The Pest is sitting at the kitchen table. The boy has gone to school. The girl is showering. The Pest's hands shake. He had not slept last night. Not after being woken up. Not after Clover. No, he sat at the table, drinking his coffee. His breakfast sitting on the table in front of him, getting cold. The girls walks out, and sees the Pest sitting there. She walks over to him. Shaking. She sits across from him.

Angela:What's wrong, James?

Pest:Ghosts haunted me all night.

Angela:What ghosts did you see?

Pest:The ghost of the only man I called a friend, and the ghost of someone I loved.

The Pest stands to his feet. He moves towards the Girl, and places a hand on the girl's shoulder. He goes to move past her, she stops him with a hand on his hand. The Pest turns back to face the Girl. She offers a smile. A half smile. White. He offers one back. Jagged. Broken. She goes in for a hug. He pushes back. Unsure of what is real anymore he allows himself to hide in the bathroom. He stands and looks in the mirror. Undresses. Shirt over his head. He is young again. A Marine still. Staring back at him. Blinking. He sees himself as a young man once more, no scar. Dog tags still dangle from his neck. Words come from the mouth of his young self. He cannot understand. Sounds. Unintelligible. Sudden pain. His chest burns, and it appears the round goes throw his chest in the mirror. He watches the Young Pest fall and collapse. Bleeding. He watches as he bleeds out. Gasp. He suddenly feels it hard to breathe.

The Pest slams back into the wall. Gasps for air. The mirror goes back to showing his face. He is in pain. Mouth twisted in agony. This does not happen to beasts. The Monster pushes himself to his feet. He is stronger than this. These visions will cease. He forces himself into the shower. The water runs. Hot. Warm. Washes away the darkness from last night. Soap turns to lather, and drips down. Shampoo in the hair. Gunfire. He is back in Son La. The night Razor died. Pest had just gotten back from Okinawa. First night back. They were in a fire fight with Viet Cong.

Pinned down. Pest opens fire so Razor could get out from that shitty wall he was hiding behind. Razor goes for better cover when he sees a kid walking in the middle of the street. If you can call it a street. Razor goes to the kid. Tries to help him. A bullet whizzes by. Razor screams. The Pest is back in his shower. It turns cold. He gets out, and dries off. Getting dressed, he sees himself back at Paris Island, strapping on his boots getting ready for a march. The Pest is dressed, and walks out to join his platoon. It is only Angela standing there. She speaks. Words move past the Pest, but nothing sticks. He goes to the car, and starts the engine. It idles for a moment, and then he drives away. The snow piles down on the windshield, and he ignores it. A homeless man asks for change. He claims to be a veteran. The Pest scoffs and drives past. He arrives.

The car is parked, and he leaves it. Walking past the people coming from the building. The vermin. They are here because they are weak. The door is pushed open. A receptionist behind a desk. Young. Blonde. Black eye poorly covered. She could have been one of the Pest's girls. One of his victims. The ghosts. She looks up and notices him staring at her. She gets a little nervous.

Receptionist:Hello. How can I help you?

Pest:I must speak to the Doctor. My name is James Stevens. He should be expecting me.

Receptionist:Ok, Mr. Stevens have a seat. I'll let the Doctor know you're here.

Pest:Who did that?

Receptionist:Who did what?

Pest:Your eye. Who did that?

Receptionist:My boyfriend. Not that it's your business.

Pest:Would you like it to be? Would you like me to make it my business?

Receptionist:Have a seat. The doctor will call you when he's ready.

The Pest moves to the seating area, and takes a chair facing away from the Television. It's playing highlights from the news. Another country in the middle east is threatening America. Clover appears next to the Pest and speaks to him. No one else is in the room. Just a Pest and his Ghost.

Clover:Michael Stevens didn't make it a month with us. Some kid took his head off outside of Hue.

Pest:I stole his name. It makes it easier to traverse the world.

Clover:Why not use your name?

Pest:And what is my real name?

Clover:James Stevens.

Pest:That is the assumed name. It has been so long since my real name has been used, I am not sure if I even remember it.

Clover:And what will your tombstone say?

Pest:I am the last living member of our squad. I have no children. I have no family. Does it matter?

Clover:You have Aaron and Angela.

Pest:The boy will refer to me as The God of Emptiness. He will need no other name. Should he choose to use one, I answer to James or Pest.

Clover:You need to use your real name.

Pest:Someday, I will.

Doctor:James Stevens. Please come back.

The Pest gets to his feet and moves towards the doctor. He shakes the Doctor's hand, and they move to his office. Cherry desk, black leather sofa, and a black leather chair to match. Burgundy carpets with maroon walls. Oak bookshelves hold books on every subject. A single notebook sits on the desk. The Doctor gestures, and the Pest sits on the sofa. He crosses his knees, and rests his hands upon them. The Doctor retrieves the notebook and has a seat in the chair. He pulls a pen from his pocket.

