The air was cold… the night skies black over the city of London. Many of the citizens slept on high alert (Or not at all), the rest rioting the streets due to the horrid events of recent months. Starting in September, a series of gruesome murders had come to be known as the 'Autumn of Terror'. Five victims viciously murdered, mutilated within only three short months. Five horrible acts that could only be described as the stuff of nightmares.
The police of Scotland Yard and the City of London had been hard at work trying to uncover the identity of the notorious killer who committed these heinous crimes, but they always come up empty-handed. The only evidence they had were a series of letters that supposedly came from the killer. Whether they were truly written by the murderer or not, they gave the police one thing: A name that would strike fear into the hearts of all London and would later become legend…
[i]Jack the Ripper/i]
The first of the Ripper murders began with a prostitute by the name of Mary Ann "Polly" Nichols. Her throat slashed down to the bone; her abdomen ripped apart. A majority of her internal organs were also removed. The very same horrible mutilation occurred on another woman by the name of Annie Chapman only a mere few weeks later. Sometime after, in an episode known as the 'double event', two women, Elizabeth Stride and Katherine Eddows, were murdered that very same night. After the double murder, the whole month of October had so far gone by without a single murder and the people of London hoped the nightmare was finally over.
[i]How wrong they were…/i]
That cold night, the air filled with thick fog blanketing the dimly lit street of Miller's court, a young red-headed woman, by the name of Mary Jane Kelly, walked down this very street following a rather difficult night. Forced to sell her own body just to sleep in a bed in one of the many old lodging houses that make up Whitechapel District, a life ill-fitting for a lady. It made her very nervous to be out in the streets this late at night. While the murders took place over a month ago and everyone assuming the killer was gone, Kelly was not convinced. Thankfully, she made just enough to afford a room and would no longer be out in the streets at night. Mary walked through the front door of the lodging house, right toward the owner.
"You bring me my money now, Mary?" He asked, in a thick English accent.
"Aye," Mary responded, in her own Irish accent. "I sure did."
"Well, you best hope so or you'll be sleeping with the rats," The owner threatened.
She handed the man a few silver coins, as he studied them up and down to make sure they were legitimate. After concluding they were real, he nodded and handed her a key to one of the rooms.
"You'll take the lodging room on the far left," He instructed.
"Thank you sir," Mary thanked him.
She took the key from his hand very quickly, working her way to the lodging room down the far left. The window to the room had been broken with a crumpled paper blocking the hole so no wind could get in. Shaking her head and unlocking the door, she made her way inside. Taking out a box of matches from her corset, she lit a single candle along the bedside table. Now having a bit of light in the room, she removed her evening ware and placed it along a chair in the corner. Until she was just in her under dress, as she sat upon the bed.
"Boy, isn't this a right fine mess I've landed me-self in."
Like the many women littering the streets of Whitechapel at night, Mary Kelly's life was not one that would be classified as 'good'. In the early parts of her life, she lived fairly well as her family was moderately wealthy. Her father John Kelly, however, for reasons unknown disowned her and cast her out into the streets. She met and married a coal miner, Davis, when she was sixteen and they lived happily until his death from a mining accident three years later. Soon after the death of her husband, Mary relocated to London and worked the streets ever since.
Now here she sits, at twenty-five years old and having sexual relations with complete strangers for coins. Generally, this is how many women of their time ended up working the streets all for a warm meal and bed to sleep in. But even so, a single stray tear coursed down Mary's face as the awful memories of her upbringing flooded back through her mind. Quickly wiping off the tear, she laid upon the bed and doused the candle's light. Soon the entire room was shrouded in darkness, as Kelly fell asleep. She figured tomorrow would bring forth new opportunity and possibly a new life.
[i]Sadly, she would not live to see tomorrow…/i]
Later that same night, as the cold night air swept across the dark streets of Whitechapel, a shadowed individual quietly stalked the streets. The sound of heavy foot falls are heard, as the tall dark figure walked down the dark alley. Nothing could be seen of this person due to the dark of the night, like a walking shadow slowly approaching the broken window of the lodging room. With a single gloved hand, he pushed the crumpled paper through the hold and reached its arm through the broken glass over the lock on the door. Slowly and quietly, the figure clicked the door unlocked and retracted it's hand back out.
Within another minute, the door to the room slowly creaked open allowing the figure passage. Closing the door, relocking the bolt, he slowly approached the bedside watching Mary sleeping soundly. For several seconds, he just watched the woman with cold dead eyes before noticing the box of matches along the night side table. With a single hand, the figure lights a match and lit the candle for a better view of what was about to be done.
Then, reaching out with his gloved hands, the individual grasped ahold of Mary's neck and began to strangle her. The sensation snapped Mary awake, the girl tried desperately to scream but to no avail. The force of the manner he choked her made it impossible for her to utter a cry for help. All she can see before her life slowly slipped away was the very image of her attacker.
