I
Quistis' Mystery:
A scream curdled the dorm's blood...
Sounds of a struggle!
Too late--a ripped chest remains
The girl holds a note...
"What the hell is this?"
Everyone asked that question
Zell, Selphie, Irvine...
Squall and Rinoa read it...
"It's addressed to you..."
"Dear Quistis--Damned Bitch,
You & Your Friends Will Suffer
Slowly... painfully...
Watch your back, bitch, for you're next!
Yours Truly, S N A K E
"Who else wills you harm?"
"...Maybe Seifer? ...Maybe not...
Lives on Continent...
Haven't seen in a whole year--
--It just can't be him...!"
Seifer off the list...
Anybody else you know?
No-One, Officer...
Thank you, Johnson...
I'll be in my room...
The odd look
Disconcerting
And the moon shone fierce
Wrapped in her covers
She drifted to sleep
II
Tossing Paralyze
The girl in the hall danced
Somebody help me!
The unknown stalked
And endless halls...
Where is everyone
Squall? Rinoa? Zell? Irvine?
Selphie? Anybody?
They can't help
Nobody can help
Disembodied voice?
Who are you, what do you want
Light from a window
How the hell did that get there?
And her eyes opened
Only a dream
Beads brushed aside, clammy hand
Shadows stalk outside
Just outside Quisty's Window
"You'll get yours," it hissed
Next victim in sight
Eeny Meeny Miney Moe
Redhead, Hazel Eyes
Catch a Tiger by the Toe
And if she hollers...
A hood-shrouded smile
"Lovely night, huh ladies?"
Eyes fixed on victim
"Sounds like rain all week," she says
"You from around here?"
"Just from Trabia...
"Waiting for the next train out...
"So what about you?"
"I live in Galbadia."
(Ah... and baby soft...)
"What is your name?"
Charles
"And I'm Alexis..."
Beautiful name for one so
Unfortunate
Selphie has an idea:
"Irvine, let's find a place so
We can be alone...!"
Butterfly leads the way on
Innocence Emblem
"Irvy, are you coming?"
"Yeah I'm coming...!"
(With childish laughter)
Ring the bell, summon the clerk...
The Inn is Private
"Bella are you here?"
Selphie finds Bella's note:
"Gone for a few days...
Cannot use a room... okay?
Too many murders..."
Galbadia
We could try Galbadia
Take the train out there...
Nice thought Irvine; lock it
Before we head out
Unexpected hell
S T A Y A W A Y L E A V E M E A L O N E !
Scared Alexis
Nude Alexis
Raped Alexis
He drew the blade
Should have been more careful
He slashed her throat
Eyes stare back at the horror
Become the Horror
May Death Leave You Blind
Hazel gems gouged from sockets
Gut the gizzard
Flip, and get back at shoulders
...Sapphire Keepsake
In Galbadia...
Seifer with lager and smoke
Newspaper headline:
Murder Balamb Garden
...Quistis next victim?
Reading article,
He discovers what they think:
"They suspect me!
What the fuck, how dare she!"
No time... to Balamb!
III
If not him then who?
Showers do little for her
She washed sweat and grime
Who else seeks vengeance? No-one!
She hears it then...
A clean white towel
Press the ear onto the door
"Don't worry Trepe
You'll get yours get yours get yours
While pigs hunt Seifer..."
She pulled away
Hid in the shower (freaked out)
Who was that?
Unto the Training Center
Kill Anxiety
The "Save-the-Queen" Whip
Saving grace for a graceless time
"Why are you all here?"
"We couldn't sleep either, Quisty!"
"Guess what just happened..."
And Cid arrived.
"I heard it all... I'm sorry..."
"Assigned anybody?"
"No-one wants this job, Quistis...!"
"So I volunteer!"
"It's too dangerous!"
Then they'll do it together!
Meanwhile, Almasy...
Not a soul to behold now...
Train! ...'Bout fucking time...!
Heartily & Trepe
Investigate the crime scene
"Don't get discouraged
If you don't find anything,"
Whispered a Shadow
Strands of jet black hair
Replay a death in his mind
Just for kicks
Barely wonder what she's like...
She is a fighter...
Infallible hate
Infallible objective
Fallible... door locked
"What are you looking at?"
Moody Headhunter
She wakes next to him
Rough long sex makes him sleep
Pull covers away
"Are you cold, Selphie?"
"Well... I was...!"
And Rinoa S I G H E D
Not a single trace... no leads!
Tidy Criminal
But look... another letter
Left in her absence
Quistis reads it:
"How did your search go, my love?
What will you do now?
I know what I'll do--ha-ha--!
But I bet you know!"
"Letter from Snake?"
"Of course, yes... whoever he is...!"
"Show it to the cops!"
Meanwhile, Almasy arrives
At Balamb Garden
Quistis wasn't home
Seifer found it wasn't locked
So he decided
To patiently await her
And speak with her when...
Squall's anger rose
"What the hell does this guy want?"
Zell looked pissed as well
"A random target, maybe?"
"Get some sleep, Quistis."
A Den Invaded
"...Seifer!" And they're both pissed.
"We need to talk, now!"
"What's there to talk about? There's--!"
"--You better talk!"
What is it, Seifer?
"Mentioned me as a suspect?
I don't hold grudges...
...Least not forever I don't!"
"But why are you here?
"Is it your business?"
"Just needed to clear things up..."
And he left her then
She almost dialed 9-1-1
Before Zell arrived
IV
He asked if they found--
-- "No, we didn't, sorry."
Roll the eyes; Zell leaves.
And Seifer eavesdrops
This ought to be fun...
Selphie had some fun
Irvine certainly did, too
Wait... what is that smell?
Selphie kicks under the seat:
Dead Red Girl No Eyes
Hyperventilate
"Call the police this instant!"
