Thursday, May 21, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
On and On - Update 1
Dawn breaks upon the clouds, upon the mountains, upon the fields. Illumination of all is such a sight for eyes as sore as these. It brings out the beauty in this already peaceful landscape, supplementing its natural splendour. I soak it in for what it’s worth; alas my time for enjoying such a splendid sight is heart wrenchingly short. For this morning, the sun rises to greet a grave man. My eyes wish not to be deprived once more of the warm sunlight, yet it is necessary if I am to live through the day. The glare is now absent from my face, as I stand with my back to the sun, and stare onward towards the opposing land, towards the impending journey.
Treacherous as the road ahead may seem, I must go on, lest I wish for the worst. Even death may be more forgiving than the fate that awaits me, for at least in death will my misery be put to an end. My mind wanders to such topics, yet I want not to think about it. And so I shall not as long as my mind is so kind as to not wander. The task at hand is not so difficult as it is to take a step, yet the peril lies not in the step itself, but in the place in which it is taken. My feet begin to find their way around the rocky hillside, slipping on the odd occasion, nervously hoping that the next move will not be the last.
It seems to be without end, yet I keep the knowledge close to my heart, that the end is much nearer than at first it seems. Each foothold struggles to bear my weight; they tremble, wishing that I would not have stepped there. But still they hold, even as I continue my descent of what may be the steepest hill that I have ever had the misfortune to traverse. I would fear for my life, if I wasn’t so sure that my life may already be gone. Even so I continue, always down, and always cautious.
The descent is approaching its end, and as glad as I may be to have survived, I don’t think my mood will improve greatly, unless the landscape proves to be less hazardous up ahead. I begin to doubt that things will get any easier as my weary eyes are greeted by a foreboding wall of evergreens. The brush is thick as the light now shining high above my head is bright, not giving much relief to my troubled mind. I would consider moving around the great forest, but it is just that. It expands as far as any man may see, but not just on either side, as it certainly stretches out a far distance in front of myself.
Surely a great many things call such a place home, and just as sure am I that many of those things would be happy to make my existence more difficult then it need be. Despite my fears of those that lurk within, I must pass through this forest, tremendous as it is. The branches wish not to be disturbed, yet I answer not to their will.
Stench of Decay - Update 1
“Come on baby. Turn over!” Lightening lit up the rainy sky, casting shadows about the parking lot. Suddenly my car roared to life with a loud bang. “See, I knew you could do it!” I whispered, affectionately stroking the dashboard. I sat there a moment, waiting for the engine to warm up, before throwing the car into drive and progressing towards the street. Looking both ways, I noticed that the streets were awfully empty for that time of night. Although that didn’t bother me much, not much did these days. I turned off to the right, heading in the direction of my street.
Every other part of town seemed to be just as dead as it was back at the mall. Maybe they’ve put another curfew into effect, I thought to myself. Now the emptiness of the town was starting to bother me, so much so that I almost drove past my house. The brakes screeched as the car came to a halt in front of the driveway. Feeling a little lightheaded, I parked my car, stumbled up the walkway, and knocked on the door. I stood there for a few seconds before remembering that I lived by myself now. Now feeling a little stupid I rummaged around in my pockets looking for the keys. Once I had the door unlocked, I pushed it open and threw my sopping wet jacket in the closet. Good thing it’s Friday, I thought tiredly, and slumped down on the couch.
It felt good to relax for a moment, instead of worrying about life. Suddenly I got the urge to turn on the TV, so I grabbed the remote and did just that. I expected to see the usual as it flickered on, but instead I was greeted by static. Flipping through the channels, I saw that everything was down. I did find it strange that the cable went out before the power, but I didn’t take too much notice in that, I was just too tired. I turned the TV off and shuffled upstairs. Too tired to even change my clothes, I collapsed onto my bed, fully clothed. Fortunately, I was not plagued by insomnia that night and was able to fall asleep within seconds of closing my eyes. Although before I drifted off I could’ve sworn I heard gunshots in the distance.