The attacker, clearly a man judging by the height, was very tall, dressed from head-to-toe in faded black pants, boots, and a matching trench coat. She couldn't see a face, as it was completely covered by what appeared to be an old burlap sack with two eyeholes cut out and a faded black top hat on top. Though she could not see his face, Mary saw the eyes behind the mask. The dark eyes rejuvenated with life, glaring at her with cold hatred and an un-callous rage. She knew immediately that this was the infamous 'Jack the Ripper' and she was his next victim.
Slowly, the life began to fade away from Mary Kelly's eyes, her movements slowed until she was completely still. Releasing his clutch from the girl's next, revealing severe bruise marks around the neck, the man reached into the pocket of its faded black trench coat and pulled out what appeared to be a long, jagged knife.
And then… the real work began…
It took half-an-hour when Jack finally finished his latest, most gruesome work to date. The notorious killer stepped back to admire his work in full, the manic in his eyes staring through the mask. Mary Kelly, for lack of better terms, had literally been ripped completely apart. Her face hacked beyond all recognition, her throat slit right down to the bone, and her abdomen disemboweled with most of her internal organs removed and placed around her body. She had also been practically skinned entirely to the point her legs were completely skeletonized. Jack even gone so far as to rip out both her heart and uterus and placed them along the bedside table.
[img]https/upload./wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/MaryJaneKelly_Ripper_100.jpg/640px-MaryJaneKelly_Ripper_100.jpg/img]
After admiring his work, Jack silently knelt toward the ground before reaching into his coat pocked revealing what appeared to be an old book. He flipped through a few pages before stopping along a certain page displaying a series of weird symbols and cryptic writing. A single gloved hand brushed that very page, admiring it as if he had fulfilled the deeds from the instructions of higher power. And now… it is time for their part to fill an end of the bargain.
Picking up the bloodied knife, the very tool he committed this horrible crime with, he raised it over the page allowing her blood to slowly drip onto the page of the book. Once doing so, the book shook and vibrated before lifting itself out of his hands. As it levitated into the air, the book glowed brighter and brighter by the moment. Jack silently observed the strange ritual, before extending his arms out and his cold eyes gazed upon the glowing book. Ready to be cast into the oblivion, fulfilling his purpose as his master's greatest instrument of an ongoing war against the light and all who bask beneath it.
And the next thing he knew, the blinding light flashed through the room and engulfed Jack the Ripper with its power. Jack felt himself falling to the abyss, to parts unknown, but his body never fazed. He knew what he had done; this is what he had been working for. Why he killed as he had was his secret and his alone. And Jack continued to fall for the longest time, before finally landing smack dab onto a hard surface.
[i]Then everything went black…/i]
A pair of dark, soulless eyes snapped open before Jack the Ripper fully regained consciousness. He slowly sat up from the hard ground, slowly studying his surroundings. He appeared to be in what resembled a forest, a large number of dark trees littered the grounds he currently sat upon with a mass array of shrubs and bushes in every direction. The man stood back on his feet, dusting the grass of his coat. He picked up his hat, which had fallen off when he landed, and placed it back along the top of his head.
Though Jack the Ripper had no idea where he was now, quite frankly he did not care. He survived, he got away with his murders… and he'll live on so long as he had the final word. The only sound in the quiet wood were the voices calling to him in his head. The voices serving as instructions to do 'his' bidding…
[b[i]"Find another victim! Rip them! Find them!"/i/b]
Jack walked through the dark forest seeking another victim, or the very least someplace to hide out. As he walked, he thought back to all his previous victims and the torture he inflicted upon them. Everything about it turned him on… the sensation of his hands crushing the life of their throats, the feeling of cold steel slicing through soft tissue, and the thrill of ripping their very livelihoods from their corpses. He loved it… he loved it all.
Jack was so busy reminiscing he failed to notice a light in the dense darkness of the forest until he came right upon it. Following the light, Jack peeked through the brush and spotted a log cabin resting in the midst of a clearing in the forest. Jack's eyes widen toward the lighted window, glowing like God's gate in the dark of the night, as he slowly crept toward the window and peeked through.
Inside, his eyes catch what appeared to be a boy and a girl, both in their late teenage years. The girl had what resembled pale amaranth skin, moderately raspberry hair with a crown of flowers, and light green eyes. The boy had light tangelo skin, dark aquamarine hair, and grayish green eyes. They both sat at the table enjoying cups of tea, as Jack's eyes studied them under his mask. After a few seconds, he crept back to the dense foliage, waiting for an opportunity to strike, as the voices in his head kept echoing…
[b[i]"Rip them! Rip them! Rip them!"/i/b]
Gloriosa Daisy sipped her cup of chamomile tea, as she sat with her younger brother Timber Spruce at the dining room table. She loved any chance she and her brother could spend quality time together. Since moving into this cabin, deep within the Everfree Forest, she didn't see much of her family often. Not to mention her job running Camp Everfree took up basically most of her time. It was nice to talk to her brother again after so long.
"So, how have things been as of late?" Timber asked.
"You know how it is," Gloriosa sighed. "The last camper went home just a few days ago. Camp Everfree is closed for the season."
