Author's Notes to Cat2fat900: I appreciate you trying to get people to review my story. YOU ARE THE BEST!
As for your questions in your last review, I'm afraid I cannot answer them. I like my stories to be surprising and keep my readers in suspense. Don't worry all will be explained as soon as I get to it. Enjoy this chapter.
"Are you sure it was him," Shamen asked; his voice full of such anger it would frighten the strongest of humans.
Stalker stood in the abandoned warehouse with the other members of The Crimson Hands. He had told them exactly what he had seen at the High School. It had been so long since they were in the same town as Nightmare, and none of them were pleased.
Stalker nodded his head. "I am positive. I can never forget the bastards costume."
Shamen turned away from the others and walked to the window. The sun was going down and it would be dark soon. The hunt would have to go on, but he wished to hunt down different prey tonight.
Butcher walked the floor angrily. Just the thought of Nightmare's name made his blood boil.
"So is that what your vision meant," he asked Stalker.
The skull masked boy looked at him and said, "yes. When I saw Nightmare it became clear. That pale girl at the school must have been in contact with him. I should have known it when I saw her with no eyes in my vision. Nightmare is the only person that can see without them."
Near by them Hunter leaned against a wall. He took his shoulder away from it and punched the hard wood.
"I say we find the son-of-a-bitch a tare him apart," he suggested forcefully.
"We can't," Butcher disagreed. "We don't know where he's hiding."
"Well what about Scarecrow," Hunter said, "with his powers we could find him easily."
"Not easily," Scarecrow put in as he stood with the group. "This town is full of people. I'd only be able toe sense his life force if he was in an area where there aren't many people around. If he isn't then it could take me days to pinpoint him unless he was within a mile of me."
Hunter's anger grew. Her let out a long grunt as he slammed his pick ax against the ground.
Clowny watched his brother release his rage. He was angry himself, but he did not show it. He only spoke when he really wished to, and that was not very often. More often he spoke some deranged rhyme to give him pleasure.
Shamen turned away from the window.
"Enough of this discussion for now," he said. "The sun is falling. We must prepare for the hunt. I will be going with you tonight. And if we find Nightmare"
He paused as memories of the boy went through his mind. Nightmare was the only one who had ever overcome Shamen's manipulative ways. And he hated him ever since.
Shamen took a deep breath to calm himself and said, "just bring the traitor to me."
Rogue sat alone in the park as she watched the sun go down. She was not in the mood to stay cooped up in the Institute after getting home from school, so she had decided to drive around a little.
She had parked her car at the edge of the park and had walked through the calm spring air for a while. She was sitting down now to rest her injured ankle.
She sat and watched the sunset, trying to clear her thoughts of the many things that had happened to her this past school year. The whole Apocalypse incident was still in her mind.
To think that all of her friends nearly died.
Even though she had never admitted it, she did care about the X-Men. They were like the family she never had. And she could not bear to even think about loosing them.
But now Apocalypse was gone. Hopefully the X-Men would not have to deal with anything that serious for a while.
As she sat on the bench a dark and familiar voice came from behind her.
"It has been so long since I've seen anyone just sit down and think."
Rogue looked behind her to see Nightmare standing with his arms at his side.
The Goth stood up with a started.
"Nightmare," she said in shock. "What the Hell are you doing outside the Institute? If you're caught the Prof. will get in huge trouble."
"Then I won't get caught," Nightmare assured.
He moved over to the bench. His weapons hung from their holsters.
Rogue could not help, but look at them.
"Where the Hell did you get those," she asked, pointing at the deadly objects.
Nightmare looked to his belt, gazing at his precious weapons.
"They are mine," he said. "I have had them for a long time."
Rogue cocked an eyebrow up. "Ah doubt the Prof. will let you carry those around the Institute."
"Frankly," Nightmare said, "I do not care. These weapons have been with me for far to long for me to part with them again. They are more than mere objects to me."
Rogue was beginning to feel a little afraid. She felt no one should be so close to blades, unless they are truly homicidal.
He stood next to the chair, not wishing to sit down.
"What are you thinking about," he asked the pale girl.
Rogue placed her attention on Nightmare. It felt odd to be talking while she sat and he stood, but she did not want to stand up as well.
"Ah suppose if Ah make up something you'll just know Ah'm lying," she stated.
Nightmare only nodded.
Rogue rolled her eyes and said, "Ah was just thinking about the dance that's coming up. It's tomorrow night and as usual Ah have no one to go with."
Nightmare moved from the side of the bench to the back of it. He began to pace back and forth behind it.
"Tell me Rogue," he asked, "what are your feelings towards that Cajon boy Remy?"
"What," Rogue asked somewhat sternly.
"Is it he you wish to go to that dance with," Nightmare asked. "I've seen the way you look at him. When I was first introduced to the students I saw you looking at him. Your eyes full of painful love."
