Lost In The Sunshine State: Part Two
Krows POV EXTRA
I step out into the hall after I hear Soul's steps fade. I know that voice from before. Both of them. Kaz, short for Kasper, is the Rat I am here to kill. The other, that's Befoul. Crap.... This is bad. I pull my hood up and walk on down the hall while staring at my phone. I am not actually doing anything but I am trying to blend in. It isn't uncommon for demons to wander aimlessly around The Underground. I must really be off my game if I didn't even notice Soul was following me. That was way too close. If we got caught here it would be a slaughter house.
I hold my breath as I walk past them. I am shaking. I really want to run because I know the further away I am, the better. Nothing is more suspicious than running. I listen to their footsteps.
Step
Step
----
They stopped. I walk a little bit faster now.
"Hey!" Kaz calls from behind me. I hesitate and then stop. I hear his light footsteps approach me from behind.
"Which room are you looking for? I have never seen you before." He asks as he comes to a stop. I turn towards him a little bit but keep my head tucked.
"Eh, I am new in town. Just here for the weekend. Do you know where the Serpens room is?" I ask quietly. I take this moment to get a good look at Kas. His outward appearance is definitely that of youth but his eyes reveal intelligence. His eyes are glaring at me, gauging my intent.
"Yeah... Let me walk you down." He mumbles while deep in
thought. He starts to reach for my hood.
"Kasper, don't tell me you are going to run off with some punk when we still have business to attend to." He threatens. The voice makes me shudder. It is his playful voice, the one that sounds delightful but has that murderous undertone.
Kasper's hand falters and I seize the moment.
"Nah its fine. I will find it on my own." I say and turn to walk away. Sticking around would have been dangerous. I know he saw me shudder. My nerves ease off a bit as I approach a door near the curve of the tunnel. This is the Serpens room, I can tell by the smell. I don't like snakes but I can manipulate them to my devils desire so their room is my safest option. Befoul and Kas are about to head up the stairs so I should be safe. I knock and the door cracks open just a little. I can hear laughter from deeper within the room. Snakes are always partying. To my horror I recognize the face behind the door. Nagahebi. His eyes go wide when he sees me.
"KROW?!" He exclaims loudly. What is going on?! All of my least favorite people in one place.. Is there a Nightmare convention I didn't know about? There is no way Befoul didn't hear that.
"Naga.." I mumble. I am in shock as well. I falter just enough to see Befoul and Kasper turn the corner. I take off at top speed deeper into the tunnels. Naga steps out into the hall and looks at the others.
"Krow?!" He yells questioning. DANG IT! He could stop saying my name... Not that it would make a difference now.
These tunnels are almost pitch black. Crows have great eyesight but not in the dark. Cats, rats and snakes however...
"Oof-" I accidentally knock into something, or someone. I don't stop to see.
"WAIT!" I hear one of them yell from behind me.
My lungs are on fire. I don't think I can do this for much longer. Geez... You don't fight for your life for a few years and you get weak.
I slip into a side room and shut the door behind me. I brace myself against it. I am breathing heavy so staying quiet is a hard task.
I hear the first set of footsteps go by. That must have been Nagahebi. He is probably the one that I wouldn't mind seeing... I barely hear the second set of footsteps. The lighter steps and the fact that they were faster than the third person means it was Kasper. The rat can scurry faster than the cat when it fears for its life. The third set of steps is approaching. A slow and luxurious pace. What does he have that the others don't?... A nose.
His knuckles rasp against the door. Like hell I am going to answer the door for him!
"Open up. If I get loud the rest of them will come back. I seriously just want to talk." He says in a voice I haven't heard before. What is that? I go against every shred of common sense that I have and open the door. He instantly shoves his way in. He grabs my throat and pins me to the wall, eyes glowing. This feels so familiar. I grip his wrist with one of my hands and use the other to reach and grab a handful of his hair. My theory is that he wont try and pin down my hand if I am willingly grabbing him.
"Just wanted to talk, huh?" I choke out. He isn't choking me but he is restricting me. He doesn't say anything. Just stares. I tug on his hand a little but it doesn't budge.
"You let me think you were dead." He says quietly. I seriously don't get what's going on here.
"and?" I mumble.
"I guess you don't know anything. A deviser always knows when their sycophant dies. I... kept in touch with Valkry to inquire about your well being." He says delicately. That sounds more like he did something horrible to Val but I am totally ok with that. I just wish I had been there to see it.
"Eh... oops?" I say puzzled. I am waiting for the psycho mood swing. This is frustrating. In the past I would have just sat here, telling him what he wanted to hear until he let me go. I am a different person now. More independent. I take care of me. I am no longer confined by the leash of a pet.
I yank harder on his arm.
"If that's all you wanted to say then let me go! I have business to take care of." I let my frustration leak into my voice. He tightens his grip and moves closer so that we are nose to nose.
"Do you remember what I said I would do if you ever ran away?" His threatening growl is prominent in his voice. My body trembles. It is an automatic response that became habit after years of abuse. I can see the pleasure in his eyes. He is sadistic as always.
I can feel his breath on my neck....
My neck! Souls bite mark is there! If he sees it..
"Wait, If you knew I was alive then why didn't you come after me?" I ask trying to divert his attention. He pulls back a little bit.
What is this hesitation?
"You're special." He whispers.
"After our fight you left me laid up in the hospital for a few months. The doctors were so intrigued by the type of bacteria in my wounds. They kept hounding me about what type of creature caused them. I don't know what you are and I don't care. I know now that I shouldn't have kept you cooped. You should be at the head of this war, with me." He says intently. I tense up at his tone. I am vexed with myself. All of those horrid memories are flooding my head. I want to curl up and make myself smaller. I want to disappear.
No, that's not right. I wanted to disappear. I have a job to do here.
"What war?" I ask. I steel myself and look him in the eye.
Nothing.
"What war, Befoul?" I ask again, asserting myself a little bit more.
His eyes flicker for a moment.
"You've changed. I like it. A war has been waged between demons. Currently the Panthera are trying to overthrow the Canis and the Ursidae. Once we rule the food chain we plan on throwing humanity for a loop." He says sinisterly. For a moment his attention wonders but he snaps back to the present.
"What does that have to do with me?" I ask him. I'm not one of those species nor am I a rival to them. My arm starts to tingle as it goes numb. I let go of his hair and let my arm fall to my side and try to shake the feeling back into it.
"I am almost done being patient. I have waited 3 years, Krow. I can't be responsible for what happens if you make me wait longer." He threatens me while avoiding my question. I notice that he is getting closer a tiny bit at a time. I take a deep breath.
I raise my hands above my head and clasp them together. I bring them down as fast as I can and hit him in the wrist, forcing him to let go of me. The shocked look on his face makes me pulsate with joy. I dash back into the hallway and take off in the direction I came from.
"CATCH THAT RAPTORE!" Befoul's yowl echo's through the hallway and leaves a ringing in my ears. I have but one priority now. I need to make sure he doesn't find Soul.
I skid to a halt as I approach the stairway. There is a welcoming party of about seven Rattus(Give or take a few other species). I go to change my direction but there is another group heading towards me.
I am cornered.
I have options, I can either get caught and tortured or I can kill some people and get caught and tortured. Killing myself isn't an option. I'm not capable of that.
So I fight.
I reach and pluck two feathers, one for each hand, and I charge the group by the stairs. They aren't expecting me to do something stupid so thankfully I catch them off guard. The first one turns and looks at me with a mix of terror and confusion. I stab my feather into his eyes and watch him pull back in pain.
I notice that most of these guys are young. Too young for their own good. I think I get what's going on but I don't have time to think about that right now. Another kid starts to lunge at me and I side step him, whacking him upside the head as I do so. Someone grabs one of my arms from behind and I dive my feather into my captors arm. They pull back with a yowl of pain. I turn to see the face of Kasper whom brings a swift knee to my stomach. My body falters from the force. I grip my stomach as I hit my knees. It is pretty low to use a cheap trick like that on someone who is out numbered. Though they are Rats...
I leave one arm wrapped around my stomach and flip off Kasper with the other hand. He smirks at this pathetic display.
"Eh?!" I exhale as a hand slides through my hair and yanks my head backwards. It's Befoul. He isn't ticked, he looks amused.
That is much worse.
Befoul shoves my face to the floor and places a foot on the back of my head. I can feel him apply a little bit of pressure at a time, slowly grinding my head into the floor.
I think I finally get why he is restraining himself.
There is an audience.
I take a deep breath and move. I twist around bringing my elbow up and driving it into his ankle. He was putting more weight on that foot than he should have so he tumbles forward as I roll out of the way. As I jump back onto him I can hear the others gasping. I start pounding into his face as fast and hard as I can.
Here it comes.
He catches my incoming fist and twists my arm fast and hard, making my back arch and my movements go stiff. He flips me over and thrusts my arm up into my mid back. If you have ever had this done then you know it makes you unwilling to move anything else. His head stoops below mine as he whispers into my ear.
"You have no idea what you have just done." He growls silently, his breath tickling my ear. I see a droplet of blood splat down in front of me. The crimson against the cold hard cement makes me happy. I feel like, just once, I got to win the fight. Then again I am the one being pinned.
I grin proudly. My body aches and is tired but I can accept this defeat.
"Kasper, take our intruder to the interrogation room. I will deal with him after the meeting." He says impatiently. They clumsily exchange me from one set of hands to another. Kaz drags me down the dark hallway away from any candle light. As he pulls me away I turn to admire the uproar I seemed to cause. I identify two unmoving bodies and two nursing wounds. Befoul is standing amongst them and stands out like a skyscraper among farmhouses.
His dominant stance is glaringly obvious. I see the little trickles of blood outline his gruesome features.
I think I might actually be a demon, because man I wanna see all of these schmucks bleed....
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" I cackle as Kaz drags me down the hall.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Monday, April 25, 2016
Lost In The Sunshine State: Part 1 (of 2)
Lost In The Sunshine State
Recap: Soul and Krow team up and head to Orlando, Florida to kill a Rattus demon that has been causing trouble for Defy. Only Krow knows the details. Soul is just in it for the fun.
Authors note: "I am SOOO sorry that this is a day late. To be honest my life has been a nightmare the past few days so I haven't even been on here that much.... Because of this error on my part I will be releasing Lost In The Sunshine State Part 2 on Wednesday."
Krow slides a picture across the table. We are sitting down for lunch at an ancient IHOP in Orlando, Florida. Krow waited until we got here to tell me what exactly we are doing.
I take a look at the picture. It features a "Stalker shot" of presumably, a young man. He looks fairly normal hanging out with a group of guys in a local club. Wait a second... a club. That means-
"Don't let his looks fool you. His demon nature keeps him young looking but he is actually 28." Krow says. I look at the time stamp on the picture. This photo was taken a few days ago.
"Does this mean he is still in the area?" I ask while sifting through the other files on the table.
"That is what we are hoping. After the night crowd comes out we are going to hit the strip and see where the good criminally active locations are." He explains while drinking his cup of coffee. He did most the driving so I guess he is tired.. Oh well.
"What is his name?" I ask. To be honest I have never hunted like this before so I am completely out of my element.
"You don't need to know that. It will just give you sentimental thoughts." He warns. I glare at him from across the table. What type of demon does he think I am?!
"I am not the sentimental type! I have probably done way more gruesome things than you have. Like you have the right to harass me about my resolve." I fume. Seriously. This guy waltz's right into my life and drags me 5 states away from home to kill someone and just now decides to insult me... Then again it was smart of him to wait and insult me until I couldn't run away.
THUD
He slams his fist down on the table and glares at me.
"Are you telling me you would feel no remorse for killing another demon? Killing someone who is just like you? Just like me?" He does this annoying exhale thing through his nose. It means he is displeased. I had never considered this but I already know the answer.
"Yes." I stare him down. I don't feel things like that. He shouldn't either.
Everyone else in the restaurant is trying to avoid the awkward atmosphere. I hope they don't ask us to leave...
"It doesn't matter anyways. We are immortal. Nothing bad can happen to us anyways.." I mumble. I made him mad and its ticking me off because I don't know why. He laughs and then looks at me shocked.
