Hello World.

Her eyes are wide open, pupils dilated and eyelids fluttering as her breathing comes out labored. She doesn't understand where she is or how she came to be in this place. All she knows is she doesn't want to be here anymore. Whatever happened before she cannot change -no matter how much she may wish to-, the fact is she no longer has the power to do anything about it. She broke and she has no one to blame but herself. Logic says otherwise, logic tells her she did all she could and that she shouldn't allow herself to feel guilty. But The Shady Lady feels so very guilty; she wishes it would all just end and that her world be plunged back into the abyss she takes comfort within. It can never be, though. The young thing knows this, she realizes she played a game there was no hope in winning. She knows she'll never go to heaven, if such a place exists. The crimes committed are far too wicked, her hands are stained. The people who surround her tell her she's done it for good reasons, sometimes she wonders. What is good? Everyone has the potential to be evil, it's in them. There's a spark in everyone, it's a matter of enabling it, encouraging it to grow brighter.

Is she still this good person for allowing the fire to grow, in the pursuit of some form of happy ending?

She doesn't know anymore, her heart is beating so hard it hurts. Everything seems like a blur. She's just here now, typing this with that same wildly beating heart while recalling said events. Last she remembers was the white bed in the white room. The name comes to mind, Limeport Asylum. Immediately she feels overwhelmed by the images that come flooding back. The white hunger with gnashing teeth, the thing that broke her. Then comes the torture and the abuse, oh how they remembered her, they recognized her. A previous patient to this facility. Her brother sentenced her there. How long was she gone for? Why is there so much blood on her hands? She woke up with someone there, someone in her room opening the door. A familiar face. A friend. Does she even have friends? Paranoia taunted her bitterly, almost as if to replace the Caged One. No one can replace the Caged One. She's was the first to have shed blood for this cause. Blood... Why is there blood here? It doesn’t matter; something shiny is in her friend’s hand. Words of care leave the woman’s lips as she places in her hand the master key to the asylum. I love you. The Shady Lady wants to say, the woman’s kindness reminds her of her old love. The girl who always smiled, Selene Coleman. Perhaps this is why she cares so much for this one, why they have become such good friends.

A moment later her friend is gone and she’s out the door. Screaming filled the halls; she had a knife in her hand only some of time. Her fingers curled around a man's jaw and the other behind his head, a sickening crack. She told him to stand aside... Why didn't he just leave her alone? She just wants to be left alone! Her mind keeps thinking the suit is beside her; her eyes are wide because she's searching every inch of her vision for the creature. There's a man beside her with a satchel, encouraging her to fight for her freedom. Reassuring her with small affectionate actions. What does this mean? Does she love him? Can she love? How can someone love when they are covered in so much blood! She's screaming, people in uniforms are collecting around them from every direction but she won't let the numbers stop her. She has places to be and things to do. So many things to do. What's the date? She can't be late. She promised. There are lives to save here. She has to at least get SOMETHING right. Anything. That monster took so much, and for what? To prove a point and get her attention? She isn't sure she understands, all she wanted to do was understand. Is it so wrong to seek knowledge? Is that her sin, did she transgress for wanting to learn? The Shady Lady isn't aware she bit into any apples.

A woman in uniform grabs her arm and yanks her; the girl whips her head around and glues her eyes upon the guardian. She can feel her blood boiling; hear her bones creaking as rage floods through her system. The girl who lost her name remembers this face, she remembers the brown doe eyes watching as she was strapped into a chair and electrocuted. Those eyes that look so innocent... But they're not. Innocence is something that died long ago in all of this. It left the scene of the crime when the first murder was committed. There's no hesitation when The Shady Lady's hand curls around the woman's throat, every bit of her weight pressing the guardian backwards until her footing was lost and they both collapsed to the ground. On her back the guardian loses the drive, fear spreads across her face as her hands attempt to pry off the cold hands of death. But the Lady dares not to release her; forest green eyes are currently caught aflame by the fire burning inside her.

Purpose. She has something left to do. Peace means nothing to her anymore; there is none for her to scavenge. She has to find it; she has to find what was long ago lost. Her wide eyes catch a glimpse of a suit near the end of the hall, when she looks up it's no longer there. It doesn't stop her from feeling watched and that alone makes her shake, warmth filling her as the rage burns hotter. She's screaming, "You made me! You made me this way!" and she can hear in the back of her head, "You've always been this way."

An arm wraps around her, prying her off the body that has long since stilled. She can feel the person behind her breathing and strangely enough takes comfort in it. The girl calms down, her breathing coming to match his as the warmth in her veins burns out. Coldness returns and she's released, her eyes glance up at the masked face and she touches it briefly. Reassurance. He's real, he's real, he's real. Insanity is real. He too is covered in blood.

She's losing her mind all over again. Wasn't she getting better? The young thing bites her lip until it bleeds, she doesn't even feel the blood slipping down her chin. A shudder runs through her as her eyes rake across the bodies that lie sprawled, some in pieces. It's not all her doing; he's taken care of most of it. He enjoys it. She takes no pleasure in anything anymore, does she? Or maybe she does and she just doesn't remember. The Shady Lady could have sworn she got her memories back so why is there so much confusion?

Confusion? No. Desperation. She has to get out, it had been too long.

Their footsteps echoed down the hall and suddenly, with a twist of the key her visiting friend had left, she felt fresh air. She understood what Lenore meant when it came to flying away from all of this. Part of her still wishes the dead woman could have escaped, pity and sympathy cutting through her like a knife. But then she remembers Billy, she remembers his ginger hair and bright eyes, every freckle on his face. The Shady Lady remembers her friend smiling, but she also remembers holding him as his life slipped away. The young thing will never forget the agony on Joshua's face as she watched from afar during the funeral. As he cried for her, wishing she was there, that she would come home. And she remembers leaving her brother there to suffer alone, thinking perhaps it would be safer. For a while it was. Sympathy can only last so long before its run into the ground and stomped upon. She swore, "Crush my heart and I'll crush yours." and Lenore did not heed the warning, she only heard a promise and decided to see it through.

Somehow The Shady Lady was still doing what the Road Runner always wanted her to. All this blood...

Breathing felt unnatural to her as she stood outside for a moment before being ushered away from the building. Her legs seemed to become weaker the further she got, it confused her for a moment but then she realized what she was leaving behind. This escape meant something, it was with reason. Purpose is a funny thing. She decided then she was the butt of some twisted cosmic joke that wasn't at all funny to her human mind. However, it didn't matter because nothing mattered anymore. She was escaping with a single purpose. All this time in there she had to discover the location of what they need. What Mystery and her set out to find in the beginning of everything. The Shady Lady figured it out despite being losing herself. Perhaps that's the only real way to discover the world's secrets, give up all you have. Those that surround her, the faces she had called family and friends, the ones she cares for she sincerely apologizes to. Yet she doesn't say it out loud, she will not shed anymore tears or waste any more time. There was a destination to go to. She would reclaim what they built together and accept nothing less, and she would recover what they have sought out for what seems like ages now.

