Post by Khaos on Apr 5, 2021 16:51:56 GMT -5
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Damien drove down the near desolate interstate, his mind elsewhere as his hands gripped the wheel, instinctively keeping him in his lane as the pair made their way to their next destination. Thea had long since fallen asleep, cuddling up as best as she could in the passenger’s seat, every once and awhile her lips smacking together, making a noise a mouse might make if it had finally gotten its teeth onto that succulent, yet elusive, wheel of cheese. She had begged to stay longer in Arizona and learn more about Damien’s “friends” but he was never one to want to linger in one place for too long, always worried he’d end up overstaying his welcome. César had done his part, as always; replacing the license plates and vehicle ID number to match the newly minted forged documents that now put one Damien Carter in sole possession of this 1999 Ford Lightning. The price had been a hefty one but, then again, it wasn’t Damien’s money he was forking over.
“Just when you thought you couldn’t sink any lower,” Damien mumbled to himself.
Damien had spent the last year scraping by on half-eaten food and whatever shelter he could find. Occasionally the call of the darkness would overtake him and he would find himself succumbing to old habits, killing those that needed to be killed, but he took no pleasure in it; nor no reward. Erebus had been back in his life no less than 24 hours and had given him money, a place to stay for the night, and a new ride… as if he needed more incentive to return to the Underworld. Maybe Damien had been foolish to leave in the first place, or maybe he had left at just the right time. The blinking of the fuel light forced him from his trance as he turned off the highway and proceeded down one of many side streets. He passed his fair share of gas stations before finding the one that he wanted; the one that he had been drawn to. He pulled into a spot and turned the ignition off, making sure the head lights dimmed as well. Damien closed his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing, the pull of the darkness surrounding him once more. It would be any minute now, any minute…
The gunshots rang out, startling Thea awake. She looked around confused, touching parts of herself as if she had felt the bullets tear through her very flesh. Finding no corresponding wound to prove this theory correct, she turned to Damien, who sat listlessly in the driver’s seat.
“DC…?” Thea started, before her shot her a look that quieted her in an instant.
His gaze returned to the front entrance of the gas station, as a pair of young hoodlums burst through the door, one of them carrying a bag of money while the other one waved a pistol around, acting as if he was some famous cowboy. Damien watched the two get into their car and peel away in a hurry and, then, all was silent. The further the thieves got away from the scene of the crime, the easier Damien seemed to breathe. Thea fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, not wanting to risk speaking again until it was safe to do so.
“You want anything from inside?” Damien asked, breaking the silence and opening the door.
“N-no,” Thea stammered. “I-I’m g-good.”
Damien nodded his head in understanding as he went over to the gas pump, unhooking the nozzle and placing it into the truck’s gas tank. Hitting the “pay inside” button, Damien began walking towards the store as Thea rolled her window down, sticking her head out.
“Wait,” Thea exclaimed, the shock starting to wear off. “You’re actually going in there!?”
“Just be ready to fill ‘er up, got it?” Damien rhetorically stated, not waiting for a response.
As he opened the door and entered into the store, a bell dinged above his head, alerting those inside to his presence. The smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils as he did a quick scan of the area, seeing no other signs of life. From behind the counter, Damien could hear the incessant beeping of his gas pump waiting for store approval. As he began to make his way into the “employees only” area, Damien came across the body of the worker then, his eyes frozen open as his hand lay over his chest, blood pooling around his body. The African-American man was young, with Damien estimating his age to be around late twenties, earlier thirties. His breath was shallow, ragged, fighting to hold onto life. Life!? This man was still alive…
“Shit,” Damien muttered, under his breath.
Despite trying to be quiet, the man’s eyes found Damien’s, silently pleading for him to help. He opened his mouth, maybe to even say as much, but no words came out. Doing a once-over of his condition, Damien knew the man was dying, there was nothing he could do for him now. In some way, he sensed that the man knew this as well. The employees eyes bulged, then looked away, his head sagging over to the side, his gaze falling on a picture of a young African-American woman and the baby that she held in her arms. The final breath left his body then; the last thing he saw on this Earth being the family that he was leaving behind. Damien felt himself staring long and hard at the picture, realizing that the happiness that was frozen in time in that still frame would become nothing more than a distant memory now.
“Is he dead?” Thea’s words startled Damien, causing him to spin around.
“Thea!? I told you to…” Damien berated.
