Strength Of The World

I ran my fingers over a rough clothed surface, cracking my eyes open from the deep slumber. I wasn’t sure where I was, or how long I’d been here. My stomach was turning as my head spun. I tried focusing on the wall across the room to get my vision to come to; everything was still a blur. I soon realized I was laying on a couch, a blanket placed neatly over me. As I tried to speak my voice croaked, my lips splitting from dehydration.

Weakly, I managed to push myself upright, gazing around the room. There was nothing around, besides the couch I was on in the middle of the room and two nightstands on both sides of a door with a candle placed atop each, giving the room just enough light to see. I ran a hand through my hair, gliding my fingers down over the new bite mark on my neck. I shuddered, pulling my hand down into view, looking over the blood on my fingers. For some reason I still hadn’t healed, and I could only figure it was because I had been so long without feeding and the fight with Brian had worn me out. Not to add, he’d drained quite a bit of my blood before releasing me.

The door between the nightstands creaked as it pushed open. I glanced toward the new opening, trying to see who was there before they could enter. My eyes widened and I was shocked to see who was standing there, the tips of his fingers now placed in his front pockets as he leaned against the door frame, watching me.

“I’m surprised to see you awake” Matt began “It’s been almost three days.”

I tried to sprint across the room to attack him, but quickly found myself falling toward the floor. Surprisingly I felt two arms wrap around me, stopping me from hitting the ground. I looked up at Matt who now had a look of sincerity. I tried to pull myself away from him, but failed. I needed to find a way to regain my strength before I could try and kill him.

He pulled me up, placing me back on the couch before sitting on one of the arms of the chair, casually crossing his arms over his chest.

“Can we talk without you trying to murder someone?”

I rolled my eyes, looking away from him “I have nothing to say to you” my voice was hoarse.

“We came here to deliver you to Jimmy, and we did. Jimmy wanted you unharmed as we did. Sure, you attacked Zacky and yes, he played rough back, I could only imagine what you were thinking. Four new men walking into your town, demanding you do things. I wouldn’t of played along easy had it been me in your position. However, you go to Sheol, you meet Jimmy, and you come back like a completely new person. Someone so full of hate and anger and you killed Zacky. We wouldn’t of thought much of it had you not sent us his heart. We knew he had a new hatred for you after you had attacked him in the alley that first night, it crossed all of our minds that things wouldn’t end so pretty between you two” Matt chuckled, stopping to take a quick breath.

“But like I said, you sending his heart was nothing we expected and honestly it had us all in a daze. Then you killed Johnny, that was what really got to me and Brian. We knew Johnny hadn’t done a thing to upset you. You two barely even exchanged words. So, naturally Brian was angered enough to want to kill you; I mean what would you expect when someone starts killing your family one by one.”

I looked up at him, my brows furrowed “Like you would know nothing about killing families.”

Matt shook his head, scratching the back of his neck before crossing his arms again “What do you mean?”

I closed my eyes, tilting my head toward the ceiling, laughing now “You think I’m stupid, don’t you? Don’t you remember the conversation we had in the bar? You asked me why I was so angry? You asked what Jimmy had told me during my visit? And I told you, he didn’t have to tell me anything, he showed me” I reopened my eyes, turning my attention to him “He showed me a vision, the night my parents were killed and I was turned. He showed me what you and your…brothers did to them. How you, Johnny, and Zacky killed my parents and Brian turned me.”

Matt quickly stood, holding his hand out in front of me, shaking it “Wait, wait, wait.” The expression on his face was almost impossible to read now; he looked dazed, lost “what are you talking about?!” he raised his voice some and it startled me.

“I’m talking…”

“No, me and the other guys never even knew you until Jimmy sent us to deliver you to him. He said something about he had a job only you could complete….” Matt cut his sentence short, his jaw hardening as if he’d just realized something “Jimmy’s making you do this to us isn’t he?” he talked between clinched teeth, a low growl could be heard in his words “He told you to kill us, that’s why he showed you the vision of us killing your family.”

Matt turned, walking toward the doorway, stopping as he placed a hand firmly against the wall. He huffed loudly and I jerked back against the couch when he knocked one of the candles across the room with the back of his fist.

“Jimmy wouldn’t lie to me!” I demanded, slowly pushing myself to my feet, using the side of the couch as support so I wouldn’t fall again.

Matt turned, and he was before me within seconds, clasping my face between two hands, squeezing tightly, his eyes piercing into my own “Lie to you?!” he exclaimed “Angel, he’s the Lord of all damned! Of all darkness! And you trust him?!”

I let out a groan as his grip tightened as he spoke. His once confused face had turned to a look of hatred “are you that stupid?!”

“Matt…” I whimpered, balling his shirt into my fist “you’re hurting me.”

He released me and I fell back against the couch, rubbing my cheeks. I was confused. I had no reason to not trust Jimmy, he showed me what happened. I saw it all with my own two eyes. He had kept me safe so I could get my revenge on my parents killer and my sire. He promised me my mortal life after I was finished with them. Matts reaction though, seemed so convincing, all this time he and his brothers had been so confused by my actions; and now the anger he showed toward everything that had happened.

It felt as though I had a million thoughts running through my mind at once.

“I just don’t understand, why would he have you kill us? Why couldn’t he of killed us himself?”

He now took a seat beside me, dropping his face into the palms of his hands “What exactly did he tell you?” he tilted his head slightly, peering at me through the corner of his eye.

I swallowed hard to clear the dryness in my throat “After he showed me the vision, he told me he needed me to do something for him. He said it would benefit the both of us” I cleared my throat once more “He said you were trying to take over Sheol and he couldn’t have that. So, he told me to kill you all, saving you for last. He knew if I killed you first, the other men would come after me at once for killing their, leader.”

Matt sat back against the couch, running his hands down his face slowly, staring off into space as he let his hands fall to his sides.
“I’ve never been trying to take over Sheol; none of us had, no one ever dared to even try” he shook his head as he spoke “we always did what he asked, never questioned him.”

The room had become silent and I wasn’t sure what to say anymore. What if Matt wasn’t lying? I had just killed three innocent men, I had become my own nightmare. I was one of the people I killed for hurting innocent beings.

“He’s lying” Jimmys voice echoed through the room and I looked toward Matt, who was still positioned the same as if he’d heard nothing “Don’t listen to him Angel; don’t let him play with your mind.”

“Jimmy?” I whispered, glancing around the small room frantically.

Matts brows furrowed as he set a hand on my shoulder “Angel?”

The ground began to shake beneath us and I grasped onto the couch tightly, stopping myself from falling onto the floor. I felt Matts arms wrapping around my waist, holding me close.

“Hang on!” Matt yelled as the trembling house roared. The walls and ceiling cracked, breaking around us. The table that held the candle wobbled from side to side until it collapsed. I closed my eyes as a gust of wind blew against us, the light of the candle fading. Everything had become dark, gentle breezes of wind blew toward us.

Matts arms were still wrapped securely around me, the weight of his body now placed on top of my own.

As I cautiously opened my eyes, a soft gasp escaped. We were in Sheol.