Seth's Delight - Death Reveries

SETH

I woke before Lydia. I smiled as I looked down at her smooth still face. There were no lines, no imperfections that marked her. Even if there was, I'd learn to live with them because I loved her and I knew it. To ever have wanted to hurt her..... It made me sick. Lydia stirred slightly and I left her alone to get some rest. As soon as I pulled on some clothes and my floor length coat, I went straight for the front door and out into early new day. The morning was blue and the moon was still high. Through the night, more snow had fallen and the neighborhood was covered in a thick blanket of glistening white. I couldn't stop thinking about Lydia. I loved her. I loved everything about her ; her face and body, her mind. I loved the way she looked past the evil in me and saw that I was something more than just an evil wretch, looking for revenge. She saw past the horns and fire and saw a man that had been hurt in a past life by someone that was close to her. But throughout my life I had learned that tragedies had to happen in order for blessings to come. The last few moments of my former life flashed before my eyes and I stared in horror as I stood face to face with a mad man. I could feel my brother William at my side, shaking lightly." Which one of you stole from me?" Maxwell asked. He eyed me, then my brother and waved on of the men that was standing beside him over to us. " Search them." he said.

I looked to Maxwell, then to William and back. " Max, what are you talking about? What is this about?" I asked. Maxwell looked at me as if I had just said something in a different language. " Don't act stupid like the bastard you are, Seth. You know that son of a bitch brother of yours stole some of my money. You know I can't stand liars and crooks!"
In a sad way I found this to be funny. Maxwell was a professional fraud and liar and he was born a crook. He had stolen from poor people and used their innocence against them, blackmailing them into doing his evil bidding while he sat back and laughed, gaining. He was a killer and a thief and I hated him, yet I worked for him. I looked over at William who had his hands above is head, his eyes glued to the floor as one of Maxwell's men searched him.

Anger washed over me as I took a few steps forward and pushed the man who was searching my brother away. " Enough of this, we didn't steal anything from you !" Maxwell moved forward and I pushed William behind me. He looked me squarely in the eyes. True enough I felt a bit of fear pulling at the strings of my heart, yet I stood firm. Never would I cower in the face of an evil bastard like Maxwell. " If it wasn't you two then who the hell else did it? Thirteen thousand gone! Gone, nowhere to be found!" His loud voice boomed throughout the small, crowded tenement. I looked over at the corner of the room where my mother held her face in her hands, her black hair sticking to her sweaty face in strands. She was shaking.

I looked back at Maxwell who was eyeing me in the same manner as a hawk eyes it's prey. He had slipped his hand into his coat and back out again, raising a gun to my chest. "Now, let's be done with all this madness. Tell me who the fuck stole that thirteen thousand, or you'll be needing a new heart-"
"I told you, I don't know who stole your goddamned money!"
"I know who did it !" William squealed in a rush. He was breathing hard and I could hear the rapid beat of his heart during the silence that ensued after his outburst. Maxwell pushed me aside and stood face to face with my younger brother, who shrank away in fear. " Get back here." Maxwell said, quietly. He was dangerous when he was quiet, dangerous like the snake he was. I saw the odd glint in his beady eyes, the slight dangerous curve of his old mouth. He was going to try something.

William stepped forward and was jerked even further as Maxwell took hold of the collar of his shirt. " Now you little nothing, tell me where my money is and I'll let your dirty, immigrant family live to suffer another day." A fury greater than the wrath of Hell surged through my blood, but the only thing that kept me in place was William's young and pleading eyes. He was a young boy, fifteen and had been through more turmoil and pain than Maxwell could have ever imagined. From being beaten in the dark streets of London's more troubled districts to watching our mother get tossed around by various men just to earn enough money to feed us, William had lived to see another day. I was determined to see that he made it through this, alive." Sir, please, let's go outside and finish this, I don't want my mother seeing this, she had nothing to do with this and neither does Seth!" he said, stumbling over some of his words. Maxwell's hat tipped to the side as he looked from me to my mother and back." Keep your ass in here and if I see you even look out the window, I'll put two between his fucking eyes. Understand?"

