Afterlife

 "Charles, are you all right?" 

I didn't need to ask Lance why he was asking. My nightmares had progressively gotten worse over the decades; and he was bound to notice. 

"I-I..." I managed.

 Lance cupped my cheek. 

"Please, precious," he urged. "Talk to me."

Break me free
There is no return
It's the start of my rebirth
But as I glow just like a firefly
Time creates a vortex ride

"I-I... I try so hard, Lance..." I managed, looking down at my hands. "The blood of my past is still there... The things I tried to do to my cousins alone..."

 "Shh; shh; shh..." Lance shushed me; putting a finger to my lips.

Let it out
Of my sanity
It's a source of my serenity
I'm half the man I used to be
I still resent its sanity

"It's all right, Charles. Between us; you're not the only one with a dark past." 

I stared at him. "W-What do you mean??" 

Lance smiled at me.

 "I believe it's time for you to know how I came to be..."

Walking in circles
As I open my eyes
It's like I never stop and then wake up

"It was 1882, during the era of the Earp vendetta ride. Back then, I was...Well; let's just say I had more than one price on my head in quite a few towns." 

He picked up his scrapbook; revealing what looked like a wanted poster. 

Lance Tucker. 

Wanted for robbery and murder. 

$100,000 reward. 

Dead or alive.

 I met his gaze; eager for him to finish his story.

So, wake me up to an everlasting afterlife
It is designed from the secrets I hide
So set me free
And this time you'll be electrified
The future leaves nothing behind
It's my afterlife

"The night I was turned; I was going after a train. The problem was I had several bounty hunters on my trail. I'm not sure which one shot me; but I ended up down the river. When I woke; it was a full moon and I had been changed." 

"My... My God..." was all I could manage.

Hear my scream
I break the seal
An impulse of me revived
And as I fill my lungs
It's hard to breath
Like I was born inside a dream

"W-Who turned you??" 

"A friend I had met in Yuma," Lance replied with a small smile. "Eron Black. You'll meet him one day. Actually, he's insisted on it."

 "I... I'd like that," I managed.

Welcome home
You are not alone
And no longer on your own
I'm half the man I used to be
A second life infesting me

Lance cupped my cheek. "I know it's difficult, my love. Believe me; I went through the same thing." 

"W-What changed?" I asked. 

"I met you."

Walking in circles
As I open my eyes
It's like I never stop and then wake up

"I have been waiting decades for someone like you, Charles. We were meant to be together." 

"Master..." I managed. "Lance..." 

He cupped my cheek before kissing me.

So, wake me up to an everlasting afterlife
It is designed from the secrets I hide
So set me free
And this time you'll be electrified
The future leaves nothing behind
It's my afterlife

I don't know what it was.

 Maybe it was hearing Lance's story. 

Maybe it was my own past. 

Maybe it was the fact that I was no longer alone. 

Maybe it was a combination of them all. 

But whatever it was; I was now crying in my master's arms.

As I wake up
They're dissecting me
Can't see can't breathe in this reality
Synthetic Christ machine I'm forced to live with abnormality

"It's all right, my love. I'm here. I won't be going anywhere." 

Bloody tears still streaming down my face; I managed a smile. 

I wasn't alone anymore. 

I would never be alone again.

So, wake me up to an everlasting afterlife
It is designed from the secrets I hide
So set me free
And this time you'll be electrified
The future leaves nothing behind
It's my afterlife