| Beauty and The Beast; Pictures On The Wall - Psalm 1 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 16 2016, 05:15 PM (41 Views) | |
| Silver Eagle | Dec 16 2016, 05:15 PM Post #1 |
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#OOC If you wondered why my iPPV Rp was listed as 'Psalm 2", this is why. This is a prequel piece to it, starring some of my other characters. --- --- January 2015 The world was a murky grey darkness, smelling of pine and moss and piss. Pale mists rose from the chargrilled earth as the two figures threaded their way through the scatter of stones and scraggly trees. No roads ran through the valley where they walked now. Between the grey stone peaks lay still polluted rivers, long and deep and narrow, and the green gloom of endless piney woods. The leaves grew less common as they approached the black stoned monstrosity before them, wet rock, broken glass, bird droppings coating the walls. The undergrowth was sparse beneath them, the forest floor carpeted in dark green needles. They walked on, staring up at the wasted and fading gargoyles that guarded the overgrown path that once was. Twisted and tormented demons they were, now faceless creatures devoid of emotion, blank faces with stubbly horns and cracks for noses. Their clasped hands once held ancient weaponry worthy of battle, now they held only hilts and empty memories. One of the pair kicked a rock away; possibly it was once the head of a childlike centrepiece, an image of hope amongst death. Or maybe it was nothing at all, merely a rock moulded by Mother Nature herself and left to rot, forgotten, uncared for. Fitting, it might be, considering where they were. “Home…” she whispered tirelessly, her eyes seemingly glazed and not belonging to herself. She was one step behind her sister, an identical copy of herself by the tattoo on her sister’s arm. Athena gazed upon her sister thoughtfully. “Once upon a time,” came the response from Minerva. “But not anymore,” they said in unison. The pair, identical in almost every way, walked hand in hand towards the crumbling building. They wore black on black, the fake furred hoods on their parka jackets sheltering their heads from the unnatural California cold. It was always cold here, the temperature dipping dramatically no matter the seasons. There was just something about this place that caused unrest. Birds used it as a toilet, rats and other vermin scurried away at the sight and there was a stench, one that passed all other senses and appeared directly in your mind. Even these ethereal twins seemed slightly uneasy, memories of yesteryear flooding their minds. The shadow amongst shadows crept silently behind them, trying its best not to be seen. “We swore we would never return here, dear sister.” Athena muttered, a half step behind her sister. Each of them, their eyes glassy, as if they weren’t really there, like something wasn’t quite right with either of them. “We swore many a thing, sibling. What is one more break in our promises?” Minerva responded solemnly, as if some memory was flooding back through her clouded mind. The shadow crept closer, silent, deadly, all seeing and hearing. “As long as we don’t break our promises to Mother… and to Father.” “We will never break our promises to them,” said Athena, forcing a smile, one she gave like she had never smiled before and did not quite understand to perform one. Onwards they went, ducking down beneath twisted branches towards the entrance, the creaking sign blowing in the wind above reading ‘BL_C_THOR_ _SYL_M’. The door, thick and wooden pushed open easily enough, though it looked like it shouldn’t budge at all. Within was dust, too much dust. Dust on an aged grandfather clock, dust upon endless rows of bookshelves, dust upon the spiralling staircases, dust upon the desk they approached, dust upon dust. “We know you,” she spoke. “Ever so well.” The spectacled woman, probably in her mid to late forties lifted her slightly wrinkled face from the mound of documents in front of her, lifting the glasses to her eyes as she squinted to adjust her sight. She looked plain enough, matronly possibly? All that lit this cold, unwelcoming building was lantern light and it took her time to realise who the raven haired beauties before her were. “No bed time stories?” said Athena. “No tucking us in at night?” Added Minerva. “No secrets?” “Don’t tell. Don’t tell anyone. No one will believe you.” “We believed.” The comments came thick and fast, almost rehearsed, each finishing the other’s sentences and starting new ones. The woman clutched her chest, her mouth open wide as a disturbed look of shock and horror spread across her features, stretching those wrinkles out as her skin stretched. The twins smiled, both tilting their heads as they picked up one of the ornate