Alright, so I'm going to some time soon go through the ends thread and post the story posts only. I would appreciate help in this, but if not it's whatever.
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All story posts and the ends belong to Friday
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The light. The light so bright it blinds you.
It's drawing you. You're the moth to its flame. Walls to either side. A tunnel. No legs, yet you advance forward.
You never think to stop. Looking back never occurs to you. There is only the light, and the light is good. It is filling. It beckons you.
But then, an errant thought bores into you, like a
worm
drill. You try to block it out, try to focus on the light. But like a flower struggling toward the sun, this thought grows, and grows, and finally blooms.
Nicole.
Who? Immediately comes after. Who is this Nicole?
you chose her
You don't know. But this question leads to others. Odd things. The walls. What are they made of? What do they look like? You try to turn your head to see, but ... you don't have a head.
That's weird. Well, if you don't have a head, or legs, how are you moving forward? You're not walking. You'd hear your footsteps, wouldn't you?
Other thoughts begin to surface, planted in the soil of that first image of a name. Questions. At first, they are slow, moving through your mind one at a time, like small objects which you examine with a child's unknowing curiosity. Each is looked at, and passed over, without really learning anything deeper.
Jacob.
David.
Faceless.
Spot.
Nicole.
don't let them in your head.
don't let them in your head.
They begin to move faster. A Kudzu of thoughts in your mind. Some thoughts lead to others. You don't know why. Nothing is making any sense. They continue to increase. Words. Pictures. Images. Voices. An image of a little Hispanic girl comes most frequent. Her hair is dark and lovely. A strange feeling accompanies this image. Love. Fear. Hate. Something in between.
The thoughts blur. You cannot see them. The light is blinding. It sears your mind.
You have a sensation of deju vu.
Suddenly, everything stops.
Silence.
Silence for miles. Silence for leagues. Silence for eons. You have turned away from this blinding, painful light.
Then, a voice behind you.
"There, now. That's better, isn't it?"
You turn. Your arm (you have an arm) raises. You're pointing.
"You," you say. (you have a mouth) "I know you."
The figure, back lit by the light, laughs. You know that laugh. He is a dark shadow against the light.
He steps forward, blocking the light. He comes into focus.
"Benny," you say.
The memories come flooding back. Everything. All of it. A waterfall of knowledge. You literally stagger under the weight of it. Benny is grinning at you.
"You fucked up pretty bad," he says. His missing eye drips blood, a neverending wound.
"What?" you say. You're still organizing your thoughts. How did you get here? It's almost in place... just... need a few more seconds... so dizzy. "Where am I?"
Benny cackles and slaps his knees. "Oh, man. I missed you. You're great. I love you so fucking much. You're fucking dead, bro."
His last words hit you. You reel. "No... No... I..."
"Eh? Don't remember? You will in a bit. How much is that dooooooogy in the windowwww," Benny breaks into song.
Spot.
Oh, god. Jacob.
"Well, not technically Spot," Benny says. "His pal got you. Spot, I believe, ripped Jacob in half."
"No," you say.
"Sorry, bro," Benny says, raising his hands in front of him, in a what can you do? pose.
"No. This is a trick. You're tricking me."
"Nah, man. You're as dead as fucking disco. Hate to break it to you."
"You sound pretty happy about it, actually. If I'm dead, how the fuck am I standing here?"
Benny only grins.
"Fuck you," you say.
"Oh, man. You should see what they did to your body, bro. It ain't pretty. You got fucked up. Big time."
Finally the memories orient themselves in your mind, and you know he isn't lying. You can remember charging around the corner of the house, intent on saving Jacob from the horrible creatures those pets had become.
You remember the moment your vision faded. You remember Nicole, screaming your name. Your real name. Her nickname for you was Wolfy, but that's not what she called as the blood ran from your body.
You hang your head. (Your head?) Your hands are bloody. The ground is flat and gray. Finally, you look up. Benny is still standing there, with that annoying smile.
"Fine. I admit it. I'm dead. So where's here?"
Benny shrugs. "The fuck should I know? What does it look like?"
"It looks like a tunnel with a light at the end of it," you say, and as you say it, you watch Benny's face. It looks like he's genuinely curious about what you're seeing.
You finally smile a bit yourself. "You can't see this, can you?" you say.
Benny shrugs again. "So what? It's your fucking near death experience, not mine. I'm only a figment of your imagination, after all."
"Somehow I doubt that. If you were only a figment of my mind, you wouldn't be curious as to what I'm seeing, now."
