Contest: Write! -- LiveWire Teen Forums

Before you read this, I should warn you: It's really long. And also, I had originally typed this in a Word Document, which I copied and pasted from. That meant that I had to go through it all, retyping the "", -, ' etc. I may have missed a few. Anyway, I really poured my heart into this. Enjoy:

Death's Cold Embrace

I'd always had trouble fitting in. There had always been the feeling in the back of my mind that I didn't fit in, that I didn't belong... that I never would. This feeling wasn't particularly helped by the fact that I didn't have any friends, and the only feeling that I had for my family was contempt. My name is Jake, and I'm about to tell you about my life, starting from the moment I cared about it.

The day started like any other. There was no hint that anything out of the ordinary was about going to happen. It's funny, isn't it, that we always assume that there's going to be some sense of foreboding if something important is about to happen. Hell, we think we'd be able to tell if something good or bad was going to happen. However, the sense of foretelling isn't one of our five senses. Sure, there are tons of people that claim to be able to tell the future, but every one of them are liars and con-men. And con-women. I wouldn't want to be accused of being sexist. There are just as many women out there that prey on the gullible as there are men.

As I said, it was a normal day. Just your average Saturday. I woke up about 11 o'clock, and rolled out of bed. I walked to the mirror -no graceless and undignified staggering for me- and examined my reflection. I took in my short blond hair -I'm an intelligent blond, thank you very much- and my blue eyes. Thankfully, my skin had cleared up a year or so ago, and I had no spots. I looked at my upper lip and cheeks, and decided I could get away without shaving. Satisfied that my face hadn't changed drastically overnight, I went for a shower.

I love standing under the hot spray of water. The feeling of the water rolling over my skin was bliss. I could stand under the flow for ages. Of course, my parents wouldn't be happy with me if I did, so I had to limit myself. After my shower I got dressed, and then ate my breakfast in the living room. My family were already up, my mum and sister watching some rubbish soap, and my dad on the computer. I went back upstairs to brush my teeth, and then entered my bedroom. At a loss for what to do, I sat on my bed for several minutes, trying to decide. Finally, I settled on going out. Quickly, I put some trainers on, threw on a jacket and came downstairs. I told my family I was going out for a while, and I heard a grunt in answer. They didn't care what I did or when I did it, and I responded by feeling disgust and contempt for them. Brainless zombies, all three of them, held in thrall by TV, pop culture and the Internet. They sickened me.

As I wandered the streets of the small town where I lived, my mind wandered, as it was apt to do. With an intelligence as large as my own, the smallest things trigger thoughts that I have no choice but to follow. And even if I did have a choice, I'd follow them anyway. They're too fascinating to ignore. In this case, I spotted a young couple near my age, caught up in the rush of hormones triggered by the spotting of an attractive characteristic in another individual. They probably thought it was love. I stifled a snort. As if you could find love at so young an age. What they felt was a weak shadow of what love should be. They felt an attraction, an attraction that degraded over time, until it reaches a critical point where it was replaced by loathing. Both of their eyes would start to wander, and the temptation to cheat would arise. And the thought would pass through their minds "Why should I wait to tell my (for lack of a better word) partner that it's over? I'll have fun tonight, and then I'll end it tomorrow." Only, the thing is, when tomorrow comes, they hesitate before speaking the mortal words that give their relationship a formal ending. They become scared. Scared of change. By this point, they'd been with each other for so long that they couldn't imagine life without them. So they hesitate, and then don't bother breaking it off. They convince themselves that they could make it work, but really, they know that it's never going to happen. And then temptation arises again, and they succumb again. And the cycle repeats, and repeats, and repeats, until they're caught. Then they gain the reputation of being a cheater, and nobody would give them a moment's consideration for anything more serious than a fling. This chain of thought kept me occupied for several minutes, before a new thought forced its way to the forefront of my mind. What was real love?

To me, love is when two people have such feelings of deep affection for each other, that they don't care what they're doing together. Being with each other is enough. It doesn't matter if you're having a romantic candle-lit dinner in a fancy restaurant, or if you were sitting side-by-side in a car after picking up a drive-thru. The fact that you loved the other made such things like surroundings or activities seem irrelevant. Why should such things matter? They shouldn't. Not if you really loved the other person. But such love is so rare it makes gold seem like stainless steel, or diamond as common as a pebble. And both are reduced to the same value in comparison. What use are earthly things when faced with a love so pure? When you come right down to it, gold is pretty useless. Sure, it looks pretty, but why is it so valuable? The value of precious stones and minerals are attributed by humans. No animal would care about an emerald, but they spend a large portion of their lives looking for a mate. Shouldn't that tell you that love is infinitely more valuable than metal or stone?

I bet that you didn't expect such a romantic notion of love from someone as seemingly bitter as I am. But that's me, full of surprises.

Deep in thought, I wasn't paying attention to where my feet were taking me. I looked up and glanced around. I was on a deserted street, but I didn't know which one. I shrugged to myself. It didn't matter. I'd just turn around and pretty soon I'd be back on a street I recognised. I started walking back the way I'd come, passing the mouth of an alley. Just as I'd passed it, a rough, dry hand clamped itself firmly over my mouth to stop me shouting out, and I was pulled forcibly back into the alley. I didn't struggle. Why should I? I could tell my assailant was far stronger than me, so it was pointless to resist. Futile. So I didn't bother trying.

There was a strange smell. I'd never smelled such a scent before in my life. It was unlike anything that I had smelled. It wasn't unpleasant, not really, but it wasn't exactly pleasant, either. It was slightly cloying, and it permeated my nostrils. The closest thing to it was the scent of a reptile. I was thrown roughly against a wall.
"I'm going to take my hand off your mouth now. If you shout out, I won't hesitate in snapping your neck," hissed a slightly sibilant male voice. I could tell from the tone that it wasn't a bluff. The hand, as promised, removed itself from my mouth.
"Turn around," the voice said. I turned slowly, not knowing what to expect. Was he going to mug me? Possibly. Was he going to beat me up? Unlikely. When I turned around, the visage of nightmares greeted my view.

The thing's face was covered in scales. The face was slightly elongated, like a reptile's. Its eyes were yellow, with slender black slits for pupils. A forked tongue flickered out its mouth, and then back in within a fraction of a second. Sharp teeth were clearly visible in its mouth, but they weren't especially large. I guessed that, if the likeness to a snake continued, it probably had a venomous bite. The strange thing was, I wasn't frightened. Although I really should be, I wasn't scared of this thing at all. Instead, I felt... superior to it. I felt more powerful than it. I also felt a strange kinship to it. In my past life -it felt like my life had taken a new turn- I'd felt like an outcast. I was alone in a crowd. If you stuck me in a room with the chattiest person on the planet, I'd have killed the conversation within five minutes. I'd have them hating me in ten. But with this thing standing in front of me, for the first time in my life, I didn't feel out of place. It was the strangest feeling. But it was also the best thing I'd ever experienced. The thing raised its hand to my face. It was also scaled -I suspected its whole body was covered in scales- and the fingers ended in sharp talons. I should've felt repulsed, but instead it felt as normal as a handshake. Pressing its hand to my forehead, firmly but not painfully so, it hissed, "Remember."