Okay, now calm down
Selphie grips Irvine tightly
Another victim...!
"Why did you join?
Investigate these slayings?
Why you Rinoa?"
"...Squall! I'm not a weakling here!
Why don't you trust me!"
Screaming fit
Slamming of a door
Never again, Squall
Was I wrong about him or what?
Mirror stares back hard...
And Quistis paces
Something shatters window panes
Message etched in blood:
"I hear what's-her-name broke up
With Commander Squall...
"I can still see you,
You're crazy living like this
N O F E A R
Gotta go... so many girls...
So little time... B Y E!
" W H A T T H E F U C K ! "
Toss the brick and leave the room
...And what of Squall now?
Struck a nerve regretfully
Knock, Knock, "It's Quistis...
"Take a look at this!"
"...So how does he know about that!"
"Exactly my question."
"He stalks us on our home turf..."
"Let's investigate!"
Announce the Eighth Victim
Johnson on the scene
"Glad you're here, Squall."
As he questioned, her heart raced
Oh God, Oh God, Oh--!
He questioned them all
Perfect alibis... yet true?
He dismissed them all
"What kind of sicko could--?"
Quistis returned home
The phone rings:
"What did you think of her, love?"
"How did you get this--?"
"--That's for you to ponder." Click
F - U - C - K - ! SLAM!
Door knocks: "Who is it!"
"It's me, Zell... can I come in?"
She unlatches the door.
"Who was on the phone?" Who else?
"Turned my life to HELL!"
VI
To Galbadia
On a train, escape from Squall
Escape the Murders...
Never notice one behind
"Why hello there...
"Why are you alone?"
"Leaving," and she walked away
...And Hell Followed
Arm around shoulder: neck cuff
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?"
Serpent fell upon the earth
YOU BITCH I'LL TEACH YOU
(I drew blood... wait that face--you--!)
NOT TO MESS WITH ME!
The blade pierced her
She cowered
Sweet dreams
She suffered
He pulled the hood down
Quistis chatted
Tried to get her mind from Death
Where is she?
"Rinoa left... never heard?"
"...Without a Good-Bye?"
And the black man came
Left behind the next Message:
Pictures
"Quisty! How's it H A N G I N G ?"
Rinoa on ropes
"You like my hobby?
You're still the last... but Selphie...
She might be next...
Well anyway, see ya love!"
What is this... This... This...?
VII
Got to tell Squall...
Selphie fought back her fountains
Quistis balled tight fists
Lost Rinoa to this freak,
"No I'm not All Right!"
"Squall, we--!" Oh, my God!
Pinned to the wall, face of fear
Intestines hang loose
And she vomits more than dread
The Hell is Going--
On And ON ANON!
"Somebody call the police!"
Rinoa and Squall
That fucking freak is so dead
What could have done this?
Knock Knock it's Seifer...
What do you want? "Let me in!
"I'll tell you why-- ...WHAT!
"What happened to him--oh my God?"
And Then the Photos
Next Week: Funeral
Quistis sat aside two souls:
Cid & Edea
Wept the loss, the salty rage
Tasted like vengeance...
VIII
Quistis Would Get That!
No peaceful slumber that night,
Or any damned night!
She headed for the station;
Much Death Surfaced There
"Hello there," she said.
"What are you up to, cutie?"
"Just sitting around..."
"You won't mind if I kill you?"
And the Knife Advanced...
Queen whipped it aside
"...And this is for my friends, freak!"
Save the Queen struck hard
Revealed Officer Johnson!
Once More: I See Red
Epilogue
...And she considered...
...Gutting the Pig for Bacon...
...Rest well, Rin & Squall...
Disclaimer (a statement to save my ass):
When you look back at your work or someone else's you can't help but wonder what went through the head while crafting drivel amidst inspired bits. A poor idea can be spruced up; a grand idea can sink, but hackneyed stuff sings when written well.
To test this theory, I asked a fellow author--an industrious submitter named Simply Crisis-- to try something. Even my material got kinks even from continuously rereading passages aloud. Nobody is perfect.
I checked her story of the same name and noted poor formatting and punctuation--early and unpolished--but only after observing current material. She improved since this story; writing three years straight at her magnitude will do that, guaranteed.
Reviewers were harsh. The scant few she received were evil remarks questioning her education. The sole positive critique gave her the benefit of the doubt, and inspired me to try this. Even I got bugged by the formatting and wondered if it had been rendered as poetry format by accident. I'm sure she used a notepad program, omitting the chance for computer-aided spell-checking, grammar and formatting. But I wondered... poetry... the piece's length wasn't overwhelming and I mistook it as poetry... so:
Why not make poetry out of it?
Granted, it's a predictable horror mystery, but horror is a dish served cold but eaten with hot mouths. ...Don't ask; I don't get it either. But I figured horror would work out better if it had been sliced into choice bits in poetry. I couldn't rhyme it, so I tried Tanka, a Japanese poetry form preceding Haiku by several centuries. Tanka was written by just about anybody who could read and write and, in America, has grown popular in recent years.
I considered writing an original epic (totally non-serious) from a hundred and one haiku poems, but Tanka is longer, granting more to paint a picture with. It consists of five lines: five or less syllables on the odds and seven or less on the even lines. You get between five to twenty-nine syllables. Carving passages and manipulating language and word use are keys to mastering Tanka.
I converted the original in three hours time, typed the rest across two more and submitted it immediately upon confirmation from Crisis (needed permission first). I don't know how long she poured over the original work, but I hope she gets a kick out of this. Finally, I double-checked the look of the formatting to ensure nothing was lost in translation.
Disclaimer: she owns the plot.
Square-Enix owns FFVIII.
I pwn Tanka
(love d00d-speak).