Author's note: Alright, so I decided to post some of this from the first segment. Now people will actually know what the two main characters look like and stuff. I did a bit of shuffling around with my thread - this actually being a brand new one while the original was deleted - just for simplicity.
I can't guarantee how much more of this I'll actually post, or whether each consecutive entry will follow directly after the previous. I wrote this in a very fragmented way as ideas came to me and may not be able to go back and fill in the holes. There are no set "chapters" either. That would be far too logical.
But, without further ado... My story. Gore warning, but I'm sure nobody around here would care. I'm always editing this story, so consider this a second draft. I really suck at grammar/tenses. Blah,blah,blah. Okay, I'm done.
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Segment One
How long had it been this way? It seemed like eternity already, though in reality it had only been little over half a year. This unholy alliance… No, this willingly enslavement. Such was the price one paid when they made deals with a devil.
Regardless of being in tip-top physical health, she always seemed to be tired these days. After going through the motions for six months, the girl was simply tired of living. The choice to end her life wasn’t hers alone however. It belonged to another…
There she lay in bed, a teenaged female of about 17 years old, fully clothed in jeans and a white t-shirt. The subtle waves of her dirty blonde hair gently caressed her face as she lay against the soft pillow, her arms resting limp by her sides. Her features were soft, yet the scars along her arms told of the many battles she’d faced these recent months. Some where still fresh.
Even though it was early evening the bedroom was almost pitch black, the blinds pulled and tucked tightly against the window frame to block out the fleeting light. She liked the darkness. If given a choice, she would have let it swallow her whole. Lying in wait, the female the zoned out; anticipating the call that would once again arouse her from slumber and lead the way into the fray.
She slept almost all day, yet never felt rested.
***
“So, let me get this straight one last time. You won’t agree to the deal - the deal we originally planned
together?” a tall woman asked incredulously. She was a rather stunning lady, looking to be about early 30s. Straight, long dark hair rolled down her back, accenting ocean blue eyes and a slim figure. Being ever the fashion stylist, today she’d chosen to wear a white and black blouse/vest combo with a pale blue, flower patterned skirt that reached just short of her ankles. Her light framed glasses merely made the woman seem even more inquisitive.
“We’ve seen things in a new light recently, Kimiko. That deal just doesn’t cut it anymore,” a rather plain fellow replied from across the quiet park. Only he, his slightly shorter and gruffer male partner, whom totted a somewhat deadly looking jet-black rifle, and the woman Kimiko stood in the small park area, the setting sun at their backs casting ominous shades of orange and red across the sky. The men seemed rather refined, dressed in brown leather suits and hats, but the blood of innocent lives tainted their hands.
“And why would that be?” Kimiko asked curiously, eyeing the silent man who stood by the speaker. She knew exactly where this conversation was going but still felt like toying a bit longer.
“Easy,” the man replied with unwavering stature. “We value our lives!”
“And you think double-crossing me will spare them?” Kimiko replied slyly. She had to stifle a laugh at his faulting expression. He gave a gulp, then breathed deeply in attempt to regain his cool.
“I’ve made my decision,” he answered sternly. “There can be no compromising.”
The woman gave a mock-sigh and shrugged. “It looks like I have no choice but to kill you then,” she started, tilting her head towards the creeping shadows. “Isn’t that right, Katherine?”
“Yes, Kimiko,” a young, feminine voice suddenly came in reply, shielded from sight by a nearby group of large evergreens. Its owner quietly stepped past the trees into the clearing, her steel gray-blue eyes void of emotion as she stared back at her opponents. The 17 year old was unarmed, which made the males chuckle cruelly.
“This is your backup? A little girl?” the silent partner rattled his rifle and piped up for the first time, his previously stone-cold expression lighting up with a spiteful glee. His tone was far more cocky than that of the other. “What happened to this beast everyone has been talking about? Lies made up by you to seem more threatening?”
“Oh, no. I assure you they’re all true,” Kimiko playfully placed a finger against her chin and turned to the young girl. “Katherine, please do the honors.”
“Yes, master…” Katherine replied coolly, the retinas of her eyes shifting fluidly to gleam a deadly crimson.
Both males gave shuttered gasps. “Wh-what is this?!” the cocky partner blinked with disbelief at the unfolding scene. It began as nothing more than an unsettling aura of dread, but then a shadowy veil wrapped tightly around the young girl’s form and began to change. The image was mind boggling, as if the girl‘s own radiant energy was drawing power from the very earth, air, and surrounding darkness, but it lasted no more than a moment. In seconds the human teenager had been consumed, replaced by a large, menacing, snow-white tiger. It extended its broad, bat-like wings in a display of dominance, bearing its teeth and releasing a roar that shook the earth.
The taller, unarmed male gave an inaudible cry, his bulging eyes glued to the beast as he frantically gestured to his armed companion. “S-s-shoot it! Shoot it NOW!”
His partner quickly complied and raised the firearm to aim, but he couldn‘t settle the trembling of his arms. Sweat speckled along his brow and began to run down his now strikingly pale face. Even as a trained professional it was apparent he had not mentally prepared for an encounter such as this.
Little did he know of the malicious, suffocating aura Kimiko was quietly emitting and guiding in his direction. It seeped outward to envelop the male’s body, wrapping loosely around his throat and mind to further tip his psychological imbalance. Just enough. “Can’t even take a clean shot?” the woman mused devilishly. “Pathetic.”
A low growl rumbled in the beast’s throat as it took a single step forward, razor sharp claws extending to slice a clean wound through the fleshy earth. The sight was simply too much.
“GAH! STAY BACK!“ the broken man shrieked and fumbled with the trigger of the rifle, but failed to take the shot before the beast was upon him. With one blinding slash the gun was sent sailing through the air, a splash of blood accompanying it. He cursed in pain and grasped his bleeding hand, barely having enough time to look up as the tiger’s jaws clamped down around his neck and tore into it. A sickening crunch echoed throughout the park. The man was dead before his decapitated body hit the ground, his lifeless head landing a short distance away with a "thud" as a pool of oozing crimson stained the dirt and grew ever thicker.
The remaining male let out another terrified cry, his body trembling with pleading eyes, “Please! Have mercy! I take what I said back! The package is yours!” he unconsciously staggered backwards as he spoke but the bloodied tiger advanced in unison.
“Oh, that won’t be necessary,” Kimiko replied casually. “After you die in … five seconds … I’ll be taking the package free of charge. It was nice doing business with you, Mr. Soldark.” The man opened his mouth in protest, but the woman quickly added, “And don’t worry. I know exactly where you hid it. Always did. Goodbye now.”
And with that the tiger leaped forward with a feral snarl. The man’s blood curdling scream only lasted a second before it was silenced forevermore.
