...Mainly because...well. Let me just say that this time, I did something so stupid...I'm a little afraid of everyone yelling at me for it. But what the hell, it worked and I wouldn't have made it out otherwise.
That mist was rising faster and faster. The first hour it was slow. Two hours later it had made its way up about a hundred feet and was still gaining speed. I knew I had to act quick, otherwise any plan I had would be the only one I had time for. So.
It wasn't really that hard to determine what to do. The Path was my only option. Forget being the only sort of interdimensional-esque travel technique I knew, it was starting to look like the only way I could even get down from the top of that building.
But I tried it before. All it did was send me somewhere else in the world. And that mist was EVERYWHERE. No matter where I looked, all I saw was a dark cloud and all the unpleasant death it was sure to bring with it. And as I watched it...I saw things inside it. Twisted shapes. Writhing, twisting, changing. I could hear things in the back of my mind - screams, warnings, threats. And as it rose higher, out of the fog, a gnarled, withered hand emerged from it, reaching towards me, followed by another, and another.
"Okaaay, fuck that noise." I recall muttering to myself.
There was only really one thing left to try. I walked forward and straight off the edge.
And yeah, at that point, I started to panic. There's nothing quite like hurtling down a several hundred foot drop to put things into perspective. Especially when the ground is covered in death mist. I didn't have any intention of coming into contact with it, though. Even as the voices in my head reached a crescendo of eager bloodlust, I had already opened a way into the Path, in mid-air.
...What happened next was interesting. I made it onto the Path, sure, but I was now traveling horizontally instead of vertically. At the same speed. I was rocketing over the cracked streets, empty houses, and black leaves at a bird's eye view.
And it hurt. Jesus christ it hurt. If anything, the pressure was worse at that altitude, at the speed I was going. Pain. I was pretty sure that was it - I was just gonna crash into the ground and die alone in this goddamn nightmare zone.
Except then I saw that the street ended. All there was ahead was darkness. No ground, no...anything. Then before I knew it, I came into contact with it. And...I was floating. In a black abyss. The pressure was gone. But...somehow, somehow this place felt even less safe. I couldn't breathe- but I didn't need to. It still almost gave me a panic attack, but for some reason, most of my body just...sort of faded out. I was pushing up against something- something invisible. There was a dark street ahead. It looked familiar.
It made me wonder. Does the Path have different networks, for these different worlds? Did my stupid Portal stunt allow me to get out of the pocket dimension's network and back to my own?
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Because there was someone who wanted a word with me before I got away. His voice was everywhere...around me, IN me...I couldn't escape it.
You claim defiance of the Pale One, yet you use his gifts to escape me? What hypocrasy indeed.
I wanted to question him. But I couldn't speak. All I could do was give him some of that defiance with every bit of willpower I had in me. I tried to...push back with my feelings, let him know I was pissed and not interested in taking his crap.
And you believe yourself above the judgement of your betters. Such arrogance for a human. No matter. Take your freedom. It will not last. Nothing but madness and emptiness await you.
And...with that, I was on the Path again. I stumbled, feeling weaker by the second - out the first alley I could find. I popped out in...Wellington, New Zealand, of all places. Lucky for me, because apparently health care is easier to get here than in my country - and because they speak english. If I'd been really unlucky, I coulda gotten dumped in the middle of Nowhere, Siberia.
So...I'm recovering from surgery right now. I had severe internal bleeding. In short, not my most well thought out plan, but at least I'm alive.
I need to get back to the States, but...I also need to look into some shit while I'm here...I dunno, I'll figure something out once I'm outta here.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
So much to do, so little time. You'll get a full explanation about how I escaped from wherever I was later, as well as a recap of my current activities.
Also, is it just me or do the blogs have an increase in gawkers who like hanging around criticizing people's actions in situations they themselves were not in? A+ guys, very helpful+supportive thing to do.
Also, is it just me or do the blogs have an increase in gawkers who like hanging around criticizing people's actions in situations they themselves were not in? A+ guys, very helpful+supportive thing to do.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Forget what I said about this place being safe.
Some sort of weird black mist's rolled
into town. I say "town" about as loosely as possible, mind
you, because it's more like a bunch of wrecked buildings in the
middle of goddamn nowhere. At any rate, I'm not goin down there to
find out what the happy stuff is, I'm perching my ass up here where
safety is ambiguous, not non-existent.
Okay I just saw something move down there. Yeah. I'm just gonna be Batman for now.
Here's the thing: Cosmic Entity #2 doesn't appear thrilled that I refused his job offer. He's not been around in a while, and I think this mist may be his doing, as well. Must be trying to pressure me. Hey buddy, that's coercion and it's illegal in the US of A. Of course, I say “he” when it's more like an “it.” Whatever.
So that's its game. Leave me to die if I don't change my mind. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not happy about my chances at fighting monsters. At this point, I have enough experience with self defense to not be scared of whatever masked knife wielding joker is after me today. Hell, I did pretty damn good against those FBI guys. I do not have a good track record with monsters, though. Whether they be giant murderous trees or masquerading as businessmen.
The mist is rising. Okay, June, think. There's nothing you can't weasel your way out of.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
I don't know where I am right now. I don't even remember the last time I tried to make contact outside Here. I don't even know whose computer this is, fuck.
What I do know is, the only reason I'm not gone (and I have a pretty strong feeling the big man wants me capital G Gone by now) is because something ELSE has an interest in me.
Even now, I feel it. Observing. Watching me. Trying to determine just how much use I am.
Hey. Hey buddy. You see this?
Fuck you.
Fuck Slenderface and fuck all the members of your little cosmic entity social club. If I'm not gonna work for HIM, I'm certainly not working for you, either.
Didn't I make it clear that I'm a player in this? I might play into people's hands plenty, but no one pulls my strings. If I'm to die, so be it. Many have died before me. Many will die after. But there will ALWAYS be people who fight back against you.
For once, I understand Rhodes on something. He was pissed that you tried to dictate his role. Well make a note of it, cause fucking unprecendented shit is going down - I agree with him. You motherfuckers don't have the right to pull us along for your own amusement, no less than the pale guy has any right to toy with us like prey. You're no more welcome than he is.
