Chapter 34: Present Chapter 8: Greatest Strength

Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! G-Grace...s-sweetheart, what did you do? H-How could you do something so awful? T-This can't be happening. This can't be happening! W-What you've done...is something that you can never repent for. God will never forgive you, Grace! Do you understand that?! He'll never forgive you! 

*

*

*

The eerie memory that flashed inside of Grace's mind caused her to shudder a bit as she walked, slowly, behind the towering individual, Mr. Rainbow, who was taking her to where his group was.  Based on his appearance and what he had done to those cannibals, Grace couldn't help but be, slightly, afraid of him which she knew was hypocritical, considering what she had done in her own past. Plus, Mr. Rainbow had saved her so that fact did help her trust him a bit more. She hoped that he truly was leading her to a group of kind people since she had been alone since "the incident" first occurred. Life on her own hadn't been easy. Each day was a struggle as she tried to survive on her own, avoiding people that would cause her harm, finding food and water and just trying to find a place to sleep and keep warm. All of these were things that Grace had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. She was hoping that, wherever Mr. Rainbow was taking her, would allow her to not have to worry about doing these things, anymore. She knew life was never going to go back to normal for her...not that she really wanted it to. Her life wasn't, particularly, good before "the incident" happened so, maybe, this was her chance to live a life that was even better than the one that she lived, prior to the incident. Grace looked up, nervously, at Mr. Rainbow, who was looking straight ahead of him, almost like he was keeping an eye out for danger. The two had been walking in silence for some time so Grace figured that it would be a good idea to make some casual conversation with him. She didn't want to be rude to the man that had saved her life.

"E-Excuse me," she said, hoping not to startle Mr. Rainbow.

He glanced down at her as he continued to walk and because of the rainbow-colored mask he was wearing, she couldn't tell what emotion he was feeling. 

"Oh...uh...did you need something, Grace?" he asked. 

"I-I was just...wondering if...you could tell me about yourself?" she asked, hoping not to offend or irritate him.

"You...want to know...about me, huh?" 

"Y-You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm really not trying to snoop or be nosy. I was just...curious is all."

Mr. Rainbow proceeded to look in front of him, again, and thought for a moment. 

"There...isn't really too much to say about myself," he admitted, awkwardly. "Before the incident, I was an unpopular high school student, who was still coming to terms with who he truly was. Unfortunately, who I truly was...made me a target for harassment...constant harassment. I was bullied, nearly, every day at school by kids. There were actually some days where I refused to leave my room to head to school because it had gotten so bad. The teachers never really did anything to help which is pretty common...they can only do so much on their end. Every single day, I was told that...who I truly was...was my greatest weakness...that it was the worst thing about myself. I was told this so much that I honestly started to believe it."

Grace was a little confused about what Mr. Rainbow meant by "who he truly was" but kept quiet as she continued to listen to his story. 

"My life was like this...all of the way up until 'the incident' occurred and all of the good people in the world just suddenly...disappeared...without a trace. You're probably wondering why I didn't disappear? Well, I honestly do think it's because of who I truly am...that reason alone was why I was left behind, like this. This only made me grow to hate myself, even further. I loathed myself and even considered taking my own life, at one point. But...then...something happened. One day, I was getting beat up by these scumbags, who were planning on stealing my food and supplies. Another beating...something I was all too familiar with. I was always being beaten, whether it was by kids at school...my family...and now, other survivors. Just because I was used to it, didn't make it any less painful. In fact, I was almost beaten to death, this time."

"T-That's terrible," said Grace, sadly. "N-No one deserves to be hurt like that."

"I remember closing my eyes, the closer I got to death because I didn't want to see it coming. A part of me was relieved. It seemed like I wouldn't have to take my life, after all. I'd be able to finally die and wouldn't have to live in this terrible world, anymore. Suddenly, the beating stopped and I heard nothing but blood curdling screams. I kept my eyes shut to avoid seeing whatever was causing these bastards to scream so loudly. As soon as the screaming was over, I forced my eyes open and I saw that all of the survivors that were attacking me had been, brutally, killed, with their body parts looking like they had been sliced clean off. There were two individuals standing in the midst of all this bloodshed and I assumed that they were the ones responsible for the massacre. My knees were shaking, violently, from the fear that I was feeling so I couldn't force myself to stand up and, on top of that, I was still dealing with the pain from the beating I had just taken.  I couldn't move, no matter how badly I wanted to. Instead, one of the individuals made their way towards me. The individual wore a dark black jacket that matched the other black clothing they were wearing as well. They had a razor claw glove covering their right hand and held a giant scythe in their left hand that seemed to help them walk better since it was clear they had a limp of some kind. If I had to summarize their appearance...I would say that they looked like the Grim Reaper, himself."

