Jody's white-knuckled grip on the wheel screamed rage, but I was past caring. My own fury, my own gnawing need, drowned out any sympathy I had left for him.

"Christal, I can't do this anymore!" he roared, veins pulsing in his neck. "Rehab or we're done. I can't afford your habit."

A harsh, bitter laugh escaped me. "You're kidding, right? This is your mess! You started me on this shit!" My voice trembled, a tangled mess of fury and desperation. I needed him to understand, to carry some of the weight of guilt that choked me every day of my life.

"Yeah, Christal. Two years ago. I never thought a little fun on our first date would turn into this!" His Hazel eyes darted to me, now wild with accusation.

My mouth dropped open as I stared at him, momentarily stunned."Fun?" I spat. "You think this is fun for me? Living with Mr. Perfect, with your suffocating arrogance and narcissism? You only care about yourself!"

His face twisted into a mask of rage. He slammed on the brakes, the truck skidding to a halt on the side of the road.

My heart hammered in my chest as I watched him unfold before me. He pounded his fist on the steering wheel, the sound hollow in the sudden silence. "I can control myself, Christal! You can't,’’ he was livid, with a look I had seen too many times — one of pure hatred and discussed.’’It's not my fault you're a junkie with no willpower! And jobless, to boot. Ruin your life, fine, but support yourself!" His words were cruel shrapnel, slicing me with jagged edges.

I refused to let him see my pain. My voice, low and dangerous, slithered out. "Fuck you! ‘’ I hissed, and before I could process even a shred of logical thought, I spit. Directly in his face.

Jody's glare could ignite a firestorm. He wiped the spit from his face, his movements deliberate. Then, with glacial slowness, he got out and yanked open my door.

"Get the FUCK out of my truck," he snarled, teeth clenched so tight I thought they might break.

I stared him down, arms crossed defiantly."Put me out," I dared, my voice steady.

He reached for me, and something inside me snapped. My fist connected with his face in a sickening crack and the world held its breath. Blood streamed from his nose, staining his hands deep Crimson. He reeled back, hands flying to his face. "You broke my nose, you crazy bitch!" he roared, leaning over in agony.

I listened to his cries, muffled by blood and pain. Eye tried to be sorry. To feel any tinge of remorse. But I was numb. A twisted grin split my face. "You may need to go to the hospital, baby,’’ I said sweetly. ‘’ I guess the pain pills are on you after all. ‘’

I watched the man I once loved crumble. Maybe it was the drugs, or perhaps it was a darkness deeper within me, but a chilling satisfaction washed over me. The power dynamic had shifted. For the first time in a long time, I was the one in fucking control.

It was the only way. It truly was.

 I’m caked in blood and need to get out of here before another car passes through. Trust me when I say that it could have been much worse. This was the best case scenario for everyone involved.  

 How did I end up here? Let me take you back to the start. It was those damn demons! They found me lurking in the woods and drained me of my blood and left me to suffer.  Being that they are the servants of the underworld they’re the only beings that can eat other evil. 

I was just looking to catch a quick bite that’s all, but they don’t like when you eat in their turf. Hence the reason why they left me weak. I couldn’t just nurse my way back to life with simple animal blood, I needed a lot more than that. I think you can guess where this is going. After gaining a little strength from a nearby toad, I was able to dig out a gopher. The more I went along the bigger the prey, but it still wasn’t enough. I needed the real crimson red stuff. It was the only way I’d get my full strength back. So I did what I had to. This car accident that you find me here at right now, let’s just say it was no accident. I knew exactly where to collide with them and how. It was just a matter of timing it. As soon as they hit me like a brick wall causing them to go off the cliff, I knew it was feeding time. I could have drained only one of them and left the other to live. I really only needed one human, but for a vampire like me that hasn’t tasted human blood in over a century. I didn’t just need more, I craved more. So much for having any will power. So now you know the ugly truth. It truly was the best case scenario,cause I really could have eaten a lot more people had it been anywhere else. It was the only way I could keep surviving as a vampire. It was the only way.

The ornate cornucopia in her mouth, almost too red to eat.

