Chapter 41: Dwindling Numbers
Kia rushed past Nina and Mimi, leaning down at Vincent's side, checking his heartbeat, breath, and all else that functioned. Mimi was staring, shocked at Vincent. Her mouth was agape, covered by her hands. Tears formed, and rolled down her face. Nina was less impacted, but still stood staring, shocked all the same. Medusa, however, was the only one to questions the savior flash of electricity. She turned around and saw Corvus, standing there. His arms had black and red lines rushing up and down them, the red aglow. He walked over to Medusa, smirking his usual smile, as Medusa stared confused at him. He put his hand on her head and messed her hair around, saying "Hey Squirt! Nice'ta see you again!" Her hair hissed up at him, until she held one of the snakelike heads in her hands and pet it softly, and they all calmed down.
"Corvus.." Medusa started, "What do you mean, 'again?', and why'd you save us?"
Another smirk from him, "Well, you was Annabelle for a while, wasn't ya? You got the same energy. Anyways, it's obvious why I saved you."
"Then... Why?"
"Well, you don't need a reason to help people. Do you?"
On the opposite side of the intersection, Kia was starting to help up Vincent. His dim eyes were unaware, but in a way he was still alive. He seemed like a zombie as she helped him walk over to Medusa on the far side of the intersection. She listened to Corvus's small conversation, as Mimi and Nina stayed in the middle of the intersection alone.
Corvus continued, "So, where are ya'll goin' anyways?"
"Well, we were going to a garage to get a ride.. but.." She turned and looked over at the rubble where Dante had stood earlier.
"Ahh... yeah, sorry about that." He laughed a bit. "I kinda can't help there."
Mimi was sitting with Nina, holding onto her tightly. She was muttering, scarred by the events she had just seen. "Monster... They're gonna get us. They're gonna get us." She clung onto Nina's shirt, looking up at her. "Nina, they're gonna get us!"
"Calm down Mimi. We'll be fine. Vincent's still alive, you know?" said Nina. She looked over to where Kia had walked with Vincent. Noticing Corvus, she muttered, "Who's that?" Upon looking around more, she noticed more and more. "He's covered in blood..." She looked over to the puddle of blood. "What's with him? Why are his arms glowing?" She looked around again.
"Nina?"
"Yes, Sweetie? Are you all right now?"
"No, but I ... Wh- where's Alexia?"
"I was just wondering the same thing..." Nina said as she peered up at the dark red sky, which thundered in response.
Meanwhile, Medusa looked down at the torn concrete. It seemed to just now hit her. Dante and Corta were under the weight of a building. Her home was gone now. All she had left was... "Kia?"
Kia looked over to Medusa, and leaned down to try and see her snakelike eyes. "Mm?"
"Can I ... Stay with you guys?"
Kia nodded without pause. She then let out a very short-lived smile, then held onto Vincent tighter, her happiness draining at his condition.
Corvus looked down at Vincent. He reached over to him to lift up his chin, and Kia slapped his hand away. He waved her off, and then pushed his chin up again. "His eyes are faded. He's turning."
Kia tilted her head, and Medusa looked up. "Turning?"
They were too focused on their conversation, forgetting about the world as they were there. A roar came from the intersection, along with a scream from Mimi. The rest of the group turned to see Icarus grab both Nina and Mimi, then fly off. Corvus ran after it, down 72nd street for a few long paces, then gave up. The red lines on his arms had dimmed down, no longer glowing. He looked down, then walked over to his jacket hanging on a broken pole and grabbed it. He walked by Medusa and Kia, grabbing their hands along the way. All he was able to mutter was, "I'm sorry about your friends.."
A/N: Funny thing, It was really thundering when this chapter was being written. I plan on writing Author Notes from now on, on every chapter. This chapter kinda leaves you with a "and then there were three" feeling, don'it? Hope you didn't have trouble finding the page!
"Corvus.." Medusa started, "What do you mean, 'again?', and why'd you save us?"
Another smirk from him, "Well, you was Annabelle for a while, wasn't ya? You got the same energy. Anyways, it's obvious why I saved you."
"Then... Why?"
"Well, you don't need a reason to help people. Do you?"
On the opposite side of the intersection, Kia was starting to help up Vincent. His dim eyes were unaware, but in a way he was still alive. He seemed like a zombie as she helped him walk over to Medusa on the far side of the intersection. She listened to Corvus's small conversation, as Mimi and Nina stayed in the middle of the intersection alone.
Corvus continued, "So, where are ya'll goin' anyways?"
"Well, we were going to a garage to get a ride.. but.." She turned and looked over at the rubble where Dante had stood earlier.
"Ahh... yeah, sorry about that." He laughed a bit. "I kinda can't help there."
Mimi was sitting with Nina, holding onto her tightly. She was muttering, scarred by the events she had just seen. "Monster... They're gonna get us. They're gonna get us." She clung onto Nina's shirt, looking up at her. "Nina, they're gonna get us!"
"Calm down Mimi. We'll be fine. Vincent's still alive, you know?" said Nina. She looked over to where Kia had walked with Vincent. Noticing Corvus, she muttered, "Who's that?" Upon looking around more, she noticed more and more. "He's covered in blood..." She looked over to the puddle of blood. "What's with him? Why are his arms glowing?" She looked around again.
"Nina?"
"Yes, Sweetie? Are you all right now?"
"No, but I ... Wh- where's Alexia?"
"I was just wondering the same thing..." Nina said as she peered up at the dark red sky, which thundered in response.
Meanwhile, Medusa looked down at the torn concrete. It seemed to just now hit her. Dante and Corta were under the weight of a building. Her home was gone now. All she had left was... "Kia?"
Kia looked over to Medusa, and leaned down to try and see her snakelike eyes. "Mm?"
"Can I ... Stay with you guys?"
Kia nodded without pause. She then let out a very short-lived smile, then held onto Vincent tighter, her happiness draining at his condition.
Corvus looked down at Vincent. He reached over to him to lift up his chin, and Kia slapped his hand away. He waved her off, and then pushed his chin up again. "His eyes are faded. He's turning."
Kia tilted her head, and Medusa looked up. "Turning?"
They were too focused on their conversation, forgetting about the world as they were there. A roar came from the intersection, along with a scream from Mimi. The rest of the group turned to see Icarus grab both Nina and Mimi, then fly off. Corvus ran after it, down 72nd street for a few long paces, then gave up. The red lines on his arms had dimmed down, no longer glowing. He looked down, then walked over to his jacket hanging on a broken pole and grabbed it. He walked by Medusa and Kia, grabbing their hands along the way. All he was able to mutter was, "I'm sorry about your friends.."
A/N: Funny thing, It was really thundering when this chapter was being written. I plan on writing Author Notes from now on, on every chapter. This chapter kinda leaves you with a "and then there were three" feeling, don'it? Hope you didn't have trouble finding the page!
Chapter 42: Basement Battle
6:20 pm, Hotel Lobby
Alexia is standing behind the rest of the group, as they talk with each other.
"Are ... those all people?"
"Yeah."
She looked back over to the elevator, still open. As the rest of the group was leaving, Alexia saw a light above the elevator turn on. A down arrow. She moved quickly, flipping through the opening of the doors. But her jacket was caught in the elevator, and she struggled, tearing at it until she finally was able to pull it over her head, just as the elevator started going down. She saw the jacket slip out of the loose doors, staying in the lobby of the hotel. Alexia muttered, "Son ova Bitch.." Turning to the back wall of the elevator. She was wearing a tank-top shirt, with a skull design on it. When the elevator finally reached the bottom, Alexia stepped out into the basement. It seemed nobody was here for he moment, but Alexia hadn't seen Haywire ride back up with them. She took a couple steps into the room, and something hit her on her back, just below the base of her neck. There was a large CRACK and a sharp pain, then she fell down to her hands and knees. Quickly, she rose up to her feet and stumbled forward a bit, then turned around to see Haywire with a brute weapon, looking like one of the exhibits.
Alexia managed to say "What are you doing? H-Haywire?" It was very hard for her to speak, she felt disoriented, and bumped into a wall behind her.
Haywire took a step forward, and grabbed her by the neck, dropping the club to lift her up. She quickly tried to pry his hand off of her neck, but to no use. He spoke to her, his voice darker, more serious. "My name isn't 'Haywire'. I'm not your friend, Fallen fiend, and I don't have any love for you, nor anyone who's ever stepped into this room." His grip tightened. "My name... is Hellion Jester, and you, Alexia, happen to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time." He then threw her back down to the ground, as his skin on his arms turned to a strange metallic shade. "You should have just gone out with them, and died there. I'm sorry, but you have to die here instead." He reached his arm forward, his arm changing into a metal blade, stretching out to where Alexia laid. She jumped up, over his attack, to grab onto a lamp hanging from the ceiling. She swung forward on it, and kicked him in the face with both feet, pushing him backwards.
"So, your boss know you're a Demon?"
He stood back up, wiping blood from his lips. "Nope.. Never got the glory of killing him with my hands!" He slashed forward again, but Alexia ducked, and kicked his arm up, it making a loud 'Ping' sound, echoing throughout the room. "You're a real bitch, you know?"
