The morning sun brought Jason awake, as did the feeling of loneliness. He
opened his eyes, seeing Tom not there, then bolted awake, sitting up,
looking around. Jumping off the stone, he ran for the only place Tom could
be: his mother's grave.
Turning a corner, he came up on the grave, with Tom laying on the soft grass. The crow was settled on top of her tombstone, cawing at Tom. The boy looked up at the crow, then turned towards Jason.
"It's time to go," he said in his sweet, innocent voice. He stood up, placed a kiss on his hand, and then placed it on the tombstone. For a second Jason thought he could hear the sound of sobbing on the wind the moment Tom's hand left the stone reminder of his mom, but it could just be him hearing things.
Tom walked up to Jason, took his hand, and guided him out of the cemetery. Pedestrians walking by stared at the oddly trio: the local homeless man, young boy in a dirty suits, a crow resting on the boy's shoulder.
They walked down the street, turned into an alleyway, and Tom motioned for Jason to sit. Jason found an undirty spot on the concrete, used the wall for support, and waited. Since seeing Tom at the grave, he didn't notice before that the boy had been crying, but staring up at him, the sun behind the boy, casting shadow on half his face, he realized that his eyes were red, as if crying all night.
"Tom.are you ok?"
It took a minute for the boy to respond to the question.
"Jason.why are you with me?"
Jason's heart pounded, surprised by the question. "I don't know. I have never cared for anyone, not even myself as you can tell. And you are young and innocent and no one to turn to."
Tom took several moments before saying anything else, as if trying to figure out in his little mind the best way to say it.
"I talked to my mom last night and today."
Jason's eyes widen up, from shock of what he just heard. His eyes closed just as quick, realizing that nothing can really be shocking or surprising anymore. Here he was with a crow and a dead boy, why should he be shocked that this dead boy talked to his mom in his grave.
"What was said?"
"She doesn't know why I came back," Tom spoke quietly. "She knows about the crow, all those in heaven do, but she is not sure why I came back. There has never been such a young one sent back."
Jason interrupted. "Maybe they made a mistake, maybe you weren't suppose to come back."
Tom's eyes narrowed, looked right into Jason's. "The crow never makes a mistake. My mom told me what happened 8 years ago. Told me that a car full of young boys came speeding down the road and hit me when my ball had bounced into the street and I went after it. She told me that after the funeral, she tried to sue them but their parents had more money, that they lasted longer than her in court. She sold the house to help pay for the lawyers, but they stopped when she got broke. She died alone, heartbroken, no revenge for what they did to me."
Jason kept quiet and listened, taking in the whole story. He knew that what he said was true, not sure why, but that it was.
"How can I help?"
"My mom says there was three boys. That the three boys all still live in the city. She gave me one of their names: Joey Rigaldo. She says he is around this area. That we need to send him to heaven."
"Wait, wait, wait.no no no.your mom wants us to kill him???" Jason said, standing up, pacing up and down the alley. "We can't go around and kill people. They may have made a mistake before, but I'm sure that by now they are different."
Tom walked over to where Jason was pacing and took his hand.
"Close your eyes and look through their eyes."
"Their eyes." Jason questioned, but still closed his eyes. The moment his eyelids touched sparks flew through his brain. He tried to let go but the boys hand was like a vice, it wasn't budging or letting go.
Images of "their eyes" filled him head. He saw what others saw around Joey Rigaldo. He was women's faces as they looked up his terrifying face as he raped them, then beat them. He saw men's faces as Joey had held a gun on them, took their money and possessions, then shot them in the chest. He saw lives being taken away by a brutal man.
The last image he saw was of a little boy in the street, and Joey was in the passenger seat, saying 'Go faster, hit that fucker', and of the car hitting Tom, the boys fragile frame hitting the front of the car, bouncing up, his head crashing into the windshield and flying off the back, and of the car never stopping, never braking, never looking back.
His hand went numb, the vice was let go, and Jason tumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall. Tom watched him, saw him shaking, tears filled his eyes.