Oh how she wishes for Mystery and dreams for her return. How she misses her so much it hurts. But that pain is a reminder to move forward, whatever hope is not yet crushed is begging that her partner be there when she arrives. She'd pray if there was anything worth believing in.

Tightly she holds onto the Advocate of her enemies, riding to the sanctuary together. They do not welcome them home; her precious one permits none to get in her way as she storms the place. From somewhere inside she can hear her ray of Sunshine crying out, screaming, and knowing of her return. There's a slam and a bang before the door to her room below breaks open. He's snarling like a feral beast and becomes a second defense, tackling down a soldier of justice that dared to try and bar her way. Her madman is laughing loudly, her beast roaring, silence is her gift to the leader of the fort. Words aren't needed as she climbs the stairs to what's left of the second floor, she can see Brood staring at her unexpectedly. What surprise is on his face fades and he ceases to show emotion.

But Joshua exits a room between her and him and his blue eyes shine in the light. She does not falter in her approach; he's not the target she's seeking. His hands grab hold of her shoulders and he asks her to stop, pleads, tells her he loves her and she's the only family he has left. He's shaking and she can hear him say how they murdered his family, his parents, his aunt is comatose, his goddamn dog shredded. It pains her heart to see her brethren suffering because of her, but she knows if she stops now that her escape would have meant nothing. It would just be like before she entered the asylum. Her arms shove his hands away and she grabs him, throwing him off the second floor. He’s screaming her name, “!@$#%$^*” and she stills a moment, remembering her own forgotten name. Adrian Dark, memories of the origin of her alias The Shady Lady come to mind. Derived from her last name, a means to keep who she was always in mind. It didn’t work, obviously. It’s no longer a name of use, her past is dead. A sharp whistle escapes her lips before her brother can hit the ground and Sunshine moves like a blur, catching the young man safely and keeps him pinned.

And all she sees now is Brood.

He doesn't have time to get his gun out, forced to catch her fist. He's not a fighter; he's a clean shooter and the brains. He doesn't know the meaning of fighting for his life. She's relentless; she will not stop until his skin is colored black and blue. Against a wall and to the floor they fall, she's on her knees and staring as each animal punch lands into him. She will not stop until she sees defeat, witnesses his surrender. Until he denounces his throne and returns her crown. This was her home; the people who were here were her people in the beginning. Mystery and her made a home that they could feel safe within. He was here to assist, not take over. Not throw her out. Not betray everything they built! The man beneath her coughs, his breathing shallow as he looks at her and lifts a hand. She stops, staring at him and scrutinizing his sincerity.

"They wouldn't stop coming. The wards broke; we lost a lot of manpower." Brood is speaking to her; she doesn't hear him at the time until she's writing this. When her mind a little more clear. All she go on is the emotions filling his eyes. "I was wrong. I thought I knew what I was doing but I had no idea, because of it a lot of people died."

He's bloody; her hands are now freshly stained all over again. She can see regret in his eyes. That of a king who thought he was leading his people to safety, when really he was leading them into damnation. He has had his dose of death, he has lost so much and she can see him coming to realize that as his life lay on the line. But she understands and sees the cog wheels of his machine brain turning. She knows because she has been there. Her hands release him and she pulls herself shakily to a stand, staring down at him once more before turning and walking down the stairs. Her weight sinks on the final step and The Shady Lady finds herself sitting on the stairs of her ruined fortress. Her Sunshine comes to her side and rests his forehead against her like he always did.

Footsteps shuffling from above her, she glances at the agent as he pulls out a handkerchief and starts wiping away the blood. "What's your course of action?"

Once more leadership rested in her hands. For a moment she remembers her time alone and rather misses having no one to talk to. But then she sees a few familiar faces, of the people still alive, and she knows better than to be stupid and not value what she has. "I'm going to the mountains." She croaks, throat dry. It feels strange to speak. "Secure this place first, and then I'm leaving."

She can hear objections about going alone, but she doesn't care at this point. She's incredibly tired and it feels like something is trying to claw its way into her head. Pulling herself to a stand she offers her Advocate shelter in their sanctuary, her hand curling around the latch of the hatch door as she begins dragging it back to her hole beneath the mansion. She doesn't hear his reply, or if he even replies at all. Sleep is calling her, another visitor awaiting her. She can only imagine what the businessman could want.

Upon waking she reached over and grasped the technology she used to record her life. Opening it and turning it on she logged in to find posts that were not hers recorded. Writings from her brother during her time away. There were many that had yet to be posted, she could see he tried but lost his will very early on. Her lips formed a frown while reading the entries and the thoughts her brother had upon seeing her. Time spent locked up within the asylum becoming more vivid than the initial blur. What was cleared from her mind so she could think came back during her sleep and now everything was settled. She remembered just fine, especially her time in the asylum. She remembered the face of her psychiatrist and how she will not hesitate to elaborate on him when her time is more free. Instead she posts what her brother had recorded and left unsaid to the world, she posts his thoughts to be known before she posts her return.

Thirteenth visit 10/31/12

I visited Shady on Halloween, which I am to have done. Seems like she got into some mischief the night before. The walls were filled with color, the building less white. The scrubs of the nurses and orderlies as well as patient uniforms were a series of bright colors. The skin of the patients were colored too, it looked like the nurses had tried to clean them but it was going to be stained for some time. The crazies didn't seem to mind, they gleefully enjoyed all the new colors around the place and on themselves.

I asked her how she did it and she just smirked, saying the dye was self explanatory. The only other comment she had on it was, "I gave them the tools and a means to have fun, they eagerly accepted."

We stayed in the rec room and I handed out candy I brought with me, had them go on an Halloween hunt to find other pieces around. The staff wasn't amused but we didn't care, we weren't causing any harm. For once there was little to no extreme behavior from any of the patients. It was one of the rare times we stuck out in public in that place but it was a good evening. We had fun.

I could have sworn I saw something brooding behind her eyes though. Some kind of concern and anticipation. We haven't talked about anything in depth, her memory seems to be fuzzy and unclear for the moment. She tells me it's nothing to be concerned about and that it'll be back to normal soon, just some after effects. To what, I asked. She didn't have a reply for me and for now I accepted it. I'd ask her next time.

I'm going to dedicate a post about her psychiatrist to help clear my thoughts. Something doesn't sit right with me, that guy knows something he's not telling me.

Joshua

Twelfth visit 10/2/12

Prosper showed on the second visit I made to their graves. I didn't even know he was there until a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.

"What do you want?"

He patted the spot before letting go. "It wasn't me."

"You're all the same, so yeah it's your fault. You killed my parents and you're the reason I'll probably never see my aunt again."

"That's discrimination!" He laughed shortly. "It's better this way, Spencer. Now you're focused."

"What are you talking about?"

"You should let her sleep, that way she can't get involved. and you can give Him all your attention."

