Forums → Art, Music, and Writing → Short Story Contest: Fear (Page 35)

doing it in a hurry

Well guys, the confirmed deadline is 30th June, but give me time to judge =/ Not as free as I want to be.

May be dumb question...but could i use a story in my own thread?

so wait, nichodemus, if you still only have 2 stories, will you postpone it again?

Your stories are awesome DarkArgen, i love them

Does 'The Other Half' have to be a mental half, or can it be a physical barrier? I'm not very good at mental stories : (.

It can be anything that incudes the 'other half.'

ANYTHING.

*reposts story, because some people think that only Argen and Nerdius submitted something*
The Other Half
His vision blurred. . . .
Footfalls were heard on the linoleum floor. Oh, the linoleum floor.
He remembered it pristinely- more clearly than most other aspects of his surroundings. How it seemed to swallow all thought- before spitting it out in a transparent ghost of the lights on the ceiling, warped from their shape. Warped like his consciousness. Warped like his perception. He felt some sort of ethereal bond with this floor- like him, it was forced to be a patron to the other half- the distorted view.
He wasn't sure what had happened. There were few thing he could remember- a noise. The roaring of a gaggle of drunken people, talking the hell out of every small subject they could find. There were hors d'oeuvre. . .music. There was a tender of some sort- behind a large wooden table, with bottle upon bottle stacked behind him. Chairs. People. One person, in particular.
His perception of the situation was dampened by the daze and the noise. His senses were assaulted by the area. His sight was overpowered by lights and the wave of humanity dancing and walking around the small area. He stumbled to the door. . . .
A person bumped into him. It wasn't a small bump, more of a slight collision, knocking both of them bck and shocking them. When the other person regained his senses somewhat, he was angry. His fist flew forward, and it hit something. Was it him? He couldn't tell. He felt something. Something painful. There was also something on his face- it wasn't supposed to be there. It was a red shock running down his lips and his chin. an unwelcome visitor upon his countenance; he wanted it to go away. He didn't want it there. But very time he wiped it away, more of it flowed down, as if it was purposely angering him in his drunken daze. His emotion welled up inside him, coming to a point in his fist. It was like pure momentum- it had to go somewhere. And the man he had bumped into was within arm's reach. He threw his anger forward, giving it to him. Contrary to his expectations, the other man wasn't happy with the gift he got. He quite frankly took it rather badly, all things considered.
The man was an Indian giver, for sure. He didn't want to keep what he had given him- and he decided to return it in a new packaging. A chair. A nice new way to wrap the gift of his force and anger, though the liquid red visitor upon his face seemed to fancy it too much. It truehsed out to greet the chair as it came back around onto the floor.
At that point, others took notice. Bar fights were somewhat common, but not taken lightly. The violence found itslef broken up by men in uniform. Badges- now little pinpoints of light in his vision- were pinned to their lapels. They faded away into blackness, just as did the bar and the irate man, still holding the chair in his grasp.
He could feel himself moving- but he couldn't see or hear. He could taste blood in his mouth, it's metallic taste lingering on his tongue.
They took him far down the road- or whatever they were travelling on. Some conduit of public motor of transportation, kt was, being used by the ar and it's lights as it sped down the highway to an unknown destination. The lights crooned their message over and over again- the same WEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOO repeated. The red and blue lights welcomed him along with the men- they appeared to be police- as he regained his consciousness.
He asked, "Wh-what happened?"
"You, sir,were in a nasty fight. Busted up bad. You are going to the hospital first and foremost," the driver replied.
"Oh. So that was what happened?"
"Yes."
"Hmmmmm. . .why did we fight?"
"Someone at the scene said that you just bumped into him, and he punched you in the face. Then, you hit back, and he got you good with a chair."
"Oh. My head hurts. . . ."
"Now THAT'S a surprise."
He didn't dignify the policeman with a response- he faded into sleep once more.
He emerged from the depths of unconsciousness half-heartedly- never fully pushing above the surface tension, but not dwelling in the deep. There were lights all over the place- warped by the linoleum floor of the. . .was it a hospital? Yes, that sounded right. . . .
He felt a sympathy for the floor as he was supported by the policemen to his hospital room. The floor could never see nor display the complete truth of what it was reflecting- like he couldn't make anything of the hall-of-mirrors that was the barfight. Both of them were part of the other half. They couldn't see or act clearly when under the spell of distortion. They had only one difference. . . .
Floors can't drink alcohol.

