The Abyss

Ok so I put up a lot of this on the old site BUT I finished it =D. I really need help from anyone who will help me. Read it, disect it. Help me make it better. This is the first version. After this I will be rewriting it in a completly different format.
(ima post it chapter at a time to keep some sanity in it)




Dedications:




Ashley – You ARE the story. Without you, I wouldn’t have one to tell.





I can recall most of my life perfectly. Maybe not things like what I ate on any given day but I can recall the events. Let’s begin where I began.



In a small apartment in down town Detroit lived a James and Olivia Smith. They were not the happiest couple. In fact, they fought day in and day out, it was amazing they stayed together, one day they had a son, Me. A 12lb 10 oz baby was born one warm summer evening. They named me David Michael Smith. A very simple name if I do say so myself. The first few years of my life are just stories and legends passed to me by my family. I recall being told how daring I was in my first years, I was an evil dare devil of a child. I was always getting into some kind of crazy trouble of situation. I feared no pain, nor any body.



My first memory is actually of me showing no pain. One day my aunt was baby sitting me. I was only 3 years old and they had been putting up a new chain link fence around their front yard. They were also attaching barbed wire to the top of the fence to keep the dogs from jumping into the street. While they were working I was outside playing around a tree. Me being a daredevil, I tried to climb the tree. As soon as I touched the first branch it broke and I fell all the way down, but not onto the grass. There was a container that barbed wire had been lying in right under the tree. I fell right into it back first. I made neither sound nor movement so it was a time before they found me in there. You see, this bin of piercing metal is my first memory. On the outside I showed no emotion but on the inside, I was filled with fear. I have the scars to show I was in that bin both mentally and physically. That event made barbed wire my one and only fear, but who would know that other than me?



By age 5 I was already over 5ft tall. I had nothing wrong with me; I was just big and tall. After that, my memory really kicks in. I remember my mom crying a lot but at this age I really never got why. It had to do with my dad though so I stopped liking him to the point when I learned to write my name I HATED putting Smith. I felt like I was signing the devil’s name. The man never loved me. He never wanted anything to do with me; he only used me to be better than other people. Making me play sports so he could seem better to the other dads and families around him. Football was the number 1 sport to him, since I was of age I played down at the wreck plowing over boys. It was too easy for me. I enjoyed getting my anger out there but I also got a lot of anger out at school through fighting. Any body who messed with me I whipped. I fought so much they all ran together but there is one fight that sticks out more than the rest.



One day when I was in the 5^th grade, a big 8^th grader wanted to pick a fight with me on the way home, something about me breaking his little brother’s nose. We ended up close to an industrial park so I backed up to a fence. He lashed out at me and I hit back. Trying to hold my own against the much older boy I looked above me and noticed the top of the fence was laced with the razor wire. I instantly wanted to run away but I couldn’t. I was too tough for that. The boy backed up to get his footing and than rushed at me. I prepared myself and lifted him high in the air when he got to me; his face got caught on the razor wire and when I let him go he was stuck there. I picked up a pipe close to the fence and bashed his back in as hard as I could till I was tired. I walked home and acted as if nothing had happened. A few days later I found out the boy was found dead on that fence, bled out. His life was on my hands. Or should I say his death? Either way, I LIKED IT!

So someone asked me to post more of this...here goes.








When I went to middle school I got to do something special. I was allowed to work in the library as a class. I made some decent friends and learned a lot. Nothing very eventful happened this year. It was the beginning of my change to the world though, the beginning of The Abyss.



The next year is when the crap started happening. I came to school in all black most days and spent all my time in the library. On the first day of school a girl sauntered into the room. She was about 5’1 with brown hair in a tight pony tail. She had a dash of freckles scattered across her face and was quite petite. She looked stuck the heck up. My friend who had the library class with me thought the same way. I thought to myself though that she was very cute but very snotty looking. When I got to know her it was quite the contrary. She was amazing. She was funny and kind, helpful and smart. She was perfect in my eyes. I knew not at the time but I was falling in love. I actually went to my father for help, don’t ask why. I asked him what love was. He was a little too drunk to comprehend so he just hit me around. I stared him dead in the eyes and he hit me again. Apparently I had to figure this problem out on my own. She and I got to be amazing friends without his help. I didn’t know what I would do, but by the end of the year, I knew I loved her.



My 8^th grade year all the fun was going to end. Her and I were together again, same class. I started realizing my love for her was so strong and how much she meant to me. We were best friends. We kept no secrets…until… One day the girl had a secret she would not tell me. One she talked about to her girlfriends but not me. What was I to do? I asked and asked. One sunny afternoon she told me what it was. She had been holding a crush on me for a while. A girl actually liked me. It was amazing. I told her I felt the same way and she told me she wasn’t ready for a relationship. I understood and we got even closer, flirting and talking all the time. I blew all my money on her one week just because I could. The following week she had something to tell me. Something she had to write and couldn’t say. When I got home there was an e-mail waiting for me with a deserted name on it. It read as follows:



“I’m sorry David. I don’t really like you. I only thought I did. I’m sorry”



Upon reading this I went insane. I replied lashing out in anger. I went out side with a knife and started hacking at a tree. The tree was tougher than I thought so as I hit splinters flew up and stuck to my face. This only made me angrier so I hit harder and harder till the tree, and the handle of the knife broke. The blade also flew into my face as the splinters did. It slashed my face into a bloody mess thanks to the splinters already imbedded into my face. I staggered inside and my mom actually had time to help me clean my face up. When the splinters were out and the bleeding had stopped. I went to look in the mirror. I was horrified at what I saw. My once tolerable face had been tarnished and was now a mess. I went to my room and found one of my old leather jackets. From this I cut a mask of it to hide the scars. The mask was my savior.