"You know we are only immortal to wounds caused by humans right? Demons, Monsters, Curses, Elements, Spirits, Beasts, Magi's, Trainers, Guardians and basically every supernatural being out there can kill us." He says with a frown. The look on my face must have answered his question. So demons can kill other demons... Krow does a face palm. He has just now realized that he brought a total rookie on a really important mission. He is undermining my abilities again. Krow grabs the files and goes and pays for breakfast. Now he is leaving... Oh! I chase after him and into the parking lot. My instincts say to yell at him but I wont do it in public like this. I am smart enough to restrain myself...
~4 minutes later in the parking lot, between two vehicles
"Oof!" I shove Krow into the side of his Jeep and knock the breath out of him. I can't rationally explain my anger towards him. In the end its just me being petty because he wont acknowledge me as an equal because I am not one but for the moment I think bashing his skull in will serve my superiority complex nicely.
"Why did you bring me when you are clearly capable of doing these things on your own?" I ask him as I lighten up my grip around his throat. Despite me having the dominant position in this fight Krow's eyes are ablaze. He is ticked.
In one swift and fluid movement he sneaks his foot behind mine and shoves me backwards, putting me off balance. He then swings me around and pins me to the Jeep door, face first.
"Need I remind you that you beat the crap out of me a few days ago? Demons do damage! Don't you think that crap hurt?! I can barely keep you pinned down. What do you think would happen if I go to kill the Rat and he has a bodyguard or some crap. I brought you for two reasons. One, you are my new partner. Two, you owe me." He yells and hisses at me. He lets me go and takes a step back, clutching his collar bone. I briefly remember sinking my fangs into him when we first met.. And possibly doing it again at prom last weekend... I avoid eye contact and massage my wrists where he had them pinned. I start to say something uncharacteristic of me but he shuts me up by handing over $200.
"!?" I am shocked that he is willing to hand over this much at once. He has the same crappy pay that I have and that doesn't allow for this kind of pocket change.
"Go find a hotel room. Call me once you have settled in. I am going to go for a walk." He says as he turns and walks away without waiting for an answer. I crinkle the money as I shove it into my pocket and I walk in the opposite direction. I am sure I can find a cheap hotel around here. I slip my ear buds in and start walking. The road we are currently on is called International Drive. You know all those fancy theme parks and stuff? This is how you get to them. The behind the scenes is a real dump though. Thankfully there are plenty of cheap hotels...
~Sundown-The drag comes alive
I ended up finding a place to stay but not actually buying a room. That way I never had to call Krow. I am going to go and do this murder thing my way. We are two totally different people with two different ways of doing things. This is my way. I am sitting in an alley in between a nightclub and a bar. I am just sort of blending in with the scenery like I always do. There are a few crowds of people on the dark side of things but none of them seem to be on the same level as the guy I am looking for. I see one person who is sort of hanging back from their group. I can't get a good look at their face though. I am getting a creepy vibe from him. The group is on the move. I follow them to the front of the building but hang around the corner. Crap. They went inside the nightclub. The big portion of the group went on in but the other one stayed back and talked to the bouncer. (That is what its called, right? A bouncer? Gosh for a demon I am to dang innocent...) They did that awkward bro hug and then the other one crept around the other side of the building. I follow him. In the other alley the ending isn't a dead end but rather a little building. The person goes into it. I creep closer to see if I can hear anything.
--
Nothing. I enter the building and all I see is another door. I open the door and see a staircase that goes down into the dark. I follow it.
--
It leads to an abandoned underground area. It reminds me of a subway station but without tracks. There isn't any electricity but there are a few candles that are glowing here and there down the tunnels. The only thing I can hear is a slight dripping from somewhere that I can't see. I step a little further into the darkness.
"Gahh-" I exhale as I am shoved against the brick wall. I strain my eyes but I can't identify the attacker. They have my mouth covered so I can't yell. I growl at them.
"Soul, what in the heck are you doing here?" A voice that I identify as Krow's says. He is teeming with anger. He uncovers my mouth.
"I was doing some research and trying to find the target before you." I whisper to him. He shoves me back in the direction that I came from.
"Get out of here and go find a hotel room. This is the demon underground you idiot!" He whisper/yells at me. Hnnn.....
"No. Why are you down here anyways? You looked pretty cozy with some of those people topside." I confront him. To be honest he actually blended in very nicely with the crowd. I suppose that is something that I will have to learn how to do again. It's not like I can spend eternity in the background.
"What the?- Seriously Soul. Are you surprised that I used to roam these streets while I was enjoying the high life with a previous owner?" Krow responds. Oh, that's how it was..
"That's not what I meant. Do you seriously plan on killing the Rattus alone?" I sort of redirect the conversation. I don't like it when people point out me being petty. I can hear Krow shuffling a little.
"Yeah, that was the plan" He admits reluctantly. I don't know why but I am actually caught off guard by his sudden honesty. We hear footsteps from further down the hall. Then voices...
"I still haven't found a pet that I like as much as I liked him... Crazy how things can end huh, Kas?" A deep and menacing voice says. It sends a shiver down my spine. I back up against the wall just so I know I have something behind me. This almost feels like the panic attacks I used to get when I was still human. I slide one hand over my mouth and one over my stomach... Man I feel sick. I feel Krows hand slide around the back of my head as he pulls my ear closer.
"Run. Get back to the Jeep and stay at the hotel near there. I will be back soon. If you trust me and want to live to see tomorrow then behave for once and please run." He whispers urgently as he sticks some items in my pocket. I nod my head in a reply, I know he felt it because he lets me go and walks out into the hall as I run back up the stairs.
I have never heard him like that.
I burst out into the street and keep running. I might not be good at much but this I can do.
I run.
Recap: Soul and Krow team up and head to Orlando, Florida to kill a Rattus demon that has been causing trouble for Defy. Only Krow knows the details. Soul is just in it for the fun.
Authors note: "I am SOOO sorry that this is a day late. To be honest my life has been a nightmare the past few days so I haven't even been on here that much.... Because of this error on my part I will be releasing Lost In The Sunshine State Part 2 on Wednesday."
Krow slides a picture across the table. We are sitting down for lunch at an ancient IHOP in Orlando, Florida. Krow waited until we got here to tell me what exactly we are doing.
I take a look at the picture. It features a "Stalker shot" of presumably, a young man. He looks fairly normal hanging out with a group of guys in a local club. Wait a second... a club. That means-
 |
| He looks something like this ^ |
"Does this mean he is still in the area?" I ask while sifting through the other files on the table.
"That is what we are hoping. After the night crowd comes out we are going to hit the strip and see where the good criminally active locations are." He explains while drinking his cup of coffee. He did most the driving so I guess he is tired.. Oh well.
"What is his name?" I ask. To be honest I have never hunted like this before so I am completely out of my element.
"You don't need to know that. It will just give you sentimental thoughts." He warns. I glare at him from across the table. What type of demon does he think I am?!
"I am not the sentimental type! I have probably done way more gruesome things than you have. Like you have the right to harass me about my resolve." I fume. Seriously. This guy waltz's right into my life and drags me 5 states away from home to kill someone and just now decides to insult me... Then again it was smart of him to wait and insult me until I couldn't run away.
THUD
He slams his fist down on the table and glares at me.
"Are you telling me you would feel no remorse for killing another demon? Killing someone who is just like you? Just like me?" He does this annoying exhale thing through his nose. It means he is displeased. I had never considered this but I already know the answer.
"Yes." I stare him down. I don't feel things like that. He shouldn't either.
Everyone else in the restaurant is trying to avoid the awkward atmosphere. I hope they don't ask us to leave...
"It doesn't matter anyways. We are immortal. Nothing bad can happen to us anyways.." I mumble. I made him mad and its ticking me off because I don't know why. He laughs and then looks at me shocked.
"You know we are only immortal to wounds caused by humans right? Demons, Monsters, Curses, Elements, Spirits, Beasts, Magi's, Trainers, Guardians and basically every supernatural being out there can kill us." He says with a frown. The look on my face must have answered his question. So demons can kill other demons... Krow does a face palm. He has just now realized that he brought a total rookie on a really important mission. He is undermining my abilities again. Krow grabs the files and goes and pays for breakfast. Now he is leaving... Oh! I chase after him and into the parking lot. My instincts say to yell at him but I wont do it in public like this. I am smart enough to restrain myself...
~4 minutes later in the parking lot, between two vehicles
"Oof!" I shove Krow into the side of his Jeep and knock the breath out of him. I can't rationally explain my anger towards him. In the end its just me being petty because he wont acknowledge me as an equal because I am not one but for the moment I think bashing his skull in will serve my superiority complex nicely.
"Why did you bring me when you are clearly capable of doing these things on your own?" I ask him as I lighten up my grip around his throat. Despite me having the dominant position in this fight Krow's eyes are ablaze. He is ticked.
In one swift and fluid movement he sneaks his foot behind mine and shoves me backwards, putting me off balance. He then swings me around and pins me to the Jeep door, face first.
"Need I remind you that you beat the crap out of me a few days ago? Demons do damage! Don't you think that crap hurt?! I can barely keep you pinned down. What do you think would happen if I go to kill the Rat and he has a bodyguard or some crap. I brought you for two reasons. One, you are my new partner. Two, you owe me." He yells and hisses at me. He lets me go and takes a step back, clutching his collar bone. I briefly remember sinking my fangs into him when we first met.. And possibly doing it again at prom last weekend... I avoid eye contact and massage my wrists where he had them pinned. I start to say something uncharacteristic of me but he shuts me up by handing over $200.
"!?" I am shocked that he is willing to hand over this much at once. He has the same crappy pay that I have and that doesn't allow for this kind of pocket change.
"Go find a hotel room. Call me once you have settled in. I am going to go for a walk." He says as he turns and walks away without waiting for an answer. I crinkle the money as I shove it into my pocket and I walk in the opposite direction. I am sure I can find a cheap hotel around here. I slip my ear buds in and start walking. The road we are currently on is called International Drive. You know all those fancy theme parks and stuff? This is how you get to them. The behind the scenes is a real dump though. Thankfully there are plenty of cheap hotels...
~Sundown-The drag comes alive
I ended up finding a place to stay but not actually buying a room. That way I never had to call Krow. I am going to go and do this murder thing my way. We are two totally different people with two different ways of doing things. This is my way. I am sitting in an alley in between a nightclub and a bar. I am just sort of blending in with the scenery like I always do. There are a few crowds of people on the dark side of things but none of them seem to be on the same level as the guy I am looking for. I see one person who is sort of hanging back from their group. I can't get a good look at their face though. I am getting a creepy vibe from him. The group is on the move. I follow them to the front of the building but hang around the corner. Crap. They went inside the nightclub. The big portion of the group went on in but the other one stayed back and talked to the bouncer. (That is what its called, right? A bouncer? Gosh for a demon I am to dang innocent...) They did that awkward bro hug and then the other one crept around the other side of the building. I follow him. In the other alley the ending isn't a dead end but rather a little building. The person goes into it. I creep closer to see if I can hear anything.
--
Nothing. I enter the building and all I see is another door. I open the door and see a staircase that goes down into the dark. I follow it.
--
It leads to an abandoned underground area. It reminds me of a subway station but without tracks. There isn't any electricity but there are a few candles that are glowing here and there down the tunnels. The only thing I can hear is a slight dripping from somewhere that I can't see. I step a little further into the darkness.
"Gahh-" I exhale as I am shoved against the brick wall. I strain my eyes but I can't identify the attacker. They have my mouth covered so I can't yell. I growl at them.
"Soul, what in the heck are you doing here?" A voice that I identify as Krow's says. He is teeming with anger. He uncovers my mouth.
"I was doing some research and trying to find the target before you." I whisper to him. He shoves me back in the direction that I came from.
"Get out of here and go find a hotel room. This is the demon underground you idiot!" He whisper/yells at me. Hnnn.....
"No. Why are you down here anyways? You looked pretty cozy with some of those people topside." I confront him. To be honest he actually blended in very nicely with the crowd. I suppose that is something that I will have to learn how to do again. It's not like I can spend eternity in the background.
"What the?- Seriously Soul. Are you surprised that I used to roam these streets while I was enjoying the high life with a previous owner?" Krow responds. Oh, that's how it was..
