WELL MY FRIENDS, THIS PARTICULAR SEGMENT IN OUR STORY HAS EXTENDED IT A GOOD 14 CHAPTERS, BUT IT'S FINNALY TIME TO END IT AND GET ON WITH THE REAL STORY! *THROWS CONFETEE* I WAS RUNNING OUT OF SAD CRAP FOR THE JOKERS TO SEE! SO, HERE IT IS!
Ch. 56: Back in Business!
We emerged from the side of a graffiti covered building. I felt the urge to put my hand on my gun, what the hell kind of place is this?!
In front of us, on the other side of a narrow street, was a cracked and badly damaged sidewalk was lined on the side with a rusting chain link fence. And from the buildings around us, this was not a good neighborhood.
Nightmare tapped my shoulder to gain our attention, "…I sense this is the last memory. I stiffened, "Really?!" He nodded, "Yes, the next door should lead us straight into the borders of C.J's mind. Once there, Reason and Emo should rejoin and we can break the spell."
I fist pumped, "Alright! You hear that?!" I looked down at the two C.J's, only to see that they were both staring at the sidewalk with strange expressions. White noticed, "…What is it?" Reason scoffed, "This figures. The last memory…is also my first real memory."
I blinked, when voices interrupted. I turned to see a very little, probably 4 year old C.J hopping along, holding Daniel's 11 year old hand tightly. "Can I pleeeeaaaaaassssseeeee Ni-san?" He laughed, "No can do kiddo. The hat's my trademark; can't just let other people wear it!" I then noticed, he's wearing C.J's hat…so…that's where it really came from…. That's a sobering fact.
The mini C.J huffed, looking sad. Daniel smiled and leaned down, "Tell you what kid; someday, I'll be too big to wear this hat. Once I outgrow it, you'll inherit it, ok?" C.J perked up and grinned, "Ok Ni-san!" He laughed and picked C.J up, setting her on his shoulders, "Come on, Mom and Dad are waiting!" He started off quickly as we all stood in frozen shock, C.J's dad?! Are we going to see C.J's father?!
I snapped out of it, dragging the others after Daniel and C.J. They passed down the broken pavement until the sidewalk suddenly stopped, leaving them in the road. Even with C.J safely on his shoulders, Daniel was very careful in the street, constantly looking back to check for oncoming vehicles.
I stared at the boy. White leaned in, "…He's pretty tall for an 11 year old…" It was true. I hadn't noticed it because he was sitting down last time, but the kid was rather tall and thin for his age. Tall, blond, blue eyes…a veritable saint…I felt a pang of sorrow go through my clock. He defiantly would have been popular with the girls in just a few years….
At some point, the trashy suburbs became a ghetto neighborhood. Daniel walked C.J up to the door of a small, rickety looking house with boards nailed over the windows and a padlock blocking the entrance to the mailbox. We followed him inside as he set C.J down. The house was just as bad on the inside as it was on the outside. The furniture was well used and in good enough condition, but the walls of this place were a filthy white wash with mildew stains in the corners. The carpet on the ground looked like if I walked on it barefoot, it might draw blood. White grimaced, clearly not happy with the living conditions of his girlfriend's childhood.
As Daniel set C.J down, they both noticed something was wrong. You could see it in their faces. Daniel bit his lip and called out, "Mom? Dad? We're home! You here?" They heard sobbing from behind a door. Daniel's eyes widened and he rushed in, C.J and us hot on his heels.
As the door flung open, we were greeted with the sight of a woman crying on the lumpy mattress. Tissues were scattered near a waste basket, along with the fragmented remains of family photo as she bawled her eyes out. I glanced to see that the closet near the bed had been ransacked, dresses and blouses all strung out haphazardly as empty hangers dangled in the dark closet. A crummy set of drawers were brazed through as well, contents scattered about.
I looked at the woman again, recognition setting in again. Oh s***, that's-
"MOM!" Daniel ran to the woman, a petite thing with long, wavy black hair, and angular brown eyes. C.J saw from the door way, "MOMMY!" The woman stretched out her arms to her children, accepting them with a loving and desperate embrace that you'd have thought wasn't the same woman who murdered her son.
