A surgeon writes in his documents, speaking aloud what he writes.
"Experiment Number 132. Cause of death: Accidental flick of the scalpel to the neural circuitry, but we'll just say natural death."
Next to him, a body with exposed brain lay on a bench. A poor man, name unknown, drug abuse and poor dental, missing middle finger, and awful looking hair is what plagued this doomed man. It's what also brought him to the worst surgeon in all of God's Green Earth.
The surgeon's room was filled with scalpels and other surgical gear, as you might expect. Along the shelves were mass jars of brains, eyes, and an unsettling amount of alcohol. Dried and fresh blood line the tiled floor, and brain matter soak the benches wooden frame.
To "Doctor" Amontillado Geoffreys, this was abnormal Tuesday, in his normal office, with a normally dead client. His hands covered in dried blood, he writes the last document this poor client will ever have.
"I honestly should've asked this fellow his name, that's kind of crucial for these types of forms."
Amontillado gazes at the man's pockets, alas, there is a thick wallet. As he reaches over to it, he is interrupted by the sudden loud knocking on the far door. In a scurried panic, he covers the body with a thick tarp. Pulling his thick, curly hair out of a ponytail into a bun, hiding visible blood in his hair. Looking down at his shirt, realizing there's not enough time.
"Screw it."
Disregarding the unsettling amount of blood on himself, he makes his way, praying there isn't any officials at the door.
…
It's nine years in the past, Amontillado is seventeen and ready to adventure farther than ever. Drivers license bound, top of his class, and his father's favourite and first child. His salt-&-pepper hair not as long, taller than anyone else he knows, well kept, and actually not that bad looking, he actually looked decent for once. Living with his father and brother was easy and relaxed, and his school life was sorta the same.
His young mind set out to go West to become a Neurosurgeon in the City of the Sick. His dream for five years and on-going, and right now, he was leaving for a visit to the dream city.
Amontillado slammed the trunk of his car and jumped into the car, out of there faster than humanly possible. Only taking a suitcase full of books and clothes, he drove almost halfway across the continent to just stay there for a month.
His temporary apartment smaller than what he's comfortable with, the rent maxed out, and living conditions poor, he didn't care, he needed to be here. His determination and excitement brought him outside in the streets in the first week, bringing him to alleys, cathedrals, and hospitals, writing as much info as he could get about the people and their conditions.
Only two weeks into his stay, he wanders into the inner city, full of winding alleys and cathedrals. Not a whole lot of people, but he thought he might as well peak the scene.
His eyes sight and follow a strange, hunched, tall man, Hell, this man was even taller than Amontillado. The man was walking down a narrow alley, looking as if the alley wouldn't even fit a man of that size. In curiosity, he follows the man down the alley, stealthily walking to not alert.
The hunched stranger taking fast looks behind him, Amontillado ducked and hid behind anything he could find. Eventually coming the man came to a stop at a dead end, looking around, and fell to his knees, in a sort of prayer position. Hiding behind a dumpster, Amontillado peeks at the man, taking notes and whispering to himself.
"Obviously the people of this city are crazy, praying to a brick wall. Though, I don't blame them, if my brain was rotted from alcoholism and plague, I would too."
Among his inner dialog, he is startled to hear a loud frenzy of caws and screeches. There were no crows when he came here, so what's the fuss about? He takes a fast look over the dumpster to see this hunches man has summoned a beast of crows! Amontillado watches as this glowing beast settles down, looking down at the man, who looks a little different, black feathers protruding from his skin. Amontillado listens closely to their mumbled conversations, only making out a few words at a time. It seems to him that they are speaking some tongue of squawks and caws.
After about thirty minutes, the caws subside and he hears a female voice.
"Old Henchman of Crows, I sense there's more than one presence here. Please allow me to borrow your being."
After a minute of analyzing that sentence, Amontillado hears a scream and more caws, almost making his ears bleed. He prays that it isn't the man. Peeking over, he sees a giant monstrosity of what he thinks is a wolf-crow thing. The being sprints and snarls at Amontillado, him going to a sprint himself. Not being fast enough, he is grabbed by the neck and lifted into the air.
Amontillado kicks and grabs on the monsters talons to release himself. To no avail, the beast snarls and roars in his face.
In a choked tone, Amontillado manages to make a sentence.
"What in Gods name are you! Release me you ungodly beast!"
The being pulls him closer and looks him dead in the eye.
A female voice calls, "A foolish young man dares to look upon the face of the Raven Queen! With not even a glance of respect!"
Before Amontillado can respond, the beast snaps his neck. Taking the limp boy onto his shoulder and walking down the alley way.
