Stolsky and I were jittery and nervous. First time in the Brotherhood of Natives and he was sweating under his yellow ceremonial hood. His visage hidden by a yellow skull mask. It's eyes covered in one way mirrors. That seemed to suck in the darkness making them look like obsidian opals. It's scared the crap out of him when he wore it. It felt like your being sucked into those black hard eyes. How anybody can wear these masks are beyond me. They were in a van ,Stolsky and seven others. On this night as part of the initiation they were going into a neighborhood filled with immigrants. And they were going to get them out of what the Nativists believed were theirs. When said out loud it sounded good, but you keep turning it over in your head, it gives one feelings of shame and doubt. Like what did these people do to deserve this. And what were these people doing that inflicted harm upon me. What jobs were they taking. Stolsky came because he got suckered in by the camaraderie he heard about not for anything that involved attacking innocent people. Of course he wouldn't do this, but it's to late he's here. So they broke into a nuclear family. A father, a mother, a daughter and a son. A grandpa and grandma. A dog. A couple tanks of fish, which the attackers smashed. All murdered except for their mentally ill son who we saw as too defiant to kill. And his sister to watch his torment. He and his sister would be all alone. He would also be targeted by others once we told others that he's weak. His parents told him to be strong but he resisted us. We ate their food, stole their things and all other sorts of sinful revelry all to worship the Blood Father. All except two of us. We were in the bathrooms puking. It was disgusting and terrifying how man could do this to one another. And when they were done partying in sick unholy revelry and slept in the bloodied rooms, He and I took off into the night. Though I do not know what happened to my now real friend he said he liked books so maybe he'll do something with books, he said. Probably a librarian or a book seller. Me I wanted to get a drink at a bar. And maybe get work at an restraunt before opening up my own. So we sit in a bar. And stir in our cups. When all of a sudden somebody taps on my shoulder. A wiry man wearing red dinner jacket and spats. He has a fiddle in his left hand and with his right he seems to be doing a tap dance on my shoulder.
"Care for a little song and a dance?"
"Your head on a lance?"
"How comedic"
Stolsky smashes his beer bottle and makes it into a shanker. While I grabbed the chair. And smacked it at the crazed bard. He dodges it and pulls out the strangest looking gun. He pulls the trigger and a ray of what can only be described as heat hits and ignites my chair. I throw the chair at him. He dodges it again and plays with his fiddle and from out of the fire comes chittering like that of a combination of chattering of rats and hisses of cockroaches. From which the embers and sparks coalesce into creatures of fire. The flames on the chair seeming to give birth to these creatures as the bard sings and they hop off the chair and run and scamper, sparks flying as they hop all over the bar. Their hissing and what appears to be cackling permeating the bar as much as their heat. Stolsky runs to the door but gets blocked by a sea of fire out of control. Then the demonic live sparks jump in sadistic glee onto Stolsky and slice chunks of him with their little teeth and claws. Stolsky writhes in pain as he is covered in demonic hellfire. I look at this in horror as I feel coldness in my gut region. A stinging sensation as I fall to the ground. I look at my stomach and see a giant hole where my stomach organs would be. I close my eyes for my last time.
I open my eyes. It's dark and shady like that of being under a tree canopy. I get up and look around. This is a tree canopy but all the leaves have rotted on the stem. Then I notice I'm not alone as what can only be described as a bird appears. It's feathers are mostly molted. It's head half decayed and it's missing its eye. It stinks of decay and gore.
"I am the force that's after death. I am the one who breathes life after death. I am rot and decay. I am the Vulture and by extension so are you. You may think this is redemption but that's long past. It is your job to hasten the demise of this universe so that it begins anew."
With that it swoops on me with its gore covered claws. I scream as it reaches for my throat. I wake up for real and notice the hole in my gut is gone. I'm in a hospital bed and covered in feather. Dark feather ,and right next to me on the bed is a mattock.
The story has circulated that 9 unidentified men and women went to neighborhoods composed of immigrants and killed a lot of people. The only survivors of the massacre were Taylor and Christopher West, Kirin Khalen,Khan and Con Con ,Delilah Cross and finally Ribbon Tsugare. All of witnesses have been sworn. The survivors have all been reported missing. Soon after midnight. And even the witnesses themselves have gone missing a short time later. Before they disappeared it was said the Stringer Street survivors, left for beyond the veil or at least went underground. For they have come upon a discovery that will shake the land itself and beyond.