Timber felt bad for his big sister because he knew running the camp meant everything to her. She fought like hell to ensure the camp would always remain, even transforming herself into a demon to make it so. Being the good brother he was, he sat alongside his sister and pulled her into a light hug.
"Don't worry about it too much," He said comfortingly. "Camp Everfree will open again in the spring, and that means a whole new batch of fresh campers will be waiting for you."
Gloriosa shrugged, while leaning upon her brother's embrace. For all the effort, it didn't do many wonders to cheer her up.
"But what am I supposed to do for the remainder of the year?"
"You could always take that job as a teaching assistant at Canterlot High. The offer's still open."
"No…" Gloriosa shook her head. "I don't think I could, Timber. It's just not the same as running Camp Everfree."
"Well, don't worry about it. We'll find something else to do before camp starts up again. In the meantime, you can always hang out with me."
Gloriosa turned toward her brother and couldn't help but giggle.
"Since when did you get all soft and mushy-gushy?" Gloriosa teased.
"Must be all the time spent with Twilight over the last few months," Timber chuckled.
"You guys have been getting pretty serious for a while now. Have you introduced her to mom and dad yet?"
"No, not yet. If there's one thing I know about mom and dad, they always know how to embarrass me."
"I'll bet you anything that mom's just dying to bring out the old family album and show her your baby pictures."
The two siblings chuckled loudly, as they sipped their tea. Eventually, Timber turned toward his watch and noticed how late it really was.
"Oh boy, I better get back home," He said urgently. "Don't want mom and dad sending out a missing person's report."
"Didn't you tell them where you were going to be tonight?" Gloriosa asked.
"Yeah, but you know mom. If I'm a minute late, she'll immediately assume the worst and call the police."
"Well, at least let me walk you to your car."
Timber nodded, and the two walked out the front door toward Timber's car.
"It was really fun getting to hang out with you again little bro," Gloriosa smiled.
"Yeah, we should try getting together more often," Timber agreed. "Now that you've got some time off."
They both hugged for a moment or two before separating, as Gloriosa watched Timber climb into the car. He waved goodbye to his sister, which she returned as she watched him drive away into the night. Gloriosa takes a deep breath before walking back into the house and closing the door behind her.
In the kitchen, Gloriosa took the teacup and dishes and placed them into the sink to clean them. As she started washing, scrubbing with a sponge and soap, she thought she heard a weird noise from outside. Her ears picked up what resembled heavy footsteps, as she slowly turned toward the side.
"Timber?" She called out. "Did you forget something? Timber?"
But answer there came none. Slowly, Gloriosa walked back toward the front door and opened the door. She peeked out to see if her brother had returned… but nobody was there. Taking a few steps outside, she looked around, but her eyes caught nothing. Shrugging her shoulders, she chuckled to herself before closing the door.
"Must be my imagination playing tricks on me again," Gloriosa joked to herself.
Shaking her head, she went back into the kitchen to finish the dishes. As soon as they were all dry, she made her way into the living room area and plopped herself onto the couch. Sighing, she picked up a book along the counter and read for a while. As the time passed, seconds turned to minutes and minutes into hours. Before too long, Gloriosa released a great yawn and turned toward the fireplace clock seeing how late it is.
"Guess I'd better get to bed," She yawned.
Shutting the book and putting it back on the counter, Gloriosa started walking down the hallway toward her bedroom. She just reached out to open the door until…
[i]Tap! Tap! Tap!/i]
Gloriosa froze in place the moment she heard a strange tapping sound. She slowly turned around, as if it had come from the living room window. This scared her immensely because she lived alone in a cabin, in the middle of the Everfree, and no one besides her family knew where she lived. Cautiously, she walked down the hallway toward the living room. Looking out, she heard the wind whistle a deathly moan as her bare feet stepped along the wooden floors. The fireplace was nothing but burnt logs, all other lights were dim, and the only source of brightness came from the moonlight through the window… which was opened.
Cautiously, Gloriosa made her way toward the window and peered outside into the night. As her eyes searched the area in fear, the girl was completely unaware of a dark figure standing in the corner and slowly stalking behind her. Seeing nothing in front of her, Gloriosa shut the window… and caught the figure's reflection against the glass.
That was the last Gloriosa Daisy saw when she turned around and gasped at the flash of steel as a knife was raised over her head. She released a bloodcurdling scream as the figure swung the knife across her throat and her blood splattered over the window.
Minutes passed, as Jack the Ripper stood over his latest victim. The girl's blood covered the living room floor, some of which splattered along the walls. Her head, nearly decapitated, leaned to her left as the vertebrae of her spine was exposed along her slit throat. Her abdomen gashed open, all her intestines removed, and placed along her shoulder. Her uterus removed as well, along with one of her kidneys.
Jack looked upon the girl's mutilated body, the fire in his eyes gleaming at the sight of his work before reassuming the dead-eye gaze. He turned toward the one part of the window that wasn't blood stained, as if he were looking out into the distance where there still remained more work to do. But this was only the beginning, whatever his intentions were, and one thing was utterly certain:
[i]Hell had been relocated…/i]