"That's not what I meant. Do you seriously plan on killing the Rattus alone?" I sort of redirect the conversation. I don't like it when people point out me being petty. I can hear Krow shuffling a little.
"Yeah, that was the plan" He admits reluctantly. I don't know why but I am actually caught off guard by his sudden honesty. We hear footsteps from further down the hall. Then voices...
"I still haven't found a pet that I like as much as I liked him... Crazy how things can end huh, Kas?" A deep and menacing voice says. It sends a shiver down my spine. I back up against the wall just so I know I have something behind me. This almost feels like the panic attacks I used to get when I was still human. I slide one hand over my mouth and one over my stomach... Man I feel sick. I feel Krows hand slide around the back of my head as he pulls my ear closer.
"Run. Get back to the Jeep and stay at the hotel near there. I will be back soon. If you trust me and want to live to see tomorrow then behave for once and please run." He whispers urgently as he sticks some items in my pocket. I nod my head in a reply, I know he felt it because he lets me go and walks out into the hall as I run back up the stairs.
I have never heard him like that.
I burst out into the street and keep running. I might not be good at much but this I can do.
I run.
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Krow's story: His past (part 2)
I watch Cole get out of the car. There seems to be some hostility between him and his mother. I notice the smell of blood. I bet he got in another fight.
This is my punishment. I am observing this family for now. Befoul still hasn't thoroughly explained why I am doing this. He told me to
"observe their every move. To become attached to their family dynamic's.". I don't get it but whatever. It hurts less than the other punishment he gave me. I adjust the way I am sitting so that it is more comfortable. I am still really sore, nothing hurts as much as my neck though. The bite was pretty deep so its taking its precious time healing. I can't help but feel like something terrible is going to happen soon. After all the time I have been with Befoul I have never seen him show restraint. He has broken my bones countless times, I have a collection of odd scars and mentally... Well, someone else would be broken by now for sure. So what truly terrible thing does he have in mind for this?
The sound of Cole's loud music draws me back to my mission. He is upset. From what I can tell, Cole is a bit of an outcast. Not unlike myself when I was human. He has a strained relationship with his parents whom seem to hide a hint of fear in their eyes. I wonder about his past... What troubles has he had? Does he have someone he holds dear? Would he and I have been friends when I was human?
No, I can't think these things. It's bad for my health.
"This will all be over tonight." A stern voice whispers into my ear. I jump and almost fall off my perch.
"Geez Befoul! Don't do that. You scared me." I say, he really only shocked me but there isn't really a difference. He gives a sly smile. He scared me on purpose. Man, he has a terrible personality.
"What do you mean? What happens tonight?" I ask out of curiosity.
"We kill them." He says all monotonous. I feel slightly disappointed. I knew that was inevitable but still.... Even though I am a demon I have never felt the urge to murder, not like the others anyways. Sometimes I do get in the mood and go all out. When that happens my kills usually make newspapers around the world.
Cole's parents come outside and start yelling at each other. I was right. He got in another fight... I bet it was that puke faced brat from the bus. Honestly that bus driver will let any teenager on the bus. I shouldn't haven't gotten so close to him but I couldn't resist. This is the first time I have inspected someone so interesting. Befoul pokes my face. I bite at him. "What are you doing?" I growl. Befoul is in a childish mood. It creeps me out when he gets like this. So goofy. I have seen him in some pretty disturbing and adult moods so when he does a 180 I want to murder him.
"I am glad you are attached to him. It is going to make this so much fun for me. What would a weakling like you do if I decided to kill something that you were attached to?" He questions me. That's the kicker. Even with a silly outward appearance he is as cunning as ever.
"You think I can be attached to someone. That's cute." I rebuff him. He grabs my hair and yanks my head over to his face.
"Well you are attached to me right?" He growls. This is where I act like the doting pet. Or I receive punishment... Since I am already on the receiving end I think I will just push my luck.
"I am just using you as protection from other demons. I seriously couldn't care less about you as a person. In fact my life would be a lot easier without demons." It is almost the entire truth. I do care about him, just not as a person. He is the ultimate protection from other dangerous demons. Though its because he is the most dangerous... He kills every pet he has. I think I subconsciously conned him into owning me so that I could end this misery of my life. I certainly couldn't do it when I tried to. Gun, knife or jumping. None of it worked. I couldn't do it. Befoul dangles me from my perch by my hair. I am at least 40 feet (roughly 12.2 meters) in the air. I grab onto his arm and pull my feet up.
"Befoul..." I say nervously. I am too afraid to speak. Heights terrify me. Befoul lets go momentarily and then grabs my again.
"Are you scared little black bird?" He provokes me. I can feel my eyes starting to tear up. I refuse.
"No." I say defiantly. He lets go and I cling to his arm. He doesn't grab me again. He starts swinging his arm back and forth gently.
"Okay! Okay! I am scared! Please pull me back..." I plead as I feel myself slipping. He pulls me into his arms. I want to push him away but I cant bring myself to physically move. He pets my head.
"I hate you..." I repeat over and over in a silent mumble. He chuckles at the sound of my feeble insult.
"I know." He smiles and climbs down the tree.
~~~~~Later that evening~~~~~
"You are going to kill the parents. I will deal with the brat." Befoul says. I wince at the use of the word brat.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." I say as I climb the steps on to the second floor. I watch Befoul slip into Coles room. Nice knowing you kid. I sneak into the parents room. I have to take out the father first.
Men fight more when you invade their property, Women fight more when something they love is threatened. The wife will probably not be that big a deal. I happen to know that she abuses sleeping pills.
I place the back of my hand in my mouth and reach around and pluck one of the feathers growing in my hair. I instantly bite down on my hand. It hurts like crazy. I taste my blood. What a great way to start the evening. My feathers are crazy sharp and make good weapons in a pinch. I lean over the man, taking one last look at my victim. Befoul said he wanted me to make a mess of things, though I am not sure why. I slit the mans throat with the edge of my feather. He eyes open and the shock expression sits on his face as he bleeds out. I had one hand over his mouth and one hand pinning his arms. The blood pools where my knees are pushing down on the bed. The women's hand feels the blood and makes her stir. She
roles over and looks at her husband. She does a double take and then raises her gaze to me. I smile at her. She starts to scream but I shove the blankets in her mouth, muffling her cries. I gauge her eyes out. I have a thing for eyes. This is where I should be taunting her, letting her know that her son is being murder just a few rooms down. I am not into that type of thing. Sometimes, when I am caught up in the moment, I do things like that. I am not really in the mood though... Something about this feels off. Ugh. I am disgusted with the blood that is soaking into my clothes. I am drenched in it.
Time to make a mess. I pick specific joints and begin ripping the corpses limb from limb. It is sort of like when you are cutting up meat. Turn one big piece into smaller pieces then cut from there.
I will mince these two.
I throw their blood/organs around the room. Splattering the walls and ceiling. I look around and admire my work. It is pretty gruesome so its safe to say my work here is done. I turn to leave when I see Befoul step into the room. He looks at me and gives an approving nod. He jumps onto the bed and rolls in the blood. What an animal. He walks over to me and grabs my shirt collar.
"I wanna hear you scream." He says. I am slightly confused but I comply. Defying Befoul on a normal day is one thing, but defying him when he is in the middle of a kill is just asking for it. After I scream Befoul throws me aside and heads towards the parents bodies. I hear the door creak and to my surprise Cole walks into the room. He stops when he steps in his parents blood. The look on his face makes my stomach lurch. Oh gosh... I look away from him.
"That was a fair trade. Their souls were far more tasty than yours would have been." Befoul says with a smile. He was nibbling on some of the remains so he has blood all over his mouth. Cole actually steps towards Befoul. What a moron! I can feel a little panic well up inside me. Why was he still alive? I guess if they made a trade. Befoul never likes to make trades though...
"NO!" Cole yells out loud. He hangs his head, looking at the blood around his feet. Befoul approaches him and he looks up.
"Boo." Befoul says and then headbutts Cole. He laughs a bone chilling laugh as Cole falls to the floor and passes out. Befoul walks over and grabs the unmoving body by the throat.
"Now the real fun begins. Krow, I want you to watch all of this." Befoul orders me. Even though his words sound playful, he is being dead serious. I sit down in the floor and watch like a good pet.
He thrusts Coles body into the wall and starts hitting him with a barrage of punches. The lifeless body absorbs the blows. He must have used some demon trick to make sure that he didn't wake up during the middle of the beating. I wince as I hear a bone crunch. I am not sure which on it is. Probably his nose. Befoul is focused on Cole's face for the moment. Cole's body shudders and a little trickle of blood starts coming out of the corner of his mouth.
He throws him face first onto the floor. He kicks him repeatedly. I can hear the thuds and they make Cole seem hollow...
Befoul looms over him and pulls his arms back until he hears a snap. The body shudders and I can see tears streaming down Coles cheeks. I glance up at Befouls face. He is in a beastly rage and his eyes are that of a wild animal.
"Befoul.." I call out to him as I start to get up. He turns towards me, glaring. He cocks his head to the side a way an animal does when they are questioning something. Crap. He is all beast mode right now. This is dangerous, not just for Cole but for me as well. I stand perfectly still, trying to be as little a threat as possible. Coles body twitches a little and draws Befouls attention away from me. Befoul pounces onto the body and starts tearing into the back with his claws. At this rate, in his current state he will kill him. I hesitate for a moment. Why should I get involved? I don't owe this kid anything. Despite this I find my body moving on its own. I tackle Befoul to the floor. I immediately start punching him in the face. There is no point in trying to reason with this creature. He easily uses his weight against me and rolls over so that he is on top. This is a well practiced technique. He snarls at me and grabs my throat. Doing this unpins one of my hands. I reach back and pluck one of my feathers and stab it into his side. He howls in a disturbing manner. He is choking me. I try to squirm free of his grasp but it is of no use. If I am going to die I will die while taking out my revenge on him. I pull the feather out of him and stab him in the side of his throat. This time he pulls back and I slip out from beneath him. I kick my shoes off and reveal my talon feet. This is by far the weirdest part of being a Raptore. So far I am the only one known to have this feature. I jump onto Befouls back, sinking my claws into him. He howls in pain. The best part of this is that these wounds are guaranteed to get infected. Crows carry many, many forms of diseases and bacteria around with them. I am no different.
Befoul slams his back and me into a wall. My breath is knocked out of me and I feel a snap. My right arm pulsates with pain. I lose my grip and fall to the ground. Befoul backs off, licking his own wounds. I crawl over to Cole, making my intentions clear. Befoul looks like he is ready to go another round when the sun peaks through the window. The morning has arrived. The demon code states that you have the hours of the night to do what you want but once the holy light touches your hunting grounds you must yield to the creatures of dawn that lurk in the light. If you do not abide by the rules you become something less than a demon.... Befoul comes over to me and brushes my bloody hair out of my face for one last time. He is certain that he is leaving me for dead. He leaves and my world turns black.
~~~~
I wake up to a sharp pain in my side. I seriously don't want to move anything. I open my eyes and see a figure shrouded in grey.
"You're awake." It says in a skeptical voice. It had been reading a book but now decides to close it.
"This predicament is rather intriguing so I decided to keep you alive, though I wasn't sure that was possibly. Even with my abilities I almost lost you. I am a Consultant. Seeing how this is your first time Devising I will explain this all to you. You have created a demon.
Traditionally a demon is born when the soul of a human is shattered beyond compare and then corrupted by the demon torturing him. However this is a special case. It appears that you finished turning this kid into a demon though you aren't the one who started the process. When something like this happens usually all parties are disposed of so that no more hybrids are brought into the world. Do you understand that I have spared Befoul, You and Cole?" The Consultant asks me. I nod my head. I am still absorbing all of this information. The man walks over and kneels beside Cole and I. He examines Cole.
"I will be watching the progress that you and this child make, I will also be watching to see what he becomes. His more dominate traits are Panthera, he appears to be of the panther variety though I suspect he is going to be the illusive black tiger. Your rarity has passed onto him so I cannot predict the outcome of this child." He says as he gives Cole a look of pity. He glares back at me.
