The prompt: Pick a character. If this character was offered anything in exchange for betraying a friend/the protagonist, would they? What would happen?
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I wrote this story in my high school creative writing class, with a set of characters that I want to one day write and draw a graphic novel with. It's important I think, to look back on the way you used to write compared to the present. I still love this short drabble, so I thought I would share it with you all to see what you think! Would this be a story you'd read?
Warning: There's some fictional violence in this story. If you're sensitive to body horror, dismemberment or the like, please avoid reading.
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Micah crept along the brick walls, using the veil of shadows to hide his form. He watched his prey with keen eyes, silently stalking it. They didn’t know what they had coming. They had no idea, that soon, their life would be snuffed out, extinguished--never to take another breath again. He had to admit, there was something satisfying about such power. The great circle of life. Death of the prey to feed the predator, death of the predator to nurture the Earth when it’s time came, and the plants from it’s flesh feed the new prey. Nature certainly was a beautiful, undiscriminating thing.
Closer, and closer, and closer…..Micah was ready to pounce. His feet firm, his back arched, he pushed off, and--
“Not so fast, you mangy cat.” A snarky voice came from the darkness, and a hand grabbed Micah by the scruff of the neck. All the commotion scared off the rat. “Sorry, was that your dinner? Why don’t you try something normal for a change? Like Spagetti?”
Micah struggled and hissed in the man’s hand. “Aww, don’t like this? Poor kitty.” He teased. He released him though, when Micah scratched his hand and ran off into the shadows. “Yeouch, sensitive much….hey, wait! I gotta talk to you!”
After a moment of shuffling and low rumbling, Micah stepped out of the shadows of the alleyway, now in his human form. He threw the boy a dirty look. “I do not like being handled like a stray.”
“But isn’t that what you are?” He smirked, with his high-and-mighty tone.
“Of course not!”
“Oh, that’s right. You’re that mutt’s little pet.”
“Do not speak of Master Joseph that way. He saved my life, and now I owe it to him.”
“Oh that’s right, you beast kinds have that silly ‘life for a life servitude’ thing. I never really understood that.”
“That’s because all you demons are ever interested in are yourselves.”
The demon shrugged, his smirk never wavering. “That is how we are. Besides, who in their right mind would humiliate themselves by pledging servitude to someone, let alone, willingly? But, that’s beside the point.”
Micah raised a curious eyebrow. The demon paced across the alleyway, moving his hands like a businessman as he spoke. “You see...my boss has an eye on you.”
“...Your boss?”
“Yes. And not the big guy, no no--You’re not quite that important for the King of Hell to give two shits about you. No, my boss. He’s the leader of this little...gang, we have going on--a little ragtag team of misfit monsters sick of being pushed around by the human scum. He wants you to join us.”
Micah furrowed his brows together. “...Join, you…?”
“Yes yes, join us, it’s not a difficult concept.” He sassed. “Two words, one syllable each, not that hard to understand.”
“.....Why me?”
“Fuck if I know. He sees potential in you. I don’t see what’s so special. But, hey, I’m just the messenger.”
Micah shook his head. “N...No, i--”
“Yes, but consider this,” The demon wrapped an arm around Micah’s shoulder. “I mean....aren’t you tired of hiding your identity from the world? Aren’t you sick of laying low, and being bossed around by these pathetic roaches? We could have this city on it’s knees in a day! We’d be the new top dogs. We can be whatever we want, do whatever we want…..eat whatever we want.” He said the last part with a lick of the lips. “I mean….doesn’t that sound fair? The humans get to do it...so why can’t we?”
“....Well….you do sort of have a point…but--”
“But what? You’ve got nothing to lose! You’ll have plenty of food, a roof over your head, and everyone will have your back--so long as you have theirs.”
“...No.”
The demon looked disappointed….but not surprised. “And why not?”
Micah took the demon’s arm off of his shoulders. “I made a vow to Master Joseph. I am dedicated, body and soul, to him. I cannot join you and follow someone else, when my allegiance has already been pledged. I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. I am sorry.”