Jason tried to shake it off, and after several moments it passed. He walked over to the crying boy and held him, picked him up and let him bury his tears into his well worn shirt. The more Tom cried, the more the Jason wanted to cry, until he couldn't hold back either and Jason sat on the concrete, them both crying over what they saw.
Eternity passed with the sun shining straight above them, then passing to the west. Jason pulled out a well-used handkerchief and wiped the tears from his face. He studied him, Tom's face, no wrinkles yet a burden to face for such a young boy. He couldn't let him go through this alone.
"Whe.where is he.?" Jason said in between sobs.
Tom didn't say a word, just kept looking at Jason. He then raised his left arm and extended a finger, pointing towards the opposite end of the alley.
"Wait a minute." Jason stuttered, ".he's in this alleyway." Tom nodded his head, ".right now." Tom nodded his head again.
Jason's heart stopped for a moment, not sure where to go from here. His mind knew he wasn't a match for most men, but he had to do something, he promised.
Jason looked down for a moment, then looked back up into Tom's awaiting eyes.
"Show me."
Tom took his hand and led him down the alleyway. The deeper they went in, the darker it seemed to get, till they traveled 30 feet in and met a crossroad, to go left or right. Tom pulled Jason to the left, and no more than a couple of meters in they met Joey Rigaldo, or at least a former image of him.
He heard their approaching footsteps and looked up, showing them what eight years can do to a young man. When he was in the car with the two others, he was young, 17, noncaring. Now he was 25 but looked not a day younger than 40. His hair was long, he had a beard, his clothes were worse off than Jason's. The smell coming from his reeked of body order and feces, and a glimpse to his left showed where he had slept in his own shit.
Jason made the first move, dropping to a knee, looking into Joey's eyes, all glazed over, maybe from drugs, maybe from lack of reality.
"Are you Joey Rigaldo?"
Joey looked up, smiled at the two. Where a full set of teeth once were now only stood 4 teeth, blackened.
"And who wants to know?" came a rough voice, hacking after the final word was spit from his mouth.
"Do you remember this boy?"
Joey looked at Tom, from top to bottom.
"No, should I? He's not my son is he???"
Jason stood back up, looking down on Joey. "You're not good enough to be his father. Try to remember: 8 years ago, you and two friends in your car, hitting a little boy going for his ball. Anything ring a bell?"
Joey looked puzzled for a moment, then let out a hacking laugh.
"Hehehe, of course, that little bastard. I remember now, he ran in the street, fucker looked up as the car hit him. Hahahaha, we got him good, mother fucker's head broke John's windshield."
Jason looked over him, wanting to kick him for the remark he said, but waited, wanting to ask one more question.
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Fuck you, I don't have time for your questions." Joey tried to turn away, but Jason leaned over, grabbed him by his oily hair, and turned his head in Tom's direction.
"Sure you have time, now ask yourself this: If you killed that boy 8 years ago, why is he here right now in front of you?"
Joey started to speak, but realization kicked in. The boy couldn't be alive, they had killed him.
Joey pulled away from Jason, back peddled on his hands and feet away from the boy towards a small box farther down the intersection.
"No.no.that can't be.he can't be alive, we killed him.he was dead before his ass hit the concrete.how can he be here."
Quicker than he looks, he jumped up and ran for the box, reaching in and grabbing a knife. It was once a butcher knife, but exposure to rain and air has left it full and rusty. He started to swing it around, mumbling about people coming closer.
"Joey.Joey.might as well put that down, you know the stories of the crow don't you?"
His mind wandered before answering. "This boy ain't no crow, they don't chose them young. Wait a minute, there ain't no such thing as the crow, it's a fairytale, like mother goose and loch ness. This boy must be his twin, yeah, that has to be it.NO, NO, there was no twin, I remember..this can't be real"
Joey's eyes faltered for a moment, and that is when Jason took the initiative, coming in and kicking Joey in the crotch. He dropped the knife and cupped his balls, his body dropping to the ground. Jason picked up the knife and came around Joey.
