Note: I wrote this for a story that I wrote a long time ago and it's very bad. Everyone in my family hated it, all save my cousin, so I never did anything with it. But now that I have your attention, well, here is the prologue. Please tell me what you think, review please. I want to see if you agree with my family.

Prologue Greg's Last Dance

The night air outside the church was still and cool. It wasn't the coldest night but for late February it was quite cool compared to the warm weather they had been having in Greenville, South Carolina. An ice storm, one of the worse it decades the weatherman had said, had damaged many building, left countless trees down and scattered, and on top of all of that it had left thousands of people without electricity. Many didn't have power for three days and only shelters and fireplaces could keep them warm.
Greg Edenfield had been one of those unlucky people who had been left without power for three days and the only way he had managed to stay warm was to gather frost-covered logs from his shed and burn them on his stove. He had cooked his scarce meals that way too, if he hadn't been in the mood for a sandwich, but most of the time turkey or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches had done the job. But that had been three weeks ago and now everybody, including him, had power and he wasn't too upset about it anymore.
He had been waiting anxiously for his best friend's upcoming wedding and finally it had arrived. He was to be the best man and now as Greg stood next to the preacher, he felt overjoyed for his best friend's good fortune and frankly, he was just overjoyed to be there. His life hadn't been going well, even before the ice storm, and the ice storm had messed him up big time. It was now worse but he was willing to forget about all of that, it was in the past, and now he was going to enjoy his friend's wedding night.
Hopefully this will be me one day, Greg thought to himself as he watched Carrie, his friend's bride-to-be walk down the aisle with her dad at her arm. He smiled and looked at Michael, his friend, who had a bigger smile on his face; a smile that showed nothing but teeth. I'm happy for him, he needs a good marriage. And Carrie's a nice girl.
Greg was so deep in thought that he barely noticed when Carrie stopped next to Michael and the wedding actually began. He listened to everything and participated where he needed to, never letting the smile disappear from his face. Greg finally heard the preacher pronounce them husband and wife and he joined in on the clapping and cheering that the guests all began as they all stood up in there seats.
"Congratulations Michael," Greg told his friend, giving him a hug and a pat on the back. "Carrie." He turned to her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations. You will both be great together."
"Thank you, Greg," Carrie replied hugging back. He pulled away and received another hug from Michael with a "thanks man," before his friend pulled away. Both the bride and groom had huge smiles on their faces.
"Remember Michael," Greg said smiling. "You'll be the best man at my wedding." Michael laughed and nodded. After that, Greg joined the rest of the guests and new couple at the large tables of refreshments where everyone began a joyous celebration for the happiness in the room.
Greg ate at least two large platefuls of the magnificent feast set out before them and he talked with everyone that he saw. He even met one of the bridesmaids, who he had known in college, and began a peaceful conversation with her. He had had his eye on her in college and now remembered it. He had even been friends with her in college but that had been four years ago and since then he hadn't seen her at all. His job after college had made him travel, but he was well off and enjoyed it.
He was a lawyer at a small firm, one that he started, but so far he had been blessed with enough jobs to keep him in fair water, where he had a nice house, a nice car, and a good life. Sure, ties with his family were bad and he had been to a number of funerals the past several months, but other then that he was well off.
I'm not going to think about it, he told himself firmly. I'm here to have a good time and be supportive of my friend and his new wife. Carrie and Michael were meant for each other and I'm not going to let this joyous night be wasted. I should speak with them.
He hoped he was getting along with everyone and that he wasn't annoying anyone. Many people said he was over talkative and sometimes even annoying. He was working on it, to stop it at least. It was the least he could do to get along better with people. Well, he couldn't change being talkative, its what his job entailed but annoying? He didn't think he was but then again, he might be and he could work on that. He was trying to work on it. He didn't want to make many enemies outside of his job and now was not the best time to make enemies. Not at his best friend's wedding anyway.
Why are you thinking about it now fool? Greg asked himself laughing. Just have a good time.
