The Legend of High Noon

The Legend of High Noon



Blood begins to drip into the sink. A guilty switch blade lays in the basin, it’s golden handle stained sanguine.

“You look good.” He says to his reflection.
He buttoned up his old flannel sleeve, his right hand a dripping crimson. His hair a tangled, knotted mess. His real name was buried with his mother. The girls of The Ennio Hotel called him Baby, but he notoriously graced warrants as

“High Noon!” They shouted from outside.

His eyes perked up, and he strained his ears to listen. His malnourished frame swayed, and his gaze fell on his right hand. The extremity had quickly gone pale beneath the blood. He wiped his hand, staining a towel, and stepped out.

Ellie was staring out the window, her dress half on when Baby came in. She turned to him, near tears and said
“It’s a posse.” A black eye and a fat lip on her face.

Baby smiled, gentle eyes. He strolled to the window, his finger stroking her cheek. He slid his fingers through her hair as he parted the window shades.

“Hm…look at ‘em.”

Outside, the early Morning Sun was already furious. The pueblo of Indio was victim to it’s merciless onslaught. A miasma of torridness choked the yellow dirt road. Cautious eyes stared from brown windows.

Death marched down the street. The heavy boots of the law came in three, draped in darkness. Their graven hands gripped their guns with intent.

(“, bit small for a posse huh?” noted Baby.)
The dauntless Sheriff Huntington lead. At his right, the charred Deputy Daniels. Marching out of retirement to Huntington’s left, the wizened Pedro Martinez.

Daniels bled with vindictiveness. His face was in raw bandages, holding together what was left of his roasted flesh. His breath was wet, whistling from his lipless mouth. One eye stared out, darting back and forth. He choked his rifle with terrific anger. A hunger in his eye that only revenge would satisfy.

Pedro was too ancient to be a deputy. No, age had cut canyons into his sunburned face. Sad, dark eyes humbled in his heavy brow. A graying mustache swung below his chin. He bore a rifle in his arms, a gun as old as him. A rosary snaked around his hand, the cross dangled between his fist and the wooden rifle butt.

The Great Sheriff Huntington remained stoic. A silver pony tail tangled over his back. His callous eyes were set on the hotel. His right hand rested on his prize revolver. Given to him upon his leave of the Army, the gun was an intricately beautiful killing machine. It’s bullets casted to punish those who would bring evil to this world. In the other hand, a warrant.

They were here to bring justice to countless families. To uphold promises made over many a grave. They represented mothers, and fathers. Brothers and sisters. All whose lives have been shattered by the toxic touch of High Noon. The warrant cried “Dead or Alive!”, with a catalog of His sins. With all the will of God and Right on their side, they came to cleanse Indio of its cancerous parasite.

This was an exorcism.

Baby stepped back from the window, spitting onto the rug. He wobbled his way over to the coat rack, and removed his gun belt. Outside, Huntington announced the warrant, calling for High Noon to come out peacefully. It was half hearted at best. Baby opened the cylinder to his revolver. His last pair of bullets tucked patiently inside. Two bullets. Three men. ‘Fuck it, two bullets to three people will get me jus as killed as no bullets’ he thought to himself as he let the duo drop to the floor.
“ I’ve seen worse odds….” He mumbled to himself, losing his balance. The world teetered beneath him and he nearly fell backwards.

“Baby!” yelped Ellie

He caught himself, grabbing hold of the door knob. His trembling bloodied hand reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes. He put one to his lips and recomposed himself. He looked at the whore, and let a sharp grin creep up his face.

“No worries, I’m still me, ya dig? Aint ya hear? No bullet’s can touch me!” he recited the rumors that had preceded him town to town.

He turned his back to her and took his step out the door.

“They’re going to kill you!” pleaded Ellie, tears streaming down her face.

He paused for only a moment at the door.

“No. They wont.” He didn’t look back. A trail of blood leading out the room.

Pedro quietly ducked away from the Sheriff. Dipping into an alley, he went around the makeshift house. He was praying very quietly to himself. Having to take another life weighed heavily on the man. He had spilled enough blood in his time, and found no serenity in it. But there are some things that a man cannot let stand. He could no longer sit back and allow this monster continue his victimization of the innocent. He wanted peace, not revenge. The alley led Pedro to the street parallel to the hotel. He lifted his rifle and took aim at the doorway…

Daniels kicked open the locked Bank entrance. The store was empty save for the teller, who stayed timidly to the back. He opened his mouth to protest, but froze at Daniels disfiguration. Daniels stepped to the window, and slipped the barrel of his rifle beneath. His finger tickled the trigger. His whole body was still in pain, and the fever drove him mad. He didn’t want High Noon to die, not immediately. He wanted the loathsome insect to see what he had done. To feel every slow second of pain that Daniels had felt as the kerosene cooked his face. This was hate fueled vengeance.

The outlaw stepped out of the Hotel. He tossed the match aside as smoke billowed over his face. A laugh escaped his lips.

“Lookit ya all dressed up. My girls would love yah.”

The Sheriff drew his revolver. High Noon still had his thumbs in his pockets. He pinched the cigarette and stared at it as he spoke

“That’s hardly sportin’ sher’f. You aint even read me mah rights yet.” Smoke billowed from his nose and mouth as he antagonized Huntington.

“No more jokes ‘Noon. This warrant calls for a hangin’. I’m givin’ yeh one chance to hand yerself in, ta keep what lil’ honor yah have left in yah. Aint no more second chances.”

