The Strange Tales of Peter James Martin

Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 28 May 2025

#125 Time To Go

Happy Blog Day Everyone

Really not a lot to say today so it's pretty much just the comic and that's it. I think I've fallen into a bad place mentally and it's affected my output. It takes a lot to just do my dailies on social media and the weekly comic. Whether I've flown to close to the sun with what I was putting on myself, or in the same vein, I burned myself out. The result is the same.

I've been like this before though and sunk to darker depths, but I think I may need to just get out of my own head.

With all that said, there may be no new chapter of Phantom Dawn next week. I can't promise something like that given how I'm feeling. I'd settle for feeling like my old self again.

With that said, here's Brennan and Riz.

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

This is the end of the beach theme, for now at least. I reserve the right to do more if the summer holiday provides more inspiration. Next week though, not doubt we'll get a new setting...or at least their office again.

As I said above, that's pretty much it for this week.

Till next time (and hopefully a better time).

Keep on writing

Peter James Martin

Quick Links

Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 21 May 2025

#124 Probably Too Far + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 9

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

Quick Links

Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 14 May 2025

#123 Beach Bully + Current Thoughts

Happy Blog Day Everyone!

A other in-between week here, writing is continuing apace on Chapter 9 of Phantom Dawn. I want to talk a little about where I'm at currently with things but first, let's drop in on that particular duo...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

Thought a beach strip was in order (though on day of posting, the weather has turned bad again, c'est la vie). The third panel didnt really turn out as I had envisioned in my head but it was fun to experiment at least. Is there any additional milage to get out of this setting? We'll see next week, might be key to getting the good weather again!

Current Thoughts

So, sad to say this isn't going to be a positive post. If you cast your minds back to January, I set myself a writing challenge to get the first draft of Daemon Soul 2 completed and polished. I finished the first part of the challenge (90k by end of February) but hit a major wall, the story wasn't actually completed. I checked my notes and it didn't seem like it would need much more work, three chapters at most. Easy peasy in three months right? Right?

I don't think I need to tell you what happened.

My writing confidence took a major hit, but i wouldn't say that it's solely because I (clearly) failed my challenge. No, I'd say it's partly due to my own low mood, waking up and feeling like a failure in a lot of areas. So far it's only affected Phantom Dawn in the sense that I don't get anything done till the night before I post these blogs, often staying up way later than I should. My lack of time management isn't helping at all which I guess should come as no surprise.

What's next then? Is there any ray of light on the horizon? Any bright spot that could turn this all around?

Probably not, no.

I'll continue on, as I always have done with these moods, all I feel like doing at the minute.

on that downer of a note, I think we'll leave it there for this week. I realise that there is little to no good news these past couple of weeks but that's life I guess.

Till next time...

Keep on writing.

Peter James Martin

Quick Links

Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon, books2read

Wednesday, 7 May 2025

#122 Going To The Movies + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 8

Happy Blog Day Everyone!

Not a lot going on this week, but chapter 8 of Phantom Dawn is here for your reading pleasure, as well as everyone's favourite duo...As long as they're a down on his luck dude and his talking rat business partner that is...

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

Okay, can you guess the three movies? I think I made them too easy myself. Quite happy with the third panel, managed to capture Dan Akroyds little head turn there quite well.

I'm adding this to the list of ideas that can be repeated as we all know Riz loves his outfits.

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn- Memories of a Rose Chapter 8

Here we come to another divergence point from the comic storyline! Things are heating up, a lot of action is heading your way! Saying that though, things may be a tiny bit familiar to those who read the strip, as Kurz does need a moment in the sun.

