Nocturnal Dementia

III: Encounter

"Why am I here? ANSWER ME!"

"Oh, I believe you already know the answer to that, my dear friend."

Johnny was pacing back and forth in one of the many levels of his basement, a knife held behind his back. His newest victim was chained against the wall. She was a pretty one; blonde hair, blue eyes, slim body figure. The mascara ran down her eyes as she screamed and cried in terror.

"I didn't do anything bad!" She hollered. Johnny turned to face her, his brown eyes glinting with malice.

"That's what YOU think. Tch, you seem so beautiful on the outside. If you could only see how ugly you really are on the inside, then you will truly know why I have brought you here." He retorted. He brought out the knife and pressed it daintily against the girl's throat. The girl saw her reflection on the blade; a beautiful, crying girl.

"You were out clubbing with your friends last night, weren't you? And you saw me walking by myself to the convenience store; trying to get myself a nice cherry Brainfreezie, but NOOO…you just had to INTRUDE. You came in and began pushing me around, you and your other beautiful girlfriends and your big, strong, boyfriends, calling me names and telling me that I'm some weak insect who was just ASKING to get my ass kicked. Now tell me-is that what you did last night, OR NOT?" Johnny exploded, pressing the knife a little harder against her throat. The sharp blade nicked her and tiny streams of blood began running down her neck, staining her white blouse.

"I-we were j-just joking around…d-don't take it so seriously…" The girl whimpered. Johnny smirked and backed away from her, releasing her from the knife's lethal grip. He pointed at her with a condemning finger. A flame burned in his eyes.

"YOU were the one who insisted to harass me in the first place! YOU were the one who got the others to gang up on me! What do you have to say about THAT, you ugly FUCK?" Johnny screamed, and without warning, hurled the knife directly at the girl's face. Blood and bits of her flew everywhere as Johnny laughed maniacally.

A bloodstained Johnny walked up to the dead girl was his hands behind his back. He aimed right between the eyes on this one. His aim didn't fail him.

"Just as I thought…absolutely nothing."

--

It wasn't possible.

Maybe she really was going crazy.

I swear I threw that Sickness painting out.

Devi had shut all her blinds and double-locked her windows and doors, despite the fact that it was a sunny day outside.

He's back. Nny's back.

Her heart automatically leapt to her throat as she stared at her unfinished painting, which eerily seemed to be staring back at her.

Jonathan. Johnny. Nny.

She still couldn't believe it. She saw him, but was it for real, or was her mind playing tricks on her?

Sickness was gone, but what made her so sure? Was Sickness really gone?

Desperate to get her mind off thinking of the subject, Devi got up and slowly approached her incomplete painting. Somehow something was drawing her to it.

Finish it. Think back and remember.

Something was telling, forcing her to remember what happened that night.

Devi tried, but it was no use. All she could really remember was the small talk before he lashed the knives out on her.

Remember when you actually had a good feeling about what was going to happen? Remember the stars? The moon? Nny and you?

A light went off in Devi's head. A clear image suddenly popped into her head, only to have it vanish from her a split second later.

"FUCK!" She screamed, kicking the air in frustration. It was right there, so why did it have to slip from her fingers?

She closed her eyes again and thought so hard she thought her head would explode.

She could see the dark sky, the stars, the moon…

The cliff…

Looking down on the people that deserved to be looked down upon.

…An amazing illusion.

As if her hands had a mind on their own, Devi slowly yet automatically picked up her palette.

Bits and pieces were beginning to come together.

--

Johnny slammed his fist against the already damaged wall of what remained of his living room. His eyes were clamped shut with tears forcing themselves out, streaming down his thin face in jagged streams.

He was an idiot to have done something like that.

He didn't know what came over him.

He thought that his usual killing spree would help him take her off his mind, but it didn't work at all.

"Heya Johnny. Feeling down?" Reverend Meat asked teasingly, emphasizing the world 'feeling'. Johnny collapsed on his knees and leaned forward a little to rest his forehead on the wall. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Shut up. I don't need you." Johnny choked between sobs.

"Aww, c'mon Johnny. Lighten up a bit. Maybe you should do something to get this whole thing off your shoulders. You hungry? Do you wanna go out for some tacos or something? Or maybe you're just bored. Let's go bowling!" Meat pressed on. The burger boy's words grinded against Johnny's veins.

