Sinister Ego : Dangerous Minds

20. Death Day, Part 2

I felt the familiar hands of the guards pry me off of Casey's stomach. They ripped me away from him with such force that I fell to my back and dropped my blade. As I felt myself hit the pavement, as I heard the metal of the blade collide with the asphalt, my brain spasmed uncontrollably. Deep nerves were struck within my mind, a bass guitar screaming inside my conscience. I felt strings of sanity knotting together, twisting and turning, fading into nothingness. Dying, becoming useless.

My only physical reaction was laughter. As I watched Casey cry his cowardice tears, as I saw the guard's grim expressions, a I felt my brain spiraling into discombobulation, I laughed hysterically. I didn't laugh because it was funny. I laughed because of the treacherous confusion of everything. I laughed at myself. I laughed at the insanity catching up with me. It wasn't funny. It was fucking hysterical.

And when the guards let go of me, I ran. Still laughing with the same mad fervor, I ran. I ran faster than I did the first time I had tried to escape, when I was running from Catherine. Through the insane film that clouded the world, I saw open space. I saw freedom. The logical part of my mind, though weakened by the rest of me, was intact. It was still the base of my awareness. And it told me to run.

Behind me, I heard Father yell something, but I couldn't tell what it was. The gaurds, who had been right on my tail, stopped. It must have been a command. I laughed at them, but my logical mind told me something was wrong. They should not have stopped. They should be after me. They should be trying to kill me. They should have already killed me. But I didn't think about it for more than a second, I just kept running. I thought of Rin and all the other poor, braindead cult worshipers. And I ran even faster. I had to get away. I had to find someone. I had to help them.

But the area around me so desolate and bland.... Even more so than normal. I had no clue as to why. But I knew it wasn't good. There were no cars. There were no people. There was nothing. But, again, I didn't think about it for long. I just kept going.

I turned into an alleyway, between two rundown, closed stores. I laughed harder than ever, giving two middle fingers and jumping up and down. I didn't care if something wasn't right.

I knew I was going to get away.

"Ha! Fuck you! Freedom, bitch! Now I'm going to expose ALL you fags!"

I turned further into the alley, jogging toward the end and back into the light of the city. I ran straight across the road and to into the parking lot of a run down apartment complex. To my joy, I saw someone eating lunch through one of the windows. There was a group of teenagers playing basketball on a small court. It felt good to know that there were people around. Real people: not brainwashed cult members. But I had to do something before Father got them, too.

I jogged up to the basketball game. "Hey!"

I was panting heavily, the consequences of avid running catching up with my body. I was smiling like a lunatic and still chuckling a little bit. One of the kids put down the ball and asked me what I needed.

"A phone."

A phone. That was all I needed to get the cops down here to take Father and his gaurds away.

"Mine's dead. Other than that, we don't got one on us. You'd have to ask someone inside. Are you ok, man? You look like you've seen some shit."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking!" I hollered back at him.  I was already charging away. 'Seen some shit'. If only he knew. If only he fucking knew.

I ran past the apartment complex and next to another road. It had cars driving along it. It had people walking beside and across it. It had everything a road should have.

And I just stared at it for a second, in awe. I was free. I was really free. I had succeeded. All I could do was stand there for a second, trying not to break down crying. I made it. I couldn't believe it. Now all I had to do was call 911, and everything would be normal.

But I should have known it was too good to be true. I should have known by then that luck that strong is created by the imagination.

I should have known.

Right when I was stepping out of my awestruck state, right when I was about to ask for a phone, I felt myself being pulled backwards.

*****

"Do you know why I let you get away, Ricky? I let you get away because it was fun. I let you get away because it's fun to know that someone has so much hope, and then rip that all away from them. I bet you thought you had me good and fucked, didn't you, Ricky? I bet you were running around like an idiot thinking you where going to get the police to take our empire down. Let me tell you, Ricky, the police will never do shit. Nobody will ever take us down. We're growing more powerful. And you're growing weaker, Ricky. You really are. I can feel my body absorb your essence every day. I have you, Ricky. You're mine. And there isn't shit you can do about it. Your power is gone. The blood of your ancestor is mine. And no one will find us, because I am repellent. And if you try to get away one more time, I swear to fuck that the Judas Cradle will look like a damn kiddie ride compared to what you'll go through. Do you understand?"

I nodded vigorously. I could only think about how that force had dragged me all those blocks, and how no one had even noticed. How that force was Father's growing power. How powerful was Father to control so much at once?

"Good. Now fucking participate. It's Death Day, Ricky. And if you don't kill someone, you're in a heap of fucking trouble! Now go kill who ever I tell you. I promise, you'll find it to be fucking hysterical!"