During a couple of fast songs, then one of two slow songs, Greg began to dance and sing loudly. He had had many people comment on his singing skills. "You're the worse singer in the world," or "You're going to kill us all!" Dancing wasn't his strong point either so he stayed near the back and saw that a fast loud song was what everyone needed to wake them up. There had been a large keg of strong beer at the end of the room but Greg had promised himself that he wasn't going to drink a single glass. He wasn't a drinker on a normal day but since it was almost midnight, the wedding seemed to be nowhere near an end, and he had a drive ahead of him to get home, Greg decided not to even pick up a glass of beer.
After the song Greg calmed himself down a bit. He could already feel the weaknesses of being tired overcoming him, so he walked over to Michael and Carrie, who were talking with Carrie's parents. "Hey, Mike, Carrie, I'm going to head home in a little while. I'm getting tired. It was a great wedding. And congratulations again."
He hugged both of them again after they each gave him a thank you and then he said good-bye to Carrie's parents, even though he didn't know them that well. Greg walked back to the table and got another piece of cake and slowly ate it as he sat down and watched the remaining people at the wedding have a good time. Many had said their good-byes and had left earlier but a few still remained. He knew that Mike and Carrie had a limo coming to pick them up late and they were going to stay to the end, well, until everyone left that is and then they were going to leave and head out for their honeymoon. He didn't remember if he had told them to have a good time yet but he had brought up the part about bringing back their friends a small souvenir, which they had laughed at and agreed. He didn't expect to receive one, he had been just kidding around with them, but knowing Mike and Carrie they were going to get him one anyway.
After his last bite of cake, Greg stood up and threw his paper plate and plastic fork away. He didn't want to give the cooks more dishes to wash so he made it easy on them and himself. He grabbed his coat that was hanging on a peg near the front down and donned it on. As he opened the door to leave, a slow song came on that he loved to dance to and turned back around, allowing the door to slam shut behind him. He could spare a couple of minutes to dance. It wouldn't kill anyone if he stayed a few extra minutes.
Approaching the bridesmaid that he had known in college, he asked her, "Terri, would you care to dance?"
"Sure."
They moved to the dance floor, where the new couple was dancing along with other couples that were there. He danced as gracefully as he could, which wasn't saying much, but Terri made as many mistakes as he had so she couldn't complain about anything. They had both been pretty awful at dancing as the song ended, but Greg realized that he had the best last dance he could ever dream of.
As they walked back to the wall, Terri asked, "Greg would you care to come home with me tonight. I haven't seen you in four years. We have a lot of things to catch up on. Like what's been happening with you and if you became a lawyer?" She smiled at him and he nearly killed himself for having that early court case tomorrow. Today was supposed to be the day that he relaxed and then he was going to have a hectic time with this defendant that he was working with. And he knew the prosecution was going to drill into him and defeat him tomorrow if he didn't know his facts backwards and forwards.
"Ah, I'm sorry Terri but I can't," he replied calmly but angrily. He wasn't angry with her but he was furious at himself. "I have an early court case tomorrow and I have to get home and get ready for it. I need to get as much sleep as possible though. And yes, I am a lawyer as much as I may hate it now. I would have loved to come to your house though." He thought about it and he saw the disappointed look on her face. "How about we get a cup of coffee tomorrow at twelve? It's my lunch break. How about at Café Lorraine in town?"
"Sure, it sounds great," Terri replied smiling back at him. The disappointing look seemed to have disappeared from her face. "Tomorrow at Café Lorraine at twelve? I'll be there. Good night, Greg. Be careful tonight. It's dark."
"Good night," he answered leaning forward to give her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "I will be careful. You be careful too." She nodded and he turned to leave. He walked calmly to the door of the church and buttoned up his coat. As he opened the door he realized that it was colder then he had originally thought and the weather had cooled down since the time he had gotten to the church today.
Greg's silver Lexus was parked next to the church, cast in the church's shadow, or it would have been, had the night had a moon. But to his surprise, no moon was present but the sky was cloudless and clear. Every single bright dot of a star could be seen if he had been standing in a clear patch of land. But he didn't worry about a moonless night or the fact that the stars could be seen.
All he thought about was the date he had planned for tomorrow. He could see a future with Terri once he got to know her, as if they had been best friends the last four years but that would take a couple of months. He didn't like planning ahead, he thought it was bad luck, but maybe, just maybe, Mike could be his best man pretty soon.
