Sighing, Spartacus tossed and turn in the heat of the night. The comforter clung to the sweat on his body as he violently seemed to fight it and then sitting up he threw it off and let it fall to the floor. "Fucking summer heat.. Couldn't get to use to when I was younger and seems every day I get older it just gets worse." He grumbled to himself as he laid ontop of the bed letting the cooler air engulf him. As the sweat began to finally dissapate he found himself finally able to start to get slightly more comfortable. His eyes slowly began to close again but the sound of something being slowly ripped caused him to turn his head to the door. 

"What the fuck.." He didn't move from the softness of his bed but he watched the door and then shook his head. "When you live with so 29 others you never quite know what or why they are doing what they are doing," his thoughts caused him to sigh as he then stared at the ceiling.  The noise of ripping came again and this time he sat up in bed, and looked around. "Seriously.." He let his legs fall to edge of the bed and he stepped off on the floor. Feeling an unuasl softness under the soles of his feet his eyebrows scrunched bit in confusion.  Slowly he looked down and saw the comforter stuffing ripped from inside of its casing and strewn about the floor.  Reaching down and grabbing a handful of the cottony fluff he looked at the blanket hard trying to see where it came from and saw what appeared a clean cut through it. The  fluff in his hand seemed to suddenly change in texture  and he turned his eyes to his hand. The softness of it slowly faded and grew hard as the white darkened to almost a brown. He dropped it from his hand and watched it shatter on the floor. The rest of the comforter seemed to crackle as he stood up abrutly and with every touch of his feet on it it shattered and broke. 

"Not..." Before his thoughts could finish he saw a flash of silver out the corner of his eyes and as he turned to it a a sharp blade sat at his throat. Drawing in a breath he found himself swallowing hard. The cold steel set heavy at the point as it pressed into his skin. He tried to focus on the figure holding it but his eyes could not move from the blade. All his eyes could see was the shine of the blade almost blinding him, and the fuller that ran down it slick with fresh blood.  "Who.?" He didn't want to move to fast and so he slowly let only his eyes move. 

"Oh no you don't." A low silky voice caused Spartacus to stop his gaze up the blade, and the pressue against his skin suddenly grew. He felt the tip of the blade seem to puncture through the first few layers of skin and he swallowed hard. "You know your mine right Spartacus?" He didn't move and didn't speak. "All mine. My creation, my thoughts, my everything, but do you know who can end it?" The silky voice caused his skin to almost crawl. It was completely unnatural, inhuman.

"What trickery is this." Spartacus hissed suddenly and before another word or movement could come be made he found himself choking. He tried to say something and tried to catch his breath but something had stopped him. His eyes flicked up to the voice and his eyes grew wide in terror as he saw the same women from his dreams that haunted him a few nights before. Trying to scream out but unable he watched her as she stepped forward and leaned towards his ear.  "Don't fight me Spartacus.. You know.." She spun him around violently and held him up so he could look in the mirror. 

The mirror abrutly cracked as Spartacus's eyes grew wide. He gasped for more air violently and tried to raise his hands up to the hilt that now protuded from his neck, but the women's grasp was to strong and she held him there to watch as the blood began to slide down then fuller, and drip from the tip to the floor. Spinning him back around he felt himself beginning to go limp, and body grew suddenly cold and stiff. 

"Oh no no not yet..." The heat from the women's hand stung his skin as she pushed him to his knees. Grasping Spartacus's hair she threw his head back  so she could look hard into his eyes. "Tell me who do you see Spartacus? Do I terrify you? Splinters of my soul cut through your skin and borrow within." She softly laughed as her words rang in his ear like a song just as before.  Letting her lips fall to his cheek she whispered to him "Embrace the darkness Spartacus. Be limitless and fearless." She looked back into his eyes and he felt her grasp release him. 

