One Man's Greed, Another Woman's Treasure: Part 2

My eyes bled from green to liquid silver.  As I delved farther inside the depths of him, moving past memories and thoughts he began to scream and attempted to pull away.  That simply wouldn’t do.  I couldn’t have an audience.  Grabbing his shirt with my free hand I pulled him close and pulled up a cloak around us. 

We were still there in plain sight, but no one would see us, nor would they hear us.  They would feel a compulsion to look elsewhere and if they managed to bring their gaze to us, well they would instantly forget what it was they had witnessed. As for the screaming, it would seem like a distant low wailing, maybe even something they dreamed up in their head. It was very convenient and a one of the perks of this job. 

The process was not a comforting feeling for him as I travelled through his mind, his emotions.  I cord let me inside of him, see all of him.  I was meddling with everything that made this despicable man him.  I touched and poked and prodded not caring about the mess I left behind.  It wasn’t in my job description to clean up the aftermath.

Still, I did not want to drag this on any longer than needed.  I still had an appointment to keep after all.  This was an impromptu client.  One I could honestly have done without.  My quota always met it’s mark often going above and beyond setting the bar for others like myself.   This man hadn’t been on the list, but because of his greed he was now facing the consequences.  The fool should have just taken the jewelry and been on his way.

I continued moving through him, the silver corded breath letting me see and touch every inch of him.  I imagine he never felt so naked and vulnerable in his life.  He was usually the one to make people feel vulnerable and afraid.  This time the tables had been turned.  It would most likely be the most terrifying thing he’d go through in his life.  It had been in mine.

I had been just as human as the man who was sinking to his knees before me.  Though our lips parted the silver cord kept us tethered.  It had been a different time then, a different world all together.  It had been much harder for a woman to be anything more than a housewife and a slave to her husband.  Even though I had been raised to believe there was no other way, it was something I simply didn’t have the stomach for.  I had gone through this for good reason.  This unsavory gentleman was going through it because he was a nuisance.

Ah, there it was.  Past all the anger and the joy, the memories (several which he could do to forget), and the wasted love I found what I’d been searching for.  I smiled.  “My, my, aren’t you an interesting one.”  The silver cord slithered around my words.

The platform trembled promising the trains soon arrival.  There was no more time to waste.  I still had an appointment to keep after all.  Unforeseen circumstances were no excuse for being late.  

I sucked my breath in, and the man let out a torturous scream.  It was a painful process, so I really couldn’t condone him for it.  The silver cord wrapped around it’s prize and pulled back, retrieving what I needed from him.

I stepped back, though still inside the cloak. The thug fell onto his side as a thousand flesh eating scarabs escaped his mouth.  It muffled his screams making them more of a strangled cry as he fell to all fours, trying to rid the bugs from his body.  He swatted at his own face, yanking them from his mouth and still managed to make panicked sounds at the same time.

It was an odd fear, but not the strangest I’ve seen.  It was amazing the things people were terrified of.  The phobias and the horrors.  There were thousands of them.  One or more belonged to each soul.  It was so easy to break a person provided you had the right tools.  I of course, did.

The scarabs crawled along his skin, began eating away and burrowing into his flesh.  He begged and pleaded.  His voice high pitched with terror.  He fell to his side no longer batting at them, but literally just lying there screaming.  It didn’t surprise me.  The fear had become paralyzing, even crippling. 

I could hear the wheels grinding along the track.  The steel on steel rush of the train as it approached.  Time was running short.  Normally I preferred the agony to go on a while long before I offered the deal.  Though as I’ve said, this was impromptu and unforeseen.  I still had my other appointment.

I squatted beside him, careful not to wrinkle my suit.  Raw terror flowed off of him waves.  It was almost orgasmic as it washed over me sending a small shiver down my spine.  Reaching out I gently brushed a strand of greasy, sweat matted hair from his forehead.

“I can take the pain away.  The fear.  I can make you more efficient, successful.” A reassuring smile stretched on my lips.  “Would you like that?”

His reply was garbled, blood filling his mouth, but there was a small nod of his head. 

“Very well.  I’ll make it stop, but in return, your soul becomes forfeit.”  My eyes still swirled with liquid silver as I watched him. 

His eyes widened as the fear of bargaining with the devil came into play.  It was absurd.  I am of course not the devil.   I have never met the devil.  If there is a devil, well it seems he doesn’t have the time to deal with living souls.

The smile on my lips widened.  I tried for reassurance, but his eyes only widened more as the garbled sound continued.  The scarabs kept feasting on his flesh.  The gleam of bone shined within the cloak as the platform vibrated beneath us. 

