and Anna and Ver¨®nica both followed, wondering why she¡¯s suddenly walking when they were waiting for Jack. Just then, Sarah can see him and this so-called friend. She raised her hand at them, and Jack replied with his own hand raised. Linnea could see the three girls walking towards them, and once her eyes met Sarah¡¯s, she almost lost it and blew her cover. Sarah quickly picked up on another strange surge of mana until it faded out quicker than it came.


    ¡°We gotta get out of this town.¡± she muttered.


    Linnea watched as the enigma of her nightmares was coming her way. Those crimson eyes, her raven hair and skin, she wanted nothing more than to lash out and attack her. And what Mandy said of her sensing Abyzou¡¯s presence in her was indeed factual. Yet, despite all the characteristics of their identity being almost one hundred percent, there were some minor differences. These differences were her height, the way her bangs are formed, and bust size. This eased Linnea enough not to assume this was Abyzou in disguise but the daughter who¡¯s life was supposedly taken away for a day from a known Exorcist.


    Veronica saw the stunning blonde beauty next to Jack, and a wrinkle formed between her eyes.


    ¡°Who in the hell¡­ is that?!¡±


    Even Anna was surprised and wrapped her arm around Veronica¡¯s stiffing shoulder.


    ¡°If it¡¯s what I think it looks like, then I¡¯m sorry to say, but she has you beat my friend.¡±


    ¡°No no, no fucking way!¡±


    ¡°Veronica, chill¡­¡±


    Veronica pushed Anna off and marched towards them. Jack saw her stomping her way towards him, and he paused, putting his arms out. Linnea kept her eyes on Sarah, and she could feel Linnea¡¯s gaze on her.


    Jack eased his hands to an approaching Sassy bookworm. ¡°Veronica¡­ you don¡¯t look too¡ª¡±


    She got on her toes, and tapped his forehead. ¡°Just who in the holy hecklebit is this?! I haven¡¯t seen you for awhile¡­ and to think you¡¯ve been spending your time not only with Sarah¡ªbut with¡ªher?!¡±


    ¡°Veronica, relax. I¡¯m sorry, but a lot has happened since. And this is just an old classmate of mine and we¡¯ve barely reunited today.¡±


    ¡°Classmate, class-mate?!¡±


    Veronica placed her fists on her hips, ¡°if I remember correctly, you dropped out of school after your parents were murdered. So how could she be a classmate when you haven¡¯t been to school since you were ten years old?!¡±


    Jack deeply sighed. ¡°You-you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    The other two girls caught up to them, and Anna got in between.


    ¡°Hey, relax will ya, Veronica. Stop being so jealous, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not what it looks like.¡±


    Veronica crossed her arms, and deepened the wrinkle between her eyes.


    ¡°Hmph, so far it is. Since I caught him lying.¡±


    Anna looked over her shoulder to Jack. ¡°That true?¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t respond, and didn¡¯t know how to. She was right, he was lying, but for good reason. These were the last two people on this planet he didn¡¯t want the supernatural to be shown, discovered to. Linnea finally intervened, and grabbed Veronica¡¯s arm, pulling her to the side.


    ¡°Hey! Watch who you¡¯re¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Listen, American girl. I¡¯m just a friend of his. Besides, I¡¯m much too old to be a lover for him. No need to act so defensive over your stupid puppy love.¡±


    Veronica felt embarrassed and sulked. Anna grabbed her, and gently pushed Veronica away.


    ¡°Uh, I think it¡¯s best I take her home. You''re gonna stay, Sarah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we got to do something anyway.¡± Sarah replied.


    Anna waved, ¡°alrighty then. Come on smart girl, let''s take your smart ass home.¡±


    Anna wrapped her arms around Veronica and the two walked off, leaving the three. Sarah quickly sighed, and scratched the back of her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if my friend behaved like that. She can¡¯t help it as you can see.¡±


    Even her voice is like hers¡­ but more, timid, softer, but not as gentle. Linnea thought.


    ¡°No need. I understand where she¡¯s coming from. Although, I have yet to fall in love myself so I can¡¯t fully understand such foolish emotion.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, same. Hey, Jack, your new friend here is kinda cool.¡±


    ¡°After her saying just that you already think she¡¯s cool? Dang Sarah.¡±


    ¡°What? I like her accent and strong tone. And her outfit¡¯s cool too.¡±


    Linnea expressed half a grin to hide her suspicion towards Sarah.


    ¡°Okay okay, introductions. I¡¯ll go first, my name¡¯s Linnea Austad.¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡¯s my name, nice to meet you.¡±


    Sarah put her hand forward, and Linnea¡¯s heart began to race. She¡¯s seen this same sequence play out. The very first time she met Abyzou she did the exact same thing, but with a big smile that can fool anyone into thinking she was a sweet young woman. Linnea swallowed and carefully shook her hand, and that triggered something in Sarah¡¯s mind. Sarah backed away, grabbed her hand, and she felt her eyes pulsing, and becoming hazed.


    ¡°Sarah, you alright?!¡± Jack said, quickly going, and grabbing her.


    Sarah gasped for air, and Jack held her. Sarah can see flames, blood, she could hear herself laughing, dancing in the fire, and after distinguishing the flames, she could see the exact same face she just shook hands with and stared at her in despair. Linnea watched as Sarah¡¯s arms began to shake uncontrollably. Sarah can see another flash, one in which she whispered into the girl''s ear, and told her why she was justified in killing her brother. Sarah grabbed her head, and coughed out blood. This worried Jack, and he looked at Linnea with a glare.


    ¡°What did you do to her?!¡±


    Linnea quickly went up to her, and grabbed Sarah¡¯s hands. ¡°Easy now, easy. Just relax, and think clearly.¡±


    The more Linnea grabbed her, the more it triggered unknown memories to Sarah. Sarah let tears flow out her eyes, and a surge of mana started to erupt around her.


    ¡°No Sarah! Stop, don¡¯t!¡± Jack reeled Sarah, and embraced her.


    Linnea felt bad and had no idea she would react to her touching her like that. She then felt the presence of something approaching them, quickly.


    She grabbed Jack¡¯s arm. ¡°We have to go, now!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±


    Sarah can hear Jack¡¯s worried voice, and it snapped her back into reality. She inhaled a huge breath of air, and got her vision back. She also sensed whatever was coming their way getting closer. She got out of Jack¡¯s embrace, and stood next to Linnea with a small stream of crimson coming out of her mouth.


    ¡°Ja-Jack¡­ you got-got to¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, Sarah!¡±


    Jack grabbed Sarah, and she looked up at him.


    ¡°I promised your father. You¡¯re under my protection, and I won¡¯t let you use your mana.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re here¡­¡± Linnea said.


    The two looked forward, and standing in front of them was a man in a blue robe. He had a huge maniacal grin, and once he bestowed his vision upon Sarah, he cried tears of joy.


    ¡°ABYZOU!¡±


    He yelled, shooting his arms out forward, revealing strange markings on his skin.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Jack said.


    Sarah prepared herself, but Jack got in front of her.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± she weakly said.


    Jack pulled his gun out, and cocked it. ¡°No mana, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah remained on guard, and Linnea reached into coat pocket, pressing something. The blue robed man pulled off his hood, and revealed his bald head, and crazed eyes.


    ¡°Well well, to think, me¡­ The upcoming rising star of our clan has found Abyzou. It only took a couple of leads, but I found you. And as the sixth strongest of our clan, I¡¯m sure these two won¡¯t be of any threat since whatever I¡¯m sensing from that young boy is nothing compared to my magnificent powers.¡±


    His gaze went to Linnea, and his wretched smile grew ear to ear.


    ¡°Ah, and a normal human. This is going to be a breeze.¡±


    Jack stepped forward, and aimed his gun at him. ¡°Step any closer and I¡¯ll gladly make sure you¡¯ll meet a bullet first before you touch her.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Fool. if it¡¯s a fight that you want¡­ then it¡¯s a fight¡ª¡±


    He brought his hand up to the air, and a ball of light appeared.


    ¡°You¡¯ll surely meet last.¡±


    The ball pulsed, altered different colours. It grew bigger, to the size of a medicine ball. It shot up, above the town, expanded into the size of the entire block. This garnered the attention of the entire town. He flicked his finger forward, and the ball came down at Mach speed towards them. Sarah ran in front of Jack as it expanded even more, and created winds from the incoming force. Buildings rippled, cars blown away, people screaming, Jack grabbed Sarah, and shielded her.


    ¡°No! I can¡¯t let you, Sarah!¡±


    ¡°Jack!¡± she shouted.


    Linnea suddenly got in front of them, and her eyes glowed blue. The huge ball of mana was close, and Linnea put her palms forward. She used her own stream of light to push the thing away. It shot into the sky, exploding and shook the entire town and blinded the sky into a flash of white. Windows were shattered from the explosion, people screaming, scramming, driving away from the danger. Jack and Sarah were both left in shock, watching as Linnea calmly put down her arms and stared down the man. He too was surprised but seeing what she did made him smile much more.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re no ordinary human Afterall. How¡ªtroublesome.¡± the robed man said.


    Linnea also pulled out a gun, and cocked it. As the light died down, everyone could see the damage that was done just from the incoming force and the explosion in the air. It was pure destruction.


    ¡°I can do more than just use mana, Witch! Care to try me?!¡± Linnea shouted as she raised the gun while her eyes glowed brighter.


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, and was speechless.


    Linnea¡­ Linnea¡¯s a¡ª? Jack thought.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes shook as she watched Linnea take aim at the man, putting her palm out while keeping her gun aimed up.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ an Esper?¡± Sarah murmured.

 Arc 4 Chapter 18: The Hunt Begins

    For years, I have chased my destiny, a destiny in which I desire for revenge. Revenge on avenging my brother, my people, and the town I grew up in: All taken by the hands of the Sin of Envy. Before she was given the title and transformed into the being everyone remembered, feared! I thought she was a genuine person. A person who loved and cherished nature, an absolutely gorgeous woman in her early twenties. Never would I have imagined that I was becoming friends with the most dangerous being to exist in our world. The day she took away everything from me, and spoke to me as to why she did it embarked on my hatred for her. I¡­ will never forgive her.


    After that, she disappeared for a while, that was until the year 2000. On new year''s day, it was discovered that she had given birth to a baby girl. But, it brought many questions as to how she managed to do it? In Witch culture, woman whom are titled Witches'' aren¡¯t allowed to birth or bear children. They weren¡¯t allowed to, given the circumstances of being a Witch. So they found ways around it by having relationships with normal women, only to use them as cattle to give birth to new future clan members. But if you¡¯re born a woman, then you¡¯re automatically revoked of your birthing rights and they cast a spell for you to never bear any for your their own safety.


    Yet she beat these odds, and carried that child, and once she was born, it ignited a hunt from the most powerful people alive: The Exorcists that were under the great William H. Christ''s wing. With four virtues by his side, one being his closest partner and supposed lover, they went to seek this new unnatural being that was born. Once they found her, they robbed her of Abyzou¡¯s hands, and faded out of existence. She went crazy, berserk, searching for her daughter, screaming for her return. When she finally found her, they already took her life, but in the most painless way possible, and on that day, birthed the last Sin: Envy.


    She cried, screamed, and begged for her life to be returned. Questioning them, their morals on why they would take away something she wanted so badly, more than anything in the world. They gave her a straightforward answer, and said that she was unnatural, and had to be sent back to the afterlife where God can send her to an actual birthing mother to be considered natural. Abyzou exploded, screaming her envy towards the women who can naturally give birth to children and questioning why she wasn¡¯t allowed to have the same privilege as them. The world then saw the holder of Envy being born, and she did the unthinkable: Once she was transformed, she became one with the universe, and tried to rewrite our very reality towards her liking.


    I saw all these events happen, unfold before my eyes, watching from the sidelines without getting involved in the world''s end. I even saw the fight that concluded her story, and without the help of William, his supposed lover managed to convince the other Exorcist¡¯s to return the soul of her daughter, and to give her back into her clutch. After much hesitation, discussion, they agreed and gave her back her precious form of life. I saw her go from an all powerful being revert back to the woman we all come to hate. She thanked that woman, and vowed to never transform again, so long as they don¡¯t touch her child. But to this day, no one has any idea as to how she was able to have a child: Yet today, I stand beside this young girl, protecting her, for now¡­ until I can enact my revenge on her damned mother.


    Linnea¡¯s eyes glinted as she stared down the blue robed man. The robed man chuckled as he and Linnea waited to see who would strike first. She kept her focus on him, and placed her finger on the trigger of her gun.


    ¡°You¡¯re no slouch if you can deflect my attack like that. What are you, lady?¡±


    Linnea squinted her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s for me to know, but as of now, Witch, you¡¯re day¡ªis numbered!¡±


    ¡°My my, we have a feisty one. Not to worry, I know how to deal with blonde bitches like you.¡±


    He stepped forward, and slowly put his arms out to the sides, eerily leaning his head forward.


    ¡°Now be a good gal, and let me take Abyzou back to where she belongs.¡±


    Linnea¡¯s palm ignited, and a ball of mana appeared. ¡°As if I¡¯ll allow you to do that, you cultist freak!¡±


    He growled with a smile, and his lust for battle drooled out his mouth.


    ¡°Then¡­ prepare to¡ªdie!¡±


    He lunged forward at her, and Linnea shot out the mana ball. Despite him going beyond the speed of sound, her ball of mana stretched out to catch him like a volleyball hitting a net. He fell face first, and she leaped into the air.


    ¡°I call for the guardian of the watch tower of the east, aid me in binding my enemy in a fury of white, hear me!¡±


    Sarah loudly gasped in hearing her chant. ¡°Wait?! She¡¯s-she¡¯s also a witch too?!¡±


    The blue robed man squirmed in his net, and a cloud of white appeared above Linnea. She hugged herself, and a hail of mana balls came raining down on the man. Impact upon impact made small explosions, shaking the earth. Jack picked Sarah up off her feet, and took her away from the dangerous environment. Sarah kept her eyes on Linnea, both in shock and awe.


    The blue robed man emerged from the sea of explosions, getting in Linnea¡¯s face with a giant creepy smile. She faded out, and he did too. Sarah could keep up with what they were doing. Jack stopped, turned to see the battle. He could barely see what was happening. Luckily he can see shockwaves of their colliding punches in the air. Loud explosions went off in the air, shockwaves shot down to the earth. Linnea flew around from the tallest building of the town with her a fist reeled back. The robed man came flying towards it, and their fists collided, sending more shockwaves around, and denting the earth below. The two struggled to push each other''s fists, sending bolts of plasma down to the ground from their force.


    ¡°Heheh, you¡¯re pretty good for a girl!¡± he said, seeming not worried in the slightest.


    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty sexist man, aren¡¯t you, stupid Witchy American!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! And you yourself aren¡¯t one when you just used an ancient spell only those closest to Abyzou¡¯s lore book know?!¡±


    The two were sent flying back from the force of their second collision. Linnea used this opportunity to use her gun, and take shots. He casually dodge the bullets, and Linnea did this to buy some time.


    ¡°Hail to the guardian¡¯s of the sky, bestow a sea of light down upon my enemy, hear me.¡±


    At the same time, she used her other hand to shoot a stream of blue mana. He caught it like rope, and tried reeling her in. She kept a straight face as he was pulling her in. He cackled like an idiot and he quickly felt the surge of mana forming above him. He brought his gaze to the sky, and bolts of barbed lightning came down on him. Strike after strike made him laugh as he¡¯s ingulfed in a flash of exploding light. Linnea quickly flew to the other two, and grabbed Jack¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Now¡¯s our chance, let''s go!¡± Linnea shouted.


    ¡°Aright!¡± Jack replied with Sarah in his arms.


    The blue robed man wiped the air to blow off the smoke screen. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t heheh!¡±


    He put his arms forward, and a huge ball of mana was forming. It spiraled and had the appearance of a lava ball.


    ¡°With this, I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t even survive!¡±


    Below him, Mandy opened her coat, and with a shorty pump action shotgun wrapped around her tiny arm with string, she pulled it out, pumped it, and took aim at him.


    ¡°I bestow this weapon with the might of my mana, synergize with the buckshot and invoke my enemy in a barrage of hellish pellets.¡±


    The barrel of the shotgun glowed purple, and she pressed on the trigger. A barrage of streamed pellets went at the robed man. He quickly took notice of the stream of mana coming his way. They made contact with him and his attack, engulfing the sky in a huge fiery explosion. The sky turned grey, and it rained ash from the magnifying explosion.


    Mandy quickly flew off, and put away her shotgun. ¡°You owe me, Linnea.¡± she said as she vanished.


    Linnea turned her head back to where the explosion came from, and smiled.


    ¡°God I love her, thank you, my friend!¡±


    The three quickly vanished from the distance, and the robe man again blew away the cloud of smoke around him. Despite being caught off guard, ambushed, he still felt glad and happy about this encounter. He crushed one of his fists, and chuckled.


    ¡°They won¡¯t get too far from me. For now, they can enjoy their small freedom.¡±


    He flew back down, and stretched. He cracked his back and whirled his arms.


    ¡°Because after I¡¯m done informing the rest, I¡¯m coming back to get you, our beloved God, Abyzou¡­¡± Then he pointed in their direction, ¡°...and finish you off, traitor.¡±


    A gust of wind blew him away like dust, and he was gone. The town was left in shambles, the devastation killed dozens of civilian''s and got the attention of the military who were making their way to the area.


    Linnea and the other two kept running, and she knew they had to fly away. But, in doing so will reveal their location. She suppressed her mana and kept running.


    ¡°Where are we heading?!¡± Jack shouted.


    ¡°Far away from here and any form of civilization. It¡¯s our only chance of escaping from that freak or any others!¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t say anything. She couldn''t believe that this was happening and wondered what¡¯s actually going on. This is the second time she¡¯s been referred to as this Abyzou, and it¡¯s starting to question her own existence. She leaned against Jack¡¯s chest, and deeply frowned as the two continued on their run.


    Jack reached into his pocket and dialed for Anna. It rang for a little until she picked up, sounding worried.


    ¡°You guys okay?¡±


    Anna was just outside the town, watching the military quickly making their way into town and closing it off.


    ¡°Yeah! What just happened?! You guys alright?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯re fine. I-I think it was a terrorist attack.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ it¡¯s like watching a real life 9/11 scenario from the documentary''s come to life.¡±


    To keep this more of a secret, Linnea got Jack¡¯s phone, and jumped into the conversation.


    ¡°Hey, Anna is it? I need you and your friend to get as far away from towns or cities if possible! Rumour''s have it that there might be more attacks, and it indeed is terroristic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Jack¡¯s friend. Sure, I got it, but how do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m actually with the government. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡±


    Jack nods, ¡°nice cover up.¡±


    She also replied with a nod.


    ¡°That makes sense given your outfit. Alright, you guys take care, and please watch after Jack and Sarah Ms. Linnea.¡±


    ¡°Will do, bye bye.¡±


    Linnea hung up for Jack and handed him back the phone. Jack put his phone away and as they made their way out the town district, Linnea paused. She pointed to a parked car in a parked spot near a vacant building.


    ¡°Come on, in my rental.¡± she said while hurrying into it.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Jack followed and once they reached the sedan, she opened the rear passenger seat for him.


    He placed Sarah in first and sat next to her. She closed the door and hopped into the driver seat. She turned the car on and they were on their way, driving fast outside the limits of the town. A black Tahoe emerged from the corner of the building, watching the car drive away and disappear from the distance. It then drove off into where the action was at, and disappeared once it turned the corner.


    Sarah watched the side and leaned towards it. Jack wondered if she was okay, and grabbed her attention by grabbing her shoulder.


    ¡°You alright, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah briefly turned to him, and moved her shoulder and turned her whole body sideways to look out the windshield. Jack moaned and knew she wasn¡¯t fine.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± she replied, her tone very soft and weak.


    She wiped the dried blood from her mouth, and sniffled. Linnea can sense the saddened aura coming out her pours. She looked at the rear view mirror and can see that this wasn¡¯t Abyzou or a clone, but a depressed girl who¡¯s questioning something deeper in her mind. Linnea frowned too, and felt bad for her, but she remembered the promise she gave to the mighty Archard. His voice reminded her of it again, which made her smack her teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think he wants to do more than just harm Abyzou¡­¡± she muttered.


    Jack was worried for Sarah, and wanted to grab her. Sadly, the young man knew it¡¯s best to leave her be and not interrupt in whatever thinking she¡¯s going through.


    ¡°If you need anything, Sarah, just let me know.¡±


    Jack lay back, and brought his gaze to the rear view mirror.


    ¡°So, Linnea¡­ care to explain what the hells going on? And who you really are?¡±


    Linnea briefly looked over her shoulder without saying a word.


    ¡°Come on now, we¡¯re all friends here. So lets cut the shit, and get on with what the actual fucks happening?¡±


    Linnea grinned, and moaned. ¡°A determined young man, I like that. Okay, I¡¯ll tell you once we get out of any city limits. For now, just relax and keep your friend from feeling lonely.¡±


    Jack grunted, and relaxed his arms. ¡°Hmph, relax¡­ when haven¡¯t I heard of that being told to me. Whatever¡­¡±


    ***


    Just downtown, as the rest of the military have driven out to the source of the explosions, it only left just a small group of them to keep an eye out for anything abnormal in the city. Making her way into mid downtown where some civilians have felt that it¡¯s safe enough to go back to work, Samantha was striding, her sun hat tilted down, covering her mysterious face: She¡¯s on her way to a nice eatery she likes to cater herself to when she feels stressed. Nobody around her can see, notice her, she blended well hiding amongst the small crowded street. Despite her elegant gothic sundress that would stand out, she was completely invisible. This was possible since no one can see her with the spell she casted herself to. To peoples eyes, all they saw was a fragile forties business woman.


    Her heels clicked against the concrete, chipping away from each click clack that represented her hidden anger. Everything around her was black and white, slowed down, her anger soared, and she¡¯s finding something or someone to release it. She arrived at the nice diner, a fancy one, and walked right in without saying or looking at anyone. Not even the hostess couldn¡¯t get a chance to introduce her to the establishment. All they saw was a miserable business woman walking in with an upside down smile on her face. Samantha took a seat, another waiter walked up to the table and politely asked what she wanted to drink. Samantha only pointed at a picture of black coffee, and bowed her head. The waiter smugned her grin, and awkwardly backed away to get her coffee. Samantha thought in silence, wondering, trying to understand what¡¯s actually going on.


    Her husband''s words echoed into her wicked mind, reminding her how much of a horrible woman she is. His hatred towards her engulfed the anger in her, the irrational violence he does to her, but having her mock him that led him to do it. It¡¯s been awhile since she¡¯s had other thoughts besides her daughter and the secret she has hiding from everyone. Other thoughts came into mind, such as the world she once crumbled, the people out to hunt her down, and the other man vowed to enact his vengeance towards her. She clutched her head, and her breathing slowed. Again, Leon¡¯s voice echoed, but this time, it was of his younger self, before they were ever together.


    Samantha was walking down a hall, her outfit fitting for her taste in goth. Her black plaid skirt, her black turtleneck, and high black knee socks with her black boots. With her timid look, an innocent school girl walk, she saw that tall shy guy who spoke to no one standing at the edge near a window, looking out. The building for Witch clan was full of enthusiastic individuals, and creeps lusting for power. Yet in this building full of thousands, there was this single shy guy who made every guy crap their pants from his intimidating aura, and knitted brows that got her attention. She was the pinnacle of beauty, but in her quest of finding the one for her, and her ultimate goal, he was the one who fit it most after certain interactions.


    Her boots echoed down, and he heard her coming his way. He turned to her, and saw her coming his way. With the sunlight shining through the windows, with each ray hitting her pale skin made her shin like a dark Angel. The bangs cover half her face with her long raven hair, slumping over her shoulders, the tall guy couldn¡¯t help but turn away from the coming personification of beauty.


    Once Samantha stood next to him, she leaned against the window, and looked up at the shy guy. ¡°So, Leon, what did you say to me last night?¡±


    Her soothing, pampering voice, it was so gentle and relaxing Leon thought he was going to faint. He groaned and turned to her, and deepened his frown at her.


    ¡°That you were¡­ were¡­¡±


    Samantha placed her hands behind her back, and got closer to him.


    ¡°Come on, say it, big tough guy.¡±


    Her teasing nature made him growl, it boiled his blood yet he can¡¯t help but find her personality rather relaxing. It taxed his uncontrollable anger, enough to dim the fire to the flame. Ever since they became friends, over the span of their friendship, he had developed feelings for her, and last night, he slipped words out his mouth. Hearing those words made her heart race for the first time, and made her express the most genuine cute smile she¡¯s ever shown to anyone.


    He crushed one fist, and shut his eyes. ¡°The most important thing to me¡­¡±


    Again, her heart raced, her eyes sparkled, she blushed and a gorgeous smile appeared on her face. Remembering that day, hearing those words again made her heart ache, and fuel more of this swelling anger. Samantha mildly rose her head, and her brows were knitted.


    ¡°Am I really¡­ as heartless as he says I am?¡±


    She placed her hands on the table, and the waiter brought her her coffee.


    ¡°Enjoy, hope things get better in your life ma''am.¡±


    The waiter walks away, and Samantha turns to the steaming cup of joe, staring right into the blackness.


    ¡°My soul is as black as the coffee burning in front of my wretched eyes¡­¡± she murmured.


    She weakly picked up the cup, and rubbed her head. She gently blew the steam and sighed.


    ¡°What¡¯s come of me? Am I really as revolting as people say I am? Wait a minute, listen to what I¡¯m saying. My emotions are actually functioning again. What a development.¡±


    She took a sip, and grinned.


    ¡°Stale¡­¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    As the rest of the people inside were enjoying their food and conversations, two men kicked open the front doors, and aimed guns at everyone. Everyone panicked, and raised their hands as they scanned the room with their weapons.


    ¡°Nobody fucking move!¡± one robber said, his outfit all blacked out.


    His accomplice was also wearing the same but with a hoodie.


    ¡°Now everyone be good and bring out ya wallets! That way no one gets hurt!¡±


    Everyone did as they were commanded, except for Samantha who kept drinking her coffee. She didn¡¯t notice the commotion nor did they acknowledge her existence. As the two walked around the eatery and confiscated people''s assets, eventually, one happened to come across the depressed looking business woman.


    ¡°Yo, bitch! Give up yo wallet!¡± he shouted with his gun raised.


    Samantha ignored his words, and continued sipping.


    ¡°Yo! You deaf bitch or what?! Give up yo goddamn wallet or else!¡±


    He still got nothing from the woman, and it grew his impatience. It led to him to ground his teeth and before placing his hand on her shoulder, his partner whistled at him for his attention.


    ¡°Ey! What¡¯s taking so long?!¡± he shouted.


    He pointed his gun at the woman, ¡°This bitch ain¡¯t giving up her shit! She might be deaf or something!¡±


    ¡°Whatever man, just hurry up before the feds show up.¡±


    ¡°Aight¡­¡± he said, reaching towards the woman''s small shoulder. ¡°Now don¡¯t move or you¡¯re gonna be in a heap of hurt, bitch.¡±


    Once his big hand got on her shoulder, the woman paused, and eerily placed down the cup in a slow manner. The way she gently set it made him feel nervous.


    ¡°A-Aight, give up yo money, bitch!¡±


    The woman slowly raised her head, and mildly looked over her shoulder.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s rather rude to interrupt my thoughts.¡± she gently said.


    ¡°Bitch! I don¡¯t give two shits about¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Heh, I see. Maybe if I showed who I really am then you might listen.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! What the fuck is you talking about?!¡±


    The woman lightly giggled, and fully turned her body. ¡°I wonder¡­ if you¡¯re ready to feast your eyes upon my beauty, foolish man.¡±


    ¡°What in the hell¡­?¡±


    Everyone in the establishment grew silent, concerned for the woman despite her confident sounding tone. His partner ran to his side, and wondered what¡¯s going on.


    ¡°Ey man, I thought I told you too¡ª¡±


    ¡°A lot of people are about to die¡­ and I wonder how I¡¯ll react to it.¡± she said.


    Her tone had changed into a much gentle and softer one. It made the two men¡¯s skin crawl. She quickly shook her head, and placed her hands on her hair, shaking it, revealing her true identity that faded in. They saw the black sun hat, her wonderous gothic sundress, and her pale skin. This made them aim their guns and panic. Samantha got up from her seat, and slowly grabbed her hat, and carefully took it off. She revealed her glorious sea of black hair, and everyone around gasped in awe, but striking fear in their bodies. She had her eyes closed, and once they had opened, revealing their platinum nature, everyone began to deteriorate and melt. The robbers gasped as they were falling apart, their limbs crashing to the floor, and heads bouncing upon impact. Everyone around her, their bodies had either melted into a pool of flesh or crumbled.


    Samantha moaned with amusement and put her hat back on. ¡°I guess that answers my question.¡±


    Her face grew still and she took a deep breath.


    ¡°I need to find something to release my anger, otherwise, I¡¯ll turn this world into dust if I can¡¯t.¡±


    Samantha walked away, and made her way out the door. Before anyone else could witness her identity, she snapped her fingers and took back the appearance of the business woman. She walked away from the scene as if nothing happened, leaving a once filled spot now with the remnants of loved ones blood and guts. As she casually stride away from the scene, someone else was running towards that same way where she once came out. They sensed her once she had opened her eyes. A familiar man with a red hoodie came rushing in the diner and the sight he saw made his jaw drop.


    ¡°No¡­ no!¡± he shouted.


    He slowly walked more into the diner, seeing every pile of melted bones, crushed too, guts, pools of blood on stools, chairs, on the floor: It left him shocked.


    ¡°Who¡­ who did this?¡± he said, observing the pool of corpses.


    He went to where two bodies were once standing. There he saw two guns, and wondered what really happened here.


    ¡°That awful surge of mana came from this location.¡±


    The hooded man revealed himself to be Archard. He scanned the place with his golden eyes, trying to see if he could find anything to see as to who did this. He went to the guns, and scanned them and saw finger prints on them.


    ¡°I wonder.¡±


    Archard reached down, grabbing both weapons. He licked the gun handles and from there, he can see the perpetrators point of view. There he saw the beginning of the robbery, the middle of them robbing civilians, to the climax where they confronted the business woman. There he saw how much trouble she was giving them, and once they were side by side, she stood up, and revealed herself to be¡­


    ¡°Aby¡­zou¡­¡± he mumbled.


    He collapsed to his knees, and dropped the guns. They crashed and slid away as his eyes were humongous and trembling. His hands were out, shaking and Archard suddenly let out a broken chuckle. His body bounced from him fighting it, and he eventually let it out with a barrage of relieved cackles. He sprung up, and grabbed his head, laughing away his relief.


    ¡°She¡¯s here! She was really here! And I missed her!¡±


    Afterwards, a dozen cultists slithered in from the corners of the establishment. They were about to attack, but once they saw who was standing, they tried to scam, but Archard¡¯s eyes quickly blinked, and all of them were eradicated in the blink of an eye. Only one was left, and he tried to run away, but Archard already had him in his grasp.


    ¡°No! No¡­ leave me be, you monster!¡± the cultist shouted.


    Archard broke his arm, and then grabbed his throat. He gagged for air, and didn¡¯t even bother to fight since he knew his life was in death¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You freaks do respond rather quickly when you sense her presence, don¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what do you want?!¡±


    Archard chuckled, ¡°what the rest of you miserable low lifers want¡­¡±


    Archard eased his maniacal face in the hooded cultists shadowed out face. He gasped and Archard loved feeling and hearing his fear.


    ¡°I want Aby¡ªzou in my clutch. So I can take her life, and go back to being the man I once was.¡±


    Archard¡¯s eyes glowed with fire, and the man can see heat building around them. The reflection off his eyes, and his wicked grin made him scream, and Archard let out a maniacal laugh. The man screamed and Archard¡¯s wicked laughter echoed out into the city streets. A flash of light erupted out from the building, and the people that were once dead, were brought back to life. Everyone was behaving what they were doing beforehand: Drinking, eating, and enjoying their lives as they should.


    ***


    Night has dawned, outside of city limits, driving near an empty highway overpass close to some woods, Linnea, Sarah, and Jack were still on the run. Throughout the drive, no one said anything, and Jack did his best to keep Sarah in a good mood. Earlier he tried poking her, but she didn¡¯t react to being touched. He¡¯s been worried, and rightfully so. She has zero idea as to what¡¯s going on while everyone else has a clue to what¡¯s happening. He wants to tell her, but he promised both her mother and father to not reveal anything to her. Jack wondered if they¡¯ll tell her themselves or at this rate, it¡¯ll just tell itself one way or another.


    The car began to slow down, and Linnea saw the gas needle on empty.


    ¡°Shit, we¡¯re out of gas.¡±


    Jack pulled out his gun, ¡°well, time to go on foot then. Stop the car, we¡¯ll start the walk.¡±


    She let the car juice out until it went dead. She put it in park, and everyone got out, shutting the doors behind them. Jack took the lead, and the two girls followed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been through this road a couple of times with Eric. So if we keep walking straight, we should close in my old area.¡±


    Sarah had her arms tightly crossed, ¡°which?¡±


    Jack took a breath, ¡°my original home.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry for asking.¡±


    ¡°Nah, you¡¯re fine.¡±


    Linnea can¡¯t believe she¡¯s walking beside the daughter of the woman who she wants to kill. Right now, there¡¯s nothing more than she wanted then to knock the girl out, abduct her and take her into question. With that, she¡¯ll not only fulfil the promise she made with Archard, but it¡¯ll lead them straight to a decade''s end search. Yet, seeing her this sad and vulnerable, despite her hatred towards her mother, she understood what the girl¡¯s going through. She used to be like her when she was her age. Finding out your true identity, lost in a big world of the unknown, it felt relatable.


    Linnea wanted to tap Sarah¡¯s tiny shoulder, but Sarah moved further away.


    ¡°I¡­ I rather you not touch me, Ms. Linnea.¡±


    Linnea dropped her hand, ¡°right. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Jack¡¯s scanning everything as they walked. Crickets chirping, an owl letting out a deep hoot, every sound made by nature and the ambience made him glance at every corner, keeping an eye out for anything inconspicuous. With his attention in line, Sarah wanted to use this chance to ask more of who Linnea is.


    ¡°Say, Ms. Linnea.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Wha-what are you, really? Because back there, I heard you chant something only my mother has taught me, but in the literature she read out loud to me. That is until I actually used those same chants against my first foe.¡±


    Linnea tapped her chin. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a bit complicated¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d like to know too, Linnea.¡± Jack said, taking a pause, turning over to her. ¡°What are you?¡±


    Everyone had stopped, and Linnea placed her hands on her hips, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°Alright, alright, there¡¯s no use in hiding anymore. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    Sarah went to stand beside Jack to watch her speak.


    ¡°Please, we have to know. If you want us to trust you, then you¡¯ll tell us who and what you really are. My friends, if they hung out just a little longer¡­ I¡¯m sure they would¡¯ve been killed by your out of control fighting.¡±


    ¡°Alright alright, settle now. I¡¯ll tell it to you as understandingly as I can put it.¡±


    She pulled out her necklace with three different pendants on them. Jack and Sarah saw one for Christianity, the other being Witchcraft, and the last one they couldn¡¯t make out of.


    ¡°I¡¯m neither a Witch nor an Esper, but I am a sorcer. I don¡¯t side with any, only for myself because my thirst for research and the supernatural intrigues above all.¡±


    She grabbed the unknown pendant that had a crescent moon and a three layer triangle around the middle.


    ¡°This is proof of my sorcery.¡±


    Sarah walked up to her and grabbed it. Thankfully there wasn¡¯t any reaction to it when she touched it.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually really cool. But what¡¯s your main purpose besides research?¡±


    Linnea watched as Sarah curiously rotated, observing the pendant. Her innocence shined and her curious nature made her irresistible for her to be hugged. Linnea fought hard to not touch her and still felt optimistic of what she is.


    ¡°What else? Research! I love to travel, explore what the world hides! It¡¯s all so fascinating and an experience like no other.¡±


    Sarah let go and her eyes quivered with excitement. ¡°Oh! Is that why you were able to learn both ends of the spectrum? The culture of Witchcraft and the religion of Christian faith?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Though it was rather difficult getting in the culture of Witches''. You see, I think they¡¯re misrepresented.¡±


    ¡°You read my mind! That¡¯s what I think as well!¡±


    ¡°And what makes me think of this is all due to the bad apples in the bunch. But the worst culprits of all are the two Witch cult groups that worship the greatest Witch who lives today, Malificus!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the other?¡±


    Linnea grew serious, and knit her brows. Jack quickly jumped in and covered Sarah¡¯s mouth, shaking his head to Linnea. She caught on to what he was doing and let out a sigh.


    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t know too much myself. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here and that¡¯s my main mission. In finding the second one that¡¯s causing so much ruckus to others and giving you guys a bad name, grr!¡±


    Sarah was muffled out, and fought against Jack¡¯s grasp. Jack blew out a relieved breath and let go.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you do that? You dummy.¡± she said, turning to Jack¡¯s suspicious grin.


    ¡°I uh¡­ it was just another way to make you, uh¡­ smile?¡±


    Sarah shook her head. ¡°That is no way of making a girl smile, Jack. Actually, it¡¯s the complete opposite.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry.¡±


    Sarah grinned. ¡°You¡¯re so stupid, but thanks for making me smile again.¡±


    ¡°And it took for you to call me stupid to make you grin? Tch¡­ women.¡±


    The two girls laughed and all three thought it was best to keep moving. As they kept it moving, Sarah wanted to ask more about Linnea¡¯s knowledge of sorcery.


    ¡°Say, those attacks, what are they? And how come I can¡¯t sense you sometimes?¡±


    Linnea brought out a smug grin. ¡°Hehe, well, it all comes down to all my observations and experiences of learning book by book.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, if I recall, sorcerers can do more than use magic. They can also speak with spirits, correct?¡±


    Linnea nodded to Sarah¡¯s knowledge. ¡°Very good! You¡¯re indeed, correct! I actually know a couple, even certain legends people like to talk about.¡±


    Jack heard that and quickly thought of one. ¡°How about the jersey devil?¡±


    Sarah also thought of one. ¡°The legend of the crying woman in Mexico who drowned her children and herself?¡±


    Linnea wiggled her finger. ¡°Tsk, tsk. Those happen to be troubling spirits who like to tease people and love the attention and status given to them.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that they¡¯re attention whores?¡± Sarah said.


    Linnea gave her a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re on a roll, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­ say, when you were using chants, you also managed to do attacks without saying one. When and how did you learn that?¡±


    ¡°Interested, are we?¡±


    ¡°Duh, I mean, granted I can also do some mana attacks without using a chant but they¡¯re very minor ones. If I want to use my most powerful attacks, I need to say and use a chant.¡±


    Linnea grabbed her chin, and smiled. ¡°So, you want me to tell you how to use your most powerful attacks without saying a long draggin run on sentence?¡±


    Sarah jumped in front of Linnea, nodding repeatedly. ¡°Please! That way I can prove to my father that I¡¯m not some damsel in distress.¡±


    The two girls stopped walking while Jack kept on. Linnea¡¯s eyes mildly shook as she looked at Sarah.


    ¡°Your father¡­ who is he? Is he also a magic user?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m not too sure, myself. But my father is an Esper, and one who doesn¡¯t like to rely on his mana according to him. God he¡¯s so cool.¡±


    Linnea smiled more, and remembered what type of guy her father is.


    ¡°Tell me more about him: His appearance, his personality, name?¡±


    Sarah grinned while blushing. ¡°My father, where do I start? He¡¯s a very quiet, shy man, but very powerful. He¡¯s the toughest man I know, and also, very mysterious. His name''s Leon.¡±


    Linnea can recall a time when she and Leon, along with Malificus, and some other Witches were hanging around another building. Across, they could see Leon, alone, watching out from the window. With a straight face, but one that told the world he did not want to be disturbed, his close friend Malificus shouted at him to join them. He heard him, and when he did arrive, Linnea got up to his face, burning with curiosity.


    ¡°Leon! You have to teach me how to combine Mana and my fists! I wanna learn how to fight with these little hands of mine.¡±


    Leon only stared at her, and gently pushed her away. ¡°Easy now, blonde wonder.¡±


    ¡°Blonde wonder?! Oh you see, if I knew how to fight with my hands and legs, I bet I can take you on!¡±


    Malificus threw air punches, ¡°yeah, Leon, show us how to fight with the manos man! Come on!¡±


    Everyone around them gave him cheerful stares and puppy dog eyes to convince him. Then, they felt the presence of a particular woman approaching them. They all turned, and saw Abyzou coming towards them, and when they set their eyes back to Leon, they could see him, flabbergasted? Embarrassed? Even nervous? It all made them curious as to why he behaves this way towards her. Once she arrived, making the group around her go quiet, she gently placed her hand on Leon¡¯s chest, and he quietly gasped.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Leon.¡± she said in a soothing pampering tone.


    This made the other men jealous, angry, the women envious, but to Linnea, it made her smile knowing that someone like her can tame the beast. Although this was one of the few good memories she has of this awful woman stored in her vengeful mind. Sarah wondered why Linnea was spacing out, and snapped her fingers to bring her back to reality.


    ¡°Oops, my bad. Didn¡¯t mean to go dead there, I was just recalling some memories.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we got all night. Oh crap, Jack.¡±


    Sarah turned around and saw him half way down the road.


    ¡°The nerve. We better quickly catch him before he leaves us in the dust, Linnea.¡±


    ¡°Right, let''s move on.¡±


    The two girls powerwalked to Jack, meanwhile he¡¯s still scouting their surroundings as he walks the dark quiet road. Luckily the street lamps provided enough light for him to have him see where he¡¯s going. Feeling relaxed and sure that the coast was clear, Jack used this moment to bask in his surroundings of peace. He turned to the right and saw the two girls a little far out.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re getting along. That¡¯s good.¡±


    Seeing them walk side by side, it reminded him of the times before all these shenanigans happened or when he and Angela used to take long walks to ease their minds. Remembering those times brought a cloud over his head, and made him frown. After the events of Dr. Cato and his awful partner, Mathew, Angela had changed into a completely different person. But, given this new altered timeline, she¡¯s behaving the way she did before he found them. Jack wiggled his lips, tapped his thigh as those nice memories flooded his mind. It almost made him want to shed a tear, but wondered why he was thinking this way out of the bloom.


    ¡°Jesus¡­ do I miss the times before Dr. Cato found us. Now look where I¡¯m at, involved in something far larger than life.¡±


    Jack turned round, his eyes set back straight at the empty freeway in front of him. The barely lit street lamps far ahead made him think of his bleak journey. Will there be more light? Or is darkness always going to lurk around every corner. Jack took a step forward, and a sound beside him inside the forest made him turn his head for a moment.


    ¡°What was that? Sounded like a branch breaking.¡±


    Jack took another step forward, and when his eyes set back on the road, they grew big. That blue robed man was standing a foot away from Jack, and the giant smug grin on his face told Jack how satisfied he was to find him. His teeth showing, rubbing against the bottom of his lip, he slowly raised one hand and pointed it at Jack.


    ¡°Found ya, teheheh!¡±


    Jack quickly pulled out his gun, and aimed it at him. ¡°How¡­ how did you?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about how I found you, boy! What matters most is you handing over our God!¡±


    He laughed and vanished. Jack panicked and ran back to the other two. The two girls saw Jack coming their way with his gun pulled out, and immediately, they caught on to what¡¯s happening.


    ¡°We got to go!¡± Jack shouted.


    Sarah stepped forward, ¡°What happened?!¡±


    Linnea can sense what he was talking about. ¡°He¡¯s right, we have to leave, now!¡±


    Jack was getting close, and the blue robed man bursted right in between, flying with his left foot forward. He dove his foot into the road between them. Upon impact, he shattered the ground, denting it, the road was in shambles, and shook the earth. Jack flew up, and landed bad on his back. The other two girls leaped away to avoid the small meteoric landing. Jack quickly got back up, and ran to the two. He had one hand placed on his back, and reaching the other two girls who were at the other side of the crater, he stood in front.


    ¡°Sarah, get the hell out of here!¡±


    Sarah stood next to him, and stood her ground. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving¡ª¡¯


    Jack gently pushed her, ¡°I¡¯m not kidding! You have to leave, there¡¯s no other option.¡±


    Linnea pulled out her gun too, ¡°let''s go, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not leaving you alone to die!¡±


    Jack grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I promise.¡±


    Linnea got in between them, and grabbed Jack¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m about to ask is a little strange, but it¡¯ll help out more in my aid towards you, young man.¡±


    ¡°O-okay?¡±


    Linnea pointed at Sarah, ¡°What is she to you, Jack?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes slowly gazed upon a concerned looking Sarah. His grin slowly transitioned to a smile, and he turned his attention back to the blue robed man who was coming out of the crater.


    ¡°At first, I thought it was due to the fact we both shared similar experiences with the supernatural¡­ But the more I get to know her, the better I¡¯m starting to understand that we share a lot more in common than I thought. She¡¯s not only just a friend, but someone I can trust, and someone who understands me.¡±


    Sarah gasped, and again her heart skipped a few beats. She grabbed his arm, and bumped her head against it.


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±


    Jack chuckled, ¡°I promised your parents. Please go, right now, there¡¯s nothing more important to me than you.¡±


    Linnea can remember those exact words the day Leon confessed to Abyzou. It still kept the suspicion of her spirit in her daughter since some things are playing out the exact same way. For now, Linnea will play along in being an ally to see if she¡¯ll betray him if things go the way she thinks it¡¯ll play out. Sarah closed her eyes, and she can feel her face grow a little hot. Linnea tapped Sarah¡¯s shoulder, which triggered another flashing memory of fire, destruction. Sarah grabbed her head, and nodded to Jack who¡¯s attention stayed cemented on the villain.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll be back really shortly, you idiot.¡±


    Linnea forcefully smiled watching the two dense people crack teasing jokes.


    ¡°Come now, I¡¯ll figure out something to get that car running. Can¡¯t risk using any mana for these freaks to detect us.¡±


    Sarah nodded, and the two girls ran off. Jack¡¯s left alone now with the blue robed man who menacingly came his way. Jack kept his gun aimed forward, and felt afraid. Mustering his fear, he ground his teeth, exploded his eyes, and began shooting. He dodged his bullets, and chuckled, being amused at Jack¡¯s efforts of keeping his attention.


    ¡°Stop, it¡¯s no use, kiddo. I¡¯m much too powerful for a normy like you.¡±


    Jack loaded up another mag, and took an enormous deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of freaks like you.¡±


    ¡°Ohohoho!¡±


    As he was growing closer to Jack, the young man put his gun away, and raised his fists instead.


    ¡°How amusing! You wanna fight me like a man? Now! All of a sudden? Damn, you sure are courageous my kiddo!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t say a word. With his fists up, the cultist nearing, he rushed the young man. Jack threw the first punch, and he leaned to the side. Jack shot another, he dodged and mocked Jack by putting his hands behind his back.


    ¡°Oh, how cute! For an average person you sure do know how to throw some swings. Here, let me show you what it feels!¡±


    He gave Jack a gut wrenching shot, leaving him still. Jack gagged, and with no other say, kept fighting back. The blue robed man punched his face, sending him flying a foot away. He popped immediately to Jack¡¯s side to pay him another shot to his face. One to his jaw, another to his cheek, a couple to his abdomen, and a last brutal shot to the back of his head. Jack slams face first, and moans in pain.


    ¡°This is strange.¡± he calmly said as he watched Jack struggle to get back on his feet. ¡°You¡¯re still alive after enduring some lethal blows. Why is that?¡±


    Jack grunted, and got on his fours, coughing out spit.


    ¡°For once¡­ I¡¯m starting to think it ain¡¯t so bad.¡± he muttered.


    He wasn¡¯t pleased. He wanted to up the antsy and show Jack his fate.


    ¡°Enough playing around, now''s the time to end this.¡±


    Jack slowly got back on his feet, and grew a grin with his head hung.


    ¡°Whatever, so long as it buys them time. Then I¡¯ll endure this beating.¡±


    Jack brought up his head, and glared at the cultist. He spat, and told him to bring it with two fingers.


    ¡°Oh! The nerve of you! But I wonder¡­¡±


    The blue robed man smiled and vanished. He popped behind Jack, chopped the back of his neck. He slams face first, the ground cracks. He kicks Jack¡¯s side, sending him tumble weeding away. Instantly he appeared where Jack was rolling to. He caught him, whirled him around, and slammed the young man''s back against his knee. He pummeled his face with powerful punches that would kill anyone. Jack¡¯s face was being bruised, bloodied, and once he felt that was enough, the first signs of blood, he threw Jack into the air. He leaped into the air, and double axed the young man back to the earth.


    The girls heard the impact, and Sarah can¡¯t bear to stand hearing her friend being bullied. They had just arrived at the car, and Linnea scratched her head, thinking of a way to turn it on with a spell instead of mana.


    ¡°Is there one to even magically have gas be put on the tank! Ugh¡­ I knew I should¡¯ve read more texts from them.¡±


    Linnea looked over her shoulder, and saw Sarah¡¯s determined face. Her fists clenched, she slowly stepped backwards as more impacts and small explosions went off in the distance. Linnea shook her head to Sarah, but she had already made up her mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back for him. Don¡¯t try to stop me, Ms. Linnea.¡±


    Linnea deeply sighed, but understood her feelings. ¡°Alright, but leave the fighting to me, okay?¡±


    Sarah gave her a powerful nod, and she ran first. Linnea ran with her and saw trees being flown in the air along with road debri.


    ¡°How is he not dead?¡± Linnea mumbled. ¡°I wonder if he has something protecting him.


    ¡°We¡¯re coming, Jack!¡± Sarah shouted as a stream of dirt shot up in the air.


    Jack¡¯s on the ground, beaten to a bloody pulp and still had a grin on his face, though only half. He lay in the rubble of dirt and road pavement as the blue robed man stood over him.


    How¡­ How can I use Mallory¡¯s strength against him? Jack thought.


    Sarah¡¯s dad helped me to use it¡­ but how do I do it?


    He crossed his arms, tilted his head and watched the young man grin in silence.


    ¡°Still alive? This is very interesting. No matter, I¡¯ll have my answer once I have you in my clutch.¡±


    He slowly reached for Jack, grabbed his neck, and once he felt his flesh, he let go and gasped loudly.


    ¡°Im¡­Im-Impossible!¡±


    Again, he went for Jack¡¯s neck, and lifted him up like a ragdoll.


    ¡°You-You ingrid! How, how did you¡ªmanage?!¡±


    Jack gagged for air, but lightly chuckled.


    ¡°Quit laughing at me, boy! Tell me, tell me how you were able to be blessed! Blessed blessed blessed blessed, blessed by-by¡ªAbyzou!¡±


    He violently shook his head, and dragged one of his hands across his face, leaving red marks across it.


    ¡°You were blessed, blessed by her before us¡ªme! No fair, no fair fair fair! This is inconceivable, most fascinating yet envious of situations!¡±


    He eased in on Jack¡¯s bloody bruised face.


    ¡°How did you meet her? Tell me, young boy. I¡¯m so envious of you, you can¡¯t begin to imagine how it feels.¡±


    Jack blinked erratically, and only chuckled. It made him crush his windpipe, having Jack gag more.


    ¡°Heheh, fine then. If you won¡¯t tell me, then I guess perhaps killing you might bring her here.¡±


    An ominous glow formed around him, one that reeked of anger, jealousy, and red.


    He raised one hand, and a donut-like object formed. Small currents flowed around it, and it only grew more intense.


    ¡°With this attack¡­ not only will you perish, but this entire domain will be flattened to zero.¡±


    Jack¡¯s grin faded and he looked away. The blue robed man grew an open mouth smile, and reeled back the attack.


    ¡°Die now!¡±


    A bullet had struck his forehead, leaving a scuff. It made his attack fade out, and wipe the smile off his face.


    ¡°Oy oy¡­ that wasn¡¯t so nice.¡±


    Then, a huge stream of blue struck him, and an explosion occurred. It sent Jack flying towards the two girls. Sarah caught him, but they both fell back. She quickly got back up, went to him, and raised half his body off the ground, lightly smacking his screwed up face.


    ¡°Oh my god, are you still alive?!¡± she asked.


    Linnea put her hand down, ¡°don¡¯t worry. I held back enough for him to live and for the other freaks to not sense me.¡±


    Jack opened an eye, and saw Sarah¡¯s worried beautiful face. ¡°You know, Sa-Sarah¡­¡±


    She let out a sigh of relief. ¡°What, Jack?¡±


    He groaned loudly, and sat up himself as she gently let go. He turned to Sarah, and wiped his mouth.


    ¡°Your dad, though his ass whooping lasted less than a minute was a hundred times worse than what this fucker¡¯s giving me.¡±


    Sarah mildy shook her head, and smacked his arm. ¡°You idiot¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, love birds, get ready to move. I¡¯ll hold him off as long as I can. This way, you can escape before I can make my own.¡±


    ¡°Ca-can you even beat him?¡± Jack said, carefully standing up to his feet with the assistance of Sarah.


    Linnea rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course I can, but it¡¯s kinda prohibited to use so much mana in reality. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware, but there are huge consequences of using them, as you¡¯ve seen as of lately. That¡¯s why, with most supernatural beings, we battle it out in dimensions.¡±


    ¡°But when you have freaks like him they don¡¯t care about the rules and disobey the natural order.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Right again. Bravo Sarah, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been¡­ taught well.¡±


    The blue robed man creeped his way out of the smoke, and looked very annoyed. He rubbed his bald head and rolled his eyes many times, aggressively pointing his index finger in their direction.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick and tired of being ambushed, you know that?!¡±


    ¡°And the world is tired of hearing your stupid antics and rumours being flown around!¡±


    ¡°Pretentious traiting bitch! I¡¯ll have you eat your own words!¡±


    ¡°Then make me, bring it you fragile man.¡±


    Jack grabbed his abdomen, and Sarah wanted to help. She carefully let go, and slowly began to raise one of her hands.


    ¡°No¡­ Sarah.¡± Jack murmured.


    Sarah gently put up her palm, and someone abruptly put it down with a finger. Sarah shockling gasped, looked to her side, and her eyes shined, growing big. Linnea also looked, and her eyes quivered as they laid eyes on¡­


    ¡°Father¡­?¡± Sarah said.


    It¡¯s Sarah¡¯s father who stood before them. Jack also couldn¡¯t believe it as he fell back to one knee. Leon¡¯s face was as dead as it was serious. The blue robed man had his mouth open, and he looked terrified but amused at the same time.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to do that, Sarah,¡± Leon said.


    He calmly walked forward, and stood in front lines, glaring at the cultist.


    Linnea dropped her gun, and trembled. ¡°Le-Le¡­¡±


    ¡°Long time no see, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea nervously picked up her gun, and brushed her hair behind her ear.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± she replied.


    ¡°I outta thank you for protecting these two. But¡ª¡±


    He knitted his brows, and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°I think I should take this into my own hands, from now on.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 19: The Crazies

    Inside William¡¯s dimension, the all mighty Exorcist is relaxing, observing what''s happening before his eyes. His hands interlaced, his eyes sparkling, he felt like he¡¯s watching a great action drama show. He felt so exhilarated he shot his arms up in the air.


    ¡°Man! This is absurd!¡± he shouted, flailing his arms. ¡°I find it hard to believe that this is all happening all at once and this fast! Nevertheless, I¡¯m enjoying the bloody¡ªI mean much enjoyment in watching Jack¡¯s new mess.¡±


    He lowered his arms, rested them on the cloudy chair¡¯s arms, and shook his head.


    ¡°All this, unnecessary destruction. They¡¯re tampering with the natural balance of realism. I should be intervening¡­ but! God himself spoke to me last night and said to let things play out. My time will come when I have to step in, and conclude this whole charade of this young man''s destructive life.¡±


    Archard happened to spawn in, walking to where the action was happening. William felt his presence and tapped the arm of the cloudy chair to shut the picture, and turned it into fog.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on now, sir William?¡± he asked while watching a cloudy screen.


    ¡®Hm, sorry for cutting off the picture, but you have some explaining to do, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I beg your pardon?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like a smartass, Archard.¡± William stood up, and turned to his friend. ¡°Where have you been for the past few days? And don¡¯t you lie to me, pollock.¡±


    Archard drew a sweat gland, and looked away. ¡°I-I was just getting some air, that¡¯s all, honestly.¡±


    William didn¡¯t buy it, and shook his head in shame. ¡°Oh Archard¡­ you disappoint me.¡±


    ¡°No, really! Honestly, I just wanted to get some air and go for a walk.¡±


    Just when William was about to say something, Mallory let out a putrid scream that got both of their attention. They instantaneously teleported to where she was being held prisoner. There, they saw her hugging herself, and crying, screaming. William snapped his fingers to summon some stairs to her circled prison. The two walked up, and he tapped her dome to get her attention. She immediately snapped and clawed at him, snarling at William, like a caged animal.


    ¡°Easy, easy. No need to be nasty, young girl.¡± William said.


    She smacked the dome with her fist, and screamed again.


    ¡°Silence! You foul wretched spirit.¡± Archard exclaimed.


    She stopped, and covered her face, muffling crying her eyes out.


    William crouched and knocked on the dome. ¡°What seems to be the matter? What has your beautiful face drenched in sadness, my love?¡±


    She dropped her hands, and looked at William with bagged out eyes.


    ¡°Please¡­ just let me go.¡± she weakly said.


    William mildly tilted his head. ¡°Love, you know I can¡¯t do that. Not right now, only when the time is ripe.¡±


    Mallory wiped one of her eyes, and shut them. ¡°I beg of you¡­ please. Jack¡­ needs me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he does. I¡¯m well aware of how you can aid the boy in his worst times. But right now, I can¡¯t do that. God has specifically told me to keep you away from him.¡±


    Mallory slowly opened her gorgeous eyes, and frowned. ¡°Why? Why would he do so?¡±


    William shrugged. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know myself to be fair. I¡¯m just a messenger and his closest ear to this world.¡±


    Mallory hugged her knees, and wiped her eyes. ¡°If-If he didn¡¯t say anything¡­ then you wouldn¡¯t keep me here away from him?¡±


    William deeply nodded. ¡°Of course. It would make things far more interesting and give me a better reason to Exorcise you from that poor young man¡¯s soul. At the moment, there¡¯s no actual reason as to Exorcise you. As a matter of fact, right now, I¡¯m quite saddened as to why he chose this route. But, either way, I know you two will reunite, someday. Just not now, nor tomorrow, the month after¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop! Please, don¡¯t say anymore¡­ I¡¯m already hurting, as is being apart from him.¡±


    William straightened his lips, and felt bad for Mallory. Archard looked coldy at her, and beneath that casual face was an amused expression wanting to reveal itself.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t mean harm to the boy. And I believe you do have good intentions for him, but your actions have made him think the opposite.¡±


    Mallory leaned her head on a hand, her face smeared with regret.


    ¡°I-I know¡­ but I can¡¯t help it when he¡¯s done more harm to me than anyone in the world.¡±


    William rose a brow. ¡°What do you mean by that, love?¡±


    Mallory softly blinked, and stared into William¡¯s bright golden eyes. She can sense that William had no ill intention this time like before when they first met. This time, he looked more meaningful in helping a damsel in distress, even for someone like her.


    ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ long story. But, if you knew my history, and how I became the person I am today¡­¡±


    Mallory let off her hand, and stared at her chalky palm.


    ¡°Then you would understand why¡­ I am the overprotective girl that I am today.¡±


    William moaned, and grinned for Mallory. He surprisingly appeared inside the bubble of Mallory¡¯s prison, which made her gasp and fall back. He put his hand out, and smiled for Mallory. She was afraid to grab his hand, and knew if she touched anything holy like him, then it would burn her horrendously. She instead scooted back, and turned away, being on the brink of crying again.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not a monster as people make me out to be.¡±


    Mallory opened her eyes, and looked up at what people called a God instead of a monster. She carefully reached out, and almost grabbed his hand, but held herself back, balling her fist.


    ¡°I know you may not think I know much about you. But love, I know exactly as to what happened to you in the past. Only you though, not Jacky boy.¡±


    She lowered her head, and held her fist against her chest.


    ¡°Even¡­ how I-I originally looked like?¡±


    William nodded, ¡°of course. You¡¯re a tragic girl, traumatised by love, and betrayal. I wish I could¡¯ve saved you back then, but the young man¡¯s already trying to do that it seems.¡±


    Mallory lightly giggled, and again, looked up at William with a half smile.


    ¡°I-I find that hard to believe since he¡¯s blamed me for everything horrible happening in his life.¡±


    William chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessarily your fault, but your actions have led up to them partially. So I¡¯d say, "you''re at half the fault, love.¡±


    Mallory shook her head, and carefully lay down. ¡°Hmph¡­ whatever. I¡¯m just going to lay here then, but I won¡¯t promise that I won¡¯t go crazy again. Try being locked up in a bubble made of your only weakness and let''s see if you don¡¯t go crazy.¡±


    William approached Mallory, and patted her. She was about to lash out, but it didn¡¯t burn when he touched her head. It surprised her, and made her wonder how it was possible. William backed away, and before she could even blink, he was already gone along with Archard. Mallory slowly extended her arm out, lying carefully on the ground, and rubbed it. Her eyes shook as she fought her emotions, thinking of Jack and how everything would turn out for him.


    ¡°I can feel his pain¡­ I can sense his fear, his confusion, his¡ªeverything.¡±


    She looked at her hand again, and softly blinked.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Jack. I know you need me, but please¡­ hang in there, for us, my love.¡±


    Back where Jack¡¯s at, still aching, broken with pain, all three watched as the blue robed man stood still. He appeared to be contemplating, and thinking of what to do now that Leon is here. Sarah stood close to her father, and Linnea stayed on edge.


    ¡°Where¡¯d all that confidence go? Fool.¡± Leon said.


    The blue robed man brought one of his hands up to the side of his face, and crushed it.


    ¡°At last¡­ at long last. I have you all to myself, Bolverkr!¡±


    He dropped his arm, and swiped the air.


    ¡°Now to prove to the rest of how powerful we¡¯ve become since your last appearance!¡±


    Leon¡¯s face didn¡¯t change, and he remained absolutely calm. Instead he relaxed his arms, and dropped his guard.


    ¡°Is that so? Well then, prove to me as to how you all have surpassed me as you claimed.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ that arrogance will be your undoing! To put it to you straightly, I¡¯m just as powerful as you were since your last rampage during that tournament.¡±


    Leon tucked his hands into his pockets, ¡°that so?¡±


    The blue robed man squinted an eye to his response. The confidence in his tone, his dropped guard, it all indicated that Leon wasn¡¯t taking any of his threats seriously or him at all. The rest watched, waited, eager to see what the two would do next. Linnea went next to Leon and pulled on his arm.


    ¡°Hey, if it¡¯s alright with you, I¡¯ll take them away. You got this I take?¡±


    Leon¡¯s left cornea turned to her, and he nodded. ¡°You make sure my daughter doesn¡¯t use an ounce of mana or think of helping me.¡±


    ¡°Right, you can trust me you damn Nazi.¡±


    ¡°Cheeky, but jokes aside, after I¡¯m done dealing with this fool, you¡¯re going to explain as to why you¡¯re here, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea walked backwards, ¡°maybe, or not.¡±


    Leon groaned. Sarah also tugged on her fathers arm to get his attention.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    ¡°Sarah, I¡¯m going to do what I should¡¯ve done since the day you were tragically born¡ªand that¡¯s taking care of you myself.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes glistened and she let go before he could freak out of her touching him. She gently punched his arm, and softly smiled.


    ¡°Beat the living hell out of him, father.¡±


    Jack can¡¯t help but smile at their interaction. Leon turned his full attention to the beaten young man.


    ¡°Jack, you sure are as brave and courageous as you are caring.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s both calling me a dumbass or complimenting my heart.¡±


    Leon shut his eyelids, and for a second a grin appeared. Even though it lasted a millisecond, the two saw and knew he was enjoying the moment despite the threat in front of them. Sarah grabbed Jack¡¯s arm, wrapped it around her shoulders, and carefully lifted him off the ground. He loudly groaned, moaned in pain, and out of the bloom, the blue robed man leaped in front of the moonlight, drop kicking down in between them. Linnea quickly caught the two young adults as the earth was stabbed into. He screeched, threw something replicating a funnel beside Leon¡¯s side, and it shot out a stream of blackened tar light that stretched out as far as the eye can see. The three were shocked to see him attacking him straight on. For a moment, they thought he had defeated him, but Linnea knew that wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°That was too easy. Goes to show how much of a gap there is now.¡±


    ¡°Father?!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Linnea also had Jack around her shoulders. ¡°Leon¡­¡±


    The attack slowly disintegrated as Leon casually walked out of it. Leon stood still, the ground beneath him charred and pulsing hot as the blue robed man had his bloodthirsty eyes set on him while being surprised.


    ¡°Hmph, deplorable and despicable as the rest of your wretched cult.¡±


    The blue robed man brushed himself off and stretched. ¡°Big words coming out of a miserable coop as yourself, Bolverkr. I¡¯m surprised you survived that despite not using any mana to shield yourself.¡±


    Leon brushed off his right shoulder before tucking his hands back in his pocket. ¡°I don¡¯t need to.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. Unlike the rest of you, it¡¯s not necessary when you¡¯re as strong as I am.¡±


    ¡°Why you!¡±


    The blue robed man rubbed his chin, and his gaze set on the three. He chuckled and shot his palm in their direction. He shot out a barrage of tiny missile blades. Leon quickly reacted, sliding in the line of fire and blocking it with his forearms. Upon impact, behind him the force of those blades sent out a ginormous shockwave, gusts of wind that carved the environment behind them. They all gasped, covered their faces while Leon easily lowered his arms.


    ¡°You guys alright?¡± he calmly asked.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t help but pump her arms in excitement. ¡°Aw-Awesome!¡±


    While they all were collecting themselves, he rushed in, at mach speed, and smacked Leon¡¯s face, erupting in a scorching explosion and simultaneously smacking his other palm against his abdomen. A spiral of red light grew larger, larger, and eventually swelled up, bringing forth a magnitude explosion that trembled the earth.


    The three were blown away from it, and landed a couple yards away. The two girls did their best to help protect Jack from getting more hurt. Nonetheless, he still did and lay on the ground, groaning with more pain. Sarah sat up, and shook her head, seeing the cultist laughing and turning over to them, marching his way towards them.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Linnea got in front and was ready to take action. ¡°Damn it.¡±


    ¡°Too easy! That¡¯s what he gets for taking me so lightly! I told him his confidence would be his undoing. This ain¡¯t the past, this is the present, and we¡¯re the future once we have Aby¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Leon shouted.


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Leon walked through the smoke again, and scratched the back of his neck.


    ¡°It seems that you¡¯re still not getting it, freak.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?!¡±


    Leon brought out one of his hands, and reeled his index finger at him. ¡°Come closer, and you¡¯ll find out.¡±


    He growled and narrowed his eyes. He did what Leon told him to, and went up to the tall german man. He clenched his fists before taking another step. Now that he was almost a foot away, he couldn¡¯t approach him anymore, which made him gasp.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on¡­? Why can¡¯t I get closer to you now?¡±


    Leon lowered his hand, and twirled his wrist. ¡°Just goes to show how foolish you really are.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?!¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t realised this, but when you took that other step, I clenched my fist inside my pocket, therefore demonstrating just how much of a gap there is between us.¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­at?¡±


    Leon took a step forward, and whatever force was in between had pushed him away.


    ¡°You¡¯re no match for me, is the point. You can¡¯t touch me. You¡¯re so weak that you slow down that much it actually pushes you away like a barrier. And to add insult to injury, I¡¯m still not using any mana, not even an ounce.¡±


    Im¡­Impossible! That-that¡¯s not natural, it has to be a trick! There¡¯s just no way his natural strength¡¯s this great, I-I refuse to believe this! He thought.


    With his eyes wide, sweat starting to pour out his bald head, the blue robed man jumped away, and started to breath heavily.


    I-I can hardly breathe now? Am-am I this afraid of him now that he¡¯s demonstrating just how much stronger he is!


    He was suddenly pushed away again, and fell on his fours, facing the ground. He looked over his shoulder in a panic and saw Leon standing menacingly. With the moon shining behind him, his hellish stone cold blue eyes glowing, he can¡¯t help but try to attack again. But, not even he can raise an arm to the unknown force forming around him. He got back on his feet, and readied himself to throw it down despite the fear coursing through his veins.


    Everytime I try to do something, it stops before him¡­ you mean to tell me everytime he closes one of his fists, if you¡¯re not evenly matched with him, the gravity around his body crushes you?


    Leon pulled out his closed fist, and eerily raised it to his chest. ¡°No need to be so afraid, you¡¯ll only reignite my old ego.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Leon had pushed his palm against the blue robed man''s stomach so severely his eyes popped out of their sockets while gagging a pool of blood. He was lifted off his feet from the force of the impact. The force created by it sent out a sonic boom, forcing the other three to cover their ears from how loud the impact was. Leon kicked him away, sending him flying through the forest. Dust, dirt sent flying high in the air. As he traveled, destroying miles and miles of nature''s garden. He caught himself by grabbing a big tree, and fell to the ground. He grabbed his abs, and coughed out more blood.


    ¡°That¡­ mo-monster¡­¡±


    He weakly got on his feet, and grew loopy.


    ¡°How¡­ How did he get this strong? It-it¡¯s inconceivable!¡±


    Leon¡¯s feet brushed the dirt, scraped the earth, letting the cultist know that he was in close proximity. He panicked, scanned his surroundings, trying to figure out where he might appear from. He grew tired of the anticipation and put his arms out, sending out an explosive wave. Leon walked through the expanding red dome, and walked up to him, throwing a fury of punches to his face, and chest. It sent him flying away, into the air, and led him to an open area. As he crashed and landed on his back, Leon kept up, but always appeared walking with boredom. The blue robed man skinned his robe off, revealing his tattoos, markings of Witchcraft throughout his body. He screamed and put his arms forward, shooting out a stream of lava type plasma.


    ¡°Burn to hell, you devil!¡±


    Leon kept walking through the attack, and when he reached the tattoo man, he leaped into the air, and threw a barrage of distant attacks in the shape of missiles. Each impact kept growing the explosion into a giant dome, stadium size. Smoke plumed the air, shrouded the forest. He laughed and thought the battle was won when Leon swiped the air once, blowing away all the debri and smoke around the area.


    ¡°Im-Impossible?!¡±


    Leon grew tired of this spar, and decided it was time to end it. He flung himself towards him, and shot into his stomach again with a straight punch. His mouth opened so wide it almost stretched out his face. Leon backhanded him back to the earth. He crashes, the earth crumbles, rocks tumble down a hillside from the impact. The three spectators watched in praise and the two girls appeared to be fangirling over his mighty display.


    ¡°Get him, dad!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Leon quietly let out a breath, surprised his daughter called him Dad for the first time. It brought out an actual grin, and he felt just as confident as before.


    The tattoo man lay in his crashed grave, broken, shattered along with his spirit. Leon made his way to where he was lying, and peeked down at him.


    ¡°Finished, already?¡±


    Hearing his stone cold tone, mocking the encounter had him fueled with rage. He exploded, and flew out of his grave. He yelled, and growled tremendously towards Leon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you swallow that damn grin! You bastard! No one lives to mock me!¡±


    An explosive red light came out of his pores, and he raised his hands above his head.


    ¡°Face my wrath!¡±


    He crossed his palms, and a spiralling ball of volcanic magma formed.


    ¡°Mana! Fill me! Swell me up, my lost ancestors, aid me in destroying the enemy in front of me! Obliterate every cell in his body, eviscerate him!¡±


    His tattoos glowed purple, and the intensity of the ball reached around the surroundings. It shot out flickering bolts of plasma that stabbed the earth around them. Tree¡¯s blown away, the earth shook, and the night sky was engulfed by his angry glow. Sarah couldn¡¯t believe they were up against such a foe. This doesn''t concern Linnea as she was analyzing the fight, watching closely how Leon uses his body against his enemy. Jack watched in horror and quickly realised how close to death he came with again.


    Leon stood his ground, leaned forward, and both hands were once again, tucked into his pockets.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    He thrusted his palms forward, and a beam of volcanic magma made its way towards Leon. Everything was scorched in red as it made its way towards Leon. He casually walked towards it, and wanted to meet the oncoming hellfire. It made contact, swallowing up Leon, and making its way out towards the edge of the earth. He laughed, feeling victorious at last. It came up short when his own attack felt rebellious. It started to pull him, drag him by his feet. He loudly gasped, and panicked, trying to break free from it. It began to thin out, and eventually swallowed up his wrists, forming handcuffs around it. He was chained up, and saw Leon grabbing hold of his ultimate attack, as if it were chain molten rope.


    ¡°You¡­ you are a monster!¡±


    Leon rattled the chain, and whiplashed it, taking him down face first on the ground.


    ¡°So I¡¯m the monster? Yet you weren¡¯t being one when you and your freak cultists were stalking, waiting to go after my daughter?¡±


    ¡°Da-Daughter? Huh? She-she isn¡¯t Aby-Abyzou?¡±


    ¡°Took you morons this long to realise that she wasn¡¯t your damned God. Yes, she¡¯s my daughter.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ can¡¯t be, gagh! You¡¯re-you¡¯re lying!¡±


    Leon whipped the chain again, this time it wrapped around him and began squeezing the life out of him. He loudly gasped for air, his eyes buldged out, and he began to scream in anger.


    ¡°Well, your time is up. You deserve what¡¯s coming to you.¡±


    Leon gripped the chain intensely, and furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Anyone who wishes to harm my daughter deserves death, nothing more.¡±


    Leon was about to whip the chain again to squeeze him to a pulp until a barrage of cultists swept from the depths of darkness. They surrounded him, at least close to forty of them. He paused, and slowly lowered his hand, scanning the circle.


    ¡°Great, more of you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough, bolverkr!¡± someone shouted.


    The group opened up their circle and three other people walked forward. In the middle, a tall man with a holy type outfit stood in front, his black hair and eyes made him seem ominous. To his left, a woman with red hair, pigtails, her outfit resembling an edgy goth girl had a huge smirk on her face. One more man came out from behind, and he had an outfit that fit to that of fancy and business. Yet what stood out most was his deplorable glinted red eyes. Leon immediately knew who these three were, and it made him knit his brows.


    ¡°Kallikrates, Shaman, and¡­¡±


    Leon dropped the chain, which freed the man and allowed him to get back on all fours.


    ¡°...Ravana.¡±


    All three stood behind the beaten cultist, and each one of them had a smile on their face.


    ¡°Why am I not surprised that you all have fallen so hard for that damn woman. But to be affiliated with these freaks? That¡¯s a new low, even for you three.¡±


    Ravana chuckled beneath his breath. Shaman wiggled his lips in amusement, and the girl giggled.


    The girl winked at Leon, and licked her lips at him. ¡°Kallikrates! Leon remembers my name! How joyful, but I go by Chelsea these days, hehe!¡±


    The tall man gave Leon a nod of approval. ¡°Damn you¡¯re strong¡ªand alive, somehow?¡±


    The mysterious man with red eyes had a subtle grin, his hand placed on his hip, he took a step forward to get closer to Leon.


    ¡°My my my, how you¡¯ve changed, Bolverkr the destroyer.¡±


    ¡°What do you three want?¡± Leon said.


    ¡°And as rude as ever, but, besides that. What else have we come here for? To come get our beloved God, you numbskull.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re gonna do that how?¡±


    Chelsea jumped ahead, and brushed her red dyed hair. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out, hot shot. Oh I wish my beloved was here to see you!¡±


    ¡°You mean that idiot Eligor?¡±


    ¡°Uh! Why I¡ªokay he may be a bit dumb but he¡¯s really battle smart.¡±


    ¡°My fellow cultists, let us not haste. We are here for one thing, and that is to get¡­ her.¡± Shaman said, pointing in Sarah¡¯s direction.


    Leon balled and unballed his right fist. ¡°Like I¡¯d let any of you desperate freaks to do so.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s glinting eyes were locked onto Leon, and he didn¡¯t seem the least bit afraid of him. He chuckled beneath his breath, and brushed his brown hair.


    ¡°We just want to take her to confirm she¡¯s Abyzou. We know she¡¯s your daughter, but we want to make sure she isn¡¯t just some fake claiming to be Abyzou.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What would bring that type of conclusion?¡± Leon said.


    Ravana began to narrow his eyes. ¡°We sense her inside of that girl¡­ and if you won¡¯t let us get to her¡ª¡±


    The other two back off, and Ravana easily shut his eyelids.


    ¡°Then¡­ perish!¡±


    Once he opened his eyes, Leon was caught in some unseen force, which made him freeze then brought forth a mega explosion. The other cultists jumped into it, and bodies began to hurtle out of the fiery smoke. Leon ran out of it, and dashed his way towards them. Ravana smacked his teeth and flew off, and the other followed as the other cultists did their best to distract him. One by one, he kicked, punched, and stabbed them with his fingers. Blood, heads severed, punched off their bodies, ribs kicked completely clean off their chests prevented Leon from advancing further. The more he killed, the more that continued slithering, creeping their way out of the darkness.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Leon said while being jumped more by cultist people.


    Ravana can¡¯t help but squint one eye with anger. ¡°How¡­ how did he survive my glare?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a lot stronger than we¡¯ve imagined, and just as sexy as before!¡±


    ¡°If your lover found out you complimented another man, then you¡¯ll be smacked again.¡± Shaman said.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, he knows he has me.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, let''s go get the girl.¡±


    Linnea sensed three strange surges of mana coming towards them. Once she could see who was approaching, she clenched both fists.


    ¡°You two, wait here!¡±


    She lunged off the hill, heading towards their direction. Sarah held Jack as she saw the three odd people come their way.


    ¡°Did¡­ did they beat my dad?¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s-he¡¯s still out there, look!¡± Jack said, pointing a finger where trees were being dismantled and flown into the air.


    ¡°Who are they?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough, gorgeous.¡± someone said, their voice heard behind them.


    Ravana stood there, and once his eyes laid on Sarah, he fell in a trance of love. His smile reached ear to ear and he couldn¡¯t help but drop to a knee, proposal style.


    ¡°Even if you might not be the real deal, I¡¯ll still devote my undesiring love for you!¡±


    Sarah ground her teeth, and Jack gently pushed her behind him.


    ¡°Jack!¡±


    ¡°Go Sa-Sarah! Now!¡±


    She refused this time, and ran in front, putting her hand out.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not letting you get hurt any more. I got this!¡±


    Ravana abruptly grabbed Sarah¡¯s hand, and immediately, he had an orgasm.


    ¡°You¡¯re softer than I imagined, you¡¯re as beautiful as I imagined, but now that our flesh has made contact¡ªI can tell that you¡¯re not her.¡±


    Sarah freaked out and tried fighting from his grip. Linnea suddenly came back, and drove her foot at his chest, pushing him away. His body didn¡¯t react to being kicked, instead he was frozen in time, as if he were still touching Sarah.


    ¡°No more games! You¡¯ve got to get out of here!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Oy, oy oy oy¡­ that was rather rude of you? Don¡¯t cha think, missy?¡±


    Ravana sounded frustrated, annoyed, and ready to explode. Shaman appeared in front of the Norwegian woman, smacked Linnea away from them, sending her flying towards Chelsea. She spread her arms out, and put her in a full nelson lock once she apprahanded her.


    ¡°Wh-Why you?!¡± Linnea growled.


    ¡°Hey! Linnea! Long time no see, you Norwegian weirdo!¡±


    Jack stayed on guard, he took a step forward, and a vein popped out of Ravana¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ annoyed.¡± he brought his glare towards Jack, and twitched an eye. ¡°Just the sight of someone this weak trying to stand up against me really¡ª¡±


    He tucked his hand into his pants pocket, and snapped a finger.


    ¡°Frustrates me¡ªaggros¡ªpisses¡ªmakes my blood boil.¡±


    With every word coming out of his mouth, retaliated in some unknown gravitational force that punted, kicked, flung Jack in the air, down to the ground, away, shot, and blasted him face first to kiss the dirt. Jack loudly groaned and lay in defeat, bleeding out his mouth and forehead. Sarah rushed to his aid and barely saw any of that damage happening to him. It was so quick that everytime she blinked he was already either on the ground or in the air being humiliated by a potential ghost.


    ¡°Oh my god, Jack!¡±


    She got up, reeled her fists towards her, and growled at Ravana.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t take it! I have to do something, I can¡¯t just stand here and not help!¡±


    Jack moaned, and grabbed Sarah¡¯s heel.


    ¡°N¡­o¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jack. But I have to fight back. There¡¯s no other option.¡±


    Ravana smiled. Seeing her fighting spirit made his heart race ten times faster.


    ¡°Once I take you in, beautiful, even if you happen to be a mock up of Abyzou, you¡¯ll fit so well as my new wife.¡±


    Sarah was about to build up Mana when her father shot into the scene, grabbing her and Jack then escaped the cultists'' sights. Ravana deeply sighed and rubbed his head, feeling more angry by these constant interruptions. He clapped his hands, and everyone stopped on what they were doing. Linnea managed to escape her full nelson lock against Chelsea, the other two men appeared beside him, and the other cultists surrounded Ravana and the men.


    ¡°Go after them, and bring the girl back to me, alive.¡±


    They nodded, and smeared into the depths of darkness. The other two men were about to move when another explosion rocked the forest, and they saw the bodies of some of their followers being either flung into the air or screaming with pain.


    ¡°Uh! What now?!¡± Ravana shouted while turning his attention to the newest intrusion.


    More explosions went off, and an array of mana stabbed the night sky. A sea of dead leaves shot into the air, drifting, flooding the sky. A smearing shadow came out of the barrage of natures napkins. The source was Mandy who came out of the tree tops with her shotgun and aimed it straight at them. She pumped it, shot and a barrage of mana pellets were coming their way.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Ravana shouted again, his eyes exploding in annoyance.


    All three men took the attack, and it sent out a giant mushroom cloud in the air. While Chelsea was caught off guard, Linnea shot a ball of plasma at her, sending her back to the earth. Linnea hovered her hand over her eyebrows, and smiled, seeing her close friend continuing to distract the enemies.


    ¡°You stalking bitch, I love you!¡± Linnea shouted.


    Mandy sent out a crescent mana ray towards the forest, killing more cultists and slicing the earth. She went to, and landed beneath Linnea, and she was starting to be surrounded by even more cultists. She loaded more shells into her shotgun, kissing the last one which enhanced it with mana. She stomped the ground, breaking the earth and flew up beside Linnea.


    ¡°How did you know I was going to be here?¡± Linnea asked.


    Mandy¡¯s coat billowed, and she brushed some of her hair behind her ear.


    ¡°It¡¯s not because I wanted to, it¡¯s because I knew you were getting yourself into deeper shit.¡±


    Linnea covered the edges of her mouth and shouted in the direction of Leon who was still running with the two beneath his arms.


    ¡°Hey! You can get the hell out of here! We got this!¡±


    Leon heard her loud and clear. ¡°Alright, you two, hold onto me as tightly as you can.¡±


    Sarah did, but Jack could only do it with just a finger. Leon stopped, and took a big step forward. They three vanished out of thin air, and once Linnea and Mandy couldn¡¯t sense the two young adults'' presence, they got ready for the next wave.


    Mandy had a grimace, and nudged Linnea with her elbow.


    ¡°Hmph, this doesn¡¯t discourse our original plan of killing Abyzou, right?¡± Mandy said.


    Linnea nodded, ¡°Of course not. Once things have settled, we¡¯ll have her all to ourselves without that monster of an Exorcist intervening.¡±


    Mandy grinned. ¡°That¡¯s my best friend.¡±


    When the dust, smoke cleared where Mandy had shot the three, they were still standing. They saw the tattooed man fully healed and ready to fight again, this time having a confident smile. Ravana looked just as annoyed, meanwhile Shaman had a smug grin on his face. Linnea and Mandy were back to back. Mandy let her shotgun hang where it was tied around her bottom right arm, opening up more of her coat. She pulled out a submachine gun while more cultists were showing up around them.


    ¡°This won¡¯t be easy, you ready?¡± Linnea said.


    Mandy narrowed her eyes, and they began to glow. ¡°As always, my friend.¡±


    ***


    Just like that, they were back home, in front of Sarah¡¯s house. Sarah couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Jack¡¯s much too broken to pay any attention to what just occurred. He gently let go, Sarah stood straight, patting herself, and Jack fell on the ground.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± Sarah grabbed his head, and he appeared out cold. ¡°Damn it, Jack.¡±


    Leon scanned their surroundings and once he knew there weren¡¯t any signs of mana, he let out a breath. He gently put his hand on Jack¡¯s chest, and pumped it once to get him healed and awake. The young man gasped for air and shot straight up.


    ¡°No! Uh, oh¡­ wh-where are we?¡± he said.


    ¡°We¡¯re back at my house.¡± Sarah replied, patting his head.


    ¡°Already?! How!¡±


    Leon cleared his throat. ¡°Who else, young man.¡±


    ¡°But how?! Is what I¡¯m asking. Like, we were there, and not here in just one second?¡±


    ¡°Once their attention was on the two girls, I just used my actual speed to get us here. That way they couldn¡¯t follow us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re-you¡¯re that fast?! It¡¯s like lightspeed!¡±


    ¡°Listen to yourself, you actually sound intrigued.¡±


    Jack stood up, his arms out, but pumped.


    ¡°But I am. You¡¯re incredible.¡±


    Leon liked Jack¡¯s complement, but couldn¡¯t accept it. His past actions and remembering who he was wouldn¡¯t allow it. The pain, suffering he¡¯s inflicted, caused to the world can¡¯t be forgiven. Yet none of that can¡¯t compare to what his wifes done to him, but if she never trapped him in her contract, then who knows where he¡¯d be right now. Accepting his sins, and with years of meditation, now that he¡¯s properly spending time with the only thing he cares about, slowly he¡¯s starting to value life around him.


    The two wondered why he went silent, but they saw his eyes shaking. Sarah wanted to hug her father, but knew she couldn''t touch him, for now. She still has a secret plan for that. Leon rubbed his head, and shrugged. Jack looked at Sarah, she looked to him, and brought their eyes back to him.


    ¡°I appreciate your respect towards me, young man. Yet if you knew who and what I was, then your opinion on me would change.¡±


    Jack understood what he was saying and going through. He approached Leon, and placed his hand gently on his shoulder.


    ¡°Sir, you saw who I was, you read me like a book. You and I both know that I¡¯m not a saint, and far from being the man to protect your daughter. Yet you still thought otherwise because you knew, you and I both have troubled pasts and I¡¯m more than capable of handling myself¡­ despite the differences between us.¡±


    Leon looked at Jack, and actually let his grin stay.


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re a hot damn mess of a human being.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t help but laugh and Jack also chuckled.


    ¡°But you¡¯re right. The past is the past, and today is now. And together, we¡¯ll both protect her, and vow to never allow her to be taken by the hands of this common enemy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t chu mean enemies? We can disclose Archard.¡± Jack said, ¡°Anywho, my question is¡ªhow do we beat these freaks. What¡¯s the game plan?¡±


    ¡°We can discuss that later, for now let''s all have a good night''s rest and see where we go from now. I also want to talk to Linnea to see why she¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wonder that too.¡±


    Sarah tapped Jack¡¯s back, making him turn to her.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t leave me out of this. I need to know why I¡¯m the target. Who are those girls, what are these people, and who importantly¡­ is Abyzou.¡±


    Sarah grew serious. Her muscles tensed, her eyebrows furrowed, the two man can¡¯t reveal to her what¡¯s actually going on. They don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll react to it, especially knowing that her mothers the main reason as to why all this is happening. Leon went up to his daughter, and eased in on her forehead.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find out, soon. I promise, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah grew frustrated, and looked up at Jack.


    ¡°And you?¡±


    Jack deeply sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t tell you yet either.¡±


    Her head bounced, her eyes slightly erratic, and growing watery, she wiped them with one hand, and walked forward.


    ¡°Whatever¡­¡±


    She walked off to the front door, unlocked, and opened it. She closed the door behind her, leaving the two by themselves. Leon understood her reaction, and scratched the back of his neck. The guilt swallowed him and made him eager to tell her but he can¡¯t just yet. Jack also felt the same way, and joined along with him to bask in their guilted dome.


    ¡°Poor Sarah, I wonder what she¡¯s thinking.¡± Jack said.


    Leon placed his hands on hips, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ but if I had to guess, she¡¯s probably thinking who she is.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s all because of her mother.¡±


    Leon squinted his eyes, a wrinkle formed between them. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Leon turned around and went towards his front door. He paused for a moment to say one more thing to Jack.


    ¡°Say Jack.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡±


    Leon slightly looked over his shoulder, showing Jack the edge of his face.


    ¡°Thank you for keeping your promise. Keep it up and maybe I¡¯ll allow you to date her once all this wraps up.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ wha¡ª?¡±


    Leon was gone before Jack could say anything else. The young man stretched his arms out to the air, letting out a loud groan. His nerves felt tingling and the young man wondered what he was feeling.


    ¡°Fuck! Why did I get all tingly and nervous like that when he said that. But¡ª¡±


    Jack¡¯s brain began to get mushy, and flashed some memories of him and Sarah getting along. The first time they reunited after he was supposedly dead, moments of sharing deep secrets, it all made him wonder if this was what everyone else, especially Mallory was talking about. The concepts of love still had Jack question what they were, but after witnessing, feeling it, and now starting to experience it slowly: Jack wonders if he was beginning to fall for her like he did for Alexandria, although this time, it was different.


    Jack gently smiled, and closed his eyes. ¡°Leon¡¯s right¡­ you are a hot mess, Jack Samr.¡±


    The young man walked backwards, and back to the sidewalk, walking off into the night. A familiar white enchanted owl landed nearby, watching the young man walk away. The owl stared at the young man, and let out a deep hoot before flying, and following him into the misty night.

 Arc 4 chapter 20: Its Just The Start

    A few days have passed since the attack in one of Detroit¡¯s nicest, calmest towns. That once nice town people can roam around and not worry of the highest crimes nor danger had been tarnished by the supernatural. Military presence has been much more intense and now, every town has them, along with the new technology given to them by the mysterious lieutenant. The only areas where there were no military presence were the outskirts, country sides of the state, and where a familiar hump stood out, three out of the top five leaders of the cult that worshipped Abyzou were present. They were having a meeting along with drinking some wine.


    Ravana was pacing in front of a magical board that had notes on them.


    ¡°Okay, we might have underestimated the outside world more than we thought,¡± he said.


    Chelsea, Shaman were present, sitting on wooden chairs. Candles were spread around the rooty room they were in. She lay back and crossed her arms.


    ¡°To think Leon would¡¯ve gotten that much stronger. It¡¯s so awesome yet scary because we don¡¯ts no what the guys really mades out of?¡±


    Shaman couldn¡¯t help but agree and seemed worried.


    ¡°What do we do? How do we combat him now that we at least have an idea as to what the man''s capable of. He treated Edgar like a damn toddler! And he isn¡¯t a slouch.¡±


    Ravana grabbed the top of his nose, and appeared to be grinning, but deep down inside, he was frustrated. His annoyance could be easily read by the two and he let out a small cackle.


    ¡°I know, I know! But don¡¯t worry, I have two ideas that will guarantee our victory in reaching Abyzou.¡±


    ¡°Wells, you better spit it because I¡ª¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes flickered, a vein popped out his forehead. This made Chelsea shut up, and she placed her hands on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry, Ravana.¡±


    He sizzled his gums, and took a deep breath, quickly digging his long fingers into his fine brown hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine¡ªjust, listen and be patient.¡± he said while having his hand out. ¡°I¡¯m already as annoyed as is.¡±


    Shaman stood up, ¡°the girl, is she really a copy of Abyzou?¡±


    Ravana let out a calm breath, and grinned.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. But we¡¯ll get our answer once we have her in our¡ªor should I say, in my arms.¡±


    He let out sadistic muffled chuckles. He brushed his hair, and placed his arms behind his back.


    ¡°Now, let us discuss the plans I have in mind to take care of our old friend, Leon, along with that Esper and mutt of a so-called Witch.¡±


    Ravana stuck his fingers between his lips, and whistled. A shadow slithered through the door, and stopped in front of the leader. It fountained up, and birthed into that mysterious lieutenant man. He had a giant smile on his face, and he saluted Ravana.


    ¡°Yes, my righteous leader, sir! How could I be of service today?¡±


    ¡°Ahriman, my fellow cadete. What more could I ask of your brilliance?! Already you¡¯ve made me so proud as my summon.¡±


    He laughed and stomped the ground. ¡°But of course! Anything for the man who freed me of my spiritual prison.¡±


    ¡°Right, so I have another plan in mind. With the military already fearing for the worst, I need you to have them target more than just¡ªus.¡±


    Ahriman rubbed his hands together, villainously. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I need you to have them in a panic, paranoid, and have that new drive of paranoia target Leon. Demonstrate, show them who and what he is. Old videos, pictures, anything to convince them that Leon¡¯s the biggest threat to their society.¡±


    ¡°This, this is good! Defamation at its finest. You got it, but I''d like to ask you if you have any pictures or videos of this ¡®Leon¡¯ man.¡±


    Ravana placed his hand on his head. It glowed, Ahriman¡¯s eyes erupted into red, and he laughed as he was being handed images, encounters, and past memories of Leon. He let off, wiped his hand on the side of his shirt, and grew a calm wicked grin.


    With the permanent glint in Ravana¡¯s eyes growing thin, he raised his finger up to the side of his face.


    ¡°I think that should be more than enough to frame the man. And don¡¯t be afraid to use as much force as necessary because you¡¯re going to need it.¡±


    Ahriman rubbed his hands again. ¡°Believe me, now that I have an idea of what I¡¯m up against, I¡¯ll be sure not to hold back. And if all else fails, I have a grander scheme at the palm of my ghostly hands.¡±


    ¡°By all means, whatever you have in mind, do it.¡±


    A glint grew in Ahriman¡¯s eyes as he gently let down his hands.


    ¡°Even if that means costing this world¡­ too?¡±


    Ravana¡¯s smile dimmed, and straightened out.


    ¡°So long as the girl lives, then I don¡¯t care what you do. You can damage her if she happens to get in the way, but don¡¯t you dare kill her.¡±


    Ahriman bowed. ¡°Of course. I am in your debt Afterall. I¡¯ll be on my way now, and begin my manipulation.¡±


    He puffed out into dirt, and blew away. Chelsea and Shaman don¡¯t like the guy. They think he¡¯s up to no good and wonder if taking down Leon was better off with him. Afterall, they don¡¯t really want to kill the guy compared to Ravana who has a deep hatred for him. Shaman decided to confront their leader and question him about his decision.


    ¡°Ravana, do you really think he¡¯ll actually go with your plan? Afterall he¡¯s a fallen spirit.¡±


    Chelsea got out of her seating and also approached him but was cautious.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah¡­ I don¡¯ts trust the guy.¡±


    Ravana waved his hand to tame their worries.


    ¡°My friends, you¡¯re all too stressed about the wrong thing. Besides, you didn¡¯t hear my second idea.¡±


    ¡°Second idea? Does this mean you also have doubts about him and your first idea not falling into plan?¡± Shaman said.


    Ravana nodded. ¡°Correct! The smart guy as always! And now to lay down my second idea if everything falls in line just the way I want it to.¡±


    Someone else just happened to walk in, a mildly buff tan man who wore an outfit similar to Archards but without a hood. His hair was short, brown and his eyes were dark.


    ¡°Speaking of which, there¡¯s my second idea coming into fruition!¡±


    He stood before him, and slightly bowed.


    ¡°Ravana.¡± the new man said.


    His vocal cords were heavy, ear vibrating from its low frequency. Chelsea grabbed his arm, and kissed his cheek.


    ¡°Eligor, my love, how''s it to ya?¡±


    Eligor smirked. ¡°Nothing much, just watching everything unfold.¡±


    Ravana clapped once, shutting everything down.


    ¡°Our third in command, and third most powerful, I have a task for you these upcoming two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh sure? What plan do you have in mind?¡±


    His long crooked finger scanned Eligor and Chelsea.


    ¡°You two lovebirds will be the ones to take down our old friend¡ªLeon.¡±


    Eligor¡¯s eyes expanded. ¡°Le-Leon?! He-he¡¯s alive?¡±


    Chelsea rubbed her finger on his big chest. ¡°Yes he is, sweetheart, and much more powerful than we imagined.¡±


    Eligor looked away, trying to correlate the news bomb. He remembered him clearly, but differently than what Ravana thinks of him. Eligor can remember his cold expression, his shy nature, but overall he was a good friend and more importantly, a great teacher to him in combat.


    Eligor slowly balled a fist. ¡°Wh-what do you mean by¡­ takedown? Ravana.¡±


    Ravana chuckled. ¡°What else do you think?¡±


    The glint in his eyes grew thick again, and as he blinked, they both could sense his hatred towards Leon.


    ¡°You¡¯ll not only defeat him, but he¡¯ll be put down like the dog he is.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know about that. I know you hate the guy, but don¡¯t you think we can try to convince him to¡ª¡±


    ¡°If that was possible, wouldn¡¯t I have tried a long time ago? Eligor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. But I don¡¯t know how I still feel about that.¡±


    Chelsea steps forward, grabbing her chest. ¡°Yeah, I stills think it¡¯s a¡ª¡±


    Ravana grunted, and in doing that blew out all the candles in the room. The two got quiet, and he took deep breaths.


    ¡°Shut up, just shut up. I know what I¡¯m doing, don¡¯t question¡ªwait¡­ were the two of you questioning or going against my plan?¡±


    His voice got low, and grew sinister. This sent shivers down Chelsea¡¯s spine while Eligor stayed intact. Chelsea shook her head and Eligor only blinked.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad we have an understanding.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan after this goes the way you¡¯re intending to?¡±


    Ravana wiggled his finger. ¡°Yes, yes. If things fall in the way I know they¡¯ll play out¡ªit¡¯s just a matter of when that tattooed bald freak decides to strike. What was his name again?¡±


    ¡°Edgar?¡± Eligor responded.


    ¡°Yes, that idiot Edgar. Seeing as his little fragile ego has been tarnished by Leon, and having conflicted thoughts of whether she¡¯s Abyzou or not, I know the idiot will attack her.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°Because I have given him a gift, one that rivals you, my friend. I lent him strength, and knowing his temper, he¡¯ll go after the girl first to lure out Leon and get his revenge.¡±


    Eligor didn¡¯t like the sound of that. Shaman decided to speak again and stood up and went next to the two.


    ¡°Where do I fit in this circus?¡±


    Ravana went up to him, and placed his hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to befriend them all. Just for a short period to deceive them and lead Edgar for him to initiate his revenge.¡±


    Shaman wasn¡¯t sure about that, but given that he¡¯s devoted to worshipping Abyzou, he has nothing else to say to that.


    ¡°So, if I¡¯m getting this correctly, you want me to be friends with the Espers, the boy, and the girl? Only for when Edgar decides to act a fool? But how will he do that if he¡¯ll know I¡¯ll be there by their side?¡±


    Ravana spread his arms out, and laughed.


    ¡°Because I lent him some of our people, our sheep to give him a hand in search of his foe. This will buy enough time for my plans to play out, and finally, have us grab a hold of the girl.¡±


    ¡°And once everything falls into fruition¡­ then what will we do?¡±


    Ravana deepened his glare, and his glint shined red.


    ¡°I will take things into my own hands, and get her myself.¡±


    Ravana put his arms to the side, and brought his glare to the two lovebirds.


    ¡°And with her being taken away by me¡­ will force Leon out of his hiding, and you two will take care of him from there.¡±


    ¡°Ho-How will we do that?¡± Eligor asked.


    Ravana snapped his fingers, and a duffle bag appeared from above them, landing in front of their feet. The way it crashed sounded close to glass moving around. They both looked at the bag, Eligor reached down, held it up, and Chelsea zipped it open. There, some dark illuminating crystals, at least a dozen were pulsing.


    She turned to Ravana, ¡°what are these?¡±


    Ravana¡¯s grin reappeared, ¡°those¡ªare what¡¯s going to aid you, and help lay waste to our old friend.¡±


    Eligor moaned, and quietly blew his regret out of his nostrils. Chelsea rubbed his back to ease his guilt and also let out a quick breath. Ravana nodded again, and looked at Shaman. Shaman wanted to smile over his leader''s grand plan, but hearing that this will all lead up to killing an old ally struck a nerve in him. He questioned if this is all to his plan or an act of revenge towards Leon. This brought a question as to if this cult was a legitimate one to bring back their creator and destroyer or something to hide a deeper cause. To try to bring out what he¡¯s actually planning with all this and to see if there¡¯s more than to abduct the duplicate, he braced himself with confidence and put his hand on Ravana¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°With everything planned in mind, what will come out of it besides finding out the girls a carbon copy of our lord?¡±


    Ravana gently grabbed his hand and eased it off his shoulder. This made Shaman tense up with nervousness.


    ¡°What else? To get our lo-rd back.¡±


    ¡°I-I know, but h-how? If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    Ravana let out a sigh and calmed down his rising temper.


    ¡°If everything falls in the way I¡¯m betting it¡¯ll play out¡­ then with defeating Leon, kidnapping the girl¡ªif our God¡¯s still alive, then she has no choice but to show herself¡ªrevealing to the world of her magnificence!¡±


    With the doubts still on Shaman¡¯s shoulders, it was enough to lift half of it off. He swallowed and grinned. Chelsea also expressed a soft smile but Eligor remained serious.


    ¡°You see, it¡¯s all in my genius! Foolproof, and hopefully no silver linings that¡¯ll make me go ballistic.¡±


    Eligor couldn''t help but cut him off, and slammed his fist on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ but there might be one.¡±


    Ravana eerily brought his glare at him, and tilted his head.


    ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡±


    Eligor shut his eyes, and groaned. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s that Exorcist, he¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°Which one? Come on, spill it ex-God man!¡±


    ¡°A-A¡­Archard. He¡¯s here in the city¡­ or so I think since I sensed him.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s grin turned upside down and knitted his brows.


    ¡°What makes this more truthful is that you stupid Exorcists can sense one another. So I know that you¡¯re not lying, but I still have a doubt in mind.¡±


    ¡°Tru-trust me, he¡¯s here. I sensed his presence on multiple occasions and they were haunting to say the least.¡±


    Ravana grabbed his chin and started to think. Quickly, his emotions came to a stall and he was able to come to terms with the news.


    ¡°I think we have nothing to worry about, Eligor.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well for one, we know that ego maniac loves hunting anything that seeks his twisted pleasure. We¡¯ve already made ourselves known to the world, and for some reason, he has yet to show himself and started his hunt. Ask yourself that, Eligor.¡±


    Eligor gasped, ¡°you¡¯re right! He hasn¡¯t, but why wouldn¡¯t he if the opportunity has presented itself?¡±


    Ravana let out a twisted chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s simple¡­¡±


    Shaman gulped, and balled his fists. ¡°Because he¡¯s also after our God¡­¡±


    ¡°Bingo! Shaman the great knowledgeable!¡±


    ¡°Then how''s would we combat that monster if he¡¯s after Abyzou too?¡± Chelsea said.


    Ravana placed his hands on his hips. ¡°We¡¯ll figure that out once we have the girl in our hands. For now, everyone lay back and await your turn. Meanwhile, our spirited friend will do his part and once it initiates, I¡¯ll take care of him, heheh.¡±


    The three clapped and rejoiced in Ravana''s plan. He couldn¡¯t help but bask in his praise, swallowing the claps into his eardrums and feeling their clapping praises tingle the air on his body. Ravana arched forward, and an ear to ear smile reemerged as the glint in his eyes grew red again.


    ¡°Let the play commence!¡±


    ***


    Currently, in the nicer town that has Angela¡¯s favourite bookstore, Veronica and Mandy were having a stroll. They were getting to know each other and talking about the wonders of literature and the concept of astrology. Yet the blonde short woman couldn¡¯t help but fit questions about her friend Sarah in the mix. Despite doing it, Veronica would answer it generously and respectfully, such as what she loves to do, what she does in her free time, her background, but more importantly, her family. Hearing everything being explained into the mix didn¡¯t change Mandy¡¯s mind on how she felt towards the young girl.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    They were walking right in front of the bookstore, and paused. Veronica wanted to get something from inside the store. Mandy wondered why, and stood still like a statue. Veronica placed her gaze on a figurine and drooled over it. She walked up to the shop''s window and put her shining eyes on the displayed figurine.


    ¡°With this! I¡¯ll be able to win Angela¡¯s trust, and get closer to Jack than ever!¡±


    Mandy rolled her eyes and also walked up to the window.


    ¡°You¡¯re fawning over plastic?¡±


    ¡°Uh! Not just any plastic, missy! But an expensive piece of plastic that¡¯ll win Jack¡¯s sister''s heart and get me closer to the man I¡¯ll marry someday.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, hopeless young love.¡± she said in a cold demeanour.


    Veronica turned to her, and pouted.


    ¡°And you mean to tell me you¡¯ve never experienced love?¡±


    Mandy sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to put my focus on something so silly such as that.¡±


    Veronica gasped loudly, and grabbed her tiny hand, holding it. She looked at Mandy, pitfully, and closed her eyes.


    ¡°You poor thing¡­ for being close to thirty and still have yet to experience love¡­ such a shame.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s jaw slightly dropped, and she twitched an eye.


    ¡°Did-did you just insult me because of my¡ª?¡±


    She pulled Mandy and the two walked into the store. Inside, Veronica gazed around and wanted to see what else the store had to offer so she could win over Angela¡¯s trust. Then, she happened to gaze on both siblings mysteriously enough, which had her in a state of nervous panic.


    ¡°Eeek! They¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Wh¡ª?¡± Mandy then sensed Jack¡¯s darkened soul, and turned to him.


    Veronica eased in towards her ear, and whispered.


    ¡°Wh-What do I do?¡±


    Mandy stepped away, and gave a look of discomfort.


    ¡°I thought I was too old and not experienced to be suitable for this topic?¡±


    Veronica grabbed her shoulders, and wiggled her.


    ¡°This is no time for arguing and to not be in panic! We have to come up with¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Veronica?¡± Jack said.


    Veronica paused, and her head rotated as if it were a rusty nut to Jack. Him and Angela stood there, looking concerned for her well being and Angela, especially looked at her with disgust. With the bottom of her eyelids raised, her mouth half open, this made Veronica turn red as an apple.


    ¡°Eh¡­ to think the bookworm would fall so low she¡¯d assault an innocent woman.¡± Angela said.


    Jack patted her head, erasing her disgusted expression.


    ¡°Now now, Angela, be nice.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t think I can, brother¡­ her obsession towards you is starting to get out of hand.¡±


    Veronica grew so red she thought her face was about to melt. She flailed her arms and got in Angela¡¯s face.


    ¡°Wh-Why you little demon! Why won¡¯t you accept me?!¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ I-I think you should stop. This is just pathetic.¡±


    Mandy couldn¡¯t help but slightly giggle over their interaction. She noticed Jack¡¯s gaze on her, and he looked serious. He used this opportunity to have a one on one conversation with her and indicated to her to follow him by jolting his head. She knew and followed him outside of the store. Once outside, he stepped to the side, and leaned against the wall while she stood beside him.


    ¡°Alright, who are you and what are you up to?¡± he asked in a serious tone.


    She kept it cool, and also leaned against the wall.


    ¡°Why the suspicion when we¡¯ve¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cut the shit¡­¡± Jack said as he reached for a cigarette.


    She groaned. ¡°So, you do remember me?¡±


    Jack put the cigarette towards his mouth, reached for a lighter and ignited the bud.


    ¡°Yeah, the night of the attack.¡±


    He inhaled a huge breath of cancer and blew it out. Mandy tapped on his arm to get his attention.


    ¡°Got another one?¡± she asked.


    Jack shrugged and reached for his pack, and offered one to her. She grabbed one and he also ignited her bud. She smoked a little before speaking again.


    ¡°Heh, you got me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but answer the question. What are you doing with my childhood friend?¡±


    Mandy took another puff before speaking.


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯m doing? Trying to get information.¡±


    ¡°For?¡±


    ¡°For Linnea, who else? I¡¯m not in some secret organization. She¡¯s my best friend and we''re the ride and die type of friends.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that explains why you came to her aid instead of ours. But, cutting to the chase, uh, what type of information are you trying to get out of my friend?¡±


    Mandy raised her right leg, and leaned her foot against the wall as she smoked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she told you why she¡¯s here, it¡¯s the same answer.¡±


    ¡°Research?¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Yuuup.¡±


    The young man wasn¡¯t sure if that¡¯s the case anymore. If that were true, then why would she be hanging around someone who¡¯s not affiliated with the supernatural? This made him scratch the back of his neck, and indulge another puff of smoke. Mandy¡¯s aware of his suspicion towards her, the young man¡¯s easy to read to someone like her. To ease his worries, she reached into her long pocket, and pulled out a small handbook. She opened it, and shoved it at Jack¡¯s face.


    ¡°W¡­hat¡¯s this?¡± he said, grabbing it and opening it.


    He flipped a page and revealed some hand drawings along with small texts beside them. Mandy kept smoking as he observed every page, seeing the supposed research they¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Wow, you guys have been everywhere. And I do mean¡ªeverywhere.¡±


    Mandy rubbed her nails against her coat as her cigarette hung off the edge of her lip.


    ¡°Mhhm, now do you believe us?¡±


    Jack squinted his eyes as he kept flipping pages. He tried reading the texts but they were written in both English and French.


    Tch¡­ I can¡¯t figure out the rest. She¡¯s much smarter than I¡¯m taking her for. One could say, she¡¯s smarter than Veronica. Jack thought.


    Letting out a sigh, he handed Mandy back her small book. She grabbed it without looking at him, and put it away.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to trust people like us, Jack was it? But right now, we both share a common foe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, those crazed Witch cultists.¡±


    ¡°Precisely, and you have to ask yourself this, Jack.¡±


    She accidentally inhaled too much, coughed and threw the rest of the bud at a nearby dispensary.


    ¡°Sorry. Back to what I was saying, ahem! You have to ask yourself, why are they here, Jack? Think, and come to a conclusion as to why they¡¯re causing all this commotion.¡±


    Jack looked off to the side, and shut his eyes, smacking the wall behind him.


    ¡°My close friend, Sarah¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. And what do you think would be best to do to resolve this chaotic situation that has not only made your life a mess, but to the rest of society.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait, what are you trying to get at with this?¡±


    Mandy stood in front of Jack, quickly grabbed his gun in the blink of an eye, and aimed it between the young man''s eyes. Jack knit his brows as he stared down the barrel of his own gun.


    ¡°Jack, let''s not waste the world''s time, and especially my friends, and put an end to this charade.¡±


    Jack squinted his anger, and eased into the gun, letting it rest on his forehead.


    ¡°Are you trying to say¡ªthat we should kill¡­ Sarah?¡±


    Mandy closed her eyes for a moment, and once they were opened, they glinted.


    ¡°May¡­be.¡±


    The young man grew a gentle grin, and lay back on the wall.


    ¡°Mm, now I know what your goal is.¡±


    Mandy scrunched her face in confusion.


    ¡°Oh yeah? What do you think it is?¡±


    Jack carefully grabbed his gun, and retrieved it out of Mandy¡¯s clutch. He put it away, and walked beside her. He leaned down to her level, and his lips straightened.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to say it, then whatever your ¡®goal¡¯ is¡­ I just want you to stay the hell away from my friends.¡±


    Mandy looked off to the side, and shrugged when she brought her gaze back to Jack. While the two stood in an awkward standoff, they both could sense something abnormal enter the town. They looked and wondered what it could be. While Jack did his scanning, something did stick out. It felt similar to the occurrence he experienced in the timeline when he was with Alexandria. This made him breathe heavily, frantically looking around, he stepped out of line, and shoved Mandy to get a better clue as to what¡¯s going on.


    Am-Am I reliving the same scenario? Or is this how it was supposed to occur, but without Alex? Jack thought.


    Mandy felt disrespected but seeing him in a silent panic brought her own suspicion onto the young man. Jack saw the crowded street, and remembered seeing a very tall individual standing out in the crowd. For a moment, there was nothing, but as soon as he blinked, he saw the same shape, and it made him trickle a gasp. Mandy could see the drop of sweat coming down the side of his face.


    ¡°You alright? You look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost.¡± she said, having a brow raised.


    Jack¡¯s eyes shook, and he blinked again, shook his head, and the figure was gone.


    ¡°It-It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    He turned around, and saw Mandy¡¯s suspiciou gaze set on him.


    ¡°Are you sure? It almost looked like you were looking for someone in particular, and they really have you on edge.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, it¡¯s nothing and something only I should be concerned about.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, if you insist.¡±


    The two grew quiet again. The silence was interrupted by oncoming military vehicles. The earth rumbled around them, their bodies vibrated as the new anti supernatural vehicles made themselves known. People cheered, welcoming the new toys given to the military. Mandy was flabbergasted and couldn¡¯t believe on what she was witnessing as well as sensing. This angered her, bringing a new burden onto her already weighted shoulders. She couldn¡¯t contain it, and knitted her brows, balling a fist as she appeared ready to do battle with the equipment.


    ¡°Hey hey, what¡¯s with you? Why are you acting hostile towards the military?¡±


    ¡°You may not be able to sense what I¡¯m sensing, but these new set of toys parading in front of us are filled with malicious mana.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?!¡±


    Mandy nodded. Jack tucked his hand into his coat where his gun was put away, and watched as military men marched beside with normal gear, but as the parade was halfway through, one vehicle stood out. A giant tank with a huge cannon drove by, and on top, a man with an old lieutenant outfit fit for the 70¡¯s. He waved to the people with his chalky hand, and his head robotically moved side to side to them. With his creepy open mouth smile, when his black eyes set upon the two, he squinted them at the two, and winked. The parade kept moving and he kept waving. Mandy calmed her anger, and blew her frustrations out her mouth. She dragged a hand on her silky hair and flipped it.


    Jack let off his gun and relaxed his arms. ¡°Hey, did you see that weirdly dressed guy too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and he gave off nothing.¡±


    ¡°Nothing huh?¡± Jack said as he kept his eyes locked on him. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way he stared at us.¡±


    Mandy sighed. ¡°When I said nothing, I meant I couldn¡¯t sense a presence in him.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What do you mean by?¡±


    Mandy reached into her pocket and began calling for Linnea.


    ¡°There was no soul, no energy, no mana, zero. This military is up to no good and we need answers.¡±


    ¡°Well whatever he is, I hope to God he¡¯s not trying to harm anyone.¡±


    As Mandy had the phone against her ear, the other two girls came outside, and Angela quickly jumped to Jack¡¯s side. She wrapped her arms around him, and glared at Mandy, sticking her tongue out to her.


    ¡°Your sister¡¯s sassy, isn¡¯t she?¡± Mandy said.


    ¡°Jack, why is the lady who Veronica harassed talking with you, alone?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m with Angela on this one, Jack S-a-m-r!¡± Veronica exclaimed.


    The two girls glimpsed at each other, and Angela decided to get in front of Mandy¡¯s face. She squinted her eyes, placed her fists on her hips, and pouted. Veronica stuck two fingers out and aimed them at Mandy before doing the same to Jack. Jack smiled and Mandy rolled her eyes. While they were all distracted, Mandy got a call back, giving her the opportunity to walk off to take the call. The two girls watched her until she disappeared, walking off to the side of the building. Then, they attacked Jack, and started to question him, having his full attention.


    ¡°Linnea, hey, we have a problem.¡±


    Mandy leaned against the wall while making sure she was alone.


    ¡°The military¡¯s up to¡ª¡±


    ¡°No good? Yeah, I suspected since I¡¯m here having brunch with Leon.¡±


    ¡°You-you are what?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you heard me. I¡¯m with Leon, having brunch, catching up.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­ that¡¯s gnarly. Ah, but back to what I was saying. There was this guy, and he was very, very inconspicuous.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    Mandy furrowed her brows. ¡°I didn¡¯t sense a life force in him, nothing, nada.¡±


    This worried Linnea, enough for her to cover the phone, and look at Leon who was eating his brunch.


    ¡°Leon, could you help out with what Mandy¡¯s saying?¡±


    Leon had a fork hanging near his mouth.


    ¡°Mandy¡­¡± he murmured.


    He gently set it down and gestured to Linnea to hand her the phone. She did and Leon before speaking cleansed his pallet.


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on, Mandy.¡±


    His stone cold low voice made the hairs on Mandy¡¯s body rise. She grew nervous and did her best to remain calm.


    ¡°He-he was wearing an odd outfit, like a commander one meant for the times America was entering vietnam.¡±


    Hearing this made him grow a wrinkle between his eyes.


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    She gazed around to see any sign of what street she was in.


    ¡°Woodward avenue.¡±


    Leon grabbed his chin, and began to think.


    ¡°Are you alone?¡± he asked.


    ¡°N-No, I was with one of that young man''s friends.¡±


    ¡°Which young man? You mean Jack?¡±


    She gulped after his tone grew more fierce.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°Which¡ªfriend?¡±


    ¡°The-The tall one with glasses¡­¡± she said in a panicked voice.


    Leon put an arm on the table, and began leaning forward over the table, arching his eyes at Linnea.


    ¡°For what?¡±


    Mandy didn¡¯t know how to respond, and knew she couldn¡¯t lie to him. She began to sweat bullets and wanted to hang up but knew it¡¯ll only grow his suspicion on their ultimate goal.


    ¡°Ju-Just trying to get to know her¡­¡±


    Leon tilted his head, and Linnea also began to show signs of nervousness.


    ¡°For what? You¡¯re reaching thirty, there¡¯s no need for you to befriend a seventeen year old.¡±


    Mandy grew breathless and couldn¡¯t contain it. The tension building, Leon¡¯s deep suspicion swelling, Linnea sensing their true goal is about to be spilled by her friend since she doesn¡¯t do too well under pressure. Linnea can¡¯t risk it and would rather have it fall in her hands, knowing the character that Leon is. Mandy could feel Leon¡¯s hidden mana begin to drift into her mind, causing her to hallucinate and relive memories of her time with witches.


    She could remember the time she first met them, and the face she came to loathe.


    ¡°Abyzou¡­¡± she muttered.


    She would secretly pick on her, call her weak minded, weak willed, and torment the girl''s sensitive nature. Repeatedly, it was a weekly occurrence, and in one unforgettable day, she bumped into the definition of beauty, alone. There they stood in the courtyard. Abyzou saw Mandy alone, reading, and feeling one with nature. Sitting on a bench, Abyzou walked up to Mandy, and sat next to her. Feeling her bully¡¯s energy beside her froze her, and made her tremble with the book in her clutch. Abyzou gently put her hand on Mandy¡¯s shoulder, and eased her lips towards her ear. She gently blew into her ear, and it made her squeal, covering her ear.


    She leaned away, and got in a small panic.


    ¡°Wh¡­at do you want? Abyzou?¡±


    She giggled and her stare alone sent chills down her spine. The thin smile on her face, the small glint in her eyes, showed just how much she hated staring at Mandy.


    ¡°My eyes being set on someone as weak as you always sickens my day. You¡¯re nothing but a disposable piece of flesh and bone, and I want nothing more than to watch you die a sweet pitiful death.¡±


    Her words echoed, brewed the new hate she birthed that day. Her eyes turned lifeless and she had enough. She screamed and charged her head on, and an explosion occurred. When the smoke faded out, Abyzou was still seated and smiling while Mandy lay on the ground, defeated and battered. She stood up and gently patted herself and walked over to her. She got down to her, and patted Mandy¡¯s head.


    ¡°You poor¡­ poor girl. So sad, lonely, fragile. I absolutely loathe seeing you like this. It only stirs the hate I have for someone as weak as you.¡±


    Mandy opened an eye, and saw the two eclipses staring down at her. She groaned and reached for her, grabbing her arm.


    ¡°Why¡­¡±


    Abyzou tilted her head, and placed her hand on Mandy¡¯s.


    ¡°Why what?¡±


    Mandy grew her grip strength, but to Abyzou it felt nothing more than just a feather tickling her delicate skin.


    ¡°Why¡­ do you¡­ despise me?¡±


    Abyzou grew a bigger thin smile, and brushed some of her dangling hair behind her ear.


    ¡°Aww, you want to know? It¡¯s simple really.¡±


    She brushed Mandy¡¯s hand off her arm, and went to grab her chin, lifting her head off the ground.


    ¡°Anyone who dares stand in my way of getting what I! Desire, especially someone as pathetic as you¡­ reminds me as to why I hate weak minded people such as yourself, and my ex.¡±


    She threw her off to the side, leaving her to soak in her sorrow. Mandy¡¯s eyes overflowed with tears as Abyzou left the scene. While she soaked in her sadness, only one person came up to check on her. That being Leon who healed and helped her on her feet. Seeing the shy quiet guy that everyone was afraid of made her surprised. She bowed to him without saying a word, and she almost walked away until he stopped her. He grabbed her arm, and his eyes were shaking.


    ¡°You¡¯re an esper¡ªtoo?¡±


    Hearing this made her eyes glisten and heart raced.


    She nodded and frantically panicked. ¡°Yo-yo-yo-you¡¯re!¡±


    Leon grinned and let go. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m one too.¡±


    Ever since that day, she has grown a thing for him. They began to hangout over the course of two years and the two even began to develop feelings. But there was always someone that came in between them, that being, Abyzou. When they were reading together, she interrupted and jumped on his lap, walking side by side. She would drag him away, and in one night, prior to her confession, she saw them kissing and it shattered her heart. That was the tip that broke the iceberg, and it made her go into a frenzy, attacking her head on but Leon jumped in the way, stopping her and holding her in his arms.


    Just remembering that night made Mandy¡¯s eyes grow red with anger and ready to burst out in tears.


    Mandy couldn¡¯t take it, and gritted her teeth. ¡°we¡¯re-we¡¯re here¡ª¡±


    Linnea sensed her friend''s emotions rising from the distance, and smacked a fist on the table.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to kill your wife¡ªLeon!¡±


    The news was finally out, and Leon calmed down, and eased his way back against the seat. He sighed, and his face grew still.


    ¡°I thought so.¡±


    Linnea ground her teeth, and hung her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I-I didn¡¯t want you to know.¡±


    Leon knew they were up to no good the moment he saw them here. It questioned why they were here in the first place. When they were fighting the cultists, if Mandy hadn¡¯t shown up then perhaps he would¡¯ve thought differently otherwise. Yet seeing her spring into Linnea¡¯s aid meant they were here for a purpose. He knew they only hung around Europe and not here. With their goal finally revealed, it made it more apparent as to why they¡¯ve been around Jack and his daughter.


    Leon rested one arm on the table as he locked his eyes on Linnea.


    ¡°Because if I knew you were trying to use my daughter to get to my bitch of a wife, then you¡¯d recognize how angry I could be?¡±


    Linnea grew ashamed, and dropped her arm off the table.


    ¡°And then what? What would you do to my precious girl? Because the last time I recall when you two were around was when she had the same appearance as my daughter.¡±


    Linnea shut her eyes, and lay her head on the table.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry¡­ Leon.¡±


    Leon could understand, but the fact that they were trying to use Sarah to get a lead to where his wife was wouldn¡¯t allow him to brush it aside. He put the phone against his ear, and shook his head.


    ¡°Mandy, from now on, you stay the hell away from my daughter¡¯s friends. You got that?¡±


    A tear dropped out of her right eye, and fell to the ground. She ground her teeth and wiped her eyes.


    ¡°Un-Understood¡­¡±


    ¡°But Jack, you can hang around him. He might be in danger and I need you to protect him.¡±


    Mandy sniffed and wiped her nose. ¡°In-In what way?¡±


    ¡°Seeing as these freaks are after Abyzou, and my daughter resembles her original appearance, they¡¯ll most likely go after him. And hunt him down and beat the information out of him.¡±


    Mandy blinked rapidly, her eyes rolled, she leaned her head to the side, and frowned.


    ¡°Mandy, you¡¯re the only one I can entrust to watch after him. If you¡¯re worried about him being beaten to a pulp, don¡¯t. He¡¯s been gifted three times and he can more than likely hold his own until a suitable opponent can step up to his attacker.¡±


    Mandy still didn¡¯t respond, and only breathed, slowly.


    Leon wiped his face, and shook his head.


    ¡°Mandy, I missed you, you know.¡±


    Mandy closed her eyes and fought the tears.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that monster trapping me in her gaze, then I would¡¯ve most likely chosen you to be my wife.¡±


    Mandy couldn¡¯t help but shed silent tears, and cover her mouth.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t let anything happen to that boy, but more importantly, if my daughter happens to be around, don¡¯t allow her to use her mana.¡±


    Mandy wiggled her hand, blew air out, and took quick breaths before answering.


    ¡°Leon¡­ do you think we can¡ªcatch up?¡± she said.


    A grin appeared, and he softly blinked.


    ¡°Yeah, we can. I¡¯ll talk to you soon, I¡¯ll have Linnea here to give you my information.¡±


    Mandy couldn¡¯t retain her happiness and express an adorable smile.


    ¡°B¡­ye, Leon¡­¡±


    ¡°Bye.¡± Leon hung up the phone and slid it back to Linnea who still had her head down on the table.


    ¡°Get up, we have to discuss more about your vigilante justice.¡±


    Linnea did and her face was red. She tapped the edge of her index fingers together and her eyes looked down.


    ¡°So what if you did get a lead on my wife, and dare use my daughter? What next? Attack her head on? Perhaps you have a grand plan that¡¯ll defeat her? Which I highly doubt. So please, enlighten me as to how you¡¯ll beat the fucking bitch.¡±


    Linnea rubbed her cheeks and lay on the table in shame.


    ¡°Alright, all your answers are correct¡­ but what else do you want us to do? We¡¯ve gotten hundreds of times stronger since the last we met. I¡¯m sure we can¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, Linnea.¡± Leon said with a disgruntled look. ¡°You can¡¯t beat her, I! Can¡¯t¡­ nobody can other than William H. Christ.¡±


    Linnea then remembered her promise to the masked devil Archard. She wondered how he''d react if she revealed that he¡¯s also in part of this too. She had to think, what¡¯s the point in lying to someone she looked up to as a brother? Feeling like there was no other option, she mustered the courage to tell him, and sat straight up.


    ¡°Leon, wh-what about¡ªArchard?¡±


    Leon knitted his brows, and balled his fist. ¡°What about him?¡±


    Her lips slightly gapped, her teeth showing her fear, she contained it and the last of her courage forced her to spill out the promise.


    ¡°I made a deal with him to lead him to her to enact his revenge also!¡±


    Leon dug his fingers into his hair, and groaned. ¡°Of course you did. That explains why he¡¯s around too.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Linnea¡¯s surprised he¡¯s reacting rather calmly to the news, rather he appeared that he already knew of his presence.


    ¡°Why-Why are you not shocked to hear me making a deal with the devil?¡±


    Leon rubbed his eyes and reached for the fork he had put down.


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been aware of his presence for a while. He¡¯s been harassing my daughter and believe it or not, we actually met for the first time just last week.¡±


    Linnea felt relieved and let out a breath of fresh air.


    ¡°But don¡¯t make it seem like I¡¯m still not angry at you two for also taking part in this mess. Not only did I have him on my mind, but with those freaks showing up and now you two involved as given me stress I haven¡¯t experienced the day I found out Abyzou had used me.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry, again. Although, could I ask, uh, are you perhaps stronger than Archard?¡±


    Leon shrugged, and took a bite of his food.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t really answer since I¡¯ve barely met the man.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, well if you had to guess, were you at least even?¡±


    Leon quickly shook his head, ¡°can¡¯t say, but what I could tell you is that I haven¡¯t quaked in my shoes in a very long time.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying he¡¯s still the strongest besides William?¡±


    Leon¡¯s corneas bounced around as he silently ate. After one more bite, he set the fork down and grabbed a napkin.


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe he won¡¯t be for long.¡±


    Hearing that made Linnea grow a smile and felt confident about Leon¡¯s strength. She has no clue as to how much more powerful he¡¯s gotten since the last time she saw him, he was close to blowing up their whole world.


    ¡°Alright Leon, you got to tell me¡­¡±


    Linnea spread her arms out, and bounced her brows at him.


    ¡°...am I as strong as you were eighteen years ago?¡±


    Leon rolled his head along with his eyes, but shook it with a grin.


    ¡°I won¡¯t know until I see you at a hundred.¡±


    ***


    Inside a military hut, the general, his closest lieutenants along with Ahriman were present. The general was smoking a cigarette, his closest men on edge because of the mysterious new recruitment, and Ahriman¡¯s smile made their skins crawl. He stood in front of a projector, and had a stick in hand, waiting for something while the rest waited to see what he wanted to present to them. The general rocked on his seat, tapped the table, growing impatient, the rest doing the same and furrowing their brows towards him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the hold up? Why are you standing there like some freak?¡± The general said.


    Ahriman chuckled and slapped his knee. The other men glimpsed at each other, and some even decided to rest their hands on their holstered handguns.


    ¡°Oh general Shannon, relax my friend. Don¡¯t be so cold to someone who¡¯s handed you the latest state of the ark equipment in combating the supernatural.¡±


    ¡°And I for one am still not pleased to find this to be happening since everything that¡¯s happened that was once thought impossible and only plausible through fiction¡ªsuddenly became a reality?! Yeah, very difficult to comprehend, stranger.¡±


    ¡°Still calling me that?! Aw, come on now. Quit being cruel to your ally who has more power than you.¡±


    ¡°You sure got a big mouth for someone still cosplaying an old high ranking outfit for the vietnam era. Look, Cody was it? Enough of the bullshit, stop wasting our¡ªespecially my! Time and tell us what the hell type of news you have for me this time besides your secret military branch I still yet have found any clues for its existence.¡±


    Ahriman put his arms and showed them in a comedic way.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t trust me? Come on! Believe in me and our new secret branch. It¡¯s top secret guys!¡±


    General Shannon tossed the rest of the cigarette and angrily stood on his feet.


    ¡°Just shut up and show us what you got. I already have more dead civilians than I do men who actually signed up to risk their lives for this country and for their people. So let''s wrap this up, get to what¡¯s being presented by your goofy ass, and quit pissing me off, rookie.¡±


    Ahriman froze, nodded repeatedly and rubbed his face but kept a smile. He shrugged, and twirled the stick in amusement. General Shannon felt as if he were watching a clown putting an act, purposely killing time and buying it for the enemy to strike again.


    ¡°Okay okay, let''s get to the presentation, shall we?¡±


    He pointed at one of the men who stood near the projector. He pressed the button, and it shot out the first image. It was the well suited man with crimson eyes who stood with that twisted smile after he initiated his destruction. General Shannon sat back down and groaned with impatience.


    ¡°You all remember Mr. Scary supernatural. So, you¡¯re asking yourself, why am I reshowing this image once again even though his face has been plastered throughout the world.¡±


    General Shannon tapped his fingers on the table, leaning his head on one hand. Everyone else watched closely and were still on guard.


    ¡°Nobody wants to say anything? Anyone? Something? Okay, ahem, we all know he¡¯s public enemy number one.¡±


    ¡°As he should be.¡± General Shannon said.


    ¡°Ahuh! And he should if not for the main accomplice behind the attack.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by ''main accomplice''? I¡¯m pretty sure he is the one behind everything since he was the first to almost blow up the city.¡±


    Ahriman had an open grin, and nodded eerily.


    ¡°Yes yes. But with every attack, and attacker, there¡¯s always someone behind it all. Behind closed doors, the master mind would never put himself out to be discovered. Am I right, General?¡±


    He put his arms on the table, and got up again.


    ¡°You mean to tell me you¡¯ve already found out who¡¯s behind all this? Th-that can¡¯t be¡­ unless¡ª¡±


    His men all stood up, drew their guns halfway, and General Shannon raised his hand to stop them. His glare engulfed Ahriman¡¯s suspicion but he casually brushed it off with a laugh and spread his arms out.


    ¡°Oh General! Don¡¯t accuse me of being tied with them?! I know it¡¯s easy to come to a conclusion since I did come out of nowhere and brought you equipment to fight these folks. So one can¡¯t blame you for quickly assuming that. Oh damn you''re really good, man!¡±


    ¡°Quit stalling and tell us who¡¯s behind it. That way my men and I don¡¯t have to put dozens of holes in your chalky body.¡±


    Ahriman¡¯s grin closed and grew into a wide thin smile.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    He snapped his fingers and another image popped up without the man handling the projector pressing any buttons. The next image showed a being, a man going berserk, the edges of his hair standing, fluttering, and a monstrous aura surrounding his body. Yet what stood out the most was his blank eyes, and the destruction behind him.


    ¡°Wh..at am I seeing here? Who¡¯s this?¡± The general asked as he walked up to the projector.


    Ahriman stepped aside, and snapped his fingers again. The next image showed the same being above a flattened area, and from what the rubble showed was once a city. Then, he snapped again, this time a video showed him charging up, roaring into the sky, and his war cry turned into manical laughter. This made the general be in disbelief. He turned white and almost collapsed, but one of his lieutenants went to catch him before he could. Ahriman continued showing more images of the monster, destroying, causing mass extinctions, and with more video to show, he wanted the general to ease himself first.


    ¡°You alright, General Shannon?¡± Ahriman asked while keeping his twisted smile.


    General Shannon got back on his feet, and ground his teeth.


    ¡°What the hell are you showing me? How is this even possible? When did this happen? You¡¯re not just bullshitting me with images from the internet are you?!¡±


    He smacked the stick repeatedly against his palm, and moaned.


    ¡°Because he wiped out people¡¯s memories. All this happened during the 90¡¯s and early 2000¡¯s. He¡¯s the mastermind behind the recent attacks and his partner is the crimson eyed man.¡±


    General Shannon can¡¯t believe his eyes. Everything being told to him, showed is straight out of a comic book and the cartoons his niece and nephews watch. It¡¯s unrealistic and it made him question his own faith about Christianity. He wanted to rip the necklace out of his neck behind his collar, but deep down, he still believed there was a higher power. He believed in everything being told to him, and having evidence to back up his suspicion still wasn¡¯t enough for the General to not trust him. Although, he didn¡¯t have any other choice, and he was their only lead of information and knowledge to fight these new foes. Putting his trust on this weirdo is the last thing he wanted to do, but now that he¡¯s getting a better sense of what''s happening, this is his last and only option.


    General Shannon put his hand out to Ahriman, and nodded.


    ¡°Who and how do we stop this man, Lieutenant.¡±


    Ahriman opened his mouth, and gasped with excitement. He shook the General¡¯s hand, and the General felt his coldness which made him flinch his eyes.


    ¡°His name, he¡­heheh.¡±


    The two panned to the projector, and he snapped his fingers one last time and showed an image of a depressed businessman with blonde hair and blue eyes.


    Ahriman¡¯s eyes glistened, ¡°his name is Leon, Bolverkr, the destroyer.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 21: Feelings Have Never Felt So Complicated

    Sarah¡¯s backyard that had their small garden of eden, the single big oak tree that shone one of nature''s most precious creations, and the perfect green grass, both Sarah and Jack were present. They were having practice sessions on hand to hand combat, more for Sarah¡¯s sake since she wants to learn more about fist combat. She has been learning about her father¡¯s fighting style, but he felt like she would be better off using her legs since they were strong and letting her know more about the human body when it comes to submissions. With her size, and weight, she can easily maneuver around any large person and beat them into submission or combine it with her mana. Although, he wants her to not rely on her mana skills too much.


    Sarah again was losing control and began to just throw punches again.


    ¡°Ey, ey ey. Slow down, you¡¯ll tire yourself out.¡± Jack said as Sarah laid a punch on his palm.


    She huffed and puffed, gritting her teeth and threw another hook. Jack blocked it and grabbed her fist.


    ¡°No no, you¡¯re just throwing more without utilising your body.¡±


    She backed off and bent down, grabbing her knees.


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that?¡±


    Jack raised his right arm, and then his left. He was in a basic boxing pose, and furrowed his brows.


    ¡°You gotta use your hips more when you''re swinging. Relying on your arms alone will tire you out. See?¡±


    He demonstrated what he was talking about, and as she watched, she also saw him moving his foot, but just the tip forward.


    ¡°You move in and out with your hip, adding speed and shooting the adrenaline from the force of your feet.¡±


    He showed more throws, and she was surprised as to how fast he was. It was actually really cool to Sarah, seeing Jack throw his hands and that fact that he knew how to fight really added more to his machoness.


    She smiled and stretched, trying to regain her stamina and relax her muscles.


    ¡°Jeez, that¡¯s a lot to take in and learn.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s easy once you get the hang of it. Look¡­ rotate back, foot forward, swing hip with arm, bam. Rotate back, foot forward, swing with arm, bam!¡±


    Sarah imitated Jack¡¯s stance, and chuckled. ¡°Swing hip, shoot arm, bam!¡±


    She mocked his voice while intentionally mocking his teachings. At first he was annoyed by it, but she looked so adorable he couldn¡¯t bring himself to be cold. Instead of expressing a grimace as one would when they¡¯re mocked, he put his arms in the air, and swung his hair, as if he were a woman with very long hair.


    ¡°Hail to the booty holes of the earth, I bind thee to suck the air dry and make my ass crack into a cratered euphoria!¡±


    Sarah turned red, and rolled her eyes, covering her face.


    ¡°Stop¡­ you make it look so lame and why reference a butt?¡±


    Jack smirked and walked up to Sarah. ¡°Hmph, serves you right, mocking me you tiny goth girl.¡±


    She dropped her hand, and slammed her hand on his arm, pushing him.


    ¡°Damn it, not you too, dick.¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t like being called a goth girl?¡±


    Sarah crossed her arms, and raised one in a sassy manner.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m fine with Anna and Veronica calling me that at this point, but when your sister calls me that it''s more of¡ªpoking fun at me. So I¡¯d rather you call me something else.¡±


    Jack too crossed his arms. ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really thinking?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, wait, should I? Hold up, why am I? This is weird. Okay, Sarah stays.¡±


    Sarah shook her head but had an adorable grin.


    ¡°You¡¯re stupid¡­¡±


    Jack chuckled a bit, but as he stopped and looked into those crimson eyes, his world slowed down. Their glistening mysterious nature made his heart race, his stomach tingle. As his gaze elevated down, taking a glance at her glistened soft pink lips, her amazing figure, Jack¡¯s eyes grew big and he gasped. Sarah wondered why he was reacting this way, and stepped closer.


    No! Stop Sarah! Jack thought.


    Her outfit, today she was wearing black leggings that really showed off her slim, curvy figure, and the tight band shirt she wore really demonstrated how no woman can come close in matching Sarah¡¯s perfect body. Jack could see the full extent of how wide her hips were, her thighs were really thick as Anna claimed, and it made him swallow. He even saw that she wasn¡¯t flat chested since her clothes normally don¡¯t reveal too much. Yet he questioned why she dressed like this for this occasion? He didn¡¯t think too much about it since they were being physical and her clothes do get in the way. But what added more was this is the first time she wore her hair up in a ponytail, and seeing her bare neck really made him rub an eye to ease his out of nowhere lusting thoughts.


    ¡°You alright, Jack?¡± she asked while taking another step closer.


    Jack then got her auroma, her scent and it made it just as worse. Finally, the young man could feel his cheeks get red. Sarah saw and wondered why? Unfortunately, she also started to experience something similar now. She saw his scar that expressed his battle history, his smooth silky brown hair, his broad shoulders, and dead fish eyes, it made her stomach tingle just as worse.


    Wh¡­at¡¯s going on? Sarah wondered.


    She could see his rough hands up close, his tall stature that told her female nature that he could protect her from danger, and she knew beneath that jacket hid an array of toned muscles from his chest sticking out his shirt.


    The two looked at each other dumbfounded, gasping, and eyes shaking.


    Why am I feeling like this?! The two thought in unison.


    Jack rubbed the back of his neck, and let out a chuckle. Sarah covered her eyes, and also chuckled. They both laughed and didn¡¯t think much afterwards. As the two took deep breaths, Sarah shaking her wrists, Jack walked backwards, getting back into a fighting pose.


    ¡°You ready, for round three?¡± Jack said.


    Sarah shrugged one shoulder, cracking her fingers and doing some yoga stretching.


    ¡°Hmph, more like are you, tough guy?¡±


    ¡°Heh, suit yourself!¡±


    Jack suddenly rushed Sarah, forcing her to get into a defensive pose. She dashed to the side, but he quickly caught her, but let go. She panted, and remembered what he taught her. She got into a quick swinging position which allowed her to throw a nice straight jab. It forced him to take a step back. She threw a left, right hook. Jack caught the left, dodged the right, but she caught him by surprise with a low kick. He was struck, and she saw his face squint.


    Now¡¯s my chance. She thought.


    Sarah threw a high kick that her father taught her, and Jack grabbed her leg. She gasped, and the young man grew his clutch.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Aha! Not too shabby there, Sarah. Lets see if you got what it takes too¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, Sarah spun her other leg around his entire arm, getting Jack¡¯s arm caught in the middle of her thighs. She grabbed his wrist, and forced him down to the ground. She had him locked into an armbar, and he fought, resisting her growing tension.


    ¡°I bet you didn¡¯t see that coming!¡± She exclaimed.


