|
Jared found himself staring at the ceiling. It had been a long night, he could remember that much. Turning his head slightly to one side, he let his eyes land on the VCR in the entertainment stand. 6:00. Six in the morning and here he was lying on her couch in her apartment. He�d found his way into her apartment by following her voice, her crying voice, but she was not crying now; she was more likely asleep in her bed, or so he would like to have hoped. The old woman and the child were no longer here, their abrupt visit cut to an end, but Jared Anders still pondered on their musings; had they been right? Was he really just making things worse for her by being here? He shook his head and flipped onto his back. As the wonders and worries crisscrossed along his mind, he saw her clear as day on the ceiling. She was slumped back against the surface, fighting to stand, while her legs threatened to give out beneath her. Suddenly her eyes rolled back into her head and she crumpled forward, towards the ground, and towards him, and Jared gasped out loud, not at what was occurring but at the recollection that somewhere he had seen this before. He called her name once� twice� �Damn,� the old woman swore under her breath, bringing a wrinkled hand to stroke her chin. Jared looked across at her suddenly as she stood in the centre of the room from where he stood. He wondered to himself how she had gotten there� had she been there a moment ago? Of course she had, she had showed up just.. after.. the attack. Jared chuckled at his own uneasiness. The young girl skipped past him, giving a sweet smile of innocence which suddenly distorted into one of seriousness, her eyes letting onto the wisdom she truly possessed. She then crouched down and stroked a finger along Kayla�s brow. Jared blinked. Since when had Kayla got there, laid unconscious on the couch, and why did she murmur now as the child touched her? He brought a hand to his head, massaging his temple firmly, trying to piece it together in his head. He muttered her name; a pondering. He cried out, screaming for her to answer him as his fists pounded the door, demanding her attention, demanding she let him into her apartment. He never heard the lock click open, nor did he hear her shouting back at him. The door opened somewhat, and her face peeked into view, while she kept herself partially hidden behind the door, trying to hide from him the lace shorts and small white T-shirt in which she was barely dressed. But he moved past her, into the apartment without asking, his eyes darting to the couch where she lay.. no, he lay.. furrowing his brow, he turned to look at her, his eyes absently roaming her body as she stared blankly at him, surprise written all over her face. �Lace, nice.� She tilted her head, watching him for a moment, and felt her skin warm beneath his intense gaze. She cleared her throat, shimmying sideways, but found nothing to hide herself behind. He narrowed his eyes slowly, hit again by the same d�j� vu as he had experienced earlier. He glanced to the VCR with the corners of his emerald eyes. 2:25pm. Jared nearly choked on his breath, his eyes doing a complete double-take. That time couldn�t be.. �Can I help you?� Jared looked back to her, his jaw falling just a little ajar and he shook his head, forehead creased in bemusement. �I knew you were going to say that-� He turned away a moment, trying to get a baring, but no matter how hard his fingers massaged his beating temple, he just could not decipher� could not understand. He turned back to her. She left no room for warmth in her voice, her eyes colder and narrowed above the crimson mask that covered her lower jaw, the busy pedestrians bustling by about their business as they stood together, two superhero-types, alone and ignored in Galaxy City. �Still following me, it seems, hm?� Jared cried out, staggering back from her, his breathing picking up an instant panic, his eyes wide beneath the dark mask that covered his handsome face. She narrowed her eyes, looking both annoyed and bemused. This had happened before. Jared knew this had happened before� this wasn�t d�j� vu. �Oh, you�ve finally lost your mind now, hm?� he heard himself mocking in his own mind. �No!� came his retaliation, out loud, and the reaction made the masked woman step back in surprise. But again came the reply his mind issued for only him. �No? Then why are you talking to yourself in the middle of a scene you think has already happened? You�ve lost it, Anders, completely fucking lost it.� Jared Anders, the self-proclaimed Hive-Mind, could manage only to shake his head, grabbing tightly onto his own temples. Somewhere he heard the sound of a shotgun and the ending of a life, but it was far away from him, in place and time, and it was he who pulled the trigger for the unfortunate victim. D�j� vu. �Not likely! You�re going off the deep end, Anders. All for the love of your Barbie girl, you�re actually going loopy, nuts, crazy. Feel like a fucking idiot yet? Because you should.� The masked woman was backing off now, leaving the strange stalker to shout at himself in the middle of Freedom Court. �No! I�m not going mad, it�s you! Stop talking to me, leave me alone, get the fuck out of my head.� Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled. It tolled for him. Jared opened his eyes, squinting through a gap in his fingers as he clawed them down his chiseled face. A clear as day he saw him, and it was the first thing that he had seen so clearly in a long while. The figure was tall, taller than Jared who was by no means a small man, and clad from head-to-toe in flowing, billowing, lime green robes, an outfit matching the static-like energy bursting from the ageing being. Jared growled, lowering his head, feeling his entire body shaking with anger and hatred; something about the enigmatic figure glowing powerfully before him amongst a set of ancient runes, it set off a nerve in The Hive-Mind. Without a word, the elderly being tipped back its head, letting forth a billowing laugh. �You� you�re the voice in my head.� There was a moments pause as Jared�s eyes met that of the Soul Mage before him, and he could see his own reflection in the mirror-like spheres that were the irises of the conjurer. �I am the reason there is a voice in your head, Anders. And you are my insurance that this goes how I plan it.� Jared spat on the ground, looking to where moments ago the woman known as the Crimson Psibolt had stood. Kayla� Lifting a shaky finger, he readjusted the mask on his face, his eyes returning to the form of the Soul Mage, pulsating with energy. Jared could feel all that he had experienced welling up inside of him, and for every thought he possessed there was the after-thought, the mind of the Soul Mage probing him, jeering him. He could feel the tears in his eyes, the ache in his every limb. He wanted the Soul Mage to feel the pain that he had felt as his time had been ripped apart and sewn back together around him, as he had witnessed images that no man should ever witness; all the price for his love. And as the Soul Mage descended upon Jared Anders for whatever purpose it had in mind, he reacted in the only way that he could. Like a torrential hurricane The Hive-Mind�s emotions were projected forward, every single tear he had shed, every drop of blood he had shed, each and every moment that had caused that throbbing in his head. The unexpected mental weapon knocked the Soul Mage back, forcing him to relive the moments Jared wished only to forget. Goose bumps covered the length of her naked torso, her skin so white; he could see even the smallest, delicate veins. Her lips trembled as they moved, the words tumbling from her mouth incoherent. �Jared? You�ve just only made things worse. Heed thy warning. I killed a part of me.� He tugged the kitchen knife from her gut hurriedly, tossing it aside. Even his large palms could not cover the wound to stop the bleeding, and no amount of hands could bring back the blue to her eyes as milky clouds shifted in front of them. He felt the blood drain from his face, and rushed forward. He nearly stopped at the sight of the blood she continued to cough up, and clapped a hand over his mouth, telling himself not to throw up, as she then began to vomit thick, dark, sickly red entrails. He watched in horror as they landed on the carpet with a sickening slippery noise, curling over in a big heap, sliding past her lips. They screamed at him to get away, yet enticed him with whispers, caressing his mind, encouraging him to seal his fate. �Heed thy warning; when the bell tolls, it will toll for thee.� He felt her hand grab his and he absently swatted at her, wanting only to fall back into the wave of unconsciousness that had thankfully taken him. The lights danced before his eyes but he paid them no heed, hoping only to embrace darkness once more. Slender fingers prodded him, tugging at his hair and ears. �Get up.� He shook his head and gave a groan, not wanting to remember. �I�m not going to ask again, Jared.� The voice sounded familiar again, as slowly his senses returned to him. He could hear the many noises around him, not only of talking and passing vehicles, but a bell somewhere in the distance, but of thoughts too, so many innocent, uncaring thoughts, occupied only in themselves and their own, small, insignificant worlds. And from his own mind he heard no sarcastic reply. He pulled himself up just enough to let his eyes meet hers, and the color in the sparkling blue depths brought energy to his aching limbs; with his aid, she dragged him to his feet and, using the tips of her fingers, she began to dust down his spandex-clad chest. He watched her, the too-familiar features of her, her flowing auburn hair, the dark markings on her jaw and cheekbone. There was a fatigue in her eyes akin to his own, and she looked injured, bruises scattered along her delicate skin, and Jared had to strongly resist touching them with a tender hand. Added to that, her clothes were torn, mere tatters of cloth that barely clung to her dignity. She flashed him a smile that seemed so very out of place, and he averted his eyes hurriedly. She took him by surprise, a kiss on the lips that lasted but a brief moment, her hands and his remaining solidly at their sides, and before he could even lift them to grab her as he so longed, she had broken the embrace her lips had enticed. He brought his fingers to his lips, licking the taste of her from them. �Hurry, then, if we�re to help her�� She grabbed his hands, tugging him, leading him after her and he obliged, allowing her to take him without knowing whether such an action was wise; his decision was made though, his mind made no witty retort at his blind trust. �Help who?� She gave a small laugh as she guided him down the many steps, away from the Paragon City Hall and Freedom Court, glancing back at him only for a second; a second to give him a reply. �Me.�
|