The Madness Through Sorrow

[Moongaze]

"...I didn't mean for any of this to happen.  Words cannot describe the atrocities I have commited.  My dream... my only hope... was to change the world.  My intentions were sound, as well as my practice.  But... something terrible happened... something that tore my soul from me, and left me hollow...  She... She was innocent, graceful, and loving.  She always admired my work as I admired her.  It was at the moment, when she turned grey.  I knew.  I knew right then she would be taken from me.  Day after day, I cared for her...  I tended to her every need and assured her, that I would nurse her back to health.  Being that we were so close... bonded in such a way nothing could break us apart...  She believed me.  And when she turned I watched the progression.  Each day, she grew weaker, each day... *a wet mark that appears to be tears smudge the next few words* but I knew...  I knew I couldn't keep her for much longer.  And then the night... the night she passed... I watched...  I stayed awake for the whole night, and the whole next day until I broke down in tears, and cried myself to sleep.  It was then, I had a dream.  In that dream, we were together again.  She was perfect as always, and I couldn't have been happier.  When I awoke several hours later I swore...  I swore that I would bring her back.  I would stop at nothing until I had reversed the process of death..." *The page ends here*


It was another typical morning in Dawn Wood, Missouri.  The summer season had just begun.  The sun was beaming, not a cloud in the sky.  Just, a beautiful day.  I watched children running and playing on a patrol down main street.  Patrols weren't really necessary, Dawn Wood was a particularly small rural community, and everyone knew each other.  It was more of a public appeal than anything.  People trust the law enforcement, law enforcement trusts the people... anything bad happens it can be taken care of in the blink of an eye.  I pulled off at the end of main street, and continued down to Carl's Bait Shop.  The Missouri river wasn't too far off, and I fancied going fishing on occasion.

Howdy, Carl! I exclaimed when I pulled in.  Carl's Bait Shop isn't much to look at.  It's basically... well it is a shack.  He runs it himself and has damn near everything you could ever want.  It's quite impressive really...

"Well hi there, Sheriff.  The usual?" He said with a grin.

I chuckled softly and pulled out $20 from my wallet, I'm not quite there yet, cheif.  But real soon.

"You should know your discount by now" He said looking at the $20 I was holding.

Lets just call it a bonus.  I know you do good honest work, just like everyone else around here, and that's something not everyone can say they do.

I took my bait, bid farewell and drove back towards the station to check in.

[Puncia]

Letting out a long and relaxed yawn, Martin wakes up after falling asleep for the third time today. The sun shining down and warming his legs, the only part of his body that isn't shaded on his front porch. He was just going to the store for some groceries when the chair looked so comfortable and his overgrown lawn so nice. Well at least, he thought it did. "Rustic charm" was what he called it. Everyone knew it was just him being lazy.

"Yeah yeah, I hear you." Feeling his stomach rumble almost fiercely, he pushes out of the chair and steps into a pair of old sandals and makes his way to the street. 

[Alexei]

Mikhail pulled up to the Dawn Wood inn and got out of his truck, it wasen't much to look at but it was going to be just fine for the days coming.
He had come to Dawn Woods to relax from his busy schedule at school, a little hunting trip was just the thing he needed to unwind.
He grabbed his luggage out of the back and entered the building.
The inside had a very quaint feel to it, he approached the old lady at the front desk.
"Excuse me"
She looked up from her crossword puzzle and smiled "Yes, what can I do for you young man?"
"I have a reservation under the name Fedorov"
She smiled again and began scanning the registry.
"Ah yes, room number 3 on the second floor" She got up and grabbed a key off of the rack behind her and handed it to Mikhail.
"Thank you"  
He climbed up the set of stairs and found room number 3 on his right.
Mikhail inserted the key in the lock and entered, It was a small room but he didn't excpect anything more.
He layed down his Duffel bag and his gun case and settled in on the bed to relax.

