[HumanePain]

Chapter 1

The raindrops were few but large as they fell from the dark clouds hanging low in the overcast sky, frequent enough to cause umbrellas to sprout from the mourners like mushrooms feasting on decaying matter.

This was appropriate as the ten pallbearers carried the ornate and heavy casket of the late Werner Von Paine to his mausoleum, a polished dark marble and granite mansion of detailed workmanship and grandeur, twin Iconic columns flanking the now open wrought iron and copper gate that was the ingress into eternal peace and decay.

Crimson Von Paine, declining a mourner's veil looked at the casket with open and tearing eyes, facing her adoptive father's demise with bravery and pride. She was a Von Paine, and accepted what must be.
Renatus, her lover and her charge to protect and defend as his bodyguard, stood grim and silent beside her, but his hand was warm as he held Crimson's.

The sound of steel against stone was heard as the casket was moved into its final display, and then exiting the mausoleum, Renatus stepped forward and shut the gate with a firm click and then locked it. He turned and handed the key to Crimson who held it up to her bosom and looked down. Renatus turned and faced the mourners: Dr Thorn, Jillian and many others of The Clan of the Turret Castle, and began to speak.

"Our beloved Von Paine...my friend...Werner...will live forever in our hearts and minds. He taught us with patience, led us with determination and confidence, and guided us with foresight. I will do my best to continue his leadership. I will need your help, all of your help and together we will resume our noble task and purpose. I will miss Werner, we all will, but he would not want us to be sad or stricken into inaction, but he would want us to see this as natural, and most important he would want us to enjoy life while we have it, and to continue until we meet our fate."

He became silent, looked at Crimson and took her hand, and together they walked to the motorcar. The mourners took turns leaving flowers at the gate of the dark and solid mausoleum, and said their goodbyes.

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The pretty brunette nurse opened the door for the policeman. "Prisoner checkup." She smiled at the handsome young officer, and recognized Emil Von Troop in the wheelchair and knew that this was the day he would have his leg cast removed. The cast removal tools were already in place as she prepared for the appointment that morning. She held the door open for the policeman as he wheeled the handcuffed Von Troop in and then she left to fetch the on duty doctor. The prisoner, injured when Von Paine broke his leg (in self defense of course) was wheeled into the room. The officer smiled at the nurse and asked:

"Any coffee? Last time I was here you had donuts too."

"I remembered how much you liked those donuts, so I brought you some today!"

"Well! Mighty kind of you...Miss...Miss..."

"Sally! Just call me Sally... Officer..."

"Abe." He smiled and offered his elbow to Sally to walk towards the coffee room. The he stopped. He turned around and looked at Von Troop, who merely looked back. Officer Abe was taking no chances and went back to the prisoner, and taking the handcuffs from his belt, cuffed the prisoner to the examination table which was bolted to the hospital floor.

"There. You ain't going anywhere." He smirked and then went back to Sally who took his arm and began telling him how brave he was.

Von Troop smiled and looked at the tool set. He grabbed the cast shears and began working the short chain on the handcuffs. Not to cut, but the opposite: he inserted the nose of the shears into one of the links, and then forced it open with the power of leverage. He then wildly cut the cast off his leg and left down the hallway in the opposite direction.

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Molly McKenzie heard the morning breakfast pram wheeling down the jail corridor. The door slot opened and a tray of food was slid through. The redhead sighed and took the tray and opened the napkin.
Writing! On the napkin!

"Be ready when the thunder is loud"

Molly smiled!