A crow called out to loudly as Spartacus sat up from bed panting. He held his head and looked around as the soft light from the dawn began to light up the room. He looked uneasily in the mirror and then at the floor. The comforter laid in a heap a beside the bed and Spartacus found himself closing his eyes and remembering the piercing green eyes of that women. She had to have been same one from dream other night but her voice was just slightly different. His ears burned as he thought of that voice. Opening his eyes he then stood up still in a hazie. Shaking his head he drew in a breath of the morning air, and then took a step towards his desk for some water. Before reaching it he stopped as a silver blade shimmered on the floor. 

"Spartacus..." A quiet voice whispered in his ear. "Spartacuss..." The voice grew into a hiss as Spartacus stirred slightly. "SPARTACUS!" The voice this time yelled in his ear, and Spartacus lifted his head quickly from the desk. He had accidently let his head down on the bosses desk while trying to do paperwork and he sleepily rubbed his eyes. Looking around he slowly stood up from the soft leather chair and stretched his arms high above him. Unsure what had interferred with his slumber he picked up a half empty whisky glass and sloshed it around. 

"Half fulll.. or half empty.." His thought drifted through his head as he let the liquid fill his mouth and swallowed hard. Setting the empty glass back down he gathered up the papers he had been working on and slid them back into the desk. Still groggy from to much paperwork he walked over to the light and slowly let it dim. "No more work tonight." He started to turn and shut the door behind him when the light flickered back to life and relit up the room. Rolling his eyes, he reflipped the light switch thinking perhaps he hadn't actually turned it completely off, but he stared confused as he looked at the switch in the off position. "Damn I keep telling Salvadore to fix.." He was cut off as a growingly familiar type of voice shattered his thoughts. 

"Spartacus..." The voice called out from behind him and he didn't dare move. His skin crawled and goosebumps formed as the temperature dropped all around him. He exhaled and watched his breath flow infront of him. "No. No. N.." A small hand grasped his wrist hard and squeezed.

"Wake up.. Wake UP!!" Spartacus yelled in an attempt to make the interaction stop.

"Wake up? You are awake." The voice laughed in his ear and then squeezed his wrist harder and suddenly let go.  Spartacus rolled his wrist in relief and then turned to look at the women who had decided to haunt him again. 

Staring into the emerald green eyes, he took a step back as he saw the blood stained lips and what appeared to be fangs set against the deep red lips. Hie eyes widened in horror as this women while almost the same as the others was much darker. Continuing his retreat back he felt the cold become almost intolerable and he suddenly froze. His breath fell upon the cold like steam and ripped through it visable for only a few brief seconds before dissapating. The women softly laughed and then walked towards him. 

"Move.. god damn it move.." Spartacus's thoughts tried to get him to move but he stood there frozen. His blood began to thump loudly in his ears, and  grew to be deafing as the women became closer and closer. 

"Do you hear it? That sweet life that flows through you. " The women reached him and smiled. She showed her fangs in full view for him, and then slipped her arm around him and drew him close to her. The icy coldness ripped through what little warmth he had clung to and he fell forward deeper in her embrace. There was defenitly nothing human about this creature that hid in the form of a women. "This is all for your own good Spartacus. You need us.." His eyes were locked with hers and he saw reflections dance in them of others as he suddenly felt a sting against the skin of his neck. 

The pulsing of his blood flowing through his veins sounded like thunder defeaning him. His eyes slowly closed as his body went entirely rigged. The icy body pulled him deeper into her embrace and suddenly there was silence. A sickening twinge of electricity struck through his entire body and suddenly all color but red was filtered from his vision. "Now you see." The women almost childishly laughed as she let him go.  His rigid body fell back against the wall and the wall cracked beneath his weight, but before he hit the ground, he suddenly found himself simply standing again before the women. 

