On his knees in the middle of St. Francis Cemetery next to his wife's tombstone, Jose Perry laments, "We were driving home from a restaurant. It wasn't a special day or anything. We just like to eat fast food after I get my salary. But the Road Hogs were waiting for us. They blocked our path with their motorcycles. It's like they knew we would be there!"
Eric winces when he feels a familiar sting in his chest. He receives flashes of himself and Shelly. Just a young couple; happy and very much in love until their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. T-Bird and his gang pass by; evil men, high on drugs and looking for fun. Eric is shot in the back of the head. Shelly is raped and beaten. Then, the crow appeared.
"Eric. Eric!" someone calls his name.
Eric wakes from the nightmare, and he is once again in the cemetery. He looks around, disoriented at first, and finds his crow perched on Glory Perry's gravestone.
"Don't forget why you're back, Eric," the crow reminds him.
Eric bends forward.
He grabs Jose's shoulders and urgently says, "We can't stay here. That dead swordsman's friends might be coming. Do you have a car? Can you drive?"
The widower wipes away his tears with a forearm. Then, he nods his head.
"Where are we going?" he asks.
"Just follow me," Eric tells him.
X
Eric rides the motorcycle out of the cemetery with Jose following in his pickup truck. When Eric is sure that they haven't been followed and are far away from the cemetery, he stops on the side of the road and hops off his bike.
After Jose also halts his vehicle, Eric looks into the window on the driver's side and casually asks, "You have a phone?"
Jose nods. It is obvious from his near blank expression that he is still in shock. After all, he was nearly killed by Weilong, who was in turn killed by the Crow, a legendary creature that he's only heard stories of from his grandmother.
"Hand it over," Eric commands.
Jose obeys and gives the other man his phone without question. Eric calls the Detroit police station.
A woman answers, and he tells her, "I'd like to speak to Captain Hook. Tell him it's Eric."
The woman puts him on hold but not for long.
Then, Hook answers the call, "I was wondering when you'd get in touch with me."
"How's Gabriel?" Eric asks. "Is he still alive?"
"Your damn cat's fine. Maybe he's like you. Maybe he don't know how to die."
"Let's meet. Someplace secluded where people won't ask why I have paint on my face and blood on my clothes. Detroit has changed since I was last here. I don't know where places are anymore."
"There's an old scrapyard we can go to."
"Sounds perfect."
Hook gives Eric directions.
X
Eric and Jose drive to the scrapyard. It is already afternoon when they get there. They both disembark and wait for the captain to arrive. Jose lights a cigarette with trembling fingers. He offers one to his rescuer, but the Crow declines. The widower leans his back against the side of the truck, takes a long drag, and exhales smoke through his nose.
While staring at the ground, he admits, "I ran. They pulled us both out of the truck. I broke free somehow and ran. I went back with the cops, but it was too late. I didn't even try to save her. I was too scared. I should've tried to fight or something-"
"Then, you'd both be dead, and there would be no one left to mourn either of you," Eric interrupts him. "Trust me. I know. I've been there. You don't wanna be what I've become."
Jose doesn't say anything, but the other man's words actually do offer him some comfort. Later, Captain Hook arrives in his car. He steps out of his vehicle, looks at Eric then Jose.
"We've met before, haven't we?" he asks the widower. "I'm sorry. I forget your name."
"Jose Perry," the Mexican American reminds the captain. "We met last year. My wife was murdered by a motorcycle gang."
"Right. I promised you justice, but I couldn't deliver. I apologize."
"What happened anyway?" Eric asks Hook.
"The bastards lawyered up. And not just any lawyer. They got Hillary Harris, the best goddamn lawyer in Detroit. I still have no idea how they were able to afford her."
Jose continues for him, "She said it was a dangerous neighborhood. That the murderers could have been anybody. I wasn't a very reliable witness either. I had quite a bit to drink that night. By the time she finished, even I wasn't sure of what I had seen."