[Ares the Ram]

The punching bag swung back and forth as Alfred let into it with both fists. A right hook, then a quick left jab, followed by a final right straight punch. He caught the bag as it came back to him, ending his workout for the morning. "Wheh, now that's a workout." He was in his dojo, a room he remodeled after his master passed away. It was simple, with wood flooring, a mirrored wall, various martial arts training equipment, and a mini fridge for refreshments. Taking his towel to wipe his brow, Alfred walked to the fridge to grab a water to quench the mighty thirst he'd worked up. When he opened the door, he found it to be empty. "Empty? I thought I filled it up last time." He sighed as he shut the door and exited the room, heading towards the garage. "Guess I'll go into town and get some more." As he entered the garage, he pressed the door opener, showing the driveway onto the county road leading to the nearby town of Dawn Wood. Having sold all the cars to an auction, all he had left, and wanted, was an old motorcycle. Putting on his helmet, he grabbed the keys and revved it up. He always loved to hear it roar. He let off the brake and tore out of the garage towards the town.

[Puncia]

The store wasn't far away, but the trip still seemed to take forever this morning. Martin ruffled the hair back from his eyes and watched as the familiar scenery passed him, bathed in the morning sun.
"Lessee now, what was it again..?" he grumbled to himself, remembering what he wrote on the note he was supposed to bring to the store, but forgot. A smile flashes as he comes around the corner, the store now in eyesight. "Ah.. yeah that too."

A bell chimes through the large room as the door swings open and Martin makes his way inside.

[Moongaze]

On my way back to the station it was already starting to heat up outside.  I loved this type of weather.  Even if it did get a little muggy at times.  I was used to it like everyone else.  Heading back up main street, I saw a familiar face walk into our own little grocery store.  It was Martin, I wanted to pop in and say hello, but I had some small business to tend to.  Maybe next time...  I thought.  Then again, the town isn't that big, I run into everyone a few times on any given day.  I pulled into my parking spot outside of the station, grabbed the bait and lures I procured and walked inside to throw them in the mini fridge.  I always thought keeping the worms cool kept them alive longer, you know what happens when you see a worm stuck on a hot side walk. Looks like over cooked bacon on the ground.  Just as I threw the bait in the back of the fridge, I was met by our secretary, Pam.

"Hello, sir.  I got some strange reports on the phone.  I thought you should know."

I glanced over what she had written down, and it looked as though my weekend plans might be a little less satisfying:

"Thomas Alread was out setting traps when he came by the brook just outside of town.  There was about 10 or so fish, belly up in the water."

I looked it over again and then laid the note back down on the desk.  It's probably nothing.  I wouldn't worry about.  And what did I tell you about taking calls from Tom?  You know he does the same thing.  Sets out traps, and panics when the slightest thing changes.  If he calls back, tell him we're on it.  It'll make him feel better.  With that said I went over to my desk and placed a manila folder on an open spot.  It containing all the necessary papers for me to assume the position of Sheriff starting on monday.  With the exception of 10 or so fish, this weekend is going to be filled with many simple things to contain my excitement for taking that job.

[Ares the Ram]

As Alfred pulled into town, he noticed the sheriff drive by. "Probably on his  patrol again." He waved as he pulled into the parking spot of the small general store. Turning the engine off and kicking up the stand, Alfred walked inside the store to find something to drink. "Good morning Carl. I hope this day finds you well?" Walking back to the cooler in back, he found a bottle of spring water that seemed to call his name. With bottle in hand, he turned around to pay for it, when he noticed Martin in the store as well. "Good morning Martin."

[Puncia]

He raised an eyebrow at the sound of his name and looked up, only to stare back at Alfred with a gentle smile. "Good morning to yourself!" he replied while bending down to grab a bag of chips, carefully putting it under his arm. Martin mumbled "It is warm today, isn't it?" as a conversation starter although it was true that morning. But he usually thought so anyway since he would only be out in the evenings if he could have a choice.

He walked further along the aisle to choose which cereal he wanted this time, but made sure to stay within hearing range of Alfred. The AC was a blessing from above, he thought while standing right in the air current.

