|| Death Is Not Always The End || Open!

[icegirl6274]

|| Death Is Not Always The End ||

The screeches of the dying creature echoed throughout the valley she lay in. The sound was inhuman and frightening. If there had been any living creatures within a mile from were she lay, they would have fled at the sound of her deathly cry.
The man standing in front of her shielded his ears. He had done it, but at what cost?
"You murderer!" the creature cried as cold, black blood ran from her chest where a large stake was driven. "You fool! Do you know what you have done?!"
"I have rid the world of the greatest evil! That's what I've done!" he snapped back. His voice had a certain proudness in it, but there was something else. Doubt.
The creature hissed between her teeth at his answer. It was so typical of the humans. To think of them as evil. But, alas, she could not show them otherwise.
Slowly, a smirk spread across her face. No, she couldn't show them. But he could. With her last breath approaching quickly, she looked up to this man. To this hunter. He was the one who would kill the last of the vampires, and he would be the one who would repopulate the world with them. With a raspy voice, she whispered words of an unknown tongue. The man looked at her suspiciously and took a step back. What was she doing?
"Agerashna volew!" she shouted her last words before gasping one last breath and falling to the ground, even more lifeless than she had been before.
The man's heart felt suddenly constricted and he grasped at his chest. But then.....nothing. Everything went back to normal. The blood that had been pouring from the creatures chest had stopped and only collected in a puddle around her body. He had killed the last of them. The world was finally rid of the foul creatures.

Until the former hunter died....

[icegirl6274]

|| The Story ||

It all started when a major movement started to wipe out all the vampires on the face of the planet. A large group of volunteer Vampire Hunters got together and began tracking down every last vampire they could find. As far as they knew, there was only one way to kill a vampire: A wooden stake plunged through their heart. The genocide went well until, finally, there was only one vampire left. That was taken care of by a young man in his early twenties. He later became known as the Last Vampire Hunter.

Unknown at the time, the Last Vampire Hunter had been cursed. Either when he was killed or died naturally, he would come back as a vampire within a year of his death. Also unknown to him, the curse would be passed on to any of his offspring. So, without any knowledge, the man who killed the last of the vampires had begun the vampire's repopulation. As soon as he found out this fact, he did everything in his power to keep it secret. No one could know that the vampires had returned. If they did, he was almost certain another Hunting group would be formed.

Our story takes place many years in the future. Vampires have been long forgotten and are only in a story children are taught about from their textbooks. Some think of it as a myth, but others think of it as a shame. If only vampires were still around....

The Gagliardi family have lived a normal life. A father and mother with three children that were quite well off. They lived in a rather large home right next to the ocean. Everything was wonderful. Except the father had a secret. He was a descendant of the last vampire hunter. He knew of the curse, but no one else in his family did. His wife was mortal and had no sign of the curse. But his children on the other hand....
He knew they must be cursed as well. He didn't want to tell them until he felt that they could handle it. He couldn't risk the secret getting out.......

But it did. How? He never found out. But when Nikolas Gagliardi was out walking through their small town, a group of cloaked men suddenly attacked him. Caught off guard, he was killed. His body was dumped in the ocean near his own home.
The family never quite knew what had happened to him. Blood had been found in the town near where he had been that night so they could only assume the wost. The killers were never found nor heard from again.
Until one night very recently.... While the children were in school, their mother was home alone. There was a knock at her door and she went to answer.
Coming home from school, the children found their mother. Dead. Devastated from loosing both parents, they did their best to cope.

And then their father returned. He had awoken a year after his death only to find himself underneath the ocean waves. It was a good thing for him that vampires were already dead. He swam to the surface and found his children. He explained the curse the best way he could. He told them not to tell anyone with no exceptions. They would show no signs of their other race until death came to them. He could only wish that that day would not come for many more years....

[icegirl6274]

|| The Sides ||

The Hunters:
Another small group has fond out about the curse. They have formed another Vampire Hunting group and are determined to wipe out any and all of the vampires and their kin. They mercilessly slaughter anyone suspected of carrying the curse. Unfortunately, they did not know which of the Gagliardi family was cursed, so when Nikolas did not come back after almost a year, they only assumed it was the mother. Their children are unknown to this group. For now.

The Vampires:
There are few of these left. All of them can trace their family tree back to the Last Vampire Hunter somehow. Some of them are unaware of their linage and of the curse. Like the Gagliardi family, their parents didn't feel it necessary to tell them. Not yet, anyway.

