Three Souls for the One Parts 7 - 9 (Revised)

Do dead men dream of the living?

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It is as it has always been here, a dark over cast day wet and cold night. The streets are dim and dreary, lined with human refuse, with nowhere to turn,and no where to escape the harsh reality of their existence. He is six years old walking the streets of the growing population of Kings Harbor; today he is clutching the hand of the only mother he has ever known. She has raised him from birth, she is Sister Mary Coven and to six year old Eric Bitters she is the world. Today the way he sees that world will change forever. He holds her hand tightly as they make their way from the market back to the First Baptist church of Sandoval Street; just ahead a small crowd is growing in numbers as they stand in the mouth of an alley. There are sirens in the air, but he does not hear them. They push through the crowd and Sister Mary tries to shield young Eric from the spectacle. She is unsuccessful. There lying in the alley; a man is dead. His glassy eyed stare sends an odd sensation coursing through the young boys body, he is only six years old. And already. He knows of death.

The images slowly grow dark, and then fade and for a moment, it seems as though its over, and then as though on a screen in a movie theatre, a new image begins to emerge.. There are six boys running from the police; they have stolen from a store. When the clerk catches them, the middle boy takes the lead and breaks a bottle over the his head, and when he falls, they begin to kick him mercilessly. A woman that passes by has seen them and calls the police. Now they run, Eric Bitters is just ten years old, and though his friend Ian Specter is one year younger than Eric, he seems to be older and has already begun to flourish in the world of petty crime. This day the boys all escape save Eric, they have all left him to the police, he spends the next two years in a youth facility, before being released back into the custody of Sister Mary Coven. She warns him to stay away from the rotten stench of Ian Specters gang of young thugs, and for a short time he does. Until Ian recruits him for an easy job. Ian has obtained the services of a hand gun, it will be the boys first armed robbery, they pull it off without a hitch, save for the small matter of Ian shooting a man dead because he saw their faces.

They are never caught, and through the next few years the image follows the young men into adulthood where their criminal activities continue to escalate. much to young Eric Bitters credit, he has beaten many a man near to death, but has never taken a life. Ian Specter on the other hand has all in all three murders under his belt before the age of eighteen. he has personally witnessed all three murders and Ian Specter secretly begins to look for an opportunity to rid himself of Eric Bitters. It would be six years later in a small market in an incident involving an Arabic grocery clerk and a young pregnant black mother to be; when Ian Specter would get his opportunity. The low rumbling of thunder opens his eyes and Eric Bitters looks down at his cold white hands, and as he listens to the faint sounds of distant sirens reverberating throughout the city. he is not sure if he just had a reflection of distant memories, or if he was somehow dreaming. He stands to look out at the flickering nightlife of Kings Harbor, and though he is not certain where fate will next take him, he knows in his soul that it is not over yet.. There is more work to be done here.

The Fools Circle.

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There far off, just beyond the reach of normal ears, he can make out the muffled sounds of voices, conversing with one another, lovers fighting , old men speaking in aggravated tones of where their lame duck horse happened to finish in the race. Defensive motorist’s pleading their case to the police officer that is about to give them a ticket. Sounds of the city. Of every city, not however, the sounds that he hopes to hear, the burning inside of him pushes at him.. Driving him through the rain filled sky until finally he comes to a stop above the abandoned church on Summit street. He hides in wait in the steeple watching through the rain. The deadman knows that this is where he must wait.
“What are you doing Eric?”
“Waiting.”
“For what?”
“The End.”

He closes his eyes. There is a slight flash of light. Moments pass and then there is a second flash. Only the second one seems to hold more meaning to him. The burning in his upper torso returns, faintly reminding him of what was. He runs his fingers across his stomach and they linger over the two bullet wounds that have now completely closed. He remembers. His first true act of selflessness. He remembers. The clerk that he couldn’t save and the pregnant woman that he almost didn’t. One or the other. Either or. The supreme selfless act that took his most valuable possession from him. His life. His eyes open and begin to search through the night sky. With purpose. There in the silence of the church steeple. He waits until he hears a familiar sound.

There is a dark green van that slowly motors up and along the curves of Summit street. There are two people inside of this vehicle. A man and a woman both are approximately middle aged. They park across the street from a dimly lit liquor store and wait. He can hear their voices clearly.

