November 22, 2011
The rain fell like tears of the stars on the blessed Sunday night. A flapping rhythm sounded through the drops taping on the grave stones as a lone crow settled onto one. It cawed into the air, calling for a response for someone. Someone close by. But nothing was around the crow, only the dead. An area kept only for the deceased by the living. All resting for eternity in their coffins. The corpses were filled with peace, all but one. The single crow called again, loud enough to wake the dead. A disturbance in the grass near on grave sight caught the crow's attention. Fingers pierced the dirt and grasped at the grounded around the opening to bring it's body up from the depths. He gasped for air as his head surfaced. Once he was fully out of his grave he began to shake and convulse. Sensations of a chilling cold pulsed though his body, then extreme warmth, then back to the cold. Numbness flowed outwards to his ligaments then extreme pain caused him to yell out. His former wounds weren't there, but he felt them until all of the feeling in his body subsided. He coughed up black slime and then attempted to stand upright but failed.
"It'll all pass soon." He heard in a soft voice. He looked all around but was only accompanied by a crow that was still watching him. He attempted to stand again and finally found his footing. The feeling came again. More black slime flew from his mouth, the force so strong it even trickled from his eyes. It Burned his skin in certain areas, even spreading upwards to his forehead. He settled again by kneeling. He looked back on the grave sight. A yellow rose nestled on the stone support for the grave stone. He picked it up and inhaled deeply into its pistil.
The name Kathy resonated in Dreams head. For the first time in 2 years he felt warmth in his heart. She would always be there, even though she didn't know something was wrong. She only wanted him to be happy and made sure of it every time they met. He felt a sense of loneliness just standing in the rain grasping the rose as if it planed to fly away. Oh, what he'd give to fly from his past, but wishes are ment for only hopes and dreams. The thought of a clean slate filled his mood with humor. He smiled to himself as he headed to the only place he could ever feel safe and that was home.
The door knob to the abandoned house rattled, but the lock prevented it from opening. The powerful kick that Dream delivered broke the door frame and loosened the hinges enough to have the door fall to the floor. He entered to see a lifeless home with nothing but the spiders and the roaches to call home. He flicked the switch to turn on the lights but it was to no avail since the power was cut off years ago. Moonlight attempted to creep into the entrance, but the sins preformed inside prevented it from crossing the door stop. The rain sang an appropriate tune for the occasion with the ground and roof outside. The cold tortured Dream's skin and muscles as he searched through the dark for the bathroom. He stumbled through the living room to the hall and tripped over his own feet. He landed on the carpet with a loud thud.
I warned you Dream, but you didn't listen. You just had to be a fuckin' punk!
Dream felt his ribs snap from the boot's impact. The broken ends created a compounded fracture, piercing through his skin.
She's mine Dream, what could possible posses you to think she wanted anything to do with you.
Dream got up and tried to sprint through the hall.
Oh no, I ain't done yet.
The echo of the knife swooshing through the air was followed by a sharp pain that froze his leg; knocking him to the ground near the wall at the end of the hall. He threw up again, the darkness spilling all over the carpet as he tried to crawl away. He got up, needing to hold himself onto the wall to stay horizontal.
I hate to end your suffering, but you've seen the news. I gotta grantee you're dead. It's now or never.
"Kathy…" Dream forced through clenched teeth.
Arrivederci…
"…I'll always love you…"
You pathetic…
"No matter what."
…fuck!
"KATHY!" The gunshot boomed in his mind, his body falling backwards into the broken window. The glass entered his body with a sickening squishing noise as his organs were filled with blood. He lay there with his feet still settled on the ground, gazing at the night sky. The rain caressed his face as he looked into the north star feeling a sense of deja vu from the last time he was on the planet. His legs flexed to propel the rest of his body upwards to return to the upright state. Dream held himself on the wall on his way to the bathroom. He started to regain control of his legs when he entered and found one of the candles kept under the sink. He found the matches in the cabinet behind the mirror and opened it. He struck a match, but it only fizzled. He stuck an other one. It snapped at the tip.
"Cheap ass wood!" He cursed.
He pulled out yet another match and struck on the ruff side of the box. Success was announced with an orange flame that danced from the phosphorous tip. He shared the fire with the candle wick, causing it to flame as well. He leaned towards the mirror to see his reflection. His face was a ghostly white. Lifeless green eyes stared back at the rain drenched figure. The black slime had fused to his skin, magnifying the outline of his eyes and mouth. A black road attached to the tips of his mouth and traveled up and around to the middle of his eyes, then shot straight down across them; ending with an upside down cross, all in a symmetrical formation. The crosses both attached the two perpendicular lines on their left sides creating a right triangle while the right sides ended with a sharp 45 degree bend. The sight startled him, causing him to almost drop the candle. Voices swerved through the hall and alerted Dream.