The Humans:
Most are oblivious to the secret war raging beneath the surface. These include many of the Gagliardi's classmates, town workers, etc. If the secret ever becomes known, which side will they choose? That is up to the individual.

[icegirl6274]

|| Abilities ||

The Vampires:
This is so that everyone has the same idea about vampires. I know there are many, many different fables about vampires out there, so I want to clarify.

The vampires in this story are all basically undead. They have black blood which gives their skin a slight ashy tinge. They are immortal and cannot be killed by normal means. That means if someone stabs them in an artery somewhere, they won't bleed to death. If they get decapitated, their head will grow back. The only way to kill a vampire is, as mentioned before, to stab them through the heart with a wooden stake.
Their powers include enhanced speed, strength, healing and perception(that means seeing, hearing, touch, etc.). Since these vampires aren't the original full bred vampires, they cannot use magic. That means they can't just throw curses on whoever they want.
They can eat human food, but it does nothing for them. Blood, from either human or animal, is their main meal and if they let themselves go too long without it, it can be bad. They get a blood lust where they cannot rest until they get blood. From anyone. Mainly the first living being they see.
They also aren't affected by sunlight like most people usually think. The only thing sunlight does to them is burns their skin like any normal person if they stay outside too long. Their skin, typically, is paler than most, so it does burn easier. They can be outside without much of a problem, though.
Vampires sense of pain is also muted. Their arm can be cut off and it would feel like a small scratch. Pure Silver, however, does hurt them. Just contact with their skin can cause them pain. If a weapon is made out of pure silver and it cuts them, they will feel searing pain in the spot that was cut.

The Hunters:
Hunters are just humans, but they seem to have something different about them. Their strength is unmatched by any other humans as is their speed. Their fighting skills are superb and can only be bested, sometimes, by a vampire.
No one knows of their identities. They are a very secretive group, only meeting in the most secure locations and keeping their interactions to a minimum.

The Humans:
They are simply humans. They have no special powers, only the talents that they were born with.

[icegirl6274]

|| The Rules ||

I know, it's a lot of reading. But bare with me, we're almost done.

o1: Follow Gaia TOS and my rules, obviously.
o2: Send your profiles to me over PM, please. But make sure you read all of the next post before sending them!
o3: I'm allowed to either kick you out or not accept your profile. I don't want too many vampires and I'm rather nit-picky about my role players. I may stop accepting vampires after a point since there aren't supposed to be very many.
o4: You can make up plot twists if you wish. I'm not the only one who controls everything. Though I do control everything. But feel free to add your twist. Just keep it within reason.
o5: I can add more rules whenever I feel it necessary.
o6: Please don't go overboard with the 'strength' of your character. Even vampires aren't perfect. Make them get hit every now and then, at least! I hate it when there are characters that always dodge attacks. It's one of my pet peeves.
o7: Be literate, dammit! I'm not asking for a novel in every post, but at least a paragraph? I understand short posts every now and then, but if that becomes a habit, I may ask you to either leave or fix it.
o8: Along those lines, try to at least make it sound like English is your first language. Grammar and spelling are nice. They help you in life.
o9: If you have any questions, concerns, ideas that you want to run by me first, go ahead and either ask or pm me! I don't bite.
1o: You may play more than one character, but make them different races so we have more variation. I may change this later.
11: Keep romance under control, please. I encourage both romance and violence, but keep it within Gaia TOS limits. You should all be intelligent enough to know what that means.
12: Don't be an idiot. If you think something is going to make someone mad, DON'T DO IT! Period. I expect a certain amount of maturity in everyone. Joking around is fine, just be smart about it.
13: As for activity, I don't expect the world from you. But I do expect you try. This is a long term role play and I expect people to come back and reply whenever you can. I know there is such thing as life outside of Gaia, I have my own, after all. But try to post at least a few times each week, if not more. If you are going to be away for a while, let us know. If you can, try to take your character out of the immediate role play so that we can continue. But if you're gone for more than a few weeks and people are waiting on your reply, I have the right to take over your character.
14: This is more of a preference than a rule, but I prefer it when people role play in past tense in third person. Any other way kind of bugs me...

