Life's no fun without a good scare

[thalassino]

It starts some time around 3am, Tuesday morning. Thin whispers of fog start appearing all throughout Vatheon, creeping through the narrow, winding streets, up the steps, and over the park. It starts in the lower district, but as the night progresses and daylight approaches, it spreads to the other districts as well, growing thicker and thicker as it does. By the morning rolls around, the mist is thick enough that visibility has been compromised greatly, and the temperature seems to have dropped a few degrees, an odd chill filling the air.

And on the walls, there are stains.

They are infrequent at first, just a odd ruddy brown smear and a oddly bright red drop here and there, but the closer to the Plaza, the more numerous they become. There is a large smear across the steps leading up to the Plaza, as if something big was dragged up them. In one place the blood -- for it is blood, there is no deny it at this point -- pools thickly as if whoever was responsible took a casual break there, leaving the poor victim to bleed out on the steps.

On the plaza, the mist is thinner, but that is no relief. Rather, it just functions to make the gruesome scene all the more clearer.

A woman is draped upside down on the coral. Or, well, woman. It was once a woman, certainly, but now it is nothing more than something straight out of a nightmare. The flesh seems to have been torn carelessly from her limbs here and there, showing the white gleam of her bones, her nurse outfit torn as if raked apart by giant claws and her head...

well, it isn't there anymore.

The ground in front of her is smeared with blood as well. But where the previous smears had been accidental, these are deliberate, long lines curving and meeting to spell out



hel pm e


But no help had been forthcoming, clearly. No, it seems that this murder, this brutal murder, was nothing more than a game to whoever did it. The walls of the buildings surrounding the plaza are coated in bloody, spelling out a long string of mocking 'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA's and directly in the center, behind the coral.


Who is next?


The notice board seems to have been hit too. The killer did not tear down any of the notices on the board already, but they did cover the entire board with blood-stained sheets of paper, each adorned with the same text over and over and over again.


Chop chop, sweet Charlotte
Chop chop till she's dead
Chop chop, sweet Charlotte
Chop off her hand and head.


For those brave enough to check, no, the poor girl still has both her hands. Was the killer just sloppy, or does this mean this is not Charlotte? So many unanswered questions, more born every passing moment.

Who had done this? Why? Where they going to strike again? And why had nobody heard anything?





[ooc note: Consider this your mingle log. Have fun, go forth, threadjack.

And as a further note, the fog does not seem to be clearing up as the week goes on. ]

Comments

[messianic]

[Minato is standing quietly, hands in his pockets, and approaches after a moment.

Ah...]

Jacob-san.

Are you alright?

[nos_servabit]

[He turns his head slightly, and he smiles sadly at Minato before turning his attention back on the body again.]

I'm alright.

[A pause.]

She isn't, though. Did you know who she was?

[messianic]

...I don't.

But she looks like one of the nurses at the clinic.

[A sigh.]

We'll have to keep an eye on things there, to make sure this doesn't happen again...

[He can't stand death--he can't stand people losing the chance to live their lives.]

[nos_servabit]

Hmmm.

[He's silent for a moment.]

Of course. But someone, or some people, were responsible.

They need to be caught before something like this happens again.

[messianic]

[He nods quietly.]

They do.

I'm sure we'll have help...so it's just a matter of making sure it doesn't happen again.

[nos_servabit]

Exactly.

[He takes one last look at the body before turning away slowly, ready to head back to his cabin and contemplate things there.]

Who do you think did this?

[messianic]

['Who did it'.

It's an obvious question, and yet for some reason, Minato has not yet asked it.

Because...

He doesn't want to deal with a killer--he wants to protect the people who aren't. So he slowly shakes his head.]

I don't know. Hopefully...someone will find them soon.

For now...we have to protect the city.

[nos_servabit]

Hopefully.

[He repeats the word- not because he didn't hear it, but because it was such an accurate word to use. Hope. Hope that they would prevent something like this from happening. Hope that they would catch whoever did it. Nothing but hope in their hands from now on.]

[But how much good would that hope do them?]

And how do you plan to do that?

[messianic]

[If there is one thing Minato has always had, it's hope.

And for him, hope has always been enough--when he adds action to it.]

The defense force will be alerted. We'll keep an eye on everyone we can, and ask everyone to keep a watch out for themselves and their friends.

Whatever it takes.

[He glances back to the body and swallows.]

Nobody deserves that.

[nos_servabit]

That's a good plan. I'll help by telling the people I know.

[He nods, and for once, by his demeanor he seems very, very old. Death was something he's seen countless of times. It didn't mean he would ever get used to it.]

Who would ever deserve death?

[messianic]

Thank you, Jacob-san. I appreciate the help.

[He pauses, looking down for a moment, down at cobblestones stained red.]

Nobody.

Rather...everyone deserves the chance to live.

[nos_servabit]

No problem.

[And a somber nod.]

I agree completely. Death is a part of life, yes, but...at the same time, life is infinitely more precious.

[messianic]

It is. Everyone's lives.

[A slow glance to the body and he sighs quietly, solemn.]

The least we can do is make sure that everyone here can live a peaceful, full life.