The Book Of Vincent. Chapter Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Four

In the short amount of time that Vincent and Cyri were outside the youth center, talking to one another, the entire area was filled to the brim with kids venturing around. The sound of them talking in such a way that no one can make anything out of plus the terrible music that was playing was getting on Vincent's last nerves. He followed behind Cyri carefully, not wanting to get lost.
After going all around the place, crashing into some people, they came across a group of people that were forming a mini group near one of the corners of the center. There was one that seemed to be in control of them all. He had a shaven head, broad shoulders, and wore something of an ROTC jacket. When they got close enough, Cyri jumped on him, laughing. For a second there, Vincent thought that the guy was going to throw her off. But, instead, grabbed and hugged her, laughing to.
This continued on for about roughly a few moments before they separated from each other.
“Vincent,” Cyri said catching her breath. “This hunk of man here is Donnie Osbourne. Donnie, this is Vincent.” Donnie went and grabbed Vincent's hand, giving it a rough shake.
“Nice to meet you. And I see that you have become acquainted with my lovely here.” He put his arm around Cyri's shoulders.
“I would not say acquainted as much as saying that me and her have been friends for quite a while. Before I even came here I should say.” Donnie had a puzzling look.
“Donnie, remember when I told you about someone by the name of DAIKAIJU? Well, this is him! In person, I should add myself!” Donnie was taken aback.
“Oh, my apologizes then!” Donnie stepped back a second and look Vincent up and down.
“With all due respect,” He said. “But I did expect you to be a bit taller than you are.”
“ 'With all due respect.' man, I hate it when people say that.” Everyone was looking at Vincent like he was out of his mind. “Because it is followed by a disrespectful comment right afterwords. Example would be: With all due respect, in the short time that I have meet you, I would have wanted you to have some more curtsey and shown me some more respect.”
“You have thing with words, I take it not?” He asked letting go of Cyri.
“Only when I need to.”
“And what makes such a time as this such a time to use such words?”
“I am in the mood to and look at the stage in which we are on! It all fits, if I should say so myself. Think about it like this: I just met you, you know me before I even knew of your existence, and yet you feel the need to talk to me like that. To be frank, I would have expected a little bit more respect from you.”
“If you look at it that way.”
“Of course and I intend on to. Now, instead of us standing here talking, what about we all go to one of those cozy booths, sit down, and play a little get to know you.” Vincent extended his hand towards one of the booths on the right wing of the area. Cyri, Vincent, Donnie, and some of his friends got settled down. Cyri was sitting directly across from Vincent, between Donnie and some other guy that Vincent really did not care about.
“Now, most of the time, when I meet a friend of someone that I am friends with, I like to take the time to get to know that person quite well by having that person tell me their life story. So, if you want, I would like it if you could. You seem interesting enough to me for me to know you a bit more.”
“I think it is not really needed, but sense you asked, I will tell you.” Donnie sat back a bit.

“I was born and raised here and any and all thoughts I have are of this place. My whole entire family was born and raised in the church so naturally, it was to be that I would walk behind. Now, I originally meet Cyri here at a party that a neutral friend of ours had. Some time, I think it was November of the year before, I started taking her to Church. After me speaking and getting to know her, we decided to go out and now we are official boyfriend and girlfriend.
Now, I am a bit aware about her rather unfortunate past (she did not tell me any details other than I did not want to know) and I think that if you are a good enough friend to her, than I will have no problem with you. And as for my life, that is all that is needed to be known as of now.”

For some reason, that did not satisfy Vincent at all. He just felt that something was not quite there. He was going to have to look into this a bit later.
“That is good for now.” Vincent said taking a deep breath. “But, as the moon, strikes us, I would like to know more.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you seem interesting to me.”
“Interesting?”
“I never meet you once and you know about me threw out beloved friend and yet, as I have already stated, I do not know that much about you other than from what you have told me.”
“Why should my life be of any importance unto you?”
“Because the more I know about someone's past, the more I have a better understanding of the person I am spending my time with.”
“And what if I do not want to ever give out the rest of my past?”
“One way or another I will find out. It is beyond hard as hell to hide anything from me. More than likely someone knows something about you and threw them I can figure it out.”
“You are starting to sound like you are more of an authority figure than a kid.”
“Well, looks are misleading. And that is something we can all agree on, understand?” They were all quiet. Cyri looked around, thinking of a way to break the tension. Then, right at that time, Cyri saw Heidi by the entrance, motioning her to come along with Vincent.
“okay then! That was a lovely little chat. Vincent, my mom is signaling us. We need to go.” Donnie stood up to give Cyri one last hug. Vincent started having a feeling of fire in his heart as he saw this.

Later on that night, Cyri and Vincent were on the phone.
“Okay, can you explain to me what the fuck that was all about today Vincent?” Cyri was obviously not enthusiastic about that morning.
“Something does not feel right. I mean, why is it that you did not tell anyone about Donnie?”
“Why should I?”
“Well, look at it like this: What if something was to happen and you get hurt by this guy? It can and could happen.”
“My God. I am beyond sick and tired of all this bullshit! I find one guy that I have been with for a while, treats me the best from all my boyfriends I have had in the past, and I thought that you would be happy for me.:
“I am happy that you are seeing someone. Just something about him does not sit right with me. That is all and I would have liked it if you would have atleast told me a bit about this guy.”
“Look Vincent, you are getting me beyond pissed off now. I do not have to tell you every little detail of my life. You are not my father and you are not my boyfriend so if you have it in your mind that we were, than fuck off because we never were! We are having this week off from school. Do not even think about talking to me until Sunday.” Then she hung up.
Vincent laid on his bed, thinking. There was something off about this guy that he did not like. He started wondering if this wondering will ruin his friendship with Cyri at all. He did not want that at all to happen. Then he remembered something: Langdon. That Angels & Demons group was somehow still stuck in his mind.
Turning to his computer, he started doing some research to get an understanding about this group and what they have done.
From all of the reports, this group is one of few that has given religion a bad name. The reports said that the events started during something called” Age Of Gangs. Besically, about a year before Vincent even thought of coming to Denver, four gangs formed: The Children Of Ghettos, The Children Of Blonds, The Children Of Nobodies, and Angels & Demons. It was only Angels & Demons that did not terrorize schools and they were mostly unknown. Member from all the other gangs flashed on the screen, but Vincent cared not.
One incident with Angels & Demons had to deal with the assault and beating of a few kids that were not of the same race or religion as the members were (It has been suggested that the members were either Baptist or Catholic). When the paramedics and police got onto the scene to see the damage that was done, the only piece of evidence that was found was a crumbled piece of paper that had printed on it a picture of an Angel and a Demon fused. A demonic angel. Because of the emblem, the newspapers called them Angels & Demons.
Thinking about it for a few moments, allowing the information to settle in his mind, he turned off his computer and sat back thinking. Okay, he thought, I have a gang here that beats the living shit out of people of different beliefs and I have someone who is dating Cyri that I have bad vibes about. Now, what am I suppose to do about all of this?
Turning off his computer and laying on his bed, he closed his eyes. He had a few ideas already of what to do. But, in order to not jeopardizes his relationship with Cyri, she can never know about this.

Mini Film Review (11/20 - 11/26)

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART ONE (2010) 8/10
As a film by itself, it is almost great, but the thing that it falls on is the fact that it did not have a true ending. It can not stand by itself. You look at a film like Kill Bill 1. That is a film that can stand by itself. This film really can't. But, the thing that steals the show is the acting of the main kids. They are at their best now and that is what is the best of this film.

KICK ASS (2010) 9/10
2010 must have been a good year for comic book adaptations. This film, like Scott Pilgrim, pays tribute to something most geeks know about: Comic Books. This film loves comics and pays tribute to so many that this film is great. The only problem has to do with one character, and when you see the film you will know what that is. Overall, wonderful cast, direction, production, and acting.

KING KONG (2005) 9/10
In film theory, it is said that remakes are worse than the original. Apparently, this is not the case for Peter Jackson's Kong. This film is twice as long as the original, dark (the parts of the natives for example), and has more emotion than the original. Acting is great, the script is super, everything is magnificent. Except the score. that was the main draw back.

KIDS (1995) 8.5/10
Larry Clark's 1995 film KIDS is one of the hardest films I have ever seen. Not because there is blood, guts, and gore. But because of the fact that it shows pure naked truth about our generation. The characters in this movie are kids like you and I, but they act like most inner city kids do: Involved with sex, drugs, and crimes beyond anything we can deal with. This film is terrifying in the sense that this actually happens. Hard film to watch, but if taken the time, it is eye opening.

BULLY (2001) 8.5/10
Larry Clark's BULLY, like KIDS, is not at all an easy film to watch. In fact it is harder to watch because this film is a bio-pic about the murder of Bobby Kent. This film paints a realistic profile about the last days of this kids life, and what prompted his friends to kill him. Even though it has some odd direction styles, forty five percent of the movie is teenagers having sex, doing drugs, and the title character raping two people, this is still a worthwhile film to see if you can stomach all of this.

THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT (2010) 3/10
My God, what has happened to vampire cinema? This has to be one of the best examples of why Vampires have turned out to be the laughing stock of all mythological creatures. This films depiction, along with many other creatures are humiliating to say the least. The acting is sloppy, the script could have been much better, the score and direction of the film is not that good. Only watch this if you are a Vampire fan boy/ girl of the Twilight age.