    Jack grunted, and began to lift her, catching her by surprise.


    ¡°Neither did you, huh?!¡±


    ¡°Uh oh!¡±


    Sarah saw the ground disappear next to her, and saw the sky instead. Jack had her over his head, and pummeled her down, which made her scream.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing¡ªyou¡¯re light!¡±


    She almost kissed the ground but Jack had good upper body strength, preventing her from making contact with the grass. At first, she wanted to growl, but couldn¡¯t contain her enjoyment. She laughed and Jack let go, which did make her kiss the ground.


    ¡°Damn! You couldn¡¯t give me a heads up, dumbo?¡±


    Jack rolled his right arm, and winked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your opponent my friend. But we¡¯re both guilty of that, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Sarah got back on her feet, although, the way she did sent a mixed signal to the young man. The way she was bending upwards, looking at him, he could sense that strange feeling again. As she was standing straight, brushing some loose hair behind her ear, the way she blinked made it look more erotic.


    This¡­ feeling, again! It-it can¡¯t be Sarah doing it, right? Although, I¡¯m not mad at it. Jack thought.


    Jack shook his head, and Sarah again wondered what he was dozing off about. She appeared normal, and just adjusted her collar.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into him?¡±


    To Jack¡¯s eyes, she was doing more than just adjusting her collar. The way she teasingly opened it, fluttered her eyes at him, and especially the way he could hear her moans, he knew this wasn¡¯t her.


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡¯s going on?¡± Jack muttered.


    ¡°Uh, Jack, you look zombified, you okay?¡±


    He repeatedly blinked, and grew his eyes big.


    ¡°Uh, I think so, I-I don¡¯t know?¡±


    She tilted her head, and began to approach him. The way she was coming at him, it made it much worse. She swayed her way to him. Her nice wide hips swinging as she took each step forward, and her eyes twinkling, Jack closed his eyes.


    ¡°Hey, what are you younglings up to?¡± Leon said as he stood near the slide door.


    Sarah looked at him, and shrugged. ¡°Somethings wrong with Jack.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± He said, starting to walk to them. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the fool?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He was giving me fighting lessons and then suddenly, he¡¯s like this, acting all weird.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Leon approached the young man, and snapped his fingers. Jack opened his eyes, and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Holy crap, I¡¯m saved.¡±


    ¡°Stand still.¡±


    Leon grabbed his face, and looked into his eyes. Jack nervously let out a chuckle as Leon observed his pupils. He saw red, and could sense lust coming from his eyes.


    ¡°That damn teasing bitch.¡± Leon murmured.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Leon let go of Jack¡¯s face, and the young man gently smacked the side of his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m okay now.¡±


    He then leaned over to Jack¡¯s left ear. ¡°If you¡¯re feeling mesmerized by my daughter, ignore it. That¡¯s my wifes damn doing.¡± he whispered.


    Jack nodded. ¡°Huh, alright¡­¡±


    ¡°You sound¡ªdissatisfied when I said that? What, are you actually falling for my daughter?¡±


    Jack squinted an eye, and thought about it.


    ¡°Mmm, I don¡¯t know. Am I? Hmm¡­¡±


    Leon patted his shoulder and turned to his daughter.


    ¡°So, what has he taught you so far? Sarah.¡±


    Sarah tapped her chin, and got in Jack¡¯s fighting pose.


    ¡°Basic straight punches, jabs, some hooks¡­ uh, utilising my body by twisting my hips and legs, etc.¡±


    Leon nodded in approval. He patted Jack¡¯s shoulder again, but he suddenly twisted his arm, which made Jack grunt in pain.


    ¡°Not good enough.¡±


    Leon twisted again, did a leg sweep and jumped into an arm bar on Jack¡¯s arm. The young man screamed and tapped multiple times. Sarah¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she saw the demonstration. Leon let go, and Jack got on fours, but he quickly jumped on his back, grabbing his other arm, and pulling it until it popped out of its socket. Jack collapsed and passed out from the pain. Leon let his noodly arm fall, and he placed his hand on his back. He shot out a gravitational blast that awoke the young man, resulting in him grunting, screaming as his arm was dislocated.


    ¡°Get up, don¡¯t back down.¡± Leon said as he was back on his feet.


    ¡°Dad, aren¡¯t you being a little too rough on Jack?¡± Sarah said as she looked concerned.


    Jack smacked his palm against the grass, and ground his teeth.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t worry about me, Sarah!¡±


    Sarah was surprised but seeing, sounding how determined Jack was made her eyes shake.


    Jack stood back on his feet, his left arm dangling, but Leon quickly rushed him, putting it back in place and backing off. Jack grunted, swirling it and getting back to his pose. Leon grinned, rose a brow, and again, dashed at Jack. The young man could see him, waited, and once he was about to do another one of his fancy moves, Jack grinned. This caught Leon by surprise, and in turn, he shot a straight jab. Jack swooped beneath his arm, wrapped his arms around his thrusted punch, and tried sweeping Leon off his feet. But, it only proved to be trivial against someone like him.


    Jack moaned, grunting as he tried getting him off the ground to slam him, giving him a taste of his own medicine. Leon wrapped that straight arm behind Jack¡¯s neck, and spun the two, seeping him off the ground and slamming him instead on the grass.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Sarah said.


    Leon sat on top of Jack, retracted his arm and shot it at Jack¡¯s face, but missed intentionally, striking the dirt instead. The young man was left breathless as Leon¡¯s cold eyes stared down at him. Leon again stood, patted himself and waited for Jack to get back up too. Jack rubbed his face, but once his hands were off his face, he had a smile. He got back on his feet and also patted himself, and put his hand out to Leon.


    ¡°You¡¯re so goddamn awesome.¡± Jack said.


    Leon lightly gasped, but quickly grinned. He went to the young man, and shook his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t praise me too much Jack, you¡¯ll only ignite my old ego.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    The two let go, and Sarah stood next to her father to listen in on their conversation.


    ¡°If you knew who I really was and what I did, then you¡¯d never look and respect me the same as you currently do.¡±


    No matter how many times Leon has said this, and no matter Jack¡¯s response, the young man wonders what he truly means by that. The only hint he has is those Witch cultists referring him to Bolverkr the destroyer. Leon knows of Jack¡¯s past and the awful things he¡¯s done, the lives he¡¯s taken, but compared to Leon¡¯s unknown background, Jack wonders what horrors he''s done to dehumanise himself that much. The young man didn¡¯t care, he respects him too much and seeing him grow this much from what he¡¯s seen, and what Sarah said about him proves that not every evil person can be hopeless. On the other hand, depending on what they¡¯ve done, whatever crimes it may be, some can¡¯t be overlooked and forgiven, and Jack¡¯s hoping that isn¡¯t the case.


    As the young man was about to say something, Sarah jumped in, and she looked battle ready.


    ¡°Dad, let me test the same moves Jack has taught me, onto you.¡±


    Leon got in his fighting pose, and Jack immediately backed off. He ran to the bench, sitting down and was eager to see if his small training would at least give Sarah a chance of landing a scratch on her father. They stood in silence, the winds howled, the blue sky above filled with blankets of white clouds, their clothes lightly fluttered, the two waited to see who would make the first move. Sarah furrowed her brows, and approached her father in a calm manner with her fists raised. He dropped his fists, and when he did, Sarah did too. He narrowed his eyes, and she made her body loose.


    When he blinked, she abruptly twisted her hip, and body, shooting a beautiful right super kick to his face. The oncoming sound it made was that of a passing fighter jet, creating a sonic boom. It forces Leon to dodge in the blink of an eye. The force, the intensity sent a shockwave, gusts of wind around them, and behind her foot that aimed to the sky, cleared, evaporated all the clouds in the sky.


    Leon¡¯s eyes were wide, and Sarah¡¯s leg hovered above his head.


    H¡­uh?  Leon thought.


    Sarah fell back onto her left hand, using her falling weight to shoot her other leg onto his face, which almost made contact to his jaw as he dodge upwards. Sarah jumped back, and got back in Jack¡¯s boxing pose. Leon squinted his eyes, and a wrinkle formed between his brows.


    She¡¯s learning as she watches me. And in the instant she attacks she uses her mana in an instant without being detected to give that extra drive to reach to my level.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were serious, and Jack couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as he saw the rest of the sky being wiped clean of all the white fluff.


    She¡¯s not necessarily causing too much disruption with reality when she attacks, which in return gives her the right to use such attacks for a sparring session.


    Sarah jolted, and let out a barrage of kicks that had Leon¡¯s forearms being pummeled as he blocked her tiny shins. He did his best to not allow them to reach any side of his face. With each kick, punt, front face shot, it sounded like sonic booms going off on how fast she was attacking. Every kick kept growing in speed, surpassing sound, greater than, until it reached light speed which forced Leon to go on the offensive. He grabbed one leg, and spun Sarah, but she used her own father¡¯s technique, that being the arm bar, which had her catch it. Having her full body wrapped around his arm had him go ballistic and slam her on the ground with anger. An impact occurred, dirt flew everywhere, and dust fogged the area.


    Leon gasped and realised what he had done.


    ¡°Oh no, Sarah!¡± He smacked away the fogged area, but saw Sarah on her feet, her fists clenched.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Father¡­¡± she said in a tone he had never heard being made by someone as sweet as her.


    Leon saw her determination, her tensed arms to the sides, quaking with eagerness to throw it down. He then sensed something coming out of her, one he could only determine that would be created by a¡ª


    ¡°...I¡¯ll do whatever It¡¯ll take to not only show you that I can handle myself, but to one day embrace and show you my affection.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Never has seen Sarah so serious and so battle hungry. Yet despite that, there was some odd glow starting to form around her. Her hair fluttered, her hair tie had burned away, allowing her raven hair to bellow. Her eyes, around the corneas a glow of gold began to form around them. A golden light fadely began to erupt, and this made Leon¡¯s eyes grow as big as they ever did. Once Sarah felt ready to attack again, the slide door slammed open, and this brought an end to their spar.


    Sarah¡¯s mother stood there, and she looked displeased and disgruntled.


    ¡°Sarah, no more.¡± she said.


    Sarah didn¡¯t say a word, and the light faded out, and she passed out, falling to the ground. Jack went to her, and grabbed her. Leon brought his gaze to Samantha, and he looked as mad as he ever has been. Samantha smacked her hands together, and jolted her head at Jack.


    ¡°Jack, please take Sarah to her room and make sure she¡¯s okay.¡±


    Jack also looked angry at Samantha but didn¡¯t say anything. He picked Sarah off the ground and carefully carried her to where she stood. Samantha stepped aside, and before walking in, Jack glanced at her, and shook his head in disappointment. He walked in, and Samantha sighed as Leon¡¯s anger began to swell.


    ¡°We gotta talk, but downstairs so they don¡¯t hear us, Leon.¡±


    Leon shook his head, and grinned with annoyance.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not. We¡¯re talking here, outside.¡±


    ¡°The neighbours, Leon¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡ªthat! You get your ass over here and tell me as to why, why in the name of mother earth did my daughter just emit a glow to that of the same caliber of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Leon, please. I-I can explain this at a later time, right now we have other matters to discuss.¡±


    Leon placed his hands on his hips, and nodded with his head down before looking back up with a forced grin.


    ¡°At a¡ªlater time, you say? Huh, later time. Hmm, I don¡¯t know about that sweetheart. Time is of the essence and right now, we both know that we can¡¯t risk any of it at the moment. So let''s cut the bullshit, and tell me why my daughter was about to use a form of energy from a certain someone.¡±


    Samantha slid the door closed behind her, and eased her hands at him.


    ¡°Leon, stop. Please, I know I¡¯ve been cruel to you for the past almost two decades, but you have to listen to me, this once.¡±


    ¡°Listen to you? Listen¡ªto you?! Hmm, let''s see what has happened when I did listen to you. First time, you tricked me into thinking you actually loved me, second time, you said Mandy wasn¡¯t interested in me because she was sleeping around campus and known as the act of whores, thirdly, you fooled me into thinking you¡¯re the only person in existence who understands me, and fourthly, besides numerous others, I was played into your marriage proposal and look where it has led me! Nighteen fucking years of misery, mistreatment, and a goddamn tool for your stupid ambition only you wanted to achieve!¡±


    Samantha was about to say what she needed to until he heard him bring up a burden of her past: The barricade that was in her way of achieving her goal.


    ¡°Mandy¡­ Mandy?! Why are you bringing her up all of a sudden?¡±


    Leon chuckled. ¡°Why do you care! It was just an example, you bitch!¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me that, Leon!¡±


    ¡°What, b-i-t-c-h! Can¡¯t bear to hear what you are, a horrific being that happens to take the shape of a woman and a fucking undesirable bitch!¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop because you are what you have made yourself to be, and that''s a stupid, fucking¡ªunforgivable, miserable BIT¡ª¡±


    ¡°FUCK YOU!¡±


    Leon shut up, and saw Samantha¡¯s eyes glistening. Never has he heard her yell with such sadness and hurt. She grabbed her chest, grit her teeth, and turned away. She opened the slide door, and stepped inside halfway, but paused.


    ¡°When you¡¯re ready to talk again¡­ then you know where to find me.¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t believe his ears, and again, that feeling of guilt hit him.


    ¡°Samantha, wait¡­¡±


    She walked inside, and Leon wanted to reach a handout but prevented himself from doing something cliched. Instead he remained still and composed. He gazed up at the clear sky and wondered why she''d been acting differently all of a sudden.


    ¡°First it was speaking to me again, then teasing, and now having discussions. Just what is she up to?¡±


    Inside the kitchen, Samantha softly giggled but it transitioned to a quick whimper, which she quickly covered her mouth. A small tear managed to slip its way out of her eye, sliding down her cheek. She ran to the basement door, and opened it, going downstairs and snapped her fingers. The room lit up and there was a chair and desk that used to belong to Leon. He stored it down here and she managed to turn this room to a reading and research sanction throughout the years. In a panic, she collapsed onto the seat, clutched her head, and held back her emotions.


    Laying her elbows on the desk, she took breaths to ease herself. Once she gathered her feelings, and felt more relaxed, again, she giggled for no apparent reason.


    ¡°Mandy¡­ why did he bring her up.¡±


    She quickly gasped, and her eyes rattled.


    ¡°Unless, unless¡­ wait, no. Why-Why am I feeling like this? What¡¯s gotten into me as of lately¡­¡±


    She let go of her head, and rested her arms on the table. Her jaw mildly dropped, her eyes bagging, she appeared zoned out in a state of anger, and envy.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t let her¡­ take him away.¡±


    She brought one of her hands up, and dragged it across her eyes. Once it fell off her face, her eyes were back to crimson, and she saw Jack attending to her daughter. He was sitting and heard his voice.


    ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re awake. You alright?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes move around, and Abyzou can see her whole room. She eerily sat up like a doll, and scanned the room. Jack looked confused as to why Sarah was acting strange.


    ¡°Sarah?¡±


    She brought her hand up, and repeatedly opened, closed it.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Sarah groaned.


    Abyzou wiped her eyes again, and her platinum eyes returned. Sarah shut her eyes, and her eyelids exploded open again. She felt a migraine growing and moaned, grabbing her head.


    ¡°Sarah, hello?¡±


    She panned to Jack, and squinted an eye.


    ¡°H-How did I end up here?¡±


    Jack quickly shrugged. ¡°I carried you here.¡±


    ¡°Hm, did you now? Weird. I can¡¯t remember the last five minutes or so. Eh, whatever.¡±


    Back downstairs, Abyzou had a sinister grin, and knitted her brows in a sadistic nature.


    ¡°It¡¯s been, awhile¡ªsince I¡¯ve done that.¡±


    She massaged her hand, and her grin grew thinner, and wider.


    ¡°As I said, my dearest daughter¡­ we are but one, and I will use my old eyes to see if that wretched girl has returned. And once I do¡ª¡±


    She covered half her face, and when some of her fingers spread, a glow of violet erupted on the covered eye.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she¡¯ll be eradicated and erased from this world!¡±


    Abyzou laughed in enjoyment, and her hair began to discolour, and float. Her body colour began to fade, and she let out an envious scream that silenced the room, and brought it back to darkness.


    ***


    Later in the day, Anna and Angela were unexpectedly hanging out. The two were waiting for Sarah and Veronica who were supposed to meet up with them at the park. Due to some circumstances, Veronica couldn¡¯t make it, but Sarah said she was running late. They were both seated on a park bench, waiting and watching the view of kids playing, families enjoying their time, bystanders strolling, going on their afternoon run, and some beggars who were asking for money.


    Angela had her drawing tablet with her, drawing the scene in front of her and adding her own twists to it. Anna watched as the young teen was creating a new alternate world and working her magic. She was leaning close and Angela could smell her pheromones which made her nervous. Anna also could smell Angela¡¯s scent which also made her anxious in hugging her to death.


    I can¡¯t concentrate with this damn succubus next to me¡­ Angela thought.


    I can¡¯t resist the urge but embrace this tiny emo goth girl to death! Anna thought.


    While the two were fighting their inner demons, a tall bystander came up to them, and had a dozen posters beneath his arm. He saluted them, and the two brought their gaze up to him. He had a long brown coat, a top hat, and he looked straight out of the great depression given his outfit style. This made Angela¡¯s eyes grow wide with curiosity and open her mouth. Anna scanned him head to toe and softly clapped at his odd outfit choice.


    ¡°I see that I¡¯ve gotten your attention, ladies.¡±


    Even his voice sounded to that era and it made them clap.


    ¡°Now now, no need to make me blush, ladies.¡±


    Angela raised her digital pen, and pointed it at him. ¡°Hey mister, you wouldn¡¯t happen to be a cosplayer?¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°heavens no. This is just what I like to wear, madam.¡±


    ¡°Really?! Huh, that¡¯s a disappointment. Either way, I think you¡¯d make a wonderful actor given your golden voice!¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°stop, you¡¯re embarrassing me. Oh, do mind my manners, allow me to introduce myself.¡±


    He bowed, and removed his top hat, revealing his black hair and dark eyes.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Shaman, Herold Shaman.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, fancy name!¡± Angela exclaimed.


    Anna stood up, and reciprocated the same gesture.


    ¡°The name¡¯s Annabelle! Annabelle or as my friends like to refer to me as Annabelly the kung fu wonder.¡±


    Herold laughed and grabbed Anna¡¯s hand, kissing it.


    ¡°The pleasures are all mine, Ms. Annabelle.¡±


    Angela placed her pad down, and wanted to take part in the play. She grabbed the edges of her skirt, and did a cursty.


    ¡°Angela Samr, at your service.¡±


    He reached his hand out to her, she was hesitant at first, but allowed him to kiss her hand, and that made his eyes quake in fear. He was breathless and outstanded. They saw his gaped mouth slowly turn into an odd open mouth smile, a sadistic one at that. This made Angela grab her hand and look at him in disgust. Anna grabbed Angela and held her, but Shaman quickly recognised his odd behaviour and cleared his throat. He adjusted his hat and rubbed his face.


    ¡°Sorry about that, I have a condition, let me just take my medication.¡±


    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a seemingly convincing bottle of pills and opened it, tapping it to have two slide out. He threw them in his mouth and swallowed them.


    ¡°Sorry again, didn¡¯t mean to frighten you two.¡±


    Anna let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Jesus, for a second I thought you were getting turned on by just touching my adorable little buddy here. I was going to call the police or kick you right in the balls.¡±


    Herold let out a nervous chuckle, ¡°wow¡­ quick to action I see.¡±


    Angela remained on edge and clinged onto Anna which didn¡¯t bother her in the slightest.


    Herold reached for one of the posters, and before pulling it out, he went into a trans.


    That girl¡­ she has a lurking darkness that¡¯s both worrisome yet fascinating. It feels oddly close to that of the young man affiliated with the supposed look alike. Shaman thought.


    He had the poster in hand, and before opening it to show what he had, he paused again to take a quick glance at Angela as she and Anna were distracted in their conversation.


    Whatever¡¯s inside, it¡¯s so faint that no one could notice if not experienced. I have to know what¡¯s lurking in her.


    He cleared his throat and got their attention again.


    ¡°To not waste your time anymore than I already have, let me show you some art pieces that I¡¯m selling.¡±


    Angela collapsed her hands together, and closed the distance between them.


    ¡°Ooo! Please, show us!¡±


    Anna came behind, and wrapped her arm around her neck.


    ¡°Go on, show us, stranger.¡±


    He spread the poster open, and when Angela¡¯s eyes saw the full picture, they sparkled and quivered.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ beautiful!¡±


    Even Anna was impressed and nodded in approval.


    ¡°I gotta say, it is¡ªartful.¡±


    While the two were glued to the poster¡¯s picture, someone tapped their shoulders. They both moved aside, and once Shaman saw who got their attention, he almost fainted in a state of both overjoyment and fulfillment.


    ¡°Aby¡­Aby¡ªzou¡­¡± he muttered.


    Sarah stood there, and appeared dazed. ¡°Wh-where¡¯s Veronica? And who¡¯s this?¡±


    Angela put her hands out and had a twinkle in her eye while doing so.


    ¡°This is Herold, a local artist selling his extravagant paintings!¡±


    Sarah raised a brow as she shook her head to shake off her headache.


    ¡°Really? Artist? Show me.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± he shouted.


    All girls turned their heads at him, confused and startled from the way he said it so formally. To Sarah¡¯s ears it sounded close to a worshipper, to Anna¡¯s it sounded perverted, to Angela¡¯s it sounded polite.


    He rolled open the poster again and Sarah gasped and was wowed by the display.


    ¡°This is¡­ extraordinary. What is it?¡± she asked while stepping closer.


    Shaman grew nervous as Sarah¡¯s big crimson eyes were scanning his portrait.


    ¡°It¡¯s a showcase of a white haired woman in a gothic romantic dress¡­ overlooking the edge of a waterfall. With the surrounding nature, it¡¯s all up to the viewer to figure out what she¡¯s thinking about as she¡¯s gazing out of the extraordinary view.¡±


    Anna rubbed her chin, trying to figure out the meaning of the poster.


    ¡°Mmm, she appears to be thinking.¡±


    Angela stood beside Sarah, ¡°no, she¡¯s trying to figure out something as she gazes upon the wonderful spectrum.


    Sarah appeared at a loss for words. Her mouth half open, she calmly placed her hand on it, and a sudden flash of unknown memories spewed into her mind. She was in place of the woman, and felt the air, nature''s cries, and her whispers tickle her skin. The scent of dread, loneliness struck her, and cemented a new ambition as she saw a flock of geese flying overhead. Down on the waterfall, she saw a pack of wolves coming for a drink, and two swans arching their heads together to form a heart. This brought a tear to her eye, and once she was back in reality, all of them saw the single strand falling off her cheek.


    ¡°She¡¯s figuring out what she wants¡­ and questioning her identity¡­¡± Sarah said, which made everyone speechless.


    Shaman, especially, was more than just surprised, but she was indeed correct.


    That¡¯s because it¡¯s a portrait of you, Abyzou¡­ I drew you from a distance when you were alone, basking in your sorrow as the world came in unity to take you down. Shaman thought.


    Sarah stared at the poster as her eyes trembled.


    How come¡­ I feel like that this woman¡ªis me? But¡­ white hair? The dress? Why does it all feel so relative¡­ Sarah thought.


    She backed away and appeared sad. Angela caught on and grabbed her hand, catching her off guard. Even Anna was surprised that the sassy sister of Jack Samr would grab a rival''s hand.


    ¡°You alright, Sarah? You look really depressed all of a sudden?¡±


    Sarah gazed upon Angela, and quietly gasped.


    ¡°You know, if something¡¯s bothering you, you could tell me before my brother.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ are you being so nice to me?¡±


    Angela swung their hands back and forth.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of thinking and¡ªif I had to choose anyone who can take care of my brother besides me! But most of all, understand what he¡¯s going through, then it would have to be you.¡±


    This made Sarah¡¯s heart expand and race tenfold. She blushed and gave Angela an adorable smile, patting her head.


    ¡°Jack¡¯s lucky to have such a sweet overprotective sister like you.¡±


    Angela brushed her hand off and crossed her arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too carried away, goth girl. I still see you as a rival! But over the years, I¡¯ve grown to respect who you are and you¡¯re kinda badass too.¡±


    She-she really thinks this way of me?! Sarah wondered.


    She smiled more and hugged Angela.


    ¡°You deserve a hug, at least, emo girl.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, whatever. You¡¯re better for Jack then that weird stalkerish rich girl.¡±


    Despite this being an alternate timeline, I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m kinda hoping we don¡¯t go back to our original flow because Angela¡¯s disabled and scary. Sarah thought.


    Anna jumped in their hug, and embraced the two.


    ¡°Aw, let me join in this acceptance!¡±


    Shaman watched as the supposed doppelganger expressed her affection and care, much differently than originally described. The stories he¡¯s been told about her, her being ruthless, quiet, yet ambitious, and twisted. Yet what he¡¯s seeing displayed is the complete opposite. It actually made him appreciate this supposed copy more. The last encounter he had of her and only was the drawing when he saw her. The minute she felt her space violated she screamed and Shaman felt something invisible punch him away, and he was met with a barrage of lightning bolts that almost took his life.


    Remembering that moment suddenly made him wonder why he sees her so high.


    Huh, what¡¯s this strange feeling of guilt I¡¯m sensing? Shaman thought.


    ¡°Mr. Herold?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She grabbed the poster out of his hands, and tapped it.


    ¡°Do you have more to show? I¡¯d love to see them.¡± she said.


    Angela raised her hand, ¡°me too! I need to discover more about unique terrains and learn the complexities of them!¡±


    He moaned and genuinely smiled. ¡°Sure, follow me. I have a shop that I¡¯m actually opening up tomorrow.¡±


    The girls nodded and he took the lead. They followed him and were on their way to his new art shop. They walked for only ten minutes until they reached his small vacant shop. The windows were empty, no signs, but from what they saw from the inside he was indeed trying to set things up and into place. He unlocked the front door and all three walked in, checking out the dark half lit place. Angela hurried to what looked to be a drawing stand and uncovered it. She was jaw dropped by the display and artwork and began analyzing the work. Anna tagged along with her, checking out the piece while Sarah stayed where she was at, seeing anything that¡¯ll catch her eyes.


    ¡°What type of workshop are you exactly trying to open up?¡± she asked.


    Herold placed the posters he had under his arm near a table, and uncovered another drawing stand. This time it had a wondrous landscape coloured with water painting. This caught Sarah¡¯s attention and she wanted to know the story behind this piece.


    ¡°You really are great, aren¡¯t you?¡± she said while smiling at the painting.


    Shaman can¡¯t believe that he''s already convinced the girl that he isn¡¯t suspicious but hearing her praise his work while everyone else called it a waste of time made him feel grateful. Although, his loyalty to the cult that worships her or the actual entity of Abyzou was beginning to make him question sudden thoughts he never had before. He¡¯s never quick to change character or whenever he¡¯s made up his mind. Yet, just this small first impression has him quickly changing his mind and seeing where this can all lead up to.


    He blinked uncontrollably and squinted his neck. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± he muttered.


    What¡¯s with these strange feelings¡­? he thought.


    Sarah placed the tip of her finger on it and could feel nature''s soul through it.


    ¡°This piece is calling out to me. Whatever the meaning behind it, it¡¯s gotta be about inner peace.¡±


    Shaman went to Sarah, and pointed to the big tree and flicked it.


    ¡°You got that right, madam. The tree, think of it as you, alone in a field of vacancy, skies brimming with clarity, and a breeze of mother earth''s gentle blows blowing the branches, that being your hair. With you being the tree, you begin to wonder why you feel isolated from everyone else, such as other trees, the forests they call homes, the small communities aligned towards buildings and next to give a sense of what we lost as people: That being our touch with what created us in the first place, nature.¡±


    Sarah dragged her finger to the flowing river in the painting, and grinned.


    ¡°And the river of thoughts flowing in front of you, giving you a sense of regret, love, guilt, and amongst other things that question your existence. What has led you up to this point in life? What forced you to be alone, and what made you feel this way, and that can only be answered if you had another beside you, listening to what could¡¯ve brought you there: Or what being planted you there as a helpless acorn, and left you to scold alone in your own field of sorrow.¡±


    Shaman gasped again, and knew what she meant by that. The times when he drew alone back in the academy, everyone tried to ruin his peace, disallowing him to never complete a piece of his art. All this led up to a day he¡¯ll never forget when someone tried ripping up his drawing, but it resulted in their death by his hand. He was scolded for retaliating in such a heinous way and almost banned until a gorgeous girl stopped him. She had long black hair, a black turtleneck, and a plaid skirt, it was Samantha. Beside her was Leon, and the two helped convince the board to not ban him and to give him another chance by showing him his artistic nature, convincing them just how in touch he was with nature. This helped his case and they allowed him to stay. When he laid his eyes on Samantha, he fell in love, but knew she had a thing for Leon so he didn¡¯t bother to chase after her. After that day, they would be good friends and she¡¯d applaud his work as well as Leon who always liked watching him since the guy was a walking time bomb. Adequately, after some time, Samantha disappeared and was never seen again, and rumours began to emerge that she was in fact Abyzou. Although they were never thought to be true since nobody bothered investigating. Supposedly only a small handful of people knew what happened to her, and one of them happened to be Leon.


    Yet I couldn¡¯t get an answer since the guy went berserk and almost destroyed the world¡­ until she reappeared again, and then¡ªthe two vanished once she calmed him down. Shaman thought.


    Shaman could almost feel that day being yesterday. He couldn¡¯t even remember how he got affiliated with the cult and how he became such a high ranking leader out of a thousand or so. This made his head hurt and felt stressful. He backed away and went to the back area, but Sarah stopped him by saying ¡°Hey,¡± which made him pause.


    ¡°I just need a drink of water, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Sarah reached into her pocket as he disappeared into the back area. ¡°Jack texted, uh¡­ yes, I am feeling better and yes, your sister is still a little sassy emo, sent!¡±


    ¡°I heard that!¡± Angela shouted.


    Sarah giggled and so did Anna. In the back, Shaman got his glass of water and before walking back out, he saw his hanging necklace, and seeing it made him grunt. He scratched the back of his neck, and came back out.


    ¡°Hey, I got a suggestion for you all.¡±


    The three panned their attention to him, and he raised his finger.


    ¡°Who wants to help me set up my drawing shop tomorrow? I¡¯ll gladly compensate for your time.¡±


    Angela quickly raised her hand, and her eyes were furrowed with determination.


    ¡°Only if you teach me basic landscape sir!¡¯


    Sarah placed her hand on her hip, ¡°Sure, but could I bring someone?¡±


    ¡°The more the better, madam!¡±


    Anna looked at Sarah, ¡°good because I can¡¯t. I got stuff to do with my grandparents. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re bringing Jack?¡±


    Sarah nodded. ¡°Yup. I guess it¡¯s us three then, Angela.¡±


    Angela quickly pulled out her phone and called her brother.


    ¡°Jack, whatever you¡¯re planning tomorrow forget about it! We have a date with the goth girl!¡±


    He moaned and groaned, grunted and she replied with laughter.


    Sarah shook her head, ¡°that Angela¡ª¡±


    ¡°Always so sassy.¡± The two girls said in unison.


    Herold laughed and so did the other two. Angela blushed but kept her confident smile as their laughter continued.


    ***


    Late at night, inside a local coffee brewery, two past friends have reunited and were in the middle of catching up. With giggles, and brief chuckles coming from both, the two happened to be Mandy and Leon who were sitting across each other. Mandy had her legs crossed towards him, their eye contact was strong, it¡¯s almost as if they were never separated from each other. Despite what happened between them, they¡¯ve managed to pick up where they last communicated.


    ¡°Tell me, Leon, throughout the years, how have you been able to manage putting up with that insufferable monster.¡±


    Leon rolled his eyes, ¡°it wasn¡¯t easy. But to make a long story short, I just did what she forced me into with that dreaded contract: To never speak, touch, nor communicate with her or our daughter.¡±


    ¡°Yet it¡¯s been breached without repercussion?¡±


    ¡°Rightfully so in part of me being able to get to know my own flesh and blood.¡±


    Mandy squinted her eyes, and took a quick sip of her drink.


    ¡°About that. Excuse on what I¡¯m about to say next, but did you really have sex with that creature? And forced to create life just to fulfil her selfish desires?¡±


    Leon rested one arm on the table, and tapped it.


    ¡°Funny thing is¡­ Mandy¡­¡±


    His grin faded, and a frown appeared as his face grew still.


    ¡°We never engaged in any sexual activity¡­¡±


    This made Mandy come to a stop. She couldn¡¯t believe what she just heard. This made her scrunch her face in confusion, look away, and her anger towards Abyzou grew more than it ever has. This raised more questions than ones that haven¡¯t been answered, stacking up the mount Everest of mysteries behind her. No sexual activity? Throughout the years? To Mandy she wondered how his daughter was created or are the rumours about her being a doppelganger coming into light? That¡¯s the only explanation she has for now, and she has to tell Linnea. When she brought her gaze back to Leon, he looked more vivid than her.


    ¡°Samantha¡­ you vile bitch¡­¡±


    His scowl face told Mandy all. His years of torment, isolation, and being used as a tool for her pleasure gave her more motivation to end her life.


    ¡°Leon¡­ so Sarah¡ªisn¡¯t your biological daughter?¡±


    Leon slowly blinked, ¡°That¡¯s what I thought at first, until recently.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°As we began to speak, and hangout, I slowly began to realise she definitely has my dna. From the mana flowing inside her, her attitude, she¡¯s in fact my flesh and blood.¡±


    ¡°Then, how did she create her if you guys never engaged in any sexual activity?¡±


    Leon rubbed the top of his head, and sighed.


    ¡°I¡­ still don¡¯t know, not to this day I¡¯ve come close to figuring out how Sarah was created. But today, something else happened and it¡¯s making me question if I¡¯m the only one she used to create her.¡±


    Mandy grew a sweat gland, and placed her arms on the table.


    ¡°What-what do you mean by that? Are you implying she used someone else to create Sarah?¡±


    Leon¡¯s head was tilted, towards his chest, and he looked dismayed.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the implementation I had until I witnessed it today.¡±


    ¡°Leon, you¡¯re killing me here with the suspense. Tell me, what did you sense that has brought this concern?¡±


    Leon sat straight, and deeply knitted his brows.


    ¡°I sensed¡­ the power of divinity in her. The same power that both William and Archard bear.¡±


    Mandy was in disbelief and quaked in her boots.


    ¡°How¡­ How could that be? That-that doesn¡¯t make any sense. It-It¡¯s unnatural, and fabricated.¡±


    Mandy gently slammed her hands on the table.


    ¡°Are you sure it isn¡¯t that? Couldn¡¯t it just be the same energy that Exorcist¡¯s use?¡±


    Leon shook his head. ¡°No, Mandy. Exorcist¡¯s, the ones you and I fought, the ones under William all use energy and some use mana, magic like the rest of us. But William uses a sense of energy that accolades him as a God: The power of divinity only thought to be true for William, that woman with the umbrella¡­ and unfortunately, now Archard shares the same type of power after an unfortunate bump in.¡±


    Mandy pulled her arms back, and lay back on the chair, gasping repeatedly. Leon¡¯s face transitioned back to sulking but his brows stayed knitted.


    ¡°Even I can¡¯t believe it, Mandy¡­¡±


    Mandy grabbed her head, ¡°this¡­ this is madness. This is too hard to believe. Not only does she possess your DNA, Abyzou, but she also shares the same with one of those guys?¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t respond, and his mouth began to open.


    ¡°Leon, she has to be stopped! We have to find out what''s truly going on. Why are the witch cultist¡¯s here, after Sarah, the Exorcist¡¯s, everything that¡¯s occurring is because of her! And the key to where she¡¯s at is you, Leon.¡±


    Leon smacked his lips, ¡°is this what it''s all about? Instead of using my daughter now you¡¯re going to play with my emotions and use me to get your revenge?¡±


    Mandy ground her teeth, and leaped to grab his hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare, Leon. I fucking love you! And I have for the past two decades. So don¡¯t you dare say that I¡¯m taking advantage of your emotions when in fact it¡¯s far from it.¡±


    Leon knew she wasn¡¯t lying, which made him grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m only doing this not just for Linnea¡¯s sake¡­ but for my own selfishness.¡±


    ¡°Mandy¡­¡±


    Her eyes quivered, and she held his hand tightly.


    ¡°She took away the one thing I wanted more than ever¡ªand that was you, Leon Bolverkr.¡±


    Leon gently placed his hand on top of hers, and looked into her eyes. The two were deeply staring into each other, and their clutch grew warmer and more seductive. Mandy slowly placed her other hand on his, and massaged it without breaking eye contact.


    ¡°She took you away from me¡­ and I''ll never forgive her for that.¡±


    She brought their hands close to her mouth, leaving the top of his hand in close proximity to her lips. Her eyes were glistened, and her brows furrowed, she fluttered her eyelashes as Leon could remember the time they almost kissed.


    ¡°For so long¡­ I thought you were either dead or have fallen so deep in depression after her transformation¡ªyou ran away to the edge of the world, never to be seen again.¡±


    Leon moaned, and she continued sexually massaging his hands.


    ¡°Mandy¡­ how much do you still love me?¡± he said in a soothing deep tone, which aroused her ears.


    She responded by holding both his hands up to her face, gently putting one down, and rubbing the other against the side of her face. Leon could feel just how soft her face was, and it made him get more aroused.


    ¡°Do you¡­ want me to show you?¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t say anything as his eyes were now locked onto her pink lips. She stood up, threw money on the table to pay for both tabs, and began dragging him away. Leon allowed her, and the two were out the door and outside the eatery. She quickly looked over her shoulder as they walked to her rental car. They got in and drove off into the night.


    After a long silent drive, they arrived at her hotel and they got out. Walking out, and going through the lobby, once they were in the elevator, Leon wrapped his arm around her tiny waist, which made her blush.


    She had a soft grin on her face as he brought her closer, sharing his warmth. She never felt so happy and safe in her life as the man that she always loved had her in his embrace. The elevator opened, they walked out, and Mandy again grabbed his hand, dragging, guiding him to her room.


    They reached the door, and once she swiped the card reader to open the door, she let him walk in first. She walked in afterwards, and before closing the door behind her, she put a ¡®Do not disturb¡¯ sign on the handle. Shutting the door behind her, Leon stood, and waited towards the entrance of the bedroom. She took her trench coat off, and glasses, then began to unbutton her top. Leon took a deep breath, and felt Mandy¡¯s soft, warm arms wrap around his waist.


    Leon twitched his hand, and remained relaxed.


    ¡°Mandy, the rumours she spread of you being a slut, they were false, right?¡±


    Mandy leaned her head against his back, and felt his heart beating.


    ¡°Of course they were¡ªbecause I¡¯ve been saving myself¡­ for you.¡±


    Leon slowly clenched his fists, and shut his eyes.


    ¡°Damn¡­ her¡­¡± he muttered.


    Mandy leaned off him, and slowly dragged her arm around him to stand in front of him. Her top unbuttoned, revealing her bra, and her exposed stomach, Leon didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Leon¡­¡±


    She went to grab his hand one last time, and guided him backwards to the bed. She felt the bed behind her legs, and she took her shirt off entirely and reached up to Leon¡¯s neck, wrapping her arms around them. They looked deep into each other''s souls, and with her moaning softly, Leon couldn¡¯t contain himself, and eased his way towards her lips. The two eased into Mandy¡¯s first kiss and the two closed their eyes. The more they kissed, the more intense it grew, and eventually led them to make out. Leon grabbed the back of her hair, and her ass as she grabbed his face, and brought him closer. She took his shirt off, and spun him around, pushing to lay flat on the bed.


    She seductively climbed on top of him, and kissed him one last time before unbuttoning her bra.


    ¡°Leon¡­ I want you to be my first, and only time¡­¡± she said in a sweet gentle tone.


    She unhooked her bra, and tossed it aside. She reached down and the two again locked mouths. Leon grabbed her, and sat up as they were grabbing each other. She unzipped his pants while he grabbed her breasts, pulling it down along with his underwear, fighting her nervous nature.


    Leon noticed her fear, and leaned towards her ear as she began to shake.


    ¡°Share with me the pain¡ªyou¡¯ve endured through the years¡­ Mandy.¡±


    Mandy couldn¡¯t contain herself and let out a tear. Leon eased, carefully inserted himself into her, popping her cherry, which made her cover her mouth as the pain and arousement became overbearing. Once she felt ready, combating the pain, the two moved each other''s hips carefully. But the carefulness couldn¡¯t last, their care, love for one another made them move their hips intensely. Leon thrusted deeper, and Mandy dug her nails onto his back with one hand and slowly uncovered her mouth. Both of her hands dug into his back, and slid them behind his neck, leaning off him, moaning, screaming her pain and love for Leon Bolverkr for the rest of the night.

 Arc 4 Chapter 22: Brewing A Storm

    Early morning, roughly eight o clock. Sarah and Angela had just arrived at the workshop where Herold was supposed to meet them. He was running a little late and the two wondered where he¡¯d be. Angela rubbed her eye, and pulled her phone out, calling her brother who was still asleep the last she saw of him. Sarah was wide awake and felt ready for the new day. Meanwhile, Angela didn¡¯t get too much sleep because of her favorite show airing midnight and taking an hour to complete. She stayed up more to practice drawing despite knowing she¡¯d be here at this hour.


    ¡°Man, I could really go for an espresso.¡± Angela said as she yawned.


    ¡°An expresso? Dang dude, that¡¯s quite the energy drink right there.¡±


    ¡°Really? You don¡¯t drink espressos''?¡±


    Sarah shook her head, ¡°no. I mainly drink my coffee black but I don¡¯t mind added sugars or condiments to suit my drinking needs.¡±


    Angela stretched as the morning sun shone on her face.


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m not a morning person¡­¡± she said while smacking her lips, ¡°and my brother especially is the worst culprit of them all.¡±


    Sarah giggled. ¡°Is he now? I guess it depends on the situation.¡±


    Angela sucked in her lips, and mildly tilted her head.


    ¡°See what I¡¯m saying, you know him pretty well already.¡±


    Sarah flailed her hand at Angela. ¡°Whatever. Alright, where¡¯s this guy at? I don¡¯t have all day. I got to do more training with my dad.¡±


    ¡°Dad? You have one?¡±


    Sarah gasped.


    That¡¯s right, Angela doesn¡¯t know, doesn¡¯t she? Sarah thought.


    ¡°I do. Would you like to see a picture of him?¡±


    Angela walked next to Sarah as she scrolled through her phone.


    ¡°Yes please! I gotta see who carried you in their nutsack.¡±


    ¡°Angela.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Sarah flicked her forehead. Angela pouted and rubbed it.


    ¡°Ow¡­ why¡¯d you attack me, goth girl.¡±


    Sarah pointed at Angela with a still face.


    ¡°Bad girl, bad potty mouth.¡±


    Angela stuck her tongue out. ¡°Whatever, just show me your dad.¡±


    Sarah scrolled through her photos and she happened to find one of him. During a training session she wanted to take a picture of him. He refused at first but after much consideration and begging plea''s, he fell in Sarah¡¯s trap and caved in. He posed for her, one that really showed just how shy he was, but to the girls eyes he was adorable.


    Angela had her mouth opened. ¡°Ooo! He¡¯s a hunk!¡±


    Sarah giggled. ¡°Right? That¡¯s my dad, a tall shy blonde man.¡±


    ¡°What ethnicity?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s german.¡±


    Angela smacked her hands against her face.


    ¡°No way?! That¡¯s wicked! Oh, what does your mom look like?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s grin faded and she cleared her throat, trying to find a picture of her. She found one that really showed her beauty and figure. She was standing beneath their tree, she happened to wear her gothic sundress and hat as she posed for Sarah in an innocent manner.


    Angela¡¯s eyes grew wide, and she pointed back and forth between her and Sarah.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡ªyour mom?!¡±


    Sarah nodded, ¡°yeah, that¡¯s my mom.¡±


    Angela placed her hand on Sarah¡¯s arm.


    ¡°She looks exactly just like you, but with bigger boobs.¡±


    Sarah frowned and furrowed her brows. She chopped Angela¡¯s head which made her grab it, and massage it.


    ¡°Damn it, goth girl.¡±


    ¡°Potty mouth as always. Where¡¯d you learn to speak so vulgarly?¡±


    The two looked at each other and smiled. The two said ¡°Jack,¡± in unison.


    ¡°Back to what I was going to say about your mom, but she¡¯s freaking hot.¡±


    Sarah raised a brow, ¡°wh-what do you mean by that?¡±


    Angela grabbed Sarah¡¯s phone, and zoomed in the picture.


    ¡°What else?! She¡¯s sexy, gorgeous and stunning!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew big themselves. ¡°You do realise you¡¯re technically calling me all that too, right?¡±


    Angela gave her back her phone, and flicked Sarah¡¯s forehead this time.


    ¡°Duh?! Of course you¡¯re freaking hot! Even you realise it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes and turned away.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I thought. The goth girl knows her assets and what spot in the toddom pole of society''s beauty standards she¡¯s placed in.¡±


    Sarah yawned. ¡°And you act like you won¡¯t be in the same league as me when you reach eighteen?¡±


    Angela crossed her arms and thought about it. She quickly concluded and gave a thumbs up, nodding in approval as Sarah rolled her sassy crimson eyes again. After another minute of waiting, Herold had arrived. He took his hat off and saluted them in a very gentleman-like manner.


    ¡°Morning ladies, how did you two sleep?¡±


    ¡°I slept horrible, but I still have leftover capacity from yesterday to function for this morning! Although, I might need something along the way to carry me into the day, hehe!¡±


    Sarah wrapped her tiny arm around Angela¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Do you happen to have any caffeine stuff to get her to function properly? Otherwise we might lose her in an hour if she¡¯s using this much energy at this pace.¡±


    ¡°I do, I do. Would the young lady like some coffee?¡±


    Angela also wrapped her arm around Sarah¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Hmm, do I want to be like this sassy big bottomed goth chick, hmm.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    Angela patted Sarah¡¯s head, and grinned.


    ¡°Sure, why not! Let''s drink some grinded beans and set up your shop!¡±


    ¡°Eh, you¡¯re too excited, and you¡¯re starting to squeeze me.¡±


    ¡°Too late, you¡¯re in my embrace. There''s no escape! Oh, by the way, who knew you¡¯d be this soft.¡±


    ¡°Angela!¡±


    Herold laughed and walked up to his door, unlocking it. He walked in first, turned the lights on and set his coat on a rack near the door. He also took off his top hat and went to the back area. Meanwhile, Angela went to explore more and see what other pieces he had hiding. Sarah stood by and only glanced around, seeing what else stood out for her to observe. Nothing caught her eyes for a while until at the corner of the shop, there was a small wooden statue.


    ¡°Hmm, what could that be?¡± she said.


    She walked to the corner and when she got closer, there were a couple.


    ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t know he made wooden structures too.¡±


    She approached one that caught her eyes. It was that of a woman who looked just like her, but if Sarah had more hair and grew seven inches taller.


    ¡°Damn, he¡¯s talented. I mean, look at these. They¡¯re adorable and so¡ªperfect.¡±


    She reached for the woman''s wooden statue, and was inches from grabbing it until he came out and loudly cleared his throat.


    ¡°Coffee, anyone? Or would you guys also care for some expresso?¡±


    Angela popped out from behind an art stand and pumped one of her fists.


    ¡°Let''s go!¡±


    Sarah giggled, ¡°of course.¡±


    Meanwhile, Jack was on his way to the shop. He scratched an eye and yawned like he never yawned before. He was a street away from where they were and before going, he was hungry, and decided to stop by a nearby gas station. Going up to one, it being rush hour and packed with cars at every pump, Jack made sure to keep an eye out for any cultists that might be lurking in the shadows. Despite military presence at an all time high, he went inside, and the line almost made him walk away but the hot food struck his nose and his stomach replied with a growl. He sighed and went inside. He walked up to the rolling hotdogs and grabbed two, making his own five star dog.


    He took a bite, and felt already satisfied. ¡°Damn, you can¡¯t beat that on an empty stomach.¡±


    He continued eating the one while going for a medium sized cup of coffee. Setting down his food, he accidently bumped into someone.


    ¡°My bad.¡±


    When he glanced to his left, he jumped. They were tall like a giant, and had features similar to the shadowy figure he saw in the crowd.


    ¡°Hello? Are you alright, sir?¡± the stranger said.


    Jack blinked and saw a normal person now.


    ¡°So-Sorry, thought you were someone, my bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. Have a good day.¡±


    They walked away, and Jack¡¯s heart beat grew. He drank his newly poured coffee and rubbed his face.


    ¡°Damn¡­ it¡¯s still bothering me.¡±


    Jack paused and thought of that encounter, and what led up to it afterwards. Alexandria and his death, caused by a giant being with the marking that he can¡¯t make out of.


    ¡°Why¡¯s this bothering me now?¡± He muttered.


    Seeing the steam come out the cup ignited that fiery scene, and the laser pointed in his direction. The glowing red pupils, the mark that shone crimson behind the smoke, he can¡¯t get rid of that image.


    ¡°I wonder if Leon or William can help me to see who that was.¡±


    Thinking again of that monster that took his life and his first friend in the outside world made him almost forget about the cultists and Abyzou.


    ¡°I have to find out just what that thing is. Any clarification will help settle my brain.¡±


    After more self thinking, the young man went to the line to pay for his food. Once that was said and done, he hung outside to eat it and watch the traffic, military parading with its new toys, and of upcoming cars and people going through rush hour. Amongst the traffic, Jack spotted a famaliar black tahoe. He eased his hand into his coat, grabbing his gun, and watching the SUV casually drive off once the light turned green.


    ¡°That¡¯s the third time I¡¯ve seen that car.¡±


    Jack finished eating and drinking his food, and threw it away in a trashcan. He wiped his hands with one last napkin and watched the road again, seeing the black Tahoe go in the direction where his sister and Sarah are currently at. He quickly hurried and ran in a way that only made it seem he was late for a bus. He ran to the destination, and saw the Tahoe driving at the speed limit. He ran through stopped traffic, and crowds of people as he tried his best to keep up with the SUV. He did this until he was finally in close proximity to the shop. The tahoe stopped in front of it, and then floored it. It drove way past the speed limit, and vanished around a corner.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Jack said, panting with his mouth closed. ¡°They have to be affiliated to this bullshit too if they appear again.¡±


    Jack placed his hands on his hips, and waved his head.


    ¡°Getting tired of all this mystery.¡±


    He caught his breath, and coughed once. He then saw Sarah walking out of the shop, and she was glancing around. Jack raised his hand to get her attention, but she was robotic and appeared to be in a catatonic state as her head moved side to side. Jack didn¡¯t like seeing his friend move lifeless to that of a doll, and ran to her. He ran across the street and once he was in plain view for her scanning head to take a glimpse where he¡¯s standing, she had her attention on the other side of the street.


    ¡°Sarah?!¡± Jack shouted.


    She paid no attention to his voice despite being the only person around the small area. Her attention cemented onto the street down below. He growled and went to her. He paused next to her, and tapped her shoulder. She finally reacted and looked at Jack, but her eyes were dulled and emotionless. He gasped and she blinked, snapping her out of her strange state.


    She placed one hand on her head, and squinted an eye.


    ¡°Ah¡­ uh, where¡­? Oh, Jack, you just got here?¡±


    The young man wondered if there was something going on with his close friend. Only one person came to mind if that was the possibility.


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯d you say?¡±


    ¡°Uh, nothing, nothing. What were you doing out here?¡±


    Sarah rubbed her head, and raised her brows, her pupils rolling back as she fought the headache.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t¡ªknow? How did I get outside? Weird. But we were just setting up shop for this afternoon''s grand opening.¡±


    Jack was worried for Sarah. This was the second time she fazed out and went into a doll-like state. Adequately, the young man didn¡¯t want to raise suspicion for now, and thought it¡¯d be best to ask her later at a better time. Right now, today¡¯s a day he wants to be as normal as possible, even though it¡¯s already started off odd.


    Jack grinned and placed his hand on her back.


    ¡°Let''s go inside.¡±


    Sarah continued fighting her migraine but smiled for him. They both walked inside and Jack saw his sister being taught about landscape structure by the shop owner she spoke about last night.


    ¡°Hey, sis, are you having fun?¡±


    Angela turned around and so did Herold. Angela flexed her bicep and went back to drawing and Herold approached the young man.


    ¡°Hello there, you must be Jack, the young lady''s brother.¡±


    ¡°Yup, that¡¯s me. And you must be the weird creep who almost felt aroused kissing my sister''s hand, yeah how you doing.¡±


    Herold squinted an eye, but understood the young man''s reaction.


    ¡°My apology¡¯s. As I said to the young ladies yesterday that it¡¯s a medical condition.¡±


    ¡°Medical condition? For what? Getting turned on by kissing underaged girls? Yeah, that sounds more like pedophlia sir which is a mental illness.¡±


    Angela heard Jack¡¯s insults and couldn¡¯t help but laugh. She stopped drawing and got up from her seat and walked next to Herold. He was about to say something back but hearing his retolt made him actually chuckle.


    ¡°Oh brother, always so serious and protective. But he has tourettes, so take it easy on him. You could relate, right?¡±


    Jack grunted. ¡°What are you trying to imply, Angela?¡±


    Angela swirled her fingers near her head.


    ¡°Your own accusations are your own definitions, Mr. Mental health problems.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ you got me there.¡±


    Sarah butted in, and tapped his arm.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°He may have mental health issues, but he¡¯s starting to improve¡­ a little.¡±


    Everyone laughed besides Jack who replied by smearing his lips and rolling his eyes. After some more joking and questioning, everyone began the preparations of setting up Herold¡¯s workshop. Once they had finished after an hour''s work, it was ready. Jack scanned the area and saw the set up drawing stands, flat tables to do more hands work such as wood carving or sculpting. This made Angela¡¯s eyes sparkle and give herself a pat on the back and Sarah couldn¡¯t help but examine each area. Jack on the other hand felt out of place and unenthusiastic.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the idea behind your place?¡± Jack asked.


    Herold was putting up an open sign in the front seat.


    ¡°Any young driving artist with passion can walk in and create something either by drawing or with the use of their hands to create something marvelous such as wood carverture figures.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay. What¡¯s the rate by hour?¡±


    ¡°Rate? Why would I charge people to see their talent? Everything is free and with a plethora of tools at your disposal, I can¡¯t wait to see what this town has in store.¡±


    Jack smug his lips, and his pupils looked down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, there¡¯s still gotta be something for you to make money.¡±


    ¡°Ha! When you¡¯re rich and retired like me then there¡¯s no need for the use of money. I¡¯ve got plenty to throw around until I die.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t sure about this. There had to be a catch or something else behind this shop of his to the young man¡¯s suspicion. He can¡¯t help but question every newcomer since this world has more to offer than your typical murder mysteries and hidden maniacs.


    ¡°Money ey? Well, I find it odd that someone like yourself would do such a thing. Sorry for being rude, but it just seems odd to me that you suddenly appeared and magically bumped into my sister and friends.¡±


    Herold sighed. ¡°I understand your suspicion, young man. I¡¯d ask the same if I were in your shoes. But really, I do have a lot to offer to the world now that I¡¯m retired.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you do because to be truthful, you don¡¯t look that old to me, bro.¡±


    Herold pulled out some dog tags out of his pocket and shook them.


    ¡°I¡¯m an army veteran who happened to take advantage of the recession and housing market crash back in Obama''s term in office. That is how I got so rich, my friend.¡±


    Jack nodded. ¡°Fuck, I was still a kid around that time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re funny. Anywho, you have every right to act this way towards me, I¡¯m not angry at it. On the contrary, shouldn¡¯t you be in high school or starting college?¡±


    Jack cringed, ¡°you got me there, damn.¡±


    Sarah overheard that, and looked over her shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother asking why. He¡¯s an ex-street criminal.¡±


    ¡°Ex?¡± Jack replied.


    Sarah moved her head forward, all sassy like.


    ¡°Yeah, ex¡ªstreet convict.¡±


    Angela raised her hand and agreed.


    ¡°Yeah! Ex bad man and soon to get his G.E.D!¡± she shouted.


    Jack¡¯s left eye twitched and forced out a chuckle.


    ¡°You guys are killing me here¡­¡±


    Herold placed his hand on the young man¡¯s shoulder and chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay young man. I too was a troublemaker in my past.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, really, but that was before joining the military and afterwards getting my shit put together to get to where I¡¯m at.¡±


    ¡°I-I can still do that? Even if I haven''t been in school since fifth grade?¡±


    Herold reverted backwards and put his hands out.


    ¡°Woah! Who said I never graduated high school?!¡±


    Everyone laughed and Jack¡¯s face went blank and dead as they continued laughing at his life choices. Angela understood why he went down the road he chose, and as well as Sarah, but Herold didn¡¯t. After some more mockery and laughter, some local people came inside and Herold had his first set of customers. He introduced himself, showed them around and right away, they jumped right into wherever their desires took them. Some pulled out their phones and started taking pic¡¯s, selfies, and posing for their social media. One person, a young man like Jack¡¯s age, had a big influence and before Herold knew it, more people began showing up. The influencer posed, walked around, showing his audience what new local talent seeking agency had popped up, but as he panned his camera around, he spotted both Angela, and Sarah.


    He approached Angela first, and tapped her shoulder to get her attention as she kept drawing despite the growing commotion.


    ¡°Ey! Uh, don¡¯t mean to bother you, but what are you drawing there? I wanna show my audience your work because damn! This is awesome!¡±


    Angela turned around, and immediately his audience in the chat went crazy. They spammed hearts, smiling emojis'' and other ones. He too was caught by surprise as to how adorable yet beautiful she was. He grew a little nervous but kept it cool for his audience. He can tell she¡¯s not of age and told them that she¡¯s off limits. She gave him a blank stare with her deep blue eyes and her pupils looked side to side, showing her impatience.


    ¡°My bad, uh, what¡¯s your name and can I say your fashion choice is dope as hell!¡±


    Angela tapped her pencil against her chin, ¡°Angela, and thanks. Now, you mind leaving me alone so I can go back to drawing?¡±


    His chat went even more crazy over her reaction and expressed their love for her. He respected her wish and left her alone. He kept his exploration until his eyes were captivated by Sarah who was standing close to those wooden statues again. Just the side view of her alone made his heart race and swallow. He went to her and cleared his throat. She heard him and turned to where he stood with his phone in hand. His eyes grew wide as her gorgeous crimson eyes laid on him. His chat couldn¡¯t contain themselves and threw up so many comments and perverted emojis'' he had to disable them momentarily.


    ¡°Uh, uh, uh¡­ hi!¡±


    Sarah raised a brow, and crossed her arms. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Her soft, cold tone added more to her mysterious nature and gothic persona.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a influencer and I¡¯m just showing my aud¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop. no more, move on.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be close to the types of people who are cemented to your artificial fame and attention seeking personas. Have a good day, and beat it.¡±


    He turned white, and felt his soul leave his body. He bent forward and walked away in shame. Another person walked up to Sarah, a black young woman around her age with curly hair and sharing a similar outfit choice to Sarah approached her.


    ¡°Hey, you new around here?¡±


    Sarah looked over to her left and saw the average heighted black woman.


    ¡°No, who are you?¡±


    She grinned and bounced a brow.


    ¡°And you''re sassy too? Wow, you¡¯re like the whole package.¡±


    Sarah raised more of her brow, and blinked rapidly.


    ¡°Woah, what are you? Lesbo?¡±


    She giggled and covered her mouth. Sarah gapped her mouth mildly and placed one hand on her hip.


    ¡°No! Say, the guy you just gave the cold shoulder to, he¡¯s not a bad guy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he isn¡¯t. I just don¡¯t like social media influencers. And I don¡¯t like being on camera too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, understandable. My name¡¯s Destiny, nice to meet you, what¡¯s yours?¡±


    Sarah grinned. ¡°Sarah, Sarah bolverkr.¡±


    ¡°Bol what? Damn, you¡¯re full of mystery and shit. Really cool to meet another goth in this shitty city.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is, isn''t it? So, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, thought I¡¯d introduce myself and I was hoping we could be friends. What do you say? Two gorgeous goth girls being friends should be complimentary right?¡±


    Sarah lightly chuckled. ¡°Flattery will get you somewhere. Sure, but I should warn you that I¡¯m not normal.¡±


    Destiny smiled and put her hand on Sarah¡¯s tiny shoulder.


    ¡°Honey, I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s no such thing as a normal goth!¡±


    The two girls giggled and Jack showed up from the side, wondering who Sarah¡¯s conversing with.


    ¡°Yo, who¡¯s this?¡± he asked.


    Destiny panned her full attention to Jack, and immediately liked what she saw. She bit her lip, and twirled a curl.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡± she asked as she scanned Jack¡¯s appearance.


    Sarah smacked Jack¡¯s abs, and he grabbed her wrist.


    ¡°What? Why are you grabbing me, sir Jack?¡±


    Jack tilted his head, and chopped her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of your abuse, sassy Sarah.¡±


    Destiny grabbed Jack¡¯s hand, and felt their rough nature.


    ¡°Damn, and he¡¯s got tough hands too? Who is he? Is he your man, Sarah?¡±


    Sarah shook her head. ¡°No, he¡¯s¡ª¡±


    ¡°Single? Word!¡±


    Jack laughed. ¡°I like your cute new friend here.¡±


    She blushed and smacked his arm. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t know how to react to this. A part of her didn¡¯t care, but another part felt some sort of¡ªenvy.


    ¡°Jack, I think we should¡ª¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Destiny? And you''re Jack right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s me. Did you come here for today''s grand opening?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I was just wandering around and wanted to make new friends and look what I bumped into. Another goth like me, and a sexy ass man like yourself!¡±


    Jack grew comfortable and smiled. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re sweet. But I¡¯m not that handsome.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about?! You must be trippin ''if you think that way!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s heart beat grew, and she felt something surging inside of her. Seeing Jack and Destiny grow this comfortable and getting to know each other this fast made that envy side grow more.


    She grabbed Jack¡¯s arm to get his attention.


    ¡°Jack¡­ maybe we should¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hold that thought Sarah. So you¡¯re goth like my friend here?¡±


    ¡°Fr-friend?¡± she murmured.


    Destiny giggled. ¡°Yeah. but you know some people think black girls can¡¯t be goth.¡±


    Jack grabbed her hand. ¡°Nonsense, I think you look damn good. Kinda like her.¡±


    Destiny covered her face and Sarah¡¯s eyes twitched. Watching them more, their friendliness progressively growing, it sparked that envy more, to the point it wanted to burst out. She phased out of consciousness, and heard her mother¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her steal him from¡ªus. He¡¯s what you''re seeking, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Sarah moaned, and her eyes went lifeless.


    ¡°There¡¯s no feeling worse than envy, especially if it¡¯s driven by the emotion of love. Let it drive, spark your growing desire.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s fingers lightly twitched, and she was eager to raise it, and point her palm at Destiny.


    ¡°Remember, my envy was driven for you, but yours¡­ is a new drive that enhances, and sparks a feeling I wished to bear. I may understand it soon, but you will also fall into the curse of what made¡ªyou!¡±


    Sarah knit her brows, and Herold immediately turned to where they were standing and could sense the same soul that almost took his life and worship. He gasped and tried to run to where they¡¯re at, but someone else beat it to him.


    ¡°What is she¡­ doing here?¡± Herold muttered.


    ¡°Love is a horrible yet beautiful thing. We want it more than anything, but yours is for a different reason and growing. Soon, it¡¯ll turn us back to what I originally was¡­ the embarkment¡ªof envy.¡±


    A small spark ignited in her right palm, and she began raising it.


    ¡°Because in the end¡­ we are¡ªone.¡± The two said in unison.


    When she was just halfway up, someone grabbed Jack¡¯s arm, which snapped Sarah out of her doll-like state.


    ¡°Woah, who just grabbed me?¡±


    It was Linnea, and she looked serious. ¡°Jack, we gotta talk.¡±


    Destiny stepped back. ¡°Damn, you¡¯re popular aren¡¯t you?! You¡¯re not some fuck boy are you?¡±


    Jack tilted his head, ¡°what¡¯s that?¡±


    Despite Linnea being serious, she couldn¡¯t help but be breathless and shake her head. Destiny laughed and walked up to Sarah who was grabbing her head and seemed dazed.


    ¡°Hey, can I get your number?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes swirled and she tried coming back to her senses.


    ¡°Uh¡­ sur-sure.¡±


    Sarah reached for her phone and handed it over to Destiny. She grabbed it and placed her contacts in it, sending the first text.


    ¡°Let''s hang out sometime.¡±


    She handed back her phone, and as she walked away, she caressed Jack¡¯s arm and winked at him.


    ¡°See you around, fuck boy.¡±


    Jack squinted half his face. ¡°What the hell does that mean?!¡±


    She giggled and walked away. Now that the three were alone, Linnea can talk to him about what she wanted to discuss.


    ¡°Let''s go somewhere private, and bring her too.¡±


    ¡°Alright. But I gotta drop my sister off at home before we can talk. You got something?¡±


    Linnea nodded. ¡°Yeah, I got some things to get off my chest and clear the air. Then we can discuss the plans of those freaks.¡±


    Jack agreed and Sarah was still catching her senses. He walked to where Angela was at and tapped her head.


    ¡°Sis, we gotta go.¡±


    ¡°Awww¡­ now? But I¡¯m almost done!¡±


    ¡°Take the picture with you then. I gotta do business sis.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, alright. Give me a second.¡±


    As Angela was carefully preparing to rip the paper off the stand, Herold showed up and placed his hand on it.


    ¡°Are you guys leaving?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we are. Now let her continue.¡±


    ¡°She can leave it if she wants and come back tomorrow. Perhaps she can work part time here for the time being?¡±


    ¡°Ey, slow down there, my guy. That ain¡¯t happening.¡±


    Angela groaned. ¡°AW! Please?! It¡¯ll benefit my boredom and entertain my artistic virtues.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that. You got to do school work.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s online! Since a certain someone still doesn¡¯t want me to go public until I reach my senior year! Which I happen to be a grade ahead of so that''ll be next year.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­ you¡¯re that far ahead already?¡±


    Angela shot her head forward as she stood.


    ¡°Duh! When you¡¯re at home all the time and hardly go out, you go through online school pretty quickly, bro.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Angela collapsed her hands together and shot them at his chest.


    ¡°Please! It¡¯ll be my first world experience besides going out with you guys!¡±


    Jack¡¯s face went still.


    She¡¯s definitely different than she was originally. She¡¯s not only more social but she doesn¡¯t suffer from any type of distrust, people, or any type of ptsd anxiety. I wonder how much she¡¯s grown and developed here than originally in the correct flow of time. Jack thought.


    He raised his finger, ¡°you can work part time from noon to five, but only three times a week. End of deal, no bargain.¡±


    Angela fist thrusted both of her arms, and then one to the air.


    ¡°Oh yeah! My first actual job as a young teen!¡±


    Herold also raised a finger. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then it¡¯ll be the weekends only.¡±


    Jack agreed and nodded. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t argue back and grabbed her brother''s arm, dragging him.


    ¡°Alright, take me back home so I can watch my upcoming anime!¡±


    Sarah and Linnea soon joined them, and Angela stopped, and brought her eyes to the tall blonde woman.


    ¡°Who in the heck¡ªare you?¡±


    Linnea grinned, ¡°just an old friend.¡±


    Angela squinted her eyes, ¡°Jack¡­ you¡¯re getting too popular with blondes.¡±


    ¡°Gegh, you called me by my name again.¡±


    Angela grabbed his hand tightly, ¡°keep this up and you¡¯re no longer going to be with me, J-a-c-k!¡±


    Jack grunted and everyone else chuckled besides Sarah who was still lost. She remained loopy and did her best to comprehend what happened in the past five minutes but the last thing she could remember was her growing jealousy of the new friend she made today. She watched them laugh and Jack looked annoyed as usual. She gasped quietly and her vision narrowed, tunneling only to focus on him as her eyes again went blank.


    ¡°Your interest¡­ is finally showing, my adoring, Sarah.¡± she murmured with the voice of her mother.


    ***


    Inside the hotel room that Mandy was staying at, the two ex-interest lovers were just waking up. Mandy had her arm around Leon¡¯s chest and he was rubbing her head as the two were quiet and awake. The sun shining through the curtains, their soft subtle grins showing, the two basked in the moment as they had a night Mandy will never forget. They were completely nude beneath the bed covers and she rubbed his chest that was slightly hairy but in a way that most women would want in a man. Her eyes shook in enjoyment and she nudged her head against his chest, rubbing it. He kissed her head, and continued playing with her hair as the afternoon sun kept shining brighter.


    ¡°I wonder how long the sun¡¯s been out?¡± Leon said.


    Mandy raised her head, and crept to his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Want to have a walk and find out?¡±


    ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t know about that sweetheart.¡±


    Mandy smiled and got on top of him. The bed cover fell off behind her and he got to see the full extent of her breasts. She rotated her head to the side to give him a sexual side eye.


    ¡°Perhaps an afternoon quickie can get you up out of this bed?¡±


    Leon rubbed his face, ¡°fuck¡­ after last night I thought I was drained out. But, a quickie wouldn¡¯t hurt my nutsack.¡±


    The two engaged into another sex session that lasted thirty minutes before they both were satisfied. When they got everything out of their system, they began to dress up but seeing her full nude figure again almost broke Leon into another cycle of heat, but he resisted and cooled down. Once he was fully dressed, she was close to putting on just her underwear until she wanted to take a shower. She walked into the bathroom and took one while Leon waited in silence. He took a sigh and gazed around, and saw her coat on the floor. He went to pick it up and felt that it had some weight. He dug inside and pulled out her pistol gripped shotgun which made him nod in approval.


    ¡°Gun nut, is she? I wonder when that happened?¡±


    He carried the weapon to the bed, and pumped it, and a shell ejected out. He went to grab it and felt the mana inside of it. His touch alone ignited it and made it glow from blue to purple.


    ¡°You crazy nutcase, you actually managed to transfer mana into weapons besides typical bows, swords, and other melees? Wow, she sure has come a long way since the academy.¡±


    He analyzed the gun, and felt the mana surging through it, which made him smile.


    ¡°I guess this happens when you¡¯re such a loner. I can relate to that.¡±


    Her phone then rang, and he went to grab it from the stand on her bedside. He saw that it was Linnea and decided to answer it for her.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Linnea was sitting at a bench table with Sarah and Jack. Jack had his back turned and watched the families in front of them while Sarah was too busy massaging her head.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mandy? Who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Leon.¡±


    Linnea¡¯s eyes went wide, but she looked genuinely surprised in a happy way.


    ¡°Oh, uh, where¡¯s Mandy?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s taking a shower. What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Damn, uh, could you tell her to meet me at the park in uh¡­¡±


    She covered her phone, and hissed at Jack.


    ¡°Hey, Jack, where are we again?¡±


    Jack leaned his head back, ¡°Birmingham.¡±


    ¡°At Birmingham park,¡± she said to Leon.


    Leon grabbed his chin, ¡°alright, and for?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking a bit too much Leon, no offense.¡±


    ¡°No offense, ey?¡±


    He lay back on the bed and knit his brows.


    ¡°Well given the fact that you¡¯re with Jack, I don¡¯t suppose my adoring daughter is also present.¡±


    Linnea crushed her eyes, and forcefully chuckled.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah¡­¡±


    He sighed, ¡°whatever it is, you better not put her in any danger. Remember what I told you and Mandy.¡±


    ¡°Ye-Yeah, I know¡­¡±


    ¡°Well I say it¡¯s perfect timing. I gotta talk to her before she leaves. I have to make sure I trust you two from here on out. I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re after my wife, so long as you don¡¯t dare lay a finger on Sarah, then you two have my good side, for now.¡±


    Linnea brushed her forehead. ¡°Trust me, today''s talk is not only about our common foe, but I¡¯m also about to tell them the truth.¡±


    Leon sat up, ¡°that¡¯s good. I¡¯ll have her call you back after we both finish our part of the conversation.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait, before you hang up¡ªdid you two?¡±


    ¡°Goodbye Linnea.¡±


    Leon hung up and placed her phone back where it was. The bathroom door opened and she was in her underwear with her hair mildly wet. Leon looked away to not get aroused and let her finish dressing up. When she was fully clothed, she barely noticed that her shotgun was placed beside him. She smiled and went to where he was sitting, grabbing the gun and sitting next to Leon.


    ¡°I guess you found out my little secret, Bolverkr the destroyer.¡±


    Leon can smell her new scent and perfume that sent all the wrong signals but fought his dog-like nature.


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯m surprised actually.¡±


    She put the gun on her lap, and brushed her hair with her fingers.


    ¡°Surprised about what?¡±


    Her adoring smile and cute tone, Leon couldn¡¯t resist and put his arm around her shoulders.


    ¡°Surprised about the fact that Ms. Mandy here has mastered the craft of utilising her mana with her arsenal. That is what I¡¯m surprised about.¡±


    Mandy fluttered her eyelashes and rubbed her shotgun.


    ¡°Of course I did. I learnt from the best.¡± she said as her gaze went up towards him.


    Her open mouth smile, her clear white teeth, Leon kissed her and she welcomed it with her tongue. They let off and Leon got up, and faced her.


    ¡°Mandy, I gotta tell you something, and you gotta promise me too.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s smile faded and she put her gun to the side, standing up too.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Leon grew serious, and went over to the curtains, allowing the sunshine to beam in the room.


    ¡°I know my daughter reminds you of how Samantha use to look like, but¡ª¡±


    Used to? Does this mean she¡¯s changed her appearance ever since her transformation to Abyzou? Mandy thought.


    ¡°But if you two are really going to be around those two. My statement still stands that I don¡¯t want any of you around there close friends or relatives. The two of you, especially you Mandy, I need you to protect my daughter too.¡±


    Mandy wasn¡¯t too keen on the idea of protecting someone that looked like the embodiment of everything that she hated, but to win over Leon¡¯s trust, she¡¯s willing to put her vigilantism aside.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, then I¡¯m fine with it. But I can¡¯t promise to not be as friendly as you think I¡¯d be.¡±


    Leon grinned as he watched the nice day being showcased to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not expecting you to. As long as you don¡¯t put your hands on her, then I don¡¯t care how cold you treat her. Action speaks louder than words.¡±


    Mandy got up and went behind Leon, wrapping her arms around him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree to it, if we can be lovers from here on out.¡±


    Leon scrapped her to his side, and put his arm around her waist. The two watched the beautiful day in full display.


    ¡°I¡¯d want nothing more than for us to be lovers right now. But I think you should get going because Linnea called you when you were showering.¡±


    Mandy leaned her head against his chest.


    ¡°She can wait, I just want us to enjoy the view and to spend more time together.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do that many more times. You have a friend waiting, go you sexy lady.¡±


    Mandy pouted, and gently smashed a fist against his chest.


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡±


    The two decided to go their separate ways after another warming embrace. Leon walked away and Mandy went to her rental. She got in and dialed for Linnea.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, you called?¡±


    ¡°Finally, you call back. But before I tell you what¡¯s going on¡ªdid you finally do it?¡±


    Mandy covered her face, and smiled.


    ¡°Linnea!¡±


    ¡°Haha, you sound like you¡¯re eighteen again. Congratulations on joining womanhood.¡±


    ¡°Oh shut up! Just say what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Bring your ass to Birmingham. We gotta tell the two younglings the truth, the jig is up.¡±


    Mandy lay back and wiggled her lips.


    ¡°What about that wretched Exorcist?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with him later. But our main objective is still in fruition. Abyzou will be found whether Leon helps us or not, and when we do, she¡¯s dead.¡±


    Mandy smiled. ¡°So revenge is still up in the air. I¡¯m guessing as long as we don¡¯t use the two that we were initially trying to do then we have my babe¡¯s trust.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, you¡¯re already clinged onto him? Damn he must be that good.¡±


    Mandy blushed and hung up. She turned the car on and drove to Birmingham. It took her forty minutes to get there but she arrived and parallel parked. She got out and went to the entrance, and immediately saw the three seated and conversing. She quickly walked over to their bench, and before sitting, she saw Sarah¡¯s backside, and paused. She can¡¯t help but clench a fist, being reminded of the wretched witch who mocked her existence.


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you, no matter the odds, Samantha, Abyzou, whatever you are.¡±


    Mandy proceeded forward and sat next to Linnea. Jack put his hands on the table and Sarah was looking away to the right for some reason. Jack tapped her shoulder but she had her attention to the two couples near the fountain to the right of them.


    ¡°What¡¯s with her?¡± Mandy asked.


    Jack shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s been acting weird since this morning.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Now mandy, let¡¯s not raise any suspicion and discuss as to why we have these two gathered today.¡±


    Mandy kept her eyes on Sarah, and remembered Leon¡¯s words. She closed them temporarily until she was ready to speak.


    ¡°Jack, Mandy and I are researchers, that is true, but there¡¯s also another reason as to why we¡¯ve travelled halfway across the world to get to this specific state.¡±


    Jack tapped the desk, and forcefully grinned.


    ¡°Mm, so you lied to me?¡±


    Mandy nodded. ¡°Yeah, but for good reason.¡±


    ¡°And the reason being¡ªwhy?¡±


    Linnea grabbed Mandy¡¯s shoulder, ¡°trust us, it was for good reason. To get straight to the point¡­ your friend there, Sarah, her mother is¡ª¡±


    ¡°An insufferable, miserable, self centered, jealous bitch of a monster.¡± Mandy said with a still face.


    ¡°Mandy, relax,¡± Linnea said as she smacked her arm.


    Jack tilted his head and had both brows furrowed.


    ¡°Wait wait wait, you mean to tell me, you two are also here to find her mother?¡±


    Mandy nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Jack deeply sighed and tapped the table more.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known. But I can¡¯t blame you for thinking that way of her mother since I¡¯ve also met her and experienced first hand what type of person she is.¡±


    Linnea grabbed Jack¡¯s hand, ¡°please understand our objective. We weren¡¯t trying to use you to get to her, but I can¡¯t really say the same for your friend here since she¡¯s the daughter of the woman we want to find.¡±


    Jack dragged one hand on his face, ¡°why is that no matter where my journey takes me, whether it''s me, my sister, there¡¯s always people going after someone I care about just to get to an objective.¡±


    Like Mallory¡­ Jack thought.


    ¡°And now it¡¯s her mother. It-It¡¯s frustrating because I¡¯ve done nothing but run, and try to make my life as simple as I want it, but people like you just show up and make it more complicated.¡±


    ¡°Jack, I know it¡¯s annoying to deal with these types of circumstances when you yourself aren¡¯t properly introuduced to this type of life¡ªbut do understand that this isn¡¯t your fault. You just happened to be friends with someone tied to a devil.¡±


    Jack retracted his hand, and wasn¡¯t pleased hearing that.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ this is her fault?¡±


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s not hers either.¡±


    ¡°Then what are you trying to say? Because no matter how any of you look at it, it still falls under my fault. If you know what I¡¯ve been through then you¡¯ll agree on why it is my fault.¡±


    Mandy smacked her hand on the table.


    ¡°Listen, young man. We mean no harm, but please answer this and we¡¯ll come off cleaner than you¡¯d expect it.¡±


    She placed her other hand on the table, and leaned over the table towards Jack.


    ¡°Was it Samantha¡ªdid you meet? Or Abyzou?¡±


    Jack knit his brows. ¡°Samantha, but I was hinted at her being this Abyzou woman too.¡±


    Mandy leaned back and shook her head.


    ¡°I knew it¡­¡±


    Linnea also smacked her fist on the table.


    ¡°So it is the truth, they¡¯re both the same person.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that? What¡¯s going on?¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Look, we¡¯re both here to find out the truth behind her mother, Mandy and I¡ª¡±


    Sarah¡¯s ear twitched, and she clenched her skirt.


    ¡°We¡¯re not only after her, but we¡¯re also here to enact our revenge. Isn¡¯t that right, Mandy?¡±


    Again, Sarah¡¯s body reacted, and her head tilted down.


    ¡°Yes. That woman has caused nothing but harm to not only the two of us, but to many and especially, the rest of the world.¡± Mandy said.


    Jack was trying to bring everything together, and if his street senses taught him one thing about revenge, then it¡¯d be¡ª


    ¡°You want to kill her mother?¡± he said in a serious tone.


    Linnea nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Mandy grinned and raised a brow.


    ¡°You¡¯re quick. And it¡¯s okay, we have her father¡¯s approval.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s ear twitched again. Her head began to rise straight, the park grew heavy with some odd atmopshereic pressure. Gusts of wind came out of the bloom, blowing leaves rapantly around the area. Nearby goers wondered if a sudden storm was coming. Everything went still, silent as Sarah could be seen moving her head. Mandy¡¯s entire demenour vanished into complete shock and fear once she felt something she hadn¡¯t felt since the acedemy began to emit out of Sarah. Linnea as well can sense something diabolical coming from Sarah and Jack wondered what they were doing. To his eyes they looked like they were spooked out of their minds. Linnea panicked and carefully tucked her hand into her coat pocket where her handgun was at.


    ¡°You guys alright?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No¡­ no.¡± Linnea murmured.


    Mandy had completely paused as she watched Sarah slowly begin to shift her head towards them.


    Sarah¡¯s head eerily shifted in a slow pace, it sent shivers down the two¡¯s spines. Clouds rapidly coursed through the skies from the horizons, everyone¡¯s hair began to be blown from the growing intensity of nature¡¯s breath. The edge of her face began to appear while her hair fluttered across her face, her crimson eye¡¯s had a faint glow, and the more she turned to them, the more her sideview became focused on Mandy. Mandy loudly gasped, and her hair began to float stiff as her eyes quaked in utter fear. Sarah¡¯s face was turnt to Mandy, her eyes locked onto her shivering blue eyes, a soft subtle smile emerged beneath her bellowing hair as Sarah¡¯s lips began to open and spoke in the voice that not only haunted both women¡¯s dreams for decades, but had to others.


    ¡°Found¡­ you¡­¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 23: Cause & Affect

    Ever since I was a child, seeing parents blooming with their newborns and other families grow with their children always made me smile. Whether it¡¯d be sitting alone on a park bench, being supervised by higher ups who were hired to watch me from a supposed father I never met, to eating in an establishment with other fostered children belonging to the culture of Witchcraft that I watched every personified pursuit of happiness. Seeing fathers cater to their daughters, act weak towards them, belittle but make a future man for their sons, mothers catering to their sons, and acting just as sweet to their daughters always made me happy. Seeing that every day, drove me into a new desire, and gave me a new dream I hoped to accomplish. Yet one day, I found out cold heartedly that I would never accomplish this dream.


    I overheard all the higher ups shout, and scold a woman who wanted to permit herself to a lover and bear a child but keep the title of Witch. They unfortunately told her dead on that her dream would never come true since she¡¯s been stripped of her ovaries, like the rest of us. I only happened to overhear this when I was walking by the office, and peaked in to see her dead blanched expression. They carried her out, and she walked away all zombie-like. When I heard that, I couldn¡¯t help but feel angry and find it untrue. Later that night, she had taken her life, shooting herself in the head, and her supposed lover did the same. How did the rest find out? Because it was I who found their bodies in their room, and my reaction to seeing it was sad. Not from the gruesome scene that would scar any child that age, but because it felt similar to the story of Romeo and Juliet, but this story ended in a suicide because both wanted to create the most precious thing in this world¡ªanother life.


    To help cope with seeing that tragedy, I decided to take deeper sleep, seeing if I can predict another prophecy, but this time, one that would achieve my dream. When I did, I was ecstatic, and in that afternoon, I happened to draw my future family, the one I envisioned. The higher ups loved seeing what I drew because they knew what astounding potential I had. My powers, my spells, my mana, my soul alone as I grew older was worth more than the most precious diamond in the world. As I drew the vision I had, one of the higher ups, a woman aka nanny around her thirties, grabbed the paper out of my hands as I held it up to my bedroom window to express my greatest artistic asset, only to have her ground her teeth and stomp away with it. I was left confused and wondered why she took my precious drawing away, it was a new feeling I hadn¡¯t experienced since I wasn¡¯t a very social child. So, I followed her without her acknowledgement. She barged into the office of the foster owners, and shouted, showing them my new vision that they couldn¡¯t believe, but didn¡¯t doubt.


    ¡°What do you mean?! I thought women in Witchcraft can¡¯t bear children! What is this blasphemous drawing she has created?!¡±


    The foster owner, a tall brown haired man, his outfit befitting for someone with elegance and prestige collapsed his hands together as he expressed a glint towards the rude nanny.


    ¡°Are you doubting this fine piece that she has created?¡±


    She barked down, and took a cowardly stance.


    ¡°No no¡­ it¡¯s just, I thought it was deemed impossible given our cultural practices.¡±


    He got up and grabbed the paper out of her hands.


    ¡°To you and the rest of Witchcraft society. But she has proven herself to be more than just another spawn, but more of a prophet than anything else.¡±


    I eased in, peaking through the gap of the door, and continued hearing their conversation.


    ¡°Abyzou¡­ that girl will one day become not only the prophet given to her by name, but become greater than anything else this world has yet to see!¡±


    The nanny bowed and put her arms to the sides.


    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m sorry for ever doubting her abilities.¡±


    ¡°And you should.¡± he said in a menacing tone.


    He saw my tiny red eyes creeping through the gap of the door, and he approached it. He opened it and my twelve year old self was nowhere near intimidated by his emcualant menacing statute. Instead it only made me move my head to the side to see where my paper was at. He turned and saw my eyes on that drawing I became cherished by. He raised his brows, expressed a grin, and nodded to me. As the nanny was still in a bowing state, he pulled an ink pen out of his upper coat pocket, and pulled the woman''s hair back, gashing her neck. It made my eyes bounce and grow wide for a second, but ultimately, I felt no remorse for the woman, I just wanted my drawing back.


    ¡°Shh, it¡¯s almost over.¡± he said as he held her neck wide open, letting the blood gush everywhere.


    He pulled the ink pen out, and then dropped her body forward once he knew her life was completely drained. I watched and quickly walked over her body to get to my drawing. I grabbed it, and held it up his only window with the sun shining. Seeing the picture intact and its glorious display made me smile and hug the drawing. He smiled too, and put the ink pen to a pool of blood so he could suck some in. Afterwards, he approached behind me, placed his hand on my small shoulder, and handed the bloody pen to me. I gazed at the crimson stained pen glistening beneath the shining sunlight, and brought my gaze up to his smiling face. I grinned and grabbed it, and immediately added more to my drawing, colouring my daughter''s eyes crimson like mine, and painting the moon in red.


    ¡°You are indeed a wonderful child. To think your stupid father would ever abdomen such a magnificent being.¡± he said while hovering his head over my shoulder.


    I kept colouring, and I replied with words that motivated him till the day we took our separate ways.


    ¡°If you ever did find him, please be sure to print this image of me¡ªand ensure that he meets a death greater than abdomenment.¡± Samantha said.


    My tone, my demeanor made him flustered, and grew proud of an actual father to a daughter.


    ¡°If you do, then I¡¯ll promise to go to that acedemy you oh so wanted me to attend.¡±


    He hugged me from behind, and vowed to ensure the promise I¡¯ve bestowed upon him. Tears came down his face, and onto my shoulder as I kept drawing my desired dream, and that was for this family to be born. Once the drawing was complete, I fell in love with it, and could see the man whom I¡¯ll procreate life with, a tall handsome man with a shy demeanor but with the expression of toughness, manliness. My daughter looks like me, and I wondered why she did until the day came when I did create her.


    There¡¯s so much to tell, so much to show on how I managed to achieve this dream, but right now¡­ there¡¯s something getting in the way, and ruining it. And I will not standby, and watch any longer.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not going to let¡ªsome dumbfounded blonde slut take that away from me.¡± Samantha said, her voice echoing, fading away in Sarah¡¯s subconscious.


    Sarah was coming back into consciousness. Her head was aching just as worse than before. Her vision was fogged, her hearing was ringing, she couldn''t tell what¡¯s going on. She slowly gazed around as her hearing was coming back to her, unmuffling, and undistorting. Blinking multiple times to defog her vision, she blinked rapidly and gazed to her left, and saw something aiming between her eyes. She rubbed an eye, and her vision began to un-fog, showing clearly now that the barrel of a shotgun was aimed between her eyes. Her hearing became clear, and she heard grunting, growling, a struggle of some sort, and shouting.


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡¯s¡ªgoing on?¡± she said.


    Jack shouted as he was slammed against the table with one arm put behind his back.


    ¡°Sarah!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Jack?¡± she muttered.


    When her vision became one hundred percent, she saw Mandy¡¯s shotgun and growling face aimed at her. Her eyes glinting, her teeth showing, she was centimeters away from pulling the trigger, but Linnea had her right arm held away from the pump of the gun. She also had Jack pinned and tried her best to keep him down, but he was growing more inconsistent, forcing her to almost let go of Mandy.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes shook as she stared down the barrel of the gun.


    ¡°W-Why?¡± she said.


    Mandy pulled her arm away from Linnea, and pumped the shotgun.


    ¡°Abyzou! You¡¯re mine!¡±


    ¡°Sarah, RUN!¡± Jack yelled.


    Sarah loudly gasped and fell off the bench at perfect timing as Mandy shot the gun. The explosion caused a mass panic, her pellets penetrated the ground, and scrapped the earth. Sarah rolled and quickly got on her feet, and began to run on foot. Mandy again pumped the shotgun, this time a mana shell went into the chamber. Linnea saw and tried reaching for her friend.


    ¡°Mandy no!¡±


    Mandy lunged over the table and pursued after Sarah on foot.


    Jack slammed his palm against the table.


    ¡°You¡­ won¡¯t kill her! I promised her father!¡±  he growled.


    Linnea frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t me-mean for this to happen.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t?! Th-then wha¡­t¡ªwas that? Fuck you¡¯re using mana against me aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack was starting to overpower her, but she enhanced her strength and kept him held down.


    ¡°This is a total misrepresentation!¡±


    ¡°Misrepresentation?! My¡ªfucking ass!¡±


    Jack managed to slip off her grip, and fell off the table. He tripped his way back on his feet, and chased after his friend who was being hunted down before his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and stop me!¡±


    Linnea ran after him, but to not apprehend him rather run beside him.


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m sorry! Really, I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d react that way.¡±


    ¡°Then why did she? Why¡¯d you stop me from preventing her from almost blowing my close friend''s head off!¡±


    ¡°Listen, if you felt what we felt in that moment when Sarah laid her eyes on us¡­ then you¡¯d understand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, it doesn¡¯t justify her action. We¡¯re stopping her and you two are telling me what ya sensed, got it?¡±


    Linnea grinned, and the two continued as they saw the two girls starting to grow their distance.


    ¡°We have to hurry.¡± Linnea said.


    Sarah hopped over the hood of a car, and slid behind. Mandy jumped over a car, and aimed where she was hiding. People pointed, screamed, and military men who were patrolling were alerted to her presence. They radioed of a new supernatural person hopping over cars. Immediately they took action and sent the new vehicles to the area. Mandy paid no mind to them as her eyes were locked onto the panicked goth girl. Sarah continued her run until she was in the middle of an open four way road.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Sarah thrusted her foot forward, slid, and turned round to Mandy who was aiming her shotgun in her direction. Her shotgun began to glow, and the barrel started to glow red hot. Sarah ground her teeth, and once she stopped skidding, she simultaneously placed the tips of her fingers on the pavement.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m done running and not being able to take action!¡± she growled.


    Sarah placed her palms on the road, and in a marathon runner pose, she stretched her arms out to the sides. Mandy gasped and watched their world transform. Once the military arrived, they had vanished out of thin air. Linnea and Jack also arrived and wondered where they went.


    ¡°Fuck, they¡¯re gone! What happened?¡± Jack said.


    Linnea kept calm, and glanced around.


    ¡°They¡¯re outside our dimension. Hurry, we have to find the gatepath to your friend''s mind.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, that dream world crap.¡± Jack said.


    Inside Sarah¡¯s peaceful nature type dreamworld, Mandy with her shotgun still aimed forward gazed around at the beauty that was Sarah¡¯s mind. It trickled a gasp beneath her breath, and gave her the shivers. She never imagined someone like her to have such an adoring mindset. Sarah eerily stood straight, and loosely took a step forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of not being able to do anything but be told to sit aside!¡±


    Mandy brought her attention back to Sarah, and mildly dropped her gun. She could see her annoyance, her posture telling her that she¡¯s had enough of being told to stand back and be a damsel in distress. She could relate to her, but at the moment, her anger was still blinding her.


    Sarah brought one of her hands towards the side of her face.


    ¡°If you¡¯re also after my family, whatever the cause maybe, whether that be hurting my father, me, or my mother¡ª!¡±


    She closed her eyes, and clenched her fist. She took a deep breath, and reopened them to show her battle hungry pupils.


    ¡°Then allow me to be the first to stand in your way!¡± Sarah exclaimed, grounding her teeth.


    Mandy gasped again, and completely lowered her shotgun. She was in disbelief and never thought she would hear worlds of unity coming from someone who¡¯s a complete replica of everything that she loathed. After some intense silence, Mandy also shut her eyes, and lightly nodded. She quickly took aim, and again, her shotgun glowed. Sarah braced herself, and Mandy fired one shot. A blue light ball came out, at first going slow at the speed of sound, but it quickly gained speed as it traveled and hurtled towards Sarah. The speed, force of it while coming at Sarah turned the dimension from its bright clear environment, to dimming out the artificial sun.


    ¡°Could I¡­ really dodge that?¡± Sarah muttered.


    She blinked and the ball was just at her face, and she leaped to the side, and part of her shirt around her armpit area was torn from the passing force. She gently landed and behind her, the ball of light kept going, until it made contact, and exploded. The explosion alone almost sent Sarah on fours from its destructive nature. To Mandy, it was nothing more than a mere shotgun shell in her arsenal of powerful slugs. Mandy saw her beautiful creation turn the dimension into a glorious display of flickering light. As the destructive sound waves dyed down, Sarah¡¯s right fist glowed, and she shot it in Mandy''s direction. She sent a wave of fire in her direction which caught her off guard.


    ¡°She can bend fire?!¡± Mandy thought.


    Mandy leaped out of the way, and to the air, taking aim again, but lost sight of Sarah.


    Sarah appeared behind, and Mandy quickly jolted the gun in her direction, firing a shot. Sarah barely dodged the shot, and flung herself back to the earth. Sarah backflipped a couple of times until she was ready, and panted. Mandy levitated back down, causally staring down her opponent and still not breaking a sweat.


    ¡°Damn it, her reactions are faster than my actions.¡± Sarah said.


    Mandy placed the shotgun on the ground, and put her hands on the grass. Sarah raised a brow, and the tip of all Mandy¡¯s fingers arched, splitting the earth beneath Sarah¡¯s feet. She fell at first but flew out of the collapsing earth. Then, a spontaneous light combusted out of the hole and shot at Sarah. She covered herself, and was flashed into it. She opened her eyes, and noticed her fathers barrier still around the edges of her body.


    A quick grin emerged, ¡°Dad¡­¡± she mumbled.


    Mandy pointed her palm in the air as Sarah¡¯s attention was caught by her father¡¯s care.


    ¡°I invoke thee, to be smited by the mana surging inside me. Mana, explode out of my palm, and pull my target in a vortex of bladed light.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s palm ignited another ball of light that appeared to that of a buzzawing star.


    ¡°Mana, burst into thee.¡±


    The star spiralled and shot out a straight beam of razor blading streams behind it. Sarah quickly caught on, and put her hands forward, catching it. The star tried cutting through the barrier around her hands, igniting spark, ricocheting light sparks around the area. Mandy watched, and calculated Sarah¡¯s defense.


    She suddenly kicked it back to her direction, and she jumped out of the way as it exploded on the ground. Mandy was impressed and didn¡¯t predict that was her next move. She tried another trick up her sleeve, and her eyes glowed blue. She rubbed her hands together, and Sarah could sense her mana rising, which made her draw more sweat. Mandy kept rubbing until she abruptly stopped, and gave a quick smirk to the goth girl which dropped her guard for a moment. Mandy lowered her hands, and floated still. Her coat fluttered, her hair as well, Sarah waited for Mandy¡¯s next move.


    ¡°What¡¯s she planning?¡± Sarah said.


    Mandy tilted her head in a creepy manner, and suddenly, in an instant teleported in front of Sarah. She loudly gasped, and Mandy spun herself, and shot a kick which shot Sarah back down to the earth. She crashed, and lay on her crater, but with minor damage. She then saw Mandy slowly putting her left hand near the edge of her face, then smacking her right hand against the palm of her left.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    She twisted her body to the left, and a huge surge of mana instantly built up. Her body became engulfed in blue by the surge of mana, and she shot her palms forward, shooting out a ginormous beam hurtling towards Sarah. Sarah didn¡¯t know what to do, she¡¯s never dealt with something of this magnitude. Instant spells, mana attacks built in seconds, she has nothing up her sleeve to combat it. The oncoming blast started to shake the earth below her feet, lifting rubble into the air from the impact about to brace. Sarah screamed with pride, and exploded out her aura, and shot out her fist. Another stream of fire exploded out from her knuckles that blew back the beam. It clashed violently with the beam and pushed it back towards Mandy.


    ¡°Huh?!¡± Mandy gasped.


    Mandy jolted to the side, letting it be sent out into the air, and fading out to the fake space. When she brought her gaze back to Sarah, she saw that magmic aura of hers which brought back memories of her father who shared a similar shape but with a different colour. Sarah ground her teeth, and lunged into the air, right into Mandy¡¯s face. Mandy and Sarah were nose to nose, and she got the close up shot that reminded her of Abyzou staring down at her that day, reminding her of the crimson eyes that have engulfed the world into red. Mandy¡¯s anger exploded and she exposed her own colour, a new light that had blinded, flashed the world into an ocean momentarily. This pushed Sarah away from its awesome pressure. The glow around her died down, and the colour emitting around Mandy was sad, yet beautiful. A blueish sparkling aura that sounded heavenly and she was now the only source of light in the dimension. Sarah felt that battle lust twitching, tingling her body again.


    ¡°She looks like an angel.¡± Sarah said.


    She smiled and exploded her aura out, which darkened the world around them into a hellish vision of nature. Sarah screamed as she grew her aura taller than Mandy¡¯s, stabbing the sky, and creating a hole in the dimension that caused a 5.0 earthquake in reality.


    ***


    People screamed, scrammed, cars were rocking, buildings too, some collapsed, cracked, windows shattered, and the military wondered where the source of this destruction was coming from. Linnea could see the sky turn red, and upon gazing around, there far out, she saw a piece of reality break off, and an opening appeared outside the town.


    ¡°Jack, grab on.¡± she said.


    Jack did, and Linnea began to focus her mind on that strange hole in the sky.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Why does it feel like the worlds ending!¡± he shouted.


    Linnea can see Sarah powering up, and couldn¡¯t believe just how strong she was.


    ¡°Unbelievable¡­ but it¡¯s not surprising.¡± she muttered.


    Jack could see the sky grow more red, the sky crackled, and lightning violently shot around the area. TV''s reported of the disaster around not only the town, but it began to spread across the world.


    ¡°Linnea, answer me!¡±


    She had a clear path to it, and her eyes glowed.


    ¡°It¡¯s your friend, hurry, grab on!¡±


    Jack did, and the two instantly vanished.


    ***


    Mandy¡¯s eyes emitted a faint glow of white as she raised her fists, watching Sarah grow her power more and more as she was breaking her own reality apart. The sky roared, lightning crackled, struck the ground, everywhere, and Sarah¡¯s hair began to change colour. Mandy waited for Sarah to make her next move.


    Lets see¡ªhow much Leon has taught you. Mandy thought.


    Sarah grew her power enough to simmer down, and lowered her arms to the sides, showing Mandy a glance of her strength. This actually made her shake a bit, and nervous.


    ¡°What a display of heat, and anger.¡± Mandy said.


    Sarah took a deep breath, and held her arms to the sky.


    ¡°Hail to the guardians of the north, let it be known that my enemy is neither friend or foe, but should be smited by your crackles¡ªyour anger shall be stung into her flesh as you lay down your light¡­ hear me!¡±


    Mandy observed the sky above Sarah as it swirled and created a vortex of flashing clouds of electrical currents. She sprung into action, and threw a right jab to Sarah¡¯s still face. Sarah¡¯s eyes grew big, and she grabbed Mandy¡¯s arm, and held it.


    ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± Sarah said.


    Mandy gasped, and a small purple barrier formed around them. The vortex swirled around the barrier, and spun faster and faster. Lightning kept striking the barrier, inflicting damage to the two. They screamed, squirmed, and growled. Sarah then shouted, and placed her palm against Mandy¡¯s stomach. An enormous explosion occurred, and the vortex reacted by creating an even more massive one. The sky was scorched in heat, as if a hydrogen bomb went off midair. The earth below became scorched, charred from the heat, and not a single piece of vegetation in the area survived the massive explosion.


    ***


    Linnea and Jack arrived through the hole, and landed on the charred earth covered in fire. They felt aftershocks of their punches colliding from afar. They covered their faces, and at a distance, they could see a blue and red stream colliding, bouncing, and zigzagging through the air.


    ¡°This-This is madness!¡± Linnea shouted.


    Jack smiled. ¡°You impressed?¡± he said as he turned to Linnea.


    Linnea also grinned. ¡°More or less¡­ I wasn¡¯t doubting your friend''s strength.¡±


    ¡°Trust me, this isn¡¯t even her at her best.¡±


    Linnea couldn¡¯t believe her ears, but it made it more believable since she was the daughter of the most powerful woman in existence besides the woman with the umbrella.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see just how good she is.¡± she said as they continued watching the streams pulling back.


    Sarah and Mandy collided one last time, their knuckles vibrating, creating, sending shockwaves everywhere. They kept trying to budge, but neither one could, thus resulting in reality shattering for a moment with another push. They broke through the sky like glass, and reality fell to the ground, displaying themselves to the world of the two disasters. People pointed at the air, and saw them, and felt the heat of Sarah¡¯s presence, but felt Mandy¡¯s heavy presence too. The military aimed their weapons, but the two girls again threw another punch, breaking them back into Sarah¡¯s world. Doing that sent cars flying, buildings collapsing, being destroyed, and people getting hurt by their force.


    They exchanged blows, blocking, kicking, punching, but neither one could land one, until Sarah managed to scratch Mandy¡¯s cheek, which made her growl. She grabbed, reeled Sarah¡¯s arm, snapped, twirled it, and gave her a nasty side kick. Sarah gagged but regained her composure, and retaliated with a backhand to Mandy¡¯s face. Mandy¡¯s head turned away from her blow, and a tiny dot of crimson flew out. Mandy grit her teeth, and yelled, threw a barrage of punches to Sarah, landing all of them. She did another fancy spin kick, sending Sarah straight down to the ground, and crashing. Sarah coughed as she tried getting up, and Mandy landed where her shotgun was at. Sarah sat with her arms back, and watched as Mandy menacingly came her way.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even finished, not even close!¡± Sarah shouted.


    She got up, charged herself, and again, firebended. Mandy put her hand out, forming a blue transparent barrier in front. She walked through the torching flames, and Sarah kept growing the flames. She can feel her arm going numb as she continues pumping more force to the flames. Mandy jumped through, out above the flames, and aimed her gun at Sarah. Sarah twirled, and did some sort of ballerina dance that manipulated her flames, and shoving Mandy away.


    ¡°She¡¯s a quick learner, isn¡¯t she?¡± Mandy said.


    She landed back on her feet, dragged on the ground, and saw Sarah pointing two of her fingers in the air. She focused, and gently lowered her finger tips, and began a dance ritual. She swept her fingertips to the ground, to the sky, then collapsed her hands together.


    ¡°Still got more in you, ey?¡± Mandy said, smacking her teeth.


    Mandy reached into her coat, and took three shells out. One was golden, another was purple, and she felt Leon¡¯s touch on it. This made her smile, and the last was glowing blue.


    ¡°Let''s see what you can do against these.¡± she said as she loaded two, and chambered one.


    Sarah prayed quietly to herself, and remembered her dad doing the same thing, but also saw her mother doing the same, but after her dance, she was able to shoot a stream of lightning out the tips of her fingers. Remembering the poses, her mother''s'' elegant dance until she shot it out, Sarah can almost feel like she¡¯s done it before. This made her let out a sigh, and she began to repeat the dance, feeling the flow of mana in her course through her upper body and to her arms. Mandy saw blue lightning flicker out of the tips of her fingers until they were sparking around her body as she danced.


    Mandy panicked, and rushed the goth girl.


    ¡°This is bad!¡±


    Linnea can sense the same flow of energy being built up.


    ¡°We gotta stop your friend or else she will destroy the world!¡±


    ¡°HUH?!¡± Jack yelled, and quickly ran to their direction.


    Sarah had lightning flowing around her as she eased the tip of her right fingertips to her face. She opened her eyes, pointed her right arm at Mandy, and shot out a stream of lightning that crackled, flickering the dimension. Mandy ground her teeth as she saw the web of light coming towards her. She aimed her shotgun at it, shot once, creating a huge explosion. She flew into the smoke, and was hit directly by the stream. She dragged backwards, and had her shotgun blocking most of the impact. She tried to think of something before it could make an impact on something.


    ¡°If it blows up now, everyone will die.¡± she said.


    As Mandy¡¯s feet dragged deep into the earth, she thought of something, and with struggle, leaped out of the way momentarily to jump back in the pathway. She pumped the gun, aimed it, and this time Leon¡¯s shell was chambered.


    ¡°Please bless this shell, for it has been touched by the one I love, I bind thee, light of justice.¡±


    Mandy shot the gun, and a light beam of purple went into the lightning, and at first only swirled around it, which made her draw seat. Until it managed to ignite it, and another mega explosion occurred. The purple stream managed to absorb most of the explosion, enough to not hurt anyone outside the dream world. At last, this gave her the opening and chance she needed. Mandy vanished with her light speed, and Sarah was too busy covering her face from the explosion. She coughed, and when she wiped the smoke away around her, Mandy appeared and she scissor kicked the goth girl down, then did a leg sweep which caused her to fall backwards.


    Mandy stood next to her, and pumped her shotgun one last time, taking aim at Sarah¡¯s petrified face. Sarah coughed and wondered if this was it as she stared down the barrel of her killer''s weapon. Sarah held one arm near her face, and accepted her defeat.


    ¡°Mandy! Stop!¡± Linnea shouted.


    Mandy¡¯s eyes quivered, and she slowly put pressure on the trigger. Sarah was gasping repeatedly as she was bruised and covered in dirt. Mandy felt something wet near the edge of her lip, wiped her sleeve, and saw blood. She held the gun with one arm, and knit her brows. Sarah shut her eyes, and put down her arm. This angered Mandy, but not because of winning, but because of Sarah accepting her defeat to which her father would never approve of. With the gun still aimed at Sarah¡¯s face, Linnea came to her side, and bounced her arms to her friend while Jack grabbed Sarah, and held her.


    Jack pulled out his gun, and aimed it at Mandy.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s pointless aiming a normal gun at you, but I¡¯ll still aim it at you so long as you threaten her, you¡¯ve gotta get through me first.¡±


    Sarah put her hand on Jack¡¯s gun, and eased it down, panting.


    ¡°It¡¯s-It¡¯s okay, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Ar-Are you sure?¡± he said, sounding concerned.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were locked onto Mandy¡¯s and ultimately, Mandy didn¡¯t choose to end her life. She lowered the gun, and walked off. Sarah got out of Jack¡¯s hold, and turned to Mandy who was in the process of leaving her dimension.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Mandy stopped, ¡°What?¡±


    Sarah raised her hand, ¡°let''s have lunch tomorrow?¡±


    Mandy didn¡¯t say a word, and left. Linnea sighed and rubbed her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about all that. If-if you¡¯d understand our past and why we reacted the way we did, especially her, then you¡¯d know.¡±


    Sarah wiped her face, and turned around to the two.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Regardless, I want to know everything, so I can also help out.¡± Sarah said.


    Jack smiled, and approached his close friend.


    ¡°And I wouldn¡¯t want anything more than that, but my pride as a man can¡¯t allow it. Also, I promised your dad, so, still no mana.¡±


    Linnea intervened and jumped in the middle, ¡°too late for that now, the military¡¯s looking for you now, and since you two were going pretty hard, surprisingly breaking through dimensions which is already ¡®Wow!¡¯ Anyways, we gotta get out of this town before those cultist freaks show up.¡±


    Linnea walked a foot away, and clapped once. A portal opened and they could see Flint Michigan.


    ¡°We get to the next city this way, come.¡±


    Sarah wanted to ask one more thing before leaving with Linnea.


    ¡°Linnea, who¡¯s stronger, you, or Mandy?¡±


    Linnea grinned, ¡°that¡¯s easy, my little friend is.¡±


    Jack felt out of place, but still had something to say.


    ¡°Uh, are we forgetting about my concern here? You know why you two reacted the way you did.¡±


    Linnea sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll answer that, don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    She turned her back to them, and took a step forward. Sarah wasn¡¯t finished, and quickly went to her, grabbing her shoulder.


    ¡°What you felt during our little fight, did she hold back against me?¡±


    Linnea chuckled, ¡°Of course she did.¡±


    Sarah expressed a satisfied yet adorable grin. She turned to Jack, and he wondered why she was smiling at him, which made him fluster. Linnea could feel her tiny hand let off her shoulder, and she looked over her shoulder to see her adorable grin.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    Sarah backed away, and turned round to Jack. ¡°I did too.¡± she replied.


    ***


    On his way home, and getting close, Leon was casually walking when military vehicles drove by him. He wondered what new ruckus occurred that had them on the run. He did sense two famalair mana spikes, but at the moment, he was glosing in his reunion with Mandy. As he was reliving that experience in his mind, three military vehicles stopped, and soldiers came out. He ignored them, and kept walking, but one tried calling him, but got no response. A sergeant walked in front of him, and Leon stopped, bringing his annoyed gaze up to the sarges face.


    ¡°Excuse us, we wanted to ask you something.¡±


    ¡°Out of my way, I just want to get home, and watch the game.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll only be for a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care, leave me alone. Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m just a depressed businessman who wants nothing more than to bask in his sorrow in the comfort of his couch.¡±


    ¡°Come on, just¡ª¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, good luck on your objective.¡±


    Leon walked around him and went on. The sergeant looked back, and squinted his eyes, then pulled up his radio.


    ¡°I think we may have found him.¡±


    Once he heard his radio talk back, he nodded and gestured to everyone to get back in their vehicles. They did and the burgaid drove off, but not without giving a glance to Leon as he kept his eyes forward. When all the vehicles faded out in the distance, Leon took some steps back, and stopped in front of his tiny home. He went to the front door, unlocked it, and found his wife preparing a platter of coffee.


    She stopped mid motion, and with her hair over her shoulder, she brushed some of it behind her ear.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect you to be home this early.¡± she said in a gentle tone.


    Leon stepped more inside, and closed the door behind him.


    ¡°Wo-would you like to start where we left of?¡±


    She sounded innocent, careful, yet her soothing voice made it more believable that she was genuine in this preparation. Yet Leon knew better, and he feels that this might be a trap to get him to forget their conversation and divert it to something else. He made his way into the living room and stood near the table.


    ¡°Cut the innocent act, and let''s get to the meat and bones of our original conversation.¡±


    Samantha frowned, and began to pour herself a cup of coffee and for him too. She made his all time favourite, and offered it. He looked at the offered cup, and refused, sitting down instead. She was disappointed and leaned over the table to set his cup in front. She grabbed hers and rested it on her lap, looking down.


    ¡°You may ask for your concern.¡± she said.


    Leon furrowed his brows. ¡°My daughter has a sensation only deemed for that of two beings in existence, that being the woman with the umbrella, and William H. Christ¡­ but now Archard has achieved the same energy. Care to tell me why she emitted that glow, and pressure, Abyzou?¡±


    ¡°Samantha¡­ don¡¯t call me that right now, please.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, just answer the question.¡±


    Samantha sipped her coffee, and brought her eyes to her husband that loathed her presence.


    ¡°You¡¯ll know the answer to that¡ªvery soon.¡±


    Leon muffling chuckled, ¡°very soon? Why not now? Time¡¯s not on either of our side, woman.¡±


    ¡°I rather you see it, and for me to display it when the time is ripe. As I stated, for once, trust my word.¡±


    Leon rubbed his head aggressively and shook it as his gaze was brought to the ground between his spread legs.


    ¡°Fuck that¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Please, just this once. I swear to you, all of your suspicions, along with everyone else''s will be answered in that moment I¡¯ve dreamt of.¡±


    Leon brought his head back up, and had a sarcastic grin.


    ¡°You¡¯re so full of shit.¡±


    ¡°Leon, please. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m begging you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Leon could see her body gesture weakened, and she actually was genuine. This was a first and he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Seeing her vulnerable, it awakened something inside of him, and there was nothing more than he wanted to do than comfort her. But given the fact that she is the embodiment of evil, he fought his emotions and kept his poker face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can, but only this time, I¡¯ll see where it goes. If I even find out that you¡¯re just delaying the inevitable, then I¡¯ll be glad to try and take your life.¡±


    Samantha lightly grinned, and took another sip.


    ¡°Furthermore, I¡¯d like to add on how my daughter was created. Or is that something I¡¯ll find out too on this ¡®very soon¡¯ answer?¡±


    Samantha nodded and sat silently, staring down at her cup of coffee. Leon brought his pupils to the cup, and couldn¡¯t resist. He grabbed it, and drank some, and it made him feel fuzzy inside.


    ¡°It-It can¡¯t¡­ be?¡±


    He slowly brought the cup of coffee down, and hovered it near his jaw. He watched the changing colours, the steam going into his nostrils, reminding him of the gentle yet chaotic past.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly the way I love it, for real this time.¡± he muttered.


    He gently lowered the cup further down, and saw Samantha staring at him, and it reminded him of their second coffee date. His brain rewinded time, and flashed that scene the aruoma reminded him of.


    It was a nice afternoon, the air was chilly, the two were making their way to the cafeteria and got two black coffees along with a whole assement of condiments. They walked to an outside seating area, and placed everything down. Witches, transferred espers looked at them, and couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. They whispered, some thought it was impossible to tame a beast like Leon, while others thought it was impossible to go out with the most beautiful woman in the world. Despite the quiet gossip, people congratulated them in silence, many envied both, and others despised seeing this wholesome sight.


    As the two were arranging their assortment of condiments, Samantha was the first to make hers, and offered Leon a taste.


    ¡°Here, I think you might like it. I poured four sugar cubes, a dash of this creamer my guardian imports from Norway, and a smidge of cocoa.¡±


    Seeing her movements as she explained and demonstrated each condiment made Leon lightly grin.


    ¡°Sure, give it here.¡±


    She handed him his cup, and he took a sip. He smacked his lips, and gave it back to her.


    ¡°Not bad, but I think mine will top yours.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Alright then shy guy, show me whatcha got? Hehe.¡±


    Leon poured two sugar cubes, his own packets of creamer, a hint of milk, a tiny drop of cocoa, and one more cube to finish it. Afterwards he pinched a secret sweetener. Seeing him create his magic made Samantha¡¯s eyes bright up. Leon mixed it all up, and handed it first to her.


    ¡°You take the first sip, and you let me know if it''s¡¯ up to your standards.¡±


    Samantha gave him a sassy head wobble, grinning and took the first sip. Her eyes exploded with taste and satisfaction.


    ¡°Oh my god, that¡¯s good! But you did wrong by handing me your drink.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    She smacked her lips, and took another sip.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine now, honey.¡±


    Leon lightly chuckled. ¡°You can have it. I don¡¯t mind drinking yours. As long as you''re satisf¡ªI mean whatever, it¡¯s yours.¡±


    Seeing him revert back to his shy tough guy personality made her giggle. Seeing his crush enjoy his creation made him blush, and smile. She shivered and got up, sitting next to him to lean herself on himvto share their warmth. He didn¡¯t know how to react, but allowed it. Her scent was captivating despite the cold air around them. He couldn¡¯t contain himself, and put his arm around her tiny shoulders as she drank his coffee.


    She then stopped, and jammed it at his lips.


    ¡°Drink some too, you¡¯ll freeze to death silly.¡±


    He did, and tasted not only the coffee, but her lips too. He couldn''t contain his smile and held her tightly. She also had a big smile and embellished the moment.


    ¡°You know, Leon, I was a little hesitant that you were willing to go on a second date with me.¡±


    ¡°Mm, why¡¯s that?¡±


    She brought her eyes up to him, and he got to take a fantastic look at her unique crimson eyes.


    ¡°Because I thought you¡¯d cower away and would be scared of me like so many whom I rejected.¡±


    Leon eased in towards her face. Their chilled breaths showed their relaxed breathing, their comfort, and Leon for once expressed a smile she thought she¡¯d never see from a guy like him.


    ¡°Why would I be scared of someone that I adore?¡±


    His answer made her face turn red, and giggle. They nudged each other''s noses, and she put her hands on his face as the two kept expressing their joy and presence.


    Remembering that day made Leon lightly grit his teeth, crush his eyelids shut for a moment. Leon put the mug down, and appeared angry, yet sad.


    ¡°You really are¡­ a Witch,¡± he said.


    Samantha put her coffee down as well.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean harm when I made it again. I just wanted to show that I still cared.¡±


    Leon abruptly stood up, and jammed his finger in her direction.


    ¡°Still cared, still cared?! Twenty fucking years of torment from you, and now you want to suddenly show that you still care?!¡±


    He ground his teeth, and dropped his hand.


    ¡°If you really actually cared¡­ then you¡¯d free me of our contract, and set me free.¡±


    Samantha shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Point proven¡­¡± Leon said, and began to walk out until Samantha slammed her palms on the table.


    He paused, and clenched a fist, ready for his final battle. She had her teeth grit, and appeared to be fighting her emotions. Once she settled down, she turned to him.


    ¡°What if I did? Then what? You¡¯ll find another woman?¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t reply, and unclenched his fist.


    ¡°Why would you care about that when you never loved me in the first place.¡±


    Samantha quietly gasped, and her eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Leon turned around to face her, and she could see a tear forming at the edge of one of his eyes.


    ¡°Compared to you¡­ I at least did. I loved you with all my heart, and gave you my all. And what did you do? You broke me, and turned me into the depressed man that I am today.¡±


    Leon wiped his eye, and frowned while taking a breath.


    ¡°Even if you wanted to change that, though I doubt you¡¯ll ever change, it¡¯s too late.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes shook, and she held her chest.


    ¡°Nothing will ever convince me to ever love you again. To a man, there¡¯s nothing worse than not only using him, believing you loved him, but knowing you fooled him, and shattered his heart. That is the worst a man can experience in life, and that¡¯s a broken heart, Samantha, Abyzou, whatever you are!¡±


    Samantha took a step towards him, and her eyes began to glisten.


    ¡°And yes, I would find another woman that not only loves me, but actually gives a damn to what I have to say and do for the family he protects.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± she murmured.


    ¡°And I think I already found one.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± she said.


    ¡°Because after tomorrow, if you do choose to kill me, I don¡¯t care because Samantha¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Leon!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡ªleaving you!¡±


    Samantha leaped to him, and clung on, and Leon trembled with fear and anger. His eyes were so wide and his teeth were so ground he thought he was about to have a mental breakdown until he heard a soft whimper coming from her. This calmed him down despite his hatred towards her.


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t leave me.¡± she muttered. ¡°Please.¡±


    Leon fought his tears, and stayed strong, pulling her off of him. He had her arms in his clutch, and she had her head down. In over twenty years, he had not grabbed her this much. He kept his calm poker face, and gently let go.


    ¡°Goodbye, Samantha.¡±


    Leon began to walk away, until he felt something sprung out of him that dropped him to his knees. He gagged, and coughed, getting on all fours, and felt his sadness being lifted off his shoulders. He couldn¡¯t believe it, and realised what just happened.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been freed?¡± he murmured.


    He couldn¡¯t contain his happiness, and brokenly chuckled for a moment. He got up, and turned to Samantha who was looking at him with a gentle broken smile. Her eyes were watery, and she held one of her arms.


    ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped. But could we at least have one last moment together, and then we can go our separate ways.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand¡­ why¡¯d you free me without taking my life as you said.¡±


    Samantha gave a look that would swoon any man into a state of love and transparency. This made his heart beat faster and nervously waited for her response.


    ¡°I did it for Sarah and it isn¡¯t fair to do that to someone who¡¯s related to my precious child.¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t contain a tear and let it slip out.


    ¡°You do your part to take care of her. But I thank you for being in her presence for the past eighteen years. From here on out, just support her as she grows more into a beautiful woman.¡±


    Leon covered his eyes with his sleeve for a moment, and wiped his eyes.


    ¡°I was going to do that regardless without your consent,¡± he replied.


    Samantha giggled, and expressed an adoring smile towards him.


    ¡°Let''s have a picnic tomorrow, and then you can move on with your life, h-o-n-e-y.¡±


    Leon smacked his gums, and nodded, and left without saying another word. He went upstairs and proceeded to start packing. Meanwhile, downstairs, Samantha was still standing in her same spot, smiling. Then, her smile turned upside down, and her eyes flooded. She collapsed to her knees, and covered her face, dropping her head on the ground and crying silently. Once she had finished letting out her emotions, she eerily raised her head, and as the tears flowed down her face, again, her eyes changed back to crimson.


    A deep wrinkled had formed between her eyes, and her tears began to change to blood. Her heart ached, her soul felt broken, and there was only one person to blame for all this in her raging mind.


    ¡°No one will take you from me, Leon, and ruin my dream, my¡ªfamily!"


    Abyzou sunk her eyes and her hair began to float and flickered from black to red.


    "And Mandy, I¡¯ll be seeing you soon, you wretched whore.¡±

 Important update, starting a patreon soon, and the future of Always Together

    First off, I want to say thank you everyone who''s still reading my original franchise. Seeing it grow and having people genuinely give me proper criticism and not an unjustly review bomb motivates me further into improving my word work. We are about more than halfway done with Arc 4 Part 1 and afterwards, the start of Part 2 will initiate. Sadly, I do have to say I''ll take a small break once we reach the end of part 1. But don''t worry, in that time I''ll be transcripting the first spinoff to Always Together, which is: A STORY OF ENVY, staring Samantha as your lead character and bringing in a whole new cast of characters that will tie into the later Arcs of Always Together. It''s short but will leave a lot answered and leaving you to say, "huh, that''s new" or "wow, this is ridiculous." It''s the first out of three prequels to Always Together with the second releasing at the end of Arc 4 entirely. Also, about my second story D-JABBIC, that will come out of hiatus during the month of February but I''ll only make 9 more chapters for it to sadly put it off again because of time.


    Right now, chapters will be slowing down because I''m working 10-12 hour shifts in the auto care shop I work at. And with more personal issues slowing things down and grabbing my time, it still doesn''t stop me from working in between what little time I have. I''m just as if not more motivated than ever before to reach Part 2. I think I''m doing an okay job with Part 1 but I''m aware of stuff that still needs to be worked on. But that''s okay, what you''re reading is a raw manuscript and only myself doing all the editing. I''ve managed to not make the story as derivative as it was in the very beginning though that''s still a flaw in my writing. Another thing is I can be over descriptive on things that don''t need that much explanation. Thirdly, I know I put too much focus on something that shouldn''t be the focus to make the story go forward. Yes, I''m a native English speaker for petessake, born and raised in good ol Georgia since many think I''m not a native English speaker. Perhaps it''s due to the fact that my grammar in the early transcript, Arc 1 for example sounds not native since I spell things more in favour of mainland England. Although, I was taught to spell certain words in that way since I was a child. Punctuation and some grammar is also an issue that was prominent in the early transcript. And it''s still not perfect.


    To get to the final topic, I am in the process of making a patreon for Always Together and the money used for that will go to proper editors and my main artist so I can turn Always Together into a proper light novel series with illustrations and of course, proper grammar, but that''s for the future, not anytime soon. So with that, anything that I write in a day will be posted on said patreon before ever becoming a complete chapter to be later posted on here. So who ever is signed up for it will be depending whenever I post a chapter far ahead of anyone else who will later read it once posted. You''ll be a chapter, two or maybe three depending on my time when I do post a complete chapter on RoyalRoads. Of course any patreon members will have full access to exclusive art made for Always Together that''s never before seen on this site. I have almost a hundred illustrations to this franchise and they''ll get to see the rest when I do make more with my main artist.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Money''s always been a problem in my life since I was a child, but it never holds me back to achieve best for not only for myself, but especially for my family. I''ve learned that all too well when I published my first book that was Arc 1 and not even making 80% back on what I invested. I know I ain''t the only one who struggles with the same, and share a similar story like others, but like many, there''s always a twist that makes your own life story that stands out along with your struggles. I don''t like discussing much of my personal life since I''m a very private person, but what I can say is, despite with everything I''ve gone through in the past 6 years, actually combating and overcoming obesity, mental health problems, I''m proud of myself for getting this far into something I''ve put my love and devotion into other than fixing cars. Ever since I started writing again at 22, reigniting my passion for something that was tarnished by a person who thought I was good for nothing as a overweight child, I''m so damn proud for where I''m at today with my franchise. And I thank everyone who''ve been there since the beginning and to any new comer who are here to stay to see where my journey takes me as an author. Again, I don''t give a damn how many times I have to say it, but thank you to those who read my story, and thank you to those who are new and I''ll do my damnedest to get you to stay!


    I have a hunch that this story will take off next year and I''m prepared when it does. Let''s all aboard the hype train for this is just the start, to Always Together becoming the light novel series I dreamt of coming to reality. For when that day comes, that will be the day that I can actually shed tears and hopefully to give me a huge leap forward into achieving an even greater goal: And that is to pay off my mother''s mortgage and have her retire. I want nothing more than to earn enough in life to help my family financially and to write full time because I have so many more stories to tell, besides the two you guys have seen. I''m grateful for you all, and I''ll be posting the next chapter very soon. Bye, and see ya again towards the end of Part 1, love ya, and if you have any ideas in mind, it never hurts to try, am I right?

 Arc 4 Chapter 24: Resentment!

    The afternoon chill has struck Detroit. Birmingham is busy as usual as it¡¯s Saturday. The streets are flooded with the rushing lunch hour, and swarms of tourists have flocked the town. Due to the supernatural occurrences and what had happened yesterday have attracted people from all over the country and even parts of the world. More military personnel have arrived and are looking for the two responsible for yesterday''s disaster. Meanwhile, back in his shop, Herold was cleaning the place after a successful launch day. Today¡¯s busy as usual, and Angela happened to be there along with Sarah who were helping him with cleaning and attending to people.


    He¡¯s well aware of the presence that spooked the other two Espers yesterday and saw first hand what happened from a distance. He was so awe struck he almost fainted. Seeing a familiar face such as Mandy getting overcome by someone that looks like their prophet made him smile. Right now, he¡¯s enjoying this experience, but he¡¯s beginning to grow a bond with Angela since she reminded him of his niece back at home where he¡¯s from. Seeing her so enthusiastic about art, her intelligence, it¡¯s all reminiscent of his adorable niece. Even Angela herself likes him in a teacher¡¯s pet sense.


    ¡°Mr. Herold, we¡¯re running out of paint. Where can I get some more?¡± she asked.


    He waved his hand, ¡°no no, I¡¯ll get it. You keep these people busy. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    She gave him a thumbs up, and attended to an elderly woman who immediately drooled over her cuteness. He walked to the back, and went to the storage area. Once inside, the door closed abruptly, and Ravana slithered out of the shadow.


    ¡°Hey hey, how¡¯s the new place going, Shaman?¡±


    He sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°Honestly, you couldn¡¯t have appeared at a different time?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Ravana lightly gripped his chin, and walked in front of him.


    ¡°Need I remind you that you¡¯re still on duty, Shaman.¡± he said in an annoyed tone.


    ¡°I got it I got it. You can count on me, remember?¡±


    Ravana grinned, ¡°of course I can, but give me a second.¡±


    Ravana walked around, and went out the storage, and spotted Sarah helping a couple.


    ¡°Look at her, she¡¯s perfect.¡±


    Shaman also glanced, and saw how helpful and gentle of a person she is.


    ¡°I know. Hard to believe that she might be her. The last I remember Samantha was her being a quiet, blunt, cruel woman.¡±


    Ravana smiled, and leaned against the door frame.


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe it is Samantha disguising herself after the turmoil she did to our reality. Either or, I don¡¯t care who she might be. Fake or real, she¡¯s perfect the way she is.¡±


    ¡°Say, who do prefer. This supposed copy, or the real deal?¡±


    Ravana can remember a time when he would watch Samantha cruely make fun of men who tried asking her out. She would belittle their manhood, their personality, but most of all, insult their existence. There were even rumours of her killing some that don¡¯t meet her standards. One day, he decided to take that chance and ask her out. He approached her, well suited, and introduced himself before asking her out on a date. She gave him a cold stare with a grin that was thin yet as cold as her expression. She didn¡¯t answer, but instead her gaze diverted over his shoulder to a tall shy man that happened to approach their area. She glanced back at Ravana, then to the other, and ultimately walked off. His group of friends wondered if he was a choice since she didn¡¯t reject him. So, he happened to take it as a maybe, and waited for his chance to ask again.


    Seeing Sarah¡¯s sweet smile, her adoring chuckling, her crimson eyes glistening from the sun shining beside them made him almost run after her. He contained himself, and kept watching.


    ¡°I think I prefer this one. She just seems¡ªdifferent in a good way.¡±


    ¡°What? The great Ravana is fawning over someone with a not so cruel heart? I thought you embellished chaos and love fire in a woman¡¯s heart.¡±


    ¡°I do, I still do, but seeing a side like this from someone believed to be a destroyer of worlds really makes you think otherwise. In a sense, maybe she might change my mind about bringing this world to its knees.¡±


    Shaman crossed his arms. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be so bad. But I know you very well, and you want to see the world burn just as much as anyone.¡±


    His eyes grew a glint, and his smile thinned out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that, my friend.¡±


    Angela happened to appear from the corner, and saw Ravana.


    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t mean to bother you two. Is he a business aquentinance of some sort, Mr. Herold?¡±


    Ravana panned to Angela and gasped.


    ¡°Who¡¯s she?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, this is my part timer, Angela Samr.¡±


    Angela waved. ¡°Hey.¡±


    Ravana couldn¡¯t believe his eyes and also liked her appearance as well.


    ¡°She¡¯s adorable.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ not cool dude. I¡¯m like fourteen. I¡¯m not some child.¡± she replied.


    Ravana¡¯s eyes furrowed, a thin smile appeared and he leaned down to look into Angela¡¯s blue eyes.


    ¡°Who might you be? Young one.¡±


    Angela didn¡¯t like how he was staring at him, and took a step back.


    ¡°His part time worker as he said. W¡­hy?¡±


    He can feel a dark presence inside her soul. It was extremely faint, but there was something trying to trail out. It intrigued him so much he couldn¡¯t resist and grab her hand. She jumped a bit, and gave him a disgusted look.


    ¡°You¡¯re a very interesting individuel, I must say. Your appearance alone, not speaking of what you wear, but how you look: It¡¯s something straight out of reality, fiction. Only someone of your caliber could exist by illustration, not reality, yet you¡¯re real. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Angela put her hand out, and took a deep breath.


    ¡°First of, creepy, second you sound like something out of a fairytale in the way you speak, thirdly, I don¡¯t care how hot you look, you still don¡¯t get a pass touching me, lastly, please let me go before I get my big bro on you, sir¡ª¡±


    ¡°Randy, call me Randy.¡±


    ¡°Right, Randy, could you please let go of my hand before I show you my not so cute side, would you?¡±


    Ravana obliged, and chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re such a sassy young woman, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, sassy or not, doesn¡¯t matter. Regardless of attraction, I don¡¯t care how many women allow you to grab them, but not me. I¡¯m not only strong minded, willed, but I¡¯m tough as nails despite my appearance.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I can tell. Normally I would never allow anyone to speak to me so vulgarly and with such a rude tone, but with you, I¡¯ll allow it.¡±


    Angela raised a brow, drawing sweat from what he said.


    ¡°Uh¡­ what usually happens if someone talks to you in the way I did?¡±


    Ravana shut his eyes, stood back straight, and his smile thinned out more. He opened his eyelids, and Angela could see a terrifying look in his glinted eyes. Twisted, and diabolical is all she could describe from the way he was gazing at her.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want to find out, sweetheart.¡±


    Shaman clapped his hands, and put an end to their conversation.


    ¡°Okay, I think you should get back to work, Angela. I have to give my friend here a final word before he takes his leave.¡±


    Angela took some steps backwards as she was keen on his stare. She squinted her eyes at him, and turned around, leaving to go help someone else. Shaman dragged Ravana away from public view, and took several breaths to calm himself.


    ¡°Damn it, Ravana. You¡¯ll blow our cover.¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Sorry, sorry, I couldn¡¯t help myself but instill some fear into her. Eventually, it¡¯ll bite her in the butt.¡±


    ¡°Okay, anywho, I think¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mr. Herold?¡± Sarah asked.


    The two turned their heads to the soft voice that called for Shaman. To their right, Sarah stood with a confused face. She had one arm raised to her chest, and wondered who the strange pale man was. She saw his crimson eyes, which made her grow some interest. Ravana couldn¡¯t believe his gaze and he almost collapsed down to his knees. It was as if an Angel came down from heaven, and granted him the woman of his dreams. He approached Sarah, and gave her a genuine smile.


    ¡°And who is this, Herold?¡± Ravana asked.


    Shaman swallowed, and played along with his act.


    ¡°Another part time worker. She just started today to watch little Angela.¡±


    Ravana can¡¯t help but bring his eyes to her exposed legs, her slim smooth arms, her raven hair, and to stare at her same unique eyes as his. He can feel his face grow hot, but he¡¯s so good at hiding his actual personality, outside, to them, it only appeared that he was standing with a normal smile. Sarah digged his unique outfit choice, but can¡¯t help and wonder if she¡¯s seen it before.


    His outfit, it¡¯s like if you combined steampunk with business attire¡­ where have I seen this before? She wondered.


    Ravana nodded. ¡°Please to meet you. I¡¯m Randy, a business associate of Mr. Herold.


    ¡°Oh, so like an investor?¡±


    ¡°You can say that,¡± he replied.


    Sarah grabbed her chin. ¡°But I find that strange.¡±


    ¡°Mm, why?¡±


    She pointed at Herold, ¡°didn¡¯t you say you opened this place out of willingness? Not for any sort of money venture or affiliation of investors?¡±


    Shaman gasped, and forced a chuckle.


    ¡°I am I am! He¡¯s actually the property owner. That is what he meant by investor, haha!¡±


    Sarah squinted her eyes, and dropped her finger.


    ¡°Huh? It sure looks like it. Either way, it¡¯s still a little contradictory towards what you said to Jack and I.¡±


    Ravana went up to Sarah, and put his arm on her shoulder.


    ¡°No need to worry, I¡¯m just checking up on him. He¡¯s a real close friend. Herold, your little worker here sure as hell is intelligent¡ªand beautiful.¡±


    Sarah tilted her head. ¡°Th-Thanks?¡±


    This guy¡¯s weird. Not only is appearance unique, but his whole demour, there''s something ominous about him. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s his red eyes that express hollowness, and lack of empathy, but he gives off this strange aura of anger and lust. Sarah thought.


    Sarah gently grabbed his wrist, ¡°why are you hiding your actual personality, Mr. Randy?¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes blinked once, and his mouth stayed open. Her warmth that touched his cold wrist reminded him more of times that Abyzou would do the same to get favours out of him. Sarah gently pulled his hand off, and let go while he stayed in a quiet state of shock. Ravana held his eyes shut for a moment, and after opening his eyelids, his twisted thin glint returned in them.


    She¡¯s even more perfect than I imagined. He thought.


    ¡°How did you know that I was showing another face?¡± he asked.


    She crossed her arms, and mildly tilted her head again.


    ¡°Because for some reason, it feels¡ªthis is a little weird to say, but reminiscent. Yeah, it¡¯s like I¡¯ve¡ªseen your face before?¡±


    Sarah scrunched her face in confusion, looking off to the side.


    Why does he look familiar when I haven¡¯t met him? What¡¯s¡­ going on? She thought.


    Ravana bent down, getting close towards her face. Sarah looked into the same crimson eyes as her, and it gave her a slight migraine. She grabbed her head, and took a step to the side. Ravana was captivated by her stare. To his eyes, she looked so innocent, confused, yet perfect.


    ¡°You alright?¡± he asked.


    Sarah blinked rapidly, and rolled her eyes.


    ¡°I-I think so. Dang it, why¡¯s this been happening to me.¡±


    Ravana smirked, and walked past her, and paused.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now. I¡¯ll be seeing you soon.¡±


    He mildly turned his head to show the edge of his face, but Sarah was too busy wrapping her head around the growing headache.


    ¡°Very soon, Abyzou.¡± he murmured.


    He walked away, leaving Shaman alone with Sarah. He let out a sigh, and went out for a minute, and quickly returned with some pills. He handed them to Sarah, and she grabbed them. She tapped two out the bottle onto her palm, and swallowed them.


    ¡°Mm, thanks. That¡¯ll kick in at any moment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t beat these puppies.¡± he said while wiggling the bottle.


    She chuckled and walked away back to the people who needed help. Shaman couldn''t help but let out another breath, the nerves in his body were tense and he was afraid that he would do something to expose their plan.


    ¡°If he really wanted her in his grasp, he could¡¯ve done it on the spot. But he chose not to. Is it because he wants things to play out the way he insists? Or is there something else preventing him from further advancing his plan?¡±


    Shaman watched as Sarah was beating her headache, and returned a bright smile as she helped his customers. This made him grin, and lean against the frame of his backroom doorway.


    ¡°Is she really Abyzou? Or in fact a copy. Regardless, whatever the answer, Sarah is a great gal.¡±


    Shaman looked down, and slowly crossed his arms.


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m starting to regret partaking in this scheme. But I can¡¯t help it, it¡¯s just the type of man that I am.¡±


    I can be stingy, crazy sounding, but in the end, I want nothing more than to recreate this world into a peaceful nature wonderland. Shaman thought.


    He took his gaze to the ceiling. ¡°Yet Ravana claims that only Abyzou can do so. Once she cleanses the world, it¡¯s told that she was about to rewrite our very reality in her vision, a vision of a nature induced fairytale.¡±


    Angela came back, and saw her boss in a deep thinking process.


    ¡°Mr. Herold, whatcha thinking about?¡±


    He snapped out of his deep thinking, and brought his eyes to Angela.


    ¡°Eh it¡¯s nothing. Don¡¯t worry about what I¡¯m thinking lil Ms. Angela.¡±


    Angela smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that Mr. If it has to do with your friend then I too would be concerned about someone that creepy.¡±


    Shaman laughed and patted Angela.


    ¡°Stop, he ain¡¯t too bad once you get to know him. Just has a short temper and obsession problem.¡±


    Angela raised a brow, and tapped her chin.


    ¡°He sounds like someone I know. A certain rich girl who can¡¯t take a hint.¡±


    ¡°Jeez, you¡¯re sassy alright.¡±


    The two laughed and someone came to Angela for some help. She attended to them and walked away to help the person in need. Shaman watched and frowned.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Ravana was right.¡±


    He raised his palm, and stared at it.


    ¡°I¡¯m too easily won with kindness. But, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad thing.¡±


    He deeply sighed, and dropped his hand.


    ¡°This is going to be a long play, and I hope I don¡¯t come out as the main villain.¡±


    ***


    Just across town, Leon and Samantha had just arrived at a nice park. With the early signs of fall coming, to Samantha, this was whether that didn¡¯t bother her in the slightest as opposed to everyone else who were beginning to wear jackets, hoodies, and long pants. She on the other hand wore her nice sundress because of the nice sunny sky, white fluffy clouds, and clear blueness. Leon had his hands tucked in his pockets, and for once, he had a grin on his face: He was happy that they were splitting up and he was set free. Samantha had a grin as well, but there was a smidge of sadness behind it: She on the other hand was upset that they were splitting up. They walked to a nice plain grass view of the other side of town on a small hill to begin preparations for their picnic. They settled, magically popped in thing''s from behind a nearby tree to not be seen using magic to get a large umbrella, a large gothic mat, and a basket. Once everything was set and nicely put out, the two sat beside the umbrella with the large pole dividing them.


    Leon sat crisscrossed, and watched more people walk into the park with bright smiles on their faces, and eager to share new memories with families, friends, or acquittances. Samantha also cherished these views, and hoped to one day recreate the same with her family. Yet, sadly, that wasn¡¯t going to be reality anymore. It¡¯ll be a dream stuck behind her sick head until she can get rid of what stands in her way.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡ªa nice day, isn¡¯t it, Leon?¡± she said.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He nodded, and kept watching as a family began to prepare a similar picnic as there''s. They laid out their foundation and their two kids fought each other.


    She cleared her throat, ¡°Looks like others are joining in the nice scenery, huh, Leon?¡± she said.


    He watched as the oldest child, a boy, put his sister in a headlock and they fell to the ground, giggling. Then, another family approached them, greeted them and they were friends with them. More children appeared, playing, joining as Leon watched in enjoyment. They began to play with a throwball, and the boys clearly outmatched the girls. But their determination kept them going to beat them, and their ball had landed in front of Leon¡¯s knees.


