DYING MOURNINGS, original

twenty : moonstruck

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𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 : 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐊

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I saw red.

Of all shades and colors.

They blurred and burned into my head and eyes as rage overtook me. I could feel my hands shaking and a horrible stream of wet hot tears slink out from my eyes and down my cheeks in torrid marks. The rage was so full inside of me that I could feel it trying to squeeze my throat, trying to force its way out of me like some beast that had been curled up inside had finally wanted to break free.

John Walker was the devil. This entire time I'd been a fool, naive to the truth right before me. All the warnings, the way he and Ace always went off alone, the way they showed up just at the nick of time to rescue me from Conner. The way Ace had been coming to me in my dreams, warning me of my death, John's absence. John Walker was there the night Cage used my blood in the summoning and that was all it took.

Just a tiny drop to bring forth the end of the world and a tyrant so horrific, we would all be better off dying now to save our souls.

The ringing in my ears slowly began to fade as the red and black did, being replaced with a single image in my mind.

The moon was bright and angry tonight. I had thought this card was about Crow's true evil but it was about John, about Ace, about everything I didn't want to face because I knew it would break me.

I sucked in a deep breath, clutching at my chest. "The devil?"

"Yes."

"You're the devil?"

"Are you dense? Yes."

"H-how?" I couldn't speak and I felt my cheeks go hot with embarrassment. This entire thing was mortifying. I studied him further and a horrible laugh came up and out of me and I covered my mouth as I stepped back and leaned against the table to brace myself. "Dear god, how the hell are you the devil?"

John's brows furrowed. "Jesus, don't sound too surprised."

"It's just–" I waved my hand towards him with a laugh to mask the shame and the rage. "It's just that you're you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snapped, clear anger flashing over his face. It seemed he didn't like his power being questioned, much less by me.

I grinned, feeling those sparks of anger return. "It means that you need to prove it." My grin turned into a smirk as I said, "Come on, John, show me how bad the devil can be."

"My power isn't flaunted around on the outside," he said to me in a startling calm voice. "It comes from the inside. I could lead you astray with just a simple whisper to your ear. I could reach inside your gut and twist your organs, forcing you to do my bidding. I can tempt you to do something you would never imagine." His head cocked to the side again like an animal looking down its prey but I only wish he knew it was the other way around. He was the rabbit and I the wolf.

"You don't scare me," I said.

"I should."

"And why is that?"

"Because I know about Pandora. I know what holds her back from you."

The ringing returned to my ears but I didn't falter. I would not show him I was scared or that the mere mention of her name sent something horrible through me.