Her mind was awash with fear. And with that fear came understanding. She saw the horrors in his mind. A horrific car accident. A blonde woman, dead, her head partially severed by the shattered windshield. Blood all over. His own body ripped to shreds. But he wasn’t dead. No matter what, he never died.
The sequences continued to race into her mind. Pain was ripe with fear. Another woman, another death, this time as they both drowned. Stabbings, dismemberments, the horror of living for decades in constant agony.
Pain knew what his name meant. He lived with it every moment of every day. And his fear wasn’t more pain. His fear was never finding an end to the agony.
Fear was only a step away from nightmare.
As she opened her eyes, she unleashed her horror upon him. It was a moment too late.
Pain wrapped a hand around her neck and hefted her off the frame of the floor. Wind whipped through her hair. It obscured her vision in black and white as she fought to find her breath. But she watched Pain’s eyes gloss over. His connection with reality separated as the nightmare took him.
She couldn’t see what he saw. But she knew he was in an endless oblivion. Alone. Forever.
Pain’s grip loosened around her neck. She reached up and grabbed his fingers. She was stronger than a mortal her size and only that allowed her to work her way against his strong hands. She tumbled to the floor, just inches from the weak framed wall of the tower.
She stared up at Pain. His body seemed to shake. The nightmare consumed him, but it wouldn’t do so for long. This was her chance. Perhaps, her only chance.
While nightmares were her calling, she was not without other abilities. They paled in comparison to her control over fears, her very ability to bring them to life around her foes. But she could still manipulate the energies of the universe to her own needs.
Pain wasn’t like a normal powered human. She could feel the spell place dover him. And while she couldn’t break it, she could manipulate it to her needs.
The geas over him was strong. It formed strange tangles around his soul, but she could loosen a few of them. Retie a few others. Within moments, she had an opening. And a way to finally grant Pain escape from his nightmares.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Book 3 Chapter 26-5
As the elevator ascended, all Melinoe could hear—all she could feel—was her own breath.
Her body was numb. Her mind raced. But each hard, heavy breath filled her lungs with a sense of calm. She may not survive tonight, but she was the goddess of nightmares. She would bring agony to anyone that tried to end her. These assassins were no different.
The elevator dinged. The long sense of calm faded as Melinoe stared out on to the lights of River City. Here, little of the building was finished. A series of metal columns connected to each other, parts of the floor and walls were framed, but not enough to make the room feel anything but open. Wind whipped against her face as she took the first step out of the confined space of the lift.
She looked down through the open spaces in the walls, framed only enough to protect workers from a perilous fall. Melinoe could see cars race by on the freeway, hundreds of tiny lives unaware of the horror in their midst. She could see the flashes of red and blue as the police raced down the streets of the city. They would all close on Wainwright Center soon enough, but until then, she was on her own.
“You’re a hard one to catch, girly. Makes things interesting.”
Melinoe turned to her left. She instantly recognized the male assassin. He wore little more than a pair of leather pants and boots. His body rippled with muscles. He had the perfect skin of a movie star, albeit with a bit more body hair. His long dirty blonde locks framed his face. His average appearance ruined his movie star body, but he tried to hide it behind a full beard a shade darker than his hair. She could do interesting things with that body—if it wasn’t being used to kill her.
“Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me? I don’t even know you.”
“The name’s Pain. You’ve got a lot of enemies, lady. I’ve never been paid close to what I’ve been paid to kill any other stripper whore.”
“Stripper, maybe. Whore, nay. I’ve been many things but I would never dain to let anyone buy my affection, mortal or immortal.”
He grinned. “You talk funny. Guess it won’t be a problem in a minute though, will it?”
Pain started towards her. Melinoe froze in place. She didn’t have any weapons, barely had any clothes. But she was far from defenseless.
She only hoped her mother and stepfather wouldn’t bring down greater punishment upon her as she closed her eyes and reached into this Pain’s mind.
Her body was numb. Her mind raced. But each hard, heavy breath filled her lungs with a sense of calm. She may not survive tonight, but she was the goddess of nightmares. She would bring agony to anyone that tried to end her. These assassins were no different.
The elevator dinged. The long sense of calm faded as Melinoe stared out on to the lights of River City. Here, little of the building was finished. A series of metal columns connected to each other, parts of the floor and walls were framed, but not enough to make the room feel anything but open. Wind whipped against her face as she took the first step out of the confined space of the lift.
She looked down through the open spaces in the walls, framed only enough to protect workers from a perilous fall. Melinoe could see cars race by on the freeway, hundreds of tiny lives unaware of the horror in their midst. She could see the flashes of red and blue as the police raced down the streets of the city. They would all close on Wainwright Center soon enough, but until then, she was on her own.
