#writeober 2019

[pe-ersona]

The Night Before The Big Day

Taglist: @oc-growth-and-development @sunshineomeara @ventilaccion

She was obsessed with her engagement proposal. The ballroom, the flowers, her hair, her make up, her dress. The courts coming together to celebrate. The war behind them as two kingdoms join hands, making a bridge between the gap. She sees her parents’ faces, their smiles and misty eyes. His Highness, sliding a ring on her finger. How she will feel the ring scratch across her cheeks when she wipes away tears. How she will hear the cheers over her own rejoice. How the weight on her shoulders will lift and disappear. 

She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her skin covered in lotions and she bathed in flower water to her chin. Her maid combed her hair and rubbed in oils before keeping it loose over her shoulders. She wore her favorite nightgown and had her maid prepare the bed for a early night. When her head hit the pillows, her eyelids fell. But she was nowhere close to tired. Her mind was too preoccupied, too busy.

[anntar-radix]

A Tarmac Talk

“Deven?”

“Yea?”

“Why are you laying here?”

“Cause I can.”

Alex sighed. “In the middle of a road.”

“Yup.”

“Are you trying to get run over?”

“Not really trying much of anything at the mo’.”

Alex groaned. “Are you going to make me move you out of the middle of the road?”

“Alex. It’s Halloween. Do you really think that any cars around here are going to be using this street?”

Alex stared in disbelief at the man on the asphalt.

“Care to join?”

Alex sighed again and started to lay down next to Deven. “You realize you are actually, certifiably nuts, right?”

“It makes life interesting.”

“Says the one who, after the first day of class, started plotting a coup d'état to overthrow the college consortium.” “Can you blame me? The classes around here are enough to make anyone go nuts!”

“They are not.”

“Yes, Alex, they are.”

“No they are not.”

“Assigning three essays due the next day is something that no-one should go through. Hell, Brian had four!”

“I told you not to take that course. You have heard the horror stories.” Alex paused. “And they were not due the next day, they were due in three weeks.

“Tomato, potato.”

“Wait, weren’t we going to go down to Carolyn’s for the gaming marathon?”

“But the stars are too good tonight to move.”

Alex didn’t disagree.

(Hallo frands. This is day 2 of 31... kinda... Anyways, the prompt I used this time was An Empty Road on Halloween Night.  I hope y’all are enjoying this thing. And who knows. Maybe I’ll get day 1′s thing up tonight too... Hopefully. Thank you to @thenightofthelivingwriters for doing the prompts. And see y’all later)

[henscom]

When Ben had asked, “Why Bowser?  Why Peach with Bowser?” and gotten a response of, “Well, think about it,” (Ben thought about it, for a second, but Henry wasn’t done) “if she didn’t want him to take her, she probably would have stopped him by now,” he could only stare blankly at his partner His friend His more than that. “Henry. That perpetuates rape culture.” Henry didn’t get it. He never did. “What- what the hell does that even mean!” “It means it sounds like you’re saying she was responsible because she let it happen, that she wanted it to happen.” “Yeah. And?” “And that’s kind of a form of victim blaming. People say that a lot when they want to take the blame off the guy.” “Oh. No, wait, that’s not what I’m saying, I’m saying with them, in their case, see, Peach is strong enough. Like she’s not some damn damsel in distress. I’m saying like, it takes two, y’know? Sayin’ they probably fuck like rabbits.” Ben’s nose wrinkled at that word. Fuck. It felt so incorrect for an act that was supposed to be of love. It wasn’t like he himself never used it, but in this context it was both funny and jarring. Henry liked it. The way his nose wrinkled. It made him smile, unabashed. And it made Ben’s shoulders rise with the heat in his cheeks, because Henry had told him as such many times. “I think I’ll just go as Mario. Wearing a dress sounds…” He didn’t like to admit this, that he was uncomfortable wearing dresses. He was perfectly fine seeing other men in them, but as for himself… It was like being called Tits for however long he wore the dress. And then some. “Cold.” he half lied. An omission, really, not a lie. But Henry could tell when Ben lied. Henry could tell when anyone lied. Everyone had some tic. Ben’s was a swallow. “Cold?” “Sorry, I- I shouldn’t have lied. I just…” “Embarrassing?” Ben said something like “Yeah, exactly,” and so on and so forth. On the night of Halloween, they did not walk hand in hand like they’d so wanted to, but they got a shitload of candy, and did sneak kisses to one another's cheeks when no one was looking.

