SWEET CHILD OF MINE
~
Defending Apothecary
That the regional crime boss didn't like some fluke impinging upon his area of operations, his property, can be understood; that, after a reconaissance by his thugs was turned back, he would eagerly send a lieutenant with crew, is equally understandable; that he and his son should go themselves with an entire platoon of hitmen to find out just what the fuck was going on, however, can only be accounted for as an act of hubris. Forty men to just take a peek inside a piece of property can be understood, but himself, in person, with his son? Perhaps he was trying to "save face" in front of the other Families, irrelevant of the peril in which he had put his own. After all, he thought, entering through the great north archway, nothing seemed too much amiss.
Pity, that. In the course of the evening thirty-nine all ran out of the tower screaming the most dreadful cries, clothes torn and ragged, eyes glittering with tears and minds possessed of the horror that lay within (the odd hitman, in his own mad dash, had run himself through a dirty window and fallen the thousand-some feet to a quick death). Of the Godfather himself, no trace was ever found, but the incidence which occurred to his son is well worth recounting here –of course, by the perception of the son:
Running. Of course he was…
RUNNING! Oh Gods! There it was again, that sound –he had BEEN here before… they had him, had him had him! There was no escape, the things were tailing him, chasing him round and round in circles in circles until… that arch, had he been there before? Oh Gods, oh sweet merciful I'm gonna look round the corner please please whatever I've done –oh… No one here, only their smell, that smell, that feel, they were around that corner, oh please please no momma no dear God no turn around, man!
Running… short breath running short breath damn stairs fucking short… running, run. Can't. Think. CAN'T STOP oh fuck oh gods mercy please please I wanna see my mommy again a door! Oh thank the stars locked. Fucking why did it oak fucking wood cruel rusted knob oh my god that feeling again, run run runrunrunrun run get out that door NOW only stuck oh please please…
Cold. Air. Where in the hell, that sound, the wind, oh outside somewhere in this twisted hallway is the outside I can hear it and BAM there it is, a parapet, a walkway, okay okay okay I can't I can't breathe why? Why oh why what the hell is going on that sound, no, that sound isn't wind isn't wind isn't OH SWEET GODS HE'S CALLING MY NAME! The winds are calling my name oh Gods oh Gods that's not the wind and what's that now oh fuck oh fuck I can hear him opening the oak door I can feel him, like a thousand needles oh I can feel him he's finally on his way, down the hall, but he's not gonna catch me no! No! Where's next? Gotta get off this palisade –what the hell fucking WIND oh shit it blew me down no no no that's not him its not him calling my name its whispering it's whispering oh Gods he's killed all the others and so many others they're still here even in death oh Gods he'll have me forever oh Gods oh Gods no! No! Gotta get up, running…
Running, slipping, the fucking door all doors are fucking stupid why're they here to stop me to catch me so he can… so he can ugh oh my Gods sweet sweet please please mommy… I didn't wanna come here I don't I don't wanna be here no, the feeling, he's there… no here's around the corner no he's, no, its servants, beasts haunting these halls not one oh my Gods so many so many oh mercy please no no no can hear footsteps QUICKENING chasing no no RUN! Run RUN RUN oh please oh please maybe there no there no the cupboard no the box no the window, ah no he's out there! I Can feel him he's close! Oh Gods no please!
I'm not I can't be lost I can't surely there's a way look I got in here I can just go back I don't feel him nor his beasts no what no its columns colmuns collonade, far as the eye can see this horrid place so high I can hear that whistling not whistles not wind whisper… oh no, no no not again please get away! Keep away! Please no Gods no oh sweet Gods mommy! He's found me! Can't go there, no, he's over there, no he's over here so go back no he's still over there no oh Gods please whispering, whispering they're taunting me oh Gods they're whispering what they're going to do to me after I'm dead oh please please oh Gods no smoke, no smoke, mist its so cold, so wet, the hall fills with it no more please no more NO MORE! What no not here not now another time please I promise another hour, please no no please don't kill me here not there not in this place no not under this pillar here no you wouldn't and bloody your fine hall no no please no sweet Gods no…
You.
No no please dreadful please you're dressed to fine so terrible no how terrible soundless boots no please don't he is gonna he is LOOKING at me oh please! Oh no! No! The cup, what's in the… cup… please please SPEAK to me! Speak no don't just look with those terrible eyes no tell the mist to leave, tell the dew to go away recall it please its so cold cold as DEATH oh Gods oh mercy please please no… my mommy, she'll miss me please just one more minute no… please no… NO don't spill your fine gold cup, no, not on me no what is it feels cold so cold trickling smells stinks oh my God dripping on my spilling his cup on my, my head filled with BLOOD! An EYE! MY FATHER'S HAZEL EYE!
OH GODS, MERCY!
MOMMY!
~
Judas was aware that any human's mind can only endure so much abuse before passing out from its own panic, and was well pleased with himself on the outcome of this performance: maximum fear in maximum time with maximum effect, indeed. He still had this teenage boy's body to deal with… perhaps he'd set him floating in some ocean or bay –but Coruscant had none. Oh well, that was a job for another hour. For now, he let the poor creature sleep away in gharish nightmare worlds of, now, his own imagination, till he couldn't tell memory from dream.
Then, let them come. Then, after this child tells his story, and the forty tell theirs, then let them come. Let those dreams and memories sit and stew among the demimonde, let them sit and rot like a decaying corpse; if another criminal came within ten miles of this tower in his lifetime, Judas would gladly hand over the keys in awe of sucha Lion-heart.
Judas sipped what remained of his distilled water, and quickly made his way down the collumned great hall.
