The "ghost" was the little girl's horse! She whined at her parents until they bought one for her, but when she got bored with it they put it down. Then, it galloped out of the afterlife and got its revenge! Then it stuck around and messed with humans because the horsey hereafter is boring.
I am 100% certain that this will prove to be accurate.
I've got a little preview for you folks for the third installment of this chapter. Not in the form of words, but a picture! Feel free to speculate on what it means.
Nyah-Gwaheh? Stiff-legged Bear? My guess makes more sense if you focus on those strips on the shirt and jump to "Indian" like I did, and then research what Indians live where Taylor does, get Iroquois out of that, and then search for a large and hairless mythological creature, because this is something supernatural, due to it's existence outside of the time-frame that capes could exist in.
Nyah-Gwaheh? Stiff-legged Bear? My guess makes more sense if you focus on those strips on the shirt and jump to "Indian" like I did, and then research what Indians live where Taylor does, get Iroquois out of that, and then search for a large and hairless mythological creature, because this is something supernatural, due to it's existence outside of the time-frame that capes could exist in.
Safebooru, though it took me a while to find something that was close enough to my vision before I was happy. I was Googling and searching deviantART too. As to whether or not there's snakes, who knows? Could be!
Why, why, WHY is it here? It's just so abnormal and out of place that I can't think and... and this blank, misshapen thing is staring at me like it knows something! Threshing, gnawing, biting at my head, never changing, always the same! I came in here thinking I could learn something, that there would be answers hidden somewhere. But... everything up until now has been misleading, a falseness pervading the air. I don't know what to think anymore. How much of it is fabrication, and what veracity remains? I wanted to know, I wanted to know but not like this...
I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? Let me pick up from where I left off.
It's just so abnormal and out of place that I can't think and... and this blank, misshapen thing is staring at me like it knows something! Threshing, gnawing, biting at my head, never changing, always the same!
Hm, supernatural horse creatures. There's kelpies/each uisges, the first can emerge from the ocean (the factory is close to the docks), but the second is a shape shifter. Nixes are also shape shifters, but are only associated with freshwater, like the each uisge. A púca? Shape shifter, can bring misfortune.
(Unless the real monster is the girl, and the horse is a red herring.)
Sorry everyone, the update is delayed until tomorrow. I got busier than I expected and while I got my outline finished, I didn't have time to do more than that.
Sorry everyone, the update is delayed until tomorrow. I got busier than I expected and while I got my outline finished, I didn't have time to do more than that.
By the way, is this going to be indicative of the normal update speed of this story, or are you just going with the burst of speed you get from having prepared a lot of this in advance? Because that's actually pretty fast.
By the way, is this going to be indicative of the normal update speed of this story, or are you just going with the burst of speed you get from having prepared a lot of this in advance? Because that's actually pretty fast.
It'll probably be a little bit slower after the next two installments, possibly three. I had a fair amount planned out in advance, and now it's just kind of formulating it into something workable. And besides that, I'm going to start some... research in the near future.
Hm, supernatural horse creatures. There's kelpies/each uisges, the first can emerge from the ocean (the factory is close to the docks), but the second is a shape shifter. Nixes are also shape shifters, but are only associated with freshwater, like the each uisge. A púca? Shape shifter, can bring misfortune.(Unless the real monster is the girl, and the horse is a red herring.)
It'll probably be a little bit slower after the next two installments, possibly three. I had a fair amount planned out in advance, and now it's just kind of formulating it into something workable. And besides that, I'm going to start some... research in the near future.
Good job catching my tone there. But no, as much as Taylor would love to use her powers to spy on beefcake in gyms, she's not going to. I'm just going to be going through various weird, spooky, creepy, or mysterious things to help encourage my mind for the story.
(Part 3! Part 3! Part 3! Woop woop woop! Once again this is pretty raw and unbeta'd, so I hope it isn't too bad. No estimated time on Part 4 just yet, sorry!)
What Lies in the Dark
Incandescent - Part 3
It isn't always easy when I look back on what's happened to me recently. The pants-wetting terror, casual freakishness, and frankly headache-inducing confusion that seems to happen on a nearly daily basis is not the sort of thing I ever hoped for. I thought that, after Mom died, I'd seen the worst life had to offer and thought that nothing good would happen in my life again.