Thea ignored Damien, moving in closer to assist the employee but it was already too late. He reached out his hand, squeezing his fingers around her arm, keeping her in place.
“There’s nothing you can do for him…” Damien began.
“But you could’ve!” Thea snapped, pulling her arm free of Damien. “You KNEW this was going to happen, didn’t you!? Maybe not THIS, exactly… but you KNEW!”
Damien had never seen this side of Thea before, this type of angst was typically more reserved for her “sister” Xenia. He gave her a moment to collect herself as he stepped over the body of the deceased employee, hitting the button on the screen that would allow him to freely fill his truck up with gas. The next thing he did was locate the live feed of the cameras, activating the server with the password that was conveniently written on a post-it note taped to the black box. Living in the shadows wasn’t just a euphemism for Damien’s way of life; it was how he literally lived on the surface, never leaving a trace of his existence behind. With his time as Erebus’ Reaper, he had all the resources available to him that the Underworld provided to make sure that his presence went undetected. But having severed his ties with the man – the God – that was more “father figure” to him than anyone he had ever known, Damien had to learn the hard way that covering his tracks wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. Deleting the last few minutes of live footage, Damien left the cameras off so that he and Thea could depart without further revealing themselves. He brushed past her on the way out the door, feeling her disapproving stare follow him all the way back to the truck. Upon filling up his vehicle, Damien proceeded back into the driver’s seat as Thea solemnly sat in the passenger seat, stewing over what had just transpired. Turning the ignition on, he pulled out of the gas station and proceeded to get back onto the main road.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed exactly, seemed almost like hours, but the uncomfortable silence was beginning to weigh on Damien. This… this is why he liked to work alone.
“Not everyone can be saved…” Damien tried to explain.
“You didn’t even try!” Thea reprimanded.
“Thea…” Damien tried to interject again.
“No, DC,” Thea countered, refusing to let him speak his piece. “You watched that man die and you didn’t even blink an eye! I mean… do you not feel anything!? How can you be so… heartless!?”
Damien allowed her words to strike a chord within him as he felt his anger boil to the surface. Swerving to the side of the road, Damien slammed on the breaks, bringing the truck to a screeching halt. Thea swallowed hard, realizing maybe she had bitten off more than she can chew.
“Heartless!?” Damien repeated, his words seething with disdain. “You know what happened to me, Thea… why I had to leave the Underworld! After everything that I’d done and for him to do that…”
Damien slammed his hand into the steering wheel, causing Thea to jump in her seat.
“You know NOTHING of this world, Thea!” Damien indicated, his gaze going to hers, seeing the fear in her eyes. “You spend your days and nights in the Underworld, safe… protected by the darkness; by him. You and your sisters, you are not his family… you are his prisoners. I would’ve thought someone with the power for foresight could see what’s right in front of her…”
“Do you want to know what I see in front of me!?” Thea retorted, finding her courage once more. “I see a man who spent the last year wallowing in self-pity because of what was “done to him”, rather than accept the consequences of his actions. You KNEW what you were doing was wrong; that he would never allow it! Are you really that surprised that things turned out the way that they did!?”
Despite the intensity of their argument, Damien felt that he was listening to Thea for the first time… truly listening. Part of her words carried merit and he may’ve actually acquiesced to her, had it not been for the one slip up that she made.
“You knew,” Damien realized, cursing himself a fool for not having thought of it before. “You knew what was going to happen to me…”
“DC…” Thea attempted to reason.
“You’re going to sit there and lecture me about doing NOTHING to save a life!?” Damien screamed. “What about HER life, Thea!? I could’ve saved…”
Her name was on the tip of his tongue, but even now… a year later… it was still too difficult to form the actual words to say out loud. Damien looked away, doing his best to regain his composure as Thea sat in silence, reflecting on everything.
“I’m sorry,” Thea finally spoke up. “What happened… it was one of many possible outcomes. I didn’t know for certain…”
Damien cast an exasperated glance at her, as if that “future is always changing” excuse somehow made it okay.
“But I should’ve told you,” Thea acknowledged. “I’m sorry that I didn’t; but we can’t change the past, DC. This path that you’re on right now…”
“I know,” Damien sighed, hearing Erebus’ words in his head again. “I have a destiny to fulfil.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t have any control or order over your life, DC,” Thea attempted to reason. “This power that you possess – the darkness that resides in you – no one has ever had anything like it before. I mean, you can get to places before the veil is even lifted; before any of these evil and atrocious acts are even committed. You can stop sin in its tracks, DC… fight against it, save people! You can be a hero…”
“I’m not a hero,” Damien solemnly interjected. “And if you think that I am – or could be – you truly don’t know me at all. There can never be order Thea… not for me… there can only be Khaos.”