"Yeah, I been told." She spun around, sweeping out his legs from under him. He then landed on the floor so hard that the light overhead all swung back and forth. Alexia moved back quickly, further down to the back of the room.
Hellion got back to his feet, and ran after her, all the way down to the edge of the room. Alexia ducked, and his arm slashed into the safe, destroying the lock entirely. Alexia then kicked his upper arm, which was still flesh and bone. A loud crack echoed, blood splattered on the ceiling, and Hellion screamed in pain, pulling his arm back out of the safe. "You, little girl, just got on my last nerve." His other arm transformed into a sword as well. "I'd really like for you to die now."
Alexia took a small dash forward, and hit him in the chest. There was another cracking sound, and he flew back a few feet. She waited for him to get back up, standing right under one of the lights, darkening her whole image. "You're a fool. Unexperienced. Did you even listen when Medusa has said, in this very room, not to get into a fist fight with me? You're not even worth the effort, but thanks for opening the safe for me." She turned, as he stumbled back to his feet. He dashed at her once more, and she moved his metal arm up, and directly into the light overhead, then quickly stepping back. "You made me do it." He let out a scream of pain, as the lights all flickered and the volts of electricity flowed through his body. He fell down to the ground, singed and burned, lifeless. Alexia just turned to the safe and pulled out the small bound book with the Fallen logo on it, opened it, and started to read it, turning back to the elevator. "Now, what has he been up to?" She said to herself, hopping over Hellion's body and walking back to the elevator. She pressed the "L" button, and rode up to the lobby, where there was a little girl there, wearing her Fallen jacket and holding a torn up and stained teddy bear.
"Hi there lady." said the little girl.
A/N: Well, I realized I had forgotten about a few characters, so I decided I didn't wanna have any loose ends. Also, yes, I finally killed someone. Proud of me?
Alexia is standing behind the rest of the group, as they talk with each other.
"Are ... those all people?"
"Yeah."
She looked back over to the elevator, still open. As the rest of the group was leaving, Alexia saw a light above the elevator turn on. A down arrow. She moved quickly, flipping through the opening of the doors. But her jacket was caught in the elevator, and she struggled, tearing at it until she finally was able to pull it over her head, just as the elevator started going down. She saw the jacket slip out of the loose doors, staying in the lobby of the hotel. Alexia muttered, "Son ova Bitch.." Turning to the back wall of the elevator. She was wearing a tank-top shirt, with a skull design on it. When the elevator finally reached the bottom, Alexia stepped out into the basement. It seemed nobody was here for he moment, but Alexia hadn't seen Haywire ride back up with them. She took a couple steps into the room, and something hit her on her back, just below the base of her neck. There was a large CRACK and a sharp pain, then she fell down to her hands and knees. Quickly, she rose up to her feet and stumbled forward a bit, then turned around to see Haywire with a brute weapon, looking like one of the exhibits.
Alexia managed to say "What are you doing? H-Haywire?" It was very hard for her to speak, she felt disoriented, and bumped into a wall behind her.
Haywire took a step forward, and grabbed her by the neck, dropping the club to lift her up. She quickly tried to pry his hand off of her neck, but to no use. He spoke to her, his voice darker, more serious. "My name isn't 'Haywire'. I'm not your friend, Fallen fiend, and I don't have any love for you, nor anyone who's ever stepped into this room." His grip tightened. "My name... is Hellion Jester, and you, Alexia, happen to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time." He then threw her back down to the ground, as his skin on his arms turned to a strange metallic shade. "You should have just gone out with them, and died there. I'm sorry, but you have to die here instead." He reached his arm forward, his arm changing into a metal blade, stretching out to where Alexia laid. She jumped up, over his attack, to grab onto a lamp hanging from the ceiling. She swung forward on it, and kicked him in the face with both feet, pushing him backwards.
"So, your boss know you're a Demon?"
He stood back up, wiping blood from his lips. "Nope.. Never got the glory of killing him with my hands!" He slashed forward again, but Alexia ducked, and kicked his arm up, it making a loud 'Ping' sound, echoing throughout the room. "You're a real bitch, you know?"
"Yeah, I been told." She spun around, sweeping out his legs from under him. He then landed on the floor so hard that the light overhead all swung back and forth. Alexia moved back quickly, further down to the back of the room.
Hellion got back to his feet, and ran after her, all the way down to the edge of the room. Alexia ducked, and his arm slashed into the safe, destroying the lock entirely. Alexia then kicked his upper arm, which was still flesh and bone. A loud crack echoed, blood splattered on the ceiling, and Hellion screamed in pain, pulling his arm back out of the safe. "You, little girl, just got on my last nerve." His other arm transformed into a sword as well. "I'd really like for you to die now."
Alexia took a small dash forward, and hit him in the chest. There was another cracking sound, and he flew back a few feet. She waited for him to get back up, standing right under one of the lights, darkening her whole image. "You're a fool. Unexperienced. Did you even listen when Medusa has said, in this very room, not to get into a fist fight with me? You're not even worth the effort, but thanks for opening the safe for me." She turned, as he stumbled back to his feet. He dashed at her once more, and she moved his metal arm up, and directly into the light overhead, then quickly stepping back. "You made me do it." He let out a scream of pain, as the lights all flickered and the volts of electricity flowed through his body. He fell down to the ground, singed and burned, lifeless. Alexia just turned to the safe and pulled out the small bound book with the Fallen logo on it, opened it, and started to read it, turning back to the elevator. "Now, what has he been up to?" She said to herself, hopping over Hellion's body and walking back to the elevator. She pressed the "L" button, and rode up to the lobby, where there was a little girl there, wearing her Fallen jacket and holding a torn up and stained teddy bear.
"Hi there lady." said the little girl.
A/N: Well, I realized I had forgotten about a few characters, so I decided I didn't wanna have any loose ends. Also, yes, I finally killed someone. Proud of me?
Chapter 43: Annie
Alexia stared at the little girl bewildered for a few moments. The small girl before her was wearing a white dress. She had blond hair to her shoulders, and black irises in her eyes. Her dress went down to her knees, and by the look of it, she was wearing something under it. The Teddy-bear was mauled and distorted, one eye ripped out, one ear patched over, and one of it's legs burned badly. Alexia finally regained herself and asked, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
The girl smiled, and hugged her teddy bear a bit closer. "I'm Marion."
"Uh-huh... and why are you here?"
"I found your jacket, lady."
"Yeaaah, I gathered that. I'm probably gonna need that back." Alexia walked the girl over to a bench and checked her for wounds, finding a very few amount, then bandaged them. Standing up again, Alexia gazed out the door, and heard a loud sound, like something collapsing. Focusing on the street ahead of the building, she saw one of the apartments lining the street fall down, and Icarus fly over it and out of sight to the ground on the other side. Quickly, she looked down to the little girl, who was only focused on her bear. Another bang echoed, this time capturing Marion's attention. Alexia looked over, and saw Icarus fly back over the wreckage, letting out a roar. It flew right towards the hotel, seemingly blinded, swaying side to side in it's disoriented flight. Picking the small girl up, Alexia turned and ran out of the creature's path, and down to the stairwell as the creature smashed through the front of the hotel and knocked out several support beams, then leaving right through the back glass wall. Alexia stormed down the steps, holding the little girls hand as she pulled her after her. She reached the bottom of the stairs quickly and ran to her car, opening the back door and softly tossing Marion into the back seat, and jumped into the drivers seat, quickly driving the car out of the parking lot as the area behind her collapsed. Stopping just a block away from the hotel to see it all collapse, falling to the ground in a heap of metal and glass, stone and cloth. Looking into her rear-view mirror, Alexia stared at the rubble, mumbling, "What the hell?" low enough that Marion couldn't hear it.
"So, What's the demonic book for?"
Alexia turned to look in the backseat, at Marion. She was holding the book open and looking at the strange symbols. "What are you doing? .. please don't tear that, I need it."
"Etticai Ekrashaja Emna Tek." There was a short pause, then she translated, "The fallen will rise again."
6:45 pm, Metatec lot
Kia leaned Vincent against one of the support beams and he slid down it slowly, then sat on the ground next to it idly. Medusa sat next to Kia, and Corvus paced back and forth. "So, you don't have the keys?"
Medusa replied, "Nope."
"Even know which cars are his?"
"Nope."
"Know how to find them?"
"Nope."
"Wanna go and get the keys?"
"Nope."
"Do you know how to say anything else?"
She then shrugged.
Corvus glared at her for a moment, then burst suddenly into laughter. "I like you kid, I like you, you're funny." He stood there with his foolish grin for a moment, the looked out at the street they just walked from to see a figure moving towards them. A small figure, like a far away white mirage. "Hey, Snakey, that person a friend of yours?"
Medusa leaned around the pillar and looked over at the figure, then shook her head. "Nope."
Corvus laughed again. "All right."