The Book Of Vincent. Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

When Vincent got home, his mother was waiting for him.
“So, how was your religious cult thing?” She asked taking a swig of dome soft drink.
“Mom, please do not rip on religion. You know that is how most fights and wars started.” Vincent went and to a drink of some water.
“Vincent, I am just messing with you.” She put her arm around him and kissed the top of his head.
“I know. I just do not like it when you rip on religion. I know that you do not agree with religion, but please do not batch it. Anyway, I liked it so much that I will be going back next week with Cyri.” Vincent poured himself another glass of water. He did really enjoyed it, but his mom was not taking it seriously.
“So, going back next week. Alright. I personally do not like this.”
“Why not?” Vincent was starting to get agitated.
“Other than school related events, I just do not like you out side of this house.” Vincent put his hands on his mother's shoulders.
“Mom,” Vincent said, taking a deep breath. “There is nothing to worry about. Now, I know that you never had a good relationship with religion, but, this is just like when me and all my friends use to hang out last year. Except, this time, it is only me and Cyri. Really, I think you are getting yourself worried over nothing.” After that, Vincent went into his bedroom.

“So, what does your mom have against religion?” Cyri asked Vincent when they were waiting for the bus to pick them up one morning.
“She grew up in a strict Catholic house. She had religion shoved down her throat, the school she went to was beyond bad, as in they would beat the kids, and over all, was not a pleasant experience for her. When she was a teenager, she started looking into religion and started to realize that she did not agree with what the church has said about topic like science, other beliefs, etc.”
“Okay. I understand about your mother,” Cyri said, looking up at Vincent. “But you never told me about yourself? After going to Church, where do you stand?” Vincent thought about this for some time sense after Church, and he had one answer. He just hoped she would except it.
“Well, after me looking into religion, I have come to the conclusion that I am deist.” Cyri gave Vincent a blank stare. “In simple terms, I only believe that there is a God and an afterlife, and that is about it. The rest of it I do not believe in.”
“What is it about the other parts that you do not believe in?” Cyri said as they were getting onto their bus. Once they were seated in the back together, Vincent started talking.
“Just that, the other parts do not sit with me. Look,” He said looking at Cyri. “All I know is what I am and that is that. Anyway, to get off of this subject, tell me about this church you are dragging me off to?” Cyri gave hint of a small smile.
“Well, it is more, like I said, high class than the one we previously went to for starters. I have a few friends there that you maybe be interested in meeting, I do not really know yet. In terms of people to meet, there are a few that I might want to introduce you to, and you might make a few friends of your own. I do not know.”
“Which of our friends that were part of The Children Of Darkness go to this church?” Cyri cringed a bit. Even though it has been months sense the group split, she still had thoughts about what had happened.
“Coraline on occasion shows up. Same thing with Tad.” The moment she said this, Tad got onto the bus. He was dressed almost identical to that of Vincent: All black. The only thing that was different was that Vincent had on a black tie.
“You coming with us to Church next Sunday?” She asked him. Tad looked up threw the bangs that covered his face.
“More than likely not.” Then he was quiet. In fact, they all were quiet until Cyri and Vincent had gotten off the bus.
“What's up with Tad?” He asked.
“ I will tell you after school. Far too much detail right about now. See ya.” Then she went and turned to run toward her homeroom as Vincent went into his.

When school ended, both of them (being Vincent and Cyri) decided to walk home. Cyri thought that it would be best because it would give her more time to explain about all of this.
“Okay, this is why Tad has been quiet. He is a person that is beyond jealous of any guy that I end up being friends with. He has this die hard core love for me and while I do find that flattering, I do not feel the same way about him. He just never seems to learn. Back when we, you know, done that last year, he tried to talk me out of it. Remember that argument we had that you saw? He did not want anything that did happen happen. He is overly protective. I understand his concern, but I am a big girl all by myself and there are some things that I can handle all by myself.
“Now, I will admit that I have thought about dating him, but it would just seem weird, seeing as how I view him more as a brother. He hates that. But, he will just have to learn that we can never be together the way he wants us to be. I mean, there was that one time that we did kiss, but that was a one time only thing and it meant nothing to me, but I believe that it meant everything to him.” Vincent looked up quickly.
“Kiss?” When Vincent asked that, Cyri burst out laughing.
“Typical guys. Say anything about sex, drugs, or girls making out with them and their ears perk up.” Vincent scrolled at her.
“Do not!” Vincent testified. “I am just interested in the past and the lives of my friends. No harm in that really.”
“I guess not.” Cyri took a deep breath. “Let me explain about the kiss.” And right there, she explained about when she wanted to try and commit suicide once, how she was going to do it, and the overall aftermath of it all. Vincent listened with total concentration. When she was done, Vincent was stunned.
“Wow. That is one thing I think you never told me.”
“If I never told you, then why would I repeats myself?”
“It is, just kind of shocking. I mean, I knew that you have been threw hell and back, but, damn Cyri. Suicide? That is something I kind of thought that you would thought of doing, but actually going threw with that thought? Wow. Never thought you would do that.” They were at there homes.
“You used 'thought' a lot, you know that right?” Cyri said when they reached her front porch.
“I know. But as to why I used that word numerous times is beyond my understanding as of this point and time. But, when I think of a damn good of enough reason, I will let you know.” They were quiet for a few seconds.
“Well, I have to go now. See ya later Cy.” Vincent turned and walked to his home.
When Vincent was walking home, Tad saw and heard everything.

When Sunday had come around, Vincent found himself sitting next to Cyri (in her average cloths) in the back of Heidi and Mark's car, driving towards Cyri's main church. When they got there, it was about three times the size of the one they went to last week, but that only told Vincent that maybe these people maybe more stuck up than usual.
The interior of this church was very, spacious. Very wide, empty and huge. Vincent looked up and saw the second floor of the church and wondered what was the overall point. As he started looking around, he noticed a few plaques that stated that the church belonged originally to a private school system, but had to be sold and as such, the company that bought the building turned it into a Church.
Cyri grabbed Vincent and dragged him up the stairs and into the second floor. There was a sign along the way that proclaimed that they were headed into the Youth Centre part of the building.
When they got there, they saw this teenage boy, about five foot seven, thin, bad case of acne standing by the front door. When he saw Cyri, he went and grabbed her, hugging her. Vincent was taken aback by this, until Cyri separated themselves.
“Vincent, this is a friend of mine named Charles. He is someone I met when I first came here. Charles, this is Vincent.” Charles went and grabbed Vincent's hand.
“So you are the famous Vincent that Cyri will not shut up about, eh?” Vincent shot Cyri a glance. Cyri shot one back that told him not to worry.
“Why, yes I am. Cyri has not mentioned anything about you and sense we are on the topic of Cyri, what has she said about me?”
“Basically that you are a very good friend to her and that you have something of a desire to change the world and try and make it better. Now, as to what and how you are wanting to change the world, I do not know. But, lets hope that it does not require anyone to loose there life in the process, eh?” Charles burst out laughing. Cyri and Vincent put on fake smiles. “Hey, why don't we go into the main centre as not to make sure that no one thinks we are bumming around?”
Charles opened the door and allowed them all in. The entire area looked like a combination between a coffee shop, auditorium, and arcade. On the left hand wing, you had these tables against the wall were it looked like you could have an enjoyable chat with someone. In the middle wear about ten rows of twenty chairs apiece. At the front you had an electric guitar, bass, drum set, and microphone. On the right wing you had a table tennis set, chess table, and a pool table. In the back, you had a few speakers with a stack of music. From what Vincent saw, it was nothing that had interested him. They sat at one of the tables on the left hand wing.
“So, Sir Charles,” Vincent said in a jokingly manner. “Tell me about yourself.” Charles gave him a rather odd look. “When I talk to someone, I like to know a little or a lot, depends on what your taste is, about that person. So, if you can be so kind, please explain about yourself.” The only thing that was going threw Charles' mind was that this kid was weird. But, taking a deep breath, he told his life's story.

“I was born and raised here all my life. I was raised in the church sense my whole entire family volunteers here at this church. I meet Cyri when her family started coming here about earlier this month. And that is all of my life I kind of want to share. I like keeping to myself.”

Vincent thought that he will not be able to get anywhere with this kid, but oh well. He might as well not try to get into his mind. He is already in the mind of enough people as is. He sat back as Cyri and Charles kept on talking back and forth. Two things kept being brought up: This person named Landon and a gang called Angels And Demons.
“Angels and Demons?” Vincent asked them when he had enough of hearing the name being called out and about.
“Yes, why, never heard of them?” Charles asked. Vincent shook his head no. “Well, there is this guy who's nickname is Landon (no one knows his real name) that is some kid that goes to this church. You see, in this church, there are two types of people: Pure and Unpure. If someone is deemed Pure by this group, then they leave you alone. If you are deemed Unpure, then, well, they try to take care of you in a way they seem fit.”
“Explain some more.” Vincent asked sternly.
“Well, take for example this one family. The son became a Christian not too long ago. He let it out that he was originally Jewish. When Angels And Demons found out, they took care of him. They ended up, after church, beating the living crap out of him to no end. It is to me a shock that the poor kid is even still alive. I saw him as they were taking him out of the back of the church. He had blood gushed everywhere, beaten to a bloody pulp, and above all else, not at all in good condition.” Charles took out from his pocket a mini water bottle and took a sip.
“Okay, and how is it that no one knows who Landon is?” Vincent said, becoming more intrigued.
“Because he does not beat anyone up. He allows his gang to do it. He finds someone that attends here, deems them as Unpure, and then they are done for.” Vincent was about to ask something else, when Cyri got up.
“Vincent,” She said quickly. “Can I speak to you outside. Charles, give us a couple of minutes.” Vincent and her left a dumbfounded Charles at that table by himself.
“Look Vincent,” She said. “I know what it is that he just told you but I want you to listen to me carefully. I do not want to get The Children Of Darkness evolved with any of this.”
“Cyri, the point of the gang is to stop people like this. I mean, you seriously can not agree with these fiends tormenting others!”
“I do not agree with them, but they have as of yet not done anything to hurt any members of the group. I doubt that any of the members have heard of a Landon.” Cyri laid back against the wall.
“Vincent,” she said standing with proper posture again. “promise me that unless they hurt us, you are not to notify and/ or attack them at all. You understand me?” Vincent was quiet for a few seconds.
“Alright. But, if they do anything and I am notified of it, then I will take action.” Cyri scowled when Vincent said this.
“As close as I will get with you, I suppose.” Cyri said. Vincent rolled his eyes. As they stood there in silence, they started to hear the voices of others coming up the stairs. Other teenagers.
“Oh,” Cyri said, changing her serious tone to that of one that is happy and joyful. “I almost forgot. There is one person I want you to meet. But, I want you to promise me something.”
“Okay, what?”
“You must promise me that you will not over react when I tell you about this person.” Vincent laughed beyond the point of being hysterical.
“No. No, no, no, no, no. I can not promise anything like that. You can go and tell me what you want to tell me and my natural response may be to freak out then threw no point of my own, I would have broken my promise.” Cyri turned away then, with a slight smile on her face.
“Then forget it.” Cyri was about to walk away, when Vincent put his hand on her shoulder.
“That is an impossibility. To forget something this intriguing would be an exercise in mental torture-ment.” Cyri thought about it, and then decided to talk.
“Okay, but remember: You are the only one of my friends to know about this. One thing about me that no one knows about: I have been having a long term boyfriend.” When Cyri said this, Vincent thought that her had heard an atomic bomb go off somewhere.
“Boyfriend?” Vincent said dumbfound.
“Yes. His name is Donnie. Donnie Osbourne. He is around inside that main room somewhere. Well, come on. Time for you to make acquaintance with the guy I am seeing.” Right before Cyri opened the front door to the Youth Centre, Vincent grabbed her shoulder.
“Cy, how much does he know about your past?” Cyri was quiet for a few seconds.
“Not that much. And no, he has no knowledge of The Children Of Darkness. Happy now? Can we continue on with our lives?” Vincent let her go and followed her. This was not something he was expecting.