Thoughts flashed through my head. Some were images, memories. Others were disconnected thoughts, words alone. Ideas. Others still were feelings and emotions. It was the history of my race. It was the history of Demonkind. I knew the history of the demons. Therefore, I knew the history of the human race. Because, for as long as there's been humans, there's been Demons to prey on them. I remembered primitive demons hunting Neanderthal Man. I remembered the thrill of the hunt, as the basic emotions and the drive to kill drove me on. Because I was the demon I remembered. I wasn't just watching the hunt like a movie, I was reliving it.

Demons have an racial memory. Every demon remembers what every other demon has experienced upon that demon's death. It is far more efficient than writing down on a piece of paper what had happened. Humans are driven by their hubris, and they feel the need to embellish stories so that they or their side looks better. Also, there's no way to tell if an ancient manuscript is just plain lies. History is written by the victors, after all. Also, words are an imperfect means of communication. Meaning could be misunderstood. Meaning could be lost because the author wasn't particularly verbose. In racial memory, the truth was recorded. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Isn't it ironic how a demon is quoting the oath traditionally sworn over the bible?

I learned many things, including the fact that Cleopatra wasn't as beautiful as she was hyped up to be. PR was critical even in those days. I learned useful things as well, things that related to me. I was a "sleeper agent". I was implanted in my "mother's" womb by an incubus, a special type of demon whose job was specifically and exclusively to plant demon embryos in human women. The purpose behind that was for the child, during the process of "growing up", to absorb information about humans. How they react in a given situation; how this reaction differs between an individual and a group; how they fight wars; customs and superstitions that it could be possible to exploit. Things like that. However, you might wonder why this is necessary. Haven't demons been around since the Dawn of Man? Well, several centuries ago, we ran into a problem.

Humans have hundreds of superstitions and legends. Lots are rubbish, like Halloween having any importance to spirits crossing over (actually, the tradition was started by demons pretending to be ghosts of loved ones. What can I say? Not all of us want to kill humans at all times. Some of us like taking advantage of their gullibility). However, a large proportion of those legends are based on at least partial fact. And those legends are the ones about magic.

Humans had magic. Had, past tense. They don't have it any more, but I'll get to that in a minute. Anyway, several legends about magic and famous wizards were true. Merlin really existed, for example. However, magic users were sworn to a sacred purpose: namely, protecting humankind against Demonkind. A bit of a no brainer, really. So, several centuries ago -I can't be more specific. Demons don't keep track of human dates- all of the world's magic users cast an immensely powerful spell that banished demons from Earth. However, due to the immense energy needed, it burned out all the magic humans had. And that is why humans can't do magic anymore. Gradually, over time, magic slipped into history, and then legend, and finally myth. Humans don't believe in magic, not any more. I mean, who believes in magic? It's like believing in demons.

I'll bet you're wondering, if humans had cast a spell to banish demons from Earth, how we're here. Well, demons have magic too. And ours can't run out. You see, demons originated in a different "plane" of reality from humans. And the source of magic is there. When we crossed over originally, some unused magical energy came with us. So, basically, we gave humans their best weapon to use against us. And ironically, they took it away from themselves. Anyway, we've learned a lot since we were hunting Neanderthals. We're able to stop the magic from overflowing to Earth. Or at least, humans on Earth. It's much too complicated to explain how we let magic through to demons and not humans, so I won't bother your puny little minds with the details. Anyway, back to the point. Although it took us a couple of hundred years, we used magic to break down the barrier between our world and Earth. And seen as we have a sense of humour, we've called our world Hell. I know, I know, it's a cliche, demons coming from Hell, but if it's that old, it has to work, right?

I got more than information. My innate demon abilities awoke. I could use magic. Ok, it's one ability, but it gives me unlimited possibilities. Magic doesn't rely on spells. Instead, the caster just has to imagine what s/he wants to do. Well, within reason. We couldn't really destroy the planet. And if we could, where would the fun be in that? We wouldn't get to maim, slaughter and terrorise humans if we just made their planet explode. It's just not entertaining enough. But with magic, I could throw fireballs, summon lightning from a clear sky, change my appearance, amplify my strength, make my skin impervious to anything... You get the picture. Now, not all demons can use magic. I was one of an elite echelon. I was a Demon Lord. Yes, I know, another demon cliche, but where do you think they came from in the first place? Although not all demons can cast magic, they do have their own powers. Some have superior combat abilities, be that enhanced strength, venom or claws. Some are armoured with scales, or have amazingly thick hides. Others are sneakier. Some have the ability to camouflage themselves, and they wait for their prey to come to them. Others can run at amazingly fast speeds. Others can fly. I could go on, but I assume you get the picture.

As well as knowledge and talent, something else awoke within me. It was the defining mark of my race. A burning hatred of the scum that is the human race. I had an almost uncontrollable urge to destroy everything and kill everyone around me.

All of this was digested within a few milliseconds. I felt invulnerable and immortal. I was dissatisfied with my body, so I grew a thick tail, with spikes on the end. I sprouted horns from my forehead. I then grew large, bat-like wings from my back. I then turned my eyes red. Finished, I looked at the snake-like demon.
"You awakened me. For that, you shall be rewarded. What do you want?" I said to him.
"I merely ask that I'm in the first wave when we begin our assault on the humans," he replied in his sibilant hiss.
"Done. Where is the gate located?" I asked, referring to the gate to Hell. Don't blame me. I didn't come up with these cliches.
"The nearest one is several miles west of town, My Lord," he grovelled. Finally, I was treated with the respect I'd always known I'd deserved.

After making myself invisible to human eyes, I took off and flew towards the gate. As I flew over a farm, I spotted a pig. Circling overhead, my mind left my body and entered the beast. I easily squashed the simple mind of the animal and took over its body. I magically levitated it over the fence of the pig-sty, and made it walk towards the nearby stream. I forced it to walk into the water, and lay its head below the water. It quickly drowned. Wait a minute! A demon-possessed pig was forced to drown?! I couldn't be mocking Jesus, could I be?

While touching on the subject, I should mention that Jesus was really a magic user who got a taste for world domination, and decided exploiting religion was the way to go. Just to let you know.

I arrived at the gate and landed. The two camouflaged demons saluted me. Ignoring them -they were merely foot-soldiers, after all. What were they to me?-I walked through the gate and stepped into Hell.

I know that, due to all the cliches, you'll probably be expecting fire and brimstone. Actually, Hell has quite an attractive landscape. We don't need to sleep or even eat -magic definitely has its perks- so there's really no point in building anything. Sure, there's been the odd demon or two who've had the urge to build a castle or a statue or something. Nobody stopped them. Why would they? It's up to them what they do with their time. Demon culture isn't as authoritarian as human culture. We're more or less free to do whatever we want. The sub-demons have to do what a Demon Lord tells them to, but other than that, it's complete freedom. At least, it is when we aren't seriously trying to wipe out the human race once and for all. And we were now.

