::mercuryblue_22@hotmail.com::
-------------
Agony is the price
That you'll pay in the end.
Domination consumes you
Then calls you a friend
It's a twisted fall
Binds are like steel
And manipulate the will to be
And it's hard to see
How soon we forget
When there's nothing else
Left to destroy
It's a useless ploy
Your eyes will see
The dawn of day
And the writing
On the wall
Those words that stare
Into your soul
And to yourself
You will befall
"Domination"
Pantera
-------------
The Crow: Sacred Flame
Part Six
By Mercury Blue
-------------
It was nearly two-thirty in the morning, yet Raye wasn't tired. The
darkness enchanted her; it had been a long time since she'd been able
to appreciate it. She couldn't remember where she'd been the past
year, just that she'd been with Chad and Grampa. It comforted her to
be able to walk down a street again, breathe again, feel the wind in
her hair again. Even if it wasn't meant to last.
With a sigh, her mind wandered back to the incident moments earlier.
Amy had almost recognized her, she thought. Could it be possible?
She wished she had the time to see all of her friends before going
back, but she knew it wasn't to happen. She had a purpose, a job to
do, and once that job were done, she would be dead again. She knew
that.
~I just miss them all so much,~ she thought. Tears filled her eyes.
"Hey, what's a fine girl like you doing on the side of the road this
late?" A deep voice broke Raye's concentration, and she whirled
around, her coat flying behind her like a pair of wings. "Oh, I'm
sorry. Did I give you a start?"
Laughter filled the air, and suddenly, they were there. Three men,
surrounding her on the sidewalk. A tall one, with short, dark hair,
leaned forward, making eye-contact with her.
"On a night like this, a girl should have protection." He smiled,
revealing a row of crooked teeth. "You never know who's going to
show up."
His buddies laughed, swaggering about her like drunken peacocks.
"Yeah," said another, bald head shining in the lamplight. "Maybe we
should stay with you for a little while. You know, just to make sure
you're safe." The third man smiled. He was shorter than the others.
"Yeah. We make *real* good company," he laughed.
Raye, who had remained silent this entire time glowered at them, deep
violet eyes penetrating them with contempt. "Another time," she said
evenly, her hair catching in the wind and twirling about her. "I
have things to do."
The three men stared at her in disbelief, the bald-headed one glaring
at her beneath bushy black eyebrows. "I don't think you understood
us, lady," he said, extending an open palm towards her. "We were
offering you a service, and in return, we expected to be rewarded for
that offer." The first and third men agreed, looming over her,
invading her personal space.
"This makes us *very* angry." Within seconds, three hands had drawn
three weapons, and Raye looked at them, trying to decide who to smear
the pavement with first.
* * *
Dave yawned from his place in the driver's seat. It had been a long
night, but he was finally going home. He longed for a hot shower and
a warm bed.
The car drove smoothly, lighting up sporadically as he drove under
street-lamps and glowing building signs. At this time of night, few
people were crazy enough to still be on the road. But then, there
were always the loonies...
The light turned red, and Dave pulled the car to a stop, inwardly
laughing at the silliness of it- there were no cars on the road to
take advantage of their green light. Stretching in his seat, he
glanced out the window casually, waiting for the light to change, and
saw a dangerous sight.
On the corner, there were three men, leering at a young woman. They
were bothering her, he could tell, and from the looks on their faces,
their intents were anything but pure. Dave shook his head, beginning
to worry for the woman. It wasn't safe for her to be alone that time
of night. One of them was starting to yell at her, he observed, and
was looming over her threateningly. It didn't look good.
Looking up, Dave saw the light had turned green. With a sigh, he
eased on the gas pedal, and the car began to move.
* * *
"Let's have some fun." The shortest man lunged forward to attack her,
and was delivered with a punch to the face.
"I don't think so," said Raye huskily. The other two men laughed.
"So the bitch thinks she's pretty tough," one remarked. He was
behind Raye now, his knife to her throat. He'd taken her by surprise.
"This should calm her down."
No such luck. Raye's elbow shot back to deliver a punishing blow to
the man's groin. Shooting out of his grip like an bullet, she fell
into a natural fighting stance, her eyes slit in anger. "I don't
have time for this," she said, tossing a strand of hair over her
shoulder. "I hope you know how to fight."