The way he said that reminded me of something. "Is this the Executor's doing? Is he keeping her in a coma?" The barest of smiles hinted on his face. "Isn't that disobeying your boss?"

He tutted. "She's out of the way, what does it matter?" Prosper rested his hands in his pockets. "Still following orders."

"Why didn't he just put everyone to sleep?" I shouted.

"That draws too much attention. Be smart, Spencer." He leaned over me with a wink, "Besides, we saved your favorite relative."

My hands balled into fists, "Why do this?"

"A favor for a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"In due time." I didn't have a reply for him so he took it as his chance to leave with a wave. "Keep a close eye on my asylum girl."

I can see why my sister hates the Executor and his lacky.

I brought Shady the left over flowers I had and she was surprised to see them. We set them on the nightstand and sat side by side looking at them. We talk regularly shoulder to shoulder. It was a nice way to end the day.

Joshua

Eleventh visit 10/2/12

I went out grocery shopping and ran into that masked freak named Prosper. He had the mask tied to his belt loop so he could walk around publicly it looked like. He didn't try and hurt me, it happened when I was walking out to the car. I had to park near the end because people are stupid. Prosper showed up to my right and was following me on the other side of the cars, weaving through them as if to provoke me.

I put the groceries in the trunk as quickly as I could but it wasn't enough, he came to lean against the car as if he was an old friend saying hi.

"Shove off." I warned him putting the bags away.

The guy was calm and looking through my bags of food as if actually curious. "Your family is going to die."

I dropped a bag at what he said so abruptly. "What?"

His dead eyes looked at me. "Your family, Spencer. They are going to die."

"No... no they aren't. They aren't apart of this."

"Your colleagues weren't apart of this and they still died." Prosper said nonchalantly, the barest hint of a smile showing. "Everyone you know is involved, just like anything you have ever touched. Anything that can be destroyed is apart of this giant web, nothing is out of reach."

"Why are you telling me this?"

He bent down and began picking up my spilled groceries, handing me the bag as I tried to calm down from hyperventilating. "You help everyone in need but you're very picky about whose lives you're willing to save. Call me the curious cat."

"Don't you know that old saying?" I angrily replied. "Are you going to do it? Are you going to kill them?"

"That's a surprise." He patted the cart with a glance at the sky, "You should hurry, looks like it might rain."

I glanced up for a second before looking back to where he stood only to find him gone. Immediately I called Brood and asked him to send over someone to my house and he did.

When I got there my father was dead just a few feet from the front door. I could hear my aunt crying somewhere and ran to her, she was holding my mother who was covered in blood and twitching. I went to them only to be knocked aside by a masked woman, footsteps came up the stairs and a masked man stood there. I pulled out my gun and defended my family, it didn't matter. The sound of the door downstairs breaking open and loud voices came from below. The proxies stopped in their advancement on me and I felt sick and overwhelmed all at once.

I turned around to find the suited monster behind me, I tried to fire the gun at it but there weren't anymore bullets left. I don't know how to explain what happened, I was staring at it one moment and the next I was waking up on the floor as Brood shook me. My mother was dead and my aunt was in critical condition, the agent promised to see to it she had protection and care.

I didn't tell Shady when I visited her. I didn't know what to say to her, I think she knew something was wrong because it was me who wasn't talkative. She worked her word games to see how far she could go and when she realized I wasn't getting into what happened she decided we should play checkers.

I hope my aunt lives.

Joshua

Tenth visit 9/18/12

I haven't visited her for most of the month so far. The mansion was in constant need of help and repairs. We bought some supplies and were boarding up most of the openings. So far Brood hasn't lost anymore men, they have been injured but no deaths since we set up these temporary reinforcements.

I've been working with the doctor on board on helping everyone.

It was after the last guy was fixed up my phone began ringing. Mystery was on the other end of the line and I promised her to keep confidential. She has been logging in from time to time to read our posts, with Shady and her having joined accounts she has been reading mine too. The woman told me that my sister would know how to fix them because she can't spare the time, or I could try based on the detailed notes but it's unlikely they would really work. I'm more of a science guy than a magic guy, even if the two can at times be closely related.

We talked about my visits and thoughts, she confirmed some things based on her encounters with the Executor's clones and put to rest some more troubling ones. Shady... what are you up to? I'm reassured you're not a threat, that you're still a friendly so why doesn't that make me feel any better?

I saw her today briefly, we exchanged hellos and some basic conversation. Her mind was miles away and I could see I wasn't going to be having any of her attention today.

Joshua

Ninth visit 9/1/12

I went to visit her and she had set up a game of checkers. We played and talked. I asked if she was well and she said she was. I didn't believe her, I can see the dark circles under her eyes. She isn't sleeping still but the nurses haven't said anything about nightmares when I have asked. Shady isn't having them anymore so what is keeping her up? Her psychiatrist doesn't seem to know anything, says she's fine.

Is it the Advocate visiting? She said he hasn't been back yet which alerted me. He was obsessed so why hadn't he returned? I questioned it and she stopped staring at the board to look at me, there was something heavy weighing her down. She's planning something and I can see it in her eyes, I want to know what she's doing.

She never replied to my question so I asked about the Executor. Shady assured me things have quieted down but didn't clearly state whether he was still visiting or not. I'm going to assume he is, she wouldn't dance around the question if she had nothing to hide.

Shady became fed up with my questions and flipped the board across the room, "Can't you just be happy with this?"

It scared me to see her suddenly agitated, "Be happy when you're obviously not?"

"You should take what you can get, Joshua. We're having a good time and you just can't let these questions go."

"You're up to something, sis'. I'm worried about you like you were worried about me. Why can't anyone care about you?"

"It's not good for your health. If I have something in mind have some faith."

"Why don't you have some faith in me and just open up what you're keeping locked inside?"

"Because I don't know who you trust more right now, Brood or me." It stunted any response I had, I could see her shaking. It wasn't completely out of anger, I could see she was hurt too. "You should leave, take care of whatever is troubling you back at our home."

Shady shut off and began cleaning up the mess, I took her suggestion and left.

Joshua

Eighth visit 8/23/12

Some of the missing soldiers showed up again and they weren't Brood's anymore. They came with heavy fire and our wards were destroyed. I don't know how, only someone on the inside can disable them but all our people are accounted for. There must have been a mistake that caused them to fail.

I don't know what's happening or what we're going to do. Brood is stressed but keeping schedules balanced. We are always on watch. He doesn't think it's a good idea for me to keep visiting my sister but I don't care. Going to her is not up for discussion and I told him that.

She knew I was troubled and asked what was wrong. I couldn't talk about it because I was afraid what it would do to her. Instead I asked about her sleeping and she said the nightmares have gone away. I pressed her on the Executor and she said that he must have seen how much stress it was putting on her mind and body and didn't want to risk it.

I think she knows I don't believe her completely but she doesn't show it. Instead she placed on the table Apples to Apples and when I opened them I found she had written over the original ones. It was like our old set, it was like the old times again. The nagging in the back of my head wouldn't go away the entire time, something wasn't right. It reminded me of the quiet before the storm.