All the demons that were going to fight were assembled here. And there were millions of them. Humans didn't stand a chance. Demons were the perfect killers. The only things that humans had going for them was their intelligence and their numbers. Their intelligence didn't really matter -we were smarter than them. Their numbers didn't really come into play. Such a high percentage of their population weren't fighters that the percentage that were seemed insignificant. And even then, the fighters were split into different armies, based on nationality. Demons were one cohesive fighting force under a single group of commanders. We were far more efficient.

After stepping through the gate and taking in the surroundings, I was hit with the strongest feeling of coming back home, despite the fact that I'd never been here before. I actually felt like I belonged here. This was a new feeling for me. I took a moment to just enjoy the feeling.
"It's great being here, isn't it?" said an unfamiliar voice.
I turned towards the voice. A female Demon Lord -a Demon Queen- was approaching me. I grinned at her(I'd never grinned at anyone before).
"It's beyond words," I said. She sighed.
"You have no idea how much I agree," she said with a smile. "I'm Andromeda."
I realised immediately that "Jake" wasn't a good name for me anymore, so I struggled to come up with a new one.
"I'm Geovex." I liked my new name. Especially since I'd come up with it in about half a second.
"Nice," Andromeda said. "I wish I was imaginative enough to come up with an original name." She laughed then, silvery peals that pierced my soul. I really looked at her then.

She was... beautiful. That word is woefully inaccurate, but I lack a better one. Beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, dazzling... all of them are inept, as they are unable to describe the extent of her looks, never mind the feelings that came along with her face. Her hair was short and black, with the right tastefully arranged to over-lap onto the left side of her head. Andromeda's eyes were brown, a deep, chocolate brown, that entrapped any who looked into them. And I can't say I wanted to resist. Her mouth was small, with lips that I longed to press my own to. Her skin was my favourite colour, the precise shade of dark blue. I couldn't call it a coincidence. I knew I'd found my soul-mate.

Thanks to my racial memories, I knew that soul-mates existed. It had happened for many demons in the past.

As I looked at her, I was filled with love. It was literally love at first sight. Looking into her lovely (damn these clumsy words!) face, I could tell she felt the same. It was either that or wishful thinking.
"Your name is gorgeous. It suits you well," I said softly. Yeah, I know, it was a cheesy line. But give me some credit. My brain had just turned to mush. I was surprised I could even talk. A light blush suffused her cheeks, enhancing her beauty. I hadn't thought that was possible. I noticed she had also grown a tail, but hers was thin and slender.

This day was turning out to be the best day of my life. First, I awaken as a Demon Lord, and then I fall in love. Who knew that I was so lucky?

"I know you're trying to be nice, but you don't have to lie. I know I'm not gorgeous." The words brought me back to ~~Earth~~ Hell. I was stunned. My mouth even hung open slightly. I looked her in those chocolate eyes, and said, "I admit that I'm lying, but only because I'm understating it. There are no words to describe how you look." Look, if you don't like the cheesy lines, don't bother reading. I may be a blood-thirsty demon, but I'm also a romantic, and romantics need the cheese.
"How can you be telling the truth?" Andromeda asked. Struck by an idea, I raised my hand to her smooth forehead. The feel of her skin on mine sent an electrical tingle up my arm. I focused the image of her in my mind, and sent it down my arm and into her head.
"How can I see this, and be telling anything else?" I asked. I heard her gasp.
"But I don't look anything like that!" Andromeda protested. I laughed softly.
"You do to me, Andromeda." I loved the feel of her name on my tongue. Wow, I really was head-over-heels. I was still looking her straight in the eyes. I was both unable and unwilling to look away. She leaned towards me. Petrified about what was coming next, I stayed still. I was terrified of scaring her away. Barely an inch from my face, I felt the warm puff of her breath on my face. Her scent came with it, and it was the best thing I'd ever smelt.
"When you put that image into my head," she said oh so softly, "Some of the feeling came with it." Then she moved forward the rest of the way, and our lips touched. If the touch of her skin gave me an electrical tingle, then her the feel of her lips on mine must be like getting electrocuted. The nerve endings all over my body were on fire. I felt everything, from the feel of my sleeve on my arm, to the light brush of her hair on my face. But that was nothing compared to the what was happening in my lips.

Ecstasy. The feel of her soft lips on mine was bliss. It was the best feeling in the world. And then her mouth moved to the side, and my mouth mirrored her movements of its own accord. Her tongue flicked out, and pushed past my lips into my mouth. The taste of her enveloped my whole mouth. She tasted of everything good and sweet. I could have stood there forever.

She pulled away, and we both stood breathless. As I struggled to remember how to breathe, the goddess that was Andromeda looked seriously at me.
"That was fun. We should do that again some time," she said, straight faced. Then we both burst out laughing. She threw herself at me, and buried her head in my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her, as if I'd been doing it for eons. I lowered my face into her hair and inhaled the smell of her. She was like a drug, and I'd become instantly addicted. I was definitely looking forward to my next hit. I tilted her head back and looked at her.
"You are my goddess, and I shall worship you always," I told her. Sensing that I was being serious, she grew still.
"I don't know what to say to that," she said after a moment.
"Isn't there a song that you could quote lyrics from?" I asked. Then she laughed again, like a bell that reverberated in my heart. It was then that I swore to myself that I'd always do my best to make her laugh.

"Although I want to stand here forever, shouldn't we look for the other Demon Lords?" I said reluctantly. "I mean, we do have a world to invade."
Andromeda frowned adorably. "I suppose you're right," she said, just as reluctantly as me. As she started to pull away, I stopped her, and lifted her up easily.
"You're staying right here," I told her. "I need my heart in my chest, after all."
She laughed again, and kissed me. Unfortunately, it was only a quick brush of the lips.
"As much as I love your kisses, if you keep doing that, I'm going to end up dropping you," I mock scolded her. She laughed again, and peppered my face with kisses. I have to admit, I found it rather enjoyable.

Several minutes later, we were walking -I should say I was walking; I was still carrying the most beautiful creature in all creation in my arms- towards a group of Demon Lords. Sensing our approach, they turned. Swiftly, I counted them. There were four of them. Adding Andromeda and myself, that made six. Naturally, there was an even number of Lords and Queens. In case you're wondering, we say Demon Queen because "Demon Lady" seems kind of... weak. Anyway, there were three of each. To pretend that there was some manner of decorum, I reluctantly set Andromeda on her feet. However, she did immediately slide her hand into mine, which gave me a nice, warm fuzzy feeling inside. I squeezed it gently. She responded by giving me a stunning smile. I immediately thought of a sun rise. Like I said, I'm a romantic. A couple of seconds later, we reached the rest of the ruling echelon of our race. One of the Lords stepped forward.
"Welcome home," he said with a smile that reached his eyes.
"Thank you," I said. "It's good to finally belong somewhere." Andromeda smiled in agreement.
"We should introduce ourselves," said one of the Queens.
"Of course, of course," said the spokesdemon. "My name is Darleth. That is Hara" -he indicated the Queen who had spoken- "that is Malek" -the other Lord- "and that is Virdinia." -the final Queen. I studied each as he named them.

