Where my Dreams take me - part 6 The New Day

Jack stepped through the charred doorway of his former Boss’ office. The office was untouched by flames and was just as flashy and awful as Jack remembered. “Jack my boy, such wonderful new powers you have. I think we can work out a deal. You keep working for me and I will forgive you for killing all of my guards” The Boss said calmly.

            Jack smiled, he grinned ear to ear as he walked forward slowly. “Deals? We are making deals now?” Asked Jack, his smile still wide and frightening. He slowly sat down on a crimson leather chair across from the Boss. Jack leaned over the Boss’ desk and looked him in the eye. “You will forgive me? Forgive me? FORGIVE ME?!” Jack said his voice jumped into a shout toward the end. Jack cleared his throat and brushed his hair back. “You should be begging me to spare your life and you sit here making deals? You should be asking ME to forgive YOU!” Jack said, his voice jumping as he barely contained his anger. “I would never make a deal with you, but I did make a deal with someone else. Someone who wants you dead just as much as I do” Jack said as he looked the Boss right into his beady dark brown eyes. “Who would have the nerve to send you after me? And while I am asking questions, where did you get that magic?” The Boss asked. He didn’t move from his chair, but he was slowly becoming uncomfortable.

            Death slowly appeared into view behind Jack. A floating cloaked skeleton holding a scythe appeared as a response to the Boss’ question. Then a second later Death was gone. Jack didn’t see Death but he assumed the Boss did by his changed expression. All of the color drained out of the Boss’ face when he saw the Grim Reaper.

            Jack stood up and lifted his hammer to strike but the Boss acted quickly and shot Jack point blank with his shotgun. Jack froze and his eyes went wide. He had come so far only to let his guard down for a second and to get killed by the same person and the same gun that killed Isabelle. Everything seemed to slow as Jack looked down to check for damage. As he looked down he saw the Boss was horrified instead of pleased. Green flames spilled out of Jack’s chest and stomach. The flames covered his torso instead of blood. Magical flames moved across Jack’s skin but instead of burning him, they were healing the skin. The flames that dripped to the ground burned a hole in the floor.

            Jack looked at the Boss and smiled “Death sends his regards” then launched forward and grabbed the Boss by the throat. Green flames burned brightly in Jack’s eyes as rage filled his body. Jack lifted the Boss up by his throat and hurled him through the back wall. As the Boss’ body soared through the air like a rag doll Jack lifted his hammer and then flung it forward. The hammer flew straight out and hit the Boss, then engulfed the Boss in flames. The Hammer and the Boss’ body dropped to the ground with a thud. Jack couldn’t see where the Boss landed because it was dark and also his body was sent out past the city limits.

            Jack jumped out through the hole in the wall down three floors and hit the ground. Jack landed on his feet and took off running. This part of Dark city was the section unlucky enough to be built on the edge of the Haunted Forest. Jack approached the forest, which was swarming with spirits and weird glowing eyes that looked on from every shadow. Jack didn’t want to go anywhere near that place. “Halloween night is almost upon us Jack. Halloween is when the Haunted forest grows restless and the spirits become visible and the monsters more aggressive” Death whispered. The Haunted forest was always dangerous, but the development of Dark city riled up the inhabitants of the forest and with Halloween approaching the spirits were even more restless.

            The boss was standing on the edge of the Haunted forest, too afraid to run into the forest to escape Jack, but too afraid of Jack to distance himself from the forest. Jack approached “Not dead yet? Good, more fun for me” Jack said as he walked closer, his hammer burned brightly as Jack approached. Jack lifted his hammer off the ground and held it up with one hand. “J-Jack please, I can bring her back! I can help you. Don’t kill me” The Boss said his human skin dripped from his face revealing red demon skin. Small yellow horns poked out from under his black hat and his eyes glowed yellow. Jack sneered and shot another blast of fire at the Boss.

            The flames burned the Boss’ clothes and melted away his human disguise.

The Boss stood five feet five and was now in his true form. He was still overweight but his skin was scaly and red, his mouth was a large gaping maw and his eyes burned bright like fire. “Disgusting” Jack muttered. The Boss pulled a black gem from his torn suit pocket. He smiled and held it up. “I saved this gem for supernatural opponents, it cancels magic. Since magic is holding you together right now, prepare to be torn apart. The Gem shot out a blast of energy at Jack. Jack threw his hammer at the blast and jumped out of the way. The Hammer and the dark blast collided and caused an explosion. Black, red and green flames shot over Jack’s head as he lay flat on the grass. The Boss was blasted backward into the Haunted forest.

