...CONTINUED



I don't think I'm going to like this. All at once, I'm whisked away. Like I was standing inside of a wind tunnel and some genius flipped the switch. I don't scream. I don't think I can.


Suddenly, everything is bright and I get slammed off of something that sounds and feels like steel and I fall to my hands and knees on the floor. This floor I can see. It's like the run of the mill dime a dozen linoleum tiles. Like you'd see in hospitals, city halls and schools.


Speaking of schools, I hear children. Lots of them. It's just a moment before I realize I'm actually in a school. That steel sound I heard when I impacted was a wall of lockers. I get to my feet and brush myself off.


I move in toward the crowd of kids. They don't pay any attention to me as they're all fixated on something at the end of the hallway. Something I can't see. I weave my way through the crowd of kids to get a better look.


A rather round kid is beating up a much smaller blonde kid. It takes me a minute, then the realization of what I'm seeing hits me like a ton of bricks. That's not some strange kid getting beat up.


That's Jacob.


MY Jacob!


I'm about to interfere, like I did back then but my hand passes right through that tubby kid.



CROATON: "Did you really think that was going to work? You're here, but not here. You can see them, hear them. They can not hear or see you."

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "Why are you doing this?"

CROATON: "The answers to all of your questions, Sebastian Duke, will be answered in time."



Fuck him and his code speak.


All I want to do is help my friend, my brother. Then I remember, I did. There I am. A tall, lanky, 15 year old Sebastian Duke. The young me grabs that young tubby kid and beats him to holy hell. I can see all of the other kids scatter as the young version of me busts that boy up good. Blood pours from his mouth and nose. His left eye already swollen shut.


Then Darkness.


I'm surrounded in Darkness. I can see nothing.



CROATON: "Do you know what became of that child you ruthlessly assaulted?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I don't really care."

CROATON: "Do you know his name?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "John something, wasn't it?"

CROATON: "John William Davis. He had to have six surgeries to fix what you did to him, didn't he?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I.... I don't really remember."

CROATON: "That's not true, is it? No, you remember. Do you also remember the way he looked three months later when he was finally able to return to school?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I... I... No, I don't."

CROATON: "Another lie. You remember. You tormented him throughout the rest of your years shared in that school, didn't you?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I guess I did."

CROATON: "You bullied the bully. It made you feel much larger then you physically were, didn't it?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I... I don't know how it made me feel."

CROATON: "Not everything was bad for John William Davis. He found love. A nice woman that didn't judge him for the way he looked. Do you know what happened to him?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "No."

CROATON: "A year ago, after ten years of marriage, he received divorce papers. Then, while his wife was away and he was caring for their two children. Michael, 2. Madeline, 8. He stuck a shotgun in his mouth and used his big toe to pull the trigger.

"Right in front of the children."



He told me, then he showed me. I was forced to watch. I tried to look away and shut my eyes but I was unable to do so. In front of me, there's John Davis sitting in the kitchen of what looks to be a mobile home. His children, playing no more then six feet behind him. The gun fires. I'm sprayed with blood and brain matter. A gaping hole is where most of his head used to be.


At the same time, I stumble backwards. I'm not sure what was behind me, but I do know that I tripped and expected a crash landing. Instead, I'm in a free fall. I begin to scream, but nothing comes out. My arms and legs are thrashing wildly when I suddenly land on something. It's a loud thud, but it doesn't hurt.


I get to my feet and I notice I'm outside my Compound. It occurs to me we're about to burn somebody at the stake. I make my way through the Brothers that can't see me.


Touch me.


Hear me.


I make it around to see who is tied to the cross, and I'm horrified.


It's Stephen. The man framed by Jonathan all those months ago. Only months, yet it seems like years ago. Suddenly, as he's secured to the cross with only one free arm he cries out for me to help him. Frantically, I try to reach him. The harder I run toward him, the harder it seems it is to reach him.


When I finally make it there he reaches his arm out to me. I reach for his and as our hands touch, mine begins to sizzle as if it were on fire. I withdraw my hand in a split second and Stephen is up in flames.



CROATON: "You burned an innocent man alive. How does that make you feel?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "It's not my fault! He was framed!"

CROATON: "Stephen Matthew Hatcher. A loyal servant to the one true God. Burned at the stake for crimes he didn't commit. The ultimate martyr, wouldn't you say?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I... I can't take anymore!"

CROATON: "You are the Angel of Darkness! You can handle anything, remember? Besides...

