Well, here it is. The last of it. The end. The one and only chapter 6. I've had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you've had as much fun reading it. As always, this is fiction. Original fiction at that. I don't know any of the guys from *Nsync, nor do I hold any secret information about them. My thanx go out to Kat as always, and to those of you who've written me about this story. Okay, enough talk, On with the story...
The Price and the Prize, Chapter 6
It's dark here, and it's cold. I don't know where "here" is, or even if it's really a place. Maybe it's a time. Maybe it's not. I don't know. All I know is, it's cold, and it's dark. I like it that way. That means that IT isn't here, not watching. I can think freely. I learned that early on. If I can't feel IT, IT doesn't know what I'm doing. Not that I can do anything. Except think.
I've thought a lot these last few...what, hours? days? weeks? I have no concept of time. There's nothing to...well, there's nothing. Unless IT shows me something. When IT does I look for anything I can to tell me time, day, anything. I never have much time. IT always moves so fast. And the things IT makes me see...
ringring**ringring
I reach over and pick up the phone. "'Lo, J.T. speakin'."
"Hi Justin, how are you today?"
"Hi mom, I'm..." No! There is no phone. Damn it! I'm loosing it again. Tighten up Justin. Can't let my mind slip like that.
It's cold here, and it's dark. I like it that way. At least that way I know I'm still sane, I think. I'm not sure anymore...sure of anything. I was sure once. I knew who I was. I knew what I wanted. I knew the whole deal. I thought I did anyway. I was wrong. I didn't know anything. I'm starting to get it though. I've learned as much in the last, well, however long it's been, as I have in my whole life. A different sort of thing. IT doesn't think I'm listening when It talks, but I am. That's the only time The darkness parts. IT Thinks I'm just a stubborn kid. Okay, I am that, stubborn I mean. When I was real young I figured out that the only way I was going to survive in the entertainment business for very long was to make up my mind and stick to the plan. I had a plan. It was a good plan. Naive, but good. I was going to be a star. Not just a star though. One of those people that are remembered for generations. I was going to be like Frank Sinatra, Fred Astair, Bob Hope. Okay, so I get a little carried away about it, but that was my plan. It was going pretty good to. I had a long way to go to get to the prize, but I was willing to pay the price. Not any price. Like I said, I wanted to be like the great ones. The ones who, in the words of Mr. Sinatra,"Did it my way." Something went wrong.
There was a girl after a concert. She ran at me. I heard Lance shout, but it was to late. I was already falling. I held on to her, trying to make sure she didn't get hurt too bad. The breath left me when we hit the ground. I tried to inhale, but her lips were on mine. What came into me was not air. IT was there. I don't know exactly what IT is. I know IT is from somewhere else. Like that old Sci-Fi movie, "Not of this Earth". J.C. would like that I remember that. He loves those old black and white movies. He used to make me stay up and watch them with him when we were kids. They sucked. Bad. I never minded though. I always had fun. J.C.'s my best friend. He's the best friend I ever had. The best anyone could hope to have. The guys are great friends too. It's just that J.C. has always been there for me. If I needed something, he never asked why, just how soon. Even back when we first met, when the older kids on MMC used to ignore us younger ones, he always made time. For all of us, not just for me, but it seemed to me that he made a little more effort where I was concerned. It made me feel special. My mom was a little suspicious at first. She thought there might be "something wrong with him" as she put it. She thought he was gay, into kids or something. Then he started dating, bringing girls along when we went out and stuff. He hooked me up pretty good too, I must say. In fact he's the one that introduced me to the girl that would be my first time. He sort of set me up on that one. I was 14, she was 23. Freaked me out when we went to pick her and his date up. What a night that turned out to be. What a night that turned out to be. What a night that turned out to be. I just said that didn't I? Damn! I'm slipping again. That's what IT wants. IT said I would be broken. I won't let that happen. I don't know why it's so important for IT to break me before...
'Justin? Awaken sweet one.' IT thinks.
What now?
'I want you to see something. Look at this one."
I don't want to. I do anyway. If IT wants me to see something, or feel something, or taste or hear or smell something, I do.
'That's right Justin.'
There's a room, in a basement it looks like. There's very little light, and all of that is coming through a small window set high in the wall. There's a girl. Can't be 10 years old yet.
Oh God, not again.
'Oh no Justin,' IT laughs at me,'This one is for tonight.'
