LitShark
Predator
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2002
- Posts
- 3,447
I can make your dreams come true...
There had been a time when Damon Colt had fancied his soul to be a very valuable thing to him, when he felt like his life had a clear and achievable purpose, that he had direction and a voice and vision. Damon had a cause worth fighting for and the will to fight for it, he was a journalist—an outspoken advocate for the falsely accused, a crusader against systemic corruption in the law enforcement community. He wrote for a small but influential community paper in D.C. and when he was 22, he felt like he was really making a difference. There was a federal investigation pending into the wrongful death of an unarmed minor based on information that Damon had published based on information from an anonymous source.
It felt like he was making a difference, but really he was digging his own grave.
After long months of federal incitements to try and impel Damon to reveal his source were all met with adamant refusal, they changed tactics all at once, arresting him in the middle of a rally on the courthouse steps, charging him with inciting a riot (which had actually been instigated by plain clothes officers). Once he was in custody they added on one false drug charge after another, with the planted evidence to support it. Ecstasy, cocaine, LSD—things that Damon had never even tried were all turning up at his apartment in felony quantities, then there was the girl who died of an overdose from coke that they chemically traced back to Damon’s supposed stash and they added a manslaughter charge.
Even while occupying a cell to await trial, Damon was optimistic, he believed in the process, that the system at its core could be just. He wasn’t just some thug, he was an activist, surely the case could be made that the corrupt police he worked so hard to expose were setting him up. What Damon wasn’t ready for was the enthusiastic and persuasive case made by the District Attorney who was tied to all of the corrupt officers that were under Damon’s scrutiny. D.A. John Wright made the case of his career against Damon, demeaning his life’s work and painting him as a hippie drug-pusher rather than a serious activist—made it seem like his mistrust of the police came from his own unsavory practices. By the time Wright had made his case, Damon’s testimony sounded hollow and rehearsed—he’d predicted the argument for an acquittal and dismantled it before Damon could present it as the truth.
Fifteen to twenty years in federal prison was the sentence. Damon would never forget the sneer that John had given him when the judge read the sentence.
On the first night in the Federal prison, Damon couldn’t sleep, he just lay on his back staring at the ceiling in the dark. How could this have happened to him? How could the country he loved have grown so rotten at its core? How could the corruption have gone so deep? Damon resolved on that first night that he would get revenge, he’d make sure that at least one corrupt politician got what he deserved. He would destroy John Wright and whatever he held dear in his life… Once Damon’s mind was made up, he heard the voice for the first time:
I can make your dreams come true…
Who said that?
Not who, but what. A way out. A way to revenge and pleasure… I am the way.
I want those things… yes, I want it all!
Will you follow me?
I will!
Will you grant me your immortal soul?
Yes! Yes, anything to get my revenge!
It was in this way that Damon surrendered his soul to the Devil, alone in his prison cell, dreaming of revenge. In the years that followed, John Wright was rewarded for his dedication to corruption, moving from the D.A.’s office into a senatorial election, and the bribes he enjoyed grew accordingly. He moved his family into a mansion in a very upscale neighborhood. Damon, on the other hand, focused on improving and modifying his body. He lifted weights during every moment he was allowed to be out of his cell, he made friends with a tattoo artist and covered his skin in ink, grew a beard and also felt more virile than he had before his time in jail.
Damon was also able to develop and produce software that enabled users to record video and send the footage to the ACLU with a single click, in case cell phones were lost or damaged. The app had taken off as a vital tool for policing the police and as a result, Damon had made a handsome fortune from the inside. After fifteen years, Damon was released on good behavior to begin his parole and for the first time enjoy the spoils of his success as a developer.
On the last night in jail, Damon was reminded of his deal with the Devil in a dream, he confirmed for the apparition that he hadn’t forgotten. The demon that appeared in his dream used a brightly colored rose to tap him on the forehead and chest, “This is a blessing from an Incubus’ rose, it will allow you to compel women with your charm and seduce them with ease—use this boon only in pursuit of your vengeance or risk incurring the wrath of hell.”
Damon agreed and in the morning he dressed in his old clothes again and left the prison for the first time in nearly half his life. He didn’t look at all like the gangly activist they’d put away, he was a hard man now and it showed.
After a few hours on a bus, Damon found himself sitting across from a real estate agent and signing the mortgage on a brand new, aggressively modern home that sat across the street from a mansion rumored to be owned by a U.S. Senator and his family, but the Agent assured Damon that he hadn’t heard that from her—which was easy to imagine, since he already knew who lived across the street.
The house was still mostly unfurnished, after living in a 12’ x 12’ cell for so long, Damon was at a loss for what to do with all the space not occupied by a king sized bed, a couch and a plasma television. What else could a person require?
Blinds, of course were the first fixture that Damon installed, over every window and sliding glass door, he needed to have privacy. Staring into the Wright home through binoculars Damon began what would be his new career, seeking his revenge on the man who’d put him away. For now, John was home with his family, so Damon would have to wait there in the dark and continue watching.
***
“Amy! I don’t want to have to call you again, dinner is ready, get your cute little ass down here!” John called up the stairs, “don’t make me have to give you a swat!”
The table was set and Sarah was putting the finishing touches on dinner in their outthrust dining room wrapped in windows. John was still in his suit from work, but now had his tie pulled back from his neck and the top button of his shirt undone, he gave his wife’s rear a swift slap as she was setting a bowl out on the table.
“What did you make us tonight, dear? It certainly smells delightful,” John smiled, taking his seat at the head of the table.
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