The Book Of Vincent. Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Two
When January hit, the final meeting of The Children Of Darkness had began. It was decided that unless any member of the group was being attacked by another gang, they will not reform. This did hurt Vincent a bit because he wanted to do so much with the group. But, he had to respect the choices and wishes of his friends. So, for an undisclosed amount of time, The Children Of Darkness were to disbanded.
Sense Vincent did not have to worry about the group anymore, he started focusing on something that he had in mind: Getting close to Cyri. He thinks that it was during the massacre of Ratliff that he found that he had some feelings for this young girl. He felt bad that her life has been tragic, but he also found love within her.
“So, you are saying that you have a crush on Cyri?” Veronica asked one night when she and Vincent were having dinner.
“I think so. I do not really know yet.”
“What makes you have these feelings for her?” Vincent thought about that for a while. Why did he have such feelings for her and how can he say them without his mother knowing about the group’s little event.
“I think it has to do with all that I know about her and the more time we spend with each other.” Vincent took a sip of some drink he had. “Though I do not know if this is just a phase or what.”
“Have you talked to Cyri about this and if so, what was her reaction?” Veronica lean closer, paying more attention.
“Not yet mom,” Vincent took a deep breath. “If she does not have the same feelings towards me, then it would be pointless for me saying so. I have something wonderful with her. And if she finds out that I have feelings for her, then it would only ruin what we had.” Vincent rested his head in his arms. “When did love became so difficult?” Veronica laughed.
“Trust me young man, every teenager thinks that. Now, clean this place up.” Veronica got up and left while Vincent cleaned up the kitchen.
“You know,” Veronica said going back into the kitchen. “If you really want to see if these feelings you have for her are true, spend some more time with her. Who knows, something unexpected will happen.” It was at that point in time that Vincent had an idea.

“You want to go to Church with me and my family?” Cyri said with a tone a disbelief. During the month in which The Children Of Darkness separated, Cyri was doing some personal reflections and found a religion in her life. She started by going to Church with Tad and his family, but then it enveloped into Cyri and her family finding a Church and becoming a Christian house.
“I figure, why not? I have nothing better to do during the weekend, we do not really ahngout that much anymore ever sense our classes got swapped, so I think that this would be a good thing. Why? You think it will be bad?” Cyri took a deep breath.
“It is not that I think it will be a bad idea. I just can not believe that someone like you want to go to Church. You do not seem like the typical Church boy or anyone that would even want to be part of a religion.”
“If you do not want to take me, then I understand.”
“It is not that I don’t.” Cyri said taking a deep breath. “I just find it odd. Before I take you to my Church, I want to go and introduce you to a Church. Jadis’ family is taking me to their Church this Sunday. I will tell them that you will be coming along. Is your mother cool with this?”
“I think she will be okay with this.” Vincent said with uncertainty.

Veronica laughed like an insane Nazi that had heard that someone injured their leg by falling off of a mountain when really they were shot there.
“Excuses me for laughing, but Church Vincent? When I said spend some time with her I thought I meant at her house. But Church? Come on Vincent, you are not the religious type.” Veronica took a deep breath.
“Mom, I think that this would be the only way how I really can. Why is it that you have such a problem with me going to a Church?” Vincent was dead serious.
“I just think that there is a less idiotic way of spending time with her other than at a place were people beg you for money.” Veronica was not taking this serious.
“First off, please do not insult religion. Second, I see no problem with this.” They were silent for a few seconds. “If you say yes, then I will be going this Sunday. If I like the atmosphere, then I will continue to go. If I do not, then I won’t. Simple as that.”
“Alright, have fun at your praying thing.” Veronica said standing up. “If you happen to go anywhere else afterwords, then give me a call.” Vincent went, called Cyri, and told her about this recent development. So, Vincent was going to Church. How this might turn out, he did not know.

Sunday arrived. Vincent, wearing a tuxedo vest (and all black) with a red tie, waited out side of his house that cold February morning, waiting for Cyri and her family to pick him up. He looked up and for some reason took notice of the ice blue sky, the two trees in his front long, Evergreens, looking cold. The long, black leather jacket he had draped over his shoulders did do some work with keeping him warm. Thou not that much. He saw Jadis’ car driving toward his house.
“Hey Vincent!” She exclaimed as Vincent walked towards her car. “Just so you know, Cyri will be a little late. Takes her a bit of a while to get ready.” Jadis handed Vincent a cup. “Here, I made some coffee to warm us up with.” Vincent took the cup and chugged it down, feeling the dark, hot liquid warming his body up. After sitting in the car for a few minutes, Cyri comes out of her house and Vincent’s mouth drops open.
Cyri had on this beautiful black dress, her black hair all out, and over all looked magnificent. When she got into the car, she took the cup from Jadis and started sipping it.
“Hey, Vincent.” She said, looking at him. “You look, more handsome than you usually look.” Vincent’s heart started pounding.
“Hey.” Vincent looked on the floor. “What is with the beautiful black dress?”
“I just thought about wearing it.” Cyri said taking another sip of her coffee. “I mean, this has been in my closet and I just thought about wearing it. What is with the red tie? Adding some brightness to your life?”
“I was listening to this album while getting ready. Something about three cheers for sweet revenge or something like that. And the idea just popped into my head.” They were quiet for a few seconds.
“So, Vincent,” Jadis asked, “What is with you coming to Church with us?”
“I have nothing better to do, I very rarely see Cyri, so I figured why not?” Jadis shot Cyri a sly look. “What?” Vincent asked. Both girls burst out laughing. Vincent kept asking what, but never got an answer.
When they arrived at the Church, it was not at all like what Vincent had expected. It was not huge, glamorous looking like the ones he saw on television, but instead, kind of small and two buildings. When they went inside, Vincent was shocked at how plain it looked. The main Chapel itself was huge and spacious, but other then that, it only had benches, a podium, and that was it (along with a giant cross in the background).
After taking their seats, the pastor began to speak. For the first few minutes, nothing seemed to interest Vincent. Then, at some point of time (he did not really know when), he became interested. Things started clicking in his head. Some of what he was hearing actually made sense to him! He was shocked. The more he listen to the pastor talk about the Bible, Christianity, and so forth, the more he became intrigued.
When the service was over with, the three of them waited for Jadis’ mom to take them home.
“So, Vincent,” Cyri said, “What did you think about that?”
“I think that I can now consider myself a full blown Christian now. I mean, all what I heard today actually makes sense to me and I kind of want to hear more.” Cyri just smiled.
“Well, do not get too use to this Church. My Church is more, shall we say, full blown, than this one. More expensive in look. This was just to see how you reacted to Churches. Well, next week, you will start going to mine.” Cyri just smiled.