High Noon waved around the cigarette, blood dripping at his feet.
“What’s the name yah got on that there warrant, huh? Maybe I can help you find the fella. Sure as shit aint my name, I’d betcha.”

“You think anyone’s gun’ care ‘bout yer name after what you did in Morricone? You pushed it too far ‘Noon, aint no one forgetin’ about this one till yer necks snapped.”

High Noon nodded.
“Yeah?” he spit, bringing the cig to his lips. He rolled his head on his neck, his gaze fell on the bank. “Dep-oo-tee Daniels. Glad to see yah made it out. I reckon some o’ my girls gots some ointment in their purses that’ll do wonders on yer condition. They’ll take good care of yah, promises, they love charity cases.”

In the bank, Daniels was seething. ‘Yeah, keep talkin’ yah shit, keep talkin’.’

“Was that Pedro I saw?” pestered High Noon. He was unsteady in stance, nearly delirious and swaying. Huntington’s eyes scrutinized the puddle of blood growing at High Noon’s feet. “If ya be needing a cane to support ya in yer old age,” continued High Noon, “I just robbed a carpenter.”

Huntington pulled back the hammer to his revolver.
“Enough.” He ordered.

High Noon leaned back, savoring his final drag before tossing the cig. He let the smoke roll out from his nose.

“Allright. Let’s do this then.”

High Noon’s stance was unsteady, as if stricken by vertigo.

Sheriff Huntington leveled the barrel at the criminal.

Daniels trembled with anticipation, his blackened fingers stroking the trigger.

Ellie watched through burning tears from the hotel window, till the pain became too much to bear. If he was to die, she would die with him.

Pedro prayed for forgiveness, and asked the Lord to guide his aim. Out the corner of his eye he saw movement in the hotel window. A woman was rushing out. Pedro looked out and saw Huntington and Daniel’s weapons pointed in that direction. Without hesitation, he tossed his rifle away and bound forward

Sweat poured from High Noon’s ashen face. His eyes weren’t looking at anything before him, but darting back and forth at nothing.

“Aheh….” He wiped his forehead of sweat “Sorry ta’ let yeh down bird. Me’be next time.”

His trembling hand slugged it’s way to the gun. Thunder struck when his fingers touched the old steel.

Ellie exploded out the hotel into a rain of lead. She cried out for death, but found only Pedro instead. He tackled the girl and pinned her to the ground. She struggled, but he pinned her to the dirt.

High Noon felt a wet smack on his left ear and a ringing. As blood poured down the side of his face, he removed his gun from his holster. He ignored the cacophony of gun fire as he raised his gun at the Sheriff. The windows of the hotel behind him shattered, and dirt exploded at his feet.

He saw Huntington through his barrel. The gunfire had grown distant, and he couldn’t hear Ellie’s screams.

He pulled the trigger and whispered “Pow!”

The world went out from beneath him, and High Noon fell, a grin on his face.



Huntington glared. Cautiously he made his way towards High Noon. Daniels stepped out of the bank, his gun still trained on the outlaw.

Standing over him, Huntington was sure he was dead, a delusional grin frozen on his lips. Daniels pushed the body over with his foot.

“I nailed ‘im in his fuckin’ skull.” Rasped Daniels, spit and mucus flying from his skeletal jaw. Daniels spit and swore something awful. Huntington’s stone gaze met Daniels.

“Yeh well…” if Daniels still had cheek’s he’d blush, “good riddance.” He turned his back to the Huntington and walked towards the hotel, resting the rifle on his shoulder. He saw Pedro on his knee’s locking the girl in place.
Ellie was frozen in grim anticipation. Praying against her own eyes that he was all right. Stuck between tears. When the lawmen made eye contact, Pedro hung his head low, and the girl lost it.

A miserable howl erupted from the girl. Her scream tore the sky as she dispelled all joy from her body.

“Daniels.” Beckoned Huntington.

“Eh?” Daniels picked at his bandages and skipped to the Sheriff.

“Look.” Instructed Huntington.

The wind had blown back High Noon’s hair, revealing the bullet wound. High Noon’s left ear had been shot off.
“Yah just shot his ear off there Lester.” Explained Huntington, “Nothin’ else.”
Behind them, Ellie howled
“Well shit Rich.” Daniels gave up, “Where’d we stick ‘em then?”
The Sheriff sighed, shaking his head to the tearful soundtrack.

“We didn’t.” he answered. Ellie continued to wail.
“What did you-” began Daniels. He turned his head to Pedro and hollered “Would ya shut ‘er up?!” He looked back at Huntington, “Whatja say there Rich?”

The Sheriff was studying the town. His eyes met Daniels and he said
“I said we didn’t kill him.” Huntington knelt down and examined High Noon.

Daniels studied the body. Save for the missing ear there was not a bullet in him. Blood was only to be found on his face and his hand.

Sheriff Huntington knelt down. He withdrew the pocket knife his father had given him, and flipped open the blade. He poked Noon’s right hand with it and dragged the flat side down to the sleeve, peeling it back.

He exposed a gash on High Noon’s wrist. Swollen and black, the half coagulated wound gaped back at Huntington.

“Aw shit. We did that?” asked Daniels.

Huntington stared. He withdrew the blade and shook his head.

“No. He did that to himself.”

Daniels hissed “Why would he go and do something stupid like that?”

Huntington gave a heavy, tired sigh as he stood up and met Pedro’s gaze.

“So we would never catch him.” He realized. His eyes fell to a distance. It would never end. The Sheriff tossed the warrant into the wind and turned his back, returning to their horses. Daniels looked back at Pedro as he disconnected himself from Ellie. The two of them caught up to the Sheriff and left.

