Welp, I've temporarily beaten the writer's block to make..... a thing.
It was written long past the point I normally go to sleep, and was vaguely inspired by Hierarchical Enlightenment though I'll be damned if I remember how.
Warning: Is weird and slightly dark if I got the tone right. Is not proof read, and probably contains foul foul grammar. But I wrote something, so yay I guess.
The building was a ratty old apartment, red brick with a cast iron fire exit trailing down it’s back end. The kind of place an agent might call ‘classic’. It was, however, far from unique. A number of identical sites lay down either side, a phalanx of homes in various states of disrepair. there was something different about this one however. The facade seemed fresh, as if - unlike its comrades - it had not been neglected in its long life.
Thus, the pair standing before it were even more out of place than they would otherwise have been. A boy and a girl, young adults at best, dressed in faded suits several sizes too big for them. Both had raven black hair, with sallow, pinched skin that spoke of a life spent beyond the simple comforts of society. The girl stood slightly shorter than her companion, but whilst his eyes flicked around, seemingly bored with the whole affair, hers stared straight ahead, fixed upon the knocker before her.
The door swung open without their input however, to reveal a balding man of mediterranean complexion. A vivid birthmark anointed his crown, giving the impression at a slight glance of blood. He also wore a suit, considerably better fitted to his form. Without a word he waved the pair forward, and equally silent they stepped from the street onto the rugs that covered the floor inside. The boy glanced at the man as they set foot on the stairs, but was met only with a cold stare as he took up a position two steps below them. They climbed two floors before stopping outside another door in a similarly decorated room. This one was painted matt black, and eased open in complete silence at the girls’ touch.
The room within was barren except for a single desk. Three seats stood around it, one occupied - on the far side of the desk sat an elderly man, unhealthy even in comparison to the pair before him. His skin spoke of an origin in the depths of Africa, though his short cropped hair stood grey with age. Lines covered every facet of his face - there was not enough skin to create wrinkles. He nodded once as the pair stepped over the threshold, at the seats positioned opposite him - simple wooden affairs, coated in dust. The door slid shut once more at they complied, and the guard took up a position besides it, eyes fixed out of the sole grimy window, which cast a dim light on the African’s face.
He leaned back slightly in his chair, eyes flicking between the faces of the pair. He grinned slightly, the result being more predatory than friendly. The girl studied him likewise, but the boy followed the guard’s stare, affixed on the weak light. He was also the first to break, stumblibng over his words as they floated into the silence.
’Sir… We’ve come…. We’ve come for -’ He was cut off quickly by a chop of the hand from the man.
’The job. I know. I advertised it.’ A tinge of boredom lay over the words. ’I also advertised a single position.’ Again, a heavy pause, before he sighed. ’So why did you apply.’
’Well… We’re family -’ The girl lay a hand on his arm, halting him. Her voice was calm and even as she spoke, and the mans’ eyes latched onto hers in undisguised interest.
’We’re twins. We could both be of use to you.’ The silence returned, but now the girl locked eyes with the man, her intense gaze meeting his far calmer stare. The moments stretched into a minute before the girls’ shoulders sagged imperceptibly, and she spoke once more. ’Show him, Thomas.’
A thud echoed around the room, and both girl and man turned to glower at the guard, who had stepped back into the wall in shock. For the boy called Thomas now stood a meter behind the desk, his seat left empty with only the print in the dust to show he had ever been there. The man however, was unfazed, and only nodded once more as Thomas blinked back to his seat. He let a moment pass before he spoke again.
’And you, girl?’
’He can move himself. I can move other things. Just small ones, you understand.’ her hands shifted in her lap for a moment, before one came to rest on top of the desk, a pair of marbles held between the fingers.
The man sighed. ’I have no interest in… small objects. Your brother is employed.’ There was a pause as he met the girls’ glare. ’You are not.’
The floorboards creaked as the guard stepped forwards, a hand hovering over her shoulder. Her face was set hard and angry, and her lips barely parted as she replied. ’Wrong answer.’ Her fingertips met as the marbles vanished. The guard collapsed, clutching at his throat, hands held like claws tearing at the skin. The man looked calmly on until he lay still, before reaching slowly into his jacket pocket.
For the first time a speck of doubt appeared on the girls face, and she was riveted as the man withdrew a knife. In a panic she thrust back the chair, and it fell with a clatter as it caught on the corpse behind her. The boy vanished completely. The man, however, lifted the blade not to her but to his own throat, letting it rest on his skin as his lips sagged into a frown. His arm drew it across, and red blood spilled down his shirt and onto the desk. A lone marble rolled in the slick current, dropping from his throat to the desk, and then to the floor. It rolled to a stop at the girls’ feet, leaving a speck of red on her shoe. She kicked it away sharply, unable to tear away from the sight as the skin around the wound slowly began to seal, and a few bubbles rose through the gore as the man spoke in a pained wheeze.
’Tell me girl, are you aware of the mythology of Egypt?’ She nodded, slowly, unable to find words. The wound was now little more than a line, and the man chuckled.
’Then tell me what you know about Osiris.’
I believe this was inspired with my increasing frustration at superheroes with about 10 different abilities making them invincible, and that they're all paragons of some sort, so i ended up coming up with this: there is a thingtm that gives powers, but also makes the users sickly. the powers are also rather feeble in comparison to other sources, mostly because there's only a single power. For example, Thomas can teleport himself (and clothes, for decency's sake), the girl can teleport tiny objects, such as marbles, and the man - Osiris - is immortal and can heal from any wound, providing the pieces are there. So being blown into tiny pieces wouldn't be fatal, but it would still be incredibly annoying and require someone to gather all the bits and put them together to recover.
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Topic: Story A Day Month (Read 4300 times)