Writer's Block

It was such a long way down.

What was he doing up here on this damn ledge? Making an end of himself? Bah, he hadn't given up, not yet. So he was a freak now, so what?! Who cared what his moronic family thought - he was something else now, something better.

Of course, killing his sister as he fled hadn't been intentional. It meant he was going to have to do this very soon, thanks to those two cops inching towards him on either side. But no matter - he was ready.

He let go of the window ledge and stood there poised, the wind gently buffeting him. Then he leapt into space. For a few moments he plummeted, then his new wings spread themselves and he levelled out fifty feet from the ground, screaming his triumph as he soared over the traffic jam below. A few strong beats of his wings and he was level again with the ledge, laughing at the cops as they stood there open-mouthed. Then off he flew again, heading back to the lab where it all began, where - caaaaawk!


For a moment the boy and the bird hung in the air where they'd collided. Then they fell.

It was such a long way down.

I strain to open my eyes, and find a angry-looking young woman glaring down on me. Unfortunately i'm still too drained to do more than utter a faint moan, which isn't well-received.
"Look around you! I saw the flash from two miles away, and now here's you sitting pretty at the centre of a huge, dead patch on my family's land! Nothing to say? Well, either you can't speak or won't speak. Doesn't matter which it is - my dad's going to want to see you."
She gestures to someone out of sight, and next thing i know my arms are roughly seized and i'm thrown face down onto the back of a wagon. My arms and legs are chained a moment later, and my tail awkwardly tethered to my back. Something sits on my backside, pressing me further into the wooden surface. I hear the woman's voice call out "Move!", and off we go...somewhere.

Hours pass, long and painful ones with my face bearing the brunt of every bump we encounter. Then finally i hear voices, and soon i can tell we're moving through a crowd of people.

"What is that thing?"
"Is that the Beast?"
"Look at that tail!"
"'tis sent from the Devil himself for sure."
"Kill it!"

Something splatters against my shoulder, and a brief barrage ensues. Then the cart begins to rock slightly.

"Get back, scum! Back to your sewers!"

The weight on my back lifts a bit and i hear gunfire. Never heard it before except in old movies - wish it wasn't so close. I think briefly of escape, but it doesn't seem wise right now.
The people flee in panic quickly, and i hear the woman giving orders. There's suddenly a voice close to my head - a man's.

"I saw you tense up back there. There's no escape for you, not yet. You really don't want to find yourself away from us - the townspeople - ", he paused to spit, " - will burn you alive in an instant. With us...we'll think about it a little first."

Hard to tell if he's being friendly or not - almost toneless speech. Plus my head's still jammed against the cart. I try and mumble something through my bruises.

"Whermph?"

He kicks me hard in the ribs - something breaks, and it's not me.

He howls.

"What the hell are you made of?! Dammit, i'll sort you!"

A pistol cocks by my ear.

"Good riddance!"

A shot is fired, and suddenly a body falls on me.

"Good riddance indeed. Damn parasite."

The woman again. I feel her plant her foot on the corpse's back.

"I'm in charge here. YOU ALL HEAR ME?!"

Nervous grunts.

"Good! On we go."

The cart lurches on into the unknown...

"Good morning, sir. How may i help you?"
"At last! I've been trying to ring this number for a week!"
"I'm sorry about that sir, we're very busy at this time of year. The rush season, you know."
"In April?"
"Er, yes...er, lots of Easter Eggs sent through the mail in April."
"But Easter was in March this year."
"That's right, sir."
"But, you're saying that...no, i'm not getting into that now, not on my phone bill. I'm trying to find what happened to a parcel. It was supposed to arrive a week ago."
"Do you have a reference number for it, sir?"
"Yes, it's ED155786619GB."
"Just a moment, sir."

Some tapping on a keyboard is heard.