The third man charged at her, the one she hadn't yet hit. His hands
lashed out as he tried to strike her, she ducking out from every blow.
She threw punches with lightning speed, the man crumpling under each
hit. At last, she delivered the final punch, his head. The man fell
like a bag of rocks.
"Who's next?" she asked, cracking her knuckles. The man she had hit
in the groin stepped forward, his knife in his hand.
"Bitch! You're going to pay for that." With the knife extended,
he lunged at her, and she kicked the weapon away with a powerful
crescent kick, doubling up for a second front kick to the gut.
Struggling, he gasped for breath, then charged again. Raye threw
several punches, yet the man pressed on, falling to his knees only
when she delivered a spinning back kick to his abdomen. Seeing him
about to rise again, she finished her attack with a lightning-fast
roundhouse kick to the side of the head. The scum landed next to his
friend.
"Would you like to try me now?" Raye snarled at the last man standing,
eyes gleaming evilly behind the black paint. "Bring it on."
"I'm getting the fuck outta here," he said frantically, twirling on
his heels to get away. He slipped in a puddle, and almost fell, but
recovered, taking off as fast as her could. "You're crazy!"
Raye chuckled to herself, and kicked the unconscious man closest to
her. "Crazy like a loon," she muttered.
* * *
Dave walked down the sidewalk, sighing to himself. His cop instinct
had gotten the better of him, and he'd decided to check out the
situation- make sure that the woman was all right.
"Why do all the bad guys come out on my shifts?" he muttered to
himself, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. "Is it some sort of
conspiracy?" Sounds of a struggle drew his attention, and he sped
up to a jog, careful not to make any noise. At this time of night,
one never knew what to expect from a situation like this, so he
needed to remain quiet. The sounds of struggling continued, along
with cries of pain. This was more than Dave needed to hear.
Shooting out from behind the corner, he drew his gun, pointing it at
where the culprits would be. "Hold it right there!" he yelled.
There was silence, and he froze.
The woman stood alone, among two unconscious men. Her painted face
glowed in the moonlight eerily, and her hair wrapped around her
shoulders in the wind, giving her a surreal look. She stared at
Dave, her face expressionless.
"How can I help you, Officer?" she asked.
Dave, his gun still drawn, circled the bodies at her feet. "What
happened here?" he demanded. His face was a mask of shock and
confusion. Raye laughed.
"They tried to attack me," she said, pointing to the two. "They
failed." Dave shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
"I don't know what's going on here," he said slowly, lowering his
gun, and putting it away, "but, it sure as hell isn't normal." His
eyes met hers. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."
Raye shook her head, her eyes never leaving his. "I don't have the
time," she said evenly. "I have a lot more to do tonight." She
tilted her head, and smiled at him.
"Miss, you just took out two men by yourself, on a dark street at
three o'clock in the morning," Dave said. "I'm sorry, but I need to
ask you some questions. Come with me."
Without thinking, he grabbed her arm. Raye gasped. More images.
::Sirens, lights. Amy, running to this man; panic. *Are you
Detective Green?*. And a nod. Him telling her they found the bodies,
and Amy falling to her knees, crying; him, whispering in her ear,
trying to soothe her, catching her around the waist when her attempts
to stand fall short. Sadness all around him, hidden by his stark,
blank expression. Bodies put into an ambulance before his eyes...::
Raye snatched her arm out of his grasp, looking at him in horror.
Dave looked worried.
"I'm sorry, Miss," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to." Raye
recovered.
"It's all right, Detective Green," she said. His expression was one
of shock.
"How did you know my name?" he asked. "I never told you that."
"I know many things," she replied sadly. "But, I really have to go,"
she said. "The pool player has a few more friends."
"You- you're the one that killed Pockets, aren't you?"
Raye nodded. "He should have never touched us," she whispered.
"That was his fatal mistake." She looked him in the eye, "Do you
remember the murders at Cherry Hill?" she asked. He looked her over.
"You killed them too."
Raye laughed bitterly. "No, no, that wasn't one of my cardinal sins.
