Roof of the Lincoln Center, New York, 1966, Father's day, 11:50 PM Day 0
"You really shoulda taken the deal Johnny."
"You should fall over dead, Dick."
"I'm Matty."
"I know what I said, Dick."
Johnathan stood on the ledge, looking at the brilliant skyline of his home... There were definitely worse things to see at the end. He took a slow pull of the courtesy cigar his future murderer so graciously provided. Johnathan thought he knew how his life would end, ever since WWII, he thought it would be at be at the wrong end of a gun... and he was half right... it just wasn't pointing at him.
A quick glance down and he could see dozens of white hats with a blood red bands. The Don's men, all of them carrying small arms if words were to believed. Johnathan gave himself a mental pat down, seeing what he could do with what he had. A brand new Colt revolver, badge, new Zippo, fresh pack of Lucky Strike, wallet, and 50 bullet bundle for his gun... 56 shots. He could run and gun down all these bastards, use their own guns against them along the way.
"But not before they kill my family."
"...I knew I should have just stayed home tonight."
11:54 PM
"We wouldda just caught ya somewheres else Detective... But I tink you know that." Matty stood just behind the ill fated man, puffing away on another Cigar. He was unarmed as per the Don's many instructions. This was by and far the weirdest kill job he had ever been given. Apparently the Good detective was in the same Platoon as the Don during the war, which afforded him some extra care.
"Oh? I knew that saving a life 20 odd years ago was gonna bite me in the ass like this? Shut up Matty, Ya Dick..." Johnathan took another deep pull and watched the smoke billow away in wind, the music in the hall while muffled by walls was clearly audible... It's slow and sorrowful, with occasionally flashes of anger, drumbeats like gunfire... Accardi was a thorough bastard, Gotta give him that.
"Wish I could... Here, 11:55. A last drink, He said a fine scotch would do yous' good." Pouring a double... then just filling the tumbler outright and offering it to Johnathan. "For what it's worth... You're taking this rather calm."
"I don't have much choice in it now do I?" looking at the glass and sipping at the booze, this is the expensive shit... oh Sweet lord it's smooth. "Tastes like someone pissed in an oil can." Dropping the tumbler off the roof and listening for the smash against the ground. Like he was gonna give them any satisfaction...
The music picked up it's pace just a bit... he was supposed to fall from this roof, or his pregnant wife and daughters inside would be taken out at precisely midnight as per the Don's instruction. One investigation too many had sealed Johnathan's fate, but that's the dice you roll being in the homicide department. Ah... here it is, the climax is coming soon. He's been gone for a good 20 minutes. "I wonder where they think I went..."
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"The Boss just want's you to know one more thing... Out of respect for the sacrifice you make tonight. Your family won't be touched, or shamed neither... he actually plans on helping them out after your body is discovered... in about a week."
"...Why the hell does he take things this far? Never mind I don't want to know." Looking back over the edge, he could see where the tumbler of scotch had shattered, he could also see a group of the white hats readying themselves... a rug to roll him up in, and if Johnathan had to guess... buckets of water to wash up the remains, they had a 20 minute window to erase any trace of his tumble.
"Good bye Mr. Middleton." Listening to the music and watching the time, 11:58 pm. The exact moment the song ended, he would have to push Johnathan off.
"Hey Matty." Johnathan turned around to face the young idiot, puffing on the cigar between words to work up a good cherry. "Do yourself a favor kid, pick up ya shit and run... before you end up like me." as a last act of defiance, He flicked the cigar at Matty's face, the ash blinding him. Johnathan instead of stepping off or jumping, simply leaned back into the open air and fell. Watching the midnight sky as his song ended. "All in all, not a bad way to go."
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"What's going on here? why aren't I dead yet?" Taking his eyes off the abyss of the sky, he tried to roll as he fell, to face the ground, only to find it wasn't there anymore. More lights... stars? "Is... is this it? Was it so fast I didn't even notice?"
Looking around at the Infinite night and then himself. He was still there, charcoal grey suit and all. Still falling as the stars grew closer, and louder? He could hear chatter and some tell tale honks of cars. Thoroughly confused, he leaned in to look at the 'Stars' and nearly had a heart attack as he was brought forward to it. crashing into it for a moment, it looked like any other city he's been to... cars were a bit- oh- it's gone.
Falling through the stars yet again, now that he's gotten used to the brightness, he can see into the others. Cites, sounds and great amounts of people. It felt like he'd be falling for a while at this rate...
"New Yoooork! Concrete Jungle where-..." Well that's one he hasn't heard before... alot of these weren't ones he heard of before... It was getting hard to tell to tell which stars were his New York or somewhere else entirely. It seems like more and more of these stars appeared as he fell through them. Each with new oddities and marvels, Deserts of blue sands, floating isles, the scariest by far was when he fell through what he could only guess was an active war. But he continued to fall for what felt like hours. No hunger or thirst nor need for sleep.
"So this is death... it's not that bad... for Purgatory?" It wasn't Heaven that much he was sure about, and hell was supposed to burn more apparently. So purgatory felt right...ish. Overall it's pretty calming these glimpses into... well they didn't all feel like Earth... the universe at large? Other worlds? ...Not really his problem anymore. "...That looks like a big one... a really big one, some village? Grey stone and blue tile, would have been nice to visit wi-SHIT!"
Much like the first tug that sent him hurtling through the constellations, it was fast at first but slowed as he approached, just enough for him to really get a look, passing through the light just above what was an outdoor market. Falling for real onto a blue tiled roof. "DAMN!" so far anything physical he fazed right through... what's going on now? He tumbled down the roof and onto a market stall, thankfully with a cloth roof, and through onto the produce. "...Damn..."
The stall owner was already beginning to cuss him out for ruining his product, and Johnathan was too beat up to really move well, so he sat there and took it... not like he understood what the guy was saying... some kind of freaky French. pulling his pack out and putting one in his mouth while he waited for some kind of paramedic team to appear. Things had gotten very quiet. "What? Never seen a man smoke... before?" looking at the stunned owner with an equally stunned look. "What in the hell is going on with your ears?"
The Elfen man stared at the finely dressed mage as he lit fire without so much as an arcane conductor, let alone words of power and quickly shut his mouth. Lest he was going to end up as little chunks in the streets.