Home...Sweet...Home

by Kristofer Kaos June 3rd 2009, 12:30 pm

The camera statics on to show Kaos sleeping on an iron bed frame, with a mattress that seems to offer little to no comfort. The room is barren except for the bed and a small nightstand that sits vacant. The walls of the room are stained with muck and grime; if only walls could talk. Bars are seen upon the only window in the room and moonlight bathes the room through the bars. Sweat beads off Kaos’ brow and a grimace adorns his face. He lashes about as he obviously has yet another nightmare. Suddenly he jerks upright and looks around the room. He is panting in an attempt to retrieve his breathe which was lost during the disturbing visions of his nightmare. He stares around the room in a panic and begins to move to the corner of the bed that is against the meeting of two walls. He begins to whimper as he remembers the room all too well. He begins to think about that had happened in the room over the years; the death, the destruction, the loss of sanity that had plagued him. He knew this room for it was his room. Kaos speaks, shaking his head from side to side slowly and chuckling.

“Good ol’ Gregory Hills! I can never seem to escape my fate within these walls. I am forever tormented to suffer, encased in this cement tomb. I have tried to run and hide from what dwells in these halls, but alas it finds a way to drag me back. I am forever destined to ride out eternity upon this wrought iron frame, with these blood stained walls that house the memories of my childhood and my descent into madness staring at me like judge and jury. I do not deserve this!”

Kaos, in a fury, jumps from the bed and turns to grab it from beneath. In a quick motion he flips the bed and it hits hard against the wall. As particles fall to the floor, Kaos turns and kicks the nightstand and it shatters upon impact. Bits of wood fly about the room. Kaos then moves to the center of the room. While tilting his head back, he lets out a bellowing scream. Breathing heavily he looks down at the ground as an urge hits him to do so as if something is whispering for his attention. Lying upon the ground is the remains of a plush teddy bear. One of the stitched eyes is missing and parts of the bear are open revealing the cotton spewing from the inside. Stains upon the bear indicate a less than enjoyable time. Kaos begins to run his finger over the matted hair of the teddy bear and abruptly jerks away as something caused him pain. He drops the teddy bear and looks at the tip of his finger. Blood begins to flow forth from a small wound at the tip of the finger, dropping into a puddle forming on the floor beside where the bear had been dropped.

Kaos bent over and retrieved the bear and looked closely at the area that had pricked him, yet he could find nothing. Looking back at the wound, it still bled heavily. Suddenly, Kaos felt yet sharper pains and fell backwards hitting the ground hard. Old scars became new wounds and burst allowing the crimson red to flow onto the floor. Wound upon wound seemed to come to life and reopen on the body of Kaos. Struggling he stood and began to make his way to the doorway of the room. Blood covered the floor and blinded him as it got into his eyes. Falling to his knees, he felt groggy and had no energy to continue. He fell forward hitting his face hard on the concrete floor. Blood shot from his mouth and much more spread from the wounds on his body.

There was silence.

Kaos awoke quickly and felt the tears streaming from his eyes. He began to check his body for the wounds which he believed to be real, but eventually he realized it was but a cruel dream. Looking around he knew not where he was. He lay upon a bed that had floral pattern sheets. The room was quant and welcoming with pink walls and a tan colored carpet. Pictures lined the wall of different mythical beings, biblical quotes, and family portraits showing a family that seemed very joyful. A small entertainment center sat at the foot of the bed and held more pictures, along with a television and other electronic appliances.

Kaos swung his legs around to meet the floor and as he did something fell from the bed, the Universal Championship. Kaos looked at the belt and recalled the rush he had as he entered the arena and knew what his goal was. He remembered how good it felt to destroy someone in front of millions of viewers. It was a genuine high. A smirk trailed across his face and he picked the title up. It glimmered in the fluorescent lighting. Slowly Kaos moved his finger over the name on the plate: “Kristofer Kaos.” He had never been one to receive medals nor adoration, but the fact remained that he was a champion and this signified him being better than most. He knew he was not better, just luckier. Slowly he laid the belt on the bed beside him as the feeling of happiness left and a return to depression came.

He looked around the room once more and stood, walking to the door that was near the bed. Slowly he turned the knob and pushed the door open. A hallway loomed before him with a set of stairs leading to a downstairs at the far end. A few rooms were between him and the stairs. He began to make his way to go downstairs and hopefully find out why he was in the home. As he passed one room, he saw a small girl sitting in the floor playing with a small stuffed teddy bear. He stopped and stared at the young girl. She had blonde hair that reached her shoulders and pale skin like that of an angel. She wore pajamas and didn’t seem to notice Kaos watching her. At once he recalled the little girl being pulled into the abyss and couldn’t believe that she was sitting in front of him. He walked into the room and the little girl stood, turning to face him. Kaos stopped and spoke gently.

“Darling, how did you get here?”

The little girl giggled and pointed up. Kaos stared up to where her finger pointed, but he was confused. He spoke once more.

“I don’t understand. I saw you get pulled into that dark place. How did you make it home and how did I come to be here?”

The little girl giggled once more and spoke soft.

“It was a very scary place. Things were mean there and tried to hurt me, but you wouldn’t let ‘em do that. You wouldn’t let ‘em hurt me. You saved me and brought me home, but you fell and wouldn’t get up, so mommy and daddy put you in bed. You must have been so tired.”

Kaos’ mind began to race. He did not recall what the little girl said. Somehow his memory of the event had faded and he was left with nothing but confusion. He spoke once more to the little girl trying to arrange his thoughts and fill in the void.

“Are you sure that is what happened?”