The following day I returned to school wearing my mask. The girl wasn’t there so I would need to wait for my revenge. Oh yes, I had planned for revenge because she had done something I had thought to be impossible. Something no one had ever really done. Hurt me. For this she would pay. Yes, she would pay. When she did return to school I decided to keep my distance from her while plotting my vengeance. Though eventually I concluded I would need to be her friend again so when I let my fury out on her it really would be vengeance. During this time not much happened. I was so focused on what I was going to do to her I barley even slept. I kept a journal of all my plans. I decided maybe I should just break her neck. It seemed like so much fun to me. It had to be a good idea.



The next week she said we needed to “talk”. When we did she asked me if it was ok for her to date someone that she had a huge crush on. I was baffled at why she would ask me this. I told her I didn’t care and I wouldn’t hurt him. She had lied to me before; I figured it was my turn. When I found out who the boy was I waited for my moment. To be exact I waited until the very last day of school.



This “Joey” kid walked in while the girl and I were the only people in the library and I knew it was the perfect time. I slowly and calmly walked up to the boy browsing the shelves and threw a chair against his skull. As he fell the girl screeched from behind the counter. I grabbed him by the neck and locked in a joke hold and squeezed with all my might. She beat on me as I tried to kill the boy but I couldn’t feel it. My adrenalin was so high all I could feel was his life leaving his body. I thought I felt his neck break, then I felt his body go limp in my arms. I got up and laughed staring into the girl’s eyes. She had watched me kill her boyfriend and now she would share his fate. As I wrapped my arms around her neck I started feeling something strange…..I felt remorseful. I couldn’t kill her…I loved her too much. I let her go and checked the boy’s pulse. He was actually alive. I looked her dead in the eye and said, “I’m sorry….I…I…love you….I….c….cant d….do this” I walked away and went home. I sat in my room trying to figure out what went wrong. I knew nothing would happen to me. Both Ashley and Jake would have been to scared to tell anyone about the occasion but, why I couldn’t break her neck and heal my wounds. I decided eventually I would solve this problem and that day I would send her to…The Abyss.











I spent that summer working at a metal shop. Tinkering and cleaning where I was needed. I was paid a decent wage but I saved all of it. One afternoon a chain broke off of a press in the shop. I caught it and thought it was kind of cool. I kept it. Maybe it would come in handy one day. Little did I know how “useful” it really would end up being. Off topic, that summer I also got really big in to watching wrestling on TV. I knew how scripted it was but seeing what people put their bodies through intrigued me. I never missed an episode.



When freshman year started I realized I had gotten bigger over the summer. Working in the metal shop had made me stronger and my muscles bulge. I was in weight lifting the first day. It was my first time in any kind of gym but I liked it. It quickly became my favorite class. I found out I could bench 420 like it was nothing. I also noticed I had grown in size. I now stood at 6’6 275lbs of pure muscle. I was begged to play football by the coach, so I did it. I remember all my games but one is more memorable. It was actually my first game.



The season started in September and the first game was on the 15^th. The team trained and busted our butts and when game time came we were all ready. I played both offence and defense, they were trying to keep me busy and off the bench I guess. I played center when I was on offence and inside line backer when on defense. It was a massacre. Final quarter and the score was 54-0 we were slaughtering the other school. The last play of the game went like this; they had the ball on their 45 yard line, the quarter back was obviously tired, I would take advantage of that. He hiked the ball and I rushed threw the line and clothes lined him. The ball went up and I caught it. I was not use to handling the ball but I took off running at the in zone. By the time I got there I had 3 people on my back. That really made me laugh, good times, good times.



After that season was over I joined the weight lifting team. I enjoyed it and it was easy but a little to easy to me. It wasn’t till half way through the year when the wrestling coach had a talk with me that I knew I had found my sport. I loved wrestling, I got to take out so much aggression out and I learned new ways to hurt people. All could be very useful for me in every day life. It was difficult for anyone in my weight class to move me let alone pin me. That year I played varsity on all three of the for-mentioned sports. I won trophies from all of them but they didn’t matter to me, I gave them to my dad he could show off with them. I figured I would give the things that meant nothing to me to the person who also meant nothing to me.





