If I missed my promised deadline I apologize very much for it! Also, no world-moving events happen in this chapter. But maybe a few new pages from our dearest general. This chapter is dedicated to Sonya Blade. I wish you much fun with the next chapter, as always you can leave a comment and look back when I publish the next chapter.
The four children ran in an inseparable quartet through the streets in a small suburb. A great athletic man was always close to them. Actually, they would do without him. But he didn't want to miss the fun of the children. He proudly held his camera up and wandered over the surrounding row of houses where likewise small dark figures stormed from door to door and hit the bell with a quiet giggle. "Trick or Treat!". Something tugged carefully on his sleeve. In the lantern light he caught onto the video the small face of Cassie Cage. Today she had wanted to make her makeup all alone.
She had tied her blond hair in two thin braids, and was dressed up in an old military robe from her mother. Despite her Mom Sonya was not really big, the little Cassie looked like at home in her bathrobe. Only her toes were visible and since she did not get her hands out of the uniform she wore her captured sweets tied around the tummy. However, to play the Queen of Halloween today, she had come up with a very grotesque face painting. With a lot of light and dark red make-up and a brown foodcolour, she had pimped her face intensively. She looked as if a Tarkatan had eaten the face of his sweet little daughter.
Frightening and scary, but Johnny felt that it was an accomplishment for a six-year-old. "You make me really scared, Pumpkin!" He called to her. She looked mischievously at the camera. "I told you, Daddy. I'm Necro-Cassie Cage!" She clenched her small fists and hissed playfully as she approached Takeda, who was not happy at all in his dracula costume. "Forget it Cass, you do not scare me." He remained calm and stuffed a few caramels in the mouth. Cassie raised her fists indignantly. "But I am the frightening faceless! Tremble before me when I absorb Earthrealms Power!"
With pleasure, she smeared the artificial blood on her costume. "Then back away, disgusting creature! We must save the world from you and your sight!" Kung Jin proudly held up his plastic hat, a fake one of his great cousin Kung Lao. He wasn't a small monster, but he had a lot of fun on the roster. Cassie blew a red bubble gum in front of him. "I'm glad it's just a mask. Daddy, imagine that would be all real! Disgusting right?"
Johnny ruffled through her hair. "Then you would almost as ugly as the face-eating butterface Mileena!" He pinched and tickled her at her neck. Cassie squeaked with joy. She loved the annual Halloween, the rumbling with her friends, eating sweets and, of course, frightening the people with frightening faces. And every night, when she got a kiss before falling asleep, she was very happy just to be Cassie and not a disfigured, ugly monster...
It was over 15 years ago and yet Cassie had to think about this past Halloween as if it was only yesterday. As if she had kicked off her death that day. Apathetically, she looked through the windows in the interior of Mother's Mercedes. It was the 9th of September and also the weather was like an early autumn day. Actually, she should look forward to this day, of course, she secretly did it, but she was just not after celebrations. The day of her dismissal after a total stay of 41 days was a gift from the gods for all relatives and friends. Cassie became a medical miracle because she survived only after a long struggle for life and death.
But she hadn't only lost her face that night, she had lost something deep in her soul on that day with which she had experienced the terrible certainty. She didn't know what it was, her joy of life, her courage, her hope, or all three. It was erased from her heart, just like her face. Her mother took her alone today, as Johnny was called to an important meeting for 3 weeks to Hollywood. Originally Johnny had refused, he would rather cancel the job before let his daughter down, but Cassie assured him that it's ok. Does it make a difference whether Dad or Mum were with her? Nobody could help her anyway.
With a final delicate signature, General Sonya Blade signed her daughter's discharge papers. Actually, it would have been Cassie's personal task but her mental condition had deteriorated in the last days so that they had decided to send the young soldier home early. However, she refused treatment by a psychologist. Sonya took it upon herself to take care of her physically and mentally broken child. Once in her life, she finally wanted to prove that she maybe could be a good mother. Dr. Nephron was unfortunately not present today, but he had deposited Cassie's admission note for her.
She put it in her handbag, Sonya would read it as soon as they were back home. Cassie already knew the content, whether she had completely processed it was, of course, the other question. A nice team of nurses had helped her daughter down to the car. She was still dependent on crutches, but she could move well outside the bed again. In at least 3-4 weeks all wounds and injuries should be completely healed. Until of course the one thing.
The rain lashed Sonya violently in the face as she left the hospital for a last time, which was also a part of her everyday life and her thoughts for so long. Unfortunately, she hadn't packed an umbrella in her bag and so she was soaking wet when she finally reached her Mercedes. Quickly she tore open the car door, threw her handbag on the back seat, and quickly closed the door behind her. A few seconds there was silence in the car. She took the time to undo her soaked jacket and wipe the wet strands from her forehead. Only then Sonya threw a first glance at Cassie. Her daughter was sitting next to her on the passenger seat, her light black silk trousers, over her a dark red jacket. Her legs were drawn to her belly, she looked expressionlessly out of the window into the storm, the hood pulled as far as she could, covering her distorted face.
