Rayn-What happens when the rain doesn't stop?

[blackmage]

Chapter 7 – God’s Cough

The storm staggered in strength all day long as though it was God speaking with a cough. For every sharp shout of thunder there was torrent of rain forced by gales of his breath. The winds flung each drop from the darkened blue skies as sand grains thrown by a tornado. Once each of his ‘coughs’ cleared the barrage released into a drizzle and the lightning subsided. This is when the heavens had the time to follow the lonely little foot splashes of a child dashing from store to store below, followed by three beasts closing in on her.

Her pace was frantic as fatigue embraced her and strength left her as a gift snatched away. She was tired and the beasts following her were starved.

Falling to the pavement in a skirt of dirty rain water dashed against a convenience store’s double doors, the little girl rolled into the glass slamming her face near the handle. She grasped for her backpack while searching around in the dim evening for her attackers. They weren’t far.

Across the street they poured from the broken window of a small car and slowed to a ‘kill-walk’ just before the bench beside the leaning stop sign only yards from her. They were plotting their attack.

The little-grown woman pulled her backpack from behind her and strung her arms through the straps positioning it on her front. She knew that she couldn’t run anymore. The beasts eased forward as God coughed again and the lightning caused their eyes to glare even louder than the sound of the light dancing within them. She grabbed her pocket knife and flicked out the largest blade within it.

“I’m not running anymore, wetcats!” said the angry girl. She wanted to be scared but for the moment fear was gone, she could only think of two things… survival and…

“Fatboy,” she whispered.

With her back against an old bag-of-ice machine she slowly moved her left hand up to grasp one of the unlocked doors. The wetcats pounced as she screamed and slung the door open capturing one of the three within. The other two landed on her scratching into her backpack as she shoved to the side slamming the door to the bag-of-ice box.

She fell forward stabbing at the wetcat nearest her throat. Her blade found home two to three times before all of them landed into the streaming waters of the street with the rain increasing in force. The final wetcat slashed her face drawing blood and a curdling cry. Fear had finally found placement.

She twisted her body against the current and clutched the final wetcat as the ferocity of the stream made itself known. They slammed from fire hydrant to street curve stopping with a loud thud in the side of car stuck in the intersection. The wetcat took the brunt of the impact.

The storm released its strength as the stream weakened giving the child a chance to stand over the broken wetcat. He clawed and hissed as his broken spine promised him a grim tomorrow.

She could breathe now.

She knew to leave the street because it was only a matter of time before God would cough again. She was weak.

She stammered back to the storefront and stopped at the closed bag-of-ice machine only to hear the knocks on the side of it die down slowly.

“The leeches are killing him,” she thought to herself. “Good.” She spoke. This age had made her that much more cold.

The store was covered with vines tangled into an intricate web of beauty and danger. Deep on the inside of it, she could see watermelons gathered by the dozens on all of its arms. She was taught to stay away from vines and yet she was starved; she’d been running and hiding from the wetcats for the last two days. The other nearby stores had already been looted.

The little girl took the time to reposition her backpack behind her while grabbing the toy pony connected to the zipper by a key ring. “What would Fatboy do?” She asked herself.

She stood back, stared at the store, then stepped forward to look between the vines at the watermelons. She looked down the street as God coughed and the rain increased in strength, once again.

She kissed the pony - her present from Fatboy and pushed her way into the store.

[The Muse]

WOO HOOO new chapter!! This is good! She is becoming more determined. Somehow I sense something ominous is going to happen...there has to be a reason she was warned to stay away from the vines.

[Michelle]

It's good to see her find independence and venture out into the world on her own. As a child in such a world, she will need to be more resilient.

It’s good to see her without Fatboy as this will give the reader more to explore with her character, since she is the title character. For a while there, Fatboy was carrying the story and to toss her into the fray the way you did was an excellent way to have the reader introduced to the real Rayn.

[steveb]

Chapter 2- Just Deserts


“Slaves or meat!” I shouted at the desperate- to- look- empty village. This always happens. They hear our airboats from afar and hide, hoping to look like just another abandoned settlement. The tribe fashioned a makeshift deck out of sheet metal and various other parts for incoming traders, and we parked our boat on the side.