"SHUT UP, YOU STUPID STATUE! I DON'T NEED TO LISTEN TO YOU! SHUT UP! I CONTROL ME, I CONTROL ME!" Johnny screamed, and he rose to his feet. He spun around to face the burger boy statue sitting on a barrel full of blood.

"Haven't I already told you, Nny? You'll always be a slave to something. You'll always be controlled. You'll never be in control. You know that, don't you? Like right now, your feelings for Devi have overcome you. They've taken control of you! You can't do anything about it Johnny; just accept the fact that you're human and that you rely on your feelings, your wants, to stay alive!"

"NO! I DO WHAT I NEED AND NOTHING MORE! NO EXCESS!" Johnny stomped up to the burger boy and picked him up in sweaty hands.

"Hey, what are you-"

CRASH!

With a mighty throw, Johnny managed to slam the statue of Reverend Meat smack dab on the floor, smashing it into multiple pieces. Johnny stared at the broken statue, huffing.

"I don't need you. I'm in control of me." Johnny muttered, wiping the tears from his eyes.

He admitted that his feelings for Devi have returned, even stronger than ever.

But they haven't overcome him. He was in control.

He did what was needed to be done and nothing more and talking to Devi was exactly what he needed to do.

But he didn't know if he could. Of course, Devi would still be afraid of him. He tried to kill her, for fuck's sake. She would never forgive him!

Johnny shook his head violently and rubbed his eyes. He needed to clear his head. He took one last look at the shattered pieces of Reverend Meat before dashing out the door.

--

"FUCK!"

Another mind block shoved itself into Devi's head and she slammed her palette on the tarp covered floor in frustration. Her tired green eyes shifted to her painting.

It was beginning to come together at least.

The star spotted sky was complete. It was an array of purples and blues, dotted with white and yellow stars and the pale moon. The black shapeless figure from before was beginning to take form to what looked like some sort of rough surface.

"It's so pretty when you're looking down on it."

"Yes it is. It's an amazing illusion."

"No…why can't I remember…why can't I recall…the painting seems to be finished but something inside is telling me that there's another piece missing to it. What else can there be? I covered the whole fucking canvas. It took me seven fucking years to remember what happened that night and I've painted whatever there was needed to be painted! WHY? WHY?"

Devi let out a noise that crossed between a cry and a screech and she collapsed on her knees, exhaling loudly. Her fists were clenched as tight as her eyes were clamped together.

Maybe I need some fresh air. Maybe I just need to take a walk. Maybe I just need to clear my head-yeah, that's it…clear my head…I've been indoors too long…

Totally forgetting about her fear of going out, Devi snatched the jacket hanging from the nearby coat racket and slipped out the door.

--

Why am I doing this again?

Why am I here?

Where the fuck am I going?

It was almost sundown as Johnny stopped dead in his tracks. He found himself on a hilltop, leaning against a dead tree. He was gazing down at the city full of filthy, vile, mundane human beings.

This place felt oddly familiar.

Johnny couldn't quite put a finger to how it felt like he's been here before. Maybe it was just a random case of déjà vu?

Johnny shoved his hands in his pockets and slumped against the tree, lost in his train of thought. His thinking broke when a small croak erupted from behind.

"…Nny?"

--

Devi shivered a little in the slight breeze and she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. She had no idea where she was going-her feet seemed to be moving on their own.

It was getting a little darker as Devi walked up a step incline of patchy grass and dirt. Trees rustled in the wind, giving out an eerie whistling noise. It had a haunting beauty to it.

When she reached the top, she found herself looking over the city.

It was an amazing illusion.

A small gasp escaped her lips as a sudden image popped into her head. She suddenly felt weak and she held onto a nearby tree for support. The setting sun was shining in her eyes now and Devi had to shield her hand over her eyes to see properly.

There was a single dead tree standing in front of her, along with another figure leaning against it.

It seemed almost twig-like…

Another gasp escaped Devi's lips as the realization of recognizing the figure coursed through her veins. She took another step closer, and with a shaking, trembling voice, she managed to choke out a single word in painful surprise.

"…Nny?"