Rock the Park (Finished)

[Craig Daniels]

Craig put on his hat. “Hmph… time to get to work.” He smiled, walking into the park, his guitar and an apple in tow. He stood underneath a shady tree and put down his guitar case. “Excuse me ladies and gentlemen… are you ready?” He asked the one person who passed. They rolled their eyes and walked away. “ Tough Crowd…”

He sat down, taking a bite from his apple. He immediately spit it out. I knew I shouldn’t have bought it from a random street vendor. Ugh… It tasted like dirt… I should know. Craig thought. He took his guitar out of the case and tuned it.

Craig stood up. “ Now are you ready? Here it comes anyway…” He said, strumming his guitar.

“ On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair. Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air. Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light… My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim.
I had to stop for the night… ” Craig began to sing.

[Darel Vinter]

Darel had just bought groceries for his safe house in DC nothing special. He was really bored and lonely his handler stopped coming on missions with him. Sighing he just continued walking down the street. As he walked her heard a voice...a singing voice at that. Darel was just about to pass them, but stopped. His wasn't facing the other as he turned his eyes to look at Craig, his aura was slightly different when he sang.

Then again this was nothing new to him as Darel just stopped and listened motionless. "I've seen this before," he said not really looking at Craig as he doesn't make much eye contact. "in movies, someone sings other give them money right?" he asked unsure as he turned to actually look at the man. Removing from his wallet three-hundred dollars he threw it into the open guitar case.

"How do you play that?" Darel asked a bit intrigued. He at times had curiosity of a child.

[Craig Daniels]

“…And in the master's chambers, They gathered for the feast. They stab it with their steely knives, but they just can't kill the beast…” Craig sung. He felt someone walking, and stopping by him.

“I've seen this before…” The man began, “In movies, someone sings other give them money right?” He asked.

“…Last thing I remember, I was running for the door. I had to find the passage back to the place I was before…” Craig nodded, not breaking from his concentration. “ 'Relax,' said the night man, 'We are programmed to receive. You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave!'” He finished singing, but continued to play his guitar. He looked up, seeing the man throw three hundred dollars into his guitar case.

Craig immediately stopped playing. He leaned his guitar against the tree. “ Sir, I can’t accept this. It’s way too much…” He took the money out of the case and held it out for the man to take.

Plus a man with groceries probably shouldn’t have an extra three hundred dollars on him… Craig thought.

“How do you play that?” The man asked, almost childlike.

“ Well, what do you mean?” Craig replied, picking up his guitar. “ Do you want to know how to play the guitar? Or do you want to know how I play the guitar? It’s all about finger position…” He said, moving his fingers up and down the fret board. “ This is a ‘G’…” He strummed.

[Darel Vinter]

Darel didn't take the money, "Too much? I don't understand shouldn't I pay you how by how much your song moved me?" tilting his head to the left he was confused. Darel thought humans or people in general were money-hungry always. It was extremely rare that he would meet a modest one, especially in his line of work. "Keep it. I probably wouldn't have spent it anytime soon." Lowering his items to the ground he spoke again.

"I guess in general the guitar." he perfectly mimicked Craig's hand position again mimicking his movement played imaginary G. "Either way keep the money I insist you have a good heart so I don't mind." Darel replied. He kept replaying G with his fingers before letting his arms fall to his side.

His phone vibrated reading the text, "Huh...Odd." placing his phone back in his pocket he sighed. Walking near Craig he sat against the wall, but not before dragging his stuff next to him. "Well...my house is gone. Explosion before you ask how. Now I have to wait for a ride. So I'll spend some time with you if you don't mind." Rummaging through his bags he tore open a bag of apples, holding one out he didn't look at the other.

[Craig Daniels]

Craig looked at the man puzzled. Why didn’t he take his money back? Craig wondered

“ Well… yeah you do… but… never mind…” Craig replied, stopping himself from getting into a really deep explanation. If the guy had no idea how much is too much, something told Craig that he would never know. “ Are you sure you want me to have it? This doesn’t really seem to be pocket change…” He tried coaxing the man back into having the money. He wouldn’t take it.

The man began to play an imaginary guitar, pretty well at that. “ You’re pretty good. Are you sure you never played the guitar?” Craig was surprised that he was doing so well. The man stopped, insisting that Craig takes the money again.

“Alright… I guess. Do you have any requests? I mean… The sound a phone vibrating cut him short. “ I think that’s you… Craig told him.

The man told him about how his house exploded… and it seemed he wasn’t upset at all by it. “ Oh, sorry to hear that. What happened? Did the water heater burst or something? It's a park isn't it? I have no control of where you go. So sure, you can hang out. Names Craig Daniels. Thanks” He replied, taking the apple from the man’s hand. He took a bite from it. This one also tasted like dirt to him.

