42. Part 11 - New Friends.

[Chinaren]

By Chinaren.

[Thunderbird]

Ah the plot thickens 
hmm... wormy sounds a bit like Kinetica to me... hmm...

As for the ship, they can't really climb up into it... too high... and when they try wading onto the backside of the deck, sharks are circling about...  so they must build a palm tree catapult to launch him up to the deck.  There, he finds his friend, unconscious.  Not much else, but when they wake him, eventually, he's obviously terrified and has lost his tongue somehow...

[Angel]

  Anytime.

@TBird: Ooooh good suggestion! Hmm, no tongue. Noice! xD

[Chinaren]

Ah the plot thickens 
hmm... wormy sounds a bit like Kinetica to me... hmm...

I don't know who this is. 

As for the ship, they can't really climb up into it... too high... and when they try wading onto the backside of the deck, sharks are circling about...  so they must build a palm tree catapult to launch him up to the deck.  There, he finds his friend, unconscious.  Not much else, but when they wake him, eventually, he's obviously terrified and has lost his tongue somehow...

Lol!  An... interesting suggestion there T!  I shall take it under advisement.   

[move type=scroll loop=-1 direction=right step=22 delay=85][/move]

[Thunderbird]

ooh, ooh!  TB spots the witch again!  She's makin' her rounds t'night!

[Chinaren]

And another point! 

[Chinaren]

Any other ideas on this? I hope to power ahead with another chapter today if possible.

[wishfulthinking]

There is a rusted chain (for an anchor?) hanging down from the wreck... he hoists himself up it - gets halfway then is struck by lightning so blanks out again.

He comes to again, and can see five of the woman in the same dress but different colours - clones?

She encorages him up the chain again?   

[Burningplain]

He climbs on to the wreck via the anchor chain, only to be karate chopped by an angry ninja, fall to the rocks and smash his head into a bloody pulp, wormy climbs out and possesses A.
Na ignore that from the ninja onward. He climbs onto the wreck and notices the body of man nailed to the aft castle in the shape of a cruciform. Carved into the dead man's chest are the words
"Something Evil stirs in the void. Something terrible moves in the dark."
OFF TOPIC: Hmm I wonder if any one will start making references to that film.

[Chinaren]

   Thanks Burny!  I'll be continuing this one soon, concentrating on Give Me for the moment.  That said, I may squeeze another chapter of this out this week.  I think I actually started it a while ago...

[Burningplain]

But we haven't had a vote on which would be the most thrilling.

[Chinaren]

Ay, 'tis true, but I think I started writing when there was only one suggestion.  That said, I'll take another look...

[Burningplain]

Well re-write it, having allowed us to vote first.

[Chinaren]

Well, rereading the suggestions again, we basically have climb the chain or make a catapult.  Whilst I like the catapult idea I don't really think it would be a viable option, so we're left with climbing the chain.  

As to what he finds on board, well, I think a mix of ideas may be best there.  One or two of the ideas can't really be done I'm afraid, for plot reasons I can't reveal yet! 

[Thunderbird]

fair 'nuff

[Burningplain]

Having seen your reasoning I say fair enough.

[Chinaren]

This story has been impinging itself into my thoughts just lately, and with me having some Plotstipation with Full Gloom, I thought I'd write another episode...




The Story so far:
 Ian has awoken on a desert island after somehow surviving a horrific plane crash.  Stumbling through the jungle he meets Brad, and the two then discover a mysterious, half buried orb like structure. 
Leaving the thing unopened, they return to the beach and settle down to rest, but sometime in the night, Ian wakes and finds Brad has disappeared. 
Going in search of his missing comrade, he runs in to a young girl who seems to be unable to speak.  Venturing further he encounters the remains of the orb, which has apparently exploded.  In the remaining crater is a small box, inside which is a strange black egg which cracks, allowing some kind of pink worm to crawl into his ear, whereupon he faints.
He wakes up and the group heads towards smoke, which turns out to be a pig cooking, started by A’s big, simple brother, B.  B tells them that Brad has headed off to the Dark Place, a place from which no one ever returns.
Not wishing to lose his only able minded companion, he sets off to the Dark Place, which turns out to be a rusting hulk of a ship.  Ignoring the worrying headaches and a blackout, as well as hallucinations of an attractive woman, he considers his next move…


~

“It looks like there’s a hole in the side, near the anchor chain,” Ian said, pointing.  A listened intently.  Behind the two B scurried around making camp.  Overhead the clouds continued to gather. 