The person continued to walk over to them, until reaching them, of course. Upon getting to the entrance of the lot, the appearance became obvious. It was a girl, about eighteen or nineteen years old, pale skinned, wearing a tattered and sewn white hospital gown down to her knees, with the word "Alone" stitched across it with black thread. There was patches of red all across her gown, and large bandages stained with blood crossing her chest. She wore no pants nor shoes, but had a small anklet on her left foot with a three-headed creature in flames. Cerberus. Her arms had bandages loosely hanging around, randomly blotted with blood, and the edges seemed singed, and some parts burned. Her wrist was home to a paper bracelet saying "Lennox Hill Hospital". Around her neck was a black ribbon with an erratic red stitch, which was used to hold up a torn Fallen jacket. the jacket was hanging on her shoulders, the hold cut down the middle, and stitched back up, the front torn clean open, and the sleeves burned to a black crisp. The Icarus symbol on this jacket was nearly gone with wear, and parts of the black cloth were worn out of color, or wearing.The pockets on the sides of the jackets were filled with random objects: a candy bar, a piece of paper, a rock, a small stitched heart that was badly sewn together, and a box of matches. She also had bandages around her head, mostly around her hair. There was more blotched blood stains, but no burns here. The bandages held her hair tied into two pigtails, and her long white-violet hair went out of them and to her waist approximately. Her eyes were a dark gray where normal eyes were white, and she had burning, glowing amber irises. A twisted grin curled across her face, and she had a stamp-like tattoo on her left cheek, slanted just under here eye. It said "Annie" in black, with a box around it. The girl snickered, and stared at Corvus.
"Finally found you.." She said to him.
A/N: Took me FOREVER to get her into the story. I had to write Corvus's part twice, since Weebly is just totally retarded. I must admit, I really went and tried to make this character's description as precise and powerful as I could, but I messed up an awful lot. Either way, here's Annie, I hope you like one of my most twisted and dark characters to date, because I know one thing.. I'm gonna love this..
The girl smiled, and hugged her teddy bear a bit closer. "I'm Marion."
"Uh-huh... and why are you here?"
"I found your jacket, lady."
"Yeaaah, I gathered that. I'm probably gonna need that back." Alexia walked the girl over to a bench and checked her for wounds, finding a very few amount, then bandaged them. Standing up again, Alexia gazed out the door, and heard a loud sound, like something collapsing. Focusing on the street ahead of the building, she saw one of the apartments lining the street fall down, and Icarus fly over it and out of sight to the ground on the other side. Quickly, she looked down to the little girl, who was only focused on her bear. Another bang echoed, this time capturing Marion's attention. Alexia looked over, and saw Icarus fly back over the wreckage, letting out a roar. It flew right towards the hotel, seemingly blinded, swaying side to side in it's disoriented flight. Picking the small girl up, Alexia turned and ran out of the creature's path, and down to the stairwell as the creature smashed through the front of the hotel and knocked out several support beams, then leaving right through the back glass wall. Alexia stormed down the steps, holding the little girls hand as she pulled her after her. She reached the bottom of the stairs quickly and ran to her car, opening the back door and softly tossing Marion into the back seat, and jumped into the drivers seat, quickly driving the car out of the parking lot as the area behind her collapsed. Stopping just a block away from the hotel to see it all collapse, falling to the ground in a heap of metal and glass, stone and cloth. Looking into her rear-view mirror, Alexia stared at the rubble, mumbling, "What the hell?" low enough that Marion couldn't hear it.
"So, What's the demonic book for?"
Alexia turned to look in the backseat, at Marion. She was holding the book open and looking at the strange symbols. "What are you doing? .. please don't tear that, I need it."
"Etticai Ekrashaja Emna Tek." There was a short pause, then she translated, "The fallen will rise again."
6:45 pm, Metatec lot
Kia leaned Vincent against one of the support beams and he slid down it slowly, then sat on the ground next to it idly. Medusa sat next to Kia, and Corvus paced back and forth. "So, you don't have the keys?"
Medusa replied, "Nope."
"Even know which cars are his?"
"Nope."
"Know how to find them?"
"Nope."
"Wanna go and get the keys?"
"Nope."
"Do you know how to say anything else?"
She then shrugged.
Corvus glared at her for a moment, then burst suddenly into laughter. "I like you kid, I like you, you're funny." He stood there with his foolish grin for a moment, the looked out at the street they just walked from to see a figure moving towards them. A small figure, like a far away white mirage. "Hey, Snakey, that person a friend of yours?"
Medusa leaned around the pillar and looked over at the figure, then shook her head. "Nope."
Corvus laughed again. "All right."
The person continued to walk over to them, until reaching them, of course. Upon getting to the entrance of the lot, the appearance became obvious. It was a girl, about eighteen or nineteen years old, pale skinned, wearing a tattered and sewn white hospital gown down to her knees, with the word "Alone" stitched across it with black thread. There was patches of red all across her gown, and large bandages stained with blood crossing her chest. She wore no pants nor shoes, but had a small anklet on her left foot with a three-headed creature in flames. Cerberus. Her arms had bandages loosely hanging around, randomly blotted with blood, and the edges seemed singed, and some parts burned. Her wrist was home to a paper bracelet saying "Lennox Hill Hospital". Around her neck was a black ribbon with an erratic red stitch, which was used to hold up a torn Fallen jacket. the jacket was hanging on her shoulders, the hold cut down the middle, and stitched back up, the front torn clean open, and the sleeves burned to a black crisp. The Icarus symbol on this jacket was nearly gone with wear, and parts of the black cloth were worn out of color, or wearing.The pockets on the sides of the jackets were filled with random objects: a candy bar, a piece of paper, a rock, a small stitched heart that was badly sewn together, and a box of matches. She also had bandages around her head, mostly around her hair. There was more blotched blood stains, but no burns here. The bandages held her hair tied into two pigtails, and her long white-violet hair went out of them and to her waist approximately. Her eyes were a dark gray where normal eyes were white, and she had burning, glowing amber irises. A twisted grin curled across her face, and she had a stamp-like tattoo on her left cheek, slanted just under here eye. It said "Annie" in black, with a box around it. The girl snickered, and stared at Corvus.
"Finally found you.." She said to him.
A/N: Took me FOREVER to get her into the story. I had to write Corvus's part twice, since Weebly is just totally retarded. I must admit, I really went and tried to make this character's description as precise and powerful as I could, but I messed up an awful lot. Either way, here's Annie, I hope you like one of my most twisted and dark characters to date, because I know one thing.. I'm gonna love this..
Chapter 44: Just the Beginning
"Uhh.... What?" Corvus said, a dumbfounded look on his face.
"I said I found you!" The girl said, stomping her foot impatiently on the ground.
"Yeah, I got that." He smiled, and leaned over towards Medusa, whispering "Hey, Kiddo... You understand what's going on?"
"Nope." she responded, then looked over at Kia who was snuggling Vincent in her arms tightly, like a child snuggles their teddy bear.
"What, you don't remember me?" The girl, Annie, blinked and then gave him a stare of disbelief.
Corvus shrugged, "I be forgettin' shit recently. I shot myself though. It was fun." He gave his big goofy grin, and then she threw a rock at him. "Hey! ..... That hurt!"
She stared at him with anger, her eyes seeming to come alive like flames as her hands gave of so much heat it made a wave around her, distorting the view of all that was around her hands. The band around her wrist turned darker, and changed to black, falling off of her wrist and lighting aflame with impact of the ground. She clenched her fists and seemed to glare at him. "Do you even know what the HELL I've been through since you've been gone?!"
"Nope! Oh, hey, now I'm turnin' into you, Kiddo." He said, glancing over at Medusa. He looked back at Annie again, a blank face.
"I've been... through SO MUCH SHIT!"
"Same..."
".. and you don't even REMEMBER ME?!"
"Oh yeah.... I forgot, I live in Manhattan."
"Yes, you do. I tried so hand to always get your attention, but my life fell apart when you had to go and take a mission with that retarded little purple FREAK! I didn't even join for his stupid mission, All I cared about was impressing you, and now you don't even remember me?!"
"Not really. Like I said, I have memory issues lately."
"Fine, I guess I'll just have to tell you EVERYTHING!" As her words intensified, so did the heat around them. with this last sentence, her hands lit aflame, some of the bandages singing and curling up her arms, as if they were trying to get away from her. Her eyes seemed to glow in the dimness of their surroundings, and she stepped up to him, glaring at him through his hair. Though she stood toe to toe with him, she was still about a foot shorter than he, they seemed more harmonious in this moment than before. Corvus was calm, listening closely to her words, and as she began her story, her flames went out, and she leaned lightly on his chest.
"It all started that day you left for your Europe mission.... " She began..
"I said I found you!" The girl said, stomping her foot impatiently on the ground.
"Yeah, I got that." He smiled, and leaned over towards Medusa, whispering "Hey, Kiddo... You understand what's going on?"
"Nope." she responded, then looked over at Kia who was snuggling Vincent in her arms tightly, like a child snuggles their teddy bear.
"What, you don't remember me?" The girl, Annie, blinked and then gave him a stare of disbelief.
Corvus shrugged, "I be forgettin' shit recently. I shot myself though. It was fun." He gave his big goofy grin, and then she threw a rock at him. "Hey! ..... That hurt!"
