~Slugger~
*In the town of Maple Leaf, Alabama, the town’s pride was nothing more than Aunt Bonnie’s homemade pies, the crystal clear Big Bear Lake, and the town’s own baseball team, the Maple Leaf Mongooses. The Mongooses have been known all across the state for being one of the best little league baseball teams, having never lost a game in over twenty years, thanks to their coach, Gus Waters. Gus sat in his office, the walls covered in photos of his little league baseball teams over the years, as well as a number of trophies from their victories. Gus was clipping his nails when his assistant coach walked in, not even bothering to knock. He stared Gus, dead in the eye, and spoke to him
Assistant: Gus, it’s ready.
Gus: Alright. Gather up everyone in town. We’ll start as soon as I get there
*With that, the assistant closed the door and Gus went back to clipping his nails* If those Pine Wood pussies think they’re gonna win this year, they’re mistaken.
*The thought of that arrogant team drove Gus to a slight annoyance, enough to clip his nail too short, to where it began to bleed a little, as his nail fell onto the desk. Gus didn’t even flinch as he clipped it and continued to clip is other nails*
*The citizens of Maple Leaf had gathered up around the baseball diamond. It was a town of at least eight hundred folks, all of them gathered in a large group. Not a single person was left out of the group. Aunt Bonnie had come wearing her apron, having been in the middle of making her pies. Sheriff Alan was there as well, with the rest of town police officers. Joseph, the farmer, had come as well, along with his two kids, Randall and Thomas. As the town began to murmur amongst each other, a red and dirty pick-up truck chugged its away along the grass, before coming to a stop in front of the townsfolk. Gus stepped out from the truck, and his eyes glazed over everyone who was there. He closed the truck door with a loud bang and began to march along the front of everyone. He turned to them and shouted.*
Gus: Alright, people. The Pine Wood Pirates have started something they never should have started. They came after our Mongooses. And we aren’t gonna let a couple of punks from Pine Wood, Mississippi come here and make us look like idiots. Is that right?
*The townsfolk cheered and clapped, some shouting vulgar insults about Pine Wood and the Pirates. Gus raised up his hands to try and calm the crowd*
Gus: That’s why we gotta do what we gotta do. You all understand, I’m sure. So, with that out of the way, let’s get things started
*With a snap of his fingers, the Mongoose baseball team came onto the diamond, carrying baseball bats in their hands. They stood in a line, and stared blankly at the townsfolk, their eyes a pale white, the grip on their bats tight. They didn’t seem to react as lively as the townspeople, but they didn’t seem to be reacting at all. Gus turned to the team with a smile.*
Gus: Look at them. Ready to get things started. Ready to kick some Pirate ass, boys! So, do we have a volunteer?
*The townspeople spoke in silence amongst each other. They were talking about how they should get Otis, the homeless man, to volunteer, or maybe the ex-biker at the bar, Frank. As the crowd spoke amongst themselves, George, the town banker, stepped up. His silver and aging hair stood out from the crowd, as well as his grey suit. His glasses reflected the light of the sun as he stared at Gus.*
George: I volunteer, Gus.
Gus: That’s the spirit George. I knew you had the balls and the pride that makes Maple Leaf what it is.
George: What can I say. I just really love this town.
Gus: And this town loves you
*George stepped up to the Mongooses, staring at them with a soft and warm smile. The entire team surrounded George, tightening the grip on their bats. In a flash, their blunt bats came crashing down on George. He was struck in the stomach, and then in the ribs, and in the face. He was smashed in the back of the head, and was sent crashing down to the floor. The team surrounded George, blocking most of the view from the crowd, as they began to beat George severely. His glasses were shattered as a bat connected with his face, knocking out one of his teeth and snapping his nose to the other side. His elbow twisted in the other direction, and soon, is other arm did the same. Despite the pain, George kept his warm smile through it all, as the bats kept crashing down on him, the sound of the bones shattering and the players grunting, along with the bats smashing against George’s frail body was all that could be heard in the town. Not a sound came from the townspeople as they looked at the massacre in front of them. After what felt like hours, the players pulled away, their bats and uniforms drenched with splotches of blood. George lay on the ground, his face no longer recognizable, and the blood stained his grey suit. He looked peaceful, however, as if he had passed in his sleep. Gus walked over to the corpse of George, looking down at it, his eyes remained on his corpse, before he looked up at the townspeople
Gus: It was a necessary sacrifice. It’s all for the good of Maple Leaf and it’s Mongooses. It’s not right, but it’s worth it to beat those Pirates. Now, what do you say we win this thing for our boy George?
*The townspeople gave a roaring cheer, chanting the Mongooses name as Gus and the team made their way to the locker room to get ready, leaving George’s body on the ground. That night, at the baseball game, the Pirates didn’t stand a chance.*
~Kiss of Death~
*Justin was walking down the streets of the California boardwalk. He had just been kicked out of his house by his ex-girlfriend, and had just about fallen into depression. He kept thinking to himself how she could just kick him out and leave him with nothing. Justin’s thoughts went back to how she did catch him cheating on her with another girl and using her money to buy gifts, but his thoughts went back to himself and how he would manage on his own. He only had a couple hundred dollars, all of which belonged to his ex, but he wasn’t going to return it any time soon. He continued walking along the boardwalk, thinking to himself about what he would do for the night. As he walked, his eyes gazed over to a woman sitting on a bench. She wore a short violet shirt. Her black hair was tied into a messy ponytail. Her stocking snaked up her skirt, emerging from her boots, as she sat there, taking a drag from her cigarette. Justin was completely infatuated with the woman, and he made his way over towards her. He sat next to her on the bench. The woman looked at him and immediately turned forward.*
Woman: Sorry, I’m not in the mood for a date right now
Justin: No, it’s not that. I just came to talk with you
Woman: Talk? Is that what people are calling it now?
Justin: Can’t a man just have a chat with a woman
Woman: That depends. Does the man got a reason to talk with me?
*Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out a few tens from his pocket. He handed it to the woman, who gazed at the money with some interest. She took the money and placed it in her shirt, before putting her cigarette out*
Woman: Alright, I’m listening. And the name’s Mindy
Justin: Nice to meet you, Mindy. You see, I’m a very lonely man
Mindy: I can see that just by looking at you
Justin: My girlfriend broke up with me and kicked me out of her home.
Mindy: Aww, poor baby
Justin: It sounds like that, but I’m not really a good guy. I cheated on her, stole from her, and was already planning on leaving her
Mindy: So you’re a heartbreaker and an asshole, huh?
Justin: That’s one way of putting it.
Mindy: Does someone need to be punished
Justin: … Yes. I need to be punished. I can’t handle the thought of it. I need some punishment
Mindy: Then you came to the right girl
*She got up from the bench, and pulled Justin onto his feet. Without another word, she grabbed his hand and took him to her apartment down the boardwalk. It was a small building, only two stories, and didn't look very roomy. Justin didn’t seem to mind, however, and followed her inside the building, and then up the stairs, and then, to her room. Mindy opened the door, and inside was only a small bed and a single lamp with a red light bulb inside of it. As Justin stepped into the room, Mindy shoved Justin onto the bed. She began to tear her clothes off in a quick manner, before her bare body stood in front of Justin. She didn’t even ask Justin to strip, and she began to tear his shirt open, his buttons flying across the room, and then, she drug his jeans off, leaving his body bare on the bed. Mindy took a pair of handcuffs and kept Justin attached to the bed. She put them on as tight as they could, nearly crushing his wrist in the process. The pain seemed to only excite Justin as she did so. As he laid there, Mindy climbed on top of Justin and began to push herself against him, the pleasure filling up both him and her. But the more Mindy thrusted against him, the tighter her grip on his shoulders became. It was to a point where her nails had begun to dig into his flesh, causing him to bleed. But he began to feel a sharp pain, almost as if daggers were digging into his body. His eyes gazed over to see that her nails had grown through his shoulders and kept them locked in place. His eyes turned back to Mindy, whose mouth had now become wider, the upper half of her head moving up as her mouth opened, a row of sharp teeth filling her mouth, like a set of blades in her mouth. She lunged forward and sank her teeth against Justin’s face, beginning to rip his face off. However, as she began to eat him alive, she also continued to thrust against him, feeling both his fear and his pleasure coming from him as she both satisfied and devoured him. Once she had finished with his entire head, Mindy’s head sunk back into his original form like before, her rows of teeth sinking back into her head, as she stared at the headless corpse that was once Justin, who appeared to still be aroused. Mindy giggled at the sight of his body, still wanting more.*
Mindy: You died in lust, and you still want more. Damn pervert.
*Without another look at his body, she redressed herself and stepped out the door to find another customer.*
~Skin Check~
(Originally, this was going to be a story discussing how far a couple goes to sexually please each other, and would involve extreme sexual violence. I thought that it may have been too much, and considering Stitched was a story of taboo sex acts, I thought it may have been redundant. So I wrote this story instead)
*Matthew sat in his bedroom, trying his best to light up his joint. He sucked on one end of the rolled up stack, the other end lighting up, and he released a cloud of smoke into the air. Matthew made sure to keep his door locked so that his mother wouldn’t rush into his bedroom see what he was doing, and he made sure that he had some money on him to buy some more dope from his local dealer. Matthew, after taking another drag on his joint, got up from his couch and made his way downstairs, wearing a grey jacket and baggy jeans as he headed downstairs and made his way out the door. He texted his dealer on his phone, asking him where he was going to meet up, but he hadn’t responded once. He was hoping he didn’t get arrested or killed, but only worried about not getting his fix. He continued to walk around town, hoping that his dealer would respond back, but he didn’t seem to. As Matthew was getting more and more impatient, he reached his limit and just decided to head back home. But, as he was heading back home, a faint voice whispered to him from inside an alleyway.*
Voice: Hey, you a junkie?
*Matthew turned his head back into the alleyway, unable to see who was in there*
Matthew: Who the fuck are you calling a junkie? Get out here and let me see your face!
