The Climax Reading
Any Similarity to Persons Living or Dead Is Purely Coincidental
In the graveyard of a small paper town, a teenage boy walked the same path he took each and every night, but tonight things were different. The only thing lighting the ominous night was a Waxing Gibbous moon, but with powers like his this couldn’t faze him. No matter what, he would finish his work. Under his hood, dark brown hair that appeared black matched his black jeans and dark trench coat. He kept his head down, hiding his eyes behind is bangs, but if you’d take the time to look you’d notice their slight slant. Clutched in his dominant left-hand was a silver dagger with black Japanese characters etched across both sides. His voice had an unexplainable musical tone that could captivate people… make them believe him even in his darkest lies. He finally had found what he was looking for. He spoke, “I’ve brought you what you asked for. Will you let her go now?”
From behind him a dark, devilish yet feminine chuckle rang out. An answer came from a woman with a British voice hiding in the shadows, “Oh silly boy! You’ve made a deal with the devil remember?” The chuckle continued, and the figure of a blonde woman in a red dress appeared from the darkness behind him. He turned to face this familiar woman and cried, “Correct, I made a deal with the devil, but she didn’t. LET HER GO!” In a slight moment of weakness, a single tear dripped from his eyes and fell to the dagger. The character etchings illuminated in a way he’d never seen before. The dagger glowed a crimson red. This was something he’d only heard of in legends as a child. Could this possibly be real? Could emotions really evoke special powers in ancient weapons? No, it wasn’t possible. That would go against all he knew. He lifted the dagger and turned the blade over several times in his right palm, still holding it with his left-hand. “You are such a weakling,” the woman came closer and leaned in his ear as she spoke, “and you can’t save her.” Now that she could be fully seen in the slight moonlight, her eternal youth was apparent. Her face was flawless and her legs were a beautiful length. She sat down on the headstone of someone by the name of “Cornelius L. Vladimir” who died in 1961. He was “a beloved father, husband and brother loved and missed by many.” Even though he’d been here a million times, the teenager still found it hard to believe that people really could be buried beneath his feet right now. It was a thought that was eerie even to someone with his powers.
The teenager lifted his dagger and in one motion that seemed to be inhuman and was suddenly standing with it against the woman’s neck. More tears of anger began to flow down his face, but he bit his lip in vain efforts to keep the tears inside. The woman was a bit stunned and her response was delayed, “Now, now, love. Let’s not get violent! We are civil human beings.” The glowing dagger was barely a millimeter from her neck. He could have killed her at any moment, but he knew this would prevent him from getting what he wanted. He would need her later. The teenager pulled the dagger away and slid it into his belt. Proud that now he was stronger than even her, his self-confidence reached an unheard of high. He grabbed a white, small check size envelope out of a pocket inside his coat. He handed it to her. “We are both in no way human beings and you know that. Now, I have the powers you only could fear I would someday obtain. If you follow the directions, you’ll get what you want and only in exchange for her, of course. Otherwise, the dagger will go the other direction… inward not away.” He began to walk away as he finished speaking, not even bothering to take another look back.
“Fine, if I agree to your terms… we will be seeing each other soon, but I’m not going to guarantee that she will be exchanged. Farewell for now. Parting is such sweet sorrow,” The eerie woman stood and disappeared in a flash of red and black, with her echoed words still lingering in the air. The teenage boy didn’t even turn around; he just kept walking towards the exit with his hands in his pockets and his head down. Hopefully, he was in control of his own destiny now. The sun was beginning to break the horizon line and he had to move much faster if he wanted to get to school on time.
From behind him a dark, devilish yet feminine chuckle rang out. An answer came from a woman with a British voice hiding in the shadows, “Oh silly boy! You’ve made a deal with the devil remember?” The chuckle continued, and the figure of a blonde woman in a red dress appeared from the darkness behind him. He turned to face this familiar woman and cried, “Correct, I made a deal with the devil, but she didn’t. LET HER GO!” In a slight moment of weakness, a single tear dripped from his eyes and fell to the dagger. The character etchings illuminated in a way he’d never seen before. The dagger glowed a crimson red. This was something he’d only heard of in legends as a child. Could this possibly be real? Could emotions really evoke special powers in ancient weapons? No, it wasn’t possible. That would go against all he knew. He lifted the dagger and turned the blade over several times in his right palm, still holding it with his left-hand. “You are such a weakling,” the woman came closer and leaned in his ear as she spoke, “and you can’t save her.” Now that she could be fully seen in the slight moonlight, her eternal youth was apparent. Her face was flawless and her legs were a beautiful length. She sat down on the headstone of someone by the name of “Cornelius L. Vladimir” who died in 1961. He was “a beloved father, husband and brother loved and missed by many.” Even though he’d been here a million times, the teenager still found it hard to believe that people really could be buried beneath his feet right now. It was a thought that was eerie even to someone with his powers.
The teenager lifted his dagger and in one motion that seemed to be inhuman and was suddenly standing with it against the woman’s neck. More tears of anger began to flow down his face, but he bit his lip in vain efforts to keep the tears inside. The woman was a bit stunned and her response was delayed, “Now, now, love. Let’s not get violent! We are civil human beings.” The glowing dagger was barely a millimeter from her neck. He could have killed her at any moment, but he knew this would prevent him from getting what he wanted. He would need her later. The teenager pulled the dagger away and slid it into his belt. Proud that now he was stronger than even her, his self-confidence reached an unheard of high. He grabbed a white, small check size envelope out of a pocket inside his coat. He handed it to her. “We are both in no way human beings and you know that. Now, I have the powers you only could fear I would someday obtain. If you follow the directions, you’ll get what you want and only in exchange for her, of course. Otherwise, the dagger will go the other direction… inward not away.” He began to walk away as he finished speaking, not even bothering to take another look back.
“Fine, if I agree to your terms… we will be seeing each other soon, but I’m not going to guarantee that she will be exchanged. Farewell for now. Parting is such sweet sorrow,” The eerie woman stood and disappeared in a flash of red and black, with her echoed words still lingering in the air. The teenage boy didn’t even turn around; he just kept walking towards the exit with his hands in his pockets and his head down. Hopefully, he was in control of his own destiny now. The sun was beginning to break the horizon line and he had to move much faster if he wanted to get to school on time.