"I'm sure," Eric assures him. "The crow saw everything. Then, he showed me. I saw through his eyes. It was like I was there. I saw all their faces."
"Now, wait just a goddamn minute," Hook warns him. "I'm an officer of the law. I can't just let you go psycho vigilante like you did the last time."
"What're you gonna do? Arrest them? That didn't work the last time, and it won't work this time either. Besides, you've got bigger problems." Eric points at Jose and tells the captain, "You need to put that man in protective custody. Someone tried to assassinate him today. The assassin's body is at the cemetery. Someone's probably discovered it by now."
Hook shakes his head wearily and sighs, "Alright. But let's not make a habit of this. I don't wanna be the Jim Gordon to your Batman."
Eric chuckles, "Don't worry, Captain. This'll all be over as soon as I avenge Shelly."
"Yeah. Wait, who?"
Eric seems confused for a second.
Then, he answers, "Glory. I just need to avenge Glory."
"You alright there, champ?" Hook asks. "You're not looking too good. Even for a dead man."
"I'm fine."
Eric hops back on his bike and rides away. His crow and Skull Cowboy watch him from atop a hill in the distance.
"You gotta rein that boy in," the cowboy advises the bird. "He's becoming unhinged."
"Eric has always been unstable," the crow responds. "But I'm not sure if it's because of the trauma from seeing his fiance get raped and beaten or because of how he died."
"Shot in the back of the head, wasn't he? Yeah, that might've scrambled his brains real good."
X
Weimin, the accountant that ran away from the Crow, and Weiyuan, the bald man that the Crow sent through a glass table, go to The Pit, a bar in Detroit, under orders from Mon Wei. Aside from Mon himself and his chauffeuse, they are the only other members of the triad to survive an encounter with the Crow. So their boss sends them on a mission to dig up any information they can on the mysterious mime from hell. And Weiyuan figures that the best place to buy information is a bar.
However, when he and his associate approach the counter to question the bartender, they are surprised to find a sketch of the man they are looking for framed next to pictures of B movie celebrities, rap artists, and porn stars who have visited The Pit before on one of the walls.
Weiyuan frantically points at the sketch and asks the barkeep, "Hey, who is that?!"
"Who's asking?" Frank, the burly bartender, asks back with one hand on the sawed-off shotgun hidden under the counter.
"A dead American president," Weimin replies while sliding a couple of bills on the countertop.
Frank relaxes. He smiles and takes his hand off the weapon.
Then, he palms the money and says, "That's the Crow. He's a bit of an urban legend in these parts. They say he's some dead guy that came back to life to wipe out an entire street gang to avenge the murder of his girl. Or so the story goes."
Weiyuan whispers to his associate in Chinese, "What do you think?"
"The likeness is uncanny, especially the eyes; the madness in them. I still have nightmares," the other gangster answers with a shiver. "Whoever drew that had to have seen him. I'd bet my life on it."
The bald man asks the bartender, "Who drew that picture?"
Frank smirks and says, "Who's asking?"
The accountant impatiently places a few more bills on the countertop and grumbles in Chinese, "Fucking Americans."
The bartender takes the money and informs them, "Sandy's teenage daughter, Sherri, drew that. That kid's got real talent. I put her drawing up there for outsiders who wanna hear about the urban legend. Yeah, the Crow's been pretty good for business."
"Who's Sandy?" Weiyuan asks. "And no more of this who's asking bullshit."
Frank frowns at him, points at a woman taking orders at a table, and grudgingly answers, "That's Sandy. One of our waitresses."
X
Eric quickly rides his motorcycle through the growing storm.
"Show me the Road Hogs," he says with his mind instead of his voice.
His crow squawks in response and flies miles ahead of him, faster than any normal bird can fly and not too terribly bothered by the rain and strong winds. Eventually, it perches on the tall sign of a chop shop disguised as a garage.
Eric reads the name of the business through his crow's eyes: Road Hog Automotive Repair Shop. He sees the ugly, unshaven faces of the men drinking and laughing through a window of the small building. He recognizes them from the vision the crow showed him earlier of Glory Perry's brutal murder.
