Futility (graphic violence)
Posted: 2003-01-26 10:34pm
This is a story about a demon doing demonic things. If you're too thick to figure out what that means, don't complain to me.
Futility
One.
Slash growled, eager to be rid of the cocoon around him. His trip to Earth had taken longer than expected, but was nearly over. Soon,he thought with a fanged grin. Soon.
In New York City, the day started like any other. The sun was shining, and people were walking and driving to work. Then, with no warning, a meteor dropped from the sky and slammed into the Empire State Building. Like a needle through a balloon, the fireball hit the building's side and tunneled all the way to the foundation. Many did not even have time to react as the fire roasted their flesh and sucked the air from their lungs, cooking them were they stood. Many more died as the once-grand building began to fall into the street, having lost much of its foundation and support. After less than twenty minutes, the entire building had collapsed, crushing and killing dozens in addition to those killed by the fire. As the sound faded and dust floated through the air, hundreds of astounded onlookers turned their gazes to the pile of rubble that had once been one of America's greatest symbols.
Only a few were close enough to see the hand that thrust itself out of the rubble. Then, a figure emerged. Several started to run towards the scene, hoping to offer some assistance, but stopped short when they saw just what was pulling itself free. The man stood well over six feet tall, and his long white hair fell past his shoulders. His face was young and unlined, but it was by no means handsome. His eyes were a glowing orange, and his canines, currently bared in a fierce smile, were longer then they should have been. He wore what seemed to be a loose-fitting white shirt, a brown jacket, jeans, and black boots. However, all this was trivial in comparison to the man's two most striking features.
The first was his right arm, which definitely not human. It hung down to his knee, was covered in blue reptilian scales, and ended in two thick fingers and a thumb, each of which had a wicked talon in place of a nail. The second was that the man had wings. Angelic, black-feathered wings extended from the man's back, and even as the people watched, he lazily stretched and flexed them. Then, he took a deep breath, and bellowed. The powerful sound boomed out across Manhattan Island, and the man's entire body shook with the power. Then, he quieted and looked at those watching him.
All hell broke loose.
Faster than the eye could follow, the man-the demon-charged forward, his inhuman arm raised. He reached the man closest to him, and the talons plunged into his soft neck as Slash lifted him off the ground. The man screamed, a wet gargle from the blood pouring into his esophagus. Then, Slash threw the man into the corner of another building, hard enough for the man's skull and spine to fragment on impact. Blood, brains, and bone fragments sprayed across the faces of those nearest the impact. Slash then turned on another man. The claws ripped into this man's chest, through skin and muscle and even ribs. The man crumpled as his rib cage collapsed around his vital organs. Someone screamed, and everyone present panicked. As they turned to run, Slash's inhuman laugh reached their ears. Then, the demon jumped high into the air. He came down on yet another victim, slamming the man's head into the pavement, squashing it flat and spraying brain matter.
Then, he turned to see another man ducking into a car. The steel of the car door did not last as Slash's talons tore through it, shredding it. This man screamed as Slash's human hand wrapped itself around his neck and yanked him out. Slash took his time with this one, holding him aloft and strangling him. He then drew his claws across the man's stomach, and dark blood poured out, forming a puddle around the man's feet. Then, something hit Slash from behind. He growled and dropped the corpse, then turned to see a police officer holding a pistol. A second bullet bounced off Slash's tough skin. Slash grinned and leaped at the officer, his jaws coming down on the man's shoulder. Slash took the man's collarbone in his jaws and crushed it, earning a howl of pain. Almost delicately, Slash flicked his forked tongue over the wound, savoring the sweet taste. He took another bite out of the man's neck. No bone got in his way here, and Slash dropped the dying man, chewing thoughtfully. Almost as an afterthought, he spun, his talons decapitating another running man. He caught the head before it hit the ground and hurled it at yet another fleeing person. Both skulls cracked sickly and the man hit the pavement.
Slash gulped down his mouthful and let loose another earth-shattering roar. His wings flapped, carrying him high into the air. Then, he landed in front of one group of runners. He punched out with his inhuman arm, the fist going all the way through the first man's ribcage and erupting out his back. Without slowing, Slash grabbed another man's face and twisted, snapping his neck. With his normal arm, Slash grabbed the arm of the corpse hanging off him and tore it in half, letting it drop to the ground alongside a spray of blood. For a moment after that, he simply stood and watched the tide of screaming, panicked people run. Then, a new idea occurred to him. With a broad grin, he walked over to a parked car nearby. With seemingly no effort, he lifted the vehicle and hurled it at the nearest batch of people, crushing them to death.
