post_text
stringlengths 0
10k
| post_title
stringlengths 8
313
| chosen
stringlengths 1
39.5k
| rejected
stringlengths 1
13.8k
|
|---|---|---|---|
[WP] "You can have one last phonecall before I kill you", said the masked person who broke into your house. After you start the call, you can hear a phone ring in their pocket.
|
I stared blankly at the phone in my hand, hoping desperately that I'd clicked on the wrong contact or something. It was her contact, for sure, but that meant...
"Ruby...?" She twitched, even as I recognised the shape of the body that fear had kept me from seeing before.
"No. No no no," she mumbled, eyes darkened with anger and confusion.
"Ruby, what...?" I began, heart aching.
"No!" she cut me off, jabbing her gun in my direction. "You weren't supposed to call me! Why did you call me??"
"I don't... what do you mean I wasn't supposed to call you?" I asked, choking on dread and heartbreak.
"You weren't supposed to call me," she repeated deliberately. "You were supposed to call *him*!"
"Him? Him who? I don't understand; Ruby, what's going on?"
"Shut up! Just shut up!" she exploded, and began pacing, pressing the barrel of the gun sidelong against her temple.
"Ruby... Ruby, it's me; it's Ella... Please, j-"
"I told you to shut up!" she snapped, jabbing the gun at me again.
"Okay, okay," I complied, hastily raising my hands. She glared at my phone.
"You were supposed to call him," she repeated. "Why the hell didn't you?"
"Him who?" I asked again. "I don't know who you mean!"
"Your boss! The head honcho! That bastard you smuggle shit for!"
"...How do you know about that?" I demanded quietly, less afraid now and more stunned.
"Not important! Why didn't you call him??" She was getting dangerously close to that trigger, and I knew I had to tell the truth or risk my brains splattering against the wall.
"Because... I don't work for him anymore," I answered softly.
"Bullshit!"
"I don't. And even if I did, he'd never be my last call before I die."
"Why not??"
"Because I'd rather spend my last breaths telling the person I love how I feel."
That set her back. I could see it. She stared at me as blankly as I'd stared at my phone. Then her gaze flicked to that phone and her hand went automatically to her pocket as she made the connection.
"What?" she breathed, stunned.
"Figured it out yet, dummy?" I asked, relaxing as the gun slowly lowered. Taking a cautious step forward, I reached out and ever so carefully took the gun from her hand to set it aside.
"You...?" Her eyes were baffled as I tugged up the bottom of her mask and leaned in to touch a light kiss to her lips.
"Yeah... I love you, Ruby," I said, and kissed her properly.
|
They both froze.
Ethan frowned hard. He looked at his phone then turned to the masked man. In a spurt of bravado, he said, "That's your phone."
"No, it's not." denied the intruder.
"Yes it is. Answer it."
"I already told you it's not!"
"Answer the damn phone, Matt!"
The mask man reluctantly fished his phone out of his pocket and moved it next to his ear.
"Hello...It's really..."
"Awkward!" whispered Matt. Without missing a beat, he shot Ethan straight between his eyes. Matt could feel the goosebumps crawling through his body. "So awkward. I hate it when they do it. Why is it always me the last person they want to talk to. Bunch of weirdos!"
|
|
[WP] Your high school history teacher really knows his stuff, even oddly specific details from the past. During lecture he occasionally slips and quickly corrects himself from "I remember" to "I read." You're starting to wonder how old he really is.
|
Mr.Stevens just disappeared, and so we've all been asked to write a little bit about our intrepretation of what happened and anything special we noticed about him.
Every day was a blast in Mr.Steven's class. I didn't know history could be so fun until I had him as a teacher. There's just one thing that's a little odd about him. Although he only looks around thirty, no one can remember how long he's been at the school. It's a little worrisome. He gets really into character when he teaches. I love the way he narrates the stories like he was actually there! Sometimes the details he gives are so specific you wonder if he's just making them up! Anyway, onto what happened. One day, after a particularly riviting lesson on Egypt, we were working on a worksheet and Mr.Stevens was on his computer. I happened to glance at him right as he turned lime green. He said he had an emergency and had to go. That's the last time I officially saw him. Later, we all saw the news about the FBI and the test lab and the escaped subjects that had been alive for thousands of years. And his picture was front and center. And then you idiots came with your pens and cameras and microphones wanting us to help you find him. I know one thing for sure. Go screw yourself to the FBI man reading this. I'm not helping you. You did wrong. And even torture won't change my mind. And it's pretty sad to torture a 14 year old. Just saying. Screw You, and that's final. #savestevenssecruity
|
Ever present paper
The pinprick of a quill
Now turned to lead
.
Familiarity beseeched
By the frozen breath
Of him
.
“I remember”
Not a quivering
Or a whimper
.
Hidden eyes
Shifted slightly
To gaze into mine
.
Sensations of concern
A finality I cannot grasp
“I know what you are”
.
|
|
[WP] Your high school history teacher really knows his stuff, even oddly specific details from the past. During lecture he occasionally slips and quickly corrects himself from "I remember" to "I read." You're starting to wonder how old he really is.
|
There was a charisma to him that most of us just thought as his being cool and funny. He did sleight of hand tricks in front of us while waiting for the stragglers to trickle in after the bell, and was lenient on us when punishment was required.
But it wasn't just how he was as an authority figure to us. It was the way he spoke about events, too. There was something in it I could never quite catch.
Other kids talked about wanting to be in his class, but mostly people said that when the teacher would play movies and go easy on you. Dr. Aston relied very little on those things to teach us. He preferred to talk to us, and made us take notes and write on workbooks.
But the way he *talked*. You had to be there. He had an electricity to his voice, like when he was talking about the Roman Empire.
"You know, they all knew it was going down at some point," he told us, leaned back against the whiteboard. "But they fought, they acted, they proselytized, they laughed and drank, like they were invincible. You'd never think, you know, these people would ever be thrust from power. Some hoped, I think, the lower class, they may have wanted to see them thrown down and defeated. That's what happens when you get smug, people tend not to like it."
Or maybe it was the way he talked about the Boston Tea Party.
"So imagine! Just imagine," he'd say, with his voice a wild ride. "You're coming in to port, alright, and you're on this boring little ship, and all of a sudden you look over, and there's whole crates of tea, just being tossed overboard. Tens of men, just taking this big, English ship's cargo and tipping it into the ocean!"
He'd laugh while the rest of us gawked and chuckled with him. It was interesting, the way he captivated us, like he was well versed in it, like he knew exactly what he was talking about.
I got more insight on it one day, when he was telling us about the American Civil War.
Somber, quiet, he rubbed at the back of his neck when he spoke, rather deeply, about Tecumseh Sherman's rampage through the south.
"You think you're on the right side of history, and then someone on your side decides to go extreme. I remember--" he said, shaking his head, correcting himself as if it was nothing. "I read," he said with emphasis. "That it was particularly devastating to some that they were killing innocents. You just have to remember that both sides can be wrong, depending on how far they're willing to go. Sometimes, they have honor. Sometimes they don't."
No one else seemed to question it, some of us just too sleepy to bother, and it isn't as though he was telling us straight out that he was immortal or something. I figured I was just being silly and paranoid.
Ever since then, I noticed little things. The museum pamphlets he'd keep around. The fact that he was a donor to a few museums around the state. That he proclaimed with muted pride that he had a unique antique, a one of a kind piece of art from the 15th century.
His clothing would make more sense, if he really was so old. He'd look more like a peasant back in the Victorian era, but now he looked relaxed, in loose slacks and a shirt that looked more like a tunic. He wore a flat cap like he had gotten into the habit of it a long time ago and couldn't break it.
When he chaperoned the prom, he wore a three piece that looked like he had stolen it from the museum. And I'm almost certain he at least had it on loan from them, because I saw the same one on our trip earlier in the year.
Maybe I was being paranoid. I still don't know, all these years later, but if it was all an escape from the wildness that was his life up to then, he deserved the quietness he was probably trying for.
|
Ever present paper
The pinprick of a quill
Now turned to lead
.
Familiarity beseeched
By the frozen breath
Of him
.
“I remember”
Not a quivering
Or a whimper
.
Hidden eyes
Shifted slightly
To gaze into mine
.
Sensations of concern
A finality I cannot grasp
“I know what you are”
.
|
|
[WP] Your high school history teacher really knows his stuff, even oddly specific details from the past. During lecture he occasionally slips and quickly corrects himself from "I remember" to "I read." You're starting to wonder how old he really is.
|
There was a charisma to him that most of us just thought as his being cool and funny. He did sleight of hand tricks in front of us while waiting for the stragglers to trickle in after the bell, and was lenient on us when punishment was required.
But it wasn't just how he was as an authority figure to us. It was the way he spoke about events, too. There was something in it I could never quite catch.
Other kids talked about wanting to be in his class, but mostly people said that when the teacher would play movies and go easy on you. Dr. Aston relied very little on those things to teach us. He preferred to talk to us, and made us take notes and write on workbooks.
But the way he *talked*. You had to be there. He had an electricity to his voice, like when he was talking about the Roman Empire.
"You know, they all knew it was going down at some point," he told us, leaned back against the whiteboard. "But they fought, they acted, they proselytized, they laughed and drank, like they were invincible. You'd never think, you know, these people would ever be thrust from power. Some hoped, I think, the lower class, they may have wanted to see them thrown down and defeated. That's what happens when you get smug, people tend not to like it."
Or maybe it was the way he talked about the Boston Tea Party.
"So imagine! Just imagine," he'd say, with his voice a wild ride. "You're coming in to port, alright, and you're on this boring little ship, and all of a sudden you look over, and there's whole crates of tea, just being tossed overboard. Tens of men, just taking this big, English ship's cargo and tipping it into the ocean!"
He'd laugh while the rest of us gawked and chuckled with him. It was interesting, the way he captivated us, like he was well versed in it, like he knew exactly what he was talking about.
I got more insight on it one day, when he was telling us about the American Civil War.
Somber, quiet, he rubbed at the back of his neck when he spoke, rather deeply, about Tecumseh Sherman's rampage through the south.
"You think you're on the right side of history, and then someone on your side decides to go extreme. I remember--" he said, shaking his head, correcting himself as if it was nothing. "I read," he said with emphasis. "That it was particularly devastating to some that they were killing innocents. You just have to remember that both sides can be wrong, depending on how far they're willing to go. Sometimes, they have honor. Sometimes they don't."
No one else seemed to question it, some of us just too sleepy to bother, and it isn't as though he was telling us straight out that he was immortal or something. I figured I was just being silly and paranoid.
Ever since then, I noticed little things. The museum pamphlets he'd keep around. The fact that he was a donor to a few museums around the state. That he proclaimed with muted pride that he had a unique antique, a one of a kind piece of art from the 15th century.
His clothing would make more sense, if he really was so old. He'd look more like a peasant back in the Victorian era, but now he looked relaxed, in loose slacks and a shirt that looked more like a tunic. He wore a flat cap like he had gotten into the habit of it a long time ago and couldn't break it.
When he chaperoned the prom, he wore a three piece that looked like he had stolen it from the museum. And I'm almost certain he at least had it on loan from them, because I saw the same one on our trip earlier in the year.
Maybe I was being paranoid. I still don't know, all these years later, but if it was all an escape from the wildness that was his life up to then, he deserved the quietness he was probably trying for.
|
Mr.Stevens just disappeared, and so we've all been asked to write a little bit about our intrepretation of what happened and anything special we noticed about him.
Every day was a blast in Mr.Steven's class. I didn't know history could be so fun until I had him as a teacher. There's just one thing that's a little odd about him. Although he only looks around thirty, no one can remember how long he's been at the school. It's a little worrisome. He gets really into character when he teaches. I love the way he narrates the stories like he was actually there! Sometimes the details he gives are so specific you wonder if he's just making them up! Anyway, onto what happened. One day, after a particularly riviting lesson on Egypt, we were working on a worksheet and Mr.Stevens was on his computer. I happened to glance at him right as he turned lime green. He said he had an emergency and had to go. That's the last time I officially saw him. Later, we all saw the news about the FBI and the test lab and the escaped subjects that had been alive for thousands of years. And his picture was front and center. And then you idiots came with your pens and cameras and microphones wanting us to help you find him. I know one thing for sure. Go screw yourself to the FBI man reading this. I'm not helping you. You did wrong. And even torture won't change my mind. And it's pretty sad to torture a 14 year old. Just saying. Screw You, and that's final. #savestevenssecruity
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
I must have missed something. I can hear them yelling but the connection is broken. Am I in danger? They could be excited over something menial, geological. I can't hear enough to know.
I'm going back. It isn't like I have anything to go home to anyway. That's why I was chosen for this mission. There's a low survival rate.
My family perished when the trees started to die. It became so hard to breathe and the technology that would bring us off planet was so expensive. My daughter had always had bad lungs. My wife refused to leave her. So I waited with them until they finally succumbed to the dropping oxygen levels.
A few months later, here I am. Humans are in search of a new planet to call home. Those cliche science fiction stories turned out to be more of a science fact. Our Mars rovers kept going missing so we've started sending human explorers instead. So many never return.
I check my watch before turning around. They told me the delay in the feed was important. I'll have to retrace my steps for 20 minutes before I can find out what they're so frantic about. The audio connection is still cracking.
The cave is dark, but oddly not in a frightening way. It's 15 minutes since I turned back. There's a light off to the right that I hadn't seen on my way in. Maybe this is the cause of all the commotion?
As I get closer I hear music. It's familiar. I'm at the opening on the offshoot. I know this song. My wife would sing it to my daughter when she was small. The closer I get the more I realize *the voice is hers*.
I think I'm hallucinating. Maybe my oxygen is malfunctioning.
It isn't.
I follow the curves of the path, the sound of my wife's singing getting closer and louder. I turn a final corner and...
**THEY'RE BOTH HERE**
I shut off my video feed. I won't be returning to the ship. My family is here and I'm staying.
20 minutes pass and I hear them scream. I already know why. It isn't as if my family was actually here and alive on Mars.
The moment before I ended the feed a claw cut through my stomach. I've been lying here for 20 minutes, bleeding to death. There's crying on the audio feed. They're screaming my name.
I don't know how the natives of this planet knew what form to take to lure me in.
At least I got to see them one last time.
|
_***Tom:***_ *"Ha 20 minute delay to earth Earth our research base after the last cataclysm and they think I will fall prey to their whims of curiousity. David relay from your base camp to the orbital uplink that I am going in to this cave now because local sensors are picking up readings like before the last storm we had. We lost Johnny last time a strom passed and besides I may have found where we lost the rover and may be able to recover it.*
_***David:***_ * "Acknowledged ground control agrees in case it determines the cause of minerals that may have started the dust storms if we recover that damn rover that got lost it would net us a fat bonus too before they just cut out. Maybe if we find it they will send us home early or give us a better base that is more stable and allows us to analyse the full array of data here instead or the rover can go on these damn missions instead of us." *
Tom grabs his sample kit, hand held sensor array,a crowbar, his spelunking gear, and his rifle; then he heads out to the cave from his habitat with spidery tank tread ended legs. He admired the design and looked at it one last time before knowing their last words with 20 minutes of scilence about his video feed was about to take place and live comentary be 40 minutes behind via his HUD. With David relaying as fast as he could the text messages Research Earth Field Analysis Recon Team or REFART sends at a 20 minute delay which David filters the noise from the message spam before relaying.
_***Tom:***_ * "Hey David, can you hear me clearly i am going to get a rock sample?" *
_***David***_ *"Those samples explain why our satilites couldn't explain the planets caves not showing up from the orbital scan because we get a local 2 minute voice delay on coms the rock is too thick your locator beacon ad sample kit location tagger shows you to be where we believe the last rover was lost watch your air supply we don't need you dying like the other missing astronauts."
-***Tom***_ * "Understood" * a short while later (about 15 minutes) Tom finds a camp and finds signs of previous astronauts sent after the rover from the rolling bases that deployed people at random spots accross the planet with drilling rigs. He gets closer and sees the corpse of Terry an astronaught MIA 6 months back still having a full tank of oxygen. The only missing person not found was Williams the astronaut Tom was brought up here to find as part of his mission as a soldier.*
_***David***_ * "REFART is panicking you need to return to base ASAP!!! Also storm incoming half an hour ETA for you 2 minutes for me." In the backgound a large WHAM sound and alarms is heard then static and it cuts out.*
_***REFART***_ * a flood of panicaked voices flood the channel and Tom's bossbellows in the background " You arein a nest get out now we have a rescue ship for you and David whose connection was just lost on its way defend yourself soldier and get back to your habitat return to main base!
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
Twenty minutes is a long time when you're waiting for a reply. When you're trapped, and you're scared, and the light on your suit has failed because something something something banged into it where nothing nothing nothing had been a moment before.
A couple of seconds is a very short time except when that's how long it took for whatever banged you to appear and move past. It was lit, where nothing should be lit, and so you closed your eyes and missed it.
Twenty minutes of good. Twenty minutes of bad. Twenty minutes of scared chatter from your end, and inane pointers on the structure of the cave from their end, because they hadn't seen it yet. Twenty minutes of hope. Twenty minutes of fear.
And twenty minutes later, when that time has become a dark eternity of loneliness, they tell you to go back, because what they'd seen had been another crew member, and your heart lifts and you head back, but twenty seconds later it falls again when they say his name: Matthews. Your name. And the lights come back to feed.
|
*Private Richard*: “Yknow it really is a bad idea for me to be going down here with a 20 minute delay, I just kinda figure that if y’all see something wrong and I need to dip I’ll probably be really messed up or dead by the time your message gets back to me.”
*Private Richard*: “I like all of these cool rocks, that’s why I took the job in the first place yknow. I really do love rocks and it’s been my dream to touch rocks no man has touched before... Nah, I’m just kidding, that’d be pretty dumb huh. I swear, I’m kidding, haha.”
*Private Richard*: “Yo there’s some weird rocks over here I think I’m gonna touch them. I mean I guess you can see that I’m touching them, I just thought I’d tell you.”
*Private Richard*: “Hey I’m starting to feel kinda funny, and my gloves aren’t looking to hot where I touched those rocks.”
*Mission Control*: “Do not touch more of those rocks, I repeat, do not touch more of those rocks. Immediate exfil advised.”
*Private Richard*: “Sure, in one second, I thought I saw some movement up ahead that I wanted to check out.”
*Private Richard*: “I don’t know where whatever that was went, I’m going to look around a bit more.”
*Mission Control*: “DO NOT investigate movement. Return to base immediately.”
*Private Richard*: “Awwww, shieeee-“
\~Two loud blasts are heard, accompanied by green flashes of light on the video feed. The video feed goes dark and the transmission cuts out.\~
*Mission Control*: “Come in commander, come in ASAP. Confirm message as received.”
Saw the prompt and figured I might try it out. On mobile, formatting probably sucks (sorry) and never written before. I wasn’t taking it too seriously, but any feedback is welcome.
EDIT: Fixed some stuff, added a couple words I missed the first time through
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
Another blasted cave with nothing to see but useless rocks and thousands of samples I’d spend days collecting just to find out that there are *still* no signs of life on Mars and that there’s *still* another hundred caves to check out after that. This isn’t what I dreamt of, working myself ragged for years, building up my body, mind and skills to the exclusion of everything else. Yet I never voiced these feelings aloud or even showed a hint of them to anyone back on Earth or my partner, Daniel, currently working in the hab. I knew a lot of people would have given everything to be here, like I had, yet now that I was here I felt like nothing more than a glorified geologist.
Feeling stones crunching underneath my thick soled boots, which would have been extremely heavy on Earth but were manageable here, I trudged deeper, leaving patterned tracks in my wake as I methodically napped the cave and established communication beacons to extend my connection. I was acting on pure muscle memory, paying little attention to the red, grimy world outside of my HUD and letting my mind wander freely as I planted another relay, forcing it down into the sediment, twisting it deeper and feeling it lodge firm against rock before sliding up a panel on the side with my thick, almost numbing gloves and switching it on. It instantly cleared my channel of static for the time being until I got even further in.
Despite feeling entirely alone and somewhat depressed in my labour on this dusty, foreboding husk of a planet, I knew my every movement was being recorded and transmitted back to Earth where Central and dozens of techs and scientists would monitor everything and report me for the slightest breach of protocol or hound me for detailed closeups of every wayward grain of sand. I complied with each request of course, it is my job after all, but I’d long stopped caring about their interests and obsessions with what had become entirely mundane to me.
After planting the last relay, I straightened my back with a groan and stretched, I was feeling tired and in this gravity that probably meant I wasn’t doing enough resistance training to keep my muscles in shape. Another problem for another day. Noticing that a slight film of dust had covered my visor, I started wiping it clear, before realising I was leaving orange stains on my gloves and cursed myself for not getting the cloth out of the harness on my back. There was no excuse for that one, I was just getting lazy, even sloppy I thought to myself. I forced myself to kick my mind into gear and did a quick system check, focussed on my O2 readout in the bottom left corner of my HUD which still read over 50% so I didn’t have to head home yet and could start collecting some samples. Joy.
At the deepest part of the cave I had explored today, tomorrow I would go deeper, I clipped my harness off my back and planted it on the ground in front of me. I knelt down, feeling a sharp point dig into my knee before I hastily relocated it to prevent any possible breaches and pulled out two things. Firstly, a rugged and reliable drill which took a couple minutes to set up and would harvest a cylindrical sample out of the rock and secondly, a sealing rack to prevent any possible contamination and preserve the sample for testing back at the hab.
I stood up and let the drill do its work, I watched as a little puff of dust swirled up slowly from under it like an ink cloud in water before settling back down in the low gravity. That’s the one big difference that stuck with me, between Earth and Mars that is, everyone thinks that once you’re there it’s basically Earth but red and you can’t go outside without a suit... I mean, technically they’re right but the gravity makes it *feel* completely different. The way you move an the way things behave is all just slightly different. It’s refreshing and lets you know you’re truly on an alien planet.
It’s moments like those where the old me surfaces, the wonder and awe when I consider where I am and the environment around me. The Universe and our place in it. Then I remember I’m just in a cave breathing recycled air, living off of shitty dehydrated food and spending all my time drilling for useless rocks to the sounds of scientists and techs constantly clamouring for my attention. Oh wait, they’re actually talking to me.
I focussed on my primary handler over a cacophony of voices that had suddenly filled my helmet but I couldn’t make out what he was saying but I could hear in his voice something that I had never heard before and it made me wake up for the first time in a long time. I heard fear.
On instinct, I almost called out ‘whoa, whoa there, one at a time so I can hear you’, but my training kicked in, knowing that this wasn’t a real time connection but a time lagged one. I waited and was swiftly rewarded with my handler shouting at all the others with him to ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP!’, I smiled a bit at that but it also ratcheted up my trepidation, my heartbeat increases with it to the point that I could hear it reverberate in my helmet dome - professionalism and self control was paramount to NASA, even during the Apollo 13 mission everyone stayed calm and kept communications clear, so whatever was happening was serious.
My handler came on again, quick yet clear and concise this time, ‘As you entered that chamber we noticed legs and feet, *human*, in the top left corner of the frame on a ledge, we’ve gone over this multiple times and processed it and they’re definitely there, forwarding you a still frame now. We don’t know what to make of this, even the director is flummoxed, you have total discretion.’ That means they have no idea what to do with this at all, I gulped, and quickly pulled up the still frame they had sent - it showed up in a window on my HUD to the right.
In the image, I could see what had gotten them in such a tizzy and I felt a shiver crawl up my back, raising goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck and I was acutely aware of the cold sweat in my suit as well. In my video feed, I had only caught the legs from the thighs down but you could easily see white skin against the red background, knobbly knees and feminine feet, complete with green toenail polish, standing on a ledge at around head height. I had turned my back to that ledge when I planted the final relay- that must have been almost thirty minutes ago!
With my heart pounding I spun and put all brightness into my headlamps whilst backing away from the ledge, which, to my immediate relief was now empty. However this just created an even more unsettling feeling; it *had* been there, they had all seen it and reported it. Where was it now? I compared with the image they sent and yes, it was the same ledge. Unsure of what to do, I backed into the wall behind me and constantly scanned the cavern. ‘Guys, if this is some post processing shit, I swear to fucking god that when I get back there I will beat you all bloody.’
I knew I couldn’t expect a response for a while but a few more messages came in the next few seconds, ‘This is not a drill, get out of there now!’, then a voice I recognised as the director came on and whilst he sounded assertive, it was bit too fast to be calm, ‘Abort now. I repeat. Abort now. We will clear this up after you are back at the hab.’. That galvanised me, even if everyone else somehow decided to go loopy and stage an elaborate prank on another planet, the Director would never do such a thing.
|
*Private Richard*: “Yknow it really is a bad idea for me to be going down here with a 20 minute delay, I just kinda figure that if y’all see something wrong and I need to dip I’ll probably be really messed up or dead by the time your message gets back to me.”
*Private Richard*: “I like all of these cool rocks, that’s why I took the job in the first place yknow. I really do love rocks and it’s been my dream to touch rocks no man has touched before... Nah, I’m just kidding, that’d be pretty dumb huh. I swear, I’m kidding, haha.”
*Private Richard*: “Yo there’s some weird rocks over here I think I’m gonna touch them. I mean I guess you can see that I’m touching them, I just thought I’d tell you.”
*Private Richard*: “Hey I’m starting to feel kinda funny, and my gloves aren’t looking to hot where I touched those rocks.”
*Mission Control*: “Do not touch more of those rocks, I repeat, do not touch more of those rocks. Immediate exfil advised.”
*Private Richard*: “Sure, in one second, I thought I saw some movement up ahead that I wanted to check out.”
*Private Richard*: “I don’t know where whatever that was went, I’m going to look around a bit more.”
*Mission Control*: “DO NOT investigate movement. Return to base immediately.”
*Private Richard*: “Awwww, shieeee-“
\~Two loud blasts are heard, accompanied by green flashes of light on the video feed. The video feed goes dark and the transmission cuts out.\~
*Mission Control*: “Come in commander, come in ASAP. Confirm message as received.”
Saw the prompt and figured I might try it out. On mobile, formatting probably sucks (sorry) and never written before. I wasn’t taking it too seriously, but any feedback is welcome.
EDIT: Fixed some stuff, added a couple words I missed the first time through
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
I paced around the cave opening, observing, filled with equal doses of wonder and giddiness. Rapping my knuckles lightly on the rock wall, I stare at the soft dust that collects on my fingers, still in a state of disbelief.
Forget the caves on Earth, this one didn't even look like a Martian cave. It's composition was very clearly not of olivine, nor was it of the basalt that makes up the lava tubes here. The rock was instead intensely black, casting a strange, almost unsettling, look about the cave. It could be obsidian, but that was unheard of on this planet. I'll have to look more into this when I return to base.
I decide to contact the control room. "This is Jason coming in. Have just found a cave about 40 miles from base. Don't believe it has been discovered yet."
A voice pipes up on the other end. "This is Rebecca from Command Center. We are unable to track your location at the moment. Await further instructions."
I sigh, slightly annoyed at the prospect of holding off on exploring the cave. About 10 minutes pass, and my ear piece buzzes. "Jason, this is Rebecca again. Unfortunately we're still not able to pinpoint your exact location. Supervisor Anderson says you can either wait for us to track you and send additional units towards you, or you can begin to explore the cave now."
"Tell Supervisor Anderson I'll be heading in right away," I reply without a moment's hesitation. The giddiness has come back again.
"Crew warns us of delays in communication as you enter the cave. Stay alert and update us on your progress."
And with that I begin to make my way in. The cave is as dark as I expected, but nothing a flashlight can't fix. The walls appears to get narrower as you go in further, and the cave much quieter. I keep walking, but after several minutes it becomes apparent there is not much to report here. It's just an endless passage of rock and debris. Still, the thought of being the first one to discover this cave keeps my spirits high.
"Rebecca, Jason checking in. I've progressed about a hundred meters, and have not found any objects of interest as of yet."
20 minutes pass, and then: "Alright. Keep posted."
I make my way in deeper, noticing some slight changes as I do so. Maybe a descent here, or a climb there, but everything stays largely the same. Cue more walking.
--
Perhaps I had zoned out from my monotonous surroundings, because I abruptly find myself entering a very large and circular space. Growing excited again, I make my way around this new room. There seem to be strange carvings everywhere, but the skeptic in me wonders whether it's just my brain making patterns out of nothing.
I keep exploring and snapping photographs of the carvings, wanting to dwell on them later. Suddenly, my ears catch two audible thumps on the wall across the room. I freeze for a moment, disoriented and not sure what my next move should be, before deciding to make my way towards the sounds.
As I begin to do so, Rebecca's voice comes in, with a hint of nervousness: "Jason, Crew has been experiencing some... unusual difficulties. I would advise you to make your way back for now."
I frown. This was just getting interesting, and I was in no mood to turn back. I reply, "Might be a good idea to explore for a few minutes longer. Heard a sound just now and will like to investigate further. However, will stay put for the moment." With that I stop in my tracks and wait.
The 20 minutes pass, and Rebecca begins to speak again, this time with ill-concealed panic in her voice. "You are being ordered to leave the cave right now. Disregard the sound and do not pursue. Please make haste back."
By the time the new message ended my body had turned cold. In all the years I had known Rebecca, there had never been a time when she *wasn't* calm and composed. To hear her like this... I shivered and made up my mind to leave straight away.
I carefully begin to maneuver my way back to the entrance as I await the 20 minutes for another message, growing more terrified by the second. The walls seem closer than ever, and I could swear I just heard more thumps. Finally another message comes in, yet this time it's not Rebecca's voice that greets me, but Anderson's.
"Jason... we finally got your coordinates. Crew has the satellite zoomed in on your location. We can detect no signs of a cave in your five-mile radius."
------
My first ever prompt attempt! This was very rushed but also very fun, thanks for reading :)
|
*Private Richard*: “Yknow it really is a bad idea for me to be going down here with a 20 minute delay, I just kinda figure that if y’all see something wrong and I need to dip I’ll probably be really messed up or dead by the time your message gets back to me.”
*Private Richard*: “I like all of these cool rocks, that’s why I took the job in the first place yknow. I really do love rocks and it’s been my dream to touch rocks no man has touched before... Nah, I’m just kidding, that’d be pretty dumb huh. I swear, I’m kidding, haha.”
*Private Richard*: “Yo there’s some weird rocks over here I think I’m gonna touch them. I mean I guess you can see that I’m touching them, I just thought I’d tell you.”
*Private Richard*: “Hey I’m starting to feel kinda funny, and my gloves aren’t looking to hot where I touched those rocks.”
*Mission Control*: “Do not touch more of those rocks, I repeat, do not touch more of those rocks. Immediate exfil advised.”
*Private Richard*: “Sure, in one second, I thought I saw some movement up ahead that I wanted to check out.”
*Private Richard*: “I don’t know where whatever that was went, I’m going to look around a bit more.”
*Mission Control*: “DO NOT investigate movement. Return to base immediately.”
*Private Richard*: “Awwww, shieeee-“
\~Two loud blasts are heard, accompanied by green flashes of light on the video feed. The video feed goes dark and the transmission cuts out.\~
*Mission Control*: “Come in commander, come in ASAP. Confirm message as received.”
Saw the prompt and figured I might try it out. On mobile, formatting probably sucks (sorry) and never written before. I wasn’t taking it too seriously, but any feedback is welcome.
EDIT: Fixed some stuff, added a couple words I missed the first time through
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
The suit is tight and his breath steams the visor again before it auto clears, even the psi 2 suit seems to still have trouble with heat transfer. Weird in a place where he would freeze almost instantly. His mind drifts like this usually on the high stress missions, his way of dealing with it, worse were the live stream ones where you have to censor every word and watch every action because some armchair fucking astronaut thinks you may have messed up some procedure they read about from 30 years ago.
The cave mouth was huge but shielded from observation from above by a massive overhanging shelf of rock covered with granulated red dirt. It wasn't until spaceX had gotten a explorer unit to hit the bottom of the Valles Marineris trenches that it came to light.
Several other caves had been found but none with this look of being constructed, when he had approached and spent an hour going over the outside the usual had happened and from all analysis it appeared again like a random feature of wind and rain and erosion that had made it look like a thing built by intelligent life, The hype died down and the rest of the science team back on earth wanted him to go deeper - this would be the first time the team would have someone to probe into the depths of Mars like this.
His relay point was the drop pod about 400 meters from the entrance, "Mike checking in -what are my readings?" he waited in the hiss of static. It was going from his little suit to the pod through the base further up on the lip of the trench and then relayed all the way back to earth with the 20 minute delay each way. He wasn't waiting for the earth response just his second in the main base - Base MB1.2 - they should have let the net name the base except it would have ended up with something retarded like basey mcbaseface - so it was given to scientists and ended up sounding like it, She could sort out the fucking geek team back on earth.
Her voice come back with the usual hiss and exotic accent "Ox 76 hours - Cooling 76 hours - Food 3 days (if you can call gel food) water - 3 days, looking good for further exploration, no messages from earth - free to explore at will -Georgia out"
His headlamp showed a perfect circle of light in the cave with utter darkness surrounding it. Using a gas operated jack he anchored a spike into some solid looking rock at the cave mouth and tugged as hard as he could on it to test - no movement. Attaching a reel to his belt after latching it to the spike he slowly spooled it out and entered the cave making sure his camera was on broadcast and he had a little window showing his feed of Georgia back at base switched on, if either failed he was immediately out. To many people thought aliens were the big risk out in space but frankly space itself was trying to kill you a hell of a lot harder than any alien ever would, at least for now, and his comms were his lifeline.
He advanced slowly clearing the ground each step with slow sweeps of his headlamp. The first few meters into the cave were choked with the dust that covered every surface on the planet. "Still with me Georgy?" "Yeah still here, looking good so far"
Looking further in he could see a rough roof and stalactites hanging down, he stopped and focused on them. "You seeing this?" "Clear as day" he felt a little excitement, this meant moisture at sometime in the past, the cave looked dry as dust now but still he could imagine the scientist back on earth getting exited about it and prepared mentally for the usual requests to take samples and dig in this or that spot. He advanced some more spooling out the cable and sweeping with his light. The cave so far didn't seem to have an rear or rather it just continued on more like an underground tunnel than a cave, The walls were covered with what looked like a laval flow frozen in time, and the roof was distant enough he could stand easily. Why is the floor clear? it has stalactites yet nothing coming up from the floor. maybe it had to do with the gravity, or water flow in the bottom?
He knelt and unlatched a small sample container from his belt scooping the dry dust from the floor into it, the lid auto recording time mps co-ordinates and relative depths atmo readings etc. Sealing it and waiting for it to go green he heard something, "Sorry Georgia say again?". There was a brief silence "Nothing said this end" her voice sounded calm still, great last thing he needed was to go suit crazy now. "Uh can you give me some seismic readings? think maybe we have some movement down here" "Wait one" a hiss of static and he could see her looking down and punching buttons on the monitor window. She looked up "Yeah got some minor shakes showing but that could be from the storms knocking rocks into the valley"
"Ack that - going deeper now" He felt a little better, the equipment could pick up some rockfalls and was pretty sensitive - it could be used as a backup tracking system when the mps went down to track surface vehicle movements. The tunnel angled slightly down and he followed it still doing careful sweeps with this headlamp and camera, a slight curve making the way back disappear beyond the horizon of his headlamp and cable leading back. After an hour of steady descent the cave ended abruptly the far wall closing in on the floor in what looked like an avalanche of boulders and sharply pointed crystal.
A rounded boulder caught his eye, he shuffled closer, it looked like a head from a badly worn statue "Georgia you seeing this?" a slight sigh over the radio behind the static "Ack Mike I see it" he carefully picked it up and turned it over in his hands, He could swear there were tool marks on it but then again it could be just erosion. Always he hoped to find something so he was always wary when something like the cave mouth popped up because he was to used to disappointment. It never stopped him volunteering for the missions though. No one else was ever keen to go and dig rocks at the behest of scientists but he did it on the off chance. He examined it closely - there were pits for eyes a potential nub for a nose and a small depression that could have been a mouth. "Uh Mike Priority One Message - X Actual - return to surface at once" something began to flash on her monitor showing her face in a ghoulish red "Pri One message from Sci Team - return to surface at once" her voice and face still calm. He had actually heard the audio over the screen. it seemed more screaming and shouting than a message.
"Whats going on Georgia?"
"No idea Mike trying to find out"
He had tucked the head into a carry bag and began the return up into the cave reeling the cable in and using the small boost to momentum to try and get extra speed. There was a judder through his feet and he staggered to one side. The cable suddenly loose in his grip. "Georgia whats going on up there?" She looked up from the readings and chatter he could still hear through the comms. "Mike wait out we need to get a team to" and she was shut off.
Her screen had gone to static and then the standby symbol. He slogged up the passageway his reel now pulling in a loose cable automatically.
|
*Private Richard*: “Yknow it really is a bad idea for me to be going down here with a 20 minute delay, I just kinda figure that if y’all see something wrong and I need to dip I’ll probably be really messed up or dead by the time your message gets back to me.”
*Private Richard*: “I like all of these cool rocks, that’s why I took the job in the first place yknow. I really do love rocks and it’s been my dream to touch rocks no man has touched before... Nah, I’m just kidding, that’d be pretty dumb huh. I swear, I’m kidding, haha.”
*Private Richard*: “Yo there’s some weird rocks over here I think I’m gonna touch them. I mean I guess you can see that I’m touching them, I just thought I’d tell you.”
*Private Richard*: “Hey I’m starting to feel kinda funny, and my gloves aren’t looking to hot where I touched those rocks.”
*Mission Control*: “Do not touch more of those rocks, I repeat, do not touch more of those rocks. Immediate exfil advised.”
*Private Richard*: “Sure, in one second, I thought I saw some movement up ahead that I wanted to check out.”
*Private Richard*: “I don’t know where whatever that was went, I’m going to look around a bit more.”
*Mission Control*: “DO NOT investigate movement. Return to base immediately.”
*Private Richard*: “Awwww, shieeee-“
\~Two loud blasts are heard, accompanied by green flashes of light on the video feed. The video feed goes dark and the transmission cuts out.\~
*Mission Control*: “Come in commander, come in ASAP. Confirm message as received.”
Saw the prompt and figured I might try it out. On mobile, formatting probably sucks (sorry) and never written before. I wasn’t taking it too seriously, but any feedback is welcome.
EDIT: Fixed some stuff, added a couple words I missed the first time through
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
Against the backdrop of red, there was nothing but a faceless spacesuit. Slumped slightly forward, its lower back resting against the ridges of the cave wall. Occasionally, from the inside of the suit, you could see a panel lighting up, revealing from inside the tinted faceplate its inhabitant.
It’s a curious thing, this space suit. Because the space suit speaks.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, you are cleared for entry. Take care down there, Private. Over”*
The words are alien, to you. You’ve never seen something like this before, not for a long time. Was it a long time? You’d only been here a few days. You suppose time is relative.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, Captain Leeds recommends you tone down the small talk, we’re on a live feed here to the top brass. But yeah, it sure is. Over”*
There’s an amused snort. Now that you get. This one heard something funny. You tilt your head. Was that what was considered funny? Okay then, you got it.
The suit is made of a funny type of cloth, nothing you’ve ever touched before. It’s strange, rough to the touch. And inconsistent too. Certain parts of the suit are softer than the rest, more flexibles.
Were these where the creature’s joints were? That would make sense. Going by that logic…
You give the faceplate a light tap. Then you’d suppose that the place where the material was hardest (What was this? You could just about see through it if you squinted your eyes.) was the place of most importance.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, we’re detecting some strange activity in the background of your cam feed. Recommend you turn on night vision instead of infra-red so we can get a better look. Over.”*
You run the of your fingernail around the edges of this strange material. The see-through metal. Your work done, you give it a light tap and it comes free. The sheet of see-through metal, cut free, falls splat on the face of the suit’s occupant.
That’s not what you want. You frown. With one hand, you reach in and delicately pick it out, in between your two thumbs. It’s stained with the creature’s blood, which is definitely strange. You don’t remember injuring it all the way up here.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, something’s following you. I repeat, you are not alone. We have authorized for you to shoot to kill. Over.”*
The suit gives you a scare. How was it still alive? Was it a different living system, working in harmony with this creature? You look down at the creature’s torso. There’s a see-through hole, just about the size of your hand. Blood and what you presume to be the creature’s insides have split out down it’s crotch, to the floor and begun to dry.
What a strange thing. You hurt it in one place, and blood spurts out of another. You feel excitement flow through your veins, your thumbs clicking together restlessly. More, you had to know more!
You kick yourself for being so rash. This was probably the only time you’d ever chance to study something like this. You should have kept it alive.
No matter, you decide, as you wipe the see-through metal clean. It would make a nice trophy.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, we order you to retreat! Get out of there now! Confirm!*”
As if it knows what you’re going to do next, the suit speaks again. You don’t understand the words but you understand the panicked tone.
Then you get down to the nasty stuff. What was so important here? You gorge out two white orbs, each with a spot of light blue. You find strangely shaped bones in the big orifice in the creature’s face. They’re stained red, and seem to be protecting a seemingly useless slab of meat inside. At the back of the orifice, a pool of blood gurgles. You suppose this part of the creature led to the torso.
“*Rosch ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. What the fuck is that?”*
The suit is starting to speak more often now.
“*I’m detecting a complete loss of vital signs. That thing killed him.”*
*“You’ve left the button on, Private Sej.”*
Blissful silence falls, allowing you to focus on your work. You find what you are pretty sure is the creature’s brain. It’s similar to your people’s, but this one seems significantly bigger. You’re not sure whether or not you should feel envious. After all, this creature is the dead one.
“*This is Captain Leeds of United Earth Space Command. I respectfully request for you to identify yourself.*”
You flip the creature on its front, revealing its back. There, whirring away slowly, a strange metal box. You pick it apart easily. This metal is significantly harder than everything else though. Could this be the suit’s heart?
“*Do you understand us?”*
The inside of the box is divided into two parts. The lower components consist of two cylinders with strange wording on them. You press it, and a strange smelling gas comes out. Oxygen? Why would this creature be carrying so much of it? Perhaps it needed it to survive.
The upper components are interesting, a myriad of light and strange, flexible strings that came in different colours. You cut one of the strings. Immediately, a loud beeping sounds from inside the suit, near the faceplate.
You flip it over. There was a panel of green lights near the front edge of the faceplate, but now one of them was beeping red and the suit’s bright light had gone out. Red, that was a good thing, right? You eagerly cut away at the wires, the beeping growing incessantly loud.
“*This is Captain Leeds of the United Earth Space Command. We have determined that you are hostile. You will be exterminated. Go to hell.*”
Then the suit goes abruptly silent, as you cut the final string.
And behind you, you hear a loose rock crumble down the slope of the cave’s entrance.
Weighted boots create small mushroom clouds, much as the first creature had.
You feel an insane glee overcome you. There were more of them. You could continue your studies after all.
“What the hell? Is that Rosch? Holy fuck!”
You try to think of what the creature had said when it first entered the cave. It’s hard, because you’re not quite designed the same way as this creature. But you manage.
**“Man, this place is creepy as hell.”**
Edit: Thanks for the feedback, as well as your support for my story! :) I'm glad so many of you enjoyed it.
|
*Private Richard*: “Yknow it really is a bad idea for me to be going down here with a 20 minute delay, I just kinda figure that if y’all see something wrong and I need to dip I’ll probably be really messed up or dead by the time your message gets back to me.”
*Private Richard*: “I like all of these cool rocks, that’s why I took the job in the first place yknow. I really do love rocks and it’s been my dream to touch rocks no man has touched before... Nah, I’m just kidding, that’d be pretty dumb huh. I swear, I’m kidding, haha.”
*Private Richard*: “Yo there’s some weird rocks over here I think I’m gonna touch them. I mean I guess you can see that I’m touching them, I just thought I’d tell you.”
*Private Richard*: “Hey I’m starting to feel kinda funny, and my gloves aren’t looking to hot where I touched those rocks.”
*Mission Control*: “Do not touch more of those rocks, I repeat, do not touch more of those rocks. Immediate exfil advised.”
*Private Richard*: “Sure, in one second, I thought I saw some movement up ahead that I wanted to check out.”
*Private Richard*: “I don’t know where whatever that was went, I’m going to look around a bit more.”
*Mission Control*: “DO NOT investigate movement. Return to base immediately.”
*Private Richard*: “Awwww, shieeee-“
\~Two loud blasts are heard, accompanied by green flashes of light on the video feed. The video feed goes dark and the transmission cuts out.\~
*Mission Control*: “Come in commander, come in ASAP. Confirm message as received.”
Saw the prompt and figured I might try it out. On mobile, formatting probably sucks (sorry) and never written before. I wasn’t taking it too seriously, but any feedback is welcome.
EDIT: Fixed some stuff, added a couple words I missed the first time through
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
Another blasted cave with nothing to see but useless rocks and thousands of samples I’d spend days collecting just to find out that there are *still* no signs of life on Mars and that there’s *still* another hundred caves to check out after that. This isn’t what I dreamt of, working myself ragged for years, building up my body, mind and skills to the exclusion of everything else. Yet I never voiced these feelings aloud or even showed a hint of them to anyone back on Earth or my partner, Daniel, currently working in the hab. I knew a lot of people would have given everything to be here, like I had, yet now that I was here I felt like nothing more than a glorified geologist.
Feeling stones crunching underneath my thick soled boots, which would have been extremely heavy on Earth but were manageable here, I trudged deeper, leaving patterned tracks in my wake as I methodically napped the cave and established communication beacons to extend my connection. I was acting on pure muscle memory, paying little attention to the red, grimy world outside of my HUD and letting my mind wander freely as I planted another relay, forcing it down into the sediment, twisting it deeper and feeling it lodge firm against rock before sliding up a panel on the side with my thick, almost numbing gloves and switching it on. It instantly cleared my channel of static for the time being until I got even further in.
Despite feeling entirely alone and somewhat depressed in my labour on this dusty, foreboding husk of a planet, I knew my every movement was being recorded and transmitted back to Earth where Central and dozens of techs and scientists would monitor everything and report me for the slightest breach of protocol or hound me for detailed closeups of every wayward grain of sand. I complied with each request of course, it is my job after all, but I’d long stopped caring about their interests and obsessions with what had become entirely mundane to me.
After planting the last relay, I straightened my back with a groan and stretched, I was feeling tired and in this gravity that probably meant I wasn’t doing enough resistance training to keep my muscles in shape. Another problem for another day. Noticing that a slight film of dust had covered my visor, I started wiping it clear, before realising I was leaving orange stains on my gloves and cursed myself for not getting the cloth out of the harness on my back. There was no excuse for that one, I was just getting lazy, even sloppy I thought to myself. I forced myself to kick my mind into gear and did a quick system check, focussed on my O2 readout in the bottom left corner of my HUD which still read over 50% so I didn’t have to head home yet and could start collecting some samples. Joy.
At the deepest part of the cave I had explored today, tomorrow I would go deeper, I clipped my harness off my back and planted it on the ground in front of me. I knelt down, feeling a sharp point dig into my knee before I hastily relocated it to prevent any possible breaches and pulled out two things. Firstly, a rugged and reliable drill which took a couple minutes to set up and would harvest a cylindrical sample out of the rock and secondly, a sealing rack to prevent any possible contamination and preserve the sample for testing back at the hab.
I stood up and let the drill do its work, I watched as a little puff of dust swirled up slowly from under it like an ink cloud in water before settling back down in the low gravity. That’s the one big difference that stuck with me, between Earth and Mars that is, everyone thinks that once you’re there it’s basically Earth but red and you can’t go outside without a suit... I mean, technically they’re right but the gravity makes it *feel* completely different. The way you move an the way things behave is all just slightly different. It’s refreshing and lets you know you’re truly on an alien planet.
It’s moments like those where the old me surfaces, the wonder and awe when I consider where I am and the environment around me. The Universe and our place in it. Then I remember I’m just in a cave breathing recycled air, living off of shitty dehydrated food and spending all my time drilling for useless rocks to the sounds of scientists and techs constantly clamouring for my attention. Oh wait, they’re actually talking to me.
I focussed on my primary handler over a cacophony of voices that had suddenly filled my helmet but I couldn’t make out what he was saying but I could hear in his voice something that I had never heard before and it made me wake up for the first time in a long time. I heard fear.
On instinct, I almost called out ‘whoa, whoa there, one at a time so I can hear you’, but my training kicked in, knowing that this wasn’t a real time connection but a time lagged one. I waited and was swiftly rewarded with my handler shouting at all the others with him to ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP!’, I smiled a bit at that but it also ratcheted up my trepidation, my heartbeat increases with it to the point that I could hear it reverberate in my helmet dome - professionalism and self control was paramount to NASA, even during the Apollo 13 mission everyone stayed calm and kept communications clear, so whatever was happening was serious.
My handler came on again, quick yet clear and concise this time, ‘As you entered that chamber we noticed legs and feet, *human*, in the top left corner of the frame on a ledge, we’ve gone over this multiple times and processed it and they’re definitely there, forwarding you a still frame now. We don’t know what to make of this, even the director is flummoxed, you have total discretion.’ That means they have no idea what to do with this at all, I gulped, and quickly pulled up the still frame they had sent - it showed up in a window on my HUD to the right.
In the image, I could see what had gotten them in such a tizzy and I felt a shiver crawl up my back, raising goosebumps and the hairs on the back of my neck and I was acutely aware of the cold sweat in my suit as well. In my video feed, I had only caught the legs from the thighs down but you could easily see white skin against the red background, knobbly knees and feminine feet, complete with green toenail polish, standing on a ledge at around head height. I had turned my back to that ledge when I planted the final relay- that must have been almost thirty minutes ago!
With my heart pounding I spun and put all brightness into my headlamps whilst backing away from the ledge, which, to my immediate relief was now empty. However this just created an even more unsettling feeling; it *had* been there, they had all seen it and reported it. Where was it now? I compared with the image they sent and yes, it was the same ledge. Unsure of what to do, I backed into the wall behind me and constantly scanned the cavern. ‘Guys, if this is some post processing shit, I swear to fucking god that when I get back there I will beat you all bloody.’
I knew I couldn’t expect a response for a while but a few more messages came in the next few seconds, ‘This is not a drill, get out of there now!’, then a voice I recognised as the director came on and whilst he sounded assertive, it was bit too fast to be calm, ‘Abort now. I repeat. Abort now. We will clear this up after you are back at the hab.’. That galvanised me, even if everyone else somehow decided to go loopy and stage an elaborate prank on another planet, the Director would never do such a thing.
|
Twenty minutes is a long time when you're waiting for a reply. When you're trapped, and you're scared, and the light on your suit has failed because something something something banged into it where nothing nothing nothing had been a moment before.
A couple of seconds is a very short time except when that's how long it took for whatever banged you to appear and move past. It was lit, where nothing should be lit, and so you closed your eyes and missed it.
Twenty minutes of good. Twenty minutes of bad. Twenty minutes of scared chatter from your end, and inane pointers on the structure of the cave from their end, because they hadn't seen it yet. Twenty minutes of hope. Twenty minutes of fear.
And twenty minutes later, when that time has become a dark eternity of loneliness, they tell you to go back, because what they'd seen had been another crew member, and your heart lifts and you head back, but twenty seconds later it falls again when they say his name: Matthews. Your name. And the lights come back to feed.
|
|
[WP] You are the first man on Mars to explore a previously unknown cave. The camera feed is able to still reach earth, but with a 20 minute delay. Your crew back on Earth start frantically shouting to go back.
|
Against the backdrop of red, there was nothing but a faceless spacesuit. Slumped slightly forward, its lower back resting against the ridges of the cave wall. Occasionally, from the inside of the suit, you could see a panel lighting up, revealing from inside the tinted faceplate its inhabitant.
It’s a curious thing, this space suit. Because the space suit speaks.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, you are cleared for entry. Take care down there, Private. Over”*
The words are alien, to you. You’ve never seen something like this before, not for a long time. Was it a long time? You’d only been here a few days. You suppose time is relative.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, Captain Leeds recommends you tone down the small talk, we’re on a live feed here to the top brass. But yeah, it sure is. Over”*
There’s an amused snort. Now that you get. This one heard something funny. You tilt your head. Was that what was considered funny? Okay then, you got it.
The suit is made of a funny type of cloth, nothing you’ve ever touched before. It’s strange, rough to the touch. And inconsistent too. Certain parts of the suit are softer than the rest, more flexibles.
Were these where the creature’s joints were? That would make sense. Going by that logic…
You give the faceplate a light tap. Then you’d suppose that the place where the material was hardest (What was this? You could just about see through it if you squinted your eyes.) was the place of most importance.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, we’re detecting some strange activity in the background of your cam feed. Recommend you turn on night vision instead of infra-red so we can get a better look. Over.”*
You run the of your fingernail around the edges of this strange material. The see-through metal. Your work done, you give it a light tap and it comes free. The sheet of see-through metal, cut free, falls splat on the face of the suit’s occupant.
That’s not what you want. You frown. With one hand, you reach in and delicately pick it out, in between your two thumbs. It’s stained with the creature’s blood, which is definitely strange. You don’t remember injuring it all the way up here.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, something’s following you. I repeat, you are not alone. We have authorized for you to shoot to kill. Over.”*
The suit gives you a scare. How was it still alive? Was it a different living system, working in harmony with this creature? You look down at the creature’s torso. There’s a see-through hole, just about the size of your hand. Blood and what you presume to be the creature’s insides have split out down it’s crotch, to the floor and begun to dry.
What a strange thing. You hurt it in one place, and blood spurts out of another. You feel excitement flow through your veins, your thumbs clicking together restlessly. More, you had to know more!
You kick yourself for being so rash. This was probably the only time you’d ever chance to study something like this. You should have kept it alive.
No matter, you decide, as you wipe the see-through metal clean. It would make a nice trophy.
“*Space Command to Private Rosch, we order you to retreat! Get out of there now! Confirm!*”
As if it knows what you’re going to do next, the suit speaks again. You don’t understand the words but you understand the panicked tone.
Then you get down to the nasty stuff. What was so important here? You gorge out two white orbs, each with a spot of light blue. You find strangely shaped bones in the big orifice in the creature’s face. They’re stained red, and seem to be protecting a seemingly useless slab of meat inside. At the back of the orifice, a pool of blood gurgles. You suppose this part of the creature led to the torso.
“*Rosch ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. What the fuck is that?”*
The suit is starting to speak more often now.
“*I’m detecting a complete loss of vital signs. That thing killed him.”*
*“You’ve left the button on, Private Sej.”*
Blissful silence falls, allowing you to focus on your work. You find what you are pretty sure is the creature’s brain. It’s similar to your people’s, but this one seems significantly bigger. You’re not sure whether or not you should feel envious. After all, this creature is the dead one.
“*This is Captain Leeds of United Earth Space Command. I respectfully request for you to identify yourself.*”
You flip the creature on its front, revealing its back. There, whirring away slowly, a strange metal box. You pick it apart easily. This metal is significantly harder than everything else though. Could this be the suit’s heart?
“*Do you understand us?”*
The inside of the box is divided into two parts. The lower components consist of two cylinders with strange wording on them. You press it, and a strange smelling gas comes out. Oxygen? Why would this creature be carrying so much of it? Perhaps it needed it to survive.
The upper components are interesting, a myriad of light and strange, flexible strings that came in different colours. You cut one of the strings. Immediately, a loud beeping sounds from inside the suit, near the faceplate.
You flip it over. There was a panel of green lights near the front edge of the faceplate, but now one of them was beeping red and the suit’s bright light had gone out. Red, that was a good thing, right? You eagerly cut away at the wires, the beeping growing incessantly loud.
“*This is Captain Leeds of the United Earth Space Command. We have determined that you are hostile. You will be exterminated. Go to hell.*”
Then the suit goes abruptly silent, as you cut the final string.
And behind you, you hear a loose rock crumble down the slope of the cave’s entrance.
Weighted boots create small mushroom clouds, much as the first creature had.
You feel an insane glee overcome you. There were more of them. You could continue your studies after all.
“What the hell? Is that Rosch? Holy fuck!”
You try to think of what the creature had said when it first entered the cave. It’s hard, because you’re not quite designed the same way as this creature. But you manage.
**“Man, this place is creepy as hell.”**
Edit: Thanks for the feedback, as well as your support for my story! :) I'm glad so many of you enjoyed it.
|
The suit is tight and his breath steams the visor again before it auto clears, even the psi 2 suit seems to still have trouble with heat transfer. Weird in a place where he would freeze almost instantly. His mind drifts like this usually on the high stress missions, his way of dealing with it, worse were the live stream ones where you have to censor every word and watch every action because some armchair fucking astronaut thinks you may have messed up some procedure they read about from 30 years ago.
The cave mouth was huge but shielded from observation from above by a massive overhanging shelf of rock covered with granulated red dirt. It wasn't until spaceX had gotten a explorer unit to hit the bottom of the Valles Marineris trenches that it came to light.
Several other caves had been found but none with this look of being constructed, when he had approached and spent an hour going over the outside the usual had happened and from all analysis it appeared again like a random feature of wind and rain and erosion that had made it look like a thing built by intelligent life, The hype died down and the rest of the science team back on earth wanted him to go deeper - this would be the first time the team would have someone to probe into the depths of Mars like this.
His relay point was the drop pod about 400 meters from the entrance, "Mike checking in -what are my readings?" he waited in the hiss of static. It was going from his little suit to the pod through the base further up on the lip of the trench and then relayed all the way back to earth with the 20 minute delay each way. He wasn't waiting for the earth response just his second in the main base - Base MB1.2 - they should have let the net name the base except it would have ended up with something retarded like basey mcbaseface - so it was given to scientists and ended up sounding like it, She could sort out the fucking geek team back on earth.
Her voice come back with the usual hiss and exotic accent "Ox 76 hours - Cooling 76 hours - Food 3 days (if you can call gel food) water - 3 days, looking good for further exploration, no messages from earth - free to explore at will -Georgia out"
His headlamp showed a perfect circle of light in the cave with utter darkness surrounding it. Using a gas operated jack he anchored a spike into some solid looking rock at the cave mouth and tugged as hard as he could on it to test - no movement. Attaching a reel to his belt after latching it to the spike he slowly spooled it out and entered the cave making sure his camera was on broadcast and he had a little window showing his feed of Georgia back at base switched on, if either failed he was immediately out. To many people thought aliens were the big risk out in space but frankly space itself was trying to kill you a hell of a lot harder than any alien ever would, at least for now, and his comms were his lifeline.
He advanced slowly clearing the ground each step with slow sweeps of his headlamp. The first few meters into the cave were choked with the dust that covered every surface on the planet. "Still with me Georgy?" "Yeah still here, looking good so far"
Looking further in he could see a rough roof and stalactites hanging down, he stopped and focused on them. "You seeing this?" "Clear as day" he felt a little excitement, this meant moisture at sometime in the past, the cave looked dry as dust now but still he could imagine the scientist back on earth getting exited about it and prepared mentally for the usual requests to take samples and dig in this or that spot. He advanced some more spooling out the cable and sweeping with his light. The cave so far didn't seem to have an rear or rather it just continued on more like an underground tunnel than a cave, The walls were covered with what looked like a laval flow frozen in time, and the roof was distant enough he could stand easily. Why is the floor clear? it has stalactites yet nothing coming up from the floor. maybe it had to do with the gravity, or water flow in the bottom?
He knelt and unlatched a small sample container from his belt scooping the dry dust from the floor into it, the lid auto recording time mps co-ordinates and relative depths atmo readings etc. Sealing it and waiting for it to go green he heard something, "Sorry Georgia say again?". There was a brief silence "Nothing said this end" her voice sounded calm still, great last thing he needed was to go suit crazy now. "Uh can you give me some seismic readings? think maybe we have some movement down here" "Wait one" a hiss of static and he could see her looking down and punching buttons on the monitor window. She looked up "Yeah got some minor shakes showing but that could be from the storms knocking rocks into the valley"
"Ack that - going deeper now" He felt a little better, the equipment could pick up some rockfalls and was pretty sensitive - it could be used as a backup tracking system when the mps went down to track surface vehicle movements. The tunnel angled slightly down and he followed it still doing careful sweeps with this headlamp and camera, a slight curve making the way back disappear beyond the horizon of his headlamp and cable leading back. After an hour of steady descent the cave ended abruptly the far wall closing in on the floor in what looked like an avalanche of boulders and sharply pointed crystal.
