DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the plot. Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge
The day started the same as any other; nobody could have known that by that evening, our lives would be changed forever. That morning, I had woken up next to my beautiful wife, Jamia, who was blissfully unaware of what was going to happen later that day. I watched her for a while, her deep breathing, and peaceful expression calming me. Slowly, so as not to wake her, I climbed out of the soft bed and padded over to the en suite. Looking in the mirror, I realized that even though I wasn't ready for this, I had to go through with it. If not for Jamia, then for my babies, Cherry and Lilly. Sighing, I got washed and dressed, trying not to think about tonight, but simply the task at hand. As I was getting ready to leave, I felt warm hands around my waist. Jamia. I turned around and embraced her. "So, what's the plan today?" She smiled. "Well first I need to go to Gee's place and talk to him about tonight, and then we'll go out, ok?" I asked, kissing her tenderly, before walking out the door, on my way to my best friend Gerard's place.
"This is gonna be difficult man, but we'll do it" said Gerard, lighting his cigarette. I smiled grimly at him, his bright red hair falling on his face. "We? There is no we in this, I have to do it alone, or I'm going back there." I threw myself down on the tattered old sofa that smelled like coffee and old cigarettes and sighed "Look Gee, I won't make it out of this alive, so promise me...please take care of Jamia and the girls..." "No Frank, don't say shit like that" Gerard Way. My best friend. I know he'll take care of them; they're his family...almost. Leaving the Way's house I looked back at it. This was the place where I spent half my life. Here was where I learned my first chord on guitar, where I had my first cigarette, beer, kiss... I was going to miss it.
On the way back home, I made some calls. Everything was ready for tonight, when I got home I didn't go inside straight way. I sat on the grass and thought about the day we bought this house. That night we lay under the stars in our own backyard. I thought about my babies, the day we brought them home, the best day of my life. Jamia walked out and plopped down next to me. We sat in silence for a while, she knew something was up. We stayed silent as we bundled Cherry and Lilly into the car, Cherry gurgling happily with a sullen Lilly looking on. "What's up with these two?" I asked, looking at the twins' obvious difference of emotion. "Oh, I don't know, you tell me seeing as you obviously know a lot more than I do about everything" Jamia snapped. That shut me up. "I'm sorry" "Well if you're so sorry then you can tell me what's going on" Gerard was right, we did need those alibis he was making for us "Look, I'm not supposed to tell you, it's a surprise... for someone's 28th" I sighed, the well rehearsed line falling off my tongue, I knew this would satisfy her queries "Oh, can I ask you one thing? Is it a good surprise?" She smiled, nearly laughing with the relief. "Yeah, it is, you'll love it" I smiled back, the smile as fake as Gee's hair colour. This wasn't right. I went through the rest of the day in a haze, just barely listening to Jamia.
That night I told Jamia to get dressed up, I was taking her out. Excitedly, she ran upstairs to adorn herself with clothes, make-up and jewellery, as I grimly went into my daughters' bedroom to say goodnight...maybe for the last time. I kissed their soft foreheads and stroked their heads, their brunette hair the exact copy of their Mothers'. I got dressed on auto-pilot, and called a babysitter, Mikey, their sort-of-uncle. He arrived just as Jamia came down the stairs, her long white dress hugging her curves perfectly. I was never so in love. "Um, you called?" said an ever-awkward Mikey walking in. "Yeah, the girls are asleep in their room, just do what you always do, play video games" Jamia laughed, beautifully.
Walking to the car, I checked my pockets, yeah; it was still there, the only thing standing between me, and hell. The restaurant was packed. Perfect. I have my doubts, but it won't matter now, I already have blood on my hands. As the waiter escorts us to the table, I count the people. Enough, plus extras...
As planned I told Jamia I was going to the gents. I put on my jacket, my pocket bulging with the weight of the cold, black metal. I was ready. With a deep breath, I shouted for Jamia to get under the table. Without another sound, I turned around, and clutching my new black gun I shot every man in the room, blood spattering my face.
A thousand evil men, he said, here's your thousand I thought as silence descended on the restaurant. Then the screaming started. Jamia. I turned around to shield her from the blood soaked restaurant. As I walked over to her, she screamed. I looked around me and realised that it was me she was afraid of. The memory of the previous night hit me like a bullet.
A man had walked into this restaurant. Jamia and I were having a meal, celebrating her 28th birthday. Suddenly, he took out a gun. He turned and began shooting all around him, blood splattering the walls as the bullets penetrated multiple people's bodies. I jumped up and felt the bullet hit me straight between my shoulder blades, as I wrapped myself around my wife, shielding her from the gun. I looked down at her, her face splattered with my blood. Looking at her once pristine white dress, I noticed more blood. Her own.
That's about the time I died. It's not what everyone thinks... There's no 'white light' or 'golden gates' it's simply a release. You feel nothing. No thoughts. Complete silence, and yet you feel totally aware that you're there.
I'm not sure how long I spent just being. It could've been weeks, months, or mere seconds. My thoughts came back soon afterwards; they seemed so much louder now after my time in the silence.
That's when I realised I was in hell. There was no emotion other than complete bitterness and guilt for me there. I felt like I deserved to be there, like hell was all I could've hoped for.
Time never seemed to pass in hell. It just seemed to go on forever... One day (or night) a short, middle aged man with a beer belly to be proud of, approached me. He introduced himself as Lucifer. The Devil. He told me that she was alive, My Jamia. The relief hit me like the bullet that had ended my life. An over-whelming disappointment also descended upon me, because now I knew that I would never see her again, all my hope was gone.
That's when he made the deal with me. He told me that I could be re-united with my beautiful Jamia and our children if I brought him the corpses of a thousand evil men. I'd have to relive that day again, committing a thousand homicides and stopping the gun-man before he killed me...again.
I was returned to life at 8 am the morning of Jamia's birthday. Straight away, I went into the nearby prison, and shot 850 prisoners, past half way there. On my way back home, I stopped off at the house of a known drug dealer who I knew to have 'date rape parties' There was over 50 people there.
Just 100 more to go.
That was where the restaurant came into it. I knew a few criminals that I could organise to be at that restaurant at that moment. Gerard helped. He had too contacts, many contacts. I knew I could count on him to get the final 100.
One thing I didn't think about was the people they'd bring with them. Wives. Children.
I was back in the restaurant; the police were outside, their voices penetrating through the broken windows of the restaurant. "This can't be real" I thought, looking around. "He promised. He said everything would go back to the way it was..."
"HE PROMISED" I roared to no one in particular, cursing myself for believing him.
Jamia.
Turning around in a panic, I looked for her.
There she was, whimpering, her bloody arms clutching the limp, tiny frame of an infant.
No.
This can't be happening.
"NO" I screamed again, prompting another cry from Jamia. "Jamia...please, let me explain" I pleaded, crouching down, inching towards her. "You killed her..." She whispered before yelling shrilly "You killed her you Monster! Get away from me!"
I recoiled in shock, the girl...she's dead? I looked at her pale face, her black hair matted with drying blood. I looked at her tiny body, unmoving except for the tiny shudders it made as Jamia sobbed hysterically beneath her.
I looked around me and counted again...
There were only 49 corpses.
For the first time in this life I knew exactly what to do.
"I'm the last one..." I muttered, and looking at Jamia I raised the gun to my head.
"It's better off this way..." I sighed, as I pulled the trigger.
There, Satan had his Thousand Evil Men, and I was definitely one of them...