Crimson Hand Origin

Rain fell from the sky, beating the ground like fingers tapping on a drum. Samantha and Rumford Gould had left Mist Harbor but the rain followed them. “No one enjoys our company as much as the rain” Rumford joked.

A chilled breeze blew through and rustled their cloaks. Samantha wore her cloak with her hood up and her black leather gloves. She wore a sleeveless tunic and black pants. She wasn’t bothered by the chill in the air but had to keep her appearance and her hand covered at all times. Rumford looked like he was preparing for a blizzard with all of his layers of clothes. He wore enough clothes to cover any trace of bone or hint of green glow from the flame in his chest. The only spots visible were his eyes and the skin around the eyes. Rumford didn’t feel hot or cold, he didn’t get tired or need to eat or drink, so he carried all the extra clothes, watched over Samantha when she slept and remained covered as often as possible.

The two approached the Autumn Forest, the forest of autumn colors, honey, apples and maple. The air was always cooler there but it never snowed. Leaves fell from the trees and blew in the breeze but the trees were never bare. The Autumn Forest was a beautiful sight for most but not for Samantha.

Samantha was born in the small village of Honeydew, her life was quiet, peaceful and boring. Every day was greeted with beautiful fall colors and a cool breeze to temper the midday sun.

            When Samantha turned nineteen, she decided to leave her village in search of adventure. Her journey started on a clear and sunny day when the sky was a bright blue and the air was crisp. She was a spunky youth with a sharp tongue, a warming smile and plans for adventure. She knew how to plant and harvest crops and orchards, she could chop wood, hunt and ride horses. Samantha was prepared for the long road ahead and understood that life wouldn’t always be fair or kind outside of her village.

            The sunlight danced through the swaying leave of the forest and speckled the ground in golden rays. Samantha’s horse trotted along the well-treaded path from the Autumn Forest to Bright Harbor. Samantha spotted a dark haired traveler on the path. He had olive skin, black hair, brown eyes and wore layers of robes. Samantha rode up next to the man as he walked along the dirt road, his robes kicking up dust as he went. “I rarely see travelers on these roads” Samantha called to the man. The robed man flinched in surprise as he turned quickly. “H-hello. Yes, I’m traveling” The man said nervously. Samantha gave a suspicious look at the nervous man. “Is everything alright?” Samantha asked as she slowed down. The man’s face started to relax “Yes, thank you. I just need to get to Hallows End before the Halloween festival is over.

            “You are going the wrong way for that. If you want, I can take you” Samantha said. She planned on going to Bright Harbor but a spooky town of monsters all celebrating at once could be fun as well. “My name is Samantha, whats your name?” Samantha asked as she helped the man onto the horse. “Rumford” Replied the man with a big smile.

            Hallows End was a town deep in the Haunted Forest, a forest so dangerous that no one had ever returned from the forest once they entered it. Once a year the forest would magically open into a straight path leading to Hallows End. The bravest residence of the Autumn Forest and some tourists would go to Hallows End every year to celebrate Halloween. While the Haunted Forest was extremely dangerous, the town of Hallows End was one of the safest places in the world. Large monsters kept the peace and the town was founded on peace with all who enter as friends.

            Samantha knew where the path would open and knew when it would open. She road her horse to the entrance of the Haunted forest on the night before Halloween. The two arrived at the edge of the forest and set up a small camp. There was a visible line where the curse of the Haunted forest ended and the start of the healthy Autumn Forest began. there was no noticeable entrance of any kind but Rumford was an outsider and had to trust Samantha knew what she was doing.

            Rumford was slow to open up, he huddled into his robes like a turtle in his shell but as the night went on he loosened up. Samantha turned on her charms, she was witty and sarcastic and this connected with Rumford’s dry sense of humor and love of sarcasm. The difference was Samantha seemed fearless and Rumford was more timid.