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index

Chapter 8

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Chapter 8: Walk About

Rose was restless. She probably should have tried harder to relax, to sit alone with her thoughts, but it was to no avail. She didn’t know if it was the fact that she felt out of place with everything, or Si snoring away on the sofa in the room next door. She looked outside the broken window, and decided to try and find some peace out there. There was a brief thought about letting someone know where she was going, but how could she do that when she didn’t know where she was going. That, and she didn’t want to disturb anyone if they were resting. Thinking of everything that had happened that morning alone, she wasn’t sure if she’d already caused enough trouble as it was, the last thing she wanted was to be a bother. To that end, she headed for the door, only pausing to see if she could hear any sign that someone was moving around, all she could hear was the hushed whispers of a conversation that she knew she wasn’t privy to. She didn’t wish to intrude any further, so she exited the building. She wasn’t aiming to go far, or even leave the town, no, she just wanted some fresh air. She carefully closed the door behind her, and took in the sight of the ramshackle town. The streets looked barely more alive than when she was led there. The weather certainly didn’t look any better, that grey skies barely concealing the ominous Phantom Dawn that hovered malevolently, like a deity passing judgment on everyone below.

Shaking it off, Rose focused on those on the ground, rather than the sky, and she started walking to what she presumed was the middle of the town, noting to herself how quiet things were. Of those people that were mulling around, most of them were older folk that seemed to be trying to find their own purpose, much as she was. No one was wanting to speak to her, with many turning away from her as soon as she neared. There was hate on their faces, it was how they looked at her, with a sense of fear nestled in their doubts. The story about what she had done to Mason must have spread around the town, and it showed.

Rose was a little taken back from their reactions but didn’t focus on it, she even wondered if they were in the right to fear her given her experiences so far. While there was something in the feelings that seemed to be pushing against this, it was perfectly true that she could have been a tyrant, someone who lauded her strange powers against everyone else, a person who used force the same way that Finch apparently did.

Back at the house, in one of the upstairs rooms, Kurz laid on the bed, facing the ceiling. He’d heard Rose leave, but he didn’t think much of it, instead he’d been trying to get his grandfather to admit why he thought it was a good idea to drag her into everything, wanting to use that as a springboard for what she really was. Neal, hadn’t been in the mood to talk, wanting to generally rest, promising a full conversation to Kurz when he’d been able. This left Kurz discontented, he’d wanted a full explanation now. It bothered him that he couldn’t get a reading on who this girl was, and how she seemed so out of everything. Nothing about her fitted in. At the same time, he couldn’t deny that she was special, but that in of itself was a worrying thing, as it wasn’t like the Phantom Dawn just affected the monsters sometimes. All he needed was a breakdown of what happened, why his grandfather had seen it to take her under his wing. Realising he was rehashing the same questions in his head, Kurz turned over again, facing the other wall, but his thoughts still wouldn’t leave him alone. One nagging thread that kept poking it’s way obtrusively through was how irrational he was being over this, and how he’d acted towards her without her doing anything to deserve it. He’d been in a bad mood since Si first started ordering drinks instead of dealing with the problem they were facing.

No, it was before that wasn’t it Kurz corrected himself. If he was being honest with himself, absolutely honest, he hadn’t been happy for a long while, masking it at first, before it became clear that there was little reason to hide it. He tossed and turned some more before punching his pillow in frustration. He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed, and let out a heavy sigh.

“Fine…” he said to himself. “Didn't want to stay in anyway…” he got up and headed outside.

Rose had lost track of where she was, having gone in different directions depending on when her mood struck her. She didn't even know how long she'd been wandering for. She seemed to have been in a place where once a lot of people would have lived judging by the amount of dwellings that were around, though now, it seemed like a lot were empty. The buildings looked more flimsy than where Neal was currently staying.

“Are you the strong girl?” A little voice asked her.

Rose spun round to see a small girl had snuck up on her. Her clothes matched the ramshackle nature of the world around her but still wore a beaming smile. Her hair was covered by a hat that looked several sizes too big for her.

“Strong girl?’ Rose repeated the question back to her.

“Yeah! The one who beat up the bully! My mama told me the girl who did it had red hair and you got red hair!”