"Joey.you are going to die today, within a couple of moments.and do you know why?" He saw Joey's head shake no. "This is why you are going to die." and Jason laid his bare hands on Joey's head. Images Joey has tried to forget came back at him, ten-fold. He tried to break away but with no luck, Jason locked his fingers into Joey's skin, blood started to drip from how hard he was digging them in.
When the last image was put into Joey's head, Jason let go, backing a step away. Joey's body swayed back and forth, trying not to take any of that in.
"I.i.i.i.i.i.i.i.i.I'm.I'm.I'm.I'm.I'm.s.s.s.s.s.so.so.so.so."
Jason didn't let him finish, knew what he was going to say but it wouldn't have brought anyone back, wouldn't have calmed the crow. Blood must be spilled for repentance, and that is what Jason was going to do to.
He took the rusty blade and brought it around Joey's throat. Joey didn't move once. He tried to slice through the skin but it wasn't sharp enough, only made a mark. Jason looked at the sky, said a prayer for forgiveness, then laid Joey back and, using the rusty knife, started to use the knife as a saw on his jugular.
"Tom", Jason said, "please turn around."
Tom did as asked, and Jason continued what he was doing until Joey had a whole new view on how his life was spent
*************************************************
The sun was setting as they exited the alleyway, Jason's jacket covered in blood, his hands bleeding from repetitive movements of the knife. He ditched the jacket in the trashcan, and they exited the alleyways the same way they came in.
"Where to next?" Jason asked.
They stopped, the crow cawed, Tom closed his eyes for a moment and listened.
When he opened them up, he looked to Jason and said, "The police station."
"Why? Is he in jail?"
"No, " Tom shook his head, "He's a police officer."
***SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER TO ADD ANOTHER, WASN'T GOING TO BEFORE I GOT A REVIEW REMINDING ME THAT I SHOULD FINISH WHAT I START.
REVIEWS ARE WELCOME, SO IS CRITICISM, DON'T BE SHY, THIS IS A NEW ANGLE FOR THE CROW, IT WON'T BE PERFECT, BUT IT WON'T SUCK EITHER.
REFRESHEDAPPROACH.***
Turning a corner, he came up on the grave, with Tom laying on the soft grass. The crow was settled on top of her tombstone, cawing at Tom. The boy looked up at the crow, then turned towards Jason.
"It's time to go," he said in his sweet, innocent voice. He stood up, placed a kiss on his hand, and then placed it on the tombstone. For a second Jason thought he could hear the sound of sobbing on the wind the moment Tom's hand left the stone reminder of his mom, but it could just be him hearing things.
Tom walked up to Jason, took his hand, and guided him out of the cemetery. Pedestrians walking by stared at the oddly trio: the local homeless man, young boy in a dirty suits, a crow resting on the boy's shoulder.
They walked down the street, turned into an alleyway, and Tom motioned for Jason to sit. Jason found an undirty spot on the concrete, used the wall for support, and waited. Since seeing Tom at the grave, he didn't notice before that the boy had been crying, but staring up at him, the sun behind the boy, casting shadow on half his face, he realized that his eyes were red, as if crying all night.
"Tom.are you ok?"
It took a minute for the boy to respond to the question.
"Jason.why are you with me?"
Jason's heart pounded, surprised by the question. "I don't know. I have never cared for anyone, not even myself as you can tell. And you are young and innocent and no one to turn to."
Tom took several moments before saying anything else, as if trying to figure out in his little mind the best way to say it.
"I talked to my mom last night and today."
Jason's eyes widen up, from shock of what he just heard. His eyes closed just as quick, realizing that nothing can really be shocking or surprising anymore. Here he was with a crow and a dead boy, why should he be shocked that this dead boy talked to his mom in his grave.
"What was said?"
"She doesn't know why I came back," Tom spoke quietly. "She knows about the crow, all those in heaven do, but she is not sure why I came back. There has never been such a young one sent back."
Jason interrupted. "Maybe they made a mistake, maybe you weren't suppose to come back."
