D.o.M._2K8 presents: ep. XX
-->Return to Va'Sheer (part 3)<--

'If you love something.... Let it go... If it comes back to you it's yours... If it doesn't...it never was... Hold me down baby.... Either let me fly, or give me death. Let my soul rest, take my breath. If I don't fly I'mma die anyway. I'mma live on, but I'll be gone anyday.'
--->Earl Simmons aka Darkman X
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Friday, November 23rd, 2007~

Peace.

Rest.

Her body shivered as she lay in the guest bedroom. I sat across the room just watching her sleep. Creepy I know, but I couldn't help but admire her beauty. The attraction that grew as she slept. Seeming so at peace, i only dreamt of obtaining that kind of inner relaxation. It was something i had nearly forgotten existed.

Within me I knew there was trouble but without her memory I could have no idea what that was. All I could remember was that morning. The morning I awoke and found her gone, and I struggled to remember that through the swirls of violence, liqour, pain, and drugs. My usual way of dealing with things.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~X~X~X~X~FLASHBACK~X~X~X~X~
~Saturday, August 11th, 2K7~
Detroit, Michigan
11:14 pm
---------------------

I opened my eyes to darkness, there was nothing inside the room, at least until my eyes adjusted themselves. As the room began to come into focus, I noticed I was sinking ever deeper into my side of the bed. I turned to my left to see more nothing.

Cheri was gone.

I sat straight up in bed, my mind racing through more than double it's normal amount of scattered thoughts as I tried to listen for footsteps, some sign that she was still there.

Again... nothing.

I threw my legs over the bed and began turning on lights throughout the apartment. I searched everywhere, even West, and Richard had gone. And after seraching the entire place, All I found was a note with a large bloodstain, next to a large bottle of Jack Daniels on the counter.

In the short time I had known her, I had fallen for her. She was different from the rest, not only because she was part of something inhuman, but because she was a contradiction to herself. She was guilty, but innocent. Mature, but young. She was love, yet hate, and so on and so forth.

I took my seat at the table and read the note aloud to myself. Hearing her voice play through my mind, reading it with me.

    "James... I'm sorry. This can't work. We can't be together, I tried to make it feel right, but it just doesn't.... I don't know how to say exactly what I want to say, but...... I'm not human James, I'm something darker. You're a human, guarded by a light. A light that blinds me, and hurts to look at. You are far beyond my reach. I extend my hand, but even when you hold it............I cannot be saved.
    I am leaving now, please, don't look for me. We cannot be. I know how much this will hurt you, so I've left you something on the counter... I only ask for one thing... Please....don't cry..."

'Don't cry?' I thought as the tears streamed down my cheeks. 'Am I that much of a monster she could expect me to comply with that request? Veya, Red, Nicci... They had all been naught but lust, Cheri was something I could feel inside me. There was more there that I couldn't begin to describe.'

I crumpled the note in my fist, as my face cringed.

Tossing the note aside I opened the bottle, and began to drink.

~X~X~X~X~END FLASHBACK~X~X~X~X~
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

~Unknown~

"Heh heh... Rats... They're rats in our maze... only there's no cheese without a trap at the end..." came a gruff voice from the otherside of the wall. The boy immediately dropped and searched he seen no one, but could still hear the voices.

"P-P-P-P Please sir... I've a husband, and a son... He's only 18......P-P-P-P please......no." came the weak and clearly frightened woman's reply and the boy's world swarmed him. It was his mother.

The boy ran without abandon into the street and around to the front of the house. The door was open and there was no less than four Draccin soldiers standing in full armor.

Centered among all of them was  his mother, the woman who had born hours of pain to bring him into this world lay on the floor her blouse torn, a breast exposed. The man who was clearly this bunch's leader stepped towards the weakened woman and ripped her to her feet by a handful of hair. The boy stood frozen with fear and hatred for a moment.

The 'leader' then tore his mother's dress completely down the front exposing her completely. She tried her best to cover herself  but could do nothing more than cry when the 'leader' slapped her hard with a gloved hand, and she spun through the air, landing among a pile of books, and spices.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!!!!!" the boy screamed at the top of his lungs turning each soldiers attention to the skiiny teenager behind them.

"Well Well... Look what the rags brought in... " Said the leader as he began to descend upon the boy. "Might this whelp belong to you bitch?" the Draccin captain said darkly as he approached the teenager who's fingers wrapped around the hilt of his steel shortsword.

"Albert, RUN!" His mother screamed throwing herself upon the Captin's back. He turned and threw her to the wall as Albert turned and ran as his mother instructed.

Not once did he look back.
~X~X~X~X~END FLASHBACK~X~X~X~X~
============================================================

Now the boy finally stopped running, and sneaking. He dropped himself to the shadows, and finally began to weep for the loss of his mother. He recalled now the last image of her in his mind, slumped against the wall her head trickling blood down the side of her face. Her smile long lost.

Since then he had seen nothing but darkness within the walls of VaSheer. Those who were unable to escape were bound for nothing short of a horrible death. Women sprawled atop wooden tables comepletely naked and decomposing. Their esophogus hanging from their throat, and their legs open, stains of blood in the middle. The children murdered, men tortured and murdered, and the unfortunate women who failed to escape, (or refused to leave) suffered a combination of murder, torture, and rape.

Albert wept then in the silent darkness of the alley for the lives of those lost. He wondered if his king was alive or if he had suffered the same deathly fate as those who stayed within the city. No he couldn't think that way. He had to stay positive. He was still alive, and he alone could change the future of the city, the only problem was he had no idea how to do it. He wiped a tear from his eye as he curled into a ball and drifted to sleep.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(The mouth of the madman)

Well Well Well....

(Motorhead playing in the background)

So are we going to do this again? Or are you too busy making moves on your old beau?

(The camera pulls back to show James standing before a variety of television sets depicting video montages of his greatest in ring moments.)

Maybe you could put him on hold and pay attention over here to your television a moment.

You know...Take a look at the face of a winner.

The face of insanity

Oh who cares what I look like!

It's what I am that matters... And if you don't know who and what I am by now...

Well then Madison You have about as good a chance as an Atheist in church of getting a miracle .