"This is not a favor. I will ask many things of you in the future. Befoul thinks that you are both dead but it is almost dusk so I recommend you get out of here before he comes back to make sure. I will make sure that he does not find Cole. Get out of here." He urges me. This man looked cold to start with but I can see a hint of concern in his eyes. Though he is entirely bland I can tell he is one of the rare creatures that lurks at all hours. He does not side with light or dark but rather works under his own terms and conditions. He is significantly weaker than any other species but he is ultimately free. That makes it worth it. I get up and head towards the door. My body screams in agony as I make it move.
"Oh and Krow, My name is Defy. Don't tell anyone about this. Be careful." He says as he repositions Cole's body. I nod my head and flee this cursed place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have no home to go to. I need to find a new owner, one that is kind and will treat my wounds. Though the price for kind is a very high one.... I pull my phone out of my pocket. It is pretty smashed but it will still make a call. I dial a number that I swore to never dial again.
Ring
I don't know what I will do if he doesn't answer.
Ring
I don't know what I will do if he does.
Ring
"Hello, Krow?" The voice on the other end of the phone asks.
"Nagahebi.... I need some help." My voice wavers a little as talk. I was passed out and on the brink of death for almost an entire day, I think my voice deserves to be weak for once.
I just did the one thing I never wanted to do. I made someone into a demon. I forced this miserable existence onto them. I hate myself even more now.
"I'm coming to get you. Where are you?" Nagahebi asks. I tell him where I am and he promises to be here soon. I know this all sounds very kind but I can promise you that I am dancing with a devil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word Me!: (the fun glossary)
Consultant: a person who provides expert advice professionally
Monotonous: dull, tedious, and repetitious; lacking in variety and interest
Dynamics: the forces or properties that stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process: (in this case the system is the household)
Deviser:
Rebuff: reject (someone or something) in an abrupt or ungracious manner
Black Tiger: They do actually exist! They tend to be smaller than normal tigers. Black Tiger Link
Lurch: an abrupt uncontrolled movement, especially an unsteady tilt or roll:
This is my punishment. I am observing this family for now. Befoul still hasn't thoroughly explained why I am doing this. He told me to
"observe their every move. To become attached to their family dynamic's.". I don't get it but whatever. It hurts less than the other punishment he gave me. I adjust the way I am sitting so that it is more comfortable. I am still really sore, nothing hurts as much as my neck though. The bite was pretty deep so its taking its precious time healing. I can't help but feel like something terrible is going to happen soon. After all the time I have been with Befoul I have never seen him show restraint. He has broken my bones countless times, I have a collection of odd scars and mentally... Well, someone else would be broken by now for sure. So what truly terrible thing does he have in mind for this?
The sound of Cole's loud music draws me back to my mission. He is upset. From what I can tell, Cole is a bit of an outcast. Not unlike myself when I was human. He has a strained relationship with his parents whom seem to hide a hint of fear in their eyes. I wonder about his past... What troubles has he had? Does he have someone he holds dear? Would he and I have been friends when I was human?
No, I can't think these things. It's bad for my health.
"This will all be over tonight." A stern voice whispers into my ear. I jump and almost fall off my perch.
"Geez Befoul! Don't do that. You scared me." I say, he really only shocked me but there isn't really a difference. He gives a sly smile. He scared me on purpose. Man, he has a terrible personality.
"What do you mean? What happens tonight?" I ask out of curiosity.
"We kill them." He says all monotonous. I feel slightly disappointed. I knew that was inevitable but still.... Even though I am a demon I have never felt the urge to murder, not like the others anyways. Sometimes I do get in the mood and go all out. When that happens my kills usually make newspapers around the world.
Cole's parents come outside and start yelling at each other. I was right. He got in another fight... I bet it was that puke faced brat from the bus. Honestly that bus driver will let any teenager on the bus. I shouldn't haven't gotten so close to him but I couldn't resist. This is the first time I have inspected someone so interesting. Befoul pokes my face. I bite at him. "What are you doing?" I growl. Befoul is in a childish mood. It creeps me out when he gets like this. So goofy. I have seen him in some pretty disturbing and adult moods so when he does a 180 I want to murder him.
"I am glad you are attached to him. It is going to make this so much fun for me. What would a weakling like you do if I decided to kill something that you were attached to?" He questions me. That's the kicker. Even with a silly outward appearance he is as cunning as ever.
"You think I can be attached to someone. That's cute." I rebuff him. He grabs my hair and yanks my head over to his face.
"Well you are attached to me right?" He growls. This is where I act like the doting pet. Or I receive punishment... Since I am already on the receiving end I think I will just push my luck.
"I am just using you as protection from other demons. I seriously couldn't care less about you as a person. In fact my life would be a lot easier without demons." It is almost the entire truth. I do care about him, just not as a person. He is the ultimate protection from other dangerous demons. Though its because he is the most dangerous... He kills every pet he has. I think I subconsciously conned him into owning me so that I could end this misery of my life. I certainly couldn't do it when I tried to. Gun, knife or jumping. None of it worked. I couldn't do it. Befoul dangles me from my perch by my hair. I am at least 40 feet (roughly 12.2 meters) in the air. I grab onto his arm and pull my feet up.
"Befoul..." I say nervously. I am too afraid to speak. Heights terrify me. Befoul lets go momentarily and then grabs my again.
"Are you scared little black bird?" He provokes me. I can feel my eyes starting to tear up. I refuse.
"No." I say defiantly. He lets go and I cling to his arm. He doesn't grab me again. He starts swinging his arm back and forth gently.
"Okay! Okay! I am scared! Please pull me back..." I plead as I feel myself slipping. He pulls me into his arms. I want to push him away but I cant bring myself to physically move. He pets my head.
"I hate you..." I repeat over and over in a silent mumble. He chuckles at the sound of my feeble insult.
"I know." He smiles and climbs down the tree.
~~~~~Later that evening~~~~~
"You are going to kill the parents. I will deal with the brat." Befoul says. I wince at the use of the word brat.
"Yeah, yeah. I know." I say as I climb the steps on to the second floor. I watch Befoul slip into Coles room. Nice knowing you kid. I sneak into the parents room. I have to take out the father first.
Men fight more when you invade their property, Women fight more when something they love is threatened. The wife will probably not be that big a deal. I happen to know that she abuses sleeping pills.
I place the back of my hand in my mouth and reach around and pluck one of the feathers growing in my hair. I instantly bite down on my hand. It hurts like crazy. I taste my blood. What a great way to start the evening. My feathers are crazy sharp and make good weapons in a pinch. I lean over the man, taking one last look at my victim. Befoul said he wanted me to make a mess of things, though I am not sure why. I slit the mans throat with the edge of my feather. He eyes open and the shock expression sits on his face as he bleeds out. I had one hand over his mouth and one hand pinning his arms. The blood pools where my knees are pushing down on the bed. The women's hand feels the blood and makes her stir. She
roles over and looks at her husband. She does a double take and then raises her gaze to me. I smile at her. She starts to scream but I shove the blankets in her mouth, muffling her cries. I gauge her eyes out. I have a thing for eyes. This is where I should be taunting her, letting her know that her son is being murder just a few rooms down. I am not into that type of thing. Sometimes, when I am caught up in the moment, I do things like that. I am not really in the mood though... Something about this feels off. Ugh. I am disgusted with the blood that is soaking into my clothes. I am drenched in it.
Time to make a mess. I pick specific joints and begin ripping the corpses limb from limb. It is sort of like when you are cutting up meat. Turn one big piece into smaller pieces then cut from there.
I will mince these two.
I throw their blood/organs around the room. Splattering the walls and ceiling. I look around and admire my work. It is pretty gruesome so its safe to say my work here is done. I turn to leave when I see Befoul step into the room. He looks at me and gives an approving nod. He jumps onto the bed and rolls in the blood. What an animal. He walks over to me and grabs my shirt collar.
"I wanna hear you scream." He says. I am slightly confused but I comply. Defying Befoul on a normal day is one thing, but defying him when he is in the middle of a kill is just asking for it. After I scream Befoul throws me aside and heads towards the parents bodies. I hear the door creak and to my surprise Cole walks into the room. He stops when he steps in his parents blood. The look on his face makes my stomach lurch. Oh gosh... I look away from him.
"That was a fair trade. Their souls were far more tasty than yours would have been." Befoul says with a smile. He was nibbling on some of the remains so he has blood all over his mouth. Cole actually steps towards Befoul. What a moron! I can feel a little panic well up inside me. Why was he still alive? I guess if they made a trade. Befoul never likes to make trades though...
"NO!" Cole yells out loud. He hangs his head, looking at the blood around his feet. Befoul approaches him and he looks up.
"Boo." Befoul says and then headbutts Cole. He laughs a bone chilling laugh as Cole falls to the floor and passes out. Befoul walks over and grabs the unmoving body by the throat.
"Now the real fun begins. Krow, I want you to watch all of this." Befoul orders me. Even though his words sound playful, he is being dead serious. I sit down in the floor and watch like a good pet.
He thrusts Coles body into the wall and starts hitting him with a barrage of punches. The lifeless body absorbs the blows. He must have used some demon trick to make sure that he didn't wake up during the middle of the beating. I wince as I hear a bone crunch. I am not sure which on it is. Probably his nose. Befoul is focused on Cole's face for the moment. Cole's body shudders and a little trickle of blood starts coming out of the corner of his mouth.
He throws him face first onto the floor. He kicks him repeatedly. I can hear the thuds and they make Cole seem hollow...
Befoul looms over him and pulls his arms back until he hears a snap. The body shudders and I can see tears streaming down Coles cheeks. I glance up at Befouls face. He is in a beastly rage and his eyes are that of a wild animal.
"Befoul.." I call out to him as I start to get up. He turns towards me, glaring. He cocks his head to the side a way an animal does when they are questioning something. Crap. He is all beast mode right now. This is dangerous, not just for Cole but for me as well. I stand perfectly still, trying to be as little a threat as possible. Coles body twitches a little and draws Befouls attention away from me. Befoul pounces onto the body and starts tearing into the back with his claws. At this rate, in his current state he will kill him. I hesitate for a moment. Why should I get involved? I don't owe this kid anything. Despite this I find my body moving on its own. I tackle Befoul to the floor. I immediately start punching him in the face. There is no point in trying to reason with this creature. He easily uses his weight against me and rolls over so that he is on top. This is a well practiced technique. He snarls at me and grabs my throat. Doing this unpins one of my hands. I reach back and pluck one of my feathers and stab it into his side. He howls in a disturbing manner. He is choking me. I try to squirm free of his grasp but it is of no use. If I am going to die I will die while taking out my revenge on him. I pull the feather out of him and stab him in the side of his throat. This time he pulls back and I slip out from beneath him. I kick my shoes off and reveal my talon feet. This is by far the weirdest part of being a Raptore. So far I am the only one known to have this feature. I jump onto Befouls back, sinking my claws into him. He howls in pain. The best part of this is that these wounds are guaranteed to get infected. Crows carry many, many forms of diseases and bacteria around with them. I am no different.
Befoul slams his back and me into a wall. My breath is knocked out of me and I feel a snap. My right arm pulsates with pain. I lose my grip and fall to the ground. Befoul backs off, licking his own wounds. I crawl over to Cole, making my intentions clear. Befoul looks like he is ready to go another round when the sun peaks through the window. The morning has arrived. The demon code states that you have the hours of the night to do what you want but once the holy light touches your hunting grounds you must yield to the creatures of dawn that lurk in the light. If you do not abide by the rules you become something less than a demon.... Befoul comes over to me and brushes my bloody hair out of my face for one last time. He is certain that he is leaving me for dead. He leaves and my world turns black.
~~~~
I wake up to a sharp pain in my side. I seriously don't want to move anything. I open my eyes and see a figure shrouded in grey.
"You're awake." It says in a skeptical voice. It had been reading a book but now decides to close it.
"This predicament is rather intriguing so I decided to keep you alive, though I wasn't sure that was possibly. Even with my abilities I almost lost you. I am a Consultant. Seeing how this is your first time Devising I will explain this all to you. You have created a demon.
