Welcome to Gaia! ::

(I've ben working on this background story for an RPG character of mine for a few months and decided to put it on here for comment. You can post on here or PM, your choice. I'll just put up one or two sections for now then post more later.)

(Update-please atleast read this first section...if you like you can continue to the next sections...but I'd atleast like some comments on this first segment.)

*Warning, this thing can get a bit gory...if you don't wish to read it...then don't*

A man, in his early to mid 20’s stood on the edge of the cliff, staring down, down to the mist covered rocks below. He turned for a moment, looking to the woods behind him. He could pick out a few torches, both electrical and those made of burning branches between the trees. He turned once more to the empty expanse behind him. ‘So this is how it ends’ he thought as he closed his eyes, feeling the gentle breeze blowing across his face, gently pulling up on his cowboy hat and causing his trench coat to ruffle slightly. He then leaned forward, allowing gravity to do the rest of the job, pulling his body down into the darkness.

A man came to a sliding halt at the edge of the cliff just as the scream of pain came rolling back up from the darkness. He leaned over the edge of the cliff, shining his flashlight down to stab through the mist to reveal a site so gruesome he was forced to stumble back for fear of fainting over the edge after the man in black. Several more men, and a few women as well approached, glancing around, searching the shadows for the man who’d walked into their quiet little bar and caused the most brutal fight in the bars history. The man who had approached the edge crab crawled backwards, his skin as white as a sheet of paper. Several of his brethren placed hands on his back, offering him a swig and asking what happened. “I’ll tell you what happened…that stranger is gone now…right over that there cliff!” he said, pointing a shaking finger towards the darkness. “He’s at the bottom…but he’s still moving.” he said, he shook his head once more, as if trying to rid himself of the image…being unable to do so he scrambled onto his feet and spun around, making tracks back towards the bar to drown out the images.

One man approached the edge to confirm the story, and turned away quickly at the site, grabbing a woman who was trying to look over. “That is not a site anyone should witness…he’s a demon…and he deserves his fate.” He said, leading the group away from the cliff, followed by the low groans of the dying man.

At the bottom of the cliff, the man reached up with his right hand and wrapped it around the center most spike, which had driven itself through his abdomen. His grip tightened as a shot of pain went through the remains of his severed spine. He felt the area around the wound, and to his disgust he found that a loop of his intestines had been forced out of his stomach by the spike, and was now pinned outside his body. He finally blacked out…but not even this was a reprieve as his mind traveled back through his past, reliving the worst…and only moments in his life.

Thank you...first of all, yes, this is just the very beginning of the story, probably will post more later, second, I may describe the bar fight towards the end.

(The next portion of my still unraveling story...I could really use feedback if anyone is taking the time to read this...even if it is to just say 'it's great' or 'it sucks.' I could use any feedback.)

When Raymond got home he took a shower, and discovered for himself that he had no physical wounds from the assault. He found this puzzling but shrugged it off as the man hadn’t hit him as bad as he’d thought, and part of the blood was from the other man. But the next day he discovered that not everything was as it seemed. The next day started a bit funny, his father yelled at him a bit louder, and his brother acted touchier around him, as if he was constantly in a state of pissed off. He shrugged this off as jealousy at how much attention he had received the day before. But on the way to school, he found a lot more people in the passing cars giving him looks, even a few fingers were flipped at him for no apparent reason.

When he got to the school yard he looked himself over for any signs on his backpack that said ‘f*ck you’ or something similar. Not finding any, and not feeling any holes in his pants he shrugged it off yet again and went to the courtyard to wait for the bell to ring, signaling the start of class.

He was standing in his usual spot, right next to the door when a few of the ‘popular kids’ walked up. These were your typical ‘daddy’s girls and ‘momma’s boys that got anything they asked for and more. A few where sons or daughters of some of the local police, and had figured out it was Raymond they were talking about over the dinner table with their mothers/fathers. “Hey Raymond…what’s it feel like to kill someone?” one of the bigger guys asked, the leader of the group.

“What?” Raymond asked, completely confused for a moment before it dawned on him they knew. “Uh…it…sucks.” He said, looking down. He hadn’t thought about it the night before, but they brought up the image of the mans head flopping back impossibly far, his neck stretching grotesquely before falling back at a weird angle, lying in a way no human skull could ever lie unless it’s neck was broken.

