The Black parade

So cold....can't move...feels like someone is gripping my throat....worse...than tremors....God.....I'm feeling...these strange...they're these terrors...

I couldn't open my eyes, no matter how hard I tried. I felt as though I were floating on an icy ocean, a million cold hands passing me around.

"Someone, please...help me.."

"Where are you? Where are you?" a distant voice called out from the void.

"Here, I'm here. Please, rescue me.." I whimpered.

Suddenly I felt a pair of warm hands gently stroking my feverish head, slightly calming me down. Soon, I felt a second pair of warm hands, caressing my burning chest.

"Who are you?" I asked weakly.

"We are but your sisters, here to aid you dear brother," one of them responded.

I tried to open my eyes, but they felt as though they were glued shut, "Hope? Faith? What are you two doing here of all places? You need to get out! You need to escape!"

One of them quited me with a delicate finger pressed to my lips, "Shh, you've been through a lot, just relax, but do not sleep."

"You've suffered like a child, but do not worry, for you shall walk away a Savior after all of this, you'll see," Faith said reassuringly.

"Or a madman and polluted, from all of these gutter institutions...god this hurts...." I replied with a grimace.

"There's, these terrors...feels like somebody was gripping my throat..." I stammered, "Don't...you....dont' you-"

It was hard to talk...my wheezing wasn't helping.

"Breathe for me!" Hope encouraged, continuing to stroke my throbbing head.

I wanted to push her hand away from me, but I was too weak, "I'm undeserving of your sympathy...both of you..."

I heard one of them chuckle to herself, "Well, we're here...now. And there is no way that were sorry for what we are doing..not one bit..." said Hope, patting me on my shoulder.

I heard Faith crying, "I only wish we could do more for you..."

"No, don't cry. After all that I've put you two through, how could you cry for me? I'm such a dick!" I exclaimed, followed by violent coughing and nausea.

"You shouldn't feel bad about it, anyone would have acted the way you did." Hope said softly.

"My dearest love, just shut your eyes," a familiar voice called out to me.

"Who is that? Who's there?" I responded in a panic.

"It's only me, Grace. I'm here for you. Just shut your eyes, kiss me good-bye...and sleep..sleep my love!"

What was Grace doing here? I was done with her, and she was done with me..isn't that how it worked out?

"What are you doing here Grace? You can't..no..you shouldn't be here now!" I said angrily.

"Do not sleep brother! Stay awake, you must stay awake!" Hope shouted.

"Yes, for if you sleep, you'll be letting go..." Faith added.

"And the hardest part is letting go of your dreams...all of them, every single one of them!" Hope said urgently, tugging on my sleeve.

Grace laughed, her laugh sounding much different than it had normally sounded when I was alive.

"Come now, are you not tired? Are you not sick of all the trials and misgivings of this black parade? Why should you do what your father asked you to do? Here, have a drink...it will make you feel better."

I could hear her pouring a glass of something, but was still unable to open my swollen eyes.

"No! Do not drink of that!" Faith shouted.

"Ignore them my love, a drink, for the horror that you're in. For those good guys, and the bad guys, for those monster that you've been..." Grace said, placing a thin stemmed glass in my hands.

"Grace...what do you want from me?" I whispered.

She continued her verbal assault, "Give three cheers for tyranny! Your unapologetic apathy! Cause honestly, there is no way that you're coming back again! Look at you, all broken, beaten, dead, hated, spat upon, just looking at your pathetic shriveled up form disgusts and humors me all at once! Drink! and sleep! Just sleep!"

I wanted to cry out in anguish, in disgust! But maybe Grace was right, maybe I should just take this drink..and sleep.

"The hardest part...my sisters...are the awful things I've seen...I don't know if I can take it anymore...sometimes..I see flames...and sometimes I see people that I love...dying. I see you guys dying..."

Hope and Faith clung to me tightly.
I heard Faith cry out, "No! Stay away from him! Leave him alone!"

I felt one of them being torn away from me by some inhuman strength!

"Begone foul beast! Mother war has no place here!" I heard Hope scream.

She too, was pulled away from me.

"DRINK IT OR LOST FOREVER!" A horrible rasping voice screamed at me.

I felt a clawed hand grasp mine, and as hard as I fought against it, it forced the glass to my lips, pried open my mouth, and poured the viscous fluid down my gullet. I coughed and sputtered, desperately trying to spit it out, but the same clawed hand plugged my nose and held my mouth shut with the other hand. I choked and tried to hold my breath, but another mysterious hand started to repeatedly punch me in the stomach.

I struggled vainly, my body twisting with agony and resistance to the assault. My left eye opened a crack, and I caught a glimpse of Mother War bearing down on me with her claws and anger. She stared hatefully at me, I could see her burning red eyes through the blackened lenses of her gas mask face, glaring at me as she clawed me savagely.

I started to scream as she dug her talons into my flesh, tearing me limb from limb, my innards spilling out and my limbs being twisted and torn by invisible hands.

"WAKE UP!!!!!!!"

Someone was screaming...

"WAKE UP!!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!"

I writhed against her, and reached my last remaining intact arm out towards the violent screaming voice.

I opened my eyes, gasping for air, looking around frantically for Mother war, my sisters, the attackers. I found neither of them.

I was laying on the ground, the parade encircling me, some let out gasps of surprise, but most were quiet.

I looked around, touching my body to make sure I was still alive and in one piece.
Virgil was standing a few feet away from me, I looked at him with fear and disgust on me face.

He walked over to me and knelt down, "You are a lucky hell spawn my boy! We nearly lost you there!"

"What the fuck just happened?! What were my sisters doing there?! Why was Grace there?! And why was Mother war there?!" I screamed at him.

When I calmed down a little, he answered me, "Your two sisters? Hm..perhaps you mean Fear and Regret? They were the ones who tended to you when you fell into a hell coma. They dug into your subconscious and had to work with your fears...and regrets. Grace...was Mother war. When she attacked you back at hells battlegrounds, she left some of her essence in your body, her poison if you will. Fear and Regret were able to save you, they kept you from swallowing Mother war's lies."

The two young girls that I had seen before came out of the crowd, smiling shyly at me. One of them waved, but quickly lowered her gaze.

"Thank you, both you of you. You saved me," I said, trying to get to my feet.

"Take it easy young master! One step at a time! Not many have survived Mother war's attacks like you have, so just go easy for now!" Virgil said, offering me his shoulder.

I accepted his help and slowly rose to my feet, "Virgil, who was it that called for me to wake up?"

Virgil looked at me quizzically, "Young master, no one here cried that out to you. I didn't, Fear and Regret didn't, none of us here did. I don't know who it was that called out to you, but I'm grateful that they did, for it helped save you."

I nodded, confused and groggy.

"Now that that is behind us, let us continue on our way! Your judgment is nearly over young master!" Virgil said cheerfully.

I smiled weakly, "Looking forward to that Virgil...I really am."