In afterlife, Amontillado sees himself being carried away by the beast, the beast slowly morphing back to the normal hunched man. Amontillado's subconscious turns away from the vision and sees the source of the female voice.
In anger, his voice obscures and his fist clench tightly to draw subconscious blood. "What on Earth thought you could just snap my neck for no reason! I don't care if you're a Queen or something. That's my life you just ended, now what am I going to do?" His angered voice slowly turns into a angered sobbed tone.
"I don't think you understa-" He is interrupted.
"I don't think you understand what I have to do to keep myself in hiding. I don't think you understand who I am, Amontillado."
The tension in subconscious space grew, realizing they were both in the wrong on this one.
"Listen here, is it okay if I call you Monty, Amontillado is a mouthful? Okay, so I can't let you live on Earth anymore, big deal, Earth isn't all that great. But I'll make a deal with you of you really want to go back."
Monty's head perks up, taking a better look at the Raven Queen. Her white, ethereal appearance hides her face, and her long fingers give Monty the creep.
"What is this deal you speak of?"
"My servants, like the hunched man that snapped your small neck, run all over Earth. Unfortunately, many of them die of a plague that has been rioting this city. I need you to find a cure as soon as possible. If you can do this, I will grant you life once again. But with revival, there is side effects, which differ from person to person." She took a break to conjure a orb showing random people. "With these side effects, people have learned magic, found new things, and have even mastered resurrection like me. So I hope it helps you find a cure."
Monty wipes his face of tears and looks around him.
"Ill agree to this, but may I call you RQ, Raven Queen is a mouthful. Also, what if I don't find a cure? You're just going to kill me again, right?"
The Queen looks down at him, scoffing but keeping her cool. "Actually no, you will live bu-"
"I accept."
"Alright then, in about 9 years, I will send for you a new Cleric of mine to check up on your progress. For now, I advise for you to remain here so my Henchman may settle you do your residence."
Monty takes a minute to analyze what she said.
"Wait, which residence?"
"Your residence on East, of course."
Monty realizes he'll be here for a while.
…
After weeks in the subconscious, Monty has seen things he would of never saw in consciousness. He spends much of his time reading subconscious books about RQ, what the hell a Cleric is, and how any of this is possible. The other part of his time, he spends talking with RQ, watching the Henchman walk through the continent to his hometown.
….
With no warning, he finds himself on his porch step, with a big gasp of air he returns to life. He jolts up and looks around, it's midnight and he sees the Henchman miles away, walking West. He sits there for a minute and flops back down, he's exhausted from being dead.
He looks at himself and comes to the conclusion that there's no side effects yet, and falls asleep on his porch.
…
Upon morning, there's a startle from his brother, accidentally stepping on sleeping Monty when the sibling opens the door. Monty barely alive, breathing harshly, and sleeping heavily. This is the first he had seen Monty in three months. In alert, the sibling runs to their father, telling him the news. Causing a frenzy, they bring him inside and call everyone they know to bring more news.
Monty wakes up again that night, vision blurred and a pounding headache. Finding himself in his own bed and relieved. His father coming into the room one hour later.
His father looked at him, folding his hands.
"Amontillado, are you awake?"
"No."
"Good, I need to yell at you for a second." Mr. Geoffrey's takes a deep breath. " Monty where the HELL were you for these three months! It's like you ran away, we thought you were dead Monty. When you get better you are never leaving again. So you better explain yourself pretty well. I can't believe we just found you on the porch, it's unbelievable Monty." He takes a sharp breath.
Monty looks blankly at the ceiling "Honestly I don't even know where I was, first I'm in the Plague City, next I'm half dead on our porch. But, I remember something in between."
"What is it you remember?" His father looks up and has visible tears on his face.
"You're going to call me crazy but -"
Monty is interrupted by a sudden sharp, burning sensation on the back of his neck, yelling in the sudden pain, his father rushes to him in panic. Grabbing and digging at his neck, Monty writhes in pain, but is stopped by his father grabbing his hands from his neck. Monty reacting in a feral-like manner, feeling restrained and pissed off, he bites his father's shoulder, drawing blood.
His father only having enough time to actually look at the pain area noticed the skin on his neck singed and bleeding. Pulling back from Monty and running out. He was repulsed from what had happened, and didn't know what happened at all. It's like something took control of his son all of a sudden. He thought about the mark on Monty's neck, is that something new?
Weeks of this went on, whenever Monty tried telling anyone about the subconscious or even about his time dead, his neck would burn and bleed. His eyes slowly started turning red from lack of sleep, his phases of emotions got worse and worse, and he began to find an odd interest in blood.
At times when he was docile, he was more depressed. He begged his father to simply end the life of Monty, and at chances, he took full bottles of medicine, cut his arms and legs, and hanged himself, but no result. He was stuck in this hell he calls his mind.
