RockScars

“How could you two be so fucking stupid?” Shadows was beyond pissed as he addressed Gates and The Rev.

Gates gritted his teeth and locked eyes on Shadows. “We didn’t find a basement. What the fuck is your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem,” Shadows said as he stalked past the two of them.

“Pretty sure you do,” The Rev countered. “This is more than just us missing the basement. So why the attitude?”

Shadows stopped and set his hands on his hips before turning around. “My problem is with Vengeance and it’s personal.”

“Personal huh,” Gates nodded. “Must have something to do with Twyla.”

“Must be none of your fucking business!” Shadows said showing his anger. “Let’s go.”

He turned back around and walked up to the boarded up door of the abandoned house. “How the fuck did you two get in?”

The Rev and Gates looked at each other before looking back at him. “We didn’t go inside. We could see everything through the windows. There is no one in there.” As soon as Gates let the answer slip past his lips, he realized his mistake.

Shadows chuckled softly and extended his arm. With his finger pointed at Gates, he spoke sternly. “If she’s dead, it’s on you.”

Gates cursed himself under his breath as Shadows turned back towards the door and kicked the boards in. “Lets go,” he said walking through the doorway while Gates and The Rev followed behind.

The house was cold and the floorboards creaked with every step they took. Each room they entered was just as dark, dusty and empty as the last room. The kitchen was the last place they looked. The kitchen they were standing in and the one in the dream that Shadows saw were identical in likeness; which made Shadows all the more uneasy. In that dream, Daisy was dead.

Gates went straight for the door on the other side of the kitchen. “It’s locked,” Shadows called out, but Gates tried the knob anyway and sure enough, it was locked. Gates turned around and looked at Shadows for an explanation. “Don’t ask.”

Shadows walked over to the counter and opened one of the drawers only to find the same steak knife waiting for him that he used in Lark’s dream. Within minutes, he popped the lock and the three of them were on their way down the stairs that led to the basement.

Shadows found the light and turned it on fearing the worst. He knew there was still one more door they had to go through, but this time what they found was not in the dream. The three of them stood there looking wide-eyed at what was waiting for them. The Rev’s legs were the first to start moving followed by Shadows and Gates.

“Christ?” As soon as The Rev said his name, Christ fluttered his lids revealing bright red eyes to all three who stood in front of him.

“Can you get him out?” Gates asked Shadows.

Shadows moved closer and took the chains that bound Christ to a metal beam into his hands. “They are pretty thick, may take me some time,” he said before snapping the links. “Or it may not.” As soon as the chains fell to the ground, Christ took one step forward and roared at the top of his lungs. This was not their friend. This was the need within him. The one he had suppressed for ages by keeping a steady supply of females at his beck and call.

“God damn, I don’t think I have ever seen him this enraged,” Gates noted as they all watched Christ walk over to a corner of the dark basement. He gripped the lid of a white crate and ripped it clear off sending it flying across the room. While the other’s watched, Christ leaned forward and lifted a limp body into his arms.

“Shit, it’s Nix.” Shadows said. “Johnny, give her to me.”

Christ turned around with the woman in his arms and hissed at Shadows with fangs bared. Clearly, he was ready to fight for her no matter whom the opponent. “Come on, Johnny, let me help her.”

Christ’s face was menacing as he stared at Shadows. The growl that rose up from his throat was low, but terrifying. Shadows took one step forward only to meet head on with Christ’s gift. A line of fire appeared in front of Shadows blocking all three of them from getting to Christ and Nix.

“What the fuck do we do now?” Gates asked as they watched Christ smash a window with his elbow. “He can’t just leave, he has to know where Daisy is!” The panic in Gates’s voice was evident and upon hearing it, Christ chuckled and carried Nix through the open window. “FUCK!” Gates shouted and punched a wall in frustration.

“Calm down, she has to be here,” Shadow said looking around the room. “We just have to find her before this place burns down to the ground.”

Try the other fucking door big guy; you know the one from the dream and the obvious elephant in the room! Sometimes, I feel like I have to do everything in this story.

“Lets go.” Fearing the worst, Shadows led the other two to the door the opened into the room where he found Daisy in the dream. The fire was moving fast, and it would be a matter of time before the whole basement was up in flames.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Shadows asked Gates just before he opened the door.

“I can’t feel her any more. Something’s wrong.”

Shadows already knew what that something was and he never wanted to be wrong until now. He opened the door and stepped inside first while the others followed. The light bulb in the ceiling above them flickered as if it were about to burn out. Gates stepped around Shadows and looked at the metal table. The same one that Shadows saw in the dream.

“It’s not her,” Gates whispered in disbelief as he stared at the body draped in a white sheet. “It’s not her.”

Shadows knew the truth. Under that sheet was Daisy’s lifeless body; it was just a simple matter of identifying her. He walked over to the table and took the sheet in his hand slowly lifting it off her face.

It was all The Rev could do to hold Gates upright. “It’s not her,” he whispered again even though she was lying right there.

“Gates,” Shadows said his name, but Gates had turned away from the table clutching his stomach overwrought with pain.

“Mr. Gates?”

oh, yep!

Gates turned around slowly and looked at the table. Daisy’s eyes were open. “Mr. Gates?” she said softly trying to find her voice.

Gates moved quickly over to the table and leaned over Daisy. “You’re alive?”

