Heya! This is my first JtHM story, so please please, please, PLEASE don't bludgeon me to death with steamed broccoli if it sucks! Yeah so… I had a rough copy of this marinating in my notebook since late august, and I finally got a chance to work on it. If anyone of out of character, I apologize in advance. Well, have fun reading it, and don't forget to review!

JthM © to Jhonen Vazquez bows I'M NOT WORTHY!

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It was darker than what was usual for this time of year. The late autumn sky was obscured by a thick, gray blanket of rain clouds, which prevented the full moon from casting its silvery glow. A cold wind blew, harsh and merciless, bringing with it icy droplets of rain which gusted through the freezing November air. Dead leaves littered the ground, while the ones that had not been sodden by the rain blew around in the chilling breeze. It was well past midnight, and the park would have been abandoned by now. The day's visitors had gone. Or so it seemed.

A solitary figure wandered there. Slowly and silently, he trekked along the deserted paths. Dark brown eyes darted around, wary of the slightest stirring in the darkness. The faint clanging of blades could be heard with every step the figure took, indicating that he hid weapons beneath his trench coat.

The figure was that of a tall, abnormally thin man. His raven-black hair was wild and unkempt. His eyes were sunken, the eyelids darkened from lack of sleep. His skin was stretched over his bony frame, and paled from not being in the sunlight for weeks. The man was clad completely in black. From his boots to the shirt on his back, his clothes ranged from shades of dark gray to pure onyx.

Johnny C. shivered bitterly, pulling his coat closer to his thin body. The rain had soaked through his clothes, chilling him. His head hurt, and his breathing sounded uneven as he walked. He cursed himself for leaving his house. He had left this town a long time ago, to get away from his emotions and problems. He wanted to be cold and numb, without feeling. The trip had only added to his growing hate for mankind. In every town he stopped in, people would look at him strangely, or glare at him with rejection. Now it was over a year later, and Johnny had returned to his run down house.

He had only been there for a few moments, when he felt that he couldn't stay there any longer. There was nothing for him there, nothing but haunting memories, a terrible silence, and, deep below the floor, a blood splattered wall. Growling to himself, he left the place, wandering around. Johnny had been so deep in thought that he was hardly aware of where his feet were taking him. Only when he got caught in a downpour of rain did he realize where he was. Trying to forget about his wet clothes and trembling body, Johnny gazed up as he walked, the fridged raindrops running down his face. All he could see was the shadowy clouds.

Johnny lowered his eyes, sighing miserably as an ache of loneliness began to gnaw at his heart. He was free of so many things now. Free from the whispering lies of the doughboys. Free from the slavery of the thing that had been in his wall, the very thing that forced him to slaughter so many people. But he remained a prisoner of his own mind.

Reverend Meat's words whispered in his brain…

"There is no choice. You're always a slave to something…"

Johnny was jerked out of his thoughts as a coughing fit took hold of him. He sat down heavily on a nearby bench just off the path, trying to draw a breath. After what seemed like hours, he was able to breathe again. He closed his eyes, leaning his head on the wooden surface. "Goddamnit," he muttered to himself. The rain was letting up, now only a misty drizzle remained. But the ceasing of the rain had brought little comfort, for the wind still remained. The icy gusts shook through the trees, their bare branches creaking and bending from the force.

Johnny looked up again, trembling, as a distant memory flashed in his mind. It was a memory of a star filled evening. A memory of looking down on the city from a distant hill. A memory of a girl, a girl whom he had become friends with, someone he cared deeply about.

"Devi…"

Of all the memories of his past, the thought of Devi hurt him the most. They had met at a bookstore, where she worked. They had shared many conversations, talking about everything they could think of. From books to art, they found that they saw eye to eye in nearly every subject. Johnny missed her terribly. Her image was engraved in his mind: her smile, her graceful motions, and her talent for painting. But what he missed most of all were her eyes. When ever he had looked into them, he saw the flickering of both kindness and intelligence in those blazing green orbs.

Johnny's eyes began to sting with tears as he recalled their date. Everything had been perfect that night. Everything had gone so well, up until Devi had tried to kiss him. He fled from the room in a panic, the voice of Mr. Eff whispering in his mind. It had driven him to attack her with knives, to "immortalize the moment". But Devi had escaped, proving that she was more than capable of defending herself, and leaving Johnny bleeding on the floor.

He had tried to apologize to her over the phone. He had wanted to make things right again. He had wanted to start over. But she had refused his apology. Devi had refused him...

"Devi…" he choked. "I miss you… so much…"

Tears began to stream down Johnny's face. He clamped his eyes shut, burying his face in his hands. Soft sobs began echoing through his body. For the first time in a long time, Johnny was crying.

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Unknown to Johnny, another person wandered the streets that night. Devi had forced herself out of her apartment, something she rarely did. She didn't want to leave the security of her home. After all, he was still out there. But some unknown force had pushed her outdoors, and left Devi wandering the empty streets downtown, not far from the park. It was cold and rainy weather, with an icy wing gusting every now and then. Devi hugged her coat closer to her body, shivering slightly, but still thankful that she had waited until the rain had lessened before leaving her apartment.

She glanced over her shoulder every once in a while. Everywhere she went, it felt like he was always there, waiting in the shadows. Devi's fear of meeting up with Johnny had taken its toll on her mind. She had the same reoccurring nightmare nearly every time she closed her eyes. It was flashback of that fateful night over a year ago, only it always ended with Johnny stabbing her, ending her life. Even though it had been over a year since she had heard from him, Devi almost expected him to step out of the shadows, knife in hand and kill her.

But, even though he had tried to kill her, Devi couldn't help but feel like she… missed him.

Damnit Devi, she thought. He tried to fucking kill you! Why are you thinking of him so much!

Devi didn't want to admit it, but she did miss him. Johnny had been so kind to her. How could someone who was that nice turn so violent almost instantly? There must have been something wrong with him, some disorder in his mind. But what? She sighed, trying not to think of him. Lifting her hand, Devi glanced at the watch on her wrist.

It was 1:15 in the morning.

Growling to herself, Devi turned around, and began walking back to her apartment building. She was tired and cold, and just wanted to get back inside, where it was safe. She stared at the sidewalk, still thinking of Johnny, and wondering what had become of him.

But as she walked, Devi failed to notice the three dark shadows that crept silently behind her, waiting for the right moment to attack…

Uh-oh. Here comes trouble. So, what do you think so far? Do you just adore it, or do you wish to decapitate me for messing around with Jhonen's great work? Review and tell me!