People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right.

Marie walked through the autumn leaves, only the sound of her boots could be heard as they echo off the pavement and softly into the grass. It's been a routine for her to come here every day to visit him, "Hey Edd, I'm back again... I really miss you."

"Marie! Come on! We're going to be late ,"
shouted Lee from the Cemetery Gates.

"Sorry, I've got to go," she whispered as she kissed her hand then put it to the grave marker, "I love you."

Memories of that day came rushing back to her as she walked back to her sisters... a day of bittersweet memories thag she can never forget.

xX FLASHBACK TO ONE YEAR AGO Xx

Double D was out for a late night stroll one night when he heard the sound of someone, a girl if his hearing was to be trusted, calling for help from the construction site. He immediately called the cops, and was instructed to stay out of sight... Annd he would have had no issue following the operator's directions if the girls voice wasn't so familiar... He knew that voice from somewhere, but the only girls he knows are Nazz, Sarah, and the Kanker Sisters... So against his better judgment, he went to get a better look, and what he saw made the blood in his veins like ice: it was group of three men wearing similar outfits tearing the cloths off of Marie Kanker.

The ice in his veins immediately turned to liquid fire as his temper flared to life: he could not stand idly by as these ruffians sexually assaulted Marie, no matter how much he loathed her existence. With an unexpected surge of courage, he grabbed a piece of 2x4 and immediately charged forward. He had caught the first one off guard, breaking the 2x4 over his back and knocking him out... Unfortunately, the other two were not intimidated by this, and immediately disarmed him. They then pushed Edd to the ground and began beating him.

Marie watched in silent horror as the two men assaulted her dream boat, and was thankful when she heard the sirens in the distance, making them to stop. But her fears only came back stronger than ever when Double D struggled to his feet and said with gritted teeth, "We're not done here."

One particular thug turned and looked at him. "I suppose we aren't," he said before drawing a small knife and stabbing the teen in the abdomen. "Now we're done."

Marie crawled over to her dying savior, tears flowing down her cheeks as she tried desperately to save him. "It's ok Marie," Eddward said weakly, "It's ok if you can't save me."

"Shut up," she snapped, "You're not gonna die tonight."

"I'm afraid that I'll be dead soon no matter what you say," he replied, "The blade went right into my liver... I'll bleed out before too long."

Marie bit her lip in an attempt to keep her emotions in check, but the levy broke and she yelled, "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AND GET YOURSELF KILLED BY BEING THE GOD DAMNED HERO!"

Double D smiled and said, "I guess... that deep down... I like you too."

Marie was so shocked by these words, that she didn't realize that he had stopped breathing after saying that at first... but once it registered that he had in fact stopped breathing, fear gripped her heart. "Double D," she whispered pleadingly. "Don't leave me," she sobbed as she tried to wake him, "Not like this... not when you just admitted to liking me back."

While she fought to reject the mere notion, she knew in her heart that her beloved Eddward was dead... So she did the only thing she could do at this point, and wrapped her arms around his now lifeless body as she cried bitter tears of sorrow.

xXFLASHBACK ENDXx

As she looked out the window to see the colors of Autumn, she couldn't keep the memories of her Beloved's funeral from returning.

xX FLASHBACK TO THE DAY OF THE FUNERAL Xx

Marie was dressed in an all black goth dress outfit with a veil, for the funeral. She knew Ed and Eddy would be there, along with everyone else from the Cul-De-Sac. She walked out of the Trailer with Lee and May following her, also dressed in black for the funeral, but with their own personal flare.

May has her hair in a bun and looks like one of the pilgrim's you'd see in a painting of the first thanksgiving, minus the white bonnet.

Lee had opted to wear black pants and a Hoody since she didn't want to stand out.

The drive to the funeral home responsible for handling Double D's funeral had been quiet... more so than Ms. Kanker was comfortable. Upon arrival as he turned to the backseat and asked, "Would you mind staying for a moment, Marie?"

Marie looked up at her mother before nodding and said, "Go find us a good spot, guys."

May and Lee silently did as she requested, giving their mother time to talk to Marie. "You really and truly loved him, didn't you," her mother stated more than asked.

Marie gazed at her lap and said, "Yes."

Ms. Kanker unbuckled her seatbelt and reached back to give her second child a hug. "If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them," she whispered soothingly into her daughter's ear, "Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever."

Marie fought back her tears as a few spilled out, and returned her mother's gesture. "Thank you for caring," she whispered before getting out of the car and letting her mom go to work.