“I’m cold.”

“Guys, we gotta move,” The Rev spoke up noting that the place was filling up with smoke.

Shadows headed for the door, but stepped back inside. “There’s no way we can go out the way we came in. Gates gently lifted Daisy off the table and into his arms. “What the fuck are we supposed to do?”

“The only thing we can do right now.” Shadows pointed to the window, but it was high up on the wall, much to high for any of them to reach. “Move the table,” he told The Rev who was already pushing it over to the wall. “Jimmy, climb up.”

As instructed, The Rev was the first on the table. With a little jump his hands gripped the window and he was able to pull himself up. Once outside he stuck his head back in the window and waited for further instruction. “Get ready,” Shadows said as he climbed up on the table. “Give Daisy to me.” Gates worried about what was about to happen, but there was no other option. He handed her up to Shadows who did his best to be gentle while lifting her up to The Rev. Once she was through the window, Shadows motioned for Gates to go next. By the time Shadows got through the window, the basement was fully engulfed in flames.

Daisy lay on the ground barely coherent and Gates was losing strength by the minute. “Get us home,” Shadows snapped at The Rev before lifting Daisy off the ground. It was anyone’s guess where Christ went, but that would have to wait. Daisy wasn’t fairing well and neither was Gates.

---------------

Back at The Manor, Vengeance watched as Shadows lay Daisy down on the bed in what was once her room. “What the hell are those little dots on her arm?”

“Needle marks,” Shadows answered knowing what was done to her from what he saw in the dream.

Vengeance nodded in disgust and turned his attention to The Rev. “Go down to The Cellar, she needs blood.” The Rev nodded and left the room.

“Where’s Christ?”

Shadows and Gates both looked at each other and back at Vengeance. “We don’t know,” Shadows answered.

“What do you mean you don’t know? You didn’t find him?”

“Oh we found him alright, maybe we should go talk in your office.”

Vengeance didn’t like the sound of that, but he agreed and walked out of the room while Shadows followed behind.

When he was finally alone with Daisy, Gates moved over to the bed and lifted her up in his arms. It was all he could do not to drop her as he carried her out of the room. If there was any place she was going to stay while she recovered, it was in his room so he could keep an eye on her at all times.

Oh that’s just brilliant. He can barely take care of himself right now and he’s going to help her? Now, this I gotta see… but first let’s see what happens in Vengeance’s office.

Vengeance paced back and forth with his arms behind his back listening to Shadows explanation of what happened earlier in the night. “Is Nix alive?”

“I couldn’t get close enough to tell.”

Vengeance seemed uncomfortable with this situation. While they were all aware of what Christ’s gift was, none of them knew how dangerous he could be while he was using that gift in the form of his inner need. “This is bad. We’re going to have to go and find him before he makes this situation much worse.”

“Yeah,” Shadows nodded. “I need to go to the guest house first and check on my girls.”

Vengeance smirked at the possessive comment and he knew full well why Shadows was asserting himself all of the sudden. “Very well. Don’t be too long.”

Under any other circumstance, Vengeance would stay at the manor and send the others to find Christ, but in this situation, he would have to get involved and force his position to get Christ to come home.

---

“Daddy!” Lark ran across the living room and wrapped her arms around Shadows legs. He lifted her up and wiped her tears.

“What’s this about?” he asked, but Lark simply rested her head on his shoulder and sobbed.

“She had a fight with Zacky.” Twyla answered from where she sat on the couch.

“What else is new?” He muttered and rubbed Larks back to soothe her while he walked over to the couch. Shadows kissed Twyla’s cheek lightly before sitting down beside her with Lark in his lap. “Are you going to be ok if I go back out again?”

“I’ll be fine, but why do you have to go?”

“Long story short, we found Daisy, but Christ is missing. There’s more to it than that, but I really don’t have time to explain right now.”

“Ok, should I wait up for you?”

Shadows sighed. “As much as I would like that, I really don’t know how long I’ll be.”

He looked down at Lark and tipped her chin up so she could see his face. “I have to go, bug.”

“No,” she pouted.

“I’ll be home in a little while. Do you want to sleep in my bed?”

Lark nodded and wiped her tears. “I can bring my Barbies?”

“Yes, “ he nodded. “You can bring your Barbies. When you wake up we’ll talk about what happened with Zacky, ok?”

Lark shook her head. “I hate him, Daddy. He’s mean to me.”

Shadows wasn’t particularly fond of Vengeance at the moment either, but he didn’t want to set a bad example for Lark. “Don’t say that. He loves you and I’m pretty sure what ever happened can be fixed.”

Lark turned and hid her face in his neck and started to cry again. “Come on,” he took Twyla by the hand and brought them up to his room. “I think she’s tired, it’s probably best she get some sleep.”

“Yeah,” Twyla nodded.

After he set Lark down on the bed, he kissed her cheek and helped Twyla up. “Stay with her, for me?”

“Of course,” Twyla nodded and Shadows kissed her softly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Ok.”

Shadows left his room and headed outside to find The Rev and Vengeance waiting for him.

“Everything ok with your girls?” Vengeance asked sarcastically. Shadows glared at him and both knew that there was bound to be a fight soon. This would go beyond words.

“So!” The Rev interjected after noticing the tension. “Apparently, there is a huge bonfire at the beach. I think we should start there.”