She stared at him with anger, her eyes seeming to come alive like flames as her hands gave of so much heat it made a wave around her, distorting the view of all that was around her hands. The band around her wrist turned darker, and changed to black, falling off of her wrist and lighting aflame with impact of the ground. She clenched her fists and seemed to glare at him. "Do you even know what the HELL I've been through since you've been gone?!"
"Nope! Oh, hey, now I'm turnin' into you, Kiddo." He said, glancing over at Medusa. He looked back at Annie again, a blank face.
"I've been... through SO MUCH SHIT!"
"Same..."
".. and you don't even REMEMBER ME?!"
"Oh yeah.... I forgot, I live in Manhattan."
"Yes, you do. I tried so hand to always get your attention, but my life fell apart when you had to go and take a mission with that retarded little purple FREAK! I didn't even join for his stupid mission, All I cared about was impressing you, and now you don't even remember me?!"
"Not really. Like I said, I have memory issues lately."
"Fine, I guess I'll just have to tell you EVERYTHING!" As her words intensified, so did the heat around them. with this last sentence, her hands lit aflame, some of the bandages singing and curling up her arms, as if they were trying to get away from her. Her eyes seemed to glow in the dimness of their surroundings, and she stepped up to him, glaring at him through his hair. Though she stood toe to toe with him, she was still about a foot shorter than he, they seemed more harmonious in this moment than before. Corvus was calm, listening closely to her words, and as she began her story, her flames went out, and she leaned lightly on his chest.
"It all started that day you left for your Europe mission.... " She began..
Chapter 45: A Life Burned to Ashes
A/N: This chapter is pretty gruesome, so if you find many dark things disturbing, and would rather skip this chapter, I'm not putting too much important storyline here, not for current time anyways.
5 years earlier...
A few people stand around a trash bin with a fire in it. One of them is Annie, who has her hair in pig tails, is a bit shorter, and is wearing the same jacket, sans the burned sleeves. Her hair is blond at this time, for some reason. She seems around the age of fourteen, and doesn't have the bandages, the strange eyes, or the hospital gown. She was holding a stuffed animal. Around her are two other people. One of them is Annabelle who is also younger, although she looks mostly the same. The other person is someone who we have not seen so far, a young man in his later teens, Green eyes and hair, spiked up. He has several key chains, bracelets, and other trinkets. He wears a fallen jacket, but in a fairly strange way. He has the hood on his arm, and the sleeves tied around to make it stay. He seems to be using the jacket itself as his right sleeve. His shirt has a large L on the back of it, and crossed swords on the front. His pants are normal jeans.
"Elliot, are you sure that you're not just seeing things?" Annabelle asked the guy
"Nah, I'm serious. I saw the little girl with the weird white eyes in the library. I was just there to get info on the guy, but she walked up to him and shit, so I saw her too." He replied
"Well, what was the daemonologist doing there?"
"He was lookin' at some weird book. He wrote a bunch of stuff down in a journal, but I didn't get a chance to check the book, 'cuz the little girl grabbed it and disappeared before I could get to her. He had an international plane ticket though."
"Okay." She looked over to Annie. "Hey, brat. What are you gonna do now that your oh valiant protector was sent away? Oh, right. I remember now. you're just gonna have to grow up, fend for yourself, and stop being such a little bitch." She pushed Annie down and grabbed her stuffed animal, which she tried frantically to retrieve. After a few seconds of this, Annabelle kicked her in the stomach, which made her fall back to the ground. Annabelle pulled out a knife and cut the stuffed creature's head off, the threw the body into the bin of flames. She placed the head on a chair, and stabbed the knife through the top of it's head and into the chair. "Elliot, Babysit the little bitch. I've got a meeting in a few minutes. Our leader's gonna need his Wednesday check in, and he's gonna wanna know what's with Victor."
"Okay Anna." He said, staring at the stuffed animals head as Annie cried next to the bin, watching her precious toy burn to ashes.
After Annabelle walked away, Elliot moved over to Annie and put his arms around her. "Lorianne Marie, please stop crying. She's just trying to make you stronger."
Annie flailed in his arms, crawling away from him. "I hate her! She's so cruel and mean!" She screamed.
"Well, a lot of people are like her. Anyways, it's that coldness that made her the new leader after Corvus left."
"Don't you say his name! His name is mine! I own his name! His name and him are mine, and mine alone, you hear me?!"
"C'mon Annie, This is a lot to bear for you, I know, but he's his own person. you can't cling to him all the time, he's like... older than you."
"Like it matters! Age is just a number!"
He sighed and muttered, "Yeah, but he never even noticed you liked him.. Hell, He never noticed you at all."
"That was MY toy! She shouldn't have burned it!"
"Well, she did."
"She don't got the right! that was MY present!"
Elliot walked over to her again, and wrapped his arms around her once more. "C'mon, calm down."
"Will you stop touching me!?" She flailed again, and walked away from him.
Current day..
"He still hugged me every day anyways. Every day he tried to get closer to me. And Annabelle was just as mean every day.. it just got worse and after a while..." Annie said, as the world faded back into another flash back..
4 years earlier
"Ignore her. She's just gonna cry all day." Annabelle said, then sighed. "She's such a little bitch all the time. I hate that little brat."
Elliot shook his head. "But she's just gonna keep whining about it. I'm gonna get her another gift."
"No. You're not."
"But you took away the one she got in the mail! She's just gonna cry until you give it back."
"Or Destroy it like the last one."
"She was devastated after that."
"Fine, since you're so obsessed with her," She began reaching under her chair and whipping something at him. "Give it back to her."
"I will!"
... A few minutes later...
"Hey, Annie?"
Annie was curled up in a room along the alleyway in which they based off. She was laying on the bed, crying, holding a piece of paper. As Elliot entered, she made a quick movement and stuffed it in her shirt. she stuttered in talking to him, and coughed, then finally managed to cough out "What?"
"I got this back for you." He held out a small bracelet with a three headed dog on it, to which her arms widened and she immediately snatched from him, holding it tightly to her chest as she continued to stare at him with wide eyes. "Wh-" she stuttered again, as her eyes filled with tears once more. "Why did you do this for me?"
"'Cuz I.." He rubbed his head, took a breath, then continued, "'Cuz I don't like seeing you sad, y'know? You got a right to be happy."
"I don't get happy anymore.." She said, looking down at the silver in her hand. The links on the bracelet seemed a bit scratched and scorched, as if someone had tried to damage it several times before, but without success. There was a singed and slightly tattered tag attached to it, labeled "From C". She looked up at him again, then closed her hand, hiding the view of it. "Thanks." She said, then looked over to the side, as if she didn't really care.
"Do you know how much shit I went through from her to get that back?"
"Not really."
"Do you even give a damn that I helped you?"
"No, I don't. Now go away."
"Wow, you're just so.." He clenched his fists, then kicked her bed, which shook and one of the legs broke, pushing the whole thing off balance. The bed fell to the side, and she rolled off it. He tossed her lamp across the room, then turned and walked out of the room, shouting at Annabelle outside.
Annie sat up, and looked at her arm, which had a trickle of blood and a piece of wood in it. She yanked out the large splinter, then looked at the bracelet in her hand. "If I put it on, they'll take it away again.... If I hide it in my room.... then they'll rip it apart to find it.." She looked up towards the doorway, not the only source of light in her room. Noticing nobody was there, she lifted up the bottom of on of her pants legs and quickly put it on her ankle. She pulled the pant leg back down, hiding the new anklet, and walked over to the broken lamp, picking up a piece of the glass...
The flashback faded out, and went to a later time, about a year before the current events.
Elliot walked into her room, where she now had a new lamp. her mattress was now on the floor, instead of on the bed. There was several holes in her wall, and her arms were bandaged up. There were blood stains on the inside forearms of the bandages. Annie herself seemed broken and depressed, sitting in the corner of the room, on her bed. Elliot walked over, and sat on her bed near her, placing his hand on her. "Hey sweet heart."
"Don't you even call me that." She snapped at him, then laid her head against the wall, refusing to look his way.
"Why don't you ever give me a chance?"
"You don't deserve a chance, Ell."
"Fine. You know what, one day, you'll really hurt." He stood up, pointing a finger at her. "And I'll be laughing. You'll see. I can make your life the biggest hell kid. It will be fun for me.." He turned and walked out the door. She got up, and followed him out of the doorway, looking around the alley for a moment, but not seeing him. Annabelle was sitting there, however, staring in malice at Annie.
"Hey, bitch." Annabelle called to her, "Come over here."
Annie walked over, and sat a few feet from the chair, holding her legs to her chest on the ground. She was sitting a few inches from the bin. Annabelle rose to her feet and walked a bit around Annie. "So, Do you still have his picture?"
Annie clutched her chest, and made a small crumple sound, then replied. "No, I don't. I lost it."
Annabelle sighed, and put her hand on Annie's shoulder. She squeezed, tighter every few seconds, and reiterated herself. "Do you still have his picture? Do not lie to me."
Annie flinched in pain, then said again, "No... I lost it.