Traditionally a demon is born when the soul of a human is shattered beyond compare and then corrupted by the demon torturing him. However this is a special case. It appears that you finished turning this kid into a demon though you aren't the one who started the process. When something like this happens usually all parties are disposed of so that no more hybrids are brought into the world. Do you understand that I have spared Befoul, You and Cole?" The Consultant asks me. I nod my head. I am still absorbing all of this information. The man walks over and kneels beside Cole and I. He examines Cole.
"I will be watching the progress that you and this child make, I will also be watching to see what he becomes. His more dominate traits are Panthera, he appears to be of the panther variety though I suspect he is going to be the illusive black tiger. Your rarity has passed onto him so I cannot predict the outcome of this child." He says as he gives Cole a look of pity. He glares back at me.
"This is not a favor. I will ask many things of you in the future. Befoul thinks that you are both dead but it is almost dusk so I recommend you get out of here before he comes back to make sure. I will make sure that he does not find Cole. Get out of here." He urges me. This man looked cold to start with but I can see a hint of concern in his eyes. Though he is entirely bland I can tell he is one of the rare creatures that lurks at all hours. He does not side with light or dark but rather works under his own terms and conditions. He is significantly weaker than any other species but he is ultimately free. That makes it worth it. I get up and head towards the door. My body screams in agony as I make it move.
"Oh and Krow, My name is Defy. Don't tell anyone about this. Be careful." He says as he repositions Cole's body. I nod my head and flee this cursed place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have no home to go to. I need to find a new owner, one that is kind and will treat my wounds. Though the price for kind is a very high one.... I pull my phone out of my pocket. It is pretty smashed but it will still make a call. I dial a number that I swore to never dial again.
Ring
I don't know what I will do if he doesn't answer.
Ring
I don't know what I will do if he does.
Ring
"Hello, Krow?" The voice on the other end of the phone asks.
"Nagahebi.... I need some help." My voice wavers a little as talk. I was passed out and on the brink of death for almost an entire day, I think my voice deserves to be weak for once.
I just did the one thing I never wanted to do. I made someone into a demon. I forced this miserable existence onto them. I hate myself even more now.
"I'm coming to get you. Where are you?" Nagahebi asks. I tell him where I am and he promises to be here soon. I know this all sounds very kind but I can promise you that I am dancing with a devil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Word Me!: (the fun glossary)
Consultant: a person who provides expert advice professionally
Monotonous: dull, tedious, and repetitious; lacking in variety and interest
Dynamics: the forces or properties that stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process: (in this case the system is the household)
Deviser:
plan or invent (a complex procedure, system, or mechanism) by careful thought: (I am using it as Creator, which it is a synonym for)
"a training program should be devised" Rebuff: reject (someone or something) in an abrupt or ungracious manner
Black Tiger: They do actually exist! They tend to be smaller than normal tigers. Black Tiger Link
Lurch: an abrupt uncontrolled movement, especially an unsteady tilt or roll:
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Krow's Story: His Past
Aki Ame Okami 03/03/2016
Krow's Story: His Past
"The time has come for you all to properly understand Krow. His past has 2 parts, this being the first.
After his past we will return to My (Souls) point of view. For those of you who are having trouble with this concept, Krow suffers severally with depression and self hate and I touch base a little more on that in the next chapter." ~Soul
Something has been wrong for a while. My little sister, who is also my best friend, has been pulling away from me. I am in my senior year of high school and she is just now getting there. I thought maybe that's why she became distant but I was looking through some of her stuff and found some disturbing things. She has been investigating some murders in and around the area. At first look they all seemed random but the more I stared at the horrifying images the more I understood why she had all of these articles. It was the same killer. These were pretty gruesome murders from a wide area so there is no way that the naked eye would pick up on it.
My sister has always been pretty insightful when it comes to these things though. I notice that her calendar has something written on todays date, it reads:
"He will strike again today. My guess is it will happen somewhere in Murkville after the sun sets. Most likely victim is a young female. Will investigate after club activities."
I check my watch. Crap. It is 7:30 which means she is more than likely already in Murkville looking for this guy. DANG IT!
I race to my room and grab my keys. I dash for my Jeep and get it started. I am on my way sis, hang on.
As soon as I get in town I turn on my "Buddy App" on my cell phone. It is an app that alerts you when you are near a buddy, obviously she is on my buddy list. I drive up and down the different roads getting a little farther from the main strip every time. I am at the run down part of time when my phone buzzes.
"Buddy near by!" It blinks at me. Perfect! I follow the buddy indicator to an old factory building. She really needs to stop being so reckless.
As I pick my way through the deserted factory I can't help think of this one time when Ani was about 7 years old and she tried to run away from home. Mom and Dad freaked out trying to find her but I knew where she went. I was 11 at the time and didn't rat her out because that's not what good brothers do.
As night time fell my parents got even more frantic in their search for her, they practically ignored me. I didn't understand why their concern was increasing so dramatically until one of the junior officers who pitied me sat down and explained the situation.
It was Spring time and a bad storm was supposed to move in later that night. I didn't know that. After that I snuck out of the house and went to my sisters favorite hiding spot. Across from our property their was a small church. Attached to the church was a small playground and on the other side of that was a cemetery. Past the cemetery deep in the woods was a small wooden shack that was abandoned sometime ago. We had found it over the summer and thought it was the coolest thing. Obviously it was ancient and must have been built by Indians or something.... That's what we imagined at least. As I crept through the cemetery I could hear the thunder rolling in the distance. Even now the thought of it sends a shiver up my spine. By the time I reached the shack Ani was in tears. She was curled up in a little ball crying her eyes out. I went over and pulled her into a hug. She was burning up. She had a fever. I scooped her into my arms and started carrying her back home. As I did that the rain started coming down in unrelenting little balls of freezing hell fire. I hesitated at the threshold. I couldn't make myself move. I sat down and held her in my arms.
All I could do for my sister was whisper that everything would be okay.
I realized then that what a good brother does is look out for what his sister needs not what she wants.
By the time morning came she had developed a horrible cough. My nerves were a wreck. I spent the whole night shuddering and wincing every time lightening struck or thunder rolled. I managed to carry Ani to the playground and not long after I collapsed the junior officer from yesterday spotted us. My parents flocked to Ani first though the paramedics told them that there was only enough room for one parent to be with them while they checked her. So my father came over to me. He slapped me and scolded me about how dangerous the situation was and how foolish I was. He wasn't a bad parent. I understand now that he was just scared.
I don't know what I was expecting at that time, did I want him to cry and tell me how worried he was? Did I want him to wrap me in his arms and apologize for ignoring me?
I can't really remember right now but I don't think it would have been the first one. I have always secretly been very selfish. I don't even know when I started having thoughts like that. Thoughts like:
"How come I come second...?" or "Why don't they love me more?".
It's truly ridiculous that I even think things remotely along that line.
I love my sister and would do anything for her. She is my best friend. Though I firmly believe that in order to hate someone you must have loved them first.
I am 18 and just started my last year of high school. Ani is 14 and just started her first. Naturally she pulled away from me. She was always the perfect little sister. Totally adorable, could never stay mad at her, frustratingly innocent and all your friends fell for her.
I sigh as I pick the lock on a door and go further into the factory.
What? Yes, I can pick locks. I am not as innocent as my sister....
"You're the?!-" I hear a scream from somewhere ahead. That was definitely Ani. Crap. I run towards the sound. I run into a large room, I think its the assembly room. I don't know exactly what this factory was for so I can't tell what used to be done in here. I see my sister leaning against the railing on the observation deck on the other side of the room. That railing has to be loose.
"ANI!?" I yell to her. She turns and looks at me with a mix of confusion and horror. I see a person walk up behind her. I run towards them as fast as I can but there still so far away. I don't think I will make it in time. I don't think I can....
"WAIT! HEAR ME OUT!" I yell to whom ever the attacker is. Its a hopeless plea but I have to stall while I try and get closer to them. I see the figure behind her stop.
"Who are you and what is this girl to you?" A female voice calls out and surprises me. Wasn't the person my sister was stalking a male? These thoughts make an unnecessary pause.
"Uh... She is my little sister." I respond to her. I am standing on the floor beneath the observation deck. There is no way that woman will let me climb the steps so my safest bet is to stay here.
"How do you feel about being an only child?" She asks as she takes a step closer to Ani.
"No! Don't! What do you want? I can get money! I will do whatever you want me to! Just please, let her go!" I beg without thinking. Yes, I could come up with money but not immediately.
"Do you mean that?" She asks. I hesitate. She pushes Ani against the railing and it breaks she is keeping Ani from falling.
"ZACK! Zack give her what she wants please! Please help me?!" Ani cries. I bite my lip. At this height even if I caught her, and that's a BIG if, I can't guarantee she would survive.
"Yes. Yes, I mean it. Let Ani go. I will give you what ever you want." I say admitting defeat. The lady ties Ani's wrists together and walks her down the stairs.
"Good boy. I didn't come hunting looking for this though I am satisfied with the results. There will be a penalty for you being late though." She says while descending the stairs. She stops about halfway and hovers over my sisters forehead.
"In about 5 minutes she will forget you even exist. I will take precious time to make sure that everyone you have ever know will forget about you. Not only that but the sight of you will put them on edge for no reason and they will never be able to trust you again.
This is your punishment for being late." She says this all with an evil grin on her face. Dang it. What the heck?!
"Zack, what she is saying can't be real right?!" Ani asks in a panic.
"I-...I don't know Anima..." I am honest with her. If this psycho really does erase me from her life I don't want my last words to be a lie. That would weigh really heavy on my conscious. DANG IT! There I go again with those selfish thoughts....
The lady lets Ani run over to me. I wrap her in my arms and hug her tightly. Now is the perfect time to run.
"Tick-Tock dear children. Only a minute left." The lady warns.
Ani looks up at me with tears in her eyes. I look down at her with a concerned expression.
"Zack, What's your middle name? I can't seem to remember anymore..." Ani says, her voice cracking at the end. My eyes widen in horror. It's real. This lady has that power. If whatever happens in this moment is the lasting impression she will have of me I don't want it to be one of happiness or comfort. Those are feelings someone should have everyday with someone they trust. If she trusts me but then forgets me it will leave a gap somewhere that won't be patched very easily... It's time to be a big brother. I push Ani away. I wont look her in the eyes. That will make this easier.
"This is a dream come true. I have always Hated having to be the doting brother. So do me a favor and forget about me. Move on. Make someone else care about you now cause I am DONE with that crap." I say to her, emphasizing the words that will hurt the most. I keep my head turned away from her. She comes over to me and tries to make me look at her. I refuse and continue to push her away.
"Zack?! No, please. You can't mean that." She pleads.
"Times up kiddies." The evil lady says. I take a last glance at my sister. Her eyes glaze over and she passes out. I look back at her and just now realize I am crying. I catch her and slide to the floor with her. I glare at the lady.
"What did you do?" I demand.
"She is just unconscious. She will wake up and go on with her daily life as if you never existed." She assures me. I bite my lip but fight my urge to lash out. What happens now? She walks over and wipes a tear off my cheek.
"Don't cry and glare. It's not cute. You are mine now. I own you." She says in a threatening voice. I stand up and leave my head hanging.
"Yeah, okay." I mumble. There is nothing left for me. I feel sick to my stomach. This is a lot to process. Its all so sudden. I don't get it.
I hear a sharp crack and sudden pain spreads across my back, I sink to my knees in pain. I look behind me and see the lady holding a whip. It has spikes on the end. They are dripping with blood, my blood. I see her hand go up and I wince automatically. She laughs.
"Ha! Very good! Now try something a little more obedient. Like "Yes, Ms. Val" Or, "Of course my queen." something like that will do." She says in a delighted voice. I seriously think that I might throw up now. What the heck?! I pull one knee up to my chest and brace myself against that. Technically I have already done one stupid thing so it can't get worse. Right?
"Never gonna happen. I might be yours but I won't play along. I still have my pride." I say faking confidence. My voice sounds like I am about to- oh wait. I am crying. I can feel heat rush to my face. Shame. This is visible shame.
All traces of her fake smile disappear. She raises the whip. My body shudders, anticipating the pain but I just look her in the eyes.
