Chapter 22: Introduction to the Snow

  “You'll live forever tonight...”

  April 12th, 1991.

  Link II walked in the sudden hail above him.

  The area around felt cold and distant, almost like a loner's fantasy.

  With each step he made, stiff with the weight of something bringing him down.

  Sensing pain from afar.

  Hearing the faint noise of an argument between a couple, between people having something unique.

  The hatred felt as strong as a stranded lullaby.

  A lullaby he secretly knew, but suppressed by something more than snow.

  Link II kept walking towards the sound, yet the snow rose higher and higher.

  To where he wasn't able to breathe in it.

  Choking on it while flying into his mouth.

  Feeling as if he was choking on air.

  Yet as he choked, he had a feeling of hopelessness into accepting death.

  He wanted to die, nothing to deny that.

  The horror still haunts him in day-to-day life.

  Forgetting the fact that he was only still 7 years old who'd killed the equivalent to a few hundred people.

  Beginning to lose consciousness in the blizzard, feeling like somebody was pushing on him during the choke.

  Hearing the crunching snowfield as he lost consciousness.

  Silencing underneath like grinding meat.

  …

  Suddenly, he saw two scenes unfold in the light of his supposed death.

  Two figures arguing over what seemed to be a cylinder shaped object lying on the bed.

  Hearing the words describing the fear of pregnancy or removing something important.

  Emotions conveyed through flailing their arms and hands angrily.

  Hearing the conversation like a watcher.

  “You fucking cheated on me, you… you… you man slut!”

  “Hey, well sorry I didn't have the capacity to deal with your bullshit moods!”

  Next, he witnessed a godly being arguing with those above them.

  The topic of killing an offspring.

  Seeing a female silhouette arguing to keep her child, her body language meekful.

  As she spoke of wanting the child and forgiveness intertwined.

  Then, Link II arose with a large gasp, coughing loudly due to lack of oxygen.

  Abruptly, he saw a circular figure.

  The same shape of a 3D circle.

  His footsteps silenced by nothingness.

  Each step felt like a snake crawling up to him.

  Walking to it, the figure became clear.

  It was a model of Earth, black tendrils surrounding it like a parasite of hate, combined into its black coloring of sin.

  Getting closer to it, Link II began to think.

  “Should I Touch It? I mean, I like messing around with stuff, so might as well do so…”

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  And as he reached his hand out for the model of Earth, his hand glowed purple and green twined into his hand.

  Finally touching it, the black tendrils slowly dissipated.

  Falling back and burning into molecules of nothingness.

  Earth itself glowed brightly, almost displaying emotions of excitement.

  Like the model itself was trying to tell or speak of to predict the future to him.

  Feeling tension in the air yet again, Link II felt something was wrong.

  Asking himself.

  “Where… where am I anyways? Am I in a simulation between my mind and mortal body, or am I just in the void yet again?”

  Soon enough, lights came on, blaring alarms ringed in his ear.

  Hearing the desperate stomping footsteps of many.

  He crouched down, covering to ignore the pain of memories.

  While two silhouettes watched above, speaking in a microphone into the speakers nearby.

  “Dime, jovencito, ?por qué estás aquí para da?ar nuestra reputación?

  Explica ahora por qué estás en los cielos de los propios dioses o no dudaremos en acabar contigo.”

  Abruptly, Greek gods came raining down, ready to hurt their enemy.

  Zeus with bolts of lightning and power over mortals.

  Poseidon and his trident aimed like a rifle.

  The twelve main Greek gods stood with their weapons like soldiers.

  Just then Link II screamed, disliking the echoing alarms and sirens that sounded like bullets to his ears.

  Thrusting his arms upwards, the gods flew to the walls.

  Their essence absorbed by him as their bodies melted into heaps of broken divine.

  Bending and melting in ways that would surprise Zeus himself.

  All dying from his hybrid mortal hand.

  Their bodies turned to souls, falling back down below the heavens.

  Down towards Hades and his land.

  During this, Link II trembled, his fear ignited like an explosion.

  Looking up as he heard one voice speak silently.

  “Vigílalo, Duckworth, asegúrate de que no se mate.”

  And the other shadow bowed to them, saying.