The demon sighed, and shook his head. “Well, that’s….” He ran a hand through his hair. “...that’s just too bad isn’t it? Oh, boy….what am I going to tell Roman?”
Roman…?
“Hmph….I guess I’ll figure that out later. For now…..I’ll work on getting rid of you.”
“Wait, wha--” Before he could finish his sentence, Micah was thrown back into the wall. He groaned as he tried standing up, wiping the blood from his lip.
“Well, we can’t have anyone else knowing about us. It might jeopardize the mission, and all.” The demon revealed his dormant form, small red flames dancing around him, another at the end of his tail, bent horns, and glowing vermilion eyes. He wielded two short blades in his hands. “So to make sure you don’t run off and tell any of your friends….I’m afraid I have to kill you.”
Micah’s head throbbed, and he could already tell his back was going to be bruised. He stood up, facing his attacker. He never went down easy. Besides, he had someone to fight for.
“And once you’re out of the way, getting rid of your little friends should be a piece of cake.”
Micah’s body tensed. “....What did you say…?”
“You heard me, you mangy cat. We can’t risk any loose ends.”
“But...they had nothing to do with this!”
“It’s called guilt by association.” The demon stood two feet from Micah. “We can’t have any of them come looking for you. They could stumble upon our operation. And we can’t have that.” He held one blade against his throat, while the other was pressed just against his stomach. “So first, I’ll dispose of you. Then, we’ll go after that ‘master’ of yours.” He chuckled darkly. The demon pulled back to strike. “Nice knowin’ ya, kid.”
“....No…” Micah muttered.
“Sorry, what was that?”
Micah slowly looked up, his heterochromic blue and gold eyes glaring through his bangs.
“It was nice knowing you.”
~~*~~
Jo sat anxiously at his apartment window. It was nearly ten in the evening, and Micah hadn’t shown up yet. He was usually there, tapping at the glass to be let in by now. He knew he shouldn't be worried about that dumb cat--he had fared in the world just fine until Jo offered his home to him--but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
“Where could he be...?”
~~*~~
“NO! S-STOP!! STO--” Micah slammed his foot down on the side of the demon’s face, as he lay face down on the alleyway pavement. He was bloodied and bruised, with one broken knee and the leg torn off totally, to keep him from running away. Some of his ribs felt broken too. This kid….this kid was a savage!
“You know….I might have considered doing that before,” Micah sneered in a barbarous tone, a sinister smile on his face. “But after you threatened my Master...I’m afraid that sparing you is no longer an option.”
“No! Y-You have m-my word, I-I won’t go after him!”
“What about the others?”
“I-I’ll tell them, they won’t lay a finger on him!!”
“And why should I believe a filthy, conniving, demon…?”
“I…I-I swear! You have my word! I-I’ll tell you what, make a contract with me, and--”
“A contract?” Micah growled, grinding his heel deeper into the demon’s face. “Please. I’d rather gouge out my own eyes than sell my soul to the likes of you. Besides...I’ve already given it away.”
“You little son of a--”
Micah harshly flipped him over, pinning him down so he couldn’t escape. Never before had the demon felt fear like this. This brat easily overpowered him, tore off his leg like it was nothing...and the sadistic smile and look in his eyes only suggested that he enjoyed every second of it. He wouldn’t make a bad demon.
It was shameful of a demon to beg...but it was either put aside his pride, or die in this alley. “Please...l-let me go. I-I swear, you’ll never hear from us again! Just let me go…!!”
Micah’s smile only grew more satisfied. “As much joy as it brings me to hear a member of such a revered caste beg for their life….I’m afraid it’s too late.” His hands tightened around the demon’s throat. “I just can’t let a potential threat to my Master walk free.”
The demon struggled with the last of his strength to break free, but to no avail. “P….Please….”
“My Master’s enemies are my enemies. And all enemies must be…..eradicated.”
