(Okay, to start off- I'm quite sure I'm going to end up dying before long. I could bitch and complain about how life sucks- but then again, if I wanted to do that, then I'd change my name to Kid Emo and run around dressed in all black, bleeding from my eye sockets.

As an aside; I left the notebook this was written in at school the other day. I proceeded to then say "DAMNIT" more times in five minutes than Victor does in all of Second Opinion... if you replayed it seventeen times.

Big important things happen in this chapter! Everybody likes big important things!

Or maybe they don't. Whatever. In which case, there's also some not so important things-- and I think I'll shut up and write now!

PS: Acknowledgement IS spelled right.

Sidney, Greg, Derek, Angie, Tyler, Leslie © Nintendo

Other characters © Me)

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Days of Damnation

Chapter Twelve- Recognition and Acknowledgement

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When Sidney finally came to, he instantly began to wish that he was still unconscious. His head pounded; his cracked ribs dug into his lungs, making breathing nearly impossible, especially when the blood began to flow from his mouth. He barely even noticed his broken leg anymore; he had lost feeling in it the other day.

The door to the room opened; he didn't even bother opening his eyes. Even if he had, the darkness would have cloaked the visitor.

"Get up."

The woman's harsh voice filled Sidney's ears.

His body remained still, and his hazel eyes closed.

But they quickly shot open as he felt a hand tightly grip his throat, jerking him to his feet. He clawed at the hand; it was difficult enough, trying to breathe without someone choking him...!

"Oh, quit your panicking and listen," the woman snapped. "Your brother seems hell-bent on sending you to the grave with him... however, I'll make a deal with you. It's relatively straightforward; you see the truth, abandon your false ways, and live, or we leave you here and you die your painful death. If you see the error of your ways, we'll fix you up nicely- your leg, your ribs; you'll be good as new. Hell, we'll even give you a new life- just say the words, and it's yours."

No more pain...? And a new life. A wife, perhaps, and a child... basically, everything he had- or would have had- before it was lost to this system of corruption, of sickness... it could be his, if he just changed his beliefs...

Sidney tried to speak, to tell the woman his answer; however, it had been so long since he had tried to speak that the words failed to come out- only a strangled gasping sound passed from his lips.

So instead, he spat at her, defiance burning in his hazel eyes. The woman dropped him abruptly, but Sidney refused to cry out, even as his leg began to throb with pain.

"...f... fuck that," he hissed slowly, his voice cracking as the words began to take shape. "You call... what I believe in... a sin... ...the real sin... is believing... in your lies."

The woman scowled, wiping the blood-stained spit off her cheek.

"I always knew you were a stubborn man," she growled, "but I never realized you were so stupid as well. Well, go ahead and die- there's no one left in this world that loves you, so what does it matter?"

She stormed out of the room, leaving the door partially open.

Light fell onto Sidney's pale, bloodstained face.

His hazel eyes slid shut once again.

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Greg's eyes slowly opened- he was surrounded by darkness, but it was not so black that he couldn't see Derek sitting against the wall, all the way at the other end of the room.

He groaned, slowly sitting up.

"Dr. Kasal...?"

Derek's voice was weak.

"Not anymore... I'm just Greg, now... so spare the formalities..."

Greg slowly staggered to his feet, stumbling over towards Derek; he collapsed against the wall, sliding to the floor.

"What have they done to you, Derek...?"

"Nothing... yet, anyways. I've just been locked here. ...what about you, Doct-- ...Greg?"

Greg stared across the room to the opposite wall, biting his lower lip softly.

"...they got Sidney," he finally spoke, his voice low. "From what I heard, Victor and Leslie are safe... but they got Sidney. ...they're torturing him to make me give in to their dogma."

"That-- that's horrible..."

"Yeah...you could hardly call that a fair bargaining tactic. ...sorry for getting you caught up in this, Derek. This wasn't supposed to happen... I wouldn't be surprised at all if you hated me right now, for getting you stuck in this predicament."

Derek thought briefly about his current situation.

"...you didn't force me into this, Greg," he muttered. "I came willingly. You told me about it, yes; you didn't make me choose it."

A tired smile slowly spread across Greg's face.

"By the way... do you know what happened to Angie...?"

It vanished.

Greg hesitated, unwilling to speak.

"...no, I don't. ...we'll find out soon enough, I suppose."

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"Now, sweetie, remember... no gawking, alright?"

"But they're Sinners, Mommy! They're different from us!"

The young girl clung tightly to her mother's hand as they walked towards the grey stone building.

The mother averted her gaze from the gallows as they passed them.

"That may be..." she spoke, her voice soft and hesitant, "but they're still human. They do have feelings..."

"Fiiiine..."

Mother and child entered the building together.

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"Get up."

Sidney looked up, the light from the open door blocked by the man standing over him.

"Get up, Sinner."

"No." Sidney's hazel eyes flashed defiantly.

A strong hand gripped his narrow neck, lifting him to his feet. Sidney gasped for breath, blood quickly spilling over his lips, but he refused to cry out in pain, refused to flail about in agony- refused to admit defeat.

"Come on," the man growled, pushing the younger Kasal twin out the door. Pain coursed through Sidney's body every time his left foot hit the ground, but he set his expression into stone, refusing to let his suffering show.

