Post by Dwz on Dec 14, 2008 21:13:08 GMT
And now the big showdown
11
Once again Bryan stood before the same empty warehouse that he died and was resurrected at. What followed next? Would he die once more? Would he kill John and embrace the mask again? Or would he destroy it this time? Free the world of its corruption? He didn’t have any answers, but he soon would. Following the trail of blood left by John, Bryan came up to the front door. Taking a deep breath he walked inside.
“You finally came,” John’s voice echoed throughout the empty space.
“I didn’t really have a choice, did I now? We must finish this now,” Bryan replied as he walked around searching for John.
“Took you long enough,” John said as his sentence was accompanied by a series of coughs.
“You don’t sound well, John, did I hurt you that bad? I didn’t want to, honestly, I would rather have a fair fight,” Bryan mocked John trying to lure him out of the shadows. “I don’t know about you but after I came back to life I acquired powers, I can heal very fast now, John. Do you really want to fight me?” Bryan added stopping in the middle of the warehouse, looking left and right.
John didn’t answer. It all went silent for a second. The air was so stagnant. Bryan listened in to the dripping sound that was so loud in that silence. He silently creped to his right and pushed a tower of wooden boxes over watching as John shot out avoiding the falling boxes into the open.
“Nice trick, but that won’t be enough,” John said as he stood face to face before Bryan.
Bryan noticed John’s shirt all soaked in blood. It was dripping all the way down his jeans and onto the floor. John still had the knife that Bryan stabbed him with stuck in his stomach, the handle was dripping blood, it seemed John tried pulling it out but to no avail, Bryan’s newly acquired strength thrust the blade as far as it could go. John was slightly leaning to the ground as if unable to stand straight or perhaps as if in a fighting stance.
“You must die,” John said and sprinted towards Bryan with the knife in the air.
Bryan held his knife up into the air and when John was close enough both of their blades collided in an orchestra of metal grinding to one another. They both stood there pushing towards each other with their blades, their hands where shaking as every ounce of strength they had they were putting into overtaking the other in this clash. Bryan could hear John breathe heavily. Bryan took in so much malice in John’s breathing, so much hatred, so much vengeance. Realizing that Bryan was loosing the struggle he tried knocking John off his feet but John foresaw that and moved his feet avoiding Bryan’s attack, he retaliated by screaming back at Bryan and pushing him with a sudden burst of force. Bryan fell to the ground and watched John quickly get on top of him trying to thrust the blade into Bryan’s throat. Bryan grabbed John’s arms and just barely held them above himself so that the knife wasn’t yet pushing into his flesh.
Bryan had acquired inhuman strength after he was resurrected but even with that he was barely holding back John’s attacks. The strength that John put out was far greater than the mask ever gave Bryan. It must have given John everything it had for not only John had a vendetta with Bryan but the mask did as well. Bryan was the first and only host that had not only escaped but defied its grasp and lived to tell about it.
As the blade was getting closer and closer to Bryan’s neck he was starting to loose hope of fending John off. His strength was giving out on him while John was pushing just as hard as he did if not harder. The mask was truly giving John inhuman strength, it clearly wanted Bryan dead. As Bryan was about to give up and accept death that was before him he noticed someone grip John around the neck from behind. Bryan realized it was Rob pulling back on John. Bryan used the opportunity and pushed John off himself. Not waiting a second Bryan jumped up and gripped the knife that was stuck in John’s stomach. He twisted on it before ripping it out of John. A stream of blood started flowing freely from John as the blade tore through his tissues when it was being ripped away from him.
“Hide,” Bryan said to Rob and watched him nod and run off towards the wooden boxes in the far corner of the warehouse. Bryan came up to John that lay on the ground frantically trying to stop the bleeding by holding his gapping wound with his hands. “It’s over, John, there is nothing else you can do,” Bryan said as he looked into John’s hateful eyes, he heard John breathing heavily and unequally. Bryan kneeled before John and put his hand over his wound. “I’ll make it quick,” he said and slammed the knife in John’s heart.
A tribute of sorts: that was the way the mask made every host kill at first, a stab in the heart, a quick and seemingly painless death. Bryan felt as if he had put the man through enough pain to torture him any longer. John gasped as his head rose into the air but quickly fell back lifeless exhaling the last drops of air. Bryan put his hand to John’s face, to the mask, he gripped it gently and pulled on it, the mask let go of John’s dead body and let itself be handed by Bryan.
Standing there Bryan felt the mask surging its evil presence into Bryan’s hand, it slowly transferred its malice. Bryan knew that feeling oh so well, that’s how it acted when he first held it in his hands: slowly poisoning the body, making its way into the mind and when that was ceased then the confrontation would start, unwillingly whoever held it would put it on. Bryan frowned at the thought of embracing it again, he had run too far for it to find its way back to him, “Rob, come, we don’t have much time,” Bryan yelled out as he exited the warehouse leaving John’s dead body behind, Rob ran after into the empty gleam of the night outside.
