Tell Me A Tale Game

....Really? Well, if you so insist! I'd be happy to. If you are fine with it, and I assume CS is fine with it, then I will go ahead and do so.

So, assuming CS is fine with this, I shall go ahead and put up the next prompt. Good thing I had already chosen my prompt out.

Persecution. Hm. I do hope I have that spelled right. Anyway, yes. Persecution. According to Wikipedia, persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group.

Your prompt is thus: write something involving persecution. After all, persecution can be a very fun subject to write about, if done well. In my opinion, at least. Persecution itself can tell much about a person; whether they be the persecutor, or the one being persecuted, it matters not, for either way much about one's character is revealed.

So, this is your challenge. You may write about an individual, or a group being persecuted, it matters not. You can even write from the point of view of someone persecuting another. So long as you write something that you can work with for this prompt, it matters not.

The rules will be quite simple. Assuming we can make our own rules, reach round. The word limit for this prompt is 100 words to 2000. I think that ought to give everyone enough room to do something.

Please keep your prompts T at a maximum, unless you can convince me why I should let you do an R-rated prompt. No foul language, please, unless it proves necessary. In my opinion, there are much betters words to describe things than curse words. And in keeping with the T limit, if there is violence or some such thing in your prompt, please do not make it too graphic.

I do believe that is it. Ah yes, one more thing. I am not sure if pairings could be worked into such a prompt, but I am fine with yuri or yaoi and the like, if any of you are curious. So, these are the rules, I believe.

Have fun, everyone! I look forward to seeing what you all put up! If you have any questions, please PM me. The deadline for this Round shall be....two weeks from now, or May the 4th. If I need to extend the time limit, then I shall do so. If a decent amount of entries have been put forth and you still need time, then talk to me and we can see how long I'll need to extend the time limit.

I believe that is it, then. Have fun everyone! I look forward to seeing what is put forth! God-Bless and good luck to you all!

Yes, the rules for each round is made up by whoever is judging the round.

And I love writing about this! It should be fun! And I think that I know which character of mine that I'm going to use. It's been awhile since I've written with her, and this gives me the excuse to.

I suppose I could give this a try; I can't promise anything, especially with my schedule...but I'll try.

I'm totally fine with this! This is a great prompt, Magus. ^^' And I liked your ending, Casey, how it tied back to the beginning and everything. I'll definitely be in this one.

Oh my gosh... This is awful... My fifth version... But at least I actually finished this version, unlike the others. I don't feel as if I captured the emotions of this piece, and I feel as if it's kind of choppy. But it's better than nothing, and I don't know if I'll have time for an edit on this piece. Maybe Sunday, but we'll see.

Oh, and this has to do with my favoritest character ever, Casey Jewels. It's been awhile since I've written with her, and even longer since I've written in this part of her life. I think that's part of the reason why I had such a hard time with this--because the universe is broken and I haven't written in it since figuring out that it was broken and needed a total overhaul--an overhaul that I haven't had time to do yet.





“You lied to us!”

“I… I didn’t mean too!” Her violet eyes flickered around at the angry crowd, and her voice was pleading as she spoke. “I didn’t mean too!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you did.”

The words were cold, stark, and the truth. Her frail frame cowered back at them, and her grip tightened on her staff, the only thing keeping her upright. Tears pricked her eyes and she turned her head away, fighting to hold them back. She wouldn’t cry, not here, not now. They couldn’t know. “I…”

“You are not fit to be our leader.”

The world seemed to freeze in that moment. Her heart stopped beating and her breath caught in her throat. The blizzard raging outside—the blizzard she had come from not long before—filled her ears and echoed in her mind with its loneliness, and its coldness seeped into her heart. Nobody spoke, as she slowly lifted up her head and stared at the ragtag group of soldiers and their families. Again, there was a pause in time, and then a single tear fell from her wavering eyes.

“Please…,” she whispered. “Please…”

The small drop of liquid splashed down onto the floor.

“Please…”

But now that the words had been spoken, there was no going back. Expressions hardened as they stared at her shattering form, with no mercy to be seen in their eyes. The names started then.

“Freak.”

“Witch.”

“Liar.”

“Monster.”

“Human.”

It was the last that hurt the most; it was the last that caused another tear to fall; it was the last that finally broke her.

She turned and ran. A fiery pain shot up her left leg, but even that didn’t slow down her desperate pace.

“Leave! And don’t you ever come back!”

“Or we’ll kill you!”

“Human!”

