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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 13, 2011 20:00:09 GMT -5
Ericken began to tremble again. He made a whimpering noise before swallowing his nerves, and grabbing the mask. With shivering hands, he fitted the mask over his face, and looked at the Reaper.
~~~
He was on a platform over an unknown depth of water, with flesh eating fish below, ready to tear apart anything they came across. Vince instantly reached for his pocket, and cursed in several langugaes when he realized he left his cigarettes in the penthouse.
How long would he be suspended up here? Vince looked around. There was no way to tell the passage of time. There seemed to be an eternal storm outside, so the sun and moon were of no help. He sighed, and focused on a spot on the platform.
"This is sick..."
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Sparrow
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Post by Sparrow on Apr 13, 2011 21:13:33 GMT -5
A jagged jack-o-lantern smile crosses the Reaper’s mask.
“You may feel a bit light headed at first, .... but it will pass.”
It turns the knob at the canister’s top and that mask fills with the flowery gas.
After several minutes water suddenly stops dripping from the ceiling and walls. Causing the room to be silent save for the storm outside. A mechanical grinding is heard and the platform shakes slightly for a few seconds before the sound stops. The fish quickly flee away from the platform. Not three seconds later does the outer ring of the platform drop down; it lies several feet under the water. 5 inches of the platform’s width has been taken away. 22 of the original 23 ridged rings remain. Water begins dripping from the walls and ceiling again.
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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 13, 2011 21:20:23 GMT -5
The smile on the Reaper's mask looked ten times more menacing as Ericken inhaled the gas. He gripped the edge of the patient bed, his fingernails digging into the furniture. Then, the Reaper seemed much more... friendly. Still, he gripped the bed for dear life.
~~~
Vince looked up the moment the water stopped dripping. He could tell something was wrong by the absence of the rhythmic drip. The silence was terrifying, causing his heart to almost stop; what was happening?
Then, the outermost ring dropped.
Panic flooded through Vincent. He could tell the incoming pattern; the water would stop, a ring would drop, and the water would begin again. It was only a matter of time until he was left on the center, yards above the foreboding abyss with its demonic creatures...
This was true fear, Vince realized, knowing what was coming but still being unable to accept it.
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Sparrow
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Post by Sparrow on Apr 13, 2011 21:31:13 GMT -5
The Reaper’s smile remains and it returns to its seat. After getting the clipboard ready and waiting a few minutes the it finally asks,
“Would you mind answering a few questions?”
~~~
The water continues dripping. The storm rages outside. The fish return to their circling.
A crow lands on the sill of the window and pecks at the glass, pausing after every few taps to tilt its head and look down to Vince, being sure he was still there.
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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 13, 2011 21:36:02 GMT -5
Yes, yes I would, and I wouldn't mind if you let me out of this office because I hate doctors and I just want to go home and eat a hamburger.
"Not at all," Ericken said, rubbing his head.
~~~
Vince buried his face in his hands. He had to get through this. He knew he could. But the endless, dark void below...
A steady pecking came from the window. Vince looked up to see a crow pecking at the window. He glared up at it, as if this was all its fault.
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Sparrow
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Post by Sparrow on Apr 13, 2011 21:46:08 GMT -5
The Reaper nods,
“Good, this shouldn’t take long then...” It looks down to the paper and turns the page then turns it back and looks to him.
“What are the five things you fear the most?”
~~~
The crow caws, seeing the glare, it taps higher on the glass several times before flying off. Several seconds later it smacks headfirst into the window then flies off again. It repeats a second time then flies off. Leaving for the time being, though its cawing can be heard nearby.
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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 13, 2011 21:53:24 GMT -5
That was easy. "Heights, needles, doctors, loved ones dying, dying myself..." Ericken groaned, and slumped against the wall. He just wanted to nap.
~~~
Vince raised an eyebrow at the crow. It seemed like it wanted to tell him something, almost. He jumped when it smacked into the window, and wished it would stay at the window sil, just to keep him company...
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Sparrow
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Post by Sparrow on Apr 13, 2011 22:03:14 GMT -5
The Reaper nods and writes everything down.