Confusion engulfed him as all fear sank from him and the red he saw filled him with rage. His arm raised and violently swung towards the women, but she simply stepped back letting just his knuckles graze her. "Ohh so close.. Now Spartacus. Show me your teeth.." Her words rang out in a melody, as she swung back stirking him harder then he thought possible and he flew back against the desk breaking it.  Within a blink of eye he was standing before her and again he advanced but faster and harder.  The women just simply smiled and doged every thing he could fling at her.  Their dance seemed to last forever with him unable to do anymore then graze the women, looking over her shoulder in a  side step of Spartacus's advances she noticed the horizon in the window begin to glow, and with that  she gave him a wink and then harder then before struck him in the chest. Almost in slow motion, Spartacus felt all air escape his lungs,his bones simple crumbled beneath her blow, and he immediately fell. 

"What the fuck did you do last night Spartacus?" Salvatore_Luciano gave Spartacus a nudge with his foot as he had walked in and found Spartacus's room in disarray and Spartacus on the floor. 

"Huh.. What.." Spartcus slowly opened his eyes and felt the sting of the sunlight almost burn them.

"Stay the hell out of my whisky if your going to tare up your room like this. Damn... Look at your self man.. Shit." Salvatore picked up the empty glass that had been tossed onto the floor. 

Spartacus pushed himself up and groaned as he looked around at the broken desk, and looked around to his entire room destroyed. 

"Damn birds are even wondering what the hell you did look.." Salvatore pointed to a crow that sat on the window ledge and shook his head.

It had luckily been a long while since the apperitions had come to see Spartacus, and he had almost let them go out of his mind. Every now and again the bird would come by and peck at his window just to remind him, but even that had seemed to become quiet as he went about his days in Detroit. Having a relaxing night out on the town had become one of his favorite things to do on Sunday evenings, and slowly he trudged back from the bar. 

Kicking a small rock he watched it and smiled as it bounced down the street coming to rest at the light pole he could see from his windown of his room. Reaching the light pole he stopped and picked up the rock. The alchol he had consumed made him seem a bit enthralled by the shiny pebble and he rolled it in his hands for a bit. Looking up he saw the light he left on in his room and just stood there a moment. Feeling a chill come over him he let the rock drop from his hand and he stared harder up into his room. 

A shadow briedly went by his window and he watched as the lights dimmed in front of him. "Who the hell is in my room." Immediatly all thoughts of relaxation left as Spartacus ran across the street and into the HQ. Throwing open the doors he watched as a few in the family stared at him as if he had become a lunatic, but he didn't stop as he ran up the stairs into his room. Pulling his gun out as he reached his door he drew in a breath, and then flung the door open. 

He stood there and much to his surprise he saw nothing there, no one, not even a trace of someone. Walking over to where he kept his money he opened the box, and saw that it was all still there untouched. 

"Spartacus.." He heard a faint voice behind him and he turned. "Spartacus.." The familiar fear came over him as again he heard his name. This voice was mocking him it seemed as it was the sound of his own, and he flung around with his gun in hand. 

"Spartacus. Why do you not understand." Suddenly Spartacus felt a hard thus against the back of his head and the cold floor reached his face faster then he could brace for it. Turning over he felt the mans foot step hard on his chest, and all the weight of the intruder knocked the air from his lungs. Trying to focus he finally caught the site of the man and his eyes opened wide in confusion. 

"Just like in a mirror huh?" The man held a sword on his hip, and wore almost the identical clothes that Spartacus had been picked up by Sal in. 

"The hell do you think you are sporting around, relaxing, drinking... What's your name?" The man dug his foot into Spartacus's chest hard. Spartacus tried to talk but had no air left to be able to do anything but mouth the words his lips so wanted to say. 

"Weak, your nothing but weak.. and to think...." The man suddenly lifted his foot, but just as Spartacus took in a deep gasp of air he was stunned the hardest kick to the ribs he had ever felt, and the sound of his bones cracking made his stomach simply turn. Pain reeched over his entire body and he couldn't do anything but curl into a ball on the floor. 

"And you think you could ever be a gladiator.. Your not even a man.." Another hard kick left him broken and gasping for air. 

"You need us Spartacus.. You need us more then I thought you did." The voice roared in his ear and then Spartacus felt the darkness simply draw him in.