"Thank goodness you're here officers." Mrs. Melancholy said to the two cops who were getting out of the car. They opened up their umbrellas as they headed to greet the worried woman.
"Ok, ok Mrs. Melancholy just calm down now," Officer Elson ordered gently, "We need to know what happened."
"The house is being robed, that's what's happening!" She yelled over the pouring rain.
"Please, you need to relax. Just don't worry, me and Officer Bexlov will handle everything. Right rookie?"
"Uhh, y-yeah. Yes, Mrs. Melancholy we'll handle it."
The two cops closed there umbrellas when they entered the abandoned house. Officer Elson pulled out his gun and Bexlov followed the same action closely after.
"Now remember Bexlov," Elson said over his shoulder, "If you see someone moving in front of you, it's me. I don't want to get shot in the ass again."
"Sorry sir, I was just nervous."
"Yeah, yeah." Elson mumbled as he searched the room with his flashlight.
"Here, I'll check the upstairs and you check the ground floor, capeesh?" Elson said.
"Got it." Bexlov replied.
Elson headed up the stairs while Bexlov moved cautiously through the hall. Bright red shards of glass edging the broken window caught his attention. He rushed to the window sill and to cover on the wall on the left side. He pointed the gun out the window, followed by his body. He looked left and right, but only saw cars driving by. He looked down but only saw wet grass. He leaned back into the house and emptied his hat of the rain water that filled some of it. A clatter sounded from the room second to the right. He ran to the room and took cover next to the door rim. He popped out of cover, gun at the ready. The flashlight shown on nothing but the wall filled with band posters. He looked all over the room but saw nothing. He opened the closet but found nothing. Looked under the bed and still nothing.
After the throe search the cops came out empty handed.
"Well Mrs. Melancholy, we couldn't find anything. must have been a couple of kids trying to be cool and destroy property." Elson reported.
"Yeah and if you hear anything again, just give us a call." Bexlov added.
"Well I hope you two are right. Oh it's getting late, I'm going to be tired tomorrow. Thank you officers." Mrs. Melancholy said and then returned to her house.
"No problem miss. Take care." Elson said then the two entered the cop car.
Elson started the engine and drove off. The traffic was tranquil due to the rain and the late time of the night. The radio chattered in the background as Elson started to rant about the call like he always does.
"I can't tell ya how much it bugs me when people do this shit. They go to houses that are about to be bought and then make them look like they were hit by a tornado. They break the windows, the toilets, run the sinks, rip up the curtains, and then the damn mattresses just get demolished. I mean you name it and you'll find it stained on them. I mean god! They just go crazy for no fucking reason, and then if we arrest the little bastards there parents go ape on the cops! No good-"
"Uhh Elson?"
"-pieces of god damn shit! My kids not a bad kid. He's a good student and bla bla bla. Then explain why he's hoped out on drugs with his pants down in a house that is vacant, huh!"
"Elson!" Bexlov shouted.
"What?"
"Calm down! A man your age needs to watch their blood pressure."
"Yeah, sorry kid, I just got carried away. It just bugs me like hell."
"So Elson, I've been wondering, what happened to that houses owners?" Bexlov asked.
"Well it's a pretty bad story. Mother was killed in the house the same time the son was killed in forest to the east. Some say it was just horrible luck while others believe it was all planed."
"Wow, why haven't I heard about it?"
"Cause you probably weren't in the force 2 years ago. The one who handled that case is still sometimes going back to it in her spare time."
The radio called for there car to respond to a robbery in process. They headed in the direction leaving the conversation for some other time.
Dream listened for anymore noise. It was dead silent inside, only the rain creating any disturbance in the world close by. He stepped through the hole in the wall that he had covered with a poster years ago.
"Glad that's over with." He said brushing off the cobwebs from his clothes. The crow from earlier was nesting on the bed post.
"I see your feeling better." The crow said in a calm voice.
"Ok, this usually doesn't happen to people."
"Well coming back from the dead isn't so common either." The crow argued.
"Well I can't argue with that. So do you have a name or something?"
I thought he would of told you. Our master must have been blunt with you. The name he gave me is Darnsel."
"Darnsel, huh? I will keep that in mind." Dream looked around, "Wait, where's Kettle?" He started to search in the other rooms.
"What's a Kettle?" Darnsel asked.
"My cat. He was still here yesterday."
"Dream, it's been two years. I think he's somewhere else by now. Try to regain your feel in this world, I'll go see if I can find him."
"Wait, what about my mom? Is she somewhere else?" Dream asked before Darnsel took off. Darnsel shook his head.
"I'm sorry but… your mother's dead. Another thing the Master should of informed you of. I'll be back in the morning. Take care until then."
Darnsel took off into the stormy night, leaving Dream alone with nothing but his murdered past and worries of the future to surround him in the cold house.