The Crow
A Poet's Grief
By NiteFenix
Chapter 7 – Vengeance & Retribution
He felt like the Grim Reaper. He was here to take this man to the grave with him. Vengeance for killing him and Eleanor. The grim smile was slowly being replaced by a stern look, a look of determination.
The crow which had been following him all the way from Boston was sitting perched on the pillar next to the ornate gate leading up to the villa. It let out a sad yet melodic cry. As the woeful creature took off Jim's extra sense revealed itself to him, one which he had discovered during his fight with the two bouncers at the club. He could see through this forlorn creature's eyes.
The crow swooped down towards the gothic-styled villa, veering towards the upper floor windows and perched on the sill of one particular window. The blinds were open and Jim had a clear view of everything inside. There was a sole figure sitting inside a room where a lot of objects were covered with white sheets. He realized that the figure he had seen must be some piece of art.
"Johnny sure has a knack for art these days it seems." He murmured to himself.
The crow abruptly took off again and flew down towards a tree just outside what seemed to be the kitchen. It perched on a low hanging branch, creeping slowly forward towards an open window, cocking it's head to the side, listening, watching.
"You want something to eat baby?" A familiar voice echoed as if in a long and empty corridor.
"No, sweetie I'm fine!" A feminine voice followed.
So he wasn't home alone. The crow hopped over from the branch down onto the window sill of the kitchen and Jim could see his intended target more clearly now. Johnny was humming to himself while making a sandwich. He looked up and saw the crow on the window sill.
"...the fuck do you want? Scram bird!" He swooped his arms toward the crow and it lifted off flying towards the next window down. A woman was lying on a blanket in front of the fire place, naked except for her silk underwear. The crow tapped it's beak against the window and the woman's head jerked up.
"Rico, there's a big fuckin' bird outside the window." She said, standing up and slowly backing off towards the kitchen door.
Rico? This guy lies more than his fair share. Is his real name Johnny? It doesn't matter. He's dead either way.
Headlights rolled across the grass planes in the distance and Jim, upon noticing it, immediately scrambled up the nearest tree outside the villa gates. At the house, the crow took off away from the window and flew back towards the gate.
The headlights grew closer and Jim watched it with a keen interest.
"James..." Someone said from nowhere.
"Who's there?" Jim replied in question.
"Come down here and find out."
"And what if I don't want to?"
"Then you're screwed."
"If you're some badass with a vendetta then I'm screwed anyways." Jim mocked and jumped down from the tree he was perching in.
"Thank you." The raspy voice came through clearly now and a tall stranger stepped out from the shadows.
"Who the fuck are you?" Jim asked.
The mysterious stranger adjusted his western style hat and smiled at Jim with half rotten teeth. His fiery eyes smoldered in the gloom.
"They call me the Skull Cowboy."
"Yea? So what do you want?"
"I am just here to give you a message." The Skull Cowboy said matter of factly. A strong wind was beginning to blow.
"What's the message? I've got word to do, I don't have the whole night to talk crap with a cowboy wannabe."
"Patience James. The car that approaches, you must go back with the man inside. You are done here."
"Who are you to judge whether I'm done here or not?" Jim was becoming furious.
"There's no time to explain. All you need to know is that if you go in there, you're on your own. No powers, nothing."
"Why?"
"Because your work here is done. You were brought back to kill the man responsible for your death, and you have already accomplished that." The Skull Cowboy picked at something in his rotten teeth and grinned at Jim.
"But the man in there killed me!" Jim shouted at his would-be malefactor.
"Indeed, but he was only hired help, the man directly responsible for your death was Georgio Valentino. He ordered the hit on your fiancé and it was all out of greed."
"Greed?" Jim asked.
"Yes greed. His employers were after a certain artifact which is...how could I say this...very valuable and even more so in their hands. But Valentino didn't know the true value of this artifact; material value is so over- rated these days." The Skull Cowboy sniggered.
Jim pondered these words and looked his malefactor straight in the eyes.
"Who is his employer? What does all this have to do with Eleanor?" He demanded.
