I was twenty-three when I earned my God-Rank. I was the second youngest person to earn their God rank; the first being Patrick at age 15.
I stood in front of my Father as he looked at me. He smiled and motioned for me to step forward. I had been waiting for this day even though I already knew what I would be God-ranking into. My power involved emotions; I could see and manipulate a person's emotions, but with my touch I could do all that, and create or destroy emotions as well. I was jumping right up to the top and becoming the Goddess of Emotions.
God-ranking was a rite of passage for most of us. We aspired toward it so we could find out where we ranked compared to our other classmates. Getting a rank could either give or take some power from the receiver, and very rarely did it ever leave them the same. It all really depended on what my Father decided was best, but most had a change to their abilities happen when they were ranked.
"Indigo, my dearest daughter, you have done well in proving yourself and you demonstrate incredible control over you ability, and that makes me proud."
I stood tall and proud like a daughter should. This was my moment.
"What doesn't make me proud is the relationship you have with Patrick. I've even heard rumors that you've joined him in his crusade to find an imaginary person. You spread rumors of a war that is going to be worse than the one we're in right now and you did all of this against my wishes."
My pride deflated like a popped balloon. How could I explain my feelings for Patrick? My feelings that had not been returned despite my best efforts. Everything my Father had said was happening started because I wanted to be noticed, but over time I realized that Patrick was speaking the truth and trying to save us from destruction.
"Dad, I didn't mean to disappoint you. Once I'm God-ranked then I'll be sure to make you proud."
"Or you could end up taking my rule right out from under me and giving it directly to Patrick." He slammed his hand on the throne's armrest, "You disobeyed a direct order from your ranking officer and your father. You have disgraced my name more than any has yet."
"But Father . . . " I felt the tears flow but didn't care, "I'm sorry."
"You have proved yourself to be capable of God-rank, that is true. So your rank shall be Goddess of Guilt, a title suitable for someone who has shamed their family so much."
I felt my powers slip away as I fell to my knees. I would no longer control all emotions, my control would center around guilt alone. Sadness at the loss of my ability built up in my chest and then slowly formed to anger. I pulled myself to my feet and smiled a dark smile at my Father.
The room became heavy with guilt. Some people burst into tears while others began tearing at their faces. I slowly intensified the feeling until everyone was trying to kill themselves over the guilt they felt. Except my Father. He sat there unaffected, like always. Our powers didn't work on our parents, something to do with protective powers through blood.
He stared at me angrily until the last person fell, "Are you done?"
I turned and stomped through the puddles of blood to the door, "I hate you."
I closed the door behind me and then fell to the floor in tears. How could he do that? How could my Father be so cruel? I thought he loved me, but I was nothing but a tool that had broken.
"So, I need a favor." It was Patrick and coming from across the hall.
I looked up at him, tears still streaming down my face, "Will it hurt my Father?"
"Yes. If I'm right, then it will do more than just hurt him."
I wiped the tears from my face, "You saw what happened in there?"
"No, but I did hear it. Your father is a very twisted man."
I ran up to hug him but he sidestepped, "Indigo, I can't ask anyone else to do this. I need your help."
I knew I would help him already. I wanted to make my Father suffer for destroying my powers like he did, "What do you need?"
"I need you to find someone willing to perform the needed spell so that I can go to the human realm. I think that's where Gilfred is hiding."
"I'll do it." I couldn't deny the request of someone I loved.
And I didn't care anymore.
Showing posts with label tears. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tears. Show all posts
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
215: Heart Vs. Fear -Andrew-
I found myself standing in the rain. Up ahead stood the one group of people that despised me more than anyone else. The Warlock stood off to the side, his head down with ears blushing red and Ben was wrapping Crystal in a blanket.
My job was simple. All I had to do was find Carl and his brother, then kill them. If this was the other me than I wouldn't have even hesitated, but I had escaped my prison. Indigo hadn't just devised this horrible situation just to get back at the brothers, but also to tell me where I stood. To her I was nothing but a human, an easily manipulated sponge that she would squeeze the water from until I was wrung dry.
"Daddy, I don't know what to tell you." My brain emulated my daughter's voice, "I don't want to go back in that place, but this is wrong."
I knew it was wrong but I had no choice. If I didn't go and do her bidding then I was lost; I would never have my mind back.
"Honey, what happens if you do it? What do you become if you do as she says?" My wife was always the stronger one, the one to ask the questions no one wanted to.
How different from the old me would I be if I did what she'd asked? Would I end up the same? A monster in the skin of a man. The only difference would be the hate I feel for myself, but after a while wouldn't even that fade away? The group up ahead had stood and were walking away. They were probably headed to the hotel they were staying at. As I watched them I noticed a kind of deep camaraderie that I had only felt when my life was simple, and my family was alive. If I did what she said, then I would be destroying another family, removing two important people and leaving the rest in ruins.
Up ahead a bus turned the corner splashing Ben, Crystal, Nick and Will.
When I was in the Other Lands I remembered watching them, studying their movements and learning their skills. I had gone to the museum knowing that I could beat them, only to find that everything I'd thought was wrong. This single group of people spit in the face of what was definite, almost as though they weren't held down by the rules that bound us all. None of them seemed very special, they weren't even the most powerful people he'd met, but something about them kept them going even against the power of Gods.
"Daddy, you're special too." Tears came to my eyes, and even though my mind was making up her words I was touched, "That mean lady can't control you if you don't let her. We can all choose to be different."
"Honey, we're with you no matter what you do. You've gotten us back, so we're here for you."
The bright headlights of the bus filled my vision and something in me fell together. Indigo and Patrick had caused me all this hardship, but this time I wasn't their puppet. Back then I was tortured and weak, unlike now when I'd faced death and lived. I was like those people I had studied. I was my own person, able to make my own choices and not be controlled by the greed and vengeance of Gods.
I stepped off the curb and turned to face the several tons of metal hurtling toward me. I held my hands up and screamed, "Indigo! Here's what I say to your request you manipulative, evil witch! Go to H-"
The bus collided with my body. I felt my skin rip open and my insides burst as pieces of me flew every direction. I heard a muffled scream as I hit the ground and slid in the mud. I was dying and the pain was incredible, but I'd felt worse. I had felt it for so long. Slowly the world blurred away and went black.
I was free. I was strong. I was special. I was dead.
My job was simple. All I had to do was find Carl and his brother, then kill them. If this was the other me than I wouldn't have even hesitated, but I had escaped my prison. Indigo hadn't just devised this horrible situation just to get back at the brothers, but also to tell me where I stood. To her I was nothing but a human, an easily manipulated sponge that she would squeeze the water from until I was wrung dry.
"Daddy, I don't know what to tell you." My brain emulated my daughter's voice, "I don't want to go back in that place, but this is wrong."
I knew it was wrong but I had no choice. If I didn't go and do her bidding then I was lost; I would never have my mind back.
"Honey, what happens if you do it? What do you become if you do as she says?" My wife was always the stronger one, the one to ask the questions no one wanted to.
How different from the old me would I be if I did what she'd asked? Would I end up the same? A monster in the skin of a man. The only difference would be the hate I feel for myself, but after a while wouldn't even that fade away? The group up ahead had stood and were walking away. They were probably headed to the hotel they were staying at. As I watched them I noticed a kind of deep camaraderie that I had only felt when my life was simple, and my family was alive. If I did what she said, then I would be destroying another family, removing two important people and leaving the rest in ruins.
Up ahead a bus turned the corner splashing Ben, Crystal, Nick and Will.
When I was in the Other Lands I remembered watching them, studying their movements and learning their skills. I had gone to the museum knowing that I could beat them, only to find that everything I'd thought was wrong. This single group of people spit in the face of what was definite, almost as though they weren't held down by the rules that bound us all. None of them seemed very special, they weren't even the most powerful people he'd met, but something about them kept them going even against the power of Gods.
"Daddy, you're special too." Tears came to my eyes, and even though my mind was making up her words I was touched, "That mean lady can't control you if you don't let her. We can all choose to be different."
"Honey, we're with you no matter what you do. You've gotten us back, so we're here for you."
The bright headlights of the bus filled my vision and something in me fell together. Indigo and Patrick had caused me all this hardship, but this time I wasn't their puppet. Back then I was tortured and weak, unlike now when I'd faced death and lived. I was like those people I had studied. I was my own person, able to make my own choices and not be controlled by the greed and vengeance of Gods.
I stepped off the curb and turned to face the several tons of metal hurtling toward me. I held my hands up and screamed, "Indigo! Here's what I say to your request you manipulative, evil witch! Go to H-"
The bus collided with my body. I felt my skin rip open and my insides burst as pieces of me flew every direction. I heard a muffled scream as I hit the ground and slid in the mud. I was dying and the pain was incredible, but I'd felt worse. I had felt it for so long. Slowly the world blurred away and went black.
I was free. I was strong. I was special. I was dead.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Flashback 214: Adjusting part 4 -Christina-
I felt wetness on my cheek, touched it with my finger and stared at in confusion. It wasn't that I didn't know what it was, Samuel had told me it was called crying back when his mother died, but it had never happened to me.
"You cry because something you care about was lost," He had told me, "It's a way to help your body heal."
Maybe I thought I didn't need to heal because there wasn't much that could hurt me, but as I put my foot down again on the fay's face, I felt more pain than I'd felt my entire life. For the last year I'd spent my time with him learning to love, learning to adjust, becoming more human than God. For the first time I was starting to understand what happiness really was. Now as I cried, everything he did seemed so pointless; like a movie without an ending or a book with no last page. I felt there was more to be told, but key parts were missing.
Soon the rage slipped away, like water down a drain, leaving only emptiness behind. I felt my legs shaking and only had the strength to move near Samuel's body before I collapsed. I tried to look at his face, but just a glance was torture.
"Samuel," I lifted him up and pressed him against me, "Please, let this be a dream. I want to wake up. Please." My voice faded as I was overtaken by sobs.
A siren in the background told me that my time was up, so I laid him back down and bowed my head over him, "I swear," I slipped to fingers in to his wound, covering them with blood, "that I will find a way." I smeared the blood on my shirt, making a large, crude S, "I will be with you again."
I stood to my feet and wiped the tears from my cheeks, "And may God have mercy on anything that stands in my way."
The police car turned the corner as I got out of the area.
A week later, I had learned that about a year ago a fairy named Qaliphus had used Excalibur to revive every fairy that had died in the war and bring them into this realm. Carl and Melissa had both been trying to stop it, but ended up killing each other in the confusion. During the following year, fairies had been slowly and silently making their way toward complete human control, and anyone that had stood in their way was very quickly destroyed. Just like Samuel.
My hand grasped the final rock as I pulled myself up the side of Mount Ida, the final resting place of The Palladium. The Palladium was a large wooden statue that Athena had given to humans. They thought it was used to keep the city safe, but they didn't understand how. Only a few humans knew that.
I stood in front of a large cave opening; the entrance to the temple containing The Palladium, an artifact that could rewind time for the person, or persons touching it. There was nothing I could do now to bring Samuel back, but there was something I could have done then. I had to go back and fix it, only then would I be able to be with Samuel again. I looked down at my shirt, the S now a brown color, and remembered every moment of that day. Tears stung my face once more as I remembered my promise.
Stepping into the cave, I saw the statue sitting atop a shrine of gold and silver. It was unguarded, so I could just walk up and reach out to touch it. I knew it was unguarded because I had helped put it here. After I used it, I would be expelled and this temple would move to a place unknown; a final protective measure to keep humans from getting greedy.
My fingers touched the warm wood and I closed my eyes as the world around me blurred. I had to find Melissa, and then I would stop Qaliphus from bringing the faeries back. When I was done, I would fight no more. I would find Samuel and we would spend our days together, and be happy.
But first, I had to get my old sword Balmung back.
"You cry because something you care about was lost," He had told me, "It's a way to help your body heal."
Maybe I thought I didn't need to heal because there wasn't much that could hurt me, but as I put my foot down again on the fay's face, I felt more pain than I'd felt my entire life. For the last year I'd spent my time with him learning to love, learning to adjust, becoming more human than God. For the first time I was starting to understand what happiness really was. Now as I cried, everything he did seemed so pointless; like a movie without an ending or a book with no last page. I felt there was more to be told, but key parts were missing.
Soon the rage slipped away, like water down a drain, leaving only emptiness behind. I felt my legs shaking and only had the strength to move near Samuel's body before I collapsed. I tried to look at his face, but just a glance was torture.
"Samuel," I lifted him up and pressed him against me, "Please, let this be a dream. I want to wake up. Please." My voice faded as I was overtaken by sobs.
A siren in the background told me that my time was up, so I laid him back down and bowed my head over him, "I swear," I slipped to fingers in to his wound, covering them with blood, "that I will find a way." I smeared the blood on my shirt, making a large, crude S, "I will be with you again."
I stood to my feet and wiped the tears from my cheeks, "And may God have mercy on anything that stands in my way."
The police car turned the corner as I got out of the area.
A week later, I had learned that about a year ago a fairy named Qaliphus had used Excalibur to revive every fairy that had died in the war and bring them into this realm. Carl and Melissa had both been trying to stop it, but ended up killing each other in the confusion. During the following year, fairies had been slowly and silently making their way toward complete human control, and anyone that had stood in their way was very quickly destroyed. Just like Samuel.
My hand grasped the final rock as I pulled myself up the side of Mount Ida, the final resting place of The Palladium. The Palladium was a large wooden statue that Athena had given to humans. They thought it was used to keep the city safe, but they didn't understand how. Only a few humans knew that.
I stood in front of a large cave opening; the entrance to the temple containing The Palladium, an artifact that could rewind time for the person, or persons touching it. There was nothing I could do now to bring Samuel back, but there was something I could have done then. I had to go back and fix it, only then would I be able to be with Samuel again. I looked down at my shirt, the S now a brown color, and remembered every moment of that day. Tears stung my face once more as I remembered my promise.
Stepping into the cave, I saw the statue sitting atop a shrine of gold and silver. It was unguarded, so I could just walk up and reach out to touch it. I knew it was unguarded because I had helped put it here. After I used it, I would be expelled and this temple would move to a place unknown; a final protective measure to keep humans from getting greedy.
My fingers touched the warm wood and I closed my eyes as the world around me blurred. I had to find Melissa, and then I would stop Qaliphus from bringing the faeries back. When I was done, I would fight no more. I would find Samuel and we would spend our days together, and be happy.
But first, I had to get my old sword Balmung back.
Flashback 213: Adjusting Part 3 -Christina-
"Hey, do you think you could go to the store?"
I laid the controller on the floor and pulled myself to my feet, "I guess. There's no more milk anyway." I stopped at the door as I grabbed my coat, "I think I'm going to grab a candy bar."
"Cookies n' Cream?" He stood and walked over to me. Placing his hands on my waist, he leaned in.
"Of course." I kissed him lightly and then slipped out the door.
As I made my way down the stairs I slipped on my coat. Almost a year had passed since he'd found me in that store and saved my life, but I still wasn't used to any display of affection yet. He was probably the only person that could get away with anything with out losing a limb, but normally even a hug put me on edge. I swooped down to grab an empty can off the street and looked ahead for a source of disposal. There it was, about five blocks away was a nearly full trash can that had just enough room.