Tonight? Tonight! Oh God! The Ceremony!
'Oh Justin. Why do you insist on constantly calling to your god? If he were going to listen, he would have done so by now. And yes, tonight is the ceremony. Tonight I will open the ways for my true power, and my brethren.'
You'll fail.
'Now whatever would make you think something so asinine as that?'
You have to fail.
'I have to fail? And why do I have to fail? Because good always triumphs over evil? HA! You have seen evil Justin. You have seen me. Do you honestly think I will be beaten by some vaunted principle slipped into the psyche of humans to bring them feeble hope in this dark world?
There's absolutely nothing I can say to that. IT is right.
'Of course I am. Now rest yourself Justin. We have a long night ahead of us...Oh my. Now what could that be?'
It's dark again, and cold. I like it that way. Means IT isn't here, not watching. Something caught IT's attention. What? I don't know. The ceremony. The little girl will die. Her life force will fuel the opening of a portal between worlds. Her soul will feed the power that crosses that portal. IT will be stronger. IT will be whole. IT promises that I won't be destroyed because IT hasn't broken me yet. I'm afraid, but there's nothing I can do. Since IT came there has been nothing I could do. Nothing. IT keeps telling me that. Over and over and over and over. IT thinks I'll come to believe that eventually. I know that's wrong though. There is something I can do. I can hold on. To the last shred of my sanity, to the hope that IT will be beaten, to the memories of better times.
"Memories are good."
"Yah, they are. Hey Chris, You remember that time we all went swimming in Bonn? It was really late, and we all snuck out of our ho-o-OH Shit! I'm doing it again! Tighten up Justin! Tighten Up!
It's dark here, and it's cold. I like it that way. Let's me know I'm still sane. I think. My mind plays tricks on me. There's nothing else to do. I think it's sort of a defense mechanism. I'm subconsciously trying to retreat into a world that's better, safer, warm. I have seen things... In my darkest nightmares I could not have seen these things IT has made me see. Made me be part of. I haven't just watched the murders, the feedings, the rapes, the unnatural acts. I've been there. I've felt them. At first, it was as if I were in a VR simulation. The sensations were... not, right. The sounds were tinny echoes, the feelings were muted, like wearing gloves. IT figured that out though. Now it's all real. I feel what IT feels, hear what IT hears, taste what IT tastes. The blood, the screams, the pleasure. If anything will break me, it's the feeling of pleasure. I like pleasure. I always have. Pleasure is good, but what pleasures IT is wrong. Very, Very, Wrong. To feel pleasure from the things IT does...
I hold no hope of being saved from this. I don't know what I would be like even if I were saved. I don't know if I would ever be able to function normally after what I've seen. IT hasn't broken me, but IT has stolen something from me. Something from deep inside. Innocence? Faith? Yes. They're gone. I've been violated in ways...in ways that should not be possible. I'm holding on. IT thinks I believe I'll survive. Find some way to get it out of me. I don't. I'm holding on because that's all I can do. All my life I have been willful and stubborn. All my life I have never given up on anything. I will not do it now.
It's cold here, and it's dark, so very dark. I like it that way...
I still am...am...something. I'm getting all philosophical here. I've been doing that since IT came. I wonder. I've been fighting to keep my self here. To keep myself whole. I wonder. Am I really, have I ever been. I think so, maybe I'm not. Maybe I'm just a character in a story some guy is typing out on his computer. Ha! that's funny. Who ever'd be writing something like this would have to be a pretty sick puppy. Nah, this is real. I am real. I am reel. I am reeling. I am spinning. I am dancing. I am on stage. I am...loosing it again! Damn it! Damn It! DAMN IT!
'Now now Justin, calm yourself.'
IT is back.
'Yes I am Justin. And I bring you a gift. Look at this one.'
A room. Like the one the little girl was in. Maybe the same one. There's someone laying on the floor. Short, dark hair, long body, bandage on the right arm...oh my god...Josh...
'Yes. I thought you might be surprised.'
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM!
'Why nothing little one. He's had a little accident that's all'
If you hurt him I swear...
'What? What will you do Justin? You can do nothing. You cannot save your friend...Wait. You have been such fun. I think, yes, I will give you a gift. I will let you choose who will be the sacrifice tonight.'
What?
'Choose Justin; Your handsome friend or the little girl you felt so sorry for this morning. Which will open the way for me?