When Marie arrived, she was surprised to see that they were the first ones here... a part of her was angry because it felt like no one else cared... but that part was quickly silenced when she saw a Hurst followed by a couple of other vehicles pull up. She smiled sadly as the rest of the kids joined them. Sarah looked like she had seen someone give a puppy a mercy killing. That look of wishing things weren't the way they are. The little red head walked up to Marie who knelt down and hugged her: both sharing their pain in that moment.

Ed was obviously trying to keep himself from crying... He had been so focused on doing so that he didn't see May approaching him... it wasn't until she hugged him that he acknowledged her existence, at which point the floodgates opened up and he wrapped his arms around the blond as he cried his heart out.

Eddy had a bit of a scowl on his face, but anyone could see he was just as sad about Double D's passing as everyone else. He simply went over to Lee and sat in the chair on her right. "It's ok if cry," Lee told him, "I promise I won't tease you."

Eddy looked up at her as tears threatened to spill and said, "Sh-Shut up."

Lee simply put her right arm around him and pulled him into a hug. "If it makes you feel better, I'll cry with you," she said as sorrow crept into her voice.

That had been the straw that broke the camel's back, causing both to just cry as the held onto each other.

xxxxxx

The funeral had come and gone, and everyone had left... everyone except Marie. She stood silently before Eddward's Tombstone, her eyes fixed on it until a Crow came and landed on it. Were she at 100%, she would have chased it off... but after emotional whirlwind she'd gone through, she just didn't care. "You better be gone when I come back," she told the bird coldly.

xX FLASHBACK ENDS Xx

'Strange how that damn bird comes and lands on his grave every time I leave,' Marie thought to herself. She was certain that it was the same crow... in a weird way, it seemed like the crow was watching over the grave when she could not.

xxxxxx

With the car long gone, the Crow began tapping on the tombstone. And with each tap, the ground in front of the stone shifted and trembled. Suddenly the ground all but exploded, launched with the lid from the Eddward's coffin. The deceased, who should be a shriveled corpse, crawled out with a pained scream and was simply pale from lack of sunlight. He struggled to his feet, his legs stiff from not being used for a year, and began stumbling towards the sole destination he had in mind: home.

one leg after another he stumbled home, but once he reached the house, he noticed that it seemed abandoned. He reached for the door knob to open the door, and by touching it he recived a mindsplitting headache as his mind pieced together old memories of his past. Unable to understand them, he dismissed them and opend the door, "Mom, l'm home." However, no answered. Yhe place seemed to have a thick layer of dust on everything. "Dad?" His hand brushed up against the railing, flooding his mind with more memories and pain. After it subsided, he made his way up the stairs to his room. There, on the dresser, was his signature hat... seeing how one didn't adorn his head, he reached for it to put it on. Upon touching it, his mind serged with even more memories... It was at this moment that he realised the terrifying truth: he had died.

He would have pondered on the obscenely obsurd nature of the thought if a deep voice hadn't gotten his attention by saying, "There is more to it than you having died."

Double D spun around to see a man about 5'7" wearing a dark ensemble of a Black Leather Duster, a cowboy style Fedora, and a pair of Aviator Sunglasses. "Who are you, and what are you doing in my house," Edd asked cautiously.

"Nobody has lived here for about a year now," the man stated, "Your parents couldn't bring themselves to stay after your death and simply bought a new home elsewhere... as for who I am... My name is Jacob, and I am your guide."

"Why would I need a guide," asked an unusually perplexed Double D.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that here," Jacob replied, "Return to the Graveyard... All will be revealed once you arrive there." The man turned to leave, but stopped briefly as he tipped his hat, "I'll be waiting."

Double D was surprised when the man vanished into wisp of black smoke and embers, but didn't let it delay him. He immediately headed back to the graveyard where he'd just come from.

After getting off of work, Marie decided to go visit Eddward one more time before heading home. She opted to walk by herself for a change, saying she needed some time alone. Her sisters and mother knew it was dangerous, but they let it slide so long as she called for a ride home once she was done visiting.

So finally she made it to the graveyard, and she could tell immediately that something was off. There was globs of dirt lying around, and the closer she got to her destination, the more concentrated they seemed to get. Finally she reached Double D's tombstone, and froze in shock when she saw it had been dug up. She collapsed to her knees as tears flowed from her eyes and said, "Who would do such a terrible thing?" Suddenly a man in a Black Leather Duster and a Cowboy style Fedora with Aviator Sunglasses walked out from behind a tree a few yards away from her Beloved's open grave. There was a knowing grin on his face, which sparked a fire in her. "Where have you taken him," she snarled at the man.

He simply turned towards her and said, "If you are referring to the one who once occupied this grave, you need only look behind you."

Marie cautiously did as instructed, her breath hitching in her throat when she saw Edd standing before her. The sight was too much for her to comprehend, so she fainted... But Double D caught her before she could hit the ground.