Two children that I'd seen here before stopped to stare at me as they always did. I didn't like children and found enjoyment in making their jaws drop. At least it stopped them from staring. I pulled my arm back and threw the can with as much force as I could muster.
A loud boom was heard as the can zipped through the air, smashed in to the diamond grating of the trash can and stuck there. I glanced at the children and grinned at the way their mouths hung.
"Remember, pick up your trash." Then I turned and continued my way to the store.
I don't ever want things to be the way they had been at the academy again. I was never free to do things that I wanted to. I was trained to fight and never anything else. He had taken the time to teach me that the world wasn't just a terrible place where war ruled. He taught me to let my guard down enough to enjoy the world around me. He showed me a sunset for the first time and then taught me how to walk to the beach so I could see it again at anytime.
Video games. He gave me them so that I could relieve my anger in a way that wasn't a felony. I was a master at almost every one he put in front of me except Super Smash Bros. Brawl; I could never beat him in that no matter how many times I forced him to miss work so that we could keep going. He was right though, I didn't feel like punching anything that moved. I was even okay with people accidentaly touching me, and I didn't think of humans as lower than myself. In fact, I had come to realize that they had became the reigning species not because of an accident, but because they deserved it. I found myself feeling proud about their accomplishments, almost as if they were my own; as if I were human.
The shop owner was sitting outside of the store and as I approached he waved, "Well, how are you this morning?"
I returned the wave, "I'm just here to grab some milk and maybe some of those delicious candy bars of yours."
"That's good, I got a new shipment today. Just go inside, Darrel will take care of you."
I stepped in the store and walked to the milk. One thing I really loved about humans was the invention of air conditioning, which this place had neglected in purchasing. My candy bars were probably melted. I carried the milk to the front register and grabbed three cookies n' cream bars.
"Christina! Hey, How's the man?" That's what Darrel referred to him as, probably because they once played games together and Darrel was so bad that I had to look away.
" I think he's okay, he seems happy." I shrugged. Human emotions still confused me a lot. I could never tell the difference between happy and indifferent, but I tried to pretend I understood.
"Well, we should get together sometime. I've been practicing."
"Let me see your hands." I leaned over the counter as he raised his fingers.
The wear from playing games was nowhere on his fingers and not a single controller blister could be seen. I leaned back and laughed at him, "Not enough practice, but I'll see when he has time for you."
"Oh come on, you always say that."
"And you always lose." I grabbed the change from the counter and smiled as I walk past the store owner.
I enjoyed this life we'd made. I was smiling when we were together and peaceful when we were apart. I loved walking to the store and making dinner when I brought it home. My favorite movie at the moment was Mrs. Doubtfire, and I enjoyed the band Poets Of the Fall more than any other band out there. I didn't have to worry about having my life in danger at every moment of the day, which was more relaxing than I had thought it would be.
I turned the corner on to my street and I knew something was off. Ahead of me stood three people, a tall dark skinned man, a small child with a look of fear on her face and then there was him. He was defending the child. I knew it because that was the kind of person he was. He would do what ever he could to help someone and even some things that he couldn't do. He'd helped me because I looked like I didn't belong, and he didn't even crack a smile as I told him all about my life. He was the kind of person who was born to be the hero, even though he wasn't built for it.
The air was wrong. This situation was wrong, and as I dropped the milk to run over I noticed what it was. The man he was defending the girl from was a fairy and the young girl was anything but. As I raced toward him the girl lifted up in to the air, attached by a thin string of muscle to the man. It was its tail and he was their prey.
The tail grabbed him tight, restricting his movements and the fairy swung its arm straight through his chest. I was close enough to smell the blood, as the fairy raised the heart of the only person I truly cared about to his mouth and bit down.
"This one was good. Very . . . defiant, and strong. He was very tasty on my tongue." He hadn't realized that I was closing in, but he would soon.
The rage flowed forward, unlike anything I'd ever felt. In mere seconds everything that I'd learned had been torn to shreds in front of me. There was no amount of gaming that was going to release this tension. I knew of only one way to make the pain go away and I wasn't even sure if that would work. I felt empty and I filled the emptiness with rage. All the pain and suffering I was feeling slid along until it rested at the edge of my fist. For some reason I felt that would make my fist swing faster, hit harder; I felt that it would erase the emptiness once the rage was gone. I knew I was wrong.
"HIS NAME . . . " I was running full force as I pulled back my fist. The creature finally noticed me but it was very late, and it knew it.
I swung my fist forward with a force that left my ears ringing, "WAS SAMUEL!"
I felt the fairy's surprised face vaporize as my hand collided with its head. Fairy blood sprayed across the buildings along the street as the creature's body hit the ground. The tail screamed and tried to run, but was stopped by the weight of the body. I flicked my wrist, cleaning it of the blood and leaving a light, red stain in its place.
The fairy tail screamed as I crushed its head with my boot, but I didn't care. Samuel was dead.
I laid the controller on the floor and pulled myself to my feet, "I guess. There's no more milk anyway." I stopped at the door as I grabbed my coat, "I think I'm going to grab a candy bar."
"Cookies n' Cream?" He stood and walked over to me. Placing his hands on my waist, he leaned in.
"Of course." I kissed him lightly and then slipped out the door.
As I made my way down the stairs I slipped on my coat. Almost a year had passed since he'd found me in that store and saved my life, but I still wasn't used to any display of affection yet. He was probably the only person that could get away with anything with out losing a limb, but normally even a hug put me on edge. I swooped down to grab an empty can off the street and looked ahead for a source of disposal. There it was, about five blocks away was a nearly full trash can that had just enough room.
Two children that I'd seen here before stopped to stare at me as they always did. I didn't like children and found enjoyment in making their jaws drop. At least it stopped them from staring. I pulled my arm back and threw the can with as much force as I could muster.
A loud boom was heard as the can zipped through the air, smashed in to the diamond grating of the trash can and stuck there. I glanced at the children and grinned at the way their mouths hung.
"Remember, pick up your trash." Then I turned and continued my way to the store.
I don't ever want things to be the way they had been at the academy again. I was never free to do things that I wanted to. I was trained to fight and never anything else. He had taken the time to teach me that the world wasn't just a terrible place where war ruled. He taught me to let my guard down enough to enjoy the world around me. He showed me a sunset for the first time and then taught me how to walk to the beach so I could see it again at anytime.
Video games. He gave me them so that I could relieve my anger in a way that wasn't a felony. I was a master at almost every one he put in front of me except Super Smash Bros. Brawl; I could never beat him in that no matter how many times I forced him to miss work so that we could keep going. He was right though, I didn't feel like punching anything that moved. I was even okay with people accidentaly touching me, and I didn't think of humans as lower than myself. In fact, I had come to realize that they had became the reigning species not because of an accident, but because they deserved it. I found myself feeling proud about their accomplishments, almost as if they were my own; as if I were human.
The shop owner was sitting outside of the store and as I approached he waved, "Well, how are you this morning?"
I returned the wave, "I'm just here to grab some milk and maybe some of those delicious candy bars of yours."
"That's good, I got a new shipment today. Just go inside, Darrel will take care of you."
I stepped in the store and walked to the milk. One thing I really loved about humans was the invention of air conditioning, which this place had neglected in purchasing. My candy bars were probably melted. I carried the milk to the front register and grabbed three cookies n' cream bars.
"Christina! Hey, How's the man?" That's what Darrel referred to him as, probably because they once played games together and Darrel was so bad that I had to look away.
" I think he's okay, he seems happy." I shrugged. Human emotions still confused me a lot. I could never tell the difference between happy and indifferent, but I tried to pretend I understood.
"Well, we should get together sometime. I've been practicing."
"Let me see your hands." I leaned over the counter as he raised his fingers.
The wear from playing games was nowhere on his fingers and not a single controller blister could be seen. I leaned back and laughed at him, "Not enough practice, but I'll see when he has time for you."
"Oh come on, you always say that."
"And you always lose." I grabbed the change from the counter and smiled as I walk past the store owner.
I enjoyed this life we'd made. I was smiling when we were together and peaceful when we were apart. I loved walking to the store and making dinner when I brought it home. My favorite movie at the moment was Mrs. Doubtfire, and I enjoyed the band Poets Of the Fall more than any other band out there. I didn't have to worry about having my life in danger at every moment of the day, which was more relaxing than I had thought it would be.
I turned the corner on to my street and I knew something was off. Ahead of me stood three people, a tall dark skinned man, a small child with a look of fear on her face and then there was him. He was defending the child. I knew it because that was the kind of person he was. He would do what ever he could to help someone and even some things that he couldn't do. He'd helped me because I looked like I didn't belong, and he didn't even crack a smile as I told him all about my life. He was the kind of person who was born to be the hero, even though he wasn't built for it.
The air was wrong. This situation was wrong, and as I dropped the milk to run over I noticed what it was. The man he was defending the girl from was a fairy and the young girl was anything but. As I raced toward him the girl lifted up in to the air, attached by a thin string of muscle to the man. It was its tail and he was their prey.
The tail grabbed him tight, restricting his movements and the fairy swung its arm straight through his chest. I was close enough to smell the blood, as the fairy raised the heart of the only person I truly cared about to his mouth and bit down.
"This one was good. Very . . . defiant, and strong. He was very tasty on my tongue." He hadn't realized that I was closing in, but he would soon.
The rage flowed forward, unlike anything I'd ever felt. In mere seconds everything that I'd learned had been torn to shreds in front of me. There was no amount of gaming that was going to release this tension. I knew of only one way to make the pain go away and I wasn't even sure if that would work. I felt empty and I filled the emptiness with rage. All the pain and suffering I was feeling slid along until it rested at the edge of my fist. For some reason I felt that would make my fist swing faster, hit harder; I felt that it would erase the emptiness once the rage was gone. I knew I was wrong.
"HIS NAME . . . " I was running full force as I pulled back my fist. The creature finally noticed me but it was very late, and it knew it.
I swung my fist forward with a force that left my ears ringing, "WAS SAMUEL!"
I felt the fairy's surprised face vaporize as my hand collided with its head. Fairy blood sprayed across the buildings along the street as the creature's body hit the ground. The tail screamed and tried to run, but was stopped by the weight of the body. I flicked my wrist, cleaning it of the blood and leaving a light, red stain in its place.
The fairy tail screamed as I crushed its head with my boot, but I didn't care. Samuel was dead.
Flashback 212: Adjusting Part 2 -Christina-
"A county is in mourning since early today when a school bus of forty-three children disappeared in thin air only to be found 2 hours later across state lines. The children were found dead inside and the bus driver had vanished. But that's not all of the unusual news today, as a you-" The radio was shut off and he pulled it from my grasp.
"You've been listening to that broadcast on repeat for the last hour." He flopped down on the bed next to me, "It's time for you to put it down and return to reality."
I watched him for a few moments and then smiled, "I guess I got distracted. Was there something planned today?"
He stared at me for a few moments before speaking. He did that a lot and at first it made me very uncomfortable, but lately I'd come to expect it. When it didn't happen I would feel weird and end up moving into his line of sight.
I guess he paused to think out his words beforehand because his questions always surprised me, "So, when are you going to start using my name?"
"I . . . I can't." I was an unsigned God but even they never called humans by their names, they usually came up with a nickname or just called them "you". Calling someone by their name signified equality, maybe even intimacy, and was very much frowned upon with humans, "It's not proper."
"We've been dating for two months." He rolled to look at the ceiling.
Dating was a very foreign word to me, even after I'd heard him using it so much lately. I knew what it meant and thinking about it made me feel flushed. Although we didn't talk about what we did when we were alone often, I always knew that he was thinking about it by the look in his eye or the way he smiles when he's deep in thought. I didn't understand why it was so important that I use his name, or why the fact that we're dating has anything to do with it. I reached over and pushed him off the bed.
A loud thump was heard followed by an exclamation of surprise and then silence. I waited for him to get back up but heard nothing. My heart leaped into my throat. Had I hurt him?
"Are you okay?" I leaned over, trying to see over the side of the bed to make sure he wasn't injured, "Say som-"
"HAH!" He sprung up at me, making me jump back in surprise and fall off the bed. As I untangled my limbs and pulled myself off the floor, he was laughing so hard that his eyes were watering. I grasped a pillow off the bed and smiled.
He looked surprised and ran for the door. He didn't make it, my pillow snagged him on the foot causing him to tumble into the living room. I went after him, snatching the other pillow off the bed. I turned into the living room and was met with a couch cushion in the face. My bottom hit the floor and he jumped at me, pushing my wrists down.
"Gotcha." He said breathing heavily.
He didn't have me. I could easily have thrown him off anytime I wanted, but that was the problem.
I laughed lightly, "Yeah, I guess you do."
"So, now I get one request and you have to comply." He grinned.
I bit my lower lip, thinking about all the things he could ask, "What is your request?"
"I want you to tell me about your past. I want to know why you were wearing armor and didn't know what a trash can was."
It wasn't what I had expected. I looked to the left, my eyes resting on a controller that had been kicked under the couch. I didn't want to tell him, because then he might go away. How many people have I killed? How many times have I done horrible things in the name of my academy? How could he stay around someone as horrible as me? I'm not worth his affection, and I don't even know what affection meant.
"Hey," He let go of my wrist and swiped a piece of hair away from my eyes.
I turned to look at him, but didn't say a thing.
"You have nothing to worry about. What ever you tell me, I'll stay right here. Then after you're done telling me, I'm going to take you to your favorite place to eat."
Looking at his eyes I could see sincerity, and for some reason I trusted him, "Okay. I'll tell you," He was about to move when I stopped him, "but don't go until I'm done."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"You've been listening to that broadcast on repeat for the last hour." He flopped down on the bed next to me, "It's time for you to put it down and return to reality."
I watched him for a few moments and then smiled, "I guess I got distracted. Was there something planned today?"
He stared at me for a few moments before speaking. He did that a lot and at first it made me very uncomfortable, but lately I'd come to expect it. When it didn't happen I would feel weird and end up moving into his line of sight.
I guess he paused to think out his words beforehand because his questions always surprised me, "So, when are you going to start using my name?"
"I . . . I can't." I was an unsigned God but even they never called humans by their names, they usually came up with a nickname or just called them "you". Calling someone by their name signified equality, maybe even intimacy, and was very much frowned upon with humans, "It's not proper."
"We've been dating for two months." He rolled to look at the ceiling.
Dating was a very foreign word to me, even after I'd heard him using it so much lately. I knew what it meant and thinking about it made me feel flushed. Although we didn't talk about what we did when we were alone often, I always knew that he was thinking about it by the look in his eye or the way he smiles when he's deep in thought. I didn't understand why it was so important that I use his name, or why the fact that we're dating has anything to do with it. I reached over and pushed him off the bed.
A loud thump was heard followed by an exclamation of surprise and then silence. I waited for him to get back up but heard nothing. My heart leaped into my throat. Had I hurt him?
