The Promise

Leonard looked at the window, wiping his tear-stained face. He sighed, standing to his feet, looking at the mess he had made. He looked up with a smile as the surroundings peeled to that of bloody organic piles of flesh and whirling fans. Walking from the apartment. He stood outside looking around, feeling a rock hit the side of his head. "Sinner!" Came the yells of Anna, a young woman who was part of the cult. He looked at her, turning to face her.

Anna picked up another rock as Leonard looked at her. "You waste of space. I have concluded. I shall use you to declare this war."

Anna looked at him as his appearance flickered back and forth between his human self and his monster self. Until he stood in front of her as a tall monster, he glided towards her, grabbing her by the neck lifting her up ripping her skin from her bones, throwing her bones to the side, turning into his human form walking towards the church as the doors were closing the people screaming as the air-raid sirens wailed overhead. He stood on the steps, a wide grin on his face, throwing the young woman's skin into the church just before the doors closed.

He looked around at the darkness spreading his arms out, skipping around the steps, laughing. He stopped looking at the large doors, laughing, walking from the church sitting on a tombstone resting his hands on the side of it, glaring at the church, licking his lips. The air-raid sirens stopped as Leonard continued to sit and wait for the Order to emerge from the structure. The Fog world surrounding him. "Leonard! What are you doing! What is this?"

Leonard looked behind him, seeing Annette. "Ah, so the one that thought I was no good has come back to witness this carnage. You should have stayed gone. I would have found you if I had to."

Annette looked at him, stomping her foot, clenching her fists. "I want the Leonard I fell in love with, not whatever you are."

Leonard looked at her. "But don't you see, this is who you fell in love with. This is the lunatic that you saw. You fell in love with an illusion. Now it's time you see what I am. I'm no good for you, Annette. Get your innocent rear out of this town. I don't desire harm to come to you. Leave me be."

"I don't believe that. I think I have taken you over the edge. You can't feel what I felt from you."

"What! What do you think you saw?" He interrupted her. "You saw a tear here and there? You saw me in my vulnerable state. I'm going to say it again, Annette. I'm not good for you. Leave me be. I don't give third warnings, you're lucky to receive the second."

"I never said I saw you cry. You said that yourself. I said I felt something from you." She walked over to him. Sitting on the tombstone beside him.

"Don't sit there!" He glared at her.

"Why?"

"That tombstone is my property."

She looked at him, confused. "Alright, then." She stood up, walking to the tombstone beside him. "Can I sit here?"

He looked at the name on the tombstone, shrugging his shoulders. "Go ahead, he won't know it, wife killer had his fate coming. Go ahead sit there."

Annette looked at him. Then at the tombstone, then back to him. "Come back to the apartment with me, leave this cemetery. Leave this town with me, let's leave this place. Get a fresh start."

He looked at her, then at the structure. "Leonard, don't ignore me! I gave you my attention. The least you can do is repay the kindness."

He sighed, looking at her. "A fresh start, that's what you want? That's why you're raining on my parade. For a fresh start?" He laughed. "No." His tone was serious as he stood from the tombstone. 'I'm not interested." He walked away from her as she followed along behind him.

"Dude, you wanted to turn me into this and you want to blame me for this loony reveal? You brought me here, remember?"

Leonard looked at her. "I had confessed to that mistake. Did I carry it out? Absolutely not. People change, Annette. Even monsters like a change sometimes. I was genuine in my feelings. I got injured in the first place because of you. Coming to save your butt, I saved you from being the latest victim, yet you seem to think that I'm going to go through the effort of taking something that I had barely vowed to protect. You are a judgmental, harlot of a woman, perhaps you're the one that's no good."

She looked at him with a sigh. "How was I supposed to know what you were thinking? I'm not a mind reader?"

"Something you need to know about me, assume nothing once it comes to me. Though I'm frozen in time, I still carry human emotions. Look, I'm done talking I'm going home. You need to do the same thing." He walked away from her as she followed him.

"I am home, Leonard. I'm not leaving here without you. You promised."

"I promised you I'd leave with you because I loved you enough to do that. It's clear that we aren't capable. Just leave me alone. I want some alone time. I need some time to think. If you love me, at least respect me enough to give me that."

He looked at her as she looked at the ground. "I love you enough to give you that. I won't bother you anymore, Leonard. I'm sorry I hurt you… goodbye, Leonard. Be safe and well." She sighed, walking away from him, her head lowered.

"Annette, wait." She stopped and looked at him with a smile. Hope danced across her face. "Be careful, getting home. I'll walk you to your car." Hope drained from her face as disappointment took its place. "Annette, I still love you. But I have to clean up some stuff here before I can leave this town. Do you think you could wait for me until we meet again?"

She looked at him with a smile. "I can wait. But can you wait for me?" He looked at her with a nod. She got a necklace from her pocket, placing it in his hand. "My grandma gave me this. It's special to me, so I'm going to want it back. Don't get yourself killed while I'm away, please be careful." He kissed her forehead as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'll be here waiting for you when you come back here. You'll find me in a better condition, I promise."

"I'm counting on that. I don't want to see you like this again. Maybe then we can have a meal together, a decent meal."

"I look forward to it."

She kissed his lips, running away. Leonard smiled as he looked at the necklace. The sounds of her car leaving rang in his ears until it had disappeared completely.