Fan Fiction ❯ Frailty ❯ A lonely place to die in ( Chapter 13 )

 

“Frailty”

 

 

Chapter thirteen- “A lonely place to die in”

 

 

Any mediocre historian that focuses his studies on America will know of Carnate Island, and it's long, dark history. Dr. Killjoy's voice flourished within Raven's mind as she slowly begun to emerge from slumber.

What they would `not' know is just how that history effects Carnate today, and what it brings about at the present moment.

 

 

I can tell you what it has done, but you've already seen it…

 

 

A wince creased her brow. The speaker's words were distinct, but the sounds of her background were slowed and distorted, making her feel as though she were alone with him.

 

 

I can tell you of the evil that it yields, but you've already endured it…

 

 

Her flesh crawled under the influence of a cold, clammy feel, and her heartbeat begun to increase. Something seemed direly unordinary about her accommodations- - something about the gravity, but instinct alone was failing to identify.

 

 

I can tell you of the demons that it breeds, but they're already INSIDE you!

 

 

Dr. Killjoy's voice venomously lapsed toward the end, inaverdently causing Raven's jaw to drop for a gasp. When water was received rather than oxygen, the realization that her head was completely submerged elicited. The sorceress' eyes snapped open to immediately display a rusted, poorly maintained ceiling, slightly blurred by ripples of water that washed over her vision.

Immediately thereafter, her head grew light from the lack of air, causing a proverbial `panic button' within her mind to be struck.

Making record time of bolting into a sitting position, Raven swatted a hand against her chest and begun to cough up the water that had flooded into her lungs, courtesy of the attempt to inhale.

After the struggle to rid herself of the unwanted liquid resulted successful, Raven concentrated to gather her bearings.

 

 

She had awoken fully dressed, yet inside the confines of a half-filled, stained-plastic bath tub that was far to small to comfortably house a full-grown human being.

Both of her pallid legs arched, bringing the knee above the bath-water's surface, and a single arm was lazily slung over the edge.

The room that lay before Raven was an accurate match to her cramped resting place. With a toilet next to the bathtub and a caddy-cornered counter at the other end of the room, less than ten square feet of roaming space was reserved.

 

 

Placing a hand onto the wall of the tub, the sorceress hefted onto her knees and slumped over the edge, splattering the cold bath-water in every direction. In a less-than-graceful manner, she rolled out and landed back-first against the stained linoleum floor below, narrowly evading a collision with the toilet.

Just as quickly, a large puddle begun to take form underneath her and spread out.

Overhead, a glass light-fixture dimly lit the features of the room, casting eerily large shadows across the small stretch of floor that existed.

It wasn't until that illumination struck the surface of the water, casting it's reflection next to her head, did Raven become perfectly aware of just how soaked she was.

The bandage that wrapped about her slashed calve was completely saturated, and beginning to unwind itself.

Traveling up from there, her black leotard, which had suffered a blow or two over the course of the night, was bled through at every square inch of the stretched fabric, and the short-lived cascade of amethyst hair that crowned her head was soaked and mopped to her face.

 

 

With a migraine still reigning, Raven dropped both hands beside her and pushed herself up, assuming a sitting position despite slight difficulty. Afflicted by exhaustion, a chill that her sopped clothes did little to assist, and just the slightest bit hungry, movement to the smallest degree was awarded with a general combination of the above burdens.

 

 

A new found motivation for rising to her feet arose when Raven caught sight of her M-16, propped upright against the counter.

Groggily achieving a full recovery, the titan placed one hand against the top of the counter and, after leaning over, wrapped her other around the barrel of the assault rifle.

 

 

Whilst hoisting the retrieved firearm into both arms, Raven took note that her magnum had gone missing. Given the bathroom's small size, it wasn't illogical to conclude that it didn't yield the sidearm off one glance.

Shaking her head plaintively, the sorceress gripped the knob of the exit door and swung it outward.