Somehow I was wrong about both of those.
Since then I've walked through shadow, spoken to gods, and seen civilizations that mankind doesn't even know exist. I've seen beauty that people have only imagined, and I've struggled to make sense of the happiness I've found in broken people living in shattered homes.
No, it isn't all bad. Just… just most of it.
Brockton Bay - March 1st, 2011
In every building I've come across, no matter how packed full of people it's been, there were always bright, clear spots that my Othersight could pick up. Blind spots were everywhere, from under desks, to inside vending machines, to behind furniture and so on. Since my power doesn't seem to register cameras, it then only makes sense that every building must have spots that aren't seen or being watched by people at any given moment.
That was not the case for the factory. Its interior was pitch black to me, despite clearly being in my range. The outside of it was perfectly visible, showing up very much as I'd imagined it: Sturdy brick construction, few windows, plenty of fans for ventilation, aluminum roofing. In fact, the building seemed to have withstood the weathers of time surprisingly well, as the overgrown yard was testament to just how long the place had been abandoned.
Why had no one bought the place and tried building something else? They hadn't even paved over the place. Perhaps odder still was the two warehouses nestled up close to the factory, seeming almost completely normal and empty. Rather than showing the imperceptible darkness that blocked me out, they were just… there. I could See inside them, but nothing stood out as strange or mysterious. The roof was partially collapsed on one, and in the other there was a great deal of clutter and minor damage from collapsed shelving. Apparently they hadn't bothered to collect all their merchandise.
Weird, all of it was just plain weird. I must have stood there for twenty minutes just staring at the place, raking over every detail I could take in and still not coming to any sort of conclusion. The empty void staring back at me was uncomfortable, and ever so slightly different from what I was used to perceiving with my powers. In the back of my head there was a dull ache building the longer and harder I stared, my observations providing little in the way of information.
With a sigh of annoyance I remembered that the factory wasn't the only thing weird, and turned my attention outwards. It took only a second of searching to realize that there was more to this space than I'd originally thought.
Rather than the two defined states of 'visible' and 'not' that I'd known since the day I got these powers, there seemed to be a hazy, indistinct barrier that prevented me from seeing outside the area surrounding the property. Really, it looked like fog, only it didn't 'look' like fog, that was more of a rough analogy for what my brain was deciphering. Powers were weird, okay?
The fog seemed semi-permeable to my power, and yet when I looked at it with my actual eyes, all I saw was the buildings I had come from. Nothing stood out from what you'd normally see in the Trainyard, so much so that it could almost be called suspicious.
What was truly questionable was the factory, however. It registered as 'being watched', which meant there was almost certainly someone inside. As much as I wanted to go in and scope it out, I needed to know more.
It probably hadn't even been half an hour yet, and the rain hadn't let up in the slightest. It was cold, even with my layers of clothes. Finding an old crate, I dragged it over to the fence and sat down on it, the familiar tingling sensation of my third power rushing out over my skin and hair, reaching into my clothes and everything I held. Secure in the fact that I wasn't going to be spotted, I settled in and began my stake out.
…
After the first half an hour, I was getting antsy. No change, no movement, and still the cold rain. The faint headache from before was persistent, slowly growing stronger whenever I focused directly on the factory. I shifted a little and settled down for more.
…
Two hours in I was starting to get irritated. Surely there would've been something, some change. What kind of power was this? By now I was certain there was more than one at work, but how could that be? Emily had gone missing before Scion showed up. Had a cape come in and claimed the place as their own after all that? My fixation with the factory now flickered on and off, jumping from moment to moment, and the headache seemed to pulse with it.
…
My growling stomach reminded me I'd been sitting here for four hours. A part of me was ready to call it a day, to backtrack and contact the police, to investigate the drug dealer and go home to get warm and maybe eat something nice and hot. I'd gulp down water and advil and shut myself in a nice, dark room for a bit to ease the ache in my skull.
Before I could even stand, movement at the periphery of my range grabbed my attention, my body jerking ever so slightly at the abruptness of it. I knew I couldn't afford to do that in a critical situation, but my nerves were frayed. A moment later I was standing, holding my pepper spray and focusing my attention on the new figure.