[icegirl6274]

|| The Forms ||

Fill this out and send it to me via PM. Make sure to title the PM "Death's Profile" or I may not accept it. Add an example of a standard post so I know what to expect from you. I'm fine with you copying and pasting one of your posts in another role play, just make sure it's yours. I want this role play to be Literate to Advanced Literate, so I'm going to be fairly picky with these. That doesn't mean I won't accept you if your post isn't perfect, though. I just want this role play to be fun.
Also, after you send me your profile, I would like you to post in the OOC thread listed below.
Remember, a vampire can be fighting for the hunters or a hunter can be fighting for a vampire. It is just unusual.

Here is the ooc forum. I will post all of the accepted profiles there and the rest of you may post there if you wish. You can ask for edits on your profile, comment on the way the plot is going, or suggest a plot twist. Anything goes.

[align=center][color=YOURCOLORHERE][size=12][b]{Screen Name}[/b][/size]

[size=9][b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Race:[/b] {Vampire, Hunter, or Human?}
[b]Side:[/b] {Fighting for the vampires, against, or neutral?}
[b]Rank:[/b] {Refer to next post.}
[b]Appearance:[/b] {Picture, description or both}
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Background:[/b] {This includes family, their past, etc}
[b]Other:[/b] {Anything not mentioned before}[/size][/color][/align]

[icegirl6274]

|| Characters ||

Ranks Available:
I will add different character ranks as we need to. If there is none open, make up one. For example, there could be a distant relative of the Gagliardi for the vampires. They could be so distant that the two families don't even know of each other. For the Hunters, there are as many Grunts as we need. I will add more as we get them. And for humans, they can be a school teacher, student, etc. I will add those as we get them.

For the Vice Captain part of the Hunters, if you want that part, go ahead and send me the profile. I'm not going to pick the first person who sends me a vice captain request. I'm going to judge which one I think has the best potential for playing a good vice captain based on your example posts and your posts in the OOC thread. (Yes, that means you should post there. It will give you a better chance.)

This is set up like this:
Rank: Taken: Character Name screen name

Vampires:
Gagliardi Father: Taken: Nikolas Gagliardi icegirl6274
Gagliardi Child: Taken: Cosette Gagliardi -SweeT OpheLiAC-
Gagliardi Child: Taken: Catherine Liliana Gagliardi xx_apple-flavored-UNICORN
Gagliardi Child: Taken: Damion Gagliardi Trebin
Traveler: Taken: Cole Barrow icegirl6274
Mercenary: Taken: Valkyrie Jennings omgsh mikey

Hunters:
Captain: Taken: Trace Barone icegirl6274
Vice Captain: Taken: Auriana Kiasky Miss Murderous Laugh
Grunt: Taken: Claus Bishop Trebin
Grunt: Taken: Lucina Fallow Tiara_Estella
Researcher: Taken: Jeremy Nathanial Hawk omgsh mikey
Spy: Taken: Braxtany "Brax" Ninunum -SweeT OpheLiAC-

Humans:
Blacksmith: Taken: Cross Levinthan Tattered Rainbow
Artist: Taken: Anneliese McAvoy omgsh mikey
Poet: Taken: Dominic Khale Ripley xx_apple-flavored-UNICORN
Pianist: Taken: Cedric Bordeaux -SweeT OpheLiAC-
Waitress: Taken: Dasha Lavrin icegirl6274

[icegirl6274]

|| Setting ||

This story takes place in the fairly recent past. The technology is not as up to date as it is today. That means no computers or telephones. Guns are limited to just old pistols. Think of it as the era Pirates of the Caribbean took place in.

The main setting is a small town next to the ocean. The town is set up so that the main streets are almost always busy during daylight hours. There is a marketplace where people set up stalls and sell their goods. There are also quite a few shops lining the main streets including a blacksmith, a bakery, a clothing show, etc. There are many allies that wind throughout the town. Some lead to old apartment-type buildings or very small homes that the poorer people live in. Just outside of the main streets are where the rich live. The homes are quite a bit larger and are better furnished. There is only one school in the town that all the children attend (if they attend school at all).

[icegirl6274]

|| Updates ||

10/13: Thread was created! Now it's time to recruit...

[icegirl6274]

|| Plot Updates ||

October 21:
The Hunters are hiring new Grunts. Lucinda Fallow is the newest member, just pulled into the ranks by none other than the Captain and leader of the Hunters, Trace Barone. He sent her a letter to meet him at a tea shop and he brought her to the Hunters Head Quarters, also know as HQ, a building in the middle of a maze of alleys. Auriana and Nathaniel were already there. Trace introduced them and told Auriana that he needed to speak with her privately. What he wanted to discuss has yet to be revealed.