Haha. I see. I can feel your doubt, you know. It'd seem this place, wherever it is, is closer to you than, well, Reality. I felt every inch of your curiosity, as well as the surprise you're feeling at me saying this. So you're finally HEARING me? Great to know.
You can keep your assumptions about what I can and can't do. You think I'm desperate and bluffing, but I'm not. I'll get out of here. I battered down a hole in reality to save my friend. You guys are begging for an encore performance. I'm getting out of here, and I'm going to stop him, and I'll do it without your damn help.
Find another patsy. This job interview is over.
Oh hey, and you guys pickin' up from sweet ole Reality. I'm still kickin. And it may have been a while since you heard from them, but don't count Rise and Leon out just yet. Those two are a lot smarter than me.
Stay sharp, Rae. I don't need to tell you this, but your dad is a bit of an asshole. No wonder he and Rhodes make for such good company.
Alright, back to the waste.
What I do know is, the only reason I'm not gone (and I have a pretty strong feeling the big man wants me capital G Gone by now) is because something ELSE has an interest in me.
Even now, I feel it. Observing. Watching me. Trying to determine just how much use I am.
Hey. Hey buddy. You see this?
Fuck you.
Fuck Slenderface and fuck all the members of your little cosmic entity social club. If I'm not gonna work for HIM, I'm certainly not working for you, either.
Didn't I make it clear that I'm a player in this? I might play into people's hands plenty, but no one pulls my strings. If I'm to die, so be it. Many have died before me. Many will die after. But there will ALWAYS be people who fight back against you.
For once, I understand Rhodes on something. He was pissed that you tried to dictate his role. Well make a note of it, cause fucking unprecendented shit is going down - I agree with him. You motherfuckers don't have the right to pull us along for your own amusement, no less than the pale guy has any right to toy with us like prey. You're no more welcome than he is.
Haha. I see. I can feel your doubt, you know. It'd seem this place, wherever it is, is closer to you than, well, Reality. I felt every inch of your curiosity, as well as the surprise you're feeling at me saying this. So you're finally HEARING me? Great to know.
You can keep your assumptions about what I can and can't do. You think I'm desperate and bluffing, but I'm not. I'll get out of here. I battered down a hole in reality to save my friend. You guys are begging for an encore performance. I'm getting out of here, and I'm going to stop him, and I'll do it without your damn help.
Find another patsy. This job interview is over.
Oh hey, and you guys pickin' up from sweet ole Reality. I'm still kickin. And it may have been a while since you heard from them, but don't count Rise and Leon out just yet. Those two are a lot smarter than me.
Stay sharp, Rae. I don't need to tell you this, but your dad is a bit of an asshole. No wonder he and Rhodes make for such good company.
Alright, back to the waste.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
trapped.
little time to explain.
we're trapped in atlanta. they know we're here. there's so many of them. we can't leave. they've practically put the city on lockdown.
How the hell are they doing this!? Where the hell are the fucking POLICE! You can't just lock down a whole city when you're, I dunno, a weird cultist group! Why doesn't anyone NOTICE!
leon is not taking it very well.
neither am I. they've run us down like animals. we've lost them for now, but who knows when they'll find our cave.
It's not a cave, it's a
figure of speech.
we need to get out. somehow. update over, need to keep watch.
we're trapped in atlanta. they know we're here. there's so many of them. we can't leave. they've practically put the city on lockdown.
How the hell are they doing this!? Where the hell are the fucking POLICE! You can't just lock down a whole city when you're, I dunno, a weird cultist group! Why doesn't anyone NOTICE!
leon is not taking it very well.
neither am I. they've run us down like animals. we've lost them for now, but who knows when they'll find our cave.
It's not a cave, it's a
figure of speech.
we need to get out. somehow. update over, need to keep watch.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
This again? Really?
Come on. We've played this game before. You and I know each other pretty damn well by now.
It hurts. I won't lie, it hurts bad. Every part of me feels like it's burning up. But here's what you don't get, what you've never got. It's just pain. It can't kill me. And it won't break me. I don't pretend to know the reason, but you can't stay in my head. You don't take.
But you're not really on the same level as me, are you? You can't get that. You're just gonna try to brute force it.
Well fine, then. If that's how you wanna play it...
It hurts. I won't lie, it hurts bad. Every part of me feels like it's burning up. But here's what you don't get, what you've never got. It's just pain. It can't kill me. And it won't break me. I don't pretend to know the reason, but you can't stay in my head. You don't take.
But you're not really on the same level as me, are you? You can't get that. You're just gonna try to brute force it.
Well fine, then. If that's how you wanna play it...
Saturday, April 20, 2013
i KNOW those masks. like leon said, they look just like mine.
i modeled mine after a certain man's.
a man who has been missing for over ten years.
june, please be safe. only two years ago i would've written you off as dead, but you've taught me something in between then.
the strength of belief.
and i believe there is nothing He can do that can kill or bend june to his will.
he will return. for now, though, i must get leon somewhere safe. the poor man's life is ruined now. but i will protect him.
and ill make good use of zero's weapon until his heir reclaims it.
but as to the masks.
i want to believe that this is Him simply attempting mindgames. i thought that man was long dead. i still hope so.
if he's returned, things are dire. and i don't know if i really can carry on.
i modeled mine after a certain man's.
a man who has been missing for over ten years.
june, please be safe. only two years ago i would've written you off as dead, but you've taught me something in between then.
the strength of belief.
and i believe there is nothing He can do that can kill or bend june to his will.
he will return. for now, though, i must get leon somewhere safe. the poor man's life is ruined now. but i will protect him.
and ill make good use of zero's weapon until his heir reclaims it.
but as to the masks.
i want to believe that this is Him simply attempting mindgames. i thought that man was long dead. i still hope so.
if he's returned, things are dire. and i don't know if i really can carry on.
Friday, April 19, 2013
WHAT TH EFFUCK IS THAT THING!