Ellie’s cries had lost their sound, and she rasped her misery with bestial pain.

High Noon remained dead in the dirt, a grin on his face.

The Thing In The Dark

The Thing In The Dark



The kitchen was asleep.
The microwave read 2:07 TIME COOK
The dishes sat half done in the sink
A sliver of blue light crept in from the hall
It left everything alone save for the dog bowl
Illuminating the name “KAZAN”

From deep in the house a muffled conversation was to be heard
Complete with music and sound effects
Though one would have to strain his ears

The dreaming refrigerator hummed
Directly across from it was the living room window
Only the faint outline of the sofa and television were visible in the moonlight
All was still

The kitchen was engulfed in blue light
And the air with raucous noise from a television set
Tripp came into the kitchen
Disturbing the sleep of the kitchen ware

Tripp opened the fridge
His long, knotted auburn hair reached just below his shoulders
Bloodshot and droopy eyes searched the contents of the fridge
He grabbed a 2 liter of soda

Taking several large gulps from the bottle
He wiped his lips
And put it back.
With a scratch of his stomach he closed the fridge
And retread back into the hall
Closing the door behind him
Cutting off the light and noise
Things went back to stillness in the Kitchen

From the kitchen the Moon was clearly visible in the living room window
It was nestled between two mountains
Illuminating the dense woods
There was only one other star in the sky
It was flashing, a stellar morse code
After a time it was obvious that the star was in fact moving
In fact getting closer
It wobbled in it's trajectory
Leaving a trail of flames in it's wake
It dipped behind a mountain
To the sound of tearing treetops
A explosive screech tore through the night

A light show broke out from the woods
Red's and yellow's shone through the trees
The lights were chaotic
And bright enough to reach through even the living room window

A dog barked madly outside
Howling and snarling
The lights went on,
Worst of all, silently
For several minutes
Before dissipating
The dog though, continued to protest

Moments later Tripp burst into the kitchen
Fully clothed now
Grabbing keys from the pantry
And leaving out the back door

“Relax Kaz.” he told the dog
Slipping his arm into his jacket
And turning on a flashlight
The large dog fought against his chain
Maddened by the disturbance
“Relax Kaz, I'm letting you off.”

He released the dogs chain and gripped tight to the leash
The dog lead him into the woods
Going silent and sniffing the earth beneath him
Together they left the safety of Tripp's backyard
And into the dense woods

Tripp's sneakers sunk into mud as he walked
His flashlight cutting through the dark
He knew these woods
They were his woods
He had grown up here
And knew the terrain well
Even in the dark
How man times had he played manhunt at night?

Whatever those lights were
Was definitely worth investigation
The possibility of danger didn't even enter Tripp's mind
No,
What Tripp imagined was an airplane crash
Many small planes flew over these mountains
A small airport, mostly for private planes was on the other side of these mountains
Low flying planes were common
Tripp would have to call the police if an airplane had indeed crashed
And besides, it's something productive to be doing
It's not like he would be sleeping now anyway, right?
He thought to himself, patting the cell phone in his pocket

At length, his flashlight spotted smoke in the distance, and what appeared to be downed trees
At that, Kazan began to growl
“Shutup.” Tripp ordered
They approached the scene

Two trees had been toppled
Tripp had a hard time making out the method of their destruction
They had been seared through at the base
A burn that sliced nearly through the tree
The body of the tree was tiger striped by these burns,
Still smoldering
The smoke acrid to Tripp's nose
A length of trees had been hit,
Tree tops and branches had been knocked down
A few were still aflame
There was a deep crevice,
Where something had collided with the Earth
What was most perplexing,
However,
Was the lack of any sort of wreckage

Kazan was wild,
Snapping and barking
“Kaz! Stop!”
The dog sat down, it's ears down, whining

Tripp chewed his lip and examined the area
Racking his brain for a possible explanation.
Though nothing came to mind
Lost in thought, his grip on Kazan's leash loosened
A chance that the dog took full advantage of

The dog bounded away into the dark,
Tripp's flashlight could barely keep up
Tripp chased and shouted after it
Ordering it to come back
But the dog was soon swallowed whole by the dark

Still, it could be heard
A raucous barking
Barking, barking,
Barking, Barking,
Barking, yelping
Then silence.

Tripp stopped and stood still
Listening
“Kaz?” he called, barely above a whipser.
“Kazan?”

He traversed the dense woods
Till his flashlight finally came upon the dog
It was sitting calmly
Panting and wagging it's tail.

“Kazan, Christ, you...”

There was something large behind the dog
A large mass obscured in the dark
Snake like appendages hovered over Kazan
It leaned closer to the dog
Tripp could almost make out a face in the dark
Large eyes examining the canine

That's when Tripp's cell phone went off

The world shook as the Thing In The Dark recoiled
It became all the sudden luminant
Blinding Tripp in it's light
A digital sound deafened him
Trees snapped and crunched
And when everything settled
The Thing In The Dark
And the Dog
Were gone

Having dropped his flashlight
Tripp ran blindly through the woods
Losing a shoe in the mud
His heart hammered his chest
Crashing through low branches and foliage
He sprinted as fast as he could home

He didn't trip till he reached his backyard
The sudden flat ground made him loose footing
And he toppled over

Slamming the backdoor behind him
He burst into the kitchen
And collapsed against the fridge
He tasted blood in the back his throat
Panting

“GO. TO. SLEEP.”
His father shouted from upstairs

Tripp sat on his kitchen floor
Staring out the Living room window
The moon had now disappeared behind the mountains
And all was silent.