lanterns from the desk, Athena with her left hand, Minerva with the right. As the woman dropped to her knees gasping for air, they turned, heading down one of the long, dank hallways of the asylum. The dark suited guards at their stations stared, mouths wide open as they passed, one of them openly soiling himself at the sight of them. They were frozen to the spot, hesitating to move. As one tried to speak, they both raised a single finger to their lips, keeping their silence, their eyes rolling upwards as if not under their control. As they strutted down the corridors, a white suited man, twice their ages combined, greeted them silently with a courteous nod, oblivious to the shadow following them. “Doctor Shipman,” came the greeting of Athena, her voice soft and sweet. “We received your call,” was the more authoritative addition from Minerva. “Is this an appropriate time for a visit?” The doctor nodded politely, and they followed him eagerly down the hall as they removed their hoods. It was always warm down here, especially as they descended the stairways, deeper and deeper towards the centre of the earth. The shadow lingered as their steps halted for a second, the darkness creeping into an alcove and out of sight. The Daughters turned at once, scanning the area, but the pair eerily turned their heads again at once. They then began to follow. “One step to hell. Two steps to hell. Three. Four…” came the voice of Athena, almost the sound of childish glee amongst her monotone voice. “Always with the counting.” Minerva snapped back, reminding her sister of her place. “We both count,” she exclaimed “There is no need for volume. We are almost there. There is light.” Indeed there was, the lantern was no longer useful as a tool, merely symbolic. Electric lampshades were attached to the stone work walls, and the dust began to vanish. As they turned down the stairs there were a number of doors, all of them leading to cells and more cells behind them. Each and all of them were labelled by name and number. The lower they got, the higher the number would be. Lower and lower they went, sinking deep into the earth and as they did, brighter and brighter it became, warmer and warmer was the temperature. It was as if they were entering the realm of hell itself. “Ours…” They paused by one cell, two white doors leading to separate compartments with a single face painted upon each, one blood red, the other a glistening gold. They stared a little longer, their matching scars began to itch. Left and right. They huddled closer. “This holds memories.” “Good and bad.” “We must not linger. Mother would not approve.” They squeezed each other’s hands tightly, a million and one memories flashing by as they descended once more. Everything they knew, everything they had learned they were going to take with them on a new and exciting journey to the great unknown. The roadblock placed in their way was a formidable one, and returning to their roots was not something they were expecting. But this journey would only make them fiercer, remind them what they really are and what fate they escaped. A fate they planned to inflict on those that truly deserved it. “Do you think it was a test? She would know we would pass here. She would know that the temptation would be great. To see the beds, the knots, the belts… The hole in the wall.” “Mother knows we are loyal. Knows we are all loyal. Loyal to Mother. No one else.” They carried onwards, pausing at each and every door, peering in with the lantern in their hands. There were old faces, new faces, faces that made even them shudder. Faces that excited them, faces that aroused them, faces they wanted to tear off, faces they never wanted to see again. Ever. “Saida, the bearded lady. Her beard a sharpened fork, offended by those who laughed, offended by others with facial hair. She shaved her victims before digging out their vocal cords. Nobody laughed then.” Athena spoke, almost fearful of what she just said. “And here, Ivanov, the strongman. His muscles burst due to steroids, so he cut the limbs off larger men so he could wear them as sleeves. Now he is but bone.” Minerva added, a smirk on her face and a chill to her words. “The Triad, the nameless acrobatic sisters from China. Nameless as they assumed the identities of those who came before. The bodies were never found. Neither were the Triad’s real names.” Came Athena, stroking the door solemnly. “And Kenneth. The lover.” Minerva could barely contain her laughter upon speaking this name, although she paused as her sister looked upon her wide-eyed. “We remember him well.” “We remember him always.” “But nobody forgets his deceit, his forcefulness, his infidelities. His dismemberment.” They carried on past this row of doors, each and every one labelled with a picture of a Ferris