It
Okay okay, ern-
So Konaa's been steadily getting better. He was up and about all of yesterday and I could hardly believe it. He was almost good as new. But...he said he couldn't leave just yet. According him, the "proxy" gang he was being tailed by was probably still crowding the district. Not only would trying to leave be dangerous, but he didn't want any chance of them finding out where I lived. Nice guy. Little heavy on the sarcasm, but everyone has their coping mechanism. Anyways, he said that there was someone he could ask to come help and that together all of our chances of surviving would double. Ah, I thought, a hitman. Haha, jokes aside, I read your comments and I know the whole mafia thing wasn't true. I didn't know how else to explain it then, but-
Well I guess I still don't.
We set up a routine of sorts. He went out for scouting trips to check out the area. Would come back to say it was still too hot. I don't know how he kept finding them, but none of these "proxies" seemed to be able to hide from him. For the most part, I stayed in from work, and everything was mostly normal.
But two hours ago...well it all changed for the worse.
There was some commotion outside. It was already dark and the streets were pretty empty. Emptier than they should've been at any rate. Konaa was out and about, but I heard some strange tapping noises. So, and maybe this was dumb, I went outside to take a look. There was a guy standing on the opposite side of the road. Tall guy, all gussied up in a suit, coat, and tie, bright red hair in a ponytail. He just gave me one hell of a creepy-ass grin and bowed, before strolling down an alley and out of sight.
That's when I heard the footsteps. They were coming, en masse. At least ten of them - someone shoved me to the ground, hard. I heard a knife coming out of a sheath. Then I got slammed against the wall. Ow. It still hurts.
Some guy was holding me, and another one seemed to be calling the shots. He asked me where Konaa was and I said I didn't know. He nodded to the guy holding me, and the guy puts the knife right up to my eye. I'm sad to say it, but I was ready to spill just about anything at this point. I really didn't want to lose one of my eyes. But all I could do was repeat that I didn't know.
"You should never have hid him from us. Do it."
I tried to wrench his arm back, but he was just too strong. These guys were serious. Psychopaths. He was really gonna stab me in the eye! But...I can hardly believe it, but sometimes a hero does come to your rescue in the nick of time.
I heard some sort of shhhhing noise. Before the guy holding me knows it, there's a grappling hook stabbing into his arm. He drops the knife and yells. And here came the cavalry. Konaa, and he had a friend. I was a bit surprised, cause she had the same kind of mask the other guys did. But she was definitely not their friend, given the way she was going at them with those knives of hers.
The fight itself got kinda blurry for me, I was still in a lot of pain and it was pretty dark. I just stumbled back, out of the way. But between the two of them they accounted for all ten of the thugs with only a few cuts and bruises to tell for it. Didn't kill em, I don't think, just knocked em out in some cases, Konaa had a taser he used on a couple, and a couple still standing ran away. Wow. They may be a pair of kids, but they're a lot tougher than they look.
He gave me a thumbs up. But before he could speak, something happened, and I saw that thing
I didn't think anything of it. Just another man stepping out of the alleyway. But it wasn't a man. It was tall, and thin as a rack, and it had no face. It was just a horrible blank head. And those weren't arms- THOSE WEREN'T ARMS. It was a monster. A real honest to gods MONSTER. And suddenly I saw things, there were these black tendrils snaking out towards me, towards ME, I saw him, I heard something, I knew, he wanted ME. But
But Konaa knocked me aside. They ensnared him. He fought like a lion, even though he was crying out in pain. He'd dropped his taser and the knife he was using. They hoisted him off his feet. His friend started towards him, but he shouted out to stay back. Then he yelled out to keep safe, no matter what.
And to look after me.
He took the sword off of his back, and hurled it through the air. His friend caught it. The last I saw of him, he was grinning a pained, crazy grin, and he gave me a thumbs up. Then...he vanished into the darkness of the alleyway, and the thing went with him. His friend ran down. I couldn't even move. I was just stunned. Then she came back, shook her head. Then she just said to be ready to leave in fifteen minutes and ran off down the street.
I packed my stuff. I don't have too much. Then I decided I should update the blog.
I don't know what's happening, what's going on, but oh my god. He's gone. Whatever that thing was, that was what he was really running from and now, now it wants me too. What the fuck am I going to do...I'm sorry. If I coulda done anything for him, I would've.
what am I gonna do.
It
Okay okay, ern-
So Konaa's been steadily getting better. He was up and about all of yesterday and I could hardly believe it. He was almost good as new. But...he said he couldn't leave just yet. According him, the "proxy" gang he was being tailed by was probably still crowding the district. Not only would trying to leave be dangerous, but he didn't want any chance of them finding out where I lived. Nice guy. Little heavy on the sarcasm, but everyone has their coping mechanism. Anyways, he said that there was someone he could ask to come help and that together all of our chances of surviving would double. Ah, I thought, a hitman. Haha, jokes aside, I read your comments and I know the whole mafia thing wasn't true. I didn't know how else to explain it then, but-
Well I guess I still don't.
We set up a routine of sorts. He went out for scouting trips to check out the area. Would come back to say it was still too hot. I don't know how he kept finding them, but none of these "proxies" seemed to be able to hide from him. For the most part, I stayed in from work, and everything was mostly normal.
But two hours ago...well it all changed for the worse.
There was some commotion outside. It was already dark and the streets were pretty empty. Emptier than they should've been at any rate. Konaa was out and about, but I heard some strange tapping noises. So, and maybe this was dumb, I went outside to take a look. There was a guy standing on the opposite side of the road. Tall guy, all gussied up in a suit, coat, and tie, bright red hair in a ponytail. He just gave me one hell of a creepy-ass grin and bowed, before strolling down an alley and out of sight.
That's when I heard the footsteps. They were coming, en masse. At least ten of them - someone shoved me to the ground, hard. I heard a knife coming out of a sheath. Then I got slammed against the wall. Ow. It still hurts.
