(Here's my entry for this year's NanoWrimo - Penumbra. Same namesake as our guild actually. I'll be posting here as I complete chapters, so enjoy!)
It was a site to behold.
Her screams echoed out over the room, bouncing from wall to wall until it was a thunderous sound that threatened to burst the ears of any who listened. Her beautiful ivory face was twisted into some sort of ghoulish scowl, her jaw dropped open as another groan of pain escaped her spittle covered lips.
She flexed her wrists and pulled hard at the invisible restraints that held her there. Two long wounds ran down her wrists as if she slit them herself though if she had the agony would have been far less.
Instead of crimson that would flood forth from the open skin there was a bright scalding light in an unexplainable liquid form. It poured forth from her skin and down her arms, down to her belly and dripping to the floor. As she struggled the stream would stutter if only for a moment, then continuing its flow down her body and onto the concrete floor below.
Golden blonde hair obscured her bright blue eyes as she hung her head. Her breath was growing shallow now as she was on the edge of blackness from the torment. She had closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Her throat was raw from the screaming and only a small whimper fell from her mouth as he got close to the door.
The sound of a single door opening reached her ears and the pain that had flowed out of her was replaced instantly by fear. Her eyes popped open and scanned the dirty abandoned room quickly for his figure.
It was obscured by shadow as it had always been when he approached her. She flexed her arms again and tried to pull back but whatever force held her in place was not forgiving.
His pace was deliberate as he approached her, slowly closing the heavy warehouse door behind him. Her eyes fell low, down to the floor were a pool of liquid light had been collecting, her body suspended from the ceiling by magic that she wouldn’t understand.
The light ebbed around his foot as he approached her. Well kempt dress shoes that shined with her light reflecting off of them.
In his vision he saw the magic that held her there for it had been his master’s own doing. Twisted razor chains that dug into her flesh, twisting it back and exposing the gold within. The held her tight, holding her arms outward and wrapping around her torso to keep her own weight from ripping them forth from her sockets.
She glared down at the dress shoes, seeing her own reflection back in them. In the corners of her eyes the white was bleeding out and slowly a creeping liquid ink approached her brilliant iris.
With a steady hand he reached out and touched her face, making no effort to hide the smile that crossed his own. She shook at the touch and feebly struggled once more. The razor chains only pulled her wounds open further signaling the malady with a terrified piercing shriek.
The pool of light at his feet had reached well past his shining loafers. He chuckled softly and lifted her chin.
The Lux's vision was overcome by blurred shadows as her consciousness was slipping but the face before her was absolutely calm as she stared into his eyes.
“It will be over soon,” The fact that she found his voice soothing only furthered her descent into the maddening pain that finally began to tug on her mind, “Then the real fun begins.”
