Saturday, December 12, 2009

Killer






Michael - 14
Edith - 16
Killer - probably around 29 or 30
Timeline: In the midst of chapter 6



“Who?” Michael spoke calmly despite being surrounded by one of the largest groups we’d ever faced.

The name of the man in charge was known as “Killer.” We'd been told that he was from the Lost Territory. It was commonly accepted that he was the first son of the Original Experiment, the one who'd originally started the Revolution. They said there was a look to his eyes, the same look they said had been on his father when he'd been young and forming the Southlands.


We were there because Killer was becoming too strong a force for Michael and the others to ignore. Although he was a nomad, like us, he seemed able to convert people to follow him too quickly and fervently.

He sat before us, a hint of an arrogant smile on his lips. Behind him stood a girl who looked at us with eyes large in fright. She didn't see me, her eyes were only on Michael.

Killer glanced around the room and I could see a few of the weaker ones flinch. “Her.” He nodded to a girl hardly older than me who stood off in a corner. She was barely clothed so that her ribs pressed against her skin was highly noticeable. There was a wild terror in her eye that I’d never known even on that worst day. Everyone was a danger to her. Even me.


Michael only glanced at her and she pressed into the wall fearing the sight of him.

There was a familiar sound from behind me-- the familiar shredding of clothes and more, the gasps of the men near-by him, the scent of blood. The girl tried to press herself through the brick wall. Her eyes grew wider in fear and she started to whimper as if she didn’t have enough energy to even scream.

My head didn’t turn. I caught Michael’s eyes. There was no emotion on his face when he said, “Don’t look.”

I could hear one of the heartier guys behind me say, “I’m not cleaning that up.”


Killer seemed impressed. He wasn’t the least bit disturbed. It was another clue that something had to be off about him. We were invited to stay to dinner, just as Michael had hoped.


“Don’t speak, even if he speaks to you. Keep your eyes down on your plate.” Michael had said before we were to head downstairs to be ushered into Killer‘s private dining room. “I can’t leave you behind.”

It was the first time I’d seen Michael so tense. Any situation we'd gone into previously, Michael had always known that he could handle it. But this time, something about Killer seemed to unnerve him which worried me.

We were lead by one of the men from earlier through underground tunnels and down one flight of stairs until we were finally ushered into the room Killer used for his private dining room.

My eyes did not scan the room. I did my best to do as Michael had said I should, and I kept my eyes down. Still, I caught sight of the girls from the audience chamber. The hungry one sat in a corner watching us wearily. The other girl sat at the table in the spot next to Killer.


Our plates were already waiting for us and we sat down in front of them. Michael took the spot nearest Killer. I caught sight of the the girl in the corner clutching at her stomach in pain as we sat with our plates in front of us.

Killer's voice was deep and dark, yet smooth. It reminded me of a small pool of water, still over the top, but covering a large hole that would swallow an entire leg if you stepped into it. He made the normal inquiries, whether Michael had liked the room he'd provided and if he'd had any problems with the others before they started to get into the reason we came here.

"I need help with a problem," Killer was saying. "If you'd be willing to help me, I'd find the way to be willing to help you."


My eyes barely glanced up, only enough to catch the light eyes of the girl in front of me, and for the briefest of moments, our eyes met before we both looked away. Or maybe I was the only one who looked away.

"The Southlands have more than enough resources to fight a war with the Neutrals, if that was what you really wanted to do. But they're working with the Neutrals-- the same people who created the labs that supposedly tortured the old guys. If you'll help me stop them, then I can promise you I'll use my... abilities for the good of your cause."

It struck me how dull her eyes looked. They were the same eyes I saw from time to time when I looked in a mirror. In that instant, I felt a bond between the two of us without words needing to be said.

"You want to take on the Southlands? But isn't he your father?"


We were two like souls at the mercy of forces more powerful than either of us. Clearly taken care of while those around us suffered. I stared at my untouched plate. The girl in the corner still watched us hungrily though she made no noise, not even a sniffle.

"Biologically, yes. The man raped my mother. But he's already disowned me in favor of his chosen successor. Bennet is difficult to get past, even for me. I could use your help with him. So I can have a fair shot at my father."