    ¡°Sorry, mister!¡± they shouted.


    Leon reached, and grabbed the ball. He got up, came out beneath the umbrellas'' shadow to reveal his tall nature to them. His pale skin, shiny blonde hair along with his casual outfit made him stand out. The kids all gathered around, and were jaw dropped. The oldest approached Leon, and looked more awe inspired.


    ¡°Are you an NBA player?! You look similar to one of my favourite players!¡± he said.


    Leon¡¯s dull, empty blue eyes made the young teen nervous, but he shook his head, and gave him the ball.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just a regular guy like your dad.¡± he said in his deep dead tone.


    ¡°You should consider it since you¡¯re so tall!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± the kids said in unison.


    Leon chuckled, and patted the young teens head.


    ¡°I¡¯m good where I''m at, kid. But you should consider being an NFL player since you¡¯re so good at chucking that ball.¡±


    He smiled and all of them ran backwards with him. Leon waved to the parents who were worried at first but returned with waves too. Samantha couldn¡¯t help but smile watching Leon be so kind to the next generation. It gave her another settlement of guilt, which made her bow her head in shame.


    The sense of guilt, again, has struck me like an arrow piercing my heart. Could this be¡ª?


    Samantha¡¯s mouth opened, and it trickled a gasp.


    ¡°Love¡­?¡±


    She rose her head, and saw Leon basking in the sunlight, his head aimed at the sky with his eyes closed.


    I¡¯ve never seen him this calm since his confession towards me. She thought.


    She brought her hand out, and reached out to him.


    What¡­ have I¡ª?


    She crushed her eyelids shut, and shook her head. She reeled her arm back, and held it against her chest.


    ¡°What am I going to tell Sarah?¡± she mumbled.


    Leon had just sat back, and let out a breath. She turned to her left, and saw him reaching for the basket. He opened it, and pulled out a favourite of his, a soda made in his home town back in Germany. This made him gasp, and turn to Samantha, and she smiled for him. He shut his mouth, and looked away, opening the can, and taking a sip.


    ¡°I, uh, went through the trouble of visiting your favourite local shop and bought some.¡±


    Leon drank more, and cracked his neck.


    ¡°You did this overnight?¡± he asked, coldy.


    She also reached for one can. ¡°Yeah, I did. I gave them a nice pay too to support them. Oh, I also got other things, but¡­¡±


    She tried opening the can, but couldn¡¯t. Leon heard her struggling and she groaned, turning red. Leon rolled his eyes, and put his hand out.


    ¡°Would you, really?¡± she asked.


    He didn¡¯t answer, and she carefully put the can in his clutch, but not without skin contact. Feeling the tips of her fingers touching his palm sent chills up his arm, and almost made him freak out. He remained calm and told himself that after this picnic, he was off and out of the house to join Mandy in her hotel. He opened the can, it hissed, and he handed it back to her.


    ¡°Weak¡­¡± he unexpectedly muttered.


    She heard his voice, and it made her turn her head all sassy like.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯d you say?¡± she asked, growing half a grin.


    He barely noticed that he blurred that out between his lips. A grimace grew across his face, and he looked away.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± he replied, clearing his throat.


    She grabbed the can, and took a chug before answering.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think so. I think if my ears heard correctly, I do believe you had just called me¡ªweak.¡±


    He moaned, and drank the remaining amount of soda.


    ¡°Who are you calling weak, you soft vanilla cake.¡±


    He twitched and quickly turned to her.


    ¡°Alright, I did, you¡¯re weak, weak! Can¡¯t even open a damn can.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright. Says the guy who can¡¯t stomach lil o spinach.¡±


    ¡°Hey, that stuffs nasty when it''s mushed up, alright. The comparison isn¡¯t the same.¡±


    Samantha set the can down. She twisted her body towards Leon, and put her arms out forward on the ground. Leon still had his gaze diverted, but she found it amusing, and gave Leon a furrowed brow sassy type stare.


    ¡°But it is! Because you call me weak for not opening a can, so I call you weak for not stomaching spinach.¡±


    Leon rolled his eyes, and put his arms back to his sides.


    ¡°Whatever you say, you¡¯re still weak.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, hohoho, you too, dummy.¡±


    ¡°Du-Dummy?¡± he muttered.


    He panned to Samantha, and saw her sarcastic, sassy nature. Her side eye made him frown, but shrugged.


    ¡°Call me dummy again, and you¡¯ll feel the wrath of my fist.¡±


    ¡°Call me weak again, and you¡¯ll feel the wrath of my¡­¡±


    She turned away, abruptly turned back, and her hair flung in the process.


    ¡°Of my sass, Leon!¡±


    The two stopped, and blinked. Then they both let out a chuckle, but Leon was quick to stop, and frowned again. He panned back to the families, and let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to let you trick me into staying.¡±


    She also frowned, and her eyes furrowed in sadness.


    ¡°Like I said before, there¡¯s nothing that¡¯ll change my mind. It¡¯s too late, and the damage has been done.¡±


    He lowered his head, and gripped the mat.


    ¡°Yeah, nothing¡­¡± he murmured.


    Samantha also panned to the families, and watched in silence. She moaned, and reached into the basket, pulling out a sandwich, sliced in two. She unwrapped the paper around it, and pulled it apart. She took a bite out of one, and handed the other to Leon. He could smell it, and it made his stomach rumble. He grabbed it, but mistakenly grabbed her hand as well. He freaked out for a moment, but feeling her soft hand, and sharing the little warmth she was producing gave him a sudden flashback.


    It was of a time when the two were outside of the academy, sitting on the edge of a building, watching the skyline lights, and the city in a gorgeous setting. With cars honking out in the distance, people yelling across the street, occasional gunfire going off in the distance with police sirens echoing, the two were enjoying the view regardless of all the noise around them. Leon had his arms rested on the ledge while Samantha was sitting on it with her legs crossed, hanging off it. Both were seeing the stars and one that Witches'' enjoyed seeing.


    ¡°There, right there, Leon!¡± Samantha said, excited, and jabbing her finger at the sky.


    Leon brought his gaze to the nightsky, covered in a sea of stars. He tried scanning, seeing which one she was pointing at. He hovered his hand over his eyes, and squinted.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see what you¡¯re pointing at, Samantha.¡±


    ¡°Uh! Do I have to stand and point it out for you?!¡±


    Leon grunted in response, and gave her a jab to the shoulder. She replied by hissing, and rubbing her arm.


    ¡°Did you have to punch me in the shoulder? Rude!¡±


    ¡°Dang, didn¡¯t know you were so weak.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Weak! Ooo, I¡¯ll show you weak, dummy!¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you can be more sassy than usual?¡± he said, letting out a chuckle.


    She pouted, and repeatedly slammed her fists against his right shoulder. It only insulated his statement, and again, calling her weak. Leon grabbed one of her wrists, and turned to her, tilting his head with a grin.


    ¡°See, exactly as I said, weak.¡±


    Samantha puffed her cheeks out further, but giggled afterwards.


    ¡°Whatever, you¡¯re still a dummy for not seeing the star that Witches like.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it, spill it out lady.¡±


    ¡°And you call me sassy?¡±


    She looked to the sky again, and pointed at an orange star that stood out of the rest.


    ¡°Betelgeuse, that¡¯s the star they seem to praise and hope to blow up sooner rather than later.¡±


    Leon scanned harder, but finally saw the orange dim dot.


    ¡°Why¡¯s that? What¡¯s the death of a star have to do with Witch culture?¡±


    Samantha giggled again, ¡°you wouldn¡¯t understand since you¡¯re an Esper. But, from what the sacred texts say, the star represents one of the ideologies of strength, knowledge, and the surge of knowing the universe. The first Witch, he specifically chose that star because once it goes supernova, it¡¯ll grant Witches'' manna like they never experienced before.¡±


    Leon grabbed his chin, and rubbed it.


    ¡°That sounds stupid. Plus, how did he know it¡¯ll grant them some super powers?¡±


    Samantha shrugged, and shut her eyes.


    ¡°Beats me. Even I find that story in the texts stupid. I even tried going back in time to find his foolish butt, and I saw that he was crazy.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you went back in time? How?¡±


    ¡°Oops, I said too much.¡±


    Leon blinked rapidly, but shook it off. He went back to stare at Betelgeuse, and thought about it.


    ¡°I wonder what would happen. Sadly, you folks will never find out since it won¡¯t explode for another couple thousand years. Or it¡¯s already dead, since light travels so fast it takes a while for the explosion¡¯s light to reach us.¡±


    Samantha stood up, and smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right. It most likely met its demise given the limitations of reality¡¯s laws¡­¡±


    She knit her brows, and put her hand up to the sky with a thin smile.


    ¡°... unless you can defy such laws and do things like this.¡±


    Her hair fluttered, and her eyes glowed.


    ¡°By the power bestowed within me, I, Abyzou,¡± she murmured. ¡°Shall move the stars aside, granting me a view of the great star for my fallen sisters to witness, I seek thee.¡± she said.


    The center of her palm glowed white, and she clenched it. Light gleamed through the gaps of her closed hand. Feeling the heat of the light grow, she was ready. She moved her right arm to the left, and Leon could see the sea of stars being moved, like a black curtain being pulled off to the side, which made his jaw drop. She then carefully opened her hand, and moved it back in center. Again, she clenched it, and moved her arm to the right to clear the rest aside. She had finished moving all stars to the side, and only one remained in the center, alone, and shining brighter. Never has Leon bearwtinessed such a powerful phenomena. It even made him doubt his own abilities given this was the second time he¡¯s seen her powers in action.


    ¡°There we are.¡± she said as her hair settled down.


    Leon couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, and slowly brought his breathless expression to Samantha. She had that thin smile on her face that would describe someone who lacked empathy and awareness. She turned to Leon, who appeared baffled.


    ¡°Pretty cool, right?¡± she said in a cute tone.


    Leon wiped his face, and scratched his cheek.


    ¡°Pretty gnarly if you ask me. Jeez, I had no idea you were that powerful.¡±


    Samantha giggled. ¡°Please, you¡¯re flattering me!¡±


    She swirled her hand, and snapped her fingers. A bright twinkle appeared in the sky, and Leon wondered what star was shining.


    ¡°I can do more than just spells, Leon.¡± she said while again, waving her hand, and snapping her fingers.


    An array of stars twinkled in the sky, and displayed a grand phenomenon of twinkling giants, showcasing a christmas light show to the world.


    Leon scrunched his face, and his eyes quivered.


    ¡°Did¡­ you just?¡±


    Samantha lowered her hands, and twirled, dancing as the night sky changed, and she put her right arm out, dancing like a ballerina. This time, the stars grew brighter, and the structure of galaxies had appeared, enough to be seen by the human eye. Samantha put her hands out to the sides, and swirled her arms in front, guiding the galaxies towards each other, and some even collided, creating the most devastating collisions in the universe known to science. To everyone else, it was the most awe inspiring thing they¡¯ve ever witnessed that got the opportunity to see. To Leon, he was terrified and never knew that she could manipulate space and time with the palm of her hands.


    ¡°Now, allow my fallen sisters to grant me the grip strength, the guardians of the grand sky, permit me to use light¡¯s enemy to suck the remaining hopes of our universe into darkness: Mana, fill me.¡±


    The way she said that chant, spell spooked Leon further. She sounded cold as ice, dead as life, yet innocent like a girl. Something in between the thousands of galaxie dots swirled, bending the light that they were creating, and eventually, as Samantha slowly put her hands close to each other near her chest, they were being sucked in by a black hole with gargantuan proportions. They bent inward, swirled, and eventually faded out of existence to leave Betelgeuse alone, again.


    ¡°Time for the final act.¡± she said.


    Her hair levitated, and her eyes glowed platinum, and in between her closing fingers, a sphere of what appeared to be the galaxies, stars that were displayed in the night sky were now in her hands. To Leon, it appeared as if she were holding another universe in her clutch, and it made him step away. Despite feeling conflicted, he couldn¡¯t help but be amazed too. The edge of her lips mildly opened, showing her ground teeth, expressing her joy. She carefully put her arms forward, and the sphere went out into the air, gently. She held her arms carefully as the ball slowly came off the tips of her snow white fingers. She gently blew at the sphere, and it zoomed out into the night sky. It went towards the center of the night sky, and exploded into the most beautiful explosion. Nebulas were showcased, auroras swarmed the night sky as everything was being put back in place. She put her hands down, and shut her eyes, thus concluding the night show, and bringing everything back to the way it was before.


    She stretched and felt relieved. ¡°How was that for being weak? H-o-n-e-y!¡±


    Leon¡¯s left eye swelled, and a tear slipped out.


    ¡°That was the most beautiful thing I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. But also, the most frightening experience as well.¡±


    Samantha jumped from the ledge, and went up to Leon.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of, Leon.¡±


    He appeared concerned, and moaned. She put her hand against his chest, feeling his beating heart trying to escape his chest.


    ¡°Is it okay to be?¡± he said.


    Samantha rubbed his chest, gently, and softly blinked.


    ¡°Of course it is, darling. But it should be I, a tiny young woman who should fear her strong man yet feel safe in his masculine arms when danger creeps to bring me harm.¡±


    He grinned, and tilted his head.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you¡¯re right, but you¡¯re making me doubt my powers seeing you break our third dimension just now.¡±


    ¡°Please, you¡¯re Leon Bolverkr, the destroyer! You can do anything, you¡¯re gifted, the most out of any esper or mana user that isn¡¯t an Exorcist!¡±


    She pointed to the sky again, and directed her finger at a bright star.


    ¡°See that star? See if you could blow it up.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You want me to blow up a star in another part of the universe?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    He had his doubts, and expressed a grimace.


    ¡°What if it¡¯s across the universe? Too far for any of my blasts to reach?¡±


    Samantha smacked his arm, giving him some motivation to give it a go.


    ¡°Leon, I know you can. Yes, we don¡¯t know much about our known universe. We are aware that it¡¯s infinite, but eventually, you¡¯ll meet darkness.¡±


    ¡°What, what if there¡¯s life that might get destroyed?¡±


    ¡°What? Like aliens? I mean, we¡¯re still not sure if we¡¯re the only living things in this universe, but I say, for this instance, let''s still keep it a theory.¡±


    Leon still wasn¡¯t sure, and his doubts expressed itself with a huge frown.


    ¡°What if it¡¯s already dead and we¡¯re just seeing the aftermath?¡±


    Samantha pouted, and put her hands on her hips.


    ¡°You can do it! I believe in you, honey!¡±


    Hearing her pep talk mustered some courage, and brought his gaze to the sky again. She again pointed, and he squinted his eyes. Before he could do anything, she summoned a barrier around them to not affect reality and be seen. Leon took a deep breath, and slowly, his mana began to build up in one of his palms. He took more deep breaths, and shut his eyes. Samantha stood back to watch, and can¡¯t help but feel excited. Leon¡¯s hair moved, and his aura began to emerge around him, but faintly. To Samantha¡¯s eyes it was always a sight to behold given its colour.


    ¡°Just his colour makes me quiver. It¡¯s like looking at tame purple lava, how magnificent.¡±


    He took aim with his ignited palm. A blast began to form, sucking in light from around them, and forming into an electrical sphere with out of control currents. Samantha let out an open mouth smile as it grew more intense, and shook the ground.


    ¡°Not even my cute barrier that puts us out of reality can contain his awesome mana!¡± she said.


    Leon opened his eyes, and closed his hand, pulling it back, and punching it straight forward. A stream of purple electrical fire shot out of his fist, and thinned out as it faded into the vast emptiness of space. Leon dropped his hand, and at first grinned with disappointment, but then, the sky had erupted with his own nebulous explosion. This made him gasp, but feel proud yet terrified of his own power. Samantha was more than pleased to see this, and she wanted to see more than what had been displayed.


    ¡°I can sense you not only destroyed that star, but its entire system along with another. Good job, destroyer.¡±


    Leon watched as the night sky was filled with numerous explosions of different lights.


    ¡°I never imagined that people like us could do such devastation to our reality¡­¡±


    He balled his fists, and remembered the times he wiped out continents and tried destroying their own sun when he went berserk one last time.


    ¡°I thought when I lost my mind the best I could do was destroy what¡¯s around me. But to destroy a star and its entire solar system?¡±


    Leon raised one of his fists, and placed it against his forehead.


    ¡°It¡¯s unthinkable, and unimaginable.¡±


    He turned back to Samantha who still had her twisted thin smile.


    ¡°Samantha, people like us, like those Exorcists, shouldn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°But we do? There¡¯s no helping in what''s come true? What¡¯s with this sudden saying, Leon?¡±


    Leon¡¯s feelings were convoluted. He didn¡¯t know what else to say but thought as to why they exist. From what he¡¯s read, people like Witches, Espers, Sorcerer, Exorcists, and anything supernatural have only existed under a thousand years. He wondered how this all happened and what made it a reality. To Samantha, she didn¡¯t care about what should or shouldn¡¯t be real, she just wanted to showcase more of his power, and see it in one more action.


    ¡°Leon, sweety, let''s divert away from such trivial thoughts and let me see more of your powers.¡±


    She pointed two of her fingers, and snapped them, and brought forth an enlargement of a galaxy to be shown like a twinkling star. This made Leon¡¯s eyes tremble, and felt more conflicted about showing more.


    ¡°What do you want me to do next? Samantha?¡± he asked in a shaky tone.


    She lowered her hand, and gave him a cute side-eye.


    ¡°Can you potentially wipe out that galaxy?¡±


    Her tone, and demeanor sent chills up his spine. It was so playful, innocent, yet wicked. Her stance, the way her side eyes locked onto him made it seem as if she were playing him for something deeper. He can tell she was eager to see, but something about the look in her eyes made it more devious. Without another thought and choice in mind, Leon prepared himself for another attack to please the love of his life.


    ¡°Could we teleport to an empty field so I won¡¯t scare the public.¡±


    Samantha giggled, ¡°of course, but I think it¡¯s already too late for that since the police are investigating the area. See!¡±


    She hunched over the ledge, and saw a brigade of policemen and women searching the area. Quickly, he knew it had to be him since his little attack did break the barrier. He gulped, and shook his head. Seeing him this worried about something so miniscule made her giggle more. She snapped her fingers again, and the two were now in an empty grassland. Leon looked around the vast darkness around them, and the stars in the sky being their only source of light. With the spiral galaxy still in view with his eyes, he aimed his pupils at it, and began for another attack.


    ¡°Stand back,¡± Leon said in a serious tone.


    She obliged and gained some distance between them. With her arms behind her back, she watched as the once tall shy guy that hardly talked to anyone began to show more of who he was to the girl he claimed as his now lover. Leon balled his fists again, and took many deep breaths to control himself from losing control. He knew if he used too much mana, he''d lose control, and let it overcome his mind, leading to him becoming the monster everyone feared.


    His shut eyelids wiggled, repeatedly squinted as he knit his brows, trying to concentrate the best that he could to show more of his mana to Samantha.


    Don¡¯t lose control, don¡¯t lose control, Leon. He thought.


    He slightly raised his clenched fists to his sides, and slowly opened his eyes. Samantha hunched over, tilting her head as to what he¡¯s trying to do. Then, in a quick blink, Leon exploded out his aura that dented the earth beneath his feet. Now inside his own crater, that stretched a mile wide, where Samantha stood was the only piece of earth that survived. She could now see a glance to his power, his aura that flowed around him like a thick transparent layer of magma made of purple with red sparkles around it. He ground his teeth with steam creeping out the gaps of his teeth as he focused his total concentration on the galaxy that was his target. His aura grew more wide, and flowed rapidly. He slowly raised his left arm to his left cheek, carefully spreading out his legs. He had the back of his left hand near his cheek, he jammed his right arm, putting his right hand in-between his cheek and left hand.


    With the two hands making contact, his stance balanced, mana began to build in the centre of his left palm. Gently, he grabbed his left hand with his right, and opened his eyes, grounding his teeth. Samantha again had an open mouth smile that seemed childish yet sadistic. Seeing his mana build up, the centre of his left palm gathering the energy inside him gave her butterflies. Leon took even deeper breaths as his mana began to grow more, and more. His aura grew taller by the second. Eventually, it reached the sky, and his aura could be seen outside of this world. The brightness, the intensity sent shockwaves around the world, and the earth itself was being affected. Its magnetic sphere was being messed with, and once Leon gathered enough mana, his aura collapsed onto him, rapidly flickered to his hands, and Leon shot his hands out forward.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Samantha¡¯s smile turned upside down, and she appeared confused.


    Leon stood there with his arms shot forward to the sky. At first, she didn¡¯t know whether to be annoyed or angry, but suddenly, he yelled, and the mana exploded out of his palms. A ginormous purple beam shot out into space, flashing the entire area into a screen of purple and red. The force he created pushed him backwards. He had to raise his leg off the ground to control it. Samantha¡¯s clothes fluttered violently as the enormous attack dented, carved the area around them as it kept going. The area flickered uncontrollably from its intensity, and for a minute, put a hole through the earth''s magnetic field. With the earth now in danger, solarwinds welcoming itself into the atmosphere, Samantha had to do something or else everyone would die. She rose her arms to the sky, and she created her own barrier around the globe.


    ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± she muttered.


    Northern lights scattered across the sky, and Leon¡¯s attack slowly thinned out and eventually lost steam. He put his foot back into place, and dropped on all fours. He¡¯s sweating, squinting an eye, he could feel his power trying to overcome his mind. He grabbed his head, and groaned, fighting the urge of madness trying to overtake his mind. Samantha quickly hurried to Leon, seeing if she could do something to tame his mana. She got down to her knees, and placed her delicate hands on his head. Feeling her touch tamed the berserk nature inside, and allowed him to catch his breath.


    ¡°You okay, Leon?¡± she asked.


    Leon opened his mouth, but the two heard a faint explosion, and panned to the sky. They saw the galaxy displaying an array of colours and particles. It lasted only a minute until it had been completely vaporised out of existence. Seeing it succumb to darkness made Samantha smile again. She was proud of Leon and couldn¡¯t contain her joy. She leaped onto him, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck and praising his attack. Leon on the other hand felt more afraid of himself, and shed another tear. Without saying another word, he gently pushed Samantha off and got back on his feet. His face, hidden with a shadow of guilt from the bangs of his hair, Leon couldn¡¯t stand to see the night sky any longer. He dropped his head in shame, and Samantha wondered why he grew upset.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Why the long scary face, Leon?¡±


    She grabbed his arm, and Leon¡¯s body began shaking.


    ¡°Why?¡± he softly said, ¡°why me?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯d you choose me, Samantha.¡±


    She pulled his arm, and giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯m confused as to what you mean by that, honey.¡±


    Leon clenched a fist, and tensed his body.


    ¡°Out of every man in the world, you chose the most dangerous¡­ Why, Samantha?¡±


    Samantha wiggled her lips, and let go. She lightly tapped her chin, and crossed an arm.


    ¡°Hm, I do wonder, why?¡±


    She brought out an adoring smile, and grabbed his clenched hand.


    ¡°Why did I choose the shyest, handsomess, yet most dangerous man alive?¡±


    Leon lightly gasped, and turned to Samantha, seeing her gorgeous eyes glistening at him.


    ¡°Because, Leon, out of every man that ever tried winning my heart over, and convincing me to be their property, you were the only one who paid no attention to what my body offers, but what my heart offers.¡±


    She rubbed his hand, and eased his tense nerves.


    ¡°You are right, people like us shouldn¡¯t exist. But what better than to share the same burden with someone familiar.¡±


    She slowly put her arms around the back of his neck, and stared into his eyes.


    ¡°Besides, no man could ever win me over, even if they casted the most powerful spell, I¡¯ll never be won over. Yet you, Leon Bolverkr, are the only one to have. That says a lot.¡±


    Leon sighed, but expressed a mild grin.


    ¡°You make it sound like you¡¯re the ultimate prize this world has to offer.¡±


    Her pupils turned upwards, and she smiled some more.


    ¡°But, aren¡¯t I? I mean, I could ask you the same thing. Why did you choose such a dangerous woman like me?¡±


    Leon subtle his grin, and his eyes softened.


    ¡°You want the truth?¡±


    She bobbed her head, and giggled.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, I want the truth.¡±


    Leon softly smacked his gum before answering.


    ¡°At first, when I heard the rumours of you, I thought they were true: you being a quiet, yet cruel girl. Your stare alone resented anyone, and you saw everyone else as nothing more than objects.¡±


    Her smile turned upside down, and her face grew still.


    ¡°Your voice alone, when you spoke, sounded cold yet arousing. You have a soft mature voice that would trick any man into thinking you were into them. Yet to other women, you sounded too innocent, cute and made them jealous. I¡¯ll be honest, from a distance, it appeared to be true, until one day you confronted me.¡±


    Leon wrapped his hands around her waist, and his grin faded.


    ¡°Our first interaction will forever be cemented in my mind. In just three sentences, I got to know who you really are, dismissing the rumours.¡±


    Her eyes glistened, and shaked.


    ¡°As I got to know you, further down the line, I¡¯ve learned that you¡¯re not only an intelligent person, caring, funny, but¡­¡±


    He brought his hands lower down her waist line, and crept close to her face.


    ¡°...You were lost, and finding something to fill in the hole in your life. And I happened to fill in the gap.


    Samantha dragged one hand from behind his neck, and rested it on his cheek.


    ¡°Samantha, you¡¯re the most beautiful woman in the world¡­ and I want nothing more than to possibly create a family with you, one day.¡±


    Hearing him say he wanted to create a family with her broke her into a state of happiness and satisfaction. Samantha shed a tear, and edged into Leon¡¯s lips, kissing him. The two locked lips, and she grabbed his face as the galaxy he had destroyed, slowly emerged back into existence.


    Leon shook his head, and saw the family in front of them beginning to pack. He groaned and glanced to his right, seeing his hand and Samantha¡¯s locked together. He couldn¡¯t help and fight his emotions, but another tear slipped out. Samantha couldn¡¯t see since she was looking forward, also reminiscing about something. Although, in the faint sunlight shining on her face, he did see a twinkle coming out of her eye, and slipping down her cheek. She lowered her head, and he felt her hand shaking all of a sudden.


    ¡°Is this¡­ really goodbye, Leon?¡± she asked in a shaky tone.


    Leon gently let go, and wiped his eyes, standing up.


    ¡°Yeah, it is. And I won¡¯t change my mind.¡±


    Samantha pulled back her hand, and clutched it. She had a faint grin as she fought her emotions as well.


    ¡°I thought so.¡± she said.


    She glanced at Leon¡¯s side, and could see his red eyes. She wiped her eyes, and sighed.


    ¡°Just be sure to continue looking after our daughter.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything, and took a step forward.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll do my part too, to also take care of Sarah because you¡¯re right¡­ I should¡¯ve taken care of this entire fiasco in my own hands.¡±


    She also stood up, and turned to Leon, putting her hand out.


    ¡°You, along with everyone else will know the truth as to why this is all occurring.¡±


    Leon turned his head to where her hand was out, his mouth mildly opening.


    ¡°Very soon, you have my word, Leon.¡±


    Leon started putting his hand out towards her to shake it until his phone rang. He quickly reached into his pocket, and answered the phone. Samantha dropped her hand, and frowned. His conversation on the phone was quick, and once he had hung up, he glanced at Samantha one last time, giving her a genuine smile.


    ¡°I hope that this isn¡¯t some act you''re putting up, Samantha. But if it isn¡¯t, then, thank you¡­ for not taking my life and making me a free man again.¡±


    Samantha nodded, and waved at him.


    He walked sideways, and raised his hand.


    ¡°Goodluck to you, and all your future endeavours.¡±


    Leon turned the other way, and walked away. Samantha watched as the man she had tortured emotionally for almost two decades turned his back to her. Seeing him walk, and with each blink he grew more distant struck her heart with the most pain since the day she almost lost Sarah.


    ¡°No¡­¡± she mumbled while covering her mouth.


    She shut her eyes, and tears crept through the dams.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­¡±


    Once she had opened them again, he was gone. She couldn¡¯t help but softly whimper, and feel absolutely terrible about this whole situation. She snapped her fingers, poofing away the picnic, and pursuing after Leon to where he was heading. She power walked in his direction to find where she might stalk him from. After an intense session of strutting, she found him near a parked red sedan. He leaned against it, and looked to be waiting for someone. She crept behind some thick bushes and trees to hide herself. She wondered who he was waiting for? Leon¡¯s face appeared disgruntled but all that sadness vanished when she saw a short bleached blonde woman approaching him. He immediately hugged her, and his face screamed happiness and freedom.


    ¡°Who¡¯s¡­ this?¡±


    She then went for a kiss, and the two locked lips. Samantha¡¯s eyes grew big, she gasped, and a sharp glint appeared in them.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    She grabbed the bush, and pushed some of the small branches off to the side to get a better sight as to who this woman is kissing her now ex-husband. When they let go, with the woman grabbing his right arm, fully turnt to give insight as to who she is, Samantha grit her teeth.


    ¡°Ma-Man¡­dy¡­¡± she growled.


    Mandy held his hand, and frolocked around him as she dragged his arm. He looked so happy and excited that for the first time in her life, she felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. Samantha repeatedly shook her head, watching them be friendly.


    ¡°No, no no no no no no no no no¡­ No! No! No! N¡­o!¡±


    Samantha panted, her breathing intensified as she watched Mandy rub her hands all over Leon¡¯s body. Once their reunion was over, they quickly got into the red car. Never has she felt this much envy since her original goal, and the old spark of the very Sin engraved in her body began to emerge.


    ¡°Damn you damn you damn you damn you damn¡­ Mandy, Mandy¡ªMANDY! MANDY!¡±


    They were already driving away as she was hissing, snarling, starting to clutch her head. The car faded out in the distance, and Samantha began to hyperventilate.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead you¡¯re dead, dead dead dead dead dead¡­ dead! DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD DEAD¡ªDEAAAAAAAAD!¡±


    Her scream bounced from every direction, shattering anything made of glass in the entire area. Her hair flickered black and red, and her eyes too flickered violet and crimson. Pedestrians nearby were dropped dead by the nasty scream, their ears bled along with their eyes. The area grew grim, the sky swarmed with clouds of black, and appeared bloody.


    ¡°I¡¯m covetous, anxious, attentive, intolerant of this! Apprehensive, my grudge towards her is spiteful! You backbiting, blue-eyed monster full of ill content!¡±


    Samantha transported herself into her own dimension, one that defined her resentment towards Mandy. A destroyed universe with orange nebulas and black holes swallowing stars, suns destroyed, and behind her, a large swirling vortex slowly emerged, sucking the light starting to create around her.


    ¡°My malice, bitterness shall fuel me into smiting her¡­ I will not stand and watch as she takes away the one thing holding my family together!¡±


    The vortex behind her sucked half her body in, half her body began to be spaghettified. She let out a putrid scream that shattered her own world, letting the outside world know of her¡ªenvy.


    ¡°MANDY!¡±


    The swirling black, red vortex sucked her in, and exploded. Her own world had fallen victim to the vortex as well, leaving it alone to swirl. As darkness welcomed this flickered vortex to thrive, eventually, something emerged out of it. A pale glowing chalk arm came out, reaching out, and out of the vortex came along a malicious cackle. It¡¯s off putting rhythmic laughter bounced in the chamber of nothing. Another arm came out, and as well as glowing red pupils that gleamed of malice. Her laughter continued until it transitioned to one last scream filled with resentment and guilt. Abyzou, had been reborn.

 Arc 4 Chapter 25: The Storm Cometh, Part—1

    Inside the board of the highest ranking military men, General Shannon presented a huge projector on the screen. A display of attacks was shown. Everyone present listened as he was ready to explain his plan. Walking in front, and smacking the screen board, General Shannon¡¯s palm produced a sound loud enough to awake anyone wishing they could sleep through this presentation. His face serious, his eyebrows knitted, as he let off the board and cleared his throat, the strange lieutenant had just shown up. He quickly walked up to the front, and patted himself, expressing a grin too big to be uncomfortable for anyone¡¯s liking. He gave him a thumbs up, and General Shannon glanced at the group of important military leaders and government officials.


    ¡°As you all may know, it¡¯s been roughly almost two months since the last disturbance that has scared our citizens and brought forth a danger we thought would never be possible.¡±


    He grabbed his wrist, and placed his arms behind his back.


    ¡°Prior to that disturbance, we¡¯ve lost many innocent lives and the streets of major Michigan cities have suffered infrastructure damage that can¡¯t be fixed anytime soon. Right now, my team and I, along with this man, have created a plan to attack the individuel deemed responsible.¡±


    He jolted his head in the direction of where one man stood behind the projector. He went behind it where a computer was set, and clicked to display what the General¡¯s talking about. They had displayed a tall blonde man, dressed in business attire and this time, he didn¡¯t look depressed.


    ¡°This man here, after much investigation and tracking, we¡¯ve gathered enough evidence to tie in these supernatural events. He is to blame for all the mess that¡¯s happened.¡±


    The lieutenant jumped in, and spread his arms out enthusiastically.


    ¡°Indeed! Everyone, listen, on that day almost two months ago when the sky turned red and our clouds turned to ash, the last person where the source of the storm came from: He happened to be there before and after!¡±


    The general pushed him away.


    ¡°Could you let me finish? I haven¡¯t even got there yet you hyperactive bastard.¡±


    ¡°General! Take a look at everyone here! What do their faces tell you?!¡±


    The general growled and shifted his head to the audience. He scanned and read the room, and easily could see their petrified, angry, confused expressions. This made him feel responsible since he promised this situation would be handled quickly. But it''s been almost three months with no progress. Even with the help of the crazy mystery man who¡¯s now his partner and this technology that¡¯s straight fiction, they haven¡¯t dented anything to the appearing dangers. They had nothing, but seeing that he presented enough evidence to prove that this man is at least somewhat involved, he hoped that taking him out would relax the public. In the end, he wants nothing more than to protect the people of his country, and stop the relentless destruction and chaos.


    ¡°Everyone, you all look at me with faces I only saw back when I was in operation Black Hawk, the Afghan war. I want nothing more than to help ease your fears.¡±


    The audience paid close attention and the crowd looked at each other.


    ¡°What we¡¯ve seen, experienced has been worse than anything we¡¯ve ever faced in the past century of human conflict. Today, I guarantee that we will stop this man and more like him.¡±


    A deep wrinkle formed between his eyes as he raised one hand.


    ¡°Because if we start off with him, then the rest will soon come to realise who they¡¯re up against!¡±


    He balled his fist, and ground his teeth.


    ¡°We will prevail and demonstrate to the world that we, America, are not only the best, greatest military and country in the world, but to remind that we also keep the world balanced!¡±


    People got up from their seats, and some began to shed tears.


    ¡°I could care less about the criticism, I just want our people safe, and more importantly, I want us to go back to realism¡­¡±


    He raised his fist in the air, and a tear came out his eye.


    ¡°For we are human, and they are not! If this is a test from God to show that his greatest creations could survive anything thrown at them¡ªthen let us demonstrate to our father and saviour that we, as people, as his children, can unite and conquer all!¡±


    He received a standing ovation. Everyone felt his words struck their hearts, his passion, his anger, it all triggered their sense of confidence in a man who can overcome this obstacle. To the lieutenant, he expressed a huge open mouth smile as the delighted crowd kept applauding. He walked forward, and clapped once to simmer the crowd.


    ¡°Everyone, our attack begins later!¡±


    He snapped his fingers, and showcased more tech that¡¯ll execute their plan fluidly on the screen.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought much more powerful toys to satisfy your needs, and with that, we can commence, uh¡ª!¡±


    He glanced at the General, and tilted his head.


    ¡°What was the plan called again, hehe!¡±


    General Shannon didn¡¯t like the tone in his voice. It sounded odd, mysteriously too cheerful, and ominous. He played along, and put his hand out.


    ¡°At 1600 hours, we attack, and without causing too much damage to our city, we need him away from city limits.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, we do.¡± the lieutenant said.


    ¡°Tell me something, young man¡­¡±


    The general walked up to his face, and looked him dead in the eyes.


    ¡°Can I trust you in this operation?¡±


    He kept his smile, and nodded as the general''s eyes glinted.


    ¡°Of course you can. Because without me, where would any of you be?¡±


    His response triggered something inside the General, and embarked more distrust and anger. He gazed at one of his soldiers, jolting his head. The soldier understood and walked away.


    ¡°What? Still find me distrusting, General?¡±


    The general ignored him, and faced the crowd.


    ¡°Operation Hamilton commences, now!¡±


    The crowd again applauded, and the lieutenant''s smile grew more sinister as he turned away from the crowd.


    ¡°Once their operation fails¡­¡± he muttered.


    He brought one hand raised, and crushed it shut. A sharp glint grew in his eyes, and he chuckled beneath his breath.


    ¡°I¡¯ll initiate my own attack¡­ leaving no one left alive¡ªnot even I! Will survive once it concludes, hehe.¡±


    Meanwhile, in downtown Detroit, Mandy and Sarah had just arrived at a nice cafe, finally getting time to themselves. Unfortunately, Mandy wasn¡¯t in the mood to have a conversation with her since she did state that they have lunch the next day after their skirmish almost two months ago. She put her grude aside and forgave her since a lot has happened and more notably, her father did say she wanted Mandy herself to keep watch of any cultists. Sarah did feel guilty about not trying to get a hold of her, but getting a hold of Mandy felt closer to getting in touch with an IRS agent.


    The two sat across from each other, and said nothing. The busy streetside of pedestrians and cars kept the silent awkwardness minimal. The waiter brought them their drinks, and set down their coffee cups. Mandy took a sip, and Sarah gulped, and nervously grabbed hers. Mandy set her mug down, and furrowed her brows towards Sarah. Sarah diverted her gaze from her serious eye contact, and her pupils bounced around as she took a sip.


    ¡°Sarah.¡± she said in her strong, mature tone.


    Sarah jumped, and almost spilled her coffee.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah?!¡±


    Mandy sighed, and collapsed her hands, resting them on the table.


    ¡°What is it that you¡¯re trying to accomplish with this long awaited lunch? Besides reminding me with the face of evil that I¡¯ve come to look for.¡±


    Sarah forcefully grinned, and set her coffee mug down.


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ Well, I just wanted to get to know you better. I apologise if it¡¯s taken so long to arrange this meeting, it¡¯s just, you¡¯re impossible to reach. Plus I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been busy like I have so¡­¡±


    Mandy, sighed. ¡°Well I can¡¯t blame you. It is my fault for being so difficult. Though, can you blame me? We are supernatural beings so it should be impossible to contact another, especially one that represents everything that you hate in a person.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Sarah frowned, and groaned.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you tell me why you resent my mother? And when you say embodiment, do I really remind her past?¡±


    Mandy lifted her arms off the table, and crossed them.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡±


    Sarah shook her head in response. Mandy felt bad for the girl, but she still has her suspicion of her and what her true identity might be. Since that day before she attacked her, she felt Samantha¡¯s presence from the fiery gaze that laid eyes on her. Abyzou¡¯s surge of mana flashed her instincts to attack the girl and kill her on the spot. Yet in that fight, Mandy felt more of her father¡¯s energy than Abyzou.


    ¡°Would you, again state as to why not just you, but the rest of what seems like the world loathe my mother? Because if I¡¯m being honest here, I feel so left out that I¡¯m starting to question my own existence.¡±


    Hearing Sarah¡¯s concerned tone struck weakness in Mandy, reminding her of herself back in the academy. Seeing that sunken face, and eyes really hindered her memories with another experience she had with her mother. A time she got in between her and Leon when they were having a genuine discussion. This reignited fuel into her grudge, and almost made her snap in the moment. She ground her teeth, and their glass mugs shattered, spilling coffee everywhere. Sarah reacted immediately and carefully tried using mana to put them back together.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Mandy shouted. ¡°No magic. The moment you use any ounce of your power will get their attention. You must restrain, allow me.¡±


    Mandy raised two fingers, and tapped the air. This made the cups rewind back to the way they were. Thankfully no one was around to see since they¡¯re in an outside seating area and bushes covered most of their bodies.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just had a quick flashback. Didn¡¯t mean to get out of hand there.¡±


    Sarah mildly giggled. ¡°That¡¯s okay, no need to apologise. I am here to set aside differences and show you that I¡¯m not who you think I am.¡±


    Sarah cleared her throat, and grabbed her cup.


    ¡°Okay, back to the subject. What do you have against my mother, and why are you after her life?¡±


    Mandy grinned. ¡°Hmph, well, sorry to disappoint you, but I¡¯m not allowed to tell you a lot.¡±


    Sarah furrowed her brows. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Your father requested that I shouldn¡¯t tell you. But what I can say is¡­¡±


    Mandy grabbed her cup, and looked at the creamy texture.


    ¡°She¡¯s unlike any person that I''ve ever met.¡±


    The creamy nature of the coffee began to swirl, and slowly, it succumbed into the blackness of the coffee.


    ¡°A manipulator, someone who lacks empathy towards the rest of society¡­¡±


    Sarah slowly lowered her head, and also looked at her coffee, and deeply frowned.


    ¡°She¡¯s the embodiment of hatred, a woman who selfishly hurts others to gain what she wants.¡±


    Mandy could see her face in the coffee, and it made her shake with anger.


    ¡°She made my life a living hell, and sadly¡ª¡±


    She brought her gaze up to Sarah who still had her eyes glued to her coffee.


    ¡°¡ªthe rest of the world had to also live in the hell she created, eighteen years ago.¡±


    Sarah closed her eyes, and held back her emotions.


    ¡°And the last time I saw her face was the exact same as the one you wear today.¡±


    Sarah gasped, and brought her eyes back to Mandy who¡¯s eyes were glinting.


    ¡°Those blood red eyes, your raven hair, your entire facial structure¡ªis her! Everything about her, about what I had to endure, growing the rage inside of me to one day find her, cater to my grude; you are the embodiment of that, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t want to believe what she was saying, but after seeing first hand how cruel her mother could be, especially towards her father, at this point, it¡¯s believable. She was about to respond until that awful migraine came back, tenfold. She clutched her head, and Mandy squinted her eyes, slowly putting one hand beneath her coat. After clutching her head for a moment, her gaze came back to Mandy. Mandy raised a brow, but saw something was off about the look in her eyes. Sarah stared at Mandy like an owl, and didn¡¯t blink for a while, making her nervous yet grow cautious.


    ¡°Sarah?¡± Mandy asked.


    Sarah blinked, and a red glint was as clear as day. Mandy¡¯s eyes quivered, and she gasped repeatedly beneath her breath. She stood halfway up her chair as Sarah¡¯s gaze grew more sinister.


    ¡°Saman¡­tha?¡± Mandy said in a serious tone.


    Sarah didn¡¯t respond, rather, she only kept a still face. The glint in her eyes grew bigger, more red, until she decided to lean over the table towards Mandy. Mandy also edged in towards her face, and the two were almost touching noses. Mandy knit her brows, and Sarah¡¯s face remained still.


    ¡°Sarah, answer me or¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or¡­ what?¡±


    Mandy¡¯s face turned white upon hearing her voice.


    ¡°What would you do, Mandy?¡±


    Her tone, the light, mature yet gentle nature of her voice reminded her of only one person.


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡± Mandy murmured.


    Sarah tilted her head, and gently placed one hand on her petrified face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see you again, Mandy.¡± she eerily said.


    Mandy growled, and slapped her hand away.


    ¡°Coward! Stop hiding behind your daughter, and tell me where you¡¯re at so I can find and kill you myself!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew more wide, and she eerily tilted her head forward, bumping heads with Mandy. She repeatedly gasped as she stared into the same eyes that tormented her life for years, being swallowed by their malicious gaze.


    ¡°Who¡¯s hiding? When in fact, I¡¯m here, staring you right in the face, Mandy.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that?!¡±


    Sarah eased into the side of her face, and whispered into her ear.


    ¡°Because Mandy¡­ we¡ªare one.¡±


    Mandy screamed, and smacked Sarah away. Sarah fell to the floor, and lay on the ground, groaning. She was back conscious, and wondered why her face ached. Then, she saw Mandy rushing on top of her, and raised one fist.


    ¡°Ma-Mandy! What are you doing?!¡±


    Mandy grabbed the collar of her shirt. Sarah panicked, and Mandy reeled back her right arm, growling. She was close to shooting her fist until she saw tears coming out of Sarah''s eyes. She stopped, and again, gasped.


    ¡°Why is this happening to me?¡± Sarah said.


    Tears flowed out her eyes, and she covered them for a moment. She couldn¡¯t contain it anymore, and dropped her hand, letting the water flow.


    ¡°Why am I always being targeted, hurt, and losing my mind! I have no clue what has happened in the past five minutes, yet you¡¯re ready to beat me down again, why Mandy, why?!¡±


    Mandy let go, and got off of Sarah. The waiter came back to check on them and saw the aftermath. At first she was going to say something until Mandy reached her hand out to Sarah. Sarah had no choice but to be assisted up by her to make it less suspicious. Sarah wiped her eyes, and walked away, but not before giving the waiter a tip. Mandy felt guilty, and ran after her. Once they were outside, Mandy grabbed Sarah¡¯s wrist, stopping her.


    ¡°Mandy, could you please let go. I¡¯m done with our conversation.¡±


    Mandy shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    Sarah turned around, and saw the serious yet concerned look in her eyes.


    ¡°You want to find out more of who your mother is, then ask your father. Because I¡¯m on the edge of spilling the beans after what just occurred, and it isn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes sunk, and she pulled her arm away from Mandy.


    ¡°Tell me something, Mandy¡­¡±


    Sarah rubbed her wrist, and frowned.


    ¡°Are you and my father in a relationship? Because as of lately, he hasn¡¯t been around as much or gotten anywhere near our home.¡±


    Mandy felt awkward, and hesitated to answer.


    ¡°You know why I¡¯m asking? Because on the day he probably left our home, he mentioned he¡¯d be staying with an old friend for the time being. Are you that friend?¡±


    Mandy rubbed the back of her neck, and still hesitated.


    ¡°Huh¡­ I wonder what he¡¯d say and do if you put your hands on his precious daughter.¡±


    Mandy scratched her head, and deeply sighed.


    ¡°Yes, your father and I are together¡­¡±


    ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Sarah replied.


    Mandy shook her head, and decided to tell more.


    ¡°Not just that, we¡¯re also planning a future too.¡±


    Sarah felt her heart shatter, but understood as to why. She can remember that day when she saw her father''s belongings at the doorstep. She ran up to him, and asked where he was going, but he only replied with a smile, and carefully patted her head. Never has she seen her father so happy besides the times he spent with her. It made her knees feel weak and heart raced when he started opening his mouth. She¡¯ll never forget the words he spilled out, and the way his eyes sparkled with joy only confirmed as to who was to blame for their splitment.


    ¡°I¡¯m free, Sarah,¡± he said in the softest tone she ever heard from him.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t say anything, but cry and try to hug her father, but respected the boundaries he put. Leon also wanted to hug his daughter, but knew of the repercussions of his emotions. Instead, he kept carefully patting her and promised to still train, and be by her side when danger presents itself. Seeing him leave, walking away with his suitcases made her feel angry towards her mother, but upon gazing back at their home, she could see her mother looking out the window to her father leaving. Sarah was surprised by how her mother was taking the situation. She saw her mortified face, and sunken eyes as she watched the man she tortured for decades leave their home.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± Sarah muttered.


    She watched as her mother rested her arms on the window frame, and gently lay her head on them. As she leaned against her arms with a tilt, she could see something that she would never imagine her mother showing, and that was sadness. A shiny teardrop trickled out her eye, and as it glided off her face, splashing on the ground, it gave birth to new flowers. Sarah can¡¯t seem to understand why her mother would react in such a way when she¡¯s shown nothing but cruelness to her father. But now, in the present, knowing that her father has quickly moved on, and to someone who has it out for her, she¡¯s trying to wonder if getting along with Mandy is worth it. Although, Sarah feels that she has no other choice but to. Seeing as the whole world is hunting her mother down and herself, Sarah has to oblige to whatever is presenting itself to expose any form of truth, even if it means putting her life in jeopardy.


    Sarah expressed half a forced grin, and her head sloped to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure what to do now. Do I hide in my room while all this blows out? Or do I confront it and put an end to it all. At least with that, I can have some closure.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s struck with guilt. She can understand where she¡¯s coming from and couldn¡¯t hold back any longer.


    ¡°Sarah, please understand where my actions come from. My reactions aren¡¯t justified, but my sorrow, my hatred towards Samantha will never cease; so long as she breathes, I can never have peace.¡±


    ¡°You say that so confidently and calm, yet standing before you is the very life she gave birth to.¡±


    ¡°That we don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Mandy quickly shut up, and immediately regretted saying that. The air began to grow tense, and Sarah took a heavy step forward, slowly balling her fists.


    ¡°Mandy, what are you trying to imply about me?¡± Sarah said in a choked tone.


    Mandy grew a grimace, and rubbed her face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to say that. It¡¯s the anger talking so please ignore¡ª¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Fuck¡­ that.¡± Sarah replied, her tone grew more fierce. ¡°This is the second time that someone has stated that very implication. If you really want to be on my good side, then you are going to tell me what that means.¡±


    Mandy dragged her hands off her face, and loudly grunted.


    ¡°Believe me! I want to tell you, but it¡¯s best that your father tell you.¡±


    Sarah wiped her disgruntled expression, and stepped back. She massaged her head from the migraine she fought back, and concluded that Mandy was right.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right. It¡¯d be better. Actually, I think I¡¯ll ask him later when I join him for another training session.¡±


    ¡°Sarah, I know you have much to learn, and much to find out, but right now, what I see is a scared, confused, yet strong young woman.¡±


    Mandy approached Sarah, and hesitated at first to put her arm on her shoulder, but did so.


    ¡°I guarantee things will get better once the truth comes out, and you¡¯ll soon realise the terror of who your mother is. Until then, when that day comes, I¡¯ll do my part to protect you and Jack from those cultist freaks.¡±


    Sarah gently grabbed Mandy¡¯s hand, and it triggered a sudden scene. The sky was red, the ground charred in front of her, she brought her hands up to her eyes, and saw blood. She brought her gaze down, and saw Mandy beaten to a pulp. She heard sinister giggling, and Sarah couldn¡¯t control her body movements. She wiped her bloody hands on her face while Mandy struggled to get a breath. She kneeled, and gently patted the dying girl she saw as a dog. She gave her a soothing kiss on the head, and walked away as she kept giggling until it transitioned to malicious laughter.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes wept, and she gripped Mandy¡¯s hand, and closed her eyes.


    ¡°What¡­ am I?¡± she said.


    Mandy couldn¡¯t help but give her a hug, comforting poor Sarah as she softly whimpered.


    ¡°There there, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah wrapped her hands around Mandy, and kept whimpering.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Sarah said.


    Mandy shushed her, and knew that this was not the same person who¡¯s haunted her nightmares.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, whatever you see, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re being exposed to the truth if it''s by small triggers. The more you know, the better the truth will come out.¡±


    Mandy eased off, and looked at Sarah¡¯s crying face while her eyes were still shut.


    ¡°I know this is heinous of me to say, but you should consider yourself lucky that you only represent the appearance of the very being I loathe. But if you had the same voice as her, you¡¯d be dead.¡±


    Sarah sniffed, and stopped crying.


    ¡°Geez¡­ what a fucking buzzkiller.¡±


    The two rapidly blinked, then they giggled away a tiny percentage of their differences as Sarah wiped her eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m not expecting us to get along overnight or anytime soon, but please be patient with me, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah nodded. ¡°Mm, that¡¯s fine. As long as you try, then I don¡¯t have a problem with how long it takes. I just want us to be friends and set apart the differences between me and my mother because¡­¡±


    Sarah put her hand on her chest, and smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sarah Bolverkr, and I¡¯m my own being.¡±


    Seeing and hearing her confidence made Mandy smile for once at something that she hated looking at. Mandy also nodded, and started walking backwards.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for almost punching your face, but you can¡¯t blame me. I¡¯ll see you later, I got a meeting to attend with a certain blonde.¡±


    Sarah waved as Mandy left. She rubbed the side of her face, and let out a huge sigh of relief yet can¡¯t help retain some of that sadness.


    ¡°And Jack thought his life was a confusing mess.¡±


    She clutched her chest, and softly smiled.


    ¡°I guess we both are much more similar than we thought.¡±


    ***


    Just arriving at Sarah''s residence, Jack welcomed himself through the gate, and stood on the pathway. With his hands tucked in his pockets, the young man let out a breath as he basked in the chilly yet brightful day. The clear sky, the cold air, it reminded him of the times he would stand outside in front of Eric¡¯s house, and watch traffic go by while smoking a cigarette. Sitting on one of the porch chairs, smoking away his stress, sometimes interrupted by his sister who begged him to quit or Eric who joined in along with Randolph. Thinking of his deceased uncle again made him look up at the clear sky, and close his eyes. He could remember how much more simple life was when it was nothing but drugs and crime. Now that he¡¯s a part of something out of fiction, the feeling of simplicity will forever be put away in the back of his mind. If nothing will conclude this part of his journey and take him back to a life of normality, then at this point, Jack hopes to die sooner than later.


    Such a dark thought gave him flashbacks of the times his life was put in danger. Although, a majority of those were his doing, but less than half could be put to blame on a certain girl in his dreams.


    ¡°Mallory¡­¡± he murmured.


    He opened his eyes, and took a deep breath while he imagined the times he would openly talk with the girl whom he thought was worse than the devil. Yet as time passed, and growing closer with her, the young man didn¡¯t find her to be so bad despite her ruthless blunders and retorts. Reminiscing the past made him parched, and hoped Sarah would arrive sooner so he can get something to drink. While standing like a statue, he heard footsteps coming from behind, which made him look over his shoulder. He saw Leon coming, and the look on his face told the world that he longer was the most depressed man in the world, rather, he found peace and harmony, a face Jack¡¯s only seen on his friends and sister.


    Leon approached the gate, and before pushing it open, he saw the young man standing there like a salesman who got rejected with silence.


    ¡°Jack? What brings you here?¡± he asked while making his way in.


    Jack grinned, ¡°don¡¯t mind me, I¡¯m just waiting for you daugh¡ª¡±


    Before he could even answer, Jack knew his wording sounded diligently. He choked on air, and forcefully chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck. Leon couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he saw the young man muster away his naive nature.


    ¡°You¡¯re waiting for Sarah, because of?¡±


    ¡°She-She said you guys were going to do another training session! So I thought hey¡­ maybe I should tag along too, heheh.¡±


    Leon shook his head, ¡°you that bored, boy?¡±


    Jack dropped his arms, and nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I am. But can you blame me?! I¡¯m trying my best to stay away from the life of crime, but I can¡¯t think of anything to do! And worse of all, my sister is out there, working a part time job, being a noble member of society while her stupid brother rots away like the stereotypical criminal who does nothing but slouch on his guardian''s couch.¡±


    Leon walked up to the young man, and chuckled.


    ¡°At least you¡¯re aware of who you are and what place you have in society.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax. I don¡¯t mind you tagging along. Today I¡¯m teaching her more on her defense rather than offense.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that sounds like something she definitely needs to work on. The times we had together in terms of sparring, she can¡¯t seem to react fast enough with incoming punches. Yet with mana attacks, from what I¡¯ve seen, she can somehow see that? I find that goofy if you ask me.¡±


    Leon shrugged. ¡°Can you blame her? She was only taught to use spells and distant attacks. But she¡¯s a quick learner, don¡¯t underestimate her intelligence.¡±


    Jack rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, no kidding. Sometimes she makes me sound and look stupid when it comes to certain topics.¡±


    ¡°Hm, not to go off the goal post, but how have you been, young man? What have you done besides spending lots of personal time with my daughter?¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡±


    Leon chuckled again, ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡±


    ¡°Phew, sorry, it¡¯s just difficult to read whether you¡¯re serious or being sarcastic since your face¡¯s always permanently still a majority of the time. Fortunately, I happened to see a different face on you today, sir!¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, what does my face imply?¡±


    Jack rubbed his chin. ¡°I¡¯m trying to put the words together without sounding so street-like¡­¡±


    He fought the eagerness of his deceased uncle''s tone echoing into his rotted mind, but failed to do so.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve been getting pussy, my guy.¡±


    Leon¡¯s jaw dropped, and he looked at Jack in disgust.


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    ¡°Ey ey! I¡¯m just stating the truth now! Don¡¯t give me that pitiful look!¡±


    Leon shook his head in disappointment, and placed his hands on his hips.


    ¡°Jack, you disappoint me sometimes, you know that?¡±


    Jack froze, and squinted an eye. ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    As the two stopped talking for a moment, they heard the front gate creek open, which made both their heads turn to metal sound. They saw Sarah carefully taking a step in, her face in a state of surprise while she glanced at the two.


    ¡°Dad? Jack?¡± she said.


    The two raised their hands in unison, and both replied, ¡°Hey,¡± to which the goth girl responded with an adorable sassy smile. She walked up to the two, and greeted her father first with a bow. Then, she went up to Jack, and greeted him with a pinch on the cheek. Jack rubbed his cheek, and replied by punching her arm. She hissed, and walked past him for a moment, not before taking a pause in front of the steps to turn to her father.


    ¡°What were you guys talking about?¡± she asked.


    The two glanced at each other. Jack grabbed his chin, Leon crossed his arms, and appeared to be in a thinking process. Sarah smudged her lips, and leaned her hip out, raising her brow in a sassy manner to them.


    ¡®You guys, come on. Stop wasting time and tell me what you were discussing.¡±


    They nodded, and Jack wanted to be the first to say something. He cleared his throat, and raised his finger.


    ¡°We were talking about¡ª¡±


    ¡°The status of your guys'' relationship.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Jack froze, and abruptly turned back to Leon. ¡°Hey hey, what do you mean by that?¡±


    Leon slowly raised one finger to where Sarah was standing, which made Jack turn to her. He saw her face beat red, and look away, yet had a frown that showcased her annoyance and mortification towards her father.


    ¡°Is¡ªSarah alright?¡± Jack said.


    Leon let out a frustrated groan that faded out with a sigh.


    ¡°Boy, you really can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°Dad, there¡¯s no point in asking when he¡¯s an idiot.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, let''s talk about this another time. Right now, go get ready and put on some battle clothes. We¡¯ve got a lot to practice.¡±


    Sarah replied by snickering, and opened the door. She went inside while the two men waited outside. To kill more time, Jack wanted to ask more as to why he won¡¯t follow her in their own home.


    ¡°Say, Leon.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I just noticed, but in the past two months, everytime I came to see Sarah or pick her up, you weren¡¯t around. Why is that?¡±


    Leon gave it some thought, but ultimately decided to tell him since he lacks any positive insight towards his now ex-wife.


    ¡°I no longer live here. Her mother and I got a divorce.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jack replied, appearing to be nodding in approval.


    ¡°What? You thought I¡¯d be stuck with her forever? Hoping she¡¯d see me wry someday?¡±


    The young man grew slack-jawed.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that, after everything and what you had said, it¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re still standing.¡±


    Leon grew a straight face, and smacked his gums.


    ¡°I¡¯m just as surprised as you are. Whether she still has plans to end my life by surprise, regardless, I¡¯m very much happy where I¡¯m at.¡±


    Jack could relate to what he¡¯s saying. He completely understood his position and what he had to deal with for a long time. More notably, being married to one of the most hated woman in existence and tortured emotionally would drive a man to suicide. Yet he didn¡¯t, despite being mentally broken for decades, he kept going. If it wasn¡¯t for his daughter, then Jack knew all too well that Leon would ultimately succumb to his depression; like he has, twice.


    ¡°Say, Leon. Samantha, what was she like before you got to know, well, the real her?¡±


    Leon moaned, and didn¡¯t say anything. Jack sighed, and didn¡¯t bother to follow up his question. Rather, to not force it out of him, he reverted back to the original topic of practice fighting.


    ¡°Hey, will you also teach me some stuff today too?¡±


    Leon chuckled, ¡°maybe, that depends on how your body will react.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡±


    ¡°Yup, I¡¯ll try to awaken some of that darkness inside of you. You know, the power that Mallory girl aids you with whenever you are cornered.¡±


    Jack leaned his head forward, and appeared nervous, yet excited.


    ¡°Oh shit¡­ I think I¡¯m starting to shake.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to be. Although, tell me, when you allowed her to control your body, were you conscious?¡±


    Jack shook his head, ¡°never. I¡¯d always flash back into consciousness when things settled. Sadly, my body would either be bruised, broken, or I would vomit uncontrollably. So I have no idea how it works because she would do all the work.¡±


    This intrigued Leon. Rather his curiosity began to surge, and made him think of ways to summon this power out of Jack. After a quick session with his daughter, he wanted to test the waters with him and see if he could bring it out. Would it react with danger? His life coming close to an end? Perhaps something cliched like emotion? Possibly forcing the girl to come out to explain it further. But as Jack said, the girl¡¯s no longer inside him. Instead, to Leon¡¯s knowledge and not Jack, she did leave behind more than that darkness dormant in his soul. Leon sensed the scar on his face had her life essence embedded into his skin.


    Whoever this Mallory girl is, she¡¯s keen on keeping this young man alive. She may appear dangerous, aloof, but quite intelligent. I want to meet her someday. Leon thought.


    ¡°Whatever the case may be, Jack Samr. I will find a way to help you tap into that power so you don¡¯t have to rely so much on her.¡± Leon said.


    Jack wasn¡¯t so sure. He let out a grunt, and crossed his arms.


    ¡°With due respect, sir, but I doubt any of you people can help me. Sure, you did give me a boost to tap into it, but I have yet to use it. Even in the case of that one Witch cultist who beat me to a pulp, I still wasn¡¯t able to activate it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt yourself, young man. You¡¯ve gone through a lot, more than any normal person has. And for someone like you, to say the things that are coming out your mouth is upsetting to me.¡±


    Leon went up to Jack, and grabbed the collar of his shirt, surprising him.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything that I loathe more in this world besides the woman I just left¡­ that would be, weakness.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes quivered.


    ¡°You are not weak, Jack. Enough of self doubt, but it¡¯s understandable as to why you feel this way. But you¡¯ve been gifted, and by damn, take advantage of it, and use it when you can to not only help yourself¡­¡±


    Leon put one arm over Jack¡¯s shoulder to point at his front door.


    ¡°...but to help someone you deeply care about, like my daughter.¡±


    Jack gasped, but in return, smiled to Leon¡¯s rough enthusiasm.


    ¡°You know, Sarah¡¯s lucky to have a living father like you.¡±


    Leon let go upon hearing that, and remembered the flashing memory of Jack¡¯s parents being killed in front of his innocent eyes. The screams, the shouting, the tears coming out his mothers eyes to his father who did everything he could to save his family; it struck a sense of humbleness within Leon. He¡¯s grateful for being a powerful individual, but not for his old driven ego, but to protect the most precious person in his life; His daughter Sarah. Yet the same couldn¡¯t be said about Jack¡¯s instance since he lived a life of normality up until the nightmare he saw in the boy''s memories of Mallory.


    Jack put his hand forward, and grabbed Leon¡¯s hand, shaking it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come a long way, sir. From a damaged kid, to an edgy brute of a teenager, and now reaching the first steps of adulthood, I have high hopes for my future.¡±


    Leon grinned, and tapped the side of Jack¡¯s arm, but saw Jack¡¯s eyes transition to determination, which sparked an expression of shock yet amazement to Leon¡¯s face.


    ¡°But in order for my future to have the hope intact, I must overcome the path of your wife, overcome William to ultimately¡ª¡±


    Jack gripped Leon¡¯s hand, and Leon can feel his confidence squeezing it to death.


    ¡°¡ªconclude this supernatural nonsense, and finally deal with that doctor and his stupid big oaf partner who were the introduction to this madness.¡±


    Leon smiled, and let go of Jack¡¯s hand.


    ¡°And I know you¡¯ll find a way to reach that end. If you can overcome the likes of them, then there¡¯s no doubt, Jack Samr, that you¡¯ll overcome any obstacle put in your path.¡±


    With the two smiling, and Jack feeling better about himself, they heard some paper bags rustling, as if someone was struggling to fix them in position. Jack saw who was at the gate, and his face straightened. Seeing his straight face made Leon look over his shoulder to see who it was. Once his eyes laid on the person making the paper ruckus, it was his ex-wife Samantha who happened to be paused at the gate. She had a deep frown on her face, her outfit told the world that she¡¯s mourning a loss of some sort; despite looking blue, she still had courage to let out a half grin towards them. Leon felt his chest get heavy, but looked away. Jack walked past him, and tried to tell her with his hands if she needed help. She declined and walked through, carrying the two heavy grocery paper bags in her tiny arms.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jack asked.


    Samantha gently nodded, and kept walking. Leon can hear the heels of her shoes chipping the concrete pathway as she grew closer to his vicinity. He balled his fists, and ground his teeth, fighting the urge to not say anything or even look at her. She carefully walked past them, and didn¡¯t bother to get her ex-husbands attention. Leon couldn¡¯t contain himself, and gave in to at least check if things were fine. Though, quickly he thought, why?


    He turned to where she was prepared to reach the steps, and seeing her struggle almost made him lung into helping. He stopped with just one foot forward, and slowly opened his mouth with a serious face.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted, which spooked Jack and made Samantha jump.


    She almost dropped one bag but quickly repostured herself. She clung onto them as she looked over her shoulder to Leon. Her adoring, sad facial expression really did a toll on Leon¡¯s emotions, but he kept fighting, and stayed calm.


    ¡°You okay?¡± he said in a gentle tone.


    Hearing the concern in his voice made Samantha lightly blush, and softly blink. She only replied with a hum, to which Leon responded with a frown.


    ¡°How have you been, Samantha?¡± he asked with a more serious tone.


    Her mouth mildly opened, but she responded with quick rapid nods, and looked forward. A line formed between his eyes, and he took another step forward.


    ¡°You need help?¡±


    She shook her head, and walked up the steps and eventually, walked inside. Leon¡¯s eyebrows slanted as he watched her close the door behind her. Jack found his reaction and interaction relatable, which spilled out words he thought he¡¯d never say to anyone else.


    ¡°You still care, despite how you feel about her, right?¡±


    The corners of Leon¡¯s lips grew downwards, yet understood why Jack asked him such a question.


    ¡°You say that because of that girl?¡± Leon said.


    Jack chuckled. ¡°Yeah, despite what she did to me in the past, somehow, I really do care about that¡ªbitch.¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes glistened, and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh yet fight back tears.


    ¡°You and me both, Jack.¡± he muttered.


    Inside the house, as Samantha was setting down the grocery bags on the countertop in her kitchen, she couldn¡¯t resist but to hurry to the front door. She peaked through the curtains to watch Leon and Jack laughing together. Seeing her ex-husband smile again did a toll on her cold heart, but having grown a confused smile. It¡¯s been awhile since she¡¯s seen an open mouth smile from him. As she kept her eyes on them for a little longer, and facing back forward, her daughter happened to just come down the stairs. Sarah paused three steps before reaching the bottom. Both her mother and herself had a silent yet intense stare contest. Adequately, her mother chose to say nothing, and proceeded to take a couple steps forward until Sarah smacked the wall beside her to stop her.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± she said as she came down, touching the smooth wood floor. ¡°...why haven¡¯t you told me?¡±


    Samantha¡¯s sadness and anger lingered off her face as she took another step forward, but Sarah quickly got in her way. Samantha averted her sunken eyes, and smacked her teeth, but couldn¡¯t resist answering her flesh and blood.


    ¡°Told you what, Sarah?¡±


    ¡°That you and dad have been split for two months.¡±


    She sounded annoyed, upset, but just as sad as the first two emotions. Sarah¡¯s eyebrows knitted while she tried her best from shaking uncontrollably.


    ¡°All this time, and you didn¡¯t tell me that you two were divorced. Why? How could you keep that from me?¡±


    Samantha¡¯s face turned still, and she brought her gaze back to her daughters'' shaking eyes.


    ¡°That is not your business to know. That¡¯s between your father and I.¡¯


    ¡°Huh¡­? Not my business?¡±


    Sarah gently brought the tips of her fingers to her chest, gasping for air.


    ¡°I¡¯m your daughter for Peets sake. I should know, and I¡¯m old enough to understand, mother.¡±


    ¡°Sarah, do me a favour, stop talking, go spend time with your father and we can talk about it later.¡±


    Samantha took one more step forward, and surprisingly, Sarah put her arm out, making contact with her chest. Never has Sarah rebelled to this extent, and in a sense, it felt reminiscent of herself.


    ¡°Sarah, my loving daughter¡­ please remove your arm so I can¡ª¡±


    ¡°Walk away when being cornered by a question you can¡¯t answer?¡±


    Samantha can feel Sarah¡¯s anger rise, which in turn raises her own emotions. She fought her lip muscles to show her daughter that she¡¯s growing annoyed as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m done being put to the side and having put on red about everything. I want to know the truth about what''s going on, Samantha.¡±


    Being called by her name by someone she created, loved, nurtured triggered her anger to release out of her breath. Her eyes quaked as she eerily brought back her gaze to Sarah¡¯s growling face.


    ¡°Is it Samantha¡­ or are you Aby¡­zou!¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡± Samantha murmured.


    ¡°You¡¯re Abyzou aren¡¯t you!¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re behind all this madness, the one inflicting pain on not only my dad, but on my close friend Jack¡ªand undoubtedly¡­ me!¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m done, answer me¡­ Abyzou!¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡±


    Samantha smacked Sarah¡¯s arm away, and got in her face.


    ¡°Shut up, shut¡­ up! Shut up.¡±


    Sarah knit her brows, and deeply frowned.


    ¡°When you¡¯re angry, I¡¯m angry, girl! So do both of us a favour and shut¡­ the hell¡ªup!¡±


    Sarah ground her teeth, and leaned her face into her mothers.


    ¡°Or what?¡± she growled.


    Samantha did the same, but more menacingly and struck some fear into Sarah.


    ¡°Or else the both of us will do more harm than you can never imagine, S-a-r-a-h.¡±


    Sarah wiped her anger away, and brought out an expression of concern.


    ¡°Who really are you?¡±


    Samantha did the same, but kept her eyebrows knitted.


    ¡°Ask yourself that while looking in the mirror, S-a-r-a-h.¡±


    Samantha stepped back, and walked past her daughter. Sarah looked over her shoulder before her mother could disappear into the kitchen again.


    ¡°You know, I can¡¯t blame dad for leaving you.¡±


    Samantha abruptly paused, and grabbed the column of the kitchen entrance.


    ¡°If I were in his shoes, I¡¯d also leave a spouse who''s been nothing but an over controlling, sick minded, untrustworthy, cruel¡­ bitch.¡±


    Samantha abruptly turned her head over her shoulder, and Sarah clenched her fist. Her eyes were glinted as well as her daughters.


    ¡°Get out¡­ and I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Samantha said in a cold yet terrifying tone.


    Sarah repeatedly shook her head, and also expressed the same menacing anger her mother was showing. She showed her teeth as she walked backwards to the door, and before leaving, she wanted to say one last thing.


    ¡°I don''t think that''s happening. Maybe leaving you alone to wallow in your shame and guilt should emphasize your averting actions.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s anger shot away, and sorrow coursed throughout her body. Sarah also shared the same feeling, and almost broke down in tears.


    ¡°What Mandy has told me is starting to speak some truth; that you are a cruel manipulative woman, and I hope being alone can help open your eyes to who¡¯ve you always been, Samantha, Abyzou¡­ whoever you are!¡±


    Sarah carefully opened the door behind her, and put one foot out. Samantha¡¯s face went still one last time, and she raised her hand in a creepy manner, gently waving goodbye to her daughter as she shut the door behind her. Samantha was alone, and couldn¡¯t contain her anger anymore. Her thin smile appeared, and she dragged one hand across her face, digging her nails into her skin. She pierced her precious skin, crimson crept out of her fresh new drag marks, gliding down throughout her face.


    ¡°Mandy¡­ Mandy. You¡¯ll soon feel my wrath. You¡¯ll hear my wistful thoughts! And lastly, as I get to see your sour face before I end you¡­¡±


    Samantha¡¯s wounds squished back together, and she let out a sinister giggle.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll scorn you one last time before you wither away by the very light that you fear, MANDY!¡±


    ***


    After a two hour drive with dawn slowly approaching, the three have arrived at a nice landscape. They parked at the side of the road, without a building in sight. Sarah was the first to hop out. She spread her arms out, letting the fresh countryside winds blow across her body. Jack also stepped out as well as Leon. The two looked around, and enjoyed the nice scenery. It was a wide landscape with a nice thick forest to the side. Sarah spun around, and frolocked on the semi tall grass. Jack smiled as he watched her enjoy herself with the very nature she cherished. Leon printed this scene into his mind, and took his phone out. He took a picture and nodded. Jack raised his eyebrows when he saw him do that, surprised that someone like him would cherish it with a modern device.


    ¡°Look at you, being a happy father, Leon.¡± Jack said as he walked to the other side of the car.


    Leon did as well, and joined Jack to stand by his side.


    ¡°Hmph, knowing that I¡¯ll grow old and turn to dust near the end of my life, this device will forever hold this scene.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s until it breaks, sir.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called printing, boy.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡±


    The two chuckled and walked into the grass while Sarah kept spinning away from them.


    ¡°Did she always move like a ballerina?¡± Jack said.


    Leon tapped his chin, ¡°if I remember correctly, I believe she did when she was younger. She was always into dancing, especially when nature was at its primes.¡±


    ¡°When¡¯s that?¡±


    Leon rolled his eyes. ¡°Did they teach you anything in school?¡±


    ¡°Dude, you looked into my memories. You should know that I was forced to leave in fifth grade.¡±


    ¡°You should still know what times of the year that nature shones at its finest!¡±


    ¡°Re-Relax¡­ I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    The young man gazed at the sky turning grey. He glanced at the cold dyed green grass, the chilly breeze frosting his face, and shifted his head to the forest. Seeing the leaves fall, turn from green to crumbling brown crumbs finally clicked his mind.


    ¡°Oh! One of them is fall, the start of it.¡±


    Leon rolled his hand, ¡°go on, the last?¡±


    Jack tapped his foot, and leaped forward, picking up a dead flower.


    ¡°Spring!¡±


    ¡°Finally, your brain functioned besides being in danger.¡±


    While the two stood still, and Sarah kept dancing away, they heard sonic booms which put an end to their silence. Everyone gazed at the sky, and heard jets coming their way, and zoomed past their heads.


    ¡°Damn, so much for peace. Looks like the military''s doing drill practices.¡± Jack said.


    Leon squinted his eyes as more jets flew over, and one stood out amongst the rest. It was coming faster than the speed of sound, and once zoomed past, it almost brought Jack to fall face first on the ground.


    ¡°Something isn¡¯t right.¡± Leon muttered. ¡°Why would they begin practices out here, and in state?¡± he said.


    Jack regained his footing, and drilled into his ear canal.


    ¡°Beats me. Damn, I almost got death there.¡±


    A barrage of helicopters, shaped in a v formation, flew over eventually. Leon still found it strange that they were doing these types of practices in the state of Michigan. He understood their fear of the supernatural, but testing the new weaponry that has a mysterious flow of mana to be tested out here? It raised so much suspicion in Leon that he wanted to leave the area immediately.


    ¡°We better hurry and get out of here before they begin,¡± he said.


    Even Jack questioned the amount of ruckus beginning to overwhelm the once peaceful sounding nature around them. More came flying by, warping the air, the flow of mana sent tingles all over Leon¡¯s body. Sarah stopped dancing to also see why there¡¯s so much commotion. While watching the last of what seemed to be black hawk helicopters flying overhead, Leon sensed a greater surge of mana coming from above the atmosphere. He brought his gaze, squinted his eyes, focusing on the strange flow of energy. Once he could see past the clouds and earth''s magnetosphere, flying above them was a nuclear powered military jet. Its wings look very alien-like. He only knew one such aircraft the military could possess that appeared out of science fiction.


    ¡°A B-21 bomber?¡±


    Not only could he sense the nuclear fission happening in its powered core, but also a giant surge of unknown mana.


    ¡°Just what the hell are they planning with that? How were they able to combine such equipment and enhance it to this degree?¡±


    Sarah went up to her father, and tapped his arm.


    ¡°Dad, do you sense that too?¡± she said.


    Her father didn¡¯t respond as he was dead, focused on the bomber invisible to every person''s eyes and highest military detection systems.


    ¡°I think we should train outside of this dimension,¡± he said.


    Sarah agreed, and tried to summon her dimension, but he stopped her, putting his hand out. His dimension opened up, and he indicated for the two to walk in. Sarah sighed as she did, but Jack was the first to go inside. She wanted to take one more look at the landscape she was hoping to spar in with normal hand combat.


    ¡°Just when I thought I¡¯d at least spend time with nature.¡±


    Her eyes sunk, and she clenched her fists.


    ¡°Today sure has been shitty¡­¡± she muttered.


    She went in, and Leon stayed behind to see if anything else might surprise them. The noise of fighter jets finally faded out along with the helicopters. He scanned the area one last time, and concluded they were at last, alone. He carefully stepped in, and tapped his foot on the ground. The portal vanished, and far out from the other side of the landscape, a military van picked up his surge of mana. The lieutenant was present, and couldn¡¯t help but express his self gratification for his equipment. Other military men were also present in the huge van, they radioed the general, and he happened to be coming his way with a brigade of those new mana infested tanks, cougars, buffalo H¡¯s, m88 hercules, and an oversized M270 MLRS. Behind them were those mysterious looking new military vehicles that were too futuristic to describe.


    ¡°Now what? Rookie?¡± General Shannon radioed.


    The lieutenant let out a gasp of excitement, and trembled with excitement as his mana detection seeking device kept alerting the presence of Leon inside his dimension.


    ¡°See, what did I tell you?¡± he chuckled, ¡°now, we wait, General.¡±


    He knit his brows, and a vile smile came out.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine, Bolverkr, the destroyer, hehehe.¡±


    Inside the dimension, Sarah quickly grew her distance, and immediately got ready to fight. Leon¡¯s surprised she¡¯s this keen on training, but he could see she appeared angry.


    ¡°Looks like she wants to release some stress. Can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Leon shut his eyes for a moment while cracking his neck, but the second his eyes reopened, she was already in his face. He blocked her tiny fist with his forearm. This sent Jack flying away as their skins made contact.


    Jack rolled and angrily stood up, turning in their direction.


    ¡°HEY! Next time let a guy know, Sarah!¡±


    Leon could feel the surge of anger vibrating against his arm.


    ¡°Sarah, are you alright?¡± he asked.


    Sarah frowned, and powered up. The heat of her aura felt more intense than before, and began to affect Leon¡¯s arm. He let out one yell, which pushed her away. She landed on her feet, and shot a blast of mana in his direction. He deflected it, but she was already behind him. His eyes grew wide, and he ducked as her leg brushed against the tips of his hair.


    She¡¯s angry, very, angry. Leon thought.


    He vanished and Sarah gasped. He stood thirty feet from her, and looked more serious than usual. Sarah gently landed on her feet, and twitched an eye. Again, her aura grew more, but Leon could also feel her heart ache. He could see her eyes sinking, tears coming out of them, and when she slowly ground her teeth, she looked ready to explode. Leon wiped his serious expression, and instead grew worried for his daughter''s state of mind.


    Sarah brought her arms inward, and fought her tears.


    ¡°Today¡¯s been nothing more than a wake up call¡­ a new feeling I haven¡¯t felt since fighting that girl in white.¡± she muttered.


    Sarah¡¯s mind fogged as she heard the echoes of Archard, Mandy, and others telling her how much she represents evil. Indentical to being the most vile woman to exist, and seeing it first hand, but a glimpse of it had Sarah grow enough of the situation put in her hand. Forced to deal with the Sins of her mother, whom she thought was sweet and perfect turned out to be what others described in the course of months. She¡¯s had enough, and Sarah¡¯s self identification made her growl, and feel as if she shouldn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°¡°What am I? What did she mean? What did Mandy mean?! All of them!¡±


    Leon could see her body tremble as she was starting to lose control of her mana. His dimension changed colours rapidly behind Sarah as she kept fighting her emotions. Leon can sense more than her mana ready to explode, rather something far beyond that.


    ¡°Sarah! Relax!¡± Leon shouted.


    Sarah exploded her arms out to the sides and balled her fists.


    ¡°WHAT AM I?!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s sudden cry rippled Leon¡¯s world, and started shattering it. Her aura grew so intense that Jack himself began to be ripped away from existence despite being far from them. Leon knew the situation would escalate more than here and flew to his daughter. He collided against her magma aura, but he was stopped by it, which surprised him.


    ¡°Sarah! Stop!¡± he shouted.


    She kept yelling, her tears continuously being evaporated by the heat of her power. Leon had no choice but to use a small percentage of mana to push forward. His eyes quickly blinked, and he was able to break in, but again, he was stopped before he could reach his daughter. Being a few feet from her as she let out her frustrations, letting not only him and Jack, but the outside world hear her sorrow. She¡¯s had it, and having the military disrupt her moment of peace and alone time with her father was the tipping of the iceberg to be broken off. Leon can¡¯t stand to look at his daughter this way, it shattered his heart and gave him a shot of guilt.


    ¡°Please, Sarah! You¡¯ll expose yourself to them all!¡± he shouted again.


    She wouldn¡¯t listen, and Leon could see not only her mana grow, but the golden light started to flicker around her body. The combination of the two, seeing a glimpse right now, not knowing the consequences scared Leon. Leon screamed, pushing, stepping, stomping his way into her vicinity. The golden light flashed, and streams of golden dust particles zig zagged out of her body. Leon can¡¯t allow such a catastrophe in the making happen, especially given that his daughter¡¯s the source of it. His world crumbled away, vibrated, Jack was almost gone until Leon decided that it¡¯s enough. His mana exploded out of his body for just one second, breaking them back into reality. Everything flashed to white for a brief second, and Sarah was put to a stop once she felt her fathers grip on her tiny arm.


    ¡°Fa-Father¡­¡± she mumbled.


    She almost fainted, but her father quickly got her before she could.


    ¡°Damn it, Sarah.¡± he said while holding her shoulders.


    Sarah blinked rapidly, but tears kept coming out as she stared at her fathers'' forehead and bangs.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she said.


    Leon shook his head, and begged his body to stop being so cowardly. He wanted to hold her, comfort her in her rough moment for her mental being. Instead, he shut his eyes, and bumped heads with her, which made her gasp.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever react that way, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah gently put one hand on his arm, and quietly whimpered.


    ¡°If you lost control of yourself, you¡¯d not only put yourself in danger, but those closest to you.¡±


    Leon lowered his head, and ground his teeth.


    ¡°Just like I have¡­¡± he murmured.


    He let off, and let out a sigh, but as he reopened his eyes, they grew exponentially wide. His face turned blanched, and he was speechless. Jack tried to comprehend what just happened a moment ago, but he¡¯s too busy being caught on to what¡¯s happening around them.


    ¡°Hey hey hey! Were¡­ were fucking surrounded Leon!¡± Jack shouted.


    Sarah quickly turned over her shoulder, and she also began to panic. Leon¡¯s eyes quivered as he held Sarah¡¯s small shoulders. He quickly put her behind him, and stood in front.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Leon asked.


    The three were completely surrounded by a huge mile radius of military vehicles and soilders on the ground with mounted artillery and machine guns. They were three small ants compared to what¡¯s around them. Leon¡¯s teeth clattered, as he balled one fist. Jack stood in front of Sarah, and did the same.


    ¡°What the hell do we do? What the hell''s going on?!¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. Whatever this is, I hope to mother earth we don¡¯t have to engage in combat with these guys.¡± Leon said.


    I knew we should¡¯ve left the moment we saw the helicopter convoy. Leon thought.


    Sarah grabbed Jack¡¯s hand, and also got serious.


    ¡°We might have to use mana to get¡ª¡±


    ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s exactly what they expect us to do, Sarah!¡± Leon exclaimed.


    Leon took a step forward, and found a mysterious source of energy coming from the frontline ahead of him.


    ¡°There¡¯s an abnormality amongst their group,¡± he said.


    Both young adults wondered what he meant by that.


    ¡°Wait, I think I¡¯ve also sensed this same thing before.¡± she replied.


    Sarah squinted her eyes, and saw a familiar hat in the distance.


    ¡°It¡¯s that creepy guy! The one who was parading as they showcased their equipment downtown a couple days ago.¡±


    Sarah pointed in the direction, and Jack hovered his hand over his eyes to see.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it is that dude.¡±


    Leon told the military with his body language that he wanted no fight by putting his arms out to his sides. He also expressed with his eyes a reason as to why they¡¯re here. He saw a modern military jeep drive out, and come their way, but stopped half a mile. He could see the strange man, and what he suspects to be the leader of the division. He stood up from his seat, and put a megaphone to his mouth.


    ¡°I am General Shannon of the U.S Marines. Surrender yourself, Leon Bolverkr or else face the consequences of your actions.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Leon raised a brow, and his face appeared annoyed. ¡°What are you talking about!¡±


    ¡°You heard me correctly, Mr. Leon. We don¡¯t want this to turn into something fiction again.¡±


    ¡°For what?! Of what suspicion do you have of me to go to this extent?! I¡¯m just a fucking businessman who pays his taxes!¡±


    General Shannon sighed. ¡°That¡¯s obviously not true. We have proof of you being one of those supernatural monster people. And just now, we witnessed your little party trick a moment ago.¡±


    Leon¡¯s jaw dropped, and sweat grew from his face. Sarah¡¯s eyes sagged as she slowly covered her mouth. The consequences of her reckless behaviour has not only revealed and exposed them to a new foe, but to be a demonstration to what''s to come for people like them. Her pupils dilated, and her face grew blanched as she trickled a faint breath of regret, and felt responsible for her father being their main target.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault¡­¡± she muttered.

 Arc 4 Chapter 26: The Storm Cometh, Part—2

    My name is Leon Faust, Bolverkr. Bolverkr, commonly known as the destroyer of our world. But I wasn¡¯t born with that name, rather it was given to me. Before being a destructive being, I was just a normal German boy who loved the art of literature and boxing. Being raised in a small ancient town, along with very strict parents who wanted no more than to have their boy achieve a better life than they have; It motivated me to become more than the small shy boy known in his town. I hardly spoke, glimpsed at anyone anytime I walked out of the house. Despite my flaws in social skills, everyone in my town cared about me and looked after my well being everytime my parents were out to work in the crops.


    My parents, the two very people who helped to create and bring me to this odd world, were incredibly strict to me as I stated. My mother would scold me for not understanding some basic literature in her favourite poems, my father scolded me for not being strong enough to help him around the farm. Adequately, in the end, they loved me more than any other. And were always appreciated. I loved them so much, and at times I knew they wanted to put their hands on me for me to learn faster, but they never did. They could never put hands on their only son. And I always admired their passion, and understood their strict nature in the end.


    Unfortunately, one day, I happened to discover something strange about myself. It happened out of the bloom, and with its discovery, changed our lives forever. Yet it embarked the stepping stone into a life of loneliness and guilt that¡¯s still cemented into my cranium to this day. It was a rainy day, I happened to be reading inside the barn, laying against a bail of hay. My father came in, drenched to the toe. He took his coat off, and let out a raspy grunt. I watched as he made his way to one of the cows, and brushed its thin coat. The rain grew more intense, and a struck of lightning happened to hit the barn, which spooked the animals. My father tried calming them down, but ultimately, they went berserk. One of his prized bulls busted the gate open, and bomb rushed my father. His horn pierced his side, and he screamed. I grew pale as I watched my father be gored in front of my eyes. I wanted to help him, but I was powerless, and tiny compared to the two. Hearing his putrid screams torment my young ears drove me into a blank state, and awakened something in my mind.


    ¡°FATHER!¡±


    I leaped out in the open, and growled at the beast. It ignored me as it almost took away my father¡¯s last breath. My teeth were grounding so severely I chipped my canines, and felt my body grow hot. That weird sensation exploded out of me, and the bull had been put in pause. My father, grotesquely was pulled out its horn, and floated mid air. The bull struggled for a moment until it slowly rose off the ground. I can remember my body on fire, my bones weighing a ton. I glared at it, and clinched my neck, which ultimately twisted the bull in half, and being squeezed to death. Blood splattered everywhere, its guts splashed on the floor, and my father couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Not even I could believe my own eyes as I barely noticed it was me doing the action.


    My father was gently put to the ground, his wound healed, and once everything had settled, I collapsed to my knees, and shed a waterfall. He ran up to me, and hugged me to death.


    ¡°My boy, I knew it would work, I knew it!¡± he said as he also wept.


    What was he talking about? It almost made it seem as if he was anticipating this event? But in that moment of using telekinesis, I was just too dumbfounded to respond. And since that day going forward, I changed our lives forever. I used my new powers to help more people, grow my social anxiety, and help my family. It led us to be moved up the financial tree. No longer were we struggling to make a buck with my new talent, and most of all, my parents didn¡¯t use me. They could''ve, but it was I that chose to abuse my powers and show the world just how important I was, growing a new side of me that I¡¯ve come to loathe. My new found ego, driven my overconfidence, the feeling of no one ever potentially harming me as I grew older, I felt invincible.


    At just eleven years old, my powers grew exponentially. Even I was growing afraid of how powerful my telekinesis had become. To my town, I was embarked a hero, a God even, but outside, I was seen as a monster. Although, I didn¡¯t mind it. Unfortunately, I saw just how ego driven I became. It was a bright sunny day. I went out to help all the farmers move their animals to a larger farmland that I had constructed with my telekinesis the day prior. As we moved down the dirt road, we were ambushed by thugs, and amongst the group, I met my first opponent that tested my powers. It was a hard fought battle. Bodies were ragdoll, people were killed, the rest ran away, but the towns folk helped me no matter the odds. They chanted, screeched my name to defeat the supernatural person. As we both stood across from each other, my thirst for battle, my first sip gave me a boost that I¡¯ll never forget.


    ¡°Die¡­¡± I said.


    His eyes budged out, I raised him to the sky, and twisted his body, bursting him into a cloud of red and guts. Everyone at first was in shock, but after seeing the others flee, they celebrated and ran to me. Meanwhile, I stood with my first taste of blood in my mouth, smacking my gums, and chuckling beneath my breath with eyes only meant for someone with a sadistic mindset. To my young mind, getting my first victim was an inspiration, and motivated me to get even stronger, and I did. But it would also give birth to the idea of Bolverkr, the destroyer; his first victims being his parents. One day, as I trained out in the night, lightning struck the ground, flickered the skies. I trained all day that day, and seeing such a violent storm, one coming every so decade in our town, excited me.


    ¡°Mother nature, and your beams of light shall succumb to my glare.¡±


    I dodged every shot of lightening. I was fast enough to grab them mid air, and played with the light like a string. I would whiplash the sky with its own light, cracking the sound barrier dozens of times over. Seeing my progress and my powers growing beyond telekinesis drove me into a new state of mind. This made me smile bigger than I could ever imagine, and for the first time, I wanted to see just how much I grew. I let it out, and powered out all of the mana in my body.


    ¡°Mana, awaken!¡±


    I let out my first war cry, and my mana created an aura around my body, and it swelled up so much, it eventually led to me blowing up my entire town. A giant mushroom cloud flew overhead in the spot I stood, and as the dust, fire, and smoke settled, I could finally see the full extent of how dangerous I¡¯ve become. My eyes widened, my body quaked, I stood in a crater bigger than the one that killed the dinosaurs. I scanned my surroundings, and saw the devastation I had laid. My house, vaporized, our land, flattened, my town, smoothed, scorched into the earth.


    ¡°No¡­ no.¡± I mumbled.


    My eyes shed tears, and eventually, crimson erupted out of them. My emotions grew the best of me, and I was blinded into my first state of berserk-like nature. I can remember the aftermath; Military vehicles of all kinds from England, my country, and even the UN were laid to waste, melted by the fire I produced. With my eyes blank, milky, I continued my hunt, but for what? I always questioned why my powers had a mind of its own, and led me to a path of destruction. With no more military presence, I decided to take aim at the very sky we watch. I randomly shot blasts of mana into the sky to see if I could blow anything up, but it would only display a nebula being created. Feeling as if nothing can stop me, I ultimately chose to take my own life as well as the life left in our world. I carefully placed my palm on the ground, and prayed that I would blow up our world along with myself.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± someone shouted.


    I eerily brought my gaze to the source of the voice, and saw someone coming through the fiery smoke of destroyed military equipment. As he exposed himself to me, I could see who it was. A tall man with weird spiked hair. His eyes were as cold as the ice clouds of Uranus. His outfit had a very steampunk, yet formal look to it. I stood straight, gave him a cold stare, and fired at him. At first, I thought I¡¯d ultimately taken another life, but he walked through another cloud of smoke and dust, brushing off my attack.


    ¡°You¡¯re an explosive one, ain¡¯t cha?¡± he said.


    His tone, it had a pitch to it, but also held a deep rasp. He had a snarky laugh, and did a rex pose every time he let out a cackle while I kept blasting him with mana beams. He dodged every single beam, clash, and deflected my glare with just his frozen eyes. Eventually, he gassed me out, and I stumbled to a knee. He came closer to me, and eventually stood over me as I panted, and fell on fours. I brought my gaze up at the man who made a fool of me, the very first, and saw his childish yet gentle grin on his pale face. He bent his knees, and patted my head as my eyes were beginning to bag.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lost kid, and I''m barely reaching teenage hood despite being alive close to a hundred years.¡± he said.


    I coughed out blood, and fell to my side as he shifted his head to the surrounding area.


    ¡°Ey, someone outta teach you how to use your mana, kiddo. Because if we don¡¯t get it under control, you and I are going to be in a heep of trouble with a certain Exorcist and his group.¡±


    He picked me up, and I can remember his cold hands freezing my warmth.


    ¡°Introductions! My name¡¯s John Malificus. A Witch who happened to stumble upon an out of control Esper, heheh!¡±


    Again, that snorty laugh made me twitch an eye, but gave me a warmth of joy.


    ¡°From now on, you and I will be friends. And I¡¯ll take you to a home where I happen to be staying. A place all rejects go where they feel left out and comprehend their existence!¡±


    ¡°John¡­¡± I mumbled.


    From that day forward, I not only found my first real friend, but also my closest. It took me a while to remember our first interaction. I always thought we met in the academy, but I only found out when he reignited my lost childhood memories. Since that day, he did everything that he could to teach me about who I am and how I became an Esper despite thinking I was born gifted. It was John who went out of his way to discover that my parents were involved in some Witch cult to save me from dying because I was born prematurely. He found out they transferred the unwanted mana of a captured Esper who happened to be half demon as well, thus saving my life. But in return, it created the monster I became.


    With my talents, my mind, my soul, I became more than a demon, but a God of destruction to the rest of the world. I destroyed civilizations, continents, planets, stars, and I wanted to do more than that, but John, he was always there to stop me and put me in control. Although, he did fail twice; Once when we were in Brazil, and the second being when I infiltrated a base of Exorcists and killed them off. He always made sure to tell me how grateful I should be for saving my life, otherwise William H. Christ would¡¯ve already taken my life. And I did, thanking him everyday until I met Samantha.


    She became my new world, the new light to the shadow of evil that tailed me since my birth. I always thought I¡¯d never find anything else that I could control: my soul of destruction, my blood thirsty hands, my wretched thoughts of ego driven destruction. Yet, I did and I didn¡¯t find it, she found me. Because I walked through a valley of evil throughout my life, I knew my soul would stay dimmed, wanting to find a source of light and when she became a part of my life; I couldn¡¯t have been happier. Until one day, she shattered my soul, and broke my heart, turning me back to the dimmed soul I once was.


    Growing older, time fading slowly, the years seeming like centuries as I stayed in her wretched home. Everyday I wished for death, I wanted to find a way to kill her, for ruining me and breaking the dangerous ego I once thrived on for survival! I was feared throughout the lands, every being would succumb to my wrath by the simplest glance! And here I am, wasting away and thought to be dead, killed by her envious hands. I thought I¡¯d never find anything left to strive for in life, hoping to one day, to grow the courage to attack her and have her end me, to bring my misery to an abrupt end. But I did¡­


    That was a little girl, a being I supposedly helped create, my only child, Sarah. Watching her grow since she was a baby to her childhood, I wanted to know the very life I helped create. But she never allowed me. She would always give me a glare with that horrid thin smile of hers. It made my face twist, my already broken heart ache every time I tried to speak, look at her. Yet as time went by, she started to resemble her mother so much I vowed to never look at her face because she reminded me of the very one I last saw betray me. Her crimson eyes, her raven hair, once she reached closer to eighteen, the resemblance was terrifying. It was like looking at the past coming back to haunt me, to remind me of the fool I became, and the monster that should be vanquished.


    When I thought I reached the end of my suffering, my own daughter broke the barrier between us, and with the help of my closest friend, John; I finally grew the balls to get to know the very flesh and blood I! Helped make! It took so much for me to even be near her, listen to her throughout these months. I wanted to know if I could still feel and instead of focusing on the pain. And she confirmed it. She killed it all away, and made me question who I have become. My daughter became my new sweetest friend and I finally found a new strive in life; And that is to protect her and ensure her a future where she would never be to the likes of her mother. I not only want her to not live by the stains of her mothers past, but to not wear my crown of thorns. Sarah, my loving daughter, I, Leon Faust will not let you down and not make you hurt. If I could start again and walk a million miles of stone, I would find a way to birth you again with a different mother, find a way for us to live a simpler life¡­ so I can one day, be able to look into your eyes and hold you in my arms without fearing you in the slightest.


    ***


    Surrounded by metal enhanced by mana, the stakes at a high point, Leon stood his ground despite feeling that there was nowhere left to run. But his face, despite seeming blanched, also showed his determined will to protect his daughter. The military began to advance forward and the earth shook. Jack stood closer to Sarah, and watched as the circle slowly closed in.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡± Sarah said.


    Hearing his daughter''s self guilt made his stomach turn, and grow angry at himself.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s not your fault, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°What will it be, Mr. Leon? Surrender now and face your consequences like a man? Or go down in the history books as the first inhuman we managed to take down?¡± The lieutenant said as the megaphone whined.


    Leon can¡¯t think straight being this stressed. Never has he been in this tight of a predicament since the day he was betrayed by Samantha. He felt so trapped, stuck that he uncontrollably rubbed his head.


    ¡°Why¡­ Why me?! Why are you going after me! Of all the superstitious people, it had to be me?! To be an example to the rest?!¡±


    General Shannon can feel, hear his hurt. It made him regret doing this operation for a second, but he remembered the photos presented to him by the young lieutenant. The destruction, the maliciousness on his face, but more notably, his blank eyes that lacked any form of resentment or empathy. When he wanted a turn to speak again, the lieutenant took back the megaphone from him and cleared his throat before speaking.


    ¡°Leon Bolverkr, the destroyer! At last, we met!¡±


    Leon knit his brows, and a thick wrinkle formed between his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s the abnormal.¡± he said.


    Sarah put away her guilt to show her dad she¡¯s strong in moments like this.


    ¡°Yeah, I sense no life energy in him.¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s a goddamn summon.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°A-A summon?!¡± Jack exclaimed. ¡°What the hell is a summon?¡±


    Leon¡¯s corner lips twitched as he stared into its lifeless eyes.


    ¡°He was summoned to our world by someone. And he¡¯s doing their dirty work. Tch, it reminds me so much of those wretched fallen spirits who are troublesome to the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mumble! I want to hear what all of you are discussing! But, nevertheless; You¡¯re a wanted man sir Bloverkr, and I have authorization to terminate you!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Authorization?! Who gave you the authorization to do so?¡± General Shannon said.


    He ignored the general and laughed.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been looking for you for years! And here you are, standing close to pissing yourself, my dear Esper!¡±


    ¡°Es-what?!¡± General Shannon shouted. ¡°Rookie, goddamnit, tell me what you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Surrender the girl, and the boy. So we can exterminate you without them being in the way, Bolverkr the destroyer!¡±


    Leon hated his snarky, high pitched, calm tone. It gave him some motivation to try to convince them that their true enemy was standing beside them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him! He''s abnormal! He¡¯s your enemy, trust me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what a cornered criminal would say! Begging to turn the tables to give them a chance of escape, but it won¡¯t work on us and especially on this smart man right beside me!¡±


    General Shannon can easily tell he didn¡¯t mean that; Complimenting his intelligence. Rather, it sounded convincing that Leon knew more about him than he did. Although, he can¡¯t let him slide given his past actions. General Shannon took back the megaphone, and brought his gaze to Sarah.


    ¡°Young girl, please come to us along with the young man. We¡¯re here for him, civilian''s must stand out of the way.¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyebrows drew together as he felt more discouraged.


    ¡°Why?! Why are you doing this? She¡¯s my daughter, he¡¯s her friend. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong to anyone. It¡¯s him that you people should worry about.¡±


    Leon pointed at the lieutenant.


    ¡°That thing will backstab you before you can even think of blinking. All of this isn¡¯t necessary.


    Leon raised his hands, and eased his temper.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not normal, but I¡¯ve been living a normal life for eighteen years.¡±


    Leon stepped out to the open.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lived a horrible depressed life and have done more harm than good. I thought I¡¯d never find another purpose in life, until now.¡±


    He turned to Sarah, and smiled which made her eyes glisten.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the same man that I once was. I have a loving daughter who I care deeply about. So please¡ª¡±


    He turned back to the frontline of the military, and spread his arms out.


    ¡°I am Leon Bolverkr, the once feared destroyer. But now, standing before you, I¡¯m just Leon Faust, your typical business man. And I¡¯m just as human as any of you are!¡±


    The lieutenant grew a vile grin, and raised one hand.


    ¡°Prove it.¡± he mumbled.


    He flicked his wrist forward, and one man aimed at Leon with a javelin, and shot it. It shot into the air, and the three could see the rocket rise from behind the line of vehicles. It stopped combusting, and suddenly exploded to come straight at Leon. Leon grit his teeth, and caught it with his hand. Consequently, it made the General gasp with shock, and grow fear. Leon quickly caught what he did, and let go. The rocket fell to the ground, and Leon slowly shook his head.


    ¡°No, I-I only did that in self defense.¡±


    ¡°You see, you see!¡± the lieutenant shouted, pointing at Leon. ¡°I told you he¡¯s dangerous, we must act now, and further see the full extent of his might!¡±


    General Shannon nodded, and radioed his men. But as they radioed back, they informed him they were inside the city.


    ¡°Huh?! What the hell do you mean you¡¯re in city lim¡ª¡±


    He glanced at the lieutenant and growled.


    ¡°What did you tell my men, you son of a bitch.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Me! Oh, yeah, I told them to stay back and watch the city while my men and I take care of this situation, for now, heheheh!¡±


    ¡°Your men?!¡±


    General Shannon looked around and behind him, seeing these supposed men who looked stiff, frozen, and doll-like.


    ¡°What type of men are they?¡±


    ¡°The best! Now, fire more rockets at him!¡±


    More men popped out of their vehicles and more than twenty had AT4 launchers aimed at Leon. Leon prepared himself and Sarah wanted to help, but her father put his hand out behind him for her to not intervene.


    ¡°But dad¡ª!¡±


    ¡°No butts! You two stay behind me. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s no persuading them until I deal with that wretched summon.¡±


    The lieutenant raised his hand to the air, and gasped in a huge breath.


    ¡°FIRE!¡±


    A line of rockets fired in sympathy. All interlaced, warping the sound barrier as they hurtled towards Leon. He reacted carefully by smacking every single one to the ground in front of him. Rockets quickly pilled up and with the last just being a foot away from his face, he threw it to the side. The general couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, but the lieutenant was amused.


    ¡°Normal rockets are no problem for someone of your might. But what if we up the antsy to some enhanced ones, shall we?¡±


    He chopped the air, and any vehicle with machine guns mounted began to fire. Leon sensed the mana enhanced bullets coming his way at light speed. He deflected every single bullet with the tips of both his index fingers and grew more annoyed.


    ¡°Enough! Stop this at once, please!¡± Leon shouted.


    The General wondered why Leon wasn¡¯t attacking back. Everything told to him made it seem as if he were lied to by this mystery man. Is Leon as dangerous as he claimed he is? Is he really responsible for all the disruptions that have occurred the past months? Everything wasn¡¯t correlating and he was beginning to grow anger towards the lieutenant.


    ¡°I think I should handle this from now on, rookie.¡± The General said.


    The lieutenant didn¡¯t hear a single word he just said, rather his joy had blinded him in a tunneling path to see Leon¡¯s power ignite. He began to think of ways to see how he¡¯ll respond and show his true colours. He rubbed his chin, tapped his noggin, and thought of something barbaric.


    ¡°Time for phase two!¡± he said.


    He sprung both arms into the air, and spread them out. Leon could feel a surge of mana beginning to swell behind the line of military vehicle''s. The General grew tired of this charade and tried taking away the megaphone but the lieutenant put his arm forward, and a trail of smoke erupted behind them. Leon gasped as he saw mana enhanced rockets hurtling his way, more than a hundred. He aimed his palm at Jack, and shot the young man away from the scene. Jack was sent away as he could see the hundreds of bombs coming their way. Leon jumped into the air, and in mere seconds, blew away every single rocket to the sky. They exploded and engulfed the sky with flashes of red and green light. More rockets were shot, and the men also shot as well.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± Leon shouted.


    Leon continued kicking, slapping, punching away every barrage of rockets and gunfire until one of those new futuristic vehicles shot a ginormous rocket, nuke sized towards an opening below Leon¡¯s feet, directly aimed at Sarah. Leon yelled, and leaped in front, putting his arms in front, and facing her. The rocket made an impact, and blew up the earlier rockets on the ground behind Leon. A massive explosion occurred, one that shook the earth, shattered everyone''s ears, and sent a cloud big enough to be seen from another city. Sarah¡¯s eyes swelled as she saw the excruciating pain on her fathers face.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    Leon grunted, repeatedly took in breaths of air as he trembled in pain. His entire back was charred and his flesh peeled off. Sarah could see the blood pour over his shoulder, and his shirt flew off to expose the burnt tissue peeping from the corners of his body.


    ¡°I will not¡­ use my powers.¡± Leon growled.


    He coughed but kept his stance. Sarah begged to help him, but he refused and screamed, turning back to them as more attacks came their way. Despite the burning, and horrid pain, Leon relentlessly continued his retaliation, deflecting everything they had up there sleeve. The lieutenant can¡¯t help but laugh and rejoice seeing the damage he inflicted onto Leon.


    ¡°No normal rocket would¡¯ve done that much damage to him! Thank God for my knowledge bwhahaha!¡±


    The General finally had enough and pushed him against the jeep window frame.


    ¡°You lunatic! You could¡¯ve killed us with that type of power! For a second I thought that was a nuclear freakin bomb!¡±


    ¡°Oh General, but it was, but my own version. Though mines can minimize the damage only directly to its target. And my bomb had enough power to blow up this entire world more than quadruple times if I let it happen!¡±


    ¡°You maniac! I¡¯m calling off this¡ª¡±


    ¡°You shall do no such thing, sir.¡±


    His tone changed and his eyebrows weighed down. He grabbed the General¡¯s wrists, and easily got them off his shirt.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you handle this once I show you who we¡¯re really up against.¡±


    Leon panted, and fell to a knee as he punched one more rocket away. Sarah grabbed his wrist, which resulted in him to freak out for a second but contain his emotions. He allowed her to grab him.


    ¡°Please, for the love of mother nature, let me help you, dad. You¡¯re severely hurt.¡±


    Leon ignored her plea, and kept pushing forward.


    ¡°No more¡­ yo-you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing. I-I beg of you, stop.¡± Leon said.


    The lieutenant shook his head as the General radioed his men to watch for anything suspicious happening around the city.


    ¡°We¡¯re just getting started, Leon Bolverkr.¡±


    He eerily raised a finger to the sky, and circled it. Leon squinted an eye, his burning flesh sizzled as it sent more pain signals throughout his body. Both Sarah and Leon waited. Leon wondered what they¡¯ll do next, but to him it didn¡¯t matter, because in the end, he vowed to protect his daughter.


    ¡°Sarah, when-when I say run, you run, go-got it!¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not leaving you¡­¡± She grabbed his hand, and clutched it. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you push me away. I¡¯m staying by your side until we can resolve this!¡±


    Hearing her daughter''s rebellious rebuttal motivated him and gave him a surge of hope. He chuckled but it came to an abrupt end when he felt something coming down at them from above the sky. He turned to the sky, and saw another bomb similar to the one that damaged him coming down, but ten times more powerful. He panicked and before he could leap into the air, hundreds of more rockets were coming their way from every direction. Leon didn¡¯t know what to do other than use his mana but in doing so would fuel their purpose. He came to a conclusion, and summoned a barrier around Sarah. She loudly gasped with shock, and smacked her tiny fists against the barrier.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sarah,¡± he said.


    ¡°No! Let me help you, dad!¡±


    The rockets were coming, the nuke above them gained more momentum. Leon grinned, his hair fluttering, the dirt, debris scratching, scraping against his wounds as he accepted his fate and faced his oncoming death. He let out a war cry, and unexpectedly, his knee cap was shot by a mana beam, collapsing him to one leg. He shivered, but refused, and stood up despite being a broken mess now. More mana beams struck his body, and Sarah screamed her lungs out as she watched her father being ruthlessly shot. Blood splattered across the barrier, and with the rockets finally in close proximity, all Leon could do was spread his arms out, and shield the last thing he truly cared about in this cruel world.


    ¡°Sarah¡­¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Sarah shattered his barrier, and put her harms forward, forming her own that shields the two from devastation. Everyone retreated and pulled away as the explosion happened. A massive mushroom cloud rose above the atmosphere and scorched the area around. The lieutenant and General were almost caught in the explosion but luckily drove far back enough with the enhancement of the mana powering their jeep.


    ¡°And like that, Leon is no more!¡± he shouted.


    The General¡¯s jaw dropped as he watched the remnants of the explosion beginning to quickly fade.


    ¡°This is surreal¡­¡±


    The lieutenant clapped and hopped out the jeep, pulling out binoculars to see if he truly succumbed to his attack. Once the dust and smoke had settled, he could see Sarah standing frontline, unscathed and Leon behind her still alive.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°Prepare to engage my men!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s teeth were grit, her hair levitated as Leon let out repeated gasps.


    ¡°No, Sarah, why?¡± he mumbled.


    Sarah put her arms down and her mana faded away.


    ¡°I could care less if I exposed myself. But I¡¯m not losing you, dad.¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes glistened and he clutched his right arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve barely got to know you, but as we¡¯re getting along, it¡¯s been the most memorable months I¡¯ve had in all my life. And I still have yet to do one thing¡ª!¡±


    She looked over her shoulder to him, and smiled.


    ¡°¡ªthat¡¯s to hug you, dad.¡±


    Leon let a tear slip out and he also returned a smile, but their bonding moment came to another end when he saw more rockets coming their way. He grabbed Sarah¡¯s wrist, and blocked them with his forearm, each exploding and ripping away his flesh. He yelled and for just half a second healed his wounded joints to give them a start in running away. He dragged Sarah away as fast as he could in the condition he was in. The lieutenant can still track him with ease with his technology and kept shouting for his men to keep fire. Leon forced Sarah to dodge, duck, jump, leap over obstacles as they ran away from their line of fire. They jumped meters away but were met with more vehicles up ahead, all taking aim and shooting. Again, he used his body to block their missiles and attacks, and took aim to the sky. He gripped Sarah¡¯s wrist, and raised one foot.


    ¡°Hold on!¡±


    Sarah nodded, and stayed close. He shot his foot into the ground and the two launched into earth''s skies. Leon flew them past the fluffiness of the clouds, and even being this high up they were still shooting at them. Leon effortlessly played off their attacks and felt they were finally reaching an end to their attacks. Until jets coursed there way from in front, springing from behind, and flying right below them.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    He made them fly at light speed but the jets easily caught up and he knew these were no ordinary jets. He sweated profusely as they began to fire missiles, bullets at them. He made sure Sarah was protected by his barrier while he had to endure their attacks. Even up to this point, he¡¯s still refusing to use his mana in fear of his old self remerging. With Jets on their tail, Leon had no choice but to use just an ounce to have them blown away. His eyes grew wide, and he abruptly stopped the two while the jets flew past them. They zig zagged up above, and dove down on them. Leon shot his palm in their direction, and he shot out a blast of gravity at them, which forced them to eject out of their jets or swirl uncontrollably. Leon grinned and Sarah felt proud of her father.


    ¡°I may be hu-hurt¡­ but I know we can¡ª¡±


    Leon and Sarah were suddenly ignited by an explosion. A puff of black smoke expanded, and coming down through it was Leon who held his daughter in his arms as they fell back to the earth like a meteor. The lieutenant fisted the air, and gave himself a pat on the back as he watched them pummel towards the earth. They made an impact, and the two were split up by it. Leon bounced, skid off the ground multiple times, eventually skidding his way into the earth on his back. He groaned with one arm resting on his chest as he closed his eyes momentarily. The entrails of smoke evaporating off his body, the sense of dread hitting his instincts as he quickly tried to open his eyes and regain his consciousness.


    The lieutenant chuckled and eased down his binoculars.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    He flicked his wrist forward.


    ¡°Everyone, onward to the crash site. We must confirm our kill.¡±


    Leon moaned, and slowly opened his eyes, seeing where he landed but more importantly, where Sarah was at. He quickly sat up, and scanned the area, and saw his daughter lying in fetal position, motionless.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah¡­¡±


    He quickly got to his feet while holding his arm and rushed to her. He saw no movement, and felt no presence. His voice, his sigh, his gasps trembled as he carefully reached one hand towards her, shaking, and tried touching her. He moved her arm gently and got nothing. With the sound of military vehicle''s approaching his area, and the earth shaking on his knees, Leon¡¯s eyes quivered. The guilt in Leon¡¯s eyes, seeing no reaction and feeling how cold her skin was, made him shake uncontrollably. Leon reacted in a robotic stiff way, his hands trembling, his heart breaking whimpers demonstrated that this was entirely his own doing. He had failed as her protector but more importantly, failed as her father. He shakenly placed his forearms against his face, and wheep in silence.


    The military had arrived, and saw Leon on his knees, and saw his body shaking. One of the lieutenant''s men stepped out of his vehicle and pointed in Leon''s direction.


    ¡°Bolverkr still lives!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there, shoot at him!¡± the lieutenant replied.


    A dozen Tanks rolled up, past them, and aimed at Leon. They fired individually and blasted his back. This time, he didn¡¯t react to their attacks, instead they had no effect at all.


    ¡°Keep firing!¡± he shouted.


    They continued relentlessly firing at him; Leon¡¯s eyes exploded, his shudders stopped, and he growled. His wounds began to molt together, and heal. The sun was starting to set, the sky turning to a menacing blood red. Leon¡¯s hair shot up, a thick aura of corruption formed around him as he let out a blood curdling scream filled with his rage, simultaneously turning to the military. His pupils dimmed, his eyes went blank and he shot his left arm in their direction, going into a deranged trance, blasting away all the tanks. Everyone was struck with fear, and immediately tried to retreat while returning fire. Leon raised his right arm, and used his telekinesis to raise the earlier vehicles to the sky, and wipe the air, wiping them out of existence, displaying his true power.


    General Shannon put the jeep in reverse, and the lieutenant screeched with horror.


    ¡°Let''s get out of here!¡± the lieutenant said.


    Leon roared and used another attack, one that flickered in front of the tips of his fingers. It pulsed plasma around him, and he shot it at the retreating vehicles. It blew past them, and just by the force of it passing destroyed more and blew up the rest parked in the original mile circle.


    ¡°Your men, tell them to stop him! Shoot him, have him stopped!¡±


    The General refused and kept driving as more of his futuristic weaponry became victims to Leon¡¯s oncoming path of destruction. Despite moving slower than a turtle, he gained closer and closer to them as he continued forward, destroying everything in his path. To the military vehicles succumbing to barrages of mana beams, flickering discs of destruction slicing the upcoming city buildings, nothing could stop him as his blind rage was heading towards civilization.


    ¡°My battleships will put him to a stop!¡± the lieutenant shouted.


    ¡°Battleships?! Who gave you authorization to use battleships and how are they going to find him?¡±


    He pointed at the Michigan river as they were within city limits.


    ¡°I had two deployed and ready to strike him just in case.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mad! How did you do that without causing a disturbance?!¡±


    The lieutenant grew crazy eyed and laughed maniacally.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show him, I¡¯ll show him what I¡¯m made of!¡±


    Leon lumbered his way closer to the city, and with the two battleships spotting him coming over the hill, they shot at him. Impact after impact shook the city, sent shockwaves closer to the entrance. People freaked out, sirens went off as Bolverkr the destroyer marched his way through the smoke and took aim at the ships. With more military personnel pulling up at the city entrance, more futuristic tanks firing at him, Bolverkr¡¯s blank eyes flashed a glare at them. Above them appeared strikes of plasma that destroyed the tanks to smithereens. Bolverkr was struck again by the battleships powered by mana, and he lumbered his way to them.


    Jack could see the devastation and heard everyone''s terrified screams.


    ¡°Sarah, Leon¡­ what on earth''s going on now?¡± he said.


    Jack stumbled, and groaned, remembering being thrown away like a rag doll by Leon.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah!¡± he shouted.


    As he stumbled forward, someone grabbed his shoulder, grabbing his attention. He was surprised to find a strange man with a steampunk outfit standing next to him, but more importantly, his strange teal eyes already indicated he wasn¡¯t normal.


    ¡°Who-Who the hell are you?¡±


    The strange man watched as Bolverkr continued his path of destruction. He looked over to Jack, and grinned for a moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m an old friend of Leon¡¯s¡ª¡±


    His grin faded, and he walked backwards.


    ¡°But we must hurry to your friend. We don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°You mean Sarah?! She¡¯s-she¡¯s hurt!¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything else, and instructed Jack to follow him. He did and the two quickly ran their way to where Sarah was resting. They quickly ran past the wreckage and cleared path of destruction Leon had laid out. Jack couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, the battle shock around them was unbelievable. The battle continued behind them, explosions drifting around as their onslaught sounded to failure. Upon arrival, they saw Sarah still unconscious and Jack rushed to her side, lifting her off the cold ground.


    ¡°Sarah, hey, you okay?!¡±


    The strange man at first hesitated to approach them, but eventually he did. He put one hand against her forehead, and still felt her heat.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to be fine, come one, we can take her in my car.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait a second! Before we go forward, tell me your name so I can trust you.¡±


    He chuckled and winked at the young man.


    ¡°My name¡¯s John, and as I said, I¡¯m that hothead''s old friend.¡±


    ¡°John? Alright, so you¡¯re supernatural I assume.¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing you''re here to stop your friend''s rampage?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Now, how will we do such a thing when he¡¯s obviously destroying everything in his path?¡±


    John pointed at Sarah.


    ¡°Your friend there, she¡¯s the key to stopping him.¡±


    ¡°Okay, cool. How will she be able to stop him?¡±


    John¡¯s finger drooped and he gave Jack a scrunched look.


    ¡°You ask too much. But enough buying time, come on! We gotta go before he wrecks havoc on not only our world but on the universe!¡±


    Jack picked Sarah up in his arms, and rolled his eyes with a squinty face.


    ¡°I¡¯m really getting tired of this shit!¡±


    John ran and so did Jack. The two arrived in his car and hopped in with Jack having Sarah on his lap. John floored the car, and were on their way to the city.


    Meanwhile, Bolverkr arrived in the middle of downtown Detroit, and more military forces tried stopping him. They shot their guns, and fired more tank missiles while evacuating civilians simultaneously. Bolverkr raised his right hand again, and used his telekinesis to stop every bullet midair. He turned the bullets back to them with thousands of times the force which destroyed the infrastructure around them. This time, General Shannon''s men arrived and were engaging with Bolverkr. But human weapons were no match to him, but their determination to stop him kept them motivated to stay and fight. At first, he wanted to retaliate against them, but something in his subconscious, deep down crawled its way back in to tell him they weren¡¯t the enemy. He ignored their petty attacks and continued pushing forward while charring the earth below his feet.


    One of General Shannon''s men radioed him, and watched as the supernatural man ignored any Marines attack.


    ¡°Sir! Target is not engaging us, repeat, target is in pursuit of the battle ships instead.¡±


    Both the General and the lieutenant had arrived at the port of Detroit, and could see his might heading there way.


    ¡°Had he attacked any of you guys?¡±


    ¡°No! Not a single one nor normal grade vehicle. He¡¯s only targeting the strange men who came with that man and his weaponry.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± He turned to the lieutenant, and saw his glinted cheerful eyes.


    He¡¯s enjoying this while civilians are caught in his decisions. Perhaps he was right about him being the enemy. General Shannon thought.


    He walked away, and made a call, but the lieutenant appeared in front, shutting his phone off with an eerie smile.


    ¡°I already told you, I got this, Sir.¡±


    General Shannon¡¯s eyes sharpened, and he ground his teeth.


    ¡°This mission is over. I¡¯m getting my men out of there and stopping your reckless plan.¡±


    He stiffly shook his head, and his smile grew bigger.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Because in the end, if all else fails¡ª¡±


    He tilted his head forward, and had a sinister open mouth smile.


    ¡°¡ªI have a backup strong enough to handle not only him, but everyone else that¡¯s supernatural, General.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a mad man, rookie.¡± He pulled his phone out, and dialled again. ¡°This operation¡­ is over.¡±


    While the General did his thing, the lieutenant turned back to Leon who was closing in just a mile away, and grinned.


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    ***


    John drove through the destruction, and Sarah was beginning to wake up.


    ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re okay!¡± Jack said.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were dead serious, and she let out a groan.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my dad?¡±


    John glanced at the two while they were reaching the inner city and finally getting a dot view of Leon¡¯s aura.


    ¡°Oh hey, glad you¡¯re awake. You see, there¡¯s a bit of a turmoil and if we don¡¯t stop your father, he¡¯ll not only kill us all, but it¡¯ll have a means for the great William to come down and take his life.¡±


    Sarah gasped as well as Jack.


    ¡°What? Why do you think I¡¯m here? I¡¯m the reason why he might be getting killed because I made a deal with him, heh!¡±


    Jack growled but Sarah reacted in sadness.


    ¡°How are we going to stop him?¡± she asked.


    He put his hand on her head, and patted her.


    ¡°You will, sweetheart. You¡¯re the key to taming the loose beast.¡±


    She grabbed his hand, which made him tingle and giggle.


    ¡°Drive¡ªfaster!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±


    John floored the car to its max while dodging destroyed building infrastructure and roads. Meanwhile, Bolverkr had just arrived at the peer and laid his eyes on the two battleships miles away. General Shannon and his men quickly blocked the city, and watched him as he stood there, menacingly. He froze, the light aura around his body produced a horrific static sound that vibrated everyone''s eardrums. Everyone wondered what he¡¯s planning to do next.


    The General clenched his fist, and trembled.


    ¡°God help us.¡±


    John and the two arrived at the blockade. The noise died down and everything grew windy and silent. They opened their car doors, and hopped out, watching as Leon stood there like a statue. Sarah couldn¡¯t take more of this and ran through the gathered crowd, and the two chased after her. She pushed her way through and eventually met a wall of military men. They put their hands out, and stopped them from getting closer. But Sarah had no time to waste, and awakened her aura just for a second which made them step back and take aim at her.


    John got in the way, and put his hands forward.


    ¡°Woah woah, hold up there fellas! I know she¡¯s scary and adorable but she¡¯s the only one who can stop that man!¡±


    The General appeared from behind his men and walked up to them.


    ¡°What?! What are you saying!¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t got time for introductions but I¡¯m his friend, and know him very well. And the key to stopping him is this girl.¡±


    ¡°What girl?¡±


    John lightly gasped, and Jack saw Sarah running her way towards her father.


    ¡°Sarah!¡± Jack shouted.


    John grinned and pointed at Sarah.


    ¡°That girl.¡±


    The battleships prepared for another attack, and Sarah could feel the humongous surge of mana forming in front of their cannons. She panicked and ran faster. Her father eerily raised both hands, and the battleships fired, and he stopped their beams, evaporating them away. The lieutenant bit his fingernails aggressively and laughed like a maniac as he ran back to the General. Bolverkr dropped his left arm, and his palm took aim at the ships. A surge of energy sucked into the Centre of his palm, sending destructive shockwaves that forced everyone to take cover or cover their faces. His palm flickered out gamma bursts, electric particles shattered the atmosphere around the area. A ball of purple plasma the size of a basketball formed in front of his palm. The momentum gathered faster, and faster, and finally, Sarah had reached her father.


    She ran around him, and waved her arms.


    ¡°Dad! No! Stop!¡±


    He heard her voice, which sounded to his ex wife. Simultaneously while abruptly turning his head at Sarah, the momentum of the plasma ball forced him to shoot it out into the air, past the battleships overhead. The ball shot out into the sky, past earth''s atmosphere, ultimately exploding in outer space. It was a plasma purple dome-like explosion heard and seen by the world. A gorgeous yet terrifying display of haunting purple that blinded the world in electrification for a moment. Everyone gazed at the sky as the plasma faded out, lowering their arms from the once blinding light. Afterwards, everyone set their eyes on Leon and the girl standing next to him.


    For a moment, Sarah couldn¡¯t believe it either. Never has she seen this much of her father''s power displayed. Seeing it first hand in reality froze her bone marrow. She took a deep breath and carefully walked in front of her father. Leon immediately took aim again, but this time at her, but she stood her ground, and put her arms out to the side.


    ¡°Da-Dad¡­ it¡¯s me, Sarah.¡±


    Bolverkr¡¯s heavy breathing sent chills to Sarah¡¯s ears but she began to shorten the distance between them.


    ¡°I¡¯m your daughter, and you¡¯re not a monster, Dad.¡±


    She continued walking forward, and Bolverkr¡¯s breathing grew heavier and heavier.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a destroyer. You¡¯re not the same man you claimed to be¡­¡±


    She stopped in front of his palm, and stared into his dimmed eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­ see?¡±


    Bolverkr tilted his head, but made a disturbing crunching sound in the process.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be the destroyer you once was. You chose to be a normal business man who loves and provides for his family. You chose to put an end to your madness, and you also chose to¡ª¡±


    Sarah gently grabbed his hand, and while shaking, she placed it against her face, and rubbed it against her cheek.


    ¡°¡ªto be the cool dad that I love¡­ so much.¡±


    Her voice changed from his ex wife to his giggling daughter and his senses were slowly coming back to him.


    ¡°Sa-Sa¡­¡±


    ¡°Now dad, show them the shy business man you always were.¡± Sarah softly said.


    At last, Leon¡¯s eyes grew life, and his pupils reappeared.


    ¡°Sar¡ªah¡­¡±


    Leon¡¯s aura faded, he gasped repeatedly and retracted his hand, backing away while shaking. He gave his daughter a pitiful look and appeared embarrassed but disappointed especially at himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Everything''s fine Dad. But we got to show them that not all supernatural people are reckless monsters.¡±


    Leon¡¯s face transitioned to surprise, and he looked over his shoulder, then nodded back to his daughter.


    ***


    ¡°Huh?! He¡¯s actually friendly? But the photos this idiot show''d me?¡± General said while shaking his head, shocked.


    ¡°Yes, as I¡¯ve said multiple times, he ain¡¯t a bad guy, just misunderstood. But, attacking him ignites his thirst for battle, but when you put one thing that he cares about in danger, you¡¯ll jeopardize all of reality.'''' John said.


    The lieutenant jumped in between and his eyes grew crazier.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this man, General! You just saw what he¡¯s capable of! We were just seconds away from dying!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m putting an end to this. You, summon, I¡¯ll deal with you myself!¡±


    John took a step forward, the General stopped him, and looked over to the mentally breaking down lieutenant who continued biting his nails.


    ¡°General, help me destroy him! Lend me your men and we can stop him now or else the futures are at stake!¡±


    ¡°Sir, he¡¯s coming this way!¡± one of the marines shouted.


    ¡°General, if your men attack now this whole thing will start all over again but a thousand times worse.¡± John said.


    ¡°SHUT UP WITCH!¡± The lieutenant yelled.


    The General began to sweat, the pressure began to build as he heard his men, civilians shouting, growing in a panic.


    ¡°GENERAL, PLEASE!¡±


    ¡°SIR, ORDERS!¡±


    ¡°HE¡¯S GETTING CLOSER!¡±


    The lieutenant screamed and grabbed the General''s collar.


    ¡°IF WE DON¡¯T KILL HIM NOW WE¡¯RE ALL DEAD?!¡± he exclaimed.


    John pushed him away and put his arm in front of the general.


    ¡°You are done, but the minute this all blows over, you¡¯re mine, freak.¡± John said.


    ¡°HE¡¯S HERE!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot, we¡¯re friendly!¡± Sarah shouted.


    The General panned his attention to the frontline and saw Leon grabbing Sarah¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Hold your fire, the girl¡¯s fine?¡±


    ¡°IT¡¯S A TRICK!¡±


    The General had enough of the lieutenant and walked forward.


    ¡°You¡¯re a goddamn maniac. Men, apprehend him at once and stand down.¡±


    Jack was the first to apprehend him, and grab his arm tightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere, punk.¡±


    The lieutenant¡¯s eyes bled red, and he ground his teeth so severely they cracked and he began to scratch his face. Leon presented himself, and gently let go of Sarah¡¯s hand, putting his hands up.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your enemy. And I want to show you all just how sorry I am, by using my powers to rebuild the entire city, alone.¡±


    The General slowly approached Leon, and stood two feet away. Sarah tapped her fathers back, and he nodded. Leon stepped forward, and bowed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought shame to not only you, Sir, but to all of humanity. It¡¯s true that I was once a destroyer, but I¡¯m no longer the man that I once was. I¡¯m Leon Faust, a typical depressed businessman who works to provide for his family.¡±


    The General let out a grunt, shook his head, placed his hand on his hips, but returned a half grin.


    ¡°You gotta a lot of work to do once this is all over. You better make good work of yourself, but if you happen to go berserk again, I¡¯ll gladly put a bullet between your eyes.¡±


    Leon raised his head, and let out a chuckle.


    ¡°With pleasure.¡± Leon replied.


    Some civilian''s were hesitant and some began to shame him, but he quickly shut them down by using his telekinesis to rebuild the area around them. They were in awe, but scared. He knew he wouldn¡¯t buy their trust immediately, and wondered if the General¡¯s doing this just to show everyone else that everything will be fine despite Leon being a monster in their eyes. Leon wanted to prove everyone wrong, and was willing to risk his exposure to the world by rebuilding everything he had damaged.


    ¡°I! Leon, shall devote myself to humanity and do more than just rebuild Detroit, but, rather, fix all our infrastructure and flawed nature of our state. I swear on my life.¡±


    He flexed his fingers at the General, and he stepped more forward, and the two were meeting eye to eye.


    ¡°If I happen to fail you all, I¡¯ll lower my mana enough so this man can take my life. I swear on mother earth.¡±


    At last, more than half the crowd, marines applauded and nodded in approval. The General also got news that no civilians were killed which made him trust Leon even more. The lieutenant grew livid, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone and frowned.


    ¡°LAUNCH THE MISSLE NOW!¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Missle?!¡± The General shouted, turning his head to Jack and the lieutenant.


    Everyone also did and from over the horizon of the city, they could see a humongous bright light coming out from behind a hill and making its way into the sky. The heavy trail of smoke behind its power gave an ominous sensation while the city¡¯s sirens went off again. The air grew eerie, the sense of hopelessness struck everyone like a torpedo, wondering what was launched and having war sirens go off. Everyone watched as the giant bright light passed the clouds and dug deeper into the sky.


    ¡°What you fuck did you just do?! YOU IDIOTIC MADMAN!¡± The General screamed.


    The lieutenant faced the crowd, and waved at them.


    ¡°We¡¯re all going to die, people.¡±


    He laughed and Jack was pushed away from some unknown force.


    ¡°See you all in hell.¡±


    ¡°Grab him!¡±


    The lieutenant vanished out of thin air. Everyone gasped but panned their attention back at the missile.


    ¡°Confirmation, what type of missile has been launched?¡± The General radioed.


    He was quickly told that it was a hydrogen bomb but it was too massive to be a normal one. It was five times the size of the tsar bomb and even with today''s technology, it would be impossible to launch a missile that heavy into the air. Once people heard the radio say it was a nuke, people hugged their loved ones and began crying, praying while some accepted their fate.


    The General dropped his phone and let out one tear.


    ¡°I-I failed you all¡­¡± he said.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes quivered as she watched the bomb climb higher and higher.


    ¡°Dad¡­ we-we can stop that, right?¡±


    She paned to her father, and saw the concern look on his face.


    ¡°That bomb has enough mana in it to blow up our whole world more than a million times.¡± he muttered.


    Sarah walked up to her father while Jack approached her with John. Leon grew a nervous smile towards his friend, but John immediately knew that smile which made him return one. He shook his head, but understood what Leon¡¯s smile was telling him.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Sarah said.


    Leon kneeled, and grabbed Sarah¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Sarah, my loving daughter.¡±


    He covered his mouth, and mustered his emotions before speaking again.


    ¡°These have been the most interesting but happiest moments of my miserable life.¡±


    ¡°Dad¡­ what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Before, I had no purpose¡­ but getting to know you¡­ gave me a new purpose.¡±


    He looked over her shoulder to the distressed crowd momentarily, and once he lay eyes on his daughter''s forehead, he swallowed.


    ¡°And now, I must prove to the world that we aren¡¯t all so bad.¡±


    She grabbed his wrists, and her eyes began to swell.


    ¡°Dad, wh-what are you implying¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡­ before I go, could-could you look¡­ into my eyes?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes leaked and she carefully looked into her father''s eyes. Leon¡¯s breath sounds shaky, he also let tears flood his eyes as he was finally able to look into Sarah¡¯s eyes without consequence.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing like your mother¡­ and I¡¯m so happy I got to know you, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t retain herself, and her eyes flooded. Leon let go and slowly walked backwards while keeping eye contact.


    ¡°I love you¡­¡± Sarah abruptly said.


    Leon frowned, and snapped his fingers. Sarah¡¯s limbs went numb, and she began to freak out.


    ¡°Jack, hold my daughter.¡± Leon said.


    Jack couldn¡¯t watch this, but listened and grabbed a hold of Sarah while she screamed. She begged him to not do anything reckless. Leon had already made up his mind and before leaving, he waved goodbye to his friend and John shook his head, but also replied by waving. Leon launched himself to the air, blowing winds that forced everyone to cover their faces.


    ¡°DAD, NO!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be okay, Sarah, it¡¯s going to be okay!¡± Jack shouted while trying to retain her fallout.


    Leon had his arms to his sides, his fists clenched as he made his way past earth¡¯s atmosphere. Once he passed it, he held his breath, and saw the missile starting to lose momentum, shutting off for a moment as it turned towards the earth. It exploded with propulsion again and launched down. Leon faced the oncoming missile, his lungs beginning to tighten, he swallowed his last breath and grit his teeth. He readied himself, put his hands forward, and could see the dot grow closer. He could hear his daughter''s words echo into his mind, which made him smile again as a tear fell out his eye and floated in the vacuum of space before being evaporated.


    ¡°¡ªto be the cool dad that I love¡­ so much.¡±


    His eyes twinkled, and after two decades, they regained life and were no longer empty.


    I was finally able to look into my daughter''s eyes¡­ He thought.


    The missile drew closer and closer, and Leon slowly closed them.


    If only I had the guts to hug her, just¡­ once. He wondered.


    Impact!


    Down below, everyone saw the enormous explosion that flashed the world in an array of nebula, gamma bursting rays that swallowed the earth in space dust. It was as if they were in a fairytale as golden dust particles fell to the ground while the hypertype nova explosion slowly faded out into the darkness of space. Sarah¡¯s eyes were in a permanent state of shock, bigger than they ever have stuck out while flooding. Jack turned away as the crowd cheered and gave Leon a heroic ovation for his sacrifice. Not only was he able to minimise the explosion, but enough to save the planet and everything around their solar system. The General gave him a heroic salute as he took off his hat as well as the rest of his men.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t comprehend what just happened and can¡¯t accept that her father¡¯s dead. Yet, mysteriously enough, as she turned her permanent state of loss to the cheering crowd, her mother walked out of it while keeping her eyes locked to the sky.


    ¡°Mo¡­ther?¡± Sarah mumbled.


    Seeing her mother gave her enough energy to snap out of her broken state, and break free from Jack¡¯s hug. Jack couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, but more notably, John.


    ¡°Samantha.¡± John whispered.


    The crowd could actually see Samantha without succumbing to a horrific death. She looked just as sad as her daughter while wandering around. Nobody knew how to react as they watched a gorgeous woman dressed in an elegant gothic black and red dress meander in the middle of the circle. Sarah carefully approached her mother, and could feel her dread.


    ¡°Mother¡­ I¡¯m¡ª¡±


    ¡°Move¡­¡± Samantha said.


    ¡°H-huh?¡±


    ¡°Move!¡±


    Samantha quickly leaped in front of Sarah, and pushed her out of the way. With her eyes permanent to the sky, she put her arms forward, and took a stance. Everyone wondered what the heck she was doing? That was until something came crashing onto her arms that sent people flying away and a heatwave that gave a burning sensation throughout the area. After the hot smoke had drifted away, Sarah coughing her lungs out, wiping the smoke away, she could see her mother on the ground, tending to her charred father. Samantha let a tear slip out and once it landed on his face, it healed it and she was able to peel the char off his face. Once every piece of black chips were off, she massaged his face, and gently placed her face against his while silently whimpering.


    Sarah stood with shock. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing but also questioned as to why her mother¡¯s acting this nice to a man she always tormented, thought was pathetic, but more importantly, never wanted to love him, until now.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡± Sarah whispered.

 Arc 4 Chapter 27: The Storm Tameth

    I¡¯m not a weak man. I¡¯m not a naive man. I¡¯m not a soft man. Nor am I a gullible man. I¡¯m just kind. Perhaps that¡¯s my greatest flaw as an individual, though I can¡¯t help it at times. When people deserve kindness, I reciprocate it, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing now as a cult leader. If it weren¡¯t for Ravana and the truth of Abyzou, then I¡¯d most likely end up dead. That¡¯s how I¡¯ve always been since I was young. And with that, I¡¯ll stand with the same ideology to the test of time. Yet, it was tested when Abyzou almost took my life. On that day, being near death''s doorsteps, it made me question why I became obsessed with such a mysterious woman like her. Could it have been love? Respect? Or something much deeper.


    Learning that Samantha was the true Sinner of Envy made it more apparent of my obsession. Yet in getting to know this supposed copy of her¡¯s has made me rethink my mind as an individual again. Sarah, she¡¯s so kind, sweet, and adoring; she¡¯s like the perfect daughter. And in turn, I want to keep this act up, but I don¡¯t know how much longer I can hide the true intentions to which we seek. The idea of Abyzou erasing the fabric of our universe and rewriting it into a dystopia of ultimate peace and happiness still has me cemented to the idea of resurrecting her or to find out if the copy is actually her with her memories erased. But the longer this goes on, the longer I live this fake life with these wonderful people and interacting with people who aren¡¯t menaces to society; I don¡¯t think I can keep up with this much longer.


    My name¡¯s Shaman, and I¡¯m a proud member of our cult, but soon to be regretful of his actions. I write in my journal to keep me sane, and on this day, January 28th, 2017, I''ll keep writing until either I succumb to my own sins¡­ or Ravana will be the one to ultimately take my life, as the narcissistic lunatic that he is. I aplogise to Sarah and especially to the wonderful little apprentice who reminds me of my niece, Angela Samr. I hope once this all ends, whatever the outcome ends up being, if God¡¯s reading my journal, I hope you can forgive me and I swear I¡¯ll confess to my sins¡­ If I manage to survive all this¡­


    Gathered around the wooden table, inside the deep rooted home of the Witch Cult representing Envy, all of the high ranking cultists are having a meeting; besides the second most powerful who presumes absent as always. He¡¯d rather keep training so he can enact his revenge on the man who humiliated him in battle back at the academy: Leon Faust Bolverkr. At the moment, Eligor, Chelsea, Ravana who was pacing back and forth but with a vile grin on his face were waiting for Shaman to arrive.


    ¡°Where could he be? He¡¯s making me grow impatient. I don¡¯t like my patience¡ªbeing tested, and especially, my intelligence! Being mocked.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that, Ravana?¡± Eligor asked.


    ¡°What do I mean, what do I mean?! What else does it mean, you oversized pellock!¡±


    He turned to him, and pointed but his facial expression wasn¡¯t matching his tone. It told the two that he was calm, eased tempered, but his voice was high pitched, stabby, and rabid. Eligor didn¡¯t want to push his temper more and chose to stay quiet. Chelsea clung onto her lover and the two could sense his mana rising. After another minute of silence, Ahriman suddenly appeared, and he looked pleased, but his body shook as if he were terrified. He took his hat off, burnt it to a crisp, and kneeled before Ravana. Ravana clapped, and clapped, and clapped. He kept clapping and it went on for more than two minutes. Slow, heavy claps that didn¡¯t change tone, rather consistently echoed sarcasm and annoyance.