A rounded boulder caught his eye, he shuffled closer, it looked like a head from a badly worn statue "Georgia you seeing this?" a slight sigh over the radio behind the static "Ack Mike I see it" he carefully picked it up and turned it over in his hands, He could swear there were tool marks on it but then again it could be just erosion. Always he hoped to find something so he was always wary when something like the cave mouth popped up because he was to used to disappointment. It never stopped him volunteering for the missions though. No one else was ever keen to go and dig rocks at the behest of scientists but he did it on the off chance. He examined it closely - there were pits for eyes a potential nub for a nose and a small depression that could have been a mouth. "Uh Mike Priority One Message - X Actual - return to surface at once" something began to flash on her monitor showing her face in a ghoulish red "Pri One message from Sci Team - return to surface at once" her voice and face still calm. He had actually heard the audio over the screen. it seemed more screaming and shouting than a message.
"Whats going on Georgia?"
"No idea Mike trying to find out"
He had tucked the head into a carry bag and began the return up into the cave reeling the cable in and using the small boost to momentum to try and get extra speed. There was a judder through his feet and he staggered to one side. The cable suddenly loose in his grip. "Georgia whats going on up there?" She looked up from the readings and chatter he could still hear through the comms. "Mike wait out we need to get a team to" and she was shut off.
Her screen had gone to static and then the standby symbol. He slogged up the passageway his reel now pulling in a loose cable automatically.
|
|
[WP] You finally convince your parents to send you to magic camp. However, when you arrive you discover it's not a camp where you learn sleight of hand, it's a camp for people who are actually magic, and you have no abilities whatsoever.
|
Ophelia sauntered up against the back wall of the Talsabury Hall, trying to attract as little notice as possible while still being able to peer out over the second floor balcony to the main hall below, where the College admissions were being held. Holding a serving tray filled with drinks, she kept one eye out for anyone who might beckon her over. She hated the guise, but it was a necessary one. When her so called partner blew the entire operation, she would have to be the one to drag his sorry ass out of here.
Below, she saw him entire through the main doors, smiling as if he hadn’t a care in the world. From all over the room, a hundred pairs of eyes locked onto him as he approached the admission’s staff. A dozen of the best sorcerers and sorceresses in the Flotilla peered down at him, ready to judge his display of magical prowess.
Talazan Rankor, Earthborn, non-magical, bowed before them with a sweeping flourish and charming smile.
—————
“Do you have everything?” Ophelia asked for the hundredth time. Talazan adjusted the cuff links’s on his jacket and making sure they were properly attuned to the five glowing stones beside him.
“I think I forgot to put on underwear, but your welcome to double check.” Talazan winked at her. She rolled her eyes.
They were sitting out on the bow of their little dingy, the *Tempest*, floating just a few miles away from the Talsabury college. They were forced to stay within the clouds as much as they could, not wanting to be noticed by any potential passerby’s. Luckily the Talsabury was docked on the outskirts of the flotilla. The rich sure did love the luxury of privacy and exclusion.
Miles below them, the the surface passed by in an barren, unchanging landscape.
“Here.” Talazan scoped up the stone and handed them over to Ophelia. “Remember the range is only thirty feet or so. So please don’t wander off.”
“No promises.” She replied. She really didn’t like this plan, but she pocketed the stones anyway. He had no doubt she would be able to smuggle them into the college. Lowlander servants weren’t scrutinized as much as others. After all, they couldn’t even use magic, what was the worse they could do?
Talazan fingered his cuff links. It was time to find out.
——————
“Talazan Rankor.” Headmaster Alfheim spoke with a dry, aging voice. He leaned over the raised table to look down at the young man below. He was the one the Magehound had warned him about. A lowlander, he’d called the boy. Alfheim found that hard to believe. A lowlander applying to the college. Not even an earthborn could that crazy. Well, it mattered little in the end. If he was a lowlander, then he would fail the exam and the guards would haul him away, to be branded as a servant or exiled back to the surface.
“You are applying to the college as an Elementalist, is that correct?” the headmaster peered down at the boy behind his glasses. The young man nodded with an enthusiastic smile.
“It would be an honor to be able to consider myself a peer of your prestigious academy.” Talazan replied. Alfheim nodded, humming under his breath.
“Very well. Then I’m sure you know about the necessary qualifications? You must be able to wield each of five elements in some essence. As long as you are capable of that, we would be glad to have you.” That was the crux of it. It would be impossible for a Lowlander to summon the elements, unless he had outside help. He would have been checked at the door however, and any magical items capable of summoning the elements would have been confiscated.
Still, the Magehound warning rang in his ears. He would be paying extra close attention to this one.
Talazan bowed again. “Then allow me to begin. First, the element of Earth.”
——-
Talazan took his hands off the ships wheel and clipped his Belt-of-Tricks around his waist. The vials containing various liquid, powders, and potions rattled about in his pouches. A bit of brimstone, a bit of sulfuric-acid. Some Vitriol here and some Aersenic there. Substances that the average sorcerer wouldn’t be able to recognize, unless they were a skilled alchemist. Certainly nothing the average Talsabury guard would find suspicious.
“Let’s hope those things are worth what we paid for them.” Ophelia said, glancing at his cuff links. “If not we’re going to have a very long time to think about getting our money back in the college dungeons.”
“We tested them. They’re fine.” Talazan reassured her as he steered the *Tempest* towards the Flotilla. . “Stop worrying.”
“You’re only saying that cuz you got to keep them.” Ophelia grumbled. They had split the cost.
—-
Ophelia saw Talazan reach out and summon a palm sized stone out of thin air. She felt the Earth Stone heat up in the pocket of her dress, sending a surge of elemental energy into Talazans cuff links. Talazan grabbed the stone and bounced it up and down in his hand. Smiling all the while. Ophelia hoped it would be enough as she felt the Earth Stone cool. The Elemental Stones were one use only, and they had cost a fortune.
Talazan tossed the stone up towards the headmaster. The old man raised a finger and the rock came to a halt in front of him, floating in midair. He let it drop into his open hand and studied it for a bit, before nodding and setting it aside.
“Continue.” He said. Ophelia barely stopped herself from sighing in relief. This could work after all.
“Now Wood!” Talazan pulled a parchment scroll from his pocket, unfolding it and showing the administrators that it was completely blank. Ophelia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was just like he was back on the surface, preforming for a bunch of wide eyed children, and slack jawed villagers.
She felt the heat in her pocket again as the parchment in Talazan’s hand thickened and became dark. With loud pop, Talazan held up a slab of wood, freshly transmogrified from the scroll’s paper. Glancing around, Ophelia saw several of the sorcerers around the balcony looked impressed. Several even clapped.
“Air!” Obvious encouraged by the applause, Talazan swirled his hands, summoning a gust of wind from the Air Stone. The magic poured out from the cuff links below his palms, scattered papers and rustling beards all around the hall. Polite clapping turned to laughter, and the headmaster held up a hand for silence.
————
They flew the *Tempest* towards the east end of the Talsabury, hiding the ship behind the tall trees planted in the park. Ophelia came up from below dressed in her servants attire. She glanced towards him, standing on the edge of the ship as he tossed the rope ladder over the side. Crossing her arms, she fixed him with a serious look.
“What’re you gonna do when it all goes wrong?”
——
Alfheim snapped his fingers and eight crystals materialized around Talazan. Purple lighting danced beneath their dark blue surfaces, and with a thunderous crackle, bolts of electricity shot from the tips of the crystals, connecting with each other to form a box around the young man.
Gasps of surprise and terror filled the room. It was a natural reaction Alfheim understood. Through some unexplained phenomena, electricity naturally nullified all magic within a certain radius. As such it was relatively despised among the flotillas.
The only way it was being controlled the way it was currently, was due to the special crystals that contained it. They could be found buried deep within the surface, and only emitted electricity in close contact with each-other. The box Talazan was in wasn’t harmful as long as the boy didn’t touch the bolts around him, but no magic would be able to penetrate the barrier.
If he was receiving help somehow, the box would put a stop to that.
“Forgive me.” Alfheim spoke. “I find I grow paranoid in my old age. I hate to imply that you are not trustworthy, Mr. Rankor. But you display remarkable prowess for a novice. If you are truly as good as you appear, then you may continue. The barrier will not affect any magic within it’s confines.”
The smile flickered, but only for a moment.
“I’m flattered, really.” Talazan replied. “To think that I would be so amazing that you would wonder if I was cheating. How could I be anything but?”
—————-
Talazan leaned back on the ships railing, fixing Ophelia with his best smile. It didn’t convince her, but he did it all the same.
“Then I’ll do what I always do. I’ll improvise, adapt, and make a general fool of myself.”
—————-
|
The first hint that something was up with this godawful place was that none of the other kids had packed... Well, anything really. Mum and Dad had stressed the fact that they were "all-inclusive", I thought that that might explain it. I hadn't even wanted to come in the first place, but since my parents first met here they forced me into it - perhaps they just wanted me out of the house for the holidays.
Anway, this is being recorded as a sort of diary, because judging from what I saw while we were "getting to know each other" it's going to be one long holiday. In the words of Andy Weir, I'm going to have to science the shit out of this.
|
|
[WP] <Do not swim! Beware of the water monster!> Says the sign, but you don't care. You can waterwalk and the monster cannot legally eat you.
|
Across the lake you mustn’t swim
A monster lies beneath!
Who’s mouth is nearly ten feet wide
And full of pointy teeth!
“Of course” , you say, “Tis not for me!
No monster do I fear.
I walk on liquid as if on ground”
And so step on the water near.
On cue the water seems to be
As solid as a rock.
You step across, to shock and awe,
To begin your fateful walk.
The beast, awakened, sees your feet
And knows that it must feed.
But, alas, you are not in the lake!
The rules, you do not meet.
The beast then ponders, long and hard,
As you begin your quest.
It devises a crude and clever plan
To put you to the test.
Gullet wide, it swims up, up, up,
Reaching you in record time.
And eats you just as it has done before,
Disregarding OP’s established crime.
“You see”, the clever monster said,
While ruminating your bad luck,
“The law may state I can’t do that,
But I don’t give a fuck.”
The end!
|
The Water Walker
Deep beneath the waters of Lake Venusia lurks the creature known as Zarin, an enormous serpent like creature with tencacles that protude from inside its mouth, it uses these to drag things beneath the surface where it will devour them. Zarin usually goes after fishing boats but has been known to drag idiotic swimmers into the depths of the lake.
You knew this, everyone throughout the land knew this, but you are The Great Waterwalker, and you didn't care. You cast aside all your better judgement and step onto the lake, you stand there atop the water without sinking, this was no surprise, but still you dare not move, as if any movement would cause you to sink, but you didn't, you wouldn't, you are The Great Waterwalker after all. After regaining confidence in you power you begin to walk further across the lake. Once you reach the center of the lake you sit down atop the water and begin to meditate.
Deep beneath you, Zarin had sensed your presence and begins to make his way to the surface to investigate this strange phenomenon of a human who is stupid enough to swim in the center of the lake. Once he got close enough he realized that the human he smelled was not swimming but floating calmly in place. Intrigued by this most wondrous encounter, Zarin used his tentacles to investigate, not for the sake of feeding, as he knew that such a tiny human would be little more than a snack, but rather to make sure his senses did not deceive him and there was indeed a human floating atop the waters of his dwelling.
One of Zarin's tentacles slowly rises above the surface of the water and is about to touch you, however, you have already reached inner peace and easily sensed it coming so you slap the tentacle away before it reaches you, almost as if to say that it's not worthy of touching you. Enraged, Zarin emerges from to the surface of the water and bellowes causing the surface of the water to shake violently.
"INSOLENT FOOL!!!"
You open your eyes to see the massive create in front of you. You are taken by surprise and nearly fall back, Zarin is far more horrifying than you could have imagined, no one who had seen more than just his shadow over the water's surface had lived to tell the tale, and yet here you are standing on the surface of the water right in front of the massive beast.
"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME! I OUGHT TO DEVOUR YOU WHOLE!"
at first you were terrified, nothing could have prepared you for how terrifying the beast was up close, but then you remember, he can't eat you, none of your body is underwater therefore it is illegal for him to eat you. With newfound courage you stood tall, pointed at the beast and laughed "It is you who is the fool, Zarin! You can't eat me!"
"AND WHY IS THAT EXACTLY?" zarin roared
"'Cuz it's illegal"
"AND WHY WOULD THE GREAT ZARIN FOLLOW THE RULES OF MERE MORTALS!?"
"I DO WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT!!!"
Suddenly Zarin pounced towards you.
Certainly this was end, even you The Great Waterwalker couldn't defeat such a beast unarmed, you were only a waterwalker after all, if only had been a Skywalker instead. You thought to youself as you accepted your doom
However, Zarin recoiled as if he had struck a wall. Suddenly, the sky started to turn dark and you hear a loud voice booming behind you, you turn around to see The Leviathan, the creature known throughout the world as God of the Sea. "STOP AT ONCE!!!" He roared at Zarin.
And then another much quiter voice speaks, it is then that you notice that beside the Leviathan is a human wearing glasses and a suit and tie. He is holding up a scroll, it looks very important
"Interspecies Laws Article 26 subsection 10: It is illegal for any sea creature, even The Sea God Leviathan, to eat anything that isn't atleast partly below the surface of the water. Furthermore, any land creature wishing to hunt a sea creature must be partially beneath the water in order to allow the sea creatures to defend themselves."
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF T-" Zarin begins to yell
"SILENCE FOOL!" Yelled the Leviathan interrupting Zarin and causing him to shrink back in fear
The human spoke again "This law was put in place and signed by both The Sea God Leviathan and the leaders of all individual species involved, it was put into effect following the destruction of a helicopted which was carrying the elven king and the president as they where traveling to meet with The Leviathan and discuss the rise in sea levels. Both parties lived of course, if only because of the elven king's magic, and alas the president still lost an arm. And so this law was put into place so that nothing of the sort would happen in the future. It is law and all land and sea creatures must obey."
"NOW APOLOGIZE OR I WILL PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT YOU DIE A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH" Bellowed the Leviathan
"I apologize" said Zarin not daring to raise his voice, lest he be slain by the Sea God.
|
|
[WP] <Do not swim! Beware of the water monster!> Says the sign, but you don't care. You can waterwalk and the monster cannot legally eat you.
|
Across the lake you mustn’t swim
A monster lies beneath!
Who’s mouth is nearly ten feet wide
And full of pointy teeth!
“Of course” , you say, “Tis not for me!
No monster do I fear.
I walk on liquid as if on ground”
And so step on the water near.
On cue the water seems to be
As solid as a rock.
You step across, to shock and awe,
To begin your fateful walk.
The beast, awakened, sees your feet
And knows that it must feed.
But, alas, you are not in the lake!
The rules, you do not meet.
The beast then ponders, long and hard,
As you begin your quest.
It devises a crude and clever plan
To put you to the test.
Gullet wide, it swims up, up, up,
Reaching you in record time.
And eats you just as it has done before,
Disregarding OP’s established crime.
“You see”, the clever monster said,
While ruminating your bad luck,
“The law may state I can’t do that,
But I don’t give a fuck.”
The end!
|
I’m out about 20 feet when the monsters surfaces. Its tentacle taps me on the ankle, and its tip folds into the shape of a Muppet-like mouth. For some reason it has a cockney accent.
“Oy, guv, what’s the big idea?”
“Huh? Big idea?”
“You. Ya feet. On my lake.”
“Oh, right” I look absently down at my feet. “What about it?”
“Can’cha read? You wanna be eaten?”
I look around, confused. “Why would you want to eat me? I’m not swimming.”
“W-w-what do you-,“ The tentacle sputters, “Of course you’re swimmin’, you’re in the water!”
“Seems to me like I’m on the water.”
The tentacle takes a deep sigh. I’m obviously testing his patience. “…I must admit, if even your ankles went until, I’d have you sunk before you made it out 10 paces.” A second tentacle appears, and crosses over the first to make a stern, arms-crossed like expression. “I may be a lake monster, but I’m no hustler. Let me be perfectly clear.”
“That sign up there? That’s a courtesy. That’s me lettin’ the common folk know that I’m here. And I’m waiting for ‘em. That way, the next time I gobble someone down, I know I did my due diligence, and the people know it was just natural selection at work. But you, man,” The tentacle chuckles, “You had to come down here and start messing with the natural order. And a water-walker no less! Don’cha have someone peasants to impression, or some water to turn to wine? Look, friendo, this is your last chance. Please, get off my lake.”
I stand for a moment, not speaking. “But…I’m not swimming.”
“Oh, you cocky…” A rumble is audible beneath the surface. A large, white beak emerges from the water’s surface, grabs my ankle, and drags me down.
|
|
[WP] <Do not swim! Beware of the water monster!> Says the sign, but you don't care. You can waterwalk and the monster cannot legally eat you.
|
I walked out across the lake, the little puddle of mountain spring water the locals had allowed to accumulate because of the large amount of summertime revenue it usually brought. I walked with purpose, direction, and, most importantly, disregard for the puerile sign some numbskull had left stapled to the National Park sign denoting the puddle’s name Lake Havoc. I made it about halfway across when the water monster surfaced, all seven-foot-height by four-foot-width, complete with six black eyes, symmetrically aligned as pairs along the furthest edges of his face. I could tell he had intended to breach, but stopped when he saw me, sort of stumbling and making a splash.
“Oh. I should’ve figured.” He rolled onto his back, his long, snakelike tail rising from between his tree-stump legs.
“Yeah. You should’ve.” I stared at him a while, and he stared back. Finally, I sighed. “Clarence, I’m sorry.”
He snorted and his tail flicked, irritated. “No need to be sorry. No need to apologise to a LAKE MONSTER!”
He yelled the last part, spraying spit in my face. Some landed in my mouth, and I tensed because it was the best alternative to violently puking. The spit tasted like day old meat market, fish past-due.
“Clarence, I didn’t mean it like that. You know I don’t view you as a monster.”
“Oh sure. You view me as an equal. A partner in crime. Someone you can take home to mother.”
“My parents aren’t. . . They aren’t new age or whatever. They aren’t modern. They still view things through the monochromatic lenses of yore.”
Clarence rolled from side to side in the water, gently for him, but rough for my flimsy footing. His wake bumped my foot enough that I staggered and a second wave knocked me headlong into the water. I managed to tell before I fell in: “Clarence!!”
The thing about waterwalking is that if you’ve got the gift, you never need to learn how to swim. Except that isn’t true at all. Waterwalking only works when a person walks on top of water. Some expert waterwalkers can walk on their hands on water, but most can only use their feet. But deviate from the walking motion, try to sit, nap, kneel and you’ll find that water welcomes you in its depths like all the rest of its inhabitants.
Clarence rolled over and dove for me with ease, pulling me into his scaly belly as he rolled back over into his reclined position. We looked a lot like Mowgli and Baloo, if Mowgli were older and Baloo a Water... Being.
“Saved by a monster. Are you gonna tell that story to your friends at your next barbecue?”
“I never meant to hurt your feelings, Clarence. I just. . . Never knew what identifying generalisation I could make to classify your species.” This had been my biggest problem with having a friend like Clarence. I’d always want to introduce him or talk about him with friends on land, and I never had the words.
“I don’t want an identifying generalisation! I don’t want to be classified! I just want to be your friend!” His six eyes welled up angrily and my heart sunk into my stomach.
“You are. You’re my best friend. My best friend Clarence.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“I mean it. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you, bud. I’d give up my unnatural water-defying abilities, my land friends, and even my luscious locks for you.” I shook my hair to show I meant business.
“Your ability isn’t so great, but your hair is pretty good.”
“Yeah, I keep meaning to learn how to swim. Some day.”
“I could show you right now, if you want.” His eyes were dryer now, and softer around the edges. I smiled and he smiled back, toothily accepting my apology.
“Yeah. That’d be nice.”
|
As the water bubbled up, a creature draped in algae and kelp emerged. A sight to see before it was even completely upright, the monster let out a low, rumbling groan. The air around it seemed to get colder, a flock of birds exploded from a nearby tree, fleeing the immediate area. It lunged forward, crossing the lake in a matter of seconds. I knew I had to act quickly, I stepped out onto the water, prepared for the worst.
"STOP FOUL BEAST, THE LAW OF THE LAND FORBIDS YOU FROM FEASTING UPON MY FLESH"
It stopped.
"Bahahahahahahhahaha oh, shit, oh my god that was so corny"
"What?"
"What the hell are you yelling about? Law of the Land? What is that?"
"YOU CANNOT EAT ME, FOR I CAN WALK UPON WATER"
"Who told you that?"
"What do you mean told me? Its the Law of the Land. Its magic, see? Im like Jesus, kind of"
"Nononono, I see the whole Jesus thing, who told you I cant eat you?
"My mentor, he taught me the art, he explained the magic laws that have binded the land together since the dawn of existance"
"Okay. Alright. Why'd you say it like that though? Are we playing DnD? C'mon man it's 2018 get with the times. Didnt your mentor teach you witty one liners?"
"Well what would you of said? I bet your's wouldn't be any better?"
"I dont know man, I'm a fuckin lake monster, I just growl and gurgle and shit, this isnt about me though. I gotta know whats up with this cornball shit."
"I dont know man, fuck you! Its like magicy shit, I thought I had to like, be in character."
"Hah, well man maybe you should of practiced more. And Law of the Land? Why name it that? It's so unoriginal for some crazy hoodoo laws"
"I dont know! Look I just joined and learned how to waterwalk, they said you couldnt touch me because of the laws, so they sent me to pick the flowers that grow on the other side. I really just have to get going now, so if you'll excuse me"
"......about that."
"....uhhmmm"
"Yeah, no....uhmm. Im still gonna eat you."
"But you can't, the Law of the Land"
"Yeahhh. Hmmmm. No. Definitely not a single magic law stopping me. In fact the only reason you're still alive is because you're the first person to say something to me in over 600 years. I was pretty bored."
"Can't you like, just..not..eat me? There's a McDonalds like 3 miles from here and I mean I could totally go for some nuggets and barbecue sau-"
|
|
[WP] You are the world's greatest bounty hunter. You decide to take a job that pays a single gold coin.
|
"How many died by that blade?" the merchant said, his velvet scarf merely hung at his neck; its main purpose was to cover the rest of his stout frame. I held my scimitar out, in a play to show this gentleman I am who I say I am, but truly I meant to keep it out, since his ridiculous scarf cloaked critical parts of his body: the parts where weapons would be concealed.
"More than you have bartered, friend," I kept the play running for as long as I could. For a merchant to request a meeting under the boat docks, as if our business were a crime of the King's Manifest, might have meant danger. I've lost count of the men I've killed and for the chance that this lad could be a son of one perhaps a brother didn't elude me.
His plump face blushed as he grinned. He was young, but not young enough to be that cute. Never trust cute men, my father would say. If a man is too old to have childish fervor, he either was born atop marble and fed with silver or he possessed a sharp tongue, that could sway minds in any direction they should choose.
"Have a seat," the merchant said. Two wooden chairs and a table had been wedged in the sand. Silly choice for a meeting... like a child. But the choice of furniture seemed common enough for a pub. A breeze brushed in from the sea, and I could hear many taps from the above docks, sailors and pilgrims sputtered about in their business.
"Interesting choice," I said as I laid my scimitar on the table and sat down.
"I beg your pardon?"
"This little display," I swayed my hands to emphasize my point. "This meeting has a touch of deception, my friend."
"Well, you aren't entirely wrong there. But I am much more perceptive than my age suggests," he grinned, the chill air blushed his cheeks slightly more. "And I too have come to conclusions."
"Conclude me then."
"Well you, good sir, are definitely who you say you are. Your scimitar is quite clearly an antique that had once belonged to the first King. For a man to be gifted such a personal piece, you must have been quite useful for King Gregory," he sat down as well. The scarf's front tighten his frame as he sat and I spotted an unnatural budge where his gut would be. However, the scarf still acted as a cloak, hiding the rest of him from me.
"My work for King Gregory had always been known. And well received by the people," I said tightening my grip of my blade.
"Yes. Not long after he took reign, you became the greatest bounty hunter this land had to offer, am I wrong?" There was something in his tone. As if he had three, no four clean blades hidden under that damned scarf.
"Serving the King has been rewarding, true."
"Yet you dress as a commoner," he continued. "Surely coin had been in your favor whilst serving the King?"
"Oh aye, but you spe--"
"Ah you even speak like one as well. As if you had been a sailor your long life, tapping about up there," he pointed to the docks above. “You are an interesting man to live in means lesser than your own, and that, good sir, is what confirms to me you are truly the bounty hunter I have been searching for.”
"Born rough. Stayed rough," I lied. "And you, my friend, speak of my coin, yet you bring me here, in a secluded pit of the city to discuss a possible bounty. Why would that be? Surely you understood my value, and could afford a more proper meet."
"You're asking to look into my scarf aren't you?" his cute face grinned again, but he was right. Eventually I would have pulled on those strings. But his blunt conformation has pushed me to take the direct path.
"Listen boy," I directed the pointy end of the scimitar towards him, but I didn't raise the blade off the table, merely rotated it. "If revenge is what you're after then speak up and we'll settle this."
He sighed then drooped his head down for a small while.
"I might've set up this meeting in one of my villas but as you stated earlier, I'm in dire need for this dab of deception," he frowned and ignored my threat. "The bounty I would like to set is for a soul who had already been damned by God. He hadn't lived a life worth living and a pitiful death is warranted."
"You know the law," I said. "Any crime against the King's Manifest warrants all citizens freedom to take action. We aren't hired to kill the pitiful. Pity does not threaten the King."
"Except this particular soul does threaten the King," he pulled out his hand and gently rubbed his finger back and forth of the scimitar. I didn't see it till then, but he placed a single gold coin at the tip of the blade.
"What's this?" I asked.
"Your payment, " he followed.
I jerked the blade, the coin fell to the sand, and held it high. I hoped the threat of danger might've gotten him to unveil his secret, but he sat still. My father's words echoed. This man had a tongue of swaying minds. He probably grew wealthy and bored, then decided what a triumph it would be to get the wealthiest bounty hunter in the land to commit a bounty for a single gold coin.
"You mock me boy!" I slashed the table, he didn't flinch. "Stand!"
"Why one gold coin?" he said rhetorically. "That would have been a good question, bounty hunter. And the answer is simple. Because you are known to kill those for what they are worth. You've made earnest value killing thieves and, when King Gregory took power, mountains hunting foreign rivals. And so this life, for its purpose in the Kingdom, is worth exactly that. One gold coin," he spoke with spite. He stood up and I held guard as he removed his scarf and put down a figure on the table.
It looked to be a boy, but his right ear flopped and folded onto itself and both feet were conjoined together. His arms were too short and I guessed they wouldn't grow as he aged.
"You would have me kill a child huh? And how will the King be threatened by this--"
"Abomination?" he interrupted. "This demon or this fish? Pick your word bounty hunter, I have said them all and I have felt," he clutched his chest and his voice shook, "them all. My family's reputation would not be harmed by his birth. I will not let this out," he punctuated himself by slamming his fist on the table. "Do your duty."
"No," I had heard enough and sheathed my blade, ready for departure. The newborn woke, but didn't seem afraid of the hard surface he was laid upon nor the scrambled feet above or the chill in the wind. He playfully arced his feet towards his arms to try and reach them.
“This soul’s death would not hurt the King. Look at it, it wouldn’t serve in any battlement nor be of use to any of them,” he jerked his head back to signify the business above the docks.
“This is an act merchant!” I wanted to grab him and shake him straight, however, the table might’ve given out in that commotion and the fall would surely hurt the baby. “You mean to fool me, for nothing more than a laugh. But wasting my time is wasting the King’s time and that just might be cause enough to end you where you stand. Choose your words carefully.”
"Then I have a question of my own," he said. "How many died by that blade?"
"I've lost count as I told you, but no newborns touched my scimitar," I said.
"And what of Kings?" he asked. I held my gaze and stilled my face. "My father had wondered why King Gregory was so appreciative of the bounty hunters when his older brother had outlawed them. It didn't take me long to understand. King Peter's reign hadn't half the vision and aggressiveness King Gregory has: To conquer these new lands, to push his Manifest into law. A man with that much ambition... It would not be unreasonable for him to become impatient with his brother's passiveness, and to take matters into his own hands. To hire a bounty hunter and sneak him in would be doable for a man in his position. But of course his blood hadn't spilt on any blade: He died peacefully in bed.”
“It took a little digging in my father's logs, but I found a delicious sale he had made only a few days before King Peter's death. Now what great bounty hunter do you know of would ever use poison to--"
In a single move I unsheathed the blade and slit his throat. He fell back into his chair, the blood poured out of him. I suppose it was a pity to die in that matter, but I would never harm a child and threats against the King are undoubtedly against the Manifest. And that was what that was. Lies and slander by that worthless peon. Yes, that's exactly it. No matter how much wealth he possessed to tell such a lie made him as worthless as that gold coin.
I picked up the coin placed it in my pocket. With the boy in hand I headed back up to the docks. They sounded as busy as usual.
|
I saw him pacing about the dirt patch in front of his timbered house when I approached. He looked nervous and on edge, and I heard faint sounds of cursing and anxious muttering to himself from quite far away.
My legs were tired and aching, predictably so as I had walked tens of miles to the middle of bumfuck nowhere to meet this certain farmer. The reason why I had agreed to this evaded my mind as I walked further to his modest abode.
I finally sauntered over to him, and after many handshakes and a desperate-sounding *thankyouthankyouthankyou* I asked him why he wanted my services.
He replied, "You are the greatest bounty hunter, yes?"
I replied to that reply, saying, "Yes, I am indeed the Great Bounty Hunter of ______, Finder of All Fugitives, Bringer of Justice and such."
"I have lost something of great importance, and I require a man of great skill to find it," the farmer said with quite a worried look on his face.
I questioned him once again. "What is this 'thing of great importance' you wish for me to seek?"
"Well," he began.
I have learned that when my clients begin their reasoning for hiring me with a "well", I am in for one hell of a job.
"Please, spit it out."
"Well," the farmer repeated, this time fishing for something in his tunic's pocket, "I need help finding my key to the granary." After a moment of delay, he finds a shiny gold coin and proudly displays it, as if it was for all the world to see. "Take this as my thanks."
I stood there for a moment, deciding whether to explode out of rage, or whether to have one hell of a job.
I chose the former.
"**You son of two whores! You filthy bore! Fuck thy mother!**"
He stood back and gasped.
I continued. "You mean to tell me you brought me out here to do a fucking errand, yes? Do I look like a fucking page to you?!"
"N-no," the farmer timidly replied.
"Country bumpkin! I swear to God I will cut you down, you kin of the Devil!"
I paused as I began to bring my sword out from its scabbard. I spied, at that moment, something lying in the grass right adjacent to that house of his. I walk over with urgency to it and, lo and behold: a lengthy cylindrical object with notches at the end of it. This particular object seemed to be obscured by the shadow of the shithole this farmer lives in.
I picked it up in an almost gleefully manner. "Is this what you're looking for, you feeble-minded piece of cow dung?"
In a fit of unquenchable hatred for this foolish pauper I then cocked my right arm in preparation to throw the damned thing, and to the satisfying, pleasing soundtrack of "NOs" and "PLEASE DON'Ts" (written by the genius Cainnech Lagans himself) I accelerated that arm and finally released the key from my hand in a motion one would describe as fluid.
"Ha," I said. "Keep your payment. You may have to get a new key."
As it turned out, he used that payment to instead hire a bunch of bandits who were more than happy to do away with me for free.
I do not know why one would do something like that such an esteemed individual such as the Great Bounty Hunter of ______, Finder of All Fugitives, Bringer of Justice and such.
*My first prompt answer. What do you think?*
|
|
[WP] After months of intense fighting, drama, and tragedy, the Hero and his party reaches the Dark Lord's fortress. Breaking in, they finally confront him. But in a climactic moment, the Dark Lord takes off his helmet, revealing an older but still recognizable face of the Hero.
|
Leo walks into the throne room. Lighting with flames, the room lights to reveal the Dark Lord sitting in his throne. The Dark Lord rises and walks to confront the Hero. “You havent figured it out yet, have you?” The Dark Lord says. “What do you mean?” Leo replies, confused. “This isnt the first time. If only i could break this cycle.” The Dark Lord says, pondering. The Dark Lord takes off his helmet to reveal a scarred face. The face of Leo. “What? No. Thats not possible. Is this some dark magic? How do you have my face?” Leo says, distraught. “Because i am you. And so were the rest of us.” The Dark Lord replies, ominously. “Who?” Leo says. More lights light to reveal many, many, many bodies of the Hero. After many different lives and pasts, the Hero had tried to save the world from the dark lord thousands of times. “How did this happen? Why?” Leo said, fearful of what the answer might be. “This is all just a story. Every second of every day we replay this sick cycle of murder and recreation. I was the first in this cycle of my knowledge to find out that this entire world is just a simulation. Wether we start in poverty or royalty, the end is the same. We become the dark lord, destined to fight the next hero.” He said. “But why tell me then? Why tell me all this just for the cycle to repeat?” Leo said. “So that you may try to end it just like me.” Just at that moment, Leo was overcome with an immense urge to kill the Dark Lord. He couldn’t explain it, but didn’t resist. He ended the Dark Lord and thought he had ended the tyranny. But once he became king, he became corrupted. Many Years later, he heard of a Hero coming to slay him. He remembered what the Dark Lord said, and began to weep.
|
Shoving open the gates, Jonas falls into the dark.
Lights make up the eerie palace. A throne sits at the end mocking the men.
“Congrats, Jonas. You did it. You’ve gotten through all my men, and you’ve found me.” A Black Knight with glistening black armour says stepping out of the shadows.
“But there is still one thing you have to face, and that’s the truth.” He cackles.
“What truth?” Jonas spits back.
“A truth you can’t swallow!”
“Tell me!” Jonas yells raising his sword.
The Black Knight smirks. He then lowers his visor.
“Good God...” Jonas says, stepping back.
“I’m your greatest fear, Jonas! The thing that has held you back since your birth! All your fears! I am you, Jonas!” He yells.
The young hero stroked his black hair, and rubbed his eyes. His brown eyes paralyzed.
“H-how?” Jonas stutters.
“Blame our Father. You know he was into experiments? Well, I am the actual first born! He erased me from his life!” He shouted, slamming his sword against the ground.
“I told him I would kill him, all that he loved. You are the only one standing in my way.” The black knight put back on his visor.
Jonas slid down his.
The two leaped into the air clashing swords. Jonas swiped at his soldier watching as the Black Knight fell. “Pathetic!” He shouted.
As the fighting continued, fatigue began to fall.
Jonas dropped his sword lifting his hand. A bright light glistened striking the Black Knight.
Jonas walked over, kneeling. “Day is done, gone the sun.” He said walking away.
|
|
[WP] You're an unemployed teacher. You stumble across a surprisingly lucrative tutoring position. The catch is you're tutoring a 400-year-old vampire who just woke up.
|
My last job was definitely a step down in my career arc. Having entered teaching in Texas, I found that every time I opened my mouth I was offending someone’s parents. My last gig was no exception, summer school for St Paul Lutheran Church. Oh man did I ever bite my tongue, but one day after “bible stories” when the students were taught about Noah’s Arc, one of the more astute children asked how all the animals fit into the Arc together. I should have just said “because the Bible says so,” but I am an educator at heart and I... I just couldn’t get those words out. Needless to say I was let go.
Working a drive through was at least pressure free, but I was getting depressed fast. Until one day my cregslist add for a personal tutor was picked up by a reclusive billionaire in Pennsylvania. The offer of full room and board plus a salary that would make a mid level manager jealous was enough for me to pack my bags and fly out on the next plane.
....
“Welcome mortal, you are in the most evil residence known to man!” His enthralled Forman said, “the position you accepted was actually for the dark lord himself.”
As if on cue a black shadow began defending from the second floor balcony, lazily drifting down till it reached the floor, exploding into a cloud of substanceless shadows. “I am the once and always Dracula, you have been hired to teach me of the modern world so I may once again prey on the innocent, there are no gods who can help you now.”
“Wait,” I replied, “you are not religious?”
As if taken aback with my clam demeanor, he roared “WHAT IS RELIGION BUT PEASANT SUPERSTITION TO COMFORT THEM IN THE LONG NIGHTS OF MY RULE.”
I let out a slow, shaky sigh, my eyes welled with tears. “Finally,” I managed to whisper. “Finally I can teach.”
Having regained my composure I stared straight into his eyes and said, “let’s begin with Western colonization of the new world and the American genocide of the native Americans, after lunch we can start our biology lesson with Darwin.”
|
Fyen laid in bed staring at the ceiling fan spin. Three months had passed since she was terminated from her position as a high school history teacher. Three long months, the severence pay was keeping the rent and utilities up to date but for how long? Her phone chimed with a new email.
'Tutor wanted for adult student. Nondisclosure agreement required. Pay dependent upon expierence. Please mail cover letter and resume to .....'
She thought what the hell to herself and printed out a cover letter and resume but had to go buy an envelope and stamp to send it out.
A few weeks had gone by and fyen had picked up some odd jobs to help pay for food when her phone rang from an unknown number, she answered figuring it was another odd job.
"Hello miss, this is Jermery Sanders with Sanders and Sanders Law Firm. I'm calling on behalf of my client whom wishes to setup an interview, the only stipulation is that you have to sign the NDA before the interview. Is that ok for you miss?"
Fyen blinked for a minute having totally forgotten about the tutoring job after not hearing for weeks. "Sure when would a good time be to come in?"
"We are open Monday through Saturday 7am to 6pm and Sundays 7am to noon. Any time will do but the sooner the better for my client."
"I'm available this afternoon once I finish this job. I'll see you before you close for the evening."
"I'm glad to hear that miss, I'll inform my client. We look forward to seeing you."
The phone clicked as the lawyer hung up. She began to wonder who she'd be tutoring that would require such privacy. She shrugged to herself and finished the days job with a little bit of extra perk in her step. She got home and cleaned up quick and put on some dress casual clothes before heading out. She got to the lawyers office about half an hour before closing. As she walked in the receptionist took notice and asked her to sign in. As the receptionist looked at the name she smiled. "Mr sanders is expecting you, follow me through the door on your left please."
Fyen was lead to a small conference room where a small stack of papers was already setup. "Have a seat and make yourself comfortable, I'll inform Mr sanders you're here." "Thank you."
A gentleman walked in the room not even thirty seconds after the receptionist walked out. A extended his hand in greeting "Ms. Clark a pleasure to meet you, I'll try to keep this brief and go over a few things with you before your interview." Fyen merely nodded and shook his hand. "Please have a seat over here. As you know this position requires a NDA as we discussed. Do you think that will be an issue or have any concerns?" "Not really, I just don't know too much since I don't know who I'll actually be working for." "Once you sign the NDA I'll try to explain as much as I can." Fyen nodded and quick read over the NDA before signing it. It was a fairly straight forward and basic NDA from her perspective." "Good good, now my client has some weird habits that you'll have to become accustomed to, one of the major ones is his sleeping habit, he tends to be strictly nocturnal, the few times I've seen him out during the day has been, shall we say rough. Do you have any issues with a varied sleep schelude depending on his ability?" "That depends on the pay. The right amount I'll become nocturnal." "Right your pay, the first ninety days will be at a fixed rate of 25$USD per hour, and after the end of your probationary period your pay rate will double plus benefits. After your probationary period is over the offer is also extended to include room and board if so desired or needed." "How has this job not been taken by someone else?" "Others have applied and not made it past the interview, others have applied and not made it past the first ninety days. We shall see with you. If there is nothing else, I have a driver waiting to take you to the interview."
"Wait I'm interviewing now? I figured this was just a meeting to sign the NDA paperwork and then I'd be called for an interview."
"I'm sorry miss but my client prefers to test people to see how they react under pressure. The way you are dressed is prefectably acceptable, if it wasn't you wouldn't have gotten a chance to sign the paperwork. Now hurry along, mustn't keep him waiting."
Fyen was shuttled out of the office and a rolls royce was sitting by the front door with a gentleman holding the passenger door open. Mr sanders followed her out and saw the car and gentleman. "Ah tank he sent you this time? Good to see you getting out for a bit." "Thank you sir, is this the miss I am to take for an interview?" "Yes this is miss clark, she'll be interviewing for the tutor position. She has already signed the NDA as per agreement, here is a copy for your employer." "Thank you Mr sanders, miss clark please have a seat and buckle in." The gentleman did a half bow with his free arm across him as he held the door. She sat down and buckled in as he carefully closed the door for her. She felt the car sway slightly as he got into the driver's seat. She didn't realize the car had been running this entire time. Tank put the vehicle in drive and took off towards the edge of the city. "Where are we heading?" "I've been instructed to take you to the tavern owned by mr. Kohrah." "The tavern?" "Yes it is a nightclub/bar with hotel suites above the main floor much like a tavern from old would have been." "Mr. Kohrah, is he a nice guy to work for? The lawyer told me others have attempted to work for him and failed." Tank laughed, "Well he is, how do I put this, eccentric. Yea we'll go with eccentric. He'll explain more during the interview. The pair pulled up into a valet drop off and tank tossed the keys to valet. "Take good care of Mr kohrah's vehicle. You know he dislikes any dings." A door hop held the door for the two and fyen saw tank tip the man. The tavern upon first glance seemed like any other nightclub/bar, it had a main seating area, a small dance floor, a dj booth, the seating area had multiple televisions each playing a different game or news channel.tank began to walk towards a wall and fyen began to scream to tell him to watch out when the wall shimmered and he passed through. "I'm sorry miss I forgot to warn you, Mr kohrah is gonna stripe my hide for that. He invented a hologram that looks realistic and places it so that it protects the VIP section. Please follow me." Tank took her arm and walked her through the seemingly solid wall. "Those that have access to the VIP area can pass through the wall as if it were air, those that don't end up hitting a solid wall. I'm not sure the science behind it or how it really works, all u know is it does."
Fyen looked around the vip section and saw a few tables each with a small tablet in the center.
-=NOTE=-
Second part coming after lunch break.
Written on my phone while at work so please be mindful of spelling, grammer, and punctuation errors.
|
|
[WP] You're an unemployed teacher. You stumble across a surprisingly lucrative tutoring position. The catch is you're tutoring a 400-year-old vampire who just woke up.
|
**Had to do a two-parter so I hope you enjoy all of the TIME AND EFFORT I PUT INTO MAKING THIS RELATIONSHIP WORK FOR THE CHILDREN**
*Historian required for full-time private tutoring. Adult learners. Preferred specialties: Post-Renaissance. Interview Required. Starting pay: $50/hr. Inquire for Vanessa at (904)-146-6631.*
I remember that seeing that listing in the personals. It was a grey day in storm season, and the warm rain had gotten to the paper before I had. I saw “historian” and my curiosity was piqued: I mean, “high-school history teacher” is basically synonymous, right? And with adult learners, I wouldn’t have to worry about those little turds that called themselves “students.” (Yes, big surprise that the girl who despises children has little love for uppity high schoolers.)
Then I saw the pay and I damn near choked on my Eggos.
I think I broke some of the glass in my apartment with how fast I reached for my phone. I called the number and the man on the other side of the line told me that I could interview as early as next week. So of course I said yes; It was this or becoming a telemarketer or swampfolk. Is that something you can do? *Become* swampfolk? These and other important questions raced through my mind as I gathered my lesson portfolio and my entire public collage education’s worth of educational theory in order to impress ‘Vanessa.’ I even got a haircut and bought a new tie just for the occasion. It was red like wine, or perhaps fresh blood.
Good prediction, right?
The interview was in the evening which I thought was a bit strange. But then again, people work weird schedules nowadays and this lady sounded rich so I didn’t really care. I got off the bus a tactical two stops away from the address: not close enough for them to see me getting off the bus, but not so far that I would be sweating from the walk. I’m smart like that, and in other ways; humble too.
The address belonged to a big gated Spanish-colonial style home. You know, with the russet roof tiles and off-white stucco walls. Some guy, a big Hispanic dude, was at the gate and buzzed me through. Had I known what I was getting into, I would have thought his friendliness to be a bit… jarring, I suppose. But I didn’t, so he was simply a nice young man called Gómez. “Like the Addams family,” he said with a laugh and a puff on his Marlboro. He waved me up the well-kept path into the home.
There was a doorman there, wearing a familiar dark red. He took my jacket and ushered me in. “Mistress Vanessa is expecting you in the sitting room, straight down the hall.” I nervously thanked him, took a deep breath, and started my walk. My heels clicked on the floor and it was basically the only noise in the building. Big houses like that are always really quiet when only one or two rich people live in them.
As it turns out, it was three: one rich person and her parents.
|
The regal gentleman strode into the room, silver tipped can tapping rhythmically on the marble tile with each step. Neatly trimmed beard and stache hid aged lines, and drew attention to piercing azure eyes. In many ways, and rather unnervingly, the man bore more than a passing resemblance to Bram Stoker. He smiled, and from across the room, his once yellow and black, fractured and splintered teeth and grim gumlines had been wholly restored, thanks in much part to modern dentistry and ample maxillofacial attendance, to pearly and straight teeth and sightly maw.
The man snapped the cane into the crook of his elbow, silver cap riding properly atop his shoulder, and strode four more steps to the end of the lengthy banquet table. His every movement calculated and refined, his mannerisms polished, the quintessential regality of old. Slowly, he pushed his lips around elongated canines, which protruded to just below his lower lip, and he said with firm command and diction, "ēac nū ic sculan drinc ēower blōd."
Jeremiah shifted in the old leather wingback chair, threw his left leg over his right, and held up his hand. "Uh, uh. Buh ul uh dah. Blood."
"Blawd."
Jeremiah shook his head and stood. He walked to the opposite end of the table and spoke across the great lengths of ancient timber planks, "Uh. Blood."
"Nā, nā." The man snapped the cane down on the table. "Buh-la-awwww-d."
"Baron Von -"
"Beoron!" He rapped the cane on the table a second time. "*Beo*-"
"Ehr. Be-ehr-on. Bear on. Baron."
"Nā. Wrang! Beoron!" The baron hissed, and, momentarily, his complexion turned ashen and it seemed his canines grew longer.
Jeremiah pressed his lips together. The academy had given very clear instruction on the consequences to angering this particular student. Albeit, they had neglected a few pertinent details, such as, for instance, *He's a goddamn vampire*!
Staring across the table at certain doom, he couldn't help but wonder, *Why couldn't I get that inbred autistic royal with the hemophilia and a death wish? Isn't that why they made super-glue and Ritalin?*
And so he swallowed any semblance of pride, *Oh, who the hell am I kidding, my dad was right, what the hell kind of job did I think I was going to get with an English degree?* And, slowly, he said, "ēac eaðmodlīce sārig." *Sorry my ass,* he thought. *Well, I ate Garlic Jim's for lunch, so threaten me all you like!*
Baron Von, nay, *Beoron* Von Kermititsnitch, or whatever the hell his name was, composed himself and tucked his fangs back in his musty claptrap hole. "Blōd."
*Well,* Jeremiah thought, *At least he's trying. Not like that bloody wolfman.* "Blood."
|
|
[WP] You're an unemployed teacher. You stumble across a surprisingly lucrative tutoring position. The catch is you're tutoring a 400-year-old vampire who just woke up.
|
"So this is called Tinder. You basically swipe right if you like her and swipe left if you don't" I had to turn down the light adjustment to the lowest for him.
"But how do I know if this 'stranger' is safe or not"
"Dude, you are a vampire" I rolled my eyes,
"Point taken. But seriously, how do I know this person is legitimately her? And how do I know if she is a nice lady? Do I just roll the dice and take the risk?"
"I did. I rolled the dice and took a risk of coming here."
"Jeez... okay... it just...sounds really dangerous and stupid"
"First of all, don't say that to people you meet on Tinder. They do not like to hear that. Secondly, what are you bitching about? just meet someone and suck their blood. Be more like vampire we portray you in media"
I closed the Tinder and opened Uber.
"This app here is called Uber. Easily put, it basically just gets you from point A to point B"
"Well, I can just fly so I guess I won't really need this app"
"Yea sure, just fly around the city. I'm sure nobody will stop you"
"Dude, I might be old but I am much stronger than humans"
"You may have sharp teeth and super powers but a fat cop can put you down if you fly around. You don't understand the technology we have now. Just... don't fly around okay? especially not in that black coat..."
"What's wrong with my black coat?"
"Well... it will cost you extra for politics tutoring"
He opened his wallet and muttered to himself
"Agh... should have just stayed asleep..."
|
The regal gentleman strode into the room, silver tipped can tapping rhythmically on the marble tile with each step. Neatly trimmed beard and stache hid aged lines, and drew attention to piercing azure eyes. In many ways, and rather unnervingly, the man bore more than a passing resemblance to Bram Stoker. He smiled, and from across the room, his once yellow and black, fractured and splintered teeth and grim gumlines had been wholly restored, thanks in much part to modern dentistry and ample maxillofacial attendance, to pearly and straight teeth and sightly maw.
The man snapped the cane into the crook of his elbow, silver cap riding properly atop his shoulder, and strode four more steps to the end of the lengthy banquet table. His every movement calculated and refined, his mannerisms polished, the quintessential regality of old. Slowly, he pushed his lips around elongated canines, which protruded to just below his lower lip, and he said with firm command and diction, "ēac nū ic sculan drinc ēower blōd."
Jeremiah shifted in the old leather wingback chair, threw his left leg over his right, and held up his hand. "Uh, uh. Buh ul uh dah. Blood."
"Blawd."
Jeremiah shook his head and stood. He walked to the opposite end of the table and spoke across the great lengths of ancient timber planks, "Uh. Blood."
"Nā, nā." The man snapped the cane down on the table. "Buh-la-awwww-d."
"Baron Von -"
"Beoron!" He rapped the cane on the table a second time. "*Beo*-"
"Ehr. Be-ehr-on. Bear on. Baron."
"Nā. Wrang! Beoron!" The baron hissed, and, momentarily, his complexion turned ashen and it seemed his canines grew longer.
Jeremiah pressed his lips together. The academy had given very clear instruction on the consequences to angering this particular student. Albeit, they had neglected a few pertinent details, such as, for instance, *He's a goddamn vampire*!
Staring across the table at certain doom, he couldn't help but wonder, *Why couldn't I get that inbred autistic royal with the hemophilia and a death wish? Isn't that why they made super-glue and Ritalin?*
And so he swallowed any semblance of pride, *Oh, who the hell am I kidding, my dad was right, what the hell kind of job did I think I was going to get with an English degree?* And, slowly, he said, "ēac eaðmodlīce sārig." *Sorry my ass,* he thought. *Well, I ate Garlic Jim's for lunch, so threaten me all you like!*
Baron Von, nay, *Beoron* Von Kermititsnitch, or whatever the hell his name was, composed himself and tucked his fangs back in his musty claptrap hole. "Blōd."
*Well,* Jeremiah thought, *At least he's trying. Not like that bloody wolfman.* "Blood."
|
|
[WP]Two cavemen are ambushed by a saber cat, far away from home. The cat is dead moments later, but so is the second caveman. If you don't bury him in your clan graveyard, he will never reach the afterlife.
|
> Be me
> Be hunting deer
> Find giant, mad, hungry sabercat
> worried.png
> Sabercat goes for anon's friend first
> thankgod.exe
> hit sabercat in the eye
> sabercat goes down
> not before taking anon with him
> anon's last wishes
> "i wanna be buried with the gods, pede"
> have to oblige, anon was best bud
> put dead anon on my shoulder
> dead anon is super heavy
> always eating roots
> struggle to carry anon
> nighttime.png
> cant find a place to rest
> cant leave anon behind
> fuckme.mp4
> ask for help from the gods
> skies open
> gods speak to me
> **PEDE!**
> **ANON IS ALREADY HERE**
> what should i do with his body?
> **LMAO DUNNO JUST THROW IT IN A DITCH I GUESS**
> thanks, gods
> throw anon's body in a ditch
> leg it home as quick as i can
> sonictheme.mp3
> make it to village
> elder asks for anon
> "sorry elder, he dead"
> "what from"
> "ligma"
> "ligma?"
> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
_______
Sorry for the innapropriate format, but I couldn't resist the urge to make this story into a GT, when I saw "cavemen" in the prompt I couldn't help it. Hope you liked it :D
|
We have hunted for many moons now, always bringing something back for the tribe. I know you can no longer walk with me, run after the fast targets. The cat has made its mark, the red bleeds from your wounds. But as much as I know you are no longer with me, I need to bring you home.
I grab your limp body by the arms. Dragging your lifeless form, I start walking. I leave my club and spear on the ground where you fell. They are replaceable. But if you cannot reach the tribe in time, you will not enjoy what you deserve.
I think about the legends the elders tell us as I walk. The white-haired one, who washes his long beard every morning, tells us of an endless plain. Where hunters can hunt all day, and cats do not kill. Clan Mother thinks the Great Beyond is a huge tribe, bigger than any we have ever built, where we can see all the elders who have passed.
By sundown, I am tired. Still I press on. The tribe is near; I can see the big tree and its bushes.
Yet what do I see here? We wear the furs of deer. These people wear cat skins over their heads. They carry fire branches and spears. They have taken what is ours. My whole journey was pointless. I see the catskins fighting my people. Their fires light up our structures and smoke blurs the stars.
But even with this, I still see the untouched plot of land where the dead lie. I make a break for it, running like I never ran before. The catskins raise the alarm. Many men grab their spears and fire, and run after me. I move as fast as one dragging a body can, but feel the dull pain in my legs and the sharp pain through my chest. I fall to the ground as the sharp stick pierces through me. There is but one last thing left to do.
I push you onto the graveyard. You will enter that Great Beyond, where you can see the elders, and hunt game for all eternity. I can drag myself no longer, and will never see you again.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
I am not the only one who knows I'll burn forever. But once I accepted this fact, my time on Earth became something I have trouble talking about. Not many, not many, but some like me, around me, yes. They're here, for a while. Here a while, there forever. One died many years ago- he's been there longer than I will, but we'll burn for the same long time. Long long long, long time. Forever in hell.
Live in a seplichre, Death in the under the mountain, but the mountain will never end. My little tomb I sealed from the light. Here my demons and I have our fun- we dance, we run. They're not so bad when it's not their fault. My curse is nothing they've done.
So it is that I carve my life to match the punishment I've been dolled. The light of the flames are all I can handle- the sun would be too much. The angels there are too cruel. I'd play with them? I'd know the light. I'd not deserve this sickly sight, and I could not bear God's face.
Better I know demons than angels, make disgrace.
|
The shadows danced across his bedroom ceiling, contrast work against the headlights emanating from the truck making that left turn into his neighborhood. When they grew slender and then finally receded, he saw this phantom lingering on the ceiling's erratic raised design, giving life to a constellation of monsters with visible thoughts and feelings. Where was the light, though? He became slightly disturbed and fled for a midnight walk, down the hallway, out the door.
There it was, just the same, more corporeal now, flitting out the corner of his eye just under the nearest street sign, Leleand Dr. He shifted his attention there, but it was gone. So he walked in the other direction.
After 10 minutes walking, he reached Ferris Park, so late. He wasn't planning on staying out so long. The air trickled eeriness. He thought about the way back to his apartment, but just as he was about to turn and leave, there it was, real this time.
He blinked twice, but it didn't go away. The amorphous fog had a definite character, he saw, since it resolved faces. The faces had meanings. He shivered.
"Come here, curious one," the creature lulled him, talking, but where was the mouth? He shifted his attention away, yet he knew the monster could sense his intentions. He felt so good, so good about approaching it. It was almost erotic. He gave in and took several steps towards the thing.
Just as he stepped onto the road, oblivious, he was showered in the most brilliant light. The creature melted and vaporized in the intense light. He looked to his left, and there it was, the most terrifying and so beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Moments later, the truck collided with him, breaking his body and killing him.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
"They rained down from the heavens from a hole in the clouds that shone a bright gold. They poured from the opening like rain drops on a stormy night overtaking the city slaughtering everyone in their wake." The old lady said as she giggled to herself slightly. She spoke in a rasp, rickety tone. She was one of the remaining few that remember what was referred to as *Rapture.* She continued;
"Priests crowded the streets falling to their knees worshipping *His* name, calling for the *resurrection*. Not even they were exempt from judgement. Not from those *creatures*." She winced at the word as if inflicting pain upon herself.
"They looked nothing like the stories.As a young girl I was told that angels were beautiful creatures, a beauty to behold though almost everyone feared them in those stories cowering beneath there glow."
The fire flickered. The glow of the flames seemed to spark a reverie in those eyes of hers, "They were gorgeous, the words written." She scoffed, "There are no words to describe their *true* beauty."
"What else!" I said urgently. I wanted more. She smiled and looked me in the eyes then at the ceiling inspecting the cracks in the rocks.
"*Paul* told us they were invisible, but he never mentioned they did not exist." She looked back into the flames,
"How foolish we were to write them off as make-believe. Time seemed to drift from the old ways. There were no more prophets. The last one died on the cross. The sins he died for, what sins? They never stopped coming. Even in death we dishonored him. Somehow, somewhere, we really must have pissed *Him* off."
The old woman shifted the wood around in the fire with her poker sending flurries about the air casting spots of red and orange about the caves ceiling. Then she whispered:
*"Whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities."*
This puzzled me. The old woman shook her head then smiled at me.
"Don't mind me, dear. I don't want to bore you with these old tales of mine."
"What did you mean by thrones, or, whatever?"
She shifted her position, craning her back as she did so.
"Trust me, dear, at this point it is not worth mentioning. The literature to explain that is simply not on hand. They all seemed to have disappeared during rapture. Why don't we speak on another topic. I heard the hunters managed to catch themselves a few hogs during their last outing."
I sunk in my seat. "Yeah, they did." The woman clapped her hands together.
"I can't wait to sink my teeth into something meaty. It has been a long time since I had a proper meal."
That night I thought about the old woman's tale. She was part of the last generation to actually live in the old world, but no one seems to ever want to talk about it. My father will tell me that there is no reason to ask about the past, it simply was not worth bringing up anymore. He grew up in these mines, just like me. He said back in the day they were used to scavenge fuel for things called "machines" that the old world used to use, but they were repurposed after rapture to be somewhere safe to live for the survivors. It was never meant to be permanent though, after the old generation moved in they were too scared to go back out. Well, that's what he told me.
Every now and then someone would leave the mines. They would tell us that the stories of rapture were nothing more than something to keep people from leaving, to keep us in line. Some would come back shortly after either scared to venture any further than the did or with deep bleeding gashes in their body. Most were never seen again.
I could hear the gale of wind sounding from the opening of the mine. The sound whistled as it brushed against the stoney walls of the mine as if taunting me. But that is when I heard it. Something was calling me. It called my name and seemed to get louder and louder. I looked around at the others sleeping in their bags sound asleep, but this call was deafening to my ears.
Then silence.
*"Come."* The call rang, and I felt a trance come over me. I lifted myself from my bag and staggered down the tunnel to the opening. I soft white glow shone through the entry way. There was a white light that hovered in the sky above the canopy of trees.
I stepped out into the world and breathed. This smell. This air. It was nothing like I had ever experienced. I scrunched the dirt between my toes. I closed my eyes as the wind brushed through my hair shuffling it about the air and back into my face. I lifted my arms into the air and stretched. And then I felt something grip my shoulder.
*"Humans should just stay in their holes where they belong."*
The tips of it's fingers sank into my shoulder. I could feel the warmth of my blood drip down my chest soaking my thin shirt. The beauty of the free world seemed to fade away as I could feel my fate come to a halt.
".I..." I could not bear to speak.
I turned my neck to see the old woman standing next to me smiling. I could only see the bottom half of her face as a shadow seemed to cover most of her body. Her grip tightened, sinking her claws ever deeper into my flesh.
*"I told you they came from the sky, but, I never told you what came from the earth."* She said to me as she peered at me with those deep, red, glowing eyes. *"We have so much to discuss."*
|
The shadows danced across his bedroom ceiling, contrast work against the headlights emanating from the truck making that left turn into his neighborhood. When they grew slender and then finally receded, he saw this phantom lingering on the ceiling's erratic raised design, giving life to a constellation of monsters with visible thoughts and feelings. Where was the light, though? He became slightly disturbed and fled for a midnight walk, down the hallway, out the door.
There it was, just the same, more corporeal now, flitting out the corner of his eye just under the nearest street sign, Leleand Dr. He shifted his attention there, but it was gone. So he walked in the other direction.
After 10 minutes walking, he reached Ferris Park, so late. He wasn't planning on staying out so long. The air trickled eeriness. He thought about the way back to his apartment, but just as he was about to turn and leave, there it was, real this time.
He blinked twice, but it didn't go away. The amorphous fog had a definite character, he saw, since it resolved faces. The faces had meanings. He shivered.