Rogue sighed in defeat. She knew there was no point in hiding he feelings for Remy from Nightmare. He'd be able to see right through her.
"Ah have a crush on him ok," she said. "But there is no chance of him and me hooking up."
"And why is that," Nightmare asked.
Another sigh passed Rogue's lips. However this one was full of sadness. "He's going to the dance with Tabitha. And Ah can already see some sparks between the two of them."
Nightmare stopped pacing behind the bench. He stepped to the front and sat next to Rogue.
"I can tell it brings you pain," he said.
"Yeah," Rogue said. "Yeah it does. It seems that every time Ah grow to liking a guy, someone else always takes them away from me. First there was Scott, but Jean has him, and now Tabitha got Remy. Some times it just doesn't seem fair."
Nightmare nodded in agreement to Rogue's statement.
"There are many things that happen in life that are not fair," he said. "The challenge is to find a way to change it. I am sure you will find someone eventually."
Rogue smiled at Nightmare's words.
"Have you ever had a girlfriend Nightmare," she asked the young psychopath.
"Of course not," Nightmare said. "Those in my situations should not get to close to people."
Rogue slid a little closer to Nightmare.
"Have you ever been in love," she asked.
Nightmare took a deep breath.
"Once," he said.
Rogue listened to his words as he spoke.
"It was not too long ago," he said. "Her name was Kristen."
"One night I had gotten injured. He had taken me into her home and showed me nothing but kindness. Something I had not seen in years."
"She was a very pretty girl. Her hair was long and brown, with red tint. And she had perfect blue eyes."
He stopped speaking as he tried to remember the girl.
"So what happened," Rogue asked. "Did she already have a boyfriend?"
"No," Nightmare said. "There was a situation at the time. So one night I just left."
Nightmare did not wish to reveal the full details of what had happen during the time he knew Kristen.
"Why did you leave," Rogue asked in disbelief.
Nightmare paused before answering. "There were complications. Complications that I could not put her through."
Rogue sat and thought about this. "Well, I guess that makes sense."
Her thoughts changed instantly. "No, that doesn't make sense. Nightmare, you passed up something that could have been great."
"I know," Nightmare said. "But it was something I had to do. And now I am forced to live with it."
Rogue looked sadly at Nightmare. For that one sentence she could detect a hint of suffering in Nightmare's voice.
She leaned her back against the back of the bench.
"Ah guess we have something in common," she said. "We both seemed to be destined to be alone."
Nightmare stood from the bench and began to walk away.
"I am destined to be alone," he said. "You can still try and find someone. I want you to keep looking."
Rogue watched as Nightmare walked away; ready to disappear into the darkness that was coming fast.
The Goth stood from the bench quickly saying, "wait, don't leave yet."
The cloaked boy stopped.
"Why not," he asked.
"Ah just don't want to be alone right now," Rogue answered. "Ah need someone to talk to, Nightmare."
The young madman turned back to Rogue.
"Ivan," he said.
Rogue's face turned to curiosity.
"What," she asked.
"My real name is Ivan," Nightmare said again.
Rogue paused for a moment. A smile formed on her face.
"Ah'm Marie," she said.
Nightmare walked back over to her. "Alright then," he said. "Marie"
All was quiet at the Brother Hood house. The darkness came rolling through around it as the sun disappeared behind the trees.
Inside the house the Brother Hood was doing what they normally did every day. Lounge around the house.
As usual Wanda was in her room, far away from the men of the house.
She sat at her dresser and starred at herself in the mirror.
"I can't stay in this house much longer," she said. "Every day it always the same damn thing. That creep Todd keeps hitting on me, while the rest just sit around as if the world has just stopped."
She stood up and moved from her dresser to the window.
Her eyes moved across the night sky as her thoughts wondered. She felt so out of place here now.
She turned her attention to the ground.
She looked over the outside as she said in her mind, "I should just leave here. I could make it on my own. Why the hell do I bother to stick around here? It's not like I wait what's that?"
Her thoughts were interrupted when her gaze came across someone standing in the back yard.
She opened the window up to shout at the guy, but then she got a better look at him.
It was some nut job wearing a clown mask.
From the window she could here him talking to himself; saying some weird rhyme.
One two, buckle my shoe.
Three four, butcher the whore.
Five six, kill all pricks.
Seven eight, lay them strait.
Nine ten, kill again.
He continued to say this as he stood in wait.
Wanda narrowed her eyes. She was in the mood to fight tonight. However she did not want any help.
Slowly she stepped out of the window and grabbed onto the drainpipe. She slid to the ground and made her way over to the stranger.
"What do you think you're doing her creep," she said revving up her hex power.
The stranger looked to her.
"Clowny has his reasons," he said. "And all of them have to do with you dying."
Wanda's eyes filled with anger. No one threatened her.
He aimed her hex at a nearby tree, causing the branches to bend into claws. She readied them to grab the man in the clown mask.
