Twenty-Two
Dark
So Vice was still alive. King should have guessed that he would have been smart enough to keep himself safe from Vigil’s rage. King sat outside of the black room on the floor legs crossed. King didn’t want to go inside. King didn’t want to hear the judgmental voice of the room. King didn’t want it to tell King what to do. King knew. Shiki was bad news. Now that Vice is free to it just going to make things that much harder. So the question was who let Vice out? Why now has he decided to show his face again? Vice had a plan. He wasn’t the type to show himself unless he had a plan.
King closed his eyes but too many images were flashes in King’s mind. The events that took place six years ago were flashing in King’s mind. That classroom kept surfacing inside of King’s mind. Back then Ian had been breaking for months. We were on the brink back then much like we are now. King lost his purpose that time. All that was true in the world all that was right was gone. All King knew was blood. All King wanted was the death of everyone that wasn’t King.
So many Ian’s joined in. Changing Ian’s so rapidly it felt as if all Ian’s were in control of the body at once. So much blood was everywhere. To this day King can still remember there cries for help. King can remember them begging for mercy. But what is mercy. What did King know of mercy? Why should King give what he has never received?
Though that memory is haunting there was another at the tip of King’s mind. It wasn’t King’s memory. It wasn’t any Ian’s memory. It was the body memory. It was True-Ian’s memory. So young he was as he sat crying covered in blood. No older than one and he had saw something that changed him forever.
King can’t make out the face of the man or woman that laying no more than a foot away but King can see boots. Walking over to King or in this case Ian and picking Ian up from the blood. Muttered voices speak in hushed voices. Someone was crying. King felt a great sadness with the memory. Not for Ian but for the person on the floor. It felt as if King or rather Ian had lost someone that meant so much to him.
King was sure that it was key to knowing. For more than ten years now King has tried to learn what happened to Ian. King tried to understand why he became so broken. But one after another King had only run into dead ends. And yet now it seems as if the body was giving King his answer. Maybe the body wants to know the truth before its final showdown. Knowing the past was the key to ruling the body. So King would be sure that he was the first Ian to learn why Ian is so broken inside. The first to know why Ian needed us. Yes Yoru but Vigil and King were around long before Yoru so what was the breaking point? King was going to find out.
“King.” A voice said and I looked up to see Loki standing in front of me. King pulled himself from King’s thoughts when King noticed it was Loki. It was always best to be fully aware when Loki was around. Loki liked to show you his right hand as he stabbed you with his left. King wouldn’t fall victim to him. “Thought I’d give you the heads up that Vice is out.” Loki said and started to walk away.
“What are you planning?” King asked him rising from the floor and to King’s feet.
“What makes you think I’m planning anything?” Loki countered.
“Don’t play games with King. Do you think King is stupid? King knows you and Hades has been trying to play King since day one. King doesn’t care. If you ever feel brave enough then come Loki King will end you and your little dog to.” King hissed out and Loki just stood there smiling. Of course he was smiling. This was nothing but a game to him. Maybe nothing more than a game to Hades as well.
“If you kill us you kill the body.” Loki said. “Releasing insanity and chaos into the body will only break it down more. Even you will go mad King.”
“You say it as if King isn’t mad already. Just so you know Vice is bad for business. Whatever you are planning with him around he will only get in your way. Trust King, King knows.”
“How kind of you to care.” Loki said and King laughed at him.
“Who ever said King cared? King has plans to. Like King said. Vice is bad for business.” “Why are you telling me this?” Loki asked and King shrugged King’s shoulders and started to walk away down the hall and away from Loki. “Whatever it is I’m not falling for it. You can take me out of your plans King I won’t fall into your trap”
“But Loki you always do.” King said and he left Loki alone standing in the hall looking after King. What to do what to do? King roamed the halls of the mind waiting for King’s turn in the body. Vigil would have to give it up soon enough but until then all King could do was wait. Waiting was something that King was good at. For six years King waited in the black room for his chance to free himself again. King has mastered the art of waiting.
King wondered towards the pit and frowned when Shiki was standing there. At the door to the room the pit was inside. Was he here so King could put him back in? Or did Shiki just want to remember the good times he had inside. He was just looking inside of the room unmoving
“King.” He hissed at King as he turned around and looked King’s way.
“King can help you back inside if you miss it so much.” King said and he just smiled at King.
“You would enjoy that wouldn’t you?”
“You’re and idiot Shiki. Always has been one. It’s why King locked you away in the first place. You didn’t follow the plan.”
“I didn’t follow your plan.” He hissed.
“What kind of sense does it make to kill the person that holds the pain? Don’t forget your purpose Shiki or else you will have to kill yourself as well.”
“I know who I am. What about you King? Do you remember who you are?” King tapped his head a smile.
“King tries not to forget.”
“How honored you must be to be the brain. To be ruler over the right side of it. I will bring your side to ruin. Even if the only way to hurt you is killing you. I will make you pay for every year I was locked away inside of that pit.”
“Kings know so little about death. King is interested in learning.” King mocked him as King walked away
“King.” He hissed at King. “KING!”
The eyes of the body opened and King was sitting in some alley with some boy kneel in front of him. King knew that boy. King saw him before. He was at the party. He was in the ally with Ian once before. Bijan was his name King believed. He was a friend of Mischa.
“Why is it that I always find you in some alley?” Bijan asked and King stood up.
“Why is it that you are stalking King?” I hissed back at him.
“Listen I don’t have time for you problem so are you okay so I can go.” King laughed when he said King’s problem. This was so much more than a problem. It was life. It was King. It was all Ian’s and he spoke as if we were the illness when indeed True-Ian made us to be the cure.
“King doesn’t need your help.” King told him brushing the dirt that was one King off King turned and started to walk away.
“What’s your deal?” Bijan yelled following King. “I help you out and you never even said thanks.”
“Do you help random strangers for the hope of a thank you?”
“Of course not…”
“Then why should King waste King’s breath.”
“That’s so annoying why do you talk like that? And why are you calling yourself King?” King didn’t answer just kept walking towards the car that Vigil had abandoned. “You’re not good enough for her you know.” He said and King stopped in his tracks. “She has enough problems she doesn’t need to add yours to them.”
“King doesn’t know what you are talking about.”
“You’re a fucking lair. Stay away from Mischa okay. You’re poison for her. I don’t want you tainting the woman I love.” King reached inside of his pocket feeling the knife there. How easy it would be for King to kill a little worm like him. But what then there was the mess to clean up. Killing people with families are always harder to get away with. And King isn’t going back to that place. Not to that jail for the nuts.
“King will stay away. When Mischa asks King to?” King answered and Bijan tried to make a move for King so King took out his knife. “I warn you boy. King doesn’t fight King kills. If you want to leave with your life walk away or else join the afterlife.”
“This isn’t over.” He said and King smiled. He had no idea how right he was. This was far from over.