  “Sí, se?or. No dejaré que muera por sus propias manos.”

  Eventually, Link II woke in the void from whatever was previously done.

  Walking towards nothingness, Link II saw a figure hanging in the air.

  Immediately rushing to it like water.

  Again, the figure became clear.

  The figure was an alternate version of himself.

  But not the usual dark and mysterious like previous ones, no.

  This one hung from a noose.

  His eyes sky grey.

  Hands drifting like a puppet.

  Legs dangling from the height.

  And finally, his mouth opened and leaked a fountain of blood.

  Link II stared with confusion twined with uncertainty, not understanding what this being was or why it was here.

  The noose stretched against its weight, breaking away.

  Falling with a loud thump, echoing throughout the void.

  Laying completely flat for what felt like hours in silence.

  …

  Then.

  The figure stepped upright, standing up like it was a deformed skeleton forming back into a human.

  Slowly forming back into reality as it walked towards Link II horrifically.

  Legs moving brokenly, its hand reaching out for him, jaw open like the figure was possessed.

  Looking like a deformed person in a bunny suit.

  Link II bolted like crazy, only to be frozen in his steps.

  Banging on the invisible walls that caged him with this creature.

  Suddenly…

  Its hand reached his shoulder, Link II trembled.

  Fearing the worst would happen to him.

  Shedding tears in the silence as the creature smiled at him, echoing his own sadness.

  As it grabbed him by the throat, not choking but held.

  It spoke, distorted by the dislocated jaw and somber tone of a dead man.

  “Hollywood's… Bleeding, isn't it?

  After everything that happened in the country, people don't learn, do they?

  You know… You aren't alone in this pain, but I won't say you don't deserve to die.

  You deserve the world, rather than die from your own hand.

  But sometimes we lose ourselves in the grief of life with people we love that have lost themselves in the snow.

  And… maybe that's okay. Maybe that's okay because no one's perfect.”

  Taking a hollow breath as it spoke yet again.

  “You know… I had a nickname for you…

  MAYBE MAN.”

  Suddenly, Link II woke on the grassy floor below him, his mouth filled with raindrops as he coughed from it.

  Spitting it onto the same blades of grass to get it out.

  His shoes grinding against the ground below.

  Rushing towards the home and closing the door with a loud thump.

  Sitting back down on the nearby couch again, just thinking to himself for a few moments.

  “Who… was he? Why was I the Maybe Man? Why did he call me the Maybe Man… I still don't get what it means…”

  “It means someone unsure of their identity and life's uncertainties, Fatass.”

  Duckworth interrupted abruptly, his tone being of annoyed care rather than previous anger.

  “Why the fuck do you care then?” Link II replied, “You could've just said nothing at all and left it at that.”

  DUCKWORTH sighed, annoyed, but not out of anger, but rather concern.

  “I don't hate you Link, I never hated you.

  You noticed that I left, when you were enjoying yourself and felt guilty for it.

  When you never really needed to, you grew up from that childlike personality you had.

  That's why I disappeared, Link.

  Not because of some stupid sin or idea blocking me away from you.

  But because you grew, my personality changed.

  I became bitter, angry with the world just like you.

  Because that's how you act, I am merely an echo of you.

  But… it doesn't have to be this way.”

  Link II stood appalled, now understanding why Duckworth was the way he was.

  It brought light to his own anger issues.

  Duckworth was more than just a brother, he was somebody who echoed other's anger and personality to bring awareness.

  But at the same time, he got so used to people complaining about him constantly, whining and crying about himself rather than others…

  He forgot the main lesson he learned from DAMN.

  To be humble, and by that standard to care for others and their problems.

  Not just prioritize your own issues.

  As Link II asked.

  “Hey, Duckworth… does that mean I can still call you Ducky?

  I liked calling you Ducky… I just don't know why i liked it.”

  Duckworth replied then.

  “Fine.

  Only a few times, okay?”

  Eventually, Link II broke down in tears, rushing towards Duckworth and hugging him tightly.

  The strength of a trillion men twined in the hug of a ghost.

  As Duckworth awkwardly patted his back while Link II cried.

  “It's alright kid… I missed you too.”

  Both standing in the silence and consequences of their actions from the snow.