The Black parade

I tried to put the events that occurred in the Necropolis and with Grace behind me, but it still bugged me. Even though I had passed the trial, I still felt as though I had lost it. My father and I weren't any closer even in death, and I was still confused about the whole thing. My phantom, to be a Savior, that my death and his was pre-ordained by this "Mother War".

"Something on your mind my boy?" Virgil asked, casting me a look of concern.

"No, nothing. It's really nothing."

Virgil halted the parade, making the crowd march in place. All the music stopped save the drums and percussion, who kept a steady marching beat.

"Now now, no secrets are kept here in hell! Out with it! We can't continue until you open up to us!" Virgil said, pumping baton up and down in a steady rhythm.

I sighed, "Well, I feel like I haven't got a prayer! I feel like I'm gonna burn in hell! Like, even though I'm passing these trials with flying colors, I feel like I'm just reopening wounds, like I'm burning the house down or something.."

"Well, granted your permission, we can go to your next trial, and maybe that will help you figure things out hm?" Virgil said curtly.

I nodded and sighed again, "Yeah, might as well."

"Exactly my boy! Forward......March!" Virgil exclaimed, thrusting his arm forward to command the parade to proceed.

The music started back up, and we continued on our way.

After a few miles, I started to hear children crying, soon accompanied by the sight of children wandering the broken scene around me. Rusted playground equipment, tricycles missing wheels, a corroded radio flyer wagon.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Hell's playground! This is where all the bad boys and and girls go. And this is also where the children who were victims of bullies go. Sad but fitting eh?" Virgil replied cheerfully.

"Ugh..this is horrible! Do they have to scream and cry like that? What does this have to do with me?!"

"Everything! You were a victim of a nasty bully back in school yes?" Virgil said.

"Yeah, Jerry Toriero. Beat me up a lot, but that was when I was still in middle school!" I replied, reflecting on all the black eyes and bloody noses I had gotten from that bastard.

"And all those beatings led you to toughen up, take no ones guff, and it all caused you to snap one day right?"

I nodded, "That was a long time ago too though! I was 16 when that happened! I'm not like that anymore! But those punks had it coming!" I explained.

"It matters not, your next trial will involve that day. Only a few more steps, and you're on your own! We'll wait for you! Good luck!" Virgil said, halting the parade again, to let me continue on my own.

The scene became choked with fog, fog so thick I couldn't' see anything but greyness.

When the fogged cleared, I found myself standing over the balcony of a pavilion in a park. This was the old park that I used to go on walks with my girlfriend at the time, Tracy Adkins. I hadn't been here since I was in High school. I wasn't sure why I was here, I knew there was something important about this location and time. Then I saw it, or rather, me. I was walking with Tracy, our usual route from school. Then I saw two punks ahead, talking idly to themselves. What unfolded next, I remembered clearly as the day it happened.

I remember them smacking her, and me flying into a blind rage. I just started swinging and hitting as fast and as hard as I could. I remember feeling the bones and teeth crunching under my blows. I wanted to kill them. Tracy had to call me off, telling me that she was okay, and that I was killing them.

When I snapped out of it, we left, their blood still staining my hands.

I leapt off of the balcony and ran around the corner where Tracy and I had disappeared. I found my still angry doppelganger waiting for me. He slowly walked up to me, and then gave me a hard push.

'You want some too?! Bring it mother fucker! I'll take you on!" he shouted at me.

I had never faced, let alone, seen myself like this! It scared me a little. I couldn't believe I had been that violent and berserk back then!

I backed up a little, "Calm down! I'm not here to fight you!"

My double took a few steps closer, "What, you the angel? You come here to tell me I'm a bad man?! To kick me like a stray?!"

I kept retreating,"You put them in the hospital! You played ring around the ambulance like you never gave a care!"

He leapt at me, swinging fast and hard. I barely dodged it, I felt the edge of his knuckle graze my cheek.

"Calm down damn it!" I shouted, putting my arms up in defense.

"You gonna get your boys on me? Go get your choir boys?! It's a compliment I swear! Bring em on!" he shouted, keeping his fists up.

'Take it easy! I'm not here to fight!"

"You better run like the devil cause I'm never gonna leave you alone! Fuckin fight me! C'mon pussy! Fight!" he shouted, advancing towards me again.

"I'm not gonna fight you! That is all that you did! You pushed them all away, Tracy too! You get kicked out of the house, live in an alley. You felt like you could never find a home! I know how you feel!" I shouted as I backed up, taking a second to look behind myself.

In that instant, he charged at me, knocking me off of my feet. We clambered around, rolling madly. I tried to force him off of me, but he had far more aggression in him than I did.

"Get off of me!" I shouted, taking a swing at him, hitting him square in the jaw.

