//------------------------------// // The Shadows Know. // Story: Phantasm // by Debonair //------------------------------// The boy fell to his knees face covered in blood and tears. "Drop the weapon!" He and his two victims were then surrounded by Detroit Policia. Their guns drawn all the boy could do was smile like a maniac but that face was the face of a clown. Inside his heart he knew what he had done did not get him what he desired. "Drop the weapon now!" The boy could barely find the strength to stop trembling and drop his gun. The Policia threw cuffs around his wrists and him into a Patrol Car. The boy was happy maybe just maybe he could find his Father on the other side. He could feel a dark presence in the seat beside him. "You lied to me," He said through gritted teeth at the presence. "I never said that I could bring back your Father," "You said and I quote, Upon the killing of two innocents by your hand you will find your Father." "Yes I said you would find him nothing more." "Quiet down back there!" The Policia shouted and the presence dispersed. Moments later the boy was dragged out of the car and thrown into a dark cell. The cell had two beds but he was the only one inside. That same dark presence appeared as he sat on a bed. "Have you found him yet?" The presence laughed. "Do not patronize me," "Fine be that way, after all you can't trust a human, to do a demon's job." With that the presence disapated once again. The boy laid in the bed looking back on his life. Why had it turned this way, why had he even thought that one life let alone two would be worth his father's. He sighed and shut his eyes. A load banging jolted him awake, and he looked toward the barred door. "Come with me," The man open the door and stepped in. The boy sat up and stood to follow. "Cooperation makes this so much easier." "What is your job?" "I bring people to their visitors," "I have a visitor?" Anton was confused, he only had one friend but he was back home in Peru. "Yeah, a Jerry Hernandez." The man sat the boy down at a window with a phone. Another man sat at the other side of the glass. "Anton, why did you do this?" "Would you believe the devil made me do it?" "Anton, be serious." "My Father," "Cress?" "Yes, I heard from a reliable source." "From?" "The Devil," "If we want to make a convincing argument, you need to be honest with me." "Jerry, I am serious." "Fine, that's all I need to know, see you in three days." Jerry walked off leaving Anton alone and confused. The Guard led Anton back to his cell and left. Anton did nothing for the three days but remember why he had taken the offer, his Father was a great man, he could remember the good times and that one day Father's Colleagues would come for him. That statement echoed throughout Anton's mind. The morning of the third day another guard knocked on his cell door. "Has it been three days already?" "Shut up, and get up." "Okay?" Anton stood and walked to the door as it opened. The guard dragged him into a room filled with people he didn't know. Anton was then set at a table next to Jerry. "Anton Allegro, you are charged with the murder of Techno and Trance Bassboost, how do you plea?" "Your honor We wish to plead Insanity." Jerry interrupted before Anton could answer. "No Your Honor," Anton stood. "I wish to plead Guilty," "Anton what are you doing, are you crazy?" "No, if I was then I would plead Insanity." "Anton you do realize that you just, asked for the death penalty?" "Yes I do," "Again We wish to plead Insanity." Jerry restated hoping that the judge would listen to him and not Anton, "Shut up Jerry!" Anton growled. "Order, Order!" The judge slammed his gavel over and over. "Anton are you sure you wish to plead Guilty?" "Yes your honor, Mr. Hernandez only wishes for what he thinks is best." "What I think is best will save your ass!" "Mister Allegro, control your counsel or I will hold him in contempt." "Jerry, please just shut the fuck up," "I can't let you throw your life away!" "Like I threw away those two lives in the alley," "You weren't yourself," "Jerry shut the fuck up!" "Your Honor, my client has confided in me that." Jerry pulled out a tape recorder. "Would you believe the Devil made me do it?" "That was totally taken out of context!" "I'm trying to keep you alive!" "ORDER!" "Your Honor I wish to approach the bench." "Bailiff?" "Yes Your Honor." The Bailiff walked over and led Anton to the bench. "Your Honor, Jerry just wants to keep me alive, friends since birth you see, but I can't live on with the guilt. I wish to ask for an immediate execution." "Not many have the balls to man up for what they've done, I admire your tenacity," "One life is worth another but maybe mine is worth the two I've taken, I beg of you." Anton's eyes overflowed with tears as he begged for his death. "You have touched my heart and it pains me to say, your plea for immediate execution is granted." The judge slammed his gavel. "Thank you your honor," The Bailiff dragged the emotional wreck that was Anton into another dark room and strapped him to the steel table. Music was played to ease the nerves of the Executionee, but all he could think of was how he would finally be rid of his guilt. Anton sighed and shut his eyes as the needle pierced his skin and the cold