"It doesn't matter," Benny says.
"Then why are you here?"
"The same reason I was here before," he says, smiling again. "To offer you a choice."
"Oh, fuck this. I already made my choice."
Benny giggles. "Life, and even death, it seems, are full of choices. You never stop making choices. This is not the same choice as before. You chose your road then. Now you must chose another."
You shake your head. "If it's anything like before, I'm choosing whatever doesn't involve following you."
"It's nothing like before," he says, and a note of sincerity has crept in to his usual jovial tone. "This time, it's just my way, or..."
He motions over his shoulder, toward the light. "The highway."
"What do you mean?" you ask.
"It's simple," Benny says. "Take my hand, and you'll find yourself in the world of the living again."
"I can get back there myself," you say.
"Not this time," Benny replies. "This time, the only way back is through me. It's either accept my help, or not."
You narrow your eyes, and turn around.
There is only darkness behind you.
"She can't reach you here," Benny says. "Not even she can see into this."
You peer into the dark. Sticking out an arm, you feel along it. It is cold.
"That's nothing. You can't go that way. Come on. Quit wasting time," Benny says from over your shoulder.
You turn to face him once more. "And if I choose to accept your help? I'm assuming it's not free."
Benny cackles. "Oh no, not free. Is anything free in this world? No no no. I have a price you must pay for my help."
"And if I don't want to pay this price?"
Benny shrugs. "Like before, that's fine. I don't actually give a shit. Feel free to proceed down the path toward the god-light, or whatever. But you'll never see Tits again. Or anyone else."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Man, it never ends with you. That's what I love about you. Didn't we already do this dance? What do you want, my word? There's no reason for you to believe me. And I don't care enough to give you a reason, anyway. It's either accept my help, and live, or don't, and take the long walk."
You stare at him. He stares right back at you.
"And what is this 'price' you speak of, if I was to accept your help?"
Benny giggles. "Oh, nothing much. A favor. A... a boon. A tiny piece of your soul."
"You want my soul?" you ask, incredulous.
"Not literally, dipshit," he says.
"Tell me, then. What do I have to give you?"
"Nope, question time is over. I'm not obligated to tell you shit. Either take my hand," he says, thrusting it forward, "or end this story for good."
You stare at him. Beyond him, the light pulses, and beckons.
Nicole flashes through your mind.
He smiles at you. His hand is bloodstained.
It's time to choose.
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1. Take his hand.
2. No. You're through. Walk past him, and into the light. This story is over.
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(So, this is it. This is how The End Continues. I'm not going to explain what this is. You should be able to grasp at least the gist of it. This is what I've decided on.)
(As far as Arc's story goes, I'm going to wait a bit to update, while his plays out. I may start going again while his is still running, I honestly don't know. I'm not going to run this right away, but I wanted to get this out there. Hope you like it. And rest assured, should this story continue, the threat of real death will always loom. Choose your roads carefully.)
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Post 2
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1. Take his hand.
You take one last look at the light. It seems warm and soft, the offered hand sharply outlined in red against it. Part of you know what you're doing will have consequences. Part of you doesn't care.
You reach for the hand. Benny smiles.
You hesitate, inches away. Benny only widens his smile into a grin.
You grasp his hand. Your hand, which was bloodstained earlier, is now clean. But as you press your flesh into Benny's, the blood on his hand starts to spread onto yours, like a spilled glass of wine. And with it, a painful burning sensation.
"Man, you're so easy," Benny says, his fingers wrapping around your wrist like teeth. "All you have to do is dangle little miss no-hair-on-her-hole in front of you, and you rollover like a puppy."
The blood has covered your hand. It is spreading up your arm in solidifying tendrils. The sensation of pain spreads with it. You attempt to pull away, but it's like you're frozen in place.
Benny leans forward and whispers in your ear. "Wanna know a secret?" he breathes. "There is something behind you."
And as he says it, you suddenly feel it, a presence, a watching eye. Or eyes. Staring at you from out of the darkness behind.
"Don't worry," Benny whispers. "This will only hurt for a second."
His other hand comes up. You shift your eyes, the only part of your body not frozen, toward it. His index finger has a long, red nail.
He inserts it into your ear. Inside, you scream.
Pain explodes in your head. You feel something wriggling against your brain. Writhing. Twisting. Oh god. It's moving. It's --
The pain ceases. You feel suddenly calm. Peaceful. You don't even mind the burning blood spreading past your shoulder and onto your neck and chest. Benny releases your hand and it drops limply to your side. All your fear and revulsion has vanished.