Some guy was holding me, and another one seemed to be calling the shots. He asked me where Konaa was and I said I didn't know. He nodded to the guy holding me, and the guy puts the knife right up to my eye. I'm sad to say it, but I was ready to spill just about anything at this point. I really didn't want to lose one of my eyes. But all I could do was repeat that I didn't know.
"You should never have hid him from us. Do it."
I tried to wrench his arm back, but he was just too strong. These guys were serious. Psychopaths. He was really gonna stab me in the eye! But...I can hardly believe it, but sometimes a hero does come to your rescue in the nick of time.
I heard some sort of shhhhing noise. Before the guy holding me knows it, there's a grappling hook stabbing into his arm. He drops the knife and yells. And here came the cavalry. Konaa, and he had a friend. I was a bit surprised, cause she had the same kind of mask the other guys did. But she was definitely not their friend, given the way she was going at them with those knives of hers.
The fight itself got kinda blurry for me, I was still in a lot of pain and it was pretty dark. I just stumbled back, out of the way. But between the two of them they accounted for all ten of the thugs with only a few cuts and bruises to tell for it. Didn't kill em, I don't think, just knocked em out in some cases, Konaa had a taser he used on a couple, and a couple still standing ran away. Wow. They may be a pair of kids, but they're a lot tougher than they look.
He gave me a thumbs up. But before he could speak, something happened, and I saw that thing
I didn't think anything of it. Just another man stepping out of the alleyway. But it wasn't a man. It was tall, and thin as a rack, and it had no face. It was just a horrible blank head. And those weren't arms- THOSE WEREN'T ARMS. It was a monster. A real honest to gods MONSTER. And suddenly I saw things, there were these black tendrils snaking out towards me, towards ME, I saw him, I heard something, I knew, he wanted ME. But
But Konaa knocked me aside. They ensnared him. He fought like a lion, even though he was crying out in pain. He'd dropped his taser and the knife he was using. They hoisted him off his feet. His friend started towards him, but he shouted out to stay back. Then he yelled out to keep safe, no matter what.
And to look after me.
He took the sword off of his back, and hurled it through the air. His friend caught it. The last I saw of him, he was grinning a pained, crazy grin, and he gave me a thumbs up. Then...he vanished into the darkness of the alleyway, and the thing went with him. His friend ran down. I couldn't even move. I was just stunned. Then she came back, shook her head. Then she just said to be ready to leave in fifteen minutes and ran off down the street.
I packed my stuff. I don't have too much. Then I decided I should update the blog.
I don't know what's happening, what's going on, but oh my god. He's gone. Whatever that thing was, that was what he was really running from and now, now it wants me too. What the fuck am I going to do...I'm sorry. If I coulda done anything for him, I would've.
what am I gonna do.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Um, hi.
I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say here. I honestly took one look at this blog and its associated works and stared at my screen for about five minutes. I don't have any idea what this is all about. Or rather, I do, and I'm shaking my head in disbelief. I guess that's not important right now.
I'd rather not share names, those guys with the masks and the knives seem pretty ticked off at the guy asleep on my couch. I guess his name is "Konaa?" Hell of a way to meet a new person, seeing them stumble down the street at three AM, bleeding profusely, half-collapsed. And shouting not to call 911. Still think I probably shoulda ignored that one.
As you've probably gathered, I'm completely unrelated to any of...whatever this is. I'm just an every day guy workin' 9 to 5, or so the saying goes. My hours are pretty flexible, in truth. But like I said, last night, maybe around 2:30 or so, I hear a lot of ruckus coming from upstreet. Trouble's not too uncommon where I live, so I got up to do what I usually do, close the curtains, doublecheck the locks, etc. What made me stop to take another look was when I caught a glimpse of some of those guys under the street lamp. They had some eerie masks on, and I mean eerie, pale white. Hoods, too, and packing sharp looking pieces of metal. Now THAT didn't happen every night.
These guys shuffled back and forth down the street at top speed for about fifteen minutes. Then activity sort of dies down. Here's where I do something kinda dumb. I step out onto the street and start walking around. Call me stupid but I'm curious by nature, and I really wanted to know what the hubbub with the masks was all about.
Well I scooted around for a bit, occasionally I heard some rapid footsteps, but then I came upon a back alleyway. Here we had a whole load of the guys, maybe 15 to 20, and their leader, too. Big fella. Wears the most melodramatic of hooded cloaks, too. He tells the guys, "Scour the alleys. Don't hesitate to break and enter, he certainly won't. Find. Him." Forceful voice. They hopped right to it. Now, these guys were clearly some kinda mob outlet. And it sounded like some poor guy had pissed em off. The masks, I figured, were just intimidation, and concealment. They'd just bothered to have a uniform standard.
At any rate I figured it was dangerous to keep hanging around, so I made my way home fairly quickly. But not five minutes later I heard some hobbling down the street. I look up, and here comes a young guy, college student age I'd say, dressed like he's been living out of a dumpster. Number of oddities about him that came into vision as he started by. First of all, he had belt with some sort of weird pistol-like object with a bunch of cable attached, a row of knives, and a REAL gun, as far as I could tell. Stranger still was the katana he had strapped around his back. But what made it clear he wasn't just some odd cosplayer was the strangest thing of all - he was hurt bad. Bleeding from the shoulder, clutching his side, barely keeping himself up. I step out again. "Hey, buddy! You okay there? Want me to call an ambulance?"
He almost skewered me with one of those knives, maybe I shouldn't've startled him. "What? No, no- Police, no ambulance, don't call 911..."
That's when it hit me. He didn't want the cops or doctors? This was the guy those mobsters were looking for. He had injuries you couldn't go to a general hospital to treat without getting caught.
I didn't know what to do. Sure looked young for the job, but I guess they get all sorts of types. Still, even if he's a criminal I couldn't just leave him there. That was when I heard more footsteps, some shouting. He whirled around, swearing. That's when I made up my mind. "Quick, in here."
"Huh?"
