TheRaven: The Tragedy of Ashley Bilefoot

Epilogue

Jake sat in Beth’s living room waiting for his friend’s to wake up. It had been three days since the night at the club, and he’d been doing everything he could to keep himself busy. He’d informally taken over the patrols while Beth and Pam rested. He had come here tonight to announce that he would be handling the city until Beth would be fully recuperated. He knew that it wouldn’t take long for Beth to get back to full strength, but really he just needed an excuse to stay out of the apartment and away from Goth.

He closed his eyes as he waited and remembered his conversation with Goth after they returned to the apartment. He’d been bitten , but somehow Ashley hadn’t been able to infect him. When he’d asked Goth about it, she’d told him that it was all thanks to her. When he’d pressed her about it she had explained that some part of his soul had merged with her in that nightmarish lich encounter. Something about his genetic makeup getting some sort of necrotic boost that gave him immunity from the curse. It was, in his eyes, more of a curse than what Ashley would have given him.

“Jake?” Pam’s voice broke his thoughts, “What are you doing here?”

He blinked and just like that, the mask that hid his pain and sorrow was up. The last thing he wanted was for either her or Beth to be worried about him, and if he was being completely honest he wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened. He rose from the couch and gave her a smile, “Thought I’d stop by and see how the two of you were holding up.”

“You could have called or sent a message,” Pam replied as she walked around to take a seat opposite him, “We’ve been getting better, she has been rather restless since we changed back. How are you doing?"

"Fine, I'm fine," he lied and started pacing about to relieve some of his nerves, "I wanted to talk to you two in person about what we discussed."

He felt Pam staring at him, her eyes searching his body language and emotions. If anyone were to pick up that something was amiss it would be her. She must have sensed that he wasn't ready to talk about it because she didn't press him for answers, "Sit, I've enough difficulty getting Beth to stay still, and I won't have you getting her riled up."

He stopped and gave her a questioning look. She met his gaze and he could see her dominant personality shining through. He nodded and took a seat back in a chair, "I take it you've been keeping her busy then?"

"She does her chores, trains, and plays her games mostly," Pam replied, "She's made no secret that she wants to get back to work, but she hasn't fought me too hard on it. It helps that I'll be staying here with her."

"You're done training with Dilatrix?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

"For now," she said, "She gave me plenty of materials to study, and time is something that means little to her. I can return to her whenever I choose, but for now I’m needed here.”

“You missed her,” Jake said coyly.

“I’d have thought you would have stopped stating the obvious by now,” Pam said with a smile, “I won’t let her out of my sight again, not after what happened.”

Beth chose that moment to enter the room wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and a shirt that looked more suited to fit Pam than her, “Hey, the DLC just finished downloading if you...Jake? Don’t you know how to use a phone?”

Jake smiled up at his friend as he replied, “Well you know me, I like to make an entrance.”

Beth scoffed, “You like to be an ass. What would you have done if we were...occupied?”

“You mean having sex?” Jake asked, earning a furious blush from his friend, “I’d have either waited until you stopped screaming and came out or come back later. The walls of the castle may have been thick, but you are a lot louder than you think.”

“Oh my God, shut up!” Beth yelled as she stomped over to him.

“Kitten, enough,” Pam cut in, “He isn’t wrong, you are quite loud when you climax. Put on some tea for us and our guest.”

“But he-” Beth tried to protest.

“No buts, Kitten, we have a guest and I believe I gave you an order,” Pam said, sounding somewhat like her old self before turning back to Jake, “What did I say about riling her up?”

Beth nodded and walked off to the kitchen to start preparing the tea like she was told. Jake held up his hands to Pam, “Couldn’t resist, but I’ll back off. No need to fall into old habits with me.”

“Don’t tell her how to talk to me or you for that matter!” Beth called out as she grabbed some tea bags along with three mugs.

“Thank you, Kitten, very well said,” Pam praised.

“Moving on,” Jake said with a roll of his eyes, “There is something I wanted to talk to you about, Beth.”

She poured the mugs and carried one to both Pam and Jake, “What’s up?”

He accepted his cup and took a small sip, “So, don’t get mad,” he started as he set the mug down on the table, “Pam and I have been talking, and both of us think that it would be better for me to take over patrolling the streets.”

“What?” Beth asked as she sat herself down beside Pam, “Why? I’m fine!”