They are arguing over something. He listens intently. And then it comes to him. They are going to commit a robbery.

The man is driving. His voice is the loudest. as he begins to curse at the woman.

“No Bonnie. We’re going to wait!” he snaps at her.
“Jimmy! You’re such a wuss! We can take it without him! That just means more money for us!” she coaxes.
“No! damn you woman shut up already! I said NO!
She gets angry with him and continues taunting him with the name calling. But he eventually wins out.
“ Baby listen to me.” he tells her. “ this place. This little shit hole of a store is loaded! Over ten grand I hear!! In that little shitty ass store! It will be worth it to wait. To do it right. The man is a master of this. We’ll wait.”

They fall silent until almost thirty minutes pass, then he hears it.. A familiar sound.. From the not too distant past. He leans outside of the steeple to watch. And as he sees the small black compact pull up behind the van.. The burning returns to his stomach. He has found Ian Specter.

Spiraling Edgeward.

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He stands, silently watching until what seems like an eternity has past. And there in the light rainfall, he sees Ian Specter. Ian Specter.. Ian Specter. he repeats the name several times in his head until he can feel the rage beginning to burn inside him, Eric Bitters is very angry.
“No Eric. Dead men don’t get angry.”
“This one does.”
“No. Eric.. Dead men don’t need revenge.”
This one wants it so bad that he can feel it burning in the very soul he is trying to save. All of this anger. Damnation. Pure rage. All of this. What. Is. it? Emotions?? How can that be it? Your dead my friend. No blood in your veins. No heart beating in your chest. No. Eric.
There are no emotions. You are dead. What then is this? Madness?
A memory? Yesss. that’s what this is. A memory. Of a smile. That evil little smile that you saw. Just before the that little flash of light, took you from your prison. Ian Specter’s evil little smile.

Close your eyes now deadman. Go back. What do you see? What is your wish? Tell us. Ian Specter is lying on the ground, he is quivering, perhaps for the very first time in his life he knows fear. He trembles before the dead man begging for mercy to a person that is no longer capable of such feats.

“What now Eric?.. What are you prepared to do to him?”

there is a silence all around him . He can see Ian specter’s face. He is yelling or perhaps it is a further extension of his pleas for mercy, but there is no sound. He is begging. Even pleading. But it is all a sham. You know this truth Eric. People like Ian. They’re only sorry when they are facing the consequences of their actions. Well. Its time. Do it Eric. Kill him. Well deadman? What are you waiting for? You hesitate. Why? What is it that makes you feel this way? Ahhh. Yes. There it is then. the one thing that will always pull you away from the edge of insanity even long after death has claimed you. The truth. Reason. Remnants of a conscience. Because you do see the truth.. You can’t kill him. Because you still not like him.

You are not Ian Specter.. You are Eric Bitters.

“Open your eyes Eric..”
“I. I don’t see it.”
“Its there Eric. Just open your eyes. Its- Right. there.”
“Ian.”
“Yes Eric.”
“It ends here.”
“Yes Eric”
“Do it for Annie?”
“No.”
“Marcus and Zack?”
“No.”
“For you Eric. This you must do. for you.”
He opens his eyes.. The rain is still falling only harder. The black compact parked behind the van, moves slightly as the form of Ian Specter emerges from the vehicle. He briefly stops to meet the man and woman from the van, and together they begin to cross the street towards the small run down liquor store. Above them Eric Bitters stands and moves silently towards the edge of the steeple. It is time for Ian specter to come face to face with his greatest creation.

Of Suffering And Sanity.
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The three of them are walking across the dark empty street, the man and woman walk stride for stride in front of Ian Specter. Upon entering the liquor store he raise’s his pistol to the back of the woman’s head and fires point blank, killing her instantly. Shocked the man turns to face Ian Specter, and he is the next to go. Ian turns the weapon towards the clerk,

“Wanna be a Hero?” He taunts.

The frightened clerk shakes his head no.

“All of the money in the register and the safe, now!”

The clerk tries to comply, and for a split second something catches Ian’s eye and he turns away for a second, when he turns back he is face to face with Eric Bitters.

“Hello Ian.. Goodbye Ian..”