    ¡°Welcome¡ªback, Ahriman. How did your operation turn out, my friend?¡±


    Ravana changed his misrepresented tone to a more softened deeper one. The two lovers glanced at each other, and wondered what Ravana had planned for Ahriman for failing his plan, although Ravana already knew of the outcome; But why act as if he were oblivious to it and treat it like he¡¯ll give him another chance? They were afraid of what punishment they¡¯ll see and what''s stored next in Ravana''s grand scheme: That being Edgar who¡¯s currently training with his new gifted powers to also enact his revenge on Leon.


    ¡°My master, it turned out the way as I wanted but in the end, almost cost the lives of us all.¡± Ahriman said.


    Ravana lowered his hands, dug his hands into his hair, and let out a sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of what you did. But I was surprised as you drained out the mana and lives out of my thousand followers that I handed you just to plant all that energy into your hydrogen bomb.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you knew of my ultimate scheme?¡± Ahriman muttered.


    Ravana took a step forward, and tilted his head.


    ¡°What made you think that a bomb like that would kill us? What made you think it would destroy the Exorcist¡¯s? Who are leagues above anything that exists?¡±


    He took one more step forward, paused and his thin smile appeared as he squinted his eyes.


    ¡°What made you think no doubly¡ªthat a bomb of that magnitude could kill our old friend Leon?¡±


    ¡°Hu-huh? He¡­ he lives?¡± Ahriman gasped.


    Ravana¡¯s lips smeared up, and he smacked his teeth.


    ¡°Of course he does. Even if that bomb could destroy this whole solar system, which no doubly would force a mighty Exorcist out of his hiding¡ªdid you really think that it would kill Leon Faust: Wait, Leon Bolverkr, the GODDAMN DESTROYER!¡±


    His yell trembled the earth. Everyone grew a drop of sweat, and Chelsea clung harder onto Eligors arm. Ahriman kept his grin, but his eyes trembled uncontrollably as he felt his master''s anger reaching its peak.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid¡­ don¡¯t you?¡± Ravana muttered.


    Ahriman still heard him, and quickly raised his head.


    ¡°Of course not! You summoned me and without you I¡¯d be reduced to ashes!¡±


    Ravana¡¯s pupils dilated. He closed his mouth, and nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I can.¡±


    ¡°My intentions weren¡¯t to eliminate you or everything that exists. I was just following your orders as you predicted.¡±


    ¡°Hm, yes, indeed you did.¡±


    ¡°Everything that I planned out was all according to your magnificence. Knowing the outcome of my selfishness, and your attitude, I¡¯d never attempt to do such a thing, again.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Eligor and Chelsea glanced at each other, and slowly panned back to the two. They carefully got out of their wooden seats and quietly took some steps back. Ravana¡¯s expression transition, total stillness. He repositioned his head stance to normal and glared at the summon. He didn¡¯t say anything again which brought an eeriness of silence. The lit candles moved, the air grew tense, and the other two could feel Ravana ready to explode. Anticipating the expected, Eligor put Chelsea behind him and put his forearm in front of his face, blocking any potential surprises. Ravana¡¯s eyebrows grew inward and his eyes slowly widened.


    ¡°Did you just assume¡ªhow I¡¯m feeling?¡± he asked in a calm manner.


    He pushed up his bangs in annoyance without blinking or the thought of closing his eyes as he glared down at his summon. He clenched his teeth, and again tilted his head.


    ¡°Now hold on, my master! I did no such thing!¡±


    ¡°And now, you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m just implying the words out of your screechy voice?¡±


    His calm tone made him shower in his own fear. He didn¡¯t know whether he was going to be punished or meet his fate.


    ¡°No, no, you got it¡ªI mean I¡¯m just¡ªI, I-I¡­.¡±


    Ravana smacked his teeth and scuff the ground once as he stepped forward. An awkward silence ensued when he clicked his tongue, and pointed at the summon, his finger being inches away from contact.


    ¡°Sir, I beg of thee, I never assumed you wrong or implied miscommunication nor¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever imply that I¡¯m wrong on behalf of what I believe!¡±


    The summon went quiet for a moment, and the other two watched as Ravana eased down his finger. Suddenly, a cloud of red mist and white particles exploded in front of him. The summon had been eviscerated before their eyes.


    ¡°Tch¡­ that¡¯ll teach you for being so ill mannered and going against my plan.¡±


    He turned to the two who were in fear but kept their still faces intact.


    ¡°That settles that. We won¡¯t be seeing or hearing his annoying self ever again. Idiot really thought that I wouldn¡¯t notice his demonic driven mind to extinguish all of humanity along with the man that gave him life?! Did he really believe I was that naive to not notice such a thing! How intolerable and self centered could you be?! Bwhaha!¡±


    Eligor nodded. ¡°Indeed, and he was given the rightful punishment deserving for a fool.¡±


    Ravana shrugged, ¡°eh, better than hearing his voice if I had tortured him.¡±


    He placed his hands on his hips and went up to the pair. His thin smile expressing his confidence and implying that he had high hopes for them as his eyes locked onto their still yet feared faces.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for us to commence phase two and three simultaneously.¡±


    The two nervously grinned as he walked closer and eerily put his pale rough hands on their shoulders.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to wait for Shaman. But I know he¡¯s aware of what my glorious idea is heading at. And with his soft spirit, once he breaks, everything will flow the way I¡¯m so eager anticipating.¡±


    ¡°And that involves Edgar attacking first, correct?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± he replied.


    Chelsea forced a grin. ¡°Thens we come ins afterwards to deals with the rest and exterminate Leon with the crystals you handed us?¡±


    He slowly shook his head, ¡°not entirely. This time, seeing how things were slightly altered¡ª¡±


    He panned his pupils to Eligor and winked at him.


    ¡°You my muscular friend. You will aid me once I come down from the heavens to retrieve the girl after Edgar¡¯s plan falls flat.¡±


    Eligor was confused as to what he meant by. He¡¯s speaking as if he saw the future already.


    ¡°Ho-How can you tell if his plan will fall short? If I may ask.¡±


    Ravana chuckled and patted his broad shoulder.


    ¡°Come now, do you really think I have faith in a loser like him? Of course I know he¡¯ll succumb to his idea. Also, given the fact that I! Gifted him with power he¡¯ll never reach on his own; with that drivel mind of his, he¡¯d get drown with new found ego and ultimately try to become more than what he think¡¯s he¡¯s cable of.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like he¡¯s going to try to target more than just Leon, right? For example, after, let''s just say, if he actually defeats his foes crossing his path; once he defeats Leon, he¡¯ll come after us and not give a single crap about the thought of resurrecting the Sin of Envy.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes sparkled and gave Eligor a bro hug.


    ¡°With your amazing training and learning of the Exorcist¡¯s, your nimble brain has grown into more than being a meathead! I¡¯m so proud of you, my friend!¡±


    Eligor smudges his lips and pat Ravana¡¯s back, awkwardly.


    ¡°Th-Thanks?¡±


    He let go and stepped back, putting his hands back on his hips.


    ¡°Chelsea, you¡¯ll assist your man once he gives you a signal. If the way my plan plays out, then everything will flow the way it should.¡±


    Eligor had one more thing to ask, but hesitated. Then, he mustered some courage to ask and hoped for the best.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Ravana, if I was told correctly, weren¡¯t you there a couple days ago in front of the copy? Couldn¡¯t you have grabbed her right there?¡±


    Ravana gripped his chin, rubbed it, and shrugged.


    ¡°I could¡¯ve, but chose not to. But you know why?¡±


    The two lovebirds glanced at each other.


    ¡°Wh-Whys?¡± Chelsea asked.


    Ravana¡¯s eyes glinted and he let out a brief chuckle.


    ¡°What fun would that be if it were that easy? I want everything to play out the way I foresaw it.¡±


    He menacingly brought his arms to the side, and had an open mouth smile.


    ¡°Phase two and three will be a chaotic yet satisfying moment for us all. And I can¡¯t wait for it to happen.¡±


    He clapped his hands together, and blinked away his glint.


    ¡°For now, enjoy your peace, society, and Shaman.¡±


    ***


    Three months later¡­


    Sweeping and dusting away the burdens of invisible particles, Sarah was doing her morning routine in Herold¡¯s art shop. After cleaning most of the tables and setting up for the day, she went out of her way to do more chores. Right now, she¡¯s deep in thought as she sweeps away yesterday¡¯s mistakes, but came to a stop when she made her way in front of the shop. Taking a pause, glancing to the outside world, Sarah¡¯s mind went into a trance. Gripping the handle of the broom intensely, her face turned from being focused to a state of stillness.


    It¡¯s been three long, eye opening months for me. So much thinking, self reflection, questioning the institution of society, but while so much has happened in the months prior from the day my father went berserk; the outcome has become surreal. Since his heroic act, they just finished building a statue in honour of his supposed passing. No one remembered what happened after the explosion, only the aftermath, and only one person comes to mind for erasing their memories; my mother or should I even call her that but call her by her actual name¡­ Abyzou.


    She¡¯s been quiet since that day she caught my dying, charred father in her nimble arms. I tried talking to her a couple of times, but even I could sense she didn¡¯t want to speak to anyone. He¡¯s been in a coma since and she¡¯s been attending to his care and ensuring that he¡¯ll wake up healthy. I tried to peep at them, but she would lock the door and sometimes I could hear her crying. Only once was I able to see him and get a pinch on his skin. Seeing him dead asleep and groaning ached my heart. I still feel at blame for what happened and the outcome that occurred. But in return, I was able to grow a stronger bond with Mandy, but for what? I questioned that when she kept asking the same thing over and over every time we hung out:


    ¡°Where¡¯s your dad? How¡¯s Leon? Is he with Abyzou?¡±


    It grew suspicious of what her motive was. I know she¡¯s after my mother, I know she became informed of what happened to him, but I question her morality. For now, I keep things to myself and once he wakes up, I know he¡¯ll go crawling back to her and explain the situation.


    During these months I¡¯ve grown more accustomed to my powers and practice to control them while my father recovers. The outcome to it is astonishing and it showed that there¡¯s more to me than I never thought was there before. Yet it also made me question more about my existence, and with two voices paring together to say how I was created made it more apparent as my powers continue to grow. With these thoughts in the back of my head still making me feel blue, I also grew a stronger bond with Angela and so much so, I even at times embarrassingly cried in her arms. Although she would still comfort me while insulting my mindset. She¡¯s been a great friend and now I consider her as a sister. She found out that my father was the one who sacrificed himself to save the world and thought I was mourning my loss. Yet it¡¯s just my young mind being flooded with complications.


    On the other hand, Jack and I have grown so much closer, too close in my opinion. It started to make me think if I was falling for him and what confirmed the most powerful emotion in the universe¡­ was seeing Jack and my new friend, Destiny, get along, too well if I¡¯m being honest. It raised these problematic feelings of romanticism and fueled a new feeling of hate. Every couple of days when he came to visit, watch us work, or sometimes went out of his way to help out, she would unexpectdly show up. There were times when the two would show up, together, laughing, and she would cling onto him. Seeing that would stir a feeling I thought would never awaken in me, and that¡¯s the feeling¡ªof jealousy.


    Sometimes, a voice would pop into my head, one that sounded exactly like mine or my mothers, telling me to soak in the feeling of Envy. It wanted to feed off the emotion and there were times I acted hostile towards her, but afterwards I would apologise. I-I don¡¯t know why this is happening, and whether I should be worried about it exploding one day. I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone or end up like my mother; someone lacking in empathy and being self centered. Time will tell as I continue forward, but for now, I have to keep focus on my mana control and especially, keep on the lookout for the cultists still after me.


    Sarah blinked and mildly shrugged as she shook her head with the broom in her hands. She went back to sweeping the front of the shop and Angela happened to come back inside after putting up some more flower decorations.


    ¡°Hey goth girl, I think we¡¯re getting a delivery soon. Be ready because it¡¯s just us two for an hour or two.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Mr. Herold?¡±


    Angela tied her hair up and grabbed her work apron.


    ¡°He went out to do some personal business: as he stated himself.¡±


    ¡°Huh, weird knowing that two girls are about to do some manly unloading without a man around.¡±


    Angela raised a brow and grinned.


    ¡°Oh? But aren¡¯t you some type of supernatural being? Can¡¯t you just use your powers to help us?¡±


    Sarah thought about it for a moment, but knowing the consequences of abusing her powers potentially giving a lead on her location, she can¡¯t risk it.


    I have to stay low for my safety. She thought.


    She waved her hand and giggled.


    ¡°Nonsense, I think you and I can handle a couple of boxes.¡±


    ¡°Boxes?! Haha, you make me laugh gothic girly girl. We got cases of paint coming.¡±


    Sarah frowned. ¡°Blah blah, we got it, no sweat, right emo girl?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    Angela walked away, but Sarah shouted, ¡°Hey¡± to stop her.


    ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡±


    Sarah moaned, and gripped the handle on the broom again.


    ¡°Has Destiny been over your house as of lately?¡±


    Angela raised a brow and wiggled her lips.


    ¡°Oh? This is interesting.¡± she muttered. ¡°She has, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been awfully friendly, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    Angela ginned. ¡°You know, it¡¯s okay to say you¡¯re just jealous.¡±


    Sarah rubbed the top of the broom handle on her head.


    ¡°Is it really that?¡±


    Angela walked backwards, and raised her hands, shrugging.


    ¡°Perfectly normal. No need to worry too much, I¡¯ve dealt with jealousy before. Besides, it¡¯s understandable, you like him.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well, as you stand there, looking shy and gothic as usual, take some time to think about it. I¡¯ll shout your big butt to come help me once the truck arrives.¡±


    Angela walked to the back and opened the rear door. Sarah sighed and was about to go as well when Jack happened to welcome himself in. He looked lethargic and loose. Sarah tilted her head and wondered why he looked so dead. She tapped his arm and he reacted by jumping, which made her drop her broom.


    ¡°Wha-whats wrong with you, Jack?!¡±


    Jack froze in a defensive position, but let out a grunt as he rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°My-my bad¡­ I was just out all night.¡±


    ¡°Oh, like doing what?¡±


    Jack smacked his lips and shrugged.


    ¡°Can¡¯t remember much, too tired and thirsty.¡±


    Sarah placed the broom against the front door frame, crossed her arms and tapped one foot on the ground while riaisng a brow.


    ¡°What were you doing, sir?¡±


    Jack shrugged again and something almost came out his mouth which led to him storming to the bathroom. He accidentally ran too quickly, which led to his phone falling out of his coat pocket. Sarah saw his flip phone and couldn¡¯t retain her laughter.


    ¡°Jesus Jack, still haven¡¯t caught up to the times.¡±


    As she reached for his phone, it rang, and she wondered who was calling him. Once it was in her hands, she saw Destiny¡¯s name on the front tiny screen. That hateful feeling coursed its way back in her mind, and throughout her body, which led to her to squeeze his phone. She closed her eyes for a moment and carefully flipped it open, answering it.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Hagh? Who the hell? You¡¯re not Jack!¡±


    ¡°No, he went to the bathroom. It¡¯s Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Sarah?! Ahh! My adorable little friend, how are you?¡±


    ¡°Good, but could you answer why Jack¡¯s been so lethargic this morning?¡±


    ¡°Shit, well no point hiding it now. You see, we had a bit too much fun, and in the party we participated in, things got intense, violent, people grew too drunk and he happened to be one of the victims to alcohol.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s left hand twitched, but her face remained still.


    ¡°You got him drunk?¡±


    ¡°Me?! Please, he chose to get drunk. And I had no clue as to how much he¡¯s capable of consuming, my boys a freak.¡±


    Her hand twitched again, and her right eye mildy twitched as well.


    ¡°Your boy?¡± she muttered. ¡°But why didn¡¯t you stop him from drinking, Destiny. You had that power in hand if he couldn¡¯t contain himself.¡±


    ¡°Ey ey, chill, you¡¯re acting like my step dad.¡±


    She laughed which made Sarah frown.


    ¡°To summarize what happened afterwards, he got into a small scuffle with some guys, kicked their asses, and I took him home.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t participate in the drinking?¡±


    ¡°Shit, just a little, anyways tell him I¡¯ll be seeing him later, I gotta finish my finals during after school hours. Alright bye, see ya gorgeous!¡±


    Destiny hung up, and Sarah stood there with the phone still against her ear. Her eyes dimmed, the sunlight shining beside her, with her shadow on the ground, it began to act on its own. It grew larger in size and tried reaching its darkened hands off the floor to grab Sarah. As she stood in dead silence, the shadow let out a faint howl and eyes emerged, glowing the same colour as her mothers. Sarah eased the phone to her side, and hadn¡¯t blinked. She turned to the sunlight, and the shade of yellow and white began to transition to a light red. She slowly began to ball one fist until Jack coughed his way back into the picture. Everything returned to normal and her shadow went back to being a part of her.


    Sarah glanced at Jack and put her hand out with his phone in it.


    ¡°Here, you dropped this.¡± she said in a cold tone.


    Jack wiped his mouth, and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Th-Thanks. Sorry, phew, I feel a little better now.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t say anything else but indicated to get his phone back, which he did grab, but she abruptly grabbed his wrist and it made him gasp.


    ¡°Destiny called, she said to meet her after she¡¯s done with her finals.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s voice sounded different, and it sent a chill up Jack¡¯s spine. For once, he did not like the way she¡¯s acting. She appeared doll-like, stiff, yet empty.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah, you alright? You sound off?¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    ¡°No hesitation. Well, how do I put it, uh, you sound like your mo¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey! You gonna stand there and not help out, goth girl?!¡± Angela shouted.


    Angela came marching her way in, but saw her brother as well.


    ¡°Great timing, bro! You can unpack the heavy boxes for us instead!¡±


    Jack forced a chuckle but sighed his way to his sister.


    ¡°Okay okay, I¡¯m-I¡¯m coming!¡±


    He pulled his way out of Sarah¡¯s grasp, and left her hanging. Sarah stood there with Jack¡¯s phone still in her hand. She lowered her arms, and the life of her eyes began to dim out. She opened Jack¡¯s phone again, scrolled through his contacts, and found Mandy¡¯s.


    ¡°I wonder.¡± she muttered.


    Sarah slowly dragged her thumb to the call button, but stopped halfway.


    ¡°Your time will come. For now, I need you to keep your envious thoughts intact, my loving self.¡±


    She closed the phone, and in a creepy manner, brought her gaze to the window, staring out towards the sunlight one last time.


    ¡°There''s no angrier emotion than jealousy, and at this pace, with her taking Jack away, we¡¯ll both unite minds¡­ and I can destroy everything that¡¯s brought harm to my family.¡±


    Sarah blinked and held it until her eyes reopened, and the twinkle in them returned. This time, she didn¡¯t have a headache, rather, her feeling of anger stayed. She drew in her eyebrows together and wondered why she fazed out of consciousness again. Quickly, she realised Jack¡¯s phone was still in her clutch. She hurried to go help the other two. Yet, her shadow remained and again, her mothers eyes appeared in it, growing bloodshot and fueled with rage.


    ***


    The two lovebirds were sitting out in a field, but they weren¡¯t alone as others had joined the Lucious space to do some spring easter egg hunting. They were on top of a hill, sitting beneath a tree that overlooked them. With spring blooming, and Michigan''s cold breathe dying down, Samantha wore a spring dress Leon became hypnotized by. A red and black dress with wonderful stitching, some parts allowed to show her smooth pale perfect skin, and her black sun hat that made her more adorable.


    ¡°You know, these have been the best two years of my life, Samantha.¡± Leon said.


    Samantha waved at some kids but they couldn¡¯t see her since she was invisible to the human eye.


    ¡°What makes you say that, honey?¡±


    Leon had one leg up, his arm leaning against it as he too waved to the children who could actually see him. They waved back and this made Samantha smile more joyfully.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for the day to have children of my own!¡± she exclaimed.


    Leon nervously laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°Right right¡­ uh¡­¡±


    She put the tips of her fingers together and Leon saw the excitement in her glistening eyes.


    ¡°Just imagine, Leon! Miniature versions of yourself, prospering and growing to be identical or opposite! Ah, just the thought makes me squirm with joy.¡±


    Seeing her happy nature, her childish act, never would Leon imagine a woman like her to act this way given how he first met her. Yet through the past two years, he was able to see her true self and it prompted him to make the ultimate decision as a man. A choice a man would do to sacrifice everything in the world to accomplish the ultimate form of happiness in life, and that is¡ª


    Today¡¯s the day, that I¡¯ll propose to you, Samantha. Leon thought.


    He swallowed his nervousness and stood on his feet. Samantha wondered what her man was prepared to do, and kept watch as he slowly balled his fist and reached into his pocket. He walked in front of her, and got on one knee. She tilted her head and raised a brow as his serious eyes locked onto her eyes. He gently grabbed her delicate small hand and held it. Her cheeks grew hot and she too grew nervous.


    ¡°Le-Leon¡­¡± she softly said.


    Her delicate gentle voice tickled his eardrums and Leon ground his teeth for a moment. He closed his eyes, and once they were reopened, he was ready.


    ¡°Samantha¡­ Samantha, all my life, I struggled to find true happiness. Before you, everyday was a struggle to maintain my ruthless nature. For a long time, I¡¯ve been labeled a destroyer by all, a name given to me by Witch¡¯s and Exorcists, a name meaning exactly as I was defined: Bolverkr.¡±


    Samantha frowned and put one hand on his head as he kept his cool. Leon brought his eyes to the ground, fighting his emotions.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to be the monster and unstable being that rose himself off the ashes of his first victims. I didn¡¯t choose to be given a second chance at life, and in return, I took the lives away of the people who did. Never would I have imagined to live such a peaceful four years. But that was almost broken when you saw who I truly was in that tournament. For a second¡­ I thought I¡¯d lose you.¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that you¡¯d lose me?¡± she replied.


    Leon shook his head and kept his eyes to the ground.


    ¡°Because you saw the terrifying being everyone has feared through the decade; the man who destroyed worlds, a potential threat to the universe if left unintended. Seeing how powerful I¡¯ve become and once it gets to my head, I don¡¯t know what can stop me.¡±


    He slowly brought his gaze back to hers, and gently smiled.


    ¡°But then I met you.¡±


    She blushed and covered her face with her hand.


    ¡°Ever since I did, everytime I¡¯m around you, you bring nothing but joy and true happiness. And these two years have proven that you¡¯re my kryptonite.¡±


    He let go of her hand, and brought out a red box from his pocket. Samantha lightly gasped and her eyes began to swell.


    ¡°And today, I¡¯m making the ultimate decision.¡±


    He put his one free hand on top, and slowly opened it, revealing a glamorous purple diamond wrapped in platinum engravings. She covered her mouth, and her heart raced.


    ¡°Will you, forever tame this beast, and become the beauty that¡¯ll turn him back into what he dreamt of being again¡ª¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes drowned and she got on her knees.


    ¡°¡ªand that is living a normal life, to be labeled human, again.¡±


    Samantha dropped her hands, and wrapped her arms around Leon.


    ¡°I do¡­¡± she whispered into his ear.


    He couldn¡¯t contain his emotions anymore, and his eyes leaked. He held her, and she could hear his soft whimpers.


    ¡°I want nothing more than to be your beauty and for you to be my beast. Because Leon, in the end, you¡¯ll also help me achieve what I so long sought after.¡±


    Leon stopped whimpering, wiped his face, and gently let off as they were eye to eye. Her glistening crimson eyes kept him nervous but he couldn¡¯t contain his joy and he smiled as big as he ever could.


    ¡°Wh-what would that be?¡±


    Samantha¡¯s smile thinned out, and her eyes grew big.


    ¡°A family.¡±


    Leon grunted, groaned, and gasped for air. He carefully opened his eyes, and felt liquid sliding down the side of his face. He could see a familiar ceiling and sniffed a nostalgic frequencies. He felt his muscles dead, a lack of motivation to move, but he could feel someone holding onto his left hand for dear life. He managed to give himself some strength to move his head around to glance at his surroundings.


    ¡°Wh-Where am¡­ I?¡± he weakly said.


    He managed to glance harder and raise his head a bit. At last, he could see where he was, and it made him groan in emotional pain.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ home?¡±


    He lay back against the pillow, and let out a soft grunt.


    ¡°Ho-How?¡±


    He glanced to his left and saw Samantha of all people, sleeping bedside with a chair pulled up. His arm was buried beneath her head, and he had no energy to react but only to question, why?


    ¡°Samantha¡­?¡± he murmured.


    His eyes trembled and he let out a painful soft moan filled with all his past emotional pain.


    ¡°what has¡­ go-gotten¡­ into¡ªyou?¡± he muttered.


    Her soft breathing calmed his emotions and seeing her this vulnerable made him almost forget the events prior to where he¡¯s at. He tried moving his arm, but she moaned, and prevented him from doing so. She instead pulled his hand up to her face, and rested it gently on the bed for her to use as a pillow. Leon let out one tear, and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Although, his feelings haven¡¯t changed but were beginning to reignite an old spark.


    ¡°I have no-no energy to react¡­ to this,¡± he muttered.


    He slowly began to shut his eyes and let out one deep sigh.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ I¡¯m just tired¡­¡±


    He went back to sleep and again his brain resumed the last scene he had, the scene of him proposing to Samantha and soon after, his mind went dark. He heard her faint screams, her howling terror, and most of all, her wretched laughs that forever have haunted him. He trembled in his deep sleep and oddly enough, her laughter''s transitioned to cries for help. Hearing the cries tamed his tremors and once again, he could sleep in peace without a troublesome thought. Samantha clinged harder to his hand, and murmured, "don''t go" with tears slipping out her shut eyelids.

 Arc 4 Chapter 28: The Storm Returneth!

    After another day of handwork for Angela and Sarah who have decided to call it quits at Herold''s art shop. Sarah and Angela were outside, sitting on a bench, eating a sandwich Angela had made but wanted to share with. They munched, watched the sun beginning to set behind the horizon of the town, there was something Angela wanted to ask Sarah.


    ¡°Hey, goth girl.¡±


    Sarah paused before taking another bite.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Angela took one more bite before speaking, and grinned.


    ¡°You ever questioned your own existence?¡±


    Wh-what did she just¡ªsay? Sarah thought as she let out a soft gasp.


    Why did Angela ask such a personal and difficult question? How can Sarah respond to it properly without bringing herself up into the equation. Sarah carefully set the sandwich down on her lap, and patted her skirt. She looked down, and shook her head. Angela on the other hand kept eating as she stared at the sky beginning to transition to orange.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t really know what to say.¡±


    Angela ate her last bite, and wiped her mouth with a napkin that was on her lap.


    ¡°Well, you should because, the thing is, Ms. Supernatural¡ª¡±


    She reached into her backpack that was on her right-side and took out a novel. Taking the novel out, Sarah could see the picture in front and saw a girl that looked just like her, but with red hair and a man that wore a detective outfit and had long hair.


    ¡°¡ªyour story is very similar to what I¡¯m currently reading. You see, the girl on the front page of this manga has been caged all her life and never! Has she been told how she was brought into this world? Throughout all her life, she¡¯s only told that she was rescued by her creepy master who at times puts his grimey fingers on her. In this world, the upper and lower class are divided by levels, for example, they live in what we assume should be normality, but in their reality, there¡¯s another city, a whole different world built above the ¡®poverty cities¡¯ where all the rich live.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, and this all relates to me¡­ how?¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear my synopsis?! The girl, also known as the red danger, was raised to be a fighting machine! Fought to make money and a fearsome reputation in an underground fighting regime. Never has she been given a chance to think until she met¡ªhim!¡±


    She pointed at the detective who wore a rad outfit and had a handgun posed as well. His facial features were similar to Jack¡¯s and his eyes were empty just like his.


    ¡°This man here, he rescued her from her entrapment and opened her eyes to what the real world is. At first, their relationship was weird, like a dog and owner type of thing since she barely knew how to communicate or read. But as the stories progressed, their feelings for each other have grown, and finally being given a chance to think; she¡¯s at long last asking who and what she is and best of all, what¡¯s her purpose in life.¡±


    Everything Angela had intel felt at home for Sarah. It made her rewind her memories from the earliest one she had. She thought and thought and found a memory of a time she could recall when she blinked her way into a flash of white. Once the light had faded, being blinded by a clear blue sky, she got her first scent of nature, and the first feeling of life. She could remember blinking a couple of times, and felt her first set of teardrops creeping out the edges of her eyes. As she panned downward, she saw the first face, and it was her mothers who appeared at joy and hugged her. Her first touch, and shared warmth. She could remember raising her tiny hands up to her face and getting to reflex her first muscles.


    Her mother cried as she held her.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re¡­¡±


    Sarah took in her first giant breath of air, and let it out with a subtle sigh as her mother kept crying. She turned her attention to someone sitting at a distance, near a lakeside. Upon further glance, she saw the first glimpse of her father, and from the sideview of his face, she saw pure defeat. She blinked again, and slowly got out of her mothers grasp, and tried walking for the first time. She couldn¡¯t and fell on her face. She couldn¡¯t understand why when she felt old enough to do so. She raised her head off the grass, and reached her hand out to her father, but her mother grabbed it, and got in her line of view. With the twisted thin smile on her face, she could remember the first words she was able to hear.


    ¡°How does it feel¡­ to have a mind of your own?¡±


    She brought her gaze up to her standing mother who looked down at her. She tilted her head and kneeled down to her.


    ¡°Look at you, a quick learner and already knowing what to do as a young girl who see¡¯s her pathetic father in distress.¡±


    She patted her head, and leaned closer to her face.


    ¡°From now on, I shall call you¡­ Sarah. And from here on out, you will no longer be the lifeless doll that came out of me¡­¡±


    Her smile grew bigger and more vile.


    ¡°You are now the daughter I sought after and long have dreamt of birthing, welcome¡ªto your newfound¡­ life!¡±


    Hearing those words echo into her mind made her flutter her eyelashes, worrying Angela as she stared off into space with a distressed look on her face.


    ¡°Sarah, you okay weirdo? Or did I say too much?¡±


    Sarah gasped again, and another memory flashed before her eyes. It was the time of her reading for the first time, the black textbook her mother held so dearly. She could recall as if it were yesterday. It was a bright sunny day, she was sitting on her mothers lap, and read the texts only her mother could translate. Every description, every statement correlated to a goal of ultimate happiness. The balance of nature, being one with the universe, evolving beyond the fourth dimension and becoming omnipresent. None of it made sense to Sarah, but to her mother, it made it seem as if she had already experienced such magnificence.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes sparkled, and she spoke her first word.


    ¡°Ma-Mana?¡±


    Samantha giggled and patted her head.


    ¡°Indeed, my little blossom of life. With learning magic and beyond that, being mana, you could evolve further than that and element the powers of nature and further!¡±


    She demonstrated by pointing the tips of her fingers to the sky. She shot a bolt of lightning and it struck the sky, creating a hole in it.


    ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t do that now, but once maturity reaches you, and with this chant¡­ here¡ª¡±


    She pointed into the book and Sarah saw the chant; a long but understanding one about guardians and the flow of nature.


    ¡°¡ªthe day you awaken your dormant powers, you¡¯ll soon find out as time progresses what truly makes you more special than I¡ªmy adoring seed of life.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes sparkled as she tried to read the words in her thoughts. Seeing her daughter read and figure out the text langauge made her astounded.


    ¡°Yes, yes, Sarah. Read, read until you can take it all in, bask in your own prosperity and freedom.¡±


    She put her hand on Sarah¡¯s head, and rubbed it. Sarah giggled as she continued reading.


    ¡°That¡¯s what now separates us, my¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah! Hey, you¡¯re freaking me out here, goth girl.¡±


    Sarah blinked erratically and noticed her mouth drooling. She wiped it dry and shook her head. Angela scooted closer to her.


    ¡°Alright, again, you dozed off. What¡¯s going on in that complex mind of yours, goth girl?¡±


    Sarah was about to reply when she felt someone¡¯s mana just a foot away, which got her attention. She saw Mandy standing, and her face expressing seriousness.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally reading your mothers mind, it seems.¡± Mandy said.


    Sarah squinted her eyes and her breathing became erratic.


    ¡°wh-What are you talking about?¡± she asked.


    Angela pouted. ¡°Great, it¡¯s the weird blonde chick again, pueh.¡±


    Mandy groaned and twitched an eye.


    ¡°Weird, am I?¡± she muttered.


    Sarah got off the bench, and quickly controlled her breathing.


    ¡°What do you mean by what you¡¯re saying, Mandy.¡±


    Mandy stepped forward, and pulled out a necklace tucked inside her trench coat pocket.


    ¡°Perhaps seeing this might trigger more.¡±


    Sarah walked closer to see the pendant and again, another flash came.


    She saw herself grabbing the pendant off a desk, and clutching it. Her gaze shifted to a scared Mandy who was sitting in the back of a class room. She approached her and threw the necklace at her head, which cut her forehead.


    ¡°A lousy Esper wishes to become a part of us? You don¡¯t deserve to wear such a precious metal, you belong in the ground burried ten feet below. Just the sight of seeing your squirmed cowardly nature has my blood boiling again.¡±


    She grew closer and closer, and as Mandy covered the cut on her forehead, she grabbed her hand, and put one of her fingertips against it. She smeared it, and Mandy tried her best to not react to the pain. She rubbed it, and stuck her nail in it. Mandy yelped, but she covered her mouth and muffled her soft cries. She edged into her face, and slowly put the crimson drenched finger into her mouth. After sucking it dry, she let off her mouth, and stiffly placed the wet fingertip against her quivering lips.


    ¡°I absolutely adore your pathetic nature. It drives me crazy as to how vulnerable and innocent you look. Yet, it stirs the hate I love to inflict torment and pain onto weak fools such as yourself, Mandy.¡±


    Mandy couldn¡¯t defend herself after her last attempt went futile. She had no choice but to endure the torment and deal with the emotional trauma. She grabbed her chin, and she went in for a kiss, to which her eyes exploded. She quickly let off, and Mandy felt her soul leaving her body.


    ¡°That¡¯s for the kiss you stole from me when you and Leon were alone.¡±


    She bumped heads with her, and giggled in a childish manner.


    ¡°Oh, Mandy, you stupid, stupid little whore. This will all stop if you just leave him alone.¡±


    Mandy silently cried and looked into the soul of the devil torturing her everyday life.


    ¡°With the light you fear that comes out of the fingertips that embark my connection¡­ I hope to one day eliminate you from this life by doing so.¡±


    She eased off, walked backwards, and waved goodbye to Mandy as she covered her mouth and collapsed her head to the desk. Mandy wept and she waved to Mandy with a thin smile on her face.


    ¡°See you later, Mandy.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were sunken and drenched. She covered her mouth and could taste the iron from that flashback. It almost made her throw up but Angela quickly helped out by rubbing her back. She gave Mandy a frown and pointed angrily at her.


    ¡°Creepy blonde lady! Stop making my friend cry!¡± she exclaimed.


    Mandy tucked the necklace back into her pocket and also frowned.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to. She just had to get a clearer picture to what''s to come.¡±


    Sarah coughed and wiped her mouth, gazing back to Mandy, but with a saddened face.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to see anymore¡­ for now.¡±


    Mandy nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Other than what you showed me, what else brings you here, Mandy?¡± Sarah asked.


    Angela stayed on guard, furrowed her brows and clung into Sarah¡¯s arm, which made her feel better. The comfort of Jack¡¯s sister tamed her mixed emotions and also confirmed even further just how much their friendship has grown. It made her blush with joy.


    Mandy grinned. ¡°I thought I¡¯d just stop by and check up on you.¡±


    Sarah sighed. ¡°And the status of my dad too, right?¡±


    Mandy grunted. Sarah rolled her eyes but understood since they¡¯re a couple. Angela¡¯s eyebrows were raised, but more so of being nosy and wondered what happened between her parents.


    ¡°Wait, status on your dad? I thought he was dead.¡± Angela said with a suspicious yet curious tone.


    The two reacted quickly and Angela could read their secret right through them. She raised a brow and had a smug half grin while they forced smiles and awkwardly scratched either the back of their heads or cheeks. Mandy suddenly grew serious and had her attention on somebody. The two other girls wondered who she was staring deeply at or is it them that she¡¯s glaring at?


    ¡°Well well, isn¡¯t this surprising?¡± Herold said.


    They both turned around and Angela smacked his stomach.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spook me like that, Mr. Herold!¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Sorry. Who might you be, missy?¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyebrow twitched, and so did his.


    ¡°Mandy, and you¡¯re Herold Sh¡ªI mean, just Herold, correct?¡±


    He grinned, ¡°yes, just Herold.¡±


    Sarah knew something¡¯s weird with their interaction. She wanted to ask why, but Herold clapped his hands together, which made them jump.


    ¡°How about I¡ªinvite you all to a nice send off dinner. Would you care to join us too, Ms. Mandy?¡±


    Mandy quickly obliged and looked at the other two girls. With her silent stare, they could tell she was more than up for a free meal with how her eyes were sparkling. Seeing Mandy like that made Angela point and laugh at her. Sarah on the other hand still felt oddly suspicious of their interaction. She remained chill and nonchalant in the meantime.


    The four walked their way to a nice known chain restaurant. With the two girls seated, and Mandy and Mr. Herold, currently not present, Sarah was beginning to grow more curious about them. Angela¡¯s attention was glued to the menu, not bothered in the slightest, Sarah got up and looked around the place to see where they might¡¯ve headed off to if they actually knew each other.


    ¡°Angela, I¡¯ll be back, I gotta go to the restroom.¡±


    Angela waved her hand above the menu, and shooed Sarah away, which made her twitch an eye. Sarah walked off and went to go look for them. She made her way to the bathroom and saw nobody but regular folks, then to the corner of the place and found nothing. She spotted a door open, which happened to be the maintenance door that led to the outside building. She glanced around and tip-toed her way outside and just from the corner of her eye, she saw them talking. She sneaked up to the dark corner and peaked into their conversation.


    ¡°You wanna tell me what on earth you¡¯re doing here?¡± Mandy asked.


    Herold shook his head and raised his hands.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really tell you, Mandy.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re the same as always. So secretive yet out spoken. Although, I do find it strange that you¡¯d be here amongst all the chaos that¡¯s happened. Especially with those cultist freaks being here, I¡¯m starting to grow my own suspicion towards you.¡±


    Mandy gripped her chin, then snapped her fingers.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m sure I saw you the night those idiots dared attack my Leon.¡±


    Herold put his hands up, and raised his brows.


    ¡°Woah woah, you¡¯re sadly mistaken. I¡¯m not involved with them, and your Leon?! I thought he was stuck with Samantha?¡±


    Mandy grew a smile and coughed.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah, that wasn¡¯t until he broke himself free of her evil doings and now, we¡¯re actually a thing.¡±


    Herold swallowed and grabbed the collar of his shirt.


    ¡°That¡¯s wicked. Either way, I don¡¯t suppose you know where she might be, do you?¡±


    Mandy coughed again, but this time, she went up to a trash can and vomited into it.


    ¡°Jesus woman! What¡¯s gotten into you!¡±


    Mandy gagged and summoned a towel, wiping her mouth. She reached into her pocket and grabbed some gum to chew on it.


    ¡°So-Sorry, just been getting really nauseated as of lately. And my stomach, it¡¯s killing me.¡±


    ¡°A-Are you sick or something?¡±


    Mandy smiled, and shook her head.


    ¡°No. This is a good kind of vomiting.¡±


    Herold reacted in disgust.


    ¡°You still bother me after all these years.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, but to answer your question, I don¡¯t. I¡¯m still looking for her and Leon''s whereabouts. Yet something tells me she might have him back in her possesion.¡±


    Herold leaned against the wall, tucking his hands into his own trench coat pockets.


    ¡°That would be pretty wicked as well.¡±


    ¡°Uh, who taught you to say such a delinquent word?¡±


    Herold chuckled. ¡°My little apprentice, Angela.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Mandy frowned, ¡°you mean the rude sassy emo sibling belonging to her strange brother?¡±


    ¡°Yup, he too is also an intriguing individual.¡±


    He heard something tip over and crash at the corner of the alley. He quickly walked up to it and peaked around, and saw Sarah running back into the restaurant. He panicked and grew nervous, starting to sweat while Mandy came up beside him.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± she asked.


    Herold stuttered his words and clutched his head.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck, fuck!¡±


    ¡°What?! What the hells got you all spooked?¡±


    ¡°My cover¡¯s blown, blown!¡±


    Mandy wondered what he was talking about until it hit her too.


    ¡°Sarah!¡±


    She ran back into the restaurant and saw their table vacant.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    She hurried out of the restaurant. As she ran to where they might¡¯ve ran off to, she already saw Herold down the sidewalk, catching up to them.


    ¡°Damn he¡¯s quick.¡±


    Sarah and Angela were just stopped by a crosswalk sign when Herold managed to catch up.


    ¡°Hey, why¡¯d you run off¡ª?¡±


    Sarah turned to him, and put Angela behind her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer, Herold or whatever your real name is.¡±


    ¡°Huh, wha-what¡¯s going on?!¡± Angela said while peeking from behind her.


    Mandy finally caught up and stood beside him. She remained nonchalant and calm.


    ¡°Sarah, you overheard us, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Sarah furrowed her brows. ¡°I heard quite enough to know that he¡¯s up to no good. I already know your intentions, Mandy, but I¡¯m still upset at the fact you already know him.¡±


    ¡°You have every right to! And I can explain, please.¡± Herold begged.


    He stepped up and took a deep breath.


    ¡°What did you hear that made you run away with Angela?¡±


    Sarah balled a fist, and shut her eyes.


    ¡°My mother came up, and your awareness of the events took prior.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright, I do know your mother. But not for the reason you''re expecting. I am looking for her, but not for what you think or this dumb blonde¡¯s reasoning is.¡±


    Angela giggled while Mandy growled at Herold.


    ¡°I¡¯m here as a researcher. And all I want to do is ask a couple of questions to her about¡ª¡±


    ¡°Again with this¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m-I¡¯m serious, I actually conduct these types in¡ª¡±


    Mandy stepped up and elbow bumped him.


    ¡°Trust me, this nerd here loves nature and our societies more than normality. He¡¯s been this way since the academy.¡±


    ¡°Academy?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Ooo, so much has been revealed to my young teenage mind. If it weren¡¯t for you goth girl, I would¡¯ve reacted differently to all this, hehe!¡±


    Herold chuckled at Angela¡¯s statement while Sarah remained on edge.


    ¡°What is this academy that you speak of?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story, but I can say is that I was there to learn about Esper''s and Witches.¡± Herold said.


    Mandy tapped her fingers together with a still face.


    ¡°And¡­ that¡¯s where I met your father too.¡±


    ¡°My dad went there as well? What was it called?¡±


    Herold rubbed the back of his head and waved his hand.


    ¡°We-We can¡¯t say. We¡¯re not allowed to reveal this place. Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a co-sign to get you permitted into the forbidden academy.¡± Mandy said.


    ¡°Huh, I forgot about that.¡± Herold replied.


    Sarah crossed her arms and Angela creeped out from behind, putting her arms behind her back. Angela walked forward and put herself in the middle.


    ¡°Whatever you guys got going on, I can easily tell that goth girl wants nothing more than to punch someone in the face.¡±


    She looked over her shoulder to Sarah who seemed surprised by what Angela¡¯s saying.


    ¡°Right?¡± Angela said with a cute smile.


    Sarah¡¯s emotions, her mind, of all the events that have taken place, her training, her meditation, she wanted to test just how far she¡¯s come. She nodded with a straight face, put her arms to the sides, and stood next to Angela. Her eyes were set on Mandy who also could read Sarah¡¯s body movements. Mandy raised a brow and gave Sarah a side eye while Herold could sense the tension building between them.


    ¡°Woah woah, what are you guys trying to prove here, ladies?¡±


    Herold quickly jumped in-between, gently trying to push Angela away, but she stood her ground. She looked afraid yet curious as to what the two are capable of. She looked at Mandy, and jolted her head at her.


    ¡°Blonde girl¡­¡± Angela asked.


    Mandy kept her eyes on Sarah who¡¯s hair began to flutter.


    ¡°Yeah, mid 2000¡¯s emo girl?¡±


    ¡°Uh! As if!¡±


    Angela clapped her hands together and controlled her mild shaking, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see if you¡¯re supernatural, just like my adorable goth friend.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes exploded but she was more than satisfied in hearing her request.


    ¡°Huh, if I may ask, how did you become aware of the supernatural besides her? Or was it, just her.¡±


    Angela brought her head down for a moment.


    ¡°I-I think I know more than her because I sometimes dream of scenarios that feel so real, like ones involved with her and Jack.¡±


    Sarah listened closely and the other two did as well.


    ¡°Crazy, vivid, lucid dreams that are too insane to describe¡­ or sometimes, horrible at best.¡±


    Angela brought her eyes to her legs, and rubbed them.


    ¡°These dreams would continue and it would end up with me being paralyzed and being cruel to everyone else.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes quaked and she knew exactly what Angela was describing.


    ¡°There were times I dreamt of Jack being horribly tortured by evil doers just to protect me. And I sometimes found myself crying in my sleep, why is that?¡±


    Mandy could see Angela¡¯s eyes swell. Herold felt the hurt in her voice and wondered exactly what she was describing, but seeing Sarah¡¯s expressions, there was more truth to her dreams than what she¡¯s telling.


    ¡°It feels like altered memories every time I dream. And it¡¯s been this way for months. It wasn¡¯t like this before, to be exact, it began the day Jack woke up screaming from a nightmare and I didn¡¯t get to see him for a week afterwards.¡±


    Angela clutched her chest and took a pause before speaking.


    ¡°Then, towards the end of that week, when he saw me, it was as if he were seeing an alternate version of me. The way he was carefully approaching me, gasping repeatedly, I knew something was off.¡±


    Sarah could remember that day and how it ended. The two had a short conversation towards the end of the day over the phone. Sarah wished she could tell Angela that this was an altered reality, but she didn¡¯t have the courage to do so.


    ¡°Today, just once, could you all show me what the real world is actually like? You know, the one you all actually live in and I fantasize about?¡±


    She brought her head up and glanced at the three. Herold grinned and went up to Angela, placing his hand on her tiny shoulder.


    ¡°They can, but I can¡¯t unfortunately. They¡¯re more supernatural than lil ol me. The best I could do, my dear apprentice, is teleport.¡±


    Angela giggled and glanced at the two girls who were ready to throw it down.


    ¡°Show me, you two weirdos.¡±


    Mandy smirked and placed her hand on her hip.


    ¡°Hmph, at your current state you wouldn¡¯t be able to, but¡ª¡±


    Mandy went up to Angela, and covered her eyes. Angela felt heat and hissed at the small burning sensation. After another second, she let off, and backed away.


    ¡°There, you should be able to watch our sparring session. Just once though, so don¡¯t get too ahead of yourself.¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes twinkled and she stepped to the side with Herold and waited for the two to do something.


    Sarah chuckled briefly before speaking.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be the same as last time, Mandy.¡±


    Mandy grew serious, and abruptly put her hands on the ground.


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    Sarah gasped and Mandy flashed the ground in white. Everyone covered, averted their gaze. Their eardrums picked up the sound of glass shattering. Once the flash had died down, Herold saw that they were in Mandy¡¯s dimension: A world covered with clear blue skies yet they were in a barren wasteland. Not a single sign of grass or vegetation in sight, just miles and miles of dirt. Angela fangirled and pumped her arms and seeing her this thrilled made Herold grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s like watching an actual Shonen battle beginning to unfold, how neato!¡± Angela said.


    Mandy stood straight and Sarah got into a surprising pose that Angela picked up right away.


    ¡°Oh? She¡¯s taking after my brother alright.¡±


    Mandy swirled her hands in front, and took the stance of a jujitsu pose, which Sarah picked up from her father.


    ¡°Let''s see how much she''s grown with hand to hand combat.¡± Mandy muttered.


    Sarah took a deep breath and with every ounce of confused emotion, she vanished out of thin air. Mandy looked around and stayed in stance. Herold¡¯s head moved to something moving, but Angela couldn¡¯t pick up until a small explosion almost sent her flying to which Herold grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Ahh, what was that?!¡±


    Sarah was mid air, while Mandy had her arm raised. Angela saw their forearms collided. Sarah ground her teeth while Mandy remained calm. She threw a sidekick, Mandy quickly caught it and threw her to the ground. Sarah bumped, but jumped up, quickly giving her another kick. Mandy blocked every kick and punch Sarah threw, but with each one blocked, she felt that they were growing heavier with each collision. Mandy furrowed her brows and stabbed the ground, kicking the earth into the air, launching Sarah away. Her eyes glowed and she put her fingers in front of her face.


    ¡°Mana bestowed in me, manifest and surge my foe into a chamber of crystals, Mana, I invoke thee.¡±


    Sarah twirled and felt something bump behind her. She rubbed her back, but found herself trapped in a crystal sphere. Her eyes exploded once she saw that each dent began to illuminate. Angela¡¯s eyes were so wide she couldn¡¯t resist but scream with joy, punching the air and intimidating what they were doing.


    Herold tapped her shoulder to get her attention.


    ¡°Who are you rooting for?¡±


    Angela grabbed her chin, and snapped her fingers.


    ¡°The goth girl, of course.¡±


    Herold laughed and also couldn¡¯t believe he was seeing Sarah in action.


    ¡°She sure does take after Leon if she truly happens to be his daughter and not a copy.¡± he muttered.


    Sarah was zapped in the chamber repeatedly and Mandy watched as she was being fried. Sarah grew tired and let out a roar. A flash of red exploded out where she was entrapped, blinding and succumbing the world in crimson. The crystal shards shot everywhere, and Sarah¡¯s mana had heated up the place. Angela couldn¡¯t believe it, she was seeing Sarah¡¯s light for the first time.


    ¡°It¡¯s like she harnesses the power of earth¡¯s core¡­¡± she said.


    Herold¡¯s eyes quivered as her aura was showcased to him for the first time.


    ¡°It feels exactly like Leon¡¯s¡­ but I also can sense the past.¡±


    Mandy also brought out her light that tried consuming the world but Sarah¡¯s light fought back. Half the world was succumbed by Mandy¡¯s aura of purity while the other was Sarah¡¯s fiery might. The two glared then began to power up, shaking the dimension. They powered up until they felt even and the two sprung at each other, colliding fists which created a shatter between them. Now, they found themselves outside of reality and in a world consumed by odd colours and swirls. With their fists lunged forward, neither budging, they looked around in awe.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Sarah asked.


    Mandy¡¯s eyes shook, and she let out a gasp.


    ¡°I-I have no clue¡­¡±


    Sarah lowered her fist, and glanced some more.


    ¡°Should we stop?¡±


    Mandy giggled and hearing the blonde woman''s laughter made Sarah feel surprised.


    ¡°Perhaps, maybe next time we can fight in a world that could handle our might. What do you think?¡±


    Sarah grinned and let out a relieved breath.


    ¡°Sounds good to me. Regardless, I¡¯m still going to beat you, Mandy.¡±


    Mandy mimicked Sarah¡¯s mouth movements with her hand.


    ¡°Blah blah, whatever you say.¡±


    She smiled and put her hand out to Sarah.


    ¡°Let''s shake on it, and call it a tie.¡±


    Sarah sighed and shook her hand, but a quick flashback came in, putting her in another state of pause. Mandy quickly let go and Sarah quickly came back to her senses. Sarah wiped her forehead and the two giggled, and Mandy snapped her fingers. Herold and Angela could see them again. She quickly ran up to Sarah, and grabbed her hands. Sarah could see the excitement in Angela¡¯s eyes which made her feel fuzzy.


    ¡°Even though that was brief that was the greatest moment in my entire life! So awesome!¡±


    Sarah smiled and Herold approached them with caution. Mandy yawned and again, the surge of vomiting came back to taunt her. She fought it and almost beat it, but again, threw up. The rest watched and wondered if she was really sick.


    Herold gave her a blank stare and smacked his lips.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need a doctor Ms. Mandy?¡±


    Mandy threw her hand in their direction and coughed some more.


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    Angela went up to Mandy and rubbed her back.


    ¡°Hey, you wouldn¡¯t be¡ª¡±


    Angela whispered into Mandy¡¯s ear. Mandy turned to her, and her gentle smile told her the truth.


    ¡°Oh! That explains your symptoms. Sorry, kinda weird of me for asking, just curious cause I had a homeschool teacher have the same and the result was what I said.¡±


    Mandy wiped her mouth another towel and patted Angela¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Keep it between us despite our rivalry.¡±


    Angela gave her a thumbs up and raised her hand in the air.


    ¡°Mr. Herold! I wish to go home but in your way now, Mr. teleporter!¡±


    Herold shook his head and teleported next to Angela which made her jump. He put his hand out and she looked away, pouting. But quickly smiled and grabbed his hand. Herold nodded to Mandy and gave her a wink and the two vanished. Mandy and Sarah were left alone in her dimension.


    ¡°So, what now, goth girl?¡± Mandy asked.


    Sarah crossed her arms and tapped the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe finish the day off with that dinner? Or something else, perhaps.¡±


    Mandy agreed and touched the ground, transporting them back into reality where they now stood in the middle of the street. Yet something was off. Sarah noticed that everything was quiet, just the sound of wind and some rattling signs turned their heads for a moment. Mandy glanced around and saw not a single person in sight, which caused her to raise a brow for concern. Sarah didn¡¯t like the feel of this and garnered closer to Mandy, standing by her side. The two kept looking around, and wondered why on earth it¡¯s so eerie.


    ¡°You got us back to the real world, right?¡± Sarah asked.


    Mandy nodded. ¡°Of course. I wouldn¡¯t do anything so cliched like this if I wanted to enact my revenge.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s lips were half opened as her eyes shook with worry. Mandy paced around them and saw no lights on either inside of shops. Then, they heard a sudden crash and saw something flying at them. The two jumped out of the way, and a SUV had crash landed where they stood. They hurried to the vehicle and saw deceased people inside, more notably, a whole family. This angered Sarah and Mandy, but Sarah felt just as furious and sad for the family.


    ¡°Who did this? What¡¯s going on?¡± she growled.


    Mandy felt a couple of people coming their way and she turned her attention to the street. Just down the road, she saw three people standing and saw them marching forward. Mandy readied herself and pulled out her mana powered shotgun from beneath her trench coat, cocking it which echoed against the empty buildings. Sarah also got prepared but Mandy put her arm in her way, preventing her from getting any closer.


    ¡°Mandy!¡±


    ¡°No, I promised your father.¡±


    The three shapes grew closer and soon, they saw who they were, and one man stood out amongst the rest. The cloaked man but this time he had his hood down that exposed his familiar bald head with markings on them. Seeing him again made Sarah knit her brows and clench a fist.


    ¡°Great, it¡¯s him again¡­¡±


    Mandy squinted her eyes and saw the bald weirdly marked man holding something behind him.


    ¡°What''s he want now? A rematch?¡±


    The three were now presenting themselves enough for them to stare down each other''s presence.


    ¡°Huh, didn¡¯t expect to find the likes of you here, girl.¡± he said to Sarah.


    He raised one hand, and pointed at Mandy afterwards.


    ¡°You, blonde one, where¡¯s your stupid sorcerer of a friend? I want to demonstrate to her my new, foundly possession.¡±


    Mandy aimed the shotgun in his direction.


    ¡°Fat chance, you cultist freak!¡±


    ¡°Ohohoho? Could you perhaps be of more amusement to me than her? If you wish to take her place.¡±


    Mandy put her finger on the trigger.


    ¡°If you¡¯re implying that I¡¯m stronger than her, then yes! I am, dozens of times.¡±


    He raised his brows and laughed.


    ¡°Wonderful! That means I get to test my new might against the likes of you, fool!¡±


    Sarah stepped forward, ¡°what do you want with me?! And what have you done to the people around here?¡±


    He sunk his gaze and bowed his head, letting out a villainous cackle.


    ¡°I sucked their souls dry. Every person in this city will soon fall victim to my presence.¡±


    Sarah growled but Mandy remained calm. Something fought behind him and he quickly tamed whatever it was with just a sudden movement of his arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s behind you?!¡± Mandy shouted.


    He tilted his head, looked over his shoulder and glinted back their way.


    ¡°A surprise.¡±


    ¡°Surprise?¡± Sarah said.


    He floated off the ground and the two could see someone''s legs dangling from behind him. They grew nervous about what he was about to reveal. He slowly brought out someone from behind, and forward, and the person in his clutch, battered, bloody was¡­


    ¡°Jack!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Jack could hardly move, and he only managed to open an eye. Once he saw Sarah, he let out a broken chuckle.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ta-talk¡­ so-so he beat me, but I still-still kept my mo-mouth shut.... so much for that.¡± he said.


    Sarah grew more angry and felt on the verge to leap for his help until Mandy stepped in front of her.


    ¡°Please, I have to save him!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get him. For now, I¡¯ll deal with these three, understood?¡±


    The bald man laughed and threw Jack below his feet. He lay there, broken and groaning with pain.


    ¡°If you can get past my two little minions, then, by all means, he¡¯s yours. But not before I beat the living piss out of him again, heh, heh.¡±


    Mandy grinned, ¡°we¡¯ll see about that, freak.¡±


    He frowned and shot his finger in their direction, and the two other cloaked people put themselves in a marathon runner position.


    ¡°Eliminate the blonde and get the girl!¡±


    The two launched themselves at Mandy, and Mandy¡¯s eyes glowed blue, preparing herself for the attack of a returning foe.

 Arc 4 Chapter 29: The Storm Cometh—Part 3

    Two pairs of fists have collided with an object at Mach speed, distorting, rupturing the sound barrier. Glass shatters, buildings rattle, the pavement swells from the traumatic force ensued. With two cloaked arms trying to budge what they contacted, that being Mandy¡¯s shotgun, she had it forward, blocking them from advancing further. Mandy¡¯s feet started to drag as they rose their mana, and she put more pressure down. The pavement below her boots crumbled, pushing away as they continued their relentless advancement. Sarah wanted to help so badly, but she knew the consequence of using her powers. If she did, then more will show up and overtake Mandy. Mandy didn¡¯t seem to worry, she appeared more annoyed rather.


    ¡°Get¡­ off¡­ my gun!¡± Mandy growled.


    Her shout pushed them away from her gun, giving her a chance to take aim. They quickly vanished and she easily caught up with their movements. One cloaked person appeared beside, another above. Mandy leaped, ducked as they tried sweeping her legs and punching her head off. She quickly aimed the gun to the one paused in a sweep motion, blasting his leg to smithereens. Yet there was no scream, not even a gasp. This caught Mandy off guard for a moment, giving the other a chance to throw a mana attack directly at her face. An explosion occurred and the two leaped away from it. Sarah covered her face as debris ricocheted off her. Once the explosion simmered, something flew out, heading in their direction. One blocked the shadowy object, Mandy appeared from the sky above them, and shot a blast from her gun, which made an impact and sent a mushroom cloud above the town. She flew back to Sarah and handed her her shotgun.


    ¡°Wh-Why are you giving me your gun?!¡±


    Sarah started shaking, and felt extremely nervous about holding a gun. She¡¯s never held one before. The weight itself was intimidating enough.


    Mandy patted herself, and brushed her clothes.


    ¡°If the freaks try attacking you, my gun will do the rest for you, just aim and shoot. Don¡¯t worry about recoil, my mana minimizes it.¡±


    ¡°Gosh darn it, Mandy. And we¡¯re doing all this in reality too! Man, this is too wicked.¡±


    ¡°Heh, relax, I got this. I am the strongest here. But¡­¡±


    She turned her gaze back to the bald man, confidently glaring their way with his hands behind his back as he stood over Jack.


    ¡°He¡¯s much different than before. I can¡¯t explain it, but he¡¯s not the same man who fought your father in the forest.¡±


    Sarah frowned and knit her brows.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter! He¡¯s still a menace and has to be stopped!¡±


    Mandy nodded. The smoke cleared out, and she saw the two cloaked people lying flat on the ground. She squinted her eyes and the bald man walked up to their bodies. He kneeled down and hovered his hand over them. Once he stood straight, they abruptly shot up from their supposed graves and their eyes glowed yellow.


    ¡°Son of a bitch¡­¡± Mandy said.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    Sarah shrugged but giggled.


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just I never heard you cuss like that. You sound so fierce and aggressive.¡±


    Mandy felt embarrassed and looked away.


    ¡°Whatever. But, those two are summons. They¡¯re gonna be a handful.¡±


    ¡°I think we should take this fight outside reality.¡±


    ¡°Even if we could, do you really think that bastard will let us? We¡¯ve got no choice, Sarah. The fight stands and I¡¯ll be the one to end his charade.¡±


    The bald man grinned and jolted his head. The two entities collapsed to the ground, slithering their way towards Mandy. She stomped the ground, splitting the earth and they immediately leaped into the air, giving her an opening. She shot her palm in their direction, shooting a beam of blue light. Direct impact and the shockwave sent shockwaves, creating more destruction. She flew into the smoke, smacked her hands together to blow away the smoke. The smoke slid off to the sides, and the entities both grew shocked because they had blast attacks ready for her. She grinned and vanished: Re-appearing to kick the one to the left away and again by smacking away the one to the right. The bald man wasn¡¯t fazed by seeing his summons being toyed around. Rather, he found it more pleasing.


    He clapped and the entities teleported to his sides.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad. You¡¯re definitely a lot stronger than your friend.¡±


    Mandy feathered her way back to Sarah¡¯s side, and waited for their next attack.


    ¡°Do you know why, I ask?¡±


    Mandy shook her head. ¡°No and I don¡¯t give a root a toot as to why. Right now, my focus is to exterminate all of you and follow my goal.¡±


    She pointed at Sarah without taking a glance at her.


    ¡°And that is to find this girl''s mother and take her life!¡±


    The bald man laughed and applauded her goal.


    ¡°And I won¡¯t stop you!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Mandy gasped.


    Sarah narrowed her eyes at Mandy and poked her.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t hesitate saying that, even when I¡¯m beside you, huh?¡±


    The bald man put his hands on the shoulders of the summons and gave Mandy a relaxed smile.


    ¡°These two here were created and are in fact stronger than your other blonde friend of a sorcerer!¡±


    Mandy spat and did some jumping exercise to keep her adrenaline going.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure of your statement. You have never seen her at her max, nor will you ever!¡±


    Mandy abruptly stopped and lunged at them. The summons also went head on with Mandy. She dodged their close range blasts, spells from above, and fury of fists. She jumped backwards as the two went to the sky to deliver a plethora of spiked blast attacks that exploded with each impact. Sarah couldn¡¯t resist but cheer Mandy on, thinking just how incredible she was. She made them look completely childish compared to the way she kept dodging every attack thrown at her. Mandy took cover behind a building for a moment, only for it to be lay down by more of their spiked blasts that tore it to shreds. She launched into the air and one summon teleported right at her face, putting its dead hands on her stomach to which she reacted instantly in rage. But the summon had zapped her in a purple helix of electricity. She screamed in agony while the summon appeared proud. The other flew back to his master while the one stayed, watching Mandy be zapped into oblivion. Mandy kept screaming, the summon retracted its arm to prepare itself to stab her with its dreaded fingers. Once it felt ready, it retracted more and twitched a finger, Mandy abruptly stopped, and her face turned still.


    She gave the summon a side eye, and she grinned in a playful nature.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± she said.


    The summon tried flying back but Mandy put her hand on his face. She redirected the attack on him, which burnt him into a crisp within seconds. The summon stopped all its movements and became stiff. She let go and it fell to the ground, turning into ash. She turned around to the other two and saw the bald man still amused. She grunted and stayed in the air.


    ¡°Bravo, you killed one. Impressive.¡± he said.


    The other summon didn¡¯t move and Jack tried getting himself up but the bald man put one of his legs behind him, placing his foot on his back. He collapsed Jack back to the ground, which made him grunt loudly.


    ¡°Sit, boy. You¡¯ll get your chance to shine.¡±


    He tapped his chin and thought of something.


    ¡°You know what, I just thought of a great idea, but before I initiate my idea, allow me to introduce myself.¡±


    He cleared his throat and pulled off his cloak, revealing the marks around his arms and body. He spread his arms out to the sides and bowed.


    ¡°My name is Edgar, and soon to be second strongest of the clan representing the Sin of Envy.¡±


    ¡°Soon to be second strongest?¡± Mandy said.


    Sarah grew a sweat gland.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡± she said.


    ¡°Surprise to hear, aren¡¯t ya? Now then, let me explain as to why I won¡¯t stop you from achieving your goal, if I may have your name?¡±


    Mandy flew back down and kept her fists clenched.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Mandy, an Esper who loathes the clan that represents the definitive of evil, the queen of monstrosities, Abyzou.¡±


    He smiled and slowly nodded.


    ¡°And I couldn¡¯t agree more. Let me tell you a little about me before you and I have our little scuffle.¡±


    He began pacing, and kicking the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy this cult as much as you do, rather, I enjoy the privilege of power given to me. For example, I was weak, like this man behind me. Then, one day, I was blessed by the man known as our leader, Ravana.¡±


    ¡°Huh, another weak man blinded by his new found ego. A borrowed power that¡¯s got him thinking big time.¡±


    He clapped and laughed.


    ¡°Spot on. Although, I want to do more than just be powerful.¡±


    He shot his arms into the sky, and spread his fingers out.


    ¡°I want to destroy this whole weak world and create a new race of powerful beings! I want to be the new world''s founder and king! But before I could ever think of doing that, I have to surpass the rest and kill the ones who¡¯ll get in my way of my dream.¡±


    Mandy crossed her arms.


    ¡°Hmph, what a foolish weak man. You¡¯ll never achieve that dream.¡±


    He eerily brought his arms down to his sides and squinted his eyes at Mandy.


    ¡°What makes you so confidently say that, Esper?¡±


    She grinned. ¡°Because I¡¯m in your way. And I know you can¡¯t beat me, but more importantly, there¡¯s four individuals in this world you¡¯ll never reach there realm of power.¡±


    ¡°And who are these four? Is Abyzou one of them?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not a part of this conversion right now. Even if you managed to get through me, the four people in mind are the Exorcist¡¯s who are feared throughout the world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not aware of them. I¡¯ve been living underground for the past decades, sweetheart.¡±


    Being called sweetheart made Mandy twitch her fingers with annoyance.


    ¡°These four are people you¡¯ll never lay a hand on. The first being Briana, the woman who stands beside the greatest being alive. The second, Marquise, the most respectful and noble of men. The third, yet second most powerful man alive, Archard, a bloodthirsty sadistic Exorcist who doesn''t deserve the title of respected. And lastly, the great William H. Christ; the most powerful man alive and a being who respectfully should be named a God.¡±


    Hearing their names still didn¡¯t ring a bell besides William since he did hear Ravana mention him once, but it was of a folktale. He only shrugged at these reveals and chuckled.


    ¡°None of that matters. I¡¯ll overcome them as I already grown strength mightier than my colleagues.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, arrogant fool. I can¡¯t wait to smack that smug look on your face.¡±


    Edgar spread his arms out and the summon reacted by flying at Mandy, landing a punch to the side of her face. But, she didn¡¯t budge or react, instead the summon remained still and in shock as she stayed in place. His fist rammed, twisted at the side of her face as her eyes began to glare at Edgar¡¯s arrogance. Sarah kept the gun aimed at him but she knew Mandy didn¡¯t need her help.


    ¡°You¡¯re not only a fool, but you¡¯re also just as sick and twisted as the rest of your wretched cult.¡± Mandy said as she gripped her arms.


    Edgar¡¯s grin turned more smug and he tilted his head.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that because once I¡¯m through with you I¡¯ll not only kill every being in this world but I¡¯ll use you as my first breeding slave to begin my new race of people.¡±


    Mandy ground her teeth, and put her arms to her sides, starting to charge up.


    ¡°NOT A CHANCE!¡±


    She screamed and her aura mildly exploded out. She shaved the earth below her feet and Sarah had to leap away as her anger exploded out. The summon was sent flying away, crashing into a building as it crumbled on top of him. Rock debris flew, floated around the area from her faint aura. Edgar remained calm and surprised by her rise of power.


    ¡°Not bad. You¡¯re definitely much stronger than I anticipated.¡±


    Mandy growled as her trench coat fluttered violently.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you''re amused, but now''s not a time of conversing, now''s your time to die!¡±


    He nodded in agreement and grabbed Jack, lifting him by the back of his shirt.


    ¡°You¡¯re right! Let''s get rid of the fodder before we start, shall we?!¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    He threw Jack at Mandy and she was prepared to catch him but he pointed his finger and he exploded in front of her eyes. She gasped loudly and her eyes went wide. Sarah¡¯s eyes went blank and she collapsed to her knees.


    ¡°JACK!¡±


    Mandy rushed into the smoke and found him intact but severely burned and more hurt.


    ¡°Thank god for Leon¡¯s protection.¡± she muttered.


    She grabbed him and spun him around, throwing him to Sarah. She saw his body coming and caught him but fell on her back. She grabbed his face and he was moaning with pain.


    ¡°Mom and dads protection saved your dumbass, Jack.¡± she said with a tear coming out.


    Jack grunted and lifted an eye.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s a first for me¡­¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    He coughed and hissed.


    ¡°Hearing you¡ªsay dumbass.¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes and giggled, wiping her eyes.


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±


    They both turned their attention to Mandy and Edgar who were ready to throw it down.


    ¡°You vile sick freak.¡± Mandy said.


    Edgar flew up to the air and looked down at Mandy, chuckling maniacally.


    ¡°Just for that, I won¡¯t dig a grave for you, I¡¯ll leave not a single trace of your body left for this world to collect.¡± Mandy growled.


    ¡°Really? Because once I¡¯m done with you, I¡¯ll chain you up and to make you feel better, I''ll be the one to kill Abyzou for you.¡±


    ¡°Not on my watch! I¡¯ll be the one to kill her!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s aura exploded again, revealing a bit more and she flew right at Edgar and gave him a stupendous punch that knocked the colour out his eyes. She didn¡¯t hesitate but gave him a flurry of ab punches that made him gag repeatedly and grunt as she herself growled more with each impact. She gave him one more heavy punch and kicked him away, sending him flying to the side. As she flew after his hurtling body, she was ready to throw a combination of two right and left hooks when he unexpectedly caught both her wrists. The two stared at each other''s eyes. Mandy grunted, trying to get off his grip.


    With his eyebrows furrowed, he wasn¡¯t worried in the slightest. Nor did he appear much fazed by her attacks.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get that far with punches like those, my dear!¡±


    The two crashed back down, struggling and trying to budge the other. Once near the ground, Mandy pulled away from his grip and began throwing haymakers and kicks at him to which he responded casually by dodging them. With another set of combination thrown punches, he ducked and once he was back up, he aimed his palm at her face. She gasped and stayed still. With her jaw dropped, she took a step forward and he shot a blast at her face. A small ball of mana sent her pushing away, and she caught it with her palms. It pushed her far enough to be slammed against a building as she struggled to push it off her. After a small struggle, she pushed it away at him and Edgar smacked it away. They stared at each other again and Mandy rushed him, sending a side kick which he blocked. He kept dodging and dodging each attack until Mandy upped the stakes and landed two brutal blows to his abs and his eyes exploded as he gagged out a pool of drool.


    Mandy smacked him and it rocked his mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away!¡± She shouted.


    She grabbed his arm and began spinning him. With her small size and his tall nature, it looked comedic and abnormal. With much momentum she sent him flying away and he spun away to another couple of buildings, crashing through them. Mandy flew to his impact zone and, going past the destroyed buildings, they found themselves in the middle of the town. He was casually standing with his fist clenched to his sides and this time, he didn¡¯t have a grin rather a straight face.


    ¡°Wow, wow, rather impressive to say the least. Had we fought in our first encounter at the forest then you definitely would¡¯ve taken the win.¡±


    He turned his body to give Mandy a side eye, furrowing his brows.


    ¡°Yes, and if you¡¯re nowhere near your full strength than I¡¯d imagine even with my current new found power, you¡¯d still have the edge.¡±


    Mandy knit her brows and clenched a fist. He slowly raised one finger and his smug grin re-appeared.


    ¡°But then it happened again, I was blessed by Ravana again.¡±


    Mandy raised a brow and opened her mouth in confusion.


    ¡°He gave me strength that I¡¯d never would¡¯ve imagined having! Giving me a chance to transform into something more than just human!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Edgar faced Mandy straight and put his arms out to the sides again.


    ¡°You should feel privileged. Not only will you be the first to witness it but you¡¯ll also be the first to be bred with it!¡±


    He hunched his body forward and balled his fist. He growled and the earth began to tremble beneath their feet. Rock debris flew around again and the buildings began to shake, some started collapsing to his new growing strength. A swirl of purple mana started forming around his vicinity and his markings began to glow yellow. They pulsated and the mana Mandy was feeling made her sweat and gasp with shock as her clothes fluttered violently. His pecks exploded out, sending shockwaves. His calve muscles expanded, creating more wind trauma in the area. His biceps grew twice their size, and his height slowly grew over eight feet. His pupils glowed yellow and he grew canines. Mandy was absolutely speechless and she blinked multiple times, repeatedly gasping.


    ¡°He¡¯s-He¡¯s huge¡­¡± she said.


    He was done transforming and he was over eight feet tall, three times his muscle mass, and his markings were glowing yellow. His pupils remained glowing purple but around them was solid red. He chuckled beneath his breath and had the biggest grin on his face.


    ¡°Yes, time to perish!¡±


    His new power exploded, displaying an array of purple plasma around his body as he stomped the ground to launch himself at Mandy. Just him leaping alone collapsed the earth below them, crumbling the town into a huge sinkhole. Mandy loudly grunted, casted a spell beneath her tongue as she put her hand over her stomach area. She vanished, reappeared above the destroyed town square, wondering where he went. She covered her stomach, and Sarah could sense that all her mana was covering her stomach region. She wondered why and saw the newly transformed monster knee Mandy¡¯s gut into oblivion. She gagged horrifically and he smacked her away with his ginormous forearm. She was sent crashing to a building, collapsing it over her.


    ¡°Mandy!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Edgar went hurtling towards where she landed, fist straight forward and crash landed into the crash sight. The earth rumbled, trembled as he made an impact on Mandy¡¯s abs. She yelled, squirmed with pain as his fist was left, drilling into her stomach region. He chuckled and drove more force into it, letting the earth feel his might. He flew off into the air as the crater she was in began to crumble and stumble rubble onto of her. He floated mid air as he watched the earth swallow Mandy.


    ¡°What a nice feeling. But, I wonder why she¡¯s so keen on protecting her stomach? What an odd Esper.¡± he said.


    Sarah and Jack could feel the earthquake again and they saw a fountain of smoke and debris shoot into the sky behind Edgar. A flash of blue holy light shined the dawning sky, and they saw Mandy battle ready as her aura was now in full display. She appeared undamaged by her appearance, but she was out of breath; huffing and puffing as she glared at Edgar¡¯s backside.


    ¡°Hmph, took you long enough, Esper. Although, is that all you got?¡± he said.


    She continued breathing heavily, and reeled her arms towards her, powering up and moving at speeds that not even Sarah could keep up with. Edgar stayed in the air, not moving a single muscle and quickly raised his right hand, back handing Mandy as she tried rushing him from behind. Again, her aura exploded and she tried to attack him from the front but he punched his way into her path. She flew away backwards, but bumped against something that felt like metal that froze her in place.


    Edgar laughed and let out a satisfied sigh.


    ¡°Is that all you really got? Esper.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes quivered as sweat poured down her face. She moved her pupils to look behind, and abruptly tried spin kicking him, but he vanished faster than she could blink. He appeared again by punching her away. She was sent crashing back down, skidding on the earth and through the street pavements. She lay there, groaning and again, focusing all her mana to protect her abdomen. He rocketed to her, and the force of his flying destroyed the pavement below, pushed away buildings, and evaporated the air around him as he gained closer to Mandy¡¯s lying body. Mandy got on her feet, barely as he drove his giant fist, ramming it right in her gut, pushing her away to a building. He slammed her against it with her feet not touching the ground. She repeatedly gasped as his fist was rammed in, twisting, and he let out a manic chuckle.


    ¡°I¡¯m more used to using Mana attacks than physical ones like I demonstrated to Leon in the forest. But with this new power, I can destroy anybody with my fists alone: none can even attempt to use mana against me even if they could!¡±


    Edgar pushed Mandy more into the building, slicing it upwards with her body and exploding her out of it to slam her again into the ground. He pushed her deep into the ground and with so much force, he buried her alive and split the earth. The town became divided and Sarah jumped away from the splitting earth with Jack.


    ¡°Mandy! Why are you not fighting back?!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Jack grunted. ¡°She¡¯s-she¡¯s going to get killed if this keeps up.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand¡­ She''s strong enough to beat him yet she¡¯s so keen on protecting her stomach! Why why?!¡±


    Edgar moaned with excitement as he stood straight, taking in the view of the split earth he created. He saw a white glowing dot appear from some distance and saw Mandy levitating up to his line of view and was a battered, bruised mess, breathing frantically. Her clothes were shredded, blood dripped from the side of her face, and she looked absolutely livid. He chuckled and was enjoying this moment, even going as close to almost take a seat for a moment.


    ¡°Look at you, haha, you can¡¯t even detect my movements. What else do you have in mind, huh Esper?¡±


    Mandy tried to control her breathing, and Sarah couldn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°Mandy, catch!¡±


    Sarah chucked her shotgun her way, and Mandy looked over her shoulder, catching it. She looked at her weapon for a moment before throwing it back to Sarah in anger.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Mandy glared back at Edgar, raised her fists close to her face, and screamed out a battle cry. She began to power up the aura she had stored in her stomach region, and she was beginning to do that beam stance that surprised Sarah in their spar. She finally caught on to where she learned that technique from, that being her father. Mandy grew her mana higher and higher, screaming louder to the point it shattered windows downtown that was a mile away. Panic ensued more within city limits as they saw the sky turn orange to total night with a blue luminescence occurring from the horizon. Mandy¡¯s aura had reached the sky and she put her hands towards her face, let out one more angry scream and shot her palms forward.


    ¡°MANDY STOP!¡± Sarah yelled as she saw the ginormous beam explode out her palms shooting forward towards Edgar.


    It was so massive that it swallowed the rest of the town and Edgar remained seated for a second before jumping back to his feet and running dead into the blue light. He casually ran into it, and with his size spread the beam even farther out, creating more destruction around the area.


    ¡°NO WAY?!¡± Mandy screamed.


    Edgar ran faster and caught up where Mandy¡¯s standing, popping out the beam and giving Mandy a nasty right hook to her jaw. She was sent colliding to another building and seeing Mandy become a punching bag drove Sarah into impatience, and rage.


    ¡°I got to do something¡­ I can¡¯t just stand here! Please, please, let me help you Mandy!¡±


    Sarah took a step forward, but Jack grabbed her wrist, preventing her from proceeding any further.


    ¡°You mustn''t, Sarah¡­ your-your father¡ª¡±


    ¡°Jack! Let me go, I¡¯m not just going to stand here and do nothing. I¡¯m tired of it, I¡¯m tired of being a standing damsel in distress or forced to be a vulnerable asset.¡±


    Sarah clenched her fist, and ground her jaw.


    ¡°People have gotten hurt¡­ you! Have gotten hurt and nature is paying the most for their actions¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes began to water and quiver. Jack¡¯s also began to shake as he saw Sarah¡¯s distress and anger starting to get to her.


    ¡°Please, Jack¡­¡±


    Jack ground a fist, and slammed it on the ground.


    ¡°I-I¡ª¡±


    Meanwhile, Mandy was being ragdoll, punched and hammered fisted into the air again. Edgar teleported behind her, hammer smacking her back to the earth where she slammed against a tall building, staying dented into it. Edgar came metering down, and jammed his fist against her chest, which made her eyes explode and cough out blood. He drove another straight fist onto her chest, ramming her deeper into the building, and finally, Mandy passed out but not before gasping and coughing out blood once more. Her head hung as she remained jammed into the building and Edgar stared at her unconscious crucified bruised body.


    ¡°Haha, don¡¯t you pass out on me, woman.¡±


    He reached to grab Mandy, pulling her out of her hole. Rocks crumbled, the building began to giveaway as he held Mandy by the collar of her shirt.


    ¡°Wake up.¡±


    He kneed her in the gut, and her mouth exploded open, drooling out blood. Mandy squinted an eye, groaned with pain, but again, all her mana was focused on her stomach. He punched her stomach area repeatedly, her limbs thrusting with each impact. He laughed as he threw her off to the side, teleporting where she¡¯ll reach and kneeing her again.


    ¡°Stop¡­¡± Sarah muttered.


    Mandy had been thrown in the air, pummeled back to the ground and sent a fountain of smoke into the sky.


    ¡°Stop, no-no more¡­¡±


    Sarah covered her eyes with her fists, growling and fighting her emotions. She can¡¯t stand being a spectator when she knows she has the power to help.


    ¡°Mandy, fight back, fight back! Fight¡­ back!¡±


    Edgar gave Mandy one more nasty knee shot to her face before slamming her away to the side. She skid away, face down and lay there, motionless. Jack managed to get back on his feet, grabbing his right arm as he saw Mandy lying on the ground and Edgar laughing up a storm.


    ¡°We-we gotta think of something.¡± Jack said.


    Sarah dropped to her knees and slammed her fist on the ground. Yet as she did, off to the side, she saw a bird and her hatchlings on the ground, dead. This made her upset, and crawled to the deceased animals. She muttered words, repeatably gasped as she gently grabbed the mother bird who seemed to be barely alive, but only for a moment before leaving this life. With the mother bird dying in the palm of her hands, Sarah had enough, and her eyes grew blank.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t do anything¡ªwrong.¡±


    She closed her hands over the bird and crawled to the nest, seeing the two dead hatchlings.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t deserve this¡­ no one does.¡± Sarah said.


    She glanced around and saw the carnage, and some bodies that were hiding inside buildings. Seeing victims succumb to the monster''s ruthless actions against Mandy had triggered something inside of Sarah she thought she¡¯d never experience. She felt her hair float, her mana surge, and the sky was going back in time, bringing back midday and shining the sun back into the sky. With rocks floating off the ground, fragments of debris and building structures going up to the sky, Edgar shifted his head to where Sarah was on her knees, glaring at him.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on? What is this surge of mana I¡¯m sensing from her?¡±


    Seeing the bright blue sky again and the fluffy white clouds surging from the horizon made Edgar grow in a small panic.


    ¡°Hey! Is it you that¡¯s doing this?! Damn copy!¡±


    Sarah shut her eyes, dropped her head onto her closed palms, and growled. The clouds rapidly coursed through the sky, everything began to float up to the air, and Jack couldn¡¯t do anything but watch as he remained still with pain.


    ¡°No¡­ Sa-Sarah! Sto-Stop!¡±


    Hearing his voice tell her to stop her rising power made Sarah grind her teeth.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m tired of this. I¡¯m tired of watching, I¡¯m tired of the destruction¡­.¡± she mumbled.


    Sarah brought her head up to the sky, and her eyes were growing big.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had it¡­ I¡¯ve had¡ªenough!¡±


    Sarah screamed and let out a broken cry that echoed out to the sky. The whole city could hear her pain, her suffering, and more importantly, her anger. Edgar glanced around as everything that was floating had been put on pause by her shout. It continued until it faded out completely, bringing dead silence back to the world. All the objects that were in mid air gently fell back down. Sarah put her hands out to the sky. Her palms flashed a golden light and the mother bird had turned to a yellow one, and flew out of Sarah¡¯s hands. The mother bird went to her deceased children and brought them back to life simply by chirping. They grew enough to grow wings and all three flew off into the sky. Sarah gently lowered her arms, and with her head down, Edgar could see a glowing golden light around her body. Most of her raven hair grew faintly bleached out but still had a hint of black near the edges. She slowly raised her head, and revealed her eyes were now bright hazel green.


    ¡°What?! she¡¯s-She¡¯s a¡­ a¡ª?!¡±


    Sensing Sarah¡¯s new surge awakened Mandy and gave herself enough strength to see what was happening.


    ¡°She-she shares the same¡­ divinity as¡ªthem.¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I knew she wasn¡¯t Abyzou! You copy, you insect, prepare to be eliminated!¡±


    He raised his right hand in the air and Sarah suddenly appeared beneath his huge arm, and stood still. He gasped, and tried punching her, but he couldn¡¯t. An unknown force prevented him from driving his fist forward. Her glare sent chills up his spine while he attempted to shoot another punch but only for it to make contact with the air. His jaw vibrated while staring down Sarah who¡¯s face told him that she wanted nothing more than to punch this guy in the face.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done enough. You¡¯ve hurt people, destroyed this town, disrupted the normality that makes us human¡­ but most of all¡ª¡±


    Edgar stepped back and shouted, shooting one more giant fist forward. Sarah caught it and the shockwave itself created a massive crater around them.


    ¡°You hurt mother nature and my friends.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?! I¡¯ll hurt and kill what I want! That is my idea, my ultimate goal! To extinguish the weak and strive a new society of strength and Anarachy!¡±


    Sarah grew angrier, grounding her teeth and the golden light around her began to burn like fire.


    ¡°In the end, the weak will die and the strong will surivive!¡±


    A deep wrinkle formed between Sarah¡¯s eyes and she began to breathe heavily.


    ¡°If we¡¯re going by your rules, then let''s play by them!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s anger exploded, and her shout alone sent Edgar flying away, letting her drive her fist against his cranium with the momentum. Blood exploded out of his nostrils and Sarah kicked him up to the sky. He yelled and Sarah gave him a powerful sidekick that sent a rumble down to the earth and broke the sound barrier ten times. Edgar spat out blood, and remained still, in disbelief. At first he growled with pain, moaned with anger, but slowly it transitioned to small chuckles. Sarah stayed serious and listened to his broken laughter as he floated backwards away from Sarah. Jack couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Never has he seen this side of Sarah before but similarly saw that same light from before. Mandy too couldn¡¯t believe her eyes and answered her suspicion of her not being Abyzou anymore. The fact that she harbingers both the power of Leon and the same strength as the two mighty Exorcists goes to show just how much of a twisted being Samantha is.


    Mandy got on her feet, and rubbed her stomach, growing a grin as she watched the two midair.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. But, what are you, really, Sarah?¡±


    Edgar let out one more chuckle before bringing his eyes back to Sarah.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad I was able to meet you this way. Seeing you in this state confirms that you are just a carbon copy of Abyzou. Regardless, it doesn¡¯t matter, because in the end, I¡¯ll be the new mightiest being alive!¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t say anything. Her light burned more and grew hotter.


    ¡°I love it. And forget hand to hand combat. It''s time I revert back to what makes me so great, my mana control!¡±


    Edgar shot his palm forward and sent a huge blast wave at Sarah. The giant purple blast swallowed her and blinded the area for a brief moment. Once it faded out, Sarah glanced higher to the sky, and what she saw made her soul leave her body for a moment.


    ¡°What-What is he¡ª?¡± she mumbled.


    He laughed and above his raised arms was a giant massive black ball that shot out purple plasma everywhere. The size alone covered most of the sky. It darkned it too, it was stiff, showed no movements, but behind the black mass whatever light survived was bending and got sucked into it.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew worried as she quickly caught on to the danger this object possessed, leaving her in a gasped state.


    ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Hahaha! Shouldn¡¯t have dropped your guard copy! If you knew exactly how fast I can gather mana without a spell then this should worry you more than death. With my new found powers, I was able to discover abilities that transcend time and space!¡±


    Mandy rushed to Jack, and put his arm around her shoulder. Jack looked at Mandy and coughed.


    ¡°What-What the hell is that?!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes shook and she ground her teeth.


    ¡°If that thing makes contact with the ground, no one in this world will survive.¡±


    Edgar let out one more chuckle before speaking again.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have taken your eyes off me, copy! This attack here has twice the size and mass of a supermassive blackhole like the one in the center of our galaxy!¡±


    Sarah quickly flew down to the two, and put her arms out, preparing herself to shield them.


    ¡°Mandy! Take Jack and get the hell out of here!¡±


    Jack tried to break free from Mandy¡¯s grip.


    ¡°No! They¡¯ll find you, they¡¯ll take you! I-I can¡¯t, Sarah!¡±


    ¡°Mandy, now!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Even if you manage to dodge it, we¡¯re all going to die nonetheless! Black mass, swallow them whole!¡±


    He flung his arms forward and Mandy immediately flew away. Jack screamed Sarah¡¯s name and the black sphere once it flew over him, began to swallow everything in sight. Nothing could survive its density as it plunged its way to Sarah who powered up her light and put her arms forward, fighting the gravity and mass of its swallowing nature. The whole town got swallowed and now the earth was paying consequence to its existence. Chunks of her crust were succumbing to it. Sarah screamed as it finally reached her vicinity. Her feet dragged, and buried into the ground, and soon it got swallowed by its pull. Sarah struggled and pushed with all her might to fend off the ball from making contact with earth''s core as it pushed her deeper into the crust.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re going to murder billions of people!¡±


    The earth grew more into effect by the mass of the object, and natural disasters began to enrupt throughout the globe. As the blackhole began to swallow most of the area, Edgar laughed and embellished at the thought of being the one to end everything now.


    ¡°Struggle all you want! In the end, we¡¯ll all die, COPY! IT''S OVER!¡±


    Sarah screamed, struggled, and soon began to be crushed by the mass of it and earth¡¯s core that began to shine, burn behind her.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t let this¡­ go on!¡±


    Sarah was crushed by the earth, and by the sphere. Edgar laughed and watched as the blackhole began to swallow more than the area around them.


    ¡°YES! NO ONE CAN COMPREHEND MY NEW POWER AND CUNNING!¡±


    As he coped with his win, the mass stopped, and he saw Sarah¡¯s light erupt from behind it, and simutounously being swallowed by the blackhole. But with so much of her light shining, escaping the gravitational pull of his attack, showed him that she was managing to push the mass back up off the ground.


    ¡°WHAT?!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s feet were touching earth¡¯s core, and she had a barrier around it, protecting it from being destroyed. She was surprised as to how she was surviving all this but concluded that she was going by instinct and that her father¡¯s side was taking into effect. She let out a loud war scream as she slammed her foot against earth''s core and gave herself momentum to push the attack back to the surface. Edgar panicked and his eyes popped out of their sockets as he saw the blackhole coming back up.


    ¡°NO, IT CAN¡¯T BE!¡±


    Sarah put her arms more forward, and her palms exploded out mana. A giant red blast formed between her palms and the object''s mass, and her blast alone was the heavier object. It pushed the black mass away, shooting its way back to Edgar who couldn¡¯t do anything but watch it come his way. The black sphere finally made contact with Edgar who could only put his arms forward, but ultimately, he got swallowed by the mass and disappeared into the black abyss. Her blast and black sphere blew off past earth¡¯s atmpshoere and eventually faded out into the sky, and for a moment, there was only silence and with the blue sky returning, a giant explosion occured next to the sun. It shined the sky into red and ruptured earth¡¯s magentics sphere but just for a millisecond. Sarah¡¯s light faded, her eyes turned back crimson, but blank. She gently rubbed her hands together, and the ginormous hole beneath her began to reform back to the way it was. The earth had gotten its ground back and its protection. The buildings returned to the way they were, and nature herself birthed again the animals that succumbed to the ruthless destruction. Mandy and Jack were in awe as they watched Sarah revert everything back. With the sun shining on her like a spot light, she put a hand in the air, and the same bird she birthed a second chance in life, landed on her hand. She pet the bird with her soulless crimson eyes and shifted her head to Mandy. Mandy knew exactly who she was staring at, and knit her brows.


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡± Mandy whispered.


    Sarah grinned for a moment. She let the bird fly away and turned away for a moment. She closed her eyes and reopened them, only to find herself in a confused state and fall to the side. Jack rushed to her side with Mandy following suit. He got to his knees, and raised Sarah off the ground.


    ¡°Sarah, Sarah! You alright?!¡±


    Sarah repeatedly blinked her eyes open, and looked into Jack¡¯s eyes, and had a tear slipping out. Mysteriously, Herold showed up next to Mandy and he was also in disbelief.


    ¡°When did you get here?¡± Mandy asked.


    Herold¡¯s eyes were locked on Sarah, and his jaw was dropped.


    ¡°She-she¡¯s¡­ alive afterall¡­¡± He mumbled.


    Jack hugged Sarah and once he let off, she rested one hand on his bruised cheek, and let out one more tear, but one of blood. She softy moaned, and in a hurt soft tone, said to Jack, ¡°What¡­ am I?¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 30: The Storm Arriveth!

    ¡°Fatherly Christ, for thy in heaven, may you wait for my judgment on these wretched beings. Those that disrupt your reality, your creations will receive the ultimate form of punishment. You¡¯ve spoken to me, you¡¯ve heard me, and now, I await my time to make final judgment on the rest. For it is close to spring, the birth of new life, the season of joy, I will not disobey your command.¡±


    William¡¯s on one knee, praying to a giant crystal in the shape of a cross. With his eyes closed, the crystal illuminated white, and he could feel the heat coming from it.


    ¡°God, please, if you have something to say more than the decision that you have made; as your greatest witness and carrier, I wish to know what has you so troubled.¡±


    The cross illuminated brighter, but simmered its light. William opened his eyes, and frowned.


    ¡°I-I understand. I¡¯ll await when the time is ripe, and my confusion and worry will be answered by one encounter.¡±


    The cross flashed white at him, and William carefully stood straight. He bathed in the light and felt God¡¯s touch. The light died and the cross went blank. It was nothing more than a shining diamond inside his white cloudy world. William deeply sighed and turned around, seeing his partner Archard staring at the glass screen. He made his way to where his partner was standing, his arms crossed and a deep frown upon his face, he wondered what made him so angry.


    ¡°My dear friend, Archard. What brings you down to the blues?¡± William asked as he sat down on his chair.


    Archard smacked his lips and on screen, they could see the four gathered around. Mandy¡¯s all bruised and battered, Herold looked to be in a nervous state, Sarah was being helped up by Jack who¡¯s in the worst shape out of the rest: His eyes were more focused on Sarah than anything else.


    ¡°You just missed the fight that almost destroyed our world,¡± he said.


    William stretched his arms out, and rested them on the cloud rests.


    ¡°Really? I apologise for missing such a spar. I was speaking with God and conversing about his next action.¡±


    ¡°Oh! My apologies, sir. I had no idea you were speaking with the almighty.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it¡¯s fine, my fellow Exorcist. Now then, bring me up to what¡¯s currently happening to our little group of troublemakers.¡±


    Archard nodded. ¡°Right. First of all, one of those freaks beat the living crap out of that Esper, Jack got beat up as always, and lastly, that same freak created an attack more powerful than a super massive blackhole.¡±


    William raised a brow, ¡°really?¡± he wiggled his lips and lay back on the chair. ¡°That¡¯s surprising that one of them could be capable of such might. Regardless of the misfortune, what has led to all this?¡±


    He pointed angrily at Sarah who was starting to come back to her senses.


    ¡°That wretched Witch, and monster child belonging to that horrid woman transformed into a state that shares the same realm of power that only you and I possess, Sir.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± William shouted, jumping from his seat with excitement.


    He ran up to the screen, tapped it to rewind it back to the moment she transformed.


    ¡°Look, look at this! This-this is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Revolt¡ª¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Hugh?!¡±


    William¡¯s eyes sparkled and he couldn¡¯t help but watch the fight in its entirety.


    ¡°This girl is something else, isn¡¯t she, Archard?¡±


    Archard blew steam out his nose.


    ¡°In what way?¡± he said in an angered tone.


    ¡°Nobody has come close to obtaining the strength that God has given me. The same realm, the touch of divinity! You¡¯ve already said you somehow reached it, but still have yet to tell me, plonker.¡±


    ¡°Plo-plonker¡­?¡±


    ¡°None of that matters, my dear friend! Because this girl here just confirms one thing to me.¡±


    ¡°and-And that is?¡±


    William¡¯s brows furrowed as he grinned.


    ¡°She was brought into this life unnaturally. Answering the same question everyone has asked, more importantly, my beloved who knew from the start.¡±


    Archard balled his fist, angry at the thought of her being made this way. He had no idea since that unfaithful day Abyzou was born. His mind became too engulfed with rage to even hear what all the fuss was about. Yet it all made sense to him: Her tears, bloody, her high pitched reality breaking screams that sent ripples across their universe, and lastly, trying to become one with reality just to rewrite it? When he awoke from being unconscious and saw William¡¯s beloved standing on top of a destroyed skyscraper, holding a baby in her arms with her elegant outfit bellowing. Archard couldn¡¯t understand why throughout their battle, she had a grin on her face. The last thing that he saw was her holding the baby up to the sky, and Abyzou¡¯s giant hands coming out of the sky.


    ¡°All that has happened, especially in that battle, the betrayal I faced, was because of her¡­ the supposed daughter.¡± Archard mumbled.


    But how? How did she create her! It¡¯s impossible to bring life unnaturally unless she discovered a spell that¡ª


    Archard¡¯s hazel eyes exploded, and he let out a gasp. William realised his small shock and turned to him, and had a calm grin on his face.


    ¡°It was you all along, wasn¡¯t it? My dear friend, Archard.¡±


    Archard slowly clutched his head, and remembered bringing Samantha to the forbidden library on a date since she was a fan of literature, especially Latin texts.


    ¡°No¡­ no. I-I¡ª¡±


    ¡°And your trauma. It all leads up to her. Is it not because of coincidence? Or perhaps you two were more than just friends?¡±


    Archard ground his teeth and shook his head.


    ¡°Sir¡­ sir! I-I didn¡¯t know. I-She¡­ no no!¡±


    ¡°Relax, Archard. I¡¯m not angry at you. You were just¡ªin love, weren¡¯t you not?¡±


    Archard¡¯s arms trembled and he could remember her bewitching smile that always warmed his heart.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed about, my friend. Love is a glorious thing! But also, could lead to one''s downfall, especially a man.¡±


    Archard¡¯s brain could reminisce her touch, her soothing voice, her seductive nature came back with a vengeance. Then, her crimson eyes staring right into his soul, seducing him to convince him to take her to one of the sacred libraries of the Exorcists. The one he took her to had lost spells and ancient magic only William and his beloved were allowed to read since they understood Latin. But Archard had no idea she knew the language as well, and when he found her grabbing a book that William¡¯s beloved held sacred, he thought she couldn¡¯t understand a word since she said she never tried learning Latin. He was a fool to think otherwise and now everything was starting to make sense.


    ¡°My dear friend, not only were you fooled by her personality, you were also fooled into bringing her to our sacred grounds¡ªMy! Sacred grounds in fact. But, I¡¯m not upset.¡±


    Archard hung his head in shame and cooled down.


    ¡°How long have you known, sir?¡±


    William tapped his chin and chuckled.


    ¡°For a while. Actually, I put what you told me together and concluded it. Oh, I also saw into your memories one day when you were spacing out.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ that-that makes sense.¡±


    William sighed and panned back to the screen with Sarah launching her blast with the black hole to Edgar who succumbed to it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. Our time will come and we¡¯ll be the ones to conclude this part of the story.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re-You¡¯re speaking as if we have an audience, sir.¡±


    William smiled and tilted his head.


    ¡°Who knows, Archard. Whether there is or isn¡¯t, I¡¯m more than looking forward to their ultimate hiccup and then it all boils down to my judgment.¡±


    Once the fight concluded and got back to where the four are gathered currently, Archard¡¯s eyes locked onto Jack.


    ¡°After her story is done: Jack Samr, your trials will commence once again, and we¡¯ll truly see if you can redeem yourself and maybe, perhaps, maybe! I can give you what you ultimately seek¡­ and that¡¯s a life of normality.¡±


    Back on his screen, Mandy stood next to Herold who was still in disbelief. Jack gently got Sarah back on her toes. Although, Sarah didn¡¯t want his help with the state he¡¯s in. She helped herself halfway and put his arm around her shoulders.


    ¡°You okay, idiot?¡± she asked.


    Jack grinned and groaned.


    ¡°Ma-Maybe¡­ but it sure as hell doesn¡¯t feel like it.¡±


    Sarah sighed and smacked his stomach, which made him grunt.


    ¡°How did you even get yourself caught by that freak? You¡¯re smarter than that, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey, it all happened so fast, alright.¡±


    Mandy approached them with her right arm being clutched.


    ¡°Yeah, explain yourself, idiot.¡±


    Jack frowned. ¡°Why am I getting attacked here? And aren¡¯t you supposed to be strong enough to stop him? Hm? Because from what I saw, it looked as if you weren¡¯t trying that much.¡±


    Mandy rolled her eyes, but grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no excuse for what you guys saw. Yes, I was in fact still stronger, that was until he transformed.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes got big hearing that.


    ¡°So, in that monster state you¡¯re saying he surpassed you?!¡±


    Mandy shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure since I was focused on protecting my ch¡ªI mean my bowls!¡±


    Sarah and Jack both squinted their eyes at her, feeling suspicious. The three began to belittle each other while Herold was in a lost trance. His thoughts and complications were colliding, and seeing the events that Ravana predicted transpire before his eyes; he¡¯s not sure what to do now. He didn¡¯t want to be the catalyst of the next scene in Ravana¡¯s play. Seeing them all act normal and feel secure of nothing will happen next, Herold can¡¯t bring himself together and act chill. Ravana¡¯s words were echoing in his mind, shouting for him to enact the next scene: The betrayal and for him to come down from the heavens and take Sarah away. Yet, despite the conflictions, his heart screeched for him to not do it.


    ¡°Angela, Sarah, I-I can¡¯t¡­¡± he whispered.


    He brought his eyes to the ground and brought his hands up. They quaked and he couldn¡¯t resist but showed his frustrations. He twitched his fingers, grinded his teeth, and felt ashamed.


    ¡°I-I¡­ don¡¯t want to do this. I-I want to continue this life, despite its artificial nature.¡±


    He clenched his hands and shut his eyes.


    ¡°They don¡¯t deserve this. Ravana, why must we destroy an already normal dystopia.¡±


    ¡°Hey Mr. Herold!¡± Sarah shouted.


    Hearing her voice sent shivers up his spine. For a second he thought he heard Samantha. He slowly turned to them and saw Sarah¡¯s bright crimson eyes glistening at him. With the sun shining behind her, she looked almost angelic. His jaw half dropped, he swallowed and closed his mouth to seem calm.


    ¡°Yes, Sarah?¡± he replied.


    She let go of Jack and walked up to him.


    ¡°When did you arrive? Before or after the fight?¡±


    ¡°Wh-Why do you ask, young lady?¡±


    Sarah shot her thumb over her shoulders, directed at Mandy who appeared serious all of a sudden.


    ¡°Mandy here claims you were watching the battle halfway in or perhaps¡ªfrom the start.¡±


    ¡°Mandy?¡± he said while shifting his head to Mandy.


    He saw a small glint in her blue eyes and mildly opened his mouth.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, apparently she also said she even sensed you way before that too.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s grin turned upside down and she dropped her head.


    ¡°Like you knew that all of this might¡¯ve happened.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s tone simmered, and hearing it sent guilt right into Herold¡¯s heart. He couldn¡¯t say anything for a minute, which made Jack furrow his brows and Mandy stood close to him. She carefully placed her hand behind her ripped coat where she was hiding something beneath it. Herold knew he couldn¡¯t lie since Mandy was present and remembering who she is, he knew the consequences of lying. His brows bounced, his jaw shivered, Herold mustered the courage to tell the truth.


    ¡°I did. I was present from start to finish.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s body jumped hearing it, and closed two fingers into her right palm.


    ¡°Why? Why did you only watch as Mandy was being brutalized?¡±


    Mandy cut in and stepped forward.


    ¡°Knowing you, you¡¯d like to watch something first hand if it gives you an idea about what you seek, H-e-r-o-l-d.¡±


    Herold nodded. ¡°Because, observations are what I do. To conclude my objective and bring forth a resolution to a potential hazard.¡±


    The rest of Sarah¡¯s fingers closed and her fist was clenched. She mildly shook her head and wondered what he meant by that.


    ¡°And you watched Jack get blasted, and didn¡¯t stop me from attacking the freak.¡±


    She brought her head up, and Herold could see the hurt in them as they quivered.


    ¡°Instead of becoming a viewer. You could¡¯ve helped us defeat this monster, but instead watched it as an observation?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re intentionally playing stupid. And if my memory stands with me, I also know that you¡¯re a very gullible man. If it meant for a greater cause and to reward yourself, you¡¯d follow anyone¡­ and I mean, anyone, He-rold.¡± Mandy said.


    Herold walked forward, past Sarah, then walked past the other two, stopping in the middle of the town.


    ¡°Remember when I told you that I¡¯m a researcher? It¡¯s in fact true, but there¡¯s more to my title than it holds and what Mandy said is also true.¡±


    Sarah walked next to the other two, listening while Mandy¡¯s eyes began to glint.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing at this point. All of this, this wickedness that¡¯s unfolded before us; has made me believe more in my leader''s eyes. The spoken truth to what he knew has come, and what¡¯s to follow, has me set higher hopes for our future.¡±


    He clutched his chest, and took heavy breaths.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s what I want at this point. I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m like this¡­ why couldn¡¯t I have helped you two? Rather than be a spectator drooling over a girl who resembles a woman he once dreamt of being with¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes shook more, and Mandy took another step forward. Jack went up to Herold and placed his hand on his broad shoulder, which got his attention. He looked over his shoulder and saw Jack¡¯s disgruntled face, but he still appeared to be calm although he was sweating.


    ¡°Come on now¡­ th-there¡¯s got to be more to his story than for him to just sit back and watch. Herold was probably watching because he might¡¯ve known the power gap between the three. And what, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s supernatural, right?¡±


    Jack looked over his shoulder to Sarah who shook her head.


    ¡°Jack, he is in fact, supernatural.¡± she replied in a soft tone.


    Jack forced a smile, and blinked.


    ¡°That so? And what can he do besides be another menace to normality?¡±


    Jack¡¯s tone towards the end of his statement transitioned to a more annoyed one. Herold brought his head down in shame, and replied by saying, ¡°Teleportation¡­¡± in a defeated tone.


    ¡°Teleportation, ey? Then that means you couldn¡¯t do more to help them, correct? Because you¡¯re aware that you wouldn¡¯t be much help¡­ although, you could use that power to teleport them out of battle.¡±


    Herold¡¯s eyes quaked, and his frown began to transform into a forced grin that represented his shame and anger. His eyebrows rose, and his eyes grew twice their size as he tried to comprehend what Jack¡¯s assuming.


    ¡°Be-Besides, I think all of us here are just tired, beat up, and emotionally drained. You guys, for once let''s not raise any hostility and suspicion towards anyone.¡±


    Jack let go of Herold¡¯s shoulder and took a deep breath.


    ¡°I think after all of these shenanigans. We all deserve a nice break, what do you guys say?¡±


    Jack raised his arms, but hissed at the pain of his right one.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been through so much, all of us. I might not know much about you, Herold, but I knew you enough to entrust you with my sister. Because in the end, I-I think I¡¯m a pretty good judge of character from the way I was raised.¡±


    Sarah nodded, and half a smile appeared.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah. Mandy, don¡¯t you think what you said couldn¡¯t mean more than what Jack¡¯s saying? I-I mean he did say to Angela that he¡¯s not as supernatural as the both of us. So maybe he watched for his own safety due to the gap of strength.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s face remained dead serious as her glint grew thicker.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°I wish I could believe everything the two of you have said. But you forgot to remember, that he and I have known each other for years, and my last memory of him was him, befriending a current enemy.¡±


    ¡°But why now?! Why act all suspicious towards him, Mandy! If what you say is true, then wouldn¡¯t he have already done something inconceivable? Plus, when I overheard your conversation it sounded like you two were old buddies.¡± Sarah said.


    A wrinkle formed between her eyes and she gripped whatever she had behind her more.


    ¡°Just because I know him doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s a friend or always been a good guy.¡±


    Jack walked beside Herold, looking at the side of his face.


    ¡°If what you just said could be true, then with what Sarah also stated, all of us wouldn¡¯t be speaking together. But I-I can tell he¡¯s probably not the same guy you remember.¡±


    Herold mildly shifted his head to Jack, and was in a gasping state.


    ¡°If he was in fact an actual enemy, I would¡¯ve judged him further than I already did. I would never have someone be near my sister or my closest friend without some type of further repercussion.¡±


    Herold¡¯s eyes stopped shaking, and sweat drenched his face.


    ¡°I was suspicious of him at first, but seeing how much Angela treated him as a teacher and seeing who he really is has me hoping for the best for her. Which means I can allow her to explore the outside world rather than just being closed off and finally have enough faith in humanity so she would never be in danger again.¡±


    ¡°And what if Herold was in fact everything opposite of what you say, Jack?¡± Mandy asked.


    Sarah waited on his response, and Jack¡¯s worried face remained but it grew still while he kept sweating bullets.


    ¡°Then I¡¯d have no problem putting a bullet in his head¡­ even if he has grown as a person like you stated, Mandy.¡±


    Herold gave Jack a breathless expression. His eyes were once again big, his jaw dropped all the way, Jack watched as Herold became frozen from his statement. After letting out one more weakened gasp, his face turned forward, and a huge bullet drop of sweat rolled down the side of his face. With his eyes staying permanently wide, his frown turned into a half grin again, and he let out one muffled chuckle.


    ¡°Of course you would¡­¡± he said in a soft, weakened tone. ¡°What the hell was I even thinking?¡±


    ¡°Besides, you wouldn¡¯t dare hurt my sister, would you?¡± Jack calmly asked.


    Herold softly chuckled and his body began to jitter.


    ¡°Have I really gone crazy?¡± he muttered.


    Jack turned back to the two, and nodded, walking back to them.


    ¡°Let''s go, Herold. I think we all deserve to end this with a nice dinner like I said. Normality, that¡¯s what we all want, come on.¡±


    As Jack walked away, taking a couple of steps away, a powerful gust of wind had broken a wooden sign from one of the stores, having it crash landed and bounce on the road. Everyone stopped, glanced around, and froze in worry. Herold remained frozen, and Mandy¡¯s tucked arm began to shake. The sky turned into a frozen grey, and the clouds looked shadowy, rolling from the horizon.


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s it. Normality¡­ in the end, that¡¯s all I ever wanted as well.¡±


    Jack turned back to Herold¡¯s back, and his head was down in a shameful state. A shadow lingered on the side of his face, and his shoulders trembled with guilt as everything inside his conflicted mind had finally made a conclusion.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been around them for too long for my own good. Just like Ravana has always told me.¡± Herold muttered.


    Jack¡¯s eyes shook while Sarah stayed on guard and Mandy¡¯s glint sharpened.


    ¡°In just these past months, alone, I got too comfortable and surrounded myself with such delightful people. And in the end, I always have to be reminded just how easily influenced I could be. But I don¡¯t know most of the time.¡±


    Herold clenched a fist, and ground his teeth.


    ¡°If only I was never the one to be put here in these types of stipulations. Especially when there¡¯s great people that still exist and could live without all this nonsense that defies reality¡­¡±


    Herold raised his head, and mildly turned the side of his face to Jack and he saw the side of his face, but enough to see his shamed, embarrassed yet angry expression.


    ¡°That way¡­ that way¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be such a half-assed worthless pile of shit!¡±


    Jack¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw Herold¡¯s eyes begin to swell and have water creep from the edges. Herold turned more of his body around, and looked more directly at the three.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late now¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s right anymore at this point! But believe me when I say this¡ª!¡±


    He tucked his hand into the collar of his shirt, and clutched his chest.


    ¡°I would never¡ªever! Dare lay a finger on your sister, Jack! And Sarah, getting to know you has taught me more of who you are and what you represent¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes quivered as her mouth slowly began to open.


    ¡°A-And¡­ what would that be?¡± she replied.


    ¡°The woman who I fell in love with eighteen years ago.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes watered and the winds were beginning to pick up.


    ¡°I never wanted to be a part of this¡­ but at this point, seeing everything unfold before my eyes¡ªthe only choice for me now¡­ is to face the consequences and karma of my actions that lie ahead of me¡­¡±


    Mandy grit her teeth, and bent forward, shaking more and Jack¡¯s eye grew tenfold as Herold slowly pulled his arm out, and out came the same necklace and pendant from all the cultists he¡¯s encountered and seen. The blood red diamonds flickered, Herold¡¯s eyes glowed crimson, and his outfit slowly burnt away, revealing his real identity. With brown wavy hair, and pitch black eyes, Herold¡¯s eyebrows knit as a tear crept its way out one eye. Holding the pendant next to his face, the tear evaporating away, he grew serious, and gave them a cold stare.


    ¡°And as the fourth strongest of the cult that represents Envy, I will fulfil my duty to the end, and not disobey our great leader, Ravana! I Shaman, shall bring forth and rebirth our God¡­ Abyzou!


    Jack panicked and ran back to Sarah as she got caught and froze with fear. Mandy remained on her stance while Jack grabbed Sarah, but he was too hurt to go any further, and collapsed to his knees.


    ¡°Jack!¡± Sarah shouted.


    ¡°Sarah, g-go!¡± he shouted.


    Herold ran to them, and reached his arm out to Sarah who watched her fate come and ready to take her.


    ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re coming with me!¡± Shaman shouted.


    Mandy suddenly appeared behind him, and pulled out a holy dagger. Shaman¡¯s eyes glinted as he put his arms up to protect himself. She spun sideways, driving the dagger against his forearms, slicing them, then slitting his throat with blood gushing, oozing out around him. Shaman held his throat as his arms bled and gurgled in pain.


    ¡°You two, get the hell out of here!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Mandy again tried attacking, but he quickly blinked at her, and she was stopped in place. He rammed her away with his body. She was sent flying to a building, and crashed within it. He brought his eyes to the two and Sarah shielded Jack as he looked at them with regret, blood gushing out his wounds, and shame. Shaman¡¯s body began to glow hot, his lacerations healed, and bolts of yellow electrical currents began to erupt around his body. The sky above them split open, revealing a perfect sphere that shined the sunlight on him as he spread his arms out to the sides.


    In a pitiful tone, Shaman gently said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± as a giant bolt of lightning struck behind him, sending typhoon destructive winds that destroyed the area around them. Sarah screamed as she used her mana to keep them at bay while everything was being burnt, destroyed before their eyes. Jack opened his eyes, and saw the fiery glow from Shaman¡¯s eyes and behind the steam and smoke, another pair of glowing eyes emerged, walking from behind him, and suddenly grabbing Sarah¡¯s arm, pulling her away from Jack.


    ¡°SARAH!¡± Jack screamed.


    The force of the steam and wind sent Jack flying away, having him collide with a car and watching as his friend Sarah was facing a tall man whom he had never seen before. Sarah couldn¡¯t move a single muscle, and remembered who the man was: The same man who she saw speaking behind the store and to be an apparent business partner. With a thin smile on his face, his crimson eyes staring directly into her¡¯s, he gently raised Sarah¡¯s hand, and lightly kissed it.


    ¡°Come with me, Sarah,¡± he softly said.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes squinted, and with tears flowing down her face, and the destruction not showing any signs of stopping, she untensed her body, and deeply frowned.


    ¡°If I do¡­ will you stop this senseless destruction and leave my friends alone?¡± she said in a defeated depressed tone.


    Ravana¡¯s thin smile grew more, and he nodded. He turned to Shaman who¡¯s head was down in shame.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done a great job, Shaman. See you when you get back, my friend.¡±


    He quickly swooped Sarah off her feet, and flew away from the scene, and Jack could see the smoke trail lingering off his body. Watching his dear friend, the one he promised to protect and to not be taken, being flown away from his grasp. They faded out in the distance and seeing her vanish devastated him. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as Leon¡¯s voice told him to protect his daughter and Samantha¡¯s as well. He began to cry as he reached his hand out to the sky, grounding his teeth.


    ¡°SA-SARAH!!¡±


    Jack¡¯s pained scream bounced everywhere, letting the world know of his failure.


    I promised him¡­ I promised him¡­ I promised them!


    Jack clutched his head, and cried loudly, feeling defeated and reminded of the failure that he is all over again. The failure of keeping Angela safe, the failure of protecting Alexandria, and the failure of having Sarah be taken away: Jack has had enough. He screamed bloody murder and got on his feet, and clutched his head more.


    ¡°I promised him¡­ I promised Leon¡­ that I-I¡­ that I would protect her!¡±


    A sudden surge of envy came into Jack, but not from Samantha¡¯s side, but a familiar feeling: the same blackened feeling he¡¯s always felt when she was around. This sentiment began to heal his wounds in a disgusting manner.


    ¡°Sarah¡­ Sarah!¡±


    With him shouting Sarah¡¯s name, the jealousy of blackness began to swell in his heart, and with the combined efforts of Leon¡¯s help implanted within Jack: His skin began to chalk up, his eyes began to roll behind his head and fade out. His viens began to blackened, Jack¡¯s limbs began to crack. Black plasma coursed around him, erratically shooting in every single direction and destroying everything in a ten mile radius: Jack snarled, steam came out of his mouth, and he bent forward in a rabid state.


    I promised, Leon!


    He saw Shaman in his line of view, and once the steam had gone away, he exploded his way to him, destroying and rusting everything out behind him. Jack roared like a rabid lion as he shot his right fist forward. Shaman quickly turned to the yell of a giant and saw Jack¡¯s oncoming fist, shooting its way at him as he was steaming hotter than a teapot. He not only saw a dead man coming at him, but in his eyes, it was as if his grim reaper had come to take him for the sins that he had committed. Jack roared, and drove his fist, ramming it right against Shaman¡¯s right cheek. A brief pause happened, and Shaman¡¯s body slowly moved backwards. Afterwards, the momentum of Jack¡¯s punch caught up, and sent Shaman flying away in the direction of downtown Detroit. Being punched away by a massive attack brought a path of destruction in front of Jack, letting him see the aftermath first hand. A clear swept path was now in front, and led him to where Shaman landed deep in the city: He saw a giant cloud of smoke explode from downtown, and saw the windows of skyscrapers shatter, letting it rain glass to the population below. Jack clenched his fists, and let out another rabid roar that had echoed out, letting the city know of his coming. He roared again and with another trail of steam coming out his mouth, he exploded one again, hurtling towards downtown Detroit, to find Shaman, and save his friend.


    ***


    Back in his room, repeatedly opening and closing his fists, Leon was on his feet, and seemed to be fine. With a half grin on his face, he felt ready to face the world and avenge himself.


    ¡°Good, we¡¯re practically back to one hundred percent.¡± he said.


    He put his hands down and walked to his bedside. There, he saw a note sitting towards where he had a cup of water. He wondered who left it, and picked up the letter, reading it¡­


    Dear Leon, my one and only love¡ª


    If you¡¯ve happened to awaken from your deep slumber and I wasn¡¯t around to witness such a magnificent event, then I want you to take your time and read my thoughts. For the past three months, I¡¯ve done nothing but reflect on how much of a vile woman I turned out to always be. Having the audacity to treat you, the only man worthy of being around me like a dog, a worthless pile of flesh into my contracted slave; it made me think that I don¡¯t deserve someone like you. Someone like you deserves someone better, and I feel sorry for ever letting you fall into my trap. Reflecting on my past, I¡¯ve seen the dirty deeds that I did to manipulate people into my games, my selfish desires, everything that transpired, and ultimately, trying to rewrite our whole infinite universe. In the past months, watching you grow alongside your daughter made me realise how much of an amazing man you are. And I¡¯m so happy that I chose the right one. I want to tell you more, but for now, this is all that I have to say and can stomach writing without breaking down¡­ Oh wait, oops, a tear has fallen on the paper, sorry. Anyways, if you¡¯re up and find me vacant, I¡¯m busy trying to get rid of some loose ends. When I return, I¡¯m going to tell you everything and I mean, everything. But in return, I want to spend one more day with you, alone, in our home¡­


    Sincerely, Samantha¡ªAmabilia, Abyzou.


    Leon¡¯s fingers gripped the paper, wrinkling it, but he eased his emotions, and wiped the tear drop that had stained it with hers. He lowered the paper, and his arms trembled.


    ¡°She never told me her actual last name¡­ until now,¡± he muttered.


    He gazed at the photo of her and Sarah when she was younger. Deep down inside, he always loved the photo, mainly because of Sarah, but seeing Samantha¡¯s smile always melted and stung his heart. He picked it up, and wiped one finger on the photo.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into you, Samantha.¡±


    He sounded hurt, and sad. The letter had no lie behind it, no word trickery that would fool his brain, everything in it that she had written was all from her chained heart. Never in the years he spent being tortured and isolated from her would he actually get these types of sentimental emotions out of her. Yet he questioned why now, all of a sudden? Is it from the events transpiring? Or perhaps she feels that her time might come to an end? Leon can¡¯t come to figure it out, but in the end, this made his heart race and reawaken the small flame he still had burning for her love.


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡± Leon said.


    Although he¡¯s with Mandy, his love for his now ex wife has never gone away. He can¡¯t let her go no matter how hard he tries to move on from her. Feeling conflicted and not wanting another emotional outburst, Leon decided to put his emotions to the side, and set the photo down. He stared at more photos of them, glancing at each one until one particular photo caught his eye, shocking him. He gently slid the others to the side, and behind them, he found a dusty photo of them on their wedding day. Leon¡¯s eyes swelled, and he silently opened his mouth in disbelief. The gorgeous black and red wedding dress along with her shining crimson eyes, but most of all, her incredible smile made him shed a tear. Seeing his happy face, holding her close as they both held her bouquet of roses made Leon slam his hand against his head, fighting his emotions once again.


    He covered his mouth, and slowly walked backwards, eventually bumping against the bed, and sitting down.


    ¡°Why¡­ is that still here?¡± he muttered.


    He wiped his eyes, and grinded his teeth.


    ¡°No¡­ no. th-there has to be a trick to this.¡±


    He lowered his hand, and the photo was still there. His eyes weren¡¯t deceiving him after all. Seeing that the photo still existed grew the flame bigger. He bent forward, and clutched his head for a moment to think. He rubbed his head, and dropped his arms, resting them on his knees.


    ¡°Am I actually¡­ alive? Or am I still in a coma?¡±


    Leon quietly thought and thought. His face soaked in sadness, he shook his head, and decided on moving on in the end. He went to go search for his phone and found it on the nightstand. Picking it up, he found it dead and wasn¡¯t surprised.


    ¡°Hmph, I guess I¡¯ll just charge it and call Mandy later.¡±


    He did and before leaving the room, took one more glance at the dusty photo.


    ¡°I guess I am awake.¡±


    He shut the door behind him, went downstairs and found food prepared and ingredients for him to make a coffee. He chose to feed himself and make his coffee and in the meantime did more self reflection. Thinking of everything that has happened, the change in his heart, becoming a better being, all these thoughts made him think that he might still be human after all. Grinning, Leon sipped his coffee, and began to think of a way to get back at the Witch cult that was almost responsible for the end of the world three months ago.


    ¡°How the hell did he gather so much mana to do that much damage? It¡¯s reckless and unexpected. Especially in a bomb of all objects.¡±


    He took another sip and paused.


    ¡°With that much gathered in one spot, it¡¯s hard to believe that a freak could¡¯ve done such a thing. I believe he had help from someone to commit such an attack.¡±


    Leon furrowed his brows, and brought the cup down.


    ¡°Ravana and the rest. It had to be them in charge of it all. How else would he have that much confidence?¡±


    Taking one more before finishing his meal, Leon glanced at the ceiling and saw it mildly rattle.


    ¡°What in the¡­?¡±


    It rattled again, and he sensed mana from a far, one familiar and another set that boiled his blood.


    ¡°Wait, it can¡¯t be?¡±


    He gasped, and put his cup down, running to the front door then sensing more disturbances. The eerie feelings and rise in energy had Leon clenching his fists and skin tingling. His thirst for battle wanted to overcome his worry and suspicion. He didn¡¯t allow it and remained normal to sense what all the commotions were all about.


    ¡°I sense Shaman, and¡­ Ravana,¡± he growled. ¡°But now, there¡¯s another surge in mana, one I can¡¯t make out. Although, I¡¯ve touched and sensed it before.¡±


    He focused more as the ground shook and his house waved, rattling everything inside.


    ¡°This abnormal surge of ancient darkness¡­ who could it be?¡±


    He then loudly gasped, and grew nervous. A glass vase fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces.


    ¡°My shield that protects Jack, has been shattered?!¡±


    His eyes got big and his jaw bounced. Slowly, he shut his mouth, grounding his teeth, and a thick wrinkle formed between his eyebrows.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t sense Sarah¡­ then that means, that means¡­!¡±


    Leon hurried out the house, and to not make himself known and abnormal, he decided to run towards the surges of mana instead.


    Jack! Please be okay, I¡¯m coming! Leon thought.


    ***


    Crash landing against a skyscraper, pummeling down in the midst of busy downtown Detroit; everyone has sprung into a panic. Shaman lands face first on the pavement and gets up halfway, seeing first hand the devastating blow he sustained by the young man. He couldn''t believe he suffered such a hit from someone whom he thought wouldn''t be close to supernatural. He rubbed his cheek and could see black electric currents springing all over the place as it was gaining closer from where he was hit.


    ¡°T-That young ma-man! He¡¯s¡ªhe¡¯s¡­!¡±


    Shaman readied himself and he could hear Jack¡¯s rabid roaring echo it¡¯s way closer to him. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to do anything but stand and watch. Jack¡¯s roars grew louder, and louder until he skidded his feet on the ground, making his way to where Shaman¡¯s standing. Bystanders hurried away as Jack screamed at him with a deep growl that sent shivers down his spine. Shaman, in his eyes, was facing his destiny and consequences of his actions. If this is where his last stand will be, then he was ready to face it head on.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I really am, Jack. But more to Angela who reminds me of my niece back at home¡­ but I still stand by the choice that I¡¯ve made!¡±


    Shaman prepared himself and watched as Jack stood there with his arms dangling, and his body a steaming pot of flesh.


    ¡°If you somehow manage to kill me, then so be it. I¡¯m a man of my word and also a man who faces his flaws dead on.¡±


    He raised his fists, and powered his mana.


    ¡°God! If you¡¯re real and he¡¯s my grim reaper, then so take me! In the name and glory of my actual lord, Abyzou, mother of creation and destruction, I shall face death head on!¡±


    Something was lumbered their way to them, and with each step, the earth shook more and more. Shaman could notice it, but Jack¡¯s too blinded by his rage that he charged at Shaman, and roared with his fist pulled behind him. Suddenly, one of the buildings had been shoulder tackled by a cloaked man, and he rushed in Jack¡¯s direction. With each running stomp, shook the city, and he retracted his right arm and shot it forward before Jack could get near Shaman. His fist made impact to the side of Jack¡¯s face; his jaw bending outward, giving him a nasty shot. Jack¡¯s whole body flew off to the side, upon landing a couple of feet away, the momentum of the punch had him skidding for another couple more, bouncing off and on the ground. The cloaked man put his fist down that steamed, and straightened his posture.


    ¡°E-Eligor?!¡± Shaman shouted.


    Eligor this time removed his cloak, and handed it to shaman. He revealed his steel-like muscles that appeared indestructible and heavy. He nodded and kept his eyes on Jack who¡¯s body was still steaming and sending out black plasma.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got it from here, Shaman. Leave the boy to me and get back to Ravana.¡±


    Shaman gulped and nodded.


    ¡°Alright, but Eligor¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Shaman glanced at Jack and frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill him, are you?¡±


    Eligor briefly chuckled, and Shaman could see the edge of his smirk from the side of his face.


    ¡°Too late now. He¡¯s a dead man, Shaman.¡±


    Shaman¡¯s head dropped, and he deeply sighed.


    ¡°I-I thought so¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, get out of here, go before you piss me off too.¡±


    Shaman smiled for Jack and waved goodbye to him and frowned again once reality struck him. He teleported away, leaving the huge ex-exorcist alone for Jack to handle.


    ¡°Now, kid! It¡¯s just you, and me.¡±


    Eligor lumbered his way to Jack who remained on the ground, face up with his head facing the grey sky. Blood poured from the side of his mouth, and his cheek had a laceration from Eligor¡¯s huge knuckles. The young man¡¯s soft groaning slowly transitioned to soft deep growls as he was beginning to regain some consciousness. One of Jack¡¯s pupils rolled back from behind his head, and he could see the sky.


    The sky¡¯s grey¡­ yet, calm. But man, th-that was¡­ a brutal blow. This-This pain is like no other¡ª


    Jack quickly blinked, and he moved his single pupil around, and felt the heat from his body pulsing off his blackened veins.


    Wait¡­ I-I can see, feel, and think?!


    As Eligor continued his death march towards Jack, Mandy suddenly appeared from behind, and tried slicing at his back, then blasting him with a mana ball. To no unveil, the dagger seemed as if it was slicing straight stone and he reacted to nothing from any of her attacks.


    ¡°Damn it!¡±


    Eligor abruptly swung his arm at her, catching her by surprise and sending her flying to a building. She crashed and shot her arm out of the rubble. Climbing out, she quickly collapsed to her knees, and fell to her side.


    ¡°J-Jack!¡± she shouted.


    Jack heard her voice, and moved his pupil more forward, and could see the person responsible for giving him such a blow. Jack¡¯s wound quickly healed the hole on his cheek and he focused his anger into getting up to his feet, but he¡¯s caught in so much disbelief that he¡¯s conscious, he can¡¯t help but lay on the ground to comprehend what¡¯s going on.


    How¡¯s this possible? Wait, this-this feeling, Ma-Mallory¡¯s strength?!


    He quickly remembered Leon¡¯s words that gave him some shine of hope and encouragement about what he could do to protect not only himself, but those around him.


    ¡°The borrowed strength that you think is from her¡ªit¡¯s yours but only for now could she activate it, but with my help, you should be able to tap into this darkness to aid you in your worst turmoil.¡±


    I-Is this what Leon spoke about? The power Mallory used to help me is now mine to use, right now?


    Eligor stopped, and stomped the ground, making Jack¡¯s body jump up and slam for a moment.


    Regardless¡­ I don¡¯t give a damn right now. Whoever this guy is, he¡¯s in my way and I have to get Sarah back!


    Jack crushed his hands into his palms, drawing crimson and slowly began to raise from the ground.


    These freaks are the reason for these stupid shenanigans! They¡¯re existence is nothing but a tumor to the world! And most of all, they¡¯re in the middle of another cancer I have to overcome¡­


    Steam built up more, Jack¡¯s arms made erratic twists and turns as he was almost to his feet. His head hanging behind, Mandy could see the young man stand on his feet and ready to do battle again. This made her eyes shake with hope and felt confident in him.


    You revolting bastards. You make me want to vomit¡­ you annoying pests!


    Jack let out a huge roar at Eligor with steam edging out the sides of his mouth. His eyes, despite being blank with just a tiny pupil showing in one, lit up white. Eligor tilted his head, and raised his fists. Jack let out one more growling deep roar, and retracted his right arm, ready to put everything into his fist.


    With now being able to be somewhat aware of what I¡¯m doing¡­ Being in control of this power and my battle experience gives me the edge that I need to exterminate you!


    Using all the momentum and mana surging inside of him, Jack exploded his fist right against Eligor¡¯s face, and everything around them expanded away from the force of his punch. But, Eligor wasn¡¯t fazed. Instead, immediately, he repaid Jack with an even more powerful punch that sent him swirling into the air at Mach speeds. Jack could feel his body float, gravity being weightless as he was in another state of shock. Jack slams with devastation on the road, leaving a huge dent on the earth as Eligor brushed his cheek and smacked his lips. The young man let out a groan, and turned his body, trying to get back on his feet once more. With his back turned to Eligor, hearing his giant footsteps shake the earth as he again made his way to him. Jack¡¯s arms dangled as he snarled and moaned in agony.


    This¡­ feeling. I¡¯ve never felt this beat up and awful so far in my life.


    Jack growled, the steam around his body grew hotter as he took in a huge breath.


    Of all the battles I¡¯ve been¡­ this has to be the worst one. This guy¡¯s punches are surreal.


    Jack turned around and saw Eligor continuing his march to him. He didn¡¯t know how he¡¯s able to stand and continue when he feels half in control of this power. It¡¯s not even him doing the roaring or animalistic instincts, rather his anger doing all the work as he watched in worry. Jack growled and rushed Eligor.


    ¡°Stupid kid, you¡¯re like a rabid dog!¡± he shouted. ¡°Which means I should put you down!¡±


    Eligor shot another straight punch, and Jack quickly ducked beneath his huge arm, wrapping his own arms around his neck. Eligor was caught off guard by his surprise grapple, and felt his left leg being lifted off the ground, which made him grit his teeth.


    Let me show you what move I did to Mathew to gain an upper hand, cultist freak!


    The technique in question made Jack use his right leg and grapple to sweep the man down to the ground. They crashed, skid about a foot until Jack let go, and got on top of him. He bent towards Eligor¡¯s face, and snarled at it. Eligor seemed calm though, and quickly used his palm to push the young man off him, but Jack quickly caught it, and had him locked in an armbar.


    Now to utilize the training that Leon briefly showed me too!


    Eligor slammed his free arm on the ground, breaking apart the earth behind them to allow him to get to a sitting position. Jack squeezed harder and tightened his grip until he heard something shatter and saw something fly past his eye.


    What¡¯s this?


    Eligor¡¯s muscles were cracking, and appeared artificial. This made him annoyed and quickly got him to his feet, lifting Jack off the ground for a moment.


    I got you where I want you now!


    With Jack hanging off his giant arm, he let go of one of his legs, slammed it against the side of his face, and reversed the armbar to a flying figure four armbar that slammed Eligor¡¯s heavy body back on the ground. The buildings around the city wiggled, trembled, collapsed from the impact of him being smacked face down now. Jack had him locked, and with his body on top, and his arm tied, the young man began pulling with all his strength.


    I still have a chance to beat this guy!


    Eligor began to growl as well with annoyance. The young pulled more and more, roaring louder than he ever could, letting the whole country hear his struggle as his gurgled anger echoed everywhere. Black plasma erratically built up, springing all around as Jack tugged one more time with everything and then a loud pop was heard, and with it sent a huge shockwave that shattered every bit of glass in the city. Jack quickly hurried off of Eligor and grew distance between them, putting his guard up and waiting as the big guy got back on his feet, causally.


    ¡°You¡­ dislocated my shoulder.¡± Eligor calmly said.


    Jack didn¡¯t say anything, and replied by getting in his normal fighting stance. Eligor turned around and faced him, immediately putting his shoulder back into its socket. He twirled his arm, stretched it, and cracked his neck.


    ¡°I guess I deserve that for holding back so much. If I had known you were this ballistic with this strength of yours, then this scuffle would¡¯ve ended abruptly¡ª¡±


    Eligor made one step forward, and that step felt closer to an actual earthquake which had Jack opening his mouth again, and letting steam out.


    ¡°Like this¡­!¡±


    Eligor launched himself forward, and in the blink of an eye, vanished out of Jack¡¯s eyesight. Jack heard that shatter again, the same when his muscles cracked. He panicked and tried glancing in the same line of view to see where he had disappeared.


    Wh-where did he¡­?


    Jack blinked again, and saw him rushing at him like a linebacker.


    Wa-Wait¡­ I-I can see him! Th-then that means he¡¯s¡ªoh shit he¡¯s¡ª!


    Eligor grabbed Jack, tackling him faster than light against a building. The young man¡¯s eyes almost popped out of socket from the impact and had him gagging out a pool of blood. The tall building collapses behind him from the momentum. Eligor gave Jack not a second to defend himself with punches that looked heavier than a meteor coming down to his face. Each punch sent tremors across the country as Jack managed to dodge them and kick himself away from his lethal blows. He limped away, but found himself bumping against another building.


    I-I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯m even able to dodge his punches, let alone saw that type of speed!


    Eligor got into another linebacker pose, and Jack ground his teeth.


    I can¡¯t allow him to tackle me again or else I¡¯m legit dead with the next!


    Eligor sprung forward, and Jack spread his arms out to the sides as he was inches away from tackling him once more.


    Forget about it! I¡¯ll face you dead on then, freak!


    He tackled Jack, and the two were crashing through multiple buildings and eventually he slammed Jack on his back near a tall skyscraper. The young man coughed out black and red but roared with confidence. He slithered his way off Eligor¡¯s grip, found himself on his back, and had him in a neck lock. Eligor grew more annoyed, and felt his neck muscles beginning to tighten and crack.


    You¡¯re mine now!


    ¡°JACK!¡± Mandy screamed.


    Mandy flew into the scene, landing next to them, and sprung her right leg into the air as high as she could. She slammed her heel down on Eligor¡¯s back, shattering his huge back muscles and finally seeing his normal muscles and skin tone. She reached for her dagger, and sliced his rear deltoid and scapula muscles. Eligor¡¯s eyes grew big and he was livid, having a giant vein pop out of his head. Mandy backed off, and put her hand forward, muttering something and a huge barrage of crystal objects came raining down on Eligor. All his artificial muscles were shattered away, besides the ones around his upper delts, pecs, and what Jack was grappling. Jack tugged, and more of his upper muscles cracked, shattering and sending pieces of fake flesh flying around them.


    ¡°Now¡¯s your chance, kill him!¡± Mandy shouted.


    If I can beat you, then that gives me higher hopes of facing people like you!


    Jack growled and pulled more, lifting half of Eligor¡¯s body off the ground. His teeth were ground beyond belief, feeling frustrated, he slammed his hands on the ground, creating another tremor on the earth and mysteriously began laughing. His laughter grew louder and louder, to a point it irritated Mandy¡¯s ears and Jack¡¯s.


    ¡°Why are you laughing, loser?!¡± Mandy shouted.


    He began to drag himself on the ground with Jack still on his back and continuing to choke him. He dragged some more as his pecs were beginning to show signs of breaking apart as steam flushed out between the gaps. Eligor managed to bring them to a stop near the entrance of the skyscraper and again, let out another barrage of laughter''s that eventually transitioned to one annoyed yell. Mandy was confused as to why he was doing this until she felt someone else''s presence appear. She looked up to the sky, and saw something spring from the top of the building in the shape of a bird at first, but bent forward, and she saw the shape of a person pummeling their way to the two.


    ¡°Jack! Above you!¡± she shouted.


    Jack quickly turned his head and saw someone coming his way with a giant mana shaped war hammer. As the shape grew closer, he saw pigtails and remembered who the person was.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡¯s coming darling! Sorry it¡¯s tooks me so long!¡±


    The momentum made her look like a meteor and her eyes glowed green. The young man gasped and his last pupil appeared as he froze in a panic. The hammer came over her head, swirling from the fall, she made an impact with the two, creating an explosion that rocked the city and destroyed everything. Mandy was sent flying away from the explosion and another one occurred from how much there was to it. Double mushroom clouds were sent flying overhead, and people thought downtown was nuked. Mandy crash landed outside city limits, and tried getting back up, but someone grabbed her arm, and looking over her shoulder, saw Linnea who had a nervous grin on her face.


    ¡°Linnea?!¡±


    Linnea lifted Mandy back up, and brushed the dirt and debris off her clothes. Mandy slapped her hand away, and clenched her fists.


    ¡°Hurry, we have to go save Jack!¡±


    Linnea looked over Mandy¡¯s shoulder and saw the devastation. She softly blinked and began to pull Mandy.


    ¡°Come¡­ we gotta go.¡± Linnea replied.


    ¡°No! Not before we help him and I know we can! Forget the rules, let''s use our real strength and save¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mandy, he¡¯s done for! And listen to what I have to say next.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what the hell are you talking about?! Can¡¯t you see he¡¯s helped us and do you really think I¡¯m going to stand and allow this to slide?!¡±


    Linnea shook her head.


    ¡°Of course not, but please, listen.¡±


    Linnea grew sweaty yet excited and took a deep breath.


    ¡°I found her¡­¡±


    Mandy grew speechless and began to shiver.


    ¡°And she¡¯s close. If we go save him now¡­ then we¡¯ll miss out on our chance for revenge.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes shook like they never shook before. Her lips slightly gapped, she squinted her eyes, and clutch her chest.


    ¡°But¡­ Jack¡­ I-I can¡¯t leave him.¡±


    Linnea grabbed Mandy¡¯s shoulders, getting in her face.


    ¡°I know, me too! But Mandy¡­ now¡¯s our chance. And you saw what happened. I wish I could¡¯ve intervened, but if we don¡¯t do this now¡­ we¡¯ll never get another opportunity.¡±


    Mandy grabbed Linnea¡¯s arms, and shut her eyes.


    ¡°Le-Leon¡­ he-he¡­¡±


    ¡°By doing this, my friend, you and Leon will be closer than you know it!¡±


    Mandy opened her eyes, and rubbed them.


    ¡°God¡ªdamn it¡­¡±


    The two stood straight, and Linnea began to walk away, but taking one last look at the city. Mandy stared for a minute and turned half her body forward. Taking one last glance at the destroyed city, she couldn¡¯t sense Jack¡¯s darkness any more. She clenched a fist, and looked away, and began walking forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Jack Samr¡­ and you too, Sarah.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 31: Leon, Bolverkr

    Summer, a season of relaxation, gathering, and to catch up with one''s needs; whether it''d be family, hobbies, or building one''s self: there wasn¡¯t someone who was just as determined as Leon, who¡¯s relaxing in front of the academy lawn. Watching newcomers for next year''s sign in; Esper¡¯s, Witch¡¯s, and Sorcers eager to join the most difficult academy, this had him looking forward to the new season. Today though, embarks on his six month anniversary dating the most gorgeous woman known to mankind; Samantha. He¡¯s reading a book that his father passed down to him, before the night he took his parents'' lives accidentally. He¡¯s waiting for Samantha to show up. Supposedly, she had a surprise for him, and she did so every month.


