First Sight: A d20 Modern Story Hour (Updated 01-03-2008)
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recursive_1
First Post
Update please...I'm going into withdrawl here.
Lamprolign
First Post
When will the next update be???
Thanks for the comments! Once again nasty evil things like work (been pulling 12 to 16 hour days routinely) keep getting in the way of writing. Fear not though for the work is proceeding, albeit at a snail's pace these past few weeks. I am going to try (really) and get another installment up by the end of the week. Wish me luck!
Thanks for the comments! Once again nasty evil things like work (been pulling 12 to 16 hour days routinely) keep getting in the way of writing. Fear not though for the work is proceeding, albeit at a snail's pace these past few weeks. I am going to try (really) and get another installment up by the end of the week. Wish me luck!
Lamprolign
First Post
027
There's a blood red circle
on the cold dark ground
and the rain is falling down
The church doors blown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
My City of Ruins, Bruce Springsteen
"I think I know where to start looking..."
All eyes in the room turned to Asher.
"I've been investigating a string of disappearances among the homeless on the South Side. Disappearances that the CPD has been doing damned little about." Asher looked pointedly at Gabe.
"Can you show us where?"
Everyone turned towards the door. Sarah's mother stood leaning heavily against the frame.
"Becky!" Asher jumped from where he leaned on one of the overstuffed chairs, crossing the room swiftly.
"Rebecca," the Sister said rising from the chair, her voice filled with sympathy. "Come here child."
Becky's face was a study of grim determination as she crossed the room. The Sister laid a hand lightly on Becky's arm and looked at her intently.
"How much do you remember?"
****
She moved swiftly through the now dark cavern, the sharp reports of her hard-soled boots echoing from a ceiling obscured in shadow. The shattered locomotive sat cold and dark; the being who claimed the twisted iron as a throne was gone again. He often disappeared for brief periods, relishing his newfound freedom in this world. Karin laid a hand lightly upon the cold metal, and sat in her master's chair. A thin smile played across her face. Soon, she thought, I will be in control and he will once again be the servant. The sound of soft shoes scuffing across stone floor broke her reverie. She rose, brushing a thick shock of raven hair away from her face.
"What?"
A bent figure, swathed in the ragged remains of clothing, shuffled towards her, bowing repeatedly as it came.
"The child is waking," it spoke, keeping its gazed trained upon the ground at her feet.
She kicked the groveling creature as she passed. Good, she thought. It can begin...
****
The soft ticking of an old-fashioned wind up clock was the first thing to penetrate the thick veil of sleep. She felt warm and comfortable, snuggled amidst piles of soft blankets. Dim warm light diffused through her eyelids. She opened her eyes to see a smooth ceiling above her. The click of a door latch drew her attention. She sat up quickly and looked around. The room was small. Its walls were smooth and featureless like the ceiling. She was on a small bed amidst several fuzzy tan blankets. A straight-backed chair and a four-drawer dresser with a wood framed mirror atop it were the only other furnishings.
"Good morning, sweetie," came a voice that Sarah dared not believe was real.
"Momma?" She sat up swiftly, looking toward the voice. "MOMMA!" Sarah leapt off the bed and flew into her mother's arms. "Momma, where have you been? I couldn't find you!" Sarah buried her face in the woman's shoulder.
"It's all right Sarah, I'm with you now."
She held the child closely to her. Glancing into the mirror across the room she saw a tall raven-haired woman smiling smugly back at her...
****
"Lovely place," Mary commented.
Gabe looked up and down the street. The area had been a burgeoning business district during the heyday of the railways. Streets that once carried the hustle of commerce now saw only those seeking shelter from the elements or authorities in the abandoned buildings. He turned around and looked at Becky and Asher.
"Okay, this is your lead. Where do we start?"
Asher looked at him through slightly narrowed eyes. "All the disappearances that I've investigated have been in this area. I say we just spread out. I know several of the locals now. I'll go around and see what I can find out."