“Interesting.... Anything else that spooks you?”
It doesn’t expect much of an answer do to the gas, but it had a feeling there were other things. Since Ericken seemed to tremble since arriving.
~~~
Several minutes pass before the crow returns. It lands on the window sill and caws several times before pecking at the glass.
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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 13, 2011 22:20:28 GMT -5
"Spooky things," and Ericken was out.
~~~
Vince looked up at the window sill again. He got to his feet, and squinted at it.
"You're not going to get through just pecking at it," called Vince.
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Sparrow
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Post by Sparrow on Apr 13, 2011 22:29:59 GMT -5
Seeing that Ericken had finally passed out, it stands and shuts the gas off. It takes the jar with the mouse in it and exits the room. The Reapers in blue appear and same as before the Reaper in white gives the paper to the one with a red mark, and directs the others to the room. The others nod and begin moving Ericken to a cell as the marked one studies the paper.
~~~
The crow stops pecking at the glass having heard what Vince said and looks down to him. As if waiting to see if he had a better suggestion.
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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 13, 2011 22:33:32 GMT -5
Ericken stirred as much as Vince: not at all.
~~~
Vince sat back down on the platform, and sighed. He didn't have a better suggestion, or any suggestion at all. Instead, he pulled the rosary out of his shirt, and let it hang in full view of anybody watching. Right now, the only thing he could do was pray.
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Sparrow
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Post by Sparrow on Apr 13, 2011 22:54:17 GMT -5
Drops of water fall in a flurry as a cold draft blows past. The sound of waves crashing against rocks is evident. A crow caws loudly from above. Ericken is in a bird cage suspended over the side of a cliff 500 feet above the ocean below, and 20 feet from the cliff’s side. The cage is rusted and salt worn. It loudly creaks and cracks without him needing to move. The chain holding it is no better. The pole holding the cage is made of splintery rotting wood. The bars are spaced about 3 inches apart. The cage is about 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It is octagonal in shape. The floor is a grate, with 1 inch spaces crisscrossing.
A crow perched atop the pole is looking down at him as if questioning whether or not he was alive.
A white glass vial with a note attached to it inside a clear plastic bag is strapped to one of the bars.
~~~
The crow sits watching him through the window. The distant call of another crow causes it to look back. After a few seconds it returns its attention to Vince.
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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 14, 2011 20:43:42 GMT -5
Ericken woke up when cold water hit his face. He groaned, and pushed at the air, imagining some animal was licking him. He touched the iron bars of a cage, and his eyes snapped open. He was sitting some five hundred feet above the ocean.
". . . AAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ericken's scream pierced the air. After he expended all the air in his lungs, he noticed the vial attached to a bar. Praying it was some sort of "cut off your arm and you'll get down from here" note, he opened the plastic baggie, and pulled out the note. He read it in one hand while his other held the vial.
~~~
Vince looked up at the crow. It still didn't leave.
"What do you want?" he called, half convinced it would respond.
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Sparrow
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Post by Sparrow on Apr 14, 2011 21:15:16 GMT -5
The note reads:
“This vial contains one Tetanus injection to use incase you get scratched by a rusted segment of the cage.”
The crow perched above caws loudly down to him.
At the bottom corner of the page reads:
“P.S. Be cautious of the murders.”
~~~
The crow caws in response and taps at the glass again. After a few minutes it stops and looks down to him. The water dripping from the walls and ceiling stops. The crow watches intently. The fish flee. A mechanical grind sounds and the outermost ring drops as the first one did. The platform has lost 1 1/2 inches. As before, the fish return to circling after the water begins dripping again.
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Post by FoxTrott on Apr 14, 2011 21:29:27 GMT -5
Ericken looked down at the note, then at the cage, and then at the crow. Without a word, he tucked both the vial and the note into his pocket, and hugged his knees closer to his chest.
~~~
Vince scoffed, and decided to ignore the crow. No sooner had he begun his ignoring than the water stopped dripping. He watched the segment of the platform fall down into the water below. His mind whirred with the thought of himself falling into the water, the fish tearing at him, the liquid seeping through his mouth and into his lungs...
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