"Are you okay?" I leaned over, trying to see over the side of the bed to make sure he wasn't injured, "Say som-"
"HAH!" He sprung up at me, making me jump back in surprise and fall off the bed. As I untangled my limbs and pulled myself off the floor, he was laughing so hard that his eyes were watering. I grasped a pillow off the bed and smiled.
He looked surprised and ran for the door. He didn't make it, my pillow snagged him on the foot causing him to tumble into the living room. I went after him, snatching the other pillow off the bed. I turned into the living room and was met with a couch cushion in the face. My bottom hit the floor and he jumped at me, pushing my wrists down.
"Gotcha." He said breathing heavily.
He didn't have me. I could easily have thrown him off anytime I wanted, but that was the problem.
I laughed lightly, "Yeah, I guess you do."
"So, now I get one request and you have to comply." He grinned.
I bit my lower lip, thinking about all the things he could ask, "What is your request?"
"I want you to tell me about your past. I want to know why you were wearing armor and didn't know what a trash can was."
It wasn't what I had expected. I looked to the left, my eyes resting on a controller that had been kicked under the couch. I didn't want to tell him, because then he might go away. How many people have I killed? How many times have I done horrible things in the name of my academy? How could he stay around someone as horrible as me? I'm not worth his affection, and I don't even know what affection meant.
"Hey," He let go of my wrist and swiped a piece of hair away from my eyes.
I turned to look at him, but didn't say a thing.
"You have nothing to worry about. What ever you tell me, I'll stay right here. Then after you're done telling me, I'm going to take you to your favorite place to eat."
Looking at his eyes I could see sincerity, and for some reason I trusted him, "Okay. I'll tell you," He was about to move when I stopped him, "but don't go until I'm done."
"I'm not going anywhere."
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Flashback 211: Adjusting part 1 -Christina-
"Miss," He tugged at my armor for the fourth time, "Miss, could you grab that candy off the top shelf?"
He'd been tugging on my armor since I'd walked into the store, and immediately after I noticed that everyone was staring at me. I knelt down till I was eye level with the young boy and smiled, "If you like those fingers then you'll stop bothering me, okay? Now go ask your mom for help before I chop off those stubbly toes."
Very quickly his face transformed into a wail and I regretted not just helping the boy. His mother came running and pulled him away from me.
"What did you do to my boy? He never cries like this!" She stormed out of the store as I turned back to the newspaper. It had been a long time since I'd been put inside that jar and things had certainly changed. Most humans seemed even more mindless save for the few that I'd met before.
They were still squabbling over religion and killing each other for material possessions; barbarians in a suit. Feeling a tap on my shoulder I spun around grabbing my assailant and flipping him on to the stack of papers. I twisted his arm so it was under his body and then slammed my elbow into his gut.
"I'm not here to hurt you!" He cried, "I'm not here to hurt! Let me go!"
I released him and pushed him off the newspaper, "You shouldn't have come up behind me. Now go, I'm not in need of help."
"Listen, the manager of the store has called the police and they will be here any second. So, we kind of have to get out of here before they show up."
"I can kill them if they decide to attack me."
"I don't doubt it, but killing is really bad and will just make more show up. They're kind of like roaches, where there's one there's hundreds."
"Fine, what do you suggest?" I grabbed a newspaper and something called a RingDing.
"We le-" He stopped and slapped his forehead, "Too late."
"Hello, Miss? I think you should come down to the station with us." A person behind me spoke with authority. He made himself sound so important that a small giggle escaped my lips. I turned to see a small man with his hands on his hips. The only weapons seemed to be a large stick and a really small L-shape object.
"I'm really sorry officers." The man behind me stepped around to the front, "This is my mentally challenged sister an-"
"I am not your sister." I would not tolerate someone lying about me, "and what is mentally challenged? If I find out you're insulting me . . . "
The man looked like he'd just lost a fight, "You were not supposed to disagree."
"You lied, how is that disagreeing? I just told the truth."
The short man grabbed my arm, "Alright, your both coming with me!"
Elbow to face was my response. The man stumbled backwards, his hands holding his bleeding nose. I grabbed his right shoulder and spun him so he was facing the window of the shop. From there it only took a small kick to send him out the window.
"Holy Shit!" Two voices, the man that lied and the other "police" outside, who was eating a doughnut. The clumsy man dropped his doughnut in surprise as the short man flew out the window. Glass littered the ground and I heard some people scream behind me.
The man outside lifted up the L-shaped object and pointed it at me, he was shaking.
"Put your weap-" He noticed that I had no weapons and blinked a few times, "Come out with your hands up, both of you!"
Was raising the hands the new bow? I would never do that! I stepped out the window, one glance at the short man told me he was alive.
"Hands up! Now!" He was still pointing the object toward me.
The man who lied stepped down next to me, "You are a piece of work. I was trying to avoid something like this. Now please put your hands up before this only gets worse. You see what he's holding? It's a gun, it can kill you."
I knelt down and grabbed a small shard of glass, "Oh, it's a weapon." I flicked my wrist and a loud thwack was heard followed by a clattering noise as the gun fell to the ground.
"Oh, no." The man beside me put his hand over his face.
I slide up next to the police man as he reached for his gun. I grabbed his belt and lifted him in the air. A quick jab to the gut and he quickly went limp, "What? He was wielding a weapon. What was I supposed to do?"
I glared at the man as he reached for my arm, stopping him mid-grab.
"Lady, you need to follow me before more of them show up."
"You're very annoying with your demands."
"Yeah, I'm told that a lot. Now come on."
I followed him as he ran down the street and jumped a fence.
He'd been tugging on my armor since I'd walked into the store, and immediately after I noticed that everyone was staring at me. I knelt down till I was eye level with the young boy and smiled, "If you like those fingers then you'll stop bothering me, okay? Now go ask your mom for help before I chop off those stubbly toes."
Very quickly his face transformed into a wail and I regretted not just helping the boy. His mother came running and pulled him away from me.
"What did you do to my boy? He never cries like this!" She stormed out of the store as I turned back to the newspaper. It had been a long time since I'd been put inside that jar and things had certainly changed. Most humans seemed even more mindless save for the few that I'd met before.
They were still squabbling over religion and killing each other for material possessions; barbarians in a suit. Feeling a tap on my shoulder I spun around grabbing my assailant and flipping him on to the stack of papers. I twisted his arm so it was under his body and then slammed my elbow into his gut.
"I'm not here to hurt you!" He cried, "I'm not here to hurt! Let me go!"
I released him and pushed him off the newspaper, "You shouldn't have come up behind me. Now go, I'm not in need of help."
"Listen, the manager of the store has called the police and they will be here any second. So, we kind of have to get out of here before they show up."
"I can kill them if they decide to attack me."
"I don't doubt it, but killing is really bad and will just make more show up. They're kind of like roaches, where there's one there's hundreds."
"Fine, what do you suggest?" I grabbed a newspaper and something called a RingDing.
"We le-" He stopped and slapped his forehead, "Too late."
"Hello, Miss? I think you should come down to the station with us." A person behind me spoke with authority. He made himself sound so important that a small giggle escaped my lips. I turned to see a small man with his hands on his hips. The only weapons seemed to be a large stick and a really small L-shape object.
"I'm really sorry officers." The man behind me stepped around to the front, "This is my mentally challenged sister an-"
"I am not your sister." I would not tolerate someone lying about me, "and what is mentally challenged? If I find out you're insulting me . . . "
The man looked like he'd just lost a fight, "You were not supposed to disagree."
"You lied, how is that disagreeing? I just told the truth."
The short man grabbed my arm, "Alright, your both coming with me!"
Elbow to face was my response. The man stumbled backwards, his hands holding his bleeding nose. I grabbed his right shoulder and spun him so he was facing the window of the shop. From there it only took a small kick to send him out the window.
"Holy Shit!" Two voices, the man that lied and the other "police" outside, who was eating a doughnut. The clumsy man dropped his doughnut in surprise as the short man flew out the window. Glass littered the ground and I heard some people scream behind me.
The man outside lifted up the L-shaped object and pointed it at me, he was shaking.
"Put your weap-" He noticed that I had no weapons and blinked a few times, "Come out with your hands up, both of you!"
Was raising the hands the new bow? I would never do that! I stepped out the window, one glance at the short man told me he was alive.
"Hands up! Now!" He was still pointing the object toward me.
The man who lied stepped down next to me, "You are a piece of work. I was trying to avoid something like this. Now please put your hands up before this only gets worse. You see what he's holding? It's a gun, it can kill you."
I knelt down and grabbed a small shard of glass, "Oh, it's a weapon." I flicked my wrist and a loud thwack was heard followed by a clattering noise as the gun fell to the ground.
"Oh, no." The man beside me put his hand over his face.
I slide up next to the police man as he reached for his gun. I grabbed his belt and lifted him in the air. A quick jab to the gut and he quickly went limp, "What? He was wielding a weapon. What was I supposed to do?"
I glared at the man as he reached for my arm, stopping him mid-grab.
"Lady, you need to follow me before more of them show up."
"You're very annoying with your demands."
"Yeah, I'm told that a lot. Now come on."
I followed him as he ran down the street and jumped a fence.
Monday, October 3, 2011
203: Guilt -Andrew-
The streets of the city were torture to walk through. Everything reminded me of my wife and child, the victims of my warped mind. Every noise brought back a memory that I wish I could forget. but knew that I didn't want to.
The others had been very clear about where they wanted me. They wanted me anywhere but near them, and Carl had been the one to make it the clearest. I winced as I lightly touched my bruised face. I deserved their scorn; I deserved more than I'd gotten.
"Sir, are you alright?" It was a young nun that had just walked from a nearby church.
"I'll never be okay, Sister. Better you just leave me alone.", I continued walking.
"God can help." She caught up to me and grabbed my sleeve, "Come inside and talk to me."
"God . . . ", my mind settled back on the memories of Hell. I could almost feel the amounts of pain I had endured again as I remembered the whips and brands, "God has no place for me. I've done so much. I've ruined so many lives. I destroyed people I care about just to feel better."
"They'll forgive you, and so will God." She put her hand on my shoulder, halting me.
"What if some of them can't forgive me?" I fell to the steps of the church and put my face in my hands, "Not long ago, this didn't bother me. I used to be able to forget about the guilt. I could ignore the pain."
She sat down next to me.
"But I can't anymore. Now the guilt and pain floods my soul, it reminds me of their faces and compares them to better times. A constant reminder that I did it to them and that I can never go back. I can never undo what I did. Forever I'll be haunted by this pain."
"That's part of the glory of being human. God gave us guilt so we could learn how to treat others." She turned my face toward hers, "Maybe God gave you back your guilt so you can return to him; so you can stop treating others the way you have."
"Sister, I don't mean to be rude, but if there was a God than he'd have done something already. The only person that gave me back my guilt was myself. Don't talk as though you understand! You've never killed anyone."
She paused as though not sure what to say. She smiled and grasped my hand while standing, "Come inside with me. Maybe I can show you God's forgiveness and help you move on."
I was pulled to my feet and directed to the front doors. I hesitated before stepping over the threshold, because I was scared of being smote for entering God's house.
The doors closed behind me and the young nun turned to me, "I am Sister Victoria, and I'd like to welcome you to The Hicks Church of Christ."
Something told me this was a bad idea, but I was desperate. I needed to get rid of this pain that filled me. I pushed the feeling aside and followed Sister Victoria deeper in to the church.
The others had been very clear about where they wanted me. They wanted me anywhere but near them, and Carl had been the one to make it the clearest. I winced as I lightly touched my bruised face. I deserved their scorn; I deserved more than I'd gotten.
"Sir, are you alright?" It was a young nun that had just walked from a nearby church.
"I'll never be okay, Sister. Better you just leave me alone.", I continued walking.
"God can help." She caught up to me and grabbed my sleeve, "Come inside and talk to me."
"God . . . ", my mind settled back on the memories of Hell. I could almost feel the amounts of pain I had endured again as I remembered the whips and brands, "God has no place for me. I've done so much. I've ruined so many lives. I destroyed people I care about just to feel better."
"They'll forgive you, and so will God." She put her hand on my shoulder, halting me.
"What if some of them can't forgive me?" I fell to the steps of the church and put my face in my hands, "Not long ago, this didn't bother me. I used to be able to forget about the guilt. I could ignore the pain."
She sat down next to me.
"But I can't anymore. Now the guilt and pain floods my soul, it reminds me of their faces and compares them to better times. A constant reminder that I did it to them and that I can never go back. I can never undo what I did. Forever I'll be haunted by this pain."
"That's part of the glory of being human. God gave us guilt so we could learn how to treat others." She turned my face toward hers, "Maybe God gave you back your guilt so you can return to him; so you can stop treating others the way you have."
"Sister, I don't mean to be rude, but if there was a God than he'd have done something already. The only person that gave me back my guilt was myself. Don't talk as though you understand! You've never killed anyone."
She paused as though not sure what to say. She smiled and grasped my hand while standing, "Come inside with me. Maybe I can show you God's forgiveness and help you move on."
I was pulled to my feet and directed to the front doors. I hesitated before stepping over the threshold, because I was scared of being smote for entering God's house.
The doors closed behind me and the young nun turned to me, "I am Sister Victoria, and I'd like to welcome you to The Hicks Church of Christ."
Something told me this was a bad idea, but I was desperate. I needed to get rid of this pain that filled me. I pushed the feeling aside and followed Sister Victoria deeper in to the church.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
201: Visible Lies -Crystal-
"Speak fast." I held the grenade ready to throw as he stood up.
"Let me collect myself." Patrick had an unsettling calm as he spoke. The anger from before was gone and replaced with confidence, as though he'd gotten control of the situation again. He didn't need any "collecting", he was stalling for time. He was going to lie.
"Vincent was a soul trapped inside that of a bear. Once the bear is destroyed his soul is no longer trapped there and can go find another, more suitable body."
The venom dripped off the lies as he spoke. He didn't even try to hide it. The anger that had been put aside so that I could possibly find a way to bring Vincent back filled me again.
"I can tell you a way to follow his soul from his remains to where he is now, but you need to put down that grenade first." I had to admit he was a good negotiator. If I didn't know that he was a filthy liar I might have done what he wanted.
"Fine." I tossed the grenade into the room he was standing.
Patrick's face went from calm confidence to fearful urgency in seconds. I had never felt a more gratifying moment in my short life. Patrick ran toward the door, but my heel between his eyes stopped him with a crunch of cracking bones. He fell to the ground and I ran. I'd gotten only a short distance away when the explosion shook the entire building. I ducked around a corner and covered my head as pieces of burning wall and shrapnel metal flew past. As the heat faded, the scent of burned flesh hit my nose.
I stood and made my way back down the hall to where I could see Patrick's burned, bleeding and unmoving body. I knelt and felt for his pulse.
There was none.
Something inside me cracked. I had killed someone. I had taken the life of another in a fit of anger and it scared me. This wasn't who I was. I didn't want this new part of me, I wanted it to go away. It had turned me into a murderer; a monster. I felt tears stream down my face as I stood and walked from the building.
I didn't want this.
