"Is this Mark Palumbo?" I asked on the telephone.

"Yes, who are you and why does my phone say I'm getting a call from my home number!?"

"Do not come to your home tonight. Someone is going to die and I don't want it to be you."

"Are you threatening a police officer!?"

"I'm saving him. A man by the name of Bushwacker is coming to collect a debt from you."

"B-Bushwacker? The guy with the robot arms?"

"I intend on collecting his debt to me tonight. Someone must die in the next couple hours at your home."

"Listen, I can't let you admit you're going to kill someone and let you walk free, even if you are saving my life!"

"You couldn't stop me if you tried. I'm on a mission from beyond."

"Beyond? Beyond what?"

"The grave." I said before looking at a desk in his living room. It was a photo of him and his wife. There's a simple happiness in their eyes. Love. It's at a carnival five or so years ago. I recognize it as one Kirsty and I went to before. But then I notice the ring laying on the desk next to the photo, as well as a cigar box. "Should I notify your wife as well? Or has she passed?"

"Passed? What do you mean!?"

"The ring on the desk. Should I warn her or is that ring what remains?"

"Oh, that... no it's- it's my ring. She's fine. Today is the first day I've taken it off. We uh separated last week."

"How could you?"

"Look, I love her, I really do, but she's not happy! She wasn't happy with me, so I decided to leave her."

"It wasn't your choice to make. She still loves you."

"Yeah but I'm no good for her. Like you said I'm supposed to die tonight."

"After your shift you will have a chance at a second life. You can ignore my words and you can plan one in Heaven, Hell, or Limbo, or it can be here on earth. Go to her. The love in her eyes is one that will not die, but has been obstructed by your work and her sadness. Go to her and fix this."

"...Are you some sort of guardian Angel?"

"No. I'm more of a beautiful monster. Do not return home. I will alert the authorities of a break in and murder after the unpleasantness has been taken care of."

"...I... Christ, okay."

"Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Palumbo." I said before hanging up the phone. I then took a look around the house for a moment. I saw flammable chemicals, matches, kitchen knives, an officer's handgun, a baton. I would stop and think if this might be too much and all I saw was his face. The glee he took grabbing Kirsty around the throat and dragging her away, already punching her in the gut. The Devil's smile on his mouth when he severed her spinal chord with those bullets.

I needed more.

But working with what I now had and knowing where I could find them, I then walked back towards the living room by the front door. I dragged a red couch to the forefront of the room, staring right at the door. I planted myself in it and stared at the door patiently and waited.

HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND ON SITTING THERE?

"As long as it takes."

The Crow flew upstairs while I waited. About forty minutes later the door finally opened.

"Palumbo you gonna make me work for this or are you gonna go out like a m-" Bushwacker said before suddenly pausing once he saw me. I slowly started to wave at him. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm your undertaker. We have a lot to talk about Bushwacker."

"What're you, some sort of new mask?"

"I have no mask on my face. This is me. This is who I am. You made me."

"I don't know how much that coward Palumbo paid you when he should've been paying Kingpin, but I hope it was enough to buy you some nice shoes in your casket." Bushwacker said before his arm morphed into a shotgun. He aimed it towards me and fired. The impact knocked me backwards in the couch and I played dead for a moment. "That was anti climactic."

CAW CAW

I swapped view for a second to see from The Crow's eyes as he flew back downstairs and clawed at Bushwacker's eyes. "What the fuck!?" Bushwacker said as he tried to swat The Crow away. I then stood up and reached for my cleaver before running and jumping off the sofa and driving the cleaver into his chest. He fell over and after I pulled out the cleaver he shot me in the shoulder again but I shrugged it off before cutting at his arm. I kept cutting and he tried to shoot me with his other arm. I could've taken as many hits as possible but the continuous knock back would've only annoyed me. I dodged the shot before tackling him through a wall. We now ended up in the kitchen. He threw me off and pulled the cleaver out of his arm, screaming in pain. He stood up, one arm practically dangling by a thread. He ran at me, yelling as he was about to drive the cleaver into my head but I pulled out the baton I had borrowed from Officer Palumbo and smashed it into his jaw. He fell to his back onto the ground. His jaw looked shattered. He yelled in pain nonetheless as he turned onto his back and began to crawl away back into the living room. I followed him for a bit before taking out Palumbo's handgun and shooting him in the spine. He screamed and wailed in agony. But I couldn't help but notice something. He screamed and cried much longer, and much louder than Kirsty did when he completely obliterated her spine. One small bullet brought the great Bushwacker to my mercy. I grabbed a cigar from Palumbo's cigar box and was about to light it when I noticed something about my hand.

I was sent back to the night again. Kirsty crawls out and is shot by Bushwacker. Before I am thrown out the window I see her put on her engagement ring, almost defiantly of God's twisted play to keep us apart. My last action is trying to grab my ring and put it on, but Bushwacker rips it out of my hands.

I come back to holding my head before struggling to sit down into the chair I awaited Bushwacker in. I come back to my senses and light the cigar with the matches I picked up earlier.

"Wha ar... ya waighin fo... why nah kill me?..."

"I want you to tell me a story. A man and a woman in a loft one year ago-"

"Yer fuhkin craze-"

"LISTEN!" I shouted before stomping my boot into his arm, directly into the part missing a pound or so of flesh. Again he screams. "You killed them. They had rings. Engagement rings. Where did you take the rings to?"

"Anee'ing I fine wor shi I gi to... Gi...deee...en!" He tried hard to pronounce the name knowing I wouldn't like for him to repeat himself.

"Gideon's? Interesting."

"Plea... le me go... I'm a vicim of... circum... sance..." He pleaded. But the fact this dog had the gaul to call himself a victim struck a nerve.

"Victim? You're a victim?" I asked before beginning to laugh. My laughing turned hysterical as I pulled out the chemicals I had picked out earlier.

"WAI WHA ARE YA DOIN WIH DA!? STAH!" He struggled to beg. I light another match while laughing. The Crow tilted his head staring at me as I brought the lit match between the spray can and Bushwacker.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WOOOOOOO!... Victims. Aren't We All?" I said before pressing onto the spray can and lighting Bushwacker ablaze.