But Pockets- he played a role." She smiled at the memory of him
hanging from his throat, blood trickling out the cuts the wire was
making. "I'm going to leave now," she said finally, slowly. "Don't
try and stop me, or you'll wind up like those men down there. A
gesture to the men at her feet. She turned, and began to walk away,
pausing at the sound of a gun being cocked. "Don't be stupid,
officer," she said, turning her head to the side to look at him. "I've
gone easy on you because you were there, because you saw." She smiled.
"But you won't stop me."
Dave blinked, not sure what to do next. The gun in his hand grew
heavy. He looked at her in contemplation, and was about to decide
what to do when she left. Leaping high into the air with superhuman
agility, she landed on the fire escape of a nearby building, and
with another jump she was on the roof.
Numbly, Dave watched as his target stared down at him from the top of
the tall building, waving before taking off. He was alone again, in
the dark, staring at where she had stood. Never in his years as a
cop had anything like this happened to him.
Who was this woman, he wondered. What did this have to do with
Cherry Hill? With a sigh, he began to head back to his car. It
looked like he wouldn't be getting to bed after all. He had an even
longer night ahead of him.
* * *
Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done?
Dum, dum, dum, it's the sound of my gun.
Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done,
Dum, dum, dum, it's the sound, it's the sound...
Janie's got a gun
Janie's got a gun,
Her whole world's come undone
From lookin' straight at the sun...
"Janie's Got A Gun"
Aerosmith
"Gabriel, Gabriel, we've got a problem." Moose ran into the meeting
room, covered in blood, holding his broken hand gingerly.
"What is it, Moose?" Gabriel asked. "Where have you been?"
"Some fucking bitch," he panted, "this... whore, broke my hand." He
gasped for breath, the running he'd been doing unfamiliar to his
overweight body. "She... cut me... says... She says... they're
going to die."
Gabriel handed him a glass of water, and he downed it, water pouring
down the sides of his mouth in his haste.
"Who, Moose?" Gabriel asked patiently, "Who said this?"
Moose shook his head, his face filled with fear. "That bitch last
year from the Cherry Hill Shrine," he said, his breathing returning
to normal. "She's back- somehow. She came back, and now she wants
to kill them," he nodded towards Needles and Snake who sat silently
this entire time at the table, "and me too, I think." He was near
tears- Gabriel had never seen the big man so rattled in the entire
time he'd known him.
"Moose, the dead girl?" he asked, shaking his head. "How is that
possible?"
"I dunno," Moose said, his confusion apparent in his voice. "Maybe
we didn't kill her the first time, maybe she didn't die."
"That's bullshit!" yelled Needles finally. "We killed that bitch
good! There isn't any coming back from where we sent her."
"She's not dead," Moose insisted, "If she were, could she do this to
me?" He held up his mangled hand for everyone to see.
"Maybe it's another chick," Snake suggested.
"She knew things- I know it was her, it had to be. She knew things
no one else could know about that night!"
"Well, it seems we have a problem, gentlemen," said Gabriel softly.
"Someone is after the three of you. Whether it's the same girl or not
isn't important right now. What's important is that she's dealt with.
If she could do something like this to Moose, here," he gestured
towards the pathetic fat man, "Than who knows what she's capable of. I
want you to keep an eye out for her. Make sure she doesn't level you.
And if she is the same girl from the shrine," he paused, "be sure to
kill her properly this time."
The three men nodded, and then Snake spoke up.
"Moose- what's that on your face?" Everyone seemed to notice the
symbol for the first time behind the blood on his forehead.
"That bitch- she cut me," he explained. "Why? What are you looking
at?"
"You'd better look in the mirror," Needles said slowly, gesturing
towards the ornate gold one that hung from the expensive walls.
Moose stood up quickly, striding over to the mirror.
"What is it?" he asked, "What's wro-" He stopped mid-sentence as
his reflection came into view. Carved into his forehead, coated in a
layer of dried blood, was a crow.
-------------
Well, it seems the peices are starting to fall into place for our bad
guys. More in chapter seven, coming next week.
Comments, questions, flames, as always go to mercuryblue_22@hotmail.com
Ja,
Mercury Blue
-------------
Agony is the price
That you'll pay in the end.