Tom's eyes narrowed, looked right into Jason's. "The crow never makes a mistake. My mom told me what happened 8 years ago. Told me that a car full of young boys came speeding down the road and hit me when my ball had bounced into the street and I went after it. She told me that after the funeral, she tried to sue them but their parents had more money, that they lasted longer than her in court. She sold the house to help pay for the lawyers, but they stopped when she got broke. She died alone, heartbroken, no revenge for what they did to me."
Jason kept quiet and listened, taking in the whole story. He knew that what he said was true, not sure why, but that it was.
"How can I help?"
"My mom says there was three boys. That the three boys all still live in the city. She gave me one of their names: Joey Rigaldo. She says he is around this area. That we need to send him to heaven."
"Wait, wait, wait.no no no.your mom wants us to kill him???" Jason said, standing up, pacing up and down the alley. "We can't go around and kill people. They may have made a mistake before, but I'm sure that by now they are different."
Tom walked over to where Jason was pacing and took his hand.
"Close your eyes and look through their eyes."
"Their eyes." Jason questioned, but still closed his eyes. The moment his eyelids touched sparks flew through his brain. He tried to let go but the boys hand was like a vice, it wasn't budging or letting go.
Images of "their eyes" filled him head. He saw what others saw around Joey Rigaldo. He was women's faces as they looked up his terrifying face as he raped them, then beat them. He saw men's faces as Joey had held a gun on them, took their money and possessions, then shot them in the chest. He saw lives being taken away by a brutal man.
The last image he saw was of a little boy in the street, and Joey was in the passenger seat, saying 'Go faster, hit that fucker', and of the car hitting Tom, the boys fragile frame hitting the front of the car, bouncing up, his head crashing into the windshield and flying off the back, and of the car never stopping, never braking, never looking back.
His hand went numb, the vice was let go, and Jason tumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall. Tom watched him, saw him shaking, tears filled his eyes.
Jason tried to shake it off, and after several moments it passed. He walked over to the crying boy and held him, picked him up and let him bury his tears into his well worn shirt. The more Tom cried, the more the Jason wanted to cry, until he couldn't hold back either and Jason sat on the concrete, them both crying over what they saw.
Eternity passed with the sun shining straight above them, then passing to the west. Jason pulled out a well-used handkerchief and wiped the tears from his face. He studied him, Tom's face, no wrinkles yet a burden to face for such a young boy. He couldn't let him go through this alone.
"Whe.where is he.?" Jason said in between sobs.
Tom didn't say a word, just kept looking at Jason. He then raised his left arm and extended a finger, pointing towards the opposite end of the alley.
"Wait a minute." Jason stuttered, ".he's in this alleyway." Tom nodded his head, ".right now." Tom nodded his head again.
Jason's heart stopped for a moment, not sure where to go from here. His mind knew he wasn't a match for most men, but he had to do something, he promised.
Jason looked down for a moment, then looked back up into Tom's awaiting eyes.
"Show me."
Tom took his hand and led him down the alleyway. The deeper they went in, the darker it seemed to get, till they traveled 30 feet in and met a crossroad, to go left or right. Tom pulled Jason to the left, and no more than a couple of meters in they met Joey Rigaldo, or at least a former image of him.
He heard their approaching footsteps and looked up, showing them what eight years can do to a young man. When he was in the car with the two others, he was young, 17, noncaring. Now he was 25 but looked not a day younger than 40. His hair was long, he had a beard, his clothes were worse off than Jason's. The smell coming from his reeked of body order and feces, and a glimpse to his left showed where he had slept in his own shit.
Jason made the first move, dropping to a knee, looking into Joey's eyes, all glazed over, maybe from drugs, maybe from lack of reality.
"Are you Joey Rigaldo?"
Joey looked up, smiled at the two. Where a full set of teeth once were now only stood 4 teeth, blackened.
"And who wants to know?" came a rough voice, hacking after the final word was spit from his mouth.
"Do you remember this boy?"
Joey looked at Tom, from top to bottom.
"No, should I? He's not my son is he???"
