There is a darkness within every mortal, both you and me, all of us with a heart that beats, a soul that hopes, and a mind that dreams. Most of us keep that darkness bound and buried deep within, with chains wrought of conscience, empathy, and shared morality. But all it takes to break one or more of those chains is a perception of injustice, misunderstanding, or fear. And in that unleashed darkness do the deceitful flames of bigotry burn brightest, and in flares of umbrage we begin to justify that which we once held unjustifiable. Treachery and violence however are spears pointed at both ends, and wounds us just as deeply as those who were once our friends.

S.K