    ¡°Sure is a beautiful day.¡± he muttered while flipping a page.


    Surprisingly, someone placed their hand on his shoulder. He looked over it, and saw Eligor, a friend he made a couple of months ago.


    ¡°Leon! Whatcha doing here?¡± he asked.


    Leon grinned. ¡°I¡¯m reading art, that¡¯s what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°Art?! Like in martial arts! Because I wanna spar with you again.¡±


    Leon chuckled, ¡°don¡¯t think that¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°What, you¡¯re afraid of getting your butt whooped?¡±


    Leon shrugged. ¡°Unless you¡¯re talking about yourself, then be my guess and try attacking me.¡±


    Eligor eased his hand off Leon¡¯s shoulder, and forced a chuckle.


    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ nevermind, I¡¯m not ready to face you head on again.¡±


    Leon closed his book, and got up.


    ¡°Say, Eligor, now that you¡¯re here, it gives me a chance to ask you something.¡±


    Eligor took steps back to give them space.


    ¡°Sure, what¡¯s up?¡±


    Leon tucked his book beneath his arm, and cleared his throat, placing his hand on his hip.


    ¡°Is it true that you¡¯re transferring to learn the ways to be an Exorcist?¡±


    Eligor gasped with shock.


    ¡°Who-Who told you?!¡±


    Leon sighed.


    ¡°Quite hard to be quiet about it when you also told someone as loud as Shaman to expose your truth.¡±


    ¡°Damn, you¡¯re right. But yes, it is true.¡±


    Eligor flexed his muscles.


    ¡°I think I¡¯d make a good Exorcist.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re aware about the work that they do, right?¡±


    Eligor nodded, and placed his fists on his hips.


    ¡°Of course! But I¡¯m just interested in hunting demons, spirits, you know, actual Exorcism stuff.¡±


    Leon raised a brow, and grabbed his chin.


    ¡°Really now? I don¡¯t buy it knowing your character.¡±


    ¡°Leon! You-you think I joined just to gain some power advantage to take on everyone else that isn¡¯t an Exorcist?!¡±


    Leon raised his brow more, and a grin started to appear.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say all that. But thank you for telling me your true intentions.¡±


    ¡°Oh-Oh shit!¡±


    Leon chuckled and went up to Eligor, patting his huge shoulder.


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯m aware. Although, if we ever crossed paths, just know I won¡¯t hold back the next time you and I fight; especially if you¡¯re joining a division that also has no problem taking action against supernatural beings.¡±


    Eligor also grinned, and laughed.


    ¡°Right right! I¡¯ll take your word on it, my powerful frenemy.¡±


    While the two stood in acceptance, someone else decided to hop into their conversation, and instead of being proper, they did by shooting a plasma ball. Leon smacked it away without giving a glance to it. It shot up to the air, and flashed the sky in red, and everyone was awestruck by the apocalyptic display. Leon clenched a fist, and shifted his head to the source of the attack.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t Ravana.¡± Leon said.


    Ravana lowered his hand, and shrugged.


    ¡°Oops, that slipped.¡±


    ¡°Did it really? Or are you still upset at the fact that you¡¯ll never reach my level.¡±


    Ravana bounced a brow, and stepped forward.


    ¡°Oh Leon, still thinking that I¡¯m envious of his massive strength and gap that bridges us.¡±


    Leon crossed his arms.


    ¡°Coming from a guy who explodes at the littlest things, anything that comes out of your mouth will always be taken with a grain of salt.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s nerves were being pinched, and it made his raised brow twitch.


    ¡°He he heh, whatever you say¡­ Bolverkr.¡±


    Leon squinted his eyes, and also stepped forward.


    ¡°I have a feeling we¡¯ll never get along. And I¡¯m fine with that because knowing the nature of you, it makes me seem more green lit than you¡¯ll ever be seen.¡±


    Feeling the tension grow between them, Eligor stepped in between, and tapped the air.


    ¡°Now now, you guys, let''s make an example for the newcomers.¡±


    Ravana pointed a finger in the sky, and grinned.


    ¡°I think I already have more than Leon could, unless¡­ he wants to display his dormant abilities like in practice.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s smug nature brought a hindrance in Leon¡¯s chilled attitude, which made the tall young man mildly tilt his head and clench a fist.


    ¡°I would love to, but that would give me a chance of killing you¡ª¡®accidently¡¯, of course.¡±


    Ravana frowned. ¡°Hmph, we¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    Eligor began to panic and couldn¡¯t think of anything else to calm the two. He could handle Ravana¡¯s hotheaded outburst, but Leon is on a whole different spectrum of power to which no one could comprehend nor reach. Only one person could tame the beast if he were to go berserk, and that was none other than¡­


    ¡°Hey! You two idiots, chillax man, hehheh!¡±


    A snorty humorous voice shouted close to them, but they couldn¡¯t see who it was. Leon though, he knew right away who the voice belonged to, and it cooled him down.


    ¡°John, where are you hiding?¡± he asked.


    ¡°John? Who the hell is John?¡± Ravana asked.


    Slithering his way out of the cracks of the sidewalk, John emerged and presented his grungy steampunk self. Getting in the middle of everyone, he wrapped his arm around Eligor¡¯s huge boulders he called shoulders, and chuckled.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the maliciousness between you two?! There¡¯s no need for it, my two friends. Relax, all of you, and let''s rejoice in the wonderful season of fresh meat, haha!¡±


    Hearing his close friends'' snarky, cheerful voice finally eased all of Leon¡¯s nerves and he returned to his still face. Ravana on the other hand found his presence a nuisance, and thought lowly of him.


    ¡°Well well well, if it isn¡¯t Malificus. The supposed best Witch in the making. What brings a clown like you here?¡± Ravana said.


    John cringed at him, and pointed at Ravana.


    ¡°You smart ass little bastard. Using my real name, that¡¯s a Sin! How dare you, but anyways you can suck it, because you yourself can¡¯t compete on my level either, heheheh!¡±


    Ravana wiggled his nose, and his annoyance was starting to unfold.


    ¡°Everyone here thinks they¡¯re better than me?! When in fact I have the most potential!¡±


    John went up to Ravana, and wiggled his finger at him.


    ¡°Tisk tisk, Ravana Ravana! You gotta chill out dude. Being a hothead isn¡¯t good for your health. Not to mention with that playboy look you got going on, you ain¡¯t gonna make it to 35 without looking 55, dude!¡±


    Eligor laughed and so did Leon. Ravana sighed and flicked John¡¯s finger away, which made him shut his mouth and give him a side eye.


    ¡°Ey ey ey ey, what has thy finger done to you!¡± John exclaimed, but snickered afterwards.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I can¡¯t compete against the two of you¡­ yet.¡±


    ¡°Ooo, interesting. Yet! We¡¯ll see friend, we¡¯ll see!¡±


    With everyone in an even mood, standing around to see who¡¯ll say the next thing, they heard soft footsteps approaching them from the grassy side of the lawn.


    ¡°Oh, it seems everyone''s present, for some strange reason.¡±


    A young woman''s voice, her tone soft, mature, yet seductive turned everyone''s attention. All heads shifted to the right, and standing in her black turtleneck sweater, red skirt, and glistening pale skin from the shining sunlight: It was Samantha who¡¯s eyes glared at everyone else''s besides Leon. She held a bag with two hands in front, and went up to Leon who grew nervous but brought out a smile. Eligor stepped away, Ravana¡¯s captivated, and John held his grin while she edged closer to his close friend.


    ¡°Sorry if I¡¯m late, Leon, but I had to do something on the way.¡±


    She stopped an inch from him, and her beautiful smile cleansed his soul, and made him turn red. He scratched the back of his head, and forced a chuckle.


    ¡°With you, I would never complain, Samantha.¡±


    She giggled, and brought the bag up.


    ¡°Here, take it.¡± she softly said.


    Leon grabbed the bag, and opened it. Reaching inside, he grabbed an object that felt soft. Pulling it out, it was a small bear that held onto a blackened heart. Seeing it brought confusion to Leon, but seeing Samantha¡¯s sparkling face, and her gorgeous crimson eyes, he couldn¡¯t question as to why she gifted him something out of his comfort zone.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s this, Samantha?¡± he politely asked.


    She grabbed the bear, and held it with him.


    ¡°Our anniversary gift! Happy six months, Leon!¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t retain his happiness and showed it. Granting everyone with something rare out of him, his huge smile is out of character which brought everyone in a complete state of shock. Not even John could believe his eyes and he¡¯s known him the longest. Seeing this side of him made Ravana envious about his relationship with Samantha. Yet a part of him still believed she didn¡¯t reject his request and had him still clawing at the idea that there¡¯s a chance for them to be together. The thought of them being a power couple shot some courage in him, and tried to attempt to ask something out of line.


    He went up to the pair, and cleared his throat. Both panned their attention to him, and despite earlier hostility, Leon¡¯s smile remained.


    ¡°Samantha, I-I still haven¡¯t gotten an answer from you, uh¡­ it¡¯s been a couple of months so¡­?¡±


    Samantha¡¯s smile turned upside down, and she gave Ravana a cold stare. In fact, she felt just as annoyed by anyone else present. Without expressing a single emotion towards Ravana, she instead shooed him away with her hand.


    ¡°Wha-what are you trying to say?¡± Ravana asked, nervously chuckling.


    Samantha raised the edge of her lip mildly, and looked away.


    ¡°What a pathetic fool. And your presence aggravates me. Leave, weakling.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Wow, she said it alright. Ahem, very very awkward now bwahaha!¡± John said.


    Eligor cringed. ¡°Oh man, bad timing, bad timing.¡±


    Leon tilted his head, and got in front of Samantha which got her by surprise. Leon¡¯s smile, still intact, his eyes grew fierce and a glint sliced through them as he stared down Ravana.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s time for you to leave unless you want to see again just how formidable I am to the rest of you.¡±


    Everyone could feel his mana grow, surge: the ground began to vibrate, and gravity around them began to feel heavy. Eligor collapsed to fours, John got to a knee, and Ravana tried fighting it, but was slammed to his face. In a struggle, he brought his gaze up to Leon who¡¯s eyes gleamed malice towards him.


    ¡°What now? Ravana? Is it not time for you to leave? Why are you on the ground, chest pressed against the concrete? Weren¡¯t you strong enough to be toe to toe with me? Fool.¡±


    Ravana ground his teeth, and tried to move his muscles but couldn¡¯t. Leon¡¯s mana kept growing and growing, and the area around them began to fall victim to it. Students, newcomers, they were all struggling to fight against the might of Leon as his annoyance unfolded. The building began to crack, and seeing the person in question, most of the newcomers were smiling towards him, and praised Leon. But, others saw that Samantha stood by his side without being fazed by his power. Seeing that he¡¯s getting carried away, Samantha grabbed his hand, and immediately, gravity returned to normal. This brought a gasp out of John, and Ravana. Eligor leaped up, and stretched his legs and arms.


    ¡°Jesus Leon¡­ if you were annoyed you should¡¯ve said so instead of doing that!¡± Eligor exclaimed.


    Samantha caressed his hand, and rubbed his arm.


    ¡°Leon, there¡¯s no need for that. But I love it when you¡¯re so protective of me.¡±


    She giggled and hearing her innocent laughter made him blush again. Ravana couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, and John also was in disbelief.


    ¡°She can cool him down better than I can. Interesting.¡± John muttered as he got on his feet.


    Ravana stayed on the ground, and being witnessed to the beauty that has tamed the beast brought an idea to his twisted mind.


    ¡°The tournament starts in winter. I wonder if I have this ticking time bomb explode in front of everyone there, it¡¯ll show just how much of a monster he is.¡±


    A vile grin emerged and his crimson eyes glinted.


    ¡°Then Samantha would see and if he actually loses control and attacks everything in sight, including her, then I¡¯ll be the one to stop him.¡±


    He snickered and shut his eyes.


    It¡¯s the perfect plan. Lets just see how much she can actually keep him at bay and if she fails to do so, when the moment comes for her to be the damsel in distress¡ªI, Ravana! Will be her long awaited saviour! Ravana thought.


    Eligor helped Ravana back up, and he patted himself.


    ¡°You alright there?¡± Eligor asked.


    Ravana¡¯s vile grin faded and he let out a sigh.


    ¡°Yeah, and you guys are right, I apologise for my odd desperate behaviour.¡±


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Chelsea had just arrived, and grabbed Leon¡¯s arm, which made Samantha''s eyes grow big.


    ¡°Leon Leon! Heys, whatchas doing?!¡±


    Leon saw Chelsea beside him, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Uh, just hanging around until all of you guys decided to pop in. But I¡¯m with Samantha now so I feel better.¡±


    ¡°Ohs! Samantha¡¯s here?!¡±


    She saw her glare, and it made Chelsea quickly let go and step away.


    ¡°My-My bads!¡±


    Samantha gapped her mouth and stared at Chelsea for a good minute. Her ominous eyes that made men fall for her were enriching fear into Chelsea¡¯s soul. She quickly ran off to Eligor and clutched his arm, and he turned red.


    ¡°I saids I was sorrys!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s face turned still again, and she gave a side eye towards her.


    ¡°Never again shall you touch what belongs to me, Chelsea.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Leon replied.


    Samantha gasped and covered her mouth.


    ¡°Oops! I-I didn¡¯t mean it to make it sound like you¡¯re my property, sweety!¡±


    Her embarrassed nature made Leon chuckle and grab her hand, and seeing him naturally grab her without repercussion made Ravana¡¯s stomach turn. He growled, crossed his arms, and smacked his lips as the two were swallowing into each other''s gazes.


    ¡°You¡¯re already mine, Samantha, and no one will ever lay a finger on you. Unless they want to face death, then they¡¯ll have to go through me.¡±


    ¡°Le-Leon¡­¡±


    Samantha went for a big hug, and clung onto Leon. Seeing them happy brought a smile to John, but he still felt something was off about Samantha, but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. Ravana had enough of seeing the woman hold onto his rival that he wandered off without saying bye. Chelsea had a defeated smile on her face as she watched her longtime crush hold another woman. Seeing her sadness made Eligor place his hand on her small shoulder and rub it to comfort her. With everyone in agreement and without another disruption, Leon held onto his true love while Samantha¡¯s face that was facing at the building, no one could see her thin smile that reeked of sadistic tendencies. In her thoughts, all she could think of was the gift she gave to Leon and what it ultimately represented: Her goal in achieving a family, and finding the perfect man to water her seed.


    You¡¯re mine Leon, and soon¡­ the daughter I¡¯ve predicted and the family I drew will soon come to life.


    ***


    Present time.


    The city of Detroit was in ruins. It¡¯s cloudy, eerie, vacant, and without a single sign of life in sight; it had the appearance of a post war feeling. The only people present were Eligor who stood on top of a small skyscraper, and beside him was his lover Chelsea who, together were watching the sun finally starting to show signs of ending its light for the day. Chelsea sat with her head being supported by a hand while Eligor wondered what she was thinking.


    ¡°Chelsea, you alright?¡± he asked.


    Chelsea quietly let air out her nose, and softly blinked.


    ¡°Oh nothings. Just reminiscing, that''s alls.¡±


    ¡°Oh, about what babe?¡±


    She let off her hand, and both her hands were dangling from her knees. Hunching forward, she could feel the sky breeze grow colder by the minute.


    ¡°You knows, when we were all friends and such.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the academy?¡±


    She nodded, and deeply sighed.


    ¡°Yeahs, and it was such a doozy to be around. You know, befores all this happened and now we¡¯re worshiping the lady who supposedly is our messiah.¡±


    Chelsea could see Samantha¡¯s crimson eye in the sun, glaring at her and again, reminding her of her twisted nature. It made her skin crawl and made her shiver to which she responded by hugging herself.


    ¡°I stills wonders why we¡¯re doing this. Knowing the fact that Samantha¡¯s also this woman, it¡¯s a hard pill to swallow darling.¡±


    ¡°We still don¡¯t know that. Yes it¡¯s strange that she disappeared the day before Abyzou was born, but nevertheless, Ravana was right about our messiah being born.¡±


    Chelsea felt conflicted and let out another sigh along with a groan.


    ¡°Hagh¡­ whatever. And I also placed the crystals arounds the city babes. So if Leon actually shows his gorgeous face then we¡¯ll¡ªbe ready¡­¡±


    The hesitation in the end of her sentence made Eligor worry. He knew she still had some feelings left for Leon, and to see her like this, in preparation for taking him down like Ravana predicted; he¡¯s beginning to wonder if she can go through with it. He also questioned himself, whether he can stomach the idea of taking out an old frenemy.


    ¡°Babes, I¡¯m beginning to wonder if everything we¡¯re doing is right. I mean take a look at the city.¡±


    Eligor took his eyes off his girlfriend and glanced at the destroyed city that was already being deconstructed from inside politics. Seeing it in ruins caused by their hands hit Eligor with a different feeling, and wondered the same now. Regret came and shot in his face when he saw a couple of causalities lying on the street below.


    ¡°I understand where you''re coming from. But as Ravana has envisioned! Our peaceful utopia with normality and the supernatural living amongst one another, I know it¡¯ll be worth it!¡±


    Chelsea grinned, and glanced at her man who stood proud with a fist pumped.


    ¡°You''re goofy. But my minds hasn¡¯t changed. And knowing that Leon¡¯s our next target¡­ I¡¯ms not liking Ravana¡¯s plan one bit sweetums.¡±


    Eligor lowered his fist, and his open mouth smile shut, staying as a grin.


    ¡°Yeah. That I¡¯m not looking forward to. And I did remember that he said he¡¯d let me have it if we ever crossed paths outside the academy.¡±


    Remembering his words turned Eligors grin upside down.


    ¡°I respect that guy so much and look up to him as one of the greatest people. Despite his explosive side and berserk nature and holding the title destroyer¡­¡±


    Eligor lowered his head, and sank his eyes.


    ¡°I still consider him as a great friend.¡±


    Hearing his hurt tone made Chelsea get up and hug her man. The two held each other while the sun eased down more beside them. While hugging, they sensed something below that caught their attention. Chelsea was the first to let go and leap out from the building, falling down and landing on the destroyed city street road. Eligor soon followed and landed on top of a convenience store building top and glanced around to see what got her attention.


    ¡°What do you sense, babe?¡±


    Chelsea scanned the area, and pointed at some rubble near a spot Eligor was at hours ago.


    ¡°There! He still lives!¡±


    ¡°Who?!¡±


    Eligor hovered his hand over his eyes, and saw someone laying against some piled concrete, and debri.


    ¡°That kid, he survived your attack?¡±


    Chelsea rubbed her head.


    ¡°I swears I laid it on him! Damn it.¡±


    Eligor chuckled. ¡°Well, it seems you didn¡¯t have the courage to take a life away.¡±


    ¡°Man, but that kids tough if he has enoughs of a breath trickling out in that rubble.¡±


    Eligor rubbed his chin, and saw the young man¡¯s shut eyelids flicker.


    ¡°He¡¯s something else, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Chelsea, with just a single jump stood next to Jack who was a complete, broken and bloody mess. She patted his head, and gripped his hair. She moved it a bit to see if he¡¯d react but a groan was all that she got.


    ¡°He¡¯s a tough son of a gun. But I guess¡¯s that''s deserving when you have someone like Leon teaching you how to fights.¡±


    ¡°Which means¡­ that punk kid got more lessons from him than me! How dare he.¡±


    Chelsea kept her eyes on Jack, and felt sorry for hurting him near death. The regret she had earlier came back ten fold when she looked straight and saw just how much damage she caused with her Warhammer attack. It brought a grimace and she slowly walked backwards, seeing more further damage and carcasses that were shown from the edge of her sights. She came to a stop in the middle of the road, and Eligor can sense her saddened aura gravitate towards him.


    ¡°Are we really doing the right thing?¡± he muttered.


    Chelsea looked over her shoulder, and smiled weakly towards him.


    ¡°If all this fails honey, I think I¡¯ma lay low and lives me a normal life.¡±


    Her answer made Eligor speechless. His memories flashed through all the interactions they had and how they met, leading up to befriending the destroyer known as Leon Bolverkr. Despite them being supernatural and abnormal, they were living a normal life without being hunted or hated by Exorcists like they are now. Remembering his days training with them, learning how they function, Eligor¡¯s memory finally flashed a horrible image of someone whom the whole world has come to loathe.


    ¡°Archard¡­¡±


    His tactics, the way he spoke to anyone below and not on par to be worthy of the title Exorcist, Archard would humiliate and show no mercy. Knowing that someone like him exists made Ravana seem like an Angel. Archard was the main reason as to why he quit their brigade and decided to follow the cult that represented Envy. Seeing how everyone spent time together, worshiping but also being in an environment that wasn¡¯t toxic and not followed by a dictator made him turn over a leaf. Although Ravana may be a hothead and loose cannon at times, he has once tried to off anyone without a proper reason.


    Clenching a fist, Eligor shut his eyes and could remember a time when Archard was testing everyone¡¯s power and mana control. Two Esper''s were present, a Witch, himself, and lastly, a little girl with blonde hair and a face that was lifeless and doll-like. His sheer power and mana was in full display. A golden fire flickered around him, electric currents wildly jolting as he glared at them all. It was menacing to be in the presence of one of the most powerful beings in existence.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m at half my strength. Which one of you fools would like to stand in front and challenge me?¡±


    Everyone stayed in a frozen shocked state, groaning, moaning as Archard¡¯s flame grew hotter by the second.


    ¡°If no one will step up to the center of the stage, and I guess that means all of you will fail, thus proving my point to why folks like Esper''s and Witches have no place in our realm. We¡¯re in a completely different league, and only the most gifted or born are welcomed.¡±


    The two Esper''s clenched their teeth, sweating in fear, the Witch¡¯s jaw was dropped, and Eligor couldn¡¯t bring himself to not shake in fear. The girl on the other hand stood in silence, her fists clenched, and did not show any signs of fear.


    ¡°Enough pissing yourselves now. I¡¯m willing to give any of you another chance if you want.¡±


    Nobody dared take a step forward while his grin sent permanent fear to freeze their bone marrow. The girl grew more serious, and was the only one who lightly took a step forward.


    ¡°So, which one of you cowards, once again, dare challenge me?¡±


    The girl opened her mouth, growled and her hair began to flutter. She let out a yell, and the same flame that burned around Archard exploded around her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t frighten me in the slightest, Archy.¡± she said.


    Archard gasped, and found himself in a similar state of shock as the others. She growled some more, and her flame grew higher and reached the same as Archards. Electrical currents began to flicker around her as the two had a stare down. After she was done powering up, Archard brought out a grin, and kept his cool. She also had a grin on her face.


    ¡°Ahh, the girl William took in. Surprise to find you here. Couldn¡¯t have noticed you when you¡¯re so tiny.¡±


    She glared at Archard, and raised a fist.


    ¡°I may be just a child, but my lust for battle continues to grow. William said as long as I don¡¯t express more than one emotion, then fighting you won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°Sir William stated that?¡± he asked.


    She nodded, and furrowed her brows deeper.


    ¡°Yeah, and if you¡¯re as powerful as they say you are¡­ then bring it on!¡±


    Archard¡¯s grin was wiped clean off and he grew just as serious as she did earlier. Everyone couldn¡¯t believe their eyes and what their eardrums had captured. Eligor felt more motivated to face his fear and overcome the monster that was his apparent teacher. Ever since that day, he vowed to surpass the two and more importantly, Leon to be the best and also respected. He hoped one day he could teach others but not in a cruel manner, rather in a respectful wiser way. Remembering that moment gave him goosebumps and made him bring up his arm while Chelsea stayed still in the middle of the street.


    ¡°I-I think I¡¯m edging towards your idea now, babe.¡± Eligor said.


    Chelsea felt her heart stop when she heard that. She turned around and gave her a smile he wanted to imbed into his mind forever.


    ¡°So does that mean?!¡±


    Eligor lowered his arms, and nodded.


    ¡°Perhaps we can redeem ourselves by getting the crystals and stopping this mess. We¡¯ll go into hiding and once Ravan¡¯s stopped, we¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    From out of nowhere, Eligor was punched away from the top of the building, shooting into, through countless buildings.


    Chelsea loudly gasped, and screamed, ¡°babe!¡±


    Hovering to the ground, fists clenched and eyebrows knitted, Leon has presented himself. He¡¯s viciously upset, and Chelsea could see his blood thirsty eyes staring at her.


    ¡°Le-Leon! You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re alives¡­¡± she said in a shaky tone.


    Exploding out of the building he was shot into, puffs of smoke expanding out, Eligor stood there, and glared at Leon as the smoke dissipated. He grabbed his cloak, threw it off him, and stomped his way next to Chelsea. Once he was beside her, the two had a stare down, and she could feel her hubby¡¯s bitterness get the best of him.


    ¡°Leon, of all people, I¡¯d never suspected you to hit someone with a cheap shot.¡±


    Leon said nothing, but took a glance at Jack who was still unconscious.


    He¡¯s still alive, and it also answers my concern. He thought.


    ¡°Not gonna say anything? Or are we finally going to face off like we promised.¡± Eligor said.


    Chelsea didn¡¯t want to fight Leon or take his life. She wanted them to fly away and do what he said earlier. Yet hearing his grouchy voice, she knew his mind had changed again and this was an opportunity he had to settle once and for all. With no other choice, Chelsea put her hand out, and brought out her mana Warhammer.


    ¡°Seeing the boy in a pile of rubble, I suspected you were the culprits of breaking the barrier around his body. The one I made to protect him.¡±


    Chelsea stabbed the ground with the bottom of the hammer, and frowned.


    ¡°Leon¡¯s sweety, that was me that did it.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of who did it, don¡¯t assume that you two are now capable of beating me.¡±


    Eligor stepped forward, and ripped the rest of his shirt off, puffing out his muscles.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see that you¡¯d actually showed up. I was doubting Ravana¡¯s plan but seeing that it¡¯s all in fruition, it makes me just as excited for the future in store.¡±


    ¡°I could care less about your stupid future. Now tell me, where¡¯s my daughter?¡±


    Chelsea moaned, but Eligor kept his cool, and brought up a fist.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late now. Whether she¡¯s your actual daughter or a copy of Abyzou, the fact of the matter is you¡¯re next in line to be taken out, my dear friend.¡±


    Leon ground his teeth, and his anger was growing tenfold.


    ¡°I have had it with all of this! My daughter''s life is in jeopardy, the people that aren¡¯t a part of this have paid with their life''s over your relentless actions¡­¡±


    Chelsea leaped overhead, and stood two feet away from Leon¡¯s backside.


    ¡°... no more, even if we were all friends in the past, none of it matters now! Whoever brings harm to my family will pay with their lives.¡±


    Eligor got into his tackle pose, and right away, felt Leon¡¯s mana being drained from the crystals. Chelsea also felt it with one tiny crystal stored in her pocket. The warmth pulsing inside brought an aura of sadness on her.


    ¡°Enough of the killing. Not one death will go accounted for, not one!¡±


    Leon¡¯s mana exploded out, and it darkened the city.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure your deaths will be quick, and once I¡¯m through with the two of you¡­ I¡¯m going after that bastard Ravana!¡±


    The two took charge from both ends, and Leon shouted. Chelsea shot a web of plasma balls at him, and Eligor tried shooting his fist. He leaped out of the area, and flew up to the sky to avoid their first wave of attacks. The two launched themselves up, chasing after Leon as he made his way up a skyscraper. Chelsea spun her finger tips, forming an O-ring of mana that sparkled with lightning while Eligor created two balls of energy. The two shot their attacks at him, and he took them head on from both sides.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?! Eligor using mana?!¡±


    A massive explosion occurred, covering the city skyline in a cloud of smoke.


    ¡°Goes to show how fruitless you are against me!¡± Leon shouted while Chelsea came from below, driving her foot towards his face.


    He casually caught it, and her eyes shook. But Leon felt his breath leave his lungs for a moment. It gave an opening for Eligor to drive a punch straight to Leon¡¯s face, and gave the chance for Chelsea to spin kick Leon back to the ground. He was sent plunging, crashed into a pile of rubble where he lay there, debris stacked over him. His facial confusion had his eyes shut temporarily as he tried to figure out as to how they caught him off guard.


    ¡°Wh-What was that? Some-somethings¡ªnot right!¡±


    While thinking of a possibility of what just happened a moment ago, he saw the two lunging towards him from above. He kicked back up, dodged their melee attacks, and hopped away, growing some distance between them. The two lovebirds immediately put their hands together, and shot a huge beam out their palms. Leon caught it with one hand, but again, felt something sucking his breath out again. The beam clashed with his palm, sparking, flashing the area in red and blue, and Leon grew frustrated to what¡¯s happening. His eyes grew bigger and he was beginning to grow weaker. To give himself an advantage, he was forced to use more of his mana to push the beam back, and successfully did. The two also pushed back, and again, Leon struggled against it.


    With everyone growling, groaning, Leon brought out more of his mana, and exploded his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare think you have a chance on bea-beating¡ªme!¡±


    At last, Leon used his other hand to punch the beam away, and it clashed against the two, exploding and sending them dragging away. The two skid a mile away, until they lost their footing, and landed on the ground, bruised, and clothing torn. Leon jumped into the air, and yelled his way to them, driving a fist forward. Eligor had his eyes shut for a moment, but exploded them open to shoot a huge beam at Leon. Leon deflected it, but Chelsea appeared out of nowhere, kicking him away. Leon bounced, caught himself, spun onto buildings while Chelsea chased after him. Eligor followed suit, and Leon felt more of his breath being drained, and was at his peak of his frustration.


    ¡°You-You wanna use mana attacks?! I¡¯ll show you mana!¡±


    While leaping from building to building, he closed his hands together, flew upwards, and reopened them, creating a line of mana that shot out a cornucopia of energy balls. Chelsea quickly duck before being in the line of fire, but Eligor had to do his best to deflect them, but fell victim, thus creating a huge explosion that rocked the city. Chelsea tried teleporting behind him while he was distracted by the explosion. She brought out her Warhammer, and plunged it at him. He vanished quickly, elbow dropped onto her head, and she fell. With the momentum of her falling, Leon grabbed her foot, spun her for a moment then overhead, and once he was nearing another building top, he slammed her through it. The building windows shot out puffs of smoke, glass, and afterwards, collapsed due to the momentum.


    Leon floated back down, and waited, but that strange feeling of his breath being taken away was more evident. He brought his hands up, and saw them shaking.


    ¡°W-What¡¯s¡­ happening to me? Ev-every time I use more of my mana¡­ I get drained of my life, and it forces me to use more-more of it.¡±


    Leon felt his left eye wanting to shut, and his breathing grew heavier.


    ¡°This-This isn¡¯t¡­ right.¡±


    He heard the rubble, collapsed building in front of him make creaking noises. Chelsea came out of the piled debris, and remained serious. She was more beat up, bloodied, and Eligor emerged from the side, wiping off the blood from the edge of his lips. The two gave a cold stare to Leon as he did his best to catch his breathing. Leon shut an eye, and clutched his chest. Eligor glanced at Chelsea and nodded.


    ¡°Feeling out of the bloom, Leon?¡± Eligor stated.


    Chelsea also nodded.


    ¡°You don¡¯ts looks too good, Leon sweetheart.¡±


    ¡°S-Shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°You better do something before you¡¯re drained, Leon.¡±


    Leon¡¯s vision was starting to become impaired and started seeing doubles, triplets of them.


    ¡°Hu-Huh?¡±


    Chelsea wiped the blood off her head, and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Otherwise, Leon, you¡¯re goings to lose.¡±


    Leon growled and powered up more of his mana. His magma aura exploded out, and sucked the atmosphere around them. A storm brewed from his surgency, and rainfall came down with big hail balls. All three stood in silence while the rainfall came down harder. The two carefully approached Leon as he was finally getting his breathing intact. Thunder flashed, the sky crackled, the enigma of demise reeked in the air. As the rain came down on them, drenching their clothes, Leon felt better, but still felt a struggle ensue inside his lungs.


    ¡°Feeling better after using more mana, old friend?¡± Eligor asked.


    Leon had his brows knit as he glared at the two.


    ¡°Whatever trickery you¡¯re pulling, it¡¯ll never be enough to bring me down.¡±


    ¡°Buts seeings as to how much you usings your power, you won¡¯t last too longs, Leon.


    Leon began to chuckle, and slowly, it transitioned into a broken one.


    ¡°You two! You both really believe you have enough to defeat me?!¡±


    They said nothing, and watched as Leon¡¯s aura began to dim.


    ¡°This-this thunderstorm is a perfect backdrop for your demise¡¯s!¡± he growled.


    The thunderstorm began to pick up more, and flashed the city in white with huge lightning strikes. In an odd transparency, they looked rather sad and hung their heads for a second.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do this¡­¡± Chelsea muttered.


    Eligor clenched a fist, and ground his teeth.


    ¡°But-But we have to. If he hadn¡¯t shown up, then we could¡¯ve ran away like I said. Yet seeing this event unfold, holds Ravana¡¯s predictions¡­ damn it, Leon.¡±


    Leon¡¯s broken laughter echoed, and he stopped, growing furiously angry again.


    ¡°Because, there¡¯s no end for me, no end! Fo-For I am Leon, Bolverkr!¡±


    With one more lightning flash, the afterimages of the two merged into one. Leon gasped, and the two bombed rushed Leon as he powered up more, and to no unveil, he dodged their attacks. He punched Eligor, shattering his mana muscles off his body, and giving Chelsea a gut wrench punch. They both gagged, screamed, but again, rushed him with a barrage of melee, and mana attacks. Leon effortlessly dodged them despite how close range they were as they continued trying to overpower Leon Bolverkr. Feeling his mana drain faster, Chelsea flew away, and so did Eligor.


    ¡°Hey! Where do you two think you¡¯re going?!¡± he shouted.


    They flew all over the city, dodging skyscraper after building as Leon was hot on their tails. Once Chelsea felt the crystal in her pocket molten hot, she turned to Eligor, and nodded with a frown. He saw a tear fly out of her eye, and he couldn¡¯t bear the feeling of guilt anymore. The two quickly turned half their bodies mid flight, shooting two blasts that blinded Leon¡¯s vision with smoke.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Leon shouted.


    He paused, and glanced everywhere, but fell victim to Chelsea¡¯s Warhammer that had the crystal in her pocket on the end. It stabbed his shoulder, and pummeled him back down to the earth. He lay there, growing, and felt the crystal digging into his flesh.


    ¡°Ahh! Wh-what the hell¡­ is-is this?!¡±


    He grabbed his shoulder, but felt the two floating overhead. They were eight stories high, staring down at their old friend with down casted eyes, and their lip corners lowered. Chelsea divided her Warhammer handle in fours, and they formed into horseshoe shaped objects. They shot down Leon, tying him down to the destroyed street behind him. Leon couldn¡¯t believe he was being held down by an attack by her, but the crystal embedded into his shoulder dug deeper and deeper the more he powered up. Leon screamed in anger, and the two began to chant something beneath their breaths. Leon then saw purple objects zooming from the corner of his eyes, and the objects circled around them.


    Leon grit his teeth, and a fat wrinkle formed between his eyebrows.


    ¡°Ravana¡­¡± he muttered. ¡°He told them about¡ª¡±


    The crystals glowed, and paused. The two aimed their palms at Leon, and saw his furious nature, glaring at them. They couldn¡¯t believe that this was the last image of a dear friend and someone they respected being cemented into their contradicted minds. Chelsea quietly let tears flow out her eyes, and Eligor shed one as their palms glowed purple, and the crystals took an angle, fueling the mana building beneath their palms.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ Leon¡­¡± Chelsea muttered.


    ¡°Goodbye, Leon, Bolverkr.¡± Eligor whispered.


    The crystals stopped glowing, and they began firing a barrage of spiked mana blasts. Each one punctured, shot through Leon as it trembled the earth. Leon was being torn, scorched alive by the attacks. He let out an angered scream, but eventually, his scream transitioned to a yell, and ultimately formed into an agonised scream that grew more putrid as the attack grew bigger and bigger. The area was flashed in purple, then flashed white with a huge explosion that expanded in the area he was held down. His agonsied scream drew out by the last explosion that occurred, thus, putting the city back into a silent desolated ruins.


    Hearing his last scream, made the young man twitch some fingers, and weakly open an eye, mumbling, ¡°Leon¡­¡± as he faded out of consciousness again.


    ***


    Hours passed, it¡¯s nightfall, the city still drenched in heavy rainfall, and Jack, was finally able to awake but feeling the after affects of the attack ensued by Chelsea and Eligor. He weakly opened his eyes, and saw the barely lit city with broken lights, and some stop lights flashing in front of him. He couldn¡¯t remember much of what happened after being knocked unconscious. Yet he was able to pick up Leon¡¯s scream. He tried getting up, but felt something broken in one of his legs.


    ¡°Da-Damn¡­¡±


    Despite the pain, he fought through the pain and stood halfway up in the pile. He clutched his shoulder, and felt it dislocated. He growled in pain, moaned all the nerves damaged in his body out his nostrils, and got back on his feet.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah¡­¡± he said.


    He limped out of the pile of rubble that was his temporary bed, and made his way down the destroyed street. The flashing stop light, beaming half his face as he made his way down deeper into the darkened street, a lightning flash had lit up the city, giving him a better visual up ahead. There, he saw someone standing, like a statue. He limped, but collapsed after a couple of steps.


    ¡°Who-Who¡¯s there¡­?¡± he mumbled.


    He groaned his way back up, and stumbled his way to the statue. As he did, the early thoughts of Sarah and her defeated face that he managed to see as she was being taken away made his heart ache. He couldn¡¯t move again but gathered his thoughts about everything that''s happened in the past months. The promises told to each other, their journey so far, and to lead up to something this horrific for him; Jack had no clue what to do. Standing in the rain, Jack gripped his shoulder more, and felt bitter about himself. Being a failure again, is something Jack Samr vowed to never repeat.


    ¡°I-I have to¡­¡±


    Jack felt his determination come back, and with another flash, he saw the statue move. He limped faster, and followed it, and eventually, with another flash, he could make out as to who it was. The long raven hair, their short stature, and small build, at first Jack thought he was seeing Sarah, that wasn¡¯t until when he took some steps to the side to see the side of their face, he saw the faint glow of Samantha¡¯s platinum eyes. Her ghostly eyes sent chills up his spine, and made him fall to a knee, and watch as she slowly walked her way to a scene out of a tragic film. Jack crawled to a piece of broken debris, and stumped over it, watching where she¡¯ll end up.


    What Jack saw made his eyes water, and heart sank.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Samantha approached a lying body, faced down in a puddle of water and crimson. Holes drilled into the earth, and a limb torn off, Samantha herself couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. They were wide, and sunken, and she felt her heart shatter to a million pieces.


    ¡°This¡­ can¡¯t be real.¡± she muttered.


    She stopped a foot away from the body. It was Leon¡¯s body, cold, stiff, and his eyes were as empty as the city itself. Drenched in rainfall, Samantha couldn¡¯t tell if she was crying or mother nature herself was mourning over the loss of her husband. At first, all Samantha could do was stare, and stand there all statue-like.


    Jack shut his eyes, and softly whimpered.


    ¡°Leon¡­¡±


    Samantha shook her head, and tilted it.


    ¡°Who could¡¯ve done this¡ªto you? Leon.¡± she said.


    She took one step forward, and twitched some fingers.


    ¡°For someone to do this to you? Would mean they overpowered you.¡±


    Samantha took more steps forward as she was finally able to smell the iron in the air.


    ¡°Leon, please talk to me.¡±


    With two more steps forward, she was two arms reach from his body. She saw the holes drilled through his corpse, his pale skin, and the last remnants of his warmth oozing out of his body into the puddle he was faced down: Reality has finally struck Samantha.


    ¡°No¡­ Leon. this can¡¯t be real. What did they do to you, Leon?¡±


    Samantha slowly covered her mouth, and her body began to tremble.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve this¡­ this isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s not fair¡­ it¡¯s not fair.¡±


    Samantha began to hyperventilate and her mind began to flash memories of the best time they had before she betrayed him; humiliated, de-masculated him overtime. Yet in the events leading up to this, slowly, she was reminded as to why she chose him in the end. Seeing him get to know his daughter even after the abuse she¡¯s given him, had given her another chance to fall for him.


    ¡°You were my daughters father, the only guy who wanted to break out of his shell for someone he barely knew: you were not only my best friend in the past¡­ but my husband.¡±


    Samantha lowered her hands, and clenched them.


    ¡°And for you to die because of my Sins?!¡±


    She grit her teeth, and slammed her hands on her eyes, and held back her emotions.


    ¡°When in fact it should¡¯ve been me that should¡¯ve resolved these issues in the first place?! To let it get to this point!¡±


    Jack could hear the hurt in her voice, and seeing her fight back her true feelings broke him.


    ¡°Defines me as you always stated¡ª¡¯a cruel heartless¡­ bitch!¡±


    Samantha let off, and her eyes were overflowing, and no longer could she hold back her true feelings. She let the world see, and hear her soft whimpers. She glanced down at Leon¡¯s body, and cried.


    ¡°This just isn¡¯t fair¡­ Leon!¡±


    She quickly went to his body, and grabbed him. She turned him round, and saw his lifeless eyes, and pale face.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve this, Leon¡­ Leon¡­ Leon!¡±


    Samantha held Leon¡¯s head against her chest and screamed her lungs out. She screamed, screamed, and aimed her head up to the sky, letting the world hear her lose, and cry. Everyone around the globe, especially the supernatural were familiar to this sound because it was the same exact cry that was heard across the world, before the Sin of Envy, Abyzou was finally born. With one more cry, Samantha¡¯s eyes turned crimson, and her hair for a moment went platinum, and reality itself along with time, had come to a complete stop. In one giant flash of white, everything went back to the way it was as if the battle that took place had never occurred.

 Arc 4 Chapter 32: Abstracts Of A Reunion

    A long worrisome day has ended for Leon. It¡¯s bright, shiny, the sun¡¯s glaring a heatwave that Germany hasn¡¯t felt in ages, but for the rest, people are taking advantage of the weather. After finding out he¡¯ll be competing against a three on one match in the finals, especially against two people he deemed a nuisance, such as Ravana and his butt kisser, it¡¯s rubbing him the wrong way. On the way out of the middle campus of the academy, he bumped into Mandy who was sitting, reading a book she was studying closely for the past year. He questioned why she¡¯s so keen on learning Witchcraft''s biggest secrets when her goal in the end is just to be a bounty hunter against fallen spirits.


    Once the two were done discussing today''s events, they decided to end the day by walking together. Walking side by side, the academy coming to an end, Mandy and Leon were on their way out of the building. The halls crowded, in the courtyard, Esper''s and Witches were sparring and some were bullying underlings, the two were speaking of what''s to come next after the tournament graduation.


    ¡°Leon Leon, look look.¡± Mandy said, pulling up a pamphlet of the contestants involved.


    Leon looked at it as Mandy held it out for him. He saw everyone involved and the name at most talked in quotes was of himself. Even though he knew about his position, being reminded about it made him grimace. This didn¡¯t surprise him and rather than being excited, it only made the tall man roll his eyes and trickle a grunt.


    ¡°What? Are you not glad about being the most talked about for this? I mean, someone of your caliber should definitely be spoken of. From once you came to where you are now, Leon, you are the best.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s words of encouragement made Leon grin and pat her shoulder.


    ¡°Your flattery is most welcoming, Mandy. Although, I do disgrace.¡±


    She stepped in front as they continued walking, pouting.


    ¡°For?! You should have no reason to disgrace, sir!¡±


    ¡°Ha, you¡¯re adorable, Mandy.¡±


    Mandy blushed, and pouted more, turning away.


    ¡°Whatever, and you can¡¯t be just calling any girl adorable now that you¡¯re with¡ªnevermind.¡±


    ¡°Samantha? Right right, but it¡¯s just a fact. Can¡¯t help and state what¡¯s in fact¡­ true.¡±


    The two had paused, and were standing to the main entrance of the building. From the outside, it appeared to one''s view of entering a major train station, but in a gothic historical design. With students entering, exiting, people being checked in by the staff, Mandy and Leon were just staring at each other. Mandy was beginning to think of something she questioned, and it¡¯s about their relationship and how Leon truly felt.


    At first, she¡¯s hesitant, but after some quick reflecting, inner peace thinking, she let out a sigh, and clenched a fist.


    ¡°Leon, do you really¡ªlove Samantha?¡±


    An unexpected question, one that caught Leon off guard and made his pupils turn left. In his mind, he wasn¡¯t sure to react annoyed by the question, or begin to question, why? He let out a sigh, and shifted his pupils back to her.


    ¡°Of course I do, Mandy. Why do you ask?¡±


    Mandy hung her head, and her expression turned blank.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. It is stupid and envious of me to ask, but I can¡¯t help and say what could be questionable.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you trying to say?¡±


    Mandy grew half a grin, and moved her fingers.


    ¡°Because I know, deep down inside you, you don¡¯t only just like her¡­¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes swelled. His face turned lopsided, and he scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    That¡¯s all he could¡¯ve said without sounding selfish and to that of a jerk towards the woman he¡¯s currently dating. Hearing that response made Mandy¡¯s grin soften to a cute smile and for her to look up at him. Seeing her bright blue oceans glisten at him made his heart race and blush. Seeing his face heat up made Mandy¡¯s heart pound a million times faster.


    ¡°You know, Leon, if you weren¡¯t already taken by someone whom I¡¯ve come to hate¡­ then I know you and I would¡¯ve already been¡ª¡±


    ¡°A thing?¡± he replied.


    She gasped and he was softly grinning.


    ¡°Wait, you actually¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Mandy, of course I liked you before I ever met Samantha. Do I have to remind you that you were the first person that I ever talked to here? Not only were you the first to show the place to me, but also, the first one to make me smile and not treat me as some sort of shy freak.¡±


    Leon gently grabbed her hand, and held it.


    ¡°You were my first real friend here, and I don¡¯t count John since I¡¯ve known him before coming here. Of course I¡¯d develop feelings for you.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes glistened like they never have before. She smiled so hugely a tear came out, but that tear also came out with sadness that rolled down her face.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s ridiculous to say this now since I¡¯m with Samantha and I look like a scumbag telling you. Yet I can¡¯t help it, I have to speak my mind and say what¡¯s true. But, Mandy, I¡¯m with Samantha now, and I-I¡­ damn¡­¡±


    Mandy wiped her eyes, and faded out her smile. Again, her face went still, and in an abrupt silence, Leon wondered why she grew quiet. Mandy clenched her fists, and in an instant, pulled Leon down, and forced a kiss on him. Leon¡¯s eyes shook as the two locked lips. Mandy had her eyes closed, yet the shut dams couldn¡¯t retain the overflow of emotions hiding behind them, seeping through them. Leon also couldn¡¯t retain his feelings for her, and felt utterly guilty for not letting off. They held their kiss until John came through the entrance gate, and saw them.


    ¡°Uh oh, let me glance around and see if she ain¡¯t around!¡± John said.


    John hovered his hand over his eyes, scanning the area to see if Samantha''s anywhere to be found. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t and John let out a relieved moan. He marched to the two, and clapped his hands, which broke them out of their kiss. Mandy looked embarrassed yet happy, and Leon appeared flustered and guilty.


    ¡°Jo-John! Wh-where did you come from?!¡± Leon asked, yet his hand was still holding Mandy¡¯s.


    John raised a brow, and bounced it.


    ¡°Ooo, I had no clue that my buddy here¡¯s a playboy and a cheater? ahh shit! Pretty radical if you ask me hegh hegh!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s smile softened and she held Leon¡¯s hand tighter. Leon could feel her clutch strengthen, and he also did the same. Yet he couldn¡¯t understand why he¡¯s doing something this unforgiving. His heart and mind belonged to Samantha, but something deep down inside was telling him that Mandy is also a part of his love or perhaps¡ªtrying to tell him something different.


    ¡°John, I-I, it¡¯s not, shit.¡±


    Mandy stepped in, and raised her fist.


    ¡°It is as to what you have seen. We kissed and do share similar feelings for each other!¡± Mandy said.


    ¡°Ooo, a shocking twist coming out of the quiet girl! Holy cow, what a turn hegh hegh!¡±


    ¡°Alright alright, everyone, we don¡¯t have to say it so loud. But right now, I¡¯m very conflicted and I gotta clear my head.¡±


    Leon turned to Mandy, and shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you, but please, don¡¯t do that again. And I¡¯m not saying it to be rude, but I just don¡¯t want to seem like a jerk.¡±


    Mandy understood, and bumped her head against his abdomen.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine and I promise not to act out of line over my feelings.¡±


    Leon patted her head, and grinned.


    ¡°See you around, Mandy.¡±


    Leon walked off, and John quickly followed him. She saw the two having a verbal discussion and soon afterwards, John began teasing him and at first he looked annoyed but laughed with him. Mandy knew that if anyone could ease his conflictions, it¡¯d be him. Feeling joyful but conflicted, Mandy wandered off and once she got to the sidewalk, she saw Samantha eerily standing across the street, and she had her eyes on her. From across the street, Mandy could see that wretched thin smile that came close to ending her life a couple of times if it wasn¡¯t for Leon who came to save her.


    ¡°Wh-what is she doing?¡± Mandy said.


    Samantha took a step forward, and Mandy was caught in a vortex of colour changing patterns that drowned the sky. Around her, reality itself changed into a world of washed out colours, and spun in the sky. She gasped and panicked as Samantha was coming to her in an eerie way. The thin smile, the blank stare, the way her arms were moving with each step forward, Mandy froze in fear. Samantha stopped in the middle of the street, and the swirling vortex came to an abrupt end. They were now in an odd pattern world of changing obstacles and the universe in the reach of one''s hand. Stars, galaxies floated above as orbital structures bounced everywhere, staircases came out of the ground, and darkness lurked from every corner. The sources of light that were the stars made Samantha¡¯s face appear out of a nightmare. Each flicker reflected off her crimson eyes that shone emptiness.


    ¡°Mandy, I¡¯d like to have a word with you, if you don¡¯t mind.¡± she said in a soft tone.


    Mandy shook uncontrollably and stepped back.


    ¡°Wh-what do you want from me?! Haven¡¯t you had enough tormenting me?!¡±


    Samantha again proceeded forward and the world shifted into them floating in space. Yet the path Samantha had in front of her had Mandy stay in place. Each step pulsed a silent explosion of a galaxy that quickly zoomed in for her to step on. Mandy had no clue what she¡¯s witnessing. Was this Samantha¡¯s world? Her domain? Or is this real and is she that powerful?


    ¡°Sa-Samantha! Please¡­ what do you want from me?!¡±


    Samantha continued forward until she was at least a foot from Mandy so she could look at her blanched face. Samantha spread her arms out, and the universe itself gathered around them. A wall of galaxies, a floor of nebulas, and a ceiling of stars had Mandy on the brink of retaliating.


    ¡°Relax, and allow me to introduce to you, the universe that we co-exist in.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Samantha giggled and her hair fluttered.


    ¡°What you¡¯re witnessing is not a mirage, a fantasy, the world inside my envious mind, but, the actual observable universe.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s jaw fully dropped, and she let out a tear.


    ¡°The infinite darkness we presumed, is all here, for you to see, my dear, friend.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ this is the actual universe scientists have tried seeing and predicting?!¡±


    Samantha eerily nodded.


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes it is.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you showing me it?! What are you trying to prove, Samantha!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s thin smile grew ear to ear, and she put her face forward. Her crimson eyes glowed, and she let out a giggle that had Mandy¡¯s memories fogged in hatred and anger. The same twisted giggle she lets out every time she has an opportunity to showcase the embodiment of fear to poor Mandy.


    ¡°Why? Why am I? I wonder why, little Mandy.¡±


    Mandy took another step back, and accidentally tripped, falling on the heat, having dust particles of the nebulas on the ground pop up. She coughed, and her eyes grew tenfold.


    ¡°What are you going to do to me?!¡±


    Samantha lowered her arms to her sides, and tilted her head.


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m not going to do anything to you, weak, lopsided Mandy.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s your goal here!¡±


    Samantha vanished in the blink of an eye, and in another blink, she was beside Mandy. She grabbed her jaw, and held her face up, letting her stare into her glaring blood red eyes.


    ¡°My goal here¡­ is simple, Mandy.¡±


    She brushed some of her hair behind her ear, and bent down to Mandy¡¯s face. Mandy¡¯s eyes flooded and she averted her gaze. But Samantha forced her neck to turn and stay permanently still. She tried shutting her eyes, but Samantha wouldn¡¯t allow it. Casting a spell for her eyes to stay open, Samantha went in, and kissed Mandy, and she felt her soul being sucked out like last time but only worse. After she was done, she let off, once Mandy could see her eyes again, she saw the glint in them, and their hollow nature printing fear into her.


    ¡°Again you have made a fool of me. Again you have let your lust get the best of you. Again you kissed the man that belongs to me. Again you have played me for the last time. I¡¯m here not only to show you how powerless, hopeless you are against me. But to remind you that if you ever think of overpowering me, or manipulate Leon¡¯s weak mind¡­¡±


    Samantha licked her lips, and went to her ear.


    ¡°... I will give you a death only you¡¯ll ever want to see¡ªand that is the light you fear that I can create, with the tips of my fingers, Mandy.¡±


    Samantha let off, and smacked Mandy. She fell to her side, and cried. Samantha had her jaw gapped as she watched her cry her anger, her fear out her eyes and mouth. Not a single sign of remorse was felt for Samantha as she watched someone extremely weak in her eyes let out their true feelings.


    ¡°I hope to god we never cross paths again once the tournament is concluded. For now, enjoy the last moments and you can see the man who¡¯ll soon be my ticket and tool for my ultimate goal.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Mandy ground her teeth, and mustered some courage to ask her what her goal was.


    ¡°Wh-what would that be, huh?!¡±


    Samantha smiled again, but genuinely yet it shared sadistic properties in the way it reached her ears.


    ¡°To bear a child, and create the family I envisioned, M-a-n-d-y.¡±


    Samantha let out one more giggle, which awoke Mandy from a slumber. She quickly shot up from a bench, and grabbed her head. Feeling a headache, and her stomach in pain, she let out a groan before catching her breath. She felt her acid reflux come out, and she put her head over the bench, vomiting. After she was done, she wiped her mouth with a dangling piece of cloth from her shirt.


    ¡°Samantha, you wretched wicked Witch.¡±


    It¡¯s late at night, and Mandy has found herself on a park bench. She glanced around the lit area to see where she¡¯s at. She couldn¡¯t remember much after a long walk her and Linnea had taken after the events of the attack from the Witch cult. She brought her legs up, and hugged them, feeling the chill of the night best the heat of her body.


    ¡°Damn it¡¯s cold.¡± she said.


    Rubbing the side of her arms, her clothes still torn from earlier fight, she wondered where Linnea had wandered off to?


    ¡°Where could that girl be? Leaving me alone and unintended at this time of night? In a city like Detroit! Some friend you are, Linnea.¡±


    Her concerns were answered when she saw Linnea leap her way beside the bench with a fresh patch of clothes.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally awake. Enjoy your nap, Ms. grouchy pants?¡±


    Mandy remembered them abandoning Jack and leaving him for dead. It still rubbed her the wrong way, and guilt had stayed permanently ever since.


    ¡°Linnea, what¡¯s the status of the city, and Jack?¡±


    Linnea set Mandy¡¯s clothes in front, and sat down. She rubbed some debris off her coat, and let out a regrettable sigh.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know about Jack, but the city is destroyed. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes crinkled, and she lowered her chin to her chest.


    ¡°We should¡¯ve saved him¡­¡±


    Linnea frowned and felt just as guilty as she did.


    ¡°I know I know. But look, we¡¯re edging close to her last location. Look, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    Linnea pulled out her necklace that had different pendants and insignias and one fluttered red. It was the one that represented Witchcraft, and seeing it pulsate made Mandy knit her brows.


    ¡°I see¡­ although, I still think we could¡¯ve at least attempted to help Jack. And I¡¯m not just saying that to make you feel guilty, but the fact she¡¯s not here right now shows that we had an opportunity.¡±


    Linnea gave a vacant stare towards Mandy.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess you¡¯re right. Sorry for acting so selfishly. I let my vigilantism get the best of me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. What¡¯s done is done, and there¡¯s no going back now since we¡¯re close to getting to her. Yet, I will ask, is Samantha really Abyzou?¡±


    Linnea could remember a time when she saw Abyzou in action, and the similarities between the two were apparent. When her hands reached down from the heavens, trying to grab onto an Exorcist who was brave enough to stand up to her. She remembered that woman, an elegant woman who dressed to that of a high class individual from the great depression. Her long silky brunette hair, her golden eyes, and the huge dress, but more notably, a gold encrusted umbrella that glistened from the pulsing light of Abyzou¡¯s reach.


    Seeing the battle unfold first hand was breathtaking. It felt so reminiscent Linnea found herself back in time, and seeing the fight unfold before her blanched face again.


    ¡°Aby¡ªzou¡­¡± she muttered.


    She saw the hands shrink, and faded away into crimson particles. Red glitter fell from an opening from the sky, and out came the Sin of Envy, wearing a dress that represented death and devotion. Her snow-white hair, the glow of her eyes that lusted for blood, and the aura of hell surrounding her. The glow of her pale glistening skin made it seem as if she were an angel of death. The woman had a grin on her face as she held her umbrella up to Abyzou, and Linnea saw her mouth moving. The two exchanged words before something attacked her, something Linnea couldn¡¯t see with her eyes.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    The woman easily dodged these invisible attacks and used her umbrella to deflect something coming to her right. After she was done, and Abyzou stayed floating in the sky, the woman let out her power, and flashed the world in a golden light. The flash blinded Linnea, and she blinked back to reality, and saw her close friend''s downturned face.


    ¡°Mandy?¡±


    Mandy had already gotten dressed and she was just sitting, and gazing at the night sky.


    ¡°You know, Linnea, once this is all over, I really hope Leon and I move out into the country where we can spend our lives, living with nature.¡±


    Linnea grinned, and scooted next to Mandy. She put her hands on her arm, and a faint glow erupted around her.


    ¡°Stay still so I can heal more of your wounds.¡±


    Mandy can imagine them living in prosperity and beauty. The smell of the fresh country grass, the howl of ranch winds, and a view that stretched out to the horizon: With the two finally being together, they could raise their future children without the influence of the supernatural.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re daydreaming of, it¡¯s making you smile.¡±


    Mandy giggled, and felt her body almost at hundred percent.


    ¡°Of course, Leon and I exchanged a vow before all of this went to shit three months ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did ya now? What type of vows? Wedding? Or perhaps more?¡±


    Mandy rubbed her stomach, and her smile softened.


    ¡°Way more than you can imagine, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, whatever. I¡¯m just glad I got to heal you in time. Anyways, how the hell did you let that buffoon beat you into a pulp?!¡±


    Mandy rolled her eyes, and flailed her hand to Linnea without giving a glance.


    ¡°Psh¡­ I know I know, you don¡¯t have to remind me. I had my reasons, and I wasn¡¯t at even half my strength.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but still, it was a shocking feeling that girls'' power replicated that of Archard¡¯s and the great William.¡±


    Mandy shifted her head to Linnea, and raised a brow.


    ¡°Yeah, that caught me off guard too. But, I¡¯m glad that happened because it answers our concern that she¡¯s not a copy of Samantha, rather, there¡¯s a possibility she could be a vessel.¡±


    ¡°A vessel, what do you mean?¡± Linnea asked, letting her hands off. ¡°All healed now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, and think about it. There were times when we sensed Samantha and Abyzou inside Sarah.¡±


    Linnea did remember. The empty stares, the voice of the past coming to haunt her for the present to instill fear: The times Mandy lashed out at Sarah and Linnea also doing the same, it made them grimace.


    ¡°Seeing that she shares the same strength as those two now, it also answers my own probability.¡± Mandy said.


    Linnea brought her gaze up to the clear dark sky.


    ¡°And that probability is Sarah¡¯s possibly artificially made?¡±


    Mandy nodded, ¡°correct.¡± she reached into her pocket, and took her phone out.


    Linnea noticed something in the sky, and saw dozens of shooting stars coming from the left side of her vision.


    ¡°Hmm, strange?¡± she muttered.


    Then, stars twinkled brightly in the sky, and more and more kept dimming out of the darkness. Mandy also noticed, but was focused on her phone screen. She tried to dial for Leon, but as always, since his disappearance three months ago, he¡¯s not answering.


    ¡°I hope he¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Linnea asked as she kept seeing the night sky beginning to illuminate more and more.


    ¡°Leon. He got hurt three months ago by the nuke filled with mana that could¡¯ve devastated our world.¡±


    ¡°Wait? That giant flash three months ago was Leon saving the world?! Leon¡ªBolverkr?!¡±


    Linnea shut her eyes, and another scene came out of her subconscious.


    ¡°Huh, who would¡¯ve thought a guy like him would do something so selfless and heroic.¡±


    ***


    Remembering him from the past and a time, a time in which she could recall calling Samantha a friend, a time she thought would never change. She could recall herself and Leon training in front of Samantha who was sitting on a black blanket, and umbrella protecting her delicate skin. They were out in the Norwegian country, and for once, the sun had shone, giving off the feeling of a nice cool spring setting. The bright green grass, flowers bellowing in the distance as well as tree tops lopsided, it was a beautiful day.


    Leon was teaching her basic combat, and Samantha watched closely as she fought hard to keep up with his lessons.


    ¡°Come on Linnea, you¡¯ve gotta try better than that.¡± Leon said.


    She leaped away, and summoned a dozen ghostly goons to fight Leon instead. He punched, kicked, and slammed them out of existence.


    ¡°Giving up on combat, already?¡±


    He sounded disappointed, but as he lay waste to the last three, he saw Linnea flash in front of him with a fist coated in electricity.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s new.¡±


    She pushed her fist forward, and contact was made. Electric particles fluttered everywhere, and Linnea saw that Leon had blocked it with his hand, catching it.


    ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve improved quite a bit.¡±


    Linnea let out a grunt, but grinned.


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°I said so, Norwegian sis.¡±


    Linnea backed off, and shook her wrist, feeling the power of his clutch.


    ¡°You never cease to amaze me, my German brother.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I gotta put on a show since my fianc¨¦ is watching us closely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Linnea panned to where Samantha was at, and saw her calm smile and cooled eyes locked onto them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything to anger you, Samantha!¡±


    Samantha waved back.


    ¡°I know you wouldn¡¯t, but please be careful on how to treat him.¡± she replied.


    ¡°Yeah, understood.¡±


    Linnea¡¯s aware of how envious Samantha could get. She¡¯s seen it a couple of times back at the academy, and recently when the three were just getting lunch. A waitress boldly flirted with Leon in front of them, and Samantha carefully grabbed the waitresses wrist, and although she couldn¡¯t see Samantha¡¯s gaze, she knew from the young gal¡¯s expression, she saw death facing her. This answered an assumption her new friend warned her about.


    ¡°Let''s go back to the picnic, I¡¯m parched.¡± Leon said.


    Linnea nodded, and the two went to Samantha who reached into a basket and took two water bottles out. Each grabbed one, and Leon sat next to his lovely fianc¨¦ who can easily claim the title of most beautiful woman in the world. The black sundress, her amazing skin, the raven hair that covered her back, but more notably, her bright crimson eyes that were breathtaking. Linnea quietly drank her water, and Leon remembered something.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back real quick, I gotta call someone.¡±


    ¡°Take your time, Leon.¡± Samantha said.


    Leon walked off, and out of the picture. Linnea drank as she stared at the beautiful grassy view in front of them.


    ¡°So, Linnea, how¡¯s life?¡± Samantha asked.


    Linnea stopped drinking, and lowered her water bottle.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. But, rather difficult when your brother¡¯s considered a clown amongst your village.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I remember meeting him. He boldly asked me out immediately at first glance.¡±


    ¡°Tch, of course he did. He wouldn¡¯t shut up about you after you departed back to Europe.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s smile turned thin, and she gave Linnea a side eye.


    ¡°Say, to bring us off topic, I¡¯m rather curious about something.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What would that be?¡±


    Samantha put her index finger against her chin, and her smile grew more.


    ¡°Is it true that you¡¯ve recently gotten a new friend?¡±


    ¡°Mm, yeah. She¡¯s quiet, serious too, but once you get to know her, she¡¯s pretty cool.¡±


    Samantha lowered her finger, and her pupils moved left.


    ¡°That so?¡±


    Linnea raised her brows, and wiped them with her wrist.


    ¡°Yeah, her name¡¯s Mandy. She¡¯s an Esper who happened to join our group.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, the group that you also joined. And if I do recall, you¡¯re the only sorcerer amongst them?¡±


    Linnea nodded.


    ¡°Yeah. she¡¯s really talented and adorable if I do say so myself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Linnea kept it cool knowing that her new friend Mandy had something to say about Samantha. Seeing how much she¡¯s asking about her new friend answers more about them knowing each other. Linnea can repeat the same sentence said to her by her name, and the distraught tone she had when she said; ¡°BE careful, Samantha isn¡¯t who you think she is. She¡¯s a terrible being, a demon living amongst us¡­ and especially, someone who can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    Linnea wiggled her lips, and felt eager about asking something to Samantha. She isn¡¯t afraid to ask, rather, she doesn¡¯t want to stir an old rivalry.


    ¡°Uh, say, Samantha?¡±


    Samantha looked forward, and put her hand out. A butterfly happened to land on it, and she brought her hand to her face, staring at the beautiful coloured insect.


    ¡°Go on, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea watched as Samantha gently touched the insects wings. It didn¡¯t react or fly away, instead allowed Samantha to touch it.


    ¡°Do you know, Mandy?¡±


    Samantha gently blinked, and the butterfly flew away. Dozens more came out, and flew around them as Samantha lay her hands on her lap, crossing each other. More emerged from the grass, and surrounded the two, which made Linnea be awe inspired. Glancing at them, Linnea hadn¡¯t noticed the small glint in Samantha¡¯s eyes that emerged after another blink.


    ¡°I do know her. Why do you ask?¡±


    With Linnea¡¯s attention on the butterflies, she put one hand out to see if any would land on hers.


    ¡°Well, she said some things about you that I question.¡±


    ¡°Oh? And that¡¯d be?¡±


    ¡°Well, given that I¡¯ve known you longer, what she said is pretty contradictory.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s smile thinned.


    ¡°I wonder why.¡± she muttered.


    ¡°For example, she said that you shouldn¡¯t be trusted and that you¡¯re not who people think you are. The person we see in front of us isn¡¯t the real you, but a cover up to what personality hides beneath the layer of skin and flesh we see.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s smile faded, and her lips straightened. Staring blankly at the sea of butterflies, her crimson eyes turned lifeless.


    ¡°Of course she would say something like that¡­¡±


    One butterfly managed to land on her hand, and it made her giggle from being tickled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just think that you guys were most likely old rivals, that¡¯s all. So I''m not thinking too much about what she said.¡±


    ¡°Good, she¡¯s not to be trusted, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea softly gasped, and the butterfly flew away. All the insects flew off into the distance, and a storm happened to barge in. The clear sky turned dark, gusts of wind violently emerged and the sky clapped sounds that shattered eardrums.


    ¡°Mandy is someone who did the best she could to make me angry. She would try to steal my love, boil my blood, but most of all¡­ she¡¯s¡­¡±


    Samantha stood up and stared at the flashing sky.


    ¡°Someone¡­ I en¡ª¡±


    Leon rushed in, and wondered what all the ruckus was.


    ¡°Hey! It¡¯s about to rain, come on. Let''s pack up and get out of¡ª¡±


    The storm had cooled, and the sunlight had shone through the clouds. The darkness faded out, and the clear sky returned. Samantha smiled again, and she hugged Leon while Linnea remained in shock.


    ¡°Sorry, I got too carried away, Leon.¡±


    ¡°You had me at a scare, for second I thought we¡¯d all succumb to mother nature''s tears.¡±


    Linnea had goosebumps, and watched as Samantha¡¯s eyes were still blank.


    ¡°What¡­ are you?¡± she murmured.


    Samantha gave a quick side eye, and in that moment, she saw the glint that was sharpened. Her jaw dropped, and Samantha blinked to have her eyes return to life, showing their beauty glistening nature.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we all go home, it¡¯s getting kinda late, don¡¯t you all think?¡± Samantha said.


    Linnea didn¡¯t say anything, but watched as Leon cluelessly hugged Samantha. At that moment, Linnea didn¡¯t know who to believe anymore, but felt more leaning towards Mandy¡¯s side. As they kissed, all Linnea could think of was the brief glare Samantha had given her that froze her bone marrow.


    ***


    ¡°And now that I know she¡¯s a horrible being, I want nothing more than to cleanse this world of her.¡± Linnea said.


    Mandy tapped her shoulder to get her attention again.


    ¡°Were you just in the past?¡± she asked.


    Linnea didn¡¯t open her eyes yet, but grinned.


    ¡°Yeah, and what a time it was. To think that I was good friends with her? That damn Witch, the Sin Of Envy supposedly in the making? It¡¯s all hard to believe.¡±


    Linnea re-opened her eyes, and a tear came out.


    ¡°I once considered her such a close friend, but in the end brought the end to my town, and having my brother''s life taken away¡­¡±


    Linnea closed a fist, and put it against her forehead.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault that he¡¯s dead¡­¡±


    ¡°Linnea, stop blaming yourself for his death. Remember who¡¯s at actual fault: the woman responsible for billions of lives, the woman who took the life of your brother¡ª¡±


    Mandy grabbed Linnea¡¯s hand to force her to face her.


    ¡°The demon who almost ended our reality¡­¡±


    Mandy ground her teeth, and knit her brows.


    ¡°The woman who took hostage the man that I love and robbed him of me. Samantha, Abyzou¡ªtogether, Linnea, we will defeat her and bring an end to her reign of terror.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s words of encouragement and her confidence made Linnea return a smile, and bump heads with her close friend.


    ¡°God, I hope we do¡­ I really hope we do.¡±


    Mandy smiled, and rubbed their head¡¯s together.


    ¡°I know we will, my awesome friend.¡±


    As the two smiled and soaked in the moment, they felt a gust of wind sent chills across their bodies which forced them off of each other. They glanced around for a moment, and Linnea again took aim to the sky to see if it had changed. To her surprise, it did, but this time, she was able to see more stars twinkle brighter, and in plain view, she could see some galaxies. She pulled on Mandy¡¯s jacket to get her attention.


    ¡°Look at the sky, can you explain why we¡¯re able to witness something mesmerizing yet a one in a trillion chance?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Linnea pointed to the night sky, and Mandy saw what she was speaking of. Mandy¡¯s confused as to why they¡¯re able to see this until she saw a barrage of twinkles emerge, and to the corner of her eye, she saw a nebula pop out. Her jaw gapped, and her eyes grew wide as she slowly put the puzzle together.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ here.¡± Mandy muttered.


    ¡°Huh? What did you¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Linnea! Your necklace! Analyze it!¡±


    Linnea heard her panic, and saw her distraught face. She quickly pulled out her necklace, and saw it glowing red. She loudly gasped, and the two jumped out of the bench. Mandy clenched her fists, and sweated up a storm.


    ¡°Samantha¡¯s¡­ here¡­?¡±


    Linnea began to shake uncontrollably.


    ¡°Wh-What makes you say that?!¡±


    ¡°The sky! There¡¯s only one person I know who can manipulate time and space!¡±


    ¡°Wait wait?! She can¡ªwhat?!¡±


    In a panic, Mandy scanned the area to see if she was actually around. But in a more shocking circumstance, the park that they happened to be in, was no more.


    ¡°Wh-Where are we?¡±


    Linnea also scanned their surroundings and saw the trees that would be present, instead, in their place, they found a straight path of them, and they were now standing in the middle of a different park.


    ¡°We¡­ we gotta get out. We gotta leave her path!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Linnea agreed and the two ran forward, straight down a path of endless trees. Above them in the night sky, stars began exploding, and galaxies began colliding with one another, erupting the sky in a gorgeous catastrophe. Soon, afterwards, auroras coursed above them, changing colours and flashing waves down at them. Rainbow flashes blinded them, and began to coat the earth in the elegance of natures tearing aftermath. They could feel the mass of each explosion reach them, weighing them down as they hurried to a glimpse of light growing bigger. The more they ran, the more it grew.


    ¡°I think we should be out once we reach that light!¡± Mandy shouted.


    ¡°I hope so, because I¡¯m slowing down here!¡±


    They used their mana to fight the gravity building up, and it boosted them to get to the source of light faster. The two dove into it, and found themselves back in the same spot they were a minute ago. The same park, the same park lights, and the bench that Mandy was sleeping on. The two caught their breaths, and Mandy took a seat, and let out a loud grunt.


    ¡°Th-That was close¡­¡±


    Linnea wiped her forehead, and was glad to feel the chilly air of Detroit.


    ¡°Damn her, and you know what¡¯s worse?¡±


    Linnea pulled out her necklace, and the glowing heat had vanished.


    ¡°I think she pulled a trick on us.¡±


    Mandy slammed her hand on the bench, and clutched her head.


    ¡°Damn it! Curse you, Samantha!¡±


    As the two reflected on what to do next, the air began to feel chiller. The gusts of wind that howled, slowly, turned into whispers. Linnea noticed the change in the air, and felt goosebumps beginning to rise. The whisper in the wind turned into a growl, the bleak darkness in the sky, flashed white from the full moon. The two could feel the change, the air had a scent of iron, and a fragrance that was lovely to inhale. Leaves fell from trees, drifting around them: As they swooped in for their eyes to see, the two began to see the different changes in each group that flew past them. Some were normal, many were charred, but hiding within the piles that stack briefly, they saw crimson drip, and burn away.


    ¡°Wh-What¡¯s¡­ going on?¡± Linnea muttered.


    Seeing the changes in the leaves as they kept pushing away, and flying off her view, the scent of iron grew stronger along with the perfume fragrance. Linnea¡¯s arms began to tremble, but not from the chilly frozen breathtaking air, rather from a feeling she sensed from the time she was betrayed by the very being who took her brother''s life: the same being who killed her group.


    Mandy slowly let off her head, and she also could sense the surge of anger, and¡­


    ¡°Envy¡­¡±


    The moonlight that had gleamed behind Linnea, where her shadow had hovered forward on the sidewalk, a curtain of sharp edges had emerged on the sides of her shadow, fluttering. Linnea¡¯s mouth opened, trickling a faint scare, and slowly, she began to turn over her shoulder. As she turned and what seemed like ages as she did, she heard the trickle of a breath that sounded angry, and soothing to the ear. The breath of danger had trickled into another moan, one that had haunted Mandy¡¯s dreams for decades, the bright moonlight had a black mass covering its view, and once Linnea could see what had covered the full moon, she grew pale. Hovering in the sky, the sea of raven hair that would mask the dark sky, bellowed from the growl of her angered winds.


    ¡°Sa-Sa¡­¡±


    Linnea grew speechless as she saw the angel of death hovering in the sky. Her ghostly platinum eyes glowing the same colour as the moonlight. Mandy slowly shifted her head to where her pale friend was looking at. Once she saw the reminiscent of the past, floating, the demon she warned of everyone, a sharp glint of red that pierced her silver eyes, illuminating from the lurking shadow covering most of her body: she gently got off the bench, and slowly, clenched a fist. Her pupils dilated as her teeth ground, and Mandy¡¯s brows, in-between formed a deep wrinkle.


    ¡°Saman¡ªtha¡­¡±


    Floating in the night sky as the full moon illuminated behind her brighter for a second, faded from bright white, to crimson, Samantha slowly turned down her gaze at them. Staring at the two beings whom she thought had brought trouble to her quiet life, she made her glare more known by allowing the shadow over her body to curtain away, revealing her elegant red dress, and snow white skin. They can see her glare in full, they could see her tightened muscles, and most of all, they could see her blank, yet cold stare that hid her true rage.


    Letting one last trickle of annoyance out her frozen breath, her hair calmly floating into place, Samantha slowly opened her lips as the observable universe appeared within the moon: she said as her eyes were dead aimed at Mandy¡­


    ¡°Found¡­ you.¡±

 Small update

    I have no excuse for any of you. I have hit writers block and found myself stuck at the moment. With work colliding and my projects hammering me, and more stuff breaking on my fleet of vehicle''s; I have hit another moment of writers block. This is the second time its happened and I loathe it. I wanted to end Arc 4 part 1 before spring hit, but seeing how it''s releasing and how slow I''ve gotten to posting a chapter, I don''t think that''s possible. I''m very close to the end of it, but with more obstacles coming in and a small lack of motivation, it''s difficult. But, I ain''t stopping, just hitting dead ends every time I write a page or two, and find myself frozen, staring off into space for an hour. I''m close to the end of the first set of chapters for my second Story, but I even hit an even greater wall every time I write. It''s frustrating and aggravating to be in this position and I know many of you can relate to what I''m experiencing. Writers block sucks, but when you''re also stacked with so much, and I don''t want to repeat myself again as to why, it''s difficulty getting through this. I want to end this Arc on a good note, and not rushed to shit. After that, I can give myself a nice break and fix the things I need to fix. Bear with me my peeps, give me a lil time to beat this hindrance again, and we can go back to posting a chapter a week. What I don''t want to do is leave you folks on red and are left to wonder why he ain''t posting enough. I like to clear the air, and explain what''s going on then ghost you all. hopefully this clears some things, thank you for your patience and I''ll see ya soon. Cheers!


    Stolen story; please report.

 Arc 4 Chapter 33: The Start Of A Dance

    Gazing upon the stars, touching the soft grass, a nice chilled night that lightly blew a young girl''s sky night hair: Her crimson eyes were scanning the entire sky as she was being amazed by the cementing display. Hugging her knees, her lips gapped, she reached for the sky, and brought out a soft grin. Behind her was an established luxury home out of fiction, and coming out the back door, was a tall man who wore an extravagant outfit, and his beard showing dominance. His brunette hair glistened from the twinkling sky as he walked to the young girl who he claimed was a prodigy. It was the headmaster of the orphanage. Standing next to her with his wrists crossed behind, he put his arm on her shoulder. She didn¡¯t pay him attention since she was too focused on the sky.


    ¡°Samantha, the stars in the sky have you thinking, don¡¯t they?¡± he said.


    His voice was deep, mellow, but soothing. Samantha slowly shut her eyes, and felt nature¡¯s whisper tickle her eardrums. She tilted her head, and lowered her arm, hugging her leg.


    ¡°Yes.¡± she softly replied.


    He also gazed upon the sky, and grinned.


    ¡°What thoughts are running in that brilliant mind of yours?¡±


    She opened her eyes, and they twinkled with excitement. A soft smile appeared in place, and she tilted her head more.


    ¡°Will I ever¡­ reach the stars?¡±


    Her response raised a brow on his face. He gripped his beard, stroked it, and also smiled. Seeing how much she''s overcome, and the amount of development someone her age has grown, he let go of her shoulder, and patted her head.


    ¡°There''s nothing you can¡¯t reach for, Samantha.¡±


    Once again, she brought her arm up, reaching for the sky, and turning her arm upside. With her palm now blocking her path, she stared at it as her eyes shook. She clenched it, and sighed.


    ¡°One day¡­ I¡¯ll reach the stars, and when that day comes¡­¡±


    He turned to Samantha who began to shift her head to him, and he became the first to see the thin smile that embarked nightmares down the lane.


    ¡°...I¡¯ll create a new world in which there are no limits on how life can be created.¡±


    Her saying made his jaw drop and brought out a tear. Being a part of a society and world where creation is limited made the man feel a new form of hope. Seeing, hearing the confidence come out of her mouth instilled the prediction he had for her; that she was the God they seek and worship in texts: It¡¯s name, Abyzou, the Witch¡¯s God of destruction and creation. The two went back to gazing at the sky, and as he slowly balled a fist, he could hear her softly giggle which made him chuckle. The two laughed together as the stars in the sky began to illuminate more. She let out one last giggle until she abruptly stopped, and darkness returned into her mind.


    She stood up, and time began to fast forward, and she was back to age twenty. She stood in an infinite darkness, walking in blind sight.


    Since I was a young child, my obsession with nature, the feeling of being free, gave me hope, a light, a wisdom about the foundation of creation.


    She stopped, and waved her hand, creating a world of blue and white, and the solar system. Her bright silver eyes locked onto the beautiful sphere of life, known as Earth.


    Mother earth, her howls, her emotions, her beauty, I cherished them. I could relate to how she felt the days she wanted to express herself. When it rained, those days I wanted to cry, when it snowed, I felt bitter, giving people the same stare that froze their breaths. Times of clouded falls, felt reminiscent of my past as a young prodigy: Alone, isolated from seeing the wonders of nature. And, speaking of being born into the world, I could remember seeing the light, and how reality handled it.


    Hearing voices, dozens, and a voice which I would recall of my mother. I only saw a glimpse of her face when I was taken away. My father, I saw him twice before he let me go, and soon after, found myself in an orphanage but it was no ordinary one, one meant for beings such as myself: potential hazardous ones and most fearing, the prodigy the headmaster saw in me.


    She waved her entire arm across her view, and the entire observable universe was brought in. She walked into it, putting her arms behind her as she danced amongst the specs of light, dust covered galaxies, and the black holes that sucked the light and life out of the suns that bring life into the infinite darkness of their reality. She approached one, and tapped it as it sucked the light out of a star.


    The headmaster always saw me as a normal girl, but not without the analogy of me being the prophet they worship. Although, I looked up to him, and respected him, like a father figure. Not once in my fifteen years of life did he see me as a heartless doll-like monster like everyone else did. He always treated me with favourtism and with the most love and care. For years I thought he only did that as a way to trick and potentially use me when the time was ripe. But, he proved me wrong when on my fifteenth birthday he freed me of the orphanage and let me spread my wings. I¡¯ll never forget his face when his eyes were drenched in sorrow.


    ¡°Explore the world, and don¡¯t forget who you are¡­ Samantha.¡±


    He said as his hands trembled on my shoulders. I grabbed his wrists and gave him a genuine smile without saying anything else. He cast a spell on me, and the last image I had of him was one of fear, and determination. A huge flash blinded me, I heard his war cry, and the next thing I could recall after one long blink was waking up in a different orphanage, but a normal one with regular¡ªpeople. Everyone there spoke to me like I¡¯ve been there for years, when in fact I¡¯ve only just appeared. My emotions were mixed, but my love for the wonders of nature and creation overshadowed whatever heroic act he enacted.


    Samantha blew away the blackhole, and walked over to a gargantuan nebula of the most gorgeous dust and space clouds. She spun, sang in it, and hummed a song from her childhood. Stopping within it, she dug her hands in the dust, and saw the precious elements of glitter sparkle in her palms.


    I wanted to discover what secrets were held by this reality, but especially mother earth because of how she laid out the foundations to life. Seeking it, searching it, eventually took me eyes to the sky, and when I saw my first set of stars, I knew from there, there was more to this reality than here.


    She blew the dust, and it clouded her view for a moment until once drizzling out, she had earth in front of her. Circling in orbit, she put her hands over it, and smiled.


    Despite my admiration for art, nature, the unknown expectations of reality were what caught my full attention¡­ until I remembered my original ambition.


    Samantha slowly stepped back, and walked over to the sun, grabbing it. She went back to earth, and grabbed it too. She smashed both together, rubbed her hands to create sand-like particles, and threw out the dust in front of her. The dust slowly formed, shaped into herself, and an arm came out of it. A pale arm just like hers to which she reached and grabbed, pulling out the being in question, which was¡­


    ¡°Is to birth my own life¡­¡±


    She stared into Sarah¡¯s blank eyes, and rested her hand on her cheek, and grinned.


    ¡°Which I have, and that¡¯s you, my adoring daughter, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah did the same, and Samantha let out a tear.


    ¡°Someday¡­ you¡¯ll be free, someday, but not now, Sarah.¡±


    The two stared deeply into each other''s souls until Sarah was blown away by a heatwave of a big bang. The remnants of her fluttered around Samantha, and she absorbed her particles which slowly feathered on her skin.


    ¡°For we are one¡­ Sarah.¡±


    Samantha dropped to her knees, and whimpered softly in the darkness, remembering her true ambition, and the reality of losing Leon had finally struck her cold still heart.


    ***


    Their eyes quivered, the sensation of death, the scent of crimson struck their noses. Staring at the grim reaper herself, the epitome of Envy glaring down at the two women who have been looking for her for over a decade who she finds to be a couple of pests: Samantha clenched a fist, transforming the dimension into a sea of darkness, leaving the observable universe as their only source of light illuminating behind her. Her platinum eyes glowing, their ghostly hatred glinted, and Mandy¡¯s eyes also illuminated its own hatred for her to see. Seeing the sharp red glint glaring at her made Samantha smack her lips, and stare blankly at Mandy. The two glared for what seemed an hour, only for it to be a minute. Linnea grew fearful, nervous, but stood her ground as the embodiment of evil was floating in the dark sky. Yet, she questioned if what they were looking at was truly Samantha since her eyes were glowing a different colour.


    As Samantha¡¯s hair billowed, Linnea took a step forward, and grabbed Mandy¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Ma-Mandy, is that really, Samantha? Abyzou? Whatever!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyebrows were deeply knitted, a fat wrinkle in between her brows, she couldn''t hear her friend from the repeated echoes of Samantha¡¯s voice vibrating her thoughts. Samantha snapped a finger, and the world transitioned again. Behind her, a familiar world zoomed out over her head, and Mandy finally moved a muscle. She glanced around, and knew exactly where she was. Samantha lowered her hand, mildly tilted her head, and gapped her mouth.


    ¡°It really is you¡­ Samantha.¡± Mandy softly said.


    Linnea gulped, and grew her clutch on Mandy¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Ar-Are you sure? I-I mean yeah she looks just like her, but her eyes aren¡¯t the same as before.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter if they¡¯re no longer gleaming the thirst of blood, it¡¯s Samantha there¡¯s no doubt about it. No one else in this world would give me such a cold, repulsive stare.¡±


    Samantha began to slowly float down to the earth, and the world distorted, erupting staircases, and odd shapes that destroyed themselves upon impact, forming new galaxies.


    ¡°Mandy, Mandy, Mandy¡­¡±


    Her voice sent chills down Linnea¡¯s spine, and immediately got in a fight pose. Mandy raised her fist, and clenched it to the point crimson drew.


    ¡°For a while, I was beginning to doubt that our search was pointless. For a whole almost two decades we spent finding this vile woman, but for her to emerge after all this time?! It¡¯s laughable.¡±


    ¡°No matter what you say, Mandy, your words are as empty as your meaningless life.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Don¡¯t make me laugh when you yourself are just as meaningless if it wasn¡¯t for one thing!¡±


    Samantha twitched an eye, and once she landed, her hair simmered.


    ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    Mandy lowered her fist, and smirked.


    ¡°I know what drives you more crazy than the fear of your daughter''s life being in danger, Samantha.¡±


    ¡°Whatever your answer may be, you forgot that you¡¯re in my world now, Bitch.¡±


    ¡°Call me whatever you like, you vile wicked woman. If it wasn¡¯t for me getting involved in your life, all this time if the rumours of your death were true, then I¡¯d be the happiest being alive! But if you were aware of my presence, and didn¡¯t bother coming to face me, alone¡­¡±


    Mandy smiled, and chuckled.


    ¡°I was starting to actually believe you were a coward as much as you are a devil!¡±


    Samantha raised the edge of her lips, and knit her brows.


    Linnea could sense her anger swell and to see her close friend Mandy standing up to her enemy instilled confidence in her.


    ¡°Not only are we here to put an end to your villainy! But to put a stop to your reign of terror, Samantha, Abyzou!¡±


    Samantha raised a brow, and tilted her head.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Mandy spread her arms out, and laughed.


    ¡°Come now, show me that nature bending of yours!¡±


    Samantha felt teased, and it only fueled her rage. She grinned, and her eyes grew blank.


    ¡°Bend, nature? How about I show you something that you have feared since our first meeting.¡±


    Mandy got in the same fighting stance as Leon, which made Samantha trickle a growl. Her fingers twitched, her arms vibrated, she twitched an eye and let out a grunt.


    ¡°Allow me to show you, a glimpse of the light, you fear!¡±


    Samantha abruptly twirled her arms, generating lightning and in a second lunged her finger tips forward, shooting lightning out of it. A gigantic bolt of lightning came at them, and Mandy immediately caught the stream. The momentum sent Linnea flying away, and Mandy¡¯s feet dragged as she killed off the powerful attack¡¯s momentum. Her face scrunched, her teeth gritting, Mandy redirected the attack straight at Samantha, and it left her breathless. Seeing her own attack explode face first, it shattered, exploded the reality, and turned everything into a huge cloud of smokey darkness.


    As the smoke clouded their visions, they couldn¡¯t see the repulsive scowl on Samantha¡¯s face as she faded into the clouds.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°M-Mandy!¡± Linnea shouted as she glanced around the darkness once again.


    Mandy also looked around, but in a single blink of an eye, their environment has changed again. Mandy found herself standing in the middle of a road, what appeared to be a mixture of flint and downtown Detroit. The skyscrapers covered most of the night sky, the buildings appeared to be vacant, street lights flickering, they wondered if they were still in Samantha''s world.


    Linnea hurried to her partner''s side, and Mandy quickly removed her coat, throwing it to the side.


    ¡°Woah!¡± Linnea said. ¡°You are really prepared aren¡¯t you?!¡±


    Mandy had her shotgun holstered on her back, she was holding a military grade m16 rifle, and beneath her arm she had a mp5k submachine machinegun.


    Linnea scratched her head, and appeared afraid.


    ¡°When and where did you get fully automatic weapons, Mandy?¡±


    Mandy unloaded the magazine to the rifle, and inserted a different one filled with mana.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter where I obtained them. Right now, our focus is taking out Samantha.¡±


    ¡°Ri-Rght.¡±


    Linnea reached for the submachinegun holstered beneath Mandy¡¯s arm, and cocked it.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? And where the hell are we?¡±


    Mandy reached for a mag belt meant for the gun in Linnea¡¯s hands, unclipped it and handed it to her.


    ¡°Here, use these mags, and from what I¡¯m feeling, and seeing¡­¡±


    Mandy glanced around as Linnea grabbed the roll of mags, and clipped it to her belt beneath her coat.


    ¡°...I think she¡¯s trying to play with us first before she gets her hands dirty.¡±


    Linnea nodded, and inserted a mag filled with Mana. While the two were preparing and figuring out what to do if all else failed, they heard the wretched giggles that haunted their minds, echoing the streets of the uniformed city.


    ¡°Mandy, Mandy, Mandy¡­¡±


    They scanned the area while bumping back to back as her relentless giggles continued.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown so much these past years, haven¡¯t you? And to see you redirect the light you fear! And shoot it back at my face?! You surprised me, Mandy.¡±


    Mandy grinned. ¡°Of course. When you have the perfect man like Leon by your side and teaching you your ex wife''s secrets, one will understand the enemies weakness.¡±


    Samantha let out a broken giggle that shattered the glass around them. The shards of glass rained on them like crystals, and as they shattered around them, they turned to sparkles of glitter.


    ¡°That was just a glimpse! And if you think you know everything about me! Then your fate has already been sealed!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that! You murderous fiend!¡±


    ¡°Me? Murderous? How could that be when Samantha herself has turned into nothing but a concept.¡±


    ¡°Hu-huh?!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what is that supposed to mean?¡± Mandy asked, drawing a sweat.


    They saw Samantha¡¯s reflection off what was left of the broken glass shards that didn¡¯t get the chance to break. She walked in and out of the reflection in different walking poses.


    ¡°Think about it, clearly, you two.¡±


    She walked out of the frames of the glass, and clapped her hands to annoy their ear drums.


    ¡°The past months with everything unfolding, what have you noticed about the people mentioning me?¡±


    Linnea thought, and Mandy as well. The two quickly put it together and the encounters of the Witch cult that worshipped her, it made them grow more scared of what she meant.


    ¡°Abyzou¡­¡± Linnea said.


    ¡°Not once has my name been said, but to that of what I transformed into the embodiment of Envy. Do you know why only Abyzou pops in peoples mouths? Ask yourselves why does Samantha only exist in my closed circle of people that I¡¯ve grown to loathe and love?¡±


    Mandy¡¯s jaw dropped, and she aimed her rifle to the sky.


    ¡°You did not!¡±


    ¡°Oh?! You¡¯ve figured it out, haven''t you? Mandy.¡±


    ¡°What, what does she mean, Mandy?¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes quivered as her gun trembled.


    ¡°She¡¯s erased her own existence¡­¡±


    Linnea felt the wind knocked out of her, and turned blanched.


    ¡°Mandy! You¡¯re so smart, so so smart.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes emerged from the sky, and stared down at the two.


    ¡°Samantha herself was once an existing being, but after the birth of Abyzou, and the Legend engraved in our reality, I decided to keep myself out of the eyes of normality: My existence should be no more, and I have grown enough to merge my soul with our reality.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes rolled back, and she let out a horrendous giggle that forced them to cover their ears.


    ¡°I went from being able to cast spells at an early age, manipulate mana, bend nature at will by late childhood, to then manipulate time and space at teenage hood¡­ and once Abyzou had been born, I was able to transcend all of reality! And rewriting the universe at the palm of my hand, getting that taste of power, only pushed me to greater heights.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes melted away, and rained crimson on them.


    ¡°Using the power of Envy, I decided to do so. I can create new worlds, take them away, rewrite what I want, but only if I could without the interference of that scary man¡ªWilliam H. Christ! Then all of you would¡¯ve been gone sooner than later. But, alas, this is how your fate shall be met with.¡±


    Mandy ground her teeth, and deeply knit her brows.


    ¡°All I¡¯m hearing are vague statements! You have no proof of what you claim! Beyond opnimpotence or not¡­ you can be beat, SAMANTHA!¡±


    Linnea also took aim at the sky.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! And with our anger unified, Samantha, tonight will be your last sight of night!¡±


    Samantha giggled, and the two could see faint red clouds flicker within the dark sky.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that, if you can find me, that is.¡±


    Mandy growled and launched herself into the sky. She aimed her rifle in multiple directions and tried to track down her presence. Getting a better picture of where she¡¯s at, the cities definitely appeared to be combined, which grew more of a burden to Mandy¡¯s frustrations.


    ¡°Great¡­¡±


    Linnea flew to her side, and tried to figure out where Samantha could be hiding.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even track down her mana. Wait, could she be submerging her mana to not be found?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but in order to find her, we should head opposite directions.¡±


    Linnea agreed and began flying south of them. Mandy flew north and was scanning everything her eyes and mana could see and sense. Linnea avoided the tall buildings, trying to find any signs of Samantha. Stopping mid flight, in-between two skyscrapers, Linnea took a minute to catch her breath. It wasn¡¯t from her flying or anger, rather the fear she had been trying to hide. Hearing what Samantha said about herself, it grew contradictions within her subconscious. She grew doubts if what she said were true, if they had a chance of defeating her.


    Linnea loosened her arms to the sides, and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Do we really have a chance?¡± she muttered.


    Feeling her coat billow, and her hair fluttering, a fierce wind almost had her off balance for a moment. It forced her to cover her face for a moment. Bringing her arm down, she saw Samantha coming her way. She gasped and after a blink, she had vanished.


    ¡°Da-damn¡­¡±


    Feeling spooked and her blood pressure rising, Linnea shook it off, and took deep breaths.


    ¡°She really is twisted, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Looking around, she wondered where she had vanished. For a moment, it grew eerily calm, and the strong wind had gone away. Taking a glance down at her feet, she saw the empty street and tried to spot anything out of the ordinary. Giggling came back, and she frantically looked in every direction. Samantha¡¯s reflection appeared again on the glass windows of the skyscrapers. It showed her innocently skipping, and having a calm grin on her twisted face.


    ¡°Where are you?! Sho-show yourself!¡±


    Samantha continued her giggles, and her reflection eventually disappeared from the side of the buildings.


    ¡°Gone again¡­ she¡¯s definitely messing with my head.¡±


    At the other side of the city, Mandy was patrolling the streets and with her rifle ready to rain down hellfire, her determination came out of her mouth with an angry grunt.


    ¡°Where could you be at, you fucking coward.¡±


    The rifle aimed down, pointing in every direction, she heard concrete chipping. The heels that were chipping away from the concrete that sent goosebumps around her arms had her turn around and see nothing. It came from the right, and she glanced over, and found nothing. She was growing annoyed and more afraid by the minute.


    ¡°Samantha!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s breathing grew heavy, and she was itching to shoot Samantha¡¯s face off. The urge to vanquish her enemy has never felt so good to her that she let out a broken chuckle. Eventually, it turned to laughter and Mandy¡¯s face grew wicked.


    ¡°You twisted fiend! You vile evil wretched maniacal psychopath!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s words echoed everywhere, and again, she heard the clanking of heels.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to finally be the one to bring an end to your¡ªMiserable life, SAMANTHA!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Samantha said.


    Mandy stopped, and stayed frozen. Samantha¡¯s voice sounded close by, and she grew into a panic. She pointed the rifle in every direction, and grew tired of doing so. She flew to the sky, and aimed at the buildings.


    ¡°Poor, poor, poor¡­ Mandy.¡±


    Mandy growled and her mana began to surge.


    ¡°Look at you, so pathetic and thirsty for blood. To my knowledge, right now, you define a psychopath, my old friend.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! You¡¯re the last to speak over the relentless actions that you have done to me and others. The world has suffered for that nonchalant attitude.¡±


    ¡°But Mandy, why say that about the world when you yourself could care less about it? You call me selfish when you¡¯re being just as selfish as I was.¡±


    ¡°And how am I being as selfish as you?! Do I even have to point out the actions, the Sins, you have committed!¡±


    Samantha laughed and the buildings waved from the range of her laughter.


    ¡°Believe me. If anyone knows you as much as you do, it¡¯d be me¡ªyour embodiment of a nightmare!¡±


    Mandy grew tired of Samantha¡¯s charades and put away the rifle. She put her hand out, and as her fingers arched, flinched, a spark of light came out the palm of her hand. She yelled and she shot her arm forward, shooting a huge blast of blue mana. Impacting the ground, she blew up the entire area, and half the city was scorched and eviscerated. Samantha giggled and giggled as Mandy repeatedly began to fire random mana blasts in every direction.


    ¡°Your world will succumb to my light! You Witch!¡±


    Samantha let out one more giggle and Mandy could hear her clap twice. The area was restored and back to the way it was, leaving her shocked.


    ¡°We were in my world upon our reunion, but now¡ªnow! You¡¯re no longer in my precious domain, Mandy.¡±


    ¡°Then where are we?!¡±


    Mandy erratically looked around, and saw a wave of hair slide to the right of a building. She flew in the direction she saw the carpet of raven hair.


    ¡°You really want to know? Do you think you can handle the truth?!¡±


    Mandy once again created a ball of mana, and waved her arm around, enlarging it and launching it at the ground. The city was leveled and burnt to a crisp. Linnea could see Mandy in plain view from where she was floating. But again, the city returned to normal when the two blinked. Mandy¡¯s aggravated and let out a yell filled with her frustrations. She repeatedly blasted the city over and over again. Every devastation, every explosion resulted in the same: The city came back to life, but this time, it grew in size, and in plain view, looked endless. The two reunited and were back to back once again.


    ¡°Jesus Mandy, you¡¯re a loose cannon right now!¡±


    Mandy smacked her lips and pulled her rifle out again.


    ¡°I just want this bitch dead. And I¡¯ll do whatever it takes too.¡±


    ¡°And I know you would, M-a-n-d-y.¡± Samantha said.


    The city enlarged and spotlights scanned the skies. They could see clouds rapidly moving and felt a chilled gust of wind sending chills across their bodies.


    ¡°Imagine if we were in our own reality? Think of all the consequences of your! Actions you uncontrollable buffoon!¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to exclaim?! Samantha!¡±


    Samantha appeared from a mirror in one of the stores, and Linnea saw her standing within the reflection. Squinting her eyes, she dragged her vision to see where she could be actually standing. With no unveil, she couldn¡¯t make out where she was.


    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±


    Samantha spread her arms out, and grinned.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already figured it out? I mean, indeed we¡¯re not in our reality, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah yeah, we¡¯re in another world of yours!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s grin thinned out, and she furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Not¡­ quite. Actually, we¡¯re in an alternate world, my friend.¡±


    ¡°Alternate world?!¡± Linnea exclaimed.


    ¡°Yes, alternate as in another universe¡­ one that I have created long ago,¡±


    Mandy¡¯s pupils dilated and she let out a gasp. Linnea¡¯s arms trembled uncontrollably and remembered what she was speaking about. The day of reckoning, the day she was birthed as the Sin Of Envy: her giant eye that gazed down on the world, glancing, and with one Exorcist managing to capture an image of her outside of the earth. Abyzou had enlarged herself, and kept growing past the point of their solar system until the galaxies became mere twinkles to her body. Linnea could never forget how she faded out in specs of crimson dust, and merged herself with the infinite universe to destroy it, and create a new one.


    Linnea let out a tear, and clutched her head.


    ¡°No¡­ we-we¡¯re in that world.¡± she muttered.


    The world she remembered was similar to this one: empty, dark, but for a decade was filled with lava, and countless explosions of stars and nebulas corroding away as she messed with existence, playing around with it to create her ultimate envision.


    ¡°Linnea, you seem to have captured the ghost with your swollen eyes, my dear.¡± Samantha echoed.


    Mandy glanced at her blanched friend.


    ¡°What is she talking about?! How am I not aware of the events that transpired to our world?!¡±


    Linnea let go, and hung her head in fear.


    ¡°Because, Mandy¡­¡±


    Samantha came out of the mirror, and appeared out in the open, gazing up at them.


    ¡°I erased you from my reality.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s eyes grew enlarged and she grit her teeth. She glanced down, and saw Samantha, and screamed. Her rifle dangled from its strap as she put her hands forward, shooting a giant beam of light at her that lay waste to the infinite city. With the flash of the light fading out, the city changed one last time to an industrial modern city out of a crime drama. Spotlights denting the night sky, odd shapes moving across the world, Mandy grew tired of Samantha¡¯s games and sprung herself to the street. She loaded a regular magazine into her rifle, and began shooting at the building''s glass. Raining hellfire on every single building, anything to create a reflection, Mandy loaded, and unloaded multiple mags of regular bullets until there wasn¡¯t a single shed of glass material left.


    ¡°You cowardice bitch.¡± Mandy said while loading a mag with mana.


    Linnea had remained frozen in the sky while her friend went to search the city again for Samantha. She flew off to the distance, and disappeared behind a skyscraper. Linnea swallowed and frowned, thinking that all odds were not in their favour afterall.


    ¡°How do we beat something that technically doesn¡¯t exist? How could we beat someone who¡¯s power exceeds space and time¡­ we¡¯re-we¡¯re¡­¡±


    Linnea gripped her hair, and shed a tear.


    ¡°We¡¯re fighting a literal God¡­¡± she murmured.


    Feeling hopeless, Linnea didn¡¯t bother taking a glance at anything. Her shame poured out her pours, and she ripped her jacket off, throwing it away. She panted, and shut her eyes closed.


    ¡°Brother, I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t avenge you.¡±


    Feeling defeated, Linnea couldn¡¯t think of anything to help build up her self esteem.


    ¡°How did she get this strong? How did God allow this? Any God!¡±


    Linnea grabbed all the pendants of her necklace, and held them up to her shut eyes. She slowly opened them, and stared at every insignia.


    ¡°If someone like her can exist, then that means no God exists. All these are false idols, empty words, expressions, and a mere waste of human acknowledgment.¡±


    She ripped each one off, throwing them off to the side, and blasting them with small mana blasts. Only two remained which were a cross, and one that represents Witchcraft.


    ¡°The God that¡¯s spoken off in biblical texts, from both Hebrew and Christianity¡ªis false too.¡±


    She grabbed the cross, but hesitated to rip it off.


    ¡°Yet, William says he does, and that¡¯s someone supposedly close to him¡­ unless¡ª¡±


    For a moment, there was a gleam of hope for Linnea within her blank eyes. A small glimmer of shine came back to remind her of the existence of both William, and the woman who had defeated Samantha.


    ¡°Unless, William¡¯s the God everyone worships in sacred texts.¡±


    She gazed upon the storming blackened sky, and softly grinned.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t defeat her, then our deaths would trigger for them to come down from the heavens and enact her punishment.¡±


    Linnea ground her teeth, and clenched her fist.


    ¡°I hope they do.¡±


    She brought her gaze forward, and flew straight. As she flew, the buildings began to sway, which made her dodge them. Two collapsed and timbered. She evaded the tilting structure, and once she was in clear view, she saw Samantha standing on a medal beam to a once intact skyscraper. Her raven hair billowed to her left, her dress fluttered, she stared at Linnea with her ghostly grey eyes, and her straightened lips curved into the thin smile that has permanently instilled fear in her.


    ¡°It looks like¡ªyou found me, Linnea.¡±


    Linnea turned pale, and froze once again.


    ¡°Let me ask you this, Linnea.¡± Samantha said.


    She slowly raised her arm, and eerily pointed her finger at her.


    ¡°Why are you here, exactly? With that greedy woman more the less.¡±


    Linnea couldn¡¯t say anything, but trembled in fear.


    ¡°My fight isn¡¯t with you. My fight is with her. So if you still value your existence, then I would suggest that you leave.¡±


    Linnea closed her mouth, and dragged her hand across her face. She tried speaking, but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t too late to leave now. I¡¯ve given you a door to freedom, it¡¯s wide open, so take it, and walk right out of it. But, make sure you shut it before saying goodbye¡­ because this will be our last interaction, my old friend.¡±


    Linnea remembered that phrasing, sparking the anger she had towards her for taking her brother''s life. His laughter, his smile, his advice that gave her confidence made the dormant anger finally explode, and Linnea growled.


    ¡°How¡­ How could I? How could I just leave without being a part of your downfall.¡±


    Samantha lowered her hand, and frowned.


    ¡°How could I leave this once and a lifetime opportunity to finish you off to avenge my brother. How, how?¡± she whimpered.


    She gripped the cross, and grit her teeth.


    ¡°You are the embodiment of jealousy, the definition of deformity, a being so vile, twisted, one that shouldn¡¯t exist yet here you are¡­ standing in front of me!¡±


    Samantha looked away, and squinted her eyes.


    ¡°Samantha, Samantha¡­ someone whom I once thought was a good friend¡ªturned out to be a demon, the same demon who destroyed my town, buried it in a snowy death. The monster who killed my brother only because he was just in the way!¡±


    Samantha grinned, and turned her gaze back to her.


    ¡°You lousy no good villain. I will ensure your death will be long and painful.¡±


    Samantha crossed her arms, and tilted her body.


    ¡°Mmm, there¡¯s a part of me that still cares for you. Strange? You should consider yourself lucky that I still have emotions for you.¡±


    Samantha straightened her posture, and dropped her arms to the sides. Again, she raised them in amusement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you time to think it over. But I¡¯m guessing for now, you want to try! And take my life, if that¡¯s even possible for someone of your level.¡±


    Mandy appeared next to Linnea, and spat.


    ¡°Linnea, whatever conflicts you have inside of you, remember¡ª¡±


    Mandy put her hand on Linnea¡¯s shoulder, and she turned her gaze to her friend''s sparkling blue eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not alone, and together, I¡¯m sure we can defeat her in a way that¡¯ll force her in a corner.¡±


    ¡°Ma-Mandy?¡±


    Mandy winked, and let go.


    ¡°I have a plan, and trust me, by the end of it, if all our efforts fail, she won¡¯t be getting out of this situation the same.¡±


    Samantha squinted her eyes at Mandy, tilting her head, and deeply frowning.


    ¡°You sound confident of some sort? Why is that? Why do you think you could possibly defeat me? You stupid, detestable, whore.¡±


    Mandy turned back to Samantha, and gave her a confident side eye.


    ¡°Because Samantha, as you said to me¡­ no one knows you better than I do¡­¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes grew wide, and she let out a nervous chuckle, one that caught Linnea off guard.


    ¡°My old¡­ nemesis.¡±


    Mandy cocked her rifle, and slowly took aim at her. Linnea¡¯s confidence returned, and seeing Mandy¡¯s determination, hearing her backup plan sparked a new feeling Linnea never felt towards Samantha: The feeling of not being afraid. Samantha¡¯s eyes quivered in anger, the moonlight behind her showed the sharp red glint in her platinum eyes as it stared at them. Linnea raised the submachinegun to the side of her face, and nodded. Putting one hand on her handgun holstered beneath her arm, Mandy dragged her sights to Samantha¡¯s face, and licked her lips. Both women trickled a soft breath, sweat slowly pouring out their heads, sliding down their face: Samantha loosened her body, and she began to move her arms, squatting her knees to show them a ballet curtsey, which made them freeze all body movements.


    Samantha bowed her head for a moment, and after, once she slowly brought her eyes back to them, they were crimson for ten seconds until her mouth opened again.


    ¡°Let''s dance.¡± Samantha said.

 Arc 4 chapter 34: Samanthas Tango

    Samantha¡¯s elegantly frozen in a ballet curtsey stance, Linnea flew above, behind her, and Mandy kept her rifle aimed at her. The call of the night, being the screeching howls of the skyscrapers, metal clanking from the destroyed rubble behind them. Samantha carefully stood straight, briefly looking over her shoulder as Linnea¡¯s nervousness dripped off her chin. She grinned, Mandy frowned, and Linnea smacked her teeth. Waiting to see who¡¯d be the first to make a move, Samantha took the chance to bask in the moment. Closing her eyes, letting the chilly wind tickle her pale face, she couldn¡¯t help but keep her small grin.


    ¡°Come on make a move, Witch.¡± Linnea mumbled as she took aim with the submachinegun.


    Mandy¡¯s finger twitched, and fought the urge to press the trigger any further as it was halfway pressed.


    ¡°Wipe that smirk off your face, bitch.¡± Mandy murmured.


    Samantha let out her relaxation out her nostrils, and they saw her body moving backwards. The two quietly gasped, their eyes expanded as Samantha fell off the beam backwards with her arms spread out. The two sprung into action. They flew into the sky, together they dove to where Samantha¡¯s free falling. They began firing their weapons, and their bullets had frozen the minute they were inches reaching Samantha. Mandy growled, Linnea gasped, they put their guns away, shooting beams of light at her. She dodged them while the falling continued. Making contact with a broken part of a skyscraper, the two gazed down, and saw an infinite free fall. They sprung to where she stood, shooting more mana blasts while she danced on the pointed piece of building.


    ¡°Damn her!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Mandy reloaded, cocked, and fired another barrage of mana invested bullets upon her. Samantha effortlessly danced like a ballerina as they flew past her face, arms, and legs, freezing in time. She leaped into the air, spun in a ballet manner, and again free fell. They continued their onslaught of firing, reloading, repeating their vicious gunfire barrage. Samantha caught a beam, spun, and with the momentum, launched herself to them, getting in between. The two forced themselves to separate and fire their weapons from a distance.


    ¡°Linnea, now!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Linnea reloaded, putting in a mag filled with mana and her handgun as well. She fired both weapons while Mandy did the same with her shotgun and rifle. The two fired their weapons, flying, coursing through the sky. Their bullets, shells, reached, but froze, crossed, and were close to colliding. Samantha giggled, and with just her finger tips, began jumping, hopping on the bullets that were frozen to approach Mandy. Linnea kept firing while Mandy used both arms to shoot her shotgun at Samantha who was shrinking the distance between them. Mandy could see her playful grin, gleaming eyes hopping their way to her, which made her retreat, and land on top of a building. Samantha did some gymnastic leaping before diving to where Mandy stood. She immediately put her arms together, and used Leon¡¯s technique against her, which startled her.


    ¡°You wench!¡± Mandy shouted.


    She fired the powerful beam at her, and Samantha slid to the side, using the beam to guide her down to Mandy. She landed, got to her face, and the two had a stare off as the beam died down. It blew up in the air, drenching the world in a flash of purple and white.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never beat me, Mandy.¡± Samantha said.


    Mandy lowered her arms, and clenched her fists.


    ¡°This is not about beating you in the way you think. It¡¯s more than that, my old friend.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s thin smile reappeared and she bumped heads with her.


    ¡°Then show me what you¡¯re trying to accomplish, M-a-n-d-y.¡±


    Mandy also smiled, and in a surprise attack, gave Samantha a kiss which caught her off guard and back up. Samantha wiped her lips aggressively and Mandy playfully blew her another kiss.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t see that coming, did you?¡±


    Samantha twitched an eye, but smirked again.


    Linnea shot a barrage of bullets, and Samantha turned her glare to her. The bullets froze, Mandy rushed in, firing her shotgun point blank. Her shells also froze and Linnea dove down to shoot her weapons point blank at Samantha. The three stood for a moment, and they began firing. Samantha duck, slide, put an arm down to dodge as they shot their weapons. Linnea forced herself to get closer, and shot her handgun point blank with Samantha slapping her hand away with each shot. First her hands did, then she used her heels to slap Linnea¡¯s point blank shots. Mandy also joined in with her shotgun with Samantha doing the same. Kicking, slapping, ducking with every shot of buckshot. Samantha¡¯s dance moves and choreography caught them off guard, off balance as they did their best to shoot their guns at her.


    In a last ditch effort, Linnea summoned two spirits to catch her, to which they did but Samantha¡¯s presence froze them to death. They disintegrated and Samantha quickly got in Linnea¡¯s face, and swept one of her legs off balance. She gasped as she was falling backwards, and Samantha grinned. Linnea abruptly pulled out the smg from behind her, and fired, and instantly Samantha also kicked flipped backwards. Mandy appeared from her side, and point blank shot her shotgun. The momentum blew Samantha to the side, and had her falling off the building. The two hurried to see if Mandy¡¯s shot took her out. To no unveil, they saw her hopping from building to building.


    ¡°Damn, I really thought you got her for a moment, Mandy.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, we have her cornered.¡±


    They went after her, still firing and after all the bullets that had frozen in time, it left the world in a mess of lines: Thin lines that course the whole city, and skies with their bullets. They still shot their weapons despite them becoming lines of nothing. Hopping from buildings, leaping from skyscrapers, jumping, spinning as they fired more and more, chasing after the enemy, eventually the three once again found themselves together above a tall skyscraper. Reloading, Mandy knit her brows as she did. Linnea also reloaded her final mag that Mandy gave her as Samantha floated between them. As the three stayed afloat in the sky, Samantha gazed at the moon, and smiled at the shining rock.


    ¡°What a view, and never have I seen her so bright.¡±


    They didn¡¯t say a thing, but ready their weapons again.


    ¡°Of course, I made it happen, but too bad, there¡¯s a mosquito who won¡¯t leave me be, and a bee who can¡¯t decide if she wants to live or die. Just buzzing around, provoking to see if they¡¯ll get squashed.¡±


    Mandy trickled a chuckle and Linnea trickled a grunt.


    ¡°Fools, the both of you¡­¡±


    Samantha vanished and Mandy felt someone blow into her ear. She jumped, flew forward, and shot behind her. Samantha giggled as she dodged the stream of pellets.


    ¡°It¡¯s all fun and games until you¡¯re the one that¡¯ll be teased, Samantha.¡± Mandy said.


    ¡°Hmm? Are you sure? Or you''re just aloof to my insults at this point, Mandy.¡±


    Samantha seductively placed her finger against her chin, and smiled.


    ¡°Come now. Please, do tell me more about how you¡¯ll be the one to reverse the rolls.¡±


    Linnea couldn¡¯t understand why Mandy¡¯s trying more to provoke her and in her eyes and thought process, is only helping Samantha grow more frustrated and full of herself. Mandy¡¯s body wasn¡¯t shaking, her face permanently confident, Linnea let out a long sigh, and fluttered her eyelashes.


    ¡°Hmph, that¡¯ll wait. Let''s see just how strong you really are.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, Mandy appeared at Samantha¡¯s face, and held her shotgun to the side of her face. The two had another stare down, and remained in statue states. The silence of the empty city, the breeze of the night fluttering their hair, the edge of Mandy¡¯s lips raised in an amused manner. Samantha also grinned, and Mandy eerily began tilting her head. She got close, and bumped noses with her, and both could feel the heat of their bodies through their nostrils.


    ¡°You¡¯re really full of it, aren¡¯t you?¡± Samantha said.


    Mandy giggled and knit her brows.


    ¡°Not as much as you, you twisted bitch.¡±


    ¡°That confidence will be your undoing. Don¡¯t get carried away or else you¡¯ll fall harder than you stood.¡±


    Mandy jolted her head.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Right now, there¡¯s something that¡¯s worth more protecting than the world, and it¡¯s something you¡¯ll never understand.¡±


    Samantha squinted her eyes, and smacked her teeth.


    ¡°Did I strike a nerve? Oh, poor Samantha might have an idea as to what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    Samantha exploded her eyes, and Mandy was sent hurtling away, crashing into a building. She quickly shot out of the hole, and flew to Samantha, shooting a shotgun blast filled with mana pellets. They exploded around her, and she saw Samantha free falling again with a trail of smoke behind her. The two gave chase again as she was falling. All three fell for another eight stories as they kept shooting until Samantha did a backflip to make contact with a building top. They landed opposite of each other, and rushed in, shooting point blank again. Samantha tangoed her way through their attacks, ballerina spun, and split her way through the oncoming trails of lead.


    ¡°Linnea, blast her!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Linnea summoned a summon below Samantha that grabbed her feet. She was held in place, and Linnea gathered enough mana to shoot a huge beam point blank. Samantha slapped it away, and stomped the summons hands out of existence. Mandy jumped in, Samantha kicked her shotgun¡¯s barrel in the air. Linnea jammed her handgun to her face, which she slapped away, and dodged another blast from Mandy. The two kept pursuing point blank blasts despite their efforts being futile. Samantha continued her exquisite dancing while she smacked, kicked, pushed, and fell beneath every effort given by their relentless attacks. Again, she leaped into the air, and then off the building to free fall one last time. They followed and with the three all falling simutouniusly, Mandy and Linnea had had it.


    Together, as they free fell with Samantha, they fired non stop, trying to land at least one shot. Samantha dodged, bobbed, weaved, smacked their gun barrels away as they fell in a dance of hell. They fell for what seemed like forever as they kept up their brutal point blank firing. Starting to reach the ground, Linnea backed off, and used her handgun to shoot regular bullets. Samantha touched the ground, and she flicked away her bullets for them to freeze around her. Mandy shot one more shotgun blast before firing one more full mag of her rifle. Samantha did the same, and the two rushed in, firing one more set of hellfire until they ultimately ran out of ammunition.


    Mandy posed with the rifle aimed near Samantha¡¯s face, looking at her while she was kneeled down. Linnea had her handgun aimed at the back of her head, and Samantha was in a seductive dance pose with one finger raised. The two panted heavily, sweat drenched their faces while Samantha appeared relaxed, and having the time of her life. Samantha looked over her shoulder briefly, then to Mandy, and let out a moan.


    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t tell me that the two of you are tired already?¡± she said.


    Mandy growled, and Linnea smacked her teeth.


    ¡°Come now, don¡¯t look disappointed. I was just dancing and having a blast.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s annoyance grew tenfold while Linnea¡¯s fear came back.


    ¡°What? Are we not convinced yet on how futile your efforts have been? Well then¡­¡±


    Samantha gently bent her finger, and turned her grin upside down.


    ¡°...allow me to downgrade, and get back to your level.¡±


    Samantha placed down her one raised leg, and when it clacked the ground, every frozen bullet, blast, mana attacks unfroze. Bullets collided with each other, rippled, sawed through buildings, destroying, penetrating anything it can reach. Mana exploded, the bullets in combination turned the entire city into a wonderland of explosions, destruction, and streams of hellish light that ricochet around them, and left Mandy and Linnea in a state of utter shock. Mandy¡¯s jaw was dropped, Linnea¡¯s teeth were ground as the last of their bullets streamed past their blanched faces, and blew past their hair.


    Samantha lowered her arms and shrugged.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s with the long faces, you two?¡±


    Mandy threw her rifle to the side, and shakingly stood up.


    ¡°Wh-what just happened?¡± she muttered.


    Samantha giggled, and eerily pointed at her.


    ¡°What does it look like?¡±


    She squinted her eyes, and her thin smile returned.


    ¡°I slowed myself down to your guys speed.¡±


    Linnea was still confused as to what she meant.


    ¡°You¡¯re not making any sense!¡±


    Mandy clenched her fists, and knit her brows. A huge drop of sweat rolled down the side of her face.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll say it to your simplistic brain.¡± Samantha replied.


    She circled, waved her hand and placed her other hand on her hip.


    ¡°As we tangoed, you guys were near my circle. The moment I decided to shrink it back inside me, it allowed me to be set back to reality.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s basically saying her speed exceeds comprehension.¡±


    Samantha winked at Mandy, and clapped.


    ¡°Bravo! You guessed it right. Your measly attacks were no match to my movements. And to think I was just dancing, hehe.¡±


    Samantha did an old Scandinavian dance, and circled, flowing like wind.


    ¡°Just like the wind, I vanish. Deep in blood, in my flesh, my existence to anyone isn¡¯t there¡­ only a thought or a dream, perhaps a nightmare.¡±


    Mandy wiped her face, and Linnea frowned.


    ¡°To people like you, one that I loathe, the other that I might have remorse, I allow you to see me. Otherwise, if I¡¯m found out again¡­¡±


    Samantha gazed up at the sky.


    ¡°God forbid what would happen to this universe. My mind is twisted, sinister, but my actions alone are what defy the being that I am.¡±


    ¡°An envious evil good for nothing bitch, is what you are, Samantha.¡± Mandy said.


    Samantha grinned.


    ¡°No matter the methods, efforts you two might be thinking now, you can¡¯t beat what doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Mandy shut her eyes for a moment, and the way her shut eyelids were shaking, to Linnea, it appeared as if she were thinking. Samantha glanced back at the two.


    ¡°What? Still trying to figure out another method of beating me? I told you, there¡¯s nothing else you two can do.¡±


    Mandy opened her eyes, and tilted her head, dozing off. Samantha giggled, hovering her hand over her mouth.


    ¡°Look! It looks to be that my old nemsis has¡ª¡±


    Mandy¡¯s fist engulfed Samantha¡¯s vision, and Samantha gasped, ducking. Mandy immediately threw an underhook punch that made contact with Samantha¡¯s stomach. She gagged, and Mandy donkey kicked Samantha away. Her heels dug into the cold ground, dragging away and left her speechless. Mandy ran towards her, and Samantha panicked, tip toe hopping backwards to get away. She went up to the sky, and summoned a barrage of lightning strikes from the sky. Mandy dodged them effortlessly and with speeds exceeding way past light, dodging, flashing in and out of reality, Mandy appeared again in her face, and axlehand Samantha back to the ground. She crashed into the ground, and a dust cloud shot up.


    Mandy stayed in the sky, and with her fists clenched, she glanced down at Samantha who emerged from the smoke unharmed but caught offgaurd.


    ¡°I knew it, she can¡¯t defend herself.¡±


    Samantha was furious and annoyed, brushing the dirt off her elegant outfit.


    ¡°You vile beast! How dare you lay your hands on me!¡±


    Linnea flew next to Mandy and seemed hyped.


    ¡°Holy cow! Where¡¯d that come from?!¡± she shouted.


    Mandy put her hand up.


    ¡°She can¡¯t fight. I remember from long ago.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! You-you mean she can¡¯t physically fight like us?¡±


    ¡°Remember, most Witches and Esper''s don¡¯t even engage in hand to hand combat. It¡¯s not necessary for them unless it''s a last ditch effort. They get way into their own heads and think they¡¯ll never have to since the majority of their attacks are from a distance.¡±


    Linnea¡¯s smile returned and she grabbed Mandy¡¯s shoulder, wiggling her in excitement.


    ¡°Oooo, Mandy you¡¯re a freaking genius!¡±


    Linnea turned to Samantha¡¯s glare, and raised a fist.


    ¡°That means we¡¯ll be able to beat her to a pulp!¡±


    Mandy shook her head.


    ¡°Not as easy as it sounds. Look at her, she¡¯s completely unharmed. My attacks did nothing but push her around and annoy her.¡±


    ¡°R-Right¡­ damn, so much for finding a way of leaving a scratch.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t leave that out of the equation.¡±


    ¡°Wh-What are you trying to say?¡±


    Mandy chuckled.


    ¡°Oh my Norwegian friend, you sure are clueless but it¡¯s understandable.¡±


    Mandy glanced at her friend, and grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to physically scratch her. I¡¯m trying to get into her conflicted head.¡±


    ¡°Conflicted?¡±


    Linnea squinted at the thought.


    ¡°Are you sure? She seems the same as always: sadistic, calm yet gentle.¡±


    Mandy watched as Samantha¡¯s glint shone brighter.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s conflicted. She ain¡¯t right, and I¡¯m about to push her limits.¡±


    Mandy smiled ear to ear.


    ¡°Let''s see just how calm natured she really is.¡±


    Mandy teleported behind Samantha and she vanished immediately. Mandy predicted where she¡¯ll appear and shot a barrage of mana crystals at her. They were shattered in front of her invisible barrier. Mandy flashed a huge ball of mana, and blinded the world in a colour of bright blue. Samantha smacked her gums and knew where Mandy would appear. She leaped away, but surprisingly, Linnea came from behind, shooting her handgun to force her to leap forward. Mandy¡¯s fist shoved into her abdomen and Samantha¡¯s eyes grew big. A huge twisted grin grew on Mandy¡¯s face when she saw Samantha¡¯s shocked expression.


    ¡°You really can¡¯t fend for yourself when it comes to hand combat? Oh Samantha¡­¡±


    Samantha growled.


    ¡°...You should¡¯ve paid more attention to the perfect man who sacrificed everything for you just to be played by your feeble admiration!¡±


    Hearing her insult struck a nerve in Samantha to which she responded with a shout.


    Mandy was electrocuted away. She was sent crashing through buildings and shot into a skyscraper. Mandy moaned, and when she opened her eyes, she saw Samantha approaching her. She giggled and pulled herself off the dented rubble. Samantha flew straight into Mandy. Samantha speared Mandy through the building, and made their way down to the earth. Being dragged for a mile, Mandy, despite the pain, cackled which threw Samantha off. Mandy wrapped her arms around her neck, and locked her in a choke hold. They stopped skidding, and Samantha tried wrestling her way off Mandy¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Le-Let go of me!¡± she shouted.


    Mandy tilted her head, and drew close to her ear.


    ¡°What''s the matter? I thought miss all mighty couldn¡¯t be touched, grabbed, or spoken to?¡±


    Samantha knit her brows, and yelled. An explosion occurred where they were. Mandy was shot out of the explosion sphere, a trail of smoke tailed her as she fell back to the earth. She fell back first, and was covered in bruises and bled from wounds across her arms and face.


    ¡°Damn¡­ that really hurt.¡± she mumbled.


    Mandy sat up, grabbing her stomach as she saw Samantha rising to the sky. Her hair fluttered violently, and her eyes glowed crimson.


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­ show me your emotions. Show me what really grinds your nerves, bitch.¡±


    Samantha took deep breaths, and calmly put one palm forward. Her palm ignited, a huge spark tried growing the small flickering explosion. It torched, and eventually ignited fully. The sound it produced sent chills across Mandy¡¯s body as she got back on her feet.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°For the first time in almost two decades¡­¡±


    Samantha grew a huge vile grin as the spark alone heated up the entire dimension. Mandy grabbed her right arm, and frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to face the same flame that almost took my life.¡±


    The ignited spark grew forward, and Samantha¡¯s palm exploded a gigantic beam of blue fire that darkened the world. Mandy¡¯s pupils reflected the dormant anger Samantha had for her vastly approaching her. A blue flame of hell was a yard away, and Mandy couldn¡¯t help but bring out a tear from the gorgeous flame.


    ¡°You loathe me that much, do you, Samantha?¡± Mandy murmured.


    Mandy stomped one foot forward, and put her hands together near the side of her face.


    ¡°Thank you for showing me just how much you hate me.¡±


    Her mana exploded out, and she was nearing her max strength, growing the mana in her interlaced palms. Her aura grew to the sky, and she screamed, shooting it at the blue wall of fire just a foot away. A magnificent explosion erupted and for a moment, blew up the entire reality they were in until the explosion imploded within itself. Mandy was in stance, and Samantha had the edge of her lip raised.


    ¡°You got lucky. If it wasn¡¯t for me intervening then our little explosion would¡¯ve reached our real world.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    Mandy lowered her arms, and clenched her fists.


    ¡°Like I care.¡±


    Samantha smiled.


    ¡°I knew you had no care about the world.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re protecting something greater than the world, of course your care for this vile reality would grow numb.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the meaning behind your statement?¡±


    Linnea came in time, and handed Mandy her shotgun. Mandy glanced at it, and threw it to the side.


    ¡°Hey! I just loaded it!¡±


    Mandy grinned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll use it when the chance comes. Just observe as I pull my next twist.¡±


    Samantha floated down, and faced the two a yard away.


    ¡°What are you trying to imply, Mandy?¡±


    Mandy raised her finger, and wiggled it.


    ¡°Nuh uh, you¡¯re going to have to take a guess at it.¡±


    Samantha deeply knit her brows.


    ¡°Enough of your charades, it¡¯s growing tiresome.¡±


    Mandy laughed and it was abruptly cut off by something hitting her away.


    ¡°Mandy!¡± Linnea shouted.


    Mandy caught herself from colliding with a building and launched herself towards Samantha. Samantha dodged her, leaped above and was about to raise the earth when she felt Mandy¡¯s hand around her right ankle. Samantha gasped, and Mandy threw her to the ground. A huge dent on the earth was created, and Samantha growled more than she ever has in her life. But, Mandy pulled herself onto Samantha¡¯s body, stabbing the earth behind her body to bear hug her and raise Samantha off the ground. She had Samantha in a tight bear hug, and the two were an inch from touching noses.


    Samantha grew irritated seeing Mandy¡¯s confident yet bloodied face.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t help yourself but touch me, huh? Whore.¡±


    Mandy chuckled, and bumped noses with her.


    ¡°Hmm, you are soft I admit. You¡¯re definitely more gorgeous than me, and have a better body than I do. But¡ª¡±


    Mandy moaned, and squeezed.


    ¡°¡ªI can accomplish something you¡¯ll never achieve¡­ even in your wretched dreams.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes quivered.


    ¡°Again with this silly que¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve achieved it.¡±


    ¡°H¡­uh¡­¡±


    Samantha¡¯s mouth stayed open. She didn¡¯t move a muscle, and her eyes went blank. Mandy edged towards her ear, and blinked.


    ¡°Samantha, you know where I¡¯m going with this? Don¡¯t you, heh.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s finger twitched, crunched, and twisted. Her pupils dilated as her eyes trembled in anger. She trickled an angered gasp, and ground her teeth. She locked eyes with Mandy who''s glistened with happiness.


    ¡°And I have more of a reason to defeat you so Leon and I can achieve ultimate happiness.¡±


    Mandy gently bumped heads with Samantha.


    ¡°A world in which you don¡¯t exist.¡± she seductively said.


    Samantha felt something cut through her. She snapped, and Mandy was blown away by her aura exploding out. Linnea caught her friend, and the two stood watching as Samantha¡¯s power was finally shown for the first time since Mandy¡¯s last encounter.


    Linnea squinted her eyes, and tears came out.


    ¡°It¡¯s horrifically beautiful¡­¡±


    Mandy rubbed her stomach area, and smirked.


    ¡°Oh, Samantha.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s aura was slicing the air around her: The heat alone melted reality in her vicinity like paint drying. Its bright, yet darkened colours correlated exactly as Mandy imagined it.


    ¡°She¡¯s the personification¡ªof hellfire.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s aura flickered sparks of burning flames that shot around. Its volcanic nature erupted into the sky, and burned the clouds, making it rain ash and meteorite''s. The hottest flame known to man, blue scorched the world, and Samantha punched her fist forward, shooting a huge beam of blue fire towards them. Mandy screamed, and ran directly towards it, putting her fist together to hammer it away. She felt her skin sizzle, and saw the edge of her hands burned as the flame shot into the sky. Samantha¡¯s eyes glowed red hot, and she bended more flames out her fists. Mandy and Linnea jumped, leaped building to building as her trail of blue fire eviscerated everything in its path.


    Linnea went deep into the ash fired sky, and put her arms into the air. She pulled in mana wherever she could in the empty world. But, to no unveil, she was only able to form a small bluish ball of mana the size of a three story house.


    ¡°To hell with it!¡±


    She threw her arms forward, and the blue ball sliced through the blacked red clouds, and pummeled its way towards Samantha. Without giving it a glance, Samantha put her hand in the air, and the ball disintegrated.


    Mandy exploded out of the ground, and the two collided palms, which sent a shockwave that leveled the city. The two stood, struggling to push each other.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?! Can¡¯t you back up that invincible strength with your hands?!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Samantha growled and pushed forward, forcing Mandy to dig her feet into the ground. Mandy¡¯s power rose to max, but it did little to no effort to help herself stop Samantha¡¯s push. Mandy didn¡¯t care, and instead let go, which made Samantha fall forward. Mandy drove her knee forward, making contact with Samantha¡¯s abdomen. Samantha froze, and trickled repeated gasps.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you so angry?! Did I get in your head! Is that it, Samantha?!¡±


    ¡°Shut¡­ up!¡±


    Samantha drove her left foot into the ground, and the earth imploded. Mandy flew away, and both friends were once again side by side in their fighting poses.


    ¡°You alright, Mandy?¡±


    Mandy chuckled.


    ¡°Yeah. But I think I got a little carried away.¡±


    ¡°With what, exactly?¡± Linnea asked.


    While facing forward, Mandy watched as Samantha¡¯s anger swelled up again.


    ¡°I¡¯m in her head now.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯d you say that got her so pissed?¡±


    Mandy dropped her raised fists, and adjusted her half broken glasses.


    ¡°I gave her a hint of something she¡¯ll never achieve. A dream she¡¯s living in a falsy fallacy.¡±


    Samantha heard what Mandy said, and clenched a fist.


    ¡°You¡¯re really starting to piss me off!¡±


    Mandy casually shrugged with a smug grin.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m simply stating what¡¯s true.¡±


    Linnea tried thinking of what Mandy¡¯s implying but couldn¡¯t. She stayed back in the meantime while the two were having their belittle, watching as her good friend continued to face the conflict against the being who¡¯s not only ruined her life, but to the rest of reality.


    ¡°Oh Mandy, you¡¯re not going to win. So drop the tough guy act and hurry up for what you have to say because in the end, it won¡¯t mean anything.¡±


    ¡°Oh really now?¡± Mandy crossed her arms. ¡°I disgrace, S-a-m-a-n-t-h-a.¡±


    ¡°Then out with it! Before I end your lowly life.¡±


    Mandy took two steps forward. With a genuine grin on her face, she gave Samantha a stare which ruffled her nerves.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything in the next ten seconds, I¡¯ll eviscerate not only that smug look on your face, but ensure your existence be wiped permanently.¡±


    Mandy rubbed her stomach, and tilted.


    ¡°Oh Samantha, if only you¡¯d understand the glory of life than being a mere spectator. As I said, you¡¯re living a false dream, one you wished was one that was true, but instead you fabricated to pretend for it to be true.¡±


    Samantha leaned forward, and began swirling her arms with lightning tailing behind two of her finger tips.


    ¡°It won¡¯t matter what you¡¯ll imply! Your death will be a dream that comes to life for me!¡±


    She held her finger tips that flickered shocks of light to her eyes as they were set on Mandy.


    ¡°Prepare to meet the light you fear, Mandy.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to¡­ because I not only have to beat you for not just Leon¡¯s sake, but¡ª!¡±


    Mandy placed her hand on her stomach, and knit her brows.


    ¡°¡ªfor the sake of our child!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes went wide, and the light went out.


    ¡°Wh-wha¡­t?¡± Samantha said.


    Mandy¡¯s eyes glistened as she sliced the air in front of her.


    ¡°Not only am I bearing life! Something you¡¯ll never understand, but the life that Leon and I created out of the love we always shared!¡±


    Linnea¡¯s eyes also glistened and she gasped loudly while rushing to Mandy to give her a huge hug.


    ¡°You¡¯re-you¡¯re pregnant?! Oh my god!¡±


    Mandy giggled.


    ¡°Sorry if I kept it a secret. I just wanted to say it at the right time.¡±


    She turned back to Samantha who appeared frozen in shock.


    ¡°So I could rub it on to someone whom I thought would love the news bomb.¡±


    Linnea trembled and brought her hands up, staring at her shaking palms.


    ¡°Con-congratulations¡­ but now I¡¯m scared of the repercussions that¡¯ll come next of your reveal.¡±


    Samantha faintly let out a forced chuckle, and slowly dropped to her knees.


    ¡°This-this can¡¯t be¡­ true.¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Devastated are we? Don''t be Samantha! I achieved the dream you long sought after! And with the man you supposedly loved and created life with!¡±


    Samantha slowly ground her teeth, and twitched an eye.


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡± she whispered.


    ¡°I know the truth behind your daughter too!¡±


    Samantha hung her head and a shadow lingered over her body. Linnea grabbed Mandy¡¯s shoulder to get her attention.


    ¡°So it¡¯s true? That Sarah¡¯s a carbon copy of her?¡±


    Mandy¡¯s grin grew.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure of her being a copy, but more so of her being artificially made by her twisted hands: that way, she can at least achieve a part of her dream. But in the end, it¡¯s still not the same.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes quivered beneath the carpet of her hair. She eerily put her hands on her head, and rubbed it. It was gentle at first, then it slowly grew more intense and aggressive.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Mandy took one more step forward, and took in a deep breath.


    ¡°Jealous¡ªare we?!¡±


    Linnea gasped, and Samantha went still. Mandy grunted, and brought her guard back up. She wiped her smug nature, and grew serious again. Linnea never changed her seriousness and was more worried than anything. Seeing Samantha completely frozen and the eeriness of silence unfolding before them, it froze the two''s bone marrow as they waited for her response. Minutes went by as they waited, and finally, they saw movement from Samantha. She dropped her hands forward on her knees, and fell face forward. Her butt in the air, and seeming to be in a begging stance, they wondered what she¡¯s up to.


    Mandy quickly glimpsed at Linnea who looked petrified.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Linnea?¡±


    Linnea was quietly gasping repeatedly, and dropped to her knees.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ over¡­¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°Huh? What are you say¡ª?¡±


    Suddenly, they heard a faint deep yet vigorous screechy growl. They two watched as Samantha slowly rose off the ground, and with her head hung, her hair began to float.


    ¡°Mandy¡­ we-we gotta¡ª¡±


    Samantha¡¯s head abruptly went backwards, and she faced the sky, and let out a roar that sounded to that of a call for death. A sad, screechy, heart broken being, letting all of her pain be known to existence. Linnea turned white, and began to scoot away.


    ¡°Mandy! We have to go now!¡±


    Mandy scrunched her face in confusion. She felt the air begin to change, and saw how the environment began to change. Behind Samantha, a blackhole with a red ring erupted, and began sucking the light out of the world and stretching it behind her. Samantha rose to her feet, and flung her head forward. Being hunched forward, her fingers twitched repeatedly and she began to breathe heavily. She dragged her hands across her head and face, digging her nails into her head. The blackhole behind her began to suck her in, but she stopped it, and it quickly vanished within itself. The two were shaken, and didn¡¯t know what to do next. Linnea got back on her feet, and ground her teeth.


    ¡°Envy¡­ it was almost born again.¡±


    Mandy balled her fists, and grinned.


    ¡°Hmph, I pushed her that far, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Samantha panted heavily, and her hands fell off her head.


    ¡°Is this the same back then? Linnea.¡±


    Linnea shook her head, and gulped.


    ¡°Almost, but a million times scarier and her scream was more putridly saddened.¡±


    Mandy sighed in fear. Samantha began taking breathing exercises to ease her temper. Once she had regained control of her emotions, she brought her gaze back to them, and locked her glare at Mandy.


    ¡°I-I almost let myself go there¡­ I almost let her get to me.¡± she mumbled.


    She rose straight up, and shook her head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let her get to me¡­ I can¡¯t allow her to make me feel this way, not her.¡±


    Samantha panted more, and shut her eyes, smacking her palms against them.


    ¡°Calm down Samantha¡­ calm down. Freaking calm¡­ down!¡±


    Her sudden shout returned everything back to normal and all the damage they have done to the world was undone. Mandy smacked her teeth, and Linnea drew closer to her friend, waiting to see what Samantha¡¯s next move would be. She took her palms off her face, and regained her breathing one last time. She opened her eyes, and they were crimson which made the two turn paler than before.


    ¡°No more games¡­¡± she muttered.


    Mandy readied herself, and saw the past glaring at her with murderous intent.


    ¡°Get ready Linnea!¡±


    Linnea reloaded her handgun and shook uncontrollably.


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡±


    Samantha regained her emotions, and her face turned still.