Cacophony

Cacophony


“So where we gooiinngg?” asked Courtney
“I know someone that probably knows what to do.” said Chelsea
She had the Doll Maker in mind.
The Doll Maker was a revolutionary
And had a thing for old lore and legend
Maybe he could help guide the girls in the right direction
Or even take Courtney off her hands
Courtney led the way
Her backpack bouncing
Chelsea's head was still raw
Air cool on her scalp
The sun rose as they wandered the street

It was a serene graveyard of a town
Buildings that had been blown open with grenades
Silently bore their wounds
Birds nested in ancient lampposts
Sidewalk overridden with red weeds and blue flowers
Cars aged by decay, overtaking by life
The hum of electricity and symphony of industry silenced
In the wake of destruction
The city had found peace

“What happened here?” asked Courtney
Chelsea kept her hands in her jacket pockets
Her thoughts elsewhere
“Chelsea?”
“Hm?”
“Where'd all the people go?”

Chelsea looked around.
Where were they now? The Forgotten Neighborhood?
No, they had gone in the opposite direction.
This was the South Plains
“How old are you Courtney?”
“Twelve.”
Chelsea nodded
Too young.

“A long time ago, people got into a fight here.
It was a civil war...
That's uh...
When a country is fighting within, itself?”
Chelsea didn't know how to water it down
She could see that Courtney didn't follow.

The little girls eyes drifted
Inside a car, a whole ecosystem had born
Plants and fungi and insects upholstered the rustic skeleton

“Why would people fight like that?”
Courtney asked.
“Well, our country, the Free Republic States...
I dunno...we got mixed up.
There were battles here, I guess
The government trying to stop a rebellion
Do you know what that means.
Rebellion?
Now there's no one here.
It's like this in a lot of places.”

Courtney avoid a pond that had formed in a massive pothole.
“Raphael thinks that's boring.”

“Raphael?” Chelsea asked.

“My friend. I haven't introduced you?!” Courtney almost screamed

Chelsea motioned to lower the volume
“I think so, maybe.”

Courtney climbed on top of a SUV
Her clamoring waking up the rabbits that lived inside

“Uhm...” began Chelsea.

Courtney throw her arms at her right and announced,
Doing her best to sound like a podcaster
The morning glow an orange backdrop
“This is Raphael! Hey is 17, can fly, never grows up, and is my best friend.”

Chelsea looked at the nothing.
She chewed her lip.

“Come on, don't be rude! Say hello!”

“Oh,” started Chelsea “Hello. Uhm, nice to meet you?”
Chelsea didn't know how to speak with an imaginary friend.

Courtney hugged the air.
“He acts weird around you. Maybe that means he doesn't like you.”

“Thanks.” said Chelsea

Courtney giggled.
She hopped down from the car

Chelsea kept an eye out for omens.
Simple magic.
Things that People have forgotten.
The simple warning signs that the Universe throws at you.
You just have to pay attention.

White moths fluttered in the sunbeams
The birds gossiped
The cats trailed the girls from a distance
Sneaking through buses and over skeletons.

“I never thought I would be a queen.
I used to watch the Pixel Movies,
Little Red Robin Hood
Moonchild,
Moonchild was my favorite,” ranted Courtney
“But I never thought I would be a queen.”

“What about your parents? Wont your mom and dad miss you?”

Courtney shook her head

“My daddy isn't around.
I left my mami and sister a note though.
Doesn't matter anyway.”

The two of them cut through the ruins of a Library
The walls gone, but the bookshelves still stood
Tombstones of knowledge
“Doesn't matter?” begged Chelsea

“This is all a Dream anyway. When I wake up I'll see them again.” sang Courtney.

Chelsea bit her lip.

The birds were quiet.

The air still.

Chelsea turned around, her ears straining over Courtney

“Never thought it it would be so far,
On my island in the stars...”

“Shh!”

“What is it?” said Courtney

Chelsea grabbed Courtney's arm
They ran to a forgotten SUV and hopped in the backseat
Pushing through mushrooms and dirt
"Get in here!" she ordered
Courtney hesitated
"Uhm...that's really-"
Chelsea grabbed the girl and yanked her into the car

She wrapped her hand tightly over her mouth
"Just. Be. Quiet."

They listened

A distant bird chirped nervous

The buzz of insects in the distance
It grew louder, nearing them.

Beetles creeped over Courtney's legs
Fungi and bark dirtying her legs

Chelsea loosened here grip as they both listened
It was more of a static
A roar of a a winged thing rubbing it's legs on your eardrums

The sound invaded all spaces
The sound became their thoughts
All that was
Was the Cacophony

In the nullifying silence of the deafened, it crawled
It's insect legged body carried it's alien shape through the streets
Wings rubbing together
The machine scanned the terrain
It's many eyes searching for life
It's reflective green carapace and it's Luminescent red eyes
A U.D.S. stamp on it's frame

Marching behind it were U.D.S. soldiers
Seven of them, armed to kill.
A humvee a little farther away.
They followed the mechanical monster
Scanning the buildings and area for insurgents

The sound was everything
It crawled towards the SUV
Chelsea looked away burying her face in Courtney's hair.
She pulled and guided Courtney slowly out the back the opposite side of the coffin
Courtney's mouth demonstrated shouting
The noise so loud it made them sick
Hard to open their eyes

Chelsea shook her head and pointed
She peeked her head over
The Cacophony had it's head in a van
There was cover in the next cover over
But no cover between here and there
A brazen leap behind the monster