"You want to kill him. But his power--"

"His power is nothing really. Most powers are negated with me around. His dog, Bennet, happens to be one of the few who aren't affected."


Something about his voice caused a tingle in the back of my neck that almost made me shiver. My eyes jumped up from my plate to the spot Killer sat. His eyes were deceptively warm, hiding the coldness and cruelness that I could sense from him. I could see the curiosity in his eyes by the candle light for the second his eyes held mine. Quickly, I forced mine back down to my plate which only called his attention to the fact I hadn't touched my food.

“What is with your pet? Is she not hungry enough?“

Michael's voice was flat, but I could hear his anger barely contained. "It's the one in the corner. She doesn't like eating when others can't."

Killer ignored it if he caught it. "Very odd one. You must not be treating her properly."

“I need her to look good if we’re going to fool anyone.”

“I’ve got some better looking ones. We can do a trade.”

“No.” Michael was thankfully quick to respond.

Killer’s voice was too jovial and friendly after that. There was a quiet pause before he said, “Tell her she can feed the girl.”

I could tell that there was something going on that was over my head. Not being able to see their expressions, I had no way of knowing what exactly was going on. Michael caught my eye and gave a small, curt nod.

By then, I wanted to be anywhere other than under Killer’s watchful eye at the table.


I stood up, careful not to glance at Killer again, grabbed my plate, and slowly made my way over to the corner where the girl stood. Her wild eyes glanced from me to Michael and Killer behind me. “No…” her voice was only a terrified peep.

I stopped before her holding the plate out to her, but she cowered in the corner, afraid to take it.

“He will hurt me,” she whispered in terror.

The “he” could only be Killer. It was then I realized I was only aiding him in his torture of her. I couldn’t go back to the table to face him, and I couldn’t stay standing in front of her with a plate of food she wouldn’t touch.

Michael’s cold voice cut through the air making me and the girl jump. “Let her eat.”

Killer still had that tone of amusement. “She can eat. I’m not stopping her.”

There was a tense silence at the table behind me. The other girl at the table said nothing, but I was sure I could hear her ragged breathing in time with my pounding heart.

The girl in front of me watched the table with large eyes. Quietly, I heard Killer say, “Fine. Eat.”

Cautiously, the girl glanced from the table to the plate in my hands. She looked as ready to cry as she was to eat. Slowly, she reached out to take the plate from me and then she began to shove food into her mouth.



Breathing did not come easily until we were outside in the setting sun, Michael tugging at my hand, pulling me to a safe place to teleport away. He'd agreed to work with Killer just before we left. Said he would gather the others and they would be in contact.


My mind ran wild with fear at Michael and Killer together. As I followed in the dark behind Michael, I remembered That Night and the things I'd already witnessed him do. He had never tortured or harmed young girls as long as I'd been by his side. What would he do now? What would he become?



"I'm not working with him." Michael said it to me in the dimly lit room once we were back in friendly territory. He spoke those words to me as I lay still, trying to fight back the nightmares on the edges of my consciousness.

Quietly he added, "I had her go to sleep. She won't wake up."

Perhaps he meant it as a comfort that her mysery was over now. The one poor soul who would haunt my memories always present and in the background as she had been at Killer's. Because she didn't have a Michael, because the light eyed girl's protector was her torturer. And my protector had snuffed out her life casually rather than find a way to save it.


On to Chapter 1 of new Story: Paula -->


13 comments:

  1. What a great aside this is....I especially love the ending words, because they really get at the way that even someone as brilliant as Michael can miss so much. Wonderful! And we get to hear more about the Original Experiment, which is even better!

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  2. When I saw that first picture of Killer and the girl, I actually thought she reminded me of Edith a little, so reading that Edith felt as if they'd bonded somehow was cool. I'd say Edith is probably better off with Michael than this girl is with Killer though.

    I love these looks back at what's come before. What a tense scene this was! It wasn't until I saw the last picture that I realised we didn't see Edith or Michael's faces at all. It worked really well with just hands and the backs of heads.

    I keep reading the ending over and over, just taking it in. I'm still thinking about it but I can't quite think of what I want to say about it, so I might end this comment now and come back later if I figure it out!

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  3. This is truly stuff of nightmares. What a freaking choice, stand there and offer food someone can't eat, or eat while they starve, or force them to eat knowing that they will suffer for it.