The bright light of noon greeted my vision as I awoke from an uncomfortable sleep. I wiped the numerous beads of sweat away from my forehead, and got to my feet. Soon the stinging smell of smoke came to my attention. Out the window dark, grey smoke was billowing around the only thing visible, a crashed mini-van. What the hell is going on? My mind began to race as I hurried downstairs. Throwing open the front door, chaos was evident throughout the street. Dozens of abandoned vehicles littered the street, and more than a few had collided with one another. People’s belongings were also scattered up and down the road, as if they were no longer important. Now I could smell more than just smoke, the smell was faint, yet horrid; nearly as bad as to induce vomiting.
I had been standing in the doorway in shock, until I remembered the mini-van. Sprinting bare-foot towards the vehicle, a slumped form soon became visible through a hazy window. Immediately after reaching the vehicle, I grabbed the handle, and pulled. A woman in her late-twenties tumbled from the front seat, landing in my arms. “Hello? Are you alright?” I asked, as I laid her on the ground. There was no response, not a single sound. Deciding it was best not to leave her out here, I carried her back to my house, closing and locking the door on the way in.
Not knowing what exactly to do, I gently put her on the couch and ran upstairs to get a blanket. The closet in the hall was filled with junk, so I just grabbed the comforter off my bed and ran back downstairs, nearly tripping over my own feet on the way down. Before throwing the blanket over top of her I checked for any visible injuries, none of which I found, other than a few minor bruises and cuts. I placed a pillow under her head, and sat on the coffee table, trying to think.
Nothing like this had ever happened before, although I still don’t know exactly what is happening, it must be bad. We had seen a few bad floods, as well as some horrendous snow storms, but this is different. Those were natural disasters, this is something else. For one, I’ve been hearing gunshots, and last time I checked, bullets won’t stop a storm. But the gunshots aren’t the only abnormal sounds. I keep hearing this sound, almost like the wind whistling through the trees, but I have a feeling it’s more than that. It seems to be coming from all directions, and slowly closing in. Although I keep wondering, what if it’s just getting louder?
A great knock shook my front door. It seemed as if the door would fall off its hinges. A muffled shout accompanied the knock, although it was nearly inaudible, the fear in it was easily discernible. I ran to the door, and peered through the peephole. A large man in his mid-thirties was staring back at me, yet I could also see a young girl out of the corner of my eye. Their faces carried a frantic expression, and I saw nothing but fear in their eyes. I was in the process of reaching for the deadbolt, when the girl turned her head and screamed. The man turned looked as well, his expression changed and became one of utter terror. He stared for a few seconds before lifting the girl up, and hurrying away, the soles of his shoes slamming on the pavement.
That was when I noticed that he wasn’t the only person running. There were three people chasing the man, although they ran clumsily, almost as if they could barely control their movements. Not only this, but they had a ragged, beaten look to them. And so I stood at the peephole and watched. Watched as these ragged people caught up to the man, as they grabbed and tugged at him. He yelled and swung at them, trying to fight them off, and all the while, the girl screamed. The girl managed to break free and run, but the man still struggled against his captors. Soon I could no longer hear the cries of the girl, for the man’s screaming overcame them. It was an ear-splitting, inhuman sound, a sound which I will remember for as long as I live.
I cursed, as I looked away. It was more than I wanted to see. More than I wanted to know. Yet the image will be engraved in my mind for just as long as the screams that accompanied it. Despite what I had seen, I still hadn’t the slightest idea about what was going on. It made no sense, none of it did. It could be an invading foreign army, or maybe a terrorist attack, either way I wasn’t going to sit there and find out. I rushed upstairs, and stepped into my room. I had to rummage through some junk before I found an old backpack, and began to fill it with clothes. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I wasn’t going to stay here.
Stomping down stairs, I grabbed my damp jacket out of the closet and walked back into the living room. I looked around for anything else I might need, and my eyes eventually came to rest on the unconscious woman. She hadn’t moved since I put her down, and I didn’t know if she would be moving anytime soon. Unfortunately, this was a problem. I didn’t want to leave her here, although I didn’t want to stay here with her either. I was going to have to try and wake her up, or drag her unconscious body out to the car. So I tried waking her, as I didn’t want to attempt dragging her out there with those ragged people out there.