*The man stepped into the light of the store neon signs and street lamps. He was a man with a dark tan to hit, with a shaved head. He had a strange tattoo on the left side of his face, making a strange pattern. He wore a black suit, all nice and fancy, with black shoes that clapped against the concrete of the alleyway. He looked Matthew dead in the eye, his bloodshot and bulging eyes staring back at him, looking ready to leap out from their sockets. The man opened his mouth to speak to Matthew*
Man: Hello. I’m Desmond. And you look like you need a fix
Matthew: I don’t need shit!
Desmond: Are you sure?
*He reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a black like powder. It looked like a pile of ash, and looked completely useless*
Desmond: This is a special drug, all the way from Asia. Just place this on your tongue and in no time, you’ll be off in your own little world. What do you say? This costs around eighty bucks, but for you, I’ll sell it for thirty.
*Matthew could only stare at the pouch of black powder. It looked like a dud and a clearly useless drug. But something about it was so alluring to him, he couldn’t turn away. He managed to break his gaze from the pouch and looked up at Desmond.*
Matthew: How nice of you, but I think I’m gonna pass
*Without another word, Matthew turned away. Desmond smiled from behind Matthew*
Desmond: Don’t worry. You’ll come back. They always do.
*Matthew went through at least two days without a fix. He was starting to get anxious, barely able to calm himself in any other way. He would sit in his room and listen to his MP3 after school each day just to pass the time. But, each time he was alone with his thoughts, his mind went back to the black powder that Desmond had. Matthew was starting to get curious. How good could something like that be. At night, Matthew had decided to walk around the town at night just to calm his nerves. But he was starting to get more and more frustrated. A few days without a bag of weed would make anyone a little annoyed. As Matthew was walking down the sidewalk, a voice spoke to him.*
Voice: Back so soon?
*Matthew looked around his environment. The purple of the neon signs and the orange of the street lamps lighting up the entrance of the alleyway, as Desmond stepped out from the dark. Matthew had unknowingly made his way back to Desmond. But he started to think it was more than just coincidence that he came back.*
Desmond: So, are you looking for this? (He pulls out the bag of black powder)
*Matthew looked at the bag, this time, unable to control himself as he stared at it*
Matthew: Alright, listen, I’m only curious, and I’ll only buy one bag. Nothing else, okay?
Desmond: Of course. My original offer still stands. Thirty bucks for a bag.
*Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out three tens. With the transaction, Desmond grinned as he handed Matthew the bag of powder.*
Desmond: Thank you very much. I’m sure this will make both of us happy
Matthew: Yeah, I hope so
*With that, Desmond stepped back into the alley as Matthew made his way back home. Inside his bedroom, he sat on his bed and took out the bag of powder. Matthew remembered that it is effective by being placed on the tongue. Matthew sprinkled the small amount of powder onto his tongue. In no time at all, the powder dissolved onto his tongue and slowly began to take effect. In no time at all, Matthew was in a state of utter bliss. He felt as though he was resting his head on a cloud and was floating above the earth. The drug seemed to had given him an ultimate source of pleasure. The drug felt like nothing he had taken before, a new sensation that satisfied him in a way nothing else could. But, as soon as the drug reached its peak, it was gone. Matthew’s eyes shot open as soon as he was brought back to the state of reality. He looked around the room, and no longer saw it as his own bedroom, but as a place of disgust. The reality of his life compared to the feeling he had with the powder made him feel immediate hate for his life. He had no idea what the drug was, but he knew that he needed more. He needed more of the black powder. The next day, Matthew took what money he had in his room to the alleyway where he met Desmond. As soon as he reached the alleyway, he saw Desmond sitting there, as if he was waiting for Matthew, and he greeted him with a smile.*
Desmond: Well, how goes it? Come for another of the black powder?
Matthew: Yes! I need more
*He handed Desmond about sixty seven dollars, the only amount he had in his room, some of which he took from his mother’s purse*
Desmond: Hmm, I think I can manage with this
*He tossed Matthew another bag, as small as before. Matthew looked at the bag and that up at Desmond, with annoyance on his face.*
Matthew: Hey, you said I could buy this for thirty dollars. I gave you double that.
Desmond: Sorry, it’s a one time deal, only for newcomers. From now on, it’s sixty bucks for a few minutes of Heaven.
Matthew: Come on, you gotta give me more. I can’t handle the shit life I have. It’s a fucking bore! I need this!
*Desmond looked at Matthew, at first a little annoyed at his determination, but chuckled after a few minutes*
Desmond: Alright. I like you, kid, so I’m gonna make you an offer. Something I only ask my favorite customers. So you don’t have the money. That’s fine. I can take something else
Matthew: Anything!
Desmond: Do you know what a skin check is?
*Matthew shook his head after a few quiet moments. Desmond reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. It clicked open and he handed the knife to Matthew.*
Desmond: Here. Head into the back of the alleyway and cut off a piece of your flesh. I’ll give you a big supply for just a single piece of your cheek today. So, do we have a deal?
*Matthew stared at the knife, the light from the neon sign reflecting off of it. It was a very intimidating and dangerous offer. But the thought of Heaven being closer to Matthew with just that black powder drove him to grab the knife and walk into the back of the alleyway. He took the knife in both hands and slowly raised it up to his face. With great hesitation, he slowly pushed the knife into his cheek, a small drop of blood crawling down his face. He dragged the knife across his cheek, the drop of blood turning into a stream. After a few moments of pain, Matthew pulled the skin off, the flesh desperately clinging to his face as he tore it off. He walked back to Desmond, who had been watching and almost been enjoying the display. Matthew handed the skin to Desmond, who took it with great pleasure. He reached into his pocket and handed Matthew a bag of the black powder, filled to the top, almost pouring out.*
Desmond: You earned it, kid. And hey, I think I’ll start calling this stuff Powdered Heaven. Got it from you. Hope to see you again.
*Matthew took the back, covering his bleeding cheek and made his way back to his home. He thought to himself it is was truly worth it just for a few minutes of enjoyment. But a voice in his mind told him that it was worth it.*
Matthew: Of course it was worth it. Hell, by the time I take this, I won’t even feel the pain anymore. I need this. I deserve this!
*Matthew made his way inside, his mother sitting on the couch, looking at him with a concerned look on her face.*
Mother: Matthew, where have you been
Matthew: Out with some friends.
*Matthew tried to hide both the Powdered Heaven and his bloody cheek as she stepped towards him*
Mother: This late? On a Tuesday night?! Matthew, you’ve been going out at night more than usual. And what happened to your cheek?
Matthew: I tripped, okay?! I’m fine!
Mother: Fine? You’re bleeding. Let me see
*As she reached towards his cheek, Matthew shoved her hand away, getting more and more frustrated.*
Matthew: I’m fine! Will you stop pestering me! Jesus Christ!
*Without another word, Matthew ran up the stairs, as his mother watched him run, unsure of what she could do to talk some sense into him.*
*Over a month had passed, and Matthew had been continuously removing his skin to gain more of his fix. He had completely abandoned marijuana. It hadn’t given him the same pleasure anymore. He met with Desmond again, who had been noticing the shorter supply of skin checks.*
Desmond: You do know that money is still an option, right?
Matthew: Money’s not easy to come by.
Desmond: Perhaps, but you should be careful. At this rate, you’ll end up taking other people’s skin
*Desmond snickered to himself as he took the short amount of skin checks, as he placed a bag of Powdered Heaven in Matthew’s gloved hands. Without another word, Matthew made his way back home, ready to take another trip with the drug. He kept his hoodie up, concealing his face from everyone. As he stepped into the house, his mother immediately stopped him.*
Mother: Matthew, where were you
Matthew: Mind your own business
Mother: I’m your mother. My money has been stolen from my purse. It is my business! Where were you
Matthew: Why don’t you get out of my fucking face, you bitch!?
*Without a warning, she slapped Matthew hard across the face, sending his head to the side and causing his hoodie to fall back. He stared forward, revealing his face. His entire face was removed of skin, down to the muscle, his red flesh exposed. His eyes were removed, as his eyelids were also removed. His lips were gone and nearly revealed his teeth. She screamed in terror as she stared at Matthew in horror.*
Mother: W-What have you been doing to yourself
Matthew: Enjoying life. More than I did with the boring life you got me
Mother: What made you want to do this?
Matthew: None of your business, goddamn it! Stop trying to get involved in my life.
*Without warning, she grabbed hold of Matthew and forced him to open his hands. When he did, she saw him holding a bag of Powdered Heaven. She looked at the bag and then at Matthew in shock.*
Mother: You’ve been taking drugs?
Matthew: It’s the only thing that keeps me going anymore
Mother: You’ve been putting yourself through all this just for a few moments of enjoyment
Matthew: Better than staying sober in the shitty life you gave me!
Mother: Well no more of this. We’re going to get you help.
*Without another word, she made her way to the kitchen. Matthew stared at her and immediately followed.*
Matthew: What are you doing?! You’d better not get rid of that!
*As Matthew turned the corner into the kitchen, he watched as his mother jammed the bag into the garbage disposal in the sink, and to Matthew’s horror, as it began to tear into pieces and run down the drain. Matthew was enraged, and could only see red as the powder fell into the sink. He knew that he wouldn’t ever get this close to Heaven now. Not as long as this kept up. Without a second thought, he grabbed the hatchet on the counter, and walked over to her. She turned around in time only to see the red muscle of her own son swing the hatchet. With a loud thwack, the hatchet was buried into his mother’s skull. She had no time to react as the hatchet cut into her frontal lobe, and before she fell onto the ground, the hatchet still in her head as he fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming around her. Matthew stared at her corpse, not feeling any sadness or guilt, but when he looked at the sink, he began to feel frustrated, and how he badly needed a fix, but knew that he was out of skin. He then turned back to his mother, and then had a brilliant idea.*
Matthew: For a nosy bitch, you at least managed to be of some use in the end.