"Come here, curious one," the creature lulled him, talking, but where was the mouth? He shifted his attention away, yet he knew the monster could sense his intentions. He felt so good, so good about approaching it. It was almost erotic. He gave in and took several steps towards the thing.
Just as he stepped onto the road, oblivious, he was showered in the most brilliant light. The creature melted and vaporized in the intense light. He looked to his left, and there it was, the most terrifying and so beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Moments later, the truck collided with him, breaking his body and killing him.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
"Is the outside of the Cave scary, mama?" she asked. It was getting late. The light flooding between cracks of the boarded-up cave entrance was beginning to dwindle. The girl rested her head on her mother's lap. The mother stroked her hair and said "It can be if you aren't careful." Smoke filtered up through long tubes carved into the ceilings over decades. The roaring fire kept them safe from the cold of the night while the tubes protected them from the suffocating warmth of the smoke. "What's out there mama?" The mother stopped stroking her daughter's hair and looked down at her "I've told you what's out there before."
The girl stared at the cave entrance as the light behind the boards faded to night. The girl spoke again "I know but-" the girl trails off and curls up. The mother laughs to herself
"Ok, I'll tell you. There are lots of things outside. Grass and mud, rocks and trees, rushing streams of water and still lakes. There are animals like deer, rabbits, and bison. These are the animals we hunt and the animals we eat. Then there are scarier animals like bears, wolves, and huge cats. These are the ones we stay away from because they might get angry at us and can hurt us."
The mother put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder smiling down at her as she began to drift asleep. "and what about the angels mama?" The mother tensed a bit and responded
"You're... a little too young to talk about angels, Sophia. They're... things scarier than even the bears and the wolves. You can reason with a bear, a wolf, and even a demon but there's no reasoning with an angel."
"How come?" Sophia asked.
"I couldn't tell you, but what's important is that you never go outside especially not at night. Angels and demons come out at night. Stay in the cave where it's safe...at least until you're older."
"I know," Sophia said yawning as she drifted to sleep. Her mother smiled gently picking her up and placing her on her cot. Audrie, the mother, walked back to the far side of the cave and sat with the other tribesmen gathered around the fire. "How was the scouting today?" she asked "did you find any new food? fishing lakes? hunting grounds?" Today's scouting group consisted of two men and two women. Their shoulders slumped they stared into the fire.
Adam spoke "Not much to report, we followed the river to a large lake but as we got closer we saw a lot of demon markings. We were cautious but when we got to the lake we saw demons drinking from it. We ran. I think it's too risky to fish or drink from there." Audrie sullenly looked into the flames. Adam continued "better the land than us and better demons than angels."
Audrie looked at Jeremiah. He had been reserved since coming back from the scouting mission. She addressed him "What do you think Jeremiah? Any ideas where we should look next?" Jeremiah slowly looked to her blinking quickly he said "Oh. me? No, I don't have many thoughts." Audrie cocked her head. "Are you ok Jeremiah you've... been quiet since coming back today. Did something happen out there?" Jeremiah laughed. "Oh, no I've just been thinking. You know, how long have we been living here?" The tribesmen looked around. Adam spoke up again "I think it's been just over two hundred years. Our great-great-grandparents found this cave." Jeremiah smiled "Right. That's so sad you know." Some tribesmen bowed their heads at this conversation, others looked at Jeremiah with furrowed brows.
"Sad?" Audrie said. Adam interrupted her "We do what we can Jeremiah. The cave gives us safety and we have to be thankful for that. We may retake the land someday but now is not the time." Jeremiah stood up. Still smiling he looked down at Adam where he sat on the cold stone floor of the cave. "It's ok" Jeremiah said. He put his hand on Adam's forehead "It's time to go home." Jeremiah then exploded into blinding light that filled the cave and eclipsed the light of the flame. A crack of powerful noise filled the chamber as if lightning struck before them.
The tribesmen shrieked in horror. Audrie realized too late that Jeremiah was gone and an angel had taken his place. The intensity of the light began to pull back and Audrie could begin to discern the scene before her. Adam was gone; nothing but a pile of ash. Behind her she heard Sophia shriek. A low rumbling moan emanated from the angel. A human figure made of white light with sharp broad wings; shining bright like the sun. To look directly upon an angel and discern the details of its form was impossible without going blind. This was the first time Audrie had seen an angel up close. The angel flashed rapidly between her fellow tribesmen. One by one they vanished to dust. Frantically those that remained scrambled for the cave entrance. Audrie picked up Sophia and followed them.
All at once they charged the flimsy boards and door they had used to block the entrance. With little effort, the structure burst forth spilling them into the cold night of the outside. Sophia pleaded to her mother for answers but Audrie ignored her. As her mother bobbed with each step Sophia saw the night sky and breathed the crisp night air for the first time in her life. Sophia then looked behind her mother and saw the angel pursuing the tribesmen as they scattered in different directions. She watched Oliver, Erica, and Davis disintegrate before her eyes.
Then in an instant, the angel flashed behind her mother. The angel's great weight slowed Audrie. She froze and for ages, they stood there. She dropped her daughter to the ground. Sophia crawled back as she watched her mother disappear. Sophia shook and shielded her eyes as she attempted to look up at the angel. She wanted to run, she wanted to hide, but all she could do was look. The angel slowed its pursuit as it observed Sophia. Slowly its blinding arm reached for her. Sophia could feel searing heat radiating from the angel. She cowered slowly edging away from the being. The angel spoke in a booming voice that reverberated around her in varying tones “My child” it said.
An unholy warcry echoed from the trees around them. The sound resembled a squealing hog or a braying donkey. The sound of an animal willing to die defending itself because it has nothing else to lose. Sophia witnessed something rush past her as it tackled the angel. The angel and the thing both flung into the nearby brush. Loud rumbling moans filled the area. A burst of wind caused the leaves and grass to push past Sophia as she still lay on the ground. Flames rose all around her. All at once the trees, bushes, and brush caught fire in a mighty blaze. The roar and crackle of the flames filled the air; a silence relative to the noise that was previously present. From the flames a figure arose. Its footsteps boomed as they landed on the ground. It was tall, at least seven feet. Sophia recognized long prominent horns on its head and its tell tale goat legs.
This was a demon as she had heard it described. As it approached her she could make out further detail. His piercing red eyes, his jagged carnivorous teeth, the snout protruding from his face. As the flames grew stronger behind him he knelt down in front of her and outstretched his hand. “Come with me little one, it’s not safe here” he spoke in an ever deepening voice. Sophia felt a burning in her throat as tears welled in her eyes. The realization that her mother was gone and that she was confronting a demon began to be too much. The demon placed a powerful grip around her shoulder, his large hands nearly engulfing her entire torso. “You have to be strong little one. The hardest times of your life are ahead of you.” In one quick motion he scooped her up and plopped her on his back.
The demon fell to all fours. Bones in his arms and shoulders cracked and shifted and then they were off. The demon crawled with a steady trot off through the woods and away from the fire. Sophia looked back as the forest her family once hunted in was engulfed with flame. The flames grew larger as they raged yet smaller as the demon lead her away. Soon they were in darkness the demon remained unimpeded in his movement. A wisp of light passed by them and the demon slid to a stop. He threw the child off his back and stood up. The demon made low snorting growls as he cautiously observed his surroundings. Sophia observed under faint moonlight. A high pitched chorus rang out light surged through the trees the demon was knocked to the ground, struck in his shoulder. The demon shrieked and fell to the ground before quickly standing back up and pounding his chest. He charged a thick oak tree digging his claws into the bark. Straining his muscles he began to rip its roots from the ground as a show of strength. The demon pushed the tree to the ground and roared triumphant. Shimmering black blood poured from his wound.
Cautiously the demon returned to pick up the child. He slung her on his back and resumed his pace forward. Through tears Sophia asked “where are you taking me?” The demon replied “Your new home. It’s very far away.” Sophia sniffled, cried harder, and said “But I want to go back to my old home, take me back to the cave!” As the demon continued to run they entered a wide open clearing. The demon began to speak “You can’t--” A wisp of light again struck the demon knocking the girl off.
[Continued in reply]
|
The shadows danced across his bedroom ceiling, contrast work against the headlights emanating from the truck making that left turn into his neighborhood. When they grew slender and then finally receded, he saw this phantom lingering on the ceiling's erratic raised design, giving life to a constellation of monsters with visible thoughts and feelings. Where was the light, though? He became slightly disturbed and fled for a midnight walk, down the hallway, out the door.
There it was, just the same, more corporeal now, flitting out the corner of his eye just under the nearest street sign, Leleand Dr. He shifted his attention there, but it was gone. So he walked in the other direction.
After 10 minutes walking, he reached Ferris Park, so late. He wasn't planning on staying out so long. The air trickled eeriness. He thought about the way back to his apartment, but just as he was about to turn and leave, there it was, real this time.
He blinked twice, but it didn't go away. The amorphous fog had a definite character, he saw, since it resolved faces. The faces had meanings. He shivered.
"Come here, curious one," the creature lulled him, talking, but where was the mouth? He shifted his attention away, yet he knew the monster could sense his intentions. He felt so good, so good about approaching it. It was almost erotic. He gave in and took several steps towards the thing.
Just as he stepped onto the road, oblivious, he was showered in the most brilliant light. The creature melted and vaporized in the intense light. He looked to his left, and there it was, the most terrifying and so beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Moments later, the truck collided with him, breaking his body and killing him.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
‘If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat.
They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar.
So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.’
‘Men at Arms’ by Terry Pratchett
|
The shadows danced across his bedroom ceiling, contrast work against the headlights emanating from the truck making that left turn into his neighborhood. When they grew slender and then finally receded, he saw this phantom lingering on the ceiling's erratic raised design, giving life to a constellation of monsters with visible thoughts and feelings. Where was the light, though? He became slightly disturbed and fled for a midnight walk, down the hallway, out the door.
There it was, just the same, more corporeal now, flitting out the corner of his eye just under the nearest street sign, Leleand Dr. He shifted his attention there, but it was gone. So he walked in the other direction.
After 10 minutes walking, he reached Ferris Park, so late. He wasn't planning on staying out so long. The air trickled eeriness. He thought about the way back to his apartment, but just as he was about to turn and leave, there it was, real this time.
He blinked twice, but it didn't go away. The amorphous fog had a definite character, he saw, since it resolved faces. The faces had meanings. He shivered.
"Come here, curious one," the creature lulled him, talking, but where was the mouth? He shifted his attention away, yet he knew the monster could sense his intentions. He felt so good, so good about approaching it. It was almost erotic. He gave in and took several steps towards the thing.
Just as he stepped onto the road, oblivious, he was showered in the most brilliant light. The creature melted and vaporized in the intense light. He looked to his left, and there it was, the most terrifying and so beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Moments later, the truck collided with him, breaking his body and killing him.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Long time reader first time writer
&#x200B;
**Part 1**
The Demons came to Earth first, killing people for bragging rights, for sport, and as punishment for humans not upholding their end of a deal, though these deals were almost always impossible. Within a month, the Angels arrived. Everybody was elated to see these beings as they could actually stand up to the Demons, a task that no human technology could accomplish. That elation turned almost immediately into a waking nightmare, as the Angels slaughtered anything and everything that moved. After the initial carnage, mankind decided to hide. And most hid well. At least at first. Some bunkers were found immediately, within a single generation. Others stayed hidden for as many as three or four generations. However, many surviving people began to forget how severe the threat outside truly was and became reckless. Those that became negligent were almost always found within days. It only could be known to other bunkers when another was found by radio silence. It was always so swift, so sudden. There was never a distress call or a desire to speak for the last time over the radios. Always a quick, deafening silence. The Sequestered was the only bunker that managed to survive more than five generations, due to the incredible luck of its founder, whose name was lost to the people living there, when they found a massive underground cavern with an easily sealable entrance and thick rock walls and ceilings that could muffle nearly any sound even within the cave. This bunker was the only one that could still remember the pain and suffering the Divines like to cause, so it survived.
Isaias crept out of his house in the Sequestered, careful to avoid being seen by anyone. Not that it would have mattered if he was noticed, he could just tell anybody who asked that he needed to go for a walk. Most people were naive enough to believe that lie. Still, he didn't want to risk running into one of the few people who wouldn’t and would question him further. Carrying a bag full of weapons and provisions and with a heart full of an odd combination between hatred, curiosity, and disbelief, Isaias slid through the shadows, every sense on alert for another soul. After walking for what felt like miles, he rounded a corner and saw the giant iron door several stories above him with too many flights of stairs, the only entrance into the cavern that housed this last hope of humanity’s survival. Isaias had seen this door hundreds of times, but in the past he saw it as a sign of security. Now, he saw it as a prison gate.
After climbing the many stairs that led to the giant door, Isaias found one of the small guard tunnels to the other side. These served a double purpose of keeping fresh air in the front part of the bunker without having to worry about vents like in the back of the cavern, while also allowing for the outside of the bunker to be watched. Luckily, the Divines were far too tall to be able to use the six foot tall tunnels, standing between nine and fourteen feet tall, according to legend, though most estimates suggested them to be taller. Isaias stopped for a moment to catch his breath and take a drink. “Well,” he said to nobody, “here goes nothin’” and he began walking through the tunnel.
Isaias had been walking for fifteen minutes before he saw light not from his own flashlight. Natural light from the sun. He began to run towards the end of the tunnel, feeling giddy like a child on Christmas morning. His excitement excitement quickly died as he got to the end of the tunnel and noticed a large rock pile in the way. The pile was obviously artificial, with several gaps large enough to clearly see through, but that would be hard to see through from a distance without knowing of their presence. Near the bottom was a gap that looked like it was just large enough for him to squeeze through, so he tied his bag to his feet and began to crawl. Once he reached the other side, he peered out before officially leaving the safety of the bunker. In the sky he saw two beautiful white beings with large, feathery wings far above the trees. “Angels…” Isaias muttered to himself. He watched as they flew past, then waited what he assumed to be about ten minutes before crawling the rest of the way out of the rocks.
And, suddenly, he was free. He was in the outside world. And he was alone with the Divines.
&#x200B;
*I'll do a part two tomorrow morning if people enjoy this! Also, sorry if my formatting is bad. I'm still figuring out how it works not of a mobile app*
|
The shadows danced across his bedroom ceiling, contrast work against the headlights emanating from the truck making that left turn into his neighborhood. When they grew slender and then finally receded, he saw this phantom lingering on the ceiling's erratic raised design, giving life to a constellation of monsters with visible thoughts and feelings. Where was the light, though? He became slightly disturbed and fled for a midnight walk, down the hallway, out the door.
There it was, just the same, more corporeal now, flitting out the corner of his eye just under the nearest street sign, Leleand Dr. He shifted his attention there, but it was gone. So he walked in the other direction.
After 10 minutes walking, he reached Ferris Park, so late. He wasn't planning on staying out so long. The air trickled eeriness. He thought about the way back to his apartment, but just as he was about to turn and leave, there it was, real this time.
He blinked twice, but it didn't go away. The amorphous fog had a definite character, he saw, since it resolved faces. The faces had meanings. He shivered.
"Come here, curious one," the creature lulled him, talking, but where was the mouth? He shifted his attention away, yet he knew the monster could sense his intentions. He felt so good, so good about approaching it. It was almost erotic. He gave in and took several steps towards the thing.
Just as he stepped onto the road, oblivious, he was showered in the most brilliant light. The creature melted and vaporized in the intense light. He looked to his left, and there it was, the most terrifying and so beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Moments later, the truck collided with him, breaking his body and killing him.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
# Part 1
We thought angels were saintly creatures from the heavens and demons were horrifying monsters from hell.
But we were wrong.
While both were similarly horrifying, angels were the true monsters. Giant behemoths born from stars, their monstrous bodies resembled titans of legend bathed in light. As far as we knew, they had no capacity to be reasoned with. Instead, they were like forces of nature unleashed on our world to wreak havoc and destruction.
Demons, on the other hand, were like parasites to the angels, relying on the massive beings of light for food similar to how the Egyptian plover relied on the Nile crocodile. Or maybe the relationship was more symbiotic? Either way, they both arrived on our planet at the same time, annihilating a fourth of the world’s population within the first year.
The demons fed off humans of course, drinking their blood and feasting on their bodies, but they were intelligent beings capable of human speech. Which meant they were also capable of negotiation.
“Lilith, remember this above all else when you leave the cave. It is much better to run across a demon than an angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.” My human mother then sighed heavily, resting her hands on my thin shoulders, before pulling me in an embrace.
I knew this of course – I had been born for this. After all, I was the product of one such bargain, being half-human, half-demon. It had been an attempt to create something that could more successfully navigate the outside world in order to help recover supplies for the survivors who lived within the maze of tunnels underneath the city. Although, the deal hadn’t been my mother’s idea. Nor had she been consenting.
Nevertheless, she loved me as her own, knowing I wasn’t to blame for the decisions of evil men made almost fifteen years ago. And she still loved me, even despite my vibrant crimson eyes, pointy ears, and the small black horns protruding out of my black hair a few inches above my ears. At least I didn’t have wings or *tails*, as demons often had multiples of both, because then it would have made blending in almost impossible.
As it were, I still was kept away from most of the surviving populace. My very existence was a secret to many. Only those in power, the same ones who had made the deal to create me, as well as the people in section twenty-three, were aware of me.
But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Now, for the very first time, I would enter the barren world of angels and demons in order to find anything of value to help the people survive. The last thirty-one scouts sent out had vanished without a trace, despite the fact that they had entered the city above ground in various locations.
So now, they were finally sending me, even though I was barely fourteen years old. At least Ezekiel was coming with me. While he wasn’t very experienced himself, only being seventeen, he had at least been out a few times and had some idea of what to expect.
He cleared his throat now. “Ms. Lancaster, we really need to go. The sun has already risen.”
My mother nodded somberly as she pulled away from me with tears in her eyes. “Just take care of my little girl,” she whispered to him while staring at me.
I gave her a weak smile in response, trying to be brave for her. “I’ll be fine mom. I’m both stronger and faster than a normal person.” She knew that of course, but it didn’t make it any easier.
She nodded again, unable to speak. I gently removed her hands still on my shoulders and held them in front of me just briefly before letting go. “Alright,” I said calmly to Ezekiel. “Let’s go.”
# Part 2
Ezekiel took a deep breath, likely to calm his own nerves, and then slowly began removing the flat stone that covered up the crawlspace where we would exit. Without a word, he slipped down onto his stomach, a flashlight in hand, and began making his way through the six-foot-long tunnel. I quickly followed after him, feeling unexpectedly claustrophobic from being momentarily surrounded my thick stone on all sides.
But then it was quickly over as my friend helped pull me the rest of the way out and up onto my feet. “Thanks,” I whispered, examining our surroundings in the dim space. I didn’t need a flashlight to see like him. My red eyes emitted their own faint light that gave me the ability to perceive my surrounding even in the pitch-black.
If the repugnant scent of death wasn’t enough indication, then the scattered bones were. We had exited into the poorly kept catacombs of an ancient citadel. I quickly pinched my nose shut, feeling violated by the ghastly scent.
“Come on,” Ezekiel whispered, already ten feet behind me on the other side of the room. I quickly trailed after him, ready to be out of this hell-hole. But the place was like a maze in its own right. I was thankful he knew the way.
After numerous turns, we found ourselves in a narrow hallway just before entering a much wider room with a stone stairwell on the other side. Ezekiel didn’t even hesitate as he crossed the empty space to make his way up the stairs. After all, no demon was small enough to fit through the entrance to the catacombs, a fact that had always made me wonder how it was possible for me to be conceived. I had never asked my mother though, knowing it was a memory she wouldn’t want to recall willingly.
Ezekiel became more cautious as he exited the top of the stairs. The room was filled with wooden bookshelves of old tomes, mostly records of those who resided in the massive crypt below. The door on the other end of the room had been smashed some time ago, part of the door still hanging off the hinges, while the etchings of massive claws decorated the stone frame.
A demon had tried getting in here once. Hopefully long ago.
However, the marking gave Ezekiel pause too, which wasn’t a good sign. From what I knew, he had been here roughly four months prior. He should have seen them before.
“Is that new?” I asked quietly with concern.
He glanced back at me and shook his head. “No, but I was here when it happened. Mr. Finch and I almost died that day, barely making it through the doorway in time.”
I gasped quietly. “Then why are we *here*? Why not exit in a different location?”
He shrugged. “Basically all of our ways out of the caverns are know by the demons. There’s nothing we can do about that. But the sun’s up, so we shouldn’t have to worry about them.”
It was a known fact that neither the demons nor angels were *usually* active during the day. The few scientists who had survived believed the astral behemoths fed off the sunlight for energy, falling into a sort of daily hibernation while they fed. Similarly, demons seemed to rest while the sun was out. However, that didn’t make them incapable of attack. Just unlikely to do so.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Ezekiel gave me a knowing look, but didn’t say anything. I finally nodded silently, taking a step towards him.
A step towards the unknown.
# [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9cc7ec/angel_apocalypse_part_3/)
**Thanks for reading! I have a couple of popular stories regarding some recent prompts going on at my subreddit right now, if you want to check them out at** [r/AuthorKurt](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt)
|
The shadows danced across his bedroom ceiling, contrast work against the headlights emanating from the truck making that left turn into his neighborhood. When they grew slender and then finally receded, he saw this phantom lingering on the ceiling's erratic raised design, giving life to a constellation of monsters with visible thoughts and feelings. Where was the light, though? He became slightly disturbed and fled for a midnight walk, down the hallway, out the door.
There it was, just the same, more corporeal now, flitting out the corner of his eye just under the nearest street sign, Leleand Dr. He shifted his attention there, but it was gone. So he walked in the other direction.
After 10 minutes walking, he reached Ferris Park, so late. He wasn't planning on staying out so long. The air trickled eeriness. He thought about the way back to his apartment, but just as he was about to turn and leave, there it was, real this time.
He blinked twice, but it didn't go away. The amorphous fog had a definite character, he saw, since it resolved faces. The faces had meanings. He shivered.
"Come here, curious one," the creature lulled him, talking, but where was the mouth? He shifted his attention away, yet he knew the monster could sense his intentions. He felt so good, so good about approaching it. It was almost erotic. He gave in and took several steps towards the thing.
Just as he stepped onto the road, oblivious, he was showered in the most brilliant light. The creature melted and vaporized in the intense light. He looked to his left, and there it was, the most terrifying and so beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Moments later, the truck collided with him, breaking his body and killing him.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
‘If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat.
They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar.
So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.’
‘Men at Arms’ by Terry Pratchett
|
I am not the only one who knows I'll burn forever. But once I accepted this fact, my time on Earth became something I have trouble talking about. Not many, not many, but some like me, around me, yes. They're here, for a while. Here a while, there forever. One died many years ago- he's been there longer than I will, but we'll burn for the same long time. Long long long, long time. Forever in hell.
Live in a seplichre, Death in the under the mountain, but the mountain will never end. My little tomb I sealed from the light. Here my demons and I have our fun- we dance, we run. They're not so bad when it's not their fault. My curse is nothing they've done.
So it is that I carve my life to match the punishment I've been dolled. The light of the flames are all I can handle- the sun would be too much. The angels there are too cruel. I'd play with them? I'd know the light. I'd not deserve this sickly sight, and I could not bear God's face.
Better I know demons than angels, make disgrace.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Long time reader first time writer
&#x200B;
**Part 1**
The Demons came to Earth first, killing people for bragging rights, for sport, and as punishment for humans not upholding their end of a deal, though these deals were almost always impossible. Within a month, the Angels arrived. Everybody was elated to see these beings as they could actually stand up to the Demons, a task that no human technology could accomplish. That elation turned almost immediately into a waking nightmare, as the Angels slaughtered anything and everything that moved. After the initial carnage, mankind decided to hide. And most hid well. At least at first. Some bunkers were found immediately, within a single generation. Others stayed hidden for as many as three or four generations. However, many surviving people began to forget how severe the threat outside truly was and became reckless. Those that became negligent were almost always found within days. It only could be known to other bunkers when another was found by radio silence. It was always so swift, so sudden. There was never a distress call or a desire to speak for the last time over the radios. Always a quick, deafening silence. The Sequestered was the only bunker that managed to survive more than five generations, due to the incredible luck of its founder, whose name was lost to the people living there, when they found a massive underground cavern with an easily sealable entrance and thick rock walls and ceilings that could muffle nearly any sound even within the cave. This bunker was the only one that could still remember the pain and suffering the Divines like to cause, so it survived.
Isaias crept out of his house in the Sequestered, careful to avoid being seen by anyone. Not that it would have mattered if he was noticed, he could just tell anybody who asked that he needed to go for a walk. Most people were naive enough to believe that lie. Still, he didn't want to risk running into one of the few people who wouldn’t and would question him further. Carrying a bag full of weapons and provisions and with a heart full of an odd combination between hatred, curiosity, and disbelief, Isaias slid through the shadows, every sense on alert for another soul. After walking for what felt like miles, he rounded a corner and saw the giant iron door several stories above him with too many flights of stairs, the only entrance into the cavern that housed this last hope of humanity’s survival. Isaias had seen this door hundreds of times, but in the past he saw it as a sign of security. Now, he saw it as a prison gate.
After climbing the many stairs that led to the giant door, Isaias found one of the small guard tunnels to the other side. These served a double purpose of keeping fresh air in the front part of the bunker without having to worry about vents like in the back of the cavern, while also allowing for the outside of the bunker to be watched. Luckily, the Divines were far too tall to be able to use the six foot tall tunnels, standing between nine and fourteen feet tall, according to legend, though most estimates suggested them to be taller. Isaias stopped for a moment to catch his breath and take a drink. “Well,” he said to nobody, “here goes nothin’” and he began walking through the tunnel.
Isaias had been walking for fifteen minutes before he saw light not from his own flashlight. Natural light from the sun. He began to run towards the end of the tunnel, feeling giddy like a child on Christmas morning. His excitement excitement quickly died as he got to the end of the tunnel and noticed a large rock pile in the way. The pile was obviously artificial, with several gaps large enough to clearly see through, but that would be hard to see through from a distance without knowing of their presence. Near the bottom was a gap that looked like it was just large enough for him to squeeze through, so he tied his bag to his feet and began to crawl. Once he reached the other side, he peered out before officially leaving the safety of the bunker. In the sky he saw two beautiful white beings with large, feathery wings far above the trees. “Angels…” Isaias muttered to himself. He watched as they flew past, then waited what he assumed to be about ten minutes before crawling the rest of the way out of the rocks.
And, suddenly, he was free. He was in the outside world. And he was alone with the Divines.
&#x200B;
*I'll do a part two tomorrow morning if people enjoy this! Also, sorry if my formatting is bad. I'm still figuring out how it works not of a mobile app*
|
I am not the only one who knows I'll burn forever. But once I accepted this fact, my time on Earth became something I have trouble talking about. Not many, not many, but some like me, around me, yes. They're here, for a while. Here a while, there forever. One died many years ago- he's been there longer than I will, but we'll burn for the same long time. Long long long, long time. Forever in hell.
Live in a seplichre, Death in the under the mountain, but the mountain will never end. My little tomb I sealed from the light. Here my demons and I have our fun- we dance, we run. They're not so bad when it's not their fault. My curse is nothing they've done.
So it is that I carve my life to match the punishment I've been dolled. The light of the flames are all I can handle- the sun would be too much. The angels there are too cruel. I'd play with them? I'd know the light. I'd not deserve this sickly sight, and I could not bear God's face.
Better I know demons than angels, make disgrace.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Long time reader first time writer
&#x200B;
**Part 1**
The Demons came to Earth first, killing people for bragging rights, for sport, and as punishment for humans not upholding their end of a deal, though these deals were almost always impossible. Within a month, the Angels arrived. Everybody was elated to see these beings as they could actually stand up to the Demons, a task that no human technology could accomplish. That elation turned almost immediately into a waking nightmare, as the Angels slaughtered anything and everything that moved. After the initial carnage, mankind decided to hide. And most hid well. At least at first. Some bunkers were found immediately, within a single generation. Others stayed hidden for as many as three or four generations. However, many surviving people began to forget how severe the threat outside truly was and became reckless. Those that became negligent were almost always found within days. It only could be known to other bunkers when another was found by radio silence. It was always so swift, so sudden. There was never a distress call or a desire to speak for the last time over the radios. Always a quick, deafening silence. The Sequestered was the only bunker that managed to survive more than five generations, due to the incredible luck of its founder, whose name was lost to the people living there, when they found a massive underground cavern with an easily sealable entrance and thick rock walls and ceilings that could muffle nearly any sound even within the cave. This bunker was the only one that could still remember the pain and suffering the Divines like to cause, so it survived.
Isaias crept out of his house in the Sequestered, careful to avoid being seen by anyone. Not that it would have mattered if he was noticed, he could just tell anybody who asked that he needed to go for a walk. Most people were naive enough to believe that lie. Still, he didn't want to risk running into one of the few people who wouldn’t and would question him further. Carrying a bag full of weapons and provisions and with a heart full of an odd combination between hatred, curiosity, and disbelief, Isaias slid through the shadows, every sense on alert for another soul. After walking for what felt like miles, he rounded a corner and saw the giant iron door several stories above him with too many flights of stairs, the only entrance into the cavern that housed this last hope of humanity’s survival. Isaias had seen this door hundreds of times, but in the past he saw it as a sign of security. Now, he saw it as a prison gate.
After climbing the many stairs that led to the giant door, Isaias found one of the small guard tunnels to the other side. These served a double purpose of keeping fresh air in the front part of the bunker without having to worry about vents like in the back of the cavern, while also allowing for the outside of the bunker to be watched. Luckily, the Divines were far too tall to be able to use the six foot tall tunnels, standing between nine and fourteen feet tall, according to legend, though most estimates suggested them to be taller. Isaias stopped for a moment to catch his breath and take a drink. “Well,” he said to nobody, “here goes nothin’” and he began walking through the tunnel.
Isaias had been walking for fifteen minutes before he saw light not from his own flashlight. Natural light from the sun. He began to run towards the end of the tunnel, feeling giddy like a child on Christmas morning. His excitement excitement quickly died as he got to the end of the tunnel and noticed a large rock pile in the way. The pile was obviously artificial, with several gaps large enough to clearly see through, but that would be hard to see through from a distance without knowing of their presence. Near the bottom was a gap that looked like it was just large enough for him to squeeze through, so he tied his bag to his feet and began to crawl. Once he reached the other side, he peered out before officially leaving the safety of the bunker. In the sky he saw two beautiful white beings with large, feathery wings far above the trees. “Angels…” Isaias muttered to himself. He watched as they flew past, then waited what he assumed to be about ten minutes before crawling the rest of the way out of the rocks.
And, suddenly, he was free. He was in the outside world. And he was alone with the Divines.
&#x200B;
*I'll do a part two tomorrow morning if people enjoy this! Also, sorry if my formatting is bad. I'm still figuring out how it works not of a mobile app*
|
"They rained down from the heavens from a hole in the clouds that shone a bright gold. They poured from the opening like rain drops on a stormy night overtaking the city slaughtering everyone in their wake." The old lady said as she giggled to herself slightly. She spoke in a rasp, rickety tone. She was one of the remaining few that remember what was referred to as *Rapture.* She continued;
"Priests crowded the streets falling to their knees worshipping *His* name, calling for the *resurrection*. Not even they were exempt from judgement. Not from those *creatures*." She winced at the word as if inflicting pain upon herself.
"They looked nothing like the stories.As a young girl I was told that angels were beautiful creatures, a beauty to behold though almost everyone feared them in those stories cowering beneath there glow."
The fire flickered. The glow of the flames seemed to spark a reverie in those eyes of hers, "They were gorgeous, the words written." She scoffed, "There are no words to describe their *true* beauty."
"What else!" I said urgently. I wanted more. She smiled and looked me in the eyes then at the ceiling inspecting the cracks in the rocks.
"*Paul* told us they were invisible, but he never mentioned they did not exist." She looked back into the flames,
"How foolish we were to write them off as make-believe. Time seemed to drift from the old ways. There were no more prophets. The last one died on the cross. The sins he died for, what sins? They never stopped coming. Even in death we dishonored him. Somehow, somewhere, we really must have pissed *Him* off."
The old woman shifted the wood around in the fire with her poker sending flurries about the air casting spots of red and orange about the caves ceiling. Then she whispered:
*"Whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities."*
This puzzled me. The old woman shook her head then smiled at me.
"Don't mind me, dear. I don't want to bore you with these old tales of mine."
"What did you mean by thrones, or, whatever?"
She shifted her position, craning her back as she did so.
"Trust me, dear, at this point it is not worth mentioning. The literature to explain that is simply not on hand. They all seemed to have disappeared during rapture. Why don't we speak on another topic. I heard the hunters managed to catch themselves a few hogs during their last outing."
I sunk in my seat. "Yeah, they did." The woman clapped her hands together.
"I can't wait to sink my teeth into something meaty. It has been a long time since I had a proper meal."
That night I thought about the old woman's tale. She was part of the last generation to actually live in the old world, but no one seems to ever want to talk about it. My father will tell me that there is no reason to ask about the past, it simply was not worth bringing up anymore. He grew up in these mines, just like me. He said back in the day they were used to scavenge fuel for things called "machines" that the old world used to use, but they were repurposed after rapture to be somewhere safe to live for the survivors. It was never meant to be permanent though, after the old generation moved in they were too scared to go back out. Well, that's what he told me.
Every now and then someone would leave the mines. They would tell us that the stories of rapture were nothing more than something to keep people from leaving, to keep us in line. Some would come back shortly after either scared to venture any further than the did or with deep bleeding gashes in their body. Most were never seen again.
I could hear the gale of wind sounding from the opening of the mine. The sound whistled as it brushed against the stoney walls of the mine as if taunting me. But that is when I heard it. Something was calling me. It called my name and seemed to get louder and louder. I looked around at the others sleeping in their bags sound asleep, but this call was deafening to my ears.
Then silence.
*"Come."* The call rang, and I felt a trance come over me. I lifted myself from my bag and staggered down the tunnel to the opening. I soft white glow shone through the entry way. There was a white light that hovered in the sky above the canopy of trees.
I stepped out into the world and breathed. This smell. This air. It was nothing like I had ever experienced. I scrunched the dirt between my toes. I closed my eyes as the wind brushed through my hair shuffling it about the air and back into my face. I lifted my arms into the air and stretched. And then I felt something grip my shoulder.
*"Humans should just stay in their holes where they belong."*
The tips of it's fingers sank into my shoulder. I could feel the warmth of my blood drip down my chest soaking my thin shirt. The beauty of the free world seemed to fade away as I could feel my fate come to a halt.
".I..." I could not bear to speak.
I turned my neck to see the old woman standing next to me smiling. I could only see the bottom half of her face as a shadow seemed to cover most of her body. Her grip tightened, sinking her claws ever deeper into my flesh.
*"I told you they came from the sky, but, I never told you what came from the earth."* She said to me as she peered at me with those deep, red, glowing eyes. *"We have so much to discuss."*
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
# Part 1
We thought angels were saintly creatures from the heavens and demons were horrifying monsters from hell.
But we were wrong.
While both were similarly horrifying, angels were the true monsters. Giant behemoths born from stars, their monstrous bodies resembled titans of legend bathed in light. As far as we knew, they had no capacity to be reasoned with. Instead, they were like forces of nature unleashed on our world to wreak havoc and destruction.
Demons, on the other hand, were like parasites to the angels, relying on the massive beings of light for food similar to how the Egyptian plover relied on the Nile crocodile. Or maybe the relationship was more symbiotic? Either way, they both arrived on our planet at the same time, annihilating a fourth of the world’s population within the first year.
The demons fed off humans of course, drinking their blood and feasting on their bodies, but they were intelligent beings capable of human speech. Which meant they were also capable of negotiation.
“Lilith, remember this above all else when you leave the cave. It is much better to run across a demon than an angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.” My human mother then sighed heavily, resting her hands on my thin shoulders, before pulling me in an embrace.
I knew this of course – I had been born for this. After all, I was the product of one such bargain, being half-human, half-demon. It had been an attempt to create something that could more successfully navigate the outside world in order to help recover supplies for the survivors who lived within the maze of tunnels underneath the city. Although, the deal hadn’t been my mother’s idea. Nor had she been consenting.
Nevertheless, she loved me as her own, knowing I wasn’t to blame for the decisions of evil men made almost fifteen years ago. And she still loved me, even despite my vibrant crimson eyes, pointy ears, and the small black horns protruding out of my black hair a few inches above my ears. At least I didn’t have wings or *tails*, as demons often had multiples of both, because then it would have made blending in almost impossible.
As it were, I still was kept away from most of the surviving populace. My very existence was a secret to many. Only those in power, the same ones who had made the deal to create me, as well as the people in section twenty-three, were aware of me.
But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Now, for the very first time, I would enter the barren world of angels and demons in order to find anything of value to help the people survive. The last thirty-one scouts sent out had vanished without a trace, despite the fact that they had entered the city above ground in various locations.
So now, they were finally sending me, even though I was barely fourteen years old. At least Ezekiel was coming with me. While he wasn’t very experienced himself, only being seventeen, he had at least been out a few times and had some idea of what to expect.
He cleared his throat now. “Ms. Lancaster, we really need to go. The sun has already risen.”
My mother nodded somberly as she pulled away from me with tears in her eyes. “Just take care of my little girl,” she whispered to him while staring at me.
I gave her a weak smile in response, trying to be brave for her. “I’ll be fine mom. I’m both stronger and faster than a normal person.” She knew that of course, but it didn’t make it any easier.
She nodded again, unable to speak. I gently removed her hands still on my shoulders and held them in front of me just briefly before letting go. “Alright,” I said calmly to Ezekiel. “Let’s go.”
# Part 2
Ezekiel took a deep breath, likely to calm his own nerves, and then slowly began removing the flat stone that covered up the crawlspace where we would exit. Without a word, he slipped down onto his stomach, a flashlight in hand, and began making his way through the six-foot-long tunnel. I quickly followed after him, feeling unexpectedly claustrophobic from being momentarily surrounded my thick stone on all sides.
But then it was quickly over as my friend helped pull me the rest of the way out and up onto my feet. “Thanks,” I whispered, examining our surroundings in the dim space. I didn’t need a flashlight to see like him. My red eyes emitted their own faint light that gave me the ability to perceive my surrounding even in the pitch-black.
If the repugnant scent of death wasn’t enough indication, then the scattered bones were. We had exited into the poorly kept catacombs of an ancient citadel. I quickly pinched my nose shut, feeling violated by the ghastly scent.
“Come on,” Ezekiel whispered, already ten feet behind me on the other side of the room. I quickly trailed after him, ready to be out of this hell-hole. But the place was like a maze in its own right. I was thankful he knew the way.
After numerous turns, we found ourselves in a narrow hallway just before entering a much wider room with a stone stairwell on the other side. Ezekiel didn’t even hesitate as he crossed the empty space to make his way up the stairs. After all, no demon was small enough to fit through the entrance to the catacombs, a fact that had always made me wonder how it was possible for me to be conceived. I had never asked my mother though, knowing it was a memory she wouldn’t want to recall willingly.
Ezekiel became more cautious as he exited the top of the stairs. The room was filled with wooden bookshelves of old tomes, mostly records of those who resided in the massive crypt below. The door on the other end of the room had been smashed some time ago, part of the door still hanging off the hinges, while the etchings of massive claws decorated the stone frame.
A demon had tried getting in here once. Hopefully long ago.
However, the marking gave Ezekiel pause too, which wasn’t a good sign. From what I knew, he had been here roughly four months prior. He should have seen them before.
“Is that new?” I asked quietly with concern.
He glanced back at me and shook his head. “No, but I was here when it happened. Mr. Finch and I almost died that day, barely making it through the doorway in time.”
I gasped quietly. “Then why are we *here*? Why not exit in a different location?”
He shrugged. “Basically all of our ways out of the caverns are know by the demons. There’s nothing we can do about that. But the sun’s up, so we shouldn’t have to worry about them.”
It was a known fact that neither the demons nor angels were *usually* active during the day. The few scientists who had survived believed the astral behemoths fed off the sunlight for energy, falling into a sort of daily hibernation while they fed. Similarly, demons seemed to rest while the sun was out. However, that didn’t make them incapable of attack. Just unlikely to do so.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Ezekiel gave me a knowing look, but didn’t say anything. I finally nodded silently, taking a step towards him.
A step towards the unknown.
# [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9cc7ec/angel_apocalypse_part_3/)
**Thanks for reading! I have a couple of popular stories regarding some recent prompts going on at my subreddit right now, if you want to check them out at** [r/AuthorKurt](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt)
|
“What are you talking about?”
My question hung in the air between myself and this strange ass hipster dude who smelled like he had sex with trees. Which, while a deeply uncomfortable image, is something I am sure he does. Explain reports of people finding semen on several willows recently...
“The Cave,” he said, “the cave which lets you see angels and demons.”
“Hold up for one second please, have you been to this ‘Cave?’”
The hipster fidgeted briefly, looking at the floor. Christ, when I accepted an invitation to meet with someone who claims to know how I can find angels and demons, I was hoping for something at least socially acceptable. Being honest, it’s a horrible way to start my career investigating the paranormal.
When he looked back into my eyes, I held his gaze while placing both elbows on the diner table between us. “No, but I know people who have.”
“Could I meet one of them?”
“Nah, they aren’t available right now. Too busy running from the angels-”
“What do they look like?”
“The guys who’ve-”
“No, the angels.”
The hipster licked his lips before answering. “Come on man, they look like you and man, but with wings and glowing halos! You’re smart, you should know this!”
Without a word, I let me head fall into my hands and sighed. “That’s just an image we humans have given creatures that exist beyond and are older than time itself. The archangel Gabriel was supposed to have six wings covering his body. The cherubim has the face of a man, lion, bull or ox, and an eagle. They can shape shift but you really expect me to believe their true form is something so similar to we humans?”
The hipster blinked, confused. I pressed my advantage. “And there isn’t that much of a difference between demons and angels. Demons are just fallen angels and no, they don’t bargain for souls or anything like that! They just seek to tempt humanity away from God and into hell! They are imprisoned there to boot, how do they keep getting out! You can’t seriously believe this pop culture bullshit.”
“But-”
Before he could continue I stood up, thoroughly annoyed. “And another thing, why would an angel kill you on sight?”
“Because they’re evil, right? Like God, he’s a big old tyrant-”
“If that were true, we’d know for sure God was one. He’d never fail to remind us every single moment. Thank you for wasting my day,” I said bitterly as I turned my back to the weirdo.
Another day wasted. Great, just great. I really needed some big ass break sooner or later to get my career started.
Hopefully, tree fucker back there would listen to what I said. Course, I couldn’t prove he fucked trees...and had no interest in doing so.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
The warmth coming from the opening is the only thing I can focus on. Despite my knowledge of how important the instructions I'm hearing are, they're meaningless compared to the tantalizing warmth in my immediate future. After 20 years in here, the idea of finally experiencing the outside world is so close I can literally *feel* it.
My hands tremble, holding my miniscule belongings needed to aid me through my journey. I won't be gone long, but any time outside is a potentially lethal endeavor. Like they said, the demons can be bargained with. It's the angels I'm really worried about.
After they finished explaining the basics of everything I need to know, I'm given one final stern look before they grant me the opportunity I've been waiting for since I was old enough to understand its implications.
As I make my way towards the exit, the light grows brighter and the warmth reaches more of my skin. Its an intoxicating effect. Slowly but surely, however, the sounds of the outside world that I've been warned of begin to work their way into my ears. As I turn back, the opening is now barely visible. Even the tunnel to exit seems to stretch on forever, the tension building inside me, seemingly ready to burst.
As I near the opening, some dark, flying creature swoops past - seemingly not far from the ground. I stumble back as a nervous reaction, finally coming face to face with the nightmarish creatures whose only influence in my life up until this point had been a childhood boogeyman, one who's theoretical presence served as a terribly effective incentive to stay inside.
Finally, I breach the exit and step forward, gazing into the mostly empty landscape ahead of me. Massive craters cut deep into the surface, several of which still emitting light smoke from their latest battles. The creature who started me moments ago now soars away, almost out of sight. Nothing but ash and dust as far as the eye can see.
"First time out here, I see".
The calm yet sinister voice immediately sends my heart into my stomach, as I flail around to see a dark, shadowy figure just a few feet behind me. A smile creeps onto its face, amused at my fear.
"Doesn't seem like you're too cut out for this, are you?"
I realize the only way to get out of this is to assert myself, in any way I can.
"I *am* cut out for this" was the best I could do.
The creature smiles wider.
"Give me what you have in the bag, and I'll let you go."
I gaze down at the pack, realizing I barely have a chance at survival - with or without its contents. From where I stand, I could toss it back down the hole and likely return it without doing too much damage, sacrificing myself so whoever is nearby is helped for a few more days.
No. Not like this.
"I'll give you half of what I have." I say, more confidently.
It raises an eyebrow.
"More confident now, are we?"
The smile turns into a grimace.
"Fine," he says.
I search for the most expendable items, and gather them up. He snatches them away, greedily.
"Go now."
I turn and leave without another word.
After a few paces, I glance back slowly, to see that he had already disappeared. Silently, I curse myself for stopping. That was the one thing I was told to never do.
To my right, I notice a small shack. Occupied? Perhaps. But it's the only potential source of materials within sight, and I don't have much longer before I have to get back.
As I approach, an uneasy feeling sinks into my organs - telling me to turn and run. I can't, however, because to arrive back with less than I left with may as well mean not coming back at all.
The rusted, creaky metal door is dented and damaged. I pull at it gently, with a loud creak alerting any presence inside that a new visitor has arrived. I swing it open quickly, then step behind it, should anything burst out. My only choice of weapon was a particularly sharp rock I found shortly after my first encounter.
As I press my ear to the wall, there's nothing. Using the rock to give the door one final bang, I swoop inside and shut it behind me. Inside, the light is barely visible through the thin cracks in the wood, vaguely illuminating some dusty furniture - mostly overturned - and empty cans littering the ground. I kick one in frustration and anger at my horrible luck, though really I should've known anything this close would have been picked over long ago.
Making my way into what one day may have been a kitchen, a small, unopened box catches my eye beneath the countertop. Right as I kneel down to examine it, the door bursts open, accompanied by a sudden flash of bright light. My heart begins beating. This can't be the end.
Several slow, thunderous footsteps cross the room as the light seemingly gets brighter and brighter. I attempt to slide my boot a bit closer out of view, mentally calculating the risk of sound it may carry. I clasp my gloved hand to my mouth to cover the sounds of my breathing, as the creature lets out a frustrated grunt, before kicking a hole in the opposite side of the wall, and leaving unsatisfied. I wait for what feels like hours, before slowly sliding back out to see if I can reach the package.
To my surprise, it's still taped shut, but my rock slices through it effortlessly, revealing a book. A book? I had only heard of these in stories, but never seen one in real life. We learned to read through stone tablets and chalk, but never had I seen a physically printed book before. A cloudy layer of dust covers it, which I furiously scrape away at to reveal a series of words - *The Holy Bible*.
|
“What are you talking about?”
My question hung in the air between myself and this strange ass hipster dude who smelled like he had sex with trees. Which, while a deeply uncomfortable image, is something I am sure he does. Explain reports of people finding semen on several willows recently...
“The Cave,” he said, “the cave which lets you see angels and demons.”
“Hold up for one second please, have you been to this ‘Cave?’”
The hipster fidgeted briefly, looking at the floor. Christ, when I accepted an invitation to meet with someone who claims to know how I can find angels and demons, I was hoping for something at least socially acceptable. Being honest, it’s a horrible way to start my career investigating the paranormal.
When he looked back into my eyes, I held his gaze while placing both elbows on the diner table between us. “No, but I know people who have.”
“Could I meet one of them?”
“Nah, they aren’t available right now. Too busy running from the angels-”
“What do they look like?”
“The guys who’ve-”
“No, the angels.”
The hipster licked his lips before answering. “Come on man, they look like you and man, but with wings and glowing halos! You’re smart, you should know this!”
Without a word, I let me head fall into my hands and sighed. “That’s just an image we humans have given creatures that exist beyond and are older than time itself. The archangel Gabriel was supposed to have six wings covering his body. The cherubim has the face of a man, lion, bull or ox, and an eagle. They can shape shift but you really expect me to believe their true form is something so similar to we humans?”
The hipster blinked, confused. I pressed my advantage. “And there isn’t that much of a difference between demons and angels. Demons are just fallen angels and no, they don’t bargain for souls or anything like that! They just seek to tempt humanity away from God and into hell! They are imprisoned there to boot, how do they keep getting out! You can’t seriously believe this pop culture bullshit.”
“But-”
Before he could continue I stood up, thoroughly annoyed. “And another thing, why would an angel kill you on sight?”
“Because they’re evil, right? Like God, he’s a big old tyrant-”
“If that were true, we’d know for sure God was one. He’d never fail to remind us every single moment. Thank you for wasting my day,” I said bitterly as I turned my back to the weirdo.
Another day wasted. Great, just great. I really needed some big ass break sooner or later to get my career started.
Hopefully, tree fucker back there would listen to what I said. Course, I couldn’t prove he fucked trees...and had no interest in doing so.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Eli stepped inside the nylon enclosure. A fine mist sprayed the outside of his suit, returning it to the original pristine white. He shucked off his gloves, then raised his hands for a scan. Clean. The soft beeping let him know that he was cleared to remove the hazard suit, and so he did, revealing sweaty hair pressed down by his helmet. It had been a long day, and he hoped that Maggie's shift in the greenhouses was almost over. But he had barely entered the settlement before Ames stopped him. "Eli, you're back late. Emergency meeting in the tent. I'm getting Colwell. See you there."
&#x200B;
Fighting back fatigue and a growing sense of dread, Eli pushed open the tent to see his Rangers, clustered in groups of two or three, talking in hushed, urgent tones. He glanced left and right, looking for friendly faces or even an acknowledgment of his presence. Something was wrong. He let the noise wash over him and picked up snippets at a time: "still don't think it's true-" "but what if we've-" "a trick designed to-" It was too much to take in. He sank to the floor, leaned against a supply box, and let himself rest.
&#x200B;
Eli was seconds from dozing off when Ames and Colwell returned. The tall, severe lead ranger was as blunt as ever. "Gentlemen. You've heard the reports of activity near the caverns. We're going to play you this recording and then we will discuss a plan of action." The rangers broke apart from their groups, turned to face Ames with hesitation, glancing back and forth from him to Colwell. "I know you're wondering what our head scientist is doing here. We'll explain later." Colwell nodded, her dark eyes unreadable.
&#x200B;
The recording began with a voice that Eli thought he recognized. "This is Ranger Allen, date is May 11 at approximately 2 pm. Placing this recording device in section West F as part of routine zombie patrol to monitor activity in the West F cavern structure." Ames skipped forward. The recording cut in with static, then another voice. It was not an accent Eli had heard before, but it was unmistakably English. English spoken by a human.
&#x200B;
"Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight." "But Baba, the demons hate us too. Why are they so angry?" "They're sick, love, and we don't know how to make them better. If you were thirsty and I didn't give you any water, would you be angry at me?" "Only a little bit, Baba." "Daisy, love, what do you do if you see a demon?" "Demons have red faces, and they go RAAAGH. You tell them you know where there is a lot of meat, and then you take them to the river because they can't swim like us." "Very good! And what do you do if you see an angel?"
&#x200B;
There was static. The child's voice -Daisy- was hard to pick up. "Angels are...all white, and no faces...and have guns. You have to run." Eli felt dizzy. Some of the rangers were crying. He covered his face. Colwell's voice, when it came, seemed to echo down a long, deep tunnel. "We're not sure what to make of this. It's possible that the cavern may house a group of ....survivors that we...were not aware of." Eli's ears still echoed with Daisy's voice. How old was she- eight, nine? Like his own Leah? *Survivors.* Had Daisy spent her whole life in that cave? All white, and no faces, and have guns. Did we kill them? Someone was looking at him. He didn't know he had spoken aloud, but it came out as a roar, thick with grief.
&#x200B;
"DID WE KILL THEM?"
|
“What are you talking about?”
My question hung in the air between myself and this strange ass hipster dude who smelled like he had sex with trees. Which, while a deeply uncomfortable image, is something I am sure he does. Explain reports of people finding semen on several willows recently...
“The Cave,” he said, “the cave which lets you see angels and demons.”
“Hold up for one second please, have you been to this ‘Cave?’”
The hipster fidgeted briefly, looking at the floor. Christ, when I accepted an invitation to meet with someone who claims to know how I can find angels and demons, I was hoping for something at least socially acceptable. Being honest, it’s a horrible way to start my career investigating the paranormal.
When he looked back into my eyes, I held his gaze while placing both elbows on the diner table between us. “No, but I know people who have.”
“Could I meet one of them?”
“Nah, they aren’t available right now. Too busy running from the angels-”
“What do they look like?”
“The guys who’ve-”
“No, the angels.”
The hipster licked his lips before answering. “Come on man, they look like you and man, but with wings and glowing halos! You’re smart, you should know this!”
Without a word, I let me head fall into my hands and sighed. “That’s just an image we humans have given creatures that exist beyond and are older than time itself. The archangel Gabriel was supposed to have six wings covering his body. The cherubim has the face of a man, lion, bull or ox, and an eagle. They can shape shift but you really expect me to believe their true form is something so similar to we humans?”
The hipster blinked, confused. I pressed my advantage. “And there isn’t that much of a difference between demons and angels. Demons are just fallen angels and no, they don’t bargain for souls or anything like that! They just seek to tempt humanity away from God and into hell! They are imprisoned there to boot, how do they keep getting out! You can’t seriously believe this pop culture bullshit.”
“But-”
Before he could continue I stood up, thoroughly annoyed. “And another thing, why would an angel kill you on sight?”
“Because they’re evil, right? Like God, he’s a big old tyrant-”
“If that were true, we’d know for sure God was one. He’d never fail to remind us every single moment. Thank you for wasting my day,” I said bitterly as I turned my back to the weirdo.
Another day wasted. Great, just great. I really needed some big ass break sooner or later to get my career started.
Hopefully, tree fucker back there would listen to what I said. Course, I couldn’t prove he fucked trees...and had no interest in doing so.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
# Part 1
We thought angels were saintly creatures from the heavens and demons were horrifying monsters from hell.
But we were wrong.
While both were similarly horrifying, angels were the true monsters. Giant behemoths born from stars, their monstrous bodies resembled titans of legend bathed in light. As far as we knew, they had no capacity to be reasoned with. Instead, they were like forces of nature unleashed on our world to wreak havoc and destruction.
Demons, on the other hand, were like parasites to the angels, relying on the massive beings of light for food similar to how the Egyptian plover relied on the Nile crocodile. Or maybe the relationship was more symbiotic? Either way, they both arrived on our planet at the same time, annihilating a fourth of the world’s population within the first year.
The demons fed off humans of course, drinking their blood and feasting on their bodies, but they were intelligent beings capable of human speech. Which meant they were also capable of negotiation.
“Lilith, remember this above all else when you leave the cave. It is much better to run across a demon than an angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.” My human mother then sighed heavily, resting her hands on my thin shoulders, before pulling me in an embrace.
I knew this of course – I had been born for this. After all, I was the product of one such bargain, being half-human, half-demon. It had been an attempt to create something that could more successfully navigate the outside world in order to help recover supplies for the survivors who lived within the maze of tunnels underneath the city. Although, the deal hadn’t been my mother’s idea. Nor had she been consenting.
Nevertheless, she loved me as her own, knowing I wasn’t to blame for the decisions of evil men made almost fifteen years ago. And she still loved me, even despite my vibrant crimson eyes, pointy ears, and the small black horns protruding out of my black hair a few inches above my ears. At least I didn’t have wings or *tails*, as demons often had multiples of both, because then it would have made blending in almost impossible.
As it were, I still was kept away from most of the surviving populace. My very existence was a secret to many. Only those in power, the same ones who had made the deal to create me, as well as the people in section twenty-three, were aware of me.
But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Now, for the very first time, I would enter the barren world of angels and demons in order to find anything of value to help the people survive. The last thirty-one scouts sent out had vanished without a trace, despite the fact that they had entered the city above ground in various locations.
So now, they were finally sending me, even though I was barely fourteen years old. At least Ezekiel was coming with me. While he wasn’t very experienced himself, only being seventeen, he had at least been out a few times and had some idea of what to expect.
He cleared his throat now. “Ms. Lancaster, we really need to go. The sun has already risen.”
My mother nodded somberly as she pulled away from me with tears in her eyes. “Just take care of my little girl,” she whispered to him while staring at me.
I gave her a weak smile in response, trying to be brave for her. “I’ll be fine mom. I’m both stronger and faster than a normal person.” She knew that of course, but it didn’t make it any easier.
She nodded again, unable to speak. I gently removed her hands still on my shoulders and held them in front of me just briefly before letting go. “Alright,” I said calmly to Ezekiel. “Let’s go.”
# Part 2
Ezekiel took a deep breath, likely to calm his own nerves, and then slowly began removing the flat stone that covered up the crawlspace where we would exit. Without a word, he slipped down onto his stomach, a flashlight in hand, and began making his way through the six-foot-long tunnel. I quickly followed after him, feeling unexpectedly claustrophobic from being momentarily surrounded my thick stone on all sides.
But then it was quickly over as my friend helped pull me the rest of the way out and up onto my feet. “Thanks,” I whispered, examining our surroundings in the dim space. I didn’t need a flashlight to see like him. My red eyes emitted their own faint light that gave me the ability to perceive my surrounding even in the pitch-black.
If the repugnant scent of death wasn’t enough indication, then the scattered bones were. We had exited into the poorly kept catacombs of an ancient citadel. I quickly pinched my nose shut, feeling violated by the ghastly scent.
“Come on,” Ezekiel whispered, already ten feet behind me on the other side of the room. I quickly trailed after him, ready to be out of this hell-hole. But the place was like a maze in its own right. I was thankful he knew the way.
After numerous turns, we found ourselves in a narrow hallway just before entering a much wider room with a stone stairwell on the other side. Ezekiel didn’t even hesitate as he crossed the empty space to make his way up the stairs. After all, no demon was small enough to fit through the entrance to the catacombs, a fact that had always made me wonder how it was possible for me to be conceived. I had never asked my mother though, knowing it was a memory she wouldn’t want to recall willingly.
Ezekiel became more cautious as he exited the top of the stairs. The room was filled with wooden bookshelves of old tomes, mostly records of those who resided in the massive crypt below. The door on the other end of the room had been smashed some time ago, part of the door still hanging off the hinges, while the etchings of massive claws decorated the stone frame.
A demon had tried getting in here once. Hopefully long ago.
However, the marking gave Ezekiel pause too, which wasn’t a good sign. From what I knew, he had been here roughly four months prior. He should have seen them before.
“Is that new?” I asked quietly with concern.
He glanced back at me and shook his head. “No, but I was here when it happened. Mr. Finch and I almost died that day, barely making it through the doorway in time.”
I gasped quietly. “Then why are we *here*? Why not exit in a different location?”
He shrugged. “Basically all of our ways out of the caverns are know by the demons. There’s nothing we can do about that. But the sun’s up, so we shouldn’t have to worry about them.”
It was a known fact that neither the demons nor angels were *usually* active during the day. The few scientists who had survived believed the astral behemoths fed off the sunlight for energy, falling into a sort of daily hibernation while they fed. Similarly, demons seemed to rest while the sun was out. However, that didn’t make them incapable of attack. Just unlikely to do so.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Ezekiel gave me a knowing look, but didn’t say anything. I finally nodded silently, taking a step towards him.
A step towards the unknown.
# [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9cc7ec/angel_apocalypse_part_3/)
**Thanks for reading! I have a couple of popular stories regarding some recent prompts going on at my subreddit right now, if you want to check them out at** [r/AuthorKurt](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt)
|
My mother was different.
Most of them fight evolutionary urges and smother their still wet babies.
"Don't look at its eyes," the older women say.
"Just don't and do what needs to be done."
Miriam, my mother, said she never even thought of doing that to me. That she couldn't.
My earliest memories are of my mother's calloused hands pulling me along as those older women whispered and seethed. They called her cruel.
Naive.
Selfish.
An older me recognizes their fear as a resentment of the women who refused to sacrifice for the herd.
A younger me was banished for screaming at the meanest and most bitter elder.
"Remember this above all else..."
"Now, Miriam!" an elder had commanded.
My mother's last words, "will kill you on sight," were whispered with widening eyes that poured tears down her face.
But, she never taught me to believe in fucking fairy tales. She didn't, which is why she refused to kill me.
