1It's funny how at one point, you are living the life, you have money, women, drugs, anything you want. It's funny how it all ends so quickly, so quickly, one mistake is all it takes. I keep looking at these four grey walls hoping that my friends will come back soon, he talks to me, he is the only one, I love him for it yet I hate him for it, why should he talk to me and me only? Are the other people here not good enough for him? Why am I so important? I stand staring at the door to my cell, I want it to open, I want to run screaming into the night, I am hungry again, the food they serve here does not satisfy my hunger. The animalistic urge to grab the guard that stands directly outside my cell each night and bite into his warm salty flesh is almost unbearable. I sit here waiting for the time to come when I can walk out of here and not be hindered by any of them. My friend said the time is soon. I smile as a fly buzzes past my face and lands on the wall.

I open my eyes, the night has come and the nap that I took has revitalized me, I feel great for some reason, better than ever before, I look up, the door, the door, the door, it's open, its fucking open! I jump to my feet, my friend has not lied to me, I run out of the door and out of the hospital where I spent the last 10 years of my life. The city streets are busy tonight, so many people are walking to and fro, I pass an alleyway, out of the corner of my eye a young couple is fucking, I laugh and continue my walk, I smell fresh air for once. A girl with green hair walks by me talking to her friend, I watch them go, I can hear their hearts beating. A crow flaps its wings and lands on my shoulder, I look up at it, I smile and continue to walk, the crow flies ahead of me, leading me.

It stops at an old apartment building, I climb the stairs to my old apartment and push the door open. Everything is out of order and dusty, I sigh and look at the blood stain on the floor. I reach down and touch it, it's dry now, I look at one of the pictures on the bookshelf and I see her smiling face, a tear slides down my cheek and I reach out to touch the picture. She believed in me at one point, and she was murdered for it, by me. I still have no memories of killing her, they said I did, that I took an axe to her, I don't remember, I slide to my knees thinking hard, I feel something in the room with me, I look around, something is standing in the corner, I jump up and the figure steps forward, he is wearing a black and white striped suit, his green hair is impossible to miss and he grins at me showing his rotten, green teeth, "Hey kid, thought I would find you here, surprise!" he laughs, I punch him in the face and close my hands around his neck, "Hey, junior, it wasn't my idea, really!" his feet hang in the air as he grins again, his rank breathe almost making me vomit,

"Who's then?" I growl,

"Well, that's the problem, you see, if you send me back then I can't help you now can I? No, so you have to put me down and then maybe we can work something out ya know what I mean?"

I drop him, he has always been annoying, but I do need his help, I nod and tell him to make himself at home while I go find a change of cloths, he grins and sits on the couch with his feet up, fucking ghost, but he has helped before, which is odd for one such as himself. I go into my old bedroom and rummage through the closet pulling out some new cloths.

I pull off the cloths I was wearing and pull the black sweater over my head and down my scar and tattoo-covered torso, I pull out the pair of black jeans that was hiding from me and slip into them, still fit, I put on my old work boots and grab my old trench coat. I walk back into the front room brushing my dark hair out of red eyes and look at the freak on my couch,

"Lets go ugly."

I toss him a jar that I had kept ever since I was put in that damn hospital, he grins and jumps up catching it

"All right boss, whatever you say!"

He grins eyeing the jar hungrily, many black beetles fill the jar to the top

"The best I could get in that place." I tell him.

To the people passing by me it looks like I am talking to myself, that's the problem of having a ghost for a friend, I can hear him crunching the beetles, kind of an annoying sound

"Ok bug boy, where do I need to go first."

He swallows a mouthful and points to a large T-shaped tower

"Well number one, we need to go there, someone there is going to be a big help buck-o."

I sigh, I have read so many stories about those kids up there that I am sick of hearing about them, but if they will help me get any closer to my goal, so be it. I nod and walk to the water's edge looking at the tower again, I sigh and continue to walk, Ugly walking beside me, I hope he is right, because if not I will shove a sandworm up his ass, I am not in the mood for any of his pranks at the moment, but I figure the amount of beetles I got the little freak should make him happy enough to not pull the veil over my eyes.

