The Greenthorpe Saga

[The SlaYeR]

Yes, it is. Let's hope she comes here to check on the story sometime soon.

[n0]

< Slay3

[The SlaYeR]

I think we should skip Ducky for now as it seems she has lost interest in this little project or is busy elsewhere, that makes it DD's turn.

:lori:

[Coppertop]

FYI, I don't have internet access at home right now, so I'm on VERY RARELY. If I'm not around when my turn comes around, I apologize right now, and you may skip me. I still want to participate in this, so hopefully I'll get internet soon.

[n0]

And DD's currently banned... who's next?

[FQuist]

DD could always PM her take to someone.

[The SlaYeR]

Seeing as how nobody else volunteered I will take the next turn... "And then there was one."

[Alister]

SlaYo has asked me to update the story page, which I am currently doing. He has also asked me to fix a small continuity error in an early chapter of his. If anyone else would like any corrections made, please say.

[The SlaYeR]

Louie stared out of his bedroom window over the sleeping village below.
´An insight in the cult of Narash´ was resting in his lap. His hand rested between page 73 and 74.
Ever since Tobias had ´moved on´ a term he preferred over dead he had absorbed the knowledge of the vast amounts of books his father had left him.
His eyes moved over the pages but he could not focus tonight.
It had been five years since the death of Tobias.
He put the book down on the nightstand and stood up to take a look at himself in the cracked mirror against the rear wall.
Louie was wearing his dusty, old dinner jacket which felt a little tighter since the last time he had worn it.
He had kept up his extensive training and his slender figure had grown fuller as he had gained quite a bit of muscle.
His journey over the past few years had been an interesting one. The piles of book and his many hours of training had prevented him from losing his mind.
He had blocked Estella from his thoughts and had made peace with the death of his parents.
Dead was a natural part of life. He brushed the dust off of his black jacket that matched his black pants, laced with a purple line of silk.
The silver buttons on his coat had not lost their shimmer and he buttoned up the final button closest to his chin and seemed content for he walked out of the room for a private moment with an old friend.

He entered the mausoleum moments later. After a quick glance at his mothers grave he turned his head to the wooden coffin he had carefully crafted with his own two paws.
The words ´Here lies Tobias Crane, mentor and friend´ were etched into the dark wood with much precision.
It had costs him close to a day to make his friends final resting place, the man who had thaught him so much, yet left him with so many questions.
He stepped outside and left the door ajar for a moment to think of whether he would go inside for a longer visit or walk back to the house.
He settled with the second and pulled the iron door shut before making his way back through the overgrown bushes that once carried white roses.
As his feet moved over the dry and brown leaves he thought he noticed something in the corner of his eyes and quickly turned around, both fangs and his claws bared.
He shook his head when he saw his own shadow staring back at him, but with a frown of disbelief he realized there was no light source to produce a shadow this vivid.
The shadow crawled out of the ground, rose up and stood face to blank, transparent face with Louie who was searching for words.
A soft "What the..." was all he could manage.
The shadow had the same size and build as him but lacked a face even though he was able to produce noises.
It seemed almost comical. "My, what a rush." It said after finally confirming to itself that it was indeed able to talk.
Louie reached out his hand which was absorbed within the gasiform of the creature, he yanked it back and a small cloud of a gas like substance moved back in place.
"Yah, it's nice to meet you as well kid, where the heck are we?" Louie's shadow scratched his butt and walked towards the entrance of the mansion.
"Classy, very classy. Nice place you've got here." The voice was a ridiculous mixture of gruff and wacky, not half as wacky as the way in which the character moved and looked at the unfamiliar surroundings however.
Louie noticed he wanted to enter the mansion and walked after him, he made a motion to grab his shoulder but realized this would be rather futile.
"I can't remember inviting you in?" Louie noted, but the shadow just laughed and waved his comment away with a flick of his transparent wrist.
"Neither can I." It said as it walked through the door.
Louie ran after him and saw it slowly float into the drawing room where it took place on the piano bench.
"You could at least tell me who you are." Louie told him while the shadow mimicked playing the piano, his fingers not being able to touch the keys.
"I guess I could." It seemed to look up at him and if it had eyes it would look right into his. "I am you."
Louie had the feeling several things were coming back to it's memory all at once.
"I'm what you've left behind actually. The newborn you've left on a doorstep somewhere out there in the cold."
It pointed it's shady finger at the window, the weather outside was cold and gloomy.
The shadow stood up and walked over to Louie. "I can see you are confused." It said "Let me make things a little clearer for you."
It punched Louie in the face and sent him flying into the brick fireplace. His head smacked against the red stones and a dizzy feeling overcame him.

"Is it clear to you now?" It shouted. "I am what you should be, I am the feelings you've put aside for so long and I am here to stay."
Louie was bleeding from the back of his head and from a deep cut in the side of his face, just underneath his left eye he searched for words "This is not possible, you are a mere figment of my imagination. I've just been alone too long again. Leave fiend!"
He closed his eyes and repeatedly stated the fact to himself that he was not crazy.
Louie opened his eyes again and the shadow was gone.
He sighed in relief and tried to push himself back onto his feet.
"You did not think it would be this easy did you?" A whisper and a gush of cold wind descended from the chimney.
Before he knew it he received kicks and punches from every side and he realized he was no match for this creature, he could not hit it because it did not have a physical body. Minutes that seemed like hours crept by and after what seemed like forever the being stopped and took place again on the stool behind the piano.
It played a macabre tune as Louie reached for his chest. His eyes were swollen, his body black and blue and he was missing several teeth, including one of his canines.
"Trust me boy, Tobias was a bad man. A very evil man that wanted to take your true nature away from you." His mothers voice spoke out to him.
The shadow walked over to Louie and stroked his cheek as it's physique changed in that of the beautiful young woman Louie had known years ago. "I'm here baby. Everything will get better now. Do you remember the good old days? You and me devouring a villager by candlelight?" Estella's voice soothed him. She was back and she was here with him.
Louie's shadow portraying Estella planted a kiss on his forehead and took Louie's head in it's hands. "Would you like to go back to the days of yore, love?"
For a moment Estella looked him in the eyes and wanted to cry out and shout "Yes!!" if that would mean she'd stay here, but he thought of Tobias and the many hours of mental training his tutor had pulled him through and the spell his shadow had cast on him was broken.
"No, I'd rather die again." Louie said and he spitted blood right through the transparent face in front of him.
With a sharp crack Louie's neck was snapped and he sank down to the ground.

He woke up the next day and was firmly tied to a metal pipe in the basement of the mansion with the shadow patiently waiting in front of him.
"Good morning sunshine. I realize we got off on the wrong foot and I apologize for this." It spoke in it's own voice, it seemed less rough and more soothing.
"Well, untie me and I will try and find it in my heart to forgive you." He said, trying to hide his fear with the sarcasm in his voice.
The shadow laughed and opened the drawer in an old abandoned desk that once belonged to his father.
"You mean this old thing?" He said and he pulled out Louie's heart and pushed it in his face.
Louie suppressed the urge to vomit as he looked down at the scar in his chest.
"Don't worry pal, I'm just borrowing it." The shadow sat down theatrically and brought the heart up to the hight of his hostage's eyes. He sighed and shook his head. "What use is it to you anymore? You are a vampire, you do not need this old thing."
He walked back to Louie and jammed the heart into his chest, he pulled his hand back and blood seeped over the dusty floor.
"Now, there are a couple of things we have to go over. And I would kindly suggest you behave this time or I'll take something else away that actually has some life left in it."
It reached down between his legs and squeezed him hard in the testes. "Alright, I'll listen." Louie hissed between his teeth.
"I would like you to forget all about Tobias." Louie's shadow asked if it was a simple request. "He has brainwashed you into believing you are something you are not."
"And that is?" Louie asked, careful not to upset his new 'friend'.
"One of the good guys, you are rather dimwitted are you not?" He tightened his grip on Louie's sack.
Louie grind his teeth together because he knew what was about to come would be the most painful experience in his life.
"Go to hell." He grumbled but the pain did not come. The shadow let go and left the room.
He did not return for several days and it was not long before Louie realized what was going on.
"Give me something to eat now. Get down here or I'll kill you." He shouted again and again.
He was being punished for his betrayal to his own killer instinct.
A vampire was a wicked beast by itself, but deprived of food it was a thousand times worse.
His mouth foamed on the fourth day of hunger and his eyes were blood red.
The shadow had thought it was time to check up on his corporal self.
"I have brought you something my friend." He dragged a young girl in with him, they young maiden was bound and gagged and he threw her on the floor in front of Louie's feet.
Muffled screams escaped her lips. There was terror in her big eyes and salty tears ran down her cheek.
Louie sniffed the prey but fought hard to resist the temptation and turned his face away from her.
"Come on, champ. Have a nibble." The shadows face changed into Louie's own and he winked at him. "Just one little bite, you know we want it. Look at her, isn't she beautiful?"
Louie gave in to his cravings and fed on innocent blood. He gulped it down, all of it until there was no more...

[The SlaYeR]

Michelle and Tony were standing outside of the small cottage with their hands in the raised in the air.
The people of the village had gathered around to look at the sheer force of the policemen since not a whole lot happened in this town and this excitement made for a welcome change.
One mother pulled back her son who wanted to take a closer look at the weapons the police officers were carrying.
"If I have to warn you one more time you are going straight home." She squeezed his earlobe in discipline. "Do you hear me?" She added and the boy nodded his head remaining quiet for the remainder of this spectacle.
"Where are you taking us?" Tony demanded to know after he was pushed into the back of the small hovering vehicle.
The turtle that had arrested them let out a heartily laugh and yelled to his colleagues. "Hey guys, listen to this one. He demands to know what we do with political prisoners around here."
He was quickly joined in a round of laughs. "You two have won yourselves a luxurious holiday to Castle Neverberg."
Tony looked at Michelle for an explanation but she did not dare to meet his eyes. "Rest a little." She told him as the car drove off.
He took a look outside of his window wondering what was to become of them now.

Alexander took another drag from his pipe as he leaned against a rock overlooking the camp they had set up for the night.
It was not much but it would provide them with the necessary protection from wild animals. Alexander would stay awake because he knew wild animals weren't the only threat to them anymore.
They had decided they would get up early the following morning and head to Greenthorpe to meet up with the others.
As he lay there looking at the silent figures in front of him he realized he would not be able to pull of the plan he had formed in his mind all by himself.
He would make sure to keep it to himself until the time was right but vengeance over the loss of his 'family' would be his.
The plains were silent with the exception of the wind that moved through the bare trees at the horizon and the tall grass.
Icarus sat several feet away from him with his back towards Alexander and scratched at a patch of irritated skin his eyes fixed on Naomi who was lying in a tent, resting.
Playing the dream-sequence over and over again in his mind.
Jesse had assured him Naomi would be alright after a good rest and a few good meals of which he had already taken care using natural ingredients he had harvested nearby.
The young man had sought protection from the chilly wind in the hut he and Icarus had made and would share for the night.
They slept in pairs with the exception of Alexander who would keep watch.
Jesse had drifted off into a disturbing slumber as he saw the face of his late father Jonathan in front of him.
In his dreams he was transported back to one night, years ago, he had never forgotten. His father and mother attending his school play.
An adaption of Narion's classic 'The hare in the flame.' He would play the role of landlord Figgarus. His father had already shown his disappointment over him not getting the male lead role in this play and his face did not hide this fact. When it was Jesse's time to get on stage he prepared to deliver the lines he had studied so hard on to remember, but as he looked into his fathers resentful eyes the lines escaped him and he stuttered for a moment before bursting into tears and exiting the stage as quickly as he could.
The drive home that night seemed to take much longer then usual as he apologized to his father time and time again, but his father did not respond.
He lit a cigar when they got home and called for Jesse to join him in the living room.
Jesse knew it was best to do as his father told him and he sat down on the couch next to him.
"I do not blame you, son." His father said and he put his strong arm around Jesse's little shoulders and pulled him against his body in a loving fatherly embrace.
"Your teacher should have given the lead role to you, son. Nothing but the best for you, this is why you failed tonight up on that stage." He paused for a moment to take a drag. The smell was nauseating.
"You did not get what you deserved and therefore you simple did not try hard enough. My son needs the hardest and toughest jobs or he's not challenged enough. It's all so familiar to me."
Another pause in which he seemed to think drift of into thought. "I used to be exactly the same way when I was younger, you know?" He smiled and Jesse who smiled back.
His father had completely missed the point, but you did not talk back to Jonathan Aimon. Everybody that knew him, knew that for a fact.
Especially his mother who was sitting quietly on a chair nearby and tried to put on her best smile when her son looked at her. "I'll ask uncle Damian to have a talk with your teacher and we will both make sure this does not happen again."
Brad Dillany did not show up for class the next day. According to their principal he had been involved in an accident and would not show up for a while.
Mister Dillany never came back and this incident was a drastic turning point in young Jesse Aimon's life.
He would from this day on always strive to achieve the best and do everything to full potential, out of fear more than will.
He opened his eyes and crawled out of his shelter. Jesse took a glance at Verity's tent. She seemed sound asleep and was better of then the rest of them right now.
A small spacecraft flew over his head and made it's way North.

