A/N: Wow, so no one is reading this...oh well. I'll keep going if people start I guess. Maybe a review will help me be motivated to ;) I have it plotted out and it does get pretty intense and better...
Chapter 3: Solve Et Coagula
Solve Et Coagula
"Fire, fire
I dissolve and solidify,
Destroy to recreate,
Disassemble to assemble something pure,
Our rubic sol-ve-et-co-ag-u-la
Kill to be born again, cycled a thousand times
Fire, planetary alchemy,
Fire, the time is here now
Fire, four corners to rise
Fire rise!
Fire, there's always loss within,
Fire, the cleansing it's time
Fire, shooting arrows to the sky
Fire
I construct a new institution
Not out of bricks, iron, cement, concrete
Or steel
Our rubic sol-ve-et-co-ag-u-la
Distill to purify,
We've done it a thousand times
Fire, planetary alchemy,
Fire, the time is here now
Fire, four corners to rise
Fire rise!
Fire, there's always loss within,
Fire, the cleansing it's time
Fire, shooting arrows to the sky
Fire
Burn, bleed all the lives of life, ascend to
The sky
Burn, all the martyrs
Fire, planetary alchemy,
Fire, the time is here now
Fire, four corners to rise
Fire rise!
Fire, there's always loss within,
Fire, the cleansing it's time
Fire, shooting arrows to the sky
Fire "
"Mark" A voiced cooed from behind him as he walked down the empty street.
Mark jumped, surprised to find anyone in this desolate town. This town, that somehow felt so very familiar but was unrecognizable. Buildings were left in shambles, if not pieces. There were open spaces where some of the houses and places had been completely destroyed. The entire place had a black and dark tone to it, both physically and somehow on a deeper, inner level. It reminded him of some old abandoned western town he used to read about in school.
He spun around and was met with the length of the empty road.
He had walked alone along the abandon roads for some time now, not exactly knowing where he was or where he was going. As his mind remained confused, his legs seemed to know exactly where to go, each turn to make, each shortcut to find, as if by an old habit. He peered up at the night sky as he continued walking and silently wondered if this place ever saw daylight. It was a strange thought to have and Mark knew it. Still, someone, deep inside, he knew that this town was meant for eternal darkness. Even the stars and the moon seemed to glow dimmer here.
His feet finally came to an abrupt stop, catching Mark off guard and nearly causing him to fall over. His stared up at the building in front of him in horror and bewilderment. The house that his body had brought him to was engulfed in wild and roaring hot flames. He shielded his face from the intense heat just as a small explosion erupted from one of the rooms. A small voice came to Mark's ears and for a moment he believed it to be only the wind. It came again a second time, only louder. The shrill cries of a woman in agony jolted Mark to his senses. Without thinking, he bolted up the front steps and through the smoldering door. As he reached the inside, his heart skipped more than a few beats in fear and shock. The interior of the building was untouched by the untamable flames. The screaming woman was now silent as Mark searched the familiar house in desperation for her. He sighed and headed for the door to leave when he heard his name behind him once again.
He slowly turned around to meet the stranger who knew his name in this foreign yet familiar town and half expected to see no one.
A woman stood before him. She, like the town, was familiar but unidentifiable. Her face was pale, save for the streaks of black dust along her forehead and cheeks. Her lips cracked and peeled as she spoke. Mark could tell that at one time, this woman had been beautiful, but now, she was hideous and disfigured and he could hardly stand to look at her. The wind blew the few strands of wavy hair that was left on her head. Her scalp was badly burned and blistering, along with the rest of her body. Puss oozed from the festering sores that decorated her body like mosquito bites after a long day in the woods. Her entire left arm was skinless, blood dripping from it onto the pavement. She resembled one of Mark's old figurines, one of the monsters or zombies. Through all the pain in the woman's eyes and through all the hideous and vile disfiguration of her body, she somehow managed to form a small, thin smile.
Mark tried to back away from the mysterious woman, but she drew closer to him. It was when she walked that Mark realized something that made his stomach heave into his throat. This woman was walking backwards, all the while, her head still facing him. She backed him into a wall that seemed to come out of nowhere. She paused for a second, giving Mark a compassionate glance. In an instant, she reached up and twisted her own head around and turned to face him, properly. She gingerly reached up one of her bleeding hands and allowed her fingers to graze Mark's face. Mark gave a sudden flinch and the woman's kind eyes flashed into rage.
"You little shit." It spit into Mark's face with a voice like leather. "You did this. You brought him into my home. You let him grab me and you just ran. You ran like the coward and worthless, pathetic thing you are."
"You ran Mark." A new voice came from behind the burning woman. This figure was ghostly pale, allowing her blonde hair to illuminate against it. "Why did you run? He had me downstairs with him. You were right there. You ran. Why?"
"You were right there." His dead mother repeated. "You ran. Why?"
The two woman cornered him before Mark could figure out what was happening. In an instant, the vampire who had once been his friend lunged at him, hissing and opening her mouth wide to reveal glimmering fangs. He was frozen in fear and unable to struggle. The jagged teeth sank into Mark's neck with ease as a warm red liquid trickled from the new openings. Mark began feeling as if he was being lifted, like he was floating, not fully alive, not fully anywhere. The sensation heightened as the woman clutched the back of his head and Mark slowly crumpled to the ground.