You...You can't make me choose that!
'You will make that choice or they will both die the most hideous deaths I can imagine, at your very hands.'
I feel IT smiling. IT is happy with IT's self.
'I most certainly am Justin. I most certainly am.'
It's dark again, and cold. Oh god oh god oh god! Josh! Joshua! Please don't let this happen! Please...Who am I praying to? There's noone listening. If there were this wouldn't be happening at all. I would be... What, what's that? A light? A pin prick of light in the darkness!
A star in this blackest of nights? HUH! Th-that wasn't me! That wasn't my thought. The Light! NO! No No No...I m-must, I must be loosing it again. Tighten Up Justi...!
'jjjjjuuuuussstinnn...'
No thought. No feeling. Shock. Silence...
W-who...
I feel him, just for an instant I feel him before me. In the shimmer of light. In the tiny speck of brilliance that is the only thing in my world, I feel him...
josh...? For a moment I am warm. For a moment I am wrapped in strong arms, protected against the dark and the cold, then it's gone. The warmth, the light, gone, but It Was HIM!!
JOSH!! OH MY GOD!! HOW!! WHAT!!
'Now now Justin. Have you been ranting this entire time? Enough. Calm yourself. It's time for your decision.' IT's back.
What?
'Your decision Justin. Who shall be my sacrifice?'
I-I...her.
'Ahhhh. You know very well that he will die regardless. Why then choose her? No, wait. I know. You still hold hope don't you? What is that foolish saying? Where there is life there is hope? Yes, that's it.
H-he...She, she's innocent. Sh-she doesn't know...She should die first so you don't hurt her anymore.
'Ohhh, I see. You pretend you choose her out of mercy, is that it Justin? No, We both know the truth. And we also both know that I had no intention of honouring your choice.'
No!
'See this then.'
There's a room, Large and open. No windows. The light is from hundreds of candles spread over every flat surface, including the floor along the walls. There are symbols and circles drawn all over the floor with dusts and powders, and...paint?
'Blood Justin.'
of course...there's a table, big and heavy, in the very center of the floor. As I look, I'm moving closer to it. On the table is...Josh...
He's naked and tied down. A gag keeps him from making any noise, but he's unconscious anyway. As I reach the table I see my hand reach out and stroke his cheek. He's been beaten up. There are bruises on his face, his lips are swollen and split, and his right arm has a big gash on it that's been stitched up.
'He is handsome isn't he? Even beaten and bruised.'
yes.
'Don't worry Justin. Soon he will be in no more pain. Well, first he will experience pain the likes of which he, nor you, could ever imagine as his soul is ripped from his body and torn to nothingness by the forces of my dark majik...'
Oh god...
'but after that, he will be in no pain. He simply will not be.'
I see my hand run down Josh's neck, over his chest. His eyes flutter open, filled with confusion. Then comes the fear. He struggles with the ropes holding him down.
"Ha ha ha. You struggle in vain Joshua." IT says with my voice.
Josh stops cold and stares up at me, at IT. The fear is gone, replaced by, what, resignation and...
'Love Justin. You've seen that look in his eyes before, you've just refused to accept it for what it was. Do you know how much that hurts him? Do you know how much pain you've caused him through the years because you do not have the courage to accept love in whatever form it may come? Look at him. He lies there with the certainty of his death staring down at him and do you know what his only concern is? Let me show you. Let us peer into the mind of this fool.'
Something changes. I'm still looking into Josh's eyes, but I'm seeing more. I'm seeing the world beyond them. I feel myself slip easily into the mind behind those blue eyes. I've wondered so many times what he was thinking, what he was really thinking. We shared so much, he and I, but I always knew there were things he would never tell me. No matter how close we got, how open we were, I knew he still had secrets. That's okay, I did to. IT's right. I know he loves me. I've known for a long time now. And I love him too. I...don't think it's the same thing. I don't think about it much. I guess it's easier that way. Besides, Josh was always there, always close, so why dig too deep. I was happy having him near me, doing things with him, spending time together. Why dig deeper than that, right?
'You're a coward Justin. That's why you never looked deeper. You were too afraid of your feelings, too afraid of what you might find, what it might mean. Your friend was brave enough to see the truth.'
It's like being in the middle of a storm, I feel Josh all around me. Every inch of me is touched by some part of him. I'm in him, becoming part of him.
