Contest [Issue 53] Continue the Story III, Part II.

[basenji7 1,199]

 

 

Bloodshed

 

Chapter 2: Apprising

 

Walking. Filled with tension, I try to hide my jittery emotions through a peculiar, solid walk. The museum was affixed to a decrepit library, and I needed to find a way in. Through that very library I’d heard that there was a passage which would allow me easy access to the museum. And here I was, in the library, covered by the gloom of the night. No torch, just moonlight. The gleaming surfaces of the polished stone walls and cedar bookcases utterly surrounded me, no matter where I paced.

 

Two days earlier, Maximus had been deemed inept to continue leading Stefan’s case. Suffering internal bruising around the neck and grievous head wounds, it had taken him over a day to regain consciousness. And unsurprisingly, Stefan had absconded.

 

As Stefan made his exit from the police station, he took time to make sure Randy, guarding the door, was slumped out cold on the concrete floor. Just like everyone else. Liam was in a critical condition with his bullet wound, and I… fainted, notably. Not my fault, considering my injuries. As a result, no one saw Stefan’s escape path. The backup police were queerly alerted too late, and it seemed that nobody was in the immediate vicinity when police investigated the scene ensuing the breakaway.

 

However, Maximus had known more about Stefan than he had disclosed during the interrogation. Once awake, he treated everyone to a large spiel about Stefan’s habits.

 

“Stefan… there are some things you should all know about him,” Maximus was rather weak; not his usual authoritative self. “We,” he hesitated, “Liam and I were following up on some leads about Stefan’s pastimes… I kept some irrelevant information secret from all of you.”

 

Randy and I perked up, alert. I was especially overwrought. Stefan’s trail had gone cold, hadn’t it? Well, we had thought so.

 

Maximus continued, “It seems like Stefan has a little hideout in a proximate museum. He practically lived in that place,” he paused briefly, “and probably returned there. You might have heard of the library it’s connected to; the Heritage Atheneum…”

 

His weary voice became a whisper in my head, drowned out spontaneously as my mental state slowly shattered. Swirls of vivid thoughts rushed through my mind; pictures of myself finding Stefan, and…”

 

Now here I am, in the Heritage, searching for the doorway that’ll lead me directly into Stefan’s hidey-hole.

 

“Police obtain search warrants, and search places. I should be doing that, should I not? As a policeman, I have the right to…” the apprehensive voice inside my mind trailed off.

 

But this trip was unauthorised. Randy had no clue about my impetuous decision to turn up here, alone, without help. Stefan had sparked something inside me; something that made my stomach churn. “Has my memory been altered…?” I sighed the question into the night.

 

Circling around an over-sized bookshelf allowed me to behold a decaying set of double doors.

 

 

Here's my entry. I've spent years working on it, so I'm hoping for the best, or second best. Good luck to everyone; may the best win. Also, my word count is around 490. Nothing's wrong with this entry? Thanks  :) .

Years? I don't think so...lol  :P

Anyway, great job!

[DaMyAnIx 107]

Chapter II: Mind Constipation

 

Nothingness. That is all I could see, then there was a small light. “So this is the tunnel, huh?” I thought to myself. Fortunately enough for me, I wasn’t dead, I was unconscious, laying on a bed in the city hospital. Inspector Jack Rivers was sitting besides me.

 

“Oh, you have woken up, I haven’t noticed.” He exclaimed with his calm gritty voice. “We managed to capture that whacko Stefan.”

 

Still trying to remember what happened a few hours ago, I asked. “How are my colleagues, Maximus… Liam?”

 

John sighted, “Liam is dead.” I got up, shocked. “Maximus has a severe brain injury, he is undergoing a surgery.” My ribs immediately started to hurt so I had to lay back down, I couldn’t do anything..

 

He continued. “I know this is tough for you, one of your coworkers and friends has been killed, but you have to overcome it. Anyway, I think there is more to this case.” Inspector John wasn’t an emotional person, he spoke quite calmly, he wasn’t saddened by the death of Liam. I didn’t have much to say. I could only wait for my recovery.

 

-----

 

A few weeks passed, police detective Ethan Bradberry recovered from his rib injuries. As John Rivers mentioned, Stefan was captured. His escape attempt was rather hilarious. When he exited the room A5, officer Randy Orton started chasing after him. Stefan should be caught alive.