And with that, Damien turned back onto the road and preceeded towards his next destination – his next stop… destiny.
“Just when you thought you couldn’t sink any lower,” Damien mumbled to himself.
Damien had spent the last year scraping by on half-eaten food and whatever shelter he could find. Occasionally the call of the darkness would overtake him and he would find himself succumbing to old habits, killing those that needed to be killed, but he took no pleasure in it; nor no reward. Erebus had been back in his life no less than 24 hours and had given him money, a place to stay for the night, and a new ride… as if he needed more incentive to return to the Underworld. Maybe Damien had been foolish to leave in the first place, or maybe he had left at just the right time. The blinking of the fuel light forced him from his trance as he turned off the highway and proceeded down one of many side streets. He passed his fair share of gas stations before finding the one that he wanted; the one that he had been drawn to. He pulled into a spot and turned the ignition off, making sure the head lights dimmed as well. Damien closed his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing, the pull of the darkness surrounding him once more. It would be any minute now, any minute…
The gunshots rang out, startling Thea awake. She looked around confused, touching parts of herself as if she had felt the bullets tear through her very flesh. Finding no corresponding wound to prove this theory correct, she turned to Damien, who sat listlessly in the driver’s seat.
“DC…?” Thea started, before her shot her a look that quieted her in an instant.
His gaze returned to the front entrance of the gas station, as a pair of young hoodlums burst through the door, one of them carrying a bag of money while the other one waved a pistol around, acting as if he was some famous cowboy. Damien watched the two get into their car and peel away in a hurry and, then, all was silent. The further the thieves got away from the scene of the crime, the easier Damien seemed to breathe. Thea fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat, not wanting to risk speaking again until it was safe to do so.
“You want anything from inside?” Damien asked, breaking the silence and opening the door.
“N-no,” Thea stammered. “I-I’m g-good.”
Damien nodded his head in understanding as he went over to the gas pump, unhooking the nozzle and placing it into the truck’s gas tank. Hitting the “pay inside” button, Damien began walking towards the store as Thea rolled her window down, sticking her head out.
“Wait,” Thea exclaimed, the shock starting to wear off. “You’re actually going in there!?”
“Just be ready to fill ‘er up, got it?” Damien rhetorically stated, not waiting for a response.
As he opened the door and entered into the store, a bell dinged above his head, alerting those inside to his presence. The smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils as he did a quick scan of the area, seeing no other signs of life. From behind the counter, Damien could hear the incessant beeping of his gas pump waiting for store approval. As he began to make his way into the “employees only” area, Damien came across the body of the worker then, his eyes frozen open as his hand lay over his chest, blood pooling around his body. The African-American man was young, with Damien estimating his age to be around late twenties, earlier thirties. His breath was shallow, ragged, fighting to hold onto life. Life!? This man was still alive…
“Shit,” Damien muttered, under his breath.
Despite trying to be quiet, the man’s eyes found Damien’s, silently pleading for him to help. He opened his mouth, maybe to even say as much, but no words came out. Doing a once-over of his condition, Damien knew the man was dying, there was nothing he could do for him now. In some way, he sensed that the man knew this as well. The employees eyes bulged, then looked away, his head sagging over to the side, his gaze falling on a picture of a young African-American woman and the baby that she held in her arms. The final breath left his body then; the last thing he saw on this Earth being the family that he was leaving behind. Damien felt himself staring long and hard at the picture, realizing that the happiness that was frozen in time in that still frame would become nothing more than a distant memory now.
“Is he dead?” Thea’s words startled Damien, causing him to spin around.
“Thea!? I told you to…” Damien berated.
Thea ignored Damien, moving in closer to assist the employee but it was already too late. He reached out his hand, squeezing his fingers around her arm, keeping her in place.
“There’s nothing you can do for him…” Damien began.
“But you could’ve!” Thea snapped, pulling her arm free of Damien. “You KNEW this was going to happen, didn’t you!? Maybe not THIS, exactly… but you KNEW!”
