The Time

Chapter twenty two

I do not have genital herpes.
And now we've cleared that up...

The man - Wesson - let us through the heavy gates to the park and winked at me as we left him. What a man whore! Though he had a face I could appreciate...
The park started with a range of shops, all of them converted into makeshift hospitals and storage areas and food banks. In the middle of these was a fountain covered in ivy and snakes. Noice.

"So where do you reckon your friend lives? Stitch's mum say his name was Quin or something?" Destiny questioned as we walked past the deserted area.
"Milo Quin. Mad scientist and expert on the occult." I replied, peering around. "And extreme feminist."
"So where-"
"Holy fuck!" I cried, running towards the electric board before me.
It used to display ride times but now is said where each resident of the park lived. Royalty. Criminals. Influential people of all kinds. And of course Milo Quin who now resided in the grand Towers themselves.
"Last time I saw him, he was mooching in CBeebies land! Now he's friggen king!"
"What do you mean?" Des frowned.
"He lives in the castle. He lives in a fucking castle! Do you know how you get a place here? You kill the previous owner. These are the most powerful people in the whole world! Velvet? He's got nothing on them."
"I thought the people living here were pacifists?"
"No, only the market people are. Do you know who he would of had to kill to get in?"
"Who?"
"Marcus Monday-"
"The Monday murderer? Didn't he kidnap and repeatedly torture school kids. Skinned some too. Turned them into furniture. I've seen some of his work. The stitching isn't great but the idea is pretty original." Des blurted with great enthusiasm.
"You scare me more and more the longer I know you." I scowled thoughtfully.

Marcus Monday had certainly done those things; kidnapping 6 kids on a Monday back when school was still a thing. He then proceeded to torture and kill them 6 times. 666. I think he misread the rules of Satanism. From the outside though (after crossing a lake) there appeared to be no visible differences from the castle when he'd lived there to the building now.
Suddenly, there was a shout from one of the upper windows; a tall tower of rough old stone and a gaping whole where the glass used to be. Peaking out from here was a bow and arrow. And behind that? The owner of the shout.
"Are you two here to kill me?"
Blunt. Articulate. American.
"No, we're here to speak... And not get penetrated by a bloody arrow!" I cried back
"Bonnie?"
"Ace now actually, but yes, it is I. You don't need the password do you?"
"God no! Go through the arch and I'll let you in!" Milo shouted back.
The bow and arrow disappeared.
"Would he really have shot us?" Destiny queried with a nervous mumble.
"I'm not going to say yes, but it's not a no." I shrugged, striding off to the left in search of the infamous archway.
"But we hadn't done anything!" He put forward, trying to catch up with me.
"Not yet. You've got to remember, he lives in a world where people want to kill him for his house. Why wouldn't he kill us?"
Passing through the archway, we found the first entrance which had now been boarded up and the second more grand entrance which hadn't.
"Because I'm adorable?" Des grinned at me.
"Idiot." I rolled my eyes.

At the door, we skipped up the rounded steps and knocked hard on the faded wood (haha - wood). They opened with a heavy growl and we were swiftly ushered inside. They slammed shut behind us.
Milo Quin stood before us in all his glory, stating plainly, "I'd hug you but..."
"We'd both not enjoy that." I finished for him.
He eyed up Destiny who shrunk even further into his grey hoodie - though I didn't think that was possible.
"And you are?" Quin asked my traveling companion directly.
"D-Destiny." He stuttered in response, looking at me as if for confirmation that yes, that was his name.
But I knew what the look meant; should he tell Milo the truth. And then a very wide, bright, special smile broke out on Quin's face and Des was suddenly dragged into a painfully tight hug.
When he was finally released, he questioned confused, "You know who I am?"
"Of course!" Milo grinned, continuing to study him with his eyes. "You're the immortal. You're the one Velvet tortured because... Well, you know!"
"Know what?" I frowned, looking as befuddled as Des.
(I really like that word).
"You don't know? Destiny, you're meant to save the world!"
"Wait, what? What are you talking about? How do you know that? How am I meant to 'save the world'? I can't even save biscuits from dropping in my tea!" Des cried.
"Come to the dining room and I'll tell you." Quin then turned before shouting. "VIRTUE! WE'VE GOT GUESTS!"