[serpington]

i drove into town, loving the heat, i was moving into dawn wood to work in a local cafe the next day. the town came into sight down the road. "time for a new life, hope it goes better than the last one." the hemi engine roared down the road and slowed coming into town. i slowed down to the speed limit and looked around for the inn i made reservations for weeks prier. i found the place and walked in side, i walked over to the front desk calmly . "hi i have a reservation, i made it a few weeks ago, it's under shadow."
"yes, your in room number 4, its on the second floor." she said handing me the key.
"thank you."

[Ares the Ram]

Alfred chuckled at Martin's mumbled response. "Mighty warm. I take it you just woke up? Must be nice to sleep through the day like you do." Alfred was slightly jealous at how lazy Martin was. With his strict regiment and upbringing, he didn't have much time to relax. You could say that Martin and Alfred were polar opposites in terms of how active they were. He brought his bottle of water up to Carl and paid him for it, making his way towards the door. "I'll see you later Martin. Don't get too comfortable, or one day you might just sleep through the whole thing." As he got to his bike, the glare off the metal was forcing him to squint his eyes. Touching his hand to the engine, he felt the heat radiating off it. "It is kinda warm today. Maybe I should go to the lake to cool off. I have been working hard." "Yeah. I think I will." Alfred smiled as he turned on the engine and sped down towards the lake.

[Puncia]

Martin nodded nervously with a chuckle and watched Alfred go. Sure, it was nice to sleep during the day but it so happened that he worked best at night and would often witness the sunrise before he hit the sack. Not that he envied Alfred one bit as he thought he had a quite comfortable life despite this. "I'll try not to!" was all he could say before the door closed with another soft chime.

There was something odd about him, Martin thought while searching for his favourite energy drink. Being so upright and stiff couldn't possibly be good for anyone. It didn't take long before Martin started to hatch out a plan to get Alfred to join him for some drinks at the bar. He knew it would never happen but it was an entertaining notion nonetheless.

Finally, arms full of things he needed and mostly things he wanted, Martin dropped them in front of Carl and hid a yawn behind his hand, agreeing with the comment about the large number of drinks this time. "Yeah I thought I would sit out today. Perfect weather for some sketching... ya know what it's like." "Actually, no I don't." They both laugh a little and Martin grabs his paper bag, cool against his chest. "Have a good one." and out the door he disappears to go back home.

[Moongaze]

"...I lived in Missouri all of my life.  I was much different than everyone else.  I had strong ambitions for biological engineering.  I never had any destructive thoughts, but like I had mentioned earlier... I wanted to change the world!  I wanted to create, for the greater good.  And I did so...  I will not say what I had worked on, but know... my first experiments, were all abominations...  I worked tirelessly, endlessly, I went days without sleep...  I tested rats, rabbits, anything I could get within practical means...  Even dogs.  It was weeks after my dear Melinda was taken from me...  She was kept isolated... I wanted to preserve her, and my time was running out... but the foundations of my sanity were nonexistent.  I continued working, until I was absolutely sure I had accomplished my goals...  I was ready to go forth with my plans as intended, but something happened to compromise my deeds.  You see...  I had attracted attention with the unusual amounts of creatures I was procuring.  And it was certain that I was doing something to them.  No one would understand the half of my experiments.  I... killed each specimen and introduced an agent into each specimen.  In my early attempts, I got barely even a twitch out of the subjects.  But as time went by, I had created a selfsustaining undead creature.  It was incredible... I had never seen anything like it in my entire life, but even when I was that far, I noticed behavior that wasn't ideal...  I wanted Melinda to be brought back... and I was determined to make everything perfect.  Little did I know... it wasn't possible.  That, was the best I could do.  And the best... was horrific.  Still, I remained determined.  The only thing that kept me from continuing, was my fear that I had been compromised.  My reclusive and unusual behavior only added to the suspicions that I was up to something.  In a panic, I took all of my equipment, and all of my failed experiments, and in an effort to dispose of them...  I did the worst thing beyond imagining..."  *The page ends here*