Annabelle pulled her up by her shoulder, then threw her towards the wall, in which Annie stumbled over to and hit her same shoulder. Annabelle walked over, grabbed her by the collar of the shirt, and slammed her against the wall again. "I told you not to lie to me. She ripped at the shirt for a second, then pulled the paper out through the tear she made. She walked over to the bin, unfolding the paper.
"Annabelle, don't!"
"It's the letter too! Oh how touching. 'Dear Annie, hope you're doing well in my absence, have a happy birthday!' .... Sickening." She said, letting go of the paper, and it falling into the flames. "Little sister, you need to grow up. He's never coming back to this hell to save you. You're stuck here, with me and Elliot. You're never going to get away from this alley, this bin of fire, or your wretched little room. You're in hell, Brat. Now pull it together and grow up. Or, if you'd rather, I can bring you back to our drunkard father."
"No!" She yelled, her eyes filling with tears again.
"I guess I will. You're too weak and childish to be here." She turned and walked down the alley, and turned left at the juncture at the end of it. After a few seconds, Annie turned and ran after her, getting to the crossing and staring as Annabelle walked to someone between the current location, and the street ahead. A wealthy looking man, and a small girl with long, split hair were with her. Dante and Medusa... Annabelle took a step or two back, then reached around to her back and pulled out two knives. She leaped at Dante, who ducked under her attack, and flipped her over him. This movement, accompanied with a slam into the ground behind him, disarmed her and caused her to squirm with pain. He held out a green gem and a light rose out of Annabelle's chest, and into the gem. After the whole event, someone seemed to appear behind them like an apparition. They shared few words, and then both the figure and Annabelle's body disappeared. Dante walked over to Annie.
"Lorianne, I need you to remain calm. During this whole event, you have seen nothing. You were in your room, and you haven't seen your big sister since this morning, all right?"
Annie shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion and fear. She turned to run, and one of Medusa's snake like hair braids whipped out at her. Annie became numb, and everything faded to black...
Current time.
I'm not sure if that was a dream, of if it was real, but after that, I woke up and Annabelle was back, but she had a green necklace... Elliot didn't question it, nor the fact that she wasn't around much anymore.. You would think that was the end of all that I had to suffer... but it wasn't ...
Months before..
Annabelle is sitting in the alley, prettying herself up. She looks over to Elliot, who is staring at Annie. Annie is looking Sorrowfully into the flames. "Elliot."
He snapped out of his short trance, and looked over to her. "Yeah?"
"You're in charge now."
"Wai- what?!"
"Marva want's me to do some things for him. I've been transferred." She stood up, and Annie looked up at her.
"Wait..." Annie started, "You're leaving me with Elliot?"
She shrugged, "Yeah, so what?" Then turned and walked out of the alley.
Annie looked in fear over at Elliot. He looked at her and smiled sweetly, to which her reactions was jumping up and running to her room, locking the door. She sat on the mattress and counted slowly, as he banged on the door.
"C'mon Annie, let me in. I'm not gonna do nothin'."
"... 2..."
"Don't make me open this door, I will!"
".. 3..."
"You're really making me angry! Open it now!"
".. 4..."
"That's it!" There was a metallic sound, and the door flew open. He walked in and his right arm was shown, without the jacket tied on. He had a metal device bolted into the arm, with a blade coming out of it. His eyes were filled with anger, and he pressed something on the device and the bade retracted. He pulled the jacket back on and tied it again, all quickly while moving over to her.
"... 5..."
He tilted his head, and pulled her up by her collar, walking over to the wall and pinning her there. "Why are you counting?"
"... I'm counting to five."
"I asked why!" He yelled, pushing her into the wall.
"I'm giving the fear five seconds... but only five seconds.. I saw it on TV." She shook her head. "And now I'm not scared of you anymore."
"Really? You should be." He tossed her across the room, then threw the newer lamp towards her. "You really shouldn't have pissed me ..." He stopped and looked down, noticing the anklet. "Is that the one I got back for you?" He leaned down and snatched it off of her, then tossed it from her room out into the alley, it landing in the barrel with the fire in it. "And now he's gone in every way."
... Current time
"After that he" She paused, and took a few breaths "beat me pretty bad.. and he did some horrible things. I remember laying there, in my room after. There was so much hatred in me. I couldn't do anything, he was just too strong for me. Then, later that night he walked in with a piece of paper, and said some weird words. I remember freaking out as I saw something float out of me, then he put it back into me. I heard some voices, then my body felt like it was on fire. I couldn't move, or speak... I couldn't hear what Elliot was saying, and then he just left the room. I remember having a conversation in my head with a strange voice..."
That night, a few months earlier..
Annie lays on her bed, paralyzed and in a burning pain. She hears a voice, sounding vile, yet full of power. The sound of searing flames echoes in her ears, as she hears the voice.
"Lorianne Marie, You are a very malicious heart today.."
She voiced in her head, responding to the voice, "Who... are you? What's happening?"
"Elliot McKorvik has brought upon you the nearest of a death. He has removed your soul, and then immediately replaced it. Your body is dying in it's form, but your mind and soul live on. I can give you the power to survive, child, but at a severe cost."
"Who.. Who are you?"
"I am the spirit of a creature known as Cerberus, the same creature on the bracelet you have worn before. In all aspects, it was a unanimous decision when it came to the choice of who's power you would claim. My power is of flame, and an unbelievable amount of it when claiming me. Although you may be devoured by your need for vengeance, or have self conflictions within yourself about many things. Although Elliot may seem cruel in his actions, he believes that in doing this to you, it will cause you to kill him."
"Why would he ever want to be killed?"
"It is within his beliefs that suicide will damn him, worse than all of the horrors he has committed in abusing and raping you."
"How do you know all this?"
"Spiritual bodies are allowed to watch, but not interfere. As a body dies, we are allowed to speak with them, but we have found that in their death, we may lend them power to survive. Our gift is a curse, but our curse is a gift, and within you we as three may be more useful to any cause then ever we may have been before. Now you must chose, die here, and have Elliot resort to his suicide, then your tale will end their. The other option is take me as your sword and shield, and bring him to an end. You will suffer, but you will be able to endure it."
She thought about it for but a moment, then her decision was solid. "Become my power, and with you, I will have my vengeance..."
5 years earlier...
A few people stand around a trash bin with a fire in it. One of them is Annie, who has her hair in pig tails, is a bit shorter, and is wearing the same jacket, sans the burned sleeves. Her hair is blond at this time, for some reason. She seems around the age of fourteen, and doesn't have the bandages, the strange eyes, or the hospital gown. She was holding a stuffed animal. Around her are two other people. One of them is Annabelle who is also younger, although she looks mostly the same. The other person is someone who we have not seen so far, a young man in his later teens, Green eyes and hair, spiked up. He has several key chains, bracelets, and other trinkets. He wears a fallen jacket, but in a fairly strange way. He has the hood on his arm, and the sleeves tied around to make it stay. He seems to be using the jacket itself as his right sleeve. His shirt has a large L on the back of it, and crossed swords on the front. His pants are normal jeans.
"Elliot, are you sure that you're not just seeing things?" Annabelle asked the guy
"Nah, I'm serious. I saw the little girl with the weird white eyes in the library. I was just there to get info on the guy, but she walked up to him and shit, so I saw her too." He replied
"Well, what was the daemonologist doing there?"
"He was lookin' at some weird book. He wrote a bunch of stuff down in a journal, but I didn't get a chance to check the book, 'cuz the little girl grabbed it and disappeared before I could get to her. He had an international plane ticket though."
"Okay." She looked over to Annie. "Hey, brat. What are you gonna do now that your oh valiant protector was sent away? Oh, right. I remember now. you're just gonna have to grow up, fend for yourself, and stop being such a little bitch." She pushed Annie down and grabbed her stuffed animal, which she tried frantically to retrieve. After a few seconds of this, Annabelle kicked her in the stomach, which made her fall back to the ground. Annabelle pulled out a knife and cut the stuffed creature's head off, the threw the body into the bin of flames. She placed the head on a chair, and stabbed the knife through the top of it's head and into the chair. "Elliot, Babysit the little bitch. I've got a meeting in a few minutes. Our leader's gonna need his Wednesday check in, and he's gonna wanna know what's with Victor."
"Okay Anna." He said, staring at the stuffed animals head as Annie cried next to the bin, watching her precious toy burn to ashes.
After Annabelle walked away, Elliot moved over to Annie and put his arms around her. "Lorianne Marie, please stop crying. She's just trying to make you stronger."
Annie flailed in his arms, crawling away from him. "I hate her! She's so cruel and mean!" She screamed.
"Well, a lot of people are like her. Anyways, it's that coldness that made her the new leader after Corvus left."
"Don't you say his name! His name is mine! I own his name! His name and him are mine, and mine alone, you hear me?!"
"C'mon Annie, This is a lot to bear for you, I know, but he's his own person. you can't cling to him all the time, he's like... older than you."
"Like it matters! Age is just a number!"
He sighed and muttered, "Yeah, but he never even noticed you liked him.. Hell, He never noticed you at all."
"That was MY toy! She shouldn't have burned it!"
"Well, she did."
"She don't got the right! that was MY present!"
Elliot walked over to her again, and wrapped his arms around her once more. "C'mon, calm down."
