Author's Notes: I hope you like this installment; it's rather dark so be forewarned! Please enjoy and review!

Krystina made her way into the afterlife, and it was safe to say that everything that occurred now was unknown to her. Death, as it is for everyone is mysterious and can be a frightening ordeal for those left behind. No one else alive on the Earth cared anything for young Krystina. The only constants in her life were her sisters, and in one fell swoop they were gone too. Defiled, beaten and then erased, life was officially over for the streetwalker; but something bizarre occurred. On her way to the afterlife, neither the depths of Hell nor the gates of Heaven opened for Krystina Lincoln. Left in Limbo, she was to fend for herself.

Falling to the cold ground after a rip in the sky, Krystina looked around frantically as she yelled out moans from under her breath. Gasping for air, the young woman looked around for any sign of life, but none was in sight. She was in a familiar place she knew that much, but her vision was blurry. Slowly it started to return to her, and things were becoming clear again. There was no color where she was, the only hue that was present was the gloominess of gray. Shadows blended in, but there was nothing in color. Recognizing where she was, Krystina realized that she was in her old neighborhood.

Now, if one had made there way to the afterlife and realized they were stuck in their previous place of residence, one would feel a sense of home, would one? This area was never home to Krystina; if anything this was a place of business to turn profits. All the men that lived or stayed in this neighborhood were hustlers, addicts, and downright evil people. So what if they defiled and hurt people like the Dark Reapers did to Krystina and her family, people would never think twice. This neighborhood, this city was corrupt to the tee. Krystina knew it, and that's also the reason why she solicited herself. So what if she was the vessel for these men to act out their most wild or sexiest fantasies? She was being paid for each fantasy. Every dollar given to her for any act of sex was contributing to enable her to give her sisters a better life. Their parents died years ago in a car accident, Krystina was the only one to care for her sisters, and prostituting was easy money.

Maybe her position as a prostitute was the reason why Krystina was walking around in the afterlife in nakedness. Her firm breasts covered by her arms and her black silky hair covering her back, Krystina walked every chilling step to an unknown destination. All she knew was that she had to get to this place in order to escape. Feelings of chills enclosed her body, and though it may have not been visible, Krystina had this inner darkness to help keep her warm. But then again she was used to this, prowling the streets every night did not come without its share of chilly nightfalls. Still, something plagued Krystina's mind as she continued her trek to the unknown; why wasn't she permitted into Heaven or Hell? Was she that worthless that neither God nor Satan wanted her in their sights?

"J-Jesus lov-es th-the lit-tle chi-ldren…J-Jesus l-oves th-the little children…"

Krystina kept repeating the hymn to herself after a while. Images of her sisters entering the Kingdom of Heaven flooded her mind. The angels greeted them as their judgment day came and went. As long as Alyson and Nikki were safe and granted salvation, she was satisfied. Her sisters as aforementioned were her constant. But what was to become of her? Memories now ravaged her every since of being; the Christmas where she bout a rag doll and toy cash register for her two sisters who worked hard in school all year, she was so proud; the Mother's Day where they fed Krystina breakfast they made; the nights where it was so cold all they had was each other to keep warm. Those were the good things. But the Dark Reapers, the bikers, they took away all that; it was gone; it was dead.

As Krystina walked around still covering herself, she began to notice that she was not alone anymore on the streets. A woman with a dress on and long hair like her's came up to her and viciously smacked her across her face. Another woman arrived and punched Krystina so hard that she fell unto the ground. More women began to arrive to pummel and abuse Krystina from out of the gray, neighboring houses. Preying on her, the assault did not stop. Stomping and punching and even biting the tired and confused young woman, all obscenities she became used to were thrown out her as the women continued to batter her.

"You whore!"

"A hag!"

"You lawless, bitch!"

"You fiendish tramp!"

"You unmerciful skank!"

"You viper!"

"Sex fiend streetwalker!"

"A jezebel!"

"A common home-wrecker is all that she is!"

"She's the one taking our husbands! Taking them from our beds and families! And whoring around town, making money off of doing God knows what! You whore!"

They all venomously spat these angry insults at Krystina as the girl just endured the punishment. No tears, not fright, no blood poured from Krystina's face or body. Only one looming question remained.

"W-wh-why. I-I am only doing this for my ss-sisters…You'd do the same…"

Krystina whimpered lowly as the pummeling continued. Did these scorned wives and girlfriends think that she took delight in pleasuring their significant men? Did they think she enjoyed being penetrated against her will, and having to do this? Did they think she liked the taste of ejaculations or the sticky feel of it on her face? Did they think she wanted to be used and used like a public restroom? What the hell was their problem? Enduring the same misfortunes all hours of the night and early morning for sex? Now was the time for her retribution. Yelling throughout all the madness, all Krystina could hear was the laughter coming from the Dark Reapers as they took pride in raping her and two girls as pure as her sisters; deflowering them and then burning them like paper…

"I WANT VENGEANCE!" Krystina yelled to the top of her lungs as the veins went around wildly in her cerebral area and her body. Her blood pressure had to be about a thousand over a thousand, with all the rage radiating through her body; it was like an unnamed cancer. After her call was made, a black crow leapt in front of her. Looking into its eyes she saw everything wanted and everything that she was; retribution, anguish, astonishment, passion, vengeance. It was all hers.

As the crow flew around, Krystina followed it and it lead her to the burned and devoured loft. Walking inside as the ashes flew in the air; Krystina found that the shower was still in tact. Turning it on, she let the water wash away all the pain and neglect and hurt and filth that she felt covered her body. For once, Krystina had since of cleanliness physically and emotionally. Looking into an intact but semi-burned dresser, she found her all black bustier and placed it on. Wrapping her black hair in a bun, Krystina also donned a new pair of leather pants. Sitting at her cheap vanity table, she put on the only remaining make up that was left, the white. Covering her face with it, she finished off by making clown's tears with her mascara she found with her leather jacket. A black tube of lipstick, she painted her lips with it and was finally finished.

"Thank you…" Krystina told the crow simply. That crow gave her keys to vengeance and she was going to make the turn. The Dark Reapers were going to pay with their blood. Following her on her way out of the afterlife and back to life was the bird, who sat perched on Krystina's shoulder. For now, they were one; they were The Crow.

-Xtreme Slayer