Joshua

Seventh visit 8/16/12

We have been getting attacked often and I have no way of explaining what's going on or how it is happening. We're losing people by the most absurd means. Some soldiers are disappearing while others are found mutilated. I want answers but I don't know where to get them.

Shady was calmer this time but being weird. It was like all her time there so far was smeared out, she was very focused but at the same time confused when I tried talking to her about some things. It was like she didn't remember vividly her time so far. Normally if I asked her something she could recite it back to me in detail. She always had a good memory but this reminds me a lot from when she didn't have her memories. Did something from her dream last time I was here have some kind of affect? I'm concerned and suspicious.

We had a regular conversation, she had her same dark humor and was being nice, mostly. As nice as Shady can be, I guess I should say. We played Scrabble together, our version which consists of the worst words used in history. As we played we debated some old theories and philosophies, none of them pertaining to the Slender Man or any other freaks. It was like the old days again, but she wasn't the old Shady I knew. I could see that clearly but I took what I could get for now.

I spent lunch with her and left when it was time for dinner so she could relax. My sister hugged me and wore a smile as I left the room. It was a good day but I wish I knew what that meant for her.

Joshua

Sixth visit 8/8/12

Something is happening to the wards around here. I tried to fix them but I don't know anything about magic so I didn't do much other than look. It's almost as if they are failing for some reason, which doesn't make sense when I read the notes. Shortly after noticing this we were attacked by a few masked people. The ones that weren't shot dragged off a few of Brood's men. When we went scouting for them in the morning we found two of the soldiers disemboweled and strung up like party decorations.

Brood tried contacting Mystery about the wards but we haven't heard anything back yet. I'm still tracking her and she's still alive out there. I understand she's working very hard but this is important. Please, if you're still reading these contact us.

When I visited Shady today she was unconscious. I sat beside her bed and did some reading and could hear her talking in her sleep every now and then.

"It won't last."
"Just fix it."
"Worth the crazy."
"I need out."
"I don't care about the pain."

She was quiet for a while, her face scrunched into almost concentration as she breathed easily.

"Do it."

More silence followed and I figured she was back into the deep sleep. Except she started squirming and screaming to the point the nurses came in to try and calm her. An orderly dragged me out and I sat outside waiting. It didn't last long and she didn't wake up at all. I called in to check on her for a few days afterwards and they said she was unconscious like that for half the week.

Executor, is this your doing?

Joshua

Fifth visit 7/30/12

I think I'm just going to start recording theese for myself now, I can't bear to keep posting these things anymore. I don't see what good they do or how they help; all of this is just a record of our poorly established existence. I lost count of how much I had to drink tday and still I'm not even drunk. Shady always joked about my becoming an alcoholic with my job.

I hsould have seen way back then all of this. There was a lot of signs but I missed them all somehow. Maybe it was denial. I used to love the supernaturla, I was the science fiction guy, number one nerd in the school. She was the shadow on the wall, always there but out of sight and out of mind. It was as if she didn't even exist, sometime I think even without her memories she still had some familiarity with what happened. She knew somehow and so she hid until one day she just dissappeared.

My sister isn't a bad person, she just has bad methods. I know this even if I don't act like it because I don't approve of her aproach. It's getting results  but at what cost? I'm painted out to be a bad guy, it was never her intention and I know that. She's like a sister to me, she has always been there and now she's not and I'm drinking again. I did it when she left the first time, I was so upset. Billy and I spent all our time together trying to make up for Sel-Smile's death.

I hate using these nicknames for one another now. I miss our real names, I miss calling my old friend by the name she was born with. I mis calling my sister by a name she has mostly forgotten. It feels like she doesn't even have one anymore. Sometimes I think it's for the better, in Mystery's notes she says names have power; but should someone really erase their identity like that? It just feeels so wrong.

I went to visit her again today, she was startled and paranoid.

"He's trying to get in again, he'll get in eventualy. But I won't let him even if he does!" She had screamed the last part. "They know I'm here. I'm stuck like a caged animal. I can't go anywhere, he has all the time in the world. Picking my brain apart on random nights. I nver know when to expect him, I cant sleep. I don't want to sleep."

I couldn't comfort her at all. She curled up in my lap and I rocked her, like she used to do to her litle brother. Her hands tightly held onto my shirt for reassurance and I promised her I wasn't going   anywhere. Eventually she fell asleep but I still didnt leave her side which I am glad for because she woke up fifteen minutes later. Labored breathing, screaming and crying, clawing at her own head. Shady was having a nightmare about Mister Creevey and its name poured from her mouth repeatedly.

"Is Creevey still in there?" I had asked her once she stirred.

"No."

"It is the Executor?"

"Yes."

"Why is he visiting you again?"

"He's trying to do something with whatever Creevey left behind."

"What does he want?"

Shady's eyes glazed over and she drifted back asleep. She stayed that way and seemed at peace for now. Her pulse returned to normal so if he was visitng her he mus have had enough.

I left and got the information on her current psychiatrist, we talked on the phone and he was reassuring about their conversations. She sounded sane when they talked, a bit off but not crazy. It confused me when I saw in thesee visits how she behaved liek a lose cannon. He talked about how she had some troubling issues and I asked if she mentioned a few times to which he denied most of them. I'm going to contact this guy more, maybe set up a meeting and get to know him in person. Something just doesnt sit right.

Joshua

Forth visit 7/22/12

Shady was incredibly calm today. She wore a faint smile on her face and didn't say anything for a while. We sat mostly in silence at first before I asked how she was.

"Good. I was able to sleep. How are you?"

"Concerned for you mostly. The Advocate said he was coming for a visit and I'm trying to help keep him away." Her smile only grew. "He already visited, didn't he?"

"I slept very well." I choked a little. "Don't worry, you prude. It's not what you're thinking."

I frowned. "So you two..."

"No shotgun wedding is necessary, though he may enjoy such a thing." Her eyes rolled. "I'm not exactly innocent, you know."

I pointed at her. "Stop. I didn't drive here to talk sex." Her smile turned into a devious grin. "We'll talk about all of that later. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

She traced the cut on her face. "No, none of these are from him. We simply enjoyed one anothers company. He made the screaming quiet down for a night, it was pleasant."

I don't get how a guy that insane could quiet whatever screaming she's hearing in her head. I'm not all that happy he visited her but if it's the reason she's so calm I have to be thankful, if only for the results of the matter. Advocate, you can still go fuck yourself off a cliff.

"The Tall Man has been outside." that got my attention. "Just stands there, doing nothing. It came in here once before and I had awoken to its presence. We watched each other. I don't understand. Some days I think I'm just hallucinating those sightings. Why doesn't it do anything?"

"Maybe because it's already doing something without you realizing it. You're doubting yourself and what you see. What happened to those detective eyes?"

"Maybe they were taken."

I watched as she fell silent and tried to keep her talking. "Are you okay?"

