I am Legion

With each step Frank Morrison took deeper into surrounding him fog, a sensation of stabbing resonated throughout his body. He still felt it. He could still hear the sound of the knife sinking into that man's flesh every time he raised the blade and struck it again. Nonetheless, he pushed forward, convinced that he noticed someone lurking between the trees.

"Frank!" He heard Julie, his girlfriend, calling him. Stupid chick. Considering what were they up to, it was utterly idiotic to shout so damn loud. However, Frank didn't bother to answer her, he was so absorbed in his own world that he couldn't care less. All he was able to think about was the sighting. And stabbing. It was the first time he killed a person and somehow, he felt it wasn't the last. He expected it would be harder, yet it was quite natural to him. And surprisingly fun.

"C'mon, man! Where are you?" Second voice was coming out from somewhere. It belonged to Joey, that moron of a friend, but Frank didn't react to him as well. Right now, he realized, that others were currently murderers too. Or so they thought, as he didn't tell them the cleaner was already long dead before Frank had even finished with him. Anyhow, he made them stab the victim just to make them accomplices. It would stop them from spilling it out to the police and if the body was to be found, the gang would simply sink to the very bottom with Frank. He smirked viciously on that idea.

"Where did you go, Frank? We're done." Another, much feebler voice sounded out. Until today Frank believed its owner, Susie, Julie's best friend, as the weak link in their pack and he wasn't wrong. She didn't belong to them. Just the sight of her when Frank placed the bloody knife in her hand was enough to prove that. Who knew, maybe one day she would have to be silenced too? Frank was certain Julie wouldn't dare to object, regardless of her personal feelings.

Suddenly, the fog thickened and the temperature dropped rapidly, however, Frank didn't seem to notice it. He ran into surrounding him veil, chased by his followers, unknowing that it was the last time Mount Ormond would hear about them.

When Frank opened his eyes again, he was blinded by the light, which was coming from above him. Once his vision finally adapted to it, he realized it was a desk lamp, under which a book laid on the desk, opened at some random page. Perplexed by that, Frank pushed it away and jerked back, only to fall down, since he didn't expect himself to be sitting on a chair. "What the fuck?!" He hissed under his breath, untangling his limbs from the piece of the furniture and massaging his hurt shoulder. Then, a door opened and an old man in elegant clothing walked in.
"Young master, you have a visitor." He announced with a polite bow, only to spot confused Frank laying on the floor, which made him add quickly in worry. "Are you alright, young master? Should I fetch a first aid kit?"
At that moment countless thoughts raged inside of Frank's brain, each even more nonsensical than the one before. Just a moment ago he was in the woods with his group! So, what…? Where…? There were too many things not matching, making Frank bewildered to such a degree, he wasn't able to articulate any of his doubts. For the first time in his life he was absolutely speechless. The man must have understood that and he kneeled next to Frank, helping him sit down, then proceeding to inspect his injuries.
"Who are you?" Frank eventually uttered, but he didn't get the response he would hope for.
"Did you hit your head, young master? You are very pale and your pupils are dilated. Perhaps I should call your doctor. Ever since that accident, he kept on saying you might have another attack…" The old man reached out to his inner pocket, preassembly to take out his phone, however, Frank stopped him.
"I'm fine. I'm fine!" "If young master insists…" He still remained unconvinced, so Frank added uncertainly. "I just felt asleep in a wrong place. That's all."
"Very well then. But if you feel nauseous or have any other symptoms, do not hesitate to call for me. I shall be on the standby. In the meantime, I will not intrude on you any further…" Lowering his head once again, he walked out of the room, revealing a figure standing behind him in the threshold.