"Calm down James. He calls himself Xander Varadochi in this world. In the underworld he is known as Xanado, the Snake Lord. As for Eleanor and how she ties into this. She is one in a long line of Maradochi Priestesses, as her mother was and her grandmother before her. It is their..."
"Hang on...she's alive?"
"Yes James, she pulled through, you didn't know?"
"It seems a lot of details have been withheld from me." Jim said, broodingly.
He looked up at the Skull Cowboy, with a new fury in his eyes.
"And you, how do you know about all this?"
The Skull Cowboy just held up his hands and shook his head.
"I've told you enough, what you do from here is your own choice, just as long as you know that if you go in there, then you are weak as you once were."
"But..." Jim started and reached out to the strange man, but the gust surrounding them started to disintegrate the Skull Cowboy, leaving only dust where Jim's hand was supposed to touch the man.
A car door slammed behind him and he turned around, seeking the source of the noise.
"Come-on Jim, let's go home." The older man said. Jim looked at him and then down at his trembling hands. Not sure what to do. A smile crept onto his face and he looked through the metal gates at the villa and then up at the black bird perched on the overhanging branch.
"I am home." He said at last.
"What do you mean?" Ramsey asked.
"Tell Eleanor I love her." Jim said matter-of-factly as a bright light started to envelop him.
"Sure." Ramsey replied.
Jim stared at the former cop, smiling wanly.
"What happens now?" Ramsey asked.
Jim just grinned knowingly and the white light totally swallowed him up and faded, leaving only Ramsey and the night sky.
"What happens now?" Ramsey repeated, and then he knew the answer. "Now, I go home." He murmured to himself and got into the car.
"Now I go home." He said again as he drove off into the night.
*-*-*-*-*-*
"The war is far from over Paul Ramsey, and you are yet to play a bigger part in it." The Skull Cowboy grinned. He wrapped his leather coat tightly around him and looked up at the starry night above him.
"Two birds in a bush..." He wondered and faded away into the night.
*-*-*-*-*-*
A/N That's it for now folks. Look out for more crow-based stories soon. I hope you liked this one. R & R as usual please.
Chapter 7 – Vengeance & Retribution
He felt like the Grim Reaper. He was here to take this man to the grave with him. Vengeance for killing him and Eleanor. The grim smile was slowly being replaced by a stern look, a look of determination.
The crow which had been following him all the way from Boston was sitting perched on the pillar next to the ornate gate leading up to the villa. It let out a sad yet melodic cry. As the woeful creature took off Jim's extra sense revealed itself to him, one which he had discovered during his fight with the two bouncers at the club. He could see through this forlorn creature's eyes.
The crow swooped down towards the gothic-styled villa, veering towards the upper floor windows and perched on the sill of one particular window. The blinds were open and Jim had a clear view of everything inside. There was a sole figure sitting inside a room where a lot of objects were covered with white sheets. He realized that the figure he had seen must be some piece of art.
"Johnny sure has a knack for art these days it seems." He murmured to himself.
The crow abruptly took off again and flew down towards a tree just outside what seemed to be the kitchen. It perched on a low hanging branch, creeping slowly forward towards an open window, cocking it's head to the side, listening, watching.
"You want something to eat baby?" A familiar voice echoed as if in a long and empty corridor.
"No, sweetie I'm fine!" A feminine voice followed.
So he wasn't home alone. The crow hopped over from the branch down onto the window sill of the kitchen and Jim could see his intended target more clearly now. Johnny was humming to himself while making a sandwich. He looked up and saw the crow on the window sill.
"...the fuck do you want? Scram bird!" He swooped his arms toward the crow and it lifted off flying towards the next window down. A woman was lying on a blanket in front of the fire place, naked except for her silk underwear. The crow tapped it's beak against the window and the woman's head jerked up.
"Rico, there's a big fuckin' bird outside the window." She said, standing up and slowly backing off towards the kitchen door.
Rico? This guy lies more than his fair share. Is his real name Johnny? It doesn't matter. He's dead either way.
Headlights rolled across the grass planes in the distance and Jim, upon noticing it, immediately scrambled up the nearest tree outside the villa gates. At the house, the crow took off away from the window and flew back towards the gate.