Ribbon Tsugare woke up her body was sore all over and she had a head that felt like it's been pounded with mallets. And as she rose and got her bearings she saw six others. Their breathing groggy. And they to woke up and saw all others still unconscious. Every person saw that they were in what appears to be a long dark tunnel. They were alone and any attempts to wake the others up did not even elicit a groan. So they wandered aimlessly. Ribbon walked until she heard music, music all around her. A heavenly melody, like that of an choir. She was hearing Gregorian chants, gospel music, rap, pop, blues even metal. All heard at once but you would feel that you are a hearing to a certain genre and not the rest. So overpowering was this rapture from the heavens. Ribbon closed her eyes concentrating on every melody. And when she opened them again she was standing in a courtyard. A courtyard of angels in choir booths. Their were angels wearing what they wore in life, some were wearing robes and some wore nothing at all. Some had wings and some floated in the air without them. They were all singing until they noticed Ribbon and they danced and jumped for joy. And came to her with nothing but love. Many came to her with warnings, others kindly advice and others she recognized were her own family who have come so she would remember what she must do.
Ribbon awoke alone, she was back on her bed in her house. And lying at the foot of her bed was a case containing a flute with music sheets written in the tongue of angels. Somehow she was able to read it. Almost intuitively.
Kirin wandered aimlessly through a storm of elements. The earth beneath his feet turns into water then to lava and then back to earth. The air is cool as the wind blows,yet meteors fall from the sky. Fissures are erupting lava, others are geysers shooting out ice cold ice. It's as if somebody mashed all the elements in this wild landscape. And from out of the elements a being of pure elemental force arises, a being made of earth, water, air and fire all mashed up together like Frankenstein. and in her hands she carries a biwa. Instinctively Kirin takes it. And as he takes it he hears millions of voices emanating from the instrument. It's as if the guitar is a living breathing being. It whispers to him. Giving him the knowledge of how to use the guitar and also that he has an important role to play in the creation of the multiverse. He is to join the people known as the Champions of Light. At which point he wakes up on his couch a guitar strapped to his chest.
Taylor opened her eyes, she was in a forest. Birds chirping a waterfall is heard in the distance. Her area which was a clearing was surrounded by red and blue berry bushes. The sun shines above her. And before she moves, she hears the sound of music of flutes of all sorts pan flutes, oboes, clarinets, reed flute. The bushes part themselves of their own accord and their are animals. Animals walking on two legs. Animals with close human anatomy. Fur, claws, teeth, snouts. But human hands and legs albeit furry ones. They prance about performing for Taylor blowing in their flutes. Taylor is in euphoria as she dances before hitting the floor unconscious. She wakes up before a grove of trees. The animals are gone. They have faces in their bark shaped like a human. Taylor takes a closer look. And she jumps as the tree trunk speaks to her.
"Hello Taylor" it says in a warm chuckle.
"Oh hello Mr. Tree"
"We the trees have much to tell you, sit under my boughs little one"
She sits down and occasionally they gave her apples and other fruit as snacks while she listens.
They speak to her of her part in the multiverse to come and that she must unite the good children of nature together. There is a war for the multiverse and nature must be preserved in the next multiverse. So she wakes up on a park bench, laid right next to her is a wood case that contains a flute and sheet music. Written in a sort of levity, it was as if the writer was writing while excited. The music notes seem to frolic on the paper. But it's content was at the same time serious. Reading as though she could understand it she ran home flute case in hand.
Meanwhile, a body of a boy can be seen in the darkness it rises up into the sky beyond to the places where mortals are not to go and if known would not tread. Taken by the force known as Daemeion he has been transported to the realm of darkness.
In Abel, a boy is walking down the beach when he spots something on the sandy shore. It's a guitar. He picks it and strums it and he vanishes, seemingly with the tides.
Hiligree is a place of music and neon lights. Self indulgence is at its finest here and the art and food are great. It is a place of the talented. Where creativity is responsible for everything. Fast cars and beautiful women. Peace and love. For the most part.