Doctor:Please, James. I'd like you to tell me a little about what's going on.

Pest:I am seeing ghosts. Those who have passed on.

Doctor:Such as?

Pest:Clover. And Barbie.

Doctor:Who are Clover and Barbie?

Pest:Clover was my squad mate in Vietnam. He was the closest thing I ever had to a friend. Barbie. She was the last girl I loved. She had given birth to my child, who died shortly. Barbie was murdered in the hospital room she lay in.

Doctor:I see. And why do you suppose you're seeing them?

Pest:Perhaps because they left the most lasting impression on me in the shortest amount of time? I wish I knew.

Doctor:How did Clover die?

Pest:Goddamn slopes put shit on a stick, and buried it. He landed on one trying to get to me after I was shot.

Doctor:How long did you spend in Vietnam?

Pest:Two years during the war. Four after.

Doctor:Why did you get out after the War?

Pest:I was found unfit to continue service. They found that I was under the influence of Chemical Warfare, and the hells of the Asian Continent. I went back and lived there for four more years. Lived there in the hell they said had ruined me. As of late, I have been wondering if I ever truly left.

The Pest and his doctor continue speaking on the atrocities Pest had encountered in his time in the Vietnam War, and the Jungles after it for a while. The Doctor diagnosed Pest with PTSD. Something Pest had never been diagnosed with before. The doctor explained that it did not always affect people in the same way, and perhaps it had truly taken Pest's humanity. He promised to help bring it back.

Doctor:Tell me about your job.

Pest:I wrestle for the Xtreme Wrestling Federation.

Doctor:At your age?

Pest:Yes.

Doctor:It's possible that this career has begun to bring back the memories of Vietnam. What do you have currently going on with work?

Pest:There is another guy there, Tommy. Like me, he is a Veteran of a war in a hell. He was a boy when he signed up as well. He did not know the hells he would be walking into, much like me. Lately he has been firing rubber rounds into people's skulls. Two of the bullets hit people I was fighting. The noise. The bullet. It reminded me of when Clover was killed.

Doctor:How? He fell on a Punji stick, you said.

Pest:Right before Clover fell, I had taken a shot. Clover was coming to me because I called for help. I was 19, and I thought I was going to die. Instead, Clover died.

Doctor:Ok. So, this Tommy, he goes around shooting people?

Pest:Only the ones the boss tells him to. But, there is a cult there. Some sort of sick religion. They are led by a man in a mask. How they can trust a man whose face they cannot see, I do not know.

Doctor:Have you interacted with this church before?

Pest:I try and avoid religion. I have to have a match with three of them this week, but, I will refrain from mocking their beliefs. That is the lowest form of attack you could do.

Doctor:I see. Are you comfortable going into the ring to face religious fanatics?

Pest:Yes. It will be them vs me. The God of Emptiness vs the God of Empty Promises. Yes. I believe I am fine with it.

Doctor:Good. We are out of time, so I would love to schedule an appointment with you for tomorrow. I believe we can work through this with you. Talk to Christine at the front desk.

The Pest gets to his feet. He shakes the Doctor's hand, and heads out to speak to Christine. He sees Christine being accosted by some young punk. The boy wore a leather jacket, and had piercings in his ear. The stretched out kind. Like the African Tribes with no idea of hygiene. The Pest cannot hear the words being said, but he sees the hand being raised to Christine. He moves quietly, and slams his foot into the boy's knee and brings the face to the desk. A groan. Blood. Cries. Agony. Christine shrieks.

Pest:My name is Pest. I am the Lord of Suffering, and I am here to teach you a lesson. Yes, you see, I have been gone for some time. But now, I am back. The Doctor helped me, and you have met me at the worst time. You will not hit this girl. Not anymore. And if you do. You make sure I do not find out about it. Because, if I do find out about it, I will come for you. You will be unable to hide. Unable to stop me. There will be a reckoning. Now, leave.

The boy tries to speak as Pest releases him. A backhand sends him back. He stumbles and tries to reestablish himself as a man in this situation. The Pest turns and stares him down. The boy emerges from the shell of a man.

Pest:I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE. You are still here. There is a problem. The solution is simple. Turn and walk away. Do not attempt to come back into the building.

The boy does as he is told. He turns and leaves. The Pest smirks before turning back to Christine. She is giggling and making eyes at the Pest.

Christine:Thank you. I'm Christine.

Pest:The Doctor told me I should schedule an appointment for tomorrow. Apparently I have something he calls PTSD, and Survivor's guilt. I believe I just needed to hurt that boy.

Christine:I can schedule you tomorrow at nine in the morning. The first appointment of the day.

Pest:That will be fine. I shall see you in the morning, Christine.