“I should be able to wade out there I think,” Ian went on.  “It’s not very far out, though those waves look a bit frightening.” He shivered, pulling his rescued towel around him.  The wind was blowing off the sea, bringing a chill with it.  “Perhaps I should wait until this weather clears though.” 

Ian hesitated.  If Brad really was on board the vessel, then he could be in some kind of trouble, on the other hand it wouldn’t do him much good to get swept out to sea and drown.  Best wait, he decided.  He was weary anyway.  He turned back and made his way back to B, who’d set up a small camp in the lee of a small overhanging rock. 

Arranging some of the blankets he’d brought into a comfortable little nest, Ian slumped down and touched his ear.  Bits of dried blood flaked away, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped at least. 

“Looks like my worm hasn’t eaten anything vital yet,” he said to A, who’d come up and sat down next to him.  He put an arm around the girl, and she snuggled up.  She was shivering slightly, the temperature was dropping still.  Ian wrapped some of his towel around her whilst watching B, who was busy trying to light a fire.  Apparently the wind was causing him some problems though, for he eventually gave up and retreated to sit next to them.

Together they sat in silence, watching the waves crash against the ship and shore.  After a while Ian realized that A and her brother had fallen asleep.  He eased the young girl down and covered her with blankets, before draping another one over B.

“The ship is dangerous,” a voice said.

Ian jerked violently, twisting around to see the woman standing there, just next to the abandoned campfire.  She was in the same thin dress as before, which was apparently unaffected by the wind. 

“Who are you?” he demanded.  “Where did you come from?  Am I dreaming you?”

“I’m here to help you,” she replied.  “However, there’s some kind of problem, interference.  I can’t maintain…”

Ian blinked.  The figure had disappeared. 

“I’m going bonkers,” he said eventually, settling back into his nest, where A was snoring lightly.  He sat there, waiting for the woman to reappear, but she didn’t.   

After little while after it started to rain, and Ian watched it come down, sheltered by the rock.  Soon after, lulled by the white noise of rainfall, he fell asleep.

~

A prodding woke him, and Ian opened his eyes to see A’s face staring down at him.  She smiled and pointed to one side. 

Stretching and rubbing at his neck, Ian sat up and looked around. 

It was morning, so it seemed.  The sky was still overcast, and the wind still blew, but it wasn’t as cold as the previous day.  Also B had finally managed to get a fire going.  The lad was busy arranging fish, stuck onto the end of small sticks, over it.  He smiled when he saw Ian looking.

“Fresh fish for breakfast, yummy,” Ian said, staggering upright and smiling back.  He wandered over to a clump of bushes and attended a call of nature, before washing himself in the sea.  His chin was bristling over, and he cursed himself for not rooting around in the plane wreckage for a shaving kit.

Refreshed, he trotting back over to A and B, and accepted one of the fish from the brother. 

“Fresh,” B said, biting into his own.

Shrugging, Ian followed his example, and found the creature tastier than he’d expected.  “I’m going to lose weight here anyway,” he pondered as he chewed.  “All this healthy eating and outdoor hiking.”

Once his breakfast was complete, Ian returned his attention to the Happy Merchantman, which was still resting offshore, unchanged since yesterday.

“Well, I guess there’s nothing else for it.  Time to explore.”  He returned to the camp and arranged his meager belongings in his backpack before turning to A, who was watching him with a worried expression on her face.

Kneeling down, he took her arms.  “Listen A, I have to go and find Brad.  He may be a dick, but, well, he’s an alive dick, and it’s wrong to leave people behind…”  He was cut off as the girl flung her arms around him.  He hugged her back and made comforting noises, slightly unsure what to do in this situation.

Eventually he pulled her off, patted her head and stood up.  “Take care you two,” he said to the pair.  “Hopefully I won’t be very long.” 

So saying, he did an about turn and set off towards the ship.

The vessel was larger than it first appeared, and it took him longer than he’d expected to reach it, wading through the large waves to where the anchor was resting in the shallows.  Close up, the hulk looked even more menacing, and he shivered. 