"Let me collect myself." Patrick had an unsettling calm as he spoke. The anger from before was gone and replaced with confidence, as though he'd gotten control of the situation again. He didn't need any "collecting", he was stalling for time. He was going to lie.
"Vincent was a soul trapped inside that of a bear. Once the bear is destroyed his soul is no longer trapped there and can go find another, more suitable body."
The venom dripped off the lies as he spoke. He didn't even try to hide it. The anger that had been put aside so that I could possibly find a way to bring Vincent back filled me again.
"I can tell you a way to follow his soul from his remains to where he is now, but you need to put down that grenade first." I had to admit he was a good negotiator. If I didn't know that he was a filthy liar I might have done what he wanted.
"Fine." I tossed the grenade into the room he was standing.
Patrick's face went from calm confidence to fearful urgency in seconds. I had never felt a more gratifying moment in my short life. Patrick ran toward the door, but my heel between his eyes stopped him with a crunch of cracking bones. He fell to the ground and I ran. I'd gotten only a short distance away when the explosion shook the entire building. I ducked around a corner and covered my head as pieces of burning wall and shrapnel metal flew past. As the heat faded, the scent of burned flesh hit my nose.
I stood and made my way back down the hall to where I could see Patrick's burned, bleeding and unmoving body. I knelt and felt for his pulse.
There was none.
Something inside me cracked. I had killed someone. I had taken the life of another in a fit of anger and it scared me. This wasn't who I was. I didn't want this new part of me, I wanted it to go away. It had turned me into a murderer; a monster. I felt tears stream down my face as I stood and walked from the building.
I didn't want this.
Friday, June 24, 2011
200: Fatal Shadow -Unknown-
It took me three hours and twelve people to find the exact location of Patrick, and I won't lie; some of those people would have trouble walking for a while. I wasn't cutting corners. I wasn't taking chances. I knew better. You make a mistake or take a shortcut and you're dead. The only thing you can do is be one step ahead of the rest. You have to know the enemy so well that even their preference of cereal isn't a mystery to you.
I'd left them standing there staring after me. I didn't even hang up the phone. It was as though the sound of the death unlocked parts of me I'd never knew existed. An entire lifetime of espionage, and assassination flooded my mind. I knew the points on someone's body that would knock them out, cripple them, or worse. I could get to those spots before they could blink and disappear just as fast. Nothing was untouchable and as soon as I put my sights on a target, nothing could sway my gaze.
I wasn't a meek girl anymore.
I was the seven year old bringer of death.
I was a fatal shadow.
I was the eyes you always feel on you.
I was what made you hesitant to go into a dark room unarmed.
I was Crystal, and I was very, very mad.
Guards were nothing; just targets. They didn't last long enough to be surprised. There were three at the front doors. I always used the front door, because I wanted to spit in the face of my target's security. I wanted them to know when I arrived so that I could easily earn the quivering fear that I deserved to be shown. I left the gun where they laid and instead grabbed a single grenade as insurance. It's not that I didn't know how to use a gun. I could disassemble them in seconds and put them together just as fast. I had a killer's aim, but that was no surprise. I didn't pick them up because I wouldn't need them.
They wouldn't see me.
A group of seven heavily armed men flooded down the hall where I had been just earlier. They knelt to check the status of the door guards. Alive. I needed them to remember me. I needed them to fear me. I needed everyone in this place to know they weren't safe if they crossed me.
I came down like a spider from my hiding spot in a small nook on the ceiling. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. A single touch and every last one of them would be in a coma for a week. I left the pile of bodies near the door as I made my way deeper into the interior of the building.
I slipped into a room as I heard a voice coming closer. John. My friend working for the wrong side, so he wouldn't get special treatment. Open the door to the face, and a single jab to one of those special places I knew of. He fell like a brick. Not coma, but he'd be out long enough for me to complete what I'd come here to do. I disarmed him just in case. During the time I'd known him he'd done some very surprising things, and there was NO way I was going to underestimate him. Jay and Tim were all that was left to make a move, and the only person that had seen me was Tim. He probably saw my entrance in the video feeds.
After taking John down I turned to the nearest camera and waved.
Jay would be in the library, and Tim in the control room. Simple.
Jay's face felt the heel of my foot before the world went dark. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon. I left the library and made my way to the showers; Patrick would be there unaware of my coming.
The doors to the bathroom were closed and locked, but a hairpin and thirty seconds later that obstacle was gone.
Patrick wasn't human, that much I was aware of. I wouldn't be able to rely on the normal means to do him in. He was also very experienced, and had probably had many assassins try to take him out. He would be ready for me and that wasn't something I could stop. We were in his territory, so I was all ready at a disadvantage. I had to switch it around. I had to change the field of battle so that it fell in my favor, or at least evened the odds.
I closed my eyes and counted to forty, all the while I could hear the shower running around the corner. I could hear his whistling as though he had no remorse or guilt about what he'd done. It drove me mad. I hit forty, turned off the lights, and opened my eyes.
I had already adjusted to the dark so getting to Patrick in his surprised state was simple. My fist said hello to his nose with a crack loud enough to cause my ears to ring. I jumped back as he swung blindly in the dark.
"Who are you?! Where are you!?", he yelled angrily as he tried to hit me.
I silently moved behind him, ignoring the heat of the shower water as my knee crashed into the small of his back.
Patrick went down to one knee faster than I'd expected. I figured that he'd be some kind of monster like the ones we'd faced before. I didn't even fathom that he could possibly be simply human.
"Attacking someone in the dark is pathetic! Attack me to my face you pathetic fool!" His face was fuming, as angry as I could get it.
"You didn't attack me to my face. You went after my Father. You are the coward!"
Even in the dark I could see the blood drain from his face. He hadn't even thought that I would be capable of coming after him. He didn't even think I had it in me to make a one man assault on his badly guarded fortress. It was breathtaking to watch his anger swiftly change to a worried uncertainty. I watched his mind put the pieces together by reading the small changes on his face. A small look of guilt slid over his face and then vanished into anger again.
"You." He stood to his feet, and as I watched him he seemed to gain more confidence, "You killed the only human in this horrible world that I actually cared about. You took Saba away from me, so I went straight after the only people that I could to make you feel my pain. Do you? Do you feel the horrific feeling of loss like I do? After my employee finished his work, I called him and do you know what he told me?"
I could feel my anger growing as he started to explain his actions, as though he was justified in killing such a kind and innocent person.
"He told me that he missed." I felt my heart skip a beat, "He said that he had to sit there and watch your father choke on his own blood for half an hour before death."
My anger erupted with a ferocity I had never felt before. My foot was on his chin, followed by the heavy thumps of my fists bruising his chest, knocking him out of the showers and closer to the door. He tried to retaliate, but the lack of sight made his swings ineffectual and pointless. He leaped through the door, crushing it to the ground. He was moving toward the light so he'd have a better advantage, but I was right behind him.
Before he even got back to his feet I was there, leveraging his weight to catapult him back into the showers where he collided into the wall with a crunch of linoleum. I pulled out the grenade as I moved to the door. My finger yanked the pin as I smiled at his very surprised face.
"WAIT!" Patrick's voice made me hesitate, "Wait. If you let me live, than I can help you."
"Now who's pathetic? Can't you just at least die as something other than a cockroach? Don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this.", I prepared to toss it.
"No. I can tell you how to bring Vincent back."
Patrick had earned some more time.
I'd left them standing there staring after me. I didn't even hang up the phone. It was as though the sound of the death unlocked parts of me I'd never knew existed. An entire lifetime of espionage, and assassination flooded my mind. I knew the points on someone's body that would knock them out, cripple them, or worse. I could get to those spots before they could blink and disappear just as fast. Nothing was untouchable and as soon as I put my sights on a target, nothing could sway my gaze.
I wasn't a meek girl anymore.
I was the seven year old bringer of death.
I was a fatal shadow.
I was the eyes you always feel on you.
I was what made you hesitant to go into a dark room unarmed.
I was Crystal, and I was very, very mad.
Guards were nothing; just targets. They didn't last long enough to be surprised. There were three at the front doors. I always used the front door, because I wanted to spit in the face of my target's security. I wanted them to know when I arrived so that I could easily earn the quivering fear that I deserved to be shown. I left the gun where they laid and instead grabbed a single grenade as insurance. It's not that I didn't know how to use a gun. I could disassemble them in seconds and put them together just as fast. I had a killer's aim, but that was no surprise. I didn't pick them up because I wouldn't need them.
They wouldn't see me.
A group of seven heavily armed men flooded down the hall where I had been just earlier. They knelt to check the status of the door guards. Alive. I needed them to remember me. I needed them to fear me. I needed everyone in this place to know they weren't safe if they crossed me.
I came down like a spider from my hiding spot in a small nook on the ceiling. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. A single touch and every last one of them would be in a coma for a week. I left the pile of bodies near the door as I made my way deeper into the interior of the building.
I slipped into a room as I heard a voice coming closer. John. My friend working for the wrong side, so he wouldn't get special treatment. Open the door to the face, and a single jab to one of those special places I knew of. He fell like a brick. Not coma, but he'd be out long enough for me to complete what I'd come here to do. I disarmed him just in case. During the time I'd known him he'd done some very surprising things, and there was NO way I was going to underestimate him. Jay and Tim were all that was left to make a move, and the only person that had seen me was Tim. He probably saw my entrance in the video feeds.
After taking John down I turned to the nearest camera and waved.
Jay would be in the library, and Tim in the control room. Simple.
Jay's face felt the heel of my foot before the world went dark. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon. I left the library and made my way to the showers; Patrick would be there unaware of my coming.
The doors to the bathroom were closed and locked, but a hairpin and thirty seconds later that obstacle was gone.
Patrick wasn't human, that much I was aware of. I wouldn't be able to rely on the normal means to do him in. He was also very experienced, and had probably had many assassins try to take him out. He would be ready for me and that wasn't something I could stop. We were in his territory, so I was all ready at a disadvantage. I had to switch it around. I had to change the field of battle so that it fell in my favor, or at least evened the odds.
I closed my eyes and counted to forty, all the while I could hear the shower running around the corner. I could hear his whistling as though he had no remorse or guilt about what he'd done. It drove me mad. I hit forty, turned off the lights, and opened my eyes.
I had already adjusted to the dark so getting to Patrick in his surprised state was simple. My fist said hello to his nose with a crack loud enough to cause my ears to ring. I jumped back as he swung blindly in the dark.
"Who are you?! Where are you!?", he yelled angrily as he tried to hit me.
I silently moved behind him, ignoring the heat of the shower water as my knee crashed into the small of his back.
Patrick went down to one knee faster than I'd expected. I figured that he'd be some kind of monster like the ones we'd faced before. I didn't even fathom that he could possibly be simply human.
"Attacking someone in the dark is pathetic! Attack me to my face you pathetic fool!" His face was fuming, as angry as I could get it.
"You didn't attack me to my face. You went after my Father. You are the coward!"
Even in the dark I could see the blood drain from his face. He hadn't even thought that I would be capable of coming after him. He didn't even think I had it in me to make a one man assault on his badly guarded fortress. It was breathtaking to watch his anger swiftly change to a worried uncertainty. I watched his mind put the pieces together by reading the small changes on his face. A small look of guilt slid over his face and then vanished into anger again.
"You." He stood to his feet, and as I watched him he seemed to gain more confidence, "You killed the only human in this horrible world that I actually cared about. You took Saba away from me, so I went straight after the only people that I could to make you feel my pain. Do you? Do you feel the horrific feeling of loss like I do? After my employee finished his work, I called him and do you know what he told me?"
I could feel my anger growing as he started to explain his actions, as though he was justified in killing such a kind and innocent person.
"He told me that he missed." I felt my heart skip a beat, "He said that he had to sit there and watch your father choke on his own blood for half an hour before death."
My anger erupted with a ferocity I had never felt before. My foot was on his chin, followed by the heavy thumps of my fists bruising his chest, knocking him out of the showers and closer to the door. He tried to retaliate, but the lack of sight made his swings ineffectual and pointless. He leaped through the door, crushing it to the ground. He was moving toward the light so he'd have a better advantage, but I was right behind him.
Before he even got back to his feet I was there, leveraging his weight to catapult him back into the showers where he collided into the wall with a crunch of linoleum. I pulled out the grenade as I moved to the door. My finger yanked the pin as I smiled at his very surprised face.
"WAIT!" Patrick's voice made me hesitate, "Wait. If you let me live, than I can help you."
"Now who's pathetic? Can't you just at least die as something other than a cockroach? Don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this.", I prepared to toss it.
"No. I can tell you how to bring Vincent back."
Patrick had earned some more time.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
199: Life For A Life -Crystal-
I can't say I wasn't nervous. What would I say? How would I explain? The phone rang into my ear as I waited.
It felt like forever before someone picked up.
"Hello?" It was a gruff male voice, one I didn't recognize.
"Um, is William Ferguson there?"
"He's a little," the voice pulled away from the phone for a moment and then returned, "preoccupied at the moment."
"It's important that I talk to him immediately. Please put him on the phone."
"You wouldn't happen to be Crystal, would you?"
My heart sank. Something was wrong. How could this person possibly know me?
"Just put my Daddy on the phone. Please."
The voice laughed, "Sure thing." Again the voice moved away from the phone, "Hey! It's your daughter, she wants to talk to you. You can take it? All right." The voice returned, "He says he can take it. Just let me remove the duct tape."
A yelp of pain echoed through the phone followed by a stern "quiet" from the man on the phone. Some more shuffling and then a voice came over the phone, one I recognized.
"Hello?" I couldn't help but tear up when I heard his voice, "I don't know what kind of sick joke you're playing bu-"
"Daddy, do you remember what Mommy told us before she died? She was laying there pale and weak; so weak that she couldn't hold my hand. I was crying and you were trying to hide your sadness for me even though I could always see it. Do you remember?"
"How did you-" He sounded surprised.
"Daddy, she told you that the best moments of her life were the years she spent with you. She said," painful memories stung me to the bone, "She said that even though she'd only had a few years to spend with us, she couldn't imagine another life she would have rather lived."
"Oh my God." I could hear the surprise in his voice, "Crystal. How?"
"That's not all, then she looked at me and told me to love with everything I had. Then she closed her eyes, Daddy, she closed her eyes for the last time."
"You- you sound older. How did this happen? When can I see yo-", I heard a loud thunk as he was cut off. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" The other voice returned.
"So, I have a message to you from Patrick." The voice was very calm and dangerous, "By now, you've probably found that all your money is gone, right? That's why you had to call here."
They had my Daddy; Patrick had my Father. I felt the blood rush from my face as I whispered into the phone, "Yes."
"He thought you would, so I was told to wait here until you called and then tell you this." He laughed lightly, "Patrick says, 'A life for a life.' "
I heard him put the phone down and in the distance I heard my Daddy's voice, "Crystal, I love yo-"
The loud bang of a gun echoed through the phone.
It felt like forever before someone picked up.
"Hello?" It was a gruff male voice, one I didn't recognize.
"Um, is William Ferguson there?"