A ice cold clammy white hand clutches at Ian Specters throat; and he is suddenly flying through the air. He crashes through the store front plate glass window and lands back first on the sidewalk.. Eric Bitters tells the bewildered clerk to call the police, and he steps out the door to deal with Ian.

Ian staggers to his feet, he now has no weapon.

“Who in the fuck are you?”

Again he is flying through the air, this time he lands back first up against a brick wall in the alley. Stunned he stumbles to his feet.

“N.. No.. please wait..”

Eric Bitters pauses.

“ Please Ian? Why- that isn’t like you. Why don’t you just shoot me again?”

He stares at Eric Bitters through the rain.

“Again? Man. I don’t even know you.”

The rain comes down harder ..

“You mean to tell me after all of these years Ian you’ve forgotten me?”
He peers through the rain trying to look closer. Startled he falls back against the brick wall..

“No Way man! Y.. Y.. You’re’. Dead- aren’t you? I. I. I shot you. Twice.. You’re suppose to be dead. E. Eric? Is that really you?”

He slowly slides down the brick wall whimpering as he goes. Sirens. Many siren’s. in the distance behind him. Ian will go to prison.. If Eric Bitters doesn’t kill him first. Killed by a dead man that YOU killed.. Irony at its finest. Times up. He grabs Ian Specter by the coat and raises him from the ground, he is soaking wet.. His bottom lip quivering.. A distant vacant look roams freely in his eyes. Ian Specter is slowly slipping away from the world of the sane..

And suddenly to Eric Bitters, revenge does not seem so important.. Ian Specter for all intensive purposes. Is dead to the world. He will never have another victim. There are four police cars present when the store clerk point them in Ian Specters direction. They take him into custody, they have two bodies, they have the murder weapon. And pending his sanity. They have Ian Specter. One way or another, sane or not, he will be safely locked away for the rest of his life, as the two officers are leading him to their cruiser; he is muttering the same thing over and over again.

“It can’t be. I killed him. I killed him.”

The police cars slowly pull away one at a time while the ambulance loads two more bodies into its belly. Two more for Kings Harbors growing collection. He watches from the top of the church Steeple, the store clerk is now explaining what happened to two of his regular paying customers outside of this establishment. One guy in Halloween makeup stopped a armed robber in his tracks. Eric Bitters lifts himself back into the night air. There is one more thing that he knows he must do.

Home.

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He’s sitting there, in the dark part of the room in a wooden chair, his elbows rest on the arms of it and his hands are bound together by his fingers and his chin sits on them. His eyes study her while she sleeps, and in the back of his mind he wonders. How could one human being be so loving. So patient, giving and understanding of someone who caused them so much grief over and over again. He wonders. Why hadn’t he ever told her? The things that he knew deep down that she needed to hear even if she never told him so. Mama. I love you. Mama I’m so proud, to be your only son. Mama. I proud of you for being an angel to the living- so many needed you. I needed you. And you kept giving. Your love. Your compassion. Your grace. How could I have never told you those words that I needed you to hear? How could I have been. So, so blind, by selfishness, by vanity, by my need to be part of that crowd that tore me away from your shelter, from your love. From you.

Now here I stand, humbled by that unforgivable knowledge. Maybe I’m still selfish. But I need you to know, that you’ve always had my respect, my love and undying admiration, even though I never spoke the words. I speak them to you now. I love you Mama. Eric Bitters rises to his feet and slowly goes to where Sister Mary Coven peacefully sleeps, with but one finger he slowly brushes the strands of silken hair from her face, she is still the most beautiful woman he has ever known, his cold lips touch her forehead and he kisses his mother for the first and last time, and in her slumber Sister Mary’s lips purse into a smile. The words she has waited for twenty five years to hear from her only son, invades the world of her dreams and tells her what she has known all along. And for the first time in life and in death Eric Bitters soul is at peace.

“Eric?”
He doesn’t answer.

“Eric. It’s time son.”
Followed by silence.
“You’re time here is finished, it is time to go.”
“Go where?”
“Home.”
He stares out the window at the rising sun on the horizon, the clouds have parted, the rain has for once stopped to witness this odd new miracle. And as he close’s his eye’s he can almost feel the warmth of the sunrise touch his cold face.. And Eric Bitters smiles, for he knows. He is already home.

~Fin.~

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