 

Stefan reached the stairway but he didn’t see the stairs had been polished, thus they were slippery. He slipped and fell down on his head. Randy Orton reached him  and handcuffed him.

 

Now here he is, sitting in the interrogation room, waiting for detective Bradberry. Stefan refused to speak to any other than detective Bradberry. Surely, Bradberry came. This time, a one-way mirror was protecting him from other crazy acts.

 

“I want to ask you, why did you kill Juniper?” asked him Ethan Bradberry. “You were good friends.”

 

“It wasn’t me.” shouted Stefan.

 

“All evidence leads to you, the fingerprints, the circumstances in which the manslaughter happened. You even tried to escape from us, you killed one of my colleagues. Why are you lying?”

 

It seemed that Stefan wasn’t sane. “I am not lying. I had to kill you. You cannot know your memories.”

 

“What memories?” asked the detective. “Quit with the vagueness, answer me.”

A long moment of silence occurred, Stefan didn’t speak for some time.

 

Detective Bradberry continued “The investigation team managed to gather more evidence, I also went in your home.” Stefan was a man in his 30’s, living alone. “Strangely enough, I found a few odd items-a bible, a lot of razors, black robes and other cult belongings. Why are they in your house?”

 

Stefan began to shake abruptly, he started speaking to himself. This was peculiar. He started screaming “The order of the nine” constantly.

 

“I guess I have to come back tomorrow.” thought to himself Ethan Bradberry. Although trying to get out more information from the nutcase, he couldn’t do it. Stefan refused to speak. He was thrown in prison. Three months later he was found dead. He starved himself to death.

________

 522 words |

Edited May 18, 2016 by DaMyAnIx

[Lethal_Injection 586]

OK, here is my entry for this contest. Excluding the title and this short foreword, the whole thing amounts to 526 words. I hope that is not too long, but as the last winner was 522 words, I would think not. I hope you enjoy it!

 

Bloodshed, Chapter Two: Hallucinations

 

    I slowly regained my consciousness. The pain in my chest was excruciating. I didn’t want to know how many of my ribs I had broke after Stefan had threw me against the wall.

    Darn it! Where’s Stefan? I thought, my vision still blurry. Suddenly, the building went dark, but just for a moment. The emergency red lights flicked on and a siren blared through the hallways.
    “Prisoner break from interrogation chamber A5!” a frantic voice cried over the intercom. “Fugitive is armed and ruthless, request immediate backup!”

    My brain was overloaded with stimuli. The pain, the alarm, the dim, ominous, flickering red lights, the footsteps of guards sprinting towards the equipment room. I remembered then the emergency medical pack that was always kept in each of the interrogation rooms. I crawled over to the corner and ripped out the morphine, injecting myself immediately. The pain relieved, I crawled over to my fallen comrade Liam. I felt his neck for a pulse. Nothing.

    Guards and a medic then burst into the room. They surveyed the scene, and ran over to check Maximus. It was about then that I once again slipped into the realm of unconsciousness.

    I awoke again. Only I was not awake, that much I was sure about. The fugitive, Stefan, was standing right in front of me.

    “It’s true, you know, that I murdered Juniper,” he paused, letting the confession sink in. “Who cares anyway, she was annoying as hell. One could never get any work done with her in the adjacent cubicle.”

    “Monster!” I lunged at him, but my legs would not obey. They were stuck in a surreal muck, invisible shackles holding them in place.

    Stefan chuckled. “Fool! You shall never catch me!” He pulled out the pistol that he stole from a guard and pointed it at me.

    I struggled against my invisible restraints. “One day, mark my words, you will atone for your crimes. For it is not only Juniper you killed. My friend and comrade Liam is dead by your hand, and I shall make you pay!”

    “Such noble words you speak, my friend,” he paused. “However, such ignorance you still continue to display. You are equally as guilty as me, you know.”

    “What you said about my memory… what did you mean?” But I never received an answer.

    The next thing I knew, I was lying on a bed in the prison’s infirmary, bandages generously swathed around my abdomen. I sat bolt upright, sweating at my subconscious encounter, and then shrieked in pain.

    “Stay down. You broke three ribs in your encounter with the fugitive. You also kinda overdosed on that morphine, you were probably hallucinating for a bit.”

