Friday, February 7, 2:00 PM EST – Apartment 6J - Brooklyn, New York



It took me about 15 minutes to fully come back down off of whatever moral high ground I had suddenly found myself on. Sebastian was right. Thomas Martin was a piece of scum. In fact, he was the worst kind of human filth. He was not just a common scum bag, who committed vile acts against random strangers, no, what he did, he did to those he loved, to those he was to protect.

Part of me wonders if maybe Thomas Martin had changed. If perhaps at some point he realized the kind of person he was. I saw no evidence that he had, but I also no longer had a sister for him to victimize either. Maybe the Thomas Martin that I put a bullet in was not the same Thomas Martin that repeatedly raped my sister. It’s also entirely possible that Thomas Martin did not change because Thomas Martin is incapable of change. In order to make a change, to realize you need to do something differently you must first admit error in what you had done previously. And if there is anything I had learned from Thomas over the years it was that he did believe that he ever made mistakes.

I told you previously that what I did, I did not do for me, or my sister, or my mother, I did it for the little girl that I had never met. I did it because I believed that Thomas Martin would do to her what he had done to Elizabeth and that as horrific as it is to say, Elizabeth’s suicide was a form of peace that she would never have gotten had she lived out her life the victim of a monster like Thomas Martin. So I killed Thomas Martin to protect this young girl, so that she would never know the pain, physically and mentally that she would be the victim of. I believed I was in the right. In the eyes of God and of Man. And then I saw this young, innocent girl, and it was clear she had been crying very recently, her mother as well. They didn’t see Thomas Martin the monster. They saw Thomas Martin the father, the husband.

It was in that moment that I began to question everything I had done. Were my actions purely altruistic or did I do what I did because deep down inside, part of me, perhaps a very big part of me wanted to kill Thomas Martin because Thomas Martin killed my sister, the only person in my life who had shown any form of affection towards me. Not Thomas, or my drunk of a mother but Elizabeth, and he took her from me. In that moment I had contemplated whether I was a great savior or just a common criminal.

Thankfully Sebastian was there to help talk me down. I think he was as much taken aback by my sudden bout of weakness than anything else. I would imagine if I were him I would be furious at what was happening. To Sebastian he saw month’s worth of training unraveling before his eyes like a ball of yarn that was kicked down a flight of stairs. As I said, it took about 15 minutes but Sebastian was able to help me come down to reality. Once he did we walked a few blocks to my mother’s apartment for what is sure to be an interesting discussion.

For the second time today we would have to walk up a few flights of stairs, 6 to be exact in order to reach our destination. When we got to the door I debated for a second whether to use the key I still have or knock. I decided that with having Sebastian with me, something my mother was unaware of that it would be best to knock first. And so I did. Two knocks did the trick and my mother opened the door. When she did she took one look at me and then at Sebastian and then back at me.



MRS. MARTIN: “Eric, who is this with you?”

ENIGMA: “A friend. How about we discuss this inside?”

MRS. MARTIN: “He looks familiar, have I met him before?”

ENIGMA: “No mother.”

“I am pretty certain that you have not.”

MRS. MARTIN: “Very well.”



My mother turned around and started walking down the hall leaving Sebastian or I to follow her which of course we did. I walked in first; Sebastian followed and closed the door behind him. My mother offered us drinks, which we both declined and then she took a seat at the table, and of course, we joined her.



MRS. MARTIN: “Are you sure we’ve never met, you really look familiar.”

“What did Eric say your name was?”

ENIGMA: “I didn’t.”

“His name is Sebastian.”

MRS. MARTIN: “Well hello Sebastian. That is a wonderful name, a strong name.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “Thank you.”

ENIGMA: “How are things going mom?”

MRS. MARTIN: “They are going well, thank you.”

“I finalized everything with Sherman Richard’s yesterday, so now I am just looking to move out of this place and into something nicer.”

ENIGMA: “Great idea.”