"He's a little," the voice pulled away from the phone for a moment and then returned, "preoccupied at the moment."
"It's important that I talk to him immediately. Please put him on the phone."
"You wouldn't happen to be Crystal, would you?"
My heart sank. Something was wrong. How could this person possibly know me?
"Just put my Daddy on the phone. Please."
The voice laughed, "Sure thing." Again the voice moved away from the phone, "Hey! It's your daughter, she wants to talk to you. You can take it? All right." The voice returned, "He says he can take it. Just let me remove the duct tape."
A yelp of pain echoed through the phone followed by a stern "quiet" from the man on the phone. Some more shuffling and then a voice came over the phone, one I recognized.
"Hello?" I couldn't help but tear up when I heard his voice, "I don't know what kind of sick joke you're playing bu-"
"Daddy, do you remember what Mommy told us before she died? She was laying there pale and weak; so weak that she couldn't hold my hand. I was crying and you were trying to hide your sadness for me even though I could always see it. Do you remember?"
"How did you-" He sounded surprised.
"Daddy, she told you that the best moments of her life were the years she spent with you. She said," painful memories stung me to the bone, "She said that even though she'd only had a few years to spend with us, she couldn't imagine another life she would have rather lived."
"Oh my God." I could hear the surprise in his voice, "Crystal. How?"
"That's not all, then she looked at me and told me to love with everything I had. Then she closed her eyes, Daddy, she closed her eyes for the last time."
"You- you sound older. How did this happen? When can I see yo-", I heard a loud thunk as he was cut off. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" The other voice returned.
"So, I have a message to you from Patrick." The voice was very calm and dangerous, "By now, you've probably found that all your money is gone, right? That's why you had to call here."
They had my Daddy; Patrick had my Father. I felt the blood rush from my face as I whispered into the phone, "Yes."
"He thought you would, so I was told to wait here until you called and then tell you this." He laughed lightly, "Patrick says, 'A life for a life.' "
I heard him put the phone down and in the distance I heard my Daddy's voice, "Crystal, I love yo-"
The loud bang of a gun echoed through the phone.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
196: Not Dead -Carl-
"Melissa isn't dead, Carl. She's out there somewhere causing more mayhem, and we have to stop her before she goes too far." The small fairy flew up and gave me a fierce gaze.
I had been in my hotel room for only 10 minutes alone when I had heard the tapping on the window. I was surprised to find a male fairy floating outside waiting to get in.
"I'm not going anywhere. My friend just died, I have to be here for the people that need me."
"I wish it was different, Carl, but this is more important than that. She's been planning something for a very long time and it's all coming together slowly. The pact, Joshua, your curse being broken; all of it a part of her plan, everything working together toward a single, horrible goal. One that we cannot allow to come to fruition."
"Who are you?" I hadn't had a chance to ask him his name before he'd started ranting about going after Melissa.
"My name is Qaliphus. I was with Melissa when she came to this world. Soon after I realized her intentions and had to fake my own death so that I could find a way to stop her. It saddens me to say that several innocents lost their lives so that I could get away, but they were needed sacrifices for the greater good."
I was getting angry. This fairy was dancing around the subject, not getting to his point. It was almost as though he was ashamed. I walked to the mini-bar and poured myself a drink.
"What's she planning?"
The fairy smiled, "We lost the war between us and the Gods. Melissa and I had escaped with the intentions of settling down and hiding. I wanted nothing more than to live out the rest of my life, but Melissa had other intentions. While I was growing attached to humans, she was becoming less sympathetic for their kind. The only humans she had any feelings for were the children. She saw them as completely innocent and untouched by the evil of age."
I was growing impatient as I took another gulp of my drink. I walked to the bed and sat on it, thinking about everything Melissa had done.
"She told me of her plans one night and I was horrified. Carl, she plans on bringing all the fairies back."
I stared at the small fairy, his eyes were honest and his face stern.
"Why are you against that? You're a fairy yourself."
He sighed and sat at the edge of the bed, "I'm a traitor, Carl. I never told Melissa, but I told the Gods our battle plans in the final battle." He shook his head, "My people are a cruel and heartless race. We know nothing of mercy and strive to control everything we can. Even our magics used to belong to another race that we wiped out. We tortured humans for fun, murdering them when we got bored. As I grew up I began to feel sorry for the humans, and when I had the chance to save them, I took it."
I raised a brow, "You wiped out your entire race to save mine? That's bold. Very, very bold."
I had to admit, I was impressed. Qaliphus had went against everything he was raised to believe to stop the torture of another race. I could see that it was difficult for him, but I could also tell that he was set on keeping humans safe at all costs.
"So," I put my glass down, "what makes you think she's not dead?"
"Fairies are notoriously hard to kill. If her name isn't used to kill her then she's not dead. You need to understand that she's planned so far ahead and if she succeeds, then the human race will be wiped out in seconds."
"How did the Gods even have any chance of winning against your race if they didn't know your names?" I knew her name was powerful but I didn't know it was required to kill her. No wonder it was the only thing that could control her.
I had already decided that I would go with him. I reached over to grab a shirt, and a sword that I'd snatched from the museum in the turmoil. As I stood he flew up to the door.
"They didn't, not until I gave them all the fairies names." I saw his strong demeanor falter slightly. I saw a deep sadness.
Could I kill my entire race to save another?
I had been in my hotel room for only 10 minutes alone when I had heard the tapping on the window. I was surprised to find a male fairy floating outside waiting to get in.
"I'm not going anywhere. My friend just died, I have to be here for the people that need me."
"I wish it was different, Carl, but this is more important than that. She's been planning something for a very long time and it's all coming together slowly. The pact, Joshua, your curse being broken; all of it a part of her plan, everything working together toward a single, horrible goal. One that we cannot allow to come to fruition."
"Who are you?" I hadn't had a chance to ask him his name before he'd started ranting about going after Melissa.
"My name is Qaliphus. I was with Melissa when she came to this world. Soon after I realized her intentions and had to fake my own death so that I could find a way to stop her. It saddens me to say that several innocents lost their lives so that I could get away, but they were needed sacrifices for the greater good."
I was getting angry. This fairy was dancing around the subject, not getting to his point. It was almost as though he was ashamed. I walked to the mini-bar and poured myself a drink.
"What's she planning?"
The fairy smiled, "We lost the war between us and the Gods. Melissa and I had escaped with the intentions of settling down and hiding. I wanted nothing more than to live out the rest of my life, but Melissa had other intentions. While I was growing attached to humans, she was becoming less sympathetic for their kind. The only humans she had any feelings for were the children. She saw them as completely innocent and untouched by the evil of age."
I was growing impatient as I took another gulp of my drink. I walked to the bed and sat on it, thinking about everything Melissa had done.
"She told me of her plans one night and I was horrified. Carl, she plans on bringing all the fairies back."
I stared at the small fairy, his eyes were honest and his face stern.
"Why are you against that? You're a fairy yourself."
He sighed and sat at the edge of the bed, "I'm a traitor, Carl. I never told Melissa, but I told the Gods our battle plans in the final battle." He shook his head, "My people are a cruel and heartless race. We know nothing of mercy and strive to control everything we can. Even our magics used to belong to another race that we wiped out. We tortured humans for fun, murdering them when we got bored. As I grew up I began to feel sorry for the humans, and when I had the chance to save them, I took it."
I raised a brow, "You wiped out your entire race to save mine? That's bold. Very, very bold."
I had to admit, I was impressed. Qaliphus had went against everything he was raised to believe to stop the torture of another race. I could see that it was difficult for him, but I could also tell that he was set on keeping humans safe at all costs.
"So," I put my glass down, "what makes you think she's not dead?"
"Fairies are notoriously hard to kill. If her name isn't used to kill her then she's not dead. You need to understand that she's planned so far ahead and if she succeeds, then the human race will be wiped out in seconds."
"How did the Gods even have any chance of winning against your race if they didn't know your names?" I knew her name was powerful but I didn't know it was required to kill her. No wonder it was the only thing that could control her.
I had already decided that I would go with him. I reached over to grab a shirt, and a sword that I'd snatched from the museum in the turmoil. As I stood he flew up to the door.
"They didn't, not until I gave them all the fairies names." I saw his strong demeanor falter slightly. I saw a deep sadness.
Could I kill my entire race to save another?
Sunday, June 12, 2011
194: Two Dollars -Crystal-
Three days had passed since the museum incident and we had barely spoken to one another. We were still at the Hotel. We ran into each other often, but silence was the common language.
Vincent's death had hit everyone harder than you'd have thought. We didn't even say his name anymore, and even if we did I don't think I could say it with out breaking down. I had only lived a short time and all ready I had to deal with the death of a close friend.
It was times like these that I wished I had my Father to run to.
We didn't know whether or not to bury Vincent. Instead, we burned what was left of the bear; a warrior's funeral. It wasn't fair. It could have happened to anyone, and it had to be him.
Vincent had saved my life more times than I could remember. When I was younger, before he came to life, he scared away the darkness just by being there. Then he fought for everyone I cared about till his death. Now he's gone and it should have been someone else. Someone who deserved it; maybe me.
Carl says that he died a death worthy of someone great, but the truth is that he was killed while completely unconscious. He was killed in his sleep, which normally would have been peaceful, but this sleep was anything but. Vincent died terrified, fighting and alone.
I stared in to the toy shop at the arrangements of bears in the window, hoping that one of them would get up and start talking. I had been staring for 5 hours now. I had watched as the lights in the shop dimmed and the owner locked the doors. All I had was this hope, and if I looked away then I would be admitting that he's gone.
I shouldn't be this attached because most of the time I knew him he was an inanimate toy, but he came to life. He was a person that I'd come to know. He was a person that I'd come to trust.
"Crystal," Nick's hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts, "everyone is wondering where you are."
"My Dad bought him for me.", I wiped the wet from my cheek, "He took me to a small toy store not far from where I lived. The store was super expensive, but my dad wanted me to choose whatever I wanted. I was looking at the dollhouses and fake carriages when I saw him. He was jammed between the biggest dollhouse and the wall, and he looked so uncomfortable, so unhappy."
Nick was silent, and I didn't blame him. Vincent was my bear, he'd been with me most of my life.
"I passed over him. I had my eye on another doll that could learn its name, one that would have put my Dad back $600 while the bear only cost $2. I kept thinking about that bear stuck, looking unhappy. I couldn't get him out of my head. I felt so bad leaving him there while all the other dolls would be sold. I didn't want him to not have a home. I got so confused at what I should do. I wanted the doll, but the bear would suffer and never be found."
I knew I was crying but I didn't care. This museum incident had taken its toll on everyone somehow. After the first night in the hotel, Carl vanished and Ben kept himself locked in his room. Andrew had been shunned immediately and violently, almost made me feel sorry for him until we learned what he'd done to Ben. Will spent the last two days trying to convince Kelly that all this stuff was real, and despite what she had seen it still took a lot of convincing. Nick and I were awkward together at best, and at worst we were at each other's throats.
"I chose Vincent because I didn't want him to be alone and scared, but it didn't matter. He still ended up that way and there's nothing I could have done. What was the point of bringing him to life if he was just going to be killed?"
"He was here for you, Crystal.", Nick tried to comfort me, "He always fought to protect you."
"I spent two dollars killing a good friend, Nick. If I'd chosen that first doll, then he'd never been put in this situation. I should have forgotten about the bear, then maybe he would have found someone normal. Maybe he would have protected someone whose biggest problem was children at a schoolyard. No, life had to be cruel. His life wasn't worth the money I spent. It was worth so much more."
"You're still alive, Crystal," Nick put his hand on my shoulder, "and I bet he would have considered that a bargain."
I heard Nick walk toward the hotel.
I stared at the window for another two hours.
Vincent's death had hit everyone harder than you'd have thought. We didn't even say his name anymore, and even if we did I don't think I could say it with out breaking down. I had only lived a short time and all ready I had to deal with the death of a close friend.
It was times like these that I wished I had my Father to run to.
We didn't know whether or not to bury Vincent. Instead, we burned what was left of the bear; a warrior's funeral. It wasn't fair. It could have happened to anyone, and it had to be him.
Vincent had saved my life more times than I could remember. When I was younger, before he came to life, he scared away the darkness just by being there. Then he fought for everyone I cared about till his death. Now he's gone and it should have been someone else. Someone who deserved it; maybe me.
Carl says that he died a death worthy of someone great, but the truth is that he was killed while completely unconscious. He was killed in his sleep, which normally would have been peaceful, but this sleep was anything but. Vincent died terrified, fighting and alone.
I stared in to the toy shop at the arrangements of bears in the window, hoping that one of them would get up and start talking. I had been staring for 5 hours now. I had watched as the lights in the shop dimmed and the owner locked the doors. All I had was this hope, and if I looked away then I would be admitting that he's gone.
I shouldn't be this attached because most of the time I knew him he was an inanimate toy, but he came to life. He was a person that I'd come to know. He was a person that I'd come to trust.
"Crystal," Nick's hand on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts, "everyone is wondering where you are."
"My Dad bought him for me.", I wiped the wet from my cheek, "He took me to a small toy store not far from where I lived. The store was super expensive, but my dad wanted me to choose whatever I wanted. I was looking at the dollhouses and fake carriages when I saw him. He was jammed between the biggest dollhouse and the wall, and he looked so uncomfortable, so unhappy."
Nick was silent, and I didn't blame him. Vincent was my bear, he'd been with me most of my life.
"I passed over him. I had my eye on another doll that could learn its name, one that would have put my Dad back $600 while the bear only cost $2. I kept thinking about that bear stuck, looking unhappy. I couldn't get him out of my head. I felt so bad leaving him there while all the other dolls would be sold. I didn't want him to not have a home. I got so confused at what I should do. I wanted the doll, but the bear would suffer and never be found."
I knew I was crying but I didn't care. This museum incident had taken its toll on everyone somehow. After the first night in the hotel, Carl vanished and Ben kept himself locked in his room. Andrew had been shunned immediately and violently, almost made me feel sorry for him until we learned what he'd done to Ben. Will spent the last two days trying to convince Kelly that all this stuff was real, and despite what she had seen it still took a lot of convincing. Nick and I were awkward together at best, and at worst we were at each other's throats.
"I chose Vincent because I didn't want him to be alone and scared, but it didn't matter. He still ended up that way and there's nothing I could have done. What was the point of bringing him to life if he was just going to be killed?"
"He was here for you, Crystal.", Nick tried to comfort me, "He always fought to protect you."
"I spent two dollars killing a good friend, Nick. If I'd chosen that first doll, then he'd never been put in this situation. I should have forgotten about the bear, then maybe he would have found someone normal. Maybe he would have protected someone whose biggest problem was children at a schoolyard. No, life had to be cruel. His life wasn't worth the money I spent. It was worth so much more."
"You're still alive, Crystal," Nick put his hand on my shoulder, "and I bet he would have considered that a bargain."
I heard Nick walk toward the hotel.
I stared at the window for another two hours.