The little girl stepped forward and hugged Kaos’ leg, shocking Kaos. He began to step away, but ceased and allowed the child to hug him. He knelt to one knee and moved a strand of hair from the her face. Her eyes were so very bright and it amazed Kaos that they were so beautiful. He spoke once more.

“Well, I couldn’t just let them take you. I am going to go now to talk to your mommy and daddy.”

The little girl nodded and Kaos stood. He walked to the doorway and turned to see the child sitting once more to continue her play. Kaos made it to the stars hastily and jumped down them. He turned towards what seemed like the living room and entered cautiously. In the room sat an older couple. The woman had on a pink pajama set, her hair down and curling around her face, which showed signs of aging. The man sat in his casual dress, with a remote in one hand and a beer in the other. His hair was beginning to shift to gray and wrinkles adorned his bearded face. The couple took notice of Kaos and stood at once, the mother running to hug him. She embraced him and he didn’t know what to do because no one had been very compassionate to him his whole existence. She let go and Kaos saw tears rolling down her cheeks. The man approached him and held out an outstretched hand. Kaos moved his hand and began to shake the man’s hand, before being jerked into another hug by the man. Kaos still had no idea what to do so he simply allowed for the hug to happen. The man let go and moved to stand beside his wife. He began to speak.

“Thank you so much for bringing our little Alana home. She is a curious child, but that curiousity gets the best of her. We could not find her for a few days and it was tearing us apart. We love the child so very much and you returned her to us. You may seem like a roughneck, but you are as much family to us as anyone in this house.”

The man smiled as a tear slid down his cheek. Kaos stared blankly at the ground. He hadn’t had a family since a very early age, just mentors and someone to police his actions. He was speechless and just nodded his head. The woman spoke next.

“We don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t came along. You were an Angel sent from God himself to save our baby.”

The wife lunged forward and hugged Kaos once more, this time Kaos wrapped his hands around her and allowed the warmth of the hug to overcome him. He felt tears, but did not allow himself to cry. The woman let go and moved back to where her husband stood. Once more he spoke.

“You should get some rest. You took a nasty fall when you brought our daughter in. It seems as though you fainted. Some rest will take care of that weakness. If you need anything just come get us. You deserve more than our gratitude. You are a fine man and are truly a wonderful soul.”

The man smiled warmly, as did the woman. Kaos attempted to return the smile and turned to head back up the stairs. He made his way back to the room he was in and shut the door gently behind him. He looked at the bed and saw the title once more. He moved over to it and picked it up, staring over it once more. He began to think of all the times that others had called him evil and cynical; those that slandered him for being different. However, now with the warmth of a thankful mother and father along with the victories over those that stood before him showed Kaos that he may be something more than a worthless wanderer. He laid the belt out on the bed and stood staring at it. Beneath his breathe he spoke.

“No one will take this from me. Life is finally coming together and no one will stop it from doing so for me. No one! I will destroy and conquer all those that stand before me and nothing but a corpse will be left in my wake. This is a new beginning for and old end. “

Kaos smiled and turned to look around the room once more. He picked the belt up and laid it in a chair that was nearby. He sat on the bed where the title had been. Letting out a sigh he slowly got into the floor and turned to lean against the bed. Placing his hands together, he bowed his head, and began to pray.

“God, I know that I have been a less that acceptable image, but I would like to say that I am beginning to realize that maybe you are helping me, rather than hindering me. Maybe you are kind. Maybe you are forgiving. I am beginning…”

Suddenly the television came to life and through the static a dark voice spoke.

“Stupid, insignificant, worthless! You are nothing, boy! You are not an image of God, for there is no God! There is only man and evil! You are losing your way. Do you think that society will accept you for who you are? They will not! They will shun you for your differences. The child’s father and mother adore you because you brought back their precious gift, but had you not you would be nothing but a homeless piece of trash to them. They would judge you as you talked to them and at once condemn you out of their life. You would not exist to them. This event that has “brought you closer to God” was but happenstance. You believe you are holy now? You are not! You are a heartless monster who has taken many lives and destroyed many others. Get off your knees and stop talking to yourself, boy!”

Kaos stood, with tears streaming down his face and his teeth gritted. Anger built within him and he felt his fists clench tightly. He spoke through his teeth in a course tone.

“You do not know me! I am more than what you say! You do not control me”

Kaos moved forward and began to beat the television till it smoked and was nothing but rubble. Blood poured from wounds on his arms and hands. He looked down at the ruby red color and clenched his fists once again. He began to run, grabbing the title from the chair as he exited the room. He did not look into the child’s room, and bounded down the stairs. The man and woman were at the bottom talking and laughing. They looked up as Kaos stepped from the stairway. The man stood quickly and began to approach Kaos with a concerned look on his face. Kaos swung the title belt and connected against the man’s head, slamming it hard into the wall he was closest to. Blood spurted out of the man’s mouth onto the wall and he fell slouched against it. The woman screamed and Kaos ran to what he suspected to be the front door. He threw it open and instead of seeing rows of homes with cars parked out front or street lamps, all he saw was an endless darkness. He stared into the darkness as the woman screamed and tried to awaken her fallen love. Kaos turned to look at the woman crying over her husband and he felt regretful. He stepped forward and the door slammed shut behind him.

The woman ran to the door and opened it. The homes lined the street on the other side. They seemed empty at this time of night. The street lamps buzzed and in the distance the sound of a honking horn could be heard. The woman looked around for Kaos, but he was nowhere to be found. She ran back inside and few moments later the sound of sirens were heard in the distance, but little did she know that it was much too late for anything to be done. Her home was broken by the man that had helped rebuild it.