“Not bad for savages”, Jordy’s brother Jason sneered.

“Shut up”, I fired back.

We approached the settlement; Jordy and I with our firepower, and Jason and one of our teenagers from the town, Glenn; armed with riot clubs. They are here to learn how to handle a village from Jordy and me. Trying to have a society that gets washed away more and more by the second is hard, and we are constantly teaching on how to stay afloat.

Something was not right about this village. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the feeling was cold and full of dread. A thick layer of fog surrounded the settlement like heavy armor; protecting and intimidating at the same time. I shouted again over the falling rain, and was about to fire my gun in warning when four figures suddenly appeared; as if from nowhere. The first one that caught my eye was an old man. When I say “old man”, I realize this term is now relative to the shortened life span in the world of death and constant rain, but I would imagine he would be considered ancient in any time in world history. His hair was long and as white as freshly cleaned bone. His wrinkles…his wrinkles had wrinkles and were crusty and flaked off onto his pale bare chest. His eyes just seemed to be pupils; with the blackness and intimidation of looking down into a gun barrel. Surrounding him were three identical little girls. They looked like normal native girls except for the open, bloody sores that zigzagged their little faces.

“Step back. Not another step closer” I said.

I tried to stand my ground but realized I backpedaled a bit as I spoke. The girl’s sores were an obvious sign of a prolong exposure to black mold. They had the Bleeding.

“White lady! White lady! You seem so scared! Oh, so veeeery, veeeery scared!” the old man laughed.

The old man’s voice was husky and he wheezed and seemed to struggle when he spoke.

I tried to stay strong for the others, as I can see they were put off by the little girl’s Bleeding.

“We come here for a reason, old man. We come fo-“

“I know why you are here, white lady. All of my people, all of the dead, all of the angry earth know your evil ways and dark heart.”

“I don’t give a door on your opinion. I am a survivor, like you”

The old men let out a combination cough and laugh.

“Not like me! Not like us, white lady! You kill and eat my brothers and sisters like demons! Nothing, turn villages into fields of the dead…turn villages into NOTHING!”

The old man gave me a look that turned my blood cold; made my legs weak and my lips tremble.

“For that I CURSE YOU! I curse you and yours and them and theirs! Let it forever be over your head like the angry, angry rain!”

Jordy had heard enough and started firing his shotgun at the old man. I was to paralyzed to pay full attention, but I saw the old man fall back into the consuming fog.

“Let’s burn it to the ground” Jordy said in almost a whisper.

Even as the rain continued to pour, nothing could stop our fire. In fact, we took it as a challenge. We had a certain aggression about us. Usually when we raided a village, we chatted. Not this time. I think we all had the old man’s words in our hearts and minds. Silent we worked. We set fire to that village, and as afternoon turned to night; I can imagine one could see the brilliant flames for miles. The rain would eventually win, as it always does; turning our hellfire to ash.

Through all this, the little, bloody-faced girls did not move at all.

As we walked back onto our airboats, they started to laugh.

“Soon the swamp will take your souls. Soon Foshake-Komeche will make right. The Milky Way will light our way, while you will be nothing but mud in the sawgrass” the middle one said.

“Let us tell you how you will die” they said in unison.

“Heed the storm of all storms. Heed the shallow ground of the forgotten rot”.

“But most of all you vile scum…heed the monster hidden internal that wears filthy flesh.”

The girl to my right looked right at me.

“The swamp will take your soul. The swamp will be your eternal hell.”

We left. I didn’t have much of an appetite anymore, anyway.

[The Muse]

O.o

Im creeped out.

[blackmage]

Excellent use with the prophecy component! This chapter was savage. I think the thing that appealed to me the most is that you did the unexpected by allowing them to act on their brutal intentions instead of delaying or thinking twice. You chose to go with the simplicity of the assault.

This also establishes a baseline of action for your protagonists (IF they could actually be considered... or called that).

This is a nice lead-up for your next chapter. You have something with this one.

(note - this also brings up another issue... we're going to have to start titling our individual stories and chapters so that readers will know the difference between them.)

[steveb]

Thanks everyone!