            The cool night air blew through the Autumn Forest and swept over Samantha’s camp. The wind made the flames dance. The fire danced to the song of the wind, spreading light and heat out into the cold dark night, the flames spat little embers up into the air like a dancer throwing confetti. The embers popped and sizzled before burning out and drifting down to the earth as harmless ash. Rumford shyly laughed and smiled as Samantha told stories about the Autumn Forest and her small adventures she had so far. Rumford couldn’t take his eyes off the red haired woman from the Autumn forest. He stared at her pale face through the crackling flames, her green eyes were fierce and pushed back the darkness of night just as much as the roaring flames did. He saw a heroic woman who just started her journey, a conqueror of lands and a force to be reckoned with.

            Samantha tried her best to tell her boring stories to pass the time, she looked at her new traveling companion and realized that there was a cute and funny guy hidden in that pile of hair and robes. Samantha didn’t think her stories were very interesting but Rumford hung on her every word. Stories of scaring bears away from the fish she just caught, or shooting an arrow at a bandit who tried to run off with and old ladies money. These weren’t big battles between wizards and demons but a shut in like Rumford was enthralled.

            “So enough about my stories, what about you?” Samantha asked, as the light from the campfire glinted in her eyes.  “I study monsters, supernatural events and magic. I wanted to study Hallows end for the longest time but had to wait till the right time when the path opened. I also had to wait till the head scholar approved of my journey” Rumford explained. “So…” Samantha muttered but trailed off as she chose her next words. “what you are saying is, while everyone is partying on Halloween you are using it as a chance to study?” Samantha asked with a sly smile. “Yes” Rumford replied innocently. “NERD!” Samantha shouted then burst into laughter. She playfully threw her pillow at him and continued to laugh. This kind of remark would usually annoy Rumford but somehow when the words came from Samantha he didn’t mind at all. He smiled and felt embarrassed but also happy that something he did made her laugh.

            The two met on that day, the night before Halloween, one hundred years ago. Present day, Samantha and Rumford Gould, husband and wife, Crimson hand and Ghoulish bodyguard, road to the entrance of the Haunted forest. Rumford turned to his wife as the approached “Remember when we first met? All I wanted to do was study monsters” Rumford joked. “NERD!” Samantha shouted with a big smile then punched Rumford’s arm. She heard the sound of his shoulder bone crack as the joint popped out of place. The air went dead and the two were silent. “Its fine, I’ll fix it later. Ya know, I used to love monsters and now I AM one” Rumford tried to joke. Samantha winced and looked like she was going to cry. “You will never be a monster to me” Samantha said, looking Rumford in the eyes. Rumford had a flash back to that first night they met. The dark of night, the cold wind, Samantha’s pale beautiful face and her tender look, it was all just like that night, so much so that he could imagine the flames crackling and he could see the flaming glint in her eyes.

            “We will get revenge” Samantha said. Her whispered voice floated away like a hushed wind.

Where my Dreams take me - part 4 (out of 6) Awake

            Jack sat in the ‘Lousy Dame” Bar. With his Chicken fingers and fries getting cold and his beer and whiskey getting warm. He remembered it all, his work as an enforcer for the Organization, the organized crime in Dark city, his meeting Isabelle, their happy moments together, the life and promise of a future and one shotgun blast that ruined it all. Jack couldn’t remember what he did after Isabelle was murdered. He remembered he lived in the mountains, led a peaceful life growing pumpkins and raising an stray cat but he couldn’t remember how he got there. Everything between that night his love died and waking up one morning in a cabin was a blur.

            Jack clutched his head tightly with his hands. He tried to imagine what he did. Did he run home and drunk, did he murder everyone in the Organization, did he move to the mountains right away and build a cabin from wood he chopped down himself? None of it seemed real, he couldn’t remember doing any of those things. Just as Jack was in the middle of his crisis a tall thin man walked into the bar. The man was dressed in all black and wore a black cloak over his shoulders. His hood was down and besides the cloak he was wearing modern clothing. “Jack, you need to wake up” said the man. Jack looked up and saw the man. the bar was empty, not even Old Carl was there. The place was quiet, no music, no clattering in the kitchen, only silence. “Who are you?” Jack asked slowly.