“It’s my price.”  The words were simple, honest.  “Decide now.”

The train was about to arrive.  There was no more time.  Of course as soon as I left the vicinity, whether he sold his soul or not the scarabs would disappear.  His body would become whole.  To him it would be nothing more than a horrible nightmare or hallucination.  He could very easily say no.  It was after all a test of will, of faith, and of course a test of fear. 

Few passed the test, though many thought their conviction would prevail.  In the end the fear of death usually won out.  Their righteous belief dwindled beneath a waterfall of terror.  It simply became too much for their fragile minds and bodies.  In this state there are no thoughts of faith or love.  Just terror, and most will do anything to make it stop.

“Yes!” He screamed, spitting out more scarabs.  “God forgive me, yes!  Just make it stop!”

The words of a desperate man who had no desire to die.  I would keep my end of the bargain.  His life would improve.  Subtly at first, but then he would find himself surrounded with an abundance of wealth and luck.  Still, there are so many other things that can make a person unhappy.

Leaning down I kissed him again. The silver tendril snaked back through his body until it found his core.  The center of his soul where the purest parts were protected and hard to find.  The tendril wrapped around before retreating from his body.  The end floated in the air, holding a bright, illuminescent gem.  It glowed so bright it drowned out the ugly yellow ambient light.  It was a shame the others couldn’t see it.  It really was beautiful.

Opening the briefcase the tendril placed it inside next to three others.  The man would never know it was missing.  When he died that bit of soul would let us claim him.  Then he would work for us for eternity.  It would all depend on his performance from here on out.  People would be watching to see if he’d be useful.  There are so many jobs after all. 

I snapped the suitcase shut and snapped my fingers.  We were standing side by side on the platform.  He looked around confusion and terror on his features for a moment before shaking it off.  He gave me a sidelong glance as the train pulled in directly on schedule.

The doors whooshed open.  I nodded to the man and stepped on the train.  Just as the doors closed my eyes flashed silver.  He jumped.  I smiled.  He should have just taken the jewelry. 

~Fin

2011 Copyright © Sully's Scribbles. All rights reserved

One Man's Greed, Another Woman's Treasure. Part 1

My steps echoed off the platform, heels clacking against the cold concrete.  The yellowish neon lights reflected off the pillars with an almost eerie glare.  There was a vibration humming through the walls.  The tracks in front of me were bare, but the train would be here soon.  A relaxed hand on my leather briefcase, I waited patiently.  Hopefully the train would be on time.

I was several minutes early, but it was better to be early than to be late.  Something the subway conductors often had a hard time understanding.  As many times as I’ve taken the train, they’ve often been late, but I can’t recall a time when they were early.  I wondered what caused them to not adhere to the set schedule so often, and I couldn’t think of any good excuses.

At this late hour the subway station was mostly deserted.  There were a few stragglers, though it seemed no one else was waiting for the train.  Bums were slumped against the wall, probably just seeking a warm place to sleep so they wouldn’t freeze in the bitter cold outside.  During the day it was probably a good place to ask for ums for the poor, but right now they were off, most of them dozing against the wall. 

There were junkies as well, huddled together in the far corner. There wide dilated eyes watched the station nervously.   I wrinkled my nose as the stink of heroin and crack wafted my way.  Their blood was full of the poison.  Like the bums they were probably trying to avoid the harsh weather conditions.  Either that or they were meeting a dealer.   

Whatever they business it was none of mine.  They glanced at me every so often.  As the only one waiting for the train I looked out of sorts compared to the others.  My black pant suit was meticulous, not a wrinkle to be found.  I wore a purple shirt beneath the jacket, and simple, but comfortable black heels.  In my line of work sensible worked better than stilettos.  My blonde hair was in a neat bun at the nape of my neck and my glasses were sleek but professional.  My business often took place at night.

I was attempting to ignore the stench of old, and quite possibly not so old urine, body odor, and the occasional whiff of long dried blood when I felt the distinct feeling of a blade being pressed into my back.  The point bit through the fabric of my jacket and shirt and I could feel the cold press of steel against my skin. 

A soft sigh of frustration escaped my lips.  This was one of my favorite suits. Luckily my hair was up.  Had he cut through it, I would have been extremely sore.  I take pride in my looks, especially when going to meet with a client.  I had very high professional standards.  Showing up in a ripped suit with an uneven haircut was not to my liking.

“Give me your money!” His voice was strained, deeper than it should have been in an attempt to sound more menacing than he really was. 