    ¡°You almost brought out a side of me I wish not to express¡ªespecially to the likes of you, Mandy.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s posture straightened and she put her hands to the side of her body. She stood still like a statute and Mandy raised a brow. She saw so many openings to where she could attack her and for a minute, she was keen on it. But, quickly, she knew it was a trap. In the growing ambience of silence, in the blink of an eye, Mandy was crushed, somewhat caught in something''s grip. She loudly grunted, and was risen off the ground, chucked away, and slammed against the earth.


    ¡°MANDY!¡± Linnea screamed.


    It was like the same when that Exorcist lady fought her! An unknown force that she uses to attack her enemy. Linnea thought.


    Mandy gagged a pool of blood. Her body was dragged, and in the way she was being dragged, she appeared to be in the clutch of something, something no one could see. Mandy screamed as she was swung around, slammed onto buildings, shot through, pummeled onto the ground as if her body was wrapped by rope and cowboyed around. Mandy¡¯s eyes turned white when she rose to the sky, and flung into a building. Linnea went to where she was thrown to, but she saw her aura explode out of the building, destroying the skyscraper and she was livid. A bloodied mess, Mandy let out a war scream, and pulled her right fist back.


    ¡°WHATEVER YOU ATTACKED ME WITH, SAMANTHA! AS LONG AS YOU¡¯RE THE DEFENSILSE AMATUER THAT YOU ARE, I¡¯LL BRING YOU TO YOUR KNEES!¡±


    Shooting her fist forward, and vastly approaching Samantha, letting out one more powerful scream, Mandy was suddenly punched in her jaw and launched away. She crashed into the ground, and lay in her crater, wondering who had just punched her. Growling, she weakly sat up, and wiped her mouth.


    ¡°Who-who did that?!¡±


    Taking her eyes to the sky, she saw the figure float down to Samantha''s side, and she immediately flew out of the crater. Then, she was able to see her culprit, and it made her jaw drop.


    ¡°No¡­ h-how?¡±


    Standing beside Samantha was her daughter, Sarah. Her eyes also crimson but empty, she stood like a doll. Linnea was also shocked to see her present. The two quickly regrouped.


    ¡°I-I thought she was taken away?!¡± Linnea shouted.


    Samantha walked behind her daughter, and put her mouth to her ear.


    ¡°Physically, she has been. But, as long as she¡¯s not in any danger¡­¡±


    The two simultaneously took a breath, and turned their eyes to Mandy.


    ¡°As we breathe the same air, see the same reality, we are present no matter the circumstances.¡± they said in unison.


    Samantha wrapped her arms over her daughter¡¯s shoulders, and frowned.


    ¡°For we are one, Mandy.¡±


    Samantha leaned into her daughter''s ear while Mandy looked rabid.


    ¡°Show her the skills that your precious father has taught you, my beloved.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s mouth gapped and she launched herself out of Samantha¡¯s clutch.


    Mandy yelled as Sarah shot her right fist at her. The two collided fists, sending horrific shockwaves that shattered the dimension. They viscously threw blow after blows, blocking each others attacks on equal terms. Samantha¡¯s crimson eyes glowed, and Sarah¡¯s did as well. She pushed more for Mandy to block and retreat as Sarah¡¯s punches were growing tenfold.


    ¡°Sarah! Snap out of it!¡± Mandy shouted.


    Sarah sent her right leg to the side of Mandy¡¯s face which she blocked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me have doubts of what you are more than I already concluded!¡±


    She headbutted her, which sent her away.


    ¡°You¡¯re not your mother¡­ you can¡¯t be.¡± Mandy said.


    ¡°You need help?!¡± Linnea shouted.


    ¡°No! I¡¯ll handle her for a bit. Just find a way to distract Samantha.¡±


    Samantha brought her gaze to Linnea and she immediately began launching a barrage of attacks at her. Nothing could get through whatever barrier she had around her. Every attack vanished, disintegrated or was shrunk to nothing. But Linnea continued while Mandy was having an equal battle with the girl who claimed that she¡¯s not her mother, but her own person. Entrusting her words, Mandy had to find something to snap her out of her doll-like state, but she wasn¡¯t getting through her.


    ¡°Come on! Sarah!¡±


    Sarah grew distance between them, and threw her fist forward, shooting a giant trail of hot fire towards Mandy. Mandy growled and flew up away from the oncoming attack. Mandy saw the stream of fire eviscerate its way through skyscrapers, melting everything in its path. Sarah appeared behind, and wrapped her arm around Mandy¡¯s neck. Mandy gagged, and tried breaking free from her clutch.


    ¡°Sa-Sar¡­ah!¡±


    Sarah grew her clutch, and Mandy felt her windpipe crushing more and more by the second. Mandy managed to turn her head a little for Sarah to hear what she had to say.


    ¡°Sa¡­rah, you¡¯re being controlled. Pl-please, stop this.¡±


    She got nothing, but instead made Sarah put her other arm beneath her ribs, and started putting pressure on them. Mandy¡¯s eyes were huge, and she felt her life draining.


    ¡°You¡­ are you! Yo¡­u said it-it yourself!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes blinked for a second, and she let off her ribs.


    ¡°You¡¯re your¡­. Own being! You¡¯re not your wretched mo-mother.¡±


    Sarah repeatedly blinked, and began twitching an eye and gasping.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it, I¡¯ve looked you dead in your ey-eyes! At first¡­ I thought you were her, but getting to know you¡ªI knew you were separate from her, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah gasped, and Samantha quickly took a glance at them, growling.


    ¡°Because like you said¡­ you¡¯re Sarah, and you''re more relatable to your father than her!¡±


    Sarah let go, and clutched her head. Samantha did the same and she collapsed to her knees. Sweat profusely drained from her forehead, and she let out the same scream earlier that sent chills to the two women. Sarah also screamed, and her aura exploded out along with her mother. Both in the beginning shared the same flame around their bodies until Samantha¡¯s was slowly transitioning to blue. Linnea used the opportunity to rush her, and pulled off her Christian pendant from her necklace, stuffing it into Samantha¡¯s skirt pocket. Linnea shouted, and casted a spell that was summoned from the sky, and blasted its way down to her. Samantha wasn¡¯t fazed, but rather annoyed and brought her eyes to the sky, letting out a screeching painful scream. Sarah did the same, and Linnea¡¯s attack was destroyed, and Sarah once again attacked Mandy, punching her in the face, abs, and super kicking her to a skyscraper.


    Mandy gagged out another pool of blood, but chuckled.


    ¡°I knew it¡­¡±


    Sarah crashed with Mandy, and the two were dug into the skyscraper building. Sarah¡¯s cold gaze made Mandy frown, but she felt happy knowing that she¡¯s different from her mother, but also shared something similar which gave her an idea.


    ¡°Soul huh?¡± Mandy murmured.


    She reached behind her skirt, and felt her dagger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sar-Sarah.¡±


    Sarah leaped onto Mandy, throwing straight punches that rocked the whole building as Mandy avoided them from colliding them with her face. Sarah retracted as much as she could with her right arm, and she grit her teeth, launching it forward. Mandy yelled as her fist was an inch away and Sarah had abruptly paused. She let out repeated gasps that whispered into Mandy¡¯s eardrums. Mandy¡¯s arms trembled, and she saw that her dagger was dug into the side of Sarah¡¯s stomach. She saw her white shirt swelling in red where she was stabbed into, and Sarah let out a tear. Mandy also teared up, and shook.


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    Back on the ground, Linnea was just smashed into the ground by the invisible force that was beating Mandy into a pulp earlier. She groaned with pain and got on fours. She brought her head up to Samantha who had a vile grin on her face, but seemingly conflicted.


    ¡°You too will join her¡­¡± Samantha said.


    Samantha suddenly gasped, and felt something wet grow around the side of her stomach. She rubbed her fingertips on the area, and brought them up for her face to see her own warmth, glistening upon her eyes. She loudly gasped, and took aim with her eyes to the building where her daughter was just in with Mandy.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    Samantha brought out a tear, and ground her teeth.


    ¡°M¡­andy¡­ Mandy¡­ MANDY!¡±


    Mandy and Sarah walked out of the hole of the building, and Sarah was gently pushed off her dagger. Samantha saw her own daughter falling, and she was about to scream bloody murder until her own blood made her gargle and drop on fours. She puked out blood, and repeatedly gasped for air. She let out a horrendous scream and flung to the sky. Linnea was sent flying away from the force. She grabbed Sarah, and the unknown force had grabbed Mandy again, and swung her around buildings, smashing them, having them fall to the ground. Mandy was launched onto the earth, and became one with it.


    ¡°Sarah, my darling¡­¡± Samantha muttered.


    With Sarah in her arms, the two gently touched the ground, and Samantha held her daughter as the two bled more through their mouths. She rocked forward and back, mumbling words.


    ¡°Rest easy, the pain will go away, Sarah.¡±


    Samantha put her hand over her blank eyes, and covered them. She bumped her head against the back of her head, and particles erupted around them. Sarah was turned into white flakes, and blown away where her particles drifted back into the sky, shining it for a moment in daylight. Samantha¡¯s wound had healed, and she put her hands forward, letting out a saddened breath.


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow the past to repeat itself.¡±


    While she was in a praying stance, Linnea flew to where Mandy was just climbing out of her hole.


    ¡°You okay?!¡±


    She grabbed Mandy, and helped her out of the hole. Mandy could barely stand, but let out a chuckle.


    ¡°So it¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh-what is?¡±


    Mandy barely stood straight, but weakly pointed her finger at Samantha.


    ¡°There souls¡­ really are one.¡±


    Linnea was shocked but also not surprised to hear that. She also turned to Samantha.


    ¡°That explains why she suddenly bled. Which means you¡ªstabbed poor Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Y-Yeah, I did, with this.¡±


    She pulled out her dagger, and Linnea recognized it right away.


    ¡°That¡¯s a blade the Exorcists only carry. Where¡¯d you get from?!¡±


    She grinned while staring at the holy blade.


    ¡°It was a gift from my new teacher whom I look up to just like Leon.¡±


    Linnea grabbed the dagger, and observed it.


    ¡°So harming Samantha with this could defeat her?¡±


    Mandy wasn¡¯t sure since Samantha was still fully capable of multitasking.


    ¡°Could always try, but if Sarah was her weakness¡­¡±


    Samantha began to stand straight, and they saw her crimson eyes fade back into the platinum ghostly eyes she has.


    ¡°Then our ticket to beating her is gone.¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    Samantha looked dead serious, and Mandy could feel her bloodlust reach her soul. It began to hurt her heart, and she fell to a knee while clutching her chest.


    ¡°Lin-Linnea¡­¡±


    ¡°Mandy, are you dying?!¡±


    ¡°No-not yet, heheh.¡±


    As Mandy struggled to get back on her feet, she rested her hand on her stomach where her unborn child was growing.


    ¡°I¡¯m still protecting the life that I carry. Which is why I¡¯m barely fighting at max.¡±


    Her eyes began shaking, and she shut them.


    ¡°Even then, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll make this out alive.¡±


    Linnea grabbed Mandy, and slapped her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you talk like that, you stupid girl! You have a child you and Leon created.¡±


    Mandy smiled, and bumped heads with her best friend.


    ¡°I know, and I¡¯m not going to go down that easy. You need not worry because I have one final thing in mind, and if that doesn¡¯t work¡­ well then, it¡ª¡±


    Mandy was pulled away, and she was in the clutch of the unknown force. She was being squeezed, and she screamed in pain as Linnea heard her bones being crushed.


    ¡°MANDY!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes were crimson again, and whatever she was using to harm Mandy, she guided it to raise Mandy to the heavens. Risen above the clouds, for her to see a glimpse of Space, Mandy gasped for air, and she was slowly spun, and raised one more time with momentum. She was pummeled back to the earth, and Linnea could see her turn into a meteor making its way to cause a mass extinction.


    ¡°MANDY!!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s body was scorched and set ablaze as she fell back down below the atmosphere. She had tears coming out her eyes, but they quickly evaporated before they could stain her face. Linnea watched in horror as the bright light that brightened the world, was her friend nearing back down. She cried loudly, and Mandy made an impact, thus creating an explosion that would¡¯ve wiped all life on earth. The explosion was catastrophic, and destroyed everything in its path. Samantha walked into the light and fire, and had a still serious face. Linnea covered herself in a barrier while the momentum of the explosion had settled. Mandy lay there, defeated, broken, but the gleam of hope was still shining in her eyes.


    ¡°Leon¡­¡± she muttered.


    Remembering the time they spent early on, to the last moments before this scuffle, it made her realize just how much beating Samantha will mean for them. She quietly cried while her body ached, and bled. Samantha hadn¡¯t moved from her spot since then, and waited for Mandy to come out of her new grave. Mandy loudly grunted as she did her best to get back on her feet. Crying, falling multiple times, she finally managed to get back on her feet, and let out a loud frustrated yet saddened scream. Samantha felt her sorrow, and for a moment, her fingers twitched in sympathy but she brushed it off, and got ready. She raised two finger tips, and Mandy brought her face forward, letting Samantha see her glint, and the last remaining hope she had intact within her eyes.


    ¡°SAMANTHA!¡±


    Mandy exploded, and she was at max strength, and was putting everything into the attack she cherished using: The same Leon uses. The whole empty world began to shake, and debri rose to the skies along with every building as Mandy continued powering up. Linnea wanted to run in and join, but Mandy yelled ¡°NO!¡± to her. Linnea watched as her best friend was breaking her limits. Mandy¡¯s palms ignited, and everything shook more violently, like the world was ending. Scraps of metal, buildings floating to the sky, everything that wasn¡¯t the two eerily floated from Mandy¡¯s immense power. Samantha kept calm, and a small spark ignited above her finger tips.


    ¡°Samantha! I will not let you destroy what I have created!¡±


    Mandy¡¯s aura expanded, swelling, cutting the earth as more of her power rose.


    ¡°Compared to you, you miserable Witch! I can carry on life, cherish it, and share it with someone I love!¡±


    Samantha frowned, and lowered her finger tips for a moment.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing but live a false life. A dream you¡¯re pretending that¡¯s perfect and real, when in fact it¡¯s just as fabricated as the one you see in your sleep.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes sunk, and she turned away.


    ¡°I will do everything in my power to protect the child Leon and I created, and ensure they live in a world where you would be no more than just an idea¡­¡±


    Mandy''s power had broken, reached its new limit, and she rushed forward like a shooting star.


    ¡°SAMANTHA!¡±


    Mandy yelled as she was nearing close to Samantha when a sudden humongous flash of light combined with Mandy. The world flashed in a display of white and blue, blinding Linnea. Mandy¡¯s light was pushed away, and eventually, obliarated. A single loud thunder clap went off as silence came back. Her light faded away, and Mandy was nowhere to be found. Samantha was in her lightening bending stance, her finger tips forward, and softly blinked as the world returned its darkened sad colours. Linnea lowered her hands, and found her friend gone, which made her scream in sadness. She dropped to her knees, and wept.


    ¡°Mandy!¡±


    White particles along with blue dust had drifted around the area, and blew past Linnea¡¯s body. Samantha stuck her hands out, and caught some. She appeared sad, and opened her hands, letting the remnants of what Mandy was, be blown away by the cold winds. They drifted, flew off in the distance, and eventually disappeared into the sky. Linnea cried and cried as her friend''s soul had left the earth.


    ¡°Mandy¡­¡±


    Samantha let one tear roll down her face, but quickly wiped it off. She took a quick breath to cool her nerves, and walked to where Mandy was last seen before the flash. She kneeled down, and massaged the earth. Linnea aggressively got up, and saw Samantha kneeled on where her friend was last seen.


    ¡°You monster¡­ YOU DEVIL!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s mouth was gapped, and her eyes were blank.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ want¡ª¡±


    ¡°Samantha! You¡¯re dead! And I swear I¡¯ll be the one to carry Mandy¡¯s wish.¡±


    Linnea pulled out the dagger, and her handgun.


    ¡°I swear I¡¯ll beat you¡­ som-somehow.¡± she nervously said.


    She saw Samantha pick up Mandy¡¯s glasses, and wipe them.


    ¡°You put those down, you wicked Witch!¡±


    Samantha got back up, but also saw one of her earrings and decided to pick that up as well. She mysteriously put it on, and let out a sad moan.


    ¡°And now you wear her jewelry?! Just to mock her! I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    Linnea whispered spells, powered up, but Samantha was too deep in saying goodbye to an old rival.


    ¡°Mandy.¡± she muttered.


    Linnea let out a warcry, and charged forward with the dagger shooting first.


    ¡°This is the end of your story!¡±


    Linnea yelled, Samantha stayed silent, a loud collision echoed into the sky. Samantha¡¯s body was bent backwards a bit, and the dagger Linnea had in front, was barely a centimeter of reaching Samantha¡¯s stomach. They paused, Samantha¡¯s face as still as stone, taking a glance to Linnea¡¯s side face who growled, her teeth grounded. She quickly changed expressions, and her eyes went big, and she coughed out a pool of blood that ran down from Samantha¡¯s shoulder. Linnea let out her last breath, her eyes turned white, and she moaned. Before falling forward, Samantha caught her chin with just her fingertip, and held her lifeless body in place.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have faced your fate if you just walked out the open opportunity I had given you¡­¡±


    Linnea¡¯s mouth bled, and Samantha pulled out her hand out of her stomach area and out came a pool of warm crimson that steamed, splashed on the ground. Still holding Linnea¡¯s head by a finger, she gently pushed her up to her eye level without taking another glance.


    ¡°I never hated you, Linnea¡­ or Mandy.¡±


    Linnea was dead, and couldn¡¯t say anything. To Samantha, this was an opportunity for her to let out what she wanted to say for a while.


    ¡°You were the only person besides Leon who wanted to be by my side. If it wasn¡¯t for your stupid brother, then I¡¯m sure, you and I would¡¯ve shared the same friendship that you and Mandy did.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s still face transformed, and she began to mildly furrow her brows.


    ¡°But instead, you¡¯d rather die along with her. Such a pity.¡±


    She rose her body more straight while blood still poured out her wound.


    ¡°Goodbye¡­ Linnea.¡±


    A brief pause of silence, and Samantha didn¡¯t know what to do next. She then felt something sharp, a hot pain in her shoulder. She shifted her head briefly to it, and saw a glowing holy bullet embed in it. She deeply shut her eyes for a moment, and once she reopened them, she backhanded Linnea away, and her body crashed into a skyscraper. The building collapsed and buried her, leaving Samantha alone at last.


    ¡°I really am a horrid person, aren¡¯t I?¡± she said while digging for the bullet.


    She dug it out, and rotated it, and didn''t notice Mandy¡¯s earring glowing along with the cross inside her pocket. The glow was faint enough for her to not pay attention but rather stay still, and observe what Linnea had shot her with.


    ¡°Your last ditch effort was this? It did nothing but bother me with an itch. What could it be?¡±


    While being distracted, her own realm, and universe was slowly being curtained back into reality. She blinked repeatedly wondering what was going on. She briefly panicked, and now, she found herself dead in the middle of downtown Flint Michigan. Pedestrians wondered why she was standing in the middle of a busy road, cars did honk, but stopped once she was there. Samantha felt all the eyes that once couldn¡¯t see her, finally were able to see the magnificence and beauty of the once known Sin of Envy. This time, not one person breathing had a consequence of seeing Samantha. The world could see her existence once again, and everyone was breath taken. Samantha¡¯s eyes quivered in fear, and wondered how it was possible.


    ¡°How¡­?¡± she mumbled.


    People mumbled words, many began recording, taking photos, and people started coming out of their cars to see the strange beauty frozen with shock. Samantha quietly chuckled without drawing a grin, and swalloed. She blinked erratically, and reached into her pocket when she finally could feel the heat of the cross. She pulled it up to her face, and ripped Mandy¡¯s earring off. She stared at the two objects, and nervously chuckled.


    ¡°Mandy¡­ you-you¡­¡±


    She let the items drop, and they vanished out of thin air. She brought out a peaceful smile, and softly blinked one last time. Her fingers twitched, her arms shook, Samantha basked in the moment.


    ¡°You really are smart, aren¡¯t you, Mandy?¡±


    Samantha began to twirl her arms, and dance which had people confused but some clapped. Her dance was elegant, her movements were smooth, and her raven hair glistened beneath the beautiful sunlight. Her eyes shut for a moment, and when opened, people saw their glistening crimson nature.


    It looks like you did win in the end, Mandy.


    As she twirled more, and spun before taking a pause, with people clapping, many women trying to replicate her amazing moves; Her eyes took aim at the scorching sun, and her finger tips sparked out fire, which made people gasp in amazement.


    This is why I bullied you, why I pretended to hate you, why I took you away from Leon because Mandy¡­


    Samantha¡¯s finger tips sparked, and she quickly spun her arms around her, and had two finger tips paused to her eyes with the sun still in her sights.


    ¡­I knew you were the right gal for Leon. He deserved you more than I deserve him. Which is why I grew a forceful type of hate for you because in the end, amongst all my wrong doings, the things I¡¯ve done¡­  I always¡ª


    Samantha¡¯s face turned cold, and she took a deep breath, and the people around them saw the fiery glow around her, which had them finally go into a panic as her own flame melted buildings around her, melting the flesh off bones, and the earth below her feet.


    ¡ªEnvied you, Mandy.¡±


    Samantha shot her finger tips forward, and a ginormous trail of lightning shot out of it. Blasting its way into and out of the atmosphere, but not without destroying everything in its path. In a second, it hit the sun, and the whole world was flashed from the supernova that occurred. A big bang explosion followed up thus bringing the universe to emptiness, and permanent darkness. All of existence had come to end by the hands of a sorrowed woman who in the end, was envious of the woman she forced herself to hate. A blackhole with a red wring erupted out of the darkness, pale wicked hands reached out, eyes that glowed in crimson, a sad cry erupted: The Sin Of Envy has been born, again.

 Arc 4 Chapter 35: Her Judgment, Cometh

    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you have decided?¡± William said.


    His screen was dark, and seeing the pale arms emerge out of the blackhole, turned his insides with disgust.


    ¡°You actually thought the best course of action was to end all of reality? The very infinite universe God created, and just for the sake of your identity being seen by the naked eye: Made you think you had no other choice? Pity¡­¡±


    William raised his cane, and slammed the tip of it on the ground.


    ¡°And now look at you, alone in darkness, mourning, filled with envy and sorrow. Hmph.¡±


    Archard ran to his master to wonder what was going on. He felt his anger rising so he quickly came to check up on him.


    ¡°Sir William, is everything al¡ª?¡±


    Archard saw the remnants of his past reaching out, and heard the cry that had shattered his manhood.


    ¡°Aby-Aby¡ªzou¡­¡±


    William kept his straight face, and let out a sigh.


    ¡°She destroyed the universe, and now she¡¯s trying to create another one. But, I won¡¯t allow that, it¡¯s not in God¡¯s plan.¡±


    Archard ground his teeth, and began to clench a fist.


    ¡°Aby¡­zou.¡±


    ¡°Relax, my friend. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±


    ¡°Why, why would she destroy everything?! What brought this idea to her wicked mind!¡±


    William smacked his cane against his palm.


    ¡°For her, there was no other choice, rather, did she do it on purpose?¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    William started pacing while smacking his cane against his palm.


    ¡°First you hide yourself from me, then you start disrupting our world, and now, you destroy it. Are you trying to seek your judgement?¡± he said.


    Archard squinted his eyes at the screen.


    ¡°We need to punish her now! We must put an end to her treachery, sir!¡±


    William stopped, and furrowed his brows.


    ¡°I believe that''s what she intends for me to do: a rightful judgment for a reality breaking criminal like her.¡±


    ¡°Then let us go! We shall destroy her at once and bring forth her judgment!¡±


    William shook his head.


    ¡°Not yet, we mustn''t.¡±


    Archard growled, and turned to William, looking disappointed.


    ¡°Huh?! Why! This is the perfect opportunity for us to go and destroy that wretched woman.¡±


    ¡°God has already spoken to me about this. Her judgement will come, but as of now, all he wants me to do is fix what she had caused, and see where the story goes.¡±


    ¡°Sir, sir William!¡±


    ¡°Enough, Archard. Don¡¯t question God¡¯s authority, for he sees something greater cometh for the woman known by two names: The Witch of Envy, Abyzou, and the sweet gentle yet twisted Samantha.¡±


    ¡°Sweet¡­ gentle?¡± Archard growled. ¡°That wicked Witch is a no good two faced bitch!¡±


    ¡°Archard, language! You stupid buffoon. Relax your temper, and if I find you questioning the might of God, so help me I¡¯ll lay the deserving punishment you also deserve for your repulsive sins!¡±


    Archard backed off, and moaned.


    ¡°So-Sorry¡­¡±


    William sighed and scratched his head.


    ¡°What a mess, really. All of this, is rather, glorified stupidity made by a bunch of reckless fools.¡±


    He turned to his partner, and squinted.


    ¡°Even my friend here has a mark amongst this unfortunate turn of events.¡±


    Archard felt ashamed, and kneeled down, asking for forgiveness.


    ¡°I really am getting too old for this.¡± William said.


    Feeling the burdens of everyone¡¯s sins on his shoulders, William returned to the screen, and watched as Abyzou crawled out of the blackhole, and began creating a new world.


    ¡°Not on my watch, you won¡¯t.¡±


    William pointed his finger at the screen, flicked it, and another big bang explosion occurred. The explosion was a million times brighter, and more powerful. Once the screen was done flashing, the whole universe was back to normal. Stars were stars, galaxies were galaxies, God¡¯s creation was returned just the way William has seen it before and after destruction. To William, this was the second time he had to bring the universe back together. The last time he had to do it, it was worse than the event occurring. It brought him back to the past, and he saw the demon that roared and resisted his might, but also, doing its best to match him. In the end, William won the battle with minor scratches, and remembering that scene made him scowl.


    ¡°I loathe such events. I loathe all of this, but God has already told me that this is all in his plan.¡±


    William placed his palm against his face, and knit his brows.


    ¡°But why must I always be the one to be in the middle of your doings, God.¡±


    Taking his hand off, William watched as everything was back to normal, and all of the events that had unfolded were never acted accordingly.


    ¡°Samantha, we will soon meet, and I¡¯ll also see the Sin of Envy to enact your judgement. With more mistakes, as God intended, our meeting will build up to your last¡­¡±


    William took a deep breath, and rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°... and hopefully it¡¯ll be the end of all of this. Goodness, I need a nap.¡±


    William summoned his chair, and crashed on it. The burdens had him looking sad, tired, and worried.


    ¡°Archard, do try to calm your anger please. As for me, I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡±


    Before shutting his eyes, he looked at the screen one more time, and saw Jack resting on a couch in a dark fire lit place setting.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to turn off the screen, but in the meantime, Jack Samr, please, just stay alive boy.¡±


    William snapped his fingers and the screen shut off. He shut his eyes, and fell asleep.


    Archard was looking at his master napping, and clenched his fist again.


    ¡°You say I shouldn¡¯t defy God¡¯s plans, but Sir¡­¡±


    A tear came out his eye.


    ¡°...you¡¯re the God I believe to be. This being you say you speak and see, the true higher power is no more than just empty words coming out of your mouth.¡±


    Archard also summoned a chair to rest.


    ¡°Sir William H. Christ, no matter what you seem to believe, in everyone''s eyes¡­¡±


    Archard reached out to his master, his friend, and the person whom he worships.


    ¡°... you are our¡ªGod.¡±


    Archard grinned, and began to fall asleep as well. The two quietly rested while the screen mysteriously came back on. Jack was on it, tossing and turning, and seeming to have a nightmare. William¡¯s dimension went red for a moment, and rose petals drifted from nowhere to lay on the ground near William¡¯s feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to wake up, Jack Samr.¡± the soothing gentle voice of a woman said.


    Jack¡¯s eyes exploded open, and he shot up, clutching his head.


    ¡°Sa¡­rah¡­¡± he murmured.


    He frantically breathed and lowered his arms. He glanced around and found himself in an eerie yet nice library office setting. A fireplace was lit beside, and once he faced forward, he saw Samantha seated on a chair, and she was patting someone. A body lay on an odd stone structure, and Jack quickly realised the body belonged to Leon. He remembered his last memory and it was of Samantha letting out the most putrid heartbroken cry while holding Leon in her arms. He tried getting off the couch he was lying on, but a headache kept him in place. He groaned, and squinted his eyes, but also saw something else that was similar. Laying beside Leon¡¯s hand was Mandy¡¯s glasses, which made his eyes shake.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Samantha heard his voice, and turned over her shoulder. Jack saw her eyes sunken, swelled, and never has he seen her in such a pitiful state.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake, Jack.¡± she said.


    She sounded innocent, hurt, and for the first time, vulnerable. Jack frowned and grabbed his head.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Samantha, where am I?¡±


    She turned her body halfway, and rested her hand on Leon¡¯s lifeless arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re in my home, but we¡¯re inside Leon¡¯s office, a place he would always privately shut the world off: So he can let out his true emotions.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t see Leon¡¯s body move once, not even his chest showed any movements.


    ¡°Samantha, is Leon really¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dead?¡± she replied, turning back to see his cold face.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Jack wanted to cry, but fought the emotion.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±


    She gently put her small hand against his cold cheek, and rubbed it.


    ¡°Jack, you had no fault in his demise.¡±


    Her eyes quivered, and she reached for his head, lifting it to bump heads.


    ¡°Everything is my wrong doing, Jack.¡±


    ¡°How? I-I let Sarah get kidnapped, I failed the both of you! To Leon!¡±


    Sarah let out a tear, but Jack didn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°Stop it Jack¡­ it-it was all my fault.¡±


    Jack was surprised to hear Samantha take blame, and in respect didn¡¯t try to take the blame for even more.


    ¡°Samantha, I-I want to ask you something too.¡± he nervously asked.


    She kissed Leon¡¯s cold lips, and let off mildly.


    ¡°What would that be?¡±


    Jack glanced at Mandy¡¯s glasses, and pointed at them.


    ¡°Are-are those Mandy¡¯s glasses?¡±


    The crackle of the fire made Samantha¡¯s fingers twitch, and she also glanced at their broken nature. She nodded, and gently placed Leon¡¯s head back down. She reached for the glasses, and rubbed the tips of her fingers on them.


    ¡°They are, Jack.¡±


    Jack swallowed, and scrunched his eyes.


    ¡°So that means you¡­?¡±


    Samantha sadly grinned, and paused.


    ¡°Yes, I killed her.¡±


    Jack felt his soul leave his body, and dropped his hand.


    ¡°And Linnea?¡±


    ¡°I also took her life, Jack.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t retain his emotions and sniffed, covering his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jack. I had no other choice.¡±


    She turned to the young man who quietly let out his sadness.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m a terrible person, remember?¡±


    Jack wiped his eyes, and sniffed again.


    ¡°What a real shit show.¡± he said while letting out a nervous chuckle.


    Samantha went back to patting Leon, and went quiet.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t even know what to do at this point,¡± he said.


    The young man reached for his gun, and stared at it. He gripped it tightly and smeared his lips.


    ¡°Maybe killing myself would be a better option,¡± he murmured.


    Samantha massaged Leon¡¯s hand while ruffling his hair. Seeing her this sad and vulnerable, Jack thought about shooting her, giving him a chance and doing the world a favour by eliminating the current threat. But, he refrained from doing so, only for Sarah¡¯s sake since he knows there¡¯s a possible connection between the two. He massaged his head, and lay back on the couch, shifting his head to the crackling fire.


    ¡°I failed you all, and especially you, Sarah.¡±


    Samantha looked over her shoulder, sensing Jack¡¯s dread about her daughter.


    ¡°You really do care for my loving daughter? Don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack slowly nodded, and deeply sighed.


    ¡°She¡¯s all that I have at this point.¡±


    He put his hand out to feel the heat of the fire.


    ¡°I mean, I care about my sister Angela, but question what truly is her being.¡±


    Samantha was confused as to what he meant. Then, she remembered looking into his mind, and saw another version of her, one that reeks of envy, and anger.


    ¡°But, compared to Sarah¡­¡±


    Jack genuinely smiled, and saw Sarah dancing amongst the flames.


    ¡°No ones been there at my worst more than she has been other than Anna.¡±


    Jack felt his heart race, and as the flame figure of Sarah turned to Jack, she seductively reeled him in with her fiery finger.


    ¡°Hmph, this is a familiar feeling.¡±


    She was consumed by the flame when he reached out, and left him hanging, but his smile stayed intact.


    ¡°Sarah doesn¡¯t deserve any of this, especially paying the crimes for your Sins, Samantha.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes glistened, and she grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, she doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Jack dropped his arm.


    ¡°And look what happened because of your past actions; some mother you are.¡±


    Samantha felt hurt hearing that, but knew it was justified.


    ¡°Jack, you¡¯re falling for my daughter, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack softly blinked, and rewind time in his mind. Their reunion, her exposure, their belittling, their petty arguments, the times when she opened up and he unexpectedly did also: it turned over a new leaf for the young man, one he only felt with another being, Mallory. Although, this feeling was different than the one he feels for Mallory; this sentiment made him feel vulnerable, scared, sad, yet happy.


    ¡°Whatever the meaning is behind your statement, if it means liking Sarah more than a friend and understanding the concept of love: I agree.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes shook and her grin grew more happier.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s next for you? Young man.¡±


    Jack put his arm down, and sat up again. He emptied his handgun, and cocked back the pistol. Once the chambered round ejected, he caught it, and rotated it in front of his glinting eyes.


    ¡°Do whatever it takes to get her back, no matter the odds.¡±


    Jack got up from the couch, and clenched a fist.


    ¡°The odds are always stacked against me, but somehow, someway, I always find a way through my mess; even if it means me meeting death''s door at every turn.¡±


    Crimson drew, and he shook his head while chuckling.


    ¡°Compared to you all, I¡¯m nothing but an ant, but that doesn¡¯t stop me from facing you monsters.¡±


    Samantha also stood up while holding Leon¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Then, for now, Jack, while I figure a way of bringing back my Leon, you stay low.¡±


    ¡°Wait? You can bring him back.¡±


    Samantha glanced at him, and nodded.


    ¡°His soul still hasn¡¯t left this earth. He¡¯s not sure whether he wants to go into purgatory or remain a wandering spirit: a spirit lost and filled with regret and despair.¡±


    Jack felt a sense of hope hearing that. It made him muster some lost courage, and face Samantha eye to eye.


    ¡°Just cause I¡¯m talking with you normally, it doesn¡¯t mean I still have a sense of defeating you, Samantha.¡±


    Samantha didn¡¯t argue with Jack¡¯s statement.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯ll face my judgement, soon.¡±


    She grabbed Leon¡¯s hand, and held it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to bring Leon back to life, in the meantime, while you lay low, find a clue as to where my daughter could be.¡±


    Jack grunted.


    ¡°Easier said than done. But I have something to ask.¡±


    ¡°Ask away.¡±


    Jack rubbed his face, and placed his hands on his hips.


    ¡°What made you become the person that you are today?¡±


    Samantha paused, and trickled out a gasp.


    ¡°For what reason could justify your behaviour? And the reason I ask this is, well, I know as cruel as you are, deep down, you¡¯re a caring person.¡±


    Samantha gripped Leon¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What brings this odd assumption towards me?¡±


    Jack carefully walked to the shattered glasses, and carefully reached for them.


    ¡°Mandy''s glasses.¡±


    Samantha didn¡¯t look nor say another word.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to kill her, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Samantha let go of Leon¡¯s hand, and shifted her head to Jack.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡±


    ¡°Those two didn¡¯t deserve to die, and you knew it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I did know.¡±


    She tilted her head as it hung in shame.


    ¡°My actions justify who I am: A cruel, cold woman who gets easily jealous by the actions of others that I find a threat.¡±


    ¡°And Mandy was the greatest threat to? Which is why you have her glasses.¡±


    Samantha took the glasses from Jack, and smiled at them.


    ¡°Mhm. I really¡­ envied Mandy.¡±


    Jack felt the hurt in Samantha¡¯s voice. It made him frown again, but it didn¡¯t erase the anger he has for Samantha.


    ¡°Well, whatever mindset you have that makes you think that way, one things for sure¡ª¡±


    Jack nervously put his hand on her shoulder, which surprised her.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad Sarah didn¡¯t turn out to be like you.¡±


    Samantha blinked a couple of times, and smiled, slapping his hand off her shoulder.


    ¡°Go now before you anger me, young man.¡±


    She walked backwards to be near Leon¡¯s face.


    ¡°Once Leon returns to us, if he allows me, then you two are going to bring back my loving joy of life.¡±


    She squinted her eyes, and her thin smile came back to force Jack to retreat.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be having one last meeting before his resurrection, Jack Samr: I¡¯ll reveal everything about what this world hides and in detail. Go now, and see if you can get anything for my baby.¡±


    Jack deeply sighed.


    ¡°The shit I have to go through, man it sucks to be me.¡±


    Jack walked away, and up the stairs. Samantha heard the door shut, and she went back to pampering Leon¡¯s lifeless corpse.


    ¡°What are you doing wandering around, my Leon.¡± she said.


    She leaned forward, and nudged her nose with his.


    ¡°Unless you aren¡¯t ready to move on, then I¡¯ll break the most important rule known to man¡­¡±


    She kissed him, and smiled.


    ¡°...bring the dead back to life. If I do bring you back, darling, then the great William would have no choice but to ensure my punishment.¡±


    Her eyes glistened and shook.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll finally get your wish, Leon.¡±


    She nudged his nose again, and clutched his hand.


    I already wiped our universe out, and before became one with it: This is my last straw, and I¡¯m willing to draw it just for you, and for Sarah. She thought.


    With the fire still crackling, and amongst the ambience of silence, Samantha thought of anything else she can do before bringing Leon back to life: Once she does, God will send William down from the heavens and take her life. She¡¯s aware that he already knows of her destruction, so she begins thinking of anything else to do before her judgement will be set in stone.


    Will I be able to do so without being noticed? She wondered


    Whatever repercussions came, she¡¯s ready to face her Sins. She lay her head beside his, and rubbed the tips of her fingers on his stiff chest.


    ***


    Outside Samantha¡¯s home, Jack was just leaving the premises. Having his hands tucked in his pockets, he walked to the left in the direction to his home. Not even making a block down the sidewalk, he saw Annabelle of all people making her way up the street. He paused, and felt a sense of relief and joy. He raised his hand, and she spotted him too, raising hers and waved. She ran up to him and stopped a foot from him with a grin on her face.


    ¡°Oh? If I had to guess, you were just at the little goth girl¡¯s home, weren¡¯t you?¡± she snickered.


    Jack also grinned and nodded.


    ¡°You guessed right, my friend.¡±


    She put her fists on her hips, and wiggled a finger.


    ¡°Uh huh! It seems you two are growing much closer than I assumed.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you predicted this?¡±


    She gripped her chin, and snickered some more.


    ¡°Well duh! Why wouldn¡¯t I?! I mean, you guys are always either hanging out or calling each other!¡±


    She waved her finger and leaned forward.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, Jack Samr is finally understanding what it means to like somebody more than just an acquaintance.¡±


    Jack took offense to that, and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Ooo, you sound bitter! Now let me explain to you what I mean, sir cold shoulder, ah-ah-ahem!¡±


    Anna straightened her posture, puffed her chest out, and made a mean face.


    ¡°My name is Jack Samr, and I treat everyone on an equal basis despite being close friends with them! Not only am I a dick and grew up on the wrong side of the street, I¡¯m also a big dense idiot who can¡¯t seem to know a hint or two. Muhaha, I am mean, haha, huehue, ha!¡±


    Jack¡¯s jaw dropped, and his eyes turned empty.


    ¡°Do I really sound and act that way?¡±


    The way he asked and with his expression, it made Anna regret acting like him. She had no idea he would react so upset over her impersonation. She panicked, and leaped onto him and wrapped her arm around his tall broad shoulders.


    ¡°No-now Jack! I was just joking, no need to act so¡ª¡±


    Jack gently raised her arm off his shoulder, and walked away with a cloud over his shoulders, mumbling beneath his breath.


    ¡°He-Hey! Get back here, you big dunce!¡±


    As Jack walked away in shame, Anna chased after him and tried her best to cheer him up. The two walked for two miles until they reached a town where they made a quick stop by a donut shop. Anna was able to bring life back into his dead eyes and the two were seated on a bench, reminacning of the past.


    ¡°I really offended you didn¡¯t I?¡± Anna said.


    Jack was staring at the cars passing, pedestrians walking by, and eventually dragged his eyes off to the sky.


    ¡°What a real shit fest¡­¡± he murmured.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Anna asked.


    Seeing Leon¡¯s lifeless body, and Sarah gone, Jack questioned his mental state, and hung his head. He rested his arms on his knees, and leaned forward while a dark cloud hovered over his head. Anna was worried and wondered what had caused the young man acting so bi-polar all of a sudden.


    ¡°Jack? Talk to me, you big goof.¡±


    Jack could see Sarah¡¯s distraught face as she was being taken away by the mysterious man with the same crimson eyes. The eerie thin smile he had, it sent anger into Jack. He balled his fists, and smacked his teeth.


    ¡°Sarah, Leon, I let you two down.¡± he whispered.


    Anna shook Jack, but it did nothing.


    ¡°Hey hey, you¡¯re starting to piss me off.¡±


    Jack rubbed his head and took a breath.


    ¡°I think I have to go, Anna, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Anna pouted, and clung onto Jack.


    ¡°Your ass stays here, buddy. Now, tell me what¡¯s gotten you acting so weird today, hagh?¡±


    Jack¡¯s adamant on telling Anna the truth. To keep his profile low, he quickly thought up a lie, and turned to Anna. But, seeing her bright green eyes, and clueless expression, it brought back his grin. She blinked and wondered why Jack was staring at her so googly eyed.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Jack?¡±


    Jack grabbed Anna¡¯s hand, and nodded.


    "You have no idea how lucky you and Veronica have it.¡±


    Anna¡¯s face turned still, and she began to frown.


    ¡°If you two were in my shoes, then you truly understand what I¡¯m going through. Even then, I would rather be in these rock filled shoes and walk on them for a million miles than have my closest friends do it. The lives you have, cherish them, and I¡¯ll be sure¡­¡±


    Jack squeezed her hand, and shut his eyes.


    ¡°...To do everything in my power, and stupid mind to protect all of you.¡±


    Anna couldn¡¯t understand what he meant by that, but she knew exactly how he¡¯s feeling. Remembering what he had to go through after the deaths of his parents, and the life he lives now are what led him to become the young man he is today. Despite the drastic change in character, deep down, he¡¯s still the same naive, dense hero she remembered. She gently smiled and put her hand on his cheek, which made him open his eyes.


    ¡°Jack, whatever mental crisis you¡¯re going through, remember, we¡¯re here for you.¡±


    Jack also grinned, and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Especially me, you dense fool. I understand the hardships you¡¯ve undergone, and whatever situation you¡¯re experiencing now, I¡¯m always the one to bring you back to your feet: And forever will be.¡±


    Jack felt some confidence come back, but with so much against him, and the enemies far greater than what he can handle compared to the likes of Dr. Cato and Mathew; it¡¯s undeniable for Jack Samr to feel so hopeless and weak. While staring into Anna¡¯s eyes, he could see Sarah¡¯s same stare, but with her raising a brow, and giggling. It made him mildly gasp, but chuckle.


    ¡°Is this what love could be?¡± he mumbled.


    Anna gave Jack a side eye, and her grin grew smuggish.


    ¡°Now, seeing that you¡¯re a little better, Jack Samr, what were you doing over at Sarah''s house when the goth girl and I had plans in mind?¡±


    Jack let go, and put his hands on her shoulders.


    ¡°Just checking up on someone I deeply care about.¡±


    Anna giggled, and gently punched his face.


    ¡°Are you finally understanding the concept of love?! My dense friend?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes glistened and he also jammed his fist against her face.


    ¡°As of now, not really, but maybe¡­¡±


    Anna smiled, and Jack lowered his hands, and let out a brief chuckle.


    ¡°...I¡¯m starting to understand just a little bit, my old friend.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 36: Revelation

    It¡¯s a nice sunny day at the academy. Taking their seats, waiting for the professor, as the last of the newcomers were showing up, a blonde girl with glasses, shy in nature and blue eyes almost tripped her way in. Getting a hold of her nervousness, she brushed some of her hair behind her ear, and went to her designated seat. Sitting down, taking a couple of deep breaths, she got a hold of her emotions and grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, here! At last!¡± she said.


    The last of the newcomers finally came in before the professor poofed himself in the middle. She scratched her head, and someone walked past her. Her scent awakened whatever sleepiness she might¡¯ve had dormant. She smelled wonderful, and her raven hair engulfed her vision briefly before disappearing at the corner of her eyes. She was captivated and wanted to see who took a seat beside her. Taking a glance, she saw her pale glistening skin, the elegant gothic outfit she had that established class and maturity: she also felt, took a scan at the sea of eyes staring at the beauty.


    She rubbed her eyes, and swallowed.


    ¡°Uh, uh, hi. Are you also new or a returning commoner?¡± she asked.


    The woman turned to her, and smiled, which made her blush.


    ¡°I¡¯m new just like you. Nice to meet you, newcomer.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you as well.¡±


    Her crimson eyes were captivating, calm and filled with life. But her beauty stood out most of all, which had every male drooling at the moment.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s your name, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±


    She blinked, and put her small hand on the blonde woman''s arm.


    ¡°Samantha, my name is Samantha. What about you? What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The blonde woman scratched the back of her head, chuckling nervously.


    ¡°Ehehe, uh, my name''s Mandy.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s smile thinned out, and she caressed her forearm.


    ¡°Mandy¡­¡±


    The way she said her name sent chills up her spine but sounded so seductive and dreamy.


    ¡°What a wonderful and gothic name. I adore it.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you. I wanted to ask, but uh, what kind of person are you?¡±


    Samantha took her hand off, interlaced her hands, and rested her chin on her fingers.


    ¡°If you really want to know, I¡¯m a Witch. And by seeing those insignias on your earrings, you too are a Witch? Or, perhaps something else?¡±


    Mandy grabbed one of her earrings and smiled.


    ¡°You caught me. I¡¯m actually an Esper, but I happen to have taken a liking to Witchcraft.¡±


    Samantha was intrigued, and scooted closer to her.


    ¡°Interesting. And what brought this fascination to have you worship the embodiment of adoring mother nature?¡±


    Mandy tapped her chin, and did some thinking. She looked back at her early childhood and remembered a time when she was being harassed by a group of girls. Once she was cornered, a Witch happened to step in and defend her liking for nature. Seeing someone else devoted to the same ambition as her made her step into the side of darkness since most supernatural beings viewed Witche¡¯s as troublesome as the Exorcists.


    ¡°To be honest, I want to learn from every supernatural group.¡±


    Samantha chuckled, and waved her hand.


    ¡°Silly Mandy, that¡¯s impossible, especially if you¡¯re wanting to learn from those dastardly Exorcists. I mean, you see how they treat Witches.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you mean how one of them treats them?¡±


    Mandy brought her eyes to the giant board where the professor was beginning to display his lesson.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about that horrible man known as Archard the terrible. A sick twisted indivduel who takes a liking in torturing and killing any body he sees a potential threat to his kind¡ªor in most cases, just for the sake of his twisted nature.¡± Mandy growled.


    Samantha¡¯s smile turned upside down, and in place, she reacted with disgust and annoyance.


    ¡°That man, he¡¯s a pathetic fool who needs to be taught a lesson.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s frown turned into a vile grin, and it made Mandy jump.


    ¡°But, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll do us any harm any time soon, honey.¡±


    Mandy¡¯s pupils erratically bounced and she gulped.


    ¡°Uh, wha-what makes you say that?¡±


    Samantha coughed, and waved her hand.


    ¡°Eh, just a funny guess since we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a nervous wreck Ms. Bleach blonde wonder.¡±


    Mandy mildly blushed, and avert gaze.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you speak of.¡±


    ¡°I mean, look at you: So innocent looking yet beautiful, I bet every guy tries you, honey.¡±


    Mandy giggled, and playfully tapped Samantha¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Um, hello?! Look around you, every guy''s eyes are on you, gorgeous.¡±


    Samantha raised a brow.


    ¡°You mean, us? Hehe.¡±


    The two girls paused, then giggled. On that day, Mandy thought she had made a new friend, someone whom she could relate to: Being alone, abnormal to the rest, but, up announce to her, just a month later, Samantha¡¯s true colours were shown. The familiar setting, Mandy sitting on a bench, waiting to speak with her crush, Samantha instead appeared, and the vile thin smile on her face, she¡¯ll never forget it.


    ¡°Samantha? What¡¯re you doing here?¡± Mandy asked.


    Samantha gently put her hand on her shoulder, and looked into Mandy¡¯s deep blue eyes.


    ¡°Who are you waiting on, Mandy?¡±


    Mandy smiled and turned red.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m waiting for Leon!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes squinted, and she began to clench her shoulder.


    ¡°Sa-Samantha, tha-that kinda hurts.¡±


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    Mandy grew nervous, and tried pulling off, but she was gripped in place.


    ¡°Wh-why do you ask?¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes glinted, and she giggled.


    ¡°No reason.¡±


    Mandy didn¡¯t like Samantha¡¯s tone, and she began fighting to get her off.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you? Why are you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Answer!¡±


    Her sudden shout broke the sound barrier, and paused time afterwards.


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡±


    ¡°Mandy.¡±


    Mandy began to whimper, and her eyes exploded, creating an explosion that sent Mandy flying against a tree. She bumped and fell on fours. Coming out of the smoke, Samantha had her twisted thin smile, and with the smoke trailing off her body, she pointed her finger at Mandy. Mandy felt her windpipe crushing, and felt light as a feather. She took a glance to the ground, and saw that she was being risen and feeling her breathing beginning to shorten, she reached out for mercy at Samantha. Samantha¡¯s smile vanished, and she shot her fist forward, shooting a huge stream of blue fire.


    ¡°SAMANTHA!¡±


    Hearing her putrid scream had awakened Sarah from her slumber. She sat up, and gripped the bed sheets. She took a deep breath, and wiped her forehead.


    ¡°Another dream with Mandy in it¡­¡± she mumbled.


    Sarah softy blinked, and frowned.


    For the better part of a month, this has been a reoccurring instance. Night after night, midday dream, have been nothing but scenes playing out as if I were there; and in all of them Mandy was in them. Sarah thought.


    Sarah brought her hand up to her eyes, and released her frustrations through her nostrils.


    What could the meaning be for these lucid dreams? I don¡¯t understand, and it¡¯s like, like I¡¯m actually the one there in place of my mother.


    While contemplating on what her dreams could mean, someone knocked on the metal rebars holding her prison. She took a quick glance, and immediately averted her gaze without saying anything. The person who disturbed her thinking was Ravana, and he had a platter of food in hand. He gently set it down, and sat Criss crossed.


    ¡°Good morning, Samantha. How was your slumber? I take another vision caught you by surprise?¡±


    Sarah clenched her bed sheets, and hung her head.


    ¡°No need to be upset. You¡¯re just in the middle of relapsing of who you originally are. There¡¯s no need to be shameful.¡±


    Sarah deeply frowned and grew upset.


    ¡°Come now, look and talk to me, Samantha. It¡¯s me, Ravana, remember? I know I keep asking over and over, but I¡¯m just trying to refresh your memories.¡±


    Sarah slowly clutched her head, and growled beneath her breath.


    ¡°Oh Samantha, whoever messed with your memories will pay dearly. Trust me, I¡¯ll enact a punishment you¡¯ll see fitting! And one you¡¯ll be proud of, my gorgeous lord.¡±


    Sarah slammed her hands on her lap, and began to breath heavily.


    ¡°Stop¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh! What was that? Did I hear a whisper?¡±


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes Samantha, speak to me! You¡¯ve been here for too long now to not talk to me. Will today be the day you speak to me?!¡±


    ¡°Shut¡­ up.¡±


    Ravana grabbed the bars, excited and anticipated. His eyes gleamed with joy and he was eager to hear her voice again.


    ¡°Yes, Samantha! Speak to me, like the day I took you away from those fiends.¡±


    Sarah grew tired of being called her mother, and gripped the sheets again, tugging them to her chest.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Ravana¡¯s jaw dropped, but he still appeared joyful.


    ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut¡­ up.¡±


    ¡°But, Samantha¡­!¡±


    Ravana slipped his arms through the bars, reaching for Sarah, pleading.


    ¡°All we want is for you to show us if you¡¯re truly our messiah! We all are here for you, my sweet.¡±


    Sarah grit her teeth, and threw the sheet to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Samantha! I¡¯m not my mother, I¡¯m Sarah!¡±


    Ravana clasped his hands together.


    ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯re trying to make you believe, but the answer is still the same, regardless: you are indeed, Samantha, my dear.¡±


    ¡°No, no I¡¯m not¡­ I¡¯m not my mom, I¡¯m nothing like her¡­¡±


    Sarah began to softly whimper.


    ¡°I¡¯m my own being¡­ my own person, goddamnit.¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Ravana looked confused, and dropped his arms. His face went still, and he got back on his feet.


    ¡°Mom? Mother? What¡¯s the meaning behind you saying that?¡±


    Sarah held back her tears, and covered her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m nothing like my mother, my mom, Samantha, she¡¯s the one you want.¡±


    Ravana grinned, and got back on his knees.


    ¡°But, dear, you got it all wrong. You are Samantha, there¡¯s no doubt about it.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t fight it anymore, and tears came out. They slipped through the gaps of her fingers, and she deeply whimpered.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to understand since your memories are still foggy: But, Samantha, you are you, and whatever you¡¯re convinced to think and say otherwise, you¡¯re the same woman whom I met back at the academy.¡±


    Sarah sniffed, and rubbed her nose, and finally, looking at Ravana who immediately had his eyes sparkle.


    ¡°Look at those gorgeous crimson eyes; filled with blood lust, innocence, and malovenacy.¡±


    Ravana chuckled, and put his hand out.


    ¡°I could never forget that adorable face of yours. To your pale skin, to the raven hair that defines your mysterious nature, Samantha, we will do our best to make you remember.¡±


    Sarah knit her brows, and glanced down again. As Sarah soaked in sorrow, Shaman and the others arrived, and saw Sarah awake. Shaman¡¯s guilt shot him, Chelsea grinned, and her partner didn¡¯t appear fazed.


    ¡°Ravana, what are you doing?¡± Shaman asked as he stood beside him.


    Ravana stood up, and sighed.


    ¡°Nothing, just rejoicing at our amazing soon to be birthed God again. Why ask in such a rude matter?¡±


    Shaman was bothered seeing Sarah sad and still caged. This was the first time he¡¯s seen her since the day he betrayed them. He avoided any interaction or eye contact throughout the month to avoid feeling the guilt that¡¯s never left. Ravana grew more impatient as Shaman stared at Sarah who¡¯s gaze was averted.


    ¡°Hello?! Did you not hear me!¡±


    Shaman smacked his teeth.


    ¡°I heard you alright.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then why have you disturbed me? If you¡¯re not here for anything else than so leave me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, whatever. But, there¡¯s something you must know.¡±


    ¡°Out with it then.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not what you think she is, Ravana.¡±


    ¡°H¡­uh?¡±


    Ravana sounded irritated and got closer to Shaman.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t hear you just then. Care to repeat what you said, my friend?¡±


    Shaman got closer, and the two were eye to eye.


    ¡°She¡¯s not what you¡¯re implying, rather, something close to the real deal.¡±


    Ravana forced out a chuckle, and backed off.


    ¡°Wait a minute wait a minute, let me wrap up what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re saying she¡¯s not what I think she might be? Instead, possibly closer to that?¡±


    Shaman nodded. Chelsea raised her hand, getting Ravana¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Its truest, the girls different than what we might knows, sir.¡±


    Ravana dragged his hand on his face, and forced another chuckle.


    ¡°Are you people trying to tell me that she¡¯s a phony? And that I might be¡­ wrong?¡±


    Chelsea shakenly lowered her hand, and grew fearful.


    ¡°No no, it¡¯s nots like that. She¡¯s justs not what you mights be thinking.¡±


    Shaman stepped in Ravana¡¯s view.


    ¡°We¡¯re not saying you¡¯re wrong, Ravana. But, Sarah, she¡¯s different.¡±


    Ravana paused, and took a moment to wrap up what they¡¯re telling him. Without another moment wasted, he cracked his neck, and shut his eyes for a moment.


    ¡°I seem to be overthinking here, but if my senses are telling me otherwise¡­¡±


    He pointed at Sarah, and opened his eyes again.


    ¡°The girl behind these bars is in fact Samantha. Her soul, her essence, everything that embodies the woman I met almost two decades ago is sitting, whimpering inside her unjustified prison: If that isn¡¯t her, then you¡¯re saying my senses are wrong and in fact, we¡¯re dealing with a copy with its own personality.¡±


    Shaman grew serious, and nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re correct, Samantha¡¯s soul is in there, there¡¯s no denying it, but Sarah, she¡¯s her own being; not remotely close to Samantha¡¯s personality.¡±


    Ravana clutched his head, and trembled.


    ¡°Ahhh! To hell what you guys are thinking. Is she Samantha or not?!¡±


    ¡°She is, and isn¡¯t.¡±


    Ravana grew more frustrated and both men began arguing about what they¡¯re saying. While they were discussing, Sarah also grew enough of the assumption and jumped out of her bed.


    ¡°Enough!¡± she shouted.


    Both men paused and brought their attention to Sarah. She had her fists clenched and her eyes watering.


    ¡°Whatever you believe in, for the last damn time¡ª!¡±


    Sarah slowly approached the bars, and stood an inch from them.


    ¡°¡ªI¡¯m my own being! And none of you can say otherwise.¡±


    Ravana still wasn¡¯t convinced and smiled instead. Seeing his casual smile rubbed Sarah the wrong way and made her scrunch her face. Shaman looked away, and still couldn¡¯t bear seeing her. Sarah tried grabbing the bars with her boiling anger, but upon contact with the metal, she felt weakened and felt her mana draining. Her vision began fogging, and she collapsed and felt her breath shortened.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ravana asked, raising a brow.


    Shaman was surprised to see Sarah this weakened but immediately answered his assumption. Ravana scratched the side of his cheek, and kneeled down, grabbing the bars and wondering why Sarah felt so weakened and drained after coming in contact.


    ¡°Why did she collapse from touching normal metal?¡±


    Shaman grabbed his shoulder.


    ¡°The same crystals you gave them, we used them and crafted them with metal to keep her enclosed.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes expanded and he felt confused.


    ¡°Then that means?¡±


    ¡°She has the same weakness as her father, Leon bolverkr.¡±


    Ravana quickly went to grab her while she was still in a confused and drained state. He felt his memories flash before his eyes, and saw the past play out in front. Reaching the ground, trying to grab his book, he caught a glance of Samantha who also was staring at him from a distance. Her gorgeous smile, her perfect body, and raven hair, seeing her again made him tear up, and his memories went dark.


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare lay a hand on me~¡±


    Ravana was back in the present, and slowly let go, and he had an ominous smile on his face. Feeling confident and his answer still not changed, he took a deep breath and combed his hair with his fingers.


    ¡°Hmph, whatever she may be, she¡¯s still Samantha.¡±


    Shaman grew irritated and again, shortened the distance between them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say, Ravana. Now you listen to me very carefully, Sarah there, she¡¯s not just a copy of Samantha but a great gal, a caring person, and a better being than the woman you and I lust over.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue or else¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or else, what?! You¡¯ll kill me? beat me to a pulp? make my life a living hell?! Tch, I could give a damn on what punishment you want to enact on me.¡±


    Ravana squinted his eyes, but kept his smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky, Shaman. If you were anyone else, you¡¯d be nothing but a cloud of red. Hmph, you¡¯re very lucky you¡¯re my closest friend, heheh.¡±


    Ravana massaged his chin, and chuckled some more. Shaman knew how short tempered he was, but seeing how much he was refraining from exploding showed just how much Ravana truly respected his friend.


    ¡°Ravana, if you got to know her like I did, then you¡¯d understand why I¡¯ve grown such a respectable bond with her. And if you had any care for anyone else besides yourself, then you¡¯d really open your eyes and see just how special Sarah is; not only is she the complete opposite of Samantha, but she¡¯s everything you would want in a woman.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, what you say also stacks on what I¡¯ve meant about your behaviour.¡±


    Ravana leaned close, and snickered.


    ¡°You¡¯re too gullible, and far too soft to grow any higher. Which makes you weak, my friend.¡±


    Shaman didn¡¯t say anything, but instead walked around Ravana. He paused and took a breath before turning over to look at his back.


    ¡°If you think me being humane makes me weak, then so be it. At least I¡¯m not some heartless monster like you¡¯ve grown to be.¡±


    Shaman walked away, and Ravana shrugged.


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m stating facts.¡±


    Chelsea grabbed her partner''s arm, and clung on as she sensed his irritation and anger swelling. Once Ravana saw Sarah moving again and carefully got on two, he smiled and cooled down again.


    ¡°You alright?¡± he asked.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were swollen, and two teardrops fell to the ground. The cold dirt ground erupted with life. Flowers blossomed and the grass gleamed without a shine of light. Sarah gripped the grass, and shut her eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be sad, you are what we worship.¡±


    Sarah hung her head deeper.


    ¡°And¡­ wha¡­t would that be?¡±


    Ravana reached through the bars again, and carefully placed his hand on her clenched hand.


    ¡°Our destroyer, and reviser, Abyzou.¡±


    Sarah unclenched her hand, and with his hand still on it, she could see memories of an academy. He was there, the others too, but also, coming from the corner of her eyes, she saw her father, smiling. Seeing such a genuine smile on his face made her tear up more.


    ¡°You see, you¡¯re remembering who you are. Don¡¯t fight it, rejoice and come back to us, Samantha.¡±


    Ravana grabbed her hand to get her full attention.


    ¡°Look at me, please.¡±


    Sarah slowly turned her head to him.


    ¡°Now, into my blood red eyes.¡±


    Once they were in sync of eye contact, Sarah could see him again, on his knees, giving her roses. Once she blinked, she could see his worried, nervous face, and with one more blink, anger had shown. But from where he was looking, he appeared to be glancing beside her. Grabbing her shoulder, she felt a familiar rough yet gentle hand gently pull her away from him.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing? Ravana.¡±


    The voice was deep, rough, but gentle to the ear. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her father again, and expressed irritation. She didn¡¯t say a word, but remained flabbergasted. Meanwhile, Ravana got back on his feet, and the two had a stare down. Seeing the tension rising between them, she grabbed her fathers hand, and eased his temper. He cooled down, and put his arm around her neck, and for the first time, Sarah felt her fathers warmth in a protective and non explosive way.


    ¡°I¡¯d leave if I were you, Ravana.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, I just was. I take your answer as a no, Samantha?¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything as her attention was caught by the hands meant to protect her, giving her a new sense of safety and prosperity. Ravana expressed a thin smile, and backed away, walking off and then around the corner. Leon sighed, and kissed her on the cheek.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here to protect you¡ª¡±


    He leaned his head on her small shoulder, and a tear came down her face.


    ¡°¡ªno matter if the world turns against you for some odd reason.¡±


    Seeing her life flash before her eyes, Sarah could see more of the cruelty her mother ensued, but questioned how she¡¯s able to see it. Then, with one more flash, she saw the world in a burning inferno once again, like she¡¯s dreamt of before. She walked around, scanned at the destroyed reality with lava shooting up in the sky. A broken glass plane swung out in front of her, and in that moment, Sarah saw herself with glistening moonlight platinum hair, and the eyes that marked her uniqueness. Her outfit, she couldn¡¯t see it too well but her face, it¡¯s the same as what she has but with longer bangs and her face was as pale as ever. Her eyes grew wide as she saw markings erupt around her face, veins crawling to her eyes, and she screamed.


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Sarah backed off, and fell back for a moment. Ravana had his hand still up, but felt bad for her.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked.


    Sarah balled her fists, and put them over her eyes.


    ¡°What am I? What the hell am I?¡± she said.


    Transitioning his face with a satisfied thin grin, Ravana eerily hunched forward as he grabbed the bars again.


    ¡°Samantha, Abyzou, my dear.¡±


    ***


    Looking up at the sky, sitting by the porch, Jack Samr has felt defeated and had found nothing to find Sarah¡¯s destination. Not a clue, not even a hint, only sorrow was what he found. Rubbing his eyes, Jack groaned and rocked back on the chair of his deceased uncle Randolph loved to sit on.


    ¡°Ahh! What should I do?!¡± he growled.


    He dropped his hand, and lay back more, letting out his disappointment.


    ¡°Help me out here, uncle¡­¡±


    Samantha, you lied to me¡­ he thought.


    ¡°That woman still hasn¡¯t called me like she said she was. Just what could she be up to besides reviving Leon?¡±


    He blinked erratically and moaned while sitting straight as the chair creaked. He hunched forward and rested his arms on his thighs.


    ¡°What can I do now? I tried looking everywhere, but instead wasted my damn time just slouching and soaking in my shame.¡±


    He reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette.


    ¡°I need to smoke away my damn feelings.¡±


    Once he had the bud in his mouth and was just an inch from lighting it, someone grabbed the bud out his mouth and threw it away.


    ¡°Ey?!¡±


    He looked beside him to find whoever dared lay a hand on him but found his sister Angela. She had her arms crossed, foot tapping, and she looked just as disappointed as he did for himself.


    ¡°Angela? You spooked me for a second. I was just an inch from putting a bullet in your dome.¡±


    Angela stuck her hip out, and raised a brow.


    ¡°Huh? Me, lil o me? Spooking my scary brother?¡±


    ¡°H-hey¡­¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s true, hehe.¡±


    She grinned, and stood next to him, putting her arms around him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been so upset as of lately, more than usual.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh stop it Mr. grumpy. Tell your lil sis what¡¯s gotten you so fidgety these past weeks.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t know how to respond to Angela. He can¡¯t decide whether to tell her the truth or come up with something similar for her to know. The young man decided to only pat his adopted sister, and say nothing. She grabbed his hand, and used it to smack him.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t you dare try to cutesy me out of your problems mister.¡±


    Jack grinned, and moaned.


    ¡°Alright, you win.¡±


    She expressed an open mouth smile, and sat on his lap.


    ¡°Okay, this is a first for me, so it¡¯s a little weird because you usually close yourself off from the world, but¡ª!¡±


    She poked his face, and flicked his nose.


    ¡°¡ªI am your gosh darn sis and I¡¯m here for you damn it!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t know how to react. The Angela in front of him is so much different than the one originally. It was a breath of fresh air and made him remember all the times she used to act this way before her abduction. She''s never been the same after when she awakened from her coma. And with the thought that Mallory and her share something in common just like Sarah and her mother, Jack began to wonder if going back to originality would be a good idea. The young man could still see the original Angela beside her; her face still, her eyes empty, and an ominous glare directed at others who try to get his attention besides her.


    ¡°You really are different, aren¡¯t you?¡± he said.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean by that?¡±


    ¡°Ah, never mind. That came out accidentally.¡±


    Jack scratched the back of his neck, and sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain this, but¡­ I¡¯m in a bit of a predicament.¡±


    Angela put her finger on her chin, and looked up.


    ¡°Hmm, could it be something¡ªOh, I don¡¯t know, supernatural?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes got big for a brief moment.


    ¡°Wait, you know about¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Supernatural stuff that defies realism? Yeah, I figured it would¡¯ve been that since you and the goth girl hangout a lot. So I assumed you guys would deal with that since she¡¯s a part of it. But, I am surprised you¡¯re that involved.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and chuckle.


    ¡°Jesus man. What else does this reality have to throw at my face and shock me.¡±


    Angela giggled.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. No need to keep things secret from me. Sarah the other day showed me a glimpse of the world she lives in.¡±


    ¡°Sarah did? But how did you figure it out?¡±


    Angela got off of Jack, and walked to the edge of the porch, glancing at the clear sky.


    ¡°I saw her one day use her powers. It was frightening at first since it¡¯s something I would only see in the ¡®silly cartoons¡¯ you don¡¯t think much of that I watch but would bear to imagine.¡±


    She spread her arms out.


    ¡°But when she showed me the real reality this world hides behind the shadows of normality, it made me realise just how special of a world we live in.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t believe it, and seeing his sister praise the supernatural this much made him almost lose his mind, but with peace.


    ¡°And I wouldn''t lie to you if I wasn¡¯t interested in learning said powers.¡±


    Angela did a pose from one of her favourite shows, and stuck her hip out.


    ¡°I mean, imagine it! Me?! I would be doing so many good deeds and looking cute too? I¡¯d be a megastar and someone¡¯s idol! Ooo oo, and I could have my own series, yeah!¡±


    Jack laughed, and really enjoyed seeing Angela this hyped. It almost made him forget about telling her of his situation, but he took advantage of the conversation to have her forget his problem.


    ¡°Mm, was Mandy also there with you when Sarah showed you the supernatural? I do recall the three of you hanging out a while back after your part time job.¡±


    Before his betrayal that is¡­ Jack thought.


    Angela tilted her head, and turned around to Jack, appearing confused.


    ¡°Ma¡­ndy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the blonde woman with glasses. Remember, the one you didn¡¯t like at first.¡±


    Angela¡¯s pupils bounced around in confusion, and she put her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Brother, I have no clue who you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Suddenly, that joy and happiness turned to anger, and shock. Jack¡¯s eyes slowly expanded, and his mouth gapped as Angela¡¯s confusion was as genuine as his sickish attitude.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re serious aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Angela shrugged, and looked at Jack crazy-like.


    ¡°Yeah, unless I¡¯m the one that¡¯s going crazy. But, now it has me questioning who you¡¯ve been around, mister.¡±


    Angela pouted, and bent forward, pointing all sassy at Jack.


    ¡°Who¡¯s this Mandy, huh? You¡¯re starting to be really popular with all these ladies every time you leave the house.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t know what to say. He was baffled and over everything up to this point that normally would have him dramatically react after anyone would say something like that; Yet, this time, Jack felt dumbfounded and already had an assumption as to who might be behind the new mystery of Angela already forgetting Mandy.


    ¡°Samantha, you¡¯ve got to be behind this.¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Huh? Sam who?¡±


    Angela marched towards Jack, and got in his face.


    ¡°Just how many new girls do you know? Hmm!¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but grin seeing his sister acting adorable as always. But, at the edge of her body, Jack saw someone¡¯s body halfway in view. He shifted his body more to the side, and saw a familiar man in a steampunk tux outfit. His side bangs crept over half his face, an odd mysterious smile on his face, but his unique eyes were what made him remember who he was. Jack stood out of his seat, and grabbed Angela¡¯s shoulders. She grew confused yet scared because of the way he was gripping her delicate shoulders.


    ¡°Angela, go back inside.¡± Jack said.


    His serious tone, every time she heard it, always sent chills to Angela. She turned round and saw the mysterious man who had Jack on a fickle.


    ¡°Brother, who¡¯s that weird yet cool outfitted guy?¡±


    Jack gently put Angela behind him, and carefully put his hand on his gun.


    ¡°Just please, do as I say.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t know if¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey hey, why¡¯re you guys looking at me like I¡¯m some criminal?! That¡¯s really offensive if you ask me, but knowing you, Jack Samr, Ahem! You¡¯re the last guy to give that look after I helped you out with my buddy Leon.¡±


    Jack grew a sweat gland, and Angela saw her brother growing more nervous by the second.


    ¡°Yeah, I do remember you helping me and Sarah¡­ wh-what do you want now?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    He walked up the steps, and with each step was as energetic as the previous. He clapped his hands, almost tripped, but brushed himself off, but seeing him act that goofy had Angela mildly giggling.


    ¡°Made ya laugh didn¡¯t I?! Heheh, alrighty then, re-ahem! Now, Mr. Jack, I¡¯d like you to accompany me for a moment.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    His body movements, his erratic stature, Jack didn¡¯t imagine his actual personality to be this off putting. Meanwhile, Angela was enjoying his energetic behaviour. She unexpectedly stood in front of her brother.


    ¡°Alright Mister mystery man, what business do you have with my scary brother?¡±


    He squinted his eyes at Angela, but chuckled.


    ¡°Woah man woah, who¡¯s this sassy adorable little senorita hagh?¡±


    ¡°This sassy senorita is about to kick you in the nuts if you don¡¯t answer my question, haha.¡±


    ¡°Sarcastic, good taste in clothing, I like this girl.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Jack grabbed Angela again.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with you. Angela, I¡¯ll be back, okay.¡±


    ¡°Mm, leaving me out of your business as usual. Fine, I guess I¡¯ll go draw or something.¡±


    Angela pointed her fingers to her eyes then back to the strange man.


    ¡°I¡¯m watching you, weirdo. But, your outfit, it¡¯s cool, I must admit.¡±


    He bowed, and smiled.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s who and what I am, sweetheart.¡±


    Angela smirked and walked backwards, then walked her way back inside the house.


    ¡°Sister I take it?¡±


    Jack nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, so, what do you want to talk about?¡±


    He combed his hair, and put his hands out.


    ¡°Before we take this conversation any further, allow me to reintroduce myself.¡±


    He clapped his hands, and shook his arms.


    ¡°Salutations my fellow cursed agent: My name¡¯s John, Malificus, the most powerful Witch to exist in our modern time. But not because of sheer power like the goth girl''s crazy family, but because of my vast knowledge of the world we truly live in.¡±


    ¡°Huh, okay. Seems about right about who you are then.¡±


    He drifted his arms to the side.


    ¡°Walk with me now, fellow fallen brethren.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t have a choice, and had no other reason than not to. He¡¯s the only person he could rely on at this point. Jack walked and the two made their way down the steps. They walked for a block until they got to a familiar intersection. The young man could remember the black SUV crashed, covered in bullet holes, and Randolph¡¯s blood dripping through the gap of the door. It made him completely still, and almost forgot that John was beside him.


    ¡°Alright, what are we doing here? And what do you want to talk about?¡± Jack asked.


    John spun around, and again, combed his hair before speaking.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have a long talk, my depressed ex-drug addict friend.¡±


    ¡°Huh? H-how do you know that much of me?¡±


    ¡°You see these?!¡± he said while pointing at his ghostly blue eyes. ¡°My eyes can read everything, even the gosh darn future, and one I know of your soon to be¡­! Never mind, I¡¯m not here to talk about your future, for now of course! I¡¯m here, to speak and give you knowledge of everything this world hides.¡±


    Jack slowly balled his fists, and shut his eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Re-really? Or are you just saying that to ease my stress?¡±


    John expressed a thin smile, and his eyes began to glow. The world around them erupted in a desert storm setting with John being the only source of illumination. Jack covered his face as he watched John eerily bring his hands up, snapping them to ease the storm and found himself in a dimension of endless grass fields and the sky a blood orange.


    ¡°Everything, my tragic friend. But in return, you have to do me a favour, which you will carry until all this madness comes to a conclusion.¡±


    John slowly bowed, and had an open mouth smile.


    ¡°Let''s talk now, Jack Samr.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 37: Conflictions

    John, John John, Jimmy John, Johnson? Hmm, that is the name I¡¯ve given myself to hide amongst the shadows of normality. For a long time, I thought that I could adapt with the regular people: A life of knowing it all, desires to be something bigger, to stand out amongst the crowd, but in reality, I was a strange guy. For good reason I¡¯ve chosen to hide my real identity and have people assume that I was hyper active, very sarcastic, a joke cracker, eh, I could care less. The only people who¡¯ve gotten to know my real personality are two, my best friend Leon, the destroyer Bolverkr, and his hot bitch of a wife, Samantha, Abyzou.


    I met Leon when he accidentally killed his entire village along with his parents. That surge of power, the humongous exposure he made to himself to the world, and especially, gaining the attention of those wicked Exorcists; I had to be the first to grab him, and take him into my grasp of knowledge and teach him to control his powers. The upside for me being the first to meet him in his fallout was the poor guy couldn¡¯t remember much of what he did. That gave me such a huge advantage to be trustworthy in that berserk mind of his. Unfortunately, the poor sap even forgot about his parents once he was stable enough to think. Oh, bless the tragic boy''s heart. But, once I took him into my wing, I transformed him from a quiet, timid, explosive kid, to a relaxed, chilled yet shy guy. He grew up to be a ladies man, and for me being stuck in my late teens for decades made me envious of the guy, but ultimately, as time progressed, instead of planning to use him as a vessel for my ultimate plans, he became my brother from another mother, bwahahaha!


    I¡¯ve met a lot of people in my long seemingly immortal life, but there¡¯s only one guy that I can for sure, call my blood brother, although, we can¡¯t be together as the best of friends because of our opposite parties'' policies and beliefs. Yet, there are times when we do see each other and hangout, the universe knows we¡¯re meant to be pals! Eh, I know it can¡¯t happen, but what¡¯s stopping me from messing with this world willing to be taken advantage of! Nothing that¡¯s why bwahaha!


    Ahem, back to the original self monologue, Leon was doing just fine, until we joined the academy and began learning the practices of Witchcraft. He changed a bit, at first, I didn¡¯t know why, until that woman Samantha was first introduced. I knew right off the bat who and what she was, but Leon couldn¡¯t since he was a naive young man. My eyes can see all, and her intentions were just as cold as her gaze. I saw the hell she wanted to enact upon the world, and the greed she wanted to indulge. Already, she claimed one victim before Leon, and seeing him become a vessel to her dream, witnessing her transformation first hand: My stupid mind thought, if anyone could tame the beast, it¡¯ll be her. Yet, when the time came when the bitch went bat shit crazy, who could tame her? No one! Not a single fucking person, that was until the other weird lady came into the picture.


    Yeah, the weird Exorcist Lady in the huge awesome dress and that umbrella of hers. I met her dozens of times and in every single encounter, she really busted my balls and spooked me out. She was nice though, a really cool character, and despite following the church, she¡¯s a very accepting individual. She¡¯ll hear both sides of the party before enacting her judgment!


    In the aftermath, once reality was reestablished and puzzled back together by that frightful woman of an Exorcist who¡¯s no longer here with us; I boldly asked her before she faded into the sunset, why she decided to save Abyzou, and her ambition? She replied to me with the most intriguing answer I still have intact into my fucked up brain besides the dream I have! That no one will know, hegh hegh! Blagha! She looked deep into my eyes, letting me see her fate, and answered¡ª


    ¡°One day, she¡¯ll be normal, just like the rest of us.¡±


    Ahhh! I get goosebumps every time I hear her timid, soothing voice repeat that statement. Nevertheless, until that day comes, I¡¯ll be waiting, and in William''s life, I want to see it firsthand! For now, someone else has my mind intrigued, and my sights set on their story too, a young depressed man named Jack Samr; A tragic character whom the world will learn soon enough. For now, I¡¯ll be a spectator and guide him to the path that¡¯ll answer his many questions about his unique mysterious life. Because in the end¡ªI, John Malificus, will be an endeavor to a tragedy in the making. Ahh, shit! What the hell am I doing?! What a joy, a joy everyone! My bad my bad, let''s get back to our regularly scheduled program!


    ***


    The dust particles around them gave the feeling of isolation, an eerie feeling of dryness, the sensation of being in a scorching desert without the heat made Jack Samr frozen in fear. John, his smile, genuine, intrigued couldn¡¯t retain his joy to be alone with the problematic young man. He let out a small chuckle and spread his arms out, and basked in the dimension of dustiness and chilled sandstorms. They died down, and all that was left were particles of tinted blue specs floating around them. John collided his palms, which made Jack jump.


    ¡°Now then, let''s get this show started.¡±


    Jack scratched his head, and swallowed.


    ¡°O-Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°First thing, let me be clear here, my intentions are not to use you, harm you or your loved ones, I¡¯m just here as a lending hand.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    John pouted.


    ¡°You say it like I haven¡¯t helped you out before kiddo?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but it was a dire situation and you kinda just showed up outta nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh kid, buzzkill much? I did help in a way, and if it weren¡¯t for me then Leon would¡¯ve most likely destroyed us all.¡±


    ¡°Th-that is true¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, shut up, quit being a Debbie downer and just let someone that genuinely wants to lend you a hand explain the situation you¡¯re in.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t bear the thought of being betrayed again. Every time someone abnormal, potentially normal, maybe a friendly person, an ally, in turn, has stabbed him in the back or used him in a way. Hesitant, persistent, Jack still isn¡¯t sure if he wants to follow in John¡¯s saying. Right now, to the young man, words have no meaning, only action, and he¡¯d rather see it happen than for him to just say.


    ¡°If you¡¯re still conflicted about my rational mind, then let me rephrase who and what I am!¡±


    He put his hands forward, turned his palms to him, and spat into them. He rubbed them together, and threw one hand forward, and transformed the area into a wonderland of peace and bright lights.


    ¡°Wh-where are we now?¡±


    John tilted his head.


    ¡°Intrigued are we? Well, how about we do this.¡±


    He put his other hand forward, and closed his fists, and Jack blinked once, and his open eyes began to tremble.


    ¡°A-are we in¡­?¡±


    He gazed around his surroundings, and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. The staircase, the huge living room, and the feeling of home gave the young man a sense of calmness and nostalgia. But, ultimately, he found his feelings hurt, and wanted to burst into tears.


    ¡°Is this my¡­ home?¡±


    John came from upstairs, drinking a glass of what looked to be pop.


    ¡°Beats me! But say, the two people up there don¡¯t look too good, might wanna check on them.¡±


    Jack¡¯s heart sank, and he rushed upstairs, and pushed John out of the way.


    ¡°Hey asshole! Excuse you!¡±


    He knew what room he spoke of, and ran to it. He quickly grabbed the door knob, twisted, and opened it, but he found himself in another setting, this time the room he slept in when he was under Dr. Cato¡¯s wing.


    ¡°Wh¡­at?¡±


    John opened the door behind him, dressed in a doctor''s outfit, and loudly cleared his throat while holding a clipboard.


    ¡°Yeah, um, Mr. Jack Samr, is it? Aherm! According to my observations and quick diagnosis, it appears to be that you are very hung with the past my friend. Oh, and it also says that you¡¯re freaking nuts!¡±


    Jack ground his teeth, and walked past John.


    ¡°Hey hey! We haven¡¯t even discussed your medicine and treatment!¡±


    Jack walked out the door and into the hallway, and found himself standing in a dark street. Across from where he stood from the chills sending shivers across his body, he saw Alexandria, waiting in the cold winter night.


    ¡°Alex?!¡± he shouted.


    She didn¡¯t hear him, and he tried running to her, but the distant honks of an oncoming car grew louder and louder. Jack was then struck by the car, and turned his vision white. Once the flash had gone away, and the sound of the horn distorted from his subconscious, he¡¯s standing in a snow storm.


    ¡°H¡­uh¡­?¡±


    The blizzard fogged his vision, his steamed breath, he could¡¯ve barely seen. The shivers, the frost bite, it all felt familiar and he stepped forward, and saw someone standing in the cloud of smeared whiteness. He tried reaching out, but they vanished within the blizzard, and Jack dropped to his knees, closing his eyes. He felt someone smack his head, and he froze to death from the blizzard.


    ¡°Oiy?! Come now, a lil snow doesn¡¯t hurt anyone? Jack? Oh shit, oo, not good, you¡¯ve become a frozen popsicle.¡± John chuckled.


    He clapped his hands, and the two were back in the original dimension Jack was summoned in. Jack was able to move his arms, and carefully stood on his feet. He let out a deep sigh, and didn¡¯t bother lifting his head up.


    ¡°What did you show me?¡± he asked.


    His weakened tone gave John a grin, and he stepped backwards, energetically moving around until he came to a stop with a pair of stairs summoning below his feet. He climbed up the rising stone staircase until a chair erupted from behind, and he sat on his throne, and cleared his raspy tone.


    ¡°What else did I show you? I showed you your subconscious my friend.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t say anything nor move a muscle.


    ¡°Hmm, you still don¡¯t seem convinced, maybe we outta bring out a storm that likes to scorch your mind with confusion.¡±


    John wiggled his finger, and an apparition of someone appeared in front of Jack. They were distorted, blurry, but the shape was related to someone whom Jack can identify by their backside. They glanced around, and once they saw Jack, they tried reaching for him, but they couldn¡¯t move from where they were summoned.


    ¡°Jack!¡±


    ¡°Mallory?!¡± Jack said, quickly bringing up his gaze.


    He saw the apparition and they were blown away by a gust of wind. Jack¡¯s eyes trembled, and he shook his head.


    ¡°My my, it took that to have you snap back? Okay okay, now that you¡¯re fine, let''s discuss why you¡¯re here, in my world.¡±


    ¡°No no no, hold up!¡±


    Jack put his foot down, and furrowed his brows.


    ¡°How do you know of Mallory?!¡±


    ¡°Malla who? Oh, you mean that hot gothic chick in your brain?! Damn, that¡¯s a wicked name for¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey, asshole, just answer my question. Isn¡¯t that why you have me around in the first place? To answer my burdens and give me an idea as to what I¡¯m truly up against? Perhaps give me a hint as to what lies ahead for my worthless life?¡±


    John put his hands forward, and put both his index fingers up.


    ¡°Wait a minute, slow down there cowboy. Let''s not get ahead of ourselves pal.¡±


    ¡°Listen, asshole¡­¡±


    Jack marched forward, and knit his brows.


    ¡°My best friend¡¯s been missing for almost a month, I¡¯m in an alternate reality where my sister isn¡¯t a clingy soulless bitch, life isn¡¯t so bad besides all that¡¯s unfolded recently, but most of all¡­¡±


    Jack¡¯s face transtioned into complete disappointment.


    ¡°...I¡¯m not even sure if I¡¯ll be sane after the resolution to the madness I¡¯ve happened to be apart from.¡±


    John dug two fingers to the top of his nostrils.


    ¡°Jesus man, relax will ya? I know how you feel. Alright, ask me something then, anything if it¡¯ll cool you down and bring some sort of sunlight into your god forsaken mood of yours.¡±


    Jack hesitated, and thought about what he wanted to ask first. He thought and he thought, but couldn¡¯t find something decent to question at the moment besides his knowing of Mallory.


    ¡°The girl inside of my soul, what is she?¡±


    John shrugged, and grinned.


    ¡°Beats me.¡±


    ¡°Oh you¡¯ve got to be¡ª¡±


    ¡°I mean I might have an idea, but sorry to tell you this kiddo, but I ain¡¯t allowed.¡±


    ¡°Wh-why not?¡±


    ¡°Rules, and I¡¯m not the one who should be the one to tell you. But let''s ask about Witches'', Esper¡¯s, those scary Christian people and more importantly, about your friend. No offense, but right now it¡¯s not about you, it¡¯s about her, heh heh.¡±


    ¡°So much for my sense of hospitality.¡±


    ¡°Aw, come on big guy, don¡¯t be so down, joy up!¡±


    John leaped out of the seat, and posed in an old fashion roaring twenties dance pose.


    ¡°It¡¯ll clear up your mind once and awhile. You saw what it¡¯s dormant. How about it, you big blue cloud.¡±


    Jack can¡¯t help it. After everything he¡¯s undergone, and with Sarah still in enemies hands, how could he find any reason to be happy? Even if it¡¯s just for a second, it¡¯ll wither away more than the peace he thought he had during the first month after William altered reality. Unfortunately, Jack Samr had no other choice but to ask of his current situation.


    ¡°What¡¯s Samantha¡¯s true objective, and why have they taken Sarah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, kiddo.¡±


    John sat back down, and combed his hair with an actual comb.


    ¡°Samantha, what a wicked yet gorgeous woman. Her objective, if you paid attention, is quite obvious!¡±


    He clapped his hands, and a flock of geese appeared in front of Jack, and marched past him, quaking. In the middle were three ducklings, and on each end of them, were the parents. They waddled off, and one of the parents stopped, and quaked at Jack before they faded away.


    ¡°To own ducks?¡± Jack answered.


    John rolled his eyes, but chuckled.


    ¡°No stupid! Her goals to have a family! Haven¡¯t you seen all the signals, the way she treats her daughter, and more importantly, the way she treated Leon?¡±


    Jack did remember all the teasing and provoction that had Leon on the verge of exploding. Yet, hearing everything else about her, her goal and story told sounded completely different.


    ¡°If that were the case, then why would she crumble the world to her feet?¡±


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    John rubbed his chin, and snapped his fingers.


    ¡°Do you really wanna know?!¡±


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m asking so what else could I be saying?¡±


    His sarcastic tone and nonchalant attitude made John grimace.


    ¡°Freaking smartass. Okay, if you really wanna know, it¡¯s because of the Exorcist¡¯s who took it a step too far in stopping her. When she thought she had lost it all, she went crazy, and was birthed into the Sin Of Envy! Abyzou!¡±


    ¡°Again, with that name. Is that her actual name? Or is it Samantha?¡±


    John wiggled his finger and laughed.


    ¡°Complicated indeed! Born as Samantha, a human name given to her rightfully, but Abyzou granted by the world! She¡¯s both, and neither separate, but a calamity of three!¡±


    ¡°Cala¡ªwhat now?¡±


    ¡°Ooo, forgot to keep that a secret. Uh, well, I¡¯ll give a small hint as to what it is. Aherm-he-herm! The three great calamities! All were born seperate from each other, but told to be awakened, and walk amongst us in our dreaded future. The first was born during the dark ages but for only a month while the second happened to be Samantha, and the last¡­¡±


    John grew serious, and balled his fist, bringing it up to his face.


    ¡°...was just over ten years ago. It was a dreary day, and a day all of existence was brought to zero: Only one man was able to defeat it, and bring the peace and normality back to us; his name permanently in supernatural records and a legend forever, William H. Christ the Sixth!¡±


    ¡°Th-that sounds awful, but I find it conflicted.¡±


    ¡°Mm, why so?¡±


    Jack remembered the very first conversation he had with Samantha where she explained the existence of every known Sin that was born and brought to their demise by the great William. During the explanations, she said they were the most troublesome to the world, but never mentioned the just revealed calamities. Amongst all the Sins born, besides two, all of them were Exorcist¡¯s.


    ¡°When Samantha and I spoke in our first meeting, she mentioned the existence of the seven deadly Sins, and when she revealed them all, most were Exorcist¡¯s.¡±


    John tapped his chin, and snapped his fingers.


    ¡°Correct you are, kiddo. It¡¯s true, Exorcists were most of the beholders of Sin. Funny when they follow God and the church but to backstab and abuse the power given to them really says a lot in the people they thought they could entrust.¡±


    ¡°Right, and what I¡¯m trying to understand is who¡¯s done more harm to the world? Is Samantha that terrible? Or is the other embodiment of Sins really that much worse as she claimed?¡±


    ¡°Bwahaha! Of course she¡¯s worse, Jack. All three have done the worst to the world. And the day they all co-exist, it¡¯ll be the end of us all.¡±


    ¡°Really? But how could that be true when William exists?¡±


    John¡¯s face turned still, and his eyes glinted.


    ¡°Because Jack¡­¡±


    John hunched forward from his seat, and frowned.


    ¡°...William won¡¯t be around when that happens.¡±


    Jack grew shocked hearing that, and grew sweaty.


    ¡°Ho-how do you know that so confidently?¡±


    John pointed at his ghostly eyes, and grinned.


    ¡°These, right here, is the answer to that.¡±


    He eerily brought his other hand up, and suddenly clapped, which spooked Jack.


    ¡°Enough of that! Lets talk more about your situation and how we can resolve it against those dumb followers of the clan that represents Envy.¡±


    Jack was growing stressed and felt his brain rotting from John consistently changing subjects. He mildly groaned, and took a deep breath before speaking again.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess we can get back to that. Wh-what can I do to get Sarah back and what and who am I really up against?¡±


    John flailed his arm, and posed.


    ¡°We¡¯re up against an army, kiddo! And not just an exaggeration, it¡¯s a magnitude of deranged followers!¡±


    ¡°An army of them? Like what? Near a hundred?¡±


    ¡°Hundred?! Bwahahahaha! You kill me! No, way past five thousand.¡±


    Jack felt his soul leave his body, and collapsed to his knees.


    ¡°O-o-over¡­ five thousand?¡± he muttered. ¡°You¡¯ve-you¡¯ve got to be shitting me?¡±


    John shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not, but hey, at least you know, heheh.¡±


    Jack slowly clutched his head, and felt more defeated than ever.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do now? I-I stand literally no chance. Wait, I never even stood a chance even from the beginning of all this madness.¡±


    John leaped out of his throne.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so down. You still have one asset on your side.¡±


    John snapped his fingers, and a screen erupted from behind him. It displayed Leon, who was building up his mana, his body shaking, and anger swelling.


    ¡°My dear friend, Leon the destroyer.¡±


    Leon exploded, and the screen shattered.


    ¡°Damn it Leon!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what you just saw was his soul. Right now, he¡¯s lost, and hasn¡¯t figured out if he wants to return to the living. He¡¯s fighting a war amongst himself, and fighting the spell Samantha¡¯s using to revive him. But, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be dead for much longer. The one thing that has him still a wandering lost spirit is the love for his daughter.¡±


    Jack felt bad, and grabbed his arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault he was killed. If it weren¡¯t for my outburst then he would¡¯ve still been here with us.¡±


    John puckered his lips, and flailed his hand at Jack.


    ¡°Pfft, please! You¡¯d really think Leon was killed because of you? Nonsense. He was tricked, and ambushed by two people whom he thought were acquaintances or maybe friends.¡±


    John grew serious and let out a disappointed sigh.


    ¡°That damn Ravana knew his weakness. Yet, I gotta give it to him for actually taking him down.¡±


    John¡¯s eyes glinted for a moment, and Jack felt his anger reach him from the heat pulsing from beneath his feet.


    ¡°To be honest, seeing him killed like a dog really boiled my blood. Yet, I couldn¡¯t do anything to help him because it¡¯s not my fight nor the way the world wants to tell the story.¡±


    He balled his fist, and manically grinned.


    ¡°But they¡¯ll see us soon enough. Don¡¯t you worry Jack Samr. The next time we see each other again, will be the day they¡¯ll be begging for mercy!¡±


    John shouted, and his dimension shattered to a familiar grassy homey setting to Jack. The young man watched as the shards of the previous reality scattered on the ground. He stood on his feet, glanced around, and felt a nice breeze coming from behind him. John was standing in tall grass, and calmed down his nerves by taking a breathing exercise.


    ¡°Ooo, I almost lost my nerves there for a second heheh. Okay, listen listen, right now, watcha gotta do is get back to Samantha, and see what the hell she¡¯s up to. Remember Jack, she¡¯s the key to all of this ending.¡±


    John poofed a cigar into existence, and ignited it with a finger tip.


    ¡°The sooner we get Samantha to act out of line, the better this mess resolves itself.¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t understand what John meant, and wanted to ask more about it.


    ¡°Have her act out of line? What would happen if she does? The end of the world again?¡±


    John smiled with the lit cigar as smoke creeped out of his mouth.


    ¡°Once that arrogant hateful gorgeous woman acts out of her coordination, then the great William will have no choice but to step in.¡±


    Jack grew shocked to hear that, and crossed his arms.


    ¡°William? You think he¡¯d really appear if Samantha decides to engage in the issue?¡±


    John smoked, and smoked. He took the cigar out, and blew smoke into the air, which turned the sky into an eerie magma red.


    ¡°He¡¯ll have no choice but to. Trust me, it¡¯s what his duty is, Jack Samr.¡±


    The high level Witch spread his arms out to the sides as the smoking cigar began to light up the area.


    ¡°There¡¯s no greater threat than the most feared, most powerful, almighty, William H. Christ!¡±


    Jack gulped, and shut his eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Even after beating this, once William¡¯s attention comes back on me full-time, even though I know for a fact I stand no chance against him: There¡¯s no chance of me ever defeating or even dreaming of beating William, right?¡±


    John laughed out loud, and grabbed the cigar, flicking it away.


    ¡°William can¡¯t be beat, Jack. He¡¯s unbeatable, his power is limitless, if what he says that God¡¯s real, despite little to no evidence that shows it: Among the many in the supernatural world, William is the true God of this reality.¡±


    Hearing that made Jack turn pale, and throw up from the reality he¡¯s already assumed about William. But to have someone else, someone more knowledgeable about the true nature of the world and someone who¡¯s met him state that Jack¡¯s not only up against an unbeatable cornucopia of foes; The fact amongst them all, one is the supposed God of the world that every religion worships. He threw up one more time and wiped his mouth, spitting a lot afterwards. He wiped one more time before speaking and looking back at John.


    ¡°Man, what a fucking reality check to receive.¡±


    ¡°Is it?! It should be a good one because William¡¯s not your enemy Jack Samr. He¡¯s no one¡¯s other than the fallen spirits, demons, wretched corrupted individual''s who wish to conquer the world. They¡¯re his foes, and perhaps in the past, his closest allies have been.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, from what Samantha told me about the holders of Sin, that the majority were Exorcists.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Now, what else would you like to know, you poor tragic young man.¡±


    John squinted his eyes at Jack, and frowned.


    ¡°You poor, poor tragic kiddo. You¡¯ve gone through a lot, more than anyone that I¡¯ve laid my eyes upon since 1921.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if I should feel special or just plain depressed after hearing that.¡±


    John chuckled.


    ¡°Jack, kiddo, I¡¯ve seen many tragedies in my life, but none compare to you, and what¡¯s to come.¡±


    ¡°What''s to come?¡± Jack repeated.


    ¡°Ooops, almost spoiled something there. Alright, conversations done for now! Let''s get this wrapped up so you can go rescue your princess.¡±


    ¡°Woah, already? But I have much more to ask and have to hear!¡±


    ¡°Trust me, you¡¯ll get more. It¡¯s just, right now''s not the perfect time. But, when that time comes, we¡¯ll see if you can truly handle your sanity, kiddo.¡±


    This guy, he¡¯s way too lenient with everything. I don¡¯t know if I should really trust him, even if he did help out once and is Leon¡¯s close friend. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have many options at the moment. I¡¯ll keep my gaurd up no matter what, because hardly anyone is to be trusted. Jack thought.


    John snickered, and winked at Jack.


    ¡°That¡¯s it kiddo, believe your instincts¡­¡± he murmured.


    He leaned forward, and furrowed his brows as his smile grew thinner.


    ¡°...because they¡¯ve gotten you this far, but you haven¡¯t met your greatest hurtle. And I¡¯ll be there to watch, and guide you as you fall, Jack Samr.¡± John murmured.


    John spun, snapped his fingers, and Jack fell into a vortex of red and black. He shouted while he watched as John grew smaller and smaller from his point of view.


    ¡°See you very soon, Jack! For now, please stay alive, I mean it!¡±


    Jack continued shouting, and shouting until, eventually, he was back where they first met, in front of Jack¡¯s home at the bottom steps. He wiped his eyes, and let out a huge groan, and placed his hands on his hips. He couldn¡¯t help but let out a brief chuckle, feeling some sort of relief.


    ¡°After all the meetings I had, that had to be the most stressless one.¡±


    He looked up at the grey sky, and grinned.


    ¡°What next? What should I do from now on? Do I get back to Samantha? Maybe, since she¡¯s pretty much ghosted me for the entire month.¡±


    The young man moaned, and brought his gaze back to his home.


    ¡°Hmph, whatever¡¯s next, lets just hope it''s a step forward into getting Sarah back.¡±


    Jack frowned, and shook his head.


    ¡°I-I¡­¡±


    The young man was feeling something again, the same sensation he feels whenever he¡¯s around Mallory or the mystery girl, Lily in his dreams. His heart raced, his mind grew crowded with images of Sarah: Her smile, her personality, her laughter, but more importantly, her captivating eyes. Jack grinned, but quickly grew back his frown.


    ¡°I think I miss her¡­¡±


    The young man stepped forward, and made his way up the steps. As he made his way back to the front porch, getting to the wooden floorstep, he paused at the front door before opening it. Sarah¡¯s face had blined his thoughts, and seeing her genuine smile that brightened his worst days during the ordeal of the Exorcists and the supernatural, it made him begin to question if this is the feeling of ¡®Love!¡¯ The young man dragged his hand across his eyes, loudly grunted, and violently shook his head. He grabbed the door handle, opened it, and walked into his home with a sudden flash and a scorching feeling of being burned ablaze. He screamed for a moment until his vision returned to a setting he hadn¡¯t seen in almost a month.


    ¡°Wait? Am I back in¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Jack.¡± Samantha said.


    The young man turned around, and saw Samantha standing next to Leon¡¯s cold body, still lying on the same stone structure.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± she said.


    Jack scrunched his face, and then grimaced.


    ¡°After a whole fucking month of me waiting like some lost idiot?¡±


    Samantha didn¡¯t say anything, and began to face Leon¡¯s body, hovering her hands over his chest. Jack gapped his mouth, and couldn¡¯t help but feel sudden anger towards the woman.


    ¡°Hey? Did you not hear me?¡±


    Samantha concentrated as her pupils bounced around.


    ¡°Lady?! Are you deaf or are you purposely ignoring my curiosity?!¡±


    Samantha shut her eyes, and began to mumble gibberish.


    ¡°Huh, I doubt Leon would allow himself to be revived by a vile bitch like you.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes popped open, and her mouth remained open, still.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you stop? Did I strike a nerve?¡± Jack said, sarcastically bobbing his head.


    Samantha¡¯s eyebrows eerily knit.


    ¡°It seems I got your attention. So, Samantha, answer me why you had me moving like an idiot for the entirety of a month, and without any updates from your end? Why did you suddenly summon me of all coincidences?¡±


    Samantha¡¯s fingers twitched.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Young man¡­¡± Samantha eerily said.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to put the puzzle together. Before being in your presence, I was just talking with that John fellow, and a lot that he had to say about you is starting to come into fruition. Come to think of it, I think I¡¯m being used to your agenda too.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes were wide, her expression, stone cold yet behind her still mask was anger swelling, boiling inside the screwed up mind of Samantha. Jack smacked his lips, and in response, Samantha turned her head halfway for the young man to see the side of her shadowed face.


    ¡°I¡¯m beginning to question why you¡¯re trying to revive Leon besides using him again. I mean, come on, question why he hasn¡¯t moved to the afterlife and why he¡¯s fighting your spell. Think Samantha, think for once in your twisted life.¡±


    Jack put the tip of his fingers to his chest, and grinned.


    ¡°Coming from a guy who¡¯s done substance abuse, killed loads of people is on the brink of going insane?! Even I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to be revived by a bitch¡ªlike you.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s mouth began to open more, and out trickled a subtle gasp.


    ¡°Sarah¡¯s disappearance may have been half my fault for not being strong enough to protect her, but most of it falls on you, you vile, pathetic excuse of a mother.¡±


    Samantha still didn¡¯t respond, and Jack shook his head, dropping his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m such a fool, a damned fool. I keep getting myself into situations where I¡¯m contracted to be a tool to a higher power or be of amusement to you sick freaks.¡±


    The young man slammed his hand against his chest, and deeply frowned.


    ¡°Is that what you like?! To treat guys like me and Leon as your dogs, puppets?! Answer me!¡±


    Samantha closed her mouth, and went back to facing Leon¡¯s dead corpse. She caressed his cheek, and frowned.


    ¡°My¡­ Leon¡­¡± she whispered.


    She leaned to him, and went to his ear.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Leon.¡±


    Suddenly, the fireplace erupted, and the candles around the room brightened more. She began to tremble, and grab his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    They grew brighter, and brighter, and Jack glanced around, clenching his fists as he watched Samantha grow closer to his body.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­ don¡¯t go, don¡¯t go, what are you doing?¡± she mumbled.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Jack asked.


    She grabbed his head, and held it to her chest.


    ¡°Fool¡­ you stupid fool. Think of your daughter, think of her, not me.¡±


    The fireplace began to dim, and the candles, one by one were being blown out.


    ¡°Why, why are you leaving?¡±


    Jack¡¯s vision, slowly was darkening around him. The room was becoming dimmer, and dimmer until the final candle had gone out, leaving the fireplace the only light source available.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Jack muttered.


    ¡°Leon¡­ Leon!¡± Samantha shouted.


    Jack rushed to her, but she snapped, abruptly turned to him, and snarled.


    ¡°GET AWAY FROM US!¡±


    Her voice sounded just like Sarah¡¯s which sent chills down Jack¡¯s spine. His bone marrow had frozen as her crimson eyes glowed brightly and her hair began to flutter. She turned her fiery eyes to the fireplace and shot a stream of fire into it, hoping to keep the flame going. To no unveil, the flame stayed the same, and Samantha turned into a panic. She hovered her hands over Leon¡¯s chest, and her palms were molting red. Her eyes grew huge and she began to hyperventilate.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go¡­ don¡¯t-don¡¯t you leave us!¡±


    Jack grew more afraid by the second, and finally grew aware of the situation at hand.


    ¡°Leon¡¯s¡­ moving on, isn¡¯t he?¡± he said.


    Samantha put her hands against her ears.


    ¡°Shut up! Don¡¯t say that!¡±


    Seeing her behave so erratic, and abnormal, she didn¡¯t look like Samantha, but Jack could see Sarah instead in her place. He rubbed his eyes to see if he was hallucinating, but he can still imagine Sarah being the one freaking out. The difference was the clothing, but her voice, her pained whimpers, grunts, moans, were one hundred percent to Sarah¡¯s. Then, her voice began to distort, and Samantha¡¯s soothing mature voice merged with Sarah¡¯s and she let out a subtle broken shout. It sounded devilish, vile yet horrifically saddened. Tears came out her red eyes, and she began to smack her fists against Leon¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Idiot, idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot¡­ stupid idiot!¡±


    Seeing her act childish, but her depressing tantrum was justified as she was about to lose her supposed husband. After months of watching, seeing how she treated Leon, the fact that she¡¯s terrified of losing him had Jack questioning if her reactions were genuine or is she more upset over the fact she¡¯s losing one of her keys to her ultimate goal.


    ¡°Leon¡­¡± Jack carefully approached Samantha, and carefully placed his hand on her shoulder as she slammed his chest one last time.


    ¡°LEON!¡±


    Jack groaned, and watched as Samantha lay on Leon¡¯s chest, bursting into tears and burying her head into her crossed arms. The fireplace was nearing its final dim point, and all the two could do was wait, and see when it¡¯ll be put out, if not moments.


    ***


    ¡°Say Leon.¡± Samantha said.


    Leon¡¯s sitting on a laid out blanket, basking with the air tickling his skin. A nice sunny day, flowers blooming around them, an umbrella protecting their delicate skins, Samantha¡¯s eyes were twinkling as she watched her fianc¨¦ thinking to himself in peace. She smiled and scooted closer, laying her head against his broad shoulder.


    ¡°Whatcha thinking about?¡±


    Leon grinned, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Her marvelous scent had him hypnotized, but couldn¡¯t retain his urgency to hold her more. She was softer than usual, her soothing moans were music to his ears, all Leon could do was think about the glorious future ahead of their newly soon to be wedded lives.


    ¡°Not much, really.¡±


    Samantha giggled.


    ¡°Is that so? Because if it wasn¡¯t, then you wouldn¡¯t hold me so dearly, honey.¡±


    ¡°What? I can¡¯t help myself when I¡¯m soon to be married to the most gorgeous woman alive.¡±


    Samantha rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Hmm, oh really?¡±


    ¡°Yes really. Now shut up, and let me think ahead for us.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, telling your fianc¨¦ to shut up? Ahem, automatic first day divorce my sweet.¡±


    The two paused then laughed. Leon lay his head on top of hers, and opened his eyes to the endless grass field.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you what I¡¯m thinking about.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s smile grew subtle, and she slipped her hands into his.


    ¡°Go on, tell me, destroyer.¡±


    He sarcastically smacked his lips.


    ¡°This whole time, I¡¯ve been thinking about what our first child¡¯s name would be.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes widened, and her whole world grew slow in time.


    ¡°What our house will be, what¡¯s to be expected if they¡¯re a girl or boy.¡±


    Leon brought their interlaced hands up, and their clutch shined with the sun beaming behind it.


    ¡°What a dream come true it¡¯ll be once we become a big¡ª¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes glistened, her heart for the first time skipped a beat as she consumed the image of their clutch into her memories.


    ¡°¡ªhappy family.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s shocked expression transitioned to a genuine one filled with utter happiness and joy, but behind her smile was her twisted admiration, one in which she¡¯ll reveal when the time is ripe. Her eyebrows furrowed, her smile thinned, and she blinked, revealing her true colours in the sharp glint in her twisted crimson pupils.


    ¡°I also can¡¯t wait when it becomes a reality, my Leon.¡±


    Storms brewing, lightning flashing, a dark environment with crimson clouds, coursing through a dark sky. Dead in the middle of the chaotic dimension, a tornado of woe had something inside of it, angry, screaming, and growing mightier by the second. Inside the twisted, flashing red and blackened purple tornado was Leon: His eyes glowing, his pupils gone, his roaring sounded to that of all his years worth of agony, despair, and regret. His fists clenched, Leon¡¯s on the brink on crossing over to the afterlife, but what awaits at the bottom of the tornado was hell. A place in which he deserved to be placed in, a place he¡¯d know he¡¯ll belong, and a place he¡¯ll face his past.


    He shut his mouth, slowly as steam faded from the corners of his mouth. His hair settled down, and his breathing although heavy, he was taking his time to calm his breathing. He could feel the tornado shrink around him to squeeze down to the fiery pits of hell. With his eyes still aimed at the sky, lightning flashing around him, he could hear a familiar soothing voice that sounded distraught, yet elegant; It made him tremble, his heart ache, but the brewing anger he had towards the voice quickly overwhelmed his body. His aura exploded, and the tornado was blown away. The fiery pits shot flames to him, wrapping him in a spiral of scorching heat, and beginning to drag him down to the glowing vortex of lava and tar.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you leave!¡± the voice shouted.


    Leon roared, and his aura dimmed.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool, a stupid fool who¡¯s willing to abandon everything he cares for.¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes stopped glowing, but they remained empty, and pupilless. He let out a mild grunt as the flame pulled him deeper down from the sky.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave¡­ after everything you¡¯ve done¡ªfor her?¡±


    Leon ground his teeth, and again, his aura exploded, and the flame fought to retain it, but his power even overwhelmed the flames of hell.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this, Leon, you can¡¯t accept this, not without a resolution to everything you¡¯ve fought for.¡±


    Leon panted, and panted and let out a yell filled with all of his anger that rumbled the afterlife.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this for me, but for her¡­¡±


    ¡°H¡­er? H-h¡­¡± Leon growled.


    ¡°Without you, she¡¯ll cry, without you, she¡¯ll grow into depression, without you¡­ she¡¯ll die.¡±


    Leon growled, clutched his head, and his muscles exploded in expansion. Hot steam blew out of his gaped mouth, and nostrils. His hair began to spike up, and his aura began to change into something more rapid, gruesome. He roared again, and the roped flame grew blue, twisted more intensely to pull him further down, which he allowed. He didn¡¯t fight the flame this time, and was pulled faster than he could let out his next grunt.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool, a weak fool if you choose to leave because of me; I know I did wrong, I know I fooled you into my dream, my ambition, but I¡¯m pleading with you to come back!¡±


    ¡°P-pl-ple¡­ad?¡± Leon mumbled.


    Leon manically laughed and his skin began to crack.


    ¡°Plead?! Are you-you¡­ kidding me?!¡± he shouted.


    Once he was near the edge of the vortex, his aura had exploded, and his body let out a flash of white light.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this for me, Leon¡ªI Samantha, Abyzou, am pleading for Bolverkr, the destroyer, to come back to life.¡±


    He felt his skin shattering, his screaming putrid, the flash of white began to consume even the entrance to hell, to which the flames retreated back into the pits.


    ¡°Do this for your daughter¡­ Sarah Bolverkr.¡±


    Leon let out one more scream before the doors of heaven had erupted, and two lovely hands that were snow white with red nail polish had come down, and consumed the flash of white, closing it to a bubble. The two giant hands, flower petals blowing from the gates from where it came began to squeeze the ball of white with Leon dead in the middle. They squeezed until the ball was consumed by the grips of the pale hands, and consumed by the chalk skin. The hands rubbed their palms together until they opened, elegantly letting the last remnants of Leon¡¯s dust particles be blown away by a gust of wind.


    Leon¡¯s eyes exploded, he loudly gasped for air, his chest appearing to explode: Samantha jumped off, and stayed back, watching as her husband was coming back to life.


    ¡°You, you chose¡­¡± she murmured, grinning.


    Jack looked shocked, yet relieved.


    Leon finally caught the air of the living and his chest deflated, and he was finally able to breathe regularly. He let out raspy coughs, and took another gasp of breath before he felt the need to glance around. He groaned, moaned softly as his head shifted to the right, and the first person to catch his sight was Samantha herself. With a genuine adoring smile on her face, one he hadn¡¯t seen since the aftermath of their first date, a tear slipped out from the corner of his eye, he slowly squinted his eyes in agony.


    ¡°You¡­?¡± he whispered.


    Samantha carefully stepped back, and mildly tilted her head, and fought back her own tears.


    ¡°Welcome back, Leon Bolverkr.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 38: In Search For Sarah—Part: 1

    The fireplace crackles, shooting small sparks out to the rug, the once blown out candles have now been revived: Leon Bolverkr has been revived, but his expression was as cold and disappointed as ever before. Jack waited on what Sarah¡¯s father would say or do next, yet his stare was locked onto Samantha who stood with her arms crossed in front of her. She seemed calm, and with the small grin on her face, she appeared genuinely happy to see her husband alive again. Leon continued coldly staring at his wife as he carefully sat up from his tomb, but not without his muscles jittering or having to grunt in pain.


    ¡°We-Welcome back, Leon.¡± Jack said, breaking the silence.


    Leon rubbed the back of his neck, and let out a deep disappointed sigh.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± he replied.


    Jack patted himself, and reached into his pockets. He pulled out his phone, and began scrolling.


    ¡°I-I just wanted to show you my efforts in my search for Sarah.¡±


    Leon put his hand up, and waved.


    ¡°No need to show me, I¡¯m here, and it¡¯s my responsibility now to find my daughter.¡±


    Leon kept rubbing, and grunted.


    ¡°Since that was the reason for my resurrection, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He squinted his bloodshot eyes, and frowned.


    ¡°Abyzou¡­¡±


    He sounded pissed, yet his voice was gentle.


    ¡°Tch, and here I thought you might¡¯ve changed a bit. You fooled me yet again, heartless bitch.¡±


    Samantha hadn¡¯t changed her expression, but bowed her head, keeping quiet.


    ¡°What¡­ever, I¡¯m just a useless vessel, a tool for her to use for her greedy ambition.¡±


    Leon turned his body, his feet finally touching the carpet, he continued rubbing his neck until he cracked it. He brought his arms forward, rested them on his bent knees, and had his head down.


    ¡°Jack, could you come closer,¡± he said.


    Jack moaned, but went up to Leon, and stood next to him.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Leon?¡±


    Jack could feel Leon¡¯s tense aura, but he could see just how upset the man was after being resurrected.


    ¡°Be careful on who you trust.¡±


    Jack moaned.


    ¡°The past, the new, whoever it may be, will one day come back to bite you if you¡¯re not careful. Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up like me.¡±


    The young man completely understood what Leon¡¯s saying to him and took it to heart. He nodded, and looked back at his past for the moment. He has yet to be killed by someone close to him. Feeling that one day it might happen to him, Jack¡¯s thinking of solutions and playing scenarios in his head how it¡¯ll happen: Will Angela, the real one, turn on him someday? Perhaps his closest friends ratted him out because of his ruthless actions? Maybe Eric will one day put an end to his life if Jack goes too far with his ruthless nature. Thinking of all these scenarios gave him a sudden headache, and he rubbed his head. Leon lightly chuckled as he watched Jack play out these scenes in his clouded mind.


    ¡°Despite your past, you¡¯re still a kind man, Jack Samr.¡±


    Jack stopped, and couldn¡¯t agree to that.


    ¡°Just because I help out those closest to me still doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m a good person. No matter how you look at it, my actions will always leave a permanent mark on who I am today; A terrible human being who deserves the path he walks.¡±


    Leon frowned, and shifted his head to Samantha again.


    ¡°Nonsense, when the most terrible being to exist stands before us.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s fingers twitched, but she remained calm and softly grinning.


    ¡°No one will ever top on what actions she has enacted. No matter the deed, as positive, light hearted, manipulative it may be, this woman who¡¯s now my ex-wife will forever live in infamy as the worst thing to ever live.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s grin faded, and her face turned still. Jack could see the change in her body language, and for once, saw that his words were having an affect on her. This surprised him, and Jack wanted to see more.


    ¡°R-Right, there¡¯s no denying that Samantha¡¯s evil, Leon.¡± Jack said.


    Leon hunched forward, and coughed.


    ¡°Evil is a word too generous to label her. Not even calling her a demon is good enough to print that on her. She¡¯s the embodiment of hate, greed, but most of all, Envy.¡±


    Samantha turned away for a moment, and put her hand over her mouth. Leon grabbed his shoulder, and stretched his arm. After a moment of silence, Samantha regained her composure and walked up to the two men. With stillness permanent on her face, she looked down at Leon, and carefully, gently, put her tiny hand on his head. Leon paused, and eased his arm down. Jack felt awful watching since he was being entertained with their interaction.


    Samantha seductively blinked, and patted Leon.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have much time, she needs you, Leon.¡±


    Leon smacked his lips, and smacked her hand away.


    ¡°Whatever¡­¡±


    Samantha grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess so. Just make sure she comes back to me, unscathed and alive.¡± she said.


    Leon sighed, and struggled back on his feet, towering Samantha.


    ¡°I got you I got you, vile bitch.¡±


    Samantha lowered her head, rubbing her hand.


    ¡°Again with that word¡­¡± she murmured.


    ¡°I mean, that¡¯s all the reason why you revived me, didn¡¯t you? To use me like you always have. I know I¡¯m free of your contract, but I can¡¯t think of anything else to justify your action for resurrecting me.¡±


    Samantha raised a clenched fist, and gently slammed it against his chest.


    ¡°You-you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    The hesitation in her voice surprised Leon. He moaned and watched as she slowly brought her gaze back to his. Her platinum eyes locked onto his blue eyes, and the expression on her face was one he¡¯d never imagined he¡¯d ever seen on the woman who¡¯s tortured his life for twenty years.


    Her eyes were glistening, the bottom of her lip bouncing, Samantha quickly covered her mouth for a moment, and dropped her hand. She took a breath, wiped her eyes, and forcefully giggled.


    ¡°As you said, I¡¯m just a heartless bitch who only cares for herself.¡±


    She turned around so the two wouldn¡¯t see the one tear that managed to slip out the corner of her eye.


    ¡°Hurry and get her back. There¡¯s not much time, and please bring her back safe, Leon.¡±


    She began walking away, and Leon quickly limped his way to catch her. He grabbed her hand, and he felt her hand shaking, and it caught him off guard so much he immediately let go.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing else for me to say, Leon. I brought you back for a reason, and that¡¯s to return my daughter back to where she belongs.¡±


    Samantha blinked and her eyes were crimson.


    ¡°Back in me.¡±


    Leon gasped beneath his breath, and Samantha walked up the stairs and closed the door behind her.


    He stood there, confused, limped, and shocked.


    ¡°What¡¯s gotten into that woman?¡±


    Jack was by his side, and also looked up at the door.


    ¡°I wonder too, Leon.¡±


    Leon limped up a step, and grabbed his abdomen.


    ¡°Whatever, let''s just get outside and go find my daughter. As she said, we don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    ¡°Woah woah, you¡¯re barely alive and moving. Don¡¯t you want to just sit back and chill for a day?¡±


    Leon chuckled.


    ¡°Surprising coming from the young man who¡¯d also do the same if he were in my shoes right now.¡±


    Jack grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I would be the same right now. Even if I lost an arm, leg, or became crippled, it¡¯d do me no good to just lay my ass and recover.¡±


    Leon nodded, and started going up the stairs.


    ¡°Atta boy. Come on, I got something that might help me get at least half my strength back. I¡¯m barely running at a near empty tank.¡±


    Jack decided to help Leon get up the stairs until they reached the door. Once he opened the door, Leon limped away for a moment to the side. Jack on the other hand went to the living room to wait, thinking of what their next move might be.


    Leon was in the kitchen, and going past and into a seating area, he glanced out the porch slide door and spotted Samantha seated on a wooden swing. She was gazing forward, and the day wasn¡¯t shining, rather it was dimmed and grey. Leon furrowed his brows and grew curious as to why Samantha¡¯s acting so differently. To get an answer to his curiosity, he slid the door open, and stepped out for a moment. He got his first taste of resurrection, and it smelled like iron, which made him worry for his daughters safety even more. Samantha heard the slide collide with wood, but paid no attention to him. In her grasp was a flower, a bright Peony, and it was the only thing keeping a grin on her saddened face.


    Leon shook his head before speaking.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you reaching down from the heavens, and your voice, I would¡¯ve chosen my demise, burning in the fiery pits of hell.¡±


    Samantha gasped, and had come to a pause. The rope of the swing creaked, and she mildly turned her head, enough for him to see the side of her shadowed face.


    ¡°The gates of hell were ready to take me, but Sarah¡¯s my reason for coming back to the world of living. I don¡¯t care if you forced me back here, my daughter¡¯s the most important thing in the world, and I¡¯ll give my life again to see her smile again.¡±


    Leon stepped back inside, and slid the door closed. Samantha blinked a couple of times to comprehend what he meant. She was actually confused, and brought the flower up to her eyes.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t reach down to grab him? Nor did I speak into his mind, I was too busy mourning.¡±


    She squinted her eyes at the flower, and frowned.


    ¡°Someone else must¡¯ve brought him back.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes glowed crimson, and the flower disintegrated.


    ¡°The question is¡­ who did?¡±


    After fifteen minutes had passed, Jack and Leon were outside. Leon was closing his front door behind him, for some odd reason, it was cold, and they could see their breaths.


    ¡°Why the hell is it cold? We¡¯re still in summer?¡± Jack said.


    Leon locked the door, and put his keys in his pocket.


    ¡°Something¡¯s brewing, and it has Ravana written all over it.¡±


    Jack wondered who he was speaking about, but remembered who: The day that man with the same eyes as Sarah walked out the back of the store she worked part-time before the betrayal.


    ¡°And he¡¯s probably not alone. That damn cult he created is up to something, and it¡¯s going to be the end of us all if we don¡¯t do something about it.¡±


    Jack chuckled.


    ¡°Like that¡¯s going to ever happen.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, confident are we? What makes you say that without a worry, young man?¡±


    Jack pointed to the sky.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°William.¡±


    Leon groaned.


    ¡°Oh yeah, and his bastard of a assistant Archard.¡±


    While the two were paused for a moment, they heard a vehicle¡¯s tires screeching. Jack quickly turned around and saw the same black SUV drive, the one that suddenly appears every time he¡¯s near Sarah drive off in the distance.


    ¡°Son of a bitch.¡±


    Leon squinted his eyes at the black SUV.


    ¡°What? Gang related?¡±


    Jack shook his head, and brought out his handgun.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s that damn Tahoe. It¡¯s been eerily around whenever I was around Sarah and company.¡±


    Leon leaned forward.


    ¡°Mm, you¡¯re right. I can sense something supernatural inside the vehicle.¡±


    Jack unloaded his handgun to make sure he was loaded.


    ¡°I¡¯m growing tired of it. Next time I see it, whoever¡¯s in there is going to answer our curiosities.¡±


    Leon proceeded forward.


    ¡°If they have some connection to my past friends, then I¡¯m with you.¡±


    The young man inserted the mag, cocked his gun, and raised it to the side of his face.


    ¡°I hope she¡¯s okay. I still feel at fault for your death and her kidnapping.¡±


    Leon put his hand on Jack¡¯s arm, lowering it.


    ¡°Young man, you did what you could, and that¡¯s all that matters. We all did, and now, it¡¯s our turn to get her back. Plus, I want to be the one to end Ravana¡¯s hotheaded ego.¡±


    Jack smiled, and looked forward.


    ¡°You know Leon, I¡¯m not sure if anyone ever told you, but Sarah¡¯s lucky to have a father like you.¡±


    Leon silently gasped, and felt his heart pound. Yet, his face only showed confusion, and curiosity to the young man.


    ¡°Let''s get going. I feel a signal straight ahead.¡±


    ¡°Wait? You know where to go!¡±


    Leon scanned the area, and sensed a faint sensation of mana from the southern direction of their area.


    ¡°Of course. The sky, the air, everything¡¯s leading to the direction I¡¯m aiming at.¡±


    Jack smacked his teeth.


    ¡°And to think Samantha could¡¯ve done the same.¡±


    Leon stepped forward.


    ¡°Even if she could, I doubt she¡¯d ever do anything since William¡¯s always watching.¡±


    Jack remembered what John had told him. The explanation of Samantha¡¯s actions falling into the hands of the great William H. Christ.


    ¡°Right, so I guess you have to be careful on how much destruction you cause to not get his attention too?¡±


    Leon nodded and proceeded to walk.


    ¡°Correct, which is why we¡¯re going to walk instead.¡±


    ¡°Walk?! Dude, let''s just walk to my house real quick. We can borrow my uncle''s car.¡±


    Leon grinned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to exercise, huh big guy?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty nonchalant and energetic for a guy who¡¯s barely been alive for an hour.¡±


    ¡°Really now? That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Leon could sense his mana returning, but unfortunately, not at the rate he¡¯d wish it to be.


    ¡°Because once I see those bastards, you¡¯ll see a side of me I haven''t shown in years.¡±


    Jack gulped.


    ¡°Like the time when you went berserk when you thought Sarah was hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, even worse.¡±


    The thought alone made Jack¡¯s knees weak. He tucked away his gun, Leon cracked his neck, and the two proceeded forward in the direction of energy that Leon had sensed.


    ¡°What did you do to get some mana back?¡± Jack asked as they walked into the public street.


    Leon closed his gate behind him.


    ¡°A potion Samantha gave me for our first wedding anniversary.¡±


    ¡°Oh?! What the hell, potion? Like out of a fairytale or some shit?¡±


    Leon rolled his eyes.


    ¡°No you dunce, remember she¡¯s a Witch. She gave it to me and told me someday it would be of us when I meet death''s doorstep.¡±


    Jack wondered what that meant and crossed his arms.


    ¡°That woman''s full of mystery, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Leon furrowed his brows.


    ¡°You have no idea, Jack Samr.¡±


    Jack chuckled and so did Leon. Their determination, their faith was clear as day, and with Leon back alive and being on Jack¡¯s side, the young man felt confident in getting Sarah back. The sky gleamed of dread, uncertainty, despite the dreary atmosphere, it wasn¡¯t going to stop their hope to get Sarah back. No matter the odds, whatever brewing in the direction where Sarah¡¯s at, they¡¯re ready to face it head on without any thought of dying in their mind.


    ***


    It¡¯s late, the day¡¯s coming to an end, nights dawning, and poor Sarah remains in her dirt metal prison. Laying on the bed, facing the cieling, she couldn¡¯t help but drag her hands over her face in frustration. Ravana was present, reading a book as he was behind, his back facing the cell bars. Sarah let out a small groan, and sat up, looking to Ravana¡¯s backside. Just seeing him so calm, and casual made her roll her eyes in anger.


    ¡°Hey, I have a question for you.¡± she said.


    Ravana flipped a page, and looked over his shoulder.


    ¡°Speaking finally, are we? By all means, ask away, gorgeous.¡±


    Sarah grabbed the collar of her shirt.


    ¡°Wh¡­at makes you so sure I¡¯m Samantha?¡±


    Ravana gasped, and shut the book close. He put his full attention on Sarah, and his eyes were filled with joy.


    ¡°I have so much to tell! Are you ready to refill your clouded mind?!¡±


    Sarah nodded, and Ravana smiled.


    ¡°Alright alright, uh, this is a little embarrassing so I¡¯ll start off when we first engage in a normal conversation. One I remembered very dearly.¡±


    Ravana sat down, and the book he was reading flew up to the air, flipping itself open. Sarah¡¯s eyes were flashed by a gold light. Once the light had dimmed down, she saw that they were in a setting her memories could realise off the rip. Her jaw dropped as she saw the courtyard, people, entities of all kinds walking around. Ravana walked up to her, and Sarah still had her collar gripped.


    ¡°Wh-where are we?¡±


    Ravana spread his thin arms out.


    ¡°Well, you asked, and I have given. We are inside my memories, Samantha.¡±


    Sarah knew she couldn¡¯t try something as bold as attacking the guy. It¡¯s his world, and his mind. She could still sense the weakness that keeps her prison behind her cell wrapped around her body. She felt like a normal human for once. Starting to wander around, she spotted her mother sitting beneath a tree, reading a familiar black book.


    ¡°That book, it¡¯s like the one she would read to me when I was young.¡± Sarah said.


    Seeing the image of what Ravana remembers of her mother had her beyond speechless. What he described of how he remembered her mother is exactly to what she looks like now, except the bangs that separate the two¡¯s identities.


    ¡°Mo¡­m?¡± she muttered.


    Sarah walked forward a bit, but an invisible barrier made her bump her head, which she yelped and grabbed her forehead.


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s happening!¡± Ravana exclaimed.


    From the side of the courtyard, a younger version of him came from around the corner, and nervously began to approach her mother. He stumbled his footing for a bit, but managed to control his nervous nature to play it cool for the most mysterious yet gorgeous woman in the academy if not the world. Stopping a foot from where she still has her eyes locked onto the black book, Ravana cleared his throat, and took a bow.


    ¡°Greetings! I couldn¡¯t help but wonder why such a lovely, elegant woman such as yourself is alone again.¡±


    She paid no attention to him, and flipped a page.


    He forced a chuckle, cleared his throat again.


    ¡°Wh-whatcha reading there?¡±


    She kept reading, raising her right arm, and leaning her head on her raised hand.


    Ravana grew more nervous, turning red, and letting the steam out from in his shirt. He stood straight, and scratched the back on his neck.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to be a bother, but I¡¯m just curious about you. I don¡¯t want you to think that I¡¯m annoying.¡±


    Samantha blinked, and let out a quick sigh.


    ¡°Persistent, are we?¡± she replied.


    Her voice had sparked life inside of him. The tone, how soft, gentle it was to one''s ears made Ravana almost drop to his knees. He began to shake, but wiggled it off, pretending to stretch.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just trying to start a conversation, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Samantha closed her book, and rested it on her crossed lap.


    ¡°What do you actually intend for this conversation to carry on?¡±


    Ravana stopped his play stretching, and shrugged.


    ¡°Can I not be interested in someone whom I haven¡¯t seen at this God forsaken acedemy.¡±


    She tilted her head, and grinned.


    ¡°Hm, very well then. I¡¯ll begin by asking for your name since this is¡­¡±


    ¡°Our fourth interaction.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you kept track. Kinda creepy if you ask me.¡±


    Ravana closed the distance between them and nervously chuckled.


    ¡°Sorry for being so formal towards you, but it¡¯s just that, your presence forces me to.¡±


    He put his arm across his chest, and kneeled.


    ¡°I am Ravana, a Witch in practice for more than just nature''s teachings.¡±


    Samantha squinted an eye, but out of curiosity.


    ¡°More than nature''s ways? In what meaning do you intend for that?¡±


    Ravana demonstrated what he meant by pointing his palm to the sky. The atmosphere grew dire, dreary yet moist. At first Samantha thought he was just making the environment humid until the sky split open. A huge stream of electricity came out, and the skies were scorched a blaze for a moment. He couldn¡¯t hold up his spell for long and gave out. He blew hot air out his breath, and coughed violently.


    ¡°Da-damn it, still practicing.¡±


    Samantha wasn¡¯t too impressed and only let out a sigh.


    ¡°Mm, interesting display.¡± she said in a sarcastic tone.


    Ravana got nervous, and turned red.


    ¡°W-wait! There''s more!¡±


    In a small panic, Ravana casted more spells but everything that he showed from tall grass attacking fellow students, trees shooting plasma to clouds shooting down from the heavens and morphing into clouded beings and reeking havoc still didn¡¯t impress her. She opened her book again, going back to where she left off. As Ravana continued casting spells, everything was still in chaos, the sound of one clap made his magic and powers mean nothing. A giant wind blew away his mess, and the source of that sound barrier breaking clap was a tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes. His stone cold stare, yet chilled nature got Samantha¡¯s attention. Immediately, her eyes sparkled and the man brushed dirt off his shoulder. From the looks of how he¡¯s walking, he was coming their way.


    ¡°Ravana, what¡¯s with all your ruckus?¡± he said.


    Stopping in front of them, Samantha had an adoring smile, one that would have any man fall for them.


    ¡°Hi.¡± she said.


    The young man jumped a little, but averted his gaze from her. She giggled in response while Ravana grew a little envious.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Leon?¡±


    He sighed, and shrugged.


    ¡°I-I was just walking by when I noticed you were causing a damn scene. What for, exactly?¡±


    Ravana again posed, and created more spells to impress Samantha. But her attention was permanent on Leon, and he could feel her marvelous gaze swallowing his soul. Ravana could mildly see from the shaking around his finger tips.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ravana whispered.


    He raised a brow, grabbed his chin, and went up to Leon.


    ¡°You okay, Mr. hardass?¡±


    Leon smacked his teeth.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the smug attitude all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Only curiosity has my insights on full alert, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Samantha got up, patted herself, and got in between them. Ravana was forced to the side while she stood in front of Leon, who once again averted his gaze.


    ¡°We meet again, stranger.¡±


    Leon¡¯s pupils were erratic, but he was playing it off, and tucked his hands in his pockets.


    ¡°Mm, I guess. How you doing?¡±


    She grew intrigued, and closed the gap between them.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the new yorkie accent? Huh?¡±


    Her smile, the sarcasm in her voice yet her adorable nature almost broke Leon out of his cool nature. He rubbed the back of his neck, and only struggled in response. She laughed, and playfully tapped his arm. Ravana loudly cleared his throat, and intervened in their ignorant flirting.


    ¡°Oy, did you forget someone? Remember, we were having a conversation, Samantha?¡±


    Samantha gave him a bombastic side eye, and grinned.


    ¡°Oh, right, we were, weren¡¯t we?¡±


    Sarah¡¯s confused as to what Ravana¡¯s trying to prove with the memory in play. Rather, she saw Ravana as a more pathetic man still in love with her mother. It made her scratch her head, feeling annoyed by how the powerful Witch was desperately trying to woo her mother. Seeing her young father on the other hand made her smile, and feel warm. His weakened posture, his nervous erratic eye movement, she thought she¡¯d never imagine seeing him like that, ever in her life. Now that she¡¯s seen it first hand, it¡¯s just as worth it to force it out of him once she¡¯s back in his arms.


    ¡°Father, you¡¯re so adorable.¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Oh Leon, you were always a ladies man, but that won¡¯t be an issue anymore since you¡¯re gone from this world.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s grin faded, her vision slowed, and she could feel her heartbeat getting louder and louder by the second.


    ¡°Wh¡­at did you just say?¡± she asked.


    Ravana kept watching as Leon and Samantha got along like knife cutting butter. With a twisted grin on his face, he chuckled and looked at Sarah''s blank face.


    ¡°Oh right, I forgot to tell you. You¡¯re fathers dead.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes were swelling, her pupils grew lifeless, and her hearing was drowned out by her rapid heart beat.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, my two assailants killed him last month, right after they killed that Jack boy too.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew tenfold, and she let out her last breath. Ravana rapidly blinked, went back to watch his memory play out the moment he tried attacking Leon who caught his fist: Everything was paused by the searing heat pulsing beside him. He glimpsed at Sarah who¡¯s eyes were glowing, then back to Samantha¡¯s whose eyes were glowing as well. Samantha eerily shifted her head to him, which spooked him. As his past self and Leon unpaused, began to have a chilled yet aggressive conversation after putting that sudden attack to the side, Samantha began walking to where they stood.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening? I-I don¡¯t remember her doing that?!¡±


    Samantha¡¯s burning vision engulfed Ravana¡¯s soul, and he felt her anger, agony sending shivers across his body. He then felt someone grab his wrist, and throw him away from where he stood. It was Sarah, and both stood next to each other, ominously staring at Ravana as he grew blanch.


    Samantha giggled, and circled her daughter.


    ¡°Say what you want, believe what you hear, my adoring daughter, but nevertheless, your emotions will always be in control¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes began to transform into a different colour, and her aura exploded out. Samantha raised her arm to cover her face as she watched her own flesh and blood roiled with rage from the news that Ravana had just put out.


    ¡°...as long as it''s from my side of the spectrum, that is.¡±


    That was the last thing Samantha said before Ravana''s memories broke apart, and they were back in reality. Sarah¡¯s power rose and rose, and she let out a roar Ravana heard from before, one that almost took his life by the hands of¡­


    ¡°Leon?¡± he mumbled.


    Ravana grew serious, and the rest of his crew arrived to gain control of the situation. Sarah let out one more roar before her aura pierced the ceiling, and put a whole through it. Her anger and flame could be seen to the outside world for a moment until Chelsea crashed through the cell and pierced her chest with one of the purple crystals. Blood shot out, splattered and she let out a horrific cry that the world could hear. This boiled Ravana¡¯s anger as he saw her blood fly out.


    ¡°NO!¡± he screamed.


    He rushed in, pulled it out with a cloud of crimson engulfing the area around them as the two fell sideways. She collapsed and her bleeding was put to a stop by Ravana casting a spell. Everyone grew confused and they could feel his anger swelling.


    ¡°What have ya done?¡±


    Ravana faced his colleagues and his intense might began to show.


    ¡°You dare harm our¡ª¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve done it now.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s face turned pale. Ravana slowly looked over his shoulder, and the past had come back from his memories. A blackhole appeared from beside Sarah¡¯s unconscious body, and Samantha stepped out.


    ¡°Saman¡­tha?¡±


    She patted the area where Sarah was stabbed, and saw the scar it had left.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Samantha¡¯s face turned still, and she began to laugh.


    ¡°You harmed my daughter, you hurt my body, but not all of it.¡±


    Her infamous thin smile appeared and she glared at Chelsea who was the one who stabbed the crystal in her.


    ¡°But I think it would be best if my husband saw it rather than my current self.¡±


    Samantha put her arms out, and her hair began to flutter.


    ¡°May you pay for your Sins and face death once my glorious destroyer goes mental and annihilates all of you!¡±


    Samantha laughed and laughed until she abruptly stopped, and She was suddenly sucked back into the blackhole. It vanished, Sarah began to breathe properly but not waking up. Ravana went to her aid, but couldn¡¯t retain his happiness.


    ¡°You are Samantha! You just need to be freed, freed!¡±


    He carresed her cheek, and chuckled beneath his breath.


    ¡°Then, Abyzou can live once again and cleanse this unholy, unfair, cruel world of unbalanced certainty.¡±


    Shaman appeared and grabbed Ravana''s shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, what the hell¡¯s going on?!¡±


    Chelsea and her lover Eligor got their attention by stepping in front.


    ¡°Ravana, we got news¡­ Leon¡¯s alive,¡± he said.


    Ravana gasped, and replayed the scene of Samantha saying how Leon would destroy them once he saw the wound Chelsea had inflicted.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±


    Chelsea nodded.


    ¡°Its trues, someone''s resurrected him. And, hes headed our way as we speaks.¡±


    Ravana grew afraid yet thrilled about the news.


    ¡°Is that so? Well, I guess we best start preparing for his welcome.¡±


    Ravana stood tall and proud, putting his arms out.


    ¡°Because once he does find us, it¡¯s going to be one hell of a reunion!¡±


    Shaman backed off, and shook his head.


    ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I think so? I mean, we know his weakness, we have more than ten thousand followers who were if not as strong as you in our youth, so I would say, yeah! We¡¯re definitely going through with this!¡±


    Shaman stepped up, and to everyone''s surprise, pushed Ravana, which made him stumble a step back.


    ¡°You really think, you¡¯ve got a chance against Leon? Leon Bolverkr, the destroyer?!¡±


    Shaman slowly shook his head in disappointment while Ravana fought his small temper by clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly.


    ¡°You oughta be a fool if you think these damn sheep can stand up to one of the most powerful beings to exist in our modern times.¡±


    Ravana clenched his teeth, and had a vile broken smile as he kept fighting his swelling anger.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already killed him once, and I¡¯m pretty confident! We can kill him¡ªagain!¡±


    Shaman glanced at Chelsea and Eligor.


    ¡°A man worried about his daughter, in fear of losing her will almost at times not be at full focus. They got lucky, and I know for a fact they won¡¯t get him the next time.¡±


    Ravana grew irritated and clutched his head.


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re pushing it, Shaman!¡±


    Shaman shrugged, then pointed at Sarah.


    ¡°That girl is innocent in all this, and before we meet a fate worse than death, I suggest we return her back to Leon.¡±


    Ravana laughed and in the blink of an eye grabbed Shaman''s face, slamming him against the wall. The dirt wall behind Shaman cracked, yet Shaman didn¡¯t seem fazed. His glinting eye through the gaps of Ravana¡¯s fingers were evident. Ravana mildly cackled and in another second, Shaman was blown into the dirt. The dirt collapsed around the hole that was made by his plunged body. Dust erupted around the group as they coughed and waved their hands. Ravana patted the dirt off his fancy clothes, and heard rumbling where the pile of dirt was. Shaman came out, and he too rubbed the dirt off his clothes and scooped the stains of his clothing too.


    ¡°I see how you feel, Ravana.¡±


    Shaman limped out of the rubble, and stumbled to a knee, grabbing his shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ out of here. Good luck to your endeavors.¡±


    Ravana averted his gaze as he crossed his arms.


