The man noticed his hand shaking as he pounded the door to the next office open. The super soldier serum was hitting him hard. Each movement hurt, every breath was painful as his body reshaped itself. He could feel the pain as his bones lengthened to carry the new muscle weight, and he could feel the fire of the micro-tears as those new muscles grew stronger. He ate all the time he wasn't on duty, desperate to feed the chemical monster that was rebuilding him. He knew he was taller then when they had measured him last week. His uniform didn't fit so well, but he could carry his flame thrower tucked under one arm now. The speed of his hands was amazing, even to him.
The next room was dark and he could hear movement inside. With the serum pumping through his veins his reflexes were fast enough for him to bring the flamethrower up and then stop it before the jellied fuel could spray out over the young woman who stood there. He lowered his weapon, uncertain. She seemed small and nonthreatening, but he wasn't going to take any chances around here. She sheltered a single candle flame with her hand, the only light in the room. He could see the light move behind her pale fingers like a living thing.
"Get down you stupid..." He raised the flamethrower to knock her to the floor and was startled to hear her laugh. The warm richness of the noise filled the room, which suddenly seemed larger then an office. She lifted the candle in her hand, throwing light further into the room and the soldier stopped, confused by the space he could see. This room couldn't fit in the building he had just stormed through. The walls and ceiling were far off, shrouded in the near-dusk of the place. Plants and cushions were piled around thick carpets, their jewel tones blending together in the dimness. Clearly, this was not an office in an accounting firm.
"Explain this! Now!" Fear made his words harder then they needed to be but the woman didn't flinch back like he expected her too. In this city, that meant she had some kind of secret. He was good at getting things from people that they didn't want to tell. He'd been commended many times for his ability to torture a prisoner and this woman looked fragile, easy to break. Her soft red hair floated around her delicate face as she looked up at him.He stepped toward her menacingly and paused in shock as she bowed to him deeply.
"Welcome to my Sanctuary! Only those who truly need it will ever find their way here." She waved her hand and hundreds of tiny lights flickered into existence. "I will be your joy tonight." The light of the candles didn't reach all the way to the ceiling or to the far walls, but he could see the low table set with food. There was a pitcher of beer, a glass, and a plate of kebabs neatly set out and waiting for him. He didn't move, although he could feel the cramps in his stomach from the smell of the food. She nodded at his caution and walked to the table herself.
"The food is safe, I'll show you." And she did so, eating and drinking some of each dish, wiping the lip of the glass on her sleeve when she was done. "Come in, rest, and tell me why one like yourself would need Sanctuary." The hunger inside him drove him to his knees beside the table. He piled meat and bread on his plate, and began to shovel the food inside himself. In several minutes he had noisily devoured everything on the table and was searching for more. Her laughter pulled him to a couch, piled with pillows and a small table with an array of fruit set out beside it. "Eat, and tell me your story." She smiled, held out her hand, and he forgot why he had been so afraid.
He told her everything: every robbery, [censored] and murder. He told her about the vampyri and the Nictus, about the Warwolves and the legions of super soldiers. She murmured soft nonsense and fed him almonds and honey cakes. He told her about the lives he had destroyed and he told her of how he had been destroyed. He spoke of the secrets he knew and the one he only guessed at. She watched him as if she memorized each word. He broke in the end, crouched on the floor and sobbing into one of the many pillows. She let him weep, clinging to her hands, and told him that there was no death or destruction in the Sanctuary. This place, beyond all others, was protected.
When he was calm again she told him it was time for him to return to the outside world. He knew he'd be punished for time he'd been missing from duty but he thought he could deal with that now. He was sure he'd be able to come back if he needed to. She walked him to the door and stepped out into the hallway with him. The mundane lighting and dull carpet of the office building didn't diminish her startling beauty.
She pulled him down to kneel before her and placed her hands on his head in benediction.
"There is no death in my Sanctuary. And there never will be. I give you peace."
And the fire shot from her hands into his skull, scorching and burning his head into a pile of charred ash in seconds. His body toppled to the floor un-noticed.
"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
"I wonder how much Arachnos will pay for this little tid-bit?"She dusted off her hands, closed the door, and disappeared into Sanctuary.
Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse
The English language is an intricate high-speed precision tool.Stop using it to bang open coconuts. ~Tokamak Dark_Respite's Video page
The man noticed his hand shaking as he pounded the door to the next office open. The super soldier serum was hitting him hard. Each movement hurt, every breath was painful as his body reshaped itself. He could feel the pain as his bones lengthened to carry the new muscle weight, and he could feel the fire of the micro-tears as those new muscles grew stronger. He ate all the time he wasn't on duty, desperate to feed the chemical monster that was rebuilding him. He knew he was taller then when they had measured him last week. His uniform didn't fit so well, but he could carry his flame thrower tucked under one arm now. The speed of his hands was amazing, even to him.
The next room was dark and he could hear movement inside. With the serum pumping through his veins his reflexes were fast enough for him to bring the flamethrower up and then stop it before the jellied fuel could spray out over the young woman who stood there. He lowered his weapon, uncertain. She seemed small and nonthreatening, but he wasn't going to take any chances around here. She sheltered a single candle flame with her hand, the only light in the room. He could see the light move behind her pale fingers like a living thing.
"Get down you stupid..." He raised the flamethrower to knock her to the floor and was startled to hear her laugh. The warm richness of the noise filled the room, which suddenly seemed larger then an office. She lifted the candle in her hand, throwing light further into the room and the soldier stopped, confused by the space he could see. This room couldn't fit in the building he had just stormed through. The walls and ceiling were far off, shrouded in the near-dusk of the place. Plants and cushions were piled around thick carpets, their jewel tones blending together in the dimness. Clearly, this was not an office in an accounting firm.
"Explain this! Now!" Fear made his words harder then they needed to be but the woman didn't flinch back like he expected her too. In this city, that meant she had some kind of secret. He was good at getting things from people that they didn't want to tell. He'd been commended many times for his ability to torture a prisoner and this woman looked fragile, easy to break. Her soft red hair floated around her delicate face as she looked up at him.He stepped toward her menacingly and paused in shock as she bowed to him deeply.
"Welcome to my Sanctuary! Only those who truly need it will ever find their way here." She waved her hand and hundreds of tiny lights flickered into existence. "I will be your joy tonight." The light of the candles didn't reach all the way to the ceiling or to the far walls, but he could see the low table set with food. There was a pitcher of beer, a glass, and a plate of kebabs neatly set out and waiting for him. He didn't move, although he could feel the cramps in his stomach from the smell of the food. She nodded at his caution and walked to the table herself.
"The food is safe, I'll show you." And she did so, eating and drinking some of each dish, wiping the lip of the glass on her sleeve when she was done. "Come in, rest, and tell me why one like yourself would need Sanctuary." The hunger inside him drove him to his knees beside the table. He piled meat and bread on his plate, and began to shovel the food inside himself. In several minutes he had noisily devoured everything on the table and was searching for more. Her laughter pulled him to a couch, piled with pillows and a small table with an array of fruit set out beside it. "Eat, and tell me your story." She smiled, held out her hand, and he forgot why he had been so afraid.
He told her everything: every robbery, [censored] and murder. He told her about the vampyri and the Nictus, about the Warwolves and the legions of super soldiers. She murmured soft nonsense and fed him almonds and honey cakes. He told her about the lives he had destroyed and he told her of how he had been destroyed. He spoke of the secrets he knew and the one he only guessed at. She watched him as if she memorized each word. He broke in the end, crouched on the floor and sobbing into one of the many pillows. She let him weep, clinging to her hands, and told him that there was no death or destruction in the Sanctuary. This place, beyond all others, was protected.
When he was calm again she told him it was time for him to return to the outside world. He knew he'd be punished for time he'd been missing from duty but he thought he could deal with that now. He was sure he'd be able to come back if he needed to. She walked him to the door and stepped out into the hallway with him. The mundane lighting and dull carpet of the office building didn't diminish her startling beauty.
She pulled him down to kneel before her and placed her hands on his head in benediction.
"There is no death in my Sanctuary. And there never will be. I give you peace."
And the fire shot from her hands into his skull, scorching and burning his head into a pile of charred ash in seconds. His body toppled to the floor un-noticed.
"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust"
"I wonder how much Arachnos will pay for this little tid-bit?"She dusted off her hands, closed the door, and disappeared into Sanctuary.
Part of Sister Flame's Clickey-Clack Posse
The English language is an intricate high-speed precision tool.Stop using it to bang open coconuts. ~Tokamak
Dark_Respite's Video page