Darleth himself was large, about seven foot. He was covered in sculpted muscle, like the statue of a Greek God. His skin was a dark red colour, and he had massive black horns sprouting out of his head. He was completely bald.

Hara was small, maybe five foot six. She had pale grey skin, and had a line of dark freckles -again for lack of a better term- that traced themselves up her arm. Her hair was shoulder length, straight and midnight black. It was the exact same colour as her eyes.

Malek was immense. He was at least ten foot tall, and his shoulders were unbelievably wide, about five foot. His muscles bulged out from him, putting a giant's to shame. His hands had, instead of fingers, devastating looking claws. He was completely white, ivory from head to toe, including his hair. The only drop of colour was his eyes, which were literally two tongues of flame.

Virdinia was in stark contrast to the others. She was so out-of-the-ordinary that she stood out, but this was a demon-out-of-the-ordinary. She looked human. The others were humanoid in shape, but other than that would never have been mistaken for human. Virdinia was different. She didn't have claws, or a forked tongue or even goat's legs. She looked like she would fit in anywhere in the human world. The only thing that marked her as being demon was a gorgeous pair of huge white feathered wings. They would have a massive span when they were unfurled. I easily identified her as the deadliest in the group.

After Darleth finished speaking, I stepped forward. Andromeda stuck to my side like glue.
"It's nice to meet you all," I said. "I'm Geovex" -I was still getting used to my new name- "and this is Andromeda." They all politely inclined their heads.
"Well, are we going to get the plan finalised?" rumbled Malek. Predictable from someone as large as Malek, his voice would sound like thunder.
"Yes, yes," said Darleth. He turned back to us. "You two were our sleeper agents. We need your information, and the easiest way to do that would be to share your memories. If you would go first Geovex, then we can move on to Andromeda."
"Ok," I said. "That sounds good."
"Excellent," Darleth said with a smile. "If everyone would please form a circle by joining hands... or, in Malek's case, weapons of mass mauling." We all chuckled at the joke. I ended up holding Hara's hand and, you guessed it, Andromeda's. Holding Andromeda's other hand was Virdinia, then was Darleth, then Malek, then Hara, which brought it back to me.
"Geovex, you don't need to do anything. Just close your eyes and relax. You'll feel us entering your mind. Don't fight us, or we could all get hurt. Tell me when you're ready, and then we'll start." It was Darleth speaking. He was trying to reassure me. It was pointless, not because I was a wreck, but because I wasn't worried. How could I be? I had the love of my life right next to me. Everything was perfect. I closed my eyes, and I felt Andromeda give my hand a squeeze. I smiled, and squeezed back. Everything was perfect.
"I'm ready," I announced. There was no audible acknowledgement, but immediately after I finished speaking, I felt presences in my mind. Knowing that it was the group, I stayed relaxed and didn't fight them off. I sensed them as stars in my head, each a bright conscience. But one burned brighter than all the rest. Andromeda. I heard Darleth's voice inside my head.
"We are about to start. It won't be uncomfortable as long as you don't resist." I mentally acknowledged his statement. My life replayed inside my eyes.

My entire life was playing back, starting as soon as my mind was developed enough to form memories. I remembered every single detail. The embarrassment and humiliation of being bullied. The indifference of my "parents". The constant, nagging feeling of not belonging. However, only one of the group paid any attention to me growing up. Only Andromeda cared. It only mattered that she did. The rest were siphoning through my memories for useful information. I had picked up a lot of facts over the years, so I was rich full of valuable "intel" about the enemy. I was actually relived that they didn't pry into my childhood. Some things I liked to keep to myself.

The entire process was over within a heartbeat. Seventeen years of life, replayed in less than a second. It really puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Darleth spoke.
"Thank you for sharing your information with us. It will prove extremely valuable. For example, we would never have imagined that humans would have invented guns. And we it also seems beyond comprehension that humans would kill their own planet."
Hungry for her face, I looked at Andromeda. My eyes feasted as I looked on her again. Startled, I noticed that she had tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong?" I asked, concern imprinted deeply in my voice and in my eyes.
"It's just... I never thought that you'd lived through such a terrible life," Andromeda said, on the brink of tears. I laughed softly.
"Surely you know my life's not terrible. Not now. Not with you in it," I soothed. "You seen in my head how I feel about you. How can I feel like that, and still think that I have a terrible life?" She gave me a watery smile, still somehow managing to look radiant. I doubt I could ever find her ugly. I reached out and balanced her chin on my index finger. "No more of the tears, ok? I can't stand to see you cry. You'll start me off in a minute. And when I get started, there's no stopping me." That got weak chuckle out of her. I leaned towards her and brushed my lips against hers, and then pulled her into a hug. Resting my chin on top of her head, I whispered to her, "If you keep crying, I'm going to think that you don't like my kissing." She giggled into my chest. It's good to see I haven't lost my touch. I've always been funny, it's just that I've always had to keep the comments inside my head. Lacking an audience, the only alternative would be to speak to the empty air. And let me tell you, that's not a good idea if you don't want people in white jackets to take you away.

Having recovered from her spell of tears, Andromeda started to pull away. I stopped her, and held her tightly to me. "Do I smell bad or something?" I asked. Andromeda laughed, her normal silvery -no wait, platinum. Silver's not valuable enough- peal.
"It's not that, it's just that I don't want to keep everyone else waiting," she said. Oh. I'd forgotten that we weren't alone. I pulled back from her, even though it felt unnatural. I kept her hand though. I always wanted to be in contact with her.

The others were all studiously looking at each other, at the sky, studying their feet, anything apart from looking at us.
"It's ok, guys," I said. "You can stop not looking at us now." Malek chuckled in his deep rumble.
"If don't think you could cope with it now, we can wait until later," Darleth said to Andromeda.
"No, I'm fine now. I can go on," she replied with a smile. Always smiling. Unless she's crying over my lame life. I suddenly felt guilty, I even hated myself a bit for making her cry. She must have seen something in my face, because she reached up to me and kissed me. "I love you," she whispered. It was the first time either of us had said the words out loud. It immediately brightened my mood.
"I love you more," I whispered back. She grinned at me.
"Wait and see," she said. Then she turned to the others and said, "I'm ready." Again, we linked hands, again in the same order. Darleth told Andromeda the same thing he told me, and she took a deep breath. I squeezed her hand reassuringly. At least, I hoped it was reassuringly. She closed her eyes and said, "I'm ready."

The rest of us also closed our eyes, and we felt our consciousnesses being gently guided out of our bodies, and into Andromeda's head. As soon as I was inside, I could tell she was thinking of me. And she was focusing on her feelings for me. It was love, pure, unadulterated love. It seemed impossible that anyone could feel like that about me. But there was the proof. However much that I may think that I don't deserve it, I'll still have Andromeda feeling like that. She was wrong about one thing, however. I loved her more. And then we were swept up in the memories of Andromeda's life.