“What’s going on? Are you alright? Did you get hurt or what?” Rob inquired running behind Bryan, watching him stagger sideways, barely able to walk only after a few minutes under the mask’s indirect influence.
“I have … to … get rid of it … it’s eating away at my body and mind … I can’t resist it for long,” Bryan barely made out.
“Let me carry it then,” Rob offered sincerely.
“NO, you won’t be able … to … resist it … it will consume you,” he replied as he turned the mask away from Rob’s side.
“Well how will you get rid of it?” he asked Bryan.
“Help me … get me … to … the bridge,” Bryan replied as he put his hand around Rob’s shoulders, shifting some of his weight on him.
The bridge that connected two halves of the town stood towering in between them, a massive structure of concrete and steel, standing as silent as ever. Never complaining about the endless assault of rain, never whining over ice eating away at its metal structure, it just stood there, every day, every night.
Barely able to carry Bryan’s weight Rob managed to get Bryan on the bridge, he let him rest against one of the metal beams that tangled the bridge like a maze of wires. A dark pit of murky water looked back at them from below the bridge. So many ghosts of the past rest in this icy water, a lot of them were sent there by Bryan himself. This little stretch of water in between the two halves of the town eventually connected to the ocean, they say whirlpools and underwater currents here are very strong, strong enough to wash away anything that is thrown in there to hell knows where.
Bryan took a last look at the mask. It was still smiling with that evil smile, broken teeth showing through. This was the crossroad for Bryan, his last chance to choose. He had found out tonight that he had a family after all, a son, a lover. What did it matter? He didn’t know what it was to love, or hate, or anything for that matter, his soul was destroyed after all. He could become a perfect killer with the mask again returned to him.
“Bryan? What are you waiting for?” Rob broke Bryan’s chain of thoughts and brought him back to the bridge where they stood for a few minutes in silence.
Bryan looked at Rob and then glanced back at the mask, he put his hand out over the murky water and let his grip go watching as the mask sliced the air making eerie sounds, almost as if screeching, “Amazing what the wind can do,” Bryan thought to himself hearing the mask screech in the air before it finally hit the water hard and sank into the blackness. Bryan turned to Rob again, “Let’s go, son, your mother needs us,” Bryan said and walked off.
Rob stood there for a second taking in how Bryan called him. He smiled and ran after Bryan, back home, back to his real family.
********************************
Mind you, there's a nother chapter
11
Once again Bryan stood before the same empty warehouse that he died and was resurrected at. What followed next? Would he die once more? Would he kill John and embrace the mask again? Or would he destroy it this time? Free the world of its corruption? He didn’t have any answers, but he soon would. Following the trail of blood left by John, Bryan came up to the front door. Taking a deep breath he walked inside.
“You finally came,” John’s voice echoed throughout the empty space.
“I didn’t really have a choice, did I now? We must finish this now,” Bryan replied as he walked around searching for John.
“Took you long enough,” John said as his sentence was accompanied by a series of coughs.
“You don’t sound well, John, did I hurt you that bad? I didn’t want to, honestly, I would rather have a fair fight,” Bryan mocked John trying to lure him out of the shadows. “I don’t know about you but after I came back to life I acquired powers, I can heal very fast now, John. Do you really want to fight me?” Bryan added stopping in the middle of the warehouse, looking left and right.
John didn’t answer. It all went silent for a second. The air was so stagnant. Bryan listened in to the dripping sound that was so loud in that silence. He silently creped to his right and pushed a tower of wooden boxes over watching as John shot out avoiding the falling boxes into the open.
“Nice trick, but that won’t be enough,” John said as he stood face to face before Bryan.
Bryan noticed John’s shirt all soaked in blood. It was dripping all the way down his jeans and onto the floor. John still had the knife that Bryan stabbed him with stuck in his stomach, the handle was dripping blood, it seemed John tried pulling it out but to no avail, Bryan’s newly acquired strength thrust the blade as far as it could go. John was slightly leaning to the ground as if unable to stand straight or perhaps as if in a fighting stance.
“You must die,” John said and sprinted towards Bryan with the knife in the air.
Bryan held his knife up into the air and when John was close enough both of their blades collided in an orchestra of metal grinding to one another. They both stood there pushing towards each other with their blades, their hands where shaking as every ounce of strength they had they were putting into overtaking the other in this clash. Bryan could hear John breathe heavily. Bryan took in so much malice in John’s breathing, so much hatred, so much vengeance. Realizing that Bryan was loosing the struggle he tried knocking John off his feet but John foresaw that and moved his feet avoiding Bryan’s attack, he retaliated by screaming back at Bryan and pushing him with a sudden burst of force. Bryan fell to the ground and watched John quickly get on top of him trying to thrust the blade into Bryan’s throat. Bryan grabbed John’s arms and just barely held them above himself so that the knife wasn’t yet pushing into his flesh.
