Evey was lying on her couch, fast asleep from watching 'The Count of Monte Cristo' again. She had found her self every other weekend or so watching it late at night. In her sleep she rolled on to her side, pulling a blanket around her more. A shadow of a figure stood above her, watching her sleep. A gloved hand reached out and gently stroked her cheek, speaking to her in that distinctive voice she knew all too well.
"Evey" it called to her.
Evey sat up panting with sweat dripping from her. She looked around and saw nothing, her chest soon started to shake as she pulled her knees to her body. Her head rolled forward as she started to cry, she silently sobbed as she knew that she had only been dreaming. That he hadn't really been there, she felt foolish to think he would come, to believe such an idea. No, the choice to see him again was all up to her. But as much as she wanted to see him, she just couldn't let herself go back yet. Evey may have been free of her fear but not of being alone. She was alone.
V opened his fridge looking over the few contents it held now. "Well it looks like I better go shopping."
V shut the fridge and headed to his makeup room. He undressed and pulled on a black uniform and mask that was hanging in the armoire. He tightened the belt around his waist and gave himself a look over in the mirror. A smirk spread on his face under the black knitted mask.
V stood on top of a roof across from a warehouse; he held a pair of binoculars to his eyes, watching a truck of supplies back in. He chuckled as he put the binoculars away in his belt, then running across the roof towards a near by fire escape silently moving in the darkness. The driver of the truck stepped out of the cab on to the asphalt. He twisted his back as he stretched; a few cracks rang out from his spine as he groaned. The man never heard V coming up from behind him. There was a soft thud and then the man falling to the ground. V looked around for any witness's before dragging him off to a near by alley. He placed him in a pile of boxes, covering him up with bags of trash and more boxes.
V quickly ran back to the truck and got into the drivers seat. He laughed as he started up the truck, "Ah to play the villain or better yet the highway man." He mused out loud as he sped off out of the back parking lot. The truck and V disappeared into the night, goods and all, the truck was to be found later abandoned by the docks.
V opened the fridge once more smiling under his mask. "Ahh that's better." He admired all the foods he enjoyed to eat, once more they filled the previous empty space. Of course all the leftovers were kept in a larger freezer for storage, waste not, want not.
With a job well done and the morning sun rising above across London, it was time for V to turn in for the night. He dressed into his night time clothes and slipped under the Egyptian cotton sheets. With sheets as soft as his and pillows with goose down it only took minutes before V was asleep. V never dreamed much, when he did it was of strange places and not so important events.
V tossed and turned under the sheets, the dream he was having was so vivid and real, almost like the life he lost and forgot suddenly came bubbling up from within him. As he saw the dream became clear in his mind, he realized how bright the colors were, as if the contrast was turned up a bit too high. Then as if his eyes were adjusting in the dream, the boldness of this world he was in became soft yet still vibrantly rich. He felt warm, almost hot; he looked up and saw the sun in a cobalt blue sky. He raised his hand to block the rays, his eyes narrowed against the harsh sunlight. He gasped slightly as he noticed his arm.
"What?" he sputtered.
He dropped his arm and looked over his hands, they were smooth and peach colored. No burns, no scars, just soft untouched flesh. He looked up and around, the world was now clear to him, his eyes fully adjusted to the light finally. V stood on a walk way that was lined with bushes, trees, and buildings. It was beautiful and looked so fully of life even thou he was alone standing there. He looked himself over and found he was wearing a black short sleeve collared shirt and tan kakis.
"Hey your going to be late!" a woman's spoke to him suddenly.
V turned around and there was a woman smiling at him. Also now there were people walking about everywhere all over what looked like some sort of campus. She spoke to him again, saying his name but the sound came out muted. "I'm sorry what?" he responded, he shook his head feeling confused.
The woman sighed and rested a hand on her hip, she had stunning blue eyes and long soft brown hair with a slightly curl running thru it. "Open your ears, your going to be late for your class. Am I going to have to hold your hand and walk you there?" She laughed at her own joke shaking her head. She was stunning to look at.
V found himself smiling and watched as a copy of his self was walking to her. It was like he had spilt in two as he watched his self walk with her now into the crowd. A hum started to fill the air till it grew painfully loud in his ears. It made him crumple forward covering his ears. He stood back up stumbling to look at where the noise was coming from.
He was now in a crowd of people, many of them shouting and holding signs. The hum was gone but the crowd was just as loud. The woman from before was standing next to him, she looked at him with strong and resolved eyes, taking his hand into hers.
"Freedom!" she screamed ahead over the multitude of people.
Then came the screams, they were blood curdling, almost as loud as the gun shots that now echoed around them. An army of men in body armor marched thru the crowd towards them. V felt the woman's hand tighten around his till she was white knuckled and shaking. She was afraid but fought it with everything she had; she stood her ground, daring the soldiers to make her move.
V could feel what she meant to him, as if he knew her, he knew all about her, except her name. This feeling filled him before a shot rang out that almost froze his dream world. The woman's eyes suddenly grew large as a bullet tore thru her shoulder. Her hand relaxed as she slowly titled back. V watched in slow motion as people ran past them screaming, he watched as the blood sprayed out of the open wound that had been torn right thru her.
