Carriage
finishthestory·@theironfelix·
0.000 HBDCarriage
<html>
<p><i>{"For me, one of the most perfect times to watch a horror movie is when it's cold and raining outside and there's pretty much no outdoor activity to be done. It kind of sets the mood" - Kirk Hammett... This is an extension post for @felt.buzz’s <a href=https://steemit.com/steembasicincome/@felt.buzz/zapfic-contest-tell-me-a-tale-in-240-characters-or-less-results-of-last-week-and-new-prompt-bubo4rht>Zapfic</a> contest and an entry for the @bananafish <a href=https://steemit.com/finishthestory/@bananafish/finish-the-story-contest-week-49>Finish the Story</a> contest. Of course, I shall do one for my first ever entry to the contest on a later date. I think only one other person other than @felt.buzz will enjoy how I extended this; just glad the <strong>road structure</strong> wasn’t emphasized by @gaby-crb’s prompt nor under @ntowl’s moderation... Today’s music-aides: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziG-p9bpIro">Crystal Peak</a> from Hollow Nest OST.}</i></p>
<center>https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmax3q9GUu7Du6KFBxGJoFgZAi2PtNoWyC6BEe2HcCz7yc/Finish%20the%20Story%20banner%20by%20@f3nix.jpg
https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbNEU46cnRdqGWWfKCXGrXs1Pu7BrYCGFZ4pFHMRrhfhu/Theironfelix_banner.png<p>Banners by @f3nix</p>
<h1><p>- Carriage -</p>
<p>- Prompt by @gaby-crb -</p></h1></center>
<p>Condensation clung to the window, occasionally releasing a surge that cleared a path making the outside world visible. The cold white light refracted in the tiny water droplets. It was pretty, Shannon thought, as her breath spread across the cold window.</p>
<p>She checked her phone, the bright screen dazzling her. Her eyes darted to the mirror. The baby didn’t stir, still sound asleep in his comfortable car seat. She checked the time, the numbers read 23:46. There was no message.</p>
<p>She slipped it back into her coat pocket, wrapping her fingers around each other in an attempt to bring them back to life.</p>
<p>The CD stopped playing, the story finished. She pressed replay. The kid would no doubt wake up if it went silent. The story started up from the beginning. It was one she had listened to herself as a child. The narrator had a soothing voice, Shannon felt calm despite her predicament.</p>
<p>She checked her phone again. Still no message. Her eyes darted back to the boy, his blond hair showing underneath his fluffy hat. His cheeks pink. His blue eyes hidden beneath heavy eyelids.</p>
<p>A gloved hand rapped against the window. Shannon jumped, she quickly rolled down the window.</p>
<p>A clean shaven man ducked his head down to look at her.</p>
<p>“You have the package?”</p>
<p>His eyes glanced around the car, resting a few moments on the sleeping boy before returning to her face.</p>
<p>She nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. This was the first time she had done something like this.</p>
<p>She removed the key from the ignition and opened her door, the man stepped out of the way. She was not surprised to measure up as shorter than him. She fumbled with the key in her hand. She found it hard to swallow.</p>
<p>“How many times do I have to do this?”</p>
<p>Her voice shook. She wrapped her arms around herself, giving her hands something to grip onto.</p>
<p>“Until you’ve paid what you owe.”</p>
<p>His voice clawed at her insides. He stepped closer, a hungry look in his eye.</p>
<p>Shannon shivered. She was mentally kicking herself for getting into debt. But there was only one thing she could do now.</p>
<p><h1><center>- Ending by @theironfelix -</center></h1></p>
<p>Twops clop about cobblestones, the ricket moans from an old carriage. Chattering leaks outside from inside the boxcar.</p>
<p>"But mama, do we?"</p>
<p><i>"Yes dearie. Now mask up and holster the sword. Remember the plan?"</i></p>
<p>"Kill, loot, run!~"</p>
<p><i>"Atta girl!"</i></p>
<p>The carriage veering to the side to where the night blanketed it from sight, skirts flew into the air and the cobblestone pronounced their feet striking the Earth.</p>
<p>Hands flinging off dusty fans of their work, their feet carried them through the nooks and crannies. Their arms yanking their bodies over steep walls, eyes scanned high and low for cracks amongst the buildings, hands checked the common locks that a simple hairpin can convince to open and ears ready for even the unlucky guard walking out for a smoke break.</p>
<p>Fortuna this night dared not bless one thread to unravel, their usual hi-jinks put to rest for the night. But the gravelly crunches groaned from afar and their ears leaned in for more.</p>
<p>"I heard a car stop, I'll take the rooftops!"</p>
<p><i>"Brave initiative!... Now what flaps so heavily above my ears, I swear Fortuna-"</i></p>
<p>A grey scar on the night-sky, so flapped its wings as the gravel screamed with its form making a mess on the ground. Perched that make crows appear as white doves, its body contorted from the rags of torn and grey-bleached wounds into a clean-shaven male figure adorned with gloves. Mama tailing the creature, her eyes spotted her lassie being her eyes in the sky.</p>
<p>Her body contorting behind a street-post lamp, her ears heard the freak approaching the car. Soon her voice-box cursed sacrilege to Fortuna for allowing what coursed into her ears.</p>