“ So what song do you want me to play? I can do a lot of classic rock, like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Eagles… the list just goes on…”

[Darel Vinter]

"I have good memory." he explained as he just listened to the other. "I have no preference for music. As long as it is filled with emotion." He bit the apple and perceived the whole history of it. His eyes shut tightly together as he shook off the feeling. Looking at other people he pushed his attention back to Craig. Who introduced his self, "Darel Elric Nathaniel Vinter."

"I believe someone blew it up." he said without a single care. It was only a place a place he could just simply get again. Darel wasn't used to talking to many people, explaining the situation they were in yes, but not a real conversation that didn't involve interrogation. And that to him was normal.

[Craig Daniels]

“Nice to meet you Darel.” Craig replied, picking up his guitar “ Any song can have emotion… it depends on what it means to you…” He began to strum. “I could sing a song… about the weather. You can feel it being love, hope, or how the world is always changing… He told him. “ Music is emotion, you just got to know how to find it.” Craig stopped playing. He took a bite from his apple.

“ What do you mean that you think someone blew up your house? What could you…. I don’t think want to know…” Craig stopped himself before he got to deep in Darel’s life. He played his guitar again.

“ I’ll show you what I was talking about earlier.” He stood up and began to play.

“No one knows what it's like to be the bad man, to be the sad man… behind blue eyes. No one knows what it's like to be hated, to be fated, to telling only lies. But my dreams, they aren't as empty as my conscience seems to be. I have hours, only lonely. My love is vengeance that's never free… He began to sing.

[Darel Vinter]

"Not all songs have emotions." Darel said as he took a bite out of the apple, "That is like saying walking has an emotion. Purpose, yes, but not always emotion." Darel watched the other play his guitar and once more began to copy his hand movements. While doing this he talked, "A song only has real emotion when played directly form the heart. A song that actually means something to you.

"Even though that song has emotion I ask, does it have anything to do with you?" he says turning to look at Craig. "If actually song that song I would probably cry...if I could cry." Standing up he shook off his dirt from the jeans, "But when you were singing it I did find something in your aura...the first line...it had meaning. Your aura slightly shifted."

Darel sighed "I'm sorry..." he replied, "I forget even though strangers are appearing people still don't understand the freaks." looking around finished the apple.

[Craig Daniels]

“…No one knows what it's like to be the bad man, to be the sad man… behind blue eyes [/color] Craig quickly finished. He just didn’t want to sing the song any more.

Craig thought for a minute over what Darel said. “ It is true that not all songs have emotion, but all songs can cause emotion. It could make you mad because you just wasted time listening to crap… or it could bring up some sad memories…” He stopped, looking at horizon.

“ While I didn’t write the songs I play, it does mean something to me…” Craig began to reply.

Aura…? What the hell’s an aura? Craig asked himself.

“ I have what people would call… survivor’s guilt… I survived a freak 7.6 earthquake that I…” He stopped again. He didn’t know how much information was too much. “ I should just write an autobiography if I’m just going to tell everyone I meet my life story.” He nervously joked, trying to change the subject. Putting his guitar down, he bit into his apple. Craig looked at Darel.

“ I guess they don't..." He replied. Craig was confused. Does he know what I am?

"You know, If you want to try playing it, go ahead. You can’t be that bad…”

[Darel Vinter]

Darel stretched several bones making cracking sounds. Hearing about the earthquake story that was quickly cut off Darel was intrigued. It didn't take a genius to know what that cut off meant, but he'd let it pass for now. "Survivor's guilt? I find that odd, shouldn't one be grateful for surviving in such an...extraordinary accident? Then again I'm just grasping at straws, I wouldn't know normal reactions."

Looked at the guitar, "Only if I can play with gloves on." he said. Picking it up he began playing the same song Craig was previously playing. He was in somewhat of a trance as he did it. Finishing up he laid the guitar back in the spot it was in, "How was that?"

[Craig Daniels]

“ I am grateful… it’s just… nevermind… I don’t want to talk about it… He just gave up. He listened to Darel play. It was almost the exact same as when Craig himself played .

“ Pretty good… there were parts where you could have played it a bit louder, but it was fine.” Craig told Darel as he put down the guitar. “ So now you know how to play Behind Blue Eyes by the Who.”

Why wouldn’t he know what a normal response was to a disaster… especially one that I caused. Well, he wouldn’t know that part but still… He wondered.

He looked at the horizon again. The sun was going down.

“ So… when’s you’re ride supposed to get here?” Craig asked, seeing as it was getting late.