I step up to the front door, at least I am guessing this is the front door, it's hard to tell, anyway, I put my hand on Beetle boy's shoulder and shudder a little as he and I pass through the walls and float up to the front room, its dark, of course, at 3:00 a.m. I am guessing they are all asleep. I stand there for a second in the dark room looking around wondering how I am going to wake them up, should I do it all at once or . . . what the hell, I pick up a chair and throw it out the front window the glass shatters and sure enough the whole lot of them come piling into the front room like a bunch of anime dress a-likes and stop looking at me, I sigh again and turn to face them

"All right, a friend told me that one of you can help me, I need to talk to the one called . . . er . . . "

I look toward Ugly again and he looks up from his jar

"Uhh . . . all I know is she likes black . . . and she is hot."

I roll my eyes and look around spying the one he is talking about, yea she looks like one of those little Goth. freaks you see running around, but I do have to agree, she is very good looking, "You, come with me."

I point to her, she just gives me a look which makes me want to hurt her, bad,

"Look, if I wanted to kill anyone here I wouldn't have woken you up, or if I did I would have already, so stop with the whole fucking process of sizing me up, I could kill each and everyone of you and not care, but that wouldn't help me get to where I need to go know would it so stop staring at me before I rip your goddamn eyes out!"

I look around, I doubt that little speech persuaded them, but they did lower their weapons, powers, whatever you want to call them, and the girl in black stepped forwards,

"What do you want?" She asked, I didn't answer at first because her voice surprised me, it was nice, and for a moment it kind of soothed the angry beast that is I, but I shook it off,

"Look little lady, I need you to help me get a few things, I have been told that with your powers you can."

She eyes me again, I want so badly to pluck those eyes out, but at the same time I know I couldn't. I can tell she is different because her eyes are purple, no humans is purple, and her hair is either dyed purple or natural, I couldn't tell, I didn't really care at the moment. I let my eyes wonder for a moment and took a look at her body, not too bad, her skin was pale, but in a good way, at least for me, I looked back up at her face,

"It depends on what you are wanting."

She says to me, again with the voice, but I am ready and I don't let it phase me.

"Look, all I need you to do is sit there on the couch with your little eyes closed and I will get what I need from your skull, and I won't kill you, promise."

I grin a little, my attempt at humor, it wasn't a good one, but at least I try, in the corner bug boy chuckles

"Good one boss." He says

I shrug and point to the couch

"Now, I don't all day."

The rest of them watch her as she sits down and the watches me as I take my place behind her, I gently place my finger tips on her head, her hair is soft, I wonder if the rest of her is soft like this?

I let out a breath trying to shove the thoughts away, I have a job to do, maybe afterwards I can sit around and look at attractive girls. The kid with the long metal stick weapon looks at me, "Hurt her and I will make sure you pay for it."

I laugh a little, and close my eyes, I send a little energy through my finger tips and probe her brain with it. After a few moments of going through pointless memories I stop when I hit what I need, I place that memory into my head and start to leave when I notice something that pipes my interest. One of her memories, I know, I shouldn't look but, I couldn't help it, turns out it was a bad idea, because almost as soon as it started I was thrown back against the wall, disconnected from her, part of her memories running through my head like a slide show.

Goddamn it, I knew this was going to happen, I wonder what ones she got from me, I open my eyes and look at her, she sitting up, must have gotten thrown forward, they are all gathering around her

"She is fine, just a little backfire, too much emotional energy, then when I added my own by mistake it kinda blew up."

I shrugged a little, but she looked at me, and for a second we locked eyes. I knew she had seen the memories I didn't want her to. I looked away and stood up,

"Well, it's been fun kiddies, but I really have to go."

And with that I stepped out of the window and toward my next destination.