Monday, June 6, 2011
192: My Power, My Downfall -Bob-
I lifted the girl up by her neck. I'd never seen a more powerful Warlock. Her power was nearly undetectable and very lethal. In fact, it wasn't even the type of power I thought that I'd find. As a human she was quite the specimen. I squeezed her neck, watching her eyes widen as she struggled for breath.
"What is wrong with you humans? Here I am squeezing the life out of you and I sense no fear. I'm going to kill you, and you look at me as though I'm pathetic and not worth your time." I glanced back at the other two as they pulled themselves to their feet.
"Is there something wrong with you people? Do you lack the capacity to fear or something?", I tightened my grip, "No matter how hard I squeeze she still doesn't want to be afraid. Learn your place humans."
The unusually strong human laughed, "You really think you've got us by holding her hostage? Do you know what she's done to us? She nearly killed some of our closest friends, and she's just as twisted as you. Go ahead, crush her throat."
I could tell he was bluffing, at least partially. So why say it? He was gaining nothing, except time. Time for her to run out of breath. Time for her to wish it would end. The thought came to me at the last second and I had no time to get out of the way as the pillar flew at me. Time to get her attack prepared.
The impact caused my grip to release and threw me across the room. I felt ribs break as I smashed into the wall. She had used her abilities to lift a pillar and wield it as a weapon, and I'd never seen that before. What were these people?
"That's it. Enough games! Time to di-" The strong one's fist hit me in the face before I could finish. A knee to my chest did more than just confirm the broken ribs, it fractured them. I felt his fingers in my hair as he taught me how his knee felt on my face. I tasted the blood on my lips. Me. I was bleeding, by a mere human, which is something I would never had expected. Then again, nothing has happened as expected. All I had to do was kill the anomaly and instead I meet an entire army of them. I could feel his fists hitting me but I was lost in thought.
Humans are not capable of this kind of power. We ruled over them for thousands of years with out a single incident. Had they been building this power over that entire time? All three of these filthy humans demonstrated abilities beyond that of the norm. There was no way I could allow this to continue.
His next fist never connected; intercepted by my hand and followed by a swift series of jabs to his chest. I watched his stamina fall as I turned his chest and stomach into a bruised mess. He went limp shortly, still conscious but unable to move. I lifted him up so that we were face to face.
"See what you get?", I spat my blood in his face, "All it took was a few hits and now you can be put aside for later."
I should have seen it. These humans were smart. Their fighting prowess was like a seasoned warrior. They'd seen battle before and definitely fought things above their ability to defeat. I should have known that they'd work together to make this difficult, but I never expected them to work so well.
"So, who next?" I tossed him aside and looked up to see the Warlock releasing a fireball lined with razor sharp blades that had been collected by the girl. I felt my skin burn as it collided with me. I was helplessly thrown back into the wall. The pain was excruciating, flowing through my entire body. I could hear my screams as though they were from a distance.
This was too much. These people were relentless, they'd never stop. I'd made a mistake. I was going to die, right here, right now, to the hands of humans; the people I'd hunted for sport. These three had taken every hit, and retaliated like demons. There was no way I could win. Too much, just too much.
Then I felt it. Fear, so much fear. I felt my confidence return as the fear grew. I had been wrong, I would win. The humans revealed their fear too early, so early. I reached out with my power and grasped on to that fear.
It was the sweetest kind, a surprising fear. Something unexpected but so strong and so deep, like a nightmare come true. I had to incapacitate one of these foolish humans in order to have a chance. I called upon everything I had and forced them into their horror, where they'd live until I killed them. I felt them give in to my power and then everything faded away.
I found myself standing in a room.
"What? What's going on?"
"You are completely foolish. You've made a horrible mistake." That was Mardockt's voice. I felt a deep dread as he stepped out of the shadows.
"I was winning! I was going to win!"
"NO! You FOOL! You never had a chance! Do you know why you're here? I didn't bring you here, YOU DID!" He was angry, and that made me more scared than I'd ever been. The things he could do to me . . . the thing he would do to me.
"How did I do that? I have no access to this place."
"You think you're really with me?", he laughed, "No. All of this is in your mind, and I must say . . . I'm very flattered."
What he was saying finally hit me. I had made a mistake.
"Oh you see it now, I can see the fear in your face. Yes, Bob. You wasted all your energy putting yourself into your own deepest, darkest fear."
"Eventually I'll get my strength back!", I was all ready shivering as he walked over to me, "I'll escape once I'm in control again."
"Bob.", he knelt and looked me straight in the face with a smile that was full of some much pleasure, "You're going to use up all your strength surviving me."
"No.", I felt the tears come, "NO! I'M SORRY! NO! LET ME OUT! HELP! HELP!"
He stood and pulled a pair of razor-sharp tongs out of his pocket, "Bob?"
My voice was a whisper, the fear was so strong and just getting stronger with time. I kept imagining what Mardockt would do to me with out being able to stop thinking it, "Please. Please don't. I don't want this, I never wanted this. You need to stop. Why would you do this to me? Please. No no no no no no no no."
"BOB!"
"What?", I was whimpering uncontrollably as I tried to think of a way out, but all I could think about is how many ways he could make me scream.
He smiled a smile so evil that it brought me to screams before he even touched me.
"This is going to be fun." And he began.
"What is wrong with you humans? Here I am squeezing the life out of you and I sense no fear. I'm going to kill you, and you look at me as though I'm pathetic and not worth your time." I glanced back at the other two as they pulled themselves to their feet.
"Is there something wrong with you people? Do you lack the capacity to fear or something?", I tightened my grip, "No matter how hard I squeeze she still doesn't want to be afraid. Learn your place humans."
The unusually strong human laughed, "You really think you've got us by holding her hostage? Do you know what she's done to us? She nearly killed some of our closest friends, and she's just as twisted as you. Go ahead, crush her throat."
I could tell he was bluffing, at least partially. So why say it? He was gaining nothing, except time. Time for her to run out of breath. Time for her to wish it would end. The thought came to me at the last second and I had no time to get out of the way as the pillar flew at me. Time to get her attack prepared.
The impact caused my grip to release and threw me across the room. I felt ribs break as I smashed into the wall. She had used her abilities to lift a pillar and wield it as a weapon, and I'd never seen that before. What were these people?
"That's it. Enough games! Time to di-" The strong one's fist hit me in the face before I could finish. A knee to my chest did more than just confirm the broken ribs, it fractured them. I felt his fingers in my hair as he taught me how his knee felt on my face. I tasted the blood on my lips. Me. I was bleeding, by a mere human, which is something I would never had expected. Then again, nothing has happened as expected. All I had to do was kill the anomaly and instead I meet an entire army of them. I could feel his fists hitting me but I was lost in thought.
Humans are not capable of this kind of power. We ruled over them for thousands of years with out a single incident. Had they been building this power over that entire time? All three of these filthy humans demonstrated abilities beyond that of the norm. There was no way I could allow this to continue.
His next fist never connected; intercepted by my hand and followed by a swift series of jabs to his chest. I watched his stamina fall as I turned his chest and stomach into a bruised mess. He went limp shortly, still conscious but unable to move. I lifted him up so that we were face to face.
"See what you get?", I spat my blood in his face, "All it took was a few hits and now you can be put aside for later."
I should have seen it. These humans were smart. Their fighting prowess was like a seasoned warrior. They'd seen battle before and definitely fought things above their ability to defeat. I should have known that they'd work together to make this difficult, but I never expected them to work so well.
"So, who next?" I tossed him aside and looked up to see the Warlock releasing a fireball lined with razor sharp blades that had been collected by the girl. I felt my skin burn as it collided with me. I was helplessly thrown back into the wall. The pain was excruciating, flowing through my entire body. I could hear my screams as though they were from a distance.
This was too much. These people were relentless, they'd never stop. I'd made a mistake. I was going to die, right here, right now, to the hands of humans; the people I'd hunted for sport. These three had taken every hit, and retaliated like demons. There was no way I could win. Too much, just too much.
Then I felt it. Fear, so much fear. I felt my confidence return as the fear grew. I had been wrong, I would win. The humans revealed their fear too early, so early. I reached out with my power and grasped on to that fear.
It was the sweetest kind, a surprising fear. Something unexpected but so strong and so deep, like a nightmare come true. I had to incapacitate one of these foolish humans in order to have a chance. I called upon everything I had and forced them into their horror, where they'd live until I killed them. I felt them give in to my power and then everything faded away.
I found myself standing in a room.
"What? What's going on?"
"You are completely foolish. You've made a horrible mistake." That was Mardockt's voice. I felt a deep dread as he stepped out of the shadows.
"I was winning! I was going to win!"
"NO! You FOOL! You never had a chance! Do you know why you're here? I didn't bring you here, YOU DID!" He was angry, and that made me more scared than I'd ever been. The things he could do to me . . . the thing he would do to me.
"How did I do that? I have no access to this place."
"You think you're really with me?", he laughed, "No. All of this is in your mind, and I must say . . . I'm very flattered."
What he was saying finally hit me. I had made a mistake.
"Oh you see it now, I can see the fear in your face. Yes, Bob. You wasted all your energy putting yourself into your own deepest, darkest fear."
"Eventually I'll get my strength back!", I was all ready shivering as he walked over to me, "I'll escape once I'm in control again."
"Bob.", he knelt and looked me straight in the face with a smile that was full of some much pleasure, "You're going to use up all your strength surviving me."
"No.", I felt the tears come, "NO! I'M SORRY! NO! LET ME OUT! HELP! HELP!"
He stood and pulled a pair of razor-sharp tongs out of his pocket, "Bob?"
My voice was a whisper, the fear was so strong and just getting stronger with time. I kept imagining what Mardockt would do to me with out being able to stop thinking it, "Please. Please don't. I don't want this, I never wanted this. You need to stop. Why would you do this to me? Please. No no no no no no no no."
"BOB!"
"What?", I was whimpering uncontrollably as I tried to think of a way out, but all I could think about is how many ways he could make me scream.
He smiled a smile so evil that it brought me to screams before he even touched me.
"This is going to be fun." And he began.
Friday, June 3, 2011
189: Common Threat, Common Goal, Uncommon Alliance -Carl-
I was yanked out of the worst nightmare of my life to find myself face to face with one of those horrible Abhorians. The look of surprise was evident on the Abhorian's face even with the deformed shape. It took a step back as I pulled myself to my feet.
In the middle of the room stood Ben and a translucent girl staring at a young boy with a triumphant look. The boy looked just as surprised as the Abhorian, but there was something else mixed with the surprise. I had seen the look before in other Gods that I'd fought. None of them expected me to triumph, and when I did a look of intense fear fell over them. That was on the boy's face right now.
The entire room was filled with noise as everyone who apparently had been sleeping woke up. Next to me Christina pulled herself to her feet, and nodded toward the people in the center of the room.
"The small boy is Bob, the God of Fear." She spoke with an edge to her voice, almost a hatred.
"Bob? He couldn't have chosen something more fitting?"
"What do you mean? Bob is his name.", she sounded confused.
"Couldn't have chosen something that instills more terro-"
"That's not important. Your friend there is in trouble. We have to get over there."
"We're surrounded by Abhorians."
"Yeah, but they aren't moving."
She was right. In fact they were moving away, back toward the door. Fear isn't what motivated them . . . it was almost as though they were being summon back to the door.
The young boy, Bob, noticed their movements, "Where are you going? Who said you could leave? I'm your master. I'm your boss."
They ignored him and kept walking, "STOP! I command it! Listen to me!"
One of the Abhorians turned around and stared at Bob, "You have failed me. You let mere humans get the upper hand and now your fate lies with them."
"You can't take them away from me. This isn't fair."
"Oh, Bob. Dear, stupid, childish Bob. Life isn't fair. Do you think it was fair when you killed the Teddy Bear and the Fairy in cold blood? Do you think it's fair that most of your victims couldn't fight back? Stop being such a coward and face what you've sewn.", the Abhorian turned and continued to walk away.
"MARDOCKT!", Bob cried as the last Abhorian disappeared into the door.
I didn't wait for anyone to speak, I spoke first, "VINCENT! VINCENT, YOU STUPID BEAR, SAY SOMETHING!"
I jumped over a few bodies and ran into the door room toward a tan clump on the floor, "VINCENT!"
Crystal ran up beside me and we both stared at the torn pieces of cloth, the remains of Vincent.
"Carl. Vincent's gone?"
I had never been more angry. Vincent was annoying and completely obnoxious, but he didn't deserve to die. I turned to look at Bob, who was still getting over the fact that he'd been abandoned and was now surrounded by a bunch of people who really didn't like him much.
"Get the children and civilians out of here.", I was shaking with anger as I walked over toward Bob.
Bob watched me with uncertainty hidden beneath a mask of confidence. I'd seen it before . . . many, many Gods looked at me the same way before I killed them. This one would be no different. I stared at his eyes with out averting my gaze or changing my expression. As I approached I watched his expression change and slowly the uncertainty overcame the confidence.
"Christina, watch as I show you proof as to how weak humans are. I'll kill this human . . . and then go to the res-"
"No you won't, Bob.", Christina spoke, "These humans . . . they aren't the same as they once were. I'm not sure what happened but they've grown to be stronger. That one walking up to you held his own against an Abhorian with no magic, or special abilities. He also survived a Sprite curse for many, many years. These people whom you have judged as weak and then hurt, are much much stronger than either of us would have expected. But, Bob?"
Now there was fear laced throughout his face, "What?"
She walked toward the front door of the museum and then turned, "Maybe you should have helped me when I was pleading for it in the war."
With that, she was gone.
"You Bitc-" His sentence never finished on account of my fist smashing into the side of his head.
In the middle of the room stood Ben and a translucent girl staring at a young boy with a triumphant look. The boy looked just as surprised as the Abhorian, but there was something else mixed with the surprise. I had seen the look before in other Gods that I'd fought. None of them expected me to triumph, and when I did a look of intense fear fell over them. That was on the boy's face right now.
The entire room was filled with noise as everyone who apparently had been sleeping woke up. Next to me Christina pulled herself to her feet, and nodded toward the people in the center of the room.
"The small boy is Bob, the God of Fear." She spoke with an edge to her voice, almost a hatred.
"Bob? He couldn't have chosen something more fitting?"
"What do you mean? Bob is his name.", she sounded confused.
"Couldn't have chosen something that instills more terro-"
"That's not important. Your friend there is in trouble. We have to get over there."
"We're surrounded by Abhorians."
"Yeah, but they aren't moving."
She was right. In fact they were moving away, back toward the door. Fear isn't what motivated them . . . it was almost as though they were being summon back to the door.
The young boy, Bob, noticed their movements, "Where are you going? Who said you could leave? I'm your master. I'm your boss."
They ignored him and kept walking, "STOP! I command it! Listen to me!"
One of the Abhorians turned around and stared at Bob, "You have failed me. You let mere humans get the upper hand and now your fate lies with them."
"You can't take them away from me. This isn't fair."
"Oh, Bob. Dear, stupid, childish Bob. Life isn't fair. Do you think it was fair when you killed the Teddy Bear and the Fairy in cold blood? Do you think it's fair that most of your victims couldn't fight back? Stop being such a coward and face what you've sewn.", the Abhorian turned and continued to walk away.
