Black Crimson

Chapter I "Ghosts"

"They Say sleep is the cousin of death, so I keep my eyes wide open cause a dream is Kin to your last breath"

Chapter I - "Ghosts"

The year is 1723, I stumbled to my bedroom to see my daughter asleep. The bottle of whisky falls out of my hand hitting the floor with a loud crash. My daughter Lilly wakes with a startle, she looks at me with the same look she gave me seven years ago when her mother had died. She had died from a fever, when Lilly was only eleven. Lilly had looked after me since Amelle's departure. I never got over my beautiful wifes death, and I never will. I had made my fortune in exporting good to England and Spain.

It was a foggy day when she passed, normally the birds would land on our window ledge and sing their perfect song but this time they didn't as if they knew something awful was happening through the window. I often think that the day my wife died is the day I died, but my heart still beats on. I had started gambling since her death and I lost most of the time. I gambled, money, jewellry, stock, everything I had. The only I had which I didn't throw away was my child. We moved from Paris in to a small one bedroom apartment, you couldn't really call it an apartment. The walls where stained with the sweat of a nation working so hard to feed the wealthy. I owed a large amount of money to a loan shark called Cleamont Gold, a cold hearted jew. "If you don't repay me, I'll take everything you own" he said. "Everything" I had nothing for him to take, except my life. I longed for death but couldn't leave Lilly. I gambled the money that Gold had borrowed me, only to lose it all on a single game of cards.

I walked home that night cold, alone and drunk. I stumbled into the front door, and then pulled the handle bursting in to the house. I climbed up the staircase that seamed to sway with every step closer to the top. A whiskey bottle in my hand I finished the last drops. I entered the bedroom and the bottle of ale slipped out of my hand.

" drunk again" asked Lilly, "Where did you get the money from?"she walked over to me and stood me up straight. Vomit was dripping on my waistcoat jacket and onto my rough leather boots.

"Why is it that you never married Lilly?" I asked. The question seamed fine, but the answer would haunt me for the rest of my life. "I have never married because of you! How can I leave you when you will die alone, you are reason for my loneliness Father" I paused, my mouth was wet and it was now dripping onto my chin.

It was the sound of glass breaking that woke me from my slumber that night. I jumped out of bed and ran to the window. I didn't have to look out th pane of glass to know who it was, Cleamont Gold and his men.

"Come out, Charles... We mean you or your family no harm" the sound of his men laughing sent shivers up my spine, I feared not for my life but for Lilly's who had yet to blossom. My head was still buzzed from the drink, but I was thinking clear enough. I opened my door and right away hands were placed upon me. I was punched in the stomach. The sound of Lilly running out to help me made my heart stop.

"Lilly go back inside" I cried at the top of my lungs, this was shortly followed by another punch to the stomach. They brought me across the dirty floor on my knees to the feet of Gold. Lilly was grabbed by one of the bigger thugs Jean. "Don't you hurt her" I yelled but before I got a chance to finish, Cleamont started to clap his wretched hands. His black eyes, stared at me and his face was painted the largest smile I have ever seen.

"Ahh, Charles, Charles, Charles I heard about your luck with the cards. Sometimes, well most of the time the house always wins" He kept his monotone voice at a low level, making me struggle to hear. I noticed Cleamont's son Gabrielle standing behind him. I had seen Gabrielle around before and rumour had it that he was nothing like his father.

"Take anything you want" I said, Cleamont laughed in my face. Saliva from his poisoned mouth landed on my face. "You have nothing to take" He responded, half laughing. I tried to stand to defend myself properly but his two men had a tight grip on my shoulders. "You came to me and borrowed money, and now it's pay back time". My heart was racing like a drum. I seen his eyes flicker towards my Daughter. He looked back at me and his tight face smiled, this smile was full of malice. He slowly walked over to Lilly and lightyly brushed her face. I did not hear what he whispered in her ear.

