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Post by Butterscotch on Oct 10, 2004 8:31:45 GMT -5
*waits for next chapter*
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Post by Zinovia on Oct 12, 2004 13:22:33 GMT -5
I read it finally! it's great!
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Post by Cary on Oct 12, 2004 17:37:54 GMT -5
Fine, I'm going to grit down and complete the 8th chapter today. Its a pain because it is another chapter without Jack. Those are hard to write because I need Jack's angst to make an easily written story.
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Post by Cary on Oct 12, 2004 22:29:31 GMT -5
Chapter 8: Through Their Minds
In the middle of Rose Square, Zack walked up to the Mayor “I think everyone is here. What’s your count?”<br> The Mayor glanced over at Harris who was standing guard at the beach entrance “I didn’t notice anyone missing either. Good, it appears there was only one murder. We need to figure out who did it.”<br> Zack couldn’t believe what the Mayor had just said, “What do you mean? It’s obvious who the murder is! There is only one person in the town who is messed up enough to do this horrible thing, and that is Jack.”<br> They passed by Harris as they continued walking around the perimeter of the crowd. He overheard Zack, “Actually, I have my doubts about that.”<br> ”What in the world are you talking about? It’s obviously Jack! You’re supposed to protect us and you are going to defend a murderer?” Zack was beyond furious. This was so wrong. How could Harris try and defend Jack?
The Mayor saw May and Stu’s little game of tag approach them and he lowered is voice, ”I know what you mean Harris. I wanted to believe it was Jack because that is the easiest answer, but something just doesn’t seem right. I just can’t place my finger on it.”<br> “It takes a trained mind to notice what exactly was wrong with this picture. Do you know how Won was killed? It appears to be three very powerful blows to the head with a rock which crushed his skull. There are two things wrong with this. One, Jack is a farmer right? Then why would he use a rock as a murder weapon? Plenty of his tools, such as a scythe, would make much better weapons.”<br> Harris wiped the sweat off his forehead. He really didn’t want to say this, but he had to, “Second, I don’t think Jack has the physical strength to actually put that much force behind a rock to crush Won’s skull that thoroughly. There are only three people in this town with that kind of strength, Cliff, Gotz, and... you Zack.”<br> Zack stood there stunned. This wasn’t happening. No, he was joking. Harris had to be joking. He stammered out the quickest response he could give, “How can you accuse me of killing my dear friend Won? I was his only real friend. I’d never hurt Won!”<br> Harris sighed, “That is the exact problem. You were the only person who was close to Won. Most murders are committed by those close to the victim. You are my number one suspect.”<br> Carter was sitting on a bench a short bit away listening in as Zack continued to try and persuade Harris that he was innocent. It was so horrible. Carter had always feared something like this would happen, but he’d always sort of hoped that he was actually getting through to Jack. It was the only possible person. Jack was the murderer, he was so certain. Then why was he so overjoyed to hear that Harris suspected Zack?
He was a priest, he should stand for what was right, not protect a murderer. But he couldn’t do that. Somehow he had to get through to Jack. He stared off through the crowd to where Jack was sitting quietly by himself, his back against a fence. Why did you do this Jack? It wasn’t right. Something so wasn’t right. It made him nauseous to think about it, but the alternative made him sicker. He couldn’t stand by and watch Jack be condemned.
Carter interrupted Zack’s tirade of innocence, “Excuse me, Harris, I couldn’t but help overhearing your conversation. I have been counseling Jack for a long time now. He shares his innermost feelings with me. Jack isn’t a bad person at heart, he really and truly isn’t. And for whatever it is worth, I do not believe that Jack killed Won.”
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Post by Butterscotch on Oct 12, 2004 22:36:54 GMT -5
Yay! This is really good! You're a good writer, Beez!
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Post by Cary on Oct 13, 2004 20:49:27 GMT -5
Chapter 9: Restless Night
The rest of the day had gone by uneventfully, thank goodness. curled up in her sheets on the hard floor in the back room. Like most of the people in town, she had temporarily moved into the inn for the night. After all, they would be safer together. She had done her duty to the town today, when she overheard Harris accusing Zack of the murder, she made sure everybody knew.
It didn’t sit right with her, Manna had thought for certain that Jack was the murder, but then again, Harris was a professional. Zack and Jack were two of the few people who hadn’t decided to sleep in the inn. It was no wonder though, people were picking sides, and pretty much the only thing anyone was talking about was why they thought which of the two was the murderer.
Manna gave Duke a half hug, just to help comfort herself. It was a bit crowded, but it was warm and safe. She was glad for her safety.
Upstairs, Mary was having trouble sleeping. Everything was so overwhelming to her. She quietly slipped out of her blankets, being careful not to wake her parents, and crept downstairs. There were so many people sitting around at the tables talking, others, like her, that could not sleep. Mary sat down at an empty table and cried.