The Book Of Vincent. Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty One
The fall leaves of November were raping against the window of Joan’s house as The Children Of Darkness had their first meeting sense the death of Ratliff. The entire house was filled top to bottom with the scent of fresh green tea. For Vincent, sense he had to say something, this was quite relaxing. He knew that some of the members of the group were distraught over the entire ordeal, but he had to say something to comfort them about this.
“Okay guys, I want to talk about what had happen and your guys’ opinions. Now, I know what we did we could get into a shit load of trouble for. I am aware of that. But, look at it like this: We had the right to get rid of him. He was not needed at all in society. SO, in a way, we all done this world a good job.”
“I guess so. It just sickens me that we would do something like this. I, I just do not like it.” It was Jadis that spoke out. “I have not slept or eaten in a few days because my mind keeps on racing about this. Non stop. I just feel that something bad will come out of us acting like fucking mafia members! What will happen if we get caught? We live in a society that if we kill, life in prison! You understand that? Then we have the fact that someone could have seen us. We are now in a bad position and I want to know what you are planning on doing about it.” Everyone looked at Vincent when she said this.
“Believe it or not, I do have a plan. I talk to our master pyro-technicians about this and I was led to believe that the explosions used to burn Ratliff destroyed any and all evidence of us fucking around with his body. Then you have the fact that there were other kids that stomped on him. Front what Tad’s mom’s new boyfriend (seriously dude, is your mom on Craig’s list nonstop or what?), we have been able to see that numerous foot prints have smeared his heart that I destroyed. So, for that we need not worry. Anything else?” When Vincent was done speaking, it was Maxine that spoke next.
“Yes. I am quitting.” Everyone looked at her.
“Why?” Vincent said.
“Because it is against my moral faith to continue with such evil and vial things. Now, if we were to jump them, then that would be one thing. But, look at us! We are murderers! People against my God! Well, due to religious faith, I can not continue on with this. I am sorry.” She got up, leaving.
“Maxine!” Vincent ran after her. “Look, I know that you are troubled by this. You are not the only one. But, look at it like this: If we get into trouble, so will you sense you helped us out with his death. So, before you go out and exclude yourself, rethink about that. Carefully.” And Maxine done so. After a few minutes, she decided.
“I have. And I say: I quite. I will be your guy’s friend still. But I can not take no more of this group.” She turned and left. “If I decide to return, I will let you know.” Then, she left the stage.
“Okay, we just lost one member. How lucky are we?” Vincent grumbled.
“Her final reason?” Tad said.
“Religious conflicts. That is why.” They were all silent for a while. The aroma of tea filled the air. It cleared their minds. What was on their minds was the same unison question: Do we really want to continue and is this even worth it? The silence was killing Vincent. After a few moments, he took a deep breath.
“As far as I am aware of, we will not have to do anything with this group. So, what I have thought about doing is this: Have this group take a break for a while. Next week we will meet up at Zat’s house and discuss one thing and one thing only: If we even want to continue this group or not. I have a feeling that I know your answers. Regardless, I want you all to think carefully before you make your final choice.” Vincent took a breath.
A week has passes and now they were inside Zat’s bedroom. His room was bare except for a bed, desk, cabinet, and some chairs. Once seated, Vincent decided to now bring up the main topic of this conversation.
“As I said last week,” he said with a deep breath. “I wanted you all to think about continuing this group. I know some of you do not want to be part of a group that has killed people. I am aware of that. So, if you have anything you feel the need to say about this group, say so now.” They were al silent. Until one person spoke.
“I do not mind the group.” Said Job. “I just do not now like the fact that we ended up killing someone and putting their family in more strain sense they just lost both of their kids, even thought one was a bastard.” Almost everyone agreed.
“And, I do not know what is going to happen now.” Ronnie started. “I mean, yes no one has as of yet said anything to us about the death. But it does not mean that we can just continue parading around like nothing happened. It just, it just would not work.”
“Actually, does anyone know what has happened to the group after the little event took place?” Cyri said this.
“They disbanded.” Vincent said. “It turned out that they did not care about Ratliff at all. They just wanted his money and when he died, money is what they got. They went into his house (broke in more like it), took his credit card, and raided his savings account. Then destroyed the card so that no one can find out that it was them who took it.” Everyone looked at Vincent, wondering how the hell he knew that. “I know about that because in my social studies class I over heard a conversation between Snoop, Lee, and Mychael. They said that they did not give a fuck about his death, just money. I head them explain how they took his money out. So, The Children Of Ghetto disbanded after the death of their leader. So, it must have been a pure suck-ish group.” Everyone was quiet.
“SO, there is no reason for us to continue then, is there?” Cyri said.
“Now, there you are wrong. There are other gangs that we can still disband if they start screwing around with us. But I doubt that they would even attack us, seeing as how we already slaughtered someone. Same reason why if anyone saw us that night they will not rat us out: Because they know that someone will silence them if they let it out what we done. So, that is why we are safe.” Everyone was just quiet.
“Okay, lets us all talk about the main topic for a second: What is your guy’s stand on this group? How many of you feel like quieting this group?” Vincent was quiet after he said that.
“I do not think this group should be disbanded.” Dumas said. “But, I think we should take a bit of a hiatus for a while. We just done something drastic and, boarder line shocking. Some of us are a little bit shaken by this. I think that, lets just say, after winter holidays in December we meet again on the first Friday after we get back into school then we talk about the group, seeing how it all goes. If we decide to continue, then we continue. If we decide to quite, then we quite.” Everyone went and agreed with this idea. Vincent wanted an answer from everyone if they wanted to quite or stay, but thought that this would be a good idea.
“Fine. Meeting is adjourn until the first Friday of January when we get back to school. Until then, The Children of Darkness is officially over with. Until then, I bid you all farewell.” Vincent said.
And with that statement, the Children of Darkness ended. For now…

The Book Of Vincent. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty
They were all in the back of The car with Dumas driving. They were mostly quiet. Some of them were beyond disgusted as they had the butchered body of Ratliff between them. It shocked most of them that Vincent (back in his tuxedo) was beyond calm about this entire matter. But, they figured sense he was the one that done this job, he would be the one less affected. On the way to the school, no one said a word.
When they got there, Vincent looked at the body then at all of the members.
“Okay, remember how I told you to do this. When the lock struck twelve, it will be show time so make damn sure that this is all works out. And make damn sure that no one sees you.” As he said this, Tad jumped out of the car and ran to the dumpster out back. When he returned, he had this huge box.
“I figure that we shove is body in here and say that it is going to be in storage. That should get us in.” Tad said as he opened the back. Vincent nodded his head and the guys went and shoved the body into the box, sealed it, and began to carry it inside. The girls went back to their posts as monitors at the front of the gym.
“You okay?” Vincent asked Cyri. She had this sick look to her.
“I will be alright. I just need a big ass drink.” They both walked into the gym.
Nothing was different from the time they carried out the drunk body of Ratliff earlier. People were still dancing, the other members of The Children Of Ghetto had not started looking for their leader. It was perfect. Vincent and Cyri walked to one of the tables and ordered two large suicides (seven soft drinks mixed into one).
“I can not believe what we done.” Cyri said when they found a table to sit down at. She took a few gulps into over half of the drink was gone.
“What is so hard to believe what you saw? That was a bastard that had no purpose to be alive and here on this earth and he had to go. Nothing odd about that. Nothing unbelievable, just justice.” Vincent took a sip.
“Yes, but what makes us the ones to decide who lives and who dies? We have no say in that.” Cyri had a look of worry and shame in her eyes. Vincent took a deep breath.
“Cyri, we became the deciders of that when This bastard ruined your life. We became the deciders when he killed Fron. We became the deciders when he destroyed other people’s lives. We have a mission: Stop these villains and their armies/ gangs from hurting and destroying other people’s lives with fear and until we destroy everyone of them, we will never stop.”
“Yes, but what about the fact that we could be thrown in – Good God, we could go to jail for this!” She started panicking. She was becoming furious, over-hyperactive. Vincent then went and slapped Cyri to calm her down.
“Listen to me!” he hissed. “Nothing will or is going to happen. You know how this plan works. You know what is going to happen next. So, Cyri, please stop this foolishness.” He went and hugged her. She was starting to calm down.
“Alright. Sense this is your brain child, I will follow this. But, what happens next?”
“Let us wait a bit before we decide what is going to happen. In the mean time, you need to dance. Care to join me?” Vincent extended his hand; Cyri grabbed the hand that was extended towards her. She wanted to say no, but she need something to get her mind off of this. So, they both went onto the dance floor.
The song that was blaring was Hey Jude by The Beatles. This was an odd song, but then again, this is a dance and it is ironic that this song would be blaring right now. They started to slowly dance back and forth.
“So, other then feeling sick to your stomach, what are you feeling now?” Vincent said as they rocked back and forth.
“Right now, a little better. I am trying to ignore all of this and pay attention to remembering how to dance.” They were silent for a few moments. The entire dance floor was filled with numerous couples dancing and enjoying themselves. Even though they did not say it, they both knew what the other was thinking: If it was not for our main mission, then this would be a nice date. They danced until the song was over with. Cyri started feeling sick again and sat down. They both sat in silence.
“How many more minutes until midnight?” She asked taking a deep breath.
“About five minutes. Then, show time.” Vincent responded, taking a gulp of his drink. They both sat listening to the music. This was not an average night to anyone, but still, Vincent felt well. He never felt odd being surrounded by death. He did not understand it at all. How was it that he could handle this and yet, no one else could? He wondered that threw out most of the night.
“Sorry I slapped you earlier.” He said looking down. He did not mean to, but that was the only way to calm her down.
“I understand why you did. I am not mad at you for doing so. In fact, as I am sure you know, I needed you to.” She looked at the clock by one of the walls.
“We have two minutes before it is show time, Vinc.” When she said this, Vincent grabbed her hand.
“It would be best if we were out side. If people ask, you need some air.” They both walked out of the school’s gym. When they were out side, they met up with the other members. Even thing was in place.
Then, there was a giant explosion when the clock struck midnight. They saw threw the glass on the roof a giant red pumpkin formed by lights. And then some screaming. Acting stunned, they ran inside. There were people running amongst, ramming into each other. There was talk of fire, bodies, and Ratliff. When they saw the destruction that Vincent knew that Tad knew how to make good, small, disposable bombs like the one used. On the floor was the burning body of Ratliff. All the students were asked by the teachers to leave the area.
When everyone was outside, it was understand that Ratliff died. When kids started leaving, The Children Of Darkness got up and walked to Dumas’ car and drove away.

