Disintegration v2.0 – Prologue

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Prologue

Georgia – Spring

    “Why have we waited?” She pulled back her hair and let herself stare at the figure sitting in a small clearing, barely visible under the moonlight.
    “Because, Impatient one, sometimes revenge is best served in small pieces.” The old man leaned against the tree and observed the person as well.
    The figure under observation pulled his leather jacket closer to himself and brushed the hair out of his face. He stared up at a set of wind chimes and held himself still as the wind picked up around him, blowing leaves into the air. The wind chimes rang out a clear tune and a suggestion of a voice drifted faintly in the breeze.
    She narrowed her eyes as her lips compressed in anger. Her voice came out flat and emotionless as she clenched her hands in rage, “Small bloody pieces. After all he has done, he needs to suffer.”
    “And that is why we wait until he will suffer the most.” He turned to the woman next to him as he examined her features and expression. Her hair was curled, long and black, framing a face pale and skin a perfect alabaster. She looked young, perhaps in her mid-teens. She looked almost child-like, until he saw her eyes. Her eyes were bright blue. They were not the eyes of a child, but the flat unreadable expression of someone who has seen the death of their world. As he looked deeper into them, he caught a flash of deep red radiating from behind her irises. He nodded slightly. She is ready, he thought. He looked back over to the figure, which had not moved. Aloud he said, “It is time.”
    She looked sharply at the old man for a moment then nodded as she walked into the darkness of the woods without a backwards glance. The old man watched her disappear into the darkness and chuckled very softly. He turned to look again at the figure in the clearing and settled back, waiting.

***

Ohio – Spring

    “Fucking bitch, you think you can escape?” He laughed as he grabbed her hair, and knocked her glasses off. She reached up to grab his hands as he pulled her into the air. Reflexively, she lashed out with a foot and connected against his groin. He growled, but didn’t let go as he slammed her against the wall and hissed, “You little cunt, I’m going to show you the meaning of pain.” He reached and tore her T-shirt off effortlessly as she struggled helplessly…

Lauren woke up with a start. She fumbled to grab her glasses and winced at the dull pain in her arms. She wrapped her fingers around the glasses and held them reassuringly for a moment. It was still dark outside and the only sound was the heart monitor beeping rapidly as she tried to compose herself. The door opened and she looked into the outline of an orderly.
    “Everything ok in here ma’am?” she asked.
    Lauren put her glasses on, and looked owlishly over. “Umm, yes, I just had a dream.”
    The orderly came in and let the light shine in from the hallway, “Oh Lauren,” She said with compassion, “You managed to pull out your IV.” She sighed and cut the lights on.
    Lauren tuned the bustle of the orderly out of her mind as she looked at her arms. Her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to ignore the lines carved into her forearms and wrists. The tears came unbidden as she felt the crushing despair threaten to break through. Why didn’t I die? She blinked back the tears and looked up at the orderly, who had finished replacing the IV. She smiled a little and muttered a thank you to the orderly.
    The orderly smiled back and fluffed Lauren’s pillow. “Be careful, You know the doctor wants you restrained, but I think you’re doing fine dearie.” The orderly looked down at the criss-crossed scars on Lauren’s arms and compressed her lips, “You’re healing nicely sweetie.” The orderly paused for a moment then spoke quietly. “You’re stronger than they realize.” The orderly wagged a finger at Lauren and continued in a slightly louder voice. “And don’t ever let anyone tell you different.” She turned around at the door, “If you can just keep progressing, You’ll be out of here in just a few weeks.” With that, she turned the lights off, leaving Lauren in the dark.
    Lauren closed her eyes and felt herself drifting. Her mind slipped away into the depths of sleep and she dreamed again.

    Lauren walked up to a small copse of trees only a few miles from her home. She had seen the trees before, but had never taken the time to stop. She walked cautiously into the trees and looked down as the spring changed to winter. The ground was cold and her feet crunched the snow underneath her bare feet. She felt warm even as she looked around disoriented. Lauren picked her way to the center of the copse and saw a pile of sticks arranged in preparation for a fire, but not yet lit. She looked down curiously, then blinked as she heard a woman speak.
    “He’s not here yet.”
    Lauren turned and saw a shimmering form drift towards her. In the distance she heard a strange melody as the spirit slip closer, “Where is he?” She asked. Lauren felt fuzzy and more than a bit disoriented.
    “When he is here, the rest will be up to you.” The spirit said.
    Lauren looked at the spirit but could only hold onto a few details. A locket around her throat shimmered into focus, A hint of green in the eyes, and a dress that was ankle length. “Who will be here? And I’m really lost here.” Lauren felt a sense of unreality as the figure faded.
    The words reached Lauren faintly as the spirit spoke echoing the words of the orderly, “You are stronger than you realize, save him.”
    Lauren looked down at the snow and back up into the darkness. “I don’t get it. I can’t save anyone, Ican’t even save myself.” She fell to her knees and punched the snow. “I couldn’t save her, I can’t even save me.” She screamed and held her bloodied knuckles to her mouth as she sobbed.