[pe-ersona]

Dark Finale

Taglist: @thenightofthelivingwriters @sunshineomeara @ventilaccion @awkwardplant

Dark Past / Dark Figure / Dark Forest / Dark Room

Eyes adjusting to the dark, she sees the slit of light under the far door. Her feet step one in front of another. Like the day before. Her steps, hesitant. Her feet hit his carpet, leading into his apartment. The same apartment that she came over to hear about his problems and lean her shoulder for his tears. Recently, she heard the same story over and over but it was different. He found someone new and she tried not to pry for her heart was too fragile. She held her feelings bottled and released them with someone else, a guy who would always help with her thoughts. Help her hide behind her mask in front of him. She encouraged him and she wish she didn’t. She called for his name once and he couldn’t breath out an answer. Too far gone. She felt an eerie silence then and now. When she came around the corner, she held back her scream and dropped to her knees. The image of his crusty hair in her hands scarred her vision now and her ears still rang with police sirens as the doorknob twists in her hand. 

The stairs creak under her weight and she flinches, waiting for something to stir. It doesn’t. She continues and walks into a hallway, leading in two directions. Left or right? One way is a dead end of more doors. She couldn’t test them if they lead to an exit or a bedroom. She takes the other option and it opens to a living room. There is still no sound of someone--something else over the loud heartbeat in her ears.

She can’t take it anymore and she runs to find the front door. Her footsteps heavy. She passes through the kitchen and stops. There is an array of papers and a map next to the sink. Too curious, she looks over and recognizes the handwriting. From the same hand that pushed her out the door. She picks up one piece and she spots the photos. Her blood runs cold. The paper slips out of her hand and she turns around to run out of this nightmare. 

Unaware of the approaching dark figure, he grasps her arms as she screams. He is dressed head to toe in black and she can’t see his face. He lifts her struggling body and forces her to sit on the couch in the living room. He places a tight grip on her arm like a burning brand and other close to her throat, squeezing hard to shut her up as he stands behind her. 

A door from down the hallway open. His face was not mistaken. The same one she saw however long ago. She grit her teeth as tears stream down her face at his presence, once a safe haven, now forever a prison. 

“Why?” She wheezes out. 

“You wanted my help, didn’t you?”

[pe-ersona]

Dark Past

Taglist: @thenightofthelivingwriters @sunshineomeara @ventilaccion @awkwardplant

Dark Figure / Dark Forest / Dark Room

“You’re missing the point. You can’t be here.”

“I didn’t know where to go. You’re the first person I thought-”

“They know that. They will be here any second now.”

“I don’t know what to do. I didn’t do anything.”

“I know that. I wasn’t there, but I know you didn’t do it. I know you too well. And I know you will come to me but I thought you would be smarter.”

“Why can’t you help me? I came here so you could help me--out of this.”

“I can’t help you this time. I can’t hide you in this house. They will find you.” and I can’t let that happen.

“What should I do then?”

“Run away.”

“What? I can’t just--where do I go--”

“Run away!”

[pe-ersona]

“Wow.”

Taglist: @thenightofthelivingwriters @sunshineomeara @ventilaccion

The scene in front of him played like a movie. It was unreal. Disconnected. Too perfect for his mind to understand. Made up of dreams. Different from the life he lived. 

On the top of the staircase, she stood there. Shocked? Nervous? Confident? Step by step, she descends. Everyone fixed on something about her. Her soft smile? The sheer neckline and sleeves against her clear skin? The hand-sewn jewels on her bodice? How her wavy hair flows behind her like the train of her white dress? The prince’s eyes caught the princess’ eyes, straying to nothing else.  

[pe-ersona]

Give me a second

Taglist: @thenightofthelivingwriters @sunshineomeara @ventilaccion @awkwardplant

“Are you a ghost?” 

“No. I’m not.”

“Then where are you? I can’t see you, but I can hear you so clearly...”

“I don’t know how well I can explain this...but I’m in your head. But not in your head. I’m not physically in your head-”

“Wait! Hold on! Do I have powers?”

“Not that I know of. I had this ability since...awhile....Are you all right?”

“With someone who can talk to me in my head. Give me a second.”

[pe-ersona]

Dark Forest

Taglist: @thenightofthelivingwriters @sunshineomeara @ventilaccion @awkwardplant

Dark Room  /   /

The forest in the dark is like a mine field. A twig snaps, they know where she is. When they chase after her, every unseen root snags a foot. The rush to keep her knees high and her arms out to swing branches out of her view. Weaving around, never running straight. To lose them. But they are still on her heel. Because the forest in the dark is like a mine field.