“Oh come on…didn’t it feel cool?” one of the girls asked, obviously impressed by the fact Raymond had killed someone, but not quite able to get over his title as school geek.

“No…it felt gross…and the snap...” He shook his head trying to rid his mind of the sickening snap…and the light leaving his fear filled eyes.

“Oh come on you wimp…what about that ‘gash’ on the back of your leg?” one of the guys asked, using a stick he’d picked up on the way to school he pocked the back of Raymond’s left leg, lifting his shorts slightly to reveal unblemished flesh.

“I think he actually didn’t hit, I couldn’t find a scratch.” Raymond admitted, swatting the stick away from him. The man with the stick swung it around, catching Raymond on the side of the face, leaving a scratch.

“There, now you have a scratch.” he chuckled, several of the other guys and girls laughing along with him.

“Stop it you guys!” a blond said from the back of the group. She pushed her way through the group, glaring at each of the other members of the group with her cold blue eyes before interposing herself between the gaggle and Raymond, who was now clutching his bleeding cheek.

“Move Ann,” the one with the stick said, trying to push her out of the way with the stick.

“No, you go away and leave him alone, what did he ever do to you?” she asked, her arms spread out to keep the others away from Raymond. By then Raymond noticed what she was doing and looked on in wonderment. The others became disgusted and walked off, turning their back on Ann.

“Th…thank you.” Raymond said blushing, looking down. He secretly had a crush on Ann since he’d moved here, but had felt she was far out of his reach, which was a pretty good estimation as she hung out with the ‘in crowd’, something Raymond could never work his way into, no matter how hard he tried.

“Don’t mention it…I never noticed how much of a d**k those guys were.” She said with a smile. “Here…let me see that,” she said, gently prying Raymond fingers from his cheek. He reluctantly relinquished his grip…and then wished he hadn’t. She looked at him confused, wiping the blood from his cheek. After a moment pushed Raymond away, screaming at the top of her lungs as she took of running, for Raymond’s cheek was completely healed.


Later on Raymond was asked to report to the office. He left a class full of students who looked at him like he might be contagious. When he reached the office he was forced to sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes before he was finally called into the principal’s office. The man sitting behind the desk was an older fellow, probably could have been a grandfather if any woman could have put up with him long enough. His gray hair made an even ring around the top of his skull, and his face was completely bare, but not unblemished, covered with several acne scars, and a large scar on his right cheek from a childhood wound. He reached up and scratched the scar now as he looked over his desk at Raymond. “Alright, now tell me what happened?” he said kindly, leaning back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head.

“I was standing by the doors when some people walked over and starting bugging me, I tried to ignore them but one of them struck me with a stick.”

“Where did he hit you?” the principal asked, his kindly demeanor changing slightly, but this went unnoticed by Raymond as he reached up and touched his cheek.

“Here,” he said, rubbing the spot, but feeling nothing, even though he had been cut bad enough to bleed, he didn’t have a single mark on him.

“Oh come now, I was told you had bled, but there isn’t anything there, now tell me where you got cut!” he said as he sat back forward, folding his hands on the desk.

“Right here” Raymond said, poking the spot again. “I was cut right here, I even bled…but it seems to have healed,” he said, looking down.

“Impossible, no one heals that fast, now tell me the truth before I’m forced to call in your parents because you aren’t cooperating.” the man said, obviously becoming more agitated.

“It was right here…you can ask any of them.” Raymond said…but knew it was no good, he didn’t know any of their names aside from Ann…and he didn’t want to see her again.

The principle raised his hands and slammed them on the desk, a vein at his temple pulsing. “That’s it, you are to stay here till your parents arrive!” he yelled at Raymond’s face before standing up swiftly, sending his chair rolling back into the wall before walking around the desk and heading out the door, slamming it behind him. Raymond sat for several hours as his parents drove in from downtown where they worked. He was asleep in the chair when his father walked in, abruptly awaking him. He looked at Raymond’s face, not speaking before walking back out. Raymond then looked behind his chair, through the window out into the waiting area where he could see his mother, crying profusely as his father and the principle talked. Raymond couldn’t hear what they were saying…but he knew that it meant he wouldn’t be coming back to school. He didn’t know how he knew, but he just knew. After several more minutes his father finally came back in. He didn’t speak, merely motioned for Raymond to follow, which he did, head low as he walked passed the secretaries and principal. In the car ride home Raymond’s mom looked back to him several times, a look of fury on her face, but upon seeing his face her face would break into confusion and she’d start crying again. The ride usually only took 5 minutes…but it felt like eternity to the tormented child, unsure what was happening to him…but knowing it was causing his mother distress, and that he wouldn’t be able to go to school anymore. It was alright, he reasoned, he was well ahead of his English class in several different areas, he was even reading stuff usually withheld for high school, such as Shakespeare and other great authors. But his favorites were the fantasy books, the ones about magic and mystical beasts, or the ones about the future, where robots and laser’s reigned. This thought comforted him as he sat in his room, knowing he wouldn’t be allowed to leave till his parents figured out what they would do. His mother would enter the room to say something, but then her face would twist into an angry grimace and she would storm out again…just to burst out sobbing a few steps from his door. This confused Raymond most of all, till he heard his parents talking in the living room later that day before his brother got home.