Domination consumes you
Then calls you a friend
It's a twisted fall
Binds are like steel
And manipulate the will to be
And it's hard to see
How soon we forget
When there's nothing else
Left to destroy
It's a useless ploy
Your eyes will see
The dawn of day
And the writing
On the wall
Those words that stare
Into your soul
And to yourself
You will befall
"Domination"
Pantera
-------------
The Crow: Sacred Flame
Part Six
By Mercury Blue
-------------
It was nearly two-thirty in the morning, yet Raye wasn't tired. The
darkness enchanted her; it had been a long time since she'd been able
to appreciate it. She couldn't remember where she'd been the past
year, just that she'd been with Chad and Grampa. It comforted her to
be able to walk down a street again, breathe again, feel the wind in
her hair again. Even if it wasn't meant to last.
With a sigh, her mind wandered back to the incident moments earlier.
Amy had almost recognized her, she thought. Could it be possible?
She wished she had the time to see all of her friends before going
back, but she knew it wasn't to happen. She had a purpose, a job to
do, and once that job were done, she would be dead again. She knew
that.
~I just miss them all so much,~ she thought. Tears filled her eyes.
"Hey, what's a fine girl like you doing on the side of the road this
late?" A deep voice broke Raye's concentration, and she whirled
around, her coat flying behind her like a pair of wings. "Oh, I'm
sorry. Did I give you a start?"
Laughter filled the air, and suddenly, they were there. Three men,
surrounding her on the sidewalk. A tall one, with short, dark hair,
leaned forward, making eye-contact with her.
"On a night like this, a girl should have protection." He smiled,
revealing a row of crooked teeth. "You never know who's going to
show up."
His buddies laughed, swaggering about her like drunken peacocks.
"Yeah," said another, bald head shining in the lamplight. "Maybe we
should stay with you for a little while. You know, just to make sure
you're safe." The third man smiled. He was shorter than the others.
"Yeah. We make *real* good company," he laughed.
Raye, who had remained silent this entire time glowered at them, deep
violet eyes penetrating them with contempt. "Another time," she said
evenly, her hair catching in the wind and twirling about her. "I
have things to do."
The three men stared at her in disbelief, the bald-headed one glaring
at her beneath bushy black eyebrows. "I don't think you understood
us, lady," he said, extending an open palm towards her. "We were
offering you a service, and in return, we expected to be rewarded for
that offer." The first and third men agreed, looming over her,
invading her personal space.
"This makes us *very* angry." Within seconds, three hands had drawn
three weapons, and Raye looked at them, trying to decide who to smear
the pavement with first.
* * *
Dave yawned from his place in the driver's seat. It had been a long
night, but he was finally going home. He longed for a hot shower and
a warm bed.
The car drove smoothly, lighting up sporadically as he drove under
street-lamps and glowing building signs. At this time of night, few
people were crazy enough to still be on the road. But then, there
were always the loonies...
The light turned red, and Dave pulled the car to a stop, inwardly
laughing at the silliness of it- there were no cars on the road to
take advantage of their green light. Stretching in his seat, he
glanced out the window casually, waiting for the light to change, and
saw a dangerous sight.
On the corner, there were three men, leering at a young woman. They
were bothering her, he could tell, and from the looks on their faces,
their intents were anything but pure. Dave shook his head, beginning
to worry for the woman. It wasn't safe for her to be alone that time
of night. One of them was starting to yell at her, he observed, and
was looming over her threateningly. It didn't look good.
Looking up, Dave saw the light had turned green. With a sigh, he
eased on the gas pedal, and the car began to move.
* * *
"Let's have some fun." The shortest man lunged forward to attack her,
and was delivered with a punch to the face.
"I don't think so," said Raye huskily. The other two men laughed.
"So the bitch thinks she's pretty tough," one remarked. He was
behind Raye now, his knife to her throat. He'd taken her by surprise.
"This should calm her down."
No such luck. Raye's elbow shot back to deliver a punishing blow to
the man's groin. Shooting out of his grip like an bullet, she fell
into a natural fighting stance, her eyes slit in anger. "I don't
have time for this," she said, tossing a strand of hair over her
shoulder. "I hope you know how to fight."