The Gagliardis are having a hard time adjusting to their new lives without Collette, their mother and Nikolas's wife. Catherine doesn't sleep anymore, Cosette speaks to a teddy bear as if it is her mother, and Damion has come to hate his father. Nikolas is trying to bring them back together as a family, however, even without their mother. He misses her dearly but is doing his best to put on a strong face for his kids.

October 28:
Trace told Auriana that he was going to announce who was getting the vice captain spot later, but he didn't tell her who it was. He also told her that he had some 'business' to take care of and that he wanted her and Nate to watch after Lucinda, their newest member. He injected a jar of the black liquid into his arm which was revealed to be vampire blood. It enhances a human's strength and senses to the point of a vampire's. He went to leave when he was stopped by Dasha, one of his distant relatives. He reluctantly decided to let her stay at HQ since she had already found her way there. He left for his 'business', saying he would be back later. Nate and Dasha apparently 'knew' each other from a previous experience. Auriana didn't like this. So, despite the fact that Trace told her and Nate to watch Dasha and Lucinda, she stormed out. Nate left shortly after, a bit taken aback by Auriana's attitude. Auriana came back later only to storm out again after Nate returned half naked. Nate came to the room she rented out and tried to apologize, only to get yelled at. He stormed back into HQ as Trace was coming back. Trace was informed of their little spat and went to check on Auriana. Upon arriving, she showed concern for him because he had vampire blood all over him. He thanked her by, unexpectedly, kissing her.

The Gagliardi children have schemed up a plan to make a surprise picnic for their father. While Nikolas was making tea in the kitchen, Catherine went outside to set up the picnic table. While she was setting it up, a stranger, Cedric, wandered into their garden. He had heard rumors that their house was haunted, that a demon lived their with the children.
Meanwhile, Cosette and Damion planned to sneak into the kitchen. Cosette would distract Nikolas while Damion got the sandwiches ready for the picnic.

November 9:
Auriana seemed slightly comforted by Trace, yet was still slightly uncomfortable with the whole idea of him and her. She accidentally dug her fingernails into his chest so they decided to leave and go back to HQ, though she said she would meet him there. Upon leaving, she ran into Nate. They had an argument which turned into a discussion which ended in them making up. They both realized that a vampire was nearby just before he made his presence known.
Trace headed straight back to HQ to find Lucinda. She wasn't there at first for she was out burning her old home. He spoke to Brax who had just decided to come in after a night of partying. Trace scolded her and she got angry. She ended up giving up the information she had received, however, about an upcoming ball that the Gagliardis were invited to. Trace showed interest but made no exact plans yet. Lucinda came back and Trace pulled her into his office with him so he could have a little chat. He told her that she needed to take the vampire blood soon and that it would not be a pleasant experience. She agreed to taking it and Trace showed her to an empty room in head quarters that was saved for that purpose. He gave her a vial of the blood that he had collected earlier that day and left her alone.

November 23:
Trace ended up accompanying Lucinda while she took the vampire blood. He stayed with her in the room and kept her company, making sure she was alright. It was revealed that someone in his past had left a mark on him by calling him a 'monster'. It is one of the few things that actually affected him emotionally.
Nate and Auriana weren't armed to fight against Cole, the vampire that ended up taunting them outside of HQ. They tried to talk him into leaving, but he only continued to amuse himself with them. They never ended up getting into any sort of fight, as both Auriana and Nate ended up leaving abruptly as Cole was distracted by Dasha, who quickly denied his come-ons and left.

There was a time jump of exactly one week then.
Trace tried on his old suit for the upcoming ball that they were planning on crashing. Lucinda was doing much better coping with the vampire blood, though it still affected her slightly. Trace had taken up the nickname 'Lemon' for her.
Auriana had wandered down to the docks by the ocean and disappeared. Nate found her dagger stuck int he docks and came back to tell the others that she was gone.

The Gagliardis were invited to the ball which Nikolas was rather undecided about. Catherine had taken an interest to the pianist that had showed up in their garden the week prior. She was curious to find him again and asked Nikolas about any local pianists, which Nikolas knew nothing of.

