Final Vote:
Lava; Glenburne
Gondorgirl; Rainshadow
Corin; Lossëndil
Lossëndil; Glenburne
Eustace; Glenburne
BarbarianKing; Glenburne
MissReep; Glenburne
Rainshadow; MissReep
Vanished. They gaped at each other in the morning’s red light. The rooms upstairs were as barren as they day they first entered them. The bodies of the dead had disappeared. Rainshadow tore at her hair and screamed words the others were incapable of deciphering. Her expressive glances, however, were clear. Her dark eyes glared death at MissReep. She had even advanced knife in hand—the knife they had hidden—her intent obvious. MissReep bolted, riding the stair banister in an attempt to speed her escape. It had been unable to support her weight. MissReep tumbled hard. Her temper improved none with Loverble and BK’s snickers.
Later dark clouds concealed the skies, causing the room to darken. The early morning hours passed to evening with flaring tempers. They were hungry, suspicious, and desperate.
Fear, gloom, anger, hate, and vengeance choked the room. These things caused them to crave with desperation a breath of fresh air. Outside the rain began to fall gently, distracting them momentarily. Its peaceful rhythmic pulse contrasted with the ominous souls inside. They stretched their fingers toward it longingly, wishing the impossible—to touch it and wash the blood they saw upon their hands. Glen spoke, "We beg the rain, but it knows our hearts. The dagger is yet in our hands.” She walked upstairs needing to be alone. She avoided the room GG had lain in, not wishing to meet Rainshadow. She stepped into an empty one.
GG, Corin, WarriorSatyr, Lava, and Eustace—‘...even dragons have their endings.’[1] They are gone; youth cold before summers scarcely begun. “Gone,” her mind echoed and her tongue spoke.
“Yes and no,” a disembodied voice replied. Glen gasped startled. It seemed her thoughts came to life as wreaths, as her dead companions appeared before. Their hostile attitude barring the door announced their intentions. Glen stared at them coldly, “Why me?”
“GG still claims Rainshadow,” Lava said.
GG calmly patted her translucent hair. “An insane mind is sure to be constantly devising horrific deaths. And one who pretends insanity is beyond imagining.”
Lava rolled her eyes and began, “Eustace—”
Corin broke in angrily, “You fools, Lossy is the true killer." "'Don’t be hasty' she said," he mocked, attempting his best deep Ent voice. Then changing to a sarcastic tone, he continued, “She sure was swift to stab me in the back!”
“It is useless to meet revenge with revenge; it will heal nothing,”[2] Glen automatically replied to his fierce outburst.
“Won’t it preciousss?” Corin hissed angrily.
“Back to business,” Lava said impatiently.
“That’s you,” Eustace said smiling at Glen.
WarriorSatyr cut the air with his hooves. He glared at Eustace, “I wish we were killing you instead!”
Eustace ignored him. “Your end shall—”
Glen sprinted through them and thundered down the stairs. Halfway she stumbled and staggered sideways, with the railing gone, nothing stopped her plunge. Her head hit a piece of debris from MissReep’s accident.
Loverble felt Glen’s wrist. “No pulse.”
“Can I have her books?” BarbarianKing wondered.
MissReep frowned. “I want them.”
“We'll divide them equally,” Loverble interceded feeling wise as Solomon.
Lossy acquiesced saying, “It has always been my intention to enlarge my Chesterton collection.” Then with a glance at Glen containing remnants of past affection she said, “I suppose we should carry her upstairs?”
“After we distribute the books, and that may take awhile—just look at the piles!” Loverble laughed excitedly moving toward them.
Above, the ghostly figures watched silently.
“That wasn’t the ending we planned,” Lava muttered.
“No, things have a way of changing. Most disobliging. However, she is dead, at least,” Corin said his eyes relentlessly following Lossy.
“The comedy of man survives the tragedy of man,”[3] WarriorSatyr said staring at the scene below. He held out his hands. Cupped carefully in the hollow was brown fine sand. “If it were granted to me to weep, I would for her.”
“We condemned her as a murderer. And she stood by and watched while you died,” Eustace reminded him irritably.
WarriorSatyr eyes kindled at Eustace accusingly. “I recall. But see, they are become more monster then men. None have wept for her whom they once considered friend. They have been too long in hell. It is time for them to cast ashes on their souls.” Gently he floated down the stairs and cast his sand on the sleeper. With a whispered, “Goodnight,” he vanished.
[1] J.R.R. Tolkien
[2] Tolkien
[3] G.K. Chesterton
It is now NIGHT. You have 96 hours to PM me.
