Of Ravens & Moonlight
Chapter 1: Old Endings...
Entry 1
I never thought that it would come to this... I gave up! I lost you and to that thing no less. I should've stopped you from leaving or at least left with you. It's not fair that you just decided to run off as you did. It's frustrating but, for some reason, I'm not mad at you. I'm angry with myself. I'm ashamed to call myself your friend and yet, it's the only thing that brings me solace nowadays. Waking up knowing that you aren't around just makes me sick to my stomach and still, it hurts, even more, knowing that I cannot fully express how that makes me feel. I know your heart is with her but, I just want to say that she doesn't deserve to hold it. I wish I could tell you these things to your face, but, that'll have to wait until I see you again... IF I ever see you again...
"Patterson, wake your ass up and pack your stuff!"
"..."
"Patterson, if you don't get your lazy ass up, I'll have you thrown into the hole!"
A low growl bounced off of the walls of a jail cell as a young African-American man struggled to pull himself from the 'comfort' of his bunk. Rubbing his eyes, he noticed two officers were standing inside the cell with impatient scowls on their faces.
"Good, you're finally awake." the first officer spoke up. "Now pack up your shit, and come with us."
Liam Patterson packed up what belonged to him and without another word, walked out of the cramped room, he called home for the past year and a half. Walking past the cells of the other men, he went along with the standard procedure upon stepping out of the larger room. Being handcuffed and escorted was nothing new to him at this point, but a measure of curiosity gnawed at him. He didn't understand where he was being taken to. The last time he was escorted by the police, it was after he was sentenced to a minimum of 3 years for crimes committed as a Blacklist member.
"What's going on?" his voice had deepened a little since being incarcerated and his facial hair grew into a full beard. His hair had grown considerably long but he still managed to keep his trademark high up ponytail. He also wound up gaining about 40 pounds of muscle bringing his weight to 220 pounds. On his right arm was a tattoo sleeve that resembled yakuza but one thing that stood out was the wolf in the middle of it. During his time is Rockport State Prison, Liam Patterson had managed to survive on the crappy food and horrible conditions. It was nothing to get through physical pain, as evidence of the scars from being shot over three years ago. As he walked down the long hallway that led to the processing area, he thought back to that day.
The day led to his life going down the drain...
Flashback- 3 Years ago
Liam parked his car under the bridge that covered a small portion of the pier and just stared out at the pouring rain. It was perfect considering he was truly heartbroken and a few tears fell as a result. He decided that some fresh air was necessary, and pulling up his hood, he finally stepped outside and just started walking to nowhere in particular. Not caring about getting soaked, he trudged along the sidewalk path until he wound up on the far end of the boardwalk where the booths and food stands that were normally active, stood quiet and dim. With every passing second, he could feel the weight of his past weighing heavier on his mind and heart.
"I can't believe this..." he muttered while leaning against the railing. "...how did this happen?"
"How, indeed..."
Turning around quickly, Liam stood face to face to two unknown gunmen. While he was unable to discern their identities, he could clearly tell that one of them was a woman by the size of her figure. The dark atmosphere grew even darker when the clicking sound of both guns triggered him to put his hands up. The wind howled with a vengeance as the crash of thunder echoed.
"Who are you-?"
Both figures smirked as they fired a shot each that hit him square in the chest sending him over the rail into the raging ocean. After checking and confirming that Liam was indeed swept away by the aggressive waves, the male pulled out a cell phone.
"Hello?" the voice answered.
"It's done... #14 is officially taken out..."
"Good work, Baron. You and Kaze may now claim your prize."
Sharing wicked grins, Baron gave his partner the good news in which she allowed a similar smirk to rest on her lips. They both took one last look at the crashing waves before leaving the area. Meanwhile, unknown to them, Travis had barely managed to hold on to one of the posts with his left arm. He was able to catch the names of the two who had tried to end his life just then. Gritting his teeth, he vowed vengeance against them as another strong wave hit him square in the face causing to sputter a bit.
"Dammit.." he coughed out as he felt his grip slipping. "...I can't die here. I won't die here."