"I mean it, quick! Step in here!" I held out my hand. He hesitated a second, but grabbed it. I dragged him into the apartment, closed the door, and brought him up to my room. The masked guys passed by a couple times, but nobody ever tried to knock down my door, so I'd say we got lucky. I had a first-aid kit in my kitchen, and I'm certified, so I was able to patch him up. He had mostly cuts and slices, a pretty deep one in his shoulder. I didn't have any kinda painkiller on me, but he took it like a champ, I gotta say, a few winces and nothing else. Guy's got mad pain tolerance.
He stayed the night. And looks like he'll be staying tonight, too. He slept all day, still haven't had a proper conversation though. He was up for a few hours a bit ago, and shoved his laptop into my hands, told me to make a post on his blog to tell people what had happened to him, before he went under again.
So. Here I am. Geez, I hope I don't get in trouble for this. My curiousity's sated, anyway, and Konaa looks like he'll be okay. I was tempted to call the police more than once, but I haven't seen hide or hair of those masked guys, so I think we'll be fine. He seemed eager to get going, so I doubt I'll be entertaining him much longer. So to those whom it may concern, your friend's okay, but he took a beating.
I hope this doesn't make me an accomplice, shit. I don't want nothing to do with the mafia.
I'd rather not share names, those guys with the masks and the knives seem pretty ticked off at the guy asleep on my couch. I guess his name is "Konaa?" Hell of a way to meet a new person, seeing them stumble down the street at three AM, bleeding profusely, half-collapsed. And shouting not to call 911. Still think I probably shoulda ignored that one.
As you've probably gathered, I'm completely unrelated to any of...whatever this is. I'm just an every day guy workin' 9 to 5, or so the saying goes. My hours are pretty flexible, in truth. But like I said, last night, maybe around 2:30 or so, I hear a lot of ruckus coming from upstreet. Trouble's not too uncommon where I live, so I got up to do what I usually do, close the curtains, doublecheck the locks, etc. What made me stop to take another look was when I caught a glimpse of some of those guys under the street lamp. They had some eerie masks on, and I mean eerie, pale white. Hoods, too, and packing sharp looking pieces of metal. Now THAT didn't happen every night.
These guys shuffled back and forth down the street at top speed for about fifteen minutes. Then activity sort of dies down. Here's where I do something kinda dumb. I step out onto the street and start walking around. Call me stupid but I'm curious by nature, and I really wanted to know what the hubbub with the masks was all about.
Well I scooted around for a bit, occasionally I heard some rapid footsteps, but then I came upon a back alleyway. Here we had a whole load of the guys, maybe 15 to 20, and their leader, too. Big fella. Wears the most melodramatic of hooded cloaks, too. He tells the guys, "Scour the alleys. Don't hesitate to break and enter, he certainly won't. Find. Him." Forceful voice. They hopped right to it. Now, these guys were clearly some kinda mob outlet. And it sounded like some poor guy had pissed em off. The masks, I figured, were just intimidation, and concealment. They'd just bothered to have a uniform standard.
At any rate I figured it was dangerous to keep hanging around, so I made my way home fairly quickly. But not five minutes later I heard some hobbling down the street. I look up, and here comes a young guy, college student age I'd say, dressed like he's been living out of a dumpster. Number of oddities about him that came into vision as he started by. First of all, he had belt with some sort of weird pistol-like object with a bunch of cable attached, a row of knives, and a REAL gun, as far as I could tell. Stranger still was the katana he had strapped around his back. But what made it clear he wasn't just some odd cosplayer was the strangest thing of all - he was hurt bad. Bleeding from the shoulder, clutching his side, barely keeping himself up. I step out again. "Hey, buddy! You okay there? Want me to call an ambulance?"
He almost skewered me with one of those knives, maybe I shouldn't've startled him. "What? No, no- Police, no ambulance, don't call 911..."
That's when it hit me. He didn't want the cops or doctors? This was the guy those mobsters were looking for. He had injuries you couldn't go to a general hospital to treat without getting caught.
I didn't know what to do. Sure looked young for the job, but I guess they get all sorts of types. Still, even if he's a criminal I couldn't just leave him there. That was when I heard more footsteps, some shouting. He whirled around, swearing. That's when I made up my mind. "Quick, in here."
"Huh?"
"I mean it, quick! Step in here!" I held out my hand. He hesitated a second, but grabbed it. I dragged him into the apartment, closed the door, and brought him up to my room. The masked guys passed by a couple times, but nobody ever tried to knock down my door, so I'd say we got lucky. I had a first-aid kit in my kitchen, and I'm certified, so I was able to patch him up. He had mostly cuts and slices, a pretty deep one in his shoulder. I didn't have any kinda painkiller on me, but he took it like a champ, I gotta say, a few winces and nothing else. Guy's got mad pain tolerance.
He stayed the night. And looks like he'll be staying tonight, too. He slept all day, still haven't had a proper conversation though. He was up for a few hours a bit ago, and shoved his laptop into my hands, told me to make a post on his blog to tell people what had happened to him, before he went under again.
So. Here I am. Geez, I hope I don't get in trouble for this. My curiousity's sated, anyway, and Konaa looks like he'll be okay. I was tempted to call the police more than once, but I haven't seen hide or hair of those masked guys, so I think we'll be fine. He seemed eager to get going, so I doubt I'll be entertaining him much longer. So to those whom it may concern, your friend's okay, but he took a beating.