Louie looked around the train cart to see if there was anyway to escape from this mess.
The remaining passengers of the cart were all motioned to move into the next vehicle which was rather overcrowded by now.
Him and his four friends were ordered to sit on their knees and each of them individually faced the barrel of a gun as they put their hands behind their heads.
He could hear Susan´s soft sobs behind him and Thomas´ heavy breathing next to him. He was out of breath and tired after all that had happened the past few days but Louie admired his bravery as he looked into his face and did not see a trace of fear or panic.
The same went for Tier, but it was easier for him. He did not have a lot to fear, yet he decided to remain silent for the sake of the people that were traveling with him.
"Where are you taking us?" Yakira asked with her soft voice. She had learned to fear that which she could not see, especially if it was carrying a gun that could blow a hole the size of a grapefruit through her.
"If you'll ask one more question you'll end up on the bottom of Lake Earian with a rock around your neck." The leader of the heavily armed military unit barked back at her.
"Now listen vermin." He continued on a tone that was not much politer. "You'll just sit there quietly and do not try to do anything funny and you might survive." He smiled. "Well, at least for a while."
They all silently agreed that it would be best to buy themselves sometime and did not speak a word as they traveled further along the track for several minutes.
As the train had passed the village of Evermourne the silence was broken by a soldier that entered the door to their left.
"Sir, the lights. There is something wrong with the lights." He shouted in panic with little regard to the military code. "They are all going out one by one sir. We do not know what's going on."
His leader pushed the soldier aside and looked into the next cart through the shaky doors. The lights inside the cart all went out one by one and it was getting closer. "Keep your guns aimed at the prisoners soldiers." He bared at his men. "You there." He pointed at the soldier who had just reported to him.
"Go to the driver and ask him what is going on." The soldier saluted and rushed to the front of the train.
The first light in their compartment flickered and died. "Sir, what do we do, sir?" One of the soldiers asked while carefully lowering his gun.
"It's you, isn't it?" He looked at Louie and moved closer to him. "If you don't stop this right now I'll shoot one of your friends." The leader of the unit told Louie as he pushed the gun into Thomas' face.
"I know what you are, you disgusting..." The leader was cut short in mid sentence as the rest of the lights in the train were turned off. "Stop it now!"
"I'm not doing it." Louie replied and a cold feeling crept down his spine.
A loud noise of metal ripping apart accompanied by the hysterical laughter of a woman could be heard and the train shook heavily in it's tracks
The soldiers fell down and when the leader was caught off-guard Louie jumped for him and pulled the gun out of his hands. Tier and Thomas followed his example and both picked up a gun that had fallen from their owners hands. Tier punched one of the soldiers that had managed to hold on to it's gun in the face and threw his gun over to Susan who barely managed to get a grasp on it before it hit the ground.
With one clean shot she took out another soldier which wanted to grab the only gun still remaining on the floor.
Another sound of ripping metal could be heard and the train cart next to them was gone.
Thomas looked outside of it and saw nothing but darkness outside of the window.
"Get away from the door now! Hurry up and make your way to the other compartment if you want to live." Tier shouted to everyone of them.
They followed his lead holding the soldiers at gunpoint. One by one they walked into the overcrowded compartment Thomas jumped into it just in time as the other compartment was launched into the air.
The compartment they were in now was filled with people who were screaming and fighting to make their way into the next.
"We won't get out of here alive if we do not figure out who is doing this." Thomas screamed at Louie over the crying voices of the people.
But he did not reply and stood near the door to the compartment that had just vanished as this one was slowly running empty until only him and his friends were left.
"Louie, we have to move along right now." Tier said and as he walked over to Louie he heard the familiar sound of ripping metal.
The roof was being ripped open as easily as if someone tore a piece of paper in two. Thomas led Yakira and Susan into the next compartment and returned for Louie and Tier.
The vampire did not plan on leaving and Thomas and Tier soon found out why.
A person entered through the torn roof. Her slender feet made it's way in first and the rest of her body slowly glid through and floated down onto the deck of the train.
Her body was covered in a beautiful silky white dress that matched perfectly with the color of her fur. Her innocent face did not reveal her true nature and she gave Thomas and Tier a heartwarming smile that nailed them to the spot they were standing on before facing Louie. She had known he was there, yet she seemed surprised to see him after all these years.
"Estella." Louie said and a floodgate in his mind opened and the memories he had suppressed for so long filled him up.
"I heard you've been behaving like a naughty boy killing people left and right." Estella's full lips curled up into a smile. "And your little friends." She said as she turned around to face them again.
"A zombie." She said in a tone of disgust and she shuddered. "I remember you Tier. How long has it been? Six hundred, seven hundred years and look at you. Still rotting away inside your shell."
Tier turned his head away. "And this must be the accountant that has been giving us so much trouble." She laughed again, that hysterical laughter.
She flicked her hand and an invisible force pushed Thomas and Tier into the next compartment. Another flick of her hand and the door closed and locked behind them. "I will deal with you two later."
Estella moved closer to Louie, her bare feet gliding across the carpeted floor.
"We have some catching up to do, haven't we?" She reached her hands out, closed her arms around Louie and placed soft kisses in his face.
Louie did not say a word and closed his eyes enjoying her soft touch, but he soon snapped out of it when he heard the train ripping apart behind him.
He felt several invisible ropes closely wrap around him that cut in his skin. "Do not come after me!" Louie shouted at his friend who stood watching at him from behind the locked door in the other compartment.
And with these words Estella jumped out of the train holding Louie in a grasp he could not escape from.

[The SlaYeR]

Michelle stood in front of a large gate that lead to castle Neverberg, the most terrible place you can end up in on this side of the galaxy.
The castle was surrounded by an impassible moat of molten lava and was only accessible by a heavily guarded bridge that was charged with C-4 as a last measure in case things ever got out of hand.
Inside it was heavily guarded by demons who were brought here from the planet dam-nation and were given complete freedom to do everything they felt was necessary to demand respect from their prisoners.
"This place should not exist." Michelle whispered to Tony. "It was a rumor spread to create fear among wrong-doers."
Their guard overheard them and replied to her. "Thanks to mister Parker we can finally give you scumbags the punishment you deserve. Now shut up and start walking."
He hit Michelle in the back with the butt of his gun making Tony angry, but he was smart enough not to try anything.
The gate had been raised and Michelle and Tony were forced across the bridge, the heat of the lava stung in their lungs and the gate was lowered immediately after them to take any hope of escape away from them.
As they crossed the bridge dozens of demons looked at them and laughed over the new arrivals in their own little piece of hell here on Carrotus.
The two new arrivals would surely make for a good few days of entertainment.
The guard that brought them left them halfway on the bridge telling them to move forward from here by themselves.
Tony looked at Michelle one more time before the gate to the castle opened, how would they get out of this?

A car pulled up at an abandoned port for private spacecrafts, out stepped two gentleman dressed in blue suits.
One of them sat down on the hood of the car and was quickly shunned away by the other. "You idiot, do you have any idea who we are picking up. Everything has to look perfect."
The taller of the two nervously looked around to see if the mistake the other had made wasn't seen by anyone.
"Alright, alright, take it easy. He's not supposed to be here for another half hour." The shorter one barked back at him but he quickly apologized when the other shot him a dirty look.
The sound of engines could be heard close-by and a small mark one spacecraft came inside.
"Looks like he's early, straighten up your jacket." The short guy complied and made sure he looked picture perfect as the craft landed on the ground in front of them.
The door opened and out stepped a large hare whose head was kept in the dark by a hat. He wore a purple suit that looked slightly filthy as if it had gone through a lot lately.
The limp revealed that the same went for the man who wore it.
"Mister Johnathan Aimon." The short guy said. "It's an honor to welcome you to Carrotus, sir."

Louie was floating through the air at an incredible speed and from the landscape below him he saw that he was getting closer to Greenthorpe.
He looked up and saw that Estella's peering eyes had broken free from him and they were now firmly fixed on her goal whatever it might be.
The ropes that had bound him seemed to become more physical as he called to his own vampire powers.
He grabbed gave a firm tug at the one that held his legs in place and with a scream Estella came to a complete stop. "What are you doing? Where did you learn this?"
Estella screamed harder as Louie bore his fangs into one of the fleshy ropes and Estella pleaded for him to stop it before she could not take it any longer and let go of him.
He fell down to the ground and heard a crack as his back landed on a rock. Estella floated down towards him, the beauty he had seen before made place for malice.
"Come here you." She screamed at him and reached out her hand to push him firmer against the rock.
He felt every inch of his body ache as she did this and his eyes moistened from the pain. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it firmly, she slowly let go.
Estella took a few steps back and pulled him back onto his feet. "I'll go with you." Louie panted as he got up. "Just don't do that again."
The woman in front of him had fallen silent and he could see regret in her eyes over what had happened.
"Please come quietly and we can prevent this from happening again." Estella took a few steps towards Greenthorpe but Louie reached out and grabbed her hand.
"What are you..." She tried to speak but was cut short as Louie placed a kiss on her mouth.
She was caught by surprise but did not object to this familiarity and gently bit on his lower lip. It had been so long, but never had she forgotten the moments they had shared.
This moment of intimacy brought her back to when she and him spend time next to the water outside of his house. Making love until the morning came.
She forgot all about her surroundings and let herself go in this kiss.
Louie took advantage of this moment and the nails on the hand behind his back slowly transformed into claws.
When she broke free from his kiss he felt pity but he knew he had to get away from her. "I love..." She did not have time to finish her sentence as Louie sank his claws deep into her eyes and as she sank to her knees crying tears of blood he ran for it.

----


And I have some more news.
n0 has joined what's left of the writing team. He will try and get a chapter posted over the weekend.
What a guy.

[Doubble Dutch]

Ah, wonderful as usual.

I can't believe it's been more than a month though; I'd be told I'd been skipped, if I knew it's take this long I would've posted my chapter instead of leaving it. Well, when or if anyone wants me to, I can post it, or wait until next turn.

Keep up the great stuff Slay, you keep this thread alive!

[The SlaYeR]

Well, go ahead ma'am. I'm sorry, I did not know you had one ready or I would not have written this.
I hope it does not clash with mine or n0's.
Glad to have you back on (the) board.

[n0]

Thanks, I'll see what I can do, I'll most likely have it up sometime the middle of next week. DD, if you want to know what is happening in my chapter so you can write/rewrite yours, PM me.

By the way, great chapter Slay. It leads in perfectly to what I want to do.

[Alister]

I wrote a flashback a while ago, but never got around to posting it. Better late than never...


<b>The Happiest Man</b>

<i>She was his best friend.
Thomas gazed into Susan's eyes. She was sitting opposite him at their round, secluded table. Between them were the remains of a two-person carrot lasagne, their favourite dish. They had spent the day wandering around the older quarters of Nole-in-Isvale. Usually referred to as Nole, it was the historic commercial centre of Golbert, a region of southern Diamondus. This was not the first time they had shared a holiday, but it was the first time they had been off Carrotus together.
Susan gazed back into Tom's eyes. It was nice to have him behaving normally again. he had been detached all day. He still seemed nervous, but this wasn't unusual. Besides, he was probably worried about the bill. It had been rather extravagent of him to book a table at one of the city's most expensive restaurants.
The band finished the piece they were playing and moved on to the next. Tom glanced at his watch. Perfect. He could feel the small box in his jacket pocket. It contained the engagement ring his father had given his mother. His parents had been so happy when he'd asked for it.
"Oh, Tom, they're playing our song!"
Susan loved Tom.
She was his best friend.</i>

[Doubble Dutch]

Awww...

[The SlaYeR]

Thank you Alister, it´s always interesting to learn something about the background of the character.

I also wanted to tell you I have completely edited chapter 1 to add a little more detail and correct some things.

[Doubble Dutch]

Will the story kept all in one place be edited as well?

[The SlaYeR]

I haven't asked Alister yet, but I'm sure he'll get to it as soon as he can.

[Doubble Dutch]

*Hem!*

Anyone? Hello...?

[The SlaYeR]

Let's skip 'n0 and move on to you DD.
Shame, he told us he'd post something last week... oh and the week before that.

[Doubble Dutch]

But I'm rewriting my chapter to fit with No's; if I post something now, his chapter might not fit in!

[n0]

Argh, I'll get it out sometime this week (probably Friday). Sorry, I just got back from an exhausting week at Disney World. If I don't have it finished by Saturday, I'll just post what I have so far and you can go from there.

[n0]

<i>We are sorry for the inconvenience, but because of the... uh... the...
Because of the... accident ...the train will be re-routed to the nearest hub with a repair station. Those of you who wish to go further than the Spaceport Station in Earian, should look to catch another train. We apologize for the delay, and hope the rest of your trip is... uneventful.</i>
Thomas looked around the crowded train as it slowed to a stop. All of the civilians on the train had gotten bored of staring at him and his wife, and most of them had even gotten tired of staring at Tier and Yakira. Thomas starting getting his hopes up, thinking that they might be able to blend in with the crowd, when Tier motioned for him to look out the window. On their boarding platform was at least a dozen Carrotan Military Tuffguards, armed to the teeth.

"Alright, you know what to do, so drop that bomb and get out."
Kaz didn't respond to the tinny voice in his ear, his destination was already in sight as he glided casually through the Spaceport Train Station. Another day, another bombing.
"Kaz, don't look, but there are a dozen Tuffguards with all the trimmings on platform #7. I don't think they suspect you, they are aiming at the... What the hell happened to that train? Listen, finish your job quickly and then see what is happening on platform #7, an enemy of our enemy just might be our friend."
Kaz decided to take on the look of a bird who was about to miss his train, and reached platform #11 just as the train and it's visiting dignitaries were slowing to a stop.
He dove under the train and flew quickly down the length of it, dropping sticks of TNT as he went. As he flew out from under the caboose, he started circling back to platform #7 and then pushed a button hidden in his glove.

Thomas was holding a panicking Susan. Thoughts raced through Susan's mind. More than half the people in the train had left, there was no way out without the guards seeing, there was no where to hide, and -
The explosion rocked the entire train station.
Those closest were knocked flat by the shock wave.
Everyone else hit the floor a second later by pure instinct.
The well trained Tuffguards were running full tilt for platform #11 before anyone else realized why they were laying on the ground.
Chaos. Everyone rushing towards the exits, people screaming, people crying.
Tier quickly realized that this was it. He grabbed Thomas and Yakira and heads out the door, Thomas pulling Susan along as they went.
"Hey, it's the kid! The girl, with the Jade Dawn!" Kaz yelled into his glove, from his perch in the rafters of the train station.
"Yeah, I see her. She seems to have picked up a couple of friends... wait a second, I just saw their Holo broadcasted like a half an hour ago. Let me do a quick search... They are wanted for attempting to assassinate Governor Gary Parker. Kaz, I think we have some new friends to meet"
"Right, just keep the cameras off line. I'll meet you back at base, set the table for six."

.

Nadine Harefeathers was tired after a long flight across Carrotus. She remembered back when she was a child, some of her Rabbit friends saying how lucky she was, that she could fly while they were confined to walk. This week, she was almost wishing she wasn't a pigeon, with all these stories of assassinations and vampires and werewolves and civl war refuges, she barely had any time to sleep between researching, reporting, then flying to the next location.
As she flopped into the squeaking hotel bed, exhausted, she asked herself for the third time this week if this was worth it. As she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, with the clatter of rain on the roof of the Inn, she convinced herself not to quit. At least not yet.

Nadine started awake whimpering, the face of a vampire still etched in her memory. "Ok, it was just a dream" she said to herself, trying to convince herself of it. She scanned her dingy hotel room, making sure she was alone. "Ok, I need to sleep, I can't have nightmares keeping me up, I have enough to deal with as it is," she told herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her breathing. Before she could exhale, she was lifted out of her bed by the throat and found herself staring into the eyes of a vampire.
"Where are they!" it hissed, through closed teeth.
Nadine struggled to breath, the creature loosened it's grip on her throat enough for her to talk.
"Wh-where ar-are whowhowho?" she stuttered.
"Those who were arrested for the attempted assassination of Gary Parker," the creature breathed, "they cut your broadcast every time you mentioned a name."
"Th-the locals of Tahamo say they were taken to C-Castle Neverberg."
"That place does not exist on any map" the creature growled "where did they take them?"
"Th-they were headed towards th-the Carrotridge M-mountains, last I saw. At least, it's the only thing I know of in that direction."
The creature hesitated, then growled "Thank you" and dropped Nadine back into her bed. It turned and stepped toward the window.
"Wait!" Nadine squawked, "who are you?"
The creature paused at the window, turned and said "I am Louie Greenthorpe. Sleep well, Nadine." and then was gone.

.

"Welcome to the Underground," said the burnt turtle, sitting down at the table.
"I don't want your names, and you will not get ours. The underground works best if those who are captured have nothing to tell."
The burnt turtle turned and addressed Yakira, "I never thought I'd see you again, after dropping you off, blind and burnt..."
"You are the ones who saved my life?" asked Yakira, "I never even saw your faces. You are good people..."
"Good?" asked the burnt turtle, "We kill many people on a daily basis, My companion and I. No, I wouldn't say we are 'good', I'd just say we are a means to that end. And look, we are in the company of assassins! No, not good people at all."
"Why did you bring us down here?" asked Tier, "You killers must have some motive for assisting us"
"Yes, in fact we do" started Kaz
"We want the corrupt government to be destroyed, from the very core." continued the burnt turtle, "And you, even though you might be doing it for different reasons, seem to be wanting to help."
At this point, Susan started crying. "I am not an assassin, never wanted any more than to live in peace with Thomas, raise kids and grow old together..." she hugged Thomas protectively and turned to quiet whimpers.
"I just wanted to find out what happened to my sister, I just want to head to Pneum Arklik and find my way from there." stated Yakira quietly.
"And you?" asked Kaz.
"I... I want revenge." Said Tier, "Estella and Parker are both vampires and working together and I want Estella dead."
A moment of silence, then Burnt said "Well, we know of someone who is passing through, and perhaps can help you three hide from the eye of the law. We have ties in with the mafia and might be able to get you smuggled to a planet outside the jurisdiction of the Carration Empire. Now," the burnt turtle turned toward Tier, "bombs and hacks don't kill vampires, do you have a plan, Zombie?"
Tier thought for a moment, then asked "Turtle, in your tour of the hacking world, have you ever come across an organization called 'Schism'?