"You do that," Gabe said to the reporter's retreating back. His attention turned to Becky. Dark circles framed eyes that roamed around their dismal surroundings. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay," her head turned toward him in the gathering dark.
"We'll find her." Yeah, you sound real convincing Ansgar. "Let's go." He started walking in the same general direction that Asher had taken a moment earlier.
"Don't beat yourself up. I don't think any words would make this easier on her."
They walked for several minutes in silence. There were no people moving about under the few functioning streetlamps. It was a ghost town sitting in the shadow of sky scrapers. Asher rounded a corner just ahead walking quickly towards them.
"All the regulars are gone. I can't find anyone out tonight."
"Well that's useful." Gabe continued walking along the broken concrete sidewalk. At least Poe isn't here.
"She's dragged your sorry ass out of the fire a few times now. I'd have thought you might think a little better of her."
Let me grumble in peace. It's how I deal. She's probably much happier searching the other end of the hood with the Sister anyway. He looked around again to get his bearings. They had come four blocks into this ghetto and it remained eerily deserted. Turning sharply he entered a broad alley between two brick warehouses. He heard Asher's voice behind him.
"It will be all right, we'll find her..."
Gabe stopped abruptly, causing Asher to walk into him.
"Hey, what gives?!"
"This alley looks familiar." He looked to his left and saw a fifty-gallon steel drum lying on its side. Ash and bits of charred wood spilled from its maw. "This is where..."
The steel drum was standing upright, flames danced above its rim. Three men stood silhouetted in the flame's light, hunched over the feeble warmth. One of the men pointed his hand at the barrel and the flames grew higher. Gabe took an unconscious step backward as ghouls swept down upon the unfortunate men. In the space of a breath two men lay dead and the third was being whisked away. Gabe ran after them. He heard footfalls and looked over to see Mary's white-blond hair streaming as she ran beside him.
****
"Where the hell are you going!?" Asher yelled after Gabe as he sprinted down the alley. He looked quizzically at Becky.
"Follow him! He sees something we can't!"
****
His chest felt as though it were about to implode with his effort to breathe. The ghouls, even with their burden, stayed just ahead of him. Broken cloud cover cast a whirling patchwork of pale light and shadow as it raced across the quarter moon. Mary ran effortlessly beside him, seeming to glide across the patchwork of frozen grime that covered the pavement.
Their quarry changed direction abruptly, darting into a warehouse, windows and doors uncovered, gaping portals into the abyss. He slowed for a split second before plunging into the smothering darkness within. Inside, his eyes roamed without seeing but somehow he knew where the walls were. He knew where the ghouls were. He leapt over a pile of broken boards in his path as if running in broad daylight. On into the bowels of the building the ghouls continued, down two flights of stairs into blackness so absolute as to have substance.
****
Asher skidded to a halt in the pitch dark of the warehouse.
"Damn!"
"Wait," Becky said after colliding with him from behind. "Lòchran"
An orb of reddish light appeared at her left shoulder, hanging stationary in space.
Asher gritted his teeth. Things were getting freaky again. He could stop now, convince himself that none of this was happening, and go back to living in the real world. After all, it was what he had done years ago when he left the Haven behind. He saw the hurt look in Becky’s eyes and realized she must be reading the indecision on his face. He took her hand and gave her a tight little smile, the best he could muster under the circumstances.
"Cool, let's go."
They sprinted after Gabe, the orb of light remaining fixed above Becky's shoulder. They had lost sight of him, but could hear footfalls reverberating out of a gaping door that lay open ahead of them.
****
The ghouls darted across a subbasement floor so thickly covered in fine dust as to resemble snow. Gabe pumped his legs harder, trying to close the distance. Mary still paced him easily. A large steel door on rails stood pushed to one side revealing an opening into a tunnel that sloped into the earth. Twin steel rails, miniature railroad tracks, nearly cost Gabe his footing as he entered the tunnel. The creatures disappeared around a bend. The echoes of their movement betrayed their location.
****
In the light of Becky's spell the dust covered floor looked like blood soaked snow. Asher shivered at the illusion.