The name she was given by the humans that raised her was Emily. I preferred Andromeda. Unlike me, her "parents" had tried with her. They seemed to love her. And she pretended to love them back. She tried hard at school, tried to socialise, but it didn't really work. Demons are designed to get along with humans. We're designed to destroy them. Completely, and utterly. However, Andromeda really tried. She got a couple of "friends" who she pretended to give a damn about. Really, she hated her life. Just like I had hated mine. In fact, I think that she had it worse than me. I didn't have to pretend every day. I didn't need to put on a show, to perform to live up to everyone's expectations. I knew I didn't fit in, and I didn't care. I didn't bother trying. But Andromeda tried. She tried really hard. And it didn't work like it was "supposed" to. She got into fights with her "friends" a lot, over silly things like the choice of movie that they were going to see. And she couldn't complain to anyone. She couldn't pour out her heart. Some people think that all you need is someone that will listen, but really, you need someone you trust. And it's hard to trust some random person. It takes years for that sort of trust to build up. But sometimes, on very rare occasions, it comes ready made. Today, she was awakened by a demon, and had arrived in Hell about half an hour before me. Finally, she felt like she was returning home, just as I had felt. She had been overcome by the emotion of the homecoming, and had sat to the side of the gate and just enjoyed the feeling of belonging.

And then I had arrived. Through her eyes, I watched myself step through the gate. I watched as I looked around, and could see the wonder in my face. And I felt the love in Andromeda bloom into existence. It was glorious to experience. One second, she was looking at just another Demon Lord, and the next her heart nearly exploded with the sheer volume of love she somehow felt for me. And for the first time in her life, there was someone she wanted to be around. I felt special. I had made Andromeda -you have no idea the feelings saying that name brings out in me; all the connotations that I have for it- happy for the first time in her life. And for the first time in mine, I felt like my life had been worth living. All the pain that hatred and disinterest had cause seemed like a cheap price to pay to make Andromeda happy.

We blinked back into reality. I never thought I'd use reality in relation to Hell. Life's funny sometimes. Normally, it's right before it's about to be very cruel.

I immediately pulled Andromeda to me. I just held her to me, and she held me back.
"What you had to go through was far worse than what I had to cope with," I whispered into her sweet smelling hair. She said nothing in reply. Instead, she just tightened her grip, as if she was afraid of losing me.
"I'm not going anywhere that you're not going to be," I told her. Why would I? She pulled away slightly, just enough to look me in the eye. I fell again into those chocolate orbs. She pulled my head down and we kissed again, our lips crushing against each other's.
"I apologise for interrupting, but we have to plan our assault," said Dertath. And he did sound sorry. Reluctantly, we pulled apart.
"What do you need us to do?" I asked.
"If you would all follow me," he said. "Everything shall be explained shortly." That being said, Dertath led us away from the heaving mass of the demon horde. The five of us followed in his wake. I wondered what was going to happen. Surely Andromeda and I couldn't really contribute to the planning stage. It wasn't as if we were tacticians. I reached the conclusion that since we were Demon Lords, we'd be expected to lead demons into battle. I felt a pang at the thought that I'd have to be separated from Andromeda for any length of time. Whenever I think about her, I have to look at her. I turned to perfection and squeezed her hand. I seemed to be doing that a lot. She turned to me and smiled radiantly. Why did I deserve her? What have I done in my life that made me eligible for such a reward? I didn't know, and frankly, I didn't care.

Several minutes later, we arrived at the edge of a forest. Dertath turned to us.
"Andromeda, if you would kindly step over here," he asked, pointing towards a tree. "And Geovex, you should stand over here." For me, he pointed several paces away from the group. With a reluctant look at Andromeda, I relinquished her hand. We walked towards the indicated places with several backward glances. When we arrived at the indicated places, we turned to look at each other. Dertath said "Now, Hara."
The pale grey Demon Queen nodded, and the suddenly I couldn't move. I was stuck in place, helpless. I pulled against the magical bonds, my muscles straining, but I didn't move so much as a millimetre. I immediately reached for my magic. I managed to break the bonds Hara had imposed, and I threw myself at Dertath. I used my wings to add speed and force to my approach. My eyes were locked on Dertath. Murder was on my mind.

I managed to get within a foot of him, when suddenly I was forced to the ground by tremendous force. I felt the bones connecting my wings to my spine shatter, and my spine split in several places. I screamed in pain. As I hit the ground, my ribcage tried to absorb the impact. It failed. My ribs caved in, and both of my lungs were punctured in several places. Tears of agony poured down my cheeks. It hurt worse than anything imaginable. Then I thought of something worse. "Andromeda," I gasped. I looked towards her, and seen that she was bound in the same way that I had been. Only she couldn't use her magic to get free. I reached for mine to free her -which I realised too late that I should have done immediately- and found that there was nothing there. They had blocked my magic. The despair of defeat settled in. Not only was I going to die, but so was Andromeda. That was worse than anything that they could do to me physically.
"Thank you Malek," said Dertath. I realised that what had stopped me was Malek hitting me. No wonder that I was in pieces. Dertath turned away and made a wide sweeping gesture.

You know how earlier I said that Hell wasn't fire and brimstone? Well, that wasn't strictly true. Hell was an obedient planet. When a Demon Lord told it to do something, it did it if it could. And Dertath had just told it to create a pit of lava. And Hell's lava had a lot of sulphur -that's to say brimstone- in it. And that is where the legends of fire and brimstone came from. Just in case, you know, you were wondering.

"If you're wondering why we're about to kill you," said Dertath in conversational tone, "it's because of your information. It doesn't do us Demon Lords much good, as we won't be fighting on the front lines. But it will do all those millions of demons back there a world of good. And the easiest way to give them that information is to use our racial memory. Unfortunately for you and Andromeda, that means you have to die."
Rage and despair warred inside my head. Rage because Dertath was going to cut my time with Andromeda far too short. Despair because there wasn't a damn thing that I could do about it. Hara gestured, and Andromeda floated into the air. Then she moved slowly towards the pit of lava. "Andromeda!" I shouted past the pain. "Andromeda! I love you!" And she actually smiled. She smiled at me, and my heart tore asunder as I realised I'd never see that smile again. Tears traced their way down her cheeks, leaving silvery trails that reflected the light. My own cheeks grew wet as my own tears began to flow. And then Hara made a sharp gesture, and Andromeda dropped into the pit.

I want to say that I screamed "NNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" like they do in movies. Instead, I whispered it. I groaned as I felt the physical pain in my chest. It felt like my heart was physically breaking. I hoped that I would die soon. I couldn't live with this pain. It was too much, too much. I felt my sanity slip. Why should I stay sane? Life was far too cruel, giving me Andromeda and then snatching it away less than half an hour later. Then her memories hit me. I relived her life again. It was the worst possible torture. I watched again all that she had experienced, and the pain of loss doubled, trebled, quadrupled. Don't make me watch. Don't make me watch. "Don't make me watch!"