"T-This person sounds scary," commented Grace, feeling on edge, just from hearing what this individual looked like. 

"Hahaha, that's what I thought, at first, too," continued Mr. Rainbow. "I thought the Grim Reaper was coming to take my soul or something to that extent. Although, this individual just knelt down so that they were closer to be me and began...talking to me, of all things. The individual asked if I had anywhere to go or if I was all by myself?  I told them the truth...that I was all by myself and, as pathetic as it sounds, I began...crying. Bawling like a fucking baby. I began going off on a tangent to this individual that I didn't even know. I complained about being born the way I was and how I hated that the thing that made me, who I was, was the very thing that made me so damn weak. I told the person that had saved my life to just leave me because someone as weak as me would just slow them down. The individual with the black jacket remained silent the entire time I had my little outburst and once I was finished, resumed speaking. They told me that they used to be told the same thing...that what made them different was their greatest weakness. They told me that they've come to realize that the very thing people used to say was their greatest weakness was, in fact, their greatest strength. Then, the individual told me they believed the same was true for me as well. They told me that the thing that I was always ridiculed, bullied and beaten for...the thing that made me, who I was...they told me it was my greatest strength as well and that as soon as I learned to accept that, I would be able to become someone so much stronger."

"Wow, this person sounds nice...even though, they sound like they looked scary," said Grace, taken aback by how kind the individual ended up being. 

"I ended up going with the two that were responsible for killing those survivors that were harassing me and they ended up taking me to the place...that I'm taking you to, now. That individual with the black jacket...was the leader I was telling you about. The person with them that night...who carried a samurai sword and had a robotic right arm...was one of their lieutenants. Over time, I began accepting myself more and more and that's why I ended up deciding on making all of my equipment and weapons rainbow colored. It's not only just to express myself but to show that I'm no longer afraid of who I truly am...and that I've realized that it truly is...my greatest strength. Our leader may look scary when you first meet them but I promise you, they are kind. A hell of a lot kinder than most people that I knew, even before 'the incident' occurred.  Our leader's been taking care of all of us for so long and that's why all of us are so grateful to them. I...really hope you give our leader a chance, Grace."

"I will," replied Grace, upon hearing Mr. Rainbow's story. "I've always believed...to not judge a person based on how they look...but on how they act."

"Hahaha, that's good...seems like you were raised right."

Mr. Rainbow's comment seemed to have made Grace's mood damper a bit and he was going to actually ask a bit about Grace's past, before 'the incident' but had to put this on hold because he saw something in front of him that caused him to draw his sawback machete in preparation to fight. Grace jumped at the action and hid behind Mr. Rainbow's leg, in fear of what was about to transpire. Standing in front of them were five individuals, two of which were women, wearing black nun-like apparel and three of which were men, wearing black priest-like clothing. All five of them had a necklace with a cross on it, dangling from their necks. As soon as Grace saw the crosses, she began trembling since just the mere sight of them brought horrible memories up for her...ones that she never wanted to relive in her entire life. Mr. Rainbow could see that Grace was shaking in the corner of his eyes and he felt bad for the poor girl, especially after she already had to deal with the cannibals, earlier. Now, they had to deal with these five and Mr. Rainbow could imagine how this was going to turn out since he knew what group these religiously dressed individuals were a part of.

"Blessings be," said Mr. Rainbow, awkwardly. 

"That outfit you're wearing...those colors...are just as sinful as the weapons that you carry," insulted one of the women, who was dressed like a nun.

"That's funny; I didn't really ask, you old hag," responded Mr. Rainbow, annoyed. "In fact, I think you five monochromatic asses could afford some color...or style, in general. Does worshipping the big man upstairs prevent you guys from having any sense of style at all?"

"Do not speak of our God like that!" yelled one of the men, angrily. "A sinner like you does not have the right. To make matters worse, it seems you have taken that poor girl hostage and forced her to walk alongside you. Disgusting.  Absolutely disgusting."

The same female nun that had spoken earlier stepped forward with a creepy attempt at an inviting smile plastered on her face. Her attention seemed solely focused on Grace, at this point. 

"Hey, sweetie, you don't have to be scared, anymore. We're God's followers and we could never ignore a girl in need of help. Don't worry, we'll deal with this man and then you can come with us and we can teach you about God's life changing love as well. Once you learn about it, your life will be full of meaning and happiness...things that are sparse in this world, these days."

"I-I don't want to go with you," answered Grace, still shaking. "Y-You people...don't seem nice. I-I want to stay with him. He saved me."

"Well, there's your answer, you creepy fucks," interjected Mr. Rainbow. "How about you go preach the good word somewhere else before you start to fucking annoy me?"