Or… figures? Once again I was struck by the oddity of the situation as a woman on a horse calmly rode her way around the perimeter of the fence, sitting bareback on a large black breed. She definitely wasn't dressed for a Brockton Bay winter, but a single glance was enough to tell me she didn't need it. Both the woman and her horse were dry and unaffected by the rain as they meandered forward slowly.
Her clothes evoked images of the South, or more specifically of Texas. There was her thin leather jacket with little tassels, short but not suggestive shorts, and a brown bikini top. She wore tiny horseshoe earrings and an infinity symbol belt buckle in the shape of an ouroboros, posed to eat its own tail. I relaxed as I confirmed a lack of weapons on her, the general sense I was getting from her one of peaceful contentment.
She was, frankly, beautiful in just about every way I wasn't. I felt a momentary pang of jealous as this woman, almost certainly a cape, had the curves, smooth skin, and pretty face I'd never have. But I could also tell she was tired, dark lines under her eyes despite the faint smile on her face. She had skin that was a cross between dark and tanned, like what you'd imagine when someone said 'cocoa butter' or 'lightly bronzed'.
The horse was disturbing. While it followed her directions easily, its faced was pulled into a grimace, numerous scars marring its features. Something had blinded it in one eye, and it looked like it might bite of all things.
But the strangest part was that the woman didn't have any effect on my power. There should have been vast swaths of darkness filling through my power's senses where ever she looked, but there wasn't. Just like the horse, she was being treated as a non-entity, impressing upon me her oddness.
As she came closer, I stepped forward, the tingling sensation fading away as I faded into view, locking eyes with her through the mask. She gave her horse a soft 'woah' and stroked at his mane as he stopped.
"Excuse me, Miss. Could I have a word?" Only now did I realize I was unintentionally speaking in a deeper than usual voice.
"Well hey, sugar." She responded with a smile, casually waving at me. "And I suppose you could, I'm not in any old hurry."
"Right, uh, thank you." Clearing my throat, I took a moment to think through how to discuss the issue. "Can I ask what you're doing here?" Hands still deep in my coat pockets, I tried not to come off as aggressive.
The corner of her eyes crinkled as she smiled even more at me. Putting a hand in her horse's mane, she gripped it and swung one leg around, sitting side-saddle and facing me directly. "Just takin' a walk, sugar. This place is always so quiet an' peaceful. Don't usually see anyone around here. How about you?"
For some reason I hadn't been expecting that question. The place had been so deserted I hadn't bothered to think up an alibi. Damn. "To… be honest, I came here because of that." I pointed a gloved hand out towards the factory.
"That?" She said with a raised brow. "What for?"
"To find out what's going on here. To see what it is and learn what happened."
"Oh! You mean you don't know?" Why was she surprised by that?
"Not really. I know a little girl went missing, and accidents started happening. They had to close and no one has been here since. And… something very peculiar is going on."
At that she said nothing, simply kicking her feet and making a soft 'hhmmm' noise. Gritting my teeth I stared at her, burning holes through my mask. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
Smiling sadly, she shook her head before pushing off from her horse and dropping to the ground barefoot. "Sorry, sugar. There's just some things you gotta find out on your own."
So that was that. Whoever this cape was (maybe a bit like New Wave, going without a mask) she had reservations talking to a masked stranger… and Stranger in my case. Mulling over what to do, I watched as she stood there rubbing at her horse's mane, the creature leaning and bumping against her with his head. He just looked so angry all the time, even drooling a little bit now. It felt like, if she didn't have him under her complete control, he would have jumped and stomped me into the dirt.
"What's his name?" I asked more softly, trying a different approach.
Almost immediately she smiled at me. "Bahadur."
"Brave?" I asked, only realizing a moment later that I shouldn't have known that.
"Oh yes, and he is well named for it. You see these scars on his face? I admit, he is not very pretty to look at."
"Uh, yeah, I was wondering about that…"
"A long time ago we ran into a heap of trouble. Bahadur kept shielding me with his body. Wild cats can be quite vicious." She turned, gently kissing the horse on the nose. Bahadur didn't seem to react, simply staring ahead. "He took too many blows to the head. Poor thing has never been the same, but I still love him."