I hope this doesn't make me an accomplice, shit. I don't want nothing to do with the mafia.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
found it!
june said i could use this blog if I wanted, so i will here, because i have had an experience that i wish to share. also, i do not have a phone. not all of us live off tens of thousands of dollars in inheritance. how many thousands in soda, june?
firstly, i have received an email from the entities known as Nemesis Counter. how strange that dimension beings adapt so well to our messaging system. perhaps they don't, actually, which is why their messages are so garbled. mine simply read:
"identified
you are the catalyst's shadow"
somewhat obvious. but i like it, somehow. i do not mind being june's shadow. his refusal to kill is one of the reasons i trust him so, but it also makes him soft. i can cover this weakness for him. i assure you, i am not soft.
but that message was shortly after the new year. onto the main reason i made this post.
i have been hunting for some old comrades of mine, who were enslaved to Him along with me for years. and together, we broke off our bonds, shortly before I began to contact june through this blog.
two were dead. one has re-entered His service. my friend laura was the last. i did not hold out much hope that she would be safe. but i was eventually able to track her down to a city in the south. it was nighttime when i found her. i didn't think that it might be a bit suspicious to approach someone at night. its still hard for me to consider these things. the sorts of things normal people just know.
it was at a dock. she fearfully brandished a gun at me. i wore my mask. she suspected i had relapsed. she did not understand that i wear it to shield myself. i tried to explain myself. she had become paranoid, and would not listen. she told me to leave. i told her i was looking for something of mine. a cassette tape. this is the true reason i looked for my friends. i would not have risked two of us being in the same place without good reason. this tape is important. but i will clarify that, later.
she warily agreed that she would return it to me. i put down all of my weapons and stood back with my hands behind my back.
that is when Obstruction held me to the ground. i heard a gasp from laura. so i was not betrayed. not fully, at any rate. clapping, Rhodes himself emerged from the darkness, flanked by jade. the maniac girl was practically slavering at the chance to kill me.
"Very well done, Laura darling. She's such a slippery fox to catch, and here you had her laid out before us like a present."
laura protested. "You said she wouldn't be hurt! You said you were going to protect me..."
"Oh my dear, I am protecting you. Do you know what your friend has done to those like you? Like herself? Killed them. Slit their throats, split them open, tortured information out of more than one. She is violent and she is dangerous. I am restraining her for her own sake, you see. She will be much more at ease in the service of the Tall Man again, without all of these troublesome thoughts and without her new master."
"not a MASTER." i spat out. "no one dictates my fate anymore. not you. not june. not HIM."
"Now that's an interesting word. 'Fate'...What is fate?" he seemed truly contemplative, now of all times. "Was this all preordained? Are we merely puppets dancing on the strings of the cosmos itself? To wax eloquent, at any rate. I have wondered this many a time myself, whether my actions are truly my own, or if myself and June are mere pieces on a chessboard. Perhaps we are. But I tell you, I have no interest in being a pawn." he gave me his horrible, warm smile. "It's why I like you two so much, you know? You hate the idea of someone else moving your path just as much as I do. You're like me."
i thrashed, violently, and was slammed harder into the ground for it. this is why rhodes is so dangerous. not because of any weapon he has. because he knows what will dig at you, undermine your ability to think clearly and plan against him. he is like june in one regard, perhaps: he too, understands people to an astonishing extent. june uses that skill to help others. rhodes uses it to tear them down. and you wonder why i am on june's side.
"Now then." he held out a wad of bills to laura, who recoiled. "For your trouble, miss, a bonus."
she shook her head, mumbled that there was no deal she'd made, that she had not sold me out for money. rhodes would not give up. "Come on, this makes no sense! It's done! Please take the money, Laura. I promised it to you, and I am a man who keeps his word. Don't make a liar of me."
she made a mistake. "I don't NEED to! You ARE a liar!"
his eyes...narrowed. those green, shining eyes had found new prey. "If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's a liar...and you dare to call me one? After I compromised myself for your sake! After I hid the true reason you agreed to my deal.."
laura choked back a sob and pointed the gun at him. he was not deterred. i could do nothing but watch, obstruction's hand over my mouth. rhodes approached her slowly, arms out wide. "There were the five of you, then...the five who broke free. What a story! Through friendship and force of will, you finally defied your dark master and returned to the world of the sane! You were free. Oh, what a wonderful word, free. But...like every group of friends, there were...problems. Things left unsaid. Crawling, ugly thoughts hiding beneath your consciousness. Old grudges, never resolved, criticisms held back in the name of friendship. You were worse than usual, since let's face it, none of you were exactly stable members of society even after breaking free."
He stared down the barrel of the gun, the grin of a predator closing in on a meal. "You didn't even provide anything substantial to the group, did you? It was Brandon who thought of the idea. Dylan gave you all the courage to go forth with it. Sharleen comforted those who needed it...you most of all. Rachel, ah, Rachel, your best friend, and one of the most deadly fighters you'd ever seen. She kept you all safe and alive. She fought on and on against anything that tried to hurt you. You did NOTHING. You were the load, the dead weight. You saw your friends, how incredible they seemed to be...And in your heart, you envied them. That envy, left to safely grow in the depths of your heart, began to morph into true, spiteful jealousy. That was how you grew to despise your saviors..."
he gently pushed the gun down, and cupped a hand around her trembling, terrified face. "Oh, you of such an ungrateful heart! It is understandable that you would envy those more remarkable than you...And thus I don't blame these feelings you had. No, I blame you for how you acted on them. Mistrust. You were the first to leave. You broke the bonds of fellowship the five of you had, and perhaps made them grow to distrust each other, too? No, no, don't look away. You know I speak the truth."
she was frantically whispering "no." as if he cared. i did my best to escape, to no avail. and rhodes continued, showing no mercy.
"Your sins did not end there...Oh no. They only grew in scope. Not only did you break your sacred bond, you proceeded to actively betray she who was your greatest friend, to whom you owned your freedom. You came to ME. You asked for my protection. You did not trust her, when YOU were the one who broke trust in the first place. And now you stand here, and committed your last, greatest sin to date. You lied. To me. I know the truth, Laura, and I know your heart. It is as black and rotten as a heart can be." his words grew sharp, his sentences short and stinging. "You are beyond pity. Beyond mercy. Merely a parasite. You drain the life out of others to no benefit other than your own. Your friends are dead. Your last one is about to be. And it is all. Your. Fault. And in the end, you attempt to shove the blame on me. I have only ever told you...the complete and total truth."
her tears were coming in droves, her body shaking like mad. i worked as fast as i could, edging a knife towards me with my elbow without obstruction noticing. he watched, passive as ever. but i was too late. what rhodes said must have been true, on some level. it always is. she had her secrets laid out in the open, in front of me. the last person she wanted to know them. she saw no other escape than the gun in her hand. i could only watch as she shot herself in the head. her body crumpled and fell, and there was silence.
