Paul is gone...

This is Anna, I'm going to try to explain, as best I can, the final fight of Paul Rayfield... I realize now this is why I was involved with Paul, with his story, with his life.

Why after his friends were thought lost, why I met him, and Mike, and Angel, and the Oracle....

I was meant to close out his story, to put write his last chapter....

We didn't leave a note last night before we left to face Antonio, Mike and Angel stayed behind, I went with Paul, Vergil, and Vergil's team, Vergil advised we needed the element of surprise, and given Paul's habit of giving those little "Just in case I die" Messages before it hits the fan.....

Anyways I'm wasting word count, Antonio was held up in an abandoned restaurant, Paul seemed to recognize the place, and gave a sort of rough layout for Vergil's team...

They went in both the front and the back, I didn't see what happened to Vergil's team, just after allot of shooting, and screaming, all the guns went Silent, it was at this point I snuck in, just out of sight....

I saw Paul and Vergil facing off against Antonio, the Black Bokken, was more of, what's the word, a Cestus with a long blade sticking out of it. Paul asked Antonio to stand down

"Sorry, You want Maya alive, you BOTH DIE" Antonio bellowed
"Aw, and here I thought we were old friends Hoody?" Vergil snickered out
"Save it Vergil! You said my only options was for me to die, or lose Maya for good? Sorry friend, I'm opting for a third option, I beat you and save the girl, how does that sound" Paul spoke out in a confident, but unwell tone,

Antonio gave a classic slasher smile "Like Classic you, hopelessly naive."

I can't believe how fast Antonio Moved, Vergil opened up with that rapid fire shotgun of his, and only hit the walls before Antonio actually kicked him out of the building, leaving Paul, with that weird "Fade Katana" trick he had been working on the last few days.

You know, I know the stronger of a blade he could create, the closer he was to his end, and he looked like he was one foot in the grave all day yesterday, big bags under his eyes, pale, he actually looked like his weight was dropping off as he starting to fade away slowly. he looked more like a walking corpse than the strong man we knew him to be.

Anyways Paul's moves were, fluid, almost ethereal, like a man in the peak of health, rather than facing his last hours on earth, Paul was stabbed once in the stomach, and he was bleeding. But Paul struck he last blow, a powerful, deep strike down Antonio's chest. The blade seemed to cut through Antonio's telekinetic defenses.

"I'm real sorry my friend" Paul was crying as he swung down, taking Antonio's head to end his suffering... he let out a cry of anguish afterwards.

Vergil made it back in the building, he looked pretty shocked as well, I mean Vergil called Antonio is "Rival"... I must of figured that maybe he thought that he would of struck the last blow...

Paul picked up the Bokken.... and the creepiness returned with the color in his face. He didn't smile, he didn't look satisfied with himself...

Paul never told us how he was going to get his love back, but he said he had an idea.

Paul shouted "HEY SLENDY, GET THE FUCK OUT HERE, I GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU, YOU BASTARD!!!"

To say he looked pissed, well that was putting it mildly, I don't know how I looked hugging a wall, but Vergil, well his calm composure was gone at that point. "Paul what the hell are you doing?"

Paul ignored him and went around smacking stuff with the Bokken shouting the Slenderman's name, trying to get it's attention.

It would of been okay, let him rant a bit, call out the horrid monster that was stalking us all, and hoped nothing happen, that would of been fine

But we all got a chill, we all looked in the same direction, and there was the god damn monster itself...

None of us spoke, we all felt like we made a terrible mistake at that point, well at least I did, Paul shook off the fear, looking less sick as the Bokken held his soul in place, he stammered for a second, before closing his eyes, finding his center, smirked and spoke

"So you made a deal with my friend over there right? So I'm going to make you a deal right now, this thing" We waived the Bokken tentatively "Well this can hurt you, or pass for hurting you right?, and you would rather see it out of Runner hands I'm sure, so were going to make a trade."

I looked at him, I felt my heart sink, I felt the urge to scream, but I couldn't muster the will to do so... I wanted to tell him to stop, to not do this, we just fought so hard for the Bokken so we could keep him on this earth, he was going to throw it away now!

"Give me Maya, and you can have this!"

Vergil and I was shocked, our Jaws were damn near on the floor when he said that...

The slenderman, without speaking, but clear as day said "Deal"

I blinked out of reflex, and she was there, literally just like that, not coherent but looking around, she saw Paul, Vergil, me, but she didn't speak, the slenderman released her and she took a few steps towards us before dropping to the floor

Paul stepped beside her and tossed the Bokken to the Slenderman, who caught it with a Tentacle... and with another forced Blink. It was gone...

Paul; laughed... then crumpled to the floor next to her, on his knees he cradled her, I couldn't hear what was said, but even in the girls half dazed half crazed state, she smile and mouthed what I saw was "I love you"

Paul started to, I guess the words I'm looking for is "crumble into light", I guess the Bokken not being in our world anymore speed up the process of his fading, they kissed one more time, and he looked at us both and said his last words.

"I wish I had more time" with a tear filled smile....

Then he was gone... he faded completely.

So now you know the end of Paul's story, and the start of ours, I plan on keeping the blog going out of memory for him, maybe he'll find a way to comeback someday, Kinda like Obi-Wan or something. But he's gone from our world.

Maya is sleeping on the couch, she's not talking and is only in god knows what mental state she's in, it's not good.

Vergil I guess volunteered to contact a couple other runners Paul knew to break the bad news. he said he would stop by before leaving, but his mission is over, and he frankly could not stay for long past this night.

The Oracle, left once we broke the news to him, he said "Paul's going to need a guide in the fade" Before leaving, it's kinda reassuring that he's not alone out there.

Angel, Mike, Maya, and Myself carry on, and we'll keep carrying on for now, I'm not stupid enough to believe were out of the woods yet, but we got a bit of a breather for right now, we'll live a day at a time.

We'll live... We'll live.