“Beth, you were starved and chained up for a week,” Jake explained, “You need time to rest and recover. Plus, from what I heard it was your temper that got you turned. We need to get that under control.”

“Oh fuck you,” Beth said and turned to Pam, “You agree with him?”

Pam set her own mug down and placed a hand on Beth’s thigh, “Kitten, he’s right and you know it. You told me yourself that it was because you couldn’t control yourself that night that you got bit. I think that it would be best for you to remain here, with me for a time.”

“Oh come on, I told you that in confidence!” Beth argued, “None of this would have happened if Jake could keep it in his pants, or if he could get rid of his stupid fetish for monster girls!”

“Hey!” Jake argued, “That’s not-”

“Did you fuck her?” Beth cut him off, “Now or in the past?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” he replied.

“That’s a yes,” Beth said and turned back to Pam, “See, if he could just date a regular woman who wasn’t like three centurie old then we wouldn’t be dealing with this shit!”

“I must admit, you do seem to have a type,” Pam added, “Although I can understand being interested in older women, I wouldn’t have guessed that you had a thing for women that old.”

“Okay, this isn’t a conversation about my sexual preferences, but even if it was I do not have a type!” he argued.

“Tall, strong, dominant, freaky powers, do I need to keep going?” Beth asked.

“Like you’re one to talk!” he argued, “You’re dating a tall blonde woman who’s got a fucking foot fetish and is a sorceress!”

“I’m sorry, but when did this become about me?” Pam interjected, “Choose your next words carefully, Jake.”

Jake sighed and decided to try to get back to the real reason he had come here, “Are we in agreement about Beth sitting on the sidelines or not?”

“Smart choice,” Pam remarked before turning back to Beth, “He’s right, Kitten, and deep down you know it. You really need to work on your temper, maybe we can try some deep breathing or meditation.”

“She’s tried deep breathing, anger management, and she can’t sit still long enough for meditation,” Jake said.

“Shut up!” Beth yelled.

“Anger management?” Pam asked.

“Long story, technically just a few classes a month,” Jake explained, “She got in trouble in our last year of high school for standing up to a bully. She might have gone a little overboard with her.”

“Beth going overboard, imagine that,” Pam joked.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?!” Beth demanded.

“Kitten, our first date was you torturing and murdering me,” Pam explained.

“You two are fucking weird,” Jake said.

“Says the guy who fucks century old dommes,” Beth chided.

“I do not...I mean I-ugh, moving on!” he exclaimed, “Bottom line, you need to stay in, rest, recuperate, and get your temper in check.”

“That is such unfair bullshit!” Beth yelled, “Tell him he’s wrong, please.”

Pam looked at her softly, turned to face her, and took her hand in hers, “I’ve lost you once, I am not going to lose you again. I know you don’t like it, Kitten, but Jake is right about this. It won’t kill you to take some time off and spend it with me. Maybe we can figure something out to level out that temper of yours.”

Beth huffed and crossed her arms. She threw herself back and sulked, “I do not need help with my anger.”

“Don’t argue with me, Kitten,” Pam said.

She rolled her eyes, “Yes mistress,” she said and earned a smack on her thigh from Pam, “Ow, I was formal and everything!”

“You know I hate it when you roll your eyes at me, especially when I am doing what’s best for you,” Pam replied.

Jake couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. He may have lost his chance at happiness, but at least they were safe and they had each other. He reached into his utility belt and pulled out a card, “Maybe this will help pass the time,” he said as he handed the card to Beth, “I don’t know if Goth is trying to buy me or what, but she gave me this to give to you.”

Beth took it and her face lit up, “No way!” she said before Pam plucked the card from her grip, “That’s mine!”

“It’s for both of you,” Jake said.

“What is this, a credit card?” Pam asked as she looked it over.

“Company black card,” Jake said with a grin, “Virtually no limit to what you can buy with it. Blackridge Inc. is still climbing out of the hole that you all put it in, thanks for that by the way, so don’t go too crazy with that thing. Still, should keep Beth pretty stock up on games, equipment, and whatever else the two of you might need.”

Pam frowned as she looked at the card and asked, “Don’t blame me for that,” she said, “You know as well as I do that when Goth gave an order all we could do was obey. How much money do you actually have, Jake?”

“Enough,” was all he said in response.

Beth’s mood had lightened considerably as she shot up and hugged him. He laughed and hugged her back, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she said, almost like a giddy child.