"We're just getting warmed up."



As I stand there watching Stephen die all over again, I can feel the sting of tears in my eyes. Suddenly, a ring of fire forms around me. As I try to exit the flames, they climb higher and higher making any escape impossible.


The ground beneath me gives way. Again, I'm free falling. I scream and this time, there is certainly sound. Again, I land with a thud and this landing hurts a little. I get to my feet a little slower than I normally would. When I look up I see a bloody face standing in front of me.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: "Lucas? Is that you?"

LUCAS: "Why didn't you give me more security!? I'd still be alive if it wasn't for you!"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I know. I'm sorry."



Tears flow down my face as Lucas slowly fades away in front of me.



CROATON: "Lucas Allen Anderson. Killed in a single car accident due to your selfishness. Your closest personal friend, the man you consider your very own brother, lost his blood brother.

"All because of you!"



Without the slightest warning I'm being drenched in blood. Thick, crimson colored blood. As if I'm standing under a giant faucet. As quick as I was drenched, all the blood disappears.


As I stand there, I hear a woman call out my name. I turn around and I'm staring at Linn Kwann. My former fiance. She has a rather large hole in her head. Then I remembered...


I put that hole there. Did she really deserve to die?



CROATON: "Linn Kwann. Murdered by a single shot with a hand gun from your very hands. Did you know she was pregnant with your child?


"A little girl."



Wait. What?



LINN KWANN: "Why'd you do it, Sebastian? We were supposed to get married! We were supposed to have children. We were supposed to grow old together. I loved you Sebastian!"



I was getting ready to respond to her when she quickly raised a handgun and fired directly at me. The bullet passed through my skull and I would swear I felt it. I reached my hand up to feel the hole.


Nothing there.


Linn vanishes.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: "Why are you doing this?"

CROATON: "To give you a glimpse."

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "Of what!?"



He didn't answer. My attention is diverted to the ground below me. I'm hovering. What the fuck is going on? Below me....... fire. Was it Hell beneath me?


Suddenly I'm dropped. Dropped through the ground and I plunge into the raging furnace. I can feel the heat, but not the flames. If that makes sense, I'm not sure. Not much is making sense anyhow.


I land but not with a thud, splash or anything like that. I just stop within the flames. I can see something moving within the flames but I can't quite make out what it is.


I jump backward as a charred body suddenly jumps out of the flames toward me.



CROATON: "Anthony Jarvis Powell. A young, rising star in your business. Dead at the age of 20. Why? Because you wanted to prove a point to another competitor. He was a brother, a son, a nephew and a grandson."

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I... I... I don't know what to say."



He doesn't respond. What appears to be AJ Powell, crumbles to ash.


I'm scared to death as a noose somehow captures me around my neck. It lifts me off the ground and out of the fire. With my hands I'm frantically prying at the rope as it cuts off my breath. My legs are kicking wildly as I struggle to breathe. The fires beneath me disappear and almost immediately the rope snaps and I fall to the ground.


Quickly, I take off the noose and toss it aside. As I look up, I'm back to Jonathans execution. The bell high in the chapel tolls and Jacob pulls the lever. Jonathan plunges and struggles to breath, unable to do so. His body shakes and quivers, then becomes rigid before finally succumbing to deaths grip.


I move in closer and Jonathans eyes burst open.


It scares the living shit out of me and I jump back and land on my ass. I stare into Jonathans lifeless eyes.


Cold.


Gray.



CROATON: "Hermann Wilhelm Ratzinger. Illegitimate son of Pope Benedict XVI. You know him as Jonathan. Dead because you insisted on protecting ancient secrets that in this day and age, no one would believe anyway."

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "It was kill or be killed! I had no choice! Just answer me, Croaton! WHY are you doing this!?"

CROATON: "Your past is your future, Sebastian Duke. You must repent for your sins. Pray to the higher power for forgiveness. The winds of change are upon your Brotherhood of the Illuminatus.

"Tread lightly.

"Choose wisely.

"If your unholy path of self-righteousness continues, one day when your number is called and you perish from this Earth, you will undoubtedly burn in the fires of Hell for the things you've done! The pain you've caused!

"One day you too, will have a son. Remember what you learned all those years ago. The sins of the father shall be passed unto his son!

"That young man you viciously beat up in high school? That one you permanently disfigured? He'll do the same to you. Stephen and young Anthony Powell will burn you at the stake repeatedly. Lucas Anderson will drown you in a sea of your own blood. Hermann Ratzinger will hang you.