Then, he revs up the motorcycle's engine, propelling the vehicle to even greater, more dangerous speeds. Suddenly, he has another flashback of Shelly's horrific death. He sees her desperately trying to defend herself against her attackers. He hears her screams.
The flashback lasts only a couple of seconds in real time. But it distracts Eric enough for him to lose his balance. The speeding motorcycle wobbles. The rider tries to regain control of it, but the road is too slippery. He is thrown off the vehicle, and the bike crashes and skids on its side. The momentum sends Eric rolling on his side.
Afterwards, he just lies dazed on the road as the rain falls on and all around him. He isn't wearing a helmet. That crash would have most likely killed any other man.
Seconds later, the Crow grunts and sits up. He slowly rises to his feet.
Then, he trudges through the rain and groans, "Shelly. I must avenge Shelly. Then, this will all be over, and I'll be able to spend forever with her."
X
Sandy comes home from work. She and her daughter sit on the couch and watch a variety show on the television while having TV dinners. It's part of their routine before bed, which allows them to bond a little in spite of the waitress's busy schedule.
"Oh, Frank told me that a couple of Asian guys in suits were really interested in your drawing earlier," the waitress informs the teenager without taking her eyes off the TV screen. "You know, the one with the Crow."
"Did they say why?" Sherri asks.
"I never got to talk to them. They asked Frank a bunch of questions then left. Maybe they were just tourists or something."
Except Weimin and Weiyuan didn't go far after speaking with the bartender. They smoked in a dark alley while waiting for Sandy's shift to finish. Then, they followed her home and contacted the boss's dog who arrived later in his limousine.
Both mother and daughter squeal and jump when a bald, short, and mean-looking man with Chinese characters on his face kicks the door in.
Weiyuan points a QSZ-92 pistol at them and says, "Do as you're told, and I won't need to use this."
The women are too frightened to reply. The bald gangster steps aside, and Mon Wei enters the apartment followed by Weimin who also has a pistol in his hand.
"Good evening, ladies," the son of the White Paper Fan greets them with false courtesy. "I apologize for dropping in unannounced at such an ungodly hour, but I have a few urgent questions regarding a drawing on the wall of a bar. Answer honestly, and you will have nothing to worry about."
With her mother fearfully holding her, Sherri growls at the intruder, "Who the fuck are you? What do you want from us?"
"You're not paying attention. I said I would ask the questions. What can you tell me about the Crow?"
The teenage girl just defiantly glares at him in silence.
Mon Wei sighs, "Fine. Now, you have something to worry about."
He nods at Weiyuan. The bald man grabs the teenager and rips her from her mother's arms.
"No, no! Leave her alone!" Sandy screeches.
But when she tries to stand up, Mon strikes her in the face with the back of his hand, knocking her back onto the couch.
"Mom!" Sherri yells.
She struggles, but Weiyuan is much stronger in spite of his size, and he easily drags her into her bedroom and throws her onto the mattress. Mon enters and looks around at the sketches all over the walls.
"Aiya, you draw this guy a lot," he remarks. "He must be very important to you. And I'm assuming you're important to him."
Sherri just quietly glowers at him while sitting in bed.
"Leave us," Mon commands.
Weiyuan exits the room and closes the door.
X
"Look at this face," Mon Wei tells the girl while leaning forward to show her his scars. "He did this to me."
"I bet you deserved it," Sherri hisses.
"Hah! He did it to avenge a worthless woman. Important people like me should be allowed to do whatever we want to trash like her. And you."
The teenager cringes in horror when her captor straightens and unbuckles his belt.
Mon wickedly sniggers, "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out what I'm about to do to you."
He unzips his fly.
Sherri snickers, "You're kidding me, right?"
Mon furrows his brow in confusion. He looks down and is shocked to discover that his weenie is limp.
"What the fuck?!" he shrieks.
Sherri hits him with an uppercut to the nuts. Mon groans and buckles. The teenage girl vaults off the bed then punches him in the nose.