A panicked squirrel leaped out from the the vehicle
An eye rolled at it
In complete silence there was a tiny sharp flash
And the squirrel disappeared in the red splatter and smoke
Pieces of asphalt dropping around the shot, a grey smokey haze

Chelsea ducked down and winced
Her head was splitting in two
what an ungodly screech
She poked her head over again
The Cacophony was examining the crater
Precise mandibles picking at brown fur

Chelsea ran out into the open
Courtney struggled
Unable to move
Directly behind the machine

Chelsea tugged hard
Courtney crawled over slowly
The Cacophony's wings hovering over their heads
Chelsea stood and yanked Courtney across
falling down behind a crushed taxi

Chelsea brought Courtney in close
Squeezing the girl tight
The Cacophony gazed into the SUV
it saw footprints in the dirt and the area inside had been disturbed recently

Chelsea looked up
And saw the thing peeking into the SUV
Crawling on top of the car it hung it's head down
On their side

Courtney looked up and saw it for the first time
Her mouth became a terrified howl
Muted by the Cacophony
Chelsea covered the child's eyes as the machine looked up at them

The Cacophony was silenced with a roar
Flame tore away the machine's left
Graciously silencing the insect
Heat cooked Courtney's hair and Chelsea's as debris and molten metal rained on them

The Cacophony was now a scream
It's legs kicking at the sky as half it's body was missing
Sinew and gears writhed with life
Acids and and fuel squirting onto the pavement
The soundscape had been replaced gunfire

The jarring switch pushed Chelsea over the edge
She vomited on her yellow jacket
Dropping Courtney
She wiped her lip
A splitting headache
Bright red bleeding burns atop her head
She steadied herself when bullets rang out around her
She dropped low and reached for courtney
She watched through the rusted cover

MP's
A squad of them
Four were on the ground
Of those four, three were dead
Te fourth trying to patch herself up on the ground
Screaming obscenities
Only three remained standing
They were shooting blindly
Their enemy unseen
Dropping fire at them from every direction

A whistling grenade came from nowhere
Blowing up close to on a soldier
The remaining two were thrown to the ground

They grabbed the woman soldier
Who cried and held her wound as she fired weakly at nothing
They shouted as they retreated to a humvee
A driver was shouting as bullets bounced off his windshield
The soldiers got in as a man in a mounted gun fired into the buildings
The windshield started to crack under fire as the Humvee sped off
A cocktail shattering on the roof of the vehicle, spilling fire over it
Chelsea recoiled from the violence

Courtney lay still
Her eyes shut

“Oh god!”
Her hands frantically searched Courtney for bullet wound
There was a crunch and Courtney looked up
The Living foliage stared down at her
Antlers rising from the creatures head
And then everything went black.

Dis-Integration Pt. 2

"Dis-Integration Pt. 2"



"Shit" he said
there was a silence
as the cops looked at Roland
and discenred he was the target
and Roland realized how fucked he was
he bolted out the back door
to a "HEY! STOP!"
bursting outside and into the rain
he pulled his hood
and ran
the doors crashed behind him
and he heard the whirring of their batons
Out the back and onto the sidewalk
a crowd of Sycnhs were praying toegether outside
the Synchs were all connceted
such a tight web of communication
their mind had nearly become one
these gypsy like people wandered together
a hive mind
He pushed through them
their smiles did not fade as rain fell on their glazed eyes
Roland spit into his bluetooth
"DEREK wake up!"
the lights on his laptop flashed blue
Roland lowered his goggles over his eyes
an interface appeared
DEREK's smile at the corner of his vision
"DEREK i need a radar bounce."
*Uploading Now...I feel sick Roland*
Roland ignored him running out into the streets
a bus swerved as Roland glided over the pavement
He was clotheslined
hard
the zap of a baton knocking the air out of him
Landing on the ground he looked up
through the rain drops he saw a fat MP standing over him
he stepped on Roland's neck
The MP smiled, his face shilded by a ID (interface display) scren
The MP kicked him over and lay a knee down on his back
beginning to cuff Roland
"DEREK-"
"Shut the fuck up"
the MP punched Roland's head into the pavement "Quit resitting...
*resisting
Give me your goddamn hands"
"DEREK sieze em!"
The lights on derek became a terrible brightness
kaliedoscopic in color
it flashed rapidly
blinding all around it
the ID's on the MP's helmet malfucnitioned
he was blind
Roland used this time to trip up the cop
and regained his footing
when the cop looked up
Roland crushed hte side of his head with a recyclign bin
He looked over
and saw more MP on their way
he could hear sirens in the distance
Above him sat two fat birds
well
one fat bird
a blue jay
its eyes were tired
"Rough start."
the bird next time was long and white
Golden eyes
"He's got it." she said
the blue jay sighed
below
Roland dove into the subway
His screen was blurrying
and then
"Hello Roland" said the Ophelia program
"What? Go away!"
Roland scanned the terminal
the trains lunged back and forth
He saw hte SNC's watching him
and transit MPs making hteir way over
"DEREK bring up the train schedule!"
Ophelia laughed
"I'm sorry. I can't let you do that."
Roland pushed through the crowd
most people were talking
but not to anyone around htem
to people hundreds of miles away
about nonsense
or playing mmo games
Roland pushed a man to the ground getting into a train befor ehte door closed
"What are you doing?!" he shouted
*The system is mine.* Said Ophelia
Damnit
she was a trojan
She must of alerted the MPs
Nick had tricked them
and now she was taking over DEREK
The train departed leavign the MPs behind
Roland's vision went black
and he tossed his goggles
His reliance on technology had blinded him to the obvious
and now he had a traitor on his back
*Smart.* she said *But I am still gps compatible*
Roland sat down to think
"That's fine. I'm not connected to any wifi, and i tossed DEREKs airport."
The machine said nothing for a bit
Roland took time to think
this Ophelia program is a hack
a paraise
*parasite
but
it sent a transmission to...someone
to notify the MPs
probably an OmTech router
When Roland gets out of here
he can trace it to the router
and find their routers
maybe shut down the system for good
*They will catch you They know where the trains go.*
Roland thought
she's right
Roland had an idea
he got up and moved his way up the train cart
the trains were clean
USB ports on every seat
and outlets for chargers
the windows displayed RSS feeds
and the advertisements were video