Liam knew that with only one arm usable, he couldn't swim very well but it was either attempt it or stay where he was and wait to die from the blood loss if he didn't drown first. Timing the chaotic waves, he took a deep breath and dove under the water just before tide rushed in again and used the current to carry himself back to shore. Once he pushed far enough out to the shore, Liam painfully began to pull himself with his good arm until the exhaustion and intense pain caused him to pass out. He awoke to find himself in a hospital bed with an IV in one arm and handcuffs on the other. Needless to say, he was immediately processed, tried, and convicted within the span of a couple of months and was transferred to Rockport state prison.
Now here he was sitting on a bench in the changing room dressed in the clothes he wore before his incarceration awaiting the officer to come back. Despite all that had happened, there was something or rather someone on his mind that had the most impact on him.
"Trina..." he whispered to himself; allowing a sad grin to appear on his face. As his mind began to fill with thoughts of the young woman he had fallen in love with. There wasn't a day that went by that Trina Vega didn't cross his mind. He would lay in his bunk and wondering if she was alright. He knew that things were still left unresolved between the two before the series of events that transpired and his first mission was to fix that. By the time he managed to get a handle on his feelings, he found himself sitting on a bus and leaving the "rehabilitation" facility and heading back to the city.
The city that held nothing but guilt and regrets in his heart...
What a life...
After what felt like ages, Rashad finally arrived back in the city. Stepping down from the bus, he surveyed his surroundings and took note of the graffiti-covered walls as he made his way down the street to Rosewood. He clutched his bag as multiple thoughts filled his head.
Would Trina forgive him?
What about the others?
How was he going to explain all that had happened to him?
Liam gritted his teeth as a stray tear ran down his face. His emerald eyes welled up and he choked back the sob that fought to break free. He couldn't allow himself to succumb to his woes Still, he pressed on down a busy street just as the sun began to disappear over the horizon. As the sun lowered; increasing his shadow, he could somehow feel the weight of his choices getting heavier with each step. His mind was swarming with thoughts, his body was wrecked from the inside out and his soul was empty.
"Hey!" Hearing the voice, Liam managed to break out of his pity party and noticed a grey Ford Mustang Shelby slowly pulling up next to him. He watched as the tinted window on the passenger's side went down revealing a familiar smirk he hadn't seen in a while. "Get in.." Before he knew it, the two were riding past Camden Beach heading into the quiet town of Rosewood. For the most part, the drive was uneventful, to say the least as neither of the two uttered a word. "I can't believe it's you... It's been a while, hasn't it?"
The silence was all he received from his once vibrant male; in his place was a nearly mute and docile stranger.
"Listen, I know you're upset, but you can't go around beating yourself up about this. I know you hold yourself responsible for what happened to..."
"Please, bro. Not right now..." Liam responded as he finally looked into his friend's eyes for the first time since seeing him again. "I can't handle hearing her name again. It was my fault for not telling her about my past; my fault for not making things right when I had the chance... I have nobody to blame but myself for whatever happened to her..."
Without warning, the car slammed to a screeching halt causing his younger brother to jerk forward. Thankfully, his seat belt secured him in place but due to his height, he still hit his head against the dashboard. "Ow... son of a-!"
"Get out," the cold tone took Liam by surprise as his ally exited the vehicle, then, following suit himself shortly thereafter.
Once outside, a still sore Liam surveyed his surroundings seeing just a few orange tinted clouds hovering over the setting sun. His emerald orbs took in his environment and immediately he knew where he was. "Why did you stop here?!" he yelled out of desperation as they both stood in front of the very garage that he and his estranged ex-girlfriend once shared.
But, instead of responding vocally, the older man instead responded with a solid right hook to the jaw knocking him square on his butt.
"What the fuck, Rashad?!" Liam rubbed his sore face, glaring at the dark gaze of his older brother.
"You know damn well why I did it..." he narrowed his brown eyes at the stunned adult. "...and I'll do it again."
"But, why'd you sucker punch me?"
"I've had it!" Rashad roared, shutting down any further protest from the sulking sibling. "I understand you're feeling angry with yourself about what happened between you and Trina but that is beside the point. Judging by those bullet wounds in your chest, you were lucky you weren't killed! Nevermind Trina, right now. What about your own life? What about your friends? Did you even consider how they feel thinking that you're still missing all of this time?! Do you know how destroyed we all were to hear that you were possibly dead?! But I guess since you've decided to be a deadbeat and forget all about those who care about you, maybe it's best that you leave since you've just given up on everything.."