“You’re a hard one to catch, girly. Makes things interesting.”
Melinoe turned to her left. She instantly recognized the male assassin. He wore little more than a pair of leather pants and boots. His body rippled with muscles. He had the perfect skin of a movie star, albeit with a bit more body hair. His long dirty blonde locks framed his face. His average appearance ruined his movie star body, but he tried to hide it behind a full beard a shade darker than his hair. She could do interesting things with that body—if it wasn’t being used to kill her.
“Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me? I don’t even know you.”
“The name’s Pain. You’ve got a lot of enemies, lady. I’ve never been paid close to what I’ve been paid to kill any other stripper whore.”
“Stripper, maybe. Whore, nay. I’ve been many things but I would never dain to let anyone buy my affection, mortal or immortal.”
He grinned. “You talk funny. Guess it won’t be a problem in a minute though, will it?”
Pain started towards her. Melinoe froze in place. She didn’t have any weapons, barely had any clothes. But she was far from defenseless.
She only hoped her mother and stepfather wouldn’t bring down greater punishment upon her as she closed her eyes and reached into this Pain’s mind.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Book 3 Chapter 26-4
“Move! Move!”
Keith’s words forced her back to reality. They were still in danger. The engines of the assassins’ motorcycles hummed a not distant enough tune. The cop grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out towards his door. She had to awkwardly climb over the cluttered middle console of the police cruiser, but within seconds, she was free of the car.
Keith pulled her towards the finished frame of Wainwright Center, which looked like a massive concrete block carved into the land. Framed by marble columns spanning four stories, the entrance would be majestic if not for the killers after them. He ran her to the front entrance, which was still uncovered by any door. She found herself plunged into darkness. Only the dim lights from the street outside and a single fixture across the room provided any illumination to the massive unfinished lobby.
“Come on. The elevator.”
Keith pulled her towards the light on the far side of the room, which he clearly knew to be the elevator. But he barely reached the halfway point of the room. Still in mid-run, his feet suddenly slipped from beneath him. Melinoe stumbled at his sudden movement. He released his grip on her just a second before he was yanked backward, even as she regained proper footing. Melinoe glanced back to see the female assassin. She held a long whip which seemed to undulate in the darkness like a living thing. Though the assassin didn’t move her arm, the whip tightly wrapped around Keith’s leg and pulled him back towards her.
“Run!” Keith yelled. “Get as high as you can, then disable the elevator. You’ll be safe until the rest of the force arrives!”
Melinoe had her doubts, but his plan was sound enough. More space would give her time to think.
She watched as Keith drew his gun and turned away from her. She heard the first shot as she reached the elevator. As soon as she hit the button, it opened.
She hit the higher buttons on the console wildly. She got the top floors, but she also struck buttons on the panels below. Seventy-two was the low number on the list. It would do as well as any other floor for her to escape their grasp. Even with parts of the building still open to air high above, she needed the space to think.
Keith’s words forced her back to reality. They were still in danger. The engines of the assassins’ motorcycles hummed a not distant enough tune. The cop grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out towards his door. She had to awkwardly climb over the cluttered middle console of the police cruiser, but within seconds, she was free of the car.
Keith pulled her towards the finished frame of Wainwright Center, which looked like a massive concrete block carved into the land. Framed by marble columns spanning four stories, the entrance would be majestic if not for the killers after them. He ran her to the front entrance, which was still uncovered by any door. She found herself plunged into darkness. Only the dim lights from the street outside and a single fixture across the room provided any illumination to the massive unfinished lobby.
“Come on. The elevator.”
Keith pulled her towards the light on the far side of the room, which he clearly knew to be the elevator. But he barely reached the halfway point of the room. Still in mid-run, his feet suddenly slipped from beneath him. Melinoe stumbled at his sudden movement. He released his grip on her just a second before he was yanked backward, even as she regained proper footing. Melinoe glanced back to see the female assassin. She held a long whip which seemed to undulate in the darkness like a living thing. Though the assassin didn’t move her arm, the whip tightly wrapped around Keith’s leg and pulled him back towards her.
“Run!” Keith yelled. “Get as high as you can, then disable the elevator. You’ll be safe until the rest of the force arrives!”
Melinoe had her doubts, but his plan was sound enough. More space would give her time to think.
She watched as Keith drew his gun and turned away from her. She heard the first shot as she reached the elevator. As soon as she hit the button, it opened.
She hit the higher buttons on the console wildly. She got the top floors, but she also struck buttons on the panels below. Seventy-two was the low number on the list. It would do as well as any other floor for her to escape their grasp. Even with parts of the building still open to air high above, she needed the space to think.
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