Draven Hawke

BOOK III CHAPTER TWO

And with a sad heart, I say bye to you and wave
Kicking shadows on the street
For every mistake that I had made
And like a baby boy,
I never was a man
Until I saw your blue eyes crying,
And I held your face in my hand
And then I fell down yelling,
"make it go away!"
Just make a smile come back
And shine just like it used to be
And then she whispered,
"How can you do this to me?" Hate me today
Hate me tomorrow
Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you Hate me in ways
Yeah, ways hard to swallow
Hate me so you can finally see what's good for you
For you
For you
For you.

~Hate me- lyrics~

DRAVEN

***

"Draven, Draven, Draven..." Autumn's voice echoed through Draven's mind as images of her eyes and smile splashed colorfully across the space in front of him. He groaned in frustration and smashed his fist against the concrete wall he was standing next to. It was not until he felt the impact, that the vision of Autumn slipped away, and he could once again concentrate on his true surroundings.

Remembering why he had entered the alley, Draven focused on the group of men on the other side of the small back door to the two story building. He could hear them making bets, shuffling cards, and the clinking of ice in their glasses. The smell of sex, whiskey, and cigar smoke filled his nostrils, and he let out a breath of sheer disgust.

There was no question that the people on the other side of that door were criminals. They were gangsters of the lowliest kind. However, each time Draven attempted taking in the consciousness, of any individual, nothing would happen. He could read nothing. Feel nothing. See nothing. Except, of course, for Autumn. Determining that it was she who was preventing him from making a connection, he used all of his strength to push her out of his mind. He had to stop thinking of her. He knew that. "Ah," he groaned again, while pulling at his hair.

At that moment, the back door opened, and Draven pushed his back flat against the wall, hiding in the darkness. A large man, wearing a navy suit with white stripes, began walking towards the open street, dragging a scantily dressed woman behind him. Using all of his efforts, Draven attempted to center on the man's consciousness one last time. Nothing. Only silence.

Distraught with rage, hatred, and confusion, Draven charged. He was on the man within a second, and he slammed him against the wall. The woman stumbled from the man's grasp and began to crawl back towards the door they'd come from, screaming for help. In his unbalanced state, Draven failed to stop her. All he could see were images of him tearing this man apart, mixed in with images of Autumn's smile. Autumn's laugh reverberated all around him, along with the distant sound of approaching footsteps. He shook his head back and forth, trying to break out of his delusion, and he pushed the man harder against the wall. The man was speaking, but Draven could not listen to his words. It was not until he was surrounded by numerous men, that he realized again, where he was at and what he was meant to be doing. Putting the man into a choke hold, Draven spun to face his audience.

"What brings ya ta Kings Cross?" One of the men stepped forward in a casual fashion. "Name your beef," he said, turning to the side to spit.

Draven knew the only way out, of a group of men this size, was for his crystal to activate. He closed his eyes, trying once again to connect, but it was only one pair of eyes he saw looking back at him. Her eyes. Knowing his attempt was futile, he dropped his hand from the man's throat and pushed him forward, letting him go. The man tripped, righted himself, and turned to face Draven with a furious, yet gleeful expression.