Kilthalia
He was at her funeral. They all were at her funeral. He sat up front, like a good husband. No tears came, yet he was in tremendous sorrow. She was his life and his love. And now she was gone. Gone for good. Why was the world SO cruel to him? He had picked out a song form her collection and that what was being played: Butterfly. He was staring at the floor, contemplating as the criminal mastermind should. Suddenly there was a monarch butterfly on the tip of his bill. His eyes widened in surprise as he gazed upon its beauty. As it took off and he watched it fly around the room everything seemed to transform into a scene he once read in one of her books. It was a fantasy like place with endless rolling fields and crystal clear streams, the bluest sky and the whitest fluffiest clouds, the flying centaurs and pegacyses playing on the winds back. Fairies and nymphs, a friendly inviting forest. He decided to follow the butterfly, thus turning into one. He was then joined by four others; his…friends… Long time…friends. Thee was a blue one, a brown and purple one, a yellow and blue and red one, and a blue, red and orange one. He felt happy being among friends in a happy place…
“Drake? Drake! Come on, time to go,”
He opened his eyes and found the place empty of life. All that remained was death and him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a yellow cat.
“Come on Drake, I’ll give you a ride home,”
“Thanks Elle,” He slowly got up, with a little assistance from the aging woman and from his cane. As they walked out he asked her, “So, how’s Elmo and the kids and the grandkids?”
“Wow, I’ve never seen Dad like this,” The tall red head whispered to a shorter female.
“Poor Daddy,” she said. “What are we going to do?”
“What can we do? It’s cause of Mom…that he’s like this…” He started to tear up and she laid a delicate hand on his shoulder. He looked at her through teary eyes and rested his hand on hers. “Oh Mom,” he started to cry and she comforted him as best she could without breaking up too.
Just downstairs, Drake heard them and he started to tear up. He looked around and knew he HAD to get out of there. Absolutely everything reminded him of her. He turned for the front door, but stopped when he reached it. He looked over his shoulder and silently said goodbye then he left...for good.
He wasn’t young anymore. He was 76. His motorcycle and monster truck were his other son’s now. But what was still his and not his son’s were his hideouts. He got in his car, a black Mercedes and left.
His children got up and looked out the second story window to see their father drive away. “Where’s he going?”
“Daddy?” they called out to him. Drake didn’t hear them and drove off into the misty background.
He stopped at a red light for some unknown reason and looked up at it… It reminded him of the time she was describing the color to something else. He furrowed his brows, sadly, and started to tear up again. His heart was figuratively in pain. Agony. He grimaced with the heartache and attempted to go on.
Go on… Could he? Could he without her? Drake dared not listen to the radio in fear he might hear a song that reminded him of...her. Oh Michelle… Why did you have to die!? You did nothing wrong! You were always so innocent! You were my… He had to stop thinking like that or he’d just give up right then and there. Give up living so he could be with her.
She was a strong fighter. When she was dying in his arms she was fighting to stay alive. It was just too extensive a damage that occurred to her. She had the strongest soul he’d ever met and he could swear that at night he’d feel her lying beside him in bed…he’d turn and she wasn’t there…
He couldn’t stand it any longer. He stopped his car and got out to look at the water below the bridge……. His bride was gone. His beautiful bride. He remembered when she was young. NO! he had to stop doing that to himself. The best thing would be to…forget...about her. Forget about her…could he? She was him…
Could he go back to villainy? That would keep his mind off it… He was still spry. Ouch. But his knee. There was no way he could run on it...ever again. There’s no longer any bone in it anyway. Regardless of all the surgeries he had on it, it’d never be the same ever again.
What could he do? His company had pictures of Michelle in it, as well as his sons and daughter. He couldn’t go back to them… he’d see her in them.
Oh why was he meant to suffer like this? Why couldn’t HE die?! Huh…it was the first time ever he’s actually thought that. He looked down at the water. Could he do it? As he thought he looked up to the horizon. He’s killed so much in his life he has a great understanding for finite life. Could he kill himself? Here? Now? He sighed.
Megavolt’s had problems like this. Maybe he’d go and as him. Ask him what to do.
Drake got back in his car, made a U-turn and headed for the far side of the city.
