So today was interesting. I went airsofting with some friends for the first time. And while I only managed 3 kills the whole day, I apparently made my buddy extremely dangerous by keeping him well covered while he sniped people. I'd consider doing it again in the fall or winter, but never again in the summer, too damn hot.
Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and post a short story here if anyone is interested in reading it. If you do, let me know what you thought. If you like it, cool, if not, let me know why. A bit of constructive criticism is always appreciated. It was only three pages double spaced in Word, so it's a bit shorter here.
SPOILERS! (Click to view)
Monsters
Sometimes, you just need a fresh start. I tried so hard to get things done in my life. I tried to get a normal job. I tried to make normal friends, start a family, that sort of thing. But the fact of the matter is, I just cant take that sort of life. I wasnt made for the nine to five jobs with the wife and kids waiting at home while me and the guys went out for a beer. I tried, once upon a time. I had it all, the job with a six figure income, the big house with the white picket fence. Hell, I even had a wife. We never did manage the kids. But then again, I never really gave her the chance. I just couldnt do it. I couldnt live that lie. That so called American Dream was empty for me. I felt myself slowly dying, all that I amounted to, all of my promise, was being drained from me. My God, who would have thought that all this time my father had it right? He warned me the moment he found out I was going to college instead of staying in the family business, that I would never be happy with that kind of life. When I told him I was getting married he warned me that if I was truly in love with this woman, I should leave her before it was too late. He knew what the end would bring, and what it would eventually do to me.
I knew that monsters existed. I had known ever since I first saw my father do his job, his real job that is. I watched him tear that thing to pieces. I listened to it squeal for mercy under the knife of a true hunter. But I thought I would be able to escape the life. You know? I thought I could break the cycle, live a normal life, have a normal job, a normal wife instead of a hunter like mom. Besides, I knew how hard it would be to find another hunter. Despite this feeling that I would someday escape the life, I allowed myself to be trained in all of my parents ways. By the time I was ten I could handle a knife better than a trained soldier, and I could shoot just as well. I learned how to use my environment to my advantage, how to notice everything without really trying. I learned everything that I needed to survive on the move, off the grid, away from prying eyes who just wouldnt understand.
That night I was glad that I had listened growing up. I knew exactly what to do. I knew how to trap them, without alerting the others. I knew which pieces to take off to ensure that they couldnt escape while I carved out their hearts. The only real way to kill one. Of course afterwards, you had to dismember the body. I remembered all of this as I stared into her eyes. Her head sat on the dining room table, her body in pieces in the kitchen. I sat and stared into her eyes one last time before stuffing her head into a bag along with what was left of her. In the end he was right. Monsters do exist. And it was the most painful thing I had ever done, killing my wife. Because I really did love her, but she could never be a part of this. She could not be a hunter. She didnt have the stomach for it. I chuckled at that thought as I scooped it into the bags. Oh look, there it is. No, she didnt have what it took, she was not a monster. But I am. So when I finally decided it was time to take up the family business, I knew that she had to be my first kill. She had been so happy to see me too. I was home a few hours earlier than normal, and she thought I had something special planned for our anniversary. Well, I suppose I did didnt I? She never saw it coming though. My last act of humanity had been to knock her out with a powerful sedative before I got to work. But other than that, I followed my instructions to the letter. I used a butcher knife from the kitchen to sever her legs at the knees. That way if she woke up she wouldnt be able to run. Now, the method varies after this from person to person. Most of them struggle, so you have to do it quick. You do your best to tear through the flesh, crack the ribs, without damaging the heart. But with her it was different. I wanted to spend as much time as I could, and be as delicate as possible. I did love her after all.
Thankfully, the drugs kept her out long enough to do my job. I used a scalpel to cut through her flesh instead of a knife. It would have been too clumsy that way. I gently snapped her ribs, one by one, preventing any accidental damage to the heart. My God, in all of the years we had been together I had never felt so close to her as I did with my hands plunged deep into her chest. The warmth of her blood on my skin was intoxicating. As I slowly reached for her heart I could feel it beating. It throbbed in my hand a few final times before she finally expired. Then I removed the heart as carefully as I could and set it aside, gently down into the Tupperware she had just picked up the day before. It was as if she had known I would need it. By the time my father finally showed up I had finished with the rest of the work. I took her apart piece by piece, no longer needing to be gentle. I had fun with this part. When he saw me sitting at the table he knew what I had done.
I told you that you should have left her. That couldnt have been easy. The sympathy reflected in his eyes as he said this.
Dont worry Dad. In the end it brought me closer to her than could have been possible otherwise. In fact, if you want a similar experience I can help you with Mom
Ha! Maybe someday son. But for now we have work to do. Your mothers waiting for us just outside of town. She has a pair of newlyweds waiting for us.
Sounds like fun.
Yeah, you probably didnt believe me when I said that there were real monsters in this world. Just pray that you never meet one of us.