I nodded, but I didn't take my eyes away from his as he backed away to the front door and roughly pushed my brother through it. William gave me one last look, the look that one wore when they knew they were just seconds away from death. He was afraid, and I could do nothing to protect him. The apprehensive coiling in my gut grew so strong, I felt as if gravity had a stronger pull on my insides. Tears gathered in my eyes, building and building until they finally fell when the door clicked shut. Then my mother and I were alone, and she was screaming, screaming at me, screaming at my father who was buried along with his bad ways in a grave in a London churchyard. "Please Seth, save my baby! Help my boy, don't let Maxwell steal away his innocence, his life!!" she wailed. I took my mother into my arms, he frail, gaunt body shaking with her sobs. I brushed her matted hair away from her face and looked into her eyes, shaking her." Please, mother, look at me, I need you to calm down and look at me!"

I knew her heart couldn't take much more of this. My mother was frail and starving and lighthearted. She would die if she didn't calm down." Please, Seth, Please protect him!" she cried, nearly incoherently. In truth, I didn't know what else to do. So I did what I saw my father do countless times when he was alive: I held her and rocked her like a baby until she fell nearly unconscious in my arms. I held her for what seemed like half an hour until eternity. When I looked back down, her eyes were closed and she was shaking. It was one of her fits she had, when she became too excited or scared. I sighed and laid her upon the bed and covered her the two blankets we owned. That would be warm enough.

Just as I was about to peek out of the window, there was a soft rap at the door. I cautiously opened it and directly in front of me was one of Maxwell's men." Boss said he wanted to see you." he said casually. I pushed him out of the way and descended the stairs and came to a circle of men in the snow covered grass courtyard. In the middle of the circle was William, wide eyed and shaking. He looked to me, then quickly away, wiping blood from his cheek. Everyone turned to look at me and they all had some form of leer or smirk on their ugly faces. Maxwell seemed to be the happiest of all.

"You should be happy you have such an honest brother." Maxwell said, lighting a fresh cigar he had just rolled. He took a puff of it and set his foot against the back of one of the many cars that surrounded them.
I didn't say anything, but watched as William began to cry, quietly. Maxwell smiled and took another puff, looking pleased with himself." You know, Joe stole my thirteen thousand. Who would have thought Joe, the honest Italian would've cheated me out of so much. I'll be paying him a little visit to day, later on. But I want to talk about something with you Seth. Did you know that Joe had my money?"

I stared at him incredulously. Of all people, Maxwell knew that Joe and I didn't get along. Joe was just too rough." I don't deal with Joe, so I or my brother have nothing to do with that." I said, grabbing William's hand and pushing my way through the crowd of lowlifes. " Maxwell stepped in my path and pushed his palm into my chest, stopping me." That's where you are wrong. Seth. William did know and he didn't try to stop him. " I looked down at Maxwell who was a lot shorter than me." We aren't snitches."

Maxwell laughed and made a hand gesture to me and my brother. " I'm sick of being bothered with Seth. Kill him." he said. Two men out of the entire group approached me, grabbing me by arms as two others approached, leering. I struggled and struggled, but the action of trying to wiggle from their grip was in vain. The first blow to my abdomen made my knees buckle and I fell, nearly limp to the ground. I quickly recovered and twisted my body so that I was facing my attacker. Something in me snapped and on impulse, I bit him. It was bloody and disgusting and the metallic taste in my mouth only made me sink my teeth deeper in his shoulder. He pushed me away and cried as I took a chink of his skin off and spit it out, using my free arm to grab the other by the around the neck. As soon as my other arm was free I wrapped it around his neck and snapped it. He landed with a dull thud in the snow, is head turned at an odd angle. Below the car that was nearest me was a rusted metal pipe. I ducked quickly and picked it up and turned to hit the first person I saw.

Somewhere in all the blood and madness of fighting and killing multiple men, Maxwell had shoved my brother into one of his cars and escaped. I hadn't noticed this until I was the last man standing, looking over a courtyard full of dead and wounded men. I dropped the metal pipe as I looked over at the bodies, calling out my brother's name. I realized that one of the cars, closest to t he street was missing. Deep down I knew where Maxwell was going to take him and what he was going to do. I jumped into the nearest car and drove off, following Maxwell's trail.