Chapter 66

My head feels heavy as I wake up. My eyes refuse to open for what seems like forever. It's like my consciousness is being put back into my body slowly. From past experiences I know I'm going to be here for a minute.

Come to think of it, I get hurt a lot more recently. It's not that I don't mind it, it's just that it happens a lot. Call me a masochist if you want, it doesn't matter. So what if I am?

But for now, it's taking every bit of energy that I have to stay in this state and not drift back off. Just what did that game do to me? I know Noire said there'd be pain but this is ridiculous.

The amount of pain I felt in that one moment was greater than any other I had ever experienced in my life.

'Damn… I can't keep this up for much longer…"

"Are you really going to give up that quickly? God you've always been such a wimp." I hear a familiar voice close to me.

I open my eyes with what little energy I have left and see someone who looks exactly like me. If it's who I think it is then I'm in trouble.

Shit… what is he doing here? Didn't he cause me enough trouble yesterday with that whole dark contract thing that's slowly eating away at my heart?

"Long time no see Jackie Boy, well, technically a day from what you know." It's him, the person who seized control over my body and made a deal with Arfoire. I owe him a lot, but now just looking at him makes me sick.

"Come here to taunt me like you usually do?" Let's face it, that's all he does now. I remember the days when he served a greater purpose. Those were troubling times when I had to call upon him.

He ponders for a second. "Nah, I noticed you were here and wanted to say hey." That's a funny way of wording what he wants.

"The last time you said 'hey', you took control of a bad situation and amplified my emotions. You're just using me to become a person."

He pauses for a moment before laughing hysterically. "I am a person. Isn't that how you made me? To be as real as anyone else is?" Don't bring that up.

"Those days are behind us, you don't have any reason to be around anymore." I've tried reasoning with him before. I've even tried sealing him away. But he always comes back at the worst time.

"You made me for the long run! To be for you when you couldn't pick yourself up! Why won't you accept me again?" I can hear the pain in his voice, the pain from years of neglect.

"Because you always went too far when things didn't go your way! Don't you remember what happened back in middle school Blake?" It hurts me to even think about that day. But I might have to use it to quell his rage.

My inside voice cackles again. It's starting to give me a larger headache that is almost a migraine. "Blake… the name you gave me when you created me. I was born out of the guilt you had about your friend's death. And your poor mother going away, little you just couldn't handle it all by yourself, so you had a little backup made for these sorts of situations. And what about it? It was the only way to keep us safe."

"But now you're hurting him again. Sure he's a giant dick but that's no reason to try to kill somebody." I'm referring to the many times Andrew and him have collided.

"And look at him now, he may very well kill us this time! Have you seen what he can do with that power of his?"

"Keep in mind you tried to obtain the same power. You also controlled me, how are you right in any of this?"

Blake stops his laughing and gets serious. He looks at me with determination like none other. I'm not sure where this is going but it can go one of two ways.

"Don't you get it at all? I don't want to be forgotten by you. Everything I am is because of what you made out of me in the past to protect you. If I'm not doing that then what good am I but to be something you throw in the attic?"

"…" I don't speak. I can't really say much after hearing that from him. And hear I thought he was just genuinely evil.

Blake's eyes start to tear up after his confession. "After what I did… you didn't want me, so you discarded me to the back of your mind like I was garbage. But don't you remember anything about what I did for you?"

I do remember that day. The day that I couldn't stand him anymore, the day when I was branded an outcast and a psycho by everyone in the school system.

(Three years ago)

"Hey Jack, wanna come to my house after school?" A random friend asks me, although the term friend doesn't seem all that appropriate. I don't recall his name, but I remember that he and I were vaguely familiar with each other.

"I can't, my brother needs me home today. Even so, I have to walk home today since he's so busy." It was for something big, but I'll get to that in a minute.

The kid shakes his head. "Bummer, you need to get out more." That's all he says before he walks away from me.

Well that was more than a bit rude. "You need to get out more." I say to myself just to see if anything sinks in. Ultimately I come up with nothing and just go about my business.

True to what I said I had to walk home that day, which sucked because it takes a little over an hour just to walk into town. I sigh to myself and start the long walk. Some people would say just ride the bus, but I hate school busses with a passion.

I only have to do this every so often though, and that's when Maurice is absolutely busy for the day. Today is an especially good day for him because he has an interview for a big company in town.

Not only will that mean a better paying job for my brother, but it might mean we can get our old house back someday. It's a silly dream I know, but it's one of my dreams none the less.