Her affection was almost infectious and I felt myself relaxing a bit more. "That's… wow, that's one loyal horse."
She laughed at that, hugging him around the neck and nodding at me, her smile making me feel oddly warm despite the cold of the rain. I wasn't attracted to her (or I don't think I was) but it was like the sun coming out of the clouds and shining in my face. "Yes, he is. Prob'ly his second best feature."
I sensed a 'but' that she hadn't said. "But there's more to the story, right?"
"Oh yes." She said, releasing her horse and stepping closer to me. I tensed a little as she reached out and ran her fingers along the rim of my hat. "Bahadur was a gift from my first husband, you see."
"Your first? How many did you have?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Seven, all brothers. Bahadur passed from one to another. Where I'm from, if a married man dies and his brothers are unwed, the only honorable thing to do is to marry their brother's wife." Her expression was familiar now, tinged with old pain. Her hand dropped from my hat, thumbs hooking along her shorts. "But one by one they died to accidents, or war, or sickness. In the end I was the only one left, and I inherited everything, including Bahadur."
God… seven husbands. What do you say to someone who survived seven husbands? "I'm… I'm sorry."
"I am too." She said with a sad smile, before looking to her horse again. "But it's not so bad. I have Bahadur and the wide world to explore. And you too, I think, have much to find." Climbing back up onto her horse, she gave him a gentle nudge with her thighs and he started forward again. On reflex I stepped back to let them through.
Belatedly, as she moved off I realized something important I hadn't asked and called out after her. "Miss, what's your name?!"
She just waved back at me, her wedding ring glinting slightly in the light. "I'm going by Godiva now!"
I hesitated a moment before replying, "Fletcher!"
Already she was starting to pass through the misty fog that separated this place from the outside world. "Keep up the good work, Fletcher!"
(Part 3! Part 3! Part 3! Woop woop woop! Once again this is pretty raw and unbeta'd, so I hope it isn't too bad. No estimated time on Part 4 just yet, sorry!)
What Lies in the Dark
Incandescent - Part 3
It isn't always easy when I look back on what's happened to me recently. The pants-wetting terror, casual freakishness, and frankly headache-inducing confusion that seems to happen on a nearly daily basis is not the sort of thing I ever hoped for. I thought that, after Mom died, I'd seen the worst life had to offer, that nothing good would happen in my life again.
Somehow I was wrong about both of those.
Since then I've walked through shadow, spoken to gods, and seen civilizations that mankind doesn't even know exist. I've seen beauty that people have only imagined, and I've struggled to make sense of the happiness I've found in broken people living in shattered homes.
No, it isn't all bad. Just… just most of it.
Brockton Bay - March 1st, 2011
In every building I've come across, no matter how packed full of people it's been, there were always bright, clear spots that my Othersight could pick up. Blind spots were everywhere, from under desks, to inside vending machines, to behind furniture and so on. Since my power doesn't seem to register cameras, it them only makes sense that every building must have spots that aren't seen or being watched by people at any given moment.
That was not the case for the factory. Its interior was pitch black to me, despite clearly being in my range. The outside of it was perfectly visible, showing up very much as I'd imagined it: Sturdy brick construction, few windows, plenty of fans for ventilation, aluminum roofing. In fact, the building seemed to have withstood the weathers of time surprisingly well, as the overgrown yard was testament to just how long the place had been abandoned.
Why had no one bought the place and tried building something else? They hadn't even paved over the place. Perhaps odder still was the two warehouses nestled up close to the factory, seeming almost completely normal and empty. Rather than showing the imperceptible darkness that blocked me out, they were just… there. I could See inside them, but nothing stood out as strange or mysterious. The roof was partially collapsed on one, and in the other there was a great deal of clutter and minor damage from collapsed shelving. Apparently they hadn't bothered to collect all their merchandise.
Weird, all of it was just plain weird. I must have stood there for twenty minutes just staring at the place, raking over every detail I could take in and still not coming to any sort of conclusion. The empty void staring back at me was uncomfortable, and ever so slightly different from what I was used to perceiving with my powers. In the back of my head there was a dull ache building the longer and harder I stared, my observations providing little in the way of information.