.

Alex had followed the space ship he saw fly overhead, as it was flying low, and flying low in the middle of nowhere is always worth investigating. He reached the landing point just in time to see the spaceship take off and a car driving his way. He hid in the shadows and slapped a bug on the car as it passed, then headed back to camp while listening to the feed from his bug... "Well..." he thought, "It seems that Johnathan Aimon is in town."
He got back to camp just in time for it to be his watch. Naomi complained about him not getting back sooner and crawled under the tarp they called their bedroom.
Alex was just settling in for the long haul when his Schism issued phone rang. The caller ID was blank...
"Who is this and how did you get into this network?" Alex asked forcefully.
"Hey, Schism, this is Zombie. I just met a hacker who really knows closed circuit phones. We need to talk."

.

Tier absently hung up the jury rigged phone, contemplating his next move.
The mafia leader, Johnathan Aimon himself, is here on business, and from the sound of things the business is probably the crew Alex is helping. If he wants them dead or alive I don't know, but neither is a good option. Gary parker, with the help of Bruhn and Estella, moving up quickly through the ranks of corrupt government, Louie most likely ripped to shreds, and all over the news is Tony and Michelle's capture. So few of us versus an entire Mafia and Government... but... but what if we got them to fight each other?
Tier snapped out of his stupor, and saw Burnt staring at him.
"So," Tier started, "Do you happen to know the number for a Jonathan Aimon?"
"I might be able to dig it up," answered Burnt, eying him, "But why do you ask?"
"I want to see if they can smuggle three people out of this system's jurisdiction, and I am wondering if they would take a little muscle as payment for that ticket."
"I don't think your muscle would be enough for that," Burnt started,
"-would you like to join me? Or is the Mafia somehow conflicting with your's and the bird's goals?" Tier asked.
It was the burnt turtle's turn to sit and think, now.

.

Louie was running full tilt, high on the fresh blood of a deer he met in passing. The path was easy to follow, even in the rain and in the dead of night. A caravan of military vehicles leave quite a mess of tracks when crossing a plain. The full moon and fresh blood was good for him, he felt like he could fly. He spotted something glowing ahead of him, and steered toward it. He slowed to a stop next to the moat. It was real, then. Castle Neverburg, a bit of hell, imported for the sole purpose of... something so evil, not even this Vampire could get his mind around it.
He circled the castle, the drawbridge was up and there was no way in. Louie briefly wondered if the moat of lava was more to keep the prisoners in or to keep the demons in. He looked up and saw a window, big enough for a man to fit through. Ten feet above ground level, thirty feet above lava level, and a hundred feet from this side of the moat.
Louie looked again, and saw a glimpse of motion through the window. He listened closely, he could hear the evil cackling of demons and cries of pain. He could smell the blood... He was fairly sure that that was Tony's blood.
The moon was full, his blood was fresh, he felt, no, KNEW that he could fly. He turned around and walked away, for he would need a running start.

[Doubble Dutch]

STILL no comments? C'mon people, everyone *else* got a comment for their chapter, within a few hours too! This was a brilliant piece of writing, don't tell me the story is *that* ignored!

Eh, may as well post my chapter then, whoever's next, may you have more interest than poor ol' No.



* * *

Estella skipped through the night, and it <i>was</i> a skip, the merry kind of half hop, half jump that a child might do down the street with a big lollipop. She was in a very good mood; she had fed earlier that night and relished the sheer terror you could cause before putting someone out of their misery. And now she had a new toy to play with, how fun! Behind her she heard the crashing as something slow and ungainly pushed through the bush. She jumped into a tree, landing on the branch as lightly as a feather amid a small flurry of snow. And there it was; the zombie struggled past beneath her, turning slowly as she grabbed its arm, before it was flung away into a snowdrift.

"Oh dear, oh dear. What <i>shall</i> we do with you? Do you need a hand?"

It was a puerile and childish thing to say when you were holding someone's arm, but Estella didn't really care, she enjoyed the irony, and anyone who thought otherwise could take up the issue with her. She smiled, or at least the corners of her mouth turned up, and approached the indentation the creature had made. A few brief kicks told her that it had gone, which was odd, surely she hadn't seen it move?

"Come now zombie, it's no fun of you to be hiding like this! Come out and play!"

The clearing was quiet, everything muffled by the fresh snow. The moon was up, bathing the whole scene in an alien light, as if the world had been turned to ice. Estella looked about, but there was no sign of her quarry, it had disappeared, which was impossible. It had to be around here somewhere... There was a sharp crack above her and she looked up.

They weren't supposed to move <i>that</i> fast.

"My name's Tier, you bloddsucking b*!"


* * *

Where had he been at the time? It was difficult to remember. Everything was difficult to remember now. It had been near some small town, there were so many. It was picturesque, you could say that much; nestled between two towering mountains, bisected by a fresh mountain stream, the houses were perched on what had once been sheer rock cliffs but had, due to a rockslide who knew how long ago, formed a plateau, a rock ledge surrounded by scrubby mountainside.

The town had been almost unreachable in winter, the roads becoming blocked with drifts of snow or small rock and mudslides. Every spring the villagers cleared the main paths and sent off to the cities for supplies, and in bad winters, coffins. After really bad winters they didn't leave at all, some things were kept quiet.

It had been winter when Tier had arrived, if that was the word, he set out in no particular direction and kept to no timetable, either way he found himself in the vicinity just as the snows were closing in. The villagers had been smart enough to carve markers on the trees, a great aid to anyone who became lost in the freezing nights, but Tier avoided them. Somehow, he couldn't remember when, he'd figured out how to read them, the more stripes the further you were away, and they were always on the village side of the trees.

Tier hadn't noticed anything of course, he'd wandered through cities without batting an eye. Food was scare here, but he always avoided the village. Always. Nothing good ever came of approaching civilization because he was a shadow, something from a story book, a tale to frighten small children away from the darkness outside the window. He'd looked in once, spied on those living normal lives, but that was long ago and he hadn't benefited from it.

And then it was spring, the snows were melting and he could move on. That's when he met her, or she met him, just like Michelle. He'd been hungrier and she was a lizard though and it had been almost the pitch of night. The fact she'd been there at all was amazing enough given the war the rabbits were undertaking over Deserto, but small towns couldn't afford to be prejudiced when there weren't enough people to go around. He'd simply been making his way out of the area when he spotted her behind him, holding a lantern and a carving knife. The markers needed recarving every spring. Interestingly enough she hadn't fled, despite his appearance, she'd just been curious, and restrained.

"You're the creature everyone's been talking about right? You're the one who got rid of all the wolves and that vampire this year?"

She spent the rest of the night talking to him, it was the longest conversation he'd had in decades and with good reason. He remembered the vampire; he'd left what remained of it lying in the snow somewhere. The wolves had been easier, they got desperate with the cold, especially the lone males; all that mattered was eating. For both of them. Apparently the village was exceedingly grateful, they'd probably have given them one of their first born. As it was he sat and listened, unable to answer back in his condition. He was endlessly grateful for someone to talk to, he knew she was almost gagging at the smell and probably shocked at his appearance. Did she know how hard it was to stand still? To not simply reach over and tear out her throat?

A voice interrupted Tier's thoughts.

"Hey. Hey dude, are you awake? You've been sitting there for hours."


[i]And now the world was big and complicated again. It couldn't just be about the Hunger anymore, there were people and lives and... life. He had to watch out for others again and think and strategize, and all the other things that came with living that he had forgotten over the years. The Vampire was out there somewhere, with her smug little smile and stupid voice. Tier would hunt her down and tear her to pieces again. And this time he'd leave nothing.

He'd make sure she suffered as much as he did.

[Doubble Dutch]

* * *

The sky was ominously overcast as the sun set, its rays blood red and tinging the landscape as if the clouds had been murdered. It was going to be a cold night, and already the guards were wrapping up warmly. Two of them led their captive into the building ahead, it's door dark and empty, like a waiting mouth. Behind them, another two guards held their captive, at least until, with surprising strength, she jerked out of their grasp and ran forward.

Michele grabbed hold of the leading guard's shoulder, instinctively he pointed a pistol at the young rabbit. His gaze was contemptuous and unmerciful.

"Where are you taking him?"
"You don't expect two terrorist suspects would be held in the same cell, or even the same building do you? Where you can plot and plan a cover story, or even perform some sort of suicide pact? Say goodbye to your friend here, you won't be seeing him in a long, long time."

Michelle gasped and dashed forward. Out of surprise the guard let off a round that grazed her shoulder and knocked her off balance. In a flash she was up again, but this time the gun was pointed at Tony. A hand fell across <i>her</i> shoulder and she turned to see another guard grasping her firmly and shaking her head. This one wore a different uniform and looked rather unkempt, a young white fox, whose perfect, pointed teeth showed when she smiled. She gently grabbed Michelle's hands and led her away, across the compound and towards the forest. Michelle twisted her head around as far as she could, her last glimpse of Tony being his pained face as a guard kicked him in the shint o hurry him along.

"There's nothing you can do my dear. Just come with me; there's been an arrangement."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see. Now strap this on; it'll block anyone tracking us, electronically or by magic."

The fox hurried along at a surprising speed, they were well into the forest now, surrounded by nothing but the quiet organic sounds of the trees. Michelle almost struggled to keep up, still finding it strange she wasn't panting from the exertion. The device the fox had handed her resembled a small bracelet, silver, but with strange black markings on it that seemed to be strangely indistinct, as if they were shadows trapped in the metal. However, once it had clicked onto her wrist, it wouldn't come off, no matter how hard it was tugged. All of a sudden the fox stopped dead, turned, stared at her with deep blue eyes and handed her a small black box, with a silver disk embedded in its top.

"This is a copy of a book known as the Chronicles of Bruhn; one of quite a few me and my comrades made without our... leader's knowledge. Of course, we should probably call them the Chronicles of Parker by now.
"I don't understand, what has this got to do with anything?"

Michelle was completely confused, nothing was making sense. The box was strangely warm in her grasp, and heavy, as if it were packed with ead. The fox tapped the box on it's upper face; it shimmered and a holograph of a page flickered into view. The fox swiped her finger along it a few times, and the page shimmered, other texts popping past until it showed what she wanted. The text was strange, it looked not so much like writing, but rather as if someone had placed a small razorblade at the end of a pencil, then repeatedly slashed the page with it. It was nothing she'd ever seen before, and there were diagrams too, and tables, shimmering just above the box.

"You don't know what you are, you're an Arcania zombie, descended from the circle or Bruhn themselves. As far as I can tell, you're only two down from the line. Perhaps I should bow?"
"Bruhn, who's Bruhn? You keep mentioning him."
"Let's walk and talk, we have the time. He's the Big Guy. The Boss, the creator of all the undead races. Werewolves first, then vampires, and finally zombies. Each an improvement on the last apparently. Vampires are stronger than us, and zombies too, and harder to kill than anything. Mind you, Bruhn wasn't always successful..."

Michele listened as they moved further into the forest, as the sun set and the moon rose, walking in almost pitch black darkness. She heard about how the great Bruhn had taken prisoners, slaves and innocents and twisted their bodies, spawned the first of the undead, not just the pure races, but accidents, twisted creatures that begged for a death that never came. The stupid, moaning zombies that could still be found in wild areas were some of the less twisted results. In the end he'd transformed a circle of his greatest friends into an almost all-powerful cadre... and then what? Something had happened to end almost all of them. Michelle wasn't paying much attention; the dark held no fears for her now, but all the time she worried about Tony; what were they doing to him? What would they do to her?

And all of a sudden, there were there. The fox had slowed and was sniffing the air, evidently she was being guided by scent. They were deep in the woods now, who knew where, though there *was* a trail here; an ant would've ignored it, it was just a rough path through the clearings, covered in moss and split by bracken. And there was a large hole in it, right in the middle. Next to it was a large bulky mechanical craft, the dirt had been piled up neatly on a platform nearby, the mossy turf cut into neat squares. The fox stopped suddenly, confused, then ran over to the hole and peered at the bottom.
"Twofire!" she gasped.

Michelle became aware of several presences behind her, she'd been too caught up to pay attention to her 'life sense' There was a sharp flash and the fox whimpered and fell into the hole, right on top of the body of the wolf she'd presumably been waiting to meet.

"Ah, Fourfox, such a pretty girl, pity about the name, if there's one thing the Vyrrn clan couldn't do it was names. Smart though, far too smart it seems. Copying my little book behind my back, tut tut, you could have just asked to borrow it."

The voice was clipped, measured, and certainly quite different from when she'd heard it last, but Michelle recognized it long before she twirled around to face the speaker. Gary Parker was leaning idly against a tree, flanked by two strange rabbits, normal from what Michelle could tell, and that made sense.

"I don't know if I should thank you my dear, you did, after all remove a large number of those whose loyalty to me was wavering, and I have taken care of the rest. But I really must deal with you, I had a rather unpleasant time getting rid of the last lot, but we live and learn, or, in most cases at least one of them."
"You can't do anything to me, not like this."
"Oh but I can, it's all in the book you know. Only extreme fire will take care of you permanently of course, but I've always been more... inventive. Low calcium cement, about six tonnes; emphasis on the tonnes."

Gary Parker was grinning widely now, like a child who had just built their tallest block tower and wanted to show it off to their parents. He gave the slightest nod towards a shaded vehicle nearby that turned out, on closer inspection, to be a cement mixer. The two rabbits that had been standing idly by were now working the controls of the machinery nearby. Parker had taken a lot of trouble to dig the pit, the vehicles were all hoverers, which was the only way you'd get anything into forest this thick, the turf had been cut out nicely, and the hole was neat, six feet wide and six feet deep. But what-

There was a flash and Michelle felt herself split in two, saw her legs tumble after her into the pit, landing on the still-warm body of her former captor. Then something else hit her, it was cold and thick, like liquid stone.

"Out of courtesy, I saved you a meal for your stay, and believe me, that will be a long, long time. You will of course, go quite mad, I suggest you try and think of all those you left behind, it will keep you sane, for a few years at least, and I do so like to see a good struggle. And no, nobody is coming for you, nobody will find you, unless, oh, maybe in a few decades they'll plow the place up for apartments, not if I have anything to do with it though."

The cement bogged her down, Michelle struggled to pull herself up but the more that poured down, the more firmly it held her. She struggled and thrashed in the much, but it was no use, it poured down onto her like an avalanche of rock, pinning her arms, crushing her chest, filling into her mouth and nose, muffling her screams and struggles.

It wasn't long before the cement had buried the rabbit. Gary watched until the tank was completely emptied, the surface settling and bubbling gently. It would harden in less than half an hour, and get stronger for years afterward. His two contractors dumped another ton or two of earth on top, taking absolute care not to leave a single ounce misplaced. Finally they replaced the turf, neatly as it had been removed, so you could barely see where it had been disturbed. Finally, to top things off Gary planted a small seedling he'd removed from nearby; after all, it paid to have *some* marker of this place. Maybe he'd come back to watch its progress afterwards.