The school year ended boring once again. Once again I was back working at the metal shop. I did get to work out this summer though, the school offered an open gym through out the summer, I enjoyed that a lot. Between the hours in the shop and gym I could really tell how much stronger I was getting. To this day I do not understand how I am so strong. My parents are both under 5’10! Returning to school for my sophomore year I had become a monster, now benching 725. Is that crazy or what?!?





The day school started back I was actually nervous. I would have to coexist with the girl. Oh, I just realized I have yet to tell you the girl’s name. There is a reason for this. Saying her name causes a great deal of pain to me. When I decide to tell you people, it maybe the end of the story, anyway, back to my life.



I polished my mask and brushed my long stringy hair. I hoped maybe she would have forgotten. When I got to school I realized I was wrong. From a simple lift of my hand to wave she ran behind some guy. Not the “Jake”, not the kid I couldn’t destroy, but some new guy. I sized him up and it took about three of him to make up me. I glared into his eyes and laughed. The effect was him trying to hide behind the girl.



To the girl’s dismay we had a lot of classes together. My last name starting with an S and hers with an R made things a lot worse for her….but better for me. The teacher would not move her so she was just stuck with me. I could feel the uneasiness coming from her. I wished she would be ok with it but, whatever. I can deal. The first day we didn’t do much in class so I tried to talk to her.

“Hi” I said calmly. She jumped, “how have you been?” I continued. She fumbled for words but replied with a simple “ok”

“Who is the new boy?” I asked.

“Just a friend…friend” she stuttered in fear.

“That’s nice. I’m glad to see you happy” I smiled at her.

“T...thanks, y-y-you seem good t-t-t-too.”

“I am but you need to stop that. If I was going to hurt you I would have already done it. You have no reason to fear me now”.
She stared at me like I was kidding but she realized I was telling her the truth. Oddly enough our mental connection was still overpowering. She knew what I was thinking and I, her. We talked all period just catching up. She mustered up the courage to ask me about my mask. I explained it was just an accident, no ones fault. I think she could tell I was lying but her face did get calmer. I felt maybe, just maybe I would get a second chance, a chance to be with my love.

Here you go Jenna





Believe it or not, I did have friends in school, mostly the “weirdoes or “freaks”, the outcasts so to speak. They were alright people to me. All my friends knew my feelings about the girl, although they didn’t know half of me wanted to slit her throat and let her blood run down my fingers every time I saw her. It was the “unwritten rule” amongst my friends not to mess with her.



I loved being able to talk to my love again. She was as perfect as ever. She even liked hanging out with my group of friends. That was cool because I got to spend more time with her. She knew I still loved her and she was safe with me. She even started flirting with me…or so I thought. I found out she was actually flirting with my friend. At least I knew he would respect the rule and wouldn’t do anything with her. How many times must I be wrong? She asked my friend; let’s call him Steve, out. He said yes and I knew automatically that he would regret his betrayal. My other friends couldn’t believe he was doing this. I would make him pay. I spent a week getting my plan together for him. Steve walked the same way home every day, which would be the ticket. There was a solid gate in a secluded street. I figured I’d hide behind it and get him when he passed. So that’s exactly what I did.



I left early from school one day and waited with my chain in hand. When he passed I threw my chain around out and caught him around the neck. I squeezed with all my force and as he looked up into my eyes with pure fear, I heard the breaking of bones. He couldn’t even get out a scream before his throat was crushed. It was so fulfilling to see it break and his body slump over. I dropped him to the ground and went home as if nothing happened. The following week people searched for him but to no avail. I would tell you what I decided to do with the body but well, I don’t want to make you sick so just ask me in person if you meet me.




For the first time in my life I was happy with my life. I was happy to be winning games, meets, and matches all the time. I had no one to get revenge on, no one to murder. The girl was even starting to show signs of liking me. I checked this time by asking friends and I was right. It was time for me to make a move but when I tried to I couldn’t. I half think she only stayed around me because I can protect her. The other half thought she really did care. Ha, yeah right. That does remind me of something that happened that year though.



About three quarters through the school year an Asian kid started picking on my love. He was about 5’11 with black hair. He had eyes shaped like almonds but the color of them were off. They were like a mix of black, brown, and red. I told him to leave her alone but Tajiri, that was the kid’s name, would not stop. He thought his martial arts were better than whatever I could dish out, but hey, some people can be stupid, I don’t judge. Tajiri would not listen so I got into his face one day. This dumb *** actually challenged me to a fight. Yeah, told you he was a dumb ***. He said we should meet at the abandon warehouse on Jersey Avenue. I said I could meet him there after school, it was on.