December 1st:
Nate was worried about Auriana and Trace didn't help at all with his lack of worrying. He confronted Nate and told him that he would go look for her to make sure she came back in time for the ball later, but Auriana ended up bursting in the middle of their conversation. She had been attacked on the docks. By who, she didn't know. She assumed it was a human that the vampires had turned to their side. She suspected that the vampires were beginning to take advantage of humans who so desperately wanted to be associated with vampires. They could be creating an army to hunt the Hunters, but she didn't know. She didn't tell anyone everything, though she hinted at a few things with Nate, letting him know that she had gotten into a fight earlier, but not much else.

December 15th:
Auriana got ready for the ball and both her and Nate came out to the main room where Trace and Lucinda were. Trace explained to them what the plan was for that night: That they would go to the ball, try to blend in as much as possible, find out which of the townsfolk were vampires without them knowing, and then waiting for him to give a cue to attack. Auriana confronted him, saying that he wasn't acting for the team, that he was going to cause the town to be thrown into chaos and that he was being selfish. Trace got angry at her and snapped back at her, saying that he didn't care about the people in the town, that he could relocate the hunters easily and that she shouldn't have made her issues known right before they were to go to the ball. Auriana got angry in response and yelled at him some more, calling him a monster which really got to him. Nate intervened by telling both of them to shut up and that arguing wasn't going to do them any good. Both of them seemed to cool off slightly, though they were both left somewhat shaken. Trace left to go to his office, Nate went outside to have a smoke, and Auriana sat down with Lucinda who explained her thoughts in the matter.

[icegirl6274]

|| Reserved ||

[icegirl6274]

|| Open! ||

Start sending in profiles!

[icegirl6274]

Тяасэ | Ратяiс | Баяоиэ

Now you want to take me down
As if I even care.
I am the monster in your head.

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3527/traceroleplay.jpg

His steps echoed throughout the empty ally.
Clunk.
Clunk.
Clunk.

His large, black boots hit against the pavement in a steady rhythm. Blond hair hung over his golden eyes as he walked, his hands jammed into his trench coat pockets. Long shadows cast over his features, making his skin appear gray-ish. But it was only the morning light. The sun had only begun to peek over the horizon and the chill air of the night had yet to lift. Then again, it was early autumn. The air was often crisp, especially so close to the ocean. If the smell of the town wasn't too overwhelming, the smell of salt often hung in the air around the town. When it was quiet enough, one could almost hear the ocean's waves.

But not this morning.

The town was just starting to wake up. People were already setting up their stalls in the marketplace. The baker was opening the doors to the shop, the blacksmith was starting a fire in the forge. The usual noise of town life hadn't reached it's full force yet, but it would within the next hour or so.

Pulling one hand covered in a black, leather glove with it's fingers cut off out of his pocket, Trace pushed a bit of his hair aside. He finally emerged from the back allies into the main street. Ah city life. He smiled to himself, a smile that hardly ever looked friendly. He was the type of man that parents warned their children about. He was the 'stranger' parents told this kids not to talk to. He was the stranger they weren't supposed to take candy from. Not that he offered children candy, anyway. But every now and then he would talk to them, just for the kicks of seeing how their parents would react. A stranger with long black trench coat and black gloves talking to their children. Well, they probably thought he was some sort of molester.

No. He preferred women. Women his age. And they often preferred him.

But enough about Trace's promiscuity. He flaunted that fact enough in public. He was a well-known face at the bars and taverns in town. Not that there were many. But back to the story at hand...

Trace finally spotted life other than the few sparrows that flew overhead. He was entering the main street area where the shops were. Most were just opening. He walked a ways before veering off to the side. He knew exactly where he was going. He stepped right into a small, welcoming shop with it's door swung wide open as if to say 'come on in!'. The welcoming sound of bubbling water met his ears as he walked up to a small counter. A younger looking girl stood behind it, wiping down the counter tops. She glanced up to see Trace walk in, recognition flashing across her face.

"Ah, Trace," she greeted in a friendly voice. "Can I help you?"

"You sure can, doll," Trace replied with a quick smile. "Just get me whatever you happen to be brewing at the moment. Tea-wise I mean."

She nodded with a smile. "Right away." With that, she turned and grabbed a small tea cup off of the shelf. She inspected it quickly before bringing it over to steaming tea kettle. She filled the cup with the hot, chocolaty-colored liquid that came from the kettle. She carefully pulled the kettle back as the liquid came dangerously close to the rim of the cup, but stopped just in time. She put the kettle back down and carefully handed the cup over to Trace.