The third man charged at her, the one she hadn't yet hit. His hands
lashed out as he tried to strike her, she ducking out from every blow.
She threw punches with lightning speed, the man crumpling under each
hit. At last, she delivered the final punch, his head. The man fell
like a bag of rocks.
"Who's next?" she asked, cracking her knuckles. The man she had hit
in the groin stepped forward, his knife in his hand.
"Bitch! You're going to pay for that." With the knife extended,
he lunged at her, and she kicked the weapon away with a powerful
crescent kick, doubling up for a second front kick to the gut.
Struggling, he gasped for breath, then charged again. Raye threw
several punches, yet the man pressed on, falling to his knees only
when she delivered a spinning back kick to his abdomen. Seeing him
about to rise again, she finished her attack with a lightning-fast
roundhouse kick to the side of the head. The scum landed next to his
friend.
"Would you like to try me now?" Raye snarled at the last man standing,
eyes gleaming evilly behind the black paint. "Bring it on."
"I'm getting the fuck outta here," he said frantically, twirling on
his heels to get away. He slipped in a puddle, and almost fell, but
recovered, taking off as fast as her could. "You're crazy!"
Raye chuckled to herself, and kicked the unconscious man closest to
her. "Crazy like a loon," she muttered.
* * *
Dave walked down the sidewalk, sighing to himself. His cop instinct
had gotten the better of him, and he'd decided to check out the
situation- make sure that the woman was all right.
"Why do all the bad guys come out on my shifts?" he muttered to
himself, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. "Is it some sort of
conspiracy?" Sounds of a struggle drew his attention, and he sped
up to a jog, careful not to make any noise. At this time of night,
one never knew what to expect from a situation like this, so he
needed to remain quiet. The sounds of struggling continued, along
with cries of pain. This was more than Dave needed to hear.
Shooting out from behind the corner, he drew his gun, pointing it at
where the culprits would be. "Hold it right there!" he yelled.
There was silence, and he froze.
The woman stood alone, among two unconscious men. Her painted face
glowed in the moonlight eerily, and her hair wrapped around her
shoulders in the wind, giving her a surreal look. She stared at
Dave, her face expressionless.
"How can I help you, Officer?" she asked.
Dave, his gun still drawn, circled the bodies at her feet. "What
happened here?" he demanded. His face was a mask of shock and
confusion. Raye laughed.
"They tried to attack me," she said, pointing to the two. "They
failed." Dave shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.
"I don't know what's going on here," he said slowly, lowering his
gun, and putting it away, "but, it sure as hell isn't normal." His
eyes met hers. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."
Raye shook her head, her eyes never leaving his. "I don't have the
time," she said evenly. "I have a lot more to do tonight." She
tilted her head, and smiled at him.
"Miss, you just took out two men by yourself, on a dark street at
three o'clock in the morning," Dave said. "I'm sorry, but I need to
ask you some questions. Come with me."
Without thinking, he grabbed her arm. Raye gasped. More images.
::Sirens, lights. Amy, running to this man; panic. *Are you
Detective Green?*. And a nod. Him telling her they found the bodies,
and Amy falling to her knees, crying; him, whispering in her ear,
trying to soothe her, catching her around the waist when her attempts
to stand fall short. Sadness all around him, hidden by his stark,
blank expression. Bodies put into an ambulance before his eyes...::
Raye snatched her arm out of his grasp, looking at him in horror.
Dave looked worried.
"I'm sorry, Miss," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to." Raye
recovered.
"It's all right, Detective Green," she said. His expression was one
of shock.
"How did you know my name?" he asked. "I never told you that."
"I know many things," she replied sadly. "But, I really have to go,"
she said. "The pool player has a few more friends."
"You- you're the one that killed Pockets, aren't you?"
Raye nodded. "He should have never touched us," she whispered.
"That was his fatal mistake." She looked him in the eye, "Do you
remember the murders at Cherry Hill?" she asked. He looked her over.
"You killed them too."
Raye laughed bitterly. "No, no, that wasn't one of my cardinal sins.