“Have you considered Connecticut?”

MRS. MARTIN: “Connecticut?”

“Why would I move to Connecticut?”

“I live in Brooklyn. I’ve always lived in Brooklyn. My job is in Brooklyn.”

ENIGMA: “Well, Connecticut is where I have been living for the last few months.”

MRS. MARTIN: “Is it?”

“Do you like it there?”

ENIGMA: “I do.”

“But that’s not the point.”

MRS. MARTIN: “What is the point?”

ENIGMA: “Mom, the reason Sebastian here looks familiar to you is because you know his father.”



I did not have to elaborate. My mother was smart enough to put it all together. Sebastian and Asmodeus share a lot of the same facial features. And clearly my mother knew as soon as she saw Sebastian standing in front of her that he was not some typical stranger. There was a story there; she just needed a push in the right direction. And now she has that push.



MRS. MARTIN: “You are Charles’ son?”



The tears started forming at the corner of her eyes, her lower lip began to tremble ever so slightly.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “I am.”

MRS. MARTIN: “I can see it.”

“In the eyes, the nose, even the ears.”

“It’s like I went 25 years in the past and Charles is sitting in front of me.”



The tears are now streaming down my mother’s face. Sebastian remains in his seat, his demeanor is unchanged. I walked over to the book case and grabbed the box of tissues that rested on the 3rd shelf and then walked it back over to the kitchen table, placing the box in front of my mother. She immediately grabbed two tissues and began using them.



ENIGMA: “Are you ok mom?”

MRS. MARTIN: “Yes I am.”

“I just never expected this.”

“I didn’t know Charles had an older son, you could have had a brother.”

ENIGMA: “I do have a brother.”



I expected that statement to offer some comfort to my mother, as if to say it is ok, in the end everything worked out. Instead it seemed to send her deeper down the depression hole. A bit of a miscalculation on my part I suppose.



ENIGMA: “Mom, would you like to see Charles?”

MRS. MARTIN: “Very much so.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “We can arrange that.”

MRS. MARTIN: “You you take me up to Connecticut where you live?”

ENIGMA: “No mom.”

“Due to the nature of Charles’ and Sebastian’s work it would not be prudent for us to take you up there.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “It would be better if we brought Charles down here.”

MRS. MARTIN: “To the apartment?”

“This place looks like a bomb went off in it, I haven’t had time to clean it.”

“I need to straighten it up first.”

ENIGMA: “Calm down mother.”

“We are not going to bring Charles down here today.

MRS. MARTIN: “Well then when?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “That will be up to Charles.”

MRS. MARTIN: “I see.”

“Does he want to see me?”

“What did he say about me?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “He is very eager to see you again.”

“However, he is an extremely busy man so it’s not going to be as simple as just picking a day and coming down here to the city.”

MRS. MARTIN: “What is it Charles does?”

ENIGMA: “That is a conversation for another time mother.”

MRS. MARTIN: “Ok.”

“Well, will you be staying for dinner?”

“I was going to make spaghetti with crab gravy.”



I looked over at Sebastian to get some indication as to what his preference was. I expected him to politely decline the offer but that wasn’t what happened.



SEBASTIAN DUKE: “That would be lovely Mrs. Martin.”

MRS. MARTIN: “Fantastic.”

“I don’t know if Eric told you but Spaghetti with crab gravy is his favorite meal.”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “He did not.”

MRS. MARTIN: “Eric, would you be so kind as to go to the market at the end of the block and get some fresh bread?”

SEBASTIAN DUKE: “How about I do that Mrs. Martin, give you two a chance to catch up?”

MRS. MARTIN: “That would be wonderful Sebastian, thank you.”



What my mother took for kindness I saw strategery. Sebastian knew as well as I did that walking around the neighborhood with my face exposed could draw attention, so instead he opted to run the errand for my mother, under the guise that it would give her and I some time to talk. That’s Sebastian for you.



Fade To Darkness.