And out of the darkness of time comes a new chapter. You know, completing a degree takes a lot more time than I thought it would. I also need a lot of time the play the Movies and the Sims. Essential stuff.

2D held his coat close to his body as the rain pelted his body. The weather had become unusually cold for June. He felt that it did justice in reflecting his emotions as he gazed down at the stony pit where the coffin lay. Russel stood by his side with a hand on his shoulder. His opaque eyes were also fixed on the timber box where their now deceased bassist lay. The large drummer wore a black suit that was currently being drenched by the onslaught of water, but the giant was impervious to the elements as he stood firm as a stone. Noodle was also there, adorned with a black umbrella that was miraculously able to keep her bone dry. Her eyes were squinted with concentration, as though she were trying to solve a difficult problem.

"So er, d'you think one of us should say sumfin? Like how great a bloke he was n'stuff like that?"

Noodle looked up startled; 2D's voice had broken her focus. She gave the man a melancholy smile and gave a slight nod of the head. "You may say something if you feel it is necessary 2D san."

2D hesitated not realising that he would be the one giving the eulogy. He cleared his throat and stepped forward wringing his hands in anxiety. He never was the best at speeches. "Right well…um…Murdoc was a good man. No, wait, I guess I wouldn't say a good man. But he definitely was a man!"

Russel and Noodle exchanged looks.

"But in a way aren't we all men? Well, except for ladies I suppose… um." He swallowed knowing this wasn't going well. He took a deep breath and began again, this time he'd try to speak from the heart. "Murdoc swore a lot, and drank too much and may have been a right bit rotten at times, and I dun think he showered too often either… err, sorry, where was I goin' with this?"

"2D, maybe you should talk more about what Murdoc gave to us rather than who he was." Interjected Noodle, as she nodded her head helpfully.

"Right. Well um, Murdoc did a lot of things that may not have helped many people, like running me over with his car and burning down that nunnery. But if you think about it, something good always came out of it. Like me y'know. I dun think I would've been as popular or famous without him, an he always said that Gorillaz was his vision, he even tried to blind me just to prove it." A painful lump began to develop in his throat, 2D was feeling far more emotional than he had expected. He swallowed again and continued, aware of Noodle's and Russel's attentive gaze.

"Even though he did some horrible stuff and said a fair bit of things that got us all in trouble, I still liked him. And I'm sure loads of other people did too. And I know he went out the way he always wanted to - having drunken sex with identical triplets on his birthday. I'm sure he's in a better place now."

He finished with a bow of the head. Russel walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder. "That was beautiful man." They all went quiet and looked at the grave. Each of them remembering the good times and the multiple bad ones they shared with Murdoc over the years.

A crack of thunder broke the sombre reflection. Russel grabbed the shovel and began to fill the hole with soil. They had all discussed the best location for Murdoc's resting place and had unanimously agreed that it should be in sight of Kong studios, feeling that that since he had watched over it like a hawk when he was alive he would surely want to do it in the afterlife. They had sought out the least garbage covered mound and respectfully ornamented it with satanic objects and symbols such as pentagrams and goat heads. They sure were going to miss the bastard.

Before long Russel had placed the last shovel of soil on the hole and patted it down. The large headstone at the top of the grave was craftily plastered with Motorola advertising. Dead or not he still had a contract to fulfil.

2D looked at the grave but never let his eyes properly focus on it. A painful sinking feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach. He just didn't know how he'd cope without Murdoc now that he was gone. The man had always seemed indestructible, unyielding to words or substances. 2D had often admired him for these qualities even if they caused him to occasionally be a downright bastard.

A shadow was cast over him and looked up to see that Russel had approached him with a concerned expression.

"Hey man, we've all been here for a while now. I think we better go inside. It's getting cold. Aight?"

2D hadn't been aware of the temperature until it was pointed out to him. And now he suddenly felt the chill creep right into the marrow of his bones. He shivered and nodded to the drummer before turning his back and headed down the hill towards the studios. His pace was slow and eventually he was over taken by Russel and Noodle. It left him alone to have a little time for his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder and half expected to see Murdoc waiting there for him, ready to slap him silly for old times sake.

The hill was empty and bitter. He turned his head around with a frown and tried to consol himself.

"Hey, I know Murdoc." He said with a chuckle. "He's probably having a great time now

2D lay on his bed staring up at the cracking ceiling. The pain of Murdoc's loss had subsided but still remained as a dull ache in his chest. He rolled to his side, restless and sad. He wondered about the future of Gorillaz. Would they still be the same without the unsavoury bass player to lead the way? Could they manage without that force? The force that would damn well kick his way through a crowd of orphans with a knife between his teeth if it meant a chance of success? These were the difficult questions that 2D knew the band would have to confront eventually. For now though, all they could do was rest for a time and let the grief wear away little by little.

As he lay there for a while longer he suddenly realised how eerily quiet it was. Usually at this time of day Murdoc had his beat box turned up to the highest setting, blaring nothing but black metal for hours on end. But now there was nothing. Not a peep wafted in from the car park and it unnerved 2D. He sat up and stretched his limbs, feeling the blood rush back into them. He had to do something to destroy this suffocating silence. He felt that it left him with nothing but his own thoughts and that led to nothing but trouble.

He shuffled over to the large organ over at the end of his room. He rarely ever played it despite the amount he had paid for it. But right now he felt it was the perfect instrument to reflect his inner world. He dusted the keys off and sat down; he rested his fingers on the notes but didn't yet play anything. He closed his eyes in thought mulling over the choices of songs he could play. Eventually he decided to simply play whatever came to his mind, thinking an original composition would be a great way to distract his troubled mind.

As he pressed down on the keys and played the first chord, the room rumbled with the reverberation. The song began slow and melancholy at first. 2D closed his eyes and let himself be drawn into the music. It was as if his fingers were independent of his control and knew exactly where to be placed. The danced and glided across the keys and soon the music increased in tempo, rising and falling like waves on the ocean. It was soothing and adsorbing, it was a story trying to be told, and only 2D had the power to tell it. Just before he reached the crescendo he felt a strong breeze blow across the back of his neck. He stopped playing and turned around to see what had caused it.

"That's weird…"

He door was swinging open, creaking back and forth as a draught blew in from the car park. 2D knew that he had closed it, and no strength of breeze had ever opened it before. He stood up and walked over to peer outside his room. The car park was as cold and empty as usual. The Winnebago still sat where it had always, although now it seemed to frighten 2D a little. No one had yet entered it or moved it out of respect for Murdoc. But without the Satanist it just seemed so much more ominous, like a haunted house.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

His voice echoed across the concrete. He shivered and closed his door shut deciding not to think too much about it. He mustn't have closed his door properly the first time. He walked back over to the organ, but when he began playing again he found that he simply couldn't continue the song he was playing before. He compared it to holding a beam of light, he had held it briefly and now it was gone. He sat discontent with himself. But the silence was creeping back again so he just decided to play anything to keep it at bay. Eventually he decided to play The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats. He let the upbeat tune wash his thoughts away, although he did decide that the organ made the song a little too dramatic.

"I've just kicked the bucket and that's what you play? You insensitive sod."

2D froze, all the hairs on his body had risen, from the base of his spine the top of his pointy blue head. It couldn't be? How could it possibly be!?

He slowly turned his head around with dread and curiosity. There, sitting on his bed, was none other than Murdoc Niccals, although he was dressed unusually, with a white robe and a funny pointy white hat.

2D's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fainted dramatically, landing on the organ behind him. The sound was loud enough to resound throughout every corner of Kong studios.