The tears were falling fast now, blinding her as she ran, but her body knew the twists and turns of the caves, and they carried her out, back into the blizzard. The wind knocked her backwards, but she was already so numb that she did not notice the buffeting force. She was not aware of anything but the pain inside—a pain that she wanted to escape—and so she kept on running and running and running.

All around her the world was white and pure and innocent. Snow swirled all around her, so much of it that it was all she could see. As fast as her crimson blood stained the whiteness, it was gone. But she was a stain, in this world. Maybe it could blot her out too.

Her legs buckled out from underneath her and she fell to her knees in the snow. Her head dipped down low and then rose up to the heavens as she let out a scream. The sound was lost before it even left her throat, the wind snatching it away. Her violet eyes closed and the scream turned to a sob as she let her head drop back down. Another sob followed the first, and then another and another. There was no stopping—the floodgates of an overfilled dam finally opening up.

She had given them her everything, her all. But they had turned on her. Maybe it hadn’t been her all. Maybe she could have done better. Maybe she could have made everything better. But, no, there was nothing else that she could have done.

She had failed because of what she was—a human. Her kind only brought suffering and death to others. If she had never survived all of those years ago, then maybe… then maybe things would have been better for everyone else.

The snow swirled all around her still form.

This time, she would die.

Well, since I do want to wait for at least two more entries before I do ze judging, I shall extend the deadline of the current round of writing prompts to another two weeks.

So, the next deadline for this competition shall be.....May the 18th, two Wednesdays from now. For those who shall plan to enter and need the time, I wish you all good luck and fortune! I eagerly await to see what other prompts may be entered, in the coming in two weeks.

Godbless, everybody, and good luck to you all!

Hm. Since no more entries have appeared and the deadline is tomorrow, I'll be save and go ahead and move the deadline again. Hopefully this will be the last time. The new deadline is May the 31st. Everyone remember that. You have two more weeks now. See ya'll then, hopefully.

Sorry, I've been meaning to enter but the end of the school year had me swamped, but I'm free now so I'll hopefully get one up in the next few days.

Alrighty. Duly noted.

Ok, I'm not even remotely happy with this, but here you are. Hope you guys enjoy it.

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“No place is safe,” the man whispered.

“They’ll find us, they’ll kill us.” His companion stared at him, cold eyes appraising him.

“You’ve survived though,” the assassin said. “You know how they operate, tactics, together we could-“

“What? There’s no way off here! There’s no escape! They’ll find us again! They’ll hunt us! There will never be a reprieve! We will die,” the older man explained.

“We could kill them,” the assassin said. The older man stared at him, as if he didn’t hear.

“You serious,” he asked.

“Yes. I’ve wounded one of them before. They bleed, so we can kill them,” the assassin stated. “You can detect them better than I, you’ve learned how. With two, we stand a better chance of ending them. Then perhaps, with our hunters gone, we can find a method of escape.” The older man continued to stare at his dangerous ally.

“I killed men,” he said. “I can kill them, they die easy. Just like animals. Stalk them, threaten them, see how they respond. Then you toy with them, let them run. But they never get away, they always die.”

The assassin didn’t say anything, just kept waiting for the old kook to make his point. “These things, these predators, are much better at it, than you or I. I’ve watched them for years, I can avoid them, but no way I could kill them. You want to try, fine; I’ll tell you what I know. But I won’t be there, I won’t die by their hands,” the older man finished.

“Fine, I will do so alone, now tell me how to detect them,” the assassin said.

“First off, you gotta make yourself invisible to them. They see through heat, most of the time anyway, so you cover yourself in mud to block the heat. If they don’t see you, they’re more likely to uncloak in front of you. If more than one are around, you better be well hidden, or take them out as quietly as possible. There are always three, no more. They’ll be on to you, after you strike, so be quick. To find them, listen carefully, they will make noise, not much, but unseen; they will not be as guarded as if they could see you. Be silent, or you will die.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes, but they always come back, there are more, they find and kill everybody.”

The assassin said nothing; he left the hidden room, leaving the older man alone again. He walked through the jungle of the preserve for a half hour, coating himself in mud at the first opportunity. He was no stranger to blending in with his surroundings, his occupation requiring much stealth.

He stopped, suddenly, a subtle noise that sounded like breathing, just barely audible. The assassin tensed up, knowing he was shielded from their view. Suddenly, to his right, one of the aliens appeared out of nowhere. It was examining the ground, where he had just been walking…

There was no time to think, he took his silenced pistol and laid several shots into the beast. Green blood oozed out of the wounds, and it fell to the ground. The assassin walked up to the body, the alien was still alive but dying. He held out his pistol to the head, when suddenly three clustered red dots of light appeared on his body.

