Strength Of The World

I couldn’t sleep that day, instead, I spent my time cleaning up Johnnys ashes. As much as I wanted revenge on these men for what they’d done and how much I wanted my mortal life back, a sort of guilt was beginning to take it’s toll, and I wasn’t sure why. I should’ve been ecstatic, knowing I was ridding these men of the world and I would be living a normal life again.

After a quick shower, I threw on some everyday clothes, a solid white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. I straightened my hair and applied some tan foundation to my visible skin. I wanted to blend in tonight. I pulled on some converse and left.
It took me a couple hours to make it back to my hometown, a place I hadn’t been back to since I’d left.

I searched the different cemeteries until I found the one my parents had been listed in, in their obituary. I picked up the small rusted lock that held the entrance gate closed in my hand, looking over it carefully before looking past the gate and over the different tombstones. With one swift jerk, I pulled the lock away from the gate, pushing open the metal doors.

As I searched for my parents graves, I picked up some flowers that had been left at others. All the flower shops in town had been closed for the night and I’m sure the people they belonged to didn’t mind, after all, they were dead.

I searched through the cemetery for over thirty minutes before I stopped before two headstones placed together. One read “In Loving Memory, Jason Maddrix, 1968-2003” and the other “In Loving Memory, Maria Maddrix, 1970-2003”.

I felt my throat tighten and I froze, everything I’d felt the night they’d died was rushing back to me. Tears made their way down my cheeks as I fell my to knees, closing my eyes.

“Why?!” I sobbed, letting my tears fall freely.

I looked up, my eyes stinging from the tears, and set a couple flowers beneath each of their stones. I set a hand beside each of their names “I promise, I will be with you again one day” I whispered “and I’m doing everything I can to get back at those men who did this. I love you both so much.” My head fell once more as tears found their way down my cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, I stood, quickly wiping my tears away when I heard someones feet crackling through the leaves behind me. Just what I needed, to be busted for breaking into a cemetery. I slowly turned, gasping when I realized who it was.

“I wish I could take it all back for you” Jimmy said as he came to a halt in front of me, looking down at their graves before looking back at me “I can see how much pain their death is causing you.” He placed his hand firmly against my cheek, using his thumb to wipe away a tear.

His touch and words only brought more tears to my eyes and I dropped my head to hide my sorrow.

“Angle, don’t be ashamed to show me how you feel” I felt his arms find their way around my waist and he pulled me to him.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, hiding my face in his shirt as I wept. He trailed his fingers along my back slowly, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead, holding his lips in place.

“I know you have made your parents so proud with your revenge” he whispered against my skin “Zacky and Johnny are suffering now as your parents did and as you have for so many years.”

“I don’t understand why they did it, why us Jimmy?” I raised my head to look at him and he wiped away my tears once more before running a hand through my hair, his crystal blue eyes piercing into my own.

“That is one answer I’m afraid I don’t have” he shook his head softly “I may be the Lord of all damned and be able to do many, many things, but unlike…other Gods, I can’t interfere with their free will or read minds.”

I rested my head against his chest once more, trailing my fingers down his arms and to his sides, gently holding onto him. The comfort I was feeling was the same as the comfort I’d felt from Matt in my dream. Except it was real this time and it wasn’t something I’d felt since my parents were alive. I moved one of my hands to his arm, using the tip of my finger to trace over a few of his tattoos.

Jimmy released me as he took a step back, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small vial which reminded me of the one from before, except this one was filled with a thick red substance.

“You have killed two of the men perfectly Angel, however I know killing Brian won’t be an easy task. I know how he works, and if he wants you like his other victims, I know what he’s going to do. So…” he handed me the vial and I looked over the red liquid, turning the glass to make it move back and forth “before you leave to hunt him, I want you to drink this. It will give you want you need to destroy him. Being a vampire, it should destroy you as well, but I have seen to it that you will not be effected. Yes, it will be painful to drink, but you will live.”

I pushed the small tube into my back pocket “what is it?”

“It is the blood of every lost soul who’s entered Sheol, the most toxic blood to a vampire and it’s very intoxicating. He won’t be able to resist the smell, just as you won’t when you open it.”

“How long will the blood last once I drink it?”

Jimmy shrugged slightly, thinking “Approximately ten hours.”

“And you’re sure this will work and won’t kill me?” I was worried, but I trusted him.

“I promise” a smile formed on his lips “I would never do anything to hurt you Angel.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. He reminded me of my father, doing everything in his will to help and protect me.

A bright light illuminated around Jimmy, and before I could say anything more, he was gone. I turned back, looking at my parents grave before making my way back home. I was nervous about my next fight with Brian. Jimmy made him seem very powerful, which is why he was helping me, but I knew Jimmy was doing all he could to protect me and as he said, he’d never do anything to hurt me, so if he didn’t believe I’d make it out of the fights alive, he wouldn’t have put me up to the task.