By the time the sun rose the next day there was very little trace of the night's activities; some scents, earth sprinkled where it shouldn't be, a ragged look to the bracken. But this place was popular, in a sense. Many lay buried under the turf here; Gary Parker had many enemies... once. It wasn't easy to control the undead, or the underworld. The next day a gentle rain smoothed out the newest, and most secure grave in the unofficial graveyard. By that time the two that knew its location were already sinking into the mud of the river carrotus with their own personal supply of cement.

A week later the silence was broken by a flock on hungry starlings scrapping over a large worm, but that was all that disturbed the small sapling as it settled its roots in for the slow but steady growth it had plans for in the long, long years ahead.


.

[The SlaYeR]

I had already told him I thought his chapter was great and to be honest, I think n0, you and I are the only ones left writing.
I hope that people will change their minds after they see that amazing chapter however. I really think it was wonderfully written and it packed a great surprise.

Poor Michelle.


(Who'se up next or should I have another go? I have this wonderful idea.)

[n0]

Nooo... You can't kill Michelle! She's like, my favorite!

Very nice chapter, DD.

I hope it isn't down to the three of us, because I don't have a lot of free time to work on the story. I just had an idea and wanted the plot pointed in a certain direction, which is why I took the time to write this chapter, I don't think I could write again without waiting for the story to develop some more..

[Doubble Dutch]

If you give me permission, I can poke and annoy people into doing something, I have a lot of spare time on my hands this week. I'm sure we can push others into doing something.

[n0]

Don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness! (That means yes, go annoy people, if you get in trouble Hey, at least you got the point across!)

[The SlaYeR]

Give it a try DD, but I say that if they do not WANT to write anymore, why keep asking them? Even if it is just the three of us, it would be better than working with a group of people who do not want to write anymore. (I'm not trying to make anyone angry, I'm just saying.)

If they do not want to write anymore, so be it, I'll take the next chapter if nobody else wants it.

[Coppertop]

FYI, I'm incommunicado for a week or two yet (I've been out of the picture for the last few weeks due to moving stuff etc.) I'll write something if you wish but it won't be posted for some time.

[Alister]

Hey, I'm still here. And unless I'm very much mistaken, I haven't written anything in ages.

Edit: And by "anything" I mean "a chapter"

[The SlaYeR]

Does that mean you want to go next Alister? Otherwise, I guess it is my turn since everyone else gave up apart from the four of us.

[Alister]

Yes, I would. I've got some ideas, and I'll try to have something up by this time next week.

[The SlaYeR]

Alright, sounds good.

[Coppertop]

Awesome.

Moving is done and Internet is restored, so I'm around again.

[The SlaYeR]

I was going to write an entire chapter, but this will do for now.
I think this wraps up the background story for Louie so far.

---

"Yes Tobias, I can hear you now." Louie mumbled to himself after another night chained to the walls like a beast.
Insanity had been his closest companion for years and now it seemed it had taken a corporal form and it was feasting on the things that belonged to him.
The being outside the wooden door to his makeshift home had to leave before it succeeded in it's malignant plan.
The voice of his old mentor soothed Louie in the night as a shriek of pain came from his living room.
"You are not an evil person. Are you?" Louie shook his head in an answer to his own question and with newfound strength and confidence he rose to his feet and gave a firm tug at the shackles that bound him.
Dirt fell down over his face and he growled as the iron cut into his wrists.
"Do not disappoint me Louie, I have taught you more than this." He pulled at the firm rings again and clenched his teeth. Tears sprung in his eyes as his wrists started bleeding.
"Tobias, I do not have the strength anymore." Louie sank down on his knees, his arms being held up over his head and he let his head hang in shame.
The door unbolted behind him and the shadowy figment of his deluded mind walked in with fresh food.
"You can not be real, begone foul being." Louie spoke with little enthusiasm, he was ready to give up and let go.
"If I were not real, would I be able to do this, fool?" He forcefully threw yet another young maiden at Louie's feet. Too tired to struggle she let herself fall towards the floor.
The vampire stood up, devoted to his intentions never to feed on an innocent being again. "Do what you will to me, I refuse your gift."
"So much spirit, so much... good." The shadow told him, repulsed.
Tobias' voice spoke to Louie again. "Make a stand, we need you. We all need you." Louie looked up and for the first time the shadow saw in his eyes the thread that he posed.
He rose to his feet and broke the shackles behind his back, he growled and slammed the shadow into the wall.
"I refuse insanity, from now on I will be in charge of the things I do." And with these words, the shadowy figure and the dark part of Louie's soul disappeared.
The girl at his feet let out her last breath and lay motionless on the floor, her peering eyes on him. A pool of dark blood underneath her, diluted because of the sweat and tears.
He closed her lovely, big, blue eyes with the tips of his fingers and took her in his arms.
He wept because he could not be there for her sooner and carried her out into the garden, hiding behind the overgrown plants out of sight from the curious eyes of the villagers like he always did when he went out.
Louie carried her into the mausoleum and put her in the coffin that had once belonged to him.
Her beauty had not yet ebbed away a half hour later when he put a lid on the casket and hid her from the face of the earth until her remains had turned to dust.
"Tell me what to do now Tobias and I will listen." He waited for hours, the sun set and it rose again. He fought against the oncoming hunger for blood and the insanity.
On the third day of calmth and patience a voice spoke to him, much clearer than that of his old mentor. Much more angelic and pure as the soul of a newborn hare.
"Never forget which powers you possess, child of Carrotus." She soothed him to sleep echoing the word 'Patience.' until he had slumbered off.

[Doubble Dutch]

Very nice. A suitable period to end the sentence of flashback.

[The SlaYeR]

Yes, I would. I've got some ideas, and I'll try to have something up by this time next week.


Ground control to Major Alister

[Alister]

Yeah, sorry. I haven't been able to find the time. Probably best to move on to someone else.

[Coppertop]

Hello?
*listens to echoes*

[Strato]

This project is like, 5 years old or something, right? That's pretty incredible. But now it'd dead :(

[Coppertop]

I'm afraid I've come to the same conclusions ...

If it doesn't start up again in the next month or so, I'll unsticky it.

[Take One]

It's a real flipping shame. I found this a few days ago, and now I'm hooked (I'm at chapter 24/25). Of course, I don't know what's happened in the latest chapters, but I was really hoping that this would at least be rounded off somehow. I've been waiting for a new post for a while because I really didn't want it to end like this (I know it's way too late to join, but I'm really enjoying it so far) - I would have posted myself, but it would have seemed rather stupid, with it being my first post on this forum... It's also a shame that some of the writers dropped out; I loved every one of the characters, although I haven't yet seen if the decline in writers has caused the other writers to improvise with the other characters, so, of course, before I say anything too embarrasing, I'll continue reading the rest of the story.

[Torkell]

I'd forgotten about this.

I've updated the complete files I made with the chapters in this thread. Note that the chapter numbering in these files doesn't match the numbering used in this thread - I think I may have a couple of extra chapters in there. The Palm version is untested (need to reinstall Palm Desktop), and may have weird formatting.

Text version (http://thomasmccorkell.me.uk/junk/greenthorpe.txt)
PalmDoc version (http://thomasmccorkell.me.uk/junk/greenthorpe.prc)

[Doubble Dutch]

Well this is a pity indeed, I was hoping for something. I can always write stuff, but there's no point doing so if everyone else is finnished.

[The SlaYeR]

It would indeed be a shame to just let this die, but so many writers have given up already and I really didn't think anyone was interested anymore.

I would love to see an ending to this, but I'm afraid we've only just reached the half of it. It would be to strange to start working towards an ending because we've really stretched out the beginning.

And sure DD, I guess I'm still interested in writing something if you are.

[The SlaYeR]

Definetly not.

[Torkell]

It would indeed be a shame to just let this die, but so many writers have given up already and I really didn't think anyone was interested anymore.
For what it's worth, I'm still interested in this.

[KRSplat]

*prod*

[The SlaYeR]

Hello, I wrote a chapter because KrSplats kind words inspired me.
This is the first part of chapter 49.
I have the rest ready, but I need to type it into my computer as it is handwritten.

I have actually typed another chapter after this and am working on a third one after that. So I will have plenty of stuff and I assure you the third one will really help this story move forward.

I hope me writing something will inspire other people to start writing again as well.


Chapter 49: A gentle push.

She had shown a moment of weakness. In that moment he had chosen a side and had gauged out her eyes.
The brave and young man she had once known and loved had turned into a backstabbing coward. Ooze seeped from the sockets in her face and mixed with her salty tears too form a gruesome make-up.
The white of her eyes pushed to the background as the red took center stage. Her hands clutched for anything solid told hold on too, but she found nothing but air.
Estella crawled through the mud and every time she heard the squishing of the thick, brown substance she was reminded of the sound her eyes had made as they gave in to his strong and penetrating fingers.
She had longed for him to fill her body, but in those fantasies it had always been quiet a different orrifice.
Estella surpressed the urge to laugh for she had more pressing matters to tend too. Slender like a snake in the grass she rose to her feet and put the tip of her thumb in her mouth.
After a little saliva had gathered on it she moved the thumb over her wounded eyes as if annointing herself.
Her eyes started healing and before long she would be able to see again.

She had spent most of her childhood in the large summerhouse at the edge of the thriving town of Orangelia.
Which would, ages from now become a metropolis buzzing with life.
Both of her parents were loving and warm and spoiled her to death.
Little Estella sat at the edge of the lake in front of the house and enjoyed the cool summerbreeze that played with her hair.
Her childish mind free from burden and unaware of how soon things would change for the worst.
Her uncle Henric joined her and handed her a small flower. "A gift for the princess." He said and she laughed as she accepted the daisy.
Henrics eyes went up and down her small and delicate body. She had only recently started to blossom, but the first signs of womanhood were clearly visible against the soft fabric of her favorite dress.
Her mother joined them and gave her daughter a glass of cold apple juice.
"Hello Henric." Her voice was filled with undistinguishable contempt at the sight of the man. "I see your journey went well. I will inform my husband of your arrival."
Edwina Bane motioned for him to follow her and did not see the signs of sadness in his eyes, she was a good judge of character though. And had never really liked her husbands brother.
Henric looked at his niece once more with the hunger in his eyes that only an adult could identify and followed his sister-in-law into the house.
In the hallway he was greeted by the familiar smell of tobacco and Edwinas pot roast.
"Herbert." Henric said before the woman had any change of announcing him properly and he passed her by.
Estellas father got to his feet and both men embraced eachother, glad to see each other again after what seem like a long time.
"My dear brother, I am so happy too see you. How was your journey?" But the cold stare of his brother was enough to make him realize this was not a joyous visit.
"Herbert, I am afraid mother is not well. She would like to see you." The glass of Cognac shook in Herberts hand and he spat his cigar in it.
It hissed as its tip touched the liquid and then died out blowing up small wifs of smoke to say its last goodbye.
"We will have to go immidiatly, we will take the finest horses."
The stable boy prepared the horses for his master and Herbert assured his wife and daughter that he would see them again soon.
He never would.

Henric and Herbert Bane arrived at the house of their mother a mere eight hours later. Hillcrest manor was a beautiful, old place in the middle of Cherryoak wood.
The sun was setting behind the large trees to the West and collosal shadows fell of the trembling men.
Herbert jumped off the horse and ran for the front door. His brother went about calmer about his business and looked after his brother with an expression of pity.
"My mother, how is she?" He asked the maid and he quickly kissed her cheek as a polite, but hastened greeting.
"She is not feeling well, master Herbert. I am afraid she is asleep now, but I will take you to see her."
The maid was an old woman, not far from his mother in years, but as keen and fit as she had been when he was a young boy.
Mrs. Travers had been the maid of the family ever since she was a young girl herself, merely nineteen years of age.
She had grown out to be more then a maid, she was a friend and someone they could all turn to if they needed advice or a shoulder to cry on.
Her room was the second biggest in the house and Herbert, unlike his brother had always been content with this. He loved Mrs. Travers.
"She is better then she was earlier, Sir." Marsh Travers said with a glint of hope in her eyes. "I just gave her a cup of soup and she happily ate all of it."
They arrived in one of the guestrooms downstairs. It would be easier to take care of her here since her own room was rather far away in a corner of the east wing and the stairs were more and more difficult for the old maid to handle.
Many candles were lit and it gave the room a cozy feel. The fragile woman in the bed looked nothing like the woman he had known and loved for years.
Her boney hands crossed across her chest and her skeletal features only covered by the thinnest layer of skin through which her thin veins were clearly visible.
"Your sons are here Violet." Mrs Travers smiled at Herbert. "She seems to be awake, but she does not talk much. It requires a lot of energy, which she does not have right now."
Herbert nodded and walked towards his mother. "I will be in the lounge if you need me, Sir." And with these words Marsha left them alone, her eyes were wet and the fur underneath them showed small trails where the tears had rolled down.
Violet Bane looked up at her favorite son. She would never make this claim, but had always felt it in her heart.
"I am so glad to see you, my boy." Her voice was delicate and soft and her little blue eyes sparkled. She was truly happy to see him.
Henric peered around the corner and a flame in his was ignited, she had not even acknowledged that he was here. He closed the door and if they had not been so lost in their conversation they would have heard him lock the door from the outside.

Henric was always the least favorite son. Where Herbert would receive two hugs before they would fall asleep, he would get one.
And he hated his brother for it. In his mind, their over-affection for him had made Herbert the man he is today. A rich landowner with more money than would fit in his enormous house. Love by the people and blessed with a beautiful family.
And their lack of affection had turned him into what he is. The silent pervert, hungry for revenge, wealth and power. Never really good at anything.
Not today, though. Today he would show them all how good he was, how brilliant.
Henric walked towards the kitchen. From here he had a good view of the salon where poor Mrs. Travers was taking a nap.
He felt sorry for her. Spending so much time on other people without hardly ever taking any time for herself. Feel sorry was not part of his plan however and he quickly put those feelings aside.
On the table lay a cleaver she had used to cut up the vegetables for the stew. He picked it up and held it in the light that was cast by a small gaslamp.
The gleam it cast fell on his sad face. He would not have joy in what he was about to do, this was strictly business. The joy would come later.
Mrs. Travers was sound asleep. He looked over her, the woman he had known his entire life. She looked so peaceful.
The golden locket her husband had given her before his death slowly moved up and down on her chest. Henric gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "Goodbye Mrs. Travers."
He swung the blade through the air and planted it firmly in her neck. Her eyes flew open and she tried to scream. A gruesome sound escaped her as she gurgled up, thick blood.
Not very experienced, but precisely he had managed to hit her artery and a thick stream of red liquid painted the floor a deep, dark red.
Mrs. Travers hand reached out to him and her tongue fell out of her mouth. Her horrible eyes were fixed on him and he looked away for a moment to regain his strength.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He could not stand to see her suffer and swung again.
The cleaver burried itself between her eyes. She shuddered and her legs twitched forcefully. Then it was over.
The cleaver fell from his hand and landed on the carpet with a dull thud.
He had made his first victim, but he had no time to stand here and mourn the loss of another bit of his sanity. Two more people would die tonight.
Henric took a large key ring from the belt around the maids mangled body. Her arm hang over the edge of the couch and droplets of blood formed at the tip of her middle finger.
They fell down on the carpet, creating a small pool. The disturbed man managed to look away from this macabre scene and hurried towards the shed behind the house.
Inside of it he found exactly what he was looking for. "Highly flammable." A smile curled up his lips and made him look even less attractive than his usual self.
He took two cans of the substance. They were heavy, but his goal was so close now, Henric would finally win for the first time in his life.
One of the cans he put in front of the door to his mothers guest room, he heard the faint sounds of their conversation. The last conversation this mother and her favorite son would ever have.
The other can he took with him to the lounge.
He took his wallet out of his jacket and threw the several bills inside of it on Mrs. Travers body, before soaking it in oil. It was all part of his grand scheme.
Oil poured in a small trail out of the can between the couch in the Salon, through the kitchen and all the way to the hall. The trail ended at the second can, which would cause a beautiful show of fireworks.
Henric walked back to Mrs. Travers once more, too say his farewells to her and too finish the job.
He took a cigarette from his pocket and a small book of matches. He lit a match and the hungry fire eagerly ate away the thin wood. He held it under his cigarette and took a deep and satisfying drag when the tip of the it started smoldering.
"Ashes to ashes." Henric muttered and dropped the burning match on the corpse of his favorite maid.
The flames slowly but surely spread across the body. Like an explorer discovering new land and claiming it for the glory of the nation.
Henric walked outside, leaving the flames behind. In search of a safe place, with a decent view of the happenings.
The flames reached the hallway.