The Rift

One day, Joseph laid awake in his bed thinking about a portal that had opened up that split the small town he lived in in half. He always wondered how it appeared, why it was there, and if he should go in. It was a unique occurrence even for his strange life. He figured that maybe he could get his friends to go in with him, should he make that decision. As he lay there, he thought "Why not?" It would be very fateful decision, however he didnât know it.


Later that day, he said to his friends while they were in advanced math class "You know that rift that opened up in the middle of town?"
His friend Leslie said "Ya, why?"
He answered âMaybe we should see inside.â
His other friend Luke said "No way. We got no idea whatâs behind there!"
As they continued back and forth for several minutes they came to a decision. They would go into the portal.

Later, after all their classes had been completed, they headed for the main boulevard that ran right through their small town. Once they got there, they readied themselves for the unknown. So they entered they rift, determined to find out whatâs behind it. The passage was fairly mundane, slight watery feeling, making them a little light-headed. When they got to the other side, everything seemed normal, just something felt odd. Maybe even out of place. They had several friends that lived on that side of town that hadnât come to school since the rift opened up, and the trio decided to see what may have become of their friends.
They soon were passing familiar stores, and then the baseball field where Luke practiced, the antique shop Leslie was at every Saturday with her father, then the church that Joseph went every other day. But even after all this, something was... odd. Something that the intrepid trio couldnât pinpoint, then it came to them. Everyone was gone. Everyone had disappeared somewhere. Finally, they came upon their friend Matt's house. They went up to the front door and knocked. Nothing. They knocked again. Once again, nothing. They tried the door knob and it was unlocked, so they entered the house. They found nobody home but an odd trap door that hadnât been there before. So they entered, determined to find their friend.
Once down there it was very dark, but just bright enough to make out objects. They studied the room that they were in for a few minutes, and then as if out of the blue, their friend Matt appeared. He was wondering who they were, as if he had never seen them before. So he asked "Who are you?" in a deeply disturbing watery voice. The friends kept quiet, so he asked again. He then came and grabbed Joseph and asked in a very demanding voice "Who are you?"
âNobody.â he said.
Then Matt did something very strange. He demanded that they follow him. So they followed. Eventually they started hearing odd sounds, like something was worshiping something else. They eventually got to the area where the former townspeople were worshiping. Then it came to them, and they thought amongst themselves. They had figured out what happened. The whole side of town went completely opposite. Matt used to have a very dry voice, now it sounds like he had drowned. The town used to be bustling on a sunny Thursday afternoon, and the caves under the streets hadn't been used in decades. Now everything had reversed itself, and it was all coming together. They figured out that their friends could very well be their enemies, and their former enemies could be their newfound friends. They knew that they were in grave danger, and they ran. Matt alerted the guards, and they chased after them.
The friends knew they were in grave danger, and used that as motivation to keep running. They ran, and they ran, and they ran some more. All until they got to a door. They bashed the door down with all their might and came upon the sewers. Then a flurry of "Ewwws" and "Yuks" came about. However, even the horrendous stench didnât keep Matt and the guards from trying to run them down. So they themselves kept on going, until they came upon a manhole that was uncovered. They jumped up on the ladder, and climbed out to the street. Unfortunately, they came out upon a part of town they were unfamiliar with. So they made a quick decision. They decided after 10 seconds of arguing that they would take Roseburg Boulevard north and keep running. It was the right decision, but they were a good distance from the rift.
Eventually the guards stopped and they were in the clear. Or so they thought. Matt had secretly been following them. They eventually slowed to a trot, then a walk. Eventually they came upon someone who they had never seen before. He saw them and asked if they could help him. He said that they were chasing him wanting to kill him. They decided to help him seeing as they were just in a similar situation. He asked if they could help him get out of town and they decided that he could come with them. It was at this moment Matt popped out of some trees and tried unsuccessfully to capture them. They fended him off but he got the person they had just met and he fled.
Several hours later they were approaching the rift hoping to get out before something really bad happened. Unfortunately, they wouldnât be so lucky.
They got to the rift, and as they were about to cross when Matt appeared out of the rift and attacked them. Several of the townspeople were with him and they started pelting them with rocks. Several rocks hit Luke in the head knocking him unconscious. They grabbed him and ran, with the townspeople hot on their trails. They ran alongside the rift until they could pass through. Then they passed through it with just seconds to spare. The townspeople were where they were in seconds, and if they wouldâve been caught, something very bad could've happened.
They got to the hospital were they dropped Luke off. When the nurse asked them what happened, they said he fell. They had no intention of telling anybody what had happened, and they kept that secret until the rift closed several months later.