*He grabbed one of the knives from the cupboard and began to get to work.*
~Netherhood~
*Olivia stepped around the bizarre land of Netherhood. It was a place she had found frequently and had found great pleasure in, and had always made time to come and visit every day. The trees were a multitude of colors, from red to yellow to blue to purple, and the trees were coiled in bizarre shapes, making them look like the swirls in giant lollipops. The sidewalks were crooked and in a constant zig-zag, and never straight. The Netherhood was a single cul-de-sac, floating atop a massive chunk of earth, with many other cul-de-sac’s floating in the distance, with each one housing different creatures on each one. The home’s came in a multitude of shapes and sizes, some were round, some were triangular, and some were in shapes that didn’t seem to fit at all. Windows appeared in the shape of eyeballs, and almost felt as though they were looking at everyone passing in front of them. Doors came in different designs, from two doors, to massive iron gates, to small doors for a mouse. But he most odd thing of the Netherhood was the inhabitants of them. On the cul-de-sac that Olivia was known to go to, she knew the five different people there. They were Boogie, a fat and round creatures covered in purple fuzz with short arms that had stripes around them and had four eyes, two smaller one’s above the bigger ones, and his feet were hidden under his fur. Pipsqueak was a small creature that had a mouse appearance but his nose was crooked and he had a single sharp tooth coming from his mouth. Princess was a female creature that wore a dress with a flat head that had her hair made from candle wax and a single wick on the top of her head that light up whenever she needed it to. Fido was a dog like creature and even fuzzier than Boogie, as all he appeared as was a moving clump of grey hair. And finally, there was Horace, the only creepy creature there. He was a tall creature, and had the appearance of a man, who wore a suit and always wore glasses that always reflected light. But his most notable trait was his disturbing long arms, with mysterious stitches around his hands. Despite his appearance, he was very friendly and caring for Olivia. She loved the company of all of these creatures and enjoyed playing with them. But, each day, she was always brought back to her own world by the loud rapping on her door and the voice of a familiar person.*
Man: Olivia! Get out here!
*Olivia would only blink her eyes for a moment, and the Netherwood would transform into just her closet, with her covering herself in her bedsheets and holding a single flashlight. Her cute red dress returned to hand me down t-shirts and jeans, and her long brown hair returned to the short hair she cut to avoid it being easily grabbed. She stepped out of her closet and opened the door. Her father stood at the door, his beard jutting out and covered in crumbs, and he wore his usual work clothes, a white shirt and a loosened tie. Olivia took one look at his hand and saw that he was holding a bottle of alcohol. He raised up his hand, and with his finger, waved for her to follow. Olivia hesitated for a moment, but she followed him regardless. Olivia walked into the living room, where her father picked up a photo of Olivia and another girl, who seemed to be giggling. Her father leaned forward toward her and spoke to her softly.*
Father: Did you sneak into my closet again?
Olivia: … I-I was just curious, okay.
Father: I told you not to go into my room without my permission, and to not go through my personal things too, didn’t I
Olivia: I have every right to know about my sister-
*Without hesitation, he threw a punch directly at Olivia’s face. A flash in her eyes, mixed with the friction that knocked her head back and the pain, caused her to groan. She grabbed her nose, which started to bleed immediately. It wasn’t the first time this happened.*
Father: Yes or no. Did I tell you to go into my room?
Olivia: …. No.
Father: That’s right. You’d better learn to listen when you’re told
Olivia: Yeah. Alright.
*She didn’t want to stay in here another second. She turned back, wanting to walk back into her room. As she turned, her father stepped forward, and without warning or hesitation, grabbed her chest and held it tightly.*
Father: Now, Olivia. You weren’t planning on hiding these developing tits from me, were you?
*Olivia was blushing in both embarrassment and frustration as he held onto her chest. She turned, allowing him to let go, and stared in anger.*
Olivia: Don’t you touch me again!
Father: I’m not gonna let my daughter become some goddamn whore! You’ll learn to tell me when I fucking ask you!
*He walked forward towards Olivia, a drunken rage in his eye. Olivia had known what was going to happen, and she knew that there was nothing she could do.*
*Olivia sat in her closet, sobbing. She was covered in bruises, and had only just cleaned off the blood. It seemed like her father’s beatings had gotten worse and worse than before. She couldn’t stand the thought of it. But, as she lied in the darkness, she felt something touch her shoulder. She turned to see a giant, striped, purple hand on her shoulder. As her eyes trailed up the arm, she saw Boogie, who had given her a comforting smile, as her closet had become the Netherhood while she sobbed into her hands. She couldn’t help but hug Boogie and cry into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. It wasn’t long before the others had come to try and cheer Olivia up. But no matter what, she couldn’t stop sobbing. She wanted to escape. She had been wanting to run away from home for years, but she didn’t know where to go. The police would just take her back and she knew that she’d get a worse beating than that if she attempted and got caught. But she was mostly worried about what happened to her sister. Why was she missing and what happened to her. Olivia had been trying her hardest to find out what happened to Lilly.*
Princess: It’s okay, Olivia.
Olivia: No, it’s not! I want to get out! I at least want to know what happened to Lilly!
Pipsqueak: Perhaps there’s something that we can do.
Olivia: Like what
Boogie: Well, do you remember what you saw in your dad’s closet?
*She did. His room was plain white, nothing but a single bed and some beer bottles thrown around the floor. But his closet was full of things. A large trunk filled with photos of Olivia and Lilly. There mother’s photos were burned a long time ago. Olivia remembered that. She had taken a few photos out to look at them, but when she heard her dad pull up, she closed threw the photos in and ran out. She should have put them in more carefully. That must have been how he knew she snuck into his room. Olivia was not too sure what else she could do now. As she continued to cry amongst her friends, with Fido trying his best to comfort her, Horace walked into the room, startling the others. Horace knelt down to Olivia’s level, and spoke to her in a gentle voice.*
Horace: Olivia, don’t worry. We’ll do what we can to find out what happened to your sister. We’ll help in anyway we can
*Olivia began to wipe her tears as she looked up at him*
Olivia: How so?
Horace: Clearly, your father doesn’t want you in that room. There’s a reason for it. We just have to find out what that reason is. Tomorrow, when your father is at work, we will check the room
Boogie: Yeah, all of us
Pipsqueak: We’ll help in anyway we can.
Princess: You can count on us
*Fido gave a joyful bark-like sound. Olivia felt as though she had finally had something to be happy about. She wiped away the remaining tears in her eyes and gave her friends a smile.*
Olivia: Alright. Tomorrow, we’ll do what we can to see what he is hiding.
*The next day, Olivia’s father drove off to work. Olivia made sure to watch, and as soon as she did, she stepped away from the window and made her way to her closet, where the Netherhood waited for her. She poked her head in to give the others the signal. One by one, they all stepped outside of the closet. Everyone except Horace, who sat in the closet, as if waiting for something. Olivia turned to him and gave him an impatient look.*
Olivia: Horace, come on!
Horace: Don’t worry about me, dear. I’m waiting patiently to do my part. You go on ahead and get things started.
*Olivia groaned and made her way to her father’s door. As she did so, she told Fido to head to the front window to look out for him. She wasn’t sure she would be able to hear him pull up this time. As she headed to the door, she saw a strange lock on it. This wasn’t like the other one that she was used to. Instead, this one was different.*
Boogie: Looks like he changed the lock. Don’t worry, I got this.
*Without warning, he kicked the door down, sending the door crashing. Olivia turned to him with a look of annoyance. Boogie could only nervously shrug his shoulders. Olivia groaned and stepped into her father’s. It was the same as before, but the closet was more tightly shut than before. As Olivia reached to pull on it, it refused to move.*
Olivia: He locked this one too.
*Before Boogie could attempt to unlock the door this time, Pipsqueak stepped over to the door and climbed under one of the cracks, doing what he could to mess with the combinations within the lock. After a few sounds of Pipsqueak working on the tumblers, the closet door opened with a creak. Once it was open, Olivia’s attention was directed at the trunk and she began to search through the contents inside, ignoring anything else. She looked through old photos, video tape labels and some objects from her past, but none of them were any help in finding Lilly. As Olivia began to recheck everything a second time, Princess spoke out.*
Princess: Hey, what do you think this is?
*Olivia looked over to see a small pattern in the wall behind the trunk. Without a need to be told, Boogie grabbed the trunk and moved it to the side, revealing a rectangle shape within the wall. Olivia reached toward it slowly and pushed it, and caused a small creaking sound. The door opened to reveal a darkened room. With her wick, Princess lit up the room, but when she did, Olivia’s eyes widened to a disturbing sight. The walls were covered in scratch marks, red from blood. A single hole in one of the corners released a foul smell of human waste. Bugs crawled from the cracks within the wall. But, at the end of the room, sat a girl, naked, and beaten, tied up, with a gag over her mouth to silence her. Despite her beatings, she was still treated carefully, as if to keep her beauty. Olivia knew instantly that it was Lilly. Olivia rushed over to her, as her friends followed behind her. When Olivia got to her knees to pick up Lilly, she could see that she wasn’t moving. Her eyes were open, but no ounce of life was within it. Her head hung to the side as Olivia tried to lift her up. Her body was cold but still fresh, as if it was recent. The others at the door watched in silence, as Olivia began to tear up again, having found her sister and only for her to be in such a state. As she stared in silence and sadness, a barking-like sound could be heard from the living room. The other’s heard the noise, and shouted to Olivia.*
Boogie: Olivia, you’re father’s back!
Pipsqueak: We’ve got to get you out of here now!