[Darel Vinter]

"Louder...I'll remember that. Behind Blue Eyes by the Who....Who? That's a name that cold cause confusion." Once Craig spoke of a ride he then noticed one coming up tinted car. "Well right on cue I would say." he replied as he picked up his groceries and began walking waving off he turned his head drastically at the car. The window was lowered slightly before a gun came out and shoots were fired at Darel.

His heart sunk as he made his self feel alone and empty for a few moments. The bullets passed through him not harming him as he fell down. Going into his pocket he pulled out a small handgun. The car started to pull away shooting out the tires eventually they got out wanting to get their hands dirty. Darel was out of bullets...great. Four guys existed the car and spent their bullets at Darel who manged to dodge a few as he arm, leg, and side was riddled. Rolling out of the way of more firing Darel needed to concentrated, but he couldn't use empathy in pain.

Then again did he need it? His blood began pushing the unwanted bullets out of his body. "Kid is on the run, what type of tool are ya' thought you'd be some challenge. Oh well our reward for killin' ya' still is high enough." one of them said as they closed the gap between Darel and the car he was hiding behind.

[Craig Daniels]

“ It tends to…” Craig laughed. He saw a car with tinted windows pull up. Darel gathered his things and stood up “ Anyway, it was nice to meet you.” He waved back to Darel. The window rolled down, and a flash went off.

Shit… Craig thought, summoning a wall of stone to block any bullets that went his way. The pedestrians scattered in terror. Bullets rattled his guitar.

“ Sons of a bitches shot my guitar!" He yelled, angry.

Wait… wasn’t my guitar behind Darel? He asked himself, worried that he might have been shot. He looked behind the barrier, and saw that Darel had a handgun himself. Did he have that with him the whole time? Damn…

With the wheels with the car out, the four men got out. It seemed that they were only going after Darel. Craig’s blue eyes turned grey as the ground beneath him was ripped from the Earth. It went flying, crushing the car under it’s weight. He jumped on top of his wall.

“ I think you might have to worry more about me… Craig said, standing on the now floating rock.

[Darel Vinter]

Darel felt an emotional change as the earth seemed to move away from him and there was less light. Looking up he saw Craig, "...Again that to me wasn't a normal reaction. But in this case I'll take it." Darel stood up. Or he tried to as he fell on one knee. Didn't matter he phased his self through the wall his eye and hand with the gun was seen. He fired off carefully aimed shoots at the men.

They were dead thankfully, but still he had the people to deal with. There was no way he could put them all to sleep with their yelling. All there panicking was giving Darel a massive headache as he phased out of the wall. "Terrakinetic. Interesting." he said. Going into his pocket he took out a pack of cigarettes. His blood began to quickly clot as the wounds were healed up. But the pain remained strong, taking a lighter he lite the cancer stick.

Sighing he once gain sighed as he stood up. He felt sore and his hatred was pretty much intact, "That would be the people who blew up my house." Darel then heard another car coming. "And that would be their backup...shit." Darel aimed his gun, but his hands were shaky his aim would be off. And Darel didn't like wasting bullets. Oh well, as the people in the car started to take out their guns. He didn't need this.

Phasing into the wall he ended up on the other side. "So...we have more in common than I would have thought. Hope you don't mind I borrow your ability." Darel said. Going deep into Craig's heart he found the source of his terrakinesis and copied it into his own heart. Even though he calls it aura, doing so he know could feel or hear every stone being moved. It was wonderful, but he needed to focus.

With a simple movement of his hand the pavement cracked apart. Darel wasn't going to stay any longer running the best way he could he looked at a person getting into a car. "Your quite tired aren't you. Sleep.[/b][/i] he said to the person as they fell to the ground.

[Craig Daniels]

“ Different circumstances causes different reactions, you know. It’s called fight or flight… and right now, I feel like a fight.” Craig replied, blocking more fire from the guys. Suddenly, Darel phased through his wall, shooting the newcomers.

“ Now that’s not a normal reaction…” Craig mocked. He saw as Darel brought out a pack of cigarettes and began to smoke. “ You do realize that that stuff can kill you right…” He coughed, “ More importantly, it can kill everyone around you…” He choked on the smoke.

He felt the weight of another car displace the ground as it drove and stopped.

“ Finally, something I can fight…” Craig cracked his neck. ""...Or not." Craig finished as Darel dispatched the last of the newcomers

And if we are similar, we do have one thing different. I don’t kill… People just tend to hit their heads on rocks around me…” Craig finished, jumping down to the ground.

“ I have to thank you again for the three hundred dollars… I have something I need to get now. ” He said, throwing out what’s left of his guitar.