Kings of Hell

Alyssa’s POV

It was a typical afternoon evening in Frankincense City. Ordinary – for the most part at least. Everyone was at work on their projects. However, I was taking some time off, finding more of an intense need to be alone these past recent days.

I had been through a major enlightenment – something I had been keeping to myself for the week.

Jose has been working on the Black Lair Clubhouse and maintaining the interior. I’ve just bypassed him to head into the Bunker for some alone time.

It had recently been the greatest time period of my life, living side by side Dale and all my beasts, as an equal… somewhat. In general, we were thwarting the world together to protect FC. And we were succeeding so far with keeping war away.

As usual, I was helping in any way I could.

We could not be happier.

But then I stumble on a secret – it’s an accident in a way.

Or maybe it’s inevitable.

It’s single handily the worst moment of my life.

I’ve decided to explore old records – a dusty library of seemingly useless artefacts from Faux City, the pre-apocalypse FC. It’s so badly ventilated I almost didn’t come in here because of the old stale air.

But I’m glad I explore, because at the back of all the records, is where I find the cryochamber with a being preserved inside it.

Me.

I’m looking at me.

Not Sammy – another Alyssa.

A fucking clone.

Labelled clearly in the engraved metal cover; Alyssa Version 2 w Sammy’s Original Brain, Enhanced K.R.Mecha, ‘Gift to Dale – Your greatest love preserved’

My clone – or Sammy’s clone… a 3rd generation.

Stashed away in Dale’s little hole.

For fucks sake.

This secret was a gift from Kane and Dale chose to keep her – and hid her from me too.

Why?

I corner the tattooed beast doing some carpentry up in the club, while I keep in my need to scream.

“Jose, I need to talk to you,” I force out a tight whisper instead, “Let’s go for a drive? You and me.”

He takes his time to finish installing a new lampshade with a spy camera inside, patient with himself. Something I just… notice all of a sudden.

And then – “Sure thing, doll,” Jose puts down his tools and holds my shoulder – and leads me straight into STR1KE.

Content it’s just us together, I feel myself calm down a little bit more as Jose drives us both off through FC for a casual spin around town.

He doesn’t push me to hurry what I want to say, and I grind my teeth knowing Dale can’t be the only one who knows…“Why did he keep version two with the records,” I state what I know, boldly.

Jose knows exactly what I’m talking about.

Without looking at me, he looks at the road, responding with the truth, “Because she’s his first love.”

I knew he wouldn’t ramble.

I inhale sharply, “…the first time still cuts the deepest,” and yeah… I was angry – and jealous. I murdered Sammy in cold blood and now I had to deal with this shit all over again. My heart fucking aches, an old horrible wound torn right open again.

“What do you need?” Jose knows how to condense down to all the right words. He stops briefly at a red light and finally we meet each other’s eyes. I’m glad Jose’s dark brown gaze is steady and he’s not freaking out that I know this. I want to repay him with my own small secret.

“Am I allowed to admit to you, that sometimes I wished he was deader than dead… for everything he’s done to me?” I whisper, “For himself,” he knows I speak of Dale.

“…I don’t blame you for that doll…” Jose takes off at the green, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

“How come we’ve never done this before,” I motion to the road, “– after how many decades?” I hiss.

“Dale probably didn’t want you to get to know me one on one,” Jose speaks without humour, and is rather dry as he adds, “You don’t really know anything about me.”

Bam. My heart cracks a little more. I expected more sweet calming words but that last statement makes the blood drain right out of my head. Fuck me.

Because of the honesty in it.

The sincerity in Jose’s identity.

All I did was fuck and complain with them. Dance and fuck. Rule and fuck.

Conversation like this had never happened. Not really.

But there was a reason it happened now. I had to tell him something else.

“…I’ll admit something more to you…” I start to shake with it.

Jose remains silent – eyes ahead, he tenses with my vibration of fear. Had I ever felt fear before? But still, he’s calm and he waits for me to talk with time ready to spare on whatever I need.

I can’t say it at first, because it’s too much to admit. My tongue feels numb.

But at least I’d start with one beast.

“…I…” I lick my lips.

I wonder if Jose would rush me.

Jose doesn’t – he just waits.

I talk when I’m ready as he drives, “It won’t be a fucking secret forever,” I hiss to myself, and to him, as I blurt it out quickly before I chicken out, “I’ve been seeing Kane secretly for adjustments to my brain the last few days – specifically to dismantle the tweaking of my urge to comply to… it’s… listen… he’s freed my mind up so much… and anyway… that might be why this is the first real conversation we’ve ever had, Jose?” I am overwhelmed with my emotion as I finally get it out into the open.

I get a quick reply this time from my beloved beast, “You were our loved doll – but just a doll,” Jose admits, “The truth is, Sammy was a force of nature, she not only survived the apocalypse but built this city back up with Louis in their Prime Era… before any of us were even born. To be honest, Alyssa, I believe Sammy’s amnesia was faked the entire time she was in DynaPrism. And every interview she had with Dale – she was manipulating him. His creation was her idea at the core, Lumen was not the original mastermind of STRIKE as you might remember. But – her faking amnesia to manipulate him, that’s why Dale killed Sammy and he won’t admit it, he’ll always put it down to primal instinct taking over. But he doesn’t remember right… he was young, he has PTSD from that murder.”

“Of me,” I state, in horror, for perhaps the first time, “…I’ve never realised… how fucked up this all is.”

“What do you want me to do?” Jose’s eyes are a little glassy as he cruises along FC. He’s trying to reel in rising passion this time, emotions boiling up from the very old memories of their upbringing. The veins in his arm start to pop.

“Calm down. I’m not running away,” I promise Jose, grabbing his forearm lightly with my hand, “…but can you… put me for now, in a safehouse? Until I figure out the rest. I still love you and Ace and Serge.”

Jose’s brow twitches, his ear almost wiggles in a curious way that I’ve never noticed until now as he knows I promptly avoid mentioning Dale as someone I love.

Jose glances to me sideways and nods, “I can do that for you, Alyssa,” he even calls me by name with respect.

It’s like Jose can sense my rise to normal function.

The truth is I had been functioning at some sub-human level for so long.

It was my normal – and now I could see the Earth in all it’s glory.

Not just dicks in my mind – that was a tad exaggerated, but not far from the truth in some regards.

Huh. This city. Rather this Hell all around me – had some angels… Casey… and some demons… Dale… and some Kings… Jose, Ace and Serge; three of them.

As I was soon discovering. Jose knows the truth is the only way to keep me.

Half-truths wouldn’t cut it anymore, now that my brain was entirely lit.

I still loved sex – would still love it rough and deadly.

But my senses were greater – my mind was greater.

I could feel disgust for the first time. And most importantly – true and pure terror rising up my spine at the thought of... of what he did to me… how he manipulated my entire existence, it all rises in me from seeing her being hidden from me in that cryochamber. A treasured gift. A copy of me with Sammy’s replicated brain.

I hate his guts.

Dale.

The first time in my life, I academically see him as a depraved man. No. He wasn’t even a man. A leopard human shouldn’t even exist. A predator. A fucking nightmare, susceptible to episodes of megalomania where he ruined easy lives for his gain – and he was currently ruling a third of the Earth with one of the largest militaries. But most importantly was remembering this – that monster killed me and brought me back to fuck me to his heart’s content.

Something had to change.