"You're going to regret this for eternity." She says with the slightest trace of pity. The whip comes down repeatedly. I bite my tongue to hold in my cries of pain. I feel the blood ooze down my back all warm and sticky. It sends a shiver up my spine which just makes it ache all the more. She continues with the whip.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
She stops. I drop to the floor, face first. I am gasping heavily. I don't know when but at some point I started holding my breath.
"The next lashings will go to your sister. Just because she doesn't remember you doesn't mean she can't feel pain." Val warns me.
I constantly gave my everything for her. Anima. The girl who won't even remember it. Why not give her all I have left?
"No, My Queen. Please don't. I was foolish.... I-" I hesitate as I murder my pride. Well, what's left.
"I'm sorry." I finish with a sigh of relief. She doesn't say anything but she doesn't attack either. I lay here crumpled on the floor, an absolute mess. I will fight back one day. She walks towards me. The sound her heals make on the concrete is disturbing. It echoes all around me making my head swim.
"Very good. Now sleep." She whispers as I slip into a cold black nightmare filled sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 years later*
Let me catch you up to date. For the past 3 years I have bounced from "owner" to "owner." I learned about the dynamics of all demons. I learned how things really worked. My deviser (person who turned me into a demon) Val, was of the Raptore variety. Means she was a bird lady. She turned me into a bird as well. She was an ugly vulture. I am a varlet(dishonest or unprincipled man) crow. In our society different species hold different ranks. Raptore sit somewhere in the middleclass. What we lack in strength we make up for in stealth. When we are owned by someone our job is to observe people and find good treasures. I am a rare Raptore breed. What is a crow better at than finding the shiny? I betrayed Val by catching the eye of a higher specie demon.
A Panthera, cat demon. This guy isn't just a house-cat though. He has Tiger roots. Tigers are faster, more aggressive and stronger than Lions pound for pound. Their coordination and fighting skills are superior as well. What I am saying is, I am currently owned by a beast that no matter how psycho Val is she would never challenge him. In a way he is protecting me. In a very sadistic way. Lately he has been getting more and more touchy. I do my best to stay on his good side. I stay away from him as much as possible but its really hard to do seeing how I am under house arrest. He gets paranoid that I am going to leave and spill his weaknesses. I am apparently the only living* pet that the great and powerful King Befoul has. I didn't ask what happened to the others. After all I conned him into taking me home so I am just getting what I asked for.
"KROW?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Befoul calls for me from somewhere near the doorway. Usually I am waiting at the door when he gets home. I race down the hallway and meet him in the kitchen.
"Welcome home master." I say with a fake smile. I am a shell of a demon. I can kill, steal, haunt and torment all I want to but I can never be whole again. I will never feel pride or joy. I haven't cared about what has happened to me for 3 years and I am not about start now. Befoul grabs my throat and shoves me into the wall. I wince from the impact. He sneers from the pleasure it brought him.
"Why were you late?" He growls at me. A few owners ago this would be where I said something incredibly sarcastic. Maybe he will kill me this time.
"Oh just planning my palace revolution. How ya been?" I taunt. His grip tightens around my throat and his lips curl back. Heh. Oops.
He throws me to the floor. My back hits with a loud thud. My breath is knocked out of me. Befoul pins me down. This might sound awkward but its simply how Panthera fight. The movements are very cat-like. I stare into his feral eyes. To have such emotion in ones eyes... Mine have been a flat black for 3 years. They show nothing. There is just nothing inside of me. I don't resist and I don't fight back. That's when cats get the most violent. The fact that someone so dead inside could have such emotion really crests my anger. That's the only emotion I have left. Anger. It helps me hate myself everyday, today its going to kill me. I spit in his face.
"What happened that made you so twisted and dead inside? Where did your humanity go?" I ask him. All of my fake equanimity is gone. He stays perfectly still and actually thinks about what to do next.
"I will show you." He says with a genuine smile. Then he suddenly jerks my head to the side and bites down hard into my neck. I was not expecting that so I unwillingly let out a scream of agony which only makes him bite harder. Then his hand covers my mouth and I slowly start to suffocate. I resist every instinct to fight back. Black slowly devours my vision until I feel nothing. I pass out again.
~~~~
I slowly wake up. I open my eyes and sit up. Every inch of me aches. I can see my clothes are pretty much drenched in blood. Mine of course. I am sitting on the couch in the living room. I hear a noise upstairs and turn my head out of instinct. I instantly feel a searing pain radiate from my neck/collar bone. I remember the sound of Befouls fangs sinking into my skin. Bleh. I shudder.
None of my bones appear to be broken... I have all my limbs... He didn't cut my hair.. What torture does he have in mind? He certainly isn't the type to be satisfied with beating someone to near death when they aren't even awake to react. Then again I don't really react even when I am awake...
Befoul walks down the stairs. He spots me and freezes. I brace myself for whatever comes next.
Nothing. He is just staring at me.
"Get changed. You are going to learn how I became so twisted." Befoul instructs me. He turns and continues to the kitchen. Ah, for all that is impure and unholy why do I have such a sarcastic mouth?! An old emotion briefly flutters through me.
Fear.
Then it is gone. Things like that make me feel numb. I go and change my clothes, preparing for whatever trials and tribulations await me.
~~~~~~Part 2 Coming Soon!~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a visual of Befoul. Do you know how hard it is to find a picture of a possessive red head?
Glossary: (From here on out I am going to call this "Word me!")
Val for short valkry.
ANIMA (2) f English (Rare)
Means "soul, spirit" in Latin. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.
Varlet: Unprincipled or dishonest man
Raptore: Latin for Bird of Prey
Equanimity: mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation:
Crests: to reach the top of something. (I used this word because it also means a comb or tuft of feathers, fur, or skin on the head of a bird or other animal)
Panthera: Latin for Big Cat (Basically......)
Deviser: Creator, maker, author, ect.
Befoul: make dirty; pollute: (I chose this name mostly for the Foul part of it. Befoul gives the proper feel of the character where as if I made a character called Foul I would go a different route because it has a different feel to it. Does that make sense?)
Sadistic: deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others
Tribulations: a cause of great trouble or suffering:
Foul: offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste or being unpleasantly soiled: Meaning 2: Wicked or Immoral (doesn't that sound like an epic character that you just love to love/hate?)
Krow's Story: His Past
"The time has come for you all to properly understand Krow. His past has 2 parts, this being the first.
After his past we will return to My (Souls) point of view. For those of you who are having trouble with this concept, Krow suffers severally with depression and self hate and I touch base a little more on that in the next chapter." ~Soul
Something has been wrong for a while. My little sister, who is also my best friend, has been pulling away from me. I am in my senior year of high school and she is just now getting there. I thought maybe that's why she became distant but I was looking through some of her stuff and found some disturbing things. She has been investigating some murders in and around the area. At first look they all seemed random but the more I stared at the horrifying images the more I understood why she had all of these articles. It was the same killer. These were pretty gruesome murders from a wide area so there is no way that the naked eye would pick up on it.
My sister has always been pretty insightful when it comes to these things though. I notice that her calendar has something written on todays date, it reads:
"He will strike again today. My guess is it will happen somewhere in Murkville after the sun sets. Most likely victim is a young female. Will investigate after club activities."
I check my watch. Crap. It is 7:30 which means she is more than likely already in Murkville looking for this guy. DANG IT!
I race to my room and grab my keys. I dash for my Jeep and get it started. I am on my way sis, hang on.
As soon as I get in town I turn on my "Buddy App" on my cell phone. It is an app that alerts you when you are near a buddy, obviously she is on my buddy list. I drive up and down the different roads getting a little farther from the main strip every time. I am at the run down part of time when my phone buzzes.
"Buddy near by!" It blinks at me. Perfect! I follow the buddy indicator to an old factory building. She really needs to stop being so reckless.
As I pick my way through the deserted factory I can't help think of this one time when Ani was about 7 years old and she tried to run away from home. Mom and Dad freaked out trying to find her but I knew where she went. I was 11 at the time and didn't rat her out because that's not what good brothers do.
As night time fell my parents got even more frantic in their search for her, they practically ignored me. I didn't understand why their concern was increasing so dramatically until one of the junior officers who pitied me sat down and explained the situation.
It was Spring time and a bad storm was supposed to move in later that night. I didn't know that. After that I snuck out of the house and went to my sisters favorite hiding spot. Across from our property their was a small church. Attached to the church was a small playground and on the other side of that was a cemetery. Past the cemetery deep in the woods was a small wooden shack that was abandoned sometime ago. We had found it over the summer and thought it was the coolest thing. Obviously it was ancient and must have been built by Indians or something.... That's what we imagined at least. As I crept through the cemetery I could hear the thunder rolling in the distance. Even now the thought of it sends a shiver up my spine. By the time I reached the shack Ani was in tears. She was curled up in a little ball crying her eyes out. I went over and pulled her into a hug. She was burning up. She had a fever. I scooped her into my arms and started carrying her back home. As I did that the rain started coming down in unrelenting little balls of freezing hell fire. I hesitated at the threshold. I couldn't make myself move. I sat down and held her in my arms.
All I could do for my sister was whisper that everything would be okay.
I realized then that what a good brother does is look out for what his sister needs not what she wants.
By the time morning came she had developed a horrible cough. My nerves were a wreck. I spent the whole night shuddering and wincing every time lightening struck or thunder rolled. I managed to carry Ani to the playground and not long after I collapsed the junior officer from yesterday spotted us. My parents flocked to Ani first though the paramedics told them that there was only enough room for one parent to be with them while they checked her. So my father came over to me. He slapped me and scolded me about how dangerous the situation was and how foolish I was. He wasn't a bad parent. I understand now that he was just scared.
I don't know what I was expecting at that time, did I want him to cry and tell me how worried he was? Did I want him to wrap me in his arms and apologize for ignoring me?
I can't really remember right now but I don't think it would have been the first one. I have always secretly been very selfish. I don't even know when I started having thoughts like that. Thoughts like:
"How come I come second...?" or "Why don't they love me more?".
It's truly ridiculous that I even think things remotely along that line.
I love my sister and would do anything for her. She is my best friend. Though I firmly believe that in order to hate someone you must have loved them first.
I am 18 and just started my last year of high school. Ani is 14 and just started her first. Naturally she pulled away from me. She was always the perfect little sister. Totally adorable, could never stay mad at her, frustratingly innocent and all your friends fell for her.
I sigh as I pick the lock on a door and go further into the factory.
What? Yes, I can pick locks. I am not as innocent as my sister....
"You're the?!-" I hear a scream from somewhere ahead. That was definitely Ani. Crap. I run towards the sound. I run into a large room, I think its the assembly room. I don't know exactly what this factory was for so I can't tell what used to be done in here. I see my sister leaning against the railing on the observation deck on the other side of the room. That railing has to be loose.
"ANI!?" I yell to her. She turns and looks at me with a mix of confusion and horror. I see a person walk up behind her. I run towards them as fast as I can but there still so far away. I don't think I will make it in time. I don't think I can....
"WAIT! HEAR ME OUT!" I yell to whom ever the attacker is. Its a hopeless plea but I have to stall while I try and get closer to them. I see the figure behind her stop.
"Who are you and what is this girl to you?" A female voice calls out and surprises me. Wasn't the person my sister was stalking a male? These thoughts make an unnecessary pause.
"Uh... She is my little sister." I respond to her. I am standing on the floor beneath the observation deck. There is no way that woman will let me climb the steps so my safest bet is to stay here.
"How do you feel about being an only child?" She asks as she takes a step closer to Ani.
"No! Don't! What do you want? I can get money! I will do whatever you want me to! Just please, let her go!" I beg without thinking. Yes, I could come up with money but not immediately.
"Do you mean that?" She asks. I hesitate. She pushes Ani against the railing and it breaks she is keeping Ani from falling.
"ZACK! Zack give her what she wants please! Please help me?!" Ani cries. I bite my lip. At this height even if I caught her, and that's a BIG if, I can't guarantee she would survive.
"Yes. Yes, I mean it. Let Ani go. I will give you what ever you want." I say admitting defeat. The lady ties Ani's wrists together and walks her down the stairs.
"Good boy. I didn't come hunting looking for this though I am satisfied with the results. There will be a penalty for you being late though." She says while descending the stairs. She stops about halfway and hovers over my sisters forehead.