    Lauren’s eyes flashed open again as she took a deep breath and swallowed a sob. She moved to get a glass of water on the table next to her and winced at the pain in her knuckles. She turned her hands over and looked at the raw knuckles. But what does it mean? She sipped at the water and sat in the darkness.

***

Georgia – Spring

    The first dim light of the false dawn spread over the sky lifting the darkness from the ground. In the silence that hung over the ridge, Burton sat on an outcropping of rock. In the distance, the ridgeline rose into the low clouds, disappearing into a dark mist. High above, the cirrus clouds reflected the bright oranges, pinks and purples from the encroaching dawn. Below him, in the valley, the fog was dimly visible from the reflected light. Despite the spectacular scenery below him, Burton seemed oblivious. He stared off into the distance, then without any visible reason, hopped off the outcropping and landed silently, effortlessly to the ground. He raised his hand as if telling someone to wait. Then he moved his hand in a beckoning gesture and a few moments later a whisper of a voice touched his cheek.
    “Not bad, your senses grow sharper each night. You will soon be ready to gather your bounty of revenge.” With that, a man appears next to Burton. He was middle aged and looked very much like someone you would meet walking in the woods. His demeanor seemed mild, but an aura of power that pulsed from his very body. He hopped up to the outcropping and looked down at Kevlar, “In just a few short months, you have learned much about power. In a few short months, you will learn much about vengeance. Then what?”
    Burton stared out towards the brightening sky. Several minutes passed in silence before he spoke, “I want to go home. I want to go back and be with my family.” He turned toward the man and looked at him pleadingly, “I can do that, Can I not? I want to go back.”
    The man stared at Burton and gave a grim smile. “You can go back. You can always go back.” He stopped and looked down for a moment, then met Burton’s gaze again. “You can go back, but you can never be the same.” He captured Burton’s eyes with his gaze and continued, “And you know, you must know, that death will follow you. That death will track you and will try to destroy everything you touch.” He leaned forward and shook his head. “Death will always,” His voice shook with passion as he repeated himself, “Will always try to destroy that which you love the most. Death is fickle, and those who are lucky enough, or cursed enough to cheat her embrace will always have to watch for her wrath towards those which we care for the most.”
    The man slipped down and with a barely a whisper of sound, worked his way down the ridge. He called out as he worked his way down, “Der Sonnenaufgang ist Tod zu uns. Remember that, childer and be someplace safe before the dawn.” The old man vanished into the fog, leaving Burton alone with his thoughts.
    The sky grew brighter and Burton tried to move into the woods, but found himself rooted to the spot he stood. Lethargy washed over him as he swayed and fell to the ground, cowering against the encroaching sunrise. His thoughts frayed under the assault of light. Then suddenly, an alien thought sliced through his mind. Suffer. The sunlight and he felt his skin burn as he screamed.

    Kevlar returned to reality with scarcely a start as he came alert. The mist of rain had coated his face and jacket with a fine mist. A droplet formed and hung as he searched the darkness around him with his senses. He sensed something for a brief moment, then was gone in the darkness. With a shrug, he straightened his shoulders and looked up at the wind chimes in front of him. He touched the wooden tongue gently and thought hard. Dreams of a past I do not even remember. He sighed as he tried to understand the implications. He could not recall the face of the man, nor who he was or where, but the dream seemed right.
    Kevlar pulled a cell-phone out of his jacket and slowly punched the numbers. He listened to the music, It sounded something like Marilyn Manson covering “Sweet Dreams” but it stopped before he could be sure.
    “Ulmont.” The terseness matched the sharpness in the tone.
    “Ulmont, it is Kevlar. I will not be around for the next few days, I have some things to take care of. So let the rest of the pack know for me, and I will be back soon.”
    “Try to make it quick, we have some business to take care of.” Ulmont always sounded impatient on the telephone but tonight he seemed even more on edge.
    “I Understand, I have not let you down yet.” Kevlar was tempted to offer more reassurance, but he felt that whatever was bothering Ulmont, simple reassurance would not be enough to relax him.
    The voice was silent for a moment and Kevlar listened to the crackle as the analog signal struggled to keep the connection. “Ok Kevlar, get your doings done.”
    “Of course, I wouldn’t miss a conclave for the world.”
    “Good.” and Ulmont hung up.
    Kevlar slid the cell-phone into his pocket and began walking. Kevlar was sure he did not know German, but the translation slid into his mind as easily as any English phrase. He was sure that memory felt real. But what did it mean?