"Dammit! How is that old man moving so fast!"
Becky had not lagged behind in their mad dash across the treacherous warehouse floor. Her face was set in a grimace that he could not read. The sound of Gabe's passage receded to a level that lacked directionality. Only the clear footprints in the dust led them on.
****
His pulse pounded in his ears, threatening to drown the noise from ahead. Gabe brushed against the tunnel wall as he ran. It was smooth, coated in an even layer of concrete. At another bend he caught sight of the kidnappers. They paused at a cross in the tunnels while the one carrying their victim passed him off to one of his compatriots. They set out again down the tunnel on their right.
The tunnel dipped abruptly and the sounds of splashing echoed through the passageway. Soon Gabe was running in steadily deepening water. He was forced to slow to little more than a walk when it reached his knees. Gradually the tunnel rose again and they were once more on dry ground. The character of the tunnels had changed. The walls were no longer smoothed-over with a layer of concrete but were rough-hewn bedrock. As he ran, the tunnel widened considerably. A standard railroad freight car would now fit comfortably within its confines. After what seemed like hours of darkness he saw a flickering light far ahead, and he heard a panicky voice.
"Who ... what are you!?"
Gabe slowed and pressed himself against the cold stone. He inched his way forward toward the curve that hid the source of the flickering yellow light. Mary pressed close behind him. He peered around the edge of the stone. The abducted homeless man was on his knees facing them. A tall black haired woman stood coldly regarding the quivering mendicant. She raised her arm above his head, and angry incandescent red mists reached out toward the kneeling man. They swirled around his head, outlining his skull in bright relief. His mouth worked to scream but no sound emerged. He struggled as if bound, yet no ropes were wrapped about him. Murmurs that Gabe could not discern wove in and out of the glowing smoke. The cloud of light seemed to swiftly recede into the distance, or perhaps he was the one moving. His head spun. He lost his footing and spilled to the stone floor.
The tunnel was dark. Mary was no longer beside him. He was on his hands and knees in pitch blackness. Footsteps approached him from ahead. A pale yellow light flared into existence above him. Gabe saw two black leather boots only an arm’s length from his face. Slowly he looked up into the pale visage of the woman from his vision.
"Oh
...."
© 2003, Austin Hale
There's a blood red circle
on the cold dark ground
and the rain is falling down
The church doors blown open
I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone
My city of ruins
My city of ruins
My City of Ruins, Bruce Springsteen
"I think I know where to start looking..."
All eyes in the room turned to Asher.
"I've been investigating a string of disappearances among the homeless on the South Side. Disappearances that the CPD has been doing damned little about." Asher looked pointedly at Gabe.
"Can you show us where?"
Everyone turned towards the door. Sarah's mother stood leaning heavily against the frame.
"Becky!" Asher jumped from where he leaned on one of the overstuffed chairs, crossing the room swiftly.
"Rebecca," the Sister said rising from the chair, her voice filled with sympathy. "Come here child."
Becky's face was a study of grim determination as she crossed the room. The Sister laid a hand lightly on Becky's arm and looked at her intently.
"How much do you remember?"
****
She moved swiftly through the now dark cavern, the sharp reports of her hard-soled boots echoing from a ceiling obscured in shadow. The shattered locomotive sat cold and dark; the being who claimed the twisted iron as a throne was gone again. He often disappeared for brief periods, relishing his newfound freedom in this world. Karin laid a hand lightly upon the cold metal, and sat in her master's chair. A thin smile played across her face. Soon, she thought, I will be in control and he will once again be the servant. The sound of soft shoes scuffing across stone floor broke her reverie. She rose, brushing a thick shock of raven hair away from her face.
"What?"
A bent figure, swathed in the ragged remains of clothing, shuffled towards her, bowing repeatedly as it came.
"The child is waking," it spoke, keeping its gazed trained upon the ground at her feet.
She kicked the groveling creature as she passed. Good, she thought. It can begin...