The headlights grew closer and Jim watched it with a keen interest.
"James..." Someone said from nowhere.
"Who's there?" Jim replied in question.
"Come down here and find out."
"And what if I don't want to?"
"Then you're screwed."
"If you're some badass with a vendetta then I'm screwed anyways." Jim mocked and jumped down from the tree he was perching in.
"Thank you." The raspy voice came through clearly now and a tall stranger stepped out from the shadows.
"Who the fuck are you?" Jim asked.
The mysterious stranger adjusted his western style hat and smiled at Jim with half rotten teeth. His fiery eyes smoldered in the gloom.
"They call me the Skull Cowboy."
"Yea? So what do you want?"
"I am just here to give you a message." The Skull Cowboy said matter of factly. A strong wind was beginning to blow.
"What's the message? I've got word to do, I don't have the whole night to talk crap with a cowboy wannabe."
"Patience James. The car that approaches, you must go back with the man inside. You are done here."
"Who are you to judge whether I'm done here or not?" Jim was becoming furious.
"There's no time to explain. All you need to know is that if you go in there, you're on your own. No powers, nothing."
"Why?"
"Because your work here is done. You were brought back to kill the man responsible for your death, and you have already accomplished that." The Skull Cowboy picked at something in his rotten teeth and grinned at Jim.
"But the man in there killed me!" Jim shouted at his would-be malefactor.
"Indeed, but he was only hired help, the man directly responsible for your death was Georgio Valentino. He ordered the hit on your fiancé and it was all out of greed."
"Greed?" Jim asked.
"Yes greed. His employers were after a certain artifact which is...how could I say this...very valuable and even more so in their hands. But Valentino didn't know the true value of this artifact; material value is so over- rated these days." The Skull Cowboy sniggered.
Jim pondered these words and looked his malefactor straight in the eyes.
"Who is his employer? What does all this have to do with Eleanor?" He demanded.
"Calm down James. He calls himself Xander Varadochi in this world. In the underworld he is known as Xanado, the Snake Lord. As for Eleanor and how she ties into this. She is one in a long line of Maradochi Priestesses, as her mother was and her grandmother before her. It is their..."
"Hang on...she's alive?"
"Yes James, she pulled through, you didn't know?"
"It seems a lot of details have been withheld from me." Jim said, broodingly.
He looked up at the Skull Cowboy, with a new fury in his eyes.
"And you, how do you know about all this?"
The Skull Cowboy just held up his hands and shook his head.
"I've told you enough, what you do from here is your own choice, just as long as you know that if you go in there, then you are weak as you once were."
"But..." Jim started and reached out to the strange man, but the gust surrounding them started to disintegrate the Skull Cowboy, leaving only dust where Jim's hand was supposed to touch the man.
A car door slammed behind him and he turned around, seeking the source of the noise.
"Come-on Jim, let's go home." The older man said. Jim looked at him and then down at his trembling hands. Not sure what to do. A smile crept onto his face and he looked through the metal gates at the villa and then up at the black bird perched on the overhanging branch.
"I am home." He said at last.
"What do you mean?" Ramsey asked.
"Tell Eleanor I love her." Jim said matter-of-factly as a bright light started to envelop him.
"Sure." Ramsey replied.
Jim stared at the former cop, smiling wanly.
"What happens now?" Ramsey asked.
Jim just grinned knowingly and the white light totally swallowed him up and faded, leaving only Ramsey and the night sky.
"What happens now?" Ramsey repeated, and then he knew the answer. "Now, I go home." He murmured to himself and got into the car.
"Now I go home." He said again as he drove off into the night.
*-*-*-*-*-*
"The war is far from over Paul Ramsey, and you are yet to play a bigger part in it." The Skull Cowboy grinned. He wrapped his leather coat tightly around him and looked up at the starry night above him.
"Two birds in a bush..." He wondered and faded away into the night.
*-*-*-*-*-*
A/N That's it for now folks. Look out for more crow-based stories soon. I hope you liked this one. R & R as usual please.