<p><i>"Packages and debts you say, New Angel? Well, lemme just nullify that."</i></p>
<p>Body popping out of cover, her ears caught off guard by the yelp and her eyes spotting the creep grasping at the stomach before the façade deteriorated away. Mama's eyes deadlocked with Shannon's, Shannon had her courage rekindled as the sky roared out a lightning bolt that pierced her blade.</p>
<p>Shannon's car wheels shouting their escape, the New Angel stammered back to form yet leapt away from the blinding slash cutting the air. Being chased, the grey-skin danced away from every swoosh of the blade; now self-pinned to the wall, the air sang yet gave way to a descending skirt. Before its head could see her blade making headway, the blade chinked and its body soon embraced the hard reassurance of gravel. Blood soon climbing away from the impact zone, Mama's blade struct the New Angel's pierced point and the body was engulfed by hungry flames.</p>
<p>Her fingers wiping away blood spurts on her cheeks, their voice-boxes gaffed off the loot-less night. The ricket moans piercing their ears, the horses nyeh-d and puffs shot through their snouts. Once in, Mama's blade tapped once on the carriage and lightning struck the horses; the air lifting them up as the horses galloped away from the scene of corrupt dust and nullified debts.</p>
<p><center>--------------------------</center><i><br><br>
Two Things: wowzers, I killed two birds with one stone and I managed to make a 500-word story after serious cutting from 567 to 500. I mean, you couldn't tell until I told you this; yet with this repainting my entire ending, you could imagine that I added just more vivid details which are now taken away from the final draft as presented here. At least, something were I again forcefully taken the perspective of the prompt to another scene and tied it into the prompt; like the one time with Ashley and Red from all those FTS contest weeks ago and made them fight a New Angel in a village party. Well, I just have this memory of that; dunno if some of you will recall that or not.</i></p>
<center>https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://www.crowdmind.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/steemit_banner_cw_B.png<p><a href="https://steemconnect.com/sign/account-witness-vote?witness=crowdwitness&approve=1">Click here to support them</a></p></center>
</html>👍 dirge, theironfelix, hooveshydra, esherob, denielharvi, rodzherg, yimitat, ifof, gogolev, get.kayl, nickeman, real-world, baberon, hustiers, echon, gigabodze, utarea, useded, oncow, nuren1, gasengexr, relomit, routith, ughom, otashik, iseserout, ongatong, duromyed, unyeti, oryow, odetta199, oksanagancharova, somalianfog, quantushower, crumpledsolemn, ragssunny, playdiseases, coinmarketcal, potatovariscan, japanesecliff, sbi6, calluna, zpedro, co-in, bananafish, tristancarax, f3nix, steelochlaver, foffelius, felixgarciap, seesladen, anixio, gwilberiol, stever82, letalis-laetitia, drazeus, robinsonr810, tipu, ntowl, jayna, cyemela, cyrusemerson, pineapplepen, curie, aboutyourbiz, howtostartablog, cryptokrieg, liberosist, vact, makrotheblack, markmorbidity, skycae, esaia.mystic, loydjayme25, sissyjill, morbyjohn, dashfit, muliadi, reaverza, brainmechanc9en, debbietiyan, bil.prag, suasteguimichel, ascorphat, diebaasman, nitego, hotsteam, jesusj1, pinksteam, trixie, qberry, niouton, schroders, wstanley226, cryptorunway, andiblok, cerd26, herculean, chrisluke, locikll, clweeks, mayowadavid, sireh, operahoser, hiddenblade, hendrikdegrote, g0nr0gue, joendegz, jeffandhisguitar, qberryfarms, tombstone, anwenbaumeister, moksamol, thatsweeneyguy, szokerobert, stahlberg, bavi, hansmast, getrichordie, creatrixity, didic, hardaeborla, neumannsalva, poodai, drmake, misia1979, avizor, whoib, gangstayid, ameliabartlett, nigerian-yogagal, clement.poiret, antigourmet, predict-crypto, gabrielatravels, ilovecryptopl, raghao, rhethypo, chickenmeat, lola-carola, psygambler, gmedley, mininthecity, cjunros, semtroneum, slickhustler007, felixrodriguez, zlatkamrs, lilianajimenez, deholt, annaabi, alom8, riche-gould, jlsplatts, pechichemena, hkmoon, gordon92, reizak, payger, shadown99, trang, sarhugo, kenadis, maticpecovnik, talli-art, elsll, somegaming, naomipangolin, blewitt, bflanagin, eu-id, double-negative, lekang, dokter-purnama, florian-glechner, teukurival, onemedia, jcalero, edanya, velmafia, goldkeys, allcapsonezero, revo, eurodale, jubei333, shayekh2, ykdesign, ambitiouslife, jingis07, gabyoraa, cowpatty, lenin-mccarthy, neneandy, positiveninja, yaelg, juliamulcahy, wisewoof, jchappe, anthive, peaceandwar, thescubageek, veteranforcrypto, cleiver, angelica7, celine-robichaud, wackou, charlie777pt, longer, onartbali, bartheek, stevenwood, yestermorrow, desikaamukkahani, alvin0617, jiujitsu, danaedwards, shinedojo, gracelbm, coinbrew, deadcountry, combatsports, opheliapoe, mammasitta, guchtere, rival, massivevibration, bennettitalia, benleemusic, cherryandberry, eric-boucher, nicole-st, yomismosoy, goodway, cryptosteemcoin, kafupraise, ninyea, xanderslee, lk666, cooknbake, cordeta, aotearoa, ivan-g, apteacher, flatman, oghie, danlipert, yashshah991, faithfullwills, hanyseek, skorup87, gaby-crb, thundercurator, thot2word, greenmask9, katysavage, bunnymoney, steemfire, menandyjose, museproject, rodrigozottis, scottshots, lordfirewire, boardgamegirl, jorx, entrepreneur916, brisby, jadams2k18,