The anchor chain, when he finally reached it, was easily big enough to act as a ladder, but it was coated in some kind of slippery sea moss, which made climbing it far more treacherous than it would have otherwise been. 

He made slow, careful progress upwards, panting as he went.  Higher up it was slightly dryer, giving a better grip, which was just as well as he nearly fell off in shock as the woman reappeared suddenly next to him, standing on thin air.

“Jesus!” Ian cried, grabbing on to the chain.  For a moment it was touch and go, but he recovered and managed to stabilize his position. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” the mysterious woman said. 

“What the hell are you?  Why are you trying to kill me?” Ian leaned his head against the cold metal, panting, trying to still his beating heart.   

“I’m on your side,” the woman replied. 

Ian took a firmer hold on the chain and then looked at her again.  She was definitely hot, dark skinned, dark hair.  Mexican looking, a bit like Selma Hayek he thought. 

“Am I going crazy?” he asked her, wondering if talking to a hallucination shouldn’t already answer that question.

“You aren’t, your brain is simply beginning to wake up, change.”

“Oh, that’s all is it?  How reassuring.  I feel much better for that.”

“Listen,” the woman said, ignoring his sarcasm.  “The creatures inside the ship are dangerous.  They’re cannibals.  You should turn back.”

“As tempting as that is, I can’t leave Brad there,” Ian replied, though not without a bit of hesitation.

“Brad will be fine.  You just need to wait and he’ll catch up with you.”

“Listen,” Ian started, shifting his weight slightly.  “Oh, you’ve gone again.  Shit.” 

He paused, looked down, regretted it and looked up again quickly, and took a deep breath.  “I’m half way up the anchor chain of a wrecked ship off a desert island, talking to a woman floating in the air.  How did this happen?”   When an answer wasn’t forthecoming from anywhere, he carried on climbing.

It took another half hour to reach the hole in the hull.  Luckily the chain passed right next to it, so he could see inside clearly.  A bare cabin was exposed to the elements.

The only problem was the gap between the chain and the hole, which was lined with jagged metal, as efficient as any dagger.

“Damn,” muttered Ian as he assessed the situation.  “This could be a bit tricky.” He craned his head backwards, looking up.  The chain disappeared into a hole not far above.  He couldn’t see if it was large enough to allow him entry from where he was, and he didn’t feel like climbing up to see.

“Fuck it,” he said. 

Moving carefully, he managed to shift himself around the chain and closer to the gash in the hull.  Panting hard, he raised one leg and waved it in the direction of the hole, trying to reach a relatively non-sharp area.   It was just too far away.  He swore.

It took another five minutes of heart stopping maneuvering before he finally managed to abandon the chain and climb through the hull and into the ship, which he slid into head first, landing on soggy wooden floor-boarding with a thump. 

“Fuck this for a lark,” he gasped, lying on the deck and trying to recover his breath. 

Not wanting to remain prone on the uncomfortable surface, he climbed to his feet and looked back towards the beach and the camp. He could just make out A, standing and facing his direction.  He waved at her and, after a moment, she waved back. 

Smiling, Ian turned and examined his immediate environs.  It was a small cabin, totally devoid of furniture.  The walls were wood paneling, though they were somewhat worse the wear due to exposure to the elements.

There was a single hatch set in the wall. 

“Looks like it’s door number one then,” said Ian.  He pulled the knife out of his bag and turned the wheel on the hatch, wincing at the squealing noise.  At least it turned fairly easily, he had been expecting it to be stuck.

The door swung open and he leaped back, blade at the ready.  Nothing happened.

Heart pounding, he stuck his head through and looked around.

Beyond was a corridor, heading left and right.  Lamps lined the walls, though of course they were unlit.  To the left a narrow ladder disappeared into the deck above.  To the right the hallway followed the curve of the hull around.

“Let’s try… right,” Ian said.  He crept inside, wishing he had a light, and made his cautious way along the corridor.  Occasional portholes allowed some light in, illuminating his way.  Strange echoes bounced around, making him start. 

“Just the waves,” he muttered to himself. 

A distant, drawn out wail washed over him.

“Just the waves,” he repeated, this time with a whimper.

He was just about to turn and run when the corridor ended.  A solid looking door blocked his way. 