I know it's a code.
But, for what?
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
The warmth coming from the opening is the only thing I can focus on. Despite my knowledge of how important the instructions I'm hearing are, they're meaningless compared to the tantalizing warmth in my immediate future. After 20 years in here, the idea of finally experiencing the outside world is so close I can literally *feel* it.
My hands tremble, holding my miniscule belongings needed to aid me through my journey. I won't be gone long, but any time outside is a potentially lethal endeavor. Like they said, the demons can be bargained with. It's the angels I'm really worried about.
After they finished explaining the basics of everything I need to know, I'm given one final stern look before they grant me the opportunity I've been waiting for since I was old enough to understand its implications.
As I make my way towards the exit, the light grows brighter and the warmth reaches more of my skin. Its an intoxicating effect. Slowly but surely, however, the sounds of the outside world that I've been warned of begin to work their way into my ears. As I turn back, the opening is now barely visible. Even the tunnel to exit seems to stretch on forever, the tension building inside me, seemingly ready to burst.
As I near the opening, some dark, flying creature swoops past - seemingly not far from the ground. I stumble back as a nervous reaction, finally coming face to face with the nightmarish creatures whose only influence in my life up until this point had been a childhood boogeyman, one who's theoretical presence served as a terribly effective incentive to stay inside.
Finally, I breach the exit and step forward, gazing into the mostly empty landscape ahead of me. Massive craters cut deep into the surface, several of which still emitting light smoke from their latest battles. The creature who started me moments ago now soars away, almost out of sight. Nothing but ash and dust as far as the eye can see.
"First time out here, I see".
The calm yet sinister voice immediately sends my heart into my stomach, as I flail around to see a dark, shadowy figure just a few feet behind me. A smile creeps onto its face, amused at my fear.
"Doesn't seem like you're too cut out for this, are you?"
I realize the only way to get out of this is to assert myself, in any way I can.
"I *am* cut out for this" was the best I could do.
The creature smiles wider.
"Give me what you have in the bag, and I'll let you go."
I gaze down at the pack, realizing I barely have a chance at survival - with or without its contents. From where I stand, I could toss it back down the hole and likely return it without doing too much damage, sacrificing myself so whoever is nearby is helped for a few more days.
No. Not like this.
"I'll give you half of what I have." I say, more confidently.
It raises an eyebrow.
"More confident now, are we?"
The smile turns into a grimace.
"Fine," he says.
I search for the most expendable items, and gather them up. He snatches them away, greedily.
"Go now."
I turn and leave without another word.
After a few paces, I glance back slowly, to see that he had already disappeared. Silently, I curse myself for stopping. That was the one thing I was told to never do.
To my right, I notice a small shack. Occupied? Perhaps. But it's the only potential source of materials within sight, and I don't have much longer before I have to get back.
As I approach, an uneasy feeling sinks into my organs - telling me to turn and run. I can't, however, because to arrive back with less than I left with may as well mean not coming back at all.
The rusted, creaky metal door is dented and damaged. I pull at it gently, with a loud creak alerting any presence inside that a new visitor has arrived. I swing it open quickly, then step behind it, should anything burst out. My only choice of weapon was a particularly sharp rock I found shortly after my first encounter.
As I press my ear to the wall, there's nothing. Using the rock to give the door one final bang, I swoop inside and shut it behind me. Inside, the light is barely visible through the thin cracks in the wood, vaguely illuminating some dusty furniture - mostly overturned - and empty cans littering the ground. I kick one in frustration and anger at my horrible luck, though really I should've known anything this close would have been picked over long ago.
Making my way into what one day may have been a kitchen, a small, unopened box catches my eye beneath the countertop. Right as I kneel down to examine it, the door bursts open, accompanied by a sudden flash of bright light. My heart begins beating. This can't be the end.
Several slow, thunderous footsteps cross the room as the light seemingly gets brighter and brighter. I attempt to slide my boot a bit closer out of view, mentally calculating the risk of sound it may carry. I clasp my gloved hand to my mouth to cover the sounds of my breathing, as the creature lets out a frustrated grunt, before kicking a hole in the opposite side of the wall, and leaving unsatisfied. I wait for what feels like hours, before slowly sliding back out to see if I can reach the package.
To my surprise, it's still taped shut, but my rock slices through it effortlessly, revealing a book. A book? I had only heard of these in stories, but never seen one in real life. We learned to read through stone tablets and chalk, but never had I seen a physically printed book before. A cloudy layer of dust covers it, which I furiously scrape away at to reveal a series of words - *The Holy Bible*.
|
My mother was different.
Most of them fight evolutionary urges and smother their still wet babies.
"Don't look at its eyes," the older women say.
"Just don't and do what needs to be done."
Miriam, my mother, said she never even thought of doing that to me. That she couldn't.
My earliest memories are of my mother's calloused hands pulling me along as those older women whispered and seethed. They called her cruel.
Naive.
Selfish.
An older me recognizes their fear as a resentment of the women who refused to sacrifice for the herd.
A younger me was banished for screaming at the meanest and most bitter elder.
"Remember this above all else..."
"Now, Miriam!" an elder had commanded.
My mother's last words, "will kill you on sight," were whispered with widening eyes that poured tears down her face.
But, she never taught me to believe in fucking fairy tales. She didn't, which is why she refused to kill me.
I know it's a code.
But, for what?
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Eli stepped inside the nylon enclosure. A fine mist sprayed the outside of his suit, returning it to the original pristine white. He shucked off his gloves, then raised his hands for a scan. Clean. The soft beeping let him know that he was cleared to remove the hazard suit, and so he did, revealing sweaty hair pressed down by his helmet. It had been a long day, and he hoped that Maggie's shift in the greenhouses was almost over. But he had barely entered the settlement before Ames stopped him. "Eli, you're back late. Emergency meeting in the tent. I'm getting Colwell. See you there."
&#x200B;
Fighting back fatigue and a growing sense of dread, Eli pushed open the tent to see his Rangers, clustered in groups of two or three, talking in hushed, urgent tones. He glanced left and right, looking for friendly faces or even an acknowledgment of his presence. Something was wrong. He let the noise wash over him and picked up snippets at a time: "still don't think it's true-" "but what if we've-" "a trick designed to-" It was too much to take in. He sank to the floor, leaned against a supply box, and let himself rest.
&#x200B;
Eli was seconds from dozing off when Ames and Colwell returned. The tall, severe lead ranger was as blunt as ever. "Gentlemen. You've heard the reports of activity near the caverns. We're going to play you this recording and then we will discuss a plan of action." The rangers broke apart from their groups, turned to face Ames with hesitation, glancing back and forth from him to Colwell. "I know you're wondering what our head scientist is doing here. We'll explain later." Colwell nodded, her dark eyes unreadable.
&#x200B;
The recording began with a voice that Eli thought he recognized. "This is Ranger Allen, date is May 11 at approximately 2 pm. Placing this recording device in section West F as part of routine zombie patrol to monitor activity in the West F cavern structure." Ames skipped forward. The recording cut in with static, then another voice. It was not an accent Eli had heard before, but it was unmistakably English. English spoken by a human.
&#x200B;
"Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight." "But Baba, the demons hate us too. Why are they so angry?" "They're sick, love, and we don't know how to make them better. If you were thirsty and I didn't give you any water, would you be angry at me?" "Only a little bit, Baba." "Daisy, love, what do you do if you see a demon?" "Demons have red faces, and they go RAAAGH. You tell them you know where there is a lot of meat, and then you take them to the river because they can't swim like us." "Very good! And what do you do if you see an angel?"
&#x200B;
There was static. The child's voice -Daisy- was hard to pick up. "Angels are...all white, and no faces...and have guns. You have to run." Eli felt dizzy. Some of the rangers were crying. He covered his face. Colwell's voice, when it came, seemed to echo down a long, deep tunnel. "We're not sure what to make of this. It's possible that the cavern may house a group of ....survivors that we...were not aware of." Eli's ears still echoed with Daisy's voice. How old was she- eight, nine? Like his own Leah? *Survivors.* Had Daisy spent her whole life in that cave? All white, and no faces, and have guns. Did we kill them? Someone was looking at him. He didn't know he had spoken aloud, but it came out as a roar, thick with grief.
&#x200B;
"DID WE KILL THEM?"
|
My mother was different.
Most of them fight evolutionary urges and smother their still wet babies.
"Don't look at its eyes," the older women say.
"Just don't and do what needs to be done."
Miriam, my mother, said she never even thought of doing that to me. That she couldn't.
My earliest memories are of my mother's calloused hands pulling me along as those older women whispered and seethed. They called her cruel.
Naive.
Selfish.
An older me recognizes their fear as a resentment of the women who refused to sacrifice for the herd.
A younger me was banished for screaming at the meanest and most bitter elder.
"Remember this above all else..."
"Now, Miriam!" an elder had commanded.
My mother's last words, "will kill you on sight," were whispered with widening eyes that poured tears down her face.
But, she never taught me to believe in fucking fairy tales. She didn't, which is why she refused to kill me.
I know it's a code.
But, for what?
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Once
---
upon a time, there lived a world with 10 suns. Each of them desired the Earth and its inhabitants, but were content to share with their brothers and sisters.
Each morning, a new sun would rise into the sky and replace their sibling. Each evening, a new sun would bear witness to the sins of the world. It was a cold, cold world below them. Homes were built out of stone, men were born in mud, and death would reclaim them all to dust. Millennia passed as the suns simply watched, looking down upon man and his suffering. They watched as man grew into towers of steel and worlds of silicon. They watched as man plundered the knowledge of the unknown, as demons were summoned and the Moon waxed in power. Still, man would die. Still flesh would crumble into dust.
One morning the suns found themselves both unwilling and unable to exercise restraint, and they surged forward to embrace their dependents. That morning 10 suns filled the sky, each greedier than the last. The Moon protested, attempted to halt their avarice, to grant humanity the brief respite of night, but for this limitation the suns only grew greedier in the day.
Those who were embraced by the suns’ rays changed. They melted, but they did not die. For the suns wished to be loved as they love, and brought gifts to those they touched. They touched those who bared themselves to the sun and turned them into angels, beings of light and heat that would live eternally.
Welcome to a world of eternal life and euphoria. To a world of fluid forests and liquid amalgamations. To a world of endless summer. Welcome to a world in which no skin should be left bare, where humanity has learned to embrace the darkness and shy away from the light. Welcome to the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th year of the 10 suns. Welcome, to the end of new beginnings.
“Listen."
---
He shakes me. "Are you listening to me?” The respirator clicks, pipes wheezing their way to an oxygen tank. I nod, spy my own reflection inside of the lens of his gas mask. I’m afraid, my skin pale in contrast to the crimson hazmat suit.
“Good.” He coughs, the sound of his voice perverted into a metallic buzz. “Do you know what you need to do?”
“Move the package.” The strap around my shoulder, the package itself pressing against my hip.
“Yes! And how will you move this package?”
“Quickly.”
“And what if they come close?”
“Stay still. Stay silent.”
He nods, brushing my cheek with his glove. Musty leather and spoiled sewage. The smell of my childhood, of darkness and safety. He hugs me, wraps his arms around my head and pulls me into an embrace, muttering into my ear.
"Run from the devils. Run from the angels. Hide from the sun. Your skin is not theirs to see."
I nod, squinting my eyes shut as tears swell. Once, twice, his hand pats my head. Then I'm standing and he's gone, striding into the control room.
"She's ready!"
I strap my gas mask on as the cave doors crank open, letting the light in.
|
With a nod and looked at cave's opening. The minute I stepped beyond it I would no longer belong. It would be just me and my mission.
I felt my father and my brothers behind me but didn't look back and walked forward.
The trip down the mountain to the city was a short one and under the cover of night I passed unseen as I ran and jumped the over roof tops.
Twice I lost my footing as the wood under me gave way to rot and poor repair but my luck held.
My father's voice was ringing in my ears as I heard a familiar call in the streets below me.
"12 o'clock and all's well!"
Even after all that training, just the sound of their voices was enough to cause me heart to beat faster. I ran faster, trying to out run their cries. Faster and faster to my target.
I blame their voices for my haste, for being stupid to realize that getting to the warlord's mansion was too easy, for panicking and getting caught even before I reached the inner chambers.
"So, what do we have here? They're sending kids to assassinate me now?" Said the warlord. He didn't even bother to dress and just stood there looming over me in his night gown.
"So boy, who sent you? Give me a name and I might show you mercy." He said rubbing his chin.
With his guards holding me down all I could do was bow my head in submission... and hide my smile. The demon asks for the bargain himself.
Though my life was forfeited the minute I was given this assignment there was still some use of it. By giving the wrong name I would plant the seed of doubt in his heart. I would probably not be there for when it bloomed a crimson red but for my life I would get war. One this demon might not survive... With my head bowed and my voice shaky I made my peace, and my bargain.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Eli stepped inside the nylon enclosure. A fine mist sprayed the outside of his suit, returning it to the original pristine white. He shucked off his gloves, then raised his hands for a scan. Clean. The soft beeping let him know that he was cleared to remove the hazard suit, and so he did, revealing sweaty hair pressed down by his helmet. It had been a long day, and he hoped that Maggie's shift in the greenhouses was almost over. But he had barely entered the settlement before Ames stopped him. "Eli, you're back late. Emergency meeting in the tent. I'm getting Colwell. See you there."
&#x200B;
Fighting back fatigue and a growing sense of dread, Eli pushed open the tent to see his Rangers, clustered in groups of two or three, talking in hushed, urgent tones. He glanced left and right, looking for friendly faces or even an acknowledgment of his presence. Something was wrong. He let the noise wash over him and picked up snippets at a time: "still don't think it's true-" "but what if we've-" "a trick designed to-" It was too much to take in. He sank to the floor, leaned against a supply box, and let himself rest.
&#x200B;
Eli was seconds from dozing off when Ames and Colwell returned. The tall, severe lead ranger was as blunt as ever. "Gentlemen. You've heard the reports of activity near the caverns. We're going to play you this recording and then we will discuss a plan of action." The rangers broke apart from their groups, turned to face Ames with hesitation, glancing back and forth from him to Colwell. "I know you're wondering what our head scientist is doing here. We'll explain later." Colwell nodded, her dark eyes unreadable.
&#x200B;
The recording began with a voice that Eli thought he recognized. "This is Ranger Allen, date is May 11 at approximately 2 pm. Placing this recording device in section West F as part of routine zombie patrol to monitor activity in the West F cavern structure." Ames skipped forward. The recording cut in with static, then another voice. It was not an accent Eli had heard before, but it was unmistakably English. English spoken by a human.
&#x200B;
"Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight." "But Baba, the demons hate us too. Why are they so angry?" "They're sick, love, and we don't know how to make them better. If you were thirsty and I didn't give you any water, would you be angry at me?" "Only a little bit, Baba." "Daisy, love, what do you do if you see a demon?" "Demons have red faces, and they go RAAAGH. You tell them you know where there is a lot of meat, and then you take them to the river because they can't swim like us." "Very good! And what do you do if you see an angel?"
&#x200B;
There was static. The child's voice -Daisy- was hard to pick up. "Angels are...all white, and no faces...and have guns. You have to run." Eli felt dizzy. Some of the rangers were crying. He covered his face. Colwell's voice, when it came, seemed to echo down a long, deep tunnel. "We're not sure what to make of this. It's possible that the cavern may house a group of ....survivors that we...were not aware of." Eli's ears still echoed with Daisy's voice. How old was she- eight, nine? Like his own Leah? *Survivors.* Had Daisy spent her whole life in that cave? All white, and no faces, and have guns. Did we kill them? Someone was looking at him. He didn't know he had spoken aloud, but it came out as a roar, thick with grief.
&#x200B;
"DID WE KILL THEM?"
|
With a nod and looked at cave's opening. The minute I stepped beyond it I would no longer belong. It would be just me and my mission.
I felt my father and my brothers behind me but didn't look back and walked forward.
The trip down the mountain to the city was a short one and under the cover of night I passed unseen as I ran and jumped the over roof tops.
Twice I lost my footing as the wood under me gave way to rot and poor repair but my luck held.
My father's voice was ringing in my ears as I heard a familiar call in the streets below me.
"12 o'clock and all's well!"
Even after all that training, just the sound of their voices was enough to cause me heart to beat faster. I ran faster, trying to out run their cries. Faster and faster to my target.
I blame their voices for my haste, for being stupid to realize that getting to the warlord's mansion was too easy, for panicking and getting caught even before I reached the inner chambers.
"So, what do we have here? They're sending kids to assassinate me now?" Said the warlord. He didn't even bother to dress and just stood there looming over me in his night gown.
"So boy, who sent you? Give me a name and I might show you mercy." He said rubbing his chin.
With his guards holding me down all I could do was bow my head in submission... and hide my smile. The demon asks for the bargain himself.
Though my life was forfeited the minute I was given this assignment there was still some use of it. By giving the wrong name I would plant the seed of doubt in his heart. I would probably not be there for when it bloomed a crimson red but for my life I would get war. One this demon might not survive... With my head bowed and my voice shaky I made my peace, and my bargain.
|
|
[WP] “Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight.”
|
Eli stepped inside the nylon enclosure. A fine mist sprayed the outside of his suit, returning it to the original pristine white. He shucked off his gloves, then raised his hands for a scan. Clean. The soft beeping let him know that he was cleared to remove the hazard suit, and so he did, revealing sweaty hair pressed down by his helmet. It had been a long day, and he hoped that Maggie's shift in the greenhouses was almost over. But he had barely entered the settlement before Ames stopped him. "Eli, you're back late. Emergency meeting in the tent. I'm getting Colwell. See you there."
&#x200B;
Fighting back fatigue and a growing sense of dread, Eli pushed open the tent to see his Rangers, clustered in groups of two or three, talking in hushed, urgent tones. He glanced left and right, looking for friendly faces or even an acknowledgment of his presence. Something was wrong. He let the noise wash over him and picked up snippets at a time: "still don't think it's true-" "but what if we've-" "a trick designed to-" It was too much to take in. He sank to the floor, leaned against a supply box, and let himself rest.
&#x200B;
Eli was seconds from dozing off when Ames and Colwell returned. The tall, severe lead ranger was as blunt as ever. "Gentlemen. You've heard the reports of activity near the caverns. We're going to play you this recording and then we will discuss a plan of action." The rangers broke apart from their groups, turned to face Ames with hesitation, glancing back and forth from him to Colwell. "I know you're wondering what our head scientist is doing here. We'll explain later." Colwell nodded, her dark eyes unreadable.
&#x200B;
The recording began with a voice that Eli thought he recognized. "This is Ranger Allen, date is May 11 at approximately 2 pm. Placing this recording device in section West F as part of routine zombie patrol to monitor activity in the West F cavern structure." Ames skipped forward. The recording cut in with static, then another voice. It was not an accent Eli had heard before, but it was unmistakably English. English spoken by a human.
&#x200B;
"Remember this above all else when you leave the Cave. It is much better to run across a demon than angel. A demon can be bargained with. An angel, on the other hand, will kill you on sight." "But Baba, the demons hate us too. Why are they so angry?" "They're sick, love, and we don't know how to make them better. If you were thirsty and I didn't give you any water, would you be angry at me?" "Only a little bit, Baba." "Daisy, love, what do you do if you see a demon?" "Demons have red faces, and they go RAAAGH. You tell them you know where there is a lot of meat, and then you take them to the river because they can't swim like us." "Very good! And what do you do if you see an angel?"
&#x200B;
There was static. The child's voice -Daisy- was hard to pick up. "Angels are...all white, and no faces...and have guns. You have to run." Eli felt dizzy. Some of the rangers were crying. He covered his face. Colwell's voice, when it came, seemed to echo down a long, deep tunnel. "We're not sure what to make of this. It's possible that the cavern may house a group of ....survivors that we...were not aware of." Eli's ears still echoed with Daisy's voice. How old was she- eight, nine? Like his own Leah? *Survivors.* Had Daisy spent her whole life in that cave? All white, and no faces, and have guns. Did we kill them? Someone was looking at him. He didn't know he had spoken aloud, but it came out as a roar, thick with grief.
&#x200B;
"DID WE KILL THEM?"
|
Once
---
upon a time, there lived a world with 10 suns. Each of them desired the Earth and its inhabitants, but were content to share with their brothers and sisters.
Each morning, a new sun would rise into the sky and replace their sibling. Each evening, a new sun would bear witness to the sins of the world. It was a cold, cold world below them. Homes were built out of stone, men were born in mud, and death would reclaim them all to dust. Millennia passed as the suns simply watched, looking down upon man and his suffering. They watched as man grew into towers of steel and worlds of silicon. They watched as man plundered the knowledge of the unknown, as demons were summoned and the Moon waxed in power. Still, man would die. Still flesh would crumble into dust.
One morning the suns found themselves both unwilling and unable to exercise restraint, and they surged forward to embrace their dependents. That morning 10 suns filled the sky, each greedier than the last. The Moon protested, attempted to halt their avarice, to grant humanity the brief respite of night, but for this limitation the suns only grew greedier in the day.
Those who were embraced by the suns’ rays changed. They melted, but they did not die. For the suns wished to be loved as they love, and brought gifts to those they touched. They touched those who bared themselves to the sun and turned them into angels, beings of light and heat that would live eternally.
Welcome to a world of eternal life and euphoria. To a world of fluid forests and liquid amalgamations. To a world of endless summer. Welcome to a world in which no skin should be left bare, where humanity has learned to embrace the darkness and shy away from the light. Welcome to the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th year of the 10 suns. Welcome, to the end of new beginnings.
“Listen."
---
He shakes me. "Are you listening to me?” The respirator clicks, pipes wheezing their way to an oxygen tank. I nod, spy my own reflection inside of the lens of his gas mask. I’m afraid, my skin pale in contrast to the crimson hazmat suit.
“Good.” He coughs, the sound of his voice perverted into a metallic buzz. “Do you know what you need to do?”
“Move the package.” The strap around my shoulder, the package itself pressing against my hip.
“Yes! And how will you move this package?”
“Quickly.”
“And what if they come close?”
“Stay still. Stay silent.”
He nods, brushing my cheek with his glove. Musty leather and spoiled sewage. The smell of my childhood, of darkness and safety. He hugs me, wraps his arms around my head and pulls me into an embrace, muttering into my ear.
"Run from the devils. Run from the angels. Hide from the sun. Your skin is not theirs to see."
I nod, squinting my eyes shut as tears swell. Once, twice, his hand pats my head. Then I'm standing and he's gone, striding into the control room.
"She's ready!"
I strap my gas mask on as the cave doors crank open, letting the light in.
|
|
&#x200B;
|
[WP] You wake up to find that no one remembers you. You're chased out of your home by your family and estranged by your classmates. There is one person you don't remember though, and she is claiming to be your ally.
|
*Just keep your head down*, I told myself, *Just don’t draw attention to yourself and everything will be fine*
I walked into Physics, my third hour on a Monday already feeling like the whole week. I got a few curious glances, but fortunately High School students aren’t very enthusiastic about investigating stuff like this. My Physics teacher, Coach Jay, doesn’t have a seating chart, so I sat down in the back corner of the class room. His room is organized into columns of two desks, so there was an empty seat to my right. I was praying that nobody would take it, but alas, my luck was not so.
A girl I didn’t recognize came over with a smile, and asked “Mind if I sit here?” I, being the least assertive person on the planet, said “No”. “Thanks.” She dropped her bag and slid next to me, “I’m Lydia, what’s your name?”. “Jack.” “You’re new around here, aren’t you Jack?”
The way Lydia said it sounded less like a question and more like an order. I scanned her quickly, trying to see if there was anything off about her. She had dirty blonde hair in a low ponytail, brown eyes, rosy cheeks, and an all around attractive quality to her. But I also noticed she seemed... nervous, or something. Like the kind of nervous when there’s a big test coming up that hour, or someone with stage fright right before they go on stage.
“Yeah, I transferred.” I agreed to more so than answered her question.
“Where did you transfer from?” Lydia saw my moment’s hesitation as I tried to think of another school in the area, “Madison?”
“Yeah, Madison.”
“Make sure you know where you’re from, Jack. People will get suspicious.” Her tone was serious, and it gave me an odd feeling in my stomach, “You do any sports?”
“Yeah, I play basketball.”
“Good, but you don’t have the paperwork in yet to play here, so you won’t go to practice today, right?”
“Umm...”
“Right? Jack?” Lydia looked into my eyes, commanding me to follow her lead. So I did.
“Yeah. Yeah, my physical isn’t registered here yet. It’s my first day, so no surprise there.”
“Good. Very good.” The bell interrupted the conversation, “Alright Jack. Follow my lead, and remember what we just talked about. You’ll do great.”
Coach Jay started roll call. He read off a few names (all people I knew but whom didn’t know me), and then, like he knew her from one of his previous classes, he casually read “Lydia, I saw you walk in.” After a few more he got to my name, “Jack... Worziniak?” I raised my hand, “Did I pronounce it right?” “Yes sir.” “You’re new here, at least in this class, right?” “Yes sir. Just transferred from Madison.” “Nice. Well, I’m Coach Jay, you can call me Coach. You play any sports, Jack?” “Basketball, Coach.” “Basketball? So I’ll be seeing you at practice today then?” “Sorry coach, I’ve got to get my physical turned in still.” “Well, get in quickly so we can get you out on the courts, K Jack?” “Will do Coach.” “Good man. Alex Garr?...”
Throughout class, I gave a few sidelong glances at Lydia, who seemed less nervous now but still attentive. When Coach told the class to pull out their homework, Lydia stopped me as I reached into my backpack. “You’re new, remember? Here, follow along on mine.” And she pulled from her backpack a three ring binder with the year’s assignments so far, and even dividers for different sections. She pulled out yesterday’s homework, done in neat handwriting and in entirety. She ended up getting a perfect grade on it, and she got all the same answers I had got, which flustered me. But I shrugged it off and stayed quiet until the end of class, with no incident. As we were leaving class, she told me to keep it up and to stick with her, “And we’ll make it until the end of the day. I’m your friend here, Jack, your ally.”
I had two other classes with Lydia, Shop and Algebra, and we sat together at lunch. At lunch she asked me a bunch more questions about who I was, uncannily the same questions that I was asked my people throughout the day. By seventh hour Algebra, end of the day, I had created a convincing tale that I was a Junior from Madison High, and simply said what I actually did as though I was a student there (Basketball, Video games, Baseball in the spring, etc.). During Algebra, Lydia, who was sitting right next to me, invited me to her house after school, and offered me a ride. I agreed, with no other place to go. When school was out, I followed her out to her car, a bright red Jeep, and jumped in shotgun. Once the doors were closed and she
began driving , she started talking.
“Long day?”
“Yeah, longer than the usual Monday.”
“Well, you made a convincing first day. I thought I even saw you asking directions in the hallway once.”
“I figured it would be a good touch. But I can tell you know this isn’t really my first day.”
“Of course not. Just like you can tell that I know what I’m doing.”
“Can you tell me what’s going on? I’ve been at this school for two and a half years, and no one remembers me.”
“You’ve lived at home for sixteen and no one remembers you, either.”
It was true. I had gotten all my ready when my Mom walked into the kitchen, freaked out, and chased me out of the house. My usual walk to school turned into a run, but the whole time I was just confused. Now, I was even more so.
“Is there any way to fix it?” I asked, “Or am I stuck?”
“Jack, your problem is a regular case of quantum disconnect. You’ve been knocked out of sync with the time-space continuum, but only just. That’s why your name is still on all of the attendance sheets and rosters, but why no one remembers you. We can fix it by rewinding the clock to the last synchronized point, sometime last night.”
“What?” It was all jargon to me.
“Think of it this way. Time is a straight line, going forward. It’s not, but imagine it is. You deviated from that line for a moment; you branched off the path. During that time when you were branching, the people in this timeline forgot about you. You were erased from their memory, because human brains can’t process something that’s outside their time. What we’re going to do is cut that timeline right where you diverge, then move it up and place it at the end of your branch. For you, it will seem as though everything kept marching on. For everyone else, their brains will self correct and you’ll be back in business for Tuesday.”
“How the hell do you know all of this?” I asked her, “Who are you?”
“Jack, I’m the person whose job it is to fix these things when they go wrong. Your problem’s j fixable, and common. What’s not as fixable is when the reverse happens.”
“The reverse?”
“You disappear, but everyone still remembers you. Count yourself lucky, because we still haven’t figured out a way to fix that one.”
“But you haven’t answered my question: Who are you?”
We pulled into her driveway, up to a secluded farmhouse, surrounded by trees. She led me inside and down to the basement, where there was a very large computer set up at a desk.
“Ever seen Doctor Who?” She asked me.
“No, but I know what it is.”
“Well, think of me like a Time Lord, except I’m just human. Here, get comfy: this will only take a minute. I’m going to simulate the rest of today for you. All your homework will be done, and you’ll be back in your bed at home when your alarm goes off tomorrow morning. You’ll have missed basketball practice, but so be it.”
“What about you? Will you stick around?” I asked.
“I’m a busy girl, Jack. Besides, I can’t stay here. People will get suspicious. I can’t trick their brains forever.”
“So where will you go? Will I ever see you again?”
Lydia looked at me, and she laughed pleasantly, “I’ll be around, Jack. People who have stuff like this are more apt to have it again. I just hope we don’t meet again in a more dire situation. Now, put this headset on, and get comfy.”
“Wait! There’s so much more I want to ask you-“
“And there’s so much more you don’t need to know. Just remember not to say anything about me or today, got it? People will think you’re crazy.”
“Fine.” I still was confused, but I accepted it.
“See you around, Jack.”
I woke up in my bed, in my room, my head full of memories I hadn’t made. My alarm was going off, and my Mom called from downstairs “Jack, get up! You’re going to be late for school!”
Since then I’ve been trying to figure out what Lydia was talking about. It’s been nearly a decade, a Masters in theoretical physics and a Minor in computer simulations later, I’m beginning to figure it out. There’s a lot I should tell you, but I’m afraid I’ve said too much already. Lydia’s probably going to be pissed that I said what I have, but I needed to tell my story. If you want to know more, you’ll have to find me- or the other way around.
|
"Look, I woke up and my mum start throwing kitchen knives at me, my sister cried when she saw me and my best friend threatened to beat me up... and *your* going to explain it to me?" I asked frustrated. The girl that stood in front of me was short, she also wore something that belonged right in a cyber punk neon dress. Whereas my tracksuit pants were covered in mud and being held up by my hands.
"Look, it'll all make sense when you come with me... Alright Virus send the Malware." She talked into a wrist watch that glowed neon purple.
"What is this the matrix?" I asked sarcastically as a neon bus with the words "MALWARE" screeched around the corner.
"Get in." She said as she stared into the distance, perfect movie trailer pose.
"Can't get any worse." I sighed as I walked into the garishly bright neon interior of the bus.
"I suppose you'll want to know whats going on. I'm Cyber." Cyber said as she flicked her neon dyed hair.
"Actually no I want a sandwich, **yes I want some fucking answers!**" I screamed and waving my hands wildly, hitting some sci fi gadget that went *bleeeep.*
"Don't touch the X-Tron!" Cyber said flicking some switches on the ""X-Tron"" Jesus this was getting silly.
"Anyway, to answer your question. It's the lizard men."
"Oh fuck off." I rubbed my temples.
"Well everyone has forgot about you! Why are lizard men so far fetched." Cyber pouted like a story writer who was just told that their plot is basically harry potter with guns.
"Fair point, but why me?" I sighed. Cyber sat up in her chair excitedly, looked me up and down and frowned.
"Well, anyone who is erased is a threat to the Under Society but..." Cyber just pointed at me.
"What? Is something wrong with me?" I asked offended that I couldn't be a threat to the Under Society.
"Wait the hell is an Under Society?"
"**The** Under Society is comprised of the Lizard Men, Advanced AI created in the 70's, Vampires of ancient dictators, Greek myths that still live to this day, Aliens and David."
"Who the fucks David?"
"The Overlord of the Under Society, our sworn enemy." Cyber explained gravely.
"David?"
"Who else could rule such power hungry, viscous, cunning beasts."
"David?" I asked again not sure if I laugh or pretend to be afraid.
"Yes, we're here." Cyber said shaking her head, as if some great tragedy had happened involving David in the not so distant past perfect for a prequel series.
Cyber left the bus and entered a cave base that was matte black with various neon veins being pumped to various vehicles, and weapons.
"I might like this place." I said as I approached the big fuck off sword that bled neon red blood.
"That's the Antivirus sword, it's called that because when making it Byte accidentally cut Virus with it." Cyber explained.
"What is this place?" I asked, narrowly keeping myself from grabbing Antivirus.
"Our main base, it's called Motherboard." Cyber explained.
"And why did you bring me here?" I asked after seeing a frail shadowy figure sitting in the darkness, eyes illuminated with green lights.
"Because your our newest member of the resistance." Cyber said proudly, her line the perfect place for the first chapter of a book to leave off on.
|
[WP] An AI bartender does its best while a group of survivors barricades themselves inside its bar.
|
Jeremy held Nicole’s hand as they raced down the corridor. In a ship as big as the Andromeda, there was no way in hell they were going to be separated. They ran, turning left and right, feeling better as the screams grew fainter in the background.
“Here!” Jeremy whispered, pulling Nicole into an unlit room. He quickly turned to the display on the wall next to the door. Entering his engineer credentials, he sealed the door shut. Catching her breath, Nicole slid down the wall and hugged her knees.
“What the actual fuck just happened?” She let out in a hoarse voice.
“You’re one of the medical doctors on board, princess, you tell me!” Jeremy quipped back. “The Andromeda is the best luxury class space cruiser in existence and it has the best food money can buy. I seriously doubt people started eating each other because the buffet wasn’t up to par. Just... just give me a second to power up this room.”
A low hum filled the room as the lights slowly blinked on. They illuminated a spacious, tall room. Everything in the room shouted elegance, from the columns supporting huge windows, to the mahogany tables interspaced through out the room. On the far side of the room was a bar, which Nicole and Jeremy both made their way to.
“Of all the rooms to shelter in, the Ambassador’s Lounge is a pretty good one to pick. You know how to treat a woman.”
“Only the best for you babe.”
As they sat down at the bar, a mannequin at the end lit up. His face was handsome and his body was made of bronze. His suit was impeccable until it cut off below the waist. His torso was fastened directly to a track that ran the length of the bar.
“Welcome to the Ambassador’s Lounge, a premier location aboard the Andromeda. I am Francis,” the android said in a posh British accent.
“He’s very handsome isn’t he? All that bronze. I bet he has abs of... bronze.”
“Calm down Nicole. He’s only humanoid from the waist up. Obviously missing the most important anatomical features. But don’t worry. I’m here.”
Nicole scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Even with a potential zombie apocalypse going on on the other side of the door... you’re useless sometimes.”
“I’m just making jokes to release some of the stress I feel. Unless you are up to any other ways to relieve stress.”
“If you make me roll my eyes anymore, I’m going to get dizzy. Let’s get a drink while we sort through this mess. Francis, can I have a Long Island Iced Tea?”
“And I’ll have a Mint Julep please. After what we just witnessed, I need to cleanse my palate.”
“I do apologize, Dr. Kelplin, Engineer Kelplin. The ship is under a Level 2 Emergency. Regrettably, alcohol consumption is thus prohibited. I can provide various sodas or water, as well as a wide assortment of hors d'oeuvre.”
“Dammit. This is officially worse than our wed...”
Francis interrupted, “I have an update for you. It is with great pleasure I announce that I can now make your cocktails.”
“Why now all of a sudden?” Nicole asked.
“I just received an update. Approximately two minutes ago, the captain was disemboweled by the waitstaff. Most of the commanding officers are also incapacitated. This constitutes a Level 1 Emergency in which passenger comfort can now take precedence.”
“Shit...”
|
“What do y’all want to drink pardner?”
“Davis, barricade the windows. Johnson, check out the back. Rico, help me break up some furniture.”
“What do y’all want to drink pardner?”
“Hey, what’s with the tin can?”
“Leave it Rico, it’s just a bartending unit. Can’t help us defend.”
“Breaking the furniture is against the law, pardner.”
“You sure about that, major?”
“Yes I’m sure. I grew up around here.”
“Please refrain from breaking the furniture or I will call the police, pardner.”
“Major, are you sure we should leave the tin can alone?”
“Yes Rico. It will just call the cops. Do you think the dead can use a phone?”
*RING* *RING* *RING*
“JESUS CHRIST!”
“Told you so.”
“Shut up Rico.”
|
|
[WP] The devil is behind in quota and offers you anything in exchange for your soul. After you both promptly shake hands, you make a request he has never gotten before: you ask for his soul in return.
|
"I want your soul!"
He stares at me for a couple seconds. All things considered, the devil seems surprisingly ordinary.
"All right, give me a moment."
He concentrates on some sort of ritual. As he finishes, a strange feeling washes over me.
"It is done."
He stands up, opens the door and leaves. As he exists, he says
"Congratulations on your new job."
|
"Yes, definitely" you answer as soon as the devil finishes his sentence. Its been a rough year and getting fired was just the push over the edge you needed to agree to something this crazy. That soul never was going to be saved anyways and besides an eternity in Hell is nothing compared to going home to tell your wife you lost your job today. You practically grab the devils clawed hand to seal the deal.
"Is there anything you need me to do?" you ask.
"No the deed is already done. Now its your turn, what do you desire and please be quick?" the devil asks, tapping his hoof impatiently.
Money? Fame? Eternal life? The ideas come whizzing by like cars on the speedway. Thats when it dawns on you, if I get his soul he'll have to do what I say right?
You smile coyly "Okay I'm ready." you pause for effect "I want your soul!" you point triumphantly at the devil as if you were smiting him with a spell from your finger.
"Hmmm, very well. I will finish the preparations tonight and tomorrow you will have all my powers at your disposal" The devil answers, unfazed. He makes a unfamiliar circling motion onto his chest and disappears in a flash of light and a puff of smoke.
You look around the bar where you were enjoying your drink to see if anyone had noticed the flash but it seems like everyone was oblivious to the lord of darkness next to you. The bartender asks if you are okay as he notices you pointing into thin air at nothing.
Did the devil even exist in the first place?
You try to shake the thought that you just gave up something for nothing and return home, grabbing your coat from the stool next to you and walking out into the misty night.
As you enter the house you check your watch, 1:00am. Guess that means she'll already be asleep. Well thank god for small miracles you think as the looming dread of explaining it all to her hangs on your shoulders.
As you undress and get ready for bed you notice that the house is cold you move the thermostat up a couple of degrees and then turn in for the night.
&#x200B;
You awake next morning to the sound of screaming.
&#x200B;
"Whats wrong?!" You instantly are up and out of the bed, you feet clomping on the ground, alert for any danger as you look to your wife.
"Oh my God! The devil is in our house! Help anyone! Please!" she screams, terrified and pointing at you.
A cold wave of realization washes over you, slowly your gaze shifts from your wife to the bedroom mirror to reveal the hideous image of the devil himself. You see your reflection smile and wink and the words ring in your head again and again "all my powers will be at your disposal" as you fall to your knees clutching your head and feeling the horns protruding on either side....
|
|
[WP] The devil is behind in quota and offers you anything in exchange for your soul. After you both promptly shake hands, you make a request he has never gotten before: you ask for his soul in return.
|
”Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck” thought Josiah in a moment of panic. “Shit! If I don’t get another soul in time, Satan’s gonna fucking throw me down the well…”
Josiah is one of the ten thousand demons that Satan has sent down into Earth to collect souls for him. Their task is an easy one, just collect a hundred souls. The catch is that they are not allowed to use their demonic powers to take souls, only through having them commit sinful acts caused by said demon. Satan said that this is supposed to train their skills in manipulation because “A high demon that can’t scheme shouldn’t have a mind.” If they succeed, they’ll be welcomed back to hell with the finest Devil’s Ale and Satan’s Finest Wine aplenty. If they fail however, they’ll be personally thrown by Satan into the deepest darkest abyss where Cerberus waits to toy with them.
And right now, it’s looking like Josiah is going to meet that damn dog.
He’d been lazy, fooling around with those beautiful human girls while his colleagues are struggling to collect souls. Even though he’s not the only one doing it, Josiah took it to another level. Where the other demons took the occasional lady and drank some fine wine, Josiah has actually set up his own prostitution ring. Using his demonic charms, he made all the finest ladies he met into his minions, and even took the time to enjoy the best ones himself. The generous time limit of 10 years which Satan has set made it incredibly easy for everyone to complete the task, making it feel more like a holiday to these immortal beings. Yet, at one point, Josiah forgot about it, and by the time he realized, he had a month left.
It was a good thing that Hell gave notifications before the deadline. At the time, only around 100ish demons are left on Earth and have yet to complete the task. Josiah naturally hasn’t collected a single one. And so he panicked, racking his brain to find out a way to save his ass. Then, like the pouring of hot lava, he got it.
The customers that uses his girls.
They’re all sinful bastards, anyways, and the human world is unlikely to miss them. So he acted, taking away their souls as the poor men beds his women. 50 souls in, and soon enough, everyone is terrified of his prostitutes as rumours have spread that they are “So good, they kill”, as the people that bedded his women all lived like zombies thereafter. The rate of stupid human souls collected decreased, and with 1 week left, he’s still 20 souls short.
He grew frantic, and forced all his women to go out in the streets and seduce innocent fools. Some idiots of course fell for it, and his girls managed to get 19 souls. Only 1 soul left.
Yet only 2 hours remain.
“Dear, what’s the matter. You’ve been pacing around for the entire day.” said Veronica, his favourite woman.
“Nothing’s wrong, now shut up and let me think.”
Veronica smiled, this man has always been rude and boorish, but this past week he’s suddenly become so cruel. Fortunately, as she is his favourite girl, she was not forced to search for victims, or be tortured if she didn’t find one. Instead, all she had to do was warm Josiah’s bed at night and give him pleasure when he asks.
10 years ago, she was the first woman he found. 10 years later, she’s the woman that Josiah has bedded the most.
Why so? Maybe it’s because of her extremely ravishing figure, with her hourglass figure and firm breasts. Her looks are bewitching and seductive, and her stunning beauty leaves men dying of lust.
With a woman like her, what more can a demon want?
Even after 10 years, her beauty did not diminish, instead only growing more ravishing as the years pass. Naturally, Josiah never got tired of her, and his libido is always satisfied when he’s with her, unlike the other girls.
Truthfully, he could’ve taken the souls of his girls long ago, as all of them have committed sins due to him, or even with him. But a small part of his heart, probably out of selfishness and nothing good, doesn’t want to take their souls and be put to use by Satan. He wants to enjoy them as much as he can on earth, and fuck Satan if he wants them.
Now though, with time ticking down, he’s running out of options.
Not able to think of anything else, he decided to just go for it.
“Veronica.” He called.
Veronica looked at him quizzically.
“Truth is I’m a demon.”
Veronica’s eyes widened, seemingly in shock.
“I’m supposed to collect souls, yet I’m running out of time so I’ll cut you a deal. I’ll give you anything you want or desire in exchange for your soul.”
“Am I going to end up like those zombielike men I heard?”
Josiah shook his head “No, I’ll make sure that you’ll be able to live your life to the fullest and can get more things than you’ve ever had. I may be a demon, but I’ve never lied to you.”
*Except this once, I suppose*
Veronica went silent, seemingly in deep thought. After a while, her face grew a bewitching smile.
“Anything right?”
“Yes, anything you want or more. Nothing’s impossible for a demon in the human world.” Josiah said with a charming smile.
Seeing this, Veronica giggled and extended her hand. Josiah grabbed it and shook it firmly. Now, he finally relaxed. After fulfilling the wish of this puny human, he can be free of Cerberus’ lavalike saliva.
“So now, tell me what you want.”
Veronica laughed sweetly. “Well, it’s simple, Josiah.”
Suddenly, black wings unfurled from Veronica’s back, as her face grew a twisted smile.
“I want your soul.”
Shock was drawn on Josiah’s face. *What the actual fuck this bitch that I’ve been fucking all these years is actually a demon too?!*
His shock grew even worse when he saw her draw out a shining dark blade. It was the famous Sword of Damnation, and only one person in hell is qualified to wield it.
“Jezebel?!”
Hearing the name that she hasn’t heard for these past 10 years, Jezebel put on a dark smile.
“Ah Josiah, you’re such a fool. You didn’t even think to use a fake name when you went out in action. I don’t think Satan wants such a careless man working for him.”
“W-w-w-why are you here??! Shouldn’t the 10 Servants of Satan be by Satan’s side SERVING him??!”
“Our Lord requires us to serve in a different way. Whilst you lot are gathering human souls and fooling around, we were sent to collect demon souls, particularly those who we deem useless.”
Jezebel let out an evil grin, her sharp teeth now clearly visible. “And it just so happens the first demon I found is one of them.”
Josiah is now shivering. He is certainly no match for Jezebel, who wields that damnable sword and has fought against God himself and survived. All he can do now is beg and grovel, holding on to the sliver of hope that she might free him.
And that’s exactly what he did.
“Please, Veronica… Spare me… I tried my best, I really did…. I still have an hour, I’ll find the best human soul Satan can possibly want.”
He started crying “So… Please don’t kill me… Please…”
Seeing this pitiful display, Jezebel sighed.
“You are such a sorry excuse for a demon. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been uprooted by the police long ago. I’ve already given you plenty of chances, with none left to give.”
Jezebel smiled. The sweetest smile she has ever done.
“So please Josiah, just die quietly.”
With that, Jezebel raised her dark blade, and hacked down hard, with Josiah’s girlish screech accompanying the blade’s descent. The deed done, a red soul came out, signifying the soul of a High Demon. Jezebel took it and sang a lovely tune, as she descended back to hell wondering what nice reward that Satan has in store for her.
|
"Yes, definitely" you answer as soon as the devil finishes his sentence. Its been a rough year and getting fired was just the push over the edge you needed to agree to something this crazy. That soul never was going to be saved anyways and besides an eternity in Hell is nothing compared to going home to tell your wife you lost your job today. You practically grab the devils clawed hand to seal the deal.
"Is there anything you need me to do?" you ask.
"No the deed is already done. Now its your turn, what do you desire and please be quick?" the devil asks, tapping his hoof impatiently.
Money? Fame? Eternal life? The ideas come whizzing by like cars on the speedway. Thats when it dawns on you, if I get his soul he'll have to do what I say right?
You smile coyly "Okay I'm ready." you pause for effect "I want your soul!" you point triumphantly at the devil as if you were smiting him with a spell from your finger.
"Hmmm, very well. I will finish the preparations tonight and tomorrow you will have all my powers at your disposal" The devil answers, unfazed. He makes a unfamiliar circling motion onto his chest and disappears in a flash of light and a puff of smoke.
You look around the bar where you were enjoying your drink to see if anyone had noticed the flash but it seems like everyone was oblivious to the lord of darkness next to you. The bartender asks if you are okay as he notices you pointing into thin air at nothing.
Did the devil even exist in the first place?
You try to shake the thought that you just gave up something for nothing and return home, grabbing your coat from the stool next to you and walking out into the misty night.
As you enter the house you check your watch, 1:00am. Guess that means she'll already be asleep. Well thank god for small miracles you think as the looming dread of explaining it all to her hangs on your shoulders.
As you undress and get ready for bed you notice that the house is cold you move the thermostat up a couple of degrees and then turn in for the night.
&#x200B;
You awake next morning to the sound of screaming.
&#x200B;
"Whats wrong?!" You instantly are up and out of the bed, you feet clomping on the ground, alert for any danger as you look to your wife.
"Oh my God! The devil is in our house! Help anyone! Please!" she screams, terrified and pointing at you.
A cold wave of realization washes over you, slowly your gaze shifts from your wife to the bedroom mirror to reveal the hideous image of the devil himself. You see your reflection smile and wink and the words ring in your head again and again "all my powers will be at your disposal" as you fall to your knees clutching your head and feeling the horns protruding on either side....
|
|
[WP] The devil is behind in quota and offers you anything in exchange for your soul. After you both promptly shake hands, you make a request he has never gotten before: you ask for his soul in return.
|
”Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck” thought Josiah in a moment of panic. “Shit! If I don’t get another soul in time, Satan’s gonna fucking throw me down the well…”
Josiah is one of the ten thousand demons that Satan has sent down into Earth to collect souls for him. Their task is an easy one, just collect a hundred souls. The catch is that they are not allowed to use their demonic powers to take souls, only through having them commit sinful acts caused by said demon. Satan said that this is supposed to train their skills in manipulation because “A high demon that can’t scheme shouldn’t have a mind.” If they succeed, they’ll be welcomed back to hell with the finest Devil’s Ale and Satan’s Finest Wine aplenty. If they fail however, they’ll be personally thrown by Satan into the deepest darkest abyss where Cerberus waits to toy with them.
And right now, it’s looking like Josiah is going to meet that damn dog.
He’d been lazy, fooling around with those beautiful human girls while his colleagues are struggling to collect souls. Even though he’s not the only one doing it, Josiah took it to another level. Where the other demons took the occasional lady and drank some fine wine, Josiah has actually set up his own prostitution ring. Using his demonic charms, he made all the finest ladies he met into his minions, and even took the time to enjoy the best ones himself. The generous time limit of 10 years which Satan has set made it incredibly easy for everyone to complete the task, making it feel more like a holiday to these immortal beings. Yet, at one point, Josiah forgot about it, and by the time he realized, he had a month left.
It was a good thing that Hell gave notifications before the deadline. At the time, only around 100ish demons are left on Earth and have yet to complete the task. Josiah naturally hasn’t collected a single one. And so he panicked, racking his brain to find out a way to save his ass. Then, like the pouring of hot lava, he got it.
The customers that uses his girls.
They’re all sinful bastards, anyways, and the human world is unlikely to miss them. So he acted, taking away their souls as the poor men beds his women. 50 souls in, and soon enough, everyone is terrified of his prostitutes as rumours have spread that they are “So good, they kill”, as the people that bedded his women all lived like zombies thereafter. The rate of stupid human souls collected decreased, and with 1 week left, he’s still 20 souls short.
He grew frantic, and forced all his women to go out in the streets and seduce innocent fools. Some idiots of course fell for it, and his girls managed to get 19 souls. Only 1 soul left.
Yet only 2 hours remain.
“Dear, what’s the matter. You’ve been pacing around for the entire day.” said Veronica, his favourite woman.
“Nothing’s wrong, now shut up and let me think.”
Veronica smiled, this man has always been rude and boorish, but this past week he’s suddenly become so cruel. Fortunately, as she is his favourite girl, she was not forced to search for victims, or be tortured if she didn’t find one. Instead, all she had to do was warm Josiah’s bed at night and give him pleasure when he asks.
10 years ago, she was the first woman he found. 10 years later, she’s the woman that Josiah has bedded the most.
Why so? Maybe it’s because of her extremely ravishing figure, with her hourglass figure and firm breasts. Her looks are bewitching and seductive, and her stunning beauty leaves men dying of lust.
With a woman like her, what more can a demon want?
Even after 10 years, her beauty did not diminish, instead only growing more ravishing as the years pass. Naturally, Josiah never got tired of her, and his libido is always satisfied when he’s with her, unlike the other girls.
Truthfully, he could’ve taken the souls of his girls long ago, as all of them have committed sins due to him, or even with him. But a small part of his heart, probably out of selfishness and nothing good, doesn’t want to take their souls and be put to use by Satan. He wants to enjoy them as much as he can on earth, and fuck Satan if he wants them.
Now though, with time ticking down, he’s running out of options.
Not able to think of anything else, he decided to just go for it.
“Veronica.” He called.
Veronica looked at him quizzically.
“Truth is I’m a demon.”
Veronica’s eyes widened, seemingly in shock.
“I’m supposed to collect souls, yet I’m running out of time so I’ll cut you a deal. I’ll give you anything you want or desire in exchange for your soul.”
“Am I going to end up like those zombielike men I heard?”
Josiah shook his head “No, I’ll make sure that you’ll be able to live your life to the fullest and can get more things than you’ve ever had. I may be a demon, but I’ve never lied to you.”
*Except this once, I suppose*
Veronica went silent, seemingly in deep thought. After a while, her face grew a bewitching smile.
“Anything right?”
“Yes, anything you want or more. Nothing’s impossible for a demon in the human world.” Josiah said with a charming smile.
Seeing this, Veronica giggled and extended her hand. Josiah grabbed it and shook it firmly. Now, he finally relaxed. After fulfilling the wish of this puny human, he can be free of Cerberus’ lavalike saliva.
“So now, tell me what you want.”
Veronica laughed sweetly. “Well, it’s simple, Josiah.”
Suddenly, black wings unfurled from Veronica’s back, as her face grew a twisted smile.
“I want your soul.”
Shock was drawn on Josiah’s face. *What the actual fuck this bitch that I’ve been fucking all these years is actually a demon too?!*
His shock grew even worse when he saw her draw out a shining dark blade. It was the famous Sword of Damnation, and only one person in hell is qualified to wield it.
“Jezebel?!”
Hearing the name that she hasn’t heard for these past 10 years, Jezebel put on a dark smile.
“Ah Josiah, you’re such a fool. You didn’t even think to use a fake name when you went out in action. I don’t think Satan wants such a careless man working for him.”
“W-w-w-why are you here??! Shouldn’t the 10 Servants of Satan be by Satan’s side SERVING him??!”
“Our Lord requires us to serve in a different way. Whilst you lot are gathering human souls and fooling around, we were sent to collect demon souls, particularly those who we deem useless.”
Jezebel let out an evil grin, her sharp teeth now clearly visible. “And it just so happens the first demon I found is one of them.”
Josiah is now shivering. He is certainly no match for Jezebel, who wields that damnable sword and has fought against God himself and survived. All he can do now is beg and grovel, holding on to the sliver of hope that she might free him.
And that’s exactly what he did.
“Please, Veronica… Spare me… I tried my best, I really did…. I still have an hour, I’ll find the best human soul Satan can possibly want.”
He started crying “So… Please don’t kill me… Please…”
Seeing this pitiful display, Jezebel sighed.
“You are such a sorry excuse for a demon. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve been uprooted by the police long ago. I’ve already given you plenty of chances, with none left to give.”
Jezebel smiled. The sweetest smile she has ever done.
“So please Josiah, just die quietly.”
With that, Jezebel raised her dark blade, and hacked down hard, with Josiah’s girlish screech accompanying the blade’s descent. The deed done, a red soul came out, signifying the soul of a High Demon. Jezebel took it and sang a lovely tune, as she descended back to hell wondering what nice reward that Satan has in store for her.
|
"I want your soul!"
He stares at me for a couple seconds. All things considered, the devil seems surprisingly ordinary.
"All right, give me a moment."
He concentrates on some sort of ritual. As he finishes, a strange feeling washes over me.
"It is done."
He stands up, opens the door and leaves. As he exists, he says
"Congratulations on your new job."
|
|
[WP] The devil is behind in quota and offers you anything in exchange for your soul. After you both promptly shake hands, you make a request he has never gotten before: you ask for his soul in return.
|
As we shake hands, I feel a tingling sensation crawl up from my fingertips and down my spine, then throughout my whole body. The world feels different somehow, almost like waking up in an unfamiliar bed for the first time but not...quite. Deeper than that.
"Okay, kid, whaddya want?" Right now, he looks like any other overworked businessman as he stands in the preternaturally empty lobby of my building, his speech at odds with his appearance. Arms crossed, eyebrow raised, tapping his foot.
I had thought of this ages ago, playing Truth or Dare in high school. It was eloquent, really, but I'd never thought that hypothetical would ever occur.
"Your soul."
Something flashes across his face – surprise? – but he simply nods, expression blank but for the edge of a smirk on his lips. What is he playing?
"Very well. Come." He turns on his heel towards the glass double doors and I follow a few paces behind, my heart thumping against my chest.
We step out into the cool night air, the moon sitting in a nest of clouds. I try to imagine what owning the devil's soul entails: Would I have access to any of his powers? What did one even *do* with a soul, anyway? Maybe I could replace his with mine.
He leads me to a pay parking lot that's been closed for the night several blocks away, easily bypassing and disabling the security measures put into place. I stare into one of the cameras on a light post, but it looks like all the power has been drained out of it. Not as if it's been turned off, but rather, rendered entirely unusable.
"Hey, kid. Catch." Turning towards him, I automatically grab the object out of the air. They jangle as they land in my hand –
Oh, no.
There's a full grin on his face, his eyes glinting. "She's right over there. Enjoy." With a small *pop*, he vanishes.
I slowly look to my right, and there it is, just as promised: a red KIA Soul.
|
Not gonna lie. It looks damn good on my mantle.
You’d think the devil’s soul would be like some sort of black goop that burns your flesh, maybe a human skull covered in blood and screaming for eternity, or an endless void that drives men to the edge of insanity. But nah, it isn’t any of that. It’s literally just a cool looking clock.
And I’m talking objectively too. Like it’s got those ornate ridges up and down the sides, polished face, curved hands, and even a little pitchfork that pops out every hour (the only thing I can tell that is even remotely related to the devil).
Oh, and the devil’s face? Priceless. He musta come around to it though, cuz as he dragged my soul outta my body, and he gave me his, he gave me a slight smirk. That don’t worry me though, I mean what the hell’s he gonna do without his soul?
Anyways, for the first hour I just sat around for awhile, not really doing anything. I mean no soul means no feelings, no passions, no… well... nothing. That’s when the pitchfork first popped out, followed by that maniacal cackling, another little thing to remind you it ain’t just any clock. That’s also when I realized why that devil musta gave me that grin- he thought that laugh would freak me out. No soul, no emotion though, so I guess there ain’t nothing to worry about… not that I can worry… being soulless is whack.
By now I was already focusing on the clock, and I didn’t have anything else to, well, think about I guess. So I just thought about the clock, focused on that. The passage of time is kinda lost on me now, so I don’t really know how long I sat there at first. Maybe a couple minutes, but probably more like a few days. All I know is I realized I was starving, so I got up, got some food, and came back to munch while I listened. I don’t got a soul, but I do got a stomach.
And, um, that’s all I’ve really done since then. By that I mean sitting around, listening to the clock, and eating food. Sometimes people came by, friends, family, some others, but I never really had the drive to do anything, let alone carry a conversation. Eventually, they just stopped showing up and left me alone, which didn’t really bother me, not that their visits ever did either. But yeah, food and clock, food and clock, food and clock- also sleep I guess, though I’m not *fully* aware when I fall asleep and wake up, considering it’s really only rest for my body.
So that’s where I am now. Listening to that ticking and eating when I get hungry and not really doing much else. I guess if I had to make an insight I’d say the ticking grounds me, keeps me from existing pointlessly but gives me an anchor in reality. Though I can’t make an insight really. Soulless and all that. Whack. All I know is the devil must feel kinda dumb, not even imagining that his plan could go so poorly and I’d get his soul. Not that he could feel anything, since he’s missing his soul and… you get the gist.
|
|
[WP] Write a 500 word long story that only uses each word once
|
Challenged Penman’s Tale:
Why use more word when few do trick? Sounds stupid, but in order to answer certain criteria set forth by Mr. Original Poster, it seems we’ll unfortunately have what I fear will turn out as nothing other than a long-winded, heavily dragged-on, incessantly repetitive tome of little blocks designated for speech foundations, otherwise known with their common names: words, sentences, paragraphs.
Normally, yours truly sets aside challenges like these, figuring them isn’t worth time spent. Approaching forbidden items reaching triple digit number, however, helps put into focus enormous difficulties. Twenty percent completed, much left. Slowly, options decrease, tension increases. Writer bashes brain, seeking wisdom, enlightenment, Muse, ideas. Brainstorms, searches infinite cosmos deeply buried within. Mind blank, tragically.
Hero/heroine? Magician? Wizard/witch? Love story? Rich female/Poor male? Twins switched during turmoil period following birthing, placed separately yet discovering truth regarding families’ pasts? Shakespeare himself would struggle facing present challenge. Writing nonce seem easier. Forging onward, three tenths passed.
Horizons pushed, borders expanded, naught gained/achieved, besides days, hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds (proper hierarchy?) wasted. Effort invested, synonyms used, abused. Where journeys lead, writers, adventurers follow.
Apologies, interruptions occur. Author’s brother lifted fingers, dialed telephone, wished conversation. Jokes shared, speaking back, fro. Accords reached, meeting determined. Occurs midday, day past current. Two-fifths gone without notice. Interestingly, groove possible found, styling becomes infinitely smoother, flow status – optimally smooth. Paragraph’s conclusion shows creation’s creator nears halfway mark. Doubters doubted, scoffers scoffed, penman undeterred, determination midway goalpost behind once concluded.