THE END

Not my best, but I think it's good for being a 'come up with it as I go' kind of story.

The Rift

One day, Joseph laid awake in his bed thinking about a portal that had opened up that split the small town he lived in in half. He always wondered how it appeared, why it was there, and if he should go in. It was a unique occurrence even for his strange life. He figured that maybe he could get his friends to go in with him, should he make that decision. As he lay there, he thought "Why not?" It would be very fateful decision, however he didn't know it.

Later that day, he said to his friends while they were in advanced math class "You know that rift that opened up in the middle of town?"
His friend Leslie said "Ya, why?"
He answered "Maybe we should see inside."
His other friend Luke said "No way. We got no idea what's behind there!"
As they continued back and forth for several minutes they came to a decision. They would go into the portal.

Later, after all their classes had been completed, they headed for the main boulevard that ran right through their small town. Once they got there, they readied themselves for the unknown. So they entered they rift, determined to find out what's behind it. The passage was fairly mundane, slight watery feeling, making them a little light-headed. When they got to the other side, everything seemed normal, just something felt odd. Maybe even out of place. They had several friends that lived on that side of town that hadn't come to school since the rift opened up, and the trio decided to see what may have become of their friends.
They soon were passing familiar stores, and then the baseball field where Luke practiced, the antique shop Leslie was at every Saturday with her father, then the church that Joseph went every other day. But even after all this, something was... odd. Something that the intrepid trio couldn't pinpoint, then it came to them. Everyone was gone. Everyone had disappeared somewhere. Finally, they came upon their friend Matt's house. They went up to the front door and knocked. Nothing. They knocked again. Once again, nothing. They tried the door knob and it was unlocked, so they entered the house. They found nobody home but an odd trap door that hadn't been there before. So they entered, determined to find their friend.
Once down there it was very dark, but just bright enough to make out objects. They studied the room that they were in for a few minutes, and then as if out of the blue, their friend Matt appeared. He was wondering who they were, as if he had never seen them before. So he asked "Who are you?" in a deeply disturbing watery voice. The friends kept quiet, so he asked again. He then came and grabbed Joseph and asked in a very demanding voice "Who are you?"
"Nobody." he said.
Then Matt did something very strange. He demanded that they follow him. So they followed. Eventually they started hearing odd sounds, like something was worshiping something else. They eventually got to the area where the former townspeople were worshiping. Then it came to them, and they thought amongst themselves. They had figured out what happened. The whole side of town went completely opposite. Matt used to have a very dry voice, now it sounds like he had drowned. The town used to be bustling on a sunny Thursday afternoon, and the caves under the streets hadn't been used in decades. Now everything had reversed itself, and it was all coming together. They figured out that their friends could very well be their enemies, and their former enemies could be their newfound friends. They knew that they were in grave danger, and they ran. Matt alerted the guards, and they chased after them.
The friends knew they were in grave danger, and used that as motivation to keep running. They ran, and they ran, and they ran some more. All until they got to a door. They bashed the door down with all their might and came upon the sewers. Then a flurry of "Ewwws" and "Yuks" came about. However, even the horrendous stench didn't keep Matt and the guards from trying to run them down. So they themselves kept on going, until they came upon a manhole that was uncovered. They jumped up on the ladder, and climbed out to the street. Unfortunately, they came out upon a part of town they were unfamiliar with. So they made a quick decision. They decided after 10 seconds of arguing that they would take Roseburg Boulevard north and keep running. It was the right decision, but they were a good distance from the rift.
Eventually the guards stopped and they were in the clear. Or so they thought. Matt had secretly been following them. They eventually slowed to a trot, then a walk. Eventually they came upon someone who they had never seen before. He saw them and asked if they could help him. He said that they were chasing him wanting to kill him. They decided to help him seeing as they were just in a similar situation. He asked if they could help him get out of town and they decided that he could come with them. It was at this moment Matt popped out of some trees and tried unsuccessfully to capture them. They fended him off but he got the person they had just met and he fled.
Several hours later they were approaching the rift hoping to get out before something really bad happened. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be so lucky.
They got to the rift, and as they were about to cross when Matt appeared out of the rift and attacked them. Several of the townspeople were with him and they started pelting them with rocks. Several rocks hit Luke in the head knocking him unconscious. They grabbed him and ran, with the townspeople hot on their trails. They ran alongside the rift until they could pass through. Then they passed through it with just seconds to spare. The townspeople were where they were in seconds, and if they would've been caught, something very bad could've happened.
They got to the hospital were they dropped Luke off. When the nurse asked them what happened, they said he fell. They had no intention of telling anybody what had happened, and they kept that secret until the rift closed several months later.