The thought burst out of my mouth in a scream. I forced the images away. I was in my body again. With the agony of loss coupled with the physical pain my body was in, I should be comatose. I shouldn't be able to function. One thought suffused my being. End the pain. Despite my broken spine, I moved my arm out in front of me. The nerves in my back shrieked in pain. I ignored it. End the pain. I bent my fingers into a claw and sunk them into the soft earth. End the pain. I dragged myself forward, causing a wave of torturous pain to flood through my body. End the pain. I repeated the action, with the same result. Again, agony flared through my body, and I moved forward the length of my arm. End the pain. Over and over, I dragged myself forward, each time inducing wave after wave of agony. Again and again, the mantra "End the pain" flowed through my head. Suddenly, unexpectedly, I felt intense heat on my face. The stench of sulphur suffused my nostrils. I had reach my goal. The pit of lava. End the pain. I forced my body over the edge. My ruined spine caused me pain. There was no promise of a surcease. It wouldn't fulfil my reason for going on. Ending the pain. I fell into the pit.

My body dropped, graceless and undignified. I hit the lava with a plop. I sunk beneath the surface. Every inch of me was on fire. The lava ate away hungrily at my flesh. My eyes melted, and the jelly started to boil. I opened my mouth to scream, and lava flooded in. My tongue dissolved, and the lava forced its way down my throat, deciding to eat me from the inside out, as well as the outside in. My nose was devoured, and the lava streamed into my nasal cavity. An unexpected thought flashed through my brain. I'm like Michael Jackson now.

Why am I cracking jokes when I'm dying in incredible, unendurable agony? It's because two thoughts had occurred to me.
1. I'm about to die, and my memories are about to be passed on to every demon in existence. They've already experienced Andromeda's. Demons aren't heartless monsters -or, I should say, not all of them are. They'll experience the love Andromeda and I had felt for each other. And they'll experience the pain that was caused when the Demon Lords executed us, the physical and the emotional. I can't image that they'd be happy. I hoped they'd rebel. I'd had the thought. They'd experience it too. The seed was planted. I could only hope that it would grow.

2. I was sure I was going to see Andromeda again. It was a stupid, naive hope. But I was sure that we'd get to spend eternity together. That thought made me go into death happy.

Finally, I died. The demons would rebel, and both mine and, more importantly, Andromeda's death would be avenged. I was going to get to see Andromeda again. After the lava's devouring fire, I eagerly welcomed Death's cold embrace.

Post edited at 4:26 pm on Oct. 31, 2009 by Marty3

-------
Modesty is one of my many admirable qualities. If you need
to talk, even just to get something off your chest, PM me.

A Short Circuit

As the waiter brought the bill to the table, a man pulled something out of his pocket.
The waiter drew nearer and nearer.
He murmured something to the woman across from him, and presented her with a box.
"Y-Yes! Yes I will!" Her face was alit with joy. She opened the box slowly and looked inside. The box was empty.
The waiter placed the bill on the table and walked off.
"Waiter!" The man called after him
The waiter spun around and walked over to them.
"Yes sir?"
"2 glasses of your finest wine."
"The occasion?"
"An engagement." The man said. The waiter looked at the woman who was in shock.
"Congratulations! I shall return."
After the waiter was a considerable distance away, the woman erupted.
"Is this a joke?" She asked, pointing to the empty ring box.
"Not at all my lovely, just a decoy!"
"Decoy?! What is that supposed to mean?!"
"You are going to ruin the surprise, now eat your salmon."
She looked at him lividly, though deeply intrigued as to his intentions.
As dinner progressed the wine didn't show up until the end.
"Sir, I have here a Chateau La Mondotte Saint-Emilion 1996. Will that be alright?"
"Very much so, leave the bottle."
"Of course sir. Would you like your bill now or later?"
The man reached into his breast pocket of his coat and extracted a stack of twenty bills bound with a rubber band that had "$1,000" printed on it in bright red letters and handed it to the waiter.
"Keep the change my friend."
"Sir your bill is only up to $256, with the wine it is $864. Are you sure?"
He looked upon the waiter as if he were a fool.
"Keep. The. Change. Now leave me!"
The waiter scurried off.
"Excuse me?! What are you playing at?!" The wife asked.
"Nothing darling, would you like a glass of wine?"
"A glass of wine?! You just proposed to me with an empty box! I want a glass of explanation!" She was breathing hard and seething with rage.
"Just have a glass."
He took the wine glass off of the tray the wine came on and poured her a glass. After he was almost done, a small clink could be heard.
"What was that darling? Why don't you take a look?"
She held the glass up to the candle to see. She froze.
"Well? What is it?"
Her head turned from the glass to him, then back to the glass.
"I do believe I too would like a glass." He poured the wine into the second glass.
"A toast my dear?" He held his glass in the air for her to strike with hers.
She smiled at him and reached her hand across the table and grabbed his.
"Honey..."
"Yes Darling?"
"I Do."
"Splendid, lets drink to it!"
She lifted her glass and bumped it against his and drank the wine.
When she put the glass back on the table, the only thing left in the glass was a ring.
After the dinner they made their way back to his place.
The cab that carried them had the number 404.
"Darling?" By now they were both very inebriated.
"Yes?" She was weaving down the sidewalk to her door.
"I should like to fall asleep in your arms tonight."
"Well, I think I could go with that." She walked to him and kissed him on the lips.
"Your drunk, I can smell it on your breath." He said.
"So are you." Having not removed her lips from his, to someone outside the conversation she might've been mumbling.
"Oh well. Unlock the door please."
"Let me get my keys..."
She was fingering the keys, looking for the right one. After 2 minutes and 34 seconds of the constant jingling 3 keys can make against each other she shoved a key into the door and twisted. The door opened into a dark living room.
"Get in here!" She said playfully to the man.
"On my way my dear...on my way."
He closed the door behind them, which slowly creaked shut then locked with a click.

5 months later...

An older priest with a gold canine walked up to the altar.
"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the sign of God - and in the face of this company - to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all men; and therefore - is not by any - to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly - but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this holy estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together - let them speak now or forever hold their peace."
A woman in the crowd shifted and knocked over one of the pedestals holding a bouquet of flowers. It fell to the ground, shattering the vase.
"Sorry..."
A man in a suit came along and swept it into a small dustpan.
"Continue." He said after he was done.
The Priest cleared his throat and continued.
"Marriage is the union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind. It is intended for their mutual joy - and for the help and comfort given on another in prosperity and adversity. But more importantly - it is a means through which a stable and loving environment may be attained. Through marriage, Faust and Melissa make a commitment together to face their disappointments - embrace their dreams - realize their hopes - and accept each other's failures. Faust and Melissa will promise one another to aspire to these ideals throughout their lives together - through mutual understanding - openness - and sensitivity to each other. We are here today - before God - because marriage is one of His most sacred wishes - to witness the joining in marriage of Faust and Melissa. This occasion marks the celebration of love and commitment with which this man and this woman begin their life together. And now - through me - He joins you together in one of the holiest bonds. Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?"
A man seated behind Faust stood up. He wiped his eyes of tears and spoke.
"Her family and friends gathered here today do."
He remained standing.
"Sit down please."
He apologized to the priest and took his seat.
"This is a beginning and a continuation of their growth as individuals. With mutual care, respect, responsibility and knowledge comes the affirmation of each one's own life happiness, growth and freedom. With respect for individual boundaries comes the freedom to love unconditionally. Within the emotional safety of a loving relationship - the knowledge self-offered one another becomes the fertile soil for continued growth. With care and responsibility towards self and one another comes the potential for full and happy lives." The priest stopped to take a breath.