Digging into his coat pocket, Greg produced the keys to his car and opened the driver side door. Sliding into the cool Lexus seat he closed the door behind him and started the car. The cold air outside tired its hardest to push in on him so he began to run the heat at once.
He pulled out of the church parking lot and started down the long back road to his house. He lived a little outside of town and it took him a couple of minutes to reach the road, which was barricaded on both sides with thick forests of tall evergreen and oak trees. It was creepy driving out here at night but he managed to do it almost every night.
Turning on the radio to the local rock station, Greg began to sing again. His mood was good despite the fact of the long case tomorrow that he was hoping he could finish and be done with. He doubted it would happen though but he could hope against hope. As he sang, with high beams on, he realized that no one else was on the back road. Of course it was midnight and no one was out at midnight, which was quite strange for a Thursday night.
"Why couldn't they have gotten married on the weekend?" Greg asked himself wryly. He was tired and his body was weak from dancing. His muscles wanted to all shut down but he was fighting them. He was dead tired and nearly asleep; it wasn't the best time for him to be on the road.
Suddenly the high beams of the Lexus fell upon a large branch lying in the middle of the road. Greg was barely awake and didn't see it in time. His low riding car hit it and he heard something tear, as the branch broke apart beneath the wheels of the car. He had been doing nearly sixty and was surprised that he hadn't had a wreck.
Cursing under his breath, Greg pulled the silver Lexus off the road onto a long dirt and gravel patch. Dust rose as he skid to a sudden halting stop and turned the car off, leaving the lights on so he could see. It was dark out with no moon and he needed some light to work by.
"Great," he shouted as he took the keys and opened the door. Slamming the door closed behind him, Greg shoved the keys into his coat pocket as he walked to the front of the car and slowly opened the silver hood. "Just perfect. This is not what I need. Not tonight!"
He couldn't see a thing, so leaving the hood open; Greg walked back to the driver side door and searched for a flashlight in vain. He didn't find one but knew he had to do something before he was stuck out here for the night. His cell phone was dead and even if it had been working, he knew he wouldn't have been able to get any coverage out here in the middle of nowhere.
"Great!" Greg shouted kicking his tire with his shoe. He was angry. He needed sleep and he knew that if he didn't start walking, he wasn't going to get any. But town was a good ten miles away and that would take him a while, especially at night.
Distant headlights coming around a bend in the road made his hopes lift and he ran to the middle of the street to flag the car down. The car was coming from the direction of town, the direction he had come from and he was hoping that it was someone else from Mike's wedding that might know him somehow. If it wasn't he could still hope that they'd stop.
"Hey!" Greg yelled happily, waving his arms like a fool. "Hey! I broke down! I need some help. Hey!" As the car got closer, he noticed that they hadn't turned off their high beams but they were slowing and before he knew it, a small brown truck pulled off the road and stopped behind his car, with high beams still blinding. He didn't mind though. As long as someone had stopped to help him, he didn't care what they did.
He heard the truck's driver side door open, but he could barely see it; the high beams were blinding him. A tall man stepped out of the truck and left the door open. The man stood facing him with his arms at his sides, but Greg couldn't make out what the man looked like. The high beams were blurring his vision and all he could see was that the man was wearing a small bowlers hat on his head and long hair fell out of it to his shoulders.
Desperately trying to shield his eyes from the blaring lights, Greg looked at the man from behind his arm and yelled, "Hey! Hey buddy, I broke down and my cell phone isn't working! I hit a branch and I think it cut something on my car but I can't see a thing. You wouldn't happen to have a flashlight would you? Or a cell phone?"
The man merely stared at Greg and Greg began to wonder if a madman how just pulled over to help him. Perhaps the man just didn't hear him. The wind was strong and the man's truck was still running. Possibly it was an older man who just couldn't hear too well. That's all it was. All he needed to do was speak louder.
"Hey buddy, are you going to stand there all day or are you going to help me?" Greg yelled loudly. "I would really appreciate it if you did help me! What'd you say? Are you going to help me?" The man didn't move and Greg's hope sank again. "I know it's late but if you help me, we can both get home! If you don't want to, I understand. Just leave then, but if you are going to stay then please help me."