I looked up and saw my commanding officer standing beside me.  “Commander! How is the situation? Where is Stefan?”

The commander gritted his teeth. “Stefan has escaped the facility. He was not alone. He had an accomplice among the staff.”

    “Do we know where Stefan is and who his accomplice was?”

    “Police have set up a 10-block perimeter around the prison. Stefan can’t get far. As for the accomplice…” He trailed off. “Our primary suspect is your friend Liam.”

Edited May 16, 2016 by Lethal_Injection

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

Anyways my entry wasn't too good, and considering that reporters really have a deep hatred fro me, I don't think I will win. I really hope I get 1st because I could really use the reward but its hopeless.

[greyat 2,972]

My goodness. If you yourself recognise that your entry lacks quality, then why not improve it? The deadline is in 4 days - plenty of time for revision.

considering that reporters really have a deep hatred fro me

A false accusation - completely unfounded. Just because @GoldRock declined your illegal request to help you edit your entry, doesn't mean he has a hatred of you. Although, I must mention that your incessant whining and flooding under this topic is irritating me greatly. As said before:

 

Please don't flood my topic with irrelevant posts. I'll remove them now, but any more and I'll have to disqualify your entry.

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

What the heck is wrong? There's not a lot of entries ._.

[Quarks 2,255]

What the heck is wrong? There's not a lot of entries ._.

Past part 1 entries go down.

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

Past part 1 entries go down.

what do you mean?

[Bluebird13 95]

Years? I don't think so...lol  :P

Anyway, great job!

Thanks :) . Was kidding about the years bit, obviously. Only a number of hours; nothing anyone else hasn't done. Thanks, again.

[Quarks 2,255]

what do you mean?

Less people try, as it is harder to continue a story.

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

My goodness. If you yourself recognise that your entry lacks quality, then why not improve it? The deadline is in 4 days - plenty of time for revision.

A false accusation - completely unfounded. Just because @GoldRock declined your illegal request to help you edit your entry, doesn't mean he has a hatred of you. Although, I must mention that your incessant whining and flooding under this topic is irritating me greatly. As said before:

That isn't my point, Goldrock doesn't hate me, however I know at least 1 person in the reporter team who really hates me, and maybe more because I keep pestering you guys with my reporter applications, that's fine by me if Goldrock doesn't edit, I used Grammarly and did some myself till it came down to the following

 

4 Word choice (bad)

 

1 Wordiness

 

and 1 Colloquial phrase

 

My point is I have submitted entries for at least 6-7 contests and never got a thing, not even the consolation. Hence why I feel reporters hate me.

Edited May 17, 2016 by LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH

[basenji7 1,199]

That isn't my point, Goldrock doesn't hate me, however I know at least 1 person in the reporter team who really hates me, and maybe more because I keep pestering you guys with my reporter applications, that's fine by me if Goldrock doesn't edit, I used Grammarly and did some myself till it came down to the following

 

4 Word choice (bad)

 

1 Wordiness

 

and 1 Colloquial phrase

 

My point is I have submitted entries for at least 6-7 contests and never got a thing, not even the consolation. Hence why I feel reporters hate me.

It could simply be that your entry is not as good as the others - there are a bunch of really outstanding writers entering contests.

And honestly, just because you didn't win a contest doesn't mean they hate you

[BlueDragon_tamki 3,204]

Less people try, as it is harder to continue a story.

oh yeah that's true

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

This should be locked now right?

[basenji7 1,199]

This should be locked now right?

It's not the twentieth yet... :ph34r:

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

I hope now that because I pestered greyat that I don't get disqualified.

[VaudeVille 1,428]

My Entry

 

Chapter two: Desperate Measures

Five minutes later, I regained consciousness and saw nurses carrying me, Maximus and Liam on stretchers while security personnel rushed into the building. "Stefan went down the hallway" I croaked before I blacked out.

I probably began to dream later on. I saw Stefan and Juniper boarding a train. The scene shifted and I saw myself hiding in a truck filled with explosives. The scene changed again and now I saw myself in a clinic and a doctor telling Maximus that I had amnesia therefore I couldn’t recall any event that happened in the last two weeks.

