Watching

[Kurayami]

So, I had to right a "Horror" story for my creative writing class. I don't typically write horror stories (as you may or may not see) so I decided to write a story based in the "Heroes" universe. I'll post the first bit of it, but let me know what you think and if you'd like to see more.




Tick. Tick. Tick. Drip. Tick. Tick. Tick. Drip. These sounds alone held his destiny. He’d always wanted to be someone else. It wasn’t until that fateful day, six months ago, when he’d finally gotten his wish. That day, he’d unleashed his true potential and finally become more than “the watchmaker’s son.” He’d finally become……………..extraordinary.

Jonas Baxter slammed against the wall, shattering the full-length mirror as he impacted. He clawed at the invisible force at his throat that was simultaneously pinning him against the wall, two feet above the ground, and slowly crushing his windpipe. A lone figure stepped forward from the shadows and into the moonlight that drifted into the apartment through the open balcony window. The man’s black, knee-length, wool coat cast an ugly shadow on the wall as he lifted his arm into the air, his hand clutched around a non-existent throat. Though his dark navy Yankees hat shadowed most of his face, one could almost glimpse the faintest of smiles gracing his cracked lips.

“wHY…..Are….yOu….dOiNg…..th-thIS?” Jonas gasped at his attacker, still standing four feet away from him.

“Why?” the man replied,” Because you don’t deserve the power that Fate handed to you! Nature hand-picked you to advance our species and yet you busy yourself with the petty matters of your insignificant day-to-day life! You refuse to see the bigger picture! You were meant for so much more, Jonas, but instead of accepting your destiny, you chose to reject it, to flee from it like a cockroach escapes the first blinding rays of the morning sun!”

He took one step towards Jonas. For an instant, there was a peaceful silence about the room; the calm before the storm. A resounding crack of bone and a pitiful scream sounded through the room, shattering the silence. The man laughed.

“But don’t worry. Luckily for us, Nature had a back-up plan.” The man lifted his hand and pointed his finger at Jonas’s forehead. Jonas’s eyes search furiously about the deserted apartment.

“What are you doing?” Jonas screamed.

The man smiled. “What Nature intended.”

 

[hammy]

Post more.

 

[Kurayami]

He moved his hand slowly to the left as if painting on an invisible canvas. A scream of pure terror filled the empty room as Jonas’s forehead began to split horizontally. Blood poured from the wound, blinding his vision, as he thrashed about. His hands began to move from clutching his throat to grabbing wildly about his head. The man’s eye twitched and Jonas’s hands shot out against the wall, forming a cross with his body. Four large steak knives flew out of the darkness, whizzing past the man’s head. Two sunk deep into Jonas’s shoulders while the other two went through his palms, pinning him to the wall. One final cry of suffering exploded from Jonas’s mouth as blood and tears streamed down his face. His body went limp and the silence returned. The storm was over.

The man raised his right hand, causing the top part of Jonas’s skull to lift off of his head and fall to the floor. As the man approached the hanging corpse, he lifted his hands and the brain rose out of Jonas’s head. A twitch of the thumbs lowered the object into his grasp. “Let’s see what makes you tick, shall we,” he commented, inspecting the gray matter like a vegetable. His brow furrowed and a vein began to pulse as he concentrated on the object in his hands. The brain shifted, beginning to rearrange itself into a more perfect object. As the man inhaled the cool night air, the brain began to disappear into his palms, like sand into a vacuum. He exhaled, slowing his heart rate. The deed was done.

As he turned to leave, the faint ticking of an irregular beat caught his ear. He stopped and turned to face the crucified body on the wall. A gold imitation Rolex was wrapped securely around Jonas’s wrist. The man walked cautiously back to the corpse and looked down at the source of his annoyance. The face read “2:15 PM” as the second and alternated between the forty-five and forty-six second marks with each tick. The man sighed.