"Yes, sir, it's out for delivery."
"I know it's out for delivery. It's been saying that every day for 10 days. Well, where is it?"
"I'm sorry, sir, i don't have that information available."
"Look, i'm only half a mile from the depot. The depot where it arrived two weeks ago!"
"Well, according to the records we couldn't deliver because you weren't at home."
"Not at home? Not at home?! I've not left the house once! Your alleged delivery person never even came near the house!"
"Perhaps you were in the bathroom when he called sir."
"Ten days in a row? I don't live on the toilet, you know!"
"It is possible, sir."
"Fine, ok, it's possible. And i suppose my wife and eldest son were on the toilet too, right? After all, what better family occasion is there than a trip to the bathroom?!"
"There's no need to shout, sir."
"Well, perhaps if you were actually helpful rather than make stupid comments i'd be a little calmer."
"I'm just speculating, sir."
"Well, how about i try that for a change. Let's see...my theory is that your parcel delivery company is so unbelievably useless that they can't find a house on the main road leading to their own depot after ten days of 'trying'."
"I assure you, sir-"
"Or perhaps so unbelievably pissed. I'm sure we're both aware of the presence of The Dog and Trumpet a scant three doors away from your establishment."
"I've no idea what you're talking about."
"I bet you're the only one left behind, manning the phones while the others go and deliver beer to their bellies."
"Er...about your parcel..."
"Suddenly want to change the subject? Ok, i'll bite. Where is my parcel?"
"Well, i need you to confirm the address matching the reference earlier."
"I see, so after ten 'attempts' at delivery, suddenly you think maybe you've been looking for the wrong house?"
"Er...yes."
"I'll tell you what the problem is. Your fellow muppets should have been looking for 6 Charter Street, as opposed to suddenly losing their way at 122 Charter Street and needing to ask the landlord for directions."
"I really can't comment on our route-finding methods, sir - company secrets."
"That's not a problem, i have my own. It's strange, but i just walked out the door, turned left, walked for a couple of minutes, and...there i am, outside the depot."
"You're outside? Now?!"
"Yes, i want my parcel. This way is much more efficient. Now, if you'll just open the door i'm sure we can find it together."
"I can't do that, sir - postal employees only."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. Well, no matter."

CLANG!

"Er...what was that, sir?"
"Just me and my little crowbar."
"Crowbar?!!"
"Yes, were you under the impression i was willing to wait anymore?"
"But...er...you can't do this! It's against the Postal Code! We'll stop you!"
"We? Your colleagues are currently in the pub heaving up their guts. Having a routine makes you vulnerable, you know."
"Eek! Stop that, you can't come in!"
"You should have delivered my parcel."
"Stay out!"
"Too late for that now...i'm inside and i can SEE you."

Gibbering.

"GIVE ME MY PARCEL!"
"It's over there...behind the TV!!"
"What's it doing there? Wait...are those beer stains on the wrapping paper?!"
"It was an accident!! Please...we didn't mean any harm, we just-"

CRUNCH!

"At last, some peace and quiet. Now, let's open this parcel."

Noises of paper being torn.

"Ah, there you are."

Sounds of turning pages.

"'add a drop of lavender to your bath, and soon you'll soak yourself calm.' Hey, that sounds good."

The owner of the teeth enters the cave a moment later, and i...recognize them. It's one of the vagrants they...we...experimented on, one of the few that survived the earliest tests - now turned got something monstrous. More memories explode into my mind, and reluctantly i push them back...for now. Better to deal with the threat first - he looks mad, in every sense of the word. I strain for one particular memory, and find it.
"Pete!"
He stops his slow advance, and looks at me quizzically. The huge mis-shapen jaw opens a little, and something struggles out.
"Pe-te? I-i-i'm Pete. Who you?"
As his only memory of me would have been when i helped strap him to the operating table, it's perhaps best not to answer truthfully.
"The name's Bobby - but you won't remember me. I saw them take you, before you were like this. They got me too, later."
He's still looking at me suspiciously. Suddenly he gives a loud sniff, and glares at me.
"You smell of THEM."
Them? That's not a good thing to smell of when trapped in a cave with a madman.
"Them? Er..."
"All guns and smoke and blood and rage...another one sent to find me. Another one sent to die."
This really isn't going right, and...is he salivating? Time to get out of here, somehow.
I back into the cave a little way, and pick up a large bone. He laughs and leaps towards me, arms outstretched. Taking advantage of my small size, i dive under his legs and jab upwards with the bone. He howls, and i run hurriedly out of the cave as he collapses. Not for long...i hear his feet pounding behind me, gaining ground by the second. I look back and he's only a dozen feet away. There's a cliff nearby...maybe i can trick him...if i can reach it. Just a little further...
And there it is. I run full pelt towards the edge, him close behind, then suddenly slam on the brakes and duck down. He falls over me, and the momentum carries him over the edge screaming.
Sadly the impact takes me over too. It's a long way down...far too much time to think.

