The Crow - Interlude on the Wing

Looking around to make sure there weren’t any cops patrolling the streets, Sarah stopped in front of the old derelict apartment complex and leaned her skateboard against the wall. She let herself take a moment to look up at the broken window of the loft where Eric and Shelly lived, the memories coming back to her again. It was almost as if she were expecting either Eric or Shelly to lean down and come get her.
Unable to keep the memories away, but remembering that wouldn’t happen again, Sarah slowly pulled one of the wooden planks away from the boarded-up door of the building, then ducked under another as she went in and up the stairs, her boots crunching against old trash – cans, newspapers, general rubbish.


Up above in the loft, Eric was going through a memory rush of his own, even as Gabriel softly prowled around the apartment. And yet, the memory flashes seemed to take more time than they had before. Maybe Eric was finally getting some control over them, or maybe it was because his concentration was solely on those memories even as he took the physical remnants of them and tossed them into the lit fireplace – pictures of him and Shelly, an old letter that he’d written to her while he was on the road –
Eric sitting on the floor of their apartment, one leg tucked underneath him as he picked away at his old guitar, the notes matching those he’d played just last night. Shelly slowly coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “That song for me, rock star?” Smiling, looking up at her and kissing her neck, whispering, “Only for you, baby.”
- The voice of the crow came into his head, stealing him away from the memories for a split second.
Come on, kid. You really need to see this again? It’s only gonna hurt you worse.
“Go away, bird”, Eric whispered, his mind focusing on the memories again as an attempt to shut the bird out.
Wrapping Shelly tightly in his arms, spinning her up in the air, her giggles music to his ears in the flowery field they stood in just outside the city.
Standing together, their arms wrapped around each other in their bedroom, lost in each other as well.
The sun floating gently through the bedroom window as Eric softly ran the backs of his fingers against Shelly’s warm, soft cheek, his eyes locked onto her sleeping form as she came awake with a gentle smile at his touch.
The tears slowly dripped down Eric’s painted face as he finally disposed of the last of the memories, tearing off half of a picture of him and Shelly and tossing it away before putting the half with Shelly in a pocket. Then, a soft, rhythmic thumping just down the hall broke the sorrowful reverie. Someone was coming.
Eric sprang to his feet and ran for the window, grabbing the beam of the frame that was still intact and swinging himself up and away from it, his body arcing around in a flip before his hands found the railing of the raised roof of his loft. He heaved himself up with only a bare grunt of effort, sitting cross-legged on top of it as the crow soared up behind him and perched on the railing, looking at him.
It’s gotta be Sarah, kid. Why hide from her? She’s gonna end up actually seeing you soon enough.
“I can’t handle it right now, bird.”
Come on. I’ve watched you slit the throats of three of the asswipes who killed you – turn one guy into a knife piñata, flooding another with morphine, killing the third with his own car and fireworks! Sure, we’re having fun, but to what end?
Even the sky seemed to cry as well, rain beginning to gently come down from the bright grey clouds above. Eric finally managed to look up at the bird, his voice a trembling whisper as the rain hit his skin. “Revenge? Justice? Both?” He scoffed, finishing, “No matter how fine the play, the last act is always bloody.”
We ain’t even at the last act yet, kid. All of this is just intermission. But have you ever considered that maybe this is all about something else besides just revenge or justice? I know you’re here for that revenge, and the justice has followed, but maybe it’s not just them that you’re potentially here for, you know?
“Eric?” His eyes widening, Eric could hear Sarah calling for him from inside the loft. Even with her voice at a whisper, he could still hear her every word. “Man, Sarah, relax. You’re going crazy.” Then a soft mewl followed her words, and her reaction made him smile, despite himself. “Gabriel! I thought you were dead. You’re not dead, are you?” he heard her finish with a playful tone.
“What’s this all about then, bird? If it’s not just about justice or revenge – which you’ve told me it is about…”
That’s true, kid, I have.