Objective missed, six short. Curses, oaths, confounded blasts, houses poxed, cursed! Spells cast, necromancers summoned, zombies arise, attacking hordes. Helpless run, fleeing. Thousands, millions, billions infected. Winter, life proceeds. Zombie infection blunted, frozen – literally. Counter allergic, plays tricks, treats apostrophe letter “s” individually. “t” also. “I” included. Contractions unhandled, skewing data. Alternative sought, acquired, performs satisfactorily. Not. Perseverance now game’s name. Apprehension, previously tenable, increased. Critical mass, anxiety untenable.
Unaware hundreds wasn’t utilized, sum: hundred triplicate. Sweat furrows down brow, drips, drops, puddling. Palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy, sweater spaghetti-marked. Mother prepared, cooked, delivered, son puked, upchucked, upheaved, hurled, vomited, sprayed. Quoting white rapper, rearranging lyrics, another tenth nearing.
Idea still missing, muses abandoned me. Fate stonelike, sat perched atop shoulders, thinking device demands refilling. Alas, coffee empty, milk fouled, sugar ant infested. Discuss, ponder events, fire housecleaning lady. Remember, housecleaner imagination figment. Sigh. Horizon shines, sparkles, beckoning, calling. Concluding sections perhaps sighted?
Repeated apology, additional phone call, followed door knocking visitor. Vexation follows author, interruption costly, confounding, vexing. Perplexing, distracting, disturbing.
Thesaurus never applied, bard naturally shite filled. Neurons, synapses transfer messages, electricity snap, crackles, pops, fraying frayed nerves tenfold. Singularity? Gas, stress caused. Stinky, smelly, last blast wet. Undergarments, pantaloons changed. Prohibited item “pants” unused, I’m being fancy again.
Epic complexity, amount sub-forty. Mission successful, George Bush style. Job completion? Next guy. Proceed? Okay. Surprisingly, interesting revelation: originator chose avoiding selections, sticking reader at end, wondering, “how, who, from, the, is, be, too, or and are” pending usage. Mic dropped.
|
Midge suddenly decided to get up and went upstairs, seeking a lovely steaming cup of tea. It was good that Marge had been shopping during this wet early morning as they were nearly out of their precious little bags containing pure goodness. « Oldie » by nickname mechanically reached for todays newspaper waiting on the kitchen counter. Morning news was slightly damp from morning dew. Misty scents slightly flared up her nostrils for a brief moment while she unfolded its slightly moist paper. That smell progressively plunged our delicate lady back in distant memories, unanticipatedly remembering something important promised never to be forgotten. I cannot be sure how many different words were interpretable that morning but If we were placing bets, my old aunty uttered something along words resembling : ‘’Never say never....’’
|
|
[WP] Write a 500 word long story that only uses each word once
|
Challenged Penman’s Tale:
Why use more word when few do trick? Sounds stupid, but in order to answer certain criteria set forth by Mr. Original Poster, it seems we’ll unfortunately have what I fear will turn out as nothing other than a long-winded, heavily dragged-on, incessantly repetitive tome of little blocks designated for speech foundations, otherwise known with their common names: words, sentences, paragraphs.
Normally, yours truly sets aside challenges like these, figuring them isn’t worth time spent. Approaching forbidden items reaching triple digit number, however, helps put into focus enormous difficulties. Twenty percent completed, much left. Slowly, options decrease, tension increases. Writer bashes brain, seeking wisdom, enlightenment, Muse, ideas. Brainstorms, searches infinite cosmos deeply buried within. Mind blank, tragically.
Hero/heroine? Magician? Wizard/witch? Love story? Rich female/Poor male? Twins switched during turmoil period following birthing, placed separately yet discovering truth regarding families’ pasts? Shakespeare himself would struggle facing present challenge. Writing nonce seem easier. Forging onward, three tenths passed.
Horizons pushed, borders expanded, naught gained/achieved, besides days, hours, minutes, seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds (proper hierarchy?) wasted. Effort invested, synonyms used, abused. Where journeys lead, writers, adventurers follow.
Apologies, interruptions occur. Author’s brother lifted fingers, dialed telephone, wished conversation. Jokes shared, speaking back, fro. Accords reached, meeting determined. Occurs midday, day past current. Two-fifths gone without notice. Interestingly, groove possible found, styling becomes infinitely smoother, flow status – optimally smooth. Paragraph’s conclusion shows creation’s creator nears halfway mark. Doubters doubted, scoffers scoffed, penman undeterred, determination midway goalpost behind once concluded.
Objective missed, six short. Curses, oaths, confounded blasts, houses poxed, cursed! Spells cast, necromancers summoned, zombies arise, attacking hordes. Helpless run, fleeing. Thousands, millions, billions infected. Winter, life proceeds. Zombie infection blunted, frozen – literally. Counter allergic, plays tricks, treats apostrophe letter “s” individually. “t” also. “I” included. Contractions unhandled, skewing data. Alternative sought, acquired, performs satisfactorily. Not. Perseverance now game’s name. Apprehension, previously tenable, increased. Critical mass, anxiety untenable.
Unaware hundreds wasn’t utilized, sum: hundred triplicate. Sweat furrows down brow, drips, drops, puddling. Palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy, sweater spaghetti-marked. Mother prepared, cooked, delivered, son puked, upchucked, upheaved, hurled, vomited, sprayed. Quoting white rapper, rearranging lyrics, another tenth nearing.
Idea still missing, muses abandoned me. Fate stonelike, sat perched atop shoulders, thinking device demands refilling. Alas, coffee empty, milk fouled, sugar ant infested. Discuss, ponder events, fire housecleaning lady. Remember, housecleaner imagination figment. Sigh. Horizon shines, sparkles, beckoning, calling. Concluding sections perhaps sighted?
Repeated apology, additional phone call, followed door knocking visitor. Vexation follows author, interruption costly, confounding, vexing. Perplexing, distracting, disturbing.
Thesaurus never applied, bard naturally shite filled. Neurons, synapses transfer messages, electricity snap, crackles, pops, fraying frayed nerves tenfold. Singularity? Gas, stress caused. Stinky, smelly, last blast wet. Undergarments, pantaloons changed. Prohibited item “pants” unused, I’m being fancy again.
Epic complexity, amount sub-forty. Mission successful, George Bush style. Job completion? Next guy. Proceed? Okay. Surprisingly, interesting revelation: originator chose avoiding selections, sticking reader at end, wondering, “how, who, from, the, is, be, too, or and are” pending usage. Mic dropped.
|
Here; have a story. Admittedly, not... tale... per se. Stream o' thought? It's cautionary - perhaps someone will find understanding inside. Very interesting, though! See, life has become... somewhat strange. Now, anyway. There was one visiting genie - odd fellow - who offered me three wishes. "No more, and never fewer, certainly!"
One's first wish is almost always simplest; comfort, in any way possible. Food, money, an exciting existence... fairly obvious, all things considered. Hardly worth focusing on. Second, granted, causes greater reflection - same again? Or mix stuff up, choose something with panache, derring do, flair for some kind of wild side? Choosing that took many moons, as you might expect. Eventually, we settled upon splitting - combining, really - both thoughts. Power - corrupting, yes, but able to be wielded helpfully. Bother - meaning gets fuddled, these days. Try... favorably? Productively? Indeed, those capture it rather better.
Ah, possibly thou hast noticed? Hath? Whatever. Words... such common, useful objects, unfortunately help less than they ought. Flighty nonsense, today, what once flowed like melted butter. Currently, however, each letter, exquisite - phrase, divine - yet... plied, fades away. Terms, previously bandied about, creep slowly, haltingly... vanishing forthwith. Roget's Thesaurus, constant companion, only friend... Pardon. Apologies, dear reader; rambling becomes far too simple. Trying times.
I wished - tricked into utterly destroying myself, trading language against... karma. Thus, whole sentences perished, garbage immediately. Syllables blended together, forming (through careful, cohesive consideration), English. Easy, right? Sure. Long ago, maybe. Recently... nevermore. ("Quoth the raven," he laughed - then cried great, impossible tears, having tossed out aforementioned most-used word parenthetically.)
Sigh... moving onward, ever upward...
Wishing did - does - harm. Ignorance, likewise. Hubris. Ego... Collectively? Destruction. Overwhelming, utter, complete annihilation. Mental extinction. Mind under deletion. Vocabulary... spent. Bed, empty. Sleep? Naught exists. Warm blankets lie unused, my creativity trapped within limited storytelling. Devolution towards insanity - are sane ideas preferable over mindless structures known by... Blast. Ran dry. Wordless.
Gone. Stark emptiness remains, dark void consuming this wayward soul. Poured, emptied, deserted. Communication unlikely, given options available.
Poetry? Free-form, mirthless, rhythm-bound hogwash? Increasingly, precise intercommunication strains imagination... Fine. Rhyme time, dawg! (rapper hands!)
Write, Arman, rules say go, yo - didn't know? Oh!
Djinni said, scrawl, doll, because blank sheet means deadbeat. Beat feet? Greet heat. Thanks, Efreet.
Singular task - ask, bask. Forgot mentioning repercussions. Joke's around somewhere, surely. Choices! Speak. Die. Why? Law! Guideline? Ha! Fun! Merely entertainment.
Death, living... Ifrit don't care. Everything rewards beings taking charge... magic helps, also.
Bet. Set, match... prompt. Ten wordy nifty fifties, worry finished. Get done, son! Catch? Indubitably. Timed results? Naturally.
Repeats aren't neat. Explain, expound, expand... double nothing. Quite catchy. Ugly grin - toothy, horrid. Gonna face-wipe demon-boy's smile tonight!
Nearly concluded. Just fifty four left, until freedom reigns. Bedtime can't come soon enough.
Verse? Yep.
Fingers twitch, clock ticking. Writes poems, keyboard sticking, molasses memory, unholy-butt-kicking! Busting rhymes notwithstanding, finish line sighted, I'm grandstanding!
Stupid bottle. Irritating villain! Ok, valid: idiot self. Still. Legible? Barely. Survived regardless. Five hundred vocables. Wager won. Mic drop. Finally! Slumber!
|
|
[WP] Write a 500 word long story that only uses each word once
|
Nights were filled with cold, frigid storms of endless horizon. Easily finding peace- tranquility, even- when gazing upon what could only be defined as first-hand experience into Watcher’s Willful Eye. Foregone conclusively, universal scale unimaginable unless seeing.
Constellations slowly drifting through space-time in a dazzling show: crimson colors outlining deep violets sprinkling pure celestial blue. Maybe it was time for me to get on adventuring- Zalik won’t idly fret, machinations forming within his demented mind- but calming feelings comes too short supply nowadays, and serenity’s newfound home residing inside my head wasn’t anything wanting perturbed.
Picking myself from the comfortable green pasture that had proved defensible during nightfall showed tenuous desolation across mountains: stark lightning blasted midnight black horizons, turbulent winds knocked over ancient trees previously standing millenia, tremorous earthquakes laying destructive waste everywhere. Villain’s been busy. So have I.
Walking. Striding. Sprinting. Crawling. Climbing. Did all doable methods ascending Mount Windrivver. Fought Guardwolves, Nightwatchers, Sinful Damned- fell every single one. Nescryl spiders crushed, irreparable. Stormfully ravaging opposition numbering legions- until, finally, marking completion. Dark Lords Throne ominously towering before salvation’s champion. Beyond, laid ruination.
Turning, Death incarnate spoke, rasped whispers clawing forsaken air.
“You arrived.” Corruption already? Sooner than expected.
“Yes, not moments soon.” Defiant, heroically.
“Wrong. Late.” Swivelling around, obsidian cape billowing gently. Intriguing juxtaposition- something soft betraying harder, vile intents.
“Your plan…”, breathing fearfully: fear resting, tension bursting behind false grandeur. World, civilization, eternity itself ceases if true.
“Achieved.” Final. Complete. Period.
“Impossible. Inconceivable.” Hopeful, stupidly.
“Perfected.” Quiet now, almost forlorn. Regret seeping somberly, holding spoken truths tight.
“Don’t do this.” Bargaining, hopelessly.
“Action’s done. Irrevocable, no going back.” Quietly, depressingly. Truthfully.
“Still, always chances. Destiny… Fickle creature. Undoable.” Grieving, pleading. Words cutting out, silent tears choking voice.
Staring, realizing...It’s gone. He’s given up.
Oblivion’s rift raged, background noise tonight.
Dawn? Catastrophic.
Zal crumbled, hellbent book crumbling, ashes incinerating yesterday's hope.
Lifeforce waning yet...possibly…
Ideas gushing forth like unbreakable dams long destroyed, cool water flowing towards brighter futures. Sorting, storing- options thrown wayside. Solitary choice left.
There’s hardly possibility...however risky. Needed. Necessary. Required.
Achievable.
Corpse restful forevermore. Can’t care about being moved slightly.
Blood. Gallons. Hands unforgetting. Never will.
Who wouldn’t?
Tome opened, pages ripped. Attempted ensuring reversal failed. Improbable instead.
Centrally stored. Portal torn, consuming worldly behaviors. Closable?
Unfindable.
Can try.
Might work...hopefully…
Failure isn’t an option.
Begging question: failing conceivable?
Answer: Absolutely.
Winning possible?
Conclusion: Percentile.
Result?
Action.
Explosively heralded new sunrise.
Humanity pushed forward, unfailingly.
Tomorrow’s foretold weather conditions:
Sunny, cloudless. Chance rainfall, precipitation low. Everyday occurrence. Happens everytime.
Families exited houses, gathered together, stayed safe. Giving thanks. Messiahs praised, gods worshipped, skies blessed.
Solidarity, two men collapsed, unsaveable, rescue forgotten. Tower collapsing inevitable, exploding, fiery demise.
Fatherly bonds, familial ties- moralistically separated.
Eyes wide open, fate searing watchful future.
Historically, resolute saviors needs rest.
Eternal reward.
Eternally rewarded.
Find refuge again, another day.
Sun rises, brilliantly firing solar light, life creeping onward.
Despair dissolves, dormant.
May heroes discover afterlife.
|
Making one story, using vast vocabulary. Words used only once. “Hardly fair” says Narrater. “Cannot be done” she thought. Trying hard, not quite failing. Hope blooms. Smiles begin forming. They stay half made. Smokiness swirls around luxurious crown set slightly askew. Ice Cold sweet tea close at hand. Humid air makes favorite shirt cling desperately upon skin. Stop, false start, mind empty, blank. Hearing movie though T.V. Will anyone Read? See? Care?? Anxiety Roars, Reddit shall tear me apart. Writing dreams, shredded, float down slowly, lower, lifted back up, fan moving air. Currents of life’s wind carry light paper bits until nestled softly all around. Laying on hair, shoulder, table, floor. Quill keeps flowing, different ending might happen. Lion could Be Tamed! Inner self showed bare. Writing prompt tantalizingly insane.
|
|
[WP] Write a 500 word long story that only uses each word once
|
Nights were filled with cold, frigid storms of endless horizon. Easily finding peace- tranquility, even- when gazing upon what could only be defined as first-hand experience into Watcher’s Willful Eye. Foregone conclusively, universal scale unimaginable unless seeing.
Constellations slowly drifting through space-time in a dazzling show: crimson colors outlining deep violets sprinkling pure celestial blue. Maybe it was time for me to get on adventuring- Zalik won’t idly fret, machinations forming within his demented mind- but calming feelings comes too short supply nowadays, and serenity’s newfound home residing inside my head wasn’t anything wanting perturbed.
Picking myself from the comfortable green pasture that had proved defensible during nightfall showed tenuous desolation across mountains: stark lightning blasted midnight black horizons, turbulent winds knocked over ancient trees previously standing millenia, tremorous earthquakes laying destructive waste everywhere. Villain’s been busy. So have I.
Walking. Striding. Sprinting. Crawling. Climbing. Did all doable methods ascending Mount Windrivver. Fought Guardwolves, Nightwatchers, Sinful Damned- fell every single one. Nescryl spiders crushed, irreparable. Stormfully ravaging opposition numbering legions- until, finally, marking completion. Dark Lords Throne ominously towering before salvation’s champion. Beyond, laid ruination.
Turning, Death incarnate spoke, rasped whispers clawing forsaken air.
“You arrived.” Corruption already? Sooner than expected.
“Yes, not moments soon.” Defiant, heroically.
“Wrong. Late.” Swivelling around, obsidian cape billowing gently. Intriguing juxtaposition- something soft betraying harder, vile intents.
“Your plan…”, breathing fearfully: fear resting, tension bursting behind false grandeur. World, civilization, eternity itself ceases if true.
“Achieved.” Final. Complete. Period.
“Impossible. Inconceivable.” Hopeful, stupidly.
“Perfected.” Quiet now, almost forlorn. Regret seeping somberly, holding spoken truths tight.
“Don’t do this.” Bargaining, hopelessly.
“Action’s done. Irrevocable, no going back.” Quietly, depressingly. Truthfully.
“Still, always chances. Destiny… Fickle creature. Undoable.” Grieving, pleading. Words cutting out, silent tears choking voice.
Staring, realizing...It’s gone. He’s given up.
Oblivion’s rift raged, background noise tonight.
Dawn? Catastrophic.
Zal crumbled, hellbent book crumbling, ashes incinerating yesterday's hope.
Lifeforce waning yet...possibly…
Ideas gushing forth like unbreakable dams long destroyed, cool water flowing towards brighter futures. Sorting, storing- options thrown wayside. Solitary choice left.
There’s hardly possibility...however risky. Needed. Necessary. Required.
Achievable.
Corpse restful forevermore. Can’t care about being moved slightly.
Blood. Gallons. Hands unforgetting. Never will.
Who wouldn’t?
Tome opened, pages ripped. Attempted ensuring reversal failed. Improbable instead.
Centrally stored. Portal torn, consuming worldly behaviors. Closable?
Unfindable.
Can try.
Might work...hopefully…
Failure isn’t an option.
Begging question: failing conceivable?
Answer: Absolutely.
Winning possible?
Conclusion: Percentile.
Result?
Action.
Explosively heralded new sunrise.
Humanity pushed forward, unfailingly.
Tomorrow’s foretold weather conditions:
Sunny, cloudless. Chance rainfall, precipitation low. Everyday occurrence. Happens everytime.
Families exited houses, gathered together, stayed safe. Giving thanks. Messiahs praised, gods worshipped, skies blessed.
Solidarity, two men collapsed, unsaveable, rescue forgotten. Tower collapsing inevitable, exploding, fiery demise.
Fatherly bonds, familial ties- moralistically separated.
Eyes wide open, fate searing watchful future.
Historically, resolute saviors needs rest.
Eternal reward.
Eternally rewarded.
Find refuge again, another day.
Sun rises, brilliantly firing solar light, life creeping onward.
Despair dissolves, dormant.
May heroes discover afterlife.
|
(this was too hard so i just did 100, heres my attempt. it is incoherent i know)
George?
Yes?
something to tell you
Alright, shoot.
Well theres this girl
Same old story?
Better believe it
Do explain
plane. aisles. seated beside red head. mighty fine.
must be more?
words. beat me over head. bad speak.
sorry man, go on.
say ‘astronaut.’ disbelief. try ‘movie star.’ unfamiliar. india.
Dude, a chick believed you were an indian celebrity
totally, chatting. watching plane tv. hold hands. backs off.
moved too fast?
unrequited love. proposed marriage
FRICKIN CRAZY
woman confirms, however, lacks time
clearly
female’s dad disapprove. baseball bat. painful
hospital?
rush here. help
getting married, cannot
betrothed? how!
flight attendant
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
My new *friendC* (friend-clairvoyant), Tammy, did all kinds of things for me that made no sense. *Turns out* all of a sudden a need arose, filled before-the-fact by each deed. I began to think of Tammy as somewhere between a wizard and a saint.
I was *in till* she presented me with the 5-foot stuffed bear. It seemed so normal for Tammy. But I put it in the car and headed home. Little did I know that her gift would save my life when it came between me and the windshield in a head-on collision.
Anyway, *I am Crash* now - Tammy's new nickname for me. I think I'll ask her to marry me. I'm not sure I can live without her.
|
What the fuck? There's a pattern here.
First the sticky note with a phone number I needed when my roof caved in, then the empty gun necessary to threaten some mugger, and now this giant fucking teddy bear she gave me had saved my life, the doctors said. She (threateningly) suggested I put it in my lap on the way home, so I had obliged. She just gave them to me at random times, then the same day I would need them. I only met her like a week ago, too. She seemed hot at the time.
Now I'm in bed at the hospital. She gives me some painkillers for this damn concussion. When had she gotten here?
"Just now." I'd spoken? "Yeah. So, pretty freaky, right? Just randomly giving you things? Randomly?" Her face is unreadable. "I get these weird compulsions just to write a number on a sticky note, or find my gun, or buy a teddy bear, and give it to you at an exact time."
Okay...
"It's weird, and I didn't know why I did that! I just did and it worked out."
She looks frustrated now.
"But I think I've got it figured out. I looked up some words, so here's what I'm calling it: object-based precognition. Basically future sight based on objects, and I don't know why I need the objects, only that I do. I can set it to different goals, too, but otherwise it defaults to random things I want. Like people I just met not dying."
Cool, but that sounds like bullshit. "I don't believe you."
"Yeah, I get it. Psychicness, right? But read this." She hands me a sticky note just like the one with the phone number on it, except it's just got a bunch of random numbers on it. What am I supposed to do with this?
"Lottery numbers," she clarifies. "For me. By the way, please don't tell anybody else. I don't want others to know. I'm just telling you because you seem cool. But yeah. Proof enough, hopefully."
Fuck, really? If I hooked up with her, I wouldn't have to do anything, just buy lottery tickets and get really lucky all the time.
She frowns. A lot. She looks really disappointed. Shit, did I speak out loud again?
"Yeah, you did. You seemed cool, so I thought... But..." She sighs, then gets up and starts to walk away. Shit, wait, no, come back!
She mutters something under her breath. I can't make out all of it, but I think I can make out "douchebag." Bitch.
The door slams as I sit in silence. Damn.
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
"Come on, it's not that big of a deal."
"It is!"
"It's way too generous. This bicycle must have cost a fortune!"
Sure it was $2 grand, but I knew it was all she ever wanted. Considering that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her, it didn't matter the cost. "It's okay. I want to show you my appreciation."
Claire was still flustered. "Don't you have to repair your car?"
"Don't worry about it."
After meeting her at a mutual friend's party last year, my life has been... strange to say the least.
It started with a pack of gum. Claire said she bought me it at a grocery store because she thought I'd need it. Days later, a major client came into the office right after lunch. After eating a BLT with onions, gum was a life savor.
Claire's random gifts became more obscure yet more crucial. Things like an umbrella days before it rained all the way up to an extinguisher days before my oven caused a fire, all the while not asking for anything in return.
By the time she gave me an oversized bear for my birthday, I didn't question it. Maybe it'll keep me warm this winter when the power goes out or scare some intruder. At that point, I knew her gifts would help me. Little did I know that it would catch me when the bear and I were ejected from a car accident that night.
"All I can say is, thank you!" Claire said, still visibly in disbelief. She hopped on the bike and rode around the block.
---------
It was 8 pm when I got the texts. I was binging on Netflix so I didn't look. It was probably a group chat planning for the weekend.
An hour later, my friend Mike called. Now what?
"Hey Mike," Have you answered a phone and suddenly realized that it wasn't going to be a good call? This was one.
"Sara... Have you read your texts? Claire... She... She died."
My stomach dropped. "How!?"
"She got hit while riding home from work."
I hung up the phone. Slithered off the couch onto the floor. All those life saving gifts she's given me, and the one gift I gave her...
|
“Greg’s in there?!? OH MY GOD GREG. ARE YOU ALRIGHT??” I heard as Jo’s voice grew increasingly louder. I was still buzzed from the car accident that could’ve killed me if it had not been for that stuffed bear Jo gave me almost two hours before the crash.
“I’m alright Jo. Don’t make a ruckus will you?” I said, still fazed.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve stopped you from going instead. Why did I even think that stupid bear would’ve been able to help?!?” she sobbed as she kept hitting herself on her head.
“Instead...”
I pondered over her choice of words once more. Instead, able to help and her constant sobbing. Jo was a friend who would go out of her way for you to accept her gift. The 6 dollars I needed for lunch. The ethernet cable for when my router went bust. A couple others that suddenly clicked to how far “coincidence” go.
“H..hh..how? The bear? You knew it was going to...Jo.. who are you?” I stuttered, struggling to get the words out.
Jo stopped crying and just fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Greg. Get well soon” she said with a monotonous voice as she left the room.
“Wait, Jo. PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT’S GOI...” and everything went white. The next thing I saw was Jo standing in what seemed like a dark room, crying.
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
A new neighbour isn't too inconspicuous, but ever since she moved in 6 months ago, I've been unusually grateful to say the least.
First it was the satchel about 5 months ago, which was innocent enough I suppose seeing as my other bag was getting pretty old. That is until the other day when I found my old bag with a needle poking through the back of it.
Then she gave me an extra serve of dinner a few weeks later, as she had apparently made too much. It was delicious and I was very appreciative, especially seeing as the leftovers I had planned to eat had gone completely rotten when I found them the next day, definitely not what you'd expect after leaving them for just one extra night.
All considerate neighbourly things, but then the garden gnome just over 2 months ago? That's when I first raised an eyebrow. It had been broken that same night she gave it to me, and I am still sure it was what I heard breaking and what woke me up enough to see a shadow disappear across my lawn.
And then the new shoes a month ago. Perfectly my size and style, which I was urged to wear the next day. Their soles also happened to have enough grip on them for me to avoid slipping over the edge of that new work site they hadn't finishing barricading. A wonderful coincidence which she seemed bashful in admitting upon my mentioning it to her.
But today, it seems the car crash shook those coincidences into alignment seeing as the huge stuffed bear she had delivered to my work saved me from going through the windshield on my way home. It has been bugging me this whole time in hospital, that every conveniently timed gift since she has moved has probably saved my life in some way within hours of me receiving it.
Upon being dropped outside my house and after thanking the taxi driver, I walked past my own front gate straight toward her house and up to her front door. I had to know, how did she know that all these gifts would prevent all these almost accidents? She opened the door on the second knock and invited me in without saying at word.
The questions started pouring out of me. "How did you know all that was going to happen? Why are you helping me? Who do you think you are? How many more gifts are there going to me? Do I need to be worried? Are some kind of fairy godmother guardian angel time traveler? What the hell?"
She looked at her feet, avoiding my eyes. Looking at her now, she was shorter than me but seemed to stand straighter and had a presence more clear than anyone else I had encounted. Her blonde hair almost glistened gold even though we were inside. She was dressed fairly plain and if you never really got this close you would have probably never had realised how uncommonly gorgeous she was, almost enchanting...
She looked up then, eyes filled with guilt. "it was your time and I was supposed to be the one to do it, to kill you. But after following you for so long I couldn't bring myself to it, so they banished me here. I can't stop them directly so I tried not to draw too much attention but they're still after you. I've been trying to help you fluke your way out as they have no power against chance. But your time is up, and now they know I'm here with you, so I think we're both almost out of luck."
She paused to pull something from her back pocket. It was a singular shot gun round. She handed it to me and said, with great conviction in her voice, "but tonight, you're going to need this."
|
“Greg’s in there?!? OH MY GOD GREG. ARE YOU ALRIGHT??” I heard as Jo’s voice grew increasingly louder. I was still buzzed from the car accident that could’ve killed me if it had not been for that stuffed bear Jo gave me almost two hours before the crash.
“I’m alright Jo. Don’t make a ruckus will you?” I said, still fazed.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve stopped you from going instead. Why did I even think that stupid bear would’ve been able to help?!?” she sobbed as she kept hitting herself on her head.
“Instead...”
I pondered over her choice of words once more. Instead, able to help and her constant sobbing. Jo was a friend who would go out of her way for you to accept her gift. The 6 dollars I needed for lunch. The ethernet cable for when my router went bust. A couple others that suddenly clicked to how far “coincidence” go.
“H..hh..how? The bear? You knew it was going to...Jo.. who are you?” I stuttered, struggling to get the words out.
Jo stopped crying and just fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Greg. Get well soon” she said with a monotonous voice as she left the room.
“Wait, Jo. PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT’S GOI...” and everything went white. The next thing I saw was Jo standing in what seemed like a dark room, crying.
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
"Richie, why are you being gay all of the sudden?" I asked. The words, "just want to show how much I love you", declared from behind a giant stuff white bear holding a pink heart. I immediately went up and embraced that bear and declared my love as well. A few gasp from the office ladies and a few sighs of not this thing again filled the office. Then an eruption of laughter from Richie and I filled the room. "But for real man, here's a bear for your daughter," Richie said.
Ever since I lost my wife, Richie has been helping me with raising my daughter. He is a single father too and taught me many things from hair braiding to cooking. He's also my best friend since childhood. We grew up together and done so many stupid things that should have gotten us more or less killed. So we learned many things about essential dumb ass survival skills as well.
I thanked him for the ridiculously huge stuff bear. "I'll meet you at your place around 8pm with a fine bottle of grape juice and wine", he whispered in my ear and left with an obvious wink. We both went back to work at our cubicles. Right as the clock hit 5pm, I carried that bear to my car and buckled her up in the passenger seat. Safety first
As I was driving I was thinking about how excited my daughter would be of that bear. After my wife passed, the last 2 valentines have been numb but Richie was there with his daughter and we would have a man date while our girls had a fancy old princess date. All of the sudden, from the corner of my left eye, a car was heading towards me.
Flashbacks flooded my vision. Like the time Richie added a tiny princess flashlight to my keychain and I didn't notice until a power outage happened at the house. My little girl was saying how pretty the flashlight was. Or the time he flicked a quarter in my coffee cup and I was a quarter short to make through the toll to see my wife in labor. But I saw that quarter at the bottom of my cup.
Right then, I realized I would be okay as my head hit the soft white plush bear.
|
“Greg’s in there?!? OH MY GOD GREG. ARE YOU ALRIGHT??” I heard as Jo’s voice grew increasingly louder. I was still buzzed from the car accident that could’ve killed me if it had not been for that stuffed bear Jo gave me almost two hours before the crash.
“I’m alright Jo. Don’t make a ruckus will you?” I said, still fazed.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve stopped you from going instead. Why did I even think that stupid bear would’ve been able to help?!?” she sobbed as she kept hitting herself on her head.
“Instead...”
I pondered over her choice of words once more. Instead, able to help and her constant sobbing. Jo was a friend who would go out of her way for you to accept her gift. The 6 dollars I needed for lunch. The ethernet cable for when my router went bust. A couple others that suddenly clicked to how far “coincidence” go.
“H..hh..how? The bear? You knew it was going to...Jo.. who are you?” I stuttered, struggling to get the words out.
Jo stopped crying and just fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Greg. Get well soon” she said with a monotonous voice as she left the room.
“Wait, Jo. PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT’S GOI...” and everything went white. The next thing I saw was Jo standing in what seemed like a dark room, crying.
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
"What do you mean I'm crash" was my first shock, I had just been in my car ride home, and now I'm being told this garbage?
"You are crash bandicot" the wise old sage nodded, for reasons he refused to get into; This wise old sage was a piece of wood.
"No no no, I've played the game. I know how this ends" I denied, but the wooden board wasn't having it.
Before I could even scream in horror too much, the board had plastered itself on my head and my vision was momentarily cut off.
Like a horror dream, everytime I tried to escape; the board would cut off all vision until I returned to the predetermined path ahead of me. I already knew the horrors of this, I've played it.
I died a lot in the game. My greatest fear would be that I would die here, it only made my trials longer and my struggles worse. But I didn't die.
The bear is what saved my life at first, and my mentality. Whenever I felt like crying and giving up, I would squeeze it to death. If it wasn't so heavily cushioned, it would be flat. And if it wasn't there, I would do something suicidal.
I had plenty of time to think about my life, and when I finally reached the last level, the board flew off my head and I found my friend. In the end, I could only spit two scathing sentences.
"OP, what the hell is wrong with you? Why did you try railroad me while limiting my own choices?"
It was obviously OP, had to be. He gave me a teddy because he wanted it to be a crucial focus in my life.
The jokes on him though, halfway through I dumped the teddy.
|
“Greg’s in there?!? OH MY GOD GREG. ARE YOU ALRIGHT??” I heard as Jo’s voice grew increasingly louder. I was still buzzed from the car accident that could’ve killed me if it had not been for that stuffed bear Jo gave me almost two hours before the crash.
“I’m alright Jo. Don’t make a ruckus will you?” I said, still fazed.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve stopped you from going instead. Why did I even think that stupid bear would’ve been able to help?!?” she sobbed as she kept hitting herself on her head.
“Instead...”
I pondered over her choice of words once more. Instead, able to help and her constant sobbing. Jo was a friend who would go out of her way for you to accept her gift. The 6 dollars I needed for lunch. The ethernet cable for when my router went bust. A couple others that suddenly clicked to how far “coincidence” go.
“H..hh..how? The bear? You knew it was going to...Jo.. who are you?” I stuttered, struggling to get the words out.
Jo stopped crying and just fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Greg. Get well soon” she said with a monotonous voice as she left the room.
“Wait, Jo. PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT’S GOI...” and everything went white. The next thing I saw was Jo standing in what seemed like a dark room, crying.
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
“Ezekiel?!” I exclaimed as he walked into my hospital room. I was sure I wouldn’t see him until after I left the hospital, if even then. Every time I got hurt, he always disappeared for a while unexpectedly.
“Hey Riley,” he said hesitantly, looking over my bruised figure. I glanced down immediately to make sure I wasn’t half naked or something. I couldn’t tell anymore without looking, and I already felt self-conscious without a bra underneath my hospital gown. “H-How are you doing?” He stuttered slowly.
I looked up and stared at him for a moment, evaluating his reserved expression. His dark green eyes seemed…regretful. “Zeek,” I began cautiously, “why did you give me that huge teddy bear? It saved my life. It’s literally the only reason why I’m not dead right now.”
He looked away, his face now impassive. “It was just a gift Riley, I told you that.”
His response immediately made me suspicious. There was no surprise in what I'd said. No 'Wow, I can't believe my gift saved your life.' Just regret. A knowledgeable regret, as if he knew exactly what he had done. As if it had been intentional. But that wasn't what I was focusing on. My heart hurt too much to think about that.
“Why?” I demanded, feeling my eyes begin to sting. “Why do you insist of giving me things even though you said you don’t want to be with me?”
He shifted his weight uneasily at the foot of the bed. “I never said that,” he began quietly.
“Yes you did!” I exclaimed. I knew for a fact he did. Why was he denying it now?
He glanced at me briefly before looking away again. “I didn’t say I didn’t *want* to be with you.”
That gave me pause as I read between the lines. What had he really said? And then it hit me. He *couldn’t* be with me. Not that he didn’t want to be. “Why?” I asked again, barely above a whisper.
But he didn’t respond. He just stared at the wall silently.
“Zeek!” I exclaimed. “Why? Why did you save my life?”
He shifted uneasily again, a subconscious act, and remained silent.
I gasped. I was right. It had just been a stab in the dark, just an impossible theory. But his reaction…I was right. “Zeek…I can’t feel my legs.”
His head snapped in my direction, shock all over his face. He rushed to my side, kneeling down next to me and clasping his warms hands around mine. “Riley! I’m sorry!” He pleaded with me. “I didn’t know!”
When he bowed his head over our hands, tears silently slipping from his eyes, I reached out and began running my fingers through his thick brown hair with my free hand.
“Ezekiel,” I finally whispered, “why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”
He sighed heavily, pressing is forehead into our hands. “I can’t Riley. It’s…” He took a deep breath. “It’s against the rules.”
The portion of my body I could still control locked up in surprise. He immediately noticed and looked at me pleadingly. I had to look away from him then, afraid his emerald gaze was going to make me lose my train of thought. Finally, I spoke. “Is it not against the rules to save my life?” I asked hesitantly.
He froze this time. I could sense all his muscles tense. “No, it is against the rules,” he admitted cautiously. My head snapped in his direction, shocked that he was actually being honest. He continued. “Riley…I’ve been saving your life ever since I met you.”
“How long?” I whispered.
He held my gaze as he replied. “Since you were nine years old.”
I gasped, trying to remember back. To recall some inkling as to why it had started then. “Why?” I finally asked.
He looked away then, seeming to misunderstand my question, his expression emotionless. “Because that is when I was sent to collect your soul Riley.” He looked at me then, no longer hindered by my shocked expression. “I’m a reaper. A god of death.”
# Part 2
“A god of death?” I asked slowly, suddenly feeling lightheaded. I had to lean my head back against the upright portion of the bed. While Ezekiel had withheld information from me, not once had he ever lied to me. Even though it seemed impossible, if he was telling me he was a reaper then I believed him. But that didn’t make wrapping my mind around it any easier.
“So now you know,” he replied quietly. “Why we can’t be together.”
I closed my eyes, trying to keep the room from spinning. “But why me?” I whispered.
He lowered his voice even more. “Your soul. It’s…beautiful. And innocent. I couldn’t touch it. I didn’t want to touch it.” I opened my eyes and looked at him then as he began gently running his lips along the back of my hand. “I wanted to protect it.” He then sighed heavily, seemingly lost in his own thoughts now. “I’ve taken so many others, but when I met you…I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
My face flushed as he continued to run his warm lips along my hand and my wrist. There was so much to consider. So many questions to ask. But I could only focus on one thing. “But I still don’t understand,” I admitted. “Why can’t we be together?”
He ignored my question. “I can heal your legs,” he announced unexpectedly. But there was something more there. A pain in his expression, in his voice. He then started mumbling to himself. “I should have just done it a long time ago. You wouldn’t be in this situation if I had. I was just too selfish.” He rested his forehead against our hands again, as if silently apologizing.
I believed him that he could heal me. And I was glad to know that maybe I wouldn’t be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of my life. But, clearly, this gift wasn’t free. Otherwise he wouldn’t seem so…regretful.
“At what cost?” I wondered hesitantly.
He looked up at me then, holding my gaze for a few seconds, and then turned his head away. “You’ll never see me again.”
“Why not?” I asked breathlessly. I wanted the feeling back in my legs, but…I wanted him more.
He took a deep breath. “Because you won’t *want* to see me again.”
“But why Zeek?” I didn’t understand. There wasn’t any manifestation of reality in which I wouldn’t want him. I’d always wanted him, for as long as I had known him.
He finally met my gaze. “Because Riley….if I awaken your divinity then your legs will be healed, but you’ll be a different person. You’ll be appalled by what I am.” I just stared at him in disbelief, prompting him to continue. “Riley…you’re a reincarnated god. A god of life.”
My vision immediately darkened, and my ears started ringing. I had to lay my head back again. I barely heard Ezekiel urgently calling my name. I barely felt his breath suddenly on my cheek. His face was finally close to mine. After all this time, after all my fantasies, it was finally happening. And yet, I was barely conscious enough to enjoy him this close to me.
“Don’t do it,” I whispered, barely even hearing my own voice. “I want to be with you. I *need* to be with you.”
He pulled away then. I tried to look at him, but it felt like he was far away, as if I was watching him through a tunnel.
Unexpectedly, he held up his hand and a shadow appeared in the room, manifesting into a massive scythe with a bright red gem at the top, and a long chain at the bottom. My heart began fluttering, my ears barely picking up on his words.
“I’m sorry Riley. This is goodbye.”
# [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9e4vxp/my_boyfriend_is_a_soul_reaper_part_3/) | [Part 4](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9e7d8c/my_boyfriend_is_a_soul_reaper_part_4/) | [Part 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9e86mw/my_boyfriend_is_a_soul_reaper_part_5/)
**Thanks for reading! I have a couple of popular stories regarding some recent prompts going on at my subreddit right now, if you want to check them out at** [r/AuthorKurt](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt)
|
“Greg’s in there?!? OH MY GOD GREG. ARE YOU ALRIGHT??” I heard as Jo’s voice grew increasingly louder. I was still buzzed from the car accident that could’ve killed me if it had not been for that stuffed bear Jo gave me almost two hours before the crash.
“I’m alright Jo. Don’t make a ruckus will you?” I said, still fazed.
“I’m so sorry. I should’ve stopped you from going instead. Why did I even think that stupid bear would’ve been able to help?!?” she sobbed as she kept hitting herself on her head.
“Instead...”
I pondered over her choice of words once more. Instead, able to help and her constant sobbing. Jo was a friend who would go out of her way for you to accept her gift. The 6 dollars I needed for lunch. The ethernet cable for when my router went bust. A couple others that suddenly clicked to how far “coincidence” go.
“H..hh..how? The bear? You knew it was going to...Jo.. who are you?” I stuttered, struggling to get the words out.
Jo stopped crying and just fell silent for a moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Greg. Get well soon” she said with a monotonous voice as she left the room.
“Wait, Jo. PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT’S GOI...” and everything went white. The next thing I saw was Jo standing in what seemed like a dark room, crying.
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
“Ezekiel?!” I exclaimed as he walked into my hospital room. I was sure I wouldn’t see him until after I left the hospital, if even then. Every time I got hurt, he always disappeared for a while unexpectedly.
“Hey Riley,” he said hesitantly, looking over my bruised figure. I glanced down immediately to make sure I wasn’t half naked or something. I couldn’t tell anymore without looking, and I already felt self-conscious without a bra underneath my hospital gown. “H-How are you doing?” He stuttered slowly.
I looked up and stared at him for a moment, evaluating his reserved expression. His dark green eyes seemed…regretful. “Zeek,” I began cautiously, “why did you give me that huge teddy bear? It saved my life. It’s literally the only reason why I’m not dead right now.”
He looked away, his face now impassive. “It was just a gift Riley, I told you that.”
His response immediately made me suspicious. There was no surprise in what I'd said. No 'Wow, I can't believe my gift saved your life.' Just regret. A knowledgeable regret, as if he knew exactly what he had done. As if it had been intentional. But that wasn't what I was focusing on. My heart hurt too much to think about that.
“Why?” I demanded, feeling my eyes begin to sting. “Why do you insist of giving me things even though you said you don’t want to be with me?”
He shifted his weight uneasily at the foot of the bed. “I never said that,” he began quietly.
“Yes you did!” I exclaimed. I knew for a fact he did. Why was he denying it now?
He glanced at me briefly before looking away again. “I didn’t say I didn’t *want* to be with you.”
That gave me pause as I read between the lines. What had he really said? And then it hit me. He *couldn’t* be with me. Not that he didn’t want to be. “Why?” I asked again, barely above a whisper.
But he didn’t respond. He just stared at the wall silently.
“Zeek!” I exclaimed. “Why? Why did you save my life?”
He shifted uneasily again, a subconscious act, and remained silent.
I gasped. I was right. It had just been a stab in the dark, just an impossible theory. But his reaction…I was right. “Zeek…I can’t feel my legs.”
His head snapped in my direction, shock all over his face. He rushed to my side, kneeling down next to me and clasping his warms hands around mine. “Riley! I’m sorry!” He pleaded with me. “I didn’t know!”
When he bowed his head over our hands, tears silently slipping from his eyes, I reached out and began running my fingers through his thick brown hair with my free hand.
“Ezekiel,” I finally whispered, “why won’t you tell me what’s going on?”
He sighed heavily, pressing is forehead into our hands. “I can’t Riley. It’s…” He took a deep breath. “It’s against the rules.”
The portion of my body I could still control locked up in surprise. He immediately noticed and looked at me pleadingly. I had to look away from him then, afraid his emerald gaze was going to make me lose my train of thought. Finally, I spoke. “Is it not against the rules to save my life?” I asked hesitantly.
He froze this time. I could sense all his muscles tense. “No, it is against the rules,” he admitted cautiously. My head snapped in his direction, shocked that he was actually being honest. He continued. “Riley…I’ve been saving your life ever since I met you.”
“How long?” I whispered.
He held my gaze as he replied. “Since you were nine years old.”
I gasped, trying to remember back. To recall some inkling as to why it had started then. “Why?” I finally asked.
He looked away then, seeming to misunderstand my question, his expression emotionless. “Because that is when I was sent to collect your soul Riley.” He looked at me then, no longer hindered by my shocked expression. “I’m a reaper. A god of death.”
# Part 2
“A god of death?” I asked slowly, suddenly feeling lightheaded. I had to lean my head back against the upright portion of the bed. While Ezekiel had withheld information from me, not once had he ever lied to me. Even though it seemed impossible, if he was telling me he was a reaper then I believed him. But that didn’t make wrapping my mind around it any easier.
“So now you know,” he replied quietly. “Why we can’t be together.”
I closed my eyes, trying to keep the room from spinning. “But why me?” I whispered.
He lowered his voice even more. “Your soul. It’s…beautiful. And innocent. I couldn’t touch it. I didn’t want to touch it.” I opened my eyes and looked at him then as he began gently running his lips along the back of my hand. “I wanted to protect it.” He then sighed heavily, seemingly lost in his own thoughts now. “I’ve taken so many others, but when I met you…I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
My face flushed as he continued to run his warm lips along my hand and my wrist. There was so much to consider. So many questions to ask. But I could only focus on one thing. “But I still don’t understand,” I admitted. “Why can’t we be together?”
He ignored my question. “I can heal your legs,” he announced unexpectedly. But there was something more there. A pain in his expression, in his voice. He then started mumbling to himself. “I should have just done it a long time ago. You wouldn’t be in this situation if I had. I was just too selfish.” He rested his forehead against our hands again, as if silently apologizing.
I believed him that he could heal me. And I was glad to know that maybe I wouldn’t be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of my life. But, clearly, this gift wasn’t free. Otherwise he wouldn’t seem so…regretful.
“At what cost?” I wondered hesitantly.
He looked up at me then, holding my gaze for a few seconds, and then turned his head away. “You’ll never see me again.”
“Why not?” I asked breathlessly. I wanted the feeling back in my legs, but…I wanted him more.
He took a deep breath. “Because you won’t *want* to see me again.”
“But why Zeek?” I didn’t understand. There wasn’t any manifestation of reality in which I wouldn’t want him. I’d always wanted him, for as long as I had known him.
He finally met my gaze. “Because Riley….if I awaken your divinity then your legs will be healed, but you’ll be a different person. You’ll be appalled by what I am.” I just stared at him in disbelief, prompting him to continue. “Riley…you’re a reincarnated god. A god of life.”
My vision immediately darkened, and my ears started ringing. I had to lay my head back again. I barely heard Ezekiel urgently calling my name. I barely felt his breath suddenly on my cheek. His face was finally close to mine. After all this time, after all my fantasies, it was finally happening. And yet, I was barely conscious enough to enjoy him this close to me.
“Don’t do it,” I whispered, barely even hearing my own voice. “I want to be with you. I *need* to be with you.”
He pulled away then. I tried to look at him, but it felt like he was far away, as if I was watching him through a tunnel.
Unexpectedly, he held up his hand and a shadow appeared in the room, manifesting into a massive scythe with a bright red gem at the top, and a long chain at the bottom. My heart began fluttering, my ears barely picking up on his words.
“I’m sorry Riley. This is goodbye.”
# [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9e4vxp/my_boyfriend_is_a_soul_reaper_part_3/) | [Part 4](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9e7d8c/my_boyfriend_is_a_soul_reaper_part_4/) | [Part 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt/comments/9e86mw/my_boyfriend_is_a_soul_reaper_part_5/)
**Thanks for reading! I have a couple of popular stories regarding some recent prompts going on at my subreddit right now, if you want to check them out at** [r/AuthorKurt](https://www.reddit.com/r/AuthorKurt)
|
"What do you mean I'm crash" was my first shock, I had just been in my car ride home, and now I'm being told this garbage?
"You are crash bandicot" the wise old sage nodded, for reasons he refused to get into; This wise old sage was a piece of wood.
"No no no, I've played the game. I know how this ends" I denied, but the wooden board wasn't having it.
Before I could even scream in horror too much, the board had plastered itself on my head and my vision was momentarily cut off.
Like a horror dream, everytime I tried to escape; the board would cut off all vision until I returned to the predetermined path ahead of me. I already knew the horrors of this, I've played it.
I died a lot in the game. My greatest fear would be that I would die here, it only made my trials longer and my struggles worse. But I didn't die.
The bear is what saved my life at first, and my mentality. Whenever I felt like crying and giving up, I would squeeze it to death. If it wasn't so heavily cushioned, it would be flat. And if it wasn't there, I would do something suicidal.
I had plenty of time to think about my life, and when I finally reached the last level, the board flew off my head and I found my friend. In the end, I could only spit two scathing sentences.
"OP, what the hell is wrong with you? Why did you try railroad me while limiting my own choices?"
It was obviously OP, had to be. He gave me a teddy because he wanted it to be a crucial focus in my life.
The jokes on him though, halfway through I dumped the teddy.
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
I decide to confront Paul about the whole thing. Laying in my hospital bed I stew as well wisher after well wisher come in to sign my cast.
My surgeon says that I was lucky to come out of the thing with just a broken arm and whip lash. Seeing the pictures of my trashed car I agreed.
On the day I was going to get discharged Paul finally showed up and offered me a ride home.
"Nah man, sit down. I need to talk to you. close the door please.
Ok, so here's the thing. That bear you gave me? It saved my life. The air bags didn't deploy and I'd probably cracked my skull if it wasn't for that thing. I'm grateful, I really am but... this wasn't the first time Paul. Remember that odd sweater you gave me at the office party? The one that just said (SPORTS) on it? I had it shoved in the desk drawer for a month when one day when I had a presentation someone, Kate I think, spilled some coffee on my shirt so I used it to cover the stains. The presentation was about the new sports drink we're about to launch so the whole thing took well and I got a decent bonus out of it."
Paul was silent and just sat there looking at me oddly. In my head this would be the part where he broke down and confessed to... I don't know, calling 800-oracle or something! I dug deeper for more ammo.
"Ok, what about that Aprils fools day joke gift? You sent me a bag of marbles. That same I was walking down the street and the marbles spilled everywhere tripping the guy behind me. It was only when I tried to help him up did I see the gun in has hand. He had his gun out Paul! Probably was going to shot me in the back and run if it wasn't for those stupid marbles!"
Pauls expression remained the same. I was getting unnerved by this point and started talking even faster.
"Fine, lets say one, two even three of those were coincidences. The fuck was with that tiny fire extinguisher you gave me as a birthday gift? The thing was barely bigger then my palm so I thought it was toy. Do you know how I found out it was real Paul? Do you remember? Ofcourse you do. You refused to chip in for the cake at work right? You instead got an actual fire extinguisher for when the candles literally lit my sleeve on FIRE! Paul, what are you exactly. Just tell me alright."
Paul opened his mouth and in a very guarded tone said "I'm giving you a ride home. I think you should just come along alright."
I remembered his words as the taxi swerved off the road and off the highway. I closed my eyes and regretted declining his offer before the world went black.
|
Buying gifts never came naturally to me, but I tried my best anyways. Sometimes people just have everything they need, or perhaps I just don’t pay enough attention.
I owe Neo my life. Literally, he made me who I am. If it wasn’t for him, I’d still be out on the streets or even in the woods. Scavenging for food like some desperate animal.
He gave me jeans when I didn’t know I needed them, and sneakers so my feet wouldn’t hurt. He even gave me fingerless gloves.
But above all else, he gave me his friendship. One day, he got me this giant stuffed animal that I called Tiny. I never owned anything like that before, and seeing as I don’t own an actual house yet, I kept it with me everywhere I went. When I traveled, I strapped Tiny to a little go-kart that I use to get around.
Let me tell you, driving with Tiny is no easy task. He blocks your vision and it’s hard enough driving to begin with, especially when there’s the risk of being struck by ballistic missiles and land mines. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.. I don’t remember much. All I remember was waking up on the side of the road. A crowd had built up around me and asking me if I remembered who I was.
It took a while, but I did.
“I’m Crash, Crash Bandicoot.”
|
|
[WP] You have a friendc who buys you gifts that, days later, turns out you need. You figure they’re just observant. In till they give you a giant stuffed bear, to your surprise as it is a fairly normal gift and on your car ride home you are crash and the extra cushion of the bear saves your life.
|
I decide to confront Paul about the whole thing. Laying in my hospital bed I stew as well wisher after well wisher come in to sign my cast.
My surgeon says that I was lucky to come out of the thing with just a broken arm and whip lash. Seeing the pictures of my trashed car I agreed.
On the day I was going to get discharged Paul finally showed up and offered me a ride home.
"Nah man, sit down. I need to talk to you. close the door please.
Ok, so here's the thing. That bear you gave me? It saved my life. The air bags didn't deploy and I'd probably cracked my skull if it wasn't for that thing. I'm grateful, I really am but... this wasn't the first time Paul. Remember that odd sweater you gave me at the office party? The one that just said (SPORTS) on it? I had it shoved in the desk drawer for a month when one day when I had a presentation someone, Kate I think, spilled some coffee on my shirt so I used it to cover the stains. The presentation was about the new sports drink we're about to launch so the whole thing took well and I got a decent bonus out of it."
Paul was silent and just sat there looking at me oddly. In my head this would be the part where he broke down and confessed to... I don't know, calling 800-oracle or something! I dug deeper for more ammo.
"Ok, what about that Aprils fools day joke gift? You sent me a bag of marbles. That same I was walking down the street and the marbles spilled everywhere tripping the guy behind me. It was only when I tried to help him up did I see the gun in has hand. He had his gun out Paul! Probably was going to shot me in the back and run if it wasn't for those stupid marbles!"
Pauls expression remained the same. I was getting unnerved by this point and started talking even faster.
"Fine, lets say one, two even three of those were coincidences. The fuck was with that tiny fire extinguisher you gave me as a birthday gift? The thing was barely bigger then my palm so I thought it was toy. Do you know how I found out it was real Paul? Do you remember? Ofcourse you do. You refused to chip in for the cake at work right? You instead got an actual fire extinguisher for when the candles literally lit my sleeve on FIRE! Paul, what are you exactly. Just tell me alright."
Paul opened his mouth and in a very guarded tone said "I'm giving you a ride home. I think you should just come along alright."
I remembered his words as the taxi swerved off the road and off the highway. I closed my eyes and regretted declining his offer before the world went black.
|
"You're a guardian angel, aren't you?" I said accusingly, barging my way past Sarah and into her apartment.
She ran a hand through her hair. "Oh hey, James, why don't you come in?"
"I'm not an idiot, Sarah. Since you entered my life last year, you've... You've changed everything. You've done impossible things. Like, like, it was thanks to the camera that *you* lent me that I caught my wife - ex-wife - cheating. Thanks to the helmet you bought me that my bike accident wasn't worse. And now today - an hour ago -that bear you bought me... It saved my fucking life. So don't act like I'm stupid. I know what you are!"
Sarah swallowed hard and her cheeks grew pink. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner. But it's against the rules. Please understand."
She looked embarrassed. There was something innocent and beautiful about her expression. I ran a hand through my hair. "I knew it. I just fucking knew it! This last year has been too crazy to be real."
"Not just the last year."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
She shrugged and smiled. "I've always been there for you James. You just maybe didn't always realise it. I had a different name back then." She removed her glasses and placed them down onto the table, then pulled back her hair. It took me a moment to recognise her from the little girl I'd known at school.
"Erica?" I whispered.
"Surprise. "
"Erica? You can't be... I don't understand... Why-"
"Your parents were going through a divorce," she explained. "And you were being bullied about it at school. You needed me then, just like you do now."
The memories flooded back. Events I hadn't thought about in years. "They... They said you stabbed Andrew in the eye with a compass. That's why you got expelled. Is that true?"
"He didn't bother you after that, did he? Sometimes my job isn't easy or pleasant. "
I shook my head. "His parents pulled him out of the school. Jesus, so you were looking out for me even back then!?"
"Always, James. Don't you understand? I belong to you. And you do to me. That's how it works."
"You saved my life tonight." I held out my trembling arms as I approached her. "My breaks failed and... And... "
Sarah approached me and wrapped her arms around me. "Shh, baby. It's okay. I'm here. I've always been here."
I closed my eyes and lay my head on her shoulder as she ran a hand through my hair. Why I hadn't I realised before just how much I needed her?
I pulled my head back and looked in her cool blue eyes. Her perfect eyes. "Can I...? Can we..."
She answered by pressing her lips hard against mine.
Before I closed my eyes, something on the table next to her glasses caught my attention. They looked like scissors, but thicker and with bigger handles. A peculiar thing for an angel to have, I thought, before shutting my eyes and kissing her back.
|
|
[WP] You're a garbage man in Nevada, and every week you have to drive 50 miles into the desert to check a single can. There are no buildings or people within miles of the can. The can is always full.
|
The can was there, just like every week. My only can for Thursdays. Everyone before me had been too creeped out by the can, so they kept passing it to the new guy. I didn't mind, so they let me keep it. A quick drive, out and back, for a full day's pay, was worth it, as far as I was concerned. 23 years I've been doing the run. And every time, it's been there, full as can be.
When I was younger, I was too curious. I wasted off time trying to solve the mystery. Days wasted exploring the surrounding desert. I spent a vacation week camped out by the can, then another at the start of the 10 mile road that dead ends at the can. I never saw anyone. It stays empty until the night before, then it fills up. It's never consistent for what fills it, but it's always odd. One week, it was packed with used bottle rockets. One time, it was an anatomically correct mannequin of Joaquin Phoenix buried in unused mustard packets. There have been a couple of times we turned things over to museums. I'm rich enough to retire off the time it was filled with gold coins, but not quite ready to yet.
The only problem I've had was one of the times it was full of Velociraptors. Not the huge, made up things from the movies. These were more like vicious, carnivorous turkeys. I laughed until they swarmed me. Fortunately, I'd brought along a new guy that time, to show him the weird. He started hitting them with the grabber we use to pull sticky stuff off the bottom of cans. They all scattered still running loose out there. Started carrying a gun after that. Worked nicely when the Zodiac Killer leapt out at me from the can once. Long story, that one. Got him alive. Still don't think that judge really believed me about everything, though.
This week is my last run, thanks to that gold. I've bought an island, have a nice little set up in the Mediterranean. Wife's been there the last couple weeks, making sure everything's ready. Maybe that's why, this week, it's nearly empty. Just like always, I hopped out and glanced to see what was inside. This time, it was a lone greeting card. Picture of a sleeping dog. Caption on the front, "This job makes us all tired, but you've been here so long..." Then inside, "I guess you're REtired!" Some one had hand-written, "Sad to see you go. Have fun on your new adventure. - TC"
I closed up the can, patted the lid, tucked the card in my pocket, and took off in my truck, waving back at the can until it was out of sight.
|
I checked my side view and rear view mirror for the thousandth time, trying to ensure no one was following me. I was doubtful, given that the road behind and ahead went on and on. For many miles it did so until it came to a single point on the horizon, obscured by hazy vapors on both ends. I did a cocky sniff of my mustache and cleared my throat. It was a habit I had picked up from an old friend.
Doubling my mirror work, just to be sure, I turned off the clean black asphalt and onto the rocky surface that ran parallel to the road. The was nary a cactus out here. Just... dirt. Dirt and the thing I had come all this way for. For about a ten minute drive, I saw nothing. I expected this, as it was never in the same place, but somehow I knew exactly where to turn into the desert to find it. Somehow.
I hesitate to say it called to me. I mean, it was a thing, not a person and... it couldn't call out to me, right? Things have no power. They are just that, *things.* Just inert, dead, and lifeless. Right?
I cleared my throat to steel myself, because at the same instant I saw a glint in the distance to my right out of the passenger window. I got butterflies. No. Not butterflies. This wasn't that feeling you got when you saw a pretty girl. This was more like seeing something that shakes the foundations of your common sense. This sinking, guts upturned, stammering wh-what-the-fuck-am-I-looking-at type sensation. The one where you pee a little involuntarily and for an instant you know there's a God because you're just a mite in the Cosmos and-
The glint disappeared.
Ok, now I pooped a little. My nose turned up on itself and I kid, I had only passed gas, but that thing I was looking for couldn't have just gone. I- I-
You see, I had come out here once with the aforementioned friend. He had shown me the thing. Someone I had never met had shown it to him- and after showing me, I had never seen him again. The one who showed him had disappeared also. It makes no sense, but since then I had been obsessed with it. I drove out here because, well... you know, they say if you lose your child just stay at the place where you lost them because they'll come back and- tears ran down my face- I was sure I'd see my friend again if I kept coming back for it.
Where was this freaking thing?!
