Fantasy Into The Darkness [Closed]

[Phadia]

The smell of disinfectant made Melissa's eyes sting as she continued to scrub the shower tile.
Despite scrubbing for the last hour or so, and despite the fact that her hands were starting to burn, she knew she couldn't stop.
It would take another hour or so until it was clean. And even then....
The young woman sighed, pausing to look down at her work.
A sudden noise made her flinch, practically dumping over the bucket of cleaner.
Her eyes widened instantly, head whipping towards the source of the noise.
"I made the payment! Just leave me alone!"
The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. Her voice sounded distant, bouncing against the cold bathroom walls as it returned to her ears.
"I know that."
A man's voice came from around the corner, and Melissa could see the heatwaves distorting the floral patterned wallpaper even from the tub.
"I was only checking in. It's common courtesy, is it not?"
Then there was a chuckle.
"You do know that the shower's been clean for the last forty minutes or so, don't you?"
Melissa squeezed the sponge in her hands, her knuckles whitening.
"What do you want?" she hissed towards the unseen man. "Surely you're not here to give me cleaning tips."
Then man chuckled again and stepped into the bathroom. He looked... surprising professional. Black suit, white shirt, red tie, black sleek hair. At a glance, he looked like a normal man. A lawyer or banker perhaps. Yet, Melissa knew he was more than that. He was the judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one.
As he entered the room, the bathroom mirror instantly steamed up.
In his outstretched hand, he held a yellowed piece of paper.
"Just a friendly reminder in case you were planning on.... breaking our agreement. Your life is in my hands, remember?"
The young woman forced her expression to remain level, dropping the sponge, and climbing out of the shower. She hurried to the sink, not facing the man standing in her bathroom.
"I'm aware of that," she spoke quietly and tried to hide the fear in her voice.
"Oh, really? Because I was told you considered backing out of the job last night. You know, there are thousands of other people who are willing to take your position. If you think the job is too much...." The man smiled as Melissa whipped around to face him.
"No!" She practically yelled, lunging for the paper in the man's hand.
The paper promptly vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Then you better be careful, human."
Then man's body began to distort and fade.
"And remember," he added as he disappeared. "You're never alone."
With that, Melissa found herself in the empty bathroom, staring at the place the man had disappeared. She absentmindedly rubbed her right wrist, thinking about the recent encounter.
Then, with a shake of her head, she grabbed her jacket from the back of the toilet, and ran towards the front door.
If she didn't find her next one by the end of the day....
She suppressed the urge to shudder, and ripped open the door, stepping outside.
Without slowing down, she headed towards the nearby park.

August Reign

 

[August Reign]

Lounging on the grass, Nathan watched as a small beetle crawled along his finger. He adjusted his hand so the small creature could continue on its way, unhindered by lack of surface to crawl on. After a few moments, the beetle opened its wings up, and took off, leaving the young man alone once more. He sat back against the bench, his book flopped open on itself. The book in itself was a scientific research novella on large wild cats and factual information about them. Nathan stared up to the sky, his hair falling around his head towards his shoulders. His jacket lay to his side, draped over the bench as he occupied the space. Not many people out this time of day. Many would be at work or doting their kid around town for sports events or practices. Even students would be in class right now, but this was break, so they were probably catching up on the sleep they've been missing or out to the gym for some last minute summer body defining.

Not Nathan though. He was a student, yes, but he was off to a volunteer excursion later this summer. He had a few more weeks before he had to leave for it, so he figured he would enjoy the places he hadn't explored yet before setting off on a life defining adventure. He was going to be part of a reserve staff, working with animals and getting on the job experience that counted towards graduation. Why take and pay for classes when you can just experience it all for yourself and learn as you go? Many people didn't believe in his mindset, but it worked for him, so it was all going to be worth it in the end. Nathan reached for his book, looking down once more from the sky back to the pages of his book.