The room that was accessed took rough twenty-square-foot proportions, and was blanketed in darkness. The only source of illumination outside of a narrow band that escaped from the yawning bathroom door were two projectors, positioned toward the very back.

Set up directly across from each other, the aged appliances casted images of wickedly-designed gates upon accordingly arranged doors. Their low hum of operation was the only sound present.

 

 

To Raven's immediate right was a flight of stairs that descended upward, it's conclusion blanked out by the thick darkness. Outside of this, there seemed nary another point of interest.

Just before her foot could touch down on the first step, a sharp click arose from the back of the room. Less than a second later, the poorly filtered image of Dr. Killjoy appeared directly in front of a half-turned Raven, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

“Ah!” The sorceress yelped in surprise while stumbling in reverse.

 

 

“Hello!” The ghostly physician greeted, not giving her time to reply before continuing in a recited tone, “Welcome to Doctor Killjoy's clinic for the mentally alienated. Here, my staff and I strive effortlessly to assess and eventually lift the burdens that reside within the minds of our beloved patients. The anatomy of the human brain is a complex one, filled with pertinent operations and emotions. This accounted, my duty can be a difficult one, but it has always been a personal belief of mine that with persistence, dedication, and just a hint of unprofessional care, any form of insanity or mental anguish can be properly cured. That being said, I pray that, guest or not, you receive what you came for by venturing to my asylum, and assure I will do everything possible to attain it.”

With his greeting lecture finished, the projection vanished, leaving behind a heavy silence.

Raven briefly scanned the room for a source to the surprise visit and, after coming up empty-handed, saw herself up the stairwell.

 

 

Upon being entered, the hall that held distinction of being the first accessible area on the second floor didn't seem to terribly dark. A short corridor that broke to the left, blood-red carpeting coated the floor, and occasional sconces provided a dim illumination.

The only window immediately present took position directly at the break, and displayed nothing more than pitch darkness and rain-splatters.

Upon arriving at the pane, Raven focused her gaze with a mild amount of intent, and was in turn rewarded by a very vague description of a court-yard toward the bottom, the features of which were impossible to distinguish.

Something toward the bottom corner struck her as odd- -movement, it seemed, but was dismissed as nothing more than the rain.

 

 

The various pains and discomforts that shrouded the sorceress' form were an ever-present emphasis that time was of the essence, and stalling to be wary would only cause more problems.

Spinning on her heel, Raven proceeded to venture the remainder of the current hallway which, like it's predecessor, stretched out a short distance before meeting it's end in the form of a break.

Her feet were mere inches away from shuffling into the middle of the two-way fork when a distinct noise emanated from behind her.

A rapping sound.

Her movements fell short as the disruption of the silence grew perceptively louder.

Cautiously, she rose the M-16, and was far from regretful.

 

 

When the realization that it was indeed glass being tapped against settled, the window nearest to Raven burst inward, venting it's shards and chunks of frame-support into the hall.

…And in due time, that wouldn't be the only thing to enter.

As the titan staggered in reverse, the primary source of her suspicions bounded into view, shortly thereafter followed by two equally deranged cohorts.

As the first machete' freak rushed in directly, the other two took to scaling the walls and ceiling.

With nothing to manipulate and still unsure of whether her powers would even work, Raven reacted to the front by dropping into a crouch, bracing herself, and jerking down on the trigger.

 

Effectively, four metal slugs ripped through the crotch and abdomen of her direct assailant, making short work of it's respite.

Relieved of an entire limb at the shoulder and gushing pints of blood from the pelvic region, it crumpled to the floor, leaving the duty of killing it's prey in the blades of the remaining two.

 

 

Narrowing the gap to less than three feet, the beast that navigated the wall abruptly leapt from it's position and stretched both blades outward in a far-fetched attempt of impalement.

Easily catching a hint, Raven side-stepped the semi-lawn-dart attack, but rather than counter aimed toward the ceiling and discharged a three-round burst into the lower extremities of her secondary enemy.