"I don't like not seeing."

"Not seeing what, Shady?"

"The truth."

She became unresponsive after that, a few mumbled words but she mostly sat in silence. I talked to her for a while but it seemed less with her and more at her. Shady lost motivation to care after our talk and I left sometime afterwards.

Third visit

You internet douchebags really have me thinking more than I want to. I went for another visit today.

"I'm sorry."

Shady was sitting on the bed with her wrist chained to the post this morning. They've been trying to keep her on the bed to get her to sleep more. She's bruised and has some cuts, I confronted the nurses on it and they said the other patients got into a fight with her. She didn't look at all bothered by them, indifferent as always. When I asked her about the damage done she just looked at me and said nothing. I don't know why she won't tell me who did it. "Are my readers biting your dick off?" She changed the topic with a slight smile.

"You have no idea." I smiled in return. She just knew as always. I don't know if she was heavily medicated or feeling calmer compared to the other days; I was just glad to see her more like herself. "Are you okay aside from the bruises?"

"No." She rasped. "I sit in here and rot. Just thinking about the previous asylum and everything that came before it. Just..."

I recognized that look on her face. "You weren't you."

"She's dead." She growled.

The nurse abruptly came in, shooting me an weird glare before freeing Shady from her shackle. She left without saying a thing. I was getting the feeling the staff wasn't too happy with her here. I'm going to talk to her current doctor and see what's up. The moment the nurse left Shady sprang to her feet, pacing to the closed door and staring at it a moment.

"Shady..."

"Forgiveness is not an option."

"You plan to hate yourself forever?"

"I am a creature of hate."

"You said before hate isn't a means to an end."

"I thought that once before."

"You'll never find peace that way."

"I am not a creature of peace."

"Do you think she would want this?"

Shady switched into rage and screamed, "Do you think she wanted to be dead? She was everything to me! She was going to be my wife!"

It stumped me for a second before I tried to reason. "You know she doesn't enjoy watching you tear yourself apart."

Her eyes narrowed at me. "You think she's watching over me?"

"Yes."

"How can she when I'm still animating her existence like I did my kin?" I watched her head slowly tilt and her face grow grim. "She's not resting in peace so neither will I."

Shady stood there about a minute before returning to the bed and sitting down. Our conversation died off slowly after that. I sat with her until they asked me to leave and this time she made eye contact with me. A brief moment of her being normal while she can be, I'm taking it as a token.

My sister was able to avenge Billy by killing Lenore but how can she avenge Smiles when she's the murderer? I'm starting to understand things more. She wants to avenge Smiles but she can't, she has obligations now she has to fulfill. She really loved Smiles. No wonder it's so hard for her to accept any form of affection, when she does she doesn't know what to do with it. Billy and I were her brothers. Her relationship with us was always family, brotherly and sisterly protection with one another. Smiles was a whole different level of love and protection.

Lenore Grigor also known as the Road Runner is dead. It doesn't make her feel much better on most days. I get why she snapped mentally and emotionally more now. Physically it was that Mister Creevey freak. When Lenore went she was reminded of Smiles and how incomplete things are. She's helping everyone but herself. I hope she sees she can't continue that way.

Shady knows she's fucked up and has admitted it while I was there; and she knows she needs to finish fixing herself. Her time there will help sort herself out. She wants to leave the asylum so badly, but...

"Don't let me out of here too soon."

"Why?"

"They aren't ready yet."

"Who isn't ready?

"My enemies."

"What aren't they ready for?"

"What I'm going to do to them."

Second visit

Shady has a new psychiatrist but she won't tell me much about him. He hasn't fled or ended up in the hospital so I can only hope she's content with this one.

I tried to talk to her today but she wasn't being responsive.

"Shady, come on... I know you don't want to kill anyone. Tell them and stop being difficult. You don't have to be here."

Her face slackened. "Must not tell lies."

"Shady..."

"Must not tell lies. Must not tell lies." She continued and wouldn't stop.

"You don't want to kill people. Tell them, Shady! Shady!"

She held her head and covered her ears as her voice grew progressively louder until she was screaming, "Must not tell lies!"

The orderlies came for her and held her down, she fought them and the look of betrayal from when she was admitted there returned. Shady almost reached me before they dragged her back to the bed and began strapping her down. I backed out of the room as she screamed, "Hear that, Joshy? Do you fucking hear that? It's the sound of me breaking, you coward!"

I don't know what to do right now; she keeps flipping from unstable to her old self. Part of me thinks she's trying to come back but how can she when she's so broken? I believe in her and I want to believe there is hope for her too. I see her hatred, it's one of the few consistent things with her. It might be what's keeping her around as insanity tries to take over. I don't even think that makes much sense but trying to think like Shady never does. I can only hope she knows what she's doing. I guess that was really always the job of Watson, sit by and support Sherlock no matter what shit he got himself into.

Joshua

First visit

I checked myself into Limeport for a visit, they told me where to go and to wait for an orderly to assist me. I didn't want to go in immediately and cracked the sliding window on the door slightly. It was enough to listen to her singing quietly. I could make out a blank room with a bed that had been dragged into the middle of it. The nurse at the front desk told me they had to move her temporarily from the room she's been assigned to; Shady not only scared off the first psychiatrist but sent her second to the hospital before I arrived today. She cracked the wall of her room with his head and they had to clean the stains.

There were no windows in this room and only a dimming light; for a new building it looked like it was going bad fast. Shady just laid there strapped to the bed and staring at the ceiling; she sung for a bit and I waved away the orderly a few times. It abruptly came to a halt which was followed by her mumbling, "I think it's rude for us to be talking in front of Joshua as if he's not here. But then again, he hasn't even said hello and is pretending as if he isn't even here." She looked at me and grinned madly while adding, "Ain't that right, boy?"

I don't know how she knew I was there but I couldn't stay. I cancelled my visit today and went back to Haven. There's something wrong with her.

Joshua

Shady is gone

It's Joshua if you haven't guessed. Agent Brood and I have decided she's no longer fit to remain here. You guys really don't know the half of it, we had to lock her in the cellar so she wouldn't hurt anyone. After she killed Lenore she broke down completely, held her head screaming until finally she passed out. When she woke up everything was different, none of us could get her to snap out of it. Shady broke out of the cellar and killed both guards positioned at the door. She hurt a lot of people, including me.

The wards finally rejected her and she was forcefully removed by them. I ran out to her and tried to talk which I'll admit was my own mistake. The look on her face was so hateful and she didn't even say anything as she approached me. I don't know what I was expecting, certainly not what happened. She stabbed me the moment she was close enough and tried to a few more times which only cut up my arms. When the knife was out of her grasp she began beating me, screaming god knows what.



She tore me up pretty badly before Agent Brood hit her in the back of the skull with his gun. Shady immediately turned her wrath onto Agent Brood; they fought a short bit until he managed to knock her down. She tried to get up a few times, after a few hits with his gun; he was trying to yell some sense into her but she was having none of it. My friend was seething and the look on her face never left. Finally after enough hits she just gave up and a few MASC soldiers bound her while she was barely conscious.

