#21& 22- Ed and Arwyn
I have to apologize. I had no intention of going 7 days without doing a character. I literally hit a wall and just…poof. Nothing. Around Day 4 of that break, I had an idea for a group of urban terrorists called The Terra 5, but I just couldn’t realize them properly (I did do designs, but I just couldn’t Photoshop them properly since I have no Pshop skills at all). So, I decided to post this.
A few weeks ago, artist Jamie McKelvie posted this image and I fell in love with it. I started writing a story based on these two characters, and it just started to grow from there. They’re not my characters, in the image, but the story I created, based on that image, is all mine, so I figured I’d post it here.
*****
The Party You Left
I woke up in the alley in a pool of blood. My hands were shaking, my body was shaking. I don’t remember how I got here. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. I’m not in pain. Why am I not in pain? All this blood and I feel fine, other than the shaking.
I remember the party. I remember it was…is Halloween. My face…I still have the mask on. So, the party…a few hours ago? Yesterday? I was sitting on Arwyn’s couch. She changed her name after seeing the Lord of the Rings movies. She used to be Sara. Sari. Sori. Whatever. She had some dumb idea about a costume party; “Come as you are. I’ll provide the masks.”
I look around. There’s someone over there, barely moving. I reach out to him and my arm shakes like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s like my heart is beating so hard, it’s vibrating my entire body. I keep thinking that we’re having an earthquake, but I remember the last earthquake I was in, six years ago, in Seattle. The ground moved like water, and I felt like I was riding a wave. There’s no wave. It’s just me. I’m the earthquake. I’m the only thing moving in this alley.
They all bounded into the alley, cackling like witches on Samhain. Sara Arwyn and the rest of the party. She asks if I’m ok. I try to speak, but no words come out. I clear my throat and I say, “Whose blood is this?” but no one understands because I’m still shaking. I force myself to stand and funny enough, my legs are steady. The ground is steady. I say it again and all Sara can say is, “Not yours.”
They start to pull me away and I can’t help but look back at that other person in the alley. I can see now that he or she wasn’t moving at all. It was the shaking. I know this because the person, he or she, no longer has a head. Sara Arwyn takes my hand, and she says something that once I heard, I know I must commit it to memory.
“Welcome to the wonderful world of superheroes, baby.”
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm not exactly sure what I should put here, so here goes. I'm a writer, written for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, AdHouse Books, and Simon & Schuster, among others and his stories have been reprinted in other countries. Mostly concentrating on creator owned work right now, so the challenge suits me just fine. I live in Queens (Astoria/LIC), NY with my wife, Michelle, and two dogs, Kasey and Kirby. I'm not sure what else needs to be said, but I'm sure I'll keep changing this. Oh, here's something. I contribute to the Project Rooftop site. The RetroFix column was kind of my idea, so I feel like that experience will help me out here.Subscribe
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