The Book Of Vincent. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen.
“Be careful with his body and bring him in here!” Vincent yelled as he slammed the front door open. He stood there and saw Tad, Job Ronnie, and Zat carry the now sleeping body of Ratliff in their arms. Dumas was out side, trying to park the damn car. Then came in the girls with a shaken Cyri with all of their arms around her. Vincent was beyond furious at what Ratliff had attempted to do to her, but he knew that this was going to be their pay back.
He followed the guys as they opened the door to the spare room and saw the plastic sheets everywhere, the chains on the ground, and hooks in the wall.
“Okay, set him up as I instructed. I will be getting ready.” With that being said, Vincent turned and went into his bedroom, locked the door so no one could get in. He stripped off all of his clothes and put on this entire baggy suit of leather. After he got on clipping the gloves onto his main full-body jacket and connected the boots to his pants, he opened a drawer from his desk and pulled out a box that was under lock and key. Once opened, he saw this assortment of knives and scalpels that Tad had required from the hospital when he got the anesthesia.
Slipping the box into the pocket of the jacket, he opened and walked out of the room. He took a quick peak into the room, and saw that Ratliff was now suspended onto the wall of the room, chains all over his body. All the guys and girls were in the room, watching the process. He turned and walked into the kitchen.
He found the coffee pot and poured him a large pitcher of One Hundred Percent Columbian and chugged it down as if he was in a beer hall. The bitterness woke him up completely and cleared his mind as he took another chug. After about a few, Cyri approached him.
She was shaken, and very upset after Ratliff’s attempt rape on her, but Vincent knew that was to be expected from him. And even more these deed that they were about to do. She grabbed a mug and drank some water, just looking at Vincent. They were quiet for a long time. Then she put her glass down and took a deep breathe.
“Vinc,” She said with a heavy sigh. “You know better then any one else what this bastard has done to me sense I knew him. You know the terror he has created. For you creating this idea of getting revenge, I can never thank you enough. But, I do have one request: Allow me and everyone else to see his death. I think I deserve to see that at least.” Vincent chugged down the last of his coffee, then looked at her.
“Honestly, at this point and time, I do not give a fuck. Come along if you want to see the gory death of this guy.” They both walked to the door and just stood there for a few seconds.
“What is going threw your mind right about now?” Cyri asked as she looked at Vincent.
“I am not trying to think. I am already set on what to do.” He breathed for a few moments, then opened the door.
He saw everyone lined up against the wall. They all had their eyes on Vincent as he walked towards the body of Ratliff. After looking at his pig, he went across the room and brought over a table. He took out the package that had the knives and scalpels and laid them on the table in the order in which he will be using them. He opened a secret department on the package and took out this needle and a vial of adrenaline. He wanted this guy to be awake during this. Then he went and turned towards the others. He stared them all down.
“As I told Cyri: you all can stay here and watch me fuck this pig over. But, I am letting you all know now. I do not want to hear a word from anyone of you. If you feel sick and need to leave, just then step outside. But, do not interrupt me no matter what.” Vincent looked at them all, and then went back to the table. He took the needle, filled it with adrenaline, and then jabbed it into the heart of Ratliff. He took in a hard, quick breath and started struggling, screaming. Grabbing one of the knives, Vincent went and shoved it against Ratliff’s throat.
“Scream again and this will be more painful then you thought.” Ratliff stopped screaming when Vincent put down the knives and took out another needle and a vial of an odd clear liguid with a slight yellowish tint. “Tell me Ratliff,” He said as he filled the needle. “Have you ever saw the Japanese horror film Audition? Well, in case you have not, let me clue you in. It is about this girl that kills this businessman man who holds auditions for young girls to be his new wife. This girl hated him, and decided to torture him by sawing off his legs. Now, I am not going to saw off your legs, but me bringing up this film does have a point: Before his torture began, she administer this drug, which was unnamed in the movie, that paralyzes all muscle movement and activity but keeps every nerve alive. The producers of the film says that such a drug does not exists in reality. But, they were wrong. This drug does exist and I have it in my hand.” He showed him the needle. “It is a little drug entitled: Murakami. And this little puppy does a lot of interesting work. Now, you will feel a painful sting, but suck it in.” He jabbed the needle into the vain in his right arm and punched down the plunger. When the liquid was inside Ratliff’s body, Vincent threw down the needle. After a few moments, Ratliff’s body became limp. Then, Vincent punched Ratliff in the stomach. There was a groaning sound that came out Ratliff’s neck. This satisfied Vincent, letting him know that this will work.
He went and turned on his CD player and blared the song Requiem For A Dream and for the next six minutes, the reposition and grueling torture and death of Ratliff began. Once Vincent got to removing the skin to get to Ratliff’s heart, almost every member of The Children Of Darkness had to get up and leave. All accept one: Cyri.
The entire ordeal was long and hard to go threw. Right before Ratliff died, Vincent put his hand around Ratliff’s heart.
“This is for every girl you have destroyed. Every life you have wrecked. You are a heartless, terrible monster. And you can do me a favor.” Ratliff’s eyes had tears in them beginning for mercy. “You can say hi TO SATAN FOR ME YOU MOTHER FUCKER!” And with that, Vincent ripped out Ratliff’s heart.
He turned toward Cyri, who had her eyes close. He took off and threw into a pile his gloves and the jacket. When he has only wearing a black shirt, he walked over and hugged Cyri.
“Please, do not fret. The ordeal is done. One part of your past is forever dead.” They hugged for a few moments. Very quietly, Cyri said thank you. Then, hand in hand, they walked out of the room and into the living room to see the others. They all looked at Vincent and waited to know what to do next.
“Okay you guys. You all know what the next part of this job is: Get the body ready. We are about to give these guys a Halloween they shall remember for a very long time.” Vincent said as the guys went into the room to collect Ratliff’s body. They all screamed in disgust when they found the blood everywhere, his organs on the floor, and a squished up heart. The girls went in to get all the plastic off and to wrap it around Ratliff’s body.

The Book Of Vincent. Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen
The darkness of the gym shielded Vincent’s eye sight for a few moments and no longer. He blinked his eye lashes until he could see clearly. When he could, he scanned the area that will be stage three out of four for act one.

The gym was decked out in black, purple, red, orange, and yellow everywhere. The tables there formed a circle around the middle of the gym, but there were few kids on the dance floor part of the gym. The rest of them were in the sides. Dealing with drugs, trying to get lucky, or just wasting their time. Or maybe it was all three. Or some or non at all. Who knows? Vincent did not have time to worry about such petty things. He was more focused at the task at hand. He scanned the area until his eyes landed on Tad.

Now, ever sense that argument that had happened about a month ago between Tad and Cyri, Vincent had very negative feelings toward Tad. As a member of the Children Of Darkness, he was fantastic. But as a friend, something did not set in and felt right to Vincent.

On more than one occasion, he did have the idea of talking to Cyri about this. But, every time the idea came into his mind, he wondered if he even really needed to know about this. Something told him that he needed not concern ones self with such matters. But, still, the thought bugged him to no end.


Tad looked over and mumbled something obscene under his breath when he saw Vincent staring at him.

Tad knew that Vincent was an okay guy, but there was something that he did not like. One of them was him being a his dictatorship he had on the group. He never like the idea of him being the leader (was against it from the start), but he had delt with that. The next thing had to be his logic. Tad had the feeling that something wrong was going to come out of all of this that would make everything end up being for nothing. The last and final thing was his (Vincent) relationship with Cyri.

Ever sense he and Coraline broke up (the first time about a year ago), he had developed strong feelings for Cyri. Most of it began one day about ten months ago. He remembered it well.
He walked into Cyri’s house, wanting to just hang out and talk to her like they always did. When he called out her name, there was no answer. He went up stairs, hoping that she was there. But when he went and found her, she was standing on her bed with a noose tied around her neck.
Panicking, he jumped up and pulled her down. He yelled at her, asking what the hell was wrong with her, asking why she would do such a stupid thing, or even for that manner think of such a thing. She was shaken, crying about it.

He then went, grabbed her and held her for a few minutes. Rocking her back and forth, he made her promise not to do anything that stupid and reckless again. No matter what. When she promised, he went and pressed his lips against hers. For a few minutes, they remained like that. Then she broke them apart.

She explained to him that she saw him only as a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. He hated that, but agreed that that was a one time only thing and that it will mean nothing to them. But to Tad, it meant everything. From then until know, he had always had strong feelings for Cyri. He knew that it was her pass that had driven her to almost take her life, and started to be protective over her and anyone she comes into contact with so that she would never have another reason to do something like that ever again. And when Vincent entered the script, and the way in which Cyri spoke about and to him, Tad started having negative feelings towards Vincent. And because of that believe of hatred, Tad hated Vincent.

He looked over at Cyri, knowing what she must do. But, he did swear to God that if anything was to hurt Cyri, he would kill Vincent. No exception.


Cyri looked over and saw both Vincent and Tad looking at and checking on her. She understood that it must be her to undergo this task of burden, and she wanted to. Very much. She knew that that she had to for herself to help get rid of the thoughts of him and to escape from the past that had to deal with him.

Like so many people in her life, she was fucked over good by almost everyone that has come into contact with her. First was her real parents (drunk and molesting pig), her first set of adoptive parents (illegal child labor workers), and then Ratliff (ruined her life after trusting him). And that was just the tip of the iceberg. And on one chapter, she wanted to close it’s eyes forever.

As she was walking around, she found Ratliff. He looked like some wanna be rapper. Complete with sagging pants, a wife-beater (who gave tank tops that name?), and short, crew cut hair. The only thing that Cyri thought up of was why he had became like this. Then again, she knew that when he moved, he ended up adapting to some completely different subculture of society. Almost everything about him changed. The person she knew was dead. This person had to go.

Taking a deep breath, she approached him. Vincent and her dicussed this in it’s entirely, going over everything that was suppose to happen. And now, it was show time.

“Hello, Garrett.” Cyri said as she approached him.

“You know to damn well that I do not go by that name anymore, bitch.” When Ratliff said that, there was a hint of strong alcohol on his breath. Cyri thought that this job just got a little bit more easier.

“That is what I still call you. Seriously, what had happened to you? You use to be such a cute, good boy.”she started moving closer to him. “But now you are a bad, naughtu little mother fucker.” Cyri was basically barking up on him. Ratliff, being the perverted pig he is, went and started playing with her. Cyri had the feeling of vomiting as memories of her father came back to her. The feel of someone touching her, even more there, made her sick. But, she dealt with it. But one thing she did know: Him doing this was not expected.


Tad saw all of that. He was running toward them. Like Hell he was going to all this. But, as he was running, something grabbed his shoulder and held him back.

“Let her be.” Vincent was the one that said this.

“What the fuck is wrong with you you sick bastard?” Tad yelled “You know what this asshole is capable of doing and you want to just sit back and let this happen? Well, fuck you! I am taking action!” Vincent’s grip on Tad’s shoulder grew tighter.

