Happy Blog Day Everyone!
Chapter 9 of Phantom Dawn is here for your reading pleasure! Though sadly there hasn't been much movement anywhere else writing wise. Definitely won't seeing the end of the challenge I'm afraid, just the way it goes I suppose.
I did manage a new Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz, so there that's at least, speaking of them...
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
Yup, the beach theme continues. Mulling over different ideas, the thought of Riz digging up Cthulhu was too amusing to pass by (yes I know he wouldn't be underground on a random beach, but creative licence and all that. Is there more to wring out of this theme? Guess you'll just have to wait and see next week!
Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Memories of a Rose Chapter 9
Kurz and Rose are racing back to their hideout, but what will await them there, read on to find out!
Phantom Dawn Chapter Index
Chapter 9
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Chapter 9: Kurz's Resolve
Kurz and Rose were running as fast as they could, with Rose not fully understanding the urgency. The sounds had been disturbing, their harshness breaking the quietness of the town, but she knew no meaning behind it. Kurz, on the other hand, knew it all too well. The sound had been unmistakable to him, that of a motorcar, a breed of vehicle that only the rich and powerful could afford. The sound of one here meant one thing only, Finch was on the move.
I'm not going to let you lay a finger on him! Kurz swore to himself. His mind started to envision what scene he'd find when the pair arrived, what weapons they'd find deployed against them. It was no secret that Finch paid special attention to collecting weapons from before the Fall. Any cache that was found, even if it was just the bullets that went in them, Finch made sure it ended up with him
No smoke yet, that's something Kurz eyed the skyline. He risked a look back at Rose who was keeping up with him and making it look easy. He quickly looked forward again, the shock still written on his face. Despite the severity of the situation, fresh questions fought their way to the surface. Most prominent being what she was. He'd heard of people being affected by the Phantom Dawn before but they'd rarely remained human, and those that did, didn't do so for long.
Any more thoughts were silenced by the sound of gunfire ahead, a frenzied horrible noise that cut deep through Kurz.
“What was that?” Rose asked. The noise had shaken her as well but in a different manner, it had shaken something loose in her head, a thought that the sound did indeed belong to something bad. Something she lacked a name for currently.
“Bad news…” Kurz answered without missing a beat, then an item caught his eye, and he stopped suddenly.
“Why are we stopping?” Rose looked around to see if she could spot whatever item had caught Kurz’s attention, but failed to find anything. At least, nothing obvious.
“Just saw something that will come in handy.” Kurz picked up a length of rope that had been discarded round the back of a shabby dwelling. He flexed it a couple of times, making sure that it had the strength he needed.
“Not too far now,” Kurz announced as he started running again, the rope now wrapped around his right hand. Rose followed suit, still wondering what good the rope was going to be for them. She didn’t bother to verbalise this though, preferring to keep the matter focused on getting to Neal before anything bad happened.
To Kurz’s relief, it wouldn’t be long before they found themselves back at hideout, where a throng of people were now gathered, keeping themselves at arm’s length and away from the other group of people who were there.
Rose recognised one of them, being Mason, and that he’d been standing at the rear, letting five men head of him. She couldn’t see the faces on these individuals, as they were all obscured by helmets. Unlike Mason, who seemed to be wearing the exact same clothes as earlier, these people were wearing armour, giving them a much more heavy duty look. They were all armed with a weapon that Rose’s head tried to make her remember what it was. It was this fragment of a memory that told her that the terrible sound that her and Kurz had just heard belonged to these weapons. To prove her correct, one of the men fired it again, aiming it upwards. It sounded even worse now that they were closer. Next to them all, was a strange contraption with four wheels that looked as if it would collapse at any moment. One part covered over, the rest was long and open to the elements.
“Mason! You coward! So upset about before that you’d stoop this low!” Kurz shouted at the top of his lungs, wanting to make sure that everyone within earshot could hear him.
On hearing this, Mason turned with a smile that spelt out his intentions there.
“So, you decided to show yourself then? Saved me a job, though if you two are out here. Guess that means it’s just the old man and that drunken idiot of a friend you have in there? Am I right?”
“Maybe, or maybe you’re just parading about in front of an empty building wasting everyone’s time. Wouldn’t that be funny.” Kurz replied, slowly advancing towards where Mason was. Rose followed behind, on edge because of the fragmented memories that were telling her to tread lightly.
“If it’s empty, then you won’t mind if me and my friends use it for a bit of target practise? The building is an eyesore I think you’ll agree.”
“The only eyesore around here, is you Mason!” Kurz snapped.
“Big words for someone without a gun. Me? I’’ve got five of them! And if you take all your worthless friends and get out of here, then I may be nice and not use them on you. How does that sound? Isn’t that nice of me?” Mason smiled, making it seem like he was offering a fantastic deal.
“I’ve got a counter offer. You and those losers you’re with can bugger off back to Finch. You do that, and we won’t have to repeat the humiliation you suffered earlier. Isn’t that nice of me?” Kurz threw Mason’s words right back at him. “I mean, you’ve already had a taste of what she can do, and this time, I’m prepared for you.” Kurz flexed the rope around his hand again, pulling it tight. “I think it’s an even better deal personally.”
Mason narrowed his eyes at the pair. On the one hand, the goddess of beauty had returned, and even knowing what she was capable of, he couldn’t help but fall for her charms once more. On the other, Kurz was mouthing off, acting as if a rope was enough to hold off some of the finest guns that Finch had acquired.
“Pretty big talk if you ask me,” Mason muttered. “But if you really want to test yourself, come on down. One way or another, you guys are out of here.” Mason snapped his fingers, and the other men turned their sights away from the hideout, and onto Kurz and Rose.
“Don’t worry,” Kurz said to Rose. “I’ve got this…”
Before Rose could even object to what seemed like a suicidal plan, Kurz marched forward to meet Mason and his men, head on….
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Next Chapter (not finished yet!)
That's all for this week, hopefully I'll actually get something done to show next time...
Till then.
Keep on writing
Thanks
Peter James Martin
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