"In about 5 minutes she will forget you even exist. I will take precious time to make sure that everyone you have ever know will forget about you. Not only that but the sight of you will put them on edge for no reason and they will never be able to trust you again.
This is your punishment for being late." She says this all with an evil grin on her face. Dang it. What the heck?!
"Zack, what she is saying can't be real right?!" Ani asks in a panic.
"I-...I don't know Anima..." I am honest with her. If this psycho really does erase me from her life I don't want my last words to be a lie. That would weigh really heavy on my conscious. DANG IT! There I go again with those selfish thoughts....
The lady lets Ani run over to me. I wrap her in my arms and hug her tightly. Now is the perfect time to run.
"Tick-Tock dear children. Only a minute left." The lady warns.
Ani looks up at me with tears in her eyes. I look down at her with a concerned expression.
"Zack, What's your middle name? I can't seem to remember anymore..." Ani says, her voice cracking at the end. My eyes widen in horror. It's real. This lady has that power. If whatever happens in this moment is the lasting impression she will have of me I don't want it to be one of happiness or comfort. Those are feelings someone should have everyday with someone they trust. If she trusts me but then forgets me it will leave a gap somewhere that won't be patched very easily... It's time to be a big brother. I push Ani away. I wont look her in the eyes. That will make this easier.
"This is a dream come true. I have always Hated having to be the doting brother. So do me a favor and forget about me. Move on. Make someone else care about you now cause I am DONE with that crap." I say to her, emphasizing the words that will hurt the most. I keep my head turned away from her. She comes over to me and tries to make me look at her. I refuse and continue to push her away.
"Zack?! No, please. You can't mean that." She pleads.
"Times up kiddies." The evil lady says. I take a last glance at my sister. Her eyes glaze over and she passes out. I look back at her and just now realize I am crying. I catch her and slide to the floor with her. I glare at the lady.
"What did you do?" I demand.
"She is just unconscious. She will wake up and go on with her daily life as if you never existed." She assures me. I bite my lip but fight my urge to lash out. What happens now? She walks over and wipes a tear off my cheek.
"Don't cry and glare. It's not cute. You are mine now. I own you." She says in a threatening voice. I stand up and leave my head hanging.
"Yeah, okay." I mumble. There is nothing left for me. I feel sick to my stomach. This is a lot to process. Its all so sudden. I don't get it.
I hear a sharp crack and sudden pain spreads across my back, I sink to my knees in pain. I look behind me and see the lady holding a whip. It has spikes on the end. They are dripping with blood, my blood. I see her hand go up and I wince automatically. She laughs.
"Ha! Very good! Now try something a little more obedient. Like "Yes, Ms. Val" Or, "Of course my queen." something like that will do." She says in a delighted voice. I seriously think that I might throw up now. What the heck?! I pull one knee up to my chest and brace myself against that. Technically I have already done one stupid thing so it can't get worse. Right?
"Never gonna happen. I might be yours but I won't play along. I still have my pride." I say faking confidence. My voice sounds like I am about to- oh wait. I am crying. I can feel heat rush to my face. Shame. This is visible shame.
All traces of her fake smile disappear. She raises the whip. My body shudders, anticipating the pain but I just look her in the eyes.
"You're going to regret this for eternity." She says with the slightest trace of pity. The whip comes down repeatedly. I bite my tongue to hold in my cries of pain. I feel the blood ooze down my back all warm and sticky. It sends a shiver up my spine which just makes it ache all the more. She continues with the whip.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
She stops. I drop to the floor, face first. I am gasping heavily. I don't know when but at some point I started holding my breath.
"The next lashings will go to your sister. Just because she doesn't remember you doesn't mean she can't feel pain." Val warns me.
I constantly gave my everything for her. Anima. The girl who won't even remember it. Why not give her all I have left?
"No, My Queen. Please don't. I was foolish.... I-" I hesitate as I murder my pride. Well, what's left.
"I'm sorry." I finish with a sigh of relief. She doesn't say anything but she doesn't attack either. I lay here crumpled on the floor, an absolute mess. I will fight back one day. She walks towards me. The sound her heals make on the concrete is disturbing. It echoes all around me making my head swim.
"Very good. Now sleep." She whispers as I slip into a cold black nightmare filled sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3 years later*
Let me catch you up to date. For the past 3 years I have bounced from "owner" to "owner." I learned about the dynamics of all demons. I learned how things really worked. My deviser (person who turned me into a demon) Val, was of the Raptore variety. Means she was a bird lady. She turned me into a bird as well. She was an ugly vulture. I am a varlet(dishonest or unprincipled man) crow. In our society different species hold different ranks. Raptore sit somewhere in the middleclass. What we lack in strength we make up for in stealth. When we are owned by someone our job is to observe people and find good treasures. I am a rare Raptore breed. What is a crow better at than finding the shiny? I betrayed Val by catching the eye of a higher specie demon.
A Panthera, cat demon. This guy isn't just a house-cat though. He has Tiger roots. Tigers are faster, more aggressive and stronger than Lions pound for pound. Their coordination and fighting skills are superior as well. What I am saying is, I am currently owned by a beast that no matter how psycho Val is she would never challenge him. In a way he is protecting me. In a very sadistic way. Lately he has been getting more and more touchy. I do my best to stay on his good side. I stay away from him as much as possible but its really hard to do seeing how I am under house arrest. He gets paranoid that I am going to leave and spill his weaknesses. I am apparently the only living* pet that the great and powerful King Befoul has. I didn't ask what happened to the others. After all I conned him into taking me home so I am just getting what I asked for.
"KROW?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Befoul calls for me from somewhere near the doorway. Usually I am waiting at the door when he gets home. I race down the hallway and meet him in the kitchen.
"Welcome home master." I say with a fake smile. I am a shell of a demon. I can kill, steal, haunt and torment all I want to but I can never be whole again. I will never feel pride or joy. I haven't cared about what has happened to me for 3 years and I am not about start now. Befoul grabs my throat and shoves me into the wall. I wince from the impact. He sneers from the pleasure it brought him.
"Why were you late?" He growls at me. A few owners ago this would be where I said something incredibly sarcastic. Maybe he will kill me this time.
"Oh just planning my palace revolution. How ya been?" I taunt. His grip tightens around my throat and his lips curl back. Heh. Oops.
He throws me to the floor. My back hits with a loud thud. My breath is knocked out of me. Befoul pins me down. This might sound awkward but its simply how Panthera fight. The movements are very cat-like. I stare into his feral eyes. To have such emotion in ones eyes... Mine have been a flat black for 3 years. They show nothing. There is just nothing inside of me. I don't resist and I don't fight back. That's when cats get the most violent. The fact that someone so dead inside could have such emotion really crests my anger. That's the only emotion I have left. Anger. It helps me hate myself everyday, today its going to kill me. I spit in his face.
"What happened that made you so twisted and dead inside? Where did your humanity go?" I ask him. All of my fake equanimity is gone. He stays perfectly still and actually thinks about what to do next.
"I will show you." He says with a genuine smile. Then he suddenly jerks my head to the side and bites down hard into my neck. I was not expecting that so I unwillingly let out a scream of agony which only makes him bite harder. Then his hand covers my mouth and I slowly start to suffocate. I resist every instinct to fight back. Black slowly devours my vision until I feel nothing. I pass out again.
~~~~
I slowly wake up. I open my eyes and sit up. Every inch of me aches. I can see my clothes are pretty much drenched in blood. Mine of course. I am sitting on the couch in the living room. I hear a noise upstairs and turn my head out of instinct. I instantly feel a searing pain radiate from my neck/collar bone. I remember the sound of Befouls fangs sinking into my skin. Bleh. I shudder.
None of my bones appear to be broken... I have all my limbs... He didn't cut my hair.. What torture does he have in mind? He certainly isn't the type to be satisfied with beating someone to near death when they aren't even awake to react. Then again I don't really react even when I am awake...
Befoul walks down the stairs. He spots me and freezes. I brace myself for whatever comes next.
Nothing. He is just staring at me.
"Get changed. You are going to learn how I became so twisted." Befoul instructs me. He turns and continues to the kitchen. Ah, for all that is impure and unholy why do I have such a sarcastic mouth?! An old emotion briefly flutters through me.
Fear.
Then it is gone. Things like that make me feel numb. I go and change my clothes, preparing for whatever trials and tribulations await me.
~~~~~~Part 2 Coming Soon!~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a visual of Befoul. Do you know how hard it is to find a picture of a possessive red head?
Glossary: (From here on out I am going to call this "Word me!")
Val for short valkry.
ANIMA (2) f English (Rare)
Means "soul, spirit" in Latin. In Jungian psychology the anima is an individual's true inner self, or soul.
Varlet: Unprincipled or dishonest man
Raptore: Latin for Bird of Prey
Equanimity: mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation:
Crests: to reach the top of something. (I used this word because it also means a comb or tuft of feathers, fur, or skin on the head of a bird or other animal)
Panthera: Latin for Big Cat (Basically......)
Deviser: Creator, maker, author, ect.
Befoul: make dirty; pollute: (I chose this name mostly for the Foul part of it. Befoul gives the proper feel of the character where as if I made a character called Foul I would go a different route because it has a different feel to it. Does that make sense?)
Sadistic: deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others
Tribulations: a cause of great trouble or suffering:
Foul: offensive to the senses, especially through having a disgusting smell or taste or being unpleasantly soiled: Meaning 2: Wicked or Immoral (doesn't that sound like an epic character that you just love to love/hate?)
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
"You're My Alibi"
*Continued in Krow's point of view, don't worry we will return to Soul's soon.*
I hear a car door and that wakes me up. I sit up and rub my eyes.
I had been asleep at a rest station somewhere outside of Anastasia, Florida. I see Soul sitting in the passengers seat, breathing heavily.
"What happened?" I ask concerned. Soul looks at me and smiles timidly.
"No matter what they ask I was here all night!" He says hurriedly.
I stare at him, befuddled. That sort of sounds like an alibi....
A sudden explosion makes me jump! I look around and see a car engulfed in flames on the interstate. It's on the opposite side from us. I glare furiously at Soul. We were supposed to keep our heads down...
"What did you do?!" I yell at him. I am fine with the killing but he didn't have to make such a mess. He reaches up and scratches his head.
"Well you see, you were asleep and I was bored and slightly sleep deprived so I went for a walk. I didn't want to be noticed over here so I went across the road to the other rest station. There were some really noisy people that just rubbed me the wrong way so when they got out of their car I maybe... sorta... did something to it..." He reluctantly admits. I close my eyes and massage the bridge of my nose. This is something I do when I am stressed out. There is another explosion. A fire truck finally gets to the scene and starts putting the fire out. There are cops everywhere. I start my car so that we can leave just as a cop pulls into our station. Dang it.
"Lay down and look like you are asleep." I instruct Soul. He does as I say. I turn my car off and recline my seat and fake sleep. Hopefully they didn't see me turn my Jeep on.
A few moments later I hear a knock on my window.
I roll over and acknowledge the presence of a police officer. I sit up and unzip my window. (My Jeep is a soft top so I can't exactly roll down the window...) I see the officer's eyes linger over Souls "sleeping" body for a moment and then flick back to me.
"Hi there. Did I just wake you boys up?" The officer says. I pretend to rub sleep out of my eyes, though I do still have some in them...
"Yes sir." I respond. I look around to notice the car on fire.
"What happened there?! Is everyone okay?!" I ask, faking shock. This seems to work. The officer takes my surprise as a sign of innocence.
"I don't know the details as of yet. Do you know if the man in the passengers seat was there all night?" He asks suspiciously. Soul was obviously awake now because of all the noise but he had stayed perfectly still. I shrug my shoulders to the officer and reach over and slap Soul upside the head. He sits up and glares at me.
"He wants to know where you were all night." I tell Soul who then stopped glaring at me.
"I was sleeping here." He says a little too fast. The officer slightly arches an eyebrow and looks around the Jeep. Souls shoes were still on which isn't something travelers do and he didn't exactly have bed head. Hopefully the officer wasn't close enough to smell the gasoline....
"Ah, sorry. He is a little shy but I can promise you that he was here all night." I offer to the officer with a knowing smile. He thinks for a moment and then looks a little startled... I wonder what he was thinking I meant?!