"Will you stop touching me!?" She flailed again, and walked away from him.
Current day..
"He still hugged me every day anyways. Every day he tried to get closer to me. And Annabelle was just as mean every day.. it just got worse and after a while..." Annie said, as the world faded back into another flash back..
4 years earlier
"Ignore her. She's just gonna cry all day." Annabelle said, then sighed. "She's such a little bitch all the time. I hate that little brat."
Elliot shook his head. "But she's just gonna keep whining about it. I'm gonna get her another gift."
"No. You're not."
"But you took away the one she got in the mail! She's just gonna cry until you give it back."
"Or Destroy it like the last one."
"She was devastated after that."
"Fine, since you're so obsessed with her," She began reaching under her chair and whipping something at him. "Give it back to her."
"I will!"
... A few minutes later...
"Hey, Annie?"
Annie was curled up in a room along the alleyway in which they based off. She was laying on the bed, crying, holding a piece of paper. As Elliot entered, she made a quick movement and stuffed it in her shirt. she stuttered in talking to him, and coughed, then finally managed to cough out "What?"
"I got this back for you." He held out a small bracelet with a three headed dog on it, to which her arms widened and she immediately snatched from him, holding it tightly to her chest as she continued to stare at him with wide eyes. "Wh-" she stuttered again, as her eyes filled with tears once more. "Why did you do this for me?"
"'Cuz I.." He rubbed his head, took a breath, then continued, "'Cuz I don't like seeing you sad, y'know? You got a right to be happy."
"I don't get happy anymore.." She said, looking down at the silver in her hand. The links on the bracelet seemed a bit scratched and scorched, as if someone had tried to damage it several times before, but without success. There was a singed and slightly tattered tag attached to it, labeled "From C". She looked up at him again, then closed her hand, hiding the view of it. "Thanks." She said, then looked over to the side, as if she didn't really care.
"Do you know how much shit I went through from her to get that back?"
"Not really."
"Do you even give a damn that I helped you?"
"No, I don't. Now go away."
"Wow, you're just so.." He clenched his fists, then kicked her bed, which shook and one of the legs broke, pushing the whole thing off balance. The bed fell to the side, and she rolled off it. He tossed her lamp across the room, then turned and walked out of the room, shouting at Annabelle outside.
Annie sat up, and looked at her arm, which had a trickle of blood and a piece of wood in it. She yanked out the large splinter, then looked at the bracelet in her hand. "If I put it on, they'll take it away again.... If I hide it in my room.... then they'll rip it apart to find it.." She looked up towards the doorway, not the only source of light in her room. Noticing nobody was there, she lifted up the bottom of on of her pants legs and quickly put it on her ankle. She pulled the pant leg back down, hiding the new anklet, and walked over to the broken lamp, picking up a piece of the glass...
The flashback faded out, and went to a later time, about a year before the current events.
Elliot walked into her room, where she now had a new lamp. her mattress was now on the floor, instead of on the bed. There was several holes in her wall, and her arms were bandaged up. There were blood stains on the inside forearms of the bandages. Annie herself seemed broken and depressed, sitting in the corner of the room, on her bed. Elliot walked over, and sat on her bed near her, placing his hand on her. "Hey sweet heart."
"Don't you even call me that." She snapped at him, then laid her head against the wall, refusing to look his way.
"Why don't you ever give me a chance?"
"You don't deserve a chance, Ell."
"Fine. You know what, one day, you'll really hurt." He stood up, pointing a finger at her. "And I'll be laughing. You'll see. I can make your life the biggest hell kid. It will be fun for me.." He turned and walked out the door. She got up, and followed him out of the doorway, looking around the alley for a moment, but not seeing him. Annabelle was sitting there, however, staring in malice at Annie.
"Hey, bitch." Annabelle called to her, "Come over here."
Annie walked over, and sat a few feet from the chair, holding her legs to her chest on the ground. She was sitting a few inches from the bin. Annabelle rose to her feet and walked a bit around Annie. "So, Do you still have his picture?"
Annie clutched her chest, and made a small crumple sound, then replied. "No, I don't. I lost it."
Annabelle sighed, and put her hand on Annie's shoulder. She squeezed, tighter every few seconds, and reiterated herself. "Do you still have his picture? Do not lie to me."
Annie flinched in pain, then said again, "No... I lost it.
Annabelle pulled her up by her shoulder, then threw her towards the wall, in which Annie stumbled over to and hit her same shoulder. Annabelle walked over, grabbed her by the collar of the shirt, and slammed her against the wall again. "I told you not to lie to me. She ripped at the shirt for a second, then pulled the paper out through the tear she made. She walked over to the bin, unfolding the paper.
"Annabelle, don't!"
"It's the letter too! Oh how touching. 'Dear Annie, hope you're doing well in my absence, have a happy birthday!' .... Sickening." She said, letting go of the paper, and it falling into the flames. "Little sister, you need to grow up. He's never coming back to this hell to save you. You're stuck here, with me and Elliot. You're never going to get away from this alley, this bin of fire, or your wretched little room. You're in hell, Brat. Now pull it together and grow up. Or, if you'd rather, I can bring you back to our drunkard father."
"No!" She yelled, her eyes filling with tears again.
"I guess I will. You're too weak and childish to be here." She turned and walked down the alley, and turned left at the juncture at the end of it. After a few seconds, Annie turned and ran after her, getting to the crossing and staring as Annabelle walked to someone between the current location, and the street ahead. A wealthy looking man, and a small girl with long, split hair were with her. Dante and Medusa... Annabelle took a step or two back, then reached around to her back and pulled out two knives. She leaped at Dante, who ducked under her attack, and flipped her over him. This movement, accompanied with a slam into the ground behind him, disarmed her and caused her to squirm with pain. He held out a green gem and a light rose out of Annabelle's chest, and into the gem. After the whole event, someone seemed to appear behind them like an apparition. They shared few words, and then both the figure and Annabelle's body disappeared. Dante walked over to Annie.
"Lorianne, I need you to remain calm. During this whole event, you have seen nothing. You were in your room, and you haven't seen your big sister since this morning, all right?"
Annie shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion and fear. She turned to run, and one of Medusa's snake like hair braids whipped out at her. Annie became numb, and everything faded to black...
Current time.
I'm not sure if that was a dream, of if it was real, but after that, I woke up and Annabelle was back, but she had a green necklace... Elliot didn't question it, nor the fact that she wasn't around much anymore.. You would think that was the end of all that I had to suffer... but it wasn't ...
Months before..
Annabelle is sitting in the alley, prettying herself up. She looks over to Elliot, who is staring at Annie. Annie is looking Sorrowfully into the flames. "Elliot."
He snapped out of his short trance, and looked over to her. "Yeah?"
"You're in charge now."
"Wai- what?!"
"Marva want's me to do some things for him. I've been transferred." She stood up, and Annie looked up at her.
"Wait..." Annie started, "You're leaving me with Elliot?"
She shrugged, "Yeah, so what?" Then turned and walked out of the alley.
Annie looked in fear over at Elliot. He looked at her and smiled sweetly, to which her reactions was jumping up and running to her room, locking the door. She sat on the mattress and counted slowly, as he banged on the door.
"C'mon Annie, let me in. I'm not gonna do nothin'."
"... 2..."
"Don't make me open this door, I will!"
".. 3..."
"You're really making me angry! Open it now!"
".. 4..."
"That's it!" There was a metallic sound, and the door flew open. He walked in and his right arm was shown, without the jacket tied on. He had a metal device bolted into the arm, with a blade coming out of it. His eyes were filled with anger, and he pressed something on the device and the bade retracted. He pulled the jacket back on and tied it again, all quickly while moving over to her.
"... 5..."
He tilted his head, and pulled her up by her collar, walking over to the wall and pinning her there. "Why are you counting?"
"... I'm counting to five."
"I asked why!" He yelled, pushing her into the wall.
"I'm giving the fear five seconds... but only five seconds.. I saw it on TV." She shook her head. "And now I'm not scared of you anymore."
"Really? You should be." He tossed her across the room, then threw the newer lamp towards her. "You really shouldn't have pissed me ..." He stopped and looked down, noticing the anklet. "Is that the one I got back for you?" He leaned down and snatched it off of her, then tossed it from her room out into the alley, it landing in the barrel with the fire in it. "And now he's gone in every way."
... Current time
"After that he" She paused, and took a few breaths "beat me pretty bad.. and he did some horrible things. I remember laying there, in my room after. There was so much hatred in me. I couldn't do anything, he was just too strong for me. Then, later that night he walked in with a piece of paper, and said some weird words. I remember freaking out as I saw something float out of me, then he put it back into me. I heard some voices, then my body felt like it was on fire. I couldn't move, or speak... I couldn't hear what Elliot was saying, and then he just left the room. I remember having a conversation in my head with a strange voice..."
That night, a few months earlier..
Annie lays on her bed, paralyzed and in a burning pain. She hears a voice, sounding vile, yet full of power. The sound of searing flames echoes in her ears, as she hears the voice.
"Lorianne Marie, You are a very malicious heart today.."