I walked up on the ware house soon after school got out. It was dark and looked as if no one had been in it for years. It had windows but they were boarded up. When I got inside the big metal front doors there he was with a bat in his hand waiting for me. The bat made me laugh, I had my chain in my pocket if I needed it but I doubted I would. As soon as he saw me he ran at me with his bat. I stuck my foot up at the last second and he ran face first into a size 17. When he fell I grabbed his collar and flung him over my head. He bashed me in the back a few times but it only felt like taps, my adrenalin was going. I slammed him as hard as I could across my knee and he screamed in pain. He kicked his leg up and kneed me in the head and I staggered back, he than got into some funny martial arts stance and tried to charge me, ha-ha funny. I caught him while he was going at full speed, spun around and slammed him flat on his back on a crate next to us. He screamed again and thought again getting up. I took this time to look around the ware house. There wasn’t much, some crates and an old machine that was once used to cut metal for car parts. This machine gave me horrible ideas.. I turned around to see Tajiri being very stupid and rushing me but I didn’t have time to stop him this time. He hit me square on the head and his bat exploded into shards of wood. I’ll admit it hurt but at the same time, it just pissed me off. I began to laugh as I throttled his neck and slammed him hard onto the conveyer belt of the machine. He was out this time. An evil grin came across my face and I walked over to the consol of the machine. I was now happy I worked in a metal shop. I turned the machine on and the cold unconscious body of my foe was dragged into the machine. Out the other side came only blood, flesh, and scraps of clothing.



Some people wondered what had happened to Tajiri but no one enough to go snooping. No one knew it was me, they only knew not to mess with my love. That’s all the interesting events that happened my sophomore year. I went to state and won awards for all three sports. I didn’t get the girl yet but maybe I was closer to that goal. I thought maybe now, I wouldn’t have to send her to….The Abyss







Everybody has a rival. I am no exception and I would soon learn that. When that school year had ended and the summer had begun I went back to work. This summer my home life got worse. James and my mom fought more. One night he started beating her relentlessly so I called the cops. When they got there he didn’t want to cooperate so there was a struggle. James ended up lunging at one of the officers with a knife. He had no choice. The officer fired one shot and James went down. They checked his pulse and he was already dead. My mother wept over his body. How stupid of her. He was just trying to kill her and she was crying for him. His funeral was the following week. Not a lot of people showed up so I saw all of them. I saw aunts and uncles I knew but there were two people I knew not. One was a Hispanic looking lady, short and stocky with hair down to her waist that seemed to shine in the light. Next to her was a Hispanic boy. He looked a little shorter than me, lean but built with long perfectly straight hair down to his shoulder blades. I thought it may have been my eyes playing tricks on my but it looked like his eyes would flicker white now and than threw the entire service. I tried to be polite and speak to them but each time I tried the lady just ushered what I assumed to be her son away from me. There was something strangely familiar about him. I couldn’t place it but I knew…I knew I would see him again.



The summer went on with the death of James. My mother decided to change our last names to her maiden name, Parks. That made me happy. No longer did I need to be associated with the devil. I never talked to the girl during the summer so she had no clue of the happenings in my life. Boy would she be shocked.



I was happy to return to school. Seeing my friends and my love put me at ease of all the happenings of the summer. I was now a junior of high school standing at 7 foot tall even. I weight 275 lbs and my hair had gotten even longer, it was now to my shoulder blades. I don’t know if I ever told you this but I had long stringy hair as a kid. It was a dark brown but I never worried much with it. My mask still fit my face which I found a bit odd but I was glad to have it. As I looked inside the doorway to my first class my entire happy feeling was murdered. Sitting in the back corner was the Hispanic boy. He stared at me and his eyes went white. It felt as if he was crawling around in what little soul I had. I took my seat in the back corner opposite of his and tried to ignore him. When the teacher called role I learned his name.

“Judas Smith?” she said loudly. My eyes went wide…but many people have the last name Smith nothing to be worried about.

“My name is Judas Meseas; I am not a smith anymore. My father was killed.” when he said that I could feel his eyes staring at me. How was this possible…I had no brother that was known to me. I went the rest of the day just passing by. I was constantly in deep thought trying to understand what had happened. When I got home I asked my mom if she knew the Meseas family. She told me how my father had worked for them doing odds and ends around their house. She continued to tell me that Mr. Meseas had passed away soon after James worked there. Mrs. Meseas had a son soon after. The boy was raised without a father. She said the boy was only a little younger than I was.



That sealed it for me. I knew who this boy was. He…was my brother; my half brother. What did Judas want with me though? It’s not like we were real family? I would need to confront him soon.



Outside the door to my class the next day there was something odd. I saw my love and Judas talking.

“Hey” I said to the girl smiling at her. She turned to me and smiled back, “Hey David how are you?” Judas stared me down the entire time.

“I am good. I see you’ve met my brother.” I smirked at Judas and his eyes went white. The girl looked very confused. “Yes… he is my brother, half brother to be exact. We share…or shared a father. James died this summer” I told the girl. Her face went white and sad. “Don’t worry, I hated him anyway” Judas’s gaze got even colder. Apparently the girl felt the tension and hustled away.

“What do you have against me?” I calmly asked him.