Liam could only stare at the ground in shame as his blood brother's words pierced him deeper than any bullet ever could. Of course, he'd thought about Ryanna many times while incarcerated. He couldn't get her out of his mind and desperately wanted to see her but once again shame and guilt washed over him as he shook those thoughts out of his head.
"You don't understand. Trina doesn't want to see me... she is better off without me..."
Rage began to build in the young man's body but he patiently listened to the words of the broken boy before him.
"Ever since what happened back then, I've replayed that scenario thousands of times in my head. No one never knew the real reason we were always moving. You and I came here to have a new life and yet... I had never... I'd never been more scared in my life but she was worth it, Liam."
"You're still concerned about that night huh?"
"What are you talking about?"
Taking a deep breath, Rashad watched the pain turn to anger in the eyes of Liam.
"He was our dad..." Seeing how Rashad's expression hadn't changed, he interrupted.
"You give that beast too much credit, Liam..."
"He was a human being!" once more emerald orbs widened at the half slit lids of the eldest.
"HE WAS A MONSTER!" Rashad once again shut down any more protest from his brother. "After I was born, our mother left that demon due to the excessive amount of abuse she endured. It was around that time when she met another man, your dad, who actually treated her like she was worth something..." Looking up, Rashad noticed that Liam had steadily picked himself up and was now leaning against the hood of his car listening. "Well, that's where you came in. Despite us not having the same father's, I loved you and swore to protect you with my life. For the next few years, we were happy until my 'dad' decided to make an appearance... Somehow word got out that mom and your dad were married and he..."
"You don't have to-" Liam was again silenced, this time by a hand signaling the need for Rashad to continue.
Rashad then sighed softly, rubbed his temples, then proceeded to just stare at the ground before finally resuming. It wasn't a story that he enjoyed remembering, but it was necessary for his brother to be able to move forward in his life.
"One night, after my high school graduation, that man broke into the house and attacked our parents. When I got back home, he was standing over their bodies while stalking to you. The sight of our dead parents froze me where I stood as he finally noticed my presence... Finally, I managed to bum rush him and told you to run to her room and lock the door. I tried to fight that monster, but he overpowered me and nearly knocked me unconscious. It's not much that I really remember from that night except pulling him off of you and yelling for you to leave the house after seeing him leaving the bedroom. After that, I only remember hearing a gunshot before running out of the house with you and driving off. From that day, we were living city to city, until we came here."
There was a long silence that only served to increase the awkwardness between the two. Liam sighed figuring that he was going to be the one finally speak.
"So, does that mean...? I mean, what does that have to do with me exactly?"
"Well, after you disappeared, I managed to do something digging and found that there was a thorough investigation."
"And?"
"While there was a gun present at the scene, it turned out that it was fired by that man. Only his prints were on the gun..."
"So, I didn't take his life..." pools of green slowly increase in size at the revelation being told to him.
"Yep. Which means everything that happened between you and Trina was literally her blowing things out of proportion. Long story short, her actions were the catalyst for the events that happened to you after you left. I'm not blaming her, but I think it's clear that she's the last person you need to think about right now."
Liam exhaled roughly but nodded in agreement.
"Alright then. Well, we'll keep that between us until you're ready to tell her what happened. But for now, we got to get you cleaned up." Rashad extended his arms in order to help Liam to his feet. "No offense, but you're long overdue for a shave.. ugh.. and a shower too."
To his surprise and relief, Liam actually chuckled at the truth behind his eldest brother's words.
"Yeah, you've got a point there. It's been long overdue..."
Rashad held his nose and laughed while heading to his side of the car. "So let's get going and then I'll fill you in on what's been going on since you disappeared."
Once inside the Mustang, Liam couldn't help but look out at the setting sun wondering just what would await him once he arrived back in Rosewood. Seeing the various colors of the horizon, while normally calming to many, only brought a wave of uncertainty to his mind. He knew that in life, things changed, and that was the very thing that troubled him as he watched the familiar surroundings pass by.
Releasing a soft sigh, he finally turned his attention to Rashad whose eyes were firmly on the road. "Is there anything you can tell me before we get there?"
To his surprise, he chuckled in a way that brought a look of concern.