He looked stunned, but it only lasted a second. He started to throw a flurry of right hooks and left jabs at me, screaming, "Bloods gonna run down these walls! And you'll see me running down these halls! I been a bad mother fucker to ya! You can tell our sister I'm another! "

I felt my face being knocked left and right under his blows. I felt my lip split open, cold blood spilling over my mouth. My right brow burst, the coagulated blood flooding into my eyes.

"Tell me I'm a bad bad bad bad man! Tell me that! Tell me you piece of shit! You fuckin cock sucker!" He continued to scream at me.

I wasn't sure if it was the blood in my eyes that made him look red and hellish, but all I know is that I wanted him to stop.

He got off of me, and as I tried to crawl away, he kicked me hard in the ribs.

"Get over there you mother fucker! Fuckin move! Get up!! Get up!!" he screamed, kicking me over and over.

I knew I couldn't' die, but damn it, the beating that I was taking, I thought I was going to!

"Stay down! Just stay down!"

I did as I was told, and laid there, broken and beaten. I closed my eyes as that same Grey fog swept over me, pulling away my attacker and the park scene.

It seemed like hours before anyone came to my aid. A young girl floated above me. It was a peculiar sight, this girl maybe 12 in years, was hovering above wearing the black parade uniform, only with a black pleated skirt, black knee high boots, and what looked like a flowing cape. Her eyes were outlined in black, and she carried a small wooden fife in her hand.

"You okay?" She asked me.

I looked around, and gave her a half nod.

"Good, cause Mr. Virgil wanted me to bring you back to the parade. Hi, I don't really have a name, but Virgil calls me Fear, to go along with my sister Regret," she said, extending her hand to me.

I slowly reached out and accepted it, "Hi, I'm.."

"No no! Don't talk right now! Just let me get you back to the parade, where Virgil can heal you," she said, grasping my hand and slowly lifting me.

For a girl her size, she was able to completely lift me off of the ground and carry me back to the awaiting parade.

When the parade caught a glimpse of us, they started to cheer.

"They cheering for me getting my ass kicked?" I asked wryly.

"Oh no! They're cheering cause they're happy to get their-"

"Fear! That is enough! Set him down and I'll take care of the rest, thank you!" Virgil shouted at her angrily.

"Yes Sir!" she said apologetically, setting me down gently at Virgil's feet. She bowed her head in respect, and flew off down the ranks of the parade.

He knelt over me, and with a wave of his baton, my broken dislocated jaw, swollen eye, cuts and bruises were mended.

"I though you said I couldn't die in hell!" I exclaimed, sitting up.

"You can't! You're not dead! I never said anything though about getting your tail trounced!" Virgil said with a smile.

"So...did I pass?" I asked, getting to my feet, and dusting off my disheveled gown.

"Sadly, no. You failed!"

I gasped, "What?! After all that crap that I just went through? After all the needless beating?! Just what was I supposed to do back there? Make friends with Johnny the homicidal maniac?!"

Virgil nodded.

"You serious?!"

Virgil nodded.

"Oh come on!! You're telling me I was supposed to make friends with him?!"

Virgil cleared his throat, "To be specific, you were supposed to make peace with your animalistic side, have him lower his guard and become somewhat human again. You failed with flying colors! So I'm sorry, but you must be punished for that!"

I readied myself for a bolt of hellish lightning, a wave of hellfire, to be torn limb from limb by ghouls. But instead, a large number of the parade dispersed, leaving in a quiet crowd of blackness and despair.

"That's it?! That is my punishment? Where are they going?" I asked.

"Leaving your ranks! Leaving your black parade!" Virgil chided.

"Wait a minute, don't you mean your black parade?! I'm not leading this thing here!"

Virgil silenced me with a wave of his hand, "Nonsense young master! Ever since you stepped into hell, this has been your parade, your parade to lead! I'm just a phantom here to guide you, what becomes of the black parade is entirely up to you! It wasn't me they rallied to, nor was it me they were cheering for!"

I was confused,"So...they are my parade? What do I know of leading the dead?!"

Virgil shook his head, "Have you not listened to what your father told you? About you being the Savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned? You are to be our Savior young master! You will lead the black parade one day! It is your legacy, what your father wanted you to do, even before he died and you got cancer!"

"Cancer..." I said softly.

Virgil looked skyward, "Mm yes, that horrid little thing that grows and eats and never is satisfied. Come now, we have much to see and do. You failed this trial, but there are many more ahead. Who knows, maybe the ones to come will make up for this mishap eh?"

I looked back at the hellish masses behind me, feeling somewhat guilty for sending a drove of them packing.

"Will they ever come back...you know...to the black parade?" i asked Virgil.

He shrugged, but smiled, "Who knows young master, who knows. They want to stay, to help you on your trials and legacy, but when they must go, they must go. The hardest part of this...is leaving you."

A piano somewhere in the parade started to play a sad tune.

"Hey Virgil, could you get me a drink of water?"

Virgil sighed, "At our next stop young master, at our next stop."