"Eat and live."

The young boy appeared on the scene, he had seen much death but not death like this.

"Get it out!

Go get water!

Get it out!

GET IT OUT!"

The young girl grabbed his hand and pulled him away.

"The water is over there, we have to get her out of this, help her!

Go to her!"

That's when he saw her.

His Mother, his beautiful mother.

Her beauty.

Her pain.

Her beating.

Her wrists and hands and feet.

"Help her!"

He was forced to run the few steps and was about to help her when suddenly another man grabbed him.

"Run!"

The leader's voice boomed through the village, shaking the earth and the very trees and the deep roots.

"Run!

Run!"

He was about to do as he was told when the young girl shot at him from behind.

The sound of the shot rang throughout the forest and tore through his very core, knocking him to his knees.

He had heard the stories.

There was no turning back.

He watched as the young girl's father placed his gun in her hand and the young boy threw him a knife.

"Just do it."

he whispered, but with that he was gone.

The next moment he watched in horror as the girl emptied her chamber into her own mother.

Her father watched on in tears, screaming at her to get it out.

They pulled their daughter and mother away and the man threw them both into the healing pool.

The young girl stood next to him, wiping her bloody hands on her blood covered dress.

He knew it was time to leave, that he needed to get out of there.

He turned to leave and the girl put a hand to his chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm not leaving you.

Not like this."

Her voice quivered with emotion.

"You don't know what happened.

You don't know what he did.

You can't go back there, you can't …."

She was unable to continue, sobbing uncontrollably as she held his hand.

He had known about this but had kept it from her.

"I'm sorry.

Please, you have to go.

Go."

He leaned into her and rested his head on her chest, her heart beat a faint cadence next to his.

She began to weep uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

She cried, the sobs hurting her as she pushed them down.

"Please go.

Please go.

Go."

The voice echoed in the bushes as the man held his breath, preparing to run.

He could not move.

He watched as the young girl lifted her hands and tore the dress off, blood running down her arms.

Then she pulled the bullet out and tossed it on the ground.

"I'm not leaving you.

Not like this."

She pulled him towards the water.

He followed, feeling his heart break a bit more, knowing what she was about to do.

The whole of this experience, the pain, the tears, the death, the terror of his people and the destruction and loneliness of his heart.

He felt his heart break as he saw her face.

She stared at the sky, her beautiful deep eyes piercing through the deep shadows of the trees, the flowers that reached up towards her.

Then she looked down at him, tears flowing down her face, and closed her eyes.

She knelt and slowly began to pour the water onto his chest.

She reached up to wipe the tears from her face.

The Earth trembled and as he looked up he saw a hole appear in the middle of the tree above.

A light formed around it and began to pour down on him.

It seemed to take forever as he felt his being fill.

"DIE!

DIE!

DIE!"

The man was screaming, he wanted to live, he wanted to be with her, but he was so close, so close.

When he felt the warmth fill him he was filled with such peace and he knew he was going home.

He lay there for a long time, reaching out to her, watching her kneel beside him, watching the light pour over him and watch as it slowly enveloped her.

Then the light changed, started to swirl in dark, thick billows and then there was a flash of light.

The whole world faded to black as the man fell to the ground.

"He's dead!"

He yelled out.

He had given up and given in to the darkness.

He had let go and let God.

He fell back to the ground, his whole body filled with grief and guilt.

"Why?" he cried out.

He had promised himself, the world and God that he would never give in to darkness.

But he had and now he was paying the price.

Then he saw her; she was reaching down to him, her bright blue eyes staring into his black, gaping darkness.

She pulled him to his feet and brought him to the hole, placing her hands on his shoulders, helping him.

"You won't let me down God, I promise.

I won't let you down.

I won't …."

He struggled to finish as the darkness threatened to swallow him again, but he stayed, breathing slowly.

"You won't let me down."

She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to pull him, slowly.

"DIE!

DIE!

DIE!

DIE!"

He screamed as the darkness took him once more.

He shivered, the cold was gone and he was filled with nothingness.

God heard him and immediately sent another light.

