10-20-2003, 05:02 PM
Bwahah, thanks Tiamat and urban. *smiles happily*
Well, this update has been around for some time, I just haven't gotten a chance to post it here. -_-
Scene 13!
***
Tai dashed across the food court, intent on locating Kari as quickly as possible, and, if necessary, to defend her in any way he had to to keep her safe and whole. He was on a holy mission, one given to him by some metaphysical (or maybe ectoplasmic?) higher-up. Nothing could stop him. He was invincible. Unstoppable. Courageous and dauntless and--
And then he saw the crowded path, and realized--
*I've got no idea which way she went.*
He stopped and stood there, staring at this centipedal, shifting swarm of *homo sapiens*, the one thing standing between him and finding his sister. Ominous though the sight was, his sense of purpose remained unshifting.
As he saw it, there were two possibilities: to the left, or to the right. The question was, which way?
He looked to the left. The centipede scrambled across the manmade path.
He looked to the right. More of the same. How repressing.
*Left or right? One way goes back to the entrance, the other...I don't know where the other goes...if I go one way, but that isn't the way Kari went, I'll just be wasting time and putting her into more danger.*
*Pick a direction, just DO SOMETHING.*
*But what if I go the wrong w--*
"Hey."
Tai blinked, then looked behind him.
The pizza guy waved at him, half-grinning. "She went thataway." He pointed.
Tai frowned, and pointed in the same direction.
The guy nodded, pointed once more, then turned away to tend to a new customer.
Tai's frown deepened. He turned to face the centipede again, turned back to give the pizza guy a doubtful look, turned back again, took two steps back, and ran full-speed towards the path, arms trailing behind him like the strings of balloons.
He pushed deep into that dark mass.
***
This second trip into the crowd found Tai struggling against two separate flows of people, who, though mindless in their movement, nonetheless seemed to be actively working against him. As he pulled and pushed and shoved his way past one person after another, he was constantly knocked into, sometimes mistakenly, sometimes with most ill intent. His head alone received several good whacks, sending it flailing from side to side. Bodies pounded into his sides, making him careen all over the path.
By the time he stumbled out of that mass he was horribly dizzy and sore. The horizon twisted and turned in his vision. The lines between the white bricks that made up the path began to curve and spiral. His eyes rolled around in his head.
He had pushed straight through the centipede, and now his body throbbed as a result.
"HEY THERE, LITTLE MAN!"
Tai, still ungainly and discombobulated, stared up at a garishly ghastly ghoul. It's red nose and white skin made its face seem to glow like the ethereal flesh of a ghost. The sun reflecting off its silver suit (which looked essentially like a big mylar trashbag with sleeves) made him flinch and look up--where six orange pompoms cycled through the air. They passed from one of the creature's hands to the other.
"HEY! HOW YA DOIN'?" it screamed, leaning in close to Tai's face, still juggling the pompoms, grinning at him with teeth that were even whiter than its dead face. "YOU LOOK DOWN, LITTLE MAN! WHAT'S UP? LOSE YOUR GIRLFRIEND?"
Tai pushed the loud clown away with both hands, sending the awful visage of its face back and *away*. The pompoms rose in the air--and dropped to the ground with soft *pff* sounds.
"Get *away* from me!" the boy screamed, hands still held out in front of him.
The clown gave him a scowl that defied his painted-on smile. "Fine, kid. Just settle down!" He got up, dusted himself off, and retrieved his pompoms. "Jeez, kids these days..."
Tai didn't bother to watch the clown go. He was too busy--
--desperately looking for Kari--
--examining his surroundings.
He was standing on the edge of a large, semi-circular, paved area of the park. He could see a good deal of booths scattered in-between all the people walking around; they appeared to be for dealers, not games. A Ferris wheel spun on its axis to the far right, and on the far left a couple massive concrete cubes--generic park buildings with generic park architecture (i.e., none to speak of)--sat like a child's discarded building blocks. Somewhere behind the Ferris the sound of roller coaster cars rumbling along a track could be heard waving in and out of range. Shrubs and trees lined the borders of this area, an attempt by the creator to make it look alive with vegetation.
It was not the booths nor the rides that Tai's mind focused on. It was the people. Or, more specifically, the *amount* of people.
*There's too many. Too many. Way too many.* His eyes bulged as he took it all in. *I'll never find her in here.*
*Oh, but everyone who isn't supposed to find her* will, *won't they?* a sneaky, serpentine voice hissed in his ear. *They'll find her and take her and strip her and rape her and kill her and it'll BE ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT, won't it TAI?! You'll be ALL TO BLAME! ALL YOUR FAULT! YOURS!* YOURS *AND* YOURS *ALONE*!*
*Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault,* his mind rambled against that insidious voice. *No, it's not my fault, it isn't, it can't be, I didn't DO anything to her!*
*You let her kiss you.*
His head twitched to the side. *No.*
*Yes,* it sneered. *Yes, yes, yes. You let her do it. And you got an ERECTION! A grand ol' BONER! And you've still got it, don't you? It's still bouncing around in your shorts, isn't it? Flopping to and fro, a happy little sex-stick! What do you say to that, Tai? What do you say?*
*I say go to hell,* he thought with clenched teeth. *And stop bothering me, I've got to find my sister.*
*YOU WON'T FIND HER SHE'S DEAD YOU WON'T--*
*SHADDAP.*
Tai gave the area one last scrutinizing look, then stepped up to the side of the closest booth. The owner, a burly man with a buzzcut, raised an eyebrow at him.
"Have you seen a little girl about this high...?"
***
Next comes...THE SCENE.