Somebody placed a hand on her shoulder and Mary jumped. She quickly looked up to see Carter, with an obviously forced yet still warming smile upon his face. Mary fell into his arms and cried on his chest. It was too much, just too much for her to bear
Carter held Mary, doing his best to comfort her. She had lost all control of herself and was shaking vehemently. To help calm her sorrow, he quietly hummed a little lullaby his mother used to sing to him, and slowly but surely, Mary calmed down. He knew this had to be hard on her, and this was the first chance she had to release what was inside of her.
When she had finally regained her composure, Carter kissed her on the forehead, “I may not be in my confession booth, but I will make an exception now. So tell me child, confess to me all that is bothering you, and I will do my best to alleviate your pain.
Mary held him close to her, “Oh Carter, I think I may have driven Jack to do this. I’m so afraid that it was me that pushed him over the edge. I didn’t want to hurt him. I don’t want him to hurt. It’s my fault Won is dead. It’s all my fault.” She started crying again.
Carter was shocked, but it wasn’t like he shouldn’t have expected this. “Mary, it is not your fault at all. Look at me.” He took her face in his hands and forced her to look into his eyes, “I mean it, look at me! You did nothing wrong. There is no blood upon your hands.”<br> “But that isn’t what it feels like! I feel like I’m all alone now, that everyone is blaming me. Why did I have to mess everything up?”<br> Carter put as much warmth in his voice as he could, “You are not all alone child, nobody is blaming you. Everyone who knows you loves you.”<br> ”Not Jack... he said he hated me...”<br> ”What Jack said he said in anger, he does not truly hate you. I give you all the love I can give, but if that is not enough, I have only one choice. Under the circumstances, I will forgive you if you go and sleep with your future husband Grey, but keep everything clean now. Just take comfort in his love.”<br> Grey did love her? Didn’t he? Mary felt happiness begin to bubble up inside of her again. She put her arms around Carter again, but this time in happiness, “Thank you Carter! You are the best priest ever! I mean it!”<br> Carter watched as Mary skipped off towards where Grey was sleeping. Sometimes he had too much of soft heart for his own good. He sighed. Just like with Jack...
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Post by Butterscotch on Oct 13, 2004 20:52:35 GMT -5
I just read it at Soldier! This is great!
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Post by Cary on Oct 13, 2004 20:53:44 GMT -5
;D
I'm getting lazy with the smilies
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Post by Cary on Oct 14, 2004 20:16:09 GMT -5
Chapter 10: Nighttime Guardians
Jack was walking down the street to the Inn. They actually thought they would protect themselves by gathering in one spot, where they would all be within easy reach. He twirled the hammer around in his hands pretending he was smashing somebody’s head in. The plan had been changed, but it was no big deal, in fact, it would be a much more thorough revenge this way. Tonight Jack would deliver justice twice that or maybe even more than he had last night, and they were helpless to stop him. He pulled his black cloak close around him, taking warmth in it’s shadows…<br> Carter was all alone. He was the only person who had not yet even attempted to sleep. Would there be another murder tonight? The more he paced the harder it was for him to even consider sleeping. He was too nervous to sleep, but it did him no good to keep worrying. Maybe this was pointless. Maybe he ought to just go home to the church. He’d certainly be able to sleep in his own bed…<br> Harris woke up with a jolt. Dozing off when there was a murder on the loose was definitely not a good idea. He was supposed to be guarding the inn. It was his duty to protect everyone inside. It was getting late; it was well past midnight. Harris yawned. He had to stay awake at his post. As long as he protected the door of the inn, no murder could hope to get in. He leaned against the doorframe and did his best not to nod off.
The door behind him opened up, quickly waking Harris back up. He couldn’t keep falling asleep like this! He turned around to be meet with Carter.
“Harris, do you mind if I go home? I really can’t sleep out here on the floor. I guess I’m just a creature of habit.”<br> ”Well, you can go back to the church if you like, though I wouldn’t recommend it, and I would prefer it if you stayed here and helped me out.”<br> Carter saw how weary Harris looked, “Alright, so how can I help? It’s better than just sleeping on it anyway.”<br> ”Give me another half hour, and I’d like to switch guard shifts with you. Just try to relax inside, and I’ll come get you in a little bit. It will be sort of like a double guard.”<br> “Alright, but you stay awake now. As a priest, it is my job to help the citizens of the town. I’d be glad too,” Carter went back inside with a bit more purpose. Peculiar, it was usually his job to make people feel better, but it felt really nice to have somebody do it for him in kind...
Jack was well hidden, and watched as the door closed behind Carter. Now was his chance. This would secure his innocence for a while to come. All those that accused Zack would die, all those who helped that idea thrive would die. Nobody would suspect him for a long time.
Harris slowly nodded back off. Jack watched as he kept waking back up with the occasional jolt. Slowly though, he kept staying asleep for longer and longer periods of time. It was finally the right moment. Jack quietly crept up upon the sleeping Harris, hammer gripped firmly in hand. He had to do this exactly right.