"MARDOCKT!", Bob cried as the last Abhorian disappeared into the door.
I didn't wait for anyone to speak, I spoke first, "VINCENT! VINCENT, YOU STUPID BEAR, SAY SOMETHING!"
I jumped over a few bodies and ran into the door room toward a tan clump on the floor, "VINCENT!"
Crystal ran up beside me and we both stared at the torn pieces of cloth, the remains of Vincent.
"Carl. Vincent's gone?"
I had never been more angry. Vincent was annoying and completely obnoxious, but he didn't deserve to die. I turned to look at Bob, who was still getting over the fact that he'd been abandoned and was now surrounded by a bunch of people who really didn't like him much.
"Get the children and civilians out of here.", I was shaking with anger as I walked over toward Bob.
Bob watched me with uncertainty hidden beneath a mask of confidence. I'd seen it before . . . many, many Gods looked at me the same way before I killed them. This one would be no different. I stared at his eyes with out averting my gaze or changing my expression. As I approached I watched his expression change and slowly the uncertainty overcame the confidence.
"Christina, watch as I show you proof as to how weak humans are. I'll kill this human . . . and then go to the res-"
"No you won't, Bob.", Christina spoke, "These humans . . . they aren't the same as they once were. I'm not sure what happened but they've grown to be stronger. That one walking up to you held his own against an Abhorian with no magic, or special abilities. He also survived a Sprite curse for many, many years. These people whom you have judged as weak and then hurt, are much much stronger than either of us would have expected. But, Bob?"
Now there was fear laced throughout his face, "What?"
She walked toward the front door of the museum and then turned, "Maybe you should have helped me when I was pleading for it in the war."
With that, she was gone.
"You Bitc-" His sentence never finished on account of my fist smashing into the side of his head.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
188: Underestimated Race -Ben-
The museum had changed since I'd fallen asleep. The lobby where I stood was filled with people lying on the ground unconscious, and surrounding them were large, hulking beasts. A bloody pile of headless people sat in the corner and gave off a horrid scent.
Every thing froze when I stood up. The creatures looked at me with confusion, as if they'd never seen that happen before. For several minutes they stared at me and as they did I began to fill with an unexplainable fear.
"Why don't I hear the sound of smashin-", a naked, young, redhead boy stepped around one of the beasts, "What?! How did this happen?"
"Maybe Patrick knew more than you did." A voice next to me spoke in a soft tone that I recognized. Looking over I could see the translucent form of the girl I had killed.
The young boy sneered, "Are you saying you did this? No human has ever escaped that prison."
"I'm a little confused . . . who are you?" The boy looked at me as I spoke.
"He's the God of Fear. He was released from the door, I think. He's looking for something and started killing everyone." The girl then whispered, "His name is Bob."
"Please explain to me how exactly you are standing in front of me." Bob looked furious.
"You're the cause of all this.", my voice came out barely a whisper, "You killed all these people. You forced me to kill an innocent. You put everyone I care about at risk."
"Oh please, it's not like any of you matter. You're just humans. You're a stupid, barbaric race that has no defining features at all. What does it matter if a few of you die?", Bob laughed.
"You're sick.", Alice spoke with conviction.
"I'm sick? No, young one. I'm powerful. Look around you; at your friends. Humans aren't powerful enough to save themselves. They're weak in every way, and with out someone to protect them they are easily picked off! You think you matter? You don't! Insignificant and meager, that's what you humans are. I've crushed thousands of you in my time so you don't have the right to think low of me!"
I felt my anger raise. This guy had hurt so many people, all to prove his strength.
"Awww. Is the human getting upset?", Bob laughed at me, "The truth hurts. I'm the most powerful person here and I can crush all of you in a moment. There's nothing any of you can do about it. Yes, you escaped, but you're alone. Your only ally is the ghost at your side, and she can't do anything to help any of you. Your friends are at my feet, and as long as they stay there, nothing you say can make me think otherwise. Humans are weak, uncoordinated, barbaric, unintelligent and unimportant." Bob emphasized each of his words with a stomp.
On the last stomp, the room erupted with noise as everyone in the room woke up all at once.
Bob's face was priceless.
Every thing froze when I stood up. The creatures looked at me with confusion, as if they'd never seen that happen before. For several minutes they stared at me and as they did I began to fill with an unexplainable fear.
"Why don't I hear the sound of smashin-", a naked, young, redhead boy stepped around one of the beasts, "What?! How did this happen?"
"Maybe Patrick knew more than you did." A voice next to me spoke in a soft tone that I recognized. Looking over I could see the translucent form of the girl I had killed.
The young boy sneered, "Are you saying you did this? No human has ever escaped that prison."
"I'm a little confused . . . who are you?" The boy looked at me as I spoke.
"He's the God of Fear. He was released from the door, I think. He's looking for something and started killing everyone." The girl then whispered, "His name is Bob."
"Please explain to me how exactly you are standing in front of me." Bob looked furious.
"You're the cause of all this.", my voice came out barely a whisper, "You killed all these people. You forced me to kill an innocent. You put everyone I care about at risk."
"Oh please, it's not like any of you matter. You're just humans. You're a stupid, barbaric race that has no defining features at all. What does it matter if a few of you die?", Bob laughed.
"You're sick.", Alice spoke with conviction.
"I'm sick? No, young one. I'm powerful. Look around you; at your friends. Humans aren't powerful enough to save themselves. They're weak in every way, and with out someone to protect them they are easily picked off! You think you matter? You don't! Insignificant and meager, that's what you humans are. I've crushed thousands of you in my time so you don't have the right to think low of me!"
I felt my anger raise. This guy had hurt so many people, all to prove his strength.
"Awww. Is the human getting upset?", Bob laughed at me, "The truth hurts. I'm the most powerful person here and I can crush all of you in a moment. There's nothing any of you can do about it. Yes, you escaped, but you're alone. Your only ally is the ghost at your side, and she can't do anything to help any of you. Your friends are at my feet, and as long as they stay there, nothing you say can make me think otherwise. Humans are weak, uncoordinated, barbaric, unintelligent and unimportant." Bob emphasized each of his words with a stomp.
On the last stomp, the room erupted with noise as everyone in the room woke up all at once.
Bob's face was priceless.
Monday, May 30, 2011
186: Message Through Time -Will-
A few hours after I had been holding my wife I was standing in the hallway again. It was just like my dream, but it felt unreal. It felt like I'd done it before.
I knew that as I walked down the hallway, the smell of blood would suffocate my senses. I knew that the smell would twist in my thoughts as I worked to come to an explanation for the smell and the marks of red that streaked down the hallway. I knew that those streaks would incite visions of my wife running from an unknown assailant, bleeding because of the stab wound that I knew I would find. As I passed the children's room I would note their small feet sticking out from under the bed; surrounded by a puddle of their blood. I knew that I would leap to the conclusion that it wasn't theirs. That some how they'd fought off the attacker and even though I knew it wasn't true, I would push that deep inside to get myself to make it to our bedroom.
I knew the blood on the doorknob would make it hard to open. I didn't need to turn when I heard noises behind me to know what it was. I did anyway, to watch several police officers heading toward me in a run. I didn't hear their shouts, but I knew they didn't want me to open the door. It was all ready too late, the door gave to my weight and I was in the room.
My wife's blood puddled in the corner around her lifeless body. As I went to run to her, I noticed the words on the wall. "It's not a dream."
When I saw that on the wall before, I'd thought it was Patrick mocking me. When I learned that it was written by her, I thought it was a final attempt to comfort me; to keep me sane. Now as I read those words on the wall, I found a different meaning.
I stood there staring at the words as the police moved around me to my wife. If the nightmare I'd had wasn't a dream, then what was this? Why did I have these memories and how is it that these words have a completely different meaning?
She wasn't comforting me. She was saving me in this moment, releasing me from whatever prison I was stuck in right now. Tears ran down my cheeks as I swore to myself that I would find a way to get rid of Patrick. It was his fault that I lived this moment twice. His fault that I learned the true meaning behind the message on the wall.
But how had she known?
The world around me faded away, replaced by reality; replaced by the museum and the creatures inside.
I could still feel the tears.
And the hate.
I knew that as I walked down the hallway, the smell of blood would suffocate my senses. I knew that the smell would twist in my thoughts as I worked to come to an explanation for the smell and the marks of red that streaked down the hallway. I knew that those streaks would incite visions of my wife running from an unknown assailant, bleeding because of the stab wound that I knew I would find. As I passed the children's room I would note their small feet sticking out from under the bed; surrounded by a puddle of their blood. I knew that I would leap to the conclusion that it wasn't theirs. That some how they'd fought off the attacker and even though I knew it wasn't true, I would push that deep inside to get myself to make it to our bedroom.
I knew the blood on the doorknob would make it hard to open. I didn't need to turn when I heard noises behind me to know what it was. I did anyway, to watch several police officers heading toward me in a run. I didn't hear their shouts, but I knew they didn't want me to open the door. It was all ready too late, the door gave to my weight and I was in the room.
My wife's blood puddled in the corner around her lifeless body. As I went to run to her, I noticed the words on the wall. "It's not a dream."
When I saw that on the wall before, I'd thought it was Patrick mocking me. When I learned that it was written by her, I thought it was a final attempt to comfort me; to keep me sane. Now as I read those words on the wall, I found a different meaning.
I stood there staring at the words as the police moved around me to my wife. If the nightmare I'd had wasn't a dream, then what was this? Why did I have these memories and how is it that these words have a completely different meaning?
She wasn't comforting me. She was saving me in this moment, releasing me from whatever prison I was stuck in right now. Tears ran down my cheeks as I swore to myself that I would find a way to get rid of Patrick. It was his fault that I lived this moment twice. His fault that I learned the true meaning behind the message on the wall.
But how had she known?
The world around me faded away, replaced by reality; replaced by the museum and the creatures inside.
I could still feel the tears.
And the hate.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
185: Trapped Inside Himself -Andrew-
"You were destroyed. How are you here? Patrick got rid of you." I stepped back to find myself against the wall.
"You cannot destroy us, Daddy. Why would you want to? How could you?"
"You made me weak!", I felt the panic rise as my heart stepped toward me again, "I had to remove you to survive!"
I felt his hands grasp my collar and lift me into the air. For a frail and starving person, he displayed an unusual amount of strength. His grip tightened as he looked at me.
"You . . . you tried to remove your own daughter!" He spun and tossed me into a wall. Pain coursed through my body as I pulled myself to my feet.
"You have no idea what kind of pain I was in! You weren't there! You'd left me to fight it on my own!"
Till that day I'd never realized just how painful my fist could feel, "I was always there! Protecting the parts of you that were most important."
"You're a liar!" I swung my fist, but it never connected. It fell to my side; I couldn't fight him. I didn't want to. This was never supposed to happen. I was never supposed to face this part of me ever again. It was supposed to be dead.
"You were there for years and you didn't break. What do you think caused that? Every time the whip hit your skin, your daughter was there holding your hand! Every time they taunted you to break, I sat at your ear whispering the truths you needed to know. I was telling you to stay strong! Every time you screamed, Stephanie wiped away the tears and kissed you till you calmed." His foot smashed into my stomach. I fell to my knees.
"Why did I break then? Why did it work?!"
"It worked because Patrick muffled us. He destroyed everything that is good by stopping us from keeping you strong."
"Why would he do that? What is the point?"
My heart knelt down and put its hand on my shoulder, "I don't know, but we can find out. Accept us back. Let us out. Free us, Andrew."
Patrick had betrayed me. He'd been in control of my answer before I even made it. I was being manipulated, and had done unspeakable acts because of his influence. I'd killed people. I felt the anger boil as I remembered all the horrible deeds I'd committed in his name.
"Okay. Let's figure it out together, and then . . . we kill Patrick."
I woke up screaming for Patrick's blood.
"You cannot destroy us, Daddy. Why would you want to? How could you?"
"You made me weak!", I felt the panic rise as my heart stepped toward me again, "I had to remove you to survive!"
I felt his hands grasp my collar and lift me into the air. For a frail and starving person, he displayed an unusual amount of strength. His grip tightened as he looked at me.
"You . . . you tried to remove your own daughter!" He spun and tossed me into a wall. Pain coursed through my body as I pulled myself to my feet.
"You have no idea what kind of pain I was in! You weren't there! You'd left me to fight it on my own!"
Till that day I'd never realized just how painful my fist could feel, "I was always there! Protecting the parts of you that were most important."
"You're a liar!" I swung my fist, but it never connected. It fell to my side; I couldn't fight him. I didn't want to. This was never supposed to happen. I was never supposed to face this part of me ever again. It was supposed to be dead.
"You were there for years and you didn't break. What do you think caused that? Every time the whip hit your skin, your daughter was there holding your hand! Every time they taunted you to break, I sat at your ear whispering the truths you needed to know. I was telling you to stay strong! Every time you screamed, Stephanie wiped away the tears and kissed you till you calmed." His foot smashed into my stomach. I fell to my knees.
"Why did I break then? Why did it work?!"
"It worked because Patrick muffled us. He destroyed everything that is good by stopping us from keeping you strong."
"Why would he do that? What is the point?"
My heart knelt down and put its hand on my shoulder, "I don't know, but we can find out. Accept us back. Let us out. Free us, Andrew."
Patrick had betrayed me. He'd been in control of my answer before I even made it. I was being manipulated, and had done unspeakable acts because of his influence. I'd killed people. I felt the anger boil as I remembered all the horrible deeds I'd committed in his name.
"Okay. Let's figure it out together, and then . . . we kill Patrick."
I woke up screaming for Patrick's blood.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
182: The many versus the one -Alice-
"Do you know what you did?" A voice floated up to me from down the stairs.
"I was saving people. I had no choice." That was Ben.
"You always have a choice, and you murdered her. A poor innocent little girl, dead. All because you wanted something and she was in the way." The voice was very similar to Ben's except rough and sinister.
"It wasn't like that. He was going to kill all of them, I had to stop him." Ben's voice cracked.
"You lie," The other voice rose to a yell, "You wanted to save yourself! You could care less about the girl! You are turning out just like I predicted, a monster."
Ben's sobs could be heard from where I was standing at the top of the stairs. I was hit with conflicting emotions, one part of me felt upset that Ben was going through this but another part felt that justice was being done, that this was what Ben deserved. I was locked in place unable to move because I wasn't sure if I needed to help him.
All he'd ever done for me is end my life.
"I'm not a monster. I'm not."
"Well, here's your chance to prove it. Hurry and make a choice otherwise all those children . . . poor innocent children will drown," The voice laughed, "Only you can make the choice to save them, but you'd have sacrifice thi-"
A loud bang interrupted his sentence and pulled me out of my thoughts. That sound was one I recognized. Another child had died, another me. The murderer had struck again.
"See . . . I told you Ben . . ." His words faded and the entire building vibrated violently.
When the vibrations had stopped, I was still standing at the top of the stairs.
"Do you know what you did?" It was that sinister voice again.
"What is going on!? Not this again! When will it end?" Ben was yelling at no one now.
