The Pied Piper
The girl nodded her head to her music as the train sped onwards. Blue eyes rimmed with smoky mascara shifted to her watch and back to the Vid- screen at the front of the train. She moved the groceries on her hip, the box of cereal was cutting into her hip. The train was packed, and the girl stood uncomfortably as the other patrons of the train jostled for better positions in the train. She watched the TV News peoples mouths move out of sync with her headphones and grinned. The train slid smoothly to a stop and she wriggled through the crowd to the door. As she stepped out she wondered if she had paid her rent. She shrugged. It didn't really matter. She continued up the stairs and out into the dark streets towards her apartment.
She fished her key-card out of her pocket and slid it. After a pause and a barely audible beep she opened the door. She kicked her shoes onto a small mat. The room was barely visible with the meager light from the hallway. She sighed.
"Lights on." Nothing happened. Her apartment was as dark as the streets she had just returned from.. She shut the door and moved her hand up and down the wall in search of the manual switch. She flicked it and the lights came on, painfully bright. She blinked and set down her headphones. A small buzz announced that the apartment-computers or ApC's activation.
"Lights, level three." The lights dimmed and she continued into the kitchen. A figure lay on the floor, propped up by the island in the middle of the room .She set down her groceries and watched the figure as she flicked on the kitchen lights; a man apparently, dressed completely in a black costume, turn his head and moan softly. She crouched on the floor, and twirled a piece of her wavy blonde hair around her finger. She sat there, completely still, as if deliberating on what to do. Her mouth tightened as she continued on with her inner conversation; and the man on the floor watched her through pain bleared, half-closed eyes. She frowned and opened her eyes. She stalked out of the room, and the mans last despairing thought as his senses began to shut down was
"It can't end like this."
He lost consciousness as the girl stalked back into the kitchen. She dropped the stuff next to him, and began to peel off his torn and bloody costume. When she reached his mask she paused, and pulled it only far enough to clear his mouth; the cuts on his body were deep, and many. She used a wet cloth to gently wipe the blood from his lacerations, and discovered a small hole in his side. She prodded it gently, and realized with a shock what it was. She braced herself and fished the bullet out. The man groaned and his arm came up, but she pinned his hand beneath her knee and began to sew his cuts up. She squinted and turned her head,
"Lights, level 5." The room immediately brightened.
_.-~^~-._
After about four hours, she had patched him up pretty well. Several times she had heard noises coming from his mask ((AN. Noises like Bruce Wayne saying "McGinnis, can you hear me? McGinnis!")) And she was tempted to take it off and try to answer them. But she wasn't so sure she wanted to see the face behind the mask. She wasn't afraid of disfigurement, or ugliness, but whether or not he'd kill her for knowing his secret.She drug him to the guest bedroom and managed to get him up on the bed. She covered him with a thin blanket, dimmed the lights, and shut the door quietly behind her. She sighed and leaned against his door, staring at the blood on the kitchen floor in front of her.
"Shit." She decided to let the ApC take care of it, "ApC?" A beep answered her, "Ok, clean floor at spots." she looked around wildly for a moment before fixating on the island "Ah, crap I'll just do it myself. I can't remember the freaking command." She stalked to the pantry and pulled out a bucket, a sponge, and a bottle of soapy stuff. She filled the bucket with water from the dishwashers tap, and set to work clearing the floor of bloodstains.
_.-~^~-._
She straightened up and looked at the digital clock on her wall, it said 2:34 A:M. She threw down her sponge and went to check on the strange man. He appeared to be fine, breathing normally, pulse steady. She shrugged and sshut the door behind her. She continued through the kitchen and into the living room, stopping at her door. She pulled a key from her pocket and opened the old fashioned lock on her door. She walked in, and locked the door behind her.
'Till chapter Two Ladies and Gentlemen!
The girl nodded her head to her music as the train sped onwards. Blue eyes rimmed with smoky mascara shifted to her watch and back to the Vid- screen at the front of the train. She moved the groceries on her hip, the box of cereal was cutting into her hip. The train was packed, and the girl stood uncomfortably as the other patrons of the train jostled for better positions in the train. She watched the TV News peoples mouths move out of sync with her headphones and grinned. The train slid smoothly to a stop and she wriggled through the crowd to the door. As she stepped out she wondered if she had paid her rent. She shrugged. It didn't really matter. She continued up the stairs and out into the dark streets towards her apartment.
She fished her key-card out of her pocket and slid it. After a pause and a barely audible beep she opened the door. She kicked her shoes onto a small mat. The room was barely visible with the meager light from the hallway. She sighed.
"Lights on." Nothing happened. Her apartment was as dark as the streets she had just returned from.. She shut the door and moved her hand up and down the wall in search of the manual switch. She flicked it and the lights came on, painfully bright. She blinked and set down her headphones. A small buzz announced that the apartment-computers or ApC's activation.
"Lights, level three." The lights dimmed and she continued into the kitchen. A figure lay on the floor, propped up by the island in the middle of the room .She set down her groceries and watched the figure as she flicked on the kitchen lights; a man apparently, dressed completely in a black costume, turn his head and moan softly. She crouched on the floor, and twirled a piece of her wavy blonde hair around her finger. She sat there, completely still, as if deliberating on what to do. Her mouth tightened as she continued on with her inner conversation; and the man on the floor watched her through pain bleared, half-closed eyes. She frowned and opened her eyes. She stalked out of the room, and the mans last despairing thought as his senses began to shut down was
"It can't end like this."
He lost consciousness as the girl stalked back into the kitchen. She dropped the stuff next to him, and began to peel off his torn and bloody costume. When she reached his mask she paused, and pulled it only far enough to clear his mouth; the cuts on his body were deep, and many. She used a wet cloth to gently wipe the blood from his lacerations, and discovered a small hole in his side. She prodded it gently, and realized with a shock what it was. She braced herself and fished the bullet out. The man groaned and his arm came up, but she pinned his hand beneath her knee and began to sew his cuts up. She squinted and turned her head,
"Lights, level 5." The room immediately brightened.
_.-~^~-._
After about four hours, she had patched him up pretty well. Several times she had heard noises coming from his mask ((AN. Noises like Bruce Wayne saying "McGinnis, can you hear me? McGinnis!")) And she was tempted to take it off and try to answer them. But she wasn't so sure she wanted to see the face behind the mask. She wasn't afraid of disfigurement, or ugliness, but whether or not he'd kill her for knowing his secret.She drug him to the guest bedroom and managed to get him up on the bed. She covered him with a thin blanket, dimmed the lights, and shut the door quietly behind her. She sighed and leaned against his door, staring at the blood on the kitchen floor in front of her.
"Shit." She decided to let the ApC take care of it, "ApC?" A beep answered her, "Ok, clean floor at spots." she looked around wildly for a moment before fixating on the island "Ah, crap I'll just do it myself. I can't remember the freaking command." She stalked to the pantry and pulled out a bucket, a sponge, and a bottle of soapy stuff. She filled the bucket with water from the dishwashers tap, and set to work clearing the floor of bloodstains.
_.-~^~-._
She straightened up and looked at the digital clock on her wall, it said 2:34 A:M. She threw down her sponge and went to check on the strange man. He appeared to be fine, breathing normally, pulse steady. She shrugged and sshut the door behind her. She continued through the kitchen and into the living room, stopping at her door. She pulled a key from her pocket and opened the old fashioned lock on her door. She walked in, and locked the door behind her.
'Till chapter Two Ladies and Gentlemen!