Pam smiled at the two of them. It was nice to see Beth happy for a change, but while Jake looked happy there was clearly an undercurrent of pain behind those eyes. Something had happened with Ashley, and whatever it was had deeply affected him. She was certain that Rebecca had played a part in whatever it was, but she knew that he would talk when he was ready. Until then, she wouldn’t force him to talk. She would be here if the time ever came, but until then she would simply continue to look after Beth.

“We will put this to good use, I assure you,” Pam said, “I’ve had my eye on a few toys for the bedroom, and I believe we might be able to get you some new equipment, Kitten.”

“Okay, if you two are going to start talking about your sex life then I’m going to head out,” Jake said.

“Oh grow up,” Beth chided, “All she said was toys, she didn’t say what kind or what we would do with them.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been around the two of you enough to know that you’re pretty open about things,” he replied, “Besides, I need to get out there and make sure nothing funny is going on.”

“Lucky,” Beth said before stepping away, “Be careful out there, and promise me you’ll call one of us if things get too crazy.”

“You have my word that I’ll call Pam,” he replied, “You need to take it easy, but if the situation is bad enough I’ll let her make the call to bring you out or not."

Beth sighed, "I guess that's as good a chance as I'm gonna get."

"Kitten, why don't you go ahead and get the game booted up," Pam said, "I'll join you in our room shortly. I would like a chance to speak with Jake alone."

"Yes mam," Beth said, "At least check in with us to let us know you're alright, Jake."

"I will," he said, "Just don't blow my phone. Last thing I need is the damn thing going off sixty times while I'm trying to sneak around."

"She won't," Pam said, "We've talked about that and if it happens again I'll be confiscating her phone after ten."

"I'm not a child," Beth pouted.

"Then stop acting like one, Kitten," Pam said as she walked over and kissed her cheek, "Go, you've been talking about this game for two days and you've gotten me curious."

"Yes mam," Beth said as she walked away.

She let out a small squeal when Pam decided to give her ass a slap, and Jake did his best to look away. "That is exactly what I was talking about," he said with a laugh, "What game did she get?"

"Mortal Kombat Eleven, I think is what she said," Pam answered, "She says it's some kind of fighting game, but that the story is supposed to be like an actual movie. It's been one of the few things to keep her occupied. Since you're so easily embarrassed, I won't share the others."

"I appreciate that more than you know," he said, "Hopefully that card serves you both well."

"Jake, why would Rebecca just give that to you?" she asked, "I've known her long enough to know that she isn't the type to just hand something that valuable out, even to someone like you. What did she do?"

"Nothing out of character for her," he replied as he looked away.

Pam gave a thoughtful hum as she looked at him. She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder which caused him to look over at her, "Jake, I'm not going to make you talk, but I know something happened that night at Clove. I just want you to know that whatever it is, whatever Rebecca did or made you do, I'll be here if you decide to talk about it. All you need to do is call."

He stared at her for a moment, those purple eyes were like a soft reflection of the woman he'd once loved. He wanted to tell her that he was fine, that nothing had happened and she was being paranoid, but he knew that if anyone might understand his plight it would be Pam. "Thanks, Pam," he finally said as he walked to the window.

"I mean it, Jake, whenever you need to talk simply pick up the phone," she said.

"I will now go before Beth starts to get worried," he said as he opened the window and hopped out into the night.

Pam watched him go and stared at the open window for a minute. She hoped that he would be alright, but only time would tell that. She slowly walked over to the window and closed it. She turned and headed back down the hall to the room she shared with Beth. She found her pet sitting cross legged on the bed with her controller in hand. She smiled at the sight, walked over to the edge of the bed, and crawled onto it. She wrapped her arms around Beth and pulled her into a tight embrace. Beth let herself be pulled into her girlfriend and nestled herself against Pam’s body. She felt Pam kiss the top of her head and she smiled.

"Everything okay?" Beth asked as she pushed the start button.

"As good as it is going to get, Kitten," Pam replied.

"You think he's going to be alright?" Beth asked.

"That remains to be seen, but something tells me he has a long road ahead of him," Pam said, "We will be there for him if he needs us, but I think for now he simply needs to work. All we can do is wait and see."

Beth sighed and looked up at her, "You know I hate waiting, right?" she asked.

"I know, but I will be here to keep you occupied," Pam said and bent down to give her a small kiss, "I'm not going anywhere, and with that little gift he gave us we should have plenty to do. Now, let's see what you've been so excited about."