Oh yes, THE SCENE.
^_^
agz
Well, this update has been around for some time, I just haven't gotten a chance to post it here. -_-
Scene 13!
***
Tai dashed across the food court, intent on locating Kari as quickly as possible, and, if necessary, to defend her in any way he had to to keep her safe and whole. He was on a holy mission, one given to him by some metaphysical (or maybe ectoplasmic?) higher-up. Nothing could stop him. He was invincible. Unstoppable. Courageous and dauntless and--
And then he saw the crowded path, and realized--
*I've got no idea which way she went.*
He stopped and stood there, staring at this centipedal, shifting swarm of *homo sapiens*, the one thing standing between him and finding his sister. Ominous though the sight was, his sense of purpose remained unshifting.
As he saw it, there were two possibilities: to the left, or to the right. The question was, which way?
He looked to the left. The centipede scrambled across the manmade path.
He looked to the right. More of the same. How repressing.
*Left or right? One way goes back to the entrance, the other...I don't know where the other goes...if I go one way, but that isn't the way Kari went, I'll just be wasting time and putting her into more danger.*
*Pick a direction, just DO SOMETHING.*
*But what if I go the wrong w--*
"Hey."
Tai blinked, then looked behind him.
The pizza guy waved at him, half-grinning. "She went thataway." He pointed.
Tai frowned, and pointed in the same direction.
The guy nodded, pointed once more, then turned away to tend to a new customer.
Tai's frown deepened. He turned to face the centipede again, turned back to give the pizza guy a doubtful look, turned back again, took two steps back, and ran full-speed towards the path, arms trailing behind him like the strings of balloons.
He pushed deep into that dark mass.
***
This second trip into the crowd found Tai struggling against two separate flows of people, who, though mindless in their movement, nonetheless seemed to be actively working against him. As he pulled and pushed and shoved his way past one person after another, he was constantly knocked into, sometimes mistakenly, sometimes with most ill intent. His head alone received several good whacks, sending it flailing from side to side. Bodies pounded into his sides, making him careen all over the path.
By the time he stumbled out of that mass he was horribly dizzy and sore. The horizon twisted and turned in his vision. The lines between the white bricks that made up the path began to curve and spiral. His eyes rolled around in his head.
He had pushed straight through the centipede, and now his body throbbed as a result.
"HEY THERE, LITTLE MAN!"
Tai, still ungainly and discombobulated, stared up at a garishly ghastly ghoul. It's red nose and white skin made its face seem to glow like the ethereal flesh of a ghost. The sun reflecting off its silver suit (which looked essentially like a big mylar trashbag with sleeves) made him flinch and look up--where six orange pompoms cycled through the air. They passed from one of the creature's hands to the other.
"HEY! HOW YA DOIN'?" it screamed, leaning in close to Tai's face, still juggling the pompoms, grinning at him with teeth that were even whiter than its dead face. "YOU LOOK DOWN, LITTLE MAN! WHAT'S UP? LOSE YOUR GIRLFRIEND?"
Tai pushed the loud clown away with both hands, sending the awful visage of its face back and *away*. The pompoms rose in the air--and dropped to the ground with soft *pff* sounds.
"Get *away* from me!" the boy screamed, hands still held out in front of him.
The clown gave him a scowl that defied his painted-on smile. "Fine, kid. Just settle down!" He got up, dusted himself off, and retrieved his pompoms. "Jeez, kids these days..."
Tai didn't bother to watch the clown go. He was too busy--
--desperately looking for Kari--
--examining his surroundings.
He was standing on the edge of a large, semi-circular, paved area of the park. He could see a good deal of booths scattered in-between all the people walking around; they appeared to be for dealers, not games. A Ferris wheel spun on its axis to the far right, and on the far left a couple massive concrete cubes--generic park buildings with generic park architecture (i.e., none to speak of)--sat like a child's discarded building blocks. Somewhere behind the Ferris the sound of roller coaster cars rumbling along a track could be heard waving in and out of range. Shrubs and trees lined the borders of this area, an attempt by the creator to make it look alive with vegetation.
It was not the booths nor the rides that Tai's mind focused on. It was the people. Or, more specifically, the *amount* of people.
*There's too many. Too many. Way too many.* His eyes bulged as he took it all in. *I'll never find her in here.*
*Oh, but everyone who isn't supposed to find her* will, *won't they?* a sneaky, serpentine voice hissed in his ear. *They'll find her and take her and strip her and rape her and kill her and it'll BE ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT, won't it TAI?! You'll be ALL TO BLAME! ALL YOUR FAULT! YOURS!* YOURS *AND* YOURS *ALONE*!*
*Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault,* his mind rambled against that insidious voice. *No, it's not my fault, it isn't, it can't be, I didn't DO anything to her!*
*You let her kiss you.*
His head twitched to the side. *No.*
*Yes,* it sneered. *Yes, yes, yes. You let her do it. And you got an ERECTION! A grand ol' BONER! And you've still got it, don't you? It's still bouncing around in your shorts, isn't it? Flopping to and fro, a happy little sex-stick! What do you say to that, Tai? What do you say?*
*I say go to hell,* he thought with clenched teeth. *And stop bothering me, I've got to find my sister.*
*YOU WON'T FIND HER SHE'S DEAD YOU WON'T--*
*SHADDAP.*
Tai gave the area one last scrutinizing look, then stepped up to the side of the closest booth. The owner, a burly man with a buzzcut, raised an eyebrow at him.
"Have you seen a little girl about this high...?"
***
Next comes...THE SCENE.
Oh yes, THE SCENE.
^_^
agz