[The SlaYeR]

==(Continuation of the previous post)==



"Estella started playing the piano. She is getting really good at it too, mama."
Herbert was proud of his little girl who ment the world to him. "I'm thinking of buying a grand piano for her."
"You spoil her too much."
"Perhaps." They both laughed and the colour returned to Violets thin cheeks.
"I am glad you are here son. Your visit gives me strength. I feel better already." Herbert kissed her forehead.
"You should rest, mama." He was sure he smelled something strange, something burning and walked to the door of the bedroom.
The door was locked, the handle did not move. "Henric? Henric, is this another one of your jokes? Henric?"
There was no reply, his brother stood outside and the flame sin the hallway had reached the second can.
A large explosion shook the house and shattered the sturdy door. Its handle hit Herbert against the side of the head and for a moment he saw nothing but bright coloured specs of light.
His mother yelled, she was too weak to leave the bed and the flames drew nearer. Herbert stumbeled to a wooden chair by the window and tried to lift it.
"Henric, please help us." He could hear his mother yell, her voice sounded distant, he was dizzy.
Herbert lifted the chair over his head and with all his remaining strength he threw it against the window. Neither chair nor window gave away.
Winters were very cold around these parts and people often had extra strong window for isolation.
Just before the flames reached the two unfortunate souls, Herbert could see the face of his treacherous brother in the window.
He smiled and waved them goodbye before he moved out of sight. The incredible heat started smoldering their clothes and their fur.
Herbert knelt down next to his mothers bed. The bed had caught fire and the situation was hopeless. They would die here, trapped like rats in a cage.
Fire starting eating away the flesh on his legs. His mother had passed away and had the horrible expression of a person who had died from fear on her face. Her sleeping gown was fully scorched and stuck to her body.
The skin up to her knees was a deep, dark black and Herbert threw up because of the horrible smell and the pain that shot through every inch of his body.
It was also the last thing he did. His eyes started melting and half of his face was eaten by the hungry flames and his heart beat for the last time.

The house lit up the night like a collosal torch. His plan had been perfect and he had shown them how clever he really was.
He still had the cigarette in his hand and took his last drag before throwing it away. The tobacco had never smelled this good before.
Both of the people who would leave him with an incredible amount of money were attenting a macabre barbecue party.
Tonight he was just Henric, nothing, but tommorow he would be one of the wealthiest men alive.
Herbert took his wallet out of his pocket and threw the empty thing in the soft grass. The perfect version of his conversation with the officers played through his head again, like it had done so often before.
"Yes officer, my mother was very ill. We came as quick as we could." He would cry and they would see how much he suffered from this terrible loss.
"I loved them and I tried to protect them. Those men came late in the evening and said my brother owed them money. I don't know how they found us here."
Descriptions of the men floated before his minds eye, two small time crooks who had once helped him get a shipment of fine cognac.
It would be their word against his. And he was a member of the Bane family, therefor his word was valued.
Henric walked over to a tree. Of course they would have beaten him up and left him for death, they were crooks, but they were smart enough to want to wipe out all of the evidence.
All he had to do was make sure he looked shaken up enough to appear dead and he smashed his face against the tree as hard as he could.
A sharp pain shot through his noise, this would have to look believable and he knew this was not enough. He smashed his face into the tree once more and chipped two teeth in the process.
He spat the shards out on the floor, his saliva was thick like a paste and red with blood.
Henric smashed his face into the tree a third time and with a sharp crunching sound he heard his own nose break.
The incredible pain made him dizzy and he threw up in the grass. "This wiv all be vorth it." He assured himself.
It only took one more try, he smashed his face into the tree and broke off half of one of his teeth.
His right eye was thick and sticky, the eyebrow invisible underneath the blanket of blood. He muttered a few incoherent things and sank down into his own blood and vomit.

[The SlaYeR]

I finished this a little faster than I expected. So here we go.

Estella had mourned the deaths of her father and grandmother.
Even the countless presents her uncle had given her did very little too ease the pain.
He had moved in with them shortly after the funeral to take care of the finances, the corporation and all of the other things men took care of.
Her mother had not liked it, but he had always been polite and helpful since the dead of her brother. And more importantly, he did not look at her daugher in the same way he used to.
They did not share the same bed, but they shared the same table and that was good enough for the both of them.
He had even come home one day from an overseas trip and had bought Estella a beautiful grand piano. He had bought dozens of dresses for Edwina, all the latest fashion.
This had been a year after Herbert died and the family was finally finding peace with the tragedy.
That night she made him his favorit meal, pot roast.
Many more months passed and Edwina and Henric had grown closer together.
The death of Herbert had changed him so much and the creep the woman had so hated had made place for a tender and caring man.
On one night the inevitable happend.
“Thank you for a wonderful meal, Edwina dear.” He took the dishes in his hands and wanted to clean them in the sink when she grabbed him by the wrist.
Estella had gone to bed early this evening and they were alone.
The meal went accompanied by a few glasses of wine and a fire had burned inside of her... the irony. The longing of a woman who has not know a man for so long.
The unholy desire she had felt for this man that was so good to her had bottled up inside of her and she could no longer resist the temptation.
“Edwina, I...” She pressed her lips against his and their tongues intertwined.
Their inhabitions were locked away behind an unpenetrable door.
Tonight, they would become one.

Henrics sorrow ran deep. He felt like a prisoner in death row who showed genuine sorrow, but was believed by no one.
He had no one to talk too about his terrible secret. About the childish feelings of jelousy and his hunger for power that had made him commit the unforgivable sin.
He had everything now, but he would trade it all if he could be freed from this burden.
That was untill the night he made love to sweet Edwina. Poor, innocent Edwina who had lost her husband at such an early age. Edwina who had given him a reason to carry on.

Estella turned seveteen and the years that came had brought with it immense beauty.
She had grown up to be the most attractive girl in town and made many heads turn as she walked by. Estella was not vein however.
She knew her beauty was a gift and would not look down on anyone in her life.
Her grades were good and she never spoke to anyone without being spoken to first.
If things had gone differently, she would have grown up to be the perfect wife and mother.
She enjoyed sitting at uncle Henrics desk as she did that fateful afternoon.
She inspected the globe of the planet and wanted to learn all of the town names by memmory.
Estella was studying the places near Oakloma. They had funny names, one of them was actually called Twinklebottom, when her eye caught a loose brick in the wall next to a little cabinet.
Curiousity was a sin most girls could not evade and she pried the brick from the wall.
It revealed a small book and a dusty, old wallet.
She grabbed the book, it was a small one with lots of pages. It opened up and the first line read “I have to write down what I did or I will lose my mind.” Estella recognized his uncles handwriting and continued to read.
With every line she read, little and innocent Estella became more like the monster she would one day be.

Henric felt fantastic today. Edwina and he had made love like a pair of young rabbits who were experiencing their first venture into the realms of the lands of lust and passion.
The memmory of his late brother seemed as distant as the first neighbouring star in he night sky.
Finally he could devote himself entirely to pleasing her. And the sounds that escaped her as she gently bit his shoulder were proof of this.
He was on his way to tell Estella that they were going to take a short vacation together soon. And that Estella would be responsible for the house, he knew he could trust her.
Henric had to be careful however since they had not yet told her how they felt about eachother. The both of them were not sure how she would take it after the loss of her father.
The door to the study swung open and he entered, but stopped dead in his tracks after a few paces. In the letters a message was written on the wall.

“You killed my father
and fu*cked my mother.”

The white paint ran out like thick tears. Inside the wall a brick was missing and terror struck him. He looked at his desk and the drawer in which he hid his gun was open.
The door behind him slammed shut and when he turned around he looked into the eyes of his adopted daughter.
“You've killed my father... and fuc*ed my wh*re of a mother.” Her face was bitter as if the words escaping her left a nasty taste.
He wanted to say something, but what could he say. She told the truth and he had done those things. Thick masscara ran down her beautiful cheeks and coloured them black.
“You killed my father and...” Estella did not finish her sentence. Had Henric looked down he would have seen the gun resting in her hand.
With a thunderous roar, the gun released its seed and impregnated Henrics heart with a batch of explosive gunpowder.
“Let's see how you like it.” She looked at him and saw the gleam escape from his eyes. “Henric? Estella?” His name before hers. That's how it was, thats how much the man that had killed her father mattered to her mother.
She started to wonder wheter either of them ever thought of Herbert when he was busy pounding her. Defelining the body out of which she came and it made her even angrier.
Edwina entered the room and screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her lover lay motionless on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. The second man she had ever loved was also the second man that was brutally taken from her.
“Why did you do this?” Her mother screamed at Estella, her voice trembling with fear and pain.
She did not look at Estella but took her man in her arms and pressed his face against her bossom. His blood was still warm and it covered her. The last warm touch he could give her.
“You betrayed my father with his own brother. You invited him into your bedroom and into your body.” She thought of all of the despicable things they had done to eachother.
There was just one question Estella wanted answered. “Did you love him?”
Her mother sobbed quietly. “Yes, I loved him.”
Two bullets blasted apart Edwina's face and her dead head came to rest on his strong chest.
And that was the first step towards the creation of Estella Bane.



Her eyes had healed. Her vision was still blurry, but the body consists of a number of delicate machines. Quiet soon they would repair themselves, her pupils would take their normal shape and the pain in her head would be gone.
Estella had never forgotten that day all those years ago. She will have her revenge again and she would deal with everyone that would get in her way.


(I think I will have chapter 49 done by tommorow.)

[Doubble Dutch]

Beautiful, I love it, very inspiring.

[Alister]

Awesome.

I've had part of a chapter lying around for a while now. Hopefully your new chapters will give me something to flesh it out with.

BTW: For anyone using the treacle.hewwo.com address, the working address for the story archive is http://www.alister.eu/jazz/story.html. I'm currently tweaking some things, so the new chapter will be up in a few days' time. Also, by my (rather conservative) reckoning, the next chapter should be 50.

[The SlaYeR]

Thank you so much Alister. I have been looking for that link and I guess you could be right about the chapter indexing. I think I may not have counted the previous flashback as a full chapter, but I will make a few adjustments.
Glad too see you are still around.

[The SlaYeR]

(I will post bits of this chapter as I go along. And yes, this should be chapter 50. SUCH A MILESTONE. HUGS FRIENDS, HUGS ALL AROUND!!!)

Chapter 50: Transfer.

“What are we going to do with this one?” The large demon was rather tired of these questions. Mister Parker had ordered them to take extra good care of their celebrity guest and here he found himself sitting.
Surrounded by idiots that lacked the imagination and creativity to come up with anything on their own. He looked at the square, metallic clock on the edge of his desk. Ten in the evening and he had been guarding the prisoner for seventy-eight hours now for a meager 5 silverlings an hour. Not the best wage, but it is hard for a demon to find a job around a place like this. Go figure.
Almost he had found the chance for a quick nap until Parkers men had payed them a visit and had taken little miss zombie off their hands..
Garn stood up and rubbed his massive fingers through his eyes in a futile attempt to ward off the sleep. He pushed a guard out of the way and told him to make a pot of coffee.
The occupant of cell 29 in cell block H5 was a mess.
Ever since his arrival here he had been subjected to a variety of torturuing techniques; Barb wire, electricity, waterboarding. His co-workers had the time of their lives and evil laughter went hand in hand with the screams of terror.
Many other prisoners would have given in long ago or at least died, but this hares will was strong. Garn grabbed his gun and entered the cell. This had gone on long enough.


“What are we going to do with this one?” Tony sat on the cold, stone floor of his prison cell and stared out in between the metallic bars that kept him in place.
It was a question that had been playing around in his head for a while now.
What were they going to do with him? He looked down his body with his one good eye. The one one seemed impossible to open and caused him quiet a bit of annoyance, the stinging and itching lured his hand towards his eye, but he could not give in to it for fear of causing more harm.
A few scratches here and there covered his arms and legs. Dark blue bruises were spread over his body and shone through his light fur. Like bits of blueberry in creamy, vanilla ice cream. As far as he could see, the damage was not all that grave. As far as he could see... If they would hold a mirror in front of his face and would show him that his right ear was missing he would most likely not have reacted as casually as he did now.
His most important body part had been able to escape the gruesome tortures of the past few days. He smiled at that though and immediately regretted it.
“ No smiling, I will keep that in mind.” His mouth was dry with blood and dust.
“Go get me a pot of coffee.” He heard Garn outside.
His good 'friend' and the general that was put in charge of this prison.
His ruthlessness on the battlefield had made him the right man for this unthankful job. The general was also the man that had ripped an ear from his attractive head. 'Tony, Tony, Tony, how did you end up in this mess? You had it all buddy, fame, fortune, and a different model to lay every other week.”
And now he sat here in a four by four prison cell with all the luxuries you can find in such a place. Stale bread, lukewarm water and a comfortable place to lay your head, right next to your makeshift toilet.
The worst thing however was this damn feeling in his stomach whenever he thought of Michelle. The tingling sensation that ran across his spine whenever he thought of her lifeless eyes that sparkled with life. And the pain he felt over her not being here with him.
Sure, she wasn't perfect; The intoxicating smell that made that of vomit seem bleak in comparison, the see-through skin, the fact that he would never have the chance to sit down with her for a romantic dinner and the eye that had the annoying habit of popping out of her socket.
But unlike the other woman he had known, she was pure and sound of mind. Charming in her own way and attractive, for the eye of love did not see the swarm of flies feasting on her dead skin. Above all though, she was real. Oh, the irony.