    Michael meant it as an act of mercy. It's unclear whether he really could have saved her. Or would it would have meant to 'save her', what he would have had to sacrifice in her stead.

    Your focus on the food, never showing anyone but Killer and the poor girl, was truly inspired!

    The whole piece stunned me. Absolutely riveting writing.

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  4. Very chilling look at how others who have their own abilities and their own "slaves" work.

    I keep thinking that Edith is lucky to have Michael as her protector. It seems the others look upon those without power as nothing more than brief 'pets' or 'amusements' they like to play with until they tire of them. I can't help but get the image of a cat playing with its food before it kills it.

    The world, the characters, the way you bring your story to life (larger than life even) is truly inspiring Lunar.

    It's like a really really good book that you can't put down and you have to find out what happens next.

    I've been telling my husband about this story and how different it is from other sim stories I've read. I am always amazed at your ability to capture those subtle expressions that say a hell of a lot on your sims.

    I want to say thank you for sharing this truly unique story.

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  5. Wow, thanks everyone. I have to admit I was nervous posting this up since it is so much darker than most anything else I've posted up. Welcome to the outside world all-- away from Edy's protected little house and her garden.

    This was also going to be a chapter in Michael and Edith's story, but didn't fit because it was missing something-- which I found and added in. So here I am, going to use it as a transitional piece to Paula's story which will occur around the same time.


    Rachel, even Michael misses some things. He's been doing it all along, the same as Edy has in some regards. As for the Original Experiment, he's going to be semi-prominent in the next story.


    Carla, whoa... this may sound nuts, but I did not consciously set out to exclude Michael and Edith's faces, so your observation is a complete surprise to me. I myself did not realize that. It does work considering in this story they are not really meant to be the main focus. (It's like that time I sent Gabe and Alberta on that date.)

    The girl with Killer, that one surprised me. She was only recently written in and the sim created a week ago or so! I'm sure someday we'll see them again.


    Thank you SB. Horrible choice indeed, especially for poor Edy who is at times so much more fragile and delicate than I think.

    Perfect that it's unclear here. We're limited only to Edy's view, and the poor girl knows a lot and yet doesn't know a lot at times.

    Thank you very much for reading and being so supportive.


    Carnaxa, you're pretty close. Especially with Killer.

    There are plenty of humans that are protected by or servants to those who do have powers or rank, but there are many different types of possible relationships. I think we'll get more of the picture of that with the Southlands and the next story.

    Aw, really? Thank you Carnaxa. It really means a lot to me. I always kept this story so close to me because I was sure that no one would get it, and it'd just be too weird. (And it was really bad when I was younger, it needed time to percolate and grow.)

    I'm glad it's not like other sim stories, because it technically isn't a sim story! But it's always been very visual. I used to try and draw it, but could never draw as well as the characters I saw in my head. Sims 3 has managed to somehow work in place of that-- which has surprised me.


    Thank you very much for reading along and offering your support. It really does mean a lot to me.

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  6. Freaking wow! That was intense! Fantastic writing here!

    I agree, it's very interesting the way these two see their world through completely different eyes - Michael thought he was helping the girl by putting her out of her misery, and Edith wished he could rescue her instead. It's hard to say who's in the right. Neither and both, probably.

    And I can't help but chime in with all the other praise - this is an amazing story. You really should be publishing. I've told you that before. More people need to be reading this story, not just the Sims community, but everyone.

    One of my professors told me this in college, and it meant a lot to me, so I'm passing it on, and it's not meant to be taken lightly - you've found your calling. You're meant to bring stories into the world. Consider it your duty :)

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  7. Wow, Laura. You know, all this praise is going to make my head big if your keep it up.

    But it does mean a lot to hear you say that. My secret, which really is not a secret anymore I think, was that I always did want to be a writer. Since I was in fifth grade-- no joke.

    I have a lot of plans, but not sure where this will go yet, so it's still percolating and not yet ready I think.

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  8. The ego is fine! You'll need all that confidence to fall back on when you start having to deal with the rejections, lol! *knows from experience* :)

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  9. Sheesh that gave me the chills.

    Your pics help to play with our imaginations... like those movies when you never see the monster but you just hear it or see a shadow.

    Just creepy!