wheel. They were all linked, they knew that. Each and every one of them had a past, a past that brought them together, a past that drove them mad, a past that they shared with the ‘two that got away’. “Father should have never abandoned them. If he hadn’t, they would have been safe, they would have been loved.” Athena sighed. “They would not be here. We know. It is a strange fate that the good lay here, and yet the ‘Heiress’ still walks free.” Was Minerva's response, coming with gritty determination. The Daughters of Janus turned to each other, a sly smile and a look of pure malevolence upon their features. From the caravans to the asylum. From poverty to paradise. From the underground to the main stage. From the backyards to the clubs. From there… to here. Such a similar journey, and one that would end in blood. “She won’t be for long. If any, she deserves to be here more than any of the others.” “She caused all of this. But now is not the time to dwell on the past failures of Father and the train of caravans. Mother needs us. She needs us to discover the truth.” The pair spoke in unison. They continued down the final hallway, the white coated doctor casually trotting ahead of them. The final door on the right was well barred, two guards standing in front of it. Both were well armed, both their faces covered by a gas mask. The doctor placed a key in the keyhole, unlocking the door and opening it for the twins. They peered into the darkness, looking at the faint sunlight that shone down upon the bed within the padded cell. A solitary figure sat on the edge of the bed, a tangled bush for hair, rocking back and forth slowly as they muttered a prayer in a foreign tongue. “They are here. Now we must know.” Athena said. “And so will Mother. And this she can use.” Minerva responded. “We will know it all.” They said in unison. And with that, they entered the room. And the door closed behind them, and was barred. The doctor left, walking back the way he came as the lights began to dim. Moments passed, ages passed, time itself faded away until the shadow crept out of hiding, silent as a cat. It was dressed head to toe in black, a mask shrouding it’s features. It pulled the mask up to reveal handsome, yet grizzled features, black rings around the man’s eyes as he held a phone to his mouth, speaking almost silently. “Guntram, this is Noodle. The Twins have entered the Frog’s room. I’m outside and have co-ordinates.” He paused as he listened intently, a grimace on his face. “It’s what I’m calling her, and that is that. Lighten up a little. I got in, exactly how you wanted. Gimme some slack, eh?” He peered around the area as he listened in on the other line, keeping himself low. “No way I can get in there, but the place is how you said it would be. Exactly how you said it would be.” He began to stare through some of the windows, most of the rooms bare, most without an inmate. On occasion he would see a figure sleeping, sometimes one pacing, all looking deranged and none noticing his presence. “The Twins? They look out of it. I dunno, man, but something is just off with them. Like they’re on autopilot or some shite. I dunno, weirder than normal. Something up with their eyes and that, like someone else is controlling them.” He thought he heard a noise, and leapt through an open door. Crouching down, he gave a lingering look outwards, seeing two armed guards wearing Kevlar storming past. He breathed a sigh of relief, lifting his hood then wiping his brow. “Close… guards,” he sighed. “Doubt I can get anything else down here, coach, but at least we know where to hit when the time is right… Nah, didn’t run into the ‘Tard, safe on that front…” He paused, standing up and searching around the dim room. The voice echoed on from the phone, but the man ignored them, choosing to search his location more thoroughly. It was if he was in a child’s room, stuffed toys littering around, the bedsheets bright pink with motifs of birds upon it. A unicycle lay in one corner of the room, a tiny ball pit in the other. The window was not a window at all, merely a television screen. He approached it, pressing the power button as it came to life, illuminating the room. Rather than a program, what played was the vision of the open road, as if staring out of a car window. He took a step back, looking upon the room. He saw a sink, a small kitchen area and a door leading towards a tiny shower room. As his eyes opened wide, he realized that the room was set out like a caravan. “Y-you might want to see this…” he struggled to say, staring at the crudely hand drawn pictures upon the wall. All of them were of eyes, large and small, all of them lidless, some of them green, some of them blue… some of them red. |
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11:36 AM Jul 11