“I…I don’t know what it is honey…” his mother’s voice rang through the wall dividing the living room and his room. “I try and go in there to comfort him…but every time I walk in I feel this utter hatred of him…but I also still love him…I don’t know what’s causing it.” she said with a sob.

“I don’t know…I think it’s him,” his step-father replied, trying to comfort the distraught woman. “There’s something about him that’s changed…something that’s made him…not human.” He said, shaking his head. “I’ve felt it to…this gut hatred for him any time I go near him…but out here I feel fine, I’m able to think clearly. It’s not even the fact that his wounds aren’t showing up that has me angry…I’m more afraid of that…but when I go near him…I just want to kill him.”

Raymond sat stock still as he heard this; his eyes glanced about the room, looking for anything to defend himself.

“HONEY! You don’t know what you’re saying.” Raymond’s mother screamed a slight thump could be heard as she hit the man’s chest lightly with her fist.

“No…it’s true…whenever I get near him, it takes every ounce of my being to stop myself from just throttling him with my bare hands.”

Raymond moved away from the wall, thus making any more of the conversation inaudible to him as he moved to the furthest corner of the room, where he curled up into a fetal position and began to think back through the past 48 hours. He only came up with one idea. He was causing his parent’s grief…and he was going to have to get away from them…or something grievous might happen. That night Raymond grabbed a backpack, which he stuffed with clothes, a few spare dollars he hadn’t blown on candy at the local gas station, and a few things of cookies and crackers, and headed out the door. He didn’t walk through the town, avoiding the major lit areas and heading for the highway. When he got near it he stopped, remaining out of sight he followed the road to the south. He walked several miles before stopping and lying down in the ditch. Using a spare shirt he made a pillow and fell asleep in the ditch. He was almost asleep when a thought occurred to him and he shot up, his eyes wide open. He hadn’t left a note telling them what he was doing. He cursed himself but remained put, curling back up. They would figure it out…and when they did they would probably call the cops to get him back…but he couldn’t let them do that…because he didn’t want to go back to cause his mother more pain or chance his father killing him in a murderous fit. Raymond eventually fell asleep until sunrise, when he was awoken by the light peaking over the horizon. He continued down the road, diving into bushes alongside the road anytime anyone went by, unsure how they would react near him, afraid it would be like the other people he’d come in contact with the last couple of days had. Raymond could be slow at times, but he wasn’t stupid…and he could put two and two together to get four. Later that day, a squad car came rolling past, an officer on each side searching the ditches and undergrowth for Raymond. Raymond had never been one to sit still for any period of time, but the fear of being found and taken back allowed him to find the strength to do just that.

Officer Mike had been on the force for enough years, and had gained lots of experience with runaways in this backwater hell hole he’d been assigned to after ‘accidentally’ shooting a superior officer during a live munitions training exercise. To him, Raymond stuck out like a sore thumb, but he knew how to handle kids like this, or so he thought. He had his partner, officer Rouddy, drive out of earshot from the kid and pull the car over. He then exited the vehicle and instructed Rouddy to drive back the way they had come. Rouddy followed the directions, grumbling at being ordered around like some sort of grunt as he passed the kid once more. After driving far enough away he pulled over. Rouddy and Mike coordinated using their walkie talkies to set up a vice, in which Mike would approach the kid…and when he ran Rouddy would spring from the brush around the bend and catch the kid. Once they were in position, Mike approached the kid slowly, trying to act kind grumbled under his breath. Raymond tried everything he could to disappear, but was unable to. “Yo kid,” Mike yelled a few yards from Raymond’s hiding spot, trying to use some of the local slang to comfort the kid.