The SWAT team arrived to find a massacre. Blood covered the streets, along with bones, internal organs and parts of organs, shreds of cloth, and overturned cars. One man fell over and retched until he had nothing left, then went into dry heaves. The stench of death was overwhelming, but nothing compared to the horror that awaited them. As they passed another car, the street came into full view, and several others dropped to their knees. Mutilated bodies and body parts lay everywhere. Blood covered everything. Car doors and roofs had been smashed in or torn off, and the fronts of nearby buildings were damaged, as though a giant fist had smashed them. The team leader stood among the carnage, somehow managing not to fall over. He took a step and felt something squish. Looking down, he realized that he'd stepped on a human lung, ripper from its parent body. The man went white. Suddenly, a crunching sound attracted their attention.
Slash sat perched atop an overturned car, a human arm in his hands. As the team watched, he brought the bicep to his mouth and took another bite. He watched them as he chewed methodically and swallowed. Several other officers found the sigh too much and puked. This seemed to amuse the demon. Shakily, the SWAT leader brought out his gun and pointed it at the creature. "F-freeze," he stammered. Slash watched him for a moment, then took another bite, this time crunching through the bone. "Drop the….arm," the man said. Slash grinned and decided to play along. The set the arm down and used his normal arm to wipe away the blood running down his chin. "Raise your hands above your head and walk towards me." With an impudent smile, Slash hopped off the wreck and began striding towards the group. Suddenly he stopped. "Keep walking," the officer said.
"I don't think so," the demon said in his harsh voice. Then, his wings suddenly extended to their full span and he bellowed. Again, fast then any eye could follow, he leaped at one of the officers and tore him open from throat to navel. He then spun and backhanded another officer, breaking his jaw. A third fell to the claw in the gut. Slash tore out his intestines and threw them at another officer, blinding him. Slash tore his helmet off and placed his inhuman hand on the back of the man's neck. The claws dug in as Slash grasped the man's spine and tore it out of him. Finally, only the leading officer was left. He dropped his gun and stepped back, trembling as the demon walked towards him. Slash grabbed the man by the chest, his talons nicking the skin. Slash grinned. "It's time to die," he said coldly. Then, a burst of heat went from his body to the officer's, igniting it. Slash stepped back to watch as the man's burning body toppled over, writing madly. The officer screamed as the flames devoured him. Then, the demon turned away and began walking back to his previous position atop the wreck. He still had work to do. Resettling himself, he relaxed into meditation, seeking out the one. Every planet had one spirit, one soul, which would be readily transformed into a new member of the demon army. Slash sought that one now. His eyes snapped open as he found it.
Futility
One.
Slash growled, eager to be rid of the cocoon around him. His trip to Earth had taken longer than expected, but was nearly over. Soon,he thought with a fanged grin. Soon.
In New York City, the day started like any other. The sun was shining, and people were walking and driving to work. Then, with no warning, a meteor dropped from the sky and slammed into the Empire State Building. Like a needle through a balloon, the fireball hit the building's side and tunneled all the way to the foundation. Many did not even have time to react as the fire roasted their flesh and sucked the air from their lungs, cooking them were they stood. Many more died as the once-grand building began to fall into the street, having lost much of its foundation and support. After less than twenty minutes, the entire building had collapsed, crushing and killing dozens in addition to those killed by the fire. As the sound faded and dust floated through the air, hundreds of astounded onlookers turned their gazes to the pile of rubble that had once been one of America's greatest symbols.
Only a few were close enough to see the hand that thrust itself out of the rubble. Then, a figure emerged. Several started to run towards the scene, hoping to offer some assistance, but stopped short when they saw just what was pulling itself free. The man stood well over six feet tall, and his long white hair fell past his shoulders. His face was young and unlined, but it was by no means handsome. His eyes were a glowing orange, and his canines, currently bared in a fierce smile, were longer then they should have been. He wore what seemed to be a loose-fitting white shirt, a brown jacket, jeans, and black boots. However, all this was trivial in comparison to the man's two most striking features.
The first was his right arm, which definitely not human. It hung down to his knee, was covered in blue reptilian scales, and ended in two thick fingers and a thumb, each of which had a wicked talon in place of a nail. The second was that the man had wings. Angelic, black-feathered wings extended from the man's back, and even as the people watched, he lazily stretched and flexed them. Then, he took a deep breath, and bellowed. The powerful sound boomed out across Manhattan Island, and the man's entire body shook with the power. Then, he quieted and looked at those watching him.
All hell broke loose.