This one shone and it took the shape of a woman with golden hair, wearing a long flowing white dress.

She turned to him and smiled warmly, her blue eyes never leaving his.

He stood and took one small step towards her.

She smiled and placed her hand on his forehead.

As he fell to his knees she pulled him to his feet, took him to the hole, removed the stone from the center and began to pour the light down.

She watched him, the love in her eyes glowing bright, the light surrounding him.

Then she looked at him one more time and began to pull him down, lower, deeper.

She pulled him as he laughed and cried, then he felt the pain and terror of his own death.

She pulled him down and down, his scream echoing through the vastness of space.

She pulled him to the darkest place, the most evil place, the place where his dark side resided, the place where he felt at home.

She pulled him into the darkness, the darkness that had been feeding him for all of his life.

Then she placed her hands on his face and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again she was smiling, and he was home.

A / N: They say the light breaks the darkness and gives us the light that we needed, when we had none.

This story is dedicated to those who have gone before and those who may find hope and peace in their darkness.

God love them and so do I.

God forgive me.

Thank you for reading.

Mountain … A Mountain was an odd thing.

A living thing, with bark, leaves, and an obvious ability to move around on the ground.

For much of its life Mountain was content to roam about the forest, killing small animals to eat, hiding from others that wished to hunt them.

Eventually Mountain was attacked by something that could move like a mountain, but leave behind nothing.

Mountain moved, it's shell stretching, muscles bursting and bones popping.

Mountain was injured, but not severely.

It was alert though.

Its limbs weren't sure, but they worked to support it.

Its eyes opened and focused on a spot at the top of the mountain.

Mountain began to climb and it was not a simple thing.

Every joint seemed to protest against movement and some threatened to give in to the pain.

Mountain had a couple of fights with rocks and sticks, but nothing serious.

Eventually Mountain made it to the top and started to climb down the other side.

As it began it's descent it stopped and thought.

"I have to be careful."

It said to itself, "if I fell this high I would never make it back up.

I'm tired and wounded.

A fall of even a few feet would kill me."

Mountain began to do a little dance, trying to loosen up, trying to work out the stiffness in its limbs.

Mountain eventually made it down to the bottom, but it was disoriented.

After it found its bearings it set about to head out to find food.

Many days went by, but Mountain did not find food, so eventually Mountain decided to sleep.

It didn't move for many hours, it was simply lying there.

Then, all at once, Mountain's shell split open.

Inside was something unlike Mountain had ever experienced.

Something that Mountain did not even recognize.

It was a shell that could not contain the strength of a mountain.

Within its shell was a creature the likes of which Mountain had never even thought about.

This new creature had arms, legs, and a tail, but it was round and solid.

It was extremely small, but at the same time had great strength and could scale very tall mountains with ease.

This thing's name was Robot.

Robot was green and it had no face, but it's eyes watched Mountain as it slept.

It floated down to the bottom of Mountain and started to talk.

"Mountain!

What are you doing?"

It was not a human voice, but Mountain didn't understand, so it didn't care.

"It's going to kill us!

It will eat us!"

Said Robot.

"Not if we are dead."

Robot said as it took a stick from the ground and began to attack Mountain with it.

Each time Mountain flinched, but Robot kept getting in more and more hits.

"Are you going to get out of your shell?"

Robot asked.

Mountain didn't know what was going on, but it didn't want to be eaten.

"I'll try."

Mountain responded.

Mountain began to move, but slowly.

After a while it lifted itself up and tried to move.

Mountain moved on its hind legs, but it's front legs wouldn't move.

"Stupid legs!

I hate you!

I'll never use you again!"

Said Mountain.

After a long struggle Mountain managed to stand.

Then it tried to stand on its front legs, but they were so weak it fell to the ground.

Then Mountain tried to stand on all of its legs, but it couldn't.

"The bottom must be very weak."

Mountain thought.

After another great struggle Mountain fell to the ground.

Mountain found that, even though its legs were incredibly weak, it still had great upper body strength.

It jumped to its feet and started to run.

Robot was close behind and did not catch up.

"This is hopeless."

Mountain said.

Robot then did something that surprised Mountain.