    ¡°Suit yourself, weakling. Who needs ya!¡±


    Shaman was able to stand on his feet, and walk away but his disappointment couldn¡¯t go unnoticed by the others.


    With his shoulder grabbed, his frowning face, Shaman walked through one of the exits, but not without taking one last look at Sarah.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he muttered.


    He exited the place, and the others watched as their friend faded into the dark hallway.


    ¡°Now that he¡¯s gone, we can get back to business!¡±


    Ravana clapped his hands, and summoned a book. Once opened, he could see the outside world from a bird''s eye view.


    ¡°Lets see where you¡¯re at, Leon.¡±


    Flipping the page, he was able to catch Jack¡¯s presence but not Leon¡¯s. From another view, seeming to be that from a vehicle''s point of view, he was able to finally see his old friend, alive.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting, Bolverkr. For now, enjoy your small venture with the cursed boy.¡±


    Seeing them casually converse yet get along started to boil his blood.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re getting along better than we did, dick.¡±


    Ravana slammed the book shut, and wiped his face.


    ¡°Alright. Chelsea, step forward.¡±


    Chelsea jumped and did as she was told.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    Ravana had a thin smile, and his eyes glinted.


    ¡°When they get here, you and your lover will take care of the boy, once and for all.¡±


    Chelsea fiddled her thumbs, and gulped.


    ¡°Yes sir.¡±


    ¡°You can do it, can you? Without another ounce of failure like you two have before!¡±


    Eligor stepped up, and squinted his eyes at Ravana.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there won¡¯t be another ounce of failure. You have my! Word.¡±


    Ravana chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit. And if you two do happen to fail me once more, I¡¯ll be sure the two of you never wished you were a part of this clan from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The two walked off but Chelsea couldn¡¯t help but get shivers and cling onto his arm as they made their way into the hall.¡±


    Ravana put his eyes back to the page, and watched as the two were at most, a day away from where he¡¯s at.


    ¡°See you soon guys, see you very soon, Leon, my old friend.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 39: In Search For Sarah—Part: 2

    Nighttime''s just around the corner, the airs getting colder by the hour, and the two men determined to get Sarah back have arrived at Eric¡¯s front porch. Jack reached into his pocket, and got his house key, but couldn¡¯t stop himself from shaking due to the falling temperature.


    ¡°Fuck man, any reason why that weird dudes making everything cold?¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t mind the weather since he grew up in an already cold environment in his early days.


    ¡°The guys got an obsession with cold apocalyptic scenarios. He always rambled about them during breaks and such during my time at the academy.¡±


    ¡°Figures¡­¡±


    Jack put the key in, and opened the door. He was blasted with a heatwave which made him relieve himself with a loud grunt.


    ¡°Warmth, now that¡¯s my uncle alright.¡±


    They were inside, Jack closed the door once Leon hung up his jacket. He took a glance around Jack¡¯s home, and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a little.


    ¡°Pretty homey for a place in the ghetto.¡±


    ¡°Of course. My uncle is the leader of our gang. Why wouldn¡¯t he give himself the best home in the hood?¡±


    ¡°Surprising since the outside looks no different than the rest of the neighborhood other than its size.¡±


    Jack nodded in agreement and walked into the living room. Leon followed behind him, and took a seat on the couch.


    ¡°Thirsty?¡± Jack asked.


    When Leon was about to respond, his uncle walked in from the kitchen, and paused with a nice hot cup of coffee. Eric raised a brow at the strange, very pale man sitting in his home.


    ¡°Ey? Who the fucks this white, vampire looking man? Dudes paler than my air forces.¡±


    Jack chuckled.


    ¡°My bad uncle. I''d like to introduce you to Leon, he¡¯s Sarah¡¯s father.¡±


    ¡°Say what?! That¡¯s her dad?¡±


    Eric grabbed his chin, and observed Leon as he sipped his coffee loudly.


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯ma be real with chu, I can¡¯t see the resemblance.¡±


    Leon groaned while Jack also observed Leon with his uncle.


    ¡°You know what? You, right uncle! They don¡¯t have anything in common.¡±


    ¡°Took you this long to realise, young man?¡± Leon said with an annoyed tone.


    ¡°My-my bad¡­¡± Jack replied.


    Eric laughed and pushed Jack.


    ¡°My boy! You and Sarah got so close that you got her dad coming into my home.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that?¡±


    Leon shook his head to Eric.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what you think, sir¡ª¡±


    ¡°Just call me Eric, no need for the formalities, my guy.¡±


    Leon grinned.


    ¡°Heh, alright, Eric. And don¡¯t overthink their relationship, that dense fool wouldn¡¯t even know how to confess such emotions even if it got to that point.¡±


    The two grown men laughed while poor Jack was left confused yet annoyed.


    ¡°Jokes aside, even though the laugh was needed, it¡¯s time we get serious.¡±


    Eric took another sip.


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Something happened?¡±


    Leon squinted his eyes at Jack, and the young man grabbed his uncle''s attention by grabbing his shoulder.


    ¡°Eric, the reason Sarah¡¯s fathers with me is because¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡ªMy daughter¡¯s gone missing, and we¡¯re trying to get a hint to where she might¡¯ve run off to.¡±


    Eric¡¯s expression quickly changed when he heard that Sarah¡¯s disappearance might be because she was a runaway.


    ¡°Shit, what could¡¯ve caused her to run away? Didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be that type of girl.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t know how to respond, but Jack nodded at him with a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Leon, my uncle¡¯s aware of the supernatural.¡±


    ¡°Really now?¡±


    Leon¡¯s the one who began observing Eric.


    ¡°I find that odd coming from someone like him who¡¯s just a mere thug.¡±


    ¡°Ey! Yo, the stereotypes man, chill. Fyi, it was your daughter who revealed that supernatural spooky shit to me, aight.¡±


    ¡°My daughter? How so?¡±


    Eric shrugged.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I thought I was just a typical thug to you.¡±


    Leon smacked his lips.


    ¡°Aight mean vampire man, chill, I¡¯ll tell you. If you¡¯re supernatural just like her then I ain¡¯t messing with Chu either.¡±


    Eric demonstrated how he stumbled on her doing some sort of Witchcraft in his backyard to Jack. Leon found that strange and out of character for his daughter to do, even for doing it for someone like Jack. But, he¡¯s well aware that the flow of time they¡¯re in isn¡¯t the same and altered in a way for Jack to undergo some sort of trials for the great William H. Christ.


    ¡°I see, I guess that gives a breath of fresh air. It makes it a lot easier to explain our situation.¡±


    Eric put his hand up for a moment.


    ¡°Before shit gets all wacky, goofy and confusing as all hell, you want something to drink, my guy?¡±


    ¡°I see you sipping on some coffee, perhaps some liquor might help warm us up too.¡± Leon said.


    Eric snapped his fingers and pointed in joy.


    ¡°My guy!¡±


    He happily walked back into the kitchen. Jack went to go sit again, and couldn¡¯t help but let out a chuckle.


    ¡°What¡¯s funny, young man?¡± Leon asked.


    Jack blew into his hands, and rubbed them.


    ¡°Strange is all.¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡±


    The young man stroked his chin, and chuckled again.


    ¡°The fact you¡¯re here, in my house speaking with someone who at first sight would have no problem pointing a gun at your face, is what I find laughable.¡±


    ¡°Really? Your uncle¡¯s that paranoid?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. It¡¯s just the supernatural stuff that has him on edge, which is understandable.¡±


    Meanwhile, while the two continued with their conversation, Angela was also coming down from the stairs because of all the commotion. Rubbing an eye, yawning, the young teen made her way down the steps slowly but groaning with each step. She reached the last step and almost lost her footing, catching herself on the stairway wood rail. She sighed and stretched again, letting out a loud yawn but no one heard it because of how soft her voice is. She rubbed her arm, walked halfway in the living room and rubbed her eye.


    ¡°Jeez, you guys sure are loud, can¡¯t a girl enjoy her shows and her nap without grown men making such a ruckus!¡±


    Jack and Leon stopped and panned their attention to the grouchy young teen. Leon¡¯s jaw dropped upon first glance, not believing his eyes.


    ¡°Wow, they really do look identical, don¡¯t they?¡± Leon said.


    Jack nodded, and knew what Leon was speaking of.


    ¡°Frightening, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Leon squinted his eyes at Angela, and nodded too.


    ¡°Only difference is the darkness that dormant within you, isn¡¯t that apparent in her, which is odd.¡±


    Angela¡¯s eyes were still half closed as she finally blinked rapidly to open them again. She blinked some more, and the first person she saw was her brother, which he happily waved to her. She smiled, and once she shifted her head to the older blonde blue eyed gentleman sitting on their couch, Angela froze. At first, she only blinked, then tilted her head, then suddenly¡­


    ¡°Oh¡­ my¡­ god¡­¡± she said.


    Both men looked at each other, and shrugged.


    Angela¡¯s eyes sparkled and grew ten times.


    ¡°He¡¯s-he¡¯s¡ª!¡±


    Jack raised a brow and wondered what his sister¡¯s freaking out about. Leon was curious as to why she¡¯s looking at him all googly eyed.


    Angela leaped into the living room, and dramatically pointed at Leon.


    ¡°He¡¯s like, totally out of a freaking anime man! He¡¯s a hunk!¡±


    Both men gave Angela cold stares, and groaned.


    ¡°What?! He¡¯s so not real! I mean, look at him!¡±


    Angela ran up to him, which forced him to back up a little in his seat.


    ¡°This is so surreal!¡±


    ¡°Angela, what¡¯s this all about?¡± Jack asked, giving her a funny face.


    Angela crept up to Leon while he forced his pupils to erratically bounce around.


    ¡°If you continued watching the silly cartoons you keep calling them, then you¡¯d understand. But to me, this is a moment in which I have to investigate realism.¡±


    She slowly raised a hand, shot out her index finger, and slowly crept it to Leon¡¯s face.


    ¡°Must see if he¡¯s real and isn¡¯t artificially made by the goth girls magic.¡±


    She poked Leon¡¯s cheek, and he groaned in response as she repeatadly poked his cheeks.


    ¡°He¡¯s real alright.¡±


    She suddenly grabbed his cheeks, and began pulling them. He forced a grin, but the young man could see he was beginning to grow annoyed.


    ¡°He¡¯s definitely out of the anime I¡¯m currently watching. He¡¯s got gorgeous yet saddened blue eyes, perfect hair, and he has a face that screams bad boy: Yet that isn¡¯t true from his personality, I know he¡¯s a gentle soul deep down.¡±


    Hearing Angela say that about Leon made him quietly gasp. He couldn¡¯t believe her words and thought she was just being nice because of his good looks. Yet, seeing how his recent actions towards Sarah and even Samantha was beginning to prove her point. His past came back to flash a memory he had stored away, one he remembered with John, the others, and Samantha.


    ¡°Am I really, gentle?¡± he muttered.


    It was a clear day at the academy, everyone was sitting at the table, gathering to discuss the tournament when Leon finally arrived at the scene, and with a large pizza box in hand. Everyone was surprised to see the quiet, angry looking shy guy bring them a pizza. Ravana thought it was a trap and tried to secretly blast the box open, but Samantha stood up, and approached the grinning quiet young man. She carefully grabbed the lip of the box, and flipped it open, and everyone applauded.


    ¡°Yeah Leon! That¡¯s my buddy!¡± John shouted.


    Samantha smiled, and grabbed a slice. She put the pizza towards his face, and he took a bite of it. She retracted it back and also took a bite, which made the group create embarrassing sounds towards them. But, all that changed when Mandy came into the picture, walking out from behind Leon, and grabbing his hand.


    ¡°We both bought it together.¡±


    Samantha froze, and for a brief moment, glared at her, but quickly brought back her adoring nature.


    ¡°That¡¯s awfully kind of you two.¡± Samantha said.


    Leon remembered this was before her and Samantha became a thing, before Mandy¡¯s confession and to then mysteriously not remember the month of November entirely during that time. Thinking back at that moment, and with everything that¡¯s happened, how he treated everyone, friends, lover, daughter, Leon could never see himself as a good soul nor being. His actions have spoken louder, and he¡¯s afraid to even think of the heinous human extinction crimes he¡¯s enacted.


    It made him squint his eyes for a moment, which Angela knew all too well from Jack¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°Well well, we have another troubled mind man in the house.¡± Angela said.


    Leon¡¯s eyes exploded open.


    ¡°Hehe, even you make the same confused expressions as my scary brother, how adorable.¡±


    Jack squinted his eyes in annoyance as well as smearing his lips.


    Leon blinked, and smiled for Angela.


    ¡°Oh wow, you at least have an awesome calm smile any lady would be swooned by! You are straight, not real, stranger.¡±


    Leon shifted his head to Jack.


    ¡°You have an amazing, smart sister on your hand.¡±


    Angela blushed, and playfully pushed Leon.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Jack smiled.


    ¡°Hm, I guess you can say that, for now.¡±


    Leon knew what Jack meant by. Angela on the other hand didn¡¯t and glanced at the two, scratching her head.


    ¡°Weird, but uh, who¡¯s this guy, bro?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my bad for not introducing him before you fangirled over him.


    Angela growled, and crossed her arms.


    Leon put his hand up to get Angela¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce myself. My name¡¯s Leon Bolverkr, I am Sarah¡¯s father.¡±


    Angela became frozen for a second, then burst into a frenzy, jumping away, and blinking erratically as her eyes grew humongous.


    ¡°WHAT?! You¡¯re-you¡¯re the goth girl''s dad?!¡±


    Leon laughed seeing her reaction.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    Angela couldn''t help but be intrigued when the revelation unfolded before her. She tapped her chin, went up to Leon again to analyze him some more. Leon raised a brow, and Angela began her analysis. She grabbed his hair, ruffled it, gripped his cheeks again, grabbed his face, looked deep into his eyes, which led to Leon to read her past and saw how she was raised in this timeline. Her parents weren¡¯t there from the beginning, instead in their place, she was raised by adoptees since birth. Her childhood was filled with joy, being spoiled until her adopted parents were killed in a car accident, leaving her alone. The shock of seeing them dead had her run away from the scene, and whine up on the streets. Eventually, over time, she was able to be self adopted by a girl named Alexandria who guided her to a new life of extreme danger, yet making it as less frightening as possible. Their actions guided them to Jack Samr, a young troubled teen who happened to bump into them as they both were stealing from the same convenient store.


    What a turn of events. These scenarios are almost identical to how the original flow of time went for those two. Leon thought.


    Seeing how all three survived together, and eventually leading to the two young teens growing a romance for each other and having Angela jealous really showed just how the two troubled individuals would meet each other regardless of what time or universes they¡¯d end up in.


    It¡¯s set by whatever higher power is in place, for them to always be together. It¡¯s imminent yet sad since the two will always have a troubled and saddened past. Leon thought.


    Angela pulled away, but decided to touch him one last time by squeezing his arms and chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange. I still don¡¯t believe it.¡± she said.


    ¡°Is it because of what I think you¡¯re about to say, sis?¡± Jack asked.


    Angela smiled.


    ¡°Oh yeah, they have no resemblance whatsoever. She looks so much like her mother that I can¡¯t point out exactly what makes him the father of the supernatural goth girl.¡±


    Leon frowned, feeling a little hurt by Angela¡¯s words.


    ¡°But, I did find one thing the two do share in common.¡±


    Leon was eager to hear the answer, and it definitely showed by his big gaze that grew.


    ¡°They have the same facial structure beneath that skin. Their smiles are subtle yet gentle, but their gaze is both sorrowed and extremely gentle to stare into.¡±


    Leon¡¯s jaw mildly dropped and briefly averted his gaze.


    Who-who is this girl? Leon wondered.


    Once he brought his gaze back to Angela, she was smiling ear to ear, and he couldn¡¯t help but return the favour. He patted Angela, which made her blush.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± he said.


    His soothing gentle deep tone gave Angela butterflies and wondered how she felt such feelings for a man like him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I did, but you almost turned me back straight, sir!¡± Angela said.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Leon laughed and Eric just came back in with a platter of coffee cups.


    ¡°Ey, whitey can express emotions more than dumbass over there.¡±


    All three laughed while Jack remained annoyed, and expressed an even deeper stillness.


    The three enjoyed coffee, chatting, laughing, mentioning more of how dense the young man is, which made him roll his eyes. During their conversation, Angela mentioned more of how she grew up in the streets which also surprised Jack as he heard that Alexandria was closer to her than what he was told. The young man again was beginning to think that it would be better off for him to stay in this timeline than going back to the original flow. Just thinking of how soulless and doll-like his original adopted sister has become. Whatever happens, Jack just hopes that everything will be better off once everything¡¯s resolved. Once the conversation went off the goal post, it was time to get serious, and Angela was the one to bring it back to topic.


    ¡°So, Sarah¡¯s been kidnapped, ey?¡±


    All three men got quiet, and Leon deeply sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, and I have to find at least one clue as to where they might have her. Your brother has already suffered a lot, but it¡¯s my time and responsibility as a parent to get my precious girl.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jack said.


    ¡°What?¡± Leon replied.


    Jack grinned.


    ¡°About time you show more affection towards Sarah.¡±


    Leon shrugged.


    ¡°Mm, lets just keep what I said between us, can we?¡±


    Eric chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s aight man. Trust me, to get this dumbass over here to show more emotions was tougher than getting hints to a rival¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Ey¡­¡±


    ¡°He has a point, brother.¡± Angela exclaimed.


    ¡°Alright alright, I get it! Back to the original topic, what can we do to get her location besides the mana you detected, Leon?¡±


    Leon began to think, and lay back on the couch.


    ¡°I do have another idea in mind.¡±


    Angela raised her hand.


    ¡°Could I assist in your guy¡¯s search?¡±


    Eric exploded out of his seat, and waved his index finger at Angela.


    ¡°Like hell you are! You are forbidden to even get involved, lil momma!¡±


    ¡°But uncle?!¡±


    ¡°No buts! Booty! Whatever! Let the grown ups and the irresponsible boyfriend deal with the situation.¡±


    Angela pouted, and crossed her arms in a sassy manner.


    ¡°Pueh¡­¡±


    ¡°Eric¡¯s right, Angela. It¡¯s my duty as her closest friend to get her back, no matter what. And with the help of her dad, I¡¯m damn sure we¡¯ll get her back to safety.¡±


    Angela frowned.


    ¡°I get it, I get it, but don¡¯t knock me over for wanting to help out. Even though I pick on her, I don¡¯t really hate her.¡±


    Angela grinned.


    ¡°Throughout the years, I¡¯ve really grown to admire her. She¡¯s not only just a goth girl, she¡¯s my friend. And as much as I hate to admit this, but if I had to choose all the gosh darn girls around you, although I question if they¡¯re your actual friends or a harem you¡¯re ignorantly building, Sarah¡¯s the only one I would rather ship with you.¡±


    Eric side nodded with a smug grin.


    ¡°Lil mommas got a point. If I¡¯d approve of any of the females you¡¯re around with, it¡¯d be her.¡±


    Leon looked away, but grinned in agreement.


    ¡°Lets not divert from the goal post here, guys. We gotta figure out my daughter''s situation. Eric, was it? From the west side of where your home is currently set, what information do you have of that area?¡±


    Eric reached for his coffee, and casually sipped it.


    ¡°Ahh, the west side of where we are huh?¡±


    He smacked his lips, and grabbed his chin.


    ¡°Shit, it''s been a minute since I¡¯ve been westside of Michigan. But, the last I remember from one of my new recruits was that the area was bought off by some rich dude, and they had to force people to sell their homes.¡±


    ¡°Bought by some rich dude? Hmm.¡±


    Jack chimed in, and raised his hand.


    ¡°When you mean bought out and forced, do you mean a neighborhood or an entire area?¡±


    ¡°He probably means the whole damn area if whoever¡¯s behind the purchase happens to be who I think it is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re on the money, my guy. Anyways, the last bit he gave me was that it was bought out two years ago, and when he wanted to revisit the area, it became nothing but long roads and grasslands.¡±


    ¡°So, it was him Afterall.¡± Leon murmured.


    ¡°Shits kinda freaky and sad if you ask me. Whoever bought it has no heart because he put a lot of good people out in the streets.¡±


    ¡°That damn Ravana, why would he wipe out an entire area off the map for? Unless that¡¯s where he¡¯s hiding in secresty.¡±


    Yet, I can¡¯t be bothered by thinking of it making it that noticeable. He wouldn¡¯t do something like that unless he¡¯s doing something huge, and knowing his fragile ego, it¡¯s gotta be something big.


    ¡°That fool has to be doing something cataclysmic.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°Well, whatever it is, for him to wipe out an entire area like that?! I ain¡¯t messing with that, no way. And Jack, don¡¯t even think I¡¯m lending you the poor bastards that are already in our group to help ya.¡±


    Leon chuckled.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t do them no good anyways. We¡¯re up against an army.¡±


    ¡°Say what?¡± Angela said.


    ¡°Hold hold, hold up! Whatchu mean by army?! Like they got lots of folks with weapons? Or are you guys dealing with an army of spooky ass folks like his family?!¡± Eric said by pointing at Leon.


    Jack didn¡¯t answer since he knew the repercussions. Leon shook his head.


    ¡°We¡¯re dealing with at least no more than thirteen thousand of these people. And from the ones I¡¯ve encountered, they¡¯re stronger than Ravana was when I was just a young adult.¡±


    Eric turned pale, and put his hands out.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m out of this conversation now. You guys deal with it on ya own, no offence.¡±


    ¡°Non taken, friend.¡± Leon replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to help ya, but I can¡¯t risk putting up lives like that when they can be just as easily disaposed of than they already are by the crime drenched streets.¡±


    Angela clutched her head.


    ¡°Ooo, what do we do, what do we do to get her back? It almost seems impossible to get her back if you two are going alone.¡±


    Jack got up from his seating to go sit next to his sister to comfort her.


    ¡°Angela, don¡¯t worry about it. Leon and I will figure a way through this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have faith in you two, but it¡¯s hard to believe when you¡¯re up against an army like that! Jeez, and from the anime I''ve watched it always ends up with someone dying.¡±


    Seeing Angela¡¯s disgruntled face hit home for Leon. He¡¯s seen the same expression during dire times when he was mentioned in meetings or by the academy boards when it came to his destructive nature. Hearing the fear, seeing the scare, all because he was deemed an impossible force of nature that no man or being can contain almost made him want to flee the world and its complexities. But, two people were there to tell everyone that Leon was not impossible to contain nor defeat, rather they could find possibilities to control his power. The two in question were John, and Mandy who did everything to convince the world around them that Leon wasn¡¯t a demon, a God of destruction sent from the sky to punish reality of its Sins. Yet not even they could contain his anger and power. Yet, one being did by her action, and as much as he hates to admit it, Samantha proved everyone wrong by subduing Leon to a soft and gentle state. Remembering her crimson eyes glistening at him at the end of the tournament almost made him explode in anger for a moment.


    He took a deep breath, and stood up.


    ¡°Angela, is it?¡±


    Angela lowered her hands, and brought her gaze up to Leon. Despite his eyes being empty earlier, she saw a small hint of life in them shine.


    ¡°I also forgot to mention that they¡¯re not going up against just Leon Bolverkr¡­¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment, and their entire living room was transverse into a floating paradox of his dwelling mana.


    ¡°... they¡¯re going up against bolverkr, the destroyer. And I will show them the hell that awaits me.¡±


    Eric tried controlling his fear, but it quickly overtook him, and he drew his gun. Jack held Angela, but her eyes glistened, and she slowly smiled for Leon. Leon controlled his mana, and their living room returned back to normal. Angela leaped out of Jack¡¯s clutch, and stood in front of Leon. She grabbed his hands, and held their rough nature.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going up against this destroyer you and everyone else labels. They¡¯re about to be up against a father who cares deeply about his daughter, and there''s no greater threat than a dad in search of the kidnappee.¡±


    Leon gasped, and averted his gaze to whip his eye before any liquid could decide to come out. For the first time in his life, Leon wasn¡¯t labeled by the very name that would freeze the bone marrow in people''s limbs. Instead he was told that he¡¯s just a dad finding the person who kidnapped his daughter. Hearing it made him feel so emotional that he wanted to deliberately teleport out of the home to go cry his eyes out. He resisted and felt that it was better to accept the compliment and play it cool as he always did.


    He patted Angela, and looked over to Jack.


    ¡°Strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The young man at first didn¡¯t understand what he meant, until he saw Leon¡¯s eyes shift to his sister who also looked confused. Jack¡¯s face turned still and he nodded in agreement to Leon.


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s better this way.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, indeed it is, young man.¡±


    Angela looked at both, and shrugged.


    ¡°What in the heck are you guys talking about?¡±


    The two only grinned and Jack got up.


    ¡°Eric, where¡¯s the long gun at?¡±


    Eric jolted his head over his shoulder.


    ¡°In the shed, top attic. What? About to leave already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have much time. We gotta resolve this before that crazy red eyed asshole decides to do something the world hasn¡¯t seen since the year 2000.¡± Leon said.


    Eric tilted his head.


    ¡°Shit, what would that be?¡±


    Leon brought his hand up, and clutched it.


    ¡°Resurrect the most vile being alive¡­¡±


    The three waited in response. Jack knew who he was about to say, Angela wondered who he was about to mention, Eric looked nervous and afraid. Leon unballed his hand, and reached into his pocket, pulling out his wedding ring. He lightly threw it on the table, it rolled, and settled on the wooden table.


    ¡°My now ex wife, and once a foe feared by man¡­¡±


    Leon closed his eyes, and the image of Abyzou being born from the darkened skies through a blackhole, emerging like a goddess but was humanities unfathomable doom: Just seeing her ghostly body and platinum hair flutter as she decended from darkness and her skin being the source of light to the universe once again, sent Leon into a trance of fear. Her glowing crimson eyes, her still face, yet the gentle thin manical smile on her face as she glared at the world that took the one thing she cared for most in life, her ultimate achievement made her produce a laugh that still haunts Leon¡¯s dreams.


    ¡°NO!¡± he screamed as she was reaching for his frozen body while everyone else behind him was a statue.


    Abyzou grabbed his face, and gave him a kiss that put him out of the entire catacalsmic event. Jack saw a tear slip through his eyelid, and Eric could see his eyes quiver. Leon took a quick breath, and opened his reddened eyes that made Angela feel bad for his unkown trauma.


    ¡°... Abyzou.¡±


    Jack frowned and began walking towards the kitchen.


    ¡°Eric, think you can lend us your car?¡±


    Eric was frozen with fear for a moment. He quickly snapped out of it and shook his head to Jack.


    ¡°Absolutely no, my stupid ass nephew.¡±


    ¡°Why? I mean, there isn¡¯t any other car besides the Escalade?¡±


    ¡°Actually, there is. I just bought it yesterday. You didn¡¯t see it on the driveway on your way up?¡±


    ¡°Mm, no?¡±


    Angela ran up to the window to see the car in question.


    ¡°Ooo, it¡¯s all used and abused!¡±


    ¡°Wait wait, let me see.¡±


    Jack went up to the window, and stood behind his sister. He saw an early 2000s Buick lasabre and cringed.


    ¡°Ahh, are you fucking kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m not. Like what you see?¡±


    ¡°Eric, what the hell did you buy that for?¡±


    Eric got up from his seating and winked at Leon.


    ¡°What else for? It¡¯s the new daily driver/beater.¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t help but express his disappointment by heavily walking away and walking past his uncle without saying another word.


    ¡°Ahh, you guys will be aight! The car may look rough, but I can guarantee that it¡¯ll make it to your goal.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, but if it can¡¯t, then I¡¯ll be forced to use my powers.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Eric replied.


    Angela turned around to the two who were smiling at her.


    ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad.¡±


    Eric covered his eyes with his giant forearm.


    ¡°Man, I don¡¯t deserve such an amazing niece like her! She¡¯s perfect.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re embarrassing me¡­¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t help but smile more. Seeing Angela in front of the window made his broken mind flash a scene he hadn¡¯t seen since Sarah¡¯s early days. Standing in the same pose, but gripping the curtain was his six year old daughter, curiously staring at him. He had his coat over his shoulder, and he could feel her curious gaze scan him. She gently let go of the curtain and bowed to him without saying a word. At that moment, for the first time he made the first move on her and raised his hand.


    ¡°Hi,¡± he said.


    She quickly raised up, and expressed a smile only seen by Samantha.


    ¡°H-hi!¡±


    Her adorable smile and soft giggling faded out and Angela was once again present. Leon reached into his pants pocket and pulled his wallet out, opening it to find a small cut photo of Sarah he secretly had hidden from Samantha.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sarah, I¡¯m coming for you.¡±


    ***


    A couple of hours have passed, and the two determined men were on their way to find Sarah¡¯s location. Heading deep into both enemy territories for equal sides, at this point, there¡¯s nothing that can stop them. Driving a beat up car in the condition Jack feared is showing its weaknesses already from a long trip like this. The car rattles over bumps, it has a bad vibration going near a hundred miles an hour, and it tends to overheat every hour. They had to make stops and let the car rest for a minimum of thirty minutes which slowed down their trip significantly. Again, the car was overheating, and the two decided to make a pit stop to a gas station.


    ¡°Piece of shit car, damn it Eric.¡± Jack said.


    Leon chuckled.


    ¡°I guess we didn¡¯t have a choice since we need to make an element of surprise.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he should¡¯ve at least lent me the regular car, not this hunk of junk shitbox.¡±


    ¡°Hey, give the ol gal a break. She¡¯s probably sensitive and felt your negative emotions about her.¡±


    ¡°Heh, whatever. Let''s chill I guess.¡±


    They parked the car at a gas pump, and got out. Leon observed their surroundings and let out his frustrations through the gap of his mouth. His breath was shown, meanwhile, Jack went inside the gas station to give money to the clerk so they could put gas. While he was inside, he wanted to grab a bite to eat, and thought that Leon would like something as well. Outside, Leon leaned against the car, his hands tucked into his pockets, and his eyes gazed upon the grey sky.


    ¡°Hmph, this is a strange feeling indeed.¡±


    Leon became fascinated by the sad sky, enough for him to remember what it was like to be loved by his deceased parents he hardly remembers. Yet remembering their joy, yet strict nature overcome their generosity made him grunt for a moment. As far as remembering them, at least those memories remained. But, he knew everything that they did was to teach him to become the man he had potential to be. The same feeling of love and care was felt the same, but more potent when he thought Samantha and him were an actual thing. That¡¯s until he found out he was nothing more than a vessel to her greedy ambition.


    ¡°Samantha¡­¡± he muttered.


    Hearing her soft giggles again, her soothing gentle voice brushing his ear drums, it almost made him burst with anger as usual. Yet, his mind, his emotions didn¡¯t fight him, it was his heart that screech at Leon to stop but reminisce everything that she''s done for him, as of recently. Leon did, and everything she''s done the past year had him bang the side of the car, gently. Although, people nearby that were also getting gas could tell that he was going through something.


    A black woman who was parked at the pump next to them heard, and decided to confront Leon¡¯s scowled expression.


    ¡°Hey, you okay honey?¡± she asked.


    Leon stopped, and rubbed the back of his neck.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m okay, thanks for asking.¡±


    She observed Leon¡¯s build, and grew intrigued by his timid yet strong appearance.


    ¡°Ooo, you fine as hell for a white boy.¡±


    Leon rolled his eyes, but a small smirk appeared at the edge of his lips.


    ¡°Ahhh, you shy too?! Man, that¡¯s so cute! What¡¯s yo name, honey?¡±


    Leon also scanned her from head to toe, and found her outfit provocative. Her revealing tank top with thin strings barely hanging on from her hung breasts, her short athletic shorts showing off her thick curves made Leon look away for a second to catch himself. She was a fairly attractive woman despite the wig she had on. When he looked back at her, her big dark eyes were eyeing him like a sexual predator and her genuine pearl white smile made Leon almost fall for her seductiveness. He composed himself, forced a cough and shrugged.


    ¡°Leon, what¡¯s yours?¡±


    She smiled ear to ear, and closed more distance between them.


    ¡°Ooo, I love your voice. My name is Michelle, like French, know what I¡¯m saying?!¡±


    Her accent and the way she spoke with her hands made Leon grin more.


    ¡°That¡¯s a sweet name, sorry if I was showing my frustrations.¡±


    She waved her hand, and decided to stand and lean against the car with Leon.


    ¡°You good honey, we all got problems. So, what¡¯s a handsome man like you doing out here. You definitely ain¡¯t from around here with the outfit you got on.¡±


    Her scent hit Leon. It was both pleasant, and a nuisance to his nose. She smelled sweet, like honey and to that of early spring, yet you can depict the odor of marijuana beneath her perfume.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m from the outer city limits, suburbs, mainly the eastside of Michigan.¡±


    ¡°Mm, you from the nice side, rich folks side.¡±


    ¡°I-I guess you can say that.¡±


    ¡°Now that we both made a nice introduction, how about I ask you again, why a man like you is all the way out here?¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t seem to mind sharing information with someone as confident yet strong as her. From the first words out of her mouth to who she acts, Leon knew that this woman has also gone through a lot in her early years.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll believe me if I told you the truth baby.¡±


    She went ballistic when he called her baby and clung onto his arm.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tease me! Goddamn, the way you said that sounded so mmm. And trust me honey, I¡¯ve gone through more than enough to not judge anyone or what situations they¡¯ve gone through. We¡¯re in Michigan and that¡¯s enough to say we are all brothers and sisters despite colour.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, heh. I¡¯m out here because my daughter¡¯s been kidnapped.¡±


    She got serious and rubbed Leon¡¯s arm.


    ¡°No, that can¡¯t be true? A man like you, shit, who would dare take they kid from someone as strong, tough, sexy looking like you?¡±


    ¡°A dumbass guy who thinks he can one up me, a guy whom I thought we were at least pals, but soon I found out all he wanted to do was fuck my ex-wife and have her all to himself. Shit, he can have her, I don¡¯t care, I just want my daughter back.¡±


    ¡°See?! And that¡¯s the shit that pisses me off! It be the closest ones that stab you like that. Yeah, fuck her! Who would wanna divorce someone as fine as you?!¡±


    Leon laughed.


    ¡°You got it wrong. I divorced her and for good reason.¡±


    She bounced her eyebrows and caressed Leon¡¯s chest.


    ¡°That means you single? Mm, which means I can have more than just a taste?¡±


    Leon knew better to not be tempted by her advances and seduction. Although, he couldn¡¯t help but get a little touch by grabbing her butt, which made her giggle.


    ¡°Well, more of an odd situation since I haven¡¯t heard of my current lover, which does have me on edge.¡±


    ¡°Sweety, let''s not talk about that, whoever you with, right now, we gots the hots for each other. So how about I take you back to my house, and show you a better time than your wife or current girl ever could.¡±


    Leon squinted his eyes and smacked his teeth.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t right now, I¡¯m on a mission and have to find my girl.¡±


    ¡°You right. Okay, how about we take it next door.¡±


    Leon looked straight and saw her SUV. Her windows were tinted enough to not be seen by the outside world. Leon gave in to his temptations and the two began kissing, grabbing each other. They made out their way till they reached her SUV. She opened the rear passenger door and the two quickly leaped in, shutting the door behind them.


    Twenty minutes had passed and Jack had just left the gas station. He had two bags of goodies with him and a drink in hand. During the entire time he was using the restroom and window shopping stupid things such as new knives or what souvenir Angela would enjoy.


    ¡°If we were going any longer, I would¡¯ve definitely shat myself.¡±


    He looked around, and saw the car still parked and saw the car''s gas door flipped open, but Leon was vacant.


    ¡°Did he not fill up? Huh, I wonder where he could¡¯ve gone off to?¡±


    Jack walked to the pumps and on his way to the car, he saw the red SUV with dark tinted windows shaking and wobbling. Jack raised a brow and only rolled his eyes. He was next to his car and put the bags away by putting them through the open passenger window. He began pumping gas and the creaking and rattling of the SUV was beginning to get on his nerves.


    ¡°Whatever¡¯s happening in there. Wait, I don¡¯t wanna know.¡±


    Once the car was filled up, and the handle clicked, the SUV stopped moving. Jack turned away as soon as the door opened with Leon coming out, casually putting his shirt back on. He brushed his hair with his finger tips, and sighed.


    ¡°Oh, Jack¡¯s returned.¡± he said.


    She came out behind him, heavily breathing.


    ¡°You¡­ can¡¯t just leave me hanging like this boo!¡±


    She panted, and put her hand on her chest while adjusting the spaghetti string strap over her shoulder.


    ¡°My god¡­ I ain¡¯t never had it like that.¡±


    ¡°Apologies. But, I¡¯m pretty rough when it comes to sex.¡±


    She was biting her bottom lip, and gave Leon eyes any man would love to be looked at.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t no way in hell I¡¯m letting you go outta my life that easy baby.¡±


    She grabbed Leon¡¯s hand, put something in it and closed it. She grabbed his face and tongue kissed him.


    ¡°Call me whenever you feel lonely. Or maybe settle down with someone like me, a woman who can take care of you.¡±


    She giggled and bounced her brows at him.


    ¡°Good luck finding your baby girl, I pray to God you¡¯ll get her back safely.¡±


    She adjusted her breasts and went into the driver seat of her vehicle. Leon stopped her from leaving. He pulled out his wallet, and gave her something. At first, she didn¡¯t know what it was until she saw it was a check. The number on it almost made her pass out and she began hyperventilating.


    ¡°oh ¡­ my god.¡± she mumbled.


    Leon nodded and grabbed her chin.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a token of my gratitude. Thank you for putting a smile on my face today, sweetheart.¡±


    Jack happened to be watching, and his face was scrunched up as he was watching them kiss and say goodbye. She waved happily to Leon as he made his way back to Jack¡¯s car and jumped in. Jack''s face scrunched, he squinted in disgust. The young man wiggled his lips and leaned towards Leon.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you were just?¡±


    Leon put his hand up to Jack¡¯s face, and Jack couldn¡¯t help but reel away.


    ¡°Dude! I don¡¯t know where those hands have been!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re so dense that you don¡¯t even know what sex is too?¡±


    ¡°I do know what sex is, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Yet you don¡¯t know what love is?¡±


    ¡°N-n¡­o? Well, I think I¡¯m starting to understand it.¡±


    Leon made the same face back to Jack.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t take a look back at your past, then I would be calling you the biggest dumbass on God¡¯s green earth.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°And my apologies for the dilemma. I had to relieve myself, I have to get some, you know what I mean?¡±


    ¡°I guess, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But what? Still a virgin? I mean it¡¯s okay, save yourself for that special someone.¡±


    ¡°No no, of course not. My uncle made me lose it when I was sixteen. Then, it sorta became a casual occurrence whenever I had the urge to just fuck.¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Hearing how the young man is fully aware of intimacy yet has little knowledge of love made his funny bones ache.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve racked up a lot already I¡¯m assuming.¡±


    Jack shrugged.


    ¡°I guess. I mean, I¡¯ve probably fucked more woman than you have since you¡¯ve been trapped in a prisoned marriage.¡±


    ¡°Who said I wasn¡¯t relieving myself during these dark ages I¡¯ve experienced?¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes grew big.


    ¡°No way! You still had sex even when married?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, and I¡¯ve slept with hundreds. To be honest, I¡¯ve lost count. Can you really blame me? A mans gotta get some, especially in my case when you¡¯re married to Samantha, the most gorgeous woman on this planet. Of course I still got a hard on despite hating her guts.¡±


    Jack¡¯s surprised to hear that, but couldn¡¯t hold his actions against him given his situation.


    ¡°Yeah, guess that¡¯s fair. Ahh, enough of this nasty talk, we gotta get moving. Still the same direction?¡±


    Leon stuck his head out the window and felt the mana surge growing in the same direction.


    ¡°Yeah, and we better hurry. Seems like they¡¯re cooking up something already.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Jack gunned it and they skidded out of the gas station and were back on the freeway. They drove for miles on end and what seemed to be an eternity, especially with the frequent pauses of the car overheating in between. As time passed, they started seeing the sky grow greyer and Jack could finally feel something in the air, a hot and cold sensation coming from where they¡¯re heading. It started to worry him about Sarah¡¯s safety and he crossed his fingers that they weren¡¯t harming or using Sarah in any sort of way. Unfortunately, the car¡¯s motor started smoking and horribly misfire. Hearing the car slowly die made Jack panic and angrily slam his palm repeatedly on the steering wheel. Leon deeply sighed and dragged his hand across his face.


    ¡°Goddamn it!¡± Jack shouted.


    They pulled over to the side of the road and the car finally died. It rolled on its own, forcing them off the road and stopping in a ditch.


    ¡°Shit¡­ thanks a lot, uncle.¡±


    In frustration, Jack got out of the car, and slammed the door shut. He went to the hood and opened the engine bay while Leon calmly got out of the passenger seat and gazed to the sky.


    ¡°We can still use my powers. I think at this point, the element of surprise won¡¯t do us any good.¡±


    Jack¡¯s face was blown with steam and he grunted loudly and walked to Leon.


    ¡°I¡­ guess. Let me just get my mini 14 and we can fly or whatever you have to do to get us over there.¡±


    As Jack went into the car, reaching into the rear passenger seat to get his rifle, Leon sensed another presence of mana approaching them from where they were coming from. He curiously walked out of the hump of the side road and stood near the edge of the empty freeway. He looked deeper by squinting his eyes and hovering his hand over them. He saw a vehicle approaching their way, fast and once it was coming towards the hazy horizon, he knew what was approaching them.


    ¡°That damn SUV is coming.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Jack shouted.


    Jack quickly ran up the hump with the rifle in hand and once he had a better visual of the black Tahoe coming to them, his blood began to boil.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it. Fuck that truck, I''m taking that bitch down!¡±


    Jack aimed his rifle, but Leon quickly forced the barrel down, which made Jack furrowed his brows.


    ¡°No, let me handle it. I told you, this is my problem now. Plus, I want to talk to whoever is driving that thing.¡±


    Jack¡¯s furious but he backs away and Leon slowly walks into the road. He made his way to the middle, and began to menacingly walk towards the oncoming vehicle. Leon glared at the SUV and started to feel the mana inside it more and it brought back a feeling he hadn¡¯t sensed in a while.


    ¡°No, it couldn¡¯t be.¡±


    Leon slowly raised the palm of his hand, and knitted his brows.


    ¡°But if it is, then I hope you have a prayer ready to say¡ª¡±


    Once Leon had his hand aimed at the SUV, Jack suddenly emerged from the edge of his picky tip, and began to take aim at the SUV.


    ¡°Jack, wait are you¡ªwhat, no!¡±


    Jack began firing at the SUV and his bullets made impact all over the front end of the vehicle until both front tires were shot out. The SUV lost control once the tires exploded and began swerving towards Leon. He jumped out of the way once the SUV skidded past him. It began rolling multiple times on and then off the road. Parts of the SUV flew into the air, glass shattered, parts of plastic and metal flunge everywhere as it kept rolling. Jack ran towards the tumbling SUV and it landed on its side towards some trees after rolling two more times.


    Leon ran after Jack before he could do something stupid.


    ¡°Jack, wait!¡±


    Jack ran towards the front of the vehicle and saw someone crawling out of the front broken windshield, desperately trying to crawl away.


    ¡°You think you can keep following us and get away with it?!¡±


    Jack quickly braked himself and aimed the rifle at the bloodied and bruised man who rolled on his backside.


    ¡°You¡¯re time¡¯s up, asshole!¡±


    Leon leaped in front of Jack, slapping the barrel away and grabbed Jack¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Jack, relax! I want to talk to him.¡±


    Jack¡¯s eyes were glinting and they were quaking.


    ¡°Talk?! Talk! But he¡¯s been following your daughter for who knows how long? And now that we have the bastard, you want to talk to him?¡±


    Leon was calm and nodded to Jack.


    ¡°I think I know this asshole. Just, relax and let me talk to him.¡±


    Jack shut his mouth and forced a grin.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± he weakly said.


    Leon turned to the groaning familiar man. He approached him and lunged his hands, grabbing his cloak and forcing up to his feet. He slammed him against the SUV and grabbed his bloodied face.


    ¡°Sacramento, you piece of shit! Why?!¡±


    He weakly coughed but laughed.


    ¡°Why¡­ what?¡± he repeated.


    ¡°Why are you working with Ravana?!¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ isn¡¯t it-it obvious? What else for, Bolverkr.¡±


    Leon slammed him again onto the roof of the SUV, denting it.


    ¡°You idiots think reviving the Sin Of Envy would cleanse the world and make it a paradise for sickos like all of you?! Are all of you that stupid?!¡±


    He coughed out blood, and grabbed Leon¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°All¡­ hail Abyzou! Our mother of creation and destroyer of worlds.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s my daughter, where are they keeping her, and if you don¡¯t answer that, I¡¯ll remind you who you¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    He let out one more chuckle before erasing his smile and grew serious.


    ¡°Da-daughter? Wh¡­at are you talking about? We have Samantha.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my daughter Sarah that you¡¯ve spied on, followed, and taken away!¡±


    He looked genuinely confused and surprised by what Leon was telling him.


    ¡°N-no, it can¡¯t be. You¡¯re lying Leon! Its Samantha we have, you¡¯re-you¡¯re just fucking with me like you always have!¡±


    ¡°Damn it Sacramento! Listen to me! Where¡¯s my daughter.¡±


    He growled and averted his gaze for a moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point in telling you? We¡¯ll all end up dead anyways.¡±


    Leon took a deep breath and let go of him. He also let go of Leon¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Because I can save you all before Ravana does something that¡¯ll make all of you regret ever associating with him.¡±


    His lips quivered, his legs trembled as he battled his mixed emotions.


    ¡°Even if I could¡­ I can¡¯t, Leon. He¡¯d, he¡¯d¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sacramento, please, just tell me so I can teleport there now and end this all.¡±


    He clenched his fists and shut his eyes for a moment before speaking again.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


    Leon gently put his hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°Please, Sacramento. She needs me.¡±


    He opened his eyes and looked at Leon¡¯s quivering eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡ª¡±


    A gunshot went off and his brain was splattered behind him. He collapsed to the side with blood gushing out his nostrils and headshot wound. Leon¡¯s eyes were wide as he turned round to Jack and he clenched his teeth.


    ¡°No no no no!¡±


    He angrily stomped up to Jack and pushed him.


    ¡°What the fuck is the matter with you?!¡±


    Leon grabbed his shirt, and yanked him off his feet just an inch off the ground.


    ¡°I said I wanted to¡ªtalk to him!¡±


    Leon¡¯s bottom neck was stretched, his eyebrows deeply knitting as he glared at the young man who¡¯s expression was as cold as Leon¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°You talked¡­¡± Jack replied.


    He pulled off of Leon¡¯s grip and walked past him, starting to dig into the dead man''s pockets.


    Leon can¡¯t believe that Jack would causally kill a man in front of him like that. The repercussions, potential findings for his daughter¡¯s location: these were things Leon could¡¯ve gotten even if still refused to expose the truth. Leon rushed to Jack, and stood in front of him, clenching his fists.


    ¡°Why, why would you do that?¡±


    Jack continued trying to find anything that¡¯ll help them in their search for Sarah.


    ¡°I saw that the conversation was going nowhere. And with time starting to dwindle, the air growing more intense by the passing minutes, I saw nothing more, something preventing us from advancing.¡±


    ¡°And that gives the right to kill him?¡±


    ¡°Leon, I¡¯m sorry, but time¡¯s running out.¡±


    Jack got back on his feet, and scrunched his face. Leon tilted his head and pointed at his old aquitances body.


    ¡°What the fuck is the point when earlier you were all normal and grinning. Then, you suddenly turn into a stone cold killer and throw everything like that?! What the hell boy.¡±


    Jack shook his head.


    ¡°Leon, you¡¯ve seen into my mind, my memories. I¡¯m a fucked up kid, one who doesn¡¯t think too much of his actions. I always talk last because where I grew up, a majority of the time, it was just time wasted.¡±


    Jack went up to Leon¡¯s face.


    ¡°Your daughter is out there because of my carelessness. You were killed because of my failure to protect her.¡±


    ¡°Jack, I already told you that it isn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­ Leon. No matter how many times you repeat it, the guilt that I have for what has happened these past two months is immeasurable to the amount of pain caused by my actions¡ªalone! I¡¯m a murdering, drug dealing, drug addicted, fucked up kid who just once, wants to ensure safety and prosperity for at least one person whom he deeply cares about.¡±


    Leon stayed quiet and saw the hurt that was swelling in the young man''s eyes.


    ¡°I already failed with my sister, I failed to keep my life a secret to my closest friends, but losing your daughter and seeing you killed¡­ that was the tip of the straw that broke the camel''s back.¡±


    Leon groaned and put his hands on his hips, glancing around erratically to calm his anger.


    ¡°Please, Leon.¡±


    Leon cooled down enough to look back at the young man.


    ¡°I hope getting my daughter back will solve that dumb guilt you¡¯ve got going on.¡±


    Jack frowned, but quickly regained a smile.


    ¡°I know it will. And on top of that, I hope I can also make you proud, Leon Bolverkr.¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 40: In Search Of Sarah—Part: 3

    The air thickens with greed, tension of hostility, envy towards a person whom he never called a friend: An acquaintance would be an understatement towards the induvial he blames for stealing his one true key to taking over all of humanity; Ravana¡¯s outside of the entrance of the cavern where all his followers are currently awaiting his next ploy. His fists clenched, grey sky''s darkening by the hours, he glares off to the horizon, and senses something bothersome heading his way.


    ¡°Where is that lousy punk, Sacramento? He hasn¡¯t given me updates of Leon¡¯s whereabouts since four.¡±


    Feeling annoyed, he thought the best way to relieve his stress was by quickly teleporting to a random city in Canada to stare at the busiest street. Putting one hand on his hip, he saw the sea of people staring at the strange man that had suddenly appeared out of thin air. Squinting his eyes, the entire populist that was in front of him had been eviscerated and a nuclear explosion destroyed the city. Quickly teleporting back where he was standing before erasing an entire city off the map, Ravana summoned a mirror in front of his gaze.


    In front appeared a follower who looked afraid and uneasy.


    ¡°Sir, I have dire news.¡±


    ¡°Then out with it. And it better be good.¡±


    He gulped and bowed.


    ¡°We have lost contact with Sacramento. And his SUV was found on its side and destroyed.¡±


    Ravana sucked his teeth and put one hand up, making the robed man sweat more.


    ¡°You said what? Now?¡±


    ¡°Sa-Sacramento¡­ we lost all contact with him and believe that Leon was the one behind it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡±


    He slowly nodded and kept his bow. Ravana¡¯s anger simmered and he started analyzing the situation. He rubbed his chin then snapped his fingers. He walked out of the entrance and looked over his shoulder, spotting the ginormous tree he¡¯s been trying to grow for the past decade.


    ¡°In reviving Abyzou, here where we¡¯ve relished; just her presence alone will feed my seed of life.¡±


    Ravana chuckled and furrowed his brows.


    ¡°But if she becomes mine, then the tree will become more than just a new seed for a new world¡ª¡±


    He spread his arms out and laughed hysterically.


    ¡°¡ªit¡¯ll be the new beginning of my evolution and air as my rightful place of becoming¡ªA GOD!¡±


    Ravana kept laughing and laughing until he felt Shaman¡¯s presence behind him.


    ¡°What do you want, weakling?¡±


    Shaman shrugged.


    ¡°Thought I¡¯d stick around and watch your failure happen before my guilted eyes.¡±


    Ravana shook his head with pride and expressed a smug grin.


    ¡°Ha! Poor Shaman, still doesn¡¯t believe that I¡¯ll achieve ultimate greatness!¡±


    Shaman also gazed at the tree.


    ¡°So your ultimate plans to use Abyzou how she used Leon?¡±


    ¡°No! I want her to be mine! So we can rule the new world she envisions together! I want to be her king!¡±


    Shaman felt the same sensation that had Ravana on edge earlier, which made him turn his head.


    ¡°You feel that? It¡¯s Leon.¡±


    Ravana crossed his arms.


    ¡°How could you be so sure?! It could be anyone!¡±


    Shaman grinned, but it was both sad yet forced.


    ¡°When you¡¯ve pissed Leon off once and experienced his mana up close instead of a mere spectator like you have¡­ then you¡¯d know.¡±


    Ravana growled and vanished.


    Shaman remained, watching the grey sky beginning to go erratic from the powerful force coming to them.


    ¡°See you soon, my old friend.¡±


    As the greyness erratically swirled, zoomed over the area, Shaman quickly disappeared before everything went back to normal. Just arriving a mile away from the tree, Leon and Jack were adjusting their clothes and Jack was checking if he was still alive, patting himself. Leon closed his eyes, and concentrated to see if they had arrived at the source of mana he detected. Jack held his rifle tightly, and once he aimed straight, he witnessed the humongous tree a mile away.


    ¡°Holy¡ªshit, what is that?¡± he said.


    Leon still had his eyes closed.


    ¡°Whatever you¡¯re seeing, it¡¯s got a lot of mana flowing into it.¡±


    Jack lowered his rifle to bask in the gargantuan size of the tree.


    ¡°That damn tree¡¯s gotta be as big as a mountain, what the hell?!¡±


    Leon sensed more than just dozens of mana flow into the object, something much more powerful was being absorbed into it. He opened his eyes and saw the tree of life standing before his eyes.


    ¡°What the hell is Ravana planning with this thing?¡±


    Then, a sudden burst of mana went into the tree, and he knew exactly who¡¯s mana it was.


    ¡°Sarah!¡± he shouted.


    Jack readied his rifle.


    ¡°Wait, you found her?!¡±


    Leon began to growl. He could sense the tree beginning to suck more of Sarah¡¯s mana, even going as far as trying to suck her life essence.


    ¡°That damn tree¡¯s being nourished by my daughter''s life!¡±


    Leon raised his hand and it began to ignite in mana.


    ¡°To hell with surprise, I¡¯m cutting a hole in the earth.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you, my old friend.¡±


    The two stopped and began to erratically look around themselves from the voice that spoke. Leon stopped and stared at the tree.


    ¡°Ravana, you sick bastard. What are you doing to my daughter?!¡±


    Ravana chuckled beneath his breath.


    ¡°Keep playing on this facade of this daughter of yours you keep projecting, D-e-s-t-r-o-y-e-r! Because I¡¯m getting sick and tired of everybody telling me that I¡¯m wrong!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, looks like your fragile ego is still eminent. But, it¡¯s good to know that you haven¡¯t changed one bit.¡±


    Jack was still looking around.


    ¡°Where¡¯s this guy speaking from?! His voice is everywhere!¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Leon Leon, oh, you know me so well! And since you know me so very well, then you¡¯ll know I¡¯m about to give you a nice big welcoming party.¡±


    ¡°Quit stalling and tell me where she¡¯s at! Or else I¡¯ll not only blow up the tree, but wipe everyone that¡¯s beneath this land.¡±


    Ravana laughed and his laughter faded out in the distance.


    ¡°This guys just fucking with us! Just blow up the damn thing, Leon!¡± Jack shouted.


    Leon took aim, but felt weakened for a second.


    ¡°Da-damn, my mana¡¯s still recovering.¡±


    ¡°Damn, then what do we do?¡±


    Leon already had a plan in mind. He lowered his hand, took a step forward and raised another. He shot his foot into the ground, and split the earth towards the tree. Dust, rubble all collapsed, creating a cloud of dirt and smoke to shoot up into the air, blinding their visions temporarily. Once the dust had settled, Jack coughed and wiped the air in front of him. He saw shadowy figures rising from the crater Leon had just created.


    ¡°Holy¡­ shit.¡± he muttered.


    A swarm of robed people came out and engulfed the sky. They floated around the tree and their glowing eyes glared at the two. Jack was able to finally understand the magnitude of their situation and it made him collapse to his knees, dropping his rifle.


    ¡°There''s¡­ there¡¯s thousands of them, ho¡­w are we supposed to beat this?¡±


    Leon smacked his gums and spat.


    ¡°I told you that this was my problem.¡±


    He took a glance at the disbelieved young man as he sweated his fear out profusely. Repeatedly gasping and with his eyes wide, Leon was quick to get down and rub the young man''s back.


    ¡°Jack, when I attack, you run and find an entry point. I''m going to take care of all of them.¡±


    Jack gripped the leftover grass beneath his sweaty palms.


    ¡°Leon, I-I¡­¡±


    ¡°Jack, this is my fight. You go find Sarah and get her back to me, but if you happen to bump into anyone¡ª¡±


    Jack felt his back hot and then felt Leon¡¯s protection coursing through his veins.


    ¡°I will once again, bless you with my mana, protection, and if needed, you¡¯ll awaken that rancid darkness lurking within your damned soul.¡±


    Jack grit his teeth, and grabbed his rifle. He got back on his feet, and turned to Leon.


    ¡°This is definitely the worst situation I''ve been in thus far.¡±


    He put his hand out to Leon.


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad I have you by my side.¡±


    Leon grabbed Jack¡¯s hand and shook it.


    ¡°Likewise. And don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m Sarah¡¯s father, and Leon Bolverkr the destroyer.¡±


    Jack weakly nodded and took a huge deep breath. Mild winds sent chills across Jack¡¯s body, fluttering the two men¡¯ hair and the thousands of cloaks sagging in the sky: Leon clenched a fist and shut his eyes for a moment. The cloaked sea all clenched, cracked their bones, stretched their limbs as they waited for their attacker to make the first move.


    Leon¡¯s body began to emit a disturbing heat that forced Jack to run away.


    ¡°All of you, all lost and without a future; only to be tossed vessels to feed a weak man''s ambition, somehow¡ª¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Leon¡¯s eyelids slowly opened and his eyes were glowing iron purple.


    ¡°¡ªit feels so familiar it¡¯s boiling my blood.¡±


    Leon glared back at the cloud of lost souls and his fingers began to crack.


    ¡°I know you all can feel it, my animosity, my¡­ hatred towards your supposed God¡ªAby¡­zou.¡±


    Leon blinked at them and once they were open to see his targets, a small speckle hit the first man in sight. It brushed against his body and a massive explosion threw the thousands of cultists into a panic and frenzy. They dispersed and began their assault at Leon. Leon launched himself into the air and flew straight into the sea of cloaks and screaming banshees.


    Jack heard the sonic boom Leon created, which forced him to cover his ears for a moment and couldn¡¯t help but stop for a moment. He wanted to see Leon in action and saw another explosion go off. Sparks flew everywhere, a barrage of mana and plasma was shot at him as he punched, kicked, swerved, dodged every single thing in his line of sights.


    ¡°Leon!¡± Jack shouted.


    Explosions, bodies flying everywhere, crashing back to the earth, limbs being flung and it began to rain crimson. Clouds of red engulfed wherever Leon attacked and Jack couldn¡¯t help but be mesmerised.


    ¡°I swear, once I find Sarah, we¡¯re fighting alongside you!¡±


    Jack ran and ran until he was almost turned to dust by a ball of mana that made an impact near him, which sent him flying towards an odd opening in a hill.


    He groaned as he got up, all bruised up and aching in pain.


    ¡°This, this outta be the entrance.¡± he said.


    As explosions, sonic booms went off behind him, he carefully made his way into the opening and could see light down the end of the tunnel he found himself in. With his rifle aimed straight forward, chips of dirt falling off from the ceiling from Leon¡¯s combat, Jack began to panic a bit. His iron sights were shaking and he did his best to control his breathing. Letting his fear out his mouth, taking a deep breath after another, he was able to walk normally again. His sights steady, Jack was nearing the source of the light and another entrance way.


    ¡°Where could you be, Sarah?¡±


    Jack¡¯s just at the entrance and found two ways to go deeper into the dirt tunnels. One path, he saw more light, the other, it was dim but saw light fluttering. His instincts said to go towards the brightest source of light, but his mind said to go towards the unknown light, given it might lead to a clue to Sarah¡¯s whereabouts.


    ¡°Knowing this stupid supernatural logic, the barely lit room will lead me to something better than the obvious source of light¡­ I hope.¡±


    He carefully walked into the barely lit tunnel and was cautious of his surroundings. He could still feel Leon fight for his life as the ground kept shaking, rumbling from the attacks going on above. Then, Jack heard dozens of footsteps coming from behind. He quickly turned with his gun aimed and finger on the trigger, barely squeezing it. He saw a couple, then more and more of the cloaked people coming out of the tunnel where the light source was coming from, which gave him a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Fucking hell, thank goodness I took this path.¡±


    Feeling more confident of his decision, Jack continued forward and walked faster.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sarah, I¡¯ll find you even if it kills me again.¡±


    Gaining more speed by the second, Jack stumbled into another set of two paths.


    ¡°Ugh! I don¡¯t have time for this!¡±


    He rushed to the left and bumped into one of the cloak people. He gasped and the two struggled for his rifle and fell to the ground. They tumbled, rolled ontop of each other as they struggled for the gun. Jack grunted, kicked the cloaked person in the groin, giving him an advantage in their struggle. He grunted in agony while holding his private area. Jack shot back to his feet and pulled the trigger, killing the person with a single shot.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡±


    Jack ran past the body and he took a quick look over his shoulder, seeing more coming after him.


    ¡°You never learn, do you Jack?!¡±


    He took aim and fired relentlessly, which forced them to hide until one bravely ran forward, creating a force field blocking the Remainer of his bullets. Jack emptied his rifle and loudly groaned in frustration, running from the enemies.


    ¡°I gotta shake these guys off or else I¡¯m fried!¡±


    Meanwhile, Ravana was watching the slaughter ensue right before his eyes on the mirror he had plastered on the wall. Seeing hundreds killed by the seconds made his nerves twist and turn. His lips puckered as he continued seeing Leon¡¯s onslaught. Although, he wasn¡¯t losing hope on his plan, and remembering the details made him smile again.


    ¡°Won¡¯t be long until you¡¯ll be affected by the same source of power that took you out the first time, my old friend.¡±


    Ravana gripped his chin and nodded.


    ¡°Hmph, but it is very shocking to say the least he¡¯s grown this strong since our last interaction. I mean, when we last saw each other a little over a month ago, you shocked me on how strong you¡¯ve gotten.¡±


    He knit his brows and clenched his teeth.


    ¡°Yet seeing you in action and casually disposing of these pathetic fools really has me on edge. Tch, damn you Leon.¡±


    As Ravana¡¯s annoyance showed once again, Chelsea and Eligor had just entered the chamber where Sarah¡¯s being kept. There were vines wrapped around the cells, and roots stabbing into her room. Visibly, the two could see the roots suck her mana and life essence. Seeing her vulnerable and out cold made Chelsea regret taking part in Ravana¡¯s ploy. Eligor felt ashamed but shook it off and approached Ravana.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan? Leon¡¯s making a ruckus up there.¡±


    Ravana crossed his arms and tapped his arm.


    ¡°I know he¡¯s making a ruckus. I want you two to go handle the psycho kid that¡¯s running through our tunnels.¡±


    He looked over his shoulder and squinted his eyes at them.


    ¡°And I mean handle it, end him! Take him out for good, Chel-sea!¡±


    Chelsea quickly bowed, her breathing panicked once she felt Ravana¡¯s mana swallowing her soul. It made her vomit mana and her eyes water. Eligor quickly held her and glared at Ravana.


    ¡°Of course, Ravana¡­ we wills handles it.¡± she weakly said.


    Ravana smacked his teeth and went back to watching the continuing genocide.


    ¡°Good, because if you fail this time I¡¯ll make sure you two regret ever pissing me off!¡±


    Eligor was upset and didn¡¯t say anything. Chelsea clung onto her man and the two dusted away.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, Leon, keep it up, keep it¡ªup.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s envy towards Leon showed more when he saw him eviscerate a thousand of his men with a single blast. But, he knew one thing about Leon that no one knew, and it¡¯s the fact Leon despised using mana attacks. Seeing that happen made him express a vile grin and laugh hysterically.


    ¡°He¡¯s backed in a corner! Which means¡ª!¡±


    He glanced at the corner of the room and saw the crystals that took him down and weakened him flutter.


    ¡°¡ªYes! It¡¯s time. He¡¯s got no choice but to use mana attacks since his energy¡¯s slowly dwindling as I speak, haha!¡±


    Meanwhile, outside amongst the chaos and aftermath of slaughtering the one thousand people, Leon¡¯s heart began racing dramatically. He clutched his chest and his breathing intensified.


    ¡°Damn it¡­ to all hell¡­¡±


    He squinted an eye and realised the situation he¡¯s starting to get in.


    ¡°Ravana, that bastard.¡±


    Suddenly, the sea of cloaked people flew to him and thousands upon thousands of mana blasts went his way. He put his forearms up and all the blasts combined into one giant ball of blue mana. He braced himself and the mana ball made impact, and he was pummeled to the earth. It exploded and a giant gamma burst erupted out of the atmosphere. The wonderful light show was an amazing display of destruction and beauty to Ravana¡¯s eyes as he saw the light drill Leon deeper into the earth.


    ¡°Bwahaha! It¡¯s working! He¡¯s getting weaker and weaker!¡± Ravana shouted.


    Ravana hopped with joy as he saw the swarm fly into the crater. After a couple hundred more flew into the abyss, an even bigger blast exploded out of the crater, shooting into the sky, erupting mana into the atmosphere and breaking the magnetic field of earth for a moment. Ravana felt his life almost escape and his skin boil when the magnetic field was disrupted. Thankfully, Leon repaired it and flew out and his aura was out, turning the area into an entrance way of a volcano.


    ¡°You think¡­ I¡¯ll fall for the same trick, again?! Ravana!¡±


    He powered up and shook the earth even though he was floating in air.


    ¡°I will not let your foolish tricks weaken me! You won¡¯t get the best of me¡ªEVER AGAIN!¡±


    Leon¡¯s roar shattered the earth below, creating multiple cracks and rising the ground to form hills. He powered up more. Lightning struck everywhere, and with each strike created more holes in the earth.


    Ravana watched on, still grinning and enjoying the time of his life.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how much more you power up buddy! The crystals are already draining your life force! You might as well get on your knees and beg, Bolverkr!¡±


    He laughed more hysterically and even fell to the floor as Leon continued his onslaught.


    ¡°Oh, what a hell of a party! And I¡¯m the perfect host. Oh what a time to be alive!¡±


    ***


    Deep in the underground Caverns, gazing upon a giant opening, purple crystals flickering in and out of light; Jack has found himself in an odd predicament. After managing to escape the group of cultists that were after him, he had a chance to take a breather. Despite wanting to take a longer break, being the curious young man that he is, he wanted to inspect the crystals and wanted to find out why so many are growing in the giant space. He touched one and it reacted by zapping his finger. He rubbed his zapped finger and groaned. Feeling lucky, he grabbed one and immediately, it shattered the barrier that Leon made for him.


    ¡°Oh shit!¡±


    He let go and the barrier¡¯s shattered remains flung back to reform around Jack. He was curious why Leon¡¯s barrier shooed away like that, which had him thinking of what the cult plans of doing with these odd gems.


    ¡°These weird sickos got to be thinking of a way to beat Leon, and these crystals have got to be the key to them.¡±


    Jack cocked his rifle and aimed it at one.


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    He shot one, but his bullet ricochet off and echoed throughout the lit cavern.


    ¡°Damn, it was worth a shot.¡±


    He tried coming up with another idea, but the ground above him shook and crystals that hung from the ceiling started falling. He quickly dodged out of the way and the ground shook more. He couldn¡¯t keep his balance and fell. Jack grunted as he tried his best to stay on two legs. The shaking stopped for a moment, then, in a quick turn, the ceiling collapsed and Jack ran to avoid the crashing dirt and rocks. He fell on his front side, and quickly turned, spotting a familiar holy cloak that gave him the fight of his life a month ago.


    His eyes quivered and he quickly grabbed his rifle and took aim.


    ¡°No, not now.¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Boy, it¡¯s time we settle this.¡±


    Pulling off his hood, Eligor revealed himself and Chelsea landed behind him with her Warhammer.


    ¡°Don¡¯ts take this personally, sweety.¡± she said.


    Jack¡¯s repeatedly gasping and can¡¯t think of any other way to fight them in his current state.


    ¡°Fuck it¡­¡± he said.


    He began firing and the two split. Eligor charged at the young man''s oncoming fire while Chelsea hopped from stump to stump. Jack¡¯s breathing grew intense as he reloaded and came to a conclusion.


    ¡°I guess, we¡¯ll see if you¡¯ll help me out again¡­¡±


    Jack put his rifle behind him, and clenched his fists.


    ¡°... Mallory.¡±


    Eligor threw a jab and Jack¡¯s lights were punched out. But his footing remained seated to the earth as he was pushed away from the powerful jab.


    He spat out a pool of blood and wiped his mouth.


    ¡°That hurt¡­ bi-big time¡­¡± he muttered.


    Panting, spitting repeatedly, the young man knew that Leon¡¯s barrier was the reason for his survival.


    Despite Leon¡¯s barrier, he still managed to penetrate it like last time.


    He took a glance at a crystal.


    It has to be those stupid purple things. Jack thought.


    Chelsea came from the side, and gave him a side kick, which sent him flying, crashing through the earth.


    Jack crashed through dense, thick dirt until he exploded into a room and rag dolled to his front side. He could barely open his eyes, but managed to get a clear vision of where he was.


    ¡°Is this¡­ their worshipping area?¡± he murmured.


    He carefully raised his head and saw the huge open area that was bigger than a football stadium.


    ¡°Fu¡­ck¡­¡±


    Eligor came charging into the area where Jack¡¯s broken body crashed through. He spotted the young man, barely living.


    ¡°Come on, boy. Show me that darkness that managed to chip away at my muscles.¡±


    He leaped into the air and put his foot forward. Holding back, his huge boot made impact to the young man''s back, which made Jack scream in agony and arch his body.


    ¡°Wake up! Show me your will to fight besides this pathetic display!¡±


    He kicked Jack away and Chelsea teleported in, striking Jack with an uppercut that shot him back to the surface.


    His body crashed out of the ground and it caught the attention of Leon who¡¯s still holding his own. He saw the young man''s body landed badly on the ground and his pupils were gone.


    ¡°Damn, I thought he¡¯d awaken that power of hers like last time I felt.¡± Leon said.


    A couple of cloaked cultists charged at Leon, which he fought off, killed and dismembered their limbs.


    ¡°Guess he just needs a¡ª¡±


    Leon aimed his palm at the young man''s body that was a mile away.


    ¡°¡ª another boost!¡±


    He shot a ball of purple mana and it struck Jack. His body absorbed the mana and nothing happened. Leon went back to fighting the army out for his blood and Jack remained unconscious.


    ¡°Damn it, Jack, wake up!¡±


    Leon felt more of his energy draining and grew more irritated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta stall enough. He might be fighting himself against his blackened mind.¡±


    Leon¡¯s eyes grew brighter and he shot beams out of them. He sliced hundreds and hundreds of cultists in half or down the middle. Blood splatter to the ground, guts splashed the earth, it rained crimson.


    ¡°I¡­ despise using my mana this way.¡± he muttered.


    He let out a war cry and charged forward into the curtain of lost souls.


    Jack could hear Leon¡¯s shouts and fury. His fingers twitched yet he couldn¡¯t bring himself to wake up. All he could see was darkness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Leon. But I¡¯m just too weak to help you.¡±


    He could feel Leon¡¯s frustration send shockwaves to his motionless body.


    ¡°What could I do? What can I do?¡±


    The conflictions inside the young man made his mind rewind all his failures in life. Angela getting paralysed, his friends getting in danger, exposed to Dr. Cato and his men: Veronica¡¯s home being destroyed, Candy getting shot and on the brink of death, Anna almost becoming a victim of Mallory, but most of all, his biggest failure which played out again as if he were sent back the exact moment Sarah was taken from him. Her saddened face, and voice almost made him explode in depression all over again. He screamed in his mind until he saw his vision de-blackening. Instead, a misty thick fog overtook it, and all he could see was swirls of grey and purple.


    ¡°W¡­hat¡¯s going on?¡±


    The swirls grew more intense and the fog began to clear up.


    ¡°Either way, there¡¯s nothing that I can do to help.¡±


    ¡°Because, you¡¯re a failure and selfish person.¡±


    ¡°H¡­uh?¡±


    Someone, a soft young voice, a boy''s voice had interrupted Jack¡¯s self monologue. It made Jack confused and questioning who it is, insulting his being.


    ¡°Who are you¡­ to judge me.¡± Jack said.


    ¡°Me? Don¡¯t you mean, y-o-u?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me. I¡¯m just speaking to myself, reminding of how much of a worthless, pathetic, hypocrite, murderous, vile villain I am.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking to?! Who are you!¡±


    The fog in front of Jack cleared more and he could see someone approaching him.


    ¡°Even in the future, I¡¯m still a naive fool who thinks he can save everyone with the will power of stupidity.¡±


    His voice changed and it sounded exactly as his. It made Jack gasp and grow chills. He approached more and he stood tall, just like him and his hair, from the outline behind the fog was the same as his.


    ¡°Jack¡­ Samr, the embodiment of greed and betrayal.¡±


    ¡°Stop¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Don¡¯t like to hear yourself mention how much of a backstabbing disgraceful human you are?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Fools! Is what we¡¯ve become! We¡¯re nothing more than vessels of a lover''s broken heart destructive mindset: And rightfully so!¡±


    As the fog grew thinner, Jack could see a small glint shone from where his eyes would be, glaring at him.


    ¡°Because Jack, we¡¯ve done nothing but hurt those closest to us and more notably¡ªthe girl that we¡­ truly¡ªlove.¡±


    Jack panted and wanted to shoot the imposter dead but couldn¡¯t. He felt limbless and unmotivated to do anything else.


    ¡°Who? Wh-who would that be?¡±


    The now turned man bent forward, his face slowly pushing away at the grey fog, and revealed half of his blackened charred face that made Jack loudly gasp.


    ¡°Mallory¡­¡±


    Leon sliced someone in half with the tip of his fingers and felt the darkness inside Jack starting to leak out of his pores.


    ¡°Oh? Is this¡ª?¡±


    Eligor was standing a good mile from where the young man''s body was buried somewhat in the earth. Chelsea¡¯s floating mid air, but seemingly worried about if her hubby had actually finished the job. Although, she can¡¯t help but feel bad for the young man.


    ¡°Dids you get him?¡± she asked.


    Eligor squinted his eyes and saw black sparks starting to electrify around the crater he¡¯s buried.


    ¡°Nope, we¡¯re just getting started,¡± he said.


    His tone sounded ecstatic and he was itching for a rematch. The headlock that Jack gave him still bothered him despite the power gap.


    ¡°Let''s see if you can handle me now, boy.¡±


    Jack¡¯s body began twitching, his fingers cracked, twisted, and his teeth began to clench so severely, some of his teeth chipped off. His eyes turned blank and he slowly gapped his mouth. Steam came out, and the young man let out a roar that put a stop to everything. A black explosion went off, flashing the area in white and black. His roar continued as the light blinded everyone. Once it faded out, Eligor heard rumbling and it was rapidly approaching, faster and faster, then¡­


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    Eligor¡¯s face was met with a stupendous punch that launched him away.


    His body skidded away and sent miles of dirt and debris into the air. Chelsea loudly gasped as she saw the culprit behind punching her man away with a devastating punch. Jack¡¯s arms hung limb, his mouth steaming, gapped, the young man¡¯s eyes glinted a red hatred that no one could imagine as he growled like a rabid rottweiler. His pores let steam out, the black veins coursing through his chalked skin illuminated as he stood, hungry for his prey to get up.


    Eligor got up, and rubbed his cheek.


    ¡°Nice shot, kid.¡±


    He ripped his cloak off and was shirtless. He pumped himself, and his mana muscles appeared as he got into a boxing fighting pose.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been yearning to show you how a real fighter puts up a grappler such as yourself!¡±


    Chelsea flew next to him.


    ¡°Honey, we needs to works together.¡±


    ¡°Babe, I can take him on myself, don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    She glanced at the steaming hot young man: the heat illuminating off his body began melting the ground and made the area feel humid.


    ¡°He''s definitely lost it.¡±


    She flew up and stood on one of the giant branches of the mighty tree.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keeps an eye up here!¡±


    Eligor powered up and his mana muscles swelled more.


    Jack roared in response and his blackened aura cratered the earth around him.


    ¡°Boy! You¡¯re about to get your ass kicked like it¡¯s never been!¡±


    Jack roared more and began charging.


    The other cultists watched and Leon used the opportunity of their distraction to teleport to the nearest entrance. Before entering the underground, he saw their collision that sent shockwaves across the country and sent electrical currents into the sky. Jack¡¯s terrifying roars filled with sorrow and hatred echoed as Leon watched on from the sideline.


    ¡°You said you wanted a punishment, well¡­¡±


    Leon nodded and turned away.


    ¡°... that¡¯s your punishment from me, Jack Samr: distract them while I go look for Sarah.¡±


    The earth shook, the sound barrier kept being broken as the two fought and fought.


    ¡°It won¡¯t take me long, just distract them long enough for me, Jack.¡±


    Leon ran into the entrance and suppressed his mana. The earth around the tunnels shook and began collapsing.


    I can feel her, she''s close, but deeply buried where the tree stands.


    Leon shoulder tackled through a blockade and found himself in their worship area. He saw the paintings of the platinum haired demon who took eighteen years of his life away. Seeing the form that Samantha took on again almost made him burst into an angered frenzy. The crimson eyes, the white hair, her glowing pale skin: The personification of false fallacy and to anyone''s eyes, she would almost be angelic. Yet, what he was staring at was the personification of envy and wickedness. His eyes quivered and he took a breath and a moment to reflect. He got the moment to calm his nerves and open his eyes, glaring at the giant painting of Abyzou. He pointed two fingers at it, and shot a small burst of mana to ignite and it bursted into flames. It burned and he felt more at ease.


    ¡°Soon, soon your judgment will come, Samantha Abyzou.¡±


    Leon ran off and was back on track to Sarah¡¯s location.


    Don¡¯t worry Sarah, I¡¯m coming for you. And on my dead parents, I will never have you turn into the same being Samantha once turned to.

 Nearing the end of Envy and whats to come, possible changes and not promising anything. Update—

    So, chapters have significantly slowed down as you folks have noticed. As I stated last update, I was promoted to a manager at my current job and I''m still trying to adjust to my new schedule. But, I can''t lie to you all and say that I''m also being lazy in my part. I feel a lack of motivation on my writing, unable to get up and get on typing, instead would rather lay on the couch and stare at his ceiling for hours. A lot goes on behind the scenes, but I do my best to at least to touch this laptop that I use to write my story. Although, I can''t help but purposely distract myself away from the laptop. It was never like this before April, that was until my best friend was shot and killed and other instances around that same time frame led to this useless version of me I look in the mirror as I type. I''m not proud of how slow these chapters are coming out, and I''m especially not proud of my writing as of lately. Thankfully, what you guys are reading is not the final version of these Arc''s; Seeing that I want them released as proper light novels with illustrations in them. But, that''s something I''m still not financially ready to do as of now, but I''m crossing fingers I can re-release book 1 again as a light novel and correct more of that early story. I just want to get better at my craft but I need to figure out what''s making me feel this lazy and unmotivated so I can continue forward and release more stories. That''s all I have to vent about: I like being honest and especially to people who are a fan of my work, sincerely, I thank you the most. That''s all for my bitching, now then, on to what''s going to happen with Always Together and the real purpose of this franchise.


    Always Together Arc 4 Part 1 is drawing to a close and with at least 5 chapters left before the multi chapter battle, it will bring an end to all the Shonen shenanigan''s. You see, with Always Together, with every Arc, I like to test different genres for future stories like D-JABBIC and more in mind I''m still not ready to announce. For example: Arc 1 heavily focused on thriller, horror, mystery, and drama. Arc 2 focused on suspense but retained the aspects of thriller yet added action into the mix. Arc 3 brought out more of the Shonen elements I tested and teased with earlier Arc''s and still kept the mystery part of the base element of Always Together''s story. Arc 4''s departures are all divided in categories of different genres and will testify what''s to come in the future. As for the Shonen, it''ll remain but it will not be as heavy as it is now. Part 2 will bring back the horror, thriller and suspense elements of what made Arc 1 unique. And I do promise that JUDGMENT! part 2 will be my best work. Part 3 will still retain the thriller element but add tragedy and more drama. Part 4 will be short but it''ll be pure action and suspense to conclude this long Arc. Afterwards, Arc 5 will introduce more slice of life but add more of the magic elements as well as drama elements of Arc 2. I won''t say about future Arc''s since I still have to draft those, but this franchise will at most have 8 Arc''s.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    That''s all I got to say for now. If you guys have any questions about Always Together, just comment down below. We got a long way to go and another year for this Arc to conclude. Don''t worry, Part 1 was the longest of the parts so the ones coming afterwards won''t be so long. Thanks again, and as always, thank you everyone for your patience and comments. At least seeing people still read my work and eager to see what''s next is what''s driving me somewhat. Oh, and I so badly want to show you guys the mountain of illustrations of I have for the franchise, but this website doesn''t make it easy to post and I think at this point, it''ll ruin what people vision some of these characters in their minds. New franchise Art will be added Halloween!! keep a lookout on the changing front page! Bye, see ya next week for the next chapter.

 Arc 4 Chapter 41: A Fathers Defiance

    Taking a big stomp forward, extending his fingers and snarling at the enemy, Jack Samr prepares to do battle with eligor as the once Exorcist warms up his mana filled muscles. Eligor cracked his neck and marched forward, menacingly lumbering towards Jack¡¯s rabid nature. The two paused and Jack was the first to make a move and launch forward with a straight punch. Eligor ducked and socked Jack¡¯s face, which made the young man¡¯s neck turn violently. However, the young man¡¯s animalistic nature made him react in time to grab his arm and twist it, forcing Eligor to crash to the ground.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡±


    Eligor reached around, and flung himself along with Jack to the air, hammer fisting him back to the ground.


    The young man crashed and his roaring ensued.


    ¡°Want some more?!¡± Eligor shouted.


    Jack¡¯s roar blew away the dust cloud and exposed himself to Eligor again. Eligor chuckled and flew straight towards the young man. He speared him into the ground and threw a barrage of melee attacks to his face. After a devastating barrage of face attacks, he flew off and waited to see if he¡¯d react. Unfortunately, the young man appeared to be done and lay in a bed of roots, dirt, and blood.


    ¡°Come on boy! That can¡¯t be all?¡±


    Jack¡¯s open mouth let out the last of his steam and it died out and he remained motionless.


    ¡°Well, I guess that takes care of him.¡±


    Chelsea shook her head.


    ¡°Wells, I guess so¡¯s.¡±


    While the two were sure that was the end of Jack Samr, the young man was able to hear their voices again and get a sense of where he¡¯s at.


    Damn¡­ the pain, it¡¯s just, just like¡ª


    The young man¡¯s fingers twitched and his eyes were starting to show some life again. One small pupil, blackened, appeared and it moved around.


    Wait, am I, am I?


    He could see his enemies staring at his defeat. Seeing them be sure that he was defeated stirred his anger and guilt that he¡¯s had for years. The fuel to his rage, the sense of his failures all collided once again and he was starting to levitate off the ground and white sparks began to flicker around him. Eligor could see the advancement of the young man''s evolution of whatever power dwelled within him. It made him shake with excitement and Chelsea could sense his thirst for battle to get the best of him.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, boy.¡±


    Jack raised to his feet, and glared at the two and let out a mighty roar. The darkness in him combined with Leon¡¯s share of power and Samantha¡¯s protection all intertwined to create an aura of his will to save the one person who¡¯s been with him through the journey of hardship.


    SARAH!


    Jack exploded in anger and his roar was heard around the globe. The aura created was a combination of fire and darkness that turned the world into a world ending scenario. The skies turned to blood red and the world began to darken. Eligor also shouted and he shot a blast of mana that hurtled towards Jack. The young man leaped into the air and continued roaring, crashing into, and drilling through the attack. Eligor saw him explode out of the blast and it left him breathless.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, boy.¡± he mumbled.


    Jack grappled Eligor and the two were flown away. He spun him without letting go and the two crashed back to the earth. Eligor groaned and Jack moaned. The two both stood up and had one last stare down.


    Jack brought his hands up and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    I have control again¡­


    He couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    What¡­ am I?


    Eligor cracked his knuckles and stretched his arms.


    Well, whatever I am and whatever this power Mallory lent me is¡ª


    The young man could feel the steam inside his body surge and itched his skin, urging him to release the build up.


    ¡ªit¡¯s the closest thing for me to fighting against these freaks.


    Jack took his original fighting pose and squinted his eyes and began to open his mouth.


    I may be weaker than everyone else here, but if I can distract them long enough, I¡¯m sure Leon can find Sarah just in time before my time runs out.


    ¡°Hey! You ready yet?! Or was that cool display just a meaningless light show?¡±


    Can I really beat this guy? Damn it all, I just don¡¯t know anymore.


    Seeing how eager Eligor¡¯s itching to get to fighting, Jack began to think of a plan to get him to act off-set.


    This guys a meat head and with me being conscious, I can stall him long enough to throw his guard off.


    Jack¡¯s mouth was half open and steam scorched out. Eligor saw the heatwave coming to him from the white smoke.


    ¡°Enough stalling, let''s get to fighting.¡±


    Eligor charged forward and his calf muscles shattered. The same method he used against Jack when he wanted to gain speed, but only this time it was just as fast. The young man also charged and roared. The two collided palms and a gigantic shockwave shot out from their collision. Chelsea¡¯s hair violently fluttered as well as all the other thousands and thousands of cloaked spectators.


    The two growled at each other and Eligor saw the faint pupil on Jack¡¯s right eye, which made him grin.


    ¡°I-I see you¡¯re in some sort of co-control, boy!¡±


    Jack growled, snarled, and grunted, pushing with all his might to show the mighty looking Exorcist that he¡¯s not as weak as last time. Eligor raised the young man off his feet with his strength and let go of one hand. He shot an uppercut to Jack, which landed, but Jack¡¯s chin didn¡¯t budge as much as he hoped. With blood leaking from Jack¡¯s ground teeth, he let out a war cry and headbutted Eligor and the collision sent another shockwave that made everyone cover their faces. Some hissed others gasped and the two men were dizzy and in severe pain.


    Eligor rubbed his forehead and it was bruised.


    ¡°You¡­ you maniac!¡±


    Jack didn¡¯t hesitate and threw a side punch to Eligor¡¯s face, which made contact. The young man then shot mutliple body shots and Eligor¡¯s face reacted with stillness and shock. Jack used the same grapple technique he used against Mathew again to Eligor and the two crashed to the ground. Jack grunted, growled, meanwhile Eligor remained silent and it was starting to throw the young man off.


    What¡¯s he up to? Or has he given up? Jack thought.


    Eligor grinned again and slipped his way out of the young man''s grip and reversed a grapple onto him. He used his strength to bring him up and off his feet and slam him against his back. Eligor shot a straight jab that exploded onto the ground. Debris flew and a dust cloud shot up from where they were. Once the cloud had settled off, Jack¡¯s head was sideways and he managed to dodge the punch.


    Eligor couldn¡¯t retain his joy and chuckle.


    ¡°You really are something. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s you that¡¯s learning or the help of everyone else that I sense inside you.¡±


    Jack thought about it and concluded it had to be. He knew his fighting skills were decent enough to fend off normal people, but supernatural beings? Jack knew if he¡¯s able to adapt to this state of being, it had to be the help of Leon¡¯s and Samantha¡¯s influence. Eligor grew distance between them and allowed the young man to get back on his feet. Jack twitched and growled. He didn¡¯t know what to do next other than keep the fight on. Eligor shut his eyes and reeled his arms towards himself. They exploded out and his aura had come out, which sent the young man flying away and forced him to catch a big root that was out of the ground. Chelsea clapped and cheered for Eligor as he finished his quick power up.


    He redundantly opened his fists and let out a moan.


    ¡°It''s been awhile since I¡¯ve been this amped up.¡±


    Chelsea hovered her hands over her mouth.


    ¡°Babes! You¡¯re a lot stronger than I imagined, wows!¡±


    Eligor¡¯s aura felt the same as when Mallory sounded frantic and afraid when Jack met Archard and William for the first time.


    He has to be an Exorcist. Yet, the question is, why is he affiliated with these freaks? Jack thought.


    As Eligor got into a new fighting pose, one meant for someone who¡¯s fought in MMA, it made him grow more nervous.


    This world¡¯s just full of surprises, isn¡¯t it?


    The young man got into his fight pose, and he felt his conscious beginning to fade.


    I don¡¯t have much time left, I¡¯m phasing out. The next round will determine this battle. Whatever the outcome, Leon, I¡¯ll do my best to keep them distracted!


    ***


    Crashing through another dirt wall, finding himself in another room that reminded him of his ex-wife; Leon¡¯s in another worship chamber and he could feel his mana drain more and more with every passing minute. Panting, sweating profusely, his mana¡¯s starting to fight him, urging to be released or to fly away from the strange source drawing his life.


    ¡°Damn, where could she be?¡±


    He saw more drawings of Abyzou and one caught his eyes. It was a painting of her setting the world ablaze. Seeing it in such detail gave him chills and he wondered if that''s what happened when he was put to sleep during her destruction.


    ¡°Look at her smile, that thin vile smile that has permanently damaged my sanity.¡±


    Again, he ignited the painting and watched it burn.


    ¡°But things are going to be different. Once Sarah¡¯s back in my life, you¡¯ll be out of ours, so we can start anew.¡±


    Leon could feel his mana slipping away more and more. He loudly groaned and clutched his head.


    ¡°Go-gotta hurry!¡±


    He blasted where the painting was at and ran through the new pathway. Running as fast as he can without using any mana, Leon saw a door and tackled through it. It slammed open and he felt his life draining before his eyes. His vision fogged and his breathing grew hyper ventilated.


    ¡°Wh-where am ¡­I?¡±


    He frantically looked around and saw a destroyed cavern with the outside light shining on crystals. He had one eye half shut and limped towards one. He grew so weak he crashed to all fours and threw up black. He wiped his mouth and grabbed the crystal and felt his skin scorching. He growled and had no choice but to engage his aura to fight off the hungry crystals. He shouted and all the crystals couldn¡¯t contain his awesome energy, and they all shattered.


    Leon was breathing heavily with his arms out.


    ¡°Th-that low life, scum¡­bag!¡±


    Leon managed to keep one crystal alive and held it up to his face.


    ¡°He managed to get my DNA and Samantha¡¯s.¡±


    He clutched the crystal until it cracked and began leaking out his mana.


    He created a crystal that acts as if it were Samantha, and with a mind of hers, it sucks the life, energy of the strongest it desires to keep: Which would mean, he thought these crystals would answer to him but instead have answered to my life essence instead. Leon wondered.


    He crushed the crystal. It shattered into millions of glistening pieces that rained to the floor, giving birth to new life. Grass grew, flowers bloomed, and what caught Leon more by surprise was he saw a small rainbow shooting out the small patch of grass and flowers. It shot its way out of the cavern through the crater.


    ¡°You poor, pathetic fool. So obsessed with being the strongest, yet your obsession in becoming my ex-wifes lover has blinded you of your true ambition in taking over the world.¡±


    Leon could still feel his mana being drained but felt that some had returned after destroying the home where they¡¯re kept.


    ¡°What could be the cause of my energy being drained now? I th-thought I destroyed everything?¡±


    He staggered up some rubble and saw the light outside grow dimmer and the collision''s of Eligor and Jack¡¯s fighting shook the underground more and more.


    ¡°Seems like they¡¯re picking it up¡ª¡±


    He clenched a fist and coughed.


    ¡°¡ªJust a little longer, Jack, then I¡¯ll-I¡¯ll take care of them all.¡±


    Leon shook his head and flew off to another source of underground light.


    Flying straight in, he was stopped by a wall of Cultists.


    ¡°Hang on longer Jack and Sarah.¡±


    His aura came out but it was dimmed.


    ¡°I swear, I¡¯ll face the Sins of my past and pray that I become the man I deserved to be re-born!¡±


    He charged at the Cultist and a new slaughter had begun.


    ***


    Above the surface, Jack¡¯s grappled and dragged to a quarter mile. He stops Eligor¡¯s brutal tackle and places him in a headlock. The two brake and vigorously grunt and moan. The young man roars and thrusts backwards, giving him more momentum to tighten his clutch. Eligor screams as his shoulder muscles crack. He yanks Jack off his feet and body slams the young man, creating a giant tremor. Jack growls and the steam around his body grows hotter, which forces Eligor to grow more of his mana. Pissed off, Eligor pulls his head back and throws a disgusting headbutt that was heard around the country. The young man let go and Eligor¡¯s headbutt left a nasty scuff on his forehead.


    It bled and the young man rubbed it aggressively.


    ¡°You absolute maniac! Look what you forced me to do?!¡±


    Jack growled and snarled as he continued rubbing his bloody forehead.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t speak but you''re somewhat aware of what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    No! That actually hurt me too, you dick! Jack thought.


    Eligor shrugged his shoulders and flailed his arms. He was relaxing his muscles and getting his blood running again before making his next move.


    ¡°Alright, boy, you ready to wrap this little squabble of ours?¡±


    The artificially muscular man began pacing around Jack from a distance. The young man stopped rubbing his head and let out a soft grunt. A small stream of smoke emerged from the gap of his mouth as he growled beneath his breath, keeping his eyes locked onto the cultist who¡¯s menacingly pacing in silence.


    What¡¯s he planning? What else does he have in mind?¡±


    The young man got into his standard fighting pose and moved his head as his pacing grew slower and slower.


    Well, whatever he¡¯s planning to do next, I¡¯m going to show him that I¡¯m not just a mindless freak.


    Eligor paused and knit his brows at Jack.


    Whatever you are, and the fact your outfit tells me that you used to be affiliated with William¡¯s people, it goes to show that people do in fact change.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Eligor repeatedly clenched his fists and Jack raised his fists towards his face.


    Either way, I¡¯m going to show you just how useful I can be for Sarah. If this indicates potential in growing this power that Mallory herself awakens for me; when I do reunite with her, wherever she may be, I have to use her to understand the full extent of who and what I truly am.


    ¡°You ready, punk?!¡±


    Whatever the result comes to, I have to learn to use it more at my own will! So I can save everyone and help the people I¡¯ve grown to care about.


    Eligor rushed towards Jack like before, and the young man knew he was about to shatter some of his muscles to grow speed.


    I knew there was no scenario to save my parents! But that will change from here on out!


    The young man roared like he never had before. The earth trembled from his terrifying rabid roar, and it was enough to summon Ravana to the surface to watch.


    Sarah! I swear, you won¡¯t fight these battles alone because I will be the one to take on your burdens!


    Just as Jack predicted, Eligor¡¯s calf muscles shattered and he gained speed, but he also shattered his ab muscles and his speed grew substantially, nowhere as before.


    The young man panicked and quickly, his eyes felt ready to pop out of their sockets. Eligor speared Jack and the two flew miles on end until the young man''s back collided against the ginormous tree. He gagged black that stained Eligor¡¯s back. He shouted and dragged the young man''s body upwards against the bark, shattering wood. His back was cut as he finished his attack with a northern lights suplex. The earth split and Jack fell into a falling crater of debris and earth. He roared and shot himself upwards, grappling Eligor¡¯s back and the two were in the air.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡±


    Eligor reversed Jack and he slipped through his grapple to grab the young man''s ankle.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you strength!¡±


    Eligor and Jack fell back to the earth and once again, the young man crashed into it, creating tremors from his horrific crash. Smoke exploded into the air and a smoke screen had covered their bodies.


    Ravana appeared next to Chelsea, which spooked her.


    ¡°Look at this! The young boy¡¯s using that darkened power as his own. Interesting?¡±


    Chelsea¡¯s eyes quivered and she gave the two some distance.


    ¡°Ye-yeahs, it looks like he¡¯s giving my sweets some tro-troubles¡­¡±


    Ravana chuckled.


    ¡°Ha! You and I know that he¡¯s holding his true strength back!¡±


    Ravana squinted his eyes, enjoying the view as it was beginning to clear up.


    ¡°He¡¯s just having some fun. It¡¯s rare for any of us to test our powers in this world of realism.¡±


    He put his hands forward and clenched them.


    ¡°I also thirst for a battle, but I know it¡¯ll be against someone like our old friend Leon.¡±


    He laughed hysterically and put his arms down.


    ¡°Too bad that¡¯ll never happen since he¡¯s closing in on my long awaited trap!¡±


    Chelsea forced a chuckle as the last of the smoke withered away.


    Back on the battle ground, Eligor had Jack pinned against the ground. The young man was still, and the two were glaring at each other. With one pupil partially visible on Jack¡¯s right eye, Eligor could see that it was struggling to stay.


    ¡°Oh? Are you about to fade back into a blind state like before?¡±


    Wh-what does he mean by that? Jack thought.


    Eligor smirked and let out a brief chuckle.


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to lose it, boy. This means it¡¯s time to wrap this sparring match.¡±


    The muscular Exorcist pulled his arm back behind his head, and the young man¡¯s eyes mildly widened.


    ¡°Time to put you to sleep, permanently¡­¡±


    Eligor frowned.


    ¡°...unfortunately.¡± he murmured.


    He furrowed his brows and his fist built up in mana. He shot his aura drenched fist towards Jack¡¯s face and another explosion occurred. As rock, smoke, and debris filled the air once again, a smoke screen covered the area, once it settled and wiped away, Eligor grunted and knit his brows once he saw Jack¡¯s chalked face. His fist was buried into the earth and Jack¡¯s face was facing sideways.


    Eligor smacked his lips but couldn¡¯t retain his satisfaction.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re still with us? That¡¯s good.¡±


    Eligor pulled his fist and Jack quickly caught him off gaurd, grabbing his arm and putting him in an armbar. Eligor growled and raised the young man off his feet and slammed him on the earth. Yet, Jack didn¡¯t let go, instead he clutched harder. Eligor raised and slammed him. Again, the young man grew his clutch even more intensely. He was beginning to show his frustration and began to repeatedly slam Jack on the ground. With each slam grew more devastating and continued to dig into the dirt as Jack was the shovel. Over and over, the two grew continued to grow their moves.


    ¡°LET GO!¡±


    Eligor raised his hooked arm, and screamed, growing his power more. He flung the young man off his arm and sent him flying towards the tree once more. Jack slams against it and drops to fours. He brought his head up and saw Eligor rushing at him like a freight train. The young man quickly leaped away as the muscular man crashed into the tree.


    ¡°Hey! Watch where you¡¯re driving yourself into, Eligor!¡± Ravana shouted.


    Eligor had his palm against the bark of the tree and managed to not damage it to the point it would crack. It had a dent but it wasn¡¯t too noticeable from a bird''s view. He quickly turned his body round, and saw the young man slowly getting to his feet, letting the steam inside his body spew out his mouth.


    ¡°Heh, you putrid freak. Although, I can''t say that you caught me off guard. Whatever or whoever is helping you retain your consciousness in that hideous rabid state, it still won¡¯t help you in winning this battle.¡±


    Jack responded by growling.


    ¡°Hmph, your annoyance is quite substantial, time to finish this.¡±


    Eligor powered up again and vanished out of thin air.


    Wh-where did he¡ª?


    Jack felt his lower body heating up and froze.


    He, he¡¯s in front of me?


    Eligor had a ball of mana flickering against the young man''s abdomen. His face scrunched, his eyes glinted, Eligor spat to the side and chuckled.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t see that coming? Didn¡¯t you, boy.¡±


    The young man repeatedly gasped and Eligor pressed the ball of mana against his stomach, it exploded, which sent the young man flying miles away.


    I-I can¡¯t mo¡­ve anymore¡­


    Eligor appeared before Jack could make contact with a hill and caught the young man by the back of his head.


    ¡°Time to go back to the battlefield!¡± he shouted.


    He catapulted him back to where they first stood and teleported to ram his palm to the back of his head. Upon making contact, he immediately slammed the young man''s face first into the earth. A tremor occurred and the ground collapsed from the devastation of his head being treated like a stabbing pole. The young man didn¡¯t move and he lay face down on the collapsed earth and rubble. Eligor stood at the top of Jack¡¯s new grave and shook his head.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that. But, I appreciate the nice sentiment of finally testing some of my new powers bestowed upon me years ago.¡±


    Eligor flew down to stand near the young man''s still body and observed if he¡¯ll at least move a finger. Despite feeling that the stubborn young man could be more to his entertainment, Jack was done.


    ¡°Pity¡­¡±


    Eligor reached to grab the young man¡¯s neck, and raised him off the ground, strangling the life out of him.


    ¡°Not even a whisper. You are done.¡±


    He grew his clutch and more by the second until the young man suddenly exploded in anger. He roared and the air between them vaporized as he shot out his fist at Eligor. Directly landing, ramming his right fist against his chiseled jaw, which shattered and sent Eligor flying into the stratosphere. To everyone¡¯s amazement and surprise, it was a temporary black and white show that ended with a white comet shooting back into space.


    Ravana¡¯s jaw was dropped, but he couldn¡¯t help but congratulated the young man, applauding at the spectacle.


    ¡°What a furious last punch! And I knew it''d hurt!¡±


    ¡°Babes!¡± Chelsea shouted.


    Chelsea looked worried and began running to the battlefield. Yet Ravana stopped her dead in her tracks with just his glare. She struggled and moaned, trying to fight his powerful gaze but ultimately failed. She stopped and accepted her defeat and dropped to her knees.


    ¡°Relax, will ya? Your stupid lover¡¯s fine.¡±


    Chelsea clenched her fists and ground her teeth.


    ¡°I hates yous¡­¡± she murmured.


    Ravana¡¯s eyebrows bounced when he saw the clouds beginning to evaporate.


    ¡°Looks like someone''s pissed, hehe.¡±


    Jack¡¯s panting heavily and realised that he was fully conscious and himself. He brought his gaze to the sky and saw the clouds circling where Eligor was shot into. The eye of the storm, a hurricane''s core to Eligor¡¯s frustration, swirled in anger as the young man clenched his teeth in fear.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m-I¡¯m me again. And at the worst ta-timing possible.¡±


    Jack reached for his handgun and aimed it weakly at the center of the storm.


    ¡°Hmph, I guess that¡¯s the karma I get for being the piece of shit that I¡¯ve grown up to be.¡±


    Jack coughed out blood from the aftermath of the fight, and chuckled.


    ¡°Le-Leon, I-I tried, but it looks like you¡¯re on your own from here on out¡­¡±


    The storm grew more intense, category ten winds destroyed everything in the surrounding area. The young man could feel Leon and Samantha¡¯s protection, aiding him to withstand the storm brewing in front of his eyes. Accepting his defeat and potential demise, the young man controlled his wobbled aim and took a deep breath.


    ¡°...I guess shitty people do deserve what¡¯s coming to them. I accept my punishment and if I somehow survive this, Sarah¡ª¡±


    Jack began pressing the trigger and the storm paused.


    ¡°¡ªI wish to see your smile just as much as I want to see Mallory¡¯s, strangely.¡±


    The storm flickered, the vortex rotated inwards and took aim at the young man''s position.


    ¡°Bring it¡­¡± Jack weakly said.


    The storm paused, everything went dead silent. The calm wind sent ghostly howls throughout the area. Everyone grew chilly, capes billowed, Jack¡¯s hair lightly fluttered, Ravana¡¯s grin grew thinner while Chelsea let out a subtle breath of relief. In a flash, the storm exploded Eligor out of its core, Jack shot his gun, and a humongous explosion sent everyone twirling, tumbling, and flying away. A huge mushroom cloud erupted where they were, and Ravana spread his arms out in joy.


    Chelsea shook her head but grinned as the grey and black cloud began to settle.


    ¡°Babes is okay, but the same can¡¯t be said for the poors boy.¡±


    Ravana chuckled and his thin smile grew ear to ear.


    ¡°What a marvelous display of his strength! I knew it was right for Eligor to be bestowed with strength alone!¡±


    As the cloud¡¯s faded away, Eligor stood where Jack was aiming at. In front of him was a ginormous crater that was endless to the naked eye.


    ¡°Sorry, boy. Although, that was a good punch.¡±


    He wriped the scuff on his cheek and frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± he mumbled.


    Deep in the underground, laying in a pool of his own blood and broken limbs, Jack let out a pained cackle and caught a glimpse of someone being held up by something from a seated position. His vision was too blurry for him to make out where he¡¯s at, but seeing the person in the position they were in, it seemed close to being stared at by an angel, welcoming him into heaven.


    ¡°Fu¡­ck¡­¡±


    The young man was on the verge of passing out when something crashed into the same area where he was in. He couldn¡¯t turn his head, but saw the figure coming at the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°Jack.¡± they said.


    It was Leon who found the young man in a near dead state. He took a knee and put his hand on the young mans head.


    ¡°You¡¯re one lucky bastard, you know that?¡±


    Jack couldn¡¯t hear much, but only replied by weakly chuckling before passing out.


    ¡°You did good, but now¡­¡±


    Leon looked over his shoulder and found Sarah sat in a chair and her arms hung up by the same crystals that are problematic.


    ¡°My dearest daughter, I have found you, at last.¡±


    Seeing her in the state she¡¯s in and seeing her mana being sucked by the crystals, feeding the roots that hover above them boiled his blood.


    ¡°You wretched Esper, Ravana.¡±


    Leon could feel the same crystals trying to absorb his life essence and trying to bring him down to his knees.


    ¡°Damn¡­ those things.¡±


    He loudly grunted and powered up his aura, which shattered the crystals and turned the room into a cloud of glittering speckles. He heavily panted and clutched his head to recuperate his senses and mana.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe Ravana would create something this devious against me. To think he hated me that much after Samantha accepted me into her life? What an envious fool.¡±


    Leon rushed to Sarah¡¯s motionless body and before grabbing her, he quickly paused and began shaking. He moaned and swallowed, doing his best to give himself courage to grab his loving daughter.


    ¡°Come on, Leon, just grab her¡­¡±


    He carefully reached his hand to her slim arm and gently grabbed it but quickly regretted it and began gasping. He collapsed to his knees and clutched his head again, and growled intensely. He had flashbacks of Samantha and her voice echoed repeatedly in his mind, ¡°I love you!¡± she continued saying in her sinister gentle voice.


    ¡°No¡­ n¡­o! Get out of my head!¡± he shouted.


    He let go of his head and heavily breathed, his fingers arched and sweat profusely dripping from his head.


    ¡°Sama¡­ntha!¡±


    Leon got to his feet, and let out a roar that instilled his frustration''s and agony towards his ex-wife. He roared and yelled his anger and his aura exploded out just briefly, which created tremors throughout the globe.


    He panted repeatedly and ran to Sarah, grabbing her arm and pulling her off the seat. He had her in his arms and had a scowl.


    ¡°No more, will you hold me back from grabbing my only reason for living!¡±


    He took the time to catch his breath, calm his anger and get himself back together.


    ¡°No more, will I be your slave. No longer will I be the tool that carries on your ambition.¡±


    He finally had the courage to look at Sarah¡¯s face and frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m holding you in my arms¡ªfor the first time in my pathetic life.¡±


    He grew emotional, and the edge of his eyes began to swell.


    ¡°My carelessness and lack of involvement got you in this mess¡­ my me-mess.¡±


    Leon shut his eyes, but then, the sound of a thousand voices ruptured the silence.


    ¡°Let her down¡­¡± they said in unison.


    Leon glanced around and saw thousands of lit eyes in all corners of darkness and the lurking shadows.


    ¡°There¡¯s still this many of you?¡± he said.


    ¡°Let her down¡­¡± they repeated.


    Leon scanned his surroundings repeatedly as they kept repeating the same phrase, ¡°Let her down¡­¡±


    His concern almost got the best of him when one of the cloaked cultists attacked him from behind. He was speared but he stabbed his foot on the ground and shouted, which blew the cultist into a cloud of crimson.


    ¡°You relentless fools,¡± he said.


    More began attacking, charging, shooting mana at Leon. He dodged, kicked, blocked, and used his back as a shield to prevent Sarah from getting hurt. He wasn¡¯t phased by their attacks until he saw the glint of purple sparkles in the distance. His mana was being sucked out again, and one blast impacted his back, which made him scream in agony. He hissed and dropped to a knee.


    He felt his back scorched and heard his flesh sizzle.


    ¡°No, not now¡­¡±


    He powered his mana more and their attacks began to inflict more pain as he forced himself to bring out more of his powers. His stability began to crumble and his patience grew thin as their attacks grew more ruthless and annoying.


    ¡°I gotta get out of this chamber.¡±


    Dozens of cloaked cultists charged at once and he fended them off, one by one. He killed them by slicing them in half, blasting them to hell, punching their bodies into smithereens. With one hand, and holding his daughter with the other, Leon did the best to his capabilities. Yet with each one killed, dozens more spawned.


    ¡°Let her down¡­¡± they continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no other option.¡±


    Leon powered up more, but his mana was sucked out more than before. His arms trembled and he looked at his shaking palm.


    ¡°My¡ªpower¡­¡±


    Leon felt his life draining so fast that he fell to his knees again.


    ¡°Those crystals are doing more than they had before.¡±


    Some cultists used the opportunity to charge at Leon in his weakened state. One punched him square in the face. His fist, jammed against Leon¡¯s cheek made him cackle until he saw the fiery glint on Leon¡¯s sideye. He gasped and Leon blasted him out of existence with a mana blast that shot out of his mouth.


    ¡°Damn¡­ it!¡±


    He gently put Sarah down and powered up one more time.


    ¡°You¡­ vile scum, just because of some worthless crystals has me on edge, don¡¯t make it seem like you still have a chance against¡ªme!¡±


    Leon roared and the cultists charged all at once. He blasted a group of twenty into dust. One grappled him, he wrapped his arms around his body and snapped him like a twig. Another tried flying at him, light speed, but moved to the side, grabbing their face and crushing their skull into a pool of mush. Another flew down from the ceiling, and Leon only aimed his hand to turn him into ash. But, as the feuding went on, Leon¡¯s powers grew weaker and weaker as he had to force more to come out every time.


    ¡°I-I gotta think of something else¡­¡±


    Leon decided to only fight with his fists and he did. Fighting, killing, breaking limbs, one by one, second by second, minute by minute, he killed and killed and killed. Yet more kept popping, teleporting, appearing, crashing from every corner, from every shadow, from every opening. More and more kept spawning and poor Leon was withering more.


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Leon let out a war cry and shot his fist forward, shooting out a ginourmous beam that eviserated every cultist in sight. Despite the huge beam that created a new hole in the earth, history repeated itself.


    ¡°Hand her over¡­¡± they said now.


    Leon¡¯s vision blurred, his muscles ached and his lungs were gasping for air.


    ¡°Go-got to keep¡­ fighting¡­¡±


    Leon was tackled away from Sarah and he panicked. The cultist crashed Leon into the wall of dirt. He laid a smackdown on his face. Despite being turned into a punching bag, Leon could see one of the cultists trying to grab Sarah, which turned him into a frenzy. He caught the cultists fist, and yelled, shooting another huge beam out of his mouth. The same beam killed the other that was trying to grab Sarah. Leon quickly flew to Sarah, and managed to reach her before more teleported in, and Leon now found himself completely surrounded.


    ¡°Hand her over¡­¡±


    ¡°Hand her over¡­¡±


    Leon fell on all fours and brought his gaze up to Jack who was finally awakening from his unconscious state.


    ¡°Jack, you gotta¡ª¡±


    Leon used his mana, turning his aura into an arm to grap Jack and drag his motionless body next to Sarah¡¯s. Jack could barely comprehend his consciousness and remained quiet. Leon grinned and got back to his weakened feet.


    He summoned a force field around them and nodded to the young man.


    ¡°If anything happens to me, take my daughter out of her, Jack Samr.¡±


    Jack nodded, but barely heard what Leon had said.


    Leon looked over his shoulder to see the growing numbers quadruple by the seconds passing.


    ¡°You worthless, hopeless lost fools.¡±


    ¡°Hand her over¡­¡±


    Leon tensed his body and he flew straight into the crowd. He began his assualt and defense. Blocking numerous fists, kicks, blasts, deflecting beams. His assault saw his fists ram, jam, pummel bodies, faces as more cloaks rained down on him. Waves came forward, backwards, below, above, and he fended off every single wave coming at him, but his powers were beginning to fade out again, forcing him to power up again.


    ¡°At this rate, it¡¯ll be over before I can release more of my powers.¡±


    Leon¡¯s breathing got heavier and his body was growing light as a feather.


    ¡°Enough of this¡­¡±


    He exploded out his aura and he clenched his teeth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you all on at once!¡±


    Leon started attacking again and was successful in killing more than a hundred in the span of a minute. His speed was immeasurable to their eyes, but they still seemed unfazed by his terrifying display of resilience and might. They mindlessly attacked him, doll-like and with one simple goal in mind, repeatedly echoing, ¡°hand her over¡­¡± as the battle went on.


    Leon finished blasting a huge wave that charged forward. He collapsed to his knees with his palms out.


    ¡°You¡­ bast-ards.¡±


    A couple attacked him as his vulnerability showed and it made him angrier. He was pushed, flung, tackled, blasted, and slammed on every single hard surface. Each time he tried retaliating, he was repeatedly pushed back by attacks and kicked away from the area. Thankfully, their attention was glued to him.


    Meanwhile, Jack was coming back to his senses, and felt someone on his lap. He was light headed, sore, battered, but had some energy to spare to at least lift one hand.


    ¡°Sa¡­rah?¡±


    Jack shook his head and coughed violently. He turned his head to the side and puked from his severe concussion. He wiped his mouth, and grabbed his head. Once he was able to give himself some time to wrap his senses, he saw his close friend Sarah, calmly resting on his lap.


    ¡°It is you, Sarah.¡± he mumbled.


    The rumble, the explosions forced Jack to cover her, but saw oncoming debri which made his eyes pop out.


    ¡°No!¡±


    The debri was shattered by the barrier that Leon had placed, which made Jack sigh in relief. He brought his attention to the battle happening in front of his eyes and tried standing, but was too weak to do so.


    ¡°No, Le-Leon!¡±


    ¡°Hand her over¡­¡±


    Jack heard them repeat that over and over as he saw Leon kill dozens, dozens and upon dozens of cultists. Seeing Leon effortlessly fend them off to his view made him have an urgency of security; hoping that and feeling that everything''s going to be okay. However, Leon¡¯s on the brink of losing it, and if he released more mana, he¡¯d run out and potentially lose all form of consciousness.


    ¡°You¡­ fools!¡± he shouted.


    Three cultists lined up, and together shot beams that merged into one giant one that directly hit Leon. It blew up and once the smoke cloud cleared, Leon had his forearms crossed and a barrier of his own that he summoned.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I was forced to¡ª¡±


    Suddenly, one of the cultists, a buff one charged and slipped his fist through the barrier that froze Leon. He was punched square on his face and for a moment, Leon went blank. Leon quickly regained his composure and a huge vien had emerged from the side of his forehead. He growled and gave the buff Cultist a gut shot that made him gag blood.


    He hammer fisted him to the crater below, and paused, bringing his arms up again to stare at his bloody, bruised palms.


    ¡°What was that¡­?¡±


    ¡°Give her back¡­ give her back¡­ hand her over¡­ hand her over¡­¡± they repeated.


    They began a final assault and Leon began to dodge with more relentlessness. He was more ruthless, heavier on his efforts in attacking and dodging every single one that came after him.


    ¡°My power, it¡¯s almost drained¡­¡±


    They emerged from the abyss below and grabbed his legs, then more came out from the sides, grabbing his arms as his aura was forced out and the light that it created was pulsating. Leon was blanched and his eyes began to sag. He knit his brows, ground his teeth and flew up to the surface, dragging a trail of more than a hundred cultists clinging on to that of a human centipede. Leon¡¯s right fist glowed and he shot it forward, blowing a hole to the surface.


    ¡°Leon!¡± Jack shouted as he watched the human centipede be eviscerated from Leon¡¯s blasts shockwave.


    Outside, Ravana saw the huge bright purple beam that shot into space and created an explosion worth cementing into his vile brain.


    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s working, it appears!¡± he shouted.


    Leon was in the sky and another hundred cultists emerged from the hole. They charged at him and Leon blasted them out of existence with a barrage of finger blasts. He inhaled greatly and propelled himself more into the sky. It appeared as if the entirety of the clan had finally appeared and surrounded the area. They swarmed the sky, they swarmed the ground, they stood on the branches of the giant tree that was starting to blossom leaves of fall.


    Seeing the grand tree beginning to show life made Ravana¡¯s jaw drop with joy.


    ¡°Yes, yes! Grow baby grow!¡±


    Leon continued fending them off as they swarmed at him in dozens, not giving him the chance to take a breath. He grappled, spun, kicked, blasted, punched every single one but not without taking damage from three or four of them at the same time. Leon¡¯s breathing was shortening but he continued to push through. More tried attacking from below, but he jammed his foot in their faces, crushing their skulls. Leon shouted and shot his fingers forward, letting out the same finger blasts that formed into individual solid trails of purple death beams. They sliced, penetrated, exploded through hundreds of cultists as they zi-zagged through the entirety of the sky. They created giant clouds of crimson and rained blood on the earth. The air was filled with small smoke clouds splashed with red as Leon was finally having a chance to take a breather.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t grow too comfortable right now, my old friend.¡± Ravana said.


    Leon heavily panted and drooled as his life was fogging before his dimming eyes.


    Out from behind another smoke cloud, three cultists fighters jet their way towards Leon, and in unison, put their fists forward. They made impact to Leon¡¯s back and the four were being shot out into the stratosphere. Leon¡¯s eyes were dimmer than before but his anger, his rage was popping out from the corners of his pupils. Red viens flowed as one more popped in front with a mana shaped scythe to finish Leon off. Leon growled rabidly and put his palms outwards, hovering them over the three and cooking them alive from the heat of his palms. They let out blood curdling screams as they were melting away into a pool of steaming flesh. He turned and grew his speed faster than lightspeed and his body cut through the cultist as he screamed his way through a sea of cloaks. He zig-zagged through the sky, and in a fitting screaming fit, he managed to kill thousands of cultists and stopped in the air.


    Leon¡¯s eyes were blank and his breathing hyperventilated violently. He couldn¡¯t catch his breath and he couldn¡¯t feel his limbs no more.


    My body¡­ my mind¡ªit¡¯s¡­


    A giant comet shaped object shot from behind Leon from the upper darkened sky and directly made impact to Leon¡¯s back. Another shot from below and the two combined to drill Leon through the empty sky, and tornado his numb body to the ground. He was out and blood spewed from his mouth and nose as he was falling. The remaining cultists powered up and swirled through the skies, showcasing an amazing, beautiful array of horror swirls. Ravana¡¯s bride was in full display as their auras twinkled like death stars.


    Ravana put his hand forward and more red, purple, and dark blue swirls came out from the underground.


    ¡°Yes! Show Leon that we do not fear him! We do not fear the once powerful¡ª!¡±


    The Cultist''s swirled, swarmed the sky, twirling around Leon¡¯s pummeling body as it was closing into skyscraper level. The Cultist''s standing on the branches of the tree were charging up and lit up the tree like Christmas. The death swirls and twirls all suddenly braked and shot plasma balls at Leon and the two comets. He was lit up and barraged with endless balls of mana and plasma. The firing stopped and Leon''s body and the comets were now a giant ball of molten charred lava.


    Ravana laughed and spread his arms out at the beautiful show.


    ¡°¡ªLeon, Bolverkr the destroyer! Your time has come!¡±


    The remaining thousands of cultists on the ground also were charging up, and once every single one on the ground and tree were finished, Ravana flung his hand forward.


    ¡°FIRE! HA HA HA HA!¡±


    Thousands upon thousands of red, purple, blue, black beams were shot at the ball of lava, flashing the entire area of wondrous colours of light and horror. Ravana laughed as the firing continued and lit up the place to that of camera flashes. The ball was being blasted so much, it began to crush itself from the devastation being laid on it, and appeared to take the shape of a dying star¡¯s aftermath. Once they gave it their last shots, they waved their hands and the ball exploded to that of an emp bomb if it were combined to a hydrogen bomb. The area was devastated from the blast and giant skyscrapers of lightning lashed out and into where the ball once was. The humongous mushroom cloud was slowly phasing out and in the middle with smoke trailing off his body, his aura out and more intense than before; Leon¡¯s eyes were absolutely blank and he snarled before letting out the most hurt, agonising yet raged induced battle cry.


    Ravana couldn¡¯t believe his eyes as Leon¡¯s emotions were conveyed into the continuous battle cry as it echoed throughout the area.


    ¡°Tch¡­ you tanky bastard¡± Ravana said.


    The Cultist''s began teleporting to him, remerging. Leon¡¯s frustrations, defiance, desperation was in full display as his battle cry kept breaking away, enough to finally awaken his daughter Sarah from her slumber.


    Slowly raising her eyelids, and gazing up at Jack¡¯s foggy concerned face, she weakly gaped her mouth and mumbled, ¡°Fa¡­ther?¡±

 Arc 4 Chapter 42: BOLVERKR, THE DESTROYER

    During my life, I¡¯ve Resented on how I lived: My actions foretold, passed down, written in books for future generations to come. I¡¯m a living entity of destruction and absolute extinction. I¡¯m a monster who doesn¡¯t deserve the gift forced on him by the woman he loathes. But, as humans, or, I thought I was; people can change for good or bad. And I wonder, could I? Perhaps in this circumstance, I have. Just watching her, my daughter, Sarah doing her best to break the barrier I put and her mother placed just to know the man who¡¯s supposed to be her protector. I guess¡­ I am changing. Hopefully, I never have to become the monster I once was in order to protect her, but if I have to¡­ then I want her to put an end to my miserable life, once and for all.


    Watching the fight continue as the numbers were finally showing a crumble, Ravana aggressively crossed his arms and tapped his fingers against them.


    ¡°Leon, you freak! How could you withstand an attack big enough to blow our world over a hundred thousand times? You even managed to subdue the blast radius enough to not reach the populist.¡±


    Chelsea¡¯s in awe as she watched Leon¡¯s true nature slowly emerge.


    ¡°He¡¯s so formidableS. Likes nothing can beat him!¡±


    Her excitement went unnoticed and Ravana appeared in front of her, blocking the action. His glowing crimson eyes filled with murderous intent gleamed into her soul, which had her shaking to death.


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Eligor arrived back to be beside her and held her.


    ¡°Ravana, chill. You got this, but at the same time, you can¡¯t blame her for reacting this way since she still has feelings for him.¡±


    Chelsea sadly gasped and slowly grabbed his arm. Ravana smacked his teeth and turned his attention back to the battlefield.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a pathetic man, Eligor.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What? Do I have to say it?! Ha ha.¡±


    Ravana looked over his shoulder and his thin smile started to rub Eligor the wrong way.


    ¡°How could you be with someone who has feelings for another? That¡¯s such a sad and pathetic display of manliness. Ugh, just looking at you is starting to make my balls shrink back into their sockets.¡±


    Eligor frowned but kept it cool.


    ¡°You may not understand, but Chelsea is mine and I will do everything I can to protect the woman I love.¡±


    Chelsea¡¯s eyes quivered as she held him tighter.


    Ravana shrugged and chuckled.


    ¡°Suit yourself. Now then, back to you, my old friend.¡±


    Ravana gripped his chin and squinted his eyes as Leon paused.


    ¡°What to do to get rid of a pest like you? One that''s grown immune to most attacks but somehow manages to pull more out of his tank despite being drained?¡±


    Ravana began to pace as Leon roared again and killed another thousand with a mouth beam.


    ¡°Look at you. A man so proud to not resort to using his mana and condense it to form distant attacks? The only reason why anyone of your caliber would do such assaults would be¡ª¡±


    Ravana¡¯s smile appeared again and it grew wide and vile.


    ¡°¡ªahhh, you¡¯re in a panic. But, much worse than before. hehehe¡±


    I already knew he was backed in a corner. But, seeing him this afraid of losing has me so fired up! Oh, what joy, what joy! Ravana thought.


    ¡°The next phase of my glorious plan has been made up!¡±


    He turned to Eligor and Chelsea, pointing sadistically at them.


    ¡°You two, when he¡¯s jumped again, I want you to strike him down as you did the first time.¡±


    Chelsea averted her gaze and didn¡¯t answer. Eligor nodded and helped Chelsea off the ground. The two stood on their feet and their aura of shame reeked, reaching Ravana¡¯s nostrils.


    ¡°You two seem hesitant all of a sudden?¡±


    His annoyance went unnoticed and Eligor quickly bowed.


    ¡°Not at all. We¡¯ll get it done.¡±


    ¡°Good, I hope you do because if you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Ravana slit his throat with his thumb and smacked his teeth.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry¡¯s, Ravana.¡± Chelsea said.


    ¡°Hmph, as if you weren¡¯t annoying enough, Chelsea.¡±


    Her lips quivered as she moaned in sadness.


    Ravana clapped his hands and went back to watching Leon kill more of his cult.


    ¡°Your dwindling power is mesmerizing to watch. It¡¯s like watching a Lion fend off a clan of hyenas; absolutely wonderful display of¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ravana, I would stop this if I were you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who said that?!¡±


    He quickly turned to the voice that interrupted him and found John Malificus standing a foot from him. John¡¯s ghostly eyes sent chills down Ravana¡¯s eyes but he kept his composure and faced the powerful Witch.


    ¡°Malificus, what brings you here?¡± he asked.


    John¡¯s expression was still and his eyes were growing more ghostly.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you to have your assault on Leon put to an end before things get uglier than they already are.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s face scrunched in confusion. He smacked his gums and put his hand on his hip.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to what, now?!¡±


    ¡°You heard me. Stop this attack before you and I and everyone else involved get into a world of trouble like no other.¡±


    Chelsea and Eligor were frozen in fear as they felt John¡¯s anger seeping through his skin. They could smell his seriousness and lust for death and it had them clinging to one another. Ravana gulped but kept his act up, expressing his distaste for John''s warning.


    ¡°And are you going to stop me? If I don¡¯t? Because if I remember correctly¡­¡±


    Ravana approached John, carefully, standing face to face with him.


    ¡°...You two are close friends, right?¡±


    John raised a brow and blinked.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m close friends with him, but this has nothing to do with our friendship.¡±


    John put his hand out to the battle, and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°This has to do with balance and intervening with the natural order from a higher power.¡±


    Ravana had it with everyone¡¯s interference and talk backs. He massaged his eyes and loudly sighed, growing aggravated.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sick and tired of all you people getting in the way of my plans!¡±


    His shout echoed and made bird wildlife fly off, spreading across the sky above them.


    ¡°You, you! Of all people should be the last to tell me to stop my revenge on that loose cannon.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s glint appeared and John looked straight at it.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing the world a favour in ridding the ex-destroyer of worlds, Leon¡ªBolverkr!¡±


    John clenched his teeth.


    ¡°You fool, this isn¡¯t about doing the world a favour. It¡¯s about the consequences of your selfish actions that¡¯ll summon a higher power no one alive can ever stand up to.¡±


    Ravana rolled his eyes and playfully shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s rich coming from you and your devious plan in mind!¡±


    John chuckled and gently grabbed Ravana¡¯s shirt, which ticked off the cult leader.


    ¡°The difference between my plan and yours is that my plan will come into fruition, flowing into the river stream that¡¯s our time flow. Your plan on the other hand is based on your messily obsession and envy towards a man who out did you in every aspect imaginable.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue, Malif¡ª¡±


    ¡°Or what?! Will you finally face me and prove yourself the Witch you wish to be? Because if I remember correctly¡­¡±


    John tilted his head and he had a smile Ravana thought he¡¯d never see on a guy like John¡¯s face.


    ¡°... you¡¯re an Esper still playing pretend, he¡ªheh.¡±


    Ravana grabbed John¡¯s wrist and growled.


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡±


    ¡°Come now, Ravana. I¡¯m correct.¡±


    Ravana had his brows knitted and growled some more.


    ¡°Screw you.¡±


    John let go and Ravana did too. John could feel Leon¡¯s mana almost nearing its end, which had him quickly turn his face.


    ¡°Ravana, stop the assault, please.¡±


    Ravana grew quiet and clenched a fist.


    ¡°And don¡¯t mistake my plea as begging. It¡¯s simply a command that must be done, otherwise either you don¡¯t and continue, pushing him to the limit; will trigger the PTSD that¡¯s instilled in you from the tournament. Or, we all fall in the hands of the higher power.¡±


    Ravana looked away.


    ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll follow your command, old friend.¡±


    ¡°Well, how about get your ego out your ass and actually be a responsible man for once. Because compared to you, you didn¡¯t make a deal with God! I¡ªdid!¡±


    Ravana¡¯s shocked hearing the revelation coming from the greatest Witch in modern time. To hear someone such as John to make a deal with God has him curious as to why? It made him raise a brow and grip his chin.


    ¡°Oh? A deal with God? A Witch? Very surprising.¡±


    John knew Ravana¡¯s devious nature and decided to feed it, revealing his deal.


    ¡°Yeah, unlike you, I am a Witch.¡±


    Ravana moaned and dropped his hand.


    ¡°The deal that I made was not with a God you can¡¯t see by the naked eyes; The God that I speak of, the one in which my own devious nature wanted to ensure the deal was struck and not told by empty words: It was done with the great William H. Christ.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s deviousness, his confidence, it all drained when he heard that name: William H. Christ. The most feared, the most respected, and undouble, the most powerful being to ever exist. It made him frown and slowly back away and for the second time in their lives, Eligor and Chelsea both saw fear in his eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ you mad man¡­¡± Ravana said.


    He averted his gaze to the battle, and it was reaching the heat of its moment.


    ¡°What deal did you strike with the great William that involves Leon?!¡±


    John grew serious and also turned to the battle.


    ¡°The deal? The deal I made and vowed to have it never broken?!¡±


    John grit his teeth and put his arms out, basking in Leon¡¯s growing anger and venting his dormant power to the blinded Cultist¡¯s. An explosion from Leon sent a shockwave that violently fluttered their clothes and displayed an amazing emp blast in the colour of Leon¡¯s anger: Purple, red, and yellow flames that erupted into the sky.


    ¡°The deal I made was to set The Great Destroyer Bolverkr¡ªto have him stay dormant, for he shall not slay another innocent being and not cause disruption to the natural balance of our world!¡±


    Ravana gasped and ground his teeth in fear. Yet his ego and curiosity wanted to test if John¡¯s genuinely being serious or being the known manipulative Witch that made him infamous.


    ¡°Is-is that so? Well, if that¡¯s the case, then perhaps you¡¯re not full of shit afterall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true and if you don¡¯t stop and Leon loses control, we¡¯ll both fall in the hands of death.¡±


    Ravana scratched his head and shut his eyes for a moment.


    I¡¯m so curious as to what this deal is about. It¡¯s almost worth risking everyone¡¯s lives including my own to see if he isn¡¯t bluffing. Ravana thought.


    ¡°Alright alright, I¡¯ll call off the assault.¡±


    John read right through Ravana¡¯s fake act and grabbed the collar of his shirt.


    ¡°Fool, quit screwing and stalling, end it or else I¡¯ll take it into my own hands if I have to.¡±


    He leaned his face into Ravana¡¯s.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want me unleashing the knowledge that makes me the most dangerous and earn the title of greatest Witch alive, Ravana.¡±


    The ego driven Ravana couldn¡¯t retain the curiosity seeping in his body. On the other hand, seeing John this serious convinced him enough that his words weren¡¯t empty afterall. While the two were and their ideas were quietly conflicting each other, meanwhile, during his battle, Leon¡¯s conscious state was slowly dwindling and time was running out for both parties. Leon shouted and wiped out another thousand cultists, wiping out almost all of them off the face of the earth.


    With twenty percent left, Ravana, seeing his people slowly being wiped from existence, the vile Esper pretending to be Witch couldn¡¯t retain his intrusive thoughts and decided to stall John more to see the deal be enacted.


    All according to plan, in riding you, my old friend, Leon.


    ***


    Watching Leon fight for his life, fearing that he might not be able to do a thing to save him; Jack Samr tried getting up, but his weakened body refrained him from moving a muscle. All he could do was keep Sarah safe in his arms, and await her awakening. Luckily, in Jack¡¯s favour, when he glanced at her motionless body, he saw movement coming from her eyelids, which made him gasp with excitement.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah!¡± he said.


    He gently shook her and couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Come on, wake up buddy.¡±


    Sarah could hear his muffled voice, and slowly could see the darkened curtains lift off to the rafts. Her vision fogged, the explosions, war cries going off, the first thing her eyes laid on were the grey skies filled with shockwaves and debri filling the empty gaps. She shifted her head to Jack who was a battered mess and she blinked rapidly and gently put her hand against his cheek, which made him a little nervous.


    ¡°Ja-Jack?¡± she muttered.


    Jack¡¯s eyes quivered as he finally could see her beautiful crimson eyes lock onto his soulless pupils. He gently grabbed her hand, and nodded.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s-it¡¯s me, Sarah.¡±


    She could feel his warmth and protective nature. Her hearing began to clear up, and once a sonic boom went off, shaking the earth, she sat straight up and cling onto Jack.Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Jack!¡±


    Jack replied to her embrace and patted her back. He let out a weak chuckle as her embrace ached his broken body.


    ¡°Ow¡­ everything still hurts.¡±


    Sarah saw the battle ensue over his broad shoulder and saw her father a bruised and violent mess. He sliced a Cultist straight in half. He paused and his body split, letting it rain blood and organs to the ground. Seeing such a grotesque sight made Sarah almost gag and avert her gaze. She gently let go of Jack and was in disbelief as she watched her father enact more carnage. Never has she seen her father this blood thirsty or detestable to her eyes. She even began to wonder if she¡¯s looking at the same man.


    ¡°Fa¡ªther?¡±


    Jack also turned and he saw Leon¡¯s sanity begin to fade completely out.


    ¡°No, Leon¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s jaw was dropped as her father coursed through the sky and killed a dozen more men.


    ¡°Why is he killing like that?! Is that really my father!¡±


    She began to shake, although, once she saw one cultist land a punch to his stomach that made him gag blood and another slicing at his chest with a mana blade, her fear quickly went away. Her eyes grew exponentially wide as he was starting to be pummeled with punches, kicks, thrown, stabbed, blasted, and it was boiling her blood.


    ¡°Jack, let me go¡­¡± she muttered.


    ¡°Huh? What did¡ª?¡±


    ¡°I said let go!¡±


    Sarah aggressively broke out of Jack¡¯s clutch and crawled to her feet. She stood, watching her father become a battered mess but his wounds were mysteriously healing at an aggressive rate. Yet she could see his frustration seep out of the angry blank face he had.


    ¡°I have to help him! I got to save him!¡±


    Jack quickly crawled and was quick to action in grabbing Sarah¡¯s ankles before she could take flight.


    ¡°N¡­o! Sarah!¡±


    ¡°Jack, let go of me. My father needs my help!¡±


    ¡°And he wanted me to protect you! If you go out there, you¡¯d only get in his way.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! You think I can¡¯t help him?!¡±


    Sarah furrowed her brows and tried pulling Jack¡¯s hands off her ankles, but she fell on her butt.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying,¡ªyou can¡¯t, bu-but trust me, your father¡¯s got this, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, he needs me. For God¡¯s sake! Look at what they¡¯re doing to him!¡±


    Sarah managed to slip through his grip and quickly got back to her feet, running off.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah!¡±


    ¡°Father!¡± she shouted.


    Sarah stood beneath the battlefield and tried taking flight, but her powers weren¡¯t working. She gasped and tried to shoot mana at a Cultist that flew behind Leon. But, nothing came out and she felt her soul leave her body. She¡¯s in disarray and was left stunned, feeling helpless.


    ¡°No, wh-what¡¯s going on?! My-my powers, my mana, it¡¯s absent.¡±


    She brought her palms up to her face, and collapsed to her knees.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help him, I can¡¯t help my father. Why? Why are my powers not working!¡±


    She could feel her mana inside swelling, but something was preventing her from having it come out. Jack was able to reach Sarah but collapsed behind her, and his thumping body quickly turned her head.


    ¡°Jack!¡±


    She got to him and put her hands on his chest.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re dying, Jack!¡±


    Jack was growing more in pain and could feel his life close to zero.


    ¡°You idiot, why would you waste your last bit of energy to get to me?!¡±


    Jack weakly chuckled and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°Your life ma-matters more than mine, Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡¯s eyes swelled and she tried bringing her mana out to heal


    Jack, but nothing was coming out.


    ¡°Darn it! No!¡±


    Jack saw a mana blast coming towards them, and he used his last bit of energy to grab Sarah, throw her away and stood in front of the blast. Sarah rolled and saw Jack take the blast head on. It exploded and the young man was blown away. Seeing his body, slowly thrown with smoke trailing off the end of his body; as he fell back to the ground, rag dolling, Sarah screamed, but without making a sound, which left her in a frozen, confused state. The young man¡¯s body rolled back to her knees, his skin sizzled, flesh missing from parts of his arms and chest, she saw his beating heart in plain view.


    ¡°Jack?¡± she muttered.


    The young man could barely weep or let out a breath.


    ¡°Jack?¡±


    Sarah gently placed her hand on his bloodied hand. His pulse was almost gone and she felt her anger swelling. She grit her teeth and her eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Ja¡­ck?¡±


    Sarah interlaced her fingers into Jack¡¯s, and his warmth was almost absent.


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± she quietly growled.


    Her hair began to climb up; Each strand stiffened, yet was still loose enough to flutter. Her eyes glistened yet glinted with sharpness. Her vision blackened and silence introduced itself. Her surroundings completely darkened as nothingness was her current partner.


    They hurt him¡­


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    They hurt the man you care about and he¡¯s losing his light.


    ¡°Wh-who¡¯s speaking?¡±


    Me, I¡¯m speaking to myself.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that supposed¡ª?¡±


    Sarah, Sarah, don¡¯t shy away from who we really are. Because if you do, then he¡¯ll die.


    Sarah could feel her body grow hotter yet the blackened environment made it seem as if she were unconscious.


    Show them us, show them we¡ªshow them our strength.


    Sarah could feel her subconscious fade and the black screen burned away, revealing her¡ª


    Sarah, my dear Sarah, just this once, for a minute, allow me to grab back what¡¯s mine¡­


    A single tiny flame erupted into the darkness, then it expanded and took the shape of Sarah¡¯s unholy mother. Samantha¡¯s burning body reached for frozen daughter''s body, wrapped by fiery chains that were beginning to melt. Her engulfed body was the only source of light and her crimson eyes were blazing hot like the sun. Her hair floated and billowed to that of cosmic waves.


    Allow me to use my new vessel and showcase what happens when they mess with the people we dearly care for.


    Samantha grabbed Sarah¡¯s face and the two locked eyes.


    My dearest daughter, my Sarah, my¡­


    Samantha hugged her and their bodies molted together, and a blackhole with a light ring around it appeared, beginning to suck the light that was Samantha.


    Or should I say, my separated¡ªheart.


    Leon killed most of the cultists, and felt Samantha¡¯s presence, which snapped him for a moment to instill the fear he had for Samantha.


    ¡°Hu¡­h?¡± he gasped.


    The rest of the bystanders also felt the presence of the great Samantha and out of all of them, Ravana was the happiest.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s her!¡± he shouted, pointing at Sarah¡¯s frozen body.


    Sarah¡¯s arms trembled and she eerily snapped her head upwards to the sky, and screamed. Everyone covered their ears and her scream alone began to shatter reality. Chelsea cling onto Eligor, he held his lover for dear life, Ravana¡¯s jaw was utterly dropped, John couldn¡¯t believe his eyes; Leon, was absolutely shocked, but couldn¡¯t see well due to his raging vision.


    Sarah¡¯s body exploded out an aura that was molten hot, sparkling with space dust within. It crackled, spiraled, stabbing its way into the growing dark sky. Her body shot out electrical currents throughout the area. Her eyes were set ablaze and she put her hands over Jack¡¯s body. Her aura transitioned and became a light of death, shooting like a spiral into the heavens. Once it passed through broken shards of reality, everything shattered back to normal.


    Everyone was beyond speechless and in fear. The deafening silence in combination with eerie winds created an environment of absolute petrification. Sarah was unexpectedly back to normal and saw her hands glowing above Jack¡¯s body. Her glow healed his body entirely and it made her begin to silently cry. She hugged him and Jack felt his body back to one hundred. He patted her back and she lay off a bit. The two locked eyes and for a moment, the two blushed and moaned. They could feel their bond grow even stronger and their true feelings began to show.


    Unfortunately, Sarah felt the awful presence of the man who abducted her and had her living in a cage for more than a month behind them.


    ¡°Samantha! It was you!¡± Ravana shouted, collapsing his hands in joy.


    Sarah and Jack quickly got back up and the young man went forward, putting Sarah behind him.


    ¡°Stay behind me, Sarah.¡±


    The young man pulled out his handgun and cocked it, aiming it at the group of villains.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you take her away from me, not without my life being taken away.¡±


    ¡°Jack¡­¡± she muttered.


    She cling onto his shirt and felt his strong heart beat as she pressed her ear against his back.


    ¡°Try it, and I won¡¯t hesitate to take the first shot.¡±


    Ravana laughed hysterically and snapped his fingers. Jack suddenly collapsed to the ground. He was pinned by some unknown force and he angrily grunted to get back up.


