Post by Blkd-Tastic on Apr 13, 2010 15:22:37 GMT -5
In more ways than one... Grayback
The fearsome growl that had so echoed in his ears died with the fading light high above him. Darkness engulfed the man, drowning him in choking black. He struggled with constricted lungs, scrabbling at his neck with cold fingers. His fruitless resistance halted. His silver gray eyes grew glassy, abruptly emotionless.
His laughter echoed in the emptiness as he fell, the whistling in his ears only a vague memory. He didn’t feel the impact as he fell into a gray, empty room, landing with a soft puff of ancient layers of dust.
He stood slowly, methodically; brushing himself off and straitening his cloths as it this were just another day. His hat settled lightly in the dust next to him, and he scooped it up, brushing it off as well. He set it gently upon his head, and surveyed his surroundings.
He was in what appeared to be an empty, dusty gray cube, glowing with a luminescence that emitted from no tangible light source. He strode the perimeter of the room, drawing a gloved hand through the dust on the walls as he went.
“Extraordinary.” He whispered, smiling slightly. He clapped his hands together, sending a ripple of dust through the air.
“You’re dead.” A voice said behind him. The man turned to face his companion, as though he were just meeting a stranger on the street. He glanced around.
“Dead, eh?” He said, smiling. “Now, that’s a novelty.” The man in the black suite didn’t smile.
“John Burdock.” He said simply. “Sit.” A chair appeared behind John, as gray and as dust covered and as bleak as the rest of the room. He sat. The stranger, however, remained standing. They sank into silence. John glanced toward the bleak walls. There was no door or other entrance from whence the stranger could have come. He cast his piercing silver gaze, infinitely evil, over the stranger, taking in his every detail with ease.
He was of an average height, not too tall, not too short. He was fairly athletic, and dressed in a well fitting black suite and tie. His eyes were sunken, his face taut, there was something about him that made the man in gray back down, instead of playing his usual mind games. He could tell the stranger was not to be trifled with.
The man stared back at him blankly, expectant.
More silence.
The man made a coughing noise in the back of his throat, still waiting. John gave him a quizzical look, lifting an eyebrow.
“You know, not many call me John any more.” John mentioned in an offhand sort of way, leaning back in his chair.
“You don’t think you’re dead, do you?” The man said impatiently, his calm façade snapping. “Listen, there are a million others on the line, I’m a busy man, I can’t sit around here all day.” John smirked.
“Is this one of those redemption things? What do you want me to do, go spilling my life story?” He said, his eyes glittering malevolently.
“No.” The stranger said, coughing again and rolling his eyes as if what he said next was completely obvious. “If you could shorten it up a bit, maybe the worst of it? In any case, hurry along then.”
“Well, long story short; good childhood, started a huge company, got bored, tore it down, started killing people…and then, there’s the mutt. Okay. Done. Finished. Pass me along, thanks.” John said shortly, starting to stand.
“Wait a minute, what?” The man in black said, blinking in surprise.
To be continued….
The fearsome growl that had so echoed in his ears died with the fading light high above him. Darkness engulfed the man, drowning him in choking black. He struggled with constricted lungs, scrabbling at his neck with cold fingers. His fruitless resistance halted. His silver gray eyes grew glassy, abruptly emotionless.
His laughter echoed in the emptiness as he fell, the whistling in his ears only a vague memory. He didn’t feel the impact as he fell into a gray, empty room, landing with a soft puff of ancient layers of dust.
He stood slowly, methodically; brushing himself off and straitening his cloths as it this were just another day. His hat settled lightly in the dust next to him, and he scooped it up, brushing it off as well. He set it gently upon his head, and surveyed his surroundings.
He was in what appeared to be an empty, dusty gray cube, glowing with a luminescence that emitted from no tangible light source. He strode the perimeter of the room, drawing a gloved hand through the dust on the walls as he went.
“Extraordinary.” He whispered, smiling slightly. He clapped his hands together, sending a ripple of dust through the air.
“You’re dead.” A voice said behind him. The man turned to face his companion, as though he were just meeting a stranger on the street. He glanced around.
“Dead, eh?” He said, smiling. “Now, that’s a novelty.” The man in the black suite didn’t smile.
“John Burdock.” He said simply. “Sit.” A chair appeared behind John, as gray and as dust covered and as bleak as the rest of the room. He sat. The stranger, however, remained standing. They sank into silence. John glanced toward the bleak walls. There was no door or other entrance from whence the stranger could have come. He cast his piercing silver gaze, infinitely evil, over the stranger, taking in his every detail with ease.
He was of an average height, not too tall, not too short. He was fairly athletic, and dressed in a well fitting black suite and tie. His eyes were sunken, his face taut, there was something about him that made the man in gray back down, instead of playing his usual mind games. He could tell the stranger was not to be trifled with.
The man stared back at him blankly, expectant.
More silence.
The man made a coughing noise in the back of his throat, still waiting. John gave him a quizzical look, lifting an eyebrow.
“You know, not many call me John any more.” John mentioned in an offhand sort of way, leaning back in his chair.
“You don’t think you’re dead, do you?” The man said impatiently, his calm façade snapping. “Listen, there are a million others on the line, I’m a busy man, I can’t sit around here all day.” John smirked.
“Is this one of those redemption things? What do you want me to do, go spilling my life story?” He said, his eyes glittering malevolently.
“No.” The stranger said, coughing again and rolling his eyes as if what he said next was completely obvious. “If you could shorten it up a bit, maybe the worst of it? In any case, hurry along then.”
“Well, long story short; good childhood, started a huge company, got bored, tore it down, started killing people…and then, there’s the mutt. Okay. Done. Finished. Pass me along, thanks.” John said shortly, starting to stand.
“Wait a minute, what?” The man in black said, blinking in surprise.
To be continued….