“You caused my father to die. You will suffer for this travesty of taking away my chance of ever having a father” he replied and walked to his seat. He proceeded to act like I did not exist for the rest of the class. At least now I understand what his problem was. He felt I took his father away from him. It’s not like James was much of a father anyway. Too bad Judas didn’t know that. The tension went on for a few months till the day before Christmas break



That day Judas and the girl were both absent from school. This came across as off to me because both of them had not missed a single day of school. When I got home there was a letter for me. It was from town but had no name on it. I opened it and out fell a wrinkly piece of paper with what looked like an address scribbled out on it. This was quite odd. I knew what I had to do but I had an uneasy feeling about it all. Who or what would be there waiting for me? I grabbed my chain and shoved it in my pocked and looked around for anything else. Outside lying on the porch was an old metal pipe. Maybe I could put it to some use. I slid it in my waste band, I was ready.

Actually posting before you ask for more this time HA. This goes all the way till the end, I understand some of it doesnt make sense but It is supose to be that way. Also, I do have an epilogue I wrote. Tell me if you want me to add it to this.

I set off to the address. It was only a few blocks away so I got there rather fast. Standing outside I saw the memorable warehouse. The one Tajiri and I had our encounter at. I slowly entered the building being cautious so I knew I would not be surprised. What I did see made my blood boil though. The girl was tied up on the conveyer belt. She was awake but blindfolded. With his back to me toying with the machine was Judas. I had to act fast and act now. I charged him chain in hand and got it around his neck. Judas, caught off guard, started to squirm and wiggle as I saw his hand dart into his pocket. Out came a wire...a wire with barbs on it. I let go as soon as I saw it and backed away. As Judas turned to me I saw blood oozing out of his mouth. He grew angry and quickly charged me. I dodged but with one hand he whipped the wire at me and the barbs sliced my arm from shoulder to elbow. I felt warm blood run down my arm and I began panic. I bum rushed Judas, knocked him onto the ground, and grabbed his neck. Out shot his arms and he got the wire around my neck. I felt sharp barbs digging at my neck and this made me panic even more. I had to ignore the pain though; her life was on the line. I lifted Judas by his neck and bombed him onto the nearest crate. He let go and I rushed over to check on the girl, he looked like he was out cold. She seemed to be ok, just scared. I took off her blind fold and her eyes went from a sense of fear, to relief, to fear again in a matter of moments as Judas wrapped the wire around my neck from behind me. He had leverage and all I could do was go down. Once I was down he released and went over to the control box of the machine. I heard the motor turn on and the muffled screams of a girl. I laid there coughing up blood and my gaze turned to the machine. What could I do? I tried to get up but I just fell back down. When I fell I fell on metal. That was when I remembered the pipe. I pulled it out and threw it as hard as I could at the machine. Metal hit metal and the motor stopped. I saw Judas rush to try and fix it. I glanced over to the girl and looked into her eyes. The fear in them made me go mad and my adrenalin kicked in. I willed myself up and went over to Judas. He was so focused he did not even notice me till my arms were hooked under his arm and around his neck. To my back I went and the move that almost killed her Joey years ago was now saving her life. Judas fought and squirmed but my might was too much. Before he passed out he muttered something that sounded like “This is not over”. Once he did pass out and go limp I let him go and went over to the girl.



I undid her bindings as quickly as I could. She got up and began to rub her wrists slightly. I looked into her eyes and she looked back into mine.

“Thank you.” She said in a voice that sounded as if she was starting to calm down.

“It was something I had to do” I replied to her.

“You didn’t have to save me David” she said. Her voice now sounded almost fully normal.

“Yes I did, I love you Amanda”.



I blacked out




















I know through the power of literature you all can't tell but it has been days since I last wrote. I've been...occupied. I told you saying that name messed me up. I know I need to get over that so I will try to say here name more but, I give no promises. I only do what I can.



I woke up in a bed that was not mine. The sheets were white and crisp. The walls were purple and there was a faint sent of lavender. It looked like I was in a girl's room, with the stuffed animals all over the place. I tried to get up but my body said no. The fight with Judas had to take more out of me than I thought. After about ten minutes of sitting there a lady came in the door. She had an apron on and was carrying bandages and a warm washcloth. She seemed amazed to see that I was awake.

"I'm glad to see you finally moving" she said cheerfully.

"Where am I?" I replied as calm as I could.

“Currently you are in Amanda’s bedroom,” she replied.

“But…why...how…the last thing I remember is…Judas…” I was dumbfounded.

“Well David, I am going to guess that Judas is the boy you fought, Amanda told me. She got me to come and when I arrived he was already gone. You had been pretty beat up so we brought you to our house to take care of you. I appreciate you saving my daughter…you have no idea how grateful I am…” her voice trailed off and her eyes went red.



At those words I figured I could relax a bit so I looked the lady over quickly. She had brown hair down to her shoulders and wore it back. She was about 5’4 of medium build. I could tell her daughter took after her.

“It was nothing ma’am. I’d do anything for your daughter.” She whipped her eyes and smiled.

“Well I’m glad she has you around than.” She said. I nodded and tried to get up, but my body was still worn out.

“Just relax dear. I’ll tell Amanda you are awake in a bit but for now just let me change your bandages.” She said as she walked over to me. I nodded and allowed her to medicate me. My neck and arm were pretty cut horribly but the bleeding had stopped.