Beth smiled as she broke eye contact and went back to her game. She hoped that Jake would be alright, and she couldn't thank him enough for everything he'd done for her. He and Pam had gone to great lengths to save her, and it was because of him that the two of them were together again. She hoped that one day she might be able to repay the favor. Until then, she would enjoy his gift and the company of her girlfriend.

Jake felt the wind rushing past his face as he flew through the air. He'd once loved the feeling, and while he still did, it did little to abolish the guilt that he felt. He'd hoped that by seeing Beth and Pam together again that it would have helped assure him of his choice, but he knew that even if he failed they still would have been together. Ashley wouldn't have denied them that, he knew that now, although he wished he didn't. He wished he could go back to thinking of her as nothing more than a soul sucking monster, but in the end all she had wanted was to be with him. The real monster in this tragic tale was him and the woman he served. Everyone else had been little more than bystanders in the grand scheme of things, Ashley and her family included, all of them were simply pawns in a much larger game. It made him sick to think about.

He wasn't sure where he was going, and truthfully he didn't care. He was still making a name for himself as The Raven here in Metropolis, and many of the rogues still hadn't resurfaced yet. Beth's new persona and the fear of death did have quite an impact, though, and he wasn't surprised at the lack of major activity. There were still gangs, however, and plenty of other lowlives out there just waiting for the chance to cause pain or mayhem. They were scared of the Feral, but Beth was only one piece of the puzzle. He'd show them all just what it meant to feel surrounded, trapped in the dark and afraid. He might not be as quick to kill, but he certainly had learned new ways of dealing with criminals.

There was a scream from a young woman that caught his attention. He'd somehow come to the docks at the edge of town without realizing it. He'd been too lost in his own little world to realize just how far he'd actually flown. He stopped atop the roof of a warehouse and skulked his way across the rooftop. Whoever was down there was going to regret coming out this night and causing trouble, he would make sure of that. He came to a stop on the edge of the rooftop and peered over it to see just what was going on.

There was a woman who was backing away, clearly frightened, from five men who looked like simple dock workers. He wasn’t sure if they were planning a bit of fun for themselves or if this was something else. Whatever the case may have been, he was going to put a stop to it. He made his way to a large drainpipe that was attached to the side of the building and started to slide down. His descent was silent and he dove into the shadows to sneak up behind them. The irony of hiding in the darkness wasn’t lost on him, but stealth was where he shined and where he felt most at home.

“S-stay back!” the woman yelled.

“Come on, doll, your boyfriend offered you up as collateral,” one of the men said.

“He couldn’t pay up on time, so now we get to have a little fun,” another man said, “First time I’ve been glad someone welched on a deal. Now, get over here!”

“No, please, someone, anyone help!” she screamed.

Jake couldn’t sit by and watch this. If he waited then this woman would get hurt, and he wasn’t going to have that on his conscience. He stepped out and hollered to get their attention, “That’s enough!”

Everyone froze and turned to face him. There was a moment of tense silence before one of the men broke out into a fit of laughter, “What the fuck are you supposed to be?”

The others joined in and nearly doubled over laughing, “Here I thought we were in trouble with the Feral!”

“Get out of here, you costumed freak,” another man said between laughs.

Jake didn’t say another word and launched a few birdarangs at the group. One of them collided with the side of one of their heads, and the other dug itself into another’s side. The two men cried out in pain, and the other three reacted by pulling out their guns. Jake whipped out his grappling gun and fired it at one of their guns. The cord wrapped around a man’s wrist and pulled him when he retracted it. He cried out and his body caused the others to hold their fire. He leapt into the air and stomped on the man’s back sending him flying to the ground with a grunt and a bounce.

He grabbed his retractable staff and knocked the other men’s hands away. One of them tried to pistol whip him, but He caught his arm and wrapped his own around it. He jerked his body to the side and threw him into his comrade. He launched into a back handspring just as the other two opened fire on where he stood. He extended his staff as he landed in a crouch. He spun around and swung it in a low arc that swept their legs out from under them. He sprung back up and spun his staff in a circular motion that caused the end to slam into the jaw of one of them. The man let out a cry of pain as he was knocked in the opposite direction.

