A Love Story

Psychedelic Nightmare

Psychedelic Nightmare

–

Sebulba blinked through watery eyes, a stinging redness, feeling the rising purple bump on the bridge of his nose. Still in shock, he could barely see another hit coming as Anakin stormed through the living room, defying every thought that spun his vision.

"You fucking laid a hand on my wife?!"

Sebulba could hear the vibrations of Anakin's one track mind as he roared, taking the opening, a mission. His fist came punching through the air a second time, avenging his wife's assault.

This hit almost made Sebulba topple over, but as he drifted back, he shook it off and garnered his own strength. Anakin's temper triggered his own, it resonated deep. Everything could be settled with fists according to men whose ability to reason had turned into useless wisps of smoke, so he balled his own fist. Knocking Anakin back, Sebulba stood with his head held high. Anakin only stumbled for a second before quickly wiping any blood away with the back of his hand. Physical attacks were defeatable, meaningless taunts and no longer registered in his psyche.

Sebulba knew this. He knew how to get to Anakin. Anakin probably enjoyed the fighting part, getting physical. It was mental attacks that pushed Anakin over the edge. Anakin had a lot more discipline with his fists than his mind. His war was always a war of the mind. So, Sebulba craftily let his snaky, sleazy words spill out. "You scratched my ride. I scratched yours."

The rage-filled rampage began to swirl inside Anakin like the pressure of a volcano ripping out of him. He smashed Sebulba down onto the glass coffee table. Sebulba fell back, and little pieces of glass surrounded him, carving his outline, along with a gash in his arm. The fight had now spread to the open floor as both men swung blindly. One's target was one's defeat. They had taken their anger out on each other in every way. They weren't even human anymore. They were animals with blurred minds and battle cries; their punches carried the remnants of their fury, which showed through red skin, white scars, cut lips going pink and red with blood.

Anakin couldn't be stopped. Face flushed and head ringing. It was hard not to be reactive when his anger was knocking around in his head. He punched repeatedly until his hands stung and his knuckles were scraped. But Sebulba grabbed the nearest vase and caught Anakin on the head with it, finally managing to push him off. Sebulba landed on his toes while Anakin cradled his head, standing up slowly.

In the midst of the distraction, Sebulba pulled out a drawer and grabbed a gun, aiming it at Anakin, who was about to charge at him again. The pistol forced Anakin's heels to skim the ground to halt.

"Stay right there!" Sebulba growled, out of breath, his arm shaking but never lowering. "Ever since she came into your life, you've changed. We were so fucking close to having it all! We had the car, we were gonna make it big! And now you've thrown it all away. So you're going to pay me back every cent... Or you better watch your back. I got a whole Hutt army working for me now!"

Anakin sighed hopelessly, about to turn and walk away. He should. He absolutely should. But he knows how these things work. If there's a Hutt target on your back, you might as well be dead. So, like a flash of lightning, Anakin surprisingly spun back around, twisting Sebulba's arm and stealing the gun off him.

Now the tables had turned, Sebulba was facing the barrel of the gun.

"Here's the way it's going to be." Anakin's voice was rough against his own exhales. "You're gonna drop the debt and if you so much as look Padme's way again, I'll come back and finish you off."

Sebulba's expression changed, from petty to personal, fearing for his life. He swallowed hard. "Fine! Consider us even." Sebulba watched as Anakin gradually began to lower the gun from his face. Seb was just about to let his own breath sag out of him when he noticed a demented, dark flicker of chaos in Anakin's eyes. Sebulba knew that look. It meant Anakin had gone to the dark place. Mad, manic, careless.