'No Justin, we are only touching the top most portion of his mind. Now listen.'
Thoughts, words, spinning, swirling around. Chaos in smooth clear tones. Then clarity; {Please God, keep him safe. Whatever I have to give, take it. I've told you that before. I didn't think you were there, I'm not really sure you are now. I'm sorry about that, but please, don't punish Justin for my screw up...}
No...
'Yes Justin, now listen.'
{...can't go on without him. You know what he means to me. You know I'll give anything, everything for him. Please god, let them take me, but save Justin...}
NO!
'Oh yes Justin. In his last minutes, as he stares death and oblivion in the face, he can think only of you...'
NO!!
'...and pray to a god you no longer believe in that he will deliver you. And do you know what is even more pitiful than that? He thanks that god for letting him see you just once more before he dies.'
Oh God No! Shut Up!
'Hahahahahahaha!!'
Shut Up! Shut Up! SHUT UP!!!! I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM!!! I WON'T...!
It's cold here, and dark. IT is gone.
The ceremony is beginning. OhGodOhGodOhGod...Someone, something, hear me please! Josh can't die! Not like this! Oh please, please, Please, someone Hear Me!
'hhheeaarrrmmmeee...'
Huh! Was...? NO! It can't be! It can't really be him. Can it? Could it be...josh? Josh? I look around and see nothing. There is only darkness here, darkness and cold. Josh!? Oh God! It's going to win. I'm loosing it. I can't...
'pppllleeaasssse!'
Silence! Look. Listen. Spin in the darkness. Light! Something's there again! Josh!??
'jjjuuusstiinnn?'
The light! I see it flicker and grow brighter. Oh God, I'm going insane. It's finally happening. Oh God! In the light I see a shape, tiny and weak. It shimmers and moves, like it's reaching out, groping in the darkness.
'JJuusstinniissthhaaatyyyoouuu?'
What do I do? If I reach for the light I may loose myself completely. If I do that IT wins. I can't let that happen. But if there's any chance that this is real, that this is J.C....
The light grows stronger, brighter. After so long in the dark it hurts me. It hurts to look at it, so I turn away, but I feel it. It's just a dream, a hallucination. It isn't real Justin. Tighten up. But I feel it. It's there, and it feels like him. Slowly, I turn back. It hurts, but I look. The shape is still small, but it looks like him.
'JJuusstinn?'
It sounds like him. It Looks like him! It FEELS Like Him! Oh God. Let me be right about this. Let this dream not be a dream. I reach out...
There is light here, and warmth, and arms around me and a strong chest against mine. My chin rests on muscled shoulder and his voice is in my ear.
"Oh Justin! I'm here. I'm here now, and I'll never let you go!" Josh says. There's so much emotion in those words I can't help but believe him. And it is him. I know it's him. I can't explain how, but I know. I pull back too look at him. His face is the same as it was when I saw him on the table. He's beaten and tired. Now though, in place of resignation there's joy, and hope, and...love. Yes, it's there, and it's for me. Oh God, I never imagined the depth of emotion I see in his face. He smiles through split lips as if there were no pain. He hugs me to his bruised body like I were somehow healing him, making him strong, making him whole. I knew he loved me, but I never knew it was like this. In the face of it I am stunned, and ashamed. Ashamed of the pain I must have caused him through the years, and ashamed that I am the cause of the bruises I see, the blood at his lips, the cuts on his arms. Most of all though, I am sure, sure of one thing. I will NOT let him die!
There is darkness and cold. I can't see! The only thing I feel is Josh. I feel his arms around me, his heart beating next to mine. I feel his breath catch in his throat.
"Justin! Wha...!"
"JUSTIN!!" IT screams,"YOU ARE MINE!!"
"NO!!" Josh shouts, and pulls me closer to him, almost into him.
"No," I say,"I am not your's. I was never your's, and I will never be your's!"
"You Are!" IT laughs, and IT's laughter becomes winds, cold, bitter cold, lashing, biting, cutting! I feel the skin of my arms and face freeze and crack. I feel the wind tearing at me. Pain! I scream. Above the howl of the wind, above my own tortured crys, I hear Josh scream too. NO! NOO!!