With a sigh of annoyance I remembered that the factory wasn't the only thing weird, and turned my attention outwards. It took only a second of searching to realize that there was more to this space than I'd originally thought.
Rather than the two defined states of 'visible' and 'not' that I'd known since the day I got these powers, there seemed to be a hazy, indistinct barrier that prevented me from seeing outside the area surrounding the property. Really, it looked like fog, only it didn't 'look' like fog, that was more of a rough analogy for what my brain was deciphering. Powers were weird, okay?
The fog seemed semi-permeable to my power, and yet when I looked at it with my actual eyes, all I saw was the buildings I had come from. Nothing stood out from what you'd normally see in the Trainyard, so much so that it could almost be called suspicious.
What was truly questionable was the factory, however. It registered as 'being watched', which meant there was almost certainly someone inside. As much as I wanted to go in and scope it out, I needed to know more.
It probably hadn't even been half an hour yet, and the rain hadn't let up in the slightest. It was cold, even with my layers of clothes. Finding an old crate, I dragged it over to the fence and sat down on it, the familiar tingling sensation of my third power rushing out over my skin and hair, reaching into my clothes and everything I held. Secure in the fact that I wasn't going to be spotted, I settled in and began my stake out.
…
After the first half an hour, I was getting antsy. No change, no movement, and still the cold rain. The faint headache from before was persistent, slowly growing stronger whenever I focused directly on the factory. I shifted a little and settled down for more.
…
Two hours in I was starting to get irritated. Surely there would've been something, some change. What kind of power was this? By now I was certain there was more than one at work, but how could that be? Emily had gone missing before Scion showed up. Had a cape come in and claimed the place as their own after all that? My fixation with the factory now flickered on and off, jumping from moment to moment, and the headache seemed to pulse with it.
…
My growling stomach reminded me I'd been sitting here for four hours. A part of me was ready to call it a day, to backtrack and contact the police, to investigate the drug dealer and go home to get warm and maybe eat something nice and hot. I'd gulp down water and advil and shut myself in a nice, dark room for a bit to ease the ache in my skull.
Before I could even stand, movement at the periphery of my range grabbed my attention, my body jerking ever so slightly at the abruptness of it. I knew I couldn't afford to do that in a critical situation, but my nerves were frayed. A moment later I was standing, holding my pepper spray and focusing my attention on the new figure.
Or… figures? Once again I was struck by the oddity of the situation as a woman on a horse calmly rode her way around the perimeter of the fence, sitting bareback on a large black breed. She definitely wasn't dressed for a Brockton Bay winter, but a single glance was enough to tell me she didn't need it. Both the woman and her horse were dry and unaffected by the rain as they meandered forward slowly.
Her clothes evoked images of the South, or more specifically of Texas. There was her thin leather jacket with little tassels, short but not suggestive shorts, and a brown bikini top. She wore tiny horseshoe earrings and an infinity symbol belt buckle in the shape of an ouroboros, posed to eat its own tail. I relaxed as I confirmed a lack of weapons on her, the general sense I was getting from her one of peaceful contentment.
She was, frankly, beautiful in just about every way I wasn't. I felt a momentary pang of jealous as this woman, almost certainly a cape, had the curves, smooth skin, and pretty face I'd never have. But I could also tell she was tired, dark lines under her eyes despite the faint smile on her face. She had skin that was a cross between dark and tanned, like what you'd imagine when someone said 'cocoa butter' or 'lightly bronzed'.
The horse was disturbing. While it followed her directions easily, its faced was pulled into a grimace, numerous scars marring its features. Something had blinded it in one eye, and it looked like it might bite of all things.
But the strangest part was that the woman didn't have any effect on my power. There should have been vast swaths of darkness filling through my power's senses where ever she looked, but there wasn't. Just like the horse, she was being treated as a non-entity, impressing upon my her oddness.
As she came closer, I stepped forward, the tingling sensation fading away as I faded into view, locking eyes with her through the mask. She gave her horse a soft 'woah' and stroked at his mane as he stopped.
"Excuse me, Miss. Could I have a word?" Only now did I realize I was unintentionally speaking in a deeper than usual voice.
"Well hey, sugar." She responded with a smile, casually waving at me. "And I suppose you could, I'm not in any old hurry."