“What do you want?” Raymond asked, quickly scrambling to his feet, prepared to bolt.

‘He’s gonna be a runner.’ Mike thought with a shake of his head, the sympathetic mask that adorned his face not flinching a bit. “I’m here to help you…what are you running for?” he asked, slowly inching towards the kid, making no overt movements.

“Because it’s better for everyone,” Raymond replied. Suddenly he felt something flowing through him. Raymond looked at his arms, trying to figure out what it was, as it seemed to flow from somewhere in his chest outwards, to the tips of his toes and fingers and back again. Just then Officer Mike moved, lunging towards Raymond, trying to pin him to the ground. Raymond looked up, the strange feeling pulsing through his entire body…then things seemed to slow down. The officer literally slowed down in mid air, a passing car seemed to not go as fast, even a bird that had been fluttering from the bushes up towards a power line seemed to be affected. Raymond sidestepped the floating officer and got behind him, facing Mike as he looked at him curiously.

To Mike, Raymond seemed to suddenly become a blur, zipping around his grasping arms. Mike stumbled to a halt, looking at his hands in confusion before turning back around. “What the…” he said, but closed his mouth into a grimace. He figured the kid had gotten a lucky break and decided to try again.

Time was still crawling for Raymond, the officers words rolled over him slowly, causing the sound to register as a lot deeper due to the longer reverb in his ear. Raymond glanced around, unsure what to do. He turned and ran from the officer, passing cars going the same way he was effortlessly. He didn’t stop till he realized he’d passed three mile markers in relatively no time at all. He then slowed down, the tingling in his body still pulsing through him but its throbbing slowed and the world slowly returned to its normal state.

Officer Mike stood staring at the blur taking off into the distance, unsure what to think. After a time Rouddy came around the corner to see what the hold up was. “It’s…it’s nothing Rouddy…just some clothes on the side of the road that looked like the kids…he ain’t here.” Mike stated, shaking his head.

Rouddy nodded his head. “Uh huh…then where are the clothes?” he asked with a look of amusement on his face. Mike didn’t find it funny.

Raymond collapsed in the ditch several miles away, the run having drained most of his energy. It took a lot of effort for him to open his bag and open a box of cookies. He ate a whole set of cookies before exhaustion caught up to him and he fell asleep.

Raymond continued moving like this for several days, surviving on what was in his bag as long as possible as he traveled along different roads, avoiding contact with others as much as possible. He eventually turned west, towards the mountains. “If there’s anywhere I should be able to hide…it’s in those mountains.” He stated to himself as he skirted a town late at night. Raymond had filed the weird time dilation deal with the officers off as just something else to worry about when he had time, for now he was more worried about getting someplace where people couldn’t find him. He was passing a small fast food joint when he felt his stomach growl. He grabbed it, for fear of it being heard as he used his opposite hand to reach into his pack. Suddenly he realized with horror that he was out of food. He glanced at the fast food joint, then down the path he was following, debating on what to do. He released his stomach and felt his pocket, mentally counting his money. With a sigh he walked slowly towards the burger joint. He thought about walking through the drive through, but decided against it, as someone in one of the vehicles might get it in their head to run him over, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to outrun them. He glanced in a window before entering, glad that they seemed to be having a slow day. He looked around nervously as he approached the counter, glancing up at the sign to make his choice as he went. He realized this was the first time he was ordering for himself, instead of his parents helping him do it. He debated getting one of the adult meals but decided it would probably be best for his cash if he kept it kid’s size. Raymond had to stand at the counter on tip toes to see over edge completely to see the person at the register.

“Hello, can I help you with anything?” the woman behind the counter asked, wearing a kind smile. She had a name tag on that had the name and logo of the burger place as well as her name, Cindy.

“Yes, I’d like a kid’s meal please.” Raymond stated as he reached into his pocket.

“Oookay...what would you like to drink with that?” Cindy asked after a moment of hesitation, looking around for the Raymond’s parents.

After a moment of thought he stated “A coke please.”

“Alright, that’ll be $5.03, and will that be for here or to go?” Cindy asked, a little colder then when she had first spoken. She was feeling a bit suspicious, but she figured this was one of those surprise inspections. Her suspicions seemed to be confirmed as the kid looked around intently, scanning the place a bit more closely then most kids his age would.