As I walk down the long sidewalk, cars pass me back and forth, not even batting an eye at me. It kind of pissed me off at the time but now that I reflect on it, it doesn't surprise me all too much.

"Hey Jack, that kid you were talking to rides home with his parents. We probably could've asked him for a ride at least." Blake talks to me from within my head.

I stand still after hearing that. He's right, we could've totally done that. Then we wouldn't have to be walking an hour just to get home.

"If you knew this why didn't you speak up earlier?"

"You know that I sleep while you're at school. It wasn't until you started talking to him that the thought came to me."

I continue to move again. "Maybe you shouldn't sleep for so long. You get like fifteen hours of it everyday and you don't have a body to call your own."

"What can I say, I like the feeling of waking up after that long." He says playfully.

I just smile as I walk. Thinking that the voice in my head is just like Blake after all… even if he can never truly replace him.

"What are you smiling at? Something juicy that you want to share?" He seems genuinely intrigued.

"It's nothing you nut, nothing at all." I continue the walk home while my voice tries to entertain me and make me laugh. I won't deny, over the years he's come to bring a smile to my face through even the most tragic events.

"Ah, finally back in town. Maybe we should stop by the pool hall and grab a milkshake. Maybe even let me take control for a moment so I can get a taste?"

"Nice try, but when you taste sweet things you tend to get really mischievous. Maybe some other time when we're not in public."

He doesn't have a body so he temporally controls the muscles in my face to pout. "You're no fun you know that?" He talks through my lips now.

While not being able to gain full control unless I let him, he can at least use my head and left arm for purposes that in the end turn out to be funny.

"I'm tons of fun, you just can't appreciate my sense of humor."

"You're no fun to me I should say. But then again, I am the only person you really talk to."

I let off a small laugh before walking through an ally. It's a shortcut to get to our complex faster than it would be taking the sidewalks. After exiting I see a familiar face that I can't say I'm not too happy to see.

"Hey there, what do you think you're doing walking here?" I stop in my tracks to answer his question with a very nervous voice.

"I'm just walking thank you very much. If you don't mind I'd like to continue Andrew." My feet start moving again but I'm soon stopped by Andrew's hand.

"This is my territory, if you want to get through you'll have to pay." That's illegal on multiple levels, and this is a public area, you can't just charge a toll.

"Let me handle this." Blake steps up to control my mouth. Surely his personality will get us through this unharmed. "I'm sorry, but last I checked you're whiter than me."

Andrew looks less than pleased at his remark. "What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry, basic morals must be a hard concept for you to grasp given how you probably can't even spell your own name." Ok dude, maybe lay off the insults a bit. I know he's given us minor trouble in the past and in school but this might be getting out of hand.

"Why would I need whatever those are when I'm going to rule these streets?" You're a thirteen year old kid who thinks he's so big and bad. He's not going to live to be fifteen.

"Rule the streets of a small town… that doesn't sound very grand. If anything that means you're underselling yourself. Didn't your mother ever teach you to know your limits?"

Andrew smirks at us. "At least I have a mother to come home to."

My heart stops and Blake shuts up. I knew that he shouldn't have pressed on. We should've just given Andrew the ten bucks and be on our way.

Andrew mentioning my mother causes me to remember the day that she was taken away from my brother and I. Some men I didn't know came through the door and told us to go into the other room.

Maurice and I waited patiently while we could hear my mother crying in the other room. At the time we didn't know what it was about but I sure as hell know now.

The last time I saw her was when she came into the room where we were at. I'll never forget her last words to me. "Remember Jack… Always be a good boy." Then she was escorted away.

Coming back from my little flashback, I feel the rage building up inside Blake. My mother being taken away from me was one of the events that led to his creation so it was only natural for him to get more than a little pissed of at him.

"What's the matter, did I hurt your wittle feewings?" Andrew continues to taunt us.

"No… no no no… take it back… take it back…" It's hard to tell which one of us is speaking right now. But regardless our tears and teeth gritting are the same.

"Nah, I think I'll just take your money." He walks up and tries to reach into my pocket for my wallet. My head rises up and my left arm grabs his forearm. Oh no, Blake got control.

"You disrespected me… you disrespected my mother… but most of all…" Blake pauses and looks Andrew in the eyes with his, well my own tear stained ones.

"You disrespected Jack!" Blake sweeps Andrew's legs so that he falls down. He's still holding onto his forearm. When Andrew lands hard on the concrete bellow Blake raises my leg up and plants it on his chest, still firmly holding his arm.