The snarling's getting louder - sounds like it's coming back here. Quickly, i hide myself behind a row of boxes and keep still.
There's a scrabbling at the side of the truck, then a heavy thud as something lands inside. Silence reigns for a moment, then there's a bellow of rage. Next thing i know, the bearded man's head goes flying over my head and hits the wall with a sickening crunch. As my eyes inadvertently track its landing, i hear a growl. I wrench my eyes to the left, and see a blood-covered version of myself looking down on me. I barely have time to catch my breath before it attacks. A fist comes flying at me, and i instinctively raise my arm.
There's an almighty clang, and next thing i know i'm covering my ears with my hands. A few feet away, i see my assailant trying to do the same while nursing a badly-broken hand. I look at the dented plate on my left arm, then back. Its eyes stare at me, filled with hate and pain. Something stirs within me, and i leap towards my protagonist. My spiked tail lashes out, crushing its face beyond recognition, then the mist descends on me again and i remember no more...

I come to on a small hill. A few hundred yards away i can see the plane and truck, with a few faint figures moving around. A short distance away, a new truck lies idle. Suddenly there's a bang, and the first truck explodes in a giant ball of flame. The light illuminates the area briefly, silhouetting me against the hill. I hear a yell, and spot a group of men only fifty feet away pointing at me. One of them yammers into a mouthpiece, while the others drop down and point their guns at me. Reflex takes over, and a moment too late their bullets spatter where i stood.
I find myself running down the other side of the hill at a terrifying rate, and a minute later bounding out into the countryside, as far from the men as i can get.
It feels like i run for hours, all the while the sun slowly moving overhead. As it finally begins to set, i look for somewhere to rest. Curling up in a rather small cave behind a large bush, i settle uneasily to sleep, alert for the smallest noise of pursuit.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring...

just a small intermission. Check in the foyer for ice creams and drinks

1) 'escape chastity belt' (this one came from Princeton University )
2) 'gruesome rude games' (for when rude just isn't enough)
3) 'master "please stop" throat' (Er...)
4) 'where can i be brainwashed'
5) 'strap-on boobs' (from Norway?)
6) 'midget gun' (ammo might be hard to come by)
7) 'rude do not disturb signs' (pffft! Canadians )
8) 'darth vader's chat up lines'
9) 'names for evil wolves'
10) 'one something' (I've no idea what people are looking for, but this search has appeared on my Hitslink every day since I started my little series and it's coming from everywhere)

It's stopped.
I can't feel the motion anymore. Have we arrived? Is there a 'we'? It's just dark and quiet now...wait, what was that noise? A bang not too far away...sounded like metal on metal, somewhere above me. It bangs again, and again, filling my prison with sound and making me wish to somehow cover my ears.
Now there's a screeching, scraping sound which makes me clench my teeth, and then suddenly voices.
"Is this all of them?"
"It had better be. Gustavo won't be pleased if we missed another truck."
"Better get in there and count them."
"Lights on first. You remember what happened to Yuri."
"Poor bastard. Ok, they're on."
They are? I still can't see a thing. I squint and blink a few times, but still not even a glimmer.
"48...49...50, ok, we got the lot. Let's get them into the plane."
A few minutes pass, then suddenly light appears in front of me as one of them lifts the box that unbeknownst to me was blocking my sight. I blink furiously, trying to see. As things come into focus, i find an enormous bearded face looking right at me.
"Holy shit, this one's alive!"