“I was going to take your mask off but Amanda said not to so you may want to make sure your face is ok.” She handed me a small mirror. I looked into it and what I saw was a bit of a shock. My mask was still in perfect condition, my long stringy brown hair laying down over it in spots. There were no cuts on my mask so I put the mirror back down.

“I think its ok. If the mask isn’t cut than my face probably isn’t.” I replied.

“Very well than, I will go cook dinner, Amanda will be in shortly to check on you. She has been checking on you quite often so she will be happy to see you awake.”



Amanda’s mother walked off and left me to my thoughts for a bit. “Why would she care so much?” I kept thinking to myself. My head was throbbing so I really could not focus on the thought though. I laid in the bed for about ten minutes before my love came running through the door. She rushed to me and hugged me, what a surprise.

“I am so happy to see you awake” she said cheerfully.”

“No, I’m glad to see you are alive.” I replied with a smile across my face.

“Err…well we have talked to your mother and you can stay here till you’re better. You even get to sleep in my room.” She explained, “I’ll be sleeping on the couch till you’re healed up.”

“No.” I replied

“What?” she questioned

“If I am staying here, I am not going to impose on you. Either I move to the couch or we share the room.” I told her sternly

“Fine. I will talk to my mom about that tonight. Will you be able to get to the table?” she asked

“Good…and I’ll do my best to make it. Just tell me when it’s ready.” I said

“Ok then, I’ll come get you when dinner is ready.” She said as she walked back out the door. I laid there in the bed with my mind still swirling with thoughts. I wondered what happened to Judas. He must still be alive sadly. I was sure I would see him again one day. At some point during this I nodded off to sleep. I had a dream, I still remember it perfectly. I was walking down a dark street and there were huge black bird like creatures in the sky. Some were circling around me and some were circling around a figure a bit down the road. Oddly the birds made me feel at peace. I approached the figure and saw that it was a man sitting behind a desk. He looked to be of medium height with short black hair and a black mustache. He was in older clothes and looked a bit…off. The desk he was sitting at was covered in papers and had an old-time ink bottle. The man had a quill in hand. I walked closer to him and he looked up and stared directly into my eyes.

“Who the hell are you!?!” I asked him.

“I am someone not that different from you, I long for the love of my loved one. I long for my sweet Lenore but, I was sitting here and you came tapping at my chamber door.” The man said in an eerie voice. One of the bird figures landed on the desk and cocked its head at me.

“Quoth the raven nevermore,” the bird squawked at me and I woke up. My love was standing at the door with a bit of worry on her face.

“Are you alright?” she asked me slowly

“I’m perfectly fine, is there a problem?” I was confused.



“You were muttering something under your breath in your sleep. It was a little creepy is all, anyway, dinner is ready, and I hope you’re hungry.” She said moving on. She walked over to the bed and tried to help me up, I was able to get up with the small bit of support and we made our way to the dinner table. I took a seat and looked around at the rest of her family. Her father sat at the head of the long table. He was a stocky man with salt and pepper hair and mustache. He wore glasses and a shirt with a sewed in name tag that read ‘Danny” to his right hand side was his wife, to her right was a girl I did not know. Later on I would learn that was Amanda’s sister. Amanda sat next to me. It was a wonderful meal, meatloaf and fresh black eyed peas. Everything tasted delicious, even the conversation. Apparently her father had a good day at his shop he owns, I enjoyed listening to him talk. After the meal I tried to help clear the table but they insisted they would handle it.



Eventually Amanda helped me back to the bed. Apparently she had talked to her mom because she didn’t leave me for the rest of the night. We talked about nothing and everything at the same time. We went to bed about ten p.m. . Lying back to back with my love made me feel…amazing. It was like I was in a surreal world but it was actually real. That night I slept better than I had my entire life. I wish it could have lasted longer. I woke up before her early in the morning. I could barely feel the sting in my arm and neck but I did not move. The reason behind that was a small arm wrapped around my body from behind me. It seemed someone had gotten cold during the night and was now hugged up to me. I had a smile that lasted till she woke up and hastily moved away from me. I glanced over at her and her face was already a bright red.



“Aww, do not be embarrassed. I don’t mind you doing that, not one bit. Makes me feel useful while I am mostly useless.” I tried to make her feel better.



“Err…well thanks but I will try and do my best not to let it happen again.” She replied quickly. She grabbed some clothes off her dresser and hustled off into her closet closing the door behind her. A few moments later she came out wearing a red v cut sweater and a pair of acid washed tight jeans. She looked beautiful, as always. She smiled at me and went out of the room. I laid there still in amazement of what had happened. I tried to push myself up after a bit and it felt a lot easier to move. Soon she came in with some clothes for me. They must have gotten them from my house because they were indeed mine. I was able to sit up so she went outside the door to let me get dressed. I forced myself to stand as soon as she left. It made me feel light headed but at least I was up. I dressed as fast as I could. It wasn’t much, black jeans and a black tank top. I opened the door and she was standing there waiting.