"Over and over again. You'll burn for your sins, Sebastian Duke. Repent now are spend all of eternity paying the price."



The scene of Jonathan dead as he remains hung from the gallows dissipates. What's next chills me to the bone. I'm standing at the graveside at High Stakes.


Was this a glimpse of my future?


I watch the battle between myself and Mr. Satellite. It must have been a ruthless battle as both of our faces are covered in blood. The version of myself I'm watching clutches Mr. Satellite by the throat. He lifts Satellite to choke slam him into the grave but Satellite somehow breaks my grip.


I look on as Mr. Satellite grabs the shovel and busts it over the head of the future version of myself. Future me falls into the grave. Mr. Satellite must be worn out from the battle because he just lays there at the graveside in the dirt.


Frantically, I yell down into the grave to wake future me up. Future me regains consciousness and begins to get to his feet. He begins to crawl out of the grave. He has his whole upper body out of the grave.


I jump back, scared to death, at what is next.


The floor of the grave opens up to an abyss. From deep within the abyss, many arms and hands begin reaching.


Higher.


And higher.


Toward future me.


The hands grab a hold of the ankles of future me and begin to pull him into the grave. Future me screams in fear. I have to do something. I grab onto the hands of future me. I'm surprised to find that it actually works.


I begin to pull future me out of the grave. Angry growls escape the grave as I help future me to his feet. My feet. Whatever.


Future me stares into my eyes. It's like looking in the mirror.


Only not.


I despise what I see as I look at myself.


Future me grabs me by the throat. I'm powerless to stop him. He lifts me up and choke slams me into the empty grave with the ghoulish hands and the angry growl.


I scream out as I fall into the grave. I stare up at future me and he stares back at me as a fall further and further into the abyss until its finally nothing but Darkness. The hands consume every last inch of me even though I still feel as if I'm falling.



CROATON: "Do you like what you've seen?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "Just let me go! I'll give you anything you want!"

CROATON: "I don't want anything. I want what you want. Don't you understand?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "No, I don't!"



I land with a thud and the arms and hands are gone. I'm back at the gallows. I look into the cold, dead eyes of Jonathan.



CROATON: "Have you enjoyed our chat, Sebastian?"

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I just want to go home! Let me go, please."

CROATON: "You've been free to go since we started."

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "I don't understand."

CROATON: "You will, in time. All I've showed you is your past. Up there in the grave, with the hands... That was just a glimpse of your future.

"Things to come."

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "Croaton! Who did those hands belong to? Please, just tell me."

CROATON: "Those hands belonged to all of those you have hurt, tortured, and killed throughout your life.

"You've now re-lived your past. You've witnessed your future. What happens now...

"is up to you."

SEBASTIAN DUKE: "What do you mean!?"



Croaton doesn't answer. I sit there on the gallows still staring into Jonathans dead eyes. Suddenly, Jonathan disappears before my eyes and I'm trapped in the noose again. This time I'm shackled and I can't move. I can see everything as plain as day amid the torch light.


Something is different though.


Jonathan is staring at me, but he is alive and free of the noose. He stares at me and laughs.


Wait a minute.


He's about to hang me!


I look over to my right and I see Jacob with his hands on the lever, waiting to release the trap door beneath me.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: "Jacob! NOOOO!"



The bell in the chapel tolls and Jacob pulls the lever. The trap door beneath me gives way and I plunge through the hole.

---

Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 6:02 AM



I wake up from my sleep quickly and suddenly. I'm sitting up in my bed drenched in sweat. I'm tired. Not refreshed at all. Why am I sweating? I must have been dreaming, but I'll be damned if I could remember what it was.


I guess it's understandable considering the traumatic night we all had last night. I get out of bed slowly and decide I should take a shower. I can't go through the day like this.


After my shower, I descend the stairs to the main corridor and head to the kitchen. I grab a mug of coffee then proceed to my office. When I get there, I sit behind my desk and turn the television on that is mounted on the wall. I switch it to Fox news to get caught up on latest happenings.


I'm heavily interested when the female reporter in the heart of Times Square in New York City starts talking about a devastating fire in Connecticut. She mentions that those found dead inside were connected to a gun running operation centered right there in New York City.


Behind her, the giant news ticker on the video screens takes my attention. Scrolling across the ticker was the word: CROATON!


Croaton? Where have I heard that name before?