It flew past Mountain and went behind it.

It then began to chase Mountain.

Mountain started to run faster, but Robot was always faster.

It started to fly around Mountain and, although Mountain would get close to Robot, Robot could always beat it.

After Robot defeated Mountain again and again Mountain got more and more frustrated.

Mountain was then, finally, able to climb up Robot's body and fly away.

It was extremely high up in the air, but Mountain was more afraid of being eaten by Robot than the fall.

Robot had stopped chasing Mountain long ago, but now it just glowed with a bright light, looking upon what it had created.

Then Mountain fell

Selina Kyle was a woman of many talents. How else would a girl survive the rough streets of Gotham? She was extremely intellectual, a master martial artist, a very good thief, and contender for prettiest woman on this side of the hemisphere. She would have to tip her hat to Diana and Pamela for being the strong competition they were.

But her strongest asset was her eye for opportunity. And she needed that as she wasn't just any random crook in Gotham. Yes she was still a thief but Selina had taste. Maybe when she was younger stealing TV sets was fun bun now her taste required something a little more... expensive. Diamonds, rubies, large sums of money, Selina didn't discriminate.

So when Harley came over, spewing a nonsensical plan about robbing Cobblepot, Selina could honestly say she wasn't interested until the little pigtailed blonde said a certain number.

“You said he has how much?” Selina stared at her as if she had grown a second head or been breathing in too much Joker toxin. “ Harley I will beat the crazy out you if you're lying.”

”It's true, I swear!” Harley shouted indignantly. “He's moving at least 2 million dollars through Gotham tonight! Something about buying that one building next to Ace chemicals.”

Selina stared at her for a moment, deciding if she was telling or not the truth. Harley's eyes were wide, but she wasn't lying. Selina could tell. So she had the crazy woman sit down and begin walking her through her even crazier plan.

And that is how she ended up scaling the ceiling in the Iceberg Lounge, taking out as many guards as quickly and quickly as she could. It was pretty standard heist to be fair. A three key card system and a dozen half-wit guards stood between her and two million dollars. It would've been harder if they handed it to her.

Once she made it to the the office area she easily broke the giant safe and collected the two sizable duffle bags off the ground. Money. She broke into a huge grin as she walked out the office, a triumphant swagger stride.

What awaited her outside was something she was not quite prepared for.

At the security desk, a small screen showed a ragged Batman engaged in a fight with Bane. Selina could see the holes in his cape and the cuts along his armor as he went back and forth with the hulking figure. And Bruce was tired. After years of playing cat and bat on the rooftops of Gotham, Selina had grown accustomed to noticing small gestures the man used when he was beat. And Bane catching the him by cape and sending him flying certainly couldn't be helping with that.

But that wasn't her problem. Sure the hunky bat had come to her rescue a few times but that was his job right? He was Gotham's protector. She wasn't.

Selina you can just leave him. Her very grey moral compass had finally reared its head and for a moment she mulled it over. Just when she almost put her bags down, the weight if them tugged on her sense of opportunity. This was her chance! This was two million in cold cash in her hands right now.

Brucey would just have to understand.

Now, where was Harley and their getaway car?

Rachel raised her head just enough to peek through the bookstore window. It wasn't hard to spot the hulking figures across the street, pacing the sidewalk with their beady eyes darting all over the crowd of tourists with cameras and office people on lunch break. Even in their human form, those two were tall enough that the cars speeding past on the road didn't even break Rachel's view of them.

One looked directly towards the window, and Rachel ducked down again, hoping it had missed her amongst the colorful display of middle-grade books she and her sister were hiding in. Sarah was crying quietly, huddled next to her on the floor.

"We can't stay here," Rachel hissed.

"M-Maybe they'll g-go away." Sarah wiped her nose on her yellow sleeve. "There's s-so many people."

"These guys don't care about collateral damage." Rachel peeked out the window again. "If they see us, they'll whip out their claws, no matter who gets in the way."

Sarah whimpered at the thought. Rachel patted her sister's shoulder in a weak attempt at reassurance, wondering what her moms would do if they were here. But they weren't here. It was all on twelve-year-old Rachel to keep herself and seven-year-old Sarah safe.