"By gathering together all the wishes of happiness and our fondest hopes for Faust and Melissa from all present here, we assure them that our hearts are in tune with theirs. These moments are so meaningful to all of us, for what greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together - to strengthen each other in all labor - to minister to each other in all sorrow - to share with each other in all gladness."
The woman from earlier could be heard crying loudly for joy in the crowd.
"This relationship stands for love, loyalty, honesty and trust, but most of all for friendship. Before they knew love, they were friends, and it was from this seed of friendship that is their destiny. Do not think that you can direct the course of love - for love, if it finds you worthy, shall direct you."
The priest turned the page.
"Marriage is an act of faith and a personal commitment as well as a moral and physical union between two people. Marriage has been described as the best and most important relationship that can exist between them. It is the construction of their love and trust into a single growing energy of spiritual life. It is amoral commitment that requires and deserves daily attention. Marriage should be a life long consecration of the ideal of loving kindness - backed with the will to make it last."
Faust looked Melissa in the eyes and spoke.
"I, Faust, take you, Melissa, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."
She started crying and wiped her tears on a handkerchief that was in her hand. She tossed it to the floor when she was done with it.
"I, Melissa, take you, Faust, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part."
The priest turned to Faust.
"Do you Faust take Melissa to be your wife - to live together after God's ordinance - in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"
He hesitated, but finally spoke.
"I will."
The priest turned to Melissa, who had reached to the floor for the Handkerchief and was now wiping her eyes once more.
Do you Melissa take Faust to be your husband - to live together after God's ordinance - in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"
She looked at Faust hopefully.
"I will."
The priest smiled and looked at both of them.
"What token of your love do you offer? Would you place the rings in my hand?"
The Pillow holding the rings was placed into his hands; the diamonds on them both shimmered in the light. He held up the pillow for all to see.
"May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this affectionate unity. These two lives are now joined in one unbroken circle. Wherever they go - may they always return to one another. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and in compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place that many will find there a friend. May these rings on their fingers symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts."
He handed the ring to Faust.
"Faust, in placing this ring on Melissa's finger, repeat after me: Melissa, you are now consecrated to me as my wife from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."
He looked into her eyes and repeated.
The priest handed the ring to Melissa
"Melissa, in placing this ring on Faust's finger, repeat after me: Faust, you are now consecrate to me as my husband from this day forward and I give you this ring as the pledge of my love and as the symbol of our unity and with this ring, I thee wed."
She repeated the enchanted words to Faust.
"May you always share with each other the gifts of love - be one in heart and in mind - may you always create a home together that puts in your hearts - love - generosity and kindness. In as much as Faust and Melissa have consented together in marriage before this company of friends and family and have pledged their faith - and declared their unity by giving and receiving a ring - are now joined."
He slid her ring onto her finger, as did she onto his.
"You have pronounced yourselves husband and wife but remember to always be each other's best friend. What - therefore - God has joined together - let no man put asunder."
The priest turned the page.
"And so, by the power vested in me by the State of Indiana and Almighty God, I now pronounce you man and wife - and may your days be good and long upon the earth.
You may now kiss the bride."
Faust and Melissa leaned towards another and touched noses for a second, then kissed.

1 year and 2 months later...

"Now the day is over,
Night is drawing nigh,
Shadows of the evening,
Steal across the sky."
A baby kicked at a mobile in a crib.
"Through their long night watches,
May the angels spread
Their white wings around us,
Watching o'er each bed."
A door closed bathing the child and crib in darkness, broken by a train nightlight.

5 years later...

"So son, what do you want to do when you grow up?" Faust asked.
A boy wearing pajamas covered in trains squirmed in a chair in front of a bowl of cereal.
"I wanna dwive twains!"
He then proceeded to use his banana as a train and drive it all over the table.
"Oh no, an old wady is on the twacks! Swow down, swow down! It's too wate AHHHH!"
He had come to the peppershaker and began smashing the banana against it to illustrate the old lady's death.
"Don't do that jimmy! You made a mess!"
He looked at the pepper mess then at his son.
"Honey, I'm leaving!"
"Goodbye!"
She walked into the room and saw the Pepper.
"Get back here! Clean this up!"
She ran to the garage from the kitchen.
The engine of a Mazda6 roared and the tires squeaked.
"Aughhh...darn husband. Oh well. What do you want to do today Jimmy?"
"Dwive a twain!"
She looked at him with pity.
"Not today honey, not today."

15 years later

"Mom, Dad. I have an announcement to make."
Jim stood up at the family dinner table.
"What is it Hun?" asked Melissa.
"I'm going to college, and I think I'm going to drive trains."
His parent looked at each other and smiled.
"Is that what you want to do, huh boy?" Asked Faust.
Jimmy nodded to his dad.
"Well, then I guess we have no choice. Darling would you fetch my checkbook?"
Melissa Smiled then got up. She returned shortly after with a leather bound checkbook.
"How much do you need son?"
"Well $4,500 per semester, 4 years...$36,000 for tuition, then room and board can be another $10,000..."
He was stirring nervously.
"Well son, here you go. There's a cushion on there just in case." He handed the check to Jimmy, the check read $60,000.
"Thank you, but what am I supposed to do with the rest?"
"Your money, your decision...just don't drop out or you can owe me every penny back, understand?" Faust said, tilting his glasses to look him in the eye.
He once again nodded.
"Good, now go to college!"
Faust got up and opened the door. There was a yellow cab waiting.
"How did you know I was leaving tonight?"
Faust walked over to the closet and opened it and got his bags out that he had stored upstairs, then extracted an envelope out of his pocket, and pulled the paper out of it.
"And I quote:
Dear Jimmy.

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Modoc Railroad Academy...that's all that's important. As for when you were leaving, you told your mother, she told me. Now get outta here." Faust smiled at him.
"Honey do you need help with your bags?"
"No mother, ill be fine."
"Alright...good luck!"
With that Jimmy picked up his bags and left. The door closed with a click.
The cab read 404.

4 years later...