The first assault fatally blew away both legs. It's follow-up crudely severed the creature from it's waist down.

 

 

Rather than fall to the floor with it's other half, the torso remained at the ceiling, suspended by a blade that had embedded into the sheet-rock.

Unable to be detained by the gullet, it's intestines hung from the gapping underside, assuming the guise of a gruesome, dripping wind-chime.

With no time or desire available to admire the scene, Raven pulled back and persisted her return-attack, shooting three more rounds in the direction of the final threat. It, however, was more agile than expected, despite the failed nose-dive attack.

 

 

Just as the first two bullets grew dangerously near, the beast, quite literally, bent over backward, not only avoiding the attack on it's life, but also achieving what could only be described as a `coffee table' stance.

Holding strong, it rushed forward. The missed shots pierced the wall, and a moment later their former target recovered into a standing position, still in motion.

Screeching a possible bout of gloats, it lunged in, taking a wide slash with each step.

Driven in reverse, Raven avoided each attack, but was not granted the time to counter.

The score would only grow worse when her mid-back met with the sill of a window, discontinuing the ability to dodge.

 

 

Unlike the last few encounters, this beast wasted no time to seemingly muse over it's victory.

As quickly as Raven's back-tracking was stopped, it raised a blade above it's head and brought it down. In that instant, everything seemed capitalized and accounted for…save the completely open mid-section. Sheer seconds before a deadly blow over the skull could connect, Raven's foot launched into the stomach of her assailant, sending it staggering on a brief trip backwards.

 

 

The beast quickly recovered and begun to reproach, however in the time wasted, it's rival M-16 had been placed at chest-level.

Without a second thought, Raven pulled the trigger a single time, accordingly firing one round into the ribs of her enemy.

For the second occasion, the creature railed in reverse, half of it's upper-torso collapsed as a parting gift. It's vain attempt to shrug the violent collateral damage off ended in a gust of pain as two more slugs sailed into it, the first catching it's shoulder and the second blasting through the cage to acquire a head-shot.

Such considerable impact arose from the final blow that the machete' beast's entire form was rammed, head-first, into the wall behind it.

A large splatter of blood marked the zone of impact, veiling the bullet-hole that lay behind it.

 

 

Peace ensued the battle, however a sense of ease was far from accompanying. Raven sat against the windowsill briefly, letting the droplets of rain, driven by aggressive wind, sweep over her back. Their steady implication of meeting with the earth filtered through a soft plip, plip, plip sound.

…And this ambience was the only thing that proved dominant over the silence.

It was then that Raven decided now was a good time to test her powers.

 

 

Sliding from the sill, she focused her concentration onto one prerogative- -flight. With little difficulty, the Azarathian girl lifted from the ground and, whilst air-born, assumed a standard meditating position. She smiled inwardly, knowing that this was the result of a successful venture, but did not get her hopes entirely up.

Flight was one thing. A basic thing.

Manipulation was a completely separate, and slightly more complex, field. Worse, there was nary an object in the corridor to trial herself on.

For whatever reason, her gaze shifted to one of the fallen opposition.

“…Or is there?”

A distinguished chant later, the dark cloud of black magic enveloped the dead beast's form and pulled it into the air, disregarding many-a-law of physics. Generally, her powers barred her from utilizing other beings, but should one be killed, common logic stated that it was little more than an inanimate object.

Common logic didn't let the sorceress down.

 

 

Glad, but not losing her composure, Raven added a proclaimed `finisher' to her test-run.

Abruptly, the decapitated creature propelled forward with considerable velocity and smashed through a nearby window, catapulting it into the courtyard below.

 

 

A subtle, smug expression donned upon the telekentic's face as she touched down, meeting the floor without so much as a faint noise.

Ignoring the vague desire to remain there and dispose of the other two monsters in a likewise fashion, Raven begun to reproach the two-way break, ducking to avoid the dangling internals of her second counted `victim'.