“Your mama?” That mere mention of the word sent a chill up and down Rose's spine. She knew the implications of it but something was stopping her from processing it fully. She thought hard on the word, trying to focus on it, and a silhouette appeared in her mind.

“Are you okay?” The little girl asked, snapping Rose away from the thought. She stood there silently, reeling from the re-emergence of a half memory, one that she came desperate to fully retrieve.

“I'm fine,” Rose said softly, even going as far as adding a small smile at the end. “Please don't worry about me.”

“Will you always fight the bullies?” the little girl asked within a single breath, pivoting to a new line of questioning.

“Will I always fight?” Rose repeated it to herself, taken aback by what the girl said.

“Yeah, fight the bullies. They took my daddy away,” the girl looked down at her feet, making a small cross shape in the dirt. Rose didn't know what to say to that, though she was reminded of what Neal had said earlier.

“I'm sorry to hear that…”

“Mama says its fine and that daddy is here,” the girl pointed to her heart with a big gesture.

Rose felt like she'd been put on the spot, so much so, she'd felt relieved when she heard a older woman's voice calling out from within the dwellings.

“Cecily!”

“That's my mama, I have to go now. Thank you though,” the girl smiled again, though it was more subdued than before.

“For what? Hitting the bullies?” Rose enquired.

The girl took her hat off, revealing long red hair that seemed to mirror Rose's own.

“For being like me!” Her smile widened again. “You'll have to meet Mama at some point! Bye bye!” the girl ran off excitedly, and Rose heard her shouting, presumably to her mother that she met the strong girl.

Rose watched her run off, not sure what she was feeling, or if she should be happy or sad.

“You made a friend then?” Kurz noted as he approached slowly from behind.

“Oh!” Rose turned with a shock. “You're Neal’s grandson….”

“Look…I was thinking, and it occurred to me…” Kurz seemed to step over his own words, getting into a jumble with them. “...That we never were properly introduced.”

“We weren't? But your grandfather told me your name? Wasn't he supposed to do that?”

“Ah, well…” Kurz trailed off, part of him wondering why he'd even followed her out here when something else caught his attention, and awful noise that sounded like crashing thunder. It started off low at first but got louder and louder.

“Is that a monster?” Rose asked.

“No…it's something worse!” Kurz replied, knowing exactly what it was. “We have to get back to granddad now!”

----------

Next Chapter

Technically a brief blog this week, but it still counts. Hopefully I'll have more to say next week.

Till next time...

Keep on writing!

Quick Links

Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon,

Books2read

Wednesday, 30 April 2025

#121 Never Fails + Daemon Soul 2 Sneak Peak

Happy Blog Day Everyone!

I'm sharing part of the first chapter of Daemon Soul 2 with you all today, a sneak peak at where Cypher and Serena end up after the events of the first book. There's a slightly more depressing update as well, but before we get into all that, let's see what Brennan and Riz are up to.

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

Tried black and white again here, and it didn't really work out. I think I needed the darks to be a lot darker. Still, it was fun experimenting and was a little throw back to an older issue.

Update

Argh, I wish I had more to say here. I was severely tempted to put Phantom Dawn on hiatus (despite things having a habit of never coming off hiatus) so I could focus solely on Avalon, but feels like that's a cop out when what I'm facing is a failure of time management. Looking at the stats, Phantom Dawn is enjoyed by several of you out there which is slowly filtering out through to the rest of the blog. I should be on the clean up phase, I've still got another couple of chapters to rewrite!

It's going to be an interesting month, that's for sure.

Sneak Peak

I thought it would be nice to share something from Daemon Soul 2 (despite my trouble with it as stated above!)

This extract is from the first chapter and is presented here completely unedited. It may or may not appear in this form in the finished book (probably won't!)

We join a hapless human called Trey, who was supposed to be going home...but alas, he's caught some demonic attention. If only there was two heroes to save him eh?