“I have none,” I replied in a dry tone.  It was the truth.  Honestly not many people carried actually hard cash around anymore.  Everything had transformed into electronic funding.  Plastic was carried more often than not now.  He would have been better off asking me for my wallet, but I didn’t let him in on that tidbit.  I wasn’t going to help him rob me.

He pressed the knife deeper into my skin.  He hadn’t pierced the flesh yet, but he was attempting to intimidate me with fear.  “Your briefcase, jewelry, all of it now.”

Well someone had a brain after all.  The vibrations were getting stronger, signaling the train drawing closer.  My jewelry was trivial and easy to part with.  The briefcase on the other hand was much to important.  It had nothing the thief could use.  Oh perhaps he could sell the thing itself and make a few pennies for its fine Italian leather, but what was inside was worthless to him and priceless to me.

Not wanting to be late for my appointment I removed the necklace, bracelet, and earrings holding them over my shoulder.  He snatched them greedily and shoved them into his pocket.  “Now the briefcase.”

“No.”

He dug the knife deeper into my skin.  Warm blood oozed down my skin.  “I’m not playing around lady!”

The first slight flicker of irritation eased its way into my chest.  Removing blood stains completely from clothing was no easy feat. Especially not out of silk.  Still I wasn’t cruel.  “There’s nothing in it that will profit you.  Take the jewelry and leave.”

Grabbing me by the shoulder he jerked me around placing the cold steel against my cheek.  My deep green eyes bore into his brown ones.  The man looked and smelled like he hadn’t bathed in days.  Layers of dirt covered his skin in a thick film.  His shaggy hair literally had chunks of…things in it.  The smell itself was offensive.

“Give me the damn briefcase!”  His eyes were wide and wild.  He was in desperate need of money it seemed.

The train was almost here.  So it would be on time.  Of course it would.  I let out another sigh.  I simply couldn’t part with the briefcase.  Besides he’d gotten blood on my shirt and there was a knife pressed to my face.  Being a reasonable person I decided to give him one more chance.

“You’ve gotten my valuables.  There’s nothing in the briefcase of worth to you.  Leave now and we’ll be done with it.”

His face tightened with anger.  He wanted me to slovenly follow his orders out of his fear.  That was why he hadn’t just tried to rip the suitcase from my fingers.  He wanted me to do as he said.  He wanted to be in control.  The wild look in his eyes, menacing tone, and small blade in his hand were meant to be the catalysts to make me do as he said.  I imagine he felt quite impotent that it wasn’t working.  Men were always trying to compensate for something.

I suppose there were plenty of people who would be quite frightened in this moment.  For me though it was an annoyance.  A mosquito bite that just wouldn’t stop itching.  Irritating, but not frightening.

Pulling the knife back he balled his other fist.  He went to strike me and I stepped in, kissing him instead.  It was a light brushing of lips.  Nothing crude or unsavory.  It seemed to shock him.  It had been rather unexpected.  At least for him.  For me it was simply the opening I needed.  A stream of silver slipped from my lips and into his.  It was cool, almost minty as it moved between us.  A bit of relief from the horrid taste of him.  Blowing a light breath into him, I began to search his soul.

TBC.....

2011 Copyright © Sully's Scribbles. All rights reserved.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening, or Good Night.....

Pending of course on where you live.  I live on the east coast and have been up since ridiculously early o'clock in the morning. I've just redone my blog.  Believe it or not having been started yesterday I quickly decided to bring it over to Blogger for the time being.  It's more flexible than other places and I seem to be able to do more here.  At least it wasn't a month or two into it before I switched.

Unfortunately since I've been up since ridiculously early o'clock and didn't go to bed till sometime between the dead of night and sunrise, I am utterly exhausted.  I need to finish this short story I've been working on and type up a few others.  I tend to write short stories in a journal.  This way I don't have as many shiny internet options distracting me.

Short attention span + Sully = Lots of distractions.

Then let's face it.  There's youtube, stumbleupon, twitter, facebook, etc etc.  I think they may have been designed by the devil to consume our souls sometimes.  You think you're going to watch just one video, but then it's another and another.

This is why I find writing in a journal (at least for short stories and poetry and random gibberish thoughts) so much easier.  I stay more focused and am more productive when there aren't so many things that give me an excuse to procrastinate.

Speaking of procrastinating.... I'm hopefully going to have a short story up later in the day.  I need coffee.  Perhaps a lobotomy. Though really, sleep does sound wonderful.  But I am up, so I might as well get into making this a productive day.  Coffee first.  Otherwise I will continue sitting at the computer looking like a lifeless zombie and probably go to do something and wind up staring at the screen.