            “He’s going to escape!” Jack shouted. “No, he is not” Death replied. The glowing eyes went out and the spirits that floated around the trees rushed into the forest. Everything that Haunted that forest seemed to move in on the Boss as soon as he landed. Screams echoed out of the forest accompanied by the sounds of bones breaking and meat being torn.

            It was over, Jack had his revenge, and the Boss was dead. Death appeared in front of Jack in the form of a young woman. She was very pale and slender, she wore all black and had long black hair that flowed into her black dress. She walked toward Jack and smiled “You have done well” She said with a kind smile. Death knelt down and picked up the Hammer with ease. “The stories this hammer could tell…” She said as her voice drifted off. Death stared at the hammer as if it was telling her all of its amazing stories.

            “What do I do now?” Asked Jack as he lifted himself up. “I want a peaceful life, I want to be done with this nightmare. Am I even human anymore? What was that green fire inside of me?” Jack added. Death sighed “The hammer’s magic kept you alive. MY hammer kept you alive. Now that you have given it to me, you are as mortal and human as before. Now you can go build your life. It is yours for the taking. Do as you wish with this freedom. The mountaintop, the autumn forest, maple town and even a black cat all wait for you in your future. The traveling and building is up to you” Death explained. “Thank you, Jack” Death added with a smile then vanished from sight.

            Jack felt sore, tired and hungry. Before he left Dark city forever he decided to pay a visit to Old Carl and see if he could make him some food for old times sake.

            Jack stumbled as he walked back into the city, leaving the sights and sounds of the Haunted Forest behind him. As he approached the city he saw a black cat with green eyes. It was just a kitten, it was lost and alone and rummaging through a garbage can for food. Jack walked up to the cat and put his hand out to pet it. Despite living on the street, the cat was friendly and trusting enough to let Jack pet him. Jack saw an old can of pumpkin puree in the garbage and smiled at the dirty logo of a pumpkin patch. The black cat bit down on the can but then reared its head back when it realized the can wasn’t edible.

            “Would you like to come with me? I’m homeless too” Jack told the cat. The cat mewed and began to purr. “Have you ever been to the mountains? I hear they are lovely this time of year” Jack said as he picked up his new cat and placed it on his shoulders. “I am going to call you Karu, if that’s alright” Jack said. Karu meowed.

            Jack and Karu walked through Dark city, toward the Lousy Dame bar. The rain had stopped, the sun was rising and Jack had a brand new life ahead of him.

The Sky is a Hellish red

            The sky is a hellish red, the trees burn with the smoldering flames. I stare into the mouth of evil and pick up my sword. This fight has been a long time coming but none of us expected this.

 I look to my right and then to my left. Arlyn and Baroth try their best to keep on their feet. Baroth is the strongest man I have ever seen, his axe was forged from the bones of a thousand monsters and the metal for his chain mail was dug from the core of the planet during one of his many adventures. He is a pillar of strength but now he waivers. When the strongest man among us cannot endure what hope do the rest of us have?

            Arlyn, a beautiful flower and a fierce warrior all in one. At the darkest times, it was her smile and determination that kept me going. Woe be the enemy that survives a shot from her arrow, because a much more painful death awaits all of those who get close enough to feel the sting of her blade. That is how I would like to remember her, if I survive this.

            The giant beast of ancient times rose from the ground, its sheer size split the earth and its power ignited the trees. An army of trained men and women fell to its awesome and terrible might. Now I stand on unsteady ground and fight to survive with the only friends I have known.

            Arlyn fires a volley of arrows at the giant swaying eyes of the demon, blood dripped from her arms and torso. It was hard seeing her that way. My brain keeps telling me to protect her and the damage she has been dealt is a failure on my part. The truth is, she is probably more qualified to protect me.

           

            The arrows soar through the air and whiz through the flaming trees. Scorching arrows strike the eyes of the beast. The creature roars and Baroth charges forward toward the gaping mouth of the creature. The mouth that has already consumed so many souls before. Still he continues onward, no sign of fear to be seen. Sheer determination moves him as the ground quakes under his feet.

