Long time no see

Well let see what was happening last time I updated Fade was being weird and Sarah had just become part of the group, now to what's happened since..... Malice is Dead. Sarah killed him because he tried to kill me, I still don't understand properly what happened, apparently it was part of the plan, that it was his job to kill me, it's what Fade said. Though why would Fade want me dead he's had plenty of chances to kill me already and he could have taken any number of them to do it, maybe Malice's association with the Doctor finally got to him, got sick in the head. Saying all that however I can't help but feel nothing about his death, it didn't affect me apart from prolonging my life and we never got that close even in the time Fade went missing. This means though that the most sane person in the house is now dead, how much longer can I hold out against the insanity that surrounds me, Fade's got me going on jobs with him, I must have killed more than 30 people in the past couple of months, I feel like I'm slowly slipping away, just becoming a toy ticking away, aimlessly wandering and one day the spring will just uncoil.

I'm gonna tell you about a job I went on a few days ago with Fade, which despite the heat he still wore a suit for. We were apparently going to face a group of Runners and scare them a bit, it didn't turn out that way unfortunately. We got there at midday when the temperature was about 30 Celsius outside meaning more likely than not they'd be in the building they've been using to hide in. Fade opened a side door and checked there was no one inside waiting to ambush us, he came back and told me to be careful, I felt this was a bit too easy as well but we pressed on, 5 minutes later after searching we couldn't find anyone in the building Fade just assumed it was a bad tip off and that someone had made a mistake, until it happened. The walls of the room around us blew in towards us pelting us with bits of brick and paint, with this a man stepped out;

Mysterious man: Well, well, well, if it isn't the infamous Muse, drenched in the blood of enough innocents and devils to fill an ocean, am I not right.
Fade: So you're the one who's been looking for me, I presume?
Mm: Of course I am, you wouldn't come to me so I decided to come to you instead and I need a grand entrance didn't I, though finding you wasn't as easy as I expected some of the people I asked must have been more afraid of you than me because they gave me incorrect information and apparently told you someone was looking for you.
F: True, though I think it's foolish to challenge me if you value a life where you want to see the sun set today.
Mm: That would be true but I have a feeling you'll be re acquainted with an old fear of yours, though that's just what I believe, since you are the most senior I'll let you take the first move.
F: You make it sound like we're playing chess, alright pawn to D3.

With that Fade threw a knife he had concealed up his sleeve and putting his hand behind his back vanished from sight. The man sidestepped the knife like it was nothing, I saw Fade appear behind him a moment later and with shock saw the man holding Fades arm which had his truncheon in it, with a smile he let go and punched the man in the gut causing him to double over. With this he vanished again only to reappear in the same position but holding his truncheon ready to swing it up to the guys head, it connected with a sickening crack as it connected with his jaw bone, I seriously thought it was over at that point... but then he stood up and chuckled.

Mm: you're as fast as they say and improvise very well, though I still don't think it will be enough to kill me.
F: Obviously, though I would expect you usually to be rolling around on the floor trying to cry out behind the blood and broken jaw you should have gotten.
Mm: What can I say, we're two of a kind.

He ran at Fade who I expected to vanish but instead to the hit right to the stomach, he didn't even flinch. The man continued to punch Fade in the face the gut, he even got Fade on the floor once but let him back up.

Mm: And resilient *he said between breaths*
F: Well it will obviously take more than that to kill me.

Fade vanished once more, the unsettling thing is the man smiled when he vanished raised his arm up and a moment later Fade appeared in front of him caught by the neck and trying to raise himself with the toes of his shoes.

Mm: I know I just needed to find out what you could do and take.

The man was suddenly very frightening this is the first time I'd seen Fade in trouble before, the first time I'd seen him..... scared. The man bent down with Fade and picked up a brick from the floor, he then continued to smash Fade in the head with it over and over, until blood came gushing from his nose and seeping from his scalp. This is when the man dropped Fade in a heap on the floor, he started doing something weird, he started taking Fade's tie off , then his blazer and his shirt revealing a bunch of dotted lines on his arm and chest, running his finger across each one until he finally spoke again.

Mm: You see killing you would not do this victory justice, if you died you wouldn't feel the despair I want you to feel, and this will start with me wiping out some of your little pets. All I have to decide is which one will be the first victim * He traced his finger along the lines until he came to one of the segments* how about this one, little thing she is having her 7th birthday thanks to you, maybe I'll choose her take some of that hard fought time for myself, or maybe this one nice young bloke 15 years old, just too young for you to kill, just found a girlfriend he has how nice. *His fingers slid along to 5 marks on his chest above his heart* Or this one the child that can't be yours, or the woman, still hoping.

Fade struggled trying to get up but the man took the brick again and brought it down between Fade's legs, Fade curled up obviously in agony, yet the man didn't relent.

Mm: No, they are for the final symphony of your despair I think I'll be satisfied with three of them.

He took Fade's arm and gripped his arm around it, again Fade writhed as much as he could, as much to free himself as he did in pain. the man stopped and I saw that three of the marks on his arm had vanished, after that all I heard was Fade's shattered breathing s he breathed through the blood collecting i his mouth and what turned out to be a fractured jaw. This was only broken by  a steady tapping like someone walking in dress shoes, A woman appeared in a tight shirt and three quarter shorts obviously dressed for the weather, she came up to the man and told him to stop.

Woman: You've made him suffer enough now I need to talk to him.
Mm: Yes Ma'am
W: Fade how far you've fallen, some may have said you were the strongest person connected to the Fears in the UK, but now look at you nice and broken like everyone you leave behind. Though don't worry, like he said we won't kill you. *She sat down on Fade's lap causing him to convulse in pain, she lent down so that her red hair brushed against his face obscuring it for a second before she pulled it back* Though when we do it will hurt much more than this.

She bounced back up to her feet, eliciting another grunt of pain form Fade, and as quickly as they both appeared they were gone, it too much coincidence that our doctor tried to kill me so soon before we would need him to patch up Fade, who right now is bandaged up in every way imaginable, he can't move I think he just lies there and thinks, and prays that they don't make good on their promise.