*Knock knock*
“NEGADUCK??!!!” a squeaky male voice screeched.
“Hey Megs. Mind of I come in and talk with you?”
The rat at the door noticed that this demeanor to this duck did not fit at all. “Uh, sure,” He let him in and thought, “There must be something really eating at him to come talk to ME!”
Drake sat down on the couch, tiredly and noticed how their place hardly changed.
Megavolt sat across from him, curious. “What is it?”
“Remember that time you felt suicidal?”
“Er…kinda, why?”
“What happened to convince you otherwise?”
“Well, Darkwing came and told me to go talk to Elle,”
“Oh,” no help there.
“Boss?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re thinking about it, aren'tcha?”
“About what?”
“Killing yourself. That’s why yer here.”
“You’re very perceptive, Megs. You get that from Elle?”
“I guess,” a pause. “Er, here, lemme ask her, k?”
“Sure,”
Elmo went in search of his wife. “Elle! Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah, what?”
in whispers they conversed, “Negs is suicidal, Elle,”
“What!?”
“He’s here right now, asking fer help.”
“But not, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh crap. Umm,”
As Negs listened eh realized they didn’t know what to do either. He got up and without thought, left. He just walked. Bad idea, but his mind was withdrawn into his head and his body was in control, doing whatever when it happened. So deep on thought, he didn’t pay attention to his surroundings at all. He was almost zombie like way his vision to his senses blacked out. Walking in front of moving cars, blindly walking down streets. He wasn’t even thinking. He was just very withdrawn.
He awoke when he heard a feminine voice behind him. Negaduck snapped to and found himself in the cemetery, right at his wife’s grave. Behind him was a young woman in her 30’s on top the hill at another grave. There was a certain allure they saw about each other. Walking, they met in the middle.
“Hello.”
“Hello,”
“Eh, my body seems to have gotten its self here,”
“Mine too,”
“Widower?”
“Yeah, widow?”
“Yep,”
He’s not sure why he said what he did, but it seemed natural. “Want to go for some coffee?”
“I’d like that, thank you,”
While they sipped their drinks and nibbled on a bite to eat, they found themselves laughing. Actually laughing and enjoying each other’s company very much. They forgot what they were laughing over, but it was very funny. It was nice to laugh like that again.
“Wow, Drake, I had a really nice time with you.”
“Going so soon, Liz?”
“I have to, I’m afraid, I have business to take care of,”
“And you?”
“I show people around houses and try and sell them. Well, that’s this week’s job. Who knows after St. Canard no longer has places for sale,”
“Ah. I see. What do you think you’ll do afterwards?”
“Oh, I think I’d try for the library again. They say they like my organizational skills, but never hire me,”
“Huh. They don’t know a good deal when they see one. Damn I hate it when I’m in the library and there’s one book I’m looking for and it’s incorrectly placed! Most of them aren’t in their place! It drives me nuts!”
“Maybe I should referrer them to you,”
‘Yes, you should. I was the founder of NegaSweets,”
“YOU????!!”
“You bet,”
“Wow. I LOVE that stuff!!”
“Who doesn’t?”
“Yeah really! Wow, well, thank you for the coffee and the triscuit, but I really have to go.”
“Alright. Can we meet again?”
“I’d like that. it’s been forever since I’ve enjoyed myself like I did today, with you.”
“Me too. How about every day at three?”
“I’ll check my schedule, but I think I can do that!”
“My number,” he hands her a prepared card.
As she takes it, she warily says, “You pick up strange women often?”
“No. I have them around just in case,”
“Oh! That’s smart,”
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow,”
“yeah! Tomorrow! Bye!
“Later,”
And she leaves for her car. Negs sits back and reflects. “Definitely tomorrow,” he smiled, content. He looks out the window and can swear he sees Michelle’s face. She smiles back at him and waves bye. It was Lizabeth. Negs smiles wider, definitely contently happy.
That night he tossed and turned, his nightmare running through his head over and over. Even while he slept he was gasping for breath. Drake awoke suddenly when I cat screeched and can crashed. He sat up, snapped his eyes open and the last scene flashed through his mind. The screaming the screeching tires, the crash, the blood. He squinted his eyes closed and he cried. Wringing his hands he contemplated his wife’s last moments of life. Minutes passed and he calmed himself. This was his punishment for doing the same to countless others.