“Wow, one day of consciousness and your already up and about. Breakfast is already on the table if you would like some.” She said to me with a smile as she normally wore. I sat down where I did last night and helped myself to what was there. It was Christmas break now so neither myself, Amanda, nor her sister had to go to school. Her parents on the other hand did have to go to work. They left us “children” to our business. Amanda changed my bandages than we just sat around and talked for the longest time. She got me to play some video game with her with a motion sensor controller. We had fun together and just being with her made me feel like my heart was being restored. We ended up going outside and playing in the snow. There were a few times her sister came out to join us but it didn’t last long. When we were going inside I caught something out the corner of my eye. It seemed like Judas but when I looked in the direction, nothing was there. That wasn’t possible anyway. He was beat up far worse than I was. He will be lucky to walk in a week.



The rest of the day we sat around watching TV. Then later on in the night my love watched wrestling with me. She acted as if she liked it but I felt she really didn’t “get it”.



Again we went to bed around ten, or should I say we laid down. We stayed up talking for I don’t know how long. She told me that night, how sorry she really was for everything she caused me. She ended up in tears so I held her till we both fell asleep. I was in heaven again but this time she cuddled up to me by choice. Life couldn’t have gotten any better…or could it?



I woke up with us in the same position as we fell asleep. My arms around my love and hers around me. I was in the arms of an angel, so I continued to lay there watching that angel sleep. She was so beautiful and perfect. She seemed at peace and that made me happy. This lasted for about thirty minutes and she woke up. She did not jump away but instead she smiled. I smiled back and gazed into her eyes, I couldn’t help but get lost in them but, I noticed she was gazing back into mine. Our faces grew closer and my stomach started doing flips. Her eyes closed and our lips touched. My spirit soared and my heart tried to beat out of my chest. It only lasted seconds but it felt like it lasted a life time. She pulled away and was still smiling. At least I knew I didn’t mess up. She actually kissed me again than got out of bed and went into her closet to get dressed.



I got up, grabbed my clothes, and went out into the bathroom locking the door behind me. I got undressed and removed my mask. I stood under the rushing water and did something I can never remember doing before, I cried. I cried tears of my joy for my dreams were a reality. My love may now love me back. I got out of the shower and made sure my eyes were not red. Once I finished dressing I stared at the mask. Than I stared up at the mirror, my cold brown eyes stared back. The scars on my face had almost all faded. I looked…normal. I swallowed hard and stuck my mask in my pocket. I walked out the door and Amanda’s parents were about to leave for the day. Their jaws dropped when they saw me. After the shock, Amanda’s mother’s lisp curled into a grin. They left without a word but I felt they were at least a bit happy that I had unmasked. I walked back into Amanda’s room to see her sitting on the bed watching TV. When she glanced over at me her glance transformed into a stare. It had been years since she last saw my face but none the less she smiled and rushed up to me. I put my hands on her hips and stared down into her eyes.

“I like it.” She said smoothly.

“Like what?” I asked a bit teasingly.

“Your face silly,” she smirked at me.

I leaned down and kissed her continuously smiling.

“I am glad you do. I do not need my mask anymore.” I said in retort.

She reached up and ran her hands across my face. She was undoubtedly pleased.

“I love you Amanda. Still I Do.” I said quiveringly, “ I don’t just love you. I am in love with you… I just want you to know that.”

“I know you do David. I can’t say I love you yet, but I can tell you I am falling for you. I’m sure of it this time.” She whispered to me. I smiled again, “But if it’s ok with you, I’d like to consider us “together”. See how it goes from there”. She suggested quietly. I nodded quickly and she put her arms around me.




I was so happy at this point in my life. That Christmas break was us just being together. We were finally together and life could not have gotten any better. We returned to school after the holidays but this time as a couple. Sadly I also returned home around that time. I missed holding my love at night but I knew one day I would sleep next to her for the rest of my life.



About a week later I found our Judas had been withdrawn from school. I was happy he was for now not around my love but also worried that I could not find him to finish him off.



People were shocked to see me without my mask. Being with Amanda just made me feel like I no longer needed it. She and I were only separable by our class schedule. That is pretty much how the rest of that school year went. I ditched my sports for more time with my love.



That summer was a little different though. I saw my love during it…everyday even. After work I would go to her house and we would relax. Something actually quite interesting happened that summer. One day I was working at the shop and someone brought an old 1973 Plymouth duster by the shop. It was a piece of crap but at least the engine ran. The man told me that the car didn’t have much left in it but if I wanted to try and fix it I could have it. I took him up on that offer. I spent the summer putting all my free time into it. My love would sit and watch while I did it. She tried and helped when I needed it but she wasn’t exactly much of a grease monkey. Other than that not much happened.



With a working car I returned to school as a senior, the “top dog” on campus. On the first day of school I found a note on my front door. It had a crude J scratched onto it with a black pen. I crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. It gave me an uneasy feeling but life was too good so I ignored it. I drove off to my love’s house and picked her up for school. When she got in the car she looked a little…off. She handed me a small piece of paper that was identical to the one on my door. My eyes narrowed and I threw the scrap our the window

“He can’t get you. As long as I am here you are safe.” I tried to reassure her.