"YOU CAN'T HAVE HIM!!! I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM ANY MORE!!!" Was that me or Josh? I don't know. I don't know if there's really that much difference anymore. Somewhere, in the pain of the tearing winds, the darkness of this evil thing, the joy of finding josh and finally accepting the love he has for me, and the threat of loosing each other again, something has changed. We are connected. Not one, but together. I could never stand up to IT before. I never had the strength. Josh is here now, and I think, I think strength is not what's needed. The winds are biting less, the pain is fading.
"WHAT!!???" IT shouts,"WHAT IS HAPPENING!!???" IT's not laughing anymore.
Peace. Warmth. Love...Cliché? Yeah, I guess it is. I feel IT cringe. I turn my head and meet Josh's questioning eyes. Love, a simple emotion. It drives us to so many ends. I've felt it before, but not like this. This is more than I ever believed could be. I see in Josh's eyes the one thing I have never had. Pure, unequivocal, unrelenting, love. And I know he sees it in my eyes too. It doesn't matter if it's the same. It doesn't matter if I want the same things from him that he wants from me. Love is love, true and simple. That is the one truth, the one thing that IT cannot twist, cannot deny, cannot defeat. But is it enough?
"NO!" IT shouts,"You are mine, and nothing you can do will save you! It Is NOT ENOUGH...!" Josh smiles softly and leans his head on my shoulder. His whisper cuts through IT's screams and the winds that still tear at us.
"We have more." And we do. We have more. We have friends who are even now trying to find us, to save us from this. We have families that love us, friends that would help us if they only knew. We have more. I feel it as I open my heart. It flows into me, warming me against the winds, bringing me strength I thought I'd lost forever, washing away the torment, the terror, the fear. Nothing can stay except love and peace and warmth. Nothing else can stay...and IT screams.
"NOOOOOOOOoooooooooo....."
Light. A shout, Confusion. Splintering wood! BoOoMm! A gunshot! I'm laying over Josh. He's still strapped to the table. IT is gone. Gone. IT'S GONE! I'M FREE!
bOoOmM!! GUNS! I'm snapped back to reality by the thunder of a gun. It's the guys! They found us. Some red head, IT called him...Toby?, is leading the way into the room. A man in black robes charges him with a knife.
BoOoMm! He flies back through the air as Lance shoots him in the chest with a shotgun. Lance has a shotgun! Chris steps around Toby, yells something and heaves a torn bag into the circles drawn on the floor. It hits the floor with a thud and something like white sand scatters everywhere. Where it hits the bloody markings they sizzle and hiss. The air smells like salt and rotten meat. Toby raises a sword and yells something. He swings the sword down across the first of the circles and sparks fly. I feel Josh struggling underneath me. Oh God, He's still tied up! I have to get him free! First the gag then I start on the ropes holding his hands.
"He's free!" Josh shouts when the gag is gone,"The thing's not in him anymore."
"LOOK OUT!" Chris yells, pointing past me. I turn as I see Josh's eyes go wide. I see a woman, IT called her Linda. She has a huge knife raised over her head. Her eyes! they're empty, nothing but darkness and cold! She's screaming, but her voice, it's, it's...IT! OH GOD! IT's in Her Now! IT steps forward bringing the knife down fast. There's a blur and a yell as something pushes me down and crashes into the woman, into IT. As I hit the floor I look to see Joey sitting on top of IT pounding his fist into IT's head again and again, yelling without saying anything. NO! IT could get into him! I push off the floor and slam into Joey knocking him off of her. We sprawl together, sliding in the blood and powder. Before I can start to get up he kicks me in the head and grabs me by the collar, my vision blurs and lights dance before my eyes. He gets up, lifting me with him like I'm nothing, and slams me into the wall holding me there.
"Toby!" Joey shouts,"Where is it!" My sight clears and I see Toby standing infront of me. He looks me in the eyes and I feel like I've been scanned, like in all those Star Trek shows. I see Lance standing behind him pointing his gun at the woman still laying on the floor, at IT.