I'm having fun exploring the "bad side" of people with this one



Yea, all these great stories need names.

[The Muse]

Perhaps the titles should be as simple as the name of the area it takes place, and then a tag line for the chapter...it will allow the readers to realize that they are switching locations and that time has passed....

[sinnsitv1]

I see i came back around at the right time hahahah i got to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE this story or should i say continuous story. I was hooked as soon as i read the foundation but as i continued to read on through every ones post i continued to get drawn in. This is "AWESOME" it stirs the creative juices all around until they burst with the need to write something yourself.

[sinnsitv1]

I see that I have been gone to long since I forgot how to post ...hahahahahah. However i had to respond to this story on a serious level ....BlackMage....I would like to take a vacation in your mind and bask in the creative rivers that flow so that i could be covered with your creative mojo ....I take my hat off to you my friend on this one ;D

[sinnsitv1]

No Mans Land

Just don’t breath move or make a sound and she would be fine…. Oh God Please! Please, please, please don’t let them find her … She could hear them getting closer and closer …Oh God! They were right next to the turned on the side garbage can she was hiding in. The murky water that was almost knee high helped give her cover but if they decided to lift the garbage can she would be found she could only hope and pray that they ignored it. Not to many people could fit inside a garbage can but being as small as she was this was one of the advantages she had over many.

“Do you see her?”

“No …I do not “

“Well I could have sworn she came this way”

“You probably just heard a cat or something”,

“No! ….no I don’t think so… I know she came this way so keep your eyes open she cant get far and she won’t dare leave the city so its only a matter of time before we catch up to her , besides I got plans for this one , everyday she makes me wait I going make her pay.”

“Hold on now it’s my turn ...you got the last girl first and by the time it was my turn there was hardly any life left in her”.

“Well I want this one first two so deal with it … come on.”

Kicking the garbage can in frustration he follows behind thinking that one day Joe’s greediness was gonna get him in trouble. Just because he started the grabbers group didn’t mean he get to have everything his way …he will see one day …yeah one day he will see.

Kelly stayed in the garbage can what she figured was about a hour after she could no longer hear them sloshing in the water , just to be safe than sorry. They could doubled back and she would have been caught for sure. For three days and three nights she has been on the run. The endless rain seem to mock her misery, for each rain drop that fell washed away her tears of grief. If Danny was still here he would know just what to do and he would make her feel safe but, he is not here and he is never coming back and she just had to accept that , yet every so often she couldn’t help but ask herself how could he leave her like this alone with no one?

She should have known something was up with him that last night because he had always said they were to stay together but this time he was going to go looking for food on his own. Early the next morning he kissed her goodbye told her to be safe and stay hidden and then…. he never came back. That was a week ago a long week of hell and misery. Now she was on the run from the grabbers and she didn’t know how much longer she could hide from them.

She and Danny had heard about the grabbers from some of the travelers they had run into and they had cautioned Danny about letting it be known she was his wife. Don’t let it be known that she was female because the grabbers would stop at nothing to grab her . It was said that they did horrible and unthinkable things to the woman they took after they were done using and abusing her. After hearing this Danny made sure she dressed like a boy at all times only somehow the grabbers still found out and were after her.

It was already late but she had to keep going, night time brought fourth other dangers like animals looking to feed but, she knew she had no choice. The later it got the darker it got, and the darkness felt like a full body straightjacket you were forced to wear confining your movements. The only good thing about the darkness was that everyone was on equal footing. No one could see so the need to hide was not needed. She and Danny used to hold each other tight at night and she would feel so safe… now safe was a distant memory and survival was paramount.

Something was following her, she couldn’t see them or hear them, but the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up even in the rain. She had to move faster, either they were getting faster or she was getting slower. The last three days had taken their toll on her body and she just didn’t have the strength to keep going at a steady pace, and any moment now whatever was after her would overtake her and there was nothing she could do.

Terror was building inside her like a wave and it found its voice in a gut curling scream the moment she felt something grab her from behind. Instinctively she grabbed her only weapon she had which was a broken glass bottle and with all the strength she had left swung it at her attacker when they spun her around. For a brief moment she had a satisfying feeling of pleasure in hearing her attacker yell out in agony as her bottle connected with flesh. Her pleasure was short lived as she received a blow to her head for her efforts from her attackers. In her weak state that blow robbed her of everything she had and as the darkness began to overtake her she prayed that her death would be swift.