She looked up through the window, and something caught her eye.

If their pursuers didn't care about collateral damage, then why should she?

Rachel gripped Sarah's shoulder. "Listen to me. Head for the back alley. There's a door by the restroom, you know where that is?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna buy us some time. I'll meet you there. Ready? One-two-three-go!"

Counting it off like a game of tag was enough to get Sarah to obey, though she clearly wasn't happy about it. Rachel told herself she'd apologize later and darted for the stairs. They'd been to this bookstore a hundred times, and she knew it as well as her own backyard. It had two floors, and the upper floor was more like a playroom than a store. And it had a window that could open.

Fortunately, there were no grown-ups around to tell her no. Rachel pushed one of the big comfy chairs over to the window and scrambled up to undo the latch. The window only opened enough for her to fit her head and shoulders through, but that was all she needed. Just below the window was the bookstore sign, brightly colored letters on a large sheet of metal sticking out over the sidewalk, like a heavy flag on a stick. And that stick was held to the storefront by just a couple screws.

Rachel ducked back inside and ran for the toybox, digging furiously. Fortunately, it didn't take long to find what she needed - a plastic toolkit, part of a construction worker playset. She just had to hope it was realistic enough to do the trick.

Back at the window, she pulled the big blue wrench out of the toy toolkit and reached down towards the screws. It took some wiggling to get the toy wrench around the real screw, but she was strong - strong enough that she had a moment of worry that she'd break the wrench. But then the screw began to turn.

Rachel worked furiously at the sign, her eyes flickering down and across the street at the big man-like creatures searching for her. She hoped Sarah was waiting for her. She hoped that her plan would actually work.

One screw came loose, falling to the sidewalk below with a distant metal ping. The sign creaked and swayed, but no one below seemed to notice. Rachel got to work on the other screw.

Across the street, one pair of solid-black eyes found her. The figure let out an echoing shout to draw its partner's attention and took a step towards the street, its fingers lengthening into knifelike claws.

The second screw came free, and so did the sign. Rachel dropped the wrench and shoved the sign away from the window - and the big piece of metal came crashing down to the street, smashing the front window of a car. The car swerved into the opposite lane, hitting a car headed in the opposite direction. Suddenly there was a huge pile-up of cars, and the street was chaos, cars honking and people running and screaming and taking out their phones. Rachel saw the two creatures stuck between three stopped cars, looking all around for a way through the mess. They were trapped - for now, at least.

Rachel wiggled her way back into the bookstore and ran to find Sarah.

Judas lived among the disciples of Jesus. He followed Jesus then the devil came upon him and gave him the desire to be rich.

One night he ran into some church leaders. They said,” Judas we’ll give you thirty pieces of silver if you point Jesus out to us.”

Judas said, “Wow! Sure. I’ll show him to you by giving him a kiss on Friday evening after my supper with Jesus.”

The disciples met with Jesus and as they entered the upper room Jesus washed their feet. Then they ate supper together. Jesus knew Judas agreed to betray him. After supper Jesus said, “Judas go do what you have to do.” The rest of the disciples thought Judas was going to do his treasurer work.

Judas left to meet the church leaders. He and the church leaders found Jesus in a crowd. Then Judas approached Jesus and kissed him.

The church leaders met to make plans to kill Jesus. Then they bound Jesus and took him to Pilate. Later Judas realized they were going to kill Jesus and he felt guilty. He took the thirty pieces of silver back to the church leaders and said,” I have sinned; I have betrayed an innocent man!”

Then Judas threw the coins down and hug himself. The church leaders took the money and bought a field and called it potters field. They didn’t feel the money should go to the church.

My eyes fix on the stage as I watch the gorgeous ballerina in pale blue tulle twirl and soar across its surface. Serena, with her tight red curls secured in a bun and her tall lithe figure practically made for ballet, is the epitome of perfection.