“Death” Replied Death. ‘Death’ was a tall, pale, thin man in his early thirties wearing modern clothes, with white hair and pale gray eyes. “Yeah, sure. As far as everyone tells me I am death, not you” Jack replied. The man smiled and closed his eyes, then vanished.

            It began to rain again outside. Not the harsh pouring rain from before, but the light misty rain that somehow makes everything look nicer. Even Dark city at night seemed a little friendlier with this rain. Gentle rain pattered against the window. Mist drifted through the air. All was still and quiet except for the rain outside. Jack sat in silence as he listened to the rain outside. The quiet drops rhythmically hitting the street as the light of the city reflected off of the mist in the air.

            “What did you do that night?” Death asked. Its voice echoed through the room. Jack felt a pull on his heart as he started to remember. “I went back to the apartment. I was filled with rage and pain, I didn’t know what to do with myself so I drank until I passed out” Jack replied as his eyes began to tear up. “Then what?” Asked the voice again. “I kept doing that. I didn’t go to work and I barely left the apartment. No one came looking for me and I was too broken up to get revenge” Jack replied.  “Then one night you went Isabelle’s grave stone. You were drunk, you cried and you fell asleep. Then you dreamed of a happy life away from pain and suffering. You blocked out the pain and moved to a mountain top. That is where you are now, asleep in a graveyard. All of your memories of Dark city are real. But you never did move away, you stayed in the city you grew to hate and you let it grind you down. Maple town, the autumn forest and even that black cat all exist in real life. I gave you that dream. You dreams were just painful memories until I planted fiction into them. To give you hope. You can live that dream, peace and quiet far away from this Dark city. I can help you…but you must help me” Death said, its voice soft and reassuring at first but grew darker as it spoke.

            Jack woke up in a graveyard. He took a deep breath in and began to move. Gentle rain drifted down onto the graveyard, it was still night. Jack had tears in his eyes and his clothes were drenched from falling asleep in the rain. He remembered every second of his dream and the last words he heard from the voice of death. “What do you need me to do?” Jack asked in a shaky voice. “Kill” Said the voice of Death. Jack showed an evil smile and then lifted himself up. He looked down and realized he was leaning on Isabelle’s gravestone for support. “You are always helping me” Jack said allowing himself one last moment of sadness.

            Jack wore a green trench coat with the buckles undone, a gray long sleeve shirt, black jeans, black combat boots and black leather gloves. His dark brown hair was wet from the rain so Jack ran his hand through his hair to dry it. Jack’s hair was long and pushed back making him look like a maniac.  His green eyes shone bright with determination.  Jack picked up his hammer from the ground and held it in his hands. He was ready for revenge.

            Jack left the cemetery with a quick pace. He was headed downtown to the Boss’ main base of operations. As he walked down the street he kept noticing a face floating over his shoulder. It was the face of death, with a skeleton head and black holes for eyes. If you stared into the eyes of death you could lose your soul right there. Jack only saw this face in the corner of his eye and when he looked the face was gone. He knew Death was following him though. He couldn’t decide if that made him emboldened or nervous.

            “why are you helping me? You promise a future for me like in my dreams and the price is for me to kill the Organization boss and take revenge. That’s everything I want, what do you get out of this?” Jack asked as he continued his pace with his hammer held firmly in hand. The few people out on the street that night parted or crossed the street when they saw Jack walking through. “Your former boss is more than he seems. He is a devil who feeds off of the pain and suffering of men. I don’t get involved in the affairs of men but this needs my attention. Unfortunately if I wanted to fight him myself I would have to kill everyone around him. I am not allowed to take humans lives before their time. If their time runs out or another human cuts their time short, I take them then, not before” Death replied though its voice was calm, Jack felt a chill down his spine as Death spoke.