From the moment she woke up Kelly had been treated with nothing but kindness from her surprised rescuers, a group of woman who had come together under similar circumstances, barley escaping the torment of men who had used and abused them. Each woman had their own story to tell one more horrible than they next, and all of them were because of a man.

This was why they lived separate from others relying only on each other, training and learning how to be defend themselves, Eve their leader called their haven “No Man's Land”. The only time they left their haven was to hunt and gather supplies which were how they found her. Not only did they feed her let her rest till she got her strength back they offered her a chance to stay with them.

She had to admit, it was nice to no longer be alone and the idea of training and getting stronger so she could defend herself had its own appeal which is why she had agreed to stay. No more relying on a man to take care of her like Danny to only to get abandoned …no more fear of man using her like the men that chased her, she would become a survivor like these women .

To commence her joining the “No Man’s Land” haven she was to gain her own set of weapons in which to fight with. The haven looked like it used to be some form of manufacturing company a long time ago. It was filled with a lower level which was always flooded and an upper level filled with many different rooms. Today they were taking her down to the far end of the walkway to a room she had never been.

Once at the door the woman parted like the red sea, leaving a walkway for Kelly to walk down , Eve the leader standing in front of the door asked “Kelly are you sure you want to be a member of our group because once you pass through this door there is no going back.”

“Yes!” Was her confident reply there was no going back for her.

Nodding her head in agreement Eve opened the door and stood aside and said,“Then welcome to our equipment room. “Here is”….

The sight that hit Kelly’s eyes was incomprehensible; Eve continued to talk but the words sounded like they were coming from a distance. All against the walls were the remains of body parts of men. There arms and legs were torn off and their ribs seem to be ripped out of them but that was not the worse part , the worse part was the look on their faces , the look suggested that they were still alive when the mutilation began.

“Kelly come, we have a surprise for you, here is one of your captors from the other night , his bones will be the perfect choice for your weapons. “

Slowly turning toward Eve, Kelly’s eyes glanced over some of the remains that were just left there to decay and the shock of what she saw dropped her to her knees , Oh God!! . Almost as if he was looking right at her his lifeless eyes pierced right through her heart …. Danny….

[The Muse]

O.o I think I just dropped to my knees too........

[steveb]

Chapter 3- Rayn Dance

There is unmistakable feeling one gets right before a big storm. It’s become a sixth sense after ten years of relentless storms. Your throat tightens like a noose and your stomach drops all the way to Hell.

As I looked at the gunmetal-colored sky; my stomach started the free-fall into the Lake of Fire.

“My mom is going to be piiiiiiiised I aint got dinner” Glenn said.

Jordy sighed, obvious and contentious

“You and Jason came out with us. This happens. This is reality. We don’t always get our prey. She will have to deal with it. Besides, I know your mother. You’ll have to stand up to her sometime.”

Jason let out a laugh that had a bit of a snort to it.

“This happens? If creepy children are normal for you guys, count me out. I’m good. I’ll go back to playing night watchman. I’ll clean the bones, whatever”

I shook myself out of my trance.

“Shhh. Look up.”

The darkness descended over us like a body bag. The downpour might as well of been the zipper closing.

“Jason! Glenn! Hold on!” Jordy shouted, but the resounding thunderclaps obfuscated his order.

Storms are a fact of life. They have destroyed civilization, but we survivors have done just that: Survive. We deal with it. It’s completely miserable and sometimes you want to put your last bullet through your head, but you persevere.

This storm was different. The sky was darker. The rain drops stung to the point I thought my skin would break. The cold had a chill I have never felt before.

Made me feel like a corpse.

“Glenn! Oh, God…where is Glenn?”

I couldn’t tell who was yelling. I was slipping. I was losing my grip on our plastic barriers we had just recently installed for this very situation.

I breathed in vulgar water and instantly knew I was now in the swamp. I frantically grabbed for something; anything.