Cassie didn't react as her mother got to her car and started the engine. She showed no emotions, but squatted apathetically in her seat. "Are you cold? Should I turn up your seat heating?" The General tried to ask cautiously. No reaction, only a barely visible shoulder twitch. Exhausted, Sonya heated the car, then went off, left the parking lot and mother and daughter were on their way in the direction of highway. In about 3 hours they would be home if there was no big traffic. It was still raining. Slowly it was finally warm in the interior and her goose bumps back down. Despite the noise from outside, there was an uncomfortable silence in the car. It brought Sonya to the brink of despair.
She didn't know how she could help Cassie out of her deep swamp of lost self-confidence. It was always a reason for her to be jealous of Johnny: his paternal charisma and his talent as a born family man. She should stand as a mother of Cassie in the foreground, but it was just not that Mum Cassie would have perhaps desired. Or she herself. Was that the trigger for her withdrawing cause of her jealousy into her work? The radio continued to rattle in the background. Severe weather was reported for the entire next week. Fortunately, she had requested leave until Johnny returned from his meeting. In the current situation they didn't want to leave Cassie alone at home. Certainly it was possible at some time that she could go back to the Special Forces, maybe it was time to resume the training in four to six weeks.
Perhaps it was a way to rebuild her self-esteem. But until then, she needed as much rest as possible, especially outside the turbulent hospital.
On the horizon the sun slowly set. Mother and daughter still didn't speak a word. Cassie had barely stirred in her seat, she stared impassively ahead on the wet asphalt. What could she say? Was she too cold or too hot? Perhaps she was hungry? Thoughts about thoughts and yet she could not grasp anyone. The traffic and weather news had come to an end, and now a very well-known song came out of the radio. It almost made her sad. "But just because it burns does not mean you're gonna die, you gotta get up and try, try, try...".
Silent sobs pushed for her, but not her own. Beside her sat Cassie and a tear ran over the flesh of her cheek. Sonya said nothing. She just grabbed her daughter's hand and held her tight until she stopped crying.
It was shortly after half past twelve in the night when the two finally reached the villa. Cassie had already pulled her crutches from the back seat on the driveway. "Do you need an umbre ..?" Sonya didn't finish the question, because Cassie was already stalking toward the gravel, undisturbed by the dreadful weather. Shaking her head, Sonya grabbed her handbag, jacket and umbrella. She had caught her daughter already on the middle of the stairs. She gasped hard and had to lean on her crutches, not to go to the ground. She was completely soaked, the rainwater ran down her face.
Sonya stretched out a hand to help her, but Cassie just shook her head energetically, limping up the steps. She had never wanted to show any weakness. At least she had not given up on this. She continued bouncing on the good leg over the door, after Sonya had open the door, spreading dirty footprints on the floor. Sonya went into the dining room, hung her wet jacket over a chair and crept further to the coffee machine. It was midnight, too late to rinse caffeinated drinks. But still she did not want to go to sleep, she couldn't. She quietly listened to the sounds on the upper floor, the clicking of the crutches and finally how a door fell into the lock.
Sonya sipped her cappuccino. Perhaps her daughter would finally regain her strength again in a more intimate setting, even if it was terribly thundering outside. She was a little dizzy. Even in the fatal night there had been such a storm. Lost in thought, she stared out the window into the dark night. Was Leatherface still out there? Who were the next victims in 40 years? Anger rose in her. Why hadn't anyone listened to her, or to her father? They guessed, no, they knew that it was happening. And yet the government did nothing, and despite her high rank in the military the SF was still powerless. Yes, she knew it. And yet she hadn't protected Cassie in time. Failing again as a mother.
Also for Sonya it was time to rest. So she put her cup down and went up the stairs. Everywhere, boot prints adorn the clean floor. Still no reason for her to be angry. Not today. As Sonya just passed Cassie's room door, she heard a soft sob. Impossible that she was sleeping. "Cassie?" She knocked at her door. Nothing happened, except that the sobbing were now shrill cries, which soon drowned the rumble of the thunder outside. Sonya tore open the door, stumbling over her Cassie's shoes and her crutches, which were in the entrance. Her daughter was lying on the bed. She squatted on her mattress and had already heavy bruises on her wrists, obviously she had hit the wall with it.
And she cried, over and over again: "Get away from me, Leatherface. Stay away from me!" She stuck to her neck in her ever-recurring nightmare. Sonya quickly sat down on the bedclothes and shook her on the shoulders: "Sergeant! Wake up! Immediately. It's just a dream!" Cassie opened her glassy eyes. But she still didn't seem to be awake. "Leatherface, Leatherface ..." Sonya shook her again. "Cassie! It's me! He is not here!" She blinked several times. "Mum ..." She breathed heavily. Her hair was wet, this time of cold sweat. And she trembled violently. Gingerly, the general drew another blanket to cover Cassie.
Then she rocked the young woman back and forth, as she was a little kid, until the whimpering ended. Her chest lifted and lowered slowly, until she almost fell asleep on her lap. "Please, don't go." She whispered barely audibly. She stroked her over her light blonde hair and gazed intently, without fear in her skin free face. "I'll be there. Forever, my darling!"
MasterFran wishes you all, Guests, Favs and Followers a good start into new week from the UAE!
See you soon!