I woke up in a room that looked like an ICU.
"He's awake" said the nurse. A doctor came over to check on me. "It's been 36 hours and we were afraid you wouldn't recover."
"What happened to them?" I inquired.
"Liam is still in critical condition but Maximus has fully recovered"
"Well I must get going" I tried to get up in vain and felt an excruciating pain in my rib-cage.
"No jerky movements!" the doctor warned "You're in no state to leave before a week."
I wanted to protest but he had a valid point there. I was incapable of sitting upright, let alone walking or running.

Maximus came into the room a little later. “Any better?"
"I can't move out of here before a week, any clues on Stefan?" I asked. He still seemed to have injury marks around his neck.
"He's still absconding but do you recall anything about the wreckage, I found out that Stefan and Juniper were also traveling in that train.” Maximus replied. I remembered my dream but it didn't ring any bells.
"Where did you find me three weeks ago?" I was trying hard to remember. "We found you at the wreckage. I feel that your memory holds the key to this case. I may have seemed unconscious but I overheard Stefan talking about it that day. Anyways you must rest now." Maximus left me puzzled.

I soon fell asleep and this time my dreams were more vivid. I saw myself sitting in a train when a huge explosion occurred. Next I saw myself under a lot of debris of train chassis. Then I saw a man and a woman, both wearing masks unload crates from a toppled coach and load them onto a truck nearby. Surprisingly I was unhurt. I quickly went and hid in the truck when they were looking elsewhere.

Suddenly it all came back to me. When Stefan found out that I knew their plan, he whacked me on the head and threw me out of the truck onto the wreckage. Stefan and Juniper were smuggling dangerous goods which they later hid in an office. Juniper had gotten injured while loading the goods into the truck. Her blood stained jacket in the office had misled us.

I was woken up by the doctor this time. “We have been monitoring you closely and you have made remarkable progress. We will be able to discharge you in another day but make sure you-”
I jumped out of my bed. “My colleagues need my very badly right now. Cya doctor”
I called up my trustworthy colleague. “Maximus, we must stop both Juniper and Stefan before they reach Dusseldorf and find out who they’re working for. If we fail, there could be war!”

 

Word count: 558 (excluding title). I hope I didn't overshoot it. If I did, please let me know. Preferably today

Edited May 19, 2016 by VaudeVille

[himself_cos_hes_a_D 0]

Chapter 2

Him

My neck aches as I slowly gain consciousness. My vision is blurry, due to the gucky crust in my eyes. But I can still make out a white, sterile room. There is someone standing over me, in a police officer's uniform. I try to rub the guck out of my eyes but I seem to be restrained by handcuffs. The police officer notices my stirring, and bustles over. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can't quite place him.

'Stefan Lefkowitz, you are charged with the first-degree murder of Juniper Carey, Liam Holt and Maximus Lieu, as well as one charge of armed assault regarding Hunter Kahu.' He begins reading my rights and I don't listen. I block him out. However, I try to identify him. And I can. It's the guy I shot. Hunter Kahu. My bomb brother. Before U.N.I.T.E.D. came

 

My other brothers will come find me. The ones that weren't captured by U.N.I.T.E.D. My brothers from Blood Tys. We were born in the Blood Tys hospital. Educated in Blood Tys School. Trained to kill by the best. Jackson Kahu. But when U.N.I.T.E.D., the organisation tasked with bringing down Blood Tys came, it was all destroyed. Hunter surrendered, the only one, while his father waskilled. My brothers and I, The Rest, separated around the world, integrating ourselves into society. We targeted important people. And killed them. Juniper was head of a Multi-million dollar metal production plant.

 

I tune back in. He is asking if I have questions.

'You really don't remember me, do you?' I ask.

'No' But this time, his voice wobbles, and I can see through his facade of amnesia. He does know. He must pay. My brothers are coming, they all knew of my mission to kill Juniper, and will be storming in any minute. 

'You are going to die soon.' I calmly tell him, feeling no remorse for the surrendering coward.

'But, you see, you are the one caught, and soon to be imprisoned.' He retorts, although looking more worried by the moment.

'There are more of us.' 

'Wha-' is the scumbag's last noise as a machine gun rips him in half, and my brothers, my true brothers, are here.

 

WC. 383

[KillerGnat 3,135]

I found it excruciatingly hard to write in the first person  :mellow:. Much annoyance. 

 

 

Chap 2: Escape

 

 

 

I jolt awake, the horror of my nightmare still fresh in my mind. The hospital bed creaks under my weight, but all else is dark and silent.

