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LH Harrison · **01-06-2015, 10:36 AM**

The wind blows over the desolate small town of Hope, Arkansas. No one is out and about at 10:30 AM on a Sunday morning. Not for the fear of being caught outside of the church buildings. While Hope, Arkansas wasn’t a town of forced religion, it sure was a lot easier to accept it or stay hidden for a few hours. The town of a population a little over 10,000 treated church as a building block upon which the entire society was focused upon. One could get into serious trouble at their own work place if they had missed the Sunday sermon. Although it seemed abnormally structured, the town had accepted this way of life wholeheartedly. No one really questioned why the shops were all closed on Sunday. No one questioned why the restaurants were closed until 2 PM. Not a soul among them opened their mouth to scream protest to these old-fashioned ways of life.

All of this made 10:31 AM, the most acceptable time for LH Harrison to return to his home city.

LH Harrison enters the outskirts of town and walks past the church that he had attended with his family for years. The memory of ‘Loverboy’ Vinnie Lane having an affair with the pastor’s wife floods to his head. LH sighs as he keeps walking. He had to change churches as a result of that incident. It almost made him unaccepted everywhere he went. However, as with all churches, money will make you very popular in a church. As he continues walking down the street, he passes by ‘Barry Mathers’s Barber Shop.’ He stops momentarily as he stares through the glass at the empty room beyond.

One of LH’s earliest memories include his father and him coming down here to get haircuts by the man himself, Barry Mathers. Barry Mathers was a tall, lanky gentleman standing at about 6’6”. He would always tell the funniest stories of how his wife, who owned a boutique across town, would mess up people’s hair by dyeing it the wrong color or cutting it too short. Ironically, his wife would do the exact same thing by telling her husband’s horror stories at her shop.

Harrison turns another corner and begins walking down that street passing by tons of small shopping stores in downtown Hope. As he passes, tons of memories flood to his head. Many of them involving his dad or… the four women in his life. LH bites his lip as he pushes onward. The chilling breeze blows from the West and blows his jacket tight to his body. Using his hands, he moves them up and down his arms trying to regain warmth. LH pulls down on his black toboggan pulling it over his forehead and almost to his eyebrows. It almost never snows in Hope, but it does get extremely cold during the winter months.

The Inspiration continues pushing forward down the street until he finally gets past all of the downtown area. He takes a deep breath. He was most worried about being seen by people inside the town. One would wonder why he wouldn’t just take a different route, but it was the quickest. In addition, LH almost wanted to test his luck by going through the town. Reminiscing and seeing the buildings of his childhood. He begins walking just a little quicker to narrow the distance between himself and his target.

The bare oak trees seem to crowd the street in which he walked. A street he knew very well. He steps on forward as his shoes make a small noise as they rub against the pavement. As he walks down the road, he looks up to see all of the empty homes of friends that he’d left behind once joining the circus that is the XWF. The empty homes almost symbolized how their friendships had wavered throughout his time in the XWF. So many people here that he knew and could trust. Such a reciprocal compared to landscape of the XWF. LH stopped looking up and continued powering on until he reached his destination. He finally stops moving and stands still for a moment. He looks straight ahead and notices a being in front of his destination. LH slows his pace and proceeds with caution. The being is wearing a black coat and a black baseball hat. He also is wearing a dark pair of sunglasses. LH stops and stares for a moment, but doesn’t want to be caught.

However, as he stops the head of the man turns and sees him. An awkward stillness feels the void between them. LH stares at him while the man stares back with an expressionless face. The man begins walking away as LH follows him slowly. LH stares at the man with intrigue as he maintains his distance. The man starts walking with a little more pep in his step until he takes a hard left and disappears between two houses. LH follows him through the space and the man is gone. LH goes into the backyards of the two houses and can’t see the man anywhere. He spans the area but can’t help but feel as though he’s being watched. Looks around and sees absolutely nothing. LH Harrison leaves the backyards and begins trekking back towards his destination. It’s then that he gets to finally where he’s been attempting to…

His house.

The place in which he had raised his children and lived with his wife. The location of the atrocity that had plagued his life. This is the very building in which his children were kidnapped and his wife was murdered. LH Harrison falls to his knees and looks up at the building. He hadn’t been back to this place since all of that had transpired. Nearly two months away and LH Harrison is now fighting back tears as he breathes haphazardly. He went down like a ton of bricks and didn’t help his family in the one time they needed him the most. LH Harrison had failed not only as a person. Not only as a father. He failed a man. That day, LH Harrison’s wife was taken from him in a flash. One minute there, the next gone. As he sits on his knees looking up at the house, the memory of his latest conversation with his wife fill his mind…

October 15, 2014

LH Harrison enters the house wearing a t-shirt with sweat stains down the front and back as well as yellow basketball shorts and some tennis shoes. He falls into an armchair and catches his breath. He had just gotten back from his daily run and was exhausted. Paintball that morning followed by his run had really drained the life force out of him. He takes the earbuds out of his ear and pauses his iPod. As the sweat drips down his forehead, LH pulls his fingers through his short hair and spikes it back up. He closes his eyes for a moment when he hears an angelic voice.

