Nightmare Pt.3
Date: 6/30/98
From: marcos1

~~~~~

Thanatos sat in the cafe drinking his coffee. To him the world was nothing but shadows. Shadows that went from light to pitch black. From the beginning of time he was drawn to the dark. He was in Egypt and Mesopotamia, standing in the palace of Knossos waiting for the right time. During the blood sacrifice of the seedtime, he stood by patiently. To the priests of Amon Ra, he was the silent partner of their monarch. When Greece first gained victory upon Persia, the field replete with the bodies of the slain, he was there. But past glories aside, the twentieth century was the age for him, bombs dropped, millions perished, his travail never completed. For Thanatos was the angel of death, the grim reaper.

"Would you like some more coffee?" Molly asked. "Maybe just a bit to warm it up?" The pretty waitress had dark hair, and brown eyes. Warm eyes that seemed to smile.

"Thank you," Thanatos replied smiling. He liked the young woman. She seemed genuinely kind.

"Is this your first visit to Sand Dollar?" Molly asked, pouring the hot drink. She leaned over his table. She was very tall, and had an ample figure.

"No," Thanatos replied. "Actually, I've been here many times." He had dark hair, and blue eyes that seemed more like blue gems. His eyes gazing upon her, created a feeling of warmth and safety.

"Funny," Molly said. "I don't remember seeing you before, and I've lived here all of my life. This town is dullsville really...nothing very interesting ever happens here. I'm sure happy that I've got my son." She opened her purse and pulled out a picture of a small boy with golden hair. "This is my son, his name is Michael."

Thanatos looked closely at her. There was a very dark shadow surrounding her. It would not be long before her death. Sometimes, he hated being what he was. "Yes, he is a very handsome lad."

"His no good father left us, several years ago," Molly said, sitting down across from him. "He left us with nothing, and so here I am waiting on tables, working from dawn to dusk everyday." She smiled. "But he did leave me with something wonderful...he helped give me Michael. When I think about my son, somehow any sacrifice seems worthwhile."

Thanatos saw the man entering the cafe. "Excuse me, Molly. I was expecting someone." He looked up and motioned to the man. "Of course, I would be delighted to speak with you later."

Molly looked up at the other man. He had dark hair with a well groomed mustache. He smiled but his eyes reflected worry. "Sure, honey," she said. "I've got work to do anyway, back in the kitchen."

Thanatos looked at the other man. "Nicholas Blair, you have broken all the rules. And now a price must be paid...a very terrible price, indeed."

Nicholas sat across from Thanatos, looking into the eyes of his most terrible foe of all. He wondered if it was possible to defeat death? But he knew one thing for sure, for the love of Maggie, he would try. Somehow victory must be.

To be continued--