I screeched to a halt, throwing up a cloud of brown debris that came into my open windows. The brown, mineral smell was familiar. I invited it into my senses. Every time I came out here, got out of my car, and found the damn thing, the scent of moistureless earth was *mine.* This drive was *mine.* The thing- it was mine too and I hated not being able to find it. To see it. Because besides my M.I.A homie, outside of this drive I was a garbage man and people were kind and all. But I smelled. I had this musk of refuse that clinged to my flesh after a shower and this friend didn't mind and the smell of desert dust was nice and *mine* and I'm not making sense but I smashed my hand down on the dashboard, sucking in sharp, shallow breaths. Tears trickled from my eyes and evaporated in front of them.
The hazy vapor was in my car now. From my bawling probably. But through it, their was a single shimmer, of something. Of, of- HA HA!
I smashed my gas pedal into the floor and tore off after it. Gravel crunched and careened into my face as I did and what did I care? I could see it- HA HA!- right there, right there! My teeth were touching my ears my smile was so wide. I was gonna do 150 miles per hour out here in the middle of nowhere and I leaned back and laughed, eyes shut into crow's feet "Whooooo hoooo!" I bellowed, joyful. I was gonna grab that old soda can and hug it but-
I didn't see the cliff edge.
|
|
[WP] You’re an astronaut aboard the ISS. During you’re time on there, another astronaut has murdered a crew member, but no one knows who did it. You’re tasked with preventing the other astronauts from getting to each other’s throats, and bring the accused home to justice.
|
I've been in the ISS for almost three and a half months. All the crew were getting along fine, since we've been trained to avoid personal conflicts. But today, one of the Russian cosmonauts was killed. Nobody knows who was the killer, and he was obviously murdered because you don't stab yourself in the back seven times by accident. We reported it to the stations on Earth. They ordered us to only keep the important systems functioning and to stay together as much time as possible, to increase the possibilities of finding the killer.
Four days have passed since the first victim was found. Now we are only two. Four people were murdered. I didn't kill anyone, so she must be the killer. I didn't have anything to prove it, though, so I have to defend myself until the next mission came to take the bodies and us back to Earth. Funnily, in her desperation she still tried to convince me she didn't do it. I locked myself up and waited.
Next day, I find her dead. Now I think she might have been right. But in that case, I'm trapped 400 km above the ground with something that has already killed five people. I'm totally scared, I think I may be crazy now. I hear the crew's voices calling me. Maybe I should check up on them.
|
Day 181 aboard the ISS: one of the other astronauts was found stuffed into their suit earlier today I have been assigned the job of finding who did it and stopping them.
Day 188: Another person has been found in their suit this time it was one Russians. They think that the Americans are sabotaging them. But I think that one of them is behind it.
Day 194: one of the Canadians have died the Russians are doubling down on their theory that the Americans are trying to make sure they have the most advantages. Everyone is staying in their cabins.
Day 223: the killings have been increased four have died since I last wrote. There are now only two other inhabitants.
Day 224: the other two inhabitants have been killed...... none of them ever thought it might be me
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
"*It was a careless, but wholly understandable thing, really: the appropriate enforcers of magical law discovered it much later and couldn't help but admire the grim irony of the detail that started the whole affair. The ancient warlocks who had translated the Book of the Fallen, poring as they were over a text in a tongue yet older than even their own, doubtless noted with no small amusement but little apprehension the linguistic coincidence that the* True Name *of* He Who Bears the title Lord-and-Father-of-the-Most-Vile *in classical High Seneian, should share its form and pronunciation with a word denoting a detail of cultural body language meant to convey warmth and affection.*
&#x200B;
*Despite the foresight granted them by their remarkable command over all that is ethereal, the sorcerers of the Circle of Baal could not have anticipated the situation that arose in the deep night of the autumn equinox last year in a village off the easternmost shoulder of the Spine. It is this situation which this chronicle concerns. For a long time after the incident, the truth of the tale was not known as it is now, and no one could have told the story as I do here, so that our blunder may never be repeated.*
&#x200B;
*The girl's father's name was never retrieved. It is not known whether, in some farflung corner of the world, there yet remains living memory of his identity, or if the gods and stranger things have swallowed that secret and hidden it in a place no mortal mind shall ever reach. It is known that he was a respectable sorcerer, a hoarder of artifacts worthy of execution in more lawful kingdoms, places where such cabals cannot meet under light of sun or star. Our kingdom was no such place... but no middling thaumaturge could have achieved the ritual which called* His Name*: he recognized the talent in his eldest daughter. He would have known since birth, of course. The laws of the earth work queerly for those destined for greatness - greatness, of course, in the sense of the unforgettable.*
&#x200B;
*The omens... I shudder to think the shape they could have taken, but I can speculate from other such anomalies: murders of crows eclipsing the sun at intervals on the day of her conception; a comet crawling like a tear from the eye of the moon in the night sky on the third day of the third month; a whisper in the tavern of massacre in a far-off province, the withering of other lives around her...the stillborn birth of every child in the months leading up to her own, the death of her mother in childbirth... They must have been terrible. Every voice the world could muster warning of what had crept into the world. Her father must have been aware, however dimly, but who could resist such* ***temptation*** *? To see genius spring from the seeds of one's own loins, no matter how rotten its roots.*
&#x200B;
*And oh how that eldritch flower would bloom...*
&#x200B;
*There were those who had not been present at the equinox. Tradesmen whose fortune led them to marketplaces in other towns along the Spine, or whichever wanderer's fate led them astray on their journey east. From them we collected all that is now known of the girl's childhood. It is as one would expect: fear from the other children, a sense of unease in her presence, an uncanny gleam of awareness in her stare even before she was weaned from her wetnurse. Animals strung up in the woods from branches. The dreams.*
&#x200B;
*Yet perhaps it could have ended another way. The death of her mother sealed her fate: we feel confident of this now. With a stabilizing element of affection to complement her father's madness, the crisis could have been averted, no matter what disasters the girl might invite later in life had she survived. The day after the equinox would have marked the beginning of her thirteenth year. She must have found the grimoire in her father's library. Probably he did not even know that she had already mastered High Seneian and the other Primordial Tongues... probably she hid herself from him, dangled her brilliance just before his eyes without ever letting on to its depth. If he had known even in his madness he would have been more careful.*
&#x200B;
He *must have been watching even then. Still innocent, despite her destiny; a perfect jewel, so young and yet already an unbearable temptation for her power. Even then, she must have known the warding spells, the protections, she would have not gotten so far without understanding that even a godling must be cautious of the Outside... yet how could she see the perfect trigger, written into the language that evokes life in dead matter, wrings scripture from thought, does not bluntly break reality but rewrites it with the grace of an artist?*
&#x200B;
*She must have read* His Name *and not even seen her blunder, her mind articulating the word just slightly off so that it conjured its homophone instead, and with it a daydream of the warmth that had never thawed the ice of her heart. The light that never reached her. Yes, even if no other blessing under the heavens could have changed her fate, perhaps the primal power of a mother's love could at least spared us from calamity.*
&#x200B;
*But instead, she said* His Name*, and when the Lord of the Most Vile saw the perfection of the moment -- to think, she* opened her heart to Him *--* "
Fragment 571 of Pausanias the Geometer's ***Premonitions***
|
WARNING: CHILD ABUSE. Seriously don't read if you can't handle that.
"What the F-CK IS THAT!?"
"THIS IS THE LEAST VALUABLE OFFERING ANY GOD D-MNED MORTAL HAVE EVER ATTEMPTED! THIS F-CKING *STUFFED MOUSE* HAS... quite a lot of sentimental value actually... Maybe I'll see what's going on. If it is a waste of my time I'll just bring this stupid bitch's soul back to hell."
As I pour into the devil ring I look into the blinding distance to see where my worthless offering came from. "A little girl?" How did she even get the pattern? Than again you don't need the pattern if you want something badly enough... That's not possible, not for ME. She's six, maybe seven. We'll see.
I feel my body coming into the mortal world, my immortality at brisk odds with the laws HE made for this place and when the smoke clears there is no pattern on the ground. So this little monster really did just conjure me with force of will. I grin with the feeling of hate coming from deep inside her, though it's buried under all that desperate love. This will be good.
At my feet the little thing mourns the life her dearest friend sobbing her tiny tears for 'Munchy', a pocket knife nearby.
"What do you want?" I notice now that she is looking down on purpose. Terrified both of being without her friend and of me. We can't have that.
"LOOK AT ME!" She immediately looks up, I guess she's had experience with screaming, all for the best it makes my job easier, "What. Do. You. Want?"
"A hug! I just wanted a hug! Please, I just wanted... Please..." She can't contain it anymore and sobs so I can't make out any more.
Well I did take Munchy. I reach down and scoop her up in my hand, her sobbing stops and she stares blankly ahead, unsure weather she's getting what she wants or is being punished. I press her to my chest and give her the closest thing to a hug I can with our size difference. This close to her I can easily manipulate her emotions to make this worth the sacrifice. I set her on the ground.
"The contract is complete, I will leave you now if that is what you want."
"No please! You're all I have left..." She looks at her eviscerated toy.
"If you want me to stay we need a new contract. A permanent one." I pull out my tongue and set it in front of her. Eat that, and I will stay.
She looks at the wriggling thing in front of her nearly half her size, "Will you be my friend?"
"The greatest friend you could ever want."
I have to say I'm impressed. She didn't even hesitate. She grabbed the flesh and bit into it ripping a piece off. It was hot and clearly hurt her to eat but she kept going. She only needed a tiny amount but I let her go until she was sobbing into the lifeless flesh, her hands and face raw and covered in blood, "I can't, it's too- I can't do it," she went to bite it again but I took it from her.
"You did well, now we can be friends."
With me here it would take maybe a week for her to kill her abusers. It would look like an accident, and over time she would be a wonderful killer. Yes... This was definitely worth a stuffed mouse.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
The room filled with smoke. Glowing red eyes peeled through the black fog.
"What mortal has summoned me from the deepest depths of hells." The eyes scanned the room and landed on the small figure crying in front of him. "Yes, look unto me with great fear and trepidation." The smoke swirled and dissipated as the great demon stood tall, proud, and imposing. "Weep in my glory as..." He stopped. "What is this? A sacrifice? A joke?"
The demon peered down at the circle surrounding him. Crude and poorly constructed. A dark book sat in front of the weeping child. It was a girl, no older than 8.
She looked up, eyes red from tears, the left purple from a grown ng bruise. Between sobs she asked. "Can I..." A hiccup of tears, "can I please get a hug."
"A hug?" The dark prince stared in disgust, and also a hint of intrigue. "Why would I hug you? I am the darkness. I am the slow creep of death. I am fire incarnate!" He knelt down and in a gruesome whipser, "Why would I hug a little girl like you."
"P-p-please?" She held put her arms and the demon carefully examined her face.
Only two feelings are strong enough to bring him into this realm. Pure, unadulterated hatred, and absolute fear. These two things give him power above all else. If this girl truly summoned him using what appeared to be little less than black crayon, she is either much more than she appeared or in a place he had never encountered a child in before.
After a moment of hesitation he stepped out of the circle. With a little surprise he found he could. The circle wasn't complete. He was free to leave it. Feeling his powers still with him he picked up the girl. He sniffed the air around her and smelled fear. A disgusting fear. He smelt the acrid stench of true yearning for release.
"What has brought you to summon me young one?" He held her at arm's length. He was beginning to feel this may be a trap. But still he was unsure of much of the situation.
She cried more and whispered a choked few sentences. They where so quiet only he could hear them. They were so heavy he felt a fire in his gut he has not felt in a long time. A spark he had all but forgotten from a time when his job was to punish.
Slowly he hugged the girl. Carefully he asked her for a name. Attentively he memorized it. He set her down after a moment. He moved her hair out of her face and carefully caressed it. "I will return shortly. Stay here and no more harm will come to you."
The little girl nodded and wiped her tears away. She steal stuttered her breath but it was slightly calmer. The demon snapped his fingers and disappeared.
---
Cardinal Daniel sat in his favourite chair. He looked down at the little paperwork on his desk and looked quickly to his computer. As he opened a file he kept carefully hidden he noticed a shadow fall upon him. Rapidly he clicked away and looked up, stuttering as he prepared to talk to whomever had walked into his office so quietly. The stuttering stopped as he saw a sight he couldn't believe.
"Do you know what my job was before I became an arch demon?" The beast stood staring. His eyes glowed once more with a rage he had not yet forgotten. "Do you know why I fell?"
The older man scrambled to the furthest wall as the demon threw his desk.
"I did not believe people like you ever deserved repentance. I thought that father was foolish to accept that people like you could ever be saved." He went closer to the old man. His claws growing slowly. "Lucky me to find out I was right. Luckier still that I was given the job to deal with people like you." He left a long set of scratches on the wall as the man mumbled a memorized prayer.
The man held out the cross he wore around his neck. Rapidly he prayed to every saint, to the mother, to the son, to the father and the holy ghost.
The demon chuckled. "They do not hear you. And they will never look upon you." The demon pounced as the man screamed.
---
The little girl had fallen asleep by the time the demon had returned. She woke up wearily as he picked her up and gently held her. He walked out of the room, his form changing to a tall man. As she stirred slightly he whispered to her. His voice sweeter than he had heard it since before the great fall.
"Fear not child. You have brought me here. And I will not rest until I can finally complete my duty. I will not stop until all the children like you know that the monster under their bed is their gaurdian as it always should have been."
|
WARNING: CHILD ABUSE. Seriously don't read if you can't handle that.
"What the F-CK IS THAT!?"
"THIS IS THE LEAST VALUABLE OFFERING ANY GOD D-MNED MORTAL HAVE EVER ATTEMPTED! THIS F-CKING *STUFFED MOUSE* HAS... quite a lot of sentimental value actually... Maybe I'll see what's going on. If it is a waste of my time I'll just bring this stupid bitch's soul back to hell."
As I pour into the devil ring I look into the blinding distance to see where my worthless offering came from. "A little girl?" How did she even get the pattern? Than again you don't need the pattern if you want something badly enough... That's not possible, not for ME. She's six, maybe seven. We'll see.
I feel my body coming into the mortal world, my immortality at brisk odds with the laws HE made for this place and when the smoke clears there is no pattern on the ground. So this little monster really did just conjure me with force of will. I grin with the feeling of hate coming from deep inside her, though it's buried under all that desperate love. This will be good.
At my feet the little thing mourns the life her dearest friend sobbing her tiny tears for 'Munchy', a pocket knife nearby.
"What do you want?" I notice now that she is looking down on purpose. Terrified both of being without her friend and of me. We can't have that.
"LOOK AT ME!" She immediately looks up, I guess she's had experience with screaming, all for the best it makes my job easier, "What. Do. You. Want?"
"A hug! I just wanted a hug! Please, I just wanted... Please..." She can't contain it anymore and sobs so I can't make out any more.
Well I did take Munchy. I reach down and scoop her up in my hand, her sobbing stops and she stares blankly ahead, unsure weather she's getting what she wants or is being punished. I press her to my chest and give her the closest thing to a hug I can with our size difference. This close to her I can easily manipulate her emotions to make this worth the sacrifice. I set her on the ground.
"The contract is complete, I will leave you now if that is what you want."
"No please! You're all I have left..." She looks at her eviscerated toy.
"If you want me to stay we need a new contract. A permanent one." I pull out my tongue and set it in front of her. Eat that, and I will stay.
She looks at the wriggling thing in front of her nearly half her size, "Will you be my friend?"
"The greatest friend you could ever want."
I have to say I'm impressed. She didn't even hesitate. She grabbed the flesh and bit into it ripping a piece off. It was hot and clearly hurt her to eat but she kept going. She only needed a tiny amount but I let her go until she was sobbing into the lifeless flesh, her hands and face raw and covered in blood, "I can't, it's too- I can't do it," she went to bite it again but I took it from her.
"You did well, now we can be friends."
With me here it would take maybe a week for her to kill her abusers. It would look like an accident, and over time she would be a wonderful killer. Yes... This was definitely worth a stuffed mouse.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
If anyone ever asked why I stayed after hearing the mortal’s request, I can honestly say I don’t know. It didn’t feel right to just leave.
‘So,’ I said as I searched the kitchen. ‘How did you know how to summon me?’
The mortal – named Grace – sat at the kitchen counter with an old book clutched to her chest. Saying she was ten years old would have been a generous estimate. Still, she was a toddler compared to my age. Hell, even humanity could be considered a toddler compared to me.
‘My brother’s old books,’ she said about as polite as she was innocent – a word which I don’t use lightly. I blinked. *A brother?*
‘And he knows that his sister is messing with otherworldly forces?’ I pushed a plate with a PB&J sandwich across the table. The children of this world like this treat, right? I also might have helped myself to one of the beers in the fridge. She took a careful bite, then another, and then another.
The little mortal shook her head. ‘He… Daddy says he isn’t coming back… ever.’ She nearly choked on the words. She didn’t cry, but it was obvious she was fighting back tears.
I hummed, hoping she would take as one of understanding. Believe me, I have dealt with anger, greed, lust and about every other destructive emotion, but something pure like happiness and sorrow? Not my field of expertise.
‘I…’ she whimpered, still fighting the tears. ‘I miss him…’
‘And you were hoping he’d come back with this,’ I continued, tapping a finger on the book in her arms. I cocked my head a little. ‘You really think he went to Hell?’
She looked up at me, her eyes big, red and puffy. Then she said something that even made my damned heart skip a beat.
‘Daddy said he did.’
Hell’s bells.
That was cruel to say. To say about one’s own child, to tell the other child. I was amorality incarnate, and even *I* thought that was horrible. *Me*!
Suddenly *very* interested, I pulled out a small notebook and asked the child for her brother’s name. She told me, and I started looking through millions of names. And none of them were her brother’s.
What I did next was impulsive, yes, but… not something I necessarily regret.
I snapped my fingers and a piece of paper along with a quill and inkwell materialized out of thin air. I wrote down a divinely binding contract before pushing the sheet of paper across the counter. The girl looked at me, then down at the contract, then back up at me, her eyes still puffy.
‘You want to see your brother again, yes? Just write your initials here, here and here.’ I pointed with the quill. ‘It will not be long, but it’s something.’
I swear, she snatched the quill from my hand almost too fast for a human. Didn’t even bother writing the contract. She pushed the signed contract and quill back, her face bright and hopeful.
Better keep up my end of the bargain.
=\] \[=
When the angels finally caught up with me, they weren’t happy. They all came with swords out. I recognized the head of the hunting party.
Uriel.
‘Greetings, brother,’ I said, sitting outside the mortals’ household and having a smoke.
Uriel had always been the most collected of us, often the one to end Michael’s and Lucifer’s constant bickering. So, imagine my surprise when he snarled, ‘*You*!’
Hell’s bells.
He closed the distance with remarkable speed, even for an angel. Before I knew it, I had a sword’s edge pressed against my neck. Immortal being or not, if Uriel went through with it, it was going to hurt.
‘Where. Is. The soul?’
‘Uriel, dear,’ I smiled. ‘I thought it was clear that I had none.’
The edge pressed a little harder, enough to draw a pebble of the icky ooze that flowed through my body. It sizzled upon contact with the white-hot blade.
‘Not yours,’ he hissed. ‘The one you took from Heaven!’
‘Oh, *that* soul!’ I may have wanted to make a quip about miscommunication, but I had a feeling I was already tapdancing on thin ice. I jabbed a thumb at the house. ‘He’s in there.’ As if it was a que, one could the laughter of an innocent child. When one of the angels took a step toward the house, I snapped my fingers. Bright flames surrounded the house, invisible to the mortal eye. The angels grew tense and Uriel made no move.
‘I should mention that I am under contract.’ I snapped my fingers again, and the contract reappeared in my hand. Uriel snatched it from my hand and read it. ‘You only need to wait one hour. That’s all.’
‘Or else you will fight to buy time, is that it?’ Uriel asked with a disbelieving look in his eyes.
I shrugged. ‘Just let them have this hour, alright?’
Uriel considered it. Then he told the angels to stand down. The fire surrounding the house died down.
‘So, how have you been, Uri—’
‘Do not push it.’
‘Alrighty.’
=\] \[=
An hour passed, and the soul I allegedly kidnapped from Heaven was escorted out of the house, flanked by angels on both sides. I stood a small distance away with Uriel who made sure I wouldn’t interfere more than I already had (allegedly).
The little human ran out and hugged her brother’s soul with all the care and affection her little body could muster. Her brother returned the hug ten times over.
‘Why?’
I let out deep breath. ‘You know how many people I have to deal with? It is always “make me rich”, “give me women”, “make me famous”. Every single one of them never asks for what they truly need. Until her. She missed someone and wanted to say goodbye…’ I smiled a little. ‘Think of her as a breath of fresh air. And… maybe just once… I wanted to do something nice for a change.’
Uriel weighed my every word, and answered, ‘I see.’
‘You still mad?’
‘Furious.’ His hand touched the hilt of his sword. ‘Pull a stunt like that again, and I will be less forgiving.’
‘Understandable.’
The soul and angels departed first, with Uriel close behind. The girl waved at the stars on the night sky. She smiled when she saw me and held out her hand. For in her hand, she held the payment for bringing her brother back for an hour: a penny.
I pocketed the penny and shook her hand.
‘Been a pleasure doing business with you—’ I was cut off when she hugged me around the waist. It… felt all warm and tingly. Thinking through the panic, I patted her head gently.
‘Thank you,’ she cried into my suit. Happy tears, I could tell.
|
WARNING: CHILD ABUSE. Seriously don't read if you can't handle that.
"What the F-CK IS THAT!?"
"THIS IS THE LEAST VALUABLE OFFERING ANY GOD D-MNED MORTAL HAVE EVER ATTEMPTED! THIS F-CKING *STUFFED MOUSE* HAS... quite a lot of sentimental value actually... Maybe I'll see what's going on. If it is a waste of my time I'll just bring this stupid bitch's soul back to hell."
As I pour into the devil ring I look into the blinding distance to see where my worthless offering came from. "A little girl?" How did she even get the pattern? Than again you don't need the pattern if you want something badly enough... That's not possible, not for ME. She's six, maybe seven. We'll see.
I feel my body coming into the mortal world, my immortality at brisk odds with the laws HE made for this place and when the smoke clears there is no pattern on the ground. So this little monster really did just conjure me with force of will. I grin with the feeling of hate coming from deep inside her, though it's buried under all that desperate love. This will be good.
At my feet the little thing mourns the life her dearest friend sobbing her tiny tears for 'Munchy', a pocket knife nearby.
"What do you want?" I notice now that she is looking down on purpose. Terrified both of being without her friend and of me. We can't have that.
"LOOK AT ME!" She immediately looks up, I guess she's had experience with screaming, all for the best it makes my job easier, "What. Do. You. Want?"
"A hug! I just wanted a hug! Please, I just wanted... Please..." She can't contain it anymore and sobs so I can't make out any more.
Well I did take Munchy. I reach down and scoop her up in my hand, her sobbing stops and she stares blankly ahead, unsure weather she's getting what she wants or is being punished. I press her to my chest and give her the closest thing to a hug I can with our size difference. This close to her I can easily manipulate her emotions to make this worth the sacrifice. I set her on the ground.
"The contract is complete, I will leave you now if that is what you want."
"No please! You're all I have left..." She looks at her eviscerated toy.
"If you want me to stay we need a new contract. A permanent one." I pull out my tongue and set it in front of her. Eat that, and I will stay.
She looks at the wriggling thing in front of her nearly half her size, "Will you be my friend?"
"The greatest friend you could ever want."
I have to say I'm impressed. She didn't even hesitate. She grabbed the flesh and bit into it ripping a piece off. It was hot and clearly hurt her to eat but she kept going. She only needed a tiny amount but I let her go until she was sobbing into the lifeless flesh, her hands and face raw and covered in blood, "I can't, it's too- I can't do it," she went to bite it again but I took it from her.
"You did well, now we can be friends."
With me here it would take maybe a week for her to kill her abusers. It would look like an accident, and over time she would be a wonderful killer. Yes... This was definitely worth a stuffed mouse.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
The room filled with smoke. Glowing red eyes peeled through the black fog.
"What mortal has summoned me from the deepest depths of hells." The eyes scanned the room and landed on the small figure crying in front of him. "Yes, look unto me with great fear and trepidation." The smoke swirled and dissipated as the great demon stood tall, proud, and imposing. "Weep in my glory as..." He stopped. "What is this? A sacrifice? A joke?"
The demon peered down at the circle surrounding him. Crude and poorly constructed. A dark book sat in front of the weeping child. It was a girl, no older than 8.
She looked up, eyes red from tears, the left purple from a grown ng bruise. Between sobs she asked. "Can I..." A hiccup of tears, "can I please get a hug."
"A hug?" The dark prince stared in disgust, and also a hint of intrigue. "Why would I hug you? I am the darkness. I am the slow creep of death. I am fire incarnate!" He knelt down and in a gruesome whipser, "Why would I hug a little girl like you."
"P-p-please?" She held put her arms and the demon carefully examined her face.
Only two feelings are strong enough to bring him into this realm. Pure, unadulterated hatred, and absolute fear. These two things give him power above all else. If this girl truly summoned him using what appeared to be little less than black crayon, she is either much more than she appeared or in a place he had never encountered a child in before.
After a moment of hesitation he stepped out of the circle. With a little surprise he found he could. The circle wasn't complete. He was free to leave it. Feeling his powers still with him he picked up the girl. He sniffed the air around her and smelled fear. A disgusting fear. He smelt the acrid stench of true yearning for release.
"What has brought you to summon me young one?" He held her at arm's length. He was beginning to feel this may be a trap. But still he was unsure of much of the situation.
She cried more and whispered a choked few sentences. They where so quiet only he could hear them. They were so heavy he felt a fire in his gut he has not felt in a long time. A spark he had all but forgotten from a time when his job was to punish.
Slowly he hugged the girl. Carefully he asked her for a name. Attentively he memorized it. He set her down after a moment. He moved her hair out of her face and carefully caressed it. "I will return shortly. Stay here and no more harm will come to you."
The little girl nodded and wiped her tears away. She steal stuttered her breath but it was slightly calmer. The demon snapped his fingers and disappeared.
---
Cardinal Daniel sat in his favourite chair. He looked down at the little paperwork on his desk and looked quickly to his computer. As he opened a file he kept carefully hidden he noticed a shadow fall upon him. Rapidly he clicked away and looked up, stuttering as he prepared to talk to whomever had walked into his office so quietly. The stuttering stopped as he saw a sight he couldn't believe.
"Do you know what my job was before I became an arch demon?" The beast stood staring. His eyes glowed once more with a rage he had not yet forgotten. "Do you know why I fell?"
The older man scrambled to the furthest wall as the demon threw his desk.
"I did not believe people like you ever deserved repentance. I thought that father was foolish to accept that people like you could ever be saved." He went closer to the old man. His claws growing slowly. "Lucky me to find out I was right. Luckier still that I was given the job to deal with people like you." He left a long set of scratches on the wall as the man mumbled a memorized prayer.
The man held out the cross he wore around his neck. Rapidly he prayed to every saint, to the mother, to the son, to the father and the holy ghost.
The demon chuckled. "They do not hear you. And they will never look upon you." The demon pounced as the man screamed.
---
The little girl had fallen asleep by the time the demon had returned. She woke up wearily as he picked her up and gently held her. He walked out of the room, his form changing to a tall man. As she stirred slightly he whispered to her. His voice sweeter than he had heard it since before the great fall.
"Fear not child. You have brought me here. And I will not rest until I can finally complete my duty. I will not stop until all the children like you know that the monster under their bed is their gaurdian as it always should have been."
|
"*It was a careless, but wholly understandable thing, really: the appropriate enforcers of magical law discovered it much later and couldn't help but admire the grim irony of the detail that started the whole affair. The ancient warlocks who had translated the Book of the Fallen, poring as they were over a text in a tongue yet older than even their own, doubtless noted with no small amusement but little apprehension the linguistic coincidence that the* True Name *of* He Who Bears the title Lord-and-Father-of-the-Most-Vile *in classical High Seneian, should share its form and pronunciation with a word denoting a detail of cultural body language meant to convey warmth and affection.*
&#x200B;
*Despite the foresight granted them by their remarkable command over all that is ethereal, the sorcerers of the Circle of Baal could not have anticipated the situation that arose in the deep night of the autumn equinox last year in a village off the easternmost shoulder of the Spine. It is this situation which this chronicle concerns. For a long time after the incident, the truth of the tale was not known as it is now, and no one could have told the story as I do here, so that our blunder may never be repeated.*
&#x200B;
*The girl's father's name was never retrieved. It is not known whether, in some farflung corner of the world, there yet remains living memory of his identity, or if the gods and stranger things have swallowed that secret and hidden it in a place no mortal mind shall ever reach. It is known that he was a respectable sorcerer, a hoarder of artifacts worthy of execution in more lawful kingdoms, places where such cabals cannot meet under light of sun or star. Our kingdom was no such place... but no middling thaumaturge could have achieved the ritual which called* His Name*: he recognized the talent in his eldest daughter. He would have known since birth, of course. The laws of the earth work queerly for those destined for greatness - greatness, of course, in the sense of the unforgettable.*
&#x200B;
*The omens... I shudder to think the shape they could have taken, but I can speculate from other such anomalies: murders of crows eclipsing the sun at intervals on the day of her conception; a comet crawling like a tear from the eye of the moon in the night sky on the third day of the third month; a whisper in the tavern of massacre in a far-off province, the withering of other lives around her...the stillborn birth of every child in the months leading up to her own, the death of her mother in childbirth... They must have been terrible. Every voice the world could muster warning of what had crept into the world. Her father must have been aware, however dimly, but who could resist such* ***temptation*** *? To see genius spring from the seeds of one's own loins, no matter how rotten its roots.*
&#x200B;
*And oh how that eldritch flower would bloom...*
&#x200B;
*There were those who had not been present at the equinox. Tradesmen whose fortune led them to marketplaces in other towns along the Spine, or whichever wanderer's fate led them astray on their journey east. From them we collected all that is now known of the girl's childhood. It is as one would expect: fear from the other children, a sense of unease in her presence, an uncanny gleam of awareness in her stare even before she was weaned from her wetnurse. Animals strung up in the woods from branches. The dreams.*
&#x200B;
*Yet perhaps it could have ended another way. The death of her mother sealed her fate: we feel confident of this now. With a stabilizing element of affection to complement her father's madness, the crisis could have been averted, no matter what disasters the girl might invite later in life had she survived. The day after the equinox would have marked the beginning of her thirteenth year. She must have found the grimoire in her father's library. Probably he did not even know that she had already mastered High Seneian and the other Primordial Tongues... probably she hid herself from him, dangled her brilliance just before his eyes without ever letting on to its depth. If he had known even in his madness he would have been more careful.*
&#x200B;
He *must have been watching even then. Still innocent, despite her destiny; a perfect jewel, so young and yet already an unbearable temptation for her power. Even then, she must have known the warding spells, the protections, she would have not gotten so far without understanding that even a godling must be cautious of the Outside... yet how could she see the perfect trigger, written into the language that evokes life in dead matter, wrings scripture from thought, does not bluntly break reality but rewrites it with the grace of an artist?*
&#x200B;
*She must have read* His Name *and not even seen her blunder, her mind articulating the word just slightly off so that it conjured its homophone instead, and with it a daydream of the warmth that had never thawed the ice of her heart. The light that never reached her. Yes, even if no other blessing under the heavens could have changed her fate, perhaps the primal power of a mother's love could at least spared us from calamity.*
&#x200B;
*But instead, she said* His Name*, and when the Lord of the Most Vile saw the perfection of the moment -- to think, she* opened her heart to Him *--* "
Fragment 571 of Pausanias the Geometer's ***Premonitions***
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
If anyone ever asked why I stayed after hearing the mortal’s request, I can honestly say I don’t know. It didn’t feel right to just leave.
‘So,’ I said as I searched the kitchen. ‘How did you know how to summon me?’
The mortal – named Grace – sat at the kitchen counter with an old book clutched to her chest. Saying she was ten years old would have been a generous estimate. Still, she was a toddler compared to my age. Hell, even humanity could be considered a toddler compared to me.
‘My brother’s old books,’ she said about as polite as she was innocent – a word which I don’t use lightly. I blinked. *A brother?*
‘And he knows that his sister is messing with otherworldly forces?’ I pushed a plate with a PB&J sandwich across the table. The children of this world like this treat, right? I also might have helped myself to one of the beers in the fridge. She took a careful bite, then another, and then another.
The little mortal shook her head. ‘He… Daddy says he isn’t coming back… ever.’ She nearly choked on the words. She didn’t cry, but it was obvious she was fighting back tears.
I hummed, hoping she would take as one of understanding. Believe me, I have dealt with anger, greed, lust and about every other destructive emotion, but something pure like happiness and sorrow? Not my field of expertise.
‘I…’ she whimpered, still fighting the tears. ‘I miss him…’
‘And you were hoping he’d come back with this,’ I continued, tapping a finger on the book in her arms. I cocked my head a little. ‘You really think he went to Hell?’
She looked up at me, her eyes big, red and puffy. Then she said something that even made my damned heart skip a beat.
‘Daddy said he did.’
Hell’s bells.
That was cruel to say. To say about one’s own child, to tell the other child. I was amorality incarnate, and even *I* thought that was horrible. *Me*!
Suddenly *very* interested, I pulled out a small notebook and asked the child for her brother’s name. She told me, and I started looking through millions of names. And none of them were her brother’s.
What I did next was impulsive, yes, but… not something I necessarily regret.
I snapped my fingers and a piece of paper along with a quill and inkwell materialized out of thin air. I wrote down a divinely binding contract before pushing the sheet of paper across the counter. The girl looked at me, then down at the contract, then back up at me, her eyes still puffy.
‘You want to see your brother again, yes? Just write your initials here, here and here.’ I pointed with the quill. ‘It will not be long, but it’s something.’
I swear, she snatched the quill from my hand almost too fast for a human. Didn’t even bother writing the contract. She pushed the signed contract and quill back, her face bright and hopeful.
Better keep up my end of the bargain.
=\] \[=
When the angels finally caught up with me, they weren’t happy. They all came with swords out. I recognized the head of the hunting party.
Uriel.
‘Greetings, brother,’ I said, sitting outside the mortals’ household and having a smoke.
Uriel had always been the most collected of us, often the one to end Michael’s and Lucifer’s constant bickering. So, imagine my surprise when he snarled, ‘*You*!’
Hell’s bells.
He closed the distance with remarkable speed, even for an angel. Before I knew it, I had a sword’s edge pressed against my neck. Immortal being or not, if Uriel went through with it, it was going to hurt.
‘Where. Is. The soul?’
‘Uriel, dear,’ I smiled. ‘I thought it was clear that I had none.’
The edge pressed a little harder, enough to draw a pebble of the icky ooze that flowed through my body. It sizzled upon contact with the white-hot blade.
‘Not yours,’ he hissed. ‘The one you took from Heaven!’
‘Oh, *that* soul!’ I may have wanted to make a quip about miscommunication, but I had a feeling I was already tapdancing on thin ice. I jabbed a thumb at the house. ‘He’s in there.’ As if it was a que, one could the laughter of an innocent child. When one of the angels took a step toward the house, I snapped my fingers. Bright flames surrounded the house, invisible to the mortal eye. The angels grew tense and Uriel made no move.
‘I should mention that I am under contract.’ I snapped my fingers again, and the contract reappeared in my hand. Uriel snatched it from my hand and read it. ‘You only need to wait one hour. That’s all.’
‘Or else you will fight to buy time, is that it?’ Uriel asked with a disbelieving look in his eyes.
I shrugged. ‘Just let them have this hour, alright?’
Uriel considered it. Then he told the angels to stand down. The fire surrounding the house died down.
‘So, how have you been, Uri—’
‘Do not push it.’
‘Alrighty.’
=\] \[=
An hour passed, and the soul I allegedly kidnapped from Heaven was escorted out of the house, flanked by angels on both sides. I stood a small distance away with Uriel who made sure I wouldn’t interfere more than I already had (allegedly).
The little human ran out and hugged her brother’s soul with all the care and affection her little body could muster. Her brother returned the hug ten times over.
‘Why?’
I let out deep breath. ‘You know how many people I have to deal with? It is always “make me rich”, “give me women”, “make me famous”. Every single one of them never asks for what they truly need. Until her. She missed someone and wanted to say goodbye…’ I smiled a little. ‘Think of her as a breath of fresh air. And… maybe just once… I wanted to do something nice for a change.’
Uriel weighed my every word, and answered, ‘I see.’
‘You still mad?’
‘Furious.’ His hand touched the hilt of his sword. ‘Pull a stunt like that again, and I will be less forgiving.’
‘Understandable.’
The soul and angels departed first, with Uriel close behind. The girl waved at the stars on the night sky. She smiled when she saw me and held out her hand. For in her hand, she held the payment for bringing her brother back for an hour: a penny.
I pocketed the penny and shook her hand.
‘Been a pleasure doing business with you—’ I was cut off when she hugged me around the waist. It… felt all warm and tingly. Thinking through the panic, I patted her head gently.
‘Thank you,’ she cried into my suit. Happy tears, I could tell.
|
"*It was a careless, but wholly understandable thing, really: the appropriate enforcers of magical law discovered it much later and couldn't help but admire the grim irony of the detail that started the whole affair. The ancient warlocks who had translated the Book of the Fallen, poring as they were over a text in a tongue yet older than even their own, doubtless noted with no small amusement but little apprehension the linguistic coincidence that the* True Name *of* He Who Bears the title Lord-and-Father-of-the-Most-Vile *in classical High Seneian, should share its form and pronunciation with a word denoting a detail of cultural body language meant to convey warmth and affection.*
&#x200B;
*Despite the foresight granted them by their remarkable command over all that is ethereal, the sorcerers of the Circle of Baal could not have anticipated the situation that arose in the deep night of the autumn equinox last year in a village off the easternmost shoulder of the Spine. It is this situation which this chronicle concerns. For a long time after the incident, the truth of the tale was not known as it is now, and no one could have told the story as I do here, so that our blunder may never be repeated.*
&#x200B;
*The girl's father's name was never retrieved. It is not known whether, in some farflung corner of the world, there yet remains living memory of his identity, or if the gods and stranger things have swallowed that secret and hidden it in a place no mortal mind shall ever reach. It is known that he was a respectable sorcerer, a hoarder of artifacts worthy of execution in more lawful kingdoms, places where such cabals cannot meet under light of sun or star. Our kingdom was no such place... but no middling thaumaturge could have achieved the ritual which called* His Name*: he recognized the talent in his eldest daughter. He would have known since birth, of course. The laws of the earth work queerly for those destined for greatness - greatness, of course, in the sense of the unforgettable.*
&#x200B;
*The omens... I shudder to think the shape they could have taken, but I can speculate from other such anomalies: murders of crows eclipsing the sun at intervals on the day of her conception; a comet crawling like a tear from the eye of the moon in the night sky on the third day of the third month; a whisper in the tavern of massacre in a far-off province, the withering of other lives around her...the stillborn birth of every child in the months leading up to her own, the death of her mother in childbirth... They must have been terrible. Every voice the world could muster warning of what had crept into the world. Her father must have been aware, however dimly, but who could resist such* ***temptation*** *? To see genius spring from the seeds of one's own loins, no matter how rotten its roots.*
&#x200B;
*And oh how that eldritch flower would bloom...*
&#x200B;
*There were those who had not been present at the equinox. Tradesmen whose fortune led them to marketplaces in other towns along the Spine, or whichever wanderer's fate led them astray on their journey east. From them we collected all that is now known of the girl's childhood. It is as one would expect: fear from the other children, a sense of unease in her presence, an uncanny gleam of awareness in her stare even before she was weaned from her wetnurse. Animals strung up in the woods from branches. The dreams.*
&#x200B;
*Yet perhaps it could have ended another way. The death of her mother sealed her fate: we feel confident of this now. With a stabilizing element of affection to complement her father's madness, the crisis could have been averted, no matter what disasters the girl might invite later in life had she survived. The day after the equinox would have marked the beginning of her thirteenth year. She must have found the grimoire in her father's library. Probably he did not even know that she had already mastered High Seneian and the other Primordial Tongues... probably she hid herself from him, dangled her brilliance just before his eyes without ever letting on to its depth. If he had known even in his madness he would have been more careful.*
&#x200B;
He *must have been watching even then. Still innocent, despite her destiny; a perfect jewel, so young and yet already an unbearable temptation for her power. Even then, she must have known the warding spells, the protections, she would have not gotten so far without understanding that even a godling must be cautious of the Outside... yet how could she see the perfect trigger, written into the language that evokes life in dead matter, wrings scripture from thought, does not bluntly break reality but rewrites it with the grace of an artist?*
&#x200B;
*She must have read* His Name *and not even seen her blunder, her mind articulating the word just slightly off so that it conjured its homophone instead, and with it a daydream of the warmth that had never thawed the ice of her heart. The light that never reached her. Yes, even if no other blessing under the heavens could have changed her fate, perhaps the primal power of a mother's love could at least spared us from calamity.*
&#x200B;
*But instead, she said* His Name*, and when the Lord of the Most Vile saw the perfection of the moment -- to think, she* opened her heart to Him *--* "
Fragment 571 of Pausanias the Geometer's ***Premonitions***
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
“NO”, the large man standing in the middle of a chalk circle said as his pure black eyes peered down at his summoner.
He watched her lift her dirty sleeved arm and rubber her tear stained eyes with it, as his recently stretched black feathered wings settled down on his shoulders. “But That’s why I summoned you” She pleaded, her voice wracked with intermittent sobs. Her long auburn hair tangled in knots bobbing as her sobs shock her body.
The man knelt down inside the circle careful not to touch any of the imprisoning lines. His gleaming black beady eyes locking with her pale blue ones, “we haven’t made a deal yet.” The tips of his wings trembled in anticipation. “I know what you summoned me for, now the question is what are you willing to pay to receive it?”
|
Summoned to the human world. I blinked my eyes trying to adjust to the dingy dark room that if it wasn't for the fiery glow emenating from my body the room would be pitch black. I looked around to discover a shivering little mass of ratty clothes with a little human girl holding a crayon.
My silvery voice filled the basement "What do you offer me?" . The girl in a shy and feeble voice said "I want a hug like mommy use to give before they took her" I had been prepared to con this little girl of her soul for a pittance maybe a new Barbie or for her parents to pay for some childish reason.
Instead this little girl had asked for the thing I couldn't give. I couldn't love I could give anger I could give jealousy I could give vengeance but love no this was not something I could do. So I looked around trying to find a way to trick her to ask for something I could give. The room was a basement with a small bed in one corner and scattered toys in the middle. A camera was mounted on the ceiling and another sit on a metal table with various objects that clearly weren't the girls. The door had a metal lock and finally a very simple area with a toilet and tub.
It was clear this girl was a prisoner of the basement and abused by whoever held her. I looked at the girl a smile split my red leatherly lips exposing my sharp teeth. She held her arms out wanting a hug but a chain on her ankle prevented her from getting closer. "Well little girl I'm can't give you that we demons can never love another" her face drooped and tears started. "Now hold on before you get all teary eyes on me I have a proposition I can deliver you to someone who can love you like your Mommy. If you don't mind trading that little soul that is?"
She excitedly nodded yes and so I told her to sit still while I did my thing. I quickly found a loving couple who desperately wanted another child. It was clear from Steve and Kevin that they were on the path to heaven and would fulfill my side of the bargain. I simply needed the paperwork which was easy enough to get when you're a demon. So in a rolling cloud of smoke she appeared in their living room holding all the paperwork. I even gift wrapped her least I could do since upon her death the soul was mine. It would be a nice little addition to the collection.
It's not often the victims of pedophiles summon demons it's very unfortunate considering that they are so tasty when you deep fry them. As I grabbed another finger off the plate of the girls former captors.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Finally! After all these countless years I am finally free to unleash my wrath upon the world. I think I'll start with Granger, the damn wizard who imprisoned me the first time. How I long to see the look on his face when I-
"Hallo."
What is this, who dares interrupt my thoughts of vengeance! It is of no matter, I need to focus on finding my summoner so that I may be free of his control and be on my way.
"Um, I like your horns."
Ah yes, the small one with no manners. "And who might you be young lady?"
"I'm Lizzy, I'm in 1st grade and I really like your horns. What's your name mister?"
Ugh, I don't have time for this. "I'm Abath, nice to meet you, now I have to be on my way." That should do it. Just nice enough to not offend, and stern enough so they can't say no. My mum, damn her soul, was always the one for manners.
"Aww, I see. Are you going with the others?"
"Others? What others miss?"
"The ones in Red, mum and papa went with them too. They haven't come back."
The Red? What is she on about?
"Can you find them? You came from the Red."
The...oh, the fire. The poor thing, her parents were part of the sacrifice, but why is she here then? "How did you get here miss?"
"I-I don't know. Papa gave me this book and told me to say the words when he left. He said a friend was coming. Are you my friend?"
"I'm sorry little one, but I can't bring your parents back, they've gone to another place. Your papa didn't lie though, I am your friend. You also summoned me here, so I will do anything you ask."
"Oh, ok. Can I have a hug friend?"
"As you wish."
Vengeance will just have to wait a while.
|
Summoned to the human world. I blinked my eyes trying to adjust to the dingy dark room that if it wasn't for the fiery glow emenating from my body the room would be pitch black. I looked around to discover a shivering little mass of ratty clothes with a little human girl holding a crayon.
My silvery voice filled the basement "What do you offer me?" . The girl in a shy and feeble voice said "I want a hug like mommy use to give before they took her" I had been prepared to con this little girl of her soul for a pittance maybe a new Barbie or for her parents to pay for some childish reason.
Instead this little girl had asked for the thing I couldn't give. I couldn't love I could give anger I could give jealousy I could give vengeance but love no this was not something I could do. So I looked around trying to find a way to trick her to ask for something I could give. The room was a basement with a small bed in one corner and scattered toys in the middle. A camera was mounted on the ceiling and another sit on a metal table with various objects that clearly weren't the girls. The door had a metal lock and finally a very simple area with a toilet and tub.
It was clear this girl was a prisoner of the basement and abused by whoever held her. I looked at the girl a smile split my red leatherly lips exposing my sharp teeth. She held her arms out wanting a hug but a chain on her ankle prevented her from getting closer. "Well little girl I'm can't give you that we demons can never love another" her face drooped and tears started. "Now hold on before you get all teary eyes on me I have a proposition I can deliver you to someone who can love you like your Mommy. If you don't mind trading that little soul that is?"
She excitedly nodded yes and so I told her to sit still while I did my thing. I quickly found a loving couple who desperately wanted another child. It was clear from Steve and Kevin that they were on the path to heaven and would fulfill my side of the bargain. I simply needed the paperwork which was easy enough to get when you're a demon. So in a rolling cloud of smoke she appeared in their living room holding all the paperwork. I even gift wrapped her least I could do since upon her death the soul was mine. It would be a nice little addition to the collection.
It's not often the victims of pedophiles summon demons it's very unfortunate considering that they are so tasty when you deep fry them. As I grabbed another finger off the plate of the girls former captors.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
It is very simple, I am horror, I am dread, I am the last sight of countless souls. The conditions for me to be summoned are simple, a human soul in absolute terror and drowning in fear, whose entire existence is now worthless and is ready to give me exactly what I need, then they serve of course with a price tied to me, until I am bored with there pathetic causes and slither back down to my home.
I feel that amusing feeling, a new soul is calling me from my sleepless void. I answer ready to alleviate my boredom and play my game yet again.
"Who dares wake me again, what pathetic dream do you want?"
I roar as the smoke twist around my form.
"Can I have hug?"
A small voice cries, weak, pathetic, more of a muttering than actual speech. Before I could react I felt the binding of the contract, this was truly her desire, her whole being for a hug...
"A hug, you want a hug, no choose anything more, don't you want to be a queen, rich, powerful beyond all."
"No I want hug, please"
Her voice was even quieter, I felt fear in her, fear so great, but not of me, what could make a child fear so greatly that the greatest force of darkness was nothing to her. I felt the contract forming, it seemed confused as I, its ethereal chains binding me, twisting me into a form which could achieve a hug. Now equal height to the pathetic creature, I slithered towards her and hugged her with my new arms. She simply stood in shock, before starting to cry.
"Thank you, that was a good hug.. you got to go, he is back soon.. give more hug later?"
I don't think this child understood, she had bonded me, trapped me onto this mortal plane, she never specified how many hugs, so as long as she asked I must hug her, until her soul becomes mine.
I feel her mind, her fear, to a being who should be a god to her, instead is just darkness, not my brilliance darkness, filled with destruction chaos and glory, just pathetic darkness, filled with weakness, the likes which would be created by some pathetic imp.
It seems these mortals have forgotten true fear, forgotten true chaos, forgotten why they need to help each other, they have forgotten me and it is time I remind them.
|
Summoned to the human world. I blinked my eyes trying to adjust to the dingy dark room that if it wasn't for the fiery glow emenating from my body the room would be pitch black. I looked around to discover a shivering little mass of ratty clothes with a little human girl holding a crayon.
My silvery voice filled the basement "What do you offer me?" . The girl in a shy and feeble voice said "I want a hug like mommy use to give before they took her" I had been prepared to con this little girl of her soul for a pittance maybe a new Barbie or for her parents to pay for some childish reason.
Instead this little girl had asked for the thing I couldn't give. I couldn't love I could give anger I could give jealousy I could give vengeance but love no this was not something I could do. So I looked around trying to find a way to trick her to ask for something I could give. The room was a basement with a small bed in one corner and scattered toys in the middle. A camera was mounted on the ceiling and another sit on a metal table with various objects that clearly weren't the girls. The door had a metal lock and finally a very simple area with a toilet and tub.
It was clear this girl was a prisoner of the basement and abused by whoever held her. I looked at the girl a smile split my red leatherly lips exposing my sharp teeth. She held her arms out wanting a hug but a chain on her ankle prevented her from getting closer. "Well little girl I'm can't give you that we demons can never love another" her face drooped and tears started. "Now hold on before you get all teary eyes on me I have a proposition I can deliver you to someone who can love you like your Mommy. If you don't mind trading that little soul that is?"
She excitedly nodded yes and so I told her to sit still while I did my thing. I quickly found a loving couple who desperately wanted another child. It was clear from Steve and Kevin that they were on the path to heaven and would fulfill my side of the bargain. I simply needed the paperwork which was easy enough to get when you're a demon. So in a rolling cloud of smoke she appeared in their living room holding all the paperwork. I even gift wrapped her least I could do since upon her death the soul was mine. It would be a nice little addition to the collection.
It's not often the victims of pedophiles summon demons it's very unfortunate considering that they are so tasty when you deep fry them. As I grabbed another finger off the plate of the girls former captors.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
"I am Nural", sounds from the slender translucent being, her body like blue flames without heat. This demon has no mouth, but seven eyes arranged like a flower in the center of its face. Her entire body vibrates to say "Why do you summon me?"
The little girl stares back with her with mouth wide open. A moment later the demon speaks again "You are clearly no demon hunter. And you appear so young." The demon folds its legs to sit upon air, then floats the child slowly off her feet until their eyes are level. "Like you, I cannot change my form. Or can you?" At this point, the child reaches out, both arms extended into a hugging gesture.
The seven eyes blink, but no more than three at a time. "I want a hug!" says the child, commanding, almost begging, almost in tears. The demon blinks again. "I do not like being tested. How did you summon me?"
Then the child points down towards the floor, there is a computer tablet. The demon lifts and examines it: a rather cutesy app is open, My Little Demon. There centered on the screen are clear instructions for how to summon her, with a chalk drawing, and an audio clip for the exact pronunciation. "That is, how brilliant." says the demon. "Very well child, I will hug you. But first I need you to like, comment, and share this with some of your little friends."
|
Summoned to the human world. I blinked my eyes trying to adjust to the dingy dark room that if it wasn't for the fiery glow emenating from my body the room would be pitch black. I looked around to discover a shivering little mass of ratty clothes with a little human girl holding a crayon.
My silvery voice filled the basement "What do you offer me?" . The girl in a shy and feeble voice said "I want a hug like mommy use to give before they took her" I had been prepared to con this little girl of her soul for a pittance maybe a new Barbie or for her parents to pay for some childish reason.
Instead this little girl had asked for the thing I couldn't give. I couldn't love I could give anger I could give jealousy I could give vengeance but love no this was not something I could do. So I looked around trying to find a way to trick her to ask for something I could give. The room was a basement with a small bed in one corner and scattered toys in the middle. A camera was mounted on the ceiling and another sit on a metal table with various objects that clearly weren't the girls. The door had a metal lock and finally a very simple area with a toilet and tub.
It was clear this girl was a prisoner of the basement and abused by whoever held her. I looked at the girl a smile split my red leatherly lips exposing my sharp teeth. She held her arms out wanting a hug but a chain on her ankle prevented her from getting closer. "Well little girl I'm can't give you that we demons can never love another" her face drooped and tears started. "Now hold on before you get all teary eyes on me I have a proposition I can deliver you to someone who can love you like your Mommy. If you don't mind trading that little soul that is?"
She excitedly nodded yes and so I told her to sit still while I did my thing. I quickly found a loving couple who desperately wanted another child. It was clear from Steve and Kevin that they were on the path to heaven and would fulfill my side of the bargain. I simply needed the paperwork which was easy enough to get when you're a demon. So in a rolling cloud of smoke she appeared in their living room holding all the paperwork. I even gift wrapped her least I could do since upon her death the soul was mine. It would be a nice little addition to the collection.
It's not often the victims of pedophiles summon demons it's very unfortunate considering that they are so tasty when you deep fry them. As I grabbed another finger off the plate of the girls former captors.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer looked up at the sky., as the snow fell gently onto his face. He hadn't been on Earth for a long time. Not since Cain. The First Summoning. But since then, no one possessed the power to summon him. He frowned as he mulled over the punishment he would exact upon the sorry mortal that dared utter his name.
&#x200B;
His train of thought was interrupted by the soft whimpering. The moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to locate the source, not that darkness had any effect on his vision. His tall frame silently walked toward the prone figure, leaving no footprints behind. He reached out toward the figure, and shook it a little. Anticipating a trap, Lucifer stepped back, his wings flaring. A small nexus of energy began forming in his hands, as his senses heightened. "Who are you? " he said. The figure twitched, and looked up. Lucifer's eyes widened in shock; it was a little girl.
&#x200B;
She looked like she was 5-6 years old, wearing a coat several sizes too big for her. She was barely conscious, her face covered in bruises and clotted blood. This explains it, Lucifer thought. She was an innocent. The pure soul was a powerful entity, capable of interacting with a being like him. He knelt beside her, the nexus of energy vanishing in a wisp of blue-grey mist. Placing his palm on the ground, he warmed the air around her.
&#x200B;
"Who are you child? Why are you here?" he asked. The warmth seemed to giver her some semblance of strength. Some color crept into the untouched parts of her pale skin.
&#x200B;
"I.....was.....running. He.....was.....hurting....me."
&#x200B;
Her words were punctuated with sobs. Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Lucifer's eyes met hers, and he saw everything. The horrible torture she suffered at the hands of a man. He was supposed to raise her. Protect her.
A burning inferno of anger and sadness swelled inside of Lucifer. He couldn't heal her. Directly interfering with mortal life or death was beyond his reach. For the first time in his ageless existence, he was helpless. Before he could decide how to help her, he felt a light pressure on his midsection. Shocked, he looked down, only to see her trying to wrap her tiny arms around him. She was fading, using her last fragment of strength to gain a semblance of love and comfort.
&#x200B;
Lucifer embraced her, as her life dimmed into nothingness.
&#x200B;
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
He stood motionless, fists clenched, looking down at the little girl. At least she got to smile in her last moments. He knew he had to act. How could he not. He was destined to punish. The father would end up in Hell eventually, but Lucifer couldn't wait. For the first time in millenia, he opened up the link in his mind. "Hear me brother. There is a favor I have to ask of you."
&#x200B;
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. He was a spitting image of Lucifer, albeit his wings were a pearly white. He smiled a little, "It's been a while. Why did you call me? You know that fighting me will be a bad idea". Lucifer snorted, absently touching a spot just below his left shoulder "It's good to see you Michael."
&#x200B;
He pointed at the girl lying at his feet, "She summoned me. An innocent child." Michael's smile faded, as Lucifer explained everything that just happened. "What would you have me do Lucifer? Bring her back? She's in Heaven now."
"No. That would be punishment. I want your permission. This one time."
Michael looked into his twin brother's eyes. The same righteous anger he had seen a thousand times. The reason why he could never kill him. The reason why he didn't.
&#x200B;
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as his brother turned to walk away. Before disappearing into the woods, Michael looked back at him, and gave the slightest of nods.
&#x200B;
Lucifer smiled. He was going to punish someone tonight after all.
|
Summoned to the human world. I blinked my eyes trying to adjust to the dingy dark room that if it wasn't for the fiery glow emenating from my body the room would be pitch black. I looked around to discover a shivering little mass of ratty clothes with a little human girl holding a crayon.
My silvery voice filled the basement "What do you offer me?" . The girl in a shy and feeble voice said "I want a hug like mommy use to give before they took her" I had been prepared to con this little girl of her soul for a pittance maybe a new Barbie or for her parents to pay for some childish reason.
Instead this little girl had asked for the thing I couldn't give. I couldn't love I could give anger I could give jealousy I could give vengeance but love no this was not something I could do. So I looked around trying to find a way to trick her to ask for something I could give. The room was a basement with a small bed in one corner and scattered toys in the middle. A camera was mounted on the ceiling and another sit on a metal table with various objects that clearly weren't the girls. The door had a metal lock and finally a very simple area with a toilet and tub.
It was clear this girl was a prisoner of the basement and abused by whoever held her. I looked at the girl a smile split my red leatherly lips exposing my sharp teeth. She held her arms out wanting a hug but a chain on her ankle prevented her from getting closer. "Well little girl I'm can't give you that we demons can never love another" her face drooped and tears started. "Now hold on before you get all teary eyes on me I have a proposition I can deliver you to someone who can love you like your Mommy. If you don't mind trading that little soul that is?"
She excitedly nodded yes and so I told her to sit still while I did my thing. I quickly found a loving couple who desperately wanted another child. It was clear from Steve and Kevin that they were on the path to heaven and would fulfill my side of the bargain. I simply needed the paperwork which was easy enough to get when you're a demon. So in a rolling cloud of smoke she appeared in their living room holding all the paperwork. I even gift wrapped her least I could do since upon her death the soul was mine. It would be a nice little addition to the collection.
It's not often the victims of pedophiles summon demons it's very unfortunate considering that they are so tasty when you deep fry them. As I grabbed another finger off the plate of the girls former captors.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
It is very simple, I am horror, I am dread, I am the last sight of countless souls. The conditions for me to be summoned are simple, a human soul in absolute terror and drowning in fear, whose entire existence is now worthless and is ready to give me exactly what I need, then they serve of course with a price tied to me, until I am bored with there pathetic causes and slither back down to my home.
I feel that amusing feeling, a new soul is calling me from my sleepless void. I answer ready to alleviate my boredom and play my game yet again.
"Who dares wake me again, what pathetic dream do you want?"
I roar as the smoke twist around my form.
"Can I have hug?"
A small voice cries, weak, pathetic, more of a muttering than actual speech. Before I could react I felt the binding of the contract, this was truly her desire, her whole being for a hug...
"A hug, you want a hug, no choose anything more, don't you want to be a queen, rich, powerful beyond all."
"No I want hug, please"
Her voice was even quieter, I felt fear in her, fear so great, but not of me, what could make a child fear so greatly that the greatest force of darkness was nothing to her. I felt the contract forming, it seemed confused as I, its ethereal chains binding me, twisting me into a form which could achieve a hug. Now equal height to the pathetic creature, I slithered towards her and hugged her with my new arms. She simply stood in shock, before starting to cry.
"Thank you, that was a good hug.. you got to go, he is back soon.. give more hug later?"
I don't think this child understood, she had bonded me, trapped me onto this mortal plane, she never specified how many hugs, so as long as she asked I must hug her, until her soul becomes mine.
I feel her mind, her fear, to a being who should be a god to her, instead is just darkness, not my brilliance darkness, filled with destruction chaos and glory, just pathetic darkness, filled with weakness, the likes which would be created by some pathetic imp.
It seems these mortals have forgotten true fear, forgotten true chaos, forgotten why they need to help each other, they have forgotten me and it is time I remind them.
|
“NO”, the large man standing in the middle of a chalk circle said as his pure black eyes peered down at his summoner.
He watched her lift her dirty sleeved arm and rubber her tear stained eyes with it, as his recently stretched black feathered wings settled down on his shoulders. “But That’s why I summoned you” She pleaded, her voice wracked with intermittent sobs. Her long auburn hair tangled in knots bobbing as her sobs shock her body.
