A Chance In Heaven Part 2

Thump...Thump...Thump... I'm alive? Solace slowly opened his eyes and looked around, searching for any indication of where he was but all he could see was black. It enveloped him, coating every inch of his body until he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face. But he could see her, he could see her so clearly it was almost as if she was there with him. And then she was.

Not only was she there but others were as well, in fact Solace found himself surrounded by dozens of people, all drinking and laughing, enjoying the company of their loved ones. And then he saw himself, he watched himself walk into the dusty old bar and make his way towards the bartender. He watched himself order a glass of whiskey and scan the room, much like a predator hunting for his prey. He watched as his eyes landed on a beautiful woman sitting at the edge of the bar. He sauntered over and slid into the seat next to hers. "Mind if I buy you a drink?"

Solace watched as the woman looked over at him, or more accurately, his past self. He remembered this day well, it was the day he'd met her for the first time, the love of his life, his Zara. He watched himself drive her home after a long night of drinking and idle chatter. Trailing behind them Solace watched himself as she gave him her key to unlock the door to her quaint apartment. He watched as he let them inside and quickly locked the door behind them. Leaning his ear against the door he could hear the sounds of clothes ripping and the sounds of her crying out for help. Crashes and bangs radiated outwards as the sounds of broken glass filled the apartment, then silence. His ears strained as he tried to hear any semblance of life coming from within the apartment. Then he heard them, footsteps, his own, rapidly approaching the door.

They moved so fast that he didn't have enough time to pull away from the door before it was swung open and he fell through his exiting self, into the apartment entry. Slowly getting up he winced as glass cut into his hands and he felt tears spring into his eyes from the pain. But he knew the tears weren't just from the pain. He knew guys who did this type of thing and he had already assumed what he'd find next. Dragging himself to his feet he looked around the formerly beautiful apartment in horror. There was shattered glass covering her beautifully carpeted floors, the water from a flower vase had begun to seep into the carpet fibers staining it a pleasant shade of green. Looking further into what appeared to be the living room Solace could see flower petals scattered across the floor, a glass table had been flipped and the glass that had once held it together was shattered and covered the couch while smaller portions had found their way onto the floor.

Looking at the walls he could see speckles of blood trailing towards the bedroom. The bedroom door creaked as Solace slowly started to open it. He could now see the source of the blood, it was Zara. She lay there on the hed quivering, her clothes torn and strewn across the bedroom floor as blood slowly seeped out of a gash on her temple. All Solace could do was stare as she lay there broken, bloody, and bruised. There was no culprit and Solace knew it. He had seen who had done it, he had. He had hurt her, the one the loved, his Zara. Falling to his knees he cried out. He cried out for her and the pain he'd caused. "This wasn't what we had," Solace found himself sobbing. "This isn't it, this isn't what happened that night," he cried.

And then it was gone, just like that and Solace found himself back where he'd started; surrounded by a vast black nothingness. This was only the begining. Memory after memory, tear after tear, Solace found himself doing nothing but hurt the woman he loved, the one he'd always loved. The once fond memories he had shared with her had become nightmares, destined to torment him forever. He watched as he threw aside flowers during Valentine's dinners and opted to tear away every inch of dignity she had left, searing it into his memory forever. He watched as fights were fought and glass was shattered on the ground, broken like the love they had once shared together. And when he thought he could take no more, when he'd begged and begged for the sweet release of eternal death, only then did the memories finally cease to torment his addled mind.

Sobbing, Solace slowly struggled to his feet. Looking around he found himself in a long corridor, and at the end of it was her. She stood there looking as beautiful as the day he'd first taken her on a date, a long floral dress swayed at her ankles as she danced in the summer breeze. Relieved to no longer be tormented and wiping away his tears, Solace started running towards her enchanting figure. As he neared her she turned to face him and he stopped in his tracks. Her eyes, once warm and welcoming had become cold and unforgiving. This isn't her, he thought. She may look like her but this isn't her, this thing isn't my Zara. He started to back away as she began walking towards him. Her pace quickened and Solace found himself turning to run, but he couldn't. He was stuck, unable to move.

"Look at what you've done," she seethed. "Look at what you've done to me." Solace watched as she began to change, scars and blood slowly became visible, red stains seeped through her dress. "You said that you loved me...YOU SAID THAT YOU LOVED ME!" Tears began running down her face. "How could you do this?" She sobbed, her tears making her makeup streak down the sides of her face, the salty drops dripping off the tip of her chin.

"I love you Zara, I love you, I love you, I love you," Solace cried as he fell to his knees, tears once again forming in his eyes. "I never stopped loving you."

"Look at what you've done, you coward," the venom in her voice made him glance up. She stood there, aflame, burning, the smell of burnt hair and flesh making him gag. He watched as her flesh began to melt away, puss oozing from every inch of her skin. "WHY?" She screamed, "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME?!"

"I tried," Solace whispered. "I tried, I TRIED!" He began yelling back as she approached him. "I TRIED TO SAVE YOU! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY!" He began sobbing once again as she reached out to touch him. "I'm sorry, I tried."

"You didn't try hard enough," she spat out as she placed her burnt and blackened hand on his chest. He watched as the fire spread over to him almost instantly, the smell of his own burning flesh filled the air.

Despite the raging pain that raced across his body, he didn't cry out in pain. "I deserve this" he whispered as he sunk lower to the ground. "I deserve this, I failed you Zara, I deserve this."

He  watched as her form slowly crumbled away becoming nothing more than ash spreading across the ground. I hope this is the end he thought, let me be at peace once again. Closing his eyes he once again prayed for this to be the end.

Thump...

Thump...Thump....Thump...

Thump...Thump...Thump...Thump...

Solace opened his eyes, once again surrounded by a black abyss. "You really thought that was the end?" He heard Zara muse, "This is only the begining."

"SOLACE! SOLACE PLEASE! IT'S NOT REAL! IT'S NOT REAL BABY! IT'S NOT REAL!" She screamed. Clutching the bars of the cage holding her, Zara screamed for him to hear her. She wanted to tell him it was all nothing more than a lie, a trick. She wanted to hold him in her arms and run her fingers through his hair like she used to. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him and that the fire that cost her life his burden to bear, it wasn't his fault. "I love you baby," she weeped as she watched him relive the nightmare over and over again.

"You're the one I love, you've always been the one from the start. Stay strong, baby, stay strong Solace; for me." Solace looked up, he thought he'd heard the faintest whisper of her voice but as quick as it had come it was gone, nothing more than a faint memory scattered across a never ending abyss.

In his castle, Lucifer couldn't help but smile. He had created the perfect balance. A man who's greatest fear was to hurt the woman he loved, to he tormented by warped memories for all  eternity; and a woman who's greatest fear was to watch the man she cared about suffer, forever unable to ease his pain. "This will work out quite nicely," he mused to himself. "Quite nicely indeed."

~~THE END~~