Jack let the hammer fall to his side and slowly swung it back and forth. With all his might, Jack brought the hammer up under Harris’s chin. Harris instantly awoke to the excruciating pain of his jaw being forced up into his skull. He looked deep into the mad eyes of the black cloaked figure, and tried to scream, but let out little more than a muffled cry. His lower jaw was firmly wedged into his skull, he was unable to open his mouth to let out the slightest call for help. He had barely had time to comprehend this before the hammer came back around for another blow, striking him squarely on the side of his head. As Harris fell to the ground, barely holding onto consciousness, the cloak around the dark figure fluttered loose slightly, revealing Jack’s horridly contorted face.
Harris laid on his back on the ground, unable to move from the pain, realizing the futility of any hope. He accepted his ironic fate. How he had defended the one who was about to kill him. Harris watched as Jack brought the hammer up over his head. So that was how he did it, it wasn’t a rock after all. With tear filled eyes he watched as the hammer came plummeting down towards his chest. The pain was excruciating as rib by rib was shattered with a short instant. Harris’s heart burst open from the pressure and blood gushed from his mouth. He was dead before the blow had even finished.
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Post by Butterscotch on Oct 14, 2004 21:03:29 GMT -5
Wow! That was amazing! Poor Harris...He gets killed a lot.... Oh no! Carter! Stay in the Inn!
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Post by Cary on Oct 15, 2004 18:35:32 GMT -5
Chapter 11: Dancing Shadows
Jack stood there over the bloody mess which was once Harris. The smell of it filled his nostrils. It was exciting and fun. Time to go continue the hunt and execute those who deserved it. He smiled as he crept around the building. Those that had accused Zack will die. Securing his safety would be simple. Death to all of them...
Mary placed her hand on Grey’s side. He was sleeping fine, but she still wasn’t. She curled up as close as she could to him, trying to get warm. Grey laid there on his side with his back to her. Even with him, she still felt lonely. They loved each other, but he did not respond to her touch. He just laid there still. Her hand slowly moved up and down as he breathed. Mary hummed the little tune that Carter had sang to her in hopes of falling asleep...
Manna too was having trouble sleeping. Every time she fell asleep, dark dreams would enter her mind and she would wake up in a cold sweet. Nightmares of someone coming to kill her. Duke would probably laugh at her foolishness. She tried to laugh it off too, but her own laughter scared her. This wasn’t like her, she needed to get away...
Carter was getting sick of sitting around doing nothing. He was about ready to take over guard duty from Harris whether he wanted him to or not. But before that, there was something very important he had to do. Carter got up out of his chair and hurried off. He had to go to the restroom...
Mary stared at the ceiling. Her parents were sleeping so deeply upstairs. She sighed. It seemed like she was the only one having trouble sleeping. She half sat up and looked around at all the townsfolk wrapped up in their blankets. Everyone looked so peaceful.
She let out a gasp. Mary could have sworn she just saw a shadow move across the wall. Could it be the murderer got into the inn? Her eyes flitted around the room and saw who it was. A dark figure was creeping around, tiptoeing quietly, stepping over one body after another. The person stubbed their foot and stifled a yelp. Mary quickly hid herself under her blankets and buried her face next to Grey, trying hard not to shake. She prayed that the man stayed far away from her. Mary cried silently into Grey’s back. She didn’t want to die...
Carter exited the restroom with a sigh of contentment. That was much better. Tonight wasn’t going so badly. It looked like they had nothing to fear from Jack anymore. Carter bit his tongue and cursed himself. He wasn’t supposed to think about that. What if he let something like that slip while talking? He couldn’t let that happen. All Carter had to do was keep his head about him, and Jack would see the err of his ways.
It had begun to rain. Well, now Carter surely didn’t want to take the guard up. Time to play a little game of hooky. He’d just stay upstairs. The rain began to quicken in short order. It had become a regular thunderstorm. Carter never like heavy rains like this, they always seemed ominous.
Thunder boomed, and lightning ripped apart the sky. Carter held back a scream. During the last flash of lightning, he could have sworn he saw a shadow move across the window. “That’s nonsense. I’m sure it was just an owl or something seeking shelter from the rain under the roof.” Somehow though, saying it didn’t seem to reassure him at all. Really, like the murderer would really scale the side of the building.
But what if he did? What if the murderer was going to sneak into the inn through a second story window? It may be the coward’s way out, but there was only one option. He had to find somewhere to hide, but the question was where to hide. He peeked in each of the inn’s rooms to make sure everyone was sound asleep. Then he scurried back into the restroom and locked the door.
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Post by MasterBahamut07 on Oct 17, 2004 23:40:55 GMT -5
Carter dies next.
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Post by Butterscotch on Oct 17, 2004 23:43:08 GMT -5
...I hope not!
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Post by Cary on Oct 18, 2004 8:26:59 GMT -5
And what gives you any forsight which should dictate you the knowledge of what I am going to do next? I don't even know what I'm going to do next. It is a conundrum of mine as to who to kill off next.
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Post by sakuramoon on Oct 22, 2004 5:59:25 GMT -5
We can use the entire story here in the board? Cool!
BTW: beelz I need you to beta read for me again......please......
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