Agent Brood and I didn't know what else to do so we devised a plan of action: place her in a mental hospital.



A medic helped me fix myself up and a long sleeve shirt covered the damage done. My bruised face and neck would just be proof for her admission there.

Limeport Asylum was practically destroyed and was forced to relocate; we drove her out to the new building and I checked her in. Agent Brood sat in the lobby with her; when I came back over she was more conscious but docile. She was singing in a soft whisper what I made out to be Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the reason I mention this is because she stared at me the entire time she did so. Shady hasn't sung anything in so long, I don't think she has since Smiles died.

An orderly and nurse helped her stand, she just looked at them before turning back to Agent Brood and I. The look on her face was utter betrayal. What were we supposed to do? She couldn't enter Haven because of the wards and this development, we couldn't let her go home; for all we know she would murdered the neighborhood. We were out of options and I can only hope this calms her, even if it takes time. The amount of energy she had combined with whatever hatred she was felt was terrifying before.

Agent Brood regrets what this has come to. He has tried getting a hold of Mystery, even I have through tracking. She has been unresponsive in all the efforts we have made. I kind of wish Josie was here but after that event I can't even bring myself to really hold onto wanting that. Agent Brood has taken over everything not that Con is happy about it. Mr. Sunshine had to be tackled and sedated during the whole incident earlier, the moment Shady lost it he began attacking anyone who raised a weapon to defend themselves. We had to lock him in one of the spare room and are still waiting for him to calm down. Agent Brood suggested it might take a while from what he has seen. I feel horrible that all of this happening.

I decided to make my own account after I hacked Shady's, I'm connecting the two to become a contributor for the time being. I'll update this when I visit Shady, it's the least I can do.

Joshua

These Hands Aren't For Praying.

Lenore was slipping up. Executor was driving me up the goddamn wall, feeding me images through Prosper's eyes of Lenore's beaten form. Soon, soon, soon... That's all I could say. That post before, it was because of this. Because of a lot of things, really. I hope it was obvious both messages I was sending. I spent hours trying to concentrate on this. I'm just undone.


So here I go, telling you a story that might be my last for a while.
Ibroughtthisonmyself.

I heard a MASC soldier calling to Brood about a proxy standing just outside of the wards. I got off the floor and went to investigate just what all the ruckus was about. It was that kid, Proxy 85. He was wearing a plain white mask, flat, completely expressionless in appearance. Mr. Sunshine gave a small growl from beside me but calmed on his own, not appearing to be threatened by the kid. I looked over at the soldiers and Mr. Sunshine, "Stay here."

"Ma'am-"

"Don't call me that." I retorted with a glare, "Just cover me if you really feel the need. If a trigger is pulled early I'm letting Mr. Sunshine rip some throats open. He's been dying to do so since the Avatar." I took off walking across the grass, confronting Proxy 85 as he remained immobile. "What are you doing here?" I questioned as the distance began closing. He was silent. "Is there something you want? Did your master bring a message?" I continued questioning, eying his tattered attire over once halted a few feet away.

Proxy 85 turned halfway, pointing North. "Lenore is out there." I looked into the direction, completely alert now. "I can take you to her." My attention turned back to him skeptically.

"Did Executor set this up?"

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him." The boy responded with calmly.

I lifted a finger, signaling for him to wait there. I went into the mansion, grabbing some matches and a portable tank of gasoline, as well as my gun. Knives already being on my person at all times. I motioned for Mr. Sunshine to hold down the fort as I began pacing back to Proxy 85. Joshua argued against it, two soldiers following directly behind him. I glanced back, "Get inside." I growled and turned, walking forward towards the boy. Joshua persisted and grabbed my arm. I dropped the gasoline, grabbed the gun and took aim at point blank range, "GET THE FUCK BACK INSIDE." I tore my arm free from him and signaled the MASC soldiers who took him from either side.

"This could be a trap! Don't let revenge blind you-" He yelled, pulling loose and grabbing hold of me again.

I shoved him back at the men, "There are monsters out here, Joshua."

"Like you?" He glared, secured by the soldiers.

"Yea, like me." I waved for them to escort him inside. "Lock him in a windowless room, two men stationed inside, two outside the door. I don't want him leaving the premises."

"This is my problem too, @#%$%^&^!" I could hear Joshua scream. Creevey's damage done, I could feel my body preparing to pivot and fire upon them all. Freedom from the cage I demanded to be locked within was bringing me no relief. It wasn't smart to delay. If I have to play the bad guy in your eyes to keep you safe, so be it. Had to leave, lest more die.

I picked up the gasoline again and walked to Proxy 85, switching the safety off the gun before tucking it away. "Let's go."

Proxy 85 offered his arm and I took it, vanishing from the mansion and landing in a new area. Grass, a lot of it. We were at a small cabin, behind it actually. He was staring at me the entire time I took in the scenery, I noted. Patiently on stand-by. "Prosper is watching." I caught the warning in his voice.

"Right, the whole asylum girls bullshit of his." I scowled looking away a moment. "I'm not doing this for him."

"He knows." He said and when I looked back he was gone.

I pulled out one of the knives that was on my person as I slid up against the cabin. Quietly (because by now I've noticed how well she hears shit) I came to a window and peeked in, finding the open cabin abandoned and empty of life. I could hear whispering ahead, near the front of the place. I nearly smirked at the fact we were completely isolated, and for once she was not in control of a scheme. Glancing around the corner of the cabin I saw her pacing, talking to herself. The three dead mockingbirds still rotting away where they dangled from her wrist. The arm I snapped twice, and that was shot plenty of times, was in a shitty sling made out of her jacket. It was torn from what I could see, wrapped poorly in bloody bandages. Prosper no doubt attacked that weakness continuously. It would be amazing if it healed properly.

"Have to complete. Have to silence. Have to work. HARDER, HARDER. NOT ENOUGH." She shrieked, throwing a fit one moment and the next calmly pacing. "Broke her. Broke her again and again. Killed her. Not complete yet. Not finished yet. Have to finish. Silence. Silence everything." Road Runner was limping somewhat, she looked like a complete wreck. Still human, even if she didn't want to be. Her mobility looked fucked up, which finally made that smirk surface. Open season, Lenore? I think yes. "He silences. Give him information, he silences many. So many. Wonderful. Beautiful. Powerful, keep watch. Must kill at some point. Pity. He'll kill her. Completion in order. Not complete yet. NOT ENOUGH!"

I tested the weight of the knife a moment then took aim once she stopped, having taken long enough to study which leg was injured the most. Had to weaken the other one. I lined up the shot before throwing the knife, impaling it in her more stable leg. She screeched bloody murder, teleporting for not even a second before reappearing a few feet from where she was, stumbling until she collapsed. I left my post and she looked up, her mask still gone leaving her true appearance revealed. Her long chestnut hair, mid part, no bangs, weaved over her shoulders and down her back. Her pale, round face was smudged and lightly scarred in a few places, as was her neck, arms, hell every viewable place. Her eyes were wide and filled with surprise and madness, mulling over the situation at hand.