It turned out to be a girl, whom in spite of her changed appearance, he recognized instantly. Though her medium-long hair was currently dark brown instead of purple and she had a nice sleeveless white dress in place of her usual baggy hoodie, that definitely had to be Susie.
"Hey. Your butler is really considerate, isn't he?" Greeting him with a pleasant smile and wave of a hand, she allowed herself in. Frank didn't reply at first, but then, memories of that night resurfaced in front of his eyes, so he jumped up.
"What happened then? Where's Julie? Joey?!" By all means, he wasn't concerned with their wellbeing, but he wanted to know whether they betrayed him. In the surge of rage, he didn't even realize that he was shouting until he noticed Susie's frightened expression. Apologizing insincerely, he stepped back only because he knew she wouldn't answer otherwise. But what left her parted mouth next, made Frank regret he mentioned this subject.
"Who?" She gazed into his eyes with concern. "I don't know anyone named like that. You must be still half-asleep or something…"
"Are you fucking kidding me? Don't mess with me like that!" He demanded. Forgetting about his previous resolve to remain calm he raised his hand, ready to strike Susie, however, what he heard next, caused him to freeze.
"I'd never! I promise as your fiancé."
"My what?" Frank's jaw dropped.
"Aren't we engaged? I think that's how it usually is called." She showed a golden ring with a small, yet expensive-looking ring on her finger. "Your dad wanted to talk to us about the ceremony today. Remember? There's still a bit of time until then, but I wanted to spend a little time with you before that. You said I could drop on anytime."
"I see…" Frank's response was blank.
"Not a big deal. I knew for what I was signing up from the start. With your condition and stuff, I guess it's only natural." Letting out a dry chuckle, Susie sat down on the bed cross-legged. "Don't mind me too much. If you don't want to talk, feel free to do anything else. I'm fine with just being close to you."
Being at the loss of words, Frank nodded dumbly. "Okay. Sure…"

In this manner, an hour passed, then another. They mostly remained silent through this time, sporadically exchanging insignificant comments on various unimportant matters. To his astonishment, Frank found himself somehow enjoying this company. It was way different from what he was used to, kind of refreshing. Although boring, this experience was unexpectedly putting him at ease, allowing to rest up. He closed his eyes, but before he even realized how long it took, Susie poked his cheek.
"We should be going" She urged Frank to get up with a smile. "Your dad never liked to wait. He's such a busy man."

The rest of the house they were in was nothing like Frank had even seen with his own two eyes. In fact, it wasn't just a home, but a luxurious mansion full of furniture worth more apiece than all of his belongings together, not to mention those paintings on the walls. Frank wasn't an art expert, however, even he could observe that they must have been very valuable, so he couldn't help but to feel overwhelmed by this scenery. Ultimately, they reached a living room with a view on a large pool outside, where on one of the two white leather sofas was situated a serious looking man in a grey suit and matching tie. That had to be this father person. Though Frank was taken in by many stepfamilies so far, he had never been adopted by someone of such irresistible presence, perfectly befitting a leader of large company Frank imagined him to be. It was enough for him to nod his head to make Frank and Susie to obediently take a sit on the opposite side of the table and once they did so, he began.
"You know why I asked for this meeting, so there's no point in beating around the bush. Nevertheless, I must confirm something." He turned his head towards Susie. "Do you love my son?"
"O-of course, I do!" Although she stuttered, her determination was visible to Frank's father, who rewarded her with a satisfied smirk, but then, his face went serious.
"Please, don't take it personal. I believe you are indeed a good girl. It's just that, as a head of this family, I have to think about its future. From what I understood, your parents aren't exactly wealthy…" Having no reply to that, Susie lowered her sight in shame. "Therefore, on the financial ground, there is not much you can bring to the table with this marriage. I hope you get what I'm trying to imply…"
At this moment Susie went pale and Frank noticed that her hands were shaking more and more as father continued his merciless tirade. What an asshole, Frank shrugged his shoulders, waiting what would happen next. Unexpectedly then, his father grinned widely, though in this smile there was none of malice his previous words could indicate.
"Completely nothing. I don't care about that. As long as there's love between the two of you, I'm fine with you joining the family. Happiness is also an investment and I'm sure it's going to pay off. Make Frank a happy man and it will contribute far greater than all of the dollars in this world."
Shocked by this twist, yet still happy, Susie proudly puffed her chest. "I'll do my best, sir!"
"No need to be formal, you can call me dad." He interjected, moving his focus onto Frank. "Twenty-five sure is a prime age for marrying, isn't it?"
"Twenty-five? But I'm…" Nineteen… His father didn't let him finish and acting as if he didn't hear that, he sprung up, making too much noise than it was necessary for this action.
"I must go back to the office. Do you have any plans, kids?"
"Well, I was hoping we could visit the town and…" Susie explained hopefully.
"Alright. Enjoy your day. Make sure to treat your lady to some fine meal afterwards, Frank." Checking the watch on his wrist, father hurried out of the room, only to reappear shortly. "One more thing…" He gazed at his son. "Your mother would've been proud of you. And so am I. You are a worthy heir of Morrison family, Frank." With that said, he was already gone for good.