“I know baby I was just letting you know.” She said quickly and leaned over to kiss me. Of course I kissed her back. She put on her seat belt and off we went.

School was boring for the most part; Amanda and I had almost all the same classes so that made me happy. I still saw no signs of Judas at school. Around the holidays I turned 18. I don’t think I ever told you this but my birthday is November 15^th. Anyway, I decided to get a small apartment about a block away from my love’s house.



It was a two bedroom, one bath with a small kitchen and living room. It wasn’t amazing but it was clean and nice. I had kept working part time that school year to pay the bills. Amanda was at my house a lot. She even put some of her things in my second bedroom. She stayed there so much she ended up asking her parents if she could move in with my as a Christmas present. I don’t know why but they said yes. I love Amanda’s parents. They were more like parents to me than my own. They were always so nice and cordial to me. They trusted me for saving their daughter’s life. I will never be able to express how grateful I am to them for how they treated me…and what they gave me.



When Amanda moved in she decided to get a job at a local fast food joint to help with the bills. She didn’t have to but she insisted. She and I worked the same hours so I didn’t complain too much. It was like she and I were an actual family.











My high school years were coming to an end and it was both an accomplishment and a sorrow. I was happy to be done nearing completion of school but sad I would now be seeing my love less. On the last day of my school years, is when what I believe you’re digging for happened.



My love’s friend, Jessica, had been missing for a few days. When Amanda found out she was distraught. All I wanted to do was comfort her. So, she and I got in my car and drove all over the city looking for her. We drove by all kinds of stores, alleys, and buildings. Finally we came to the all too familiar warehouse that had always held suffering for me and those who entered it. Maybe my search would end here.

I parked my car outside the warehouse and told Amanda to keep the doors locked. If there was any problem to leave and get help, I’d be able to take care of myself.

I got out of the car and eased my way to the door of the warehouse. It was already ajar so it made no sound opening. I poked my head inside and what I saw was extremely weird. The room had been cleaned properly with all the crates and machinery set against the wall. In the middle of the vast room was an altar with a shirtless figure laying on it. In front was a bound and gagged Jessica. The body upon the altar was motionless so I assumed he was asleep. His build was very familiar but his face was turned away so I could not confirm my thoughts. I tried to sneak up on the altar though it was difficult for a man my size. Still, I got to the structure without stirring the human. When I got close enough I could see my assumptions were “correct”. Judas was asleep on the altar though something seemed very off. I had to act quickly; I lifted Judas as High in the air as I could and slammed him back into the altar with authority. It was then I saw how much of a fool I really was. The body was only a manikin made to look like my brother. I spun around expecting to see Judas about to jump me but no one was there. Slinging Jessica over my shoulder I ripped off her bonds and ran out of the warehouse fearing what I would see. My fears were indeed warranted.

As soon as I emerged from the building I saw my love pulling out into the rode and a black car slamming right into her. I dropped Jessica and ran to the wreck. Ripping the door to the black car I saw the real Judas with a trickle of blood pouring down his face while he was laughing. My anger over came me and I punched Judas square in the nose. I don’t know if it was a crap shoot or my massive strength but I punched straight through his face. I pulled back with my fist covered in blood. I ran over to my own car and whipped open the door. Behind the wheel was a bleeding angel with blood pouring out of her head. I lifted her from her chair with my eyes filling with tears and fear. I walked over to Jessica and just sat down next to her cradling my love’s body next to me. Jessica had already found a phone from some where and was trying to tell me people were on their way. I simply didn’t care.

All I could do was sit there and cry knowing my stupidity had taken my love from me. Some time cop cars and ambulances began to show up. Amanda was rushed to the hospital and Judas was placed in a body bag. The officials tried to talk to me but they got no response. I was placed in the back of a cop car and taken to a hospital. People examined me but nothing was wrong with me. I was taken to a very white room with my love laying on a bed in it. A doctor tried to tell me she was only in a coma and there was a chance she could wake up but it didn’t matter to me. The love of my life was lying still on that bed and I couldn’t take it. Again my eyes filled with tears.

After the tears I really don’t remember much. I came to in a weird room with a straight jacket on. I sat there rocking back and forth for what felt like a life time till you came into it. You tried to learn about me but something in me would not let me utter a sound. You undid my restraints which I am still grateful for and told me you would send me to my home under slight watch if I would only write down my life story. I nodded, home sounded much better than this place. I was sent home and here I am now. Amanda’s parents have checked on me some but I can’t look them in the eye. I feel they should be blaming me for the position their daughter is in. But I am done now doc, I appreciate what you’ve done. Writing this all down has eased some of my pain. Thanks.





It has been weeks since I last write but now I am feeling compelled to put down what has happened since then. A few days after I finished my memoirs I decided to go sit at my love’s bedside. I held her hand and all the nurses decided to leave us alone. I started into her beautiful glory and I could only muster up three simple words.

“I love you. I said through all my tears.

Her eyes opened.