embrace of death reached for him. Slowly the drugs flowed through his veins to his heart stopping it cold. ================================================= The smell of butane tickled my nose and the intense heat made me open my eyes. OPEN MY EYES!!!, SMELL OF BUTANE!!! I saw small blue flames, SHIT, I'm in a crematorium. I kick out the door and slide out just as my eyebrows are singed off. My ass slams onto the cold concrete. The big door opens to a tall skinny guy, and all I could say was. "So Satan walks into a bar," The guy faints and falls face first on the ground. "Shit!" I scramble to his side and search for a pulse. It was faint but still there. "Thank whoever cares," "I care," I felt a dark presence, but it wasn't as dark as the one before. "Anton Allegro, Age 23, Height 6'2", Weight 185, hates being left out, and has hmn that's strange." The man had his nose deep in a file. "Who are you?" This dark man seemed familiar but where had I met him before. "And what's strange?" "Your first question is easy to answer, I am death," "You're one of Father's Colleagues," "Colleagues, one less thing to explain," "What are you doing here?" "Well I did come to collect you but," "But what?" "You aren't dead." "Que?" "Eternal youth doesn't pass on genetically, instead Immortality is granted." "¿Que estas hablando?" "I going to level with you, you are the son of the most wanted man in the Multiverse." "Again I say Que?" "Your Father is indeed alive in a sense," "Tell me where he is, por favor?" . "He's in a land far away but right around the corner," "Es como hablar con una pared de ladrillo." "I am not a brick wall, and your Father is right through here." The man walked to a closet door and opened it. "Since you're not dead I can't legally hire you, but technically you were never alive either, so I can help you without anyone on getting on my back," Death reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of bangles, and a pair of earrings. "Put these on," "What are they?" I ask putting them on. "Phantasm Bands, and Aether Earrings, these will grant you safe passage," "Un poco llamativo." "You're right, they are a bit flashy, but they get the job done." Death the second darkest presence I know chuckled. "Oh I had these made for your Father but since he's a bit aggravating, I'll give them to you." He pulled out a satchel and tossed it to me. Inside were, a suit like father used to wear, a pair of sunglasses, and an Ankh. I slipped the Ankh around my neck and put on the sunglasses. "You look good. The glasses will allow you to look into the souls of mortals and some immortals, the Ankh is a gift from Anubis it gives you a little boost, it's effects are different for everyone so I can't say for sure what it'll do," "Where exactly does this lead?" I peer into the expanse on the other side, it looked like the Amazon Rain forest. "That is the Frozen Forest, a handy dandy Oasis in the middle of the Frozen North." "Where is my Father now?" "I'd say somewhere in Avalon, or maybe in Gryphon Territory, he could even be in the Badlands, I'm not sure." "Why is he there?" "Anubis, has informed me that your father is no longer in Egypt, and my other informants have told me of a man in a suit that abducted your father and brought him to the Verse that lays on the other side of this door." "Anubis, is that another of your colleagues?" "Yes, now through the door I have other souls to guide, and stay away from the Queen!" He patted my back and pushed me through the door and slammed it behind me. Who's the Queen? I was surrounded by prying green eyes. My head started pounding, and I fell to my knees. "Crush, Kill, Destroy," An even darker almost obsessed with death grumbled deep within. Crush, Kill, Destroy, He laughed like a maniac and I found myself doing the same. ================================== The creatures charged the boy as his very being was shrouded by nearby shadows, two creatures jumped in and were ripped apart limb by limb and were thrown out the shroud still clinging to life with looks of intense pain and terror. The boy's eyes were ones of intense conviction, the shroud dispersed to show not the boy but a ravenous pitch black panther. Some of the creatures backed away in fear but the Panther took this opportunity to pounce. It swung it's paw at one's throat slashing it open and coating it's own face in green blood. The big cat was taken aback by the strangely colored ooze. It smelled the same, tasted the same, but did not look the same. The ground under his paws was set ablaze in green flames. The panther shot back as the flames followed. The Panther knew he couldn't get through and was forced into a corner. "Enough of this!" A loud female voice boomed and the creatures backed away. As the flames died down a large black creature with a green mane slowly approached the cornered cat. "Don't be afraid, little one." The cat batted at the creature slashing her face. "I won't hurt you," She held out a hoof, and the cat slowly crept forward. The female wrapped her forelegs around the cat and pressed her lips to his muzzle. The shadows flow off of the Panther to reveal Anton locking lips with a black horse creature. The glasses revealed her soul to him, and that whoever she was she meant no harm, for the moment.