Damien had never seen this side of Thea before, this type of angst was typically more reserved for her “sister” Xenia. He gave her a moment to collect herself as he stepped over the body of the deceased employee, hitting the button on the screen that would allow him to freely fill his truck up with gas. The next thing he did was locate the live feed of the cameras, activating the server with the password that was conveniently written on a post-it note taped to the black box. Living in the shadows wasn’t just a euphemism for Damien’s way of life; it was how he literally lived on the surface, never leaving a trace of his existence behind. With his time as Erebus’ Reaper, he had all the resources available to him that the Underworld provided to make sure that his presence went undetected. But having severed his ties with the man – the God – that was more “father figure” to him than anyone he had ever known, Damien had to learn the hard way that covering his tracks wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. Deleting the last few minutes of live footage, Damien left the cameras off so that he and Thea could depart without further revealing themselves. He brushed past her on the way out the door, feeling her disapproving stare follow him all the way back to the truck. Upon filling up his vehicle, Damien proceeded back into the driver’s seat as Thea solemnly sat in the passenger seat, stewing over what had just transpired. Turning the ignition on, he pulled out of the gas station and proceeded to get back onto the main road.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed exactly, seemed almost like hours, but the uncomfortable silence was beginning to weigh on Damien. This… this is why he liked to work alone.
“Not everyone can be saved…” Damien tried to explain.
“You didn’t even try!” Thea reprimanded.
“Thea…” Damien tried to interject again.
“No, DC,” Thea countered, refusing to let him speak his piece. “You watched that man die and you didn’t even blink an eye! I mean… do you not feel anything!? How can you be so… heartless!?”
Damien allowed her words to strike a chord within him as he felt his anger boil to the surface. Swerving to the side of the road, Damien slammed on the breaks, bringing the truck to a screeching halt. Thea swallowed hard, realizing maybe she had bitten off more than she can chew.
“Heartless!?” Damien repeated, his words seething with disdain. “You know what happened to me, Thea… why I had to leave the Underworld! After everything that I’d done and for him to do that…”
Damien slammed his hand into the steering wheel, causing Thea to jump in her seat.
“You know NOTHING of this world, Thea!” Damien indicated, his gaze going to hers, seeing the fear in her eyes. “You spend your days and nights in the Underworld, safe… protected by the darkness; by him. You and your sisters, you are not his family… you are his prisoners. I would’ve thought someone with the power for foresight could see what’s right in front of her…”
“Do you want to know what I see in front of me!?” Thea retorted, finding her courage once more. “I see a man who spent the last year wallowing in self-pity because of what was “done to him”, rather than accept the consequences of his actions. You KNEW what you were doing was wrong; that he would never allow it! Are you really that surprised that things turned out the way that they did!?”
Despite the intensity of their argument, Damien felt that he was listening to Thea for the first time… truly listening. Part of her words carried merit and he may’ve actually acquiesced to her, had it not been for the one slip up that she made.
“You knew,” Damien realized, cursing himself a fool for not having thought of it before. “You knew what was going to happen to me…”
“DC…” Thea attempted to reason.
“You’re going to sit there and lecture me about doing NOTHING to save a life!?” Damien screamed. “What about HER life, Thea!? I could’ve saved…”
Her name was on the tip of his tongue, but even now… a year later… it was still too difficult to form the actual words to say out loud. Damien looked away, doing his best to regain his composure as Thea sat in silence, reflecting on everything.
“I’m sorry,” Thea finally spoke up. “What happened… it was one of many possible outcomes. I didn’t know for certain…”
Damien cast an exasperated glance at her, as if that “future is always changing” excuse somehow made it okay.
“But I should’ve told you,” Thea acknowledged. “I’m sorry that I didn’t; but we can’t change the past, DC. This path that you’re on right now…”
“I know,” Damien sighed, hearing Erebus’ words in his head again. “I have a destiny to fulfil.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t have any control or order over your life, DC,” Thea attempted to reason. “This power that you possess – the darkness that resides in you – no one has ever had anything like it before. I mean, you can get to places before the veil is even lifted; before any of these evil and atrocious acts are even committed. You can stop sin in its tracks, DC… fight against it, save people! You can be a hero…”
“I’m not a hero,” Damien solemnly interjected. “And if you think that I am – or could be – you truly don’t know me at all. There can never be order Thea… not for me… there can only be Khaos.”
And with that, Damien turned back onto the road and preceeded towards his next destination – his next stop… destiny.