"Well son you did it...anything to say for your self?" Asked Faust, who was now gray in the head.
"Well...I guess...I want a job."
Jimmy was looking at the ground.
"Then a job you will have, darling could you go get my checkbook?"
"What good will it do?"
"Just go get it!"
Worried she walked away, then returned with it.
"Son, ill tell you what."
He pulled his pen, opened the book and signed a check, ripped it out and stuffed it into his son's hand.
"Go to wherever you want to drive, ask for the foreman of that railway, give him this check, tell him to put in a number, any number at all, then hire you."
He leaned back in his chair.
"I understand...Thanks..."
"Not a problem, now go."
As Jimmy walked to the door he looked back at his parents.
"I love you both, I really do."
"Good, but that's not getting you a job. Don't come back till you have a job. Understand?" Faust angled his glasses to look his son in the eye.
"Yes sir." Jimmy nodded and walked out. The door closed with a click.
The cab read 404.
"That damn boy." Faust said.
"What is it?" Melissa asked.
"He has all the cash in the world at his dispense, and he drives trains. Coulda gone to Harvard or Yale! Not our boy..."
He took a drag from his cigar.
"...our boy drives trains."
He then extinguished his cigar.

10 years later...

"Son, I need you to listen, and Listen good. All my life, I've been one to give, to your mother, to you, to the neighbor when he needed my chainsaw. But I think I've done a lot of giving. That being said, it's your turn to take. I want you to do all you can in this life to be the best. To assure you with this, I leave you with our family fortune and assets, on the condition that you retire within one month of today. You've worked long and hard enough, now settle down, make a family, and do the same for your family. I must leave you now, but I assure you, we shall meet again!" Faust then smiled and leaned back in his chair, took a swig of whiskey and a drag from his cigar. The screen became pixilated.
Jimmy looked to his mother, who was crying.
"He always thought I would go first...didn't bother to make another will, didn't want to be remembered that way, you know, old."
She whisked a white hair off of her face, a tear streaked down her cheek.
"Mom, if there's anything you need, we are taken care of. I alone pull in over $80,000 every year. We're going to be ok. We're going to be ok..." Jimmy was holding his mother and comforting her.
They walked outside the funeral home. A cab was waiting for them, it read 404.
"Lets go home."

1 week later...

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I regret to inform you that this is my last day on route."
There was a sigh and stir from the crowd aboard.
"I know and I'm sorry, but think of the ten years we have had together."
He could hear the protests over the noise of the train.
He switched the train into auto pilot and got up, walked back through the train and greeted them all.
"I wish I could have more time with you all, but this is how it has to be."
Someone from the crowd got up.
"Jimmy, for 10 years you've taken me to and back from work every day. You are the best train driver I have ever had the pride of riding with. I tip my hat to you."
The man then did just that.
Everyone clapped and stood up, then bowed.
"We love you Jimmy!"
They all then bowed and removed their hats.
"3 cheers for Jimmy!" someone shouted.
The crowd then cheered three times.
Jimmy smiled, and then walked back up. When he sat down he noticed they were coming to an intersection. It was rush hour on a Friday. There was a gridlock.
"I, I can't stop in time!"
He kicked the emergency brake and the train screeched.
"Ladies and gentlemen brace for impact!"
The train skidded on the tracks towards the intersection and eventually derailed, all the time powering closer and closer to the intersection. It was skidding on its side, grass and dirt flying through the air in a spray in front of the train.
"We're going to hit!" Jimmy crouched into a ball in his seat on his side.
The train collided with the cars gridlocked. They fell apart like burned leaves as the train ripped past them. The tail of the train had curved and took out the cars waiting to enter the intersection for 6 car lengths.
The glass shattered on the front and sliced through the air, missing Jimmy by inches. Then the train stopped. He crawled through the window and got out. He ran away from the train to see how much damage had been done. Pieces of cars littered the tracks, still burning from when the gas tank exploded.
He walked over a car that was on the ground. The man inside was clearly dead, his face mutilated by flying glass and his legs crushed under his dash. He continued walking and eventually arrived at the intersection where the cops and 3 fire trucks were.
"The people inside the train, they might still be-"
He was cut off by the sound of the train's main fuel tank exploding. He felt the heat on his neck, though he was in the back of the train and the tank was in the front.
The police looked at him, curled on the ground in a ball.
"Jimmy, you are under arrest for 354 counts of manslaughter, 13 counts of destruction of property, and reckless and imprudent endangerment of staff and passengers aboard a public transportation vehicle. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"
Jimmy nodded.
"Stand up."
Jimmy struggled to get to his feet.
The cop put the cuffs on him, and walked him over to the squad car.
"Get in."
Jimmy bowed his head as not to hit it on the roof and sat down.
The cop got in the car and drove him downtown.
"I'm sorry..." he said.
"Tell that to the families, not me."
Jimmy was sorry.

2 years later...

Jimmy, I hereby sentence you to death, by way of electric chair for the murder of 300 passengers, 30 staff aboard, and 24 people in their cars at the time of the crash. Furthermore, you are to serve a life sentence for the destruction of one half mile of train track, the surrounding asphalt, barriers and compacted gravel. You are also to serve 2 months in prison and have your license revoked for reckless and imprudent endangerment of staff and passengers aboard a public transportation vehicle. Do you have any last words?"
"I'm sorry."
Jimmy was still sorry.

8 months later...

"You Jimmy, on this day, shall be put to death by way of electric chair. There have been no holds or stays on your execution, so we shall go as planned. Do you have any last words?"
Jimmy looked at the priest.
He was very old and had one gold canine.
"N-No...Wait! I do...I'm sorry."
The priest nodded.
"Have you received your last meal?"
Jimmy was bewildered by the question.
"Yes."
"And what did you have?"
"A banana."
The priest smiled at him.
"Interesting..."
A door was opened in front of him. Inside of it was a chair. It was old and wooden with wires all around it. It had leather restraints to keep you from jumping out of your seat before they pulled the lever.
He was fastened into his seat, secured with the leather restraints, electrodes hooked up to his legs and head.
"May god have mercy on your soul."
The priest left the room.
A hood was placed on his head.
"1 minute...."
Jimmy began to shiver.
"30 seconds"
Jimmy hung his head down.
"10 seconds"
Jimmy screamed out.
"5"
"4"
"3"
"2"
"1"
"I'm sorry!" He yelled.
There was a buzz all around him; he could feel the electrodes heating up.
There was talking in the next room.
The door opened and a man walked in and was behind him.
"It's registering alright."
"Son, are you alive?"
"Y-yes..."
"He's still alive."
The man walked out.
"Hit him again."
They closed the door.
"5"
"4"
"3"
"2"
"1"
The electrodes hummed again, heated up again, but Jimmy sat there.
"What in the hell is going on?"
The man opened the door again. He removed the hood from Jimmy's head. A bucket of water was thrown on him and his feet put in another bucket.
"Let's try it again."
The electrodes hummed. This time he could see them glowing. The electricity was left on for 10 minutes and still Jimmy lived.
"Why is this happening?"
Jimmy thought to himself,
then he realized.
The man came in.
"Boy, what the hell is going on with you?"
"I don't know sir, maybe I'm just a bad conductor."

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