But Pockets- he played a role." She smiled at the memory of him
hanging from his throat, blood trickling out the cuts the wire was
making. "I'm going to leave now," she said finally, slowly. "Don't
try and stop me, or you'll wind up like those men down there. A
gesture to the men at her feet. She turned, and began to walk away,
pausing at the sound of a gun being cocked. "Don't be stupid,
officer," she said, turning her head to the side to look at him. "I've
gone easy on you because you were there, because you saw." She smiled.
"But you won't stop me."
Dave blinked, not sure what to do next. The gun in his hand grew
heavy. He looked at her in contemplation, and was about to decide
what to do when she left. Leaping high into the air with superhuman
agility, she landed on the fire escape of a nearby building, and
with another jump she was on the roof.
Numbly, Dave watched as his target stared down at him from the top of
the tall building, waving before taking off. He was alone again, in
the dark, staring at where she had stood. Never in his years as a
cop had anything like this happened to him.
Who was this woman, he wondered. What did this have to do with
Cherry Hill? With a sigh, he began to head back to his car. It
looked like he wouldn't be getting to bed after all. He had an even
longer night ahead of him.
* * *
Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done?
Dum, dum, dum, it's the sound of my gun.
Dum, dum, dum, honey what have you done,
Dum, dum, dum, it's the sound, it's the sound...
Janie's got a gun
Janie's got a gun,
Her whole world's come undone
From lookin' straight at the sun...
"Janie's Got A Gun"
Aerosmith
"Gabriel, Gabriel, we've got a problem." Moose ran into the meeting
room, covered in blood, holding his broken hand gingerly.
"What is it, Moose?" Gabriel asked. "Where have you been?"
"Some fucking bitch," he panted, "this... whore, broke my hand." He
gasped for breath, the running he'd been doing unfamiliar to his
overweight body. "She... cut me... says... She says... they're
going to die."
Gabriel handed him a glass of water, and he downed it, water pouring
down the sides of his mouth in his haste.
"Who, Moose?" Gabriel asked patiently, "Who said this?"
Moose shook his head, his face filled with fear. "That bitch last
year from the Cherry Hill Shrine," he said, his breathing returning
to normal. "She's back- somehow. She came back, and now she wants
to kill them," he nodded towards Needles and Snake who sat silently
this entire time at the table, "and me too, I think." He was near
tears- Gabriel had never seen the big man so rattled in the entire
time he'd known him.
"Moose, the dead girl?" he asked, shaking his head. "How is that
possible?"
"I dunno," Moose said, his confusion apparent in his voice. "Maybe
we didn't kill her the first time, maybe she didn't die."
"That's bullshit!" yelled Needles finally. "We killed that bitch
good! There isn't any coming back from where we sent her."
"She's not dead," Moose insisted, "If she were, could she do this to
me?" He held up his mangled hand for everyone to see.
"Maybe it's another chick," Snake suggested.
"She knew things- I know it was her, it had to be. She knew things
no one else could know about that night!"
"Well, it seems we have a problem, gentlemen," said Gabriel softly.
"Someone is after the three of you. Whether it's the same girl or not
isn't important right now. What's important is that she's dealt with.
If she could do something like this to Moose, here," he gestured
towards the pathetic fat man, "Than who knows what she's capable of. I
want you to keep an eye out for her. Make sure she doesn't level you.
And if she is the same girl from the shrine," he paused, "be sure to
kill her properly this time."
The three men nodded, and then Snake spoke up.
"Moose- what's that on your face?" Everyone seemed to notice the
symbol for the first time behind the blood on his forehead.
"That bitch- she cut me," he explained. "Why? What are you looking
at?"
"You'd better look in the mirror," Needles said slowly, gesturing
towards the ornate gold one that hung from the expensive walls.
Moose stood up quickly, striding over to the mirror.
"What is it?" he asked, "What's wro-" He stopped mid-sentence as
his reflection came into view. Carved into his forehead, coated in a
layer of dried blood, was a crow.
-------------
Well, it seems the peices are starting to fall into place for our bad
guys. More in chapter seven, coming next week.
Comments, questions, flames, as always go to mercuryblue_22@hotmail.com
Ja,
Mercury Blue