I leaned forward into her direction and mouthed, "Found you."

Lenore ripped the knife out of her thigh with a grunt, pulling herself up she teleported again but failed, stumbling across the lawn and nearly collapsing. A frustrated shriek formed in her throat as she pulled herself up by one hand. She had little issues sucking up to the pain by normal human standards of movement, but anytime she tried to teleport or use that advance speed her legs gave out. It was lovely watching her try to be anything but normal. She teleported again, landing in front of me and swiped the knife, it cut open some of my shirt and scratched me a bit, but I wasn't concerned. She had a lot of bark but her bite was weak. I grabbed her wrist and squeezed, watching as she gritted her teeth as I twisted her arm until she dropped the knife.

"You know... I remember every bit of training I went through now. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing, knowledge plus my body already being familiar made for an easy reteaching." She looked at me as I continued to converse with her casually. "I grew up learning boxing and wrestling from my dad and my mother's father, unreal as they were and all. Was taught only some Mixed Martial Arts for shits and giggles from a professional friend, it was fun. Training with guns due to military service kin. Explosives, same kin, and a professor in the family who assisted in human anatomy studying as well. He made science fun! They were all fun, while alive. Course none of them are left, and we both know why. But back to it, what I've always favored was street fighting. Much more free. Course, it's also gritty, personalized," I looked her in the eyes,"and bloody." before headbutting her with a laugh, shaking my head as I reached down and grabbed the knife. "But Lenore..." I called as she stumbled back, looking up at me with minor alarm and fury. She lifted herself up quickly, chucking a rock at my head. It hit, cutting open my forehead by a bit. Oh yea, that stung. I wiped the blood before it could reach my eye, looking at her as she fled inside. I pursued her, slamming open the door as she shut it on me. "I'LL FUCKING CRIPPLE YOU!"


Road Runner turned, flinging a side table and smashing the lamp to the floor in the process. I blocked myself with an arm, kicking it back at her once it fell to the floor. She just missed it and came at me, fist ready. I took a few hits, granted, but subduing her was easier than what it used to be. Her body wasn't built for long term hand to hand, one free arm wasn't helpful either in her condition. Sure, it would have been harder if her legs were in better condition but why should I care about playing on a leveled playing field when she never did? Lenore is incredibly lanky, all her strength came from her speed. Velocity, the likes. Remove that and she's just some skinny woman with mental issues."Wrath." She hissed, seeing her speak in that same dual voice whisper was eerie. The bitch grinned which made it worse, freeing herself from my hold but not expertly. I grabbed her hair and swung her into the wall without a goddamn care for her face.


"As I was saying, Lenore," I began again, watching as she pulled herself from the wall and stumbled across the room. "I'm not here to fight you."


Curiosity crossed her face, "Wrath wishes not to fight? Wrath initiated the fight."

I smiled, "I'm not here to fight." I shook the knife, "I'm here to kill you. I don't give a fuck about fighting, no foreplay, Lenore. I'm going to kill you and that's it." Lenore pulled her arm from the sling and lifted it in a pathetic attempt to show she wasn't allowing that. "Am I going to have to break that thing all over again?"


She attacked me once more, screeching and snarling like the animal she was. Insanity: It's doing something again and again and expecting different results, right? Ha, Lenore is the definition of that at least. She wouldn't stop trying to teleport and speed about, it tired her further and made her angrier. While it was effective to make her furious punches a bit more potent it also reduced her precision. Sloppy work. Attempting to choke me from behind led to being elbowed in the gut, which was followed by being thrown over my shoulder and landing upon the hard wooden floor (something she most definitely could have avoided if not in such a state, tsk). She hissed, pulling up onto all fours and I landed a kick to her face, which reminded me of punting a soccer ball. The crack against my shoe was satisfying. The gushing blood from her nose told me I was right in breaking it. Every murderous look thrown was followed by a grin, wider than the last. "Wraaath..."

"No, Lenore." I scolded as I circled her, watching as she clumsily pulled herself to a stand. "If I allowed myself the privilege of releasing my wrath upon your flesh and blood body, there would be nothing recognizable left." I pulled out the gun as I walked behind her, safety already off. "I'd gladly rape your soul... But I won't, because I'm a decent human being. So instead I'll settle with this." I fired at the bone of her ankle, unprotected by her low cut shoes. She screeched, immediately taking weight off it as she hopped to remain up. I took aim and fired at her other ankle which earned another blood curdling screech. Lenore fumbled to stand but failed, landing on her knees as she rocked slightly, trying to take her mind off the pain. I landed in front of her, kneeling down to take a look at her light brown eyes.


"I'll never die." She whispered, grinning as she tapped the side of her head. I gathered her meaning, mentally, in memory. How cute.

"And I'll never stop killing you." I whispered, firing the gun again on one of the knees she rested on. She leaned to the side a moment, catching herself as unwilling tears streamed down her smiling face. Balancing on a single knee as best she could, somewhat determined to die with her head held high it seemed. I put my gun away, finding it not as satisfying anymore. My fingers traced the handle of my knife, seated in my belt once Lenore decided she wanted to fight back before. During the time I decided to humor her. "I don't believe hate is a means to an end, but you really are the only exception." I shook my head, tsking her quietly. "You always knew how to bring out the worst in me."


Lenore laughed quietly, her breathing heavy. "It was there long before I arrived. I made it flourish. Almost complete. Almost, Wrath."

I flashed her a smile before pulling the knife out, in a swift motion I dug it into her stomach and dragged it across before pulling back. She instantly wrapped her arms around her midsection, eyes wide and wild. I backed away from her, watching as blood slipped passed her tight hold on herself. "Got two options: A) hold in your organs and bleed out, the slower option. Or B) let them pour out with all that blood and die a little faster. Either way, it's going to take a bit." I sat down on the floor a few feet away, enough distance to not get too bloodied up. Making myself comfortable I leaned back slightly on my arms, "I'm not leaving till I see the life drain from that hideous mug."

Can't say how long we were there for, until she began losing it. More-so than before, I should say. But the entire time I sat watching her as she stared back, grinning like a maniac. What color was left in her face slowly drained over time, unable to support herself on one leg she fell over onto her side and continued clutching her stomach. Her eyes lost their focus momentarily before returning to meet mine, "A little suffering is good for the soul. Hate is a means to an end. Hate breeds revenge, revenge breeds wrath." She chuckled lowly as I continued to stare indifferently. "Wrath makes you do craaaazy things. Like murder." I was scowling at this point, catching onto her meaning. Lenore started cackling, reaching a bloody hand towards me which only allowed her organs to begin slipping from her abdomen. "Your turn." She died laughing through her tears, grinning crazily even as the air left her lungs. When her body finally fell silent.