Creeping up to it, Ian placed his ear to the wood and listened.  Nothing, other than the odd distant clanging of metal swinging in the wind. 

“Great,” he whispered to himself. 

Leaning down on the tarnished silver handle, he turned it and pushed.  The door opened with a house-of-horrors creak, and he peered inside.

It took a few moments for Ian’s eyes to adapt to the gloom beyond, but when they did he raised both eyebrows. 

“Well, there’s something you don’t see every day,” he said.

>>>>>>

Oooh!  Spooky ship!  Cannibals!  Anchor chain!  Mysterious woman! 

What has Ian seen beyond the door????

<<<<<<

[Chinaren]

Anything?  Anyone?  I put up a synopsis at the top, so you can catch up quick!

[Rocket Rabbit]

Hmmmmmm.........

Brad's getting some? With crazy naked cannibal people. After they've... finished with him, they begin preparations to cook him, leaving it up to our dashing hero to rescue him.

I thought about how Ian rescues him too, but if you don't want too much info, don't look in the box.

[spoiler=Ian's rescue plan]Maybe the cannibals are all blind. Maybe Ian does the rescue by convincing them he's one of them (he has to wear their clothes and rub himself down using the handy vat of blood conveniently placed nearby), then when they leave, he pretends to kill Brad (who screams convincingly) and gives them a pile of raw pig flesh to eat instead. While the cannibals are cooking, Brad and Ian leave. When they get back to the beach, A and B are seriously freaked to see him dressed like that, seeing as how they don't get on too well with people who like to eat them.[/spoiler]

Just thought you should get your money's worth of suggestion.

[Chinaren]

 






 

Awesome ideas Robbit! 

[true_north_son]

Another great story 

Suggestion wise:  Brad's hanging naked upside-down and unconscious.  Depending on where you want this story to go, you can go with RR's idea and and either have a naked amazon hoty finishing with him, or simply have other bodily fluids stuck to him other than blood.

Regardless, this dude's in bad shape and clearly set to be featured on the dinner menu.  There's also another man in this room, A and B's father.  What state he appears is up to you - skeletal form - badly beaten with pieces of flesh missing from his body (chunks missing form his arms and legs that have been cauterized to prevent bleeding and death), yet still alive (barely).

[Chinaren]

Nice ideas there Tron!  Many thanks for contributing.  I shall add them to Robbit's and they shall gestate, to finally give birth to another chapter.

Again, this is one I have a plot worked out for, so it's not going to be abandoned, at least if I have any say in the matter.

[Thunderbird]

Nice... didn't take long to catch up here!

I'm probably going to screw up everything with another suggestion, but I thought that perhaps the captain, long since dead and skeletal, is here sitting in his chambers, a ghostly image of who he was in life superimposed over his skeleton, seemingly unaware that he's dead, and that water is lapping up against his bony legs as he works, dilligently, at his desk, writing out some meaningful letter that has long since turned to dust, but if Ian is brave enough, he may be able to get a glimpse of what is being written there.

[Chinaren]

Oh, nice idea T!  I think I'll have to have a poll for this!

It shall be erected after work, time permitting.

[NicTei]

but if Ian is brave enough, he may be able to get a glimpse of what is being written there.

What is being written there:  You're stepping on my air supply cord.  Move your fat American @$$.

[Chinaren]

Very well, as threatened, a poll has been erected.

Swashbuckle the landlubber of voting.

[true_north_son]

Arrr...I 'ave drawn 'me sword and pierced the 'eart of the nye Undead cannibals.  I also be the first to place 'me wager on this here poll...so what say ye?   

[Chinaren]

Well, it's currently a draw! My money would be on the first option winning, but it wouldn't be the first time I was surprised if number 2 won.  ITs are strange like that.

 

[true_north_son]

You can scratch one vote off of Undead Cannibals - I voted again.

[Chinaren]

This one's next on my list, (or possibly another ep of Gloom).  However, the vote is tied atm.  Anyone care to break it? 

If not I'll try and put both in, somehow. 

[Chinaren]

It's been a bit of a while, but I'm ready to start on this one again.  I have so many ideas for this story my head's going to explo...

bang.

Ouch, okay, An orgy of undead cannibals wins the vote!  Nine votes! Woo!