That should be fixed.

My very first story it probably sucks.

Hollow Men

In ancient times every person who died was buried with 2 golden coins. Those coins would serve as a toll to Charon the ferryman of Styx. But those who died in battle had no toll so Charon left them on the other side of Styx. The river was only 10 feet across. But those left behind knew they could never cross Styx. Some faded from existence, some went insane from seeing those living in deathly harmony so close while they starved, but someâ¦tried to cross. Those fool who try to cross Styx are ravaged and when they grab onto rocks to fight the current they stay there for days until the water stripes away more then their flesh, it takes their soul. They then gain strength to get back out. They walk away from Styx the only force that can kill the Hollow Men. The others that donât turn to Hollow Men are swept away to no mans land. The hollow men are envois of those that kept their souls so they refuse to let them get to Styx. When a dead soldier is returned home sometimes they are given a toll, but in no mans land the Hollow Men hunt and kill them. There was one who got into soldier lore that was said to have had no toll but he got past the hollow men and saw Charon just to prove it was possible but he was swept away back to no mans land. When his family finally put the toll on his grave and he could have gotten to the underworld he didnât. He didnât because he saw his lover who had no toll and Charon was going to call the Hollow Men to take her away, but before Charon could make the ghastly call, the soldier revealed himself. He gave his lover his only chance for happiness. When I died in the prison of the light guild the first person I saw was that soldier he was tough, he was strong, he was a Spartan. The Spartan told me the ways of no mans land, how the only way to permanently kill the Hollow Men was to tear out their heart, how Charonâs mask was the key to the hollow men and the scythe was the key to his power. Every day he trained me to fight the Hollow Men.
Every night he would say, âEvery day I will train you, unless the Hollow Men come to get youâ and we would laugh.
Though I didnât understand why he chose me, simple cannon fodder. He would always say it was something about my sense of humor⦠I wonder why he seems so sad.
~~~ 1 year later ~~~
The Spartan said today was my last day of training, I donât know what he will do, make me fight him, put me up against 100 dead soldiers, I donât know. Then we got out of the training hall, and my life changed. There was every soldier in no mans land there. He didnât think I could take all of them, did he? I immediately took defensive position.
He saw me, laughed and said, âno your test is not to fight.â
âWhat then.â
âYour task is to lead these men into battle.â
âWhat? Bu- ho- I thought that was your job.
He shook his head and said, âBefore you died I was in a battle to hold off the Hollow Men, thatâs when I felt it. I was starting to fade.â
âFade?â
âYes my time was coming to an end I would cease to exist in less then 15 months. I knew I had to find a new leader for these men. I personally looked at every one of the newly dead.â
âAnd you saw me?â
âYes you were trained in battle but your mind was not warped by war. You see I havenât been training a soldier, I have been training a replacement, and now I can fade.â
âBut I donât think I am ready to lead this side of Styx, I canât lead the other half of the dead.â
He smiled and said, âThat is exactly why you canâ then without another word he turned to dust and blew away in the wind.
â... All right get your swords and move out those Hollow Men wonât stab their own hearts move it move it move it!â

that should be fixed

Hollow Men

In ancient times every person who died was buried with 2 golden coins. Those coins would serve as a toll to Charon the ferryman of Styx. But those who died in battle had no toll so Charon left them on the other side of Styx. The river was only 10 feet across. But those left behind knew they could never cross Styx. Some faded from existence, some went insane from seeing those living in deathly harmony so close while they starved, but some ... tried to cross. Those fool who try to cross Styx are ravaged and when they grab onto rocks to fight the current they stay there for days until the water stripes away more then their flesh, it takes their soul. They then gain strength to get back out. They walk away from Styx the only force that can kill the Hollow Men. The others that don't turn to Hollow Men are swept away to no mans land. The hollow men are envois of those that kept their souls so they refuse to let them get to Styx. When a dead soldier is returned home sometimes they are given a toll, but in no mans land the Hollow Men hunt and kill them. There was one who got into soldier lore that was said to have had no toll but he got past the hollow men and saw Charon just to prove it was possible but he was swept away back to no mans land. When his family finally put the toll on his grave and he could have gotten to the underworld he didn't. He didn't because he saw his lover who had no toll and Charon was going to call the Hollow Men to take her away, but before Charon could make the ghastly call, the soldier revealed himself. He gave his lover his only chance for happiness. When I died in the prison of the light guild the first person I saw was that soldier he was tough, he was strong, he was a Spartan. The Spartan told me the ways of no mans land, how the only way to permanently kill the Hollow Men was to tear out their heart, how Charon's mask was the key to the hollow men and the scythe was the key to his power. Every day he trained me to fight the Hollow Men.
Every night he would say, "Every day I will train you, unless the Hollow Men come to get you" and we would laugh.
Though I didn't understand why he chose me, simple cannon fodder. He would always say it was something about my sense of humor ... I wonder why he seems so sad.
~~~ 1 year later ~~~
The Spartan said today was my last day of training, I don't know what he will do, make me fight him, put me up against 100 dead soldiers, I don't know. Then we got out of the training hall, and my life changed. There was every soldier in no mans land there. He didn't think I could take all of them, did he? I immediately took defensive position.
He saw me, laughed and said, "no your test is not to fight."
"What then."
"Your task is to lead these men into battle."
"What? Bu- ho- I thought that was your job."
He shook his head and said, "Before you died I was in a battle to hold off the Hollow Men, that's when I felt it. I was starting to fade."
"Fade?"
"Yes my time was coming to an end I would cease to exist in less then 15 months. I knew I had to find a new leader for these men. I personally looked at every one of the newly dead."
"And you saw me?"
"Yes you were trained in battle but your mind was not warped by war. You see I haven't been training a soldier, I have been training a replacement, and now I can fade."
"But I don't think I am ready to lead this side of Styx, I can't lead the other half of the dead."
He smiled and said, "That is exactly why you can" then without another word he turned to dust and blew away in the wind.
"... All right get your swords and move out those Hollow Men won't stab their own hearts move it move it move it!"

