Shrike's Heart (#3)

[idolpro]

The woman before you is beautiful—fair of features, with lovely golden skin and luxurious long black hair, petite. You have the immediate and distinct impression that she's just let go of your hand, and she steps back, and smiles.

It's not quite a happy smile.

"I'm sorry," she says. "There's just nothing I can do, as things are. But the way is there; it just needs to be lit."

You open your mouth—maybe to say something, or to express confusion—but you have to cough, and taste something metallic, spattering black blood onto the ground in front of you. Then you realize—blood seeps from opening wounds in your arms, your chest, your stomach, your face. It rims your eyes and trails from your nose and you feel like you're dissolving—

—and you fall through the ground like it's the surface of a lake, and go down, down, down.

> Wake Up

Comments

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[irregular]

No, it's fine.

[He squeezes the man's shoulder, says:]

Peace be with you.

I'm sorry.

[A single quick, sharp twist of the knife, under the ribcage and up--]

I guess we can go.

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[handpuppets]

[ The man dies, with a surprised sputter; he gives one final cough of blood, and then the light in his eyes fades, and he falls slack around his brother.

and then... ]

Re: THE RUINED TOWN

[unbr8kable]

[Nods, then stands, because there's no point in hesitating, and heads to the new path. Gotta keep running, right?]