Mon screeches, "You bitch! You broke my nose again! It hasn't even completely healed yet!"
"That's for hitting my mom!" Sherri snarls.
Mon punches her in the stomach in retaliation. However, the girl only barely feels it. Sherri isn't a helpless maid like Bea Bernardo. She grew up fighting in the dangerous streets of a rough neighborhood.
She laughs, "My God, you don't even know how to throw a punch. The thumb goes on the outside. Like this!"
She throws her fist into his abdomen. Mon coughs out saliva. The wind is knocked out of him. He would have collapsed if not for the wall behind him. Sherri continues the assault with alternating lefts and rights to the body.
Mon cries, "S-Stop! Please stop!"
X
His men hear him from the other room.
"Was that the boss's dog?" Weimin asks his associate. "Shouldn't it be the girl screaming that?"
They hear him scream, "Help! Help me!"
"Aw, you gotta be fucking kidding me!" Weiyuan exclaims in disbelief. "I gotta save him from a teenage girl?!"
X
Weiyuan rushes back into the bedroom and finds Mon slumped against a wall with his genitals hanging out while Sherri relentlessly punches him in the abdomen. The bald gangster yanks the girl off the administrator's assistant and roughly sends her sprawling across the floor.
X
Meanwhile, in the other room, while Weimin keeps an eye on Sandy, Albrecht suddenly bursts through the door with a revolver in his hand.
"Freeze! Police!" he yells at the goon.
However, Weimin spins and raises his own gun at the policeman.
"Shit!" Albrecht cusses as he shoots the gangster in the stomach.
Weimin grunts in pain but still manages to squeeze the trigger. The police officer doubles up when a bullet hits him in the leg. He shoots the gangster again.
X
Weiyuan turns to the bedroom door when he hears the policeman announce himself and exclaims, "Fuck! It's the cops!"
However, when he attempts to exit the room and assist his associate, Mon weakly stammers, "N-No. Leave him. You have to protect me. You have to get me out of here."
The bald man hesitates out of concern for Weimin but only for a second. Then, he pulls the boss's dog to his feet and helps him out a window to a fire escape.
They hurriedly descend the metal stairway. Once on the ground, Weiyuan briefly looks around to make sure that there are no cops waiting for them. Then, he and Mon cross the street to the latter's limo where his chauffeuse, Weici, is waiting.
"What happened?!" the woman asks when she sees Mon limping towards the car.
Weiyuan shoves the administrator's assistant into the back seat and sits next to him.
"Drive!" Mon frantically commands.
"Where's Weimin?" Weici asks.
"Forget him! Why didn't you warn us about the cops?"
"What cops?! I saw one guy go in. He wasn't wearing a uniform or anything-"
"Just drive, you stupid bitch!"
X
Sherri groggily gets back up after the men leave. When she regains her balance a little, she unsteadily walks out of the room to check on her mother. She finds Sandy kneeling on the floor, tightly wrapping a piece of cloth around Albrecht's leg wound.
When Sandy notices her, she opens her arms and worriedly asks, "Oh, baby, did they hurt you?"
Sherri hugs her mother and reassures her, "I'm fine, Mom." Then, she asks the policeman, "Are you okay?"
"I'll live," Albrecht weakly mumbles while sitting on the floor with his back against a wall.
"How'd you know we were in trouble?"
"I didn't. Just a coincidence. I check on you every now and then, remember?"
"Thanks. You saved us."
"You should thank our mutual friend, too."
"I will next time I see him."
Albrecht motions to the dead gangster on the floor and informs the women, "I know that son of a bitch. He's with the Wei Triad. If you're both willing to testify, we can finally file a case against them."
"Oh, we'll testify alright," Sherri bravely answers. "Two other guys got away through the fire escape, but I remember both their faces."
"Good. Lemme just call the captain so he can send a squad over to make the proper arrests."
"Okay. But personally, I wish Eric gets these triad guys first."
TO BE CONTINUED