****
The soft ticking of an old-fashioned wind up clock was the first thing to penetrate the thick veil of sleep. She felt warm and comfortable, snuggled amidst piles of soft blankets. Dim warm light diffused through her eyelids. She opened her eyes to see a smooth ceiling above her. The click of a door latch drew her attention. She sat up quickly and looked around. The room was small. Its walls were smooth and featureless like the ceiling. She was on a small bed amidst several fuzzy tan blankets. A straight-backed chair and a four-drawer dresser with a wood framed mirror atop it were the only other furnishings.
"Good morning, sweetie," came a voice that Sarah dared not believe was real.
"Momma?" She sat up swiftly, looking toward the voice. "MOMMA!" Sarah leapt off the bed and flew into her mother's arms. "Momma, where have you been? I couldn't find you!" Sarah buried her face in the woman's shoulder.
"It's all right Sarah, I'm with you now."
She held the child closely to her. Glancing into the mirror across the room she saw a tall raven-haired woman smiling smugly back at her...
****
"Lovely place," Mary commented.
Gabe looked up and down the street. The area had been a burgeoning business district during the heyday of the railways. Streets that once carried the hustle of commerce now saw only those seeking shelter from the elements or authorities in the abandoned buildings. He turned around and looked at Becky and Asher.
"Okay, this is your lead. Where do we start?"
Asher looked at him through slightly narrowed eyes. "All the disappearances that I've investigated have been in this area. I say we just spread out. I know several of the locals now. I'll go around and see what I can find out."
"You do that," Gabe said to the reporter's retreating back. His attention turned to Becky. Dark circles framed eyes that roamed around their dismal surroundings. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay," her head turned toward him in the gathering dark.
"We'll find her." Yeah, you sound real convincing Ansgar. "Let's go." He started walking in the same general direction that Asher had taken a moment earlier.
"Don't beat yourself up. I don't think any words would make this easier on her."
They walked for several minutes in silence. There were no people moving about under the few functioning streetlamps. It was a ghost town sitting in the shadow of sky scrapers. Asher rounded a corner just ahead walking quickly towards them.
"All the regulars are gone. I can't find anyone out tonight."
"Well that's useful." Gabe continued walking along the broken concrete sidewalk. At least Poe isn't here.
"She's dragged your sorry ass out of the fire a few times now. I'd have thought you might think a little better of her."
Let me grumble in peace. It's how I deal. She's probably much happier searching the other end of the hood with the Sister anyway. He looked around again to get his bearings. They had come four blocks into this ghetto and it remained eerily deserted. Turning sharply he entered a broad alley between two brick warehouses. He heard Asher's voice behind him.
"It will be all right, we'll find her..."
Gabe stopped abruptly, causing Asher to walk into him.
"Hey, what gives?!"
"This alley looks familiar." He looked to his left and saw a fifty-gallon steel drum lying on its side. Ash and bits of charred wood spilled from its maw. "This is where..."
The steel drum was standing upright, flames danced above its rim. Three men stood silhouetted in the flame's light, hunched over the feeble warmth. One of the men pointed his hand at the barrel and the flames grew higher. Gabe took an unconscious step backward as ghouls swept down upon the unfortunate men. In the space of a breath two men lay dead and the third was being whisked away. Gabe ran after them. He heard footfalls and looked over to see Mary's white-blond hair streaming as she ran beside him.
****
"Where the hell are you going!?" Asher yelled after Gabe as he sprinted down the alley. He looked quizzically at Becky.
"Follow him! He sees something we can't!"
****
His chest felt as though it were about to implode with his effort to breathe. The ghouls, even with their burden, stayed just ahead of him. Broken cloud cover cast a whirling patchwork of pale light and shadow as it raced across the quarter moon. Mary ran effortlessly beside him, seeming to glide across the patchwork of frozen grime that covered the pavement.
Their quarry changed direction abruptly, darting into a warehouse, windows and doors uncovered, gaping portals into the abyss. He slowed for a split second before plunging into the smothering darkness within. Inside, his eyes roamed without seeing but somehow he knew where the walls were. He knew where the ghouls were. He leapt over a pile of broken boards in his path as if running in broad daylight. On into the bowels of the building the ghouls continued, down two flights of stairs into blackness so absolute as to have substance.