She voiced in her head, responding to the voice, "Who... are you? What's happening?"
"Elliot McKorvik has brought upon you the nearest of a death. He has removed your soul, and then immediately replaced it. Your body is dying in it's form, but your mind and soul live on. I can give you the power to survive, child, but at a severe cost."
"Who.. Who are you?"
"I am the spirit of a creature known as Cerberus, the same creature on the bracelet you have worn before. In all aspects, it was a unanimous decision when it came to the choice of who's power you would claim. My power is of flame, and an unbelievable amount of it when claiming me. Although you may be devoured by your need for vengeance, or have self conflictions within yourself about many things. Although Elliot may seem cruel in his actions, he believes that in doing this to you, it will cause you to kill him."
"Why would he ever want to be killed?"
"It is within his beliefs that suicide will damn him, worse than all of the horrors he has committed in abusing and raping you."
"How do you know all this?"
"Spiritual bodies are allowed to watch, but not interfere. As a body dies, we are allowed to speak with them, but we have found that in their death, we may lend them power to survive. Our gift is a curse, but our curse is a gift, and within you we as three may be more useful to any cause then ever we may have been before. Now you must chose, die here, and have Elliot resort to his suicide, then your tale will end their. The other option is take me as your sword and shield, and bring him to an end. You will suffer, but you will be able to endure it."
She thought about it for but a moment, then her decision was solid. "Become my power, and with you, I will have my vengeance..."
Chapter 46: Revenge
By now, Corvus and Annie were sitting down. Corvus was playing with her hair, sitting against the pillar. she was sitting in front of him, her head laid back against him, still talking about her life after he left.
"All right," Corvus began, "So you're a witch now. I was a witch once. Not too long ago, actually."
"Really?" Annie asked, but paused in thought. "There's more."
"Oh?"
.............................................
Months earlier, that same night...
Annie lay on her bed, curled in a ball. Her hair has changed from blond to a palish purple, her eyes have gone gray, and her irises burn like coals. She opens stares at her doorway, which is agape from Elliot's rampage. Moonlight shines in, along with the light from the flame barrel in the alley. Annie sits up, and wipes her eyes with the sleeves of the jacket. She shivers for a moment, then gets up, walking to her doorway. Elliot is sitting near the barrel, staring into the flames. He holds his legs to his chest with his good arm, and the other hang heavily on the far side of him. Upon hearing Annie's movement, he turns to her, dropping a book.
"A-Annie!" He said, stuttering. "You're awake!"
She stared at him without emotion for a few seconds, before her eyes turned to anger. She walked towards him and kicked the chair clean from under him, and he fell to the ground. "YOU!"
"Annie, I'm sorry. I tried so hard to show you how I felt, but when you just shrugged me away..."
"I'll kill you!" She said, kicking the barrel over. The burning wood and cloth toppling across the alley and igniting anything around them.
"All you ever thought about was him though... He's gone, Annie! He was shot in the Europe mission!"
"All you've ever done to me is cause pain! Misery! Despair and hatred!" she yelled, as the flames around them seemed to bend towards her. "You don't even know what pain is, Elliot!"
"Don't say that! I know what pain is!" He yelled back towards her, then looked at the device warped onto his arm. "but not like yours. I love you, Annie."
The flames around them rose, and spun around them now, the heat fully engulfing them. "Love me? You've never showed anything but force to me, Elliot. Your touch is one that would crush a butterfly. Everything you touch withers and dies, don't you understand? I hate you." The flames spun closer, and reached towards Annie, wrapping themselves around her hands, burning the sleeves of the jacket. "You hurt me, Elliot.." She began raising her hands. ".. and now I'm gonna show you how it feels to burn." She forced her hands forward, the flames reaching towards him like hands from hell. He screamed in pain until all of her anger was drained, and he lay lifeless, burned to a crisp. She pulled the flames back, and they left her hands. Only then did she notice, the buildings around her were on fire, crumbling around her. Quickly glancing around, she noticed the barrel laying nearby, as she removed her arms from the jacket. She moved to the hole in the bucket, and was something glistening inside. She grabbed it, a searing burn hitting her hands. Pulling it out, she placed it in her pocket and ran away from her once whole home, which was now engulfed in flames. A few streets straight, she ran as fast as she could. Stopping only when her breath ran out. examining her hand, there was a circular burn there, with a strange mark like a dog's head on her palm. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a black chain. wiping the ash from it's surface, she cleaned the chain and ran her finger down it. "I miss you..." Minutes went by with nothing but the sounds of sirens and other cars. She bent down, and attached the chain to her ankle. Her bracelet was back where it belonged. Looking back at her burning home, she let out a sigh, then turned, running out of the end of the small alley and into traffic. A swift, but painful force hit her, and she fell to the ground. The world blurred, and a man stepped out of the car and ran over to her...
..... Current time, 7:15
"After getting hit by the car I was in the hospital for a while. They let me keep the jacket, and I wasn't allowed to leave until I could escape amongst the chaos." Annie said, wrapping up the end to her story. "Then I found you. I know your scent, and as a witch I have better senses, so I just followed it to you."
Corvus sat, absorbing her story. "Fire, huh? ... I didn't get anything cool like that when I was a witch. I just went insane. So, Elliot and Annabell died, and you got hit by a car.. I'm so sorry. I wish I could have helped more, but It's not easy being expendable."
"So Marva's given up on us?"
"Yeah. He's the one who ordered the attack on the city. Me and some friends have teamed out to take him out. We've gotten a bit split up, but we're meeting up somewhere soon." He looked over to Vincent, thinking for a moment.
"You okay, Cor?"
"Yeah... It's just that the kid over there.. The girl loves him, and he's going through the whole 'witching' process."
"All right," Corvus began, "So you're a witch now. I was a witch once. Not too long ago, actually."
"Really?" Annie asked, but paused in thought. "There's more."
"Oh?"
.............................................
Months earlier, that same night...
Annie lay on her bed, curled in a ball. Her hair has changed from blond to a palish purple, her eyes have gone gray, and her irises burn like coals. She opens stares at her doorway, which is agape from Elliot's rampage. Moonlight shines in, along with the light from the flame barrel in the alley. Annie sits up, and wipes her eyes with the sleeves of the jacket. She shivers for a moment, then gets up, walking to her doorway. Elliot is sitting near the barrel, staring into the flames. He holds his legs to his chest with his good arm, and the other hang heavily on the far side of him. Upon hearing Annie's movement, he turns to her, dropping a book.
"A-Annie!" He said, stuttering. "You're awake!"
She stared at him without emotion for a few seconds, before her eyes turned to anger. She walked towards him and kicked the chair clean from under him, and he fell to the ground. "YOU!"
"Annie, I'm sorry. I tried so hard to show you how I felt, but when you just shrugged me away..."
"I'll kill you!" She said, kicking the barrel over. The burning wood and cloth toppling across the alley and igniting anything around them.
"All you ever thought about was him though... He's gone, Annie! He was shot in the Europe mission!"
"All you've ever done to me is cause pain! Misery! Despair and hatred!" she yelled, as the flames around them seemed to bend towards her. "You don't even know what pain is, Elliot!"
"Don't say that! I know what pain is!" He yelled back towards her, then looked at the device warped onto his arm. "but not like yours. I love you, Annie."
The flames around them rose, and spun around them now, the heat fully engulfing them. "Love me? You've never showed anything but force to me, Elliot. Your touch is one that would crush a butterfly. Everything you touch withers and dies, don't you understand? I hate you." The flames spun closer, and reached towards Annie, wrapping themselves around her hands, burning the sleeves of the jacket. "You hurt me, Elliot.." She began raising her hands. ".. and now I'm gonna show you how it feels to burn." She forced her hands forward, the flames reaching towards him like hands from hell. He screamed in pain until all of her anger was drained, and he lay lifeless, burned to a crisp. She pulled the flames back, and they left her hands. Only then did she notice, the buildings around her were on fire, crumbling around her. Quickly glancing around, she noticed the barrel laying nearby, as she removed her arms from the jacket. She moved to the hole in the bucket, and was something glistening inside. She grabbed it, a searing burn hitting her hands. Pulling it out, she placed it in her pocket and ran away from her once whole home, which was now engulfed in flames. A few streets straight, she ran as fast as she could. Stopping only when her breath ran out. examining her hand, there was a circular burn there, with a strange mark like a dog's head on her palm. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a black chain. wiping the ash from it's surface, she cleaned the chain and ran her finger down it. "I miss you..." Minutes went by with nothing but the sounds of sirens and other cars. She bent down, and attached the chain to her ankle. Her bracelet was back where it belonged. Looking back at her burning home, she let out a sigh, then turned, running out of the end of the small alley and into traffic. A swift, but painful force hit her, and she fell to the ground. The world blurred, and a man stepped out of the car and ran over to her...
..... Current time, 7:15
"After getting hit by the car I was in the hospital for a while. They let me keep the jacket, and I wasn't allowed to leave until I could escape amongst the chaos." Annie said, wrapping up the end to her story. "Then I found you. I know your scent, and as a witch I have better senses, so I just followed it to you."