As I was drowning, my thoughts went to the people I have seen in similar situations. Some friends; some family. All with the same horrible, twisted look on their sad faces as they helplessly begged to just die already. I also begged.




As I slowly opened my eyes, I noticed Jordy with a look of worry I have never seen him display before.

I sat up and coughed out the swamp water. Dry land. Soggy as hell, but at least dry. Jason was curled up in a fetal position throwing up.

“Jordy… hey, Jordy. Uh… where’s Glenn…”

Jordy’s eyes widened and pointed over my head.

I turned to where he was directing and saw Glenn.

Glenn’s fifteen year old body, contorted, disfigured, and broken against the unforgiving trees of the swamp.

Jason started to sob.

“It’s the omen…the little girls…it’s true. I have never seen such a storm.”

Jordy put his arm around me and whispered in my ear.

“What now?”

[blackmage]

I have to say this... there was a NOTICEABLE change in your writing style with this piece of work. In fact, I would not call it a 'change', I would rather call it GROWTH!

Your visuals have increased in effectiveness and become much tighter than your previous works. I can tell that you are trying to find your own style... and this is GOOD!

Ultimately, that's what this is about, but the only way that you can do it, is to keep writing.

At first I was unsure of the characters and how I should be taking them, your story made them seem independent of the other episodes (especially with the style change), but then you brought it home using the power of the storm and prophecy as the linkers. It was handled VERY well!!!

With growth such as this and your subtle desire to establish your own style, it makes me, as a reader, ANXIOUS to see what you have next!!

[blackmage]

No Mans Land took me on an adventure which utilized terror as a resource and horror for discovery. This was a piece of pure imagery.

I felt the familiar relationship build that I had in Rayn, but man-oh-man... when it flipped into the darkness, this piece QUICKLY found its own way.

This made it clear the separation of gender and its delusional need. This is a topic that is very dicey to address. This author dug into it and made it a center piece to the apex of her story. I liked this because it has the power to pull me into the next chapter... that is, IF she posts one.

Next chapter...
Next chapter...

[steveb]

Hey, thanks!

Yea, to be honest I really didint know where I was going myself after the first chapter. Than it kinda clicked last chapter and realized I should add at least a little more dialogue. Now I know where I am going with it so hopefully it will have a clear focus for the reader.

[blackmage]

Chapter 8 – I Feel The Same Way

This is my last glow stick.

I don’t know what to write tonight, but it’s all I could think about doing since yesterday. I have so much on my mind and I don’t know where to begin. I can’t stop crying.

I had to use my last band-aid this evening to cover the scratch on my face from the wetcat I fought earlier. I’ve never killed anything before, this was my first time.

I used pieces of my scarf to wrap the cuts on my legs from crawling through the vines. They only had thorns on the parts furthest away from the watermelons in the center.

I did what Fatboy taught me and stayed on top of the shelves while eating my share of the green and yellow watermelons floating all throughout the flood water. They were SO good! I even took the time while eating to decide on a name for my pony. I named him, ‘Perci’.

When my brother David was alive, him and Fatboy acted out this story (I think they called it a myth) about this guy with a flying horse that killed a snake-headed lady and some other bad people to save the world and the girl he loved. David did all of the sound effects while Fatboy acted everything out.
Uhm… I’m not quite sure of the names or anything, but I remember Fatboy joking with David about the name, ‘Persum’, ‘Persium’, or something like that. I’m not even sure if it was the guy or the horse they were talking about. I didn’t care either… I liked the horse and they used to make me laugh!

And Soooo… my pony’s name is PERCI!

I also found a full bottle of shampoo tonight on one of the back shelves by the soda counters. It was so pretty! It was light pink with pictures of berries still on the side of it. It was called Herbal Essentials and I stuck it in my backpack for later. I’m not going to use it until the next time I see Fatboy!

When he smells how good my hair is, he’s going to go crazy! He’ll probably want to use some for himself!! It said that it can make my hair shiny and strong. I can’t wait!! It’s going to make me look like a real-live grown woman!! Fatboy will…
Fatboy will…
…

God, please let Fatboy be okay.
Please.
…

God..?

I’m so sorry I didn’t get up that morning when Fatboy tried to wake me up. I’m sorry.