"You always have a choice, and you murdered her. A poor innocent little girl, dead. All because you wanted something and she was in the way." A deep chuckle followed that sentence.
"I didn't want her to die. I'm not a monster. Please, just let me go."
It was replaying itself over again. The whole scene over again. Ben was in a loop, reliving his greatest sin forever. He deserved it. I turned to the door and as I went to open it I heard the other voice again and it stopped me cold.
"Well, here's your chance to prove it."
I spun around and ran down the stairs two at a time. Ben pulled himself out of the chair as I got into the room. Blood and brain matter splattered all over my face as the shotgun's loud bang echoed in the small room.
This time the voice said something different, "Who are you . . . " and the walls began to vibrate again. Everything blurred together and when it has all stopped moving I found myself at the top of the stairs again.
"Do you know what you did?"
I didn't wait to hear Ben's answer. I bolted down the stairs and entered the room. Sitting in the middle of the room were to chairs. In one sat Ben, completely untied and able to move, yet he looked trapped. He looked as though he didn't want to move.
In the other chair sat a younger me. I ran to myself as tears filled my eyes.
"It will be okay. I'll get you out." I couldn't help but notice how terrified I looked. I looked like I knew what was coming, I looked like I wanted a mother that I'd never had.
"NO!" It was Ben. "Not her, save them first." He nodded behind me.
I turned to see three large clear vats of water, each one filled to the top and then covered with a heavy metal plate. Inside each of those containers was a child struggling to breathe. My heart flew to my throat as I turned to the younger me and then back.
"I'm sorry." I ran to the vats of water and gripped the heavy metal plate. Just as I had begun to get it sliding, two strong hands grabbed my wrists and pulled me away.
"I won't let you ruin this for me! Where did you come from?"
Time seemed to slow as I was pulled away from saving those children. They were in such agony that they didn't even notice that I'd been pulled away. I watched the air bubbles slowly filter from their mouths and felt a piece of me die as they struggled against the heavy metal plates. I pushed against my captor in an attempt to get over to them; to save them before their life left.
The hands were strong, to strong for me. They pulled me farther back until I could see the two chairs again and realized that there was only one option.
The only way to save those kids, would be to kill myself. At that moment, everything that Ben had done became clear. He had been given a choice, and I was the necessary sacrifice. No other options were available except the one that killed me. I felt tears fill my eyes as I tightly closed them.
"BEN! SAVE THEM!"
"I know." ,was what he said, followed by a loud bang as my younger self's head exploded.
"You're both monsters." The hands loosened their grip as the walls began to vibrate again.
In a few short moments, I stood at the top of the stairs once again.
"I was saving people. I had no choice." That was Ben.
"You always have a choice, and you murdered her. A poor innocent little girl, dead. All because you wanted something and she was in the way." The voice was very similar to Ben's except rough and sinister.
"It wasn't like that. He was going to kill all of them, I had to stop him." Ben's voice cracked.
"You lie," The other voice rose to a yell, "You wanted to save yourself! You could care less about the girl! You are turning out just like I predicted, a monster."
Ben's sobs could be heard from where I was standing at the top of the stairs. I was hit with conflicting emotions, one part of me felt upset that Ben was going through this but another part felt that justice was being done, that this was what Ben deserved. I was locked in place unable to move because I wasn't sure if I needed to help him.
All he'd ever done for me is end my life.
"I'm not a monster. I'm not."
"Well, here's your chance to prove it. Hurry and make a choice otherwise all those children . . . poor innocent children will drown," The voice laughed, "Only you can make the choice to save them, but you'd have sacrifice thi-"
A loud bang interrupted his sentence and pulled me out of my thoughts. That sound was one I recognized. Another child had died, another me. The murderer had struck again.
"See . . . I told you Ben . . ." His words faded and the entire building vibrated violently.
When the vibrations had stopped, I was still standing at the top of the stairs.
"Do you know what you did?" It was that sinister voice again.
"What is going on!? Not this again! When will it end?" Ben was yelling at no one now.
"You always have a choice, and you murdered her. A poor innocent little girl, dead. All because you wanted something and she was in the way." A deep chuckle followed that sentence.
"I didn't want her to die. I'm not a monster. Please, just let me go."
It was replaying itself over again. The whole scene over again. Ben was in a loop, reliving his greatest sin forever. He deserved it. I turned to the door and as I went to open it I heard the other voice again and it stopped me cold.
"Well, here's your chance to prove it."
I spun around and ran down the stairs two at a time. Ben pulled himself out of the chair as I got into the room. Blood and brain matter splattered all over my face as the shotgun's loud bang echoed in the small room.
This time the voice said something different, "Who are you . . . " and the walls began to vibrate again. Everything blurred together and when it has all stopped moving I found myself at the top of the stairs again.
"Do you know what you did?"
I didn't wait to hear Ben's answer. I bolted down the stairs and entered the room. Sitting in the middle of the room were to chairs. In one sat Ben, completely untied and able to move, yet he looked trapped. He looked as though he didn't want to move.
In the other chair sat a younger me. I ran to myself as tears filled my eyes.
"It will be okay. I'll get you out." I couldn't help but notice how terrified I looked. I looked like I knew what was coming, I looked like I wanted a mother that I'd never had.
"NO!" It was Ben. "Not her, save them first." He nodded behind me.
I turned to see three large clear vats of water, each one filled to the top and then covered with a heavy metal plate. Inside each of those containers was a child struggling to breathe. My heart flew to my throat as I turned to the younger me and then back.
"I'm sorry." I ran to the vats of water and gripped the heavy metal plate. Just as I had begun to get it sliding, two strong hands grabbed my wrists and pulled me away.
"I won't let you ruin this for me! Where did you come from?"
Time seemed to slow as I was pulled away from saving those children. They were in such agony that they didn't even notice that I'd been pulled away. I watched the air bubbles slowly filter from their mouths and felt a piece of me die as they struggled against the heavy metal plates. I pushed against my captor in an attempt to get over to them; to save them before their life left.
The hands were strong, to strong for me. They pulled me farther back until I could see the two chairs again and realized that there was only one option.
The only way to save those kids, would be to kill myself. At that moment, everything that Ben had done became clear. He had been given a choice, and I was the necessary sacrifice. No other options were available except the one that killed me. I felt tears fill my eyes as I tightly closed them.
"BEN! SAVE THEM!"
"I know." ,was what he said, followed by a loud bang as my younger self's head exploded.
"You're both monsters." The hands loosened their grip as the walls began to vibrate again.
In a few short moments, I stood at the top of the stairs once again.
Monday, April 4, 2011
178: Can't Destroy Good -Andrew-
It was like the door exploded. Rays of light flooded the room and the only sound was the glass of the museum windows shattering. This was not the plan. Patrick had not told me about this at all. The light washed everything away and stung my eyes. I squeezed them shut to avoid the pain.
When I opened my eyes I was in a dark, stone room, with a single window high on the wall. Light shone on through it, leaving a bright rectangle on the stone floor. There was no door and the corners of the room were shrouded in darkness.
"I want some cake, Daddy. Not until you eat all your veggies, you scoundrel. Dear, don't call her a scoundrel, you'll give her a complex." A voice from the darkness came. Weakness laced with age could be heard in every syllable.
I stood up and pressed myself against the wall. What was this place?
"Hello? Who's there?", I squinted into the darkness.
"Oh, you've come back. Daddy, does that mean we can leave now? Honey, he might be dangerous. Stay away and let your dad take care of it. Steph, make sure she stays back, you should too. He could be dangerous."
It was me that stepped from the shadows. I looked thin and hungry. For some reason, seeing me standing there filled me with a fear I'd never felt. Something about that other me seeped into my soul, infecting it with dread. I didn't wait for anything to be said, I just ran for the window. The closer I got, the farther away it was.
"It looks like you, Daddy. It is me, honey. I don't like this, Andrew. Stephanie, it will be fine, trust me. Does this mean no more cake? Why are you here? Why would you return after such a long time? After you banished me here, there was no reason to come back."
I turned to face myself and I instantly knew where I was. Panic filled me as I stared into the part of me I'd gotten rid of many years ago. The thin and starved person in front of me was everything that'd kept me from breaking during the torture. It was everything that tore me apart when I thought about it. A solid reminder of what I'd done.
Standing in front of me, was my heart.
I wonder if it's mad?
When I opened my eyes I was in a dark, stone room, with a single window high on the wall. Light shone on through it, leaving a bright rectangle on the stone floor. There was no door and the corners of the room were shrouded in darkness.
"I want some cake, Daddy. Not until you eat all your veggies, you scoundrel. Dear, don't call her a scoundrel, you'll give her a complex." A voice from the darkness came. Weakness laced with age could be heard in every syllable.
I stood up and pressed myself against the wall. What was this place?
"Hello? Who's there?", I squinted into the darkness.
"Oh, you've come back. Daddy, does that mean we can leave now? Honey, he might be dangerous. Stay away and let your dad take care of it. Steph, make sure she stays back, you should too. He could be dangerous."
It was me that stepped from the shadows. I looked thin and hungry. For some reason, seeing me standing there filled me with a fear I'd never felt. Something about that other me seeped into my soul, infecting it with dread. I didn't wait for anything to be said, I just ran for the window. The closer I got, the farther away it was.
"It looks like you, Daddy. It is me, honey. I don't like this, Andrew. Stephanie, it will be fine, trust me. Does this mean no more cake? Why are you here? Why would you return after such a long time? After you banished me here, there was no reason to come back."
I turned to face myself and I instantly knew where I was. Panic filled me as I stared into the part of me I'd gotten rid of many years ago. The thin and starved person in front of me was everything that'd kept me from breaking during the torture. It was everything that tore me apart when I thought about it. A solid reminder of what I'd done.
Standing in front of me, was my heart.
I wonder if it's mad?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
177: Waking Up -Will-
Light flooded the room that Nick, Crystal and I had been occupying until I could see nothing else. Soft, clean smelling fabric pressed against my face as I opened my eyes to see a sight I never thought I'd see again.
In her slumber, she looked more beautiful than the day we'd met. Every day was like that; something new to love revealed itself every time I opened my eyes in the morning to her beautiful face. It was like a game to be played until she opened her green eyes and smiled. From her delicate chin to her curly light brown hair, there was nothing I didn't love.
It had been so long since I'd seen her face, that I ignored the sound of the bedroom door opening. I was so transfixed, that I missed the patter of small feet as they ran toward the bed.
"Is she sleeping?" A small tug on my side of the blankets pulled me from my captivation and the sweet voice of our five year old almost brought tears to my eyes.
I rolled over to see the innocent eyes of our daughter, Samantha, looking up at me. I tentatively reached out to pat her on the head, worried that this was only some weird dream. When her soft locks of hair got caught between my fingers actual tears dripped on the blanket.
"Is she sleeping, Daddy?"
"Yes, she's sleeping. Let's let her rest for a bit before waking her. Where's your brother?"
Had I dreamed it all? I remembered walking down that hallway, following the smell of blood to their room, as though it had all happened yesterday. It seemed so real, so intense that I'd mistaken it for reality. It seemed like I'd slept for years, a nightmare unrelenting.
"Gary is watching cartoons. I asked him to pour the milk in my cereal but he told me to ask Mommy. Could you pour me the milk, please?" My heart was beating in my chest as she looked at me with the look she gave if she wanted something. The look that always let her get her way.
I glanced back at my slumbering lover and then smiled at Samantha, "Of course I can."
I slipped from the covers and made my way to the kitchen. From the kitchen, I could see into the living room where my eight year old son sat watching cartoons with the volume low.
"Dude, your parents suck!" A voice on the television announced causing Gary to burst into laughter. It'd felt so long since I'd heard his laugh.
In roughly fifteen minutes, both of our kids were in the backyard playing tag. It didn't matter that there was only two players and they would just keep alternating who was "it". They enjoyed just running around.
I felt arms wrap around my waist and her chest pressed against my back. I smelled her light spray of perfume as she rested her chin on my shoulder.
"Don't go to work today.", I felt her arms squeeze my waist as she spoke, "I know you have that big investigation you're working on, but take today off. Stay with me."
Patrick. OCS Industries. Right now, it just didn't seem worth going after anymore. All I wanted to do was stay right here with them. My dream was so vivid and terrifying, that it made me see things differently.
I turned to look into Robin's eyes, "There is nothing that could get me to leave you today."
An unexpected kiss that lasted for what seemed like forever, and an enchanting smile washed all memories of my horrific dream away. I had them back, and I'd never let them go again.
Somewhere deep inside something told me that I was wrong.
In her slumber, she looked more beautiful than the day we'd met. Every day was like that; something new to love revealed itself every time I opened my eyes in the morning to her beautiful face. It was like a game to be played until she opened her green eyes and smiled. From her delicate chin to her curly light brown hair, there was nothing I didn't love.
It had been so long since I'd seen her face, that I ignored the sound of the bedroom door opening. I was so transfixed, that I missed the patter of small feet as they ran toward the bed.
"Is she sleeping?" A small tug on my side of the blankets pulled me from my captivation and the sweet voice of our five year old almost brought tears to my eyes.
I rolled over to see the innocent eyes of our daughter, Samantha, looking up at me. I tentatively reached out to pat her on the head, worried that this was only some weird dream. When her soft locks of hair got caught between my fingers actual tears dripped on the blanket.
"Is she sleeping, Daddy?"
"Yes, she's sleeping. Let's let her rest for a bit before waking her. Where's your brother?"
Had I dreamed it all? I remembered walking down that hallway, following the smell of blood to their room, as though it had all happened yesterday. It seemed so real, so intense that I'd mistaken it for reality. It seemed like I'd slept for years, a nightmare unrelenting.
"Gary is watching cartoons. I asked him to pour the milk in my cereal but he told me to ask Mommy. Could you pour me the milk, please?" My heart was beating in my chest as she looked at me with the look she gave if she wanted something. The look that always let her get her way.
I glanced back at my slumbering lover and then smiled at Samantha, "Of course I can."
I slipped from the covers and made my way to the kitchen. From the kitchen, I could see into the living room where my eight year old son sat watching cartoons with the volume low.
"Dude, your parents suck!" A voice on the television announced causing Gary to burst into laughter. It'd felt so long since I'd heard his laugh.
In roughly fifteen minutes, both of our kids were in the backyard playing tag. It didn't matter that there was only two players and they would just keep alternating who was "it". They enjoyed just running around.
I felt arms wrap around my waist and her chest pressed against my back. I smelled her light spray of perfume as she rested her chin on my shoulder.
"Don't go to work today.", I felt her arms squeeze my waist as she spoke, "I know you have that big investigation you're working on, but take today off. Stay with me."
Patrick. OCS Industries. Right now, it just didn't seem worth going after anymore. All I wanted to do was stay right here with them. My dream was so vivid and terrifying, that it made me see things differently.
I turned to look into Robin's eyes, "There is nothing that could get me to leave you today."
An unexpected kiss that lasted for what seemed like forever, and an enchanting smile washed all memories of my horrific dream away. I had them back, and I'd never let them go again.
Somewhere deep inside something told me that I was wrong.
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