With a quick flick of the switch on his staff, one end opened up to three prongs that crackled with electricity. He stepped back out of the way of one of the man’s punches and he jabbed the electrified end into his chest. He howled with pain as his body convulsed before he silenced him with a spinning backfist to his face. He fell to the ground in a useless heap, breathing but unconscious. He spun his staff and ducked as the others got back to their feet and opened fire. With a flick of his wrist he sent a birdarang into one of their legs. The man’s bullets changed trajectory thanks to the wound and his bullets embedded themselves in his friend’s legs. The cries of pain echoed across the waters and off the walls as they fell to their knees.

He spun around and knocked one of them out with the blunt end of his staff, and spun it around to crack the jaw of the other man. He’d knocked out three, but there were still two more left. The one he’d taken down at first had gotten back to his feet now. He pulled out his gun and fired, but Jake noticed that he wasn’t aiming for him. His eyes widened behind his mask as he rushed towards the girl. The thug was trying to gun her down, probably in hopes of using her as a distraction. He wasn’t going to let anyone else die on his watch. He embraced her and fired his grappling gun just before the bullets flew past them. He landed on the rooftop and sat her down, “Stay here,” he said, “I’ll be back for you once it’s safe.”

He jumped over the side of the building in a rage. These men had deliberately tried to use her to get to him! He would make sure that they thought twice before risking innocent lives. He shifted into a dive kick and the side of his boot collided with the side of one of their faces. He fell to the ground, and he quickly shifted into a blinding fast assault. He shifted his grip to the center of his staff and began beating the last remaining man. He pushed him back against the wall before spinning around and swinging the staff with all of his might. The blunt end slammed into the side of his head sending to the ground in a clump.

The last two were trying to crawl away in a vain attempt to escape. He stalked over to them and brought the electrified end of his staff down on one of their chests. The man screeched as volts of electricity were pumped through him. Jake lifted his staff and stomped the side of his head to silence him. “Who...what are you?” the last man asked as he tried to get away.

“I am the creature from your worst nightmare, I am the answer to the prayers of the downtrodden, and I am your reckoning,” Jake said, “I am not The Feral, no, I am The Raven. I am the other side of the coin, you should be so lucky to encounter her. Where she brings death, I bring only pain and you will remember my name. Tell everyone you meet about me, tell them I’m coming to drag them into the depths of despair that I call home. The shadows that lowlives like you call home are no longer safe, and I will find you!”

With his speech finished, he drove the blunt end of his staff down onto the man’s head. The man rolled over and he looked around. He should have felt some sense of accomplishment, he’d saved someone and managed to fight like his old self. Instead, however, all he felt was that nagging emptiness from before. He still felt as though he’d failed, like there was still something more that he needed to do. He’d continue searching every corner of this city until he found the solution to stop these awful feelings. He’d bruise and batter every criminal, save every citizen, whatever it took to get fix this broken feeling that plagued him.

He needed to get back up top and get that woman to safety. He fired his grappling gun to get back to her, and froze when he saw her. Her back was to him, but he could make out those fiery red locks falling down her shoulders. Her eyes were a brilliant and almost opaque blue and were locked on him. She stepped towards him and spoke in a voice that he knew had to be a lie, “I’ve missed you, my love, have you missed me?”

“Y-you can’t be…” he said and shook his head in hopes of making this disappear, “Ashley?”

He looked up to the confused face of a redhead with green eyes, “I’m sorry, but my name is Kirsten,” she said, “T-thank you for saving me.”

He was hallucinating. Somehow she’d wormed his way into his subconscious. Just what he needed, two women inside of his head, but this one was his own doing. If he hadn’t...if he hadn’t forced her hand then maybe none of this would have happened. He realized that he hadn’t said anything and that this woman was waiting on a response, “Don’t mention it, let’s get you home.”

He wrapped his arm around her and fired his grappling gun into the darkness. He got her as far away from the docks as he could until the two of them were safe on the westside of town. He sent a message to Pam to contact the police about the men on the docks and to send the woman a cab. She reached out as he went to leave, “Wait, who are you?”

He looked over his shoulder and pulled his arm away and pulled out his grappling gun, “I’m no one, just someone who’s trying to make a difference in this city.”

He flew into the darkness and out of sight.There was a time when he would have proclaimed his mantle, but now he truly felt like little more than a ghost. He’d chosen the name The Raven, not because of Goth, but simply because Pam had called him that back at the lab with Zoe. He didn’t quite care for the name, but he guessed that it made sense. It was his cross to bear for everything that had happened, everything he had done, and everytime that he had failed. Maybe one day he would be able to do as Ashley had said, but until that day he would remain in the darkness, he would remain the Raven of Metropolis.