Having given up for a time being, Frank decided he should go with the current to see where it would take him. It was hard to swallow this bewilderment and keep calm, however, he clenched his fists and went into the limousine together with Susie. He let her choose their destination and delayed it to the chauffeur, feeling incredibly awkward while doing so. Soon after, the engine turned on and they were already on the move. Though he didn't know how long the journey would take, Frank decided to check whether he could acquire more tips about the state of things. But before he opened his mouth, Susie, as if reading his mind, stated.
"It's been already six years."
"Since when?"
"Since we're together, of course. Did you forget?" She pouted, crossing her arms.
"How did it happen?" He asked.
"I wonder… I wonder…" She let out an enigmatic giggle, confusing Frank even more.
He didn't know what to say next to extract intel out of her without using force, so he thought it was better to remain silent. He simply starred at his alleged wife-to-be, contemplating. Despite that, Susie didn't avert her gaze, but grinned in return, which made Frank realize something, he should have already notice by now.

Susie looked at least a few years older than he remembered her. And to that, prettier. Still too skinny and plain as for Frank's standards, nonetheless, he could see that… Never mind. Putting it together with what that father figure claimed about his age, Frank came up with an idea.
"Hey, do you have a mirror or something like that?" Assuming all regular girls would always have one, he leaned forward with his hand opened. It turned out he wasn't wrong.
"Sure." Without hesitation, Susie produced a small pocket mirror out of her bag and handed it to Frank who hurriedly checked his reflection in it.
When he locked eyes with himself, his heart was racing and at the same moment, the limo had stopped. If it wasn't for that, who knew what could happen, as Frank was one step to jumping out of the car. His image on the mirror… It was cleaner and more handsome, but by all means, aged.

Rest of the afternoon Frank spent docilely following Susie around the town with assist of the chauffeur as the bodyguard, marching three steps behind them like a faithful dog. Surprisingly, that wasn't a rare sight in this area as it seemed as a district full of rich folks and Frank didn't enjoy it a bit. Perhaps those snobs saw him as the biggest one of them now, he didn't care, however, once they strolled towards the slightly less expensive part of the town, he immediately felt more comfortable. He was slowly getting hungry, so he gladly accepted Susie's invitation to an average, yet cozy looking restaurant. As they were entering it, the chauffer excused himself for a smoke break. Frank had no objections to that, but as his partner was on her way towards the counter, he felt as if he noticed someone familiar. He stopped for a moment to double-check, however, there was no one there at all.

A few moments later they were already at their table, looking at menus. To Frank all of the dishes were pure gibberish, so hoping to put Susie in good mood and raise his chances to learn more, he let her chose the order for both of them. He could be charming when he tried, couldn't he? As Frank was admiring his wits, a waitress arrived. When he saw her, Frank's jaw dropped.
"Julie?!" Only in last second, he stopped himself from raising his voice. That was her! He would never mistake his own girl with someone else! So why she reacted this way? Like if it was the first time they met?
"Excuse me, sir? I think you've got wrong person." She fidgeted nervously, gazing around. Hell no, he was about to add, however, Susie interrupted him.
"Sorry about that. You remind our old friend. Don't be bothered."
"Understood." Julie bowed her head apologetically and withdrew with the order. Frank followed her with his sight, thanks to that he noticed that she didn't head straight to the kitchen, but passed men's restroom on the way, where a shadow disappeared. Curious of that, Frank suddenly stood up.
"I'll be right back." He announced without second glance or whatsoever.

By the time he reached toilets there was no one there. Not even a soul. He made sure by crouching to peek under the stalls, but not a person was to be found there. Frank couldn't shake off a strange sensation of suspicions growing within him with each moment. He could feel it. He didn't know how, but he was able to sense ill-intent in the air. Something was about to happen, he was certain and when he spotted that vent was unscrewed, he ran out, wishing this ominous premonition wouldn't become reality.