"You have no idea..." it was a dark, humorless laugh that Liam took as a bad omen. "The gang got separated shortly after you went missing... The majority of the Blacklist is taken over by their original members again and-"
"What happened to them? They couldn't have just given up their spot without a fight and I know that they're more than capable of handling those clowns!"
Liam could only shake his head with a soft sigh. "You're right... But, something happened that forced them to leave the city. After you disappeared, we were compromised. There was a raid and we were forced out of the city. Then, there's Jade..." The mere mention of his gothic friend caused a chill to run down Liam's spine.
"What happened to her...
"When the gang split up, Andre took her to Palmont city and that's where they are now."
This, however, did little to satisfy Liam's curiosity.
"What happened to Jade?
His entire being was disturbed at the outcome but at least his sister was safe. He knew of all people, Andre was probably the most trustworthy. He scoffed and grinned bitterly when the realization hit him. Even in spite of his 'calm' demeanor, Rashad could pick up the subtle tone of desperation. It was no secret that the two held a tight bond; maybe even as strong as the one Liam held once held with Trina. From the moment he first met the two they were always protective of one another. Jade, while rough around the edges, had displayed a softer side whenever it came to Liam unless someone was against him and it was clear to the older Patterson knew very well how far his little brother would go to keep her safe. "Listen..."
His weakened call broke the collected male's concentration as they entered the Rosewood Borough. "Liam, before I tell you anything, you have to swear that you won't fly off the handle." As he finished that statement, the siblings found themselves at the old garage. Liam couldn't make heads or tails of the feelings deep inside of him. He was a bundle of nerves and emotions. Liam could see this on his brother's face. "You have to swear you're not going to do something stupid..."
"Bro, just tell me-."
"Not until you swear to me, Liam!"
Brushing his locs out of his face, the former #14 Blacklist driver exhaled sharply. He refused to meet the driver's gaze, yet he could feel the intense look burrowing a hole in the side of his head. He knew he would do whatever it took to protect those he cared for. All of that time spent in prison allowed him enough clarity to figure that out. He would cross that forbidden line again... he did it once and, if required, he could and would do it again. He would kill to protect those he held dear.
"Get out of the car..." It was Rashad's turn to pull him out of his thoughts. "There's something you need to see."
Unable to do anything else, Liam complied as the two exited the vehicle letting the doors to the Ford Shelby Mustang slam shut.
Rashad and Liam Patterson stood in front of the latter's old home; the place he shared with Trina Vega. With a hard gaze at the building, he steeled his emotions as he forced himself to push back the moments of his past. When he was truly happy...
"What are we doing here?" he asked with a not so subtle growl in his tone.
Instead of responding to his question, the older brother simply began walking towards the garage. "I told you.. come with me."
"I'm not playing with you!" Liam roared with rage, expecting a hard hook again, only to find himself being ignored as his friend simply opened the door and entered the building. "Dammit..." he gritted his teeth as he did as he was told and followed behind the young man. The two entered the building to see it was, to no surprise, wrecked. Sure, the foundation of the building was more than stable, but the furniture was broken or just beyond dirty and in need of replacing. "What the hell happened here?" he asked out loud.
"They happened..." Rashad turned to find Liam staring in awe of the damaged garage/apartment. "Will you listen to everything I have to say?"
Despite his emotions raging, he took a deep breath and nodded.
"Alright. First off, Razor happened.." with the light hanging above him, you could clearly see the normally calm Liam show emotion. His face was twisted in a mix of anger and regret. "It happened a few months after you disappeared. We all met hear to try and comfort Trina when we were raided. Everyone except Jade who was pissed at her treatment of you. Not too long after, the cops busted in with guns drawn. They were shooting and yelling but fortunately, we all managed to get out with little to no injuries." Rashad then walked over to the small grate at the base of the concrete wall. Setting it to the side, he pulled out a small cardboard box. "After we escaped, I took the risk of returning and found these letters. They were written for you..."
Travis looked on at Liam set the box down on a worn down table. "Trina... She-?"
"No." he sighed heavily. "While the identity of the writer is unknown, it's clear that it wasn't Trina. For a year, someone else poured their most personal feelings into each of these letters."
It took only a moment for the young man to tear up. "So, you have no clue who wrote them?"
"Correct." his deep voice echoed in the hallowed room.
"So how would you know that it wasn't Trina who wrote these?"