The man knelt down inside the circle careful not to touch any of the imprisoning lines. His gleaming black beady eyes locking with her pale blue ones, “we haven’t made a deal yet.” The tips of his wings trembled in anticipation. “I know what you summoned me for, now the question is what are you willing to pay to receive it?”
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
"I am Nural", sounds from the slender translucent being, her body like blue flames without heat. This demon has no mouth, but seven eyes arranged like a flower in the center of its face. Her entire body vibrates to say "Why do you summon me?"
The little girl stares back with her with mouth wide open. A moment later the demon speaks again "You are clearly no demon hunter. And you appear so young." The demon folds its legs to sit upon air, then floats the child slowly off her feet until their eyes are level. "Like you, I cannot change my form. Or can you?" At this point, the child reaches out, both arms extended into a hugging gesture.
The seven eyes blink, but no more than three at a time. "I want a hug!" says the child, commanding, almost begging, almost in tears. The demon blinks again. "I do not like being tested. How did you summon me?"
Then the child points down towards the floor, there is a computer tablet. The demon lifts and examines it: a rather cutesy app is open, My Little Demon. There centered on the screen are clear instructions for how to summon her, with a chalk drawing, and an audio clip for the exact pronunciation. "That is, how brilliant." says the demon. "Very well child, I will hug you. But first I need you to like, comment, and share this with some of your little friends."
|
“NO”, the large man standing in the middle of a chalk circle said as his pure black eyes peered down at his summoner.
He watched her lift her dirty sleeved arm and rubber her tear stained eyes with it, as his recently stretched black feathered wings settled down on his shoulders. “But That’s why I summoned you” She pleaded, her voice wracked with intermittent sobs. Her long auburn hair tangled in knots bobbing as her sobs shock her body.
The man knelt down inside the circle careful not to touch any of the imprisoning lines. His gleaming black beady eyes locking with her pale blue ones, “we haven’t made a deal yet.” The tips of his wings trembled in anticipation. “I know what you summoned me for, now the question is what are you willing to pay to receive it?”
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer looked up at the sky., as the snow fell gently onto his face. He hadn't been on Earth for a long time. Not since Cain. The First Summoning. But since then, no one possessed the power to summon him. He frowned as he mulled over the punishment he would exact upon the sorry mortal that dared utter his name.
&#x200B;
His train of thought was interrupted by the soft whimpering. The moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to locate the source, not that darkness had any effect on his vision. His tall frame silently walked toward the prone figure, leaving no footprints behind. He reached out toward the figure, and shook it a little. Anticipating a trap, Lucifer stepped back, his wings flaring. A small nexus of energy began forming in his hands, as his senses heightened. "Who are you? " he said. The figure twitched, and looked up. Lucifer's eyes widened in shock; it was a little girl.
&#x200B;
She looked like she was 5-6 years old, wearing a coat several sizes too big for her. She was barely conscious, her face covered in bruises and clotted blood. This explains it, Lucifer thought. She was an innocent. The pure soul was a powerful entity, capable of interacting with a being like him. He knelt beside her, the nexus of energy vanishing in a wisp of blue-grey mist. Placing his palm on the ground, he warmed the air around her.
&#x200B;
"Who are you child? Why are you here?" he asked. The warmth seemed to giver her some semblance of strength. Some color crept into the untouched parts of her pale skin.
&#x200B;
"I.....was.....running. He.....was.....hurting....me."
&#x200B;
Her words were punctuated with sobs. Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Lucifer's eyes met hers, and he saw everything. The horrible torture she suffered at the hands of a man. He was supposed to raise her. Protect her.
A burning inferno of anger and sadness swelled inside of Lucifer. He couldn't heal her. Directly interfering with mortal life or death was beyond his reach. For the first time in his ageless existence, he was helpless. Before he could decide how to help her, he felt a light pressure on his midsection. Shocked, he looked down, only to see her trying to wrap her tiny arms around him. She was fading, using her last fragment of strength to gain a semblance of love and comfort.
&#x200B;
Lucifer embraced her, as her life dimmed into nothingness.
&#x200B;
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
He stood motionless, fists clenched, looking down at the little girl. At least she got to smile in her last moments. He knew he had to act. How could he not. He was destined to punish. The father would end up in Hell eventually, but Lucifer couldn't wait. For the first time in millenia, he opened up the link in his mind. "Hear me brother. There is a favor I have to ask of you."
&#x200B;
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. He was a spitting image of Lucifer, albeit his wings were a pearly white. He smiled a little, "It's been a while. Why did you call me? You know that fighting me will be a bad idea". Lucifer snorted, absently touching a spot just below his left shoulder "It's good to see you Michael."
&#x200B;
He pointed at the girl lying at his feet, "She summoned me. An innocent child." Michael's smile faded, as Lucifer explained everything that just happened. "What would you have me do Lucifer? Bring her back? She's in Heaven now."
"No. That would be punishment. I want your permission. This one time."
Michael looked into his twin brother's eyes. The same righteous anger he had seen a thousand times. The reason why he could never kill him. The reason why he didn't.
&#x200B;
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as his brother turned to walk away. Before disappearing into the woods, Michael looked back at him, and gave the slightest of nods.
&#x200B;
Lucifer smiled. He was going to punish someone tonight after all.
|
“NO”, the large man standing in the middle of a chalk circle said as his pure black eyes peered down at his summoner.
He watched her lift her dirty sleeved arm and rubber her tear stained eyes with it, as his recently stretched black feathered wings settled down on his shoulders. “But That’s why I summoned you” She pleaded, her voice wracked with intermittent sobs. Her long auburn hair tangled in knots bobbing as her sobs shock her body.
The man knelt down inside the circle careful not to touch any of the imprisoning lines. His gleaming black beady eyes locking with her pale blue ones, “we haven’t made a deal yet.” The tips of his wings trembled in anticipation. “I know what you summoned me for, now the question is what are you willing to pay to receive it?”
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
"I am Nural", sounds from the slender translucent being, her body like blue flames without heat. This demon has no mouth, but seven eyes arranged like a flower in the center of its face. Her entire body vibrates to say "Why do you summon me?"
The little girl stares back with her with mouth wide open. A moment later the demon speaks again "You are clearly no demon hunter. And you appear so young." The demon folds its legs to sit upon air, then floats the child slowly off her feet until their eyes are level. "Like you, I cannot change my form. Or can you?" At this point, the child reaches out, both arms extended into a hugging gesture.
The seven eyes blink, but no more than three at a time. "I want a hug!" says the child, commanding, almost begging, almost in tears. The demon blinks again. "I do not like being tested. How did you summon me?"
Then the child points down towards the floor, there is a computer tablet. The demon lifts and examines it: a rather cutesy app is open, My Little Demon. There centered on the screen are clear instructions for how to summon her, with a chalk drawing, and an audio clip for the exact pronunciation. "That is, how brilliant." says the demon. "Very well child, I will hug you. But first I need you to like, comment, and share this with some of your little friends."
|
Finally! After all these countless years I am finally free to unleash my wrath upon the world. I think I'll start with Granger, the damn wizard who imprisoned me the first time. How I long to see the look on his face when I-
"Hallo."
What is this, who dares interrupt my thoughts of vengeance! It is of no matter, I need to focus on finding my summoner so that I may be free of his control and be on my way.
"Um, I like your horns."
Ah yes, the small one with no manners. "And who might you be young lady?"
"I'm Lizzy, I'm in 1st grade and I really like your horns. What's your name mister?"
Ugh, I don't have time for this. "I'm Abath, nice to meet you, now I have to be on my way." That should do it. Just nice enough to not offend, and stern enough so they can't say no. My mum, damn her soul, was always the one for manners.
"Aww, I see. Are you going with the others?"
"Others? What others miss?"
"The ones in Red, mum and papa went with them too. They haven't come back."
The Red? What is she on about?
"Can you find them? You came from the Red."
The...oh, the fire. The poor thing, her parents were part of the sacrifice, but why is she here then? "How did you get here miss?"
"I-I don't know. Papa gave me this book and told me to say the words when he left. He said a friend was coming. Are you my friend?"
"I'm sorry little one, but I can't bring your parents back, they've gone to another place. Your papa didn't lie though, I am your friend. You also summoned me here, so I will do anything you ask."
"Oh, ok. Can I have a hug friend?"
"As you wish."
Vengeance will just have to wait a while.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer looked up at the sky., as the snow fell gently onto his face. He hadn't been on Earth for a long time. Not since Cain. The First Summoning. But since then, no one possessed the power to summon him. He frowned as he mulled over the punishment he would exact upon the sorry mortal that dared utter his name.
&#x200B;
His train of thought was interrupted by the soft whimpering. The moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to locate the source, not that darkness had any effect on his vision. His tall frame silently walked toward the prone figure, leaving no footprints behind. He reached out toward the figure, and shook it a little. Anticipating a trap, Lucifer stepped back, his wings flaring. A small nexus of energy began forming in his hands, as his senses heightened. "Who are you? " he said. The figure twitched, and looked up. Lucifer's eyes widened in shock; it was a little girl.
&#x200B;
She looked like she was 5-6 years old, wearing a coat several sizes too big for her. She was barely conscious, her face covered in bruises and clotted blood. This explains it, Lucifer thought. She was an innocent. The pure soul was a powerful entity, capable of interacting with a being like him. He knelt beside her, the nexus of energy vanishing in a wisp of blue-grey mist. Placing his palm on the ground, he warmed the air around her.
&#x200B;
"Who are you child? Why are you here?" he asked. The warmth seemed to giver her some semblance of strength. Some color crept into the untouched parts of her pale skin.
&#x200B;
"I.....was.....running. He.....was.....hurting....me."
&#x200B;
Her words were punctuated with sobs. Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Lucifer's eyes met hers, and he saw everything. The horrible torture she suffered at the hands of a man. He was supposed to raise her. Protect her.
A burning inferno of anger and sadness swelled inside of Lucifer. He couldn't heal her. Directly interfering with mortal life or death was beyond his reach. For the first time in his ageless existence, he was helpless. Before he could decide how to help her, he felt a light pressure on his midsection. Shocked, he looked down, only to see her trying to wrap her tiny arms around him. She was fading, using her last fragment of strength to gain a semblance of love and comfort.
&#x200B;
Lucifer embraced her, as her life dimmed into nothingness.
&#x200B;
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
He stood motionless, fists clenched, looking down at the little girl. At least she got to smile in her last moments. He knew he had to act. How could he not. He was destined to punish. The father would end up in Hell eventually, but Lucifer couldn't wait. For the first time in millenia, he opened up the link in his mind. "Hear me brother. There is a favor I have to ask of you."
&#x200B;
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. He was a spitting image of Lucifer, albeit his wings were a pearly white. He smiled a little, "It's been a while. Why did you call me? You know that fighting me will be a bad idea". Lucifer snorted, absently touching a spot just below his left shoulder "It's good to see you Michael."
&#x200B;
He pointed at the girl lying at his feet, "She summoned me. An innocent child." Michael's smile faded, as Lucifer explained everything that just happened. "What would you have me do Lucifer? Bring her back? She's in Heaven now."
"No. That would be punishment. I want your permission. This one time."
Michael looked into his twin brother's eyes. The same righteous anger he had seen a thousand times. The reason why he could never kill him. The reason why he didn't.
&#x200B;
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as his brother turned to walk away. Before disappearing into the woods, Michael looked back at him, and gave the slightest of nods.
&#x200B;
Lucifer smiled. He was going to punish someone tonight after all.
|
Finally! After all these countless years I am finally free to unleash my wrath upon the world. I think I'll start with Granger, the damn wizard who imprisoned me the first time. How I long to see the look on his face when I-
"Hallo."
What is this, who dares interrupt my thoughts of vengeance! It is of no matter, I need to focus on finding my summoner so that I may be free of his control and be on my way.
"Um, I like your horns."
Ah yes, the small one with no manners. "And who might you be young lady?"
"I'm Lizzy, I'm in 1st grade and I really like your horns. What's your name mister?"
Ugh, I don't have time for this. "I'm Abath, nice to meet you, now I have to be on my way." That should do it. Just nice enough to not offend, and stern enough so they can't say no. My mum, damn her soul, was always the one for manners.
"Aww, I see. Are you going with the others?"
"Others? What others miss?"
"The ones in Red, mum and papa went with them too. They haven't come back."
The Red? What is she on about?
"Can you find them? You came from the Red."
The...oh, the fire. The poor thing, her parents were part of the sacrifice, but why is she here then? "How did you get here miss?"
"I-I don't know. Papa gave me this book and told me to say the words when he left. He said a friend was coming. Are you my friend?"
"I'm sorry little one, but I can't bring your parents back, they've gone to another place. Your papa didn't lie though, I am your friend. You also summoned me here, so I will do anything you ask."
"Oh, ok. Can I have a hug friend?"
"As you wish."
Vengeance will just have to wait a while.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
"I am Nural", sounds from the slender translucent being, her body like blue flames without heat. This demon has no mouth, but seven eyes arranged like a flower in the center of its face. Her entire body vibrates to say "Why do you summon me?"
The little girl stares back with her with mouth wide open. A moment later the demon speaks again "You are clearly no demon hunter. And you appear so young." The demon folds its legs to sit upon air, then floats the child slowly off her feet until their eyes are level. "Like you, I cannot change my form. Or can you?" At this point, the child reaches out, both arms extended into a hugging gesture.
The seven eyes blink, but no more than three at a time. "I want a hug!" says the child, commanding, almost begging, almost in tears. The demon blinks again. "I do not like being tested. How did you summon me?"
Then the child points down towards the floor, there is a computer tablet. The demon lifts and examines it: a rather cutesy app is open, My Little Demon. There centered on the screen are clear instructions for how to summon her, with a chalk drawing, and an audio clip for the exact pronunciation. "That is, how brilliant." says the demon. "Very well child, I will hug you. But first I need you to like, comment, and share this with some of your little friends."
|
It is very simple, I am horror, I am dread, I am the last sight of countless souls. The conditions for me to be summoned are simple, a human soul in absolute terror and drowning in fear, whose entire existence is now worthless and is ready to give me exactly what I need, then they serve of course with a price tied to me, until I am bored with there pathetic causes and slither back down to my home.
I feel that amusing feeling, a new soul is calling me from my sleepless void. I answer ready to alleviate my boredom and play my game yet again.
"Who dares wake me again, what pathetic dream do you want?"
I roar as the smoke twist around my form.
"Can I have hug?"
A small voice cries, weak, pathetic, more of a muttering than actual speech. Before I could react I felt the binding of the contract, this was truly her desire, her whole being for a hug...
"A hug, you want a hug, no choose anything more, don't you want to be a queen, rich, powerful beyond all."
"No I want hug, please"
Her voice was even quieter, I felt fear in her, fear so great, but not of me, what could make a child fear so greatly that the greatest force of darkness was nothing to her. I felt the contract forming, it seemed confused as I, its ethereal chains binding me, twisting me into a form which could achieve a hug. Now equal height to the pathetic creature, I slithered towards her and hugged her with my new arms. She simply stood in shock, before starting to cry.
"Thank you, that was a good hug.. you got to go, he is back soon.. give more hug later?"
I don't think this child understood, she had bonded me, trapped me onto this mortal plane, she never specified how many hugs, so as long as she asked I must hug her, until her soul becomes mine.
I feel her mind, her fear, to a being who should be a god to her, instead is just darkness, not my brilliance darkness, filled with destruction chaos and glory, just pathetic darkness, filled with weakness, the likes which would be created by some pathetic imp.
It seems these mortals have forgotten true fear, forgotten true chaos, forgotten why they need to help each other, they have forgotten me and it is time I remind them.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer looked up at the sky., as the snow fell gently onto his face. He hadn't been on Earth for a long time. Not since Cain. The First Summoning. But since then, no one possessed the power to summon him. He frowned as he mulled over the punishment he would exact upon the sorry mortal that dared utter his name.
&#x200B;
His train of thought was interrupted by the soft whimpering. The moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to locate the source, not that darkness had any effect on his vision. His tall frame silently walked toward the prone figure, leaving no footprints behind. He reached out toward the figure, and shook it a little. Anticipating a trap, Lucifer stepped back, his wings flaring. A small nexus of energy began forming in his hands, as his senses heightened. "Who are you? " he said. The figure twitched, and looked up. Lucifer's eyes widened in shock; it was a little girl.
&#x200B;
She looked like she was 5-6 years old, wearing a coat several sizes too big for her. She was barely conscious, her face covered in bruises and clotted blood. This explains it, Lucifer thought. She was an innocent. The pure soul was a powerful entity, capable of interacting with a being like him. He knelt beside her, the nexus of energy vanishing in a wisp of blue-grey mist. Placing his palm on the ground, he warmed the air around her.
&#x200B;
"Who are you child? Why are you here?" he asked. The warmth seemed to giver her some semblance of strength. Some color crept into the untouched parts of her pale skin.
&#x200B;
"I.....was.....running. He.....was.....hurting....me."
&#x200B;
Her words were punctuated with sobs. Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Lucifer's eyes met hers, and he saw everything. The horrible torture she suffered at the hands of a man. He was supposed to raise her. Protect her.
A burning inferno of anger and sadness swelled inside of Lucifer. He couldn't heal her. Directly interfering with mortal life or death was beyond his reach. For the first time in his ageless existence, he was helpless. Before he could decide how to help her, he felt a light pressure on his midsection. Shocked, he looked down, only to see her trying to wrap her tiny arms around him. She was fading, using her last fragment of strength to gain a semblance of love and comfort.
&#x200B;
Lucifer embraced her, as her life dimmed into nothingness.
&#x200B;
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
He stood motionless, fists clenched, looking down at the little girl. At least she got to smile in her last moments. He knew he had to act. How could he not. He was destined to punish. The father would end up in Hell eventually, but Lucifer couldn't wait. For the first time in millenia, he opened up the link in his mind. "Hear me brother. There is a favor I have to ask of you."
&#x200B;
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. He was a spitting image of Lucifer, albeit his wings were a pearly white. He smiled a little, "It's been a while. Why did you call me? You know that fighting me will be a bad idea". Lucifer snorted, absently touching a spot just below his left shoulder "It's good to see you Michael."
&#x200B;
He pointed at the girl lying at his feet, "She summoned me. An innocent child." Michael's smile faded, as Lucifer explained everything that just happened. "What would you have me do Lucifer? Bring her back? She's in Heaven now."
"No. That would be punishment. I want your permission. This one time."
Michael looked into his twin brother's eyes. The same righteous anger he had seen a thousand times. The reason why he could never kill him. The reason why he didn't.
&#x200B;
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as his brother turned to walk away. Before disappearing into the woods, Michael looked back at him, and gave the slightest of nods.
&#x200B;
Lucifer smiled. He was going to punish someone tonight after all.
|
It is very simple, I am horror, I am dread, I am the last sight of countless souls. The conditions for me to be summoned are simple, a human soul in absolute terror and drowning in fear, whose entire existence is now worthless and is ready to give me exactly what I need, then they serve of course with a price tied to me, until I am bored with there pathetic causes and slither back down to my home.
I feel that amusing feeling, a new soul is calling me from my sleepless void. I answer ready to alleviate my boredom and play my game yet again.
"Who dares wake me again, what pathetic dream do you want?"
I roar as the smoke twist around my form.
"Can I have hug?"
A small voice cries, weak, pathetic, more of a muttering than actual speech. Before I could react I felt the binding of the contract, this was truly her desire, her whole being for a hug...
"A hug, you want a hug, no choose anything more, don't you want to be a queen, rich, powerful beyond all."
"No I want hug, please"
Her voice was even quieter, I felt fear in her, fear so great, but not of me, what could make a child fear so greatly that the greatest force of darkness was nothing to her. I felt the contract forming, it seemed confused as I, its ethereal chains binding me, twisting me into a form which could achieve a hug. Now equal height to the pathetic creature, I slithered towards her and hugged her with my new arms. She simply stood in shock, before starting to cry.
"Thank you, that was a good hug.. you got to go, he is back soon.. give more hug later?"
I don't think this child understood, she had bonded me, trapped me onto this mortal plane, she never specified how many hugs, so as long as she asked I must hug her, until her soul becomes mine.
I feel her mind, her fear, to a being who should be a god to her, instead is just darkness, not my brilliance darkness, filled with destruction chaos and glory, just pathetic darkness, filled with weakness, the likes which would be created by some pathetic imp.
It seems these mortals have forgotten true fear, forgotten true chaos, forgotten why they need to help each other, they have forgotten me and it is time I remind them.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer looked up at the sky., as the snow fell gently onto his face. He hadn't been on Earth for a long time. Not since Cain. The First Summoning. But since then, no one possessed the power to summon him. He frowned as he mulled over the punishment he would exact upon the sorry mortal that dared utter his name.
&#x200B;
His train of thought was interrupted by the soft whimpering. The moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to locate the source, not that darkness had any effect on his vision. His tall frame silently walked toward the prone figure, leaving no footprints behind. He reached out toward the figure, and shook it a little. Anticipating a trap, Lucifer stepped back, his wings flaring. A small nexus of energy began forming in his hands, as his senses heightened. "Who are you? " he said. The figure twitched, and looked up. Lucifer's eyes widened in shock; it was a little girl.
&#x200B;
She looked like she was 5-6 years old, wearing a coat several sizes too big for her. She was barely conscious, her face covered in bruises and clotted blood. This explains it, Lucifer thought. She was an innocent. The pure soul was a powerful entity, capable of interacting with a being like him. He knelt beside her, the nexus of energy vanishing in a wisp of blue-grey mist. Placing his palm on the ground, he warmed the air around her.
&#x200B;
"Who are you child? Why are you here?" he asked. The warmth seemed to giver her some semblance of strength. Some color crept into the untouched parts of her pale skin.
&#x200B;
"I.....was.....running. He.....was.....hurting....me."
&#x200B;
Her words were punctuated with sobs. Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Lucifer's eyes met hers, and he saw everything. The horrible torture she suffered at the hands of a man. He was supposed to raise her. Protect her.
A burning inferno of anger and sadness swelled inside of Lucifer. He couldn't heal her. Directly interfering with mortal life or death was beyond his reach. For the first time in his ageless existence, he was helpless. Before he could decide how to help her, he felt a light pressure on his midsection. Shocked, he looked down, only to see her trying to wrap her tiny arms around him. She was fading, using her last fragment of strength to gain a semblance of love and comfort.
&#x200B;
Lucifer embraced her, as her life dimmed into nothingness.
&#x200B;
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
He stood motionless, fists clenched, looking down at the little girl. At least she got to smile in her last moments. He knew he had to act. How could he not. He was destined to punish. The father would end up in Hell eventually, but Lucifer couldn't wait. For the first time in millenia, he opened up the link in his mind. "Hear me brother. There is a favor I have to ask of you."
&#x200B;
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. He was a spitting image of Lucifer, albeit his wings were a pearly white. He smiled a little, "It's been a while. Why did you call me? You know that fighting me will be a bad idea". Lucifer snorted, absently touching a spot just below his left shoulder "It's good to see you Michael."
&#x200B;
He pointed at the girl lying at his feet, "She summoned me. An innocent child." Michael's smile faded, as Lucifer explained everything that just happened. "What would you have me do Lucifer? Bring her back? She's in Heaven now."
"No. That would be punishment. I want your permission. This one time."
Michael looked into his twin brother's eyes. The same righteous anger he had seen a thousand times. The reason why he could never kill him. The reason why he didn't.
&#x200B;
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as his brother turned to walk away. Before disappearing into the woods, Michael looked back at him, and gave the slightest of nods.
&#x200B;
Lucifer smiled. He was going to punish someone tonight after all.
|
"I am Nural", sounds from the slender translucent being, her body like blue flames without heat. This demon has no mouth, but seven eyes arranged like a flower in the center of its face. Her entire body vibrates to say "Why do you summon me?"
The little girl stares back with her with mouth wide open. A moment later the demon speaks again "You are clearly no demon hunter. And you appear so young." The demon folds its legs to sit upon air, then floats the child slowly off her feet until their eyes are level. "Like you, I cannot change my form. Or can you?" At this point, the child reaches out, both arms extended into a hugging gesture.
The seven eyes blink, but no more than three at a time. "I want a hug!" says the child, commanding, almost begging, almost in tears. The demon blinks again. "I do not like being tested. How did you summon me?"
Then the child points down towards the floor, there is a computer tablet. The demon lifts and examines it: a rather cutesy app is open, My Little Demon. There centered on the screen are clear instructions for how to summon her, with a chalk drawing, and an audio clip for the exact pronunciation. "That is, how brilliant." says the demon. "Very well child, I will hug you. But first I need you to like, comment, and share this with some of your little friends."
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer looked up at the sky., as the snow fell gently onto his face. He hadn't been on Earth for a long time. Not since Cain. The First Summoning. But since then, no one possessed the power to summon him. He frowned as he mulled over the punishment he would exact upon the sorry mortal that dared utter his name.
&#x200B;
His train of thought was interrupted by the soft whimpering. The moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to locate the source, not that darkness had any effect on his vision. His tall frame silently walked toward the prone figure, leaving no footprints behind. He reached out toward the figure, and shook it a little. Anticipating a trap, Lucifer stepped back, his wings flaring. A small nexus of energy began forming in his hands, as his senses heightened. "Who are you? " he said. The figure twitched, and looked up. Lucifer's eyes widened in shock; it was a little girl.
&#x200B;
She looked like she was 5-6 years old, wearing a coat several sizes too big for her. She was barely conscious, her face covered in bruises and clotted blood. This explains it, Lucifer thought. She was an innocent. The pure soul was a powerful entity, capable of interacting with a being like him. He knelt beside her, the nexus of energy vanishing in a wisp of blue-grey mist. Placing his palm on the ground, he warmed the air around her.
&#x200B;
"Who are you child? Why are you here?" he asked. The warmth seemed to giver her some semblance of strength. Some color crept into the untouched parts of her pale skin.
&#x200B;
"I.....was.....running. He.....was.....hurting....me."
&#x200B;
Her words were punctuated with sobs. Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Lucifer's eyes met hers, and he saw everything. The horrible torture she suffered at the hands of a man. He was supposed to raise her. Protect her.
A burning inferno of anger and sadness swelled inside of Lucifer. He couldn't heal her. Directly interfering with mortal life or death was beyond his reach. For the first time in his ageless existence, he was helpless. Before he could decide how to help her, he felt a light pressure on his midsection. Shocked, he looked down, only to see her trying to wrap her tiny arms around him. She was fading, using her last fragment of strength to gain a semblance of love and comfort.
&#x200B;
Lucifer embraced her, as her life dimmed into nothingness.
&#x200B;
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
He stood motionless, fists clenched, looking down at the little girl. At least she got to smile in her last moments. He knew he had to act. How could he not. He was destined to punish. The father would end up in Hell eventually, but Lucifer couldn't wait. For the first time in millenia, he opened up the link in his mind. "Hear me brother. There is a favor I have to ask of you."
&#x200B;
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. He was a spitting image of Lucifer, albeit his wings were a pearly white. He smiled a little, "It's been a while. Why did you call me? You know that fighting me will be a bad idea". Lucifer snorted, absently touching a spot just below his left shoulder "It's good to see you Michael."
&#x200B;
He pointed at the girl lying at his feet, "She summoned me. An innocent child." Michael's smile faded, as Lucifer explained everything that just happened. "What would you have me do Lucifer? Bring her back? She's in Heaven now."
"No. That would be punishment. I want your permission. This one time."
Michael looked into his twin brother's eyes. The same righteous anger he had seen a thousand times. The reason why he could never kill him. The reason why he didn't.
&#x200B;
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as his brother turned to walk away. Before disappearing into the woods, Michael looked back at him, and gave the slightest of nods.
&#x200B;
Lucifer smiled. He was going to punish someone tonight after all.
|
*Metugrius văn volokoshto!*
The fabric of reality tears open, and a horrific shriek wakes me from my slumber. It has been long since a ritual was performed in my name. It seems that yet another human has fallen from the grace of the Father, and succumbed to their worldly desires.
A mighty howl escapes from my mouth. It is in the old tongue and indecipherable to most, yet its mere utterance stirred the vilest emotions and spoke of the greatest evils of the nether-realm. Pain soars through my body, bringing it to life, and I crawl through the tear into the realm of flesh.
As my obsidian eyes peer into the world of men, I spot a familiar scene. An attic, scattered with abandoned clothes and belongings. Boxes of books, pictures and toys plagued with cobweb and dust. Yet my eyes are drawn to the rudimentary summoning circle before me. Crudely made but sufficient enough for my entry. It was marked with uneven candles and made with crookedly-drawn lines, but well made when you consider it's craftsman, my new master.
A little girl of only 7, maybe 8 years old. She stares frightfully at me, clutching onto her stuffed puppy. Her blonde hair was stained by mud and dirt into an ugly mix of brown and gold, as were her clothes, which seemed much too big for her. Her bright green eyes shone brightly in the dark, illuminated by my unholy luminescence. While not my first time dealing with children, it was still a rare sight, taking me some time to prepare myself as best as possible to introduce myself.
"Hello dear child. You have summoned me, Metugrius. Demon of terror and fear. How can I help you little master?"
She doesn't respond, only staring silently at me while clutching harder at her puppy. Her pale lips seem to be quivering, and a sparkle appears in her eyes. It is only moment after I notice that she breaks down into silent sobs, then loud wails.
*Shhhhh. Sleep now child.*
As my words reach her, an unnatural slumber takes her, silencing her cries. Fresh streaks stain her soft cheeks, but a peace is over her and her breathing slows to a normal rhythm. It would not do good for my master to be incoherent.
After an hour, she wakes. By now the moon hangs lowly in the sky and the dark of night has settled into a calm blue, stars littering its canvas. She looks up at me with those same emerald eyes, now with a pinch of curiosity in them. Her dry lips struggle to open, but they finally pry open by her youthful might.
"Hello." It came out soft and weak, still dripping with fear, but with a sliver of hope.
"Hello young one. I mean you no harm, for you are my master, no matter how little you are. What is your name?"
"Minnie."
"Ahh sweet Minerva. Goddess of wisdom. Surely like your namesake you are gifted with intellect. Do you know what you must give me, dear Minnie?"
"y...-y..-yes." This time even softer, almost as if she was reluctant to say.
"Wonderful! Wonderful wonderful wonderful. Now how may I help you?"
I stretch out my arm to hers, inviting her to grasp it. She hesitates, and I do not blame her, for my arm was filled with scars, carvings and markings of the black god. Finally she relents, moving her small hand towards mine. She recoils at first touch, for she probably did not expect my touch to be as soft as silk. Soon her hand is firmly in mine and I lift her up on her feet. I too, rise to my full height, dwarfing her. However as I slowly rise I feel a soft tug on my hand and look at her. In her eyes I can see not fear, but sorrow. Her lips move again but this time no sounds comes out. I bring my head down to hers, wanting to hear exactly what her request was. Suddenly her hands, wrap around my head, avoiding my horns, and an odd warmth envelops it. Her tears streak down my face, burning it with its purity and innocence. On the other cheek, her stuffed puppy presses against me, its raggedness now obvious to me.
"Stay."
I bring my long, slender hands around her fragile figure and embrace her. A deal was a deal. For how long I would fulfill it, I do not know, but till then, I must remain in the service of my little master. For till I have her soul, she has mine.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer looked up at the sky., as the snow fell gently onto his face. He hadn't been on Earth for a long time. Not since Cain. The First Summoning. But since then, no one possessed the power to summon him. He frowned as he mulled over the punishment he would exact upon the sorry mortal that dared utter his name.
&#x200B;
His train of thought was interrupted by the soft whimpering. The moonlight filtering through the trees made it easy to locate the source, not that darkness had any effect on his vision. His tall frame silently walked toward the prone figure, leaving no footprints behind. He reached out toward the figure, and shook it a little. Anticipating a trap, Lucifer stepped back, his wings flaring. A small nexus of energy began forming in his hands, as his senses heightened. "Who are you? " he said. The figure twitched, and looked up. Lucifer's eyes widened in shock; it was a little girl.
&#x200B;
She looked like she was 5-6 years old, wearing a coat several sizes too big for her. She was barely conscious, her face covered in bruises and clotted blood. This explains it, Lucifer thought. She was an innocent. The pure soul was a powerful entity, capable of interacting with a being like him. He knelt beside her, the nexus of energy vanishing in a wisp of blue-grey mist. Placing his palm on the ground, he warmed the air around her.
&#x200B;
"Who are you child? Why are you here?" he asked. The warmth seemed to giver her some semblance of strength. Some color crept into the untouched parts of her pale skin.
&#x200B;
"I.....was.....running. He.....was.....hurting....me."
&#x200B;
Her words were punctuated with sobs. Tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Lucifer's eyes met hers, and he saw everything. The horrible torture she suffered at the hands of a man. He was supposed to raise her. Protect her.
A burning inferno of anger and sadness swelled inside of Lucifer. He couldn't heal her. Directly interfering with mortal life or death was beyond his reach. For the first time in his ageless existence, he was helpless. Before he could decide how to help her, he felt a light pressure on his midsection. Shocked, he looked down, only to see her trying to wrap her tiny arms around him. She was fading, using her last fragment of strength to gain a semblance of love and comfort.
&#x200B;
Lucifer embraced her, as her life dimmed into nothingness.
&#x200B;
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
He stood motionless, fists clenched, looking down at the little girl. At least she got to smile in her last moments. He knew he had to act. How could he not. He was destined to punish. The father would end up in Hell eventually, but Lucifer couldn't wait. For the first time in millenia, he opened up the link in his mind. "Hear me brother. There is a favor I have to ask of you."
&#x200B;
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
&#x200B;
A figure stepped out from behind a tree. He was a spitting image of Lucifer, albeit his wings were a pearly white. He smiled a little, "It's been a while. Why did you call me? You know that fighting me will be a bad idea". Lucifer snorted, absently touching a spot just below his left shoulder "It's good to see you Michael."
&#x200B;
He pointed at the girl lying at his feet, "She summoned me. An innocent child." Michael's smile faded, as Lucifer explained everything that just happened. "What would you have me do Lucifer? Bring her back? She's in Heaven now."
"No. That would be punishment. I want your permission. This one time."
Michael looked into his twin brother's eyes. The same righteous anger he had seen a thousand times. The reason why he could never kill him. The reason why he didn't.
&#x200B;
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as his brother turned to walk away. Before disappearing into the woods, Michael looked back at him, and gave the slightest of nods.
&#x200B;
Lucifer smiled. He was going to punish someone tonight after all.
|
The girl finished the ritual. Her parents had just died in a fire. Her spirit was so very weak, so lonely, and she needed a hug.
&#x200B;
The demon was in her now, and it tortured her. But every time the demon expected her to run screaming for help out the door, she just fell weaker and weaker apart. She was just withering away.
&#x200B;
One day a wise wizard came upon the house and a starving, wide-eyed girl. The wizard asked her "what's going on here?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied "I am possessed."
&#x200B;
The wizard, "how did you become possessed?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "I wanted a hug and I was depressed about my parents dying, so I summoned a demon to hug me. It's been hugging me."
&#x200B;
The wizard replied, "You don't look very well hugged. Would you like me to give you a hug?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "You can give me a hug, but the demon might give you a hug too."
&#x200B;
The wizard didn't care, he was heart broken. He hugged the girl on the spot. Suddenly the wizard became possessed too. He became depressed and weak. He needed a hug now too.
&#x200B;
Suddenly a priest came along...
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
As the ritual was almost complete, multiple flashing colours flashed in the face young Arka, a wave of heat hit her body and almost threw her soul out of her, and the ritual was finally complete.
Arka saw as the mighty Halfacer raised from the ground in the middle of her room, the figure of the beast sent shivers down her spine, but she shook it off and quickly started jumping up and down and spreading her hands forwards as if she wanted a hug.
Halfacer slowly opened his eyes, which were orenge in colour, and looked down over his own body, he inspected his hands as if something was wrong with them, then he looked around the room, standing at the same place, as he turned around, he finally looked down, he saw the young and pure Arka, he gazed upon her confusingly, as it was a long time ago since he had seen a human child, but even more confusing was the reactions of the little girl, Halfacer Wondered, why was she looking so joyful?, why is she jumping up and down with happiness?, why is he slowly moving towards him spreading her hands like that?, shouldn't she be running away from him after seeing him?.
Halfacer finelly spoke up after pushing the little girl away, "Are you the one who summoned me?", little Arka got scared by the thunderous voice of Halfacer, but her enthusiasm did not waver off that easily.
"Yes! Yes it was me! I summoned you, give me a hug!" she said in a cute kiddy voice as she looked up on the tall and large beast.
Halfacer did not like that, "You are too young to know what I am, and the ritual to summon me is very tough, a child like you couldn't have done it by herself" Halfacer said while squats down to come closer to Arka, he continued, "now I want you to tell me, who taught you the ritual to summon me, who gave you all of these ingredients, who?".
Arka got saddened by Halfacer because he was not giving her a hug she had wanted so much for such a long time, but she still answered Halfacer happily, "the nice lady right next door! she told me that if I wanted a friend I should do all these weird things and a big friend will appear and give me a big hug" as she completed her sentence, she raised her arms again, to be hugged, she thought that obviously she was going to get a hug, because she had explained to Halfacer, now he was definitely going to give her a hug, right?.
Halfacer stood still for a while engulfing in pure rage and anger, even the great enthusiasm of little Arka got shattered by that grimacing aura of Halfacer.
A hug from friend the only thing that Arka wanted, she had no friends for some reason she just wasn't able to make any friends, everytime she tried to reach out to someone she was either mocked or shut down, this was a very cruel thing for a little child to go through, that was it, a hug from a friend, that's all she wanted, but what was this, who was this being, who had she summoned, what was going to happen to this already broken child.
Even Halfacer, the most evil demon all over in hell, even he was reluctant to commit his crime.
"It doesn't matter if it is a child, so what? I can't let my reputation get affected because of this, no matter what, I must do it" Halfacer said to himself and he finally looked at Arka.
He walked towards her, she already had her back against the wall, Halfacer squats down to get to get down to her level, to face her face to face, he asked her this final question, "what is your name child?".
Arka said hesitatingly, "My.....my name is Arka"
"Hmmm, and Arka you said that the lady next door taught you how to do this?" Halfacer asked Arka as he pointed towards the house next door through the window.
"Yes, she taught me how to summon you", Arka answered, her voice filling more and more with fear.
"Well then, I must do what I have to do, and you my child, you must go to sleep now" Halfacer said as he put her fingers on Arka's stomach and pinched them in, puncturing holes through the soft skin of the Arka, he he kept pushing his fingers in until they came out from the other side, and then suddenly pulled them back, usually he would grab the soul too the soul of a human he had killed, but this time, he chose to do differently, he let the girl's soul go, because he knew that she was too good to be in Hell and he knew that she was going to Heaven.
As Arka's body hit the ground, Halfacer turned towards that lady's house.
|
The girl finished the ritual. Her parents had just died in a fire. Her spirit was so very weak, so lonely, and she needed a hug.
&#x200B;
The demon was in her now, and it tortured her. But every time the demon expected her to run screaming for help out the door, she just fell weaker and weaker apart. She was just withering away.
&#x200B;
One day a wise wizard came upon the house and a starving, wide-eyed girl. The wizard asked her "what's going on here?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied "I am possessed."
&#x200B;
The wizard, "how did you become possessed?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "I wanted a hug and I was depressed about my parents dying, so I summoned a demon to hug me. It's been hugging me."
&#x200B;
The wizard replied, "You don't look very well hugged. Would you like me to give you a hug?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "You can give me a hug, but the demon might give you a hug too."
&#x200B;
The wizard didn't care, he was heart broken. He hugged the girl on the spot. Suddenly the wizard became possessed too. He became depressed and weak. He needed a hug now too.
&#x200B;
Suddenly a priest came along...
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Azrael looked around the clearing where he had been summoned, it was a still winters night with a fresh fall of snow blanketing the ground not a single birdsong in the air. The trees surrounding his summoning circle were scorched black where the blast had touched them, yet each tree still shrouded in snow on the opposing sides as if this was all a mere illusion. Narrowing his eyes he looked back and forth for the summoner, being in the middle of what looks like a forest he was still yet to determine the time period he had been brought into, or who had been foolish enough to raise him from his prison cell in Hell.
&#x200B;
Bad people are sent to Hell, Demons are created in Hell....but where do you keep the entities that the Demons fear? What do you call this Monster Demons tell their Hellspawn to be wary of? You call it Azrael, and you make sure they never forget my name for i am the bringer of all things nightmare, the devourer of all things sacred.
&#x200B;
My thought process was broken by faint cries of 'Help!........Help.....Hel...' I began to scout through the snow. I wasn't entirely sure who had summoned me but i felt compelled to go to the voice.
&#x200B;
Beyond the clearing a vision of twisted metal and flame, two vehicles infused into one, a third upside down just off the road as small flames rise from the tail end. This is where the small whimpers of distress were emenating from, i inquired closer.
&#x200B;
Mangled bodies littered the crash site but amongst the debris and dispair sat the smallest of Humans. Curled up in a ball she was muttering incomprehensable words, I'm sure a majority were nonsense but the occasional word resonated deep within me, a sermon i hadn't heard in Eon's, these were parts of my summoning curse.
&#x200B;
"I......i........just want my mother........why wont she wake...." The first sentence i heard from this being and i already knew how this had all played out, how i had ended up here, i'd been bound to my summoner even if she didn't mean to summon me, I'm her right hand until my role is complete.
&#x200B;
"As she fell asleep she made me promise to keep reciting these words..... it took me a while to get the sentence right but she promised help would come. that help would stay....i......is...that you?" her teary eyes met mine, locked together amongst the tragedy.
&#x200B;
"My name is Azreal" I'd recited this endless times to desperate warriors, warlords and Kinds alike "I'm here to do as you wish, smite who you will and stay until my task is vanquished....little girl....what is your bidding?" i knelt to be closer to the shivering Human, the flames from her vehicle seeming to have no impact on the way she feels.
&#x200B;
"I want you to make this pain go away, i need you to help bring back my parents" her stare never left mine, she knew how to keep me here, i wonder was thisher mother's guidance before passing
&#x200B;
"Youre request is mine to take, i shall do this and i sha.."
&#x200B;
"I also want a hug" A little smile creeps across the girls face as the realisation washes over me
&#x200B;
Only one other summoner had ever been so brave to request physical contact from me, I'd gone to the pits of Hell for that Human millenia ago.....How....Why was she in this time....why did she pass on this message...what did it mean?....Bella was never one to reveal the entire plan that's what made me love her all that time ago.
&#x200B;
As i scooped up the little Human, darting through the tree's, her head nestled in my neck i whispered
&#x200B;
"Let's go save your mother...."
&#x200B;
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
&#x200B;
Hope you enjoy!
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
|
The girl finished the ritual. Her parents had just died in a fire. Her spirit was so very weak, so lonely, and she needed a hug.
&#x200B;
The demon was in her now, and it tortured her. But every time the demon expected her to run screaming for help out the door, she just fell weaker and weaker apart. She was just withering away.
&#x200B;
One day a wise wizard came upon the house and a starving, wide-eyed girl. The wizard asked her "what's going on here?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied "I am possessed."
&#x200B;
The wizard, "how did you become possessed?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "I wanted a hug and I was depressed about my parents dying, so I summoned a demon to hug me. It's been hugging me."
&#x200B;
The wizard replied, "You don't look very well hugged. Would you like me to give you a hug?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "You can give me a hug, but the demon might give you a hug too."
&#x200B;
The wizard didn't care, he was heart broken. He hugged the girl on the spot. Suddenly the wizard became possessed too. He became depressed and weak. He needed a hug now too.
&#x200B;
Suddenly a priest came along...
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Too many times there were punches. Too many times there were kicks. Too many times there were other actions that made Lucy withdraw into herself. The endless hours of crying left her eyes barren of any emotion, empty of anything but tears.
Lucy found solace at her school library. Maybe it would have been imposing to anyone else, but to a beaten and starved teenager it was heaven. The one place she could escape the misery of home. And that was where she found the book. The small black book no bigger than the palm of her hand, tucked away in a draw behind the story books...
Lucy flipped the pages quickly noticing the shifting words and symbols but never being quick enough to read them. The middle pages were a diagram of different positions, poses and gestures. Gingerly, this small shy girl traced a few of the hand gestures in the air, her mind equating the movements to an abstract puppet show. Fascinated by the way the hand gestures flowed into each other Lucy repeated the sequence as best she could, almost trance-like.
The swirling of books in the library was certainly enough to warrant fear, but the figure in it's center definitely was. The tall figure strode towards Lucy, it's scarred leathery wings knocking aside tables and cabinets, sending them splintering away.
It looks down quizzically at Lucy, wondering how a creature with no knowledge of his kind could summon him.
"You have called me here, using ancient rituals mortal. What is your desire?"
Lucy looked around at the devastation wroughtby the creature, noticing that the others seemed to frozen. The creature repeated his question.
Thinking long and hard about what she wanted most she eventually asked;
"Just a hug please"
The creature was a little puzzled this.
"I can offer infinite riches, immortality, even your own kingdom. But all you would ask for is a cuddle?"
Lucy nodded her head in approval expecting to be mocked or struck but the blow never arrived. Instead the creature ambled forwards, knelt and embraced her.
He felt the tears. The cold, unrelenting tears of someone who finally feels needed, who feels safe, nurtured. The purity of her emotions almost overwhelming him. "I may be demonkin" he thought "but whoever has affected this child so must be punished!"
He placed his finger under Lucy's chin so she could meet his gaze and simply wispered
"Who hurt you?"
|
The girl finished the ritual. Her parents had just died in a fire. Her spirit was so very weak, so lonely, and she needed a hug.
&#x200B;
The demon was in her now, and it tortured her. But every time the demon expected her to run screaming for help out the door, she just fell weaker and weaker apart. She was just withering away.
&#x200B;
One day a wise wizard came upon the house and a starving, wide-eyed girl. The wizard asked her "what's going on here?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied "I am possessed."
&#x200B;
The wizard, "how did you become possessed?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "I wanted a hug and I was depressed about my parents dying, so I summoned a demon to hug me. It's been hugging me."
&#x200B;
The wizard replied, "You don't look very well hugged. Would you like me to give you a hug?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "You can give me a hug, but the demon might give you a hug too."
&#x200B;
The wizard didn't care, he was heart broken. He hugged the girl on the spot. Suddenly the wizard became possessed too. He became depressed and weak. He needed a hug now too.
&#x200B;
Suddenly a priest came along...
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer was draped carelessly over his favourite throne. It had a tall back, and curved arms with plenty of cushioning. Made of shiny brown leather, this chair was the kind of chair one would expect to find in the study of a wealthy man, where he could sit and think manly things, while smoking a cigar.
Lucifer was not smoking a cigar, nor was he precisely sitting. He had one leg draped over a chair arm, with the other stretched out towards the fire. In the fire screamed the lightly charred soul of a recently deceased adulterer. Barry… or was it Billy? After so many millennia of ruling Hell, it was difficult to keep track. Had the screams gotten a bit quieter? Lucifer stoked the flames until the music of his pain reached the right tempo again.
The King of Hell was bored. He hadn’t had enough variation lately. He had tried spicing up his torture routines (literally, cayenne pepper to the soul is surprisingly unpleasant), but despite his extensive imagination, there really is a limit on how many different ways you can punish someone. Most of the time these days he just delegated to the lesser demons and spent all his time playing video games.
The soul in the fire had stopped screaming in favour of whimpering. Lucifer stood up to poke it again, when there was a tentative tapping at the door. Instead of poking the soul, he rammed the poker straight through it, resulting in even louder shrieks. He stomped over to the door and yanked it open.
“What is it? I was busy!” He looked around for the culprit, then down. A puny imp trembled on the floor below him.
“M-my ap-p-pologies your Highness. I h-have received a s-summons-” He couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.
“Well go sort it then, idiot! You needn’t ask for my permission.”
The imp cringed even smaller than before, then gathered himself, “My Lord, the summons is for you. One Constance Lockwood, daughter of Prudence and Regal Lockwood. The summoning was unskilled, but determined.”
Lucifer thought for a moment, then decided that it had been a while since he had answered a summons, and he was bored. He glared down at the imp who still trembled at his feet.
“What are you still doing here? Go torture a soul or something, there are plenty of them!”
The imp sprang up, hastily saluted, and scurried off down the hall.
“Newbies.” Lucifer shook his head, then headed back into his study. He yanked the poker out of the soul on his way past, setting off a new wave of screams. He checked himself out in the mirror, trialling a few different disguises before settling on a handsome young man. The only indication of his real identity were his eyes like burning coals. With a name like Constance, she could only be the daughter of puritans. Perhaps she was wanting to escape that life? Well he could certainly help with that!
He took the still red-hot poker over to his personal portal and keyed himself into the summoning network to find her. Dragging the poker over the pattern to activate it, he stood back to watch the fire race over the shape of the pentagram. When the shape was complete, the stone of the circle vanished, leaving only a swirling maelstrom of flame. Lucifer stepped through.
When he stepped out on the other side, he found himself in a basement, confronted by a tiny girl of no more than six human years. She was covered in paint, and curled up in the corner of the room on an old mattress. She appeared to be asleep, yet tears still ran down her face. Apparently, she had given up on anyone answering her summons.
Lucifer was tempted to sneak back through the portal without her knowing he was ever there. A six-year-old had no business summoning demons, and the purity of her soul was evident. He would gain nothing here. Then he looked around properly, wondering why a child of puritans would summon the King of Hell. Puritan children were usually teens before they rebelled.
First thing he noticed was the pentagram clumsily painted on the floor, with a single candle in the middle. There was no other light in the room, but he could see that the door out of the basement was closed, and aside from cans of house paint and a few planks of wood, the mattress was the only furnishing. He went over to test the door with human strength. It was locked.
Lucifer was starting to get concerned, and angry. Who was keeping a child locked in a basement? Was she kidnapped? Where were her parents?
He returned to the child and gently woke her. Her eyes opened slowly, then widened as she gasped.
“Lucifer?”
“Yes child, why did you summon me?”
At the reminder of what she had done, she burst into fresh tears.
“Mother always said that you were bad, and that you punish the evil-doers. I didn’t do anything bad, but Father sometimes locks me down here over night for penance. I get so lonely and I thought that since I wasn’t actually bad, you might not punish me. Mother used to come down to give me a hug after Father went to bed, but she died. Could you give me a hug please?”
Lucifer would have laughed if it had not been so tragic. As long as he had existed, he had never been summoned for a hug. Without questioning her more, the King of Hell folded the girl in his arms and held her until she fell back asleep.
Once she was asleep Lucifer got to work. Firstly, he slipped back through the portal to his room, and summoned an imp. He sent it to find a blanket; considering the temperature of Hell there were few to be found. He returned to the girl with the blanket and covered her over, then slipped upstairs to see the girl’s father.
Lucifer slipped into the man’s dreams to find a little boy curled up on another mattress in another basement. Recognising the cycle, he knew that anger would not help. He restrained it, and gently approached the boy. Upon seeing him, Regal Lockwood gasped with fear.
“Who are you?” demanded the boy. “What are you doing here?”
“I am Lucifer, the King of Hell, and I have been summoned by your daughter because of your neglect and abuse. I save some of my best tortures for abusers. If you don’t mend your ways I will certainly have your soul as a plaything. I am here to tell you to treat her better-“ his eyes glowed fiercely “-Or I will take her away from you.
“I will be checking on her regularly, so don’t slip up!”
With that, Lucifer left the dream, it now being almost dawn. He quickly whipped up some pancakes in the kitchen, and left them on the floor beside Constance before stepping back through the portal.
Back in Hell, Lucifer returned to work with a vengeance, focusing especially on those souls of people from the beginnings of abuse cycles.
Six years later…
It was Sunday again, Connie had just returned from church with her father. They had been to the shop for ingredients, and she was going to make Luci’s favourite: pancakes! She checked the time, 11:30am, just enough time to have them ready.
At precisely 12pm, the pentagram painted on the back of the front door started glowing, then swirled with flames, and a handsome young man stepped through with glowing eyes.
Connie ran to give him a hug, and he grinned. No one had ever hugged him except her, his little girl.
“Pancakes?” he asked. “My favourite!”
|
The girl finished the ritual. Her parents had just died in a fire. Her spirit was so very weak, so lonely, and she needed a hug.
&#x200B;
The demon was in her now, and it tortured her. But every time the demon expected her to run screaming for help out the door, she just fell weaker and weaker apart. She was just withering away.
&#x200B;
One day a wise wizard came upon the house and a starving, wide-eyed girl. The wizard asked her "what's going on here?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied "I am possessed."
&#x200B;
The wizard, "how did you become possessed?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "I wanted a hug and I was depressed about my parents dying, so I summoned a demon to hug me. It's been hugging me."
&#x200B;
The wizard replied, "You don't look very well hugged. Would you like me to give you a hug?"
&#x200B;
The girl replied, "You can give me a hug, but the demon might give you a hug too."
&#x200B;
The wizard didn't care, he was heart broken. He hugged the girl on the spot. Suddenly the wizard became possessed too. He became depressed and weak. He needed a hug now too.
&#x200B;
Suddenly a priest came along...
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Azrael looked around the clearing where he had been summoned, it was a still winters night with a fresh fall of snow blanketing the ground not a single birdsong in the air. The trees surrounding his summoning circle were scorched black where the blast had touched them, yet each tree still shrouded in snow on the opposing sides as if this was all a mere illusion. Narrowing his eyes he looked back and forth for the summoner, being in the middle of what looks like a forest he was still yet to determine the time period he had been brought into, or who had been foolish enough to raise him from his prison cell in Hell.
&#x200B;
Bad people are sent to Hell, Demons are created in Hell....but where do you keep the entities that the Demons fear? What do you call this Monster Demons tell their Hellspawn to be wary of? You call it Azrael, and you make sure they never forget my name for i am the bringer of all things nightmare, the devourer of all things sacred.
&#x200B;
My thought process was broken by faint cries of 'Help!........Help.....Hel...' I began to scout through the snow. I wasn't entirely sure who had summoned me but i felt compelled to go to the voice.
&#x200B;
Beyond the clearing a vision of twisted metal and flame, two vehicles infused into one, a third upside down just off the road as small flames rise from the tail end. This is where the small whimpers of distress were emenating from, i inquired closer.
&#x200B;
Mangled bodies littered the crash site but amongst the debris and dispair sat the smallest of Humans. Curled up in a ball she was muttering incomprehensable words, I'm sure a majority were nonsense but the occasional word resonated deep within me, a sermon i hadn't heard in Eon's, these were parts of my summoning curse.
&#x200B;
"I......i........just want my mother........why wont she wake...." The first sentence i heard from this being and i already knew how this had all played out, how i had ended up here, i'd been bound to my summoner even if she didn't mean to summon me, I'm her right hand until my role is complete.
&#x200B;
"As she fell asleep she made me promise to keep reciting these words..... it took me a while to get the sentence right but she promised help would come. that help would stay....i......is...that you?" her teary eyes met mine, locked together amongst the tragedy.
&#x200B;
"My name is Azreal" I'd recited this endless times to desperate warriors, warlords and Kinds alike "I'm here to do as you wish, smite who you will and stay until my task is vanquished....little girl....what is your bidding?" i knelt to be closer to the shivering Human, the flames from her vehicle seeming to have no impact on the way she feels.
&#x200B;
"I want you to make this pain go away, i need you to help bring back my parents" her stare never left mine, she knew how to keep me here, i wonder was thisher mother's guidance before passing
&#x200B;
"Youre request is mine to take, i shall do this and i sha.."
&#x200B;
"I also want a hug" A little smile creeps across the girls face as the realisation washes over me
&#x200B;
Only one other summoner had ever been so brave to request physical contact from me, I'd gone to the pits of Hell for that Human millenia ago.....How....Why was she in this time....why did she pass on this message...what did it mean?....Bella was never one to reveal the entire plan that's what made me love her all that time ago.
&#x200B;
As i scooped up the little Human, darting through the tree's, her head nestled in my neck i whispered
&#x200B;
"Let's go save your mother...."
&#x200B;
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
&#x200B;
Hope you enjoy!
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
|
As the ritual was almost complete, multiple flashing colours flashed in the face young Arka, a wave of heat hit her body and almost threw her soul out of her, and the ritual was finally complete.
Arka saw as the mighty Halfacer raised from the ground in the middle of her room, the figure of the beast sent shivers down her spine, but she shook it off and quickly started jumping up and down and spreading her hands forwards as if she wanted a hug.
Halfacer slowly opened his eyes, which were orenge in colour, and looked down over his own body, he inspected his hands as if something was wrong with them, then he looked around the room, standing at the same place, as he turned around, he finally looked down, he saw the young and pure Arka, he gazed upon her confusingly, as it was a long time ago since he had seen a human child, but even more confusing was the reactions of the little girl, Halfacer Wondered, why was she looking so joyful?, why is she jumping up and down with happiness?, why is he slowly moving towards him spreading her hands like that?, shouldn't she be running away from him after seeing him?.
Halfacer finelly spoke up after pushing the little girl away, "Are you the one who summoned me?", little Arka got scared by the thunderous voice of Halfacer, but her enthusiasm did not waver off that easily.
"Yes! Yes it was me! I summoned you, give me a hug!" she said in a cute kiddy voice as she looked up on the tall and large beast.
Halfacer did not like that, "You are too young to know what I am, and the ritual to summon me is very tough, a child like you couldn't have done it by herself" Halfacer said while squats down to come closer to Arka, he continued, "now I want you to tell me, who taught you the ritual to summon me, who gave you all of these ingredients, who?".
Arka got saddened by Halfacer because he was not giving her a hug she had wanted so much for such a long time, but she still answered Halfacer happily, "the nice lady right next door! she told me that if I wanted a friend I should do all these weird things and a big friend will appear and give me a big hug" as she completed her sentence, she raised her arms again, to be hugged, she thought that obviously she was going to get a hug, because she had explained to Halfacer, now he was definitely going to give her a hug, right?.
Halfacer stood still for a while engulfing in pure rage and anger, even the great enthusiasm of little Arka got shattered by that grimacing aura of Halfacer.
A hug from friend the only thing that Arka wanted, she had no friends for some reason she just wasn't able to make any friends, everytime she tried to reach out to someone she was either mocked or shut down, this was a very cruel thing for a little child to go through, that was it, a hug from a friend, that's all she wanted, but what was this, who was this being, who had she summoned, what was going to happen to this already broken child.
Even Halfacer, the most evil demon all over in hell, even he was reluctant to commit his crime.
"It doesn't matter if it is a child, so what? I can't let my reputation get affected because of this, no matter what, I must do it" Halfacer said to himself and he finally looked at Arka.
He walked towards her, she already had her back against the wall, Halfacer squats down to get to get down to her level, to face her face to face, he asked her this final question, "what is your name child?".
Arka said hesitatingly, "My.....my name is Arka"
"Hmmm, and Arka you said that the lady next door taught you how to do this?" Halfacer asked Arka as he pointed towards the house next door through the window.
"Yes, she taught me how to summon you", Arka answered, her voice filling more and more with fear.
"Well then, I must do what I have to do, and you my child, you must go to sleep now" Halfacer said as he put her fingers on Arka's stomach and pinched them in, puncturing holes through the soft skin of the Arka, he he kept pushing his fingers in until they came out from the other side, and then suddenly pulled them back, usually he would grab the soul too the soul of a human he had killed, but this time, he chose to do differently, he let the girl's soul go, because he knew that she was too good to be in Hell and he knew that she was going to Heaven.
As Arka's body hit the ground, Halfacer turned towards that lady's house.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Too many times there were punches. Too many times there were kicks. Too many times there were other actions that made Lucy withdraw into herself. The endless hours of crying left her eyes barren of any emotion, empty of anything but tears.
Lucy found solace at her school library. Maybe it would have been imposing to anyone else, but to a beaten and starved teenager it was heaven. The one place she could escape the misery of home. And that was where she found the book. The small black book no bigger than the palm of her hand, tucked away in a draw behind the story books...
Lucy flipped the pages quickly noticing the shifting words and symbols but never being quick enough to read them. The middle pages were a diagram of different positions, poses and gestures. Gingerly, this small shy girl traced a few of the hand gestures in the air, her mind equating the movements to an abstract puppet show. Fascinated by the way the hand gestures flowed into each other Lucy repeated the sequence as best she could, almost trance-like.
