Rubik

Chapter 7: Black Hearted part 2

     "...I do," I said again and I opened my eyes. All I could see was Rachel's smile, elated and filled with happiness at my answer. I looked down from her face to her hand, then placed the ring over her finger.

     "You may kiss the bride," The priest beside us said. Rachel and I moved closer and kissed as the friends we invited clapped. After the ceremony, we all gathered at our house. We talked to the small circle of friends we had. Oscar laughed as he shared stories to our colleagues, Rachel still hadn't changed out of her dress, but I had my tux unbuttoned to relax a but more. I just laughed along and drank a glass of champagne while I stood beside Rachel. After everyone left, Rachel and I were finally left alone. It was the first night we spent as an actual married couple, but all we could do was lay in bed and do nothing.

     "This was a day I always looked forward to," Rachel said and she brushed the back of my hand with her thumb. "I just wish all of our friends were here to see it..." I sighed as I thought back.

     "I know. And I wish they were here too..." I pulled her body closer to mine as I closed my eyes. It had been 10 years since Oliver had killed Dylan by mistake. Shortly after, Oscar called the authorities and Oliver was taken in for the death of Dylan and the domestic abuse towards his sister, Rachel. He was taken to do his 25 to life in prison, and we haven't seen him since... That day gave me nightmares for years and there was nothing I could do to get rid of the memories that were burned and scratched into my head permanently.

     The next week felt like a distorted memory as I blinked and the whole thing just zoomed past. It wasn't until a colleague of mine, David Xavier, snapped his fingers in front of me and I jumped from my place.

     "You alright Ray?" He asked me as he looked at me just standing at a counter.

     "Yeah, I'm fine..." I said with a bland tone, trying to snap out of the memory I was entrapped in for what seemed like an eternity. "Just had a bit of trouble sleeping is all," I reassured him as I resumed my work again. David and I were both working under the internship of a local science center to increase our knowledge and have a chance to work there as full-time employees. On my break, I sat down in a small coffee shop with Rachel and she sat across from me. I was reading the paper and saw that several crimes that were being committed. I sighed in disappointment and put the paper down.

     "You know, if you don't like reading the crime in the paper, you could always help bring it down," Rachel told me as she took a sip of her coffee.

     "We've been over this," I told her as I looked at her, taking a sip of my own drink. "I'm not using those powers. Not after what happened with Oliver... Even after 10 years, we still don't have a clue what potential to harm they have."

     "But we KNOW they have the potential to save as well, and we could get a better understanding of them if we used them more," Rachel told me as she tried to sway my mind to her side, but I refused to listen.

     "No matter what, I'm not using those powers. And you shouldn't either, I don't want to have you trying to kill me in ballistic, clouded rage as well." I heard Rachel sigh and she stood up. I went to follow her and the two of us walked down the street, unsure of what to speak about as silence hung around us.  The day went on and I sat on my couch as I relaxed. I saw that even more crimes had been rising since I read them earlier, and the police believe some kind of mob leader has risen to power and is conducting all these crimes. I groaned and shut the tv off as I laid on the couch, feeling like life was just down at the moment. Hell, it was like it's been down for the past 10 years and it won't lift up anytime soon. 

     I heard the doorbell ring and I walked over to it, wondering who would be around so late. I looked through the hole in the door and all I saw was someone in dark clothing and a covered face.

     I thought it was a robbery and I backed away to grab something for a weapon, but I heard a voice say, "Break it down." All of a sudden my door was taken off the hinges and a burly man stood above it, snarling like an animal as he looked at me. I tried to run, but something whipped around my legs and dragged me down, sending me face first to the floor. I rolled over to my back and I was surrounded by all sorts of uniquely terrifying people. The man in the hood walked over and laughed as he got closer to me.

     "I tell ya, those saving throws really save your ass," They said as they tossed up what looked like a chipped and faded 20-sided die. "Though it really hurts you when you roll less than 15." They pulled their hood off and there stood the face of a ghost... there stood Dylan. "Search the house for the girl. I know she's here," He said and several of his men searched the whole house. "And don't leave any shadow unchecked. She has a knack of disappearing through them."

     "D-Dylan..." I tried to call out, but I felt the wind long gone from my lungs.

     "I wouldn't advise  speaking right now," He replied as he stomped on my chest. "Especially when you didn't let ME get a word in edge wise last time we spoke." 

     "You're behind the recent crimes... Aren't you?" I asked as I looked up at him, trying to get his foot off me. "How...? You've been dead for 10 years..."

     "You always were clever, Ray," He said as he smirked. "It helps to be able to create loyal followers without effort. Watch." He pulled out a small figurine from his jacket pocket and he tossed. "A new enemy appears for the players," He said and the figurine turned into another one of his unique thugs. "I've been creating obstacles for you since we were just playing Dungeons and Dragons in college," He said to me. "But you normally fight back, but now?" He chuckled and dug his boot deeper into my chest. "Now you're just a pathetic coward, like you used to be."

     "Sir, there's no one else here," One of his thugs said and Dylan looked up at him.

     "You're useless. The useless one collapsed from a sudden failed heart," Dylan said and they all watched as that thug just dropped to the floor. "It's easy to kill them off since they don't REALLY have a life to live." He picked me up with ease and pushed me against the wall. "I'm gonna ask you once, Ray. Where is Rachel?" He asked me but I spat in his face. He wiped his face clean and he dropped his die. It rolled onto a 17 and he sighed. "Well, it won't kill ya, but it'll hurt," He said and he threw me into my room. I flew into my room and landed against the wall, several things crashing on top of me as I landed on my face.

     "Why are you doing this...?" I asked as I looked up at Dylan, and he just laughed at me as he kicked my head aside.

     "Was that an actual question???" He asked as he looked down at me. "You left me for dead after Oliver broke my damn spine! None of you checked to see if I was alive. You just let me die."

     "Dylan... I'm sorry..." I said as I moved my hand to reach out and he slapped my hand away.

     "Now you're sorry?" He asked me. "Sorry to say that you're 10 years too late for an apology.  And the name isn't Dylan anymore. I only go by the DM. Now just because we go way back, and we USED to be friends, I'll ask one more time. Where. Is. Rachel?"

     "No..." I said as I grabbed the cube I kept unsolved that landed on the floor. "I'm sorry for this." I flipped it once and I sent a burst of fire right into Dylan's face. He stumbled back and I stood up slowly.

     Dylan growled and shouted, "Kill him! And do it slowly!" His thugs all ran towards me, but I solved my cube one side each and froze one, then pulled the other away with vines, and shocked another with lightning, but they just kept coming. All of a sudden, Rachel ran in and hugged me, then pulled me into the shadows with her. 

     I woke up and sat up somewhere I had no idea where. I looked all around and I saw Rachel kneeling right next to me and Oscar was behind her.

     "Guys!" I shouted as I looked at them. "Dylan is alive and he's trying to kill us!"

     "Trust me..." Rachel said as she put a finger to my lips. "We know." She pointed in the other direction and I turned, only to see Oliver and two other people I had never met sitting and looking at me.

     "...Oh..." I said, surprised and at a loss for words.