*It took all of the energy in Olivia’s body to get up and make her way out of the room, her tears blinding her vision as she stepped out. But, as she did so, the front door slammed with a thunderous noise. She turned over to see her father, standing there and looking at her, his eyes wide with realization of her doings and anger. Olivia was standing on top of his broken door, and the secret room in his closet was wide open. Olivia knew that he knew, and she knew that, of all the beatings she had received, she knew that he had something worse in mind now. She made no hesitation to rush towards her room, as her father ran after her in an immediate sprint. She slammed the door to her bedroom and did what she could to hold it shut as he began to kick at the door.*
Father: You shouldn’t be so scared. It’s natural for a father to love his daughters. I just love you and your sister like you were women! Lilly was a damn good fuck! But she wasn’t going to last much longer. Had to get replaced one day! You think you got anywhere else to go! Your mother don’t want you! If she did, she would’ve tried to take you without leaving you! Without leaving me! No one will love you like I do, Olivia! You’d better open this door right now, or I’m going to get real mad!
*It wasn’t long before he kicked the door off of the hinges. She tried to keep her body up against it, but it wasn’t any good. She fell onto the floor, with the door falling on top of her. Her father stepped above the door, crushing her between the door and the floor. Olivia felt suffocated and in intense pain as all of her father’s weight was pressed against her. He grabbed the door and threw it off, and immediately got on top of Olivia, looking at her with immediate lust. His arm snaked his way up her shirt, grabbing her breast tightly, hurting her as he gripped it tightly. His other hand moved down to his jeans, where he slowly unzipped his pants. As he continued the process, a voice spoke from inside the closet.*
Horace: Hello, sir. I hope you don’t mind me interrupting your disgusting display.
Father: Who the fuck are you?
Horace: Let’s just say that I can show myself to people when I chose to. Make myself disappear at a whim.
Father: Are you a fucking addict! What the hell do you think you are doing in my house?!
Horace: Well, I could ask what you are doing, violating an innocent little girl like Olivia. She is your daughter, right? You seek to take her innocence. As if you aren’t content with taking her life.
*Olivia’s father chuckled, getting up off of Olivia, as he walked towards Horace. He continued to chuckle as he stepped closer to him.*
Father: You’ve got quite the fucking mouth for a dead man
*In a flash, he pulled out a pocket knife and swung it directly at Horace’s eye. Without so much as an ounce of effort, Horace was able to move out of the way of the knife, but his head snapped back to his arm. He opened his mouth wide, a row of jagged teeth shooting out from his mouth in a second, and he bit down on his arm, tearing it off in one bite. He screamed in pain, but was unable to call for help, as his mouth was closed when Horace grabbed him and pulled him into the closet. The stitched in Horace’s hands split open, and his hands began to split into four different lines, until he had turned them into eight different arms, all of them grabbing hold of Olivia’s father. Horace’s mouth began to bulge, as if he were ready to vomit. He moved it head upward, and a slimy, purple mass came from his mouth. It continued to grow out of his mouth, until a decayed, purple head with no eyes, holes around the face, and a maw with rows of teeth stared at Olivia’s father, the skin of Horace’s usual face hung back like the hood on a jacket. The creature that was once Horace opened it’s mouth wide, to the point of it’s jaw snapping and widening like a boa. Before anymore could be witnessed, the closet door closed, and Olivia watched in fear as not a sound came from the closet, not even the sounds of her father’s agonizing screams. The closet door opened, but there was not a single thing inside. Horace was gone, her father was gone, and those of the Netherhood were gone. Olivia looked back at the front door, and saw that it was wide open, and the sunlight had broken through the door, welcoming her to the outside. But Olivia had nothing for the outside world. She had no one, no one outside the Netherhood. She walked to the closet and closed the door behind her, and closed her eyes. When they opened, she was back in the Netherhood, where her friends, Boogie, Pipsqueak, Princess, Fido, and Horace were there to greet her and to welcome her to her new life.*
~The God to the People~
*The alien artifact had arrived to earth, not moving in the slightest since it had passed the Moon, blocking out the sun and taking over the sky of the planet. People had become paranoid of the mass of faces, all staring at earth, their soulless eyes staring at them with blackened pupils. Towns had been deserted, and many group suicides had taken place across the world, with no place on the planet capable of even looking out a window without seeing a sky of faces. Those who did not choose to kill themselves had joined a group who had begun to drag those they deemed as non-believers out of their homes and had them beaten to death in the streets, with the police doing nothing of it. Some of them had even joined these cults. It started small, but it eventually turned into a massive trend around the world, people coming to join these cults and sacrificing those that they had believed to be a cause of the problem. It was a while for them to bring out the last non-believer in the world, but they had finally managed. It was in a small field off the coast of Florida, with the faces staring at the scene from above. The group dragged a small family, consisting of a man with short black hair, a woman with long black hair, and two children, one boy and one girl, and had them tied up and placed them on the beach, as the cult surrounded the family. The cult leader, a man in pure white, with a hood over his face, stepped forward, his darkened eyes peering from the hood, as he raised his arms to the cult.*
Leader: Brothers and Sisters. We stand here as the true Children of God, beginning our purge of those who have not accepted this man as our god. We have been getting calls from around the world from others of the Children of God. I’m sure that we have this being shown right now, yes?
*The leader turned over to a camera, which was being streamed across the world for the other members of the Children of God around the world, from countries such as France, Japan, Russia, India, Brazil, and more. The leader gave a booming voice to those of the American Children of God.*
Leader: We started out as few, in a world of those who saw us as madmen, psychopaths, and just in general crazy. But now, we have completely taken the earth for the Children.
*The father of the family struggled to break from the ropes.*
Father: You’re all a bunch of fucking freaks!
Leader: Insult us all you want. You had the chance to experience the true peace of the earth, but you threw it away.
*He turned to the faces in the sky and continued his booming speech.*
Leader: This is the true god that the world deserves. Let the sacrifice begin!
*Without a moment of hesitation, the cult surrounded the family, holding blunt and sharp objects in their hands. They surrounded the family and began to drag them apart, the children crying in fear as the parents tried to break from the grasp of the cultists. The cult surrounded the two children, blocking the parents vision as they began to stab and beat them, their screams of fear turning into ones of agony and pain as they were cut open and beaten. The parents soon followed, being surrounded by the cult and attacked themselves. It wasn’t long before the screams stopped, and the cult stepped away from the corpses. The bodies were not recognizable anymore. The stabbings and the beatings made the corpses of the family look like a pile of red grounded meat. It was no longer human looking. The leader turned back the faces in the sky, his hands raised in the air.*
Leader: True god! We have taken care of the nonbelievers in your world. You have nothing to worry about. We are your children, your servants, your followers.
*The faces did not react in the slightest. It only blinked, not making a single sound aside from the heavy breathing is always made. The leader, as well as the cult, watching from both the beach and from the camera’s vision on televisions and computers, were all confused, and the leader spoke out once again.*
Leader: God, you should have disappeared once the last of the blasphemers were killed. Why do you still stay? Is it… You are not satisfied with the blood of blasphemy? Is the sacrifice not enough?
*The cult members whispered amongst each other, coming up with different thoughts as to why the creature in the sky remained. Finally, the leader turned to the cult, with a booming voice.*
Leader: Brothers and sisters, listen to me! Our god is not satisfied! Not yet! We must keep going! We must continue! Give him your blood! The blood of his children! He must be satisfied!
*With those words, the cult did not even attempt to question it. They looked towards each other, and in an instant, attacked each other. Taking blades to the throat, having their skulls crushed, being crushed under boots, and other such acts. Those watching the violence across the world begun to follow, murdering their families and fellow members in the process without so much as a question as to why. The leader continued to gaze at the bloody masquerade, as blood flew across the beach and the members began to drop onto the ground. Some were more badly damaged than others, some died from their wounds, and others didn’t even have limbs or heads. After what felt like hours of gazing at the massacre, the leader saw that all of his members were dead, some with only a small ounce of life in them as they crawled along the sand, dying eventually. The leader turned back to the mass of faces in the sky, only to see it float away, leaving the atmosphere of earth. The leader chuckled, before turning into a full blown laugh. He watched as his “god” flew off, but looking around him, he knew that he was all alone in the world now. Not a single person was left except for him. He was alone in the world and no one else for him to share his new world with. He stepped towards the water of the beach, the ocean crashing against his ankles, as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small revolver, an item he carried around with him to perform his own executions of blasphemers. He continued to laugh at the sky, as he took the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. The bullet passed through his head and out the other end, pieces of his brain hanging on to the bullet as it exited his skull. He fell forward into the ocean, allowing the water to carry his lifeless corpse. The creature of a million faces continued to float away from the planet. It was no longer a planet of humans. It was just another chunk of rocks and gas floating in the darkness that was space. Earth was not a place of man. Not anymore.*
*As I stay up at night, writing these stories, listening to some band no one has listened to while drinking my sixth can of Red Bull, I stare over at my closet and swear I could see a massive rat like creature with red eyes, large teeth jutting from its face, and a mouth-filled disease. I brush it off as nothing. But as I continue to write about my stories of human flaws, I remember that I have an assignment due for my English class tomorrow. And now I feel the emotion of fear creeping, gripping my shoulder as I stare at the wall of words on my computer. Fear affects us all. Some may find the monster under your bed that gets it’s mouth closer to your throat each night scary, while others may find that one guy who walks in when you're just about done with your shift scary. I’m no Stephen King, so I can’t say what makes a person scared. But I know that we are all scared, and we all have something that makes us regret stepping out of our beds in the middle of the night. You just have to find it. Or, at the least, let it find you.*
*In the town of Maple Leaf, Alabama, the town’s pride was nothing more than Aunt Bonnie’s homemade pies, the crystal clear Big Bear Lake, and the town’s own baseball team, the Maple Leaf Mongooses. The Mongooses have been known all across the state for being one of the best little league baseball teams, having never lost a game in over twenty years, thanks to their coach, Gus Waters. Gus sat in his office, the walls covered in photos of his little league baseball teams over the years, as well as a number of trophies from their victories. Gus was clipping his nails when his assistant coach walked in, not even bothering to knock. He stared Gus, dead in the eye, and spoke to him
Assistant: Gus, it’s ready.