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At first, Trey mistook them to be fellow night goers, also on their own journey. It never occurred to him that they meant harm, till he got an even closer look and saw their inhuman appearance. Each of them was an ashen grey in colour, with an emancipated look. On each of their hands, were sharp claws that seemed ready to rend flesh. Their teeth were poised in anticipation. A sound escaped Trey’s mouth, and were his reactions what they should have been, he would have made a break for it. Instead, he fumbled with his coat pockets and fell as he turned to get away. The creatures gathered round him, fully prepared to eat him in the middle of the street instead of hiding away with their meal, that was how hungry they were, that they would put their desire to hide below the ever present hunger.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” This voice cut through the silence that smothered the scene.

“H-help!” Trey shouted out, remembering what sounds he needed. “Don’t let them eat me!”

“Food shouldn’t talk!” the lead creature said as he kicked Trey in the stomach, hard. “Who’s there! Who would dare risk their life for this trash!”

“Oh, you know, just your friendly Daemon Soul.”

Trey couldn’t believe his eyes when seemingly from above, a lad wearing a dark coat dropped down. His hair was blonde and a little bit spikey, and his tongue seemed as sharp as the sword he was wielding.

“W-who are you?” Trey stammered.

“Please hold all your questions until after the demons are dead, though just call me,” the guy said with a grin. “Now, as for you lot,” he turned to face the demons, resting his sword against his shoulder as he stepped confidently towards them.

“Pretty bold of you to act so openly! Did you think that there was no hope so you might as well go out in a blaze of glory? Or are you just mad?” He directed his curiosity at the demons, who looked at their own leader, the one that stood foremost ahead of the group. This was the same one who had done all the talking for their side.

“You are the one who’s being bold! You don’t even realise that you’re the one being toyed with!”

“I’m sorry? Have you killed an Arc Demon? I have, and that’s kind of a big deal isn’t it? You’re not exactly going to be giving me much of a fight are you?”

Trey watched as the guy took a step forward, putting himself between Trey and the demons.

The lead demon nodded at one of his subordinates, and the creature willingly threw itself at the sword wielding guy, who met it close up, and ducked under the swipe of its claws. With an opening a mile wide, the Daemon Soul attacked and took its head.

“One down, three to go. Still feeling confident?”

“I am,” the lead demon sent the next demon out, and as Trey watched, it was cut to ribbons.

“Look, there’s two of you left, and unless either him or you are rocking a major power boost, we may as well get this over with, so I can get out of here,” the guy was acting quite cocky, which Trey either put down as the folly of youth, or that he was that much stronger than the demons.

“You’re not aware of strategy are you? Half breed,” the lead demon said, letting his words fall out slowly.

“Strategy? This is a strategy? What’s your plan? Bore me to death? If I sensed any other demons around here I wouldn’t be letting you breathe, let alone talk about your diabolical plans.”

“So there is a limit to your senses then? Good, then our success is assured. I’ve done my part to ensure my allies victory!” the lead demon laughed, throwing his head back in riotous glee.

“Yeah, let me stop you there,” the guy said, leaving Trey clueless as to what was going on. The demon stopped laughing, angry that his opponent was still being defiant.

“What?”

“So, quick question. How many Daemon Souls are there right now, like, right this second?”

The demon’s expression changed in an instant.

“Where is she!”

“She? ‘She’ is dealing with your friends that thought they were being so smart as to go and attack that housing estate on the outskirts of town. I mean, kudos to thinking outside the box, but minus fifty points for trying to attack defenceless people,” the guy started walking towards the last two demons, who seemed to be in shock, knowing their plans had failed them.

“Wait! How can you be so sure that she’s not the one who’s dead! Do you know how many of my kin went on this raid! You may be stronger than us, but numbers care not for strength!”

“Oh, I’m sure she’s alive, and you want to know how I know, besides implicitly trusting her to the end of the world? Take a look behind you,” the guy pointed, and Trey peered round him to see what he was looking at.

