forget everything you saw | open & closed

[fogsong]

Who: Sharon Da Silva & You
What: September Catch-all, including TDM Prompts & Event Starters
When: Throughout the month of September
Where: Trench & the pocket dimension version of Trench

Content Warnings: graphic violence, gore, razor wires tearing up through a woman, cults, a massacre, burned flesh, cursing, and maybe more. will edit when necessary. starters will have warnings.

 

Comments

[martyrofduty]

That story could mean a lot of things for the girl controlling the razor wire. That girl might have been chosen, targeted, because of what made her special. That difference could have been seen as evil. Though a little girl, though her arms were likely as weak as Duty's currently are, her near death triggered something she didn't have access to or control over before. After all, why let whatever bad thing happen if she could help it? If she knew how to help herself?

Somehow this family came here anyway. The cult thought what—that Duty is evil? that killing the little girl he is would free them from the other one? that it was the chance to complete what failed before? It doesn't matter. It failed, whatever it was. Duty stands by the decision to let them die. He's not sure where said dad is. Nor does that family include a sister. The little girl following him around with determination.

"What about the other girl?" Duty asks, the one Rose doesn't seem to fear as much, at least not the right way to do something about. Once all the cultists are dead, will she still be a problem? Is she a problem? His instinct says yes.

[fogsong]

"She's just..." Rose hesitates, eyebrows pinching tightly together. She wasn't entirely certain what the other girl was, let alone what she wanted; she only knew that the dark twin of her daughter was aligned with Alessa, if not another aspect of entirely of Alessa, like Sharon herself was.

"I'm not sure, sweetie" She finally says. It was better to be honest in this regard than it was to try and come up with an explanation that might appease her. Rose didn't mind sugarcoating facts or even omitting certain ones entirely when it came to telling her daughter something but she didn't like to flat-out lie to her, not unless it was absolutely necessary. "She helped me, though. Helped us."

Rose opens her mouth to say more when a sudden, soft knock resounds from behind her. She jumps at the sound and brings her finger to her lips, motioning for Duty to keep quiet.

"Rose, it's all right. You both can come out now."

[martyrofduty]

Everyone makes decisions on limited information. Fair enough. That includes all them; this time Duty and Rose. Last time the girl and her mother. He nods. Things are still up in the air.

He stands quietly, the knife and one hand slipped into a pocket. Just a normal little girl, his posture says. He's seen enough of them he can do that. The uncertainty, the mistrust... is real. Of out there. Rose has some leeway, with a greater understanding of the situation, more time there, and strong motivations to protect him, her little girl.

He doesn't go to open the door, he doesn't shake his head no or yes. He tilts it slightly and lets her decide. It wouldn't be the first time he's died.

[fogsong]

Duty stands and Rose sees that as her daughter preparing herself to leave this tiny room. She misses the way Duty slips the knife into one of the pockets of his little jean skirt. Even if she had seen it, it would have seemed a logical action of a frightened child.

She grabs hold of the door handle and, with a deep breath, pulls it open. Right there, black mary-janes pressed up against the sill, was Duty's strange, dark twin. Her long, dark hair was matted and her pale cheeks were spattered with drying blood. She smiles as the door opens; smiles as if she's welcoming them both out into the world.

She reaches out to grab Rose's hand and Rose doesn't shy away. That little girl then turns her gaze to Duty. Her smile flickers just a fraction but she holds out her other free hand to Duty. Should Duty take it, the memory will end. There won't be any pain, just darkness.

[martyrofduty]

Duty gives an equally brief smile to the little girl. He steps up to Rose's other side to take her hand. That keeps the mother figure between them. If the girl shed any veneer of sweetness and purely attacked, that'd be a tough place to be. However, as fits the story Rose shared, she doesn't. She leads the way out to the church.

Except for the gore, he wouldn't know anything was amiss with the church. The razor wire and the little girl controlling them are gone. Everything is quiet and soft. The doors are open, as though they always were, as though that was always a way out. They walk through, and everything ends.

Duty sits up in his room, alive and whole, once more in his own body. Save for the book before him, there's no sign of the experience whatsoever. No bruises or bloodspatter. Nothing but a memory. He pulls out a notebook and sketches.