~~*~~
Jo set the game console aside in frustration. He hadn’t gotten very far in the new game he bought, The Last Of Us. Damn clickers were a pain in the ass. He got up from his bean bag chair, and started getting dressed for bed. Just as he had gotten his shirt off, he heard a familiar tapping at the window.
“Jeez...it took you long enough.” He approached the window (which happened to open up to the fire escape stairs), opening it up to Micah. “And where the hell have you been?”
Micah laughed nervously. “Sorry Master Joseph. Did I worry you?”
“Pfff….of course not. Why? Should I worry?”
“Oh no, of course not!” He carefully stepped in. “I’d hate to make you worry about me.”
“Yea, whatever--...oh my god,”
“What?”
Jo had noticed the flecks of blood on Micah’s clothes and skin. “Is that blood? Wh--...is that yours?”
“Hm? Oh, no! It’s not mine.”
“Oh my--Who’s is it?!”
“Oh no no no!! It’s nothing like that, Master Joseph! I just had a nasty run in with a rabid dog!” Micah replied rather cheerfully.
“Y-- WHAT?!”
“Hmm?” He asked, innocently.
“You were attacked by a rabid dog?! ”
“Oh yes! I managed to fight him off though.”
“Jesus christ….did it bite you? Because I swear to god, if you give me rabies, I’ll kill you.”
“No no, I made sure of it. Besides, I couldn’t bear the thought of endangering you, Master Joseph.”
Jo’s mouth was creased into a flat line, as he went back to dressing for bed. “Micah, you’ve gotta stop calling me that. It’s weird.”
“It is…?”
“Yes. Nobody calls somebody else ‘Master’. And just call me Jo. Joseph is too formal.”
“But nobody has a bond like you and I. Besides...I love your name, Master Joseph.”
Jo sighed, too tired to argue any further. He knew it was useless, anyway. “Whatever, just...think about it, okay?”
Micah seemed to think hard on it. “Hmm….well, alright. If it would please you, Master.”
Jo sighed, climbing up the ladder of his loft, and into bed. “Whatever, just go to sleep. With clothes on, this time.”
Micah made a whine like noise. “But Master Joseph...those clothes are so...stiff, and restricting.”
“Then just wear the pants.”
Another whine.
“Look, I don’t care how many years you wandered around as a cat, in my house, we wear pants.”
“Hrrrmmm…..fine….”
“Thank you. And one more thing,”
Micah was giving the pants an annoyed look. “Yes?”
“...maybe shapeshift into something a little bigger the next time you go out. I know you’re used to going around as a cat, but you could have seriously been hurt tonight.”
...Micah smiled fondly up at him. “Of course. Anything for you, Master Joseph.”
Jo grunted in reply. “...Goodnight.”
“Goodnight…!” He beamed to himself, forgetting his hatred of pants for the moment. His master was worried about him, and he had done well tonight to protect his master. Even if he couldn’t tell Jo what he did, he would be alright without praise this time. He’d never disturb his master with the gruesome details--couldn’t even think it!
So tonight, it was okay to miss a pat on the head. He would do something for Jo later that would get him a pat. For now, he was going to curl up on the futon, and sleep peacefully knowing that he had kept his master safe from harm.
~~*~~
A young man in a black trench coat stood in a dark alleyway, grimacing at the scene before him. He took out his phone, dialed a number, and listened to it ring.
“ ‘Allo? Ja, this is Ludwig. Ja. Nein, he can’t…..well, his throat has been ripped to shreds, so unless you’ve got some other way to make him talk, we aren’t getting anything out of him. Nein. Nein, he’s also missing a leg....nevermind, I found it. Ja. Ja, I can assume it’s safe to say that. Ja….ja, I will tell Roman. Alright. Auf Wiedersehen.”
He hung up the phone, returning it to his coat pocket. He looked back to the mangled body of his former comrade and sighed. This was going to be a pain in the neck to clean up…..
-----FIN-----