Gus: Alright. Gather up everyone in town. We’ll start as soon as I get there
*With that, the assistant closed the door and Gus went back to clipping his nails* If those Pine Wood pussies think they’re gonna win this year, they’re mistaken.
*The thought of that arrogant team drove Gus to a slight annoyance, enough to clip his nail too short, to where it began to bleed a little, as his nail fell onto the desk. Gus didn’t even flinch as he clipped it and continued to clip is other nails*
*The citizens of Maple Leaf had gathered up around the baseball diamond. It was a town of at least eight hundred folks, all of them gathered in a large group. Not a single person was left out of the group. Aunt Bonnie had come wearing her apron, having been in the middle of making her pies. Sheriff Alan was there as well, with the rest of town police officers. Joseph, the farmer, had come as well, along with his two kids, Randall and Thomas. As the town began to murmur amongst each other, a red and dirty pick-up truck chugged its away along the grass, before coming to a stop in front of the townsfolk. Gus stepped out from the truck, and his eyes glazed over everyone who was there. He closed the truck door with a loud bang and began to march along the front of everyone. He turned to them and shouted.*
Gus: Alright, people. The Pine Wood Pirates have started something they never should have started. They came after our Mongooses. And we aren’t gonna let a couple of punks from Pine Wood, Mississippi come here and make us look like idiots. Is that right?
*The townsfolk cheered and clapped, some shouting vulgar insults about Pine Wood and the Pirates. Gus raised up his hands to try and calm the crowd*
Gus: That’s why we gotta do what we gotta do. You all understand, I’m sure. So, with that out of the way, let’s get things started
*With a snap of his fingers, the Mongoose baseball team came onto the diamond, carrying baseball bats in their hands. They stood in a line, and stared blankly at the townsfolk, their eyes a pale white, the grip on their bats tight. They didn’t seem to react as lively as the townspeople, but they didn’t seem to be reacting at all. Gus turned to the team with a smile.*
Gus: Look at them. Ready to get things started. Ready to kick some Pirate ass, boys! So, do we have a volunteer?
*The townspeople spoke in silence amongst each other. They were talking about how they should get Otis, the homeless man, to volunteer, or maybe the ex-biker at the bar, Frank. As the crowd spoke amongst themselves, George, the town banker, stepped up. His silver and aging hair stood out from the crowd, as well as his grey suit. His glasses reflected the light of the sun as he stared at Gus.*
George: I volunteer, Gus.
Gus: That’s the spirit George. I knew you had the balls and the pride that makes Maple Leaf what it is.
George: What can I say. I just really love this town.
Gus: And this town loves you
*George stepped up to the Mongooses, staring at them with a soft and warm smile. The entire team surrounded George, tightening the grip on their bats. In a flash, their blunt bats came crashing down on George. He was struck in the stomach, and then in the ribs, and in the face. He was smashed in the back of the head, and was sent crashing down to the floor. The team surrounded George, blocking most of the view from the crowd, as they began to beat George severely. His glasses were shattered as a bat connected with his face, knocking out one of his teeth and snapping his nose to the other side. His elbow twisted in the other direction, and soon, is other arm did the same. Despite the pain, George kept his warm smile through it all, as the bats kept crashing down on him, the sound of the bones shattering and the players grunting, along with the bats smashing against George’s frail body was all that could be heard in the town. Not a sound came from the townspeople as they looked at the massacre in front of them. After what felt like hours, the players pulled away, their bats and uniforms drenched with splotches of blood. George lay on the ground, his face no longer recognizable, and the blood stained his grey suit. He looked peaceful, however, as if he had passed in his sleep. Gus walked over to the corpse of George, looking down at it, his eyes remained on his corpse, before he looked up at the townspeople
Gus: It was a necessary sacrifice. It’s all for the good of Maple Leaf and it’s Mongooses. It’s not right, but it’s worth it to beat those Pirates. Now, what do you say we win this thing for our boy George?
*The townspeople gave a roaring cheer, chanting the Mongooses name as Gus and the team made their way to the locker room to get ready, leaving George’s body on the ground. That night, at the baseball game, the Pirates didn’t stand a chance.*
~Kiss of Death~
*Justin was walking down the streets of the California boardwalk. He had just been kicked out of his house by his ex-girlfriend, and had just about fallen into depression. He kept thinking to himself how she could just kick him out and leave him with nothing. Justin’s thoughts went back to how she did catch him cheating on her with another girl and using her money to buy gifts, but his thoughts went back to himself and how he would manage on his own. He only had a couple hundred dollars, all of which belonged to his ex, but he wasn’t going to return it any time soon. He continued walking along the boardwalk, thinking to himself about what he would do for the night. As he walked, his eyes gazed over to a woman sitting on a bench. She wore a short violet shirt. Her black hair was tied into a messy ponytail. Her stocking snaked up her skirt, emerging from her boots, as she sat there, taking a drag from her cigarette. Justin was completely infatuated with the woman, and he made his way over towards her. He sat next to her on the bench. The woman looked at him and immediately turned forward.*
Woman: Sorry, I’m not in the mood for a date right now
Justin: No, it’s not that. I just came to talk with you
Woman: Talk? Is that what people are calling it now?
Justin: Can’t a man just have a chat with a woman
Woman: That depends. Does the man got a reason to talk with me?
*Justin reached into his pocket and pulled out a few tens from his pocket. He handed it to the woman, who gazed at the money with some interest. She took the money and placed it in her shirt, before putting her cigarette out*
Woman: Alright, I’m listening. And the name’s Mindy
Justin: Nice to meet you, Mindy. You see, I’m a very lonely man
Mindy: I can see that just by looking at you
Justin: My girlfriend broke up with me and kicked me out of her home.
Mindy: Aww, poor baby
Justin: It sounds like that, but I’m not really a good guy. I cheated on her, stole from her, and was already planning on leaving her
Mindy: So you’re a heartbreaker and an asshole, huh?
Justin: That’s one way of putting it.
Mindy: Does someone need to be punished
Justin: … Yes. I need to be punished. I can’t handle the thought of it. I need some punishment
Mindy: Then you came to the right girl
*She got up from the bench, and pulled Justin onto his feet. Without another word, she grabbed his hand and took him to her apartment down the boardwalk. It was a small building, only two stories, and didn't look very roomy. Justin didn’t seem to mind, however, and followed her inside the building, and then up the stairs, and then, to her room. Mindy opened the door, and inside was only a small bed and a single lamp with a red light bulb inside of it. As Justin stepped into the room, Mindy shoved Justin onto the bed. She began to tear her clothes off in a quick manner, before her bare body stood in front of Justin. She didn’t even ask Justin to strip, and she began to tear his shirt open, his buttons flying across the room, and then, she drug his jeans off, leaving his body bare on the bed. Mindy took a pair of handcuffs and kept Justin attached to the bed. She put them on as tight as they could, nearly crushing his wrist in the process. The pain seemed to only excite Justin as she did so. As he laid there, Mindy climbed on top of Justin and began to push herself against him, the pleasure filling up both him and her. But the more Mindy thrusted against him, the tighter her grip on his shoulders became. It was to a point where her nails had begun to dig into his flesh, causing him to bleed. But he began to feel a sharp pain, almost as if daggers were digging into his body. His eyes gazed over to see that her nails had grown through his shoulders and kept them locked in place. His eyes turned back to Mindy, whose mouth had now become wider, the upper half of her head moving up as her mouth opened, a row of sharp teeth filling her mouth, like a set of blades in her mouth. She lunged forward and sank her teeth against Justin’s face, beginning to rip his face off. However, as she began to eat him alive, she also continued to thrust against him, feeling both his fear and his pleasure coming from him as she both satisfied and devoured him. Once she had finished with his entire head, Mindy’s head sunk back into his original form like before, her rows of teeth sinking back into her head, as she stared at the headless corpse that was once Justin, who appeared to still be aroused. Mindy giggled at the sight of his body, still wanting more.*
Mindy: You died in lust, and you still want more. Damn pervert.
*Without another look at his body, she redressed herself and stepped out the door to find another customer.*
~Skin Check~
(Originally, this was going to be a story discussing how far a couple goes to sexually please each other, and would involve extreme sexual violence. I thought that it may have been too much, and considering Stitched was a story of taboo sex acts, I thought it may have been redundant. So I wrote this story instead)
*Matthew sat in his bedroom, trying his best to light up his joint. He sucked on one end of the rolled up stack, the other end lighting up, and he released a cloud of smoke into the air. Matthew made sure to keep his door locked so that his mother wouldn’t rush into his bedroom see what he was doing, and he made sure that he had some money on him to buy some more dope from his local dealer. Matthew, after taking another drag on his joint, got up from his couch and made his way downstairs, wearing a grey jacket and baggy jeans as he headed downstairs and made his way out the door. He texted his dealer on his phone, asking him where he was going to meet up, but he hadn’t responded once. He was hoping he didn’t get arrested or killed, but only worried about not getting his fix. He continued to walk around town, hoping that his dealer would respond back, but he didn’t seem to. As Matthew was getting more and more impatient, he reached his limit and just decided to head back home. But, as he was heading back home, a faint voice whispered to him from inside an alleyway.*
Voice: Hey, you a junkie?
*Matthew turned his head back into the alleyway, unable to see who was in there*
Matthew: Who the fuck are you calling a junkie? Get out here and let me see your face!
*The man stepped into the light of the store neon signs and street lamps. He was a man with a dark tan to hit, with a shaved head. He had a strange tattoo on the left side of his face, making a strange pattern. He wore a black suit, all nice and fancy, with black shoes that clapped against the concrete of the alleyway. He looked Matthew dead in the eye, his bloodshot and bulging eyes staring back at him, looking ready to leap out from their sockets. The man opened his mouth to speak to Matthew*
Man: Hello. I’m Desmond. And you look like you need a fix
Matthew: I don’t need shit!