only for a moment. for rhodes' other side emerged, and he laughed, he laughed loudly and it rang out. "Ahahahahaha! Too easy! Too fucking easy! What a fucking dipshit teenager!" hand pressed to his face, he laughed seemingly uncontrollably, hunching over. "Sure, you ditched the group cause you were JEALOUS. But it's not like that's the only thing that happened! Try Dylan selling you all out! Rachel abandoning you! Hahahahaha! Fucking drama queen kids practically do my work FOR ME. You only got yourself to blame, idiot. If you hadn't decided to be such a pissy little brat and dare accuse ME of LYING, I wouldn't've had to tell Rachel all your deep dark secrets. In the end, I'm blameless...as always, hahahaha!"
i got my chance. the knife found its way into my hand and i cut deeply into obstruction's leg. he grunted with pain and released me, and i dove forward, rolled, and threw my knife, aiming directly for the center of his twisted skull. he moved his head fast, not fast enough. it cut deeply into his cheek. he yelled, but i gave him no chance to retaliate, catching his swinging hand by the wrist and twisting it, breaking his fragile bones. in my fury, i beat him, and i do not regret it. i took some joy from hearing his cries of pain. but that fury blinded me to jade, who cut my arm before i could retreat. a pained chuckle came from rhodes.
"See...? We're not too different after all, Rachel...you love my pain, just like I love yours...Some things never change, DO they?" standing upright, he stepped back, wincing. "But you got the drop on me...and I think I'm more interested in letting you stew on your late friend's fate than killing you. We're leaving. You can have the tape, too, it's my gift to keep things interesting."
so he knew. i am hardly surprised. jade supported him and they retreated into the darkness. obstruction limped afterwards. i stood in his way, glaring into his eyes. i was ready to kill him for holding me back, but...what i saw in there made me stay my hand. he is nothing more than an empty shell. still, i challenged him. "you killed her every bit as she did. as he did." no response. and he left.
i stood there for some time, holding my friend's hand. i remember that is how you show that you care for a friend. i remembered eventually how little point there was in doing that for the dead. i took her gun, and the tape. and i gently put her body into the bay. laura loved the water. i thought she'd be happy in there.
this tape. it was our greatest weapon against Him. it produced a sound that repelled Him. brandon was a genius who spent years with the limited resources he had at hand, recording and rerecording different types of static from the television. he theorized that the interference caused by videos of Him went both ways, and that His power could be disrupted with the application of technology.
and it did work. perhaps the reason brandon relapsed and i neared relapse is that it only temporarily blocked out his terrible presence in our minds. but it worked. how many things can you list which work against Him? i will give this to june. he can make good use of it.
i do not know what to say about laura. just...please do not judge her. she was a good person.
firstly, i have received an email from the entities known as Nemesis Counter. how strange that dimension beings adapt so well to our messaging system. perhaps they don't, actually, which is why their messages are so garbled. mine simply read:
"identified
you are the catalyst's shadow"
somewhat obvious. but i like it, somehow. i do not mind being june's shadow. his refusal to kill is one of the reasons i trust him so, but it also makes him soft. i can cover this weakness for him. i assure you, i am not soft.
but that message was shortly after the new year. onto the main reason i made this post.
i have been hunting for some old comrades of mine, who were enslaved to Him along with me for years. and together, we broke off our bonds, shortly before I began to contact june through this blog.
two were dead. one has re-entered His service. my friend laura was the last. i did not hold out much hope that she would be safe. but i was eventually able to track her down to a city in the south. it was nighttime when i found her. i didn't think that it might be a bit suspicious to approach someone at night. its still hard for me to consider these things. the sorts of things normal people just know.
it was at a dock. she fearfully brandished a gun at me. i wore my mask. she suspected i had relapsed. she did not understand that i wear it to shield myself. i tried to explain myself. she had become paranoid, and would not listen. she told me to leave. i told her i was looking for something of mine. a cassette tape. this is the true reason i looked for my friends. i would not have risked two of us being in the same place without good reason. this tape is important. but i will clarify that, later.
she warily agreed that she would return it to me. i put down all of my weapons and stood back with my hands behind my back.
that is when Obstruction held me to the ground. i heard a gasp from laura. so i was not betrayed. not fully, at any rate. clapping, Rhodes himself emerged from the darkness, flanked by jade. the maniac girl was practically slavering at the chance to kill me.
"Very well done, Laura darling. She's such a slippery fox to catch, and here you had her laid out before us like a present."
laura protested. "You said she wouldn't be hurt! You said you were going to protect me..."
"Oh my dear, I am protecting you. Do you know what your friend has done to those like you? Like herself? Killed them. Slit their throats, split them open, tortured information out of more than one. She is violent and she is dangerous. I am restraining her for her own sake, you see. She will be much more at ease in the service of the Tall Man again, without all of these troublesome thoughts and without her new master."
"not a MASTER." i spat out. "no one dictates my fate anymore. not you. not june. not HIM."
"Now that's an interesting word. 'Fate'...What is fate?" he seemed truly contemplative, now of all times. "Was this all preordained? Are we merely puppets dancing on the strings of the cosmos itself? To wax eloquent, at any rate. I have wondered this many a time myself, whether my actions are truly my own, or if myself and June are mere pieces on a chessboard. Perhaps we are. But I tell you, I have no interest in being a pawn." he gave me his horrible, warm smile. "It's why I like you two so much, you know? You hate the idea of someone else moving your path just as much as I do. You're like me."
i thrashed, violently, and was slammed harder into the ground for it. this is why rhodes is so dangerous. not because of any weapon he has. because he knows what will dig at you, undermine your ability to think clearly and plan against him. he is like june in one regard, perhaps: he too, understands people to an astonishing extent. june uses that skill to help others. rhodes uses it to tear them down. and you wonder why i am on june's side.