He wouldn’t have been attacked if I would have got up. We would’ve left. Please God… please don’t take him. He’s my only family left, now.

Everyone’s gone.

I’m so scared tonight. The storm outside keeps growling at me, it’s so dark. Fatboy used to tell me about being strong after David died. Now all I have is Perci and my backpack.

I’m going to go back for Fatboy tomorrow. I remember what he told me a couple days ago when crossing the flooded streets, he said, “I’ll die before I let you go.”

I feel the same way, Fatboy.

I feel the same way.

God, please help me tomorrow.

[The Muse]

Rayn gets to me....Every woman used to be a little girl. And you have managed to capture those little girl emotions so VERY well that she doesnt just tug at the heartstrings....she very nearly rips them from their moorings....

[steveb]

Maybe it's just me, but Rayn seems to be growing more mature with each passing chapter. Especially this one. To me, that adds to the darkness and despair of this story; a little girl her age should not have to grow up...

Also, great opening line. Set the tone and I was like "Uh oh".

[rich]

Hey Everyone, this is Rich. We last night at the meeting. I am really enjoying this concept. It can be very visceral with the rain being a constant antagonist to the environment plus all of the other circumstances the characters have to face. I know I am new but I have thought about a few concepts that might need a bit of attention. 1) Through chaos comes order. Whether it be in the forms of gangs or people working the circumstance. For example, a society that has harnessed the storms for electricity with lightening rod fields or down flow hydroelectric power. See every post-apocalyptic movie for reference of these types of societies. Necessity is the mother of invention. Societies will form, machines will develop, rules will be set and a people will survive. Maybe to stay out of cliche land the inhabitants have something dark in the back story so the heroes always feel uncomfortable there. 2) Depression. None of the stories touch on that. It's been raining for 10 years that has to have some kind of affect on people. See Seattle for reference. To give Fatboy a bigger contrast to Rayn maybe he should have a growing blackness and Rayn "his sunshine" is what keeps him going. This will help with a conflict between them down the road if Rayn finds a love interest and starts setting her attentions more there. Also that depression aspect should carry through the story with other characters the way the rain does. 3) Religion: You started to touch on this in the beginning but hasn't been mentioned again. There is definitely a rapture/end of days feeling about this story. Religious groups will grasp to their savior in masses for the second coming. The normal big religions will play a part here but also new cult style ones will as well. Either dangerous-suicide ones, hippie farmer types with Big Father preaching the new word of the lord or something of a mix from a few religions can play a creepy and fun aspect.
4) Supplies: Like canned foods and weapons, medicines and plastics should be considered very valuable. The story should stay away from anything gas powered as much as possible. It's been ten years of disorder, I am pretty sure the gas reserves have been used up or extremely hard to come by. Don't make the Water World mistake where the earth is ocean but everyone has jet skis.

Loving the concept and hope to contribute to the compendium soon.

[The Muse]

Welcome to the forum Rich!

The way we have been allowing this to develop is that each person who contributes does so freely with the only parameters being that their contribution takes place in this world of forever-rain. Some of the things you mentioned above HAVE been touched on as you pointed out, and will be addressed in the future I am sure. But the great thing about this collaboration is that it allows for all kinds of ideas to be kicked around. That is what happened in the first few pages of this thread. Then the different contributors took it and ran with it.

I am hoping you jump in with both feet. Please write as it pleases you and do not attempt to "fit" your story to what has been written, as this would defeat the point of the collaboration experiment. It is ENTIRELY possible to write a story from the view points of MANY characters located throughout the given world of a story. The Game of Thrones is a fairly good representation of this.

The best way I can explain is this:

What we want from each collaborator is an independent story, set in the same world. Once we have enough, then we are going to work on blending these aspects together into a whole piece. THATS when we are going to have to do more cooperative work.
But to do that we need a large quantity of material first.

If you listen closely to Fatboys story, you can see the despair and depression that he fights off everytime he remembers how things USED to be. The Gangs you mentioned are somewhat in place in Rayn and Fatboys story, but they just havent been introduced to the readers yet. You may be somewhat suprised at the form they take. Religion will be key as well, it was touched on to foreshadow events that are already planned but havent been (yet) introduced. ;D

As to the supplies and rest, Steve's section of the story addresses that more...while Rayn and Fatboy scavenge for much of what they have.