And even though he got back at her killer, it didn’t make Drake feel any better. He remembered going in search of the source of the screech and the accident, he found the tire tread on the road and followed it till he saw his wife’s car and blood at the driver’s side. He ran to her and opened her door. She fell out and he caught her, laying her on the ground, the driver’s column went through her chest when the wheel broke off in her hands at the impact. He had done all he could, applied pressure to her wound wit a makeshift bandage. The drunk slob got out of his car and hobbled a few steps before sitting on his crumpled car. The ambulance arrived and took care of the drunk. Drake called out to them, yelled, screamed or help, but help thee came none. He couldn’t leave her side. She was alive, breathing hard. She looked up at him with fading sight. “Drake, I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
“Michelle, don’t die, don’t go. I need you. You’re my life.”
“I won’t” she reached up to fluff the feathers on his cheek and rest her hand below her wound when she slipped away.
“MICHELLE!” he pressed her body close in her final hug. They stayed like that, Drake crying, for a long time. The cops came and tore him from his love, accusing them. He shoved them out of his way so he could get to her, only to be held back as the paramedics took her away. He screamed at them with deep hatred.
Then Drake looked up at the drunk that had witnessed this all. He was left standing, he was left alive. Negaduck gritted his teeth in a snarl of pure hatred, glaring at the bum. “You’ll have your day,” he growled.
Drake was escorted home where it hit him. His wife was dead. The house smelled like her, reminded him of her, and pictured of her and him everywhere, their kids. He ran to his room to be alone where he could cry out all his frustration. As soon as he slammed the door shut the pictures haunted his mind. In a crying fit he overturned, tore off every picture of her. He hit the bed, never making it on before his legs gave out beneath him and he cried into the comforter, gripping it tightly.
Exhausting himself he slept on the floor, where he was at the bedside. No dreams came, only the thought of revenge. Drake awoke and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like hell. His glare scanned down to see her blood on his shirt. He immediately took it off and looked to his closet. Opening it he saw the infamous colors of death and rebel. Negaduck Senior would walk one last time.
He dawned his hat, looked himself over in the mirror and headed out. The bum was one the street and Negaduck snatched him up and dragged him to his planned hideout. The man screamed to be set free from the geezer’s grip. Negaduck yelled at him, “THE ONLY GRIP YOU WILL SEE WHEN I’M DONE WITH YOU IS DEATHS!!! YOU WILLPAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER!!”
“I..I didn’t even know the old hag!”
“YOU BASTARD!!” Negs smacked the youth and he hit the table at an odd angle; the brass knuckles Drake was wearing smarted like anything! The man was quickly snatched up and tethered to a device. Negaduck over turned the table and snapped off a leg and used it to hit the man with, spilling his blood and breaking bones. Once the table leg was broken out came the mallet and Negaduck slowly crushed the man’s limbs, moving up towards the body, crushing everything with his fierce hatred. The man’s screams of agony were well wanted.
Next came something small and sinister along with a blade. “NEVER AGAIN WILL YOU REMARK ABOUT MY WIFE!!!” the man’s tongue was cut out, then came the chainsaw. The man’s legs and an arm were severed. The man screamed, but only angered Negaduck more, so he bashed the man’s teeth with his own severed arm. “Now….you will live to crawl the earth like the WORM you are, you get to see the horrors of life and the screams of women and children as you cry, heedlessly for help!! LET THIS BE YOUR PUNNISHMENT FOR MY PUNNISHMENT!!!” and Negaduck cut the man down, letting him land on his face. By the time the man picked himself up as far as he could go, Negaduck was gone.
Drake, dressed as Negaduck, walked to the morgue. On his way there cops came up to him. “Stop Negaduck!” by this time, his son Anthony had well taken over his role. The cops thought he was his son. Drake turned around and the cops stopped in their tracks. “Oh! Sorry, we thought you were the mean one…”
“I AM THE MEAN ONE!!!” and with that, Drake killed the two officers with his magnum. Women screamed and babies cried and Drake continued to his destination.
Drake found the sun up. When he awoke it was dark out. He was awake all that time, thinking… Well, he’d better get ready for his day, he had a meeting at three.