Desmond: Are you sure?
*He reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a black like powder. It looked like a pile of ash, and looked completely useless*
Desmond: This is a special drug, all the way from Asia. Just place this on your tongue and in no time, you’ll be off in your own little world. What do you say? This costs around eighty bucks, but for you, I’ll sell it for thirty.
*Matthew could only stare at the pouch of black powder. It looked like a dud and a clearly useless drug. But something about it was so alluring to him, he couldn’t turn away. He managed to break his gaze from the pouch and looked up at Desmond.*
Matthew: How nice of you, but I think I’m gonna pass
*Without another word, Matthew turned away. Desmond smiled from behind Matthew*
Desmond: Don’t worry. You’ll come back. They always do.
*Matthew went through at least two days without a fix. He was starting to get anxious, barely able to calm himself in any other way. He would sit in his room and listen to his MP3 after school each day just to pass the time. But, each time he was alone with his thoughts, his mind went back to the black powder that Desmond had. Matthew was starting to get curious. How good could something like that be. At night, Matthew had decided to walk around the town at night just to calm his nerves. But he was starting to get more and more frustrated. A few days without a bag of weed would make anyone a little annoyed. As Matthew was walking down the sidewalk, a voice spoke to him.*
Voice: Back so soon?
*Matthew looked around his environment. The purple of the neon signs and the orange of the street lamps lighting up the entrance of the alleyway, as Desmond stepped out from the dark. Matthew had unknowingly made his way back to Desmond. But he started to think it was more than just coincidence that he came back.*
Desmond: So, are you looking for this? (He pulls out the bag of black powder)
*Matthew looked at the bag, this time, unable to control himself as he stared at it*
Matthew: Alright, listen, I’m only curious, and I’ll only buy one bag. Nothing else, okay?
Desmond: Of course. My original offer still stands. Thirty bucks for a bag.
*Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out three tens. With the transaction, Desmond grinned as he handed Matthew the bag of powder.*
Desmond: Thank you very much. I’m sure this will make both of us happy
Matthew: Yeah, I hope so
*With that, Desmond stepped back into the alley as Matthew made his way back home. Inside his bedroom, he sat on his bed and took out the bag of powder. Matthew remembered that it is effective by being placed on the tongue. Matthew sprinkled the small amount of powder onto his tongue. In no time at all, the powder dissolved onto his tongue and slowly began to take effect. In no time at all, Matthew was in a state of utter bliss. He felt as though he was resting his head on a cloud and was floating above the earth. The drug seemed to had given him an ultimate source of pleasure. The drug felt like nothing he had taken before, a new sensation that satisfied him in a way nothing else could. But, as soon as the drug reached its peak, it was gone. Matthew’s eyes shot open as soon as he was brought back to the state of reality. He looked around the room, and no longer saw it as his own bedroom, but as a place of disgust. The reality of his life compared to the feeling he had with the powder made him feel immediate hate for his life. He had no idea what the drug was, but he knew that he needed more. He needed more of the black powder. The next day, Matthew took what money he had in his room to the alleyway where he met Desmond. As soon as he reached the alleyway, he saw Desmond sitting there, as if he was waiting for Matthew, and he greeted him with a smile.*
Desmond: Well, how goes it? Come for another of the black powder?
Matthew: Yes! I need more
*He handed Desmond about sixty seven dollars, the only amount he had in his room, some of which he took from his mother’s purse*
Desmond: Hmm, I think I can manage with this
*He tossed Matthew another bag, as small as before. Matthew looked at the bag and that up at Desmond, with annoyance on his face.*
Matthew: Hey, you said I could buy this for thirty dollars. I gave you double that.
Desmond: Sorry, it’s a one time deal, only for newcomers. From now on, it’s sixty bucks for a few minutes of Heaven.
Matthew: Come on, you gotta give me more. I can’t handle the shit life I have. It’s a fucking bore! I need this!
*Desmond looked at Matthew, at first a little annoyed at his determination, but chuckled after a few minutes*
Desmond: Alright. I like you, kid, so I’m gonna make you an offer. Something I only ask my favorite customers. So you don’t have the money. That’s fine. I can take something else
Matthew: Anything!
Desmond: Do you know what a skin check is?
*Matthew shook his head after a few quiet moments. Desmond reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. It clicked open and he handed the knife to Matthew.*
Desmond: Here. Head into the back of the alleyway and cut off a piece of your flesh. I’ll give you a big supply for just a single piece of your cheek today. So, do we have a deal?
*Matthew stared at the knife, the light from the neon sign reflecting off of it. It was a very intimidating and dangerous offer. But the thought of Heaven being closer to Matthew with just that black powder drove him to grab the knife and walk into the back of the alleyway. He took the knife in both hands and slowly raised it up to his face. With great hesitation, he slowly pushed the knife into his cheek, a small drop of blood crawling down his face. He dragged the knife across his cheek, the drop of blood turning into a stream. After a few moments of pain, Matthew pulled the skin off, the flesh desperately clinging to his face as he tore it off. He walked back to Desmond, who had been watching and almost been enjoying the display. Matthew handed the skin to Desmond, who took it with great pleasure. He reached into his pocket and handed Matthew a bag of the black powder, filled to the top, almost pouring out.*
Desmond: You earned it, kid. And hey, I think I’ll start calling this stuff Powdered Heaven. Got it from you. Hope to see you again.
*Matthew took the back, covering his bleeding cheek and made his way back to his home. He thought to himself it is was truly worth it just for a few minutes of enjoyment. But a voice in his mind told him that it was worth it.*
Matthew: Of course it was worth it. Hell, by the time I take this, I won’t even feel the pain anymore. I need this. I deserve this!
*Matthew made his way inside, his mother sitting on the couch, looking at him with a concerned look on her face.*
Mother: Matthew, where have you been
Matthew: Out with some friends.
*Matthew tried to hide both the Powdered Heaven and his bloody cheek as she stepped towards him*
Mother: This late? On a Tuesday night?! Matthew, you’ve been going out at night more than usual. And what happened to your cheek?
Matthew: I tripped, okay?! I’m fine!
Mother: Fine? You’re bleeding. Let me see
*As she reached towards his cheek, Matthew shoved her hand away, getting more and more frustrated.*
Matthew: I’m fine! Will you stop pestering me! Jesus Christ!
*Without another word, Matthew ran up the stairs, as his mother watched him run, unsure of what she could do to talk some sense into him.*
*Over a month had passed, and Matthew had been continuously removing his skin to gain more of his fix. He had completely abandoned marijuana. It hadn’t given him the same pleasure anymore. He met with Desmond again, who had been noticing the shorter supply of skin checks.*
Desmond: You do know that money is still an option, right?
Matthew: Money’s not easy to come by.
Desmond: Perhaps, but you should be careful. At this rate, you’ll end up taking other people’s skin
*Desmond snickered to himself as he took the short amount of skin checks, as he placed a bag of Powdered Heaven in Matthew’s gloved hands. Without another word, Matthew made his way back home, ready to take another trip with the drug. He kept his hoodie up, concealing his face from everyone. As he stepped into the house, his mother immediately stopped him.*
Mother: Matthew, where were you
Matthew: Mind your own business
Mother: I’m your mother. My money has been stolen from my purse. It is my business! Where were you
Matthew: Why don’t you get out of my fucking face, you bitch!?
*Without a warning, she slapped Matthew hard across the face, sending his head to the side and causing his hoodie to fall back. He stared forward, revealing his face. His entire face was removed of skin, down to the muscle, his red flesh exposed. His eyes were removed, as his eyelids were also removed. His lips were gone and nearly revealed his teeth. She screamed in terror as she stared at Matthew in horror.*
Mother: W-What have you been doing to yourself
Matthew: Enjoying life. More than I did with the boring life you got me
Mother: What made you want to do this?
Matthew: None of your business, goddamn it! Stop trying to get involved in my life.
*Without warning, she grabbed hold of Matthew and forced him to open his hands. When he did, she saw him holding a bag of Powdered Heaven. She looked at the bag and then at Matthew in shock.*
Mother: You’ve been taking drugs?
Matthew: It’s the only thing that keeps me going anymore
Mother: You’ve been putting yourself through all this just for a few moments of enjoyment
Matthew: Better than staying sober in the shitty life you gave me!
Mother: Well no more of this. We’re going to get you help.
*Without another word, she made her way to the kitchen. Matthew stared at her and immediately followed.*
Matthew: What are you doing?! You’d better not get rid of that!
*As Matthew turned the corner into the kitchen, he watched as his mother jammed the bag into the garbage disposal in the sink, and to Matthew’s horror, as it began to tear into pieces and run down the drain. Matthew was enraged, and could only see red as the powder fell into the sink. He knew that he wouldn’t ever get this close to Heaven now. Not as long as this kept up. Without a second thought, he grabbed the hatchet on the counter, and walked over to her. She turned around in time only to see the red muscle of her own son swing the hatchet. With a loud thwack, the hatchet was buried into his mother’s skull. She had no time to react as the hatchet cut into her frontal lobe, and before she fell onto the ground, the hatchet still in her head as he fell to the ground, a pool of blood forming around her. Matthew stared at her corpse, not feeling any sadness or guilt, but when he looked at the sink, he began to feel frustrated, and how he badly needed a fix, but knew that he was out of skin. He then turned back to his mother, and then had a brilliant idea.*
Matthew: For a nosy bitch, you at least managed to be of some use in the end.
