FicWad

My dear, after I threw you into prison, I felt I had to do something. You know how I am. With the City unable to rise from the ashes, and most of the Black Parade gone, I had to reinvent myself. You will be surprised with the guises I came up with.

And so I got rid of my mask and donned an ugly dress. I roamed the City streets for a while, and later I earned the name, “Weary Widow”. It was a name given to me by the slangs and strays, the damsels and the dogs. Most probably because I looked the part. I pretended to be out of my mind, sobbing and shouting and calling out the name of a long lost love I made up.

My role as the Weary Widow wasn’t futile, you know. I got to meet different people around the City, and none of them ever expected me to be their Mother War. But you know I had to hide. I didn’t want to make a scene.

It just so happened that I stumbled upon an unfamiliar district in the City. But unlike the rest of the City, it wasn’t at all a miserable place. On the contrary, it was the liveliest and the noisiest place I’ve ever been. But mark you, it was a sin city. There were brothels everywhere! The prostitutes (a few of them I recognized to be former members of the Black Parade) were all scattered about in the streets, calling for lusty clients – man or woman, it didn’t matter.

The district was called Bella Muerte – pretty name for an ugly place, where the vilest of creatures dwelled. I encountered some vampires too. Very loathsome creatures.

So there I was, being the Weary Widow, walking the streets of Bella Muerte. I found myself in front of a building called Hotel Bella Muerte. Again, prostitutes were everywhere. You couldn’t imagine having to see that number of whores in a single moment. But I did see a great number of them. Just imagine how baffled I was that such things still existed in the City!

The prostitutes came at me all at once. And they all looked the same – skinny and reeking of perfume and dressed scantily.

I was so flustered that time that I forgot about my role as the Weary Widow, and I started acting like Mother War. I demanded to see their employer. Seeing me upset, they all immediately backed away and apologized. One of them went in the hotel to call for the Manager.

The Manager came some minutes later. The angry look on his face reminded me that I had caused some small trouble, and that I had to quickly revert to my role as the Weary Widow. When he angrily asked me what it was that I wanted, I told him the first thing that came into my mind.

“I want to check in.”

The Manager told me, in turn, that I needed to purchase a “trull” before checking in. He was such an impatient little man, but I had to oblige. He was accompanied with big men, you see. The kind who wore heavy cloaks. And you know what heavy cloaks mean.

I wondered what a trull was. But I wasn’t daft for long. I realized that by “trull”, he meant “prostitute”, for it was a part of the vocabulary there – some sort of Bella Muerte dialect which, luckily, I chose to learn earlier.

I must let you know. Hotel Bella Muerte is the mother of all brothels. It poses as a hotel, but even its façade of grandeur couldn’t cover the stink of prostitution. I knew it was a brothel the moment I walked in. Anyone would know.

I let the Manager think that I was interested in his trulls, but not the ones left outside looking for clienteles. I told him I wanted something special – you know…their best one. The Manager looked quite pleased with my request, and so he immediately led me to an upper room. It was isolated from the others. I could tell the business was good because of all the bad smells and the silly noises I could hear from behind the halls’ closed doors.

Now, the upper room he showed me was a very large room. But I wouldn’t bother you with the details of this messy room. Because there was a girl in the room, already in bed. The Manager left me alone with her and wished me good luck.

I felt sick to my stomach. But I didn’t let it show. I gave him a weak smile as I watched him close the door.

I turned to the girl and she was already sitting up in bed. She was taking her clothes off already. The poor girl!

I told her firmly that I didn’t want to “mess around” with her…let alone touch her. She seemed not to hear what I said at first, because of the blank look on her face. But she slowly put her clothes back on again and sat silently. I started talking to her. I knew right away that there was something wrong with her, because she seemed so dead. You know what I mean. They must have given her some sort of a drug, a sedative. The poor child.

I asked her for her name. I had to repeat my question thrice because she did not seem to hear me. Finally, she told me very softly that her name was Helena. I asked her more questions. It went on for hours actually. But I got very little information from her. I knew she was from Cemetery Drive – that wretched place where many vampires dwell – but Helena herself wasn’t one of them. Yes, of course I realized that she was human, Reverend, I am not stupid.

How she ventured into Bella Muerte, you ask? Oh I don’t know. I tried asking her that but she kept nodding to herself and whispering the same thing over and over again. I think she was whispering something like “way down, way down”. Yes, she kept saying it to herself. Familiar, Reverend?

But I wasn’t able to get so much from her in the end, so I left the poor girl. I decided right then and there to buy her from the hotel.

And this I properly asked the Manager if I could, but he won’t hear of it. When I brought it up, he looked uncomfortable. I was hoping he would lose his temper and he would come at me in his rage. But he did not. Kept his cool like a gentleman. He must have sensed that I was a person not to be messed with. Haha! Oh don’t give me that look, my dear. Allow me to flatter myself, at least once. And I had to. His body guards weren’t around.

The Manager told me that I could buy someone else, but not Helena. I asked him why the poor girl was so valuable. He told me simply that she was the prettiest girl they had. I agreed with him. I doubled my offer. But he still wouldn’t hear of it. I asked him where he got the girl, but I knew he was lying when he said that she was a native around Bella Muerte.

After that I did some investigating. I abandoned my guise as the Weary Widow, and became Mother War once again. I made my way to Cemetery Drive and presented myself to the foul creatures there. I secretly met up with a vampire while I was there.

The vampire I met up with was someone you know. In fact it was your brother. You should see the look on your face right now. Yes, I made friends with your vampire brother. And I have to say we had a fruitful conversation. He revealed to me your little problem. About a human girl you dearly loved. A human girl who happened to be the same Helena I saw in Bella Muerte.

That was when I came up with my grand plan.

With Fear and Regret, I went down to Cemetery Drive, at dusk, but secretly. Fear found you prowling among the mausoleums, and Regret brought you down silently with one of her arrows. We placed you in prison…in the darkness…with some artificial light. That wouldn’t burn your skin, of course. Everyone knows your disagreement with the sun.
Your vampire friends didn’t even know you weren’t with them until the late evening. They’re searching for you, as we speak. Wondering where you have gone off.

Forgive me, Reverend. I’ve taken you away from home and I’ve taken advantage of you. I was hoping that, in exchange for this valuable piece of information about Helena, you would help us in our own plans. The transaction is only fair. But I must warn you. I have more tricks up my sleeve…if you bail out of our deal and you end up not helping us. You know what I could do. But you also know what I couldn’t do. Given that, I shall give you time to think.

And Reverend…I thought you must know. Helena is moved to another place. I will tell you where she is, if you agree to help us. But if you do not want to help us, then it must be safe to assume that your love for her is no more.

Come now, my dear, come quick.

Let’s leave the Reverend to his own thoughts.