"Don't you touch her" I yelled three times. One of them men who was holding me down, put his large strong arm around my throat and lifted me up. He brought me closer to Lilly, I never took my eyes off her. "Lilly" I choked out.

"What did I tell you Charles, huh? I told you I would take everything you had" He gave Jean one of his cruel looks and then he nodded. Jean grabbed Lilly and instantly he picked her up then carried her into my home. Her screams still haunt my dreams. She kicked, punched, scratched, but Jean's grip was too tight. I looked on helplessly as the ripping of her clothes echoed into my ears. "Please, Please" Cleamont looked at me and he smiled. "You did this to yourself Charles"

"Father" Gabrielle spoke "This is madness, you came for Charles leave his daughter out of this"

"You have a lot to learn about business my son" He snorted back without even looking his son in the eyes. "If this is how men do business then I never want to learn" He quickly said. His Father turned to him grabbing his young face with his right hand. "Then let the streets be your home Gabrielle"

Gabrielle pulled his face away, and looked at his Father with cold eyes. "This is wrong, she is a young girl do what you will to him" Gabrielle looked me in the eyes and I could see his empathy. He looked around at the group of men he was full of pain, then he stormed off.

I could hear the terrible noises coming from my house, my daughter yelling out to be rescued and yet I couldn't do a thing. If I ever wanted death, this was it. "I'll get you for this" I spoke harshly, my eyes full of tears. My head cleared up of the ale and I knew that I would kill them all. "I know you will , I would kill me also if I was in your shoes" Jean came out of the house alone made my heart slow down to a single beat.

"That's why you wont ever get the chance, you see..." Cleamont got so close to my face, his breath was warm on my nose, his words cold on my ears. "...I don't believe in ghosts, and thats all your going to be a ghost"

Cleamont moved backwards, and the two men holding me let go. My arms where open wide, like the albatross. I looked towards the silver ray of death coming towards me. The sword peirced my chest, and I didn't feel a thing. I never took my eyes of Cleamont. The sword came out and I fell to the floor. I felt somebody spit on my face and then the laughter of the group. Their footsteps got further and further away, so far that I couldn't hear them. I slowly got up and put my hand infront of my face. My head felt like I had drank a whole bottle of rum.

I walked into my front door, litlle drops of blood traced behind me. Drip, drip, drip, as the blood splashed the wooden floor. I opened one of the doors in the house and could see a foot. I didn't move the door any further. There was blood smeared on the foot. I pushed the door open, I could feel myself about to die. I looked upon my daughters face. She was dead. I'll never forget the look on her face. Her breasts, where exposed, and the gash where the dagger had slit her throat was still leaking blood. I stumbled to her, falling to the ground. My open wound burning violently but I didn't care I crawled to her. I pulled off my jacket and placed it over her body. I reached up and closed her eyes. "Lilly" I said. Before I could kiss her lips, I collapsed. I lied on that floor for what seamed an eternity but was only a few seconds maybe two or three. My eyes closed.

I imagined an old dirt path. The sides of the road were covered in thorn bushes. At the end of this path was a great black demon, whose face was covered by a hood. I knew it was Death. I walked towards it. Stepping from behind death was Lilly, she looked at me and smiled. I started to run. Lilly and Death where calling to me. I even smiled. I reached out my hand to grab her, when I felt myself being pulled.

I was in the room again, my eyes opened and a beautiful woman looked at me. "Do not be afraid" She said softly. Her blonde hair was perfect, golden. Her lips would make hell look dark. She brushed my hair back from my neck and she bit me. I had never knew why people had taken opiates, but in that moment I did. I could feel all my blood cells exploding inside my veins. My head was lighter than the air around me. This ecstatic feeling was made redundant, by the corpse of my only daughter lying next to me. My eyes closed once again, "you will die now, but I have a feeling that you will wake soon enough". the voice said, her voice was truely musical. I didn't hear the footsteps leave the room, but I knew she was gone. Then I was gone. I was dead....