However, it was already too late, judging from the screams.
"DON'T FUCKING DARE TO MOVE!"
A gunshot rang out, allowing Frank to pinpoint the source of this chaos.
"LEAVE ALL VALUABLES ON YOUR TABLES. IF YOU DO FUNNY STUFF, I'LL FUCKIN' KILL YA!" A man in brown jacket was swinging widely with a firearm, strolling through the tables and putting wallets into his waist pack. Soon he would reach Susie, but before that, he turned in Frank's direction.
"That asshole…" Frank gritted his teeth in fury as he realized aggressor's identity. This white mask… He cared not for observing him people and the fact the enemy was armed, Frank wanted to simply punish that idiot, who was too occupied to even see that someone was closing up on him.
"Hey, you!" Frank called out and without giving a chance to react, he punched the mugger with all his might. This blow knocked him on the floor in an instant, but it didn't render him unconscious, so Frank proceeded to bash assailant's head. With few punches, the mask finally undid itself, revealing Joey's face. Their gazes met for a while, however, then other men rushed to pin him down, pushing Frank back.
"We should get going." Suddenly, chauffeur whispered into his ear, pulling him away from the commotion and asking Susie to join them. He dropped a stack of cash on the counter and protecting them, he led them towards the car.

Once they were inside of the vehicle, the driver turned to Frank and Susie.
"It wouldn't be wise if we stayed until the police would show up. Morrison family shouldn't be associated anyhow with such events. Do you wish to return home for now?"
"I think I had enough for one day… What about you?"
"Me?" Frank raised his brow. Thoughts were storming in him as two pairs of eyes looked at him with anticipation. Questions… So many god damned questions… Why did Julie pretend to not know them and why Joey did what he did? Why Frank became an heir of great fortune out of nowhere and why he was with Susie? And most importantly, what happened to those missing years? Frank understood that answers could be obtained only in one way.
"Take us to Mount Ormond." He demanded to the overall bafflement.
"Ormond?" Susie gave him a panicked glance and chauffer seemed to have something to add as well. Nonetheless, he sighed and returned to the steering wheel, but Frank could see that he wasn't enthusiastic about it. Frank was certain he would soon learn why.

Silence ruled inside of the limousine through the majority of the journey. Only at the beginning Susie was trying to persuade this idea out of Frank, claiming that it was too far and she had to return home early, but she quickly gave up on it. He was adamant and he wanted her to be there, so he could finally squeeze out the entire truth. No lies, no empty half-words, just truth. By the time they moved past the sign informing that 15 more miles were ahead to their destination, it already got dark. In addition to that, it was raining heavily. The storm was coming or rather, they were driving right into its center.
"A few more minutes, sir." The chauffeur declared with a tense voice, focused on the road. Visibility was extremely low, to such a degree that Frank, who knew this area very well, could hardly determine their present location. Anyhow, he could tell they were getting there. He still remembered where exactly they wanted to bury the body, so he would lead the way and undig it. Then everything should become transparent… When this thought crossed Frank's mind, a thunder struck in front of them, illuminating a person standing motionlessly in the middle of the road.

To avoid collision, the driver hit the brakes and turned the wheel. Due to the weather, the tires could no longer maintain a steady course. The vehicle slid. If it wasn't for chauffeur's skills, it would have landed on its roof, which most likely would have costed them their lives. Anyway, that didn't mean they survived unscratched. The car slammed into the tree, though not with a full speed, but it was still enough to cause some serious damage. The driver was unconscious or even possibly be dead as his skull was bleeding profoundly. And what about Susie? She seemed to disappear from the sight. As Frank stepped out of the car his vision was blurry, his body responding less and less, yet he was still motivated to push forward. He felt as if half of his bones were broken, however, that wasn't enough to stop Frank Morrison. He wished to discover the truth, even at the price of his own life.
"You should turn back, young master." In the figure shrouded by the coat of darkness and rain, Frank recognized the butler. How…?
"No. Never! I must go there!"
"You must NOT, young master. This place is bad for you. Unhealthy. You should cut your ties with the past. You can have everything, although when you step on this mountain, you shall lose it." The butler stared down Frank, his real intentions be impossible to be determined.
"I couldn't care less, you old fuck! Just move out of my way or I'll make you." But no matter the threats, the butler remained idle. What's more he let out a slight chuckle.
"Young master leaves me no choice…" Once those words left his mouth, long, sharp claw-like arms shot out of his back, spreading in spiderish manner. All of them were pointing directly at Frank, who upon this realization, backed in terror. Before the impulse to run managed to leave his brain, those blades fired at him, gouging his chest. Blood dripped out of the wound in amounts Frank never suspected that could be stored within one organism. It was still leaking when his senses faded away.