            Were are a mere three warriors and still my companions fight on. They seem un-phased by the impossible odds of survival. They fight because they have no other choice. Arlyn ran out of arrows so she begins leaping through the burning forest as she draws her daggers. I yell for her to stop, but my words are lost in the chaos and noise.

            The beast howls in pain as Baroth strikes out with all of his might. The creature fights back with the fury of a demigod and flames begin to rain down from the sky. The giant claws of the beast slash Baroth. He staggers and falls. Tears in my eyes, I charge forward. I can die like a coward or meet my end fighting with my brethren.

            I rush forward and draw my sword. Ice and lighting accumulate in my left hand as I hold my sword in my right hand. I put all of my energy into this. I will not give up. The world has not beaten us. It will not beat us. Not this day not ever!

I'd Kill for

            The light of the moon shined down and reflected off the metal of a handgun. The gun was held out by a shadowy figure wearing a trench coat and hat. The gun was pointed at a scared middle-aged man holding a box. The box carrying man was pleading for his life as he stood in a dark alley at gunpoint.

            Behind the gunman was a pair of bright red eyes and pale white fangs. These eyes and fangs belonged to a demon who was hiding in the shadows. The silhouette of the demon showed large wings, claws and horns, but only the gunman could see the demon. Being at gunpoint scared the middle-aged man enough, it was for the best that he couldn’t also see a demon lurking in the shadows.

 The trench coat wearing gunman stood motionless as he kept his gun pointed at his victim’s head. as the victim pleaded the gunman never replied. The street was quiet and there was no one around to witness this crime. “Do iit…” said the demon in a slow hiss. Only the gunman heard the demon’s voice. The gunman smiled and his glasses reflected the moonlight. The sound of a single gunshot rang out through the alley. The middle-aged man was face down dead.

            “Now claim it” Hissed the demon. The gunman smiled like a madman as he walked toward the box. Slowly he opened it, lifting the lid and looked inside. “Perfect, extra cheese with pepperoni” Said the gunman as he viewed his prize.

            An hour earlier-

Dave sat on his couch flipping channels he was getting hungry. The day went by and he had barely eaten anything. He decided to order some take-out food, but then realized he was dead broke for another week. He was getting hungrier by the minute and the ads on tv for pizza weren’t helping.

“Man, I would kill for some pizza right now” David said as he covered his face in frustration.

Just then a demonic figure appeared behind David’s couch. “Reeally?…” Asked the voice in a low hiss.

The Journeyman part 1

There was a land that was dark and chaotic. Monsters lurked around every corner and portals that lead to other realities were scatter across the land. These portals were easy to access and the results of opening them were unpredictable. These portals could unleash dark energy that would ravage the area or the portal could open a door to untold nightmares and monsters. Portals could also be used for good though. Containing healing light, magical treasures or even doors to other kingdoms were the humans thrive.

            In this story we follow the Journeyman in the land of twilight, the world on the brink of complete darkness, where humanity struggles to hold on. The Journeyman named Jorn had traveled to a large dark castle. The castle was once a bright and busy place and the king of the castle ruled over and united the whole land, but a portal had appeared and carelessly opened inside the castle walls. Demons flooded into the castle, killing the royal family and all of the strongest knights.

            The Journeyman was going to the castle in search of a powerful sword that was in the king’s vault. Enough time had passed that most of the demons had dispersed through the land and if Jorn was careful he might be able to steal the ancient blade away from the remaining demons of the castle.

            Under cover of night, Jorn crept softly into the castle through a large hole in the main wall. He couldn't use a torch without alerting any enemies, so his eyes had to get used to the complete darkness of the castle. Jorn kept his hand on the hilt of his sword as he walked. He wanted to be ready for anything. Jorn had come prepared, wearing leather boots and gauntlets, chain mail vest under a leather chest piece and a bronze helmet that covered most of his head and face. He wasn't a trained warrior or knight so all he carried was a long sword and a small shield and since he was trying to sneak into the castle he didn't bring any metal armor, not that he could afford it in the first place.