Garn stood in front of the celldoor knowing he had nothing to fear. His prisoner had stopped trying to break out of his cell after the first twenty attempts and the twenty punshiments that followed. Slowly the iron door slid open and Garn stepped in. A dark rat that was enjoying bits of an unfinished lunch spread over the floor scurried away and hid in a crack in the wall. The tall demon kicked the bowl away that had contained the lunch earlier and sat down opposite of the broken man. The two of them looked at eachother for a moment and Garn could feel the hate behind those blue eyes burn into his every being.
“I guess hate would not be a strong enough word for the feelings you have towards me and my men, Tony. Having said that, I can assure you that if it were up to me you would be dead.”
The demon smiled, uncovering a row of sharp teeth. Like the gates of hell they sat there and tempted him to make a fist and punch them out.
“I appriciate that Garn.” Tony said back trying not to make the resentment he felt shine through.
“It is not up to me however. I must answer to a master just as everyone. The guards answer to their supervisors who in turn answer to the ministers. And the ministers in their turn answer to their kings. The man at the top creates falls gods to grant him the illusion that he has someone to answer to.”
“Listen, are you going anywhere with this because I have had a long day.”
Garn waved the gun around and Tony took the hint. “I just want you to know that all of this needless suffering is not my idea of a good time, but Parker wants answers. And he pays me well to provide him with those answers. I just want you to know its nothing personal.” A hint of respect shone through in the voice of the demon.
“I can't tell you what I do not know Garn. I wish I could so we could get this over with, but alas.”
Gunfire and a deafening roar bounced off the walls of the cramped cell. Garn had fired a bullet at the rat and had taken his little head clean off, he twitched a bit before he lay still.
His last supper still held firmly between his paws.
“A lack of sleep has caused me to be slightly more agitated than usual. I warn you now Tony you do not want Gary Parker to come here and pick you up like he picked up your little girlfriend.”
That last remark did it and Tony wanted to climb to his feet. Garn smiled, half relieved that he was finally going to leave this all behind him and aimed the gun at the young mans head.
“You (-), you (-)!” Before Garn could fire his gun one of his cronies came running in.
“Wait sir! It's mister Parker on the phone, sir.”
Garn answered the phone and kicked Tony down to the ground. “Now you've done it. I warn you, no more Greenthorpe fairy tales like you tried to tell us the last time.”
Tony gently muttered “They were there... I swear.” His voice went lost to all who were there to hear however.
Hushed whispers found their way into his cell and the words were lost in the wind.
“I have good news for you Tony. Parkers men are on their way to pick you up.”


The van holding six guards and their driver drove across the bridge over the deep gorge surrounding the gloomy castle several hours later. The lava gave of such an intense heat that the passengers felt nauseous.
“Let us try to get this over with as soon as we can, men.” The driver was an old hare with a small pair of binoculars balancing on the bridge of his nose.
His eyes were focused on the long bridge ahead and small droplets of sweat ran down his round face and fell into his lap. One mistake on this bridge and they would fall down to be consumed by the fire. Two colossal and strong, wooden doors slowly opened as the jaws of a terrible creatures.
Tony Waterbecks small figure would give anyone that would view it in this setting a feeling of pity.
He was wrapped in thick iron chains and held by two demons who furiously licked their lips and let their eyes role in their deep and dark sockets.
Sharp pain shot through the young mans scars as the cold metal dug into his already battered flesh.
“General, it is good to see you.” The driver must be a convincing liar for Garn smiled at him.
“He is all yours Denver, take good care of him.” Garn signed his name on a piece of parchment and handed it back to the driver. Sleep was very close now and the thought of a warm bed filled him with a certain happiness.
“Oh, we would not want to give damaged goods to mister Parker, now would we?” His nervous laugh revealed the fear he carried in his heart concerning this fort and its owners.
“Well, not anymore damaged then he already is. Have a safe trip Denver.” Garn turned around and saluted Tony Waterbeck. The brave man that had not revealed the location of his friends.

[The SlaYeR]

The new governor of Peddleburg sat in his most comfortable chair.
He was playing a game of darts while enjoying a drink and the music one of his servants was providing in the background. Soft sounds from his violin carried out of the window and over the orange grove to the west of his house. The view in the summer was magnificent and brought the governor much delight depending on with whose eyes he viewed it.
“Very good, mister Parker. A succession of magnificent throws.” The servants that always were close by his side has become masters in the noble art of kissing as* over the years.
This one in particular. He walked over to the board and retrieved the arrows for his master.
Parker had thrown a five, a three and a twelve. Not as good as the as*-kisser would want him to believe. “Thank you, Clarence.” Parker took the arrows and stroked the back of the young servants hand. His youthful eyes were full of horror which was all the more of a turn-on for the demon inside of him. The weather outside was beautiful on this particular day and the orange grove underneath his window stood in bloom. Bright orange and light green filled his field of vision. They say it is often the calmest before the storm.
A man ran inside without knocking on the door. This one of Parkers many annoyances.
“My lord, I bring troubling news.” One of Parkers arrows had just hit the sixteen and the bringer of the news stood out of breath in the door opening.
The other two arrows lay in Parkers hand and he squeezed them tightly, suppressing the urge to jam them in the throat of the closest person he could plant them into.
“Miss Estella Bane had the vampire in captivity, but unfortunately he managed to escape and...”
The man started crying softly, for he knew what kind of man governor Parker was. “...So did the others.” Parker got up out of his comfortable chair and he was not a happy bunny.
“Everyone out, now!” He put emphasis on the last word and his servants ran. So did the messenger who had, without his knowledge of the fact, not been addressed.
“Everyone, but you messenger. How about a drink, old boy? Its a long walk.”
“Thank, thank you sir.” The man stuttered and a wet spotted formed in the front of his pants.
Urine dripped down his leg and onto the recently polished floor and he was sure he would die now. “Its not your fault, old man. You were just doing your job, but that vampire is rather important in the grand scheme of things you see.” The man swallowed his drink and Parker poured him another. “There, there now.” Gary walked back to his desk.
'Oh god, he's going to stab me to dead with a letter opener. That's how it is. I am going to die.”
His hand shook and he quickly downed his second glass of strong alcohol.
All the man who was now his greatest nightmare did however was take a 100 coin bill and gave it to the messenger. “Go buy yourself something nice my good man. Or perhaps a gift for the wife.”
The man sank to his knees and cried. “Oh, thank you mister Parker, sir. Thank you.”
“That's alright fellow. Now please, stand up and call for the others.” The man bowed once more and walked to the exit. The sun was shining down on him as he walked home safe and sound to his wife and family.
“Clarence, please. Hand me the arrows for I wish to play a game.”
“Of course, my lord Parker. I am your most humble servant.”
And just as the servant had given Parker what he had asked for, the former started stabbing the young boy with the dart arrows. His arms spread wide in front of him and the stare of death drawing closer in his blank eyes. A scream was heard, but ignored by all. This was their life and their fate. And the better they obeyed, the better their chances of survival.

[The SlaYeR]

The white van was on its way to Parkers building and would arrive in a few hours.
“I like it when the roads are quiet.” The guard in the passenger seat looked out of his window.
“And our package has been behaving nicely. These jobs are the best, in, out and a nice, fat cheque to take home to your wife.”
“The best part is when the wives show their gratitude.” The two man laughed and were caught by surprise when their truck hit a bump in the road.
“(-), what was that? Do you think we hit something?”
“Something or someone. Go take a look.” They were mercenaries, payed to kill and who killed to get payed. Not because they liked it, but because it just so happened to be the only thing they had ever been good at. They had never killed anyone because they had a lust for blood however. Nor had they ever liked taking the life of someone less fortunate than them. So the man in the passenger seat nodded and left the car.
A little window in the side of the van was slid open. It provided little light into the cramped back. “Everything alright Charlie?” One of the men asked and thick, blue smoke emerged from the window. The smell of their favorite cigars and for them the job was already finished. Piece of cake, right? “We hit something, I'm going to take a look. I'll let you know if somethings wrong.”
“I had rather you didn't.” The man smiled and closed the window behind him.
In the middle of the road the truck had left behind lay a man, motionless.
Tire tracks ran across his chest and his face. Over sized roadkill, collateral damage.
“Damn it.” Charlie muttered, he might have had low values, but had a good heart overall.
“What's happening Charlie?” The man with the crooked nose and the glass shouted out of his window without looking back. He wanted to go, only a few more hours and they would have enough money for a whole lot of good beers and a couple of nice prozzies.
But Charlie didn't answer, he got down on his knees to examine the guy a little closer.
His lower jaw was shattered and thick mud and blood ran through his dark, purple fur.
No breathing, this guy was dead. Charlie averted his eyes and wanted to get up to walk back. This guy was dead and there was nothing they could do, or so he thought.
A vainy, purple hand shot up and closed itself around the young mans thick, muscular neck.
“Wa ih 'e? Wa ih 'onee?” The man uttered words that the young mercenary soldier could not understand. His jaw was smashed and his tongue hung out of his mouth like a sock puppet without a master. “''Ony, Ony 'ater'eck. 'e ih é?” The jaw started healing itself slowly, flesh crept up like the sea during a tide and covered the bones and blood.
The shattered sockets his eyes had sunken into restored itself and slowly pushed the eyes back up, all the time looking at the gobsmacked soldier, who was too stunned to utter a word.
“Tony Waterbeck, where can I find him?” Louie said when his jaw allowed him and he got up from the ground. Charlie finally realized he was holding a gun and he attempted to open fire on the vampire, but the monster in front of him was too quick and pulled the gun from the trembling hands of the soldier. “Bloodshed could have been avoided.” And with these words the vampire sank his teeth into poor Charlies artery. Blood gushed out of the wound and sprayed down Louie's throat, finishing the restoration process and restoring his strength.

The vampire had arrived at Neverberg Castle a little on the late side. The truck had barely left and he had to ask a demon for information. The red beast had only started talking when he was hanging upside down the lava.
After having burried the evidence of his visit he rushed after it.
A short journey later later he had found it and had placed himself in front of the tires.
From there on out luck would take over the direction of this plan. And so far, it had been on his side. He placed the body of the guard on the ground where he himself had been a moment before and covered it in mud and leaves. Then he grabbed the rifle and snuck up to the drivers side of the vehicle. The driver had just lit a cigarette and was waiting for his firend to return.
There was a quick tap on the window and the driver, who was under the impression that whatever the van must've hid was dead opened the door.
“About time Charlie, what did we hit?” Louie appeared in the door opening and pointed the rifle at the mans fance. “You hit me.”
He fired two quick shots, two men down. He grabbed the drivers gun out of his belt as well as the car keys and put them inside of the jacket that seemed far to warm for this time of the year.

Gunfire could be heard coming from outside.
“You three, go take a look and see what is going on there.” Tony sat silently between the two men that stayed behind to guard him. The coolness of the thick chains now soothed his many wounds and he closed his eyes in an attempt to focus on the voices he could hear outside.
The doors of the van opened and he could smell the sweet, pine trees. The smell of the forest and that of freedom. He heard men fighting for their lives outside, guns were fired and curses were yelled to go lost in the thickness of the forest. And then there was silence, a deafening silence. “Damn it, what the hell is going on out there.”
Louie jumped inside of the van and the man on the right of Tony raised his gun at him, but a quick and rather sudden move from Tony brought him down to his knees and made him bump his head into the ground. The other mercenary threw his weapon on the floor and walked past a growling Louie as he quietly begged for his mommy.
“It is good to see you Tony.” Louie smiled, the first genuine smile Tony had ever seen on his face ever since he met him in the house that now seemed so far away.
“It is good to see you too, Louie. Now, if you kindly.” He nodded at the lock that bound the chains together. “Ah, of course, of course.” Without a warning Louie fired a shot and scared the living daylight out of Tony, but he picked the lock clean off.
“I hope you can drive.” Louie handed Tony the keys, he felt bruised and broken, but his sudden liberation raised his spirits and he accepted them. “Lets see if we can find the others.”

(To be continued.)



---


Well, I hope you liked it. I have another chapter coming up that is almost done.
All I have to do is edit it a little, type it into my computer (as it is written on paper) and find a suitable ending to it.
Anyway, expect to see it here soon and thanks for reading.

[The SlaYeR]

I will make a short list of people who are still writing here.
If you still want to write and your name is not on it. Send me a PM.
(And visa versa)

ToxicBunny
DoubleDutch
n0
SlaYo
NinjaPixie

(Such a list, magnificent.)

[The SlaYeR]

Hello everyone. I just finished the first part on Chapter 51. A bit more on Gary and I will describe the journey of Tony and Louie in the continuation of Ch. 51 which I will post as soon as I get the chance to copy it. It is Saturday now and I have other plans.

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Chapter 51: The people beneath the surface (1)


These hands were not his hands.
These legs were not his legs.
The dead man that lay in his bed had neither been his lover nor his victim.
Bruhns horrible presence was always with him and in him and laughed aloud as he mourned the countless victims that had died to satisfy a freakish lust. The poor people that had coloured the hands that were both his and not his red with blood.
Bruhn was dormant and he had some time to wallow in self pity as he had often done before, because that was all his existence meant now.

Gary remembered the cave and the drawing of the caged monster he had unleashed all those years ago. Innocent child's play disturbed.
The beast stood scribbled on the wall that lay below the ground.
Walls that were filled with archaic symbols he had not understood.
Now, years later he knew they had warned him. Told him to turn around and leave as fast as his little legs could carry him. Run and never look back.
Gary Parker, aged 36 and the youngest governor there had ever been looked at his own visage in the mirror. Only one pair of eyes looked back at him. These precious moments were rare and far in between.
He had not felt the second soul inside of him during the first few years after he had released it.
Sure, he had occasionally bullied and would ring a doorbell or two without waiting for the angered look on the owners face. That is what kids his age did however. He had never caused anything or anyone bigger than a fly any harm, but Bruhn was there.
Waiting under the surface of the tranquility of his childhood.
The first ripple in the surface appeared after he had graduated at the top of his class.
He had a few drinks with his good friend, Kia. A lovely young girl who had admired him and had enjoyed his friendship for many years. They had grown up together and Gary had been like the brother she had never had. Kind, charming and chivalrous and deprived of the thoughts young boys always seemed to have.
They walked through the park after a night of celebration for they had both finished the first act in the stage play that is life. Young Gary offered Kia his coat as the air grew colder. Unaware that the sudden coldness in the air came from a different source than the wind that was carried in from the East. He had meant to walk her home, but Bruhn had different plans to finish this lovely evening. A veil covered his eyes and took his sight as well as his chivalrous nature. He remembered the screams and the gasps for breath. Those futile attempts to suck in a little evening air. There was no memmory of the things Bruhn had done to her. No recollection of her pleading and the begging as hands that were not his forced her legs apart.
Gary came to his senses when Bruhn had finished. It was as if awaking from a nightmare although the nightmare had only just started. Her naked body lay in the grass that had a deep grey colour under the pale moonlight. Mutilated and beaten, her tongue lolled out at an unnatural angle and the silky, purple dress she had felt so pretty in before ripped through the middle from the waist to her chin. Gary tasted blood and flesh in his mouth and he ran. He ran as fast and as far as he could until he sank down and fell flat on his face. When he woke up the next morning, Bruhn told him what would happen from now on and had shown him who would be in control from no won. Every time Gary refused, there would be mental torture. A torture so intense that he could physically feel it.
Reflected in the mirror was his attractive, young face. The face that made people feel safe and secure around him. The face of a murderer and a liar.
The young man behind him had been attracted by it and was lured into Bruhns trap.
The monster had used the boy to fulfill his physical needs and to provide nourishment.
A pair of scissors lay on a grooming table and Gary moved his hand towards it casually, still looking at himself in the mirror. Never moving his sight away from his own eyes, to see wheter Bruhn had not woken up. The eyes in which the self hatred ran deeper than the roots of any tree.
Deeper than the deepest well in the lowest valley. In those eyes he found the strength he needed to accomplish the job he had in mind.
Tonight he would plant the scissors in his throat and end the terrible reign of Bruhn.
Before Bruhn had found the strength it needed to leave him and become a physical entity that would bring the people of Carrotus to its knees and reign supreme and bloody. Bruhns fleshy vessel was all that stood between everything and nothing.
His grip around the scissors tightened. All he had to do now was stab and the people of Carrotus would be safe in their beds tonight and all of the nights ahead. The evil that had crept into the minds of people over the past few decades would disappear and everyone would wake up revitalised and fresh tomorrow. Pure of heart and sound of mind and with a clear goal for the future. The civil war on Diamondus would end and people would lower their weapons, destroy their weapons. The weapons that had destroyed so many of their brethren, turtles and rabbits alike. And the weapons would disappear over the years because the true demon had been banished from this realm and had taken everything that is evil with it.
Flowers would blossom on top of the cave from which he had escaped those thirty years ago.
Fruit and vegetables would grow on the dark lands that housed his servants who lay there waiting for him to call on them.
The beast inside woke up and the fire burned behind Garys eyes. Another attempt to end his life gone up in smoke and it would be long before he would get another chance. Too long perhaps.
“Go to sleep now Gary.”