“The reason why I have not went all ape shit on this yet is because me and her already talked about all of this. That is to be expected. Now, was she expected to be filled up by him? No. That we did not anticipate. But, we did have a plan ‘B’ just in case that was to happen. When he starts trying to get fresh with her, she will take the needle out of the bag, jam it into his throat, and then knock him out. Until we get notification that that has happened, chill the fuck down and have a drink with me.” Tad wanted to beat the living shit out of Vincent, but he remembered that he was not going to fight him unless something serious happens to Cyri. They sat a table that circled the dance floor and ordered a few drinks. They hoped and pray that nothing was going to happen.

Cyri had feelings of fear crawl over her as she felt Ratliff’s lips on her bare chest. She wanted this guy dead more than ever. She looked over and had something of an idea. But, she waited for the perfect moment.

And the time was around when she felt Ratliff’s bare hands touch her ass. She went and kicked him square in the face with her knee. When he was down, she ran to get her purse, but Ratliff was quick. He grabbed her ankle on the right leg and knocked her down. He crawled on top of her, trying to get ready to fuck her. She kept her cool, until she finally grabbed her purse. She went around, finding the box that contained the needle that Vincent had given her. When she looked at it before coming into the Gym, she saw that it was already filled.

Turning over quick (when drunk, he did not have that much power), she got on top of him and jabbed the needle into his neck. He made no growls of pain as she pushed down on the plunger and the anesthesia went into his veins. Withing a few moments, he was knocked out.

She got up and slipped back on her clothes. A few bruises were starting to form and some blood around her chest, but she can deal with that. Before she went and grabbed her cell phone, She went and kicked him the groin. Hard.


Vincent and Tad where on their eleventh and tenth (respectively) drinks when Tad’s cell phone started ringing. When he activated it, he had a text message from Cyri. When opened, it said: You and Vincent get your asses in here now. I have already contacted the others. Knock on the men bathroom door six times so I know that you are there. - C.

Vincent banged on the door six times and yelled that it was him and Tad that were there. When Cyri opened the door, she quickly threw them in. Locking the door, they noticed just how loud the music was outside.

“As I already said, I have sent a message to the others. They are setting everything up as we speak. He is sedated. Nicely. I kicked him in the junk just to make sure.” Vincent and Tad squirmed when she said this. “I kicked him there because, Vincent, one thing we did not expect at all was him trying to rape me. I expected him to touch me somewere, but to take off my clothes and fuck me? Different matter entirely.” Tad gave Vincent a dark, evil look. Cyri saw this immediately. “Tad, that was eventually to happen. There was no denying it. I wish that we were more prepared. That is all. The fucker is now knocked out. I am bruised, but in the words of Gloria Gaynor: I will survive.”

Vincent looked at the body of Ratliff. He wanted to do his job right there and then. But, he knew that he needed to hold off that feeling for now. Later on, he will take care of this. He got out of the stall, and looked around. He had one friend that wanted him dead for this job and another that is bruised. What else can he think of that was going to happen. As they were thinking threw the rest of this evening, there was think giant knock on the bathroom door.
“Cyri!” a voice yelled threw the opposite side of the door. “It’s Job here with the rest of the guys! Let us in!” Cyri went and unlocked the door. They saw all of the guys (except for Dumas, who was in the car) and the girls that were there. The girls took Cyri to the side to check on her. The guys brought this giant blanket to wrap Ratliff’s body in. Job took Vincent to the side to talk to him.

“Okay, we are wrapping up his body, and then we will take him out of here. We already figure out how to dispose of the body when the final act and stage erupts. Anything else we need to do?” Vincent thought for a few seconds.

“Are the teachers still distracted?”

“Yes, I was able to get them thinking that something is going on in one of the hallways. The student monitors (that is us) have taken over. After we load up this fucker, then we will say that we have to go for about an hour or two. Then we will be back.” Zat yelled that everything was ready to go.

All the guys picked up this rolled up sheet that had Ratliff shoved inside of it, and started to carry him out. Ronnie opened the bathroom door and saw that nobody was around. All the guys carried him out. Vincent and Cyri stayed behind.

“You are not hurt too much, right?” He asked her.

“Well, other than trying to fuck me, bruise me, and above all else, bite my nipples enough that there is blood, I am pretty peachy right now. I just want him dead and that is that.” They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then, Cyri getting teary eyed, went and hugged Vincent.
They remained hugging each other for a few seconds until they split apart and went into the car. Cyri explained that the reason why was because she just needed someone to squeeze, and he was there. Vincent told her not to worry about it at all.

Once in the car, they were all quiet. No one said a word. In the back was the body of Ratliff. They took off the blanket and threw it to the side (they needed the guy to breath, right?). As his body was being rocked back and forth, the only thing that was going threw Vincent’s mind was how to do this job and the outcome. He just hoped and prayed to God that this will all work out in the end.

SHORT FILM REVIEWS (11/13 - 11/19)

VERSES (2000) 7/ 10
This film is nothing but violence, gore, and zombies. The director tries to incorporate this complex plot into the story, only for it to be thinned out by the wonderful choreography of fight scenes, photography of the film, and the magnificent score. This film would have been great if there was more time put into the plot.

PONYO (2010) 8.5/ 10
Out of all the films I have seen of his, this one is the most child friendly of them all. The begin with, the animation is, like all of his other films, beautiful, the overall plot does have a bit of a nice spin, and the voice actors are not that bad. Props goes to Frankie Jonas and Noah Cyrus. Now, this film does have a strong overtone of Pro-Earth and environmental issues. If you can get pass that, then this is a film that is okay. Great to show young kids ages three and up.

VALKYRIE (2009) 3/10
The main problem I have with war films is that they are never exciting. You already know what is going to happen and as such, the film becomes no fun to watch. Almost everything about this film was mediocre at best, and this was just not a well made film. I say only watch this film if you are a fan of Tom Cruise or you just want to know what Operation Valkyrie is.

ASTRO BOY (2009) 4/10
This film is a huge disappointment. The script was bland, the CGI animation was boring, and the spirit and excitement of the original anime is already lost. There were a few (few means two) witty remarks, but overall, very poor. It tires to have a message about machines, but even that fails. Watch only if you are a die hard fan of the original anime.

BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (2008) 2/10
This is is a disappointment. From being a fan of the original anime short the inspired this film, I had some expectations. This film fails to meet them. This film tries to make the plot more complex by adding in unnecessary subplots that are stupid and unintelligent. I despise this film. If you are interested in watching this film, then just stick with the one hour short.

THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT (1994) 9/10
In the genre of films, there is a little over-looked one called midnight movies. If Rocky Horror Picture Show if the God of Midnight movies, then Priscilla is the Jesus. This film has some of the best costumes I have seen in a long while, does have an underlying meaning of prejudice against people that are transsexuals that make this film worth a watch.

SHORT FILM REVIEWS (11/7 - 11/12)

METROPOLIS (1926) 10/10
That film is the perfect silent German Expressionist film ever. Everything about it, plot, script, acting, directing, sets are beyond wonderful. Now, there are plenty of other wonderful Silent films (Nosferatu, The Phantom Of The Opera), but this is the king of them all. If you can not handle silent films, then do not watch this film.



WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO + JULIET (1999) 4/10
While I do praise the actors for doing a fantastic job of being in character, the score for creating the tone for the film, and the overall modernization of the classic (but least favorite) Shakespeare play, Luhrmann’s exaggeration of trying to make the film artistic in the sense of making it look unique does fail on a lot of levels. I would say watch this film if you are a fan of the original story or wanted to see what would happen if this story took place in the 1990s.



SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010) 9.5/10
This is the type of film that is like being hit in the face with a breeze of ice cold air on a hot day. Everything about this film is beyond original from the plot, to the script, to the special effects. The only real compliant about this film is the casting choice of Michael Cera as the lead actor. I have just about had it with Cera playing the same type of roles in every film he is in. It worked in Superbad, but it just does not work here. Watch this film for the plot, the special effects, and all the tributes to famous video games such as Pack Man, Final Fantasy, and The Legend Of Zelda.


THE NEVERENDING STORY (1984) 8.5/ 10
Now, this film is a bit of a mix bag. There are a lot of good things in this film that are fantastic, and then there are some terrible things. The main good points have to be the world of Fanatasia, the creatures, and the wonderful score that is played threw out. The negative things include the human world and some of the matting. Recommend for people who love fantasy films and want to know what is like to be a child again.

The Mini Reviews Of The Films Directed By Quentin Taratino.

NOTE: I am not including the films he had only written (True Romance, From Dusk Till Dawn, Natural Born Killers), producded (Hostle, Hostle Part 2), are only directed part of (Four Rooms, Sin City). For the purpose of this review, I am combining Kill Bill Part one and two as one film and I am going to be talking about the Japanese print.

Reservoir Dogs:

Every film maker has his start, and that does not mean that the film is always bad. At times it can be very god. But this film does have the sense of amateur status but mixed with a certain kick. The main thing in this film that makes all the difference is the opening discussion of the song “Like A Virgin” by Madonna and the “ear cutting off” scene that has “Stuck In The Middle With You” by Stealers Wheel. Overall, this film being the first major film by Quentin Taratino does show fantastic potential, but that amateurish quality is what holds it back. Some of the wrongs have to deal with some boring and overly exaggerated scenes that could have been cut a little bit for pacing value.

Pulp Fiction:

When this film was first shown, this was like an electric current of improvement and originality that was shocked threw everyone. From beginning to end, this film not only captivates you, but selfishly refuses to let you go until you sit threw all two and a half hours of this Masterpiece. But, the people that steal this film are John Travolta (who plays a gangster that got back from Amsterdam), Samuel L Jackson (Travolta’s Partner), and Uma Thurman (Travolta and Jackson’s Boss’s wife). In terms of how great this film is, it is Perfect. Absolutely everything about it is perfect. No questions asked.