            Jorn’s heart had been beating quickly ever since he first stepped into the dark castle. He inched along the ground, barely lifting his feet up at all and every step down was slow and deliberate. As he moved through the castle corridors he felt like something else was moving through the castle too. Like some kind of invisible creature was moving through the darkness without making a single sound. All Jorn had, was a feeling. Logic told him he was being paranoid but instinct told him that if he were to reach out into the darkness his hand would grasp something made of nightmares. Something that would be so horrible it could only exist in the worst parts of his mind. Jorn tried to calm down and continued to move through the dark halls. He never made any sudden movements and found that every step forward was unhindered.

            Finally he reached a large pair of doors with a lock. Beyond this door should be the room where the kings sword was kept. Now it was time for the loud part. Jorn rustled through his bag and pulled out a lock picking kit. He sat there and fiddled with the lock, trying his best to pick the lock as quickly and quietly as possible. Anything of value was always behind a locked door or inside a locked chest and since Jorn didn’t know where the keys were, he would have to pick the lock. Picking locks wasn’t too much of a problem for the Journeyman. He had a variety of skills like lock picking, the hard part was trying to avoid drawing attention as the metal of the lock clinked around with the pick.

            With one final click and a sudden pop, the lock was sprung and the door opened with a loud long drawn out creek. The sound of the metal lock springing and the creaking of the door echoed down the stairs, through the hallway and bounced around the castle for a few seconds before everything returned to being dead silent. Jorn was relieved that he got the lock open safetly, but was now nervous again as he realized how much noise he just made. It was time to get the sword and then make an escape.

            He knew what the sword looked like by a painting he saw in the village if the king holding the sword. So now the trick was finding it. The room was filled with armor, swords, cannons and gunpowder. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs and some of the weapons and armor were rusted or rotted away. As Jorn searched he eventually came upon a chest. It was wood with gold lining and had a big old lock on it. Jorn didn’t know if he had time to pick another lock and figured if a special sword was in that room it was probably in the fancy box. He only had one option left. Jorn unsheathed his sword and struck down at the chest. The lock was too big to break, but the hinges that were attached to the rotting decades old wood would break with enough force. Jorn struck the same spot twice, making more noise than he would have liked. Finally the chest opened and inside was the Kings sword. It looked new and shined even though there was no light to reflect off of it.

            Then something caught Jorn’s eye, a faint glow in the corner of the room. He walked over to it and noticed it was an unopened portal. Dormant portals just look like small little orbs of dull light until opened. This light had a bluish hue, not that the color of the portal meant anything to Jorn. While he was investigating the portal a large monster had crawled into the room and located the source of all of this noise. The Journey man looked up his eyes wide and terrified as he saw a giant humanoid creature. It had eyes that were black as coal, sickly pale skin that had a sheen on it, like a mucus or moisture of some kind. The creature was bald with floppy eyes and a big stupid face. Inside his mouth were jagged teeth and a large tongue that seemed to be coated in thick toxic saliva. Jorn could see all of this because the giant had its mouth open and drool oozed from his mouth and ran down his tongue then dropped off and made a little splash on the ground. The saliva changed the spot on the floor from gray stone to a fragile looking black stone, like burned wood. Jorn held his old sword in one hand and the new sword in his other. He stood ready to fight as he slowly moved around this abomination.

            “Your soul looks delicious. I haven’t had human in so long” the abomination said, its words were slow and gurgled by the thick saliva in its mouth. The creature moved forward with the speed and agility that you would not expect from a lumpy flesh monster. The creature tried to grab Jorn with its large fleshy hands. The creature had broken and jagged fingernails, which weren't dangerous, but this further added to the disgust and horror Jorn felt toward the creature. The journeyman narrowly escaped the creatures grasp. Then spun around and stabbed both of his swords into the creatures arm. The old sword left a wound, the kings sword left a wound but also seemed to burn the monster. The lumpy sack of flash recoiled in pain. Its face twisted into an angry grimace. It then slammed its fists into the ground. The sound echoed through the castle and then the ground began to rumble. The fleshy ogre gave a taunting smile then ran off. Something bigger was on its way and it didn't seem to make allies. The abomination disappeared into the darkness with the same unrealistic speed that it used during the battle. Jorn tried to run out too. He left the armory, ran down the hallway and reached the stairs. The ground rumbled and he heard a roar. Something big was chasing him, but Jorn didn't know from which direction, or how it could even fit in these narrow hallways.