*He grabbed one of the knives from the cupboard and began to get to work.*
~Netherhood~
*Olivia stepped around the bizarre land of Netherhood. It was a place she had found frequently and had found great pleasure in, and had always made time to come and visit every day. The trees were a multitude of colors, from red to yellow to blue to purple, and the trees were coiled in bizarre shapes, making them look like the swirls in giant lollipops. The sidewalks were crooked and in a constant zig-zag, and never straight. The Netherhood was a single cul-de-sac, floating atop a massive chunk of earth, with many other cul-de-sac’s floating in the distance, with each one housing different creatures on each one. The home’s came in a multitude of shapes and sizes, some were round, some were triangular, and some were in shapes that didn’t seem to fit at all. Windows appeared in the shape of eyeballs, and almost felt as though they were looking at everyone passing in front of them. Doors came in different designs, from two doors, to massive iron gates, to small doors for a mouse. But he most odd thing of the Netherhood was the inhabitants of them. On the cul-de-sac that Olivia was known to go to, she knew the five different people there. They were Boogie, a fat and round creatures covered in purple fuzz with short arms that had stripes around them and had four eyes, two smaller one’s above the bigger ones, and his feet were hidden under his fur. Pipsqueak was a small creature that had a mouse appearance but his nose was crooked and he had a single sharp tooth coming from his mouth. Princess was a female creature that wore a dress with a flat head that had her hair made from candle wax and a single wick on the top of her head that light up whenever she needed it to. Fido was a dog like creature and even fuzzier than Boogie, as all he appeared as was a moving clump of grey hair. And finally, there was Horace, the only creepy creature there. He was a tall creature, and had the appearance of a man, who wore a suit and always wore glasses that always reflected light. But his most notable trait was his disturbing long arms, with mysterious stitches around his hands. Despite his appearance, he was very friendly and caring for Olivia. She loved the company of all of these creatures and enjoyed playing with them. But, each day, she was always brought back to her own world by the loud rapping on her door and the voice of a familiar person.*
Man: Olivia! Get out here!
*Olivia would only blink her eyes for a moment, and the Netherwood would transform into just her closet, with her covering herself in her bedsheets and holding a single flashlight. Her cute red dress returned to hand me down t-shirts and jeans, and her long brown hair returned to the short hair she cut to avoid it being easily grabbed. She stepped out of her closet and opened the door. Her father stood at the door, his beard jutting out and covered in crumbs, and he wore his usual work clothes, a white shirt and a loosened tie. Olivia took one look at his hand and saw that he was holding a bottle of alcohol. He raised up his hand, and with his finger, waved for her to follow. Olivia hesitated for a moment, but she followed him regardless. Olivia walked into the living room, where her father picked up a photo of Olivia and another girl, who seemed to be giggling. Her father leaned forward toward her and spoke to her softly.*
Father: Did you sneak into my closet again?
Olivia: … I-I was just curious, okay.
Father: I told you not to go into my room without my permission, and to not go through my personal things too, didn’t I
Olivia: I have every right to know about my sister-
*Without hesitation, he threw a punch directly at Olivia’s face. A flash in her eyes, mixed with the friction that knocked her head back and the pain, caused her to groan. She grabbed her nose, which started to bleed immediately. It wasn’t the first time this happened.*
Father: Yes or no. Did I tell you to go into my room?
Olivia: …. No.
Father: That’s right. You’d better learn to listen when you’re told
Olivia: Yeah. Alright.
*She didn’t want to stay in here another second. She turned back, wanting to walk back into her room. As she turned, her father stepped forward, and without warning or hesitation, grabbed her chest and held it tightly.*
Father: Now, Olivia. You weren’t planning on hiding these developing tits from me, were you?
*Olivia was blushing in both embarrassment and frustration as he held onto her chest. She turned, allowing him to let go, and stared in anger.*
Olivia: Don’t you touch me again!
Father: I’m not gonna let my daughter become some goddamn whore! You’ll learn to tell me when I fucking ask you!
*He walked forward towards Olivia, a drunken rage in his eye. Olivia had known what was going to happen, and she knew that there was nothing she could do.*
*Olivia sat in her closet, sobbing. She was covered in bruises, and had only just cleaned off the blood. It seemed like her father’s beatings had gotten worse and worse than before. She couldn’t stand the thought of it. But, as she lied in the darkness, she felt something touch her shoulder. She turned to see a giant, striped, purple hand on her shoulder. As her eyes trailed up the arm, she saw Boogie, who had given her a comforting smile, as her closet had become the Netherhood while she sobbed into her hands. She couldn’t help but hug Boogie and cry into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. It wasn’t long before the others had come to try and cheer Olivia up. But no matter what, she couldn’t stop sobbing. She wanted to escape. She had been wanting to run away from home for years, but she didn’t know where to go. The police would just take her back and she knew that she’d get a worse beating than that if she attempted and got caught. But she was mostly worried about what happened to her sister. Why was she missing and what happened to her. Olivia had been trying her hardest to find out what happened to Lilly.*
Princess: It’s okay, Olivia.
Olivia: No, it’s not! I want to get out! I at least want to know what happened to Lilly!
Pipsqueak: Perhaps there’s something that we can do.
Olivia: Like what
Boogie: Well, do you remember what you saw in your dad’s closet?
*She did. His room was plain white, nothing but a single bed and some beer bottles thrown around the floor. But his closet was full of things. A large trunk filled with photos of Olivia and Lilly. There mother’s photos were burned a long time ago. Olivia remembered that. She had taken a few photos out to look at them, but when she heard her dad pull up, she closed threw the photos in and ran out. She should have put them in more carefully. That must have been how he knew she snuck into his room. Olivia was not too sure what else she could do now. As she continued to cry amongst her friends, with Fido trying his best to comfort her, Horace walked into the room, startling the others. Horace knelt down to Olivia’s level, and spoke to her in a gentle voice.*
Horace: Olivia, don’t worry. We’ll do what we can to find out what happened to your sister. We’ll help in anyway we can
*Olivia began to wipe her tears as she looked up at him*
Olivia: How so?
Horace: Clearly, your father doesn’t want you in that room. There’s a reason for it. We just have to find out what that reason is. Tomorrow, when your father is at work, we will check the room
Boogie: Yeah, all of us
Pipsqueak: We’ll help in anyway we can.
Princess: You can count on us
*Fido gave a joyful bark-like sound. Olivia felt as though she had finally had something to be happy about. She wiped away the remaining tears in her eyes and gave her friends a smile.*
Olivia: Alright. Tomorrow, we’ll do what we can to see what he is hiding.
*The next day, Olivia’s father drove off to work. Olivia made sure to watch, and as soon as she did, she stepped away from the window and made her way to her closet, where the Netherhood waited for her. She poked her head in to give the others the signal. One by one, they all stepped outside of the closet. Everyone except Horace, who sat in the closet, as if waiting for something. Olivia turned to him and gave him an impatient look.*
Olivia: Horace, come on!
Horace: Don’t worry about me, dear. I’m waiting patiently to do my part. You go on ahead and get things started.
*Olivia groaned and made her way to her father’s door. As she did so, she told Fido to head to the front window to look out for him. She wasn’t sure she would be able to hear him pull up this time. As she headed to the door, she saw a strange lock on it. This wasn’t like the other one that she was used to. Instead, this one was different.*
Boogie: Looks like he changed the lock. Don’t worry, I got this.
*Without warning, he kicked the door down, sending the door crashing. Olivia turned to him with a look of annoyance. Boogie could only nervously shrug his shoulders. Olivia groaned and stepped into her father’s. It was the same as before, but the closet was more tightly shut than before. As Olivia reached to pull on it, it refused to move.*
Olivia: He locked this one too.
*Before Boogie could attempt to unlock the door this time, Pipsqueak stepped over to the door and climbed under one of the cracks, doing what he could to mess with the combinations within the lock. After a few sounds of Pipsqueak working on the tumblers, the closet door opened with a creak. Once it was open, Olivia’s attention was directed at the trunk and she began to search through the contents inside, ignoring anything else. She looked through old photos, video tape labels and some objects from her past, but none of them were any help in finding Lilly. As Olivia began to recheck everything a second time, Princess spoke out.*
Princess: Hey, what do you think this is?
*Olivia looked over to see a small pattern in the wall behind the trunk. Without a need to be told, Boogie grabbed the trunk and moved it to the side, revealing a rectangle shape within the wall. Olivia reached toward it slowly and pushed it, and caused a small creaking sound. The door opened to reveal a darkened room. With her wick, Princess lit up the room, but when she did, Olivia’s eyes widened to a disturbing sight. The walls were covered in scratch marks, red from blood. A single hole in one of the corners released a foul smell of human waste. Bugs crawled from the cracks within the wall. But, at the end of the room, sat a girl, naked, and beaten, tied up, with a gag over her mouth to silence her. Despite her beatings, she was still treated carefully, as if to keep her beauty. Olivia knew instantly that it was Lilly. Olivia rushed over to her, as her friends followed behind her. When Olivia got to her knees to pick up Lilly, she could see that she wasn’t moving. Her eyes were open, but no ounce of life was within it. Her head hung to the side as Olivia tried to lift her up. Her body was cold but still fresh, as if it was recent. The others at the door watched in silence, as Olivia began to tear up again, having found her sister and only for her to be in such a state. As she stared in silence and sadness, a barking-like sound could be heard from the living room. The other’s heard the noise, and shouted to Olivia.*
Boogie: Olivia, you’re father’s back!
Pipsqueak: We’ve got to get you out of here now!
*It took all of the energy in Olivia’s body to get up and make her way out of the room, her tears blinding her vision as she stepped out. But, as she did so, the front door slammed with a thunderous noise. She turned over to see her father, standing there and looking at her, his eyes wide with realization of her doings and anger. Olivia was standing on top of his broken door, and the secret room in his closet was wide open. Olivia knew that he knew, and she knew that, of all the beatings she had received, she knew that he had something worse in mind now. She made no hesitation to rush towards her room, as her father ran after her in an immediate sprint. She slammed the door to her bedroom and did what she could to hold it shut as he began to kick at the door.*
Father: You shouldn’t be so scared. It’s natural for a father to love his daughters. I just love you and your sister like you were women! Lilly was a damn good fuck! But she wasn’t going to last much longer. Had to get replaced one day! You think you got anywhere else to go! Your mother don’t want you! If she did, she would’ve tried to take you without leaving you! Without leaving me! No one will love you like I do, Olivia! You’d better open this door right now, or I’m going to get real mad!