"Right, uh, thank you." Clearing my throat, I took a moment to think through how to discuss the issue. "Can I ask what you're doing here?" Hands still deep in my coat pockets, I tried not to come off as aggressive.
The corner of her eyes crinkled as she smiled even more at me. Putting a hand in her horse's mane, she gripped it and swung one leg around, sitting side-saddle and facing me directly. "Just takin' a walk, sugar. This place is always so quiet an' peaceful. Don't usually see anyone around here. How about you?"
For some reason I hadn't been expecting that question. The place had been so deserted I hadn't bothered to think up an alibi. Damn. "To… be honest, I came here because of that." I pointed a gloved hand out towards the factory.
"That?" She said with a raised brow. "What for?"
"To find out what's going on here. To see what it is and learn what happened."
"Oh! You mean you don't know?" Why was she surprised by that?
"Not really. I know a little girl went missing, and accidents started happening. They had to close and no one has been here since. And… something very peculiar is going on."
At that she said nothing, simply kicking her feet and making a soft 'hhmmm' noise. Gritting my teeth I stared at her, burning holes through my mask. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"
Smiling sadly, she shook her head before pushing off from her horse and dropping to the ground barefoot. "Sorry, sugar. There's just some things you gotta find out on your own."
So that was that. Whoever this cape was (maybe a bit like New Wave, going without a mask) she had reservations talking to a masked stranger… and Stranger in my case. Mulling over what to do, I watched as she stood there rubbing at her horse's mane, the creature leaning and bumping against her with his head. He just looked so angry all the time, even drooling a little bit now. It felt like, if she didn't have him under her complete control, he would have jumped and stomped me into the dirt.
"What's his name?" I asked more softly, trying a different approach.
Almost immediately she smiled at me. "Bahadur."
"Brave?" I asked, only realizing a moment later that I shouldn't have known that.
"Oh yes, and he is well named for it. You see these scars on his face? I admit, he is not very pretty to look at."
"Uh, yeah, I was wondering about that…"
"A long time ago we ran into a heap of trouble. Bahadur kept shielding me with his body. Wild cats can be quite vicious." She turned, gently kissing the horse on the nose. Bahadur didn't seem to react, simply staring ahead. "He took too many blows to the head. Poor thing has never been the same, but I still love him."
Her affection was almost infectious and I felt myself relaxing a bit more. "That's… wow, that's one loyal horse."
She laughed at that, hugging him around the neck and nodding at me, her smile making me feel oddly warm despite the cold of the rain. I wasn't attracted to her (or I don't think I was) but it was like the sun coming out of the clouds and shining in my face. "Yes, he is. Prob'ly his second best feature."
I sensed a 'but' that she hadn't said. "But there's more to the story, right?"
"Oh yes." She said, releasing her horse and stepping closer to me. I tensed a little as she reached out and ran her fingers along the rim of my hat. "Bahadur was a gift from my first husband, you see."
"Your first? How many did you have?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"Seven, all brothers. Bahadur passed from one to another. Where I'm from, if a married man dies and his brothers are unwed, the only honorable thing to do is to marry their brother's wife." Her expression was familiar now, tinged with old pain. Her hand dropped from my hat, thumbs hooking along her shorts. "But one by one they died to accidents, or war, or sickness. In the end I was the only one left, and I inherited everything, including Bahadur."
God… seven husbands. What do you say to someone who survived seven husbands? "I'm… I'm sorry."
"I am too." She said with a sad smile, before looking to her horse again. "But it's not so bad. I have Bahadur and the wide world to explore. And you too, I think, have much to find." Climbing back up onto her horse, she gave him a gentle nudge with her thighs and he started forward again. On reflex I stepped back to let them through.
Belatedly, as she moved off I realized something important I hadn't asked and called out after her. "Miss, what's your name?!"
She just waved back at me, her wedding ring glinting slightly in the light. "I'm going by Godiva now!"
I hesitated a moment before replying, "Fletcher!"
Already she was starting to pass through the misty fog that separated this place from the outside world. "Keep up the good work, Fletcher!"
Possibly named after Jessica Fletcher?, the novelist/sleuth from the Murder, She Wrote series: Jessica Fletcher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seeing as Taylor is playing the amateur detective it makes some degree of sense.