“Do you think so little of us that you expect us to fall for that trick-!” the demon’s tirade was stopped as he was sliced in half horizontally from behind, the other demon already on the floor with its head lying next to it.

“Right on time,” the guy smiled, resting his sword against his shoulder again. “Did they put up any fight over there?” he asked the newcomer, who Trey saw was a blue haired woman, who looked no older than the guy.

“I had the element of surprise, is this the person the demons were threatening as a diversion?” the woman asked.

“Yeah, I almost forgot about him there! You can run along now, and try to forget everything you’ve seen here, please?” the guy turned and asked. Trey silently nodded, his eyes fixated on the guy’s sword. He got up, and ran out of sight, leaving the two demon killers alone.

“Cypher, you know what I’m going to say, don't you?” Serena said, as she watched the guy they’d just saved run off into the night.

“I know, I know. Don’t talk too much to the person and focus on the job?” Cypher replied. “I’m just, trying to put them at ease. It’s traumatic enough that they’re face to face with these demons.”

“I understand it, and I don’t think I need to tell you again why it’s unwise. Unless you want more scrutiny to fall on us.”

“You mean those groups you were telling me about back in New York? Majestic and Avalon?”

“Yes, the less we have to do with them the better. They have their own goals that I rather we not get caught up in,” Serena said as she stared up into the sky. “It’s a cloudless night, perfect hunting weather.”

“So, we’re moving on already?” Cypher asked, joining her gaze skyward.

“The night is young, and there’s always more demons.”

“Can’t argue with that!” Cypher smiled at his partner, and she offered one back, one that caught him by the heart. He knew why she was still being strict with him, this wasn’t the profession where you could let your guard down. One wrong move could end it all.

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That's it for this week!

There should be some more Phantom Dawn next week, but till then...

Keep on writing!

Peter James Martin

Quick Links

Daemon Soul Awakening- Amazon,

Books2read

Wednesday, 23 April 2025

#120 Never Fails + Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn Chapter 7

Happy Blog Day Everyone!

Today, I have the 8th Chapter of Phantom Dawn for your reading pleasure, and the bad guy finally makes his presence known!

Before we get to that though, let's see what Brennan and Riz are up to!

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

You just know that this has happened several times, it's such a Riz move. Also noticed that it's the 120th issue, can't believe that I'm still making them, can I make it to the coveted 150?

(Silly question as I'll hit that around December!)

Minor Update

Not much to say here, the ending of Avalon drags on but that's down to too little writing time (I think I've said this before, but I effectively lose two days to preparing the comic strip and writing this blog. School Holidays make finding time a real pain).

Still hoping to get it finished, one of the two fights has a path to an ending, and so should the other, but I'm very concerned other it feeling anticlimactic. If I can gather the words, it's certainly a blog topic as I'm pretty sure all my problem's here are self-inflicted.

Wish me luck to actually get this done.

Short Diversions: Phantom Dawn- Memories of a Rose

The story continues on! Definitely getting a feel about these characters and where this plot is heading (should specify, I know roughly the end point, but never the full path there. Yes, I'm pantsing this, can you tell?). People who remember the comic will find one forthcoming element familiar (not this chapter, but seeds are being planted).

Phantom Dawn Chapter Index

Chapter 7

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Chapter 7: Finch’s Response

Mason dragged himself through the door to his hideout, his fellows mocking laughter still ringing in his ears over his defeat to a girl. In comparison to most other homes in the area, his place was in far better condition. While still running down, things appeared to be unbroken and a symbol of some wealth, that Finch was actually looking out for those in his service. He was the only person there, or so he thought at least.

Nominally, there would have been five of them sharing the house, just one of many buildings dotted around in Finch’s domain, he clustered his men, and they were always men, together in case they were needed. Mason was glad that he was alone, if anyone else had been there, he would have had some awkward questions that he would have had to answer. He let himself flop onto the sofa, letting out a heavy sigh. Thinking about what had just transpired, he was at a loss for words.

