The Crow: Redemption. Chap 4

Sam Girvan

"The Crow: Redemption"

Chapter Four

The crow's flight had led Alex through several dark alleys and down a familiar street he had walked many times before. He had been seeing flashes of this so called "larry" in his mind, the crow was heading straight for him.
Larry was walking through an estate that Alex knew well, it was the very area where he had been hours before, on a small area of grass in front of Stella's home. He was muttering to himself, not knowing that there was in fact nobody with him.
Alex simply watched from a wall he was now sitting on as Larry walked towards him, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "What you all dressed up for, kid?" said Larry as he reached in his pocket.

"I wouldn't...guns aren't nice" said Alex as he simply kicked his feet, "Yeah, well they aint meant to be nice!" said Larry as he pulled the gun from his jacket pocket. Larry was a tall man, with short black hair though his complexion was very fair his rough black beard sat on his chin quite comfortably. Alex jumped from the wall and stood up right, he slowly walked towards Larry as the crow made noises in the background, almost as if to edge him on.
Larry began taking steps backwards, slowly he walked into the middle of the green, he couldn't understand why his hand simply wouldn't let him pull the trigger, though he wanted to. Alex finally stopped moving towards him and simply stood in front of him with a large smile on his face, "Now, how are we going to do this? Am i going to say something that makes you remember me? Or should i just say who i am?" said Alex before letting out a loud echoing laugh. "Y...you're that kid! We killed you man, Mac shot you! We through you and those bastard kids off the multi car park!" shouted Larry who was now shaking in fear. The gun he held seemed to click as the hand holding it trembled.

"Bastard kids? Is that what i heard you say?" said Alex mockingly as he took a step forward, "Die!" shouted Larry as he fired the gun. The bullet flew from the weapon and hit Alex straight in the chest, he stepped back a little before standing upright again and looking at the hole in his shirt. "That was my shirt..." said Alex as he looked up at Larry. "My favourite shirt" muttered Alex as he charged at Larry, slapping the gun from his hand and in the process, breaking his wrist. Light's began to come on inside the surrounding houses, people had obviously heard the gunshots and could do nothing but see what it was.
"Now you've got us an audience! Shame you won't be around for the encore!" said Alex as he grabbed Larry by his shirt and threw him into a parked car. The side of the car bent in slightly and two of the car's windows smashed all over Larry's damaged body. Alex slowly walked towards him as the car alarm went off, raising the noise level of the fight even more.

"Hooligans!" shouted an old lady from her bathroom window, "Get away from here!". Alex simply laughed to himself as he knelt down in front of Larry who was bleeding from his forehead. "You've got blood on your face Larry my boy" said Alex as stood up again. "How are you gonna greet death looking like that? I mean, first impressions are everything right?"
Alex grabbed Larry by his hair and dragged him away from the car, "Now, you and your little fucking gang took everything from me and now you think you can just bleed all over the floor? Making more people clean up your filth?" said Alex as he lifted Larry to his feet. "I don't think so" muttered Alex as he smiled and took out a small box of matches from his pocket. "What...are..-" started Larry, "Be quiet" said Alex as he cut him off, he slowly removed a match from the box and lit it on Larry's chin. "Say bye bye to the birdy!" said Alex with a smile as he placed the burning match into Larry's shirt pocket and zipped up his coat. "It's going to get a little warm from here on" said Alex as he drew the gun from his jacket pocket and shot Larry in his right knee. "You see, humans have this thing about concentrating on the more...painful things, rather than the more dangerous" said Alex as he paced around Larry. Larry was screaming in agony as he held his knee, he stopped when he saw fire poking through his jacket. "Death has come for you Larry, say hey to death for me" said Alex as he walked away from the screaming Larry as he slowly began to burn. People had come out of their houses but could do nothing but watch as Larry burned to death. The crowd of men and women that had formed watched as the crow swooped over them and flew into the darkness that Alex had walked into. A few of the men ran inside the house to call the police, not knowing that it would do them no good.

Stella had been looking through town for over an hour but was yet to find any sign of Alex at all, she was still crying a little but had not given up hope. Suddenly her mobile rang in her inside pocket, she quickly pulled it out and opened her flip phone. "Hello?" she said quietly as she brought the phone to her ear. "Stella! Its mum, somebody was just horribly killed right outside the house, where are you? Are you ok?" said the voice of Stella's mother. "I'm fine mum, i'm in town...i'm looking for someone" replied Stella as she carried on walking down the road. Dodging the signposts and random passers by. "Ok, just promise me you'll be careful" said Stella's mother, Stella sighed and said "I'll be fine mum, i promise" before closing her phone and putting it back in her pocket. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Alex sitting on a bench across the road from her. The crow was on his shoulder and he was staring at the floor. Stella quickly ran across the road and over to him, Alex looked up and smiled as Stella sat down beside him. "Alex!" she said as tears began to fall from her eyes again, she pulled Alex towards her and held him tight for several moments. "What are you doing out here Stella? It's dangerous at night, i told you that so many times" said Alex as he pulled away. "I had to see you, i couldn't stand that you were out here and i wasn't with you" Stella replied.
"I've felt the same way...but i'm here for a reason, you know i wish i could spend this all with you, i wanted to marry you, i wanted kids of our own...i wanted it all and now i can't have it, WE can't have it" said Alex as he looked into Stella's eyes. "I love you but i have to keep killing...i have to finish what i've started, they all have to pay...they all have to die" said Alex as a powerful look came over his face. "Please, take this" said Alex as he pulled the gun from his jacket, "If anyone comes near you with any bad intentions, pull it out, ok?" said Alex. Stella slowly took the gun from Alex and put it in her bag, "I miss you" she muttered as she looked up. To her suprise, Alex was gone and so was the crow. She looked up as the wind seemed to say "I love you".