Benny smiles.
"There, that's better now, isn't it? I told you it would only hurt for a moment."
You nod, smiling back at him.
"Now, don't you want to see Nicole again?" he asks, as blood drips from your face.
You nod again, your smile widening to a grin. You taste sweet blood. You tongue emerges and licks your lips.
"Then come on! There's no time to waste! She's waiting!" Benny turns you with his arms to face the darkness behind you, and walks around you, leading you with one hand gently pushing you from behind in the small of your back.
As you step into the darkness, you see it is not empty, but that it is full of life. They slither over each other and beckon you. They are beautiful and you want to touch them. You reach for one --
Benny grabs your hand and gently places it back at your side. "Oh no. Don't touch. You don't want to touch those, trust me," he says. You agree with him. They are too beautiful to ruin by touching.
You can hear them speaking to you. They want to be at one with you. You can think of nothing you desire more. Ahead, they are thicker, covering the path. Benny urges you toward them.
He is behind you now, you walk on your own toward them.
Behind you, Benny chuckles. "I wouldn't want to be you right now," he says. "Remember, bro. You owe me one. I'll be watching."
You step into them. They caress you. You're safe with them here. You never want to leave. They wrap around you, into you. You feel them crawling into your ears, your mouth, your ass, and finally, your eyes --
Your eyes.
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You open your eyes.
Your first thought is:
Well, at least he didn't take my eye again.
Your second thought is:
Where am I?
Your third thought is:
Your world exploding into pain, and pain of memory. The revulsion of what just happened to you in that tunnel comes slithering back, and you throw up in your mouth. You try to turn your head, but you can't. Everything is pain.
Your eyes won't focus. The world is a blur of a blur. Pain is your only sensation, your only sense. Sight, hearing, touch, everything is superseded by it. It consumes you and becomes you. You wish you were dead.
And then --
A face. A face above you. For a moment it distract ever so slightly from the pain. You gather what will remains to you and focus. The face begins to take shape.
Nicole.
Her hand presses cool against your cheek.
"You're gonna be alright," she says. "I'll take care of you. Don't worry."
You smile at her. She smiles back.
You close your eyes.
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To be continued
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post 3
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Dreams. A river of the subconscious flowing through your mind.
Eddies. Currents. Stagnant pools.
Occasionally you wake to pain. You ache all over. Sometimes you are moving. Sometimes you think you can hear snatches of conversation.
I'm not leaving him
He's as good as dead
It doesn't matter. You can't tell the dreams from the reality anyway.
Sometimes you dream about the tunnel. About the worms. In these dreams Benny is always watching you, and smiling. He stands blocking the light.
Most of your dreams are fragments. Normal, even. A few are about the end of the world, the world on fire. Some are about your mother. A few of other things.
One time, you wake up, and cool hands are opening your mouth, pouring liquid down it. You choke, and cough.
The hands stroke your hair. They are gentle.
"Drink. You have to drink," the hands say.
You try to speak, but only croak softly. More water. You swallow a tiny bit at a time. Soon you tire and slip back into darkness and dreams.
We should just leave him
He's getting better
Hushed arguments in your mind. Real, or dreamed? You don't know. You find dreaming, even with the worms, preferable to the waking pain.
More fragments. People running, people screaming, people dying. Your father lecturing you about schoolwork overdue. A man and woman married, in a house. A small boy running from a group of armed soldiers. Dark, lovely hair.
You wake up.
You're in a doctor's office. The walls are white, the bed is white, everything is white. The counter has a silver sink. The faucet drips water.
Drop.
You rise and walk toward it. Odd, you don't feel any pain. You look down at your body. Everything seems to be fine. You seem to be wearing some sort of hospital gown.
You turn on the faucet. Water comes out in a steady stream. You bend to drink, the water refreshing on your dry lips and parched throat.
Sated for the moment, you examine the room. Charts and posters on the wall. They seem mundane. Normal things you would see in a doctor's office. Reading one, it seems to be about heart conditions. Another details healthy eating.
There is a wooden cabinet mounted in the corner. You open it.
White latex gloves in a box. Tongue depressors. Band aids. Gauze. Clipboards. Paper, a cup full of pens. You take one.
Other than a chair against the wall, there is nothing else in the room except the door. You go to open it.
The doorknob does not turn.
