It had been a week since Lewis died. Bill hadn't said a word since then. He took his beatings from Harvat without a yelp or whimper. He started to do his work willingly and gave up on escape. Harvat put the whip away and Bill finally wasn't exhausted 24/7.
One day, Bill was cleaning out the barn because Harvat had finally decided to get an ox to pull the plow instead of Bill. He had just finished laying down a new bed of straw when there was a flash of black behind him. He jumped and fell in surprise.
There was an inhuman laugh and some sort of pitch black triangle in a top hat appeared out of thin air. Bill stared, open mouthed at it with wide eyes. A single green eye appeared in the middle of the triangle. There was no mouth.
"Hey there, kid," the triangle said.
Bill tried to talk but couldn't get anything out.
"What?" The triangle asked. "Never seen a demon before?"
Bill slowly began to crawl back, but his back hit the wall. "W-who are you?" He croaked out.
The triangle laughed. "Sorry, I forgot. The name's Zoro Cipher. And you're Bill."
"How do you know me?" I asked.
"Oh, I know lots of things."
Bill gulped. "D-did you say you're a-a d-demon?"
"Sure did," Zoro said. "A dream demon to be exact!"
"A-a dream demon?" Bill asked.
"Yup!" Zoro answered. "I have the power of the mind."
"W-what are you doing here?" Bill asked.
Zoro put an arm around Bill. "I heard about your brother."
Bill grew angry. "Don't give me sympathy!"
"Woah, kid!" Zoro said. "I'm here to help you."
"Help me?" Bill asked.
"Don't you want to be free?" Zoro asked.
"No," Bill said. "There's no point anyway. I have nothing left."
"How about if I told you I can bring your brother back?"
Bill swallowed. "What? D-do you really mean it?"
"Of course!" Zoro said. "You've just gotta do a teeny tiny thing for me."
"What's that?" Bill asked, unsure.
"You've just gotta let me live in that brain of yours for a bit. Don't worry, I won't be there long! And besides, you'll be immortal for the time I'm in there."
"So I'll be like this until you're out of my head?" Bill asked.
"Oh, no," Zoro said. "But the aging process will be slower than normal. And I'll even help you with your escape from this dump."
"I'm not sure," Bill said, hugging his knees.
"This is for your brother," Zoro said. "Wouldn't he do the same for you?"
Bill bit his lip. He knew Lewis would never do anything like this. He took a deep breath and thought of his brother's last words. Lewis was innocent and there was no reason for him to die.
Zoro held out his hand that was engulfed in red flames. Bill swallowed and shook it.
Bill instantly felt the demon in his head. Great job, kid. First things first, we've gotta get you out of this dump.
~
It was the middle of the night when Marsha heard a knock on her door. She pulled on a robe and opened the door. She was surprised to find Bill standing there. "Can you help me?"
She blinked. "O-of course," Marsha said. She let him inside. Bill's eyes were darting around. "I-is my brother here?"
Marsha shook her head. "I'm sorry, he was taken away before any of the other slaves caught his disease."
Bill swallowed. "Okay," he said sadly. "Um, can you give me some food and extra clothes?"
"Sure, but why?" Marsha asked.
Bill scratched the top of his head. "I've decided to run away."
Marsha blinked again. "You what?"
Bill looked down. "It's okay if you don't want to help me. I just didn't want to go into my old habit of stealing things to live."
Marsha shook her head. "No, I-I guess I don't blame you for wanting to run away from a place like you were in. Come on. I'll help you."
Bill followed her into the kitchen. Masha gave Bill as much food as she could spare and an old pair of trousers that were well patched and a shirt that would be a little too big for him. She didn't have any shoes to spare, but Bill didn't mind. He was used to going barefoot most of the time. Then Marsha asked him if he would mind taking Lewis' old blanket. Bill said yes. It would be one of the only things he had left of his brother. Marsha had washed it well, so it didn't smell like death anymore. Bill held it close to him.
With a bag of food over his shoulder and newer clothes, Bill thanked Marsha and was off.
Marsha watched him go and wondered what he was so nervous about.
~
The next morning, everyone in town was surprised to find Harvat's land burned to the ground. The old man himself was nowhere to be seen.
Zoro had whispered constantly in Bill's mind, This was the only way. He was an evil man anyway. Remember what he did to you...?
~theshipper101~
Thoughts on the name Zoro?
Yeah, I don't know how I came up with it either.
My brain has a mind of it's own!