I walked over to the couch and sat down, making sure I didn’t sit on her. She really looked out of it, so much so that I didn’t think I was going to be able to wake her. I reached over and grabbed her arm, surprisingly that’s all it took. She sat up and looked around, not paying attention to me. After a while, she turned to look at me. She looked almost drunk, or at the very least extremely confused. “What happened…?” She rubbed her eyes, cringing.
“Well, other than the crash…I’m not sure.”
“Crash?” She looked doubtful, although I don’t blame her.
“Yeah, looks like you totaled your van out front there.”
“Oh…Who are you?”
“I’m Daniel. I think I may have saved your life. And you?”
“Jessica. And…thanks.”
“No problem.” I looked out the window, as I said it. I checked for any signs of life, or at least for signs of the ragged people. “Listen, we gotta get out of here. Something’s happened, I don’t know what, but it’s not good, and we can’t stay here.”
“Well…alright. But I don’t have anything with me.” Again she looked doubtful.
“That’s fine. We can just stop at your house on the way to…where ever…”
“Okay, fine.”
I stood up and walked towards the door. I turned around and asked, “You coming?” as I picked up my bag, and slung it across my back. Without a word, she threw the blanket aside and stood up. “I guess I am.” Turning once more I placed my hand on the knob, and waited until she was close behind. I looked at her, and then turned the knob. The door swung open with the loud creak of rusty hinges, the motion of which was followed by an eerie silence. Jessica stood there, staring at the madness outside, not sure of what see was seeing. I placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump and snapping her out of the daze she was in. “Come on.” She looked at me and nodded. Looking both ways, I ran down the stairs and across my front lawn, towards my car.
Everything looked as it had before, except the ragged people had taken the man, and all that remained of their presence was a large amount of blood and gore. I shivered, as I opened the passenger side door, things were looking worse by the second. I ran around to the driver’s side and jumped inside. I slammed my door, and shoved the key into the ignition. Hesitating for only a second, I turned the key. The engine rolled over, and I was thinking it wasn’t going to start. Yet I was surprised once again to see it star up on the first try. The mirrors looked to be good, so I threw the car into drive, turned the wheel, and stepped on the gas pedal. The vehicle crept forward, at an intentionally slow rate. I didn’t want to crash into the other cars strewn about the road. “Where’s your house at?”
“King Avenue.”
“Alright.” I returned my focus back to driving.
We made it to the end of the street before we saw anything different. Which is unfortunate, I was hoping that we wouldn’t see anything different. What we did see, was more ragged people, although I doubt these were the same ones. They were all hunched over, doing something, I’m not sure what. All I know is that there was a lot of blood, something that I don’t care much to see a lot of. I tried driving slower, to stop them from noticing, but it didn’t work. One of them turned his head, he had something in his mouth, and nearly his entire face was dripping with fresh blood.
Jessica’s face looked frozen with fear, and I’m not sure mine looked much different. I didn’t think I would be able to move at all, but I somehow managed to stomp on the gas pedal. The tires screamed on the pavement, and the car flew forward. Maybe this was a bad idea, I thought to myself, as the angry faces of the ragged people flashed by the car window. We were still speeding forward, and I hadn’t the nerve to look back. But I did remember to check the street names as we drove by. Finally we came upon King Avenue, and I took a hard right turn onto the street. We slid sideways, and Jessica screamed, I had a horrible feeling that the car was going to flip.
We came to a dead stop, looking down the road. Once again the car crept forward, and we proceeded down the street, which happened to look similar to many of the other streets we had seen. Soon we came to an apartment building, and she told me to stop. “I thought you said you live in a house?”
“Well…I meant apartment. Sorry.”
“That may be a bit of a problem. But I guess we’ll just have to find out for ourselves.”
“What do you mean?”
“You saw those people back there, right?