"S-Such blasphemy!" hollered the woman, who was dressed like a nun. "Y-You must have brainwashed this girl, in addition to forcing her into coming with you. Y-You truly are a cruel man, indeed."

"Ya know, you all keep treating me like some kind of monster that's not worthy of your God's love which...may be true. Hell, I've been told that several times in my life."

"Rightfully so," interrupted the woman, who was dressed like a nun.

You are reading story Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken at novel35.com

"Bitch, I'm talking so shut the fuck up before I lose my train of thought," responded Mr. Rainbow, frustrated at being interrupted. "As I was saying, I'm perfectly aware that God isn't the biggest fan of my cute little ass. Although, you five were left behind as well...just like I was...just like this girl was. The fact that you didn't disappear with the rest of the good people of the world must mean that God didn't deem your goofy asses worthy of residing with him, either.  You five are no better than me or this girl so how about you get off your fucking high horses and shove those crosses up your asses?"

What the five religiously dressed individuals did next surprised Grace as they all pulled out what looked like ceremonial daggers. 

Mr. Rainbow sighed before muttering, "For once, I just want to be penetrated by something that isn't a fucking knife."

Unfortunately, he realized Grace heard what he had said so he coughed and pretended like he didn't say anything. Mr. Rainbow was used to traveling alone so he still had to learn to watch what he was saying when Grace was around. 

"Don't worry, Grace; these cultist clowns shouldn't be too hard for me to handle," convinced Mr. Rainbow. "You remember how you closed your eyes when I dealt with those cannibals? I'm going to have you do that, again, alright? You don't have to see what happens, next. Just stay behind me." 

The five cult members dashed towards Mr. Rainbow, ceremonial knives grasped firmly in their hands. He stepped in front of Grace to protect her and slashed his sawback machete, horizontally, at the woman, who was talking so much, earlier. The blade sliced her flesh with ease and removed the top portion of her head which consisted of her ears and nose, from the bottom portion which consisted of her mouth. The top portion of her head splattered onto the ground as the rest of her body did the same. The two male cultists were the next to attack and they both, simultaneously, attempted to stab their daggers at Mr. Rainbow, who blocked their attacks with the saw side of his machete. This caused the two male cultists to clumsily stumble backwards, allowing Mr. Rainbow the perfect opportunity to kill them. He slashed one of their throats, quickly, with the razor sharp side of his machete and then rammed the saw side of the weapon into the other's forehead, killing him instantly as well. Mr. Rainbow held the man's head still with his left hand while he ripped his machete out of his skull and then allowed the man's body to splat onto the hard ground below him. 

"You damn sinner!" hollered one of the remaining cultists, who was the other female member of the group. 

She slashed her ceremonial dagger at Mr. Rainbow, desperately trying to get a single cut on him but each and every time she tried, she just couldn't hit him. He lazily slashed her hand that was holding the ceremonial dagger, clean off, with the sharp side of his machete and the woman screamed in agony at the realization that she had just lost her hand. Unfortunately, the other remaining cultist member had managed to sneak behind Mr. Rainbow and pierced the small of his back with his ceremonial dagger.

"Ow, fuck," cursed Mr. Rainbow in pain. 

He elbowed the man in the jaw so hard that he fell, back-first, onto the ground, leaving the ceremonial dagger still stuck in the small of Mr. Rainbow's back. Cleary angered by being stabbed, Mr. Rainbow showed no mercy as he proceeded to curb stomp the man's skull over and over again with his combat boots until his head was replaced by a pile of blood, broken bones and flesh. 

"Damn, I let my anger get the best of me there and now I'm going to have this disgusting shit on my boots for the entire walk back," complained Mr. Rainbow, studying the bottom of his combat boots while the woman, who had her hand cut off, was still screaming behind him. "Fuck my life, just bleed out, already, so I don't have to hear you scream, anymore. It's hurting my fucking ears."

Mr. Rainbow sliced the woman's head off her body with the razor-sharp side of his machete, not to end her suffering, but to end his own. Her head splatted onto the ground and Mr. Rainbow let out a sigh of relief since he didn't have to hear her loud screaming, anymore. 

"You cultists are always kind of fucking violent despite being people of God," said Mr. Rainbow, annoyed. "I'll have to let my leader know that I not only had an encounter with the cannibals but with you fuckers as well. Hopefully, one day, we can wipe out both of your groups. To be honest, our leader really seems to hate you guys, specifically, for whatever reason. Our leader will be happy to hear that I've run into you so that's something. Doesn't really help with literally being stabbed in the back, though. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that it really fucking hurts. Oh yeah, Grace."