They knew, he thought. “They’ll find us… stalk them, toy with them… these things are much better at it then you…” He had been lured out, who knows how many the old monster had told that too, they might have even spared him to let him send people out believing they could stand a chance.

“Mother-“ the blast of the energy projectile cut him off, the phrase forever unfinished. The three real predators uncloaked, and began the process of taking their trophy from the corpse.

I shall be extending the deadline for one more week, but that is it. Whether or not we gain another entry from Warboss, Mariah, or CS I will be judging next Tuesday.

So, the deadline is now June 7th. Hopefully by then Warboss, at least, will have finished his entry.

Alrighty, here I go; way, way later than I was supposed to have posted....

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A blood-choked scream echoed through the stone halls as a small group of heavily armed soldiers ran; soaked with sweat and fear, their goggled eyes shifted about warily. One brought a radio to his face, gas mask obscuring his voice slightly, “Command, this is Bravo team! Reporting mission failure; we have taken heavy casualties and request immediate evac!” he shouted into the device, only to be answered with static as soon as his fingers released the call button.

Slowing to a halt, they formed a tight circle with their backs to each other, five in all, “What the hell is going on?” one of the soldiers, Clark, asked, flicking his brown eyes back and forth across the dark hallway; the flashlight on the end of his assault rifle projecting a small cone of light.

Andrews, Communications, shook his head, “I don’t know. Must be some interference, but command isn’t responding,” he answered as a female soldier, Hallowell, jerked her head at his response, “You don’t think that thing killed them, do you?” she asked.

“What the hell? No! It couldn’t have! I mean…there’s just no way!” shouted another soldier, Duke, barely keeping himself together. “That thing just killed Alpha, Sierra, and three of our guys; Delta and gamma are MIA! What in the hell do you think could have happened?!” retorted Hallowell, her voice inflecting the panic that permeated the group.

Another female, Ramirez, shook her head, “First, we need to get out of this hell hole; then we move from there.” At once they began moving through the corridors, flashlights meeting cold stone, the sounds of quick steps and labored breathing reverberating in the tight space.

A sharp whistle sounded as lights jerked into the direction of the sudden noise; breath held as they stopped moving. A few moments passed as Hallowell spoke, “We need to go,” she whispered shakily as Duke’s light blinked out. As the group pivoted on their heels in unison, they breathed a sigh of relief when they spotted him removing the light from his weapon, changing the battery, “Sorry guys,” he chuckled nervously.

Andrews shook his head, “You damn idiot! Warn us next ti--,” and was suddenly cut of as his rifle clattered to the ground, his form pulled off into the darkness by an unknown entity. Shots rang out as the remaining four fired into the shadows, hitting nothing but stone as ricochets clipped them, “Run!” Screamed Clark and Ramirez as they turned tail and fled; a blood-soaked smear glancing the edge of the illuminated field.

“I shot the bitch!” screamed Hallowell, sprinting around a corner, Duke not far behind, “I know I did!” Ramirez choked back a retch, “We all did, we all did!” her voice just as high as they ran into the large opening of the cellar, a stone staircase close by. Making a break for the stair case, a scream called out as they ran, Ramirez looking back to see Clark was no longer with them; a bloody trail along the floor, back into the corridor they had come from.

“Move, move, move!” yelled Ramirez as she scrambled up the stone stair after; Duke and Hallowell taking no chances and breaking in the heavy wooden door at the top with their combined body weight. Rushing through, their brief glimmer of hope was crushed as Ramirez called out for help; Duke and Hallowell turning in time to see their fellow soldier’s fingers slip past the frame.

Hallowell wasted no time in retreating, her last remaining team mate covering their rear as they ran into the spacious foyer of the ancient castle; light pouring in through the massive stained glass windows as they pushed through the broken furniture from the initial raid. To their horror, the massive wood and iron doors they had breached earlier were now set into place…and refused to budge.

“Shit! No! No, no, no, no, no!” shouted Duke, kicking the doors with a heavy boot. Hallowell grabbed his arm, pulling towards the adjacent hall, “Come on!” she screamed as a shadow moved in the corner of her eye. They hadn’t made it very far before a sickening wet snap, followed in succession by a series of cracks alerted Hallowell that her last remaining partner was down; however, halfway into the dark hall, a deafening explosion followed, filling the hall with debris.