“Then what else could it be?”
Eric heard a small amount of shuffling from within the loft – Sarah must’ve found the remnants of his memento mori – the only remnants of his dead angel. “I knew it was you”, Sarah called out. “Even with the makeup. I mean, I remembered your song. You said ‘It can’t rain all the time.’ That is from your song, isn’t it?”
Then the crow, as if answering for her, tapped into Eric’s mind one more time. Maybe this gig’s about forgiveness. Obviously, not for the gang who killed you two lovebirds, but for yourself.
“Why me?”
Revenge – that’s why you’re here. Justice – that’s what’s come over those punks along with your vengeance. But in the end, you couldn’t save Shelly, kid – there was nothing you could’ve done. Obviously, you need to end your mission of vengeance, but you also need to let it go once that end finally happens. It’s for your sake as well as hers, kid, and she’s not gonna want to see you in this state.
“She’s…waiting for me?”
Hey…it can’t rain all the time, right?
“Smartass”, Eric muttered, shaking his head as he became lost in thought. As he did, the crow flew away and through the broken window of the apartment, its eyes looking down at Sarah as it mounted on a large pipe beam near the ceiling.
“Come on, Eric. I know you’re here”, Sarah called out again, her voice starting to shake just a hint. “I miss you…and Shelly. It gets so lonely all by myself.”
Lonely? Well, that was something she and Eric could both agree on. But maybe…the bird had a point. Yes, he was here for revenge – the darker side of a broken love – and justice for the city had certainly followed, its more innocent denizens no longer having to fear for their lives because of the hell-bent gang, of which there was now only one member left.
And what happened that year ago wasn’t his fault. Eric had just gotten caught up in the disaster and suffered right along with Shelly. It wasn’t his fault that everything had happened to them. It was all theirs.
If he had to make them own up to it through vengeance, by all means, he was going to see that through. Eric had brought hell with him to finish the murdering bastards, and would continue to until the last member, Skank, had rejoined his friends.
But he didn’t need to stay stuck in that hell.
Gently, Eric walked off the edge of the roof and took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he stepped off into empty space. He could feel the beginnings of free-fall taking him, but it wouldn’t do so completely, his hands gently gripping the wet window frame section again to let him softly land inside the apartment just as Sarah had turned away to snatch her skateboard.
“The hell with you. I thought you cared”, she said, a note of sad anger in her voice as she started to walk away.
Then Eric saw her stop in her tracks as the sun peeked through the clouds, casting a shadow of Eric’s form – clutching the window frame, one leg leaning against the bottom of it.
“Sarah.”
She turned around at the sound of her name, Eric’s voice growly and low with barely held-in emotion.
“I do care”, Eric affirmed, letting a gentle smile cross his face. It seemed to float over onto Sarah’s as well, and she dropped her skateboard and ran to him. Eric let go of the frame and crouched down, his arms open for Sarah to dive into them and hug him tightly. He returned the familial embrace tightly, happy that she was still all right, and feeling her own tears as they soaked into the shoulder of his tattered shirt.
Sarah leaned back to get a good look at Eric with his painted face and torn shirt, the electrical tape wrapped around his arms and stomach over it. “What happened with you?
“Oh…I don’t think your mom’s boyfriend took kindly to my nighttime visit last night”, Eric answered half-facetiously.
Sarah’s eyes widened at his words. “You killed him, didn’t you?”
Eric nodded slowly. “He killed me twice before – once when he violated Shelly, and again when he and his friends tossed me out that window”, he responded, jerking a thumb toward the broken window.
Sarah looked over Eric’s shoulder at the broken window before looking back at Eric. “To hell with him anyway. I never liked him in the first place.” A look of darkness passed over Eric’s face, to which Sarah responded, “Well…not that I’m happy about it, but…my mom seems to be getting better, even with Funboy getting killed.”
“I never said I did that.”