Being so wrapped up in all of the killing, Mr. Rainbow had completely forgotten about Grace, who was standing, still as a statue, with her eyes closed, shaking. He sighed, feeling saddened by the sight. He hated that this poor girl had to keep being around for when he went on these killing sprees. Closing her eyes only did so much to protect her from the traumatic experience. Mr. Rainbow sheathed his sawback machete as he, internally, hoped that him and Grace wouldn't run into any more trouble as they made their way to where he was staying. He attempted to remove the knife that was sticking out of the small of his back still but, unfortunately, he couldn't get a good grasp on it. He decided to leave it for the time being since he believed it was more important to get Grace as far away from the bodies as possible before allowing her to open her eyes, again.

*

*

*

"Y-You want me to pull the dagger out of your back?" asked Grace, staring at the ceremonial dagger that was sticking out of Mr. Rainbow's back. 

"I-If you don't mind?" he responded, slightly embarrassed. "I feel bad for asking but I can't really reach it, myself. I tried. You don't have to if you don't want to."

As Mr. Rainbow proceeded to go over what he would do if she couldn't pull the dagger out, Grace  figured this was her one chance to repay all of the kindness Mr. Rainbow had shown her by protecting her. Without even letting him finish, Grace grabbed the ceremonial dagger with both hands and ripped the weapon out, effortlessly, resulting in Mr. Rainbow letting a scream that almost didn't sound like it belonged to a man at all which confused Grace, slightly. 

"I'm sorry," apologized Grace, seeing that Mr. Rainbow was in pain. "D-Did I do something wrong?"

"N-No, you did great," Mr. Rainbow responded through the pain. "T-Thanks, Grace. I appreciate that."

"It's the least I could do since you're always risking your life to protect me. I'm glad I could be helpful, for once. I always feel...bad...that you have to do all the fighting while I stand back, scared."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Grace," reassured Mr. Rainbow. "A girl like you shouldn't ever have to take a life...hell, a girl like you shouldn't even be stuck in this damn world where all this violence is so frequent. Those cultist bastards actually believe in a God that would leave a kid like you behind. Shit makes me sick."

"Mr. Rainbow, I...assure you that I did deserve to be left behind," said Grace, sadly. "I-I'm not a good person. I-I've done some truly awful things."

Earlier, Mr. Rainbow was going to ask Grace a little about her past but after seeing how grief stricken she was from just talking about her past for a second, he decided that it wasn't any of his business and, to be honest, he didn't care. Everyone that was left behind was in the same boat...none of them were good people...no, that wasn't true, in Mr. Rainbow's mind. He knew that there was a difference between bad people and good people, who had to do some terrible things in their lives. He couldn't help but wonder if this was the case for Grace as well? Mr. Rainbow had left some details out of his story about his past for Grace's sake because he didn't want her to think badly of him. 

"Just because you've done some terrible things, Grace, doesn't make you a terrible person," comfortingly, responded Mr. Rainbow. "There's plenty of people at the place I stay at that have done some awful things as well and, yet, I truly believe they are still good people, at heart. In fact, I think our leader is the perfect example of that. They always say that they've done the most unforgivable of things but, in my mind, that doesn't take away all of the good they've done...not in the slightest. Our leader is a good person, in my eyes, no matter what kind of horrendous shit they've done in their past. Anyways, thanks for getting that dagger out for me, Grace. I'll take care of the wound when we get to our destination. Sorry, you had to deal with all of that, again. If it was up to me, I'd keep the killing to zero when you're around."

"It's okay, Mr. Rainbow. Sometimes, killing is necessary. I-I know that, already."

Shit, what kind of past has this poor girl had to where she can think something like that, at her age? thought Mr. Rainbow to himself, grimly.

"Let's keep moving, huh? Is there anything else you wanted to know about the place we're going to? I wouldn't mind telling you about it a bit more on our way there."

"O-Oh, I did have a couple of questions, actually," said Grace, her mind, temporarily, being taken off all of the bad shit that had just transpired, much to Mr. Rainbow's relief. "Oh, but I've...actually given some thought to what you told me, earlier."

Mr. Rainbow looked at Grace, quizzically, not exactly sure what she was talking about. 

"I-I think you...and your leader are right. Our greatest weaknesses...are our greatest strengths! I'm...going to try and look at my own weaknesses in that way, from now on, because...I want to get stronger as well. Strong like you, Mr. Rainbow...and your leader."

"Hahaha, sounds good," said Mr. rainbow, smiling under his rainbow-colored mask. "Just don't push yourself too hard, alright? Getting stronger takes time...speaking from experience but there's not a doubt in my mind that you'll get stronger, Grace. Now, let's get walking before we get any more unwelcome visitors. Getting stabbed, again, doesn't sound too fun, right about now."

You can find story with these keywords: Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken, Read Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken, Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken novel, Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken book, Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken story, Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken full, Birth of The Nightmare: A Story of the Broken Latest Chapter