truehsed

Okay...
I like writing stories, I'll give it a shot.
----------------------

They see me walk in the office, they see a highly succesful man, has two kids, has a nice house on the beach, dosen't have any problems.
They don't know though. They don't know anything. They just see the outside not the end. To get what I'm getting at, I can tell you this simple statement.
I hunt, but not for animals, or humans. This isn't the most dangerous game. I hunt for any kind of damm drug avalible on the market, mainly illegal.
I don't have any kids. That picture on my desk is a ploy. Just a picture I stole from a wal-mart photo op. I don't live in a nice house on the beach. I live in a old run down apartment that no one knows the whereabouts of.
My favorite has to be herion. It's wonderful. That feeling of numbness yet bliss.
So how do I deal with my lack of bliss during the day? I refuse to call it a addiction or habit because that sounds depressing.
I cotton shoot. Noone knows, I stay in my office all day anyway. They all deal with Human Resources manager.
In slang terms, I have a King Kong Habit. And I love every minute of it. The greatest thing I've gotten into. Besides law school. Which even then that dosen't beat this. But during work I'm not stupid. I cotton shoot Nixon during work. I don't want to appear like a sleepwalker in front of my coworkers. The night comes. I walk to the dealer outside of my work.
"Hey Jimmy." I say.
"Hey Jones."
"What have you got today?"
"AIP, Black Tar, 2 Atom Bomb mixes, Cut-Deck, And 8 flamethrowers."
"How much for everything? I seriously need this shit. I've been Nixon cotton shoting all day, I'm about to have a chicken-shit habit."
"Haha. Umm, Frequent Costumer discount, I'll let you have it all for about 425 dollars. 25 bucks a pop."
"Got it."
I pull out a five onehundred dollar bills and pay him.
He gives me the stuff. And faithfully reminded me
"Don't take a dimes worth. I don't want to lose my best costumer."
"haha."
Unfortuantly that night, I took more than a dimes worth, I took about three dimes worths.
Now, I'm dead. Dead on the floor of a shitty run down apartment. Died of a herion overdose.
But I'll argue it till the day I come back.
That was the best night I've ever had.

How long until the results, I know nobody else can enter stories.