"Because she moved out not too long after you left. After that, we all would run checks through here in hopes that you'd show up again. Andre. Tori. Robbie. We all stopped by every day to see if you'd returned only to find it empty as usual. The only ones who didn't come by were Beck, Cat, and Trina." Rashad rubbed the back of his neck before cracking it lightly. "Needless to say, whoever it was that wrote you these letters, it's clear that they were really into you."
"So, where is Trina?" his tone let out more desperation than he'd like, but he couldn't care less.
Silence.
The bigger of the pair simply closed his eyes in frustration.
"Please, I need to see her!"
"You can't..."
An instant...
That's all it took for Liam to grab his blood by the collar of his jacket.
"Tell me now!" he yelled.
However, it was more than evident that Rashad was far from intimidated by the actions of the irate Liam as he steeled his resolve. The two glared for what seemed like an eternity; each man's eyes burning with fire. In Rashad's eyes, a contained fire that signified no fear while in Liam's, a wild flame was burning maliciously along with a hint of...
Desperation.
Rashad then smirked and calmly took his brother's hands from his jacket and flashed a smile. "Trina isn't here in Rockport anymore. In fact, nobody is..."
With a look of confusion that shifted to one of anger, Liam could only stare at the ground as he gritted his teeth. "What happened?"
"They all scattered after leaving the city. I'm the only one who stayed behind."
Raising an eyebrow, Liam responded. "Why'd you stay? How come you didn't leave with the others?"
For what it was worth, Rashad let out a hearty laugh that reverberated throughout the destroyed garage.
"Without going into another long story, I have some unfinished business to take care of here. Finding you was one of them."
"And the others?"
"I'll tell you when you're ready..."
"Oh come on!" Liam huffed. "I'm not six years old! You don't have to keep secrets from me, you know?"
"Mhmm..." Rashad's grin instantly turned smug as he observed his brother's mini-tantrum. "Fine. It's just a little investigation..."
"Into taking down Razor?"
"Close..." he nodded. "I'm hunting down someone who might've helped him. For now, all I've had are dead ends but I feel I'm getting closer to finding their identity. Meanwhile, you need a fresh start; away from this city and away from the hell you've endured."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Liam let out a sharp breath at the news he was hearing. "Where would I go? I don't have any money to get a place."
After what seemed like a long pause, Liam finally found his question answered in the form of keys being tossed to him. Raising an eyebrow, he watched as Liam took him behind the garage.
"You're going to Palmont City," Rashad announced with a sly smirk. He then revealed a custom blue Mitsubishi Lancer. "You can crash at my place tonight, but you'll need to leave tomorrow evening. Once you've gotten ready and cleaned up, you'll need to go to this address." Rashad then handed his brother a piece of paper with the information scribbled on it. "I called in a favor for you to get past the roadblocked road that leads out of town. Whatever you do, don't stop for too long." Liam simply nodded at the plan, though he couldn't hide his disdain at not being able to get his revenge on Razor or the other Blacklist members. "I'll upload the path on your GPS when you set off. For now though, just pack up and rest up for the drive."
Liam and Rashad soon finished their discussion and it was then that the former realized that he needed to fix himself up before his night run. The remainder of the evening was spent shaving and cleaning before packing up what few things he had then. Afterward, he set out for a bite to eat, his thoughts completely on one thing.
Trina... I'm going to make this right...
Alright, let's get this out of the way now! Yes, this is yet ANOTHER rewrite of one of my older stories (NFS: Torque) however, I began to realize that while it was a good story, there were so many things that made me want to leave this behind. For starters, there was the case of how convoluted everything was. From the excessive details and the surplus of characters to the complicated means of trying to incorporate driving into the story (especially since the franchise this story was based on relies on that heavily).
Needless to say, I'm taking a more simplistic approach to things this time around and learning from the mistakes made int he past. So, keep in the mind the following:
*While the first few chapters will be rewrites, the old chapters are being closely looked into and rewritten to fit the direction I need for it to go. Some elements will change while others will remain intact. The point of this is to keep the story cohesive and easy to follow while making sure that it's exciting from start to finish.
*I won't be using others OCs until everything is stable and I have a solid foundation to work with.
*Lastly, I am open to constructive criticism via reviews and if you have any questions or comments feel free to ask and I'll respond to them during the next posted chapter.
Thank you all for supporting and see you guys in the next update.