He then pulls his arm up while pressing his leg down, crushing his chest in the process. I can only watch from the sidelines as this happens, but the look on Andrew's face was enough to make anyone cringe.

"Tell me, does it hurt?!" This isn't what I would want Blake. This is just awful. Tears start forming in my eyes on the main body, showing that I still have a little control.

"W-what the hell are you?! You're a monster!" Andrew manages to say in between his pained grunts.

Blake lets go of him and starts to heavily breathe. Andrew can't manage to stand up or at least crawl away. Just how much pressure did he apply to him? It's hurting me just to watch this.

"Blake, stop this! Don't go any further!" I plead with him, talking through my own mouth, giving Andrew a clear view of the internal conflict.

Blake looks down and sees Andrews knife that fell out of his pocket. A sinister smile creeps onto his face as he picks it up and unfolds it.

"I've got a much better idea, why don't I wipe this scum off of the earth so we don't have to put up with him again?"

"You know that's not the right thing to do! What would our mother think of this?"

"Enough! I'm doing this because I love you. I want what's best for you. If you won't accept my love, then you will feel its burn."

"Please… Don't do this…" I give one final plead.

Blake turns my body around to face Andrew, who currently looks extremely horrified by what's going on.

"The day my mother was taken away was the day Jack's world ended… so why not experience what that feels like?"

"Please… D-don't kill me!" Andrew gives off a plead of his own.

"It's too late for you, time to face your judgment." Blake says with little to no emotion in his voice.

Blake raises the knife above his head and does a downward strike to finish off Andrew for good. As the knife glides through the air a smile creeps up on his face.

"I said stop!"

I regain control late into the strike, the only thing I'm able to do is guide the knife a little to the side. His cheek is still deeply cut, but he isn't dead.

I use my right arm to restrain my left and prevent him from using the weapon again to take his life.

I get up and thrash myself into a wall in my internal struggle for control. I look back to Andrew with tears in my eyes and readily streaming down my face.

"What are you doing?! Get out of here now!"

Andrew doesn't waste any time before scurrying away out the fearful sight before him. And who could blame him, I'm scared of this right now.

"Jack! We can still get him! It's the only way!"

"No! Is this really the best option?! What will we gain from one jerks death?!"

"Didn't you listen? I'm doing this because I want the best for you. Why don't you understand that?!"

"Whatever caused you to snap won't get to me. I made you, so I can get rid of you!" As corny as it is, I used sheer will to keep him at bay. At first this proved daunting but I slowly got used to it.

Word got out about what I did. The people at school were told that I attack Andrew for no reason and that I was insane. For some reason people believed him over me and I lost all my reputation.

Friendships… gone… social life… dead… happiness… terminated…

Occasionally I could hear his whispers, telling me that he was changed, but I could feel his hateful heart. I couldn't trust him just as much as I couldn't trust myself. And so, I began to shut down lose interest in everything else.

That was the day that defined me until the day I met some new friends, some new, otherworldly friends.

(Present Day)

"That was so long ago though, things have changed since then."

"Just who's inside of me? The monster killing me or the dear friend I once had?" I ask a simple question to him.

He can't seem to come up with an answer, causing me to believe that even he doesn't know what he is anymore.

"That's what I thought. Just stay out of my life forever. You're worthless to me now. You almost ruined my life, TWICE!" My anger really begins to show.

He starts crying heavily, "I'm sorry! My lust came over me, just give me another chance, for an old friend." He pleads once again.

My ethereal body turns away from him. "The next time you decide to enter someone's life… give some thought to what you're there for."

I walk away from the traitor inside my own mind. Ignoring his cries for attention behind me. Already I can feel myself waking up. Was it from remembering what happened so long ago?

I'm not sure, but I guess it stimulated my mind enough to where it could start functioning normally again. When I wake up, I'll try my hardest to forget this encounter…

And to forget him once and for all…

A/N: It's been a little over a month since I last posted so I'm kind of sad about that. My new job really drains the energy out me because I pick up the slack for a few people. And I just haven't been feeling all too great as of late.

But through it all, I just needed to write, to get passed this mountain and find out where the story will go from here. I have the answer, and I have a little more determination to make it happen.

Bear with me faithful readers, bear with me and survive the night with our tenacity. Blake may want to descend upon the sinful, and Andrew holds many secrets, but will his plans bear fruit?

Find out next time. Same Nep time, same Nep channel.