    ¡°Jack!¡±


    Sarah slammed her fist on his back and whatever force was used was broken. Ravana gasped and Sarah helped Jack back up.


    ¡°Th-thanks, yet I can¡¯t help but feel embarrassed that you just assisted me.¡±


    Sarah grinned and ripped her shirt from the upper right arm area. She used the piece of clothing to wrap a new wound created by Ravana around Jack¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°That should stop your bleeding.¡±


    Jack rapidly blinked but something caught his eye, which began to grow his hatred more towards the Cult.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah, your upper chest, it¡¯s¡ª?¡±


    Sarah also blinked rapidly and took a glance at what the young man¡¯s mentioning. She saw a scar and it made her confusingly tilt her head.


    ¡°My-my chest, how did I get this mark?¡±


    Ravana growled and stomped aggressively to get their attention.


    ¡°How is it that street trash is getting the attention I yearn from you! That¡¯s not fair! After everything that I did for you?! Samantha!¡±


    Ravana¡¯s anger exploded and it forced Sarah to grab Jack and she forced him to fall and take cover. Ravana¡¯s glare erupted an explosion that went off far away. It was nuclear and it shook everyone.


    ¡°Damn it all. Very well, if you insist on protecting that street trash then I have no choice but to make him our new pet. How does that sound, Samantha?¡±


    Sarah knit her brows and ran back to the front.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting sick and tired of being called my mother!¡±


    She aimed her palm and John magically appeared in between their line of sights.


    ¡°Stop! Everyone, please.¡±


    Ravana smacked his teeth.


    ¡°John, you¡¯re starting to annoy me more.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve already pissed me off you dingus.¡±


    Sarah let out a chuckle, which made Ravana twitch an eye.


    ¡°Stop your assault on Leon, and this is my final warning.¡±


    Ravana kept quiet. Sarah put her hand down and when John turned around, he saw the scar on her upper chest. His face turned white and he immediately began to sweat.


    ¡°No, no no no. How did you get that scar?¡±


    His worried tone and body language was sincere, and knowing him a little already, she knew to trust John.


    ¡°You¡¯re my father¡¯s friend, right?¡± she asked.


    Jack was back to her side, and held her hand. John¡¯s face was blanched and he began to panic as he panned his attention back to Ravana and his group.


    ¡°Oy oy, you doofuses! Which one of you did that to her?!¡±


    Ravana also shared his anger with John.


    ¡°Exactly! How dare my foolish friends here leave a scar on Samantha¡¯s precious body!¡±


    He stepped away from them. Eligor and Chelsea bowed their heads in shame. Chelsea slowly raised her hand and wanted to cry, but Eligor comforted her. As everyone surrounded themselves with awkwardness, Shaman had walked into the area and made himself present, standing beside John.


    Seeing Shaman back made Ravana cross his arms and look away in disgust.


    ¡°Oh? Back to rub it in more Mr. I¡¯m right guy?¡± Ravana said.


    Shaman also glanced at the scar on Sarah¡¯s chest.


    ¡°We gotta cover her up before Leon finds out. Or else, we¡¯re going to be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up! Go do your prevention in reviving The Destroyer! Tch, all of you are burdens on my existence. If it weren¡¯t for John being present, each one of you wouldn¡¯t share the same breathing space with me right now.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s arrogance made Shaman shake his head.


    ¡°Your ego will be your undoing, Ravana. Call off your assault and let''s all go our seprate ways.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Ravana went up to Shaman and grabbed the collar of his shirt.


    ¡°And what makes you think any one of you fools will be able to do so alive?!¡±


    Shaman grabbed his wrist and squinted his eyes at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say it was going to be without a fight.¡±


    Ravana knit his brows but expressed an annoyed smile.


    ¡°Oh Shaman, you really are a joy to have as a friend! You damned fool, bwahaha!¡±


    John pushed the two away and pointed at Ravana.


    ¡°Quit screwing around and put an end to your quest.¡±


    Ravana scrunched his face and spat.


    ¡°Alright alright!¡±


    He glanced at the sky and saw others being destroyed by Leon. Although, his devious nature was thirsty to see what John¡¯s deal¡¯s about. And on top of seeing if Leon would snap back into the destroyer that sent fear into his very being during the tournament, he became consumed by his curiosity and fell into it.


    He put his fingers into his mouth and whistled at the remaining cultists.


    ¡°Hey! You can stop attacking the brain dead fool!¡±


    One more was obliterated before they all panned their attention back to their leader.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, wrap it up everyone¡­ or what¡¯s left of ya.¡±


    Ravana sighed and put his hand on his hip, glaring at Leon who remained in a distressed state.


    ¡°To think he wiped out ninety percent of our Cult¡­ unreal.¡± he muttered.


    John angrily stomped to him and grabbed his arm.


    ¡°You dumbass! What are you thinking?!¡±


    ¡°What?! I¡¯m just getting their attention to stop the assault as you requested? Dear friend.¡±


    ¡°You utter fool¡­¡± John growled.


    While they argued, Leon was coming back to his senses and could hear their loud voices muffle into his subconcious.


    ¡°Wh¡­at¡¯s happening? Ugh, my head¡­¡±


    Leon grabbed his head, but his mana was finally coming back into fruition.


    ¡°My mana, it¡¯s strangely not being drained away anymore.¡±


    He shifted his head from the hovering Cultist¡¯s who were watching John and Ravana argue to their argument as well. At first he didn¡¯t think much of it until, as his head panned to where the others stood, just a foot away from them, he saw Jack and Sarah side by side.


    ¡°Sa-Sarah? Are you? You must be back!¡±


    He was at joy and relieved to see his daughter back in safe hands. But, something caught his eye and at first he wondered why her shirt was ripped. Yet, upon further glance, he saw something that broke his heart and made him feel like the failure of a father he¡¯s implemented into his guilted mind.


    He began to drop his jaw, his eyes were wide, his pupils dilated, he saw the mark that showed they harmed his beloved daughter.


    ¡°They hurt my¡­ daughter?¡± he muttered.


    He slowly clenched his fist and began to shut his mouth to grit his teeth.


    ¡°They hurt my¡ªdaughter¡­¡±


    Leon¡¯s anger boiled into his head and clouded it with nothing but memories of destruction, agony, and the devastation he¡¯s laid upon the world countless times.


    He growled beneath his breath and a vein popped out the corner of his forehead.


    ¡°You¡­ bas¡­tards!¡±


    Everyone on the ground wondered who just shouted? The others glanced at their surroundings, but John grew terrified. Ravana caught his shocked expression first and looked up at the sky to find Leon staring directly at them. Ravana¡¯s eyes slowly expanded and he felt the surge of mana that¡¯s printed into his hatred towards the man who took the key to his ambition.


    John quickly looked over his shoulder and saw his friend slowly levitate back to the ground with his fists clenched in anger. He saw crimson seep through his clenched hands and he began to panic.


    ¡°Leon! It¡¯s not what it looks like!¡± he shouted.


    Leon slowly shook his head, repeatedly and kept his teeth clenched.


    ¡°You hurt my daughter¡­¡± Leon muttered.


    Sarah saw her father and seeing his surprised yet angry expression made her scared.


    ¡°Fa-father?¡±


    Jack could see the anger ready to explode and he held Sarah close, forcing her behind him.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look good. Quick, Sarah, cover your chest!¡± Jack exclaimed.


    Jack quickly took the makeshift bandana off and wrapped it around the area.


    ¡°You¡ªhurt my daughter.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°Leon, relax, chill, cool it now, my dearest friend.¡± John said.


    John put his hands up and slowly began to approach Leon.


    ¡°Take it easy, big guy. Your buddy here is going to take care of that idiot Ravana and make amends to this whole stupid situation.¡±


    Leon¡¯s gasps grew more repetitious, louder, and it even began to sound as one was gasping for breath. His eyes were wide, edging to his face as he angrily marched towards the group.


    ¡°You hurt my¡ªdaughter!¡±


    Leon growled monstrously and his marching grew more intense and heavier.


    ¡°Le-Leon! Relax!¡± John shouted.


    Leon¡¯s aura exploded out and sent a huge gust of hot wind that almost made everyone fall over. Everyone had to cover their faces as it was intensely cutting the atmosphere around him. Sarah tried to run after her father but Jack prevented her from doing so. Ravana began to step backwards as he felt the power he feared be surpassed, which made Eligor feel shocked to see.


    As Leon was growing his death march towards them, Eligor quickly flew up and around to go behind him.


    ¡°Hey! What do you thinks you¡¯re doings babes?!¡± Chelsea shouted.


    Eligor grew serious and expanded his mana muscles and charged all his mana into his right hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll knock Leon out before he can lose control.¡±


    Eligor shouted and once he felt ready, he attacked Leon straight behind, giving him a nasty chop to the side of his neck. The collision, it sounded heavy, meteoric impacting, yet as Eligor flew off to grow distance between them, it did nothing to Leon. He was unfazed and his marching was growing more earth shattering.


    ¡°You hurt my daughter!¡±


    Ravana repeatedly gasped and put his hands up.


    ¡°He-he put everything into that chop and it did nothing to him!¡±


    John began to panic more and grabbed Sarah, flying them away to grow more distance.


    ¡°Listen Leon, I promise your daughter¡¯s okay, see, look, I¡¯m going to heal the wound!¡±


    Ravana and the others also followed suit while Leon¡¯s stomping started denting the ground beneath with every march forward.


    ¡°Everyone get down!¡± Eligor shouted.


    Everyone saw that Eligor transferred all his mana into his palms and he was about to launch a huge attack. They all tried to get away, but Eligor launched his beam too fast and it hit Leon straight on his back, creating a gigantic explosion and multiple expanding smoke clouds that covered the entire area. The silence of reckoning came, smoke still covered everyone''s visions, and John had Sarah shielded. As the smoke began to sweep away in opposite directions, John and Sarah were the first to see that Leon was still standing, but he was still and quiet. John let go of Sarah and walked forward, but remained cautious. Eligor was in the air behind, seeing if his attack did anything to Leon. Ravana got up, dusted himself off and before spewing his annoyance to Eligor, he saw the statue that Leon had become.


    ¡°Is, is he?¡± Jack mumbled.


    John squinted his eyes at Leon and put his hand up to him.


    ¡°Leon? Have you calmed down?¡± he said.


    Sarah clutched her chest.


    ¡°Fa-father¡­¡±


    Once all the smoke had finally cleared, Leon¡¯s face changed in the matter of a second. He growled intensely and his eyes snapped, veins were edging out from the corners as he intensely ground his teeth in agony. He brought his arms up to his abs and let out a haunting cry that froze everyone''s bone marrows. The day was no more as it became night. Leon¡¯s cry, his wail haunted the ambience of death that he was procreating with the horrifying light that was created by a glow emitting off his body. The glow was amythest and scarlet, glaring off into the newly darkened sky. His wail grew more wretched, hurt and angry. His glow pulsed out more, reflecting onto his potential victims bodies that were watching in horror.


    Ravana¡¯s shaking exponentially that Chelsea thought he was going to faint.


    ¡°Un-unbelievable¡­¡± she muttered.


    Never did Chelsea think she¡¯d ever see Ravana, a man driven by greed, lust and ego, expressing the definition of scare.


    Leon¡¯s wailing continued as it began shaking the earth and everything around them began to crumble, implode; New hills were starting to be created, as tall as skyscrapers as he continued to resent his anger to the people responsible for hurting his daughter.


    John was in full panic mode and aggressively grabbed Sarah, which made her yelp.


    ¡°Stop! Take it easy, Leon! Look, look! She¡¯s healed now!¡±


    Leon¡¯s consciousness was gone as his face was staring at the dark sky while he continued his horrifying cry that was nightmare fuel.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t stop now you¡¯ll destroy our freaking world!¡± John shouted.


    Sarah tried pulling away from his grip, but his palm was quickly placed over her scar. She felt hotness and she could tell he was healing her skin.


    ¡°You see! All gone, now just chill¡ªI SAID STOP! PLEASE, LEON!¡±


    Leon¡¯s wailing went on for one more moment until his wails transitioned into maniacal laughter. He laughed hysterically and his voice began to deepen. His laughter was the tip of the iceberg scale of fear as it made everyone crumble to their knees. Eligor flew back to the ground, and his whole body shook violently from Leon¡¯s overwhelming new presence. Lightening began to appear from the vacant dark sky, striking Leon only, repeatedly as his laughter echoed off into the night sky. With a couple more intense thin, yet horrifying lighting strikes, he stopped.


    Silence came back for a moment, and Leon broke it with muffled moans.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re doomed¡­¡± John murmured.


    He shakily shifted his head to Ravana and saw the fear in his eyes just as much as he showed back in their youth.


    ¡°Look at what you''ve done, you fool¡­¡±


    Ravana repeatedly gasped beneath his breath as they were too afraid to attack Leon. The mana, the power they sensed a minute ago was gone; They no longer could read his energy as it became too incomprehensible for them to make out, which in turn made Ravana finally realize just how more powerful he had become. His analysis, years of research, everything he thought he had planned to beat Leon, was nothing that he could imagine right now.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ a monster¡­¡± Ravana muttered.


    Leon¡¯s pupils were barely visible as he was moaning in anger. As everyone waited, suddenly, Leon let out a final cry of anger and pain, and his eyes went blank. Light propelled out of his eye sockets, mouth and the pores in his skin. His muscles expanded, his head too, and his overwhelming mana tore his face and flesh apart, blowing him up to that of a bomb test dumby. The explosion of his body sent a huge ball of light that flashed everyone''s eyes and with the expansion came with a reverse suction. The center of where Leon¡¯s shouting came from, sucked the atmospheres light and colours back into him. More and more of the atmosphere was being sucked until a flame finally formed. The faint flame shined for a minute then it became a burning inferno. A small shockwave subtly went off as Leon was visible again, but he was no longer the same man.


    Sarah was devastated for what she had to bear witness with her innocent eyes.


    ¡°No, father¡­¡±


    John was broken and collapsed to his knees.


    ¡°It¡¯s all over,¡± he said.


    Standing and growling animalistic, barbaric was a being who had a fiery, sharpened aura that resembled a mixture of iron and methane flame. His skin was chalked, his eyes were blank, his hair was long, spiked, amethyst yet loose, but most noticeably were marks around his arms; All resembling Sulfur crosses, pulsing molten red as the being growled rabidly. The sound the flame created as it was growing sounded to what the fires of hell would sound like; Screams of people being burned alive and distorted.


    John panted as he saw his close friend become the being everyone feared, the one he failed to subdue.


    ¡°Leon¡¯s gone¡­ it¡¯s Bolverkr, the destroyer.¡± John said in a dead tone.


    Leon¡¯s growling stopped and he brought out a stone cold smile that sent chills down everyone¡¯s spine. He slowly brought one hand up and pointed at the group in front of him. Everyone wondered who he was pointing at, until he eerily jolted his finger to the right, telling Shaman and Chelsea to move aside. They exposed Ravana who had his eyes bulged out.


    Bolverkr opened his mouth to form an ear to ear open mouth smile.


    ¡°You, Ravana, was it?¡±


    His voice was deep, guttural and distorted.


    ¡°You will be my first blood shed, marking the earth on its new rapture with your blood!¡±


    Ravana loudly gasped and Eligor quickly flew back to be Ravana¡¯s shield.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you kill us, Leon!¡±


    Bolverkr let out an angry shout and charged at them. His speed was undetectable and Eligor couldn¡¯t see the monster charging at him. John quickly appeared and pushed Eligor out the way. Bolverkr was scrapping the earth as his arms missed Eligor by a millimeter. Everyone quickly got out of the area, flying off in different directions. Ravana barely made it a mile off the ground until Bolverkr appeared and put his chest towards his face, and pumped it to create an explosion that sent him crashing back to the earth. Eligor and Chelsea flew towards Leon and charged at him. He laughed and put one hand to Eligor¡¯s stomach, sending him away with an explosion greater than what he gave Ravana.


    ¡°HONEY!¡±


    Eligor screamed and Chelsea went after her lover.


    Bolverkr pursued them and began firing small mana blasts at them. When Chelsea caught him and the two now holding hands, flying away from the destroyer, every blast that missed, when landed, created magnetic explosions that threw them off course and almost succumbed to just the blast waves. Bolverkr laughed and laughed as he charged more mana.


    Shaman helped Ravana out of the hole, but he let his body become dead weight from his unbearable fear towards the revived Destroyer. Shaman let him go and he collapsed to his face.


    Shaman deeply sighed and shook his head at him, looking at the Destroyer wreaking havoc in the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go help them. Even if the odds are against us now, we can¡¯t allow Leon to destroy our universe.¡±


    Shaman powered up and his long coat was burned away. His mana was in its full powerful glory. Shining the darkened environment in purple and twinkles, he began to cast a spell and a forefield formed around the edge of his body.


    He looked over his shoulder to Ravana who was barely off the ground on fours.


    ¡°So much for trying to be an oh so ruler.¡±


    Shaman levitated off the ground and in the matter of seconds his body charged up. He flew away faster than light and he joined the battle in seconds. John appeared next to Ravana, gazing at the new hell being created miles away. Seeing the three fend off the great Destroyer told by prophets and the bible made John feel disappointed at himself. But, never did John imagine that Leon would be this strong.


    He had a frown on his face and Ravana was on all fours.


    ¡°You know what¡¯s even more frightening, Ravana?¡±


    Ravana didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°His power, you may not be able to comprehend it with your weak mind, but if you could sense what I¡¯m sensing¡ª¡±


    John furrowed his brows and clenched a fist.


    ¡°¡ªits matching to that monster of an Exorcist Archard, perhaps even greater than his abilities from my knowledge.¡±


    Ravana gasped again and brought his face up to also look at the battle.


    ¡°Im-impossible!¡±


    He repeatedly gasped and sweated profusely.


    ¡°He¡¯ll kill us, he¡¯ll kill all of us! I never would¡¯ve thought he would¡¯ve grown this formidable¡­¡±


    John¡¯s eyes quivered as he saw Bolverkr relentlessly beat down Eligor into a bloody pulp and blast Chelsea away over his shoulder. Shaman summoned a spell that could easily wipe out an entire continent but to Bolverkr, it was nothing but smoke.


    ¡°Now that Leon¡¯s lost all control, broken from any one¡¯s control, he¡¯s become what Lucifer and Satan have prophesied in summoning; An enforcer to Lucifer¡¯s army of darkness and the one to lead in taking over our reality, The Legend of Abaddon.¡±


    Bolverkr roared and powered up, breaking apart everything around his presence. His vile grin didn¡¯t affect Shaman as he took him head on, but was casually blasted away by his glare. Seeing Shaman scream to the Abyss below made Ravana cower more in fear.


    ¡°He won¡¯t stop killing; in becoming the ultimate killing machine, he¡¯ll destroy everything, including this planet, then the next, then galaxies, anything in our known observable universe that shows any signs of life; It is his duty to wipe out all creation for Abaddon to take over and engage a new war on heaven.¡±


    Ravana got back to his feet and ground his teeth.


    ¡°How-how do you know so much? Wh-what are you?!¡±


    John watched more of Bolverkr¡¯s destruction as he began targeting the sky and shooting into it, destroying planets with every mana blast. Dozens, hundreds, thousands were destroyed in just twenty seconds. He laughed and powered up more, shooting a giant beam that faded out to the horizon, and John saw him wipe out entire nebulas with his all seeing eyes.


    He squinted his eyes and shut his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always had an idea of his unusual powers. Since meeting him as a kid, who destroyed his village and getting the attention of every supernatural being, I¡¯ve been watching him since his birth and his parents making a deal with the devil to have his life spared; only to be taken by the very thing they cherished.¡±


    John looked over his shoulder to Ravana, his ghoulish eyes glowing from the explosions and darkened sky.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s our time to endure the pain, the fear, that poor Leon has endured for so long from being the wedded wife of the horrid Witch of Envy. We will face our judgement and if Bolverkr the destroyer won¡¯t be the one to do so! Then The Great William H. Christ will Forsake Me And Lay Down My Judgment!¡±


    John spread his arms out, facing Ravana as his eyes glinted. His body emitted a light that seemed both heavenly, and hellish.


    ¡°For I! John Malificus, the Witch of knowledge and perception, SHALL ACCEPT HIS CONSEQUNCES FOR FAILING OUR GOD, WILLIAM H¡ªCHRIST!¡±


    John let a tear slip out his eye and it was flung off his face from another shockwave.


    "May he have Mercy on us all, Ravana, my foolish old friend."

 Arc 4 Chapter 43: Locked Away, But Not Gone

    Countries wiped out, lands scorched from the mighty death blasts from Bolverkr the Destroyer''s palm. He laughed maniacally, aiming his palm to the sky. He let out a demonic roar that opened earth¡¯s atmosphere, exposing thousands and thousands of stars. He fired and they too fell victim to his swelling mana that kept propelling out as he charged his overwhelming demonic power: Bolverkr the destroyer¡¯s laughter echoed as three of his old classmates were on the ground, standing strong, trying to stop the monster before he could destroy everything.


    Shaman pants, Eligor¡¯s growling, and Chelsea quaked in her boots.


    Clenching his fist, and charging it up, Eligor swelled his artificial muscles and aimed his palm at Leon.


    ¡°LEON!¡±


    He shot out a blast and directly hit Bolverkr. But, when the smoke cleared he was floating casually with one arm aiming to the sky. He viciously grinned at them.


    ¡°Damn it to all hell!¡±


    Shaman took aim with his palms and a sphere formed in front of it.


    ¡°Oh motherly earth! Please enact your punishment upon my Foe with your righteous strength!¡±


    The sphere grew larger in diameter with fiery particles flickering around.


    ¡°Everyone, stand back!¡±


    Bolverkr flew straight at them and Shaman released the sphere. He punched through it and landed a vicious blow to Shaman''s gut that sent him flying. He threw a backhanded fist at Eligor that also sent him flying away.


    ¡°Babes!¡± Chelsea shouted.


    Chelsea was violently shaking as Bolverkr slowly turned to her with his vicious grin smearing fear across her vision.


    ¡°Chelsea, if I remember?¡± Bolverkr growled.


    His deep guttural voice sent chills across her body. She put her Warhammer forward and it violently shook.


    ¡°You still love me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    His voice, it was too much for Chelsea. She couldn¡¯t withstand it and decided to fly away, fleeing from him.


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    He appeared in front of her and Eligor was quick to get to her. He managed to grab her before he could think of landing a hit on her. The two flew away and Bolverkr was on their tail. Shaman spat and went after them as well.


    Meanwhile on a newly formed hill, watching the rampage ongoing, Sarah and Jack were dumbfounded, astonished, but horrified at the same time. Jack saw the fear in his close friend''s face, but he also saw the sadness in her heart drench it too. Jack grabbed her hand and she clenched it. The two hugged as explosions and destruction continued.


    Jack¡¯s eyes quivered as she was softly crying on his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    Sarah moaned and couldn¡¯t bring herself to look at her father.


    ¡°I wish we could help him,¡± he said.


    Sarah gently let off his chest and sniffled. Jack saw him and watched as he casually sent a blast into the night sky, turning it into a wonderful yet horrifying display of strings that were sent into space. Stars faded, one by one, leaving the sky almost vacant, yet one star still twinkled.


    The young man eased Sarah further to look directly into her eyes as they quivered with shame.


    ¡°I feel so useless, I wish I could be strong like you all and resolve this issue myself.¡±


    Sarah wiped her eyes and grabbed Jack¡¯s hand. She interlaced her fingers with his for a moment then let go.


    ¡°Your guilt isn''t justified, Jack.¡±


    She wiped one more time and put Jack in a force field. Jack slammed his fist on the forcefield.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    She turned around.


    ¡°The burdens, the guilt that you force yourself to carry, I¡¯ll be the one to take them on.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not letting you do this alone!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stop my father, even if it costs me my life.¡±


    He continued slamming and grew frustrated.


    ¡°Sarah! Let me out!¡±


    She watched the monster that¡¯s overtaken her father¡¯s mind blast everything in his path.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    She was about to fly off until someone grabbed her wrist. She looked over her shoulder and saw that it was John.


    She pulled her hand away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and stop me, Sir.¡±


    John shook his head and scratched it afterwards.


    ¡°You younglings, sure are bold and brave these days, huh?¡±


    He put his hands on his hips and furrowed his brows.


    ¡°You can¡¯t, not right now. Just give me time to think and come up with something.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! And watch him destroy more?! He¡¯s already wiped out entire solar systems! How long before he wipes out an entire galaxy?!¡±


    John mildly nodded.


    ¡°Of course he can easily wipe out galaxies if he so chooses to. But! You have to stay back while I think of something to tame the beast.¡±


    John went forward to dramatically put his hand forward.


    ¡°For I! Am the sole responsible guardian of that devilish being! It is my duty to deal with the matter as my contract states. Unless¡­¡±


    He curiously turned his head to Sarah and had half a grin.


    ¡°... that could work,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Unfortunately, my dear girl, all we can do is watch. And I suggest we do and let them stall him until I figure this all out before William makes his appearance.¡±


    Which I think he will. John thought.


    ¡°No, screw that! I have to save my father! I-I can¡¯t stand seeing him this way¡­¡±


    She grabbed her chest and ground her teeth.


    ¡°Despite his efforts to know me, in that short amount of time we spent together, I know my father isn¡¯t the being that¡¯s present in front of us!¡±


    John smiled and went up to Sarah, putting his hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I¡¯m not the only one who sees him more than the being of destruction.¡±


    The barrier around Jack faded and he went to Sarah.


    ¡°Jack Samr, Sarah, you two, unfortunately are in my mess now. Please, be patient and watch as my ingenious mind comes up with a solution which will be passed down by generations to come!¡±


    John put his arms out and a rogue blast was coming their way. Sarah was prepared to jump in front to stop it but John¡¯s glare froze the blast and it shattered into a wondrous cloud of snowflakes.


    ¡°For I am the Witch of knowledge and perception, Malificus, the all knowing and most powerful.¡±


    Damn, that sounded really cool! As much as I hate that label on myself, it has a nice ring to it. John thought.


    Sarah was surprised by his display and praised it by staying back and acknowledging in his words. She felt confident that he was going to resolve the issue, but loathes the thought of watching. For now, she¡¯ll do as he says.


    Jack let out a sigh.


    ¡°Well, for whatever reason, if things don¡¯t go your way, John, right?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    Jack pulled his gun out and patted it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll step in if I have to, if it means that her father comes back to us.¡±


    Sarah smiled and rubbed his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything, anything, just to have her smile again.¡±


    John¡¯s eyes got big. Sarah blushed and looked back to the fight. John couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the young man who was also red but didn¡¯t realise it.


    ¡°She¡¯s found her monster it seems.¡± He muttered.


    As for the three punching bags, they all landed on a hill and braked. Smoke trialed off their clothes, they were ripped, battered, bloodied, except for Chelsea. She had minor scuffs and damage since Eligor did his best to protect the woman he loves.


    Bolverkr flew and halted in the air, staring down his victims.


    ¡°Ha ha! Do you think the three of you can face me head on?! Do you really believe you have enough power to defeat me!¡±


    Eligor stomped forward and charged his muscles.


    ¡°We won¡¯t allow the tournament situation to be repeated to a grander scale, Leon!¡±


    Shaman powered up to max and casted multiple barrier spells on himself. His abilities, his mana were all enhanced by his magic and summoned spells tenfold. Bolverkr reacted by grinning more.


    Chelsea mustered some courage to also power up to her full potential, which surprised Bolverkr.


    ¡°Impressive, you¡¯re more powerful than these two bozos!¡±


    Bolverkr manically laughed and charged up to show off his unreadable strength.


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad it won¡¯t do you any good!¡±


    He laughed and laughed, which sparked a new fire in her.


    ¡°Stops! You¡¯re not Leon! He¡¯d never act the ways you are actings! Monster!¡±


    Her Warhammer evolved and it grew twice the size and the other two men could see her new glow spark out. She screamed and then let out a war cry, and her aura sparkled in beauty. Stabbing the sky in a deep amethyst with blue sparks popping around her. Never would the two imagine should grow this strong. Even from afar, John, Ravana, Sarah could see the new Chelsea be born, which shocked Ravana.


    He felt her power rising and rising, and it made him grow nervous.


    ¡°She hid her true strength from me this entire time?!¡±


    He clenched his fists and brought one up.


    ¡°Fools¡­ especially you, Chelsea.¡±


    Seeing her aura light up and overpower everyone else''s only made him smack his teeth in annoyance.


    ¡°I always detested you.¡±


    Chelsea finished powering up and put her hammer forward, aiming it at the monster with purple hair and blank eyes. His glowing volcanic marks and horrid smile made it easier to not see Leon.


    ¡°I promise to brings Leon back to us! You fowl beast!¡±


    ¡°Me? A beast? A monster?¡±


    Bolverkr pulled his arms to himself and his power nullified all of theirs.


    ¡°I¡¯m a demon, born in the pits of hell and suffering. The wretched souls of many, their crimes, their decisions are my strength.¡±


    Chelsea and the others grew tired of his presence and all three charged at him at once. Bolverkr effortlessly dodged all of their attacks. He yelled and sent them flying back to the ground except for Chelsea. The other two crashed and she began to swing her hammer viciously. He blocked her hammer attacks repeatedly with his forearms and fists. Shockwaves were sent to the earth, shaking the planet, tearing the earth apart.


    She shouted and gave a huge boost to the next swing, which he blocked.


    ¡°You are impressive. Ha ha!¡±


    ¡°Sh-shut up!¡±


    Bolverkr smacked her hammer away and it twirled to the ground. She gasped and he charged head on, but Eligor caught him with a bear hug. He flew the two up then down to crash into the earth. Debris, smoke, rubble piled onto them.


    Eligor flew out of the rubble with more bloody scars.


    ¡°Shaman!¡±


    Shaman aimed his palms to the sky and had a spell ready for him.


    ¡°Eat the gates of hell, Bolvekr!¡±


    A huge spiral, in the shape of a galaxy of red and purple appeared above him. It swirled faster and faster until a huge beam shot out from the middle. Everyone covered their faces and averted their gazes from the bright beam of death. Bolverkr¡¯s laugh echoed as he flew straight out of the rubble and into the middle of the spiral. He reeled his arms inward and absorbed the spiraled death galaxy until it vanished out of thin air. Shaman quickly threw his arm in anger and screamed. He was about to summon another spell when Bolverkr¡¯s right arm caught him and the two ran off to the side. He made contact with a new formed mountain and he crashed him horribly into it. The mountain crumbled from the devastating crash and Shaman was nowhere to be found.


    Bolverkr slowly looked over his shoulder to the other two.


    ¡°Eligor, how much do you love Chelsea?¡±


    His guttural, villainous tone made the two shake, but Eligor¡¯s duty as her man wouldn¡¯t allow him to cower in fear. Instead, he gently pushed her back with his arm, which made her eyes quiver.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Chelsea, go.¡±


    ¡°But-but, babes?¡±


    ¡°Chelsea! Don¡¯t make me repeat myself. Go, now!¡±


    Chelsea shut her eyes and flew off.


    ¡°Leon, how dare you threaten the woman I love!¡±


    Bolverkr twitched an eye and chuckled.


    ¡°And you think it¡¯s funny?! You damned devil!¡±


    Eligor powered up his mana muscles and marched forward. Bolverkr did as well then the two suddenly exploded in a rush. They trampled forward and they collided, grabbing each other''s shoulders that sent earth shattering shockwaves. They struggled for a moment when Eligor abruptly drove an uppercut to Bolverkr¡¯s chin. His head mildly moved, but his chin absorbed the entire punch, which made Bolverkr smile. Eligor gasped and quickly, he was flung off his feet, midair with one arm being held by the destroyer. Bolverkr swung an upper hook to Eligor, sending him flying and crashing into the top of an edged cliff. The hill collapsed, bringing raindrops of huge pieces of rock to the ground.


    Chelsea was still flying, and found herself in the middle of new formed hills. She paused for a brief moment to look back and saw the rising smoke where Eligor was at. She turned away and continued forward until Bolverkr crashed out of a huge dirt wall that made her panic. She loudly gasped and he grabbed her face, flinging her to a line of hills, which she repeatedly drilled through. He flew into the new pathway with a sinister smile and threw a ball of mana at her. It exploded and her body was sent far away, making an impact against a huge abnormal hill. She fell but a part of her shirt caught a root and she was hung, unconscious and with Bolverkr watching in joy.


    ¡°Chelsea!¡± Eligor shouted as he saw her unconscious body from a distance.


    Shaman was beside him and the two flew faster to her. Suddenly, he appeared and clotheslined the two through multiple hill formations and Shaman¡¯s body was stopped on a huge root that left him printed on. Eligor was pushed through. He shouted and expanded his muscles to slip off his clothesline attack and pummel to the ground.


    He took a moment to catch his breath and grinned.


    ¡°Never would I imagine¡ªthat this is how it ends.¡±


    Bolverkr landed and chuckled.


    ¡°Is that all? Giving up already, Exor-cist?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡­ I am not one of them.¡±


    Bolverkr laughed hysterically.


    ¡°Please! You don¡¯t think I can tell a real one over a phony such as yourself?!¡±


    ¡°H-huh?¡±


    Eligor growled and his mana muscles exploded out again. They grew and grew until they were starting to crack. He aimed his palms forward and charged up a condensed blast of all his energy. Bolverkr lumbered forward while he charged his attack.


    ¡°Just as you! I also despise using distant attacks!¡±


    All of Eligor¡¯s muscles shattered and the scattered shards were sucked into his new charging attack, expanding it. He shouted and shot out the huge beam that swallowed him up. The blast drilled through miles and miles until it faded out at the edge of the horizon. Eligor panted and dropped to his knees. He moaned and spat out blood and looked up. The huge smoke cloud in front of him drifted away and Bolverkr was casually standing with a huge maniacal grin on his face while smoke trails steamed off his body.


    Eligor trembled and the demon grabbed his face, raising him off the ground.


    ¡°What was that supposed to be? E-x-c-o-r-s-i-s-t?¡±


    Eligor¡¯s eyes went blank and his arms dangled. Bolverkr let go and shot his fist forward.


    Ravana was standing, alone and the earth around him raised miles high from the punch delivered to Eligor.


    ¡°That monster¡¯s fought an entire army and is making my best people crumble to their feet.¡±


    He raised his fist and growled intensely.


    ¡°My calculations were based on years of watching the sad fool wither away from his torment! Yet, I was proven wrong in the worst way possible.¡±


    He brought his attention to the group watching on the hill below from where he stood.


    ¡°Then you showed up to make things more complicated, Malificus.¡±


    Never did I imagine Leon¡¯s strength to outgrow every calculation I predicted and foretold by fortune tellers in our cult. Ravana thought.


    He teleported and stood next to him, which spooked Sarah and Jack.


    ¡°Malificus!¡±


    John turned round and happily waved.


    ¡°Hey dingus! How¡¯s we doing?!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    He marched forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt.


    ¡°You¡¯ve known for how long?!¡±


    John squinted his eyes and grinned.


    ¡°Did you forget what my eyes are used for?¡±


    He grabbed Ravana¡¯s arm and leaned closer to his face.


    ¡°Destiny!¡±


    Ravana backed off and turned pale.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve stopped all of this. Prevented it all! Yet you stand so calmly, as the reader of a sick and twisted story!¡± Ravana exclaimed.


    John yawned.


    ¡°I can¡¯t intervene in the balance of our world. If it doesn¡¯t call for my actions then I shall not step foot in it.¡±


    Sarah didn¡¯t like that statement and stepped forward.


    ¡°What if your intentions contradict the balance and are for greater good?¡±


    John raised a brow and gripped his sharp chin.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not one to speak, but everything that you¡¯ve spoken about seems flat when, countless times, our balance has been intervened by higher powers.¡± Sarah said.


    Ravana also grew intrigued by her words and listened in.


    ¡°The stories told by my mother, the legends shown to me by her sacred books, all have been shown to be interrupted for greater good. Anything that Man has done wrong will be corrected; if not by a greater power, mother nature herself will step in and correct the errors of Man.¡±


    John nodded and mildly chuckled.


    ¡°You are definitely Samantha¡¯s twin, ain¡¯t chu?¡±


    Sarah groaned.


    ¡°What you say is true, my dear, but in cases such as this, what your mother has caused, it all has reasons for happening.¡±


    John sighed and put his hand out to the ensuing violence.


    ¡°Our world was never meant to be a part of, all that!¡±


    He balled his hand.


    ¡°Its purpose was to be as normal as possible without the existence of beings such as¡ªus!¡± he said, turning back to the three.


    Ravana shrugged and Sarah looked sad.


    ¡°When events like this happen, there¡¯s always a reason behind it. And all it takes is just the action of one being, to correct it all¡ªthe right way.¡±


    John put his hand down and frowned.


    ¡°Trust me, a Witch, like me, help you? This world? Is preposterous.¡±


    He smiled again.


    ¡°But, for a long time friend like Leon, I wish I could help. But, don¡¯t you two worry, there will be a resolution to all this, just give me time to think, I promise you.¡±


    Ravana crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Whatever you say, Malificus¡ª¡±


    ¡°John, stop calling me that!¡±


    ¡°John! If what you say is true, then that means I still have a chance in achieving my ambition once the monster is subdued.¡±


    John laughed hysterically and abruptly cut himself off.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see, Ravana, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    Back at the battleground, Shaman was pummeled to the earth, rolled over some rubble, and crashed into a hill. He struggled to get back to his feet, but quickly gave himself adrenaline to explode back to his feet and charge at Bolverkr, who just made landfall. He shot a plasma blast directly at Shaman who had his forearms up.


    His arms absorbed the blast as thick smoke trails steamed off them to out his back.


    ¡°Damn, this devil¡­¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡±


    Shaman growled and put his arms to his chest.


    ¡°Your stupid insults don¡¯t do you any good if I¡¯m still standing, freak!¡±


    ¡°Tch!¡± Bolverkr chuckled.


    Shaman shouted and ran towards the demon.


    Bolverkr casually put his hand forward and fired skinny beams at Shaman who took it head on. After one more heavy blast, he began walking backwards when the smoke cloud grew thick enough for him to grow distance between them. He was about to cast a spell when Bolverkr suddenly brought out his hysterical laughter. It caught him off guard which made the demon start spamming small balls of purple mana. He threw like a baseball pitcher in a sequence with some landing on Shaman, others missing, purposely to destroy the environment around them. He continued spamming for another five seconds, then stopped abruptly.


    The last ball hissed, whistled obnoxiously until the sound faded out to showcase the badly hurt Shaman.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give up?¡± Bolverkr laughed.


    Shaman dropped his arms and frowned.


    ¡°You, bast¡ªard¡­¡±


    He grinned and charged one last ball and threw it at Shaman. It landed directly on his chest and sent him up to the sky and exploded. Everything quiet downed for a moment. Bolverkr panted and slowly clutched his head, growling.


    From the observation of his goulish eyes, John tapped his chin and knew what was happening.


    ¡°It appears my friend is still in there.¡± he mumbled.


    John walked forward towards the edge of the cliff, overlooking the amount of devastation caused by the destroyer.


    ¡°Leon¡¯s concious is fighting the other half.¡± John said.


    Ravana smirked.


    ¡°Pity, well, if that leaves an opening for us to kill him then why don¡¯t we attack him now?¡±


    Sarah knit her brows.


    ¡°You really are scum.¡±


    Ravana smiled and flailed his hands.


    ¡°My apologies, Samantha. But, once we take care of the beast, we can go back to taking back what¡¯s ours!¡±


    ¡°Never have I wished suffering upon someone than now.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, you¡¯re aching my poor heart here.¡±


    ¡°Come on buddy, fight, fight that monster within you. Show it that it has no right taking what¡¯s yours: claim it and make it into your own power.¡± John muttered.


    Ravana felt multiple signals of mana behind him and looked over his shoulder. He found the remaining surviors of the Cult, and they all appeared terrifed, lost, and shameful.


    ¡°Oh? Now you all show your faces when I¡¯m at my worst?!¡±


    There were at least no more than a hundred left from Leon¡¯s onslaught. No one answered and only did they reply by turning away in shame, but some glared at him.


    ¡°Well?! Say something! Otherwise¡ª!¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes glowed when he glanced at the crowd. They were all frozen in place, tied by some unkown force.


    ¡°It¡¯s best that I dispose of the rest of the trash that Leon couldn¡¯t finish.¡±


    Sarah stepped in front of his line of sight with her fists clenched.


    ¡°You will do no such thing.¡±


    She put her hand behind her and freed them, which confused Ravana.


    ¡°These people were manipulated in thinking that my mother was a saviour; when that couldn¡¯t be far from the truth.¡±


    ¡°Saman¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah!¡± she shouted.


    Her dark magma aura came out, which darkened the area and caught the destroyer''s attention.


    ¡°My name is Sarah, for the last time!¡±


    The Cult members behind her stared at her with glistened eyes and their hearts were touched by her words. Her horrifying yet fiery glow was captivating, angelic almost despite having a devilish apperance.


    ¡°I think I should be the one to¡ª¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes grew wide and Ravana began to sweat. Floating in front of John was the Destroyer, and the two had a stare down.


    ¡°Ahh, I remember your pathetic faces.¡±


    Everyone prepared themselves for action, except for the Cultist¡¯s who were cowering in fear and Sarah who could only stand in shock. She grabbed her shirt as her poor heart ached seeing her father¡¯s transformation up close. Ravana nervously put one hand up and moaned. Jack put himself in front of Sarah, aiming his gun at Bolverkr.


    John stayed calm and without a worry to express.


    ¡°I thought I would never have to see that horrid transformation again.¡± John said.


    Bolverkr smiled.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re my supposed friend? Ah haha!¡±


    John also smiled.


    ¡°But of course, unless you want to be sealed again?¡±


    Bolverkr laughed hystericaly and brought his attention to the Cultists.


    ¡°Oh look. The little manipulated brainwashed fools came back to fight. Such a shame.¡±


    He turned round to bring his attention to the single star he left twinkling in the sky.


    ¡°That star, has a deep meaning to you Witche¡¯s, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    They all moaned in fear, shivered, and held one another. Ravana grew surprised about him knowing the star in question.


    He can¡¯t be mentioning about Betelgues? Ravana thought.


    He sharpened his gaze at the star and opened his palm.


    ¡°Betelegues, you¡¯re dreaming of its natural demise, thinking the comsmic waves and solar winds hitting our world will bring forth power one could dream of obttaining!¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyebrows deeply furrowed. John blew his surprise through his nostrils. The Cultist grew even more afriad when he mentioned the star¡¯s potential towards Witchcraft.


    With his back turned from them, his palm began to glow.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably dreaming for it to die sooner than predicted! Well¡­¡±


    He slowly began to turn his body halfway.


    ¡°...Allow me to accelerate that dream and turn into a reality!¡±


    He abruptly turned at them and flung his arm forward with a small purple mana ball formed in his hand.


    Everyone gasped and averted their gazes when they saw the bright purple ball coming at them. It was an inch from hitting John when it directed its course upwards to the sky. Everyone looked up and saw the purple ball twinkle away in the ambiance of space.


    Sarah stepped up and her eyes quivered as she felt the mana from the ball slowly fade away.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way. Even if it reached a star that far, it would take thousands and thousands of years for the explosions light to reach¡ª¡±


    The star exploded and the light reached them in seconds, drenching the sky from its galactic explosion. A horrid orange flash, mixed with lava and purple sparks consumed the atmosphere. The blast that Bolverkr sent off was too much, too powerful for the universe to contain; bringing its light and the great star''s death to earth in the matter of seconds.


    Sarah couldn¡¯t believe her eyes and she slowly brought her gaze back to the monster who¡¯s smiling and grinding his teeth in joy.


    ¡°Oops, it was supposed to blow up on its own, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    The rest of the Cultist¡¯s scrambled and began fleeing.


    ¡°I guess that means the rest of you all¡¯s existence is futile!¡±


    Bolverkr sent a glare that wiped them all out. Blood rained around the others and Ravana raised a balled fist.


    John put his hand up and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°You are one devilish fiend.¡±


    ¡°What do you expect? I¡¯m the embodiment of destruction and extinction?¡±


    His smile grew ear to ear as he raised one brow.


    ¡°I do what needs to be done! I am, afterall, a devil.¡±


    The three fighters flew back in unison, powering up.


    Eligor had his arm clenched as he growled forward to face him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you live, monster!¡±


    ¡°If we let this devil continue past this point, then we¡¯ll all fall in William¡¯s wrath.¡± Shaman said.


    Bolverkr laughed.


    ¡°William?! That foolish Exorcist stands no chance against me!¡±


    John also laughed, which caught Bolverkr¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You really are a fool, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± he growled.


    John leaned his head forward and expressed a horrid, wretched grin.


    ¡°There is no being equal or greater than the great William H. Christ. You are nothing, but an ant to him. You peon.¡±


    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s rich.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not arguing back? Oh, well if the mighty Bolverkr has a sense of worry for once? Need I mention the being who sealed you the first time again?¡±


    Bolverkr only laughed and the devil was close to engaging in battle again when his eyes caught on to Sarah. He paused and they shook. Sarah felt his horrid gaze on her and she slowly went up to stand next to John. He became still and his aura faded.


    Sarah gulped but let out a breath.


    ¡°Father!¡±


    Bolverkr clutched his head and loudly groaned.


    ¡°N¡­o!¡±


    He felt his power surge again, it swelled and swelled. He couldn¡¯t contain the overwhleming growth of his power and it exploded out, shooting hundreds upon hundreds of mana balls that could easily destroy whole cities as big as New york. His aura engulfed the area, it sucked the environment around them again as he powered up more and more. Explosions, shockwaves, flickering flashes of light ravaged the area as he tried controlling himself.


    With her face covered, Sarah stepped forward.


    ¡°DAD!¡±


    Bolverkr screamed and let out a horrific war cry that was filled with sorrow.


    John gasped as he slwoly turned to Sarah and was amazed.


    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ not Samantha this time.¡± he murmured.


    After a minute of Bolverkr unleshing yet again his power, it died down, and he panted heavily, but slowly to regain his senses. His aura simmered, then it faded out and he brought his gaze back to the rest, grinning maniacally.


    Shaman charged up what was left in his tank and flew at him, head on.


    ¡°Wipe that smirk off your face, devil!¡±


    Eligor flew behind and so did Chelsea. Ravana had his head down as he had to endure another reality check from what he witnessed.


    John went to Ravana and grabbed his shirt.


    ¡°Now do you understand the full extent of your silly ambition? The cost of what your greed has led us to?¡±


    John spat to the side and groaned.


    ¡°Des¡­picable, you are, Ravana. But, it¡¯s refreshing to see an old pathetic face like what you¡¯re expressing, he-he.¡±


    ¡°How do we stop him, John?¡± Ravana said.


    ¡°Hmm, well, I¡¯m not going to tell you until you do one thing for me.¡±


    Ravana clenched a fist and grit his teeth.


    ¡°And if you refuse, then I¡¯ll be glad to get rid of the cancer that you are.¡±


    Ravana finally gave in and looked at John¡¯s face.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He tossed Ravana past his side so he could see his friends do their best to fight the monster.


    ¡°Go out there and fight. Or at least show some sort of effort of caring for your friends.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    Sarah heard their conversation and shook her head. She dreads watching her father continue his onslaught. Jack walked to be beside her and put his hand on her shoulder, which got her attention.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s going to be okay.¡±


    Sarah frowned.


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, Jack. to be honest, I was beginning to doubt that we could even save him. Until¡­¡±


    Ravana powered up, which distracted them and Sarah was able to see a good glance at his strength.


    ¡°You want me? Me! To show empathy?! As if!¡±


    Ravana shouted and he growled.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ravana, the Esper who turned to Witchcraft, in hopes of being supreme ruler of our reality!¡±


    He launched himself and headed into the action. Sarah¡¯s eyes furrowed as she watched the bright crimson jewel fade into the plethora of explosions.


    ¡°I-If that¡¯s his full strength, then I never stood a chance.¡± she said.


    ¡°Pateince, my dear.¡± John said.


    He was smiling as he approached the two.


    ¡°You are the most powerful here besides your father.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Jack nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But, as for him, he is formidable because of the spell he learned and permanently marked into his brain. An ability lethal to kill almost anything, even me.¡±


    John shook his head and raised his hands.


    ¡°Too bad, because with an ability like that he could easily defeat everyone here. He¡¯s just a big showoff and stuck up, which makes him weak.¡±


    ¡°What is his ability? Is it that glare?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just a glare, it¡¯s the spell behind it and how he can manipulate the space and time in front of him; Simply put, he could turn a normal rock into a lethal object powerful enough to blow up a town, a city, a continent, or even this world. By doing nothing but standing and looking pretty, the guy can easily wipe anything in his path: The spell in name is Gaelic, fordugus!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s face went blank.


    ¡°What? Why¡¯re you looking at me so coldy. Uh! You look like your mother so much, Goddamn you¡¯re hot!¡±


    Sarah slowly backed away and cringed.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m starting to realise why she finds you annoying, and I¡¯ve barely even known you. Kinda strange that I could relate this way so distinctavely.¡±


    John grew a suspicious grin and said nothing.


    Jack deeply sighed but he was glad to see Sarah react to her usual self.


    ¡°I may be the side character, but I¡¯m glad I''m not in your shoes right now, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes and smacked his arm.


    ¡°Shut up, let''s just keep thinking of a way to get my dad back to his senses.¡±


    Meanwhile, at the battlefield, Chelsea delivered a vicious blow to his cheek. Bolverkr on the other hand stood with his arms crossed as Eligor also came in to deliver a nasty left hook to his other cheek. Both of their fists budged against his face as he stood with a smug grin on his face.


    Shaman took a deep breath and absorbed the moisture around his vicinity.


    ¡°Dear motherly earth, please smite my enemy in your sadness; Drench my foe in your agony as I turn your tears into blades.¡±


    The moisture crystilzed into sharp jewels and expanded to rapidly spin in front of him.


    Bolverkr grabbed the two¡¯s necks and headbutted their faces against each other. The spell Shaman was summoning was done and Bolverkr flung them away and ran towards him.


    ¡°Smite thee and turn my foe into specs of crimson!¡±


    The crystals broke and the dust particles ignited the momentum, shooting a glorious beam of blue and white. Bolverkr was swallowed by the light and the beam hissed as it still went on. Shaman growled to contain the force, but unfortunately, Bolverkr¡¯s hand erupted out of the beam and he grabbed Shaman¡¯s face.


    He lifted him off his feet and smirked.


    ¡°Impressive display, but it won¡¯t do you any good if it drains your life force as well.¡±


    Shaman struggled in his grip and he punched him away. He tumbled to the ground as Bolverkr ran towards his tumble weeding body. He caught up, kicked him up, off the ground mid air, and blasted him away from the area. Shaman was sent flying and in a glimpse, he saw Ravana floating, expressing regret and frustration. He made landfall behind the gang and exploded his arm out the crater he was buried in. He saw John, Sarah, and Jack watching the battle.


    He climbed out and limped towards them, grabbing his left arm.


    ¡°John!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± he answered while looking over his shoulder.


    ¡°How do we break him? Le-Leon, how do we get him back?!¡±


    John tapped his chin.


    ¡°Still thinking.¡±


    Shaman growled.


    ¡°Come on, quit screwing around, you already know the answer!¡±


    ¡°Does he now?¡± Sarah replied.


    She stuck her hip out, sassy-like, and crossed her arms. John moved his eyes erratically as he felt her sass glare at him.


    ¡°Oh¡­?¡±


    Sarah furrowed her brows at John.


    ¡°What does he mean you already know the answer?¡±


    Sarah then exploded her eyes and pointed at his face.


    ¡°Wait a minute¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been stalling this entire time and already had an answer!¡±


    John tapped his fingers against each other and nervously hunched.


    ¡°Heh¡­ you caught me. Gosh damn it, you vile party pooper, Shaman! Why couldn¡¯t you¡¯ve stayed over there getting your ass handed to you by Bolverkr.¡±


    Shaman frowned.


    ¡°Because I was blasted over here, you asshole.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha! And that¡¯s my problem, why?¡±


    ¡°Enough! You two.¡±


    Sarah looked over to Shaman, who was a bloody, bruised mess.


    ¡°Thank you, for still looking after me.¡±


    Shaman¡¯s eyes glistened as he did his best to not imagine Samantha. Although, an apparition of her appeared next to Sarah, mimicking her movements to deceive his brain.


    He shook his head, and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, for ever getting you in this mess.¡±


    He also glanced at Jack, and bowed his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for also having your sister potentially involved.¡±


    Jack looked away, but Sarah elbow bumped him so he could face him.


    He deeply sighed and shrugged.


    ¡°You can make it up to her by letting her still work at your dumb shop if this gets resolved.¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°Alright, I will.¡±


    While the two were making amends, John decided to let them know the answer and brought his gaze to Sarah. Sarah didn¡¯t like the way he was staring at her, but it wasn¡¯t malicious, although it did feel creepy to her.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    John went up to Sarah and put his hands on her tiny shoulders.


    ¡°You are the answer to his rage, the calm of his storming heart: Sarah¡­¡±


    He crept up to her ear, and lowered his voice that gave her chills.


    ¡°You¡¯re not who you think you are, my dear. But, you can change that, if you can manage to break Leon and subdue the demon he was forced to harbor.¡±


    He licked his lips and took a breath before whispering his last words.


    ¡°You¡¯re Samantha, after all, aren¡¯t chu?¡±


    Sarah froze and her eyes flickered both her mother¡¯s eyes and the crimson ones everyone detests.


    ¡°Or are you S-a-r-a-h? Make the choice and free yourself and bring forth the freedom you gave yourself, long ago, my dear.¡±


    Sarah could feel her body grow light, she could see her mother¡¯s memories, the academy, John''s young face, their old group, and especially, Mandy¡¯s.


    She gasped and clutched John¡¯s arms, grunting in pain.


    ¡°Let him know, let him choose, but more notably¡­¡±


    John crept off and smiled.


    ¡°...it¡¯s time for you to choose, once and for all, S-a-r-a-h."

 Arc 4 Chapter 44: Last Ditch Effort

    Basking in the ambiance of the resurrection of a sealed creatine: William H. Christ stood grand and tall, enjoying the show playing on his glass screen. His partner, Archard was growing worried that if the events continued, then there won¡¯t be no world to save before their arrival.


    Feeling frustrated and revolted about Bolverkr¡¯s awakening, Archard cleared his throat to get his master''s attention.


    ¡°Uh, Sir William?¡±


    William¡¯s pupils jolted to the right.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not our problem yet, but I think it would be in our best interests to step in and stop before he goes berserk.¡±


    William grinned.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Archard groaned.


    ¡°So, are we going to step in, then?¡±


    William chuckled.


    ¡°Oh, my dear friend, Archard. Let us not haste. It¡¯s our duty to observe, watch before we have to interject in their pesky squabble.¡±


    ¡°But, sir?¡±


    ¡°But, nothing, Archard. Be careful what you say next. I¡¯m already annoyed enough by their actions.¡±


    Feeling off put by William¡¯s recent decision making, Archard wanted to take matters into his own hands. He summoned a portal behind him that led to the battlefield.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going by God¡¯s actions, then I¡¯ll do your work.¡±


    He turned to the portal.


    ¡°I have unfinished business with all those fools,¡± he muttered.


    Before he could even take a step, his portal was vaporised into steam. William appeared behind the smoke and grabbed Archard¡¯s neck, choking him.


    ¡°S¡­ir¡­?!¡±


    William tilted his head with a still face.


    ¡°You know, Archard, your mouth and actions as of lately have been really troublesome to my mental state.¡±


    He clutched harder, which made Archard struggle more for air.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been even asking myself, as to why I still have you by my side?¡±


    William¡¯s golden eyes glinted.


    ¡°I mean, for someone profoundly holy¡­ you are the most sinful in my group.¡±


    Archard¡¯s eyes watered and his struggling breathing made it worse as his windpipe was being crushed.


    ¡°You may not be the most sinful in my group''s history, but you have been the most troublesome, hateful, and envious I had thus far.¡±


    Archard¡¯s eyes were beginning to roll back as William¡¯s eyes began to glow.


    ¡°You¡¯ve committed murder, torture, damned¡ªOUR GOD! Soly for the purpose of your greedy mindset. Sometimes, I wonder if it was best to leave you back at that jungle and have you fall in the hands of the veitkong like you were destined to.¡±


    William shut his eyes for a moment.


    ¡°But, God told me to save you. He saw something in you, something I¡¯ve yet to recognize. Heh, I was even beginning to doubt him at one point, especially when I found out you were labeled Archard the terrible by everyone else.¡±


    Archard¡¯s let go of William¡¯s arms and they hung, motionless.


    William let out a deep sigh and threw Archard to the side. He violently coughed and gagged, grabbing his throat, trying to catch his breath as he gasped repeatedly.


    William walked forward to go back to the screen.


    ¡°You should consider yourself lucky that God wants your life spared. Otherwise, if it were up to me, friend or family, I would¡¯ve disposed of you no matter the odds, despite our history I won¡¯t hesitate exterminating you, Archard.¡±


    Archard slammed his fist on the ground and grunted.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so-sorry!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, a fool you¡¯ve become, Archard. Your emotions and hatred have bested you. You are lost and God has a path for you to take, which is why your life still continues.¡±


    William crossed his arms and summoned a chair to sit on.


    ¡°And this time, I can¡¯t intervene. Whatever happens to you, you shall accept and face your decision, no matter the consequences.¡±


    Archard weakly stood up and gasped again for more air.


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t¡­ me-mean to go against your¡ª¡±


    ¡°GOD!¡±


    ¡°Go-God¡¯s action¡­ I¡¯m just trying to have things settled before they get worse.¡±


    William sighed.


    ¡°You must not worry, Archard. For God has a plan for me to step in. It¡¯s not a matter of how, or why?¡±


    William squinted his eyes at the screen, smiling.


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of when and who will activate my reason to step in and correct the flow of reality.¡±


    William¡¯s smile turned upside down and his magical power turned the entire dimension into a flashing sparkling dust hell.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, Witch of Envy¡­¡±


    The screen shattered into pieces and the shards of glass displayed Samantha, who was also watching the battle from her home. William¡¯s eyes shook as he tapped his fingers on the edge of the chair. On other shards of glass the battle continued and was beginning to spiral more out of control.


    William lay back and blinked softly.


    ¡°Sometimes, God¡­ I loathe being your right hand, my lord.¡± he murmured.


    ***


    Explosions, violence, earthquakes repeatedly going off; Bolverkr just finished pummeling a barrage of punches to both men as his eyes caught Chelsea again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your death will be painful, my dear!¡±


    Chelsea clenched her fists and whistled for her hammer to return to her palms.


    ¡°You, damned, devil!¡±


    ¡°Bwahaha!¡±


    It twirled out from the distance and glued to her opened palms. She swirled it around to build momentum and swung it in her peripheral view. It sent rippling winds towards Bolverkr to which he took head on. He chuckled and with one more swing, it created an electrical sphere that was going out of control. She screamed and batted it to him. He caught it and she teleported behind him, swinging the hammer on his back. He furrowed his brows as she kept swinging with all her might. It did nothing but bounce off his back, but she was charging her swings with more and more momentum with each strike.


    ¡°You¡¯re becoming a pest,¡± he said.


    He shattered the ball and the pieces of mana erupted around him in a hot light.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Face your oblivion!¡± she shouted.


    Her hammer was molten hot and had a tremendous amount of mana built up around it. She quickly backed off and aimed it at his back.


    Bolverkr raised the edge of his lip.


    ¡°Hmph, not bad.¡±


    The shattered pieces exploded and created a new rippling vortex. She fired the built up momentum and it spiraled around the vortex. Her eyes grew glinted and she rushed towards the atomic atom she made Bolverkr into. She spun and used her momentum to collide the hammer against one of the thick swirls and a silent devastating explosion occurred. A horrifying white noise conquered the area and everyone''s ears were ringing. Everyone covered their ears as the massive explosion turned a white flash into a glorious sunset that drenched the sky. John was the only one along with Ravana who weren¡¯t fazed by the sound. They remained where they were and watched in both terror and glory.


    Ravana took his head to the sky as the flash faded out.


    ¡°You lying sack of shit, Chelsea.¡± he said while chuckling afterwards.


    He brought his glance back to where the explosion occurred and saw Bolverkr casually floating where he stood. Chelsea was out cold as her head leaned against the monster''s pale chest. With a vile smile on his face, Bolverkr gently grabbed her chin and looked at her expressionless face.


    Ravana grinned.


    ¡°You should consider yourself lucky, that he¡¯ll be the one to kill you, and not I, Chelsea.¡±


    Bolverkr saw an open wound on her skinny arm and dug his finger into it. He twirled it to see if she¡¯d react. To his surprise, she didn¡¯t and remained a motionless corpse.


    He tilted his head and let her go.


    ¡°You may not be dead, but you¡¯ll soon see everyone else once I obliterate this whole reality!¡±


    Her body fell, like a feather and landed softly on a pile of rubble and dirt.


    Ravana laughed and clutched his face in anger.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he dispose of the trash?!¡±


    He loudly moaned, groaned and couldn¡¯t retain every ounce of frustration he¡¯s dealt with since the beginning of Leon¡¯s assault.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sick of everyone!¡±


    Ravana powered up and screamed out his anger.


    ¡°I WON¡¯T ALLOW MY AMBITION TO FIDDLE AND DIE!¡±


    He charged forward and flew less than a second towards Bolverkr. The devil turned to see who¡¯s about to be his next victim. Seeing Ravana¡¯s glowing crimson eyes approaching him made him laugh hysterically.


    Ravana vilely grinned and shut his eyes for a moment.


    ¡°Prepare to be vanquished by my almighty spell, LEON!¡±


    Bolverkr¡¯s smile turned to a half grin that twitched half his face.


    ¡°Then show me how you¡¯ll do such a thing, fool!¡±


    The envious man opened his eyes and Bolverkr was frozen in place. He flew over him and tapped his chin, then flicked it. For a moment nothing happened, leaving Bolverkr dumbfounded. That was until his face erupted in fire and an atomic explosion went off, turning where Bolverkr was floating into a collapsing sun. A blackhole formed and his body was the collapsed source. The hole vanished along with the explosion and Bolverkr was nowhere to be seen.


    Ravana laughed and pointed where he once was.


    ¡°IT IS YOU! Who¡¯s the fool, Leon!¡±


    Sarah along with the others couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. Seeing Ravana¡¯s attack easily wipe out Bolverkr and have him vanish from reality had them gasping and shaking. Sarah thought her father was killed, and grew angry, firing up that flame hidden inside her soul. The confident Cult leader floated with his chest out and grinning maniacally, feeling unstoppable.


    He laughed and turned to the group, aiming his glare at John.


    ¡°I was worried, all this time? over¡ªLeon?!¡±


    He laughed out loud and put his hands to the sky.


    ¡°Glorious! I¡¯ve become! I¡¯m even more powerful than I presumed to be!¡±


    John also laughed and shook his head, which halted Ravana¡¯s self glorification.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny? Malificus! Afraid that you¡¯re laughing away your fear before succumbing to my awesomeness?!¡±


    John wiped his eyes and gently pointed his finger in Ravana''s direction.


    ¡°You should take a look behind you, you egotistical douchebag!¡±


    Huh?!¡±


    Ravana looked over his shoulder and a tiny white dot, the size of a penny was visible. He tilted his head at the light, but a thin smear emerged and it wrapped around his face. The light exploded and Bolverkr climbed out of the expanding light, laughing hysterically. The light submerged within his horrific aura and his hand began to make the Cult leaders face twitch. His veins were thick, enlarged from the sheer rage he was experiencing.


    Bolverkr gave him a vicious blow to his gut, which made him grunt.


    ¡°You are a fool!¡± Bolverkr exclaimed.


    Ravana¡¯s eyes grew redder and his body exploded with all the rage he had within him. The force of the explosion separated the two and Bolverkr was quick to attack him again. Ravana effortlessly dodged the punch that would¡¯ve killed him. Swinging above him, he delivered a shattering kick to the side of his face. Bolverkr didn¡¯t react, yet it wasn¡¯t enough to have Ravana stop his assault. It motivated him to deliver another attack that he summoned from the heavens by slicing the air in his way. He ripped open reality and behind the cut was a red and black plasma dimension covered in clouds of crimson.


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    A giant red beam emerged from the ripple, striking Bolverkr and sending him back down to the earth. Bolverkr roared and the beam split, scattered around the area. Ravana emerged in front, tapping his chest that sent electromagnetic shockwaves across his body. Each tap shook the ground, ripping it away. He backed off, shouting as he began tossing small balls of plasma at the destroyer. The destroyer stomped his way towards Ravana. Menacingly, he kept closing the gap while Ravana continued throwing balls and chucking them even faster to have him stop.


    ¡°Just die already!¡± Ravana shouted.


    Bolverkr¡¯s grin grew more as he was within arms reach of Ravana.


    Ravana gasped and tried flying back to grow distance, but the destroyer instantly vanished and reappeared in his face. He clotheslined the ego maniac until they made contact to a tall hill. It created a huge expanded crater behind Ravana and Bolverkr¡¯s hand was covering Ravana¡¯s face. He applied heavy pressure to push his head deeper into the hill until Ravana finally succumbed to his defeat.


    Bolverkr licked his lips and Ravana shut an eye.


    ¡°So, you really are this pathetic, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    He let go and Ravana fell face first to the dirt, although unscathed.


    ¡°A true piece of trash.¡±


    Bolverkr then stomped on his back and created an earthquake from the heavy force. He laughed and flew off towards where Eligor was helping Chelsea get back on her feet. They were barely standing from all the damage they had consumed. He hovered above them and his vile grin told the two that their demise was set in stone.


    Eligor coughed and spat to the side, powering up the remainder of his tank.


    ¡°Ba-babes¡­ we have to leave.¡±


    Eligor had released the last of his mana and ignored his lover.


    ¡°Babes!¡±


    Chelsea¡¯s distraught tone hit home for Eligor. It reminded him of the time he found her crying alone back at the academy. She was sitting at the front of the school, hugging her legs as she sat against the wall of the building. Having been rejected by Leon and insulted by Samantha, she thought she would never find someone to be by her side. Eligor saw her and quickly went to check on his crush.


    ¡°I don¡¯ts understands why Samantha¡¯s hates me! I did nothings to her¡­¡±


    Hearing the same tone, her expression, made him from that day forward resent Samantha, but also grow a rivalry towards Leon. Despite being there for her, her feelings for Leon never changed. Even when she finally accepted his feelings, he knew, deep down, she still loved Leon.


    Seeing the monster grinning at him, the same grin he expressed the day of the tournament fueled his anger. In spite of knowing he¡¯d face his death, Eligor wasn¡¯t going to back down, not without one final attack.


    He could smell his demise and Chelsea wasn¡¯t accepting it.


    ¡°Babes, I¡¯m not leaving you alone!¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Eligor smiled and he turned round to her. He gave her one final kiss and grabbed her chin.


    ¡°I love you. Now go!¡±


    Chelsea¡¯s eyes glistened and she bumped heads with him.


    ¡°I loves you too¡­¡±


    Bolverkr laughed and rushed them.


    ¡°GO!¡±


    Eligor¡¯s mana muscles erupted and he flung Chelsea away from the scene. She screamed, reaching her hand out to him as he shrunk away by the second. She crashed in front of the gang and John helped her up.


    She quickly ran to the front of the hill and hovered her hands at the edges of her mouth.


    ¡°BABES!¡±


    Eligor heard her scream and he sighed.


    ¡°Leon, I really am envious of you, my friend.¡±


    Bolverkr laughed and powered mildly.


    Eligor also powered up and charged towards the destroyer. The two collided palms and their clash sent a giant shockwave.


    ¡°Ready to accept your fate?¡± Bolverkr said.


    Eligor expressed half a grin.


    ¡°Whatever you say, you monster.¡±


    Eligor let out a war cry as he did his best to budge the destroyer forward. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t even manage to make the destroyer scratch a pitch of dirt. He was glued to the ground and laughed at Eligor¡¯s determined face. Eligor¡¯s muscles shattered and he let go of the destroyer¡¯s hands, surprising him. He fell forward and he pulled back his right knee, driving it fiercely at his face. It made him gasp as his knee met inbetween the destroyer¡¯s eyes. The intensity of the knee strike was heard across the area, which had everyone surprised.


    Eligor punched him dozens of times and pulled one arm back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re all powerful¡­!¡±


    He drove his arm forward with mana built into his fist. It landed directly onto the destroyer¡¯s chest and created sparks around them. Bolverkr growled as his chest and Eligor¡¯s fist were two nuclear fusions flashing the world in red and white.


    ¡°...it will never stop me from protecting the person that I love!¡±


    Eligor drove his fist more and Bolverkr¡¯s feet began to drag.


    ¡°LEON! I WILL SURPASS YOU AND CLAIM CHELSEA¡¯S HEART!¡±


    The two shouted and an electrical storm formed in-between them. It expanded and an deafening explosion went off. Dust particles and small specs of what was left of Eligor¡¯s attack settled around the area and Chelsea collapsed to her knees.


    Eligor was caught in Bolverkr¡¯s arms and he began to crush him with a bearhug. Eligor struggled to break free and his breathing grew heavier by the second.


    He coughed out blood as Bolverkr squeezed him more.


    ¡°Did you really think an attack like that would put me down?¡±


    Eligor brokenly chuckled as he felt one of his lungs collapsed.


    I¡¯m sorry¡­ Chelsea. He thought.


    ¡°Quite unfortunate. Here, let me put an end to your envy and misery.¡±


    Bolverkr let go and slammed his head to the ground. He grabbed his face and began spinning him around. His maniacal laughter echoed as he grew more malicious with his spinning. Eligor caught a glimpse of the gang and saw his lover''s destroyed expression. He let out a tear as his vision blurred. Bolverkr abruptly stopped and suddenly flung Eligor to the sky and expanded it out to expose the sun to everyone. Eligor¡¯s body grew smaller and smaller, until, eventually, he was nothing but a small dot.


    A tiny glint erupted onto the surface of the sun and Chelsea was devastated. She bawled her eyes out and screamed. Her screams were music to Bolverkr¡¯s ears as well as Ravana¡¯s who was watching in a sitting position.


    Bolverkr shook his head as he felt the rays of the sun sooth his chalked skin.


    ¡°With the sun exposed to the atmosphere, it¡¯s only a matter of seconds until everyone in this world succumbs to the solar winds.¡±


    He spread his arms out to feel the solar winds, but the sky had shut and it was back to being dark and gloomy. He groaned and felt someone approaching his area. He turned to the right and saw a small womanly figure walking to him. He squinted his blank eyes at the figure and saw who was coming. At first he growled in shock, but quickly shook his head and let out a nervous yet excited cackle.


    It was Sarah, who took one more step forward, pausing with her fists clenched. Her arms quivered both in anger and fear. She took a deep breath and revealed her serious glare towards the destroyer.


    The demon slowly opened his mouth to express a vile open mouth smile.


    ¡°Aby¡­zou, so nice of you to join.¡±


    He grinded his teeth and deeply knit his brows.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to kill you with my bare hands, Saman¡­tha?¡±


    Sarah could hear her father¡¯s voice interrupt his tone. It confidently gave her more of a reason to beat the demon and rescue her dad. The fact the demon is referring to both names is a telltale sign her father¡¯s still in there.


    She had a serious face and didn¡¯t answer him.


    Bolverkr brought out his horrendous aura and tilted his head.


    ¡°Still won¡¯t attack? Is the thought of dying too much for you to bear?¡± he chuckled.


    Sarah got in her fighting stance, similar to her father¡¯s which threw off the destroyer and had him growling more.


    ***


    Back where the gang was at, while Shaman was comforting Chelsea over Eligor¡¯s demise, Jack and John were watching closely.


    ¡°Are you certain the key to getting Leon back is Sarah?¡± Jack asked.


    John nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s no other being who can wake him up besides Samantha. And in fairness, the closest in resemblance would be her own flesh and blood, would it not?¡±


    ¡°Damn, I hate that you¡¯re more correct about that than the obvious.¡±


    ¡°Precisely, and it¡¯s even better that they¡¯re practically identical!¡±


    ¡°To the bone, even. I mean, the only difference between them is there hair, a little bit of the height¡ª¡±


    ¡°Remember, she wears heels, not Sarah.¡±


    ¡°Right. And finally, I guess there¡­ tits?¡±


    ¡°Bwahaha, the young man even noticed!¡±


    Jack raised a brow as he turned to John.


    ¡°Wait? That would mean you also noticed because you also were checking Sarah out, right?¡±


    John froze and nervously forced a cough.


    ¡°Enough talk of sexual preference. Back to what¡¯s happening.¡±


    He cleared his throat and got serious again.


    ¡°In the past, whenever Leon¡¯s mana would spiral out of control or potentially be consumed by that wretched thing attached to his soul; there was only one being who could succumb the beast.¡±


    He grinned and pointed in their direction.


    ¡°And she¡¯s the embodiment of his once peace. If he could be convinced that they¡¯re not the same person, then we might have a chance in getting back our depressed friend.¡±


    Jack had high hopes for John¡¯s words. Being someone oblivious to the supernatural and just started being introduced into it, there¡¯s no one else who he had faith in right now. Feeling confident in his words, but worried for Sarah¡¯s safety, the young man stayed on edge just in case things turned for the worse.


    He had his gun in one hand and intensed his grip.


    ¡°If things don¡¯t turn out the way you¡¯re predicting, I won¡¯t have a second thought in jumping in to save her.¡±


    John chuckled.


    ¡°And I realize you would do something so heroic yet stupidly that¡¯ll get yourself killed. Don¡¯t worry¡ª¡±


    John put one hand to his hip and softly grinned.


    ¡°¡ªShe¡¯s got this, Jack Samr.¡±


    ***


    At the battlefield, Sarah and Bolverkr were still glaring at each other. He was cackling maniacally. Sarah, meanwhile, remained calm and ambiguous. Sarah took a deep breath and once she had let out her breath, Bolverkr launched into the air, destroying the hill he was standing on. It avalanched and collapsed while Sarah began her charge at him. She leaped into the air and drove her right fist towards the destroyer who was flying straight at her. Sarah shouted but Bolverkr¡¯s immense aura had absorbed her punch and stuck her in. He clotheslined her and she fell back to the earth, backside. The crater behind her almost collapsed but she quickly kicked back up. The destroyer was levitating fast to her and she gasped, flying away as he approached her. His aura expanded and captured her, rupturing, bursting her away for him to send a small blast of mana at her flung body.


    She was lying, face first on the ground and heard his horrid laughter.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    She got on fours and let out a breath.


    ¡°How am I withstanding his attacks with as little as a scratch?¡±


    Hold up¡­


    She remembered her mothers blessing and realized that her father¡¯s barrier was still protecting her, or what¡¯s left of it.


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for both of their barriers, I probably would¡¯ve been flattened into a pancake.¡±


    She got back up and faced where Bolverkr was menacingly standing on the edge of a hill. He appeared irratated and twitched an eye.


    He growled beneath his breath and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Strange. Even from all that, you¡¯re barely showing a scratch.¡±


    Sarah blew steam out her nostrils and charged again. She flew straight to him and he widened his eyes. Gravity hit Sarah¡¯s direction, pinning her back to the earth as she struggled to get off on her fours. She grunted and felt the ground shaking. She struggled to look ahead, but once she could, she saw the destroyer running at her as he shook the earth with every step. She gasped and powered up her mana, flying off the ground. He leaped towards her, caught her ankle and pitched her back to the ground. She crashes face first, dragging for a mile. She moans in pain, but feels her skin still intact. She heard his approach and dug her hands into the earth.


    ¡°You should be dead!¡± he shouted.


    She buried her arms deeper and scooped them out, erupting enormous mountains around them. Bolverkr yelled as one blocked his view from where he last saw her. He blasted the mountain into smithereens and saw her gone. His vile grin grew more as he turned to his right, throwing his arm and shooting a mana blast at a mountain. It blew the mountain up and exposed Sarah who was charging up her mana. She vanished and appeared below, shooting fire out of the centre of her palm. Bolverkr screamed and flew out of the wide flame that had swallowed him.


    He was high in the sky and screamed in anger, throwing multiple balls of mana from where she was floating.


    ¡°Wretched¡ªWITCH!¡±


    A multitude of explosions had Sarah in a panic as she ran, hopped, leaped, bounced from hills, mountains, edges, until she ultimately found herself out in the open. Bolverkr saw her and his speed had increased tenfold, shocking Sarah into a frozen state. She loudly gasped as he rushed her and gave her a devastating clothesline that made her pummel horribly to her backside. Denting the ground behind her body, coughing out spit, the destroyer jumped high into the air and drove his giant fist forward, diving straight into her abdomen.


    The impact shook the entire planet, making a horrible world ending crunch. Sarah¡¯s face was whiter than before as she shook voilently from the pain she was given. She squirmed as he still had his fist jammed into her abdomen, screaming in pain. He laughed viciously and jumped again, repeating the same attack. Her screams were heard not only from everyone spectating, but even the whole globe could hear her horrid screams. His laughter grew more malicious with each fist jab, repeating the attack over and over again. She had become a trampoline for his fist and enjoyment as she began to spit out crimson with every traumatic force.


    Bolverkr gave her one more devastating fist jam and kept it embedded for a moment. He licked his lips and leaped off, hopping away as the ground behind her small body crumbled into the earth. Everyone watched in fear and grew worried for her well being, but more notably, Jack Samr was anxious about stepping in. John on the other hand was still confident and his smile hadn¡¯t faded at all.


    That¡¯s it, show him, express the side of you that makes you his flesh and blood. John thought.


    Bolverkr felt heat coming his way and saw a fiery red glow coming out of the entrance of the crater.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    Sarah¡¯s aura was out, charged, and her face was as serious as before.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking damage?!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s teeth were ground as she growled.


    How? How do I wake up my father?! I¡¯ve used attacks he showed me. She thought.


    Bolverkr stood with his arms raised to his sides, fist clenched in anger. Sarah shook her head and thought about her next move. Then, it struck her: the flame attack she used on him made him panic, which gave her a reason as to why he freaked out.


    He screamed at me, calling me a Witch. My mother taught me to bend nature, especially fire. And dad, he¡¯s still recovering from the trauma of my mother.


    She dropped her guard for a moment and shut her mouth, frowning.


    I have to stop thinking like my mother and behave like my father.


    ¡°Otherwise, how else will I convince myself and my dad that I¡¯m my own being and not just a¡ª¡±


    Before Sarah could finish self monologuing, Bolverkr let out a war cry and began to charge her again.


    She tried to quickly regain her stance but he was too quick and he sent a huge ball of mana that trailed off his palm. It made an impact on Sarah, sending her away where she crashed against the side of a hill. She screamed and Bolverkr¡¯s laughter grew more sadistic. She was sent drilling through the hill, eventually crashing back out in the open. Her body dragged, carving the earth, face first. She grunts as she coughs out in pain. The destroyer didn¡¯t give her the chance to exhale and grabbed her ankle, hurtling her against another hill where she remained embedded with half a grin.


    Bolverkr flew away to grow some distance between them.


    ¡°You vile¡­ Witch. Why is it difficult to inflict a scar on you?¡± he said.


    He exploded a glare in her direction and the hill ruptured into a crashing explosion. A smoke cloud erupted to the sky, worrying Jack and the others. Meanwhile, John is still as calm as ever.


    The smoke was blown away from Sarah¡¯s aura that exploded out again. She marched out of the debris and was in the open. She growled and squinted her eyes in anger at the destroyer.


    ¡°Your persistence is annoying.¡± he said.


    Sarah raised a fist and repeatedly clenched it.


    ¡°Fa¡­ther¡­¡± she muttered.


    Bolverkr powered up more and leaped off and ran at her. He was laughing hysterically, but brokenly as the distance between them kept on shortening.


    From John¡¯s point of view, they heard a horrible crash of flesh and fist that sent shivers across everyone¡¯s bodies: And Sarah¡¯s wretched scream from the impact pushed Jack on the edge of impatience.


    ¡°Damn it! I have to go help her!¡± he shouted.


    John put his arm forward, stopping him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t intervene, young man.¡±


    ¡°But¡­?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any faith in your friend?¡±


    Jack moaned and smacked his teeth.


    ¡°I-I do¡­ but-but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then relax. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself again.¡±


    John lowered his arm and combed his punk side bangs.


    ¡°She¡¯s got this.¡±


    Sarah was frustrated, panted, repeatedly growled beneath her breath.


    ¡°No matter how much you think you¡¯ve damaged me. Your attacks ar-are futile when I¡¯m your¡ªdaughter!¡±


    Sarah clenched her fists and got in a charging pose.


    ¡°BECAUSE IT¡¯S ME¡ªS-A-R-A-H, YOUR DAUGHTER!¡±


    Her yelling pinched a nerve in Bolverkr¡¯s mind, making the destroyer twitch an eye, violently. He growled viciously and maintained his composure. The spectators were eager to see how she would beat him, and hearing her yell that was embodied with her true emotions only made this a true spectacle in the making. But, the earth began to shake violently, throwing everyone''s balance off and they heard rocks crumble, being smashed by a tremendous force from the distance.


    ¡°Come on, Sarah, just a little more and he¡¯ll snap. Trust yourself.¡± John said.


    A mountain was being split in half by a momentum force, pushing something through it. Sarah was the chisel as Bolverkr pounded her abdomen repeatedly to push her body through the mountain. She screamed, yelled, spat blood, saliva and felt the terrible punches trying to break through the barrier around her body. Bolverkr¡¯s expression was filled with determination, frustration, anger as he pounded Sarah into oblivion. He grunted and gave her a huge straight jab to her chest that sent her flying, crashing out of the mountain where she made contact to the side of another hill. He was quick to arrive to give her one more blow that pushed her body in, denting the hill behind her.


    She had half an eye open, one shut as she was doing her best to contain the pain.


    That broke the barriers. If-if I don¡¯t resolve this now, I¡¯m toast. She thought.


    Sarah coughed and Bolverkr smirked, backing off and growing distance.


    ¡°You damn tricky¡­ w-witch¡ªSamantha!¡±


    Sarah knit her brows and growled beneath her breath.


    ¡°You lasted longer than the rest of those fools. But, even you¡¯re aware of your demise.¡±


    She shut her eyes for a moment and ground her teeth.


    ¡°Not only will this world be free of your spell, Aby¡ªamantha! But, it would be I! That will take your life, at long last.¡±


    Bolverkr clutched his head and heavily grunted.


    ¡°You¡¯re still here?! You damn sad man!¡±


    He moved erratically and violently shook but let out his frustrations with a barrage of maniacal laughter''s.


    ¡°After I¡¯m done with you, Abyzou¡ª¡±


    ¡°Sarah¡­¡± she murmured.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure there won¡¯t be anything left for you to resurrect!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s anger was beginning to show. Her growling grew more intense, her nails were beginning to dig into the centre of her palms: She grinded her teeth and raised her head to the sky and gasped a huge breath.


    ¡°For the last time, I¡¯M YOUR DAUGHTER!¡±


    Bolverkr cackled and flew forward, hovering close to Sarah¡¯s body.


    ¡°Say goodbye, Witch, Sin Of Envy!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s frustration with being compared to her mother for the past year in combination of being called her was unfolding. What John had told her before she decided to confront her father was the testament to what she might be. All the questions, references, and seeing how the destroyer¡¯s struggling to name her was the final straw. She wanted to prove once and for all that she¡¯s not her mother but her own being. Sarah¡¯s eyes quivered, and the destroyer began to drive his fist forward with a frown that was nightmare fueled.


    She grunted repeatedly and caught his punch.


    ¡°What?!¡±


    I¡¯m going to prove to you once and for all, dad, that I¡¯m not my wretched mother, and that your DNA flows in my viens!


    Sarah¡¯s power began to show the same aura that dignifies her as Samantha but it changed to a darker colour. The molten red around the edges was turning to a more whine colour and purple electricity bolted around her body. Her power exploded out and destroyed the hill behind her, forcing Bolverkr to back away.


    ¡°Wh-where is she getting all of this?¡± he said.


    Sarah lowered her arm and with her fists clenched, she blinked and her crimson eyes were glowing red.


    ¡°You may have my fathers body, but his mind still hides behind your mask.¡±


    Bolverkr began to sweat and growl with anger.


    ¡°And to prove that he¡¯ll conquer back his body, with his power, I will convince him back to reality.¡±


    Bolverkr was gasping but he returned his sinister grin and brokenly chuckled.


    ¡°Oh yeah?! And what if I say I am truly him?¡±


    Sarah was confident as she felt her father¡¯s mana flow through her veins. Her aura grew more intense and it shot into the sky, piercing it.


    ¡°Hmph, we¡¯ll see about that. Because, devil, I still have yet to try.¡±


    He laughed out loud and also powered up. His aura also stabbed the sky as he continued laughing.


    ¡°As of I! Wicked Witch of Envy!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s fists were shaking and she took a deep breath.


    ¡°Then, allow me to show you the strength that proves that I¡¯m your daughter, father.¡±


    With their power growing, it began to shake the whole world and cause natural disasters across the globe. The sky was being torn apart with strikes of plasma coming from their energy. The earth began to rise from all parts around them. It was as if the world was coming to an end.


    Even John began to panic and grew a globe around the hill that they were on.


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    Jack was covering his face with his arm and he couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°She really is something¡­¡±


    John, despite being in a small panic, also returned a smile.


    ¡°Atta girl, but, I know you¡¯re watching through your *daughter¡¯s* eyes¡­ right, Samantha?¡±


    The two were ready to make their next move. Sarah¡¯s energy was still growing along with Bolverkr¡¯s. The earth split between them, giving them two football fields of distance. Everything was rising to the sky and with their mana spiraling outta of control it caused a wormhole to form in between their glares. Bolverkr¡¯s eyes bugged and he flew straight on, vanishing into the wormhole. Sarah also flew into it and the two were flying into a different outer dimension. Bolverkr grunted as they were a foot away from colliding. He reeled back his right arm and yelled. Sarah also pulled one of her arms back and as the two were closing in to collide fists, he shot his forward first. Sarah revealed her full strength in the blink of an eye to avoid his attack, ducking below the death blowing punch.


    ¡°What?!¡± he shouted.


    Sarah flew right into Bolverkr¡¯s chest and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist. Their energies collided, merged, and made a wonderful display of strobing, spiraling lights. The wormhole shattered and they exploded back out into reality. She hugged him tightly and shut her eyes, moaning in agony. Bolverkr froze and his body began to heat up.


    Sarah cried and began shaking.


    ¡°Please, dad¡­ WAKE UP!¡±


    Bolverkr¡¯s face began to crack along with his body. Purple light began to emit in-between the cracking skin across his body as Sarah grew her hug even tighter.


    ¡°Sa-sa¡­m¡­zoou¡­? Sa¡­ra¡ª!¡±


    Sarah exploded her eyes open and she let go. She powered up her energy, but from her fathers side and as tears flowed out of them, she let out a war cry.


    ¡°THIS IS THE SIDE THAT YOU HELPED CREATE¡­ AND WILL BRING YOU BACK TO ME!¡±


    Sarah screamed and gave Bolverkr a gut wrenching punch. The punch was monumental as it was the breaking point to his shattering skin. He screamed in agony and his body began to implode. His screams were heard everywhere and his body exploded. Sarah was launched away from the explosion and she crashed to the earth. The spectators covered, averted their faces from the bright hellish explosion.


    John was laughing and fist pumped.


    ¡°She did it!¡±


    The explosion died and the light faded. A thick smoke trail fell back to the earth and landed, swepping away to reveal Leon back. He was grunting, panting and appeared to be crying beneath his breath. Sarah grabbed her back as she got back to her feet. She looked up at the vacant sky and wondered where her father had landed. She sensed his presence and quickly flew to him. She saw his body and flew faster.


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    For the first time, Leon didn¡¯t hear Samantha¡¯s voice, but the voice of his daughter, Sarah.


    ¡°Sa¡­rah.¡± he mumbled.


    He sat himself up and coughed out blood.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think she would be the voice of reason on my return,¡± he said.


    Sarah landed in front of him and reached for his hand, grabbing it. But she quickly remembered how he reacted to her touching him and she was quick to let go. Yet, Leon didn¡¯t freak out and he too was even surprised by the revelation. He reached out to his daughter¡¯s hand and grabbed it, gently rubbing his thick fingers on her tiny hand.


    He smiled at her and let out a tear.


    ¡°I can finally grab your hand without thinking of your wretched mother. And I¡¯m so happy to accept you as my adoring daughter, the very flesh and blood I helped bring into this world.¡±


    Sarah covered her mouth and began to cry.


    ¡°Da¡­d¡­¡± she murmured.


    Leon wanted to hug her but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to still do it. Instead, he patted her head and bumped her head afterwards.


    ¡°You¡¯re my only reason for living, Sarah. And my true purpose in life is for you to live on without being a mirrored image of the woman I mistakenly married.¡±


    Sarah shook her head and giggled.


    ¡°That¡¯s so mean¡­¡±


    He chuckled and he helped her back up. The two stood as he still held her hand. The others had just arrived from a small bubble that John used to transport them to the area. He was the first to leap out of it and went to wrap his arm around his close friend''s shoulder, rubbing his knuckles on his head.


    ¡°Jo-John, could you not?¡± Leon said.


    John laughed and continued annoying Leon.


    ¡°Hey hey, finally it took someone other than Samantha to get you back into your senses!¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­.¡±


    Sarah let go and she stepped back to let the two catch up. But she felt someone else grab her hand, which made her turn to her right. She saw Jack, all scarred, bruised, and bloodied. It made her feel awful but she couldn¡¯t help but give him a huge heart warming hug.


    Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and finally felt relieved.


    ¡°You did it.¡± he said.


    She blushed and didn¡¯t say a word.


    Meanwhile, Shaman couldn¡¯t refrain but also felt all warm and bubbly for the group. Ravana still had distaste towards Leon and the others for ruining his plan. Chelsea was alone but Leon saw her and wanted to approach her to apologies for killing Eligor, but Ravana began to clap.


    He clapped and clapped until he paused when he got everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°So? Is this it? You folks finished your short celebration? Because I¡¯m still not finished in my conquest of world domintation.¡±


    Sarah grew furious and let go of Jack and hurried to step up, but her father¡¯s power made her stop. She felt his animosity towards Ravana and she stepped back and he was the one to step up. John raised a brow and nodded his head. The two had the stage to themselves and Ravana was revolted by the sight he saw.


    He spat beside him and scrunched his face.


    ¡°You really are something, you know that? Leon.¡±


    Leon slowly clenched his fists and shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you pay for your crimes, Ravana.¡±


    Ravana laughed and wiped his eyes.


    ¡°Oh?! Is that so! Hey, earth to Leon, your energy is depleted, my friend. And that same demonic presence is no longer sensible. So, it¡¯s kind of hard to believe how you¡¯ll do such a thing?¡±


    Leon seemed oddly confident and calm, which threw Ravana off a little.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that face. Actually, it reminds me of that stupid confidence you¡¯ve always carried throughout the academy.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes grew wide and red.


    ¡°How about I change that expression and wipe you all out with my twisted spell!¡±


    Leon took a toe step and his aura exploded out for a moment which made everyone freeze in fear. No longer he had the same colour, but it was just like Sarah¡¯s; a purple lava encrusted aura that darkened the world. Ravana¡¯s eyes were wide but he didn¡¯t seem bothered and was ready for battle until Leon powered down.


    Ravana tilted his head and stomped.


    ¡°You lying sack of shit!¡±


    Leon shook his head and could still hear the demon in his soul trying to remerge.


    ¡°A migraine in the midst of our upcoming battle?! How dare you mock me and throw a handicap at me¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Ravana, it¡¯s best you step down and let me finish the fight you have started.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Who in the hell said that!¡±


    A deep fierce voice forced Ravana to look over his shoulder, making him question who¡¯d dare interrupt his monolgue. Approaching the area with an aura heavier than Leon¡¯s, sending heat, and cold air to the area: his light emitted around the edges of his tall figure, his wild thick black hair were sharp and glistening with power. He was built just as strong as Leon and his clothing was nothing more than just mma shorts and boxing shoes. He gave an end boss feeling and was the second most powerful in the cult of Envy. A man who¡¯s been absent as always to focus his training to enact his revenge on Leon.


    Ravana grimaced and raised the edge of his lip.


    ¡°You finally show your stupid face, Corbin.¡±


    He stopped and glared at Leon with his twisted blue eyes. His fists clenched and his eyes were glowing with confidence and rage.


    ¡°Long time no see, Leon Bolverkr, the destroyer.¡±


    Leon deeply sighed and recognized who it was.


    ¡°Huh? To think you¡¯d join this fools group just to grow more power to beat me after your two second lost? You truly are a pathetic man.¡±


    Corbin cracked his neck and frowned.


    ¡°Hmph, talk as you¡¯d like. But, I¡¯ve grown thousands of times stronger since our last encounter.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Leon replied.


    Ravana felt like an afterthought and stepped in between their line of sights.


    ¡°Hey! Dingus! Just attack him and beat him down so I can finish him off myself.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I don¡¯t take orders from a loser like you, Ravana.¡±


    Ravana twitched an eye and forced a smile.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean that do¡ª¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. I only joined so you can shut up and lay off my back. But, now that I¡¯ve surpassed your powers you¡¯re no longer a threat to me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Ravana grew tomatoe red and began to fire up his energy.


    ¡°You lousy no good, meat headed d¡ª!¡±


    Ravana then thought for a moment and quickly cooled down when he was able to see through his suppressed power.


    ¡°Never mind, sir.¡±


    Ravana stepped aside and put his hands up.


    ¡°You got this. You¡¯re definitely stronger. Go enact your revenge.¡±


    John quickly caught on to Ravana¡¯s fake act and chuckled.


    Corbin grinned and cracked his knuckles.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it. Now, Leon, shall we have our rematch?¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t seem worried and took a deep breath. Sarah was worried that she hurt her father with her attack. But he quickly calmed down her worries by waving behind him. She softly grinned and walked backwards, dragging Jack with her.


    John was eager and interested to see how much Corbin has grown since the academy.


    ¡°This will be fun to watch,¡± he muttered.


    Leon furrowed his brows and took one last look at the sky.


    ¡°I will not let my power consume me any longer.¡± he mumbled.


    He put one hand up and clenched it.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are, Corbin.¡±


    Corbin¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot and he began to shake with excitement.


    ¡°Now, show me who you really are, Leon¡­ Bolverkr!¡±


    Leon slowly brought his gaze back at him and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be doing more than just showing you who I am, because by the end of this¡­ you¡¯ll be dead before you¡¯ll ever see my full strength, Corbin.¡±


    The two got in their respective fighting poses and the stage was set for the final battle of Leon¡¯s past. Corbin expressed an open mouth smile and Leon¡¯s expression grew still. Ravana crossed his arms and formed a barrier around himself and snapped Chelsea in it. John went to Jack and Sarah and also summoned a barrier.


    Sarah grabbed her chest and she felt confident in her father.


    ¡°You got this, dad.¡± she murmured.


    Corbin¡¯s power exploded out and it drenched the world in darkness.


    ¡°No longer will I be humiliated by you like I have in the past. Leon, prepare to meet¡ªyour end!¡± Corbin shouted as he launched himself at Leon.

 Chapter 45: Newfound Judgment

    Flashing beyond the speed of light, clashing his fist against Leon¡¯s forearm, Corbin pauses and the two begin a struggle.


    ¡°Surprising that you can catch me at this speed: Which far exceeds the speed that you showcased in your raged state.¡±


    Leon didn¡¯t respond and the two let off. They stepped back and Corbin¡¯s body shivered with excitement.


    He lowered his arms to the sides and cooled his excited expression.


    ¡°Well, this is going to be most interesting indeed.¡±


    He spread his bulky arms out and slowly clenched his fists, repeatedly.


    ¡°You see, Leon, while you¡¯ve been battling, drowning yourself in depression and the demon that resides within you, I¡¯ve been training every single day since my embarrassing defeat at the hands of you.¡±


    Leon raised a brow and his pupils averted.


    ¡°My training has been brutal, my mental state tested by illusions I purposely created just so I can prepare myself for another defeat. Although, it will seem that¡¯s not happening.¡±


    He brought his arms down and his eyes grew big again. The excitement he had earlier shot into his bloodstream, giving him the adrenaline high he seeks.


    With his eyes quivering, bloodshot, he went up to Leon¡¯s face and edged towards it.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m certain you will not be able to beat me now. Come, stimulate my new found power so I can prove that I¡¯m the strongest of them all!¡±


    Leon¡¯s face was drenched by the shadow of Corbin''s face. As the two stood in silence, Corbin was punched away by Leon with a single punch. He was sent towards abnormal mountain formed from his raged state where he crashed and lay in place.


    Leon¡¯s fist was sizzling and it had steam coming off the edge.


    ¡°You truly are pathetic, Corbin. But, I guess we¡¯ll test how far you¡¯ve come.¡±


    Corbin¡¯s eyes were blank and he pushed himself off the mountain side. He lands on his feet, cracks his neck and braces himself. His mana began to grow in numbers and his power was starting to disrupt the flow of the environment. He began to power up and show more of his untapped battle power and unleashed it onto the world, flashing it as it blinded everyone''s eyes. Flows of electrons, towers of plasma shot, propelled off his body as he spread his arms out and manically grinned at Leon who stood without an expression. His body was pulsing with electricity and light and he opened his mouth to let out more energy.


    With his power out, Corbin got ready in a linebacker position.


    ¡°Here I come!¡±


    With his hair spiked, blue and his body amped up, Corbin ran at speeds greater than light towards Leon. He threw a powerful straight jab that Leon blocked with his forearm, sending powerful gusts of wind that felt greater than any recorded wind speed. Then, he followed up with a flurry of punches, forcing Leon to block all with both arms. Corbin chuckled beneath his breath and surprised him by throwing an upper Jab that shot Leon into the air. Leon and Corbin were flying everywhere in the sky, zig zagging, punches blocked with each stop, Collison''s that rocked the atmosphere: He blocked with his knees, his arms, a single forearm until Corbin caught another blind spot that launched him further away.


    Leon braked in the air and put his arms out and snapped his fingers. Corbin was smiling until he saw a new world swelling from behind Leon. The two were sucked into the dimension Leon had summoned and Corbin realised his new situation.


    ¡°So, you have summoned me into your world?¡±


    He glanced around and saw dark red skies filled with plasma clouds and pillars as thick as skyscrapers.


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re still angry about something, although, I can sense that you¡¯ve gained a new sense of calm.¡±


    Leon nodded and Corbin smirked, quickly teleporting to Leon to which he quickly reacted by shooting a left hook. Corbin also replied with a right and their fists collided, creating a monstrous explosion. The two flung downwards and were facing away from each other.


    Corbin had a frown and grabbed his stomach area, coughing out blood.


    ¡°Tch¡­ though my newly immeasurable power has been unleashed¡­¡±


    He turned around and saw Leon¡¯s back.


    ¡°...Despite being drained from earlier encounters, you¡¯re still able to keep up and unexpectedly land a blow?¡±


    Leon blinked before also turning around.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Leon appeared disappointed but his facial expression told Corbin that he was as serious as an IRS agent auditing a poor tax payer.


    ¡°There¡¯s no denying it, you really are strong.¡±


    ***


    In the real world, the gang were standing by and Sarah wondered where her father had gone with the new foe. John already knew and was watching their battle with his ghoulish eyes.


    ¡°You freaks just keep showing up like fucking cockroaches''.¡± Jack said.


    His eyes were set on Ravana who also was watching the fight unfold.


    ¡°Hmph, after their battle concludes, I¡¯ll make sure I rip your entire urethrae and hang it on my wall, punk.¡± Ravana said.


    Jack rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Whatever. Say, John?¡±


    John¡¯s pupils were moving with the speed of the battle.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Where did they go?¡±


    John grinned and pointed where Sarah was standing without taking a look.


    ¡°Ask her. She should be able to find her father.¡±


    Sarah groaned and began to concentrate. She shut her eyes and scanned the area but found nothing.


    ¡°Dig a little deeper than that, my sweet.¡± John said.


    Sarah groaned some more.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    She scanned more and dug even deeper. She could feel her father¡¯s life force and detected it in another dimension, and a very familiar one. Once she was able to get his signal, she saw that they were in his world.


    It made her gasp and frustrated.


    ¡°How did they end up in his mind?¡±


    ¡°Concentrate harder and open your eyes to see the battle clearer, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah did and once she could conquer the heat of the battle, it appeared in front of her eyes.


    ¡°Father¡­¡±


    Jack grabbed her hand and he too was able to see the full extent of the battle.


    ¡°Leon¡¯s got this, no problem.¡±


    Sarah smiled and their clutch grew tighter.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Possibly, so long as he can reserve what¡¯s left in his tank.¡±


    ¡°True, he has gone through a lot of his power when he fought all those freaks and shit.¡±


    ¡°No no, it ain¡¯t that. It¡¯s his resilience to the weaknesses around him that¡¯s drained him. But, if he could conquer that demon inside his soul, then he should have no problem fighting off Corbin who is in fact formidable.¡±


    Sarah turned to John.


    ¡°How formidable is he compared to that garbage over there.¡±


    Ravana gasped and frowned.


    ¡°I heard that!¡±


    John groped his chin.


    ¡°Hmm, tough to say. Doesn¡¯t matter at the moment. What matters is if he can overcome the demon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really fixated on him overcoming his power, huh?¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about his powers or his nature, it¡¯s about the very thing that makes him the being he is and will be down the line.¡±


    John¡¯s excitement made him chuckle and rub his hands together.


    ¡°I¡¯m so excited to see my young amigo conquer his rage and turn it over! Ooo, someone pinch me, I must be dreaming!¡±


    ¡°Right. If I may ask, what happens if he can¡¯t overcome the demon inside his soul?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Well, if your father fails to do so, not only will he be a slave to his emotions and the monster attached to his soul, but I will have no choice but to get William to erase him from this reality.¡±


    Sarah¡¯s eyes sank.


    ¡°Huh?! What do you mean by erase!¡±


    ¡°William, he¡¯s involved too?¡± Jack asked.


    John wiggled a finger.


    ¡°Nuh uh, too early to expose such deep details. Let''s just watch the battle and I¡¯ll explain everything after he beats him.¡±


    Sarah deeply frowned and crossed her arms.


    ¡°How frustrating. You know, I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re just as bad as that guy over there.¡±


    John froze and shut his open mouth expression.


    ¡°That-that hurts to hear you know?¡±


    ¡°Whatever¡­¡±


    Sarah watched as her father fend off the new foe and felt his strength at the same as it was before they engaged.


    ¡°Dad¡­ please, win.¡±


    ***


    Throwing a flurry of straight jabs at lightening speed, Leon effortlessly catches every single jab thrown at him. Corbin repeats this for another ten seconds and manages to push Leon back with all the catching. Leon flew backwards to grow distance but Corbin¡¯s relentless, having a grand smile mid-flight as he shortens the distance.


    Leon smacked his lips and the two were zig zagging all throughout the area. Zapping the atmosphere, spiraling throughout the dimension; Corbin¡¯s body became a propelling force of sheer energy as his power kept increasing with every contact of flesh despite being blocked. Leon¡¯s own dimension began shaking from the raw energetic propulsion of the two flying everywhere. Then, he managed to get an opening on Leon and he launched his right fist right into his stomach. The force of his punch sent Leon flying away, crashing through countless pillars and columns. Corbin chuckles as he¡¯s on the ground, giving his running momentum to leap back into the air. He puts his feet forward and drop kicks Leon back to the ground where he crash lands but he slips himself back to his feet and the two¡¯s speed increases even substantially.


    The tall pillars were being destroyed from the cat and mouse game they were having as Corbin¡¯s electrifying aura left marks on all and destroyed the area afterwards. Once Corbin caught up to Leon he started throwing a barrage of flurries at him as he continued his evasive action. Their fighting created more explosions, more electrical currents that even the outside world was beginning to take effect. The spectators could hear the rocky crashes, thunderous sound barrier breaking attacks. Clouds zoomed in and lightning began to strike around them violently from there dimension. Realising that realities being affected by their raw power, John created a dome around them and hoped for the best.


    They collided fists and both grappled their palms, flinging down to the charred earth and fighting in it. Exploding back out, sliding their feet on the ground, they both paused in between the crater they came out of. Leon was bruised, covered in dust, dirt, debris, but he wasn¡¯t hurt.


    Seeing his determination made him fist pump and grin ear to ear.


    ¡°As expected from one of the strongest beings alive!¡±


    His aura began charging up again and grew inflamed.


    ¡°How about we test more of that demonic strength¡­¡±


    Corbin''s mana straightened and shot into the sky as he began to charge up his power.


    ¡°Let''s see how you can evade all the destructive energy inside my newly built body!¡±


    He put his palms forward and a huge ball of energy began to form and destroy the entire area around them. It shot thick layers of lightening into the sky that made its way back into reality and struck the grounds and heavens. His eyes grew exponentially wide as his grin turned to a smear open mouth smile.


    His hair grew spikier and darker blue and his attack was ready.


    ¡°Now, evade this!¡±


    He shot the built energy and it formed a gigantic beam that not even Leon could think of evading. Its speed was too fast and Leon had no choice but to tank it on as he put his forearms up to shield himself. The beam swallowed him whole and exploded, creating a mushroom cloud bigger than mount Everest. The area turned a thick red and orange, consuming the colours of Leon¡¯s dimensions. Once the explosion and smoke settled, Leon¡¯s forearms were scarred, bleeding, bruised. He was knitting his brows as he slowly put them down when Corbin used that to his advantage to land a thunderous backhand punch to the side of his face and followed up with a sidekick to his chin that left him stunned.


    The two impacts blew away all the smoke and colours of the environment and even wiped away the colours that represented Leon¡¯s anger in his own dimension. The smoke trailing off his body and face made Corbin chuckle with satisfaction as he watched Leon¡¯s response to his attacks by twitching his fingers.


    ¡°So, you can take damage after all?!¡±


    The joy in his voice when he could see Leon¡¯s pain made his smile almost rip his face in half.


    ¡°What an outstanding revelation!¡±


    He clapped twice and powered up more.


    ¡°Do you have any idea of what type of training I¡¯ve endured? The harsh dimensions, malnourishment, the brutal mental training I put up with for years just to reach this level?¡±


    Leon finally moved a muscle and it was just an arm he put down. A shadow lingered over his face while Corbin began to go into detail of his new found power.


    ¡°As the years passed, as my strength grew, I thought I had surpassed you when I was able to defeat a clone of you that Ravana had created for me. It was an exact replica of what I remembered: The awful energy, the destroyer who almost killed everyone. But, it was painfully obvious that the clone was just a replica of the past and not the present.¡±


    He clenched a fist and raised it in his view of Leon.


    ¡°I had no idea you suppressed your actual strength when one day you exposed it, even if it was briefly, it was enough to demonstrate that all my training was meaningless.¡±


    He shut his eyes and began to shake.


    ¡°So, I had to force myself to swallow a bitter pill in asking help from Ravana: For him to spare the power of the cult that he had built. And he was more than happy to oblige, so long as I can put an end to you, Leon Bolverkr.¡±


    He reopened his eyes and they were pulsing.


    ¡°After much anticipation, the long wait, studying you even longer, sucking those wretched fools dry! I now have unimaginable latent abilities, powers, and potential that surpasses the limits of mortal beings.¡±


    He chuckled and unclenched his fist.


    ¡°And seeing as you can only dodge my attacks, it¡¯s as clear as day that who will win this ba¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut¡­ up¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Leon shook his head and dragged one of his hands across his face.


    ¡°I could give two shits about how strong you¡¯ve gotten.¡±


    Corbin¡¯s jaw dropped and he seemed confused.


    ¡°But is all the monologuing necessary?¡±


    Leon deeply furrowed his brows and glared at Corbin.


    ¡°Seriously, how much of a comic book geek can you be?¡±


    Corbin twitched an eye and he began to ground his teeth.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s been rehearsing their role a little too seriously¡­ don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Corbin was dead silent and his eyes were wide. As a gust of wind came in, blew their clothing, Corbin¡¯s eyes were pinnacle of bloodshot and he jolted into a charging pose. He was powering up even more and his hair spiked up higher and grew more intense. His skin turned magenta and his veins pulsated golden.


    A giant sphere of his growing mana formed around him and kept expanding as he charged more and more.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ FINISHED!¡±


    Leon could see that he was transforming and got ready for the worst.


    Corbin¡¯s fire was electrifying, his body emitted his rage and the sphere¡¯s expansion swallowed his dimension entirely. Leon was eaten up by his power and Corbin flashed at him in speeds Leon thought he wouldn¡¯t imagine. Corbin¡¯s momentum fired into a devastating punch that he launched at Leon, which he couldn¡¯t block. The punch sent horrific devastation and eviscerated everything behind him. Leon¡¯s own dimension fell apart just from the blow alone and they saw the terrifying light trail from the punch coming out of thin air. Everyone was in shock and awe as they saw something flying out with the path of destruction.


    The person who could see it was Sarah who couldn¡¯t help but turn pale.


    ¡°DAD!¡±


    Leon¡¯s body circled the globe hundreds of thousands of times until Corbin appeared and gave Leon the beatdown of a century. Punched, pummeled, kicked, smacked, his face became the embodiment of a punching bag and Leon¡¯s eyes were blank. Every blow created world ending devastation as his body was tossed, flung, hurtled from each attack.


    ¡°My bodies become greater than a propelling force of kinetic energy, not even light could reach the momentum of my awesome might at this point.¡± Corbin said.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After giving Leon another thousand punches, he grabbed his legs and twirled him around. The kinetic energy from being swirled around created a blackhole that began to suck everything. Corbin threw him up and the blackhole sucked him in. He flew high into the sky and shot a beam into it that exploded the mini sphere of destruction. The flash of light, the gravitational force of the explosion was too much for surrounding the atmosphere and began to create disruptions in their area. Corbin zig zagged, twirled around, stringly coursing from the unstoppable energy being created from his body and he focused it all into one more punch that he threw into Leon¡¯s stomach.


    The group could barely see the fight from the amount of chaos being created. John was growing worried about how much longer their world could handle it. Sarah watched in horror as her father was being toyed around.


    Corbin¡¯s punch, the momentum and the kinetic energy from it created distortions around them because he was holding all of it back.


    ¡°This is, good bye, DESTROYER!¡±


    Corbin let all the energy explode and pulled his arm back with Leon still embedded into his fist and shot him away from their world. He was shot out of there reaches, past there moon, then the asteroid belt where eventually he was flying passed the rest of the solar system in which his body made landfall on the last rock, Pluto. He lay flat, staring into darkness without a star in sight. Covered in dozens of bruises and his forearms scarred and bloodied, he casually sat up and sat in the ambience of silence. He felt sad and disappointed in what had occurred.


    He glanced at his surroundings and grabbed a handful of space dirt.


    Unreal¡­ he thought.


    He got up to his feet and couldn¡¯t breath as he held his breath. He casted a spell on himself to make himself breath. Once he could he was able to catch the severity of his situation.


    For a moment, I thought I was dead when he gave me that blow.


    Leon let the dirt drizzle pass his fingers. The gravity was so low it felt like an eternity for the dirt to make landfall. He took a breath and shook his head. The matter was boggling Leon¡¯s mind so much he couldn¡¯t comprehend anything anymore, not even his own existence which he started to question. Thinking, looking back at everything made him realise that everyone involved, especially himself shouldn¡¯t make sense or exist, but only in fiction. Questioning God¡¯s existence came into mind until he heard John bloat about William¡¯s presence. It made him come to a conclusion that William is the one God in charge and the one for bringing balance.


    We should¡¯ve never existed. This battle, where I stand should not bring any comprehension yet¡­


    Leon brought up his hands and observed their rough nature.


    Here I stand on a space rock, my skin still intact, my lungs not bursting or freezing to death or my blood boiling. We really are something, aren¡¯t we? My dearest daughter¡­


    Leon lowered his hands and frowned.


    Perhaps, William can fix all this and make everything normal again. Maybe, my dream could come true if he resolves the issue of my wretched ex-wife.


    Leon gapped his mouth and glanced at the darkness in front. There was only one visible planet that was Neptune. It made him grin and the shadow that lingered his face early on crept in to cover half his face.


    To one day be a normal human being.


    He clenched his fists. He flexed his muscles and got into position to leap. He shut his eyes, focused where Corbin¡¯s energy was emitting and could read it. He nodded and launched into darkness, leaving a giant crater half the size of Pluto''s surface, leaving a permanent mark on the rock.


    Back on earth, everyone¡¯s getting battle ready except for John and Ravana who were still normal and standing with their guards down.


    Sarah stepped up and her aura was visible.


    ¡°How dare you, how¡ªdare¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Looks like he won¡¯t be a problem anymore.¡± Corbin said.


    Sarah growled and her power began to rise which caught his attention.


    ¡°So, you must be this Samantha woman I¡¯ve heard about.¡±


    He cracked his neck and twirled his arm.


    ¡°You definitely possess great potential, but you still don¡¯t stand a chance against me, girl.¡±


    John walked behind Sarah and patted her shoulder. She looked back and his smile had her scrunch her face in confusion. He then looked over his shoulder to Ravana who was tapping a finger on his arm.


    ¡°Hey, Ravana.¡±


    ¡°What? Mali-John?!¡±


    ¡°Your buddy over there could sooo kick your ass and kill you.¡±


    ¡°Tch, and?¡±


    John squinted his eyes at Ravana.


    ¡°But, I know you can still take care of him with ease with that accursed spell of yours embedded in your glare.¡±


    ¡°Meh, let the spiked hair meathead have his moment.¡±


    Ravana glared at the sky and his upper lip twitched.


    ¡°This ain¡¯t over yet.¡± he said.


    Sarah¡¯s confused about what they¡¯re discussing. Meanwhile, Corbin powered up and began laughing with joy.


    ¡°I am no doubt the strongest of them all! In all the universe!¡±


    He aimed his palm at the group and Sarah got ready again.


    ¡°And now that I¡¯ve rid of Leon, it¡¯s time that I dispose of the rest of you so I can truly be the ruler of them all¡ª!¡±


    A sudden burst of energy crashed behind Corbin, and it shook the earth. Everyone stumbled on their footing and fell from the gargantuan impact that took place. John could feel that whatever it was, the force was enough to tilt the Earth and have it go off its solar orbit.


    Ravana growled as he was getting back on his feet.


    ¡°That goddamn monster!¡±


    John laughed as he helped Sarah get back on her feet as well.


    ¡°He¡¯s pissed.¡±


    Corbin shook his head and slowly looked back to see a giant meteor impact crater and smoke trailing out of it. He dropped his jaw as he saw the figure climb out of the smoke screen and brush the dirt off his clothes. Without an expression on his face, Leon took a glance at Corbin as he brushed the last of the burnt ends off his clothes.


    He brought out a surprising grin which caught Corbin off guard.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t exist, Corbin.¡±


    Corbin¡¯s speechless as he was trying to comprehend the displacement of Leon¡¯s confidence. But, anger seeped into his mind and he quickly balled his fists and his eyes turned bloodshot.


    ¡°You really are testing the full extent of everything that I¡¯ve built!¡±


    His power exploded and he bolted and zig zagged at Leon, landing thousands of flurries at him. Leon stood his ground as he was blocking every punch, kick and attack. When he found an opening he took a shot and gave Corbin a gut wrenching punch that paused him briefly. The force of the punch made him gag a pool of blood and sent him flying away, carving the earth. He dug his feet into the ground to stop the momentum of the attack and hung his head for a moment before monologuing again.


    Once he raised his head at Leon¡¯s view, he was manically smiling as blood poured out his mouth.


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it! Show me your strength Le¡ª¡±


    Leon¡¯s still face erupted in front of Corbin¡¯s eyes. He quietly gasped as Leon pulled back his right arm. He proceed to lay a barrage of fist attacks and ended his assault with a super kick that launched his head to the sky. All of Leon¡¯s flurries, the power of punches sent city shattering shockwaves that lay waste to the lands behind Corbin''s body. Corbin¡¯s eyes went blank for a moment, then they were glowing blood red and he abruptly sent Leon flying away with a quick soccer kick.


    Leon dragged his feet on the earth and a mile distance was formed between them.


    ¡°He¡¯s still got some left after all.¡± Leon said.


    Corbin growled, flinched, clutched his head, screamed in anger. He yelled out his frustrations and it eventually transitioned to toned laughter.


    He got in a powering up stance and his mana grew tenfold.


    ¡°Forget about ruling this world! I¡¯m going to blow it to hell and you along with this entire galaxy out of existence!¡±


    Leon gasped and saw where all the concentrated mana was building. Above Corbin was a spiraling electric sphere that had the appearance of a dying star. Everyone watching grew worried, even John and Ravana weren¡¯t sure if Leon could stop an attack that wretched.


    Corbin put his hands to the sphere and flew up into the sky where it grew erratic and started causing cataclysmic damage to the world below. The light flashing was blinding, the atmosphere grew dark and Corbin became a Centre of galactic energy.


    He felt the sphere ready and put it forward in front of his body.


    ¡°DARK MATTER BEAM!¡±


    He shot the energy and it swallowed the whole scenery. Everyone screamed, panicking as it was closing in Leon¡¯s way. Leon was calm and his right fist began to tremble. He pulled it back and the attack was just inches of making contact.


    Corbin, you really have been reading too many comics. Leon thought.


    His mana exploded out of him for a second and it dragged to his fist. It faded and Leon shot his fist at the beam and it was split in half, reaching out of the atmosphere and splicing the ozone layer. Luckily John¡¯s bubble prevented everyone from being exposed to the sun''s rays again. The shockwave from Leon¡¯s punch sent Corbin hurtling to space where Leon appeared behind him and placed his hand over his face. He plummeted Corbin back to the earth where they crashed and created an extinction level explosion.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± Sarah shouted.


    ¡°Beats me!¡± Jack replied.


    John smiled and Ravana smacked his lips.


    ¡°It appears that this fight is over.¡± John said.


    ¡°Tch¡­¡±


    The huge clouds of smoke faded out, the sky wasn¡¯t darkened by the colliding energies, rather a gleamed sky came in; grey with a hint of blue trying to slip its way through the sad clouds. When the dust settled, the smoke was fully cleared out, Corbin was lying in a crater, broken and missing some limbs. He still had his right arm and half a leg, but the momentum of the crash had destroyed his body. He was pale and slowly shortening out the last of his life with every broken gasp of air. With the remaining energy left in his body, he raised halfway to check where Leon was at and found him kneeling down to him.


    ¡°Did, did I¡­ lose?¡±


    ¡°Jesus, you¡¯re still alive after that? Huh, you really did get strong, Corbin.¡±


    Corbin coughed and blood shot out from where a hole formed in his chest.


    ¡°A¡­t least, I-I was able to dam¡ªage you, right?¡±


    Leon nodded and patted his shoulder.


    ¡°You did scratch me. You surprised me, honestly.¡±


    For a moment, Corbin didn¡¯t respond and silence grew between the two. Then, he broke it with broken chuckles that wheezed out.


    ¡°You¡­ liar.¡±


    Leon stood up and didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been¡­ holding back the entire time. It wasn¡¯t a fair fight, not even from the start.¡±


    Leon sighed and put his hand on his hip.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    He chuckled some more and groaned.


    ¡°You had strength to spare. Enough strength to beat me with less than five attacks, enough strength to come back to our world when I launched you into space¡­ and, you had enough strength to stand without barely a scratch on you.¡±


    Leon walked forward and looked up at the grim sky.


    ¡°It was all that I had left. I just let it swell, enough to beat you, enough to spare afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ ha, whatev-ever you say, Leon.¡±


    Corbin coughed more and more until he gasped in his last breath, enough for him to speak one last time.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ for at-at least giving me the feeling of being strong.¡±


    Leon felt his body ache and his knees were starting to give out. Corbin gasped in another breath and it eventually dragged out. His final groan was out and he went silent. Leon fell to his knees and slammed his fist on the ground. He ground his teeth and felt a sharp pain in his chest. Seeing her father in new agony made Sarah waste no time and go to him. She flew to him and landed beside, carefully placing her small hand on his back.


    She rubbed it and was eager to hug him but resisted.


    ¡°Dad, you okay?¡±


    Leon was quick to rub the new pain away so he could look at the person who broke him out of his monstrous state. With a smile, he grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes and could no longer see Samantha in her place.


    ¡°Sarah, you¡¯re okay.¡±


    Sarah also smiled and the two bumped heads.


    ¡°More than ever. I mean, you¡¯re grabbing my hand without going berserk now. So I¡¯d say, it''s a step in the right direction.¡±


    Jack finally arrived and was panting.


    ¡°Damn¡­ wha-what a weird ass thing to see.¡±


    Sarah rolled her eyes and looked at Jack.


    ¡°Well, get used to it because I¡¯m taking advantage of every opportunity I can gain to get close to my dad.¡±


    Jack grinned.


    ¡°You do that. I¡¯m just happy to see that you¡¯re both okay.¡±


    Leon could barely get to his feet now that the aftermath of everything was coming to bite him. He moaned and Sarah put his arm around her tiny shoulders.


    ¡°Relax dad, you¡¯ve gone through a lot of mana. You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°That he does, my dear, that he does.¡± John said.


    Everyone turned to where he was standing and beside him was Shaman who was a nervous wreck.


    ¡°You¡¯re one cheeky, smart guy, but that¡¯s what makes you one of the greatest to live, my dear friend Leon.¡±


    ¡°No need for flattery, I do what needs to be done.¡±


    ¡°Well, have you overcome the demon in your soul during your fight with poor Corbin?¡±


    Leon put his head down for a second. He rubbed his chest and could still sense the demon lurking within his soul.


    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s no matter. In my opinion you¡¯ve definitely overcome the son of a bitch.¡±


    Sarah nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Yeah! How else would you have beaten Corbin?¡±


    ¡°Doubting your father¡¯s powers, my dear daughter?¡±


    Sarah shrugged.


    ¡°You did lose a bit of mana when fighting everyone.¡±


    Leon chuckled and shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been holding back the entire time. Just those stupid crystals were draining me.¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Sarah replied.


    Everyone was feeling at ease until Shaman stepped into the picture.


    ¡°Leon, Sarah.¡±


    He kneeled and put his head down in shame.


    ¡°Please, forgive me for my actions and putting your daughter in the hands of that maniac.¡±


    Leon¡¯s grin faded and he tried to take a step forward but he was weakened to the core. Sarah, instead took his place and approached Shaman. He didn¡¯t know she was coming since he had his eyes shut.


    She had a subtle smile and patted Shaman and he reacted to her tiny hand by gasping.


    ¡°I forgive you, Shaman, your real name, is it?¡±


    Shaman looked up and it was as if he were staring at an Angel.


    ¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m¡­¡±


    ¡°Such a pathetic, weak, detestable, foolish, goddamn trader!¡±


    Sarah growled when she heard the fierce deep voice that¡¯s harassed her for a month. She got ready for the worst and got into a fighting stance. Shaman quickly got back up and covered Sarah by being her shield, preventing her from engaging with Ravana.


    The crimson eyed maniac was livid and seeing the sight of happiness and victory made him gag and grimace.


    ¡°Watching all of you so carelessly act as I¡¯ve been defeated¡­¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes bugged out and he began puffing smoke out his nostrils.


    ¡°... thinking I¡¯d accept this?! After all the hard work that I¡¯ve put together, years of putting up with fools like you?! Shaman! Do you all think it¡¯s over just like that?!¡±


    Ravana stomped forward and began to pant in anger.


    ¡°You¡¯re all so despicable! Absolute buffoons!¡±


    John raised a brow and tapped his chin.


    ¡°Hmm, how will this conclude, I wonder?¡±


    ¡°You! Malificus! Quit acting like you''re some goddamn spectator when you¡¯re just as involved as anyone else!¡±


    ¡°Ey ey ey ey, relax. I really haven¡¯t done anything, you short tempered fool.¡±


    John¡¯s stirring the pot and Ravana¡¯s patience boiled tenfold. Sarah tried to come up with something to put an end to him, but she felt her father¡¯s gaze pierce past her. She stepped aside and Leon limped past her and Shaman felt his hand grab his shoulder.


    ¡°Step aside, It''s me that he wants.¡± Leon said.


    ¡°Leon¡­¡±


    Shaman stepped aside as well and Leon limped forward, grabbing his shoulder.


    ¡°Ravana.¡±


    ¡°Tch¡­ look at you. You absolute freak of nature.¡± Ravana said.


    Leon was serious and mad.


    ¡°Never in my life would I imagine that my fate would be sealed by a man as pathetic as you, Ravana.¡±


    ¡°Ha ha! Keep speaking, weakling! Because whatever you¡¯ve got next to say next will be your last line before I eviscerate you from this reality.¡±


    Sarah couldn¡¯t take being on the sideline and stood next to her father. She grabbed his hand and threw her fist in his direction.


    ¡°You will not take my dad from me! No more will I allow such a revolting man like you to co-exist with the rest of us.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s brows knitted furiously and a vein popped out of his head.


    ¡°Why¡­ WHY! Must you stand by his side, Samantha!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not SAMANTHA!¡±


    Sarah¡¯s shout scared everyone, including Ravana.


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­ that is IT!¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes glowed and he began to march forward towards them.


    ¡°Leon, you¡¯ll be the first to fall, then everyone else shall feel my wrath!¡±


    ¡°Stops!¡± Chelsea shouted.


    Ravana abruptly stopped, his facial expression went stone cold when he heard Chelsea¡¯s voice. Slowly turning his head to look half way over his shoulder, to get a glance at Chelsea who¡¯s standing on some rubble made him grunt.


    She swallowed her fear, and gave herself some courage to speak to Ravana.


    ¡°Enoughs, enough, Ravana.¡±


    Everyone else was more than shocked to hear her stop Ravana, especially Shaman.


    ¡°Your senseless actions, your ego, it all has to end. You¡¯re finished, Ravana.¡±


    Ravana¡¯s eyes went blank and his face grew icy the more she spoke.


    ¡°My loves dead, people we got along with are deads! All because we thought and believed in your stupids ambition.¡±


    She clenched her fists and put her head down.


    ¡°But you knows what made us follows you? The truth, Ravana?¡±


    She raised her head up and her eyes were glistening.


    ¡°It was the facts that we were like our old times! Unity, friendship, without Samantha¡¯s involvement! I only joined because my loves did, so I could be by his side.¡±


    She weakly pointed at Leon and smiled.


    ¡°Its trues I still loves you, Leon, you are my numbers one in my heart¡­ and I will never forgives that vile woman from pushing me away from you. But, I still accepted my loves heart, even if he was my number two.¡±


    Putting her hand down, wiping her eyes, Chelsea sniffled and cleared her throat.


    ¡°Despite that, he still accepted me. But, yous never liked me, even from the starts. And you know what? I don¡¯ts cares! Because seeing your plan fall and your ego shattered is such a satisfying thing to witness.¡±


    John grinned and nodded in agreement.


    ¡°This defeat should be a wake up call and you shoulds be open minded to changing. Your time¡¯s up, and you needs to rethink a new pathway through¡­ otherwise I¡¯lls be glads to see eithers Leon or John takes your life.¡±


    Leon¡¯s beyond shocked to see Chelsea stand up for herself. Seeing this side of her made him smile and gave him some momentum to raise his hand to wave at her. She wiped her eyes again and nodded. Meanwhile, Ravana¡¯s still quiet and a heavy shadow hovered over his face. Feeling more encouraged at the moment, Chelsea took a deep breath and her tears were all wiped away.


    She furrowed her brows and took a step forward.


    ¡°Ravana, it¡¯s time to calm down and not be so angry all the times. Come on, lets all get along again, like old times.¡±


    Ravana eerily looked over his shoulder to Chelsea and his stone cold expression sent chills down her spine. It was enough to wipe away her new found courage.


    ¡°Did you just tell me to calm down? And ease my anger?¡±


    His tone was softened, low and dead. Chelsea¡¯s eyes quivered as she stared into his soulless crimson pupils.


    Ravana fully turned his body to Chelsea and his expression went wild and his anger was smeared across his face.


    With his eyes bulging out, he growled and aimed his palm at her.


    ¡°YOU DARE ASK ME TO CALM DOWN IN A MOMENT LIKE THIS?!¡±


    Chelsea felt her windpipe crushed and she was flung in the air.


    ¡°YOU VILE, IGNORANT, WEAK WHORE!¡±


    Ravana swiped his hand and Chelsea was turned into a cloud of red mist. She¡¯s turned into a raining cloud of blood as the foggy red mist faded out and turned the ground around them into a bloody field. Leon was furious and John was shocked that he¡¯d do such a barbaric thing to her. Jack aimed his gun at him as he held Sarah in his arm.


    ¡°Tch¡­ interfering with my plans, mouthing off to me, daring to ease my anger? Who does she think she is? Foolish woman.¡±


    Leon¡¯s teeth were grounding over Chelsea¡¯s demise. His lividness shot some adrenaline into his bloodstream, giving him more strength to stand in front of everyone.


    ¡°I need all of you to leave, now!¡±


    Sarah pulled away from Jack and grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Dad, no! I¡¯m not leaving you again!¡±


    ¡°Sarah, for the first time in my lowly, miserable life, I¡¯m putting my foot down and being a father. I order you to go!¡±


    ¡°But dad¡ª!¡±


    ¡°No! All of you leave, it¡¯s me that he wants, no one else.¡±


    He put his arm out and coughed.


    ¡°Ja-Jack, take Sarah! And get her away from here!¡±


    ¡°Hah! That won¡¯t do you any of you any good because once I¡¯m through with you, Leon Bolverkr¡­¡±


    Ravana began his death march towards them with wide wicked eyes and a twisted smile expressing his awaiting victory.


    ¡°... when you¡¯re turned into ash, I¡¯ll take back Samantha and claim her as mine!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll never happen, not even if you wish or pray for it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    A mysterious, familiar voice came outta nowhere, then, the gang saw someone gently place their hand on Ravana¡¯s head, and he was smashed into the ground with ease. After being buried, he exploded half his body out of the ground and his face was blanch.


    Who would dare¡­? He thought.


    Standing behind him, her glowing pale skin, her raven black hair fluttering, but more stand out, her calm, gorgeous platinum eyes were staring dead at the group.


    Leon softly trickled a breath, and swallowed.


    ¡°Samantha¡­.¡± he muttered.


    Sarah¡¯s jaw was dropped and she clutched her chest.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡±


    Ravana tilted his head in confusion. He wondered what they were frightened by? Then, he looked up and saw the woman he was truly after. He grew a huge open mouth smile and was teary eyed.


    ¡°Sa-Samantha?! Is that re-really you?!¡±


    Samantha menacingly looked down at him, and her cold stare wiped the smile off his face.


    ¡°I will never forgive you for the actions depicted towards my adoring family.¡±


    Her voice sent fear deep in his bone marrow. The same voice, tone that rejected him years ago was too shocking for him to comprehend.


    ¡°As I stated before, Ravana, you are a foolish, sad, desperate man; A man who doesn¡¯t deserve to be labelled as one, but, rather, a deafening clown who thinks he can rise the ranks¡­ just because he learned some old black magic spells that can even the odds against the strongest of his foes.¡±


    ¡°Sa-Samantha, I¡­ I¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Be quiet. You¡¯ve spoken enough, you¡¯ve seen enough, more importantly, you¡¯ve lived long enough.¡±


    ¡°H-huh?¡±


    Leon slowly walked backwards with his daughter and began shaking.


    ¡°Dad, is, is mom going to?¡±


    Leon couldn¡¯t respond. His fear was too great.


    ¡°What do you mean by that? Samantha?¡± Ravana asked.


    Samantha grew a tiny grin. Its calmness and soothing transformation gave Ravana distance, and only made him grow more afraid.


    ¡°What else does it implify? This world no longer needs a pest like you to co-exist with us. And I¡¯ll ensure that not only you¡¯ll be cleansed, but enfactuate that your existence be futile, permanently.¡±


    Her timid, soft soothing tone made him panic, but his joy in seeing her oversighted his fear and he immediately smiled.


    ¡°Please, Samantha! Together, if we unite, we can take over this place. Don¡¯t be so angry at me, I love you and want us to become the ultimate life forms!¡±


    Samantha soothingly blinked and straightened her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough. At this moment, you¡¯re¡ª¡±


    ¡°Come on, Samantha! Don¡¯t be so cruel, accept me and I¡¯ll¡ª¡±


    ¡°Alright. Ravana: You don¡¯t belong in this world. You¡¯re no longer needed, you were never a part of this, the events that transpired were no more than an illusion: at that, you¡¯ll part ways and your existence was nothing more than just an afterthought.¡±


    ¡°Wait what do you¡ª?¡±


    Ravana¡¯s voice was abruptly cut out. He was gone, all the damage that everyone had caused, the land, the giant tree, and everyones wounds were gone. The vast lands had grass, fields were popping, and normal trees had appeared in the blink of an eye. Leon¡¯s eyes were shaking as he held Sarah closer. Shaman couldn¡¯t believe his eyes too and John was beyond speechless. Samantha didn¡¯t only restore everything back to normal in the blink of an eye, but she had wiped Ravana from existence, which interferes with the natural order of the world. She slowly raised her head to the group and sensed a higher power standing a foot behind her.


    John hyper ventilated and gulped as he saw the man he respects.


    ¡°Wi-William¡­¡± he murmured.


    Jack saw the almighty William H. Christ standing behind Samantha, seriously staring at her but with a grin on his face.


    ¡°What-what¡¯s he doing here?¡± he said.


    Leon kneeled and Sarah was shocked to see her father kneel to him. She remembered the blonde man, his golden beard and golden eyes that menacingly stared at her in her first encounter.


    ¡°It¡¯s that Exsorcist¡­¡±


    Samantha shut her eyes and William deeply sighed.


    ¡°To think, my dear, you would do something that drastic just to get my attention?¡± William said.


    He stepped aside so everyone else could get a better look at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for barging in out of the bloom. But, this woman here has committed an act not even I could overlook. Not only does this affect the flow of our natural balance, it also interferes with God¡¯s view.¡±


    John raised his fist and swallowed some more.


    ¡°What she di-did! Did it cause a butterfly effect?!¡±


    William shook his head.


    ¡°To be honest, my old chap, Johnathan, what she did is far more severe than that. Actually, I¡¯d prefer she caused a butterfly effect and make an alternate timeline from what she did, but¡­¡±


    William raised his cane and pointed at Samantha¡¯s back.


    ¡°She not only redid all the events that were fabricated by everyone here, but she redid everything that had to do with her husband, and wiped a man out of existence. Which means, he was never here, never born, not a single trace of his tree was left. He was turned to just a thought that will fade from all of your minds in a week.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s grin grew smaller as her eyes became subtle.


    ¡°It¡¯s sad really. Unfortunately for you, my darling, you won¡¯t be Exorcised. God won¡¯t forbid it. I must give you a punishment far greater than that, equating to the same you gave the man who once existed just a minute ago.¡±


    William took a step closer and deeply sighed as he overlooked her shoulder.


    ¡°Your husband, too, will face a punishment I can¡¯t overlook his actions either.¡±


    Samantha¡¯s eyes popped out of their subtleness while her grin faded.


    ¡°Why him? Why must he be punished as well?¡± she weakly asked.


    William was now in front center, standing in between the two lines of sights. He stared down at Leon who carefully raised his head up to look at the almighty Exorcist.


    ¡°This man here, and the man who¡¯s responsibility it was to tame the beast inside his soul, have failed. He caused casualties, damage, and made himself known to the world, merely by existing.¡±


    Leon frowned and nodded in agreement. He got up and stood with his head down.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. Whatever punishment lies ahead of me, I¡¯ll gladly accept it.¡±


    Sarah feared for her father¡¯s safety and jumped in-between them.


    ¡°Please! Punish me instead in place of my dad. I-I don¡¯t want to see him get hurt anymore¡­¡±


    Leon grabbed her shoulders and looked into her sunken eyes.


    ¡°Sarah, it¡¯s okay. I have to take responsibility, not only as a man, but as your father too.¡±


    ¡°I apologise, but this is what has to be done by the laws set by God himself.¡±


    Sarah hugged her father and couldn¡¯t accept it.


    ¡°Am I, am I really going to lose both of my parents?¡±


    ¡°Not all, darling. You¡¯ll only lose just one. Your father¡¯s punishment will be one I¡¯m sure he¡¯d wish to garner a long time ago.¡±


    Leon furrowed his brows.


    ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°Hold up!¡±


    Everyone turned to the voice that had interrupted their session. Standing, menacingly, staring them down was Archard. His golden engraved cap billowed, his fists clenched, he mustered a smile.


    ¡°Before he seeks punishment, I wish to battle one of the strongest alive.¡± Archard said.


    Sarah¡¯s eyes popped open and hearing his voice alone made her blood boil.


    ¡°That devil¡¯s here.¡± she murmured.


    ¡°Archard, the terrible. How nice of you to suggest a humbling offer before I meet my maker.¡± Leon said.


    Samantha¡¯s fingers twitched.


    ¡°Archy.¡± she whispered.


    Archard heard the voice and frantically glanced around. Everyone was confused as to what he was freaking out about. But, he overcame the sudden disturbance and chuckled.


    ¡°Thought I heard something. Anyways, sorry, Sir William, but will you accept my request?¡±


    William raised a brow and actually nodded to his idea.


    ¡°Despite pissing me off these few months, you know what, Archard, I¡¯ll allow it.¡±


    He dramatically stepped to the side and pointed at the two.


    ¡°You two will do battle before Leon¡¯s punishment is laid upon. Which will take place two days from now.¡±


    As for you, my love, yours will be the day after their battle. William thought.


    Fine, by me, Almighty William H. Christ. Samantha thought.


    I know he can¡¯t see you because you purposely became a very fabric of our world, an idea, a thought in mind to co-exist with reality. A being higher than omnipotence. It¡¯s preposterous you¡¯ve gotten this powerful. I can only imagine just how strong your alternate personality is.


    Samantha stood, quivering her arms.


    There¡¯s only one of you, my love. And I confirmed this as I traveled across alternate times, spaces, worlds, universes, anything beyond the fourth dimension to see if there was a world with another one of you. Unfathomably, your existence sheared across the worlds, and you stayed glazing, eyeing out potential threats to your ambition.


    William smiled and bowed to her. The rest were confused as to why he bowed to Samantha. Archard on the other hand didn¡¯t understand why his master bowed to nothing.


    I can¡¯t wait to meet the final Sin I¡¯ve yet to face¡­


    William¡¯s smile grew bigger as he brought his face up.


    The strongest Sin to ever exist, the carrier and embodiment of jealousy¡ª


    ¡°See you soon, Witch of Envy, Abyzou.¡± he mumbled.


    William dissolved into sparkled dust and its fragments drifted away. Archard gazed at Sarah and chuckled as he faded out of reality too. Leon can¡¯t take anymore of the situation and loudly grunts. He wiped his face and couldn¡¯t be bothered to look at his ex wife who stood in silence.


    Samantha¡¯s grin was permanent, and she began walking towards them.


    ¡°I, I apologise for involving you in my mess, Leon.¡±


    Shaman¡¯s body felt light and he couldn¡¯t control his shaking.


    ¡°We, we thought you perished. That woman with the golden umbrella, didn¡¯t she defeat you?¡± Shaman said.


    Samantha stopped in front of him and didn¡¯t give him a glance.


    ¡°You can¡¯t defeat what one can¡¯t see.¡±


    She gently put her hand on his chest and he loudly gasped.


    ¡°Shaman, I suggest you leave and never involve yourself with my family again.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t control his repeated gasping and began to hallucinate. He clutched his head and stepped away from her. She lowered her hand and moved forward. Standing in front of her ex-husband and daughter, she took a glance at Jack and winked at him.


    She put her finger up and waved it at Jack.


    ¡°We still have a conversation to have. I hope you¡¯re ready, but before we engage in our last encounter, there¡¯s some things I must get off my chest.¡±


    She put her hand down and inched closer to her family.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you guys know the truth of everything.¡±


    Leon frowned and brought his gaze to Samantha. He stared deep into her platinum eyes and knit his brows.


    ¡°The nerve of you, Samantha. After all these years? When your maker ends up at our doorstep, you finally decide to tell us¡ªeverything?¡±


    Samantha nodded.


    ¡°Yes, everything.¡±


    She shifted her head to her daughter and she gently reached for her.


    ¡°Even you¡¯ll find out what the misconception¡¯s about, my adoring seed of life.¡±


    Sarah grew annoyed by her mother¡¯s presence and averted her gaze.


    ¡°Before we begin, would all of you join me for some coffee and tea? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all parched and tired from the senseless violence.¡±


    Jack stepped in and groaned.


    ¡°Lets just cut the shit and use the opportunity you¡¯ve granted us to know everything. And I do mean everything, Samantha.¡±


    She sighed and snapped her fingers. They were transported back to her home in Leon¡¯s library.


    ¡°You really are something, young man. I¡­¡±


    Samantha stared coldly at her daughter and her icy gaze made Sarah freeze in fear. Her silver eyes transitioned into a slow burn, until they eventually revealed the same crimson eyes bestowed upon Sarah.


    ¡°...E-n-v-y, your guys'' relationship, Sa-rah.¡±