“Old habits die hard, I guess,” he muttered to himself. As he began to remove the watch, he grabbed Jonas’s wrist. A bright, white light blinded the man as millions of images flashed before his eyes. Childhoods, funerals, murders, and secrets of all kinds filled his field of view. They flashed faster and faster until stopping suddenly on one crystal clear image:

There was a man walking towards me. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-six. His dark brown hair hung down, covering the left side of his face. His medium-length tan coat was being shifted about by the wind, revealing the maroon sweatshirt he wore underneath. As he neared, he flashed his amber eyes at me and smiled, showing his generally pleasant demeanor. Suddenly, someone shoved me from behind. He reached out and grabbed my hand as I fell.

A bright light flashed, nearly blinding me. It continued its previous action as an image materialized in front of me, like pieces of a broken mirror fitting back together. The man I’d just seen was standing on the edge of an apartment complex. He inhaled slowly, taking in the rhythm of his surroundings. His jacket shifted about in the breeze as he held his arms outstretched, his body a cross. He exhaled steadily as he closed his hands into fists. He leapt from the edge, arms flailing wildly as he fell. I felt the air rushing past my skin as he neared the ground. A dark form was flying towards him from the left. It almost looked like Na—

The light flashed again. I felt my arm being tugged upward and I suddenly found myself face to face with the amber-eyed man.

 

[Kurayami]

“You all right?” he questioned.

I brushed the dirt off of my blazer and turned back to meet his gaze.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m all right,” I replied.

“Listen,” he started, “You gotta be more careful. New York’s a rough town.”

“I know, I know,” I said, “I’m just a bit tired, Peter.”

A surprised, yet intrigued, look appeared on his face.

“Do we………know……..each other?” he asked.

“No. No I don’t think so,” I replied.

“Are you sure?” he started, “’Cause I feel like I’ve met you before.”

“Yes, I’m pretty sure we’ve never met,” I said nervously.

“All right,” he said, somewhat confused, “Well, take it easy.”

“I will,” I replied. I stood there in the middle of the sidewalk as I watched him walk away, fading into the crowd. I couldn’t shake that feeling the vision had left me with; like I’d known him his entire life. I thought back to the image. I couldn’t be sure, but I could’ve sworn that in the last few seconds of it, he’d flown.

A shrill beeping noise brought me out of my daze. I looked down at my watch. It read “9:00 AM,” mocking me with its mechanical laughter. “Crap!” I exclaimed and began sprinting towards my job. The perfect beginning to a not-so-perfect day.

As I arrived at the insurance firm, my lungs on fire, I was greeted by the thunderous voice of the Destroyer of Worlds.

“BAAAXTEEERRR!” my boss yelled, his face burning a bright red, “Where in God’s name have you been?! You’re fifteen minutes late!”

“I’m sorry, sir,” I explained between breaths, “There was a disturbance and I-”

“Oh, I don’t want to hear it!” he exclaimed,” Y’know Baxter, when I as your age, I…….” His voice trailed off as something caught my eye. There was a man in the corner near the entrance doors. He wore a medium-length black coat and a navy blue Yankees cap. He had his hat pulled down over his eyes, but I had a feeling that he was watching me, like an ant in an ant farm. A cold shiver crawled up my spine as I turned my attention back to my boss.

“…..is like an enormous clock. Things only go smoothly when all the little cogs mesh together. Do you understand, Jonas?”

“Yes, Mr. Kring,” I replied.

“Good,” he said, “Now get to work. And Jonas, I never want to have this conversation again, understood?”

“Of course, sir,” I replied.

He smiled. “Good man.”

I walked over to my desk and sat down. I looked back to that corner by the entrance. The man was gone, but the feeling remained.

 

[hammy]

I just realized you posted this. I don't have time to read it right now. I'll try to come back tomorrow (Tues.) to read it.

 

[hammy]

Sorry, I just now read this. You've got me intrigued. I was however confused by the transition from third person to first person. I think that could be made a little more smoothly. Do you have more to post?