So keep reading, and by all means, PLEASE jump in with your own characters and settings in a free standing chapter of your creation. Just remember to include the parameters set for this world...the weather patterns and the 10 years worth of effects of said weather. Other than that you have free reign with your story within the boundries of Forum Etiquette.

[steveb]

Chapter 4-Familiar Feelings

It’s terribly odd tasting human flesh for the first time.

Anyone who tells you differently is probably someone you should latch on to and not let go.
They will survive.

When eating a human for the first time, I recommend not sharing that experience with other ‘first timers’. That awkward, sinister feeling that is shared among you all will forever haunt and shatter whatever semblance of innocence that was left. Forever will it be burnt in the now shared recesses of your collective minds; digging, nagging, yet never to be talked about. Just a crater of all that was and all that could have been.

That’s when I knew. I realized how stupid I have been; how silly. Just a stupid, silly little girl who thought she could survive without getting her naïve hands dirty in a world where the only rule is that it will rain, and rain hard.



“Pretty sure this is east, yea I feel good about it this time”

We had been walking like beaten soldiers with the weight of a defeated nation on our backs for so long, I wanted to run up and kiss Jordy for breaking the silence.

We had to walk back to town. It was far, but not impossible. It was hard to keep track exactly where we were; everywhere seemed to be the same. The ground was moist and the color of rot. Looking straight up, the twisted tress framed the night sky like a malevolent conjurer manipulating her crystal ball.

Jason was still holding back tears, but I could hear ever the faintest sniffle as we continued to trek. I usually look pass such emotion, but this was my fiancés little brother.

“Jason”

He looked up with wet, somber eyes as I gently grabbed his hand.

“Listen to me. We will get through this. I have no doubt. Stay strong like your brother, stay strong for Glenn. You can do this, we can do this.”

“I-I guess. Thanks. And I really do appreciate you guys letting come out with you. I’m just a little freaked out with everything…and Glenn, man.”

His voice sort of trailed off.

“It’s alright little bro. Will talk when we get back” Jordy said.

As I walked up to take the lead, Jordy walked with me.

“That was good of you. Maybe you will make a good mother after all”

“Oh please…I’m a warrior!” I laughed.

My hair hid my grin, but I’m pretty sure Jordy could tell.

I heard a scream.

Jordy and I turned around and Jason was gone.

We rushed to where he had been and saw in horror that Jason had collapsed twenty feet down in a hole.

A grave.

We were on an Indian burial ground.

The hole smelled how death should smell and countless skeletal remains intertwined each other.

“Oh God! My leg! My leg…help me please!”

Jason’s broken femur had shot out of his leg like a great lightning bolt.
As the rain started to come down harder I could see the look in his eyes.
He was so scared.

“Jason! Hold on I’ll get you, bro!”

I pulled Jordy to the dank mud.

“NO we got to keep moving, how the hell do you want to help him anyways?”
I wanted to help, I really did. But it was impossible.

As I looked in Jason’s frightened eyes one last time, that familiar feeling of sinister dealings and doing an awful act that I knew I would never forget hit me.

The rain was filling up the hole as I grabbed Jordy away amongst the laughing storm and screams of boy and man.

[The Muse]

*feeling a bit sick....*

[blackmage]

This was GRIM. I felt the personality grow for their situation in the sense that 'self' was far more desperate than 'team'.

The environment reflected the mood.

I felt this one.

[blackmage]

I was thinking of the name for this work and I came up with, 'Ever-Rain', then I saw a post from the Muse who use the title, 'Forever-Rain' to describe it. I liked both names and now I'm mixed to which one says the most, describes the most, and flows best.

I would like to hear everyone's input on the title, if possible.

The idea is to choose the title, then to go back and rename our individual pieces as story chapters beneath it. For example:

Ever-Rain: Rayn's Story
or
Forever-Rain: Rayn's Story

Let me know which title moves you the most.

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Ever-Rain

or

Forever-Rain

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