That red haired girl! That vision of beauty! What monstrous strength! How? He asked himself. His body was aching, and he was under no illusion that the beating he received was the worst he could have gotten. At the same time though, she could have easily killed him, that was the impression he had, the girl was holding back to not beat him into a bloody pulp. He turned to face the ceiling, wishing he had drank more at the bar, at least then he could have blamed that. One silver lining he could think of, was that any news would take a while to reach Finch, giving him time to think of a reasonable explanation, and to get back at them. He estimated that he had a good few hours, and that would be enough to round up some men, get them kitted out, and get rid of them, one way or another. He’d prefer the easy if he was honest. Still, he’d have a nap, and then get the ball rolling. He closed his eyes, wanting sleep to fall over him, but a knock on the door caused him to bold upright from the sofa, pain striking through his body as parts moved more than they should have after the beating. There was another knock, and then another.

Only Finch knocked like that.

“You going to let me in Mason? It’s not nice to leave a guy outside like this, especially with the Phantom Dawn out.” Finch’s voice sounded as confident as ever. He knew that Mason was going to let him in.

Mason wavered as he inched towards the door. He tried to remain calm, chalking his appearance up to a coincidence rather than anything else, after all, any message would have taken hours to get to Finch, and then added time for him to get here. Thus, it was only reasonable to assume that his benefactor had absolutely no idea about his humiliating defeat. With his confidence restored, even if just by a little, Mason gladly opened the door to see his boss standing there smiling.

“I was beginning to think that you were going to keep me out there!” Finch laughed, patting Mason on the back as he swaggered in. Finch was a man of average height, in his fifties. His grey hair was slicked back, with a flat cap hiding where he was balding, he had a toothpick in his mouth which he messed with every now and again. His jacket was worn like a cape, its arms tied around his neck, allowing it to blow in the breeze, not unlike a cape. Behind him, there were two hulking figures standing there, they made no effort to come in alongside Finch, Mason shuddered looking at them, he was a big fella, but these two were in a league above him.

“Hi, guys?” Mason made an attempt to appear jovial to them, but they didn’t make any sound, they never did. They were Finch’s bodyguards, and no one had even gotten close to Finch with ill intent as long as they were there. Those that tried, well, Mason had often tried to scrub the memories of witnessing such attempts. Leaving them outside, Mason shut the door, trying to hide his fear. Finch had already moved to the sofa, taking up practically the whole thing as he spread his arms and legs out, making it difficult for anyone else to take a seat there.

“So, what brings you out here?” Mason asked.

“Just doing the rounds, nothing important. I was in the next town over, and I thought to myself, ‘I should check in on Mason’, see how operations are here. I noticed there was a bit of a wobble in the money coming in from here, even after I raised the levy to live in such a nice place.”

“I think that’s people moving out of town?” Mason answered earnestly. There was a warning siren blaring in his head after he said it, realising that was the wrong thing to say.

“You don’t say? And what are you doing to make sure that doesn’t happen? I mean, have you put that man out of business yet? The one who is directly facilitating that?”

Such a pointed question put Mason on edge again.

Did he know? No, how could he? Mason's panicked thoughts raced through his head.

“I’m-I’m trying!” Mason stammered. “They’re resourceful though! I kick them out of one place, and they just turn up elsewhere! But, I assure you, things are on the up!” Mason slammed his fist into his palm, trying to emphasise a point he had no right in making.

“Oh, that’s a relief then. I know I can count on you, I mean, I know, that you know, what failing me means. I don’t want to have to ‘fire’ you, not after everything I’ve done for you.” Here, ‘Fire’ was a euphemism and a literal expression, anyone that failed Finch, was lit up on a bonfire, for all the other employees to see.