"Alright. Well, if you boys didn't see anything suspicious then I guess I will be on my way. Safe travels to you!" He says as he quickly walks away. I feel like I made things awkward though I don't know how... I look back over at Soul. He has his head in his hands and looks depressed....
What did I do? At least I make a convincing Alibi!
This post is mostly fictional, I had nothing to do with that car accident...
This post also features a little fanservice per request :P
I hear a car door and that wakes me up. I sit up and rub my eyes.
I had been asleep at a rest station somewhere outside of Anastasia, Florida. I see Soul sitting in the passengers seat, breathing heavily.
"What happened?" I ask concerned. Soul looks at me and smiles timidly.
"No matter what they ask I was here all night!" He says hurriedly.
I stare at him, befuddled. That sort of sounds like an alibi....
A sudden explosion makes me jump! I look around and see a car engulfed in flames on the interstate. It's on the opposite side from us. I glare furiously at Soul. We were supposed to keep our heads down...
"What did you do?!" I yell at him. I am fine with the killing but he didn't have to make such a mess. He reaches up and scratches his head.
"Well you see, you were asleep and I was bored and slightly sleep deprived so I went for a walk. I didn't want to be noticed over here so I went across the road to the other rest station. There were some really noisy people that just rubbed me the wrong way so when they got out of their car I maybe... sorta... did something to it..." He reluctantly admits. I close my eyes and massage the bridge of my nose. This is something I do when I am stressed out. There is another explosion. A fire truck finally gets to the scene and starts putting the fire out. There are cops everywhere. I start my car so that we can leave just as a cop pulls into our station. Dang it.
"Lay down and look like you are asleep." I instruct Soul. He does as I say. I turn my car off and recline my seat and fake sleep. Hopefully they didn't see me turn my Jeep on.
A few moments later I hear a knock on my window.
I roll over and acknowledge the presence of a police officer. I sit up and unzip my window. (My Jeep is a soft top so I can't exactly roll down the window...) I see the officer's eyes linger over Souls "sleeping" body for a moment and then flick back to me.
"Hi there. Did I just wake you boys up?" The officer says. I pretend to rub sleep out of my eyes, though I do still have some in them...
"Yes sir." I respond. I look around to notice the car on fire.
"What happened there?! Is everyone okay?!" I ask, faking shock. This seems to work. The officer takes my surprise as a sign of innocence.
"I don't know the details as of yet. Do you know if the man in the passengers seat was there all night?" He asks suspiciously. Soul was obviously awake now because of all the noise but he had stayed perfectly still. I shrug my shoulders to the officer and reach over and slap Soul upside the head. He sits up and glares at me.
"He wants to know where you were all night." I tell Soul who then stopped glaring at me.
"I was sleeping here." He says a little too fast. The officer slightly arches an eyebrow and looks around the Jeep. Souls shoes were still on which isn't something travelers do and he didn't exactly have bed head. Hopefully the officer wasn't close enough to smell the gasoline....
"Ah, sorry. He is a little shy but I can promise you that he was here all night." I offer to the officer with a knowing smile. He thinks for a moment and then looks a little startled... I wonder what he was thinking I meant?!
"Alright. Well, if you boys didn't see anything suspicious then I guess I will be on my way. Safe travels to you!" He says as he quickly walks away. I feel like I made things awkward though I don't know how... I look back over at Soul. He has his head in his hands and looks depressed....
What did I do? At least I make a convincing Alibi!
 |
| This was a real car and a real accident that I witnessed while on my research trip to Florida. |
 |
| The entire situation was true (except the me having something to do with it part) This picture was taken just as one of the tires exploded. The glowing orb is the extra flame puff from the sudden burst of air. |
This post is mostly fictional, I had nothing to do with that car accident...
This post also features a little fanservice per request :P
Sunday, April 3, 2016
Road Trip
The current time is 2:37 A.M. and my "travel buddy" is asleep. We ended up leaving astonishingly late because Soul is a procrastinator.
He waited until the last minute to try and find a pet sitter for Nix. Obviously we couldn't find one so now there is a cat getting fur all over the back seat of my Jeep.
I reach over and tug on his sleeve until he wakes up. He repositions himself so that he is sitting more upright. He turns and glares at me.
"What do you want?" He asks.
"I want to sleep but that's not gonna happen. Sit up and suffer with me." I say determined.
Soul sits up and plays with the radio until he finds a station he likes.
"What the heck?!" I say. You just don't play with a mans radio.
"If I am going to stay up with you I am going to need music, and not that crap that you usually listen to." He says while yawning.
The radio settles down on some soft rock. Alright. I wont fight about that.
I smile to myself because I know the truth.
As far as he knows we are on an tropical killing spree to Florida and his first trip to the beach. While in reality he is going to help me kill a low rank demon that has been causing my owner some trouble. I think he would help if I told him the truth but he might start asking questions and I can't have that.
Soul brings me back to the current situation when he starts singing along to a song on the radio. How to describe this... I think a dying cay would sound better.
"Fresher, like its the first semester. Rock it like Queen when I'm under pressure while the rest of these cats, all siesta, get loose like change when its on your dresser" Soul is singing/rapping along with the radio. I can't help but to laugh. He glares at me.
"What? You think you can do better?" He challenges me. I lick my lips and wait for the next verse, which happens to be faster.
"Explosion
Take it like rust corrosion When it goes in GOOSH like you bust a nose in
Competitors
I was born to set it off
They wrapped me in cloth
I grabbed a mic and went on tour
Smash it, Back in school I was a hazard Cause I never saw the glass, Man, I just looked past it Had a passion that burned like battery acid Peter Parker, bit by some radioactive." I stop there and breath in practically gasping.
Once I catch my breath I look over at Soul and I was expecting him to be laughing but he is totally straight faced with a look of admiration. This face scares me.
"What- is that look for?" I ask, still out of breath. He gets a crazy grin on his face.
"I have a great idea." He says as he digs out his MP3 player. Oh no.... He hooks it up to my stereo system and turns to some crazy music that I have never heard before.
"What is this crap?" I ask, casting questioning glances at him. He looks a little embarrassed.
"K-pop. To be more specific the song that's about to come on is "Fantastic Baby" by Big Bang. It was something I took in place of someones soul. They offered me an experience and it certainly is.." He says, his voice trailing off. The music starts and its some techno tune that is sort of catchy. The lyrics start and they are in some other language... K-pop.. Korean pop music.. Now I get why he looked embarrassed. Here and there I catch some English words mixed in.
"I can't, Baby don't stop!" The radio plays. My eyes widen in surprise and suddenly I feel like I am listening to something a little risqué...
"Mama, just let me be your lover" The radio continues to corrupt my ears. I drive on with wide eyes and fight the powerful urge to laugh. The song is final over and Soul turns to look at me.
"What do you think of K-pop? I think that would be a fun karaoke battle." He states. I consider the route that I can take comment wise though I really don't want to tick him off because this is a long ride and would be awful if we weren't on good terms. I finally decide what I will say. I turn and look at him, steeling myself, and say
"Wow, Fantastic Baby.".
".............."Soul goes wide eyed and silent. His face gets slightly red but I can't really tell because of the darkness outside.
"..............?" I remain silent with a questioning air...
"Whatever, just go back to sleep." I say trying to erase the past 20 minutes. Soul bursts out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! Oh my gosh! You are a dork! I love it! Haha.." He squeals in delight. I smile to myself. Geez... That could have been a lot worse.
Dear Readers,
Here at The Life of Soul Thief we have had some serious problems going on behind the scenes and that caused a delay on the second half of this chapter. I promise to deliver sometime before next Sunday so don't worry.
Thank you for reading and enticing my murderous mind :)
~Soul
LYRIC LINKS
Read more: Thousand Foot Krutch - Down Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Read more: Thousand Foot Krutch - Down Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Word me!
Tropical:
The tropics are a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator
(Courtesy of Bing search engine)
Astonishingly:
extremely surprisingly or impressively: (used in place of incredibly)
Steel: mentally prepare (oneself) to do or face something difficult
He waited until the last minute to try and find a pet sitter for Nix. Obviously we couldn't find one so now there is a cat getting fur all over the back seat of my Jeep.
I reach over and tug on his sleeve until he wakes up. He repositions himself so that he is sitting more upright. He turns and glares at me.
"What do you want?" He asks.
"I want to sleep but that's not gonna happen. Sit up and suffer with me." I say determined.
Soul sits up and plays with the radio until he finds a station he likes.
"What the heck?!" I say. You just don't play with a mans radio.
"If I am going to stay up with you I am going to need music, and not that crap that you usually listen to." He says while yawning.
The radio settles down on some soft rock. Alright. I wont fight about that.
I smile to myself because I know the truth.
As far as he knows we are on an tropical killing spree to Florida and his first trip to the beach. While in reality he is going to help me kill a low rank demon that has been causing my owner some trouble. I think he would help if I told him the truth but he might start asking questions and I can't have that.
Soul brings me back to the current situation when he starts singing along to a song on the radio. How to describe this... I think a dying cay would sound better.
"Fresher, like its the first semester. Rock it like Queen when I'm under pressure while the rest of these cats, all siesta, get loose like change when its on your dresser" Soul is singing/rapping along with the radio. I can't help but to laugh. He glares at me.
"What? You think you can do better?" He challenges me. I lick my lips and wait for the next verse, which happens to be faster.
"Explosion
Take it like rust corrosion When it goes in GOOSH like you bust a nose in
Competitors
I was born to set it off
They wrapped me in cloth
I grabbed a mic and went on tour
Smash it, Back in school I was a hazard Cause I never saw the glass, Man, I just looked past it Had a passion that burned like battery acid Peter Parker, bit by some radioactive." I stop there and breath in practically gasping.
Once I catch my breath I look over at Soul and I was expecting him to be laughing but he is totally straight faced with a look of admiration. This face scares me.
"What- is that look for?" I ask, still out of breath. He gets a crazy grin on his face.
"I have a great idea." He says as he digs out his MP3 player. Oh no.... He hooks it up to my stereo system and turns to some crazy music that I have never heard before.
"What is this crap?" I ask, casting questioning glances at him. He looks a little embarrassed.
"K-pop. To be more specific the song that's about to come on is "Fantastic Baby" by Big Bang. It was something I took in place of someones soul. They offered me an experience and it certainly is.." He says, his voice trailing off. The music starts and its some techno tune that is sort of catchy. The lyrics start and they are in some other language... K-pop.. Korean pop music.. Now I get why he looked embarrassed. Here and there I catch some English words mixed in.
"I can't, Baby don't stop!" The radio plays. My eyes widen in surprise and suddenly I feel like I am listening to something a little risqué...
"Mama, just let me be your lover" The radio continues to corrupt my ears. I drive on with wide eyes and fight the powerful urge to laugh. The song is final over and Soul turns to look at me.
"What do you think of K-pop? I think that would be a fun karaoke battle." He states. I consider the route that I can take comment wise though I really don't want to tick him off because this is a long ride and would be awful if we weren't on good terms. I finally decide what I will say. I turn and look at him, steeling myself, and say
"Wow, Fantastic Baby.".
".............."Soul goes wide eyed and silent. His face gets slightly red but I can't really tell because of the darkness outside.
"..............?" I remain silent with a questioning air...
"Whatever, just go back to sleep." I say trying to erase the past 20 minutes. Soul bursts out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! Oh my gosh! You are a dork! I love it! Haha.." He squeals in delight. I smile to myself. Geez... That could have been a lot worse.
Dear Readers,
Here at The Life of Soul Thief we have had some serious problems going on behind the scenes and that caused a delay on the second half of this chapter. I promise to deliver sometime before next Sunday so don't worry.
Thank you for reading and enticing my murderous mind :)
~Soul
LYRIC LINKS
Read more: Thousand Foot Krutch - Down Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Read more: Thousand Foot Krutch - Down Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Word me!
Tropical:
"a tropical rain forest"
- resembling the tropics, especially in being very hot and humid
(Courtesy of Bing search engine)
Astonishingly:
extremely surprisingly or impressively: (used in place of incredibly)
Steel: mentally prepare (oneself) to do or face something difficult
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