However she was stopped in the act.
Someone grabbed her by the hair and placed a cold metal hook up to her neck.
"Don't move," came Hunter's voice from behind her. "We wouldn't want that pretty little neck of yours to get punctured now would we?"
Wanda ignored his threat and used the tree branches to lift of Clowny. With a twitch of her eye the branches slammed the killer twice against the ground before releasing him.
Hunter did not seem alarmed, instead he seemed exited.
"Oh yes," he said. "It looks like you will put up more of a fight."
Wanda kept her eyes on the clown as it stood back to its feet.
Her eyes were wide with shock. No normal human would be able to stand back up after two blows like that.
Hunter laughed from behind her.
"Our friend Clowny doesn't feel pain," he said. "His abilities prevent it."
With those words he took his hook and pulled the point into Wanda's shoulder.
The girl let out a cry of pain as the other members of The Crimson Hands came out from hiding.
They stood around her as Hunter held her.
Shamen was with them. He walked over to her and looked her dead in the eyes.
"Call your friends," he said.
Wanda did not. She wanted to use her hex on this guy, but she knew is she did the man that held her would kill her.
Shamen lifted his hand to her wound and squeezed it.
"Does this hurt," he asked as Wanda groaned in pain.
He did not wait for an answer. "Call friends and I will let go."
He made his grip harder.
Wanda could only scream louder.
Scarecrow and Wardog knew that would be enough to attract their prey.
They moved to the door taking Hunter's chain with them.
Inside the house Pietro lifted his head up.
"Did you hear that" he asked his fellow mutants.
Lance stood to his feet, "it must be Wanda. It sounds like she's hurt."
Pietro turned to the front door. He kicked his mutant ability in and ran out the door faster than anything on Earth.
Unfortunately he did not know of what was going on outside the door.
At the bottom of the front step Wardog and Scarecrow had Hunter's chain stretched out.
Pietro tripped over the chain and fell to the ground.
Wardog dropped the chain and moved towards the fallen boy.
Pietro lifted his head up from the ground. Wardog greeted him, with the his bayonet in the boy's right leg.
Pietro screamed in pain as the other members of the Brother Hood came outside.
Toad saw Wanda being held by Hunter.
"Let her go," he demanded as he leapt into the air.
He shot his tongue at the foe.
Shamen stood in front of Hunter, garbing the mutant's tongue. He pulled it to the ground. Toad soon followed.
Butcher went over to his leader and pulled out his small knife, and used it to pin Toad's tongue to the ground.
Toad screamed out in pain.
Avalanche and Blob stood in their fighting stances. They were prepared to fight with all of their abilities.
Stalker and Scarecrow stood in front of them. Wardog and Clowny joined them.
They all stood with their weapons ready, hoping for a good fight.
On the ground Pietro pulled the bayonet out of his leg. The limb was now to injured for him to use his powers.
He began to crawl back inside the house, he planned to do the only thing he could do.
The members of The Crimson Hands ignored him. At this point in time he did not seem like much of a threat.
However Shamen watched him crawl into the house.
"Children," he said, "have fun slaughtering your prey. I will join you again after I take care of a matter of my own."
The killers nodded before lunging at Lance and Fred.
And so the fight had begun.
Toad pulled the knife out of his tongue and went to help his comrades.
As the others faced off Hunter kept his grasp on Wanda. He pulled his hook out of her shoulder and put it into her left leg.
"I'm going to let you go," he said. "Afterwards I want you to put up the best fight you can. Run if you want to. Just make it fun for me."
He took his hook back and threw Wanda to the ground.
The Red Witch stood to he feet and readied her hex.
Hunter smiled behind his mask.
"Good," he said. "Now I have some sport."
The battle raged through the night. It was uncertain who would be the victor, but it was going to be brutal for sure.
The phone rang in the Xavier Institute.
Kitty ran over to it and picked it up.
"Hello," she said in her usual perky voice.
She was very surprised to hear Pietro on the other end.
"Kitty, you've got to help us," he said. He sounded as if he were in pain.
"There are these guys at our house. They injured me, toad, and they got Wanda. I can here the others fighting them outside. There's so much screaming. I don't think they're winning."
Kitty could her the fight in the background along with the laughter of madmen, and an occasional scram of pain.
"Pietro," Kitty said, "like just calm down. Who's attacking you?"
"I don't know," Pietro insisted, "just some nut jobs. I can't contact Magneto, so we need your help. Just get down here stop these freakin' psychopaths."
Another voice came into play on the other end of the phone. It sounded close to Pietro, and it seemed very mad.
"Do not bother calling for help," it said, "there is nothing stopping your blood from being spilled."
Kitty heard Pietro shout in pain before the phone was disconnected.
Fear became sprawled over Kitty's face. She dropped the phone and ran through the Institute, calling for Xavier as she ran.
"Professor! PROFESSOR!"