Jackie Brown:

Face it: out of all the films Taratino has done, this will be the black sheep in the lot. Why? Because unlike the previous films, Jackie Brown is not an original work but instead based off of the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. Now, does this mean that this is a bad adaptation? No. It does not. This film works very well on it’s own and, unlike most novel adaptations, does not require the need of knowledge of the novel to understand the film. The main thing in this movie that makes it worth watching is just to listen to that ear candy of dialogue. Oh, my God. Taratino can write such magnificent dialogue that you wish that the actors could just record the film with just the words and listen to it all day long.

Kill Bill:

If R.D. was Taratino’s tribute to Gangster films and J.B. is for Blaxploitation films, this is Taratino’s Epic tribute to the days of the old Shaw Brother’s Hong Kong films. This epic four hour film is, without a doubt, one that is so well written that it could be Taratino’s work that he should be remembered by. This film has drama, action, gore, juicy dialogue (an easy trademark of Taratino’s), and a hell of a performance by main actress Uma Thurman who plays the distraught Bride. If you decide to watch this film, be prepared to give yourself over to watching the last great Epic film of our time.

Grindhouse Presents: Death Proof:

As you can tell, Taratino is a fan boy for old, seventies exploitation films and this is his ultimate tribute to that long lost genre and, in a way, a tribute to the slasher film genre. This film is dark, gritty, and recreates the “bad-ass” acting career of Kurt Russle who plays the psychotic stuntman. This films highlights is the dialogue, the actors, and the thirty minute car chase scene at the end of this film. If you watch this film, remember that there was no CGI used to create the effects of the car’s destruction.

Inglorious Basterds:

If Taratino was a musician, this will be his greatest hits category. This film take the absolute best of his films and combines them with a wonderful “What If” plot for World War II. From start to finish, this film transports you into a realm of a reversed World War II were you have Jewish American soldiers that scalp Nazi’s, a central theme of all the characters is the history of cinema (even one of the Nazi commanders is a film director), and you have David Bowie’s Cat People (Putting Out The Fire) during a montage scene near the climax of the film. The main thing to watch for is Christoph Waltz’s performance as Hans Landa Of The S.S. The ultimate Nazi ever. I mean, when you hear him speak English, Italian, German, and French perfectly, you will know with that knowledge that he is Taratino’s greatest villain.

Final Fantasy - Spectrum, 14th Century (MINI REVIEW)

BAND: Final Fantasy

MEMBERS: Owen Pallett (everything)

TRACK LIST: Oh, Spectrum; Blue Imelda; The Butcher; Cockatrice; The Ballad of No-Face

REVIEW: To be honest, this album is beyond anything I expected coming in. Almost everything in this entire album is original, different, and so out of this world that I am in love with it. The songs themselves are odd little children because along with typical instruments, they allow sound effects of nature in order to create an atmosphere and tone that one, if played the Final Fantasy video game series, can expect. Now, why this man did not make a song for the game series, I have no idea. If you are willing to be open minded and listen to something out of this world, then give this little puppy a try.

Judas Priest - British Steel Review

BAND: Judas Priest

MEMEBERS: K.K. Downing (lead guitar, backing vocals), Rob Halford (lead vocals), Ian Hill (bass, backing vocals), Dave Holland (drums), Glenn Tipton (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals)

TRACK LIST: Breaking The Law, Rapid Fire, Metal Gods, Grinder, United, Living After Midnight, You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise, The Rage, Steeler

REVIEW: In the holy books of Heavy Metal, you have the father (Black Sabbath), the son (Judas Priest), and the unholy demon (Iron Maiden). Now, it is because of a few former albums and their stage presence that made Judas Priest one of the top three of Heavy Metal because they created the costume, but it was this album that made it that they created the final sound of Metal. If you listen to any of these tracks, you will notice that they do not have any more ties to the blues in which heavy metal is based off of.

At first glance, these song do appear to be shorter and more radio friendly and would get more air time, but do not let that fool you. These songs are the same head-banging, arena metal jams that we have always loved, just shorter.

The first track is perhaps the most famous of them all: Breaking The Law. The first thing that stands out are three things: the iconic guitar riff, the bass, and the drums. Right off the bat, this is a song that does have full love for their instruments and the song would have worked fine if it was just those sounds, but then you have Rob Halford’s voice that has now earned him the title of The Metal God. I mean, the high notes that guy can hit (and still hit to this day) are beyond fantastic. Another thing that makes this song better is that it is, in a way, telling the story of a man who has nothing left so he decides to do one last thrill for his life: break the law. One thing to look out for in this song is the sound affects of milk bottles being smashed during the guitar solo.

Then, this album kicks it into gear with Rapid Fire. The first thing that you notice is the use of both the leading and rhythm guitars both playing at times the same notes and rifts, then one of them playing the same notes, but higher. The drums are simple in this song and you do not really hear the bass all that well, but in all the instruments play the same basic parts for about a good sixty percent of the time. But the thing to really listen for is Halford’s accent in this song when he starts rolling the “R” in certain words and the high note he hits at the beginning. This is a perfect example of arena metal.

Metal Gods is one of those songs about technology that is telling us what the future of man kind will be: Machines making slaves out of us humans. This song is very different then the previous two in the scenes that is uses sound effects more creatively than in Breaking The Law and uses them to create the sound of robots stomping. The guitars mostly does regular riffs leaving room for the bass to be heard, the drum is the same way. Halford’s vocals still hit high notes, and overall it is the perfect song for Priest to use as their moniker “Metal Gods”.

Based on the song Grinder, I have come to realize two things: first is that the lead guitar is starting to have more character by doing it’s own notes while the rhythm guitar is doing it’s job of keeping the rhythm. Second would be that the chorus of this song, and like the others, are beyond catchy and it actually work. Starting with this song, I do commend the members of Judas Priest on their song writing abilities. Now, the song it self adds nothing to the overall flare or over the top that the previous songs added, other than the lead guitar being more free.

United adds a rock anthem/ protest song to this list, and what is so cool about this one is that it features sound effects of stomping and clapping to go with the beat of the chorus. This one, is mostly beat driven, so I would like to take the time to point out Dave Holland’s drum work on this song. This does stand out in the scenes that it feels different than any previous song on this album and that it does add a nice flair to the track list.

Living After Midnight is this albums equal to KISS’s Rock and Roll All Nite in the sense that it is an anthem for all of those who live their lives parting during the night hours. On this album, it is a little similar to that of united, except that this song has more usage of instruments. Kind of a let down, by still a decent song on it’s own.

You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise is a song that relies on the strength of then lyrics for it to be awesome. On this album, this song is mostly the teenage angst song that does have a strong point: people that are you can be wise and older people should not look down on the youngsters as being inferior. The only thing that saddens me is that some people in this generation will here this song and automatically take it the wrong way.

The Rage is a song that is fantastic for two reasons: It is a song that loves the Bass guitar to such an extent that when you hear everything else, the thundering of the strings cuts threw everything else like a hot knife threw butter. The other reason is what this song is a metaphor for. Rob Halford is known for being openly homosexual and I feel that this song (along with Breaking The Law) expresses the rage that Halford has for the prejudice that gay people have.

Steeler is like Judas Priest’s homework assignment in which they have to go threw all there songs and bring together the best of everything and in this case, the get an ‘A +’. This song has everything from instruments that sound right, to the vocals. This is an almost perfect ending to the album, but I would have liked to hear Halford’s high pitch screech one last time.

In a nutshell, British Steel is the staple of what perfect heavy metal should be. This album, while it does have some flaws, should be heard by anyone who loves metal or wants to get into metal.

Short Film Reviews (10/ 31 - 11/ 06)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)

RATING: 5.5/ 10

It had a lot of good things going for it, but too many screw ups (and a very bad tribute to Pulp Fiction towards the end) that ruined it. Plus, so many unimportant and unnecessary scenes that would added just for sex appeal. Do not watch this film, watch the original.





SAW V (2008)

RATING: 7/ 10

It is better than SAW IV by any means. It did keep my attention and while it did have a slow pace at the beginning, it was made up for by the main trap. One of the better SAW films, thou SAW II is still the best I have seen next to SAW I. Not for the feint of heart.





SAW VI (2009)

RATING: 7.5/ 10

While it is better than SAW V (by a hair), I felt that the first trap was not really needed, but overall did set the tone for the film. This film did have a lot of things going for it and I am glad that first time director Kevin Greutert did hit most of those parts, but there were a few he did fall back on. It is with this knowledge that I am glad that he is directing SAW 3D.





THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985)

RATING: 9.5/ 10

You are only a teenager/ were a teenager if you can take your life and incorporate it into this film. The only real problem is that the first thirty minutes are a little slow paced. Almost a perfect film with spot on script, score, acting, and direction. It has everything for a Great Film.





KING KONG (1933)

RATING: 8/10

The only thing that is the major draw-back is the human actors in this film. They were stiff beyond comparison! They were not bad, but they were not great. But, Kong, the production, the painted backgrounds, special effects, score, all of that was beyond fantastic. If you see this film, see it for the good parts. Worth a watch if you love old, historic films.






CARRIE (1976)

RATING: 9/ 10

f you want a film that scares you about your religion and the negative side affects, this is the film that will do that. If you watch this brilliant horror film, watch it for Piper Laurie’s performance as Carrie’s God-Obsessed mother and watch her downfall. This film has perfect everything. The only real problem is that not much back story is given to Carrie. But that’s okay.





AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)

RATING: 6/ 10

In terms of this being a horror film, this reviewer feels that it does not meet that point. But, in terms of a dark, violent comedy, then it does succeed. This films main highlights will have to be the werewolf, the atmosphere that does accomplish chilling your bones, and the transformation scenes. Not for the feint of heart.

The Unicorns: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?

BAND: The Unicorns

ALBUM: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone?