“Yeah…”
“Well, it’s just that there are probably more of those people, and there’s a good chance that some of them are in there.”
“I see…” She sat in her seat, looking thoughtful.
“But who knows? Maybe I’m just paranoid.”
“Maybe.” She nodded, but I don’t think she believed that.
“Let’s take a look then.” I reached out and pressed a button on door. The locks clicked, and I reached for the door handle. She looked at me, then opened her door. We both got out, and made our way up to the main entrance. She already had her keys ready, so she put them in the lock and turned, while I prepared to throw the doors open. She looked at me, and I said, “You ready?” She nodded, as I pulled the door open. I hope I don’t regret this, was all I could think.
It was nearly pitch black inside, at least it would be if there hadn’t been a flickering fluorescent tube secured to the centre of the lobby’s ceiling. There were other light fixtures on the walls, but the majority had either been smashed, or no longer worked. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go further, especially considering that the walls were covered with what I can only assume to be blood. Although I’m sure I wasn’t the only one with second thoughts. I took a step into the lobby, and Jessica followed, the double doors swinging shut behind us. I took another step, and my foot landed on something soft. It made a sickening squelch as my body-weight shifted.
I cringed at the sound, hoping it was anything, but what I thought it was. Jessica didn’t seem to notice, she had that dazed look on her face again. It seemed that despite all that had happened, she was somehow surprised. Or maybe it was something else? A scream split the silence, as a blurred figure rushed towards her. It was on top of her in what appeared to be a mere fraction of a second, before I had even, truly realized what was happening. It’s snapping jaws inched their way towards her throat, as I ran to help. Acting on sheer adrenaline, I brought my foot back, and kicked in its direction. My foot hit the thing squarely in the forehead, knocking it off to the side.
It now lay on its back, struggling to get back on its feet. I hurried over to it, looked into its face, and saw the rage engraved in its face. It made a low moaning sound just before I brought my foot down on its face. Again, and again, my foot made contact, filling the room with the sound of breaking bones, and tearing flesh. Even after it ceased to writhe about, was I compelled to continue pummeling the ragged person. Only after I remembered Jessica, did I come back to my senses. She was still laying on the floor, looking as if she was in shock. Please don’t be dead, I didn’t know if I could make it alone.
“Are you alright?” I asked running to her side.
“I think so…” She was looking herself over, checking for wounds I assume.
“Good.” I reached my hand out to her, and she took it. Helping her up, I made sure she wasn’t bitten. Fortunately she seemed to be fine, and so I turned back to examine the room further. There were two elevators directly across from the main entrance, and a door, that looked to be leading to the stairs, nearby. I didn’t feel like finding out what was in either of the elevators, so I walked in the direction of the stairs.
“Which floor do you live on?”
“The third.”
“Alright, we’re gonna take the stairs then.”
“That’s fine with me.” She was right behind me the entire time, or so it seemed. After glancing at her once more over my shoulder, I placed my hand on the door knob and turned. A rather large staircase was waiting behind the door, and Jessica began to ascend it after slipping past me, through the door. Silence was broken only by the clicking of her shoes upon the stairs, and still things had never seemed quieter. She stopped in front of what must have been the third door we came to, and there she waited until I caught up. This time she opened the door and proceeded down the empty hallway. Everything looked to be as clean as ever, quite unlike the lobby downstairs.
We walked for only a few minutes, before we came to her apartment, number three hundred twenty-seven.
Unnamed - Update 1
Desperation lies within his heart, as he bounds down the alley. Not so much fearing for his life, as it is not a kind one, but fearing his capture, as it may be soon to come. The streets are much kinder to a wretch such as him, than a false correctional institute willing to do worse than just kill him. And so his shoes slapped against the wet pavement, and his shoulders shrugged off the curtain of rain that hung around him as a shroud. The whooping of a helicopter's blades filled the air with sound, seemingly in an attempt to drown out the not too distant police sirens. He was sure he could escape unnoticed, as he had many a time before, although this time he had left behind a corpse. A soon to be rotting corpse, that belonged to a young woman. She had been in her mid-twenties and alone, with her blonde hair, blue eyes, and expensive clothing, he had thought her to be as good a victim as any, perhaps more so.