"It's right," says Toby, still looking me in the eyes, as he raises his sword in the air. IT starts to chant in some strange, ugly language. Toby spins quickly and drives his sword down,"Here!" He shouts as the blade sinks into the body of the woman and the darkness of the souls within. There's a sickening thunk as the sharp metal enters flesh then meets the floor below. Then there's a scream. It starts loud and harsh and gets louder. Two voices. Two souls in agony, definitely. By now I am very familiar with the sound agony forces from your throat. It's something I will never be able to forget. There's an ear splitting shriek, like metal tearing. It hurts my ears. I cover them with my hands, and even through that I am overcome with joy. I just covered my ears with my hands! The other guys are doing the same. Even Toby, who has backed away from the woman who's struggling in vain to get the sword out of her chest. I watch in awe as a crack moves up the blade of the sword from where it touches her to it's hilt. The Shriek of tearing metal, it's the sound of the sword screaming! I don't know how I know that, but I do. The sword screams and the woman screams and IT screams. The screams combine, twist together to form one sound. That sound, the sound of agony grows, crescendos to a sudden crack of thunder.
BbOoOoMmMm!!
Silence. I'm surrounded by the smell of blood, rotting meet, sulfur, death. Bodies lie scattered around the room. My friends stand before me and I see them with my own eyes for the first time in I don't know how long.
"Um, could somebody untie me? Please?" Josh, oh God, he's still tied up. I take a step away from the wall to help him and my knees give out. I'm caught as I fall, and my stomach lets loose. I start crying, I'm not sure why, but I can't stop. My head is swimming and my heart is beating. I can hardly breath, and mixed in with my sobs is laughter. I hear voices around me, soothing and loving. I hear, through the others, Josh, my Josh. He's here. I'm being moved, but I don't know where, or how. I can't stop laughing and I can't stop crying, and I can't breath, and I can't think straight. Oh God, I'm loosing it. Tighten Up Justin! I hear a whisper, soft and warm. I feel, through everything else, his breath against my ear, his tears mixing with mine as they make they're way down my cheeks.
"I love you Justin. I love you." He's here, I'm safe. I'm safe. I let go and fall into his voice.
It's dark here, but it's warm. I like it that way. It means he's here with me, holding me, watching over me.
End Chapter 6
Tobias' Journal entry:
It's over. The Daemon is dead and Justin is free. Gods, this has been so, what...so much. I haven't had the chance to talk with Justin yet. He's had a nervous breakdown. Noone can blame him for that. I have however, spoken with J.C.. It seems that there was meaning to the Lovers card after all. J.C. says it was as if the love between them pushed the daemon away. I suppose I can't argue with that. Love is a powerful force. For the first time in a long time I'm being reminded of that first hand.
The official story to the guy's management is that they were kidnapped. They fought their way free, but never really saw their attackers. I came along after the fact and helped them get away safely. It took a little majik from Chris and myself, but they bought it. The official story to the press and public is that the guys were in a car accident and had to take two months off to recover. I don't know whether that will actually be enough time or not.
They've asked me to travel with them for a while. Chris wants me to teach him, and the rest will feel safer with someone around just in case there's any fall out from killing the daemon. Then there's Joey. He wants me just because he wants me. I jumped at the chance.
NightFire says she will meet us in Orlando and work with Justin until he recovers fully. She's also going to teach Lance everything she can. He does have quite a talent, and more over, he has the will and want to use it for good.
I've consulted my cards, and runes and all the signs point to good things for us all. J.C. hasn't left Justin's side for more than seconds since we left that house. The rest of us have taken turns watching them both. In the brief periods of wakefulness Justin has enjoyed, he seems to be lucid and sane. I'm honestly surprised at that, and very happy. He must have a strong will and a stronger mind. Stronger than me I think. Lance has settled into a surer faith than most people could dream of, and he seems to be one of those rare people who are content to allow us all to do our own good in our own way. He's a good man. I'm glad he has accepted his gift. Chris is raring to go on with his majikal education. He's quite a character. Teaching him should prove to be a load of fun, and a bigger load of trouble. I'm thinking it'll be worth every second of it. Lastly, I'm in love with one of the strongest, truest, funniest men I've ever met. Look at me, I'm gushing over here. Ah well, I deserve it. I only hope I can be the man he deserves. I'm going to try my damnedest.
So there you have it Jeremiah. I'll keep this journal thing up as best I can. It might be difficult. I have a very large, very handsome pest pushing me to "quit writin' in that ol' book an' c'mere." And I don't think I'll be able to resist for much longer.
For now then, thank you Jeremiah for everything you did for me. I think I can finally say goodbye. Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord. Of course that's only second hand information. Anyway, it's been had. More importantly, evil was stopped and souls were saved. Goodbye Jeremiah. I will always remember you.
The End...