MEMBERS: Nick “Neil Diamonds” Thorburn & Alden “Ginger” Penner (drums, synthesizers, keyboard, percussion, drum machine, toy piano, toy organ, echoplex, bass, guitar, tape, melodian, recorder, glockenspiel, accordion, vocals), Jaime “J’amie Tambeur” Thompson (Drums on “Tuff Ghost”, “Jellybones”, “I Was Born (a Unicorn)”, “Inoculate the Innocuous”, and “Les Os”) Richard Reed Parry (Trumpet on ‘I Don’t Wanna Die”; Bowed Bass on “Sea Ghost”), Joellen Housego (Fiddle on “Tuff Luff”; Violin on “Let’s Get Known”) Randy Peters (Penny Whistle on “Tuff Luff”; Clarinet on “Let’s Get Known”) Tim Kramer (Cellos on “Ready to Die”), Maxime Pellisier (Clarinet on “Child Star”), Deanna Fong (Voice on “Les Os”)

SONGS: I Don’t Wanna Die, Tuff Ghost, Ghost Mountain, Sea Ghost, Jellybones, The Clap, Child Star, Let’s Get Known, I was Born (A Unicorn), Tuff Luff, Inoculate the Innocuous, Les Os, Ready To Die.

REVIEW:

As the millennium of music has approached, almost everything we here is in one way or another completely guidelines approve. Quoting the great Marilyn Manson “Everything’s been said before. Nothing left to say anymore. When it is all the same you can ask for it by name” Everything follows a formula and has to be approved by the media. Like the grind house films of the sixties threw eighties, there are underground unknown bands who have cult followings. One such band is The Unicorns with there 2004 album: Who Will Cut Our Hair When We Are Gone?.

This album, in a nutshell, is a completely different experience then from anything that you will here in this year of music. Like a giant burst of fresh air hitting your face unexpectedly on a boiling hot day. The use of sounds, the tone, the atmosphere, and the overall presentation of these 12 songs gave me the feeling I first had when I listened to The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album I have the upright most respect for.

The first song, I Don’t Wanna Die, give you the complete works of what is to come from such an out standing album. You will get a feeling that this is from the 1960’s due to similar vocal styles used by the late John Lennon. The assortment of instruments that you began to hear, along with the vocal styles and sound effects, are rather odd, but it works in the end.

Tuff Ghost established one thing and one thing only: This band knows how to make great introductions. The main things to look for in this song is the drum beats and the synthesizers used. It does not add anything more to the standard that was created by I Don’t Wanna Die, but regardless, it is still a great song.

The main thing track three, Ghost Mountain, does is show that this band does have some ability to create normal length songs (three minutes - five minutes) and do that in a very nice way. This album’s main attraction is the synthesizer’s parts in this film.

Okay, stop everything! A Flute Solo?! That is beyond unexpected and yet so great that that it makes Sea Ghost an instant land mark on this album. Mix that with the always simple drum rhythm and the sound that sounds like a garage band than one that relies on sound effects. This is a song that sounds different than any leading up to this point and it is an automatic win.

Jellybones starts off with a sound effect of someone stopping a vinyl on a turn table followed but with a synthetic keyboard playing the intro. Then it continues till then end of the song with different, random instruments coming and going as they please.

The Clap is a rather short song that is mostly drums and a guitar screaming along with someone mid way screaming in tune with the guitar. Does not do anything for the album in general, but still great for a fun listen.

The song Child Star has a rather nice haunting quality that actually works along with the drum being at it’s highest peak here. The vocals are soft, but that only compliments the tone of the album. A high peak here. And, the entire ‘I hate you’ part at the end of the songs was unexpected, but great.

This song starts off with talk of satanic cults and something that sounds like the ending of a commercial. ‘Let’s Get Famous’, after that, does sound like a typical song on this album. The only thing worth while is the end of the song when they have the sound effects of a helicopter playing until the song ends.

‘I was born (a unicorn)’ is a song that does stand up after listening to the rest of this album previously. Instrumental wise, this song does a good job. Lyrically, it fit’s the title very well. A nice, short fun song on this album. With out a doubt, there them song.

‘Tuff Luff’ is a song that makes good usage of violins and a nice fiddle. This song is nice, different, and something to look for if you decide to listen to this album.

Inoculate The Innocuous is one that is only okay. This is an okay song. How are the vocals? Okay. Instruments? Okay. This is the only song on the album, if listened to from start to finish, would have no effect. Kind of a disappointment. Still a good song, but placed on this album, it makes it only okay.

Les Os is a complete shock after hearing the ‘okay’ Inoculate the Innocuous”. This is fast paced, a little bit heavy, and very well made. Another high point of this album. Best thing about it: The vocals and the background sound effects that makes one think about this being made in a garage.

The final song, Ready To Die, is a perfect ending to this album. Not only does it take most of the best from this entire album, but also it is quite tongue in cheek seeing that this is the final studio album by The Unicorns.

Overall, this is a very fun album to listen to if you are someone who wants to heard something completely different than the normal music that is on pop/ rock/ indie stations or if you love The Beatles as seeing that this album is heavily influenced. This band had a lot going for it, then they dismembered the group. But most of the members still perform but under the name: Islands.

1980: Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell Review

BAND: Black Sabbath

ALBUM: Heaven And Hell

Members: Ronnie Jame Dio (Vocals), Tony Iommi (Guitar), Geezer Buttler (Bass), Bill Ward (Drums), Geoff Nicholls (Keyboards)

SONGS: Neon Knights, Children Of The Sea, Lady Evil, Heaven And Hell, Wishing Well, Die Young, Walk Away, Lonely Is The Word

REVIEW:
The year nineteen-eighty was a good year for music. You had Ozzy Osbourne’s first solo album “Blizzard of Ozz”, AC/DC “Back In Black”, Judas Priest with “British Steel”, and this little number from Black Sabbath (or Heaven And Hell, depending on what you want to call them)’s first non-Ozzy album: Heaven And Hell. When Ozzy was fired from Black Sabbath on December 11, 1979,who really knew that Sabbath would go and reinvent itself into this sound?
The first track is a pure in your face opener called “Neon Knights”. Like a good majority of any song Ronnie James Dio (the new leader singer, formally from Ritchie Blackmore’s RAINBOW), there is a mystic, epic, and story of good and evil thrown in. The Story behind “Neon Knights” is that there is a battle being fought between angels and demons with the angels being called Neon Knights. As an opener, this is fast, furious, and above all else, pure heavy.
The start of this album was pure fast, high voltage. Now with Children Of The Sea, it feels as if someone stomped on the breaks. This song has an entirely different feel with Dio singing higher than the previous and with more feeling as he sings a tale of children who have nothing left, that has lost the sun and are now Children of the Sea. This song’s strong point is hearing the vocal range of Dio.
I’m going to start off saying that the high point of this album Bass wise is the intro to this little number. I mean, when you hear it, you know that this album just became fast and heavy again. Lady Evil tells the story of Lady that is pure evil, darkness loves her, and will bring ruin unto your world. As I sadi, the part of this album that makes this song worth listening to is Geezer Butler’s Bass thundering out that bass-line. there are few songs in metal that show love for the four stringed instrument, and this song show pure love for the overlooked guitar.
Then, the gates of the living and the underworld have been opened when the opening notes and beats of the epic song that is Heaven And Hell begins. The first half of this song is, without a doubt, a wonderful mid tempo song that would have worked fine as a stand alone (Heaven And Hell Part One) with the last part being a heavy, furious piece of genius (Heaven And Hell Part Two). The entire song tells of the good and bad sides of humanity and the instrumental aspects of the song do a damn good job at showcasing this point. One just needs to listen to the iconic guitar riff by the legendary Tony Iommi to fully takes over this song. One last thing to point out is the drum intro into the heavy second part. The last minute, a soft guitar solo that leads out of the song, is truly a fitting exit of this track. To the average listener, the length of this song maybe a problem, but if you can get past by that, this song is equal to a religious experience.
Wishing Well, to me at least, feels like a filler that was just thrown to make the album longer. Despite that, it is a fun little song. This song is pretty much average with nothing that really stands out. If anything was to, it would have to be the high notes that Iommi makes on his guitar. Other than that, this is a song, thou good, could be overlooked if you are wanting only the best from this album.
Imagine being inside purgatory with the only sounds is a weeping guitar and all around you, that is all you here. You want to love the sound, and then it is joined by the drums and bass with the feeling of being whirled around. That is how the song Die Young feels like at the start. The song, about the positives of die young (thou Dio said he does not want this happening to us), is fast most of the time, slow, has a wonderful weeping guitar at times, a mystic quality, and Dio’s high notes. This song is an improvement over Wishing Well in terms of greatness. This song is original on the album in comparison to the other songs and above all else, is a wonderful listening experience.
More pop oriented than the rest of the songs, Walk Away feels like another filler song, but it is better than Wishing Well. The song talks about walking away from a girl that has a look of freedom and is wild. The guitar work is wonderful along with the bass (thou not quite as good as Lady Evil). It has more of a creative feel towards it that I think it is good for this song, but it has a distinct pop-metal feel to it that if they released this as a single, it would have been on pop stations.
With Lonely Is The Word, this albums ends with another fantastic song. In terms of lyrics, I believe that this song talks about being on top of the world and then losing it all and thus being lonely (hmm. Sounds like a certain Ozzy Osbourne). The guitar and bass create a semi-sad sounding presence that fit’s the lyrics of the song. If you listen, there is that mystic sound quality again that was in Die Young that is like a cherry on top of the song. Then, you have the drums which are, in my opinion, one of the better songs on the album in terms of drums.
With this being the first Dio-Sabbath album, I feel that it was a fantastic home run of pure greatness. This shows how great they would have been together. Almost every song could have been a single (Wishing Well and Walk away being the acceptations) and they would have done well. The only real complaint I have on this album is that it is a short album (only forty minutes in length) and I wish that more songs were added, but all of that is made up for by the everlasting roar of power that is, was, and forever will be Ronnie James Dio.