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"Tyler, your friends are at the door."

Confusion flashed across Tyler Chase's face. Why would anybody visit him...?

Maybe it was Derek; he hadn't heard from the brunette in a while... Tyler left his room to answer the front door--

"Come on, Tyler."

A hand shot out and seized the blonde's arm; Tyler cried out in alarm as he was suddenly jerked out of the house.

The door was shut behind him.

"Get in the car, Tyler," Victor growled, his thin fingers wrapped tightly around Tyler's upper arm.

"W-wait, Victor--!? What's going on?!" Tyler exclaimed, trying to pull himself free.

"Get in and we'll tell you." The dark-haired man flung the blonde into the side of the car.

Tyler hesitantly got into the back seat as Victor hopped into the front passenger's seat.

Leslie pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road.

"What's going on?" Tyler demanded as he buckled himself in.

"Tyler, did Derek ever talk to you about feeling guilty about making people sick?" Victor began.

"...what's it to you?" Tyler retorted, knowing that it was dangerous, admitting that you didn't wholeheartedly support the system...

"Yes or no, Tyler! Did he talk to you?! Yes or no!"

"Okay, okay, yes! He mentioned it, and I said that I was tired of infecting people- what does it matter?!"

"Then it looks like we got to you in time," Victor sighed, running a hand through his stringy black hair. "We need to talk. Something's... happened."

"What, what's happened...!?"

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Light shone onto Derek's gaunt face.

Had they finished torturing Greg already...?

His brown eyes opened slowly to see a small girl standing over him, her hazel eyes sparkling with life. Behind her stood the mother, whose green eyes shone- not with life, like her daughter's; but neither did they flicker with scorn.

Instead, shame and sorrow burned in her emerald eyes.

"Hello, Sinner!" the girl chirped happily. "What's your name?"

"...De... Derek," he muttered, his eyes carefully examining the young girl, watching her every movement.

"That's a neat name," she grinned. "Not as neat as mine, though!"

"...well, what's yours?"

The girl giggled.

"You don't get to ask questions, silly!"

"Be nice, 'Lee," the mother scolded gently.

"Don't call me that, Mommy!"

The girl's eyes flashed with slight anger before she calmed down again, the wide smile reforming.

"So, why'd you sin?"

"...because I don't believe what I've been told my whole life."

"Well, why not? What's not to believe?"

Derek sighed; the girl had been raised not to question the system.

"...you wouldn't understand."

The girl frowned, putting her hands on her hips. The ends of her dark brown hair brushed against her shoulders.

"You're boring. Let's go, Mommy."

The child rushed out of the room, dragging her mother with her.

Derek could see the mournful expression in her eyes before the door slammed shut.

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"No... it can't be..."

Tyler sank into his chair. His brown eyes stared at the aging floor.

"They're gone...?"

"Chief told us to get the hell out of the house about five minutes before the Police came," Victor grumbled, walking around the dusty kitchen. "We tried to warn the Chief's brother, and Derek and Angie... but by the time we got there, they'd already been taken away..."

The silence was broken only by Leslie's quiet sobs.

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The weight of lead was nothing compared to how Sidney's legs felt at that time.

Nevertheless, he kept walking- but not by choice. No, had he a chance, he would have collapsed right there, never rising- his body could take no more. Sidney only wanted to rest.

But the hand around his neck forced him forward.

"Move, Sinner."

Sidney stumbled along; his tired hazel eyes looked forward, taking in the sight of the hallway, yet never noticing it--

He noticed a woman and her small child walking towards him, approaching from the other end of the hall. Sidney frowned, even though he barely even had the strength to keep his eyes open; had they only come to gawk at the misfortunes of his friends, his only family--?

He suddenly froze when he saw the woman's face.

No, it couldn't be, it couldn't be her, she had been-- but there she stood--!

The name slipped out of Sidney's mouth before he realized what he was doing.

"V... Victoria...?!"

The woman looked up as she heard the name.

Her green eyes widened as she saw him--

"Si... Sidney...?"

This simple confirmation of Sidney's suspicion suddenly filled him with violent energy; he jerked forward, desperately trying to reach her--

"Victoria!"

Victoria stood, frozen with shock, her eyes still growing wider; what was he doing here--?

"Sidney...?"

Sidney struggled harder, the hand around his throat tightening its grip, his arms now pinned behind his back as he was dragged away; whatever they had done had destroyed most of her, but he could see it-- the look of recognition still shimmered in her troubled green eyes-- he could see it; she was still there; if only he could reach her--!

"Victoria!!"

His voice suddenly pulled her out of her daze--

"Sidney!"

She ran forward, leaving her child behind; the young girl followed her mother, confused-- what was going on, how did Mommy know this Sinner--?

"Mommy--"

"SIDNEY!"

Sidney struggled violently, trying to reach his wife-- she had almost reached him, he could almost feel her warmth--

Sidney cried out as he was thrown roughly into a dark room; he looked up to see the man now restraining Victoria, who fought to be by her one true love's side--

"Victoria--!!"

"No- let me go- Sidney!!"

The door slammed shut...

Victoria's desperate scream still rang in Sidney's ears.

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(End chapter twelve.

This chapter pretty much speaks for itself... please review.)