Sprinting even faster, Duke had tried to give her more time by setting off his explosives before he died. She didn’t know how much time, but she couldn’t spare thinking about it. Hope renewed itself as she pushed open a pair of wooden doors and met with a shock that she had found the library. Bracing herself, she ran over to one of the ladders, just tall enough to get her to one of the windows. Pulling it over closer to her exit, she shouldered her assault rifle and started to climb.

“Leaving so soon?” cooed a soft yet menacing voice from behind her. She didn’t stop, only hurried her pace as blind panic overtook her senses, “Oh, how rude! It is polite to respond accordingly when you are being addressed!” teased the voice with mock distain. Hallowell glanced back briefly against her will to see an elegant woman with Vibrant red hair and luminescent red eyes, dressed in blood-red Victorian attire, with ruby ear rings and choker. The smile on her features was malicious, lips peeling back slowly to reveal opposing rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The soldier paused long enough to take aim with her rifle, set against her shoulder as she clung to the ladder for dear life and fired. Bullets struck the fiery-maned woman; clothes, flesh, and blood torn away and pelting the stone around her as the woman emptied her clip. As the red-clad woman toppled to the ground, Hallowell hefted her assault rifle, using it to bust out the window before feeding a fresh clip into it.

Ascending the ladder to freedom, she leapt, trying to close the distance; falling short, her stomach slammed into the edge of the window as glass cut into her arms and hands. Struggling to pull herself up, her grip faltered slightly under the blood-slicked surface and her bodyweight carried her over. Unable to stop, or slow herself, a dreadful sinking feeling hit her gut as the ground rushed to meet her, shrubbery barely cushioning her fall. Breath frozen in her throat, she lazily pulled free of the plants and pulled off her combat jacket; fashioning a make-shift sling for her shattered right arm.

Using her weapon as a temporary crutch, she forced herself into motion, limping away from the horrors she had witnessed and the monster. She soon spotted the armored military vehicles that had brought the teams in.

As she limped on board the transporter, she slipped and landed face down on the loading ramp; her goggles covered in a thick, obscuring liquid, she rolled onto her back, off her broken arm. Pulling off her combat helmet, gas mask, and balaclava her short blonde hair shifted under the slight breeze and inhaled.

Her nostrils were greeted a bitterly familiar pungency as her ears picked up on the silence and looked to her side. The ramp and the inside of the armored transport were dripping with coagulated blood.

Eyes dilated and breathing paralyzed, a frigid breath whispered across her cheek; sharp teeth softly stroking the edge of her ear. Hallowell couldn’t think, wouldn’t move; sweat trickling off her brow as the figure looming over her inhaled her scent, “Did you really think I would let you go so easily? You came to play…” came the lustful voice of the red-haired monster, her long wet tongue leaving a trail on her victim’s neck.

“…so let’s play,” finished the voice, Hallowell closing her eyes as pain and darkness consumed her.

“Silly human…”

.....Well, better late than ever I guess.

Well, after looking back over at the entries, I believe that Warboss is ze winner. He may be....late.....but I rather liked his piece. So Warboss, take it away.

Wha?! I...I won? Well thanks! Admittedly, I wasn't sure about my piece, but I'm certainly glad you liked it.

Contrary to some of the comments you made otherwise...kudos to jerking me around. =P

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The prompt for this round is....Horror. You must write a piece using only original characters with a Horror theme. The theme should include tension, suspense, and a general tone or atmosphere that fits the situation.

Now, what is horror? That is a good question, as the term dredges up varying ideas; they may be natural or supernatural. With that said, you may approach this prompt however you like.

You must be descriptive; the more descriptive you are, the better! Spelling and grammar are a must! You are free to have it rated however you wish, just keep in mind, gory does not mean scary; other than that, you have full reign over your piece.

Your piece must be a minimum of 5,000 words with a default maximum of 10,000. I expect these pieces to be long in order to build up whatever you need for your piece to play out as you wish. Be aware, that if you absolutely can't not work up to 5,000 words, for whatever reason, I will not hold it against you--especially since the NaNo event is taking place.

With the word limit that has been placed on this, I am not placing a formal due date on this and anyone is able to participate.

For anyone who may ask, "Why such a high minimum word count?"

This is a horror piece that you're being challenged to write. Horror takes time, especially with as many intricate elements to a good horror piece that needs that time to set the tone, atmosphere, or setting. You can't really jump into a horror piece and expect it to come off as such.

Happy writing, and good luck challengers!

-reserve-