Roland snuck through the carts, using the Glyph in his palm to naviagte
The Glyph displayed a map
Flashing radar
The screen kept glitching and freezing
*You think I would make this easy?*
In the next train car was an MP,
Scanning peoples eyes
A gun holstered at her side.

Information on the tattooed passenger displayed on the MP's visor
She saw his complete legal and medical history
*Alert* it said and highlighted Roland, making his way towards her.
A mugshot appeared along with the flashing text *Wanted*
Her eyes met Roland's for a brief moment
Before flickered and glitched out of existence
“Did you just-Did you see that?”
A glitch twisted pixels ran across her visor
But at the bottom of her vision, unshielded by the display
Roland's feet raced passed her
Reacting to slowly
She felt her gun torn from it's holster
And her balance abondan her.

Her head hit the ground
Her vision came to, a barrel in her face
Roland smiled above her
He bent down swinging a USB
Inserting it into a port on her neck
Her visor and armor shut down
Leaving her blind and useless
Cursing she removed the visor to free her vision
Roland had removed her keychain and was leaving scene
She tried to make chase
But was chained to the ground with her handcuffs

*Impressive
Military grade weaponry?
Did the Doll Maker provide you with firewall?
Pirated programs...
You must of appeared a ghost to the MP*
“You haven't seen anything.”

Pistol tucked into his blue hoodie
His left hand reached up his right sleeve
He rolled the sleeve up
Beneath the hoodie his arm was wrapped in a black armor
What little strips he could scavenge
At his wrist a slingshot, set back
He released the slingshot, it's prongs like ears at his hand
Roland's hood fell back and his hair breathed fresh

He armed the slingshot with a bullet, a small ball with a glowing red center
Roland kicked the door open into the Cab
He shot the sling shot, the bullet going through the Conductor's hand
Roland strung again and kept his aim fixed on the Conductor
Who wept and was scared
“Stop the train.”

Hopping out into the tunnels
Roland trekked on
A LED illuminating his path from his fingers
*You shot the poor man, aren't you supposed to be the good guy?*
“He'll live.”

*Why do you run? Why do you resist?*
Roland ignored the machine
His glyph had been hacked by Ophelia
And was no longer useful
The tunnel was illuminated by service lights.
*Why fight against submission? You will be much happier.
You fight, and you are hunted. You have no home
Your life will most likely be very short.*

Roland gazed upwards
A service ladder to the surface
*The UDS gifts you with safety
Security
The benefits of technology and materialism
Give us your soul, and we will keep you happy.*
“Sedated.” said Roland.
*What's that?*

As Roland ascended he planned out his next move.
Nick had betrayed Roland's mentor, The Doll Maker
His first step would be to find The Doll Maker and make sure he was safe
This Ophelia program, annoying as she is, may still be useful
If Roland could hack it, it may provide him with powerful inside into OmTech
Pushing aside the manhole cover, Roland emerged from the Earth
The sun was out and greeted him warmly
A fence to his left, the city of New Wacho behind it
To his right, a rusty forest.
Plant integrated with pavement, a bastard child of industry and foliage
Colored insects buzzed in the woods
*Wilderness. Fantastic. You know there's no wifi out here?*
Roland pushed on.

Om's Quest

Part 1

The harsh winds whipped against it's back
The monster clung to it's flag
It's scaly clawed hands wrapped around it's staff.

It's eyes were stone, and it's large ears flapped in the wind
It spit when it saw a figure making it's way through the dessert
Hah
It better not come to him
Nirdok had been waiting patiently for a wayward traveler for eternities
And was due for a meal.
He licked his lips and readied his verminous teeth

A young man in a suit made his way through the sandstorm
He was in shirt and tie
And was shoeless
An arm sheilded his eyes from the storm.
Slung over his shoulder was a deer skin purse.

The human approached the demon,
Who at 9 feet stood dwarfed the lost human.

Nirdok's laugh was hungry and heartless
The human was making his way towards him!
Nirdok loved an easy meal.

The human looked up at Nirdok.

"I need directions."

"Hahaha." cackled Nirdok
"Oh you need directions do you?
And where do you need to get to?"

"I need to get to New Jerusalem."
Spoke the human bravely.

Nirdok bellowed.
"You need to get to Jerusalem.
Ha, no human I'm sorry,
But you look too delicious for me to just let you go.
You see you poor sap,
I'm starving, and you look like you'd be delicious with a side of charon,
Heheheheh."

The traveler looked past Nirdok,
"Is New Jerusalem that way?"

Nirdok bobbed his head.
"Uh...hahaha. Human I think you are confused."

