((Something I wrote to get myself out of the writer's block funk. Lots of blood and gore.))
The air was like the last gulp of warm soda at the bottom of the can'thick, gritty, and diluted. Was this a dream' It couldn't be? Emlen couldn't remember the last time he'd gone to sleep. The last time he'd done more than just lay next to Minoko, providing body heat like an overrated furnace"eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. Of course, he'd close them and pretend to wake up the moment she stirred. Had he fooled her, though' The dark circles beneath his eyes were growing more predominant by what seemed like each passing hour of sleeplessness, worry, and pain. Not to mention the clumsiness"how many of their dishes had he broken by something as simple as a lost grip" She knew. She had to know"
On this day, Minoko was nowhere to be found. He'd gotten a strange series of calls and hang-ups from his sister. The spare key was pulled out of his pocket as he worked through the foggy air that seemed to fill the hallway. The key was turned into the lock, and he took one more look around. Had it always been so dark and eerie" Martyr's home had always been a beacon of happiness, a place of comfort. So why was it not settling in his belly' How come everything felt wrong"
Emlen knew the answer to that. Nothing felt right anymore"
The door was pressed open, and he took a look around. Immediately, be it the coppery smell that plagued the place, or the bloodstains on the carpet, he knew something had gone horribly wrong in here. First, he moved to the kitchen. Phoenix was there, in some form. Wide eyes were staring up, but seeing nothing. She was gone. The blackness in her veins, lining her face, wrists, and neck told the story. She had been poisoned. Nothing was left of her, except for a cold corpse left on the floor with a knife plunged into her heart. Who would have thought' The last defense would be the first dead. Emlen didn't rush to her side, didn't cry'didn't feel remotely human. (Not that he was.) He'd never felt so empty inside.
The air was like the last gulp of warm soda at the bottom of the can'thick, gritty, and diluted. Was this a dream' It couldn't be? Emlen couldn't remember the last time he'd gone to sleep. The last time he'd done more than just lay next to Minoko, providing body heat like an overrated furnace"eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling. Of course, he'd close them and pretend to wake up the moment she stirred. Had he fooled her, though' The dark circles beneath his eyes were growing more predominant by what seemed like each passing hour of sleeplessness, worry, and pain. Not to mention the clumsiness"how many of their dishes had he broken by something as simple as a lost grip" She knew. She had to know"
On this day, Minoko was nowhere to be found. He'd gotten a strange series of calls and hang-ups from his sister. The spare key was pulled out of his pocket as he worked through the foggy air that seemed to fill the hallway. The key was turned into the lock, and he took one more look around. Had it always been so dark and eerie" Martyr's home had always been a beacon of happiness, a place of comfort. So why was it not settling in his belly' How come everything felt wrong"
Emlen knew the answer to that. Nothing felt right anymore"
The door was pressed open, and he took a look around. Immediately, be it the coppery smell that plagued the place, or the bloodstains on the carpet, he knew something had gone horribly wrong in here. First, he moved to the kitchen. Phoenix was there, in some form. Wide eyes were staring up, but seeing nothing. She was gone. The blackness in her veins, lining her face, wrists, and neck told the story. She had been poisoned. Nothing was left of her, except for a cold corpse left on the floor with a knife plunged into her heart. Who would have thought' The last defense would be the first dead. Emlen didn't rush to her side, didn't cry'didn't feel remotely human. (Not that he was.) He'd never felt so empty inside.