The golden hour bathed the city in a deceptive glow, a fleeting illusion of peace that mocked David's fractured soul. He stood atop Central Park Tower, the pinnacle of New York's glittering skyline, gazing down at a world that pulsed with life—laughter echoing from couples strolling hand in hand, children darting through the streets, their innocence a dagger in his chest. Traffic hummed like a heartbeat, lights flickering like stars trapped in concrete. Once, such a sight might have soothed him. Now, it only fueled the inferno of his rage and sorrow, a storm brewing behind his cold, unblinking eyes.
Earlier that evening, in a timeline untouched by his darkness, David had been a different man—or so he'd pretended. The memory clawed at him, vivid and raw, a fleeting reprieve from the monster he'd become.
Linda stood in their dimly lit bedroom, her silhouette framed by the soft glow of a bedside lamp. David lingered in the doorway, his tie loosened, his voice a low rumble.
"I have a meeting, darling. I'll be home late. Text me when you're back, okay?"
Linda turned, her lips curling into a gentle smile that pierced him deeper than any blade. "It's fine. Jack and I will eat dinner without you. Just be safe."
She moved toward the bed, her nightgown swaying with each step, but David's hand shot out, catching her wrist. With a swift tug, he pulled her close, her breath hitching as their bodies collided. Her face hovered inches from his, her eyes wide, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and desire.
"Linda… Jack will see us."
He smirked, his grip tightening. "Jack's already asleep in his room."
Before she could protest, his lips crashed against hers, a hungry, desperate kiss that devoured her hesitation. Their mouths opened, tongues tangling in a dance of raw passion, a collision of heat and need. His hands roamed her body, tearing at her nightgown with feral urgency, the fabric pooling at her feet. She retaliated, fumbling with his shorts, her fingers trembling as she stripped him bare.
David's hands cupped her heavy breasts, kneading them with possessive force, eliciting a sharp gasp from her lips. Linda's fingers curled around his throbbing length, stroking him with a boldness that sent shivers down his spine. He shed his shirt in one fluid motion, then hoisted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he threw her onto the bed. The mattress groaned under their weight, a prelude to the chaos to come.
They shed their last barriers—underwear discarded like remnants of their restraint. David grabbed a jar of honey from the nightstand, his eyes glinting with dark intent. He drizzled the golden liquid across her breasts, letting it cascade down her trembling body, pooling at the apex of her thighs. His mouth descended, lapping at the sticky sweetness coating her skin, sucking her nipples with a fervor that made her arch and moan—"Ahh… ahh… ahhhh…"—her voice a symphony of surrender.
He trailed lower, his tongue tracing the honey's path, tasting her flesh until he reached her core. He devoured her, sucking and licking with relentless hunger, her hands clutching his hair as she writhed beneath him. "Ahh… ahh…" she gasped, her pleas dissolving into the air.
"I can't… put it in…" she panted, her voice thick with lust.
David grinned, a predator savoring his prey. "Why so fast?"
He flipped onto his back, pulling her atop him. Linda seized the honey, pouring it over his pulsing erection, her lips enveloping him in a wet, fervent embrace. She sucked him hard, her mouth a velvet inferno, drawing a guttural moan from his throat. "Fuck, your mouth is so soft…"
With a swift motion, he flipped her again, positioning her on all fours. He thrust into her from behind, his hips slamming against her with brutal rhythm, her ass quaking, her breasts bouncing, the bed creaking in protest. She screamed—"Ahh… ahh… ahhh…"—her voice a crescendo of ecstasy and abandon. He lifted her left leg, driving deeper, his voice a growl. "It's going so deep…"
"Faster… ahh… ahh…" she begged, and he obliged, pounding her with unrestrained ferocity, their bodies slick with sweat and honey. She climbed atop him again, impaling herself on his length, riding him with wild desperation, her moans echoing—"Ahh… ahh…"—as he sucked her breasts, his hands gripping her hips.
Finally, she collapsed beside him, and he took over, spreading her legs wide, thrusting into her with primal need. "I'm at my limit," he rasped.
"Shoot it, darling," she whispered, and he did, spilling into her with a shuddering groan, her final "Ahhhh…" a haunting echo of their union. They collapsed, breathless, tangled in each other's arms.
"Fuck, I love you," David murmured, his voice raw.
"I love you too," Linda replied, her words a fragile lifeline in the storm of his mind.
The scene dissolved like ash in the wind, replaced by the cold reality of the present. A plane streaked across the night sky, its roar swallowed by the moon's eerie brilliance. David stood alone, the city sprawling beneath him, a tapestry of lives he'd never truly know. His face twisted, sadness and rage warring within him, a tempest threatening to consume what little humanity remained.
He clenched his fists, his voice a whisper in the void. "Eternal…"
A presence materialized beside him, a figure cloaked in shadow, its voice resonant and ancient. "What's happened, David?"
David's eyes glistened with unshed tears, his voice cracking with anguish. "I've killed so many… for my own selfishness. I've murdered without remorse, let my anger devour me. But now… I feel this gnawing pity. Why? Why do I care about destroying this world?"
Eternal's gaze pierced him, unflinching. "Is it pity, David? Or jealousy? You see a timeline where another David thrives—happy, whole, with a loyal Linda and a child. A life you never had. It burns you, doesn't it? To see him smile while you drown in blood."
David's silence was a wound laid bare, his face a mask of icy despair. Eternal pressed on, relentless. "You've destroyed worlds, David. Taken what wasn't yours by force. But letting go… it gave you Ruby, your sister like one which , lost to you once, now found in another timeline. Every David before you walked this path—revenge, rage, ruin. Will you be different?"
David's voice trembled, thick with torment. "I was so jealous… I wanted to rip that happiness from him, shred it like I shredded my own world. Seeing him with Linda, with a kid… it ignited a fury I couldn't quench. But then—fuck—I felt bad. I can't undo the billions I've slaughtered—kids, adults, babies. Their screams still echo in my skull. I'm a monster, Eternal, but I won't repeat those mistakes. I'll protect Ruby. I'll change."
Eternal's tone softened, a faint smile in its words. "Anger and jealousy feel good, don't they? Until they don't. They hollow you out, leave you alone. Happiness slips through bloodstained fingers, David. You can't undo your sins, but you can choose who you kill—and who you save."
"You're right," David said, his voice breaking. "I'll only kill those who threaten me. I've drowned in my own evil—billions dead by my hand. I can't erase that, but I'll try… I'll try to claw my way out of this abyss."
He rose, wings of shadow unfurling, and soared into the night, the wind howling like the ghosts of his victims. Eternal watched, whispering, "This change is your crucible, David. Survive it."
David landed before a house—his parents' house, a relic of a life long buried. His heart thundered, a drumbeat of dread and hope. He rang the bell, the chime a dirge in the stillness. Footsteps approached, slow and deliberate, each one a spike of suspense. The door creaked open, and David froze, his breath stolen by the figure before him—a face that shattered his world anew.