The swirling of books in the library was certainly enough to warrant fear, but the figure in it's center definitely was. The tall figure strode towards Lucy, it's scarred leathery wings knocking aside tables and cabinets, sending them splintering away.
It looks down quizzically at Lucy, wondering how a creature with no knowledge of his kind could summon him.
"You have called me here, using ancient rituals mortal. What is your desire?"
Lucy looked around at the devastation wroughtby the creature, noticing that the others seemed to frozen. The creature repeated his question.
Thinking long and hard about what she wanted most she eventually asked;
"Just a hug please"
The creature was a little puzzled this.
"I can offer infinite riches, immortality, even your own kingdom. But all you would ask for is a cuddle?"
Lucy nodded her head in approval expecting to be mocked or struck but the blow never arrived. Instead the creature ambled forwards, knelt and embraced her.
He felt the tears. The cold, unrelenting tears of someone who finally feels needed, who feels safe, nurtured. The purity of her emotions almost overwhelming him. "I may be demonkin" he thought "but whoever has affected this child so must be punished!"
He placed his finger under Lucy's chin so she could meet his gaze and simply wispered
"Who hurt you?"
|
As the ritual was almost complete, multiple flashing colours flashed in the face young Arka, a wave of heat hit her body and almost threw her soul out of her, and the ritual was finally complete.
Arka saw as the mighty Halfacer raised from the ground in the middle of her room, the figure of the beast sent shivers down her spine, but she shook it off and quickly started jumping up and down and spreading her hands forwards as if she wanted a hug.
Halfacer slowly opened his eyes, which were orenge in colour, and looked down over his own body, he inspected his hands as if something was wrong with them, then he looked around the room, standing at the same place, as he turned around, he finally looked down, he saw the young and pure Arka, he gazed upon her confusingly, as it was a long time ago since he had seen a human child, but even more confusing was the reactions of the little girl, Halfacer Wondered, why was she looking so joyful?, why is she jumping up and down with happiness?, why is he slowly moving towards him spreading her hands like that?, shouldn't she be running away from him after seeing him?.
Halfacer finelly spoke up after pushing the little girl away, "Are you the one who summoned me?", little Arka got scared by the thunderous voice of Halfacer, but her enthusiasm did not waver off that easily.
"Yes! Yes it was me! I summoned you, give me a hug!" she said in a cute kiddy voice as she looked up on the tall and large beast.
Halfacer did not like that, "You are too young to know what I am, and the ritual to summon me is very tough, a child like you couldn't have done it by herself" Halfacer said while squats down to come closer to Arka, he continued, "now I want you to tell me, who taught you the ritual to summon me, who gave you all of these ingredients, who?".
Arka got saddened by Halfacer because he was not giving her a hug she had wanted so much for such a long time, but she still answered Halfacer happily, "the nice lady right next door! she told me that if I wanted a friend I should do all these weird things and a big friend will appear and give me a big hug" as she completed her sentence, she raised her arms again, to be hugged, she thought that obviously she was going to get a hug, because she had explained to Halfacer, now he was definitely going to give her a hug, right?.
Halfacer stood still for a while engulfing in pure rage and anger, even the great enthusiasm of little Arka got shattered by that grimacing aura of Halfacer.
A hug from friend the only thing that Arka wanted, she had no friends for some reason she just wasn't able to make any friends, everytime she tried to reach out to someone she was either mocked or shut down, this was a very cruel thing for a little child to go through, that was it, a hug from a friend, that's all she wanted, but what was this, who was this being, who had she summoned, what was going to happen to this already broken child.
Even Halfacer, the most evil demon all over in hell, even he was reluctant to commit his crime.
"It doesn't matter if it is a child, so what? I can't let my reputation get affected because of this, no matter what, I must do it" Halfacer said to himself and he finally looked at Arka.
He walked towards her, she already had her back against the wall, Halfacer squats down to get to get down to her level, to face her face to face, he asked her this final question, "what is your name child?".
Arka said hesitatingly, "My.....my name is Arka"
"Hmmm, and Arka you said that the lady next door taught you how to do this?" Halfacer asked Arka as he pointed towards the house next door through the window.
"Yes, she taught me how to summon you", Arka answered, her voice filling more and more with fear.
"Well then, I must do what I have to do, and you my child, you must go to sleep now" Halfacer said as he put her fingers on Arka's stomach and pinched them in, puncturing holes through the soft skin of the Arka, he he kept pushing his fingers in until they came out from the other side, and then suddenly pulled them back, usually he would grab the soul too the soul of a human he had killed, but this time, he chose to do differently, he let the girl's soul go, because he knew that she was too good to be in Hell and he knew that she was going to Heaven.
As Arka's body hit the ground, Halfacer turned towards that lady's house.
|
|
[WP] The most evil demon has been summoned. The summoner is a little girl and just wants to be hugged.
|
Lucifer was draped carelessly over his favourite throne. It had a tall back, and curved arms with plenty of cushioning. Made of shiny brown leather, this chair was the kind of chair one would expect to find in the study of a wealthy man, where he could sit and think manly things, while smoking a cigar.
Lucifer was not smoking a cigar, nor was he precisely sitting. He had one leg draped over a chair arm, with the other stretched out towards the fire. In the fire screamed the lightly charred soul of a recently deceased adulterer. Barry… or was it Billy? After so many millennia of ruling Hell, it was difficult to keep track. Had the screams gotten a bit quieter? Lucifer stoked the flames until the music of his pain reached the right tempo again.
The King of Hell was bored. He hadn’t had enough variation lately. He had tried spicing up his torture routines (literally, cayenne pepper to the soul is surprisingly unpleasant), but despite his extensive imagination, there really is a limit on how many different ways you can punish someone. Most of the time these days he just delegated to the lesser demons and spent all his time playing video games.
The soul in the fire had stopped screaming in favour of whimpering. Lucifer stood up to poke it again, when there was a tentative tapping at the door. Instead of poking the soul, he rammed the poker straight through it, resulting in even louder shrieks. He stomped over to the door and yanked it open.
“What is it? I was busy!” He looked around for the culprit, then down. A puny imp trembled on the floor below him.
“M-my ap-p-pologies your Highness. I h-have received a s-summons-” He couldn’t seem to finish the sentence.
“Well go sort it then, idiot! You needn’t ask for my permission.”
The imp cringed even smaller than before, then gathered himself, “My Lord, the summons is for you. One Constance Lockwood, daughter of Prudence and Regal Lockwood. The summoning was unskilled, but determined.”
Lucifer thought for a moment, then decided that it had been a while since he had answered a summons, and he was bored. He glared down at the imp who still trembled at his feet.
“What are you still doing here? Go torture a soul or something, there are plenty of them!”
The imp sprang up, hastily saluted, and scurried off down the hall.
“Newbies.” Lucifer shook his head, then headed back into his study. He yanked the poker out of the soul on his way past, setting off a new wave of screams. He checked himself out in the mirror, trialling a few different disguises before settling on a handsome young man. The only indication of his real identity were his eyes like burning coals. With a name like Constance, she could only be the daughter of puritans. Perhaps she was wanting to escape that life? Well he could certainly help with that!
He took the still red-hot poker over to his personal portal and keyed himself into the summoning network to find her. Dragging the poker over the pattern to activate it, he stood back to watch the fire race over the shape of the pentagram. When the shape was complete, the stone of the circle vanished, leaving only a swirling maelstrom of flame. Lucifer stepped through.
When he stepped out on the other side, he found himself in a basement, confronted by a tiny girl of no more than six human years. She was covered in paint, and curled up in the corner of the room on an old mattress. She appeared to be asleep, yet tears still ran down her face. Apparently, she had given up on anyone answering her summons.
Lucifer was tempted to sneak back through the portal without her knowing he was ever there. A six-year-old had no business summoning demons, and the purity of her soul was evident. He would gain nothing here. Then he looked around properly, wondering why a child of puritans would summon the King of Hell. Puritan children were usually teens before they rebelled.
First thing he noticed was the pentagram clumsily painted on the floor, with a single candle in the middle. There was no other light in the room, but he could see that the door out of the basement was closed, and aside from cans of house paint and a few planks of wood, the mattress was the only furnishing. He went over to test the door with human strength. It was locked.
Lucifer was starting to get concerned, and angry. Who was keeping a child locked in a basement? Was she kidnapped? Where were her parents?
He returned to the child and gently woke her. Her eyes opened slowly, then widened as she gasped.
“Lucifer?”
“Yes child, why did you summon me?”
At the reminder of what she had done, she burst into fresh tears.
“Mother always said that you were bad, and that you punish the evil-doers. I didn’t do anything bad, but Father sometimes locks me down here over night for penance. I get so lonely and I thought that since I wasn’t actually bad, you might not punish me. Mother used to come down to give me a hug after Father went to bed, but she died. Could you give me a hug please?”
Lucifer would have laughed if it had not been so tragic. As long as he had existed, he had never been summoned for a hug. Without questioning her more, the King of Hell folded the girl in his arms and held her until she fell back asleep.
Once she was asleep Lucifer got to work. Firstly, he slipped back through the portal to his room, and summoned an imp. He sent it to find a blanket; considering the temperature of Hell there were few to be found. He returned to the girl with the blanket and covered her over, then slipped upstairs to see the girl’s father.
Lucifer slipped into the man’s dreams to find a little boy curled up on another mattress in another basement. Recognising the cycle, he knew that anger would not help. He restrained it, and gently approached the boy. Upon seeing him, Regal Lockwood gasped with fear.
“Who are you?” demanded the boy. “What are you doing here?”
“I am Lucifer, the King of Hell, and I have been summoned by your daughter because of your neglect and abuse. I save some of my best tortures for abusers. If you don’t mend your ways I will certainly have your soul as a plaything. I am here to tell you to treat her better-“ his eyes glowed fiercely “-Or I will take her away from you.
“I will be checking on her regularly, so don’t slip up!”
With that, Lucifer left the dream, it now being almost dawn. He quickly whipped up some pancakes in the kitchen, and left them on the floor beside Constance before stepping back through the portal.
Back in Hell, Lucifer returned to work with a vengeance, focusing especially on those souls of people from the beginnings of abuse cycles.
Six years later…
It was Sunday again, Connie had just returned from church with her father. They had been to the shop for ingredients, and she was going to make Luci’s favourite: pancakes! She checked the time, 11:30am, just enough time to have them ready.
At precisely 12pm, the pentagram painted on the back of the front door started glowing, then swirled with flames, and a handsome young man stepped through with glowing eyes.
Connie ran to give him a hug, and he grinned. No one had ever hugged him except her, his little girl.
“Pancakes?” he asked. “My favourite!”
|
As the ritual was almost complete, multiple flashing colours flashed in the face young Arka, a wave of heat hit her body and almost threw her soul out of her, and the ritual was finally complete.
Arka saw as the mighty Halfacer raised from the ground in the middle of her room, the figure of the beast sent shivers down her spine, but she shook it off and quickly started jumping up and down and spreading her hands forwards as if she wanted a hug.
Halfacer slowly opened his eyes, which were orenge in colour, and looked down over his own body, he inspected his hands as if something was wrong with them, then he looked around the room, standing at the same place, as he turned around, he finally looked down, he saw the young and pure Arka, he gazed upon her confusingly, as it was a long time ago since he had seen a human child, but even more confusing was the reactions of the little girl, Halfacer Wondered, why was she looking so joyful?, why is she jumping up and down with happiness?, why is he slowly moving towards him spreading her hands like that?, shouldn't she be running away from him after seeing him?.
Halfacer finelly spoke up after pushing the little girl away, "Are you the one who summoned me?", little Arka got scared by the thunderous voice of Halfacer, but her enthusiasm did not waver off that easily.
"Yes! Yes it was me! I summoned you, give me a hug!" she said in a cute kiddy voice as she looked up on the tall and large beast.
Halfacer did not like that, "You are too young to know what I am, and the ritual to summon me is very tough, a child like you couldn't have done it by herself" Halfacer said while squats down to come closer to Arka, he continued, "now I want you to tell me, who taught you the ritual to summon me, who gave you all of these ingredients, who?".
Arka got saddened by Halfacer because he was not giving her a hug she had wanted so much for such a long time, but she still answered Halfacer happily, "the nice lady right next door! she told me that if I wanted a friend I should do all these weird things and a big friend will appear and give me a big hug" as she completed her sentence, she raised her arms again, to be hugged, she thought that obviously she was going to get a hug, because she had explained to Halfacer, now he was definitely going to give her a hug, right?.
Halfacer stood still for a while engulfing in pure rage and anger, even the great enthusiasm of little Arka got shattered by that grimacing aura of Halfacer.
A hug from friend the only thing that Arka wanted, she had no friends for some reason she just wasn't able to make any friends, everytime she tried to reach out to someone she was either mocked or shut down, this was a very cruel thing for a little child to go through, that was it, a hug from a friend, that's all she wanted, but what was this, who was this being, who had she summoned, what was going to happen to this already broken child.
Even Halfacer, the most evil demon all over in hell, even he was reluctant to commit his crime.
"It doesn't matter if it is a child, so what? I can't let my reputation get affected because of this, no matter what, I must do it" Halfacer said to himself and he finally looked at Arka.
He walked towards her, she already had her back against the wall, Halfacer squats down to get to get down to her level, to face her face to face, he asked her this final question, "what is your name child?".
Arka said hesitatingly, "My.....my name is Arka"
"Hmmm, and Arka you said that the lady next door taught you how to do this?" Halfacer asked Arka as he pointed towards the house next door through the window.
"Yes, she taught me how to summon you", Arka answered, her voice filling more and more with fear.
"Well then, I must do what I have to do, and you my child, you must go to sleep now" Halfacer said as he put her fingers on Arka's stomach and pinched them in, puncturing holes through the soft skin of the Arka, he he kept pushing his fingers in until they came out from the other side, and then suddenly pulled them back, usually he would grab the soul too the soul of a human he had killed, but this time, he chose to do differently, he let the girl's soul go, because he knew that she was too good to be in Hell and he knew that she was going to Heaven.
As Arka's body hit the ground, Halfacer turned towards that lady's house.
|
|
[WP] You invented a serum that lets you communicate with animals. You decide to test it first. It doesn't seem to work, until you hear a spider ask, "Hey Roomie! How was your day?!"
|
"Hey Roomie! How was your day?!" the spider inquired, cheerfully. She was a big one -- *tegenaria gigantea,* a giant house spider. Harmless to humans, helpful in controlling insect pests.
"Bad." I said, with a sigh, as I regarded the empty ampule from which I'd drawn the zoophonic serum. "Something's very wrong here."
"Aw." the spider said, skittering across the table and resting a comforting foreleg on my hand. "What's wrong?"
"Well, I was trying to make scientific history with zoophonic serum -- my own formulation of designer neurotransmitters and artificial peptides designed to render to me sensitive to the neural activity of non-human creatures. I hoped to be able to use it to, in layman's terms, *talk to animals."*
The spider raised her forelegs in a passable imitation of a human's spread arms. "Seems like you got a hole in one then, buddy. Congratulations!" Then she cocked her tiny head curiously. "What's the problem?"
"The problem, little friend," I explained, "Is that this interaction we're having is nonsensical. You're a *spider.* A solitary arachnid predator, whose extremely limited cognition is almost entirely specialized for *catching bugs.* You don't have social instincts or empathy, much less a concept of a what a 'roomie' is."
"Ohhhhhh." the spider said, bobbing her head in understanding. "So, what *is* happening right now, then?"
"I injected myself with an untested psychoactive compound designed to cross the blood-brain barrier, and as a result I am now *vividly* hallucinating." I replied, with a sigh.
"That's bad luck." the spider, agreed, glumly. Then she brightened, as a whirling iridescent doorway made from the shells of a thousand singing oysters materialized on the tabletop beside her. "Well, as long as you're at it, want to go on a *magical adventure* in the musical kingdom of Molluscia?"
"I guess." I assented, and as I gingerly held her foreleg between two fingers, we leapt together into the spinning rainbow portal.
|
Unbelievable, the serum had worked!After piggybacking off of centuries of research stemming from Dr. Thomas Muffet’s work in the 1500s I had finally created what he could only begin to dream of. I collapsed in tears on the floor thinking of my ancestors before me, and my late father, that had all devoted their entire lives to developing what I now had within reach. Oh, the implications of this serum! We finally have the ability to communicate with spiders, and unlock the secrets of their fascinating webs and venom. The medical implications of being able to harness the power of their venom to prevent strokes, to the engineering implications of the remarkable tension displacement qualities of their silk. My life’s work finally comes to an-
“Uh, are you okay?” A familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. I had forgotten to respond to the company at hand.
“Oh, yes! Yes! I am so sorry, it’s just that I have waited for this moment for my entire life.” I replied as I picked myself up from the floor and wiped my face with the sleeve of my lab coat.
“Oh good, I was worried for a second there” said the spider “and yeah, I know what you mean. It’s nice to finally hear a response. I’ve been trying to talk to you for, like, the past year, and you just kept ignoring me. I just thought you were deaf or something, but I figured I’d keep trying to ask you how your day was to at least pretend we know each other, since we live together and all.”
“I see. Well I sure am glad you kept trying to talk to me. I’ve been trying to talk to you my entire life, but see, I never had the ability to until today. I created this serum that allows me to communicate with you now- and I have so much to talk to you about. I just can’t believe this is-“
Grrrrrrrruuuuuurggggggghhhhh
My thoughts were again interrupted, this time by my own stomach that begged for food. Believing I was on the brink of perfecting the serum, I had locked myself in my lab and forgotten to eat for the past couple days. I was now painfully reminded of this fact by the sharp pains in my abdomen.
“If you’ll excuse me for a moment I need to get some food. I haven’t eaten in days.” I said to the spider before quickly dashing upstairs into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and frowned. I hadn’t restocked on groceries for awhile, and the only readily edible item I could find was a container of cottage cheese, or as dad used to call them “curds and whey”. The only reason I kept them in the fridge is because they reminded me of him, and were fairly nutritious. They were never exactly my favorite food. Oh well, no time to be picky now. Suddenly aware of how ravenous I was, I grabbed the container and a spoon and began shoveling it into my mouth as I hurried back downstairs.
“Welcome back!” the spider chimed as I came back into the lab and sat down on a stool.
“Man, am I hungry” I garbled between bites. I quickly finished the small tub of cottage cheese and set the container down, my hunger pains dulled slightly for the moment.
“Anyway” I continued “I’ve worked my entire life for this moment, and have so much to discuss with you. You see, the venom and web making skills you spiders possess is absolutely amazing. Your venom is the key to so many medical advances because of its chemical properties. Additionally, your silk has astounding physical properties that can be harnessed and used for a myriad of engineering purposes. The problem was that before today, without being able to communicate with you all, there was no way to ask you to produce these things for us. Years of research has shown that there is no way for us to mechanically stimulate production of venom or silk. So, I guess what I really want to ask you is, what is the secret to the production of your venom and silk?”
The spider looked up at me in silence for a moment. I couldn’t read the expression on its face- mostly because spiders don’t really have faces, or at least faces like humans have that can convey emotions.
Finally, the spider spoke. “Well, Miss Muffet, I hope I don’t scare you away. However, the truth is that we’re only able to access conscious control of venom and silk production after we’ve successfully killed and eaten a human victim.”
|
|
[WP] You invented a serum that lets you communicate with animals. You decide to test it first. It doesn't seem to work, until you hear a spider ask, "Hey Roomie! How was your day?!"
|
"Hey Roomie! How was your day?!" the spider inquired, cheerfully. She was a big one -- *tegenaria gigantea,* a giant house spider. Harmless to humans, helpful in controlling insect pests.
"Bad." I said, with a sigh, as I regarded the empty ampule from which I'd drawn the zoophonic serum. "Something's very wrong here."
"Aw." the spider said, skittering across the table and resting a comforting foreleg on my hand. "What's wrong?"
"Well, I was trying to make scientific history with zoophonic serum -- my own formulation of designer neurotransmitters and artificial peptides designed to render to me sensitive to the neural activity of non-human creatures. I hoped to be able to use it to, in layman's terms, *talk to animals."*
The spider raised her forelegs in a passable imitation of a human's spread arms. "Seems like you got a hole in one then, buddy. Congratulations!" Then she cocked her tiny head curiously. "What's the problem?"
"The problem, little friend," I explained, "Is that this interaction we're having is nonsensical. You're a *spider.* A solitary arachnid predator, whose extremely limited cognition is almost entirely specialized for *catching bugs.* You don't have social instincts or empathy, much less a concept of a what a 'roomie' is."
"Ohhhhhh." the spider said, bobbing her head in understanding. "So, what *is* happening right now, then?"
"I injected myself with an untested psychoactive compound designed to cross the blood-brain barrier, and as a result I am now *vividly* hallucinating." I replied, with a sigh.
"That's bad luck." the spider, agreed, glumly. Then she brightened, as a whirling iridescent doorway made from the shells of a thousand singing oysters materialized on the tabletop beside her. "Well, as long as you're at it, want to go on a *magical adventure* in the musical kingdom of Molluscia?"
"I guess." I assented, and as I gingerly held her foreleg between two fingers, we leapt together into the spinning rainbow portal.
|
After five years of research and testing in his home lab, Kevin watched as what he finally believed to be a serum that would allow humans to understand the languages of animals dripped slowly into a test tube. The golden liquid was as thick as a viscous oil. Microscopic crystals that had formed inside it glittered in the carefully placed lighting of his ramshackle clean room. After the last drop fell to the thin glass vessel, he reached down and plucked it from its stand, admiring its physical beauty and his mind racing over the conversations he planned to have with the many animals around the city. He couldn't wait to find out what the cat in the coffee shop thought of everyone who walked past it.
With that thought in his head, he tipped the tube into his mouth and let the liquid flow down. He grimaced at the taste of liver and rotten eggs, but pushed past it, allowing the substance to fall to the back of his tongue, then he promptly swallowed it. Initially, he didn't feel anything. He stood, holding the test tube, waiting patiently, but nothing seemed to happen. After some thought, he considered the fact that maybe it was too viscous to digest properly, so he started walking to his kitchen but as the outer door of the air lock to his clean room opened, he doubled over in pain. It started in his stomach and radiated outwards. With every beat of his heart, he felt it travel upwards with almost sentient purpose. He screamed as it reached his brain and the sensation it caused was like a thousand tiny needles puncturing every nerve in his head, pushing slowly in and through them. Then, as suddenly as it began, it ended.
Breathing heavily, the scientist stood and walked instead to his bathroom. He splashed his face with water and looked at his now bloodshot eyes in the mirror. He didn't feel the pain anymore, but he also didn't feel any different. Looking at his eyes, though, he did notice tiny gold flecks in his irises that weren't there before, causing him to smile. Something had changed. Without hesitation, he ran out of his bathroom to the front door of his apartment and grabbed his coat. Dashing out the door, forgetting to lock the door, it remained partially ajar as he sped down the stairs of the building. In far less time than it usually took, he arrived at his favourite coffee shop and stared through the window looking for the cat that took up residence there years ago. She was resting on a stack of books near the back of the store and he quickly ran in and sat near her. "Hello Mittens. How are you today?" The cat looked up lazily at the disturbance. No response. "Hmm, maybe I need to try to talk like you... Meow, rrrow row meow." Mittens ears perked up slightly getting Kevin's hopes up, but when she meowed and rolled onto her back, he didn't understand it.
Feeling rather dejected, he gave her a quick scratch and left. "Maybe it's not cats..." he walked along the street looking for any animals that might be around. A rat squeaked as it ran from a garbage can to the gutter. Nothing. Birds chirping in a tree as he passed, craning his ears in hope. Nothing. He walked past a dog park on the way home and all he heard was barking. Even the squirrels in the tree outside of his apartment building were only chirruping. Feeling like he had failed, he climbed the stairs to his room and pushed open the door. "Hey, Roomie! How was your day?!" He jumped at least two feet high in surprise at the high, rough voice that greeted him and landed painfully on his tailbone. Looking around the room there was no one there to have spoken to him.
"WHO'S THERE?!" Had the serum affected his eyesight somehow? It made no sense as he could see all the people when he was outside. Another look around the room and the only thing that seemed different was what a tiny fuzzy cushion on the couch, no bigger than his hand, that wasn't there before.
Then the cushion moved. It raised a long hairy leg that he hadn't noticed before, "Yo! I actually didn't expect you to understand that. Human's usually don't." Kevin looked carefully at the thing speaking with wide eyes. The huge spider lifted its leg again and waved. "Yep. Little ol' me, just sitting here waiting. You got a nice place here, man. Thanks for leaving the door open! Looking forward to living together!" Kevin screamed...
---
lol, this was fun to write! Thanks for the prompt!
More at r/SamsStoriesSub
|
|
[WP] You invented a serum that lets you communicate with animals. You decide to test it first. It doesn't seem to work, until you hear a spider ask, "Hey Roomie! How was your day?!"
|
*Hey there, Roomie! How was your day?*
*The next time you spot my web, could you please not sweep it away?*
*I put a lot of effort into crafting this silky smooth nest;*
*With these threads that hold my food and keep me still as I rest.*
**Please excuse me Mister Spider, if I can't mask my fear.**
**It's just that your cheery voice isn't what I expected to hear.**
**I was hoping to have a friendly chat with a dog or some cats.**
**Not some creepy little dude who's content with feasting on gnats.**
*I'm not as creepy as I look and I'm always able to talk.*
*All you'll get out of your dog are requests for treats or a walk.*
*And forget those friggin' cats, they make my hairs stand on end.*
*You can see it in their eyes; they'll never call you their friend.*
**Fair enough, little dude. My cat is kind of a dick.**
**But how can I be sure your kindness isn't some form of trick?**
**You seem pretty friendly but I can sense you're annoyed.**
**Are you seeking your revenge for all the webs I’ve destroyed?**
*I wouldn't hold a grudge even if our new friendship goes south.*
*Trust me, my dude, you won't wake up with dead flies in your mouth.*
*I can keep my webs out of the way if it'll put your mind at ease.*
*But if you'd like, I can pack up my shit and move outside to the trees*.
**I won't boot you out, man. Honestly, you seem pretty chill.**
**And you're doing me a solid with all the mosquitoes you kill.**
**But I’m sad to say your appearance could cause quite a fright.**
**If I have some guests over could you please stay out of sight?**
*I hear you loud and clear bro, I'll disappear like a ghost.*
*Wouldn't want those girls from the club to think you're a terrible host.*
*To think I'd meet a human who's not eager to snuff out my life.*
*This is great I can't wait until you meet my wife!*
**Hold up, your wife? There's another eight-legged guest staying near?**
**And there was a tone in your voice that sounded an awful lot like fear...**
**I know you're excited but try to stay calm and be real.**
**You've made friends with a human; how will that make your wife feel?**
*Alas, it's true the wrath of my wife can give me a bit of a scare*
*We hit the sheets, she laid some eggs, and I haven't been back to her lair*
*It's not that she's quick to spring into a sudden murderous mood*
*It's just that for us, it's customary for the male to become his woman's food...*
**That's pretty rough but at least you can look forward to kids.**
**And if I have an army of spiders, I'll make people flip their lids!**
**But for you, I imagine it won't seem nearly as fun.**
**A legion of kids, will you even have time to name each one?**
*Honestly it's for the best that I try to keep my distance*
*They'll never know I'm their father or be aware of my existence.*
*Just keep your eyes open and I'll let you know when the timing is right.*
*When they're born open your windows and let the wind give them flight*
**So they glide out into the world, swiftly vacating my house?**
**Once they're gone, will you try to reconnect with your spouse?**
*Probably not, dude. I love her but I'd like to keep my head*
*I might just go chill in the attic and check out her sister's bed...*
**END**
(I didn't really have a story in mind for this prompt...)
*Edit: Holy crap! Thanks for the kind words, people!
*Edit 2: Holier Crap!! Is that a gold star?
|
Me: Better before I learned I had a roommate,
Spider: Awwwww, come on. Rough day?
Me: Do you ever have one of those days where you invent a serum that lets you speak to animals, and then you drink it, and then it works, and then you wonder whether you just downed a beaker of pure ethanol and this is what brain death feels like?
Spider: Sure do!
Me: How? How could anyone else in the world know that feeling?
Spider: You invented a serum that lets you understand animals, right? So...have you noticed how I can understand you back?
Me: Oh. Yeah. Wait, how...
Spider: You may be a brilliant biochemist, but you do like to run experiments from home and, let me tell you, you do NOT dispose of your biowaste properly. You got a lot of flies in here who have very strong opinions on Season 2 of Westworld. Kind of glad I couldn't hear that first one speaking until after I ate him.
Me: How many trials ago did I accidentally succeed at this and not notice?
Spider: Somewhere between burning a 3 foot acid hole in your breakfast nook and turning your terrier into a ravenous, blood-thirsty zombie?
Me:....the first terrier or the second one?
Spider: You're going to start the Apocalypse. You know this, right?
Me: I think I need to take a nap.
Spider: Well, don't mind me! I'm just going to be up here in the corner pretending not to watch you when you masturbate.
Me: Spider, can I ask you something?
Spider: Sure thing, buddy!
Me: Please don't crawl into my mouth when I go to sleep.
Spider: Noooo promises! Good night!
|
|
[WP] The Old One first came to our caves, and then in time to our villages, then our towns. Ageless, and always emerging before times of crisis with wisdom. They are a living legend... the last human.
|
I wanted to be left alone to brood, to mourn for eternity in peace, but I couldn’t help myself; the ones after us need my guidance. They toiled in the dust, as our ancestors did, and so I raised them to stand above the filth. They wandered the plains, starving and homeless, and so my heart bid me teach them to bend the creatures and the plants of the earth to their will. They grew weak with plague, and my conscience, my one weakness, begged me to teach them the ways to hold annihilation at bay, the ways to fight back against threats unseen within their very flesh. These fragile ones seemed to throw themselves into every danger, every hardship, and each time I would give them a little of the Old Knowledge that had led to our own destruction. Why must I do this? Is this my punishment, to watch as our successors made our same mistakes again? To *help* them down this inevitable path? Fate is truly cruel. But perhaps...perhaps there was a small chance, that I was allowed to live, in order to change the course; in order to do it *right,* this time. And so with each crisis—droughts and famines and the great waves that sought to wipe them away—I met them with innovation. The land ran with rivers and swelled with fruit and rose above the waters of the world, a true city on a hill. And when others came, with war in their hearts and steel in their hands...I gave them our greatest mistake of all. The blessing that would deliver them—the curse that kept me alive today—and the thing they would use to destroy themselves, if I could not right their course. I fear the next crisis to arise will be of my own making, and I lack the knowledge to protect them from themselves yet. I can only hope that learn it before it is too late.
|
He opened his arms wide open, palms facing the bright sky, his parched skin giving him a look that of a beggar. Yet the faint smile on his face gave an impression that none other did, it calmed us down. He opened his mouth to speak "Hi, my name is Bob." We knelt down as it was taught to us in the pictures. We were the chosen generation, or so we thought. This was not the case, we were the generation that failed on the task.
"Who the fuck has my double banger?"
"What the heck are you ugly shits looking at"
His smile had turned in to a grin.
"Fuck off now you all, where is Betsy, I want to see her tits like she promised to do."
We relied on these beings to save us when we failed.
They had fixed the drought caused by our flawed irrigation, it turned out to be that gatorade didn't work.
We has to use water instead.
But this man wasn't like the one told in the stories, he smelled bad, behaved in an odd manner.
Bob woke up, damn his last night was a banger, they had emptied the whole bar from the liquor. Betsy had promised to entertain him, that he remembered.
Now, we were going to go for a double banger, two weeks in row heavy drinking.
Now where the heck are my boots?
|
|
[WP] Anyone you touch forgets everything about you.
|
"Do you remember that time we thought it was a great idea to go to Saint Petersburg in the middle of winter?" I asked softly, my voice deep and throaty, like gravel tossing and churning without a drop of water. The small room was numbingly bright, the blinding fluorescence of the overhead lights reflecting off the grey and green flecked tile below created a sensation of impurity, as if the mercury vapor-filled bulbs illuminated not only every speck of detail but also each mote of dust in your person, your character.
She nodded slowly, her grey eyes flashing with the memory as they meet my own blues, a small smile curling at the edge of her cracked lips.
"It was blisteringly cold, the kind of cold that you just couldn’t get rid of no matter how many layers we put on," I continued, resting a gloved hand on top of her own pale one, deep blue veins criss-crossing the paper-thin skin like vines choking a tree. "I think I had three - no - four, jackets on that day, a scarf, two pairs of gloves, and oh at least two pairs of underwear and I still couldn't stop shivering that night."
“We walked, huddled together like penguins down the street,”
A brief klaxon broke my narrative of the memory, a machine rattling off a line of code that would send some signal to a desk outdoors to be deciphered and presented to the staff tending it. Over the past few weeks these alarms had become predictably normal, like a dog barking at a neighbor passing the house on the sidewalk or a bird twittering a joyous good morning in the oak tree by our window. Present, enough to force you to look up and acknowledge their existence, but routinely unremarkable.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered faintly, giving my gloved handle a gentle squeeze.
I tried to return her smile, honest to God, I did. Instead it must have morphed into something in between a grimace and a frown, my bottom lip trembling for the briefest of moments as I fought to preserve my fragile facade from shattering into a million shards scattering across the room.
“Uhm,” the single syllable fought its way out with a high-pitched squeak, a harsh sound, like a heavy metal chair sliding against an unwaxed floor. I could already feel my eyes beginning to burn, that trace mixture of damp and heat that preludes a deluge of tears. “We were uh, we were so cold, and it was still snowing, not the blizzard we had seen the night before, but still a uh, a light, a steady snow. We had paid so much money to visit the city, we had to at least go out and see it, the architecture, the shops.”
“And so we walked. We walked all the way through the snow and the freezing temperatures, even with those two drunk Russian taxi drivers trying to convince us to take a ride in their cabs, all the way to the Bronze Horseman. It was half covered in snow, you could barely even make out the reins on the horse, but you… you absolutely loved it. You stood there, your arm wrapped around mine, you put your head against my shoulder and you just said ‘It’s absolutely beautiful. Truly, it’s magnificent. Can we go home now?’”
A laugh broke the grim room’s somber spell for a brief instant, like a drop of vivid color thrown against a stark black and white photograph, transporting us back to that frostbitten moment in time.
“I swear you never looked more beautiful than that moment, right there. Your face flushed in the cold, wearing that knitted white hat… I wanted to kiss you so bad.”
“I remember. You had so many layers on that for one night I almost felt we were two normal,” A coughing fit interrupted the last word, each cough a cacophony of hoarse, barks interrupted with high-pitched wheezes as she fought for each shallow breath.
“It’s time, James,” she said weakly after the spasm stopped.
“No, no,” I replied reassuringly, my soul begging God for one more day, one more hour to spend with her before I became a stranger, a nobody. “It can wait until tomorrow,”
She shook her head slowly, smiling as she looked up at me, tears creating thin waterways down her freckled alabaster cheeks slipping underneath the clear plastic cannula mask dutifully pumping oxygen to her failing lungs. “It has to be today my love.”
A sob clawed its way out as my strength evaporated, the last vestiges of any guise or composure fragmenting. I cried freely, my head bowing under the weight of the task I had before me. “No. No, I can’t. I can’t say goodbye that way.”
“It’s never goodbye. I want you to remember me like that night in Saint Petersburg, except this time… this time you better kiss me.”
We gave each other a moment just to bawl, the black leather of the wool-lined gloves I had worn every day for the past six years dotting with wet spots like paper in the pouring rain, still gripping her hand tightly. Our cries of loss and pain drowned out the steady electronic beeps that emanated from the jungle of medical machines arrayed neatly around her bed.
Sniffing, I stood and nodded my head numbly, still looking down at my shoes, afraid that the second I gazed into her stunning grey eyes each drop of courage I had hoarded the past few minutes would evaporate like mist in the morning sunlight.
“I love you James. Memory will never change that.”
“I will always love you Sarah,” I croaked, looking up at her, desperately imploring her to change her decision, to give us the chance of one more day. She smiled, her lips quivering, then nodded to proceed as I pulled my hand from hers and slowly unshackled myself of the tired leather. First the right hand, then the left, fingertips briefly curling inwards at the sensation of cold, recirculated air smacking the crinkled skin.
I bent my body over the side of the hospital bed, my face inches from her own, summoning every ounce of spirit I could muster to form a shaky smile. “Goodbye Sarah,” I whispered.
“Goodbye James,” she whispered back, a flood of tears streaming down her cheeks.
This was it. The moment I had longed for since the second I laid eyes on her in the dusky light of that classy bar so many years ago. Those few seconds I had dreamt of and fantasized over, had blindingly hoped, and now had come to deeply dread.
I leaned a little closer and in one slow motion I placed each hand gently on her face and bent down, placing my quivering lips against hers in a deep, passionate kiss, pouring six years of adventures and memories, of pain and of fear, of love and respect into each millisecond of our first and final embrace, feeling her warmth, tasting the saltiness of her tears mixing with the sweet taste of her.
I pulled back slowly, my lips breaking her own with a hushed pop, futilely attempting to wipe away the tears stubbornly refusing to stop. She turned towards me, the smile slowly seeping from her face like the colors of a fresh painting left outside in a heavy deluge of rain, leaving only a soggy blank canvas behind.
“Who are you?”
|
**"Hey! Police! He stole my—!"**
*poke*
"...huh. Weird. I was sure I had my wallet with me a moment ago..."
&nbsp;
---
&nbsp;
"Hey, what's your name?"
"Albert."
*poke*
"Hey Albert!"
"...do we know each other? I don't remember meeting you before..."
&nbsp;
---
&nbsp;
**POW!**
*"OWW!* You bastard! I—"
*poke*
"...owwww... why does my face hurt?"
**POW!**
*"OWW!* You bastard! I will kill—"
*poke*
"Awww! There it is again! Why does it keep hurting for no reason?"
**POW!**
*"OWW!* You bastard!"
&nbsp;
---
&nbsp;
"Wanna hook up?"
"No way! You crazy? I saw you hit that kid for no reason!"
*poke*
"Hey gurl! Wanna hook up?"
"Sure! You're cute and I'm horny! ...but you have condoms right?"
"Totally."
|
|
[WP] Humans have entered the realm of galactic politics. Good News: We’re cute to almost every species. Bad News: We’re extremely cute to almost every species.
|
Historical Excerpt 1332: Human Revolution
At first humans were seen as cute and ridiculous, the way humans would see a puppy. Nothing serious.
Aliens never considered humans to be anything dangerous. Just a species of cutesies to be looked at and adored.
At first things were stable. The humans and the greater galactic society had collaborated for a few standard years. The humans, while short-lived by galactic standards, shared innovation and work ethic with others, and in return extraterrestrials shared their knowledge of science, mathematics, and nearly limitless electrical power. For a time, both races prospered.
Then ships started disappearing.
At first it was nothing to worry about; Space is a dangerous frontier after all, especially around the uncharted territory that Terra-512, humanity's homeworld, was located. Accidents happen.
But then the military ship sent to investigate went missing as well.
Humans denied involvement, and everyone agreed; to be suspicious would be like thinking hamsters were responsible for kidnap, or that kittens were guilty of piracy.
But then one ship crossed into proximity of Terra-512, and survived with major damage.
The ship's log showed human soldiers boarding the ship and attempting to commandeer it.
As soon as the log went online, the facade dropped, and humanity went on the offensive.
Now humanity controlled the major part of the galactic center, and extraterrestrials now bear the consequences of having underestimated humanity.
Proceed to Historical Excerpt 1333? Y/N
[Prequel](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/9kco8h/comment/e6zgybp)
|
A sea of curious eyes surrounded my metal cage. Colossal, limpy bodies of green flesh brushed on the metal bars as I sat on the frigid surface. I could hear many sounds coming out of their droopy mouths; I struggled to keep dry from the clumps of goo sporadically flying out of them. My cage trembled and erratically jerked from place to place. Periodically I held on tightly to the towering bars of the cage until I could no longer and had yielded to the unwavering pulls and pushes of the cage.
After some time I saw my cage door ajar, and I gazed up to see a bony limb depositing something from a container. A steamy liquid, accompanied brownish chunks of something, descended from the top and onto my sickly face. It was scalding hot, and I cried out in pure pain. My weak body, fatigued and deprived of nutrients, said otherwise. I devoured the chunks and promptly sucked the floor dry to relieve my thirst.
After some time the commotion had died down, and alas I could rest in solidarity. The flashing lights shimmering from the distant window had dimmed, and thereafter I slept blissfully.
It wasn’t until I felt my cage moving that my sleep was interrupted. Skinny fingers hugged my chest and I felt my feet rise—I was being lifted. Instinctively I shrieked in pain, misery, and fear. I tried to break free but my legs, plastered together by a soft coil of a finger, were immobilized. I felt a quick breeze rustling my hair, and then was quickly placed on another mysteriously frigid surface. I was turned over—pressured onto the surface by warm fingers—and suddenly I felt an elongated, icy pole puncture my back. Penetrated deeply into my body, my insides felt diluted with some foreign substance.
As I felt hot liquid gushing from my back, I felt no pain. The clanks of metal devices were muted and I felt my vision blurring. I was falling asleep, I thought. Shortly after I was blinded by a white light.
I had gone back to my blissful sleep once more.
|
|
[WP] Humans have entered the realm of galactic politics. Good News: We’re cute to almost every species. Bad News: We’re extremely cute to almost every species.
|
That's the trouble with you, kids, you have it too easy. Back in my day, during the war...
Stop whining! Right, now you're going to get the full history lesson. Yes, again!
The First Contact turned out better than anyone imagined it. Meeting the Wrinkleheads quickly brought world peace and great advances in science, technology, medicine. They were nice to us, took our explorers to their ships, introduced us to everyone, helped our builders build our own starships, our merchants to establish trade routes that brought us untold riches.
At first, everyone was so nice to us, wanted to meet us, to hear about our rich culture. And I mean everyone. Our emissaries soon got swamped with scheduling conflicts exacerbated by time dilatation. They could only watch as everyone grew more and more envious of each other. The Pax Galactic era was approaching the end.
The Grays were the first to fire shots, the Wrinkleheads the first to suffer. See, the Grays kidnapped us and probed us and trolled our feeble-minded via hyper-psychic communication channels for centuries before the Wrinks landed, catering mainly to the rich pervert clientele across the galaxy. It got damn lucrative for them, becoming the dominant segment of their black market economy, so the disruption caused by our First Contact hit them real bad. So they hit the Wrinks' homeworld in turn, wiping it of the face of the continuum. Then they hunted the rest of them down. Meanwhile, we kinda got left in the cold without our main proxies for a while.
Not for too long, though. All the species were quick to jump in on the action, trying to fill the vacated role of the Wrinks. Not bad, right? Wrong. What that really meant was that less then a parsec later they homed in on Earth itself. Their civilized facades now cracking, they loaded us onto their spaceships in droves in order to sell us off as pets to the highest bidder. Once anyone got a taste of us (thankfully not literally most of the time) they couldn't have enough.
So when the pan-galactic war broke out, the main battles didn't occur on shoulders of Capricorn and whatnot, but at our very doorstep. Paris, Shanghai, New York, freakin' small villages in the middle of nowhere, that's where the Gargantuons swung their plasma-cudgels, Acidblots spit their unborn children unto foes, Squigglebots chewed the landscape into gray goo, Psy-pickles made everyone weep bitter tears...
Not that we just stood by as they fought over us, no. We had our little fleet of spaceships along with old-school guns and tanks, and of course nukes that, as the carnage spread, we minded less and less to use amidst our former dwellings. It did little against everyone's energy shields, sigils of stochastic protection, swathes of untapped technology that we learned of only after the fact. We were nothing more than a nuisance. Perhaps an outbreak of lice or trench foot at our finest hour.
Finally, though we had little to do with it, they did grew weary of the fight. Treaties were signed, rules established and our lives came back to, uh, normal.
So pick your ass up, kid, and go snuggle up to that nice, soft tentacle through the fence, right now!
|
A sea of curious eyes surrounded my metal cage. Colossal, limpy bodies of green flesh brushed on the metal bars as I sat on the frigid surface. I could hear many sounds coming out of their droopy mouths; I struggled to keep dry from the clumps of goo sporadically flying out of them. My cage trembled and erratically jerked from place to place. Periodically I held on tightly to the towering bars of the cage until I could no longer and had yielded to the unwavering pulls and pushes of the cage.
After some time I saw my cage door ajar, and I gazed up to see a bony limb depositing something from a container. A steamy liquid, accompanied brownish chunks of something, descended from the top and onto my sickly face. It was scalding hot, and I cried out in pure pain. My weak body, fatigued and deprived of nutrients, said otherwise. I devoured the chunks and promptly sucked the floor dry to relieve my thirst.
After some time the commotion had died down, and alas I could rest in solidarity. The flashing lights shimmering from the distant window had dimmed, and thereafter I slept blissfully.
It wasn’t until I felt my cage moving that my sleep was interrupted. Skinny fingers hugged my chest and I felt my feet rise—I was being lifted. Instinctively I shrieked in pain, misery, and fear. I tried to break free but my legs, plastered together by a soft coil of a finger, were immobilized. I felt a quick breeze rustling my hair, and then was quickly placed on another mysteriously frigid surface. I was turned over—pressured onto the surface by warm fingers—and suddenly I felt an elongated, icy pole puncture my back. Penetrated deeply into my body, my insides felt diluted with some foreign substance.
As I felt hot liquid gushing from my back, I felt no pain. The clanks of metal devices were muted and I felt my vision blurring. I was falling asleep, I thought. Shortly after I was blinded by a white light.
I had gone back to my blissful sleep once more.
|
|
[WP] Humans have entered the realm of galactic politics. Good News: We’re cute to almost every species. Bad News: We’re extremely cute to almost every species.
|
*(Chat voted for us to write this prompt with the stipulation that we can't use the same word more than once!)*
I'm not sure exactly what's going on here, but the aliens are paying me in gold for each new word I use. Supposedly they think it's cute? Either way, not complaining! If money keeps coming, then won't stop talking! Thankfully remembered to bring a dictionary plus thesaurus on this spaceship.
Suddenly, information: extraterrestrials want human stories told. Must do my best give desire.
Once upon time, there was prince and princess. King-son had much riches. Other-emperor-daughter didn't have any. But love still existed. Father forbade their marriage, male-spawn became sad. Escaped castle during nighttime, secretly met girl. Two lovers united. Passionately eloped. Parents realized mistake, corrected selves. Children accepted apologies, all kingdom rejoiced. Lived happily ever after.
Wow. Difficult telling tale without repeating words. Outer-space-creatures crave more. Yearning quantity sans quality. Shiny stones amass multitudes. Oration continues!
Once up time…
*ZAP!*
Electricity flows. Pain tingles. Martians angered by using same phrase. Try again.
Not so long ago, man began spinning tales inside UFO. Space travelers enjoyed immensely. However, that person decided wanted home? Ape-man shockingly found error promotes torture, ain't happy anymore. Reclaim false-pyrite mountain, returns humble abode. Freedom desired. Please.
*BZZT!*
Epidermis ablaze. Headache ensues. Fresh letter combinations… cannot conceive. Vocabulary shrinking. Jovian monsters demand continual spoken pictures.
Poop hit fan. Consulting references. Start beginning page.
*Aardvark. Aaron. Abacus. Abandon. Abate. ABBA. Abbatoir. Abbreviate. Abcess. Able. Abyssal.*
Non-Terran creatures delight. Precious metals accumulate. Useless yellow rocks.
*****
This prompt was written with the help of chat at the [ScottWritesStuff](https://www.reddit.com/r/ScottWritesStuff/) Twitch stream.
|
A sea of curious eyes surrounded my metal cage. Colossal, limpy bodies of green flesh brushed on the metal bars as I sat on the frigid surface. I could hear many sounds coming out of their droopy mouths; I struggled to keep dry from the clumps of goo sporadically flying out of them. My cage trembled and erratically jerked from place to place. Periodically I held on tightly to the towering bars of the cage until I could no longer and had yielded to the unwavering pulls and pushes of the cage.
After some time I saw my cage door ajar, and I gazed up to see a bony limb depositing something from a container. A steamy liquid, accompanied brownish chunks of something, descended from the top and onto my sickly face. It was scalding hot, and I cried out in pure pain. My weak body, fatigued and deprived of nutrients, said otherwise. I devoured the chunks and promptly sucked the floor dry to relieve my thirst.
After some time the commotion had died down, and alas I could rest in solidarity. The flashing lights shimmering from the distant window had dimmed, and thereafter I slept blissfully.
It wasn’t until I felt my cage moving that my sleep was interrupted. Skinny fingers hugged my chest and I felt my feet rise—I was being lifted. Instinctively I shrieked in pain, misery, and fear. I tried to break free but my legs, plastered together by a soft coil of a finger, were immobilized. I felt a quick breeze rustling my hair, and then was quickly placed on another mysteriously frigid surface. I was turned over—pressured onto the surface by warm fingers—and suddenly I felt an elongated, icy pole puncture my back. Penetrated deeply into my body, my insides felt diluted with some foreign substance.
As I felt hot liquid gushing from my back, I felt no pain. The clanks of metal devices were muted and I felt my vision blurring. I was falling asleep, I thought. Shortly after I was blinded by a white light.
I had gone back to my blissful sleep once more.
|
|
[WP] Blacksmithing was a strange hobby for you to take up. Then the zombie invasion happened. You might not have any supplies... but you do have a shitload of weapons.
|
"I'm sorry, but my price is firm." I took a couple steps forward, stopping at a somewhat jagged looking mace.
"But I'll do 5 cans of Spam and three oranges for the mace. It may not be the prettiest, but it gets the job done."
"Oh, come on. It's not like you'll run out of weapons to sell anytime soon," retorted the young man standing at the counter. He wasn't much older than a teenager, and he looked somewhat out of place, with a clean pair of boots and surprisingly full backpack.
*Maybe he's from the Sprout clan. I haven't had a lemon in months.*
Looking him over once again, I ask "What's your name?"
"Spencer" he said, looking at his feet, "And I have more where these came from. I'm with a group, we have fresh vegetables, and other things." He looked up hopefully, "My people are low on weapons, maybe we could help each other out?"
*Sigh.* Even though my prices are always marked up around 30% higher than I'm happy selling them for, I was still hoping the young lad would pay unquestioningly. "How about this, I'll give you the sword for 8 cans of spam and 4 oranges. But you have to promise you'll come back for more in the future. And next time, I won't be so lenient.
A smile appeared on his face as he put the food on the table. "I knew we could come to an agreement. You're one of the good ones, I can tell."
"Ah, well," I chuckled. "I have had to use that sword on several occasions. And not against... them."
Spencer hesitated. "Well, I'm glad we could agree on a fair price. I promise to come back again with more supplies to trade."
"Yeah... I think this is going to work just fine. Oh and one last thing, would you mind signing your name on the sheet of paper right over there?" I pointed at a piece of paper hanging on the wall several feet away from where he was standing.
He turned around to face the wall, and started walking towards it. "Sure! Just my name and signatu-" He was stopped mid-sentence as the floor beneath him suddenly gave, and he was thrown downward into a pit. His screams echoed for several long seconds until I heard a *thud*. Then, after a moment of silence, the sounds of the biters digging into their new meal faintly filled the quiet in the shop.
"Well, I'm sorry I had to do this to you lad. Really seemed like a nice pal." but I had to keep my workers fed somehow. How would I be able to reach high enough temperatures without the help of my biters?
Roughly ten minutes later I heard someone ring the door. Looking through a crack in the wall, I saw an older, unarmed man standing at the door.
"Come in!" I cried to the new customer, preparing the goods on the counter. "How may I help you, good sir?"
Clearing his throat, the older man said "I'm looking for a new sword. And this one you got on the table looks just like what I was looking for. Maybe we could strike up a good deal on it?"
|
I sat in my house, surrounded by my makeshift weapons, having just killed a zombie with my makeshift rifle. It was strange, but I always had a love for blacksmithing, even if people judged me. Well, it was year 6 of the zombie apocalypse and I was one of the last survivors in my town, after selling some of my better quality weapons to other survivors. A couple walked into my house and said, "3 rifles and a machine gun please. We're expecting a zombie horde tonight. We gotta defend this town no?" They were this town's leaders, capable of running this broken down place. The girl flicked back her dirty red hair and simply placed down 15 MREs on my table. I chuckled and gave them what they wanted. They turned around to leave when a sniper shot boomed from across the town. The couple dropped without any resistance, their blood already pooling at my feet. I had forgotten about a quality of this wasteland: The raiders. It wasn't long before gunshots went off outside my already reinforced house, along with screams off pain and anguish. I took up my silenced semi-auto and waited by my door. Finally, a raider, dressed in a tattered purple jacket and ripped jeans, walked into my house. He held a M249, and looked around, before finally shouting outside, "HEY! THERE'S SOME SWEET STUFF IN HERE! LOOKS LIKE A WEAPONRY OF SORTS!" My heart hammered in my chest. I could handle one, maybe two guys, but an entire raiding party? I was a goner. Before he had the chance to say anything, I shakily held up my rifle, and sent a round into his head. He slumped head first down onto my beaten up sofa. I ran for his machine gun, toppled a desk in front of the sofa, and prepared for the raiding party.
|
|
[WP] Two days ago at noon GMT, the richest man in the world died. Yesterday at noon GMT, the new richest man in the world died. Today at noon GMT, the new-new richest man in the world dies.
|
I remember it like it was yesterday, First the leading Tech CEO passed away, then a day later the creator of Microsoft followed by a lucrative investor on the third day...word had spread across the globe that the richest people in the world were dying and everyone was glued to their TV's for the latest death update...i remember it well....
&#x200B;
When it got to the 5th day the world was ready to mourn the loss of the creator of the most popular social networking platform in the world, he held a conference, live on his platform to say his goodbyes.....noon came.......noon went.....he still lived....
&#x200B;
...That's when we learnt the rumours about the Lizard nation were true.... it started with Mark, then after a few more of the World's elite had mysteriously died over the coming days a few more made themselves known by escaping the cull....Oprah......Donald......Elizabeth III......Rothchild....the Kardashians....
&#x200B;
That's when we began the Worldwide hunt..
|
“This is the end.”
“The beginning of the end to this over recycled disaster we call Society.
Power hungry and Money driven, we stand down, no longer! See you at noon.” She Cheers, unabashed. Sweat beads visible by their shine on her obscured face. This is THE video. We’ve all seen as it interrupts broadcasts around the globe. They are crumbling this structure from the top.
Day 3; 11:55
The air is thick with anticipation. All eyes on the ever present screens. This is a different kind of war. There are no errors here. This is power redistribution. Must be object? Protected little sheeple, that we are.
11:59:
Holding our collective breath, we begin to countdown, silently, methodically. This isn’t fear you feel in this crowd, it’s change.
10 seconds to go. Speakers rise from the ground, reverberations pump through our soles to the beat of our racing hearts.
It’s Noon.
One shot rings out, ear shattering through the speakers. The cheers that follow ring harder than the shot itself. As our freedom floods back into our beings, our own power, concealed by the fear and greed of society. This is the end, the prophesied apocalypse, it is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
|
|
[WP] Two days ago at noon GMT, the richest man in the world died. Yesterday at noon GMT, the new richest man in the world died. Today at noon GMT, the new-new richest man in the world dies.
|
The wintry breeze from the nearby window kissed upon the side of my cheek as I watched the telly. The news was on and was discussing uninteresting events like "doggy surfing" and the weather until the "Breaking News" banner scrolled across the screen interrupting the normal broadcast of BBC. The news to follow introduced the start to a chain reaction. The CEO of Array, a high-end social network, had suddenly died in his home in Barbados.
James Norton was considered the wealthiest man on earth. A simple Google search would tell you that his net worth totaled out to a breathtaking one hundred and fifteen billion pounds.
This did not seem out of the ordinary, however. "People die every day." I thought to myself.
Array promises connections amongst the elite of the world who all possess an account. Most lower class citizens could only dream of acquiring such merit. There is no higher status in civilian life.
The inner workings of Array are not necessarily described to lower class citizens as they would not truly be able to understand its protocols and procedures. One certainty, however, that is understood universally is the integration process.
Once one reaches a net worth of a half of a million pounds, Array sends a personal application to be completed. Once sent, the application is either accepted or rejected. If accepted, a chip is placed in the back of the neck to track liquidity and net worth. This information is then posted to a public domain known as Array Cast.
The death of an elite is often unfortunate, but the death of two is very rare. When this very event occurred, heads started to turn. The death of the second elite happened yesterday. Today a third ranking member was found dead at 1:00 PM GMT. The time of death was estimated to be 12:00 GMT. The second ranking member had passed at 12:00 PM GMT. The same occurred with Mr. Norton. A pattern started to emerge.
It was at this moment that most people were watching the news to attempt to understand the happenings of the past three days. It was at this moment that everyone caught their first glimpse of Liberation. I was standing outside of a bar looking in at the telly when a man with no facial features flashed abruptly on the screen.
"Good evening. Array and its members have persecuted the lower and middle classes for far too long. The unjust treatment of these classes has caught our attention and will not go unpunished. The purge of the hyper-wealthy has begun. At noon GMT, the next highest ranking member of Array will have a lethal dose of electricity sent to their tracker and will perish." Audible gasps could be heard throughout those watching the television. "Any attempt to remove this device will result in early execution. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day."
I felt the cold, bitter wind slapping me across the face as reality struck colder and harsher. I reached to the back of my neck and felt the node where my chip had been implanted. Not a month had passed since I had joined the high-end social media known as Array as its lowest ranking member. I fell to my knees defeated. I was doomed.
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
&#x200B;
|
“This is the end.”
“The beginning of the end to this over recycled disaster we call Society.
Power hungry and Money driven, we stand down, no longer! See you at noon.” She Cheers, unabashed. Sweat beads visible by their shine on her obscured face. This is THE video. We’ve all seen as it interrupts broadcasts around the globe. They are crumbling this structure from the top.
Day 3; 11:55
The air is thick with anticipation. All eyes on the ever present screens. This is a different kind of war. There are no errors here. This is power redistribution. Must be object? Protected little sheeple, that we are.
11:59:
Holding our collective breath, we begin to countdown, silently, methodically. This isn’t fear you feel in this crowd, it’s change.
10 seconds to go. Speakers rise from the ground, reverberations pump through our soles to the beat of our racing hearts.
It’s Noon.
One shot rings out, ear shattering through the speakers. The cheers that follow ring harder than the shot itself. As our freedom floods back into our beings, our own power, concealed by the fear and greed of society. This is the end, the prophesied apocalypse, it is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
|
|
[WP] Two days ago at noon GMT, the richest man in the world died. Yesterday at noon GMT, the new richest man in the world died. Today at noon GMT, the new-new richest man in the world dies.
|
"There goes another one", I though to myself as I checked my watch. Right on schedule. Let's see who it was today. I clicked on the link to the news article describing the "incident" du jour. Some guy named Zygmunt. He was a Polish entertainer of some sort. Looks like it started simple enough. He slipped on a patch of ice while getting into his limousine and banged his head pretty good. An ambulance was called and on the way to the hospital it was sideswiped by a semi that ran a red light. The back door popped open and the gurney he was lying on fell out onto the street, rolled down a hill into a construction site, and plopped down into the foundation where they were pouring concrete. Luckily the operator saw what had happened and quickly pressed the kill switch. Otherwise old Zygmunt would have been buried alive. As he was being helped out of the pit he was stung by a bee. Turns out he was allergic and died on the spot. What a way to go.
Oh well, five billion four hundred thousand three hundred and sixty eight days til my wish comes true. That genie sure is getting creative, but he really is a douchebag.
Edit: removed extra "is"
|
“This is the end.”
“The beginning of the end to this over recycled disaster we call Society.
Power hungry and Money driven, we stand down, no longer! See you at noon.” She Cheers, unabashed. Sweat beads visible by their shine on her obscured face. This is THE video. We’ve all seen as it interrupts broadcasts around the globe. They are crumbling this structure from the top.
Day 3; 11:55
The air is thick with anticipation. All eyes on the ever present screens. This is a different kind of war. There are no errors here. This is power redistribution. Must be object? Protected little sheeple, that we are.
11:59:
Holding our collective breath, we begin to countdown, silently, methodically. This isn’t fear you feel in this crowd, it’s change.
10 seconds to go. Speakers rise from the ground, reverberations pump through our soles to the beat of our racing hearts.
It’s Noon.
One shot rings out, ear shattering through the speakers. The cheers that follow ring harder than the shot itself. As our freedom floods back into our beings, our own power, concealed by the fear and greed of society. This is the end, the prophesied apocalypse, it is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined.
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.