“No, but she did. She told me everything that happened – you coming in and making him shoot himself after freaking them both out”, Sarah told him. “You did kill him, though, didn’t you?”
Eric slowly nodded, closing his eyes for a bit before opening them to look back at Sarah again. “I like to think he was already dead, had been since even touching Shelly. I just…delivered the message.”
“Did you have to?”
To that, Eric couldn’t find an answer. He looked down at the floor, obviously laden down with the memories of everything that he’d done. It was for the best, though, but that didn’t stop anything.
“Well…like I said, it must have helped, because Dar- my mom’s getting better. She made me breakfast, emptied her drug stash, even told me she loved me as I got ready to come out here.”
Eric’s eyes widened, a smile crossing his face. “Well…Sarah. That’s wonderful.”
Sarah nodded, her smile turning a bit skeptical. “Yeah…still a bit weird though, hearing it after so long. From her, anyway.”
“I can imagine. But…” Eric gave Sarah a gentle pat on the shoulder – like he used to do when he and Shelly took care of her – and finished with, “We had your back, though. Sure, we weren’t your parents, but…”
Then Sarah caught Eric by surprise by hugging him tightly again, losing the bit of composure she’d managed to bring back. “You were like my parents, Eric. Like my parents and an older brother and sister combined. I missed you both…so much.”
Eric hugged her tightly back again, more tears falling from his eyes. “I missed you too, little skater girl.” At this, he heard a chuckle come not just from her, but from him as well. That had always been his nickname for Sarah ever since they’d first met, and although she’d needled him about it, she never complained and always like it.
Slowly pulling away to look down into Sarah’s eyes, Eric let out a shaky breath before he spoke, his voice low and growly again. “But, you know I can’t be your friend anymore, since…well, since I’m dead?”
Sarah shut her eyes tight, trying to keep the tears back. “God…I know. You didn’t come back for me, did you?”
Eric shook his head sadly.
“And you’re gonna end up going away for good once you’re done with…whatever you’re doing, aren’t you?”
“Yeah”, Eric whispered with a nod. “I’ve some affairs to put in order, and then I’m going back to be with Shelly.”
He placed a hand on her cheek, making sure she understood Eric’s every word, even if they didn’t completely help the hurt in her heart. “But I still care about you, very much. I still love ya, kid. And…”
“And what?” Sarah asked.
“And I’m sorry for everything that’s happened to you, and for everything that will happen to you.”
Sarah managed to smile lightly, even as Gabriel joined them both to nestle against Sarah’s crouched legs. “It’s alright, Eric. It’s not your fault. None of it is your fault.”
He had to smile lightly at that, flashing a glance up to the crow before it let out a soft caw.
She’s smarter than she looks, kid. Wrap it up, though. We’ve got work to do.
Gently rising to his feet, Eric let himself give Sarah one last hug before he picked up Gabriel and offered him to her. “A guardian angel who brings you good luck.”
“I think it’s worked so far”, Sarah managed to whisper with a sad chuckle, gently scratching behind Gabriel’s ears.  Eric smiled at that, the last of the tears flowing past his cheeks. He stood back and watched as Sarah slowly turned around and began to leave.
“Don’t be afraid, Sarah. Someday, all things will be fair and there will be wonderful surprises. I truly believe that.”
Nestling Gabriel closer to her, Sarah hung on to the sounds of Eric’s words, letting them comfort her. She turned around to say one last good-bye to Eric.
But he was gone, not even a breath of wind to replace him. Only the sound and sight of the falling, glistening rain met her senses.
Sarah’s gaze lingered at the spot where Eric had been, hoping he’d come back for just a second, but she knew that he wouldn’t – not now. Yet even as she left, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d find him again before he actually had to leave.  “It can’t rain all the time, right, Gabriel?” Sarah asked the white purring form in her arms.
She turned away again, feeling grief come over her again, but along with it a slice of happiness that she’d not quite felt in a long time.