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  10. Hi Lunar!

    I love these single stories. They are a real treat.

    I'm probably a bit slow on the uptake, because there's quite a few things I don't get.

    What happened when there was the sound of shredding clothes, men nearby gasping and the scent of blood? And who caused it?

    This line confuses me:
    "The Southlands have more than enough resources to fight a war with the Neutrals, if that was what you really wanted to do. But they're working with the Neutrals-- the same people who created the labs that supposedly tortured the old guys."

    Does Killer mean you/Michael or should it read "... if that is what they wanted to do?"

    "... labs that supposedly tortured the old guys..." Killer doesn't believe labs did that? He thinks it happened a long time ago even though Michael is proof it went on only recently?

    May I presume Killer wasn't a lab experiment, but 'inherited' his powers genetically? Even though his powers are different from his father's and apparently stronger?

    I'm glad he is obviously not capable of 'negating' Michaels powers.

    It makes sense to me that Michael put the poor girl to sleep - even if it sounds like something a vet would do. He doesn't want to work with Killer... He doesn't want a war with Killer either...

    I will always find the way the people with powers treat those without very disturbing whether they are protective of them or not. It reminds me too much of slavery. It doesn't matter if you are a good slavemaster or not: slavery is wrong and thankfully it has been abolished to an extent in our world.

    Oh, and the whole funny thing is... if it wasn't for those illegal doctors to do their experiments... People with 'powers' would not exist, isn't it?

    I like Michael in this chapter. I like him very much... :)

    What a wondeful read!!!

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  11. Laura, that is true, isn't it? Well, as I get older, I get stronger and tougher it seems.

    Thanks Worsiedog! I love playing with the imagination. I spend probably 75% of my time wandering around my own imagination. XD


    Hi, Moondaisy. Thank you for the comment. I'm glad you asked, because if you don't understand then others might need clarification too.


    The shredding clothes was him ripping someone apart. In that first scene, he basically showing his power to Killer. It's not enough to generally say what you can do-- you have to be prepared to demonstrate. (He also did this same trick in Chapter 6 to the leader of the small group.)

    Nope, Killer does mean "you" as in Michael. He's trying to entice Michael over to his side, find a common bond with him. This is the first time I've hinted at a possible motivation for Michael doing what he does.


    "... labs that supposedly tortured the old guys..." You bring up a very interesting question! Hmm. I'm not sure what he thinks to be honest. In that case, he's specifically referring to the way his father, leader of the Southlands, is working with the Neutrals. And it's commonly accepted by all of the Wildlands that the Neutrals are to blame for the labs.

    Yes, Killer did indeed inherit his powers from his father. I'm going to have fun playing with that to be honest.


    *cough* Well... as for the negating powers, just because Killer didn't seem to here (that we know of because we only have Edy's side) it doesn't mean he couldn't. Remember, Michael was quite nervous here before they went to dinner.

    Exactly. He doesn't want to work with the man, but the man is clearly dangerous.

    Ooh, wait until the next story. I've found a character that quite agrees with you about the "protection" thing.

    That's an interesting thought too, Moondaisy. That they wouldn't have powers without the lab. That certainly seems true, and it is commonly accepted.

    Thank you very much for reading, Moondaisy.

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  12. What a contrast this is to the story I read yesterday about Edy and Michael! It confirmed some of what I thought, that Edy had an easier life (relatively speaking) compared to other poor unfortunate humans caught up in the conflict.

    Her connection with Michael at such a young age seems to have offered her a few advantages, but meeting Killer I can't help but wonder whether if Michael would have taken the same path if he hadn't had the advantage of his connection with Edy when still a child.

    His moral compass seems a little off compared with our perceptions of the world, thinking that the best solution was to put that poor starving girl to sleep like a pet who can no longer be cared for; but when you compare it to who else is living in this world with them, perhaps it's not so off after all? Everything is relative.

    Ooops, I do tend to think "out loud", sorry for the rambling, but this story made me think, to reassess my assumptions made reading the earlier story. Thank you!!

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  13. lol, no thank you. I actually like to hear thoughts spoken out loud!

    Edy has had a much easier life compared to others thanks to Michael. And that connection did probably shape Michael in turn. Who knows what he could have become without her?

    Thank you. :)

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