“Haha,” Mason laughed nervously, wanting to steer the conversation away from the topic now, especially since he was going to have to ask for permission for a couple more resources to scare Neal and his group away, but Finch still had something let to ask.

“By the way, were you at the bar this morning?”

Mason’s blood froze solid, almost making it impossible for him to move, leaving him wearing a shocked expression.

“Err…” He forced the words out, but those weren’t the ones that he wanted to say.

Like a shark tasting blood in the water, Finch leaned forward.

“Hey, it’s okay. I don’t care if you’re drinking that early! It’s only a problem if you’re not getting the job done,” he sounded reassuring, which worked as Mason relented.

“Yeah, I was there this morning…”

“See? I don’t care!” Finch laughed, and Mason let out a scared laugh, noting how his boss was skirting close to the truth about what happened.

“Though what I do care about…” Finch’s tone changed in an instant. “Is you making a public display of getting your arse handed to you by a girl.”

There it was, and in that moment, Mason wished he was a hundred thousand miles away, in a different town, in a different body, as a completely different species if he could.

“Look! I can explain!” Mason started to sweat, as Finch sat there unmoved by his underlings plight.

“You can explain why Neal’s new friend was able to toss you around? How she proved to everyone watching that you are a weakling, and by extension, that I’m a weakling for relying on you? Which in turn shows me why you haven’t been able to handle the simple task I gave you?” Finch sounded more and more aggressive as his questioning continued.

“How did you even know about that? There’s no way that anyone could have told you!”

“I saw it myself! I had not long arrived, and I was standing at the end of the street. I hung back when I realised what was going on, and stayed in the shadows. I expected to see you beat Neal’s brat but that isn’t what happened is it? I overheard everyone talking afterwards, the jokes they made, and I felt my authority slip. I don’t like that.” Finch put his hands together, and made it look like he was thinking. “You know what happens when I don’t like something.”

“Please, just give me one more chance! I’ll get this town to step back into line! That girl! She’s not normal!” Mason pleaded.

“No, I think…Yeah, I think this town needs a refresh, a new start.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, this town is absolute crap. You let all the good people flee from my grasp. There’s nothing left of any worth. So, we need to start again. Wipe the slate clean.”

“I still don’t understand…”

“Do I need to speak plainer? I’m going to wipe this town from the face of the earth. Then, I’m going to build something new atop of it, and fill it with people who actually listen to me and do as they’re goddamn told!” Finch stood, and straightened himself out. “You want to stay on my goodside, you’ll make sure that this happens. I’ll find another opportunity for you to make up for all your failures. Now, I’m going to leave and get things ready. I’ll send word for when it’s time for you to leave. Till then, make sure no one leaves, got it?”

“O-okay,” Mason said, looking down at the ground. He didn’t want to face Finch, who was revelling in the power dynamic at play.

“I don’t care how strong this girl is, what I’ve got planned, she’ll die like the rest.”

“L-like the rest?”

“Can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. The townspeople are no big loss, They’ve paid me well enough, but now they’ve seen you fail, they’ll probably start getting ideas of their own. I can’t have that now.” Finch walked back over to the door. “Remember. Us? We’re hanging on by a thread. You want to repair that, you have to behave, and listen like the good boy you are,” Finch playfully tapped Mason on the cheek, making it clear that any bad behaviour would not be tolerated. “Bye kid.” Finch left, in the company of his bodyguards, a dozen plans already running through his mind.

Mason, stared out of the door, and at the town itself, and he began to panic, fretting over everything that was happening. He couldn’t let the town be destroyed. He had to find a way to appease Finch, and keep the town as it was. He didn’t know what his employer had planned, but he wouldn’t let it take place. If he could get rid of Finch’s problem within th town, then there wouldn’t be any need to get rid of the town. Mason knew he was going to have to act fast…

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Next Chapter.

That's it for this week!

Till next time...

Keep on writing!

Peter James Martin

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