Her purse was slung over her shoulder, hanging by a spaghetti strap. The soles of his shoes had made no noise, as he crept up the sidewalk behind her. His hand reached for her purse, and closed around the strap. She turned around, and looked into his face. Trembling, she reached for something, it later turned out to be pepper spray, but at the moment he assumed the worst. He unholstered the 9 mm pistol hidden in his jacket. The appearance of the weapon did nothing to falter her. And so the first shot rang out. That's all it would've taken, but he couldn't stop there. He fired again, and again, each shot throwing the woman around like a rag doll. Soon she lay on the ground, and he stood, holding the empty firearm. Blood lust shook him, he knew not why, yet the urge for murder was so strong. His breath came in short, shallow gasps, as if he was struggling to breathe. His eyes looked about the grisly scene, seeing it as something not so unusual. And his mind raced, for murder was not commonplace in his line of work, yet there was no panic, no regret, no sadness. In fact he was unsure of whether he was even capable of feeling anymore. He tucked the weapon back into its holster, reached down, and lifted the purse from the fresh corpse.
And so the sirens sounded, whirring in the distant night. They were soon accompanied by the helicopter, although he didn't know if it was really necessary. He was almost out of the alley, and into the street. His heart pounding, and his lungs working, he looked around the street, looking to blend in. Unfortunately for him, people tended to steer clear of this area, especially at night. With no one else around but him, he was beginning to become less sure of his escape. The cold streetlights cast a gloomy light upon the street, as the rain continued to pour down from the heavens, and as the police continued to inch ever closer. He sprinted, almost slid, across the wet pavement, trying his luck with the other various alleyways, thinking that perhaps he could find a dark place, sit there, and hide from his ever so persistent pursuers.
He was nearly as weary as he was drenched by the rain, yet he couldn't slow progress now. They were still looking, still watching, waiting for him to slip up. The sirens, and the chopper seemed to have gotten much fainter, from what he could tell, but still he couldn't be sure. All this noise over a few gunshots had him a little spooked. Perhaps he was more notorious than he had previously thought, or maybe it was just bad luck. The wind had begin to pick up, but he hadn't noticed. It wasn't until the helicopter was right above him, and the rain began to whip around his body, that he noticed. A bright spotlight clicked on, and he became illuminated. No longer cloaked by darkness, he finally began to panic. He ran out into the street, not bothering to think. Still the light shone upon him, and whooping blared in his ears. He looked back, and saw the chopper, descending upon him as a raven would a worm. He heard a faint whoosh of air, felt a force upon his back, and soon saw nothing but the inside of his eyelids.
His eyes flickered open, only to shut once more against the light. He blinked at an almost constant rate, his eyes still adjusting. Eventually he was able to make out something, a bulb hanging from the ceiling, which hung almost right in front of his face. As he tried to remove his face from the light, pain shot up his back. He winced, the pain was not constant, instead it appeared only upon him moving. And so he sat, moving as little as possible, while still trying to examine the room. Only now did he notice the ropes binding his wrists together behind the uncomfortable wooden chair upon which he sat. He also saw that the floor was covered in a rust coloured substance, one which looked awfully familiar. But that's all he could see, as the walls, if there were any, were bathed in darkness too great to see through.
It was strange that a light so seemly bright, would uncover such a small area, the light could barely illuminate him in his entirety. What was stranger yet, was that he was even in such a strange place. He hadn't the slightest idea of what had occurred after the blackness, as that's all that seemed to proceed his memories of the helicopter. He thought maybe he had been shot, although it must have not been regular ammunition, or else he would have more than likely died on the spot. Probably a tranquilizer of some sort, they obviously wanted him alive. But why him? He wasn't so special, at least that's what he thought. Maybe they knew something he didn't, although he didn't know much of anything anymore. He could only sit there, in that strange room, and wait for something to happen.