 

"Power outage," I whisper to myself, accustomed to the fact that the hospital doesn't have generators.

 

The stuffy room presses in on me like the nightmare I just had. Every night since the shootings it has haunted me, always ending with that last remark of Stefan mocking my ignorance. There's a knock on my door startling me out of my contemplation, and a smiling nurse shuffles in with a flashlight. Something triggers my suspicion about her as she enters, no name tag, wrong nursing outfit, and a false smile pasted on her face.

 

"What?" I say rather stupidly. I attempt to sit up, ignoring the ache in my ribs. "Who are you and what are-" My words are cut off by by a quick jab of a needle. My head begins swimming and I swoon.

 

 

I waken in a vast room furnished with bizarre types of furniture in animal shapes. A small honest-looking man eyes me from the corner, in a large eagle couch.

 

"So Mr. Johansen," his voice is raspy, and I have an intense dislike of it. "I do hope you'll... ahem... cooperate." 

 

My head spins as I survey my surroundings. "I-I'll do the best I can sir," I stutter. "Can you first tell me where I am though?"

 

"There's no need to know your current location, knowing that you're in a safe place should be sufficient." a maniacal grin plays across his face, as he draws a dagger from the depths of his coat. "My name is Thaed, I trust you'll help me gain the information I desire."

 

Sweat trickles down my back "Knits! Maybe he isn't as nice as I gathered from my first impressions" I think to myself. Out loud, I answer "I'll try, but I'm not making promises."

 

This seemed to satisfy him, for he nods his head slowly and eyes me with a triumphant smirk. His knife glints in the sunlight streaming in, and a shiver runs down my spine. Abruptly, he rises and strides out the door, turning the key in the lock as he withdraws. Terror grips me, and I feel in my pockets for anything that could be of use. 

 

My fingers grasp at a piece of paper concealed in my pocket. Unfolding it, I squint at the small words printed on the front.

 

 

Trust no one, you're being used. Juniper's murder was simply one out of a vast, all-encompassing plan, and Stefan was just a pawn. I'm staging a rescue mission to get you out of there. At four o'clock sharp, be at your cell's biggest window.

 

                                                                                                                                                   A friend

 

 

A glance at the wall clock told me the time, 3:58. I jump out of bed, gathering up my belongings lying on the floor beside me. In the distance I hear the whir of a helicopter approaching.

 

"This is it," I thought, "a blind leap into the unknown." In the distance I hear feet clumping, and I turn around ready to face whoever comes through the door.

 

 

 

528 words  :ph34r:

[Bugs.meeny 1,013]

 

I found it excruciatingly hard to write in the first person  :mellow:. Much annoyance. 

 

+

[greyat 2,972]

I'll lock this now seeing as that I won't be on in two hours, but I will accept entries via PM for up to 3 hours after this post.

[greyat 2,972]

Entry by @Bugs.meeny:

 

Chapter 2: Questions

Five weeks later

Its been five weeks since Stefan's escape, but seems like an eternity. My ribs are finally healed enough to get back on the job, though they still ache from time to time. Even though my injuries have mostly faded, my anger and curiosity are burning even stronger than the day it happened. What was he saying about my memory? Was it all just a trick to get me to lower my guard? These questions constantly pick at my mind as I walk into the station. Co-workers welcome me back, but I barely hear them. I stride into the Chief's office, shut the fogged-glass door, and sit in the chair opposite my old friend. "Reg, what have we got?" I ask him. He sighs, tips his chair back, and says, "Arty, I'm glad to see you are well again. I was expecting you back next week" obviously avoiding my question. I lean forward, and in a low tone that showed him I wasn't going to let the subject be dropped I say, "Reg, I need to know what happened with Stefan, the whole story". He looked reluctantly in his empty coffee cup, sighed again, and began, "Ok, here's what happened, I guess you deserve to know. So after Stefan broke loose from the interrogation room, he ran into Randy, knocked him unconscious, and managed to get outside and steal a squad car. We had cars in pursuit, but he had the advantage of not caring who or what he hit. He ditched the car, and we lost him in some alleys. Thats the story, even if it does disgust me that one man outsmarted our whole force." Reg and I talk for awhile, then I go out, deciding that I would search the whole city if I have to, I would find Stefan, for answers, and for revenge.


313 words