Jason stood back up, looking down on Joey. "You're not good enough to be his father. Try to remember: 8 years ago, you and two friends in your car, hitting a little boy going for his ball. Anything ring a bell?"
Joey looked puzzled for a moment, then let out a hacking laugh.
"Hehehe, of course, that little bastard. I remember now, he ran in the street, fucker looked up as the car hit him. Hahahaha, we got him good, mother fucker's head broke John's windshield."
Jason looked over him, wanting to kick him for the remark he said, but waited, wanting to ask one more question.
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Fuck you, I don't have time for your questions." Joey tried to turn away, but Jason leaned over, grabbed him by his oily hair, and turned his head in Tom's direction.
"Sure you have time, now ask yourself this: If you killed that boy 8 years ago, why is he here right now in front of you?"
Joey started to speak, but realization kicked in. The boy couldn't be alive, they had killed him.
Joey pulled away from Jason, back peddled on his hands and feet away from the boy towards a small box farther down the intersection.
"No.no.that can't be.he can't be alive, we killed him.he was dead before his ass hit the concrete.how can he be here."
Quicker than he looks, he jumped up and ran for the box, reaching in and grabbing a knife. It was once a butcher knife, but exposure to rain and air has left it full and rusty. He started to swing it around, mumbling about people coming closer.
"Joey.Joey.might as well put that down, you know the stories of the crow don't you?"
His mind wandered before answering. "This boy ain't no crow, they don't chose them young. Wait a minute, there ain't no such thing as the crow, it's a fairytale, like mother goose and loch ness. This boy must be his twin, yeah, that has to be it.NO, NO, there was no twin, I remember..this can't be real"
Joey's eyes faltered for a moment, and that is when Jason took the initiative, coming in and kicking Joey in the crotch. He dropped the knife and cupped his balls, his body dropping to the ground. Jason picked up the knife and came around Joey.
"Joey.you are going to die today, within a couple of moments.and do you know why?" He saw Joey's head shake no. "This is why you are going to die." and Jason laid his bare hands on Joey's head. Images Joey has tried to forget came back at him, ten-fold. He tried to break away but with no luck, Jason locked his fingers into Joey's skin, blood started to drip from how hard he was digging them in.
When the last image was put into Joey's head, Jason let go, backing a step away. Joey's body swayed back and forth, trying not to take any of that in.
"I.i.i.i.i.i.i.i.i.I'm.I'm.I'm.I'm.I'm.s.s.s.s.s.so.so.so.so."
Jason didn't let him finish, knew what he was going to say but it wouldn't have brought anyone back, wouldn't have calmed the crow. Blood must be spilled for repentance, and that is what Jason was going to do to.
He took the rusty blade and brought it around Joey's throat. Joey didn't move once. He tried to slice through the skin but it wasn't sharp enough, only made a mark. Jason looked at the sky, said a prayer for forgiveness, then laid Joey back and, using the rusty knife, started to use the knife as a saw on his jugular.
"Tom", Jason said, "please turn around."
Tom did as asked, and Jason continued what he was doing until Joey had a whole new view on how his life was spent
*************************************************
The sun was setting as they exited the alleyway, Jason's jacket covered in blood, his hands bleeding from repetitive movements of the knife. He ditched the jacket in the trashcan, and they exited the alleyways the same way they came in.
"Where to next?" Jason asked.
They stopped, the crow cawed, Tom closed his eyes for a moment and listened.
When he opened them up, he looked to Jason and said, "The police station."
"Why? Is he in jail?"
"No, " Tom shook his head, "He's a police officer."
***SORRY IT TOOK FOREVER TO ADD ANOTHER, WASN'T GOING TO BEFORE I GOT A REVIEW REMINDING ME THAT I SHOULD FINISH WHAT I START.
REVIEWS ARE WELCOME, SO IS CRITICISM, DON'T BE SHY, THIS IS A NEW ANGLE FOR THE CROW, IT WON'T BE PERFECT, BUT IT WON'T SUCK EITHER.
REFRESHEDAPPROACH.***