            “How am I supposed to fight a demon?” Asked Jack, wondering if he got in over his head. “Some demons are stronger than humans, some are not. Your boss is not. He is a lesser demon, with the strength of a human. He relies on guns and human weapons to fight. Do not let your guard down though. He might have a trick up his sleeve if cornered” Death replied.

            Jack walked quickly down the street as rain fell onto the city below. Thoughts of revenge, demons, death and Isabelle stole his focus. As he neared downtown he saw glowing orbs floating in the distance. Orange glowing orbs bobbed up and down by the edge of the city then floated off. Jack wanted to go follow them, they had a strange alluring nature. “Stop! You still need revenge, I cannot let you go dying now. Those lights lead people into the Haunted Forest every year. The closer it comes to Halloween the worse it gets” Death’s voice said. Jack stopped walking and shook his head. “I feel like I would know that. I did grow up here” Jack replied.

Jack’s memory was still fuzzy, probably because he was still drunk. Jack felt like he was still walking in a dream though. He was awake but he kept thinking back to his cabin in the mountains, it all seemed so real and the Dark city seemed like a bad nightmare that wouldn’t go away. “Will I ever see the cabin in the mountains again? Will I actually have that life?” Asked Jack. “Yes, rid the world of this demon you call ‘boss’ and I will make sure you get your cabin” Said Death.

Jack finally reached the base of operations for the Organization. It looked like an abandoned factory on the outside. Jack looked up at the top floor where he knew the Boss would be waiting. “Do I deserve a quiet life if I just keep killing? I would do anything for Isabelle but does killing in her name settle anything? Will it bring her back?” Jack said out loud. He wasn’t really asking anyone and knew she wouldn’t come back but he had grown tired of killing and yearned for the life of peace that he had in his dreams. “Your old boss is a demon. A literal demon and I choose you to kill him. If you walk away he will continue hurting people, making more victims and causing more pain. Your soul is stained from killing but that demon boss of yours raised you and put you on the path. So you are one of his victims just like all of the people you killed are victims of yours. I don’t need someone to think about this problem. I need a hammer, blunt crushing force. Now go!” Death explained. Death’s voice boomed when it said “Go”

Jack steeled his nerves. Now wasn’t the time for doubt or thoughts of warm beds and autumn days. Now was the time for revenge. Jack was an assassin, a hitman, an enforcer and all around psycho in his past life. Jack new it was time to bring that all back one last time. Jack kicked open the front door and broke off one of the door’s hinges.

Jack walked into main room, which looked like an empty factory, this was also part of the disguise. The main factory room was dark, the only light was from the street lights outside that came in through the large factory windows. The sound of rain echoed outside. the rain began to beat down harder, thousands of drops pelted the building and the strong winds shook the fragile windows.

Jack walked across the room to an old wooden door that looked like it led to an office or storage. The door opened and a guard wearing a suit and tie emerged from the doorway. He was sent to investigate the noise and found Jack standing before him.

The guard was shocked, he looked as if he had seen a ghost or maybe he was scared because he knew he was about to die. The guard saw Jack, standing tall with an insane grin and a fierce look of murder in his eyes. Jack had his hammer raised over his head and the guard pulled out a gun to shoot. Before a shot could be fired Jack slammed his hammer down onto the guards skull, smashing him into the cold concrete floor.

Jack walked into the base through the old wooden door. The inside of the base was all decked out with new furniture, metal doors, reinforced walls and stylish gold and marble statues. The first room had guards all with guns. Jack slammed his hammer down on the first guard that was by the door then threw his hammer at the guard across the room. A third guard drew his gun but Jack was able to grab a gun from the first guard and fire at the third. Jack’s hammer was lightweight enough that it could be thrown and swung quickly. Jack was an agile person and carried his hammer around ever day, so the crushing weight that it did have never slowed him down.

Jack had made it into the base of the Organization. His path for revenge wasn’t over yet. Jack readied himself for the battle ahead.