"No, I'm not confused.
I've made my way
Through self discipline and meditation
My mind is sharpened
And my knowledge of the arcane is unmatched
You don't scare me you stupid humonculous
Now show me too New Jerusalem
Or face the wrath of my Master."

Nirdok stopped.
"And what's to stop from chewing on your heart while you still breathe?"
The traveler glared at the demon
He raised his hand
His palm bore the mark of his master
A cobra's head

Nirdok only laughed
"Hahahaha, you stupid thing, what is your name?
Who are you to show such arrogance?"

"My name is Om."

"Om eh? Well Om, good luck.
I will show you the way to your destination
Hahaheh...but that won't do you no good
I align with your master
So I will let you pass unharmed,
Be warned though,
Many here fear that mark you bear
But not all,
Many will kill you for it!
Don't go sharing it with everyone
Or you're likely to get your throat slit
Or worse.
New Jerusalem is that way,
You will get lost in the dry sea.
Don't trust the night.
Don't trust the singing
Don't trust anything,
But your own lack of direction.
May I ask,
What would bring a human to the Dead World?"

"I'm not here to share stories demon.
Thanks for the directions."

Without Om pushed passed the demon
Nirdok growled
"I hope you lose your mind here human."

Om traveled the dessert.
He could feel is physical self
Attached to this astral projection by a thin ethereal thread
This was another world
He had traveled hear by calling upon the dark arts
His master,
The Snake King,
Had sent him on a quest
To collect something from this realM
Only then would he be able to return to his physical self.

His dark journey into the depths of Dead World had just begun.
God help us all.

Suki's Choice Pt. 2

Suki's Choice Pt. 2


She lay softly asleep
The grass bend and leaned back,
Hosting the sleeping Suki
She sucked on her thumb

The flowers and grass whispered amongst themselves
Gossiping about the strangely horned girl

“Hey she's waking up!” was announced

Silence fell the over the plants as Suki yawned and stretched
She sat up slowly
Reaching her arms into the sky and arching her back
She felt itchy and hot
As the noon day sun cooked her blood stained robes.

She shed them quick
Leaving herself naked save for black whore panties
The warmth felt soothing on her skin
The smells from nature
And sounds of life put her at ease

Sounds of Life

She grew suddenly aware of herself
She looked down at her breasts
And saw a scar betwixt them

She felt her heart ache
“Spider?”

“Hm...Oh....”
The spider yawned and stretched it's several arms
“Suki...you're awake...”

Suki rolled her eyes upward and blew her hair out of her face
She examined her sorroundings
The remains of the brothel still lingered
Though the ashen blanket was replaced with a field of grass and flowers
And the remaining skeleton of the brothel was covered in moss and overgrowth
As if the brothel had burned down ages ago
Curiouser and Curiouser
“Spider...was this field here...earlier”

“Mervyn.” said the spider, stringing a web between her antlers.

“What's that?”

“My name is Mervyn, you don't have to call me Spider. And what are you asking me?”

“Wasn't this field covered in ash...and everything burnt?”

“You must dream vivid, for you to mistake your dreams for reality.”

With that Mervyn returned to his humming.
It would appear that Ariel's visit had been a dream
Though since dying, the line between what was real
And what was a dream
Seemed less and less important

Suki bit her lip as she walked through the field to the trees
The grass and dirt felt welcoming in her toes
She felt energy brewing in her knees
For the time being
The riddles Ariel had posed
And the pain of her death
Were a distant memory

For now,
The sun was bright
The air was warm
And the earth was soft
For now,
Suki just had to run.

She flew through the forest
Her feet gliding over the earth
She ran with grace
Her running was a dance
She loved her body
She loved how the wind cut over her ears

Suki galloped through the thicket till she came to a stream
She heard Mervyn humming over the song of the water
Suki knelt down and dipped her hand into the water

The drink replenished her
It cooled her throat
And revitalized her mind

She had been given a choice
Be a tool for the Gods
To bring happiness to this world
Even a small amount

Or continue on into oblivion
To leave this purgatory of ghostly servitude
In favor of sweet embrace of the forever after

Suki wanted to bring love to the world,
She did
But the burden of being the messenger of the God's
Could her soul bare it?
Would she let them down?
She could not imagine that she had the strength to do what they asked.
And with what tools did they expect her to do so?

In death,
The Gods gifted her with an ear for all creatures
It did not surprise Suki that the animals could communicate with the dead.
But how this would bring happiness to the miserable
She could not guess.

The water glided before her
Toy sized fish gazed at her from beneath the surface
Their bodies fragile and glass like

They stared silently

Here, in these woods
In this water,
In death
This bestial after life
There was a peace

A heavy step snapped a branch

Suki looked up
Her ears perked
Her antlers raised
Even Mervyn's humming went silent

Suki strained to listen

Silence

Nothing

Then,

Calamity

The air ruptured at a rifle's rapport

And Suki was off.

She ran.

The arms of the trees swiped at her face
The bushes grabbed her ankles
The foliage screamed
“Don't!”
But she ran towards the sound.
Why can't I run faster?! she begged

She broke into the clearing and froze
They all did.

Two men
A doe

The doe lay in the grass
Blood spilling from her neck
She gasped for air
Her panic stricken eyes pleading wildly for help
Her legs kicked

Suki stared.