I stare longer, mesmerized by the way her body coils and springs as she glides across the stage. Though there is a male dancer alongside her, he pales in comparison to Serena. Everything about her, from her presence on the stage to her high trilling laugh offstage, is captivating. Serena Garrison is arguably the most stunning, most ethereal creature on this planet and for that, I hate her.

For a long time I thought I was in love with her. I would watch her from afar, doing her warmups at the barre or filling her water bottle at the fountain, and my heart would flutter in my chest. When I danced alongside her my feet would even lose all coordination as I stumbled to keep up with her, desperate to be worthy enough to dance alongside her.

But ever since two weeks ago, the night the roles for the show was released, I’ve felt nothing but hatred for her. Seeing her name-Serena Garrison- alongside the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy was humiliating. My mother, my grandmother, and even my great grandmother, had earned the role of Sugar Plum Fairy during their time in the company. Naturally, it was expected that I too would inherit the role.

But no, Serena just had to swoop into the city and join our company two weeks before auditions. She just had to blow everyone away with her grace and skill and steal the one thing I wanted most in this world.

My hands curl venomously around the papers in my hand, crunching and creasing the thin pages as she floats through the steps I was meant to be rehearsing.

This wasn’t fair, not at all.

I sigh silently and pull my gaze from the stage to stare at my lap. I straighten the program out in my hands and flip to the last page, where all the roles are assigned.

I let my finger slide down the page and when I find my name and my role, my finger digs into the page, my nail leaving behind a mark.

Celia Fitz………Sugar Plum Fairy Understudy

Understudy. I am nothing but an understudy to the sun herself.

When the music cuts off and Serena finally leaves the stage for a water break, my gaze follows her departure through the upper left wing of fhe stage. Something hot and jealous spills through my veins and for just a moment, I think myself angry enough to kill her.

I rise from my chair in the third row and grab my water bottle abandoning my program. I silently stalk towards the door that leads to the backstage dressing rooms.

When I get outside Serena’s door I pause. What am I doing her? What is it that I am planning to say or do if she answers?

Finally, I decide to walk away. What could I do anyway? I was pathetic, quiet, and too non front atop all to say anything.

As I walk back towards my seat, the director call for everyone to return to their positions for a redo of the scene.

I know I should be going straight back to my seat. I know I should just ignore this malicious feeling bubbling in my chest, but I can’t.

For a moment I lose control of my body and I blindly make my way to the upper left wing , the place where Serena enters the scene.

I feel a part of my mind trying to pry away the morbid thoughts that enter my mind, but I am so consumed by anger and envy that I ignore reason. I unscrew the cap of my water bottle and let it tip over slightly, splashing liquid on the stage. This, in the world of stage performance, is a terrible sin that I am performing.

The director instructs everyone to return to their places and I scuttle back to my seat, keeping my head low.

The moment I sit on the velvety red chairs, I second guess myself.

What did I just do? What if she gets seriously injured? Sure that means I get her spot in the show, but it also means I’ve just done the vilest of acts.

I wring my hands in my lap, chest beating hard and guilt weighing heavy on my mind. The lights dim and the music begins.

I see a flash of red hair as someone prepares to leap onto the stage from the wings.

But she never gets the chance to make her grand appearance.

I shut my eyes to ignore the sight, but I hear everything that occurs.

There’s a thunderous thud and the entire room holds their breath as the stage shakes. There’s a shriek. A girl screams, her cry’s of pain filling the room. Whispered voice ask her if she’s alright.

The tension in my chest dissipates slowly and a strange sense of glee flitters through my body.

Just like that all my dreams have come through. Balance has been restored and in 3 months, it’ll be me up on that stage in the role I was born to perform.

I pick up the program that I left abandoned on the floor and find my name once more. I use my finger to poke through one word in the program, effectively erasing it. I admire my work and smile down at it:

Celia Fitz…………Sugar Plum Fairy

Pulling shards of glass out of her hair, Clover gazed thoughtfully at the carnage around her. Puddles of various mixtures were all across the floor, two of the twenty-four students who’d come in were out cold, seven were bleeding, one girl was crying and bore a nasty burn from one or other of those very puddles, and the remaining seven were either just very shaken or slightly bruised.