When he wasn't trying to kill himself, he talked to his father and brother to pass the time. His depressive states seemed like the times where his neck hurt the least when he told of what happened. Telling his brother about the Raven Queen finally. In a fit of rage, his brother triggered Monty to slash his brothers face, having his eye removed and permanent scarring on his brother's face.
His father had had enough, he needed to know what that mark was about. After a dozen of nurses, enough tranquilizers, and zip ties, they finally got Monty into a sort of coma state. Looking at his neck finally, they see an infected mess of blood and burns. His neck red and black, smelling of burned skin and his bone exposed. They could see a definite drawing on it.
"Oh dear! This child has been possessed!" Exclaimed a nurse, whom, after a few seconds, sprinted out of the room, house, and boarded the next train out of there.
A frenzy of chatter from the group lead to the group being forced out of the house.
In Monty's temporary coma, he got a chance to speak with RQ again. They spoke of current happenings, and the speak of what the hell is up with Monty.
"It seems you're slowly fading into a state of madness, Monty." RQ stated.
"You don't say, RQ, but how am I supposed to find a cure if I'm stuck in a room all day , don't have any equipment, and want to kill myself all the time?"
RQ broke into laughter, "Oh Monty, my boy, you can't die remember?"
"I can't remember a lot of things outside of my dreams, RQ. Perhaps maybe, let me talk without making my neck burn off?" Monty was gaining a sarcastic tone.
RQ rolled her eyes and woke him up, resulting him waking up again in a gasp.
He found himself hogtied with zip ties. His neck was bandaged tightly and there was still a tranquilizer dart in his chest. He felt like he had the roughest night of his life.
He broke the zip ties and arose from his bed, wobbly from the tranquilizer. He somehow made it to the door, surprisingly it wasn't locked.
From there, he made it from his room to the living room, the first time he's been out of the room since he came home. There he found his father sitting in a lounge chair, looking at Monty in shock. Seeing Monty not depressed, angry, or in pain made him uneasy. Perhaps he's gained a new emotion, or maybe he want to kill his father. The suspense was killing him already.
Monty just stood there for a second, reaching for his neck and resting his hand on the back of it. His father rose up and reached for something, disclosing the item in his jacket. Monty in curiosity leaned over and looked at it. It was a pistol, was his dad being serious right now? A gun? Seriously?
In a docile tone, Monty finally speaks.
"I happened to notice you have a literal gun in your jacket, and I hope for this one time, that it isn't intended for me."
His father became flustered, and even more shocked. Monty finally seemed docile after all these weeks.
They both sat down and spoke, like real people. Monty told his father everything, finally remembering everything he could tell. His neck burned harshly but he had to do this.
After they talked for a good two hours, it concluded with Monty's few seconds of silence, then sudden blood dripping from his eyes, nose, and mouth, and the bandages burning from his neck mark.
In a few moments of bleeding, he passed out on the floor in front of his father in a puddle of his own blood.
Monty awakes again in a hospital, but it doesn't look like the hospital back in his hometown. He looks around, he's tied to IV needles and there's nothing but white around. He sits up and looks at the desk next to him, a note resides there, and it reads.
"Dear Amontillado S. Geoffreys,
Welcome back to the City of Plague. Right now you're probably in the hospital in the city, you're glad your dad loves you, because you're in the best on in the city. Sheesh, look at that bill. Hopefully insurance covers that.
Sorry for snapping your neck five months back, spur of the moment.
But aside from everything, meet me on the corner of Alps Street, I've got a place for you to stay.
Yours Truly,
Henchman of Crows, Gomaru"
Monty looked at the huge paw print at the bottom of the letter and just stared at the letter. He hopes this is the real deal, or he's going to cry.
He arrives a week later at the corner of Alps Street. The street is full of abandoned stores and houses, and a big, bearded man with a incredible hunched back.
Gomaru shows Monty the corner office building, telling him this is where he'll find the cure for the rest of his life.
Monty looks around the empty building.
"Thanks for the place I guess, Maru." But looking at where Maru was, he wasn't there. Monty shrugged and placed his stuff down.
…
Nine Years Later
Monty is twenty six, and just about to answer the door. He opens the door finally and sees a short, brown-haired Plague Doctor. She looks up at him and reads off a card.
"Are you Amontillado Stephons Geoffrey's? I was told by a friend to come here and check on you."
The Plague Doctor's fading accent muffled in her mask, making it hard to hear.
"Depends on who's asking?" Monty states.
"I'm Altair Lenore, professional Cleric under the Covenant of the Raven Queen."
"Come on in then," he smirked, "I just finished work."
END