[n0]

Shiggity shiggity shwa!

I gotta say, that was almost enough to give me inspiration to write another piece! I already have some ideas...

[Doubble Dutch]

Oh that's brilliant, what a refreshing restart. Makes me glad I didn't post my chapter.

Perfect, just perfect.

[The SlaYeR]

“Are these edible?” Tony ran after Louie and showed him a handful of small, yellowish berries.
They had stayed on the road and had driven half a day, but the number of police cars had increased and being wanted men, they had decided it was better to continue on foot.
After leaving the road they had traveled further North towards their friends in the big city.
The journey had taken them through fields, plains and marshes. Rich nature and a big diversity of trees amazed them and the wounds Tony had, had healed at a good rate.
They had walked for two days and nights. Only stopping for a quick nap where the density of trees and tall grass had allowed them to remain unseen by curious eyes.
A lake lay to the left of them and reflected the setting sun in it, casting a comforting orange glow that made them feel at ease. Reeds kept them covered and hidden as they made their way to the village of Erdin, near the hills that separated the southern and the northern lands like a natural border. “They are edible, but they also work as a laxative so suit yourself.” Louie said casually as he wondered how Thomas, Yakira and the others were doing. If they were still alive at all.
“That shouldn't make much difference from the food I had in the prison.” Tony said, but after a short moment of consideration he threw the handful of berries aside.
His stomach growled in protest, deprived of the good meals it had been used to.
Apart from a decent meal he could use a warm bed and a fresh pair of clothes. His escape had given him strength however and the vampire was good company to have around on trips in the wild. He seemed to have a lot of knowledge of the outside world and climbed through the grass with the experience of a hunter and the grace of a thief.
He had not been much of a talker however and the majority of the past two days they had spent in silence, walking and enjoying their solitude, relative safety and the beauty of the flora and fauna. Two tiny, blue birds fluttered through the sky singing one of their songs in their high pitched calls before they came to rest on the bank of the water.
Rather suddenly the lush overgrowth ended and they stood in a clear open circle of short, yellow grass that looked like it had been dead for years.
Louie stood still and called to his senses. He had the strange feeling they were being watched.
His nose picked up the scent of the flowers and animals that roamed the land.
His eyes moved over the flat countryside, clear sparkling rivers and colourful overgrowth.
His taste picked up the sweet taste of the cadaver of a small animal several feet away from them and the bitter of the edible moss on the bank of the water.
The air was unnaturally thick here and unusually warm as was picked up by his touch, thousands of nerves that ran like freeways through his body and ended in a dead end just underneath his skin. Something else was different about the air here as well, it was intoxicating and pleasant to be in. Like the temporary buzz after a glass of sweet,red wine with which you end a pleasant meal on a hot summer evening.
“Let us give our feet some rest here.” Louie sat down and looked at the sun that seemed to sink into the earth on the horizon. Tony enjoyed the feeling of the cool, grass against his painful body.
The dew on the grass seemed strange when he took into account the warmth in the air, but it could not bother him for long. The small, green blades of grass kissed his skin and he felt relieved. As if an itch he had felt for all of his life was finally scratched at.
“This moss is edible and high if protein and vitamins.” Louie plucked a handful of moss out of the sticky and wet, brown patch next to the river and handed it to Tony.
Tiny fibers crawled in Tonys hand as he accepted it, like little worms trying to escape from his grasp and dripped through the cracks between his fingers and onto his filthy and torn jeans.
The smell it gave off was as horrible as the prospect of this being his lunch was.
“Are you sure this is not (-)?” Tony looked at Louie with suspicion in his eyes.
“Quiet sure.”
“Don't tell anyone about this or I will stake you.”
The brown and crawly good rested in the cup of his hand as he brought it towards his mouth.
It slithered through his troath and begun its journey to his empty stomach. It tasted surprisingly pleasant, like the bean soup his mother used to make for him. Even if a bit more spicy.
The atmosphere and the hunger set his initial inhibitions aside and he scooped up more fists full of the brown moss.
“You know, it actually is (-), technically.” Louie sounded apologetic and Tony, his mouth covered in what he believed to be crap looked up at him. Fire lit up in his heart. “I'm going to kill you.”
Louie started laughing, a chuckle at first but the small stream of laughter soon turned into a waterfall of pleasure and tears of joy sprang in his eyes.
The relief he felt was so intense that it filled him up with joy. Tony realised it had been a joke and after flinging a handful of brown goo at the vampire's head. He joined in and soon they were both holding their sides and the sound of joy rolled across the land.

What should have been a short break had turned into a long rest.
Tony Waterbeck and Louie Greenthorpe had talked for hours and had found out they had many things in common. For hours they talked about theater and poetry and Louie enjoyed listening to Tony and his wonderful tales of life on Technoir. Often amazed at the technological advancements made there and how long it took for a neighbouring planet to see the benefits.
Tony in turn was treated to stories about the history of this planet and the wonderful account of the parties that took place in the mansions of the rich and famous. Louie described everything with such attention to detail that it felt as if Tony was there with him.
There was something in the air they said jokingly, that made them feel as if they had drank several bottles of liquor and they started singing songs around a fire they had made as the evening had set in. Underneath the stars they sang a drunk mans song.

“The turtle gave the hare, quiet a scare
as they walked down the old road
Never and no more would it feel like before
when he met his mother, the toad
Her green and spotted skin
her body fair and slim
In the eyes of a rabbit in love.
He married her and never again
would he walk down the old road.”

They laughed as the wounds caused by Tonys captors healed up at an unusual speed.
When the evening fell the two men slumbered away and had the deepest and longest sleep they had in a long time.

The morning came and brought with it several oddities.
“Can you hear that? Is that bell chiming?” The floor shook every time a bell chimed.
Its hollow sound could be heard coming from below the surface and Louie put his ear against the ground. Tony was feeling slightly intoxicated still and dreamily look at the ripples the chiming of the bell caused on the surface of the water.
“It is probably carried over from the next village by the wind.” Tony took a small twig and started scribbling in the sand. Louie could not believe the young mans casually attitude towards this oddity. His drunken state of the night before had vanished rapidly and he moved through the grass. The chiming was getting louder as he crawled deeper into the grass.
In the mud a face formed as lines were dragged into it. An amateuristic portrayal of a young mans longing to be with the girl he missed. “Where are you.” He jumped up when he heard a scream from Louie. The fields were empty save for the young man who now followed the prints in the ground his friend had left with a steady pace.
He took a few more steps, the chiming grew louder.
Three more steps, the sound of the bells entered his body and started pounding small hammers against his brain.
Two more steps, it formed a spectral fist and closed it around his heart.
The ground shook terribly and his first thought was running away from this place, back to the safety of the river bank, but before he had the chance to run away the ground opened up and swallowed him whole, dragging him down into the depths and nearer to the chiming of the bells.

The overnight stay was predestined and they had both felt it. Had they taken a different path they could have been in the next town already.
Sometimes fate had a different plan however and the vampire rushed through the thick blackness of the ground at high speed. Burrowing himself into the heart of Carrotus like an oversized mole.
The bell still chimed through every inch of his being and he felt he was getting closer. Before long the ground opened up beneath him and spat him out into a pitch black cavern.
He landed on the earth and the force that he felt slamming against his back made him cough.
Cold blood trickled from his left elbow, but the damage could have been bigger. He slowly pushed himself up and with much effort he had managed to get on his feet just as Tony fell from through the hole in the ground and slammed into Louie.
“Oh, damn. I think I broke something.” The young fighter pilot said. He did not feel any pain, only a slight shaving on his right knee.
“I think you broke my leg.” Louie replied as he pushed Tony off of him and rolled around.
“Are you alright.”
“I think I will be alright, it will heal itself in a moment. I think we should sit still and not touch anything until my leg has mended.”
“That sounds like a good plan. I can't see a hand in front of my eyes.”
And as if by magic, the last word that had left Tonys mouth seemed to be accompanied by a very small light the size of a firefly. It floated towards the ceiling of the cave and hang there quietly.
“Thats impossible.” Tony stared at it with his mouth wide open.
The flesh of Louie's leg was mending itself and he stared at the spec of light, just as lost for words as Tony had been. Well, a little more perhaps.
The light gradually grew in strength and fell over the walls lighting up the cave very slowly, like the sun rising behind a line of trees.
“We were drawn here, weren't we. I mean, as if by, by magic?” Tony hesitated while speaking out the last word, but he was sure that something unusual had happened to them. And this cave lay at center of it. The light crept further down the walls and was reflected off of several large, glass windows depicting unusual scenes that were hard to make out with the amount of dust and sand on them, gentle cracks were heard, a symphony of glass and rotting wood as it groaned under the pressure of the sand that tried to push its way through them.
Wooden benches lay on their side, the fine brown wood with which they had been build had turned a charcoal black over the ages and gave them a haunting feel. In the middle of the large room lay a crystal chandelier that must have fallen from the roof and lay in ruin. Crystal shards shattered and half hidden under a mixture of sand and dust that formed a natural carpet.
Against both the Western and Eastern wall stood large, rusted candle stands. Thick red candle stumps in them and their wax dripped over the holder. Like wax stalactites they hung there forever. Towards the north lay a marble altar on its side, missing a large chunk at the base and overgrown with dirty, dark green weeds.
“It's an ancient cathedral. I can't believe it, an ancient cathedral covered in the sands of time.”
Louie was astonished over the magnificence of the building.
Small rabbit-like and angelic creatures were carved into the walls. Beautiful beings with faces as delicate as the first morning of spring in the northern lands that brought an end to the long period of darkness.
“The joy never ends with you, does it?” Tony was just as astonished, he took a small golden broach in his hand. It was a depiction of the goddess Carrotus. Her beauty far surpassed anything he had ever seen before, her golden hair lay over her bare bosom and her hands lay folded in her lap. Her eyes were small sapphires of the most enchanting green. This object was an archaeological discovery of incredible proportions and it just lay here, like ripe fruit for the picking.
From behind one of the benches that lay on his side a man rose slowly. The light grew stronger yet and they could see him, a very thin figure clad in dusty robes that smelled of mold and which seemed several sizes to large for his frail body.
A thick white beard hid a face with skin, yellowed like parchment and cracked and grey teeth stood in his mouth like old and mossy tombstones.
His eyes were dark as the night and lay deep in their sockets. He spoke slowly and deeply and a terrible shiver rolled down the spines of the men that listened. “Would you care for a cup of tea?”

[The SlaYeR]

I noticed that there is an inconsistancy in the story.
The end of n0's chapter tells of how Louie Greenthorpe stood by the edge of Castle Greenthorpe, ready to make the jump.

Dear n0, if you could make a small adjustment and make it so that he sees tire tracks and goes on his way to question a demon. That would work much better.
Sorry to bother you guys.

[n0]

I assumed he jumped in, found they had taken Tony, and then jumped back out... or something.

[The SlaYeR]

That'd be silly, but sure. I can live with that.

[Doubble Dutch]

Who knows what happens off the scenes? It was probbably a daring rescue of some sort.

[The SlaYeR]

Hello DD, have you found the time over the course of the last month to finish your chapter? Just asking.

[Doubble Dutch]

Whoa, what a time for my laptop to go bust huh? Sheesh, I AM overdue, best get this thing posted then (And the bloody tech support STILL hasn't actually helped me...)


* * *


<i>What is most scary about zombies, what makes them more dangerous than, say, your usual homicidal killer, is that they just keep coming. You can blow them up, slice them, dice them, and whatever's left will <b>still</b> be crawling around after you. They don't need to be particularly fast, or smart, or strong, because they never give up. And they never, ever eat each other.</i>


* * *

It was cold, and it was damp. Sunrise was still several hours away and Ciro wouldn't be able to knock off until then. Guard duty called for a certain type of soldier. Certainly not the creative type, or the easily bored, but the obedient and trustworthy. Ciro, along with the rest of his company spent their nights guarding Castle Carapace from anyone and anything. It was their duty to keep an eye out for anyone approaching the building, and to request I.D. from them, before reporting them to superior officers. They spent their time standing around, with wet feet and cold hands, and quite often a warming drink. They were not a defense force <i>per se</i> but rather a form of living warning system; all they had for defense was one small pistol, but they carried an intriguing amount of other equipment; night vision goggles, motion detectors (For cold blooded intruders) and a small radio tag tuned to their pulse. A sustained increase, or stopping of the signal would instantly alert those higher up, and start a <i>real</i> response.

Fortunately, nothing much had ever happened on the watch, not for years. The odd false alarm, lost tourist or strange visitor, but aside from that, the job offered years of secure and uneventful employment. Ciro was spending his time chatting to a lovely lady approximately four thousand miles away online, which allowed him to share especially intimate moments after sunrise on his clock. (Despite the temptation, he had never done so while on duty; his commander had once, and the pulse disturbances had raised the alarm and resulted in several weeks of entertainment.)

The attack on Castle Neverberg several days earlier, such as it was, had been the catalyst for his transfer here; he'd been meaning to request another post for some time, and being nearly decapitated by a snarling vampire had made his mind up for him. Of course, only a few people had actually died, but the experience had been more than enough to motivate him to leave. The rest of the squad was still in disarray of course, and there were a few things that would need to be cleared up. He really pitied those who would have to face Mr. Parker personally, but he was looking forward to a long and uneventful career in mostly legal security work. Private jobs really did pay better, and though he was technically still employed by the government, Mr. Parker had some very interesting business interests.

And so it was that he was very surprised when the turtle walked up to him and grabbed him warmly by the throat. Had they been moving sneakily, or looking around uncertainly, or even aiming for what so many people think is a nonchalant walk, he would have immediately attracted suspicion. But he hadn't; the turtle had just approached the building on the western track, in plain sight and a steady gait, as if he had every right to be there. Shocked by this Ciro let off his weapon, the dull *crcck!* echoing loudly in the quiet night air.

The turtle didn't even blink, just stared straight ahead with a rather disturbing fixed grin. There was a strange, visceral noise and Ciro risked a look down. Quite a bit of the turtle had splashed on him, and it wasn't a pleasant color. Truly terrified now he aimed a few desperate punches at the creature's head. It was like hitting a sack of cement. He stopped as he felt the grip on his throat tighten like a vice.

"Good evening friend. Do forgive me brusqueness, but it's taken me some time to get here, and I do want to get to the point. There were two prisoners admitted to your former workplace, castle Neverland, I believe, some time ago, and you look like the kind of person who might know where they are."

"Gnnk. I'm not saying... anything."

"I understand you're a bit reluctant to provide this information, but do be aware that if you don't, I will break, quite literally, every bone in your body, starting with the inconsequential ones. You may very well survive, and your friends may very well capture me, but you my friend will spend the rest of your life in bed eating with the aid of a straw."