He shouted at her as tears filled his eyes. Her grip suddenly was back, the world sped back up to normal as she steadied herself to keep from falling back. Her face turned into rage, it was now like a fire burning around her. Her eyes showed her resolve, her body fought to keep its place, she didn't even flinch as the warm blood began to soak her shirt.
Her scream echoed into the air once more, louder than ever, "FREDOM!"
V gasped at how he could feel it in his chest, vibrating every little bone and fiber in his body. He wanted to scream, he wanted to grab her, to hold her, to take her away but the loud hum came back and all was gone. It was in that last moment he could just make out her shape, that her name flickered across his tongue finally only to disappear.
V was standing in the cell he used to inhabit. A shadow of his past self was in one of corners hugging his legs to his chest. He rocked back and forth looking wildly at his feet. "I can't remember… I can't remember anymore" he muttered.
He looked up at V with wide eyes; there were no tears, just streaks of the ones long since dried up. "I can't remember her name anymore!" The copy of V screamed then began to cry back into his knees.
V's chest felt heavy, he felt like he couldn't breathe. How could he have forgotten? He knew he knew her; a part of him burned inside of him at the fact of it. He could feel the rage boiling in his veins. Everything that was his was stolen from him, his life, his love, even who he was. It was all gone; he was no one, just a letter and a mask. He felt no longer human; he felt like a beast with that much hate inside of him.
V sat up in his bed; his heart felt like it was going to rip right out of his chest. His hand flew to his chest to check if it had not already escaped from his flesh. He then started to choke on his own air and saliva. He fumbled to get out of bed quickly but ended up falling to the floor on his hands and knees. Bile was now all over the stone floor, his body convulsed as everything he had still in his stomach came up and out.
He coughed and gasped for air, his throat was burning terribly. He let out a deep shivering breathe, "Why, why now did I remember that after all this time." V sat back on his knees with water brimming his dark eyes. "Don't you dare give me hope to live!" he yelled trebling. He looked down at the pile of liquid and solids he just discharged. "Don't you dare do this to me now! Not when I have such little time left!"
Evey sat in the far back corner of a small pub. She was eating out for once if you even wanted to call it that. An empty soup bowl sat on the table along with a half eaten sandwich. She regretted eating at that pub now. She originally picked it because she saw a Jukebox, a more modern one than what V had but one none the less, sitting by the window. There was also a small spot cleared of tables neared it, she was now watching why.
A couple danced slowly, they were so closely pressed together it hypnotized her. Their eyes were locked and small almost secret smiles crested their lips. They looked so in love, so oblivious to the world that they lived in.
"Confidence in you, is confidence in me, is confidence at a high speed" played the music, filling the pub with soft and almost spacey sound. It was haunting to watch them move together to it.
The couple moved closer together, it seemed almost impossible to do but then lips were touching softly. Flesh was being mixed together as their love seemed to soak the air of the room. Evey suddenly stood and walked over to the bar. She quickly took out a few bills; passing them to the bartender as she paid for her meal. "Thank you" she softly spoke before rushing out.
Evey kept her gaze to the door as she passed by the couple. It seemed like she couldn't get to the door quick enough. She could hear the music still outside of the pub; her throat grew tight as she now pushed herself thru the crowd of people. She walked as fast as she could down the sidewalk. She held a hand over her mouth as she kept pushing forward. She wouldn't let any tears come; she wouldn't dare show such emotion in public.
She finally stopped in front of a store window, there was still a few people walking by but much less than the crowd she first had to push her way thru. A voice and a name whispered into her ears as she tried to catch her breath. She turned and looked into the window to see a row of TV's playing the news. A man was speaking with a picture of V to the side of him. Evey's breath slowed as she walked to the window and watched. Her body felt heavy and light at the same time as she calmly stared on.
When the story was finished she looked down at her hands that were pressed against the glass. The words and images of the couple from the pub danced in her head as they did when she watched them. She then looked down the sidewalk and noticed where she was. She sighed and went back to walking, slowly this time but with a direction in mind.
She wandered the street with the song stuck in her head. The tune played over and over, she felt almost haunted as she walked down each street, across many city blocks till she came to the street she was being drawn to. She walked it slowly and alone, the way she wanted it to be. She came to a halt when she reached the beginning of a small alley. She looked up at the building that had all the windows dressed as if someone lived or worked there. Not many would pay enough attention to noticed that you couldn't see into any of the windows passed the curtains that framed them.
She felt empty, like a blank sheet of paper looking at that building. This was the closest she had been near him since she left after what he had done to her. She thought about going in, what she would say, what he would say. An ache for his voice to fill her ears resonated thru out her. The ache grew more and more till it moved in a rumble in her chest. Her heart beat never felt heavier, she knew this emotion all too well. It was because of this emotion that she kept walking now, right on past the tall sandstone colored building. Right past where the man she loved lived. Never looking back to give in to any hope he would be looking out one of the windows. She only would let her self wonder what he was doing at that moment.