One of the men was kneeling over the doe
He had a knife out, to finish his kill
A rifle strapped to his back
He stared dumbfounded at this naked horned girl
Who had stumbled upon their kill

Suki stepped towards the doe
It's eyes caught her's

This is my life, the doe said with it's gaze

The Doe's life flashed before Suki's eyes

She had been born the youngest of her siblings
Her mother's only daughter
Noriela
She had fallen in love with a stag who had been shot by hunters years ago
His name had been Enteimos
Noriela kept her love a secret her whole life
They had shared one night
A moon before Enteimos's death
They had shared each other's warmth
I will forever be yours he had whispered

Noriela stared deep into Suki
She looked forward to seeing Enteimos again

Suki felt her heart broke
Noriela's beauty was lost.
Suki looked up at the hunter

He had fallen back
And trembled at this ghostly visitor
He gripped his knife tight
“Stay back!” he stammered

“How could you?” Suki said through rising tears

“She was beautiful...”
Suki grew furious
“You killed her for beauty...”

With that the hunter lunged at Suki.
A yell escaped from his throat
And he swung his knife wildly

Suki grabbed his face,
Palming it
She squeezed, reaching past her fingers into his head.

The Hunter felt the coldness of death,
Tendrils of the abyss squirmed in his brain
Suki's eyes went white
And her breath froze as it escaped her lips

The Hunter saw the beauty that had been Noriela's life
He saw the beauty he had just stolen with his rifle.

The Hunter collapsed with remorse
Unable to bear the pain he had caused
Reliving the horror over and over again

He collapsed a muttering mess
His mind melted into a miserable mush of despair and self loathing

Suki yanked the rifle off his back
She examined the instrument
Then raised it at the second hunter

“Suki? Suki what are you doing!” Mervyn cried into Suki's ear
“Are you going to shoot him?”

“I should.” said Suki
The tears had ceased to come
She was now filled with rage at the heartlessness of the hunters
At Noriela's death
“They killed her,
She was beautiful, so they wanted that beauty for themselves.
They shot her.
They are ugly.
They are monsters.”

“And if you were to kill? Is he not entitled to his life as well?”

Suki stared down the rifle
Gripping the barrel tightly
She wanted him to hurt the way Noriela did
She wanted him to die the way Noriela had
She wanted vengeance for Noriela

“Suki...he's scared...” worried Mervyn

The man trembled

Suki tensed

She saw the panic in his eyes

She lowered the rifle.

She spoke,
She didn't tremble

“Leave.
Your friend has gone mad with misery
A fate you will narrowly escape
Tell your friends that for now on”
Suki gripped the rifle
“The woods shoot back.”

Suki's Choice Pt. 1

Suki's Choice Pt. 1

The sun was rising when Suki stepped on the yard.
To her confusion, the brothel was not there
Instead a strangely constructed house


Neither a merc or a whore in sight
Shinu could not be found
Kanji had faded away
And the Mistress was nowhere insight

The cages were gone,
the ganj fields missing.
The bar and tents had vanished
But their skeletons were there.
Charred skeletons,
Giving the illusion of where the buildings once stood
The sky grew white as the sun rose

Suki stepped through the phantasmic scene
Ash blanketed the soil

“I must be lost.” she whispered

“What was that?” begged the spider.

“I'm lost...this is not the brothel where I was killed”

She navigated the deadened landscape
The ash crumbling warmly beneath her feet
It was alien

The Bird, Ariel landed on her shoulder
Suki turned and glared at the thing
"You again!"

Ariel fluttered down to the ash
It looked up at her and said nothing

"Why do you torment me so?” cried Suki,
“What have I done to you?
I died!
I should not cling to this riddle of a world!
I want Forever!"

The bird spoke
It's large blue eyes looking up at her
"This is your Forever, Tsukiko."

Suki for the felt tears rising
"Leave me!"

She ran
Pushing through the jungle of ashen wood
Navigating a thicket of charred remains
At length she reached the pool
Where she had once bathed

She saw it's water was black
Stained in the afterlife
Suki fell to her knees
And wept for the darkness of this deathly world

She fell forward
Reaching out for oblivion
She collapsed on the dirt
Her finger tips touching the sable waters
Staining it crimson
She wept
The Ash clinging to her face

At length
Ariel landed beside her face
And said not a word
Suki wept
Then finally
"What is this?"
she begged

Ariel sighed
"You were beautiful Tsukiko
You wished beauty and love on all those around
Even those who did you wrong
You were grace
You were gentleness
you were strong
We look kindly upon you
those who are beautiful in body
and spirit."

Suki stared at bird
sniffling back her tears
"W...we..?"

"We've been called Gods before, Tsukiko.
We blessed you with a mark of your unfaltering beauty
They grew from your beauty, fed by your heart
And they have brought you to death
To Us."

Ariel was no longer such a small bird
She was larger now
Having grown
Her wings spread
And wrapped around Suki
Comforting her

"Oh Tsukiko...
Your story does not end at your death
It warms our hearts to see the love you bring to the world
Tsukiko
The world is empty of a love like yours
In death you can exist forever
Brining beauty and love back to the world
Do you not want to be our Eros,
Oh heart broken one?"
Suki cried

Ariel was now no longer a bird
But a beautiful glowing woman
Her skin as white as her feathers had been
And eyes a radiant blue
She was adorned in a flowing white robe
With which she coddled the weeping ghost
"I...I don't know..." said Suki
She curled into ball
Enveloped in the encompassing warmth of the white robe
Sinking into a sea of comfort
Ariel kissed Suki's face
"I...I don't know if I can....the world..."

"Hush...." whispered Ariel
She tenderly kissed Suki's tears
"Sleep girl...
The dead can afford to rest like no other
Rest
when you rise
May the new world treat you well
Treat you well child...
Treat them well..."

1. Image by YoshiyukiKatana