“I’ll take it to go.” Raymond stated without hesitation, as he noticed a few people pulling in. He pulled the money out of his pocket and handed the woman a $5 and a $1.

Cindy quickly provided him with the proper change. “There you go hun, it’ll be ready in a couple of minutes, you can wait right over there.” She stated, indicating the portion of the counter set aside for pick-up. Raymond walked obediently over as Cindy went to the back, telling the cooks to make this one quick and proper, as it was probably for inspection.

As Raymond waited a young couple came in with a young girl in tow. He watched the family, not noticing Cindy sneaking the phone into the back where she promptly called the proper authorities.

"Lost child hot line how may I help you?" a kind female voice stated form the other side of the line.

"Yes, I believe I've got a runaway." Cindy stated, stepping into the storage room to get away from the loud hiss of the open grills and away from the eyes of the curious cooks.

"Can you describe the child please?" the operator asked without missing a beat, having received a hundred such reports already today.

"Skinny, dirty, and alone." Cindy stated, holding up a finger to her manager who was just about to get onto her for being on the phone during work hours.

The operator sighed but continued "alright, keep him there, we'll send someone after you give us the location."

Cindy nodded as she provided the location, her supervisor glancing to the counter before returning to the back to hassle the cooks.

When Cindy returned she found the young couple standing on the opposite side of the counter form Raymond, the woman clutching her daughter to her side defensively. Cindy reached under the counter and withdrew a kid's drink cup. "Here you so hun." she said with a false smile, handing the glass to him. Raymond accepted the glass happily moving away from the couple towards the bank of soda dispensers.

Raymond stared at the dispenser wide eyes, realizing that he would have to decide which one he wanted, his mom wasn't there to make him drink the one with the least sugar and caffeine. He looked up and down the bank before selecting the one he thought had the most sugar in it and filled his glass to the brim, bubbles spewing over his hands as he pulled the glass back down to him and drank greedily. He finished the glass in a few chugs and reached up for a refill as the man at the counter mumbled something about 'homeless riff raff' after having given his families order. Raymond moved away from the bank, drinking his beverage more slowly as the couple advanced to the dispensers.

The girl looked at Raymond curiously as he stood as close to the wall as he could get and her mother filled her cup for her. The family chose a table far from the soda dispenser, leaving Raymond to refill his glass a few more times in peace. Cindy called the man back over to get his order, whispering something to him before returning to her duties. The man glanced at Raymond then out the window. He shrugged before returning to his family, food in hand.

Raymond felt something wan wrong as he started on his fifth glass of the beverage. 'What's wrong?' he thought to himself. He glanced from the windows, to the family eating, to Cindy, and back again. As he noticed another car pull in he realized that the man's daughter had ordered the same thing as him and had received it before him. His mind screamed trap as he spun towards the nearest door. Cindy noticed the movement and lunged over the counter, trying to stop the kid. The back of Raymond's dirty shirt slipped through her manicured fingers as he shoved into the door, just to run into the arms of the officer who had just gotten out of his car and was headed in. Luckily Raymond's soda came to his rescue, the cup crushed against the officer exploded up and into the officers face, blinding him. The officer stumbled backwards, clawing at his face and fell backward off the edge to land on his backside. Raymond stumbled backwards a few steps till his back came in contact with Cindy.

Cindy wrapped her arms around Raymond, pinning him to her. "Gotcha!" she yelled, before Raymond's years of wrestling with his brother kicked in. He twisted slightly in her grasp, getting his right foot up and behind her knee before pulling it forward, buckling her leg. Lucky for him that was her weight bearing foot, and she wasn't used to wrestling and she released him as she windmilled her arms to attempt to keep herself upright. As soon as Raymond's feet hit the ground he was off like a shot, around the officer who was just recovering his wind and out into the brush, taking off towards the distant foothills like there was no tomorrow. He wished he would go faster again as he heard the officer yelling behind him, giving chase. He put a bit more energy into his sprint, but hep wouldn't go really fast like he had earlier, so he just ran like there was no tomorrow. Eventually the officer fell behind...and eventually stopped all together. Raymond kept running anyway till he was far outside of town. He ran away from the road a bit till he found a dry creek bed...there he stopped and curled up on the warm rocks, his stomach growling. He'd gotten plenty to drink...but he hadn't gotten his meal...and he was now several dollars poorer. He feel asleep to the sound of crickets and the rumble of his empty belly.