Greg watched as the man turned on the gravel and started walking to the cab of his truck. By the sound of his heavy step, the man was wearing boots that crunched the gravel beneath them. "Thank you!" Greg yelled as he looked after the man and slowly started walking backwards, back towards the hood of his car.
The tall man leaned down in his cab and brought out something long and heavy by the look of it. Possibly a toolbox, or one of those heavy-duty flashlights that the cops used. Greg didn't know but he didn't know how to repay this man for helping him. He really appreciated this help.
Greg walked to the hood and leaned down over it, to try to get a better look at the engine or what might have caused the cut, if there was one. He knew he was just being paranoid, but he needed his car and it was better to pull over and check rather then to drive and have an accident. He heard the sound of gravel crunching and heavy boots approaching at a faster rate. The man was coming towards him fast, to offer him help, but before he could think the sound stopped.
Pulling his head out from underneath the hood, Greg leaned against the grill with his left hand on the metal frame of the car. "Ahh!" He shouted as his eyes fell upon the tall man standing next to him, towering at least a foot over him, with his entire face clouded in darkness. The man's bowler hat was still on his head and he wore a brown jacket made of jean material. The object the man was carrying was hidden behind the Lexus but Greg hoped it was a tool or flashlight. Greg laughed and continued, "I'm sorry. You just startled me for a moment. I didn't expect you to get over here that fast. Did you.!"
Before he could finish, the man's empty hand came up and knocked the metal rod, which held the hood up, down and slammed the hood down with a violent force and angry speed. As the hood caught Greg's left hand between it and the top of the metal frame, Greg heard every bone in his left hand crush and shatter.
"Ahhh!" Greg yelled in dying agony as he began to shake all over. He frantically grabbed the hood and lifted it a foot to pull his demolished hand free. "Bloody hell! What the hell are you doing?" He took a few steps away from the man in terror and cradled his bloody, deformed hand in horror. "What are you doing?"
The tall man took a step towards him and brought out a long brown handled, heavy black headed sledgehammer, which was the object in his hands. Greg continued to back away, never taking his eyes from the sledgehammer but the man matched his step with one of his own. Now the man stood in the headlights of the Lexus and all Greg could see was the man's outline, not any feature on him, except for the bowler's hat.
Turning his back to the man, Greg tried desperately to run but he only managed a single step. The heavy head of the sledgehammer collided with his thigh and pushed him to the right. Greg screamed in deafening anguish as his pelvis bone fractured in two separate places. Greg gasped in horror as his legs gave way and he fell to his knees and hands, his left hand bending back as the bones gave way completely.
What's happening to me? Greg asked himself. This has to be a dream. This can't happen to me. I have a court case tomorrow and then I have a date. I have a date with Terri and I can't miss it. This might be the major turning point of my life. What's happening to me?
Greg turned his upper body to look up at the man as he painfully pushed himself up to his knees. Pain overwhelmed him and he nearly passed out from it. One single movement signaled hundreds of pain sensors that all went off at once. He couldn't believe what was happening to him.
"What are you doing to me?"
As the man brought the sledge behind him and swung it forward, Greg watched with a dreadful frown. The only thing that was going through his head as the sledgehammer connected with his left temple was the anger at himself for not taking up Terri's offer of going home with her tonight. The evening would have turned out differently.

The head of the sledgehammer connected with Greg's head and the tall man standing over him heard Greg's jaw crack and his skull shatter in a bloody mess, as Greg fell in a dead heap to the dirt covered ground. Swinging the bloody sledgehammer up, the tall man rested it on his shoulder and looked down at Greg's dead body.
A large grin occupied his face and he began to laugh; a deep heartily laugh that echoed in the thick evergreen forests surrounding the road. His laughter grew as he stooped down and scooped up Greg's limp body. The tall man turned on his heels and walked past the Lexus, with the lights still on, and past his truck until he was at the cab.
He tossed Greg's body in the back alongside the bloody headed sledgehammer. Still laughing and with a smile on his face that was fit for a madman, the tall man with the bowler's hat climbed into his small brown truck and started down the road, with high beams still blinding. It was midnight and he needed to find a place to bury Greg's body before morning. It was perhaps one of the best nights that he had had in a couple of months.
His smile never left his face and it took hours for his laughter to finally die.