As the hours passed into the mid afternoon, the temperature seemed to at it's peak.  It didn't seem quite as hot as other days, so I decided to for a walk around town.  See familiar faces, keep people out of trouble... the usual. "Trouble..."  It's kind of a funny word.  There's hardly ever any trouble here in Dawn Wood.  We might get a few rowdy teens from St. Louis, but Dawn Wood had a certain charm to quell the elevated nature of those darn kinds.  On my stroll about I saw a great many things.  The Wilson's just finished renovating their house, Victoria's Flower Shop was celebrating it's 20th year of business, and I saw Alfred ride by on his motorcycle.  I waved at him as he passed by, not sure if he had seen me or not.  He probably didn't want to acknowledge me.  We didn't get off on the right foot after he bought his new motorcycle.  I tagged him twice for speeding, and threatened to have it impounded if I caught him speeding again.  I never did catch him again, so the message must have got through, but I feel there may be some hard feelings.  

Having seen enough, I starting heading back in the direction of the station to clock out for the day.  This weekend, was a weekend to celebrate.

[Ares the Ram]

           When Alfred got to the lake, he turned off the motor and walked to the shore, letting the bike fall to the ground without it's stand. His face was aghast at the sight he saw. Dead fish were dotting the entire lake, belly up. "What the hell?" The lake wasn't connected to any sewage plants, nor had a big history of pollution, save for the occasional plastic bag and beer cans. "I gotta tell the sheriff!" He ran back to his bike, picking it up and roaring towards the town. He didn't care that he was speeding, this was an emergency.


          You could hear his engine roaring a half mile away as he sped towards the main street. Luckily no-one was on the street at the time as Alfred sped towards the sheriff's office. He slide the bike into a parking spot, kicked up the stand, and burst into the office. "Sheriff! Something's wrong with the lake!"

[Moongaze]

"...I was surely insane... for what I did...  Nothing short of pure madness.  But was it madness, truly?  The innocent life that was my love... taken from me.  As I watched helplessly, I vowed I would be helpless no more...  But alas...  Chaos would soon spread to all regions within reach.  But it was all for her!  It was... desperation.  A desperate attempt to clean my slate and pretend nothing had ever happened.  I packed everything I could... every square inch of my vehicle was packed with sealed containers.  Within them... toxic vials, failed abominations of mine as well as the more successful ones...  I drove to the nearest body of water I could... The Missouri River... and dumped everything.  It made perfect sense to me that everything would be alright.  No repercussions., no dire consequences...  I watched everything flow down stream.  Everything was taken care of, except one thing.  I had kept one more vial of my creation...  The last of it... I needed it...  I needed... closure...  My sweet Melinda... for her..."  *The page ends here*

As I was walking back to the station I heard a familiar sound...  The roar of an engine...  God dammit... I said under my breath.  Speak of the devil...  I should have known, old habits die hard...

I picked up my pace to a jog as I reached for my radio.  Station, it's Nick, I need additional officers to pull over Alfred he's definitely speeding again...  I jogged around a corner as I started to get some attention.  Not a whole lot goes on around here, but when I'm on the run people tend to know something is up.  My call was returned, "He's here at the station, chief." 

For a split second I was confused, shocked, and bewildered...  ... Good, you can write him the ticket there and save me the trouble.  I was immediately answered back, "No, he wanted to see the Sheriff about something urgent... something about dead fish at the lake..."  And there it is again...  What is it with people and dead fish?  First Tim at the brook, and now Alfred at the lake...  Has everyone lost their minds?  Look, Earl... The Sheriff, is getting ready to retire.  He's going to Florida to kick it off, you know that.  Tell Alfred I'll be there in a minute, and don't let him go anywhere, I'm writing him up for his bike.  I kept jogging as I neared the station.

[Ares the Ram]

Alfred sat quietly in the police station. Of all the times for him to not be in his office, it had to be when there was an emergency. "Yall know he's gonna write you up for speeding down here." "I think the lake being poisoned is a little more important than my speeding." Alfred made sure to emphasize the word little by squeezing his thumb and finger together. He remembered the last time he was written up for speeding. Nick threatened to impound his bike if he was caught again. They didn't exactly get along too well after that, but he hoped that the situation at the lake would at least let him get away with a ticket.