Where demons fear to tread

[Brutal]

They say the path to hell is paved with good intentions so what about the path out of hell, what is it paved with?

I don’t have any illusion of what I have become, most would consider me no better than the creature I hunt then again they are also the ones that need my service the most. The way to fight the shadows is to look upon them, to allow yourself to become one of them allow and then to turn upon the shadows from within. My dreams usually reflect this dark reality and this was no different.

I find myself in the center of the fire storm again. It burns away my flesh introducing me to the truth of pain and agony that few are ever introduced to. Among the flames I see him waiting for me, skeleton hand reaching out in anger and hate with his scythe ready to strike to claim the prize I cheated him so many years ago. The scythe was already stained with my blood when torn my soul in ahalf and it craves more desiring nothing else but to finish the job it began so many years ago. It hungers for another taste.

I feel my very soul burnt way by the fires as it consumes the remains of my humanity as fuel. I claw at the dirt as I pull my scorched body across shattered glass, ash and filth slicing myself every inch I am able to force myself to travel. I hear the Soul Reaper scream from behind me, from the center of the fire storm in pure unbridled frustration and blood red anger. His rage was almost a living entity all of its own and it was all directed at the damned soul that barely slips its grasp being denied it promised reward. The Reaper swears an unholy oath to fires surrounding him that this won’t be the last time we meet, that soon it will claim what was rightfully his, even if he must bring damnation to a 1000 more souls, bring tears to the Maker's eye and clear the land of all existence, it will claim what was given to it even if that soul was unwilling to go.

I see a laughing skull on the edge of the fissure, as I pull myself out of the inferno I created. It laughs at me and mocks me for my foolishness. It thinks I should have laid there and let the Reaper lay claim to my soul instead of just a part of it. It should let it finish job that I began. The laugher is beyond maddening.

It is not the first time I’ve had this dream. It is the same dream I’ve had ever night for the last few years. But instead of the laughter forcing me to awake, I kept dreaming, forced to remember my past.

[Technocrat]

Wow big guy. That's some pretty harsh stuff.

I've been having nightmares ever since you rescued me. Nothing involving the reaper, though. Just flashbacks to... you know, what happened in Chicago.

Last night it was a flashback to that thing in the backyard...

Actually, you've been figuring in my nightmares a lot, big guy. I hope you won't take offence when I say this but I really hope we never have occasion to meet face to face again.

I've started taking sleeping pills just to cope.

[Doctor Boggs]

That's quite the powerful imagery Brutal, I suppose it's a miracle you're coping as well as you do.

Technocrat, take good care of yourself now! Don't wanna imagine what you went through, but listen to your doctors and don't be shy about asking for help if ya need it. Terrible thing what happened.

[Slayer]

Well then, it would seem that I would make three. I to have been having troubling dreams since Chicago. They are about the first hunt I did after finishing my training.

I was tracking a werewolf in Michigan, and since it was my first hunt on my own I wanted to make sure that everything went perfectly. I tracked the beast's patterns for two weeks before I made my move. I entered it's layer packing enough silver to cause a market shift, only to find that it was not there despite the fact that according to everything I knew about it it should have been sleeping.

It seems that while I was studying it, it to was studying me. It fed me false information so that when I came for it, it would be off hunting for others. Tracking it from there was easy because now it was not hiding. I came to a lovely home seated on three acres of land. There were numerous cars in the long drive way. With that many people there there should have been more noise, but the place was as quiet as library on a Friday night.

I raced to the house praying I was wrong, but knowing I wasn't. As I reached the front steps, I could see the door hanging by a single hinge, swaying in the gentle night breeze. One look through that door told me I was going to hate myself for being fooled. In the foyer, a sign fluttered softly. It said "Happy Seventh Birthday Lindsey!".

I forgot my training at that point and rushed into the house, trying find out if there had been any survivors. The gruesome scene laid out before me assured my eye's that none lived, but still I moved from body to body checking for any small sign of life, in a vain hope that my need to be perfect had not led to the deaths of 34 people.

10 adults.
24 children

All dead for my pride.

[Slayer]

It was as I moved about the dead when it jumped me. It was male and in it's altered form it stood nearly nine feet tall. My armor took the brunt of the impact, but it still knocked me across the room. That was when my training took back over and I drew my shotgun. I am fairly fast, it was much faster.

The second hit sent me through a wall into the kitchen, my Spas went in another direction. As I drew my self up out of what had been a breakfast nook, I drew Nemesis and set myself for it's next lunge. It pounced through the hole in one bound, looking to pin me under it. What it got was Nemesis plunged into it's chest.

From there the fight went in my favor, and that beast's sliced up corpse was found with the rest.

I have only gone into this much detail because I want you all to know what happened. Because in my most recent dreams, I have been watching what happened to those thirty four souls, through their eyes.

Every night since Chicago.

[Grace]

The second hit sent me through a wall into the kitchen, my Spas went in another direction. As I drew my self up out of what had been a breakfast nook, I drew Nemesis and set myself for it's next lunge. It pounced through the hole in one bound, looking to pin me under it. What it got was Nemesis plunged into it's chest.

What?

I must be tired, there's no way I just read that.

[Cessiel]

All dead for my pride.

Pride goeth before the fall.

[Slayer]

Nemesis:
Yes, you read it. The name of my sword is Nemesis. That has been it's name since creation.

Cessiel:
That is very true, and I have fallen more than once. But if we do not fall, then we do not learn and are doomed to repeat our mistakes.

[Doctor Boggs]

Nemesis:
Yes, you read it. The name of my sword is Nemesis. That has been it's name since creation.