Before she could say anything, Trace placed a handful of coins on the counter. "Keep the change," he said, taking the cup. He turned and walked over to a small table seated next to the window and took a seat.

This was how Trace often started his morning. He woke up before the sun came up and took the five minute walk from his home to the small tea shop located at the end of the main street. If anyone wanted to find him, they would often be pointed there for the first hour of sunrise.

And I thought you'd learn by now
It seems you haven't yet.
I am the venom in your skin.
And now your life is
в | я | о | к | е | и

[Miss Murderous Laugh]

-- Auriana Kiasky --

Take a breath. Hold it in.
Start a fight you won't win.
All in all, you're no good.
You don't cry like you should.

"Got a light?"

Hard-soled boots clicked rhythmically as Auriana Kiasky walked out of the tavern that served as her momentary hotel. A lonely room with a single bed and ratty sheets was all she could afford. She found most of her money being traded for cigarettes, a fancy dress, or a glass of fine ginger drink from the tavern below her room. Though she bore her usual garb of dark, tight, and simple clothes accompanied by her trusty trench coat, Auriana loved to dress up in her favorite ruffly red satin dress. It hung, unworn in months, by a simple wooden hanger from the top of her bedroom door. She'd see it everyday she walked in or out of the room and swear she'd wear it out one night.

Leaning up against the front panels of the tavern, Auriana did just that: staring off into space, thinking of running out one night in that red dress. Her cigarette smoked lazily from the two fingers it was loosely held in. Looking to the slowing brightening sky, she pondered getting some breakfast.

A moppy-headed redhead boy peered out from the crack of dank air between the oak door and wall. "Umm... Miss Kia?" he trembled, "A messenger came for you bearing the news of a new development at your... er... work. Effective immediatly." Auriana's eyes were set firmly on the boy's. Without blinking, she offered the redhead her cigarette, still pluming a strand of light silver smoke. He inhaled some of the [to her] sweet smelling smoke and coughed violently. Embarrassed, his cheeks turned rosy and he politely shook his head. Auriana smirked and threw back her head in a short laugh that resembled a howl.

As the small boy departed, Auriana took a last drag on her cigarette before crushing it under the toe of one very worn-in boot. Her footsteps kicked up dirt as she headed into the open street. People walked around her and carriages avoided her. Small children looked on, eyes wide in their bonnets. She smiled to herself.

"No breakfast today."

So I'll find what lies beneath
Your sick twisted smile
As I lay underneath
Your cold jaded eyes.

[icegirl6274]

Nikolas Joshua Gagliardi

Dear Agony
Just let go of me
Suffer slowly
Is this the way it's gotta be?

The Gagliardi house was quiet. The sun was just peaking it's early morning rays over the horizon. Most of its inhabitants were still in bed. Or were supposed to be.

The house was large enough to be considered a mansion by some people. The entire second floor was dedicated to the children. Each had their own bedroom as well as a study room and a play room for all three of them to share. The first floor was where Nikolas and his wife's room was. Though, since Collette had died, the room had gotten little use. Nikolas seemed to avoid the room. It made him think about what he had lost.
Other than their room, there was also a guest bedroom, the kitchen, the living room, and one room who's door was always closed and locked. Ever since he had come back, crawling out of the ocean from death's grip, Nikolas had begun locking himself in that room and working for hours at a time, often late at night when his children were sleeping. He never told them what he was doing in there nor would he let them go in themselves. It was all very secretive, but he assured his children that it was nothing to be concerned about.

The sound of breaking glass pierced the silence like a knife. An unintelligible shout and then silence again....Nikolas emerged from the room, shutting the door behind him. He had cuts all over his hands and they were dripping a black, inky liquid. He leaned his back against the door and hung his head, a look of defeat written across his face. He took in a quick breath to calm his nerves. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand before pushing himself away from the door. He walked over to the kitchen and wiped some of the black off of his hands. As he did so, the cuts began to close up, a shard of glass falling from one of the wounds. He sighed and finished wiping his hands off. He picked up the piece of glass and threw it away. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt by it.

He threw the towel, now stained in black, into the sink and walked out into the main room. There was a large, ball-room style staircase that led upstairs in front of the front door just before the living room started. He looked up it. He wasn't sure if he had woken anyone up or not. He hoped not, but he could never be too sure. Kids seemed to have a knack for hearing things they weren't supposed to.

Don't bury me
Faceless enemy
I'm so sorry
Is this the way it's gotta be?
Dear Agony