"Now then." he held out a wad of bills to laura, who recoiled. "For your trouble, miss, a bonus."
she shook her head, mumbled that there was no deal she'd made, that she had not sold me out for money. rhodes would not give up. "Come on, this makes no sense! It's done! Please take the money, Laura. I promised it to you, and I am a man who keeps his word. Don't make a liar of me."
she made a mistake. "I don't NEED to! You ARE a liar!"
his eyes...narrowed. those green, shining eyes had found new prey. "If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's a liar...and you dare to call me one? After I compromised myself for your sake! After I hid the true reason you agreed to my deal.."
laura choked back a sob and pointed the gun at him. he was not deterred. i could do nothing but watch, obstruction's hand over my mouth. rhodes approached her slowly, arms out wide. "There were the five of you, then...the five who broke free. What a story! Through friendship and force of will, you finally defied your dark master and returned to the world of the sane! You were free. Oh, what a wonderful word, free. But...like every group of friends, there were...problems. Things left unsaid. Crawling, ugly thoughts hiding beneath your consciousness. Old grudges, never resolved, criticisms held back in the name of friendship. You were worse than usual, since let's face it, none of you were exactly stable members of society even after breaking free."
He stared down the barrel of the gun, the grin of a predator closing in on a meal. "You didn't even provide anything substantial to the group, did you? It was Brandon who thought of the idea. Dylan gave you all the courage to go forth with it. Sharleen comforted those who needed it...you most of all. Rachel, ah, Rachel, your best friend, and one of the most deadly fighters you'd ever seen. She kept you all safe and alive. She fought on and on against anything that tried to hurt you. You did NOTHING. You were the load, the dead weight. You saw your friends, how incredible they seemed to be...And in your heart, you envied them. That envy, left to safely grow in the depths of your heart, began to morph into true, spiteful jealousy. That was how you grew to despise your saviors..."
he gently pushed the gun down, and cupped a hand around her trembling, terrified face. "Oh, you of such an ungrateful heart! It is understandable that you would envy those more remarkable than you...And thus I don't blame these feelings you had. No, I blame you for how you acted on them. Mistrust. You were the first to leave. You broke the bonds of fellowship the five of you had, and perhaps made them grow to distrust each other, too? No, no, don't look away. You know I speak the truth."
she was frantically whispering "no." as if he cared. i did my best to escape, to no avail. and rhodes continued, showing no mercy.
"Your sins did not end there...Oh no. They only grew in scope. Not only did you break your sacred bond, you proceeded to actively betray she who was your greatest friend, to whom you owned your freedom. You came to ME. You asked for my protection. You did not trust her, when YOU were the one who broke trust in the first place. And now you stand here, and committed your last, greatest sin to date. You lied. To me. I know the truth, Laura, and I know your heart. It is as black and rotten as a heart can be." his words grew sharp, his sentences short and stinging. "You are beyond pity. Beyond mercy. Merely a parasite. You drain the life out of others to no benefit other than your own. Your friends are dead. Your last one is about to be. And it is all. Your. Fault. And in the end, you attempt to shove the blame on me. I have only ever told you...the complete and total truth."
her tears were coming in droves, her body shaking like mad. i worked as fast as i could, edging a knife towards me with my elbow without obstruction noticing. he watched, passive as ever. but i was too late. what rhodes said must have been true, on some level. it always is. she had her secrets laid out in the open, in front of me. the last person she wanted to know them. she saw no other escape than the gun in her hand. i could only watch as she shot herself in the head. her body crumpled and fell, and there was silence.
only for a moment. for rhodes' other side emerged, and he laughed, he laughed loudly and it rang out. "Ahahahahaha! Too easy! Too fucking easy! What a fucking dipshit teenager!" hand pressed to his face, he laughed seemingly uncontrollably, hunching over. "Sure, you ditched the group cause you were JEALOUS. But it's not like that's the only thing that happened! Try Dylan selling you all out! Rachel abandoning you! Hahahahaha! Fucking drama queen kids practically do my work FOR ME. You only got yourself to blame, idiot. If you hadn't decided to be such a pissy little brat and dare accuse ME of LYING, I wouldn't've had to tell Rachel all your deep dark secrets. In the end, I'm blameless...as always, hahahaha!"
i got my chance. the knife found its way into my hand and i cut deeply into obstruction's leg. he grunted with pain and released me, and i dove forward, rolled, and threw my knife, aiming directly for the center of his twisted skull. he moved his head fast, not fast enough. it cut deeply into his cheek. he yelled, but i gave him no chance to retaliate, catching his swinging hand by the wrist and twisting it, breaking his fragile bones. in my fury, i beat him, and i do not regret it. i took some joy from hearing his cries of pain. but that fury blinded me to jade, who cut my arm before i could retreat. a pained chuckle came from rhodes.
"See...? We're not too different after all, Rachel...you love my pain, just like I love yours...Some things never change, DO they?" standing upright, he stepped back, wincing. "But you got the drop on me...and I think I'm more interested in letting you stew on your late friend's fate than killing you. We're leaving. You can have the tape, too, it's my gift to keep things interesting."
so he knew. i am hardly surprised. jade supported him and they retreated into the darkness. obstruction limped afterwards. i stood in his way, glaring into his eyes. i was ready to kill him for holding me back, but...what i saw in there made me stay my hand. he is nothing more than an empty shell. still, i challenged him. "you killed her every bit as she did. as he did." no response. and he left.
i stood there for some time, holding my friend's hand. i remember that is how you show that you care for a friend. i remembered eventually how little point there was in doing that for the dead. i took her gun, and the tape. and i gently put her body into the bay. laura loved the water. i thought she'd be happy in there.
this tape. it was our greatest weapon against Him. it produced a sound that repelled Him. brandon was a genius who spent years with the limited resources he had at hand, recording and rerecording different types of static from the television. he theorized that the interference caused by videos of Him went both ways, and that His power could be disrupted with the application of technology.
and it did work. perhaps the reason brandon relapsed and i neared relapse is that it only temporarily blocked out his terrible presence in our minds. but it worked. how many things can you list which work against Him? i will give this to june. he can make good use of it.
i do not know what to say about laura. just...please do not judge her. she was a good person.
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