A raging battle, a war of blood, violence and terror. A survivor struggles to his feet and surveys the grisly scene before him. The bloody gore brings bile to his throat, he retches violently and stumbles, falling on his knees in front of a dismembered corpse. A breeze whips up, cooling his feverish brow and removing for a second the scent of death from his nostrils.
After an unsteady half-run, half-stumble to the edge of the killing field, he comes across a small creek. In the cool shade of the trees, he strips off his bloody uniform and bathes in the stream, washing away the shame and guilt he feels along with the remains of his enemies. The water stains red-brown around him as he cleanses his body.
Hearing soft, tinkling laughter, he turns hesitantly to face the bank where, to his surprise, sits a young woman. Dressed in a light, floaty green gown she holds up a fresh clean set of clothes for him. Bewildered he takes them from her and wordlessly steps into them, watching her every movement.
A wondrous voice passes through his head as though the wind itself had whispered in his ear. The voice tells him so many things, secrets of the world, wonderful and terrible things, but the very last thought makes his eyes wide with fear.
He dashes over to where he left his belongings, fumbling around for his dagger. He puts his hand on it, gripping the hilt reflexively and whirls around. Without hesitation he plunges it into the woman’s chest. She stares at him and her eyes turn black and menacing. Hissing and screaming she claws at her chest, but he pushes the blade deeper and the daemon growls inhumanly and grabs hiss throat.
Twisting the knife, he chokes as her claws dig deep into the soft skin under his jaw. Locked together they slowly sink into unconsciousness….
Quiet voices from behind the shed, hushed hurried whispers, giggling. Two young boys, sharing a fleeting moment. Soft brown eyes and piercing blue ones gazing at each other in pure innocence; they share a loving embrace, a lingering kiss.
Suddenly, loud voices; the boys jump like startled rabbits. Wide-eyed and trembling, hearts beating wildly they grip each other as four large year tens round the corner, shouting and jostling each other like steers in a cattle-yard. All six boys stop and stare at one another, frozen for a single moment in time.
The older boys break the spell first, yelling and charging the youngsters, who panic and scatter, tripping over themselves in their haste. The rowdy year tens pounce on the young lovers, roughly wrenching their arms up behind them.
The biggest boy yells in their faces, “You F***ing fags! We’re gonna teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!!”
The young boys are dragged by their hair to a tree on the far edge of school grounds and tied up to it. Around them, the others gather the sharp quartz rubble, testing each stone’s size and weight. Whimpering and pleading, the boys beg to be set free, to no avail.
The first rock comes hurtling out of nowhere to strike one of them on the side of his head; instantly a gush of blood trickles down his cheek, his head lolling and body gone limp. It’s so quick he doesn’t even have time to cry out. The other boy’s soft brown eyes well up with tears as he watches his sweetheart’s body being pummelled and gashed open by the sharp rocks.
Finally the bullies turn away and the bruised and battered body is left alone. They turn to the brown-eyed boy armed with a coarse nylon rope. They string him up to a branch by his arms, so he is left dangling, vulnerable and terrified, from the tree.
One of the older boys picks up a long stick, and proceeds to beat the boy like a piñata; until his body is red and bloody and bruised all over, and hangs limply like a ragdoll from the rope.
Eventually they grow tired of the beatings and drift back to class. The two bodies are later discovered by the grounds-keeper, still tied up, but cold and stiff as though made of marble.
COMMENTS
Another sad tale, although I like to think the world has come a long way in the past decade regarding same-sex relationships. But situations like this still do occur unfortunately.
A hushed whisper, unkind glances, averted gazes.
All because my clothes are black and my dark hair is striped with fluorescent pinks and greens. But I hold my head high as I walk down the corridor to my locker; they fear me, they don’t know me, yet still they fear me. I’m not menacing, in fact it is my calm and cool nature they fear the most. I am unpredictable and they know this.
I don’t speak to them, not because I don’t like them, but because I have nothing to say. They don’t interest me, with their incessant whining about their fashion problems and their relationship issues, it simply bores me. I have a partner who loves and respects me, they don’t like it because I’m so young and already married, they like it even less because she and I got special permission from the state to be legally married, even though this state doesn’t recognize gay or lesbian marriages, (having a father in the state’s Department of Affairs is rather helpful when it comes to legal issues)
But today is the last day of school and tomorrow I’m off into the big wide world to begin my future in the legal justice system, I’ve decided to become a lawyer. No-one in school believed me when I said I wanted to this course of study, and they all thought I would bail out because it’s hard, but I revel in a challenge and am at the top of my class.
I reach my locker at the end of the passage and retrieve my belongings for the last time. Slamming it shut I twirl around, my skirts swirling around me, and head for the door, the door to my future. Head high, I walk out that door, into the future awaiting me…
:::10 days later Kayla Benson was killed in a freak drive-by-shooting on her way to the store for an emergency milk run. She was only nineteen at the time, she is sorely missed by her partner of two years, Tara, and the rest of her family.
COMMENTS
Such a sad story and far too common. It seems people never learn when it comes to drinking and driving.
Fangs bared, tails bristling they face each other in the fury that is jealousy. Eyes flashing, gaze never leaving the eyes of the other, staring with a hatred so defined it crackles in the air like static.
Clash! They're at each other's throats in a second, tearing, ripping; growls and hisses cut through the still night air like knives.
A male on the side yowls as the pair slash away with razor-sharp claws, spurring them on as their jealousy grows.
A false move and the oldest goes down, the youngster using her athletic form to pounce in a flash.
Not taking the risk of a second battle, she parts the pure white fur and the skin underneath peels back in crimson lines as the lethal claws plunge to the flesh beneath.
One final gurgling howl of pain and it's over, the fight is finished. Now there is one, victorious and proud, she struts to the male she rightly claims as her prize. He follows her meekly as her tail brushes softly under his chin, like a baited line reeling him in.
The night is silent once more, as the victor and her prize melt into the darkness...
COMMENTS
Awesome battle!
I like stories like this and you wrote it well, Sister. ^_^
White, cold and wet. I sit on the pavement watching the frozen world rushing by. The soft tickle of snowflakes falling around me. The night is lifting, and the clouds are whisking away, as though frightened by the rising sun. I would crawl away, too, if i had but two legs with which to run. As I am, I must simply endure the morning rays, even if I suffer.
The heat of the awakened sun bears down on my back, I have not long to wait. Smaller, ever smaller, melting away. By nightfall, nothing but a puddle, absorbing into the concrete pavement.
COMMENTS
Very talented! Good job, Firedrake! ^_^
Another great story
COMMENTS
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SuicideDoll
08:19 Mar 25 2009
Another great story - you seem to have a gift for capturing the emotions and feelings of certain situations.
WolfenVampire
08:27 Mar 28 2009
Awesome