"My babies!" She held her kids and kissed them on the head as she sobbed. C.J looked up at her crying mother, "…Mommy, where's Daddy?" A new wave of tears spilled, "S-sweety…Daddy isn't coming back. He's not ever coming back…."
Unable to take it, Emo cried out and fled back into the other room, all the way to the other side, and closed her ears against the tearful events. White and Reason ran to her, "What's the matter?" She looked up at him, "I…I can't take it! Seeing her, and him, the way they were then…I hate it!" Tears spilled from her eyes, "My mom…my big brother…." Probably unsure what to do, White leaned down and hugged C.J, "It's ok. You're not alone anymore C.J."
Reason paused before addressing her other half, "…She wasn't even then you know." All eyes turned to her, "She was always a little crazy. Crazy, but stable. After having two kids and living in the ghetto, and the stress of work, and finding out Dad was cheating on her, she got worse. …I think Dad knew it to. He packed up and left. I think he moved in with his new girlfriend." She stared dead at Emo, "And he didn't take us, because he never loved us. No man who loved his family would cheat on his wife, to hell with leaving his kids in the hands of a woman he knew was mentally unstable." She shrugged, "Parents wise, I suppose, we could have done worse."
I gulped, Reasons words sinking in. I got her message loud and clear; good riddance to bad rubbish.
Emo sucked up air and sniffled, drying her tears. The speech stopped her from showing her emotions, but I could see that the hurt was still there.
Nightmare coughed, "Umm…I found the exit." We all turned to him and followed his gesture to see a door. I almost danced with joy, We're free at last! We didn't even bother looking at the door as I tore it open and everyone ran into the familiar colors of the dream world. I sighed, "Dealer, I've never been so happy to be here!" "Me neither!" I froze and turned around slowly, seeing White doing the same exact thing.
Behind us stood a normal, 17 year old C.J.
P.O.V Change: Peirce
I was pacing like my life depended on hit, my boots starting to make a rut in the dust. I bumped into something hard and went sprawling to the ground. I rubbed my nose and looked up to see the sudden obstruction, only to see Joker! My eyes widened and I jumped up, casting away all fear of him and hugging him, "I have never been so happy to see you!"
White coughed and shoved me away, but my grin was still plastered. We looked over to the others, who getting up from their positions around C.J. White held up a hand to stop them and they all froze, dreading the worst from his expression.
He let a smile come through and gave them a thumbs up, "Mission accomplished."
The area erupted into loud and chaotic cheers of joy. Once everyone had calmed down, Yuri picked up the focal with a grin, "Only one thing left to do then!" I tossed the focal up in the air and everyone drew their guns and opened fire. The stupid thing was nothing but dust in the sand when it hit the ground!
Everyone turned and went back to C.J, gathering around. After a moment that we all held our breaths in, C.J started to stir. Then, her eyes flew open!
HE HE…I HAVE A NEW STORY IDEA! BUT INSTEAD OF GIVING YOU ALL A BORING OLD SUMMARY THIS TIME, I'LL GIVE YOU A SMALL PROLOG! CONSIDER IT A BONUS. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
Alice's breath was heavy as she struggled to quell it, for fear she would hear it. Alice's pen scratched horridly loud on the parchment as she struggled to write what may be her final good byes in the cheap, spotting ink.
Dear everyone,
I'm sorry. I should have listened, I should have stopped. I didn't mean for it to happen this way! I should never have spoken to her! But she was a child…she seemed so cold and alone. Her silver hair looking like snow covering her…she looked so fragile then. But now I see. I see what glows within those red eyes. Evil. She's pure evil! Why didn't I see that, why didn't I listen?!
A tear fell on the paper as Alice tried desperately to keep her sobs within. I can't let her get me. Not yet.
No matter what happens to me tonight, she must be stopped! You all must kill her! There's only one way. You all must find
Alice's pen stopped dead, along with her breath as the door to the spare room creaked open. There, in the door way, stood little Mia. She smiled sadly, the expression not reaching those glowing eyes from hell, "There you are Alice." Mia stepped forth, a knife flashing in her hand, "I'm sorry it came down to this Alice. I really liked you. I wanted to be friends. But you're getting in my way."
She raised the knife, a tear with no meaning sliding down her small cheek, "I can't be stopped now. I can't ever be stopped."