"Is he…?" "Somebody, call the ambulance!" Dimmed screams reached to Frank from distant darkness and much softer one, from closer brought him up to the surface.
"Please, don't give up…"
Despite the fact his body was dull, he opened his eyes to find himself on the ground, back at the restaurant. Above, he saw Susie's tense expression, which immediately upon the realization of Frank's returned consciousness, relieved.
"My goodness. I was so worried!" Dropping a small container of pills, she hugged him. In his exhaustion, Frank found this experience somehow uplifting.
"What happened?" He asked right after he was let out from this embrace.
"You had another attack. You've been acting weird all day, so just in case I brought your medication." Sweeping tears from her cheeks, Susie explained.
"Attack?"
"Ever since that accident six ago. You suddenly collapsed in the woods and forget who you were. It happens randomly, changing your memories, like if you were a completely different person. They say it's uncurable."
Then… Would that mean all of the time they spent in Ormond was just a hallucination? Same as that monstrous butler? Were those simply bad dreams? Frank didn't want to believe it, but too many pieces were falling in places to ignore them. He needed the final push to convince himself, so he mustered all of his remaining strength and raised his position to look around.

Some of sort of turmoil was currently occurring in the vicinity, however, it wasn't entirely connected to Frank's health state. In the corner, a group of people, among which there were two police officers, was looking at something on the floor. When one of the men moved, Frank spotted it was a corpse. More to that, Julie's or waitress'. Although he could no longer be sure what was her real identity, seeing her all miserable like that made his chest tighten. Who did that? Search for the perpetrator wasn't long. Another two police officers were struggling with an assailant, Frank believed to know as Joey. He was fighting and eventually, knocked one of the officers back. Using this moment of surprise, he seized the gun of the other one and took the aim. However, right before he pulled the trigger, his hand was pushed away in the most unfortunate direction. Right at Frank.

Everything happened so fast. Frank couldn't dodge. His muscles wouldn't budge even an inch. He closed his eyes in panic, bracing for impact, but it never came. When Frank dared to check why, he felt some warm liquid on his shoulder. The bullet missed him, hitting another target – Susie.
"No!" Frank shouted, grabbing his fiancée, who was struck near her heart "NO, NO, NO, NO!"
Affection was still written all over her dying face, causing Frank to snap. Just when his life finally became as he wished it to be deep down. He could have a happy, peaceful life with his loving wife and supporting family, but no! Everything had to go to shit again. Fate once again showed him a middle finger. Because of that, a surge of anger filled his veins with adrenaline, allowing him to sprung up. All what counted now was him, the killer and vengeance. Frank gripped the first object in reach and dashed towards Joey without realizing that other people disappeared and a heavy fog settled in. Just when he lunged to take revenge, the restaurant vanished.

Frank fell on his knees, breathing heavily. Suddenly, a voice from the void called out to him.
"Do you want to punish those who took everything from you?"
"I do." Frank instantly replied.
"Do you want to make them suffer for the whole eternity?"
"I do." After that, there were no further questions, but a familiar smiley mask and a knife materialized in front of him, floating. He grabbed them and once he covered his face, he noticed a movement behind a tree. He knew instinctively what had to be done. In a frenzy, he dashed after a woman who stuck out her head. She was fast, but Frank was even faster and eventually, he caught up to her, stabbing furiously. And again. And again. And again… She was definitely dead; however, Frank didn't stop until that voice spoke to him again.
"Who are you?" Frank raised the dripping blade and moved his finger across its surface. Then, he smeared it over the smile on his mask, like if he was signing a contract, before he was ready to answer.
"I am Legion."