Corvus sat, absorbing her story. "Fire, huh? ... I didn't get anything cool like that when I was a witch. I just went insane. So, Elliot and Annabell died, and you got hit by a car.. I'm so sorry. I wish I could have helped more, but It's not easy being expendable."
"So Marva's given up on us?"
"Yeah. He's the one who ordered the attack on the city. Me and some friends have teamed out to take him out. We've gotten a bit split up, but we're meeting up somewhere soon." He looked over to Vincent, thinking for a moment.
"You okay, Cor?"
"Yeah... It's just that the kid over there.. The girl loves him, and he's going through the whole 'witching' process."
Chapter 47: Witching Process
He awoke with a shudder. A violent shake wen through his systems. Vincent opened his eyes slowly. He was in an all black and white world, which seemed to be falling apart. It almost seemed like someone had taken his world and made everything into their negatives, then drained any remaining color. Everything was cold, and he could see his breath. He could hear echoes of voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Wait, no, there was color. It was distant, but he could see a faint glow. A pulsing orange.
"What... IS that?" He mouthed. His voice was faint, and his throat was suddenly sore. Just as sudden, his skin felt frozen, pins and needles seemingly stabbing into him on every inch. He collapsed to his knees. The freeze turned into a searing burn, trying scorch his very being. Then, it was gone once again. Vincent was on his hands and knees panting, trying to regain his breath. He looked up at the small light again. rising to his feet, he decided to approach it. However, the close he got, the more often the flashes of pain came. He got used to it, the searing burn, and the chilling of the bones, and every detain in between. When he finally reached the light, he saw what it was. An eye, about the size of a basketball. It was made entirely of flames, and stared at him intensely. To test this, he walked around it. The floating, burning eye followed his movement around, with it's pupil that seemed to extend into oblivion. He opened his mouth to speak to it, but nothing came out.
"Lost your voice, Vincent?" Said a voice not unlike his own, a burning overlapping it. "that kind of thing happen, when you die." There was a snap in that last bit. whether it was the crackle of the flames, or the entite's own emphasis, Vincent wasn't sure. "I am Basilisk, a spirit from The Otherworld, A dimension that lays parallel to your own. My people have been forced from the realm of the living, allowed to only live in this world you see now. In Between." The fire around the creature had begun to die down, hardening into some bizarre stone, still aglow. "Though you now are dying, I can breathe into you new life. Accept my offer, and you shall see the ones you love once more."
Vincent nodded, but something stopped him. Behind him, he heard a voice again. His own, but with a snapping, crack of ice overlaying. "Of course, Basilisk, trick the boy why don't you? Shouldn't you let him know what he's really in for?"
Vincent turned and saw another being, roughly the same size, but made of ice and with two eyes. Wait, no. Each eye held four more, and four inside that, and four inside that, extending into infinity.
Basilisk responded to this new entite, "Beelzebub, what a enjoyable surprise," with another snap, not to happy sounding. "Fine, let the young man know what this deal holds."
The other entite, Beelzebub, let out an icy snicker. "Do will, Basilisk. Do will." It turned towards me again. "Vincent Garem, if you accept a spirit into yourself, you will cease to age, and you will watch all of those who you know die before yourself, fading into the abyss of Death while you are left to live in the center plain, stuck in Life forever. Power beyond imagination you shall obtain. Such a ferocious appetite for.."
"Enough, Beelzebub," said Basilisk. "Vincent, you will gain power, and cease to age. Like your friend, Medusa, you will gain strange traits. You will hear the voice of any spirit you allow into yourself. Beware, however, that you will never pass into Heaven nor Hell shall you accept the spirit. Rather, upon death, you shall become one of us, searching forever for a vessel to yet again exist."
"He lies.." Another crackle from Beelzebub, who had begun to change form as well, the ice melting off of its back, revealing wings. Not bird, nor bat, but insect wings, a thin film. "Oh, take my word not, however, shall I lie as well."
"The Lord of the Flies sounds like a liar, does he not?"
"Never beleive a serpent. The Snake didn't help Eve."
"I am not that snake."
The continues the small quarrel for a minute or two, then ceased it. Vincent was to chose one of them to grant him a passage back into life. However, whichever one he had picked would be brought along for the ride. It wasn't an easy choice, but Vincent had eventually chosen. Looking at the spirits one last time, Basilisk had turned into a stone snake, that one, piercing eye in the center of it's head. Beelzebub looked more like a demon fused with a fly, on two legs, morphed and bug-like, two arms which were equally as deformed, wings laid down his back, those large bug eyes, and several other arms of the creature pulled tightly over it's chest like body armor.
Vincent closed his eyes for a second, sighed, then rose up his hand. He pointed to Basilisk.
6:50 pm...
Vincent felt the horrible burning again, though the ice had left him. Looking around, the negative of the world turned to it's correct colors. He was in a parking lot. Turning his head, he saw Kia. He was laying in her arms. Looking around again, he saw Medusa, then two people he didn't know. A tall, muscular man with his back and red hair in his face, and a petite female with a light purple pigtails. No Nina and Mimi.. However, the four around him were staring, as if he had some kind of story to tell.
"What... IS that?" He mouthed. His voice was faint, and his throat was suddenly sore. Just as sudden, his skin felt frozen, pins and needles seemingly stabbing into him on every inch. He collapsed to his knees. The freeze turned into a searing burn, trying scorch his very being. Then, it was gone once again. Vincent was on his hands and knees panting, trying to regain his breath. He looked up at the small light again. rising to his feet, he decided to approach it. However, the close he got, the more often the flashes of pain came. He got used to it, the searing burn, and the chilling of the bones, and every detain in between. When he finally reached the light, he saw what it was. An eye, about the size of a basketball. It was made entirely of flames, and stared at him intensely. To test this, he walked around it. The floating, burning eye followed his movement around, with it's pupil that seemed to extend into oblivion. He opened his mouth to speak to it, but nothing came out.
"Lost your voice, Vincent?" Said a voice not unlike his own, a burning overlapping it. "that kind of thing happen, when you die." There was a snap in that last bit. whether it was the crackle of the flames, or the entite's own emphasis, Vincent wasn't sure. "I am Basilisk, a spirit from The Otherworld, A dimension that lays parallel to your own. My people have been forced from the realm of the living, allowed to only live in this world you see now. In Between." The fire around the creature had begun to die down, hardening into some bizarre stone, still aglow. "Though you now are dying, I can breathe into you new life. Accept my offer, and you shall see the ones you love once more."
Vincent nodded, but something stopped him. Behind him, he heard a voice again. His own, but with a snapping, crack of ice overlaying. "Of course, Basilisk, trick the boy why don't you? Shouldn't you let him know what he's really in for?"
Vincent turned and saw another being, roughly the same size, but made of ice and with two eyes. Wait, no. Each eye held four more, and four inside that, and four inside that, extending into infinity.
Basilisk responded to this new entite, "Beelzebub, what a enjoyable surprise," with another snap, not to happy sounding. "Fine, let the young man know what this deal holds."
The other entite, Beelzebub, let out an icy snicker. "Do will, Basilisk. Do will." It turned towards me again. "Vincent Garem, if you accept a spirit into yourself, you will cease to age, and you will watch all of those who you know die before yourself, fading into the abyss of Death while you are left to live in the center plain, stuck in Life forever. Power beyond imagination you shall obtain. Such a ferocious appetite for.."
"Enough, Beelzebub," said Basilisk. "Vincent, you will gain power, and cease to age. Like your friend, Medusa, you will gain strange traits. You will hear the voice of any spirit you allow into yourself. Beware, however, that you will never pass into Heaven nor Hell shall you accept the spirit. Rather, upon death, you shall become one of us, searching forever for a vessel to yet again exist."
"He lies.." Another crackle from Beelzebub, who had begun to change form as well, the ice melting off of its back, revealing wings. Not bird, nor bat, but insect wings, a thin film. "Oh, take my word not, however, shall I lie as well."
"The Lord of the Flies sounds like a liar, does he not?"
"Never beleive a serpent. The Snake didn't help Eve."
"I am not that snake."
The continues the small quarrel for a minute or two, then ceased it. Vincent was to chose one of them to grant him a passage back into life. However, whichever one he had picked would be brought along for the ride. It wasn't an easy choice, but Vincent had eventually chosen. Looking at the spirits one last time, Basilisk had turned into a stone snake, that one, piercing eye in the center of it's head. Beelzebub looked more like a demon fused with a fly, on two legs, morphed and bug-like, two arms which were equally as deformed, wings laid down his back, those large bug eyes, and several other arms of the creature pulled tightly over it's chest like body armor.
Vincent closed his eyes for a second, sighed, then rose up his hand. He pointed to Basilisk.
6:50 pm...
Vincent felt the horrible burning again, though the ice had left him. Looking around, the negative of the world turned to it's correct colors. He was in a parking lot. Turning his head, he saw Kia. He was laying in her arms. Looking around again, he saw Medusa, then two people he didn't know. A tall, muscular man with his back and red hair in his face, and a petite female with a light purple pigtails. No Nina and Mimi.. However, the four around him were staring, as if he had some kind of story to tell.
© Sebastian Dow 2009 - 2011