Hey baby.

LH’s eyes open quickly to see his beautiful wife standing at the doorway between the living room and the dining room. He smiles and looks at her wearing a low-cut t-shirt and fuzzy pajama pants. She has her arms crossed and is looking at him lovingly. She walks over and sits on the armchair of his chair and leans against him. He kisses her on the top of her head and cuddles her close. She looks up at him and feels the prickles of his returning beard.

You need to shave mister. I want to be able to kiss that clean face without cutting myself in the process.

LH laughs.

You don’t want me to grow out a Duck Dynasty beard? Maybe we can go down there and join their family. It’s only a few hour drive from here.

She playfully puts her hand on his face.

No, silly. I like you to look like my little Arkansan James Bond.

So you like me shaven, not stubbled?

Stop it, and I think that’s how you like me too. Don't forget that.

She winks and kisses his temple. He holds her close and runs his fingers through her beautiful dark locks.

You know I love you, Jessica.

She looks up at him with a brief look of adoration before cuddling into his neck. Something is muttered that sounds similar to “I love you too.” They sit there in silence for a moment before she begins pulling him by the arm.

Where are you taking me, sweetheart?

Come on, baby. Let’s go to bed. It’s time for my appointment.

Oh? Appointment?

Yes with the Doctor of Love.

She giggles and LH can’t help but chuckle at the horrendous joke.

Trust me, baby. You don’t want a session with this doctor. I’m way too foul for that.

LH Harrison raises his arms and makes a disgusted look at her. She walks up to him and folds herself in his arms.

I’d take you in any way I could get you. I’m sorry for… that whole thing… I… I don’t know what came over me. There’s no way I could live without you. No way. You…

LH stops her crying and apology with a deep kiss. They stop for a moment and stare into each other’s eyes.

You know I love you. I love you, and that’s been long forgiven. We’re here and we’re together now. That’s all that matters. Me, with you.

He interlocks his fingers with her and holds it up as she wipes the tears away with her other hand. He pushes her forward as they head for the bedroom. He breaks off the connection as he heads for the bathroom. She watches him as he walks towards the door. He feels her eyes on him and turns to meet her gaze. They stand there exchanging loving glances. Not a word was said, but nothing would quite explain it as well as their gaze did. LH breaks it off with a smile as he headed into the bathroom. The light coming from the bathroom breaks the memory…

LH returns to the present day and looks up at the house in front of him. Not a single noise was heard except for the wind blowing harshly and a sole crow cawing on the top of the house. LH Harrison looks up at the crow.

It’s sickening how fitting that is. A crow on the house that has witnessed so many horrific images. LH being controlled by an evil force, the kidnapping of my children, and the… murder of my wife. How fitting it is that a crow would choose this location to rest.

The bird seems to look down into the very soul of LH Harrison. LH Harrison scowls.

You see, Peter Gilmour. I returned to this house to see where I came from. To return to my past. What better place to learn from than from your past? I learn from my mistakes, unlike you. When you faced me before, I was a shell of a man. I lost my wife… I lost one of my children… and the other is still held captive. I was in no emotional state to be in a ring let alone a building armed with explosives that would go off if I lost. You preyed on an individual at his weakest. Congratulations. But now? Now I’m at full strength. You know what that means? You barely beat me at my lowest. How would you triumph over me at my absolute strongest? The answer is simple. You won’t. You say you killed me, and by God you did. But now, I’m back. LH Harrison has risen from the grave for one reason: to kill Peter Gilmour. Now you’re a gluttonous slob who thinks he can get lucky twice against The Inspiration? Get over it. The game is over. You lost. LH Harrison is declared the winner. Also, if you’re going to talk about my family, be sure you know what you’re talking about. Because if you’re screwing my sister, mother, and grandmother then you’re screwing two dead women and dude. I say dude, because I don’t have a sister. Only a brother. But now it’s time.

LH sighs.

It’s time to return to my roots.

LH Harrison looks up at the crow who is cawing loudly. He ignores it as he walks up the step. As he gets to the top step, the camera switches to one alongside the ground showing a tripwire. Harrison’s foot breaks the plane and….

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The house explodes in a huge inferno as LH Harrison is propelled away from the house into the yard. LH Harrison looks up at first, but his vision fades away as he watches his house burn to the ground.

To. Be. Continued.

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