****
Asher skidded to a halt in the pitch dark of the warehouse.
"Damn!"
"Wait," Becky said after colliding with him from behind. "Lòchran"
An orb of reddish light appeared at her left shoulder, hanging stationary in space.
Asher gritted his teeth. Things were getting freaky again. He could stop now, convince himself that none of this was happening, and go back to living in the real world. After all, it was what he had done years ago when he left the Haven behind. He saw the hurt look in Becky’s eyes and realized she must be reading the indecision on his face. He took her hand and gave her a tight little smile, the best he could muster under the circumstances.
"Cool, let's go."
They sprinted after Gabe, the orb of light remaining fixed above Becky's shoulder. They had lost sight of him, but could hear footfalls reverberating out of a gaping door that lay open ahead of them.
****
The ghouls darted across a subbasement floor so thickly covered in fine dust as to resemble snow. Gabe pumped his legs harder, trying to close the distance. Mary still paced him easily. A large steel door on rails stood pushed to one side revealing an opening into a tunnel that sloped into the earth. Twin steel rails, miniature railroad tracks, nearly cost Gabe his footing as he entered the tunnel. The creatures disappeared around a bend. The echoes of their movement betrayed their location.
****
In the light of Becky's spell the dust covered floor looked like blood soaked snow. Asher shivered at the illusion.
"Dammit! How is that old man moving so fast!"
Becky had not lagged behind in their mad dash across the treacherous warehouse floor. Her face was set in a grimace that he could not read. The sound of Gabe's passage receded to a level that lacked directionality. Only the clear footprints in the dust led them on.
****
His pulse pounded in his ears, threatening to drown the noise from ahead. Gabe brushed against the tunnel wall as he ran. It was smooth, coated in an even layer of concrete. At another bend he caught sight of the kidnappers. They paused at a cross in the tunnels while the one carrying their victim passed him off to one of his compatriots. They set out again down the tunnel on their right.
The tunnel dipped abruptly and the sounds of splashing echoed through the passageway. Soon Gabe was running in steadily deepening water. He was forced to slow to little more than a walk when it reached his knees. Gradually the tunnel rose again and they were once more on dry ground. The character of the tunnels had changed. The walls were no longer smoothed-over with a layer of concrete but were rough-hewn bedrock. As he ran, the tunnel widened considerably. A standard railroad freight car would now fit comfortably within its confines. After what seemed like hours of darkness he saw a flickering light far ahead, and he heard a panicky voice.
"Who ... what are you!?"
Gabe slowed and pressed himself against the cold stone. He inched his way forward toward the curve that hid the source of the flickering yellow light. Mary pressed close behind him. He peered around the edge of the stone. The abducted homeless man was on his knees facing them. A tall black haired woman stood coldly regarding the quivering mendicant. She raised her arm above his head, and angry incandescent red mists reached out toward the kneeling man. They swirled around his head, outlining his skull in bright relief. His mouth worked to scream but no sound emerged. He struggled as if bound, yet no ropes were wrapped about him. Murmurs that Gabe could not discern wove in and out of the glowing smoke. The cloud of light seemed to swiftly recede into the distance, or perhaps he was the one moving. His head spun. He lost his footing and spilled to the stone floor.
The tunnel was dark. Mary was no longer beside him. He was on his hands and knees in pitch blackness. Footsteps approached him from ahead. A pale yellow light flared into existence above him. Gabe saw two black leather boots only an arm’s length from his face. Slowly he looked up into the pale visage of the woman from his vision.
"Oh
...."© 2003, Austin Hale
Last edited:
Lamprolign
First Post
Thanks Fenzer! I'm actually working on the next post as we speak. I'm shooting for the end of the week. Hopefully I can pull it off.
Broccli_Head
Explorer
Amazing imagery, Lamp. !