The distance closed to about five feet when the peace was once more disrupted. In comparison to the last occasion, it was not a rapping, and the feeling of dread that hung within the back of Raven's mind failed to arise.

The disturbance was somewhere in the next hallway. Upon making a sharp round of the corner, the sound elaborated itself as emanating from the right corridor. Short, narrow and lit by a sole sconce, it was featureless, save a yawning doorway toward the very end.

 

 

Raven gazed over her shoulder, seeing that the passage behind her traveled much further, and broke into multiple rooms and hallways, before deciding to investigate further into the matter at hand. As she drew closer, the sound begun to form fluid speaking. Despite being too low-pitched and distant to distinguish actual words, the sorceress quickly concluded that it was not the effect of a real conversation. The tone and texture of the speaker's voice never faded or broke off, and seemed to be filtered through something.

 

 

Just outside the doorway, everything came together. The room that lay before her was of medium proportions, in comparison to the last full chambers entered. Each of the four walls were under-layered by columns of shelves, cabinets, cupboards and other common, mounted storage units.

Occupying the center of the floor was what could almost be identified as a hospital bed. Due to the thick darkness that enveloped her new-found surroundings, it was impossible for Raven to identify any other details. A flashlight that had fallen to the base of the aforementioned bed was the only means to which she knew of it's existence, and because of this, was completely oblivious to what resided upon the top.

 

 

Wrapping her fingers around the middle of the hand-held light-source, Raven shined it's luminescence in the direction of the sound which, by that time, was all but distant.

The speaking had now been identified as the rambling of a classic fifties radio-show, and sure enough, when the flashlight struck upon the source, it was revealed to be a small, battery-operated radio, fairly recent in it's design.

The titan's eyebrow arched.

“That thing is new…” She identified to herself, “Which means someone was here just recently…”

Something suddenly brushed against her backside, causing the train of thought that ran rampant to snap.

Whirling around, she casted the flashlight downward, where an outstretched, white hand was unveiled.

The small diameter of light quickly shifted to the top of the bed and came to rest upon the face of a clearly deceased corrections officer.

 

 

Mouth agape and both eyes opened just as wide, a reflective metallic device clamped around his forehead, eliciting the realization that his death had come at the hands of an electrocution bench. Both arms had been slung over his chest, but due to the sloppy position, left room for an imbalenced error.

The hollow brown eyes seemed to be besieging with the titan that they lifelessly reflected to save the lost soul whom possessed them, even past the final venture of death.

Raven's reaction was far from that assumption.

Her shocked and terrified scream echoed throughout the west wing of the asylum, briefly catching the attention of every living being that hermited within it.

 

 

Silence hardly followed. Even when her voice eventually subsided from the rooms and corridors, the radio continued to play, emitting it's positive message to a phantom audience, “Never, ever let the burdens of life win you over. Bad predicaments have never been known to last unless the person they afflict perpetuates them. The dark, angst-engulfed corner of your mind is a lonely place to die in, and being lost within it is even worse, so don't allow it to occur.

No matter what happens, don't flinch, and never let that corner expand. I'm afraid my time has run out, but always keep in mind what I have said, and don't let it falter. Good night, folks, keep a strong, upright posture, and remember, the light at the end of the tunnel is never far!”

 

 

-End chapter 13-

 

 

Rambling

Should the dear reader (Whoever that may be) have gotten to this, I reached the snap-decision this past week raise my artistic interest from the dust and mothballs that it's been gathering over the past year and a half. As a result, a sketch of Raven's encounter with Hermes elicited.

Should anyone at all be interested, there are two freshly added links to them in my profile.

 

 

 

 

…As a foot-note, should you choose the Photobucket link, there's a real-life picture of yours truly in there.

If you take any interest in that, I'm the dude on the right, wearing a gray cap. It was taken at an anime con waaaaay the Hell back in October. I've lost about twenty pounds, gained some muscle mass, and my hair's grown out since then, but it's still pretty accurate.

Till the next update,

JackoMegane