Not even a fraction of an inch. It's not locked, it's completely stuck.
You bang on the door, making loud thumps. "Hey!" you yell. "Is anyone there? Nicole? David? Hello?!"
Nothing. You put your ear to the door. Silence.
Sighing, you go and sit down on the bed, putting your head in your hands. Nothing in the room to use as a battering ram or anything like that. Looks like you're stuck here for the time being.
It's odd that you're not hungry. In fact, you feel absolutely fin --
Paging Dr. Connor, paging Dr. Connor. Could Dr. Connor please report to examining room five. Dr. Connor, examining room five.
A soft, feminine voice, over some kind of intercom. You don't see any such device in the room with you. A soft light burns overhead.
You stand up and again search the room. A cabinet under the sink you overlooked previously. There are only a few hand towels inside. But on the back of one of the cabinet doors, you see a piece of tape:
Room 5
Well, maybe someone heard your banging after all.
Footsteps. You tense. Where are you, anyway? Is this... some kind of testing facility? A quarantine zone? Where are Nicole and David? You have no idea.
The footsteps are getting closer. They are unhurried, and fairly heavy. No time.
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1. Hide to the side of the door. Attack whoever comes through with the pen. Try to get out the door.
2. Go and sit on the bed.
3. Pick up the chair. It'll lack quite the surprise but make up for it in damage.
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Location: Unknown
Health: Normal
Infection: Unknown
Weapons: Pen
Assets: None
Skills: None
"They" encountered:
"Faceless"
Form: Humanoid
Attacks: Vines
Resilience: Medium, can be killed by massive damage to torso
Speed: Low
Special/Notes: Central nervous system does not seem to be present in the head
"Flesh Worm"
Form: Worm
Attacks: Mouth, Unknown
Resilience: Unknown
Speed: Unknown
Special/Notes: Unknown
"No-Face"
Form: Humanoid
Attacks: Unknown, seemed to summon other faceless. Changed a bird into a Crawler.
Resilience: Unknown
Speed: Unknown
Special/Notes: Can suddenly vanish, or turn invisible. May be all in your head.
"Crawler"
Form: Vermin
Attacks: Long Vines
Resilience: Low
Speed: High
Special/Notes: Can climb and stick to walls, ceilings.
"Spot"
Form: Canine
Attacks: Vines
Resilience: Medium
Speed: High
Special/Notes: Unknown
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post 4
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2. Go and sit on the bed.
"Fuck it," you say under your breath, and turn to go sit down.
A few seconds later, you hear the sound of keys jingling from right outside the door.
Click.
The door opens, and Jacob walks into the room, quickly shutting the door behind him. He's dressed in a nice suit. Despite his condition when you last saw him, he looks perfectly fine. He regards you gravely, pocketing his keys and holding a medical chart with one hand. A stethoscope is around his neck.
"Dr. Connor, eh?" you say. "I had almost forgotten that was your name, honestly."
Jacob smiles.
"So, this is a dream. The real me is still laying up somewhere, hurt."
Jacob nods.
"So, what now? Are you going to become a part of my hallucinations, like Benny?"
"No," Jacob says, sitting down in the chair. He sighs.
"Then what?"
"I came to ... help you. And to say goodbye."
"You're not Jacob. You're just a dream."
"You're right," he says, taking off the stethoscope and hanging it over the chair. "I'm not Jacob, and I'm not a doctor. And this whole place isn't real."
You wait.
"What this is is a representation that you can understand. I only have a short time here. I won't be able to set this up again. I represent a part of your subconscious and a part of the infection within you. If you haven't guessed by now."
"So, you're a worm. Just like Benny."
"What you call Benny isn't just a worm. He is like me. But his goals are... different."
"Oh?"
"Listen, I don't have time. Soon you'll wake up for real and this chance will be lost. I'm here to help you as best I can. I'm part of you, but I do know some things that you don't. I may be able to help you. But you must ask the question. I cannot act without input. I will answer to the best of my abilities."
"Why are you helping me?"
"Is that your question?" Jacob asks.
"I only get one?"
"Is that your question? Quickly. They are coming."
Unauthorized access in room five. Repeat, unauthorized access in room five. Security team, report to room five. I repeat, sssssssssssssssssssssssssss
The soft female voice over the intercom again. It hisses for about five seconds, then cuts off.
Jacob is looking at you. "Ask," he says.
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First question to get two endorsements.
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pages 1-5 done.
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Topic: The Ends - Story posts only (Read 576 times)