The Crow

Nevermore

By Kourin Lucrece

Disclaimer: I do not own the crow, its story line or its characters. They are present here merely to further my own ends.

Chapter 1

Ravyn walked down the darkened hallway, a candle in hand. She stumbled into the hallway table with a muttered curse, and groped near-blindly for the doorknob to the garage door. Of all times for the lights to go out, they had to blow in the middle of her party! Although, with her luck it was not very surprising.

Most found it odd that she and her brother held their annual Halloween party on Mischief Night, but it proceeded without interruption from trick-or-treaters. It was a fun tradition, as well. Every year since childhood it had been her, her brother and their two closest friends. First they had known each other at school, but now they all had jobs at the same local newspaper. This year they had invited a new friend as well; their editor.

A flash of lightning lit the windows at the bottom of the stairs, accompanied by a loud crack of thunder. A dark figure moved across the lawn and Ravyn frowned. She had thought that the teens in her neighborhood were old enough to be over things like toilet paper and silly string... They were immature, what could she say? She looked out the window for another minute, but the candlelight reflected itself and the glare made it hard to see anything outside. With a shrug, she turned to go. What ever damage was caused could be dealt with in the morning. Now, where was that fuse box...?

The sound of shattering glass was her only warning as shards of it bit into her right cheek, arm and hand. Three black-clad figures came in through the broken window, each holding a gun. Ravyn took one frightened look and bolted for the stairs, but two of the men caught her arms and held her still. One took the candle from her tight grasp, passing it somewhere out of her sight before tightening his grip on her arm.

"Going somewhere, kid?" One of the men laughed. "That wouldn't be very friendly, now would it?"

"Yeah," the man who held her other arm added. "You should be more friendly to your guests." Their laughter came again, muffled through their ski masks.

"Go to hell," she told them, teeth clenched. She kicked out to her side and her foot connected with something hard. One of the men yelped with pain. Ravyn tried to use that moment of distraction to pull away, but the remaining guard smacked her hard enough to make her head spin. When the black spots cleared from her vision, both had her firmly once again.

The leader of the men walked over from the corner where he had been standing. He was holding her candle, the flame reflecting in his black eyes. The effect was menacing, almost demonic, and a shiver went down Ravyn's spine.

"That wasn't very cooperative, little writer. You should work with us, after you so rudely slandered us in your article." He pulled off his mask. "Remember me?"

"You!" Ravyn exclaimed. "I didn't slander you, you murdering asshole!"

"Now, now," he murmured, "Let's not resort to name-calling." And he held the candle to her arm, smiling as she cried out in pain. The smell of burning flesh reached her nose, and Ravyn fought the sudden impulse to be sick. Her tormentor pulled the candle away before it could do to much damage, and ran a finger along the burn. The resulting pain was tremendous, and she had to fight not to pass out.

He grinned evilly, relishing her pain, and brought the candle back to her arm. It was further down this time, near the wrist, and burned towards the cuts from the shards of glass. This was definitely not good.

The sounds of someone on the stairs made her catch her breath. Either more intruders or her brother and friends. Either way it was getting worse. What if someone else got hurt?

"Ravyn?" Ryan's voice came down from the stairway. "Are you okay?" The candle was jerked away from her arm as the intruders turned to face the other end of the hall. They had not counted on other people being in the house.

She looked at the men standing around her and knew she would not be able to get away. But... "Ryan, run!" She shouted to her brother, "Call the police!"

The leader of the men punched her in the stomach. She doubled over, retching dryly for a moment and missed seeing the man in front of her gesture at one of her 'guards' to deal with her brother. He nodded, and Ravyn felt it as he pulled away. She straightened up, panic tightening her throat. Oh God, Ryan, run!

"What the...?" Her brother's voice echoed in the darkness. The sound of a gun going off was loud, accompanied by a shout of pain and a thud, and then... nothing. Shock filled Ravyn's mind.

"R-ryan?"

The men smirked at her patronizingly. "Oh, do you miss him? Well, you'll be joining him soon enough." There was a bit of laughter that didn't fully register in her dazed mind. "After we get your valuables, of course."

"My valuables?" she repeated dumbly.

"Yeah, kid. It has to look like a burglary. Now move."

A gun was pressed to her back, guiding her back up the stairs and into the kitchen. They didn't bother to restrain her. The gun would be enough. Another streak of lightning lit the room as she entered the kitchen, revealing her 3 friends dead on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. It was too late; she couldn't save them.

A knife gleamed on the counter next to some vegetables from where they had been cooking dinner. The flash of light caught her attention. She knew what she was going to do now. Grabbing the knife, Ravyn spun to face the men behind her. They wouldn't get away with this.

Her knife hit the leader's shoulder with her first clumsy strike, spraying his blood onto her face, missing with the blood already flowing down her cheek. He swore and she pulled the knife back a second time. The sound of a gun echoed dimly in her ears and the world dissolved into darkness.

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Well, that is the end of the first chapter. I rewrote it yet again. I hope you liked it! Review, please.