"You're not serious!"

The turtle smiled again, as if he'd heard some old joke, then quite calmly raised a hand towards his face. Making sure he had Ciro's complete attention he proceeded to grab his own chin and twist. There was an organic sound as bone and sinew snapped under strain. For a few seconds the creature's lower jaw flapped lose, then with another sickening noise it slowly repositioned itself. Ciro's attempt at being sick was stymied by the grip on his throat, but it was evident he had got the point.

"I see we have an understanding. Now then, those prisoners?"

"I don't know! One escaped with a traitor! They say she was gunned down a few miles east of here!"

"Gunned down?"

"Yes!"

"I see.... and the other?"

"I don't know either! There was some sort of escape! A mob hit the van during a routine transfer! The guards were killed!"

"I see. So, let me get this straight... one prisoner was killed in the forest, the other is missing, and neither is actually there?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"Damn that bloody vampire! Well, at least... whathisname is alright. The other one, you're sure she was killed?"

"Yes sir! Parker saw to it himself they say!"

"Right, fine."


Tier broke the guard’s neck with a flick of his wrist. The body slumped to the ground and was kicked aside. He was aware of being watched; the burnt turtle he had met so recently was staring at him with a sly smile and a hint of hopefulness.

"I'm not going to eat him, I fed already."

"Are you sure? Pity."

Tier was feeling much better now he'd fallen in with the assassins, or whatever they were. It wasn't that he liked being around cold blooded killers, he was one himself, quite literally. It was more the fact that now, even more than in the past few weeks, he had a sense of purpose, a goal in life. Granted it was to kill someone for no real reason than petty hatred, but it was a reason all the same. It was almost like living again... almost.

"What were you talking to him about anyway? It's in, out, ASAP."

"Personal business, I want to know a few things."

"Right. Well, this looks fun, shall we begin?"



* * *

Susan looked about the place, testing surfaces for dust and inspecting the pot plants. She felt a bit foolish for doing so, considering what had happened to them all over the past few days, she would have welcomed a derelict shack if it was safe. Come to think of it, Greenthorpe manor hadn't been in the best state either... But doing this was a small island of normality in what had become, quite quickly, a massive mess. It let her feel like she was in control, if only over a small domain of her existence.

Well, it seemed nobody had vacuumed here for quite some time. Nevermind, she could fix that, and it wasn't as if they'd be staying long in any case.

"I hope this is to your satisfaction Mrs. Bradhurst."

"It will do fine. You're sure-"

"I assure you that it is perfectly secure. I didn't survive all this time being able to blow up trains when I wanted by just being lucky you know."

"Yes, well..."

Thomas and Yakira entered behind her, looking around what would be their new home until the correct papers and preparations could be arranged. It was rather pleasant, if a little disused. Surprisingly it wasn't underground anywhere, but a rather nondescript apartment in one of the many high rise buildings that composed the city. They were apparently barely a mile away from where they had arrived, just on the outskirts of the town. Susan let out a huge sigh of relief and sat down on a nearby couch. She was asleep in seconds.

Thomas looked at his wife, it was no wonder she was so tired, the past few days had really taken it out of her, and everyone was gradually realizing that everything they had, their old lives, was probably done for now. They'd need to relocate off world, start all over, it was a humbling thought. And a frightening one.

"You're sure she'll be safe Mr. Kaz?"

"Positive, I know the guy who owns this place; he got burned by Parker years back, lost a lot of property and business. There's no way anyone here will rat you out, just keep a low profile and we can have you safe and sound by the end of the week."

"I guess that's a good thing. You certainly seem to be working fast."

"Your... friend is being very useful; it's nice to have someone who doesn't give a damn about being shot."

"Just so long as everyone is safe, that's al I care about."



* * *

Burnt really hated that zombie. Something about him made you want to just punch him in the face until he stopped moving. It wasn't that he was annoying as such; he just had this off-putting way of behaving. He never laughed, or swore or acted tough, all the proper trademarks of people in the business. It would have been nice if he'd got drunk, or mad or... anything, but he just spent his time with annoyingly muted actions. Burnt prided himself on his ability to judge people based on those little things, the tics and smiles, their swagger or handshake, but Tier was as clear as a brick wall. He went through the world as if he was afraid he'd break it and someone would tell him off.

On the other hand, they'd made a killing in card games in the few short days they'd been working together. The zombie drank like a sailor, but it never seemed to affect him, of course he'd have to cough it up a few hours later. The alcohol also masked the disconcerting smell of the grave and regular feeding made him almost indistinguishable from anyone else, thought Burnt had to continually remind him to do so, the guy seemed not to care if he started attracting flies. Apparently he had a friend who'd been even worse. Hard to believe.

But it was wonderful to sit back and watch him at poker, a face that barely moved a muscle, a body oblivious to the needs of sleep, the affects of alcohol, and anything used to spike the drinks. Once Tier had the rules explained to him, he was a natural, playing with the same solid determination he did everything else. They'd made sure not to win enough to be noticed of course, just enough for fun. When people started getting suspicious then it'd be time for the slur, the increasing losses, the giving up and going home, but they were always ahead at the end of the night. It was wonderful what a little spare cash could buy and despite the unnerving aspect of seeing his 'partner' shot on a regular basis, Burnt was having the time of his life.

"Good evening Mr. Pangloss."

A single shot, and the job was done. Another assignment completed. Burnt looked around the darkened office, snatched up a particularly nifty looking pen, and walked out.

[Doubble Dutch]

* * *

Frederick Ambrose looked over the old building with an experienced eye. He had seen a lot of architecture in his time, and this was impressive. It was the sort of home the old rich had; not shiny and new, but stately and grand, with a style that could only be achieved by building something to last centuries, then letting it do so. It had a well developed garden, ivy covered walls, some tasteful statuary, possibly Marblarian in origin. All-in-all, very impressive. A suitable home for a king indeed. Mr. Parker had done very well for himself.

He was ushered inside by a butler of the traditional school. Mr. Ambrose liked that; it was nice to see some things that never changed, some standards kept up. The house was just as impressive on the inside, all decorative vaulting and fornication. Despite the fact that most of the rooms had probably never been used this decade, they were spotlessly clean. Mr. Parker had a thing for tidiness and impressions, and he certainly kept his staff on their toes. Of course, that was only to be expected.

"Ah! Mr. Ambrose. Do come in, I am glad you could make it."

"Yes, there has been a lot of trouble, as I'm sure you're aware."

"The massacre, yes, terrible business. That is, in fact, why I called you here."

"Yes?"

"I have identified the killers. Though I have dealt with one permanently, I shall require your assistance with the other."

"Killers? Just give me the word sir, and I assure you that-"

"Yes, I am well aware of your attitude towards the supernatural, it is why of course I trust you so much."

Frederick Ambrose scowled. It was true; he'd been vehemently against all sorts of hocus-pocus since the (-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)s had murdered his family. He'd set out the next day, and a week later was in Schism. He had a record number of terminations on his record and had several awards for bravery. He'd reached the high ranks with amazing speed, but they had never seen the light; they were almost as bad as the vermin they'd been hunting.

"What was it then? The vampire who's after you?"

"No, he is not worth bothering about, I have someone to... deal with him. More worrying is a small insurgent group who have been employing some very powerful zombies."

"You've got to be kidding me Mr. Parker."

Zombies? Hah! They were a joke! Certainly they could wipe out an entire town overnight, but if you just locked your doors you'd be safe, and of course first you needed a zombie to start with. Wizards could make them of course, and some vampires knew the trick, but they were easily taken care of, gunfire would shred them, and they fell apart by themselves after a week or so. The massacre had been a bloodbath, you couldn't get that kind of result from a few groaning stiffs.

"You realize I do trust you Fred, I've known you a long time and that is why I am going to let you in on a few secrets. I hope I can still trust you Fred."

"Mr... Gary, I assure you, you've done so much for us over the years, I mean, you understand our purpose sir. I swear you can trust me on this."

"Even if it's... unorthodox?"

"Gary, unless you have a dozen corpses in your basement, I don't give a stuff about what lengths you've gone to."

"Heh... Good, then you will be pleased to follow me."

With that Gary Parker left the room, Frederick Ambrose close behind. Of course everyone knew of Parker's... interest in the occult, anyone involved with the supernatural developed on eventually, you wanted to get to know the hows and whys of your job, some more impressionable people even started thinking that perhaps the forces of darkness could somehow be persuaded to join them, all in one big happy family like. Nonsense. So he had no problem with the library, and it would be a library, it always was. Even as he strode purposefully down the twisting hallways and passages he could picture it. The forbidden books, the papers, maybe, since he was a rich sod, a few ornaments. He was not disappointed.

"This Fred, is my collection, what do you think?"

"Not bad... not bad, almost as big as mine, mind, the statues are an impressive touch."

It was indeed everything Fred had hoped for. Several shelves of forbidden reading, the usual stuff, such as the <i>Liber Fulcarum</i> and the <i>Vivat Fluegue</i>; some rather tasteless relics of magical use, long worn into dusty pointlessness, all the trappings of someone who liked, now and then, to assuage their curiosity with a little armchair reading. Of course the books weren't necessarily bad, while many had the standard material, carefully stripped of anything that might inform the unwary student of how to do various untoward actions, sometimes, if you really wanted to understand what you were up against, you needed the original stuff, the naked, simple purpose of it all.

Mr. Parker however had done everything very stylishly. There were a number of comfortable chairs, some antique oak furniture, some lovely tapestries, and, taking center place, in the center of the room a rather interesting statue depicting members of the three undead races, vampires, werewolves and zombies. Each stood facing outwards, with an expression of malice, while above them; sitting on some sort of throne was another figure, looking down on the rest with contempt.

"The statue is over five hundred years old. it depicts the three hundred and seventh vampire, Kaijin, the one hundred on forty fifth werewolf, Ronahin, and the nine hundred and thirty third zombie, Vedt. The figure in the middle is Bruhn himself, the creator of all three races."

"Four hundred and what? Kajin, Ronahin, they were all firsts."

"Really? Bruhn just thought one day 'Wow, I'll make vampires' and that was it? It's all in this tome Fred, they took years of development. 'first' really means 'first proper'; I do hope you don't tell anyone of this little book of mine."

Fred stared. It was an old leather bound grimorie, the cover bearing a simple symbol, a circle inscribed with a crude 'x'; one of the older runes of warning. He took the book from his old friend as if it might explode, and, if you believed some of the tales, it might. There was no doubt in his mind, even as he flipped it open and looked at the yellowing pages. This was a copy of the Chronicles of Bruhn, a book reputed to have originally been written by the monster himself, and long since passed out of history. He was completely speechless; if anyone ever even <i>suspected</i> Gary had this...

"Yes, it took quite some finding, I assure you, copies are very rare, and I don't intend to make any. In fact, one of our killers had a stolen copy on her when we tracked her down; I hope you know what that means."

"You recovered it surely?"

"Unfortunately no, however, I assure you that it is destroyed."

"I see. This is serious old friend, very, very serious."

"Yes, it involves Arcania zombies."



* * *

Tier ran quietly down the corridor, past the two slumped bodies he'd taken care of, and the one rather messy one Burnt had. And so it went, another guy dead, another Parker associate taken care of. It wasn't exactly a great job, or what he had planned, but it filled in the time, and helped him get vital information. If he-

A yell. A thump. The familiar feeling of having your brain vaporized.

When he 'came to' Tier was lying several feet away, the center of a small splatter of vaporized him, while Burnt stood over his assailant, who had been knocked unconscious. Tier knew the turtle rather well now, and they weren't going to wake up soon. Burnt deftly pointed a gun and-

"Whoa, hey, you can't just kill her!"

"Why not? She <i>shot</i> you! Point blank, in the head!"

"She's a civilian!"

"She's a nutcase! Do you know what this is? It's an LFG 1000 Mark 24!"

"It's a pretty black gun. Besides, we <i>did</i> kill a few people, she probably panicked."

"She's army or something!"

"All the more reason not to kill her then! C'mon, let’s just go!"

Burnt snorted, but holstered his weapon and stalked off. Tier looked down at the rabbit who had attacked him, then stomped heavily on her firearm. It smashed with a despairing creak, leaving fragments of casing in his foot. They should move quickly, the police were beginning to catch on to what was happening, though currently the only talk was of gang rivalries. They had been showing up with remarkable speed, no doubt interested, at least in some way, of protecting Mr. Parker's 'business'.



* * *

Ambrose left the building at quite a pace. When he wanted to, his walk could outpace most people's run. This was going to be... interesting. He was under no illusions as to what he was dealing with; a zombie that wouldn’t just fall apart, something that could feed and duplicate just like a vampire, but oh so much harder to kill. He had a saying for things like that 'Kill it with fire.'

He'd need more than his usual arsenal this time, zombies weren't something you had o deal with on a day-to-day basis. He'd been given a lovely device by Gary, but a cookie cutter would only slow the thing down. He'd need a flamethrower too, and some phosphorus rounds, something that would stick and burn as long as it took to take down the enemy.

He practically leapt into his car, the air of manic determination spoiled only slightly by its refusal to start until it had been pushed a few times. He had contacts, and he had information. He could track this thing, and destroy it, and Gary had promised that this time he'd get some recognition for his service.


* * *

And this was Neverburg, a few lights shinning out into the encroaching night, the castle stood as a black marker against the sky. Most of it would be empty; a locale so grand and secretive wouldn't be holding too many prisoners. This was a building with <i>style</i>; Tier had seen such before, Carrotus Castle was one, and the Abbey at Pinecross, all impressive arches, carvings, stained glass windows and othersuch miscellany that made up the traditional extravagant buildings of Carrotus' history.

Tier admired it as the sun sank low and the landscape darkened; it would be far easier to do things in night; he’d have no disadvantage, since his eyes didn't adjust to light anymore. It hadn't been too hard to find, everyone knew it existed, and while the exact location was a bit ambiguous, the site itself was never considered important enough to be of any public interest. Such was how the best atrocities were committed, in full public view and the validation of apathy.

There had recently been a breakout; or escape in any case, they wouldn't be expecting an attack so soon, there was nothing to be gained from such and no real good reason for any harm to come to the building or those in it aside from petty revenge, which surely nobody would seek since doing so would expose them to unnecessary risk. Tier however didn't think like that; he had nothing to lose, no chance of getting killed, little chance of being captured and several hundred pounds of C4 explosive in his backpack. He was, for the first time in centuries, upset, and was more than slightly eager to carry out the task ahead.

On the horizon the last rays of daylight flickered out into the darkening sky, and a shadowy shape moved ever closer to the castle walls.

[The SlaYeR]

Very nice DD, I'm glad you've decided to continue this. It gave me new inspiration and what not. Frederick Ambrose seems like a good addition to the cast of characters.

[n0]

Very very nice DD. Makes me want to go back and read the whole thing again. Or write another chapter. Hrm...

[Doubble Dutch]

Do it; you know you want to, in your heart of hearts...


Frederick Ambrose seems like a good addition to the cast of characters.

He's based on my old math teacher, and thus, totally disposable.

[Torkell]

Finally got round to updating my copies of it. Note that the chapter numbering in these files doesn't match the numbering used in this thread - I seem to have five more chapters in my version.

Text version (http://thomasmccorkell.me.uk/junk/greenthorpe.txt)
PalmDoc version (http://thomasmccorkell.me.uk/junk/greenthorpe.prc)