Milo was tall and slim but also muscular and handsome. His face was ageless but his deep brown eyes held old truths which aged them. The top he wore was green/blue oceans of plaid with tight black jeans and matt black military looking boots. Hair escaped his head in a mess and echoed the soulless black of his thick eyebrows. His movements were smooth and his expressions usually serious - though he saved his exceptionally special smile for the moments he needed - like now.
"Wait, Virtue is here?" Des questioned quickly, following him through the huge stone entrance hall and into the rooms beyond.
"Has been for at least a year now."
"And he's alright? He's alive? Unhurt? Safe?" A pause. "Happy?"
"Virtue doesn't have the capability to be happy - but everything else? Sure."

I had no idea who Virtue was. But by the way Des was acting, they were obviously important.

We got into the dining room and it was suddenly very obvious what had been changed since the previous owner of the castle.
"You heard about this room?" Quin asked, offering us both a seat.
"Yup." I nodded, taking up his offer in the blue plush leather of a expensive looking wooden chair. "This is where Mr. Monday strung up his victims, right?"
"Had to wallpaper over some of the blood stains. Couldn't get them out." He confirmed.
It was hard to believe that behind the electric midnight and gold velvet wallpaper was the eternal remains of death. Noice.
"I see you added the painting too." I noted. "Still got a flare for the dramatic?"
It was a huge canvas (almost as big as the long mahogany banquet table we sat at) and painted across it was a man standing on a mound of skeletons, a human head held tight in one fist and a strange looking gun by his side in his other.
"No actually, that's-"
"Jones." Destiny interrupted Milo. "Jones Virtue."
"You called?" A classy little drawl of a voice echoed loudly from a room somewhere to the left.
Suddenly, there was a spillage of white/golden heavenly light into the room from the doorway, out of which the owner of the voice stepped.

The man had close cropped hair which looked black/grey in the light. He was young though. Maybe my age? Maybe only a few years older than Destiny? Like Quin, he wore black boots and jeans but unlike him, he wore a look of snark in his steely blue eyes and hid a obviously strong build beneath his navy top and black jacket. But he held Destiny's mannerism of shyly hiding in his sleaves. This man had an air of confidence though. And undeniable sass.
And then suddenly he saw Des and a strange brand of happiness crossed his face and, just like Quin had done, Virtue crossed the room and pulled him into a strong embrace. This time however, Des returned it. And I don't think I'd ever seen him more... Content.
"You were gone." Des stated, still holding onto Virtue, voice thick with the threat of tears.
"And you were dead." Came the dark reply.
It was story time...

"I first met Destiny at a prison-like orphanage called The Bridge back before he was Destiny." Virtue informed me over a glass of Mr. Monday's vintage red wine. "And he's always been immortal. I've seen that kid beaten the crap out of more times than I can count and he's bounced back every time."
"Like a spring!" Des grinned.
"Or annoying puppy." Virtue corrected. "And Milo thinks he knows why..."
"I knew a scientist working for the last government involved in the creation of the respawning drug and he'd told me of the possible side effects; if no one can die, that meant bad guys, villains and any other generally nasty people can't die either. That's why they invented the God Killers. But, at the same time that they were working on these weapons as a backup plan, other, more, shall we say, black market scientists were working on something else. Someone else. You Des. They were trying to get to a point where people wouldn't need to respawn because nothing could kill them in the first place. They couldn't get that far however before their operation was discovered and shut down. But not before they could make you; a 'fuck you' to the government, their scientists and the system. You, my friend, are Batman!"
"I'm a superhero?" Des exclaimed.
"You're a symbol."
"Oh."
"And as such, you can save the world. You can be the symbol of rebellion. You can drive this world to a future by showing the bad guys you're not scared because you can't be stopped! You can destroy everyone!"
"Listen," I sat forward. "He ain't Katnis and this ain't the Hunger Games. And Des isn't destroying anyone!"
"I second that notion." My friend agreed sticking a hand up. "The only person I want dead is Velvet."
"Velvet?" Virtue scowled violently, something lighting in his eyes. "I'm in."