But Mallory was missing. As were six other people, but Clover didn’t know who any of them were, and quite honestly…

She didn’t care.

The clock on the wall showed 11:44. By Clover’s watch, those two boys she had wanted to poison so badly they melted (and she knew how to do that) had shoved Mallory’s wheelchair — with the girl in it — straight into a precarious setup at 11:47. And her own watch, too, showed 11:44.

11:43, actually, now.

Of course, the apparatus was meant to be horrifically unstable, and Mallory was meant to be around to knock it over. Anyone else would have been alright too, but Mal wouldn’t question her older sister’s strange methods for obtaining research. And it could just be chalked up to Clover’s general bad lab habits. She was notorious for being so unsafe it was a miracle she hadn’t been forced to leave.

But Clover was lucky. Mallory was far less so.

Except here she was, gazing at the result of the greatest experiment of all time.

The burned girl gave her a strange look as she began to laugh, clapping her hands together with only one phrase on her lips.

“I can’t believe that worked! I cannot believe that actually worked!”

“What?” another kid asked, a boy. One of the two who had shoved Mallory.

“You did exactly as I needed you to! Do you know where your classmates are?”

Most of the people listening shared wary looks. Maybe they thought she was mad.

Maybe she was.

“They’re in the past. You, uh…”

“Jacob.”

“Jacob, yes. You, my friend, have just helped me send people back in time.”

“So that disaster was deliberate?”

“Yes, yes, of course. Don’t worry, they’ll be perfectly fine. D’you want me to take care of that burn?”

The man people called hero loved everyone and everything . He had one fault though , he loved donuts . He would always run and climb highest heights and fight anyone who hurt the innocent but the donuts weren’t going easy on him so he’d wake up every morning and would go to the coffee shop. He always got the black coffee with nothing added and only one pack of sugar . He knew he couldn’t pass up a donut so ever morning day after day , donut after donut, he would gain weight , nothing was wrong with that until a bad man walked into the coffee shop one morning right before the hero and ordered all the donuts . The hero walked in and noticed the bad man with them all being packed into bags and his bubbled popped . He went crazy over that , that he couldn’t have a donut before saving the city and grabbed them all and ran with it , the bad guy pulled out his gun and shot “boom boom boom “ the hero was saved by the donuts and went straight towards the guy and suffocated him with them all , the cops show up and the hero told him it’s just another’s day at work and ate a donut from the floor and walked away without even helping clean the extra donuts .

Everything began to slow, my thoughts numbing from the realization of what was occurring. Whether from its atrocity or that I was its architect I’m still unsure. My mind drifted to the crows, gently gliding through the night sky catching the breeze from the 8 o’clock train as it made its way over streets below. They flew without care for what was beneath them, unfazed as they make their way forward to their destination.

The heat came first. My chest singed with the hot air as the pillars holding the tracks exploded in a brilliant fire illuminating the dimming night. There was no stopping. The path was gone and the train began to plummet to the streets below. How I wished to be a crow.

My senses came jolting back, the impact an eruption of concrete and steel that echoed through me. The cars screeched, a torrent of destruction in front of them and no room to stop. Screams came from every direction. Howling from the streets as people fell victim to the coming drivers. Wailing from those inside as the bombardments collapse the roofs above them. Cries from those in the train as they watched their inevitable demise near. A choir of death and I the conductor.

“Jesus Jack…all these people…how could...” “You know I had to. We couldn’t let those troops make it to the front line.” “Those weren’t just soldiers Jack! There were normal people on that train. Mothers, fathers, children…..Jesus Christ the children Jack! How the hell—“

“And how many of us would they have killed?! How many parents have we buried, how many children? You think they had a moral dilemma when they gunned down Terra?” “Don’t you mention her Jack. She would’ve never agreed to this!” “Well I guess we’ll never know will we.”

The embers flew between us, the aftermath leaving a river of cinder in its path, the wind carrying the wailing echoes of those still alive. The crows had all gone, leaving me to watch what lay below in their place. “We’ve failed so many times in the past. We’ve fought for so long. But now i realize there’s only one way to end this war. And I mean to end it soon.”