Ain't coincidence great?

Cessiel:
That is very true, and I have fallen more than once. But if we do not fall, then we do not learn and are doomed to repeat our mistakes.

Ain't that the sad truth! Hey, welcome aboard Slayer, nice work there in Chicago.

[Brutal]

The dream is nothing new for me. I've had the same one for the last few years. What was different this time is where the dream lead too.

[Slayer]

Thanks Doc, but to be honest I didn't even know Brutal and Techno were there. I was only after the creature, those mob fools just got in the way.

Brutal, I hear you. I have had dreams about that night before to, but never from the victim's perspective before, it has been.... unsettling.

[Cessiel]

This all seems very familar.

[Slayer]

Familiar how exactly? If you have any thoughts please share them because my research has not turned up any leads.

[Joe Smith]

I haven't been able to sleep well for years, only getting a few hours of sleep here and there. But I never have have dreams that I remember.

I usually just go and putter in the shop when I can't sleep. I seem to get a lot done at night.

[Cessiel]

Familiar how exactly? If you have any thoughts please share them because my research has not turned up any leads.

I will have to look into it to be sure. In the meantime, I would suggest that you read up on E.T.A. Hoffman. This man wrote some truly brilliant literature.

[Slayer]

Thank you for the suggestion Cessiel, I will look into it as soon as I am able.

[Cybermancer]

Seems to be a lot of bad dreams going around lately.

[Doctor Boggs]

Ain't that the truth! I've been dreaming about my grandfather lately, if you can call that dreaming. Haven't gotten a decent nights rest in ... days? It's kinda hazy, I was hitting the bottle kinda hard there.

Weird.

[Cybermancer]

If you lay off the bottle, the dreams may go away, my good Doctor Boggs.

Is there anything else to these dreams, do you think?

[Doctor Boggs]

Sadly the drinking was part of an ill considered attempt to ignore or blot out the lousy things, but I digress. As it happens I had the 'dream' again last night but... well I'll just recount it and let you decide.

After an evening I have only the haziest recollection of I passed out in my latest hotel room hoping for a night free of dreams. Just like every night recently I was back being that young dumbass who was all full of himself with the taste of power. I'd past the last of my Grandpa's tests and I could finally do any damned thing I wanted and sure enough I was. Every night the dream started just as I cracked open the safe of a promising looking house I'd spotted a few days before. I didn't even need the money but I got a rush from being able to just walk in and out people's houses and take what I wanted, the power always seemed to go out when I approached the houses and locks were as simple to open as Ali Babas cave, although I was still careful to scope the places out first so nobody would be home during my visits. Except of course I got cocky.

So there I was in this complete strangers house popping there safe open with a s*** eating grin when I hear someone walk into the room. Some part of me knows this isn't real and fights so damn hard to resist, but I still panic at the unexpected intrusion. Just like every other night I can only watch in horror as I spin around and lash out with the heavy flashlight I'm carrying and club the old man in the temple. Then I stand there uselessly as he tumbles over sideways and cracks his head against a large chest with a sickening crunch. Time seems to stretch as I stand there with my mouth flapping noiselessly while I fought with myself over whether I should run like hell or call for help. I'll admit I almost booked it, but changed direction at the last second and went for the phone to call an ambulance and nuts to the consequences.

Normally that's when the man stands up completely unharmed and perceptions twist slightly as his image is replaced with that of my Grandpa, who had been teaching me a pretty sorely needed lesson. Maybe it doesn't seem that nightmarish to some, but I still remember the moment when I thought I'd killed an innocent old man for no reason and I'm not fond of recalling it in vivid detail. But last night instead of my Grandpa a strange man appeared, I couldn't seem to focus on anything but his face which was oddly familiar with its receding hair line and bushy eyebrows, but I can't quite place it. He spoke to me in this deep voice and I could hear the suppressed tones of amusement laced throughout, "this has all been very enlightening. I never realized that such a group of people existed. But I do now and I also have your dreams well in hand."

He stopped and held up a single finger. "In exchange for the information you have provided me, I have decided you may bear a message for me to your friends. Or one of them at least. Tell The Fallen that his daughter... she has very pretty eyes!" And then the dream faded out to the sounds of his laughter.

I cannot imagine who that was and no clue who the Fallen may be except he's probably a board member. I'm concerned enough I thought I should let everyone know though.

[Hannah]

Okay, seriously, if this is another one about me I'm going to hire that secretary.

I've had enough, really.

[Doctor Boggs]

I still have no idea who the bugger was in my dream, but I am sure the message was meant for a 'he'. Whoever 'the fallen' is seems to be this creeps focus.

In the meantime I'm going to try and find a way to keep unwanted visitors out of my dreams, that was just... unpleasant.

[Cessiel]

Hmmm. An interesting message.

[Ron Caliburn]

Well, need to short list, who here has a daughter. Ben, myself, who else?

[Holister]

Very short list... Did that guy Michael T. from awhile back have a daughter?

[Cybermancer]

I have two daughters.

Keiko has eyes just like mine.

Katherine has green eyes.

But no one has ever referred to me as 'The Fallen', to the best of my knowledge.

[Cessiel]

I also have a daughter.

[Doctor Boggs]

Well I myself don't, apparently I was just the delivery boy. I hope it's figured out though, I didn't like the sounds of it one bit. I've started sleeping in a protective circle just so there's no repeats, so far so good.

[Grace]

Who here with a daughter refers to themselves or is referred to as 'The Fallen'?

[Holister]

I've been called a few things in my time, don'tever recall bein' called " Fallen " before.

Betcha a six packa and a steak dinner its about Ron & Hannah though.