Faster than the eye could follow, the man-the demon-charged forward, his inhuman arm raised. He reached the man closest to him, and the talons plunged into his soft neck as Slash lifted him off the ground. The man screamed, a wet gargle from the blood pouring into his esophagus. Then, Slash threw the man into the corner of another building, hard enough for the man's skull and spine to fragment on impact. Blood, brains, and bone fragments sprayed across the faces of those nearest the impact. Slash then turned on another man. The claws ripped into this man's chest, through skin and muscle and even ribs. The man crumpled as his rib cage collapsed around his vital organs. Someone screamed, and everyone present panicked. As they turned to run, Slash's inhuman laugh reached their ears. Then, the demon jumped high into the air. He came down on yet another victim, slamming the man's head into the pavement, squashing it flat and spraying brain matter.
Then, he turned to see another man ducking into a car. The steel of the car door did not last as Slash's talons tore through it, shredding it. This man screamed as Slash's human hand wrapped itself around his neck and yanked him out. Slash took his time with this one, holding him aloft and strangling him. He then drew his claws across the man's stomach, and dark blood poured out, forming a puddle around the man's feet. Then, something hit Slash from behind. He growled and dropped the corpse, then turned to see a police officer holding a pistol. A second bullet bounced off Slash's tough skin. Slash grinned and leaped at the officer, his jaws coming down on the man's shoulder. Slash took the man's collarbone in his jaws and crushed it, earning a howl of pain. Almost delicately, Slash flicked his forked tongue over the wound, savoring the sweet taste. He took another bite out of the man's neck. No bone got in his way here, and Slash dropped the dying man, chewing thoughtfully. Almost as an afterthought, he spun, his talons decapitating another running man. He caught the head before it hit the ground and hurled it at yet another fleeing person. Both skulls cracked sickly and the man hit the pavement.
Slash gulped down his mouthful and let loose another earth-shattering roar. His wings flapped, carrying him high into the air. Then, he landed in front of one group of runners. He punched out with his inhuman arm, the fist going all the way through the first man's ribcage and erupting out his back. Without slowing, Slash grabbed another man's face and twisted, snapping his neck. With his normal arm, Slash grabbed the arm of the corpse hanging off him and tore it in half, letting it drop to the ground alongside a spray of blood. For a moment after that, he simply stood and watched the tide of screaming, panicked people run. Then, a new idea occurred to him. With a broad grin, he walked over to a parked car nearby. With seemingly no effort, he lifted the vehicle and hurled it at the nearest batch of people, crushing them to death.
The SWAT team arrived to find a massacre. Blood covered the streets, along with bones, internal organs and parts of organs, shreds of cloth, and overturned cars. One man fell over and retched until he had nothing left, then went into dry heaves. The stench of death was overwhelming, but nothing compared to the horror that awaited them. As they passed another car, the street came into full view, and several others dropped to their knees. Mutilated bodies and body parts lay everywhere. Blood covered everything. Car doors and roofs had been smashed in or torn off, and the fronts of nearby buildings were damaged, as though a giant fist had smashed them. The team leader stood among the carnage, somehow managing not to fall over. He took a step and felt something squish. Looking down, he realized that he'd stepped on a human lung, ripper from its parent body. The man went white. Suddenly, a crunching sound attracted their attention.
Slash sat perched atop an overturned car, a human arm in his hands. As the team watched, he brought the bicep to his mouth and took another bite. He watched them as he chewed methodically and swallowed. Several other officers found the sigh too much and puked. This seemed to amuse the demon. Shakily, the SWAT leader brought out his gun and pointed it at the creature. "F-freeze," he stammered. Slash watched him for a moment, then took another bite, this time crunching through the bone. "Drop the….arm," the man said. Slash grinned and decided to play along. The set the arm down and used his normal arm to wipe away the blood running down his chin. "Raise your hands above your head and walk towards me." With an impudent smile, Slash hopped off the wreck and began striding towards the group. Suddenly he stopped. "Keep walking," the officer said.
"I don't think so," the demon said in his harsh voice. Then, his wings suddenly extended to their full span and he bellowed. Again, fast then any eye could follow, he leaped at one of the officers and tore him open from throat to navel. He then spun and backhanded another officer, breaking his jaw. A third fell to the claw in the gut. Slash tore out his intestines and threw them at another officer, blinding him. Slash tore his helmet off and placed his inhuman hand on the back of the man's neck. The claws dug in as Slash grasped the man's spine and tore it out of him. Finally, only the leading officer was left. He dropped his gun and stepped back, trembling as the demon walked towards him. Slash grabbed the man by the chest, his talons nicking the skin. Slash grinned. "It's time to die," he said coldly. Then, a burst of heat went from his body to the officer's, igniting it. Slash stepped back to watch as the man's burning body toppled over, writing madly. The officer screamed as the flames devoured him. Then, the demon turned away and began walking back to his previous position atop the wreck. He still had work to do. Resettling himself, he relaxed into meditation, seeking out the one. Every planet had one spirit, one soul, which would be readily transformed into a new member of the demon army. Slash sought that one now. His eyes snapped open as he found it.