Bryan had acquired inhuman strength after he was resurrected but even with that he was barely holding back John’s attacks. The strength that John put out was far greater than the mask ever gave Bryan. It must have given John everything it had for not only John had a vendetta with Bryan but the mask did as well. Bryan was the first and only host that had not only escaped but defied its grasp and lived to tell about it.
As the blade was getting closer and closer to Bryan’s neck he was starting to loose hope of fending John off. His strength was giving out on him while John was pushing just as hard as he did if not harder. The mask was truly giving John inhuman strength, it clearly wanted Bryan dead. As Bryan was about to give up and accept death that was before him he noticed someone grip John around the neck from behind. Bryan realized it was Rob pulling back on John. Bryan used the opportunity and pushed John off himself. Not waiting a second Bryan jumped up and gripped the knife that was stuck in John’s stomach. He twisted on it before ripping it out of John. A stream of blood started flowing freely from John as the blade tore through his tissues when it was being ripped away from him.
“Hide,” Bryan said to Rob and watched him nod and run off towards the wooden boxes in the far corner of the warehouse. Bryan came up to John that lay on the ground frantically trying to stop the bleeding by holding his gapping wound with his hands. “It’s over, John, there is nothing else you can do,” Bryan said as he looked into John’s hateful eyes, he heard John breathing heavily and unequally. Bryan kneeled before John and put his hand over his wound. “I’ll make it quick,” he said and slammed the knife in John’s heart.
A tribute of sorts: that was the way the mask made every host kill at first, a stab in the heart, a quick and seemingly painless death. Bryan felt as if he had put the man through enough pain to torture him any longer. John gasped as his head rose into the air but quickly fell back lifeless exhaling the last drops of air. Bryan put his hand to John’s face, to the mask, he gripped it gently and pulled on it, the mask let go of John’s dead body and let itself be handed by Bryan.
Standing there Bryan felt the mask surging its evil presence into Bryan’s hand, it slowly transferred its malice. Bryan knew that feeling oh so well, that’s how it acted when he first held it in his hands: slowly poisoning the body, making its way into the mind and when that was ceased then the confrontation would start, unwillingly whoever held it would put it on. Bryan frowned at the thought of embracing it again, he had run too far for it to find its way back to him, “Rob, come, we don’t have much time,” Bryan yelled out as he exited the warehouse leaving John’s dead body behind, Rob ran after into the empty gleam of the night outside.
“What’s going on? Are you alright? Did you get hurt or what?” Rob inquired running behind Bryan, watching him stagger sideways, barely able to walk only after a few minutes under the mask’s indirect influence.
“I have … to … get rid of it … it’s eating away at my body and mind … I can’t resist it for long,” Bryan barely made out.
“Let me carry it then,” Rob offered sincerely.
“NO, you won’t be able … to … resist it … it will consume you,” he replied as he turned the mask away from Rob’s side.
“Well how will you get rid of it?” he asked Bryan.
“Help me … get me … to … the bridge,” Bryan replied as he put his hand around Rob’s shoulders, shifting some of his weight on him.
The bridge that connected two halves of the town stood towering in between them, a massive structure of concrete and steel, standing as silent as ever. Never complaining about the endless assault of rain, never whining over ice eating away at its metal structure, it just stood there, every day, every night.
Barely able to carry Bryan’s weight Rob managed to get Bryan on the bridge, he let him rest against one of the metal beams that tangled the bridge like a maze of wires. A dark pit of murky water looked back at them from below the bridge. So many ghosts of the past rest in this icy water, a lot of them were sent there by Bryan himself. This little stretch of water in between the two halves of the town eventually connected to the ocean, they say whirlpools and underwater currents here are very strong, strong enough to wash away anything that is thrown in there to hell knows where.
Bryan took a last look at the mask. It was still smiling with that evil smile, broken teeth showing through. This was the crossroad for Bryan, his last chance to choose. He had found out tonight that he had a family after all, a son, a lover. What did it matter? He didn’t know what it was to love, or hate, or anything for that matter, his soul was destroyed after all. He could become a perfect killer with the mask again returned to him.
“Bryan? What are you waiting for?” Rob broke Bryan’s chain of thoughts and brought him back to the bridge where they stood for a few minutes in silence.
Bryan looked at Rob and then glanced back at the mask, he put his hand out over the murky water and let his grip go watching as the mask sliced the air making eerie sounds, almost as if screeching, “Amazing what the wind can do,” Bryan thought to himself hearing the mask screech in the air before it finally hit the water hard and sank into the blackness. Bryan turned to Rob again, “Let’s go, son, your mother needs us,” Bryan said and walked off.
Rob stood there for a second taking in how Bryan called him. He smiled and ran after Bryan, back home, back to his real family.
********************************
Mind you, there's a nother chapter