*It wasn’t long before he kicked the door off of the hinges. She tried to keep her body up against it, but it wasn’t any good. She fell onto the floor, with the door falling on top of her. Her father stepped above the door, crushing her between the door and the floor. Olivia felt suffocated and in intense pain as all of her father’s weight was pressed against her. He grabbed the door and threw it off, and immediately got on top of Olivia, looking at her with immediate lust. His arm snaked his way up her shirt, grabbing her breast tightly, hurting her as he gripped it tightly. His other hand moved down to his jeans, where he slowly unzipped his pants. As he continued the process, a voice spoke from inside the closet.*
Horace: Hello, sir. I hope you don’t mind me interrupting your disgusting display.
Father: Who the fuck are you?
Horace: Let’s just say that I can show myself to people when I chose to. Make myself disappear at a whim.
Father: Are you a fucking addict! What the hell do you think you are doing in my house?!
Horace: Well, I could ask what you are doing, violating an innocent little girl like Olivia. She is your daughter, right? You seek to take her innocence. As if you aren’t content with taking her life.
*Olivia’s father chuckled, getting up off of Olivia, as he walked towards Horace. He continued to chuckle as he stepped closer to him.*
Father: You’ve got quite the fucking mouth for a dead man
*In a flash, he pulled out a pocket knife and swung it directly at Horace’s eye. Without so much as an ounce of effort, Horace was able to move out of the way of the knife, but his head snapped back to his arm. He opened his mouth wide, a row of jagged teeth shooting out from his mouth in a second, and he bit down on his arm, tearing it off in one bite. He screamed in pain, but was unable to call for help, as his mouth was closed when Horace grabbed him and pulled him into the closet. The stitched in Horace’s hands split open, and his hands began to split into four different lines, until he had turned them into eight different arms, all of them grabbing hold of Olivia’s father. Horace’s mouth began to bulge, as if he were ready to vomit. He moved it head upward, and a slimy, purple mass came from his mouth. It continued to grow out of his mouth, until a decayed, purple head with no eyes, holes around the face, and a maw with rows of teeth stared at Olivia’s father, the skin of Horace’s usual face hung back like the hood on a jacket. The creature that was once Horace opened it’s mouth wide, to the point of it’s jaw snapping and widening like a boa. Before anymore could be witnessed, the closet door closed, and Olivia watched in fear as not a sound came from the closet, not even the sounds of her father’s agonizing screams. The closet door opened, but there was not a single thing inside. Horace was gone, her father was gone, and those of the Netherhood were gone. Olivia looked back at the front door, and saw that it was wide open, and the sunlight had broken through the door, welcoming her to the outside. But Olivia had nothing for the outside world. She had no one, no one outside the Netherhood. She walked to the closet and closed the door behind her, and closed her eyes. When they opened, she was back in the Netherhood, where her friends, Boogie, Pipsqueak, Princess, Fido, and Horace were there to greet her and to welcome her to her new life.*
~The God to the People~
*The alien artifact had arrived to earth, not moving in the slightest since it had passed the Moon, blocking out the sun and taking over the sky of the planet. People had become paranoid of the mass of faces, all staring at earth, their soulless eyes staring at them with blackened pupils. Towns had been deserted, and many group suicides had taken place across the world, with no place on the planet capable of even looking out a window without seeing a sky of faces. Those who did not choose to kill themselves had joined a group who had begun to drag those they deemed as non-believers out of their homes and had them beaten to death in the streets, with the police doing nothing of it. Some of them had even joined these cults. It started small, but it eventually turned into a massive trend around the world, people coming to join these cults and sacrificing those that they had believed to be a cause of the problem. It was a while for them to bring out the last non-believer in the world, but they had finally managed. It was in a small field off the coast of Florida, with the faces staring at the scene from above. The group dragged a small family, consisting of a man with short black hair, a woman with long black hair, and two children, one boy and one girl, and had them tied up and placed them on the beach, as the cult surrounded the family. The cult leader, a man in pure white, with a hood over his face, stepped forward, his darkened eyes peering from the hood, as he raised his arms to the cult.*
Leader: Brothers and Sisters. We stand here as the true Children of God, beginning our purge of those who have not accepted this man as our god. We have been getting calls from around the world from others of the Children of God. I’m sure that we have this being shown right now, yes?
*The leader turned over to a camera, which was being streamed across the world for the other members of the Children of God around the world, from countries such as France, Japan, Russia, India, Brazil, and more. The leader gave a booming voice to those of the American Children of God.*
Leader: We started out as few, in a world of those who saw us as madmen, psychopaths, and just in general crazy. But now, we have completely taken the earth for the Children.
*The father of the family struggled to break from the ropes.*
Father: You’re all a bunch of fucking freaks!
Leader: Insult us all you want. You had the chance to experience the true peace of the earth, but you threw it away.
*He turned to the faces in the sky and continued his booming speech.*
Leader: This is the true god that the world deserves. Let the sacrifice begin!
*Without a moment of hesitation, the cult surrounded the family, holding blunt and sharp objects in their hands. They surrounded the family and began to drag them apart, the children crying in fear as the parents tried to break from the grasp of the cultists. The cult surrounded the two children, blocking the parents vision as they began to stab and beat them, their screams of fear turning into ones of agony and pain as they were cut open and beaten. The parents soon followed, being surrounded by the cult and attacked themselves. It wasn’t long before the screams stopped, and the cult stepped away from the corpses. The bodies were not recognizable anymore. The stabbings and the beatings made the corpses of the family look like a pile of red grounded meat. It was no longer human looking. The leader turned back the faces in the sky, his hands raised in the air.*
Leader: True god! We have taken care of the nonbelievers in your world. You have nothing to worry about. We are your children, your servants, your followers.
*The faces did not react in the slightest. It only blinked, not making a single sound aside from the heavy breathing is always made. The leader, as well as the cult, watching from both the beach and from the camera’s vision on televisions and computers, were all confused, and the leader spoke out once again.*
Leader: God, you should have disappeared once the last of the blasphemers were killed. Why do you still stay? Is it… You are not satisfied with the blood of blasphemy? Is the sacrifice not enough?
*The cult members whispered amongst each other, coming up with different thoughts as to why the creature in the sky remained. Finally, the leader turned to the cult, with a booming voice.*
Leader: Brothers and sisters, listen to me! Our god is not satisfied! Not yet! We must keep going! We must continue! Give him your blood! The blood of his children! He must be satisfied!
*With those words, the cult did not even attempt to question it. They looked towards each other, and in an instant, attacked each other. Taking blades to the throat, having their skulls crushed, being crushed under boots, and other such acts. Those watching the violence across the world begun to follow, murdering their families and fellow members in the process without so much as a question as to why. The leader continued to gaze at the bloody masquerade, as blood flew across the beach and the members began to drop onto the ground. Some were more badly damaged than others, some died from their wounds, and others didn’t even have limbs or heads. After what felt like hours of gazing at the massacre, the leader saw that all of his members were dead, some with only a small ounce of life in them as they crawled along the sand, dying eventually. The leader turned back to the mass of faces in the sky, only to see it float away, leaving the atmosphere of earth. The leader chuckled, before turning into a full blown laugh. He watched as his “god” flew off, but looking around him, he knew that he was all alone in the world now. Not a single person was left except for him. He was alone in the world and no one else for him to share his new world with. He stepped towards the water of the beach, the ocean crashing against his ankles, as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small revolver, an item he carried around with him to perform his own executions of blasphemers. He continued to laugh at the sky, as he took the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. The bullet passed through his head and out the other end, pieces of his brain hanging on to the bullet as it exited his skull. He fell forward into the ocean, allowing the water to carry his lifeless corpse. The creature of a million faces continued to float away from the planet. It was no longer a planet of humans. It was just another chunk of rocks and gas floating in the darkness that was space. Earth was not a place of man. Not anymore.*
*As I stay up at night, writing these stories, listening to some band no one has listened to while drinking my sixth can of Red Bull, I stare over at my closet and swear I could see a massive rat like creature with red eyes, large teeth jutting from its face, and a mouth-filled disease. I brush it off as nothing. But as I continue to write about my stories of human flaws, I remember that I have an assignment due for my English class tomorrow. And now I feel the emotion of fear creeping, gripping my shoulder as I stare at the wall of words on my computer. Fear affects us all. Some may find the monster under your bed that gets it’s mouth closer to your throat each night scary, while others may find that one guy who walks in when you're just about done with your shift scary. I’m no Stephen King, so I can’t say what makes a person scared. But I know that we are all scared, and we all have something that makes us regret stepping out of our beds in the middle of the night. You just have to find it. Or, at the least, let it find you.*
Come little children
Come with me.
I’ll take you to a land
Of fantasy
Please little children
Don’t you cry
Hypno wouldn’t even
Hurt a fly
Please little children
Don’t you squirm
These ropes, I know
Will hold you firm
I know I said
This isn’t true.
But sadly,
Hypno lied to you
Now, little children
You weren’t clever
Now you’re trapped with me
Forever…
And then the police broke in, beat me up, and arrested me on several accounts of attempted pedophilia. I guess I should have tied them up in a cave instead of a big white van with candy in the back
Come with me.
I’ll take you to a land
Of fantasy
Please little children
Don’t you cry
Hypno wouldn’t even
Hurt a fly
Please little children
Don’t you squirm
These ropes, I know
Will hold you firm
I know I said
This isn’t true.
But sadly,
Hypno lied to you
Now, little children
You weren’t clever
Now you’re trapped with me
Forever…
And then the police broke in, beat me up, and arrested me on several accounts of attempted pedophilia. I guess I should have tied them up in a cave instead of a big white van with candy in the back