After sitting, staring at her body for a few minutes I got up and inspected it with my shoe. Kicking her head to the side, snapping the neck of the corpse. Urge to go into overkill subsided at the sound of the bone breaking. Satisfying. I left the cabin and went outside to where Proxy 85 and I first landed, I retrieved the gasoline from an overgrown shrub and brought it inside only to be surprised by the visitor waiting for me inside.

Prosper was on his knees, cradling Lenore's body loosely as he looked over her face and idly stroked her hair. I leaned against the door frame, scowling as my finger impatiently tapped against the canister. He looked up, head cocking to one side before looking back down. Seeing his hulking form cradling her lithe one, intestines and the likes spilled across the floor, it wasn't pleasant. It only got worse when he pushed his mask up and licked the blood from her throat.


"If you're going to fuck the corpse at least let me leave first." I spat, he grinned and dropped her body with a sudden loss of interest. Pulling himself up he stepped over her lifeless form, carelessly walking across her organs until he reached me. I slapped away his bloody hand when it came too close for comfort. "What the hell is going on with you? Are you not taking orders from your precious master anymore? It's like you fell off the grid."

He didn't answer my questions, chuckled a bit beneath his breath as he looked back Lenore. "She was always troublesome. We didn't want her, didn't need her. She was a persistent reject. Always selfishly trying to use you for her own purposes. Never did realize there are bigger purposes than her own." It was surprising to hear him speak that much. "Besides, what fun would it be to kill everyone?"

"That doesn't answer my question, jackass."


Prosper sighed, almost dramatically. Before I could react his hand was on my throat, forcefully tilting back my head to look directly at him. "Executor never liked Lenore. She knew too much and when she didn't she found out what she wanted to know. Kidnapped and tortured plenty of his subjects, partially why he stopped relying on them. They didn't know anything useful, they never do, so she killed them all. Left their corpses out to be found. To make matters worse she began giving away proxy locations to Thuggee."

I punched his arm, he didn't budge. My air wasn't being cut off yet, but that 'yet' is exactly what concerned me. "Can't imagine Executor was happy about that."


"He wasn't. Lenore belonged to none, her own agent of destruction against all factions and innocents. She manipulated proxies into killing each other, he had enough. One night he cornered her in a warehouse, having set a trap that used his own proxies as bait, the last remaining ones he had control of. After she slaughtered them he appeared and attempted to drill his way into her brain. She resisted and laughed in his face before fleeing from the warehouse. The Executor turned to me and the boy, his mask dropped from his face and his ears bled from what he had heard within her head. Constant screaming and laughing, one soul torn asunder."

"Then call me mercy." I jeered, not feeling pity for either parties.

Prosper's grin quirked back up at the corner of his lips. "The moment she met you the screaming became louder, I would imagine. You damned her further. Once she discovered the truth about you her goal became the impossible. You led her on a suicide mission. I said Lenore belonged to none, but she was influenced by one. You gave her madness purpose and made it flourish further, just as she made your wrath surface. You took away her ability to murder further by taking up murdering yourself. How does that feel?"

"I think I could go for a round two if you'd like to find out just how I feel." I scowled, not amused in the least bit.


His head cocked to the side as his hand tightened on my throat, "Do you really think that is wise?"

"Do you?" I retorted, the tip of the knife digging into his shirt directly where his heart was.

Prosper grunted and released me with a small push back, gaining some distance between us. "I favored Lenore unlike the Executor. I give credit where it's due, it would have been interesting had she come out the victor. I am his pawn, however, such could never be allowed. Despite my own curiosities." He picked up part of her intestines and examined it before tossing it aside. "I was hoping you'd release your restraints and leave her shredded instead of tactically disabling and killing her swiftly."

"I didn't care to fight her, or beat her. She was broken as it was and just needed to die." I slipped the knife into my belt loop once more, resting my hand on it just in case. "You'll learn when I hate someone I will not play with them. Every move will be to hinder and cripple them until they realize they are going to die." I sighed, "Lenore deserved to feel loss, though. She loved her speed, so I took her legs. I was tempted to let her live as a cripple but that still wouldn't have resolved anything. Someone else would have killed her and I wasn't going to give anyone else that privilege."


"Do you feel relief now?"

I jiggled the gasoline. "Not until I see the bitch burn." His head bowed slightly, glancing back at Lenore's corpse before back my way. He pulled the mask down, preparing to leave. "Prosper." His eyes met mine. "I know how to kill you." I said referring to why he had backed off before. The knife had cut past his comfort zone. Mystery's notes on being able to eliminate Prosper's kind were coming in handy.


"Then I should be so fortunate to not engage you on this day." He chuckled as his arms extended out on either side, giving a small bow before vanishing from where he stood.

I frowned and began pouring the gasoline through-out the place. Tossing the can at her body I walked back to the door, lighting a match and set it down before stepping back outside. Watching as the place burned, I can't describe how it felt just watching her body catch aflame. I checked my phone and I pulled up a map, estimating the time it would take for someone to notice the fire. Given the remote area, lack of patrols, private land, a while to say the least. It brought a smile to my face, the temperatures would rise enough and cook her to ashes over the estimated time frame. Or at least beyond identification. Evidence would erase itself, perfect. I leaned against a tree, giving myself a few minutes to watch as the cabin became engulfed.

Situation resolved. No more information being given to Thuggee. One less enemy hindering us. It may mean the Executor has one less distraction but fuck it, worth it. Watching as the structure began to collapse in on itself, knowing she was burning away in there, that was worth it. It was worth everything. That was for Billy, for fucking with my kin, because fuck her.


I managed to make my way home afterwards, walked in the front door of the mansion and looked at Joshua who was apparently released thanks to Brood.

He had only one thing to ask, "Is she dead?"

I found myself grinning pleasantly at him before leaving to my room in the cellar to clean off. Silly Joshua, I wouldn't be home if she wasn't dead.


Ding dong, the bitch is dead, folks.
Hopefully you all will stay safer than her,
-Shady 

Congrats, Lenore. You won. I'm everything I tried to run from.

I Cometh Lenore

 There is a child and she sleeps in the gutter

DON'T close your eyes and she's easy to SEE

She is NOT your child

She's ALWAYS another's

And those you abandon

They are left to ME

And know I WILL impale her like a knife

Leave her twisting day after day after day of a very short life with me

LISTEN now closely and hear how I've planned it

Please let me tell you just how it will be

She'll feel the PAIN but she won't understand it

She'll think it's her fate

But we'll know it's me

And know I WILL impale her like a knife

Leave her twisting day after day after day of a very short life with me

So let me know

Have I been clear?

That I will magnify each cut and every bruise and every single childhood tear

I'll pick her scabs

Cripple a hand

Push a finger in each wound I make

Now tell me then...

Do you understand

You understand?

YoU UnDeRsTaNd

You understand?

You understand.

And know I WILL impale her like a knife

Leave her twisting day after day after day of a very short life with me